bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THRIVE Score Predicts Outcomes With a Third-Generation Endovascular Stroke Treatment Device in the TREVO-2 Trial
Authors: Flint Alexander C. , Xiang Bin , Gupta Rishi , Nogueira Raul G. , Lutsep Helmi L. , Jovin Tudor G. , Albers Gregory W. , Liebeskind David S. , Sanossian Nerses , Smith Wade S.
Published: September 2013

Background and Purpose—

Several outcome prediction scores have been tested in patients receiving acute stroke treatment with previous generations of endovascular stroke treatment devices. The TREVO-2 trial was a randomized controlled trial comparing a novel endovascular stroke treatment device (the Trevo device) to a previous-generation endovascular stroke treatment device (the Merci device).

Methods—

We used data from the TREVO-2 trial to validate the Totaled Health Risks in Vascular Events (THRIVE) score in patients receiving treatment with a third-generation endovascular stroke treatment device and to compare THRIVE to other predictive scores. We used logistic regression to model outcomes and compared score performance with receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.

Results—

In the TREVO-2 trial, the THRIVE score strongly predicts clinical outcome and mortality. The relationship between THRIVE score and outcome is not influenced by either success of recanalization or the type of device used (Trevo versus Merci). The superiority of the Trevo device to the Merci device is evident particularly among patients with a low-to-moderate THRIVE score (0–5; 53.8% good outcome with Trevo versus 27.5% good outcome with Merci). In receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the THRIVE score was comparable or superior to several other outcome prediction scores (HIAT, HIAT-2, SPAN-100, and iScore).

Conclusions—

The THRIVE score strongly predicts clinical outcome and mortality in the TREVO-2 trial. Taken together with THRIVE validation data from patients receiving intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator or no acute treatment, the THRIVE score has broad predictive power in patients with acute ischemic stroke, which is likely because THRIVE reflects a set of strong nonmodifiable predictors of stroke outcome. A free Web calculator for the THRIVE score is available at
http://www.thrivescore.org
.
Does Use of the Recognition Of Stroke In the Emergency Room Stroke Assessment Tool Enhance Stroke Recognition by Ambulance Clinicians?
Authors: Fothergill Rachael T. , Williams Julia , Edwards Melanie J. , Russell Ian T. , Gompertz Patrick
Published: September 2013

Background and Purpose—

UK ambulance services assess patients with suspected stroke using the Face Arm Speech Test (FAST). The Recognition Of Stroke In the Emergency Room (ROSIER) tool has been shown superior to the FAST in identifying strokes in emergency departments but has not previously been tested in the ambulance setting. We investigated whether ROSIER use by ambulance clinicians can improve stroke recognition.

Methods—

Ambulance clinicians used the ROSIER in place of the FAST to assess patients with suspected stroke. As the ROSIER includes all FAST elements, we calculated a FAST score from the ROSIER to enable comparisons between the two tools. Ambulance clinicians’ provisional stroke diagnoses using the ROSIER and calculated FAST were compared with stroke consultants’ diagnosis. We used stepwise logistic regression to compare the contribution of individual ROSIER and FAST items and patient demographics to the prediction of consultants’ diagnoses.

Results—

Sixty-four percent of strokes and 78% of nonstrokes identified by ambulance clinicians using the ROSIER were subsequently confirmed by a stroke consultant. There was no difference in the proportion of strokes correctly detected by the ROSIER or FAST with both displaying excellent levels of sensitivity. The ROSIER detected marginally more nonstroke cases than the FAST, but both demonstrated poor specificity. Facial weakness, arm weakness, seizure activity, age, and sex predicted consultants’ diagnosis of stroke.

Conclusions—

The ROSIER was not better than the FAST for prehospital recognition of stroke. A revised version of the FAST incorporating assessment of seizure activity may improve stroke identification and decision making by ambulance clinicians.
Dynamical Causes of the 2010/11 Texas–Northern Mexico Drought*
Authors: Seager Richard , Goddard Lisa , Nakamura Jennifer , Henderson Naomi , Lee Dong Eun
Published: September 2013

The causes of the Texas–northern Mexico drought during 2010–11 are shown, using observations, reanalyses, and model simulations, to arise from a combination of ocean forcing and internal atmospheric variability. The drought began in fall 2010 and winter 2010/11 as a La Niña event developed in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Climate models forced by observed sea surface temperatures (SSTs) produced dry conditions in fall 2010 through spring 2011 associated with transient eddy moisture flux divergence related to a northward shift of the Pacific–North American storm track, typical of La Niña events. In contrast the observed drought was not associated with such a clear shift of the transient eddy fields and instead was significantly influenced by internal atmospheric variability including the negative North Atlantic Oscillation of winter 2010/11, which created mean flow moisture divergence and drying over the southern Plains and southeast United States. The models suggest that drought continuation into summer 2011 was not strongly SST forced. Mean flow circulation and moisture divergence anomalies were responsible for the summer 2011 drought, arising from either internal atmospheric variability or a response to dry summer soils not captured by the models. The summer of 2011 was one of the two driest and hottest summers over recent decades but it does not represent a clear outlier to the strong inverse relation between summer precipitation and temperature in the region. Seasonal forecasts at 3.5-month lead time did predict onset of the drought in fall and winter 2010/11 but not intensification into summer 2011, demonstrating the current, and likely inherent, inability to predict important aspects of North American droughts.
Identification and Control of Shape Memory Alloys
Authors: Ghasemi Z , Nadafi R , Kabganian M , Abiri R
Published: September 2013

