bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ensuring continued progress in biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Turner Martin R. , Benatar Michael 
Published: October 2014

ABSTRACTMultiple candidate biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have emerged across a range of platforms. Replication of results, however, has been absent in all but a few cases, and the range of control samples has been limited. If progress toward clinical translation is to continue, the specific biomarker needs of ALS, which differ from those of other neurodegenerative disorders, as well as the challenges inherent to longitudinal ALS biomarker cohorts, must be understood. Appropriate application of multimodal approaches, international collaboration, presymptomatic studies, and biomarker integration into future therapeutic trials are among the essential priorities going forward. Muscle Nerve 51: 14–18, 2015
THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF PENSION REFORMS IN INDIA
Authors: Bali Azad Singh 
Published: October 2014

SUMMARYIndia's far‐reaching civil service pension reforms in 2008 provided its fragmented and diffuse pension system a unifying organizing framework. The design and architecture of the reformed civil service program, the National Pension System, was subsequently extended to those employed in private formal and informal sectors. The article assesses India's pension reforms and identifies challenges for the National Pension System in providing old‐age income security. The article also presents estimates for universal social pension scheme and argues that its implementation is constrained by political factors and not necessarily by fiscal constraints. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
GOVERNANCE AND STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT IN THE DUTCH PENSION INDUSTRY, LESSONS FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Authors: de Kruijf Johan A. M. , de Vries Michiel S. 
Published: October 2014

SUMMARYThe article discusses governance structure and stakeholder involvement in pension plan reforms. Although the global financial crisis has put pressure on pension reforms, some reforms were implemented earlier because of sustainability issues that had emerged on the basis of, among other issues, demographic trends. We show, based on Dutch experiences, that stakeholders and individual participants in particular were only partially involved in these changes. On the basis of these findings, we propose some tools to improve stakeholder involvement, which can contribute to sustainable support from stakeholders to pension plans. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PENSION REFORM IN THE EUROPEAN PERIPHERY: THE ROLE OF EU REFORM ADVOCACY
Authors: Stepan Matthias , Anderson Karen M. 
Published: October 2014

SUMMARYThis paper analyzes the impact of international reform advocacy on national pension reforms. We analyze European Union (EU) reform advocacy in two EU member states: Greece and Hungary. Although the EU has articulated a fairly coherent template for sustainable pensions, its use of soft coordination to influence national reforms has repeatedly collided with resistance to reform in the member states. As a result, EU soft law initiatives have had limited impact on pension reforms. In contrast, the sovereign debt crisis that began in 2009 provided a new push for EU reform advocacy because it gave the “troika” (the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund) substantial influence on pension reform in two countries affected by the debt crisis: Greece and Hungary. Analysis of the two countries' pension reform trajectories allows us first to determine to what extent Greek and Hungarian pension reforms conform to the EU's reform template and, second, how the troika conditionality has a causal impact on the content of reforms in both countries. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Structure and properties of polyimide fibers containing benzimidazole and Amide Units
Authors: Yin Chaoqing , Dong Jie , Zhang Zixin , Zhang Qinghua , Lin Jinyou 
Published: October 2014

ABSTRACTCo‐polyimide (co‐PI) fibers with outstanding mechanical properties were fabricated via thermal imidization of polyamic acids, derived from a new design of combining the amide and benzimidazole diamine monomers, 4‐amino‐N‐(4‐aminophenyl)benzamide (DABA) and 2‐(4‐aminophenyl)‐5‐aminobenzimidazole (BIA), with 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA). The crystalline structure and micromorphology of the prepared co‐PI fibers were investigated by synchrotron wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) and small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). The two‐dimensional WAXD spectra imply that the co‐PI fibers possess a structure between smectic‐like and three‐dimensionally ordered crystalline phase, and all the obtained fibers are highly oriented along the fiber axis. SAXS patterns exhibit a pair of meridional scattering streaks for the homo‐PI (BPDA/BIA) fiber, suggesting the presence of periodic lamellar structure. The incorporation of DABA into the polymer chains destroyed the lamellar structure but led to smaller size of microvoids upon increasing DABA moiety, based on SAXS analysis. The co‐PI fibers, with the molar ratio of BIA/DABA being 7/3, exhibited the optimum tensile strength and modulus of 1.96 and 108.3 GPa, respectively, attributed to the well‐defined ordered and dense structure. The chemical structure and molecular packing significantly affected the thermal stability of fibers, resulting in the different glass transition temperatures (Tg) from 350 to 380 °C. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015, 53, 183–191
Coarse‐grained molecular dynamics simulations of stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(vinyl chloride) blends
Authors: Wu Chaofu 
Published: October 2014

