bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cognitive Profiles on the Severe Impairment Battery Are Similar in Alzheimer Disease and Down Syndrome With Dementia
Authors: Dick Malcolm B. , Doran Eric , Phelan Michael , Lott Ira T.
Published: December 2015

Previous research has revealed similarities in the neuropathology, clinical presentation, and risk factors between persons with Alzheimer disease from the general population (GP-AD) and those with Down syndrome (DS-AD). Less is known, however, about the extent of similarities and differences in the cognitive profiles of these 2 populations. Fifty-one moderate to severely demented GP-AD and 59 DS-AD individuals participated in this study which compared the cognitive profiles of these 2 populations on the Severe Impairment Battery (SIB), controlling for sex as well as level of functional ability using a modified version of the Bristol Activities of Daily Living Scale. Overall, the neuropsychological profiles of the higher-functioning individuals within the DS-AD and advanced GP-AD groups, as represented by mean difference scores on the SIB as a whole and across the 9 separate cognitive domains, were very similar to one another after adjusting for sex and functional impairment. To our knowledge, this is the first study to directly compare the cognitive profiles of these 2 populations on the SIB. Findings suggest that the underlying dementia in GP-AD and DS-AD may have corresponding and parallel effects on cognition.
Fragmentation as an aggregation process
Authors: Vledouts A. , Vandenberghe N. , Villermaux E.
Published: December 2015

When severely impacted, a cohesive object deforms and eventually breaks into fragments. Cohesion forces keeping the material together and momentum driving the fragmentation couple through a complicated process involving crack propagation on a deforming substrate, so that a comprehensive scenario for the build-up of the full fragment size distribution of broken objects is still lacking. We use necklaces of cohesive particles (magnetized spheres) as an experimental model of a one-dimensional material, which we expand radially in an impulsive way. Exploring in real time the intermediate state where the particles are no longer in contact, but still in interaction as they separate, we demonstrate that the final fragments result from the self-assembly of individual particles and that their size distribution converges to a stable self-similar distribution whose parameters, interpreted from first principles, depend on the expansion and cohesion strengths.
Arabidopsis late blight: Infection of a nonhost plant byAlbugo laibachiienables full colonization byPhytophthora infestans
Authors: Belhaj Khaoula , Cano Liliana M. , Prince David C. , Kemen Ariane , Yoshida Kentaro , Dagdas Yasin F. , Etherington Graham J. , Schoonbeek Henk-jan , van Esse H. Peter , Jones Jonathan D.G. , Kamoun Sophien , Schornack Sebastian
Published: December 2015

The oomycete pathogenPhytophthora infestanscauses potato late blight, and as a potato and tomato specialist pathogen, is seemingly poorly adapted to infect plants outside the Solanaceae. Here, we report the unexpected finding thatP. infestanscan infectArabidopsis thalianawhen another oomycete pathogen,Albugo laibachii, has colonized the host plant. The behaviour and speed ofP. infestansinfection in Arabidopsis pre-infected withA. laibachiiresembleP. infestansinfection of susceptible potato plants. Transcriptional profiling ofP. infestansgenes during infection revealed a significant overlap in the sets of secreted-protein genes that are induced inP. infestansupon colonisation of potato and susceptible Arabidopsis, suggesting major similarities inP. infestansgene expression dynamics on the two plant species. Furthermore, we found haustoria ofA. laibachiiandP. infestanswithin the same Arabidopsis cells. This Arabidopsis -A. laibachii-P. infestanstripartite interaction opens up various possibilities to dissect the molecular mechanisms ofP. infestansinfection and the processes occurring in co-infected Arabidopsis cells.
Detecting host-parasitoid interactions in an invasive Lepidopteran using nested tagging DNA-metabarcoding
Authors: Kitson James JN , Hahn Christoph , Sands Richard J , Straw Nigel A , Evans Darren M , Lunt David H
Published: December 2015

