bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Motion dependence of smooth pursuit eye movements in the marmoset
Authors: Mitchell Jude F. , Priebe Nicholas J. , Miller Cory T.
Published: April 2015

Smooth pursuit eye movements stabilize slow-moving objects on the retina by matching eye velocity with target velocity. Two critical components are required to generate smooth pursuit: first, because it is a voluntary eye movement, the subject must select a target to pursue to engage the tracking system; and second, generating smooth pursuit requires a moving stimulus. We examined whether this behavior also exists in the common marmoset, a New World primate that is increasingly attracting attention as a genetic model for mental disease and systems neuroscience. We measured smooth pursuit in two marmosets, previously trained to perform fixation tasks, using the standard Rashbass step-ramp pursuit paradigm. We first measured the aspects of visual motion that drive pursuit eye movements. Smooth eye movements were in the same direction as target motion, indicating that pursuit was driven by target movement rather than by displacement. Both the open-loop acceleration and closed-loop eye velocity exhibited a linear relationship with target velocity for slow-moving targets, but this relationship declined for higher speeds. We next examined whether marmoset pursuit eye movements depend on an active engagement of the pursuit system by measuring smooth eye movements evoked by small perturbations of motion from fixation or during pursuit. Pursuit eye movements were much larger during pursuit than from fixation, indicating that pursuit is actively gated. Several practical advantages of the marmoset brain, including the accessibility of the middle temporal (MT) area and frontal eye fields at the cortical surface, merit its utilization for studying pursuit movements.
A marching-walking hybrid induces step length adaptation and transfers to natural walking
Authors: Long Andrew W. , Finley James M. , Bastian Amy J.
Published: April 2015

Walking is highly adaptable to new demands and environments. We have previously studied adaptation of locomotor patterns via a split-belt treadmill, where subjects learn to walk with one foot moving faster than the other. Subjects learn to adapt their walking pattern by changing the location (spatial) and time (temporal) of foot placement. Here we asked whether we can induce adaptation of a specific walking pattern when one limb does not “walk” but instead marches in place (i.e., marching-walking hybrid). The marching leg's movement is limited during the stance phase, and thus certain sensory signals important for walking may be reduced. We hypothesized that this would produce a spatial-temporal strategy different from that of normal split-belt adaptation. Healthy subjects performed two experiments to determine whether they could adapt their spatial-temporal pattern of step lengths during the marching-walking hybrid and whether the learning transfers to over ground walking. Results showed that the hybrid group did adapt their step lengths, but the time course of adaptation and deadaption was slower than that for the split-belt group. We also observed that the hybrid group utilized a mostly spatial strategy whereas the split-belt group utilized both spatial and temporal strategies. Surprisingly, we found no significant difference between the hybrid and split-belt groups in over ground transfer. Moreover, the hybrid group retained more of the learned pattern when they returned to the treadmill. These findings suggest that physical rehabilitation with this marching-walking paradigm on conventional treadmills may produce changes in symmetry comparable to what is observed during split-belt training.
Awake vs. anesthetized: layer-specific sensory processing in visual cortex and functional connectivity between cortical areas
Authors: Sellers Kristin K. , Bennett Davis V. , Hutt Axel , Williams James H. , Fröhlich Flavio
Published: April 2015

During general anesthesia, global brain activity and behavioral state are profoundly altered. Yet it remains mostly unknown how anesthetics alter sensory processing across cortical layers and modulate functional cortico-cortical connectivity. To address this gap in knowledge of the micro- and mesoscale effects of anesthetics on sensory processing in the cortical microcircuit, we recorded multiunit activity and local field potential in awake and anesthetized ferrets ( Mustela putoris furo) during sensory stimulation. To understand how anesthetics alter sensory processing in a primary sensory area and the representation of sensory input in higher-order association areas, we studied the local sensory responses and long-range functional connectivity of primary visual cortex (V1) and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Isoflurane combined with xylazine provided general anesthesia for all anesthetized recordings. We found that anesthetics altered the duration of sensory-evoked responses, disrupted the response dynamics across cortical layers, suppressed both multimodal interactions in V1 and sensory responses in PFC, and reduced functional cortico-cortical connectivity between V1 and PFC. Together, the present findings demonstrate altered sensory responses and impaired functional network connectivity during anesthesia at the level of multiunit activity and local field potential across cortical layers.
Chemotherapy-Regulated microRNA-125–HER2 Pathway as a Novel Therapeutic Target for Trastuzumab-Mediated Cellular Cytotoxicity in Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Yagishita Shigehiro , Fujita Yu , Kitazono Satoru , Ko Ryo , Nakadate Yusuke , Sawada Takeshi , Kitamura Yuka , Shimoyama Tatsu , Maeda Yoshiharu , Takahashi Fumiyuki , Takahashi Kazuhisa , Tamura Tomohide , Koizumi Fumiaki
Published: April 2015

