bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Plateau Deposits and Implements
Authors: Smith Reginald A.
Published: October 2013

Primitive man is now being studied from so many standpoints that a comprehensive grasp of the whole subject is fast becoming an impossibility; but in view of the increase of conflicting evidence, every opportunity should be taken of adjusting rival claims, and testing our results by comparison with the more elaborate classifications of the Continent. In the present paper no verdict is given, but evidence is collected so fully in agreement with certain results obtained across the Channel, that there is a prima facie case for the revision of certain general principles that are in danger of lapsing into dogma.
Surface Palæolithic Implements from the Chilterns
Authors: Peake A. E.
Published: October 2013

In the last number of our Proceedings (Vol. II., Part 3) our President, Mr. Reginald Smith, F.S.A., communicated a paper on “Plateau Deposits and Implements,” in which he produced facts to show that the Plateau Gravels are not sterile, as has hitherto been supposed. He cites in this paper two spots within a few miles of my centre at Rotherfield Peppard, viz., Blagrave's Farm, 1½ miles N.W. of Caversham Bridge, 149-ft. above the Thames, and Highlands Farm, 1 mile S.E. of Rotherfield Greys Church, 170-ft. above the river.

During the last few years I have searched the pits and surface within a wide radius of Peppard, and have been fortunate in finding some implements, forming the subject of this paper, which are certainly of Palæolithic date. The whole of the ground in this neighbourhood is mapped as either Plateau gravel or clay with flints—the former forming a wide spread over this part of the high Chiltern country, as may be seen on the model in the Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn Street, London. I have not yet succeeded in finding any palæoliths in situ, but have found series of edge-trimmed flakes and chipped forms of rostro-carinate type, which will be included in another paper.
A Bronze Shield from Sutton, Norfolk
Authors: Gurney Robert
Published: October 2013

The account given by Mr. Burroughs in 1880 of the discovery of the Sutton shield is illustrated by a rather inferior drawing, and is somewhat misleading in some respects. It seems to me, therefore, advisable that a photograph of the shield should be published and the facts of its discovery placed on record. I am greatly indebted to Dr. Francis Clowes, the present owner of the shield, for the following information and for the photographs (Plate XVIII.) which are here reproduced with his permission. Dr. Clowes was with Mr. Burroughs when he visited the place where the shield was found, so that the facts given here may be accepted as correct.

The discovery was made on June 7th, 1875, by two men digging a main drain to the mill which stands at the edge of the “Hand Marsh” south-east of Sutton Broad, but I am unable to say exactly which is the drain in question. The shield was found beneath about 7 feet of peat, lying on, and partly covered by, bright white sand, while in its vicinity were pieces of oak three or four feet long, much charred by fire.
Pleistocene Deposits in England, and the Continental Chronology
Authors: Burkitt Miles C.
Published: October 2013

It has been my privilege to work under Prof. Man at Cambridge, and discuss with him the problems of the relation between Quaternary Man and the Ice Age. His ideas have been ably expressed in the Presidential Address that he gave to the Society. One point, however, it seemed to me was rather passed over lightly, and that is the correlation of the results obtained in England with those found abroad. Dr. Marr suggested in his paper that the time was not yet ripe for such a correlation, and that it was as yet dangerous. Yet the results obtained by Prof. Marr and Mr. Moir are so definite and far-reaching that the writer feels that an attempted correlation is necessary to avoid the danger of a too great insularity of thought. The results obtained abroad may be grouped under two heads;—

(1) Those showing positive results

(2) Those showing negative results

Abroad, and especially in France, not only have there been a number of gifted amateurs engaged in the study of prehistory, but further, owing to the generosity of the Prince of Monaco, there have been a number of distinguished specialists who have been devoting their whole energies to the elucidation of various problems.
Prehistoric Cooking Places in Norfolk
Authors: Layard Nina F.
Published: October 2013

Contributions to the general study of Prehistory have accumulated of late years, but the methods of cooking in early times have received but little attention. This, then, must be my excuse for bringing this subject to your notice to-day.

Prehistoric man has unwittingly divulged the course of his wanderings over continents, not only by the implements which strew his path, and with which we are familiar, but by the burnt stones which mark his simple hearth.

These eloquent but unattractive little relics have a significance equal, if not exceeding that of the artifacts themselves. For their advent coincides with one of the leaps and bounds of man's evolution, when goaded by his sufferings, to crave artificial warmth, he caught at the vagrant spark inadvertently struck from a flint, or produced by the friction of wood, and prisoned it for his use and comfort. How early he became a fire-maker we have yet to determine, but the insignificant heating-stone (so largely used in primitive cookery), as we trace it back to the horizon of its first appearance, may presently teach us.
The Kelling Flaking Site
Authors: Sainty J. E.
Published: October 2013

