bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Embryonic Stem Cell–Derived Exosomes Promote Endogenous Repair Mechanisms and Enhance Cardiac Function Following Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Khan Mohsin , Nickoloff Emily , Abramova Tatiana , Johnson Jennifer , Verma Suresh Kumar , Krishnamurthy Prasanna , Mackie Alexander Roy , Vaughan Erin , Garikipati Venkata Naga Srikanth , Benedict Cynthia , Ramirez Veronica , Lambers Erin , Ito Aiko , Gao Erhe , Misener Sol , Luongo Timothy , Elrod John , Qin Gangjian , Houser Steven R. , Koch Walter J. , Kishore Raj
Published: April 2015

Rationale:

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) hold great promise for cardiac regeneration but are susceptible to various concerns. Recently, salutary effects of stem cells have been connected to exosome secretion. ESCs have the ability to produce exosomes, however, their effect in the context of the heart is unknown.

Objective:

Determine the effect of ESC-derived exosome for the repair of ischemic myocardium and whether c-kit
+
cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) function can be enhanced with ESC exosomes.

Methods and Results:

This study demonstrates that mouse ESC-derived exosomes (mES Ex) possess ability to augment function in infarcted hearts. mES Ex enhanced neovascularization, cardiomyocyte survival, and reduced fibrosis post infarction consistent with resurgence of cardiac proliferative response. Importantly, mES Ex augmented CPC survival, proliferation, and cardiac commitment concurrent with increased c-kit
+
CPCs in vivo 8 weeks after in vivo transfer along with formation of bonafide new cardiomyocytes in the ischemic heart. miRNA array revealed significant enrichment of miR290-295 cluster and particularly miR-294 in ESC exosomes. The underlying basis for the beneficial effect of mES Ex was tied to delivery of ESC specific miR-294 to CPCs promoting increased survival, cell cycle progression, and proliferation.

Conclusions:

mES Ex provide a novel cell–free system that uses the immense regenerative power of ES cells while avoiding the risks associated with direct ES or ES-derived cell transplantation and risk of teratomas. ESC exosomes possess cardiac regeneration ability and modulate both cardiomyocyte and CPC-based repair programs in the heart.
Segmental Aortic Stiffening Contributes to Experimental Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Development
Authors: Raaz Uwe , Zöllner Alexander M. , Schellinger Isabel N. , Toh Ryuji , Nakagami Futoshi , Brandt Moritz , Emrich Fabian C. , Kayama Yosuke , Eken Suzanne , Adam Matti , Maegdefessel Lars , Hertel Thomas , Deng Alicia , Jagger Ann , Buerke Michael , Dalman Ronald L. , Spin Joshua M. , Kuhl Ellen , Tsao Philip S.
Published: April 2015

Background—

Stiffening of the aortic wall is a phenomenon consistently observed in age and in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). However, its role in AAA pathophysiology is largely undefined.

Methods and Results—

Using an established murine elastase-induced AAA model, we demonstrate that segmental aortic stiffening precedes aneurysm growth. Finite-element analysis reveals that early stiffening of the aneurysm-prone aortic segment leads to axial (longitudinal) wall stress generated by cyclic (systolic) tethering of adjacent, more compliant wall segments. Interventional stiffening of AAA-adjacent aortic segments (via external application of surgical adhesive) significantly reduces aneurysm growth. These changes correlate with the reduced segmental stiffness of the AAA-prone aorta (attributable to equalized stiffness in adjacent segments), reduced axial wall stress, decreased production of reactive oxygen species, attenuated elastin breakdown, and decreased expression of inflammatory cytokines and macrophage infiltration, and attenuated apoptosis within the aortic wall, as well. Cyclic pressurization of segmentally stiffened aortic segments ex vivo increases the expression of genes related to inflammation and extracellular matrix remodeling. Finally, human ultrasound studies reveal that aging, a significant AAA risk factor, is accompanied by segmental infrarenal aortic stiffening.

Conclusions—

The present study introduces the novel concept of segmental aortic stiffening as an early pathomechanism generating aortic wall stress and triggering aneurysmal growth, thereby delineating potential underlying molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets. In addition, monitoring segmental aortic stiffening may aid the identification of patients at risk for AAA.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Risk of Incident Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Qureshi Waqas T. , Alirhayim Zaid , Blaha Michael J. , Juraschek Stephen P. , Keteyian Steven J. , Brawner Clinton A. , Al-Mallah Mouaz H.
Published: April 2015

Background—

Poor cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, the relationship between CRF and atrial fibrillation (AF) is less clear. The aim of this analysis was to investigate the association between CRF and incident AF in a large, multiracial cohort that underwent graded exercise treadmill testing.

