bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Economic, social and mental health impacts of an economic intervention for female sexual violence survivors in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Bass J. , Murray S. , Cole G. , Bolton P. , Poulton C. , Robinette K. , Seban J. , Falb K. , Annan J.
Published: June 2016

Background.

Conflict-affected communities face poverty and mental health problems, with sexual violence survivors at high risk for both given their trauma history and potential for exclusion from economic opportunity. To address these problems, we conducted a randomized controlled trial of a group-based economic intervention, Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA), for female sexual violence survivors in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Methods.

In March 2011, 66 VSLA groups, with 301 study participants, were randomized to the VSLA program or a wait-control condition. Data were collected prior to randomization, at 2-months post-program in June 2012, and 8-months later for VSLA participants only. Outcome data included measures of economic and social functioning and mental health severity. VSLA program effect was derived by comparing intervention and control participants' mean changes from baseline to 2-month follow-up.

Results.

At follow-up, VSLA study women reported significantly greater per capita food consumption and significantly greater reductions in stigma experiences compared with controls. No other study outcomes were statistically different. At 8-month follow-up, VSLA participants reported a continued increase in per capita food consumption, an increase in economic hours worked in the prior 7 days, and an increase in access to social resources.

Conclusions.

While female sexual violence survivors with elevated mental symptoms were successfully integrated into a community-based economic program, the immediate program impact was only seen for food consumption and experience of stigma. Impacts on mental health severity were not realized, suggesting that targeted mental health interventions may be needed to improve psychological well-being.
Clostridium difficile Infections in Children: Impact of the Diagnostic Method on Infection Rates
Authors: AlGhounaim Mohammad , Longtin Yves , Gonzales Milagros , Merckx Joanna , Winters Nicholas , Quach Caroline
Published: June 2016

BACKGROUND

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays based on the detection of the toxin B gene are replacing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)–based toxin production detection or cell cytotoxicity assay in most laboratories.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the proportion of pediatric patients diagnosed withClostridium difficile infection by PCR who would have also been diagnosed by ELISA and to compare the clinical characteristics of PCR+/ELISA+ vs PCR+/ELISA− patients.

METHODS

Using the microbiology laboratory information system, stool samples positive for C. difficile by PCR between October 2010 and July 2014 were identified. Using frozen stool specimens, an ELISA for toxin A and B was performed. A retrospective medical chart review was conducted to obtain demographic and clinical data. Duplicate samples were excluded.

RESULTS

A total of 136 PCR-positive samples underwent ELISA testing: 54 (40%) were positive for toxin A or B. The mean (SD) age of the entire cohort was 8.5 (6.2) years. There was no difference in age, gender, clinical manifestation, previous medical problems, and management between patients positive or negative by ELISA. However, patients positive by ELISA were more likely to have had a recent exposure to antibiotics (67.9% vs 50%; crude odds ratio, 2.1 [95% CI, 1.03–4.28]).

CONCLUSION

In our pediatric population, 60% of patients with C. difficile diagnosed by PCR had no toxin detectable by ELISA. ELISA-negative patients were less likely to have received an antibiotic recently compared with ELISA-positive patients. These results highlight the need to standardize laboratory criteria for the diagnosis of C. difficile infections in children.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;37:1087–1093
Degenerate Scale Problem for a Hypocycloid Hole in an Infinite Plate in Plane Elasticity
Authors: Chen Y.-Z.
Published: June 2016

Based on the conformal mapping, this paper provides a closed form solution for the degenerate scale of the hypocycloid hole in plane elasticity. In the derivation, we assume the vanishing displacements along the boundary in the degenerate scale problem. Some functions in the boundary condition are decomposed into three parts with particular behavior. Even the displacements are vanishing along the boundary of an exterior region, the displacements and stresses are not equal to zero in the exterior region. This is a particular feature in the degenerate scale problem.
Status of zinc nutrition in Bangladesh: the underlying associations
Authors: Rahman Sabuktagin , Ahmed Tahmeed , Rahman Ahmed Shafiqur , Alam Nurul , Ahmed A. M. Shamsir , Ireen Santhia , Chowdhury Ireen Akhter , Chowdhury Fatima Parveen , Rahman S. M. Mustafizur
Published: June 2016

Bangladesh is a country with a high burden of micronutrient malnutrition. Stunting affects 41 % of children aged under 5 years. Zn is one of the key micronutrients that is associated with stunting. The present study, as part of the national micronutrient survey 2011–2012, revealed for the first time the nationally representative prevalence of Zn deficiency and determined the associations of the condition. A cross-sectional ‘nationwide’ survey was conducted in pre-school-age children (6–59 months; PSAC) and non-pregnant non-lactating women (15–49 years; NPNLW). Multistage random sampling was done in 150 clusters; fifty in each of the rural, urban and slum strata. Data were analysed on 662 PSAC and 1073 NPNLW. Serum Zn was assayed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Zn deficiency was defined as serum Zn of <9·9 and <10·1 µmol/l in PSAC and NPNLW, respectively. The national prevalence of Zn deficiency was 44·6 and 57·3 % in PSAC and NPNLW, respectively. In PSAC, it was 29·5, 48·6 and 51·7 %, respectively, in urban, rural and slum strata. Household expenses (β = 0·13; P = 0·007), Hb (β = 0·10; P = 0·005), intake of animal-source Zn (β = 0·096; P = 0·02) and asset score (β = 0·11; P = 0·03) were positively associated with serum Zn in NPNLW. Residence in an urban area (β = 0·33; P = 0·03) and intake of plant-origin Zn (β = −0·13; P = 0·038) determined higher and lower status of Zn in PSAC, respectively. Zn deficiency was highly prevalent in Bangladesh, and it was principally related to inadequate quality of diet. To improve Zn nutrition, Bangladesh needs to strengthen research and programmes related to Zn biofortification, fortification and phytate-reducing technologies in the food system in the short and medium term. In addition, promotion of animal-source Zn for all is important in the long run.
Bacterial translocation andin vivoassessment of intestinal barrier permeability in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with and without soyabean meal-induced inflammation
Authors: Mosberian-Tanha Peyman , Øverland Margareth , Landsverk Thor , Reveco Felipe E. , Schrama Johan W. , Roem Andries J. , Agger Jane W. , Mydland Liv T.
Published: June 2016

