bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Urinary Alpha- and Pi-Glutathione S-Transferases in Adult Patients with Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: von Scholten Bernt Johan , Theilade Simone , Lajer Maria , Rossing Peter
Published: July 2014

Background/Aims: Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are cytosolic enzymes excreted from renal tubules following tubular damage. α-GST primarily originates from proximal tubules, while π-GST from distal tubules and collecting ducts. We investigated if GST levels are associated with renal function in patients with type 1 diabetes. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study including 189 Caucasian patients with type 1 diabetes and 16 nondiabetic controls. α- and π-GST were measured by ELISA and reported as GST/urinary creatinine excretion (μg/mmol). Results: The subjects were 53 ± 14 years old, 66 (35%) were female and the estimated glomerular filtration rate was 85 ± 29 ml/min/1.73 m2. Normo- (<30 mg/24 h), micro- (30-299 mg/24 h) and macroalbuminuria (≥300 mg/24 h) was present in 57, 61 and 71 patients, respectively. α- and π-GST/creatinine ratios in controls versus all patients were 0.07 (0-0.3) and 0.11 (0-0.8) μg/mmol versus 0.05 (0-2.3) and 0.16 (0-4.9) μg/mmol (p ≥ 0.16; adjusted for age and gender, p ≥ 0.18). The α-GST/creatinine ratio positively correlated with female gender (p = 0.04), while the π-GST/creatinine ratio was associated with age and female gender (p ≤ 0.016). Comparing normo-, micro- and macroalbuminuric patients, α- and π-GST levels were similar (p = 0.10; adjusted p = 0.11). Neither α- nor π-GST levels were significantly associated with renal function (p ≥ 0.34). Conclusion: α- and π-GST/creatinine ratios were similar among controls and patients with type 1 diabetes. In addition, we did not find associations with albuminuria degree or level of renal function. The significance of increased or decreased excretion of α- and π-GST among patients with diabetes needs to be clarified.
Halofuginone Stimulates Adaptive Remodeling and Preserves Re-Endothelialization in Balloon-Injured Rat Carotid Arteries
Authors: Guo Lian-Wang , Wang Bowen , Goel Shakti A. , Little Christopher , Takayama Toshio , Shi Xu Dong , Roenneburg Drew , DiRenzo Daniel , Kent K. Craig
Published: July 2014

Background—

Three major processes, constrictive vessel remodeling, intimal hyperplasia (IH), and retarded re-endothelialization, contribute to restenosis after vascular reconstructions. Clinically used drugs inhibit IH but delay re-endothelialization and also cause constrictive remodeling. Here we have examined halofuginone, an herbal derivative, for its beneficial effects on vessel remodeling and differential inhibition of IH versus re-endothelialization.

Methods and Results—

Two weeks after perivascular application to balloon-injured rat common carotid arteries, halofuginone versus vehicle (n=6 animals) enlarged luminal area 2.14-fold by increasing vessel size (adaptive remodeling; 123%), reducing IH (74.3%) without inhibiting re-endothelialization. Consistent with its positive effect on vessel expansion, halofuginone reduced collagen type 1 (but not type 3) production in injured arteries as well as that from adventitial fibroblasts in vitro. In support of its differential effects on IH versus re-endothelialization, halofuginone produced greater inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell versus endothelial cell proliferation at concentrations ≈50 nmol/L. Furthermore, halofuginone at 50 nmol/L effectively blocked Smad3 phosphorylation in smooth muscle cells, which is known to promote smooth muscle cell proliferation, migration, and IH, but halofuginone had no effect on phospho-Smad3 in endothelial cells.

Conclusions—

Periadventitial delivery of halofuginone dramatically increased lumen patency via adaptive remodeling and selective inhibition of IH without affecting endothelium recovery. Halofuginone is the first reported small molecule that has favorable effects on all 3 major processes involved in restenosis.
Electrocardiographic Repolarization‐Related Variables as Predictors of Coronary Heart Disease Death in the Women's Health Initiative Study
Authors: Rautaharju Pentti M. , Zhang Zhu‐Ming , Vitolins Mara , Perez Marco , Allison Matthew A. , Greenland Philip , Soliman Elsayed Z.
Published: July 2014

Background

We evaluated 25 repolarization‐related
ECG
variables for the risk of coronary heart disease (
CHD
) death in 52 994 postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative study.

Methods and Results

Hazard ratios from Cox regression were computed for subgroups of women with and without cardiovascular disease (
CVD
). During the average follow‐up of 16.9 years, 941
CHD
deaths occurred. Based on electrophysiological considerations, 2 sets of
ECG
variables with low correlations were considered as candidates for independent predictors of
CHD
death: Set 1, Ѳ(T
p
|T
ref
), the spatial angle between T peak (T
p
) and normal T reference (T
ref
) vectors; Ѳ(T
init
|T
term
), the angle between the initial and terminal T vectors;
STJ
depression in V6 and rate‐adjusted
QT
p
interval (
QT
pa
); and Set 2, Ta
VR
and
TV
1 amplitudes, heart rate, and
QRS
duration. Strong independent predictors with over 2‐fold increased risk for
CHD
death in women with and without
CVD
were Ѳ(T
p
|T
ref
) >42° from Set 1 and Ta
VR
amplitude >−100 μV from Set 2. The risk for these
CHD
death predictors remained significant after multivariable adjustment for demographic/clinical factors. Other significant predictors for
CHD
death in fully adjusted risk models were Ѳ(T
init
|T
term
) >30°,
TV
1 >175 μV, and
QRS
duration >100 ms.

