bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hybrid dysgenesis inDrosophila simulansassociated with a rapid invasion of theP-element
Authors: Hill Tom , Schlötterer Christian , Betancourt Andrea J.
Published: November 2015

In a classic example of the invasion of a species by a selfish genetic element, theP-element was horizontally transferred from a distantly related species intoDrosophila melanogaster. Despite causing ‘hybrid dysgenesis’, a syndrome of abnormal phenotypes that include sterility, theP-element spread globally in the course of a few decades inD. melanogaster. Until recently, its sister species, includingD. simulans, remainedP-element free. Here, we find a hybrid dysgenesis-like phenotype in the offspring of crosses betweenD. simulansstrains collected in different years; a survey of 181 strains shows that around 20% of strains induce hybrid dysgenesis. Using genomic and transcriptomic data, we show that this dysgenesis-inducing phenotype is associated with the invasion of theP-element. To characterize this invasion temporally and geographically, we survey 631D. simulansstrains collected on three continents and over 27 years for the presence of theP-element. We find that theD. simulans P-element invasion occurred rapidly and nearly simultaneously in the regions surveyed, with strains containingP-elements being rare in 2006 and common by 2014. Importantly, as evidenced by their resistance to the hybrid dysgenesis phenotype, strains collected from the latter phase of this invasion have adapted to suppress the worst effects of theP-element.

Author Summary

Some genes perform necessary organismal functions, others hijack the cellular machinery to replicate themselves, potentially harming the host in the process. These ‘selfish genes’ can spread through genomes and species; as a result, eukaryotic genomes are typically saddled with large amounts of parasitic DNA. Here, we chronicle the surprisingly rapid global spread of a selfish transposable element through a close relative of the genetic model,Drosophila melanogaster. We see that, as it spreads, the transposable element is associated with damaging effects, including sterility, but that the flies quickly adapt to the negative consequences of the transposable element.
Hyper-variability in Circulating Insulin Levels and Physiological Outcomes to High Fat Feeding in MaleIns1−/−:Ins2+/−Mice in a Specific Pathogen-free Facility
Authors: Templeman Nicole M. , Mehran Arya E. , Johnson James D.
Published: November 2015

Insulin is an essential hormone with key roles in energy homeostasis and body composition. Mice and rats, unlike other mammals, have two insulin genes: the rodent-specificIns1gene and the ancestralIns2gene. The relationships between insulin gene dosage and obesity has previously been explored in male and femaleIns2−/−mice with full or reducedIns1dosage, as well as in femaleIns1−/−mice with full or partialIns2dosage. We report herein unexpected hyper-variability in circulating insulin and physiological responses to high fat feeding in maleIns1−/−:Ins2+/−mice. Two large cohorts ofIns1−/−:Ins2+/−mice and theirIns1−/−:Ins2+/+littermates were fed chow diet or high fat diet (HFD) from weaning and housed in specific pathogen-free (SPF) conditions. Cohort A and cohort B were studied one year apart. Contrary to female mice from the same litters, inactivating oneIns2allele on the completeIns1-null background did not cause a consistent reduction of circulating insulin in male mice. In cohort A, HFD-fed males showed an equivalent degree of insulin hypersecretion and weight gain, regardless ofIns2dosage. In cohort B,Ins1−/−:Ins2+/−males showed decreased insulin levels and body mass, compared toIns1−/−:Ins2+/+littermates. While experimental conditions were held consistent between cohorts, we found that HFD-fedIns1−/−:Ins2+/−mice with lower insulin levels had increased corticosterone. Collectively, these observations highlight the hyper-variability and range of phenotypic characteristics modulated byIns2gene dosage, specifically in male mice.
Hyper-variability in Circulating Insulin and Physiological Outcomes in Male High Fat-fed Ins1-/-:Ins2+/- Mice in a Conventional Facility
Authors: Mehran Arya , Templeman Nicole M , Hu Xiaoke , Johnson James
Published: November 2015

Insulin is an ancient, multi-functional hormone with essential roles in glucose homeostasis and energy storage. Recently, our group has taken advantage of the ability to limit insulin secretion in vivo by reducing insulin gene dosage to demonstrate that insulin hypersecretion is a requirement for diet-induced obesity. Our previous studies employed male Ins1+/-:Ins2-/- mice that exhibit a complete inhibition of diet-induced hyperinsulinemia relative to Ins1+/+:Ins2-/- littermate controls, as well as female Ins1-/-:Ins2+/- mice with transient, partial reduction in circulating insulin relative to Ins1-/-:Ins2+/+ littermates. In the present study, we sought to extend these studies to male Ins1-/-:Ins2+/- mice on the same chow and high fat diets. Surprisingly, while reduced Ins2 gene dosage appeared capable of reducing Ins2 mRNA, insulin protein levels in these mice were not significantly reduced. Moreover, there was a marked hyper-variability in circulating insulin levels within and between two independent cohorts of mice that persisted over at least the first year of life. In Cohort 1, we observed a paradoxical increase in body weight in some high fat-fed male Ins1-/-:Ins2+/- mice relative to Ins1-/-:Ins2+/+ littermate controls. This phenomenon is consistent with the known satiety effects of insulin and our previous observations with Ins2 can be expressed in the brain. Collectively, our data reveal unexpected complexity associated with the Ins2 gene in male mice, and establish the Ins2 gene as a candidate for studying the effects of modifier genes and/or environmental influences on gene-to-phenotype variability. Further studies are required to define the molecular mechanisms of this phenotypic hyper-variability and to define the role of reduced Ins2 gene dosage in the brain.
pong: fast analysis and visualization of latent clusters in population genetic data
Authors: Behr Aaron A. , Liu Katherine Z. , Liu-Fang Gracie , Nakka Priyanka , Ramachandran Sohini
Published: November 2015