ABSTRACTThe stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(vinyl chloride) blends with a wide formulation range are extensively simulated using the coarse‐grained (CG) molecular dynamics (MD) method. To improve the representability, the bonded CG potentials are re‐parameterized against the atomistic simulated melt systems whereas the nonbonded CG potentials are adopted as developed in our previous work. Based on the CG potentials, the MD simulations reproduce all the local distributions of pure systems and the miscibility of mixed systems. Moreover, the global conformational properties are also closer to the target ones than those obtained using the previous CG potentials. The changes in density and volume upon mixing are computed together with the energies of mixing. They are all negative over the entire composition range and indicate stronger intermolecular interactions between distinct components than those between identical components. In particular, it is found that upon mixing the changes in density are insensible to chain tacticity but the changes in volume and the energies of mixing do, which quantitatively confirms that both inter‐molecular interactions and free‐volumes mainly contribute to the observed phase behaviors. Such models and methods reported herein can be used to quickly optimize formulations of polymer blends. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015, 53, 203–212
Discovery of serum biomarkers of ovarian cancer using complementary proteomic profiling strategies
Authors: Timms John F. , Arslan‐Low Elif , Kabir Musarat , Worthington Jenny , Camuzeaux Stephane , Sinclair John , Szaub Joanna , Afrough Babak , Podust Vladimir N. , Fourkala Evangelia‐Ourania , Cubizolles Myriam , Kronenberg Florian , Fung Eric T. , Gentry‐Maharaj Aleksandra , Menon Usha , Jacobs Ian 
Published: October 2014

PurposeOvarian cancer is a devastating disease and biomarkers for its early diagnosis are urgently required. Serum may be a valuable source of biomarkers that may be revealed by proteomic profiling. Herein, complementary serum protein profiling strategies were employed for discovery of biomarkers that could discriminate cases of malignant and benign ovarian cancer.Experimental designIdentically collected and processed serum samples from 22 cases of invasive epithelial ovarian cancer, 45 benign ovarian neoplasms, and 64 healthy volunteers were subjected to immunodepletion and protein equalization coupled to 2D‐DIGE/MS and multidimensional fractionation coupled to SELDI‐TOF profiling with MS/MS for protein identification. Selected candidates were verified by ELISA in samples from malignant (n = 70) and benign (n = 89) cases and combined marker panels tested against serum CA125.ResultsBoth profiling platforms were complementary in identifying biomarker candidates, four of which (A1AT, SLPI, APOA4, VDBP) significantly discriminated malignant from benign cases. However, no combination of markers was as good as CA125 for diagnostic accuracy. SLPI was further tested as an early marker using prediagnosis serum samples. While it rose in cases toward diagnosis, it did not discriminate prediagnosis cases from controls.Conclusions and clinical relevanceThe candidate biomarkers warrant further validation in independent sample sets.
Using the Concept of Zone of Proximal Development to Explore the Challenges of and Opportunities in Designing Discourse Activities Based on Practical Work
Authors: MESTAD IDAR , KOLSTØ STEIN DANKERT 
Published: October 2014

