bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recombination patterns reveal information about centromere location on linkage maps
Authors: Limborg Morten T. , McKinney Garrett J. , Seeb Lisa W. , Seeb James E.
Published: November 2015

Linkage mapping is often used to identify genes associated with phenotypic traits and for aiding genome assemblies. Still, many emerging maps do not locate centromeres – an essential component of the genomic landscape. Here, we demonstrate that for genomes with strong chiasma interference, approximate centromere placement is possible by phasing the same data used to generate linkage maps. Assuming one obligate crossover per chromosome arm, information about centromere location can be revealed by tracking the accumulated recombination frequency along linkage groups, similar to half‐tetrad analyses. We validate the method on a linkage map for sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) with known centromeric regions. Further tests suggest that the method will work well in other salmonids and other eukaryotes. However, the method performed weakly when applied to a male linkage map (rainbow trout; O. mykiss) characterized by low and unevenly distributed recombination – a general feature of male meiosis in many species. Further, a high frequency of double crossovers along chromosome arms in barley reduced resolution for locating centromeric regions on most linkage groups. Despite these limitations, our method should work well for high‐density maps in species with strong recombination interference and will enrich many existing and future mapping resources.
Empowerment and Civic Surrogacy: Community Workers' Perceptions of Their Own and Their Latino/a Students' Civic Potential
Authors: Flores Andrea
Published: November 2015

This article examines how threeNashville educational support professionals' conceptions of empowerment map onto their civic expectations for their Latino/a students and themselves. It argues that these expectations are inversely related, with students standing as surrogates for professionals' civic selves or professionals acting as civic surrogates for students. The article shows how professionals' civic identities are formed in relation to their students and the classrooms where they work—complicating models of empowerment, citizenship, and out‐of‐school settings.
Inbreeding and purging at the genomic Level: the Chillingham cattle reveal extensive, non‐random SNP heterozygosity
Authors: Williams J. L. , Hall S. J.G. , Del Corvo M. , Ballingall K. T. , Colli L. , Ajmone Marsan P. , Biscarini F.
Published: November 2015

Local breeds of livestock are of conservation significance as components of global biodiversity and as reservoirs of genetic variation relevant to the future sustainability of agriculture. One such rare historic breed, the Chillingham cattle of northern England, has a 350‐year history of isolation and inbreeding yet shows no diminution of viability or fertility. The Chillingham cattle have not been subjected to selective breeding. It has been suggested previously that the herd has minimal genetic variation. In this study, high‐density SNP genotyping with the 777K SNP chip showed that 9.1% of loci on the chip are polymorphic in the herd, compared with 62–90% seen in commercial cattle breeds. Instead of being homogeneously distributed along the genome, these loci are clustered at specific chromosomal locations. A high proportion of the Chillingham individuals examined were heterozygous at many of these polymorphic loci, suggesting that some loci are under balancing selection. Some of these frequently heterozygous loci have been implicated as sites of recessive lethal mutations in cattle. Linkage disequilibrium equal or close to 100% was found to span up to 1350 kb, and LD was above r2 = 0.25 up to more than 5000 kb. This strong LD is consistent with the lack of polymorphic loci in the herd. The heterozygous regions in the Chillingham cattle may be the locations of genes relevant to fitness or survival, which may help elucidate the biology of local adaptation in traditional breeds and facilitate selection for such traits in commercial cattle.
The growth of a skin emergency teledermatology service from 2008 to 2014
Authors: Finnane Anna , Siller Gregory , Mujcic Redzo , Soyer H. Peter
Published: November 2015

Objective

To conduct an audit of the Skin Emergency Telemedicine Service at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane from January to December 2014, and determine whether there has been any change in the number, type and location of referrals.

Methods

Retrospective analyses of referrals to the teledermatology service were conducted and compared with the 2012 audit. Main outcomes assessed included the number of referrals, referral site location, telediagnosis categories, image characteristics and response times.

Results

In 2014, 318 cases were referred to the teledermatology service. The highest number of cases (n = 140) were referred from Princess Alexandra Hospital and Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital emergency departments. However, referrals to the teledermatology service came from as far as 1600 km distant from Brisbane. The most common provisional telediagnoses were dermatitis or eczema, skin infection or drug eruption. Over half of all referrals (62%) received a response within 3 h and a further 20% were responded to within 3–6 h. Almost half all referring doctors (48%) attached very large image files (> 500 kb) to their referral.

