bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Attitudes about EU expansion and zero‐sum thinking
Authors: Jackson John E. , Mach Bogdan W. , Miller‐Gonzalez Jennifer L.
Published: May 2016

Abstract

EU expansion can be seen as a positive‐sum process benefiting all countries by creating larger markets that stimulate more productive economies through increased specialization and economies of scale, implying that the general public in all countries should favour expansion. Contrarily, expansion can be perceived as zero‐sum. Capital and production relocate from higher to lower wage regions while labour does the opposite, possibly raising unemployment and reducing wages in the higher wage regions. The general public in these countries may come to oppose EU expansion attributing any deterioration in their work situation to the gains of new citizens of the European Union. Analysis of changes in Irish attitudes towards EU expansion in 2002, 2007 and 2009 finds no evidence of a link from lowered economic conditions to increased opposition to EU expansion. The only evidence for zero‐sum thinking is that diminished economic circumstances are associated with increased opposition to immigration, but this is not associated with increased opposition to further EU expansion.
Innovation, competition and productivity
Authors: Friesenbichler Klaus , Peneder Michael
Published: May 2016

We investigate the drivers of firm‐level productivity in catching‐up economies by jointly estimating its relationship to innovation and competition using data from the EBRD‐WBBusiness Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey(BEEPS) in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The findings confirm an inverted‐U shaped impact of competition on R&D. Both competition and innovation have a simultaneous positive effect on labour productivity in terms of either sales or value added per employee, as does a high share of university graduates and foreign ownership. Further positive impacts come from firm size, exports or population density. Innovation and foreign ownership appear to be the strongest drivers of multifactor productivity.
The learning environment in professional doctorate and postgraduate dental education: a qualitative study
Authors: Subramanian J. , Thomson W. M.
Published: May 2016

Introduction

Currently, there is a lack of studies focusing on professional doctoral students’ and graduates’ perceptions of their learning environment, in particular, using a qualitative approach to elicit in‐depth information. This article aims to contribute to the existing body of knowledge by systematically exploring, critically analysing and getting a deeper understanding of professional doctorate dental students’ and graduates’ insights into effective and ineffective clinical and physical learning environment characteristics.

Methods

The study included a total of 20 participants. Participants included 16 final‐year Doctor of Clinical Dentistry (DClinDent) students and four dental specialists (graduates of the DClinDent programme). Semi‐structured, individual interviews were used. Participants were asked to reflect upon and describe in detail their effective and ineffective learning environment experiences. The critical incident technique was used to guide the data collection. Data were analysed using a general inductive qualitative approach.

Results

Learning environment characteristics which participants associated with effective learning included the following: sufficient opportunities for comprehensive treatment planning; introduction to a number of patient treatment philosophies; a sufficient number of complex cases; clinically oriented research and assignment topics; a focus on clinical training in the programme generally; a research topic of a realistic depth and breadth, suitable for their ‘specialist training’ degree; and a well‐resourced and updated physical infrastructure. On the other hand, most participants indicated that the absence of an adequate number of clinical cases, an overemphasis on research (as opposed to clinical practice) in the DClinDent programme and an ‘outdated’ physical infrastructure in the dental school clinics could hamper effective clinical learning.

Conclusion

These findings contribute to the meaningful advancement of the literature on learning environment strategies through the exploration of (and in‐depth qualitative insights into) what facilitated effective learning by New Zealand professional doctorate candidates and graduates. These findings provide a starting point for reflection by international academic directors, educational developers, curriculum planners, programme managers and clinical teachers in respect of the further development of the learning environment. Although the findings from this study may not be directly transferable to all international contexts, they have the potential to contribute to the further development of theory in this area.
Comparison of dental students' performances and perceptions in preclinical and clinical pharmacology in an Irish Dental School
Authors: Barry O. P. , O'Sullivan E.
Published: May 2016

Introduction

Knowledge of pharmacology is essential for dental students and for its safe application in the clinical environment.

Aims

The goals of our study were to assess dental students' performances in pharmacology with and without shared instruction, to investigate correlations between students' final grades in pre‐clinical and clinical pharmacology, to determine if gender affects test performance and to explore characteristics of effective dental student learning.

Methods

A 9 year mixed method study was undertaken comprising (i) quantitative analysis of undergraduate performances in basic and clinical pharmacology (n = 320) and (ii) quantitative and qualitative exploration of student perceptions on teaching and learning in pharmacology.

Results

Mean basic pharmacology scores were not significantly different when dental students were co‐taught with medical and pharmacy students. Regression analysis showed a statistically significant correlation (r = 0.582, P < 0.01) between basic and clinical pharmacology dental student scores. Interestingly, correlation was independent of gender with female student scores demonstrating a correlation of r = 0.480, P < 0.01 and males a correlation of 0.684, P < 0.01. Quantitative and qualitative feedback highlighted four thematic areas of effective dental student learning namely: (i) quality of instructors, (ii) lecture content, (iii) assessment type and (iv) learning environment.

