bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Leadership religiosity: a critical analysis
Authors: McCormack Mark , Brinkley-Rubinstein Lauren , L. Craven Krista
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of leadership religiosity in a local non-profit organizational setting, from a larger program evaluation project, and to problematize prevailing theoretical assumptions in the leadership religiosity literature about the nature of religion in organizational settings.

Design/methodology/approach

– Methods of data collection consisted primarily of in-depth interviewing, observations, and document content analysis of organizational publications, web sites, and social media. The larger program evaluation project also utilized social network analysis and surveys.

Findings

– The data highlights several important manifestations of leadership religiosity that serve to legitimate potentially unhealthy leadership tendencies and organizational processes: unrealistic future goals in strategic planning and dogmatic decision making. Both stem from the perceived divine origination of the organization in question, and from the perceived divine authority placed upon the leader of the organization.

Practical implications

– This research challenges prevailing theoretical assumptions about religion in the workplace that characterize “religion” as wholly distinct from other social, political, and organizational processes and inherently positive or beneficial. Conclusions about the potential benefits of religion for organizational life should therefore be made with caution and with a more robust and balanced understanding of the constructed nature of religion.

Originality/value

– This paper adds much-needed nuance to the extant literature on leadership religiosity, the vast majority of which assumes certain a priori qualities and values in religion and considers only the positive manifestations and functions of religion. While religiosity is often associated with certain organizational benefits, more robust discussion must examine the potential for religion to be manifested or used in the service of more negative or harmful purposes and ends.
Diapause induction and relaxed selection on alternative developmental pathways in a butterfly
Authors: Aalberg Haugen Inger M. , Gotthard Karl
Published: September 2014

Seasonal phenotypic plasticity entails differential trait expression depending on the time of season. The facultative induction of winter diapause in temperate insects is a developmental switch mechanism often leading to differential expression in life‐history traits. However, when there is a latitudinal shift from a bivoltine to univoltine life cycle, selection for pathway‐specific expression is disrupted, which may allow drift towards less optimal trait values within the non‐selected pathway.

We use field‐ and experimental data from five Swedish populations ofPararge aegeriato investigate latitudinal variation in voltinism, local adaptation in the diapause switch and footprints of selection on pathway‐specific regulation of life‐history traits and sexual dimorphism in larval development.

Field data clearly illustrated how natural populations gradually shift from bivoltinism to univoltinism as latitude increases. This was supported experimentally as the decrease in direct development at higher latitudes was accompanied by increasing critical daylengths, suggesting local adaptation in the diapause switch.

The differential expression among developmental pathways in development time and growth rate was significantly less pronounced in univoltine populations. Univoltine populations showed no significant signs of protandry during larval development, suggesting that erosion of the direct development pathway under relaxed selection has led to the loss of its sex‐specific modifications.
Persistent sex‐by‐environment effects on offspring fitness and sex‐ratio adjustment in a wild bird population
Authors: Bowers E. Keith , Thompson Charles F. , Sakaluk Scott K.
Published: September 2014

A major component of sex‐allocation theory, the Trivers–Willard model (TWM), posits that sons and daughters are differentially affected by variation in the rearing environment. In many species, the amount of parental care received is expected to have differing effects on the fitness of males and females. When this occurs, the TWM predicts that selection should favour adjustment of the offspring sex ratio in relation to the expected fitness return from offspring. However, evidence for sex‐by‐environment effects is mixed, and little is known about the adaptive significance of producing either sex.

Here, we test whether offspring sex ratios vary according to predictions of the TWM in the house wren (Troglodytes aedon, Vieillot). We also test the assumption of a sex‐by‐environment effect on offspring using two experiments, one in which we manipulated age differences among nestlings within broods, and another in which we held nestling age constant but manipulated brood size.

As predicted, females with high investment ability overproduced sons relative to those with lower ability. Males were also overproduced early within breeding seasons. In our experiments, the body mass of sons was more strongly affected by the sibling‐competitive environment and resource availability than that of daughters: males grew heavier than females when reared in good conditions but were lighter than females when in poor conditions.

Parents rearing broods with 1:1 sex ratios were more productive than parents rearing broods biased more strongly towards sons or daughters, suggesting that selection favours the production of mixed‐sex broods. However, differences in the condition of offspring as neonates persisted to adulthood, and their reproductive success as adults varied with the body mass of sons, but not daughters, prior to independence from parental care. Thus, selection should favour slight but predictable variations in the sex ratio in relation to the quality of offspring that parents are able to produce.

Offspring sex interacts with the neonatal environment to influence offspring fitness, thus favouring sex‐ratio adjustment by parents. However, increased sensitivity of males to environmental conditions, such as sibling rivalry and resource availability, reduces the fitness returns from highly male‐biased broods.
Latitudinal and photic effects on diel foraging and predation risk in freshwater pelagic ecosystems
Authors: Hansen Adam G. , Beauchamp David A.
Published: September 2014

Clark & Levy (American Naturalist, 131, 1988, 271–290) described an antipredation window for smaller planktivorous fish during crepuscular periods when light permits feeding on zooplankton, but limits visual detection by piscivores. Yet, how the window is influenced by the interaction between light regime, turbidity and cloud cover over a broad latitudinal gradient remains unexplored.

