bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of efficiency indicators of operating room management for multi‐institutional comparisons
Authors: Tanaka Masayuki , Lee Jason , Ikai Hiroshi , Imanaka Yuichi
Published: February 2012

Objectives  The efficiency of a hospital's operating room (OR) management can affect its overall profitability. However, existing indicators that assess OR management efficiency do not take into account differences in hospital size, manpower and functional characteristics, thereby rendering them unsuitable for multi‐institutional comparisons. The aim of this study was to develop indicators of OR management efficiency that would take into account differences in hospital size and manpower, which may then be applied to multi‐institutional comparisons.

Methods  Using administrative data from 224 hospitals in Japan from 2008 to 2010, we performed four multiple linear regression analyses at the hospital level, in which the dependent variables were the number of operations per OR per month, procedural fees per OR per month, total utilization times per OR per month and total fees per OR per month for each of the models.

Results  The expected values of these four indicators were produced using multiple regression analysis results, adjusting for differences in hospital size and manpower, which are beyond the control of process owners' management. However, more than half of the variations in three of these four indicators were shown to be explained by differences in hospital size and manpower.

Conclusion  Using the ratio of observed to expected values (OE ratio), as well as the difference between the two values (OE difference) allows hospitals to identify weaknesses in efficiency with more validity when compared to unadjusted indicators. The new indicators may support the improvement and sustainment of a high‐quality health care system.
Genetic spatial autocorrelation can readily detect sex‐biased dispersal
Authors: BANKS SAM C. , PEAKALL ROD
Published: February 2012

Sex‐biased dispersal is expected to generate differences in the fine‐scale genetic structure of males and females. Therefore, spatial analyses of multilocus genotypes may offer a powerful approach for detecting sex‐biased dispersal in natural populations. However, the effects of sex‐biased dispersal on fine‐scale genetic structure have not been explored. We used simulations and multilocus spatial autocorrelation analysis to investigate how sex‐biased dispersal influences fine‐scale genetic structure. We evaluated three statistical tests for detecting sex‐biased dispersal: bootstrap confidence intervals about autocorrelation r values and recently developed heterogeneity tests at the distance class and whole correlogram levels. Even modest sex bias in dispersal resulted in significantly different fine‐scale spatial autocorrelation patterns between the sexes. This was particularly evident when dispersal was strongly restricted in the less‐dispersing sex (mean distance <200 m), when differences between the sexes were readily detected over short distances. All tests had high power to detect sex‐biased dispersal with large sample sizes (n ≥ 250). However, there was variation in type I error rates among the tests, for which we offer specific recommendations. We found congruence between simulation predictions and empirical data from the agile antechinus, a species that exhibits male‐biased dispersal, confirming the power of individual‐based genetic analysis to provide insights into asymmetries in male and female dispersal. Our key recommendations for using multilocus spatial autocorrelation analyses to test for sex‐biased dispersal are: (i) maximize sample size, not locus number; (ii) concentrate sampling within the scale of positive structure; (iii) evaluate several distance class sizes; (iv) use appropriate methods when combining data from multiple populations; (v) compare the appropriate groups of individuals.
Building genetic networks using relatedness information: a novel approach for the estimation of dispersal and characterization of group structure in social animals
Authors: ROLLINS LEE ANN , BROWNING LUCY E. , HOLLELEY CLARE E. , SAVAGE JAMES L. , RUSSELL ANDREW F. , GRIFFITH SIMON C.
Published: February 2012

Natal dispersal is an important life history trait driving variation in individual fitness, and therefore, a proper understanding of the factors underlying dispersal behaviour is critical to many fields including population dynamics, behavioural ecology and conservation biology. However, individual dispersal patterns remain difficult to quantify despite many years of research using direct and indirect methods. Here, we quantify dispersal in a single intensively studied population of the cooperatively breeding chestnut‐crowned babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps) using genetic networks created from the combination of pairwise relatedness data and social networking methods and compare this to dispersal estimates from re‐sighting data. This novel approach not only identifies movements between social groups within our study sites but also provides an estimation of immigration rates of individuals originating outside the study site. Both genetic and re‐sighting data indicated that dispersal was strongly female biased, but the magnitude of dispersal estimates was much greater using genetic data. This suggests that many previous studies relying on mark–recapture data may have significantly underestimated dispersal. An analysis of spatial genetic structure within the sampled population also supports the idea that females are more dispersive, with females having no structure beyond the bounds of their own social group, while male genetic structure expands for 750 m from their social group. Although the genetic network approach we have used is an excellent tool for visualizing the social and genetic microstructure of social animals and identifying dispersers, our results also indicate the importance of applying them in parallel with behavioural and life history data.
Gene flow and pathogen transmission among bobcats (Lynx rufus) in a fragmented urban landscape
Authors: LEE JUSTIN S. , RUELL EMILY W. , BOYDSTON ERIN E. , LYREN LISA M. , ALONSO ROBERT S. , TROYER JENNIFER L. , CROOKS KEVIN R. , VandeWOUDE SUE
Published: February 2012