Conclusions

Ѳ(T
p|
T
ref
) angle and Ta
VR
amplitude are associated with
CHD
mortality in postmenopausal women. The use of these measures to identify high‐risk women for further diagnostic evaluation or more intense preventive intervention warrants further study.

Clinical Trial Registration

URL
:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier:
NCT
00000611.
Malleable Environments and the Pursuit of Spatial Justice in the Bronx
Authors: Crean Melanie
Published: July 2014

A design team in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the South Bronx used methodologies of performance and collaborative, location-based storytelling to contend with the effects of urban spatial injustice in the community. Ideation via a series of participatory performances led to creation of a mobile cinema application as the starting point for public, location-based cinema walks. The application accepts user-generated content, acting as a new form of generative monument to the neighborhood as it evolves. The project exemplifies how installing situated technologies for an embodied form of participation can help translate local concerns to outside audiences, in this case using a metaphorical, locative media platform to discuss the evolving nature of environmental discrimination, over-incarceration, and urban spatial justice in New York City.
Vulnerability, Irregular Migrants’ Health-Related Rights and the European Court of Human Rights
Authors: Da Lomba Sylvie
Published: July 2014

The protection of irregular migrants’ health-related rights brings to the fore the tensions that exist between human rights, citizenship and the sovereign state, and exposes the protection gaps in the international human rights regime. With this in mind, I consider the merits of a vulnerability analysis in international human rights law (ihrl). I posit that, detached from specific groups and reconceptualised as universal, vulnerability can be reclaimed as a foundation and tool of ihrl. I further contend that the deployment of a vulnerability analysis can alleviate the exclusionary dimension of ihrl and extend protections to irregular migrants. On this basis, I investigate the development of a vulnerability analysis in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. I argue that, in contrast with the Court’s vulnerable population approach, a vulnerability analysis can improve protection standards for irregular migrants in the field of health.
Salomon van Til (1643–1713)
Authors: Mangold Matthias
Published: July 2014

In recent decades theologians and intellectual historians have given considerable attention to the dissemination of Cartesianism in the seventeenth century Dutch Republic. Scholars have focused primarily on the initial reception of Descartes’s ideas, the early reactions from his major critics and the more radical expressions of Cartesianism later on. Only in recent years have scholars begun to realize the considerable impact that moderate second-generation Cartesian theologians exerted on the intellectual climate in the Netherlands of the eighteenth century. Salomon van Til (1643–1713) ranks high among these thinkers. Yet despite his international reputation at that time, Van Til has been almost completely neglected in current research. This article analyzes Van Til’s appropriation of Cartesian tenets within his Compendium of Natural Theology (1704). Paying close attention to his intellectual context, it argues that the substantial usage of central elements of the Cartesian outlook, clearly manifested both in the method and in the content of the Compendium, should be interpreted in light of Van Til’s apologetic goal: to defend the Christian faith against the perceived onslaught of unbelief.
Umbrella Clauses and Transfer Provisions in the (Invisible) EU Model BIT
Authors: De Luca Anna
Published: July 2014

The draft Investment Chapter of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (ceta) between the European Union (eu) and Canada includes an umbrella clause, on eu’s proposal. Nevertheless, the inclusion in the final text of such a clause appears to be uncertain. Furthermore, the wording of the umbrella clause, proposed by the eu, fails to address all uncertainties regarding the effects and scope of application of umbrella clauses still existing in jurisprudence. Conversely, the inclusion in the draft Investment Chapter of a transfer provision, accompanied with safeguard provisions in case of serious balance-of-payments difficulties and external financial difficulties, does not seem to be a contested issue between the Member States and Canada. A new development at the eu level might make investment protection matters more complicated: following the opening of the negotiation on a free trade agreement with the us, some Member States (such as Germany) oppose investment arbitration tout court at least in the prospective eu-us ceta.
Unraveling the Lex Causae in Investment Claims
Authors: Ho Jean
Published: July 2014

A key concern in the resolution of investor-State disputes through arbitration is which law to apply to the substance of these disputes. It is not always straightforward if a claim brought by a foreign investor, a traditional subject of national law, against a host State, a traditional subject of international law, should be decided in accordance with national law, international law, or both. This essay reviews three books that consider how the lex causae in investment claims should be unraveled. Each book offers a different alternative to a conflict-of-laws approach in the determination of the governing law. Together, they reflect the diversity of views that animate the study and practice of international investment law.
An annotated checklist of scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) of Saint Lucia, Lesser Antilles
Authors: MALUMPHY CHRIS
Published: July 2014

