bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Autophagy-dependent filopodial kinetics restrict synaptic partner choice during Drosophila brain wiring
Authors: Kiral Ferdi Ridvan , Linneweber Gerit Arne , Georgiev Svilen Veselinov , Hassan Bassem A. , von Kleist Max , Hiesinger Peter Robin
Published: September 2019

Brain wiring is remarkably precise, yet most neurons readily form synapses with incorrect partners when given the opportunity. Dynamic axon-dendritic positioning can restrict synaptogenic encounters, but the spatiotemporal interaction kinetics and their regulation remain essentially unknown inside developing brains. Here we show that the kinetics of axonal filopodia restrict synapse formation and partner choice for neurons that are not otherwise prevented from making incorrect synapses. Using 4D imaging in developing Drosophila brains, we show that filopodial kinetics are regulated by autophagy, a prevalent degradation mechanism whose role in brain development remains poorly understood. With surprising specificity, autophagosomes form in synaptogenic filopodia, followed by filopodial collapse. Altered autophagic degradation of synaptic building material quantitatively regulates synapse formation as shown by computational modeling and genetic experiments. Increased filopodial stability enables incorrect synaptic partnerships. Hence, filopodial autophagy restricts inappropriate partner choice through a process of kinetic exclusion that critically contributes to wiring specificity.
Dynamic changes in rhythmic and arrhythmic neural signatures in the subthalamic nucleus induced by anaesthesia and intubation
Authors: Huang Yongzhi , Hu Kejia , Green Alexander L. , Ma Xin , Gillies Martin J. , Wang Shouyan , Fitzgerald James J. , Pan Yixin , Martin Sean , Huang Peng , Zhan Shikun , Li Dianyou , Tan Huiling , Aziz Tipu Z. , Sun Bomin
Published: September 2019

Background

Subcortical structures including the basal ganglia have been proposed to be crucial for arousal, consciousness, and behavioural responsiveness. However, how basal ganglia contributes to the loss and recovery of consciousness during anaesthesia has not been well characterized.

Methods

In this study, using local field potentials (LFPs) from subthalamic nucleus (STN) and scalp electroencephalogram in 12 Parkinson’s disease patients, we investigate STN neural signatures during propofol general anaesthesia and during intubation as an arousal intervention in anaesthesia.

Results

Propofol-induced anaesthesia resulted in changes in multiple frequency bands in STN LFPs, including increased low-frequency activities (slow-wave oscillation, delta, theta, and alpha bands) and decreased higher-frequency activities. This was also accompanied by increased STN-frontal cortical coherence in alpha frequency band. Beta and high-gamma activities in the STN temporally increased during intubation compared to the status of loss of consciousness. We also show that the dynamic changes in the high frequency activities (80-180 Hz) in STN LFPs induced by propofol and intubation correlated with power-law exponent in the power spectra between 2 and 80 Hz.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that anaesthesia and intubation induced changes in the STN LFPs in multiple frequency bands. They are also consistent with the hypothesis that the power-law exponent in the power spectra between 2 and 80 Hz reflect the excitation/inhibition balance in the STN, which is modulated by anaesthesia and intubation, and further modulate the high frequency activity.
Distributions of hypothalamic neuron populations co-expressing tyrosine hydroxylase and the vesicular GABA transporter in the mouse
Authors: Negishi Kenichiro , Payant Mikayla A. , Schumacker Kayla S. , Wittmann Gabor , Butler Rebecca M. , Lechan Ronald M. , Steinbusch Harry W. M. , Khan Arshad M. , Chee Melissa J.
Published: September 2019

The hypothalamus contains catecholaminergic neurons marked by the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). As multiple chemical messengers coexist in each neuron, we determined if hypothalamic TH-immunoreactive (ir) neurons express glutamate or GABA. We used Cre/loxP recombination to express enhanced GFP fluorescence (EGFP) in neurons that express the vesicular glutamate (vGLUT2) or GABA transporter (vGAT), then determined TH immunoreactivity in glutamatergic or GABAergic neurons, respectively. EGFP-positive vGLUT2 neurons were not TH-ir. However, discrete TH-ir signals colocalized with EGFP-positive vGAT neurons, which we validated by in situ hybridization for Vgat mRNA. In order to contextualize the observed pattern of TH+EGFP colocalization in vGAT neurons, we first performed Nissl-based parcellation and plane-of-section analysis, and then mapped the distribution of TH-ir vGAT neurons onto atlas templates from the Allen Reference Atlas (ARA) of the mouse brain. TH-ir vGAT neurons were distributed throughout the rostrocaudal extent of the hypothalamus. Within the ARA ontology of gray matter regions, TH-ir neurons localized primarily to the periventricular hypothalamic zone, periventricular hypothalamic region, and lateral hypothalamic zone. There was a very strong presence of EGFP fluorescence in TH-ir neurons across all brain regions, but the most striking colocalization was found in the zona incerta (ZI) – a region assigned to the hypothalamus in the ARA – where every TH-ir neuron was EGFP-positive. Neurochemical characterization of these ZI neurons revealed that they display immunoreactivity for dopamine but not dopamine β-hydroxylase. In aggregate, these findings indicate the existence of a novel hypothalamic population in the mouse that may signal through the release of GABA and/or dopamine.
Distinct patterns of thought mediate the link between brain functional connectome and psychological well-being
Authors: Vatansever Deniz , Karapanagiotidis Theodoros , Margulies Daniel S. , Jefferies Elizabeth , Smallwood Jonathan
Published: September 2019