Urbanization can result in the fragmentation of once contiguous natural landscapes into a patchy habitat interspersed within a growing urban matrix. Animals living in fragmented landscapes often have reduced movement among habitat patches because of avoidance of intervening human development, which potentially leads to both reduced gene flow and pathogen transmission between patches. Mammalian carnivores with large home ranges, such as bobcats (Lynx rufus), may be particularly sensitive to habitat fragmentation. We performed genetic analyses on bobcats and their directly transmitted viral pathogen, feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), to investigate the effects of urbanization on bobcat movement. We predicted that urban development, including major freeways, would limit bobcat movement and result in genetically structured host and pathogen populations. We analysed molecular markers from 106 bobcats and 19 FIV isolates from seropositive animals in urban southern California. Our findings indicate that reduced gene flow between two primary habitat patches has resulted in genetically distinct bobcat subpopulations separated by urban development including a major highway. However, the distribution of genetic diversity among FIV isolates determined through phylogenetic analyses indicates that pathogen genotypes are less spatially structured—exhibiting a more even distribution between habitat fragments. We conclude that the types of movement and contact sufficient for disease transmission occur with enough frequency to preclude structuring among the viral population, but that the bobcat population is structured owing to low levels of effective bobcat migration resulting in gene flow. We illustrate the utility in using multiple molecular markers that differentially detect movement and gene flow between subpopulations when assessing connectivity.
TFT6 and TFT7, two different members of tomato 14‐3‐3 gene family, play distinct roles in plant adaption to low phosphorus stress
Authors: XU WEIFENG , SHI WEIMING , JIA LIGUO , LIANG JIANSHENG , ZHANG JIANHUA
Published: February 2012

14‐3‐3 proteins are a large family of proteins but exact roles of their members in plant response to abiotic stresses are not clear, especially under nutrient deficiency. We investigated the expressions of all the tomato 14‐3‐3 gene family members (TFT1–TFT12) under low phosphorus stress (LP) and found that TFT6 belongs to the later responsive gene while TFT7 belongs to the early responsive gene. When the two genes were separately introduced into Arabidopsis and overexpressed, their plant growth under LP was much enhanced compared with wild‐type plant. TFT6 overexpressing plants showed reduced starch synthase activity, reduced starch content but enhanced sucrose loading into phloem in the shoot under LP. TFT7 overexpressing plants had much enhanced H+ flux along their root tip and activity of plasma membrane H+‐ATPase in the roots under LP. Our results suggest that TFT6 and TFT7 play different roles in plant adaption to LP. TFT6 acts mainly in leaves and is involved in the systemic response to LP by regulating leaf carbon allocation and increasing phloem sucrose transport to promote root growth, while TFT7 directly functions in root by activating root plasma membrane H+‐ATPase to release more protons under LP.
Eradication of black rot (Guignardia bidwellii) from grapevines by drastic pruning
Authors: Sosnowski M. R. , Emmett R. W. , Wilcox W. F. , Wicks T. J.
Published: February 2012

A drastic pruning strategy was developed to eradicate the fungal disease black rot (Guignardia bidwellii), which is exotic in Australia, from grapevines, while minimizing the economic cost of returning an affected vineyard to its previous quality and production levels. The protocol involved cutting off vines at the top of the trunk, removing debris from the ground beneath and between vines, mulching the vineyard floor, removing low watershoots during vine regrowth and applying a targeted fungicide programme. The protocol was initially evaluated and consequently modified in Australia using an endemic grapevine disease, black spot or anthracnose (Elsinoe ampelina), as an analogous model system. Then, it was validated in a black‐rot‐infested vineyard in New York, USA. Following two seasons of disease‐conducive weather conditions, no black rot was detected on treated vines, whereas leaf and fruit infections developed on the untreated control vines. These results confirmed the efficacy of the protocol for eradicating black rot from vineyards while allowing vines to return quickly to previous yield and quality levels without replanting. The protocol may have applicability to disease eradication protocols for other perennial crops as well. Evidence is also presented on the efficacy and potential pitfalls of burning infected grapevine material to eradicate E. ampelina.
Elements proximal to and within the transmembrane domain mediate the organelle‐to‐organelle movement of bZIP28 under ER stress conditions
Authors: Srivastava Renu , Chen Yani , Deng Yan , Brandizzi Federica , Howell Stephen H.
Published: February 2012

Arabidopsis bZIP28, an ER membrane‐associated transcription factor, is activated in response to conditions that induce ER stress–adverse environmental conditions or exposure to ER stress agents such as tunicamycin and dithiothreitol. Upon stress treatment, bZIP28 exits the ER and moves to the Golgi, where it is proteolytically processed, releasing its transcriptional component, which relocates to the nucleus. In this study, we tracked the movement of GFP‐tagged bZIP28 in an effort to understand its mobilization from the ER and release from the Golgi. We identified a small region in bZIP28 that is rich in dibasic amino acids and proximal to the transmembrane domain required for its movement from the ER. In response to ER stress, bZIP28 showed enhanced interaction with Sar1 and Sec12, components of the COPII machinery. We demonstrated that the dibasic amino acid‐rich region in bZIP28 is involved in the interaction with Sar1. Upon migration to the Golgi, bZIP28 is proteolytically processed by proteases S1P and S2P. We found a putative helix‐breaking residue in the transmembrane domain of bZIP28 to be crucial for its processing and liberation from Golgi bodies. Thus, in response to stress, bZIP28 moves from organelle to organelle by interaction of critical elements in the molecule with the transport and/or proteolytic machinery resident in the various organelles.
Proper regeneration from in vitro cultured Arabidopsis thaliana requires the microRNA‐directed action of an auxin response factor
Authors: Qiao Meng , Zhao Zhongjuan , Song Yuguang , Liu Zhenhua , Cao Lingxue , Yu Yanchong , Li Shuo , Xiang Fengning
Published: February 2012