We evaluated how latitudinal and seasonal shifts in diel light regimes alter the foraging‐risk environment for visually feeding planktivores and piscivores across a natural range of turbidities and cloud covers. Pairing a model of aquatic visual feeding with a model of sun and moon illuminance, we estimated foraging rates of an idealized planktivore and piscivore over depth and time across factorial combinations of latitude (0–70°), turbidity (0·1–5 NTU) and cloud cover (clear to overcast skies) during the summer solstice and autumnal equinox. We evaluated the foraging‐risk environment based on changes in the magnitude, duration and peak timing of the antipredation window.

The model scenarios generated up to 10‐fold shifts in magnitude, 24‐fold shifts in duration and 5·5‐h shifts in timing of the peak antipredation window. The size of the window increased with latitude. This pattern was strongest during the solstice. In clear water at low turbidity (0·1–0·5 NTU), peaks in the magnitude and duration of the window formed at 57–60° latitude, before falling to near zero as surface waters became saturated with light under a midnight sun and clear skies at latitudes near 70°. Overcast dampened the midnight sun enough to allow larger windows to form in clear water at high latitudes. Conversely, at turbidities ≥2 NTU, greater reductions in the visual range of piscivores than planktivores created a window for long periods at high latitudes. Latitudinal dependencies were essentially lost during the equinox, indicating a progressive compression of the window from early summer into autumn.

Model results show that diel‐seasonal foraging and predation risk in freshwater pelagic ecosystems changes considerably with latitude, turbidity and cloud cover. These changes alter the structure of pelagic predator–prey interactions, and in turn, the broader role of pelagic consumers in habitat coupling in lakes.
Cannibalizing copyright? Vernacularizing open intellectual property in Brazil (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)
Authors: Lippman Alexandra
Published: September 2014

With the expansion of intellectual property and its policing multinationally, Brazil gained a reputation for actively supporting and pursuing more “open” alternatives. In 2004 Brazil became one of the first countries to ‘port’ Creative Commons alternative licensing there with then Minister of Culture, Gilberto Gil, lending his support as both a politician and a renowned musician. In this article I show how global and local media heralded Brazil as the model for alternative copyright, frequently citing a poem, “The cannibalist manifesto” (DeAndrade 1928)—which proposed cannibalism as a metaphor for Brazilian national identity–as evidence of its long‐standing creative appropriation. Allusions to ‘anthropophagy’ have vernacularized alternative copyright and open intellectual property practices as particularly ‘Brazilian’ by constructing narratives hinging on imagined indigenous Brazilians. Furthermore, the search for contemporary Brazilian models of creative economies seemingly without intellectual property has focused on tecnobrega, a copyright‐flaunting, seemingly pro‐piracy electronic music from the Amazonian region. Yet discourses celebrating Brazil as the model for life without private property also echo profoundly ambivalent colonial era discourses without problematizing their legacies. Not only did writings on indigenous Brazilians – seemingly lacking any concept of property – inspire French humanists' revolutionary political philosophies, but also justified colonization of the ‘commons.’ In addition to drawing from my larger ethnographic research project in Brazil beginning in 2008, this article analyzes relevant media including documentary films, popular magazine articles, and websites.
Notes on ‘organic IP’ and underground publishing: Alternative book worlds in Latin America (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)
Authors: Rabasa Magalí
Published: September 2014

The print book today, far from being dead, is an ‘old’ medium being made anew. In Latin America – a context virtually invisible in book studies – the remaking of the print book is most evident in the explosion of small alternative presses that have multiplied over the last two decades, accompanying a massive wave of popular mobilizations. Alternative presses are contributing to a remaking of the print book, materially and politically, as a tool for theorizing and promoting emergent political practices among autonomous and anti‐capitalist movements. The presses – which are part of a broader trend of alternative political‐economic projects aimed at developing non‐capitalist modes of production and social relations – produce books that are not intended to be commercial products and that are meant to be as open and accessible as possible. In this article I argue that the alternative copyright practices deployed by these presses contribute to a reconceptualization of the print book – as well as its ‘digital alter egos’ – as an open and ongoing process, rather than a private and bound object. The article first analyzes the range of intellectual property (IP) practices present at an alternative book fair in Buenos Aires, before following the varied IP approaches that accompany two specific titles as they travel across the continent, being re‐edited and re‐printed in different countries. In doing so, I argue that what these underground worlds of political books reveal is not the existence or consolidation of alternative IP models or institutions, but rather what could perhaps be called ‘organic IP’, which disperses modes of attribution through decentralized practices of production, distribution, and consumption.
Communication Challenges in CBRN Terrorism Crises: Expert Perceptions
Authors: Ruggiero Aino , Vos Marita
Published: September 2014