Conclusions

The Skin Emergency Telemedicine Service has proved to be a successful, sustainable and valuable addition to the specialist dermatology services provided across Queensland. With adequate funding and resources and appropriate attention to ethical and legal considerations, our service could significantly change the management of Queenslanders with acute skin conditions.
The effect of fibreoptic bronchoscopy in acute respiratory distress syndrome: experimental evidence from a lung model
Authors: Nay M.‐A. , Mankikian J. , Auvet A. , Dequin P.‐F. , Guillon A.
Published: November 2015

Flexible bronchoscopy is essential for appropriate care during mechanical ventilation, but can significantly affect mechanical ventilation of the lungs, particularly for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. We aimed to describe the consequences of bronchoscopy during lung‐protective ventilation in a bench study, and thereby to determine the optimal diameter of the bronchoscope for avoiding disruption of the protective‐ventilation strategy during the procedure. Immediately following the insertion of the bronchoscope into the tracheal tube, either minute ventilation decreased significantly, or positive end‐expiratory pressure increased substantially, according to the setting of the inspiratory pressure limit. The increase in end‐expiratory pressure led to an equivalent increase in the plateau pressure, and lung‐protective ventilation was significantly altered during the procedure. We showed that a bronchoscope with an external diameter of 4 mm (or less) would allow safer bronchoscopic interventions in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Longitudinal assessment of hepatitis C fibrosis progression by collagen and smooth muscle actin morphometry in comparison to serum markers
Authors: Patel K. , Tillmann H. L. , Matta B. , Sheridan M. J. , Gardner S. D. , Shackel N. A. , McHutchison J. G. , Goodman Z. D.
Published: November 2015

Background

Assessment of fibrosis progression in chronic liver disease relies upon non‐invasive tools and changes in semi‐quantitative histopathology scores that may not be reliable.

Aim

To assess the diagnostic performance of the FibroSURE (FS) index and collagen/alpha smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA) morphometry in relation to longitudinal changes in fibrosis on paired biopsies.

Methods

The study cohort included 201 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) nonresponders enrolled in a prior phase II anti‐fibrotic study. Serum FS and paired biopsies, with both collagen and α‐SMA morphometry, were evaluated at baseline and week 52.

Results

Study patients were mostly male (67%) and Caucasian (77%), with Ishak stages 2 (n = 79), 3 (n = 88) and 4 (n = 30), excluded (n = 4 stage 1 or 5). Mean biopsy length was 22.9 mm. For baseline Ishak 2/3 vs. 4, there were no significant differences in AUROCs for collagen (0.71), SMA (0.66) or FS (0.70). At week 52, 62% of patients had no change in Ishak stage, but collagen/α‐SMA increased by 34–51% (P < 0.0001), and FS decreased by 5% (P = 0.008). Among the 33% of patients with +/−1 Ishak stage change, FS changes were not significant, but α‐SMA increased 29–72%, and collagen increased by 12–38% (P = 0.01 for +1 only).

Conclusions

Longitudinal changes in collagen and α‐SMA morphometry are apparent prior to change in histological stage or FibroSURE in CHC nonresponders with intermediate fibrosis. This likely reflects quantitative morphological differences that are not detected by routine histological staging or serum markers such as FibroSURE.
Ruminal degradability and intestinal digestibility of individual amino acids in mixed diets with different crude protein levels measured by the modified in vitro three‐step and mobile nylon bag technique
Authors: Gao Wei , Zhang Bowen , Lv Bo , Liu Chenli , Chen Daofu
Published: November 2015

The ruminal degradability and intestinal digestibility of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AA) in three total mixed rations with different CP levels were estimated using the modified in vitro three‐step procedure (TSP) and mobile nylon bag (MNB) technique on growing lambs. The ruminal effective degradability of DM and CP did not respond with increasing dietary CP level. However, the intestinal digestibility of DM was significantly increased with increasing dietary CP level estimated by TSP (P < 0.05) or MNB method (P < 0.01). Intestinal digestibility coefficients of CP determined by TSP were lower than those of the MNB method. Histidine was extensively degraded by rumen micro‐organisms, while tyrosine was the most anti‐degradable AA among the samples. The ruminal AA degradability exhibited no significant differences except for threonine, tryptophan, alanine, aspartic acid and proline for the three diets. Similarly, only a few AAs (i.e. histidine, methionine, tryptophan, aspartic acid and cysteine in TSP; histidine, tryptophan, aspartic acid and serine in MNB) had significant differences in their intestinal digestibility; in addition, values of MNB were lower than that of the TSP method, indicating that intestinal digestibility of DM seems to be overestimated in TSP, while that of CP might be overestimated in the MNB method.
Current status of chimeric antigen receptor therapy for haematological malignancies
Authors: Maude Shannon , Barrett David M.
Published: November 2015

The field of adoptive cell transfer includes chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) engineered T cells, constructs that emerged from basic research into principles of immunology and have transformed into clinically effective therapies for haematological malignancies. T cells engineered to express these artificial receptors hold great promise, but also carry significant risk. While permanent genetic modification of mature T cells appears safe, modulating their in vivo function is difficult, partly because the robust response can trigger other arms of the immune system. Suicide systems and toxicity management with cytokine blockade or signal transduction modulators have emerged as a new frontier in this field, a far cry from early problems getting CAR T cells to work at all. Currently, clinical trials in patients with relapsed or refractory B cell malignancies treated with CD19‐specific CAR T cells have induced durable remissions in adults and children. Results from these trials indicate that more work needs to be done to understand biomarkers of efficacy, the role of T cell persistence and how to integrate this care into standard practice. Cell therapy will not be a ‘one size fits all’ class of medicine, and here we will discuss the development of this therapy and important questions for its future.
THE (AGGREGATE) DEMAND FOR STATE‐LOTTERY TICKETS: WHAT HAVE WE REALLY LEARNED?
Authors: Garrett Thomas A.
Published: November 2015

