bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Decreases in beetle body size linked to climate change and warming temperatures
Authors: Tseng Michelle , Kaur Katrina M. , Soleimani Pari Sina , Sarai Karnjit , Chan Denessa , Yao Christine H. , Porto Paula , Toor Anmol , Toor Harpawantaj S. , Fograscher Katrina
Published: January 2018

Body size is a fundamental ecological trait and is correlated with population dynamics, community structure and function, and ecosystem fluxes. Laboratory data from broad taxonomic groups suggest that a widespread response to a warming world may be an overall decrease in organism body size. However, given the myriad of biotic and abiotic factors that can also influence organism body size in the wild, it is unclear whether results from these laboratory assays hold in nature.

Here we use datasets spanning 30 to 100 years to examine whether the body size of wild‐caught beetles has changed over time, whether body size changes are correlated with increased temperatures, and we frame these results using predictions derived from a quantitative review of laboratory responses of 22 beetle species to temperature.

We found that 95% of laboratory‐reared beetles decreased in size with increased rearing temperature, with larger‐bodied species shrinking disproportionately more than smaller‐bodied beetles. In addition, the museum datasets revealed that larger‐bodied beetle species have decreased in size over time, that mean beetle body size explains much of the interspecific variation in beetle responses to temperature, and that long‐term beetle size changes are explained by increases in autumn temperature and decreases in spring temperature in this region.

Our data demonstrate that the relationship between body size and temperature of wild‐caught beetles matches relatively well with results from laboratory studies, and that variation in this relationship is largely explained by interspecific variation in mean beetle body size.

This long‐term beetle dataset is one of the most comprehensive arthropod body size datasets compiled to date, it improves predictions regarding the shrinking of organisms with global climate change, and together with the meta‐analysis data, call for new hypotheses to explain why larger‐bodied organisms may be more sensitive to temperature.
Invasion history alters the behavioural consequences of immune system activation in cane toads
Authors: Brown Gregory P. , Holden Damian , Shine Richard , Phillips Ben L.
Published: January 2018

Acute activation of the immune system often initiates a suite of behavioural changes. These “sickness behaviours”—involving lethargy and decreased activity—may be particularly costly on invasion fronts, where evolutionary pressures on dispersal favour individuals that move large distances.

We used a combination of field and laboratory studies to compare sickness behaviours of cane toads from populations differing in invasion history. To do this we stimulated immune system activation by injecting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mimic bacterial infection.

We predicted that LPS would result in less severe sickness behaviour in toads from range‐edge populations because they had undergone selection for rapid and sustained dispersal (activities in conflict with lethargy and decreased activity).

Contrary to our prediction, LPS injection caused a greater reduction in dispersal‐relevant traits in invasion‐front individuals than in conspecifics from the range‐core.

Our data suggest that the rapid invasion of cane toads through tropical Australia has seen an evolutionary shift in the magnitude of sickness behaviour elicited by pathogen infection. The increased sickness behaviour among range‐edge toads suggests a shift away from pathogen tolerance (seen in range‐core populations) towards resistance to pathogen attack. But as a consequence, when pathogens do become successfully established, toads from invasion‐front populations may have less capacity to tolerate their ill‐effects.
Using terrestrial haematophagous leeches to enhance tropical biodiversity monitoring programmes in Bangladesh
Authors: Weiskopf Sarah R. , McCarthy Kyle P. , Tessler Michael , Rahman Hasan A. , McCarthy Jennifer L. , Hersch Rebecca , Faisal Mohammad Muzaffar , Siddall Mark E.
Published: January 2018

Measuring mammal biodiversity in tropical rainforests is challenging, and methods that reduce effort while maximizing success are crucial for long‐term monitoring programmes. Commonly used methods to assess mammal biodiversity may require substantial sampling effort to be effective. Genetic methods are a new and important sampling tool on the horizon, but obtaining sufficient DNA samples can be a challenge.

We evaluated the efficacy of using parasitic leeches Haemadipsa spp., as compared to camera trapping, to sample biodiversity. We collected 200 leeches from four forest patches in northeast Bangladesh, and identified recent vertebrate hosts using Sanger sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene extracted from each individual leech's blood meals. We then compared these data to species data from camera trapping conducted in the same forest patches.

Overall, 41.9% of sequenced leeches contained amplifiable non‐human mammal DNA. Four days of collecting leeches led to the identification of 12 species, compared to 26 species identified in 1,334 camera trap nights.

Synthesis and applications. After assessing the cost, effort and power of each technique, there are pros and cons to both camera trapping and leech blood meal analysis. Camera trapping and leech collection appear to be complementary approaches. When used together, they may provide a more complete monitoring tool for mammal biodiversity in tropical rainforests. Managers should consider adding leech collection to their biodiversity monitoring toolkit, as improved information will allow managers to create more effective conservation programmes.
Maternal L‐carnitine supplementation improves glucose and lipid profiles in female offspring of dams exposed to cigarette smoke
Authors: Saad S , Al‐Odat I , Chan YL , McGrath KC , Pollock CA , Oliver BG , Chen H
Published: January 2018

