bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Description of a new species of the Miniopterus aelleni group (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae) from upland areas of central and northern Madagascar
Authors: Goodman Steven M. , Ramasindrazana Beza
Published: March 2015

Recent molecular genetic work, combined with morphological comparisons, on Malagasy members of the bat genus Miniopterus (Family Miniopteridae), has uncovered a number of cryptic species. Based on recently collected specimens and associated tissues, we examine patterns of variation in M. aelleni, the holotype of which comes from Ankarana in northern Madagascar. Using molecular genetic (mitochondrial cytochrome b) and morphological characters we describe a new species, M. ambohitrensis sp. nov. In northern Madagascar, M. ambohitrensis and M. aelleni are allopatric, but occur in relatively close geographical contact (approximately 40 km direct line distance) with M. ambohitrensis found at Montagne d’Ambre in montane humid forest and M. aelleni sensu stricto at Ankarana in dry deciduous forest. Morphologically, this new taxon is differentiated from M. aelleni based on pelage coloration, external measurements, craniodental differences, and tragus shape. Comparisons using 725 bp of cytochrome b found a divergence of 1.1% within M. aelleni sensu stricto, 0.8% within M. ambohitrensis, and 3.3% between these two clades. The two sister species do not demonstrate acoustical differences based on recordings made in a flight cage. Miniopterus ambohitrensis is known from four localities in the northern and central portions of Madagascar, all from montane regions and across an elevational range from about 800 to 1600 m; its calculated “Extent of occurrence” is 15,143 km2. It is possible that this species is at least partially migratory.
Macrobrachium indianum (Decapoda: Palaemonidae), a new species of hill stream prawn from Pambar River, Kerala, India
Authors: PILLAI P. M. , UNNIKRISHNAN V. , PRASANNAN K.
Published: March 2015

Macrobrachium indianum new species is described from the Pambar River, Kerala, S. India. The species shares certain characters with M. gurudeve Jayachandran & Raji, 2004, M. bombayense Almelker & Sankolli, 2006 and M. kulkarnii Almelker & Sankolli, 2006, while it differs remarkably from these three species in distinctive diagnostic characters: rostral formula 7–8/3–4 with 1 postorbital teeth, one tooth above orbit; carapace smooth with distal end of rostrum directed downwards; cephalothorax longer than rostrum; in second chelate leg, proximal cutting edge of movable finger with two weak denticles, one weak denticle in immovable finger, carpus longer than merus, merus shorter than propodus and longer than ischium; dactylus the shortest podomere. Five thick and a few thin reddish brown bands of chromatophores are seen on carapace. Pigmentation is found mid and ventro-laterally on abdominal segments, pereiopods have chromatophores at the distal part of podomeres.
Cosmosycanus perelegans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae), a new record from China, with report of its female genitalia
Authors: ZHAO PING , REN SHUZHI , WANG BAOHAI , CAI WANZHI
Published: March 2015

The oriental genus Cosmosycanus Ishikawa & Tomokuni, 2004 and the species Cosmosycanus perelegans (Breddin, 1903) are newly  recorded from China. Cosmosycanus perelegans is redescribed and  illustrated. The female genitalia is reported for the first time. The variations of colour patterns and male genital structures among Chinese and Vietnamese individuals are briefly noted.
The genus Platytenerus Miyatake, 1985 (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Neorthopleurinae), with description of a new species from Japan
Authors: MURAKAMI HIROYUKI
Published: March 2015

The genus Platytenerus Miyatake, 1985 (Coleoptera: Cleridae) is redescribed and classified into the subfamily Neorthopleurinae Opitz, 2009. A phylogenetic tree is supplementally provided for Platytenerus based on twenty morphological and two geographical characters. A new species of the genus, Platytenerus iriomotensis sp. n. is described from Iriomote Island, Okinawa, Japan.
A new species of Tribonium Saussure, 1862 from the Province of Misiones, Argentina (Blattaria, Blaberidae, Zetoborinae)
Authors: CRESPO FRANCISCO ANTONIO , VALVERDE ALEJANDRA DEL CARMEN , IGLESIAS MÓNICA SANDRA
Published: March 2015

Tribonium rothi sp. n. is described from Argentina, whereas T. neospectrum and T. conspersum are recorded for the first time for that country, and their genitalia is redescribed. Femur and tibial spine armature are given and Tribonium is compared with Schistopeltis. A key to identify species of the genus Tribonium recorded in Argentina is provided.
A Hybrid Dynamical–Statistical Downscaling Technique. Part I: Development and Validation of the Technique
Authors: Walton Daniel B. , Sun Fengpeng , Hall Alex , Capps Scott
Published: March 2015