Determining the host-parasitoid interactions and parasitism rates for invasive species entering novel environments is an important first step in assessing potential routes for biocontrol and integrated pest management. Conventional insect rearing techniques followed by taxonomic identification are widely used to obtain such data, but this can be time consuming and prone to biases. Here we present a Next Generation Sequencing approach for use in ecological studies which allows for individual level metadata tracking of large numbers of invertebrate samples through the use of hierarchically organised molecular identification tags. We demonstrate its utility using a sample data set examining both species identity and levels of parasitism in late larval stages of the Oak Processionary Moth (Thaumetopoea processionea- Linn. 1758), an invasive species recently established in the UK. Overall we find that there are two main species exploiting the late larval stages of Oak Processionary Moth in the UK with the main parasitoid (Carcelia iliaca-Ratzeburg, 1840) parasitising 45.7% of caterpillars, while a rare secondary parasitoid (Compsilura conccinata-Meigen, 1824) was also detected in 0.4% of caterpillars. Using this approach on all life stages of the Oak Processionary Moth may demonstrate additional parasitoid diversity. We discuss the wider potential of nested tagging DNA-metabarcoding for constructing large, highly-resolved species interaction networks.
p53 genes function to restrain mobile elements
Authors: Wylie Annika , Jones Amanda E. , D'Brot Alejandro , Lu Wan-Jin , Kurtz Paula , Moran John V. , Rakheja Dinesh , Chen Kenneth S. , Hammer Robert E. , Comerford Sarah A. , Amatruda James F. , Abrams John M.
Published: December 2015

Throughout the animal kingdom, p53 genes govern stress response networks by specifying adaptive transcriptional responses. The human member of this gene family is mutated in most cancers, but precisely how p53 functions to mediate tumor suppression is not well understood. Using Drosophila and zebrafish models, we show that p53 restricts retrotransposon activity and genetically interacts with components of the piRNA (piwi-interacting RNA) pathway. Furthermore, transposon eruptions occurring in the p53− germline were incited by meiotic recombination, and transcripts produced from these mobile elements accumulated in the germ plasm. In gene complementation studies, normal human p53 alleles suppressed transposons, but mutant p53 alleles from cancer patients could not. Consistent with these observations, we also found patterns of unrestrained retrotransposons in p53-driven mouse and human cancers. Furthermore, p53 status correlated with repressive chromatin marks in the 5′ sequence of a synthetic LINE-1 element. Together, these observations indicate that ancestral functions of p53 operate through conserved mechanisms to contain retrotransposons. Since human p53 mutants are disabled for this activity, our findings raise the possibility that p53 mitigates oncogenic disease in part by restricting transposon mobility.
TP53 regulates miRNA association with AGO2 to remodel the miRNA–mRNA interaction network
Authors: Krell Jonathan , Stebbing Justin , Carissimi Claudia , Dabrowska Aleksandra F. , de Giorgio Alexander , Frampton Adam E. , Harding Victoria , Fulci Valerio , Macino Giuseppe , Colombo Teresa , Castellano Leandro
Published: December 2015

