bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Countrywide Stroke Incidence, Subtypes, Management and Outcome in a Multiethnic Asian Population: The Singapore Stroke Registry — Methodology
Authors: Venketasubramanian Narayanaswamy , Chang Hui Meng , Chan Bernard Poon Lap , Young Sherry H. , Kong Keng He , Tang Kok Foo , Ang Yan Hoon , Ahmad Aftab , Chow Khuan Yew ,   for the Singapore Stroke Registry
Published: March 2015

Rationale

Because of its rapidly-growing and aging populations, the global burden of stroke will be felt most strongly in Asia. Data from Asia are scarce. Even rarer are data from multiethnic populations.

Aim

The Singapore Stroke Registry is a countrywide registry of risk factors, stroke subtypes, management and outcome of incident and recurrent stroke in multiethnic Singapore.

Methods and design

Using a cold-pursuit design, potential subjects are identified from medical claims, hospital discharge summaries and death certificates. Standardized methods are used for case ascertainment and data recording by trained staff into standardized case report forms. All ages and both genders are included.

Study outcome

Stroke incidence, subtypes and mortality will be calculated. Trend data will be obtained. Inter-ethnic differences will be explored.

Discussion

The Registry has many features of an ‘ideal’ incidence study. Previously unavailable countrywide data on an Asian population will be acquired. The unique data on inter-ethnic differences will help fill knowledge gaps in stroke epidemiology.
A Local Dimension of Integration Policies? A Comparative Study of Berlin, Malmö, and Rotterdam
Authors: Dekker Rianne , Emilsson Henrik , Krieger Bernhard , Scholten Peter
Published: March 2015

This study examines three theses on local integration policies by a qualitative comparative case study of integration policies in three cities in three different countries (Berlin, Malmö, and Rotterdam). We found little evidence of a congruent local dimension of integration policies. Local policies resemble their national policy frameworks fairly well in terms of policy approaches and domains. Our multi-level perspective shows that this is not the result of top-down hierarchical governance, but rather of a multilevel dynamic of two-way interaction. Local policy legacies and local politics matter and national policies are also influenced by local approaches of integration.
The search for radical hope: Combatting the social exclusion of Britain's working class
Authors: Benn Melissa
Published: March 2015

Melissa Benn talks to Lisa McKenzie, author of Getting By, a study of Nottingham's St Anne's estate and the lives of its residents, about the challenges it highlights for the UK's progressive policymakers. How can contemporary politics foster the transformative projects required to spark renewal in areas of settled deprivation?
Why Kamm's Principle of Secondary Permissibility Cannot Save the Doctrine of Double Effect
Authors: Øverland Gerhard
Published: March 2015

The DDE yields counterintuitive verdicts about certain cases: it may deem it permissible to kill a certain number of people when they are not used as means and their death is not intended, but deny that killing fewer of these people is permissible if that requires intending their death, or using them as means. To accommodate the judgement that we may kill the lesser number in such cases, supporters of the DDE may appeal to Frances Kamm's Principle of Secondary Permissibility (PSP). The principle says, roughly, that if it is permissible to kill n people when not intending their death, or using them as means, then it is permissible to kill n − m people in a way that does involve intending their deaths, or using them as means, as ‘secondarily permissible’ (where m > 0). In this article I argue that appealing to the PSP to solve the puzzling cases of the DDE is generally misleading and that it fails in particular cases. The crux of my argument is that the PSP allows killings that go against the grain of the DDE.
Good, Bad or Absent: Discourses of Parents with Disabilities in Australian News Media
Authors: Fraser Vikki , Llewellyn Gwynnyth
Published: March 2015

Background

News media frames public perceptions. As such, news media becomes a useful source of analysis to understand the presence (or otherwise) of people with disabilities, particularly intellectual disabilities, within parenting discourses in Australia.

Method

Using Critical Discourse Analysis, this article examines major Australian newspapers over the period from January 2004 to December 2008, critiquing the construction of parenting and disability. A small number of articles are examined in close depth for tone, polarity syntactic and paradigmatic choice, deconstructing the underlying discourses that shape the article and thereby popular perceptions of parenting and disability.

Discussion

Discourses of care and child protection are emphasized in news articles about parenting, creating perceptions that negate the role of people with disabilities as parents. Such perceptions result in a systematic symbolic castration of people with intellectual disabilities from the role of parent in Australian society.

Conclusion

By providing a framework for understanding the public perceptions of parents with disabilities (particularly intellectual disabilities), this paper demonstrates that changes are necessary in Australian media reporting on parents with disabilities to bring such reporting more closely in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2006.
‘Recognized, Valued and Supported’? The Experiences of Adult Siblings of People with Autism Plus Learning Disability
Authors: Tozer Rosemary , Atkin Karl
Published: March 2015

Background

The potential of adult siblings to offer long‐term support to a brother or sister with autism is rarely realized. To understand this, our study explores the expectations of social care among adult siblings.

Method

Using qualitative interviews, we spoke to 21 adult siblings about their family relationships and engagement with service delivery, met with 12 of their siblings with autism and talked to 12 social care staff.

