bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Val Lewton and the Grand-Guignol: Mademoiselle Fifi and horror canonicity
Authors: DeGiglio-Bellemare Mario 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
This article explores a film produced by Val Lewton that is not usually included within his horror canon, Mademoiselle Fifi (Wise, 1944), as embodying important elements of the tradition of the Grand-Guignol theatre. The Grand-Guignol was the infamous Paris theatre (1897–1962) popularly associated with excessive onstage blood-letting, vitriol burns and dismemberment. I argue that the Grand-Guignol and Lewton’s film have much more in common than is often considered by scholars of the horror genre. Because of the film’s explicitness with respect to its politics and use of violence, even under the Production Code, Mademoiselle Fifi challenges the myth of Lewton, as a man of the shadows, of restraint and the indirect. I argue that the terms ‘Lewtonesque’ and ‘grand-guignolesque’ are not mutually exclusive, dislodging the reductive dichotomy (terror/horror) about the Lewton canon and the horror genre more broadly. Moreover, I consider the Grand-Guignol stage in ways that move beyond its popular misrepresentation as solely a place of excessive bloodletting by retrieving such techniques as ‘signposting’ and the ‘moment of violence’, usually associated with the experience of hidden terror, not only visible horror. This article locates Val Lewton’s work within a more complex set of intertextual convergences in order to broaden narrow understandings of horror canonicity.
The legend of disorder: The living dead, disorder and autoimmunity in Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend
Authors: Cohen Simchi 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
This article positions Richard Matheson’s 1954 vampire novel I Am Legend in the context of a zombie lineage, closing the widely discussed gap between the vampire and the zombie in order to address the way in which Matheson’s vampires not only literally inspire the emergence of the modern zombie but moreover highlight the model of infection that came to define the zombie. By tracing binaries in Matheson’s novel – order/disorder, immunity/autoimmunity – this article considers how Matheson’s vampires reveal the implicitly violent order in the zombie’s disorderly infection. I Am Legend’s model of infection – its zombieness –underscores the relationship between the plague and the order it induces, as well as the self-negating violence inherent in that order. As they extend the lineage from vampire to zombie, the living dead here draw attention to the underlying theme of contagion that runs throughout the zombie narrative. This article therefore locates Matheson’s work not only in a pop-cultural domain but in a larger theoretical discussion of biopolitics and autoimmunity (via Michel Foucault, Roberto Esposito, and Jacques Derrida) in order to argue that the very state of living dead disorder emerges as a positive state in its relationship to the category of the autoimmune, and that I Am Legend rescripts the categories of ‘disorder’ and ‘living dead’ from post-apocalyptic to redemptive.
Frenetic aesthetics: Observational horror and spectatorship
Authors: Raimondo Matthew J. 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
This article examines a contemporary subgenre of horror cinema that appropriates the aesthetics of observational documentary. In these films the camera exists in the diegesis; the camera is usually controlled by a character and is meant to move in a way that plausibly represents how this person would handle it if the situation were real. The term ‘observational horror’ is given to the subgenre as an alternative to ‘mockumentary’, which is a style of film that stands in contrast to it. The article focuses on the unique nature of viewing experience these films promote. It argues that spectators are confronted with instability, a paradox in regards to what is promised by these films, what and how this is delivered, and how and why this makes them feel and react in particular ways. The article includes close readings of The Blair Witch Project, [REC], Cloverfield and Paranormal Activity.
Contemporary South African horror: On meat, neo-liberalism and the postcolonial politics of a global form
Authors: Duncan Rebecca 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
Following the postapartheid encounter with neo-liberal economics, South African cultural production has begun to register the influence of global, popular forms borne into the country on the tide of multinational capital. Horror is one such commercial mode the manifestation of which, in contemporary South Africa, is thus bound up with processes of economic globalization. Its deployment in the country is also, however, committed to unveiling the brutalities and dehumanizations underpinning the neo-liberal operation of global capital. In these texts, economic deprivation and exploitation are made to resonate with the country’s history of racial oppression, and are given brutal form as evocations of the person become meat. The circumscribed position in which such narratives situate themselves – their critique of the processes which sustain them – is the focus of this article’s final stages: I suggest we read South Africa’s horror, not as complicit in some invalidating way, but as an experimental exploration of modes and voices in a postapartheid culture unrestrained by polarizing ethical demands to oppose the racist state. South African horror arises, then, in a context where the binary is losing purchase as a model for dissent, and this observation, I venture, may have implications not simply for the postapartheid production of such narratives, but for wider manifestations of the genre too.
Studies on Reproductive Biology ofMicrosorum alternifoliumCopel.
Authors: Srivastava Ruchi , Uniyal P. L. , Kholia B. S. 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTMicrosorum alternifoliumis a threatened fern of the family Polypodiaceae. Present paper deals with the events of spore germination, gametophyte growth and differentiation, ontogeny of sex organs and development of sporophytes inin vitroconditions. Spore germination and prothallial development is ofVittaria-type andDrynaria-type, respectively. Frequency of sporophyte production was 44% in composite gametophyte populations, while no sporophytes were produced in isolate population. SinceM. alternifoliumwas found to have no capacity to form sporophyte through intra-gametophytic selfing, it is not a pioneer colonizer in barren land. Instead, it reproduces by inter-gametophytic selfing and also possibly by crossing. The main cause of rarity could be genetic barriers and over exploitation for economic purposes. Conservation of this taxon in the natural habitat is urgently required.
Commercial Laboratory Testing of Excision Repair Cross-Complementation Group 1 Expression in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Schneider Jeffrey G. , Farhadfar Nosha , Sivapiragasam Abirami , Geller Matthew , Islam Shahidul , Selbs Elena 
Published: April 2014