The aim of this paper was to investigate experts' perceptions on communication in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) terrorism crises, including challenges and good practices. This is pursued by means of a qualitative online questionnaire aimed at international crisis communication and crisis management experts. The challenges of communication concerning CBRN terrorism arise from the complexity of such incidents, having to do with the nature of the threat, leading to problematic public perceptions and response. Critical areas that need to be taken into consideration include resources, competences, and cooperation in preparedness communication and when providing information during a crisis. The findings and conclusions of this study will serve the development of an audit instrument for communication preparedness towards CBRN terrorism.
Ex Ante Severance Agreements and Earnings Management
Authors: Brown Kareen E.
Published: September 2014

This research studies whether severance agreements may reduce fraudulent earnings management, and whether severance pay mitigates executives’ career concerns. In a sample of large U.S. firms, those with higher severance pay are less likely to be subject to accounting and auditing enforcement releases (AAERs) by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Among S&P 500 firms in the post‐SOX period with premanaged earnings below analyst forecasts, firms with higher severance pay are less likely to meet/beat the analyst forecast using abnormal accruals. Overall, these results suggest that fear of losing a lucrative severance package, and/or the insurance offered by such a package curbs earnings management.
Goodness‐of‐fit of integrated population models using calibrated simulation
Authors: Besbeas Panagiotis , Morgan Byron J.T.
Published: September 2014

Integrated population modelling is proving to be an important and useful technique in statistical ecology. However, there is currently no simple formal method for judging how well models fit data, when potentially several different data sets described by different structured models are being analysed in combination.

We propose and evaluate a new approach, of calibrated simulation. Here, comparative data sets are obtained from simulating data when model parameter values are obtained from the assumed asymptotic normal distribution of the maximum‐likelihood estimators from the real data. The approach is motivated and justified byBayesianP‐values. Calibration of the resulting statistics is achieved as repeated data sets are easily simulated from the fitted model. The method requires the specification of model discrepancy measures, and we show how different measures can highlight different aspects of fit.

Calibration is only strictly necessary if the statistics proposed may appear to be extreme.

The approach of using calibrated simulation to check the goodness‐of‐fit of integrated population models is demonstrated by application to data sets on lapwings and herons. In each case, there are two data sets involved in the integrated analysis, and for each component data set, discrepancy measures of goodness‐of‐fit are obtained. For the lapwing application, as replication is efficient, it is possible to calibrate the procedure simply by using additional simulations. The heron application is shown to be feasible, but is substantially harder to calibrate, due to the presence of productivity thresholds that need to be estimated using profile likelihood methods. We demonstrate the importance of taking more than one discrepancy measure for time‐series data. Avenues for future research are outlined. This article has supplementary materials on line.
Asian low‐androstenone haplotype on pig chromosome 6 does not unfavorably affect production and reproduction traits
Authors: Hidalgo A. M. , Bastiaansen J. W. M. , Harlizius B. , Knol E. F. , Lopes M. S. , de Koning D. J. , Groenen M. A. M.
Published: September 2014

European pigs that carry Asian haplotypes of a 1.94‐Mbp region on pig chromosome 6 have lower levels of androstenone, one of the two main compounds causing boar taint. The objective of our study was to examine potential pleiotropic effects of the Asian low‐androstenone haplotypes. A single nucleotide polymorphism marker, rs81308021, distinguishes the Asian from European haplotypes and was used to investigate possible associations of androstenone with production and reproduction traits. Eight traits were available from three European commercial breeds. For the two sow lines studied, a favorable effect on number of teats was detected for the low‐androstenone haplotype. In one of these sow lines, a favorable effect on number of spermatozoa per ejaculation was detected for the low‐androstenone haplotype. No unfavorable pleiotropic effects were found, which suggests that selection for low‐androstenone haplotypes within the 1.94 Mbp would not unfavorably affect the other eight relevant traits.
Changes in Maternal Blood Inflammatory Markers As a Predictor Of Chorioamnionitis: A Prospective Multicenter Study
Authors: Le Ray Isabelle , Mace Guillaume , Sediki Mourad , Lirussi Frédéric , Riethmuller Didier , Lentz Nathalie , Ramanah Rajeev , Hoyek Toufic , Spagnolo Gilles , Laurent Nicole , Goirand Françoise , Sagot Paul , Bardou Marc
Published: September 2014

Problem

To evaluate the inflammatory pattern in maternal circulation from women with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) considering the occurrence of histologically confirmed chorioamnionitis (HCA).

Method of study

A prospective study was conducted in 121 women with PPROM between 24 and 34 + 0 weeks of gestation. Association between white blood cells (WBC) count, plasma CRP, IL‐6, MCP‐1 and IP‐10 levels, and HCA was assessed.

Results

The rate of HCA was 44.7% (54/121). During the 5 days preceding delivery, median CRP, WBC, and IL‐6 levels were significantly higher in the HCA than in no‐HCA group (P < 0.001). Variations in IL‐6, IP‐10 levels, during the 24–72 hr before delivery, were predictors of the occurrence of HCA, but the diagnostic accuracy was low [Receiver Operating Characterictic (ROC) curve, area under the curve (AUC) = 0.56].