DNA damage activates TP53-regulated surveillance mechanisms that are crucial in suppressing tumorigenesis. TP53 orchestrates these responses directly by transcriptionally modulating genes, including microRNAs (miRNAs), and by regulating miRNA biogenesis through interacting with the DROSHA complex. However, whether the association between miRNAs and AGO2 is regulated following DNA damage is not yet known. Here, we show that, following DNA damage, TP53 interacts with AGO2 to induce or reduce AGO2's association of a subset of miRNAs, including multiple let-7 family members. Furthermore, we show that specific mutations in TP53 decrease rather than increase the association of let-7 family miRNAs, reducing their activity without preventing TP53 from interacting with AGO2. This is consistent with the oncogenic properties of these mutants. Using AGO2 RIP-seq and PAR-CLIP-seq, we show that the DNA damage–induced increase in binding of let-7 family members to the RISC complex is functional. We unambiguously determine the global miRNA–mRNA interaction networks involved in the DNA damage response, validating them through the identification of miRNA-target chimeras formed by endogenous ligation reactions. We find that the target complementary region of the let-7 seed tends to have highly fixed positions and more variable ones. Additionally, we observe that miRNAs, whose cellular abundance or differential association with AGO2 is regulated by TP53, are involved in an intricate network of regulatory feedback and feedforward circuits. TP53-mediated regulation of AGO2–miRNA interaction represents a new mechanism of miRNA regulation in carcinogenesis.
Safety profiles and efficacy of infliximab therapy in Japanese patients with plaque psoriasis with or without psoriatic arthritis, pustular psoriasis or psoriatic erythroderma: Results from the prospective post‐marketing surveillance
Authors: Torii Hideshi , Terui Tadashi , Matsukawa Miyuki , Takesaki Kazumi , Ohtsuki Mamitaro , Nakagawa Hidemi ,   The Japanese Dermatological Association (JDA) PMS committee
Published: December 2015

A large‐scale prospective post‐marketing surveillance was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of infliximab in Japanese patients with plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, pustular psoriasis and psoriatic erythroderma. This study was conducted in all psoriasis patients treated with infliximab after its Japanese regulatory approval. Infliximab was administrated at 5 mg/kg at weeks 0, 2 and 6, and every 8 weeks thereafter. Patients were serially enrolled and observed for 6 months to evaluate the safety and efficacy. The safety and efficacy were evaluated in 764 and 746 patients, respectively. Incidences of any and serious adverse drug reactions were 22.51% and 6.94%, respectively, and those of any and serious infusion reactions were 6.15% and 1.31%, respectively, which were comparable with the results in the post‐marketing surveillance with 5000 rheumatoid arthritis patients in Japan. Major adverse drug reactions during the follow‐up period were infections (5.10%) including pneumonia, cellulitis and herpes zoster, however, no tuberculosis was observed. The safety profiles were equivalent, regardless of the psoriasis types. No new safety problems were identified. The response rates on global improvement and median improvement rate of Psoriasis Area and Severity Index in all patients were 88.0% and 85.0%, respectively. Of note, the efficacy was equivalent for each psoriasis type as well as for each body region. Infliximab was also effective in pustular psoriasis symptoms, joint symptoms and nail psoriasis, as well as improvement of quality of life. Infliximab was confirmed to be highly effective and well tolerated in treating refractory psoriasis, including pustular psoriasis and psoriatic erythroderma.
Effect of topical phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor E6005 on Japanese children with atopic dermatitis: Results from a randomized, vehicle‐controlled exploratory trial
Authors: Nemoto Osamu , Hayashi Nobukazu , Kitahara Yasumi , Furue Masutaka , Hojo Seiichiro , Nomoto Maiko , Shima Satoshi ,   The Japanese E6005 Study Investigators
Published: December 2015

This exploratory study was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy profile of the topical phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor E6005 in Japanese children with mild‐to‐moderate atopic dermatitis. The present randomized, multicenter study included 62 patients who were treated with 0.05% E6005, 0.2% E6005 or vehicle ointment twice daily for 2 weeks. Safety and pharmacokinetics were assessed with a focus on the occurrence of adverse events and the whole blood concentrations of E6005 and its metabolite. Exploratory efficacy evaluations included assessments of lesion severity and pruritus score. The 2‐week application of topical E6005 was safe and well tolerated with no cutaneous adverse events. The whole blood concentration of E6005 was quantified in only one subject receiving 0.2% E6005 treatment, while its major metabolite was undetectable. The 0.2% E6005 group showed a greater decrease in the severity score than the vehicle group (−45.94% vs −32.26%), although this difference was not statistically significant. Similarly, the treatment success rate according to the investigator's global assessment of the total application sites was higher in the 0.2% E6005 group than in the vehicle group (34.4% vs 20.0%). Moreover, the 0.2% E6005 group showed a greater decrease in the pruritus score than the vehicle group (−37.5% vs −6.7%) in a predefined subpopulation. The efficacy of 0.05% E6005 treatment was comparable to that of vehicle treatment. These results suggest that topical 0.2% E6005 treatment is safe and effective in children with atopic dermatitis, although further large confirmatory clinical trials are warranted.
Transition of students with autistic spectrum disorders from primary to post‐primary school: a framework for success
Authors: Deacy Evelyn , Jennings Fiona , O'Halloran Ailbhe
Published: December 2015

