bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association of multiple sclerosis with lateral olfactory tract usher substance (LOTUS), a possible endogenous inhibitor of axonal degeneration
Authors: Takahashi Keita , Takei Kohtaro , Tanaka Fumiaki
Published: December 2015

Neuronal regeneration in the adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS) is restricted after brain injury, and some of myelin components and their common receptor, Nogo receptor‐1 (NgR1), have been identified as the key molecules for limiting axonal regeneration in the CNS. They have been widely studied as therapeutic targets to overcome the limitation of neuronal regeneration, and strategies using antagonism to NgR1 are expected for the development of the most promising therapies. Recently signaling through NgR1 was shown to be an underlying mechanism of axonal degeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS). Although MS is generally considered an autoimmune demyelinating disorder, axonal degeneration has recently attracted attention as an important pathological feature and one of the mechanisms leading to progressive neurological disability. These pathological and clinical features of MS suggest that molecules involved in limitation of axonal growth can be potential candidates for MS biomarker and therapeutic target, and recent studies have supported these hypotheses. We have previously identified a novel endogenous NgR1 antagonist and named it lateral olfactory tract usher substance (LOTUS). Our data showed that LOTUS promotes axonal growth through blocking of NgR1 signaling, suggesting that LOTUS could be an endogenous inhibitor of axonal degeneration. Furthermore, our recent study demonstrated an interesting variation of LOTUS level in the cerebrospinal fluid of MS patients that was well correlated with disease activity. Here, we review the association of MS with the molecules related to axonal growth including LOTUS, and discuss the clinical application of LOTUS as a promising biomarker and therapeutic target.
Advance of genetics in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Matsushita Takuya
Published: December 2015

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by temporal and spatial dissemination of demyelination in the central nervous system and the pathogenesis results from both genetic and environmental factors. Elaborate surveys have revealed familial accumulation of MS and provide unequivocal evidence that genetic factors contribute to the susceptibility. Family studies strongly suggest a polygenic model of inheritance explained by relatively common allelic variants. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in chromosome 6p21.3 has been identified as a genetic risk locus for MS from 1970s, but it was not until genome wide association studies (GWAS) were conducted in MS that genetic risks outside of MHC were identified. International collaboration and the development of new laboratory and analytical methods enabled detection of risk loci with comparably low effect size. Currently, more than 100 risk loci outside of MHC were identified. However, the heritability is not fully explained by the genetic risks that have been identified by GWAS. The knowledge of genetic effects on clinical phenotype is also incomplete.
Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 outcomes for maxillary sinus floor augmentation: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Lin Guo‐Hao , Lim Glendale , Chan Hsun‐Liang , Giannobile William V. , Wang Hom‐Lay
Published: December 2015

Aims

To study the effect of the recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rhBMP‐2) on sinus volumetric and histometric changes after sinus floor augmentation compared to a conventional approach of non‐biologic bone grafting materials.

Materials and methods

An electronic search of 4 databases (January 1990–February 2015), including PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Central, and a hand search of peer‐reviewed journals for relevant articles were performed. Human clinical trials with data on comparison of sinus volumetric and/or histometric outcomes with and without the use of rhBMP‐2 in sinus grafting procedures, with ≥10 augmentation sites in each study group, and with a follow‐up period of at least 6 months, were included. Random‐effects meta‐analyses were performed to analyze weighted mean difference (WMD) and confidence interval (CI) for the recorded variables according to PRISMA guidelines.

Results

Six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. The results of the meta‐analyses showed that the WMD of vertical bone height gain was −0.14 mm (95% CI = −1.91 to 1.62 mm, P = 0.87), the WMD of bone density was −142.42 mg/cm3 (95% CI = −310.62–25.78 mg/cm3, P = 0.10), the WMD of the percentage of vital bone was −4.59% (95% CI = −11.73–2.56%, P = 0.21), and the WMD of the percentage of residual bone grafting materials was −9.90% (95% CI = −26.38–6.58%, P = 0.21). The comparison of implant survival rate presented an overall risk ratio of 1.00 (95% CI = 0.94–1.07). The two approaches (conventional bone grafting compared to BMPs) demonstrated comparable effectiveness for both clinical and histomorphometric measures.

Conclusions

This systematic review revealed that the use of rhBMP‐2 in maxillary sinus floor augmentation achieved similar clinical and histometric outcomes when compared to conventional sinus grafting procedures after a healing period of 6–9 months. However, previous studies showed the morbidity and other patient‐reported outcomes were improved in rhBMP‐2 approaches as compared to bone autograft procedures (both intraoral and extraoral bone harvesting because no donor site is required). Long‐term studies are required to determine the cost‐benefit of sinus floor augmentation procedures for patients requiring implant reconstruction.
Growing Healthy Families: Household Production, Food Security, and Well‐Being in South Wollo, Ethiopia
Authors: Cafer Anne M. , Willis Mary S. , Beyene Shimelis , Mamo Martha
Published: December 2015