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for 15% of all lung cancer cases and is a highly lethal disease. For the last several decades, the standard treatment for SCLC has been deadlocked, and new therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. HER2 is a member of the HER family and has been reported to be overexpressed in 30% of SCLC cases with poor prognosis. However, the clinical relevance of HER2-targeted therapy for SCLC remains unclear. Here, we first identify that cytotoxic drugs induce significant HER2 overexpression through microRNA-125a (miR-125a) and miR-125b downregulation, which in turn act as a novel therapeutic target for trastuzumab-mediated cellular cytotoxicity in SCLC. In this study, we showed that treatment of the HER2-positive SCLC cells, SBC-3 and SBC-5, with cytotoxic drugs induced a significant upregulation of HER2. Cisplatin (CDDP) treatment of SCLC cells resulted in a significant downregulation of miR-125a and miR-125b. We confirmed that miR-125a and miR-125b bound to the 3′-untranslated regions of HER2 mRNA, and that downregulation of miR-125a and miR-125b resulted in upregulation of HER2 in SCLC cells, suggesting a relationship between cytotoxic drug exposure and miR-125/HER2 dysregulation. Furthermore, using a calcein assay, we demonstrated a significantly enhanced cytotoxic effect of CDDP and trastuzumab that was mediated via antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Finally, we clearly demonstrated the enhanced antitumor effect of these agents in an orthotopic lung cancer model in vivo. Our results offer a novel therapeutic strategy for HER2-positive SCLCs by using trastuzumab combined with cytotoxic drugs. Mol Cancer Ther; 14(6); 1414–23. ©2015 AACR.
Primary Yolk Sac Tumor of the Prostate: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Furr James R. , Mellis Adamantios M. , Slobodov Gennady
Published: April 2015

Endodermal sinus (yolk sac) tumors (ESTs) are rare neoplasms that most commonly arise in the ovaries or testis. Only six cases of prostatic ESTs have been reported in the literature. We report a case of prostatic EST, the first case in which the patient had a history of previous testis cancer. Treatment included cisplatin-based chemotherapy and radical prostatectomy. Previous cases of primary ESTs and use of cisplatin-based therapy as well as metastatic tumors to the prostate are discussed.
Zebrin II Expression in the Cerebellum of a Paleognathous Bird, the Chilean Tinamou (Nothoprocta perdicaria)
Authors: Corfield Jeremy R. , Kolominsky Jeffery , Marin Gonzalo J. , Craciun Iulia , Mulvany-Robbins Bridget E. , Iwaniuk Andrew N. , Wylie Douglas R.
Published: April 2015

Zebrin II (ZII) is a glycolytic enzyme expressed in cerebellar Purkinje cells. In both mammals and birds, ZII is expressed heterogeneously, such that there are sagittal stripes of Purkinje cells with a high ZII expression (ZII+) alternating with stripes of Purkinje cells with little or no expression (ZII-). To date, ZII expression studies are limited to neognathous birds: pigeons (Columbiformes), chickens (Galliformes), and hummingbirds (Trochilidae). These previous studies divided the avian cerebellum into 5 transverse regions based on the pattern of ZII expression. In the lingular region (lobule I) all Purkinje cells are ZII+. In the anterior region (lobules II-V) there are 4 pairs of ZII+/- stripes. In the central region (lobules VI-VIII) all Purkinje cells are ZII+. In the posterior region (lobules VIII-IX) there are 5-7 pairs of ZII+/- stripes. Finally, in the nodular region (lobule X) all Purkinje cells are ZII+. As the pattern of ZII stripes is quite similar in these disparate species, it appears that it is highly conserved. However, it has yet to be studied in paleognathous birds, which split from the neognaths over 100 million years ago. To better understand the evolution of cerebellar compartmentation in birds, we examined ZII immunoreactivity in a paleognath, the Chilean tinamou (Nothoprocta perdicaria). In the tinamou, Purkinje cells expressed ZII heterogeneously such that there were sagittal ZII+ and ZII- stripes of Purkinje cells, and this pattern of expression was largely similar to that observed in neognathous birds. For example, all Purkinje cells in the lingular (lobule I) and nodular (lobule X) regions were ZII+, and there were 4 pairs of ZII+/- stripes in the anterior region (lobules II-V). In contrast to neognaths, however, ZII was expressed in lobules VI-VII as a series of sagittal stripes in the tinamou. Also unlike in neognaths, stripes were absent in lobule IXab, and all Purkinje cells expressed ZII in the tinamou. The differences in ZII expression between the tinamou and neognaths could reflect behavior, but the general similarity of the expression patterns across all bird species suggests that ZII stripes evolved early in the avian phylogenetic tree.
Sequential Immune Responses: The Weapons of Immunity
Authors: Mills Charles D. , Ley Klaus , Buchmann Kurt , Canton Johnathan
Published: April 2015