Methods and Results—

From 1991 to 2009, a total of 64 561 adults (mean age, 54.5±12.7 years; 46% female; 64% white) without AF underwent exercise treadmill testing at a tertiary care center. Baseline demographic and clinical variables were collected. Incident AF was ascertained by use of
International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision
code 427.31 and confirmed by linkage to medical claim files. Nested, multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the independent association of CRF with incident AF. During a median follow-up of 5.4 years (interquartile range, 3–9 years), 4616 new cases of AF were diagnosed. After adjustment for potential confounders, 1 higher metabolic equivalent achieved during treadmill testing was associated with a 7% lower risk of incident AF (hazard ratio, 0.93; 95% confidence interval, 0.92–0.94;
P
<0.001). This relationship remained significant after adjustment for incident coronary artery disease (hazard ratio, 0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.91–0.93;
P
<0.001). The magnitude of the inverse association between CRF and incident AF was greater among obese compared with nonobese individuals (
P
for interaction=0.02).

Conclusions—

There is a graded, inverse relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and incident AF, especially among obese patients. Future studies should examine whether changes in fitness increase or decrease risk of atrial fibrillation. This association was stronger for obese compared with nonobese, especially among obese patients.
SWI/SNF Chromatin‐Remodeling Enzymes Brahma‐Related Gene 1 (BRG1) and Brahma (BRM) Are Dispensable in Multiple Models of Postnatal Angiogenesis But Are Required for Vascular Integrity in Infant Mice
Authors: Wiley Mandi M. , Muthukumar Vijay , Griffin Timothy M. , Griffin Courtney T.
Published: April 2015

Background

Mammalian SWItch/Sucrose NonFermentable (
SWI
/
SNF
) adenosine triphosphate (
ATP
)‐dependent chromatin‐remodeling complexes play important roles in embryonic vascular development by modulating transcription of specific target genes. We sought to determine whether
SWI
/
SNF
complexes likewise impact postnatal physiological and pathological angiogenesis.

Methods and Results

Brahma‐related gene 1 (
BRG
1) and Brahma gene (
BRM)
are
ATP
ases within mammalian
SWI
/
SNF
complexes and are essential for the complexes to function. Using mice with vascular‐specific mutations in
Brg1
or with a global mutation in
Brm
, we employed 3 models to test the role of these
ATP
ases in postnatal angiogenesis. We analyzed neonatal retinal angiogenesis, exercise‐induced angiogenesis in adult quadriceps muscles, and tumor angiogenesis in control and mutant animals. We found no evidence of defective angiogenesis in
Brg1
or
Brm
mutants using these 3 models.
Brg1/Brm
double mutants likewise show no evidence of vascular defects in the neonatal retina or tumor angiogenesis models. However, 100% of
Brg1/Brm
‐double mutants in which
Brg1
deletion is induced at postnatal day 3 (P3) die by P19 with hemorrhaging in the small intestine and heart.

Conclusions

Despite their important roles in embryonic vascular development,
SWI
/
SNF
chromatin‐remodeling complexes display a surprising lack of participation in the 3 models of postnatal angiogenesis we analyzed. However, these complexes are essential for maintaining vascular integrity in specific tissue beds before weaning. These findings highlight the temporal and spatial specificity of
SWI
/
SNF
activities in the vasculature and may indicate that other chromatin‐remodeling complexes play redundant or more essential roles during physiological and pathological postnatal vascular development.
Spatial pattern of syllable sharing in white-throated thrushes: implications for song learning and dispersal behaviours
Authors: Vargas-Castro Luis E.
Published: April 2015

The relationship between song sharing among male songbirds and geographic distance between their territories is a function of juvenile dispersal distance and length of the song learning period. I analysed the spatial pattern of syllable sharing in white-throated thrushes (Turdus assimilis) to infer their song learning strategy. Songs of 23 males from three different sites (2.5–21 km) in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, were studied using visual classification, spectrogram correlation and multidimensional scaling analysis. In total, 8505 syllables were classified into 296 syllable types. All males shared syllables but most types were unique to particular males, suggesting that males invent most of their repertoires. Repertoire dissimilarity increased with geographic distance. Within sites, syllable sharing was higher between intermediate than between adjacent neighbours. These results suggest that juvenile dispersal distance is <2.5 km and relatively lower song sharing between adjacent neighbours may result from non-random dispersal or active avoidance by open-ended learners.
Descriptions of postembryonic developmental stages prior to adult of Hatschekia multibarbatae Izawa, 2015 (Copepoda, Siphonostomatoida, Hatschekiidae)
Authors: Izawa Kunihiko
Published: April 2015

A series of descriptions of postembryonic developmental stages prior to the adult ofHatschekia multibarbataeIzawa, 2015 is presented based on free-living larvae reared from eggs detached from ovigerous females, as well as on copepodids I-V recovered together with adults fromBrotula multibarbataTemminck & Schlegel, 1846 (Pisces, Ophidiiformes, Ophidiidae). The number of naupliar stages preceding the infective copepodid I is three in this species. The postnaupliar development proceeds linearly, up to the adult.
Review of the ecology of Crangon hakodatei Rathbun, 1902 in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Gulf
Authors: Han Qingxi , Han Qingxi , Li Xinzheng
Published: April 2015