An annotated list of 83 scale insect species (Hemiptera: Sterorrhyncha: Coccoidea) recorded from Saint Lucia is presented, based on data gathered from UK quarantine interceptions, samples collected in an urban coastal habitat in the North West of the Island in 2013, and published records. Thirty-three species (40%) are recorded for the first time for the country, including Dysmicoccus joannesiae (Costa Lima), a South American mealybug, and Poliaspoides formosana (Takahashi), an Asian armoured scale insect pest of bamboo, which are new for the Caribbean region. The economic, environmental and social impacts caused by introduced exotic species of scale insect are discussed. Two predatory midges Diadiplosis ?coccidivora (Felt) and Diadiplosis multifila (Felt) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) are recorded for the first time from Saint Lucia. The latter species was observed causing 90% mortality of a large infestation of passion vine mealybug Planococcus minor (Maskell) on soursop fruit.
Two new genera and five new species of Teloganodidae (Ephemeroptera) from South India
Authors: SELVAKUMAR C. , SIVARAMAKRISHNAN K. G. , JACOBUS LUKE M. , JANARTHANAN S. , ARUMUGAM M.
Published: July 2014

Two new genera and five new species of teloganodid mayflies (Ephemeroptera: Pannota: Ephemerelloidea) are described based on larvae from south India: Janohyphella indica, n. gen., n. sp., Indoganodes jobini, n. gen., n. sp., Teloganodes sartorii, n. sp., Dudgeodes palnius, n. sp., and Derlethina tamiraparaniae, n. sp.  Janohyphella, n. gen., is distinguished from the larvae of other teloganodid genera by having a combination of three subequal caudal filaments, lamellate gills on abdominal segments II through V and posterolateral processes well-developed on abdominal segments II through IX, except III. Indoganodes, n. gen., is distinguished from the larvae of other teloganodid genera by having three subequal caudal filaments, lamellate gills on abdominal segments II through VI, posterolateral projections weakly developed on abdominal segments I through V, but distinct on segments VI through IX. Our new species of Dudgeodes Sartori, 2008 and Derlethina Sartori, 2008 represent the first discoveries of these genera outside Southeast Asia, with the latter genus previously considered endemic to Borneo. Emendations to the larval species key of known Oriental Teloganodidae are provided. We hypothesize that the occurrence of the new taxa in southern India is a result of the tectonic events associated with the split-up of Gondwana. This illustrates the profound biogeographical significance of how vicariance led to the establishment of some distinct oriental lineages initially on the rafting Indian Deccan Plate, which might have triggered dispersal events for subsequent species diversification in Southeast Asia.
Cleridae (Insecta: Coleoptera) type collection at National Forest Insect Collection (NFIC), Forest Research Institute, Dehradun (India)
Authors: FAISAL MOHAMMAD , SINGH SUDHIR , YOUSUF MOHAMMAD
Published: July 2014

Clerids are small predacious beetles (Coleoptera) that belong to the family Cleridae. In the National Forest Insect Collection (NFIC) Cleridae is represented by 31 authentically identified specimens including types of 27 species. The type material of Cleridae, deposited in the NFIC, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun (India), is listed and illustrated with digital automontage photographs. A list of 27 type species of Cleridae, 13 holotypes and 14 paratypes with information on species names, reference of the original publication, all available information on labels of types (country, locality, date of collection, collector name, etc) along with colored photographs of types and the labels that are attached to them, taken with Auto-montage 3-D imaging system, is provided.
School Performance of Children From Monogamous and Polygamous Families in Nigeria
Authors: Bamgbade Emmanuel Olusanjo , Saloviita Timo
Published: July 2014

Scholastic success of Nigerian children coming from polygamous ( n = 50) and monogamous families ( n = 156) was compared. No differences between the two groups were observed across background variables of demographics, parental education and occupation, or family support for schooling. There were no differences in the Junior Secondary School Entrance Exam scores between the groups. However, children from polygamous families reported more difficulties in mathematics and English than their counterparts from monogamous families. The findings are discussed in relation to previous research.
A Socio-Ecological Approach to Cross-Cultural Differences in the Sensitivity to Social Rejection
Authors: Sato Kosuke , Yuki Masaki , Norasakkunkit Vinai
Published: July 2014

The authors propose that cross-cultural differences in sensitivity to social rejection, or the extent to which one is alert to potential rejection from significant others, can be understood as an adaptation to different social ecological contexts varying in the degrees of relational mobility. In societies low in relational mobility, such as East Asia, relationships and group memberships are stable and exclusive, and thus it is difficult for individuals to recover once rejected from current relationships or groups. In these contexts, one would expect people to be continuously paying attention to negative feedback from others to avoid potential rejection. In contrast, this type of anxiety will be less pronounced in societies high in relational mobility, such as North America, because there are a greater number of relationship alternatives available, even if individuals were to be excluded from a particular relationship. Results from two cross-national studies showed that, as expected, individuals’ perceptions of relational mobility partially mediated rejection sensitivity (Study 1) and Taijin Kyofusho, an allocentric subtype of social anxiety (Study 2).
18F-FDG-PET/CT better localizes active spinal infection than MRI for successful minimally invasive surgery
Authors: Nakahara Masayuki , Ito Manabu , Hattori Naoya , Magota Keiichi , Takahata Masahiko , Nagahama Ken , Sudo Hideki , Kamishima Tamotsu , Tamaki Nagara , Iwasaki Norimasa
Published: July 2014

Background

Surgical debridement is often required to treat spinal infections. Successful surgery requires accurate localization of the active infections, however, current imaging technique still requires surgeons’ experience to narrow the surgical fields to achieve less invasive procedures.

