bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biofilm formation and genetic characterization of New Zealand Cronobacter isolates
Authors: Gupta Tanushree B. , Mowat Eilidh , Brightwell Gale , Flint Steve H.
Published: December 2017

The study aimed to determine genetic diversity of a collection of New Zealand Cronobacter isolates collected from different sources and their ability to form a biofilm on different materials under different conditions. Isolates were screened for the presence of biofilm associated genes. Furthermore, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was used to identify unique genes, present in a C. sakazakii strain (isolate ES191) which forms a stronger biofilm than the reference strain C. sakazakii BAA894. Results indicated that New Zealand Cronobacter spp. strains were genetically diverse. Biofilm formation was both temperature and nutrient dependent and varied widely within and between clinical, dairy, and environmental isolates. Moreover, C. akazakii adhered more to polyvinyl chloride followed by silicone, polyurethane and stainless steel and all the isolates harbored biofilm related genes. Of the 72 PCR products sequenced from the SSH library, 16 unique gene sequences were identified, of which nine were expressed only in ES191 and were found to be involved in hypothetical protein, energy production, and virulence. This study suggests the choice of enteral neonatal feeding tube material could dramatically influence the attachment, growth, and biofilm formation of C. sakazakii.

Practical applications

The present study showed variable ability of Cronobacter species to form biofilms in different matrices tested. It was observed that environmental strains have a greater ability to persist and one of these formed stronger and complexed biofilm, which may increase the food safety risk. This calls for undertaking appropriate clean in place treatment regimes well efficient to remove strong and complex biofilms. Research findings of this study showed that both PVC and silicone based tubing represent higher risk materials for the colonization of C. sakazakii and subsequent development of biofilms. Therefore, it is imperative to carefully select a tubing material which is less likely to support the attachment and development of biofilms. However, the most practical means of reducing the risk of C. sakazakii infection is by using sterile ready‐to‐use formula and maintaining a clean environment when reconstituting the formula milk.
Effect of microbial control measures on farmstead cheesemaking and antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus spp. isolates
Authors: Kang Il‐Byeong , Kim Dong‐Hyeon , Chon Jung‐Whan , Seo Kun‐Ho
Published: December 2017

The effect of microbial control measures in farmstead cheese making was evaluated in a small dairy farm in Gyeong‐gi province, Korea. Teat washing and pasteurization significantly (p < .05) reduced the level of indicator bacteria (mesophilic aerobes, total coliforms, and Escherichia coli). However, farmstead cheeses were contaminated with increased levels of mesophilic aerobes, total coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus faecium during post‐pasteurization steps, including the cheesemaking process and ripening. S. aureus isolates from cheese samples exhibited antibiotic resistance to penicillin/ampicillin, whereas teat and milk samples showed resistance to erythromycin/ciprofloxacin. Enterococcus spp. isolates had the highest proportion of organisms resistant to erythromycin and tetracycline among multidrug‐resistant strains. To ensure the safety of farmstead cheese, customized management systems and intervention methods should be established by focusing on control measures for not only preprocessing and pasteurization but also post‐pasteurization steps.

Practical applications

Owing to renewed interest in specialty cheeses, small‐scale farmstead cheeses are actively produced worldwide. However, because of various manufacturing steps, including milking, pasteurization, ripening, and storage, farmstead cheese could pose a high risk for the presence of foodborne pathogens. In the current study, teat washing and milk pasteurization effectively reduced microbial contamination loads. However, farmstead cheeses were contaminated post‐pasteurization with increased levels of indicator and pathogenic microorganisms. Comprehensive management systems should be implemented and should focus not only on preprocessing and pasteurization but also on post‐pasteurization steps to ensure the safety of farmstead cheese.
Links between sleep and daytime behaviour problems in children with Down syndrome
Authors: Esbensen A. J. , Hoffman E. K. , Beebe D. W. , Byars K. C. , Epstein J.
Published: December 2017

Background

In the general population, sleep problems have an impact on daytime performance. Despite sleep problems being common among children with Down syndrome, the impact of sleep problems on daytime behaviours in school‐age children with Down syndrome is an understudied topic. Our study examined the relationship between parent‐reported and actigraphy‐measured sleep duration and sleep quality with parent and teacher reports of daytime behaviour problems among school‐age children with Down syndrome.

Method

Thirty school‐age children with Down syndrome wore an actigraph watch for a week at home at night. Their parent completed ratings of the child's sleep during that same week. Their parent and teacher completed a battery of measures to assess daytime behaviour.

Results

Parent reports of restless sleep behaviours on the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire, but not actigraph‐measured sleep efficiency, was predictive of parent and teacher behavioural concerns on the Nisonger Child Behaviour Rating Form and the Vanderbilt ADHD Rating Scales. Actigraph‐measured sleep period and parent‐reported sleep duration on the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire was predictive of daytime parent‐reported inattention. Actigraph‐measured sleep period was predictive of parent‐reported hyperactivity/impulsivity.