This has already been described in Vol. IV, Pt. II, p. 165–176, and in Vol. V, Part I, p. 56–61. During the past year the excavation has been continued with the constant assistance of Mr. E. H. Barclay and Mr. H. H. Halls, and we feel that now the most prolific portion of the site has been thoroughly examined. The most welcome finds have been three implements which Dr. Breuil characterised as “axe-burins” (Figs. 1, 2), for the very interesting and puzzling specimen obtained last year by Mr. Barclay had been described either as an axe or a “gros burin” (Vol. V, Pt. I, p. 58). In its size and general appearance it differed much from the usual Kelling specimens, and these new finds, smaller in size and obviously belonging in technique to the main industry, have served to establish the type as characteristic of the site. A number of burins of cave types (Figs. 3, 4) have also been obtained, but, though careful search has been made for the typical Tardenoisian micro-burins, not a single example has been observed.
Early Settlement at Runcton Holme, Norfolk
Authors: Clark J. G. D.
Published: October 2013

The antiquities here described came to light in the course of commercial gravel digging, but though we lack stratigraphical information they appear to be of sufficient importance in themselves to be worthy of accurate record. It is entirely due to the efforts and care of Mr. Ivan Thatcher, of King's Lynn, that they were recovered at all and we would like to thank him for the great trouble he has taken to see that as much as possible became available for study. Through his generosity the greater part of the Beaker pottery and also the figured sherds of the Early Iron Age and Romano-British periods are now in the University Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Cambridge. Messrs.F. B. and G. W. Gorbould, the lessees of the pit, have co-operated patiently in the preservation of Antiquities from the site, and Mr. J. R. Gorboud has also been very helpful. We have also to thank Miss Feetham for placing a Beaker (No. 2) on deposit in the same museum. Mr. Cockle of Lynn, kindly allowed the jet bead to be drawn. Finally we have to thank Mr. L. C. G. Clarke, F.S.A., and Miss O' Reilly of the Cambridge Museum for granting facilities for studying the objects in their charge.

Runcton Holme is situated some six miles due south of King's Lynn and about a mile to the east of the river Ouse. The exact position of the site is shown by Fig. 1. It consists of a low gravel promontory averaging about 20 feet above O.D. (Newlyn) and overlooking a vast expanse of Fenland. The marginal character of the site is illustrated by the fact that, but for the embanking of the Ouse, high spring tides would approach it quite closely. There appear to have been two main periods of early settlement on the site, Peterborough-Beaker and Early Iron Age-Romano-British, with an interval roughly speaking of a millenium when, so far as we can tell, it was abandoned. Whether this gap is a real one and whether in which case it was due to some natural cause, we cannot on the evidence before us decide. It will, however, be instructive to observe whether other sites discovered in the future on this gravel edge reveal a similar break in human occupation. The objects dating from the first occupation are briefly described in this paper, while the later occupation which accounts for the bulk of the archaeological material is dealt with by Mr. Christopher Hawkes, F.S.A. , of the British Museum.
Setting Favourable Habitat Reference Values for breeding birds: general principles and examples for passerine birds
Authors: BRAMBILLA MATTIA , CELADA CLAUDIO , GUSTIN MARCO
Published: October 2013

Setting Favourable Reference Values (FRVs) can assist the definition of the conservation status of a species. FRVs may consider population, habitat, and range. FRVs can indicate a range of values for different parameters, which should allow the long-term persistence of a species/population. We propose a method for the definition of reference values for the habitat (FRV-H or HRV) of breeding bird species. HRV should cover habitat extent and quality, both required to ensure long-term persistence. Extent HRV should express a measure of suitable area, whereas quality HRV could be defined as the range of values for habitat variables known to affect habitat quality. To define an extent HRV, we built species distribution models (SDMs) and set extent HRV as the extent of potentially suitable habitat under a conservative approach. Quality HRV should refer to environmental determinants/correlates of occurrence and breeding success, and should be defined by the identification of the habitat factors affecting occurrence and reproduction. When habitat selection is adaptive, habitat suitability may approximate habitat quality, being correlated with breeding success. In that case, fine-scaled habitat/distribution models may be used to identify determinants/correlates of reproductive output, and such species-habitat relationships may help define quality HRV. We show examples using the Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio as a model. The use of habitat selection models, which can be made spatially explicit generating distribution models, may assist the definition of both extension and quality HRVs. Species-habitat models can allow the individuation of factors and relative values affecting species occurrence/reproduction (quality HRV), and the definition of the spatial distribution and quantity of potentially suitable habitat (extent HRV). Our approach is one of the possible ones, aiming at finding a “suitable” trade-off between affordable data and scientific precision. HRVs should be used together with population and range FRVs to assess the status of a species/population.
A microfibre assembly of an iron-carbon composite with giant magnetisation
Authors: Liang Ying , Liu Pu , Xiao Jun , Li Hongbo , Wang Chengxin , Yang Guowei
Published: October 2013