ABSTRACTThis article reports a study in which two researchers collaborated with five teachers to facilitate discourse activities aimed to enhance students’ learning from practical activities. The paper explores how certain teacher practices support or hinder students’ learning. Four cases from the study were analyzed in depth using Vygotsky's concept “the zone of proximal development” and Wallace's notion of language authenticity. The analyses indicated that although respected pedagogical principles underlie teaching, students’ use their own prior concepts to a limited degree to express their developing understanding of inquiry into scientific phenomena and ideas. The analyses showed how the teachers emphasized theoretical knowledge and hoped to enable the students to correctly interpret their observations and apply scientific theory. However, this emphasis hindered students’ articulations of their developing understanding. The results indicated that working within students’ zones of proximal development during practical activities requires a novel approach. Based on Wallace's notion of “third space,” we argue that it is important to encourage students to work with their own authentic language to develop a more scientific language when performing practical work.
Conodonts in the Upper Ordovician Keisley Limestone of northern England: taxonomy, biostratigraphical significance and biogeographical relationships
Authors: Bergström Stig M. , Ferretti Annalisa 
Published: October 2014

AbstractThe classical fauna from the Keisley Limestone, one of the first Upper Ordovician conodont faunas described from the UK, is re‐evaluated based on relatively abundant collections of well‐preserved conodont elements representing 20 multielement taxa. Common taxa are representatives of Amorphognathus duftonus, Birksfeldia circumplicata, Eocarniodus aff. E. gracilis, Hamarodus brevirameus, Scabbardella altipes, Strachanognathus parvus and several coniform species. These occur with more rare specimens of, among others, Aphelognathus nudus, Amorphognathus aff. A. ordovicicus, Dapsilodus mutatus, Icriodella prominens, Icriodella rhodesi sp. nov. and Protopanderodus liripipus. One new species is proposed, and the concepts of Birksfeldia, Gamachignathus, Icriodella and Notiodella are discussed. It is proposed that Birksfeldia is a senior synonym of Gamachignathus and Notiodella a junior synonym of Icriodella. The described Keisley species association, which represents the A. ordovicicus Zone and is of late Katian (Ka4) age, is closely similar to those of the Boda Limestone of south‐central Sweden and some other European faunas, but coeval shallow‐water faunas from eastern North America differ in several respects from these European faunas. Biostratigraphy and carbon isotope chemostratigraphy indicate that most of the Keisley Limestone is of late Katian age.
Comparison of 3 surveys for estimating forest grouse population trends
Authors: Hansen Michael C. , Hagen Christian A. , Budeau David A. , Coggins Victor L. , Reishus Brandon S. 
Published: October 2014

ABSTRACTBiologists in Oregon, USA, have routinely collected information on forest grouse populations over a 31‐year period (1981–2011) by 3 methods; however, it is unknown how well these methods detected variation in forest grouse abundance over time. We compared brood surveys, collection of hunter‐harvested grouse parts (wings and tails), and hunter‐harvest surveys to determine which annual survey was most useful as an index to forest grouse population trends in northeastern Oregon. All 3 surveys tracked both dusky (Dendragapus obscurus) and ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) through 2 peaks in abundance separated by 14 years; however, stochastic variation resulting from small sample sizes reduced annual correlations among the methods. Grouse wing and tail collection was more informative than the other 2 indices because it exhibited the least annual variation, as well as provided estimates of both reproductive success and population size. Usefulness of hunter surveys was limited by funding, quality control, and lack of information on reproductive success. Brood surveys were the least useful of these indices because of inadequate sample sizes, particularly for ruffed grouse. The primary advantage of the brood survey was that it was available prior to the hunting season and could potentially help forecast the number of grouse available for the autumn hunting season. We recommend that grouse wing collections be continued, that consistency of hunter surveys be emphasized, and that sample size of brood surveys be increased to provide more reliable data. © 2015 The Wildlife Society.
Getting rid of the unwanted: highlights of developments and challenges of biobeneficiation of iron ore minerals—a review
Authors: Adeleke Rasheed A 
Published: October 2014