Results

Siblings, although reflecting on the difficulties of growing up with someone who had autism, expressed a commitment towards their brother or sister. Most wanted involvement in their care. While some siblings described positive relationships with services, many felt marginalized. Practitioners largely confirmed their perceptions, while offering a justification for why they struggled to engage with adult siblings.

Conclusion

By understanding the way relationships between siblings change over time, adult siblings' contribution to the lives of their disabled brother or sister can be better supported.
Caregiving Experience for Children with Intellectual Disabilities among Parents in a Developing Area in China
Authors: Yang Xue , Byrne Victoria , Chiu Marcus Y. L.
Published: March 2015

Background

By utilizing grounded theory methodology, this study attempted to fill a gap whereby little research explored family caregiving perspectives in China where public support is insufficient and familial responsibility is highly valued.

Methods

Data were collected through the qualitative methods of interviews and observations among a purposive sample of 15 parents of children with intellectual disabilities in central China.

Results

The central idea emerging from the data encompassed five broad categories of caregiving experiences: (i) unavoidable caregiving responsibility and (ii) uncertain future as the greatest worries which are the perception towards the recipient; (iii) compromising quality of life and (iv) positive roles of caregiving tasks which focus on the self; and (v) community support which is the perceived support from the external system.

Conclusion

A recursive relationship existed among these categories. Chinese culture and traditional beliefs dominated throughout these issues. The implications and limitations of this study were discussed.
Attributions of Stability, Control and Responsibility: How Parents of Children with Intellectual Disabilities View their Child's Problematic Behaviour and Its Causes
Authors: Jacobs Myrthe , Woolfson Lisa Marks , Hunter Simon C.
Published: March 2015

Background

Children with intellectual disabilities have high rates of behaviour problems. This study explored parents’ causal beliefs and attributions for general problematic child behaviour in children with different aetiologies of intellectual disabilities.

Materials and Methods

Ten parents of children with intellectual disabilities participated in interviews about their child's problematic behaviour.

Results

Thematic analysis using NVivo revealed that parents viewed their child's problematic behaviour not only as caused by the child's intellectual disabilities but also by other causes unrelated to the intellectual disabilities, as well as by aspects of the social environmental context. Some causes were viewed as stable and uncontrollable and others as unstable and controllable. In addition, parents showed a strong sense of responsibility for child behaviour.

Conclusions

Parents of children with intellectual disabilities do not solely interpret their child's problematic behaviour through the intellectual disabilities but incorporate the environment and causes and attributions that are not related to the intellectual disabilities, which may help to promote more effective parenting.
Attuning: A Communication Process between People with Severe and Profound Intellectual Disability and Their Interaction Partners
Authors: Griffiths Colin , Smith Martine
Published: March 2015

Background

People with severe and profound intellectual disability typically demonstrate a limited ability to communicate effectively. Most of their communications are non‐verbal, often idiosyncratic and ambiguous. This article aims to identify the process that regulates communications of this group of people with others and to describe the methodological approach that was used to achieve this.

Materials and Methods

In this qualitative study, two dyads consisting of a person with severe or profound intellectual and multiple disability and a teacher or carer were filmed as they engaged in school‐based activities. Two 1‐hour videotapes were transcribed and analysed using grounded theory.

Results

Attuning was identified within the theory proposed here as a central process that calibrates and regulates communication.

Conclusion

Attuning is conceptualized as a bidirectional, dyadic communication process. Understanding this process may support more effective communication between people with severe or profound intellectual and multiple disability and their interaction partners.
Access Barriers to Dental Health Care in Children with Disability. A Questionnaire Study of Parents
Authors: Gerreth Karolina , Borysewicz‐Lewicka Maria
Published: March 2015

Background

A patient's with disability everyday life is rife with many limitations such as architectural, transport, information as well as medical, psychological, legal, economic and social barriers. The aim of this study was to evaluate access to dental health care of special‐care schoolchildren with intellectual disability on the basis of their parents’ opinion.

Material and method

A questionnaire survey was carried out among 264 parents/caregivers of children from eight special‐care schools in Poznan (Poland). Close‐ended questions concerned children's barriers in access to dental care and parents’ satisfaction with their children's dental care.

Results

Only 31.8% parents/caregivers did not have any problems with access to dental care and the most commonly reported barrier to obtaining dental care was protracted waiting time for a visit (36.7%). Most commonly, children were treated in dental surgery conditions (90.1%). Only 42.1% respondents were satisfied with their children's dental care.

Conclusions

The research revealed that there is a need to improve the access of children with disability to dental care. Hence, it seems to be beneficial to set up specialist dental surgeries in special‐care schools which would improve the access of children with disability to prophylaxis as well as dental treatment.
Substance Use, Offending, and Participation in Alcohol and Drug Treatment Programmes: A Comparison of Prisoners with and without Intellectual Disabilities
Authors: McGillivray Jane A. , Gaskin Cadeyrn J. , Newton Danielle C. , Richardson Ben A.
Published: March 2015

Background

Many offenders with intellectual disabilities have substance use issues. Offending behaviour may be associated with substance use.

Materials and Methods

Prisoners with and without intellectual disabilities were compared in terms of their substance use prior to imprisonment, the influence of substance use on offending, and their participation in alcohol and drug treatment programmes.

