bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Temporal lobe epilepsy and focal cortical dysplasia in children: A tip to find the abnormality
Authors: Bartolini Luca , Whitehead Matthew T. , Ho Cheng‐Ying , Sepeta Leigh N. , Oluigbo Chima O. , Havens Kathryn , Freilich Emily R. , Schreiber John M. , Gaillard William D.
Published: November 2016

Objective

To demonstrate an association between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and pathologic characteristics in children who had surgery for medically refractory epilepsy due to focal cortical dysplasia (FCD).

Methods

We retrospectively studied 110 children who had epilepsy surgery. Twenty‐seven patients withFCDwere included. Thirteen had temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and 14 had extra‐temporal lobe epilepsy (ETLE). Three patients had associated mesial temporal sclerosis. Preoperative 3TMRIs interleaved with nine controls were blindly re‐reviewed and categorized according to signal alteration. Pathologic specimens were classified according to the 2011 International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) classification and compared toMRIstudies.

Results

Rates of pathology subtypes differed betweenTLEandETLE(χ2(3) = 8.57, p = 0.04).FCDtype I was more frequent inTLE, whereasFCDtypeIIwas more frequent inETLE. In theTLEgroup, nine patients had temporal tip abnormalities. They all exhibited gray–white matter blurring with decreased myelination and white matter hyperintense signal. Blurring involved the whole temporal tip, not just the area of dysplasia. These patients were less likely to demonstrate cortical thickening compared to those without temporal tip findings (χ2(1) = 9.55, p = 0.002). Three of them hadFCDIb, three hadFCD IIa, two hadFCD IIIa, and one hadFCD IIb;MRIfeatures could not entirely distinguish betweenFCDsubtypes.TLEpatients showed more pronounced findings thanETLEonMRI(χ2(1) = 11.95, p = 0.003, odds ratio [OR] 18.00). In all cases ofFCD, isolated blurring was more likely to be associated withFCD II, whereas blurring with decreased myelination was seen withFCDI (χ2(6) = 13.07, p = 0.042).

Significance

Our study described associations betweenMRIcharacteristics and pathology in children withFCDand offered a detailed analysis of temporal lobe tip abnormalities andFCDsubtypes in children withTLE. These findings may contribute to the presurgical evaluation of patients with refractory epilepsy.
Information Cascades among Investors in Equity Crowdfunding
Authors: Vismara Silvio
Published: November 2016

Finance studies on information cascades, usually in an initial public offering setting, typically differentiate between institutional and retail investors, as this is the only information available to potential backers. Information available through equity crowdfunding platforms includes details on individual investors as they may disclose information about themselves by linking their profile to social networks or websites. Using a sample of 132 equity offerings on Crowdcube in 2014, we show that information cascades among individual investors play a crucial role in crowdfunding campaigns. Investors with a public profile increase the appeal of the offer among early investors, who in turn attract late investors.
Collective Vigilance in the Wintering Hooded Crane: The Role of Flock Size and Anthropogenic Disturbances in a Human‐Dominated Landscape
Authors: Li Chunlin , Beauchamp Guy , Wang Zhen , Cui Peng
Published: November 2016

Vigilance achieved at the group level, known as collective vigilance, can enhance the ability to assess threats and confer benefits to gregarious prey species. Examining the factors that influence collective vigilance and exploring how individual vigilance is organized at the group level can help to understand how prey groups respond to potential threats. We quantified collective vigilance and determined its temporal pattern in a natural wintering population of the hooded craneGrus monachain the Shengjin Lake reserve in China. We examined the role of flock size and anthropogenic disturbances in the human‐dominated landscape on collective vigilance and level of synchronization. The proportion of time during which at least one individual scanned the surroundings (collective vigilance) increased with flock size and was higher in the more disturbed buffer zone of the lake. Synchronization of vigilance occurred more frequently in the smaller flocks but was not related to the risk of disturbance. Synchronization implies that individuals tend to monitor and copy the vigilance of neighbors. In the degraded wetlands, the wintering hooded crane benefits from foraging in groups and synchronizing their vigilance in response to human disturbances.
How the Harsh Environment of an Army Training Camp Changes Human (Homo sapiens) Facial Preferences
Authors: Batres Carlota , Perrett David I.
Published: November 2016

Previous studies suggest that facial preferences may be contingent on an individual's environment, yet no study has traced how the preferences of the same individuals change as their environment changes. We therefore sought to determine if, and to what extent, adiposity and masculinity preferences are malleable by repeatedly testing students whose environment was not changing as well as students undergoing intensive training at an army camp. Our results showed that at baseline, the students at the training camp preferred more feminine male faces. This suggests that even before the training commenced, participants in the training camp may have been in a psychological state that predisposed them to prefer more trustworthy (i.e., more feminine) men. Additionally, we found that the students at the training camp reported increases in multiple stressors as well as showed changes in adiposity preferences. More specifically, we found that increases in the harshness of the environment led to an increased male attraction to cues of higher weight in female faces. Such changes in preferences may be adaptive because they allow men more opportunities to mate with women who are better equipped to survive and reproduce. These findings thus provide new evidence for the malleability of preferences depending on the environment.
Predation Risk Reduces a Female Preference for Heterospecific Males in the Green Swordtail
Authors: Pilakouta Natalie , Correa Maria A. , Alonzo Suzanne H.
Published: November 2016