Conclusions

Teaching basic pharmacology in a multidisciplinary environment did not adversely affect dental students' examination performances. Dental students who perform well in basic pharmacology perform similarly well in clinical pharmacology. However, whether students' understanding and the application of pharmacology affects the quality of patient care in the clinical environment awaits further investigation.
Calcium dynamics predict direction of synaptic plasticity in striatal spiny projection neurons
Authors: Jędrzejewska‐Szmek Joanna , Damodaran Sriraman , Dorman Daniel B. , Blackwell Kim T.
Published: May 2016

The striatum is a major site of learning and memory formation for sensorimotor and cognitive association. One of the mechanisms used by the brain for memory storage is synaptic plasticity – the long‐lasting, activity‐dependent change in synaptic strength. All forms of synaptic plasticity require an elevation in intracellular calcium, and a common hypothesis is that the amplitude and duration of calcium transients can determine the direction of synaptic plasticity. The utility of this hypothesis in the striatum is unclear in part because dopamine is required for striatal plasticity and in part because of the diversity in stimulation protocols. To test whether calcium can predict plasticity direction, we developed a calcium‐based plasticity rule using a spiny projection neuron model with sophisticated calcium dynamics including calcium diffusion, buffering and pump extrusion. We utilized three spike timing‐dependent plasticity (STDP) induction protocols, in which postsynaptic potentials are paired with precisely timed action potentials and the timing of such pairing determines whether potentiation or depression will occur. Results show that despite the variation in calcium dynamics, a single, calcium‐based plasticity rule, which explicitly considers duration of calcium elevations, can explain the direction of synaptic weight change for all three STDP protocols. Additional simulations show that the plasticity rule correctly predicts the NMDA receptor dependence of long‐term potentiation and the L‐type channel dependence of long‐term depression. By utilizing realistic calcium dynamics, the model reveals mechanisms controlling synaptic plasticity direction, and shows that the dynamics of calcium, not just calcium amplitude, are crucial for synaptic plasticity.
The discovery of CRISPR in archaea and bacteria
Authors: Mojica Francisco J. M. , Rodriguez‐Valera Francisco
Published: May 2016

CRISPR‐Cas are self‐/nonself‐discriminating systems found in prokaryotic cells. They represent a remarkable example of molecular memory that is hereditarily transmitted. Their discovery can be considered as one of the first fruits of the systematic exploration of prokaryotic genomes. Although this genomic feature was serendipitously discovered in molecular biology studies, it was the availability of multiple complete genomes that shed light about their role as a genetic immune system. Here we tell the story of how this discovery originated and was slowly and painstakingly advanced to the point of understating the biological role of what initially was just an odd genomic feature.
A global synthesis of the rate and temperature sensitivity of soil nitrogen mineralization: latitudinal patterns and mechanisms
Authors: Liu Yuan , Wang Changhui , He Nianpeng , Wen Xuefa , Gao Yang , Li Shenggong , Niu Shuli , Butterbach‐Bahl Klaus , Luo Yiqi , Yu Guirui
Published: May 2016

Soil net nitrogen (N) mineralization (Nmin) is a pivotal process in the global N cycle regulating the N availability of plant growth. Understanding the spatial patterns of Nmin, its temperature sensitivity (Q10) and regulatory mechanisms is critical for improving the management of soil nutrients. In this study, we evaluated 379 peer‐reviewed scientific papers to explore how Nmin and the Q10 of Nmin varied among different ecosystems and regions at the global scale. The results showed that Nmin varied significantly among different ecosystems with a global average of 2.41 mg N soil kg−1 day−1. Furthermore, Nmin significantly decreased with increasing latitude and altitude. The Q10 varied significantly among different ecosystems with a global average of 2.21, ranging from the highest found in forest soils (2.43) and the lowest found for grassland soils (1.67) and significantly increased with increasing latitude. Path analyses indicated that Nmin was primarily affected by the content of soil organic carbon (C), soil C:N ratio, and clay content, where Q10 was primarily influenced by the soil C:N ratio and soil pH. Furthermore, the activation energy (Ea) of soil N mineralization was significantly and negative correlated with the substrate quality index among all ecosystems, indicating the applicability of the carbon quality temperature hypothesis to soil N mineralization at a global scale. These findings provided empirical evidence supporting that soil N availability, under global warming scenarios, is expected to increase stronger in colder regions as compared with that low‐latitude regions due to the higher Q10. This may alleviate the restriction of N supply for increased primary productivity at higher latitudes.
Impact of pollen resources drift on common bumblebees in NW Europe
Authors: Roger Nathalie , Moerman Romain , Carvalheiro Luísa Gigante , Aguirre‐Guitiérrez Jesús , Jacquemart Anne‐Laure , Kleijn David , Lognay Georges , Moquet Laura , Quinet Muriel , Rasmont Pierre , Richel Aurore , Vanderplanck Maryse , Michez Denis
Published: May 2016

