bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding the actual use of mobile devices in private clubs in the US
Authors: Morosan Cristian , DeFranco Agnes
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to identify systematic ways of linking club members’ behavioral and demographic characteristics to their use of mobile devices in clubs. While the traditional private club experience is characterized by intensive personalization and face-to-face interactions, clubs are increasingly deploying information technology (IT) tools to optimize some of their internal processes and offer a better value proposition to their members.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on data from 737 actual club members from the USA, this research used a series of logistic regressions to reveal the manner in which a series of behavioral and demographic variables can be used to predict the likelihood of use of mobile devices in clubs for specific club-related tasks.

Findings

– This research revealed that there are differences between the two main types of clubs (i.e. golf/country and city/athletic), as well as differences among club members residing in different regions of the USA in the manner in which members use mobile devices for club-related tasks.

Research limitations/implications

– This research offers a number of notable theoretical contributions. This research uses actual mobile device use data from actual club members in the USA. In addition, this research offers a comprehensive operationalization of the actual mobile use behaviors in clubs, and offers a methodological blueprint for predicting mobile device user behavior using easily collectable variables.

Practical implications

– This research provides specific suggestions to pinpoint the mobile technology deployment in clubs according to behavioral and demographic profile criteria.

Social implications

– This research could lead to feasible segmentation procedures and explicates the increasing role of mobile devices within the contemporary society.

Originality/value

– This research addresses a novel research topic in an industry characterized by a grave lack of research on IT.
Quality of relationship on information technology outsourcing for organizational success in hospitality industry
Authors: Sukru Cetinkaya Ali , Ergul Mehmet , Uysal Muzaffer
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to investigate the effects of vendor – client relationship on organizational success in the hospitality industry. The relationship between vendors and clients regarding information technology outsourcing does not always go in harmony. In the viewpoint of hospitality practitioners, information technology (IT) providers do not necessarily abide by the given promises stated on contracts, all the time. The service flows, which are mostly generated by the lack of quality relationship between vendors and clients directly affect hotels’ organizational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected by an online survey and analyzed using multivariable statistics (path analysis) to determine the effects of service quality and relationship quality on outsourcing success, and its effect on organizational performance. Data from 102 valid responses received from ten different countries, representing 230 hotels in total were analyzed.

Findings

– Service quality and relationship quality, which are two dimensions of outsourcing relationships, were found to be positively related to outsourcing success (r = 0.60 and 0.70, p < 0.01, respectively) and intangible organizational performance (r = 0.20, p < 0.05; 0.26 and 0.27, p < 0.01, respectively).

Research limitations/implications

– The research was designed to investigate the IT outsourcing service receiver’s (client) perspective. The IT service provider’s (vendor) perspective is disregarded. Disturbance results are very high (i.e. more than 0.95). This may well be the case that certain facets of the outsourcing success construct are not adequately represented by the chosen indicators. Research results may reveal an idea about the research subject, in general, but may not be generalized to the whole industry due to its sampling size. Finally, the survey was conducted online, and all online research restrictions were applicable to this research such as receiving very limited response rates.

Practical implications

– The results of this research provide important information for practitioners in the hospitality industry and IT service providers. Relationship quality between vendor and client was observed to be the most determinant factor in IT outsourcing success.

Social implications

– The proposed model may well serve as a framework for further examining mediating and possible moderating variables.

Originality/value

– There is limited research in the previous literature investigating the relationship between information technology vendor and client, in terms of service quality and relationship quality in hospitality industry. This paper may serve to fill in this gap.
Multiple constituencies model in the identification of library effectiveness
Authors: Henricks Susan A , Henricks-Lepp Genevieve M.
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– Public libraries can benefit from understanding the perspectives of various stakeholders leading to the development of measures for decision making and competing for funding as well as demonstrating accountability. The purpose of this paper is to examine library effectiveness from the perspective of multiple stakeholders from a list of indicators pertinent to today and to determine which are most important to a constituency of a single library and any differences among the various constituencies.

Design/methodology/approach

– A survey that listed indicators of effectiveness for a public library was given to four stakeholder groups of a city library: employees, library board, library foundation members, and the public.

Findings

– Of the 51 indicators, 39 comprised eight dimensions of effectiveness under the labels of: user experience, facility, digital collection, social media and board, community use, employees, administration, and collection management. The number of statistically significant differences was greatest between the library board and the public as well as the employees and the public.

Originality/value

– Indicators of public library effectiveness have not been updated for the twenty-first century.
Informing library research with focus groups
Authors: Walden Graham R.
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate alternative strategies to enhance participant interaction in library focus groups.

Design/methodology/approach

– Descriptive alternatives strategies are suggested as techniques to enhance participant interaction in library focus groups.

Findings

– There are no findings as such, rather this is a paper which suggests different approaches than have hitherto be tried in library focus groups.