Purpose

To investigate the use of F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for successful surgical planning.

Material and Methods

Nine patients with suspected spinal infection underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and FDG-PET/CT before surgery to locate active foci of infections. The spinal structures were divided into seven compartments at each intervertebral disc level for a total of 315 compartments investigated. The same classification system was used to design operating fields for histological correlation.

Results

FDG-PET/CT diagnosed fewer compartments as active infection (34 compartments, 10.8%) than MRI (62 compartments, 19.7%, P  = 0.002). Surgical exploration was performed in 49 compartments, and demonstrated active infection in 25 compartments. The sensitivity / specificity of FDG-PET/CT was 100% / 79%, respectively, which was superior to those of MRI, 76% / 42%. Foci of active infection showed hypermetabolic activity with a SUVmax of 7.1 ± 2.6 (range, 3.0–12.7). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated an optimal threshold for active spinal infection at a SUVmax of 4.2, corresponding to a sensitivity of 90.3% and specificity of 91.2%.

Conclusion

FDG-PET/CT demonstrated limited areas of abnormality allowing accurate delineation, and is thus useful to narrow the surgical fields. Since overall diagnostic accuracy of FDG-PET/CT was superior to that of MRI, FDG-PET/CT is a useful technique to narrow the surgical field for successful less invasive surgery.
Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections for the Treatment of Hamstring Injuries
Authors: A Hamid Mohamad Shariff , Mohamed Ali Mohamed Razif , Yusof Ashril , George John , Lee Leena Poh Chen
Published: July 2014

Background:

A hamstring injury is one of the most common types of injury affecting athletes. Despite this, the optimal management of hamstring muscle injuries is not yet defined. The effect of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy on the recovery of hamstring injuries is unclear.

Purpose:

To investigate the effect of a single PRP injection in the treatment of grade 2 hamstring muscle injuries.

Study Design:

Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods:

Twenty-eight patients diagnosed with an acute hamstring injury were randomly allocated to autologous PRP therapy combined with a rehabilitation program or a rehabilitation program only. The primary outcome of this study was time to return to play. In addition, changes in pain severity and pain interference scores over time were examined.

Results:

Patients in the PRP group achieved full recovery significantly earlier than controls ( P = .02). The mean time to return to play was 42.5 ± 20.6 days in the control group and 26.7 ± 7.0 days in the PRP group. Significantly lower pain severity scores were observed in the PRP group throughout the study. However, no significant difference in the pain interference score was found between the 2 groups.

Conclusion:

A single autologous PRP injection combined with a rehabilitation program was significantly more effective in treating hamstring injuries than a rehabilitation program alone.
Six theories of neoliberalism
Authors: Flew Terry
Published: July 2014

This article takes as its starting point the observation that neoliberalism is a concept that is ‘oft-invoked but ill-defined’. It provides a taxonomy of uses of the term neoliberalism to include: (1) an all-purpose denunciatory category; (2) ‘the way things are’; (3) an institutional framework characterizing particular forms of national capitalism, most notably the Anglo-American ones; (4) a dominant ideology of global capitalism; (5) a form of governmentality and hegemony; and (6) a variant within the broad framework of liberalism as both theory and policy discourse. It is argued that this sprawling set of definitions are not mutually compatible, and that uses of the term need to be dramatically narrowed from its current association with anything and everything that a particular author may find objectionable. In particular, it is argued that the uses of the term by Michel Foucault in his 1978–9 lectures, found in The Birth of Biopolitics, are not particularly compatible with its more recent status as a variant of dominant ideology or hegemony theories. It instead proposes understanding neoliberalism in terms of historical institutionalism, with Foucault’s account of historical change complementing Max Weber’s work identifying the distinctive economic sociology of national capitalisms.
The Rules of Implicit Evaluation by Race, Religion, and Age
Authors: Axt Jordan R. , Ebersole Charles R. , Nosek Brian A.
Published: July 2014

The social world is stratified. Social hierarchies are known but often disavowed as anachronisms or unjust. Nonetheless, hierarchies may persist in social memory. In three studies (total N > 200,000), we found evidence of social hierarchies in implicit evaluation by race, religion, and age. Participants implicitly evaluated their own racial group most positively and the remaining racial groups in accordance with the following hierarchy: Whites > Asians > Blacks > Hispanics. Similarly, participants implicitly evaluated their own religion most positively and the remaining religions in accordance with the following hierarchy: Christianity > Judaism > Hinduism or Buddhism > Islam. In a final study, participants of all ages implicitly evaluated age groups following this rule: children > young adults > middle-age adults > older adults. These results suggest that the rules of social evaluation are pervasively embedded in culture and mind.
Childhood-onset bullous systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Lourenço D M R , Cunha Gomes R , Aikawa N E , Campos L M A , Romiti R , Silva C A
Published: July 2014