Several bee species are experiencing significant population declines. As bees exclusively rely on pollen for development and survival, such declines could be partly related to changes in their host plant abundance and quality. Here, we investigate whether generalist bumblebee species, with stable population trends over the past years, adapted their diets in response to changes in the distribution and chemical quality of their pollen resources. We selected five common species of bumblebee in NW Europe for which we had a precise description of their pollen diet through two time periods (‘prior to 1950’ and ‘2004–2005’). For each species, we assessed whether the shift in their pollen diet was related with the changes in the suitable area of their pollen resources. Concurrently, we evaluated whether the chemical composition of pollen resources changed over time and experimentally tested the impact of new major pollen species on the development of B. terrestris microcolonies. Only one species (i.e. B. lapidarius) significantly included more pollen from resources whose suitable area expanded. This opportunist pattern could partly explain the expansion of B. lapidarius in Europe. Regarding the temporal variation in the chemical composition of the pollen diet, total and essential amino acid contents did not differ significantly between the two time periods while we found significant differences among plant species. This result is driven by the great diversity of resources used by bumblebee species in both periods. Our bioassay revealed that the shift to new major pollen resources allowed microcolonies to develop, bringing new evidence on the opportunist feature of bumblebee in their diets. Overall, this study shows that the response to pollen resource drift varies among closely related pollinators, and a species‐rich plant community ensures generalist species to select a nutrient‐rich pollen diet.
Effects of temperature variability on community structure in a natural microbial food web
Authors: Zander Axel , Bersier Louis‐Félix , Gray Sarah M.
Published: May 2016

Climate change research has demonstrated that changing temperatures will have an effect on community‐level dynamics by altering species survival rates, shifting species distributions, and ultimately, creating mismatches in community interactions. However, most of this work has focused on increasing temperature, and still little is known about how the variation in temperature extremes will affect community dynamics. We used the model aquatic community held within the leaves of the carnivorous plant, Sarracenia purpurea, to test how food web dynamics will be affected by high temperature variation. We tested the community response of the first (bacterial density), second (protist diversity and composition), and third trophic level (predator mortality), and measured community respiration. We collected early and late successional stage inquiline communities from S. purpurea from two North American and two European sites with similar average July temperature. We then created a common garden experiment in which replicates of these communities underwent either high or normal daily temperature variation, with the average temperature equal among treatments. We found an impact of temperature variation on the first two, but not on the third trophic level. For bacteria in the high‐variation treatment, density experienced an initial boost in growth but then decreased quickly through time. For protists in the high‐variation treatment, alpha‐diversity decreased faster than in the normal‐variation treatment, beta‐diversity increased only in the European sites, and protist community composition tended to diverge more in the late successional stage. The mortality of the predatory mosquito larvae was unaffected by temperature variation. Community respiration was lower in the high‐variation treatment, indicating a lower ecosystem functioning. Our results highlight clear impacts of temperature variation. A more mechanistic understanding of the effects that temperature, and especially temperature variation, will have on community dynamics is still greatly needed.
Blood Pressure Responses to Endovascular Stimulation: A Potential Therapy for Autonomic Disorders With Vasodilatation
Authors: NAKSUK NIYADA , KILLU AMMAR M. , YOGESWARAN VIDHUSHEI , DESIMONE CHRISTOPHER V. , SUDDENDORF SCOTT H. , LADEWIG DOROTHY J. , POWERS JOANNE M. , WEBER SARAH , MADHAVAN MALINI , CHA YONG‐MEI , KAPA SURAJ , ASIRVATHAM SAMUEL J.
Published: May 2016

Endovascular Stimulation for Treatment of Hypotension

Background

We have previously shown that sympathetic ganglia stimulation via the renal vein rapidly increases blood pressure. This study further investigated the optimal target sites and effective energy levels for stimulation of the renal vasculatures and nearby sympathetic ganglia for rapid increase in blood pressure.

Methods

The pre‐study protocol for endovascular stimulations included 2 minutes of stimulation (1–150 V and 10 pulses per second) and at least 2 minutes of rest during poststimulation. If blood pressure and/or heart rate were changed during the stimulation, time to return to baseline was allowed prior to the next stimulation.

Results

In 11 acute canine studies, we performed 85 renal artery, 30 renal vein, and 8 hepatic vasculature stimulations. The mean arterial pressure (MAP) rapidly increased during stimulation of renal artery (95 ± 18 mmHg vs. 103 ± 15 mmHg; P < 0.0001), renal vein (90 ± 16 mmHg vs. 102 ± 20 mmHg; P = 0.001), and hepatic vasculatures (74 ± 8 mmHg vs. 82 ± 11 mmHg; P = 0.04). Predictors of a significant increase in MAP were energy >10 V focused on the left renal artery, bilateral renal arteries, and bilateral renal veins (especially the mid segment). Overall, heart rate was unchanged, but muscle fasciculation was observed in 22.0% with an output >10 V (range 15–150 V). Analysis after excluding the stimulations that resulted in fasciculation yielded similar results to the main findings.

Conclusions

Stimulation of intra‐abdominal vasculatures promptly increased the MAP and thus may be a potential treatment option for hypotension in autonomic disorders. Predictors of optimal stimulation include energy delivery and the site of stimulation (for the renal vasculatures), which informs the design of subsequent research.
Efficacy of Left Atrial Voltage‐Based Catheter Ablation of Persistent Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: YAMAGUCHI TAKANORI , TSUCHIYA TAKESHI , NAKAHARA SHIRO , FUKUI AKIRA , NAGAMOTO YASUTSUGU , MUROTANI KENTA , ESHIMA KENICHI , TAKAHASHI NAOHIKO
Published: May 2016

Low Voltage‐Based Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation

Background

Low‐voltage zones (LVZs) represent fibrotic tissue and are substrates for atrial fibrillation (AF). We hypothesized that LVZ‐based substrate modification along with pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) would improve outcomes in persistent AF (PeAF) patients with LVZs, whereas PVI alone would work in patients without LVZs.