Originality/value

– There has not been a similar article or set of proposed alternative strategies on this subject in so far as library focus groups are concerned.
Plane wave propagation in an anisotropic dual-phase-lag thermoelastic diffusion medium
Authors: Kumar Rajneesh , Gupta Vandana
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to depict the effect of thermal and diffusion phase-lags on plane waves propagating in thermoelastic diffusion medium with different material symmetry. A generalized form of mass diffusion equation is introduced instead of classical Fick's diffusion theory by using two diffusion phase-lags, one phase-lag of diffusing mass flux vector, represents the delayed time required for the diffusion of the mass flux and the other phase-lag of chemical potential, represents the delayed time required for the establishment of the potential gradient. The basic equations for the anisotropic thermoelastic diffusion medium in the context of dual-phase-lag heat transfer (DPLT) and dual-phase-lag diffusion (DPLD) models are presented. The governing equations for transversely isotropic and isotropic case are also reduced. The different characteristics of waves like phase velocity, attenuation coefficient, specific loss and penetration depth are computed numerically. Numerically computed results are depicted graphically for anisotropic, transversely isotropic and isotropic medium. The effect of diffusion and thermal phase-lags are shown on the different characteristic of waves. Some particular cases of result are also deduced from the present investigation.

Design/methodology/approach

– The governing equations of thermoelastic diffusion are presented using DPLT model and a new model of DPLD. Effect of phase-lags of thermal and diffusion is presented on different characteristic of waves.

Findings

– The effect of diffusion and thermal phase-lags on the different characteristic of waves is appreciable. Also the use of diffusion phase-lags in the equation of mass diffusion gives a more realistic model of thermoelastic diffusion media as it allows a delayed response between the relative mass flux vector and the potential gradient.

Originality/value

– Introduction of a new model of DPLD in the equation of mass diffusion.
Shall we dance? A Shakespearian reading of the subprime crisis
Authors: Bazin Yoann
Published: October 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to open a dialogue between academic accounts of the subprime crisis and The Life of Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare.

Design/methodology/approach

– Andre Orlean’s analysis of the crisis published in 2009 is closely examined to trace the ways in which it echoes this seventeenth-century play on issues of debt, gift, trust and belief.

Findings

– Shakespeare’s play provides an astonishingly relevant description that can account for and provide a new reading of most of Orlean’s (2009) detailed and in-depth academic analysis.

Originality/value

– Following the chronology of a literary piece, this article opens a dialogue with the academic literature to allow for gaining a particular perspective, namely, beyond specific elements, the underlying dynamics of the subprime crisis are sadly classic in terms of trust and beliefs. As we will see, Shakespeare had already seen everything […].
Functional response of plant communities to clearcutting: management impacts differ between forest vegetation zones
Authors: Kusumoto Buntarou , Shiono Takayuki , Miyoshi Mai , Maeshiro Ryo , Fujii Shin‐jiro , Kuuluvainen Timo , Kubota Yasuhiro
Published: October 2014

Understanding of the ecological impacts of logging practices on biodiversity and associated ecosystem processes is essential for developing sustainable forest management approaches. We documented the impacts of clearcutting on the functional structure of tree and herbaceous communities in hemiboreal, cool‐temperate, warm‐temperate and subtropical forests in the Japanese archipelago and identified forest vegetation that is vulnerable to deterioration of important ecosystem functions.

We combined species data for leaf, stem, flower and fruit traits related to productivity, nutrient cycling and habitat quality for wildlife with phytosociological vegetation data from unmanaged and previously clearcut forests, then calculated functional structure indices [community mean (CM) of trait values, functional richness (FRic) and functional divergence (RaoQ)] of plant communities.

For tree species, functional structure indices of specific leaf area (SLA), leaf carbon and nitrogen concentrations, maximum height, wood density and flower size differed between unmanaged and clearcut forests, while for herb species, only maximum height differed between the two forest types.

Functional structure indices showed divergent patterns across forest vegetation zones. In hemiboreal, cool‐temperate and warm‐temperate forests, the CMs of SLA and leaf nitrogen concentration were greater and that of leaf carbon concentration was smaller in clearcut than in unmanaged forests. Although clearcut forests had greater species richness than unmanaged forests, FRic and/or RaoQ of maximum height were smaller in clearcut forests. In hemiboreal and cool‐temperate forests, FRic and RaoQ of SLA were also smaller in clearcut forests. In contrast, subtropical forests showed no differences in species richness and functional structures between unmanaged and clearcut forests.