Conclusion

The study findings suggest that sleep problems have complex relationships to both parent‐reported and teacher‐reported daytime behaviour concerns in children with Down syndrome. These findings have implications for understanding the factors impacting behavioural concerns and their treatment in school‐age children with Down syndrome.
The Spanish version of the Self‐Determination Inventory Student Report: application of item response theory to self‐determination measurement
Authors: Mumbardó‐Adam C. , Guàrdia‐Olmos J. , Giné C. , Raley S. K. , Shogren K. A.
Published: December 2017

Background

A new measure of self‐determination, the Self‐Determination Inventory: Student Report (Spanish version), has recently been adapted and empirically validated in Spanish language. As it is the first instrument intended to measure self‐determination in youth with and without disabilities, there is a need to further explore and strengthen its psychometric analysis based on item response patterns.

Method

Through item response theory approach, this study examined item observed distributions across the essential characteristics of self‐determination.

Results

The results demonstrated satisfactory to excellent item functioning patterns across characteristics, particularly within agentic action domains. Increased variability across items was also found within action‐control beliefs dimensions, specifically within the self‐realisation subdomain.

Conclusions

These findings further support the instrument's psychometric properties and outline future research directions.
Hepatocellular carcinoma in a free‐living marmoset (Callithrix sp.) with concomitant biliary trematodiasis
Authors: Díaz‐Delgado J. , Sanches T. C. , dos Santos‐Cirqueira C. , Coimbra A. A. C. , Guerra J. M. , Joppert A. , Di Loretto C. , Rizardi M. B. , Sansone M. , Nagamori F. O. , Gonçalves P. S. , Ressio R. , Iglezias S. , Fernandes N. C. C. A. , Kanamura C. , Groch K. R. , Catão‐Dias J. L.
Published: December 2017

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is rare in New World primates. We report the gross, microscopical, and immunocytochemical features of a spontaneous HCC in a free‐living marmoset (Callithrix sp.). Hepatitis B and C virus and aflatoxin immunohistochemistry were negative; however, concomitant intra‐ and extrahepatic biliary trematodiasis could have played a role.
The clustering and morphology of chondrocytes in normal and mildly degenerate human femoral head cartilage studied by confocal laser scanning microscopy
Authors: Karim Asima , Amin Anish K. , Hall Andrew C.
Published: December 2017

Chondrocytes are the major cell type present in hyaline cartilage and they play a crucial role in maintaining the mechanical resilience of the tissue through a balance of the synthesis and breakdown of extracellular matrix macromolecules. Histological assessment of cartilage suggests that articular chondrocytes in situ typically occur singly and demonstrate a rounded/elliptical morphology. However, there are suggestions that their grouping and fine shape is more complex and that these change with cartilage degeneration as occurs in osteoarthritis. In the present study we have used confocal laser scanning microscopy and fluorescently labelled in situ human chondrocytes and advanced imaging software to visualise chondrocyte clustering and detailed morphology within grade‐0 (non‐degenerate) and grade‐1 (mildly degenerate) cartilage from human femoral heads. Graded human cartilage explants were incubated with 5‐chloromethylfluorescein diacetate and propidium iodide to identify the morphology and viability, respectively, of in situ chondrocytes within superficial, mid‐ and deep zones. In grade‐0 cartilage, the analysis of confocal microscope images showed that although the majority of chondrocytes were single and morphologically normal, clusters (i.e. three or more chondrocytes within the enclosed lacunar space) were occasionally observed in the superficial zone, and 15–25% of the cell population exhibited at least one cytoplasmic process of ~ 5 μm in length. With degeneration, cluster number increased (~ 50%) but not significantly; however, the number of cells/cluster (P < 0.001) and the percentage of cells forming clusters increased (P = 0.0013). In the superficial zone but not the mid‐ or deep zones, the volume of clusters and average volume of chondrocytes in clusters increased (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively). The percentage of chondrocytes with processes, the number of processes/cell and the length of processes/cell increased in the superficial zone of grade‐1 cartilage (P = 0.0098, P = 0.02 and P < 0.001, respectively). Processes were categorised based on length (L0 – no cytoplasmic processes; L1 < 5 μm; 5 < L2 ≤ 10 μm; 10 < L3 ≤ 15 μm; L4 > 15 μm). With cartilage degeneration, for chondrocytes in all zones, there was a significant decrease (P = 0.015) in the percentage of chondrocytes with ‘normal’ morphology (i.e. L0), with no change in the percentage of cells with L1 processes; however, there were significant increases in the other categories. In grade‐0 cartilage, chondrocyte clustering and morphological abnormalities occurred and with degeneration these were exacerbated, particularly in the superficial zone. Chondrocyte clustering and abnormal morphology are associated with aberrant matrix metabolism, suggesting that these early changes to chondrocyte properties may be associated with cartilage degeneration.
Regulating Law Firms from the Inside: The Role of Compliance Officers for Legal Practice in England and Wales
Authors: Aulakh Sundeep , Loughrey Joan
Published: December 2017

