bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chondroitin Sulfate Induces Depression of Synaptic Transmission and Modulation of Neuronal Plasticity in Rat Hippocampal Slices
Authors: Albiñana Elisa , Gutierrez-Luengo Javier , Hernández-Juarez Natalia , Baraibar Andrés M. , Montell Eulalia , Vergés Josep , García Antonio G. , Hernández-Guijo Jesus M.
Published: May 2015

It is currently known that in CNS the extracellular matrix is involved in synaptic stabilization and limitation of synaptic plasticity. However, it has been reported that the treatment with chondroitinase following injury allows the formation of new synapses and increased plasticity and functional recovery. So, we hypothesize that some components of extracellular matrix may modulate synaptic transmission. To test this hypothesis we evaluated the effects of chondroitin sulphate (CS) on excitatory synaptic transmission, cellular excitability, and neuronal plasticity using extracellular recordings in the CA1 area of rat hippocampal slices. CS caused a reversible depression of evoked field excitatory postsynaptic potentials in a concentration-dependent manner. CS also reduced the population spike amplitude evoked after orthodromic stimulation but not when the population spikes were antidromically evoked; in this last case a potentiation was observed. CS also enhanced paired-pulse facilitation and long-term potentiation. Our study provides evidence that CS, a major component of the brain perineuronal net and extracellular matrix, has a function beyond the structural one, namely, the modulation of synaptic transmission and neuronal plasticity in the hippocampus.
The Molecular Mechanism Underlying Continuous Exercise Training-Induced Adaptive Changes of Lipolysis in White Adipose Cells
Authors: Ogasawara Junetsu , Izawa Tetsuya , Sakurai Tomonobu , Sakurai Takuya , Shirato Ken , Ishibashi Yoshinaga , Ishida Hitoshi , Ohno Hideki , Kizaki Takako
Published: May 2015

Physical exercise accelerates the mobilization of free fatty acids from white adipocytes to provide fuel for energy. This happens in several tissues and helps to regulate a whole-body state of metabolism. Under these conditions, the hydrolysis of triacylglycerol (TG) that is found in white adipocytes is known to be augmented via the activation of these lipolytic events, which is referred to as the “lipolytic cascade.” Indeed, evidence has shown that the lipolytic responses in white adipocytes are upregulated by continuous exercise training (ET) through the adaptive changes in molecules that constitute the lipolytic cascade. During the past few decades, many lipolysis-related molecules have been identified. Of note, the discovery of a new lipase, known as adipose triglyceride lipase, has redefined the existing concepts of the hormone-sensitive lipase-dependent hydrolysis of TG in white adipocytes. This review outlines the alterations in the lipolytic molecules of white adipocytes that result from ET, which includes the molecular regulation of TG lipases through the lipolytic cascade.
Diagnosis and Rescue of a Kinked Pulmonary Artery Catheter
Authors: Mouawad Nicolas J. , Stein Erica J. , Moran Kenneth R. , Go Michael R. , Papadimos Thomas J.
Published: May 2015

Invasive hemodynamic monitoring with a pulmonary catheter has been relatively routine in cardiovascular and complex surgical operations as well as in the management of critical illnesses. However, due to multiple potential complications and its invasive nature, its use has decreased over the years and less invasive methods such as transesophageal echocardiography and hemodynamic sensors have gained widespread favor. Unlike these less invasive forms of hemodynamic monitoring, pulmonary artery catheters require an advanced understanding of cardiopulmonary physiology, anatomy, and the potential for complications in order to properly place, manage, and interpret the device. We describe a case wherein significant resistance was encountered during multiple unsuccessful attempts at removing a patient’s catheter secondary to kinking and twisting of the catheter tip. These attempts to remove the catheter serve to demonstrate potential rescue options for such a situation. Ultimately, successful removal of the catheter was accomplished by simultaneous catheter retraction and sheath advancement while gently pulling both objects from the cannulation site. In addition to being skilled in catheter placement, it is imperative that providers comprehend the risks and complications of this invasive monitoring tool.
NovelGUCY2DGene Mutations in Japanese Male Twins with Leber Congenital Amaurosis
Authors: Hosono Katsuhiro , Harada Yuko , Kurata Kentaro , Hikoya Akiko , Sato Miho , Minoshima Shinsei , Hotta Yoshihiro
Published: May 2015

Purpose. Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a genetically and clinically heterogeneous disease, is the earliest onset retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and is the most severe of hereditary retinal dystrophies. This study was conducted to investigate genetic and clinical features of LCA in a set of Japanese male twins with LCA.Methods. To identify causative mutations, 74 genes known to cause RP or LCA were examined by targeted-next generation sequencing (NGS). Targeted-NGS was performed using a custom designed Agilent HaloPlex target enrichment kit with Illumina Miseq sequencer. Identified potential pathogenic mutations were confirmed using Sanger sequencing. Clinical analyses were based on ophthalmic examination, fundus photography, and electroretinography (ERG).Results. Compound heterozygousGUCY2Dmutations of novel splicing mutation c.2113+2_2113+3insT and novel missense mutation p.L905P were detected in both twins. Their father and mother were heterozygous for c.2113+2_2113+3insT and p.L905P, respectively. The twins had phenotypic features similar to those previously reported in patients withGUCY2Dmutations. This included early childhood onset of visual loss, nystagmus, unrecordable ERG, photophobia, and hyperopia.Conclusions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of genetic and clinical features of Japanese LCA twins withGUCY2Dmutation, which were detected using targeted-NGS.
Epidermoid Cyst of Orbit in a Newborn
Authors: Canan Handan , Altan-Yaycioglu Rana , Bal Nebil , Törer Birgin , Çetinkaya-Çakmak Bilin , Gülcan Hande
Published: May 2015