Abstract

Introduction.
Excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) expression by non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been reported to predict resistance to platinum-based therapies. On this basis, several commercial laboratories have offered ERCC1 testing to facilitate clinical decision making, but the reliability of such assays has recently been called into question.

Methods.
First, three large commercial laboratories were queried for their cumulative ERCC1 test results in NSCLC patients to compare their independent rates of ERCC1 expression. Second, identical tumor blocks from individual NSCLC patients underwent round-robin analysis to evaluate interlaboratory concordance for ERCC1 expression. Third, a retrospective review of medical records from NSCLC patients identified those who were both highly responsive and resistant to platinum-based chemotherapies. Tumor blocks from these patients were then used in a gold standard analysis to determine individual laboratory sensitivity and specificity for ERCC1 results.

Results.
Significant differences were observed in independent laboratory ERRC1 expression rates (Clarient 70% vs. Genzyme 60% vs. Third Laboratory 44%, p &lt; .0001 for all two-way comparisons). Only 4 of 18 tumors examined in round-robin analysis were fully concordant (κ ≤ 0.222 for all two-way comparisons). In preselected platinum responsive and resistant specimens, none of these three commercially marketed laboratory assays achieved a specificity of greater than 50%.

Conclusion.
The results of commercial laboratory testing for ERCC1 are inconsistent and unreliable. Better validation and postmarketing surveillance should be mandated before tumor biomarker assays are allowed to enter the clinical arena.
STAT3 Inhibitors: Finding a Home in Lymphoma and Leukemia
Authors: Munoz Javier , Dhillon Navjot , Janku Filip , Watowich Stephanie S. , Hong David S. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe Janus kinase (JAK) and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway is an active mediator of cytokine signaling in the pathogenesis of solid and hematologic malignancies. The seven-member STAT family is composed of latent cytoplasmic transcription factors that are activated by phosphorylation intertwined in a network with activation that ultimately leads to cell proliferation. An activated kinase enzyme phosphorylates one STAT factor or more, which shuttle to the nucleus to regulate gene expression, promoting cell survival. Somatic STAT3 mutations have been recently reported in large granular lymphocytic leukemia, aplastic anemia, and myelodysplastic syndrome. Furthermore, the relationship between BCL6 and STAT3 in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas, particularly on the activated B-cell subtype, needs to be further explored. The search for therapeutic STAT3 inhibitors that abrogate the JAK/STAT pathway is currently under way. Targeting the STAT pathway, which seems to be critical in tumorigenesis, is promising for multiple malignancies including lymphoma and leukemia. In this paper, we review mechanisms of action, failures, and successes of STAT3 inhibitors.
Social Robots vs. Computer Display: Does the Way Social Stories are Delivered Make a Difference for Their Effectiveness on ASD Children?
Authors: Pop Cristina A. , Simut Ramona E. , Pintea Sebastian , Saldien Jelle , Rusu Alina S. , Vanderfaeillie Johan , David Daniel O. , Lefeber Dirk , Vanderborght Bram 
Published: April 2014