The primary aim of this experiment was to evaluate the intestinal barrier permeabilityin vivoin rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fed increasing levels of soyabean meal (SBM). The relationship between SBM-induced enteritis (SBMIE) and the permeability markers was also investigated. Our results showed that the mean score of morphological parameters was significantly higher as a result of 37·5 % SBM inclusion in the diet, while the scores of fish fed 25 % SBM or lower were not different from those of the fish meal-fed controls (P < 0·05). SBMIE was found in the distal intestine (DI) in 18 % of the fish (eleven of sixty): ten in the 37·5 % SBM-fed group and one in the 25 % SBM-fed group. Sugar markers in plasma showed large variation among individuals probably due to variation in feed intake. We found, however, a significant linear increase in the level of plasmad-lactate with increasing SBM inclusion level (P < 0·0001). Plasma concentration of endotoxin was not significantly different in groups with or without SBMIE. Some individual fish showed high values of endotoxin in blood, but the same individuals did not show any bacterial translocation. Plasma bacterial DNA was detected in 28 % of the fish with SBMIE, and 8 % of non-SBMIE fish (P = 0·07). Plasma concentration ofd-lactate was significantly higher in fish with SBMIE (P < 0·0001). To conclude, SBMIE in the DI of rainbow trout was associated with an increase in bacterial translocation and plasmad-lactate concentration, suggesting that these permeability markers can be used to evaluate intestinal permeabilityin vivo.
Association analyses of depression and genes in the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis
Authors: Buttenschøn Henrietta Nørmølle , Krogh Jesper , Nielsen Marit Nyholm , Kaerlev Linda , Nordentoft Merete , Mors Ole
Published: June 2016

Objective

Dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis has been reported in depression. The aim was to investigate the potential association between depression and seven genes regulating or interfering with the HPA axis, including the gene encoding angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE).

Methods

In total, 78 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and one insertion/deletion polymorphism were genotyped. The study included 408 individuals with depression and 289 controls. In a subset of cases, the interaction between genetic variants and stressful life events (SLEs) was investigated.

Results

After quality control, 68 genetic variants were left for analyses. Four of nine variants within ACE were nominally associated with depression and a gene-wise association was likewise observed. However, none of the SNPs located within AVP, CRH, CRHR1, CRHR2, FKBP5 or NC3C1 were associated with depression. One nominally significant interaction, most likely due to chance, was identified.

Conclusion

The results indicate that ACE could be a potential candidate gene for depression.
Reversibility of endothelial dysfunction in diabetes: role of polyphenols
Authors: Suganya N. , Bhakkiyalakshmi E. , Sarada D. V. L. , Ramkumar K. M.
Published: June 2016

The endothelium, a thin single sheet of endothelial cells, is a metabolically active layer that coats the inner surface of blood vessels and acts as an interface between the circulating blood and the vessel wall. The endothelium through the secretion of vasodilators and vasoconstrictors serves as a critical mediator of vascular homeostasis. During the development of the vascular system, it regulates cellular adhesion and vessel wall inflammation in addition to maintaining vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. A shift in the functions of the endothelium towards vasoconstriction, proinflammatory and prothrombic states characterise improper functioning of these cells, leading to endothelial dysfunction (ED), implicated in the pathogenesis of many diseases including diabetes. Major mechanisms of ED include the down-regulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase levels, differential expression of vascular endothelial growth factor, endoplasmic reticulum stress, inflammatory pathways and oxidative stress. ED tends to be the initial event in macrovascular complications such as coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, stroke and microvascular complications such as nephropathy, neuropathy and retinopathy. Numerous strategies have been developed to protect endothelial cells against various stimuli, of which the role of polyphenolic compounds in modulating the differentially regulated pathways and thus maintaining vascular homeostasis has been proven to be beneficial. This review addresses the factors stimulating ED in diabetes and the molecular mechanisms of natural polyphenol antioxidants in maintaining vascular homeostasis.
The Conceptual Utility of Malum prohibitum
Authors: GREEN STUART P.
Published: June 2016

As a means for thinking more precisely about the moral content of criminal offenses, this article argues that we should think of malum in se and malum prohibitum not as binary categories into which an offense does or not fit, but rather as contrasting, scalar qualities that all criminal offenses, to one degree or another, possess. Under this approach, an offense is malum in se to the extent that it criminalizes conduct that is morally wrong independent of the law, while it is malum prohibitum to the extent it criminalizes conduct that is morally wrong (if at all) in virtue of its being illegal.
Reactivation, inversion and basement faulting and thrusting in the Sierras Pampeanas of Córdoba (Argentina) during Andean flat-slab deformation
Authors: MARTINO ROBERTO D. , GUERESCHI ALINA B. , CARO MONTERO ANA
Published: June 2016