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important for the regulation of gene expression, and are involved in many developmental processes. A set of miRNAs which were differentially expressed between cells of totipotent (C1) and non‐totipotent (C2) Arabidopsis thaliana calli was identified, some of which were affected during callus formation or shoot regeneration. One of those down‐regulated after 10 days’ incubation in shoot induction medium (SIM) was MIR160a, for which transcript abundance was lower in C1 than in C2. Over‐expression of MIR160 compromised shoot regeneration from in vitro cultured A. thaliana cells, while the transgenic expression of a miR160‐resistant form of ARF10 was associated with a high level of shoot regeneration. The latter transgenic line also showed an elevated expression level of shoot meristem‐specific genes CLAVATA3, CUP‐SHAPEDCOTYLEDON1 and ‐2, and WUSCHEL. ARF10 expression was concentrated at the initiation sites of shoots or leaves, while during the early phase of shoot regeneration, the accumulation of the ARF10 mRNA was lower in the wild type than in the mARF10 transgenics, in contrast to the pattern of miR160 expression. Thus, miR160 and ARF10 both appear to be components of the regulation of shoot regeneration in vitro.
MODY type 2 P59S GCK mutant: founder effect in South of Italy
Authors: Delvecchio M , Ludovico O , Bellacchio E , Stallone R , Palladino T , Mastroianno S , Zelante L , Sacco M , Trischitta V , Carella M
Published: February 2012

Delvecchio M, Ludovico O, Bellacchio E, Stallone R, Palladino T, Mastroianno S, Zelante L, Sacco M, Trischitta V, Carella M. MODY type 2 P59S GCK mutant: founder effect in South of Italy.

Mutations in the glucokinase (GCK) gene are the most frequent cause of maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) in Italy. We evaluated GCK mutations in 32 unrelated patients younger than 18 years who had been diagnosed with MODY. Eleven different GCK heterozygous mutations were identified in 22 (68.7%) of the 32 probands. Nine mutations were missense and two were nonsense. Three of these mutations (E17X, P59S and E372X) have not been described previously and were shown to be associated with hyperglycaemia. Several prediction methods suggested that the E17X and E372X mutations result in a premature truncated protein and that the P59S mutation is pathogenic. This idea was further supported by evidence suggesting that Proline 59 is a highly conserved amino acid residue and that the P59S mutation does not appear to be present in non‐diabetic controls and in sequence variant databases. Furthermore, this mutation was found in six (27.3%) of the patients from the same geographical area, Gargano, pointing to the existence of a founder effect, which was confirmed by microsatellite analysis.
Management of intracranial hemorrhage in a child with a left ventricular assist device
Authors: Haque Raqeeb , Wojtasiewicz Teresa , Gerrah Rabin , Gilmore Lisa , Saiki Yoshikatsu , Chen Jonathan M. , Richmond Marc , Feldstein Neil A. , Anderson Richard C. E.
Published: February 2012

Haque R, Wojtasiewicz T, Gerrah R, Gilmore L, Saiki Y, Chen JM, Richmond M, Feldstein NA, Anderson RCE. Management of intracranial hemorrhage in a child with a left ventricular assist device.

Abstract:  Pediatric patients bridged to heart transplant with LVADs require chronic anticoagulation and are at increased risk of hemorrhagic complications, including intracranial hemorrhage. In this population, intracranial hemorrhage is often fatal. We report a case of successful management of a five‐yr‐old‐boy with DCM on an LVAD who developed a subdural hematoma. We initially chose medical management, weighing the patient’s high risk of thromboembolism from anticoagulation reversal against the risk of his chronic subdural hematoma. When head CT showed expansion of the hemorrhage with increasing midline shift, we chose prompt surgical evacuation of the hematoma with partial reversal of anticoagulation, given the increased risk of acute deterioration. The patient ultimately received an orthotopic heart transplant and was discharged with no permanent neurological complications. This represents a case of a pediatric patient on an LVAD who survived a potentially fatal subdural hematoma and was successfully bridged to cardiac transplantation.
Is day surgery safe? A Danish multicentre study of morbidity after 57,709 day surgery procedures
Authors: MAJHOLM B. , ENGBÆK J. , BARTHOLDY J. , OERDING H. , AHLBURG P. , ULRIK A.‐M. G. , BILL L. , LANGFRITS C. S. , MØLLER A. M.
Published: February 2012

Background

Day surgery is expanding in several countries, and it is important to collect information about quality. The aim of this study was to assess morbidity and unanticipated hospital visits 0–30 days post‐operatively in a large cohort.

