bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist on insulin resistance and endothelial function in obese subjects
Authors: Garg R. , Kneen L. , Williams G. H. , Adler G. K.
Published: October 2013

Aim

Obese individuals have high aldosterone levels that may contribute to insulin resistance (IR) and endothelial dysfunction leading to obesity‐induced cardiovascular disease. We conducted a study to evaluate the effect of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonism on IR and endothelial function in obese individuals. This was a placebo‐controlled, double‐blind, randomized, parallel‐group study (NCT01406015).

Methods

Thirty‐two non‐diabetic, obese subjects [body mass index (BMI) 30 to 45 kg/m2] with no other medical problems were randomized to 6 weeks of treatment with spironolactone 50 mg daily or placebo. Insulin sensitivity index (ISI) was assessed by Matsuda method, endothelial function by flow mediated vasodilatation (FMD) of brachial artery and renal plasma perfusion by clearance of para‐aminohippurate (PAH).

Results

There was no change in weight, BMI or plasma potassium during the study period. Treatment with spironolactone led to increases in serum aldosterone (7.6 ± 6.6 vs. 3.2 ± 1.3 ng/dl; p < 0.02, post‐treatment vs. baseline) and urine aldosterone (11.0 ± 7 vs. 4.8 ± 2.4 µg/g creatinine; p < 0.01) and decreases in systolic blood pressure (116 ± 11 vs. 123 ± 10 mmHg; p < 0.001). There were no changes in these variables in the placebo group. Neither spironolactone nor placebo treatment had a significant effect on ISI or other indices of glucose metabolism [insulin resistance by homeostatic model assessment (HOMA), area under the curve for insulin, area under the curve for glucose], brachial artery reactivity or the renal plasma perfusion values. Changes in these variables were similar in two groups.

Conclusions

We conclude that 6 weeks of treatment with spironolactone does not change insulin sensitivity or endothelial function in normotensive obese individuals with no other comorbidities.
Incremental Value of Three‐Dimensional Transthoracic Echocardiography in the Assessment of Ruptured Aneurysm of Anterior Mitral Leaflet
Authors: Vijay Sudarshan Kumar , Tiwari Bhuwan Chandra , Misra Mukul , Dwivedi Sudhanshu Kumar
Published: October 2013

The mitral valve aneurysm is a rare complication of infective endocarditis involving mitral or aortic valve. The perforation of the mitral valve aneurysm can lead to significant mitral regurgitation (MR) or thromboembolism, which can cause sudden hemodynamic deterioration. We describe here a case of healed infective endocarditis of the aortic valve with ruptured mitral valve aneurysm that led to severe MR. The aneurysm of the anterior mitral leaflet was diagnosed by two‐dimensional transthoracic echocardiography. In this case, three‐dimensional transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated the detailed morphology of mitral valve aneurysm which resulted in successful surgical repair of the aneurysm.
Impact of an invasive alien ant, Wasmannia auropunctata Roger., on a specialised plant–ant mutualism, Barteria fistulosa Mast. and Tetraponera aethiops F. Smith., in a Gabon forest
Authors: MIKISSA JEAN B. , JEFFERY KATHRYN , FRESNEAU DOMINIQUE , MERCIER JEAN L.
Published: October 2013

In tropical West Africa, the ant Tetraponera aethiops obligately inhabits the domatia of Barteria fistulosa trees, aggressively defending the trees from herbivory and pruning off lianas.

We compared the occurrence of ants and lianas on B. fistulosa trees in areas of Gabon, where the invasive little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata, was absent (uninfested area) and present (infested area).

We found that T. aethiops occurred significantly more often in larger B. fistulosa trees, and that occurrence rates were much higher in the uninfested area versus the infested area: on < 1 m trees: 17% vs. 0%; 1–5 m trees: 58% vs. 3%; > 5 m trees: 90% vs. 10%).

In contrast, lianas occurred significantly less often in the uninfested area versus the infested area: on < 1 m trees: 0% vs. 100%; 1–5 m trees: 0% vs. 77%; > 5 m trees: 10% vs. 63%).

In the infested area, W. auropunctata occurred significantly less often in larger B. fistulosa trees (on < 1 m trees: 100%; 1–5 m trees: 97%; > 5 m trees: 90%). Here T. aethiops and W. auropunctata coexisted on few trees (on < 1 m trees: 0%; 1–5 m trees: 1%; > 5 m trees: 4%).

The negative consequences for the trees are already evident, and the situation for native ants is likely to decline further in future because they will not be able to generate the large (relatively resistant) colonies found on large trees.
MYC translocation partner gene determines survival of patients with large B‐cell lymphoma with MYC‐ or double‐hit MYC/BCL2 translocations
Authors: Pedersen Mette Ø. , Gang Anne O. , Poulsen Tim S. , Knudsen Helle , Lauritzen Anne F. , Nielsen Signe L. , Klausen Tobias W. , Nørgaard Peter
Published: October 2013