In recent years, shape memory alloys have been used widely as actuators in microelectromechanical systems. Shape memory alloys have non-linear hysteresis behaviours and parameter uncertainties that include electrical properties such as resistance. These behavioural uncertainties limit the control accuracy of shape memory alloy actuators using mathematical models. In this article, a new method is proposed for force control of shape memory alloy spring actuators. An artificial neural network is used to identify and control the shape memory alloy actuator. The shape memory alloy spring under test is a product of the Toki Corporation; its coil diameter is 0.62 mm, the diameter of the wire is 0.15 mm, and this type of shape memory alloy actuator can produce 40 gf. The results obtained are verified by an experimental set-up, which is also used to train the artificial neural network as an identifier and a controller of the system.
In search of ‘intergenerational cultures of worklessness’: Hunting the Yeti and shooting zombies
Authors: Macdonald Robert , Shildrick Tracy , Furlong Andy
Published: September 2013

The idea of ‘intergenerational cultures of worklessness’ has become influential in UK politics and policy, and been used to explain contemporary worklessness and to justify welfare reforms. Workless parents are said to pass on to their children attitudes and behaviours which inculcate ‘welfare dependency’. In its strongest version, politicians and welfare practitioners talk confidently of ‘three generations of families where no-one has ever worked’; even though no study, bar this one, has investigated whether such families actually exist. Solid evidence for intergenerational cultures of worklessness is elusive so this study tested the idea via interviews with twenty families in Glasgow and Middlesbrough that had been long-term workless. Theories of intergenerational cultures of worklessness feel like ‘zombie arguments’ – resistant to evidence and social scientific efforts to kill them off. Regardless, the findings of this critical case study are offered as a fresh batch of ammunition with which to try to do so.
Creating the Value Exchange Between CEOs and the Corporations They Lead
Authors: Graham Michael Dennis
Published: September 2013

The author makes the case that the genesis of the problem surrounding CEO compensation is that many CEOs are not operating under a “fair and reasonable value exchange” with the organization that they lead and that there are very clear reasons why that is the case. He provides insights that help readers find new ways to view, consider and reframe approaches to CEO (and other executive) employment relationships consisting of compensation programs and contracts using the all-important concept of value exchange coupled with a principled approach, appropriate tools and well thought out processes.
A Very “Gay” Straight?
Authors: Bridges Tristan
Published: September 2013

This article addresses a paradoxical stance taken by young straight men in three groups who identify aspects of themselves as “gay” to construct heterosexual masculine identities. By subjectively recognizing aspects of their identities as “gay,” these men discursively distance themselves from stereotypes of masculinity and privilege and/or frame themselves as politically progressive. Yet, both of these practices obscure the ways they benefit from and participate in gender and sexual inequality. I develop a theory of “sexual aesthetics” to account for their behavior and its consequences, contributing to a growing body of theory regarding the hybridization of contemporary masculinities and complicating theories of sexual practice.
Experience staging and symbolic knowledge: The case of Bornholm culinary products
Authors: Manniche Jesper , Larsen Karin T
Published: September 2013

The ongoing changes in Western food markets and the emergence of ‘alternative’ agri-food production–consumption systems have been conceptualized in numerous ways but very rarely in terms of an ‘experience turn’. This article applies the perspective offered by the concept of the experience economy and empirically analyses the development and marketing of culinary products from the Danish island of Bornholm as production-side activities in a larger ‘territorial staging system’ which at consumption-side primarily relates to urban consumers. A second analytical focus is on the knowledge aspects of experience-based economic activities. The knowledge aspects of the coordinated staging activities of Bornholm firms, business networks and governance actors are studied by use of the differentiated knowledge bases taxonomy, which includes a category of socio-cultural ‘symbolic’ knowledge, complementary to the technological and scientific types of knowledge important for developing functional assets of products. The data and analyses suggest that the experience economy perspective can enrich the research on alternative food production systems by directing attention to the crucial role of strategic, coordinated staging of experiences that reach the consumers in and outside the region. Second, the article shows that the innovation and staging of experience offerings and authenticity-based products relies on symbolic knowledge dynamics in creating and communicating commercially relevant cultural values and meanings and that the sources of such knowledge dynamics are not only local but to a large extent extra-regional and multi-scalar. These findings are indications of new opportunities, barriers and external linkages for rural areas.
Staging experience, valuing authenticity: Towards a market perspective on territorial development
Authors: Jeannerat Hugues
Published: September 2013