Sex differences in disease susceptibility due to maternal programming have been reported. We previously observed that maternal smoking induced renal disease and neurological changes are restricted to males, while both male and female offspring develop metabolic disorders. We have also found that maternal L‐carnitine supplementation during gestation and lactation can significantly improve glucose intolerance and hyperlipidaemia in male offspring. This study aimed to determine whether such beneficial effects can also occur in female offspring. Balb/c female mice were exposed to cigarette smoke (SE) 6 weeks prior to gestation, during gestation and lactation. A subgroup of the SE dams was given L‐carnitine (1.5 mmol/L in drinking water) during gestation and lactation. Female offspring were studied at 20 days (weaning) and 13 weeks (adulthood). Maternal smoking increased liver weight (%) and blood glucose levels at 20 days, as well as glucose intolerance and plasma triglycerides levels at adulthood (P < .05). The hepatic lipid metabolic marker adipose triglyceride lipase was downregulated in the SE offspring at 20 days (P < .05). At 13 weeks, the hepatic pro‐inflammatory markers IL‐1β and TNF‐α mRNA expression were upregulated, while the anti‐inflammatory marker IL‐10 mRNA expression was downregulated in the SE offspring (P < .05). Liver fibrosis was apparent at 20 days and 13 weeks. Maternal L‐carnitine supplementation either normalised or suppressed the detrimental effects induced by maternal smoke exposure (P < .05). We conclude that maternal L‐carnitine supplementation improves metabolic parameters in the female offspring of SE dams.
Heavy is the House: Rent Burden among the American Urban Poor
Authors: Desmond Matthew
Published: January 2018

During the past decade, the incomes of poor Americans have fallen or flat‐lined, housing costs have soared and public policy has failed to bridge the gap. As a result, the majority of poor renting families in America now devote at least half of their income to covering housing costs, and eviction has become a common yet consequential event in their lives. While housing is central to the lives of the urban poor, it remains marginal to the sociology of American inequality. This essay begins by charting the growing rent burden among low‐income households, and then draws on the unique contributions of Pierre Bourdieu to the study of the home to sketch an agenda for analyzing the roots and implications of the loss of affordable urban housing, a prerequisite for offering policy prescriptions.
Social Power and Power Over Space: How the Bourgeoisie Reproduces itself in the City
Authors: Pinçon‐Charlot Monique , Pinçon Michel
Published: January 2018

Urban sociology has long ignored districts of wealth and privilege in cities because they harbor few ‘social problems’ and the class background of sociologists has not inclined them to venture there. In France after 1968, the continued attraction of Marxism and the sulfurous reputation of sociology conspired to make such investigation difficult. Pierre Bourdieu pioneered it with his landmark book on the bourgeoisie, Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. This essay reports on two decades of research extending Bourdieu's model of social space to study the territories and strategies of the French high bourgeoisie and aristocracy. The dominant class lives in reserved upscale districts and this seclusion, resulting from the elective spatial aggregation of familial dynasties, is a fundamental characteristic of the group. Segregative isolation is strengthened by specific institutions, such as society balls and social clubs, entrusted with effecting class closure and perpetuation. But, in the greater Paris region, the best districts also attract businesses (corporate headquarters, luxury firms), and thus employment that prompts the established bourgeoisie to migrate westwards in an endless search for social exclusivity. In addition to their Paris homes, upper‐class dynasties possess family properties (a castle or a large manor house) in the provincial hinterland that serve as a basis for paternalistic forms of sociability, linking them to the local lower class via such institutions as riding to hounds. Spaces reserved by and for the high bourgeoisie are major vectors of social reproduction and, along with family and elite schools, help to train heirs suited to safeguarding and valorizing their inherited assets.
Social Space and the Genesis of Appropriated Physical Space
Authors: Bourdieu Pierre
Published: January 2018

The structure of social space manifests itself, in the most diverse contexts, in the form of spatial oppositions, appropriated physical space functioning as a spontaneous metaphor for the social order. There is no space that does not express social hierarchies and distances in a more or less distorted fashion, especially through the effect of naturalization associated with the durable inscription of social realities in the physical world. The structure of the spatial distribution of powers records the balance of social struggles over the profits of space, which are waged individually (as indicated by mobility) and collectively (through political contests over housing policy, for instance). The stake of these struggles is the construction of spatially based homogeneous groupings, that is, segregation that is both cause and effect of the exclusive usage of a space. These profits take the form of profits of localization, rents of situation, profits of rank and profits of occupation. The ability to dominate appropriated space depends on the capital possessed, which allows one to keep undesirable persons and things at a distance and to draw desirable ones closer. Yet one can physically occupy a location without inhabiting it properly if one does not dispose of the means tacitly required for that, beginning with the proper dispositions, for it is the habitus that makes the habitat.
Preterm premature rupture of membranes is a collateral effect of improvement in perinatal outcomes following fetoscopic coagulation of chorionic vessels for twin–twin transfusion syndrome: a retrospective observational study of 1092 cases
Authors: Stirnemann J , Djaafri F , Kim A , Mediouni I , Bussieres L , Spaggiari E , Veluppillai C , Lapillonne A , Kermorvant E , Magny J‐F , Colmant C , Ville Y
Published: January 2018

Objectives

Preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) is a leading complication following fetoscopic laser coagulation (FLC) for twin–twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). Our primary objective was to describe the impact of improvements in surgical technique on survival and rate of PPROM over time. The secondary objective was to assess potential risk factors for PPROM.