The brown shrimp,Crangon hakodateiRathbun, 1902, is a common species in northwestern Pacific waters. Based on an investigation of references since the 1950s, we studied the ecological features of this commercially important shrimp. The results show, that the species has a long reproductive period with ovigerous females throughout the year and two discrete peaks in the spawning season, i.e., in spring and in autumn. Its sex ratio also shows significant seasonal variation. This shrimp is a keystone species in the demersal trophic pathways in the northern Chinese seas. It occupies an intermediate position in the food web, acting both as an important food resource for flatfishes on a higher trophic level, and as a predator upon the early life stages of those flatfishes.
A review of naupliar development within the Harpacticidae, with naupliar description of Zaus wonchoelleei Kangtia, Dahms, Song, Myoung, Park & Khim, 2014 (Copepoda, Harpacticoida)
Authors: Kangtia Pawana , Kangtia Pawana , Dahms Hans-Uwe , Kangtia Pawana , Dahms Hans-Uwe , Song Sung Joon , Kangtia Pawana , Dahms Hans-Uwe , Song Sung Joon , Myoung Jung-Goo , Kangtia Pawana , Dahms Hans-Uwe , Song Sung Joon , Myoung Jung-Goo , Khim Jong Seong
Published: April 2015

All six naupliar stages of the harpacticoid copepod Zaus wonchoelleei Kangtia, Dahms, Song, Myoung, Park & Khim, 2014 are described. A key for the identification of the naupliar stages is provided. Stages can be distinguished by number of segments of the exopod of antenna 2, setation of the limbs including the bud of the caudal ramus, and presence and setation of the bud of maxilla 1. In phylogenetic reconstructions there are several characters which link two taxa of different harpacticoid groups, the Harpacticidae of Exanechentera and the Thalestridae of Podogennonta. The Harpacticidae and the free-living genera of the Thalestridae develop from a 3-segmented naupliar antennular precursor in Harpacticidae and a 1-segmented antennule in Thalestridae to a 6-segmented antennule at copepodid I. Both families also share a single, stout spine terminally on the inner process of the mandibular naupliar endopodite which is unique for harpacticoid nauplii. A peculiar medial bifid seta on the antennal basis at nauplius I and II is also unique. This seta is replaced by a medial seta of the coxa at nauplius III, which has the same structure as the aforementioned set which gets reduced.
Down the Aisle of Criminalization: The Practice of Forced Marriage
Authors: Haenen Iris
Published: April 2015

Awareness of the practice of forced marriage — which refers to a marriage that at least one of the spouses entered into against their will, as a result of some form of coercion exercised by another person — is growing in Europe. Forced marriage is a daily reality in all European countries and has severe consequences for victims. Taking the 2011 Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence as a starting point, this article aims to answer the question of whether the phenomenon of forced marriage ought to be separately criminalized in The Netherlands and England in light of the principle of internal subsidiarity. Comparing Dutch and English legislation concerning the practice of forced marriage, this article demonstrates the various intricacies of Dutch and English criminal law and then proceeds to argue that there are lacunae in the penal laws of both countries that require legislative action.
The Potential Contribution of a European Public Prosecutor in Light of the Proposal for a Regulation of 17 July 2013
Authors: Winter Lorena Bachmaier
Published: April 2015

The establishment of a European Public Prosecutor (eppo) is a controversial and politically sensitive issue. Despite the presentation of a Regulation Proposal on the eppo 17 July 2013 there are still many eu Member States, scholars and citizens that continue questioning the very existence of a supranational prosecuting authority. The aim of this article is to analyse whether the 2013 proposal of the eu Commission for a Regulation on the eppo may contribute to overcoming the present problems detected in the fight against crimes detrimental to the financial interests of the eu. This article focuses on the potential contribution of the eppo, based on empirical data, but this does not mean that the pitfalls and perils that entail the establishment of an eppo should be disregarded.
Musico-Poetic Genres in the Sephardic Oral Tradition. An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Romancero, Coplas and Cancionero
Authors: Weich-Shahak Susana
Published: April 2015

This article, based exclusively on examples that the author has recorded from the oral tradition of the Sephardic Jews, presents the three main genres of the Sephardic traditional repertoire, romancero, coplas and cancionero. These three poetic and musical genres show the vitality, the richness and the variety of the Judeo-Spanish repertoire and have received focused attention by literary scholars and musicologists, through intensive fieldwork, recordings, analysis and interviews. This article presents a system of classification of the repertoire according to interdisciplinary parameters. All the examples belong to those the author has collected in work at the Jewish Music Research Center of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The recordings from her own fieldwork (1974–2014), together with those of other scholars, resulted in the world’s richest collection of the Judeo-Spanish repertoire, and is stored and catalogued at the National Sound Archives of the Israel National Library, open to scholars, singers and lovers of the Judeo-Spanish tradition.
A review of Trachusoides Michener and Griswold (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)
Authors: GRISWOLD TERRY
Published: April 2015

The rare genus Trachusoides, previously known only from a single species inhabiting the Western Ghats of India, is reviewed. Trachusoides elsieae, new species, is described from Laos, additional records for T. simplex are documented, and a key to separate the species is provided.
Revision of Heringina Aczél, 1940 (Diptera: Tephritidae), with description of a new species from Iran and Turkey
Authors: NAMIN SAEED MOHAMADZADE , KORNEYEV SEVERYN V.
Published: April 2015