A 3-day-old male newborn presented with a severe proptosis of the left eye leading to exposure keratopathy. He underwent debulking of the cyst and biopsy of the tumour and received the pathological diagnosis of epidermoid cyst of orbit. Clinicopathological features of this rare disease are discussed.
A Redox-Sensitive Micelle-Like Nanoparticle Self-Assembled from Amphiphilic Adriamycin-Human Serum Albumin Conjugates for Tumor Targeted Therapy
Authors: Chen Lin , Chen Feng , Zhao Mengxin , Zhu Xiandi , Ke Changhong , Yu Jiangming , Yan Zhiqiang , Zhang Fulei , Sun Yun , Chen Di , Jiang Cheng , Zhao Xianxian , Gao Yong , Guo Shangjing , Li Wei
Published: May 2015

The application of chemotherapeutic drug adriamycin (ADR) in cancer therapy is limited by its side effects like high toxicity and insolubility. Nanomedicine offers new hope for overcoming the shortcomings. But how to increase in vivo stability and to control intracellular drug release is a key issue for nano-based formulations. Herein, the hydrophobic ADR was successfully linked to the biocompatible human serum albumin (HSA) by disulfide bond 3-(2-pyridyldithio) propionyl hydrazide (PDPH), resulting in amphiphilic HSA-ADR. The novel ADR-HSA micellar NPs which were thus assembled exhibited a well-defined stable core shell structure with glutathione (GSH) sensitive linkers. The stable PDPH linkers at extracellular level were broken by GSH at intracellular level with a controlled ADR release profile. The in vitro cytotoxicity against gastric cancer cells (NCI-N87) was obviously enhanced by such redox-sensitive ADR-HSA NPs. Additionally, as observed by IVIS Lumina II Imaging System (Xenogen), the intratumor accumulation of ADR-HSA NPs was much higher than that of HSA/ADR NPs due to its high stability. Consequently, the in vivo tumor inhibition was significantly promoted after intravenous administration to the Balb/c nude mice bearing gastric tumors. These in vitro/vivo results indicated that disulfide-bond-containing ADR-HSA NPs were an effective nanodrug delivery system for cancer therapy.
Curcumin Modulates Macrophage Polarization Through the Inhibition of the Toll-Like Receptor 4 Expression and its Signaling Pathways
Authors: Zhou Yaoyao , Zhang Tiantian , Wang Xiaofei , Wei Xiaowei , Chen Yizhu , Guo Lingyu , Zhang Junfeng , Wang Changqian
Published: May 2015

Background: Curcumin, the active ingredient in curcuma rhizomes, has a wide range of therapeutic effects. However, its atheroprotective activity in human acute monocytic leukemia THP-1 cells remains unclear. We investigated the activity and molecular mechanism of action of curcumin in polarized macrophages. Methods: Phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-treated THP-1 cells were differentiated to macrophages, which were further polarized to M1 cells by lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 1 µg/ml) and interferon (IFN)-γ (20 ng/ml) and treated with varying curcumin concentrations. [3H]thymidine (3H-TdR) incorporation assays were utilized to measure curcumin-induced growth inhibition. The expression of tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), interleukin (IL-6), and IL-12B (p40) were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Macrophage polarization and its mechanism were evaluated by flow cytometry and western blot. Additionally, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) small interfering RNA and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors were used to further confirm the molecular mechanism of curcumin on macrophage polarization. Results: Curcumin dose-dependently inhibited M1 macrophage polarization and the production of TNF-a, IL-6, and IL-12B (p40). It also decreased TLR4 expression, which regulates M1 macrophage polarization. Furthermore, curcumin significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, p38, and nuclear factor (NF)-γB. In contrast, SiTLR4 in combination with p-JNK, p-ERK, and p-p38 inhibition reduced the effect of curcumin on polarization. Conclusions: Curcumin can modulate macrophage polarization through TLR4-mediated signaling pathway inhibition, indicating that its effect on macrophage polarization is related to its anti-inflammatory and atheroprotective effects. Our data suggest that curcumin could be used as a therapeutic agent in atherosclerosis.
Reassessing Noninducibility as Ablation Endpoint of Post-Infarction Ventricular Tachycardia
Authors: de Riva Marta , Piers Sebastiaan R.D. , Kapel Gijs F.L. , Watanabe Masaya , Venlet Jeroen , Trines Serge A. , Schalij Martin J. , Zeppenfeld Katja
Published: May 2015

Background—

Noninducibility is frequently used as procedural end point of ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation after myocardial infarction. We investigated the influence of left ventricular (LV) function on the predictive value of noninducibility for VT recurrence and cardiac mortality.