In this study (Part I), the mid-twenty-first-century surface air temperature increase in the entire CMIP5 ensemble is downscaled to very high resolution (2 km) over the Los Angeles region, using a new hybrid dynamical–statistical technique. This technique combines the ability of dynamical downscaling to capture finescale dynamics with the computational savings of a statistical model to downscale multiple GCMs. First, dynamical downscaling is applied to five GCMs. Guided by an understanding of the underlying local dynamics, a simple statistical model is built relating the GCM input and the dynamically downscaled output. This statistical model is used to approximate the warming patterns of the remaining GCMs, as if they had been dynamically downscaled. The full 32-member ensemble allows for robust estimates of the most likely warming and uncertainty resulting from intermodel differences. The warming averaged over the region has an ensemble mean of 2.3°C, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 1.0° to 3.6°C. Inland and high elevation areas warm more than coastal areas year round, and by as much as 60% in the summer months. A comparison to other common statistical downscaling techniques shows that the hybrid method produces similar regional-mean warming outcomes but demonstrates considerable improvement in capturing the spatial details. Additionally, this hybrid technique incorporates an understanding of the physical mechanisms shaping the region’s warming patterns, enhancing the credibility of the final results.
And God Created Laughter: The Eighth Day
Authors: Patella Michael
Published: March 2015

The subject of laughter does not surface often in the Bible, yet when we take Scripture in the fullness of the tradition, humor rises to the top. This article demonstrates that while laughter within the Bible often takes the form of cruel mockery, in the broad biblical landscape of faith laughter becomes a primary characteristic of the eschatological kingdom, ushered in by Christ’s resurrection—the Eighth Day. As people nourished by the Word of God, we must look to the Eighth Day in order to dwell in the Word’s fullness, and that fullness includes laughter.
Not all parents make the grade in today’s schools
Authors: Horvat Erin McNamara , Baugh David E.
Published: March 2015

Expectations for parent involvement in their children's education have risen dramatically over the last 20 years. The demands now placed on parents to evaluate and select educational options for their children, to act as advocates for their children, and to support increasingly demanding academic standards have never been greater. Strong partnerships between home and school can increase opportunities for students. Understanding the nature of these significant changes and how parents may be affected by them is a critical first step.
Engage families for anywhere, anytime learning
Authors: Weiss Heather B. , Lopez M. Elena
Published: March 2015

As society expects children and youth today to explore content-area topics in depth and to develop critical-thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills, out-of-school settings are becoming increasingly important to individual learning. These settings, which include libraries, museums, digital media, and after-school programs, are evolving into extended classrooms. In this context, it is no longer appropriate or fruitful for educators to focus family engagement solely on what happens in school; educators must reimagine this concept within the many opportunities now available for anywhere, anytime learning.
Understand and advocate for communities first
Authors: Khalifa Muhammad , Arnold Noelle Witherspoon , Newcomb Whitney
Published: March 2015

Culturally responsive parent-school relationships require educators to consider the cultural practices and understandings of families as a necessary condition of greater academic achievement. The establishment of healthy parent-school relationships is a complex and dynamic process. A school-community overlap, with a priority given to community sensibilities and histories, will help schools sustain positive relationships with parents. If communities have experienced racism or other forms of marginalization, they may become distant or uncooperative. What’s more, most educators feel they were hired to teach, not to perform community outreach. But in the absence of school outreach to their communities the strengthened relationships between schools and parents that increase the educational opportunities for children are often lost.
Busting out of the teacher cage
Authors: Hess Frederick M.
Published: March 2015

The author lays out guidelines and suggestions for how teachers can actually become policy leaders, taken from his book, The Cage-Busting Teacher (Harvard Education Press, 2015). Teachers serious about leadership can get the ear of policy makers by leveraging their positional and moral authority — though they may need to be persistent to get an audience. Once they get a meeting, Hess offers up guidelines for creating the schools and systems they seek. They should emphasize shared concerns, offer workable solutions, and take care to not just demand more resources. Teachers who seek to affect policy, should keep in mind that policy makers usually want to do the right thing but that they often don’t know how their policies are playing out in real world, and are eager to hear from practitioners who show up with practical ideas and workable solutions.
Quality of Education, Child Labour and Child Protection Structure: Interrogating the Status of Child Rights in Uttar Pradesh
Authors: Pandey Ajit K. , Gautam Akhilesh
Published: March 2015

One wonders why child labour is so rampant belying states’ claim for proper protection of child rights. Is it because of the inferior quality of education that the community does not feel attracted to send their children to school? Or is it because of insensitive/non-responsive/non-functional nature of social protection system that the child rights are infringed/encroached upon in India? Or is it because of parents’ and communities’ ignorance about legal and social implications of this phenomenon that the children are allowed for labour either in the agricultural land or in a factory or hotel, etc.? Or is it because of certain structural inconsistencies and poverty in Indian rural society that children are forced to move out of their villages/districts in search of some remunerative jobs? It is this context of crisis and conflict, enrooted in the very answers to the aforesaid questions, that this paper has tried to examine, based on the findings of the study conducted in the rural zone of three districts—Jaunpur, Mirzapur and Sonbhadra—of Eastern Uttar Pradesh during the year 2011–12 and our revisit of the study area in the year 2013.1 Broadly, three variables were considered to assess the status of child rights in the area under study: (i) quality of education, (ii) child labour and (iii) social protection structures.
Book Review: Anirban Das, Towards Politics of the (IM)Possible: The Body in Third World Feminism
Authors: Patel Vibhuti
Published: March 2015