Lottery‐demand models using aggregate data are often used to make inferences regarding individual behavior, the most important being the distributional burden of lottery‐ticket expenditures. It is shown here that estimates for the income elasticity and the cross‐price elasticity will only be representative of individual behavior under extremely restrictive assumptions. In fact, estimation of aggregate‐demand models presupposes that the income elasticity is equal to one. Cross‐sectional analyses using microlevel data face similar restrictions on consumer behavior. Remedies are discussed, but more conclusive evidence on the distributional burden of lotteries will remain elusive until better individual‐level data become available. (JEL D11, H71, H22)
THE IMPACT OF INFLATION ON PROPERTY CRIME
Authors: Nunley John M. , Stern Michael L. , Seals Richard A. , Zietz Joachim
Published: November 2015

Using U.S. data from 1950 to 2010, we analyze to what extent inflation raises the incidence of property crime. To match our theoretical predictions, we consider different types of property crime (larceny, burglary, motor vehicle theft, and robbery) and broad and narrow definitions of inflation separately. We control for the state of the business cycle and demographic changes over time explicitly. Unobserved or difficult‐to‐measure determinants of property crime are captured through a stochastic‐trend specification within a state‐space framework. We find a robust statistical link between inflation and each of the four property crime rates. Our findings are robust to alternative definitions of inflation and the inclusion or exclusion of different control variables. In terms of policy, our findings suggest that monetary policy that creates inflation has costly spillover effects. (JEL J10, J11)
Wage setting in the Colombian manufacturing industry
Authors: Agudelo Sonia A. , Sala Hector
Published: November 2015

We show that wage setting in the Colombian manufacturing industry is not fundamentally driven by labour productivity in contrast to the standard theoretical prediction. On the contrary, internal institutional arrangements – payroll taxation, the minimum wage or the price wedge between manufacturing and consumption prices – together with a higher exposure to international trade – connected to the increasing globalization of the Colombian economy – appear as the crucial drivers. These findings lead us to question the political strategy followed to attain cost competitiveness in a context of growing exposure to international trade. Implementation of a true wage bargaining system is suggested as a critical policy target to prevent the disruptive economic consequences of the current wage‐setting mechanism and help rebalance the trade deficit.
Attributes of Angel and Crowdfunded Investments as Determinants of VC Screening Decisions
Authors: Drover Will , Wood Matthew S. , Zacharakis Andrew
Published: November 2015

This research explores whether relationships between young firms and certain early–stage seed funders portray certification effects that influence venture capitalist (VC) screening decisions. Specifically, we analyze how varying attributes of angel and crowdfunded investments certify venture quality in the minds of VCs as they make due diligence screening decisions. Results from two experiments utilizing 104 VCs making 1,036 screening decisions demonstrate that the heterogeneous nature of the attributes of angels and the crowd can produce highly influential certification effects.
Limits of Participatory Democracy in European Governance
Authors: Kutay Acar
Published: November 2015

The Lisbon Treaty (Article 11) recognises the provision on participatory democracy as a democratic principle of the European Union (EU), thus constitutionally legitimising the involvement of civil society in European governance. However, at least three issues relating to the democratic dimension of this practice remain unresolved. First, it is not possible to specify precisely how the participation of civil society relates to democracy. Second, having established representative democracy as the founding democratic principle of the EU (Article 10), the Lisbon Treaty does not allow assessing the provision on participatory democracy as an independent source for democracy. Third, the putative democratising potential of participation would not be construed independently, not only because representative democracy is defined as the founding principle of the EU but also because participation cannot be thought of as independent from the form of the consultation regime, the constitutional framework and the managerial and technocratic styles of policy‐making.
Evaluation of poor performance in competition horses: A musculoskeletal perspective. Part 2: Further investigation
Authors: Dyson S.
Published: November 2015

There is not a right and a wrong way of investigating musculoskeletal causes of poor performance in sports horses and the methods of investigation are, in part, determined by the clinical signs. Measurement of serum muscle enzyme concentrations before and after exercise is essential for recognition of primary muscle pathology. Many horses with multilimb lameness have a secondary reduced range of motion of the thoracolumbosacral region mimicking primary thoracolumbar pain. Radiographic examination of the thoracolumbar vertebrae may be confusing unless combined with diagnostic analgesia because many clinically normal horses have radiological abnormalities. Nuclear scintigraphy offers a method of evaluating a large proportion of the horse, but there are many false positive and false negative results. Diagnostic analgesia is the most reliable method of investigation but requires experience and skill in interpretation and is time consuming in a horse with multilimb lameness.
Non‐congruent fossil and phylogenetic evidence on the evolution of climatic niche in the Gondwana genus Nothofagus
Authors: Hinojosa Luis Felipe , Gaxiola Aurora , Pérez María Fernanda , Carvajal Francy , Campano María Francisca , Quattrocchio Mirta , Nishida Harufumi , Uemura Kazuhiko , Yabe Atsushi , Bustamante Ramiro , Arroyo Mary T. K.
Published: November 2015

Aim

We used fossil and phylogenetic evidence to reconstruct climatic niche evolution in Nothofagus, a Gondwana genus distributed in tropical and temperate latitudes. To assess whether the modern distribution of the genus can be explained by the tropical conservatism hypothesis, we tested three predictions: (1) species from all Nothofagus subgenera coexisted under mesothermal climates during the early Eocene; (2) tolerance to microthermal climates evolved during the Eocene–Oligocene cooling from an ancestor that grew under mesothermal conditions; and (3) the climatic niche in Nothofagus is phylogenetically conserved.

