bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Correlation between Serum Homocysteine and Vitiligo Area Scoring Index
Authors: Hasibuan Dina R. U. , Putra Imam B. , Jusuf Nelva K. 
Published: June 2017

Background: Vitiligo is a chronic skin disorder. White macules caused by melanocyte destruction is a characteristic finding that cosmetically disturbing. Until recently, pathogenesis of vitiligo is still unclear. The role of homocysteine in vitiligo is mentioned in previous studies thus it is probable that it can be a biomarker to determine vitiligo severity.Â Aim : To determine correlation between serum homocysteine and vitiligo area scoring index (VASI)Subject and method: This was a cross-sectional analytic study which involved 30 vitiligo patients that were diagnosed by clinical and Woodâ€™s lamp examinations then VASI score was determined and same numbers of control. We conducted blood sampling and measurement of serum homocysteine level to the patients.Results: There is no significant correlation between serum homocysteine and VASI score (p= 0,133, r= 0,281), family history (p=0,447), and duration of vitiligo (p= 0,993, r= 0,002). There is no significant difference between serum homocysteine in vitiligo patients and controls (p= 0,191). There is a correlation between serum homocysteine with gender (p= 0,001) and age (p= 0,036;r= 0,385) Â in vitiligo patient but not in controls (p= 0,266), (p= 0,872; r= 0,031). There is a correlation between serum homocysteine and types of vitiligo.Â Conclusion: There is no significant correlation between serum homocysteine and VASI score, family history, and duration of vitiligo. There is no significant difference between serum homocysteine in vitiligo patients and controls. There is a correlation between serum homocysteine with gender and age in vitiligo patients.
Comparison of Ranibizumab and Bevacizumab for Macular Edema Secondary to Retinal Vein Occlusions in Routine Clinical Practice
Authors: Khan Mehnaz , Wai Karen M. , Silva Fabiana Q. , Srivastava Sunil , Ehlers Justis P. , Rachitskaya Aleksandra , Babiuch Amy , Deasy Ryan , Kaiser Peter K. , Schachat Andrew P. , Yuan Alex , Singh Rishi P. 
Published: June 2017

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:
To determine outcomes of intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) (Lucentis; Genentech, South San Francisco, CA) versus bevacizumab (IVB) (Avastin; Genentech, South San Francisco, CA) for treatment of macular edema (ME) secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO) in routine clinical practice.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:
A retrospective study identified treatment-naïve patients with ME secondary to RVO where treatment with either IVB or IVR was initiated. Retreatment criteria were based on ophthalmic examination and/or spectral-domain optical coherence tomography findings.

RESULTS:

Central RVO/hemi-RVO cohort: At 12 months, change in visual acuity (VA) (IVR: +12.9 letters, IVB +6.9 letters;
P
= .53), central subfield thickness (CST) (IVR: −144.1 μm, IVB: −153.9 μm;
P
= .88), and number of injections (IVR: 5.40 injections, IVB: 5.64 injections;
P
= .70) were not different between groups. Branch RVO cohort: At 12-month follow-up, no differences in change in VA (IVR: +15.2 letters, IVB: +10.6 letters;
P
= .46), CST (IVR: −23.1 μm, IVB: −91.4 μm;
P
= .16), or number of injections (IVR: 5.93 injections, IVB: 5.13 injections;
P
= .15) were noted.

CONCLUSION:
There is no notable difference in outcome between IVR and IVB when treating ME from RVO in routine clinical practice.

[
Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina.
2017;48:465–472.]
Ndembu cultural liminality, terrains of gender contestation: Reconceptualising Zambian Pentecostalism as liminal spaces
Authors: Kaunda Chammah J. 
Published: June 2017

In this article, I demonstrate how Capital Christian Ministries International has been conceptualised as ecclesiastical spaces for de-gendering. I have utilised symbolic imagination within the Ndembu cultural liminality as theoretical framework in theological studies. I have argued that the initiates in the liminal spaces subverted social normative through the process of un-gendering. The article concludes by arguing that reclaim and reconstitute ecclesia spaces as liminal spaces have potential to promote gender emancipation within African Christianity.
Effect of the &lt;i&gt;IGF-I&lt;/i&gt; gene polymorphism on growth, body size, carcass and meat quality traits in Coloured Polish Merino sheep
Authors: Grochowska Ewa , Borys Bronisław , Janiszewski Piotr , Knapik Jan , Mroczkowski Sławomir 
Published: June 2017