1

Motivation

A series of methods in population genetics use multilocus genotype data to assign individuals membership in latent clusters. These methods belong to a broad class of mixed-membership models, such as latent Dirichlet allocation used to analyze text corpora. Inference from mixed-membership models can produce different output matrices when repeatedly applied to the same inputs, and the number of latent clusters is a parameter that is often varied in the analysis pipeline. For these reasons, quantifying, visualizing, and annotating the output from mixed-membership models are bottlenecks for investigators across multiple disciplines from ecology to text data mining.

2

Results

We introducepong, a network-graphical approach for analyzing and visualizing membership in latent clusters with a native D3.js interactive visualization.pongleverages efficient algorithms for solving the Assignment Problem to dramatically reduce runtime while increasing accuracy compared to other methods that process output from mixed-membership models. We applypongto 225,705 unlinked genome-wide single-nucleotide variants from 2,426 unrelated individuals in the 1000 Genomes Project, and identify previously overlooked aspects of global human population structure. We show thatpongoutpaces current solutions by more than an order of magnitude in runtime while providing a customizable and interactive visualization of population structure that is more accurate than those produced by current tools.

3

Availability

pongis freely available and can be installed using the Python package management systempip.pong’s source code is available athttps://github.com/abehr/pong.

4

Contact

aaron_behr@alumni.brown.edu,

sramachandran@brown.edu
Detecting Heterogeneity in Population Structure Across the Genome in Admixed Populations
Authors: McHugh Caitlin , Brown Lisa , Thornton Timothy A.
Published: November 2015

The genetic structure of human populations is often characterized by aggregating measures of ancestry across the autosomal chromosomes. While it may be reasonable to assume that population structure patterns are similar genome-wide in relatively homogeneous populations, this assumption may not be appropriate for admixed populations, such as Hispanics and African Americans, with recent ancestry from two or more continents. Recent studies have suggested that systematic ancestry differences can arise at genomic locations in admixed populations as a result of selection and non-random mating. Here, we propose a method, which we refer to as the chromosomal ancestry differences (CAnD) test, for detecting heterogeneity in population structure across the genome. CAnD uses local ancestry inferred from SNP genotype data to identify chromosomes harboring genomic regions with ancestry contributions that are significantly different than expected. In simulation studies with real genotype data from Phase III of the HapMap Project, we demonstrate the validity and power of CAnD. We apply CAnD to the HapMap Mexican American (MXL) and African American (ASW) population samples; in this analysis the software RFMix is used to infer local ancestry at genomic regions assuming admixing from Europeans, West Africans, and Native Americans. The CAnD test provides strong evidence of heterogeneity in population structure across the genome in the MXL sample(p = 4e −05), which is largely driven by elevated Native American ancestry and deficit of European ancestry on the X chromosomes. Among the ASW, all chromosomes are largely African derived and no heterogeneity in population structure is detected in this sample.
Spatial selection and local adaptation jointly shape life-history evolution during range expansion
Authors: Van Petegem Katrien , Boeye J. , Stoks R. , Bonte D.
Published: November 2015

In the context of climate change and species invasions, range shifts increasingly gain attention because the rates at which they occur in the Anthropocene induce fast shifts in biological assemblages. During such range shifts, species experience multiple selection pressures. Especially for poleward expansions, a straightforward interpretation of the observed evolutionary dynamics is hampered because of the joint action of evolutionary processes related to spatial selection and to adaptation towards local climatic conditions. To disentangle the effects of these two processes, we integrated stochastic modeling and empirical approaches, using the spider miteTetranychus urticaeas a model species. We demonstrate considerable latitudinal quantitative genetic divergence in life-history traits inT. urticae, that was shaped by both spatial selection and local adaptation. The former mainly affected dispersal behavior, while development was mainly shaped by adaptation to the local climate. Divergence in life-history traits in species shifting their range poleward can consequently be jointly determined by fast local adaptation to the environmental gradient and contemporary evolutionary dynamics resulting from spatial selection. The integration of modeling with common garden experiments provides a powerful tool to study the contribution of these two evolutionary processes on life-history evolution during range expansion.
GeTFIRST: ontology-based keyword search towards semantic disambiguation
Authors: Nguyen Hoang-Minh , Nguyen Hong-Quang , Tran Khoi-Nguyen , Vo Xuan-Vinh
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to improve the semantic-disambiguation capability of an information-retrieval system by taking advantages of a well-crafted classification tree. The unstructured nature and sheer volume of information accessible over networks have made it drastically difficult for users to seek relevant information. Many information-retrieval methods have been developed to address this problem, and keyword-based approach is amongst the most common approach. Such an approach is often inadequate to cope with the conceptualization associated with user needs and contents. This brings about the problem of semantic ambiguation that refers to the disagreement in meaning of terms between involving parties of a communication due to polysemy, leading to increased complexity and lesser accuracy in information integration, migration, retrieval and other related activities.