The presence of a predator can result in the alteration, loss or reversal of a mating preference. Under predation risk, females often change their initial preference for conspicuous males, favouring less flashy males to reduce the risk of being detected by predators. Previous studies on predator‐induced plasticity in mate preferences have given females a choice between more and less conspicuous conspecific males. However, in species that naturally hybridize, it is also possible that females might choose an inconspicuous heterospecific male over a conspicuous conspecific male under predation risk. Our study addresses this question using the green swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri) and the southern platyfish (Xiphophorus maculatus), which are sympatric in the wild. We hypothesized that X. helleri females would prefer the sworded conspecific males in the absence of a predator but favour the less conspicuous, swordless, heterospecific males in the presence of a predator. Contrary to our expectation, females associated more with the heterospecific male than the conspecific male in the control (no predator) treatment, and they were non‐choosy in the predator treatment. This might reflect that females were attracted to the novel male phenotype when there was no risk of predation but became more neophobic after predator exposure. Regardless of the underlying mechanism, our results suggest that predation pressure may affect female preferences for conspecific versus heterospecific males. We also found striking within‐population, between‐individual variation in behavioural plasticity: females differed in the strength and direction of their preferences, as well as in the extent to which they altered their preferences in response to changes in perceived predation risk. Such variation in female preferences for heterospecific males could potentially lead to temporal and spatial variation in hybridization rates in the wild.
Mentalizing Family Violence Part 1: Conceptual Framework
Authors: Asen Eia , Fonagy Peter
Published: November 2016

This is the first of two companion papers describing concepts and techniques of a mentalization‐based approach to understanding and managing family violence. We review evidence that attachment difficulties, sudden high levels of arousal, and poor affect control contribute to a loss of mentalizing capacity, which, in turn, undermines social learning and can favor the transgenerational transmission of violent interaction patterns. It is suggested that physically violent acts are only possible if mentalizing is temporarily inhibited or decoupled. However, being mentalized in the context of attachment relationships in the family generates epistemic trust within the family unit and reduces the likelihood of family violence. The implications of this framework for therapeutic work with families are discussed.
The Effects of Mother Participation in Relationship Education on Coparenting, Parenting, and Child Social Competence: Modeling Spillover Effects for Low‐Income Minority Preschool Children
Authors: Adler‐Baeder Francesca , Garneau Chelsea , Vaughn Brian , McGill Julianne , Harcourt Kate Taylor , Ketring Scott , Smith Thomas
Published: November 2016

Although suggestions are that benefits of relationship and marriage education (RME) participation extend from the interparental relationship with parenting and child outcomes, few evaluation studies of RME test these assumptions and the relationship among changes in these areas. This quasi‐experimental study focuses on a parallel process growth model that tests a spillover hypothesis of program effects and finds, in a sample of low‐income minority mothers with a child attending a Head Start program, that increases in mother reports of coparenting agreement for RME participants predict decreases in their reports of punitive parenting behaviors. Although improvements in parenting behaviors did not predict increases in teacher reports of children's social competence, improvements in coparenting agreement were associated with increases in children's social competence over time. In addition, comparative tests of outcomes between parents in the program and parents in a comparison group reveal that RME program participants (n = 171) demonstrate significant improvements compared to nonparticipants (n = 143) on coparenting agreement, parenting practices, and teachers' reports of preschool children's social competence over a 1 year period. The findings are offered as a step forward in better understanding the experiences of low‐resource participants in RME. Implications for future research are discussed.
Mechanistic roles of autophagy in hematopoietic differentiation
Authors: Riffelmacher Thomas , Simon Anna‐Katharina
Published: November 2016

Autophagy is increasingly recognized for its active role in development and differentiation. In particular, its role in the differentiation of hematopoietic cells has been extensively studied, likely because blood cells are accessible, easy to identify and purify, and their progenitor tree is well defined. This review aims to discuss the mechanisms by which autophagy impacts on differentiation, using hematopoietic cell types as examples. Autophagy's roles include the remodeling during terminal differentiation, the maintenance of a long‐lived cell type, and the regulation of the balance between self‐renewal and quiescence in stem‐like cells. We discuss and compare the mechanistic roles of autophagy, such as prevention of apoptosis, supply of energy metabolites and metabolic adaption, and selective degradation of organelles and of regulatory factors.
‘Journey to the future’: imaginaries and motivations for homeland trips among diasporic Armenians
Authors: DARIEVA TSYPYLMA
Published: November 2016