Ongoing thought patterns constitute important aspects of both healthy and abnormal human cognition. However, the neural mechanisms behind these daily experiences and their contribution to well-being remain a matter of debate. Here, using resting state fMRI and retrospective thought sampling in a large neurotypical cohort (n = 211) we identified two distinct patterns of thought, broadly describing the participants current concerns and future plans, that significantly explained variability in the individual functional connectomes. Consistent with the view that ongoing thoughts are an emergent property of multiple neural systems, network-based analysis highlighted the central importance of both unimodal and transmodal cortices in the generation of these experiences. Importantly, while state-dependent current concerns predicted better psychological health, mediating the effect of functional connectomes; trait-level future plans were related to better social health, yet with no mediatory influence. Collectively, we show that ongoing thoughts can influence the link between brain physiology and well-being.
Mean growth rate when rare is not a reliable metric for persistence of species
Authors: Pande Jayant , Fung Tak , Chisholm Ryan , Shnerb Nadav M.
Published: September 2019

The coexistence of many species within ecological communities poses a long-standing theoretical puzzle. Modern coexistence theory (MCT) and related techniques explore this phenomenon by examining the chance of a species population growing from rarity in the presence of all other species. The mean growth rate when rare, 𝔼[r], is used in MCT as a metric that measures persistence properties (like invasibility or time to extinction) of a population. Here we critique this reliance on 𝔼[r] and show that it fails to capture the effect of random abundance variations on persistence properties. The problem becomes particularly severe when an increase in the amplitude of stochastic temporal environmental variations leads to an increase in 𝔼[r], since at the same time it enhances random abundance fluctuations and the two effects are inherently intertwined. In this case, the chance of invasion and the mean extinction time of a population may even go down as 𝔼[r] increases.
Development of adaptive motor control for tactile navigation
Authors: Azarfar Alireza , Celikel Tansu
Published: September 2019

Navigation is a result of complex sensorimotor computation which requires integration of sensory information in allocentric and egocentric coordinates as the brain computes a motor plan to drive navigation. In this active sensing process, motor commands are adaptively regulated based on prior sensory information. In the darkness, rodents commonly rely on their tactile senses, in particular to their whiskers, to gather the necessary sensory information and instruct navigation. Previous research has shown that rodents can process whisker input to guide mobility even prior to whisking onset by the end of the second postnatal week, however, when and how adaptive sensorimotor control of whisker position matures is still not known. Here, we addressed this question in rats longitudinally as animals searched for a stationary target in darkness. The results showed that juvenile rats perform object localization by controlling their body, but not whisker position, based on the expected location of the target. Adaptive, closed-loop, control of whisker position matures only after the third postnatal week. Computational modeling of the active whisking showed the emergence of the closed-loop control of whisker position and reactive retraction, i.e. whisker retraction that ensures the constancy of duration of tactile sampling, facilitate the maturation of sensorimotor exploration strategies during active sensing. These results argue that adaptive motor control of body and whiskers develop sequentially, and sensorimotor control of whisker position emerges later in postnatal development upon the maturation of intracortical sensorimotor circuits.
Serotonergic development of active sensing
Authors: Azarfar Alireza , Zhang Yiping , Alishbayli Artoghrul , Schubert Dirk , Homberg Judith R. , Celikel Tansu
Published: September 2019

Active sensing requires adaptive motor (positional) control of sensory organs based on contextual, sensory and task requirements, and develops postnatally after the maturation of intracortical circuits. Alterations in sensorimotor network connectivity during this period are likely to impact sensorimotor computation also in adulthood. Serotonin is among the cardinal developmental regulators of network formation, thus changing the serotonergic drive might have consequences for the emergence and maturation of sensorimotor control. Here we tested this hypothesis on an object localization task by quantifying the motor control dynamics of whiskers during tactile navigation. The results showed that sustained alterations in serotonergic signaling in serotonin transporter knockout rats, or the transient pharmacological inactivation of the transporter during early postnatal development, impairs the emergence of adaptive motor control of whisker position based on recent sensory information. A direct outcome of this altered motor control is that the mechanical force transmitted to whisker follicles upon contact is reduced, suggesting that increased excitability observed upon altered serotonergic signaling is not due to increased synaptic drive originating from the periphery upon whisker contact. These results argue that postnatal development of adaptive motor control requires intact serotonergic signaling and that even its transient dysregulation during early postnatal development causes lasting sensorimotor impairments in adulthood.
The theory and practice of measuring broad-range recombination rate from marker selected pools
Authors: Wei Kevin H.-C. , Mantha Aditya , Bachtrog Doris
Published: September 2019