Conclusion

An increase in IL‐6, CRP, IP‐10 maternal plasma levels was confirmed in PPROM women with HCA. Longitudinal follow‐up of these markers did not add valuable information regarding HCA.
Negative T Wave in Ischemic Heart Disease: A Consensus Article
Authors: de Luna Antonio Bayés , Zareba Wojciech , Fiol Miquel , Nikus Kjell , Birnbaum Yochai , Baranowski Rafael , Goldwasser Diego , Kligfield Paul , Piotrowicz Ryszard , Breithardt Günter , Wellens Hein
Published: September 2014

Background

For many years was considered that negative T wave in ischemic heart disease represents ischemia and for many authors located in subepicardial area.

Methods

We performed a review based in the literature and in the experience of the authors commenting the real significance of the presence of negative T wave in patients with ischemic heart disease.

Results

The negative T wave may be of primary or secondary type. Negative T wave observed in ischemic heart disease are of primary origin, therefore not a consequence of abnormal repolarization pattern. The negative T wave of ischemic origin presents the following characteristics: (1) are symmetrical and of variable deepness; (2) present mirror patterns; (3) starts in the second part of repolarization; and (4) may be accompanied by positive or negative U wave. The negative T wave of ischemic origin may be seen in the following clinical settings: (1) postmyocardial infarction due to a window effect of necrotic zone and (2) as a consequence of reperfusion in case of aborted MI when the artery has opened spontaneously, or after fibrinolysis, PCI, or coronary spasm.

Conclusion

Acute ongoing ischemia do not cause negative T wave. This pattern appears when the ongoing ischemia is vanishing or in the chronic phase. In all these cases the cause of negative T wave is not located in the subepicardial area. Furthermore, positive exercise testing is expressed by ST depression never by isolated negative T wave. There are many circumstances that may present negative T wave outside ischemic heart disease and that have been discussed in this paper.
Prinzmetal Angina: ECG Changes and Clinical Considerations: A Consensus Paper
Authors: de Luna Antonio Bayés , Cygankiewicz Iwona , Baranchuk Adrian , Fiol Miquel , Birnbaum Yochai , Nikus Kjell , Goldwasser Diego , Garcia‐Niebla Javier , Sclarovsky Samuel , Wellens Hein , Breithardt Günter
Published: September 2014

Background

We will focus our attention in this article in the ECG changes of classical Prinzmetal angina that occur during occlusive proximal coronary spasm usually in patients with normal or noncritical coronary stenosis.

Results

The most important ECG change during a focal proximal coronary spasm is in around 50% of cases the appearance of peaked and symmetrical T wave that is followed, if the spasm persist, by progressive ST‐segment elevation that last for a few minutes, and later progressively resolve. The most frequent ECG changes associated with ST‐segment elevation are: (a) increased height of the R wave, (b) coincident S‐wave diminution, (c) upsloping TQ in many cases, and (d) alternans of the elevated ST‐segment and negative T wave deepness in 20% of cases.

The presence of arrhythmias is very frequent during Prinzmetal angina crises, especially ventricular arrhythmias. The prevalence and importance of ventricular arrhythmias were related to: (a) duration of episodes, (b) degree of ST‐segment elevation, (c) presence of ST–T wave alternans, and (d) the presence of >25% increase of the R wave.

Conclusions

The incidence of Prinzmetal angina is much lower then 50 years ago for many reasons including treatment with calcium channel blocks to treat hypertension and ischemia heart disease and the decrease of smoking habits.
Dopamine therapy is associated with impaired cerebral autoregulation in preterm infants
Authors: Eriksen Vibeke R. , Hahn Gitte H. , Greisen Gorm
Published: September 2014

Aim

Hypotension is a common problem in newborn infants and is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Dopamine is the most commonly used antihypotensive drug therapy, but has never been shown to improve neurological outcomes. This study tested our hypothesis that dopamine affects cerebral autoregulation (CA).

Methods

Near‐infrared spectroscopy was used to measure the cerebral oxygenation index in 60 very preterm infants, and mean arterial blood pressure was monitored towards the end of their first day of life. Measurements were performed continuously for two to three hour periods. CA was quantified as the cerebral oximetry index (COx).

Results

We treated 13 of the 60 infants (22%) with dopamine during the measurements. COx was higher in the dopamine group than the untreated group (0.41 ± 0.25 vs. 0.08 ± 0.25, p < 0.001). Blood pressure tended to be lower in the dopamine group, but the anticipated difference in cerebral oxygenation was not detected. The need for mechanical ventilation in the first day of life and incidences of mortality was higher in the dopamine group.