Iron carbide is among the oldest known materials. The utility of this ancient advanced material is greatly extended in its nanostructured forms. We demonstrate for the first time that one-dimensional iron carbide microfibres can be assembled in liquid using strong magnetic field-assisted laser ablation. The giant saturation magnetisation of these particles was measured a 261 emu/g at room temperature, which is the best value reported to date for iron nitride and carbide nanostructures, is 5.5 times greater than the 47 emu/g reported for Fe3C nanoparticles, and exceeds the 212 emu/g for bulk Fe. The magnetic field-induced dipolar interactions of the magnetic nanospheres and the nanochains played a key role in determining the shape of the product. These findings lead to a variety of promising applications for this unique nanostructure including its use as a magnetically guided transporter for biomedicine and as a magnetic recording material.
New Carbon Allotropes with Helical Chains of Complementary Chirality Connected by Ethene-type π-Conjugation
Authors: Wang Jian-Tao , Chen Changfeng , Kawazoe Yoshiyuki
Published: October 2013

We here identify by ab initio calculations two distinct three-dimensional three-connected (3D3C) chiral framework structures of carbon in "Equation missing" and I41/amd symmetry, respectively, which comprise 3-fold and 4-fold helical chains with complementary chirality. The helical carbon chains are connected by an ethene-type planar π-conjugation, and the resulting structures contain a network of sp2 carbon bonds with one-third being double bonds between the chains and two-thirds single bonds along the chains. Phonon and electronic band structure calculations show that these chiral carbene structures are dynamically stable and exhibit a large band gap (2.4 ~ 2.9 eV). This semiconducting nature reflects a key distinction from previously proposed metallic isomers of helical or zigzag carbon chains with twisted π states that are dynamically unstable. The present results solve the long-sought 3D3C all-sp2 carbon structures and may help design other covalent bonding networks.
Synthesis and electrical properties of novel oligothiophenes partially containing 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophenes
Authors: Imae Ichiro , Imabayashi Saki , Komaguchi Kenji , Tan Zhifang , Ooyama Yousuke , Harima Yutaka
Published: October 2013

Five sorts of soluble oligothiophenes containing 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) were synthesized, and their optical and electrochemical properties were investigated.
Impact of Prematurity on Language Skills at School Age
Authors: Smith Jamie Mahurin , DeThorne Laura Segebart , Logan Jessica A. R. , Channell Ron W. , Petrill Stephen A.
Published: October 2013

Purpose

The existing literature on language outcomes in children born prematurely focuses almost exclusively on standardized test scores rather than discourse-level abilities. The authors of this study looked longitudinally at school-age language outcomes and potential moderating variables for a group of twins born prematurely versus a control group of twins born at full term, analyzing both standardized test results and language sample data from the population-based Western Reserve Reading Project (WRRP; Petrill, Deater-Deckard, Thompson, DeThorne, & Schatschneider, 2006).

Method

Fifty-seven children born prematurely, at ≤32 weeks or <1,500 g, were compared with 57 children born at full term and were matched for age, gender, race, and parental education. Data included discourse-level language samples and standardized test results, collected at average ages 7, 8, and 10 years. The language samples were analyzed to yield a number of semantic and syntactic measures that were consolidated via factor analysis.

Results

Regression models showed significant differences between the 2 groups for standardized test results, although the mean score for both groups fell in the normal range. For the discourse-level language measures, however, differences never reached statistical significance. Parental education was significantly associated with improved standardized test scores.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that in the absence of frank neurological impairment, sophisticated semantic and syntactic skills may be relatively intact in the discourse-level language of children born prematurely. Implications for assessment, particularly the potential role of attention and executive function in standardized testing tasks, are reviewed.
Effect of 24 Hours of Sleep Deprivation on Auditory and Linguistic Perception: A Comparison Among Young Controls, Sleep-Deprived Participants, Dyslexic Readers, and Aging Adults
Authors: Fostick Leah , Babkoff Harvey , Zukerman Gil
Published: October 2013

Purpose

To test the effects of 24 hr of sleep deprivation on auditory and linguistic perception and to assess the magnitude of this effect by comparing such performance with that of aging adults on speech perception and with that of dyslexic readers on phonological awareness.

Method

Fifty-five sleep-deprived young adults were compared with 29 aging adults (older than 60 years) and with 18 young controls on auditory temporal order judgment (TOJ) and on speech perception tasks (Experiment 1). The sleep deprived were also compared with 51 dyslexic readers and with the young controls on TOJ and phonological awareness tasks (One-Minute Test for Pseudowords, Phoneme Deletion, Pig Latin, and Spoonerism; Experiment 2).

Results

Sleep deprivation resulted in longer TOJ thresholds, poorer speech perception, and poorer nonword reading compared with controls. The TOJ thresholds of the sleep deprived were comparable to those of the aging adults, but their pattern of speech performance differed. They also performed better on TOJ and phonological awareness than dyslexic readers.

Conclusions

A variety of linguistic skills are affected by sleep deprivation. The comparison of sleep-deprived individuals with other groups with known difficulties in these linguistic skills might suggest that different groups exhibit common difficulties.
Coordination of Gaze and Speech in Communication Between Children With Hearing Impairment and Normal-Hearing Peers
Authors: Sandgren Olof , Andersson Richard , van de Weijer Joost , Hansson Kristina , Sahlén Birgitta
Published: October 2013

Purpose

To investigate gaze behavior during communication between children with hearing impairment (HI) and normal-hearing (NH) peers.