Abstract. Insulin-like growth factor I, encoded by the IGF-I gene, plays a role in cell growth and differentiation, embryogenesis, metabolism regulation, skeletal growth, and protein synthesis. The aims of this study were to investigate the polymorphism in the 5′ flanking region of the IGF-I gene and evaluate associations between the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in this gene and growth, body size, carcass and meat quality traits in Coloured Polish Merino sheep. In total 78 live and post mortem traits were investigated. Polymorphism in the IGF-I gene was identified with the use of the polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method in 305 Coloured Polish Merino sheep. In association studies, traits of interest were analysed with the use of the MIXED and GENMOD procedures of the SAS statistical package. Two alleles named A and B, and two IGF-I genotypes – AA and AB – were detected. The A allele and the AA genotype were predominant, with the frequencies of 91.6 and 83.3 %, respectively. The IGF-I genotype was found to have a highly significant effect on fore shank weight (P  =  0.006), kidney fat class (P  =  0.002) and EUROP fat class (P  =  0.005). Furthermore, the IGF-I genotype significantly affected external fatness of carcass class (P  =  0.038), drip loss (P  =  0.049), and subjective assessment of meat colour (P  =  0.043), and it tended to be associated with longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle width (P  =  0.063) and flavour (0.067). Concluding, the IGF-I gene could be considered as a candidate gene of selected carcass and meat quality traits in sheep.
Achieving an Ideal Position of the Tube in Anterior Chamber: A New Approach
Authors: Kumar Harsh , Gupta Avnindra , Gupta Viney 
Published: June 2017

Aim To describe a novel technique of tube placement in the anterior chamber. Methods In this technique, the extra cut piece of the tube is used to provide a hinge/fulcrum such that the main tube entering the anterior chamber would be angulated posteriorly away from the cornea. Results The tube entering the anterior chamber is angulated posteriorly. Conclusions Using a fulcrum beneath the tube would assist in posterior positioning of the tube and prevent long-term tube endothelial touch.
New Wars, Old Wars, and Medieval Wars: European Mercenaries as State Actors in Europe and North Africa, ca. 1100–1500
Authors: Lower Michael 
Published: June 2017

ABSTRACTMedieval European mercenaries are often seen as impediments to state formation because European monarchies found them expensive and difficult to control. By taking a broader comparative approach to their deployment that encompasses North Africa, I show that these soldiers could serve as effective agents of state power. Abandoning the mercenaries is sometimes represented as a positive break with the medieval past that accelerated European progress into the modern political order of states and standing armies. From a comparative point of view, however, this transition looks more like a gradual retreat from a system for organizing violence that continued to function well in other parts of the world.
Espionage and Theology in the Anglo-Venetian Renaissance
Authors: Pirillo Diego 
Published: June 2017

