bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Climatic droplet keratopathy: an old disease in new clothes
Authors: Serra Horacio M. , Holopainen Juha M. , Beuerman Roger , Kaarniranta Kai , Suárez María F. , Urrets‐Zavalía Julio A.
Published: January 2015

Climatic droplet keratopathy (CDK) is an acquired and potentially handicapping cornea degenerative disease that is highly prevalent in certain rural communities around the world. It predominantly affects males over their forties. It has many other names such as Bietti's band‐shaped nodular dystrophy, Labrador keratopathy, spheroidal degeneration, chronic actinic keratopathy, oil droplet degeneration, elastoid degeneration and keratinoid corneal degeneration. CDK is characterized by the haziness and opalescence of the cornea's most anterior layers which go through three stages with increasing severity. Globular deposits of different sizes may be histopathologically observed under the corneal epithelium by means of light and electron microscopy. The coalescence and increased volume of these spherules may cause the disruption of Bowman's membrane and the elevation and thinning of the corneal epithelium. The exact aetiology and pathogenesis of CDK are unknown, but they are possibly multifactorial. The only treatment in CDK advanced cases is a corneal transplantation, which in different impoverished regions of the world is not an available option. Many years ago, the clinical and histological aspects of this disease were described in several articles. This review highlights new scientific evidence of the expanding knowledge on CDK's pathogenesis which will open the prospect for new therapeutic interventions.
Using GPS and geo‐narratives: a methodological approach for understanding and situating everyday green space encounters
Authors: Bell Sarah L , Phoenix Cassandra , Lovell Rebecca , Wheeler Benedict W
Published: January 2015

This methods paper contributes to the recent proliferation of methodological innovation aimed at nurturing research encounters and exchanges that facilitate in‐depth insights into people's everyday practices and routine place encounters. By drawing on the experiences of an interpretive study seeking to situate people's green space wellbeing practices within their daily lives, we suggest value in using personalised maps – produced using participant accelerometer (physical activity) and Global Positioning System (GPS) data – alongside in‐depth and mobile ‘go‐along’ qualitative interview approaches. After introducing the study and the methods adopted, the paper discusses three opportunities offered by this mixed method approach to contribute a more nuanced, contextualised understanding of participants' green space experiences. These include: (a) the benefits of engaging participants in the interpretation of their own practices; (b) the value of using maps to provide a visual aid to discussion about the importance of participants' routine, often pre‐reflective practices; and (c) the production of a layered appreciation of participants' local green and blue space wellbeing experiences. Used in combination, such methods have the potential to provide a more comprehensive picture of how current green space experiences, be they infrequent and meaningful, or more routine and habitual, are shaped by everyday individual agency, life circumstances and past place experiences.
Saliency‐Preserving Slicing Optimization for Effective 3D Printing
Authors: Wang Weiming , Chao Haiyuan , Tong Jing , Yang Zhouwang , Tong Xin , Li Hang , Liu Xiuping , Liu Ligang
Published: January 2015

We present an adaptive slicing scheme for reducing the manufacturing time for 3D printing systems. Based on a new saliency‐based metric, our method optimizes the thicknesses of slicing layers to save printing time and preserve the visual quality of the printing results. We formulate the problem as a constrained ℓ0 optimization and compute the slicing result via a two‐step optimization scheme. To further reduce printing time, we develop a saliency‐based segmentation scheme to partition an object into subparts and then optimize the slicing of each subpart separately. We validate our method with a large set of 3D shapes ranging from CAD models to scanned objects. Results show that our method saves printing time by 30–40% and generates 3D objects that are visually similar to the ones printed with the finest resolution possible.
Validity of theOMNIrating of perceived exertion scale for children and adolescents with cerebral palsy
Authors: Fragala‐Pinkham Maria , O′Neil Margaret E , Lennon Nancy , Forman Jeffrey L , Trost Stewart G
Published: January 2015

Aim

This study evaluated the validity of theOMNIWalk/Run Rating of Perceived Exertion (OMNI‐RPE) scores with heart rate and oxygen consumption (VO2) for children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP).

Method

Children and adolescents withCP, aged 6 to 18 years and Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I toIIIcompleted a physical activity protocol with seven trials ranging in intensity from sedentary to moderate‐to‐vigorous.VO2and heart rate were recorded during the physical activity trials using a portable indirect calorimeter and heart rate monitor. Participants reportedOMNI‐RPEscores for each trial. Concurrent validity was assessed by calculating the average within‐subject correlation betweenOMNI‐RPEratings and the two physiological indices.

Results

For the correlational analyses, 48 participants (22 males, 26 females; age 12y 6mo,SD3y 4mo) had valid bivariate data forVO2andOMNI‐RPE, while 40 participants (21 males, 19 females; age 12y 5mo,SD2y 9mo) had valid bivariate data for heart rate andOMNI‐RPE.VO2(r=0.80; 95%CI0.66–0.88) and heart rate (r=0.83; 95%CI0.70–0.91) were moderately to highly correlated toOMNI‐RPEscores. No difference was found for the correlation of physiological data andOMNI‐RPEscores across the threeGMFCSlevels. TheOMNI‐RPEscores increased significantly in a dose‐response manner (F6,258=116.1,p<0.001) as exercise intensity increased from sedentary to moderate‐to‐vigorous.