In large B‐cell lymphoma (LBCL) MYC‐ and MYC/BCL2 double‐hit (DH) translocations have been associated with inferior survival. We hypothesised that the negative prognostic impact of MYC translocation was determined by an immunoglobulin MYC translocation partner gene (IG‐MYC), as opposed to a non‐immunoglobulin partner gene (nonIG‐MYC). In a prospective, unselected cohort of 237 LBCL patients MYC and BCL2 translocations were identified by Flourescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) with split probes. MYC translocation partner gene was identified by IGH/MYC fusion probes and/or kappa/lambda split probes. Clinical data were collected from patient files. MYC translocation was identified in 28/225 patients. IG‐MYC translocation partner gene was identified in 12/24 patients. DH translocation was identified in 23/228 patients. IG‐MYC translocation partner gene was identified in 9/19 DH patients. Neither MYC‐nor DH translocation showed correlation with survival. However, MYC translocation with IG‐MYC translocation partner gene was associated with worse OS compared with both MYC translocation with nonIG‐MYC translocation partner gene (P = 0.02) as well as absence of MYC translocation (P = 0.03). In patients with DH a similar, however, stronger correlation was seen (P = 0.003 and P = 0.0004 respectively). MYC – or DH translocation with nonIG‐MYC translocation partner gene was not associated with worse overall survival (P = 0.2 and P = 0.3 respectively). Most patients received Rituximab (86%) and CHOP/CHOP‐like chemotherapy regimes (81%). We suggest that prognostic stratification of LBCL patients by MYC and/or DH translocations should include identification of MYC translocation partner gene because approximately half of the cases harbour nonIG‐MYC translocation partner genes with no or minor influence on survival.
Withdrawal from extended‐access cocaine self‐administration results in dysregulated functional activity and altered locomotor activity in rats
Authors: Calipari Erin S. , Beveridge Thomas J. R. , Jones Sara R. , Porrino Linda J.
Published: October 2013

Much work has focused on determining the consequences of cocaine self‐administration on specific neurotransmitter systems, thus neglecting the global changes that occur. Previous imaging studies have focused on the effects of cocaine self‐administration in the presence of high blood levels of cocaine, but have not determined the functional effects of cocaine self‐administration after cocaine has cleared. Extended‐access cocaine self‐administration, where animals administer cocaine for 6 h each day, results in escalation in the rate of cocaine intake and is believed to model the transition from recreational use to addiction in humans. We aimed to determine the functional changes following acute (48 h) withdrawal from an extended‐access, defined‐intake self‐administration paradigm (5 days, 40 injections/day, 6 h/day), a time point when behavioral changes are present. Using the 2‐[14C]deoxyglucose method to measure rates of local cerebral glucose metabolism, an indicator of functional activity, we found reductions in circuits related to learning and memory, attention, sleep, and reward processing, which have important clinical implications for cocaine addiction. Additionally, lower levels of functional activity were found in the dorsal raphe and locus coeruleus, suggesting that cocaine self‐administration may have broader effects on brain function than previously noted. These widespread neurochemical reductions were concomitant with substantial behavioral differences in these animals, highlighted by increased vertical activity and decreased stereotypy. These data demonstrate that behavioral and neurochemical impairments following cocaine self‐administration are present in the absence of drug and persist after cocaine has been cleared.
In vitro intrinsic optical imaging can be used for source determination in cortical slices
Authors: Borbély Sándor , Körössy Csaba , Somogyvári Zoltán , Világi Ildikó
Published: October 2013

In the last decades intrinsic optical imaging has become a widely used technique for monitoring activity in vivo and in vitro. It is assumed that in brain slices the source of intrinsic optical signals (IOSs) is the change in light scattering caused by cell swelling or shrinkage. The aim of the present study was to find a correlation between electrical activity and parallel optical characteristics, elicited by 4‐aminopyridine‐containing or Mg2+‐free medium in rat cortical brain slices. Electrophysiological signals and reflected light alterations were recorded during spontaneous seizure activity. Current source density (CSD) analysis was performed on the electrophysiological records. Direct correlation analysis of IOS to CSD was made, and source distribution provided by IOS and CSD methods was compared by determining Matthews correlation coefficient. The gradual development of seizure‐like activity elicited the reduction of light reflectance. The main findings of our experiments are that long‐term epileptiform activity resulted in persistent alteration in IOSs of brain slices. The observed IOS pattern remained stable after 1 h incubation in convulsants. The pattern of IOS shows good correlation with the data obtained from the CSD analysis. Persistent IOS changes provide information about the area‐specific changes of basic excitability, which can serve as a background for ictal and interictal‐like epileptiform activity. We can conclude that changes in IOSs correlate well with electrophysiological recordings under different conditions. Our experiments provide evidence that underlying synchronised neuronal processes produce parallel alterations in IOSs and electrophysiological activity.
Fiscal Policy, Public Debt and the World Crisis
Authors: Eggertsson Gauti B.
Published: October 2013

This study summarizes a theory of the origin of the current world economic crisis and the role of fiscal policy in mitigating its effect. The perspective is dynamic stochastic general equilibrium analysis. Overall, the model analysis suggests a strong case for fiscal policy if the monetary authority is unable/unwilling to close the output gap. This remains the case, even when explicitly taking into account public debt dynamics.
Application of long‐chain alcohols as diet‐composition markers in sheep fed on grass–white clover and heather–gorse plant species
Authors: Ferreira L. M. M. , Celaya R. , Santos A. S. , Mayes R. W. , Rodrigues M. A. M. , Osoro K.
Published: October 2013