Conclusion

Dopamine therapy was associated with decreased CA in preterm infants. We were unable to determine whether dopamine directly impaired CA or was merely an indicator of illness.
Heat shock protein 90 inhibitor NVP‐AUY922 exerts potent activity against adult T‐cell leukemia–lymphoma cells
Authors: Taniguchi Hiroaki , Hasegawa Hiroo , Sasaki Daisuke , Ando Koji , Sawayama Yasushi , Imanishi Daisuke , Taguchi Jun , Imaizumi Yoshitaka , Hata Tomoko , Tsukasaki Kunihiro , Uno Naoki , Morinaga Yoshitomo , Yanagihara Katsunori , Miyazaki Yasushi
Published: September 2014

Adult T‐cell leukemia–lymphoma (ATL), an aggressive neoplasm etiologically associated with HTLV‐1, is a chemoresistant malignancy. Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is involved in folding and functions as a chaperone for multiple client proteins, many of which are important in tumorigenesis. In this study, we examined NVP‐AUY922 (AUY922), a second generation isoxazole‐based non‐geldanamycin HSP90 inhibitor, and confirmed its effects on survival of ATL‐related cell lines. Analysis using FACS revealed that AUY922 induced cell‐cycle arrest and apoptosis; it also inhibited the growth of primary ATL cells, but not of normal PBMCs. AUY922 caused strong upregulation of HSP70, a surrogate marker of HSP90 inhibition, and a dose‐dependent decrease in HSP90 client proteins associated with cell survival, proliferation, and cell cycle in the G1 phase, including phospho‐Akt, Akt, IKKα, IKKβ, IKKγ, Cdk4, Cdk6, and survivin. Interestingly, AUY922 induced downregulation of the proviral integration site for Moloney murine leukemia virus (PIM) in ATL cells. The PIM family (PIM‐1, ‐2, ‐3) is made up of oncogenes that encode a serine/threonine protein kinase family. As PIM kinases have multiple functions involved in cell proliferation, survival, differentiation, apoptosis, and tumorigenesis, their downregulation could play an important role in AUY922‐induced death of ATL cells. In fact, SGI‐1776, a pan‐PIM kinase inhibitor, successfully inhibited the growth of primary ATL cells as well as ATL‐related cell lines. Our findings suggest that AUY922 is an effective therapeutic agent for ATL, and PIM kinases may be a novel therapeutic target.
Introducing high‐cost health care to patients: dentists' accounts of offering dental implant treatment
Authors: Vernazza Christopher R. , Rousseau Nikki , Steele Jimmy G. , Ellis Janice S. , Thomason John Mark , Eastham Jane , Exley Catherine
Published: September 2014

Objectives

The decision‐making process within health care has been widely researched, with shared decision‐making, where both patients and clinicians share technical and personal information, often being cited as the ideal model. To date, much of this research has focused on systems where patients receive their care and treatment free at the point of contact (either in government‐funded schemes or in insurance‐based schemes). Oral health care often involves patients making direct payments for their care and treatment, and less is known about how this payment affects the decision‐making process. It is clear that patient characteristics influence decision‐making, but previous evidence suggests that clinicians may assume characteristics rather than eliciting them directly. The aim was to explore the influences on how dentists' engaged in the decision‐making process surrounding a high‐cost item of health care, dental implant treatments (DITs).

Methods

A qualitative study using semi‐structured interviews was undertaken using a purposive sample of primary care dentists (n = 25). Thematic analysis was undertaken to reveal emerging key themes.

Results

There were differences in how dentists discussed and offered implants. Dentists made decisions about whether to offer implants based on business factors, professional and legal obligations and whether they perceived the patient to be motivated to have treatment and their ability to pay. There was evidence that assessment of these characteristics was often based on assumptions derived from elements such as the appearance of the patient, the state of the patient's mouth and demographic details. The data suggest that there is a conflict between three elements of acting as a healthcare professional: minimizing provision of unneeded treatment, trying to fully involve patients in shared decisions and acting as a business person with the potential for financial gain.

Conclusions

It might be expected that in the context of a high‐cost healthcare intervention for which patients pay the bill themselves, that decision‐making would be closer to an informed than a paternalistic model. Our research suggests that paternalistic decision‐making is still practised and is influenced by assumptions about patient characteristics. Better tools and training may be required to support clinicians in this area of practice.
Multistepped Drill Design for Single‐Stage Implant Site Preparation: Experimental Study in Type 2 Bone
Authors: Abboud Marcus , Delgado‐Ruiz Rafael Arcesio , Kucine Allan , Rugova Sihana , Balanta Julian , Calvo‐Guirado Jose Luis
Published: September 2014

Purpose

To evaluate an experimental multistepped drill for single‐stage implant site preparation by means of real‐time analysis of thermal variations during and postdrilling, and by implant stability evaluation.

Materials and Methods

Temperature and time were recorded in real time by paired microprobe thermocouples during simulated osteotomy in type 2 bone similes at the cortical and cancellous zones. Three different drilling groups with a new multistepped drill design were compared: Control (2‐mm diameter pilot drill + 3.3‐mm three‐stepped drill + 4.1‐mm three‐stepped drill); Test A (3.3‐mm three‐stepped drill); and Test B (4.1‐mm three‐stepped drill). Implants were inserted, and implant stability was evaluated with the Perio Test Value (PTV). Two‐way anova was used to test the independent effects of osteotomy and implant diameter on temperature and stability.