Following the Legal Services Act 2007, which permitted the delivery of legal services through Alternative Business Structures (ABS), the Solicitors Regulation Authority required all regulated legal service firms to appoint Compliance Officers for Legal Practice (COLPs). COLPs are charged with taking reasonable steps to ensure that firms comply with their obligations, which entails interpreting what outcomes‐focused regulation (OFR) requires of the firm. Yet despite their importance, little is known about how compliance roles operate within legal service firms. We addressed this gap through a series of qualitative interviews that explored COLPs’ views of their roles, their attitudes to regulation, in particular to OFR, and to achieving compliance. We found that COLPs are a key regulatory mechanism in the context of firm‐based regulation and OFR and have a critical role to play in protecting and promoting professional values in both ABS and non‐ABS entities.
Changes in Parenting and Youth Adjustment Across the Military Deployment Cycle
Authors: Flittner O'Grady Allison E. , Whiteman Shawn D. , Cardin Jean‐François , MacDermid Wadsworth Shelley M.
Published: December 2017

This study examined how changes in at‐home parents' mental health and parenting practices related to changes in their children's adjustment throughout the course of a service members' military deployment. Participants included at‐home parents from 114 National Guard families who were interviewed at four different occasions across the deployment cycle. The results revealed changes across the deployment cycle among the following three indicators: parental warmth, depressive symptoms, and children's externalizing behaviors. Changes in parental warmth were associated with changes in children's adjustment. Overall, these findings indicate that during parental separation, at‐home parents' responses to children have important implications for children's adjustment.
Analytic survey of 57 cases of oral metastases
Authors: Liu Yingci , Vargo Richard J. , Bilodeau Elizabeth A.
Published: December 2017

Background

Oral lesions have been reported among the first signs of an undiagnosed metastatic disease. Accurate diagnosis of an occult metastasis remains critical in determining the treatment course. Previous studies regarding oral metastatic tumors present varied data regarding the most frequent metastases to the oral cavity. These discrepancies echo the changes in incidence rates for certain malignancies over time and demonstrate the need for periodic updates in oral metastasis studies.

Methods

Using Text Information Extraction System, a de‐identified pathology database, we compiled 57 cases over a period of 19 years using key terms to search for oral metastases.

Results

For both males and females, the most common primary sites were lung (21.1%), liver (12.3%), breast (10.5%), kidney (10.5%), and colorectal (8.8%). We found an equal number of lung and breast metastases in females and metastases from the liver to be the most prevalent for males. In most of our cases (54.9%), the patient had no history of the primary malignancy and the oral lesion preceded awareness of the widespread cancer.

Conclusions

As a departure from many previous case series, we found lung and breast metastases to be equally numerous in women and liver as the most common oral metastasis in men. Also, we identified a tendency for the patient to present with a previous history in certain malignancies, such as breast cancer, whereas in other malignancies, such as renal cell carcinoma, our data demonstrated a propensity to present in the oral cavity without history of a primary tumor.
Fitting motivational content and process: A systematic investigation of fit between value framing and self‐regulation
Authors: Woltin Karl‐Andrew , Bardi Anat
Published: December 2017

Objective

Values are often phrased as ideals that people seek to approach, but they can also be conceptualized as counter‐ideals that people seek to avoid. We aimed to test whether individuals endorse more strongly values that are framed in line with their predominant self‐regulatory motivation, using individual difference scales in promotion/prevention (Higgins, 1997) and in behavioral approach/inhibition (Carver & White, 1994). To address this systematically, we developed approach‐ and avoidance‐framed versions of the Portrait Value Questionnaire‐RR (PVQ‐RR; Schwartz et al., 2012).

Method

Participants completed approach‐ and avoidance‐framed PVQ‐RR versions in two studies measuring regulatory focus or motivational orientation (together 414 U.S. adults, 48% female, ages 18–69) and one study manipulating motivational orientation (39 UK high school students, 79% female, ages 16–19).

Results

Value framing consistently interacted with both self‐regulation variables. However, a fit between self‐regulation and value framing resulted in greater value endorsement only for promotion‐focused and approach‐oriented (not prevention‐focused and avoidance‐oriented) participants. This may be because values are more naturally understood as ideal states that people seek to approach.

Conclusions

Our findings provide first insights into the psychological process of person–value framing fit affecting value endorsement. We discuss implications for cross‐cultural value research and research on value‐congruent behavior.
The work and challenges of care managers in the implementation of collaborative care: A qualitative study
Authors: Overbeck G. , Kousgaard M. B. , Davidsen A. S.
Published: December 2017

Accessible summary

What is known on the subject?

In collaborative care models between psychiatry and general practice, mental health nurses are used as care managers who carry out the treatment of patients with anxiety or depression in general practice and establish a collaborating relationship with the general practitioner. Although the care manager is the key person in the collaborative care model, there is little knowledge about this role and the challenges involved in it.

What this paper adds to existing knowledge?

Our study shows that before the CMs could start treating patients in a routine collaborative relationship with GPs, they needed to carry out an extensive amount of implementation work. This included solving practical problems of location and logistics, engaging GPs in the intervention, and tailoring collaboration to meet the GP’s particular preferences.

Implementing the role requires high commitment and an enterprising approach on the part of the care managers. The very experienced mental health nurses of this study had these skills. However, the same expertise cannot be presumed in a disseminated model.

What are the implications for practice?