Design/methodology/approach

– A novel ontology-based search approach, named GeTFIRST (short for Graph-embedded Tree Fostering Information Retrieval SysTem), is proposed to disambiguate keywords semantically. The contribution is twofold. First, a search strategy is proposed to prune irrelevant concepts for accuracy improvement using our Graph-embedded Tree (GeT)-based ontology. Second, a path-based ranking algorithm is proposed to incorporate and reward the content specificity.

Findings

– An empirical evaluation was performed on United States Patent And Trademark Office (USPTO) patent datasets to compare our approach with full-text patent search approaches. The results showed that GeTFIRST handled the ambiguous keywords with higher keyword-disambiguation accuracy than traditional search approaches.

Originality/value

– The search approach of this paper copes with the semantic ambiguation by using our proposed GeT-based ontology and a path-based ranking algorithm.
Banks’ stability-efficiency within dual banking system: a stochastic frontier analysis
Authors: Louati Salma , Boujelbene Younes
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine and compare the market power and the efficiency-stability of Islamic and conventional banks in the MENA zone and South East Asia during the 2005-2012 period.

Design/methodology/approach

– The author applied an empirical approach in two steps. First, the author estimates the Lerner indicator, which is a measure of competition. Then, this measure is regressed and other explanatory variables on the banking “stability-efficiency” are derived simultaneously from the estimation of a stability stochastic frontier.

Findings

– The author concludes that increased competition in the Islamic banking sector promotes the overall banking stability. Besides, whether there is a low or high competitiveness, the size of an Islamic bank is positively related to financial stability. However, large conventional banks operating in market with limited competitiveness become more involved in the risk behavior. The author concludes that capitalization has a positive effect on stability only in case of low competitiveness.

Originality/value

– The originality of this research lies in the application of the stochastic frontier approach (SFA) on the Z-score indicator. This methodology enables to take into account the differences between the current and the optimum stability that each bank can achieve, thus creating a new measure of financial stability called “efficiency-stability”.
Variation of craniofacial representation in passport photographs
Authors: Spiteri Vanessa Rose , Porter Glenn , Kemp Richard
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– Passport photographs are routinely incorporated onto official travel documentation to ascertain an individual’s identity. In Australia, passport photographs may be provided by a range of retail suppliers and photographed to a set of standards developed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Whether these standards can provide consistency between craniofacial representation and other parameters throughout individual subjects is unknown. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study tests the consistency of passport images with regard to parameters that are likely to affect suitability for use as passport documents. These parameters include, space and dimensionality, craniofacial representation, image sharpness, exposure and colour rendition.

Findings

– The examination found there was a significant degree of variation among the test results despite being completed using the same instructional guidelines designed to produce uniformity.

Originality/value

– The paper identifies a significant degree of variation among test results and suggests further review.
Marketing, marketing systems, and the framing of marketing history
Authors: Layton Roger
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to highlight the limitations of marketing viewed as a management discipline in addressing contemporary concerns. Widening the scope of marketing enquiry leads directly to the role, nature and dynamics of marketing systems, suggesting that historical studies could often be framed in marketing systems terms, highlighting underlying patterns and interactions.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper draws on studies in marketing history to illustrate ways in which a framing in terms of marketing system concepts could be of value.

Findings

– Framing historical studies in marketing systems terms draws attention to underlying patterns and links marketing history directly to macro-marketing theory, enabling the testing of theory drawing on work in the logic of comparative historical analysis.

Originality/value

– This paper draws attention to a new way of thinking about historical research in marketing.
Success factors of new health-care services
Authors: Indounas Kostis , Arvaniti Aggeliki
Published: November 2015

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to provide insights into the success factors of new-to-the-firm health services.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was based on the case study methodology with three leading health organizations.

Findings

The study’s findings indicate that the success factors of new health services are largely in line with the literature on new service development. Our study also revealed the significance of two factors that have not been identified by previous studies, namely, branding and doctors’ participation in the new service development process.

Research limitations/implications

Introducing a successful new health service into the market seems to require an emphasis on a variety of factors related to the company’s internal and external environment, while two important characteristics are the role of branding and doctors. Despite its acceptance as a scientific method, the case study approach that was selected limits the ability to generalize the results to the broader health industry.