Interpretation

OMNI‐RPEis a clinically feasible option to monitor exercise intensity in ambulatory children and adolescents withCP.
Evolution of gamete attraction molecules: evidence for purifying selection in speract and its receptor, in the pantropical sea urchin Diadema
Authors: Jagadeeshan Santosh , Coppard Simon E. , Lessios Harilaos A.
Published: January 2015

Many free‐spawning marine invertebrates, such as sea urchins, lack any courtship or assortative mating behavior. Mate recognition in such cases occur at the gametic level, and molecules present on the sperm and egg are major determinants of species‐specific fertilization. These molecules must also coevolve in relation to each other in order to preserve functional integrity. When sea urchins release their gametes in seawater, diffusible molecules from the egg, termed sperm‐activating peptides, activate and attract the sperm to swim toward the egg, initiating a series of interactions between the gametes. Although the compositions and diversity of such sperm‐activating peptides have been characterized in a variety of sea urchins, little is known about the evolution of their genes. Here we characterize the genes encoding the sperm‐activating peptide of the egg (speract) and its receptor on the sperm, and examine their evolutionary dynamics in the sea urchin genus Diadema, in the interest of determining whether they are involved in reproductive isolation between the species. We found evidence of purifying selection on several codon sites in both molecules and of selectively neutral evolution in others. The diffusible speract peptide that activates sperm is invariant across species, indicating that Diadema egg peptides do not discriminate between con‐ and hetero‐specific sperm at this stage of the process. Speract and its receptor do not contribute to reproductive isolation in Diadema.
Color pattern evolution inVanessabutterflies (Nymphalidae: Nymphalini): non‐eyespot characters
Authors: Abbasi Roohollah , Marcus Jeffrey M.
Published: January 2015

A phylogenetic approach was used to study color pattern evolution inVanessabutterflies. Twenty‐four color pattern elements from the Nymphalid ground plan were identified on the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the fore‐ and hind wings. Eyespot characters were excluded and will be examined elsewhere. The evolution of each character was traced over a Bayesian phylogeny ofVanessareconstructed from 7750 DNA base pairs from 10 genes. Generally, the correspondence between character states on the same surface of the two wings is stronger on the ventral side compared to the dorsal side. The evolution of character states on both sides of a wing correspond with each other in most extant species, but the correspondence between dorsal and ventral character states is much stronger in the forewing than in the hindwing. The dorsal hindwing of many species ofVanessais covered with an extended Basal Symmetry System and the Discalis I pattern element is highly variable between species, making this wing surface dissimilar to the other wing surfaces. The Basal Symmetry System and Discalis I may contribute to behavioral thermoregulation inVanessa. Overall, interspecific directional character state evolution of non‐eyespot color patterns is relatively rare inVanessa,with a majority of color pattern elements showing non‐variable, non‐directional, or ambiguous character state evolution. The ease with which the development of color patterns can be modified, including character state reversals, has likely made important contributions to the production of color pattern diversity inVanessaand other butterfly groups.
Phylogenetic analysis and expression patterns of Pax genes in the onychophoran Euperipatoides rowelli reveal a novel bilaterian Pax subfamily
Authors: Franke Franziska Anni , Schumann Isabell , Hering Lars , Mayer Georg
Published: January 2015

Pax family genes encode a class of transcription factors that regulate various developmental processes. To shed light on the evolutionary history of these genes in Panarthropoda (Onychophora + Tardigrada + Arthropoda), we analyzed the Pax repertoire in the embryonic and adult transcriptomes of the onychophoran Euperipatoides rowelli. Our data revealed homologs of all five major bilaterian Pax subfamilies in this species, including Pax2/5/8, Pax4/6, Pox‐neuro, Pax1/9/Pox‐meso, and Pax3/7. In addition, we identified a new Pax member, pax‐α, which does not fall into any other known Pax subfamily but instead clusters in the heterogenic Pax‐α/β clade containing deuterostome, ecdysozoan, and lophotrochozoan gene sequences. These findings suggest that the last common bilaterian ancestor possessed six rather than five Pax genes, which have been retained in the panarthropod lineage. The expression data of Pax orthologs in the onychophoran embryo revealed distinctive patterns, some of which might be related to their ancestral roles in the last common panarthropod ancestor, whereas others might be specific to the onychophoran lineage. The derived roles include, for example, an involvement of pax2/5/8, pox‐neuro, and pax3/7 in onychophoran nephridiogenesis, and an additional function of pax2/5/8 in the formation of the ventral and preventral organs. Furthermore, our transcriptomic analyses suggest that at least some Pax genes, including pax6 and pax‐α, are expressed in the adult onychophoran head, although the corresponding functions remain to be clarified. The remarkable diversity of the Pax expression patterns highlights the functional and evolutionary plasticity of these genes in panarthropods.
Evolutionary origin and status of two insect acetylcholinesterases and their structural conservation and differentiation
Authors: Cha Deok Jea , Lee Si Hyeock
Published: January 2015

