A changing climate of skepticism: The factors shaping climate change coverage in the US press

Skepticism toward climate change has a long tradition in the United States. We focus on mass media as the conveyors of the image of climate change and ask: Is climate change skepticism still a characteristic of US print media coverage? If so, to what degree and in what form? And which factors might pave the way for skeptics entering mass media debates? We conducted a quantitative content analysis of US print media during one year (1 June 2012 to 31 May 2013). Our results show that the debate has changed: fundamental forms of climate change skepticism (such as denial of anthropogenic causes) have been abandoned in the coverage, being replaced by more subtle forms (such as the goal to avoid binding regulations). We find no evidence for the norm of journalistic balance, nor do our data support the idea that it is the conservative press that boosts skepticism.

Doxorubicin Affects Expression of Proteins of Neuronal Pathways in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells.

In the present article, we report on the semi-quantitative proteome analysis and related changes in protein expression of the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line following treatment with doxorubicin, using the precursor acquisition independent from ion count (PAcIFIC) mass spectrometry method. PAcIFIC represents a cost-effective and easy-to-use proteomics approach, enabling for deep proteome sequencing with minimal sample handling. The acquired proteomic data sets were searched for regulated Reactome pathways and Gene Ontology annotation terms using a new algorithm (SetRank). Using this approach, we identified pathways with significant changes (≤0.05), such as chromatin organization, DNA binding, embryo development, condensed chromosome, sequence-specific DNA binding, response to oxidative stress and response to toxin, as well as others. These sets of pathways are already well-described as being susceptible to chemotherapeutic drugs. Additionally, we found pathways related to neuron development, such as central nervous system neuron differentiation, neuron projection membrane and SNAP receptor activity. These later pathways might indicate biological mechanisms on the molecular level causing the known side-effect of doxorubicin chemotherapy, characterized as cognitive impairment, also called 'chemo brain'. Mass spectrometry data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD002998.

Drivers of populism - A four-country comparison of party communication in the run-up to the 2014 European Parliament elections

The aim of this paper is to analyze what different types of populist communication styles emerged during the 2014 EP election campaign and under which conditions political parties selected specific populist communication styles. To do this, a comparative quantitative content analysis of press releases in the run-up of the latest EP elections has been conducted for parties in France, Germany, Austria and Greece. The paper presents a definition of populism based on the contemporary academic discourse, which focuses on the transnational nature of the European political field. It is shown that populist party communication is more pronounced on the fringes of the political spectrum and in countries struggling with severe macroeconomic difficulties. Contrary to intuitive expectations, the perceived populist rhetoric of exclusivity in the context of the European sovereign debt crisis, which is identified as a central feature of right-wing populism, barely takes place within populist party communication.

Tectono-metamorphic evolution of a nappe stack: A case study of the Swiss Alps

Fold-and-thrust belts are prominent structures that occur at the front of compressional orogens. To unravel the tectonic and metamorphic evolution of such complexes, kinematic investigations, quantitative microstructural analysis and geothermometry (calcite–graphite, calcite–dolomite) were performed on carbonate mylonites from thrust faults of the Helvetic nappe stack in Central Switzerland. Paleo-isotherms of peak temperature conditions and cooling stages (fission track) of the nappe pile were reconstructed in a vertical section and linked with the microstructural and kinematic evolution. Mylonitic microstructures suggest that under metamorphic conditions close to peak temperature, strain was highly localized within thrust faults where deformation temperatures spatially continuously increased in both directions, from N to S within each nappe and from top–down in the nappe stack, covering a temperature range of 180–380 °C. Due to the higher metamorphic conditions, thrusting of the lowermost nappe, the Doldenhorn nappe, was accompanied by a much more pronounced nappe internal ductile deformation of carbonaceous rock types than was the case for the overlying Wildhorn- and Gellihorn nappes. Ongoing thrusting brought the Doldenhorn nappe closer to the surface. The associated cooling resulted in a freezing in of the paleo-isotherms of peak metamorphic conditions. Contemporaneous shearing localized in the basal thrust, initially still in the ductile deformation regime and finally as brittle faulting and cataclasis inducing ultimately an inverse metamorphic zonation. With ongoing exhumation and the formation of the Helvetic antiformal nappe stack, a bending of large-scale tectonic structures (thrusts, folds), peak temperature isotherms and cooling isotherms occurred. While this local bending can directly be attributed to active deformation underneath the section investigated up to times of 2–3 ma, a more homogeneous uplift of the entire region is suggested for the very late and still active exhumation stage.