Originality/value

The current study represents one of the first attempts to examine the above topic in a health-related service context.
C5a inhibitor protects against ischemia/reperfusion injury in rat small intestine
Authors: Tuboly Eszter , Futakuchi Mitsuru , Varga Gabriella , Érces Daniel , Tőkés Tünde , Mészáros Andras , Kaszaki József , Suzui Masumi , Imai Masaki , Okada Alan , Okada Noriko , Boros Mihály , Okada Hidechika
Published: November 2015

Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is caused by considerable intestinal injury, which is associated with intestinal ischemia followed by reperfusion. To elucidate the mechanisms of ischemia/reperfusion injuries, a C5a inhibitory peptide termed AcPepA was used to examine the role of C5a anaphylatoxin, induction of inflammatory cells, and cell proliferation of the intestinal epithelial cells in an experimental AMI model. In this rat model, the superior mesenteric artery was occluded and subsequently reperfused (Induce‐I/R). Other groups were treated with AcPepA before ischemia or reperfusion. Induce‐I/R induced injuries in the intestine and AcPepA significantly decreased the proportion of severely injured villi. Induce‐I/R induced secondary receptor for C5a‐positive polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the vessels and CD204‐positive macrophages near the injured site; this was correlated with hypoxia‐induced factor 1‐alpha‐positive cells. Induction of these inflammatory cells was attenuated by AcPepA. In addition, AcPepA increased proliferation of epithelial cells in the villi, possibly preventing further damage. Therefore, Induce‐I/R activates C5a followed by the accumulation of polymorphonuclear leukocyte and hypoxia‐induced factor 1‐alpha‐producing macrophages, leading to villus injury. AcPepA, a C5a inhibitory peptide, blocks the deleterious effects of C5a, indicating it has a therapeutic effect on the inflammatory consequences of experimental AMI.
Supporting local diversity of habitats and species on farmland: a comparison of three wildlife‐friendly schemes
Authors: Hardman Chloe J. , Harrison Dominic P.G. , Shaw Pete J. , Nevard Tim D. , Hughes Brin , Potts Simon G. , Norris Ken
Published: November 2015

Restoration and maintenance of habitat diversity have been suggested as conservation priorities in farmed landscapes, but how this should be achieved and at what scale are unclear. This study makes a novel comparison of the effectiveness of three wildlife‐friendly farming schemes for supporting local habitat diversity and species richness on 12 farms in England.

The schemes were: (i) Conservation Grade (Conservation Grade: a prescriptive, non‐organic, biodiversity‐focused scheme), (ii) organic agriculture and (iii) a baseline of Entry Level Stewardship (Entry Level Stewardship: a flexible widespread government scheme).

Conservation Grade farms supported a quarter higher habitat diversity at the 100‐m radius scale compared to Entry Level Stewardship farms. Conservation Grade and organic farms both supported a fifth higher habitat diversity at the 250‐m radius scale compared to Entry Level Stewardship farms. Habitat diversity at the 100‐m and 250‐m scales significantly predicted species richness of butterflies and plants. Habitat diversity at the 100‐m scale also significantly predicted species richness of birds in winter and solitary bees. There were no significant relationships between habitat diversity and species richness for bumblebees or birds in summer.

Butterfly species richness was significantly higher on organic farms (50% higher) and marginally higher on Conservation Grade farms (20% higher), compared with farms in Entry Level Stewardship. Organic farms supported significantly more plant species than Entry Level Stewardship farms (70% higher) but Conservation Grade farms did not (10% higher). There were no significant differences between the three schemes for species richness of bumblebees, solitary bees or birds.

Policy implications. The wildlife‐friendly farming schemes which included compulsory changes in management, Conservation Grade and organic, were more effective at increasing local habitat diversity and species richness compared with the less prescriptive Entry Level Stewardship scheme. We recommend that wildlife‐friendly farming schemes should aim to enhance and maintain high local habitat diversity, through mechanisms such as option packages, where farmers are required to deliver a combination of several habitats.
33 Years of Peritoneal Dialysis‐Associated Peritonitis: A Single‐Center Study in Japan
Authors: Nakao Masatsugu , Yamamoto Izumi , Maruyama Yukio , Nakashima Akio , Matsuo Nanae , Tanno Yudo , Ohkido Ichiro , Ikeda Masato , Yamamoto Hiroyasu , Yokoyama Keitaro , Yokoo Takashi
Published: November 2015

Peritoneal dialysis‐associated peritonitis (PD‐associated peritonitis) could influence the outcome of PD patients, including technique survival. Although the use of the twin‐bag system has decreased the incidence of peritonitis, the effects of biocompatible PD solutions are controversial. Additionally, since both infection‐causing microorganisms and antimicrobial therapies have changed over time, the duration of treatment of peritonitis (the duration of peritonitis) seems to have changed. The study included 527 patients who received PD between January 1980 and December 2012 at a single center. We divided patients undergoing PD into three groups according to the type of PD system used, namely single‐bag and conventional PD solutions (S+C group, N = 145), twin‐bag and conventional PD solutions (T+C group, N = 171) and twin‐bag and biocompatible PD solutions (T+B group, N = 211), and analyzed PD‐associated peritonitis incidences. Incidences of PD‐associated peritonitis (times per patient‐months) and peritonitis‐free time were 1/59.4, 1/70.6 and 1/103.1, and 52, 97, and 100 months for the S+C, T+C and T+B groups, respectively. The duration of peritonitis, has thus, become dramatically shorter in recent years. Streptococcus sp. were associated with shortest and fungi with longest durations of peritonitis. Staphylococcus sp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were predominant in the S+C group. The twin‐bag system has made a greater contribution to reductions in PD‐associated peritonitis than biocompatible PD solutions. Furthermore, changes in microorganisms, antimicrobial therapies, patient education and improved PD system devices have presumably affected the reduction in the duration of peritonitis.
The Earnings and Employment Outcomes of the 2005 Cohort of Canadian Postsecondary Graduates with Disabilities
Authors: Zarifa David , Walters David , Seward Brad
Published: November 2015