Utilization of long‐chain alcohols (LCOH) as diet‐composition markers in sheep consuming six diets composed of improved pasture species (Lolium perenneandTrifolium repens) with heather–gorse components (Ericaspp.,Calluna vulgarisandUlex gallii) was evaluated. Twenty‐four adult cross‐bred sheep were housed in individual stalls. Diet composition was estimated fromLCOHconcentrations, combined or not with alkanes and long‐chain fatty acid (LCFA) data using least‐squares procedures. Prior to calculations, faecal concentrations were corrected using mean treatment (faecal recovery 1,FR1) recoveries and mean recoveries across diets (FR2). Estimates were compared with those obtained without faecal correction (FR0) and known values. Large differences between plant species and plant parts were found inLCOHpatterns and totalLCOHconcentrations.LCOHprovided complementary information to that given by alkanes andLCFA. Even‐chainLCOHcomprised the largest fraction, representing on average 0·894 of total concentrations. Faecal recovery was incomplete and tended to increase with carbon‐chain length (CCL) in a curvilinear manner (FR = −7·872 + 0·580 × CCL − 0·010 × CCL2;P < 0·001;r2 = 0·752). Diet composition influenced (P < 0·001)LCOHrecovery, although variability within (CVof 9·0%) and between (CVof 13·3%) diets was low. Accuracy of estimates was influenced (P < 0·001) by faecal‐correction method and markers used, and the best estimate was obtained combiningLCOHand alkanes. Improvement in estimate accuracy can be achieved if suitable correction ofLCOHfaecal concentrations is performed prior to calculations. Results indicated thatLCOHshowed lower dependence than alkanes andLCFAon the use of accurate faecal‐correction data.
Tracking Groundwater Discharge to a Large River using Tracers and Geophysics
Authors: Harrington Glenn A. , Gardner W. Payton , Munday Tim J.
Published: October 2013

Few studies have investigated large reaches of rivers in which multiple sources of groundwater are responsible for maintaining baseflow. This paper builds upon previous work undertaken along the Fitzroy River, one of the largest perennial river systems in north‐western Australia. Synoptic regional‐scale sampling of both river water and groundwater for a suite of environmental tracers (4He, 87Sr/86Sr, 222Rn and major ions), and subsequent modeling of tracer behavior in the river, has enabled definition and quantification of groundwater input from at least three different sources. We show unambiguous evidence of both shallow “local” groundwater, possibly recharged to alluvial aquifers beneath the adjacent floodplain during recent high‐flow events, and old “regional” groundwater introduced via artesian flow from deep confined aquifers. We also invoke hyporheic exchange and either bank return flow or parafluvial flow to account for background 222Rn activities and anomalous chloride trends along river reaches where there is no evidence of the local or regional groundwater inputs. Vertical conductivity sections acquired through an airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey provide insights to the architecture of the aquifers associated with these sources and general groundwater quality characteristics. These data indicate fresh groundwater from about 300 m below ground preferentially discharging to the river, at locations consistent with those inferred from tracer data. The results demonstrate how sampling rivers for multiple environmental tracers of different types—including stable and radioactive isotopes, dissolved gases and major ions—can significantly improve conceptualization of groundwater—surface water interaction processes, particularly when coupled with geophysical techniques in complex hydrogeological settings.
In silico calculated affinity of FVIII‐derived peptides for HLA class II alleles predicts inhibitor development in haemophilia A patients with missense mutations in the F8 gene
Authors: Pashov A. D. , Calvez T. , Gilardin L. , Maillère B. , Repessé Y. , Oldenburg J. , Pavlova A. , Kaveri S. V. , Lacroix‐Desmazes S.
Published: October 2013

Forty per cent of haemophilia A (HA) patients have missense mutations in the F8 gene. Yet, all patients with identical mutations are not at the same risk of developing factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitors. In severe HA patients, human leucocyte antigen (HLA) haplotype was identified as a risk factor for onset of FVIII inhibitors. We hypothesized that missense mutations in endogenous FVIII alter the affinity of the mutated peptides for HLA class II, thus skewing FVIII‐specific T‐cell tolerance and increasing the risk that the corresponding wild‐type FVIII‐derived peptides induce an anti‐FVIII immune response during replacement therapy. Here, we investigated whether affinity for HLA class II of wild‐type FVIII‐derived peptides that correspond to missense mutations described in the Haemophilia A Mutation, Structure, Test and Resource database is associated with inhibitor development. We predicted the mean affinity for 10 major HLA class II alleles of wild‐type FVIII‐derived peptides that corresponded to 1456 reported cases of missense mutations. Linear regression analysis confirmed a significant association between the predicted mean peptide affinity and the mutation inhibitory status (P = 0.006). Significance was lost after adjustment on mutation position on FVIII domains. Although analysis of the A1‐A2‐A3‐C1 domains yielded a positive correlation between predicted HLA‐binding affinity and inhibitory status (OR = 0.29 [95% CI: 0.14–0.60] for the high affinity tertile, P = 0.002), the C2 domain‐restricted analysis indicated an inverse correlation (OR = 3.56 [1.10–11.52], P = 0.03). Our data validate the importance of the affinity of FVIII peptides for HLA alleles to the immunogenicity of therapeutic FVIII in patients with missense mutations.
Impact of PNPLA3 polymorphisms on the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection
Authors: Sato Masaya , Kato Naoya , Tateishi Ryosuke , Muroyama Ryosuke , Kowatari Norie , Li Wenwen , Goto Kaku , Otsuka Motoyuki , Shiina Shuichiro , Yoshida Haruhiko , Omata Masao , Koike Kazuhiko
Published: October 2013

Aim

The PNPLA3 rs738409 C>G polymorphism (encoding for I148M) has recently been identified as a susceptibility factor for steatosis‐mediated liver damage. We evaluated the influence of this polymorphism on hepatocarcinogenesis in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) virus infection.