When introducing new collaborative care interventions, the care manager role should be well defined and be well prepared, especially as regards the arrival of the care manager in general practice, and supported during implementation by a coordinated leadership established in collaboration between hospital psychiatry and representatives from general practice.

Introduction

In collaborative care models for anxiety and depression, the care manager (CM), often a mental health nurse, has a key role. However, the work and challenges related to this role remain poorly investigated.

Aim

To explore CMs’ experiences of their work and the challenges they face when implementing their role in a collaborative care intervention in the Capital Region of Denmark.

Methods

Interviews with eight CMs, a group interview with five CMs and a recording of one supervision session were analysed by thematic analysis.

Results

The CM carried out considerable implementation work. This included finding suitable locations; initiating and sustaining communication with the GPs and maintaining their engagement in the model; adapting to the patient population in general practice; dealing with personal security issues, and developing supportive peer relations and meaningful supervision.

Discussion

We compare our findings to previous studies of collaborative care and advanced nursing roles in general practice. The importance of organizational leadership to support the CM's bridge‐building role is emphasized.

Implications for practice

The planners of new collaborative care interventions should not only focus on the CM's clinical tasks but also on ensuring the sufficient organizational conditions for carrying out the role.
Valve morphogenesis in Diploneis smithii (Bacillariophyta)
Authors: Idei Masahiko , Sato Shinya , Tamotsu Nagumo , Mann David G.
Published: December 2017

Diploneis species have perhaps the most complex valve structure among pennate diatoms. The development of this structure was studied in Diploneis smithii and begins with the formation of a primary band, which then develops secondary arms at both poles and the center, as in the classic Chiappino–Volcani model of raphid diatom ontogeny. Spine‐like projections grow out from the primary band and secondary arms to establish the transapical ribs (virgae) of the mature valve and themselves develop spines, which are spaced first oppositely and then alternately and fuse with each other to delimit the stria pores. Subsequently, new pattern and structures develop both externally (formation of bifurcating projections that fuse to delimit the outer, sieve‐like layer of the valve) and internally (growth and fusion of flanges from the first‐formed ribs to create the longitudinal canals and deposition of a hymenate strip over the internal face of each stria). Comparisons are made with morphogenesis in other diatoms. Diploneis smithii ontogeny suggests how very slight developmental changes might have created the very variable external morphology of Diploneis species. It also indicates that the longitudinal canals of Diploneis and Fallacia have different origins, since the porous external wall is not formed as a unilaterally attached flap in Diploneis and the canal is internal to the first‐formed rib–stria system in Diploneis, but external to it in Fallacia.
Effect of Continuous Digital Hypothermia on Lamellar Inflammatory Signaling When Applied at a Clinically‐Relevant Timepoint in the Oligofructose Laminitis Model
Authors: Dern K. , van Eps A. , Wittum T. , Watts M. , Pollitt C. , Belknap J.
Published: December 2017

Background

Although continuous digital hypothermia (CDH) protects lamellae from injury in the oligofructose (OF) model of sepsis‐related laminitis (SRL), conflicting results exist from these studies regarding effects of CDH on lamellar inflammatory events.

Hypothesis/Objectives

To determine the effect of CDH on lamellar inflammatory events in normal and OF‐treated horses when instituted at a clinically relevant time point (onset of clinical signs of sepsis in this model).

Animals

Standardbred geldings (n = 15) aged 3–11 years were used.

Methods

In a randomized, controlled discovery study, animals were administered either OF (OF group, n = 8) or water (CON group, n = 8) by nasogastric tube and CDH was initiated in one forelimb (ICE) 12 hours later. Lamellar tissue samples were collected 24 hours after initiation of CDH (ICE and ambient [AMB] forelimbs). Lamellar mRNA concentrations of inflammatory mediators and lamellar leukocyte numbers were assessed using qPCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively; values from four sample groups (CON AMB, OF AMB, CON ICE, and OF ICE) were analyzed using mixed model linear regression.

Results

Although lamellar mRNA concentrations of multiple inflammatory mediators (IL‐1β, IL‐6, CXCL1, MCP2, COX‐2) were increased after OF administration (OF AMB group versus CON AMB; P < 0.05), only 2 inflammatory mediators (IL‐6 and COX‐2) and lamellar leukocyte numbers were decreased with CDH (OF ICE versus OF AMB; P < 0.05).

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Continuous digital hypothermia initiated at a time point similar to that commonly used clinically (clinical onset of sepsis) resulted in a more focused inhibition of inflammatory signaling.
Proportion of fine roots, but not plant biomass allocation below ground, increases with elevation in arctic tundra
Authors: Blume‐Werry Gesche , Lindén Elin , Andresen Lisa , Classen Aimée T. , Sanders Nathan J. , von Oppen Jonathan , Sundqvist Maja K.
Published: December 2017

Questions

Roots represent a considerable proportion of biomass, primary production and litter input in arctic tundra, and plant allocation of biomass to above‐ or below‐ground tissue in response to climate change is a key factor in the future C balance of these ecosystems. According to optimality theory plants allocate C to the above‐ or below‐ground structure that captures the most limiting resource. We used an elevational gradient to test this theory and as a space‐for‐time substitution to inform on tundra carbon allocation patterns under a shifting climate, by exploring if increasing elevation was positively related to the root:shoot ratio, as well as a larger plant allocation to adsorptive over storage roots.