Canada's fear of future skill and labor shortages has brought youth with disabilities to the forefront of public policy. Many universities are now reporting that an increased proportion of their graduating students identify as having a disability, and as a result, educational achievement‐based programs designed to accommodate students’ needs are growing across campuses. Despite recent attention by policymakers on improving accessibility standards and increasing employer incentives, young Canadians with disabilities continue to face barriers in their transitions to the workforce. The nature and extent of the early workforce inequalities faced by postsecondary graduates with disabilities remains unclear. This paper draws on the 2005 cohort of Statistics Canada's National Graduates Survey to examine the early workforce outcomes of postsecondary graduates with disabilities. Contrary to theories of human capital, the results reveal significant earnings gaps between graduates with and without disabilities of various fields of study and levels of schooling. Further, graduates with a disability are even more disadvantaged in terms of securing employment, as they were significantly less likely to be employed full‐time, and were overrepresented among unemployed and part‐time workers across various fields of study and levels of postsecondary education.
Role for Daple in non‐canonical Wnt signaling during gastric cancer invasion and metastasis
Authors: Ara Hosne , Takagishi Maki , Enomoto Atsushi , Asai Masato , Ushida Kaori , Asai Naoya , Shimoyama Yoshie , Kaibuchi Kozo , Kodera Yasuhiro , Takahashi Masahide
Published: November 2015

In gastric cancer, the non‐canonical Wnt signaling pathway is activated by Wnt5a, which has a critical role in disease outcome. Previous studies have shown that Wnt5a mediates the expression of the extracellular matrix protein laminin γ2 through Rac and JNK activation to promote gastric cancer progression. However, the mechanism of this regulatory pathway has not been completely addressed. The scaffold protein Dvl is a major component of the Wnt signaling pathway. Here, we show that Dvl‐associating protein with a high frequency of leucine residues (Daple) mediates Wnt5a‐induced laminin γ2 expression. Immunohistochemical analysis showed marked expression of Daple in advanced clinical stages of gastric cancer, where it highly correlated with Wnt5a/b and laminin γ2 expression, the depth of wall invasion, and the frequency of lymph node metastasis. In cultured cancer cells, Daple depletion led to the suppression of Wnt5a‐induced Rac and JNK activation, laminin γ2 expression, and cell migration and invasion. Accordingly, Daple depletion also suppressed liver metastasis in a mouse xenograft model of gastric cancer. These results suggest that the non‐canonical Wnt signaling pathway contributes to gastric cancer progression at least in part via Daple, which provides a new therapeutic opportunity for the treatment of the disease.
Implant‐supported single‐tooth restorations. A 12‐year prospective study
Authors: Donati Mauro , Ekestubbe Annika , Lindhe Jan , Wennström Jan L.
Published: November 2015

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate prospectively the 12‐year outcome of implant‐supported single‐tooth restorations.

Material and methods

Originally 45 self‐tapping Astra Tech TiOblast® ST‐implants were installed by a two‐stage protocol in 40 subjects requiring single‐tooth prosthetic replacement for a missing tooth. Clinical and radiologic examinations were performed at completion of the prosthetic treatment 4–7 months after implant installation surgery and after 5 and 12 years in function.

Results

At 12 years 31 patients and 35 implants were available for evaluation. The overall failure rate after 12 years was 10.3% on the subject level and 9.1% on the implant level. The mean bone loss amounted to 0.67 mm (SD 2.20) on a subject level and 0.47 mm (1.72) on an implant level. Three subjects (10%) and three implants (8.6%) were diagnosed with peri‐implantitis. Five subjects had experienced technical complications; three incidences of loosening of the abutment retention screw during the first 5 years and two minor porcelain fracture of the crown (two patients) between 5‐ and 12‐years of follow‐up.

Conclusion

The findings reported in this 12‐year prospective case series suggest that the use of the Astra Tech dental implants may be a valid treatment alternative for single‐tooth replacement prostheses.
A Patient with Metastatic Small‐Cell Lung Cancer and Giant Right Ventricular Mass
Authors: Shah Rahman , John Elizabeth , Fan Tai‐Hwang M. , Ruff Genina , Rehan Khan M. , Holt Lee C.
Published: November 2015

Mini‐Abstract

A 62‐year‐old male presented with right‐sided weakens. His MRI of the brain showed multiple ring‐enhancing lesions consistent with metastatic disease. His chest X‐rays showed a large mass in the right upper lobe. Follow‐up chest CT showed a large lobulated mass in the upper lobe of the right lung and a large filling defect in the right ventricle. Transthoracic echocardiography showed a large mass in the right ventricle. Biopsy of the right lung mass showed small‐cell carcinoma. We concluded metastasis in the right ventricle and brain from the primary small‐cell lung cancer.
Mycelial fan formation of three sympatric Armillaria species on excised stem segments of Picea abies
Authors: Heinzelmann R. , Rigling D.
Published: November 2015