This article highlights diasporic migrants' transnational linkages with and trips to their homeland. Second and later generations of diasporic Armenians, predominantly from the USA and Canada, claim to travel to the ancestral homeland in Armenia not as heritage tourists to see the holy Mount Ararat but to invest in local development through social work. Based on ethnographic research, in‐depth interviews with volunteers and text materials, this article identifies those specific features of the contemporary diasporic ‘sacred journey’ that differ from conventional return migrations. This new inter‐continental migratory path between North America and Armenia has a temporary character. By analysing the range of reasons why young professional Armenian‐Americans and Armenian‐Canadians should choose to travel the long distance to offer their services, this article provides insight into the decision to become a volunteer in Armenia and the ways non‐profit diasporic organizations channel and mobilize this transnational activity. The study shows that ‘ethnic’ volunteers are highly conscious of the modern understanding of mobility as being a marker of personal social status within the society in which they grew up. The study of a variety of imaginaries among members of a paradigmatic diasporic group, such as Armenians, shows how second and later diasporic generations take advantage of their multi‐cultural background to become transnational global actors.
The demobilization of diaspora: history, memory and ‘latent identity’
Authors: REDCLIFT VICTORIA
Published: November 2016

In the context of sustained interest in the mobilization of diasporic identities, I consider how and why diasporic identities might be demobilized over time. I use the case of an Indian Pakistani community in the UK and the USA (sometimes referred to as ‘Bihari’) to examine how historical memories of conflict are narrated in diaspora and the impact this has on the presence or absence of ‘diasporic consciousness'. The significance of memory in diasporic and transnational communities has been neglected, especially where the narration of historical events is concerned. The impact of forgetting has received particularly scant attention. I argue that, in the absence of this story, important lessons about the role of history in the formation of community are obscured. In this example, the ‘latent’ identities created on diaspora's demobilization help us to unpick the dyadic relations of ‘home’ and ‘away’ at the heart of essentialist conceptualizations of the concept.
How to Resist Austerity: the Case of the Gender Budgeting Strategy in Andalusia
Authors: Puig‐Barrachina Vanessa , Ruiz Marisol E. , García‐Calvente María del Mar , Malmusi Davide , Sánchez Esther , Camprubí Lluís , Muntaner Carles , Cortès‐Franch Imma , Artazcoz Lucía , Borrell Carme
Published: November 2016

While most countries have imposed austerity policies that risk jeopardizing the progress towards gender equality, there are examples of European regions that have maintained or strengthened gender‐equality policies in a climate of economic downturn. Following a realist approach and adopting Kingdon's agenda‐setting model as our framework, this explanatory case study examines how, why and under which circumstances the gender budgeting strategy has resisted austerity measures. This strategy represents a key tool for gender mainstreaming in Andalusia, a southern region of Spain. Results have shown that the existence of a strong left‐wing government is a necessary context for the maintenance of gender equality policies. The feasibility given by the previous context of institutionalization of this strategy and its low cost, together with political commitment — with a decisive contribution from female leadership — have been the major factors allowing the maintenance of the gender budgeting strategy in Andalusia.
Narratives of Spousal Support for the Careers of Men in Managerial Posts
Authors: Heikkinen Suvi , Lämsä Anna‐Maija
Published: November 2016

This article analyses the narratives of men managers to see how they perceive their wives' support in relation to their careers. Our aim is to focus on different forms of spousal support and explore how the support can evolve in the course of the men's careers. We are also interested in what kind of gender relations men produce when narrating their experiences of spousal support for their career. The research material comprises interviews with 29 managers who are fathers. In contrast to many previous studies, the results here suggest that spousal support is not a fixed or uncomplicated phenomenon but is constructed as various and flexible by men: negotiated, enriching and declining. The narrative analysis, in which we detected three different story‐lines — romance, ‘happily‐ever‐after’ and tragedy — shows that the most positive narratives in terms of life satisfaction and career success were those in which spousal support was constructed as negotiated and men were willing to be flexible and adaptable in their gender relations with their spouse. More attention to a father's work and family integration is needed in the field of management and organizations.
Joint lavage followed by viscosupplementation and triamcinolone in patients with severe haemophilic arthropathy: objective functional results
Authors: Rezende M. U. , Andrusaitis F. R. , Silva R. T. , Okazaki E. , Carneiro J. D. A. , Campos G. C. , Pailo A. F. , Frucchi R. , Pasqualin T. , Villaça P. R.
Published: November 2016

Introduction

Viscosupplementation can improve function in haemophilia patients. Viscosupplementation results can be improved by prior joint lavage and triamcinolone administration.

Aim

To objectively assess whether viscosupplementation and associated triamcinolone use in patients with severe haemophilic arthropathy following joint lavage improves force and balance and reduces bleeding events.

Methods

Fourteen patients with haemophilic knee arthritis with and without the involvement of other joints underwent joint lavage and subsequent injections of Hylan G‐F20 and triamcinolone into all affected joints. Patients were evaluated with NeuroCom® force and balance platforms using the step‐up‐and‐over task (STP), sit‐to‐stand test (STS), one‐leg stance (UNI) and weight‐bearing squat (WBS) at baseline and at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after the procedure. Bleeding events in the year prior to and the year after the procedure were analysed.

Results

Sixteen knees, 15 ankles, eight elbows and one shoulder were treated. The STP results indicated improvements in the lift‐up indices (right leg) at all time points evaluated (P = 0.03). The STS results revealed coupled improvement in weight transfer and the rising index for up to a year (P = 0.02). Balance (UNI) with eyes open or closed improved in all evaluations. The WBS results revealed improvements at all degrees of flexion (0, P = 0.003; 30°, P = 0.001; 60°, P < 0.001 and 90°, P < 0.001). The numbers of total and traumatic bleeding events were reduced (P = 0.04).

