bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Variations in mouthguard thickness according to fabrication method
Authors: Mizuhashi Fumi , Koide Kaoru , Takahashi Mutsumi
Published: October 2014

Aim

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in mouthguard thickness according to the method used to form the mouthguard sheet in a combination vacuum‐pressure former.

Materials and methods

The material used in this study was a mouthguard sheet of 3.8‐mm ethylene vinyl acetate. Three forming methods were used: vacuum‐forming, vacuum‐pressure‐forming, and pressure‐forming. The sheets were formed when heating causing them to displace 15 mm from baseline. We measured mouthguard thickness at the labial surface of the central incisor, the buccal surface of the first molar, and the occlusal surface of the first molar. Differences in thickness in different regions of mouthguards formed under different conditions were analyzed by two‐way analysis of variance and the Bonferroni method.

Results

We found that mouthguard thickness differed in different regions of the central incisors and the first molars (P < 0.01). The incisal (cusp) region was thinner than the cervical region. There were significant differences in the thicknesses of vacuum‐formed mouthguards and vacuum‐pressure‐formed mouthguards (P < 0.05), with the vacuum‐forming method resulting in thinner guards than the vacuum‐pressure‐forming method. Mouthguard thickness at the first molar did not differ according to the forming method.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that mouthguard thickness at the anterior teeth varies with different forming methods. This information is important when selecting a mouthguard‐forming method.
Examination of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale factor structure and longitudinal relationships with functioning in early psychosis
Authors: Best Michael W. , Grossman Michael , Oyewumi L. Kola , Bowie Christopher R.
Published: October 2014

Aim

We examined the factor structure of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) in early‐episode psychosis and its relationships with functioning at baseline and follow‐up.

Methods

A total of 240 consecutive admissions to an early intervention in psychosis clinic were assessed at intake to the program with the PANSS, Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS). Seventy individuals were reassessed at follow‐up. A maximum likelihood factor analysis was conducted on baseline PANSS scores and the ability of each factor to predict baseline and follow‐up GAF and SOFAS was examined.

Results

A five‐factor model with varimax rotation was the best fit to our data and was largely congruent with factors found previously. The negative symptom factor was the best predictor of GAF and SOFAS at baseline and follow‐up.

Conclusion

Negative symptoms are the best symptomatic predictor of functioning in individuals with early psychosis and are an important treatment target to improve recovery.
Genus Mantillica Westwood, 1889: rediscovery and review of the Amazonian “ant‐mantis” (Mantodea: Thespidae: Oligonicinae)
Authors: Agudelo Antonio A. , Rafael José A.
Published: October 2014

The taxonomy of the Neotropical “ant‐mantis” Mantillica Westwood, 1889 is revised and the external morphology is re‐described. The genus Mantillica (Thespidae: Oligonicinae: Oligonicini) contains only one currently known species, M. nigricans Westwood, 1889. Mantillica sialidea Westwood, 1889 is transferred to the genus Thrinaconyx Saussure as Thrinaconyx sialidea (Westwood, 1889) comb. n. A description of the female and the male external genitalia of M. nigricans is presented, including some aspects of its ant‐mimicry adaptation. Remarkable characteristics of Mantillica include the short pronotum and notable myrmecomorphic features in nymphs and females. This species likely belongs to a Batesian mimic complex that include the aggressive Neoponera apicalis (Latreille) ant models. The known distribution of Mantillica is restricted to the Brazilian Amazon, which suggests M. nigricans as endemic of this region, probably with additional populations in the Amazonian areas of Colombia, Peru and Venezuela.
Surgical options for patients with Lennox‐Gastaut syndrome
Authors: Douglass Laurie M. , Salpekar Jay
Published: October 2014

Despite ongoing investigation into pharmacologic treatments for Lennox‐Gastaut syndrome (LGS), outcomes for chronic administration of medications remain disappointing. In many instances LGS is treatment refractory, resulting in poor prognoses that include intellectual disability, persisting seizures, and psychiatric conditions. For patients with treatment resistance to other modalities for LGS, a further option is surgical intervention. Evaluation for surgery should involve interictal electroencephalogram (EEG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis, and age‐appropriate neuropsychological/developmental assessment. Resective surgery, where seizure foci are removed, successfully controls seizures in many cases, particularly where lesionectomy or lobar resections are appropriate. Recent studies of resective surgery on individuals with LGS show promising results, with a high percentage of patients having improved seizure control. Corpus callosotomy is a palliative surgical approach that aims at controlling potentially injurious seizures, for example, atonic or drop seizures, by preventing the bilateral spread of epileptic activity. Once associated with a high risk for morbidity and mortality, microsurgical techniques and surgery limited to the anterior region of the callosum have greatly diminished complications of corpus callosotomy surgery. Vagus nerve stimulation, another palliative procedure, offers rates of seizure improvement similar to those of corpus callosotomy, with the exception of atonic seizure for which corpus callosotomy may lead to a greater reduction. Recent advances in surgical techniques offer encouraging options for treatment of LGS.
Functional homogenization exceeds taxonomic homogenization among European fish assemblages
Authors: Villéger Sébastien , Grenouillet Gaël , Brosse Sébastien
Published: October 2014