Methods

We prospectively recorded data from 57,709 day surgery procedures performed in eight day surgery centres over a 3‐year period. We cross‐checked with the National Patient Registry to identify complications 0–30 days post‐operatively, and registrations from The Danish Register of Cause of Death were requested. We retrieved the records of 1174 patients to assign a relation between secondary contact and day surgery.

Results

The overall rate of return hospital visits was 1.21% [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12–1.30%] caused by a wide range of diagnoses. No deaths were definitely related to day surgery. The return hospital visits were due to haemorrhage/haematoma 0.50% (95% CI: 0.44–0.56%), infection 0.44% (95% CI: 0.38–0 49%) and thromboembolic events 0.03%. Major morbidity was rare. The surgical procedures with the highest rate of complication were tonsillectomies 11.4%, surgically induced abortions 3.13% and inguinal hernia repairs 1.23%.

Conclusion

This large‐scale Danish national study confirmed that day surgery is associated with a very low rate of return hospital visits. Despite the rapid expansion of day surgery, safety has been maintained, major morbidity being very rare, and no deaths being definitely related to day surgery.
The saphenous nerve and its relationship to the nerve to the vastus medialis in and around the adductor canal: an anatomical study
Authors: KAPOOR R. , ADHIKARY S. D. , SIEFRING C. , MCQUILLAN P. M.
Published: February 2012

Background

Recently, ultrasound‐guided saphenous nerve blocks within and distal to the adductor canal have shown success. However, a potential side effect is an unintentional block of branches of the nerve to the vastus medialis resulting in undesired motor weakness.

Methods

We dissected 40 embalmed cadaver thighs to determine the course and relation of the saphenous nerve to the nerve to the vastus medialis. Measurements were taken between various landmarks, and descriptive statistics were used to present the collected data.

Results

In 72.5% of specimens, the most distal visible branch of the nerve to the vastus medialis pierced the muscle proximal to the site where the saphenous nerve crosses the anterior surface of the superficial femoral artery to become medial to the vessel.

Conclusion

Knowledge of this anatomy may help establish a safe region in preventing motor blockade when performing saphenous nerve blocks.
Acrosin Activity Regulation by Protein Kinase C and Tyrosine Kinase in Bovine Sperm Acrosome Exocytosis Induced by Lysophosphatidylcholine
Authors: Pérez Aguirreburualde MS , Fernández S , Córdoba M
Published: February 2012

Contents

Acrosin is an important proteolytic enzyme that is capable of hydrolysing the zona pellucida in bovine oocyte. Lysophosphatydic acid (LPA) derivated from lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) is known to trigger the acrosome exocytosis. The present study was aimed at examining the acrosin activity variations in LPC‐induced acrosome exocytosis and its regulation by tyrosine kinase, protein kinase C (PKC) and voltage‐dependent calcium channels (VDCC) in spermatozoa previously capacitated with heparin or quercetin. The enzyme activities were spectrophotometrically measured using N‐α‐benzoyl‐DL‐arginine p‐nitroanilide as an acrosin‐specific substrate. The capacitation and acrosomal reaction were evaluated by chlorotetracycline assay, and the viability and acrosome integrity were evaluated by the trypan blue stain/differential interference contrast. It was observed that LPC induced acrosome exocytosis and increased the activity of acrosin in spermatozoa previously capacitated with heparin. In heparin/LPC‐treated samples, it was observed that the inhibition of tyrosine kinase and PKC blocked the acrosome exocytosis and the acrosin activity (p < 0.05). Under these conditions, in heparin‐capacitated spermatozoa, the LPC provokes an acrosin activity increase that is independent of calcium influx through VDCC Type L. In cryopreserved bovine spermatozoa, LPC might require modulation, mainly tyrosine kinase participation with respect to PKC activity to induce acrosome exocytosis and increase acrosin activity.
Gene Expression of ACTH, Glucocorticoid Receptors, 11βHSD Enzymes, LH‐, FSH‐, GH Receptors and Aromatase in Equine Epididymal and Testicular Tissue
Authors: Herrera‐Luna CV , Budik S , Aurich C
Published: February 2012