Mycelial fan formation was studied in five Armillaria cepistipes, ten A. borealis and ten diploid and six haploid A. ostoyae strains on excised stem segments of Picea abies. Stem segments were either non‐autoclaved or autoclaved, representing dying and dead wood, respectively. To confirm the identity of mycelial fans on non‐autoclaved stem segments, re‐isolations were made and isolates characterized with microsatellite markers. Mycelial fan formation on autoclaved stem segments was fast and reliable for most of the tested Armillaria strains. On non‐autoclaved stem segments, mycelial fan formation was slower, more erratic and less predictable. Mycelial fan formation was fastest in A. cepistipes closely followed by A. borealis and was slowest in A. ostoyae. For two A. cepistipes and four A. ostoyae strains (all diploid), growth rates of mycelial fans were estimated in a time course experiment. They ranged between 5.1 and 8.7 mm/day for autoclaved and between 1.4 and 4.7 mm/day for non‐autoclaved stem segments. The haploid A. ostoyae strains also formed mycelial fans on autoclaved stem segments, but typically slower and less reliably than the diploid strains. Whether haploid strains are able to produce mycelial fans on non‐autoclaved stem segments remains unknown because of accidental diploidization of the original haploid strains which was likely caused by basidiospores introduced into the study system on the non‐autoclaved stems. Overall, the method developed in this study may be useful for further investigations into the genetic, physiological and biochemical nature of mycelial fan formation in the genus Armillaria.
Unreliable Bodies: A Follow‐up Twenty Years Later by a Mother and Daughter about the Impact of Illness and Disability on their Lives
Authors: Weingarten Kaethe , Worthen Miranda
Published: November 2015

We are a mother and daughter, both health care professionals, who offer a follow‐up to an article we published twenty years ago about the impact of each other's ongoing, serious medical problems on our relationship. In this article, we contribute a long‐term perspective on the differences between having an illness that is well or poorly understood by medical professionals and the lay community. We also discuss health in the context of identity formation and life stage, as during this interval the daughter left home, graduated college, married, and had two children. Also in this period, the mother survived a third breast cancer and other life‐threatening illnesses. We discuss the impact of these experiences on each other and in other important relationships in our lives. Current discourses on daughters of breast cancer survivors do not fit our experience and we speculate about why our story differs. We find that although we continue to contend with serious medical issues that impact our own, each other's, and our families' lives, nonetheless, our lives are rich, rewarding, and “appropriate” for our life stage. That is the news.
Parent–healthcare provider interaction during peripheral vein cannulation with resistive preschool children
Authors: Svendsen Edel Jannecke , Moen Anne , Pedersen Reidar , Bjørk Ida Torunn
Published: November 2015

Aim

The aim of this study was to increase understanding of parent–healthcare provider interaction in situations where newly admitted preschool children resist peripheral vein cannulation.

Background

Parent–healthcare provider interaction represents an important context for understanding children's resistance to medical procedures. Knowledge about this interaction can provide a better understanding of how restraint is used and talked about. Symbolic interactionism informed the understanding of interaction.

Design

An exploratory, qualitative study was chosen because little is known about these interactions.

Methods

During 2012–2013, 14 naturalistic peripheral vein cannulation ‐attempts with six newly hospitalized preschool children were video recorded. Eight parents/relatives, seven physicians and eight nurses participated in this study. The analytical foci of turn‐taking and participant structure were used.

Results

The results comprised three patterns of interactions. The first pattern, ‘parents supported the interaction initiated by healthcare providers’, was a response to the children's expressed resistance and they performed firm restraint together. The second pattern, ‘parents create distance in interaction with healthcare providers’, appeared after failed attempts and had a short time span. Parents stopped following up on the healthcare providers’ interaction and their restraint became less firm. In the third pattern, ‘healthcare providers reorient in interaction’, healthcare providers took over more of the restraint and either helped each other to continue the interaction or they stopped it.

Conclusion

Knowledge about the identified patterns of interactions can help healthcare providers to better understand and thereby prepare both parents and themselves for situations with potential use of restraint.
Sunflower as a trap crop for the European tarnished plant bug (Lygus rugulipennis)
Authors: Ondiaka S. , Migiro L. , Rur M. , Birgersson G. , Porcel M. , Rämert B. , Tasin M.
Published: November 2015