Bullous systemic lupus erythematosus has rarely been described in pediatric lupus population and the real prevalence of childhood-onset bullous systemic lupus erythematosus has not been reported. From January 1983 to November 2013, 303 childhood-onset SLE (c-SLE) patients were followed at the Pediatric Rheumatology Unit of the Childreńs Institute of Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina Universidade da Universidade de São Paulo, three of them (1%) diagnosed as childhood-onset bullous systemic lupus erythematosus. All three cases presented tense vesiculobullous lesions unassociated with lupus erythematosus lesions, with the median duration of 60 days (30–60). All patients fulfilled bullous systemic lupus erythematosus criteria. Two had nephritis and serositis and presented specific autoantibodies. The histological pattern demonstrated subepidermal blisters with neutrophils-predominant infiltrates within the upper dermis. Direct immunofluorescence (DIF) showed deposits of IgG and complement along the epidermal basement membrane, in the presence or absence of IgA and/or IgM. A positive indirect immunofluorescence on salt-split skin demonstrating dermal binding was observed in two cases. All of them had moderate/severe disease activity at diagnosis with median Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) of 18 (14–24). Two patients received dapsone and one with severe nephritis received immunosuppressive drugs. In conclusion, in the last 30 years the prevalence of bullous lupus in childhood-onset lupus population was low (1%) in our tertiary University Hospital. A diagnosis of SLE should always be considered in children with recurrent tense vesiculobullous lesions with or without systemic manifestations.
Twitter’s diffusion in sports journalism: Role models, laggards and followers of the social media innovation
Authors: English Peter
Published: July 2014

The roles of sports journalists have been affected considerably by the influence of Twitter, but what is not known is how the social media application has been adopted across a range of sports newsrooms in different countries. Employing Rogers’ diffusion of innovations theory, this study examines how Twitter has been accepted or rejected on the sports desks of six broadsheet/quality news organisations in Australia, India and the United Kingdom. A mixed methods approach is employed, combining 36 in-depth interviews with a content analysis of 4103 print and online articles. This allows a comprehensive analysis of issues such as when and why sports journalists adopt this innovation, and how much Twitter-related content appears in the sports pages. Twitter adoption contains many benefits for individuals and their organisations, and the results from this study have implications for sports journalism in other nations at various stages of diffusion.
Synergistic association of six well-characterized polymorphisms in three genes of the renin-angiotensin system with breast cancer among Han Chinese women
Authors: Ding Peijian , Yang Yang , Ding Shuangjian , Sun Baoxin
Published: July 2014

Objective:

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy that is believed to be largely under genetic control. We therefore investigated both individual and interactive associations of six well-characterized polymorphisms in three genes of the renin-angiotensin system with breast cancer among Han Chinese women.

Methods and results:

This was a hospital-based study involving 606 patients diagnosed with sporadic breast cancer and 633 age- and ethnicity-matched controls. There were significant differences in genotype and allele distributions of ACE gene rs4343 ( pgentoype = 0.002 and pallele < 0.001) and AGTR1 gene rs5186 polymorphisms ( pgentoype < 0.001 and pallele < 0.001), even with a Bonferroni-corrected alpha of 0.0042 (0.05/12). Allele combinations of T-T-T-G-C-A (alleles in order of rs5050, rs699, rs4291, rs4343, rs188018 and rs5186), G-C-T-G-C-A and T-C-T-G-C-C, respectively, had the age-adjusted odds of 2.21 ( p = 0.021), 3.01 ( p = 0.021) and 5.24 ( p = 0.015) for breast cancer, whereas allele combination T-C-T-A-T-A was associated with a 76% ( p = 0.008) reduced risk. Interaction analysis revealed an overall best two-locus model including rs4343 and rs4291 polymorphisms, and this model had the maximal testing accuracy of 0.6259 with a cross-validation consistency of 10 ( p = 0.0015).

Conclusion:

Our findings support a contributory role of the ACE gene, with its genetic polymorphisms acting synergistically, in predisposition to breast cancer among Han Chinese women.
Cultural regions of Canada and United States
Authors: Dheer Ratan , Lenartowicz Tomasz , Peterson Mark F , Petrescu Maria
Published: July 2014

We consider why international business research comparing values, attitudes, and behaviors of managers from the United States and Canada shows conflicting results about cultural differences and similarities between these two nations. We argue that one reason behind these inconsistent findings is the presence of intranational subcultural regions in these nations. The second reason is that the variable(s) under scrutiny influence the generalizability of research findings. Employing Lenartowicz and Roth’s (1999) framework for culture assessment, theories of cultural evolution and maintenance, and data from the World Values Survey, we test the distinctiveness of subcultural regions in the United States and Canada, at both the individual level and the regional level of analysis. Results support our hypothesized arguments.
Ray of Hope
Authors: Dong Ping , Huang Xun (Irene) , Zhong Chen-Bo
Published: July 2014