Contents

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are important mediators of the stress response and have been implicated in the function and regulation of testicular functions in different species. In many tissues, intracellular glucocorticoid activity is controlled by either or both of the two known isoforms of 11β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11βHSD) type 1 and 2, which interconvert active and inactive GCs. Little is known about the effects of stress on fertility in the equine species. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the expression of receptors for GCs and adrenocorticotropic hormone [ACTH, melanocortin 2 receptor (MC2R)] as well 11βHSD1 and 11βHSD2 in male equine epididymal and testicular tissue. In addition, expression of aromatase P‐450 and receptors for luteinizing hormone (LHR), follicle stimulating hormone (FSHR) and growth hormone (GHR) was studied. Reverse transcriptase PCR and quantitative real‐time PCR were performed in tissue from the epididymis (caput and cauda) and testes collected from nine healthy mature stallions (age 4–10 years). mRNA for ACTH and GC receptors as well as 11βHSD1 and ‐2 were found in epididymal and testicular tissue. Expression of the genes studied was always positive in testicular tissue, while it was inconsistent in epididymal tissue. Quantitative gene expression in relation to β‐actin and glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) was significantly correlated (R = 0.403, p < 0.001). Quantitative PCR in relation to β‐actin revealed significant differences in the gene expression of 11βHSD1, 11βHSD2, LHR, FSHR, MC2R and aromatase between tissue collected from caput epididymidis, cauda epididymidis and testicular parenchyma (p < 0.05). With GAPDH, differences between tissues were significant for 11βHSD1, 11βHSD2 and MC2R (p < 0.05) In addition, high concentrations of mRNA of aromatase and receptors of LH and FSH were found in testicular tissue, while a pronounced expression of GH receptor was present in epididymal tissue. The results support the hypothesis of an interaction between the pituitary‐adrenal axis and testicular function in the stallion.
Transumbilical laparoendoscopic single‐site surgery in urology
Authors: Humphrey John E , Canes David
Published: February 2012

Laparoendoscopic single‐site surgery has seen a dramatic rise in the urological community. With the advent of new techniques and instrumentation, laparoendoscopic single‐site surgery has become more accessible for a wide variety of applications. The majority have been carried out through a transumbilical incision in order to effectively hide the scar within the umbilicus. Here, we review the history and clinical applications for transumbilical laparoendoscopic single‐site surgery within urology. The current scope is broad, and great strides have been made, but the overall benefit appears to be predominantly cosmetic. Diffusion of laparoendoscopic single‐site surgery techniques from tertiary referral centers to the community urologist remains unknown. This review demonstrates the feasibility of transumbilical laparoendoscopic single‐site surgery as shown in the urological literature.
Prevalence of moderate–severe pain in hospitalized children
Authors: Groenewald Cornelius B. , Rabbitts Jennifer A. , Schroeder Darrell R. , Harrison Tracy E.
Published: February 2012

Background:  Acute pain management in children is often inadequate. The prevalence of pain in hospitalized children in the US is unknown.

Methods:  We reviewed clinical characteristics of all pediatric patients admitted to Mayo Eugenio Litta Children’s hospital during July 2009. Patients with moderate–severe pain were identified. For patients identified as having moderate–severe pain risk factors, analgesia regimens, and pain outcomes were reviewed.

Results:  The prevalence of moderate–severe in‐hospital pain was 27% (95% C.I. 23% to 32%). Teenagers and infants experienced higher prevalence rates of moderate–severe pain (38% and 32% respectively) than children (17%, P < 0.001). In addition, patients admitted to medical services had much lower rates of moderate–severe pain (13%) than those admitted to surgical services (44%, P < 0.001). Regional anesthesia was used in eleven (7.2%) of the patients on surgical services. Acetaminophen was administered to 75% of patients with moderate–severe pain. Only 21% of these patients had nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) available. Opioids were given scheduled to 36% of patients with moderate–severe pain and as needed to another 40%. Fifty‐five percent of patients still had one or more episode of moderate–severe pain on the day following an initial diagnosis; however, this number decreased steadily over subsequent days. Eleven patients (13% of those diagnosed with moderate–severe pain) still had one or more episodes of daily moderate–severe pain by day four.

Conclusions:  The prevalence of moderate–severe pain in hospitalized children remains high. Analgesia regimens may not be optimal. Underutilization of regional anesthesia techniques may have contributed to increased pain scores. A large proportion of children diagnosed with moderate–severe pain may have persistent clinically significant pain in subsequent days.
Functional convergence of microbes associated with temperate marine sponges
Authors: Ribes M. , Jiménez E. , Yahel G. , López‐Sendino P. , Diez B. , Massana R. , Sharp J. H. , Coma R.
Published: February 2012

Most marine sponges establish a persistent association with a wide array of phylogenetically and physiologically diverse microbes. To date, the role of these symbiotic microbial communities in the metabolism and nutrient cycles of the sponge‐microbe consortium remains largely unknown. We identified and quantified the microbial communities associated with three common Mediterranean sponge species, Dysidea avara, Agelas oroides and Chondrosia reniformis (Demospongiae) that cohabitate coralligenous community. For each sponge we quantified the uptake and release of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON), inorganic nitrogen and phosphate. Low microbial abundance and no evidence for DOC uptake or nitrification were found for D. avara. In contrast A. oroides and C. reniformis showed high microbial abundance (30% and 70% of their tissue occupied by microbes respectively) and both species exhibited high nitrification and high DOC and NH4+ uptake. Surprisingly, these unique metabolic pathways were mediated in each sponge species by a different, and host specific, microbial community. The functional convergence of microbial consortia found in these two sympatric sponge species, suggest that these metabolic processes may be of special relevance to the success of the holobiont.
Molecular phylogeny, larval case architecture, host–plant associations and classification of European Coleophoridae (Lepidoptera)
Authors: Bauer Franziska , Stübner Andreas , Neinhuis Christoph , Nuss Matthias
Published: February 2012

Bauer, F., Stübner, A., Neinhuis, C. & Nuss, M. (2012). Molecular phylogeny, larval case architecture, host–plant associations and classification of European Coleophoridae (Lepidoptera). —Zoologica Scripta, 41, 248–265.