Results

All the drills induced thermal changes without significant differences between groups (p > .05). Drilling in cortical bone produced significant increase of the temperatures in a range of 1.8 ± 0.9°C compared with drilling in cancellous bone (p < .05). ΔT temperatures were significantly higher for test groups in cortical and cancellous bone (p < .05); ΔT10 for all groups showed a reduction of the temperature in a range of 1.7 ± 0.3°C without significant differences between groups (p > .05); the mean time to accomplish drilling was significantly longer in the control group (p < .05); test groups took 10 ± 0.3 seconds less to reach the required drilling depth. PTV values were higher in test groups compared with controls (p < .05).

Conclusions

The multistepped drills used for single‐stage implant site preparation

Increase temperature as in comparison with a conventional incremental protocol;

Induce the temperature increment in cortical bone compared with the cancellous bone;

Reduce drilling time when a multistepped drill is used alone; and

Increase implant stability twofold compared with a conventional incremental protocol.
Desmosomal defects in acantholytic squamous cell carcinomas
Authors: O'Shea Charlene , Fitzpatrick James E. , Koch Peter J.
Published: September 2014

Background

Acantholytic squamous cell carcinoma (Acantholytic SCC) are epithelial tumors characterized by a loss of cell adhesion between neoplastic keratinocytes. The mechanism underlying loss of cell‐cell adhesion in these tumors is not understood.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of acantholytic SCC (n = 17) and conventional SCC (n = 16, controls not showing acantholysis) was conducted using a set of desmosomal and adherens junction protein antibodies. Immunofluorescence microscopy was used to identify tumors with loss of adhesion protein expression.

Results

The vast majority of acantholytic SCC (89%) showed focal loss of at least one desmosomal cell adhesion protein. Most interestingly, 65% of these tumors lost expression of two or more desmosomal proteins.

Conclusions

Loss of cell adhesion in acantholytic SCC is most likely linked to the focal loss of desmosomal protein expression, thus providing potential mechanistic insight into the patho‐mechanism underlying this malignancy.
Brazil cannot risk its environmental leadership
Authors: Loyola Rafael
Published: September 2014

Brazil is an international environmental leader that has led important negotiations to set sustainable development targets over the last decade. However, in terms of national policies, Brazil is consistently making decisions that go against the global policies it ratifies. For instance, Brazilian governors have recently revised the Brazilian Forest Act ‐ its main environmental legislation on private land, reduced the area covered by some protected areas and allowed the creation of new hydropower plants on undisturbed Amazonian rivers, and have plans to open indigenous reserves to mining. Among other consequences, these controversial actions made by national leaders may increase CO2 emissions and propel a massive loss of species, with irreversible consequences to the provision of ecosystem services and goods. In this paper, I present inconsistent actions made by policy and decision makers in Brazil and argue for a more focused environmental decision in Brazil, which matches the country's international position as a leader and that could help Brazil to achieve the status of a biodiversity superpower.
Risk of cerebral haemorrhage in children with sickle cell disease
Authors: Adekile Adekunle
Published: September 2014

This commentary is on the original article by Kossorotoff et al. on pages 187–193 of this issue.
Risk score to predict mortality in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients
Authors: Zhao Chen , Luo Qimei , Xia Xi , He Feng , Peng Fenfen , Yu Xueqing , Huang Fengxian
Published: September 2014

Background

Patients with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) have high all‐cause mortality risk that varies extensively among different conditions. The objective of this study was to develop and validate risk models to predict the 2‐year all‐cause mortality risks of CAPD patients.

Material and methods

A total of 1354 patients who received CAPD treatment > 3 months from a single dialysis centre were enrolled into the study from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2011 and followed up until June 30, 2013. The dataset was randomly divided into the derivation dataset (2/3, n = 903) and the validation dataset (1/3, n = 451). Baseline information, including demographic characteristics, comorbid conditions and laboratory data, was recorded and included in the models. Risk models were developed using Cox proportional hazards regression. C‐statistic, Akaike Information Criterion, Hosmer‐Lemeshow χ2 test and net reclassification improvement (NRI) were performed to evaluate model prediction and validation.

Results

During the entire follow‐up period, 175 (19·38%) and 85 (18·85%) patients died in the derivation and validation datasets respectively. A model that included age, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diastolic blood pressure, serum albumin, serum creatinine, phosphate, haemoglobin and fasting blood glucose demonstrated good discrimination in the derivation and validation datasets to predict 2‐year all‐cause mortality (C‐statistic, 0·790 and 0·759, respectively). In the validation dataset, the above model performed good calibration (χ2 = 2·08, P = 0·98) and NRI (7·37% compared with model 2, P = 0·05).