Location

Arctic tundra heath dominated by Empetrum hermaphroditum close to Abisko, Sweden.

Methods

We measured root:shoot and fine:coarse root ratios of the plant communities along an elevational gradient by sampling above‐ and below‐ground biomass, further separating root biomass into fine (<1 mm) and coarse roots.

Results

Plant biomass was higher at the lower elevations, but the root:shoot ratio did not vary with elevation. Resource allocation to fine relative to coarse roots increased with elevation, resulting in a fine:coarse root ratio that more than doubled with increasing elevation.

Conclusions

Contrary to previous works, the root:shoot ratio along this elevational gradient remained stable. However, communities along our study system were dominated by the same species at each elevation, which suggests that when changes in the root:shoot ratio occur with elevation these changes may be driven by differences in allocation patterns among species and thus turnover in plant community structure. Our results further reveal that the allocation of biomass to fine relative to coarse roots can differ between locations along an elevational gradient, even when overall above‐ vs below‐ground biomass allocation does not. Given the functionally different roles of fine vs coarse roots this could have large implications for below‐ground C cycling. Our results highlight the importance of direct effects vs indirect effects (such as changes in plant community composition and nutrient availability) of climate change for future C allocation above and below ground.
Romantic Ecocriticism Lately
Authors: Nersessian Anahid
Published: December 2017

This article surveys studies in Romanticism over the course of the last decade, focusing particularly on work that engages what might loosely be called ecological concerns. In contrast to standard accounts of “ecocriticism,” however, it holds that the most generative work being done in this field and, with these interests at heart, is not explicitly ecocritical. Instead, the article finds in the rhetorically attentive contributions of Romanticist scholars a kind of by‐the‐way environmentalism that remains admirably cautious about the consequences of a literary criticism deemed activist in and of itself. Building on Merleau‐Ponty's concept of the phantom limb, and on Veronica Forrest‐Thomson's critique of reflexively “naturalized” and mimetic interpretations of poetic texts, the discussion groups together critics who adopt and develop what I refer to as a phenomenological formalism. It then pursues the ramifications of this disciplinary turn in very recent works of scholarship situated in the 18th century and Romantic period.
When structure leads to sex: Untangling signals in population genetic data sets
Authors: Catchen Julian
Published: December 2017

A robust signal of population structure often provides the first glimpse into the evolutionary history of a species and its populations. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, new work from Louis Bernatchez's group (Benestan et al., ) starts with an investigation of apparent structure in two marine species and concludes with an identification of sex‐linked genes, and in the process provides a model for robust analysis. Structure is the genetic signal left by natural selection as well as by neutral processes like migration and gene flow. Neutral areas of the genome can reveal the geographical relationships and related gene flow between populations over time and space, while selection can resist the natural genomic turnover created by recombination and generate adaptive structure between populations that can be detected. However, artefacts in a data set can easily hide the true signal of structure; mutation, whether it is a true appearance of a recent, minor allele, or more commonly, an error in SNP calling or molecular library construction, can easily conceal patterns of population structure (e.g., geographical structure in mackerel, Rodriguez‐Ezpeleta et al. ()). A demographic structure that results from the most “forceful” evolutionary processes can overwhelm another signal generated by other, unrelated phenotypes. For example, the structure among diverged freshwater and marine threespine stickleback populations results from such strong selection and linkage disequilibrium across the genome that it impairs the ability to disentangle the genetic basis of particular evolved morphological traits (e.g., opercle development, Alligood ()). Finally, there might be conflicting inferences for what underlies structure patterns. Structure may be created by differential patterns of meiotic recombination, and genetic maps are a reliable means for identifying genomic regions that resist recombination. But, without additional information (Anderson et al., ), it can be difficult to distinguish the recombination‐suppressing effect of a segregating genomic inversion (Small et al., ) from that of sex‐linked selection.
The shock of the old: architectural preservation in Soviet Russia
Authors: Kelly Catriona
Published: December 2017

In Soviet sources from the Brezhnev era, the history of architectural preservation after 1917 was presented as a triumph of rational state‐building and cultural organisation: with the support of Lenin, the Bolshevik government had rapidly put in place effective measures to protect historic buildings for future generations. As this article shows, the evolution of legislative and practical measures was considerably more complicated than this optimistic representation would suggest. In the early Soviet period, a highly ideologised understanding of the past meant that preservationist ambitions might (especially during the ‘Great Break’ of 1928–1932) be seen as intrinsically reactionary. The canon of historical buildings was shaped by perceptions of centrality to Soviet values, as well as historical and aesthetic importance. The article also explores the transformation of attitudes to architectural heritage as a response to destruction by the invading forces during the ‘Great Patriotic War’, after which commitment to preservation became far more whole‐hearted, although enforcement and financial support continued to be inconsistent. The Soviet case indicates not just the importance of heritage preservation to the cultural ambitions and self‐image of the modern state but the limits of commitment to preservation and the pressure placed on this by the commitment to all‐out modernisation and to the propaganda of new identities and values.
Adult moyamoya disease associated with abundant phosphorylated tau accumulation in the brainstem: Report of a case with autopsy findings
Authors: Okamoto Koichi , Naito Isao , Fukuda Toshio , Suzuki Keiji , Takatama Masamitsu
Published: December 2017