The purpose of this research was to investigate best practice in relation to the planning, process and strategies that support the transition of students with ASD from primary to post‐primary school. A questionnaire survey was sent to graduates of a postgraduate Certificate/Diploma in SEN (ASD) in Ireland who were working in primary and post‐primary schools. Findings included strong oral communication between schools, transition programmes in many post‐primary schools, a variety of generic and ASD specific strategies in both primary and post‐primary schools and a large number of personnel involved in the transition process. Analysis of findings and current literature enabled the researchers to propose a framework that the Department of Education and Skills, support agencies and schools may use to examine practice in order to enhance the transition programmes based on students' needs, the profile of the school and its community.
How do we create ASD‐friendly schools? A dilemma of placement
Authors: Goodall Craig
Published: December 2015

Scope exists within the Northern Ireland (NI) education system to transform mainstream schools into autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)‐friendly environments. The efficacy of mainstream inclusion is discussed prior to discussing the creation of ASD‐friendly schools. The transformation of mainstream school environments is underpinned by concepts such as inclusive pedagogical approach, universal design for learning and learning without limits. These are discussed alongside strategies to enact core inclusive principles of equity, participation and belonging. However, the need for ASD‐specific approaches and schools is also recognised. Our perspectives as educators influence pedagogy, attitudes and approaches to educating autistic children. A social constructivist consciousness is fundamental to moving from deficit SEN rhetoric to creating enabling education for autistic young people. The question of how to achieve this is answered within this article. The use of identity‐first language is preferred by a large proportion of the autism community; therefore the term ‘autistic child’, rather than ‘child with autism’, is adopted throughout.
What matters to women: a systematic scoping review to identify the processes and outcomes of antenatal care provision that are important to healthy pregnant women
Authors: Downe S , Finlayson K. , Tunçalp Ӧ , Metin Gülmezoglu A
Published: December 2015

Background

Global uptake of antenatal care (ANC) varies widely and is influenced by the value women place on the service they receive. Identifying outcomes that matter to pregnant women could inform service design and improve uptake and effectiveness.

Objectives

To undertake a systematic scoping review of what women want, need and value in pregnancy.

Search strategy

Eight databases were searched (1994–2015) with no language restriction. Relevant journal contents were tracked via Zetoc.

Data collection and analysis

An initial analytic framework was constructed with findings from 21 papers, using data‐mining techniques, and then developed using meta‐ethnographic approaches. The final framework was tested with 17 more papers.

Main results

All continents except Australia were represented. A total of 1264 women were included. The final meta‐theme was: Women want and need a positive pregnancy experience, including four subthemes: maintaining physical and sociocultural normality; maintaining a healthy pregnancy for mother and baby (including preventing and treating risks, illness and death); effective transition to positive labour and birth; and achieving positive motherhood (including maternal self‐esteem, competence, autonomy). Findings informed a framework for future ANC provision, comprising three equally important domains: clinical practices (interventions and tests); relevant and timely information; and pyschosocial and emotional support; each provided by practitioners with good clinical and interpersonal skills within a high quality health system.

Conclusions

A positive pregnancy experience matters across all cultural and sociodemographic contexts. ANC guidelines and services should be designed to deliver it, and those providing ANC services should be aware of it at each encounter with pregnant women.