Results

Substance use was similar in prisoners with and without intellectual disabilities in the year prior to their current prison terms. Prisoners with intellectual disabilities were much less likely to report that substance use was an antecedent to the offences leading to their imprisonment. The completion rate of alcohol and drug treatment programmes was much lower for those with intellectual disabilities.

Conclusions

Substance use may be as common in prisoners with intellectual disabilities as those without this condition. Services may need to reflect on whether their treatment programmes are meeting the needs of all prisoners.
TLR3/TRIF signalling pathway regulates IL‐32 and IFN‐β secretion through activation of RIP‐1 and TRAF in the human cornea
Authors: Park Ga Bin , Hur Dae Young , Kim Yeong Seok , Lee Hyun‐Kyung , Yang Jae Wook , Kim Daejin
Published: March 2015

Toll‐like receptor‐3 (TLR3) and RNA helicase retinoic‐acid‐inducible protein‐1 (RIG‐I) serve as cytoplasmic sensors for viral RNA components. In this study, we investigated how the TLR3 and RIG‐I signalling pathway was stimulated by viral infection to produce interleukin (IL)‐32‐mediated pro‐inflammatory cytokines and type I interferon in the corneal epithelium using Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)‐infected human cornea epithelial cells (HCECs/EBV) as a model of viral keratitis. Increased TLR3 and RIG‐I that are responded to EBV‐encoded RNA 1 and 2 (EBER1 and EBER2) induced the secretion of IL‐32‐mediated pro‐inflammatory cytokines and IFN‐β through up‐regulation of TRIF/TRAF family proteins or RIP‐1. TRIF silencing or TLR3 inhibitors more efficiently inhibited sequential phosphorylation of TAK1, TBK1, NF‐κB and IRFs to produce pro‐inflammatory cytokines and IFN‐β than RIG‐I‐siRNA transfection in HCECs/EBV. Blockade of RIP‐1, which connects the TLR3 and RIG‐I pathways, significantly blocked the TLR3/TRIF‐mediated and RIG‐I‐mediated pro‐inflammatory cytokines and IFN‐β production in HCECs/EBV. These findings demonstrate that TLR3/TRIF‐dependent signalling pathway against viral RNA might be a main target to control inflammation and anti‐viral responses in the ocular surface.
Up‐regulation of galectin‐9 induces cell migration in human dendritic cells infected with dengue virus
Authors: Hsu Yu‐Lin , Wang Mei‐Yi , Ho Ling‐Jun , Huang Chuan‐Yueh , Lai Jenn‐Haung
Published: March 2015

Galectin‐9 (Gal‐9) exerts immunosuppressive effects by inducing apoptosis in T cells that produce interferon‐γ and interleukin (IL)‐17. However, Gal‐9 can be pro‐inflammatory in lipopolysaccharide‐stimulated monocytes. Using microarray analysis, we observed that Gal‐9 was up‐regulated in human dendritic cells (DCs) after dengue virus (DV) infection. The investigation into the immunomodulatory effects and mechanisms of Gal‐9 in DCs exposed to DV revealed that DV infection specifically increased mRNA and protein levels of Gal‐9 but not those of Gal‐1 or Gal‐3. Blocking p38, but not c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase or extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK), inhibited DV‐induced expression of Gal‐9. Reduction in Gal‐9 by small interference RNA treatment suppressed DV‐stimulated migration of DCs towards the chemoattractants CCL19 and CCL21. In addition, DV‐induced IL‐12p40 production was reduced after knockdown of Gal‐9 in DCs. Furthermore, Gal‐9 deficiency suppressed DV‐induced activation of nuclear factor‐κB. Inhibition of DV‐induced DC migration under conditions of Gal‐9 deficiency was mediated through suppressing ERK activation but not by regulating the expression of CCR7, the receptor for CCL19 and CCL21. Both the reduction in IL‐12 production and the suppression of ERK activity might account for the inhibition of DV‐induced DC migration after knockdown of Gal‐9. In summary, this study reveals the roles of Gal‐9 in DV‐induced migration of DCs. The findings indicate that Gal‐9 might be a therapeutic target for preventing immunopathogenesis induced by DV infection.
Decontamination of Withania somnifera by Gamma Irradiation and its Effect on Antioxidant Activities
Authors: Choi Jong‐Il , Srinivasan Periasamy , Park Hyun
Published: March 2015

The current investigation was carried out to study the effect of gamma irradiations on decontamination of Withania somnifera and its antioxidant activity. W. somnifera dry roots were packed and irradiated at doses of 1–10 kGy following the storage at 4C within a week. At the dose of 10 kGy, the microbial contamination was lowered below detection level. Glycowithanolides are known for antioxidant components present in W. somnifera. The antioxidant activity of W. somnifera extract was investigated by measuring 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl, hydroxyl and superoxide radical‐scavenging activities. These activities were increased in samples extracted from the irradiated roots at 10 kGy. The extraction yield of the glycowithanolides was considered as one of the reasons for the increase of antioxidant activities of the extract.