Conclusion

Joint lavage followed by injections of triamcinolone and Hylan G‐F20 improved balance, function and bleeding events in severe haemophilic arthropathy patients.
Lacrimal Nerve Blocks for Three New Cases of Lacrimal Neuralgia
Authors: Cuadrado María‐Luz , Gutiérrez‐Viedma Álvaro , Silva‐Hernández Lorenzo , Orviz Aida , García‐Moreno Héctor
Published: November 2016

Objective

Our aim was to report three new cases of lacrimal neuralgia and their response to superficial nerve blocks.

Background

Lacrimal neuralgia has been recently described as a pain in the territory supplied by the lacrimal nerve, at the lateral upper eyelid and/or the adjacent area of the temple. The pain is typically accompanied by tenderness on palpation of the lacrimal nerve at the superoexternal angle of the orbit.

Methods

Between January 2015 and June 2016, we prospective identified three cases of lacrimal neuralgia among the patients attending the Headache Unit in a tertiary hospital. Anesthetic blocks were performed in all cases by inserting a 30‐G needle on the emergence of the nerve and injecting 0.5 cc of bupivacaine 0.5% subcutaneously.

Results

Three women aged 44, 49, and 51 presented with pain in the territory supplied by the lacrimal nerve. Two of them localized their pain in a small area of the right temple, while the remaining patient had pain in the right upper lateral eyelid and a small area of the lower lateral eyelid. The pain was continuous in two patients and episodic with attacks lasting 48 hours in one patient. All patients had tenderness on palpation of the lacrimal nerve. Anesthetic blocks confirmed the diagnosis of lacrimal neuralgia and provided the patients with long‐lasting pain relief.

Conclusions

Lacrimal neuralgia should be considered among the neuralgic causes of orbital and periorbital pain. Superficial nerve blocks may assist clinicians in the diagnosis and may also be a therapeutic option.
RNF43 mutation frequently occurs with GNAS mutation and mucin hypersecretion in intraductal papillary neoplasms of the bile duct
Authors: Tsai Jia‐Huei , Liau Jau‐Yu , Yuan Chang‐Tsu , Cheng Mei‐Ling , Yuan Ray‐Hwang , Jeng Yung‐Ming
Published: November 2016

Aims

RNF43 is a tumour suppressor gene that suppresses the Wnt–β‐catenin signalling pathway. We investigated the role of RNF43 in intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB).

Methods and results

We conducted mutation analysis of RNF43 in 50 IPNBs, and identified six (12%) RNF43 mutations. RNF43 mutation was more frequent in the intestinal subtype of IPNB (17%) than in the gastric/pancreatobiliary subtype (5%). There was a strong association of RNF43 mutation with GNAS (P = 0.007) mutation, and a borderline correlation with KRAS (P = 0.074) mutation. The presence of macroscopic mucin hypersecretion was closely related to RNF43 (P = 0.024) and GNAS (P < 0.001) mutations. A two‐step clustering analysis algorithm successfully categorized IPNBs into two subgroups by using the clinicopathological and molecular features of IPNBs. One subgroup of IPNB represented the ‘biliary counterpart of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas’ (biliary‐IPMN), and showed unique features reminiscent of IPMN, such as macroscopic and microscopic mucin hypersecretion, an intestinal cell lineage, GNAS mutation, and RNF43 mutation. Biliary‐IPMNs were significantly associated with high expression of cytokeratin (CK) 20, mucin 2 (MUC2), and CDX2, as shown by immunostaining (P = 0.032, P = 0.001, and P = 0.026, respectively), and had a borderline association with low expression of CK7 (P = 0.063). With the use of this splitting algorithm, RNF43 mutations were identified in 36% of the biliary‐IPMNs.

Conclusions

The identification of RNF43 mutations in a distinct subset of IPNBs revealed a new molecular role in the pathogenesis of IPNB, and provided a potential application for cancer therapeutics by the use of Wnt pathway inhibitors.
Dung beetle community dynamics in undisturbed tropical forests: implications for ecological evaluations of land‐use change
Authors: Beiroz Wallace , Slade Eleanor M. , Barlow Jos , Silveira Juliana M. , Louzada Julio , Sayer Emma
Published: November 2016

The impacts of human activities on tropical forests are widespread and increasing. Hence, a good knowledge base about ecological processes in undisturbed tropical forest is crucial to provide a baseline for evaluating anthropogenic change.

Our 5‐year study focused on understanding the background spatial and inter‐annual variation in dung beetle communities at 12 sites of undisturbed lowland tropical rainforest in the Brazilian Amazon. We then assessed how this variation may affect ecological evaluations of anthropogenic influence by comparing community metrics with comparable dung beetle data collected from 15 sites of Eucalyptus plantation in the same region.

Of all measured environmental variables, soil texture best explained spatial variation in dung beetle communities in undisturbed forests. Furthermore, soil texture was important for community assembly as it was associated with dung beetle nesting behaviours. While the relative abundance of dung beetle functional groups was stable over time, there were important inter‐annual temporal dynamics, with a fivefold variation in abundance and body mass, and with species richness ranging from 52 to 74. These temporal oscillations were probably caused by variation in dry season rainfall.