Sequential immune responses (SIR) is a new model that describes what ‘immunity' means in higher animals. Existing models, such as self/nonself discrimination or danger, focus on how immune responses are initiated. However, initiation is not protection. SIR describes the actual immune responses that provide protection. SIR resulted from a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of immune systems that revealed that several very different types of host innate responses occur (and at different tempos) which together provide host protection. SIR1 uses rapidly activated enzymes like the NADPH oxidases and is present in all animal cells. SIR2 is mediated by the first ‘immune' cells: macrophage-like cells. SIR3 evolved in animals like invertebrates and provides enhanced protection through advanced macrophage recognition and killing of pathogens and through other innate immune cells such as neutrophils. Finally, in vertebrates, macrophages developed SIR4: the ability to present antigens to T cells. Though much slower than SIR1-3, adaptive responses provide a unique new protection for higher vertebrates. Importantly, newer SIR responses were added on top of older, evolutionarily conserved functions to provide ‘layers' of host protection. SIR transcends existing models by elucidating the different weapons of immunity that provide host protection in higher animals.
A Novel 23.1 Mb Interstitial Deletion Involving 7q22.3q32.1 in a Girl with Short Stature, Motor Delay, and Craniofacial Dysmorphism
Authors: del Refugio Rivera-Vega Maria , Gómez-del Angel Luis A. , Valdes-Miranda Juan M. , Pérez-Cabrera Adrián , Gonzalez-Huerta Luz M. , Toral-López Jaime , Cuevas-Covarrubias Sergio
Published: April 2015

Interstitial deletions of 7q show a wide phenotypic spectrum that varies with respect to the location and size of the deleted region. They lead to craniofacial dysmorphism with intellectual disability, growth retardation, and various congenital defects. Here, a Mexican girl with microcephaly, facial dysmorphism, short stature, hand anomalies, and intellectual disability was analyzed by CytoScan HD array. Her phenotype was associated with a de novo 7q22.3q32.1 deletion involving 109 loci, 57 of them listed in the OMIM database. This novel deletion increases the knowledge of the variability in the rupture sites of the region and expands the spectrum of molecular and clinical defects of the 7q deletion syndrome.
The Low AGE Diet: A Neglected Aspect of Clinical Nephrology Practice?
Authors: Uribarri Jaime , He John Cijiang
Published: April 2015

Increasing evidence in the literature suggests an important role for advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the generation of a state of increased oxidative stress and chronic subclinical inflammation, which underlies most modern chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Although AGEs were originally thought to form only endogenously, primarily as the result of the hyperglycemia of diabetes, it is now clear that exogenous AGEs, specially incorporated in foods, are an important contributor to the body pool of AGEs. Over the past decade, several clinical trials have been performed in a variety of conditions demonstrating that the application of an AGE-restricted diet reduces not only the systemic levels of AGEs but also the levels of markers of oxidative stress and inflammation. This has been shown in CKD patients before and after the initiation of dialysis and either in the presence or absence of coexistent diabetes. Reduction of the AGE content in food is obtained by simple changes in culinary techniques and appears to be a feasible, easily applicable and safe intervention, even in advanced CKD patients.
Vascular wall hypoxia promotes arterial thrombus formation via augmentation of vascular thrombogenicity
Authors: Matsuura Yunosuke , Yamashita Atsushi , Iwakiri Takashi , Sugita Chihiro , Okuyama Nozomi , Kitamura Kazuo , Asada Yujiro
Published: April 2015

Atherosclerotic lesions represent a hypoxic milieu. However, the significance of this milieu in atherothrombosis has not been established. We aimed to assess the hypothesis that vascular wall hypoxia promotes arterial thrombus formation. We examined the relation between vascular wall hypoxia and arterial thrombus formation using a rabbit model in which arterial thrombosis was induced by 0.5 %- cholesterol diet and repeated balloon injury of femoral arteries. Vascular wall hypoxia was immunohistochemically detected by pimonidazole hydrochloride, a hypoxia marker. Rabbit neointima and THP-1 macrophages were cultured to analyse prothrombotic factor expression under hypoxic conditions (1 % O2). Prothrombotic factor expression and nuclear localisation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65 were immunohisto-chemically assessed using human coronary atherectomy plaques. Hypoxic areas were localised in the macrophage-rich deep portion of rabbit neointima and positively correlated with the number of nuclei immunopositive for HIF-1α and NF-κB p65, and tissue factor (TF) expression. Immunopositive areas for glycoprotein IIb/IIIa and fibrin in thrombi were significantly correlated with hypoxic areas in arteries. TF and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) expression was increased in neointimal tissues and/or macrophages cultured under hypoxia, and both were suppressed by inhibitors of either HIF-1 or NF-κB. In human coronary plaques, the number of HIF-1α-immuno-positive nuclei was positively correlated with that of NF-κB-immuno-positive nuclei and TF-immunopositive and PAI-1-immunopositive area, and it was significantly higher in thrombotic plaques. Vascular wall hypoxia augments the thrombogenic potential of atherosclerotic plaque and thrombus formation on plaques via prothrombotic factor upregulation.
Pro-oxidant HDL predicts poor outcome in patients with ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome
Authors: Distelmaier Klaus , Schrutka Lore , Seidl Veronika , Winter Max P. , Wurm Raphael , Mangold Andreas , Perkmann Thomas , Maurer Gerald , Adlbrecht Christopher , Lang Irene M.
Published: April 2015