Method

Ten HI–NH and 10 NH–NH dyads performed a referential communication task requiring description of faces. During task performance, eye movements and speech were tracked. Using verbal event (questions, statements, back channeling, and silence) as the predictor variable, group characteristics in gaze behavior were expressed with Kaplan-Meier survival functions (estimating time to gaze-to-partner) and odds ratios (comparing number of verbal events with and without gaze-to-partner). Analyses compared the listeners in each dyad (HI:
n
= 10, mean age = 12;6 years, mean better ear pure-tone average = 33.0 dB HL; NH:
n
= 10, mean age = 13;7 years).

Results

Log-rank tests revealed significant group differences in survival distributions for all verbal events, reflecting a higher probability of gaze to the partner's face for participants with HI. Expressed as odds ratios (OR), participants with HI displayed greater odds for gaze-to-partner (ORs ranging between 1.2 and 2.1) during all verbal events.

Conclusions

The results show an increased probability for listeners with HI to gaze at the speaker's face in association with verbal events. Several explanations for the finding are possible, and implications for further research are discussed.
Effects of Speech Practice on Fast Mapping in Monolingual and Bilingual Speakers
Authors: Kan Pui Fong , Sadagopan Neeraja , Janich Lauren , Andrade Marixa
Published: October 2013

Purpose

This study examines the effects of the levels of speech practice on fast mapping in monolingual and bilingual speakers.

Method

Participants were 30 English-speaking monolingual and 30 Spanish–English bilingual young adults. Each participant was randomly assigned to 1 of 3 practice conditions prior to the fast-mapping task: (a) intensive speech practice, (b) moderate speech practice, or (c) no practice. In a fast-mapping experiment, each participant was briefly exposed to novel objects and their corresponding novel words. Participants' knowledge of the target novel words was assessed immediately after the exposures.

Results

There were significant effects of speech practice on fast mapping for both monolingual and bilingual adults. It is important to note that participants' language experience also played a role in their fast-mapping performance.

Conclusion

The findings suggest that speech practice, interacting with language experience, facilitates the processes for fast mapping.
Asynchronous data‐forwarding strategy to reduce forwarding delay in energy‐harvesting wireless sensor networks
Authors: Suh B. , Berber S.
Published: October 2013

The existing data‐forwarding strategies in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) may not be feasible for some applications where synchronisation and physical location information are not available. A novel asynchronous data‐forwarding strategy for energy‐harvesting WSNs is proposed, where the sleep duration, wake‐up moment and the transmission coverage of a sensor node are determined independently on a per‐node basis. This strategy obviates the need for synchronisation control and the precise location information of the sensor node. The numerical results show that the data‐forwarding delay can be significantly reduced by the proposed strategy. The reduction in the delay is more notable for WSNs with more sensor nodes.
Tight upper bound on radiation pattern correlation for N‐port MIMO antennas
Authors: Krewski A. , Schroeder W.L.
Published: October 2013

A tight upper bound on pattern correlation for multi‐port antennas is derived. It is valid for lossy antennas and an arbitrary number of ports. As opposed to previous work, the present derivation is based on modal analysis, considering the spectrum of the radiation matrix. The new approach yields a much tighter upper bound on pattern correlation than previously available from per port characterisation of multi‐port antennas. The result suggests that pattern correlation is generally small for reasonably well‐matched antenna systems and therefore hardly ever relevant as an independent design criterion. Numerical results for simple model structures corresponding to 2‐port, 3‐port and 4‐port multiple input–multiple output antennas are given to illustrate this conclusion.
Paving (through) Amazonia: Neoliberal Urbanism and the Reperipheralization of Roraima
Authors: Kanai J Miguel , da Silva Oliveira Rafael
Published: October 2013

This paper examines the neoliberal reshaping of infrastructure provision in Brazil's extreme north since the mid-1990s, when roadway investments resulted in unprecedented regional connectivity. The BR-174 upgrade, the era's most important project, marked a transition from resource-based developmentalism to free-market transnationalism. Primarily concerned with urban competitiveness, the federal government funded the trunk roadway's paving to facilitate manufacturing exports from Manaus. While an effort was made to minimize deforestation, planners sidelined development implications in adjacent Roraima. The state's urban system has thus experienced reperipheralization and intensified primacy. Market-led growth now compounds the inheritance of hierarchical centralism and ongoing governmental neglect. Our study shows a vast territory dependent on primate cities for basic goods and services. Travelling with Roraimans from bypassed towns, we detected long-distance passenger transportation and surface logistics with selective routes. Heterogeneous Roraiman (im)mobilities comprise middle-class tourism and heightened consumerism as well as informal mobility tactics and transnational circulations of precarious labor. The paper exhorts neoliberal urbanism research to look beyond both Euro America's metropoles and their Global South counterparts. Urbanization dynamics in Brazil's extreme north demonstrate that market-disciplined investments to globalize cities produce far-reaching spatial effects. These are felt even by functionally-articulated-yet-marginalized peripheries in ostensibly remote locations.
Dietary breadth as a predictor of potential native avian–human conflict in urban landscapes
Authors: Charles Kerry E. , Linklater Wayne L.
Published: October 2013

Context
Avian–human conflict is a growing issue in urban areas, yet studies of conflict tend to be species and situation specific and focus on landscape characteristics that generate or exacerbate the problem.