Practical Applications

Withania somnifera is an important medicinal plant and has been widely used in India and other parts of the world as a home remedy for several diseases. Gamma irradiation has been used as a phytosanitary treatment of food and herbal materials. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of gamma irradiation on decontamination of W. somnifera and its effect on the antioxidant properties. These results suggest that gamma irradiation can be applied for phytosanitary of other herbal plants.
Predicting 3‐Year Survival in Older People with Intellectual Disabilities Using a Frailty Index
Authors: Schoufour Josje D. , Mitnitski Arnold , Rockwood Kenneth , Evenhuis Heleen M. , Echteld Michael A.
Published: March 2015

Objectives

To analyze the relationship between frailty and survival in older people with intellectual disabilities (IDs).

Design

Population‐based longitudinal observational study.

Setting

Three Dutch care provider services.

Participants

Individuals with borderline to profound ID aged 50 and older (N = 982).

Measurements

A frailty index (FI) including 51 health‐related deficits was used to measure frailty. Mean follow‐up was 3.3 years. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the independent effect of frailty on survival. The discriminative ability of the FI was measured using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

Results

Greater FI values were associated with greater risk of death, independent of sex, age, level of ID, and Down syndrome. There was a nonlinear increase in risk with increasing FI value. For example, mortality risk was 2.17 times as great (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.95–4.95) for vulnerable individuals (FI 0.20–0.29) and 19.5 (95% CI = 9.13–41.8) times as great for moderately frail individuals (FI 0.40–0.49) as for relatively fit individuals (FI <0.20). The area under the ROC curve for 3‐year survival was 0.78.

Conclusion

Although the predictive validity of the FI should be further determined, it was strongly associated with 3‐year mortality. Care providers working with people with ID should be able to recognize frail clients and act in an early stage to stop or prevent further decline.
Association Between Comorbidity Burden and Rapid Cognitive Decline in Individuals with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Aubert Lauren , Pichierri Sophie , Hommet Caroline , Camus Vincent , Berrut Gilles , de Decker Laure
Published: March 2015

Objectives

To determine the association between rapid cognitive decline and burden of comorbidities as assessed using the Charlson Comorbidity Index in individuals aged 65 and older with Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Memory clinic at the University Hospital of Nantes.

Participants

Individuals aged 65 and older with AD (n = 170).

Measurements

Subjects were followed for 1 year. Rapid cognitive decline was defined as a decrease of 3 or more points on the Mini‐Mental State Examination per 12‐month period. Variables studied were the Charlson Comorbidity Index (measure of comorbidity burden), age, sex, AD stage, type of residence (living at home or not), presence of caregiver, functional abilities (Lawton and Katz scales), risk of malnutrition or depression, and intercurrent events (hospitalization or initiating home care).

Results

Rapid cognitive decline at 1‐year follow‐up occurred in 65 subjects (38.2%). In fully adjusted logistic regression analysis, Charlson Comorbidity Index was significantly associated with rapid cognitive decline (odds ratio (OR) = 1.30, P = .03). Moderate stage of AD (OR = 2.07, P = .04) and living at home (OR = 4.17, P = .04) were also associated with rapid cognitive decline.

Conclusion

Comorbidity burden was associated with rapid cognitive decline in subjects with AD.
Prevalence of Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults Using the 2012 Beers Criteria
Authors: Davidoff Amy J. , Miller G. Edward , Sarpong Eric M. , Yang Eunice , Brandt Nicole , Fick Donna M.
Published: March 2015

Objectives

To use the most recently available population‐based data to estimate potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) prevalence under the 2012 update of the Beers list of PIMs and to provide a benchmark from which to measure future changes.

Design

Retrospective cohort study using nationally representative data.

Setting

2006–2010 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS).

Participants

Community‐dwelling sample of U.S. older adults (N = 18,475).

Measurements

The updated Beers criteria were operationalized, generating a “broad” PIM definition that incorporated form, route, or dose restrictions where clearly specified and a “qualified” definition that applied specific exceptions where mentioned in the rationale associated with each drug category. Bivariate analyses described PIM prevalence, comparing the two operational definitions, and examined time trends.

Results

Of older adults with prescription medications, 42.6% had at least one medication fill that met the broad definition, with nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) having the highest prevalence (10.9%). The rate declined from 45.5% in 2006–2007 to 40.8% in 2009–2010. The categories with the largest absolute decline were NSAIDs, selected sulfonylureas, and estrogens. PIM prevalence was 30.9% using the qualified definition.

Conclusion

Despite the overall high use of PIMs, there has been a decline observed in recent years. Future studies should test the effect of educational and clinical interventions on changes in PIM use and outcomes. The current study results can aid in targeting these interventions.
Antipsychotics and Mortality: Adjusting for Mortality Risk Scores to Address Confounding by Terminal Illness
Authors: Park Yoonyoung , Franklin Jessica M. , Schneeweiss Sebastian , Levin Raisa , Crystal Stephen , Gerhard Tobias , Huybrechts Krista F.
Published: March 2015

Objectives

To determine whether adjustment for prognostic indices specifically developed for nursing home (NH) populations affect the magnitude of previously observed associations between mortality and conventional and atypical antipsychotics.

Design

Cohort study.

Setting

A merged data set of Medicaid, Medicare, Minimum Data Set (MDS), Online Survey Certification and Reporting system, and National Death Index for 2001 to 2005.