Oxidative stress affects clinical outcome in patients with ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (STE-ACS). Although high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles are generally considered protective, deleterious properties of HDL have been observed in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Here, we analysed the association between pro oxidant HDL and all-cause mortality in STE-ACS patients. We determined the antioxidant function of HDL in 247 prospectively enrolled patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention for STE-ACS. Patients were stratified as by a pro-oxidant serum HDL oxidant index (HOI 1) or with an antioxidant serum HOI (HOL< 1) capacity. Multivariate regression analysis was used to relate HOI to survival. The median follow-up time was 23 months (IQR 14.4–40.0 months). Pro-oxidant HDL was observed in 44.1 % of STE-ACS patients and was independently associated with all-cause mortality with a hazard ratio of 3.30(95 %CI 1.50–7.27, p = 0.003). Mortality rates were higher in patients with baseline pro-oxidant HDL compared to patients with preserved HDL function at 30 days (11.9 % vs 2.2 %, p=0.002), and at 4 years (22.9 % vs 8.7 %, p=0.002). Elevated neutrophil counts were a strong and independent predictor for pro-oxidant HDL with an odds ratio per standard deviation of 1.50 (95 %CI 1.11–2.03, p=0.008), as was history of prior acute myocardial infarction, elevated triglycerides levels and reduced glomerular filtration rate. In conclusion, pro-oxidant HDL represents a strong and independent predictor of long-term as well as short-term all-cause mortality in STE-ACS patients. Elevated neutrophil counts predicted the presence of serum pro-oxidant HDL. The maintenance of HDL functions might be a promising therapeutic target in STE-ACS patients.
Endogenous tissue factor pathway inhibitor has a limited effect on host defence in murine pneumococcal pneumonia
Authors: van ’t Veer Cornelis , Roelofs Joris J. T. H. , Meijers Joost C. M. , Schultz Marcus J. , Broze Jr George , van der Poll Tom , van den Boogaard Florry E.
Published: April 2015

Streptococcus (S.) pneumoniae is the most common causative pathogen in community-acquired pneumonia. Coagulation and inflammation interact in the host response to infection. Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) is a natural anticoagulant protein that inhibits tissue factor (TF), the main activator of inflammation-induced coagulation. It was the objective of this study to investigate the effect of endogenous TFPI levels on coagulation, inflammation and bacterial growth during S. pneumoniae pneumonia in mice. The effect of low endogenous TFPI levels was studied by administration of a neutralising anti-TFPI antibody to wild-type mice, and by using genetically modified mice expressing low levels of TFPI, due to a genetic deletion of the first Kunitz domain of TFPI (TFPIK1(-/-)) rescued with a human TFPI transgene. Pneumonia was induced by intranasal inoculation with S. pneumoniae and samples were obtained at 6, 24 and 48 hours after infection. Anti-TFPI reduced TFPI activity by ~50 %. Homozygous lowTFPI mice and heterozygous controls had ~10 % and ~50 % of normal TFPI activity, respectively. TFPI levels did not influence bacterial growth or dissemination. Whereas lung pathology was unaffected in all groups, mice with ~10 % (but not with ~50 %) of TFPI levels displayed elevated lung cytokine and chemokine concentrations 24 hours after infection. None of the groups with low TFPI levels showed an altered procoagulant response in lungs or plasma during pneumonia. These data argue against an important role for endogenous TFPI in the antibacterial, inflammatory and procoagulant response during pneumococcal pneumonia.
Forward Problem of Electrocardiography
Authors: Bear Laura R. , Cheng Leo K. , LeGrice Ian J. , Sands Gregory B. , Lever Nigel A. , Paterson David J. , Smaill Bruce H.
Published: April 2015

Background—

The relationship between epicardial and body surface potentials defines the forward problem of electrocardiography. A robust formulation of the forward problem is instrumental to solving the inverse problem, in which epicardial potentials are computed from known body surface potentials. Here, the accuracy of different forward models has been evaluated experimentally.

Methods and Results—

Body surface and epicardial potentials were recorded simultaneously in anesthetized closed-chest pigs (n=5) during sinus rhythm, and epicardial and endocardial ventricular pacing (65 records in total). Body surface potentials were simulated from epicardial recordings using experiment-specific volume conductor models constructed from magnetic resonance imaging. Results for homogeneous (isotropic electric properties) and inhomogeneous (incorporating lungs, anisotropic skeletal muscle, and subcutaneous fat) forward models were compared with measured body surface potentials. Correlation coefficients were 0.85±0.08 across all animals and activation sequences with no significant difference between homogeneous and inhomogeneous solutions (
P
=0.85). Despite this, there was considerable variance between simulated and measured body surface potential distributions. Differences between the body surface potential extrema predicted with homogeneous forward models were 55% to 78% greater than observed (
P
<0.05) and attenuation of potentials adjacent to extrema were 10% to 171% greater (
P
<0.03). The length and orientation of the vector between potential extrema were also significantly different. Inclusion of inhomogeneous electric properties in the forward model reduced, but did not eliminate these differences.

Conclusions—

These results demonstrate that homogeneous volume conductor models introduce substantial spatial inaccuracies in forward problem solutions. This probably affects the precision of inverse reconstructions of cardiac potentials, in which this assumption is made.
Propensity-Matched Comparisons of Clinical Outcomes After Transapical or Transfemoral Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
Authors: Blackstone Eugene H. , Suri Rakesh M. , Rajeswaran Jeevanantham , Babaliaros Vasilis , Douglas Pamela S. , Fearon William F. , Miller D. Craig , Hahn Rebecca T. , Kapadia Samir , Kirtane Ajay J. , Kodali Susheel K. , Mack Michael , Szeto Wilson Y. , Thourani Vinod H. , Tuzcu E. Murat , Williams Mathew R. , Akin Jodi J. , Leon Martin B. , Svensson Lars G.
Published: April 2015

Background—

The higher risk of adverse outcomes after transapical (TA) versus transfemoral (TF) transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) could be attributable to TA-TAVR being an open surgical procedure or to clinical differences between TA- and TF-TAVR patients. We compared outcomes after neutralizing patient differences using propensity score matching.