Aim

Human activities and the consequent extirpations of native species and introductions of non‐native species have been modifying the composition of species assemblages throughout the world. These anthropogenic impacts have modified the richness of assemblages as well as the biological dissimilarity among them. However, while changes in taxonomic dissimilarity (i.e. accounting for species composition) have been assessed intensively during the last decade there are still few assessments of changes in functional dissimilarity (i.e. accounting for the diversity of biological traits). Here, we assess the temporal changes in both taxonomic and functional dissimilarities for freshwater fish assemblages across Europe.

Location

Western Palaearctic, 137 river basins.

Methods

The Jaccard index was used to quantify the changes in both taxonomic and functional dissimilarity. We then partitioned dissimilarity to extract its turnover component and measured the changes in the contribution of turnover to dissimilarity.

Results

Functional homogenization exceeded taxonomic homogenization six‐fold. More importantly, we found only a moderate positive correlation between these changes. For instance, 40% of assemblages that experienced taxonomic differentiation were actually functionally homogenized. Taxonomic and functional homogenizations were stronger when the historical level of taxonomic dissimilarity among assemblages was high and when a high number of non‐native species were introduced in the assemblages. Moreover, translocated species (i.e. non‐native species originating from Europe) played a stronger role than exotic species (i.e. those coming from outside Europe) in this homogenization process, while extirpation did not play a significant role.

Main conclusions

Change in taxonomic diversity cannot be used to predict changes in functional diversity. In addition, as functional diversity has been proven to be a better indicator of ecosystem functioning and stability than taxonomic diversity, further studies are required to test the potential effects of functional homogenization at the local scale.
Functional determinants of forest recruitment over broad scales
Authors: Godoy Oscar , Rueda Marta , Hawkins Bradford A.
Published: October 2014

Aim

The drivers of tree recruitment over large spatial scales remain unexplored. Here, we ask whether species potential for recruitment and the strength of density‐dependent processes, both inferred from species relative abundances, show emerging patterns that can be explained upon the basis of information about climate and functional traits.

Location

Eastern forests of the USA.

Methods

We document the geographical distributions and magnitudes of seedling recruitment and the strength of density dependence and conspecific density dependence for the forests of the eastern USA spanning > 1.2 million km2 across 88,854 local communities comprising 164 tree species. We also compiled climatic variables and 16 traits representing several important ecological axes of tree functional strategies to assess which factors were most strongly associated with the emerging broad‐scale spatial patterns.

Results

Strong geographical variation in the potential for seedling recruitment and a latitudinal change from negative to positive density dependence moving northward were associated with adaptation to seasonal freezing temperatures and seed size. Wood density and leaf nitrogen, in contrast, were related to the magnitude of the negative density dependence and conspecific density dependence, respectively, which were prevalent over most of the region.

Main conclusions

Our results provide strong evidence that tree recruitment and the strength of density‐dependent processes have broad‐scale patterns that can be explained by a few key species functional traits.
Latitude, productivity and species richness
Authors: Gillman Len N. , Wright Shane D. , Cusens Jarrod , McBride Paul D. , Malhi Yadvinder , Whittaker Robert J.
Published: October 2014

Aim

Global patterns in primary productivity in natural ecosystems are important for interpreting ecological processes and patterns of biodiversity. Net primary productivity (NPP) on land has long been thought to be greatest in tropical forests and to decrease towards the poles. However, it has recently been claimed that the NPP of mid‐latitude forests is as great as, or even greater than, that of tropical forests and that ecologically relevant productivity peaks at mid‐latitudes. Here we evaluate these hypotheses by testing for relationships between latitude and productivity using a range of forest productivity datasets.

Location

Global.

Methods

We apply ordinary least squares regression and t‐test analyses to published latitude–productivity data for forests, specifically updated to include an expanded dataset for the previously data‐poor tropics, and we evaluate the relationship between the primary productivity of forests and modelled vascular plant species richness.

Results

Contrary to the recent claims, we found strong support for a negative relationship between latitude and annual NPP of forests with all datasets, and NPP was significantly greater in tropical forests than in temperate forests. Vascular plant richness was positively correlated with NPP.

Main conclusions

NPP of forests increases towards the equator. Given that species richness also increases towards the equator, and that vascular plant richness correlates with NPP, these results are consistent with recent meta‐analyses showing that the relationships between productivity and species richness of both plants and animals in natural ecosystems are predominantly positive. These results are congruent with ecological theories that predict a positive relationship between species richness and productivity, and they indicate that there is no need to explain peaked richness–productivity relationships over broad spatial extents, since they do not appear to exist.
Invasive lobular breast cancer: the prognostic impact of histopathological grade, E‐cadherin and molecular subtypes
Authors: Engstrøm Monica J , Opdahl Signe , Vatten Lars J , Haugen Olav A , Bofin Anna M
Published: October 2014

Aims

The aim of this study was to compare breast cancer specific survival (BCSS) for invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and, further, to evaluate critically the prognostic value of histopathological grading of ILC and examine E‐cadherin as a prognostic marker in ILC.