Aims
To determine characteristics of bird species that cause conflict in urban areas within their native range and to develop a model that can be used to assess the relative likelihood of a New Zealand species causing conflict in the future.

Methods
Ecological, behavioural and life-history characteristics of 33 conflict-causing species identified from the literature and 106 randomly selected non-conflict congeners were compared using an information-theoretic approach to multi-model selection and inference. Variables from the confidence set of models were used to develop a model that was applied to the New Zealand urban avifauna to provide a relative measure of a species’ potential to generate conflict.

Key results
A model including only dietary breadth best explained the conflict (ωi = 0.833). Using dietary breadth, flocking, clutch size, granivory, territoriality and non-ground nesting – the confidence model set – New Zealand’s native pukeko (Porphyrio porphyria), red-billed gull, (Larus scopulinus), and kākā (Nestor meridionalis) were identified as the three species most likely to generate conflict with urban residents.

Conclusions
Broad dietary requirements may allow a species to take advantage of novel and varied food sources in the urban environment and lead to population growth. Large populations at high density may amplify problems, exceeding residents’ tolerance levels and resulting in conflict. Species characteristics relating to nesting, sociality and body size were found to be uninformative.

Implications
Species with a broad diet, particularly those identified by this study as having a high potential for conflict, should be the focus of monitoring to identify population growth and the emergence of problems in urban areas. This will allow proactive implementation of management, improving the likelihood of conflict mitigation.
A neuropeptide speeds circadian entrainment by reducing intercellular synchrony
Authors: An Sungwon , Harang Rich , Meeker Kirsten , Granados-Fuentes Daniel , Tsai Connie A. , Mazuski Cristina , Kim Jihee , Doyle Francis J. , Petzold Linda R. , Herzog Erik D.
Published: October 2013

Significance

Daily rhythms in behavior depend on the coordinated cycling of circadian neurons in the brain. Here, we found that a neuropeptide that is required for synchrony among circadian neurons also, surprisingly, dose-dependently reduces synchrony among circadian cells. We find this allows the system to adjust how quickly it entrains to environmental cycles. We propose that treatments that enhance this signaling pathway could reduce jet lag associated with shift work and travel across time zones.
Sulfur isotope homogeneity of oceanic DMSP and DMS
Authors: Amrani Alon , Said-Ahmad Ward , Shaked Yeala , Kiene Ronald P.
Published: October 2013

Significance

Oceanic emissions of volatile dimethyl sulfide (DMS) represent the largest natural source of biogenic sulfur to the global atmosphere, where it mediates aerosol dynamics and may affect climate. Sulfur isotope ratios (
34
S/
32
S) offer a way to estimate oceanic DMS contribution to aerosols. We used a unique method for the analysis of
34
S/
32
S of DMS and its precursor, dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), in a range of marine environments. Surface water collected from six different ocean provinces revealed a remarkable consistency in
34
S/
32
S ratios of DMS and DMSP ranging between +18.9 and +20.3‰. The
34
S/
32
S of oceanic DMS flux to the atmosphere is thus relatively constant and distinct from anthropogenic sources of atmospheric sulfate, thereby enabling estimation of the DMS contribution to aerosols.
WISECONDOR: detection of fetal aberrations from shallow sequencing maternal plasma based on a within-sample comparison scheme
Authors: Straver Roy , Sistermans Erik A. , Holstege Henne , Visser Allerdien , Oudejans Cees B. M. , Reinders Marcel J. T.
Published: October 2013

Genetic disorders can be detected by prenatal diagnosis using Chorionic Villus Sampling, but the 1:100 chance to result in miscarriage restricts the use to fetuses that are suspected to have an aberration. Detection of trisomy 21 cases noninvasively is now possible owing to the upswing of next-generation sequencing (NGS) because a small percentage of fetal DNA is present in maternal plasma. However, detecting other trisomies and smaller aberrations can only be realized using high-coverage NGS, making it too expensive for routine practice. We present a method, WISECONDOR (WIthin-SamplE COpy Number aberration DetectOR), which detects small aberrations using low-coverage NGS. The increased detection resolution was achieved by comparing read counts within the tested sample of each genomic region with regions on other chromosomes that behave similarly in control samples. This within-sample comparison avoids the need to re-sequence control samples. WISECONDOR correctly identified all T13, T18 and T21 cases while coverages were as low as 0.15–1.66. No false positives were identified. Moreover, WISECONDOR also identified smaller aberrations, down to 20 Mb, such as del(13)(q12.3q14.3), +i(12)(p10) and i(18)(q10). This shows that prevalent fetal copy number aberrations can be detected accurately and affordably by shallow sequencing maternal plasma. WISECONDOR is available at bioinformatics.tudelft.nl/wisecondor.
Identification ofEutypaspp. Causing Eutypa Dieback of Grapevine in Eastern North America
Authors: Rolshausen Philippe E. , Baumgartner Kendra , Travadon Renaud , Fujiyoshi Phillip , Pouzoulet Jérome , Wilcox Wayne F.
Published: October 2013