Synthesis and applications. Functional redundancy of plant communities differs among traits and among forest vegetation zones. After intensive logging, hemiboreal, cool‐temperate and warm‐temperate forests were more vulnerable to the loss of ecosystem functions related to leaf and stem traits of tree species than were subtropical forests, which appeared relatively resilient. Locally adaptive management to maintain multiple ecosystem functions should be developed based on the degree of functional complementarity among plant species in forest communities.
Higher frequency of peripheral blood follicular regulatory T cells in patients with new onset ankylosing spondylitis
Authors: Shan Yuxing , Qi Changlin , Zhao Jixue , Liu Yijun , Gao Hui , Zhao Ding , Ding Fupeng , Wang Jing , Jiang Yanfang
Published: October 2014

Follicular helper T (TFH) cells and B cells are linked to the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Follicular regulatory T (TFR) cells suppress TFH cell and germinal center B cell numbers in vivo. The role of TFR cells in AS is unknown. The frequency of peripheral blood inducible FOXP3+CXCR5+CD4+TFR cells and CXCR5+CD4+TFH cells were taken from 20 onset AS patients and 10 healthy controls, and were examined by flow cytometry, their disease activity were measured by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index. The concentrations of serum interleukin (IL)‐21, immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin A, immunoglobulin M and C‐reactive protein were examined, and the values of erythrocyte sedimentation rate were measured. The frequency of peripheral blood FOXP3+CXCR5+CD4+TFR cells, CXCR5+CD4+TFH cells, the ratio of FOXP3+CXCR5+CD4+TFR/CXCR5+CD4+TFH cells and the concentration of serum IL‐21 in the AS patients were significantly higher than those in the healthy controls (P < 0.0001, P = 0.0027, P < 0.0001, P = 0.0039, respectively). The frequency of FOXP3+CXCR5+CD4+TFR cells and the ratio of FOXP3+CXCR5+CD4+TFR/CXCR5+CD4+TFH cells still significantly rose in those patients after standard treatment (P = 0.0006, P < 0.0001), the concentration of serum IL‐21 decreased after treatment (P = 0.0049), accompanied by significantly minimized disease activities. Furthermore, the TFR cells were negatively correlated with serum immunoglobulin A in those patients before treatment (r = −0.582, P = 0.0071), and the frequency of TFR cells was negatively correlated with that of TFH cells and the concentration of serum IL‐21 after treatment (r = −0.550, P = 0.046; r = −0.581, P = 0.0371). TFR cells might participate in the pathogenesis of AS, and might be responsible for controlling the autoantibodies, the frequency and function of TFH cells to inhibit the development of AS.
Contribution of MDR1 gene polymorphisms on IBD predisposition and response to glucocorticoids in IBD in a Chinese population
Authors: Yang Qing Fan , Chen Bai Li , Zhang Qing Sen , Zhu Zhen Hua , Hu Bin , He Yao , Gao Xiang , Wang Yi Ming , Hu Pin Jin , Chen Min Hu , Zeng Zhi Rong
Published: October 2014

Objective

The cornerstone of conventional treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is glucocorticoid (GC). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of genes such as multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) are related to patient's response to GC, and MDR1 polymorphisms are associated with susceptibility to IBD in Caucasians. We aimed to investigate whether the polymorphisms of five genes including MDR1 influence the response to GC in Chinese patients and the relationship between MDR1 and IBD susceptibility.

Methods

SNPs were selected and genotyped in 156 IBD patients treated with GC and 223 healthy controls. Patients were evaluated and classified as GC‐dependent, GC‐resistant or responsive to GC after treatment.

Results

The CC genotypes of rs1128503 and rs1045642 in MDR1 gene were more frequent in Crohn's disease (CD) patients who were GC‐dependent than in those responsive to GC (odds ratio [OR] 6.583, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.760–24.628, P = 0.019 and OR 3.873, 95% CI 1.578–9.506, P = 0.009, respectively). The G allele of MDR1 rs2032582 was less frequent among CD patients than in controls (OR 0.668, 95% CI 0.484–0.921, P = 0.014). G allele carriers were also less likely to develop non‐stricturing and non‐penetrating CD (OR 0.661, 95% CI 0.462–0.946, P = 0.023) and ileocolonic CD (OR 0.669, 95% CI 0.472–0.948, P = 0.024).

Conclusions

Polymorphisms of MDR1 are associated with patient's GC response and a predisposition to CD in Chinese population. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of MDR1 polymorphisms in IBD and that as genetic markers for GC response.
Understanding movements of organisms: it's time to abandon the Lévy foraging hypothesis
Authors: Pyke Graham H.
Published: October 2014

Interest in Lévy walks within the context of movement of organisms has recently soared, with some now referring to this approach as the Lévy walk/flight paradigm. The principal assumptions, taken from the world of physics, have been that organisms searching for food or some other resource adopt random walks, whereby the direction of each successive step in the walk is chosen at random from the complete circle and the length of each step, unless terminated through resource encounter, is chosen from a Lévy probability distribution with a particular exponent μ. The additional assumption that organisms forage optimally, such that μ maximizes the rate of resource encounter, has led to the so‐called Lévy foraging hypothesis, with many attempts to test it.

However, the Lévy walk model is unrealistic, especially as it omits directionality between successive steps, a typical feature of movements of individual organisms at spatial scales relevant to their movement decisions. It also results in lower foraging efficiency than other more realistic models and the evidence that organisms actually ‘do the Lévy walk’ is weak to non‐existent, despite claims to the contrary. Early optimal foraging studies of movements of organisms and a new generation of movement models avoid these problems.