The Sierras Pampeanas of Córdoba are the easternmost uplifted blocks caused by Andean foreland deformation, over 700 km from the Chile trench. This deformation started atc.340 Ma through basement faults, thrusts and reactivation of normal faults of the Cretaceous rift during the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. Other older faults, major oblique lineaments, were also reactivated. Thermochronological and geothermobarometric data indicate that some topographic relief could have been Palaeozoic–Mesozoic relicts and not only produced by the Andean orogeny. Faults are partially controlled by the early Cambrian S2metamorphic foliation, coincident with the curved fault traces at map scale. During Pliocene time, two deformation phases post-dating Miocene–Pliocene magmatism are recognized. Shallow seismicity data (c.25 km depth) indicate that the Sierras de Córdoba accommodate Quaternary displacement. Magnetotelluric studies detect the interface between the Pampia terrane and the Río de la Plata craton. The role of the oblique lineaments in the nucleation and development of the Tertiary faulting has been little considered; they could be correlated with an old pan-Gondwanan trend. During the Cretaceous period these lineaments worked in a transtensive way, producing the uplift of high-grade rocks and segmentation of the mountain chain favouring the diachronous uplift along the ranges. Recently, both the brittle–ductile transition atc.23 km depth and the crustal thickness have been determined by seismicity analysis. The oblique lineaments displace normally the Mohorovicic discontinuity. Main basement thrusts were probably rooted in the suture between the Pampia terrane and the Río de la Plata craton.
Discussion of ‘Olistostromes of the Pieniny Klippen Belt, Northern Carpathians’
Authors: Golonka J. , Krobicki M. , Waśkowska A. , Cieszkowski M. , Ślączka A. , Krobicki M.
Published: June 2016

J. Golonka, M. Krobicki, A. Waśkowska, M. Cieszkowski & A. Ślączkareply: We welcome the comments by our Slovakian colleagues and their critique of our results, particularly as we have discussed and published papers together several times about our ideas, sometimes, more or less, disputable (Aubrechtet al.2003, 2006; Krobickiet al.2003; Krobicki, Aubrecht & Golonka, 2003; Golonkaet al.2006; Pieńkowskiet al.2008). We are pleased to see such warm reaction to our work/paper, which is focused on one of the rudimentary questions in the Pieniny Klippen Belt (PKB) area. How many/what kind of olistoliths/olistostromes occur within the inner structure of the PKB, and when and why did they originate mostly during the Palaeogene part of the Mesozoic–Cenozoic history of this region? We expected this discussion earlier. The content of our paper was presented at the 6thMeeting of the Central European Tectonic Studies Group (CETeG) in Upohlav, Pieniny Klippen Belt, Slovakia (Cieszkowskiet al.2008), and later, at the XIX Congress of the Carpathian–Balkan Geological Association in Thessaloniki, Greece (Cieszkowskiet al.2010; Golonkaet al.2010). Some ideas were also briefly mentioned in the paper by Cieszkowskiet al.(2009) in a journal issue edited by D. Plašienka. We assume that the comments are based on recent investigation, because the authors list the grants received to conduct the research. Therefore, the submitted comments sometimes present a point of view different from that published previously by some of the authors of the comments (RA, JM) (see Aubrechtet al.2003; Krobicki, Aubrecht & Golonka, 2003; Wierzbowskiet al.2006; Pieńkowskiet al.2008). The statement, ‘Certainly there are many still unresolved problems in the geology of the PKB, and it ought to be said that the co-authors of this discussion also do not fully agree with all interpretations formulated and illustrated by the first author’ perhaps explains this controversy. Of course, we agree that ‘there are many still unresolved problems in the geology of the PKB’. We also agree with the statement ‘olistostromes and olistoliths are quite frequent, but not omnipresent’. We depicted the distribution of the olistoliths and their relationship to the non-olistolith tectonic units of the PKB in Golonkaet al.(2015, figs 3, 8).
PROTECTING MOBILE MONEY CUSTOMER FUNDS IN CIVIL LAW JURISDICTIONS
Authors: Ramos David , Solana Javier , Buckley Ross P , Greenacre Jonathan
Published: June 2016

The provision of financial services through mobile phones is a powerful tool to foster financial inclusion, and thus economic growth, in developing countries. However, it raises important regulatory issues. Given the vulnerability of most potential customers of these services, the protection of customer funds is important. In common law countries, trust accounts are an effective response to these concerns. In civil law jurisdictions however, in the absence of trusts, protection of customer funds is more difficult. This paper identifies the theoretical and practical problems that regulators in civil law jurisdictions might face when trying to protect customer funds and explores how fiduciary contracts, mandate contracts and direct regulation might be used to achieve this goal. It offers a series of practical recommendations for policymakers in developing countries that provide a range of regulatory options that combine private law and regulation.
New species ofMonticellinaandChaetozone(Polychaeta: Cirratulidae) in the SW Atlantic, and a review ofMonticellinaspecies
Authors: Elias R. , Rivero M.S. , Orensanz J.M. Lobo
Published: June 2016