Drawing on particular socio-economic theories, this paper discusses the implications for regional studies of the experience economy approach through the broader question of market valuation. Different forms of market construction are identified and compared with regard to distinct models of regional development. It is observed that most of established territorial innovation models give prominence to a technical form of market valuation driven by technological change, by localized innovative production and by the mobility of goods and services. Conversely, experiential valuation primarily points to alternative models of development focusing on the local capacity to set attractive and engaging stages and to exploit consumer mobility. While the former models have mainly been applied to export-based manufacturing, the latter have essentially been applied to leisure, entertainment and tourism activities. The second part of the paper discusses the limits of technical as well as experiential market valuation in the case of the Swiss watchmaking industry. In such a case, experience in consumption and technology in production appears as strategic economic resources but what is primarily valued is authentic watchmaking. Authenticity is regarded as a third possible form of market valuation revealing specific socio-economic and territorial dynamics. The paper finally argues that market valuation should be considered as a key issue for future understandings of economic and territorial development.
Main topics in transcultural psychiatric research in the Netherlands during the past decade
Authors: Laban Cornelis J. , van Dijk Rob
Published: September 2013

The population of the Netherlands has become increasingly diverse in terms of ethnicity and religion, and anti-immigrant attitudes have become more apparent. At the same time, interest in issues linked to transcultural psychiatry has grown steadily. The purpose of this article is to describe the most important results in Dutch transcultural psychiatric research in the last decade and to discuss their relationship with relevant social and political developments in the Netherlands. All relevant PhD theses ( N = 27) between 2000 and 2011 were selected. Screening of Dutch journals in the field of transcultural psychiatry and medical anthropology and a PubMed query yielded additional publications. Forensic and addiction psychiatry were excluded from this review. The results of the review indicate three main topics: (a) the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and their relation to migration issues as social defeat and ethnic density, showing considerable intra- and interethnic differences in predictors and prevalence rates, (b) the social position of refugees and asylum seekers, and its effect on mental health, showing especially high risk among asylum seekers, and (c) the patterns of health-seeking behaviour and use of mental health services, showing a differentiated picture among various migrant groups. Anthropological research brought additional knowledge on all the above topics. The overall conclusion is that transcultural psychiatric research in the Netherlands has made a giant leap since the turn of the century. The results are of international importance and invite redefinition of the relationship between migration and mental health, and reconsideration of its underlying mechanisms in multiethnic societies.
Transcatheter closure of a traumatic ventricular septum defect resulting from a stab wound
Authors: Dedic A , Nieman K , Bogers AJJC , Witsenburg M
Published: September 2013

A 25-year-old man with a ventricular septal defect resulting from a stab wound to his chest was admitted to our hospital. Because of extensive comorbidity and favourable location, transcatheter closure with an Amplatzer device was preferred over surgical repair. Ventricular septal defects are an uncommon complication of cardiac trauma, but when they do occur from this cause, they often have more dramatic consequences. Transcatheter closure is an attractive, less-invasive alternative in patients with increased surgical risk, multiple previous surgical interventions, or poorly accessible defects.
Detailed characterization of multiple myeloma circulating tumor cells shows unique phenotypic, cytogenetic, functional, and circadian distribution profile
Authors: Paiva Bruno , Paino Teresa , Sayagues Jose-Maria , Garayoa Mercedes , San-Segundo Laura , Martín Montserrat , Mota Ines , Sanchez María-Luz , Bárcena Paloma , Aires-Mejia Irene , Corchete Luis , Jimenez Cristina , Garcia-Sanz Ramon , Gutierrez Norma C. , Ocio Enrique M. , Mateos Maria-Victoria , Vidriales Maria-Belen , Orfao Alberto , San Miguel Jesús F.
Published: September 2013

Key Points

Detailed characterization of myeloma circulating tumor cells shows that these represent a unique subpopulation of BM clonal PCs. Myeloma CTCs are clonogenic, quiescent, and may represent an ancestral clone potentially driven by circadian rhythms.
Ranavirus infections associated with skin lesions in lizards
Authors: Stöhr Anke C , Blahak Silvia , Heckers Kim O , Wiechert Jutta , Behncke Helge , Mathes Karina , Günther Pascale , Zwart Peer , Ball Inna , Rüschoff Birgit , Marschang Rachel E
Published: September 2013

Ranaviral disease in amphibians has been studied intensely during the last decade, as associated mass-mortality events are considered to be a global threat to wild animal populations. Several studies have also included other susceptible ectothermic vertebrates (fish and reptiles), but only very few cases of ranavirus infections in lizards have been previously detected. In this study, we focused on clinically suspicious lizards and tested these animals for the presence of ranaviruses. Virological screening of samples from lizards with increased mortality and skin lesions over a course of four years led to the detection of ranaviral infections in seven different groups. Affected species were: brown anoles (Anolis sagrei), Asian glass lizards (Dopasia gracilis), green anoles (Anolis carolinensis), green iguanas (Iguana iguana), and a central bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps). Purulent to ulcerative-necrotizing dermatitis and hyperkeratosis were diagnosed in pathological examinations. All animals tested positive for the presence of ranavirus by PCR and a part of the major capsid protein (MCP) gene of each virus was sequenced. Three different ranaviruses were isolated in cell culture. The analyzed portions of the MCP gene from each of the five different viruses detected were distinct from one another and were 98.4-100% identical to the corresponding portion of the frog virus 3 (FV3) genome. This is the first description of ranavirus infections in these five lizard species. The similarity in the pathological lesions observed in these different cases indicates that ranaviral infection may be an important differential diagnosis for skin lesions in lizards.
Cyprinid herpesvirus 3: an interesting virus for applied and fundamental research
Authors: Rakus Krzysztof , Ouyang Ping , Boutier Maxime , Ronsmans Maygane , Reschner Anca , Vancsok Catherine , Jazowiecka-Rakus Joanna , Vanderplasschen Alain
Published: September 2013

Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3), a member of the family Alloherpesviridae is the causative agent of a lethal, highly contagious and notifiable disease in common and koi carp. The economic importance of common and koi carp industries together with the rapid spread of CyHV-3 worldwide, explain why this virus became soon after its isolation in the 1990s a subject of applied research. In addition to its economic importance, an increasing number of fundamental studies demonstrated that CyHV-3 is an original and interesting subject for fundamental research. In this review, we summarized recent advances in CyHV-3 research with a special interest for studies related to host-virus interactions.
The Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida exoproteome: determination of the complete repertoire of Type-Three Secretion System effectors and identification of other virulence factors
Authors: Vanden Bergh Philippe , Heller Manfred , Braga-Lagache Sophie , Frey Joachim
Published: September 2013

Background

Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida, the etiologic agent of furunculosis, is a major pathogen of fisheries worldwide. Several virulence factors have been described, but the type-three secretion system (T3SS) is recognized as having a major effect on virulence by injecting effectors directly into fish cells. In this study we used high-throughput proteomics to display the differences between in vitro secretome of A. salmonicida wild-type (wt, hypervirulent, JF2267) and T3SS-deficient (isogenic ΔascV, extremely low-virulent, JF2747) strains in exponential and stationary phases of growth.

Results

Results confirmed the secretion of effectors AopH, AexT, AopP and AopO via T3SS, and for the first time demonstrated the impact of T3SS in secretion of Ati2, AopN and ExsE that are known as effectors in other pathogens. Translocators, needle subunits, Ati1, and AscX were also secreted in supernatants (SNs) dependent on T3SS. AopH, Ati2, AexT, AopB and AopD were in the top seven most abundant excreted proteins. EF-G, EF-Tu, DnaK, HtpG, PNPase, PepN and MdeA were moderately secreted in wt SNs and predicted to be putative T3 effectors by bioinformatics. Pta and ASA_P5G088 were increased in wt SNs and T3-associated in other bacteria. Ten conserved cytoplasmic proteins were more abundant in wt SNs than in the ΔascV mutant, but without any clear association to a secretion system. T1-secreted proteins were predominantly found in wt SNs: OmpAI, OmpK40, DegQ, insulinase ASA_0716, hypothetical ASA_0852 and ASA_3619. Presence of T3SS components in pellets was clearly decreased by ascV deletion, while no impact was observed on T1- and T2SS. Our results demonstrated that the ΔascV mutant strain excreted well-described (VapA, AerA, AerB, GCAT, Pla1, PlaC, TagA, Ahe2, GbpA and enolase) and yet uncharacterized potential toxins, adhesins and enzymes as much as or even more than the wt strain. Other putative important virulence factors were not detected.

Conclusions

We demonstrated the whole in vitro secretome and T3SS repertoire of hypervirulent A. salmonicida. Several toxins, adhesins and enzymes that are not part of the T3SS secretome were secreted to a higher extent in the extremely low-virulent ΔascV mutant. All together, our results show the high importance of an intact T3SS to initiate the furunculosis and offer new information about the pathogenesis.
Structured myeloid cells and anti-angiogenic therapy in alveolar soft part sarcoma
Authors: Castelli Chiara , Tazzari Marcella , Negri Tiziana , Vergani Barbara , Rivoltini Licia , Stacchiotti Silvia , Pilotti Silvana
Published: September 2013

Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare soft tissue sarcoma and the clinical management of patients with unresectable, metastatic disease is still challenging. ASPS expresses an array of potentially therapeutically targetable, angiogenesis-related molecules and, importantly, it has a distinctive angiogenic phenotype marked by a peculiar tumor-associated vasculature. Several studies, conducted in transgenic mouse models and in a large variety of human tumors of different histotype, clearly proved the substantial contribution of tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells, such as myeloid derived suppressor cells, monocytes and macrophages, in the formation and maintenance of abnormal blood vessels in tumors. By immunohistochemistry we thus explored the presence and the distribution of cells expressing myeloid markers in the inflammatory infiltrate of surgical treated metastatic ASPS. Indeed, we found that myeloid cells expressing CD14 and CD163 markers constitute the prominent cells in the inflammatory infiltrate of ASPS. These macrophage-like cells form a network surrounding the endothelial cells, or, interspersed in the tumor nest, they keep deep contact with tumor cells. In this commentary, we discussed our findings in relation to the recently published paper by Kummar and colleagues reporting the clinical and molecular results of a phase II clinical trial in patients with unresectable, metastatic ASPS treated with the anti-angiogenic drug cediranib, targeting the VEGFR-1,-2,-3 tyrosine kinases.
An orange fluorescent protein tagging system for real-time pollen tracking
Authors: Rice J Hollis , Millwood Reginald J , Mundell Richard E , Chambers Orlando D , Abercrombie Laura L , Davies H Maelor , Stewart C Neal
Published: September 2013

Background

Monitoring gene flow could be important for future transgenic crops, such as those producing plant-made-pharmaceuticals (PMPs) in open field production. A Nicotiana hybrid (Nicotiana. tabacum × Nicotiana glauca) shows limited male fertility and could be used as a bioconfined PMP platform. Effective assessment of gene flow from these plants is augmented with methods that utilize fluorescent proteins for transgenic pollen identification.