This inter‐annual variation influenced the comparison between undisturbed forests and plantations, which could lead to inconsistencies in evaluation of anthropogenic change. We therefore highlight the importance of understanding natural variation in studies evaluating the consequences of land‐use change and other forest disturbances on forest biodiversity.
ILLIQUIDITY COMPONENT OF CREDIT RISK – THE 2015 LAWRENCE R. KLEIN LECTURE
Authors: Morris Stephen , Shin Hyun Song
Published: November 2016

We provide a theoretical decomposition of bank credit risk into insolvency risk and illiquidity risk, defining illiquidity risk to be the counterfactual probability of failure due to a run when the bank would have survived in the absence of a run. We show that illiquidity risk is (i) decreasing in the “liquidity ratio”—the ratio of realizable cash on the balance sheet to short‐term liabilities; (ii) decreasing in the excess return of debt; and (iii) increasing in the solvency uncertainty—a measure of the variance of the asset portfolio.
HOUSING OVER TIME AND OVER THE LIFE CYCLE: A STRUCTURAL ESTIMATION
Authors: Li Wenli , Liu Haiyong , Yang Fang , Yao Rui
Published: November 2016

We construct a model of optimal life‐cycle housing and nonhousing consumption and estimate the elasticity between the two goods to be 0.487. The estimate is robust to different assumptions of housing adjustment cost, but sensitive to the choice of sample period and the degree of aggregation of data moments. We then conduct experiments in which house prices and household income fluctuate. Compared with the benchmark, the impact of the shocks on homeownership rates is reduced, but the impact on nonhousing consumption is magnified when housing service and nonhousing consumption are highly substitutable or when the house selling cost is sizable.
NATURAL DISASTERS, DAMAGE TO BANKS, AND FIRM INVESTMENT
Authors: Hosono Kaoru , Miyakawa Daisuke , Uchino Taisuke , Hazama Makoto , Ono Arito , Uchida Hirofumi , Uesugi Iichiro
Published: November 2016

This article investigates the effect of banks’ lending capacity on firms’ investment. To identify exogenous shocks to loan supply, we utilize the natural experiment provided by Japan's Great Hanshin‐Awaji earthquake in 1995. Using a unique data set that allows us to identify firms and banks in the earthquake‐affected areas, we find that the investment ratio of firms located outside the earthquake‐affected areas but having a main bank inside the areas was significantly smaller than that of firms located outside the areas and having a main bank outside the areas. Our findings suggest that loan supply shocks affect firm investment.
INFORMATION FRICTIONS AND HOUSING MARKET DYNAMICS
Authors: Anenberg Elliot
Published: November 2016

I examine the effects of seller uncertainty over their home value on the housing market. Using evidence from home listings and transactions data, I first show that sellers do not have full information about current period demand conditions for their homes. I incorporate this type of uncertainty into a dynamic microsearch model of the home selling problem with Bayesian learning. The estimated model highlights how information frictions help to explain the microdecisions of sellers and how these microdecisions affect aggregate market dynamics. The model generates a significant microfounded momentum effect in short‐run aggregate price appreciation rates.
Education and the empowerment of women in household decision‐making in Spain
Authors: Albert Cecilia , Escardíbul Josep‐Oriol
Published: November 2016

It was analysed whether investment in the education of both women and men serves to empower wives resulting in more balanced household decisions being taken on matters related to consumption and financial management. They considered that household decision‐making could be made by mainly the wife, mainly the husband or the couple acting jointly. They then applied multinomial probit models to the Spanish Living Conditions Survey of 2010. Results show that, when controlling for demographic, family and labour market characteristics, the level of education of both the husband and wife has a positive effect in terms of a more egalitarian decision‐making process in relation to three areas of expenditure: daily shopping, expensive purchases of consumer durables and significant expenditure on children. However, only women's education has a positive effect on borrowing money and no effect of education is observed with regard to the use of savings. Results are less conclusive for households where decisions are taken primarily by the wife or husband, since men's education increases the role of husbands in the household making‐decision process whereas no effect of wives' education is observed.
Effects of chitosan coating combined with essential oils on quality and antioxidant enzyme activities of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) fillets stored at 4 °C
Authors: Yu Dawei , Xu Yanshun , Jiang Qixing , Xia Wenshui
Published: November 2016

Effects of chitosan coating combined with essential oils from clove, cinnamon and lemon grass on quality and antioxidant enzyme activities of grass carp fillets stored at 4 ± 0.5 °C were evaluated. The quality parameters (including pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB‐N), K value, thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value, shear force and total viable count (TVC)) and antioxidant enzyme activities were analysed periodically. The results indicated that composite chitosan coatings presented better preservation effects than chitosan coating alone. In addition, chitosan–clove essential oil coating had the best quality enhancement effects among treatments by inhibiting deterioration of physicochemical quality and microbial growth and maintaining antioxidant enzyme activities of fillets during refrigerated storage. The negative correlation was observed between the changes in TBA values and antioxidant enzyme activities in fillets. Based on these findings, chitosan–essential oil coatings effectively mitigated oxidative stress and extended shelf life of refrigerated grass carp fillets.
Effect of ginger extract and vinegar on ATP metabolites, IMP‐related enzyme activity, reducing sugars and phosphorylated sugars in silver carp during postslaughter storage
Authors: Shi Ce , Cui Jianyun , Qin Na , Luo Yongkang , Lu Han , Wang Hang
Published: November 2016