It is therefore time to divorce the Lévy walk model from optimal foraging theory, revisit some of the early optimal foraging studies of movements and pursue the new generation of movement models. However, the Lévy approach may still prove useful at relatively large spatial scales, in terms of both theory and observations, especially in relation to distribution, dispersal and other population‐level phenomena, and in this way biology, physics and mathematics may yet work well together.
Activity of a novel bactericide, zinc thiazole against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae in Anhui Province of China
Authors: Chen Y. , Yang X. , Gu C‐Y. , Zhang A‐F. , Zhang Y. , Wang W‐X. , Gao T‐C. , Yao J. , Yuan S‐K.
Published: October 2014

Bacterial leaf blight of rice (BLB), caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae, is one of the most serious bacterial diseases in China. Presently, bismerthiazol has been the major bactericide for the control of BLB, however, bismerthiazol‐resistant strains of X. oryzae pv. oryzae have appeared in the field in China. Zinc thiazole is a novel bactericide with strong antibacterial activity against Xanthomonas spp. In this study, sensitivity of 109 X. oryzae pv. oryzae strains to zinc thiazole was determined. The EC50 values for zinc thiazole in inhibiting bacterial growth of the 109 X. oryzae pv. oryzae strains were 0.53–9.62 µg mL−1 with the average EC50 value of 4.82 ± 1.86 µg/ml. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of zinc thiazole against the 109 X. oryzae pv. oryzae strains were assessed and the results showed that the MIC values of zinc thiazole for completely inhibiting the growth of these 109 strains ranged from 5.0 to 40.0 µg mL−1. In the evaluation of protective and curative activity test, zinc thiazole exhibited great activity against BLB and provided over 88% control efficacy (at 300 µg mL−1) 1 and 3 days before or after inoculations, which was also higher that that of bismerthiazol in the corresponding treatments. Our field trials showed that zinc thiazole at 375 g.a.i ha−1 provided over 70% control efficacy in 2012 and over 80% control efficacy in 2013 at both sites. Moreover, in all the four field trials, zinc thiazole at 250 g.a.i ha−1 provided higher control efficacy than that of bismerthiazol at 250 g.a.i ha−1. Taken together, zinc thiazole is therefore an alternative tool for the management of BLB.
The New Globalisation of Intellectual Property Rights: What's New This Time?
Authors: Maskus Keith
Published: October 2014

The period since the mid‐1990s has seen sweeping and globalised reforms in the laws and standards protecting intellectual property rights. This paper sets those changes into historical context, noting their important antecedents but emphasising their major and comprehensive new directions. Empirical evidence suggests that these reforms are not having much impact on innovation in the developing world but are improving the processes and efficiency of technology diffusion. However, stronger patents and copyrights also raise concerns about how they will affect the ability of poor countries to access technologies for dealing with public and social objectives. The paper concludes with observations about the sustainability of the new globalised system.
The Effect of Fact‐Checking on Elites: A Field Experiment on U.S. State Legislators
Authors: Nyhan Brendan , Reifler Jason
Published: October 2014

Does external monitoring improve democratic performance? Fact‐checking has come to play an increasingly important role in political coverage in the United States, but some research suggests it may be ineffective at reducing public misperceptions about controversial issues. However, fact‐checking might instead help improve political discourse by increasing the reputational costs or risks of spreading misinformation for political elites. To evaluate this deterrent hypothesis, we conducted a field experiment on a diverse group of state legislators from nine U.S. states in the months before the November 2012 election. In the experiment, a randomly assigned subset of state legislators was sent a series of letters about the risks to their reputation and electoral security if they were caught making questionable statements. The legislators who were sent these letters were substantially less likely to receive a negative fact‐checking rating or to have their accuracy questioned publicly, suggesting that fact‐checking can reduce inaccuracy when it poses a salient threat.
Emergent Properties of Microglia
Authors: Svahn Adam J. , Becker Thomas S. , Graeber Manuel B.
Published: October 2014

More than 80 years ago, Pio Del Rio‐Hortega recognized that one of the “main controversial points in regard to the microglia” is “whether it belongs to the reticulo‐endothelial system [i.e. monocytes and macrophages] and possesses the ordinary characteristics of this system or has a more specialized function.” The notion of microglia having functions that are different from those of other macrophages has gained significant support in recent years. The brain represents a unique environment and shows species, developmental and regional specialization. Thus, any consideration of microglial activity has to be thought of in this tissue context. Contexts may be normal (health, physiology) or disease conditions showing either primary or secondary microglial involvement. Subclinical, reversible “soft pathologies” (Kreutzberg) such as pain that involves microglia also exist. Here, we examine a multilayered approach to understanding microglia that illustrates the emergent character of the microglial (population) phenotype. Accordingly, terms such as microglial “activation” and microgliosis, which are of increasing importance for our understanding of neurological disorders, need to be filled with refined meaning. It is suggested that the pathophysiological context guides nomenclatorial considerations; for example, development, trauma or pain‐associated microglia is preferred over the traditional but less distinctive “microglial activation.” This should also help to tease out the different functional subtypes currently hidden under the umbrella term “neuroinflammation,” which is being applied so widely that it has become effectively useless in practice and even inhibits research progress because both true and pseudo‐inflammation are covered by this term.
Homozygous Deletion of the LGI1 Gene in Mice Leads to Developmental Abnormalities Resulting in Cortical Dysplasia
Authors: Silva Jeane , Sharma Suash , Cowell John K.
Published: October 2014