Methods

We genotyped the rs738409 single nucleotide polymorphism in 358 hepatitis C‐associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and correlated the age at onset of HCC and the interval between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and the development of HCC in patients with each genotype.

Results

The frequencies of CC, CG and GG genotypes were 27.9% (100/358), 49.2% (176/358) and 22.9% (82/358), respectively, and were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. The median age at onset of HCC for the GG genotype was significantly younger compared to for non‐GG genotypes (67.81 vs 69.87 years, P < 0.001), and the median interval between HCV infection and the development of HCC was significantly shorter in patients with the GG genotype (39.96 vs 40.85 years, P = 0.008). PNPLA3 GG genotype was also associated with a higher aspartate aminotransferase level (69.5 vs 59.0 IU/L, P = 0.02), lower prothrombin time (73.0% vs 78.0%, P = 0.008) and a higher prevalence of histological steatosis (40.0% vs. 22.2%, P = 0.01) at the time of HCC onset.

Conclusion

The PNPLA3 genotype GG may be associated with accelerated hepatocarcinogenesis in CHC patients through increased steatosis in the liver.
2. CONSTRUCTIONS OF “HOME,”“FRONT,” AND WOMEN'S MILITARY EMPLOYMENT IN FIRST‐WORLD‐WAR BRITAIN: A SPATIAL INTERPRETATION
Authors: ROBERT KRISZTINA
Published: October 2013

In First‐World‐War Britain, women's ambition to perform noncombatant duties for the military faced considerable public opposition. Nevertheless, by late 1916 up to 10,000 members of the female volunteer corps were working for the army, laying the foundation for some 90,000 auxiliaries of the official Women's Services, who filled support positions in the armed forces in the second half of the war. This essay focuses on the public debate in which the volunteers overcame their critics to understand how they obtained sufficient popular consent for their martial work. I explain the process in terms of shifting hegemonic understandings of space. As critics' arguments in the debate indicate, the gender attribution of war participation was organized and represented spatially, assigning men to the warlike “front” as warriors and women to the peaceful “home” as civilians. To redefine the meaning of these gendered wartime spaces, women volunteers deployed rival spatial discourses and practices in their campaign for martial employment. The essay explores the progress of these competing definitions through feminist and spatial theories, including gender performativity, discursively constructed and constructive spaces, and heterotopias. I argue that the upheaval caused by the war in gender and spatial norms undermined absolute conceptualizations of space with dichotomous binary areas on which critics drew for their arguments and reinforced more recent, relative spatialities, including the cultural construction of militarized heterotopic sites in between and paralleling both “home” and “front” for soldiers in training or recovery. The volunteers' efforts to gain access to military employment both contributed to and were supported by this shift. Heterotopic sites offered ideal discursive locations for constructing the new gender role of auxiliary soldiering through the performance of martial training and work, and competing spatial definitions provided arguments through which they could justify their activities to both critics and supporters.
7. SPACES, PLACES, AND THE HISTORIANS: A COMMENT FROM A GERMAN PERSPECTIVE
Authors: SCHWERHOFF GERD
Published: October 2013

This article discusses from a specifically German point of view the “spatial turn” in history and the approaches of this forum. Many recent interventions have suggested that “space” (as opposed to “time”) was for many years a marginalized category in the German historiographical debate because of the ideological contamination of the category “space” by the Nazis. In the context of the vivid, lively “provincial” or “regional” history practiced in Germany, however, “space” has always played an important role. The debates around the spatial turn nevertheless provide the opportunity for deliberate reconceptualization. This comment proposes a relational understanding of “space” as the core of the new approach and identifies some central elements and terms for it: the differentiation of “spaces,”“places,” and “locations”; movement in space; the division of space in the form of boundaries; finally, the ordering and classification of space in the form of written or visual representations.
HOW TO CHANGE HISTORY
Authors: Koditschek Theodore
Published: October 2013

The recent death of Eric Hobsbawm provides a fitting occasion to take stock of the entire trajectory of his work. Taking his final book, How to Change the World, as its starting point, this essay considers Hobsbawm's effort to change the way history was written. It divides his career into three main phases: 1) during the 1940s and 50s when he served his apprenticeship and emerged as a leading labor historian of modern Britain. Working in conjunction with colleagues in the Communist Party Historian's group, Hobsbawm helped to raise Marxist history to academic respectability; 2) during the 1960s and 70s, Hobsbawm reached the apogee of his career, publishing the first two volumes of his synoptic history of modern capitalism, as well a multitude of more specialized and critical works. No longer just one among a group of Marxist scholars, he—along with E. P. Thompson—became one of the most famous and influential historians in the world. 3) For Hobsbawm, as for other Marxists, the 1980s and 1990s were a time of crisis, when Marxism was destabilized and communism collapsed. Ironically, this essay argues, it was during this challenging period that Hobsbawm's most influential work appeared—most notably, his studies of modern nationalism and his analysis of the “invention of tradition”. Whereas the early Hobsbawm had worked to bring Marxist history into the academy, the later Hobsbawm (perhaps inadvertently) showed how the academy could absorb analytical elements initially formulated in a Marxist framework by translating them into non‐Marxist terms. Whatever one thinks of Hobsbawm's intellectual legacy, one must acknowledge his status as a polymathic giant who wrote global history that was at once theoretically grounded, publicly accessible, and historiographically consequential.
Anancyism and the Dialectics of an Africana Feminist Ethnophilosophy: Sandra Jackson‐Opoku'sThe River Where Blood Is Born
Authors: Gillman Laura
Published: October 2013