Recombination is the exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes via physical crossovers. Pioneered by T. H. Morgan and A. Sturtevant over a century ago, methods to estimate recombination rate and genetic distance require scoring large number of recombinant individuals between molecular or visible markers. While high throughput sequencing methods have allowed for genome wide crossover detection producing high resolution maps, such methods rely on large number of recombinants individually sequenced and are therefore difficult to scale. Here, we present a simple and scalable method to infer near chromosome-wide recombination rate from marker selected pools and the corresponding analytical software MarSuPial. Rather than genotyping individuals from recombinant backcrosses, we bulk sequence marker selected pools to infer the allele frequency decay around the selected locus; since the number of recombinant individuals increases proportionally to the genetic distance from the selected locus, the allele frequency across the chromosome can be used to estimate the genetic distance and recombination rate. We mathematically demonstrate the relationship between allele frequency attenuation, recombinant fraction, genetic distance, and recombination rate in marker selected pools. Based on available chromosome-wide recombination rate models ofDrosophila, we simulated read counts and determined that nonlinear local regressions (LOESS) produce robust estimates despite the high noise inherent to sequencing data. To empirically validate this approach, we show that (single) marker selected pools closely recapitulate genetic distances inferred from scoring recombinants between double markers. We theoretically determine how secondary loci with viability impacts can modulate the allele frequency decay and how to account for such effects directly from the data. We generated the recombinant map of three wild derived strains which strongly correlates with previous genome-wide measurements. Interestingly, amidst extensive recombination rate variation, multiple regions of the genomes show elevated rates across all strains. Lastly, we apply this method to estimate chromosome-wide crossover interference. Altogether, we find that marker selected pools is a simple and cost effective method for broad recombination rate estimates. Although it does not identify instances of crossovers, it can generate near chromosome-wide recombination maps in as little as one or two libraries.
Phytochrome light receptors control metabolic flux, and their action during seedling development sets the trajectory for biomass production
Authors: Krahmer Johanna , Abbas Ammad , Mengin Virginie , Ishihara Hirofumi , Moraes Thiago A , Krohn Nicole , Annunziata Maria-Grazia , Feil Regina , Alseekh Saleh , Obata Toshihiro , Fernie Alisdair R , Stitt Mark , Halliday Karen J.
Published: September 2019

The phytochromes (phys) photoreceptors are known to be major regulators of plastic growth responses to vegetation shade. Recent reports have begun to uncover an important role for phys in carbon resource management. Our earlier work showed that phy mutants had a distinct metabolic profile with elevated levels of metabolites including TCA intermediates, amino acids and sugars. Here we show that in seedlings phy regulates the balance between glucose and starch. Multi-allele phy mutants have excess glucose and low starch levels, which is conducive to hypocotyl elongation. 13C-CO2 labelling demonstrates that metabolic flux balance in adult plants is markedly altered in phy mutants. Phytochrome reduces synthesis rates of stress metabolites, including raffinose and proline and several typical stress-induced biosynthetic genes related to these metabolites show higher expression in phy mutants.

Since growth and metabolism are typically inter-connected, we investigated why phy mutants have severely reduced biomass. Quantification of carbon fixation, biomass accumulation, and 13C labelling of cell wall polysaccharides established that relative growth rate is impaired in multi allele phy mutants for the first 2.5 weeks after germination but equivalent to the WT thereafter. Mathematical modelling predicts that the altered growth dynamics and final biomass deficit can be explained by the smaller cotyledon size of the multiple phy mutants. This indicates that the established role of phy in promoting seedling establishment has enduring effects that govern adult plant biomass.
CloneRetriever: retrieval of rare clones from heterogeneous cell populations
Authors: Feldman David , Tsai FuNien , Garrity Anthony J. , O’Rourke Ryan , Brenan Lisa , Ho Patricia , Gonzalez Elizabeth , Konermann Silvana , Johannessen Cory M. , Beroukhim Rameen , Bandopadhayay Pratiti , Blainey Paul C.
Published: September 2019

Background

Many biological processes, such as cancer metastasis, organismal development, and development of resistance to cytotoxic therapy, rely on the emergence of rare sub-clones from a larger population. Understanding how the genetic and epigenetic features of diverse clones affect clonal fitness provides insight into molecular mechanisms underlying selective processes. However, identifying causal drivers of clonal fitness remains challenging. Population-level analysis has limited resolution to characterize clones prior to selection, while high-resolution single-cell methods are destructive and challenging to scale across large populations, limiting further functional analysis of relevant clones.