Methods and Results

Voltage mapping of the left atrium (LA) was performed during sinus rhythm in 101 PeAF patients in whom LVZ was defined as an area with bipolar electrograms <0.5 mV. Thirty‐nine patients had LVZs and underwent ablation of the entire LVZ area after PVI (LVZabl group). In the remaining 62 patients without LVZs, PVI alone was performed with no further substrate modifications (PVI group). An additional group of 16 consecutive PeAF patients with LVZ did not undergo any substrate modification after PVI and were used as a comparison group (LVZnon‐abl group) despite having similar size of LVZs to that in the LVZabl group. After a single session, 28 (72%) patients in the LVZabl group had no recurrence, whereas 49 (79%) patients in the PVI group had no recurrence during 18 ± 7 months of follow‐up (log‐rank, P = 0.400). In the LVZnon‐abl group, only 6 patients (38%) had no recurrence during 32 ± 7 months of follow‐up, even after a mean number of sessions of 1.8 (log‐rank, P < 0.001, compared with the LVZabl group).

Conclusions

Additional LVZ‐based substrate modification after PVI improved the outcome in PeAF patients with LVZs, whereas PVI alone worked in patients without LVZs, even in those with PeAF.
Low‐Level But Not High‐Level Baroreceptor Stimulation Inhibits Atrial Fibrillation in a Pig Model of Sleep Apnea
Authors: LINZ DOMINIK , HOHL MATHIAS , KHOSHKISH SHAYAN , MAHFOUD FELIX , UKENA CHRISTIAN , NEUBERGER HANS‐RUPRECHT , WIRTH KLAUS , BÖHM MICHAEL
Published: May 2016

Baroreflex Stimulation and Atrial Fibrillation

Background

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) increases susceptibility to atrial fibrillation (AF) by a combined sympatho‐vagal hyperactivation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of autonomic nervous system modulation by low‐level baroreceptor stimulation (LL‐BRS) compared to high‐level BRS (HL‐BRS) on atrial arrhythmogenic changes in a pig model of OSA.

Methods and Results

Sixteen pigs received tracheotomy under general urethane/chloralose anesthesia. Group 1 pigs (n = 8) received LL‐BRS (at 80% of that slowing sinus rate) for 3 hours and group 2 pigs (n = 8) received HL‐BRS (slowing sinus rate). Changes in atrial effective refractory period (AERP) and AF‐inducibility were determined during applied negative thoracic pressure (NTP) for 2 minutes before and at the end of the 3‐hour stimulation protocol. Group 1: LL‐BRS prolonged AERP from 150 ± 5 to 172 ± 19 milliseconds (P < 0.001). After 3 hours of LL‐BRS, NTP‐induced AERP‐shortening was diminished from –51 ± 10 milliseconds (–34%) to –22 ± 4 milliseconds (–13%) (P < 0.01). AF‐inducibility during NTP maneuvers decreased from 90% at baseline to 15% (P < 0.01). Group 2: HL‐BRS shortened AERP from 150 ± 17 to 132 ± 8 milliseconds (P = 0.024). After 3 hours of HL‐BRS, NTP‐induced AERP‐shortening was increased from –55 ± 7 milliseconds (–36%) to –72 ± 11 milliseconds (–54%) (P < 0.05) and AF‐inducibility was not affected. NTP‐induced changes in blood gases and blood pressure were not different between the groups.

Conclusion

LL‐BRS suppressed NTP‐induced AERP‐shortening and AF‐inducibility. By contrast HL‐BRS further perpetuated NTP‐induced AERP‐shortening and increased AF‐inducibility. These findings support only the use of LL‐BRS as a novel therapeutic modality to treat AF in OSA.
Reinforcement and a cline in mating behaviour evolve in response to secondary contact and hybridization in shield‐back katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae)
Authors: Cole J. A.
Published: May 2016

In a dispersal‐limited species that has evolved reproductive character displacement at a contact zone, a cline in mating behaviour may result if gene flow diffuses alleles out of the contact zone into allopatric populations. Prior work has found such a clinal pattern in the shield‐back katydid Aglaothorax morsei, in which the male calling songs in a sympatric population have a displaced, short interpulse interval that increases in length with increasing distance from the contact zone. In this study, molecular phylogenetic and female preference data show that (1) sympatric populations result from secondary contact, (2) hybridization in sympatry has resulted in unidirectional mitochondrial introgression and (3) female preferences are consistent with reproductive character displacement and could generate a cline in mating behaviour. These data together suggest a history of reinforcement, generally considered rare in acoustically communicating insects; thus, Aglaothorax represents an important example of a rarely documented evolutionary process.
Genetic structure of phenotypic robustness in the collaborative cross mouse diallel panel
Authors: Gonzalez P. N. , Pavlicev M. , Mitteroecker P. , Pardo‐Manuel de Villena F. , Spritz R. A. , Marcucio R. S. , Hallgrímsson B.
Published: May 2016