Background and Objectives: The aim of this exploratory study is to test whether social stories presented by a social robot have a greater effect than ones presented on a computer display in increasing the independency in expressing social abilities of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Although much progress has been made in developing interventions to improve social skills of children with ASD, a number of unresolved problems still remain. Social robots received increased attention as assisting tools for improving social skills on children with ASD. Methods: Twenty children with ASD (age between 4 and 9 years old) were randomly allocated to three groups: control group ( n = 7), computer-presented social stories ( n = 6), and robot assisted therapy ( n = 7). Results: Overall, our data indicate that using the social robot to implement social story intervention was more effective for improving the independency of expressing social abilities for the participants, than the computer screen. Limitations: Future studies should include a bigger sample size, more intervention sessions, and a follow-up session in order to see if the effect persists in time. Conclusions: The preliminary outcomes of this exploratory research provide empirical bases for further investigations regarding the effectiveness of robot assisted therapy in improving social skills for children with autism through future randomized clinical trials.
Baseline Adiponectin Levels Do Not Influence the Response to Pioglitazone in ACT NOW
Authors: Tripathy Devjit , Clement Stephen C. , Schwenke Dawn C. , Banerji MaryAnn , Bray George A. , Buchanan Thomas A. , Gastaldelli Amalia , Henry Robert R. , Kitabchi Abbas E. , Mudaliar Sunder , Ratner Robert E. , Stentz Frankie B. , Musi Nicolas , Reaven Peter D. , DeFronzo Ralph A. 
Published: April 2014

OBJECTIVE
Plasma adiponectin levels are reduced in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and other insulin-resistant states. We examined whether plasma adiponectin levels at baseline and after pioglitazone treatment in impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) subjects were associated with improved insulin sensitivity (SI) and glucose tolerance status.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
A total of 602 high-risk IGT subjects in ACT NOW were randomized to receive pioglitazone or placebo with a median follow-up of 2.4 years.

RESULTS
Pioglitazone reduced IGT conversion to diabetes by 72% in association with improved β-cell function by 64% (insulin secretion/insulin resistance index) and increased tissue sensitivity by 88% (Matsuda index). In pioglitazone-treated subjects, plasma adiponectin concentration increased threefold from 13 ± 0.5 to 38 ± 2.5 μg/mL (P &lt; 0.001) and was strongly correlated with the improvement in SI (r = 0.436, P &lt; 0.001) and modestly correlated with glucose area under the curve during oral glucose tolerance test (r = 0.238, P &lt; 0.005) and insulin secretion/insulin resistance index (r = 0.306, P &lt; 0.005). The increase in adiponectin was a strong predictor of reversion to normal glucose tolerance and prevention of T2DM. In the placebo group, plasma adiponectin did not change and was not correlated with changes in glucose levels. There was an inverse association between baseline plasma adiponectin concentration and progression to diabetes in the placebo group but not in the pioglitazone group.

CONCLUSIONS
Baseline adiponectin does not predict the response to pioglitazone. The increase in plasma adiponectin concentration after pioglitazone therapy in IGT subjects is strongly related to improved glucose tolerance status and enhanced tissue sensitivity to insulin.
Involvement of Oxidative Stress–Induced DNA Damage, Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, and Autophagy Deficits in the Decline of β-Cell Mass in Japanese Type 2 Diabetic Patients
Authors: Mizukami Hiroki , Takahashi Kazunori , Inaba Wataru , Tsuboi Kentaro , Osonoi Sho , Yoshida Taro , Yagihashi Soroku 
Published: April 2014

OBJECTIVE
Deficits of β-cells characterize the islet pathology in type 2 diabetes. It is yet to be clear how the β-cell loss develops in type 2 diabetes. We explored the implication of oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–induced stress, and autophagy deficit in the β-cell decline in Japanese type 2 diabetic patients.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
Pancreases from recent autopsy cases of 47 type 2 diabetic and 30 nondiabetic subjects were investigated on the islet structure with morphometric analysis. Volume densities of islet (Vi), β-cell (Vβ), and α-cell (Vα) were measured. To evaluate cell damage of endocrine cells, immunohistochemical expressions of oxidative stress–related DNA damage as expressed by γH2AX, ER stress–related cell damage as CCAAT/enhancer 1 binding protein-β (C/EBP-β), and autophagy deficit as P62 were semiquantified, and their correlations to islet changes were sought.