The genus Heringina Aczél, 1940 is revised and shown to belong to the Tephritis group of genera and is closely related to Tephritis and Multireticula. Literature records are revised, and available collection material is listed. The genus includes two species: H. guttata (Fallén 1814) originally described from the sand dunes of southern Sweden and occurring from the Baltic region through Ukraine and Caucasus to Turkey, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, and Heringina arezoana sp. nov., found in Iran and eastern Turkey. Both species are described, illustrated, and keyed. Host plants and localization of larvae remain unknown; adult flies of both species are commonly swept from (but never reared) flower heads of Helichrysum arenarium. Other records of host plants listed by Boie (1847) and repeated in most important European monographs, are obviously based on misidentified flies. Possible relationships of Heringina with Tephritis and Multireticula are discussed.
Pseudonannolene lundi n. sp., a new troglobitic millipede from a Brazilian limestone cave (Spirostreptida: Pseudonannolenidae)
Authors: INIESTA LUIZ FELIPE MORETTI , FERREIRA RODRIGO LOPES
Published: April 2015

Pseudonannolene lundi n. sp., is described from Lapa Sem Fim Cave, a limestone cave from Luislândia municipality, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The species is the eighth troglobitic millipede and the third of the genus Pseudonannolene described from Brazilian caves. Pseudonannolene lundi shows pronounced depigmentation and decrease of body size, as found in other troglobitic species belonging to the genus. The gonopod has a robust and evident internal branch, and a solenomere slightly trianguliform.
Climate Conditions at Perennially Ice-Covered Lake Untersee, East Antarctica
Authors: Andersen Dale T. , McKay Christopher P. , Lagun Victor
Published: April 2015

In November 2008 an automated meteorological station was established at Lake Untersee in East Antarctica, producing a 5-yr data record of meteorological conditions at the lake. This dataset includes five austral summer seasons composed of December, January, and February (DJF). The average solar flux at Lake Untersee for the four years with complete solar flux data is 99.2 ± 0.6 W m−2. The mean annual temperature at Lake Untersee was determined to be −10.6° ± 0.6°C. The annual degree-days above freezing for the five years were 9.7, 37.7, 22.4, 7.0, and 48.8, respectively, with summer (DJF) accounting for virtually all of this. For these five summers the average DJF temperatures were −3.5°, −1.9°, −2.2°, −2.6°, and −2.5°C. The maximum (minimum) temperatures were +5.3°, +7.6°, +5.7°, +4.4°, and +9.0°C (−13.8°, −12.8°, −12.9°, −13.5°, and −12.1°C). The average of the wind speed recorded was 5.4 m s−1, the maximum was 35.7 m s−1, and the average daily maximum was 15 m s−1. The wind speed was higher in the winter, averaging 6.4 m s−1. Summer winds averaged 4.7 m s−1. The dominant wind direction for strong winds is from the south for all seasons, with a secondary source of strong winds in the summer from the east-northeast. Relative humidity averages 37%; however, high values will occur with an average period of ~10 days, providing a strong indicator of the quasi-periodic passage of storms across the site. Low summer temperatures and high wind speeds create conditions at the surface of the lake ice resulting in sublimation rather than melting as the main mass-loss process.
Reducing Vascular Calcification by Anti-IL-1β Monoclonal Antibody in a Mouse Model of Familial Hypercholesterolemia
Authors: Awan Zuhier , Denis Maxime , Roubtsova Anna , Essalmani Rachid , Marcinkiewicz Jadwiga , Awan Amani , Gram Hermann , Seidah Nabil G. , Genest Jacques
Published: April 2015

Background:

Given the link between cholesterol and activation of inflammation via interleukin 1β (IL-1β), we tested the effects of IL-1β inhibition on atherosclerotic calcification in mice. Patients with familial hypercholesterolemia develop extensive aortic calcification and calcific aortic stenosis. Although statins delay this process, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol lowering alone is not enough to avert it. Data suggest that vascular inflammation initiated by hypercholesterolemia is followed by unchecked mineralization at sites of atherosclerotic plaques. The LDL-receptor (LDLR)-deficient (Ldlr−/−) and LDLR-attenuated Pcsk9(Tg) mice are available animal models for pharmacological testing.

Methods:

A mouse monoclonal antibody (mAb) against IL-1β or placebo was administered subcutaneously in Ldlr−/− and Pcsk9(Tg) models fed a Western diet. Drug level, anthropometric, lipid, and glucose profiles were determined. Expressions of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), serum amyloid A1, and cytokine were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Aortic calcification was determined by microcomputerized tomography (micro-CT) and X-ray densitometry, and aortic flow velocity was assessed by ultrasound.

Results:

Circulating levels of IL-1β in Ldlr−/− mice were significantly greater (2-fold) than observed in Pcsk9(Tg) mice. Placebo- and mAb-treated mice did not differ in their growth, lipid, glucose profiles, and other cytokines. Calcifications were significantly diminished in mAb-treatment Ldlr−/− mice (a reduction of ∼75% by X-ray and ∼90% by micro-CT) and reduced insignificantly in mAb-treatment Pcsk9(Tg) mice, whereas aortic flow velocity was unchanged in both models.