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) plays a pivotal role in synaptic transmission in the cholinergic nervous system of most animals, including insects. Insects possess duplicated AChE gene loci (ace1 vs. ace2) encoding two distinct AChEs (AChE1 and AChE2). A phylogenetic analysis suggested that the last common ancestor of two aces shared its origin with Platyhelminthes. In addition, the ace duplication event likely occurred after the divergence of Protostomian but before the split of Ecdysozoa. The ace1 lineage exhibited a significantly lower evolutionary rate (d and dN/dS ratio) than the ace2 lineage, suggesting that the ace1 lineage has retained the essential function of synaptic transmission following its duplication. Therefore, the putative functional transition from ace1 to ace2 observed in some Hymenopteran insects appears to be a local and relatively recent event. The amino acid sequence comparison and three‐dimensional modeling of insect AChEs identified a few consistent differences in the amino acid residues in functionally crucial domains between two AChEs, which are likely responsible for the functional differentiation between two AChEs. A unique amino acid substitution causing a dramatic reduction in the catalytic activity of AChE1 in some Hymenopteran insects was suggested to be responsible for the aforementioned functional transition of ace.
From shavenbaby to the naked valley: trichome formation as a model for evolutionary developmental biology
Authors: Arif Saad , Kittelmann Sebastian , McGregor Alistair P.
Published: January 2015

Microtrichia or trichomes are non‐sensory actin protrusions produced by the epidermal cells of many insects. Studies of trichome formation in Drosophila have over the last 30 years provided key insights towards our understanding of gene regulation, gene regulatory networks (GRNs), development, the genotype to phenotype map, and the evolution of these processes. Here we review classic studies that have used trichome formation as a model to shed light on Drosophila development as well as recent research on the architecture of the GRN underlying trichome formation. This includes the findings that both small peptides and microRNAs play important roles in the regulation and evolution of this network. In addition, we review research on the evolution of trichome patterns that has provided novel insights into the function and architecture of cis‐regulatory modules, and into the genetic basis of morphological change. We conclude that further research on these apparently simple and often functionally enigmatic structures will continue to provide new and important knowledge about development and evolution.
A diagnostic approach to the pruritic horse
Authors: White S. D.
Published: January 2015

Pruritus is a common complaint in equine medicine. While pruritus in most horses is due to ectoparasites (midges, flies, mites) or environmental allergens (pollens, barn dust, moulds, etc.), other causes such as staphylococcal or fungal infections, vasculitis, and internal organ dysfunction should not be overlooked. In a rational approach to the pruritic horse, history and physical examination become very important as a guide to choosing diagnostic tests.
Analysis of insulin receptor substrate signaling dynamics on microstructured surfaces
Authors: Lanzerstorfer Peter , Yoneyama Yosuke , Hakuno Fumihiko , Müller Ulrike , Höglinger Otmar , Takahashi Shin‐Ichiro , Weghuber Julian
Published: January 2015

Insulin receptor substrates (IRS) are phosphorylated by activated insulin/insulin‐like growth factor I receptor tyrosine kinases, with this comprising an initial key event for downstream signaling and bioactivities. Despite the structural similarities, increasing evidence shows that IRS family proteins have nonredundant functions. Although the specificity of insulin/insulin‐like growth factor signaling and biological responses partly reflects which IRS proteins are dominantly phosphorylated by the receptors, the precise properties of the respective IRS interaction with the receptors remain elusive. In the present study, we utilized a technique that combines micropatterned surfaces and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy for the quantitative analysis of the interaction between IRS proteins and insulin/insulin‐like growth factor in living cells. Our experimental set‐up enabled the measurement of equilibrium associations and interaction dynamics of these molecules with high specificity. We revealed that several domains of IRS including pleckstrin homology and phosphotyrosine binding domains critically determine the turnover rate of the receptors. Furthermore, we found significant differences among IRS proteins in the strength and kinetic stability of the interaction with the receptors, suggesting that these interaction properties could account for the diverse functions of IRS. In addition, our analyses using fluorescent recovery after photobleaching revealed that kinases such as c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase and IκB kinase β, which phosphorylate serine/threonine residues of IRS and contribute to insulin resistance, altered the interaction kinetics of IRS with insulin receptor. Collectively, our experimental set‐up is a valuable system for quantitifying the physiological interaction of IRS with the receptors in insulin/insulin‐like growth factor signaling.
Acidification effects on biofouling communities: winners and losers
Authors: Peck Lloyd S. , Clark Melody S. , Power Deborah , Reis João , Batista Frederico M. , Harper Elizabeth M.
Published: January 2015