Design and Setting

Single‐centre retrospective observational study.

Population

1092 consecutive cases of TTTS operated by FLC between 2000 and 2016, with a 6.8% rate of loss to follow up.

Methods

The incidence of PPROM and potential risk factors were analysed using competing risks models.

Main outcome measures

PPROM, neonatal survival and neurological damage at 28 days.

Results

PPROM <32 weeks increased from 15 to 40% between 2000 and 2016 along with an overall improvement of perinatal outcomes: dual survival rose from 42 to 66% whereas dual losses dropped two‐fold, from 19 to 9%. Gestational age at surgery at <17 weeks was a significant risk‐factor for PPROM, with an additional risk of 10% within the first week of surgery. Although early PPROM at <20 weeks carried a 56% risk of miscarriage, the occurrence of PPROM at >20 weeks did not affect survival, despite an increase in preterm birth at <32 weeks.

Conclusions

With significant improvement in perinatal outcomes, possibly related to improvements in surgical technique, postoperative complications have shifted to non‐lethal obstetric complications such as PPROM, with rather reassuring postnatal outcomes, despite an increase in preterm birth and, potentially, morbidity. Early surgeries (<17 weeks) are at higher risk of postoperative PPROM.

Tweetable abstract

Following laser/TTTS, rates of PPROM increased with perinatal survival; surgeries at <17 weeks are at highest risk.
Doxycycline attenuates chronic intermittent hypoxia‐induced atrial fibrosis in rats
Authors: Wang Weiding , Zhang Kai , Li Xiongfeng , Ma Zuowang , Zhang Yue , Yuan Meng , Suo Ya , Liang Xue , Tse Gary , Goudis Christos A. , Liu Tong , Li Guangping
Published: January 2018

Introduction

Atrial structural remodeling in the form of fibrosis contributes to the arrhythmic substrate in atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of doxycycline on chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH)‐induced atrial fibrosis and the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying such changes.

Methods

A total of 30 Sprague Dawley rats were randomized into three groups: control group, CIH group, and CIH with doxycycline treatment (CIH‐D) group. CIH lasted 5 hours per day for 4 weeks. CIH‐D rats were administrated doxycycline for 4 weeks, while they received CIH. Masson's trichrome staining was used to determine collagen deposit in the atrial myocardium. Protein and mRNA levels of Matrix Metalloproteinase‐2 (MMP‐2) and ‐9 (MMP‐9), microRNA‐21 (miR‐21) and its downstream target Sprouty1 (Spry1), and extracellular signal‐regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) were measured using Western blotting or real‐time qRT‐PCR, respectively.

Results

Compared to the control group, the CIH group showed higher interstitial collagen fraction, increased MMP‐9, miR‐21, and p‐ERK1/2 levels, and decreased MMP‐2 and Spry1 levels. Doxycycline treatment attenuated CIH‐induced atrial fibrosis, reduced MMP‐2, MMP‐9, miR‐21, and p‐ERK1/2, and increased Spry1.

Conclusions

CIH treatment induced significant atrial fibrosis in our rat model, which was attenuated by doxycycline. These changes can be explained by alterations in the MMP and miR‐21/ERK signaling pathways.
Long‐term phosphite application maintains species assemblages, richness and structure of plant communities invaded by Phytophthora cinnamomi
Authors: Barrett Sarah , Rathbone Damien
Published: January 2018

The impact of the plant pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi and the fungicide phosphite on species assemblages, richness, abundance and vegetation structure was quantified at three sites in Kwongkan communities in the Southwest Australian Floristic Region. Healthy and diseased vegetation treated with phosphite over 7–16 years was compared with non‐treated healthy and diseased vegetation. After site differences, disease had the greatest effect on species assemblages, species richness and richness within families. Disease significantly reduced cover in the upper and lower shrub layers and increased sedge and bare ground cover. Seventeen of 21 species assessed from the families Ericaceae, Fabaceae, Myrtaceae and Proteaceae were significantly less abundant in non‐treated diseased vegetation. In diseased habitats, phosphite treatment significantly reduced the loss of shrub cover and reduced bare ground and sedge cover. In multivariate analysis of species assemblages, phosphite‐treated diseased plots grouped more closely with healthy plots. Seven of 17 susceptible species were significantly more abundant in phosphite‐treated diseased plots compared with diseased non‐treated plots. The abundance of seven of 10 Phytophthora‐susceptible species was significantly higher along transects in phosphite‐treated vegetation. Comparison of the floristics of healthy non‐treated with healthy‐treated plots showed no significant differences in species assemblages. Of 21 species assessed, three increased in abundance and only one decreased significantly in phosphite‐treated healthy plots. In three Kwongkan communities of the SWAFR, P. cinnamomi had a profound impact on species assemblages, richness, abundance and vegetation structure. There was no evidence of adverse effects of phosphite treatment on phosphorus‐sensitive species, even after fire. Treatment with phosphite enhanced the survival of key susceptible species and mitigated disease‐mediated changes in vegetation structure. In the absence of alternative methods of control in native communities, phosphite will continue to play an important role in the protection of high priority species and communities at risk of extinction due to P. cinnamomi.
Uterine natural killer cell progenitor populations predict successful implantation in women with endometriosis‐associated infertility
Authors: Glover Louise E. , Crosby David , Thiruchelvam Uma , Harmon Cathal , Chorcora Cáit Ni , Wingfield Mary B. , O'Farrelly Cliona
Published: January 2018

Problem

Uterine natural killer (uNK) cells play a critical role early in gestation. As we previously identified altered uNK cell development in endometriosis‐associated infertility, we herein sought to characterize natural killer (NK) cell profiles in endometriosis that may predict embryo implantation.