AbstractThe quest for quality mineral resources has led to the development of many technologies that can be used to refine minerals. Biohydrometallurgy is becoming an increasingly acceptable technology worldwide because it is cheap and environmentally friendly. This technology has been successfully developed for some sulphidic minerals such as gold and copper. In spite of wide acceptability of this technology, there are limitations to its applications especially in the treatment of non-sulphidic minerals such as iron ore minerals. High levels of elements such as potassium (K) and phosphorus (P) in iron ore minerals are known to reduce the quality and price of these minerals. Hydrometallurgical methods that are non-biological involving the use of chemicals are usually used to deal with this problem. However, recent advances in mining technologies favour green technologies, known as biohydrometallurgy, with minimal impact on the environment. This technology can be divided into two, namely bioleaching and biobeneficiation. This review focuses on Biobeneficiation of iron ore minerals. Biobeneficiation of iron ore is very challenging due to the low price and chemical constitution of the ore. There are substantial interests in the exploration of this technology for improving the quality of iron ore minerals. In this review, current developments in the biobeneficiation of iron ore minerals are considered, and potential solutions to challenges faced in the wider adoption of this technology are proposed.
Perceptions and Attitudes About Genetic Counseling Among Residents of a Midwestern Rural Area
Authors: Riesgraf Rachel J. , Veach Patricia McCarthy , MacFarlane Ian M. , LeRoy Bonnie S. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractRelatively few investigations of the public's perceptions and attitudes about genetic counseling exist, and most are limited to individuals at‐risk for a specific disease. In this study 203 individuals from a Midwest rural area completed an anonymous survey assessing their familiarity with genetic counseling; perceptions of genetic counseling purpose, scope, and practice; attitudes toward genetic counseling/counselors; and willingness to use genetic counseling services. Although very few respondents were familiar with genetic counseling, most reported accurate perceptions and positive attitudes; mean ratings, however, showed less endorsement of trust in information provided by genetic counselors and less agreement that genetic counseling aligns with their values. Logistic regression indicated reported willingness to use genetic counseling services increased if respondents: had completed some college; rated their familiarity with genetic counseling as high; agreed with the statements: genetic counseling may be useful to someone with cancer in their family, genetic counseling is in line with my values, and genetic counselors advise women to get abortions when there is a problem; and disagreed with the statements: genetic counseling is only useful to a small group of people with rare diseases, and genetic counselors must receive a lot of special training. Additional findings, practice implications, and research recommendations are presented.
Association between mammographic features and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced breast carcinoma
Authors: Castaneda Carlos A , Flores Raymundo , Rojas Katerin , Flores Claudio , Castillo Miluska , Milla Esperanza 
Published: October 2014

PURPOSE:
Mammography is the cornerstone of breast cancer (BC) evaluation. This report investigates whether breast density (BD) and mammographic features of the tumor can provide information on both BC susceptibility to chemotherapy and other clinicopathologic features of locally advanced BC (LA BC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS:
We evaluated mammography films and clinicopathological information of patients with LA BC who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by tumor resection at the Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas (INEN) from 2000 to 2011.

RESULTS:
We selected 494 LA BC cases. Most cases were at clinical tumor stage 4 (48.5%), node stage 1 (58.8%) and had high histologic grade (53.3%). BI-RADS 1, 2, 3, and 4 BD were found in 16.9%, 22%, 35.7% and 25.1% of patients, respectively. High BD has been associated with younger age (p < 0.001), obesity (p = 0.017) and no skin infiltration (T3 vs T4) (p = 0.018). An association between dusty microcalcifications and HER2 group, as well as between casting microcalcifications and TN BC group (p = 0.05) was found. NAC included anthracyclines and taxanes in 422 (85.5%) cases. Miller-Payne pathologic responses 4 and 5 (pCR) in the primary lesion and absence of axillary lymph nodes involvement were found in 15.3% of cases and were associated with younger age (p < 0.001) and HG-3 lesions (p < 0.001), but not with mammographic images.