Methods and Results—

From April 2007 to February 2012, 1100 Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valves (PARTNER)-I patients underwent TA-TAVR and 1521 underwent TF-TAVR with Edwards SAPIEN balloon-expandable bioprostheses. Propensity matching based on 111 preprocedural variables, exclusive of femoral access morphology, identified 501 well-matched patient pairs (46% of possible matches), 95% of whom had peripheral arterial disease. Matched TA-TAVR patients experienced more adverse procedural events, longer length of stay (5 versus 8 days;
P
<0.0001), and slower recovery (New York Heart Association class I, 31% versus 38% at 30 days, equalizing by 6 months at 51% versus 47%); stroke risk was similar (3.4% versus 3.3% at 30 days and 6.0% versus 6.7% at 3 years); mortality was elevated for the first 6 postprocedural months (19% versus 12%;
P
=0.01); but aortic regurgitation was less (34% versus 52% mild and 8.9% versus 12% moderate to severe at discharge,
P
=0.001; 36% versus 50% mild and 10% versus 15% moderate to severe at 6 months,
P
<0.0001).

Conclusions—

The likelihood of adverse periprocedural events and prolonged recovery is greater after TA-TAVR than TF-TAVR in vasculopathic patients after accounting for differences in cardiovascular risk factors, although stroke risk is equivalent and aortic regurgitation is less. As smaller delivery systems permit TF-TAVR in many of these patients, we recommend a TF-first access strategy for TAVR when anatomically feasible.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00530894.
Correlations among methods to estimate lipid reserves of second-stage juveniles and its relationships with infectivity and reproduction of Meloidogyne incognita
Authors: Rocha Fernando da Silva , Campos Vicente Paulo , Catão Hugo César Rodrigues Moreira , Muniz Maria de Fátima Silva , Civil Nody
Published: April 2015

We studied the correlations between the processes used to estimate the body lipid of second-stage juveniles (J2) ofMeloidogyne exiguaandM. incognita, and the infectivity and reproduction of theM. incognitaJ2. The lipids were quantified by image analysis of the area stained red with Oil Red O dye and by the dark area of the non-stained J2. The content of neutral lipids of stained J2 ofM. exiguaandM. incognitacorrelated positively to the lipid index, body mass lipid and the dark area of J2. The period of incubation of J2 decreased the neutral lipids content and correlated significantly with the reductions of infectivity and reproduction. The period of 6 days incubation ofM. incognitaresulted in losses of more than 50% of the neutral lipid content, representing the threshold period for infectivity on tomato, whereas, for reproduction, the threshold was 3 days incubation.
General Introduction
Authors: M’Cormack-Hale Fredline A.O. , Beoku-Betts Josephine
Published: April 2015

Although much has been written on many different aspects of post-conflict reconstruction, democracy building, and the role of the international community in Sierra Leone, there is no definitive publication that focuses on exploring the ways in which various interventions targeted at women in Sierra Leone have resulted in socio-economic and political change, following the Sierra Leone civil war. This special issue explores the multi-faceted subject of women’s empowerment in post-war Sierra Leone. Employing a variety of theoretical frameworks, the papers examine a broad range of themes addressing women’s socio-economic and political development, ranging from health to political participation, from paramount chiefs and parliamentarians to traditional birth attendants and refugees. An underlying argument is that post-war contexts provide the space to advance policies and practices that contribute to women’s empowerment. To this end, the papers examine the varied ways in which women have individually and collectively responded to, shaped, negotiated, and been affected by national and international initiatives and processes.
Going Beyond Numbers
Authors: M’Cormack-Hale Fredline A. O.
Published: April 2015

This paper critically examines the concept of women’s substantive representation through an assessment of the accomplishments of Sierra Leone female parliamentarians serving from 2007-2012. The paper argues that much of the current research about the impact of elected women on advancing a gendered agenda rests on criteria that are borrowed uncritically from western political systems and thus misses out on some of the accomplishments of female parliamentarians that fall outside of this narrow frame. The paper posits that adopting an African feminist framework can make visible the invisible, broaden our understanding of what elected women can accomplish, and suggest ways in which actors engaged in promoting women’s empowerment can be more effective and supportive in their aims to increase women’s political representation.
Unhcr’s Gender Policy for Refugees and Returnees in Sierra Leone
Authors: Skran Claudena
Published: April 2015