During quantitative surveys two new species of Cirratulidae from subtidal bottoms of the Atlantic coast of Argentina were collected. They belong to the generaMonticellinaandChaetozone. Monticellina moraesp. nov. is characterized by the presence of a long peristomium of smooth appearance, but triannulated at SEM, bearing the dorsal tentacles in the posterior part, with the first pair of branchiae posterolateral to the dorsal tentacles in chaetiger 1. The body is divided into three parts, an anterior region laterally expanded and with crowded segments, a middle region with beadlike chaetigers and an inflated and crowded posterior region.Chaetozone laraesp. nov. is characterized by an inflated dorsally and laterally expanded anterior crowded region. Peristomium biannulated laterally, with a dorsal crest on the first and second annuli that occupy the entire width, and then a narrow crest in the following annulus (interpreted as an achaetous segment). Capillaries are lanceolate, short and long, with acicular spines curved, forming partial cinctures. In addition, a comparative table of all described species ofMonticellinais included and the distinctive characters are discussed.
The Making of the India–Pakistan Dynamic: Nehru, Liaquat, and the No War Pact correspondence of 1950
Authors: RAGHAVAN PALLAVI
Published: June 2016

In January 1950, Jawaharlal Nehru wrote to Liaquat Ali Khan, seeking a joint declaration of a No War Pact by the governments of India and Pakistan. The two prime ministers undertook a lengthy correspondence on this subject, spanning a year that saw rising levels of resentment and hostility between the two countries. Yet, as the inter-dominion correspondence on the No War declaration during this period shows, neither government was actually predisposed to take a belligerent position and critically engaged with the possibility of signing a declaration that renounced the use of war. As I hope to show through my discussion of the ‘No War Pact’ correspondence, relations between India and Pakistan were not necessarily confined to hostile exchanges, and both governments also repeatedly engaged with each other to attempt to find spaces of agreement and compromise. Although much of the existing literature on India–Pakistan relations characterizes it as locked in acrimony and conflict, which arose from the bitterness of partition, a closer scrutiny reveals a more nuanced picture. Attempts at cooperation and dialogue between the two governments—and the rationale for undertaking them—complicate our understanding of a relationship apparently limited to instinctive antagonism, and help in creating a more rounded picture of the India–Pakistan dynamic.
NONPARAMETRIC ESTIMATION OF SEMIPARAMETRIC TRANSFORMATION MODELS
Authors: Florens Jean-Pierre , Sokullu Senay
Published: June 2016

In this paper we develop a nonparametric estimation technique for semiparametric transformation models of the form:H(Y) =φ(Z) +X′β+UwhereH,φare unknown functions,βis an unknown finite-dimensional parameter vector and the variables (Y,Z) are endogenous. Identification of the model and asymptotic properties of the estimator are analyzed under the mean independence assumption between the error term and the instruments. We show that the estimators are consistent, and a$\sqrt N$-convergence rate and asymptotic normality for$\hat \beta$can be attained. The simulations demonstrate that our nonparametric estimates fit the data well.
Rigidity of quasiconformal maps on Carnot groups
Authors: XIE XIANGDONG
Published: June 2016

We show that quasiconformal maps on many Carnot groups must be biLipschitz. In particular, this is the case for 2-step Carnot groups with reducible first layer. These results have implications for the rigidity of quasiisometries between negatively curved solvable Lie groups.
A genetic algorithm for permutation flowshop scheduling under practical make-to-order production system
Authors: Rahman Humyun Fuad , Sarker Ruhul , Essam Daryl
Published: June 2016

The aim of this work is to bridge the gap between the theory and actual practice of production scheduling by studying a problem from a real-life production environment. This paper considers a practical Sanitaryware production system as a number of make-to-order permutation flowshop problems. Due to the wide range of variation in its products, real-time arrival of customer orders, dynamic batch adjustments, and time for machine setup, Sanitaryware production system is complex and also time sensitive. In practice, many such companies run with suboptimal solutions. To tackle this problem, in this paper, a memetic algorithm based real-time approach has been proposed. Numerical experiments based on real data are also been presented in this paper.
Measurements by controlled meteorological balloons in coastal areas of Antarctica
Authors: Hole Lars R. , Bello Alexis Pérez , Roberts Tjarda J. , Voss Paul B. , Vihma Timo
Published: June 2016

An experiment applying controlled meteorological (CMET) balloons near the coast of Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, in January 2013 is described. Two balloons were airborne for 60 and 106 hours with trajectory lengths of 885.8 km and 2367.4 km, respectively. The balloons carried out multiple controlled soundings on the atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity up to 3.3 km. Wind speed and direction were derived from the balloon drift. Observations were compared with radiosonde sounding profiles from the Halley Research Station, and applied in evaluating simulations carried out with the weather research and forecasting (WRF) mesoscale atmospheric model. The most interesting feature detected by the CMET balloons was a mesoscale anticyclone over the Weddell Sea and the coastal zone, which was reproduced by the WRF model with reduced intensity. The modelled wind speed was up to 10 m s-1 slower and the relative humidity was 20–40% higher than the observed values. However, over the study period the WRF results generally agreed with the observations. The results suggest that CMET balloons could be an interesting supplement to Antarctic atmospheric observations, particularly in the free troposphere.
THE SIMPLE DYNAMICS OF PUBLIC DEBT WITH PRODUCTIVE PUBLIC GOODS
Authors: Agénor Pierre-Richard , Yilmaz Devrim
Published: June 2016