We report the case of a 72‐year‐old Japanese woman with moyamoya disease (MMD). She experienced her first intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) at the age of 32 years, and had nine ICHs and/or intraventricular hemorrhages during the following 40 years. Cerebral angiograms and vascular pathologies at autopsy confirmed that the patient suffered from MMD. Macroscopically, there were brown‐colored changes in the subarachnoid space, mainly at the base of the brain and around the cerebellar hemispheres. Microscopically, hemosiderin deposits were observed mainly in the old hemorrhagic lesions and on the surface of the brainstem and cerebellum. Many AT8‐immunoreactive neurons and neurites were observed in the pons and midbrain, mainly in the locus ceruleus and reticular formation in the midbrain. Several AT8‐immunoreactive neurons and neurites were positive for Gallyas silver staining. A few tiny and short AT8‐immunoreactive processes were observed in the molecular, Purkinje cell and granular layers of the cerebellum. There were a few phosphorylated tau accumulations in the cerebrum without senile plaques. Lewy pathologies and transactive response DNA‐binding protein 43 kDa proteinopathy were not detected. We suspect that oxidative stress after repeated bleedings with long‐term courses in the ventricles and subarachnoid space may accelerate phosphorylated tau accumulation in the brainstem. To our knowledge, this is the first report of MMD with tauopathy in the brainstem.
Identification of somatic mutations in postmortem human brains by whole genome sequencing and their implications for psychiatric disorders
Authors: Nishioka Masaki , Bundo Miki , Ueda Junko , Katsuoka Fumiki , Sato Yukuto , Kuroki Yoko , Ishii Takao , Ukai Wataru , Murayama Shigeo , Hashimoto Eri , Nagasaki Masao , Yasuda Jun , Kasai Kiyoto , Kato Tadafumi , Iwamoto Kazuya
Published: December 2017

Aim

Somatic mutations in the human brain are hypothesized to contribute to the functional diversity of brain cells as well as the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric diseases. However, there are still few reports on somatic mutations in non‐neoplastic human brain tissues. This study attempted to unveil the landscape of somatic mutations in the human brain.

Methods

We explored the landscape of somatic mutations in human brain tissues derived from three individuals with no neuropsychiatric diseases by whole‐genome deep sequencing at a depth of around 100. The candidate mutations underwent multi‐layered filtering, and were validated by ultra‐deep target amplicon sequencing at a depth of around 200 000.

Results

Thirty‐one somatic mutations were identified in the human brain, demonstrating the utility of whole‐genome sequencing of bulk brain tissue. The mutations were enriched in neuron‐expressed genes, and two‐thirds of the identified somatic single nucleotide variants in the brain tissues were cytosine‐to‐thymine transitions, half of which were in CpG dinucleotides.

Conclusion

Our developed filtering and validation approaches will be useful to identify somatic mutations in the human brain. The vulnerability of neuron‐expressed genes to mutational events suggests their potential relevance to neuropsychiatric diseases.
Influenza B virus infection and Stevens–Johnson syndrome
Authors: Tamez Rebecca L. , Tan Whitney V. , O'Malley John T. , Broder Karen R. , Garzon Maria C. , LaRussa Philip , Lauren Christine T.
Published: December 2017

A 2‐year‐old boy with influenza B infection and rapidly worsening targetoid skin lesions with mucosal involvement was diagnosed with Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS) and treated with oseltamivir and intravenous immunoglobulin, with resolution of illness. Subsequent quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine was well tolerated. This case highlights the rarity of SJS in the setting of influenza B infection and addresses the safety of administering subsequent influenza vaccines to such individuals.
Preclinical efficacy and immunogenicity assessment to show that a chimeric Plasmodium falciparum UB05‐09 antigen could be a malaria vaccine candidate
Authors: Dinga J. N. , Gamua S. D. , Ghogomu S. M. , Titanji V. P. K.
Published: December 2017

Although it is generally agreed that an effective vaccine would greatly accelerate the control of malaria, the lone registered malaria vaccine Mosquirix™ has an efficacy of 30%‐60% that wanes rapidly, indicating a need for improved second‐generation malaria vaccines. Previous studies suggested that immune responses to a chimeric Plasmodium falciparum antigen UB05‐09 are associated with immune protection against malaria. Herein, the preclinical efficacy and immunogenicity of UB05‐09 are tested. Growth inhibition assay was employed to measure the effect of anti‐UB05‐09 antibodies on P. falciparum growth in vitro. BALB/c mice were immunized with UB05‐09 and challenged with the lethal Plasmodium yoelii 17XL infection. ELISA was used to measure antigen‐specific antibody production. ELISPOT assays were employed to measure interferon‐gamma production ex vivo after stimulation with chimeric UB05‐09 and its constituent antigens. Purified immunoglobulins raised in rabbits against UB05‐09 significantly inhibited P. falciparum growth in vitro compared to that of its respective constituent antigens. A combination of antibodies to UB05‐09 and the apical membrane antigen (AMA1) completely inhibited P. falciparum growth in culture. Immunization of BALB/c mice with recombinant UB05‐09 blocked parasitaemia and protected them against lethal P. yoelii 17XL challenge infection. These data suggest that UB05‐09 is a malaria vaccine candidate that could be developed further and used in conjunction with AMA1 to create a potent malaria vaccine.
Seed germination and seedling allogamy inRosmarinus officinalis: the costs of inbreeding
Authors: Garcia‐Fayos P. , Castellanos M. C. , Segarra‐Moragues J. G.
Published: December 2017