Tweetable abstract

Women around the world want ANC staff and services to help them achieve a positive pregnancy experience.
Price Expectations, Distressed Mortgage Markets and the Housing Wealth Effect
Authors: McCarthy Yvonne , McQuinn Kieran
Published: December 2015

Using a unique combination of regulatory and survey microdata, we examine the importance of the life cycle theory of consumption in estimating housing wealth effects for the Irish mortgage market. Since the recent financial crisis, this market has experienced substantial house price declines and negative equity. Thus, house price expectations are likely to be important in influencing housing wealth effects. We find a positive correlation between consumption and changes in housing wealth among our sample of mortgaged Irish households. Furthermore, we find that this positive association only exists when housing wealth changes are perceived to be of a permanent nature.
Evaluating price transmission between global agricultural markets and consumer food price indices in the European Union
Authors: García‐Germán Sol , Bardají Isabel , Garrido Alberto
Published: December 2015

This paper uses error correction models to evaluate the extent to and speed at which world agricultural commodity price movements affect consumer food prices in the European Union member states. We consider three types of world commodity price indices, each containing different commodities and weighting criteria. Results reveal a long‐run relationship between world agricultural commodity and consumer food prices in over half of the member states. Consumer prices in different member states and categories of member states respond differently to specific world price indices, suggesting that there are disparities in the structure and the efficiency of their food markets. The eurozone founders generally have lower transmission elasticities. This should be taken into account when predicting the impacts of extreme world price volatility and consumer food price rises, prompting governments to pay attention to the most vulnerable households.
Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with an Implantable Loop Recorder
Authors: Blaschke Florian , Lacour Philipp , Walter Thula , Wutzler Alexander , Huemer Martin , Parwani Abdul , Attanasio Philipp , Boldt Leif‐Hendrik , Markowski Marcus , Denecke Timm , Haverkamp Wilhelm
Published: December 2015

Background

Implantable loop recorders (ILRs) allow continuous cardiac monitoring for 3–6 years and are a valuable tool for the investigation of syncopal episodes, palpitations, and atrial fibrillations as well as risk stratification after myocardial infarction. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with ILRs has been shown to be safe, the impact of ILRs on cardiac MRI image quality has not been investigated yet. Thus, we tested the diagnostic value of cardiac MRI in patients with various types of ILRs.

Methods

Two patients with an ILR and a clinical indication to assess myocardial burden of scarring and fibrosis or stress‐induced myocardial ischemia underwent cardiac MRI. Device interrogation was performed prior to, immediately after, and 3 months after cardiac MRI.

Results

The post‐MRI follow‐ups revealed no change in programmed ILR parameters, sensing fidelity, and battery parameters. However, ILRs caused significant, uninterpretable hyperintensity artifacts in cardiac MRI.

Conclusions

Further clinical studies are warranted to investigate whether modified MRI techniques are helpful to eliminate imaging artifacts.
Significant other behavioural responses and patient chronic fatigue syndrome symptom fluctuations in the context of daily life: An experience sampling study
Authors: Band Rebecca , Barrowclough Christine , Emsley Richard , Machin Matthew , Wearden Alison J.
Published: December 2015

Objective

Significant other responses to patients’ symptoms are important for patient illness outcomes in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME); negative responses have been associated with increased patient depression, whilst increased disability and fatigue have been associated with solicitous significant other responses. The current study aimed to examine the relationship between significant other responses and patient outcomes within the context of daily life.

Design

Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM).

Method

Twenty‐three patients with CFS/ME and their significant others were recruited from specialist CFS/ME services. Sixty momentary assessments, delivered using individual San Francisco Android Smartphones, were conducted over a period of 6 days. All participants reported on affect, dyadic contact, and significant other responses to the patient. Patients reported on symptom severity, disability, and activity management strategies.

Results

Negative significant other responses were associated with increased patient symptom severity and distress reported at the same momentary assessment; there was evidence of a potentially mediating role of concurrent distress on symptom severity. Patient‐perceived solicitous responses were associated with reduced patient activity and disability reported at the same momentary assessment. Lagged analyses indicate that momentary associations between significant other responses and patient outcomes are largely transitory; significant other responses were not associated with any of the patient outcomes at the subsequent assessment.