Developmental stability and canalization describe the ability of developmental systems to minimize phenotypic variation in the face of stochastic micro‐environmental effects, genetic variation and environmental influences. Canalization is the ability to minimize the effects of genetic or environmental effects, whereas developmental stability is the ability to minimize the effects of micro‐environmental effects within individuals. Despite much attention, the mechanisms that underlie these two components of phenotypic robustness remain unknown. We investigated the genetic structure of phenotypic robustness in the collaborative cross (CC) mouse reference population. We analysed the magnitude of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) and among‐individual variation of cranial shape in reciprocal crosses among the eight parental strains, using geometric morphometrics and a diallel analysis based on a Bayesian approach. Significant differences among genotypes were found for both measures, although they were poorly correlated at the level of individuals. An overall positive effect of inbreeding was found for both components of variation. The strainCAST/EiJ exerted a positive additive effect onFAand, to a lesser extent, among‐individual variance. Sex‐ and other strain‐specific effects were not significant. NeitherFAnor among‐individual variation was associated with phenotypic extremeness. Our results support the existence of genetic variation for both developmental stability and canalization. This finding is important because robustness is a key feature of developmental systems. Our finding that robustness is not related to phenotypic extremeness is consistent with theoretical work that suggests that its relationship to stabilizing selection is not straightforward.
Ornament size and colour as alternative strategies for effective communication in gliding lizards
Authors: Klomp D. A. , Ord T. J. , Das I. , Diesmos A. , Ahmad N. , Stuart‐Fox D.
Published: May 2016

Sexual ornamentation needs to be conspicuous to be effective in attracting potential mates and defending territories and indeed, a multitude of ways exists to achieve this. Two principal mechanisms for increasing conspicuousness are to increase the ornament's colour or brightness contrast against the background and to increase the size of the ornament. We assessed the relationship between the colour and size of the dewlap, a large extendible throat‐fan, across a range of species of gliding lizards (Agamidae; genus Draco) from Malaysia and the Philippines. We found a negative relationship across species between colour contrast against the background and dewlap size in males, but not in females, suggesting that males of different species use increasing colour contrast and dewlap size as alternative strategies for effective communication. Male dewlap size also increases with increasing sexual size dimorphism, and dewlap colour and brightness contrast increase with increasing sexual dichromatism in colour and brightness, respectively, suggesting that sexual selection may act on both dewlap size and colour. We further found evidence that relative predation intensity, as measured from predator attacks on models placed in the field, may play a role in the choice of strategy (high chromatic contrast or large dewlap area) a species employs. More broadly, these results highlight that each component in a signal (such as colour or size) may be influenced by different selection pressures and that by assessing components individually, we can gain a greater understanding of the evolution of signal diversity.
Histories of host shifts and cospeciation among free‐living parasitoids of Rhagoletis flies
Authors: Hamerlinck G. , Hulbert D. , Hood G. R. , Smith J. J. , Forbes A. A.
Published: May 2016

Host shifts by specialist insects can lead to reproductive isolation between insect populations that use different hosts, promoting diversification. When both a phytophagous insect and its ancestrally associated parasitoid shift to the same novel host plant, they may cospeciate. However, because adult parasitoids are free living, they can also colonize novel host insects and diversify independent of their ancestral host insect. Although shifts of parasitoids to new insect hosts have been documented in ecological time, the long‐term importance of such shifts to parasitoid diversity has not been evaluated. We used a genus of flies with a history of speciation via host shifting (Rhagoletis [Diptera: Tephritidae]) and three associated hymenopteran parasitoid genera (Diachasma, Coptera and Utetes) to examine cophylogenetic relationships between parasitoids and their host insects. We inferred phylogenies of Rhagoletis, Diachasma, Coptera and Utetes and used distance‐based cophylogenetic methods (ParaFit and PACo) to assess congruence between fly and parasitoid trees. We used an event‐based method with a free‐living parasitoid cost model to reconstruct cophylogenetic histories of each parasitoid genus and Rhagoletis. We found that the current species diversity and host–parasitoid associations between the Rhagoletis flies and parasitoids are the primary result of ancient cospeciation events. Parasitoid shifts to ancestrally unrelated hosts primarily occur near the branch tips, suggesting that host shifts contribute to recent parasitoid species diversity but that these lineages may not persist over longer time periods. Our analyses also stress the importance of biologically informed cost models when investigating the coevolutionary histories of hosts and free‐living parasitoids.
Protein expression profiling in haemocytes and plasma of the Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum in response to infection with Perkinsus olseni
Authors: Fernández‐Boo S , Villalba A , Cao A
Published: May 2016