Methods and results

The study comprised 116 lobular and 611 ductal breast carcinomas occurring between 1961 and 2008. All cases had been classified previously according to histopathological type and grade, stained for oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), antigen Ki67 (Ki67), epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR), cytokeratin 5 (CK5) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and classified into molecular subtypes. For the present study, immunohistochemical staining for E‐cadherin was performed. The Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models were used in the analyses. Grade 2 tumours comprised 85.3% of the lobular tumours and 51.9% of the ductal tumours. BCSS in ILC grade 2 was comparable to that of IDC grade 3. E‐cadherin‐negative ILC had a poorer prognosis compared to E‐cadherin positive ILC and to IDC regardless of E‐cadherin status.

Conclusions

The implication of histopathological grading may differ in ILC compared to IDC. E‐cadherin may be useful in prognostication in ILC and thereby influence the determination of treatment strategies for this group of women.
Logging in boreal field‐forest ecotones promotes flower‐visiting insect diversity and modifies insect community composition
Authors: Korpela Eeva‐Liisa , Hyvönen Terho , Kuussaari Mikko
Published: October 2014

Mitigation tools aimed at counteracting the loss of farmland insect diversity and associated ecosystem services are usually conducted on cultivated fields. Possibilities of managing field‐forest ecotones for biodiversity have been rarely discussed, despite their importance for flower‐visiting insects.

The effectiveness of logging in enhancing three aspects of insect diversity (bumblebee abundance, total species richness, and habitat specialist butterfly abundance) and changes in insect community composition were studied in a three‐year field experiment. The study included 15 field‐forest ecotones, each with a 50 m long and 25 m wide treated area and a corresponding control. At forest edge, a 5 m wide strip was clear‐cut and behind this strip, a 20 m wide belt was thinned to a basal area of 8 m2 ha−1.

Logging simultaneously promoted all three aspects of insect diversity. Changes were more apparent at clear‐cut edge than in the thinned interior. Community composition changed via increased abundance of open habitat species, especially butterflies.

Logging promoted warm microclimates and flower availability at clear‐cut edges. All three aspects of insect diversity showed a positive response to flower coverage, which in turn was negatively correlated with the amount of logging residue.

Creating open field‐forest ecotones is beneficial for flower‐visiting insects and open habitat species in particular. This approach is expected to be most beneficial at sunny forest edges and sites which become overgrown slowly. In addition, we suggest logging residue to be removed when aiming to promote flower‐visitors.
Variation in protection of four divergent avian influenza virus vaccine seed strains against eight clade 2.2.1 and 2.2.1.1. Egyptian H5N1 high pathogenicity variants in poultry
Authors: Spackman Erica , Swayne David E. , Pantin‐Jackwood Mary J. , Wan Xiu‐Feng , Torchetti Mia K. , Hassan Mohammad , Suarez David L. , Sá e Silva Mariana
Published: October 2014

Background

Highly pathogenic (HP) H5N1 avian influenza virus (AIV) was introduced to Egyptian poultry in 2006 and has since become enzootic. Vaccination has been utilized as a control tool combined with other control methods, but for a variety of reasons, the disease has not been eradicated. In 2007, an antigenically divergent hemagglutinin subclade, 2.2.1.1, emerged from the original clade 2.2.1 viruses.

Objectives

The objective was to evaluate four diverse AIV isolates for use as vaccines in chickens, including two commercial vaccines and two additional contemporary isolates, against challenge with numerous clade 2.2.1 and clade 2.2.1.1 H5N1 HPAIV Egyptian isolates to assess the variation in protection among different vaccine and challenge virus combinations.

Methods

Vaccination‐challenge studies with four vaccines and up to eight challenge strains with each vaccine for a total of 25 vaccination‐challenge groups were conducted with chickens. An additional eight groups served as sham‐vaccinated controls. Mortality, mean death time, morbidity, virus, and pre‐challenge antibodies were evaluated as metrics of protection. Hemagglutination inhibition data were used to visualize the antigenic relatedness of the isolates.