The European tarnished plant bug, Lygus rugulipennis (Heteroptera: Miridae), inflicts serious damage to glasshouse crops, including cucumber, in which it causes distorted foliage, dead growing points and malformed fruits. In a research involving commercial growers, we tested the possibility of using a trap crop to control L. rugulipennis. We screened the attraction of sunflower and lucerne as trap crops using an olfactometer. Adults (females and males) were more attracted to the odour of either flowering sunflower or lucerne than flowering cucumber. In a glasshouse trial, potted flowering sunflowers were evaluated as a trap crop placed at the ends of each cucumber row. Although the trap crop showed much higher attractiveness than the cucumber crop, this effect was not sufficient to provide an acceptable level of control according to the commercial growers. The growers suggested developing artificial sunflower odour as a more efficient lure for removal trapping. As a first step in this development, we tested the attraction of the headspace odour collected from sunflower in olfactometer trials. Sunflower headspace attracted a higher number of adults compared to a blank or a flowering cucumber. The sunflower odour was analysed by gas chromatography coupled to mass‐spectrometry to determine compounds possibly involved in L. rugulipennis attraction. The chemical analysis of the plant odour showed a well‐defined differentiation between sunflower and cucumber, with a number of monoterpenes released exclusively by sunflower. This, plus an emission rate from sunflower being at least four times more abundant, opens the possibility of using synthetic sunflower volatiles to attract L. rugulipennis within a cucumber background.
Corporate Debt Structure and the Financial Crisis
Authors: DE FIORE FIORELLA , UHLIG HARALD
Published: November 2015

We present a DSGE model where firms optimally choose among alternative instruments of external finance. The model is used to explain the evolving composition of corporate debt during the financial crisis of 2008–09, namely, the observed shift from bank finance to bond finance, at a time when the cost of market debt rose above the cost of bank loans. We show that the flexibility offered by banks on the terms of their loans and firms' ability to substitute among alternative instruments of debt finance are important to shield the economy from adverse real effects of a financial crisis.
Polyandry and postcopulatory sexual selection in a wild population
Authors: Turnell Biz R. , Shaw Kerry L.
Published: November 2015

When females mate multiply, postcopulatory sexual selection can occur via sperm competition and cryptic female choice. Although postcopulatory selection has the potential to be a major force in driving evolution, few studies have estimated its strength in natural populations. Likewise, although polyandry is widespread across taxa and is the focus of a growing body of research, estimates of natural female mating rates are still limited in number. Microsatellites can be used to estimate the number of mates represented in females' sperm stores and the number of sires contributing to their offspring, enabling comparisons both of polyandry and of two components of postcopulatory selection: the proportion of males that mate but fail to sire offspring, and the degree of paternity skew among the males that do sire offspring. Here, we estimate the number of mates and sires among wild females in the Hawaiian swordtail cricket Laupala cerasina. We compare these estimates to the actual mating rates and paternity shares we observed in a semi‐natural population. Our results show that postcopulatory sexual selection operates strongly in this species: wild females mated with an average minimum of 3.6 males but used the sperm from only 58% of them. Furthermore, among the males that did sire offspring, paternity was significantly skewed. These patterns were similar to those observed in the field enclosure, where females mated with an average of 5.7 males and used the sperm from 62% of their mates, with paternity significantly skewed among the sires.
Syzygium humbertii and S. mortonianum spp. nov. (Myrtaceae) from Madagascar
Authors: Byng James W.
Published: November 2015

Two new species, Syzygium humbertii Byng and S. mortonianum Byng, are described from Madagascar. When compared with other Madagascan Syzygium, S. humbertii Byng is characterised by sessile to subsessile leaves, orbicular to oval blades with usually cordate bases and rounded apices, and an obconic hypanthium. Syzygium mortonianum Byng is characterised by relatively long leaves that are typically wrinkled when dried, widely spaced venation, long petioles, and particularly dense capitate inflorescences with many flowers. Both new species are threatened with extinction and known from few contemporary collections.
Pattern of morphological variation of Salicornia in north Europe
Authors: Piirainen Mikko
Published: November 2015

Among the few available morphological traits in the genus Salicornia L. (Amaranthaceae/Chenopodiaceae), most are extremely variable within species probably due to high levels of plasticity. In addition, identifying Salicornia taxa is further complicated by that these plants lose many of their diagnostic characters upon drying. Morphological studies of fresh (or liquid preserved) specimens is thus important in taxonomical studies. The objective of this study was a numerical morphological analyses of Salicornia populations in the Nordic countries and an adjacent Russian region with the aim to ascertain whether taxonomic division of this genus based on morphology is feasible. In all, 666 plants were collected for morphometric measurements from 31 localities and 52 populations or subpopulations of the North Sea coasts, Danish straits, Baltic Sea, the Norwegian Sea, Barents Sea, and the White Sea areas. For practical reasons, part of the samples was studied fresh, and part preserved in FAA pending measurements. Data were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis. The main taxonomical division was found between the diploid S. europaea s.l. and the tetraploid S. procumbens Sm., and was mainly based on fertile segment and flower morphology characteristics. Data also show ecological differences: diploids inhabit the upper part of salt marshes, whereas tetraploids grow in the hydrolittoral zone and are restricted to areas of regular tidal influence. It was not possible to make a morphological distinction between the two cryptic diploid species S. europaea s.s. and S. perennans Willd. in the present study. North Norwegian S. europaea clearly deviated from more southern populations, but taxonomical conclusions based only on morphology were avoided. In contrast, the division of S. procumbens into two geographical races/subspecies, the southern subsp. procumbens and the northern subsp. pojarkovae was supported.
Increased proximal acid reflux is associated with early readmission following lung transplantation
Authors: Lo W.‐K. , Goldberg H. J. , Burakoff R. , Feldman N. , Chan W. W.
Published: November 2015

Background

Gastroesophageal reflux disease has been associated with poor outcomes following lung transplantation. However, the association between pretransplant reflux and post‐transplant readmission, an indicator of early clinical outcome, has not been previously assessed.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of lung transplant recipients undergoing pretransplant multichannel intraluminal impedance and pH (MII‐pH) study off acid suppression at a tertiary care center since 2007. Subjects with pretransplant fundoplication were excluded. Time to readmission was defined as duration from post‐transplant discharge to next hospital admission for any reason. Subgroup analysis was performed to exclude elective readmissions. Time‐to‐event analysis was performed using Cox proportional hazards model, with appropriate censoring.