Anirban Das, Towards Politics of the (IM)Possible: The Body in Third World Feminism, London, Anthem Press, 2012, 232 pp., $99, ISBN 9781843318552.
Book Review: Swapna Banerjee-Guha (Ed.), Accumulation by Dispossession: Transformative Cities in the New Global Order
Authors: Jamil Ghazala
Published: March 2015

Swapna Banerjee-Guha (Ed.), Accumulation by Dispossession: Transformative Cities in the New Global Order, New Delhi, SAGE Publications, 2010, 268 pp., ₹596, ISBN 978-81-321-0313-4.
Is Nativity on Rise? Estimation of Interstate Migration Based on Census of India 2011 for Major States in India
Authors: Das Bhaswati , Mistri Avijit
Published: March 2015

Despite having high per capita income growth of all states during 1900s and 2000s, interstate inequality still remains. The proportion of internal mobility in India, including interstate mobility, responds to that inequality as it was in previous decades. The proportion of interstate migration has remained constantly low over the decades (since 1961), compared to the total internal migration, and it is estimated to decline to the level of the 1981 Census in the recent 2011 Census. It is an indication of increasing nativity of the population. The conventional pattern of migration from high-income states to low-income states during 1980s and 1990s is expected to disturb widely during 2000s with the emergence of new pool centres as well as destinations. During 2000s, India has produced more emigrants than immigrants, which is, just opposite of the 1990s.
Climate Change and Displacement: Learning from Resettlement in the Development Context
Authors: Mathur Hari Mohan
Published: March 2015

Climate change is expected to eventually affect hundreds and millions of people and they will require resettlement, since their existing habitations will no longer remain liveable. Resettlement as a response to climate change impacts (or an adaptation strategy) is now becoming increasingly acceptable. But for humanitarian agencies, essentially focused on protecting and assisting the victims of human rights abuses, resettlement is an unchartered territory. They can, however, learn much from resettlement experience of development agencies, international as well as national. This article presents resettlement experience associated with development projects, its strengths and weaknesses, and looks at its implications for planning climate change resettlement.
T cells as a therapeutic target in SLE
Authors: Comte D , Karampetsou M P , Tsokos G C
Published: March 2015

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease characterized by a loss of tolerance to multiple endogenous antigens. SLE etiology remains largely unknown, despite recent insight into the immunopathogenesis of the disease. T cells are important in the development of the disease by amplifying the immune response and contributing to organ damage. Aberrant signaling, cytokine secretion, and tissue homing displayed by SLE T cells have been extensively studied and the underlying pathogenic molecular mechanisms are starting to be elucidated. T-cell-targeted treatments are being explored in SLE patients. This review is an update on the T-cell abnormalities and related therapeutic options in SLE.
Extrahepatic manifestations in chronic hepatitis C virus carriers
Authors: Rosenthal E , Cacoub P
Published: March 2015

Patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection frequently present with extrahepatic manifestations covering a large spectrum, involving different organ systems leading to the concept of systemic HCV infection. These manifestations include autoimmune phenomena and frank autoimmune and/or rheumatic diseases and may dominate the course of chronic HCV infection. Chronic HCV infection causes liver inflammation affecting the development of hepatic diseases. HCV is also a lymphotropic virus that triggers B cells and promotes favorable conditions for B lymphocyte proliferation, including mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) and MC vasculitis, which is the most prominent extrahepatic manifestation of chronic HCV infection. HCV may also promote a low-grade chronic systemic inflammation that may affect the development of some extrahepatic manifestations, particularly cardiovascular and cerebral vascular diseases. Recognition of extrahepatic symptoms of HCV infection could facilitate early diagnosis and treatment. The development of direct-acting antiviral agents (DDAs) has revolutionized HCV treatment. DDAs, as well as new B-cell-depleting or B-cell-modulating monoclonal antibodies, will expand the panorama of treatment options for HCV-related extrahepatic manifestations including cryoglobulinemic vasculitis. In this context, a proactive, integrated approach to HCV therapy should maximize the benefits of HCV therapy, even when liver disease is mild.
Infections and autoimmunity: role of human cytomegalovirus in autoimmune endothelial cell damage
Authors: Dolcino M , Puccetti A , Barbieri A , Bason C , Tinazzi E , Ottria A , Patuzzo G , Martinelli N , Lunardi C
Published: March 2015