Results and conclusions

Although all but one vaccine‐challenge virus combination significantly reduced shed and mortality as compared to sham vaccinates, there were differences in protection among the vaccines relative to one another based on challenge virus. This emphasizes the difficulty in vaccinating against diverse, evolving virus populations, and the importance of selecting optimal vaccine seed strains for successful HPAIV control.
Keeping Watch
Authors: Tarran Brian
Published: October 2014

Brian Tarran investigates the role of statistical models in the ongoing fight against hackers, crackers and assorted cyber attackers – those who are intent on stealing our personal data from computer networks.
Does New York City Really have as Many Rats as People?
Authors: Auerbach Jonathan
Published: October 2014

Jonathan Auerbach, winner of the YSS/Significance Young Statisticians Writing Competition, uses statistical methods to challenge an urban legend.
“Things Which Ought to be Expected can Seem Quite Extraordinary if you've got the Wrong Model”
Authors: Watkins Phillip , Hand David
Published: October 2014

Phillip Watkins talks to author and statistician David Hand about his new book, The Improbability Principle, and why the chances of experiencing two once-in-a-lifetime events are better than you might think.
Analyses of intrinsic water‐use efficiency indicate performance differences of ponderosa pine and Douglas‐fir in response to CO2 enrichment
Authors: Soulé Peter T. , Knapp Paul A.
Published: October 2014

Aim

Increasing intrinsic water‐use efficiency (iWUE) in trees is a global‐scale response to increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (Ca). Our primary goal was to determine whether significant differences in either iWUE or radial growth exist between locally co‐occurring ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa; PIPO) and Douglas‐fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca; PSME) trees growing in minimally disturbed environments and exposed to gradually increasing levels of Ca.

Location

Northern Rocky Mountains, USA.

Methods

We developed 14 tree‐ring chronologies, calculated basal area increment (BAI) and examined stable carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) contained in the tree cores to determine: (1) the consistency of climate/BAI responses and iWUE between the two species and the magnitude of climate change for the primary drivers of BAI; (2) changes in iWUE and BAI values during ad 1850–present; and (3) the extent of pan‐regional consistency in iWUE, BAI and climatic responses.

Results

PIPO and PSME experienced exponentially increasing iWUE rates during ad 1850–present suggesting either increased net photosynthesis or decreased stomatal conductance, or both. There was pan‐regional consistency, with similar temporal trends in iWUE and climate/growth relationships between species. Both species experienced above‐average BAI in the latter half of the 20th century despite no favourable changes in climate. We found substantive differences between species as PIPO has experienced greater increases in iWUE and BAI relative to PSME. The trends in BAI and iWUE were significantly correlated for PIPO, but not for PSME.

Main conclusions

Differential radial growth and iWUE responses exist among co‐occurring species and are most pronounced during the period of highest Ca. As PIPO and PSME forests have extensive geographical ranges and are critical to North American forestry, any substantive change in forest dynamics related to water use and growth may have ecological and economic implications.
Attention regulates anger and fear to predict changes in adolescent risk‐taking behaviors
Authors: Kim‐Spoon Jungmeen , Holmes Christopher , Deater‐Deckard Kirby
Published: October 2014

Background

Regulation of negative affect is critical to healthy development in childhood and adolescence. We conducted a longitudinal study examining the moderating role of attention control in the effects of anger and fear on changes in risk‐taking behaviors from early to middle adolescence.

Method

The sample involved participants from the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), assessed at 9, 11, and 15 years of age. Composite scores for anger, fear, and attention control were computed using indicators from multiple informants, and risk‐taking behaviors were assessed based on adolescents’ self‐reports.

Results

Latent difference score analysis indicated significant moderating effects of attention control showing that increased anger between 9 and 11 years was related to increases in risk‐taking behaviors between 11 and 15 years only for adolescents with low attention control but not for adolescents with high attention control. In contrast, significant moderating effects of attention control for the link between fear and risk‐taking behaviors suggested increased fear between 9 and 11 years tended to be associated with decreases in risk‐taking behaviors between 11 and 15 years only for adolescents with high attention control, but not for adolescents with low attention control.

Conclusions

Attention control regulates the connections between negative affect such as anger and fear with changes in adolescent risk‐taking behaviors. Our data suggest the protective role of strong attention control against the development of risk‐taking behaviors in adolescence as it demotes the effects of anger and promotes the effects of fear.
The spatial clustering of obesity: does the built environment matter?
Authors: Huang R. , Moudon A. V. , Cook A. J. , Drewnowski A.
Published: October 2014

Background

Obesity rates in the USA show distinct geographical patterns. The present study used spatial cluster detection methods and individual‐level data to locate obesity clusters and to analyse them in relation to the neighbourhood built environment.

Methods

The 2008–2009 Seattle Obesity Study provided data on the self‐reported height, weight, and sociodemographic characteristics of 1602 King County adults. Home addresses were geocoded. Clusters of high or low body mass index were identified using Anselin's Local Moran's I and a spatial scan statistic with regression models that searched for unmeasured neighbourhood‐level factors from residuals, adjusting for measured individual‐level covariates. Spatially continuous values of objectively measured features of the local neighbourhood built environment (SmartMaps) were constructed for seven variables obtained from tax rolls and commercial databases.

Results

Both the Local Moran's I and a spatial scan statistic identified similar spatial concentrations of obesity. High and low obesity clusters were attenuated after adjusting for age, gender, race, education and income, and they disappeared once neighbourhood residential property values and residential density were included in the model.