ABSTRACT
While the establishment of permanent embassies during the Renaissance has traditionally been regarded as the first step toward the emergence of modern diplomacy, recent scholarship has questioned this grand narrative and suggested framing the history of premodern diplomacy as a much more nuanced and multifaceted process in which many intermediaries and go-betweens coexisted and competed with resident ambassadors. Taking up this thread, this article brings to light the role played in early modern diplomacy by religious refugees, who became influential through their capacity to facilitate cross-confessional exchanges between states that could not officially communicate. Focusing on sixteenth-century Anglo-Venetian diplomacy, the article demonstrates how, after the suspension of diplomatic contact between Venice and England in 1559, religious refugees replaced resident ambassadors and allowed exchanges and the information flow to continue.
A Sacred Bond Broken: The People versus the Land in The Grapes of Wrath
Authors: Heavilin Barbara A. 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
From beginning to end, “wrath” is the key word in John Steinbeck's monumental novel, The Grapes of Wrath—wrath not only over the dispossession of migrants, but wrath also over abuse of the earth, our home. For in this novel there is a strong sense that a sacred bond between people and the land—a living entity—has been broken. Fiercely, Steinbeck later proclaims in The Log from the Sea of Cortez that “the world is furrowed and cut, torn and blasted by man.” As Susan Shillinglaw has observed, The Grapes of Wrath “starts and ends with land misused by man: Oklahoma sharecroppers exhaust the soil and California owners waste the soil's bounty by dumping potatoes in a river and burning piles of oranges to keep the prices high”—both guilty of crimes in Steinbeck's view. And the human story is intricately tied to the land story. Without the land, there is only a nightmarish stasis for the Joads—although there is constant movement across a continent in search of work, they seem not to go anywhere, for they have left their hearts behind.
Filthy “Others” in 1990s Environmentalist Fiction: From Steinbeck to Boyle
Authors: Yosef-Paz Netta Bar 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
T. C. Boyle's The Tortilla Curtain (1995) begins by paying homage to John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath (1939): Boyle's epigraph, quoted from Steinbeck's novel, creates a direct analogy between the Okies and the Mexican immigrants, their (im)migration, and their subsequent fate. Indeed, both novels protest against the Californians' attitude toward the weakened “Other” who struggles to make a living in their home state. As critics have noted, the parallels between the two novels are visible in various features, structural as well as thematic. Similar themes include the Californian Edenic dream, the economic depression, and a critique of consumer culture. I argue that a deeper similarity between the novels is their common preoccupation with filth. This focus, overlooked by scholars, can be read as part of an entire subgenre which I call “filth-fiction.” Exploring the novels' shared interest in the racial and socioeconomic significations of filth and the latter's connection to the ecological aspects, my article demonstrates how Tortilla—like the entire corpus of novels within this subgenre—carefully follows Steinbeck's lead despite the fact that it depicts a different racial layout. As my analysis shows, the impact of The Grapes of Wrath on contemporary U.S. fiction is evident, both in the representations of filthy “Others” and in the environmental awareness.
Thoughts from Algeria on Islamic Echoes in The Grapes of Wrath
Authors: Mohamed Ben Ali Chaker , Aboubou Hachemi 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
This article sheds light on some echoes of Islamic principles in The Grapes of Wrath. Despite the fact that there exists extensive commentary on the religious orientation of some of Steinbeck's works (one thinks of the commentaries offered on Christian, and even Confucian and Judaic, elements of some works), up until now there has been no significant emphasis on Steinbeck's integration of Islamic elements into this text. This novel revolves around six main themes: minding one's own business, patience, the cave motif, dignity, usury, and the phalanx theory. Although there is no definitive proof of Steinbeck's purposeful incorporation of these Islamic themes, a careful reading of the novel illustrates that there are a number of echoes of Islam in The Grapes of Wrath.
Selection of Lactic Acid Bacteria for the Optimized Production of Sheep’s Milk Yogurt with a High Conjugated Linoleic Acid Content
Authors: Kuhl Gabriela Christina , Gusso Ana Paula , Simas Porto Brenda Lee , Olivera Müller Carmen Maria , Mazzon Ricardo Ruiz , Leal de Oliveira Marcone Augusto , Pereira dos Santos Richards Neila Silvia , De Dea Lindner Juliano 
Published: June 2017