This study aimed to investigate the utilisation of ginger extract and vinegar for retarding decomposition of inosine monophosphate (IMP), and IMP‐related enzyme activity (the activity of acid phosphatase (ACP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP)) in salted silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) during early postslaughter and chilled storage. We also quantified the decomposition pathway of ATP‐related compounds, the reducing and phosphorylated sugar, and free amino acids (FAAs) in samples. Rapid glycolysis in control occurred during postmortem storage. Vinegar and ginger extract inhibited the activity of ACP and ALP, thereby inhibiting the decomposition of IMP and the increase in hypoxanthine (Hx). IMP concentrations in treated sample were significantly higher than those of the control. Moreover, vinegar and ginger extract promoted the increase in FAAs. Therefore, vinegar and ginger extract could inhibit ACP and ALP activities and contributed to the accumulation of IMP and FAAs in silver carp during chilled storage.
Seaweeds in yogurt and quark supplementation: influence of five dehydrated edible seaweeds on sensory characteristics
Authors: Nuñez Manuel , Picon Antonia
Published: November 2016

Supplementation of dairy products with seaweeds can contribute to attaining a balanced diet, but they may affect their sensory characteristics. Yogurt and quark were supplemented with dehydrated Himanthalia elongata, Porphyra umbilicalis, Saccharina latissima, Ulva lactuca and Undaria pinnatifida. When odour, flavour and texture were evaluated by panellists, dairy products containing 0.50% U. pinnatifida showed the highest seaweed flavour and the lowest flavour quality, while dairy products containing 0.50% S. latissima showed the lowest seaweed flavour and the highest flavour quality. Seaweed species influenced all yogurt attributes except buttery odour, acid flavour and salty flavour and all quark attributes except yogurt odour, acid flavour and sweet flavour. Logarithmic regressions of seaweed odour and flavour on seaweed concentration (0–1.00%) were the best fit for dairy products containing P. umbilicalis, U. lactuca or U. pinnatifida and linear regressions for those supplemented with H. elongata or S. latissima.
Authentication of Zhongning wolfberry with geographical indication by mineral profile
Authors: Zhang Senshen , Wei Yimin , Wei Shuai , Liu Hongyan , Guo Boli
Published: November 2016

Zhongning wolfberry is a famous geographical indication (GI) in China. The concentrations of twenty elements (K, Mg, Fe, Ca, Zn, Cu, Mn, Al, Sr, Rb, Mo, Tb, Cd, Co, V, As, Cs, Pr, Dy and Gd) in samples were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The data were subjected to analysis of variance, principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis. The results indicated that nineteen minerals (except K) represented significant differences among regions. The correct classification rates of original group and cross‐validation of Zhongning wolfberry were 95.7% and 85.7%, for these nineteen variables. Furthermore, there was no significant difference for all variables in samples from three picking periods. It was feasible to distinguish Zhongning wolfberry based on mineral profiles with chemometric approaches, and the study could serve as a reference for the authentication of wolfberries and the prevention of deceptive labelling of other GI products.
Psychometric Properties of the Cultural Intelligence Scale in a Saudi Arabian Context
Authors: AL‐Dossary Saeed A.
Published: November 2016

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the cultural intelligence scale (CQS) in a Saudi Arabian context. The CQS was administered to a random sample of 553 undergraduate students at Hail University. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the four‐factor structure of the CQS: cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, and behavioral. In addition, the results of a second‐order CFA indicated that these four factors can be further collapsed into one general factor. The CQS showed adequate internal consistency and test–retest reliability as well as convergent and discriminant validity. The results further revealed no significant differences between males and females. In sum, results suggest that the Arabic version of the CQS is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring an individual's intercultural intelligence.
High Smad7 sustains inflammatory cytokine response in refractory coeliac disease
Authors: Sedda Silvia , De Simone Veronica , Marafini Irene , Bevivino Gerolamo , Izzo Roberta , Paoluzi Omero Alessandro , Colantoni Alfredo , Ortenzi Angela , Giuffrida Paolo , Corazza Gino R. , Vanoli Alessandro , Di Sabatino Antonio , Pallone Francesco , Monteleone Giovanni
Published: November 2016