Eutypa dieback of grapevine is caused by Eutypa lata in production areas with Mediterranean climates in California, Australasia, Europe, and South Africa. Eutypa dieback has also been described in the colder, eastern North American vineyards where cultivars adapted from native Vitis spp. (e.g., Vitis × labruscana ‘Concord’) are primarily grown. However, the causal agents associated with the diseases in this region have not been conclusively identified. Examination of 48 vineyards showing symptoms of dieback in the northeastern United States (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Rhode Island) and Ontario, Canada revealed that vineyards were mainly infected by Eutypa spp. other than E. lata. Multigene phylogenies (internal transcribed spacer ribosomal DNA, β-tubulin, and RNA polymerase II) of isolates recovered from these vineyards indicated that Eutypa dieback is caused primarily by an undescribed Eutypa sp. and E. laevata. Eutypa sp. was recovered from 56% of the vineyards examined, whereas E. laevata and E. lata were less far common (17 and 6%, respectively). Fruiting body morphology and spore dimensions supported phylogenetic separation of the three taxa. Pathogenicity tests conducted on Vitis vinifera ‘Chardonnay’ in the greenhouse and in the field verified that all three species were able to cause wood canker and to infect pruning wounds, respectively.
In vitro studies on the role of glycosaminoglycans in crystallization intensity during infectious urinary stones formation
Authors: Torzewska Agnieszka , Różalski Antoni
Published: October 2013

Proteus mirabilis cause urinary tract infections which are recurrent and can lead to formation of urinary calculi. Both bacterial and the host factors are involved in the development of urolithiasis. To determine the impact of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in the formation of P. mirabilis‐induced urinary stones, we investigated the in vitro crystallization, aggregation and adhesion of crystals in the presence of GAGs naturally appearing in urine. Crystallization experiments were performed in synthetic urine infected with P. mirabilis in the presence of: hyaluronic acid (HA), heparan sulfate (HS), chondroitin sulfate A, B and C (ChSA, ChSB, ChSC). The intensity of crystallization and aggregation were established by counting particles and phase‐contrast microscopy. To analyze the adhesion of crystals, we used normal urothelium and 45Ca isotope‐labeled crystals. In the presence of ChSC, both the size of the crystals formed and their number were higher compared with the control. GAGs increased crystals adhesion to the cells, but only for ChSA this effect was significant. Chondroitin sulfates, which accelerate the first stages of infection‐induced stones formation, may play an important role in the pathogenesis of infectious urolithiasis.
Malnourishment in bladder cancer and the role of immunonutrition at the time of cystectomy: an overview for urologists
Authors: Munbauhal Gavish , Drouin Sarah J. , Mozer Pierre , Colin Pierre , Phé Véronique , Cussenot Olivier , Rouprêt Morgan
Published: October 2013

The ‘gold standard’ treatment for patients with carcinoma invading the bladder muscle is radical cystectomy (RC). Such patients are known to be at risk of malnutrition because of age and disease factors. Current evidence has established the nutritional and immunological benefits of immune‐enhancing nutritional supplements in upper gastrointestinal surgery. There are currently no guidelines for immunonutrition (IM) use in urology and bladder cancer specifically.

We carried out a systematic review of the available literature in the MEDLINE/Embase database. We assessed the rates of malnutrition in RC cohorts and analysed the clinical impacts of nutritional deficiency. The impact of immune‐enhancing supplements was also investigated in RC cohorts with regard to postoperative outcomes.

The prevalence of severe malnutrition was found to be 16–22%. There was a consistent association of malnourished patients with adverse postoperative outcomes in terms of mortality and morbidity. There is a paucity of data regarding IM in urological cohorts. Postoperative IM in RC was not found to have significant benefits beyond early return to a normal diet.

There is not enough evidence in malnourished urological study cohorts to establish a consensus on IM. Until there are more well‐controlled comparative effective studies or randomized trials, the role of IM should be considered investigational in patients with bladder cancer.
Sepsis and ‘superbugs’: should we favour the transperineal over the transrectal approach for prostate biopsy?
Authors: Grummet Jeremy P. , Weerakoon Mahesha , Huang Sean , Lawrentschuk Nathan , Frydenberg Mark , Moon Daniel A. , O'Reilly Mary , Murphy Declan
Published: October 2013

Objective

To determine the rate of hospital re‐admission for sepsis after transperineal (TP) biopsy using both local data and worldwide literature, as there is growing interest in TP biopsy as an alternative to transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS)‐guided biopsy for patients undergoing repeat prostate biopsy.