LGI1 mutations lead to an autosomal dominant form of epilepsy. Lgi1 mutant null mice develop seizures and show abnormal neuronal excitability. A fine structure analysis of the cortex in these mice demonstrated a subtle cortical dysplasia, preferentially affecting layers II–IV, associated with increased Foxp2 and Cux1‐expressing neurons leading to blurring of the cortical layers. The hypercellularity observed in the null cortex resulted from an admixture of highly branched mature pyramidal neurons with short and poorly aligned axons as revealed by Golgi staining and immature small neurons with branched disoriented dendrites with reduced spine density and undersized, morphologically altered and round‐headed spines. In vitro, hippocampal neurons revealed poor neurite outgrowth in null mice as well as reduced synapse formation. Electron microscopy demonstrated reduced spine‐localized asymmetric (axospinous) synapses with postsynaptic densities and vesicle‐loaded synapses in the mutant null cortex. The overall pathology in the null mice suggested cortical dyslamination most likely because of mislocalization of late‐born neurons, with an admixture of those carrying suboptimally developed axons and dendrites with reduced functional synapses with normal neurons. Our study suggests that LGI1 has a role in regulating cortical development, which is increasingly becoming recognized as one of the causes of idiopathic epilepsy.
The association between family factors and child behaviour problems using dyadic data
Authors: Wang Y. , Pan J. , Zhang X. , Yi C.
Published: October 2014

Background

Parental psychopathology and family issues are key influence factors to child behaviour problems. This study aimed to investigate the dyadic impact of maternal and paternal depression and perceived family functioning on child behaviour problems.

Methods

Both maternal and paternal depression, perceived family functioning and reported child behaviour problems were collected, respectively. Because of the interdependent characteristic of dyadic data, structural equation modelling was used to examine the relationship among all variables and the mutual influence between mother and father.

Results

Results showed that father‐perceived family functioning mediated the relationship between parental depression and child behaviour problems, but mother‐perceived family functioning did not show this mediation effect. Meanwhile, maternal and paternal depression influenced both of their own and their partner's perceived family functioning.

Conclusions

The findings indicated that paternal psychopathology and family functioning should not be overlooked in child behaviour development. In addition, this study underscored the importance to investigate the different impact of father and mother on child development within a dyadic unit.
Skin testing for immediate hypersensitivity to corticosteroids: a case series and literature review
Authors: Baker A. , Empson M. , The R. , Fitzharris P.
Published: October 2014

Background

Immediate hypersensitivity to corticosteroids is reported to occur with an incidence of 0.1%. The largest previous case series reporting corticosteroid skin testing has seven patients.

Methods and Patients

We identified 23 patients (mean age 50 years, 65% female) from Auckland City Hospital who underwent skin testing (ST) for suspected corticosteroid hypersensitivity between July 2005 and April 2012. We performed a retrospective clinical case note review detailing clinical history of reaction, skin test results and subsequent management. Most patients (21/23) had a standard panel of testing with prednisolone, triamcinolone, methylprednisolone, hydrocortisone and dexamethasone. Skin tests used a 10% steroid stock concentration for skin prick tests (SPT) and dilutions of 1 : 1000, 1 : 100 and 1 : 10 for subsequent intradermal testing. A weal 3 mm greater than the negative control was considered positive.

Results

A total of 23 patients were identified who had skin testing for suspected acute hypersensitivity to corticosteroids, eight of which had a history of anaphylaxis. From 28 reactions (in 23 patients), the most common route of administration was intra‐articular (13), followed by oral (7), intravenous (3) and other (5). Skin tests were positive in 8/23 patients, and 7/8 of these patients had a history of corticosteroid‐associated anaphylaxis. Skin tests were positive at either the skin prick test or intradermal stages. There was evidence suggesting clinical and skin test cross‐reactivity between corticosteroids in one patient. One patient had a positive skin test, but negative oral challenge suggesting the skin test was false positive. Skin tests were negative in 15/23 patients. One patient had a negative prednisolone skin test and positive unblinded oral challenge, suggesting a false‐negative skin test.

Conclusions

Skin testing can provide sufficient evidence to diagnose allergy in patients with a clear history of immediate hypersensitivity to corticosteroids such as anaphylaxis. Both skin prick and intradermal tests should be used. There is evidence of cross‐reactivity between steroids, so a panel is recommended. False‐positive and false‐negative reactions do occur; however, the frequency is unknown. Challenge remains the only definitive way to demonstrate a safe alternative to use.