Although many studies have focused on the socio‐economic and nutritional status of Ethiopians, few have incorporated anthropometric measurements and structured questionnaires to explore the links between agriculture, development, and nutrition. Additionally, the research design included interviews with development agents, university faculty and staff, and community leaders from the Ethiopian highlands. A survey of 120 households in three districts of Ethiopia's famine belt revealed that a majority of households suffer from severe malnutrition. Anthropometric measures demonstrated that wasting and stunting rates are high. Furthermore, water usage, particularly irrigation and access to farmland, plays a significant role in crop diversity, food security, and household nutritional status. Interviews with farmers suggest there is a critical need for agricultural extension, with an emphasis on addressing gender‐related issues, and research as it relates to crop and water management.
Neoliberal Environmentality among Elites: Becoming “Responsible Producers” in Santarém, Brazil
Authors: Adams Ryan Thomas
Published: December 2015

Soybean agriculture is expanding into the Brazilian Amazon, with certification programs in place to limit the environmental impact. Based on an ethnographic study with soybean farmers in Santarém, Pará State, Brazil, I claim that, through their enrollment in this conservation program, soybean farmers have come to see themselves as “responsible producers.” Despite their self‐identification as responsible producers, they treat environmental restrictions as a necessary cost imposed by civil society as they strive to transform the region into a commercial agriculture center, in contrast to alternative socio‐ecological production practices, thus exemplifying neoliberal environmentality. Through studying up with landed elites, this work demonstrates a distinct form of neoliberal environmentality.
External Intervention, Local Environment, and Knowledge Erosion: A Forest‐Based Community of South India
Authors: Kodirekkala Koteswara Rao
Published: December 2015

In the context of ongoing discussions of the erosion of indigenous knowledge, this report provides an analysis of how the factors “external” to a particular society may interact with “internal” (localized) factors to affect such knowledge, with a case study of the Konda Reddi of Andhra Pradesh, India. The external factor of market‐oriented developmental intervention in the form of the Girijan Cooperative Corporation (GCC) is affecting the local forest resources and the knowledge related to them. The GCC interplay with the local environment has affected the minor forest resources, subsequently eroding and changing that knowledge. [traditional ecological knowledge, indigenous knowledge, minor forest produce, knowledge loss, Konda Reddis]
Aggression‐related alcohol expectancies and barroom aggression among construction tradespeople
Authors: Zinkiewicz Lucy , Smith Georgia , Burn Michele , Litherland Steven , Wells Samantha , Graham Kathryn , Miller Peter
Published: December 2015

Introduction and Aims

Few studies have investigated the relationship of barroom aggression with both general and barroom‐specific alcohol expectancies. The present study investigated these associations in a rarely studied and high‐risk population: construction tradespeople.

Design and Methods

Male construction tradespeople (n = 211) aged 18–35 years (M = 21.91, SD = 4.08 years) participated in a face‐to‐face questionnaire assessing general and barroom‐specific alcohol expectancies and perpetration of physical and verbal barroom aggression as well as control variables, age, alcohol consumption and trait aggression.

Results

Sequential logistic regression analyses revealed that general alcohol‐aggression expectancies of courage or dominance were not predictive of either verbal or physical barroom aggression after controlling for age, alcohol consumption and trait aggression. However, barroom‐specific alcohol expectancies were associated with both verbal and physical barroom aggression, with positive associations found for expected hyper‐emotionality and protective effects for expected cognitive impairment.

Discussion and Conclusions

In a population where rates of risky drinking and barroom aggression are high, specific expectations about the effects of drinking in bars may influence subsequent aggressive behaviour in bars. [Zinkiewicz L, Smith G, Burn M, Litherland S, Wells S, Graham K, Miller P. Aggression‐related alcohol expectancies and barroom aggression among construction tradespeople. Drug Alcohol Rev 2016;35:549–556]
Perinatal asphyxia syndrome
Authors: Gold J. R.
Published: December 2015

Hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) has been described in foals for over 80 years. This condition has a diversity of names including ‘dummy foals', ‘wanderers', ‘barkers', neonatal encephalopathy, neonatal maladjustment syndrome (NMS) and perinatal asphyxia syndrome (PAS). The latter descriptive terms are all encompassing for a syndrome that has varying degrees of multi‐systemic effects rather than just neurological disease. While foals with PAS are commonly reported in the literature, the aetiology and underlying pathophysiology are still very poorly understood, with a majority of the information extrapolated from human and animal models. Currently, no antemortem test exists and diagnosis is made based on the history of the mare and foal as well as reliance on clinical signs. Recent studies have shown that neuroactive pregnanes may play a key role in the syndrome; however, further research is needed to clarify these findings. Another investigation compared neurobiomarkers for brain injury in both sick and normal neonatal foals. The mainstay of therapy for PAS is supportive treatment. Specific therapies such as antioxidants and neuroprotectants are used by some clinicians but little scientific evidence exists that proves the therapeutic protocols implemented improve overall outcome. Prevention of PAS in foals revolves around the health of the mare including, but not limited to, the prevention of placentitis or other illnesses and observation and/or intervention during parturition when necessary. More research is necessary to fully comprehend this syndrome, its diagnosis and treatment options.
Active surveillance for prostate cancer
Authors: Romero‐Otero Javier , García‐Gómez Borja , Duarte‐Ojeda José M , Rodríguez‐Antolín Alfredo , Vilaseca Antoni , Carlsson Sigrid V , Touijer Karim A
Published: December 2015