Conclusions:

Herein, we demonstrate that aortic calcifications can be inhibited by an IL-1β mAb in LDLR-deficient mice. These results have a translational component to prevent vascular calcification in human and represent new evidence to rationalize targeting inflammation in cardiovascular disease.
Sublingual Immunotherapy for Allergic Fungal Sinusitis
Authors: Melzer Jonathan M. , Driskill Brent R. , Clenney Timothy L. , Gessler Eric M.
Published: April 2015

Allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS) is a condition that has an allergic basis caused by exposure to fungi in the sinonasal tract leading to chronic inflammation. Despite standard treatment modalities, which typically include surgery and medical management of allergies, patients still have a high rate of recurrence. Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) has been used as adjuvant treatment for AFS. Evidence exists to support the use of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) as a safe and efficacious method of treating allergies, but no studies have assessed the utility of SLIT in the management of allergic fungal sinusitis. A record review of cases of AFS that are currently or previously treated with sublingual immunotherapy from 2007 to 2011 was performed. Parameters of interest included serum IgE levels, changes in symptoms, Lund-McKay scores, decreased sensitization to fungal allergens associated with AFS, and serum IgE levels. Ten patients with diagnosed AFS were treated with SLIT. No adverse effects related to the use of SLIT therapy were identified. Decreases in subjective complaints, exam findings, Lund-McKay scores, and serum IgE levels were observed. Thus, sublingual immunotherapy appears to be a safe adjunct to the management of AFS that may improve patient outcomes.
Sea coral-derived cuttlebone reinforced epoxy composites: Characterization and tensile properties evaluation with mathematical models
Authors: Periasamy Kamalbabu , Mohankumar GC
Published: April 2015

Using sea coral as a new bio-mass in processing of particle-filled polymer composites is very promising in the field of structural applications. In this study, waste cuttlebone was used as a filler material in epoxy composites. In general, cuttlebone particles derived from crushing and sieving were in aragonite polymorph form. In the present study, calcite polymorph form was obtained after heat treatment of cuttlebone particles at 400℃. Presence of polymorph form, elemental composition and thermal stability were confirmed with different characterization techniques. Composites were prepared with aragonite and calcite polymorph form cuttlebone particles and commercially available calcium carbonate as reinforcement in epoxy matrix. Tensile tests were carried out to determine the composites strength and compared with predefined theoretical models. Heat-treated cuttlebone reinforced epoxy composites showed higher tensile properties and better interaction between filler and matrix than other composites.
Different Brain Responses to Pain and Its Expectation in the Dental Chair
Authors: Racek A.J. , Hu X. , Nascimento T.D. , Bender M.C. , Khatib L. , Chiego D. , Holland G.R. , Bauer P. , McDonald N. , Ellwood R.P. , DaSilva A.F.
Published: April 2015

A dental appointment commonly prompts fear of a painful experience, yet we have never fully understood how our brains react to the expectation of imminent tooth pain once in a dental chair. In our study, 21 patients with hypersensitive teeth were tested using nonpainful and painful stimuli in a clinical setting. Subjects were tested in a dental chair using functional near-infrared spectroscopy to measure cortical activity during a stepwise cold stimulation of a hypersensitive tooth, as well as nonpainful control stimulation on the same tooth. Patients’ sensory-discriminative and emotional-cognitive cortical regions were studied through the transition of a neutral to a painful stimulation. In the putative somatosensory cortex contralateral to the stimulus, 2 well-defined hemodynamic peaks were detected in the homuncular orofacial region: the first peak during the nonpainful phase and a second peak after the pain threshold was reached. Moreover, in the upper-left and lower-right prefrontal cortices, there was a significant active hemodynamic response in only the first phase, before the pain. Subsequently, the same prefrontal cortical areas deactivated after a painful experience had been reached. Our study indicates for the first time that pain perception and expectation elicit different hemodynamic cortical responses in a dental clinical setting.
Pyrosequencing Analysis of Subgingival Microbiota in Distinct Periodontal Conditions
Authors: Park O.-J. , Yi H. , Jeon J.H. , Kang S.-S. , Koo K.-T. , Kum K.-Y. , Chun J. , Yun C.-H. , Han S.H.
Published: April 2015

Subgingival microorganisms are potentially associated with periodontal diseases. However, changes in the subgingival microbiota during the progress of periodontal diseases are poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed bacterial communities in the subgingival paper point samples from 32 Korean individuals with no sign of disease, gingivitis, or periodontitis using 454 FLX Titanium pyrosequencing. A total of 256,113 reads representing 26 phyla, 433 genera, and 1,016 species were detected. Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, Synergistetes, and Spirochaetes were the abundant phyla in periodontitis subjects, whereas Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were identified as the dominant phyla in the gingivitis and healthy subjects, respectively. Although high levels of Porphyromonas, Fusobacterium, Fretibacterium, Rothia, Filifactor, and Treponema genera were observed in the periodontitis subjects, Streptococcus, Capnocytophaga, Leptotrichia, and Haemophilus genera were found at high frequency in the gingivitis subjects. Species including Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Fretibacterium fastidiosum were significantly increased in periodontitis subjects. On the other hand, Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae, Haemophilus parainfluenzae, and Leptotrichia hongkongensis were preferentially observed in the gingivitis subjects. Intriguingly, the halophile Halomonas hamiltonii was revealed as a predominant species in the healthy subjects. Based on Fast UniFrac analysis, distinctive bacterial clusters were classified for the healthy, gingivitis, and periodontitis state. The current findings might be useful for understanding the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of periodontal diseases.
Simultaneous perturbation methods for adaptive labor staffing in service systems
Authors: Prashanth L A , Prasad H L , Desai Nirmit , Bhatnagar Shalabh , Dasgupta Gargi
Published: April 2015