Molecular mimicry between infectious agents and normal human host cell proteins represents one of the possible mechanisms responsible for autoimmunity. Among infectious agents, human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is an ideal candidate for involvement in autoimmune disorders because of its lifelong persistence through periods of reactivation and latency and because of the extensive manipulation of innate and adaptive immunity. HCMV has been implicated in the pathogenesis of vascular damage in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and atherosclerosis. Based on our data, which demonstrate a cause-and-effect relationship between HCMV and endothelial cell aggression in SSc and atherosclerosis, we propose that immune responses to particular HCMV proteins may result in autoaggression through a mechanism of molecular mimicry of normally expressed endothelial cell surface molecules.
Infectomics and autoinfectomics: a tool to study infectious-induced autoimmunity
Authors: Bogdanos D P , Smyk D S , Rigopoulou E I , Sakkas L I , Shoenfeld Y
Published: March 2015

The exposome represents all exogenous and endogenous environmental exposures that begin at preconception and carry on throughout life, while the microbiome reflects the microbial component of the exposome. We recently introduced the concept of infectome and autoinfectome as a means of studying the totality of infections throughout life that participate in the induction as well as the progression of autoimmune diseases in an affected individual. The investigation of the autoinfectome could help us understand why some patients develop more than one autoimmune disease, a phenomenon also known as mosaic of autoimmunity. It could also explain the infectious and autoantibody burden of various autoimmune rheumatic diseases. The close interplay between infections and the immune system should be studied over time, long before the onset of autoaggression and autoimmunity. Tracking down each individual’s exposure to infectious agents (as defined by the autoinfectome) would be important for the establishment of a causative link between infection and autoimmunity.
A 24-month prospective study on the efficacy and safety of two different monthly regimens of vitamin D supplementation in pre-menopausal women with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Andreoli L , Dall’Ara F , Piantoni S , Zanola A , Piva N , Cutolo M , Tincani A
Published: March 2015

Background

Low vitamin D (vit.D) serum levels are common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and seem to correlate with higher disease activity. We investigated the effects of different regimens of vit.D supplementation in SLE patients with inactive disease.

Methods

This 24-month prospective study included 34 SLE women who were randomized to receive, together with their ongoing treatment, a standard regimen (SR) of cholecalcipherol (25,000 UI monthly) or an intensive regimen (IR) (300,000 UI initial bolus followed by 50,000 UI monthly) for one year and then were switched to the other regimen in the second year. Patients were seen quarterly for assessment of 25-OH vit.D levels, disease activity, SLE serology and bone metabolism markers.

Results

By intra-patient comparison, only the IR was found able to significantly raise vit.D serum levels. After 12 months, values above 30 ng/ml were found in 75% of patients in IR while in only 28% in SR. No significant differences in disease activity and SLE serology were found at any time point between SR and IR. No changes in the mineral metabolism were observed.

Conclusions

The IR was safe and effective in obtaining sufficient levels of vit.D in most SLE patients. However, both regimens of supplementation did not differently affect disease activity nor SLE serology.
Phenotype modifications of T-cells and their shift toward a Th2 response in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus supplemented with different monthly regimens of vitamin D
Authors: Piantoni S , Andreoli L , Scarsi M , Zanola A , Dall’Ara F , Pizzorni C , Cutolo M , Airò P , Tincani A
Published: March 2015

Background

Vitamin D receptor is constitutively expressed on the lymphocyte surface. Recent studies highlight that vitamin D may exert actions on T-cells, inhibiting Th1 and Th17 response and enhancing Th2 and T-regulatory (T-reg) function.

Methods

Thirty-four patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were randomly enrolled in a two-year prospective study. In the first year, 16 patients were supplemented with an intensive regimen of cholecalciferol (IR) (300.000 UI of cholecalciferol at baseline and 50.000 UI/monthly as maintenance, 850.000 UI annually), whereas 18 with a standard regimen (SR) (25.000 UI of cholecalciferol monthly, 300.000 UI annually). During the second year, patients were switched to the other arm of treatment. Phenotypic analysis of peripheral T lymphocyte and the quantification of cytokine production from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were evaluated by flow cytometry.

Results

At baseline, no significant difference between the two groups emerged among main T-cell subtypes. Over two years of treatment, we saw an increase in the number of T-reg cells, in the total amount of CD4+CD45RA+CCR7− T-cells, whereas a significant reduction of CD8+CD28− T-cells was observed. In addition, the analysis of PBMCs from eight patients following the IR showed the reduction of the IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio ( p = 0.01) among CD8+ T-cells after 12 months.