Clinical Relevance

As the largest case series described, this article provides new evidence for the interpretation of skin tests when investigating possible immediate hypersensitivity to corticosteroids.
Developments in the field of allergy in 2013 through the eyes of Clinical and Experimental Allergy
Authors: Blankestijn M. A. , Boyle R. J. , Gore R. , Hawrylowicz C. , Jarvis D. , Knulst A. C. , Wardlaw A. J.
Published: October 2014

2013 was another exciting year for allergy in general and Clinical and Experimental Allergy in particular. In the field of asthma and rhinitis, there continued to be a focus on heterogeneity and phenotypes with increasing use of biostatistical techniques to determine clusters of similar populations. Obesity‐ and aspirin‐associated disease are intriguing associations with asthma which were explored in a number of papers. We published a number of excellent papers on mechanisms of airway inflammation and how this relates to physiology, pathology, genetics and biomarkers in both human and experimental model systems. In terms of mechanisms, there is less on individual cell types in allergic disease at the moment, but the immunology of allergic disease continued to fascinate our authors. Another area that was popular both in the mechanisms and in the epidemiology sections was early life events and how these lead to allergic disease, with an increasing focus on the role of the microbiome and how this influences immune tolerance. In the clinical allergy section, oral immunotherapy for food allergy is clearly a major topic of interest at the moment as was in vitro testing to distinguish between sensitization and allergic disease. There was less on inhalant allergy this year, but a good representation from the drug allergy community including some interesting work on non‐IgE‐mediated mechanisms. In the allergen section, important new allergens continue to be discovered, but the major focus as in the last couple of years was on working out how component‐resolved approaches can improve diagnosis and management of food and venom allergy.
A comparison of life history traits of sexual and asexual strains of the parasitoid wasp, Lysiphlebus fabarum (Braconidae: Aphidiinae)
Authors: AMERI MOHAMMAD , RASEKH ARASH , MOHAMMADI ZAHRA
Published: October 2014

1. This study examined biological characteristics of sexual and asexual strains of the parasitoid wasp, Lysiphlebus fabarum (Marshall) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae).

2. Strains were reared in different instar hosts (the black bean aphid, Aphis fabae Scopoli) under identical environmental conditions (21 °C, 65–75% RH, and LD 16:8 h).

3. Results showed that the second instar of the aphid is the most suitable growth stage for both strains, as the wasps that emerged from the second instar hosts were larger, more fecund, and had larger egg size. Trade‐offs between the fitness components of the parasitoid were clearer when the parasitoids were reared in suboptimal instars.

4. According to the results, sexual females emerged around 1 day earlier and lived around 0.5 day less than asexual females. Also, sexual females emerged with a lower initial egg load, although these wasps tend to have larger eggs than asexual females. Asexual females may enjoy greater longevity and higher developmental plasticity which suggests a higher degree of synchronization with pest population dynamism.

5. The results suggest that sexual wasps, in contrast to asexual wasps, invest more in egg size than in egg load. This study suggests strain‐specific adaptations of L. fabarum to different instars of the black bean aphid by which the allocation of nutritional resources to various functions differs between strains.

6. Furthermore, differences in life history traits between strains can greatly influence the population dynamics of each strain, and hence their effectiveness in suppressing pest populations.
Herbivory by subterranean termite colonies and the development of fairy circles in SW Namibia
Authors: VLIEGHE KELLY , PICKER MIKE , ROSS‐GILLESPIE VERE , ERNI BIRGIT
Published: October 2014

1. The growth pattern of Namibian fairy circles was examined in relation to environmental, termite, and plant variables to provide support for the sand termite (Psammotermes allocerus Silvestri) hypothesis of circle origin.

2. New and young circles were associated with the highest number of sand termites and their foraging grass sheetings which were both considerably lower in mature and senescent circles.

3. Circles increased in size with age, and apart from the senescent stage had higher soil moisture levels than the matrix.

4. In laboratory trials sand termites browsed seedling roots, negatively impacting root and leaf number.

5. This provides a potential mechanism for circle formation through central‐based foraging by P. allocerus which eliminates Stipagrostis grass clumps around its nest system.

6. The resulting bare disc is postulated to be maintained through a combination of a depleted seed bank, termite herbivory on seedlings, and excavations by pugnacious ants (Anoplolepis steingroeveri Forel).
Multiple watershed alterations influence fish community structure in Great Plains prairie streams
Authors: Perkin Joshuah S. , Troia Matthew J. , Shaw Dustin C.R. , Gerken Joseph E. , Gido Keith B.
Published: October 2014