This paper analyzes the dynamics of public debt in a simple two-period overlapping-generations model of endogenous growth with productive public goods. Alternative fiscal rules are defined, with particular attention devoted to the golden rule. Conditions under which multiple equilibria may emerge are characterized. The analysis is then extended to consider the case of partial depreciation, an endogenous risk premium, an endogenous primary surplus rule, a generalized golden rule, a nonseparable utility function, and network externalities. If network effects are sufficiently strong, an increase in public investment may shift the economy from a low-growth equilibrium to a steady state characterized by both higher public debt ratios and higher output growth. This shift may enhance welfare as well. These results illustrate the importance of preserving, even in a context of fiscal retrenchment, the allocation of resources to specific types of public investment.
SOCIAL CHOICE AND TIME CONSISTENCY WITH LOW-PROBABILITY EVENTS
Authors: Bonilla Claudio A.
Published: June 2016

A key result in macroeconomics is the “time inconsistency of short-run optimal plans.” It is argued that inflationary bias results if central bankers do not precommit to a monetary policy rule. The macro literature, however, does not address the way in which board members arrive at the “optimal choice of inflation rate.” That is a matter of a micro subfield called social choice. If we consider that on any board, members have different priors about the states of nature for the economy, but they all receive the same signal before deciding, then they will have different posterior probabilities for the states, even if they have many data, if one state has a low probability of occurring, such as an unlikely catastrophic-risk event. Thus, it is not clear what the optimal plan is. Therefore, discretion rather than rules may be the optimal plan in social choice settings.
Contribution of forest foods to dietary intake and their association with household food insecurity: a cross-sectional study in women from rural Cameroon
Authors: Fungo Robert , Muyonga John , Kabahenda Margaret , Kaaya Archileo , Okia Clement A , Donn Pauline , Mathurin Tchatat , Tchingsabe Obadia , Tiegehungo Julius C , Loo Judy , Snook Laura
Published: June 2016

Objective

To determine the contribution of forest foods to dietary intake and estimate their association with household food insecurity.

Design

Cross-sectional survey conducted among 279 households. Using a 7 d recall questionnaire, information on household food consumption was collected from women and used to determine the household dietary diversity score, food variety score and forest food consumption score (FFCS). Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) score was determined and Spearman rank correlation was used to establish the relationship between consumption of forest foods and HFIAS score. Women’s dietary intake was estimated from two 24 h recalls. The contribution of forest foods to women’s nutrient intakes was calculated and women’s nutrient intakes were compared with estimated average nutrient requirements.

Setting

Rural forest-dependent households in twelve villages in eastern and southern Cameroon.

Subjects

Household heads and their non-pregnant, non-lactating spouses.

Results

Forty-seven unique forest foods were identified; of these, seventeen were consumed by 98 % of respondents over the course of one week and by 17 % of women during the two 24 h recall periods. Although forest foods contributed approximately half of women’s total daily energy intake, considerably greater contributions were made to vitamin A (93 %), Na (100 %), Fe (85 %), Zn (88 %) and Ca (89 %) intakes. Despite a highly biodiverse pool of foods, most households (83 %) suffered from high food insecurity based on the HFIAS. A significant inverse correlation was observed between the HFIAS score and the FFCS (r2=−0·169, P=0·0006), demonstrating that forest foods play an important role in ensuring food security in these forest-dependent communities.

Conclusions

Forest foods are widely consumed by forest-dependent communities. Given their rich nutrient content, they have potential to contribute to food and nutrition security.
Physiotherapy as a first point of contact in general practice: a solution to a growing problem?
Authors: Goodwin Rob W. , Hendrick Paul A.
Published: June 2016

Aim

To evaluate the clinical effectiveness, patient satisfaction and economic efficacy of a physiotherapy service providing musculoskeletal care, as an alternative to GP care.

Background

There is a growing demand on general practice resources. A novel ‘1st Line Physiotherapy Service’ was evaluated in two GP practices (inner city practice, university practice). Physiotherapy, as a first point of contact, was provided as an alternative to GP care for patients with musculoskeletal complaints.

Participants

A convenience cohort sample of over 500 patients with a musculoskeletal complaint was assessed within the physiotherapy service. For the economic evaluation a cohort of 100 GP patients was retrospectively reviewed.

Method

Clinical outcome measures were collected at assessment, one and six months following assessment. Patient satisfaction was collected at assessment. An economic evaluation was undertaken on the physiotherapy cohort of patients and compared to a retrospective cohort of patients (n=100) seen by a GP. This evaluation considered only the health care perspective (primary and secondary care). Societal issues such as absence from employment were not considered.

Results

There were no adverse events associated with the physiotherapy service. Patients reported high levels of satisfaction with the physiotherapy service. Patients managed within the 1st Line Physiotherapy Service demonstrated clinical improvements (EQ-5D-5L, Global Rating of Change) at the six-month point. There was a statistically significant difference in favour of the physiotherapy groups using a non-parametric bootstrap test; inner city practice, mean difference in costs=£538.01 (P=0.006; 95% CI; £865.678, £226.98), university practice mean difference in costs=£295.83 (P=0.044; 95% CI; £585.16, £83.69).