Results

Here, we develop CloneRetriever, a methodology for tracking and retrieving rare clones throughout their response to selection. CloneRetriever utilizes a CRISPR sgRNA-barcode library that allows isolation of viable cells from specific clones within the barcoded population using a sequence-specific retrieval reporter. We demonstrated that CloneRetriever can measure clonal fitness of cancer cell modelsin vitroand retrieve targeted clones at abundance as low as 1 in 1,883 in a heterogeneous cell population.

Conclusions

CloneRetriever provides a means to track and access specific and rare clones of interest across dynamic changes in population structure to comprehensively explore the basis of these changes.
Chromatin is frequently unknotted at the megabase scale
Authors: Goundaroulis Dimos , Aiden Erez Lieberman , Stasiak Andrzej
Published: September 2019

Knots in the human genome would greatly impact diverse cellular processes ranging from transcription to gene regulation. To date, it has not been possible to directly examine the genome in vivo for the presence of knots. Recently, methods for serial fluorescent in situ hybridization have made it possible to measure the 3d position of dozens of consecutive genomic loci, in vivo. However, the determination of whether genomic trajectories are knotted remains challenging, because small errors in the localization of a single locus can transform an unknotted trajectory into a highly-knotted trajectory, and vice versa. Here, we use stochastic closure analysis to determine whether a genomic trajectory is knotted in the setting of experimental noise. We analyse 4727 deposited genomic trajectories of a 2Mb long chromatin interval from chromosome 21. For 243 of these trajectories, their knottedness could be reliably determined despite the possibility of localization errors. Strikingly, in each of these 243 cases, the trajectory was unknotted. We note a potential source of bias, insofar as knotted contours may be more difficult to reliably resolve. Nevertheless, our data is consistent with a model where, at the scales probed, the human genome is often free of knots.
Transfer ethnography: the recording of a heritage building
Authors: Sharif Ahlam Ammar
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to detail an actor-network theory inspired ethnography of recording heritage buildings. The case study focusses on Irbid School in Al Tal area, which is one of the oldest schools in Jordan and an important heritage building.

Design/methodology/approach

The recording process was undertaken by third-year architectural design studio students from Philadelphia University. The paper documents the interaction between the heritage building and the students in a two-phased ethnography, including fieldwork conducted between September and December 2017.

Findings

The paper proposes the concept of “transfer ethnography”, which considers the continuous changes in design across different locations. This extends beyond traditional ethnography, which focusses on a single location. Here, in contrast to the classical viewpoint, following the recording process shows that building design is ongoing and extends beyond implementation through the years as the building ages.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the chosen research approach, the research investigated the most relevant events from the author’s perspective, which might extend in various ways. Future research is encouraged to investigate more events that support the empirical findings.

Practical implications

The paper provides a new angle from which building design networks can be followed through the transfer ethnography, which has implications for the recording and similar processes that necessitate the continuous following of actors.

Originality/value

The research suggests the transfer ethnography, which entails close and in-depth engagement with actors but changes with the transformation of a design while following the actors and networks’ shifts between the different locations. It is more delicate, attentive and indispensable considering the dynamics of design.
Reflections of gender on the urban green space
Authors: Topcu Umran
Published: September 2019

Purpose

Urban green spaces including parks and gardens are an essential part of a network of physical and social well-being. They provide spaces to socialize and opportunities to connect with nature. They are restorative enclaves. When it comes to scaling down spaces in general, they form important constituent parts of what we call the setting in which we behave. Barker elaborated the notion of behavior setting by describing how our behavior is influenced and constrained by settings. A setting consists of the space, its contents, its surroundings, the people and their activities. As Norberg-Schulz puts it, this is a microcosmos that wraps people and the space. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study a behavior setting with different spatial attributes in an urban green space, namely, Kriton Curi Park on the Asian side of Istanbul is observed. Landscapes used by both men and women may be gendered even if men and women use them at the same time. Women’s and men’s experiences of the same setting can be different. The difference is likely to be the outcome of both the physical attributes of the setting and/or the social construction of the society. However, a general attribute of genders’ experience of space is that women are more sensitive to spatial contents and more selective about the use of space. According to previous research, men and women do not have equal control over behavior settings in urban green spaces, in Turkey.

Findings

The findings of this study address a social fact that appropriate physical features of urban green spaces like Criton Curi Park and its immediate environment reveal a higher degree of equality in gender roles.

Originality/value

As the literature indicates parks being among urban green spaces are not yet studied enough in the Turkish context. This study is an attempt to study the status of women in open public space. For the sustainability of social relations parks become even more important.
A time discontinuous Galerkin isogeometric analysis method for non-Fourier thermal wave propagation problem
Authors: Xia Yang , Guo Pan
Published: September 2019

Purpose

Numerical instability such as spurious oscillation is an important problem in the simulation of heat wave propagation. The purpose of this study is to propose a time discontinuous Galerkin isogeometric analysis method to reduce numerical instability of heat wave propagation in the medium subjected to heat sources, particularly heat impulse.