Self‐pollination by geitonogamy is likely in self‐compatible plants that simultaneously expose a large number of flowers to pollinators. However, progeny of these plants is often highly allogamous. Although mechanisms to increase cross‐pollination have been identified and studied, their relative importance has rarely been addressed simultaneously in plant populations.

We usedRosmarinus officinalisto explore factors that influence the probability of self‐fertilisation due to geitonogamy or that purge its consequences, focusing on their effects on seed germination and allogamy rate. We experimentally tested the effect of geitonogamy on the proportion of filled seeds and how it influences germination rate. During two field seasons, we studied how life history and flowering traits of individuals influence seed germination and allogamy rates of their progeny in wild populations at the extremes of the altitudinal range. The traits considered were plant size, population density, duration of the flowering season, number of open flowers, flowering synchrony among individuals within populations and proportion of male‐sterile flowers.

We found that most seeds obtained experimentally from self‐pollination were apparently healthy but empty, and that the proportion of filled seeds drove the differences in germination rate between self‐ and cross‐pollination experiments. Plants from wild populations consistently had low germination rate and high rate of allogamy, as determined with microsatellites. Germination rate related positively to the length of the flowering season, flowering synchrony and the ratio of male‐sterile flowers, whereas the rate of allogamous seedlings was positively related only to the ratio of male‐sterile flowers.

Rosemary plants purge most of the inbreeding caused by its pollination system by aborting the seeds. This study showed that the rates of seed germination and allogamy of the seedlings depend on a complex combination of factors that vary in space and time. Male sterility of flowers, length of the flowering season and flowering synchrony of individuals within populations all favour high rates of cross‐pollination, therefore increasing germination and allogamy rates. Flowering traits appear to be highly plastic and respond to local and seasonal conditions.
Pain assessment practices in Swedish and Norwegian neonatal care units
Authors: Andersen Randi Dovland , Munsters Josanne M.A. , Vederhus Bente Johanne , Gradin Maria
Published: December 2017

Background

The use of measurement scales to assess pain in neonates is considered a prerequisite for effective management of pain, but these scales are still underutilised in clinical practice.

Aim

The aim of this study was to describe and compare pain assessment practices including the use of pain measurement scales in Norwegian and Swedish neonatal care units.

Methods

A unit survey investigating practices regarding pain assessment and the use of pain measurement scales was sent to all neonatal units in Sweden and Norway (n = 55). All Norwegian and 92% of Swedish units responded.

Results

A majority of the participating units (86.5%) assessed pain. Swedish units assessed and documented pain and used pain measurement scales more frequently than Norwegian units. The most frequently used scales were different versions of Astrid Lindgren's Pain Scale (ALPS) in Sweden and Echelle Douleur Inconfort Noveau‐Ne (EDIN), ALPS and Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) in Norway. Norwegian head nurses had more confidence in their pain assessment method and found the use of pain measurement scales more important than their Swedish colleagues.

Conclusion

The persisting difference between Swedish and Norwegian units in pain assessment and the use of pain measurement scales are not easily explained. However, the reported increased availability and reported use of pain measurement scales in neonatal care units in both countries may be seen as a contribution towards better awareness and recognition of pain, better pain management and potentially less suffering for vulnerable neonates.
The remittance forest: Turning mobile labor into agrarian capital
Authors: Peluso Nancy Lee , Purwanto Agus Budi
Published: December 2017

How does labor migration affect Indonesian forests? In the mountains of Java, where political forests and plantations date back to colonial state land acquisitions in the nineteenth century, forests are being reconstituted and reconfigured by unusual subjects: the wives and daughters of contracted forest workers and other forest farmers. Working as maids and other domestic laborers in Hong Kong and other prosperous Asian cities, these landless women are sending home remittances to invest in rural resources and changing the understory of the political forest where their husbands and fathers are required to remain available for formal forest labor. Slowly, without really intending to, these women have regendered the forest, not completely ousting the men or the masculine associations with logging and resin collection, but making inroads into the control of the forest lands via the under‐used understory. This article tells how poor, landless women, marginalized as forest residents and as free household labor, reforestation farmers, and poor agricultural laborers, signed up to work as maids in Hong Kong and ended up remaking the forest.
Serious hazards of transfusion – conference report: celebration of 20 years of UK haemovigilance
Authors: Bolton‐Maggs P. H. B.
Published: December 2017