Stream fish distributions are commonly linked to environmental disturbances affecting terrestrial landscapes. In Great Plains prairie streams, the independent and interactive effects of watershed impoundments and land cover changes remain poorly understood despite their prevalence and assumed contribution to declining stream fish diversity. We used structural equation models and fish community samples from third‐order streams in the Kansas River and Arkansas River basins of Kansas, USA to test the simultaneous effects of geographic location, terrestrial landscape alteration, watershed impoundments and local habitat on species richness for stream‐associated and impoundment‐associated habitat guilds. Watershed impoundment density increased from west to east in both basins, while per cent altered terrestrial landscape (urbanisation + row‐crop agriculture) averaged ~50% in the west, declined throughout the Flint Hills ecoregion and increased (Kansas River basin ~80%) or decreased (Arkansas River basin ~30%) to the east. Geographic location had the strongest effect on richness for both guilds across basins, supporting known zoogeography patterns. In addition to location, impoundment species richness was positively correlated with local habitat in both basins; whereas stream‐species richness was negatively correlated with landscape alterations (Kansas River basin) or landscape alterations and watershed impoundments (Arkansas River basin). These findings suggest that convergences in the relative proportions of impoundment and stream species (i.e., community structure) in the eastern extent of both basins are related to positive effects of increased habitat opportunities for impoundment species and negative effects caused by landscape alterations (Kansas River basin) or landscape alterations plus watershed impoundments (Arkansas River basin) for stream species.
Fine spatial resolution mapping of soil organic matter quality in a Histosol profile
Authors: Steffens M. , Kohlpaintner M. , Buddenbaum H.
Published: October 2014

Soil science lacks a fine spatial resolution imaging technique that is able to measure the quantity and quality of organic matter (OM) for complete soil profiles. We tested whether laboratory Vis‐NIR imaging spectroscopy, together with an unsupervised k‐means classification, can be used to distinguish between different OM fractions in a Histosol profile. A rectangular soil column (22‐cm long) of a folic Histosol (Tangelhumus) was collected from an alpine Norway spruce forest in south‐eastern Germany with a stainless steel box (100 × 100 × 300 mm). A hyperspectral camera (400–1000 nm with 160 bands) with a pixel sampling of 63 × 63 µm was used to acquire the data. We took images of three vertical cuts through the soil profile, each separated laterally by 25 mm. Reference samples were taken at representative locations and analysed for soil organic matter (SOM) quantity and quality with a CN elemental analyser and solid‐state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Principal component analysis and unsupervised k‐means classifications were used to discriminate between different qualities of OM. We identified three OM fractions based on their reflectance characteristics: living and dead roots with a small degree of decomposition, decomposed particulate OM and decomposed amorphous OM. These fractions were consistent with the morpho‐functional classes of two soil classification systems and can be used for the improved identification of diagnostic horizons. The spectra of the fractions contained additional information on, for example, lignin content and the degree of decomposition. Vis‐NIR imaging spectroscopy is a powerful technique for mapping SOM quality in visually homogeneous organic surface layers.
A review of clinical approaches to antagonism of alpha2‐adrenoreceptor agonists in the horse
Authors: Zeiler G. E.
Published: October 2014

Alpha2‐adrenoceptor agonists xylazine, romifidine, detomidine and, in some cases, medetomidine and dexmedetomidine, are fundamental drugs used in equine practice. There are situations where the undesirable pharmacodynamic effects (ataxia, prolonged sedation, bradycardia and ileus) or accidental overdose of these drugs may need to be antagonised. The α2‐adrenoceptor antagonists tolazoline, yohimbine and atipamezole can be used to antagonise undesirable effects. However, despite being effective, α2‐adrenoceptor antagonists are also not without undesirable pharmacodynamic effects. Excitement, muscle trembling and triggered inappropriate stress responses are a few of the more serious undesirable effects. Horses demonstrate a variable response to the antagonists thus recommending dose rates become fraught with difficulty. It is therefore recommended that the α2‐adrenoceptor antagonist should be titrated to the desired clinical effect. Consequently, other reversal agents, such as anticholinergics (atropine, glycopyrrolate and hyoscine), have been administered for the treatment of α2‐adrenoceptor agonist‐induced bradycardia. Anticholinergics cannot be recommended for routine use in horses due to the undesirable cardiovascular effects and potentiation of α2‐adrenoceptor agonist‐induced gastrointestinal hypomotility. Novel peripheral acting α2‐adrenoceptor antagonists, such asMK‐467, are currently under scrutiny in veterinary anaesthesia in an effort to antagonise the undesirable effects of α2‐adrenoceptor agonists without compromising on the level of sedation. This review examines the current literature on the α2‐adrenoceptor antagonists used in horses and makes recommendations on how to use these drugs safely in an attempt to prevent undesirable pharmacodynamic effects.
The intramolecular disulfide‐stapled structure of laterosporulin, a class IId bacteriocin, conceals a human defensin‐like structural module
Authors: Singh Pradip Kumar , Solanki Vipul , Sharma Shalley , Thakur Krishan Gopal , Krishnan Beena , Korpole Suresh
Published: October 2014

The growing emergence of antibiotic‐resistant bacteria has led to the exploration of naturally occurring defense peptides as antimicrobials. In this study, we found that laterosporulin (LS), a class IId bacteriocin, effectively kills active and nonmultiplying cells of both Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria. Fluorescence and electron microscopy suggest that growth inhibition occurs because of increased membrane permeability. The crystal structure of LS at 2.0 Å resolution reveals an all‐β conformation of this peptide, with four β‐strands forming a twisted β‐sheet. All six intrinsic cysteines are intramolecularly disulfide‐bonded, with two disulfides constraining the N terminus of the peptide and the third disulfide crosslinking the extreme C terminus, resulting in the formation of a closed structure. The significance of disulfides in maintaining the in‐solution peptide structure was confirmed by CD and fluorescence analyses. Despite a low overall sequence similarity, LS has disulfide connectivity [CI–CV, CII–CIV, and CIII–CVI] like that of β‐defensins and a striking architectural similarity with α‐defensins. Therefore LS presents a missing link between bacteriocins and mammalian defensins, and is also a potential antimicrobial lead, in particular against nonmultiplying bacteria.