Conclusion

The results indicate that significant other responses are important influences on the day‐to‐day experience of CFS/ME. Further research examining patient outcomes in association with specific significant other behavioural responses is warranted and future interventions that target such significant other behaviours may be beneficial.

Statement of contribution

What is already known on this subject?

The existing literature has identified that significant other responses are important with respect to patient outcomes in CFS/ME. In particular, when examined cross‐sectionally and longitudinally, negative and solicitous significant other responses are associated with poorer illness outcomes. This study is the first to examine the momentary associations between negative and solicitous responses, as reported by the patient and significant other, and patient‐reported outcomes. An ESM paradigm was used to assess these temporal relationships within the context of participants’ daily life.

What does this study add?

Negative responses were associated with increased momentary patient distress and symptoms.

Perceived solicitousness was associated with activity limitation but less perceived disability.

The impact of significant other responses on patient outcomes was found to be transitory.
Network training for a boy with learning disabilities and behaviours that challenge
Authors: Cooper Kate , McElwee Jennifer
Published: December 2015

Accessible summary

Network Training is a way that helps people to understand behaviour like hurting people or breaking things, called ‘challenging behaviour’.

Network Training is where lots of people meet up to think about the person showing challenging behaviour.

We did Network Training to help understand the behaviours of a boy who has a learning disability. His support workers, teachers and doctors came to think about what was making him show challenging behaviours.

The people who came to the training thought that it was useful.

Background: Network Training is an intervention that draws upon systemic ideas and behavioural principles to promote positive change in networks of support for people defined as having a learning disability. To date, there are no published case studies looking at the outcomes of Network Training.

Materials and Methods: This study aimed to investigate the impact of Network Training on a network of support for a boy labelled as having learning disabilities and challenging behaviour, including sexually harmful behaviour. Participants in the Network training completed two questionnaires; one designed for this study and The Challenging Behaviours Attributions Scale at two baseline points and following the intervention.

Results: Network Training led to positive changes in the confidence, understanding, strengths focus and joint working of the individual's network. There was no significant change in participants' CHABA scores.

Conclusion: This case study provides preliminary evidence that Network Training may be of benefit to children labelled as having learning disabilities, and merits further investigation.
A series of 38 novel germline and somatic mutations of NIPBL in Cornelia de Lange syndrome
Authors: Nizon M. , Henry M. , Michot C. , Baumann C. , Bazin A. , Bessières B. , Blesson S. , Cordier‐Alex M.‐P. , David A. , Delahaye‐Duriez A. , Delezoïde A.‐L. , Dieux‐Coeslier A. , Doco‐Fenzy M. , Faivre L. , Goldenberg A. , Layet V. , Loget P. , Marlin S. , Martinovic J. , Odent S. , Pasquier L. , Plessis G. , Prieur F. , Putoux A. , Rio M. , Testard H. , Bonnefont J.‐P. , Cormier‐Daire V.
Published: December 2015

Cornelia de Lange syndrome is a multisystemic developmental disorder mainly related to de novo heterozygous NIPBL mutation. Recently, NIPBL somatic mosaicism has been highlighted through buccal cell DNA study in some patients with a negative molecular analysis on leukocyte DNA. Here, we present a series of 38 patients with a Cornelia de Lange syndrome related to a heterozygous NIPBL mutation identified by Sanger sequencing. The diagnosis was based on the following criteria: (i) intrauterine growth retardation and postnatal short stature, (ii) feeding difficulties and/or gastro‐oesophageal reflux, (iii) microcephaly, (iv) intellectual disability, and (v) characteristic facial features. We identified 37 novel NIPBL mutations including 34 in leukocytes and 3 in buccal cells only. All mutations shown to have arisen de novo when parent blood samples were available. The present series confirms the difficulty in predicting the phenotype according to the NIPBL mutation. Until now, somatic mosaicism has been observed for 20 cases which do not seem to be consistently associated with a milder phenotype. Besides, several reports support a postzygotic event for those cases. Considering these elements, we recommend a first‐line buccal cell DNA analysis in order to improve gene testing sensitivity in Cornelia de Lange syndrome and genetic counselling.
Piperacillin‐tazobactam vs. imipenem‐cilastatin as empirical therapy in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients with febrile neutropenia
Authors: Jing Yu , Li Jian , Yuan Lei , Zhao Xiaoli , Wang Quanshun , Yu Li , Zhou Daobin , Huang Wenrong
Published: December 2015