Does bright lighting seem more desirable when people feel hopeless? Common parlance such as “ ray of hope” depicts an association between hope and the perception of brightness. Building on research in embodied cognition and conceptual metaphor, we examined whether incidental emotion of hopelessness can affect brightness perception, which may influence people’s preference for lighting. Across four studies, we found that people who feel hopeless judge the environment to be darker (Study 1). As a consequence, hopeless people expressed a greater desire for ambient brightness and higher wattage light bulbs (Studies 2 and 3). Study 4 showed the reversal of the effect—being in a dimmer (vs. brighter) room induces greater hopelessness toward the perceived job search prospects. Taken together, these results suggest that hopeless feeling seems to bias people’s perceptual judgment of ambient brightness, which may potentially impact their electricity consumption.
Identifying Latent Design Issues in Mobile Products to Prevent Patient Harm
Authors: Wood Scott D. , Chapman Roger , Taylor Lesley , Wright Pamela , Scott Jeanie
Published: July 2014

This paper describes a rigorous yet practical process for evaluating mobile health care products (native and webbased software applications) to identify design issues that present a risk to patients. The process uses a model-based approach to application analysis, combining techniques from human factors, human-computer interaction, safety engineering and patient safety. Examples from mobile products in development are used to illustrate how the process facilitates detection of common design issues. Lessons learned from developing and applying the process also are discussed.
KLF1: when less is more
Authors: Manwani Deepa , Bieker James J.
Published: July 2014

In this issue of Blood, Liu et al gain an understanding of phenotypic variability in hemoglobinopathies.1 They find that mutations in Krüppel-like factor-1 (KLF1) are significantly more prevalent in patients with β-thalassemia than previously recognized and correlate with a milder phenotype. This supports the emerging concept that monoallelic KLF1 mutations can play a modulatory role in hemoglobinopathies.
Imaging as a biomarker in drug discovery for Alzheimer’s disease: is MRI a suitable technology?
Authors: Merlo Pich Emilio , Jeromin Andreas , Frisoni Giovanni B , Hill Derek , Lockhart Andrew , Schmidt Mark E , Turner Martin R , Mondello Stefania , Potter William Z
Published: July 2014

This review provides perspectives on the utility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a neuroimaging approach in the development of novel treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. These considerations were generated in a roundtable at a recent Wellcome Trust meeting that included experts from academia and industry. It was agreed that MRI, either structural or functional, could be used as a diagnostic, for assessing worsening of disease status, for monitoring vascular pathology, and for stratifying clinical trial populations. It was agreed also that MRI implementation is in its infancy, requiring more evidence of association with the disease states, test-retest data, better standardization across multiple clinical sites, and application in multimodal approaches which include other imaging technologies, such as positron emission tomography, electroencephalography, and magnetoencephalography.
EvoGrader: an online formative assessment tool for automatically evaluating written evolutionary explanations
Authors: Moharreri Kayhan , Ha Minsu , Nehm Ross H
Published: July 2014

EvoGrader is a free, online, on-demand formative assessment service designed for use in undergraduate biology classrooms. EvoGrader’s web portal is powered by Amazon’s Elastic Cloud and run with LightSIDE Lab’s open-source machine-learning tools. The EvoGrader web portal allows biology instructors to upload a response file (.csv) containing unlimited numbers of evolutionary explanations written in response to 86 different ACORNS (Assessing COntextual Reasoning about Natural Selection) instrument items. The system automatically analyzes the responses and provides detailed information about the scientific and naive concepts contained within each student’s response, as well as overall student (and sample) reasoning model types. Graphs and visual models provided by EvoGrader summarize class-level responses; downloadable files of raw scores (in .csv format) are also provided for more detailed analyses. Although the computational machinery that EvoGrader employs is complex, using the system is easy. Users only need to know how to use spreadsheets to organize student responses, upload files to the web, and use a web browser. A series of experiments using new samples of 2,200 written evolutionary explanations demonstrate that EvoGrader scores are comparable to those of trained human raters, although EvoGrader scoring takes 99% less time and is free. EvoGrader will be of interest to biology instructors teaching large classes who seek to emphasize scientific practices such as generating scientific explanations, and to teach crosscutting ideas such as evolution and natural selection. The software architecture of EvoGrader is described as it may serve as a template for developing machine-learning portals for other core concepts within biology and across other disciplines.
DNMT inhibitors reverse a specific signature of aberrant promoter DNA methylation and associated gene silencing in AML
Authors: Lund Kirstin , Cole John J , VanderKraats Nathan D , McBryan Tony , Pchelintsev Nikolay A , Clark William , Copland Mhairi , Edwards John R , Adams Peter D
Published: July 2014

Background

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are neoplastic disorders of hematopoietic stem cells. DNA methyltransferase inhibitors, 5-azacytidine and 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (decitabine), benefit some MDS/AML patients. However, the role of DNA methyltransferase inhibitor-induced DNA hypomethylation in regulation of gene expression in AML is unclear.