Design/methodology/approach

The essential vectors of temperature and the temporal gradients are assumed to be discontinuous and interpolated individually in the discretized time domain. The isogeometric analysis method is applied to use its property of smooth description of the geometry and to eliminate the mesh-dependency. An artificial damping scheme with proportional stiffness matrix is brought into the final discretized form to reduce the numerical spurious oscillations.

Findings

The numerical spurious oscillations in the simulation of heat wave propagation are effectively eliminated. The smooth description of geometry with spline functions solves the mesh-dependency problem and improves the numerical precision.

Originality/value

The time discontinuous Galerkin method is applied within the isogeometric analysis framework. The proposed method is effective in the simulation of the wave propagation problems subjecting to impulse load with numerical stability and accuracy.
Different and diverse anaerobic microbiota were seen in women living with HIV with unsuppressed HIV viral load and in women with recurrent bacterial vaginosis: a cohort study
Authors: Elwood C , Albert AYK , McClymont E , Wagner E , Mahal D , Devakandan K , Quiqley BL , Pakzad Z , Yudin MH , Hill JE , Money D ,   the VOGUE Research Group
Published: September 2019

Objective

To compare the vaginal microbiota of women living with HIV (WLWH) with the vaginal microbiota of women with recurrent bacterial vaginosis (BV) and healthy women without HIV to determine if there are differences in the vaginal microbiome, what factors influence these differences, and to characterise HIV clinical parameters including viral load and CD4 count in relation to the vaginal microbiome.

Design

Observational cohort study.

Setting

Canada.

Population

Women aged 18–49 years who were premenopausal and not pregnant were recruited into three cohorts: healthy women, WLWH and women with recurrent BV.

Methods

Demographic and clinical data were collected via interviews and medical chart reviews. Vaginal swabs were collected for Gram‐stain assessment and microbiome profiling using the cpn60 barcode sequence.

Main outcome measures

To compare overall community composition differences, we used compositional data analysis methods, hierarchical clustering and Kruskal–Wallis tests where appropriate.

Results

Clinical markers such as odour and abnormal discharge, but not irritation, were associated with higher microbial diversity. WLWH with unsuppressed HIV viral loads were more likely than other groups to have non‐Gardnerella‐dominated microbiomes. HIV was associated with higher vaginal microbial diversity and this was related to HIV viral load, with unsuppressed women demonstrating significantly higher relative abundance of Megasphaera genomosp. 1, Atopobium vaginae and Clostridiales sp. (all P < 0.05) compared with all other groups.

Conclusions

In WLWH, unsuppressed HIV viral loads were associated with a distinct dysbiotic profile consisting of very low levels of Lactobacillus and high levels of anaerobes.

Tweetable abstract

Vaginal microbiomes in WLWH with viral load >50 copies/ml have distinct dysbiotic profiles with high levels of anaerobes.
Celebrating differences while reserving commonality: work values of Chinese public organization employees
Authors: Zhong Wei , Bao Yuanjie , Huang Xianming
Published: September 2019

While the profound and rapid changes currently occurring in China may influence and differentiate how work values are structured by employees working in different sectors, limited efforts have been made to address this issue. Drawing on institutional theory and the social psychological perspective, this study collects and analyzes data from Chinese public organization employees, to compare the work values of employees from the state sector, public sector, and state‐owned enterprise. The results reveal some noteworthy patterns in employee work values in each sector, and interesting similarities and differences in employee work values across sectors. This study contributes to the knowledge on employee work values in China by uncovering their characteristics in the broad institutional and organizational context. It also provides practical implications for the three sectors in China and for other developing and transition economies.
How Aggressive Tax Planning Facilitates the Diversion of Corporate Resources: Evidence from Path Analysis
Authors: Bauer Andrew M. , Fang Junxiong , Pittman Jeffrey , Zhang Yinqi , Zhao Yuping
Published: September 2019

In measuring tunneling with intercorporate loans disclosed by Chinese listed companies, we analyze the underlying channels through which aggressive tax planning facilitates the diversion of corporate resources by firm insiders. Using path analysis, we document that the path from tax aggressiveness to related loans is mediated by both the additional cash flows from tax savings and the increased financial opacity from tax planning, and that additional cash flows plays a much more important role than opacity in helping controlling shareholders to divert corporate resources under the guise of tax aggressiveness. Beyond the two mediated paths, we also detect a residual, direct path from tax aggressiveness to related loans. After an exogenous shock from the government crackdown on diversionary related loans, we find the direct path is fully mediated by the two indirect paths, suggesting that tunneling via related loans only occurs at firms where insiders can mask tunneling under the cover of opacity or can justify related loans on grounds of abnormal cash flows from tax savings. Our evidence supports the notion that greater outside scrutiny increases the hurdle for, but does not entirely eradicate, diversion facilitated by tax aggressiveness. Collectively, our research lends some support to recent theory on the importance of taxes to corporate governance by demonstrating how the agency costs of tax planning allow certain shareholders to benefit from firm activities at the expense of others.
How provider organisations interpret regulation in the context of residential dementia aged care
Authors: Biggs Simon , Carr Ashley
Published: September 2019

Objective

To explore how Australian residential dementia aged care providers respond to regulation via organisational culture, level, processes and interpretation.