This randomized, dual‐center study compared the efficacy and safety of piperacillin‐tazobactam (PTZ) and imipenem‐cilastatin (IMP) in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients with febrile neutropenia. HSCT recipients with febrile neutropenia were randomized into two groups receiving either PTZ or IMP as initial empiric antibiotic. Endpoints were defervescence rate after empiric antibiotic for 48 h, success at end of therapy, and side effects. Defervescence within 48 h after empiric antibiotic was observed in 46 patients with PTZ (75.4%) and 59 patients with IMP (95.2%) (p = 0.002). Ten patients (10/46) in the PTZ group and two patients (2/59) in the IMP group switched empiric antibiotics due to recurrent fever (p = 0.005). Success of initial antibiotic with modification was achieved in 34 patients with PTZ (55.7%) and 53 patients with IMP (85.5%) at the end of therapy (p = 0.001). To treat the bacteremia, seven of 10 patients in the PTZ group and one of eight patients in the IMP group needed to switch the empiric antibiotic (p = 0.025). Compared with PTZ, IMP had more gastrointestinal adverse events (p = 0.045). This study demonstrates that IMP had better efficacy than PTZ as an empiric antibiotic for febrile neutropenia in the HSCT setting, but with more gastrointestinal side reactions.
Can Institutional Reforms Reduce Corruption? Economic Theory and Patron–Client Politics in Developing Countries
Authors: Uberti Luca J.
Published: December 2015

The ‘anti‐corruption consensus’ of the dominant development paradigm sees corruption as a governance failure and maintains that graft can be reduced or eradicated through appropriate institutional reforms, such as strengthening the judiciary, designing corruption‐proof regulatory regimes, and establishing anti‐corruption agencies. This article aims to cast doubt on the theoretical rationale of this family of anti‐corruption interventions. The neo‐classical paradigm that informs the consensus is based on a set of unsatisfactory idealizations, which undermine the explanatory power of mainstream economic models of corruption. Drawing on insights from economic sociology and anthropology, the article develops an account of the relationship between corruption, cultural norms and patron–client politics in developing countries. This account shows that corruption is embedded in socio‐cultural structures that are endemic to the process of transition to industrial capitalism — a transition that all developing countries are arguably undergoing, however haltingly. This insight clarifies the theoretical limitations of mainstream corruption economics and provides a framework for constructing more empirically adequate explanations of corruption levels in specific countries. It also suggests that substantially reducing, let alone eradicating, corruption in the developing world may not be possible without fundamentally rethinking the existing set of anti‐corruption strategies and techniques.
“There Is No Substitute for a Sense of Reality”: Humanizing the Humanities
Authors: Laverty Megan J.
Published: December 2015