Refractory coeliac disease (RCD) is a form of coeliac disease (CD) resistant to gluten‐free diet and associated with elevated risk of complications. Many effector cytokines over‐produced in the gut of patients with RCD are supposed to amplify the tissue‐destructive immune response, but it remains unclear if the RCD‐associated mucosal inflammation is sustained by defects in counter‐regulatory mechanisms. The aim of the present study was to determine whether RCD‐related inflammation is marked by high Smad7, an intracellular inhibitor of transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) activity. Smad7 was evaluated in duodenal biopsy samples of patients with RCD, patients with active CD, patients with inactive CD and healthy controls by Western blotting, immunohistochemistry and real‐time PCR. In the same samples, TGF‐β1 and phosphorylated (p)‐Smad2/3 were evaluated by ELISA and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Pro‐inflammatory cytokine expression was evaluated in RCD samples cultured with Smad7 sense or antisense oligonucleotide. Smad7 protein, but not RNA, expression was increased in RCD compared with active and inactive CD patients and healthy controls and this was associated with defective TGF‐β1 signalling, as marked by diminished p‐Smad2/3 expression. TGF‐β1 protein content did not differ among groups. Knockdown of Smad7 in RCD biopsy samples reduced interleukin‐6 and tumour necrosis factor‐α expression. In conclusion, in RCD, high Smad7 associates with defective TGF‐β1 signalling and sustains inflammatory cytokine production. These results indicate a novel mechanism by which the mucosal cytokine response is amplified in RCD and suggest that targeting Smad7 can be therapeutically useful in RCD.
Effects of C2ta genetic polymorphisms on MHC class II expression and autoimmune diseases
Authors: Yau Anthony C. Y. , Piehl Fredrik , Olsson Tomas , Holmdahl Rikard
Published: November 2016

Antigen presentation by the MHC‐II to CD4+ T cells is important in adaptive immune responses. The class II transactivator (CIITA in human and C2TA in mouse) is the master regulator of MHC‐II gene expression. It coordinates the transcription factors necessary for the transcription of MHC‐II molecules. In humans, genetic variations in CIITA have been associated with differential expression of MHC‐II and susceptibility to autoimmune diseases. Here we made use of a C2ta congenic mouse strain (expressing MHC‐II haplotype H‐2q) to investigate the effect of the natural genetic polymorphisms in type I promoter of C2ta on MHC‐II expression and function. We demonstrate that an allelic variant in the type I promoter of C2ta resulted in an increased expression of MHC‐II on macrophages (72–151% higher mean florescence intensity) and conventional dendritic cells (13–65% higher mean florescence intensity) in both spleen and peripheral blood. The increase in MHC‐II expression resulted in an increase in antigen presentation to T cells in vitro and increased T‐cell activation. The differential MHC‐II expression in B6Q.C2ta, however, did not alter the disease development in models of rheumatoid arthritis (collagen‐induced arthritis and human glucose‐6‐phosphate‐isomerase325–339‐peptide‐induced arthritis), or multiple sclerosis (MOG1–125 protein‐induced and MOG79–96 peptide‐induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis). This is the first study to address the role of an allelic variant in type I promoter of C2ta in MHC‐II expression and autoimmune diseases; and shows that C2ta polymorphisms regulate MHC‐II expression and T‐cell responses but do not necessarily have a strong impact on autoimmune diseases.
Origin, distribution, and potential risk factors associated with influenza A virus in swine in two production systems in Guatemala
Authors: Gonzalez‐Reiche Ana S. , Ramírez Ana L. , Müller María L. , Orellana David , Sosa Silvia M. , Ola Pablo , Paniagua Jorge , Ortíz Lucía , Hernandez Jorge , Cordón‐Rosales Celia , Perez Daniel R.
Published: November 2016

Background

Guatemala is the country with the largest swine production in Central America; however, evidence of influenza A virus (IAV) in pigs has not been clearly delineated.

Objectives

In this study, we analyzed the presence and spatial distribution of IAV in commercial and backyard swine populations.

Methods

Samples from two nationwide surveys conducted in 2010 and 2011 were tested using virological (rRT‐PCR and virus isolation) and serological (ELISA and hemagglutination inhibition) assays to detect IAV.

Results

Influenza A virus was detected in 15.7% of the sampled pigs (30.6% of herds) in 2010 and in 11.7% (24.2% of herds) in 2011. The percentage of seropositive pigs was 10.6% (16.1% of herds) and 1.4% (3.1% of herds) for each year, respectively. Three pandemic H1N1 and one seasonal human‐like H3N2 viruses were isolated. Antibodies against viruses from different genetic clusters were detected. No reassortant strains with swine viruses were detected. The H3N2 virus was closely related to human viruses that circulated in Central America in 2010, distinct to the most recent human seasonal vaccine lineages. Spatial clusters of rRT‐PCR positive herds were detected each year by scan statistics.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate circulation of IAV throughout Guatemala and identify commercial farms, animal health status, and age as potential risk factors associated with IAV infection and exposure. Detection of human‐origin viruses in pigs suggests a role for humans in the molecular epidemiology of IAV in swine in Guatemala and evidences gaps in local animal and human surveillance.
Managing challenges and cultivating collaborations in Indonesia's knowledge society
Authors: Purwaningrum Farah
Published: November 2016

The transition to a knowledge society in South East Asia since the 1970s has produced differing effects in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. The paper explores the challenges and existing collaborations of Indonesia's knowledge society. On the basis of a qualitative investigation based on interviews with 18 policymakers in Indonesia, observations from eight meetings and documentary analysis from 2011 to 2016, the paper sheds light on the historical, structural and scientisation problems encountered by Indonesia's knowledge society. This includes the challenges that academia faces in scientific knowledge production at the micro level and macro level. Further, the analysis suggests that existing collaborations between different governmental levels and academia are based on trust and friendship rather than scientific pursuits. Also, collaboration between industry and academia is likely to occur when the industry acts as an initiator. The author contends that for a knowledge society to materialise in Indonesia, challenges need to be managed and certain collaborations that nurture scientific knowledge production need to be cultivated.
Do student nurses feel a lack of comfort in providing support for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Questioning adolescents: what factors influence their comfort level?
Authors: Richardson Brian P , Ondracek Anton E , Anderson Dee
Published: November 2016

Aim

The aim of this study was to find out if student nurses feel comfortable in caring by providing support for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Questioning adolescents and what factors influence their level of comfort.