Conclusions

Using individual‐level data to detect obesity clusters with two cluster detection methods, the present study showed that the spatial concentration of obesity was wholly explained by neighbourhood composition and socioeconomic characteristics. These characteristics may serve to more precisely locate obesity prevention and intervention programmes.
Understanding cadherin EGF LAG seven‐pass G‐type receptors
Authors: Wang Xiao‐Jing , Zhang Dao‐Lai , Xu Zhi‐Gang , Ma Ming‐Liang , Wang Wen‐Bo , Li Lin‐Lin , Han Xiao‐Lin , Huo Yuqing , Yu Xiao , Sun Jin‐Peng
Published: October 2014

The cadherin epidermal growth factor (EGF) laminin G (LAG) seven‐pass G‐type receptors (CELSRs) are a special subgroup of adhesion G protein‐coupled receptors, which are pivotal regulators of many biologic processes such as neuronal/endocrine cell differentiation, vessel valve formation, and the control of planar cell polarity during embryonic development. All three members of the CELSR family (CELSR1‐3) have large ecto‐domains that form homophilic interactions and encompass more than 2000 amino acids. Mutations in the ecto‐domain or other gene locations of CELSRs are associated with neural tube defects and other diseases in humans. Celsr knockout (KO) animals have many developmental defects. Therefore, specific agonists or antagonists of CELSR members may have therapeutic potential. Although significant progress has been made regarding the functions and biochemical properties of CELSRs, our knowledge of these receptors is still lacking, especially considering that they are broadly distributed but have few characterized functions in a limited number of tissues. The dynamic activation and inactivation of CELSRs and the presence of endogenous ligands beyond homophilic interactions remain elusive, as do the regulatory mechanisms and downstream signaling of these receptors. Given this motivation, future studies with more advanced cell biology or biochemical tools, such as conditional KO mice, may provide further insights into the mechanisms underlying CELSR function, laying the foundation for the design of new CELSR‐targeted therapeutic reagents.

image

The cadherin EGF LAG seven‐pass G‐type receptors (CELSRs) are a special subgroup of adhesion G protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs), which have large ecto‐domains that form homophilic interactions and encompass more than 2000 amino acids. Recent studies have revealed that CELSRs are pivotal regulators of many biological processes, such as neuronal/endocrine cell differentiation, vessel valve formation and the control of planar cell polarity during embryonic development.
Peanut Resistance Gene Expression in Response to Aspergillus flavus Infection During Seed Germination
Authors: Zhang Huili , Scharfenstein Leslie , Zhang Dunhua , Chang Perng‐Kuang , Montalbano Beverly G. , Guo Baozhu , Meng Xianjun , Yu Jiujiang
Published: October 2014

Aspergillus flavus produces potent mutagenic and carcinogenic polyketide‐derived secondary metabolites known as aflatoxins. Development of host plant resistance in peanut and other crops is the most environmentally friendly and cost‐effective method to eliminate the serious problem of aflatoxin contamination in grains. To confirm that putative peanut genes identified in a previous microarray study were involved in peanut resistance to A. flavus infection, 14 genes were selected for further investigation through real‐time PCR. The results revealed diverse patterns of gene expression during seed germination after A. flavus inoculation. Based on the expression levels and the relative‐expression patterns over a 7‐day period, the 14 host genes could be classified into six different groups belonging to three main biochemical and genetic defence processes of lipid metabolism, oxidative signalling and cell‐wall synthesis during counter‐attack. A network of gene expression patterns was activated in sequential order in response to A. flavus invasion in both resistant and susceptible peanut lines during seed germination. Understanding gene expression patterns in peanut will be useful to breeders and other scientists interested in incorporating genetic resources of resistance against A. flavus into peanut germplasm and/or commercial cultivars via conventional and/or molecular methods.
Bougainvillea Shoot Proliferation, a New Disease Induced by Distinct Phytoplasmas
Authors: Silva Eliane Gonçalves , Flôres Daniela , Bedendo Ivan Paulo
Published: October 2014

Bougainvillea‐potted plants exhibiting typical phytoplasma‐induced symptoms, characterized by foliar chlorosis, shoot proliferation, leaf and bract deformations, and decline were observed in commercial nurseries, located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. In this study, PCR assays using group‐specific primers revealed that phytoplasmas affiliated with the groups 16SrI and 16SrIII were associated with symptomatic plants. Molecular analysis based on conventional and virtual RFLP patterns and similarity coefficient calculations identified these phytoplasmas as belonging to subgroups 16SrI‐B and 16SrIII‐B. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that these phytoplasmas were closely related to representatives of both subgroups. Transmission assays using dodder supported the initial evidence that the symptoms were associated with phytoplasmas.
Writing and pseudo‐writing from Internet‐based sources: implications for learning and assessment
Authors: Skaar Håvard
Published: October 2014