Conclusion

The limitations of this pragmatic service evaluation are acknowledged. Nevertheless, the physiotherapy service appears to provide a safe and efficacious service. The service is well received by patients. There appear to be potential financial implications to the health economy. Physiotherapists, as a first point of contact for patients with musculoskeletal-related complaints, could contribute to the current challenges faced in primary care.
THE UNENDING CONVERSATION: KENNETH BURKE AND RICHARD MCKEON'S AESTHETIC PRAGMATISM, 1920–1960
Authors: BARANOWSKI BRAD
Published: June 2016

Historians of pragmatism have long overlooked Kenneth Burke and Richard McKeon. This has not been without good reason. At first glance, the two read more like critics than adherents of the tradition. Yet placing Burke and McKeon's writings from the 1920s to the late 1950s in the context of their development reveals a shared project aimed at reforming pragmatism. While pragmatists such as John Dewey and Sidney Hook alleged a conceptual fidelity between the scientific method and democratic processes such as public debate, Burke and McKeon questioned this link. Metaphors drawn from science, they believed, blinded pragmatists to the nature of communication. Due to this oversight, pragmatists ignored the ideological ambiguity that surrounded terms like “science” and “democracy” during the mid-twentieth century. Burke and McKeon sought to fix this omission. Pragmatists, they argued, needed to trade the language of science for a terminology drawn from a source more attuned to the power of communication: the arts. By advancing this case, Burke and McKeon crafted an aesthetic form of pragmatism—a variant of the philosophy that, ultimately, contemporaries would barely recognize as such.
THE “SICK” RACIST
Authors: Thomas James M. , Byrd W. Carson
Published: June 2016

Since the early 1960s, there has been a movement among activists, scholars, and policymakers to redefine racism as a psychopathological condition, identifiable and treatable through psychotherapeutic and pharmacological interventions. This development reflects, and is reflected by, the popular framing among mass media and ordinary social actors of racism and racist events as individual pathology rather than as a social problem. This shifting perspective on racism, from a social problem and a system to an individual pathology, has increasingly become a part of academic and psychiatric discourse since Jim Crow. In this article, we have two aims: first, to trace the emergence of “psychopathological racism”; second, to illustrate the relationship between “psychopathological racism” and “colorblind racism” in the post-Civil Rights era. We argue that the psychopathological view of racism compliments colorblindness in that larger structural issues are dismissed in favor of individual pathos. Furthermore, psychopathological explanations for racism dismiss socio-political contexts, eschewing the contributions of well over fifty years of social scientific research in the process.
Improving resource-use-efficiency with no-till and crop diversity
Authors: Anderson Randy L.
Published: June 2016

Recently, we conducted a case study that showed a no-till, diverse cropping system increasing corn yields in a semiarid climate compared with a tilled, corn–soybean rotation. Further analysis showed that the no-till system improved resource-use-efficiency of corn; inputs were reduced 42% averaged across five resources. The largest reduction with inputs involved nitrogen fertilizer and fuel. Reduced fertilizer input was attributed to greater soil microbial activity. A surprising trend was that cost of weed management in corn was 45% lower in the no-till system, due to resistant weeds being present only in the tilled, corn–soybean system. Crop diversity in the no-till system suppressed development of weed resistance. Integrating a diversity of crops with no-till can improve efficient use of resources.
Effects of entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae on non-target ants associated with Odontotermes spp. (Isoptera: Termitidae) termite mounds in Kenya
Authors: Abonyo E.A. , Maniania N.K. , Warui C.M. , Kokwaro E.D. , Palmer T.M. , Doak D.F. , Brody A.K.
Published: June 2016

Termites are an important component of savannah ecosystems throughout Africa. Despite their importance in the ecosystem, they can be serious pests of structures, houses, rangelands, tropical forestry, and agriculture. For many decades, chemical insecticides have remained popular for termite management worldwide. However, with the growing environmental concerns over pesticides, biological control using entomopathogenic fungi such asMetarhizium anisopliae(Metschnikoff) Sorokin has become an often-considered alternative.Metarhizium anisopliaeis an ubiquitous, naturally occurring pathogen, which has been reported infecting over 200 insect species; therefore, there is concern that use ofM. anisopliaemay affect non-target organisms. The effects ofM. anisopliaeisolate ICIPE 30 were experimentally tested on the ants which associate withOdontotermesspp. termite mounds. Laboratory bioassays were carried out to assess the effects of direct exposure toM. anisopliaeonCrematogaster mimosaeandCamponotusspp. In addition, ant diversity was monitored over 18 months from termite mounds treated withM. anisopliae in situnear the Mpala Research Centre in Laikipia District of central Kenya. Results obtained revealed no effects of direct exposure toM. anisopliaeisolate ICIPE 30 on the mortality ofC. mimosae(F1= 7.29,P= 0.0072) orCamponotusspp. (F1= 13.01,P= 0.0004) in the laboratory. No significant difference in Shannon indices of ant diversity from treated and untreated mounds (F1= 0.016,P= 0.8989) was found. It is evident thatM. anisopliaehas no negative effects on ants that are associated withOdontotermesspp. termites.
Rivers, Oceans, and Spirits: Water Cosmologies, Gender, and Religious Change in Southeast Asia
Authors: Andaya Barbara Watson
Published: June 2016

Water in many different forms and contexts is of central significance in Southeast Asia, and these differences are reflected in the vast range of spirits and deities. Despite wide variation, the most obvious distinction is between spirits associated with fresh and salt water. Those linked to water associated with fertility are typically regarded as female and sympathetic to human requests for assistance. By contrast, the spirits who inhabit turbulent river waters and patrol the shorelines may be male, female, or only vaguely gendered. Although they can be capricious and sometimes cruel, they are nonetheless amenable to individual or communal supplication. The same ambiguity is exemplified by the sea spirits, who extend rewards to those they favour but inflict harsh punishments when their anger is aroused. Yet regardless of their nature or the place with which they were associated, the ‘power base’ of indigenous spirits was always locally concentrated. The limitations in their reach help explain the appeal of cosmologies that extended across a much larger area, and even across the entire globe. The accompanying conceptualization of new and benevolent beings is especially evident in the maritime environment. Here human activity is male-dominated, and the male divinities and saints associated with supra-local belief systems might appear to be the natural guardians of mariners. Even so, culturally entrenched ideas of connections between water and maternal care facilitated the adoption of female deities as protectors of ocean-going voyagers.
Pneumokokken-Impfungen bei Kindern und Erwachsenen
Authors: Albrich Werner
Published: June 2016