How ocean acidification affects marine life is a major concern for science and society. However, its impacts on encrusting biofouling communities, that are both the initial colonizers of hard substrata and of great economic importance, are almost unknown. We showed that community composition changed significantly, from 92% spirorbids, 3% ascidians and 4% sponges initially to 47% spirorbids, 23% ascidians and 29% sponges after 100 days in acidified conditions (pH 7.7). In low pH, numbers of the spirorbid Neodexiospira pseudocorrugata were reduced ×5 compared to controls. The two ascidians present behaved differently with Aplidium sp. decreasing ×10 in pH 7.7, whereas Molgula sp. numbers were ×4 higher in low pH than controls. Calcareous sponge (Leucosolenia sp.) numbers increased ×2.5 in pH 7.7 over controls. The diatom and filamentous algal community was also more poorly developed in the low pH treatments compared to controls. Colonization of new surfaces likewise showed large decreases in spirorbid numbers, but numbers of sponges and Molgula sp. increased. Spirorbid losses appeared due to both recruitment failure and loss of existing tubes. Spirorbid tubes are comprised of a loose prismatic fabric of calcite crystals. Loss of tube materials appeared due to changes in the binding matrix and not crystal dissolution, as SEM analyses showed crystal surfaces were not pitted or dissolved in low pH conditions. Biofouling communities face dramatic future changes with reductions in groups with hard exposed exoskeletons and domination by soft‐bodied ascidians and sponges.
How do climate and dispersal traits limit ranges of tree species along latitudinal and elevational gradients?
Authors: Siefert Andrew , Lesser Mark R. , Fridley Jason D.
Published: January 2015

Aim

We compared the upper range limits of tree species along latitudinal and elevational gradients to assess the influence of specific climatic factors – winter temperature, summer temperature and growing season length – in determining species range limits. We analysed the degree and direction of climatic mismatches between latitudinal and elevational limits to determine whether mismatches could be explained by species dispersal traits.

Location

Eastern North America and the Great Smoky Mountains (Tennessee and North Carolina), USA.

Methods

We determined the climatic limits for each of 28 common tree species along a latitudinal gradient in eastern North America and across an elevational gradient in the Great Smoky Mountains. We calculated the degree of climatic mismatch between species limits along the two gradients and tested for relationships with species dispersal traits (seed mass, maximum height, seed and pollen dispersal mode).

Results

We found strong positive relationships between species latitudinal and elevational climatic limits. Winter temperatures were much lower at species poleward limits compared with their upper elevational range limits, but there were close matches between limits for variables related to summer temperature and growing season length. The degree of climatic mismatch was influenced by species dispersal traits; species with unassisted seed dispersal and low maximum height tended to have lower latitudinal than elevational limits.

Main conclusions

Our results suggest that low summer temperatures and a short growing season length limit species distributions along both latitudinal and elevational gradients, whereas winter temperature does not play a critical role. The failure of some species with poor dispersal ability to grow as far poleward as expected based on their elevational limits supports the hypothesis that historical dispersal constraints may limit species distributions along the latitudinal gradient.
Disease alters macroecological patterns of North American bats
Authors: Frick Winifred F. , Puechmaille Sébastien J. , Hoyt Joseph R. , Nickel Barry A. , Langwig Kate E. , Foster Jeffrey T. , Barlow Kate E. , Bartonička Tomáš , Feller Dan , Haarsma Anne‐Jifke , Herzog Carl , Horáček Ivan , van der Kooij Jeroen , Mulkens Bart , Petrov Boyan , Reynolds Rick , Rodrigues Luísa , Stihler Craig W. , Turner Gregory G. , Kilpatrick A. Marm
Published: January 2015

Aim

We investigated the effects of disease on the local abundances and distributions of species at continental scales by examining the impacts of white‐nose syndrome, an infectious disease of hibernating bats, which has recently emerged in North America.

Location

North America and Europe.

Methods

We used four decades of population counts from 1108 populations to compare the local abundances of bats in North America before and after the emergence of white‐nose syndrome to the situation in Europe, where the disease is endemic. We also examined the probability of local extinction for six species of hibernating bats in eastern North America and assessed the influence of winter colony size prior to the emergence of white‐nose syndrome on the risk of local extinction.

Results

White‐nose syndrome has caused a 10‐fold decrease in the abundance of bats at hibernacula in North America, eliminating large differences in species abundance patterns that existed between Europe and North America prior to disease emergence. White‐nose syndrome has also caused extensive local extinctions (up to 69% of sites in a single species). For five out of six species, the risk of local extinction was lower in larger winter populations, as expected from theory, but for the most affected species, the northern long‐eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), extinction risk was constant across winter colony sizes, demonstrating that disease can sometimes eliminate numerical rarity as the dominant driver of extinction risk by driving both small and large populations extinct.

Main conclusions

Species interactions, including disease, play an underappreciated role in macroecological patterns and influence broad patterns of species abundance, occurrence and extinction.
Dysregulation of redox‐state‐regulating enzymes in melanocytic skin tumours and the surrounding microenvironment
Authors: Hintsala Hanna‐Riikka , Soini Ylermi , Haapasaari Kirsi‐Maria , Karihtala Peeter
Published: January 2015

Aims

To investigate redox‐regulating enzymes that may have a special role in melanoma pathogenesis due to continuous exposure to microenvironment‐produced and ultraviolet radiation‐induced oxidative stress.