Location

Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Papua‐New Guinea and South America.

Methods

We estimated the palaeoclimate of the Early Eocene, fossil‐bearing Ligorio Marquez Formation (LMF, Chile), using coexistence and leaf physiognomic analysis. We reconstructed ancestral climatic niches of Nothofagus using extant species distributions and a time‐calibrated phylogeny. Finally, we used the morphological disparity index and phylogenetic generalized least squares to assess whether climatic variables follow a Brownian motion (BM) or an Ornstein–Uhlenbeck (OU) model of evolution.

Results

Our palaeoclimatic estimates suggest mesothermal conditions for the LMF, where macrofossils associated with subgenera Lophozonia and possibly Fuscospora, and fossil pollen of Brassospora and Fuscospora/Nothofagus were recorded. These results are not supported by our phylogenetic analysis, which instead suggests that the ancestor of Nothofagus lived under microthermal to marginally mesothermal conditions, with tolerance to mesothermal conditions evolving only in the subgenus Brassospora. Precipitation and temperature dimensions of the realized climatic niche fit with a gradual BM or constrained OU model of evolution.

Main Conclusions

Our results suggest that the use of phylogenetic reconstruction methods based only on present distributions of extant taxa to infer ancestral climatic niches is likely to lead to erroneous results when climatic requirements of ancestors differ from their extant descendants, or when much extinction has occurred.
Winter is coming: hibernation reverses the outcome of sperm competition in a fly
Authors: Giraldo‐Perez P. , Herrera P. , Campbell A. , Taylor M. L. , Skeats A. , Aggio R. , Wedell N. , Price T. A. R.
Published: November 2015

Sperm commonly compete within females to fertilize ova, but research has focused on short‐term sperm storage: sperm that are maintained in a female for only a few days or weeks before use. In nature, females of many species store sperm for months or years, often during periods of environmental stress, such as cold winters. Here we examine the outcome of sperm competition in the fruit fly Drosophila pseudoobscura, simulating the conditions in which females survive winter. We mated females to two males and then stored the female for up to 120 days at 4°C. We found that the outcome of sperm competition was consistent when sperm from two males was stored for 0, 1 or 30 days, with the last male to mate fathering most of the offspring. However, when females were stored in the cold for 120 days, the last male to mate fathered less than 5% of the offspring. Moreover, when sperm were stored long term the first male fathered almost all offspring even when he carried a meiotic driving sex chromosome that drastically reduces sperm competitive success under short‐term storage conditions. This suggests that long‐term sperm storage can radically alter the outcome of sperm competition.
Individual support plans of people with intellectual disabilities in residential services: content analysis of goals and resources in relation to client characteristics
Authors: Herps M. A. , Buntinx W.H.E. , Schalock R. L. , van Breukelen G. J. P. , Curfs L. M. G.
Published: November 2015

Background

Goals and objectives as mentioned in Individual Support Plans (ISPs) were analysed to explore what domains of quality of life they are associated with, what support resources are referenced for achieving the goals, and how domains and resources are related to clients age, gender and intellectual disability (ID) level.

Method

A total of 209 ISPs for persons with ID from eight residential Dutch service provider organisations were analysed. Mixed linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the relations between client characteristics and the content of goals and support resources.

Results

Results showed that ISPs of people with mild and moderate ID had significantly more goals related to independence and social participation as compared to the ISPs of people with severe and profound ID. ISPs of clients with profound ID addressed quality of life factors related to ‘well‐being’ more than ISPs of all other clients. ISPs of people aged 20–34 years had significantly more goals on independence than the two other age groups. ISPs of people under the age of 50 had significantly fewer goals with respect to well‐being than found in ISPs of older people. Regarding the use of resources, 42.6% of the ISP goals were associated with resources from specialised services, 31.5% associated with natural resources and 25.9% associated with a combination of both natural and specialised services. In ISPs of people with mild ID, natural resources are more often mentioned, and specialised service‐based resources are less often mentioned than for other people.

Conclusions

This study offers empirical feedback on ISP practices in the field of ID in the Netherlands. In light of current ISP practices, results suggest that attention should be paid to: (1) distinguishing between a ‘service contract’ and an ISP; (2) keeping a focus on the whole person in all age groups and levels of functioning and (3) involving the service recipient in ISP development and implementation.
Inhibition of myeloperoxidase at the peak of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis restores blood–brain barrier integrity and ameliorates disease severity
Authors: Zhang Hao , Ray Avijit , Miller Nichole M. , Hartwig Danielle , Pritchard Kirkwood A. , Dittel Bonnie N.
Published: November 2015