Although intersectionality has been widely disseminated across the disciplines as a tool to center women of color's developed perspectives on social reality, it has been notably absent in the scholarship of feminist philosophy and philosophy of race. I first examine the causes and processes of the exclusions of women of color feminist thought more generally, and of intersectionality in particular. Then, focusing attention on Black feminisms, I read Sandra Jackson‐Opoku's 1997 novel, The River Where Blood Is Born, with and against Paget Henry's Africana ethnophilosophy. I model an interdisciplinary, intersectional approach to Henry's ethnophilosophy, broadening its philosophical scope by historicizing the liminality that characterizes the realities of many diasporic Black women. I also develop an interpretation of the female protagonists to suggest how many Black women within different historical contexts develop practices to recover African symbolic and discursive registers as a means to claim their subjectivities. Additionally, I challenge Henry's teleological explanation for an increasingly secular Africana philosophical identity.
Race and a Transnational Reproductive Caste System: Indian Transnational Surrogacy
Authors: Banerjee Amrita
Published: October 2013

When it comes to discourses around women's labor in global contexts, we need feminist philosophical frameworks that take the intersections of gender, race, and global capitalism seriously in order to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of women's lives within global processes. Women of color feminist philosophy can bring much to the table in such discussions. In this essay, I theorize about a concrete instance of global women's labor: transnational commercial gestational surrogacy. By introducing a “racialized gender” analysis into the philosophical debate on this issue, I argue that women's reproductive labor is becoming increasingly stratified within the global economy along racial and other lines. This paves the way for a “transnational reproductive caste system,” which ends up reifying various social hierarchies and sustaining existing global inequities. I aim to expose the kind of violence that surrogates experience due to such stratification as women of color in a transnational space. I discuss how discourses of race and existing racial hierarchies play out in international surrogacy and ways in which these, and indeed, the very category of “woman of color” get complicated in international contexts when they intermingle with other localized social forms and global inequities. For the purposes of my argument, I engage several insights from feminist of color Dorothy Roberts's work on race and reproductive technologies in the US.
“Speaking into the Void”? Intersectionality Critiques and Epistemic Backlash
Authors: May Vivian M.
Published: October 2013

Taking up Kimberlé Crenshaw's conclusion that black feminist theorists seem to continue to find themselves in many ways “speaking into the void” (Crenshaw 2011, 228), even as their works are widely celebrated, I examine intersectionality critiques as one site where power asymmetries and dominant imaginaries converge in the act of interpretation (or cooptation) of intersectionality. That is, despite its current “status,” intersectionality also faces epistemic intransigence in the ways in which it is read and applied. My aim is not to suggest that intersectionality cannot (or should not) be critiqued, nor do I maintain that celebratory applications/interpretations are immune from epistemic distortion when it comes to interpreting intersectionality. Rather, my goal is to demonstrate that critiques of intersectionality are one important site to examine hermeneutic marginalization and interpretive violence; the politics of citation; and the impact of dominant expectations or established social imaginaries on meaning‐making. In so doing, I aim to consider more fully how entrenched ways of thinking are frequently relied upon to interpret and critique intersectionality, even as these are often the very frameworks that intersectionality theorists have identified as highly problematic tools of misrepresentation, erasure, and violation. This slippage away from intersectionality's outlooks, whether in critical or laudatory contexts, is a pivotal site of epistemic negotiation we must examine more closely.
Weathering: Climate Change and the “Thick Time” of Transcorporeality
Authors: Neimanis Astrida , Walker Rachel Loewen
Published: October 2013

In the dominant “climate change” imaginary, this phenomenon is distant and abstracted from our experiences of weather and the environment in the privileged West. Moreover, climate change discourse is saturated mostly in either neoliberal progress narratives of controlling the future or sustainability narratives of saving the past. Both largely obfuscate our implication therein. This paper proposes a different climate change imaginary. We draw on feminist new materialist theories—in particular those of Stacy Alaimo, Claire Colebrook, and Karen Barad—to describe our relationship to climate change as one of “weathering.” We propose the temporal frame of “thick time”—a transcorporeal stretching between present, future, and past—in order to reimagine our bodies as archives of climate and as making future climates possible. In doing so, we can rethink the temporal narratives of climate change discourse and develop a feminist ethos of responsivity toward climatic phenomena. This project reminds us that we are not masters of the climate, nor are we just spatially “in” it. As weather‐bodies, we are thick with climatic intra‐actions; we are makers of climate‐time. Together we are weathering the world.
Only Resist: Feminist Ecological Citizenship and the Post‐politics of Climate Change
Authors: MacGregor Sherilyn
Published: October 2013