RESULTS
Compared with nondiabetic subjects, Vβ was reduced in diabetic subjects. Contrariwise, there was an increase in Vα. There was a significant link between reduced Vβ and increased HbA1c levels (P &lt; 0.01) and a trend of inverse correlation between Vβ and duration of diabetes (P = 0.06). Expressions of γH2AX, P62, and C/EBP-β were all enhanced in diabetic islets, and reduced Vβ correlated with the intensity of γH2AX expression but not with C/EBP-β or P62 expressions. Combined expressions of γH2AX, P62, and C/EBP-β were associated with severe reduction of Vβ.

CONCLUSIONS
β-Cell deficit in type 2 diabetes was associated with increased oxidative stress and may further be augmented by autophagic deficits and ER stress.
Diabetes and Vascular Disease in Different Arterial Territories
Authors: Shah Binita , Rockman Caron B. , Guo Yu , Chesner Jaclyn , Schwartzbard Arthur Z. , Weintraub Howard S. , Adelman Mark A. , Riles Thomas S. , Berger Jeffrey S. 
Published: April 2014

OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between diabetes and different phenotypes of peripheral vascular disease (lower extremity peripheral artery disease [PAD], carotid artery stenosis [CAS], and abdominal aortic aneurysm [AAA]).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
Prevalence of vascular disease was evaluated in 3,696,778 participants of the Life Line Screening survey between 2003 and 2008. PAD was defined as ankle-brachial pressure index &lt;0.90 or prior revascularization, CAS as ≥50% stenosis or prior revascularization, and AAA as infrarenal aortic diameter ≥3 cm or prior repair. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were assessed using logistic regression modeling.

RESULTS
Diabetes mellitus was present in 10.8% of participants (n = 399,884). Prevalence of PAD, CAS, and AAA was significantly higher (P &lt; 0.0001) in participants with compared with those without diabetes. After multivariate adjustment for baseline demographics and clinical risk factors, a significant interaction existed between diabetes and vascular disease phenotype (P &lt; 0.0001). Diabetes was associated with increased odds of PAD (OR 1.42 [95% CI 1.41–1.4]; P &lt; 0.0001) and CAS (1.45 [1.43–1.47]; P &lt; 0.0001) but decreased odds of AAA (0.86 [0.84–0.88]; P &lt; 0.0001). The strength of association increased with increasing severity of disease in each vascular phenotype, and this association persisted in the population with asymptomatic vascular disease.

CONCLUSIONS
In a large population-based study, the association between diabetes and vascular disease differed according to vascular phenotype. Future studies exploring the mechanism for these vascular-specific differences are needed.
Understanding the High Prevalence of Diabetes in U.S. South Asians Compared With Four Racial/Ethnic Groups: The MASALA and MESA Studies
Authors: Kanaya Alka M. , Herrington David , Vittinghoff Eric , Ewing Susan K. , Liu Kiang , Blaha Michael J. , Dave Swapna S. , Qureshi Fareeha , Kandula Namratha R. 
Published: April 2014

OBJECTIVE
We compared South Asians with four other racial/ethnic groups in the U.S. to determine whether sociodemographic, lifestyle, or metabolic factors could explain the higher diabetes prevalence and whether insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction occurred at younger ages and/or lower adiposity levels compared with other groups.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
We performed a cross-sectional analysis of two community-based cohorts, the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) study and the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA); all participants had no known cardiovascular disease and were between 44 and 84 years of age. We compared 799 South Asians with 2,611 whites, 1,879 African Americans, 1,493 Latinos, and 801 Chinese Americans. Type 2 diabetes was classified by fasting plasma glucose ≥126 mg/dL or use of a diabetes medication. Insulin resistance was estimated by the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) and β-cell function was measured by the HOMA-β model.