Results

We report the generation of a pollen tagging system utilizing an orange fluorescent protein to monitor pollen flow and as a visual assessment of transgene zygosity of the parent plant. This system was created to generate a tagged Nicotiana hybrid that could be used for the incidence of gene flow. Nicotiana tabacum ‘TN 90’ and Nicotiana glauca were successfully transformed via Agrobacterium tumefaciens to express the orange fluorescent protein gene, tdTomato-ER, in pollen and a green fluorescent protein gene, mgfp5-er, was expressed in vegetative structures of the plant. Hybrids were created that utilized the fluorescent proteins as a research tool for monitoring pollen movement and gene flow. Manual greenhouse crosses were used to assess hybrid sexual compatibility with N. tabacum, resulting in seed formation from hybrid pollination in 2% of crosses, which yielded non-viable seed. Pollen transfer to the hybrid formed seed in 19% of crosses and 10 out of 12 viable progeny showed GFP expression.

Conclusion

The orange fluorescent protein is visible when expressed in the pollen of N. glauca, N. tabacum, and the Nicotiana hybrid, although hybrid pollen did not appear as bright as the parent lines. The hybrid plants, which show limited ability to outcross, could provide bioconfinement with the benefit of detectable pollen using this system. Fluorescent protein-tagging could be a valuable tool for breeding and in vivo ecological monitoring.
Interactions between hypoxia tolerance and food deprivation in Amazonian oscars, Astronotus ocellatus (Agassiz)
Authors: De Boeck Gudrun , Wood Chris M. , Iftikar Fathima I. , Matey Victoria , Scott Graham R. , Sloman Katherine A. , da Silva Maria de Nazaré Paula , Almeida-Val Vera M. F. , Val Adalberto L.
Published: September 2013

Oscars are often subjected to low levels of oxygen and fasting during nest-guarding on Amazonian floodplains. We questioned if this anorexia would compromise ionoregulation under the hypoxic, ion-poor Amazonian conditions. We compared fed and fasted oscars (10-14 days), in both normoxia and hypoxia (10-20 Torr, 4-8 hours). Routine oxygen consumption rates (MO2) were lower in fed fish, reflecting behavioural differences, but fasting improved hypoxia resistance with lower critical oxygen tensions (Pcrit). Energy stores and activities of enzymes related to energy metabolism in liver, muscle or gills were not affected. However, hepatosomatic index was reduced by more than 50% in fasted fish, indicating lower total energy stores. Branchial Na+ uptake rates were lower in fed fish, whereas Na+ efflux was similar. Fed and fasted fish quickly reduced Na+ uptake and efflux during hypoxia, with fasting fish responding more rapidly. Ammonia excretion and K+ efflux were reduced under hypoxia, indicating decreased transcellular permeability. Fasted fish had more mitochondria rich cells (MRC), with larger crypts. Gill MRC density and surface area were greatly reduced under hypoxia, possibly to reduce ion uptake and efflux rates. Density of mucous cells of normoxic fasted fish was about four-fold of that in fed fish. This was reduced to half in animals exposed to hypoxia, with clear mucous deposits on the epithelial surface. Overall, a 10-14 day fasting period had no negative effects on hypoxia tolerance in oscars, as fasted fish were able to respond quicker to lower oxygen levels and turned down branchial permeability effectively.
Structure, material characteristics and function of the upper respiratory tract of the pygmy sperm whale
Authors: Davenport John , Cotter Liz , Rogan Emer , Kelliher Denis , Murphy Colm
Published: September 2013

Cetaceans are neckless, so the trachea is very short. The upper respiratory tract is separate from the mouth and pharynx. The dorsal blowhole connects, via the vestibular and nasopalatine cavities, directly to the larynx. Toothed cetaceans (Odontoceti) are capable of producing sounds at depth, either for locating prey, or for communication. It has been suggested that during dives, air from the lungs and upper respiratory tract can be moved to the vestibular and nasal cavities to permit sound generation to continue when air volume within these cavities decreases as ambient pressure rises. The pygmy sperm whale Kogia breviceps is a deep diver (500-1000 m), known to produce hunting clicks. Our study of an immature female shows that the upper respiratory tract is highly asymmetrical, that the trachea and bronchi are extremely compressible, whereas the larynx is much more rigid. Laryngeal and tracheal volumes were established. Calculations based on Boyle’s Law imply that all air from lungs and bronchi would be transferred to larynx and trachea by a depth of 270 m and that the larynx itself could not accommodate all respiratory air mass at a depth of 1000 m. This suggests that no respiratory air would be available for vocalisation. However, the bronchi, trachea and part of the larynx have a thick vascular lining featuring large, thin-walled vessels. We propose that these vessels may become dilated during dives to reduce the volume of the upper respiratory tract, permitting forward transfer of air through the larynx.
Color dependent learning in restrained Africanized honey bees
Authors: Jernigan Christopher M. , Roubik David W. , Wcislo William T. , Riveros Andre J.
Published: September 2013