Participants

Dual‐eligible individuals aged 65 and older who initiated antipsychotic treatment in a NH (N = 75,445).

Measurements

Three mortality risk scores (Mortality Risk Index Score, Revised MDS Mortality Risk Index, Advanced Dementia Prognostic Tool) were derived for each participant using baseline MDS data, and their performance was assessed using c‐statistics and goodness‐of‐fit tests. The effect of adjusting for these indices in addition to propensity scores (PSs) on the association between antipsychotic medication and mortality was evaluated using Cox models with and without adjustment for risk scores.

Results

Each risk score showed moderate discrimination for 6‐month mortality, with c‐statistics ranging from 0.61 to 0.63. There was no evidence of lack of fit. Imbalances in risk scores between conventional and atypical antipsychotic users, suggesting potential confounding, were much lower within PS deciles than the imbalances in the full cohort. Accounting for each score in the Cox model did not change the relative risk estimates: 2.24 with PS‐only adjustment versus 2.20, 2.20, and 2.22 after further adjustment for the three risk scores.

Conclusion

Although causality cannot be proven based on nonrandomized studies, this study adds to the body of evidence rejecting explanations other than causality for the greater mortality risk associated with conventional antipsychotics than with atypical antipsychotics.
Adolescent Personality as Risk and Resiliency in the Testosterone–Externalizing Association
Authors: Reardon Kathleen W. , Herzhoff Kathrin , Tackett Jennifer L.
Published: March 2015

Previous investigations of testosterone and externalizing behavior have provided mixed findings. We tested the hypothesis that self‐regulatory personality moderates the testosterone–externalizing behavior association in adolescence. Parents reported on their 13‐ to 18‐year‐old (N = 106, Mage = 16.01, SD = 1.29) children's personalities and psychopathology. Testosterone was measured via drool samples. As hypothesized, personality moderated the testosterone–externalizing behavior association. High testosterone predicted higher levels of externalizing behaviors, but only for adolescents low in Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. Also, personality acted as a resiliency factor: high levels of Conscientiousness, in the presence of high testosterone, predicted lower levels of rule breaking. Results highlight how endogenous factors, such as personality, may interact with testosterone, and emphasize the relevance of including personality moderators in future research.
Melatonin as a treatment for gastrointestinal cancer: a review
Authors: Xin Zhenlong , Jiang Shuai , Jiang Peng , Yan Xiaolong , Fan Chongxi , Di Shouyin , Wu Guiling , Yang Yang , Reiter Russel J. , Ji Gang
Published: March 2015

Gastrointestinal cancer is a disease that affects the population worldwide with high morbidity and mortality. Melatonin, an endogenously produced molecule, may provide a defense against a variety of cancer types. In particular, the ability of melatonin to inhibit gastrointestinal cancer is substantial. In this review, we first clarify the relationship between the disruption of the melatonin rhythm and gastrointestinal cancer (based on epidemiologic surveys and animal and human studies) and summarize the preventive effect of melatonin on carcinogenesis. Thereafter, the mechanisms through which melatonin exerts its anti‐gastrointestinal cancer actions are explained, including inhibition of proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis, and promotion of apoptosis and cancer immunity. Moreover, we discuss the drug synergy effects and the role of melatonin receptors involved in the growth‐inhibitory effects on gastrointestinal cancer. Taken together, the information compiled here serves as a comprehensive reference for the anti‐gastrointestinal cancer actions of melatonin that have been identified to date and will hopefully aid in the design of further experimental and clinical studies and increase the awareness of melatonin as a therapeutic agent in cancers of the gastrointestinal tract.
Alcoholic hepatitis and HCV interactions in the modulation of liver disease
Authors: Punzalan C. S. , Bukong T. N. , Szabo G.
Published: March 2015

Most HCV‐infected patients regularly consume alcohol. Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection together are the most common causes of liver disease worldwide. Although both factors independently cause liver disease, they synergistically promote rapid liver disease progression with devastating outcomes for patients. This review focuses on the prevalence, clinical characteristics and molecular pathophysiologic mechanisms of HCV infection associated with alcohol abuse. Recent findings have centred on the synergistic effect of alcohol and HCV on viral replication, hepatocyte apoptosis, oxidative stress, alcohol‐induced ‘leaky gut’, miR‐122 and immune dysregulation. Clinical and basic research findings presented here summarize key scientific findings with the aim of highlighting potential areas for new therapies and identifying ways of optimizing current treatments for alcoholics with HCV infection.
Examining Linguistics in the Language Strand of the Common Core State Standards
Authors: Denham Kristin
Published: March 2015

The funding and support of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the widespread adoption of the standards have prompted the educational publishing industry in the United States to produce a host of offerings, all promising to help students meet these rigorous new standards. In the CCSS for English Language Arts and Literacy, there is an entire strand, with the title ‘Language’, offering the opportunity to incorporate knowledge of language into schools in ways that will further the goals of educators, administrators, and linguists alike. However, an examination of some of the materials aligned with the CCSS that are offered by corporate publishing giants reveals that these are not informed by advances in linguistics and undermine teachers' autonomy. Additionally, many of the Language standards themselves are not informed by linguistics and instead reinforce myths, stereotypes, and discriminatory attitudes, if taken at face value. Linguists, teacher educators, and teachers must recognize today's publishers' marketing ploys for what they are. If teachers are encouraged to do what they know how to do, including select their own materials, and to use the topics in the Language standards to teach in more sophisticated ways about language, then the standards could become a launching pad for improved teaching and learning about language and linguistic discrimination.
Word Order, Action, and the Brain: A Reply to Arbib
Authors: Kemmerer David
Published: March 2015