The protein expression profiling in clam haemocytes and plasma in response to Perkinsus olseni was addressed. Adult Manila clams from a P. olseni‐free bed were experimentally challenged with parasite zoospores to analyse immune response. In another experiment, the effects of longer term infection were assessed in adult clams collected from a P. olseni‐affected bed, by comparing moderate to very heavily infected clams with non‐infected ones. Haemocyte and plasma proteins were separated by two‐dimensional electrophoresis; spot patterns were qualitatively compared between treatments within each experiment and the spots indicating differential protein expression associated with P. olseni challenge or with field infection were processed for protein identification. Fifteen clam proteins (four in haemocytes and eleven in plasma) of which expression was markedly affected by P. olseni were identified. Some of the identified proteins have a well‐known role in clam immune response against the parasite, such as lysozyme and lectins. Rho GTPase‐activating protein 6 could be a marker of resistance against P. olseni, which should be further studied.
A Model of Engagement Promotion in a Professionally Facilitated Online Intervention for Couples Affected by Breast Cancer
Authors: Ianakieva Iana , Fergus Karen , Ahmad Saunia , Pos Alberta , Pereira Amanda
Published: May 2016

Professionally facilitated web‐based interventions for couples affected by an illness such as cancer are growing in popularity. Attrition rates for such online programs, however, are substantially higher than what is observed in face‐to‐face therapeutic contexts, and lower levels of participant engagement are associated with poorer outcomes. In the present investigation, a task analysis was employed to develop a model of engagement promotion in an online intervention for couples affected by breast cancer called “Couplelinks.” Results indicated that facilitators utilized a variety of meta‐processes, such as humanizing the technology, and associated “eBehaviors,” to maintain three relationships involved in promoting online engagement: (a) between the facilitator and couple; (b) between the intervention and couple; and (c) between the partners within the couple.
The fate of zircon during UHT–UHP metamorphism: isotopic (U/Pb, δ18O, Hf) and trace element constraints
Authors: Kotková J. , Whitehouse M. , Schaltegger U. , D'Abzac F.‐X.
Published: May 2016

Garnet–clinopyroxene ultra‐high‐pressure (UHP) rocks from the northern Bohemian Massif contain zircon with micro‐diamond inclusions. Trace element concentrations, oxygen and hafnium isotopic composition and U–Pb age of distinct textural domains in zircon characterize their growth conditions and temporal evolution. Diamond‐bearing zircon mantle domains with relicts of oscillatory zoning have uniform Th/U ratios (~0.1–0.2), high‐Ti contents (110–190 ppm, corresponding to temperatures of at least 1100 °C), and some (two of 17 mantle analyses) preserve steep heavy rare earth element (HREE) patterns with YbN/GdN = 10–11, with a weak negative Eu anomaly. These signatures are consistent with crystallization from a melt under UHP/ultra‐high‐temperature (UHT) conditions. Some of the bright‐cathodoluminscence (CL) rims preserve Th/U and Ti values characteristic of the zircon mantles, but others show elevated Th/U ratios of ~0.3–0.4 and lower Ti contents (20–40 ppm; only 13 ppm in a rare low‐CL outer rim). As they feature flat HREE patterns and negative Eu anomalies and commonly make embayments and truncate the mantle zoning, we suggest that they have formed through recrystallization in the solid state during exhumation of the rock, when both garnet and plagioclase were stable. The three zircon domains, that is, cores, mantles and rims, yield U–Pb concordia ages of 340.9 ± 1.5, 340.3 ± 1.5 and 341.2 ± 3.4 Ma respectively. When linked to the previously reconstructed P–T path of the rock, the error limits of the zircon mantle and rim ages constrain the exhumation of the rocks from depth of ~140 km (UHP) to ~80 km (HP) to a minimum rate of 1.5 cm yr−1. The zircon cores are heterogeneous in terms of Th/U ratio (below 0.1 but also above 0.2) and REE characteristics, and their εHf values scatter between −15.7 and +4.8 with similar values for individual domains within a single zircon grain suggesting a very localized control on hafnium isotope composition on a grain scale. The non‐equilibrated εHf values as well as a large range of the Hf‐depleted mantle model ages possibly reflect the presence of a heterogeneous population of old zircon. Consequently, the uniform and young 238U/206Pb ages may represent (near‐)complete resetting of the U–Pb geochronometer during the UHP–UHT event at c. 340 Ma through dissolution–reprecipitation process. In contrast to Hf, the oxygen isotope composition of zircon is homogeneous, ranging between 7.8‰ and 9.6‰ VSMOW, reflecting a source containing upper crustal material and homogenization at UHP–UHT conditions. Our study documents that continental crust was subducted to mantle depths at c. 340 Ma during the Variscan orogeny and was subsequently very rapidly exhumed, implying that the sequence of events was faster than can be resolved by the secondary ion mass spectrometry technique.
Early Mesoproterozoic (1.6–1.5 Ga) granulite facies events in the Ongole domain: geodynamic significance and global correlation
Authors: Sarkar T. , Schenk V.
Published: May 2016