Conclusions

The risk model can accurately predict 2‐year all‐cause mortality in Chinese CAPD patients and external validation is needed in future.
Detritusphere effects on P availability and C mineralization in soil
Authors: de Neergaard A. , Magid J.
Published: September 2014

This paper investigates two possible processes in the detritusphere: the effect of various fresh plant materials on extractable phosphorus in soil and the effect of decomposing litter on mineralization of soil microbial residues. The objective was to quantify these two poorly‐studied processes. The work was done in a soil at two different fertility levels following 30 years of different fertilizer practice, as we have previously observed effects of fertilizer history on soil carbon dynamics. We incubated fresh leaf material fromLupinus, RaphanusandRumexseparated from the soil by a fine mesh. At 4, 7, 14 and 28 days after incubation, extractable phosphate was measured in 1‐mm soil layers at increasing distance from the litter. In order to establish a labelled microbial residue pool, the soil had been labelled with14C‐glucose 3 weeks prior to incubation, and respiration was measured throughout the incubation. Extractable soil phosphorus (P) increased up to 3 mm from the litter layer, most inRumexand least inLupinus. Extractable soil P increased throughout the sampling period, corresponding to a maximum of 20% of the P lost from the plant litter layer. Measurement of residue‐derived organic acids in the soil showed no specific pattern. The study did not indicate any solubilization of soil P as the increase in soluble P can be fully accounted for by leakage from the litter. Mineralization of soil14Cin the form of microbial biomass and microbial residues was significantly accelerated by the addition of litter. The magnitude was correlated with decomposition of the plant litter, and corresponded to a maximum of 5% of the soil14C. Because of the localized impact of litter on the detritusphere soil layer, the impact on soil14Cin this soil fraction was potentially even greater. In conclusion, the decomposition of litter had significant effects on soil carbon mineralization, although we could not demonstrate an effect of plant‐derived compounds on soil P availability, beyond the direct contribution of litter P.
HLA‐B*15:02 association with carbamazepine‐induced Stevens‐Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis in an Indian population: a pooled‐data analysis and meta‐analysis
Authors: Khor Amy Hui‐Ping , Lim Kheng‐Seang , Tan Chong‐Tin , Wong Su‐Ming , Ng Ching‐Ching
Published: September 2014

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and association of HLA‐B*15:02 with carbamazepine‐induced Stevens‐Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis (CBZ‐SJS/TEN) in the Indian population in Malaysia, which mostly originated from Southern India. HLA‐B alleles in five Indian case patients with CBZ‐SJS/TEN and 52 CBZ‐tolerant controls, and followed by a pooled sample of seven cases from two centers in Malaysia were analyzed. Positive association for HLA‐B*15:02 with CBZ‐SJS/TEN was detected in Indians (40% [2/5] vs. 3.8% [2/52], odds ratio [OR] 16.7, p = 0.0349), of which 80% (4/5) of the Indian patients originated from Southern India. A pooled sample of seven cases showed stronger association between HLA‐B*15:02 and CBZ‐SJS/TEN (57.1% [4/7] vs. 3.8% [2/52], OR 33.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.25–162.21, p = 1.05 × 10−3). Subsequent meta‐analysis on Indians from Malaysia and India further demonstrated a significant and strong association between HLA‐B*15:02 and CBZ‐SJS/TEN (OR 38.54; 95% CI 6.83–217.34, p < 1.0 × 10−4). Our study is the first on Indians predominantly from Southern India that demonstrated HLA‐B*15:02 as a strong risk factor for CBZ‐SJS/TEN despite a low population allele frequency. This stressed the importance of testing for HLA‐B*15:02, irrespective of the ancestral background, including populations with low allele frequency.
Resection of individually identified high‐rate high‐frequency oscillations region is associated with favorable outcome in neocortical epilepsy
Authors: Cho Jounhong Ryan , Koo Dae Lim , Joo Eun Yeon , Seo Dae Won , Hong Seung‐Chyul , Jiruska Premysl , Hong Seung Bong
Published: September 2014

Objectives

High‐frequency oscillations (HFOs) represent a novel electrophysiologic marker of endogenous epileptogenicity. Clinically, this propensity can be utilized to more accurately delineate the resection margin before epilepsy surgery. Currently, prospective application of HFOs is limited because of a lack of an exact quantitative measure to reliably identify HFO‐generating areas necessary to include in the resection. Here, we evaluated the potential of a patient‐individualized approach of identifying high‐rate HFO regions to plan the neocortical resection.

Methods

Fifteen patients with neocortical seizure‐onset zones (SOZs) underwent intracranial electroencephalographic monitoring. To identify interictal HFOs, we applied an automated, hypersensitive HFO‐detection algorithm followed by post hoc processing steps to reject false detections. The spatial relationship between HFO distribution and the SOZ was evaluated. To address high interpatient variability in HFO properties, we evaluated the high‐rate HFO region, an unbiased statistical parameter, in each patient. The relationship between resection of the high‐rate HFO region and postoperative outcome was examined.