Associative color learning has been demonstrated to be very poor using restrained European honey bees unless the antennae are amputated. Consequently, our understanding of proximate mechanisms in visual information processing is handicapped. Here we test learning performance of Africanized honey bees under restrained conditions with visual and olfactory stimulation using the proboscis extension response (PER) protocol. Restrained individuals were trained to learn an association between a color stimulus and a sugar-water reward. We evaluated performance for "absolute" learning (learned association between a stimulus and a reward) and "discriminant" learning (discrimination between two stimuli). Restrained Africanized honey bees (AHBs) readily learned the association of color stimulus for both blue and green LED stimuli in absolute and discriminatory learning tasks within 7 presentations, but not with violet as the rewarded color. Additionally, 24-hour memory improved considerably during the discrimination task, compared to absolute association (15%-55%). We found that antennal amputation was unnecessary and reduced performance in AHBs. Thus color learning can now be studied using the PER protocol with intact AHBs. This finding opens the way toward investigating visual and multimodal learning with application of neural techniques commonly used in restrained honey bees.
Salinity-induced activation of the myo-inositol biosynthesis pathway in tilapia gill epithelium
Authors: Sacchi Romina , Li Johnathon , Villarreal Fernando , Gardell Alison M. , Kültz Dietmar
Published: September 2013

The myo-inositol biosynthesis (MIB) pathway converts glucose-6-phosphate to the compatible osmolyte myo-inositol (MI) that protects cells from osmotic stress. Using proteomics, the enzymes that constitute the MIB pathway, myo-inositol phosphate synthase (MIPS) and inositol monophosphatase 1 (IMPA1), are identified in tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) gill epithelium. Targeted, quantitative, label-free proteomics reveals that they are both up-regulated during salinity stress. Up-regulation is stronger when fish are exposed to severe (34 ppt acute and 90 ppt gradual) relative to moderate (70 ppt gradual) salinity stress. IMPA1 always responds more strongly than MIPS suggesting that MIPS is more stable during salinity stress. MIPS is amino-terminally acetylated and the corresponding peptide increases proportionally to MIPS protein while non-acetylated amino-terminal peptide is not detectable indicating that MIPS acetylation is constitutive and may serve to stabilize the protein. Hyperosmotic induction of MIPS and IMPA1 is confirmed using Western blot and real-time qPCR and much higher at mRNA than protein level. Two distinct MIPS mRNA variants are expressed in gill, but one is more strongly regulated by salinity than the other. A single MIPS gene is encoded in the tilapia genome whereas the zebrafish genome lacks MIPS entirely. The genome of euryhaline tilapia contains 4 IMPA genes, two of which are expressed but only one is salinity-regulated in gill epithelium. The genome of stenohaline zebrafish contains a single IMPA gene. We conclude that the MIB pathway represents a major salinity stress coping mechanism that is regulated at multiple levels in euryhaline fish but absent in stenohaline zebrafish.
Isotope turnover rates and diet-tissue discrimination in skin ofex situBottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)
Authors: Browning Nicole E. , Dold Christopher , I-Fan Jack , Worthy Graham A.J.
Published: September 2013

Diet-tissue discrimination factors (Δ15N or Δ13C) and turnover times are thought to be influenced by a wide range of variables including metabolic rate, age, dietary quality, tissue sampled, and the taxon being investigated. In the present study, skin samples were collected from ex situ dolphins that had consumed diets of known isotopic composition for a minimum of 8 weeks. Adult dolphins consuming a diet of low fat (5-6%) and high δ15N value had significantly lower Δ15N values than animals consuming a diet with high fat (13.9%) and low δ15N value. Juvenile dolphins consuming a diet with low fat and an intermediate δ15N value had significantly higher Δ15N values than adults consuming the same diet. Calculated half-lives for δ15N ranged from 14 to 23 days (17.2 ± 1.3 days). Half-lives for δ13C ranged from 11 to 23 days with a significant difference between low fat (13.9 ± 4.8 days) and high fat diets (22.0 ± 0.5 days). Overall, our results indicate that while assuming a Δ13C value of 1‰ may be appropriate for cetaceans; Δ15N values may be closer to 1.5‰ rather than the commonly assumed 3‰. Our data also suggest that understanding seasonal variability in prey composition is another significant consideration when applying discrimination factors or turnover times to field studies focused on feeding habits. Isotope retention times of only a few weeks suggest that, in addition, these isotope data could play an important role in interpreting recent fine-scale habitat utilization and residency patterns.
Syntheses of Aldol Products and Cyanohydrins from Carboxylic Acids Using Hydrosilanes, Organosilicon Reagents, and Indium Triiodide Catalyst
Authors: Inamoto Yoshihiro , Nishimoto Yoshihiro , Yasuda Makoto , Baba Akio
Published: September 2013