Method of study

Study participants had a surgical diagnosis of endometriosis‐associated infertility. Endometrial tissue and peripheral blood were obtained from 58 women. Thirty‐three patients underwent artificial reproductive technology (IVF, ICSI, or IUI) within a mean of 9.5 months of surgery. NK and hematopoietic progenitor cells from endometrium and blood were analyzed by flow cytometry. Successful implantation was defined as a positive pregnancy test.

Results

In successful implantation, populations of endometrial CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells were higher (3.97% vs 0.69%; P < .0004), and coexpression of NK cell marker CD56 was increased (81.1% vs 60.9%; P < .034) compared with patients who had failed implantation. In contrast, levels of blood NK progenitors were similar in both groups.

Conclusion

Our study revealed that uterine NK progenitor cell populations are markedly different in patients with endometriosis who proceed to successful or failed embryo implantation and may define a novel predictor of implantation success. Our findings also highlight the fundamental differences inherent in NK cell repertoires between blood and uterine compartments.
The association between ragged or incomplete membranes and postpartum haemorrhage: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Keating Julia , Barnett Malcolm , Watkins Vanessa , Gwini Stella May
Published: January 2018

Background

The association between an incomplete placenta and postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is well documented; however, the significance of ragged or incomplete membranes has not been explored as an independent risk factor for PPH.

Aims

To explore the association between the completeness of the amniotic and chorionic membranes and the risk of PPH, independent to placental status.

Materials and methods

37 176 birth records were retrospectively extracted from the period 1 July, 2008 to 30 June, 2016 from the databases of two public hospitals in Melbourne, Australia. Following application of specific exclusion and inclusion criteria, including non‐complete placentas, 5718 records were available for analysis. These records were grouped based on membrane status (complete, ragged or incomplete) and outcome (PPH or no PPH).

Results

Primary PPH rates were 14.8% in women with complete membranes, 20.2% in women with ragged membranes and 25.8% in women with incomplete membranes. Following statistical adjustment, the risk ratios for PPH were 1.32 (95% CI: 1.15–1.50) and 1.70 (95% CI: 1.41–2.04) in women with ragged and incomplete membranes, respectively.

Conclusions

Both ragged and incomplete membranes were found to be independent risk factors for primary PPH. This previously un‐discussed association has the potential to influence clinical practice changes, particularly with regard to the ongoing clinical relevance and use of the terms ‘ragged’ and ‘incomplete’ membranes.
Prediction of the severity of allergic reactions to foods
Authors: Pettersson M. E. , Koppelman G. H. , Flokstra‐de Blok B. M. J. , Kollen B. J. , Dubois A. E. J.
Published: January 2018

Background

There is currently considerable uncertainty regarding what the predictors of the severity of diagnostic or accidental food allergic reactions are, and to what extent the severity of such reactions can be predicted.

Objective

To identify predictors for the severity of diagnostic and accidental food allergic reactions and to quantify their impact.

Methods

The study population consisted of children with a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled food challenge (DBPCFC)–confirmed food allergy to milk, egg, peanut, cashew nut, and/or hazelnut. The data were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis. Missing values were imputed using multiple imputation techniques. Two scoring systems were used to determine the severity of the reactions.

Results

A total of 734 children were included. Independent predictors for the severity of the DBPCFC reaction were age (B = 0.04, P = .001), skin prick test ratio (B = 0.30, P < .001), eliciting dose (B = −0.09, P < .001), level of specific immunoglobulin E (B = 0.15, P < .001), reaction time during the DBPCFC (B = −0.01, P = .004), and severity of accidental reaction (B = 0.08, P = .015). The total explained variance of this model was 23.5%, and the eliciting dose only contributed 4.4% to the model. Independent predictors for more severe accidental reactions with an explained variance of 7.3% were age (B = 0.03, P = .014), milk as causative food (B = 0.77, P < .001), cashew as causative food (B = 0.54, P < .001), history of atopic dermatitis (B = −0.47, P = .006), and severity of DBPCFC reaction (B = 0.12, P = .003).

Conclusions

The severity of DBPCFCs and accidental reactions to food remains largely unpredictable. Clinicians should not use the eliciting dose obtained from a graded food challenge for the purposes of making risk‐related management decisions.
Time‐to‐event modelling of effect of codrituzumab on overall survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Nakamura Mikiko , Xu Chao , Diack Cheikh , Ohishi Norihisa , Lee Ruey‐min , Iida Satofumi , Kawanishi Takehiko , Ohtomo Toshihiko , Abou‐Alfa Ghassan K. , Chen Ya‐Chi
Published: January 2018

Aims

Codrituzumab (GC33) is a recombinant, humanized mAb that binds to glypican‐3 (GPC3), an oncofetal protein highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This investigation aimed to identify clinically relevant factors that may affect the overall survival (OS) in HCC patients treated with codrituzumab and to quantitatively annotate their effects.