Oxidative stress is thought to contribute to disease pathogenesis in the central nervous system (CNS) disease multiple sclerosis (MS). Myeloperoxidase (MPO), a potent peroxidase that generates toxic radicals and oxidants, is increased in the CNS during MS. However, the exact mechanism whereby MPO drives MS pathology is not known. We addressed this question by inhibiting MPO in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) using our non‐toxic MPO inhibitor N‐acetyl lysyltyrosylcysteine amide (KYC). We found that therapeutic administration of KYC for 5 days starting at the peak of disease significantly attenuated EAE disease severity, reduced myeloid cell numbers and permeability of the blood–brain barrier. These data indicate that inhibition of MPO by KYC restores blood–brain barrier integrity thereby limiting migration of myeloid cells into the CNS that drive EAE pathogenesis. In addition, these observations indicate that KYC may be an effective therapeutic agent for the treatment of MS.

image

We propose that during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) onset macrophages and neutrophils migrate into the CNS and upon activation release myeloperoxidase (MPO) that promotes disruption of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and disease progression. KYC restores BBB function by inhibiting MPO activity and in so doing ameliorates disease progression.
Activity of the enantiomers of erythro‐3‐hydroxyaspartate at glutamate transporters and NMDA receptors
Authors: Foster Alan C. , Li Yong‐Xin , Runyan Stephen , Dinh Tim , Venadas Steven , Chen June , Pashikanti Srinath , Datta Apurba , Ehring George , Staubli Ursula
Published: November 2015

The enantiomers of erythro‐3‐hydroxyaspartate were tested for activity at glutamate transporters and NMDA receptors. Both enantiomers inhibited glutamate transporters in rat hippocampal crude synaptosomes and elicited substrate‐like activity at excitatory amino acid transporter 1, 2, and 3 as measured by voltage clamp in the Xenopus oocyte expression system. The enantiomers had similar affinities, but the D‐enantiomer showed a lower maximal effect at excitatory amino acid transporter 1, 2, and 3 than the L‐enantiomer. Surprisingly, D‐erythro‐3‐hydroxyaspartate was a potent NMDA receptor agonist with an EC50 value in rat hippocampal neurons of 320 nM, whereas the L‐enantiomer was 100‐fold less potent. L‐erythro‐3‐hydroxyaspartate showed activity at both glutamate transporters and NMDA receptors at concentrations that are reported to inhibit serine racemase, indicating a lack of selectivity. This enantiomeric pair may assist in shedding further light on the structural requirements for substrate activity at glutamate transporters and for agonist activity at NMDA receptors.

image

The erythro enantiomers of 3‐hydroxyaspartate had interesting and surprising effects on glutamate neurotransmitter systems. L‐erythro‐3‐hydroxyaspartate had activity at both glutamate transporters (EAAT1/2/3) and NMDA receptors. D‐erythro‐3‐hydroxyaspartate acted on EAATs, but was also identified as a highly potent NMDA receptor agonist. These enantiomers shed further light on the structural requirements for activity at EAATs and NMDA receptors.
Predicting Driver's Intention Based on Own Vulnerability: A Social Interaction Process between Road Users at an Intersection in Japan
Authors: Kinosada Yasunori , Usui Shinnosuke
Published: November 2015

When road users predict the future movement of an approaching vehicle at an intersection, they need to consider not only the physical environment but also the predicted behavioral intention of the approaching driver. In the present experiments, we asked participants to imagine how a vehicle would approach in a natural traffic environment. In Experiment 1, participants estimated the time‐to‐contact with an approaching vehicle as longer when they were physically vulnerable. In Experiment 2, we confirmed that differences in participants’ eye height did not explain the findings of Experiment 1. In Experiment 3, we asked participants to indicate the last possible moment at which they could cross an intersection in front of an approaching vehicle. Participants left a shorter safety margin when they were more physically vulnerable than the approaching vehicle. The results indicate that road users’ perceived vulnerability is a cue for them to trust the approaching driver's intention to decelerate. This viewpoint is important for interventions to prevent unrealistic trust that an approaching vehicle will avoid an accident and subsequent trust‐based behaviors.
The Mental Health Predictors of Indonesian EPA Nurses and Certified Care Worker Candidates in Japan
Authors: Nugraha Susiana , Ohara‐Hirano Yuko
Published: November 2015

This study was performed to identify predictors of the mental health of Indonesian nurse and certified care worker candidates who migrated to Japan under the Japan‐Indonesia Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) 1 year after they migrated to Japan. A total of 92 people participated in this study. Twenty‐eight of the study participants were nurse candidates, and 64 of them were certified care worker candidates. Using the mental health status measured by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ‐12) as the dependent variable, this cross‐sectional study aimed to identify the most appropriate model of mental health predictors for each occupation in the post‐migration stage using multiple linear regression analyses. The results showed that the mental health prediction model was different for the two occupational groups. Each predictor and the characteristics of the occupations will be discussed.
In vivo activity of cefquinome against Riemerella anatipestifer using the pericarditis model in the duck
Authors: Qiu Z. , Cao C. , Qu Y. , Lu Y. , Sun M. , Zhang Y. , Zhong J. , Zeng Z.
Published: November 2015