Methods and results

We assessed immunohistochemically the expression of antioxidant enzymes peroxiredoxins (Prxs) I–IV, sulfiredoxin (Srx) and redox‐regulated proto‐oncogene DJ‐1 in material consisting of 30 benign naevi, 14 lentigo malignas and 67 malignant melanomas. Evaluation of immunostaining was performed with special attention paid to protein expression in different tumour compartments. In particular, the expression patterns of nuclear Prx I and Prx II and cytoplasmic DJ‐1 were decreased significantly in melanomas compared with dysplastic and benign naevi. In multivariate analysis, several prognostic factors were identified: Prx III expression in the cytoplasm of stromal fibroblasts was associated with shortened melanoma‐specific survival [hazard ratio (HR) 6.730; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.579–28.689], while cytoplasmic Prx IV expression in endothelial cells (HR 6.563; 95% CI 1.750–24.620) and Srx expression in the cytoplasm of keratinocytes (HR 6.988; 95% CI 1.559–31.324) were associated with better prognosis independently of ulceration, thickness of melanoma or its diagnostic type.

Conclusions

Redox‐regulating enzymes have the potential to serve as novel prognostic factors and targeting them may offer new therapeutic options in malignant melanoma.
Novel missense mutation in the EDA1 gene identified in a family with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia
Authors: Pozo‐Molina Glustein , Reyes‐Reali Julia , Mendoza‐Ramos María Isabel , Villalobos‐Molina Rafael , Garrido‐Guerrero Efraín , Méndez‐Cruz Adolfo René
Published: January 2015

Background

Hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED) is a human genetic disorder that affects structures of ectodermal origin such as hair, teeth, and sweat glands. Although there are autosomal recessive and dominant forms, X‐linked (XL) is the most frequent form of the disease. This XL‐HED phenotype is associated with mutations in the gene encoding the transmembrane protein ectodysplasin‐1 (EDA1). We report the clinical and molecular analysis of a novel mutation in exon 1 affecting the transmembrane domain of the protein.

Methods

We have screened 20 members of a family from Yucatán, México, nine men and 11 women, searching clinical and histopathological signs of HED. We searched mutations in EDA1 gene from patients with XL‐HED, carriers, and controls.

Results

We identified seven men with clinical characteristics of HED showing short toes and plantar hyperkeratosis not reported previously in patients with HED. A mutational study of the EDA1 gene showed that all seven patients with HED carry a novel missense mutation of the nucleotide 409 (c.409T>C) in exon 1, which changes p.Leu56‐Pro in the protein amino acid sequence; five women are heterozygous compatible with carrier status.

Conclusions

We found a novel missense mutation in exon 1 of the EDA1 gene in a putative Mayan family from México with XL‐HED. We identified in this population some novel clinical signs of HED.
Therapeutic envelope vaccination in combination with antiretroviral therapy temporarily rescues SIV‐specific CD4+ T‐cell‐dependent natural killer cell effector responses in chronically infected rhesus macaques
Authors: Vargas‐Inchaustegui Diego A. , Xiao Peng , Demberg Thorsten , Pal Ranajit , Robert‐Guroff Marjorie
Published: January 2015

Natural killer (NK) cells are essential components of the immune system, and due to their rapid response potential, can have a great impact during early anti‐viral immune responses. We have previously shown that interleukin‐2‐dependent NK and CD4+ T‐cell co‐operative immune responses exist in long‐term simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) ‐infected controlling macaques and can be rescued in SIV‐infected non‐controlling macaques by a short course of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Given that co‐operative responses may play an important role in disease prevention and therapeutic treatment, in the present study we sought to determine if these responses can be enhanced in chronically SIV‐infected macaques by vaccination with a single‐dose of envelope protein given during ART. To this end, we treated 14 chronically SIV‐infected macaques with ART for 11 weeks and gave 10 of these macaques a single intramuscular dose of SIV gp120 at week 9 of treatment. ART significantly decreased plasma and mucosal viral loads, increased the numbers of circulating CD4+ T cells in all macaques, and increased T‐cell‐dependent envelope‐ and gag‐specific interferon‐γ and tumour necrosis factor‐α production by circulatory CD56+ NK cells. The therapeutic envelope immunization resulted in higher envelope‐specific responses compared with those in macaques that received ART only. Functional T‐cell responses restored by ART and therapeutic Env immunization were correlated with transiently reduced plasma viraemia levels following ART release. Collectively our results indicate that SIV‐specific T‐cell‐dependent NK cell responses can be efficiently rescued by ART in chronically SIV‐infected macaques and that therapeutic immunization may be beneficial in previously vaccinated individuals.
Physical and verbal workplace violence against nurses in Jordan
Authors: Al‐Omari H.
Published: January 2015

Aims

To explore the prevalence of physical and verbal workplace violence among nurses working in general hospitals in Jordan, and to investigate the relation between physical violence, verbal violence, anxiety about violence, and some certain demographic variables.