Methods

Codrituzumab exposure was estimated by a population pharmacokinetics model with a nonlinear elimination pathway. Analysis of OS was performed using a time‐to‐event model in 181 patients with advanced HCC. The model was tested with the addition of various covariates, including levels of immune biomarkers, such as CD16 (measured in terms of molecules of equivalent soluble fluorophore; CD16MESF) and CD4, codrituzumab exposure and potential prognostic biomarkers of HCC such as baseline tumour size and soluble GPC3.

Results

The time‐to‐event model estimated a prolonged OS (>3 months) in patients with codrituzumab exposure of ≥230 μg ml−1 and high CD16MESF level (>5.26 × 105 MESF at least). The Weibull model was selected as the base hazard model. The baseline tumour size was included in the hazard model as a parameter independent of the drug effect. A logistic model was applied to explain the effects of drug exposure and CD16MESF level.

Conclusions

The final model indicates that adequate drug exposure plus a favourable immune environment are associated with prolonged OS. This quantitative model should be further validated with emerging data so as to guide study design in future clinical trials.
Balancing early access with uncertainties in evidence for drugs authorized by prospective case series – systematic review of reimbursement decisions
Authors: Wallerstedt Susanna M. , Henriksson Martin
Published: January 2018

Aims

To review clinical and cost‐effectiveness evidence underlying reimbursement decisions relating to drugs whose authorization mainly is based on evidence from prospective case series.

Methods

A systematic review of all new drugs evaluated in 2011–2016 within a health care profession‐driven resource prioritization process, with a market approval based on prospective case series, and a reimbursement decision by the Swedish Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency (TLV). Public assessment reports from the European Medicines Agency, published pivotal studies, and TLV, Scottish Medicines Consortium and National Institute of Health and Care Excellence decisions and guidance documents were reviewed.

Results

Six drug cases were assessed (brentuximab vedotin, bosutinib, ponatinib, idelalisib, vismodegib, ceritinib). The validity of the pivotal studies was hampered by the use of surrogate primary outcomes and the absence of recruitment information. To quantify drug treatment effect sizes, the reimbursement agencies primarily used data from another source in indirect comparisons. TLV granted reimbursement in five cases, compared with five in five cases for Scottish Medicines Consortium and four in five cases for National Institute of Health and Care Excellence. Decision modifiers, contributing to granted reimbursement despite hugely uncertain cost‐effectiveness ratios, were, for example, small population size, occasionally linked to budget impact, severity of disease, end of life and improved life expectancy.

Conclusion

For drugs whose authorization is based on prospective case series, most applications for reimbursement within public health care are granted. The underlying evidence has limitations over and above the design per se, and decision modifiers are frequently referred to in the value‐based pricing decision making.
The Holocene expansion of grassland in northern Europe reconstructed from molluscan assemblages
Authors: Granai Salomé , Limondin‐Lozouet Nicole
Published: January 2018

From the synthesis of the malacological data collected from 12 sites in the large flood‐plain of the Seine basin, three main environmental stages have been reconstructed. During the first half of the Holocene, forest environments are prevalent (Seine 1). As early as c. 6.5 cal. ka BP, the first evidence of woodland clearance is observed (Seine 2) and, from c. 3.4 cal. ka BP, the lowlands were largely cleared of trees and are dominated by grassland (Seine 3). This three‐stage development of environmental conditions is consistent with the environmental developments reconstructed from molluscan successions in England, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Our results highlight anthropogenic disturbance as the key factor in the openness of the Holocene landscape and pinpoint the period between c. 3.6 and c. 2.8 cal. ka BP as a transitional phase of this large‐scale environmental change.
Viewing Visual Analytics as Model Building
Authors: Andrienko N. , Lammarsch T. , Andrienko G. , Fuchs G. , Keim D. , Miksch S. , Rind A.
Published: January 2018

To complement the currently existing definitions and conceptual frameworks of visual analytics, which focus mainly on activities performed by analysts and types of techniques they use, we attempt to define the expected results of these activities. We argue that the main goal of doing visual analytics is to build a mental and/or formal model of a certain piece of reality reflected in data. The purpose of the model may be to understand, to forecast or to control this piece of reality. Based on this model‐building perspective, we propose a detailed conceptual framework in which the visual analytics process is considered as a goal‐oriented workflow producing a model as a result. We demonstrate how this framework can be used for performing an analytical survey of the visual analytics research field and identifying the directions and areas where further research is needed.
Deprivation in relation to urgent suspicion of head and neck cancer referrals in Glasgow
Authors: Zeitler M. , Fingland P. , Tikka T. , Douglas C.M. , Montgomery J.
Published: January 2018

Aim

To examine deprivation measured by the Scottish index of multiple deprivation (SIMD) and its relation to urgent suspicion of head and neck cancer referrals. A secondary aim was to examine the symptomatology generating urgent suspicion of cancer (USOC) referrals by SIMD category.