Cefquinome is a fourth‐generation cephalosporin with broad‐spectrum antibacterial activity, including activity against enteric gram‐negative bacilli such as Riemerella anatipestifer. The pericarditis model was used to examine the pharmacodynamic characteristics of cefquinome against R. anatipestifer. Serum levels of cefquinome following the administration of different doses were determined by LC‐MS/MS. Ducks with ca. 106 CFU/mL at the initiation of therapy were treated with cefquinome at doses that ranged from 0.0156 to 2 mg/kg of body weight/day (in 3, 6, 12, or 24 divided doses) for 24 h. The percentage of a 24‐h dosing interval that the unbound serum cefquinome concentrations exceeded the MIC (fT > MIC) were the pharmacokinetic (PK)–pharmacodynamic (PD) parameter that best correlated with efficacy (R2 86.3% for R. anatipestifer, compared with 58.9% for the area under the concentration–time curve/MIC and 10.6% for peak/MIC). A sigmoid Emax model was used to estimate the magnitudes of the %fT > MIC associated with net bacterial stasis, a 1‐log10 CFU reduction from baseline, and a 2‐log10 CFU reduction from baseline; the corresponding values were (22.5 ± 1.3) %, (35.2 ± 4.5) %, and (42.4 ± 2.7) %. These data showed that treatment with cefquinome results in marked antibacterial effects in qvivo against R. anatipestifer and that the host's immunity may also play a key role in the anti‐infective therapy process.
On the Significance of Difference‐Making Principles
Authors: Vahid Hamid
Published: November 2015

It has been claimed that difference‐making plays important roles in both metaphysics and epistemology. The idea is that facts often make a difference to other facts. Thus, causes are said to make a difference to their effects, and the world is thought to make a difference to what is believed. One way to cash out this idea is in terms of the notion of counterfactual dependence between the facts in question. It has recently been objected by some philosophers, however, that the counterfactual‐dependence account misrepresents the difference‐making idea, prompting them to offer a different, weaker construal of the idea in question, which, they claim, illuminates a number of problems in both epistemology and metaphysics. This article, while acknowledging that the difference‐making idea is a genuine constraint on some of our concepts, challenges the claim that the weaker interpretation has significant philosophical potentials and, having delineated its real function, spells out the lessons that should be drawn from its failure.
The Problem of Necessary and Sufficient Conditions and Conceptual Analysis
Authors: Shaffer Michael J.
Published: November 2015

In this article the standard philosophical method involving intuition‐driven conceptual analysis is challenged in a new way. This orthodox approach to philosophy takes analysanda to be the specifications of the content of concepts in the form of sets of necessary and sufficient conditions. Here it is argued that there is no adequate account of what necessary and sufficient conditions are. So, the targets of applications of the standard philosophical method so understood are not sufficiently well understood for this method to be dependable.
Depressive state as an initial symptom for subdural abscess
Authors: Fukui Takao , Ueda Akihiro , Murate Ken‐ichiro , Hikichi Chika , Ito Shinji , Asakura Kunihiko , Mutoh Tatsuro
Published: November 2015

A 47‐year‐old man with a subdural abscess was initially diagnosed with endogenous depression at another hospital. He presented with a chronic illness, but without any typical symptoms, such as headache and fever. Antidepressants were ineffective and brain magnetic resonance imaging showed areas of abnormal high‐signal intensity along the surface of the bilateral frontoparietal lobes. We diagnosed him with a subdural abscess based on magnetic resonance imaging and cerebrospinal fluid findings, which was successfully managed with antibiotic treatment alone. This case highlights the possibility that depressive state can be an initial symptom of a subdural abscess.
Neurotoxicity, general anesthesia in young children, and a survey of current pediatric anesthesia practice at US teaching institutions
Authors: Ward Christopher G. , Hines Scott J. , Maxwell Lynne G. , McGowan Francis X. , Sun Lena S.
Published: November 2015

Background

Recent articles in both scholarly journals and the lay press about the topic of anesthetic related neurotoxicity have increased the awareness and discussion of this topic with parents and other pediatric medical specialties (i.e., surgeons, radiologists, and pediatricians).

Aim

The purpose of the present study was to survey how a subset of pediatric anesthesia departments in the US have responded to the issue of anesthetic related neurotoxicity in terms of clinical practice, training and communication with other medical specialties, and the frequency and timing of discussions with families.

Methods

A survey consisting of 22 questions was sent to PALC (Pediatric Anesthesia Leadership Council) & PAPDA (Pediatric Anesthesia Program Directors Association) via SurveyMonkey. The survey was divided into sections on Anesthesia Faculty/Trainees, Parents and Non‐Anesthesia Providers. Responses to the survey were solicited via email to PALC and PAPDA, and then followed up with reminders to individual emails using the mailing lists of both organizations.

Results

The results of this survey demonstrate that pediatric anesthesia programs around the US do not have a consistent approach in managing the topic of anesthesia‐related neurotoxicity with pediatric anesthesiologists, anesthesiology residents, pediatric anesthesiology fellows and their non‐anesthesia medical and surgical colleagues, as well as the discussion of this topic with parents.