Results

We compared the effects of 5-azacytidine on DNA methylation and gene expression using whole-genome single-nucleotide bisulfite-sequencing and RNA-sequencing in OCI-AML3 cells. For data analysis, we used an approach recently developed for discovery of differential patterns of DNA methylation associated with changes in gene expression, that is tailored to single-nucleotide bisulfite-sequencing data (Washington University Interpolated Methylation Signatures). Using this approach, we find that a subset of genes upregulated by 5-azacytidine are characterized by 5-azacytidine-induced signature methylation loss flanking the transcription start site. Many of these genes show increased methylation and decreased expression in OCI-AML3 cells compared to normal hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Moreover, these genes are preferentially upregulated by decitabine in human primary AML blasts, and control cell proliferation, death, and development.

Conclusions

Our approach identifies a set of genes whose methylation and silencing in AML is reversed by DNA methyltransferase inhibitors. These genes are good candidates for direct regulation by DNA methyltransferase inhibitors, and their reactivation by DNA methyltransferase inhibitors may contribute to therapeutic activity.
The RNA editing enzyme APOBEC1 induces somatic mutations and a compatible mutational signature is present in esophageal adenocarcinomas
Authors: Saraconi Giulia , Severi Francesco , Sala Cesare , Mattiuz Giorgio , Conticello Silvestro G
Published: July 2014

Background

The AID/APOBECs are deaminases that act on cytosines in a diverse set of pathways and some of them have been linked to the onset of genetic alterations in cancer. Among them, APOBEC1 is the only family member to physiologically target RNA, as the catalytic subunit in the Apolipoprotein B mRNA editing complex. APOBEC1 has been linked to cancer development in mice but its oncogenic mechanisms are not yet well understood.

Results

We analyze whether expression of APOBEC1 induces a mutator phenotype in vertebrate cells, likely through direct targeting of genomic DNA. We show its ability to increase the inactivation of a stably inserted reporter gene in a chicken cell line that lacks any other AID/APOBEC proteins, and to increase the number of imatinib-resistant clones in a human cellular model for chronic myeloid leukemia through induction of mutations in the BCR-ABL1 fusion gene. Moreover, we find the presence of an AID/APOBEC mutational signature in esophageal adenocarcinomas, a type of tumor where APOBEC1 is expressed, that mimics the one preferred by APOBEC1 in vitro.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the ability of APOBEC1 to trigger genetic alterations represents a major layer in its oncogenic potential. Such APOBEC1-induced mutator phenotypes could play a role in the onset of esophageal adenocarcinomas. APOBEC1 could be involved in cancer promotion at the very early stages of carcinogenesis, as it is highly expressed in Barrett's esophagus, a condition often associated with esophageal adenocarcinoma.
MethylPurify: tumor purity deconvolution and differential methylation detection from single tumor DNA methylomes
Authors: Zheng Xiaoqi , Zhao Qian , Wu Hua-Jun , Li Wei , Wang Haiyun , Meyer Clifford A , Qin Qian Alvin , Xu Han , Zang Chongzhi , Jiang Peng , Li Fuqiang , Hou Yong , He Jianxing , Wang Jun , Wang Jun , Zhang Peng , Zhang Yong , Liu Xiaole Shirley
Published: July 2014

We propose a statistical algorithm MethylPurify that uses regions with bisulfite reads showing discordant methylation levels to infer tumor purity from tumor samples alone. MethylPurify can identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs) from individual tumor methylome samples, without genomic variation information or prior knowledge from other datasets. In simulations with mixed bisulfite reads from cancer and normal cell lines, MethylPurify correctly inferred tumor purity and identified over 96% of the DMRs. From patient data, MethylPurify gave satisfactory DMR calls from tumor methylome samples alone, and revealed potential missed DMRs by tumor to normal comparison due to tumor heterogeneity.
2D and 3D prestack seismic data regularization using an accelerated sparse time-invariant Radon transform
Authors: Zhang Ying-Qiang , Lu Wen-Kai
Published: July 2014

The time-invariant Radon transform (RT) is commonly used to regularize and interpolate sparsely sampled or irregularly acquired prestack seismic data. The sparseness of the Radon model significantly influences the results of regularization. We have developed an effective and efficient method for the regularization and interpolation of 2D as well as 3D prestack seismic data. We used an accelerated sparse time-invariant RT in the mixed frequency-time domain to improve the performance of RT-based seismic data regularization. This 2D sparse RT incorporated the iterative 2D model shrinkage algorithm instead of the traditional iteratively reweighted least-squares (IRLS) algorithm in the time domain, and we computed the forward and inverse RTs in the frequency domain to solve the sparse inverse problem, which dramatically reduced the computational cost while obtaining a high-resolution result. The 2D synthetic and real data examples revealed that our 2D approach can better interpolate beyond aliasing a 2D prestack seismic record that contains a large gap, compared with the least-squares-based RT and the frequency-domain sparse RT methods. To extend the 2D technique to 3D more efficiently, we first formulate the 3D RT as a problem of solving a special matrix equation. Next, we use the iterative 3D model shrinkage algorithm to obtain a high-resolution 3D Radon model. The proposed 3D sparse RT method can be applied in the regularization of 3D prestack gathers, such as in the cable interpolation in a 3D marine survey. We achieved robustness and effectiveness with our 3D approach with successful applications to 3D synthetic and real data.
Least-squares reverse-time migration with a wavefield-separation imaging condition and updated source wavefields
Authors: Tan Sirui , Huang Lianjie
Published: July 2014