Methods

Observation took place in three provider organisations. Qualitative, semi‐structured in‐depth interviews were conducted with aged care staff (n = 60) at three different levels of each organisation: senior management from three head offices (n = 17), facility management (n = 13) and personal care workers (n = 30) from eight residential care facilities.

Results

Orientations towards regulation included the following: “above and beyond;” “pushing back;” and “engineering out.” Regulation was interpreted differently depending on the level of authority within an organisation where boundaries were managed according to strategic, operational and interactional priorities.

Discussion

Examining regulation within an organisational context and at different staff levels suggests ways to balance dementia care with regulatory control. Both generate stress, mitigated by culture and interdependent role differentiation.
Dermoscopic findings of Kaposi sarcoma and dermatopathological correlations
Authors: Ertürk Yılmaz Tuğçe , Akay Bengü Nisa , Okçu Heper Aylin
Published: September 2019

Background/Objective

There are a limited number of studies regarding the dermoscopic features and dermatopathological correlations of Kaposi sarcoma. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate dermoscopic features of Kaposi sarcoma, and the secondary objective was to investigate their dermatopathological correlates.

Methods

Dermoscopic and clinical analysis of 222 lesions from 38 patients with histologically confirmed Kaposi darcoma were assessed by two investigators. A total of 83 biopsies were available from different clinical stages. Additionally, 3 mm punch biopsy was performed where newly defined dermoscopic findings were observed. Modified pattern analysis algorithm was used for the dermoscopic evaluation.

Results

The most common dermoscopic features of Kaposi sarcoma were white lines (55.9%) and white clods (37.8%) followed by surface scale (32.9%) and polychromatic colour change (22.1%). Four dot clods, white lines, white clods, collarette sign, serpentine vessels, dotted, curved and coiled vessels were the new dermoscopic findings of our study. Polychromatic colour change is correlated with the presence of hyaline globules probably with their birefringence properties, whereas we found no significant correlation between polychromatic colour change and honeycomb‐like pattern of vascular spaces.

Conclusions

White lines, white clods, four dot clods, collarette sign, serpentine vessels, dotted, curved and coiled vessels are the new dermoscopic features of Kaposi sarcoma, and polychromatic colour change is correlated with the presence of hyaline globules.
Competitive Cooperation for Regional Development: Japan's New Strategy towards Rising China
Authors: Masuo Chisako
Published: September 2019

This article questions why Japan has taken a neutral position in the Sino‐American trade tensions in 2018, despite its political rivalry with Beijing. It claims that the Japanese strategy towards China between 2012 and 2018 has moved from confrontational competition to competitive cooperation over third‐country markets; this is because of their shared beliefs and methodology regarding regional development. The paper undertakes three major tasks. Firstly, it compares Chinese and Japanese academic discussions regarding East Asia. It finds that experts on both sides admit the significant implications of the politico‐economic divide in the regional system. However, the realistic Chinese tend to consider the divide as a problem to be solved through power, whereas the more liberal Japanese expect it to provide a coordinating function for the regional order as a whole. Secondly, the article reviews the shifts in the Japanese government's behaviours toward China in recent years. It argues that Japan has moved for collaboration with China to maintain the liberal rule‐based order in the region. Finally, founded on the estimate of China's economic leverage over its neighbours, the paper claims that Japan will expand its responsibility in order formation in East Asia in future, becoming more independent from American influences.
Maritime Disputes, Sovereignty and the Rules‐Based Order in East Asia
Authors: Strating Rebecca
Published: September 2019

In recent years, maritime sovereignty disputes have become highly visible microcosms of broader contests between security orders in East Asia. Escalating tensions over seas provoke questions about how historical and territorial conceptions of sovereignty map onto maritime areas, and the continuing effectiveness of the so‐called “rules‐based order” in maintaining regimes for deciding jurisdiction of islands, rocks and other maritime land features. The paper examines sovereignty claims and the international law of the sea across various cases, including the contested claims over Dokdo/Takeshima, Senkaku/Diaoyu Dao and China's nine‐dash line. These case studies reveal the tensions between two legal regimes: territorial rules of acquisition (sovereignty) and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This article concludes by considering the ways that the symbolic nature of these disputes has implications for the capacities of UNCLOS and other legal instruments in the US‐led “rules‐based order” to establish orderly relations among states in the maritime arena.
A Middle Power's Roles in Shaping East Asian Security Order: Analysis of Japan's Engagement from a Normative Perspective
Authors: Hatakeyama Kyoko
Published: September 2019