The Annual SHOT Report for incidents in 2016 was published on July 12 and celebrated of 20 years of UK haemovigilance. Components are very safe, related in part to risk‐reduction measures triggered by SHOT reporting. Transfusion‐related acute lung injury is now very rare (all plasma components are provided from male donors), and infection transmission is also uncommon – a single transmission of hepatitis E in 2016 and no bacterial transmissions. Human factors (errors) account for 87% of all reports. Deaths and major morbidity most often result from transfusion‐associated circulatory overload. Wrong transfusions and deaths from ABO‐incompatible transfusion can be reduced by correct bedside checks. It is notable that information technology systems may not be safe. Standardisation is required for flags and alerts. SHOT key recommendations include: assess patients for transfusion‐associated circulatory overload prior to transfusion. Be like a pilot – use a bedside checklist when setting up the transfusion.
Ergosterol is mainly located in the cytoplasmic leaflet of the yeast plasma membrane
Authors: Solanko Lukasz M. , Sullivan David P. , Sere Yves Y. , Szomek Maria , Lunding Anita , Solanko Katarzyna A. , Pizovic Azra , Stanchev Lyubomir D. , Pomorski Thomas Günther , Menon Anant K. , Wüstner Daniel
Published: December 2017

Transbilayer lipid asymmetry is a fundamental characteristic of the eukaryotic cell plasma membrane (PM). While PM phospholipid asymmetry is well documented, the transbilayer distribution of PM sterols such as mammalian cholesterol and yeast ergosterol is not reliably known. We now report that sterols are asymmetrically distributed across the yeast PM, with the majority (~80%) located in the cytoplasmic leaflet. By exploiting the sterol‐auxotrophic hem1Δ yeast strain we obtained cells in which endogenous ergosterol was quantitatively replaced with dehydroergosterol (DHE), a closely related fluorescent sterol that functionally and accurately substitutes for ergosterol in vivo. Using fluorescence spectrophotometry and microscopy we found that <20% of DHE fluorescence was quenched when the DHE‐containing cells were exposed to membrane‐impermeant collisional quenchers (spin‐labeled phosphatidylcholine and trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid). Efficient quenching was seen only after the cells were disrupted by glass‐bead lysis or repeated freeze‐thaw to allow quenchers access to the cell interior. The extent of quenching was unaffected by treatments that deplete cellular ATP levels, collapse the PM electrochemical gradient or affect the actin cytoskeleton. However, alterations in PM phospholipid asymmetry in cells lacking phospholipid flippases resulted in a more symmetric transbilayer distribution of sterol. Similarly, an increase in the quenchable pool of DHE was observed when PM sphingolipid levels were reduced by treating cells with myriocin. We deduce that sterols comprise up to ~45% of all inner leaflet lipids in the PM, a result that necessitates revision of current models of the architecture of the PM lipid bilayer.
Evaluation of the impact of a personalized postdonation short messaging service on the retention of whole blood donors
Authors: Gemelli Carley N. , Carver Alison , Garn Alana , Wright Stephen T. , Davison Tanya E.
Published: December 2017

BACKGROUND

Short messaging service (SMS) is routinely used by blood collection agencies to remind donors about appointments but has been applied less frequently in interventions to increase return behavior. This study aimed to investigate whether receipt of a personalized postdonation SMS promoted donor retention.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

A postdonation SMS was sent to 2605 whole blood donors who had donated at one of six donor centers in Australia from April to July 2015 and left without making a forward appointment. Once their donation was dispatched to a hospital or facility an SMS was sent informing the donor of the hospital or town to which their blood was dispatched. Donor's return behavior over 12 months was examined, comparing with a control group of donors who donated at the same donor centers but did not receive an SMS.

RESULTS

Donors who received the SMS had increased odds of returning to donate within 12 months, with 70.3% of these donors returning (adjusted odds ratio, 1.49; 95% confidence interval, 1.30‐1.71), compared with 62.6% of donors who did not receive the SMS. The SMS was effective in retaining first‐time, novice, and established donors at 12 months, but had no effect on experienced donors. The timing of the receipt of the SMS postdonation had no impact on donor retention.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the potential of utilizing a postdonation SMS that informs donors where their blood has been dispatched as a cost‐effective tool to increase retention, particularly among new donors, who are traditionally more difficult to retain.
Can Africa compete with China in manufacturing? The role of relative unit labour costs
Authors: Golub Stephen S. , Ceglowski Janet , Mbaye Ahmadou Aly , Prasad Varun
Published: December 2017

This paper examines sub‐Saharan Africa's (SSA) bilateral trade and cost competitiveness with China. We document an extraordinary imbalance in the structure of bilateral trade in that China overwhelmingly exports manufactured products to SSA and almost exclusively imports primary products in return. Our principal means of assessing the competitiveness of SSA's manufacturing sector vis‐à‐vis China are measures of relative unit labour costs (RULC). We find that African RULCs declined over the 2000s as China's wages rose faster than Chinese productivity while the reverse was true for the SSA countries in our sample. Nevertheless, RULCs vis‐à‐vis China remain very high for many SSA countries. High RULCs along with weaknesses in the business climate suggest that most SSA countries are unlikely to be competitive in labour‐intensive manufacturing any time soon.