Conclusions

After a long-term of monthly treatment with vitamin D in SLE patients, an enhancement of T-reg cells and the production of Th2 cytokines should be expected.
Mycobacteria and autoimmunity
Authors: Machado Ribeiro F , Goldenberg T
Published: March 2015

Mycobacterial infections can cause a variety of different manifestations. The increasing incidence of these infections worldwide brought another medical dilemma: immunological manifestations characterized by the presence of many autoantibodies and concomitant presence of autoimmune diseases. The burden of tuberculosis reactivation that emerged with immunosuppressive therapy worsened with the growing use of biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). This review will address the relationship between the immune system and mycobacteria.
Environmental estrogen bisphenol A and autoimmunity
Authors: Jochmanová I , Lazúrová Z , Rudnay M , Bačová I , Mareková M , Lazúrová I
Published: March 2015

Over the past few years, there has been evidence of the increasing prevalence of autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases consist of many complex disorders of unknown etiology resulting in immune responses to self-antigens. The immune system, and its function, is under complex and integrated control and its disruption can be triggered by multiple factors. Autoimmunity development is influenced by multiple factors and is thought to be a result of interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Here, we review the role of a specific environmental factor, bisphenol A (BPA), in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. BPA belongs to the group of environmental estrogens that have been identified as risk factors involved in the development of autoimmune diseases.
Severe ASIA syndrome associated with lymph node, thoracic, and pulmonary silicone infiltration following breast implant rupture: experience with four cases
Authors: Nesher G , Soriano A , Shlomai G , Iadgarov Y , Shulimzon T R , Borella E , Dicker D , Shoenfeld Y
Published: March 2015

Silicone has been considered biologically inert; thus it has been employed in many medical devices and nowadays is commonly used in plastic surgery for mammary prosthesis. It is well tolerated in most cases. However, autoimmune disorders and siliconomas with granulomatous reactions after silicone implant rupture have been described. We report cases of four women who developed systemic disorders following rupture of silicone breast implants resulting in lymph node and thoracic silicone infiltration. The symptoms in these cases, including arthralgia, myalgia, generalized weakness, severe fatigue, sleeping disturbances, cognitive impairment, memory loss, irritable bowel syndrome, and weight loss, clearly match the criteria of the recently defined autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA).
Global Worker Migration
Authors: Muslin Ivan , Willis William ‘Kent’ , McInerney Marjorie , Deslich Stacie
Published: March 2015

In an attempt to alleviate the shortage of nurses practicing within the United States (US), hospitals and other health care organizations have begun to recruit nurses from outside America’s borders. While these efforts may yield increased staffing levels in the US, they have also raised questions as to whether it is ethical to create nurse shortages in poor countries so that richer countries can enjoy full employee rosters. This recruitment of nurses serves to create what has been labelled as ‘brain drain’ for many developing countries. Within the US, professional nursing and hospital organizations and governmental legislation are attempting to address the issues of nursing shortages and help relieve some of the issues created by brain drain. Using game theory as a theoretical foundation, this article proposes the development of a win-win environment that may support adequate nursing levels in both developed and developing countries.
Understanding Mortality and Epidemiological Transition in Goa
Authors: Borkar Sharmila Mukund
Published: March 2015

Mortality is a vital indicator of epidemiological transition, and mortality study of a region can provide valuable insights for evolving appropriate health policy to enable future reductions in avoidable mortality and disease burden. This article attempts to study the major features of Goa’s mortality transition over the last three decades. By using the deaths data from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) in the Annual Reports of Registrar of Births and Deaths in Goa, an attempt is made here to understand the major causes of mortality influencing Goa’s epidemiological transition. Age structure of mortality, changes in cause composition of age-specific mortality, male-female mortality differences and disease death patterns are also studied. It emerges from the article that Goa has witnessed a phase of gradual reduction of infectious and communicable deaths and increasingly been facing non-communicable type of mortality. The age structure of mortality reflects reductions in the share of children’s deaths over a period of time and a shift towards older age mortality. The epidemiological transition shows that circulatory deaths, respiratory deaths and cancer deaths have increased their relative contributions in mortality, and the disease-wise death patterns indicate increasing prominence of lifestyle-related diseases. This suggests that the state needs to embark on a planned approach towards evolving a time-bound health policy with a clear focus on specific aspects of mortality and disease.
The Balance Scorecard Implementation in the Italian Health Care System
Authors: Broccardo Laura
Published: March 2015

In the last few years, in the healthcare organizations, it has become crucial not only to manage the costs, but also to understand the relationship between quality and cost. Indeed, a variety of stakeholder groups are putting increasing pressure on providers for measured performance; they are demanding data on quality and patient satisfaction, although simultaneously pressing for lower costs (Griffith and King 2000). It is clear how the balanced scorecard is (BSC) important to manage, strategically, the quality and the costs in the health care system, but it is also important to underline that this tool has to be adapted to these kinds of organizations among its classical use.