East Asia is currently in a transitional period. Recognizing the challenges presented by China's rise to the current regional order, existing literature analyses the security situation in Asia by focusing on the material aspects of power distribution between the US and China. Few works substantively discuss the roles played by middle powers such as Japan in shaping the regional order and how they can deal with the challenges of great power competition and threats to the global rules‐based order. By employing Japan's involvement in the South China Sea issues as a case study, this article examines how a middle power attempts to shape or underpin the regional security order and if such attempts are effective. The investigation of Japan's engagement illustrates that a middle power's practical support can indirectly and gradually contribute to sustaining and defending the regional “rules‐based order”.
“Nonsignificant” early repolarization pattern on postresuscitation ECG as a harbinger of impending electrical storm
Authors: Takasugi Nobuhiro , Kubota Tomoki , Okura Hiroyuki
Published: September 2019

We report a 55‐year‐old man who was resuscitated from out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest and subsequently developed three episodes of ventricular fibrillation (VF) on the same day. Early repolarization (ER) pattern was not significant (<0.1 mV) on postresuscitation ECG. However, ER pattern became evident (0.25 mV) before the onset of VF and then completely disappeared. The unusual dynamics of ER pattern observed in the present case could be called “masked” ER syndrome.
High‐risk medicines associated with clinically relevant medication‐related problems in UK hospitals: A prospective observational study
Authors: Geeson Cathy , Wei Li , Franklin Bryony Dean
Published: September 2019

The aim of this prospective observational study was to establish associations between the use of high‐risk medicine groups and the study outcome: occurrence of at least 1 moderate or severe preventable medication‐related problem. Data on medication‐related problems, high‐risk medicines, and other potential risk factors were collected from adults on medical wards in 2 UK hospitals. Logistic regression modelling was used to determine relationships between high‐risk medicines and the study outcome. Among 1503 eligible admissions, 6 high‐risk medicine groups were associated with the study outcome on univariable analysis; multivariable analysis found only systemic antimicrobials and epilepsy medicines to be independently associated with the outcome (adjusted odds ratio 1.44, 95% confidence interval 1.08–1.92 and adjusted odds ratio 1.61, 95% confidence interval 1.16–2.25 respectively). Identification of high‐risk medicine groups has potential to permit targeting of patients at highest risk of avoidable medication‐related harm, but multivariable analysis suggests risk is likely to be multifactorial.
Functional contribution of sphingosine‐1‐phosphate to airway pathology in cigarette smoke‐exposed mice
Authors: De Cunto Giovanna , Brancaleone Vincenzo , Riemma Maria Antonietta , Cerqua Ida , Vellecco Valentina , Spaziano Giuseppe , Cavarra Eleonora , Bartalesi Barbara , D'Agostino Bruno , Lungarella Giuseppe , Cirino Giuseppe , Lucattelli Monica , Roviezzo Fiorentina
Published: September 2019

Background and Purpose

A critical role for sphingosine kinase/sphingosine‐1‐phosphate (S1P) pathway in the control of airway function has been demonstrated in respiratory diseases. Here, we address S1P contribution in a mouse model of mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Experimental Approach

C57BL/6J mice have been exposed to room air or cigarette smoke up to 11 months and killed at different time points. Functional and molecular studies have been performed.

Key Results

Cigarette smoke caused emphysematous changes throughout the lung parenchyma coupled to a progressive collagen deposition in both peribronchiolar and peribronchial areas. The high and low airways showed an increased reactivity to cholinergic stimulation and α‐smooth muscle actin overexpression. Similarly, an increase in airway reactivity and lung resistances following S1P challenge occurred in smoking mice. A high expression of S1P, Sph‐K2, and S1P receptors (S1P2 and S1P3) has been detected in the lung of smoking mice. Sphingosine kinases inhibition reversed the increased cholinergic response in airways of smoking mice.

Conclusions and Implications

S1P signalling up‐regulation follows the disease progression in smoking mice and is involved in the development of airway hyperresponsiveness. Our study defines a therapeutic potential for S1P inhibitors in management of airways hyperresponsiveness associated to emphysema in smokers with both asthma and COPD.
The connection between per capita alcohol consumption and alcohol‐specific mortality accounting for unrecorded alcohol consumption: The case of Finland 1975–2015
Authors: Norström Thor , Mäkelä Pia
Published: September 2019

Introduction and Aims

Unrecorded alcohol consumption has increased strongly in Finland after 1995 when the country joined the European Union. This development may have rendered alcohol sales less trustworthy as a proxy for population drinking, and less powerful as predictor of alcohol‐related harm. The study aims to test this contention by analyzing the association between recorded and unrecorded alcohol consumption on the one hand, and alcohol‐specific mortality on the other.