In a recent paper in this journal, I argued that the crosslinguistic prevalence of subject–object–verb and subject–verb–object word orders reflects the sequential and hierarchical representation of action in Broca's area. Arbib (2015) discusses that paper in the context of broader computational, neuroscientific, and evolutionary issues, and presents a critique of my specific proposal. Here, I respond to his concerns and defend my original account.
Histopathologic and Urodynamic Effects of the Anticholinergic Drugs Oxybutynin, Tolterodine, and Trospium on the Bladder
Authors: ORGEN Seyfettin , DELIKTAS Hasan , SAHIN Hayrettin , GEDIK Abdullah , NERGIS Yusuf
Published: March 2015

Objectives

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of intravesical instillation of the anticholinergic drugs oxybutynin, tolterodine, and trospium on bladder capacity and histopathological changes in the bladder mucosa.

Methods

The study included 20 male New Zealand white rabbits that were randomly allocated to four groups of five. In the oxybutynin, tolterodine, and trospium groups, the drugs used were 1 mg/kg of crushed tablet mixed with 5 mL of saline, instilled intravesically once per day for 4 weeks. The control group was administered only 5 mL of saline once per day for 4 weeks. Urodynamic measurement of the bladder was made before and after treatment. At the end of the treatment the animals were killed and the bladders were evaluated histopathologically.

Results

There were no significant differences between pre‐ and post‐treatment bladder capacity in any of the groups (P > 0.05). Histopathological evaluation showed that the mucosal epithelium was intact and there was minor inflammation in the control group and oxybutynin group (P > 0.05), whereas there was destruction of the mucosal epithelium and findings of diffuse inflammation in the tolterodine (P = 0.014) and trospium (P = 0.014) groups.

Conclusion

Intravesical oxybutynin treatment was observed to be safe; however, a single daily dose of oxybutynin may not be sufficient to increase bladder capacity. Intravesical use of trospium and tolterodine at high doses caused epithelial destruction and diffuse inflammation in the bladder mucosa. The irritation associated with epithelial destruction and inflammation prevented an increase in bladder capacity.
DdrO is an essential protein that regulates the radiation desiccation response and the apoptotic‐like cell death in the radioresistant Deinococcus radiodurans bacterium
Authors: Devigne Alice , Ithurbide Solenne , Bouthier de la Tour Claire , Passot Fanny , Mathieu Martine , Sommer Suzanne , Servant Pascale
Published: March 2015

Deinococcus radiodurans is known for its extreme radioresistance. Comparative genomics identified a radiation‐desiccation response (RDR) regulon comprising genes that are highly induced after DNA damage and containing a conserved motif (RDRM) upstream of their coding region. We demonstrated that the RDRM sequence is involved in cis‐regulation of the RDR gene ddrB in vivo. Using a transposon mutagenesis approach, we showed that, in addition to ddrO encoding a predicted RDR repressor and irrE encoding a positive regulator recently shown to cleave DdrO in Deinococcus deserti, two genes encoding α‐keto‐glutarate dehydrogenase subunits are involved in ddrB regulation. In wild‐type cells, the DdrO cell concentration decreased transiently in an IrrE‐dependent manner at early times after irradiation. Using a conditional gene inactivation system, we showed that DdrO depletion enhanced expression of three RDR proteins, consistent with the hypothesis that DdrO acts as a repressor of the RDR regulon. DdrO‐depleted cells loose viability and showed morphological changes evocative of an apoptotic‐like response, including membrane blebbing, defects in cell division and DNA fragmentation. We propose that DNA repair and apoptotic‐like death might be two responses mediated by the same regulators, IrrE and DdrO, but differently activated depending on the persistence of IrrE‐dependent DdrO cleavage.
The Stock Market Crash Really Did Cause the Great Recession
Authors: Farmer Roger E. A.
Published: March 2015

This paper studies the connection between the stock market and the unemployment rate. I establish three facts. First, the log of the real value of the S&P 500 and the log of a logistic transformation of the unemployment rate are non‐stationary cointegrated series. Second, the stock market Granger causes the unemployment rate. Third, the connection between changes in the real value of the stock market and changes in the unemployment rate has remained structurally stable over seventy years. My results establish that the fall in the stock market in the autumn of 2008 provides a plausible causal explanation for the magnitude of the Great Recession.
Roe deer at risk: teasing apart habitat selection and landscape constraints in risk exposure at multiple scales
Authors: Padié Sophie , Morellet Nicolas , Hewison A. J. Mark , Martin Jean‐Louis , Bonnot Nadège , Cargnelutti Bruno , Chamaillé‐Jammes Simon
Published: March 2015

Non‐consumptive effects of predators result from the cost of responses to perceived risk. Prey modulate risk exposure through flexible habitat selection at multiple scales which, in interaction with landscape constraints, determines their use of risky habitats. Identifying the relative contributions of landscape constraints and habitat selection to risk exposure is a critical first step towards a mechanistic understanding of non‐consumptive effects.