Conclusion

A significant need exists to provide information to other pediatric professionals and parents. A consistent message from all providers that includes what is known, and indeed more importantly what is not known may be a useful approach.
Community composition and diversity of riparian forests regulate decomposition of leaf litter in stream ecosystems
Authors: Jones Joshua A. , Swan Christopher M.
Published: November 2015

Riparian forest plantings are a well‐established restoration technique commonly used to stabilize banks and intercept nutrient flow from adjacent agricultural fields. Tree species planted for these efforts may not reflect mature forest communities within the same region. Given contemporary research on links between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, we conducted a leaf‐litter decomposition study to investigate how mixing of detrital resources that reflect forest community composition would regulate in‐stream leaf litter. Leaf litter bags containing material from a mature forest (Liriodendron tulipifera, Acer rubrum, Quercus rubra, full factorial treatments = 7) and a restored riparian forest (Cornus sericea, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Platanus occidentalis, full factorial treatments = 7) were deployed in a stream reach that experienced riparian reforestation in 2004. Litter from the restored riparian community had less mass remaining (45.28 ± 2.27%) than that from the mature riparian community (54.95 ± 2.19%) after 5 weeks. In addition, mixed litter treatments in the restored riparian community had less mass remaining (40.54 ± 2.37%) than single‐species treatments (51.80 ± 4.05%), a pattern not observed in the mature forest community. Results highlight the importance of planting mixed‐species assemblages as this structure may regulate processes such as decomposition and food‐web structure, processes often not targeted in the restoration plans.
Exacerbated and prolonged inflammation impairs wound healing and increases scarring
Authors: Qian Li‐Wu , Fourcaudot Andrea B. , Yamane Kazuyoshi , You Tao , Chan Rodney K. , Leung Kai P.
Published: November 2015

Altered inflammation in the early stage has long been assumed to affect subsequent steps of the repair process that could influence proper wound healing and remodeling. However, the lack of explicit experimental data makes the connection between dysregulated wound inflammation and poor wound healing elusive. To bridge this gap, we used the established rabbit ear hypertrophic scar model for studying the causal effect of dysregulated inflammation. We induced an exacerbated and prolonged inflammatory state in these wounds with the combination of trauma‐related stimulators of pathogen‐associated molecular patterns from heat‐killed Pseudomonas aeruginosa and damage‐associated molecular patterns from a dermal homogenate. In stimulated wounds, a heightened and lengthened inflammation was observed based on quantitative measurements of IL‐6 expression, tissue polymorphonuclear leukocytes infiltration, and tissue myeloperoxidase activity. Along with the high level of inflammation, wound healing parameters (epithelial gap and others) at postoperative day 7 and 16 were significantly altered in stimulated wounds compared to unstimulated controls. By postoperative day 35, scar elevation of stimulated wounds was higher than that of control wounds (scar elevation index: 1.90 vs. 1.39, p < 0.01). Moreover, treatment of these inflamed wounds with Indomethacin (at concentrations of 0.01, 0.1, and 0.4%) reduced scar elevation but with adverse effects of delayed wound closure and increased cartilage hypertrophy. In summary, successful establishment of this inflamed wound model provides a platform to understand these detrimental aspects of unchecked inflammation and to further test agents that can modulate local inflammation to improve wound outcomes.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE APOCALYPTIC IMAGINATION: SCIENCE, FAITH, AND ECOLOGICAL RESPONSIBILITY
Authors: Moo Jonathan
Published: November 2015

The use of apocalyptic and post apocalyptic narratives to interpret the risk of environmental degradation and climate change has been criticized for (1) too often making erroneous predictions on the basis of too little evidence, (2) being ineffective to motivate change, (3) leading to a discounting of present needs in the face of an exaggerated threat of impending catastrophe, and (4) relying on a pre‐modern, Judeo‐Christian mode of constructing reality. Nevertheless, “Apocalypse,” whether understood in its technical sense as “revelation” or in its popular sense as “end of the world as we know it,” remains a powerful way of creatively reimagining the world and of introducing questions of value and significance into discussions of climate change.
Atomic layer deposition of environmentally benign SnTiOx as a potential ferroelectric material
Authors: Chang Siliang , Selvaraj Sathees Kannan , Choi Yoon-Young , Hong Seungbum , Nakhmanson Serge M. , Takoudis Christos G.
Published: November 2015

Inspired by the need to discover environmentally friendly, lead-free ferroelectric materials, here the authors report the atomic layer deposition of tin titanate (SnTiOx) aiming to obtain the theoretically predicted perovskite structure that possesses ferroelectricity. In order to establish the growth conditions and probe the film structure and ferroelectric behavior, the authors grew SnTiOx films on the commonly used Si(100) substrate. Thin films of SnTiOx have been successfully grown at a deposition temperature of 200 °C, with a Sn/Ti atomic layer deposition (ALD) cycle ratio of 2:3 and postdeposition heat treatments under different conditions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed excellent composition tunability of ALD. X-ray diffraction spectra suggested anatase phase for all films annealed at 650 and 350 °C, with peak positions shifted toward lower 2-theta angles indicating enlarged unit cell volume. The film annealed in O2 at 350 °C exhibited piezoresponse amplitude and phase hysteresis loops, indicative of the existence of switchable polarization.
Technical Note: Development and validation of an open data format for CT projection data
Authors: Chen Baiyu , Duan Xinhui , Yu Zhicong , Leng Shuai , Yu Lifeng , McCollough Cynthia
Published: November 2015

Purpose:

Lack of access to projection data from patient CT scans is a major limitation for development and validation of new reconstruction algorithms. To meet this critical need, this work developed and validated a vendor‐neutral format for CT projection data, which will further be employed to build a library of patient projection data for public access.