We consider the problem of optimizing the workforce of a service system. Adapting the staffing levels in such systems is non-trivial due to large variations in workload and the large number of system parameters do not allow for a brute force search. Further, because these parameters change on a weekly basis, the optimization should not take longer than a few hours. Our aim is to find the optimum staffing levels from a discrete high-dimensional parameter set, that minimizes the long run average of the single-stage cost function, while adhering to the constraints relating to queue stability and service-level agreement (SLA) compliance. The single-stage cost function balances the conflicting objectives of utilizing workers better and attaining the target SLAs. We formulate this problem as a constrained parameterized Markov cost process parameterized by the (discrete) staffing levels. We propose novel simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation (SPSA)-based algorithms for solving the above problem. The algorithms include both first-order as well as second-order methods and incorporate SPSA-based gradient/Hessian estimates for primal descent, while performing dual ascent for the Lagrange multipliers. Both algorithms are online and update the staffing levels in an incremental fashion. Further, they involve a certain generalized smooth projection operator, which is essential to project the continuous-valued worker parameter tuned by our algorithms onto the discrete set. The smoothness is necessary to ensure that the underlying transition dynamics of the constrained Markov cost process is itself smooth (as a function of the continuous-valued parameter): a critical requirement to prove the convergence of both algorithms. We validate our algorithms via performance simulations based on data from five real-life service systems. For the sake of comparison, we also implement a scatter search based algorithm using state-of-the-art optimization tool-kit OptQuest. From the experiments, we observe that both our algorithms converge empirically and consistently outperform OptQuest in most of the settings considered. This finding coupled with the computational advantage of our algorithms make them amenable for adaptive labor staffing in real-life service systems.
Trauma and the Politics of Memory of the Uruguayan Dictatorship
Authors: D’Orsi Lorenzo
Published: April 2015

Ethnographic research on the life experiences of former political prisoners and their families in Uruguay suggests the need for rethinking of the concept of trauma, which is often inadequate to convey the historical and social specificity of painful memories. The collective wound is constructed in public space, and intimate memories are closely linked to the framework in which they are embedded. Working on the victim’s self is not sufficient to overcome the trauma, distracting attention from the need for social recognition and justice. Making history and doing justice are unavoidable steps in the establishment of a different political regime.

Las investigaciones etnográficas sobre las experiencias de vida de ex presos políticos y sus familias en Uruguay sugieren la necesidad de replantearse el concepto de trauma, el cual suele ser casi siempre inadecuado para expresar la especificidad histórica y social de las memorias dolorosas. La herida colectiva se construye en el espacio público y las memorias íntimas están estrechamente vinculadas con el marco en el que están inmersas. Trabajar sólo con el yo de la víctima no es suficiente para superar el trauma, y desvía la atención de la necesidad de reconocimiento social y justicia. Hacer historia y hacer justicia son pasos ineludibles en el establecimiento de un régimen político diferente.
The Human Element
Authors: Box Richard C.
Published: April 2015

Research on the people who deliver public services offers a useful alternative perspective in an applied field with an orientation toward organizational systems, performance, and accountability. It begins inside public organizations, treating public professionals as the subjects of research rather than objects to be controlled and manipulated. This essay reviews three new books that explore aspects of this alternative perspective, which we may call “the human element.” These books focus on the characteristics of bureaucrats, women in the public sector, and race and social equity in government. They offer insights on difficult and controversial topics and serve as important resources for scholars and practitioners in public administration.
Marketization and Varieties of Accountability Relationships in Employment Services: Comparing Denmark, Germany, and Great Britain
Authors: Jantz Bastian , Klenk Tanja , Larsen Flemming , Wiggan Jay
Published: April 2015

In the past decade, European countries have contracted out public employment service functions to “activate” working-age benefit clients. There has been limited discussion of how contracting out shapes the accountability of employment services or is shaped by alternative democratic, administrative, or network forms of accountability. This article examines employment service accountability in Germany, Denmark, and Great Britain. We find that market accountability instruments are additional instruments, not replacements. The findings highlight the importance of administrative and political instruments in legitimizing marketized service provision and shed light on the processes that lead to the development of a hybrid accountability model.
Complex Households and the Distribution of Multiple Resources in Later Life
Authors: Kim Juyeon , Waite Linda J.
Published: April 2015