Here, we provide an integrative multi‐scale study of roe deer spatial responses to variable hunting pressure along a landscape gradient of open habitats and dispersed refuges. Between low‐risk and high‐risk periods, we investigated shifts in 1) home‐range location, 2) probability of using risky habitats (between‐habitat scale) and 3) distance to the nearest refuge (within‐habitat scale). For 2) and 3), we disentangled the contributions of landscape constraints and habitat selection to risky habitat use.

We found that when risk was high, roe deer did not shift their home‐range, but generally decreased their use of risky habitats, and sometimes reduced their distance to cover (particularly older animals). There was a functional response in between‐habitat selection, with animals living in more open landscapes responding more than those living in landscapes with more refuges. However, individuals living in more open landscapes avoided open risky habitat less. Finally, we found that among‐individual variation in risk exposure was generally, but not always, minimized by habitat selection across gradients of landscape constraints.

To our knowledge, this is the first study simultaneously documenting prey responses to risk at the within‐habitat, between‐habitat and home‐range scales. Our results support the view that between‐habitat selection acts at a higher hierarchical level than within‐habitat selection, and provide a framework for disentangling the contributions of habitat selection and landscape constraints to risk exposure. Selection cannot always compensate for landscape constraints, indicating a need for further investigation of the processes underlying habitat selection.
Selection against instability: stable subgraphs are most frequent in empirical food webs
Authors: Borrelli Jonathan J.
Published: March 2015

Food web structure can be characterized by the particular frequencies of subgraphs found within them. Although there are thirteen possible configurations of three species subgraphs, some are consistently over‐represented in empirical food webs. This is a robust pattern that is found across marine, freshwater or terrestrial environments. The preferential elimination of unstable subgraphs during the assembly of the food web can explain the observed pattern. It follows from this hypothesis that there should be differences in the stability of different subgraphs, and that stability should be positively correlated to their frequency in food webs. Using 50 food webs collected from a variety of databases I determined the frequency of each of the thirteen possible subgraphs with respect to randomized webs. Then by numerical simulation I determined the quasi sign stability (QSS) of each subgraph. My results clearly show a positive correlation between QSS and over‐representation of the different subgraphs in empirical food webs.
Sleep, Death's Twin Brother
Authors: Ghasemi Mehdi
Published: March 2015

In this essay, I approach Suzan‐Lori Parks's The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World from the perspective of postmodern drama so as to explore a number of key preoccupations of postmodern aesthetics in this play. I argue how the creation of indeterminacy enables Parks to develop an indeterminate representation of history and exercise the African Americans' resistance against the hierarchies of power. In addition, I argue that the use of postmodern aesthetics helps the playwright to create a postmortem state so as to proffer alternative perspectives, which can resist and eventually break the monophony and monopoly of the dominant discourse. I finally show how the employment of the theories of postmodern drama helps Parks to represent a typical image of a media‐saturated society and to direct and throw her energies into undermining a number of dominant metanarratives, ill‐propaganda, and negative stereotypes, which have been created by media and have afflicted African Americans in their personal and social lives. It is worth noting that the focus of my analysis is on the terrains that reflect the playwright's quest for identities for African Americans.
The timing of autologous stem cell transplantation and the prognostic factors affecting the prognosis in children with relapsed hodgkin lymphoma
Authors: Ataş Erman , Kesik Vural , Babacan Oğuzhan , Korkmazer Nadir , Akyüz Canan
Published: March 2015

Although ASCT is used as a standard treatment following second remission for adults in oncology practice, data are lacking for relapsed childhood HL. Therefore, we evaluated the exact timing of the ASCT treatment, as well as factors affecting the prognosis in children with relapsed HL who underwent ASCT. Patients were divided into two groups (Group 1: ASCT after second remission [n = 6], Group 2: ASCT after >2 remissions [n = 3]). Overall, DFS rate was 64.8% at 24 months after ASCT. In Group 1, post‐transplant DFS and OS were 83.3% and 75%, respectively, and the post‐transplant response without event rate was 5/6 (83.3%). However, in Group 2 this was 1/3 (33.3%). Nonetheless, the timing of ASCT was not a significant prognostic factor for DFS and OS in univariate analyses (p = 0.21 and p = 0.73, respectively). Median follow‐up time was 21 months after transplant, and DFS and OS were 62.5% and 75% in early relapse group (n = 6) at 24 months. DFS and OS were both 66.7% in late relapse (n = 3). In addition, response rates of ASCT without event were 66.7% for both early and late relapse groups. Relapse types (early: 3–12 months, late: >12 months) was not a significant prognostic factor for DFS and OS in univariate analyses (p = 0.96 and p = 0.92). While we found ASCT to be a useful treatment following second remission, it does not demonstrate better success in early relapse cases, when compared to late relapse cases. Therefore, after second remission for relapsed HL, ASCT is advisable regardless of the time of relapse.
Review of the history, status and prospects of the black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) hatchery sector in Bangladesh
Authors: Debnath Partho , Khan Shamsul H. , Karim Manjurul , Belton Ben , Mohan Chadag Vishnumurthy , Phillips Michael
Published: March 2015