Thirty-five different lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains were screened for their conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers (C18:2 cis-9, trans-11 and C18:2 trans-10, cis-12) producing ability from linoleic acid (LA) in sheep’s milk. Preliminary experiments revealed that Lactobacillus delbrüeckii ssp. bulgaricus 2230 and Streptococcus thermophilus St 360 among the screened strains had the highest CLA-producing ability. This two strains were assayed in an 11-run fractional factorial design to investigate the effect of four variables included glucose, powdered sheep milk, LA and inoculum ratio on CLA production in a sheep’s milk yogurt. The optimum conditions for producing the highest levels of CLA (42.86%) were obtained by adding 10.00 mg/mL of glucose, 30.00 mg/mL of powdered sheep milk, 0.90 mg/mL of LA and a 1:2 (St:Lb) ratio of bacterial strains in the inoculum. This CLA-rich sheep’s milk yogurt could be an important supplementary food source for increasing the CLA in the human diet.
Suboccipital dermatomyotomic stimulation and digital blood flow
Authors: Purdy W. Randolph , Frank Jesse J. , Oliver, Brent 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
The effect of gentle, soft tissue manipulation in the suboccipital region on digital blood flow, as a measure of sympathetic nervous system activity, was studied. Digital strain gauge plethysmography was used to measure the changes in pulse contour during (1) a normative test period with the subject in the supine position, (2) after a control interval (placebo) during which the investigator placed his hands under the suboccipital region, and (3) after an interval during which the investigator's fingers applied slow, steady, circular kneading in the suboccipital triangle region. Twenty-five studies were performed in a crossover design with the patient as his or her own control. Total pulse amplitude (Y) and the height from the dicrotic notch to the peak (X) were measured. Examination of the total data of all subjects revealed the occurrence of a significant change in X and Y with simply touching the suboccipital region with the hands. An even more favorable response ensued when suboccipital manipulation was applied. Those subjects reporting comfort or neutral responses had larger significant changes with manipulation when compared with the group reporting the experience as uncomfortable. The response within each group suggests that favorable autonomic changes (sympathetic dampening) occur with specific suboccipital manipulation as well as, indeed, the simple touching of the suboccipital triangle.
Giant sigmoid diverticulum
Authors: D’Almeida Michael J. , McQuiston James H. 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
A 49-year-old man was seen with an unusual complication of diverticulitis-a giant sigmoid diverticulum. This patient had undergone an extensive workup during a 5year period, ranging from multiple extensive gastroenterology evaluations and procedures to an eventual psychiatric evaluation to rule out the possibility of a functional cause for his chronic, intermittent abdominal pain. Later, an accurate diagnosis of a giant sigmoid diverticulum resulted in an en bloc resection of the sigmoid colon and cyst. The patient had an uncomplicated recovery with no return of his previous symptoms. The authors review the many proposed causes of the giant sigmoid diverticulum and possible differential diagnoses. Initially, the diagnosis is usually missed as plain roentgenograms, upper and lower gastrointestinal x-ray studies, and computed tomography scans generally show no abnormality. Management methods are also discussed.
Identification of two CiGADs from Caragana intermedia and their transcriptional responses to abiotic stresses and exogenous abscisic acid
Authors: Ji Jing , Zheng Lingyu , Yue Jianyun , Yao Xiamei , Chang Ermei , Xie Tiantian , Deng Nan , Chen Lanzhen , Huang Yuwen , Jiang Zeping , Shi Shengqing 
Published: June 2017

Background
Glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), as a key enzyme in the γ -aminobutyric acid (GABA) shunt, catalyzes the decarboxylation of L-glutamate to form GABA. This pathway has attracted much interest because of its roles in carbon and nitrogen metabolism, stress responses, and signaling in higher plants. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize genes encoding GADs from Caragana intermedia, an important nitrogen-fixing leguminous shrub.

Methods
Two full-length cDNAs encoding GADs (designated as CiGAD1 and CiGAD2) were isolated and characterized. Multiple alignment and phylogenetic analyses were conducted to evaluate their structures and identities to each other and to homologs in other plants. Tissue expression analyses were conducted to evaluate their transcriptional responses to stress (NaCl, ZnSO4, CdCl2, high/low temperature, and dehydration) and exogenous abscisic acid.

Results
The CiGADs contained the conserved PLP domain and calmodulin (CaM)-binding domain in the C-terminal region. The phylogenetic analysis showed that they were more closely related to the GADs of soybean, another legume, than to GADs of other model plants. According to Southern blotting analysis, CiGAD1 had one copy and CiGAD2-related genes were present as two copies in C. intermedia. In the tissue expression analyses, there were much higher transcript levels of CiGAD2 than CiGAD1 in bark, suggesting that CiGAD2 might play a role in secondary growth of woody plants. Several stress treatments (NaCl, ZnSO4, CdCl2, high/low temperature, and dehydration) significantly increased the transcript levels of both CiGADs, except for CiGAD2 under Cd stress. The CiGAD1 transcript levels strongly increased in response to Zn stress (74.3-fold increase in roots) and heat stress (218.1-fold increase in leaves). The transcript levels of both CiGADs significantly increased as GABA accumulated during a 24-h salt treatment. Abscisic acid was involved in regulating the expression of these two CiGADs under salt stress.