Methods

All “urgent suspicion of cancer” referrals to the GGC ENT department over a one‐year period, between 2015 and 2016, were reviewed. Information was recorded anonymously and included demographics and red flag referral symptoms.

Results

A total of 1998 patients were assessed, 43.4% (n = 867) were male. A total of 171 (8.6%) patients had primary head and neck cancer. A total of 61 patients had other types of cancer, giving an all cause cancer rate of 11.6%. About 71.3% of primary patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) were male. The most common SIMD category observed was SIMD1, the most common SIMD category yielding a primary head and neck cancer diagnosis was SIMD1. Neck lump was the commonest symptom amongst all SIMD categories.

Conclusion

A link between deprivation and USOC referrals has been established. A difference in gender distribution between referrals and HNC was observed, more females are referred but a significantly higher number of patients with HNC are males. Neck lump is a very strong referral indicator for HNC and intermittent hoarseness is not. The findings from this analysis could be used to refine local referral patterns and priority of referral.
The pathological spectrum and clinical correlation of pigmented purpuric dermatosis—A retrospective review of 107 cases
Authors: Huang Yen‐Kai , Lin Cheng‐Kuan , Wu Yu‐Hung
Published: January 2018

Background

Various pathological findings have been reported in pigmented purpuric dermatosis, but their clinical significance remains unclear.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed demographics, clinical presentations, pathological patterns and concurrent systemic diseases among biopsy‐confirmed cases of pigmented purpuric dermatosis.

Results

A total of 107 cases were ascertained. Five major pathological patterns were identified: lichenoid (45/107, 42.1%), perivascular (40/107, 37.4%), interface (11/107, 10.3%), spongiotic (7/107, 6.5%) and granulomatous (4/107, 3.7%). Lymphocytic vasculitis was present in 17 patients (15.9%), and Langerhans cell microabscess was seen in 4 (3.7%). Nine patients had partial features mimicking mycosis fungoides but none were confirmed. The lichenoid, perivascular and spongiotic patterns correlated to lichen aureus, Schamberg and eczematoid clinical variants, respectively. The interface pattern was associated with a higher risk of coincident autoimmune diseases (18.2%, P = .0280) and gout (27.3%, P = .0180).

Conclusions

This study described the wide pathological spectrum of pigmented purpuric dermatosis among Asians. Physicians should be aware about the clinical and pathological variations to facilitate diagnosis.
Principal factors controlling the species richness of European fens differ between habitat specialists and matrix‐derived species
Authors: Horsáková Veronika , Hájek Michal , Hájková Petra , Dítě Daniel , Horsák Michal
Published: January 2018

Aim

We present the first continental‐scale study of factors controlling the species richness of groundwater‐fed fens, comparing land snails, vascular plants and bryophytes. We separately analyse two ecologically distinct groups differing in conservation value and colonization/extinction dynamics, that is habitat specialists, and matrix‐derived species. Considering the island‐like nature of fen habitats, we hypothesize larger differences in the species richness–environment relationships between habitat specialists and matrix‐derived species than among the taxonomic entities.

Location

Seven European regions

Methods

Richness was counted at 373 well‐preserved fens with undisturbed hydrology using the same protocols. Relationships between the species richness and water pH, waterlogging, climate and geography were explored by GLMs.

Results

Land snail richness responded mainly to water pH, regardless of habitat specialization. Richness of vascular plant and bryophyte specialists was strongly driven by geographical location of the sites, while that of matrix‐derived species was driven by waterlogging and water pH. The richness of matrix‐derived species of all taxa significantly increased with the decreasing waterlogging. Residual richness of specialists of all taxa decreased towards southern Europe.

Main conclusions

In island‐like terrestrial habitats, differences between specialists and matrix‐derived species may outweigh differences among taxa, unless there is one strong physiological determinant of species richness such as pH in land snails. The richness of specialists seems to be strongly related to difficult‐to‐measure regional factors such as historical frequency and connectivity of fen habitats. The richness of matrix‐derived species depends mainly on local conditions, such as pH and waterlogging, determining the degree of habitat contrast against the surrounding matrix. Sufficient waterlogging maintains a high representation of habitat specialists in fen communities, and disturbance of water regime may cause the increase in the number of matrix‐derived species and potentially trigger successional shifts towards non‐fen communities.
Accuracy and precision of flash glucose monitoring sensors inserted into the abdomen and upper thigh compared with the upper arm
Authors: Charleer Sara , Mathieu Chantal , Nobels Frank , Gillard Pieter
Published: January 2018