Results

Grouped data demonstrated that the rate of ripple (60–200 Hz) and fast ripple (200–500 Hz) was increased in the SOZ (both p < 0.01). Intrapatient analysis of the HFO distribution localized the SOZ in 11 patients. High‐rate HFO regions were determined in all patients by an individually adjusted threshold. Resection of high‐rate HFO regions was significantly associated with a seizure‐free outcome (p < 0.01). The extent/ratio of SOZ or spiking region resection did not differ between seizure‐free and seizure‐persistent groups.

Significance

Intrapatient analysis of high‐rate HFOs provides more detailed description of HFO‐generating areas and can mark the areas of clinically significant epileptogenicity—a crucial component of the neocortical epileptic network that should be removed to achieve a good outcome. Validating and adopting an unbiased quantitative HFO parameter has the potential to propel wider and prospective utilization of HFOs in the surgical treatment of neocortical epilepsy and to improve its outcome.
Genetic testing preferences in families containing multiple individuals with epilepsy
Authors: Okeke Janice O. , Tangel Virginia E. , Sorge Shawn T. , Hesdorffer Dale C. , Winawer Melodie R. , Goldsmith Jeff , Phelan Jo C. , Chung Wendy K. , Shostak Sara , Ottman Ruth
Published: September 2014

Objective

To examine genetic testing preferences in families containing multiple individuals with epilepsy.

Methods

One hundred forty‐three individuals with epilepsy and 165 biologic relatives without epilepsy from families containing multiple affected individuals were surveyed using a self‐administered questionnaire. Four genetic testing scenarios were presented, defined by penetrance (100% vs. 50%) and presence or absence of clinical utility. Potential predictors of genetic testing preferences were evaluated using generalized estimating equations with robust Poisson regression models. The influence of 21 potential testing motivations was also assessed.

Results

For the scenario with 100% penetrance and clinical utility, 85% of individuals with epilepsy and 74% of unaffected relatives responded that they would definitely or probably want genetic testing. For the scenario with 100% penetrance but without clinical utility, the proportions who responded that they would want testing were significantly lower in both affected individuals (69%) and unaffected relatives (57%). Penetrance (100% vs. 50%) was not a significant predictor of genetic testing interest. The highest‐ranking motivations for genetic testing were the following: the possibility that the results could improve health or health care, the potential to know if epilepsy in the family is caused by a gene, and the possibility of changing behavior or lifestyle to prevent seizures.

Significance

Interest in epilepsy genetic testing may be high in affected and unaffected individuals in families containing multiple individuals with epilepsy, especially when testing has implications for improving clinical care.
Malassezia yeasts activate the NLRP3 inflammasome in antigen‐presenting cells via Syk‐kinase signalling
Authors: Kistowska Magdalena , Fenini Gabriele , Jankovic Dragana , Feldmeyer Laurence , Kerl Katrin , Bosshard Philipp , Contassot Emmanuel , French Lars E.
Published: September 2014

Although being a normal part of the skin flora, yeasts of the genus Malassezia are associated with several common dermatologic conditions including pityriasis versicolour, seborrhoeic dermatitis (SD), folliculitis, atopic eczema/dermatitis (AE/AD) and dandruff. While Malassezia spp. are aetiological agents of pityriasis versicolour, a causal role of Malassezia spp. in AE/AD and SD remains to be established. Previous reports have shown that fungi such as Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus are able to efficiently activate the NLRP3 inflammasome leading to robust secretion of the pro‐inflammatory cytokine IL‐1β. To date, innate immune responses to Malassezia spp. are not well characterized. Here, we show that different Malassezia species could induce NLRP3 inflammasome activation and subsequent IL‐1β secretion in human antigen‐presenting cells. In contrast, keratinocytes were not able to secrete IL‐1β when exposed to Malassezia spp. Moreover, we demonstrate that IL‐1β secretion in antigen‐presenting cells was dependent on Syk‐kinase signalling. Our results identify Malassezia spp. as potential strong inducers of pro‐inflammatory responses when taken up by antigen‐presenting cells and identify C‐type lectin receptors and the NLRP3 inflammasome as crucial actors in this process.
Polidocanol inhibits cowhage ‐ but not histamine‐induced itch in humans
Authors: Hawro Tomasz , Fluhr Joachim W. , Mengeaud Valérie , Redoulès Daniel , Church Martin K. , Maurer Marcus , Metz Martin
Published: September 2014

Polidocanol is a local anaesthetic and antipruritic compound that is used in the treatment of itching skin conditions such as eczema. Its mechanisms of action are largely ill defined. This study has compared the antipruritic efficacy of topical polidocanol in histamine‐induced itch and a histamine‐independent, cowhage‐induced model of pruritus. Polidocanol (3%) or vehicle was applied topically under occlusion for 1 h to the forearms of 45 healthy volunteers before itch was provoked by rubbing in 40–45 spicules of cowhage or skin prick testing with 10 mg/ml histamine. Itch was recorded at 1‐min intervals for 30 min on a 100‐mm visual analogue scale. Polidocanol significantly reduced the area under the curve for cowhage‐induced itch by 58% (P < 0.05), but had no significant effect on histamine‐induced itch. This result underlines the importance of histamine‐independent itch models in the development of topical antipruritic agents.