Discussion
This study showed that two CiGADs cloned from C. intermedia are closely related to homologs in another legume, soybean. CiGAD2 expression was much higher than that of CiGAD1 in bark, indicating that CiGAD2 might participate in the process of secondary growth in woody plants. Multiple stresses, interestingly, showed that Zn and heat stresses had the strongest effects on CiGAD1 expression, suggesting that CiGAD1 plays important roles in the responses to Zn and heat stresses. Additionally, these two genes might be involved in ABA dependent pathway during stress. This result provides important information about the role of GADs in woody plants’ responses to environmental stresses.
Controls on the distribution of fluorescent dissolved organic matter during an under‐ice algal bloom in the western Arctic Ocean
Authors: Mendoza Wilson G. , Weiss Elliot L. , Schieber Brian , Greg Mitchell B. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractIn this study we used fluorescence excitation and emission matrix spectroscopy, hydrographic data, and a self‐organizing map (SOM) analysis to assess the spatial distribution of labile and refractory fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) for the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas at the time of a massive under‐ice phytoplankton bloom during early summer 2011. Biogeochemical properties were assessed through decomposition of water property classes and sample classification that employed a SOM neural network‐based analysis which classified 10 clusters from 269 samples and 17 variables. The terrestrial, humic‐like component FDOM (ArC1, 4.98 ± 1.54 Quinine Sulfate Units (QSU)) and protein‐like component FDOM (ArC3, 1.63 ± 0.88 QSU) were found to have elevated fluorescence in the Lower Polar Mixed Layer (LPML) (salinity ~29.56 ± 0.76). In the LPML water mass, the observed contribution of meteoric water fraction was 17%, relative to a 12% contribution from the sea ice melt fraction. The labile ArC3‐protein‐like component (2.01 ± 1.92 QSU) was also observed to be elevated in the Pacific Winter Waters mass, where the under‐ice algal bloom was observed (~40–50 m). We interpreted these relationships to indicate that the accumulation and variable distribution of the protein‐like component on the shelf could be influenced directly by sea ice melt, transport, and mixing processes and indirectly by the in situ algal bloom and microbial activity. ArC5, corresponding to what is commonly considered marine humic FDOM, indicated a bimodal distribution with high values in both the freshest and saltiest waters. The association of ArC5 with deep, dense salty water is consistent with this component as refractory humic‐like FDOM, whereas our evidence of a terrestrial origin challenges this classic paradigm for this component.
Ionospheric control of the dawn‐dusk asymmetry of the Mars magnetotail current sheet
Authors: Liemohn Michael W. , Xu Shaosui , Dong Chuanfei , Bougher Stephen W. , Johnson Blake C. , Ilie Raluca , De Zeeuw Darren L. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThis study investigates the role of solar EUV intensity at controlling the location of the Mars magnetotail current sheet and the structure of the lobes. Four simulation results are examined from a multifluid magnetohydrodynamic model. The solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions are held constant, and the Mars crustal field sources are omitted from the simulation configuration. This isolates the influence of solar EUV. It is found that solar maximum conditions, regardless of season, result in a Venus‐like tail configuration with the current sheet shifted to the −Y (dawnside) direction. Solar minimum conditions result in a flipped tail configuration with the current sheet shifted to the +Y (duskside) direction. The lobes follow this pattern, with the current sheet shifting away from the larger lobe with the higher magnetic field magnitude. The physical process responsible for this solar EUV control of the magnetotail is the magnetization of the dayside ionosphere. During solar maximum, the ionosphere is relatively strong and the draped IMF field lines quickly slip past Mars. At solar minimum, the weaker ionosphere allows the draped IMF to move closer to the planet. These lower altitudes of the closest approach of the field line to Mars greatly hinder the day‐to‐night flow of magnetic flux. This results in a buildup of magnetic flux in the dawnside lobe as the S‐shaped topology on that side of the magnetosheath extends farther downtail. The study demonstrates that the Mars dayside ionosphere exerts significant control over the nightside induced magnetosphere of that planet.