The late Palaeoproterozoic to early Mesoproterozoic Ongole domain of the Eastern Ghats Belt in southeastern India is composed of a suite of charnoenderbites with enclaves of metapelitic and mafic granulites. Geochemical data for all meta‐igneous rocks are typical for continental magmatic arc suites. The rocks preserve mineral assemblages and reaction textures indicating two separate metamorphic events: an initial counter‐clockwise medium‐pressure ultrahigh temperature (MP−UHT) event (>900 °C at 6.5–7.0 kbar), attributed to the magmatic accretion of the arc, which was followed by a clockwise HP‐MT event (~700 °C at 9 kbar), attributed to its tectonic crustal thickening. Zircon dating of charnoenderbites yield magmatic crystallization ages between 1.75 and 1.70 Ga and metamorphic ages between 1.62 and 1.60 Ga. Syn‐metamorphic enderbites yield magmatic and metamorphic zircon ages of c. 1.60 Ga, overlapping with all other metamorphic rim ages. In contrast, texturally controlled monazite dating of two chemically distinct monazite generations reveals two metamorphic events at c. 1.62 and c. 1.54 Ga. These data suggest that the Ongole domain was formed as a magmatic arc during the Palaeoproterozoic (c. 1.75–1.70 Ga), and subsequently experienced UHT metamorphism accompanied by syn‐metamorphic intrusions at c. 1.60 Ga, suggesting magmatic underplating as the metamorphic heat source. The subsequent crustal thickening at c. 1.54 Ga was due to the collision of the Ongole magmatic arc with the Indian craton. The UHT metamorphism and the related orogenic processes of the Ongole domain fall into the assumed late Palaeoproterozoic to late Mesoproterozoic ‘orogenic and UHT time gap’ (1.8–1.1 Ga) regarded by some studies as an orogenic quiescent period after the formation of the Palaeoproterozoic supercontinent known as Columbia or Nuna at c. 2.1–1.8 Ga. Coeval orogenic processes at c. 1.7–1.5 Ga occurring along accretionary margins in different fragments of Columbia (India, Australia, Antarctica and southwest Africa) indicate a protracted formation of this supercontinent.
Intersectionality and the Role of White Women: An Analysis of Divorce Petitions from Slavery
Authors: Feinstein Rachel
Published: May 2016

Research on sexual violence and rape during slavery often focuses on the dynamic between white men and black women. However, white women played an important intermediate role in the sexual violence of enslaved black women. Analyzing divorce petitions submitted during slavery, the unique role of white women and their responses to sexual violence carried out by their husbands offer additional depth to the discussion of rape of enslaved black women. Furthermore, this analysis adds to intersectionality theory with the concept of a web of intersectional incentives, tactics, and consequences that encourage the maintenance of oppression.
Post‐Authoritarian State Formation in Argentina: Transitional Justice as the Accumulation of Symbolic Power
Authors: Carmody Michelle Frances
Published: May 2016

Looking at the transitions to democracy in Latin America during the late 20th century, a number of scholars observed that human rights and transitional justice had become the central legitimizing axis of the new, post‐authoritarian order. But the question of how human rights and transitional justice measures became such powerful sources of legitimacy in the first place was left unexplored. In this article I use Bourdieu's concept of symbolic capital along with Mara Loveman's explanation of the accumulation of this capital to explain how transitional justice came to function as a form of post‐authoritarian state formation in Argentina.
Web‐based information on the treatment of oral leukoplakia – quality and readability
Authors: Wiriyakijja Paswach , Fedele Stefano , Porter Stephen , Ni Riordain Richeal
Published: May 2016

Objective

To categorise the content and assess the quality and readability of the online information regarding the treatment for oral leukoplakia.

Methods

An online search using the term ‘leukoplakia treatment’ was carried out on 8th June 2015 using the Google search engine. The content, quality and readability of the first 100 sites were explored. The quality of the web information was assessed using the following tools, the DISCERN instrument and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks for website analysis and the HON seal. Readability was assessed via the Flesch Reading Ease Score.

Results

The search strategy generated 357 000 sites on the Google search engine. Due to duplicate links, non‐operating links and irrelevant links, a total of 47 of the first 100 websites were included in this study. The mean overall rating achieved by included websites using the DISCERN instrument was 2.3. With regard to the JAMA benchmarks, the vast majority of examined websites (95.7%) completely fulfilled the disclosure benchmark and less than 50% of included websites met the three remaining criteria. A mean total readability score of 47.5 was recorded with almost 90% of websites having a readability level ranging from fairly difficult to very difficult.

Conclusion

Based on this study, the online health information regarding oral leukoplakia has challenging readability with content of questionable accuracy. As patients often search for health information online, it would be prudent for clinicians to highlight the caution with which online information should be interpreted.
Risk factors, complications and outcome of cholelithiasis in children: A retrospective, single‐centre review
Authors: Tuna Kirsaclioglu Ceyda , Çuhacı Çakır Bahar , Bayram Gulsah , Akbıyık Fatih , Işık Pamir , Tunç Bahattin
Published: May 2016

Aim

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical presentation, risk factors, complications, treatment and outcomes of cholelithiasis in children.

Methods

Children with cholelithiasis were reviewed for demographic information, predisposing factors, presenting symptoms, laboratory findings, complications, treatment and outcome, retrospectively.