Several attempts based on adult morphology have aimed at classifying the megadiverse Coleophoridae, either by defining species groups or by splitting the large genus Coleophora into many smaller genera. A previous cladistic analysis focussing on larvae suggests monophyly of some case type groups as well as host–plant associations with a preference for certain plant tissues and growth forms. Here, a first molecular phylogeny for Coleophoridae is presented to test these partly contradicting hypotheses. Bayesian statistics is applied to different partitioning strategies of a COI + wingless data set (1815 bp) for 105 European species, revealing eight monophyletic species groups. A broader defined Coleophora with internal groups is better supported than the division into many genera. GoniodomaZeller, 1849 syn. rev. and Metriotes Herrich‐Schäffer, 1853 syn. n. are nested within Coleophora Hübner, 1822. Seven species are transferred to Coleophora: C. auroguttella (Zeller, 1849) comb. rev., C. limoniella Stainton, 1884 comb. rev., C. millierella (Ragonot, 1882) comb. n., C. nemesi (Căpuşe, 1970) comb. n., C. sinica (Li & Zheng, 2002) comb. n. (from Goniodoma) as well as C. jaeckhi (Baldizzone, 1985) comb. n. and C. lutarea (Haworth, 1828) comb. n. (from Metriotes). None of the formerly suggested case types is synapomorphic for any of the recovered clades. In contrast, cases built from glossy silk that turns black or dark brown is synapomorphic for the vibicella group. Some clades have radiated on certain plant taxa along with a specialisation in specific tissues, for example, the clade containing the saturatella (leaf miners) and frischella (seed miners) groups is associated with Fabaceae, the albella group (seed miners) with Caryophyllales and the serpylletorum group (leaf miners) with Lamiaceae. Calculating an index of host specificity for all studied species confirms significant differences between seed and leaf feeders on herbaceous plants, but not between leaf feeders on herbaceous and woody plants.
Reform and the National Health Service
Authors: DIXON JENNIFER
Published: February 2012

Why is there so much discontent about the current plans to reform the National Health Service in England? What is the government trying to do, and are the critics right to want to block reform? This paper traces the genesis of the current proposals in the Health and Social Care Bill, currently in the Lords, and why the Government has had to water down significant parts of it to appease the critics. The paper argues that the case for change has not been made to public or the 1.3 million staff in the NHS, the extent and timing of the reform is far from ideal given the need to make unprecedented efficiencies in the NHS, and that the political process to gain support has been weak. Yet many elements of the Bill push the NHS in the right direction, and without effective reform the original settlement—to provide equal access to care on the basis of need—is put at risk.
The Phylogenetic Kantorovich–Rubinstein Metric for Environmental Sequence Samples
Authors: Evans Steven N. , Matsen Frederick A.
Published: February 2012

It is now common to survey microbial communities by sequencing nucleic acid material extracted in bulk from a given environment. Comparative methods are needed that indicate the extent to which two communities differ given data sets of this type. UniFrac, which gives a somewhat ad hoc phylogenetics-based distance between two communities, is one of the most commonly used tools for these analyses. We provide a foundation for such methods by establishing that, if we equate a metagenomic sample with its empirical distribution on a reference phylogenetic tree, then the weighted UniFrac distance between two samples is just the classical Kantorovich–Rubinstein, or earth mover’s, distance between the corresponding empirical distributions. We demonstrate that this Kantorovich–Rubinstein distance and extensions incorporating uncertainty in the sample locations can be written as a readily computable integral over the tree, we develop Lp Zolotarev-type generalizations of the metric, and we show how the p-value of the resulting natural permutation test of the null hypothesis ‘no difference between two communities’ can be approximated by using a Gaussian process functional. We relate the L2-case to an analysis-of-variance type of decomposition, finding that the distribution of its associated Gaussian functional is that of a computable linear combination of independent X12 random variables.
The relative frailty variance and shared frailty models
Authors: Paddy Farrington C. , Unkel Steffen , Anaya-Izquierdo Karim
Published: February 2012

The relative frailty variance among survivors provides a readily interpretable measure of how the heterogeneity of a population, as represented by a frailty model, evolves over time. We discuss the properties of the relative frailty variance, show that it characterizes frailty distributions and that, suitably rescaled, it may be used to compare patterns of dependence across models and data sets. In shared frailty models, the relative frailty variance is closely related to the cross-ratio function, which is estimable from bivariate survival data. We investigate the possible shapes of the relative frailty variance function for the purpose of model selection, and we review available frailty distribution families in this context. We introduce several new families with contrasting properties, including simple but flexible time varying frailty models. The benefits of the approach that we propose are illustrated with two applications to bivariate current status data obtained from serological surveys.
Fathers' Stories of Resistance and Hegemony in Organizational Cultures
Authors: Murgia Annalisa , Poggio Barbara
Published: February 2012