It is worth distinguishing between the two strategies of expectant management for prostate cancer. Watchful waiting entails administering non‐curative androgen deprivation therapy to patients on development of symptomatic progression, whereas active surveillance entails delivering curative treatment on signs of disease progression. The objectives of the two management strategies and the patients enrolled in either are different: (i) to review the role of active surveillance as a management strategy for patients with low‐risk prostate cancer; and (ii) review the benefits and pitfalls of active surveillance. We carried out a systematic review of active surveillance for prostate cancer in the literature using the National Center for Biotechnology Information's electronic database, PubMed. We carried out a search in English using the terms: active surveillance, prostate cancer, watchful waiting and conservative management. Selected studies were required to have a comprehensive description of the demographic and disease characteristics of the patients at the time of diagnosis, inclusion criteria for surveillance, and a protocol for the patients' follow up. Review articles were included, but not multiple papers from the same datasets. Active surveillance appears to reduce overtreatment in patients with low‐risk prostate cancer without compromising cancer‐specific survival at 10 years. Therefore, active surveillance is an option for select patients who want to avoid the side‐effects inherent to the different types of immediate treatment. However, inclusion criteria for active surveillance and the most appropriate method of monitoring patients on active surveillance have not yet been standardized.
The Effectiveness of Norway's Readmission Agreements with Iraq and Ethiopia
Authors: Janmyr Maja
Published: December 2015

This article offers an analysis of the effectiveness of Norway's readmission agreements with Iraq and Ethiopia. Through the use of readmission agreements, Norway aims to reduce irregular presence by increasing the number of both voluntary and forced returns, as well as discourage future irregular migration by sending a “clear signal” to individuals without protection needs that they will be returned when their asylum applications are rejected. The effectiveness of these agreements thus lies in the extent to which they fulfill these objectives. While Norway's agreements with Iraq and Ethiopia have been explicitly highlighted as effective by Norwegian authorities, this article argues that readmission agreements may be expected to limit, but not to eliminate, return problems. Readmission agreements, however streamlined, will have different effects on different groups. It finds that Norway's readmission agreements have been only partially successful with Iraq, and wholly unsuccessful with Ethiopia.
Is the Same‐sex Marriage Debate Really Just about Marriage?
Authors: Arroyo Christopher
Published: December 2015

In What is Marriage? One Man and One Woman: A Defense, Sherif Girgis, Ryan Anderson and Robert George defend the ‘conjugal marriage’ while claiming to make no moral judgments about homosexuality. My contention in this article is that the argument of What is Marriage is not sufficiently different from the arguments of classical new natural law theorists (NNLT), and, therefore, What is Marriage does not remain neutral on the question of whether homosexuality is moral. First, I give an overview of some classical NNLT arguments on the nature of marriage and their sexual ethic. Next, I present What is Marriage's account of conjugal marriage as a comprehensive union of two people, focusing on what makes a genuinely bodily union. I then move to the central contention of this article. By drawing on its understanding of genuinely bodily union and its account of the harm of same‐sex marriage, I argue that What is Marriage is committed to the view that same‐sex sexual unions cannot be good, since on its account of things there can be no shared sexual goods in a same‐sex sexual ‘union’.
Prospects for an Inclusive Theory of Justice: The Case of Non‐Human Animals
Authors: Berkey Brian
Published: December 2015

In this article, I argue that there are three widely accepted views within contemporary theorising about justice that present barriers to accepting that non‐human animals possess direct entitlements of justice. These views are (1) that the basis of entitlements of justice is either contribution to a cooperative scheme for mutual advantage or the capacity to so contribute; (2) political liberalism, that is, the view that requirements for coercive state action can be justified only by appeal to the ideal of citizens as free and equal and the principles of justice that are entailed by that ideal; and (3) that the principles of justice apply directly to the institutions of what John Rawls calls the ‘basic structure of society’, and not to the conduct of individuals. I then consider several attempts to ground direct entitlements of justice for animals via modest revisions to one or more of these widely accepted views, and argue that they fail, and that, more generally, any such attempt must fail. I claim that any theory that can include direct entitlements for animals must reject (1) and at least one of (2) and (3), and that there are reasons to think that those who are inclined to endorse direct entitlements for animals are unlikely to be satisfied with any view that does not reject all three of the widely accepted views. I conclude by briefly noting some of the important implications of rejecting all of these views.
Suppurative peritonitis by Klebsiella pneumoniae in captive gold‐handed tamarin (Saguinus midas midas)
Authors: Guerra Maria F.L. , Teixeira Rodrigo H.F. , Ribeiro Vanessa L. , Cunha Marcos P.V. , Oliveira Maria G.X. , Davies Yamê M. , Silva Ketrin C. , Silva Ana P.S. , Lincopan Nilton , Moreno Andrea M. , Knöbl Terezinha
Published: December 2015