Culture of shrimp, mainly Penaeus monodon, makes an important contribution to Bangladesh's aquaculture industry. Shrimp hatcheries are the foundation on which the shrimp industry is built. Hatchery performance and management therefore has extremely important implications for the long‐term viability of the entire shrimp sector, especially given its vulnerability to diseases such as white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). This article provides a review of the history of shrimp hatchery development in Bangladesh and an overview of the current status of the shrimp hatchery sector and the challenges it faces. This article also provides a unique historical analysis of shrimp broodstock performance and rates of WSSV infection using data collected from hatcheries between 2007 and 2013. This reveals sharp declines in broodstock quality and performance over time, and high rates of WSSV infection, with potential major implications for the future sustainability of the sector.
Mozambique Metical Exchange Rate Dynamics: Evidence of Fractional Co‐Integration in the USA and South African Rates
Authors: Barros Carlos P. , Gil‐Alana Luis Alberiko , Faria João
Published: March 2015

This paper studies the exchange rate dynamics of the Mozambique metical with respect to the US dollar and the South African rand. However, instead of using standard I(0)/I(1) techniques, we use long memory and fractionally integrated and co‐integrated models. Our results indicate that the two exchange rates are highly persistent, with orders of integration equal to or above 1. They also seem to be co‐integrated, with an order of integration close to albeit above 0 but with an AR coefficient very close to 1. Thus, although the two series seem to be fractionally co‐integrated, shocks in the long‐run relationship between the two variables are persistent and take a long time to disappear.
The Sliding Scale of Snitching: A Qualitative Examination of Snitching in Three Philadelphia Communities
Authors: Clampet‐Lundquist Susan , Carr Patrick J. , Kefalas Maria J.
Published: March 2015

We conducted an in‐depth interview study with 77 young men in three moderate to high‐crime neighborhoods in Philadelphia to hear their stories about community violence and relations with police. In this article, we have analyzed how Latino, African‐American, and white young men experience policing and how they discuss the guidelines around cooperation with the police and what they view as snitching. Contrary to popular perception, talking to the police is not always banned in poor or high‐crime neighborhoods. Instead, the respondents present a variety of personal rules that they use to assess when cooperation is called for. We argue that the policing they experience within disadvantaged neighborhoods shapes their frame of legal cynicism, which in turn makes decisions not to cooperate with the police more likely.
Two novel alleles, HLA‐A*02:07:06 and HLA‐A*02:426, were identified in Chinese individuals
Authors: Chen N.‐Y. , He J.‐J. , He J. , Zhu F.‐M. , Lv H.‐J.
Published: March 2015

HLA‐A*02:07:06 shows 285 A>C and HLA‐A*02:426 has 763 G>A change compared with HLA‐A*02:07:01.
A novel HLA‐A*32 allele, A*32:67 was identified by polymerase chain reaction sequence‐based typing in a Chinese individual
Authors: He Y.‐M. , Wang W. , Han Z.‐D. , He J. , Zhu F.‐M. , Lv H.‐J.
Published: March 2015

HLA‐A*32:67 has a single nucleotide difference at position 286 C>A compared with HLA‐A*32:01:01.
A single nucleotide deletion in exon 3 of the HLA‐C*07:02:01:01 allele produces a novel HLA‐C*07 null allele, HLA‐C*07:393N
Authors: Yang K. L. , Lee S. K. , Hung J. H. , Lin P. Y.
Published: March 2015

A single nucleotide deletion in HLA‐C*07:02:01:01 results in a novel null allele, HLA‐C*07:393N.
Perinatal management of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia associated with anti‐group A antibody
Authors: Ueda H. , Sugiura T. , Katano K. , Matsuhashi M. , Kato S. , Ito K. , Nagasaki R. , Kato T. , Tsuno N. H. , Saitoh S.
Published: March 2015

Objective

To prevent neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia due to anti‐group A antibody perinatal management was performed.

Background

We previously reported a case of severe intracranial haemorrhage associated with neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia due to anti‐group A isoantibody.

Material/Methods

A 40‐year‐old Japanese woman, gravida 4 para 1, was pregnant with her second baby. The previous sibling developed severe thrombocytopenia and died 10 days after birth due to intracranial haemorrhage. He was diagnosed with neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia; the causative antibody was found to be the anti‐group A antibody. Prednisone was started at 7 weeks' gestational age. Intravenous immunoglobulin 1 g kg−1 week−1 was started at 29 weeks' gestational age and continued to delivery. Serological studies and genotyping were performed.

Results

The second boy was delivered at 33 weeks' gestational age by caesarean section. He was discharged without intracranial haemorrhage or thrombocytopenia. The anti‐group A antibody titre in the maternal serum was 2048–4096 (normal range: 4–64). The anti‐group A antibody titre in the newborn's serum was 4. Cross‐matching between the maternal serum and the paternal platelets was positive.

Conclusion

Owing to the history of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia causing intracranial haemorrhage and death of the previous sibling, strict follow‐up of the subsequent pregnancy was conducted.