Consequently, the main goals of this article are: (a) to make a complete literature review of the papers with case studies published on the topic of BSC in Italian health care system during the period 1992–2012, using international databases to understand the use of this strategic management tool; and (b) to conduct an empirical analysis based on an Italian hospital case study, with particular attention to the BSC adoption, to understand the connected issues of the use of this tool. By this analysis, it emerges that there is a gap in the literature of empirical case studies, so the case study analyzed contributes to fill this gap. Further research can include the comparison of the Italian situation with other foreign countries.
Impact of Emotions and Social Support on Consumers of Health Care Systems
Authors: Noronha Aruna Mesquita e , Mekoth Nandakumar
Published: March 2015

The study attempts to understand the role of emotions in the decision of patients to consult a health care system and continue with the service provider; and to identify moderators to the impact of social support on negative emotions. Depth interviews have been conducted on customers of health care service providers to gain insights on patient emotions and perceived social support during illness. Interpretative phenomenological approach was used to understand the lived experiences of patients and derive themes and variables. It was found that health consciousness, negative symptoms and dependents moderate the relationship between social support and pre-consumption emotions; while trust, uncertainty of outcome and continuance commitment moderates the relationship between social support and consumption emotions. Findings also reveal that the intensity of pre-consumption negative emotions influences the speed of consulting the health care system; patients expect more social support from the health care system during the consumption stage; and the impact of social system-based social support on negative emotions is greater during the pre-consumption stage, while that of health care system is greater during the consumption stage.
Employee Green Behavior
Authors: Norton Thomas A. , Parker Stacey L. , Zacher Hannes , Ashkanasy Neal M.
Published: March 2015

We propose a conceptual model based on person–environment interaction, job performance, and motivational theories to structure a multilevel review of the employee green behavior (EGB) literature and agenda for future research. We differentiate between required EGB prescribed by the organization and voluntary EGB performed at the employees’ discretion. The review investigates institutional-, organizational-, leader-, team-, and employee-level antecedents and outcomes of EGB and factors that mediate and moderate these relationships. We offer suggestions to facilitate the development of the field, and call for future research to adopt a multilevel perspective and to investigate the outcomes of EGB.
A Partitioned Global Address Space implementation of the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts Integrated Forecasting System
Authors: Mozdzynski George , Hamrud Mats , Wedi Nils
Published: March 2015

Today the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) runs a 16 km global T1279 operational weather forecast model using 1536 cores of an IBM Power7. Following the historical evolution in resolution upgrades, the ECMWF could expect to be running a 2.5 km global forecast model by 2030 on an exascale system that should be available and hopefully affordable by then. To achieve this would require the Integrated Forecasting System (IFS) to run efficiently on about 1000 times the number of cores it uses today. In a step towards this goal, the ECMWF have demonstrated the IFS running a 10 km global model efficiently on over 40,000 cores of HECToR a Cray XE6 at the Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre. However, getting to over a million cores remains a formidable challenge, and many scalability improvements have yet to be implemented. The ECMWF is exploring the use of Fortran2008 coarrays; in particular, it is possibly the first time that coarrays have been used in a world-leading production application within the context of OpenMP parallel regions. The purpose of these optimisations is primarily to allow the overlap of computation and communication, and further, in the semi-Lagrangian advection scheme, to reduce the volume of data communicated. The importance of this research is such that if these and other planned developments are successful, the IFS model may continue to use the spectral transform method to 2030 and beyond on an exascale-sized system. The current status of the coarray scalability developments within the IFS are described together with a brief outline of future developments.
Introduction to a Thematic Issue for WWOX
Authors: Chang Nan-Shan
Published: March 2015

Since its discovery in 2000, WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX, FOR or WOX1) has been considered as a tumor suppressor protein. Global research focus has been aimed mainly toward this direction. In this thematic issue, updated information has been collected regarding the structure, function and signaling of WWOX, along with its critical role as a tumor suppressor and participation in metabolism, neurodegeneration, ataxia, epilepsy, neural disorders, neuronal damages, and interactions with oncogenic viruses. WWOX is not a driver of cancer initiation. Chromosomal alterations in the WWOX gene enhance cancer progression. Importantly, a homozygous nonsense mutation of WWOX gene in humans leads to neural pathologies and early death, rather than spontaneous cancer development. These findings suggest new physiological functions of WWOX in metabolism and neural diseases, and these areas require further investigation.
End of Story
Authors: Schlosberg Justin
Published: March 2015

Since the alleged conspiracy by the U.S. and U.K. governments to invade Iraq in 2003, the national security state in both countries has been subjected to intense scrutiny by news organizations around the world. This scrutiny has been fueled in part by what some describe as the development of a “networked fourth estate” (Benkler 2011) involving ad hoc alliances between professional journalists, citizen journalists, hackers, and leakers. On the surface, this attention challenges radical conceptions of a “power elite” remaining in the shadows and impervious to accountability exercised through the media. Amid cultural chaos (McNair 2005) and seemingly ubiquitous displays of adversarial journalism without fear or favor, how far are powerful interests still able to control the agenda and manipulate outcomes? The article presents findings in relation to a single case study involving critical coverage of the national security state and a particular aspect of containment that emerged. It concerns how the controversies were resolved through an apparent spectacle of accountability that suggested a resolution eschewing the need for further scrutiny or sanction. The paper further contends that this element of story “closure” warrants renewed attention in the study of news framing and ideological power.
“Russia Accuses Fleet Street”
Authors: Dorril Stephen
Published: March 2015