Design and Methods

We analysed age‐standardised rates of alcohol‐specific deaths for the working‐age (15–64 years) population. For alcohol consumption, we used (i) alcohol sales in litres of 100% alcohol per capita, and (ii) estimated unrecorded consumption in litres of 100% alcohol per capita. The data spanned the period 1975–2015. As the data were cointegrated, the relations between mortality and the alcohol indicators were estimated through time‐series analysis of the raw data.

Results

A one litre increase in alcohol sales was associated with an increase in alcohol‐specific deaths of 7.590 deaths per 100 000; the corresponding figure for unrecorded consumption was 9.112 deaths per 100 000. Both estimates were statistically significant (P < 0.001), but the difference between them was not significant (P = 0.293). Although recoded consumption captured the main feature of the trends in alcohol‐specific mortality, it accounted for only half of its marked increase in 1975–2007, while unrecorded consumption explained the remaining part.

Discussion and Conclusions

Our study confirms previous findings that recorded alcohol consumption is an important determinant of alcohol‐specific mortality in Finland. A more novel insight is the importance of unrecorded consumption in this context.
Shifts in Labridae geographical distribution along a unique and dynamic coastline
Authors: Parker Jack R. C. , Saunders Benjamin J. , Bennett Scott , DiBattista Joseph D. , Shalders Tanika C. , Harvey Euan S.
Published: September 2019

Aim

Compare the distribution and composition of temperate Labridae (wrasse) assemblages on shallow water coastal reefs in South‐Western Australia between 2006 and 2015, after a decade characterized by both gradual ocean warming and severe heatwave events.

Location

South‐Western Australia from Port Gregory to the Recherché Archipelago.

Methods

Surveys of Labridae fishes were conducted in 2006 and repeated in 2015 across 112 reefs spanning 2,000 km of coastline, using diver‐operated stereo‐video systems (stereo‐DOVs). We used a hierarchical design with seven regions, four locations in each region, four reef sites in each location and twelve transects in each site.

Results

In 2015, we found an increase in abundance of tropical and subtropical labrid species that were rarely observed in 2006. Three temperate species declined in abundance, which tended to be large and slow growing fish. Twenty‐two labrid species increased in abundance. There was also a discernible poleward shift in 20 of the 25 most abundant and representative labrid species from 2006 to 2015. The labrid community composition was explained predominantly by sea surface temperature (SST), physical reef structure and kelp (Ecklonia radiata) cover.

Main conclusions

Our study reveals that labrid assemblages associated with the shallow water temperate reefs of South‐Western Australia have undergone rapid changes across almost 2,000 km of coastline, with warm‐temperate waters showing the strongest change. However, cool‐temperate waters on the south coast also showed significant changes in the composition of the labrid assemblages. Our findings provide important insights into the effects of warming and habitat loss on warm‐temperate assemblages and the potential trajectory of change for cool‐temperate assemblages under a warmer future.
Anticholinergic medications for reducing drooling in children with developmental disability
Authors: Reid Susan M , Westbury Christine , Guzys Angela T , Reddihough Dinah S
Published: September 2019

Aim

To determine: the effectiveness of three anticholinergic medications in reducing drooling in children with developmental disabilities (such as cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, and autism spectrum disorder), the frequency and nature of side effects, and their impact on treatment discontinuation.

Method

After prescription of benzhexol hydrochloride, glycopyrrolate, or scopolamine patches at a tertiary saliva control clinic, all carers of 110 consecutive, eligible patients were recruited over a 5‐year period. They provided data for 52 weeks, or until drug discontinuation, on compliance, drooling, adverse effects, and reasons for cessation. We evaluated and compared best drooling response, side effects, and drug cessation rates using survival analysis, and the effect of baseline variables on the discontinuation rate using proportional hazards regression.

Results

Among 110 participants (71 males, 39 females; mean age 8y 5mo [SD 4y 3mo], range 1y 11mo–18y 11mo), benzhexol, glycopyrrolate, and scopolamine were prescribed 81, 62, and 17 times respectively, with respective response rates of 85%, 75%, and 65%. Poor head control and poor oromotor function were predictive of poor response. Side effects frequently prompted drug cessation in males more than females (hazard ratio 1.8 [95% confidence interval 1.0–3.2], p=0.048). Glycopyrrolate had the fewest side effects.

Interpretation

Benzhexol, glycopyrrolate, and scopolamine reduce drooling, but improvement is offset by adverse side effects. Overall, glycopyrrolate performs best.

What this paper adds

In drooling, glycopyrrolate produced the greatest improvement with fewer side effects compared with benzhexol and scopolamine.

Poor head control and poor oromotor function were associated with poor response.

Medication side effects were common and often led to treatment discontinuation.

Behavioural issues instigated cessation of benzhexol more often in males than females.