Directly imaging steeply dipping fault zones is difficult for conventional migration, including reverse-time migration (RTM). We developed a new least-squares RTM (LSRTM) method to directly image steeply dipping fault zones. The method uses a wavefield-separation imaging condition and updated source wavefields during each iteration. Our new imaging method produces horizontal-looking images that show mostly steeply dipping fault zones. Conventional least-squares RTM does not update source wavefields and cannot directly image vertical fault zones. We numerically determined that it is crucial to update source wavefields to image steeply dipping fault zones. Using synthetic seismic data, we proved that our new LSRTM method can directly image steeply dipping fault zones with dipping angles up to 90°. Compared with conventional LSRTM, our LSRTM method was less sensitive to the smoothness and the velocity error of the initial migration velocity model.
Predicting controlled-source electromagnetic responses from seismic velocities
Authors: Werthmüller Dieter , Ziolkowski Anton , Wright David
Published: July 2014

We created a workflow to predict controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) responses from seismic velocities and compared the predicted responses with CSEM data. The first step was to calculate a resistivity model from seismic velocities in a Bayesian framework to account for the uncertainties. The second step was to estimate the electric anisotropy and improve the resistivity model for the depths at which there was no well control. The last step was to use this updated resistivity model to forward-model CSEM responses and compare the result with CSEM data. The comparison with real data revealed that the measured CSEM responses were generally within plus and minus one standard deviation of the predicted responses. This workflow was able to predict CSEM responses, which can prove very useful for feasibility studies before acquisition and interpretation after acquisition of CSEM data.
“La Raza Entra Por La Boca”: Energy, Diet, and Eugenics in Colombia, 1890–1940
Authors: Pohl-Valero Stefan
Published: July 2014

In Colombia early in the twentieth century, a field of research began to take shape that looked at work and the physiology of diet, centered on the analogy of the human body as a heat engine that transforms energy. Starting with the energy unit of calories, foods were translated into the amount of fuel the body-machine needed for optimal performance depending on the work performed and environmental conditions. The main objective of this article is to highlight the role that this energy-centric conception of the body played in configuring a series of educational and public hygiene campaigns carried out in Colombia between 1890 and 1940. I argue that these social engineering actions, aimed at achieving the physiological regeneration of the population, formed part of the local eugenics movement, since the ideal of producing efficient working bodies was conceived of as a heritable characteristic that could improve future generations of workers. With this I highlight an unexplored aspect in the historical and local significance of the biological and its relationship to the way social problems of that time were understood. By historicizing both the social and the biological, I propose a research approach that contrasts with the usual distinction between the natural and the cultural present in some of the historiography on eugenics and race.
Democracy: An Unfinished Project
Authors: Buck-Morss Susan
Published: July 2014

This essay criticizes Ahmet Davutoğlu’s proposal that Islamic civilization complete the “unfinished project of modernity” (Jürgen Habermas), by challenging the concept of civilization itself. As scholars in multiple disciplines have demonstrated, civilizations are hybrid constructions that cannot be contained within a uniform conceptual frame, such as Islamic “authenticity.” The past is shared, and the present is as well. The Arab Spring demonstrates that modernity confronts political actors with similar problems, whatever their background. The essay addresses successive paradoxes within the unfinished project of democracy: the contradiction between free markets (capitalist inequality) and free societies (political equality), the hierarchical relationship between the people and their leaders (Jacques Ranciére’s Ignorant Schoolmaster is discussed), and the lack of democracy between nations within the present world order.
King Kong in America
Authors: Dirlik Arif
Published: July 2014

The essay critically engages two recent works on the Confucian revival in the People’s Republic of China published by Princeton University Press, the one advocating a Confucian monarchy for the PRC, the other arguing for the universal relevance of Confucianism as a “world religion.” Barely disguised as works of scholarship, these works are ideologically loaded advocacies, the one explicitly attacking “Western” culture in general and democracy more specifically in the name of hierarchical authoritarianism, the other making a plea for a Confucian religion not just for the PRC but also for its English-speaking readership. Publication of works of questionable scholarship by a major university press, and the positive reception given to them, suggests some resonance with the antidemocratic and so-called postsecular turns in the United States and Europe.
History Unabridged: An Interview with Stefan Collini
Authors: Williams Jeffrey J.
Published: July 2014

Jeffrey Williams interviews the British critic and intellectual historian Stefan Collini about his career as well as his criticism of recent policy shifts in British higher education. Collini discusses the development of his work from more academic histories of British social science to more public criticism on literary critics and intellectuals. The interview also covers his recent book, What Are Universities For?, and the situation of higher education in the UK.