Patients and Methods

Pooled prospective databases on TP biopsy from multiple centres in Melbourne were queried for rates of re‐admission for infection.

A literature review of PubMed and Embase was also conducted using the search terms: ‘prostate biopsy, fever, infection, sepsis, septicaemia and complications’.

Results

In all, 245 TP biopsies were performed (111 at Alfred Health, 92 at Epworth Healthcare, 38 at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and four at other institutions).

The rate of hospital re‐admission for infection was zero.

The literature review showed that the rate of sepsis after TRUS biopsy appears to be rising with increasing rates of multi‐resistant bacteria found in rectal flora, and is as high as 5%.

However, the rate of sepsis from published series of TP biopsy approached zero.

Conclusions

Both local and international data suggest a negligible rate of sepsis with TP biopsy.

This compares to a concerning rise in the rate of sepsis after TRUS biopsy due to the increasing prevalence of multi‐resistant bacteria in rectal flora.

Although TRUS biopsy is convenient, cheap and quick to perform, we think that TP biopsy should now be offered as an option, not only to patients undergoing repeat prostate biopsy, but to all patients in whom a prostate biopsy is indicated.
Human IgE against the major allergen Bet v 1 – defining an epitope with limited cross‐reactivity between different PR‐10 family proteins
Authors: Levin M. , Davies A. M. , Liljekvist M. , Carlsson F. , Gould H. J. , Sutton B. J. , Ohlin M.
Published: October 2013

Background

The interaction between IgE and allergen is a key event at the initiation of an allergic response, and its characteristics have substantial effects on the clinical manifestation. Despite this, the molecular details of the interaction between human IgE and the major birch allergen Bet v 1, one of the most potent tree allergens, still remain poorly investigated.

Objective

To isolate Bet v 1‐specific human monoclonal IgE and characterize their interaction with the allergen.

Methods

Recombinant human IgE were isolated from a combinatorial antibody fragment library and their interaction with Bet v 1 assessed using various immunological assays. The structure of one such IgE in the single‐chain fragment variable format was determined using X‐ray crystallography.

Results

We present four novel Bet v 1‐specific IgE, for one of which we solve the structure, all with their genetic origin in the IGHV5 germline gene, and demonstrate that they target two non‐overlapping epitopes on the surface of Bet v 1, thereby fulfilling the basic criteria for FcεRI cross‐linkage. We further define these epitopes and for one epitope pinpoint single amino acid residues important for the interaction with human IgE. This provides a potential explanation, at the molecular level, for the differences in recognition of isoforms of Bet v 1 and other allergens in the PR‐10 protein family displayed by IgE targeting this epitope. Finally, we present the first high‐resolution structure of a human allergen‐specific IgE fragment in the single‐chain fragment variable (scFv) format.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance

We here display the usefulness of allergen‐specific human monoclonal IgE as a tool in studies of the crucial molecular interaction taking place at the initiation of an allergic response. Such studies may aid us in development of better diagnostic tools and guide us in the development of new therapeutic compounds.
Torque loss under mechanical cycling of long‐span zirconia and titanium‐cemented and screw‐retained implant‐supported CAD/CAM frameworks
Authors: Gomes Érica Alves , Tiossi Rodrigo , Lapria Faria Adriana Cláudia , Rodrigues Renata C. S. , Faria Ribeiro Ricardo
Published: October 2013

Objectives

This study evaluated the screw joint stability after cyclic loading of implant‐supported titanium and zirconia CAD/CAM frameworks for fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) with different retention methods.

Material and methods

Twenty four one‐piece frameworks supported by six threaded implants placed in the maxilla were fabricated using a CAD/CAM technique (NeoShape). Dry‐pressed porcelain crowns were luted to the frameworks to standardize the specimens. The specimens were then divided into four groups (n = 6) according to framework material (titanium or zirconia) and retention method for the prosthesis (cement‐ or screw‐retained): G1, Ti‐cemented; G2, Ti‐screw‐retained; G3, Zr‐cemented; and G4, Zr‐screw‐retained. A digital torque ratchet was used to assess the initial preload removal torque. Torque was then reapplied and the specimens were submitted to a 200 N cyclic load, at a frequency of 2 Hz, underwater in controlled temperature of 37°, and for 1 × 106 cycles. An opposing lower dental arch was fabricated using bis‐acrylic resin to simulate occlusal contacts in centric. After cyclic loading, postload removal torque was measured. Preload and postload torque loss was expressed as a percentage of the initial load. Data were submitted to a linear mixed‐effects model for statistical significance (α = 0.05) to evaluate the effect of cyclic loading in the screw torque loss used with frameworks of different materials and retention methods.