European political theorists have argued that contemporary imaginaries of climate change are symptomatic of a post‐political condition. My aim in this essay is to consider what this analysis might mean for a feminist green politics and how those who believe in such a project might respond. Whereas much of the gender‐focused scholarship on climate change is concerned with questions of differentiated vulnerabilities and gendered divisions of responsibility and risk, I want to interrogate the strategic, epistemological, and normative implications for ecological feminism of a dominant, neoliberal climate change narrative that arguably has no political subject, casts Nature as a threat to be endured, and that replaces democratic public debate with expert administration and individual behavior change. What hope is there for counter‐hegemonic political theories and social movements in times like these? I suggest that rather than give in and get on the crowded climate change bandwagon, an alternative response is to pursue a project of feminist ecological citizenship that blends resistance to hegemonic neoliberal discourses with a specifically feminist commitment to reclaiming democratic debate about social‐environmental futures.
Tracing site‐specific isotopic signatures along a Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus food chain
Authors: Charmantier Anne , Blondel Jacques , Perret Philippe , Harmelin‐Vivien Mireille
Published: October 2013

Food chains culminating with temperate insectivorous passerines are well described, yet whether trophic webs can be site‐specific remains a largely unexplored question. In the case of site‐ or habitat‐specificity of food webs, stable isotope signatures of bird feathers may enable assignment of unmarked individuals to a site or a habitat of origin. We address this question in landscapes that include contrasting forest habitat patches with either deciduous Downy Oak Quercus humilis or evergreen Holm Oak Quercus ilex as dominant tree species. First, we examine the spatial variation across habitats and sites in the stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) along the oak leaf–Tortrix moth Tortrix viridana caterpillar–Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus food chain. Secondly, we assess whether the isotopic signatures allow for correct assignment of individual birds to their site or habitat of origin. At the scale of the landscape, stable isotope values enabled identification of the different components of the Blue Tit food chain: from oak leaves to Blue Tit nestlings and yearling birds. However, isotopic signatures were site‐specific (i.e. geographical) more than habitat‐specific (i.e. deciduous vs. evergreen oaks). Discriminant analyses correctly assigned 85% of nestlings and 83% of resident yearling birds, indicating a pronounced effect of site on Blue Tit feather isotopic signatures. We thereby demonstrate that isotopes reflect a stronger association of locally born birds to the local features of their habitat than that of un‐ringed yearling birds, whose plumage may have grown while in a wider geographical area. This study provides evidence of site‐specific isotopic signatures from oak leaves to Blue Tit feathers at a fine spatial scale.
Surface, Biocompatible and Hemocompatible Properties of Meta‐Amorphous Titanium Oxide Film
Authors: Wang Mao‐Sheng , Lee Fei‐Peng , Shen Yun‐Dun , Chen Chien‐Hsun , Ou Keng‐Liang , Ou Shih‐Fu
Published: October 2013

This study involved modification of the surface of Ti by micro‐arc oxidation (MAO). A rough and porous oxide film with good wettability was formed on the Ti surface. This MAO‐treated film exhibited a meta‐amorphous structure comprising crystalline anatase and rutile TiO2 as well as amorphous phases. In addition, the incorporation of Ca and P in the MAO‐treated film was induced by micro‐arc discharge. The biological responses of the MAO‐treated surfaces were evaluated by observing the adhesion of MG63 osteoblast‐like cells and platelets. The MAO‐treated Ti had a considerably better biocompatibility and blood compatibility than untreated Ti.
Effect of distilled water on rapid inactivation of tumour cells attached to surgery instruments
Authors: Yu Xiao‐Fen , Ma Ying‐Yu , Hu Xian‐Qin , Zhang Qin‐Fang , Ye Zai‐Yuan
Published: October 2013

The aim of the study was to explore the effect of distilled water on killing tumour cells attached to the surgery instruments during operation. Tumour cells were collected from the suspected tumour cell‐contaminated surgery instruments and then cultured. Then the tumour cells were treated by distilled water at different gradient temperature for different time periods. The morphology of the tumour cells was observed by inverted microscope after hematoxylin‐eosin staining. The results showed that positive tumour cell culture rate was 34.3%. After soaked in distilled water for 60 s at 55°C, the tumour cells were inactive, and the death rate was 100%. We also found that no active cells were seen to grow adherently after recultured. In conclusion, tumour cells can be killed by distilled water for 60 s at 55°C, which provides a new fast and low‐cost tumour‐free technique to inactivate tumour cells attached to surgery instruments.
Role of depressive symptoms and self‐efficacy of medication adherence in Korean patients after successful percutaneous coronary intervention
Authors: Son Youn‐Jung , Kim Sun‐Hee , Park Jin‐Hee
Published: October 2013

This cross‐sectional study sought to identify the prevalence of medication adherence and to explore the role of depression and self‐efficacy on medication adherence among patients with coronary artery diseases. Participants were recruited among outpatients who successfully underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug‐eluting stent at academic medical centres in Cheonan, South Korea. Medication adherence was evaluated by the eight‐item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale using a validated Korean version. Prevalence of non‐adherent to medication was 60.3%. With non‐depressed and high self‐efficacy as reference and after adjusting for age and gender, the models showed that those with depression and low self‐efficacy are more likely to be non‐adherent to medication. Therefore, future studies should focus on the development of interventions designed to reduce depression and increase self‐efficacy for improving patient adherence to cardiovascular medications following PCI.
Quality of life, depression, adherence to treatment and illness perception of patients on haemodialysis
Authors: Nabolsi Manar M , Wardam Lina , Al‐Halabi Jehad O
Published: October 2013