The availability of social and financial resources has profound implications for health and well-being in later life. Older adults often share resources with others who live with them, sometimes in households including relatives or friends. We examine differences in social support, social connections, money, and the household environment across types of living arrangements, develop hypotheses from two theoretical perspectives, one focusing on obligations toward kin, and one focused on social exchange within households, and test them using data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. We find that availability of resources is not consistently associated with the presence of grandchildren and other young relatives, but often differs with presence of other adults. These findings suggest that a single type of resource tells us little about the distribution of the resources of older adults, and call on us to examine multiple resources simultaneously.
Working and Resisting when One’s Workplace is Under Threat of Being Shut Down: A Lacanian Perspective
Authors: Vidaillet Bénédicte , Gamot Grégory
Published: April 2015

The case presented here shows how a set of Lacanian concepts can be useful for analysing the behaviour of employees’ representatives in a factory belonging to a large globalized and financialised corporation and threatened with closure. We identify a central characteristic of this organization (the obliteration of symbolic authority) to identify the psychic processes the employees’ representatives go through as a result of this characteristic and the impact in terms of their difficulties in exerting resistance. We rest our analysis on the distinction Lacan makes between utterance and enunciation and make use of the concepts of master signifier, symbolic authority, fantasy and superego. We show that in this case the absence of symbolic authority leads the staff representatives to be taken over by the fantasy of a tyrannical and unbarred Other that has the absolute power to close down the factory at any time, and to feel guilty that they never do enough, a typical sense of guilt resulting from the superego’s unfulfillable demands. This theory is also relevant for understanding the paradoxes of resistance: the staff representatives will need to reintroduce a symbolic authority so as to be able to start resisting and no longer be overwhelmed by the fantasy of an unbarred Other. We emphasize the benefits of using a Lacanian approach for understanding how discursive, psychic and emotional processes are joined in the power relations characteristic of a global capitalist corporation, and reflect on the structural conditions in which resistance is possible in contemporary organizations.
Management Control, Results-Oriented Culture and Public Sector Performance: Empirical Evidence on New Public Management
Authors: Verbeeten Frank H. M. , Speklé Roland F.
Published: April 2015

New Public Management (NPM) has been guiding public sector reform for over 25 years. Its position on the design of effective management control rests on three key ideas: (1) performance improvement requires a results-oriented culture that emphasizes outcomes rather than inputs or processes; (2) public sector organizations need to introduce performance management based on targets, monitoring and incentives; and (3) public sector organizations should decentralize decision rights and reduce their reliance on rules and procedures. Focusing on the particularly influential version of NPM as advocated by the OECD, we examine the validity of these ideas theoretically and empirically. We conclude that NPM’s reform programme should be reconsidered. Although the evidence indicates that a results-oriented culture is positively associated with performance, we find little support for the assumed benefits of NPM-type performance contracting. In addition, the results suggest that both the effects of decentralization and the reliance on rules and procedures are opposite to NPM’s expectations.
The temporality of normativity
Authors: Invernizzi Accetti Carlo
Published: April 2015

This article proposes an interpretation of the status of the Grundnorm in Hans Kelsen’s legal theory which addresses the broader philosophical problem of the ultimate foundation of normativity. It begins by reviewing the main objections that have been raised against Kelsen’s theory, pointing out that most of these can be met by a ‘transcendental’ interpretation of the Grundnorm as a condition of possibility for legal cognition. It then argues that in order to solve the problem of the ultimate foundation for legal validity it is also necessary to read the Grundnorm in light of the parallel category of ‘nomo-dynamicity’, which Kelsen introduced in all his legal writings beginning with the Pure Theory of Law of 1933. This yields a conception of legal validity as an ‘essentially temporal’ category, from the point of view of which the problem of ultimate foundations cannot emerge because the beginning is by definition not situated conceptually within time. The broader conclusion is therefore that overcoming the problem of the ultimate foundation of normativity requires abandoning the theologico-political assumption that valid norms are posited through a sovereign gesture analogous to that through which God is supposed to have created the universe ex nihilo. Construing normativity as ‘essentially temporal’ implies that the search for ultimate foundations must run into a category that is entirely foreign to political theology but well known to phenomenology: that of an ‘always-already’.
Regulatory Forum Commentary* Counterpoint
Authors: Nambiar Prashant R. , Morton Daniel
Published: April 2015

Dose selection for the 6-month rasH2 mouse carcinogenicity studies depends heavily on the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) obtained from 1-month range-finding studies. A retrospective evaluation of range-finding studies and pivotal 6 month rasH2 mouse studies for 11 compounds demonstrated that the MTD based on at least a 10% decrease in body weight gain, mortality, and target organ toxicity in range-finding studies appropriately identified high doses for pivotal studies for 8 of 11 compounds. Two of the selected high doses were based on decreased body weight gain alone, while 7 were based on mortality at higher doses in shorter duration range-finding studies. High-dose selection was based on the maximum feasible dose for one study. The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Executive Carcinogenicity Assessment Committee often suggested different doses than those proposed by the sponsor. High mortality was observed in only one pivotal study and the high dose was lowered during the course of that study.
Evaluation of Elements of the Nursing Worklife Model Using Unit-Level Data
Authors: Ballard Nancy , Boyle Diane K. , Bott Marjorie J.
Published: April 2015