The challenge of ensuring the full reintegration of refugee women and returnees in post-conflict societies is an important one, yet there is gap in the literature that evaluates interventions designed to assist them. This article seeks to narrow this gap by examining the gender policy of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (unhcr) as applied to reintegration programs in Sierra Leone, particularly in Kailahun district. Using Amartya Sen’s concept of agency, the paper begins with an exploration of the pre-war status of women and girls in Sierra Leone and their marginalization in flight and exile. The paper then argues that the conceptual framework of unhcr’s Community Empowerment Projects (ceps) created a foundation for an open, democratic process that, in theory, could lead to enhanced well-being for women as beneficiaries and greater political agency for them as decision-makers. In practice, the ceps resulted in the implementation of projects that benefited women both directly and indirectly, especially in the areas of water and sanitation and education. The lack of emphasis on health projects, however, especially when compared to the strong support for rebuilding community buildings controlled by elders, shows the impact of traditional, patriarchal decision-making on the cep process. The paper further argues that special women’s centers constructed or supported by unhcr, though small in number, both enhanced the well-being of and promoted political agency for women; this intervention contributed to the high levels of females elected as local officials in Kailahun district in the 2012 elections.
A Qualitative Synthesis of Children’s Experiences of Shared Care Post Divorce
Authors: Birnbaum Rachel , Saini Michael
Published: April 2015

Objectives: Children’s views and experiences of shared care arrangements post separation were explored to provide their voices to the ongoing discussions of shared parenting.

Methods: Qualitative synthesis included a systematic and transparent method for retrieval, screening, and analysing qualitative studies. The inclusion criteria accepted studies that were: qualitative in design; included children as participants in shared care parenting time post-separation.

Results: Ten qualitative studies in six different countries with 466 children and young adults were included in the final analysis. Children’s experiences of shared care parenting post separation were mixed and varied depending on contextual factors related to their relationship with both parents, as well the quality of these relationships and the flexibility/rigidity of the parenting arrangement.

Implications: Hearing from children and young adults directly helps to move the shared care debate away from binary arguments about sole versus shared care based on parents’ rights and advocacy views.
The Participation Disc
Authors: Herbots Katrien , Put Johan
Published: April 2015

Over twenty years after the adoption of theunConvention on the Rights of the Child, child participation and the child’s right to participate still remain subjects of discussion and interpretation. This article aims to examine critically the notion of “participation” through a literature analysis that cuts across several academic disciplines. A framework for understanding participation is proposed in the form of aparticipation disc. thecrcis critically examined against the background of this participation disc. The significance to be attached to thecrcparticipation rights will be ascertained with a particular focus on Article 12. An assessment, by means of a theoretical review, leads to the conclusion that enacting the participation rights in thecrcis a result of a casuistic and fragmentary approach to participation rather than a well-considered view of participation. Therefore, a certain vigilance is required when interpreting, implementing and monitoringcrcparticipation rights.
Restraint and Seclusion of Students with Disabilities
Authors: Lyons Darcie
Published: April 2015

Students with disabilities are being subjected to restraint and seclusion in some schools in Victoria, Australia. The practices are being used for purposes such as punishment, behaviour change and harm prevention. This article analyses the legality of the practices under the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Australia has ratified.

It concludes that the use of restraint and seclusion on students with disabilities in some Victorian schools has violated children’s rights, under both domestic and international human rights law. The Australian and Victorian governments have failed to recognise the presumption against the use of restraint and seclusion on children with disabilities in school and have failed to justify the associated rights limitations. A cultural shift is required to ensure that children with disabilities no longer experience unlawful rights violations, injuries and mental anguish as a result of restraint and seclusion in the very institutions that have a duty of care to protect them.
Contra Boldizzoni: Bringing “Pseudohistory” Back In
Authors: Tooze Adam
Published: April 2015

This response argues that though one may share Boldizzoni’s critique of conventional economics, he mischaracterizes many of those he criticizes. The pejorative label of “pseudohistory” that he applies to others, is self-defeating. As a description it might be applied to many of the more interesting facets of his own work. What cannot be conceded is the position of the innocent and detached observer he claims for the historian.
Two new species of Dictyosporium from India
Authors: VERMA RAJNISH KUMAR , VERMA RAJNISH. K.
Published: April 2015

Two species of Dictyosporium were collected from forests of Himachal Pradesh, India. Dictyosporium indicum sp. nov. and D. hydei sp. nov., found on a dead petiole of Phoenix rupicola and bark of Tecoma stans, respectively, are described and illustrated. The former species is characterized by conidia with sub-apical appendages while the latter has supra-basal conidial appendages. A synopsis of the genus is also provided.
Hymenoporus paradoxus gen. et sp. nov., a striking fungus of the family Omphalotaceae (Agaricales, Basidiomycota) with tubular hymenophore
Authors: Tkalčec Zdenko , Mešić Armin , Deng Chun-Ying , Pleše Bruna , Ćetković Helena
Published: April 2015

Hymenoporus paradoxus, a new marasmioid fungal species belonging to the new genus is described from southern China. It differs from all other marasmioid species by a true tubular hymenophore, a character previously unknown in marasmioid fungi, and from all other tubular agarics by a hymenophore attached to a free collarium, and central, tough, dark and filiform stipe. The additional diagnostic characters are small basidiocarps, mostly convex pileus, smooth, hyaline, non-amyloid spores, densely packed dendriform cheilocystidia, and pileipellis composed of repent hyphae densely covered with simple to coralloid excrescences, intermixed with dendriform cells. As peculiar morphological characters had indicated, molecular phylogenetic analyses based on the 28S rDNA sequences confirm phylogenetic position of the new species in Omphalotaceae and a need to establish a new genus. Color photographs of macro- and micromorphological characters, SEM microphotographs, and a phylogenetic tree based on the partial 28S rDNA gene are provided.
Another New Thai Argyreia Species (Convolvulaceae)
Authors: STAPLES GEORGE W. , Traiperm Paweena , CHOW JANENY
Published: April 2015