Results

A total of 254 children with cholelithiasis (mean age: 8.9 ± 5.2 years) were recruited to the study. Girls (52.8%) were significantly older than boys (P < 0.001). Symptomatic patients (59%) were significantly older than asymptomatic patients (P = 0.002). Abdominal pain was the most frequent symptom. No risk factors were identified in 56.6% of the patients. Ceftriaxone (20%) was the most commonly associated risk factor. At presentation, at least one of the following complications was seen in 14.1% of patients: cholecystitis (10.9%), obstructive jaundice (2.7%), pancreatitis (1.96%) and cholangitis (1.2%). There was no relationship between gallstone size and symptoms, aetiological factors and complications. The cholelithiasis dissolution rate was higher in younger children (P = 0.032), in those with biliary sludge (P < 0.0001) and ceftriaxone‐related cholelithiasis (P < 0.001). Haemolytic anaemia (P = 0.001) and older age (P = 0.002) were associated with stable stones. Ursodeoxycholic acid was administered to 94.4% of patients at presentation. Twenty‐nine patients underwent cholecystectomy, and seven patients underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreotography. Patients who were symptomatic at presentation had significantly more frequent symptoms at follow‐up (P < 0.001)

Conclusions

Dissolution rate of cholelithiasis was higher in younger children, biliary sludge formation and ceftriaxone‐related cholelithiasis but lower in older children and haemolytic anaemia‐related cholelithiasis.
Naming, Saying, and Structure
Authors: Pickel Bryan
Published: May 2016

It is commonplace for philosophers to distinguish mere truths from truths that perspicuously represent the world's structure. According to a popular view, the perspicuous truths are supposed to be metaphysically revelatory and to play an important role in the accounts of law‐hood, confirmation, and linguistic interpretation. Yet, there is no consensus about how to characterize this distinction. I examine strategies developed by Lewis and by Sider in hisWriting the Book of the Worldwhich purport to explain this distinction in terms of vocabulary: the truths that represent the world perspicuously have better, joint‐carving vocabulary. I argue that the distinction between a perspicuous and mere truth concerns both the vocabulary of the sentence and its grammar. I then show that the collective motivations for distinguishing perspicuous from mere truths do not allow Lewis and Sider to properly impose constraints on grammar.
Imprecise Probabilities and Unstable Betting Behaviour
Authors: Mahtani Anna
Published: May 2016

Many have argued that a rational agent's attitude towards a proposition may be better represented by a probability range than by a single number. I show that in such cases an agent will have unstable betting behaviour, and so will behave in an unpredictable way. I use this point to argue against a range of responses to the ‘two bets’ argument for sharp probabilities.
The Zombies Among Us
Authors: Olson Eric T.
Published: May 2016

Philosophers disagree about whether there could be “zombies”: beings physically identical to normal human people but lacking consciousness. Establishing their possibility would refute physicalism. But it is seldom noted that the popular “constitution view” of human people implies that our bodies actually are zombies. This would contradict several widely held views in the philosophy of mind.
Control of floral transition in the bioenergy crop switchgrass
Authors: Niu Lifang , Fu Chunxiang , Lin Hao , Wolabu Tezera W. , Wu Yanqi , Wang Zeng‐Yu , Tadege Million
Published: May 2016

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a perennial warm season bunchgrass native to North America, has been a target in the U.S. as a renewable bioenergy crop because of its ability to produce moderate to high biomass yield on marginal soils. Delaying flowering can increase vegetative biomass production by allowing prolonged growth before switching to the reproductive phase. Despite the identification of flowering time as a biomass trait in switchgrass, the molecular regulatory factors involved in controlling floral transition are poorly understood. Here we identified PvFT1, PvAPL1‐3 and PvSL1, 2 as key flowering regulators required from floral transition initiation to development of floral organs. PvFT1 expression in leaves is developmentally regulated peaking at the time of floral transition, and diurnally regulated with peak at approximately 2 h into the dark period. Ectopic expression of PvFT1 in Arabidopsis, Brachypodium and switchgrass led to extremely early flowering, and activation of FT downstream target genes, confirming that it is a strong activator of flowering in switchgrass. Ectopic expression of PvAPL1‐3 and PvSL1, 2 in Arabidopsis also activated early flowering with distinct floral organ phenotypes. Our results suggest that switchgrass has conserved flowering pathway regulators similar to Arabidopsis and rice.
Acidic tumor microenvironment in human melanoma
Authors: Böhme Ines , Bosserhoff Anja Katrin
Published: May 2016

One characteristic of solid tumors such as malignant melanoma is the acidification of the tumor microenvironment. The deregulation of cancer cell metabolism is considered a main cause of extracellular acidosis. Here, cancer cells utilize aerobic glycolysis instead of oxidative phosphorylation even under normoxic conditions, as originally described by Otto Warburg. These metabolic alterations cause enhanced acid production, especially of lactate and carbon dioxide (CO2). The extensive production of acidic metabolites and the enhanced acid export to the extracellular space cause a consistent acidification of the tumor microenvironment, thus promoting the formation of an acid‐resistant tumor cell population with increased invasive and metastatic potential. As melanoma is one of the deadliest and most metastatic forms of cancer, understanding the effects of this extracellular acidosis on human melanoma cells with distinct metastatic properties is important. The aim of this review was to summarize recent studies of the acidification of the tumor microenvironment, focusing on the specific effects of the acidic milieu on melanoma cells and to give a short overview of therapeutic approaches.