Zusammenfassung. Pneumokokken sind die wichtigsten bakteriellen Erreger von Atemwegsinfektionen, Bakteriämien und Meningitis. Pneumokokken-Konjugatimpfstoffe (PCV) bieten einen wirksamen und sicheren Schutz vor diesen Infektionen. Nach PCV-Einführung kam es zu einer wesentlichen Reduktion von invasiven Pneumokokkenerkrankungen (IPE), Pneumonie und Otitis media bei den geimpften Altersgruppen sowie einer Abnahme von Antibiotikaresistenzen bei Pneumokokken. Darüberhinaus wurde auch die nasopharyngeale Kolonisation und damit die Transmission reduziert. Dies führte auch bei nicht-geimpften Altersgruppen, insbesondere älteren Erwachsenen, zu einer massgeblichen Abnahme von IPE und Pneumonien im Sinne eines Herdenschutzes. Kürzlich wurde gezeigt, dass der 13-valente PCV13 auch bei Erwachsenen wirksam und sicher ist. Er wird in der Schweiz altersunabhängig für Patienten mit Risikofaktoren empfohlen.
Welche Impfungen für welche Reisedestination?
Authors: De Crom Susan , Veit Olivia , Hatz Christoph
Published: June 2016

Zusammenfassung. Bei einer Reise in die Tropen oder Subtropen stellen Impfungen eine wesentliche Massnahme dar, um die Risiken von Infektionskrankheiten im Reiseland zu reduzieren. Bei der Impfberatung müssen sowohl Reisedestination, Aufenthaltsdauer, Reisestil und -zweck, vorbestehende Erkrankungen, durchgemachte Infektionen, als auch Medikation und Alter des Reisenden berücksichtigt werden. Ein Kurzzeit-Geschäftsreisender in guten Unterkünften ist meistens anderen Risiken ausgesetzt als ein Langzeit-Rucksacktourist oder ein Migrant, der seine Familie in der alten Heimat besucht. Die vom Bundesamt für Gesundheit (BAG) empfohlenen Basis-Impfungen, wie sie im Schweizerischen Impfplan festgelegt sind, sollen vor einer Reise kontrolliert und allenfalls aufgefrischt oder ergänzt werden. Zusätzliche Impfungen gegen Hepatitis A und B, Gelbfieber, Abdominaltyphus, Poliomyelitis, Tollwut, Meningokokken-Meningitis (A, C, W, Y) und Japanische Enzephalitis können indiziert oder obligatorisch sein.
Impfen in der Schwangerschaft
Authors: Niederer-Loher Anita
Published: June 2016

Zusammenfassung. Schwangere und Neugeborene haben ein deutlich erhöhtes Erkrankungsrisiko für einige Infektionskrankheiten, schwere Verläufe und Komplikationen. Diese und neue Erkenntnisse über die immunologischen Abläufe in der Schwangerschaft haben dazu geführt, die Präventionsmöglichkeiten neu zu überdenken. Die aktuell empfohlenen Impfungen in der Schwangerschaft induzieren eine gute Immunantwort bei der Mutter. Sie schützen die Schwangere und dank einem aktiven Antikörpertransport über die Plazenta auch das Neugeborene effizient vor Infektionen. Gleichzeitig sind sie auch in der Schwangerschaft sicher anwendbar ohne ein vermehrtes Risiko für Mutter und Kind. Jede Schwangere sollte vor einer Influenzainfektion geschützt sein. Auch eine Auffrischung der Immunität gegen Pertussis ist in der Schwangerschaft essentiell für den Schutz des Neugeborenen. Die mütterlichen Antikörper verhindern, dass es in den ersten Lebensmonaten an einer nicht selten tödlich verlaufenden Pertussis-Infektion erkrankt. Virale Infektionen wie Masern, Röteln und Varizellen führen, wenn sie in der Schwangerschaft auftreten, zu besonders komplizierten und folgenschweren Verläufen für Mutter und Kind. Die zur Verfügung stehenden Impfungen bieten einen sehr guten und sicheren Schutz, sie sind aber während der Schwangerschaft kontraindiziert, da es sich um Lebendimpfstoffe handelt. Es muss daher das Ziel sein, dass alle Schwangeren bereits vor der Schwangerschaft immun sind. Falls eine fehlende Immunität festgestellt wird, soll rasch nach der Geburt, idealerweise im Wochenbett, mit der Impfung begonnen werden. Impfungen in der Schwangerschaft bieten eine sichere Prävention von Infektionen und deren Komplikationen mit 3-in-1-Wirkung, nämlich einem optimierten Schutz für die Mutter, den Fötus und für das Neugeborene.
Schaudern vor Impfzaudern?
Authors: Capol Svend
Published: June 2016