In recent years, plagiarism has been on the increase across the Western world. This article identifies Internet access as a contributory cause of this trend and addresses the implications of readily available Internet sources for the teaching and assessment of writing in schools. The basis for the article is a previous study showing a wide incidence of plagiarism in the Internet‐based writing of students in three classes at upper secondary school level in Norway. I relate the students' choices to writing as a cognitive process and as a cultural practice. My basic assumption is that the students' writing is work. It is this work we have in mind when we relate writing to learning and when we assess students' skills on the basis of their written texts. Access to the Internet changes the premises for this work because writing can be replaced by ‘pseudo‐writing’. ‘Pseudo‐writing’ is a work reducing writing practice, which neither excludes nor coincides with what we traditionally associate with plagiarism in schools. The main point in this article is that when students have access to the Internet during essay writing, the result is unavoidably a product of both writing and pseudo‐writing. Internet access thus leads to greater uncertainty about the role writing plays in student learning and makes it more difficult to take written assignments into account in assessing students' school results and effort.
Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in Asian or Pacific Islander chronic hepatitis B patients with high viral load (≥ 9 log10 copies/ml)
Authors: Fung Scott , Gordon Stuart C. , Krastev Zahary , Horban Andrzej , Petersen Jörg , Sperl Jan , Gane Edward , Jacobson Ira M. , Yee Leland J. , Dinh Phillip , Martins Eduardo B. , Flaherty John F. , Kitrinos Kathryn M. , Dusheiko Geoffrey , Trinh Huy , Flisiak Robert , Rustgi Vinod K. , Buti Maria , Marcellin Patrick
Published: October 2014

Background & Aims

We evaluated the antiviral response of Asian or Pacific Islander (API) patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who had baseline high viral load (HVL), defined as pre‐treatment hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA ≥9 log10 copies/ml, following up to 288 weeks of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) treatment.

Methods

A total of 205 HBeAg‐negative and HBeAg‐positive self‐described API patients received 48 weeks of TDF 300 mg (HVL n = 18) or adefovir dipivoxil 10 mg (HVL n = 15) in a blinded fashion, followed by open‐label TDF for an additional 240 weeks. The proportions of HVL vs. non‐HVL patients with HBV DNA <400 copies/ml were compared. Mean declines in HBV DNA were evaluated in API vs. non‐API patients.

Results

Throughout the first 72 weeks of treatment, a smaller proportion of HVL API patients reached HBV DNA <400 copies/ml than non‐HVL API patients. However, after this timepoint similar proportions of HVL and non‐HVL API patients achieved HBV DNA <400 copies/ml (100% vs. 97%, respectively), which was maintained through week 288, where 92% of HVL patients and 99% of non‐HVL API patients on treatment had HBV DNA <400 copies/ml. During the 288 weeks of treatment, API patients had similar mean HBV DNA declines as non‐API patients, regardless of whether patients were HVL or non‐HVL. No API HVL patient had persistent viremia at week 288. No resistance was detected among HVL or non‐HVL patients.

Conclusions

API patients with HVL CHB achieve HBV DNA <400 copies/ml with long‐term TDF treatment; however, achieving viral suppression may take longer for HVL patients relative to non‐HVL API patients.
Estimating exotic gene flow into native pine stands: zygotic vs. gametic components
Authors: Unger G. M. , Vendramin G. G. , Robledo‐Arnuncio J. J.
Published: October 2014

Monitoring contemporary gene flow from widespread exotic plantations is becoming an important problem in forest conservation genetics. In plants, where both seed and pollen disperse, three components of exotic gene flow with potentially unequal consequences should be, but have not been, explicitly distinguished: zygotic, male gametic and female gametic. Building on a previous model for estimating contemporary rates of zygotic and male gametic gene flow among plant populations, we present here an approach that additionally estimates the third (female gametic) gene flow component, based on a combination of uni‐ and biparentally inherited markers. Using this method and a combined set of chloroplast and nuclear microsatellites, we estimate gene flow rates from exotic plantations into two Iberian relict stands of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). Results show neither zygotic nor female gametic gene flow but moderate (6–8%) male gametic introgression for both species, implying significant dispersal of pollen, but not of seeds, from exotic plantations into native stands shortly after introduced trees reached reproductive maturity. Numerical simulation results suggest that the model yields reasonably accurate estimates for our empirical data sets, especially for larger samples. We discuss conservation management implications of observed levels of exposure to nonlocal genes and identify research needs to determine potentially associated hazards. Our approach should be useful for plant ecologists and ecosystem managers interested in the vectors of contemporary genetic connectivity among discrete plant populations.
Environmental drivers of ectomycorrhizal communities in Europe's temperate oak forests
Authors: Suz Laura M. , Barsoum Nadia , Benham Sue , Dietrich Hans‐Peter , Fetzer Karl Dieter , Fischer Richard , García Paloma , Gehrman Joachim , Kristöfel Ferdinand , Manninger Miklós , Neagu Stefan , Nicolas Manuel , Oldenburger Jan , Raspe Stephan , Sánchez Gerardo , Schröck Hans Werner , Schubert Alfred , Verheyen Kris , Verstraeten Arne , Bidartondo Martin I.
Published: October 2014