Background

Violence against nurses at the workplace is an alarming problem in both developed and developing countries. This study explicates physical and psychological workplace violence and its relation to anxiety about violence at workplace and to some demographic variables.

Methods

A cross‐sectional correlational study was conducted on a convenience sample of nurses working in general hospitals in Jordan.

Results

A total of 468 nurses completed the questionnaire, 52.8% of the participants reported that they were physically attacked, and 67.8% were verbally attacked in the last 12 months. Of those who were physically attacked, 26.5% reported a physical violence with a weapon. The logistic regression analysis revealed that female nurses were 0.5 times less likely to report being physically attacked and were 1.5 times more likely to report being verbally abused than male nurses.

Discussion

Violence against nurses is highly prevalent in Jordan. More than half of the participants were victims of violence at their workplace during the last year. Verbal abuse was more common among females than males.

Nursing Implications

Nurses are in the frontline of the healthcare system and their safety is a high priority. They need to be involved in the development and formulation of workplace violence policy decisions.

Conclusions

Physical and verbal workplace violence in Jordan, like other countries, is a dangerous behavior that negatively affects general hospital nurses.
Geographic variation of life‐history traits in the sand lizard,Lacerta agilis: testing Darwin's fecundity‐advantage hypothesis
Authors: Roitberg E. S. , Eplanova G. V. , Kotenko T. I. , Amat F. , Carretero M. A. , Kuranova V. N. , Bulakhova N. A. , Zinenko O. I. , Yakovlev V. A.
Published: January 2015

The fecundity‐advantage hypothesis (FAH) explains larger female size relative to male size as a correlated response to fecundity selection. We exploredFAHby investigating geographic variation in female reproductive output and its relation to sexual size dimorphism (SSD) inLacerta agilis, an oviparous lizard occupying a major part of temperate Eurasia. We analysed how sex‐specific body size andSSDare associated with two putative indicators of fecundity selection intensity (clutch size and the slope of the clutch size–female size relationship) and with two climatic variables throughout the species range and across two widespread evolutionary lineages. Variationwithinthe lineages provides no support forFAH. In contrast, the divergencebetweenthe lineages is in line withFAH: the lineage with consistently female‐biasedSSD(L. a. agilis) exhibits higher clutch size and steeper fecundity slope than the lineage with an inconsistent and variableSSD(L. a. exigua).L. a. agilisshows lower offspring size (egg mass, hatchling mass) and higher clutch mass relative to female mass thanL. a. exigua, that is both possible ways to enhance offspring number are exerted. As theSSDdifference is due tomalesize (smaller males inL. a. agilis), fecundity selection favouring larger females, together with viability selection for smaller size in both sexes, would explain the female‐biasedSSDand reproductive characteristics ofL. a. agilis. The pattern of intraspecific life‐history divergence inL. agilisis strikingly similar to that between oviparous and viviparous populations of a related speciesZootoca vivipara. Evolutionary implications of this parallelism are discussed.
Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of a Canned Sardine Product from Portugal
Authors: Almeida Cheila , Vaz Sofia , Ziegler Friederike
Published: January 2015

This study aims to assess the environmental impacts of canned sardines in olive oil, by considering fishing, processing, and packaging, using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The case study concerns a product of a canning factory based in Portugal and packed in aluminum cans. It is the first LCA of a processed seafood product made with the traditional canning method. The production of both cans and olive oil are the most important process in the considered impact categories. The production of olives contributes to the high environmental load of olive oil, related to cultivation and harvesting phases. The production of aluminum cans is the most significant process for all impact categories, except ozone depletion potential and eutrophication potential, resulting from the high energy demand and the extraction of raw materials. To compare to other sardine products consumed in Portugal, such as frozen and fresh sardines, transport to the wholesaler and store was added. The environmental cost of canned sardines is almost seven times higher per kilogram of edible product. The main action to optimize the environmental performance of canned sardines is therefore to replace the packaging and diminish the olive oil losses as much as possible. Greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by half when plastic packaging is considered rather than aluminum. Frozen and fresh sardines represent much lower environmental impacts than canned sardines. Nevertheless, when other sardine products are not possible, it becomes feasible to use sardines for human consumption, preventing them from being wasted or used suboptimally as feed.
Unpacking the Institutional Complexity in Adoption of CSR Practices in Multinational Enterprises
Authors: Marano Valentina , Kostova Tatiana
Published: January 2015

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) operate in complex transnational organizational fields with multiple, diverse, and possibly conflicting institutional forces. This paper examines how such complex environments affect a firm's adoption of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices. To capture the effect of transnational fields, we consider the institutional influences of all country environments to which the firm is linked through its portfolio of operations and propose that these effects will be weighted depending on their relative salience. We identify a set of factors that make certain pressures more salient than others, including firm's economic dependence on a particular country, heterogeneity of institutional forces within the firm's transnational field, exposure to leading countries with more stringent CSR templates, and intensity and commitment to particular economic linkages (i.e., foreign direct investment versus international trade). Our hypotheses are tested and supported in a study of 710 US MNEs from 2007 to 2011 with global ties to over 100 countries.
Predicting Prodromal Alzheimer's Disease in Subjects with Mild Cognitive Impairment Using Machine Learning Classification of Multimodal Multicenter Diffusion‐Tensor and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Data
Authors: Dyrba Martin , Barkhof Frederik , Fellgiebel Andreas , Filippi Massimo , Hausner Lucrezia , Hauenstein Karlheinz , Kirste Thomas , Teipel Stefan J. ,   the EDSD study group
Published: January 2015