Carboxylic acids were applied to an indium triiodide-catalyzed reductive aldol reaction and a reductive cyanation in order to produce aldol adducts and cyanohydrins, respectively, in which the separate addition of two kinds of hydrosilanes was crucial in combination with either ketene silyl acetals or silyl cyanides.
TNF-alpha neutralizing antibody blocks thermal sensitivity induced by compound 48/80-provoked mast cell degranulation
Authors: Chatterjea Devavani , Paredes Luisa , Martinov Tijana , Balsells Evelyn , Allen Juliann , Sykes Akilah , Ashbaugh Alyssa
Published: September 2013

Background: Neuro-inflammatory circuits in the tissue regulate the complex pathophysiology of pain. Protective nociceptive pain serves as an early warning system against noxious environmental stimuli. Tissue-resident mast cells orchestrate the increased thermal sensitivity following injection of basic secretagogue compound 48/80 in the hind paw tissues of ND4 mice. Here we investigated the effects of pre-treatment with TNF-α neutralizing antibody on compound 48/80-provoked thermal hyperalgesia.

Methods: We treated ND4 Swiss male mice with intravenous anti-TNF-α antibody or vehicle 30 minutes prior to bilateral, intra-plantar compound 48/80 administration and measured changes in the timing of hind paw withdrawal observed subsequent to mice being placed on a 51oC hotplate. We also assessed changes in tissue swelling, TNF-α gene expression and protein abundance, mast cell degranulation, and neutrophil influx in the hind paw tissue.

Findings: We found that TNF-α neutralization significantly blocked thermal hyperalgesia, and reduced early tissue swelling. TNF-α neutralization had no significant effect on mast cell degranulation or neutrophil influx into the tissue, however. Moreover, no changes in TNF-α protein or mRNA levels were detected within 3 hours of administration of compound 48/80.

Interpretation:  The neutralizing antibodies likely target pre-formed TNF-α including that stored in the granules of tissue-resident mast cells. Pre-formed TNF-α, released upon degranulation, has immediate effects on nociceptive signaling prior to the induction of neutrophil influx. These early effects on nociceptors are abrogated by TNF-α blockade, resulting in compromised nociceptive withdrawal responses to acute, harmful environmental stimuli.
Reappraisal of sectional taxonomy in Musa (Musaceae)
Authors: Häkkinen Markku
Published: September 2013

The present work is part of a continuing study on Musa taxa by the author. Several molecular analyses support acceptance of only two Musa sections, M. sect. Musa and M. sect. Callimusa. Musa sect. Rhodochlamys is synonymized with M. sect. Musa and M. sect. Australimusa and M. sect. Ingentimusa are treated as synonyms of M. sect. Callimusa. Species lists are provided for the two accepted sections.
Microwave drying of plant material for herbarium specimens and genetic analysis
Authors: Lander Tonya A. , Dadonaite Bernadeta , Monro Alex K.
Published: September 2013

Microwave drying of plant specimens is a potentially useful alternative to chemical and traditional air drying preservation techniques because microwave ovens are widely available, and the method is quick and inexpensive and kills pests without leaving toxic residue. We tested the hypotheses that (1) there would be a difference in the concentration of genomic DNA that could be extracted from microwave–dried compared to silica–dried specimens, (2) the effects of microwave treatment would be observable even when the specimen had been first dried in silica gel crystals, (3) the effects of microwave drying would continue to be observable in PCR product concentration using chloroplast, nuclear ribosomal, and nuclear markers, and (4) microwave drying would cause contamination of the nucleic acids by cell material, and this contamination would be reflected in the spectral absorbance of the extracted genomic DNA. In a paired comparison of silica–dried, microwave–dried, and silica+microwave–treated leaves of Brosimum alicastrum (Moraceae) we found that microwave drying produced specimens with bright leaf colour, which to date have not suffered from insect or fungal attack. However microwave treatment significantly reduced the concentration of extractable genomic DNA, even when the leaves had been previously dried in silica gel, and reduced the concentration of PCR product produced using chloroplast and nuclear ribosomal but not nuclear markers. The genomic DNA extracted from both the microwave–dried and silica+microwave–treated material appears to contain some cellular contaminant which absorbs at 230 nm, indicated by low 260/230 nm absorbance ratios. We suggest that microwave drying is a useful alternative to chemical preservation techniques which limit the capacity for DNA extraction from preserved material. However microwave drying is less desirable than traditional air– or oven drying or the combination of traditionally dried herbarium specimens plus companion samples dried in silica gel crystals.
Typification of two Linnaean names in Polygala (Polygalaceae): P. bracteolata and P. myrtifolia
Authors: Figueiredo Estrela , Paiva Jorge , Smith Gideon F.
Published: September 2013

Two Linnaean names of Polygala, P. bracteolata and P. myrtifolia, are lectotypified.
Myrtineoxylon gen. nov.: The first fossil wood record of the tribe Myrteae (Myrtaceae) in eastern Asia
Authors: Oskolski Alexei A. , Feng Xin-Xin , Jin Jian-Hua
Published: September 2013