This report describes an outbreak of suppurative peritonitis caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae in an adult female of captive golden‐handed tamarin (Saguinus midas midas). Two virulent and multidrug‐resistant strains were isolated and classified through MLST as ST60 and ST1263. The microbiological diagnosis works as a support tool for preventive measures.
Stock Market Response to Strategic Technical Alliances between Drug and Biotechnology Firms
Authors: Liu Dandan , Pu Xiaoling , Schramm Mary E.
Published: December 2015

Traditionally, firms in the pharmaceutical industry have depended on their internal research and development (R&D) capabilities to maintain a productive new product pipeline. During the past two decades, however, the industry's pipeline productivity has decreased compromising the industry's ability to meet shareholder expectations. As a strategy to invigorate pipeline productivity, and impact financial performance, pharmaceutical firms have increased utilization of strategic technical alliances. Earlier research shows that the degree of financial impact resulting from strategic technical alliances varies in terms of partnership type and differences between client and partner firms. This research studies strategic technical alliances between pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms from 1985 to 2012. Event study methodology is used to determine the relationship between stock market response to alliance announcements, measured as cumulative abnormal returns, and factors representing the absorptive capacity of the pharmaceutical firms in the sample. Then, variables indicating the development stage of the drugs included in the alliances are added to assess the effect of project risk on the market response. The study finds that, in general, the stock market responds in a positive manner to strategic technical alliances in the pharmaceutical industry reflecting the market's immediate response, and expectations of future firm value, resulting from the alliance. The degree of the market's response varies in terms of the client firms’ absorptive capacity with new product introductions being the strongest driver. The market responds similarly to alliances across different drug development stages, however, a stronger response is observed in preclinical and extension stages.
Case studies of teachers' understandings of the pedagogy of classroom talk: some critical moments explored
Authors: Coultas Valerie
Published: December 2015

This case study research is informed by Vygotsky's view that talk is essential to organise our thoughts and extend our thinking and that, as Barnes suggested, the teacher needs to use the social situation effectively in the classroom to promote talk for learning. This article focuses on pedagogy and teachers' understandings of how talk works in the classroom, as I sought to illuminate teachers' intuitions and insights and their views of what they find challenging in organising classroom talk. Three case studies of ‘critical moments’ in a lesson suggest that teacher knowledge about talk is located in concrete practices. The three teachers viewed a recorded lesson and chose a moment they defined as ‘critical’ because the moment helped them to learn something about the way they use talk in the classroom. They then discussed this moment with me. These collaborative but critically evaluative processes are particularly useful for exploring and probing teachers' knowledge about talk for learning, an area of pedagogy that has proved so resistant to change over quite a long period. These three teachers suggest that such talk is becoming more marginal under the impact of performativity and the new cultural restorationist English curriculum.
VOICE‐LEADING ENERGETICS IN WAGNER'S ‘TRISTAN IDIOM’
Authors: MONAHAN SETH
Published: December 2015

Recent theories of musical energetics have typically given tonality – often a powerfully synthetic, prolongational monotonality – a decisive role in accounting for sensations of musical tension, force and attraction. Though well‐suited to music of the common practice, these models fare less well in certain repertoires of the later nineteenth century, where tonal centres are often fleeting and traditional syntax is weakened or even annulled—as is often the case in Wagner's late music, where dissonant tertian tetrachords are combined in new and sometimes confounding ways.

This study offers a new perspective on tonal tension and relaxation in such passages – which I call Wagner's ‘Tristan idiom’ – by focusing on voice‐leading contour. Taking a broad cue from Ernst Kurth, it asks what might be gained by bracketing questions of chord identity and structure to focus instead on the voice leading that produces and interconnects them. Using a tool called kinetic displacement metrics (KDMs), it assigns emergent psychokinetic tension values to chord pairs based on the directions that their voices move, both in pitch‐ and pitch‐class space. Of special interest throughout is a phenomenon I call ‘directional variance’, where opposing contours in a single passage (between abstract and real voice leading, for example, or between the harmonic layer and the melodic one) seem to have psychodramatic relevance for the stage action.

After a brief exposition of the theory and its uses (and limitations), with brief examples from all of Wagner's post‐Lohengrin operas, it then moves to a series of longer vignettes on excerpts from Tristan und Isolde: the opening of the Act I Prelude, the closing of the same, and the entirety of the Act III Prelude.
Biomineral electron backscatter diffraction for palaeontology
Authors: Cusack Maggie
Published: December 2015

Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) originated in materials science and has transferred to biomineral research providing insight into fossil and modern biominerals. An electron microscopy technique,EBSDrequires a fine polished sample surface where the electron beam diffracts in the first few lattice layers, identifying mineral, polymorph and crystallographic orientation. The technique is particularly well suited for the analysis of modern and fossil calcium carbonate biominerals, where it provides key insight into biological control of mineral formation such as in molluscs and brachiopods.EBSDreadily identifies original and secondary mineralogy, which helps to inform our understanding of biomineral evolution such as the identification of original aragonite inSilurian trimerellid brachiopods. As a technique to identify and thus avoid the inclusion of secondary minerals in proxy organisms such as corals,EBSDcan be used to ensure accuracy of palaeoproxy data. Even when fossil systems have no modern equivalents,EBSDcan provide key data to determine functional mechanisms such as in the lenses of schizochroal eyes of phacopine trilobites. These few examples illustrate thatEBSDis proving to be a valuable component of the palaeontology toolkit.
The Event: An Underexamined Risk Concept
Authors: Yellman Ted W.
Published: December 2015

Some of the terms used in risk assessment and management are poorly and even contradictorily defined. One such term is “event,” which arguably describes the most basic of all risk‐related concepts. The author cites two contemporary textbook interpretations of “event” that he contends are incorrect and misleading. He then examines the concept of an event in A. N. Kolmogorov's probability axioms and in several more‐current textbooks. Those concepts are found to be too narrow for risk assessments and inconsistent with the actual usage of “event” by risk analysts. The author goes on to define and advocate linguistic definitions of events (as opposed to mathematical definitions)—definitions constructed from natural language. He argues that they should be recognized for what they are: the de facto primary method of defining events.
The effects of 1% prednisolone acetate on pupil diameter and intraocular pressure in healthy dogs treated with 0.005% latanoprost
Authors: Kahane Nili , Bdolah‐Abram Tali , Raskansky Hilli , Ofri Ron
Published: December 2015

Purpose

Prostaglandin analogs contribute to blood‐aqueous barrier breakdown and may exacerbate uveitis. As these analogs induce de novo synthesis of endogenous prostaglandins, their therapeutic, hypotensive effect could potentially be inhibited by anti‐inflammatory treatment. We therefore evaluated whether topical 1% prednisolone acetate alters the effects of 0.005% latanoprost on pupil diameter (PD) and intraocular pressure (IOP).

Animals studied

Ten healthy Labrador retriever dogs from the Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind.

Methods

Pupil diameter and IOP were measured hourly, 8 AM–4 PM, with the right and left eyes serving as control (CE) and treated (TE) eyes, respectively. Measurements were conducted during four sessions: (1) without treatment (n = 10), (2) following latanoprost treatment (n = 10) at 8 AM, (3) following prednisolone treatment (n = 7) at 8 AM, and (4) bilateral latanoprost treatment at 8 AM, prednisolone treatment in TE at 11 AM (n = 8). The different number of dogs in sessions 3 and 4 is because some dogs were matched with their new owners earlier than expected.

Results

Pupil diameters were not affected by the addition of prednisolone and, at 4 PM, were 3.82 ± 0.47 and 3.97 ± 0.36 mm in TE and CE, respectively (P = 0.175, Wilcoxon). IOPs were not affected by the addition of prednisolone and, at 4 PM, were 9.0 ± 0.8 and 9.3 ± 0.8 mm Hg in TE and CE, respectively (P = 0.339, Wilcoxon).

Conclusion

Prednisolone did not alter latanoprost's miotic and hypotensive effects in normal dogs during this study period.
Intermittent hypercapnia‐induced phrenic long‐term depression is revealed after serotonin receptor blockade with methysergide in anaesthetized rats
Authors: Valic Maja , Pecotic Renata , Pavlinac Dodig Ivana , Valic Zoran , Stipica Ivona , Dogas Zoran
Published: December 2015

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

Intermittent hypercapnia is a concomitant feature of breathing disorders. Hypercapnic stimuli evoke a form of respiratory plasticity known as phrenic long‐term depression in experimental animals. This study was performed to investigate the putative role of serotonin receptors in the initiation of phrenic long‐term depression in anaesthetized rats.

What is the main finding and its importance?

Phrenic nerve long‐term depression was revealed in animals pretreated with the serotonin broad‐spectrum antagonist, methysergide. This study highlights that serotonin receptors modulate respiratory plasticity evoked by acute intermittent hypercapnia in anaesthetized rats.