An interesting but under-researched area of journalism studies is the relationship between journalists, particularly foreign correspondents, and the intelligence services during the cold war. The aim of this paper is to consider whether there is any evidence to back up specific allegations made in the Soviet era press in December 1968 that in the post–Second World War period named leading British journalists working for the national newspapers had a covert relationship with the British Secret Intelligence Service that involved their recruitment as agents and the use of intelligence-derived material in their articles in the press. The paper raises questions about the methods of researching such alleged activities. Is it possible in the absence of files from the secret intelligence services to undertake a serious study of such activities? Does the development of digital sources and archives open new fields of detailed study? It also reveals the potential historical significance of the role journalists played in the reporting of key events and policy issues during the cold war.
Minimising menopausal side effects whilst treating endometriosis and fibroids
Authors: Simpson Paul D , McLaren James S , Rymer Janice , Morris Edward P
Published: March 2015

Medical management of endometriosis and fibroids involves manipulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis to alter the balance of sex hormones thereby inhibiting disease progression and ameliorate symptoms. Unfortunately, resultant menopausal symptoms sometimes limit the tolerability and duration of such treatment. The use of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists to treat these diseases can result in short-term hypoestrogenic and vasomotor side effects as well as long-term impacts on bone health and cardiovascular risk. The routine use of add-back hormone replacement has reduced these risks and increased patient compliance, making this group of drugs more useful as a medium-term treatment option. The estrogen threshold hypothesis highlights the concept of a ‘therapeutic window’ in which bone loss is minimal but the primary disease is not aggravated. It explains why add-back therapy is appropriate for such patients and helps to explain the basis behind new developments in the treatment of hormonally responsive gynaecological conditions such as gonadotrophin-releasing hormone antagonists and progesterone receptor modulators.
John Lydus’ political message and the Byzantine idea of imperial rule
Authors: Dmitriev Sviatoslav
Published: March 2015

On Powers, an antiquarian treatise with a political agenda by John Lydus, an erudite and imperial official in the late fifth and early sixth century, has been interpreted as either a panegyric to the emperor or as a work that was critical not only of Justinian’s rule but of monarchy in general. By reexamining it within the broader context of Byzantine political philosophy, this article proposes to see On Powers as a display of a traditional meritorious approach to the emperor, who was judged by measuring his personal and political qualities against the ideal image of the ruler.
Contextualizing Constantine V’s radical religious policies: the debate about the intercession of the saints and the ‘sleep of the soul’ in the Chalcedonian and Nestorian churches
Authors: Krausmüller Dirk
Published: March 2015

This article argues that in the last years of his reign Constantine V came to reject the intercession of saints, despite the fact that the Council of Hieria, which he himself had convened only a decade earlier, had explicitly anathematised those who held such a view. Moreover, it makes the case that the emperor participated in a broad religious discourse that began in the sixth century and continued into the ninth century, both among the Chalcedonians of Byzantium and the Levant and among the Nestorians of the East.
Snapshots from the eleventh century: the Lombards from Bari, a chartoularios from ‘Petra’, and the complex of Mangana
Authors: Spingou Foteini
Published: March 2015

This article puts in their context three eleventh-century texts from the famous anthology of poetry in Marcianus Gr. 524. The first is an epigram on the portrait of Monomachos, which was commissioned by the ‘Lombards’. It is suggested here that Argyros Meles is in fact the instigator of the creation of the portrait and its accompanying epigram. The second text is a poem addressed to Michael Keroularios on behalf of the hieromonk Lazaros when he was granted the rank of chartoularios of the Great Church. The meaning of a mysterious reference to ‘Petra’ is discussed in detail. The third text is an epigram on the triklinos of Monomachos at the Mangana complex.
Towards a Byzantine ecocriticism: witches and nature control in the medieval Greek romance
Authors: Goldwyn Adam J.
Published: March 2015

Since its rise in the mid-1990s, ecocriticism, the study of the depiction of the built and natural environments in literature, has been deeply engaged with contemporary political and social issues surrounding anthropogenic ecological degradation and climate change. Such an ideological outlook, however, limits the application of the discourse in the case of medieval literature, which lacks such contemporary resonance. Ecocritical and ecofeminist analyses of the three witches with power over the environment in the Byzantine romances and their western analogues will nevertheless demonstrate the connection between nature control, femininity and patriarchal oppression and, as importantly, offer a theoretical framework for the application of an apolitical ecocriticism to Byzantine (and medieval) literature.
The myth of the Byzantine origins of the Osmanlis: an essay in interpretation
Authors: Moustakas Konstantinos
Published: March 2015