Methods:

A digital imaging and communication in medicine (DICOM)‐like format was created for CT projection data (CT‐PD), named the DICOM‐CT‐PD format. The format stores attenuation information in the DICOM image data block and stores parameters necessary for reconstruction in the DICOM header under various tags (51 tags to store the geometry and scan parameters and 9 tags to store patient information). To validate the accuracy and completeness of the new format, CT projection data from helical scans of the ACR CT accreditation phantom were acquired from two clinical CT scanners (Somatom Definition Flash, Siemens Healthcare, Forchheim, Germany and Discovery CT750 HD, GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI). After decoding (by the authors for Siemens, by the manufacturer for GE), the projection data were converted to the DICOM‐CT‐PD format. Off‐line CT reconstructions were performed by internal and external reconstruction researchers using only the information stored in the DICOM‐CT‐PD files and the DICOM‐CT‐PD field definitions.

Results:

Compared with the commercially reconstructed CT images, the off‐line reconstructed images created using the DICOM‐CT‐PD format are similar in terms of CT numbers (differences of 5 HU for the bone insert and −9 HU for the air insert), image noise (±1 HU), and low contrast detectability (6 mm rods visible in both). Because of different reconstruction approaches, slightly different in‐plane and cross‐plane high contrast spatial resolution were obtained compared to those reconstructed on the scanners (axial plane: GE off‐line, 7 lp/cm; GE commercial, 7 lp/cm; Siemens off‐line, 8 lp/cm; Siemens commercial, 7 lp/cm. Coronal plane: Siemens off‐line, 6 lp/cm; Siemens commercial, 8 lp/cm).

Conclusions:

A vendor‐neutral extended DICOM format has been developed that enables open sharing of CT projection data from third‐generation CT scanners. Validation of the format showed that the geometric parameters and attenuation information in the DICOM‐CT‐PD file were correctly stored, could be retrieved with use of the provided instructions, and contained sufficient data for reconstruction of CT images that approximated those from the commercial scanner.
Efficient localization and spectral estimation of an unknown number of ocean acoustic sources using a graphics processing unit
Authors: Dosso Stan E. , Dettmer Jan , Wilmut Michael J.
Published: November 2015

This paper develops a matched-field approach to localization and spectral estimation of an unknown number of ocean acoustic sources employing massively parallel implementation on a graphics processing unit (GPU) for real-time efficiency. A Bayesian formulation is developed in which the locations and complex spectra of multiple sources and noise variances are considered unknown random variables, and the Bayesian information criterion is minimized to estimate these parameters, as well as the number of sources present. Optimization is carried out using simulated annealing and includes steps that attempt to add/delete sources to/from the model. Closed-form maximum-likelihood (ML) solutions for source spectra and noise variances in terms of the source locations allow these parameters to be sampled implicitly, substantially reducing the dimensionality of the inversion. Source sampling, addition, and deletion are based on joint conditional probability distributions for source range and depth, which incorporate the ML spectral estimates. Computing these conditionals requires solving a very large number of systems of equations, which is carried out in parallel on a GPU, improving efficiency by 2 orders of magnitude. Simulated examples illustrate localizations and spectral estimation for a large number of sources (up to eight), and investigate mitigation of environmental mismatch via efficient multiple-frequency inversion.
Ghosts of oceans past
Authors: Cornwall Warren
Published: November 2015

Andrea Dutton's hunt for ancient coral reefs has taken her from white sand beaches along the Indian Ocean to wave-beaten cliffs beside the Caribbean. Last year, Dutton made the trek from her lab at the University of Florida in Gainesville to a Mexican amusement park carved from the seaside jungle of the Yucatán Peninsula to sample the rocks that the park's builders had cut and exposed: the remains of coral reefs more than 100,000 years old. Dutton seeks out ancient reefs to understand what's in store for Earth's coastlines. She's one of a small cadre of scientists scouring the planet for evidence of how high the oceans rose when polar ice melted during previous global warming spells.
Breaking the waves
Authors: Popkin Gabriel
Published: November 2015

When Hurricane Irene hit North Carolina's coast in 2011, waves 2 meters high began pounding the shore. Two properties on Pine Knoll Shores, a community on one of the state's many barrier islands, provided a study in contrasts. One homeowner had installed a concrete bulkhead to protect his yard from the sea. But the churning waves overtopped and ultimately toppled the wall, washing away tons of sediment and leaving a denuded mud flat. Less than 200 meters away, another owner had installed a "living shoreline"—a planted carpet of marsh grass that gently sloped into the water, held in place by a rock sill placed a few meters offshore. The onrushing water bent the marsh grasses almost flat, but their flexing stalks dampened the waves and their deep roots held the soil. After the hurricane passed, the grasses sprang back; the property weathered the storm largely intact. The contrast highlights how defenses inspired by nature, rather than concrete armor, can protect coastlines from battering storms.