Key Results

Forty‐three subjects (60% men, mean age: 57, median follow‐up: 1.7 years) met inclusion criteria for the study. Patient demographics and pretransplant cardiopulmonary function were similar between readmission cohorts. Time to all‐cause readmission was associated with increased distal acid episodes (HR: 3.15, p = 0.04) and proximal acid episodes (HR: 3.61, p = 0.008) on impedance, increased acid exposure on pH (HR: 2.22, p = 0.04), and elevated Demeester score (HR: 2.26, p = 0.03). When elective readmissions were excluded, early readmission remained significantly associated with increased proximal acid reflux episodes (HR: 2.49, p = 0.04). All findings were confirmed on Kaplan–Meier analysis.

Conclusions & Inferences

Elevated proximal acid reflux on pretransplant MII‐pH testing was associated with early readmission following lung transplantation, even after excluding elective readmissions. Exposure to severe acid reflux has measurable effects on early postoperative outcomes such as readmission, and aggressive early antireflux therapy should be considered.
Gastro‐esophageal reflux and antisecretory drugs use among patients with chronic autoimmune atrophic gastritis: a study with pH‐impedance monitoring
Authors: Tenca A. , Massironi S. , Pugliese D. , Consonni D. , Mauro A. , Cavalcoli F. , Franchina M. , Spampatti M. , Conte D. , Penagini R.
Published: November 2015

Background

Patients with chronic autoimmune atrophic gastritis (CAAG) often refer digestive symptoms and are prescribed antisecretory medications. Aims were to investigate: (i) gastro‐esophageal reflux (GER), (ii) psychopathological profile, (iii) frequency of use and clinical benefit of antisecretory drugs.

Methods

Prospective observational study on 41 CAAG patients who underwent: 24 h multichannel intra‐luminal impedance‐pH (MII‐pH) monitoring off‐therapy, standardized medical interview and psychological questionnaire (i.e., SCL‐90R). The medical interview was repeated at least 1 month after MII‐pH in patients who were using antisecretory drugs. Statistical analysis was performed calculating median (10th–90th percentiles) and risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence interval.

Key Results

Median intra‐gastric pH was 6.2 (4.6–7.0). One patient had acid reflux (AC) associated with symptoms, five had increased total reflux number and four had symptoms associated to non‐acid reflux (NA) (patients referred as ‘GER positive’). Using patients ‘GER negative’ with normal SCL‐90R as reference, the RR of being symptomatic in patients GER positive was 2.1 (1.1–4.1) if SCL‐90R was normal and 0.9 (0.5–1.7) if it was altered (difference in RR significant being p = 0.04). Seventeen/28 (61%) symptomatic patients were on antisecretory drugs, which were stopped in 16 of them according to results of MII‐pH and clinical evaluation after 574 days (48–796) showed that symptoms were unchanged.

Conclusions & Inferences

In patients with CAAG (i) AC reflux rarely occurred whereas increased NA reflux was not infrequent both being related to symptoms in some patients, (ii) psychopathological profile has a role in symptoms' occurrence, (iii) antisecretory drugs were generally inappropriately used and clinically ineffective.
Cadmium‐induced and trans‐generational changes in the cultivable and total seed endophytic community of Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Truyens S. , Beckers B. , Thijs S. , Weyens N. , Cuypers A. , Vangronsveld J.
Published: November 2015

Trans‐generational adaptation is important to respond rapidly to environmental challenges and increase overall plant fitness. Besides well‐known mechanisms such as epigenetic modifications, vertically transmitted endophytic bacteria might contribute to this process. The cultivable and total endophytic communities of several generations of Arabidopsis thaliana seeds harvested from plants exposed to cadmium (Cd) or not exposed were investigated. The diversity and richness of the seed endophytic community decreased with an increasing number of generations. Aeromicrobium and Pseudonocardia were identified as indicator species in seeds from Cd‐exposed plants, while Rhizobium was abundantly present in both seed types. Remarkably, Rhizobium was the only genus that was consistently detected in seeds of all generations, which suggests that the phenotypic characteristics were more important as selection criteria for which bacteria are transferred to the next plant generation than the actual genera. Production of IAA was an important trait for endophytes from both seed types, while ACC deaminase activity and Cd tolerance were mainly associated with seed endophytes from Cd‐exposed plants. Understanding how different factors influence the seed endophytic community can help us to improve seed quality and plant growth through different biotechnological applications.