This study was performed to test the hypothesis that intermittent hypercapnia can evoke a form of respiratory plasticity known as long‐term depression of the phrenic nerve (pLTD) and that 5‐HT receptors play a role in the initiation of pLTD. Adult male urethane‐anaesthetized, vagotomized, paralysed, mechanically ventilated Sprague–Dawley rats were exposed to an acute intermittent hypercapnia protocol. One group received i.v. injection of the non‐selective 5‐HT receptor antagonist methysergide and another group received i.v. injection of the selective 5‐HT1A receptor antagonist WAY‐100635 20 min before exposure to intermittent hypercapnia. A control group received i.v. injection of saline. Peak phrenic nerve activity and respiratory rhythm parameters were analysed at baseline (T0), during each of five hypercapnic episodes, and 15, 30 and 60 min (T60) after the last hypercapnia. Intravenous injection of methysergide before exposure to acute intermittent hypercapnia induced development of amplitude pLTD at T60 (decreased by 46.1 ± 6.9%, P = 0.003). Conversely, in control and WAY‐100635‐pretreated animals, exposure to acute intermittent hypercapnia did not evoke amplitude pLTD. However, a long‐term decrease in phrenic nerve frequency was evoked both in control (42 ± 4 breaths min−1 at T0 versus 32 ± 5 breaths min−1 at T60; P = 0.036) and in methysergide‐pretreated animals (42 ± 2 breaths min−1 at T0 versus 32 ± 3 breaths min−1 at T60; P = 0.028). In WAY‐100635 pretreated animals, frequency pLTD was prevented. These results suggest that 5‐HT receptors modulate respiratory plasticity induced by acute intermittent hypercapnia in anaesthetized rats.
Therapy for ventricular arrhythmias in structural heart disease: a multifaceted challenge
Authors: Proietti Riccardo , Joza Jacqueline , Essebag Vidal
Published: December 2015

The unpredictable nature and potentially catastrophic consequences of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) have obligated physicians to search for therapies to prevent sudden cardiac death (SCD). At present, a low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) has been used as a risk factor to predict SCD in patients with structural heart disease and has been consistently adopted as the predominant, and sometimes sole, indication for implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy. Although the ICD remains the mainstay life‐saving therapy for SCD, it does not modify the underlying arrhythmic substrate and may be associated with adverse effects from perioperative and long‐term complications. Preventative pharmacological therapy has been associated with limited benefits, but anti‐arrhythmic medications have significant side effects profiles. Catheter ablation of VAs has greatly evolved over the last few decades. Substrate mapping in sinus rhythm has allowed haemodynamically unstable VAs to be successfully treated. Both LVEF as an indication for ICD therapy and electro‐anatomical mapping for substrate modification identify static components of underlying myocardial arrhythmogenicity. They do not take into account dynamic factors, such as the mechanisms of arrhythmia initiation and development of new anatomical or functional lines of block, leading to the initiation and maintenance of VAs. Dynamic factors are difficult to evaluate and consequently are not routinely used in clinical practice to guide treatment. However, progress in the treatment of VAs should consider and integrate dynamic factors with static components to fully characterize the myocardial arrhythmic substrate.

image
Being-Muslim and Doing-Islam: Narratives that Influence Physical Activity of Muslim Women in New Zealand
Authors: Ali Nargis , Payne Deborah , Hinckson Erica
Published: December 2015

Muslim women in New Zealand form an ethnic and religious minority. Research related to the physical activity levels of these women and their health status is sparse, particularly in the New Zealand context. International literature shows that Muslim women are at risk of various diseases related to inactivity. Islam, the religion followed by Muslims, is perceived by many Muslims as a way of life that influences almost all aspects of their lives. Particular understandings of Islam and women’s roles within Islam influence the norms and expectations about health beliefs and physical activity. This study explored the role religion plays in shaping the physical activity of Muslim women in New Zealand. Findings revealed that the women in this study related to Islam in different ways and practised the religion in ways which either facilitated or hindered physical activity.
Post-earthquake evacuation of aged care residents from Canterbury, New Zealand: lessons in resilience
Authors: Jaye Chrystal , Hale Beatrice , Carswell Sue
Published: December 2015

In this paper we explore the relocation experiences of older people who were evacuated from damaged aged care facilities following a magnitude 6.3 earthquake on the 22nd February 2011 in Canterbury, New Zealand. Our analysis of older residents’ and staffs’ recollections of the chaotic aftermath of the earthquake and subsequent evacuation to host facilities in Dunedin shows that social capital in the form of social and community support plays a major role in the construction of resilience. This insight constitutes a highly pertinent contribution to both fields of disaster studies and the emergent literature on ageing and resilience. We used qualitative methods, with open-ended questions in semi-structured interviews of older people willing and able to discuss their experiences.
Exploring contemporary anthropological theory: Can we use posthumanism to reconceptualise the disabled body?
Authors: Gibson Hannah Grace
Published: December 2015

Posthumanism is an umbrella term signalling theoretical approaches that endeavour to challenge pervasive human/non-human, normal/abnormal, organic/man-made binaries. To explore the value of posthumanism for disability studies, this piece interrogates Latour’s Actor Network Theory and Haraway’s Cyborg Theory. Both scholars provide innovative ways of reconceptualising how bodies are intimately connected and shaped by technology once we move beyond a purely human-centred mode of understanding the world. I seek to provoke the nuances of each paradigm by applying them to three distinct cases of people who are classified disabled by society and connect differently with technology. Haraway celebrates expansion of subjectivity and hybridity, yet her cyborg imagery better articulates those bodies which are augmented through personal choice rather than circumstance or dependency. On the other hand, a Latourian framework simultaneously rejects preconceptions of what disability is whilst allowing new insights to emerge without denying the possibility of existing inequalities or oppression. This ultimately offers more value to disability studies and anthropology of disability.
Enhancing atlas based segmentation with multiclass linear classifiers
Authors: Sdika Michaël
Published: December 2015

Purpose:

To present a method to enrich atlases for atlas based segmentation. Such enriched atlases can then be used as a single atlas or within a multiatlas framework.