Methods and Results—

Ninety-one patients (82 men, 67±10 years) with post–myocardial infarction VT underwent ablation between 2009 and 2012. Fifty-nine (65%) had an LV ejection fraction (EF) >30% (mean 41±7) and 32 (35%) an LVEF≤30% (mean 20±5). Thirty patients (51%) with EF>30% and 13 (41%) with EF≤30% were noninducible after ablation (
P
=0.386). During a median follow-up of 23 (Q1–Q3 16–36) months, 35 patients (38%) experienced VT recurrences and 17 (18%) cardiac death. At 1 year follow-up, survival free from VT recurrence and cardiac death for patients with LVEF>30% was 80% (95% confidence interval [CI], 70–90) compared with 42% (95% CI, 33–51) for those with LVEF≤30% (
P
=0.001). Noninducible patients with LVEF>30% had a recurrence-free survival from cardiac death of 90% (95% CI, 71–100) compared with 65% (95% CI, 47–83) for inducible patients (
P
=0.015). In the subgroup of patients with LVEF≤30%, the survival free from VT recurrence and cardiac death was 31% (95% CI, 0%–60%) for noninducible compared with 39% (95% CI, 27–52) for those who remained inducible (
P
=0.842).

Conclusions—

Noninducible patients with moderately depressed LV function have a favorable outcome compared with patients who remained inducible after ablation. On the contrary, patients with severely depressed LV function have a poor prognosis independent of the acute procedural outcome.
Wire-Interwoven Nitinol Stent Outcome in the Superficial Femoral and Proximal Popliteal Arteries
Authors: Garcia Lawrence , Jaff Michael R. , Metzger Christopher , Sedillo Gino , Pershad Ashish , Zidar Frank , Patlola Raghotham , Wilkins Robert G. , Espinoza Andrey , Iskander Ayman , Khammar George S. , Khatib Yazan , Beasley Robert , Makam Satyaprakash , Kovach Richard , Kamat Suraj , Leon Luis R. , Eaves William Britton , Popma Jeffrey J. , Mauri Laura , Donohoe Dennis , Base Carol C. , Rosenfield Kenneth
Published: May 2015

Background—

Stent-based therapy in the superficial femoral and popliteal arteries in patients with peripheral artery disease i
s
compromised by restenosis and risk of stent fracture or distortion. A novel self-expanding nitinol stent was developed that incorporates an interwoven-wire design (Supera stent, IDEV Technologies, Inc, Webster, TX) to confer greater radial strength, flexibility, and fracture resistance.

Methods and Results—

This prospective, multicenter, investigational device exemption, single-arm trial enrolled 264 patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease undergoing percutaneous treatment of de novo or restenotic lesions of the superficial femoral or proximal popliteal (femoropopliteal) artery. Freedom from death, target lesion revascularization, or any amputation of the index limb at 30 days (+7 days) postprocedure was achieved in 99.2% (258/260) of patients (
P
<0.001). Primary patency at 12 months (360±30 days) was achieved in 78.9% (180/228) of the population (
P
<0.001). Primary patency by Kaplan–Meier analysis at 12 months (360 days) was 86.3%. No stent fracture was observed by independent core laboratory analysis in the 243 stents (228 patients) evaluated at 12 months. Clinical assessment at 12 months demonstrated improvement by at least 1 Rutherford–Becker category in 88.7% of patients.

Conclusions—

The SUPERB Trial, an investigational device exemption study using an interwoven nitinol wire stent in the femoropopliteal artery, achieved the efficacy and safety performance goals predesignated by the Food and Drug Administration. On the basis of the high primary patency rate, absence of stent fracture, and significant improvements in functional and quality-of-life measures, the Supera stent provides safe and effective treatment of femoropopliteal lesions in symptomatic patients with peripheral artery disease.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00933270.
Receptor-Mediated Mechanism Controlling Tissue Levels of Bioactive Lipid Oxidation Products
Authors: Kim Young-Woong , Yakubenko Valentin P. , West Xiaoxia Z. , Gugiu Gabriel B. , Renganathan Kutralanathan , Biswas Sudipta , Gao Detao , Crabb John W. , Salomon Robert G. , Podrez Eugene A. , Byzova Tatiana V.
Published: May 2015

Rationale:

Oxidative stress is an important contributing factor in several human pathologies ranging from atherosclerosis to cancer progression; however, the mechanisms underlying tissue protection from oxidation products are poorly understood. Oxidation of membrane phospholipids, containing the polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid, results in the accumulation of an end product, 2-(ω-carboxyethyl)pyrrole (CEP), which was shown to have proangiogenic and proinflammatory functions. Although CEP is continuously accumulated during chronic processes, such as tumor progression and atherosclerosis, its level during wound healing return to normal when the wound is healed, suggesting the existence of a specific clearance mechanism.

Objective:

To identify the cellular and molecular mechanism for CEP clearance.

Methods and Results:

Here, we show that macrophages are able to bind, scavenge, and metabolize carboxyethylpyrrole derivatives of proteins but not structurally similar ethylpyrrole derivatives, demonstrating the high specificity of the process. F4/80
hi
and M2-skewed macrophages are much more efficient at CEP binding and scavenging compared with F4/80
lo
and M1-skewed macrophages. Depletion of macrophages leads to increased CEP accumulation in vivo. CEP binding and clearance are dependent on 2 receptors expressed by macrophages, CD36 and toll-like receptor 2. Although knockout of each individual receptor results in diminished CEP clearance, the lack of both receptors almost completely abrogates macrophages’ ability to scavenge CEP derivatives of proteins.