Application of headspace solid phase microextraction to qualitative and quantitative analysis of tobacco additives in cigarettes

Cigarettes may contain up to 10% by weight additives which are intended to make them more attractive. A fast and rugged method for a cigarette-screening for additives with medium volatility was developed using automatic headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) with a 65 microm carbowax-divinylbenzene fiber and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with standard electron impact ionisation. In three runs, each cigarette sample was extracted in closed headspace vials using basic, acidic and neutral medium containing 0.5 g NaCl or Na2SO4. Furthermore, the method was optimized for quantitative determination of 17 frequently occurring additives. The practical applicability of the method was demonstrated for cigarettes from 32 brands.

Effect of echo time pair selection on quantitative analysis for adrenal tumor characterization with in-phase and opposed-phase MR imaging: initial experience

PURPOSE: To determine the effect of two pairs of echo times (TEs) for in-phase (IP) and opposed-phase (OP) 3.0-T magnetic resonance (MR) imaging on (a) quantitative analysis prospectively in a phantom study and (b) diagnostic accuracy retrospectively in a clinical study of adrenal tumors, with use of various reference standards in the clinical study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A fat-saline phantom was used to perform IP and OP 3.0-T MR imaging for various fat fractions. The institutional review board approved this HIPAA-compliant study, with waiver of informed consent. Single-breath-hold IP and OP 3.0-T MR images in 21 patients (14 women, seven men; mean age, 63 years) with 23 adrenal tumors (16 adenomas, six metastases, one adrenocortical carcinoma) were reviewed. The MR protocol involved two acquisition schemes: In scheme A, the first OP echo (approximately 1.5-msec TE) and the second IP echo (approximately 4.9-msec TE) were acquired. In scheme B, the first IP echo (approximately 2.4-msec TE) and the third OP echo (approximately 5.8-msec TE) were acquired. Quantitative analysis was performed, and analysis of variance was used to test for differences between adenomas and nonadenomas. RESULTS: In the phantom study, scheme B did not enable discrimination among voxels that had small amounts of fat. In the clinical study, no overlap in signal intensity (SI) index values between adenomas and nonadenomas was seen (P < .05) with scheme A. However, with scheme B, no overlap in the adrenal gland SI-to-liver SI ratio between adenomas and nonadenomas was seen (P < .05). With scheme B, no overlap in adrenal gland SI index-to-liver SI index ratio between adenomas and nonadenomas was seen (P < .05). CONCLUSION: This initial experience indicates SI index is the most reliable parameter for characterization of adrenal tumors with 3.0-T MR imaging when obtaining OP echo before IP echo. When acquiring IP echo before OP echo, however, nonadenomas can be mistaken as adenomas with use of the SI index value.

A quantitative phenytoin GC-MS method and it's validation for samples from human ex situ brain microdialysis, blood and saliva using solid-phase extraction

This study describes the development and validation of a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method to identify and quantitate phenytoin in brain microdialysate, saliva and blood from human samples. A solid-phase extraction (SPE) was performed with a nonpolar C8-SCX column. The eluate was evaporated with nitrogen (50°C) and derivatized with trimethylsulfonium hydroxide before GC-MS analysis. As the internal standard, 5-(p-methylphenyl)-5-phenylhydantoin was used. The MS was run in scan mode and the identification was made with three ion fragment masses. All peaks were identified with MassLib. Spiked phenytoin samples showed recovery after SPE of ≥94%. The calibration curve (phenytoin 50 to 1,200 ng/mL, n = 6, at six concentration levels) showed good linearity and correlation (r² > 0.998). The limit of detection was 15 ng/mL; the limit of quantification was 50 ng/mL. Dried extracted samples were stable within a 15% deviation range for ≥4 weeks at room temperature. The method met International Organization for Standardization standards and was able to detect and quantify phenytoin in different biological matrices and patient samples. The GC-MS method with SPE is specific, sensitive, robust and well reproducible, and is therefore an appropriate candidate for the pharmacokinetic assessment of phenytoin concentrations in different human biological samples.