CONCLUSION:
Mammographic features are associated with specific clinicopathological features of pre-NAC BC lesions but do not predict pCR. The implications and biological reasons for these findings require further study.
Characterization, treatment, and outcome of uveal melanoma in the first two years of life
Authors: Yousef Yacoub A , Alkilany Mais 
Published: October 2014

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:
Features and characteristics of uveal melanoma are well described in adults, but little is known about the presentation of uveal melanoma in infancy.

DESIGN:
Systematic literature review.

METHODS:
A review of published, peer-reviewed literature reporting on uveal melanoma presenting during the first two years of life. Outcome measures included demographics, clinical features, histopathological findings, extent of the disease, therapeutic interventions, management outcomes, association with skin lesions or systemic diseases, and survival data.

RESULTS:
This review revealed 13 reported cases (seven boys and six girls) of uveal melanoma diagnosed within the first two years of life. The median age at diagnosis was seven months. Orbital mass and proptosis were the most common presentations (38%); only one tumor (8%) was melanotic, and pathologically 10 tumors (77%) had epithelioid component. Associated pigmented skin lesions (cutaneous disease) were seen in six cases (46%). All affected eyes were surgically removed; three patients received chemotherapy, and one received radiotherapy. At a median follow-up of 25 months, two patients (15%) had metastasis, and one of them (8%) was dead at six months' follow-up with liver and multi-organ metastasis.

CONCLUSIONS:
Uveal melanoma can present within the first two years of life. In very rare cases, it can present as an intraocular tumor that simulates retinoblastoma, but it can also present as an orbital tumor. It has a tendency to affect patients with cutaneous diseases like familial atypical mole, melanoma syndrome, and dysplastic nevus syndrome. Despite this, uveal melanoma in this group has a more favorable prognosis than adult melanoma.
TEXTS, PERFORMANCE, AND SPECTACLE: THE FUNERAL PROCESSION OF MARQUIS YI OF ZENG, 433 B.C.E.
Authors: Habberstad Luke 
Published: October 2014

AbstractThis article analyzes the bamboo strips recovered from the northern chamber of the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng (d. 433b.c.e.). It argues that the strips comprised at least two separate texts that were integral to the organization and performance of the Marquis's funerary cortège. One text lists on individual strips the chariots and horse teams used in the procession, as well as their donors, categorizing them under bureaucratic offices. A second text describes these same chariots one after another, along with their drivers, decorations, and armor. Counting marks next to each of the chariot names appear to have verified the written totals found in the text. This evidence demonstrates that the director of the cortège combined together donated materials from a vast geographic area in order to create a distinctive funerary spectacle that displayed the wealth, status, and power of the Marquis and the state of Zeng. The article further argues that characterizing the Zeng texts as “inventories” (qian'ce遣策)—so often analyzed for evidence of ideas about the afterlife—hardly does justice to the complex role that the texts played in the funeral procession and Zeng royal display. It concludes that this political display function drove the production of the texts and the organization of the funeral, not least because Marquis Yi's heir and Zeng state officials would have wanted to ensure a smooth transfer of power.
Doubly localized states in plane Couette flow
Authors: Eckhardt Bruno 
Published: October 2014

AbstractMuch of our understanding of the transition to turbulence in flows without a linear instability came with the discovery and characterization of fully three-dimensional solutions to the Navier–Stokes equation. The first examples in plane Couette flow were periodic in both spanwise and streamwise directions, and could explain the transitions in small domains only. The presence of localized turbulent spots in larger domains, the spatiotemporal decoherence on larger scales and the ability to trigger turbulence with pointwise perturbations require solutions that are localized in both directions, like the one presented by Brand & Gibson (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 750, 2014, R3). They describe a steady solution of the Navier–Stokes equations and characterize in unprecedented detail, including an analytic computation of its localization properties. The study opens up new ways to describe localized turbulent patches.