Conclusions:

Our study demonstrates the mechanisms of recognition, scavenging, and clearance of pathophysiologically active products of lipid oxidation in vivo, thereby contributing to tissue protection against products of oxidative stress.
Perioperative Management of Dabigatran
Authors: Schulman Sam , Carrier Marc , Lee Agnes Y.Y. , Shivakumar Sudeep , Blostein Mark , Spencer Frederick A. , Solymoss Susan , Barty Rebecca , Wang Grace , Heddle Nancy , Douketis James D.
Published: May 2015

Background—

The perioperative management of dabigatran in clinical practice is heterogeneous. We performed this study to evaluate the safety of perioperative management of dabigatran using a specified protocol.

Methods and Results—

Patients treated with dabigatran and planned for an invasive procedure were eligible for inclusion. The timing of the last dose of dabigatran before the procedure was based on the creatinine clearance and procedure-related bleeding risk. Resumption of dabigatran was prespecified according to the complexity of the surgery and consequences of a bleeding complication. Patients were followed up for 30 days for major bleeding (primary outcome), minor bleeding, arterial thromboembolism, and death. We included 541 cases: 324 procedures (60%) with standard risk of bleeding and 217 procedures (40%) with increased risk of bleeding. The last dose of dabigatran was at 24, 48, or 96 hours before surgery according to the protocol in 46%, 37%, and 6%, respectively, of the patients. Resumption was timed according to protocol in 77% with 75 mg as the first dose on the day of procedure in 40% of the patients. Ten patients (1.8%; 95% confidence interval, 0.7–3.0) had major bleeding, and 28 patients (5.2%; 95% confidence interval, 3.3–7.0) had minor bleeding events. The only thromboembolic complication was transient ischemic attack in 1 patient (0.2%; 95% confidence interval, 0–0.5), and there were 4 deaths unrelated to bleeding or thrombosis. Bridging was not used preoperatively but was administered in 9 patients (1.7%) postoperatively.

Conclusion—

Our protocol for perioperative management of dabigatran appears to be effective and feasible.
Structures of Feeling: Yvonne Rainer circa 1974
Authors: Wilson Siona
Published: May 2015

Yvonne Rainer's transition from choreography to filmmaking in the 1970s coincided with the widespread social and political impact of the women's movement. Through a close analysis of her second feature-length film, this essay argues that Film About a Woman Who … (1974) can be understood as a complex reflection on the widely influential feminist idea “the personal is the political.” Rather than seeing Rainer's turn to the personal and emotional as the antithesis of a materialist political analysis—as Marxist influenced critics have tended to—I draw upon Raymond Williams's concept of “structures of feeling” as a way of discerning emergent social change through figurations of lived experience. This analysis identifies moments of rupture in the film's narrative structure where questions of queerness and racial difference emerge to complicate the film's focus on (white, heterosexual) female identity. Moreover, Rainer's engagement with the emotional or personal has typically been seen as related only to her work's content and as such these references have been set in opposition to formal experimentation, whereas Williams's notion of the “structures of feeling” is addressed to transformations at the level of aesthetic form. By focusing on film form, this essay displaces the commonly held opposition of “structure” and “feeling” that continues to give shape to critical analyses of post—minimalist and post—conceptualist work of this period.
Simone Forti Goes to the Zoo
Authors: Bryan-Wilson Julia
Published: May 2015

In 1968, choreographer and dancer Simone Forti moved from the United States back to Italy. During her brief stay in Rome, she spent time observing animals in the zoo, as well as working and performing among Arte Povera sculptures. This article investigates how Forti's encounters in Italy with new methods of movement and materiality, including models of collaboration between animate subjects and inanimate objects, became pivotal to her procedures of constructing dance.
Pigment Pur and the Corpo da Côr: Post-Painterly Practice and Transmodernity
Authors: Small Irene V.
Published: May 2015

This article analyzes a near-contemporaneous incidence of post-painterly practice—the use of raw pigment—utilized by the French neo—avant—garde artist Yves Klein and the Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica. The use of raw pigment by both artists was conditioned by a self—conscious relationship to the history of modernist art and the monochrome as a limit and origin of painting. Despite the confluence of such orientations, Klein's pigments purs (pure pigments) and Oiticica's corpo da côr (body of color) resulted in radically divergent orientations toward the industrially produced commodity and hence the readymade. By exploiting inconsistencies characteristic of the commodity in developmentalist Brazil, Oiticica orchestrated a transfer of making from artist to viewer, initiating a newly participatory dimension within modernist color.
“The Pulp of Color”: Toward a Notion of Expenditure in Ferreira Gullar's Neo-concrete Writings
Authors: Martins Sérgio B.
Published: May 2015

Most scholarship on Neo-concretism tends either to ignore Ferreira Gullar's early poetry or simply reiterate the poet's own account of his book A Luta Corporal (1954) as concerned solely with the implosion of language. However, Gullar's book also engages with a sustained existential meditation on temporality and finitude through images of material expenditure, with pears and apples recurring throughout its pages as self-consuming entities that dramatize the inexorability of time. Fruit would later become a metaphor for the effect of color in the Neoconcrete production of painter Aluisio Carvão, with Gullar suggesting that the “resistance of the object” is overcome in his works by the way our vision is made to linger on “the pulp of color.” Can it be that expenditure returns within Neoconcrete theory in the guise of fruit? If so, then the movement's generally undisputed association with a redemptive phenomenology will have to be reviewed in order to accommodate a far more anxiety-ridden conceptual facet.
A Note on the Translation and Meaning of Hosea 13:9
Authors: Irvine Stuart A.
Published: May 2015