This article focuses on the practices of resistance and hegemony that oppose change in gender cultures in organizations. It suggests that analysis of the narratives produced by organizational actors is a fruitful method with which to deal with issues of this kind. In particular, the analysis concentrates on how resistance and hegemony practices may affect the implementation of changes promoted at a normative level — as in the case of the Italian law that has extended the right to take parental leave for childcare to men as well, in opposition to the dominant cultural models of gender. The analysis of the experiences reported by men belonging to different organizations, and having in common the use of parental leave to spend time with their children, allows us to reflect upon the fact that the symbolic orders of gender in organizations cannot be challenged at a normative level if the change does not affect the organizational culture, becoming embedded in everyday organizational practices.
Language experience modulates weighting of acoustic cues for vowel perception: An event‐related potential study
Authors: Lipski Silvia C. , Escudero Paola , Benders Titia
Published: February 2012

In behavioral tasks, previous research has found that advanced Spanish learners ofDutch rely on duration cues to distinguishDutch vowels, whileDutch listeners rely on spectral cues. This study tested whether language‐specific cue weighting is reflected in preattentive processing. The mismatch negativity (MMN) ofDutch andSpanish participants was examined in response to spectral and duration cues inDutch vowels. TheMMNat frontal and mid sites was weaker and peaked later atFzforSpanish than forDutch listeners for the spectrally cued contrasts, whereas both groups responded similarly to the duration cue. In line with overt categorization behavior, theseMMNdata indicate that preattentive cue weighting depends on the listeners' language experience.
Retest reliability of event‐related potentials: Evidence from a variety of paradigms
Authors: Cassidy Sarah M. , Robertson Ian H. , O'Connell Redmond G.
Published: February 2012

Event‐related potentials (ERPs) offer unparalleled temporal sensitivity in tracing the distinct electrocortical processing stages enabling cognition and are frequently utilized in clinical and experimental investigations, yet few studies have investigated their retest reliability. We administered a battery of typical ERP paradigms to elicit a diverse range of components linked to distinct perceptual and cognitive processes (P1, N1, N170, P3a, P3b, error‐related negativity, error positivity, P400). Twenty‐five participants completed the battery on two occasions, 1 month apart. Analysis of component amplitudes indicated moderate‐to‐strong split‐half and strong test‐retest reliability. Peak latency reliability varied substantially across components and ranged from weak to strong. We confirm that a range of prominent ERPs provide highly stable neurophysiological indices of human cognitive function.
Sphingosine kinase: a key to solving the ‘French Paradox’?
Authors: Hengst Jeremy A , Yun Jong K
Published: February 2012

A host of beneficial effects have been attributed to the red wine polyphenol, resveratrol. Foremost, among these are its anti‐cancer properties. Yet, the mechanism by which resveratrol achieves these effects are unknown. In this issueof the BJP, Lim et al. report that resveratrol and its higher order oligomers inhibit sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1). SphK1 is a key regulator of sphingolipid metabolism and alterations of this key metabolic pathway have been linked to many hyperproliferative diseases. This study identifies a target for the action of resveratrol and its higher order oligomers and opens the door to evaluation of SphK1 as a target for chemo‐prevention of cancer.

LINKED ARTICLE

This article is a commentary on Lim et al., pp. 1605–1616 of this issue. To view this paper visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1476‐5381.2012.01862.x
Evaluation of a Public Health Nurse Visiting Program for Pregnant and Parenting Teens
Authors: Schaffer Marjorie A. , Goodhue Amy , Stennes Kaye , Lanigan Cheryl
Published: February 2012

A visiting nurse agency created the Pregnant and Parenting Team Program, an innovative program for serving pregnant and parenting teen mothers to promote family and child health and family self‐sufficiency. Public health nurses (PHNs) provide home visits that offer social, emotional, educational, and health care support to pregnant and parenting teen mothers 19 years of age and younger and their children. Foundational program pillars include: (1) a trusting relationship between teen mothers and a PHN through home visits; (2) outreach and coordination with schools, hospital, clinics, and human service agencies; (3) a comprehensive and intensive maternal mental health curriculum; and (4) community support and caring through provision of essential items needed for success in parenting. Measures of program effectiveness included identification of pregnant and parenting adolescent mothers, birth outcomes, active enrollment in school, delay of repeat pregnancy, maternal‐infant bonding and attachment, use of community resources, and infant growth and development. Participants in the program were more likely to be enrolled in school and had better birth outcomes in comparison with nonparticipants. Outcome data collected from January 1, 2008 to July 23, 2010 demonstrated progress toward stated goals.
The Phenomenology of Rheumatology: Disability, Merleau‐Ponty, and the Fallacy of Maximal Grip
Authors: Salamon Gayle
Published: February 2012

This paper charts the concepts of grip and the bodily auxiliary in Maurice Merleau‐Ponty to consider how they find expression in disability narratives. Arguing against the notion of “maximal grip” that some commentators have used to explicate intentionality in Merleau‐Ponty, I argue that grip in his texts functions instead as a compensatory effort to stave off uncertainty, lack of mastery, and ambiguity. Nearly without exception in Phenomenology of Perception, the mobilization of “grip” is a signal of impending loss, and is offered as a strategy for managing failure rather than as an example of sure‐footed mastery. I read Merleau‐Ponty alongside Mary Felstiner's Out of Joint: A Public and Private Story of Arthritis to explore these other, attenuated dimensions of grip. Finally, the paper turns to Harriet McBryde Johnson's memoir Too Late to Die Young as an example of a way of thinking disabled embodiment otherwise.
‘Habitat’ Suitability Index Mapping for Industrial Symbiosis Planning
Authors: Jensen Paul D. , Basson Lauren , Hellawell Emma E. , Leach Matthew
Published: February 2012