Methods:

In this paper, machine learning techniques have been used to enhance the atlas based segmentation approach. The enhanced atlas defined in this work is a pair composed of a gray level image alongside an image of multiclass classifiers with one classifier per voxel. Each classifier embeds local information from the whole training dataset that allows for the correction of some systematic errors in the segmentation and accounts for the possible local registration errors. The authors also propose to use these images of classifiers within a multiatlas framework: results produced by a set of such local classifier atlases can be combined using a label fusion method.

Results:

Experiments have been made on the in vivo images of the IBSR dataset and a comparison has been made with several state‐of‐the‐art methods such as FreeSurfer and the multiatlas nonlocal patch based method of Coupé or Rousseau. These experiments show that their method is competitive with state‐of‐the‐art methods while having a low computational cost. Further enhancement has also been obtained with a multiatlas version of their method. It is also shown that, in this case, nonlocal fusion is unnecessary. The multiatlas fusion can therefore be done efficiently.

Conclusions:

The single atlas version has similar quality as state‐of‐the‐arts multiatlas methods but with the computational cost of a naive single atlas segmentation. The multiatlas version offers a improvement in quality and can be done efficiently without a nonlocal strategy.
NonCartesian MR image reconstruction with integrated gradient nonlinearity correction
Authors: Tao Shengzhen , Trzasko Joshua D. , Shu Yunhong , Huston John , Johnson Kevin M. , Weavers Paul T. , Gray Erin M. , Bernstein Matt A.
Published: December 2015

Purpose:

To derive a noniterative gridding‐type reconstruction framework for nonCartesian magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that prospectively accounts for gradient nonlinearity (GNL)‐induced image geometrical distortion during MR image reconstruction, as opposed to the standard, image‐domain based GNL correction that is applied after reconstruction; to demonstrate that such framework is able to reduce the image blurring introduced by the conventional GNL correction, while still offering effective correction of GNL‐induced geometrical distortion and compatibility with off‐resonance correction.

Methods:

After introducing the nonCartesian MRI signal model that explicitly accounts for the effects of GNL and off‐resonance, a noniterative gridding‐type reconstruction framework with integrated GNL correction based on the type‐III nonuniform fast Fourier transform (NUFFT) is derived. A novel type‐III NUFFT implementation is then proposed as a numerically efficient solution to the proposed framework. The incorporation of simultaneous B0 off‐resonance correction to the proposed framework is then discussed. Several phantom and in vivo data acquired via various 2D and 3D nonCartesian acquisitions, including 2D Archimedean spiral, 3D shells with integrated radial and spiral, and 3D radial sampling, are used to compare the results of the proposed and the standard GNL correction methods.

Results:

Various phantom and in vivo data demonstrate that both the proposed and the standard GNL correction methods are able to correct the coarse‐scale geometric distortion and blurring induced by GNL and off‐resonance. However, the standard GNL correction method also introduces blurring effects to corrected images, causing blurring of resolution inserts in the phantom images and loss of small vessel clarity in the angiography examples. On the other hand, the results after the proposed GNL correction show better depiction of resolution inserts and higher clarity of small vessel.

Conclusions:

The proposed GNL‐integrated nonCartesian reconstruction method can mitigate the resolution loss that occurs during standard image‐domain GNL correction, while still providing effective correction of coarse‐scale geometric distortion and blurring induced by GNL and off‐resonance.
Evaluating Broadcast Strategy: The Case of Australian Football
Authors: Fujak Hunter , Frawley Stephen
Published: December 2015

The central aim of this study was to evaluate the broadcast strategies of Australia’s 2 leading commercial sports leagues, the Australian Football League and the National Rugby League. Specifically, the research focused on assessing the degree of exclusivity and geographic reach embedded in each broadcast agreement. In doing so, the research considered the impact of strategy in providing value to the broadcasters and teams, as well as utility to fans of each league, within Noll’s framework of broadcasting principles.
Welcome to Nassau Mausoleum: A Case Study of Hockey Telecasts From ESPN’s Worst “Stadium Experience”
Authors: Hirshon Nicholas
Published: December 2015

This article uses a case-study approach to develop an understanding of how framing on game telecasts can increase the brand equity of sports venues. In 2014, ESPN ranked the NHL’s New York Islanders last in “stadium experience” among all 122 teams in the 4 major North American sports leagues. Given the Islanders’ looming relocation, the 2014–15 NHL season afforded the last opportunity to consider how telecasts would portray the team’s arena, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island. Based on a textual analysis of Islanders telecasts, 2 frames emerged: atmosphere (loud cheering and tributes to veterans) and nostalgia (famous moments and players from the arena’s history). Teams that play in poorly regarded venues can encourage broadcasters to employ frames such as atmosphere and nostalgia to increase attendance and sales of venue-related merchandise.
The Mobile Phone and Professional Sports: Fans’ Use of Mobile Content for Loyalty, Identification, and Fandom
Authors: Kang Seok
Published: December 2015