Both שַחַת (“pit/Pit”) and מַשְחִת (“destroyer”) are plausible restorations of a noun at the beginning of Hosea 13:9.
Zechariah 5:5-11: Why an ephah?
Authors: Seufert Matthew
Published: May 2015

Scholars have offered many suggestions for understanding the ephah in Zechariah 5:5-11 without consensus. An allusion to Jeremiah 3:2 offers a new possibility. The הָאֵיפָה (ephah) in Zechariah recalls and localizes the אֵיפֹה (where) of Israel’s harlotry recounted in Jeremiah.
JHWH und Ræšæp – Zu JHWHs Umgang mit einem syrischen Pestgott
Authors: Rudnig-Zelt Susanne
Published: May 2015

The Syrian god of plague and war Ræšæp is also mentioned in the Old Testament. There he is mostly seen as a god turned demon. But Ræšæp does not resemble the other demons, that occur in the Old Testament. Rather Ræšæp remains a god in the Old Testament, but is completely subordinated under the one supreme god YHWH. But if YHWH is the ruler of the god of the plague and sends him, the question of YHWH’s dark side must be adressed. Several texts, that deal with this problem, will be discussed, esp. Hab 3.
The Archaeology of Overseas Chinese Abalone Fishermen on Santa Rosa Island, Alta California海外华人鲍鱼渔民在加州中北部圣罗莎岛之考古研究
Authors: Braje Todd J. , Bentz Linda
Published: May 2015

In the mid-nineteenth century, Chinese immigrants to Gold Rush California built the first commercial abalone fishery along North America’s west coast. Their efforts to establish an abalone meat and shell industry have been relegated to a footnote in Californian history, with only occasional newspaper accounts and other historical documents as the primary means to understand the ways of life and the activities of these maritime pioneers. Over the last decade, archaeologists have become increasingly interested in documenting the material record of Chinese abalone fishing on California’s Northern Channel Islands. Here, we describe recent efforts to locate, map, and describe the archaeological record of historical abalone fishing on Santa Rosa Island. Our survey identified a specific island abalone harvesting pattern characterized by small, logistical processing camps and larger more diverse basecamps. Our findings can be applied when interpreting historical abalone fishing sites elsewhere, and to inform future surveys for these island site types.
Intellectual Migration and Brain Circulation:Conceptual Framework and Empirical Evidence知识移民和智力流动: 概念框架和实证研究
Authors: Li Wei , Yu Wan , Sadowski-Smith Claudia , Wang Hao
Published: May 2015

A growing body of academic research and policy initiatives has addressed the global race for talent against the backdrop of the unprecedented scope and pace of skilled international migration. In this article, we coin the term “intellectual migration” as an analytical framework for international migration to explore how the experiences of students and skilled migrants to the United States from Brazil, Russia, India, and China (the bric countries) complicate notions of brain circulation. This framework not only brings together students and skilled migrants but also takes into account the complex relationship between these migrants’ career aspirations and their connections to their (extended) families, their racialization in the United States, and economic and geopolitical changes in their home countries.
Universality and Coherence under the Experiences of the League of Nations
Authors: Kwiecień Roman
Published: May 2015

This article explores the relationship between the coherence of the League of Nations’ (ln) actions and universality, conceived both as an ideal of ‘universalism’ and universal membership. Universality in international institutional law essentially means the principle of open and comprehensive membership of international organizations. As popularly known, the ln failed to secure comprehensive membership. Such membership is thought to be a condition sine qua non of coherent and effective actions of organizations. This article takes a different stance, arguing that it was not lack of such membership that was responsible for the constitutional crisis within the ln and the incoherence of its actions. Rather, the ln suffered from a constitutional crisis almost from the very beginning, preventing it from gaining universal membership. It was the fragile awareness of the common aims and values embodied in the ln that affected the ln’s membership and the universality and coherence of its mission.
The League of Nations’ Capacity for Reform and Adaptation
Authors: Mik Cezary
Published: May 2015

With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 the League of Nations collapsed. But the process of its erosion began much earlier. Paradoxically, the people and States who had proposed the establishment of the League to a large extent also contributed to its failure. Reforms and adaptations of the Organisation were the answer to its many deficiencies. Its internal weaknesses, as well as the instrumental approach to the League adopted by some member States and external pressures resulted, however, in reforms being perceived by some as a remedy against its illnesses and by others as a way of destabilising the Organisation. This article tackles the problem of the League’s own capacity for reform and adaptation, as well as its ability to adjust to the violent changes of the international environment. Some observations are formulated in the context of reformatory efforts concerning the United Nations.
The Classification of Groups Belonging to a Party to an International Armed Conflict
Authors: Helmersen Sondre Torp
Published: May 2015