By ‘working with the willing’, the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) has successfully facilitated industrial symbiosis throughout the United Kingdom and, in the process, delivered significant economic and environmental benefits for both Programme members and the country as a whole. One of the keys to NISP's success is that, unlike failed attempts to plan and construct eco‐industrial systems from scratch, the Programme works largely with existing companies who have already settled in, developed, and successfully operate within a given locale. This article argues that existing and mature industrial systems provide the best prospects for identifying opportunities for, and ultimately facilitating, industrial symbiosis. Due to levels of diversification and operational fundamental niches that, in the fullness of time, develop within all industrial systems, industrially mature areas are deemed to be industrial symbiosis ‘conducive environments’. Building on the conservation biology concept of a habitat suitability index, the article presents a methodology for comparing a potential site for eco‐industrial development to a known baseline industrial ‘habitat’ already identified as being highly conducive to industrial symbiosis. The suitability index methodology is further developed and applied to a multi‐criteria evaluation geographic information system to produce a ‘habitat’ suitability map that allows practitioners to quickly identify potential industrial symbiosis hotspots (the methodology is illustrated for England). The article concludes by providing options for the development of symbiosis suitability indices and how they can be used to support the facilitation of industrial symbiosis and regional resource efficiency.
Capacity Investment Under Responsive Pricing: Implications of Market Entry Choice*
Authors: Wang Yimin
Published: February 2012

We consider a manufacturer’s new market entry problem when it already has some established facility in its existing market. We consider two common market entry strategies: the export strategy and the foreign direct investment (FDI) strategy. In the export strategy the firm increases the capacity at its existing facility and subsequently allocates the output to the existing and the new market dynamically, depending on realized market conditions. The export strategy is a flexible strategy. In the FDI strategy, the firm invests in a dedicated capacity to serve the new market only. The FDI strategy is a (partially) dedicated strategy. We study these two strategies from a planning perspective, that is, how the firm’s strategy choice influences the optimal capacity levels. We find that the firm’s strategy choice can significantly impact the optimal capacity investment levels. We prove, for example, that the firm may enter the new market in the export strategy but not in the FDI strategy, even if the capacity investment cost is identical in the existing and the new market. In addition, we prove that the firm may invest a strictly higher capacity level in the export strategy than that in the FDI strategy. We also prove that new market entry in the FDI strategy may strictly decrease the firm’s supply to its existing market but this is not so in the export strategy, and hence policy makers should carefully consider the implications of trade regulations on firms’ market entry choices.
Net Neutrality, Broadband Market Coverage, and Innovation at the Edge*
Authors: Guo Hong , Cheng Hsing Kenneth , Bandyopadhyay Subhajyoti
Published: February 2012

Net neutrality (NN) is a widely debated policy issue that has the potential to alter the dynamics of accessing online content. The focal point of the debate lies in whether broadband service providers (BSPs) should be allowed to charge content providers for the preferential delivery of their digital content. This decision will affect broadband market coverage for end consumers as well as the issues of long‐term competition and innovation in the market of digital content. Our research aims to analyze and address these issues. We propose a game theoretical model with three players—the BSP, the content providers, and the consumers—where the BSP, in its capacity as a gatekeeper between the content providers and the consumers, is modeled as a two‐sided market platform. We find that while abandoning the principle of NN might sometimes result in increased consumer surplus and broadband market coverage, it can also hinder the ability of startups to compete against established rivals and thus reduce innovation at the edge. The results should be of great interest to policymakers as they debate on this very crucial issue.
Competitive Capabilities among Manufacturing Plants in Developing, Emerging, and Industrialized Countries: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Schoenherr Tobias , Power Damien , Narasimhan Ram , Samson Danny
Published: February 2012

Competitive capabilities have been defined as a plant's actual performance relative to its competitors, with the most commonly investigated capabilities being quality, delivery, flexibility, and cost. However, most research in this realm has investigated capabilities within developed countries, and neglected the context of developing and emerging nations, which are increasingly becoming viable economic entities in global supply chains in their own right. The present study fills this gap and carries out a comparative analysis of competitive capabilities among plants in developing, emerging, and industrialized countries. Basing our arguments on the resource‐based view of the firm, we suggest that the influence of competitive capabilities on each other varies among plants in differentially industrialized regions. Specifically, we suggest that, on average, competitive capabilities tend to influence each other to a greater degree in plants in emerging and developing countries compared to industrialized countries. Along similar lines, we suggest that the influence of the four competitive capabilities on performance improvement is manifested more strongly among plants in emerging and developing countries than among plants in industrialized nations. We investigate these contentions with data from 1,211 plants in 21 countries. The results are particularly important for decision makers as they decide on the increasingly global location of their manufacturing operations or the configuration of their global supply chains.