The new genus and species Myrtineoxylon maomingensis is described from the Late Eocene Youganwo Formation of Maoming Basin, South China. It is the first record of fossil wood from eastern Asia assigned to Myrtaceae. The combination of solitary vessels, simple perforation plates, alternate vestured intervessel pits, bordered vessel–ray pits, vasicentric tracheids, ground tissue fibre–tracheids, diffuse and diffuse–in–aggregate parenchyma in 3–8 cells strands, and 1–3–seriate, strongly heterocellular rays, and absence of crystals is suggestive of a position of the fossil in the tribe Myrteae (informal "Australasian group"), a basal lineage in Myrtaceae. This is the first fossil record from eastern Asia and from all of Eurasia confidently referred to this tribe.
Morphology, DNA–molecular variation, karyology, ecogeography, and phytosociology suggest allopatric differentiation and species rank for Potentilla rigoana (Rosaceae)
Authors: Dobeš Christoph , Rossa Julia , Paule Juraj , Hülber Karl
Published: September 2013

The Apennines show high floristic diversity promoted by their particular role as an ice–age refugium. However, studies on the evolution of Apennine plants are rare. Potentilla rigoana from the mainly European P. heptaphylla group is an example of a largely ignored taxon originally described from this mountain range. Its evolutionary origin and taxonomic status was studied in an interdisciplinary approach combining morphometric, karyological (flow cytometry and chromosome counting), DNA–molecular (AFLP), ecogeographic (WorldClim climatic variables), and phytosociological data. Morphometric analyses revealed 16 metric and 2 nominal characters separating P. rigoana from its close relatives P. crantzii, P. heptaphylla s.l., and P. neumanniana. Additionally, P. rigoana was intermediate with respect to temperature requirements as well as altitudinal distribution compared to P. crantzii and P. heptaphylla s.l. The species was documented from 54 populations or sampling sites located in the central and southern Apennines where it occurs in montane to subalpine dry habitats. Morphometric analysis suggested its occurrence in the Balkans. Molecular and morphometric analyses further suggested reticulate relationships of the Balkan samples of P. heptaphylla s.l. with P. rigoana. Potentilla rigoana comprises five ploidy levels with the dominant diploids and tetraploids geographically centered in the southern and central Apennines, respectively. The existence of diploids and a uniformly heptaploid population indicate the occurrence of both sexuality and apomixis. The combined datasets suggested species status for P. rigoana. The ecogeographic distribution indicated an allopatric differentiation of the species within the P. heptaphylla group. The latitudinal separation of diploid and polyploid cytotypes coincided with a glacial refugium in the southern Apennines and more dynamic past climatic conditions in the central Apennines.
The Focused Organization of Advice Relations: A Study in Boundary Crossing
Authors: Lomi Alessandro , Lusher Dean , Pattison Philippa E. , Robins Garry
Published: September 2013

Organizations contain multiple social foci—settings for interaction providing members with occasions for structuring their social relations. In this paper we examine how identification with particular social foci within organizations influences the propensity of advice-seeking ties to crosscut the boundaries of organizational subunits. We propose and test a theory of relationship formation based on the strength of organizational members’ identification with social foci. We expect that advice relations of organizational members identifying more strongly with local foci (organizational subunits) will be more likely to be contained within their boundaries. By contrast, we expect that advice relations of organizational members identifying more strongly with a global focus (the organization as a whole) will be more likely to crosscut the boundaries defined around local foci. We test these hypotheses on data we collected on advice-seeking relations among members of the top management team in an industrial multiunit group that comprises five distinct subsidiary companies. Results show that identification with social foci affects the formation of crosscutting network ties over and above the effect of the formal organizational boundaries that encircle the foci. More specifically, we find that organizational members who identify strongly with local foci (subsidiaries, in our case) tend to seek advice within such local foci, whereas organizational members who identify strongly with a global focus (corporate, in our case) tend to be sources of advice across the boundaries of the local foci in which they participate. Cross-boundary advice ties are less likely to occur among managers who identify strongly with their subsidiaries but weakly with the corporate group. As a consequence, identification with local foci constrains knowledge transfer relations within the boundaries of such foci. On the contrary, cross-boundary advice ties are more likely to occur among managers who identify strongly with the corporate group but weakly with their subsidiary. As a consequence, identification with a global focus activates knowledge transfer across the boundaries of local foci.
Learning to Carry the Cat by the Tail: Firm Experience, Disasters, and Multinational Subsidiary Entry and Expansion
Authors: Oetzel Jennifer M. , Oh Chang Hoon
Published: September 2013

We investigate whether firm experience with discontinuous risks, particularly high-impact disasters that are episodic and difficult to anticipate, moderates the relationship between disasters, foreign entry, and expansion decisions. Using a panel data set with 57,500 observations from 106 large European multinational corporations and their subsidiaries operating across 109 countries from 2001 to 2007, we find that although discontinuous risk was negatively related to firm entry and expansion, firms that had experience with high-impact disasters were more likely to expand in countries experiencing disasters.