RESULTS
South Asians had significantly higher age-adjusted prevalence of diabetes (23%) than the MESA ethnic groups (6% in whites, 18% in African Americans, 17% in Latinos, and 13% in Chinese Americans). This difference increased further after adjustment for potential confounders. HOMA of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels were significantly higher and HOMA-β levels were lower among South Asians compared with all other racial/ethnic groups after adjustment for age and adiposity.

CONCLUSIONS
The higher prevalence of diabetes in South Asians is not explained by traditionally measured risk factors. South Asians may have lower β-cell function and an inability to compensate adequately for higher glucose levels from insulin resistance.
Trends in Incidence of Diabetes in Pregnancy and Serious Perinatal Outcomes: A Large, Population-Based Study in Ontario, Canada, 1996–2010
Authors: Feig Denice S. , Hwee Jeremiah , Shah Baiju R. , Booth Giliian L. , Bierman Arlene S. , Lipscombe Lorraine L. 
Published: April 2014

OBJECTIVE
Women with diabetes in pregnancy have high rates of pregnancy complications. Our aims were to explore trends in the incidence of diabetes in pregnancy and examine whether the risk of serious perinatal outcomes has changed.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
We performed a population-based cohort study of 1,109,605 women who delivered in Ontario, Canada, between 1 April 1996 and 31 March 2010. We categorized women as gestational diabetes (GDM) (n = 45,384), pregestational diabetes (pre-GDM) (n = 13,278), or no diabetes (n = 1,050,943). The annual age-adjusted rates of diabetes in pregnancy were calculated, and rates of serious perinatal outcomes were compared between groups and by year using Poisson regression.

RESULTS
The age-adjusted rate of both GDM (2.7–5.6%, P &lt; 0.001) and pre-GDM (0.7–1.5%, P &lt; 0.001) doubled from 1996 to 2010. The rate of congenital anomalies declined by 23%, whereas the rate of perinatal mortality did not change significantly. However, compared with women with no diabetes, women with pre-GDM and GDM faced an increased risk of congenital anomalies (relative risk 1.86 [95% CI 1.49–2.33] and 1.26 [1.09–1.45], respectively), and perinatal mortality remained elevated in women with pre-GDM (2.33 [1.59–3.43]).

CONCLUSIONS
The incidence of both GDM and pre-GDM in pregnancy has doubled over the last 14 years, and the overall burden of diabetes in pregnancy on society is growing. Although congenital anomaly rates have declined in women with diabetes, perinatal mortality rates remain unchanged, and the risk of both remains significantly elevated compared with nondiabetic women. Increased efforts are needed to reduce these adverse outcomes.
Biocatalytic designs for the conversion of renewable glycerol into glycerol carbonate as a value-added product
Authors: Tudorache Madalina , Ghemes George , Nae Andreea , Matei Elena , Mercioniu Ionel , Kemnitz Erhard , Ritter Benjamin , Coman Simona , Parvulescu Vasile 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
A comparative study of two different biocatalytic models, e.g. enzyme immobilized on magnetic particles (EIMP) and cross-linking enzyme aggregates onto magnetic particles (CLEMPA) was performed. The first model was designed as enzyme-immobilized on the magnetic particles surface (EIMP). The second model was constructed as a network structure with the enzyme aggregates and magnetic particles placed into the nodes and polyglutaraldehyde cross-linker as the network ledges. The design was called cross-linking enzyme aggregates onto magnetic particles (CLEMPA). The biocatalysts were prepared using lipase enzyme from Aspergillus niger for catalyzing the glycerol (Gly) conversion to glycerol carbonate (GlyC). The biocatalyst characteristics for both designs (EIMP and CLEMPA) were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), laser light scattering (LLS) and UV-Vis techniques. The EIMP model was strongly influenced by the composition of the polymeric layer covering the particles surface, while the size of the magnetic particles affected mostly the CLEMPA design. Also, the biocatalytic capacity of the tested models was evaluated as maximum 52% Gly conversion with 90% GlyC selectivity for EIMP, and 73% Gly conversion with 77% GlyC selectivity for CLEMPA. Both biocatalytic models were successfully used to prepare GlyC from “crude” glycerol collected directly from the biodiesel process (e.g. 49% Gly conversion with 91% GlyC selectivity for EIMP and 70% Gly conversion with 80% GlyC selectivity for CLEMPA).