Background

Research indicates that nurses and nursing students experience varying levels of comfort when caring for adults who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Questioning: adult patients feel that nurse's attitudes change towards them once they disclose their sexuality. There has been minimal research to date on nursing attitudes to working with adolescents who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Questioning.

Design

Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used in this descriptive study. Questionnaires were completed by 152 nursing students and nine took part in semi‐structured focus groups.

Method

A two‐way ANOVA was used to analyse the questionnaires. Thematic analysis was used to identify the themes arising from the focus groups. Data were collected between August 2013 ‐ July 2014.

Results/Findings

The results and findings of the study were that student nurse's felt discomfort in providing support; due to a lack of knowledge of Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual sexuality, personal and religious beliefs and the perceptions of others. However, all students indicated they had a positive attitude towards Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Questioning adolescents.

Conclusion

More needs to be done to raise self‐awareness and improve the level of knowledge in relation to Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual issues amongst student nurses. Educational institutions and practice areas need to recognize this fact and reflect this in their educational programmes.
Historical and contemporary correlates of snake biogeographical subregions in the Atlantic Forest hotspot
Authors: Moura Mario R. , Argôlo Antônio J. , Costa Henrique C.
Published: November 2016

Aim

Snake faunal dissimilarity within tropical forests is not well characterized, nor are the factors underlying these patterns. Our aim was to disentangle the ecological and historical factors driving biogeographical subregions (BSR) for snakes.

Location

Brazilian Atlantic Forest (BAF).

Methods

We compiled 274 snake inventories to build a species‐by‐site matrix and used unconstrained ordination and clustering techniques to identify the number of snake BSR. We applied an interpolation method to map axes of compositional variation over the whole extent of the BAF, and then classified the compositional dissimilarity according to the number of snake BSR identified a priori. We used multinomial logistic regression models and deviance partitioning techniques to investigate the influence of contemporary climatic stability, productivity, topographic complexity, and historical climate shifts in explaining the BSR.

Results

We identified 198 snake species organized into six BSR, three of them located along the BAF coast and the other three predominantly inland BSR. Climatic stability made the largest contribution to explaining the variability in snake BSR, followed by productivity and historical variation in climate. Topography was important only if historical variation in climate was excluded from the analysis.

Main conclusions

The highest rates of snake endemism within BAF were in the coastal BSR, as compared to the inland BSR that are mostly composed of open habitat specialists. Our findings suggest that the topographic complexity of the BAF acts on snake distributions not as a physical barrier, but rather as a climatic barrier, providing historical climate refuges for species living along altitudinal gradients. Overall, the predominance of climatic stability and historic variation in climate in explaining snake BSR reinforces the importance of thermoregulatory constraints in shaping the distribution of tropical ectotherm species.
Long‐Term Outcome of Left Atrial Voltage‐Guided Substrate Ablation During Atrial Fibrillation: A Novel Adjunctive Ablation Strategy
Authors: YAGISHITA ATSUHIKO , GIMBEL J. ROD , DE OLIVEIRA SAMER , MANYAM HARISH , SPARANO DINA , CAKULEV IVAN , MACKALL JUDITH , ARRUDA MAURICIO
Published: November 2016

Voltage‐Guided Atrial Fibrillation Substrate Ablation

Introduction

Left atrium (LA) low voltage area (LVA) on 3‐D electroanatomic bipolar voltage mapping (EAVM), as a surrogate for scar, is associated with poor AF ablation outcome. We evaluated the long‐term outcome of an LVA‐guided atrial fibrillation (AF) substrate modification strategy as an adjunct to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI).

Methods and Results

Two hundred and one consecutive patients with AF (82% persistent/Non‐PAF, age 65 years), who underwent EAVM during AF prior to PVI, were divided into 2 groups according to the presence or absence of LVA outside the PV antra, defined as bipolar voltage of <0.5 mV. LVA‐guided substrate modification was performed after PVI in patients with LVA. LVA was found in 159 patients (79%). Non‐PAF (OR 3.851, P = 0.002) and CHA2DS2‐VASc score (OR 1.815, P < 0.001) were independent predictors for the LVA. After the index procedure, 144 patients (72%) were free from AF at 12 months. With multiple procedures, 148 patients (74%) during a median follow‐up of 3.1 years were free from the recurrence. There was no difference in the recurrence (log‐rank P = 0.746), and complications (0% vs. 7%, P = 0.125) between the groups. Neither LVA nor Non‐PAF was an independent predictor for the recurrence in a multivariate analysis.

Conclusions

Patients with LVA had an equally favorable long‐term ablation outcome compared to those without. As an adjunct to PVI, voltage‐guided substrate modification may be an important ablation strategy in patients with LA structural remodeling.