BACKGROUND

Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients show early changes in white matter (WM) structural integrity. We studied the use of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in assessing WM alterations in the predementia stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

METHODS

We applied a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier to DTI and volumetric magnetic resonance imaging data from 35 amyloid‐β42 negative MCI subjects (MCI‐Aβ42−), 35 positive MCI subjects (MCI‐Aβ42+), and 25 healthy controls (HC) retrieved from the European DTI Study on Dementia. The SVM was applied to DTI‐derived fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity (MD), and mode of anisotropy (MO) maps. For comparison, we studied classification based on gray matter (GM) and WM volume.

RESULTS

We obtained accuracies of up to 68% for MO and 63% for GM volume when it came to distinguishing between MCI‐Aβ42− and MCI‐Aβ42+. When it came to separating MCI‐Aβ42+ from HC we achieved an accuracy of up to 77% for MD and a significantly lower accuracy of 68% for GM volume. The accuracy of multimodal classification was not higher than the accuracy of the best single modality.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that DTI data provide better prediction accuracy than GM volume in predementia AD.
Characterisation of a novel oral iron chelator: 1-(N-Acetyl-6-Aminohexyl)-3-Hydroxy-2-Methylpyridin-4-one
Authors: Pangjit Kanjana , Banjerdpongchai Ratana , Phisalaphong Chada , Fucharoen Suthat , Xie Yuan Yuan , Lu Zi Dong , Hider Robert C , Srichairatanakool Somdet
Published: January 2015

Objectives

Desferrioxamine (DFO), deferiprone (DFP) and deferasirox (DFX) are iron chelators currently in clinical use for the treatment of iron overload. Due to difficulties with administration and associated side effects with these three molecules, the search continues for an efficient nontoxic orally active iron chelator. This communication describes the properties of one such candidate, 1-(N-acetyl-6-aminohexyl)-3-hydroxy-2-methylpyridin-4-one (CM1).

Methods

Physicochemical characterisation techniques, including partition coefficient, pKa values and logK values for iron(III). Iron scavenging assays, from iron citrate, nontransferrin bound iron and iron-loaded rats. Cytotoxicity studies using white cells, hepatocytes and cardiomyocytes.

Key findings

CM1 possesses high affinity and selectivity for iron(III) and a suitable partition coefficient to permeate membranes. CM1 forms a neutral 3 : 1 iron(III) complex under physiological conditions and so, it is predicted to be capable of entry into mammalian cells to scavenge excess intracellular iron and to efflux from cells as the neutral 3 : 1 complex. CM1 is demonstrated to be orally active and to possess a higher efficacy than DFP in rats. CM1 displays no toxicity to a range of cell types.

Conclusion

The above promising studies will be extended to monitor the pharmacokinetics and metabolism of CM1. CM1 is an excellent candidate for phase 1 clinical trials.
Pinealectomy interferes with the circadian clock genes expression in white adipose tissue
Authors: de Farias Talita da Silva Mendes , de Oliveira Ariclécio Cunha , Andreotti Sandra , do Amaral Fernanda Gaspar , Chimin Patrícia , de Proença André Ricardo Alves , Torres Leal Francisco Leonardo , Sertié Rogério Antonio Laurato , Campana Amanda Baron , Lopes Andressa Bolsoni , de Souza Arnaldo Henrique , Cipolla‐Neto José , Lima Fabio Bessa
Published: January 2015

Melatonin, the main hormone produced by the pineal gland, is secreted in a circadian manner (24‐hr period), and its oscillation influences several circadian biological rhythms, such as the regulation of clock genes expression (chronobiotic effect) and the modulation of several endocrine functions in peripheral tissues. Assuming that the circadian synchronization of clock genes can play a role in the regulation of energy metabolism and it is influenced by melatonin, our study was designed to assess possible alterations as a consequence of melatonin absence on the circadian expression of clock genes in the epididymal adipose tissue of male Wistar rats and the possible metabolic repercussions to this tissue. Our data show that pinealectomy indeed has impacts on molecular events: it abolishes the daily pattern of the expression of Clock, Per2, and Cry1 clock genes and Pparγ expression, significantly increases the amplitude of daily expression of Rev‐erbα, and affects the pattern of and impairs adipokine production, leading to a decrease in leptin levels. However, regarding some metabolic aspects of adipocyte functions, such as its ability to synthesize triacylglycerols from glucose along 24 hr, was not compromised by pinealectomy, although the daily profile of the lipogenic enzymes expression (ATP‐citrate lyase, malic enzyme, fatty acid synthase, and glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase) was abolished in pinealectomized animals.
Structure also supports autonomy: Measuring and defining autonomy‐supportive teaching in Japanese elementary foreign language classes
Authors: Oga‐Baldwin William Ludwell Quint , Nakata Yoshiyuki
Published: January 2015