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between quality of life, depression, perception of seriousness of illness and adherence to treatment among Jordanian patients with end stage renal disease on maintenance haemodialysis. The study was carried out using a descriptive, correlation design. A convenience sample of 244 participants was recruited from four major dialysis units in Amman. A self‐report questionnaire included demographic data, adherence to treatment and perception of seriousness of illness. Quality of Life Index and Beck Depression Inventory were used for data collection. There was a negative correlation between quality of life and depression (r = −0.05, P = 0.000). Depression was higher among women than men, whereas both gender had low quality of life scores. Higher quality of life has been associated with perceived seriousness of illness and more adherence to treatment regimen. This study provides preliminary evidence to develop culturally sensitive nursing strategies to asses and manage depression, enhance quality of life and adherence to treatment of patients on haemodialysis.
Factors influencing patient satisfaction with antimuscarinic treatment of overactive bladder syndrome: Results of a real‐life clinical study
Authors: Akino Hironobu , Namiki Mikio , Suzuki Koji , Fuse Hideki , Kitagawa Yasuhide , Miyazawa Katsuhito , Fujiuchi Yasuyoshi , Yokoyama Osamu
Published: October 2013

Objectives

To investigate patient satisfaction with antimuscarinic treatment of overactive bladder syndrome, and to identify factors having a significant influence on satisfaction.

Methods

A cross‐sectional questionnaire survey was carried out to assess treatment satisfaction among male and female patients with overactive bladder (age ≥20 years) in the Hokuriku district of Japan. The overactive bladder symptom scores, treatment efficacies, adverse events (dry mouth and constipation), and patient satisfaction scores were investigated and compared among patients using different antimuscarinic therapeutics.

Results

In total, 977 survey respondents (52.6% men; mean age 73.6 years) received antimuscarinic treatment. The mean overactive bladder symptom score of these patients was 6.17; in addition, 32.3% patients were satisfied with their treatment, but 33.1% were dissatisfied. Factors having a significant influence on treatment satisfaction were sex (men were less satisfied), efficacy, adverse events and the overactive bladder symptom score. Constipation negatively influenced patient satisfaction to a greater extent than did dry mouth. Patient satisfaction varied according to the drug used. Constipation was less severe with the immediate‐release‐type agents (imidafenacin and oxybutynin) than with the extended‐release‐type (propiverine, solifenacin or tolterodine).

Conclusions

Just one‐third of Japanese Hokuriku patients with overactive bladder seem to be satisfied with their antimuscarinic treatment. Patient satisfaction is impaired by poor efficacy and the presence of adverse events; furthermore, constipation should be recognized as an adverse event that negatively influences patient satisfaction to a greater extent than dry mouth. Patient satisfaction differs according to the antimuscarinic agent used, with higher patient satisfaction being associated with less severe constipation.
Aggregate Australian Takeovers: A Review of Markov Regime Switching Models
Authors: Duong Lien
Published: October 2013

This article reviews the case of modeling merger waves in the Australian market for the period 1972–2004. Three Markov switching models are examined, the Gaussian AR(1), Poisson AR(1), and State‐Space autoregressive moving average (ARMA) (1,1), to find which gives the best fit. The State‐Space Markov switching ARMA(1,1) model is found to be the best for describing Australian takeover activity as estimation results based on it have a lower Bayesian information criterion score than the other two models. Each model's ability to predict a ‘wave’ is then tested by including its estimated probability in a macroeconomic model to explain merger activity. The State‐Space model also performs better because the inclusion of its estimated probability substantially increases the explanatory power of the regression model (measured by the regression adjusted R2). In addition, it predicted a takeover wave in 2009, which was closer to the actual incidents of takeover activity in the market at that time than the predictions of the other two models. The results are robust when the measure of takeover activity is changed from the number of takeover bids to the proportion of takeover bids relatively to the number of exchange‐listed companies.

JEL classification: G34, C32.
Abundances of Sulfur, Selenium, Tellurium, Rhenium and Platinum‐Group Elements in Eighteen Reference Materials by Isotope Dilution Sector‐Field ICP‐MS and Negative TIMS
Authors: Wang Zaicong , Becker Harry
Published: October 2013

Geological reference materials (RMs) with variable compositions and NIST SRM 612 were analysed by isotope dilution mass spectrometry for bulk rock concentrations of chalcogen elements (sulfur, selenium and tellurium), rhenium and platinum‐group elements (PGEs: Ru, Pd, Os, Ir and Pt), including the isotope amount ratios of 187Os/188Os. All concentrations were obtained from the same aliquot after HCl‐HNO3 digestion in a high pressure asher at 320 °C. Concentrations were determined after chemical separation by negative TIMS, ICP‐MS and hydride generation ICP‐MS (Se, Te). As in previous studies, concentrations of the PGEs in most RMs were found to be highly variable, which may be ascribed to sample heterogeneity at the < 1 g level. In contrast, S, Se and Te displayed good precision (RSD < 5%) in most RMs, suggesting that part of the PGE budget is controlled by different phases, compared with the chalcogen budget. The method may minimise losses of volatile chalcogens during the closed‐system digestion and indicates the different extent of heterogeneity of chalcogens, Re and PGEs in the same sample aliquot. OKUM, SCo‐1, MRG‐1, DR‐N and MAG‐1 are useful RMs for the chalcogens. NIST SRM 612 displays homogenous distribution of S, Se, Te, Pt and Pd in 30 mg aliquots, in contrast with micro‐scale heterogeneity of Se, Pd and Pt.
Revalidation of the genera Bia and Zuckertia (Euphorbiaceae) with B. capivarensis sp. nov. from Serra da Capivara, Brazil
Authors: Medeiros Débora , de Senna Valle Luci , Valka Alves Ruy José
Published: October 2013