Database

The atomic coordinates and the structure factors have been deposited in the Protein Data Bank under accession number 4OZK
From forest to farmland: pollen‐inferred land cover change across Europe using the pseudobiomization approach
Authors: Fyfe Ralph M. , Woodbridge Jessie , Roberts Neil
Published: October 2014

Maps of continental‐scale land cover are utilized by a range of diverse users but whilst a range of products exist that describe present and recent land cover in Europe, there are currently no datasets that describe past variations over long time‐scales. User groups with an interest in past land cover include the climate modelling community, socio‐ecological historians and earth system scientists. Europe is one of the continents with the longest histories of land conversion from forest to farmland, thus understanding land cover change in this area is globally significant. This study applies the pseudobiomization method (PBM) to 982 pollen records from across Europe, taken from the European Pollen Database (EPD) to produce a first synthesis of pan‐European land cover change for the period 9000bpto present, in contiguous 200 year time intervals. ThePBMtransforms pollen proportions from each site to one of eight land cover classes (LCCs) that are directly comparable to theCORINEland cover classification. The proportion ofLCCs represented in each time window provides a spatially aggregated record of land cover change for temperate and northern Europe, and for a series of case study regions (western France, the western Alps, and the Czech Republic and Slovakia). At the European scale, the impact of Neolithic food producing economies appear to be detectable from 6000bpthrough reduction in broad‐leaf forests resulting from human land use activities such as forest clearance. Total forest cover at a pan‐European scale moved outside the range of previous background variability from 4000bponwards. From 2200bpland cover change intensified, and the broad pattern of land cover for preindustrial Europe was established by 1000bp. Recognizing the timing of anthropogenic land cover change in Europe will further the understanding of land cover‐climate interactions, and the origins of the modern cultural landscape.
Modeling enhanced geothermal systems and the essential nature of large‐scale changes in permeability at the onset of slip
Authors: Miller S. A.
Published: October 2014

The permeability structure resulting from high fluid pressure stimulation of a geothermal resource is the most important parameter controlling the feasibility and the viability of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), yet is the most elusive to constrain. Linear diffusion models do a reasonably good job of constraining the front of the stimulated region because of the t1/2 dependence of the perturbation length, but triggering pressures resulting from such models, and the permeability inferred using the diffusivity parameter, drastically underestimate both permeability and pressure changes. This leads to incorrect interpretations about the nature of the system, including the degree of fluid pressures needed to induce seismicity required to enhance the system. Here, I use a minimalist approach to modeling and show that all of the observations from Basel (Switzerland) fluid injection experiment are well matched by a simple model where the dominant control on the system is a large‐scale change in permeability at the onset of slip. The excellent agreement between observations and these simplest of models indicates that these systems may be less complicated than envisaged, thus offering strategies for more sophisticated future modeling to help constrain and exploit these systems.
Comparison of segmental multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis with dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry for the assessment of body composition in a community‐dwelling older population
Authors: Kim Miji , Shinkai Shoji , Murayama Hiroshi , Mori Seijiro
Published: October 2014

Aim

The purpose of the present study was to examine the agreement of segmental multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (SMF‐BIA) for the assessment of whole‐body and appendicular fat mass (FM) and lean soft tissue mass (LSTM) compared with dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) in a community‐dwelling Japanese older population.

Methods

The study population included 551 community‐dwelling Japanese older adults (241 men and 310 women) aged between 65 and 87 years. Agreement between SMF‐BIA and DXA for whole‐body and appendicular body composition was assessed using simple linear regression and Bland–Altman analysis.

Results

High coefficients of determination (R2) were observed for whole‐body FM (R2 = 0.91, standard error of estimate [SEE] = 1.4 kg in men and R2 = 0.94, SEE = 1.2 kg in women) between SMF‐BIA and DXA. The R2 coefficient for whole‐body LSTM was higher in men (R2 = 0.88, SEE = 1.9 kg) than in women (R2 = 0.83, SEE = 1.5 kg). There was systematic bias with overestimation of whole‐body FM and underestimation of whole‐body LSTM by SMF‐BIA. Proportional bias was noted for measurement of whole‐body FM and LSTM in both men and women, but there was no proportional bias between the two methods for measurement of appendicular LSTM (r = 0.05, P = 0.428 and r = −0.10, P = 0.070 for men and women, respectively).

Conclusion

SMF‐BIA is a good alternative for estimating the whole‐body and appendicular FM and LSTM in a community‐dwelling Japanese older population, although it overestimated FM and underestimated LSTM when validated against DXA. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; 15: 1013–1022.