The practice environment is important to nurse satisfaction and patient outcomes. Laschinger and Leiter posited causal relationships by development and testing of the Nursing Worklife Model (NWLM). Using a secondary analysis of unit-level data ( N = 3,203; medical, surgical, medical–surgical, critical-care, and step-down units) from the 2011 National Database for Nursing Quality Indicators®, hypothesized pathways of the NWLM were tested using structural equation modeling. Practice Environment subscales developed by Lake were used to operationalize model variables with job enjoyment being the outcome variable. Positive pathways identified in the original causal model were supported. However, using an iterative process, additional pathways were identified that improved model fit (comparative fit index = 0.99; root mean square error of approximation = 0.06; standardized root mean square residual = 0.002). Nurse manager ability, leadership, and support had direct links to job enjoyment as well as other elements of the model. Development of nurse managers is important to the retention of clinical nurses in the hospital setting.
Integrative Review of Nurse-Delivered Physical Activity Interventions in Primary Care
Authors: Richards Elizabeth A. , Cai Yun
Published: April 2015

Promotion of physical activity has been a public health priority for decades. The purpose of this integrative review is to examine the effectiveness of nurse-delivered physical activity interventions conducted in primary care settings. Computerized database and ancestry search strategies located distinct intervention trials between 1990 and 2014. Nineteen national and international studies with 7,350 participants were reviewed. The most common intervention was physical activity counseling with supportive or motivational contacts. Few studies utilized exercise training, device-based exercise monitoring, or exercise prescriptions. The most common follow-up durations were 3 to 12 months. Half the studies integrated health behavior theoretical frameworks into the intervention. Almost 80% of the studies reported significant increases in walking, moderate or vigorous physical activity, or overall physical activity in the intervention groups. Interventions successful in increasing physical activity most often utilized tailored techniques such as providing “stage of change”–specific strategies or helping patients set individualized goals.
Entrepreneurial entry by people with disabilities
Authors: Renko Maija , Parker Harris Sarah , Caldwell Kate
Published: April 2015

This article investigates the effect of disability on progress in the start-up process. One person out of 10 has a disability, yet entrepreneurship literature remains silent on the contributions of this population. This is surprising given that people with disabilities are more likely to be self-employed than the general population. Results from the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics show that start-up efforts by nascent entrepreneurs with disabilities are less likely to result in the emergence of a viable organization, indicating that nascent entrepreneurs with disabilities face particular challenges.
Perceived learning outcomes from Moodle
Authors: Waheed Mehwish , Kaur Kiran , Ain NoorUl , Hussain Nazim
Published: April 2015

This study explores the intrinsic and extrinsic features of Moodle learning managements system and how these features motivate students to use an e-learning portal, which subsequently influences their perceived learning effectiveness and academic performance. Theoretical underpinning of motivation theory, self-determination theory (SDT), and cognitive evaluation theory (CET) is used to design the framework. The quantitative empirical research to test the hypothesized relationships was conducted on 276 online students in Pakistan who use Moodle for online learning. By analysing the responses using AMOS, the findings reveal that both the intrinsic motivators (communication module features, course content module features and course delivery module features) and extrinsic motivator (assignment module feature) significantly influence the students’ perceived learning effectiveness, which results in improve academic performance.
Between ‘class project’ and individualization: The stratification of Europeans’ transnational activities
Authors: Delhey Jan , Deutschmann Emanuel , Cirlanaru Katharina
Published: April 2015

In sociological transnationalization research, it is conventional wisdom that the upper strata are more involved in cross-border activities than the lower ones. However, proponents of the individualization/death-of-class thesis have argued that the significance of class (and of inequalities in general) for people’s actions is declining in affluent societies. Using these theories as a point of departure, this article investigates the influence of class and inequalities, more generally, on transnational activity. Using Eurobarometer 73.3 data from 27 European countries, this article examines (a) the extent to which class determines, by itself, in conjunction with other inequalities, and relative to heterogeneities, transnational practices within countries; and (b) how much the social gradient of transnational activity produced by class and inequalities varies across countries, and whether socioeconomic development tends to decrease or increase this gradient. The findings show that, in most countries, heterogeneities explain more variance in transnational activity than class, but not more variance than inequalities as more generally conceived. Further, social gradients in transnational activity are systematically larger in more affluent European countries.
Explaining participation in the informal economy: An institutional incongruence perspective
Authors: Williams Colin C , Horodnic Ioana A , Windebank Jan
Published: April 2015

Drawing inspiration from institutional theory, a small sub-stream of literature has proposed that participation in the informal economy arises from the lack of alignment of a society’s formal institutions (i.e. its codified laws and regulations) with its informal institutions (i.e. the norms, values and beliefs of its population). To further advance this explanation, this article reports a 2013 Eurobarometer survey involving 27,563 face-to-face interviews across 28 European countries. The finding is that there is a strong association between the degree to which formal and informal institutions are unaligned and participation in the informal economy. The greater is the asymmetry between the formal and informal institutions, the more likely is participation in the informal economy at the individual-, population group- and country-level. A new policy approach for tackling the informal economy which focuses upon reducing this institutional incongruence is then discussed.