Nowadays, most Belgian patients with type 1 diabetes use flash glucose monitoring (FreeStyle Libre [FSL]; Abbott Diabetes Care, Alameda, California) to check their glucose values, but some patients find the sensor on the upper arm too visible. The aim of the present study was to compare the accuracy and precision of FSL sensors when placed on different sites. A total of 23 adults with type 1 diabetes used three FSL sensors simultaneously for 14 days on the upper arm, abdomen and upper thigh. FSL measurements were compared with capillary blood glucose (BG) measurements obtained with a built‐in FSL BG meter. The aggregated mean absolute relative difference was 11.8 ± 12.0%, 18.5 ± 18.4% and 12.3 ± 13.8% for the arm, abdomen (P = .002 vs arm) and thigh (P = .5 vs arm), respectively. Results of Clarke error grid analysis for the arm and thigh were similar (zone A: 84.9% vs 84.5%; P = .6), while less accuracy was seen for the abdomen (zone A: 69.4%; P = .01). Apart from the first day, the accuracy of FSL sensors on the arm and thigh was more stable across the 14‐day wear duration than accuracy of sensors on the abdomen, which deteriorated mainly during week 2 (P < .0005). The aggregated precision absolute relative difference was markedly lower for the arm/thigh (10.9 ± 11.9%) compared with the arm/abdomen (20.9 ± 22.8%; P = .002). Our results indicate that the accuracy and precision of FSL sensors placed on the upper thigh are similar to the upper arm, whereas the abdomen performed unacceptably poorly.
Safe credit to the poor: The role of anti‐usury policies
Authors: Crosato Lisa , Dalla Pellegrina Lucia
Published: January 2018

Usury regulations focus both on explicit recommendations, such as disclosure statements in lending acts or interest rate caps, and on incentives for the formal banking sector to reach the poor. Considerable attention is also devoted to adequate sanctions for the practice of usury. We propose a theoretical model to investigate where to direct reforms to curb usury. Our primary policy implication is the convenience of polarizing the allocation of public resources in either legal safeguards for formal lenders or sanction enforcement against usurers. Furthermore, we demonstrate that in developing countries such policy interventions may backfire when borrowers' higher wealth implies increasing inequality in its distribution. Therefore, countries undertaking reforms against predatory lending should be aware of their growth path during transition.
Early blindness is associated with increased volume of the uncinate fasciculus
Authors: Bauer Corinna M. , Cattaneo Zaira , Merabet Lotfi B.
Published: January 2018

Growing evidence demonstrates dramatic structural and functional neuroplastic changes in individuals born with early‐onset blindness. For example, cross‐modal sensory processing at the level of the occipital cortex appears to be associated with adaptive behaviors in the blind. However, detailed studies examining the structural properties of key white matter pathways in other regions of the brain remain limited. Given that blind individuals rely heavily on their sense of hearing, we examined the structural properties of two important pathways involved with auditory processing, namely the uncinate and arcuate fasciculi. High angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) tractography was used to examine structural parameters (i.e., tract volume and quantitative anisotropy, or QA) of these two fasciculi in a sample of 13 early blind individuals and 14 normally sighted controls. Compared to controls, early blind individuals showed a significant increase in the volume of the left uncinate fasciculus. A small area of increased QA was also observed halfway along the right arcuate fasciculus in the blind group. These findings contribute to our knowledge regarding the broad neuroplastic changes associated with profound early blindness.
Oscillatory activity in the cortico‐basal ganglia‐thalamic neural circuits in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Singh Arun
Published: January 2018

Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter that maintains the balance within the basal ganglia between the direct pathway, which promotes movement, and the indirect pathway, which inhibits movement. Degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra increases the influence of the indirect pathway, resulting in motor dysfunction in Parkinson's disease (PD). The direct and indirect pathways are composed of basal ganglia and thalamic nuclei, which are interconnected via independent parallel loop circuits with cortical areas and often referred to as cortico‐basal ganglia‐thalamic (CBT) neural circuits. CBT circuits have been useful in generating hypotheses to describe slowness in PD. Recent work has focused on aberrant neural oscillations within CBT circuits. Although beta (13–30 Hz) oscillations are a common feature of the CBT network, there is growing evidence that abnormally exaggerated beta oscillations, observed after dopamine loss in the CBT circuits, may contribute to motor symptoms of PD. Disruption of abnormal beta oscillations has been associated with the improvement of motor functions during pharmacological treatments, surgical lesions, and electrical stimulation. However, it is not clear how abnormal oscillations originate in the CBT motor network and resonate specifically in the beta band after the loss of dopamine. Most studies have addressed these questions by simultaneous recordings of oscillations in the motor cortex, basal ganglia nuclei, and motor regions of the thalamus in animal models of parkinsonism as well as in PD patients. This review further discusses previous and current studies of the changes in oscillatory activity at the level of CBT neural network in PD.
Reprinted from Vol. 44 No. 4 in Honor of Professor J. Herbie DiFonzo. The Family Law Education Reform Project Final Report†
Authors: O'Connell Mary E. , DiFonzo J. Herbie
Published: January 2018

The Family Law Education Reform Project (the FLER Project) is co‐sponsored by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts and the Center for Children, Families and the Law at Hofstra Law School. This Final Report is based on a series of dialogues between family law academics and practitioners from many disciplines, a FLER Project survey, and research conducted by law students at Hofstra University and Northeastern University.
Evidence of oxygenic phototrophy in ancient phosphatic stromatolites from the Paleoproterozoic Vindhyan and Aravalli Supergroups, India
Authors: Sallstedt T. , Bengtson S. , Broman C. , Crill P. M. , Canfield D. E.
Published: January 2018