A new species of Argyreia (Convolvulaceae) from Thailand is described and illustrated: A. albiflora. The morphological distinctions of this new species and its relationships with allied species are discussed. Micromorphological evidence is presented using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light microscopy (LM) demonstrating that microscopic features of the upper leaf surface are useful in separating species that are similar on a macromorphological level.
A new genus of Stenetriidae Hansen, 1905 (Asellota: Isopoda: Crustacea) from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia and the southwestern Pacific
Authors: BRUCE NIEL L. , CUMMING R. L.
Published: April 2015

Onychatrium gen. nov. is described, with five included species: Onychatrium forceps sp. nov., the type species and Onychatrium torosus sp. nov., both from the Great Barrier Reef; Onychatrium entale (Nordenstam, 1946) comb. nov., from Tapateuen (= Tabiteue Island), Gilbert Islands; Onychatrium thomasi (Bolstad & Kensley, 1999) comb. nov., from Madang, Papua New Guinea; and Onychatrium echiurum (Nobili, 1906) comb. nov., and species inquirenda from the Tumaotu Islands, Eastern French Polynesia. The primary distinguishing characters for Onychatrium gen. nov. are a trapezoid pseudosrostrum, the male pereopod 1 with elongate dactylus (4.7–7.3 as long as proximal width), propodus with strongly produced and acute lobe, carpus with a distally acute, flat, ventrally directed process (except O. torosus sp. nov., which has a short and truncate process) and the merus with a distally directed inferodistal lobe. The genus is known only from the southern Pacific, from the Tuamotus (eastern French Polynesia) to the Great Barrier Reef and northern Papua New Guinea.
On the identity of the tiger beetle Cicindela philippinensis Mandl, 1956 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae)
Authors: Zettel Herbert , Pangantihon Clister V.
Published: April 2015

In the course of preparing a key to the Philippine tiger beetle genera (Pangantihon & Zettel, in prep.) it became necessary to examine the holotype of Cicindela philippinensis Mandl, 1956, the only specimen from the Philippines that has been tentatively assigned to the genus Myriochila Motschulsky, 1857.
Dictionary of the British English Spelling System
Authors: Brooks Greg
Published: April 2015

This book will tell all you need to know about British English spelling. It’s a reference work intended for anyone interested in the English language, especially those who teach it, whatever the age or mother tongue of their students. It will be particularly useful to those wishing to produce well-designed materials for teaching initial literacy via phonics, for teaching English as a foreign or second language, and for teacher training.

English spelling is notoriously complicated and difficult to learn; it is correctly described as much less regular and predictable than any other alphabetic orthography. However, there is more regularity in the English spelling system than is generally appreciated. This book provides, for the first time, a thorough account of the whole complex system. It does so by describing how phonemes relate to graphemes and vice versa. It enables searches for particular words, so that one can easily find, not the meanings or pronunciations of words, but the other words with which those with unusual phoneme-grapheme/grapheme-phoneme correspondences keep company.

Other unique features of this book include teacher-friendly lists of correspondences and various regularities not described by previous authorities, for example the strong tendency for the letter-name vowel phonemes (the names of the letters ) to be spelt with those single letters in non-final syllables.
Diagnostic Comparison of Tropospheric Blocking Events with and without Sudden Stratospheric Warming
Authors: Colucci Stephen J. , Kelleher Michael E.
Published: April 2015

Tropospheric blocking events over the Northern Hemisphere during 1980–2012 were composited and contrasted according to whether they coincided in time with a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW). Those that coincided with an SSW were associated with significantly greater poleward eddy heat fluxes in the upper troposphere near the block onset time than were those blocking events not coinciding with an SSW. Furthermore, the heat fluxes in the SSW–blocking composites were concentrated inside the stratospheric polar vortex (i.e., within an area enclosed by the outer edge of an objectively defined polar vortex). Thermally forced stratospheric geopotential height rises were also significantly larger near block onset time inside the stratospheric polar vortex in the SSW–blocking composites than in the non-SSW–blocking cases. Although all the SSW events during the investigated period coincided with tropospheric blocking, the reverse was not true since there were many more blocking events than SSWs. Therefore, blocking itself was not a sufficient condition for an SSW. It is conjectured that blocking may not be a necessary condition for an SSW if persistently anomalous tropospheric heat fluxes and thermally forced, stratospheric geopotential height rises, concentrated inside the stratospheric vortex, occur in the absence of blocking.
Multiple Regimes of Wind, Stratification, and Turbulence in the Stable Boundary Layer
Authors: Monahan Adam H. , Rees Tim , He Yanping , McFarlane Norman
Published: April 2015