Results

Significant screw torque loss (%) was found for the tested groups (before/after cyclic loading, respectively): G1 (39.77/61.83), G2 (37.57/50.96), G3 (34.87/54.10), and G4 (47.56/73.50) (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

The screw removal torque was significantly reduced for all groups in this study after cyclic loading the specimens. Screw‐retained zirconia specimens presented the highest torque loss before and after the cyclic loadings compared with the other specimens that were tested.
Knowing the Risk: Crickets Distinguish between Spider Predators of Different Size and Commonness
Authors: Binz Hellena , Bucher Roman , Entling Martin H. , Menzel Florian
Published: October 2013

Predators unintentionally release chemical and other cues into their environment that can be used by prey to assess predator presence. Prey organisms can therefore perform specific antipredator behavior to reduce predation risk, which can strongly shape the outcome of trophic interactions. In contrast to aquatic systems, studies on cue‐driven antipredator behavior in terrestrial arthropods cover only few species to date. Here, we investigated occurrence and strength of antipredator behavior of the wood cricket Nemobius sylvestris toward cues of 14 syntopic spider species that are potential predators of wood crickets. We used two different behavioral arena experiments to investigate the influence of predator cues on wood cricket mobility. We further tested whether changes in wood cricket mobility can be explained by five predator‐specific traits: hunting mode, commonness, diurnal activity, predator–prey body–size ratio, and predator–prey life stage differences. Crickets were singly recorded (1) in separate arenas, either in presence or absence of spider cues, to analyze changes in mobility on filter paper covered with cues compared with normal mobility on filter paper without cues; and (2) in subdivided arenas partly covered with spider cues, where the crickets could choose between cue‐bearing and cue‐less areas to analyze differences in residence time and mobility when crickets are able to avoid cues. Crickets either increased or reduced their mobility in the presence of spider cues. In the experiments with cues and controls in separate arenas, the magnitude of behavioral change increased significantly with increasing predator–prey body size ratio. When crickets could choose between spider cues and control, their mobility was significantly higher in the presence of cues from common spider species than from rare spiders. We therefore conclude that wood crickets distinguish between cues from different predator species and that spiders unintentionally release a species‐specific composition and size‐dependent quantity of cues, which lead to distinct antipredator behavior in wood crickets.
Effects of early‐life exposure to Western diet and wheel access on metabolic syndrome profiles in mice bred for high voluntary exercise
Authors: Meek T. H. , Eisenmann J. C. , Keeney B. K. , Hannon R. M. , Dlugosz E. M. , Garland T.
Published: October 2013

Experimental studies manipulating diet and exercise have shown varying effects on metabolic syndrome components in both humans and rodents. To examine the potential interactive effects of diet, exercise and genetic background, we studied mice from four replicate lines bred (52 generations) for high voluntary wheel running (HR lines) and four unselected control lines (C). At weaning, animals were housed for 60 days with or without wheels and fed either a standard chow or Western diet (WD, 42% kcal from fat). Four serial (three juvenile and one adult) blood samples were taken to measure fasting total cholesterol (TC), high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C), triglycerides and glucose. Western diet was obesogenic for all mice, even after accounting for the amount of wheel running and kilojoules consumed. Western diet significantly raised glucose as well as TC and HDL‐C concentrations. At the level of individual variation (repeatability), there was a modest correlation (r = 0.3–0.5) of blood lipids over time, which was reduced with wheel access and/or WD. Neither genetic selection history nor wheel access had a statistically significant effect on blood lipids. However, HR and C mice had divergent ontogenetic trajectories for body mass and caloric intake. HR mice also had lower adiposity, an effect that was dependent on wheel access. The environmental factors of diet and wheel access had pronounced effects on body mass, food consumption and fasting glucose concentrations, interacting with each other and/or with genetic strain. These data underscore the importance (and often unpredictable nature) of genotype‐by‐environment and environment‐by‐environment interactions when studying body weight regulation.
How temperature, precipitation and stand age control the biomass carbon density of global mature forests
Authors: Liu Yingchun , Yu Guirui , Wang Qiufeng , Zhang Yangjian
Published: October 2013

Aim

To understand: (1) how temperature, precipitation and stand age control the above‐ground biomass carbon density (BCDa) of mature forests and its macroecology patterns across latitudes; (2) the age threshold for old‐growth forests at a global scale.

Location

Global forests.

Methods

We compiled a database (897 sites) of mature forests between 80 and 1200 years old. The site data include latitude, longitude, mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, forest type, stand age,BCDa, living biomass (above‐ and below‐ground biomass) carbon density and total (living plus dead) biomass carbon density. Based on the site data, we performed regression analyses to show howBCDachanges with climate and forest stand age.

Results

At a global scale, the highestBCDaof mature forests occurred mainly in the mid‐latitude regions where mean annual temperatures were 8–10 °C and mean annual precipitation was between 1000 and 2500 mm. The averageBCDaof forests in the stand age class of 450–500 years was higher than those in the other stand age classes. For forests between 80 and 450 years old, which form the majority of mature forests, carbon accumulation was faster in dead biomass than in living biomass.

Main conclusions

The highestBCDaof mature forests is located in mid‐latitude regions with cool temperatures and moderate precipitation. The age threshold for old‐growth forests at a global scale should be 450–500 years, which is much older than the previously documented age of 100–200 years. This older age threshold for old‐growth forests is probably one of the primary reasons why recent works have concluded that old‐growth forests are still carbon sinks.