It has been argued that groups of fighters who “belong” to a party to an international armed conflict without fulfilling the requirements of Article 4(A)(2) of Geneva Convention III should be classified as combatants, rather than as civilians. This article questions the reasoning put forward in support of that view, by showing that the arguments may be partly circular, incomplete, and debatable.
The Legality of the Use of Private Military and Security Companies in un Peacekeeping and Peace Enforcement Operations
Authors: Janaby Mohamad Ghazi
Published: May 2015

Outsourcing military and security services to the private sector is an emerging trend under international law. The shift to using private military and security companies (pmscs) in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan has brought attention to the role that these companies may play in fulfilling functions that are normally monopolised by States or international organisations. The reliance of the un on pmscs has increased considerably in recent years, leading to the question of the legality of their use in various un operations. This paper focuses on two main aspects of the un’s use of such companies; (i) The engagement of pmscs in peacekeeping operations, either when hired by the un directly or when hired by a State and subsequently seconded to the un; and (ii) The participation of pmscs in peace enforcement measures adopted by the un Security Council according to Chapter vii of the un Charter. This paper argues that the use of pmscs in peacekeeping operations is lawful under international law, while their use in peace enforcement operations is not.
The Legal Consequences of Faits Accomplis
Authors: Allister Karine Mac
Published: May 2015

This paper discusses the legal consequences following the transfer of settlers into occupied territories more precisely the dichotomy between the rights of settlers the rights of protected persons victims. At the heart of the matter are the questions: What to do with settlers transferred into occupied territories in the post-conflict period? Should settlers be removed from the territory where they were transferred to allow victims to access restitution? In the alternative, should settlers be considered to have acquired a de facto ‘right to stay’ or a right not to be expelled under international human rights law the principle of humanity? Do settlers have rights? Do all settlers have the same rights? There is no consensual answer to these sensitive questions where proposed solutions vary on a spectrum from collective expulsion to the unconditional integration of settlers. Emerging from a case analysis is an international response to settler transfer that is complaisant of fait accompli resulting in a balance tilting in favor of the status quo to the not infrequent detriment of protected victims’ rights. This article attempts to reconcile conflicting rights by proposing a response framework cognizant of all relevant branches of international law.
The Review of Mining Laws and the Renegotiation of Mining Agreements in Africa: Recent Developments from Ghana
Authors: Ayisi Martin Kwaku
Published: May 2015

Within the last decade, the global mining industry has witnessed a surge in the price of minerals, particularly gold. As a result, several African countries have reviewed or launched the review of their mining contracts, revised their fiscal regimes and taken measures to enhance beneficiation or government take. But there is growing evidence that high commodity prices may no longer be driving the trend toward a revision of mining laws or contractual terms in Africa. As a view into the evolving policy debate, this article discusses the imposition of new taxes and the renegotiation of mining agreements in Ghana. It examines the impact of recent changes to the fiscal regime vis-a-vis the protection which Ghana’s mining law offers against the risks and uncertainties that foreign investors face in mineral resource development. The article concludes that, while Ghana’s recent regulatory reform efforts are commendable, they fall short of achieving their desired results.
Notes on Early Land Plants Today. 71. New synonyms, new names and new combinations in Lejeuneaceae (Marchantiophyta)
Authors: Pócs Tamas , Zhu Rui-Liang , Reiner-Drehwald Elena , Söderström Lars , Hagborg Anders , Von Konrat Matt
Published: May 2015

For the coming checklist of hornworts and liverworts (Söderström et al., in press) a few validations, transfers and synonymizations in the family Lejeuneaceae are still required.
New species of African Plume moths (Lepidoptera, Pterophoridae)
Authors: USTJUZHANIN P. , KOVTUNOVICH V. , USTJUZHANINA A.
Published: May 2015

This article describes four new Pterophoridae species from Africa (Zambia, Tanzania and the Republic of South African): Platyptilia junkeri Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp. nov., Pselnophorus huntii Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp. nov., Pselnophorus tanzanicus Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp. nov., Merrifieldia aurea Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp. nov.
Discovery of living Potamolepidae (Porifera: Spongillina) from Nearctic freshwater with description of a new genus
Authors: COPELAND JOHN , PRONZATO ROBERTO , MANCONI RENATA
Published: May 2015

We report here the first record of a living Potamolepidae (Cherokeesia n. gen.) from the Nearctic Region and from the northern hemisphere. The new species Cherokeesia armata from southern Appalachians diverges at generic and specific level from all the other known taxa of the family Potamolepidae in its unique combination of diagnostic traits: gemmular theca armed by gemmuloscleres ranging from small strongyle-like spicules to stout, large oxeas; absence of pneumatic layer; spiny oxeas as main skeleton megascleres; irregular, slender pauci- to uni-spicular skeletal network. The most similar species belong to the genera Potamophloios and Oncosclera. The circumtropical biogeographic pattern of extant Potamolepidae, previously considered of Gondwanian to Gondwanian-like origin, is enlarged to the Nearctic. The present Tennessee discovery confirms a wider range of the family. An updated species inventory of Nearctic Spongillina, a checklist of the family Potamolepidae at the global level together with a key to the genera of Potamolepidae are also provided.
Frigitilla gen. nov., a new genus of Amazonian Mutillidae (Hymenoptera)
Authors: BARTHOLOMAY PEDRO R. , WILLIAMS Kevin A. , LUZ DAVID R. , MORATO ELDER F.
Published: May 2015