A long time series of temporally high-resolution wind and potential temperature data from the 213-m tower at Cabauw in the Netherlands demonstrates the existence of two distinct regimes of the stably stratified nocturnal boundary layer at this location. Hidden Markov model (HMM) analysis is used to objectively characterize these regimes and classify individual observed states. The first regime is characterized by strongly stable stratification, large wind speed differences between 10 and 200 m, and relatively weak turbulence. The second is associated with near-neutral stratification, weaker wind speed differences between 10 and 200 m, and relatively strong turbulence. In this second regime, the state of the boundary layer is similar to that during the day. The occupation statistics of these regimes are shown to covary with the large-scale pressure gradient force and cloud cover such that the first regime predominates under clear skies with weak geostrophic wind speed and the second regime predominates under conditions of extensive cloud cover or large geostrophic wind speed. These regimes are not distinguished by standard measures of stability, such as the Obukhov length or the bulk Richardson number. Evidence is presented that the mechanism generating these distinct regimes is associated with a previously documented feedback resulting from the existence of an upper limit on the maximum downward heat flux that can be sustained for a given near-surface wind speed.
Toward Clarity on Understanding Tropical Cyclone Intensification
Authors: Smith Roger K. , Montgomery Michael T.
Published: April 2015

The authors review an emerging paradigm of tropical cyclone intensification in the context of the prototype intensification problem, which relates to the spinup of a preexisting vortex near tropical storm strength in a quiescent environment. In addition, the authors review briefly what is known about tropical cyclone intensification in the presence of vertical wind shear. The authors go on to examine two recent lines of research that seem to offer very different views to understanding the intensification problem. The first of these proposes a mechanism to explain rapid intensification in terms of surface pressure falls in association with upper-level warming accompanying outbreaks of deep convection. The second line of research explores the relationship between the contraction of the radius of maximum tangential wind and intensification in the classical axisymmetric convective ring model, albeit in an unbalanced framework. The authors challenge a finding of the second line of research that appears to cast doubt on a recently suggested mechanism for the spinup of maximum tangential wind speed in the boundary layer—a feature seen in observations. In doing so, the authors recommend some minimum requirements for a satisfactory explanation of tropical cyclone intensification.
Revisiting ENSO Coupled Instability Theory and SST Error Growth in a Fully Coupled Model
Authors: Larson Sarah M. , Kirtman Ben P.
Published: April 2015

A coupled model framework is presented to isolate coupled instability induced SST error growth in the ENSO region. The modeling framework using CCSM4 allows for seasonal ensembles of initialized simulations that are utilized to quantify the spatial and temporal behavior of coupled instabilities and the associated implications for ENSO predictability. The experimental design allows for unstable growth of initial perturbations that are not prescribed, and several cases exhibit sufficiently rapid growth to produce ENSO events that do not require a previous ENSO event, large-scale wind trigger, or subsurface heat content precursor. Without these precursors, however, ENSO amplitude is reduced.

The initial error growth exhibits strong seasonality with fastest growth during spring and summer and also dependence on the initialization month with the fastest growth occurring in the July ensemble. Peak growth precedes the peak error, and evidence suggests that the final state error may be sensitive to a slight temperature bias in the initialized SST. The error growth displays a well-defined seasonal limit, with ensembles initialized prior to fall exhibiting a clear seasonal halt in error growth around September, consistent with increased background stability typical during fall. Overall, coupled instability error growth in CCSM4 is deemed best characterized by strong seasonality, dependence on the initialization month, and nonlinearity. The results pose real implications for predictability because the final error structure is ENSO-like and occurs without a subsurface precursor, which studies have shown to be essential to ENSO predictability. Despite the large error growth induced by coupled instabilities, analysis reveals that ENSO predictability is retained for most seasonal ensembles.
Which Polarimetric Variables Are Important for Weather/No-Weather Discrimination?
Authors: Lakshmanan Valliappa , Karstens Christopher , Krause John , Elmore Kim , Ryzhkov Alexander , Berkseth Samantha
Published: April 2015

Recently, a radar data quality control algorithm has been devised to discriminate between weather echoes and echoes due to nonmeteorological phenomena, such as bioscatter, instrument artifacts, and ground clutter (Lakshmanan et al.), using the values of polarimetric moments at and around a range gate. Because the algorithm was created by optimizing its weights over a large reference dataset, statistical methods can be employed to examine the importance of the different variables in the context of discriminating between weather and no-weather echoes. Among the variables studied for their impact on the ability to identify and censor nonmeteorological artifacts from weather radar data, the method of successive permutations ranks the variance of Zdr, the reflectivity structure of the virtual volume scan, and the range derivative of the differential phase on propagation [PhiDP (Kdp)] as the most important. The same statistical framework can be used to study the impact of calibration errors in variables such as Zdr. The effects of Zdr calibration errors were found to be negligible.
Ideologues, Partisans, and Loyalists
Authors: Alexiadou Despina
Published: April 2015

Under what conditions can cabinet ministers affect the government’s policy agenda? Existing literature provides conflicting answers to this question. In this article, I show that some politicians are more likely than others to influence policy. Specifically, I consider three types of ministers: loyalists, who are loyal to their party leader and prioritize office over policy; partisans, who are party heavyweights and aspiring leaders; and ideologues, who have fixed policy ideas and are unwilling to compromise over office perks. I argue that ideologues and partisans will affect policy more than loyalists do. Using a novel data set on ministerial backgrounds, and examining the area of social welfare policy in 18 countries, I find support for my theoretical expectations.