Bia Kl. and Zuckertia Baill. have long been considered sections of the genus Tragia L. Webster revalidated the generic status of Bia based on morphological and molecular analyses and proposed two sections, Bia sect. Bia restricted to South America comprising four species, and B. sect. Zuckertia as a monotypic section from Mexico. Also based on morphological and more recent phylogenetic analyses, we propose the revalidation of the generic status of Zuckertia, present a new circumscription and morphological data for the genus Bia, and describe B. capivarensis D. Medeiros, Senna‐Valle & Alves sp. nov., a new species from Serra da Capivara National Park, Piauí, Brazil. Based on the collected material, an illustration and a detailed description of the new species are provided, as well as a key to Zuckertia and Bia and their species.
Magnolia denudata var. glabrata var. nov. (Magnoliaceae) from Hunan, China
Authors: Wang Ya‐Ling , Yang Jian‐Fen , Zhang Shou‐Zhou
Published: October 2013

Magnolia denudata var. glabrata Y. L. Wang et S. Z. Zhang var. nov. is described and illustrated from Hunan, China. The variety occurs mainly in semi‐evergreen forest of south Hunan at altitudes between 700 and 1260 m a.s.l. It differs from M. denudata var. denudata by its green and glabrous twigs and leaves which are glabrous above and have some white pubescence underneath. With its white flowers consisting of mostly 9 tepals, it differs from M. sprengeri Pamp. which mainly has 12 tepals in various shades of red/pink to white. The new variety is rare and considered endangered due to habitat destruction.
Diversification across the New World within the ‘blue’ cardinalids (Aves: Cardinalidae)
Authors: Bryson Robert W. , Chaves Jaime , Smith Brian Tilston , Miller Matthew J. , Winker Kevin , Pérez‐Emán Jorge L. , Klicka John
Published: October 2013

Aim

To examine the history of diversification of ‘blue’ cardinalids (Cardinalidae) across North and South America.

Location

North America (including Middle America) and South America.

Methods

We collected 163 individuals of the 14 species of blue cardinalids and generated multilocus sequence data (3193 base pairs from one mitochondrial and three nuclear genes) to infer phylogeographical structure and reconstruct time‐calibrated species trees. We then estimated the ancestral range at each divergence event and tested for temporal shifts in diversification rate.

Results

Twenty‐five lineages of blue cardinalids clustered into two major clades: one confined to North America, and a second concentrated in South America. Blue cardinalids probably originated in North America, but reconstructions were influenced by how migrant taxa were assigned to biogeographical regions. Most of the pre‐Pleistocene divergences between extant taxa occurred in the North American clade, whereas most divergences in South America and adjacent Middle America occurred during the Pleistocene. Despite these differences, the rate of diversification for both clades has been similar and relatively constant over the past 10 million years, with little geographical exchange between North and South America outside the Panamanian isthmus region.

Main conclusions

Our reconstruction of the diversification history of blue cardinalids indicates a role of both Neogene and Quaternary events in generating biotic diversity across North and South America. Although ancestral area reconstruction suggests a possible North American origin for blue cardinalids, the occurrence of seasonal migration in this group and their relatives limits inference. Our study highlights the importance of considering ecological and behavioural characteristics together with palaeogeological events in order to gain an understanding of the diversification history of widespread, mobile taxonomic groups.
Cannabis Use Among High‐Risk Youth inIsrael (2004–2011): An Examination of Gender and Country of Origin Status
Authors: Isralowitz Richard , Reznik Alexander
Published: October 2013

Problem

Scant knowledge exists about high‐risk adolescents who are school dropouts in treatment for substance abuse.

Purpose

This study aims to examine the patterns of cannabis (i.e., marijuana and hashish) use among school dropouts receiving substance abuse treatment based on their gender and country of origin status (i.e.,Israeli and formerSovietUnion—FSU).

Methods

 A total of 628 dropouts referred to a residential substance abuse treatment facility inIsrael from 2004 to 2011 were studied. Chi‐square andttest analyses were used to determine the impact of gender and country of origin status on cannabis use.

Findings

Significant differences exist for age of first, lifetime, and last 30‐day cannabis use.FSUyouths begin cannabis at an earlier age. Cannabis use tends to be higher among males and those with Israeli country of origin status. Furthermore, cannabis use among dropouts is much higher than those attending school.

Conclusions

Gender and country of origin status have implications that should be of concern to healthcare professionals treating adolescent substance abuse. Further research is needed to validate the study findings both inIsrael and other countries for policy, training, and treatment purposes.