Mutilla frigidula Cresson, 1902 was transferred to Tobantilla by Williams et al. (2011), based on morphological similarities with females of that genus. Discovery of the male of this species indicated significant morphological differences from Tobantilla. We therefore erect the genus, Frigitilla gen. nov., for Mutilla frigidula. Herein, we describe the male of F. frigidula (Cresson, 1902), comb. nov., associate it with its host (Trypoxylon spp.), and discuss its relations to other mutillid genera. The impact of collecting method and specimen age on the integumental coloration of specimens is discussed, emphasizing the need to diagnose species on consistent structural features rather than differences in color pattern.
Larval description of Drusus bosnicus Klapálek 1899 (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae), with distributional, molecular and ecological features
Authors: KUČINIĆ MLADEN , PREVIŠIĆ ANA , GRAF WOLFRAM , MIHOCI IVA , ŠOUFEK MARIN , STANIĆ-KOŠTROMAN SVJETLANA , LELO SUVAD , VITECEK SIMON , WARINGER JOHANN
Published: May 2015

In this study we present morphological, molecular and ecological features of the last instar larvae of Drusus bosnicus with data about distribution of this species in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We also included  the most important diagnostic features enabling separation of larvae of D. bosnicus from larvae of the other European Drusinae and Trichoptera species.
Two new species of Pachyseius Berlese (Acari: Pachylaelapidae) from Turkey, with a key to the world species
Authors: ÖZBEK HASAN HÜSEYİN , HALLIDAY BRUCE
Published: May 2015

Two new species of the genus Pachyseius are described from leaf litter in Turkey. Pachyseius destitutus sp. nov. is described based on the female, and P. quadrigeminus sp. nov. is described based on the female and male. These species have some uncommon character states for the genus, such as the absence of dorsal shield seta z1, four pairs of setae on the ventri-anal shield, and a male with a holoventral shield. We provide a key to the world species incorporating new information about the genus.
Extraction of Internal Tidal Currents and Reconstruction of Full-Depth Tidal Currents from Mooring Observations
Authors: Cao An-Zhou , Li Bing-Tian , Lv Xian-Qing
Published: May 2015

To obtain internal tidal currents and full-depth tidal currents from limited mooring observations, a method is put forward combining harmonic analysis and modal decomposition. Harmonic analysis is used to separate tidal currents of different constituents, and modal decomposition is used to calculate full-depth tidal currents of each mode. By adding the barotropic tidal currents to all the baroclinic ones, the full-depth tidal currents of each constituent are reconstructed. The feasibility and accuracy of the proposed method is tested by twin experiments. Then, the method is used to extract tidal currents of each mode and to reconstruct full-depth tidal currents for M2 and K1 from a 3-month-long time series of acoustic Doppler current data observed at a station in the northern South China Sea. Results indicate that the total kinetic energy (KE) of M2 is 25% larger than that of K1. For M2, the first baroclinic mode is the dominant one, followed by the barotropic one, and the sum of these modes accounts for more than 90% of the total M2 KE. Tidal constituent K1 is dominated by the barotropic mode, which accounts for more than 90% of the total K1 KE.
On the Impact of Additive Noise in Storm-Scale EnKF Experiments
Authors: Sobash Ryan A. , Wicker Louis J.
Published: May 2015

Storm-scale ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) studies routinely use methods to accelerate the spinup of convective structures when assimilating convective-scale radar observations. This typically involves adding coherent perturbations into analyses at regular intervals in regions where radar observations indicate convection is ongoing. Significant uncertainty remains as to the most effective use of these perturbations, including appropriate perturbation magnitudes, spatial scales, fields, and smoothing kernels, as well as flexible strategies that can be applied across a spectrum of convective events with negligible a priori tuning. Here, several idealized experiments were performed to elucidate the impact and sensitivity of adding coherent perturbations into storm-scale analyses of convection. Through the use of toy experiments, it is demonstrated that various factors exhibit substantial influence on the postsmoothed perturbation magnitudes, making tuning challenging. Several OSSEs were performed to document the impact of these perturbations on the analyses, particularly thermodynamic analyses within convection. The repeated addition of coherent perturbations produced temperature and moisture biases that are most pronounced in analyses of the surface cold pool and aloft near the tropopause, and eventually lead to biases in the dynamic fields. In an attempt to reduce these biases and make the noise procedure more adaptive, reflectivity innovations were used to restrict the addition of noise to areas where these innovations are large. This produced analyses with reduced thermodynamic biases and RMSE values comparable to the best-performing experiment where the noise magnitudes were manually adjusted. The impact of these findings on previous and future convective-scale EnKF analyses and forecasts are discussed.
Democratization, elections and the ‘de facto state dilemma’: Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government
Authors: MacQueen Benjamin
Published: May 2015

De facto states are an anomalous, but well-discussed feature of international politics. The questions they raise for understandings of sovereignty and statehood are well advanced, but less understood are the internal dynamics of these entities particularly in relation to the development of democratic, participatory political institutions. Through an examination of the Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq from 1992 to 2014 this article will explore patterns of democratization in de facto states. Unpacking a dilemma around trends toward both exclusionary and inclusionary politics in de facto states, it is argued here that there is a positive relationship between de facto statehood and democratization. However, contrary to current views, this is the result of internal pressures and elite agency as opposed to normative pressures at the international level.
Revise, resubmit and reveal? An autoethnographer’s story of facing the challenges of revealing the self through publication
Authors: Dashper Katherine
Published: May 2015