The story that gave the Osmanlis a distant Comnenian origin emerges in sixteenth-century Italian and Greek histories, inspired by the twelfth-century accounts of the renegade prince John Komnenos, as related by Niketas Choniates Its invention and propagation might have served the legitimacy of Ottoman rule, in which case, it was addressed to gulams and converts rather than to the Christian subjects of the sultans. It can also be interpreted as fitting the ideals and the imaginations of highly positioned converts in the Ottoman service, who previously belonged to the Byzantine and Balkan aristocracies.
Aluminium nitride nanowire array films for nanomanufacturing applications
Authors: Teker K.
Published: March 2015

The present paper presents a systematic investigation of both catalyst free and catalyst assisted AlN nanowire synthesis by chemical vapour deposition using Al and NH3 as source materials. Growth runs have mostly been carried out at 1100°C under H2 as carrier gas. While the catalyst free growth runs resulted in long (∼40 μm) and dense AlN nanowire array films, the catalyst assisted growth resulted in short nanowires (3–5 μm). Growth mechanisms have been presented. Raman spectroscopy of the catalyst free grown nanowires has revealed very symmetric and strong phonon modes [e.g. strong E2 (high)] indicating very good crystal quality of the grown AlN nanowires. In brief, catalyst free growth eliminates catalyst contamination and produces high quality and density of long nanowires, which is very valuable for scale-up manufacturing opportunities of the AlN nanostructures.
Effect of Al on structure and mechanical properties of AlxNbTiVZr (x = 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5) high entropy alloys
Authors: Stepanov N. D. , Yurchenko N. Yu. , Shaysultanov D. G. , Salishchev G. A. , Tikhonovsky M. A.
Published: March 2015

The crystal structure, microstructure, microhardness and compression mechanical properties of AlxNbTiVZr ( x = 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5) high entropy alloy were examined. In the as solidified conditions, the alloys consisted from bcc matrix and C14 Laves phase. After homogenisation, the NbTiVZr alloy was bcc solid solution, whereas in Al containing alloys, C14 Laves phase and Zr2Al particles were found in the bcc matrix. Volume fraction of second phase increased with Al concentration. Increase in Al content results in gradual decrease in density of the alloys from 6.49 g cm− 3 of the NbTiVZr to 5.55 g cm− 3 of the Al1.5NbTiVZr alloy. The microhardness of the alloys was higher in the alloys with higher Al content and was generally proportional to the volume fraction of second phase particles. The compression yield strength of the alloys was of 960–1320 MPa, and NbTiVZr alloy was stronger than Al containing alloys. The ductility of the alloys gradually decreased with increase in Al content. The factors determining phase formation in the AlxNbTiVZr alloys and effect of phase composition and chemical composition of individual phases on the mechanical properties are discussed.
Homosexuality and Scientific Evidence: On Suspect Anecdotes, Antiquated Data, and Broad Generalizations
Authors: Kinney Robert L.
Published: March 2015

The American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association have suggested for many years now that there is significant empirical evidence supporting the claim that homosexuality is a normal variant of human sexual orientation as opposed to a mental disorder. This paper summarizes and analyzes that purported scientific evidence and explains that much (if not all) of the evidence is irrelevant and does not support the homosexuality-is-not-a-mental-disorder claim. As a result of their deficiencies and arbitrariness, the credibility those two groups that are typically deemed authoritative and trustworthy is called into question.

Lay summary

At one time, homosexuality was considered to be mentally disordered. Since the 1970s, however, major medical associations in the U.S. have labeled homosexuality as a normal counterpart of heterosexuality. Those medical associations have proposed that their homosexuality-is-normal claim is based on “scientific evidence.” This article critically reviews that “scientific evidence” and finds that much of their literature does not support the claim that homosexuality is normal. This article suggests that instead of supporting their claim with scientific evidence, those major medical associations arbitrarily label homosexuality as normal.
Platelet-delivered ADAMTS13 inhibits arterial thrombosis and prevents thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura in murine models
Authors: Pickens Brandy , Mao Yingying , Li Dengju , Siegel Don L. , Poncz Mortimer , Cines Douglas B. , Zheng X. Long
Published: March 2015

Key Points

Platelet-delivered ADAMTS13 inhibits arterial thrombosis after vascular injury. Platelet-delivered ADAMTS13 also prevents thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.
Impact of allogeneic stem cell transplantation on survival of patients less than 65 years of age with primary myelofibrosis
Authors: Kröger Nicolaus , Giorgino Toni , Scott Bart L. , Ditschkowski Markus , Alchalby Haefaa , Cervantes Francisco , Vannucchi Alessandro , Cazzola Mario , Morra Enrica , Zabelina Tatjana , Maffioli Margherita , Pereira Arturo , Beelen Dietrich , Deeg H. Joachim , Passamonti Francesco
Published: March 2015

Key Points

Transplant vs nontransplant approaches were compared in PMF patients grouped by DIPSS status. The net benefit of transplant vs nontransplant is marked in higher-risk patients.