Recent discussions of autonomy have included the perspective that, as a basic human need across cultural environments, it includes not only choice but also personal endorsement of action. The present study focused on the cultural experience of autonomy‐support in Japanese elementary school foreign language classes. Three studies were conducted to investigate how students understand autonomy‐supportive teaching. In Study 1, exploratory focus groups defined cultural perspectives on autonomy‐support and structure. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis indicated that clarity, pacing, and teachers' positive affect correspond to students' perception of supportive teaching. Study 2 investigated teacher support in relation to in‐class engagement using longitudinal structural equation modeling. The results indicated a strong relationship between perceptions of support and classroom behavioral engagement, with stable effects over time. Study 3 longitudinally investigated teacher support in relation to students' perceptions of personal autonomy, relatedness, and competence need satisfaction. Findings show a strong positive relationship between teacher support and need satisfaction with high test‐retest reliability. Discussion focuses on how autonomy need satisfaction is experienced in different cultures with differing social norms.
Sequentially contingent fires, droughts and pluvials structured a historical dry forest landscape and suggest future contingencies
Authors: Dugan Alexa J. , Baker William L.
Published: January 2015

Questions

Dry forests throughout the world were historically influenced by fires and climatic events, evidenced by tree recruitment pulses in forest age structures, but did these influences act randomly or were recruitment pulses contingent on the type, magnitude, order and timing of events? If recruitment was random or contingent, what are the implications for future forests?

Location

Unlogged, old‐growth ponderosa pine landscape in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona,US.

Methods

We spatially reconstructed and compared tree recruitment pulses evident in forest age structures within plots with tree ring reconstructions of pluvials, droughts, fires and fire quiescence (longer fire‐free periods). We used chi‐square analysis to test for sequential contingency of combinations and permutations of pulse influences.

Results

Of 20 recruitment pulses, 17 were influenced to some extent by fire quiescence, 13 by fires and droughts each, and 11 by pluvials. Prevalence of pulses across the landscape did not correspond to the pronounced spatial variability in fire rotation. Analysis of combinations and permutations of these influences showed that potentially mortality‐inducing influences of fire and drought likely initiated pulses, whereas pluvials and quiescence, which enhance recruitment conditions, sustained 75% of pulses.

Conclusions

Successful tree recruitment pulses in dry forests historically were sequentially contingent on mortality‐inducing influences, followed by recruitment‐enhancing conditions. The impacts of climate change projections, including prolonged droughts and intense fires, on dry forests may depend on the order, timing and magnitude of influences.
Team‐Based Learning for Students with High‐Incidence Disabilities in High School Social Studies Classrooms
Authors: Kent Shawn , Wanzek Jeanne , Swanson Elizabeth A. , Vaughn Sharon
Published: January 2015

We examined the effectiveness of implementing team‐based learning (TBL) practices on content acquisition for 11th grade students with high‐incidence disabilities enrolled in general education social studies courses. TBL components focus on collaborative discourse within heterogeneous teams. TBL, which requires critical thinking and the application of content knowledge for problem‐solving, was implemented for three units of instruction. Results indicated no statistically significant differences between groups on a measure of content knowledge, although a moderate effect size was noted (ES = 0.50). Significant and large effects (ES = 1.01) favoring the TBL treatment were noted for items related to content‐area vocabulary. There were no significant differences on items measuring comprehension of historical events, facts, and issues (ES = 0.38). Practical implications for content‐area instruction are discussed.
Widespread parallel population adaptation to climate variation across a radiation: implications for adaptation to climate change
Authors: Thorpe Roger S. , Barlow Axel , Malhotra Anita , Surget‐Groba Yann
Published: January 2015

Global warming will impact species in a number of ways, and it is important to know the extent to which natural populations can adapt to anthropogenic climate change by natural selection. Parallel microevolution within separate species can demonstrate natural selection, but several studies of homoplasy have not yet revealed examples of widespread parallel evolution in a generic radiation. Taking into account primary phylogeographic divisions, we investigate numerous quantitative traits (size, shape, scalation, colour pattern and hue) in anole radiations from the mountainous Lesser Antillean islands. Adaptation to climatic differences can lead to very pronounced differences between spatially close populations with all studied traits showing some evidence of parallel evolution. Traits from shape, scalation, pattern and hue (particularly the latter) show widespread evolutionary parallels within these species in response to altitudinal climate variation greater than extreme anthropogenic climate change predicted for 2080. This gives strong evidence of the ability to adapt to climate variation by natural selection throughout this radiation. As anoles can evolve very rapidly, it suggests anthropogenic climate change is likely to be less of a conservation threat than other factors, such as habitat loss and invasive species, in this, Lesser Antillean, biodiversity hot spot.