Fossil microbiotas are rare in the early rock record, limiting the type of ecological information extractable from ancient microbialites. In the absence of body fossils, emphasis may instead be given to microbially derived features, such as microbialite growth patterns, microbial mat morphologies, and the presence of fossilized gas bubbles in lithified mats. The metabolic affinity of micro‐organisms associated with phosphatization may reveal important clues to the nature and accretion of apatite‐rich microbialites. Stromatolites from the 1.6 Ga Chitrakoot Formation (Semri Group, Vindhyan Supergroup) in central India contain abundant fossilized bubbles interspersed within fine‐grained in situ‐precipitated apatite mats with average δ13Corg indicative of carbon fixation by the Calvin cycle. In addition, the mats hold a synsedimentary fossil biota characteristic of cyanobacterial and rhodophyte morphotypes. Phosphatic oncoid cone‐like stromatolites from the Paleoproterozoic Aravalli Supergroup (Jhamarkotra Formation) comprise abundant mineralized bubbles enmeshed within tufted filamentous mat fabrics. Construction of these tufts is considered to be the result of filamentous bacteria gliding within microbial mats, and as fossilized bubbles within pristine mat laminae can be used as a proxy for oxygenic phototrophy, this provides a strong indication for cyanobacterial activity in the Aravalli mounds. We suggest that the activity of oxygenic phototrophs may have been significant for the formation of apatite in both Vindhyan and Aravalli stromatolites, mainly by concentrating phosphate and creating steep diurnal redox gradients within mat pore spaces, promoting apatite precipitation. The presence in the Indian stromatolites of alternating apatite‐carbonate lamina may result from local variations in pH and oxygen levels caused by photosynthesis–respiration in the mats. Altogether, this study presents new insights into the ecology of ancient phosphatic stromatolites and warrants further exploration into the role of oxygen‐producing biotas in the formation of Paleoproterozoic shallow‐basin phosphorites.
Pneumonia risks in bedridden patients receiving oral care and their screening tool: Malnutrition and urinary tract infection‐induced inflammation
Authors: Matsusaka Kaoru , Kawakami Genichiro , Kamekawa Hatsumi , Momma Haruki , Nagatomi Ryoichi , Itoh Jun , Yamaya Mutsuo
Published: January 2018

Aim

Pneumonia develops in bedridden patients even when they are receiving oral care. However, the pneumonia risk in bedridden patients remains unclear, and no screening tool has been developed to assess this risk by using daily hospital data.

Methods

We retrospectively examined pneumonia risk factors by analyzing the records of 102 bedridden patients receiving oral care.

Results

Body mass index, peripheral blood hemoglobin, and serum concentrations of total protein, albumin, total cholesterol and uric acid in the pneumonia group (n = 51; mean age 73.4 years) were lower than those in the non‐pneumonia group (n = 51; mean age 68.1 years). In the univariate analysis, body mass index; leukocytosis; high C‐reactive protein; low levels of hemoglobin, total protein and albumin (<3.5 g/dL); and urine bacteria were associated with the development of pneumonia. Furthermore, in the multivariate analysis, low levels of albumin and urine bacteria were independently associated with pneumonia. We developed a bedridden patient pneumonia risk (BPPR) score using these two risk factors to assess pneumonia risk. We applied scores of zero (0) or one (1) according to the absence or presence of the two risk factors and summed the scores in each patient. The proportion of pneumonia patients increased with increasing BPPR score when the patients were divided into three groups – low, moderate and high risk – according to the BPPR score (0, 1 or 2, respectively).

Conclusions

Malnutrition, urinary tract infection‐induced inflammation and anemia were associated with pneumonia in bedridden patients. BPPR scoring might be useful for assessing pneumonia risk and managing affected patients. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 714–722.
Oral function as an indexing parameter for mild cognitive impairment in older adults
Authors: Watanabe Yutaka , Arai Hidenori , Hirano Hirohiko , Morishita Shiho , Ohara Yuki , Edahiro Ayako , Murakami Masaharu , Shimada Hiroyuki , Kikutani Takeshi , Suzuki Takao
Published: January 2018

Aim

To investigate the association between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and oral status, and to develop an oral‐based screening index for MCI.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was carried out in a total of 5104 community‐dwelling adults (aged ≥65 years) from the Obu Study of Health Promotion for the Elderly. Screening for MCI included a standardized personal interview, Mini‐Mental State Examination, Geriatrics and Gerontology‐Functional Assessment Tool (which included 8 tasks used to assess logical memory, word list memory, attention and executive function, processing speed, and visuospatial skill) and oral status.

Results

In our study, 930 individuals were diagnosed with MCI, whereas the remaining 2669 were not. Both men and women with MCI showed a significantly lower number of functional and present teeth, poorer oral diadochokinesis, and less palpation of masseter muscle tension (P < 0.01). Discriminant analysis of participants with MCI, between categories of pertinence and non‐pertinence, showed significant associations for age, sex, educational background, handgrip strength, Geriatric Depression Scale score, Mini‐Mental State Examination score, history of heart disease, albumin level and oral diadochokinesis representing oral motor skill. Although the diagnosis rate of our screening index for MCI was not high, it was in the acceptable range as a screening index.

Conclusions

Oral motor skill, such as lip movement, might be impaired in patients with MCI. Detecting decreasing oral motor dexterity supports the early detection of MCI, and might be key to improve the prognosis of dementia. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 790–798