Zusammenfassung. Wachsendes Impfzaudern (vaccine hesitancy) könnte den Erfolg von Impfkampagnen zunehmend gefährden. Begünstigt wird die Ambivalenz bei Impfentscheidungen durch den Vertrauensverlust in die Impfungen und den Impfanbieter, die überfordernden Mengen an ungefilterten Informationen und das Dilemma zwischen dem individuellen Anspruch und der Solidarität gegenüber der Gemeinschaft. Die schwindenden Erfahrungen mit Krankheiten, welche durch Impfungen verhinderbar sind, führen als Kehrseite des Erfolgs von Impfungen zur veränderten Risikoperzeption zu Ungunsten der Impfung. Impfgegner machen nur eine kleine Minderheit in der Bevölkerung aus, deren Argumente werden aber überproportional durch Impfzauderer wahrgenommen. Nach wie vor sind Ärztinnen und Ärzte der Grundversorgung zentrale Figuren, wenn es um Gesundheitsfragen geht. Mit faktenbasierten Informationen und transparentem Aufzeigen der Konsequenzen des Nichtimpfens können sie einen wesentlichen Einfluss auf den Impfentscheid nehmen. Dafür braucht es neben dem fundierten Wissen, insbesondere gute, vertrauensbildende Kommunikationstechniken und vor allem genügend Zeit.
Traumafokussierte kognitive Verhaltenstherapie mit Kindern und Jugendlichen – Klinisches Vorgehen, Evidenzbasis und weitere Perspektiven
Authors: Sachser Cedric , Rassenhofer Miriam , Goldbeck Lutz
Published: June 2016

Zusammenfassung. Die traumafokussierte kognitive Verhaltenstherapie (Tf-KVT) ist eine evidenzbasierte Traumatherapie für Kinder und Jugendliche mit Posttraumatischer Belastungsstörung (PTBS) im Alter zwischen 3 und 17 Jahren. Eine erwachsene Bezugsperson wird regelmäßig an der Therapie beteiligt. Die Tf-KVT besteht aus den acht Komponenten Psychoedukation und Erziehungsfähigkeiten, Entspannungstraining, Affektive Modulation, Kognitive Verarbeitung, Traumanarrativ, In-vivo-Bewältigung traumatischer Schlüsselreize, gemeinsame Eltern-Kind-Sitzung sowie Erleichtern künftiger Sicherheit und Entwicklung. Mehrere Metaanalysen und systematische Übersichtsarbeiten bestätigten die Wirksamkeit dieser in bisher 13 randomisierten kontrollierten Studien untersuchten Therapie, die mit dem Evidenzgrad Ia im Rahmen internationaler Leitlinien als Therapie erster Wahl für Kinder und Jugendliche mit PTBS empfohlen wird.
Correlation detection as a general mechanism for multisensory integration
Authors: Parise Cesare V. , Ernst Marc O.
Published: June 2016

The brain efficiently processes multisensory information by selectively combining related signals across the continuous stream of multisensory inputs. To do so, it needs to detect correlation, lag and synchrony across the senses; optimally integrate related information; and dynamically adapt to spatiotemporal conflicts across the senses. Here we show that all these aspects of multisensory perception can be jointly explained by postulating an elementary processing unit akin to the Hassenstein–Reichardt detector—a model originally developed for visual motion perception. This unit, termed the multisensory correlation detector (MCD), integrates related multisensory signals through a set of temporal filters followed by linear combination. Our model can tightly replicate human perception as measured in a series of empirical studies, both novel and previously published. MCDs provide a unified general theory of multisensory processing, which simultaneously explains a wide spectrum of phenomena with a simple, yet physiologically plausible model.
Correction: Corrigendum: Analysing black phosphorus transistors using an analytic Schottky barrier MOSFET model
Authors: Penumatcha Ashish V. , Salazar Ramon B. , Appenzeller Joerg
Published: June 2016

Nature Communications 6: Article number: 8948 (2015); Published: 13 November 2015; Updated: 6 June 2016. This Article contains an error in the penultimate sentence of the penultimate paragraph. This sentence should read: ‘In other words, if one would analyse the minimum current level Imin using a simple parabolic κ(E) WKB approximation, one would extract a much smaller bandgap since Imin is severely underestimated.
PPAR-delta promotes survival of breast cancer cells in harsh metabolic conditions
Authors: Wang X , Wang G , Shi Y , Sun L , Gorczynski R , Li Y-J , Xu Z , Spaner D E
Published: June 2016

Expression of the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator activated receptor delta (PPARδ) in breast cancer cells is negatively associated with patient survival, but the underlying mechanisms are not clear. High PPARδ protein levels in rat breast adenocarcinomas were found to be associated with increased growth in soft agar and mice. Transgenic expression of PPARδ increased the ability of human breast cancer cell lines to migrate in vitro and form lung metastases in mice. PPARδ also conferred the ability to grow in exhausted tissue culture media and survive in low-glucose and other endoplasmic reticulum stress conditions such as hypoxia. Upregulation of PPARδ by glucocorticoids or synthetic agonists also protected human breast cancer cells from low glucose. Survival in low glucose was related to increased antioxidant defenses mediated in part by catalase and also to late AKT phosphorylation, which is associated with the prolonged glucose-deprivation response. Synthetic antagonists reversed the survival benefits conferred by PPARδ in vitro. These findings suggest that PPARδ conditions breast cancer cells to survive in harsh microenvironmental conditions by reducing oxidative stress and enhancing survival signaling responses. Drugs that target PPARδ may have a role in the treatment of breast cancer.