The purpose of this study was to examine how fans of professional sports use mobile content to develop fan support. Mobile-content dimensions were evaluated and their relationships with attitudinal and behavioral loyalty, team identification, and sport fandom were tested. A total of 665 young professional sport fans were surveyed in the southwest region of the United States. Three mobile-content dimensions—information, service, and interaction—were identified. The results indicate that the information dimension was positively associated with attitudinal loyalty, team identification, and sport fandom. The service dimension was positively linked to behavioral loyalty. The findings suggest that young professional sports fans’ selective use of mobile content accounts for different types of fan support.
Fingerprinting G protein–coupled receptor signaling
Authors: Smrcka Alan V.
Published: December 2015

An assay identifies the distinct G protein–coupling specificities of GPCRs.
Defining how amino acid deprivation inhibits mTORC1
Authors: VanHook Annalisa M.
Published: December 2015

The kinase GCN2 is involved in the inhibition of mTORC1 specifically in response to amino acid deprivation.
How malaria parasites infect the liver
Authors: Hurtley Stella M.
Published: December 2015

The hepatocyte EphA2 receptor is important for malaria parasite infection of the liver and is engaged by the parasite ligand P36.
Targeted therapy with more punch
Authors: Nusinovich Yevgeniya
Published: December 2015

An antibody-drug conjugate overcomes resistance to immune checkpoint blockade in HER2-positive breast cancer.
Dawn of new graft-versus-host disease therapies
Authors: Colmone Angela
Published: December 2015

Transcriptomic profiling of primate T cells during acute graft-versus-host disease reveals signaling pathways that can be inhibited to ameliorate disease.
Geneticin Stabilizes the Open Conformation of the 5′ Region of Hepatitis C Virus RNA and Inhibits Viral Replication
Authors: Ariza-Mateos Ascensión , Díaz-Toledano Rosa , Block Timothy M. , Prieto-Vega Samuel , Birk Alex , Gómez Jordi
Published: December 2015

The aminoglycoside Geneticin (G418) is known to inhibit cell culture proliferation, via virus-specific mechanisms, of two different virus genera from the family
Flaviviridae
. Here, we tried to determine whether Geneticin can selectively alter the switching of the nucleotide 1 to 570 RNA region of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and, if so, whether this inhibits viral growth. Two structure-dependent RNases known to specifically cleave HCV RNA were tested in the presence or absence of the drug. One was the
Synechocystis
sp. RNase P ribozyme, which cleaves the tRNA-like domain around the AUG start codon under high-salt buffer conditions; the second was
Escherichia coli
RNase III, which recognizes a double-helical RNA switch element that changes the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) from a closed (C) conformation to an open (O) one. While the drug did not affect RNase P activity, it did inhibit RNase III in the micromolar range. Kinetic studies indicated that the drug favors the switch from the C to the O conformation of the IRES by stabilizing the distal double-stranded element and inhibiting further processing of the O form. We demonstrate that, because the RNA in this region is highly conserved and essential for virus survival, Geneticin inhibits HCV Jc1 NS3 expression, the release of the viral genomic RNA, and the propagation of HCV in Huh 7.5 cells. Our study highlights the crucial role of riboswitches in HCV replication and suggests the therapeutic potential of viral-RNA-targeted antivirals.
Small cell osteosarcoma of the parietal region: a unique case at an unusual site
Authors: Agarwal Shipra , Gahlot Gaurav P S , Bhalla Ashu , Bakhshi Sameer
Published: December 2015

Small cell osteosarcoma is a rare tumour that histologically mimics Ewing sarcoma, mesenchymal chondrosarcoma and lymphoma, the presence of osteoid being diagnostic. This variant needs different management protocol, being non-radiosensitive and behaving more aggressively than conventional osteosarcoma. The aim of this article is to highlight such an entity at an unusual site—the parietal region—with unique diagnostic, treatment and prognostic considerations in a 16-year-old girl.
An intriguing case of locked jaw secondary to melioidosis
Authors: Vaid Tejasvini , Rao Karthik , Hande Handattu Manjunath
Published: December 2015

A 56-year-old woman presented with fever, pain and restriction of movement of the right temporomandibular joint. She was premorbidly diagnosed to have type 2 diabetes mellitus and rheumatoid arthritis. Local examination revealed a poorly demarcated severely tender, erythematous swelling in the right preauricular region. All haematological and biochemical investigations were within normal limits. MRI of the neck revealed the presence of a masticator space infection with intramuscular abscess involving the masseter and the temporalis muscles along with intracranial extension. Osteomyelitic changes were detected in the right mandibular condyle, temporal bone and in the temporomandibular joint. Melioidosis was suspected due to this unique clinical presentation of an abscess at an unusual and atypical site. Blood cultures identified the Gram-negative bacilliBurkholderia pseudomallei, which established the diagnosis of Melioidosis.Remarkable improvement was attained with antibiotics meropenem and cotrimoxazole, deferring the need for any surgical intervention.