This article presents a story of writing, revising and publishing an autoethnography of sporting injury. Using extracts from peer review comments and personal reflections both on these reviews and on the process more broadly, the article shows that although autoethnography can be a very challenging, even troubling, experience for the author, it can also be rewarding and empowering when editors and reviewers offer supportive and constructive comments and suggestions. The article argues that greater consideration needs to be given to the aftermath of publication of autoethnographic accounts and calls for wider debate about the ethics of asking authors to reveal more about their personal lives and weaknesses in the pursuit of academic goals. The article offers would-be autoethnographers one account of the writing, revising and publishing process in order to explore a number of relevant issues that arise when an author chooses an autoethnographic approach for conducting and presenting research.
Connecting Life Span Development with the Sociology of the Life Course: A New Direction
Authors: Gilleard Chris , Higgs Paul
Published: May 2015

The life course has become a topic of growing interest within the social sciences. Attempts to link this sub-discipline with life span developmental psychology have been called for but with little sign of success. In this paper, we seek to address three interlinked issues concerning the potential for a more productive interchange between life course sociology and life span psychology. The first is to try to account for the failure of these two sub-disciplines to achieve any deepening engagement with each other, despite the long-expressed desirability of that goal; the second is to draw attention to the scope for enriching the sociology of the life course through Erik Erikson’s model of life span development; and the last is the potential for linking Eriksonian theory with current debates within mainstream sociology about the processes involved in ‘individualisation’ and ‘self-reflexivity’ as an alternative entry point to bring together these two fields of work.
Getting Ahead in the Preschool Years: An Analysis of a Preschool Enrichment and Entertainment Market
Authors: Smyth Ciara
Published: May 2015

It has been argued that middle-class parents engage in the ‘concerted cultivation’ of their children with a view to securing their future status. One aspect of this ‘concerted cultivation’ entails the enrolment of children in organised enrichment activities. While scholars have focused on the ‘enrichment’ market for school-aged children, few have examined the preschool market. This article presents an analysis of a Sydney-based Australian parenting publication with a focus on advertisements for enrichment and entertainment activities targeting preschool-aged children. Many of these advertisements promote the message that future educational success is predicated on parental investment in the preschool years and mothers/parents are urged to do all they can to give their child a ‘head start’ on learning. This analysis highlights how these activities are promoted as a strategy for class reproduction, suggesting that anxiety about children’s future status has seeped into the preschool years.
Temporary projects, durable outcomes: Urban development through failed Olympic bids?
Authors: Lauermann John
Published: May 2015

However it may be defined, urban ‘development’ typically implies the production of durable legacies. Yet these legacies are often planned through contingent, temporary projects. The role of temporary projects in implementing urban development is often interpreted in linear fashion: projects are viewed as isolated events which incrementally work toward already-existing development agendas. I argue instead that temporary projects play a recursive role in development planning: interpreted as a series of interlinked projects, they not only support but also redefine agendas for durable development. I focus on one type of temporary project: (failed) bids to host the Olympics, which I assess through a comparative 20-year sample of bids and through case studies of failed bids in Doha (Qatar) and New York (USA). I show that event-led development planning leverages project contingency and policy failure to construct long-term development agendas, as cities bid multiple times and recycle plans across projects. The paper contributes to debates over the long-term impacts of speculation and experimentation in urban governance, by assessing the role of contingency in urban politics. Temporariness is an asset in urban politics which can be used to mitigate risk in speculative development planning: since Olympic bids often fail to secure hosting rights, references to the possibility of failure can insulate project planners from critique.
“Crucial to the Survival of Black People”
Authors: Alfonso Rowena Ianthe
Published: May 2015

“This is a Black Paper,” declared BUILD’s statement criticizing the Buffalo Public School system for providing inferior education to black children in Buffalo, New York. Written in 1967 by the community organization, BUILD (which stood for Build Unity, Independence, Liberty, and Dignity), “BUILD Black Paper Number One” was a call for change. Like other black communities in late 1960s America, black Buffalo was caught up in the fervor of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements. A “Rust Belt” city, Buffalo was hit hard by deindustrialization, which, coupled with unemployment, segregated housing and unequal education, adversely affected its black community. In 1967, a riot exploded in Buffalo’s predominantly black East Side. This article analyzes statements made by black Buffalonians and argues that Black Power thrived in Buffalo in the late 1960s, through community organizations which attempted to address urban issues that negatively affected African Americans in a postindustrial city.
Commentary
Authors: Sussman Steve , Baezconde-Garbanati Lourdes , Garcia Robert , Barker Dianne C. , Samet Jonathan M. , Leventhal Adam , Unger Jennifer B.
Published: May 2015

At least three factors may be driving the evolution of the vape shop industry, a rapidly growing market sector that specializes in the sales of electronic cigarettes: (1) the tobacco industry, (2) the public health sector and its diverse stakeholders, and (3) consumer demand. These influences and the responses of the vape shop sector have resulted in a rapidly changing landscape. This commentary briefly discusses these three factors and the implications for the health professions, as they address the vape shop industry and its consequences for public health.