Ectomycorrhizal fungi are major ecological players in temperate forests, but they are rarely used in measures of forest condition because large‐scale, high‐resolution, standardized and replicated belowground data are scarce. We carried out an analysis of ectomycorrhizas at 22 intensively monitored long‐term oak plots, across nine European countries, covering complex natural and anthropogenic environmental gradients. We found that at large scales, mycorrhizal richness and evenness declined with decreasing soil pH and root density, and with increasing atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Shifts in mycorrhizas with different functional traits were detected; mycorrhizas with structures specialized for long‐distance transport related differently to most environmental variables than those without. The dominant oak‐specialist Lactarius quietus, with limited soil exploration abilities, responds positively to increasing nitrogen inputs and decreasing pH. In contrast, Tricholoma, Cortinarius and Piloderma species, with medium‐distance soil exploration abilities, show a consistently negative response. We also determined nitrogen critical loads for moderate (9.5–13.5 kg N/ha/year) and drastic (17 kg N/ha/year) changes in belowground mycorrhizal root communities in temperate oak forests. Overall, we generated the first baseline data for ectomycorrhizal fungi in the oak forests sampled, identified nitrogen pollution as one of their major drivers at large scales and revealed fungi that individually and/or in combination with others can be used as belowground indicators of environmental characteristics.
Slow carboxylation of Rubisco constrains the rate of carbon fixation during Antarctic phytoplankton blooms
Authors: Young Jodi N. , Goldman Johanna A. L. , Kranz Sven A. , Tortell Philippe D. , Morel Francois M. M.
Published: October 2014

High‐latitude oceans are areas of high primary production despite temperatures that are often well below the thermal optima of enzymes, including the key Calvin Cycle enzyme, Ribulose 1,5 bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase (Rubisco).

We measured carbon fixation rates, protein content and Rubisco abundance and catalytic rates during an intense diatom bloom in the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and in laboratory cultures of a psychrophilic diatom (Fragilariopsis cylindrus).

At −1°C, the Rubisco turnover rate, kcatc, was 0.4 C s−1 per site and the half saturation constant for CO2 was 15 μM (vs c. 3 C s−1 per site and 50 μM at 20°C). To achieve high carboxylation rates, psychrophilic diatoms increased Rubisco abundance to c. 8% of biomass (vs c. 0.6% at 20°C), along with their total protein content, resulting in a low carbon : nitrogen ratio of c. 5.

In psychrophilic diatoms, Rubisco must be almost fully active and near CO2 saturation to achieve carbon fixation rates observed in the WAP. Correspondingly, total protein concentrations were close to the highest ever measured in phytoplankton and likely near the maximum possible. We hypothesize that this high protein concentration, like that of Rubisco, is necessitated by slow enzyme rates, and that carbon fixation rates in the WAP are near a theoretical maximum.
The struggle for safety: effectiveness of caterpillar defenses against bird predation
Authors: Lichter‐Marck Isaac H. , Wylde Micah , Aaron Eric , Oliver Jeffrey C. , Singer Michael S.
Published: October 2014

The effectiveness of anti‐predator traits, such as warning signals and camouflage, has rarely been quantified from a phylogenetic community ecology perspective. Here we use a phylogenetic comparative analysis to test the association between several putative anti‐predator traits and bird predation risk in an assemblage of caterpillar species. We synthesize eight years of field and laboratory study of a temperate forest community, including a four‐year bird exclusion experiment that provided comparative measures of bird predation risk for 38 caterpillar species from a phylogenetic community. We then conducted a phylogenetic generalized least‐squares and information‐theoretic model selection analysis of warning signals (aposematism or mimicry), camouflage (crypsis or masquerade), and behavioral responses to physical attack as predictors of bird predation, while also accounting for putatively important effects of the abundance, mean body size, and phenology of caterpillar species. The most behaviorally specialized caterpillar species possessing warning signals experienced the lowest bird predation risk, supporting aposematism theory and highlighting the role of prey behavior in the visual signaling of predators. Among the camouflaged caterpillar species, those with the greatest latency to detection by human proxy predators experienced the lowest bird predation risk, supporting camouflage theory. Caterpillar behavioral responses to physical attack, however, predicted increased bird predation risk among camouflaged caterpillars. Although caterpillar abundance, body size, and phenology were expected to be important based on inference from optimal foraging theory and previous field observations, these factors had limited predictive power. This study provides methodologically unique evidence for the importance of morphological and behavioral components of primary, visual defenses of caterpillars against their avian predators in a natural community.
Sedation monitoring during open muscle biopsy in children by Comfort Score and Bispectral Index – a prospective analysis
Authors: Tschiedel Eva , Müller Oliver , Schara Ulrike , Felderhoff‐Müser Ursula , Dohna‐Schwake Christian
Published: October 2014

Background

Open muscle biopsies in children are generally performed under general anesthesia. Alternatively, deep sedation and analgesia may be required.