Quantitative analysis of extracapsular extension of metastatic lymph nodes and its significance in radiotherapy planning in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

We performed a histopathologic analysis to assess the extent of the extracapsular extension (ECE) beyond the capsule of metastatic lymph nodes (LN) in head and neck cancer to determine appropriate clinical target volume (CTV) expansions.

Quantitative 1-Step DNA Methylation Analysis with Native Genomic DNA as Template

DNA methylation analysis currently requires complex multistep procedures based on bisulfite conversion of unmethylated cytosines or on methylation-sensitive endonucleases. To facilitate DNA methylation analysis, we have developed a quantitative 1-step assay for DNA methylation analysis.

Quantitative analysis of O(6)-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation in patients with low-grade gliomas

Methylation of the MGMT promoter is supposed to be a predictive and prognostic factor in glioblastoma. Whether MGMT promoter methylation correlates with tumor response to temozolomide in low-grade gliomas is less clear. Therefore, we analyzed MGMT promoter methylation by a quantitative methylation-specific PCR in 22 patients with histologically verified low-grade gliomas (WHO grade II) who were treated with temozolomide (TMZ) for tumor progression. Objective tumor response, toxicity, and LOH of microsatellite markers on chromosomes 1p and 19q were analyzed. Histological classification revealed ten oligodendrogliomas, seven oligoastrocytomas, and five astrocytomas. All patients were treated with TMZ 200 mg/m2 on days 1-5 in a 4 week cycle. The median progression-free survival was 32 months. Combined LOH 1p and 19q was found in 14 patients; one patient had LOH 1p alone and one patient LOH 19q alone. The LOH status could not be determined in two patients and was normal in the remaining four. LOH 1p and/or 19q correlated with longer time to progression but not with radiological response to TMZ. MGMT promoter methylation was detectable in 20 patients by conventional PCR and quantitative analysis revealed the methylation status was between 12 and 100%. The volumetric response to chemotherapy analyzed by MRI and time to progression correlated with the level of MGMT promoter methylation. Therefore, our retrospective case series suggests that quantitative methylation-specific PCR of the MGMT promoter predicts radiological response to chemotherapy with TMZ in WHO grade II gliomas.

On the way to light the dark: a retrospective inquiry into the registered cases of domestic violence towards women over a six year period with a semi-quantitative analysis of the corresponding forensic documentation

Domestic violence victims are increasingly identified at emergency departments (ED). Studies report a prevalence of 6-30%; women are more frequently affected and to a more serious extent than men. Studies have shown that without screening domestic violence victims are often not recognised. The primary aim of the study is to collect data descriptive of domestic violence victims and to show whether medical documentation meets the requirements of forensic medicine.

Quantitative analysis of the native presynaptic cytomatrix by cryoelectron tomography

The presynaptic terminal contains a complex network of filaments whose precise organization and functions are not yet understood. The cryoelectron tomography experiments reported in this study indicate that these structures play a prominent role in synaptic vesicle release. Docked synaptic vesicles did not make membrane to membrane contact with the active zone but were instead linked to it by tethers of different length. Our observations are consistent with an exocytosis model in which vesicles are first anchored by long (>5 nm) tethers that give way to multiple short tethers once vesicles enter the readily releasable pool. The formation of short tethers was inhibited by tetanus toxin, indicating that it depends on soluble N-ethyl-maleimide sensitive fusion protein attachment protein receptor complex assembly. Vesicles were extensively interlinked via a set of connectors that underwent profound rearrangements upon synaptic stimulation and okadaic acid treatment, suggesting a role of these connectors in synaptic vesicle mobilization and neurotransmitter release.