Objectives

The aim of our study was to compare the Bispectral Index (BIS) and Comfort Score (CS) with respect to their clinical significance for sedation/analgesia in children undergoing open muscle biopsy.

Methods

Thirty pediatric patients subjected to open muscle biopsy for diagnosis of their underlying disease were prospectively enrolled. Sedation/analgesia was performed in all patients using remifentanil and propofol. The patients were simultaneously monitored using the CS and BIS.

Results

All sedations and muscle biopsies were performed uneventfully. The CS and BIS were significantly correlated (R = 0.589; P < 0.01). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.918 with a maximum cut‐off point of BIS 70.5 (sensitivity 0.9; specificity 0.785) for adequate sedation. Sensitivity of 100% was achieved at BIS 60. Accordingly, all patients with BIS ≤60 had CS within the target range of 10–14. The BIS showed substantial intra‐ and interindividual variability (30 points and 58 points, respectively) during sedation, whereas CS varied only within close ranges during sedation. In 25 patients, sedatives were reduced according to low BIS values (<60). No unintended anesthesia awareness was noted during the study period.

Conclusion

Bispectral Index provides an additional helpful tool to guide sedation/analgesia in minor surgical procedures in children. BIS values ≤60 correlated with sufficient depth of sedation and prevented unintended awareness. Additionally, BIS measurement allowed for distinct regulation of depth of sedation without prolonged sedation/analgesia due to unintended overdose.
Reproductive and Nutritional Management on Ovarian Response and Embryo Quality on Rabbit Does
Authors: Lorenzo PL , García‐García RM , Árias‐Álvarez M , Rebollar PG
Published: October 2014

Contents

Rabbit does in modern rabbitries are under intensive reproductive rhythms. Females are high milk producers with high energetic expenses due to the extensive overlap between lactation and gestation. This situation leads to a negative energy balance with a mobilization of body fat especially in primiparous rabbit does. Poor body condition and poor health status severely affect the reproductive features (fertility rate and lifespan of the doe as well as ovarian physiology). This paper reviews some reproductive and nutritional approaches used in the last years to improve the reproductive performance of rabbit females, mainly focusing on the influence on ovarian response and embryo quality and with emphasis on epigenetic modifications in pre‐implantation embryos and offspring consequences.
Melatonin in Sperm Biology: Breaking Paradigms
Authors: Cebrián‐Pérez JA , Casao A , González‐Arto M , dos Santos Hamilton TR , Pérez‐Pé R , Muiño‐Blanco T
Published: October 2014

Contents

Melatonin is a ubiquitous molecule, present in a wide range of organisms, and involved in multiple functions. Melatonin relays the information about the photoperiod to the tissues that express melatonin‐binding sites in both central and peripheral nervous systems. This hormone has a complex mechanism of action. It can cross the cell plasma membrane and exert its actions in all cells of the body. Certain melatonin actions are mediated by receptors that belong to the superfamily of G‐protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs), the MT1 and MT2 membrane. Melatonin can also bind to calmodulin as well as to nuclear receptors of the retinoic acid receptor family, RORα1, RORα2 and RZRβ. The purpose of this review is to report on recent developments in the physiological role of melatonin and its receptors. Specific issues concerning the biological function of melatonin in mammalian seasonal reproduction and spermatozoa are considered. The significance of the continuous presence of melatonin in seminal plasma with a fairly constant concentration is also discussed.
Hormone‐free Protocols for the Control of Reproduction and Artificial Insemination in Goats
Authors: Lopez‐Sebastián A , Coloma MA , Toledano A , Santiago‐Moreno J
Published: October 2014

Contents

The dairy goat industry is of great economic importance to certain rural areas of theEuropeanUnion (EU), especially the Mediterranean region. Its sustainability, however, is severely affected by the seasonality of goat reproduction, which leads to fluctuations in the availability of final products. Classical hormone treatments based on progestagens andeCGare the main tools employed in the effort to achieve fertility outside of the normal breeding season. They are also used to induce and synchronize oestrus and ovulation in artificial insemination programs. The food safety policy of theEUis becoming ever stricter with regard to the use of hormonal treatments for reproductive purposes, pushing livestock‐raising towards ever cleaner and greener production systems. Recent advances in the use of natural methods able to generate endocrine signals that induce the ovulatory process have improved our capacity to foster reproduction in the non‐breeding season. When used in a fashion appropriate for the latitude at which animals live, their breed, and the management system under which they are raised, environmental (photoperiod), nutritional and sociosexual (the male effect) signals offer alternatives to classic hormonal techniques. This affords the fragile and heterogeneous goat production sector with new opportunities. This article describes the most representative advances made in the use of the male effect as a natural method of inducing ovulation during seasonal anoestrus. Its association with other methods for optimizing responses and synchronizing induced ovulation is also discussed; such associations allow it to be used as an alternative to hormonal treatment in artificial insemination programs.