Do the humanities have a future? In the face of an increased emphasis on the so‐called practical applicability of education, some educators worry that the presence of humanistic study in schools and universities is gravely threatened. In the short‐term, scholars have rallied to defend the humanities by demonstrating how they do, in fact, advance our practical interests. Martha Nussbaum, for example, argues that the humanities uniquely support democratic citizenship by cultivating critical thinking and narrative imagination — two skills needed for the development of sympathetic and autonomous judgment. Defending the humanities in this manner, however, puts practitioners of the humanities in an impossible position. In this essay, Megan Laverty explains that while arguments such as Nussbaum's, which defend the instrumental value of the humanities, are persuasive and strategic, their use is double‐edged. They belie the fact that the humanities are valuable for their own sake. Such arguments imply that the humanities derive their value from their ability to provide extrinsic benefits such as critical thinking and narrative imagination. Moreover, they can prevent individuals from discovering that the value of the humanities is revealed over time and from the inside out. In fact, having to answer the question of why the humanities matter puts us in an impossible position precisely because humanistic study is what Laverty describes, drawing upon the work of Talbot Brewer and R. F. Holland, as a form of dialectical activity: one in which the activity's constitutive ideals and internal goods are progressively clarified by means of the individual's ongoing engagement in the activity itself. Having redescribed the humanities as intrinsically valuable, Laverty goes on to distinguish humanistic study from other forms of dialectical activity, arguing that the humanities call upon students to imagine alternative linguistic and conceptual possibilities — thereby connecting us with others. It is in the pursuit of this question about the nature of our humanity — not its answer, but the question itself — that the meaning of humanistic study continues, indefinitely, to unfold.
Preparing Educational Researchers: The Role of Self‐Doubt
Authors: Kerdeman Deborah
Published: December 2015

Educational scholars concur that research preparation courses should engage doctoral students with methodological differences and epistemological controversies. Mary Metz and Nancy Lesko recently published articles describing how courses guided by this aim engender self‐doubt for students. Neither scholar is entirely convinced that self‐doubt is educationally productive. Drawing on Hans‐Georg Gadamer's notion of Bildung, Deborah Kerdeman reframes the view of self‐doubt that Metz and Lesko assume and shows why self‐doubt can be transformative. Gadamer's argument regarding self‐doubt challenges constructivist views of agency and also demonstrates that engaging with difference is necessary for new understanding to emerge through conversation. Kerdeman concludes by considering why engaging in Bildung helps doctoral students become good educational researchers and why cultivating Bildung should therefore be an aim of research preparation courses that engage students with methodological differences and epistemological controversies.
Educational Research: The Importance of the Humanities
Authors: Smith Richard
Published: December 2015

It is one sign of the lack of understanding of the value of the humanities, to educational research and inquiry as well as to our world more widely, that such justifications of them as are offered frequently take a crudely instrumental form. The humanities (which in this essay are not distinguished from the arts) are welcomed insofar as they are beneficial to the economy, for example, or play a therapeutic role in people's physical or mental well‐being. In higher education in the UK, they are marginalized for similar reasons, on the grounds that they neither appeal to the lucrative overseas student market nor constitute a significant source of grant income from research councils, industry, or other funding sources. While their place in educational research is still defended in many quarters, the increasing demand that research should have “impact” can leave the humanities appearing ineffectual. Furthermore, the very idea of research is widely taken to mandate empiricist and “scientific” approaches. Although there are no easy solutions to this state of things, Richard Smith argues in this essay that those of us who value the humanities in and for themselves might adopt two approaches in particular: to pursue vigilant criticism of the rampant instrumentalism and scientism of our time, and to emphasize the importance of that distinctive feature of humane inquiry: interpretation.
Diagnosis of lumbosacral intervertebral disc disease and protrusion in a horse using ultrasonographic evaluation and computed tomography
Authors: Krueger C. R. , Gold J. , Barrett M. F. , Aboellail T. A.
Published: December 2015

This case report describes the clinical presentation, diagnostic imaging modalities, treatment andpost mortemevaluation of lumbosacral intervertebral disc protrusion in a mature Quarter Horse gelding 10 days after initial signs were noted.Grade 3hindlimb ataxia, conscious proprioceptive deficits, urinary and faecal incontinence were present, which did not improve with anti‐inflammatories, antimicrobial therapy, corticosteroids, antioxidant therapy, cold‐laser therapy or electroacupuncture. Imaging modalities utilisedante mortemwere computed radiography, transcutaneous and transrectal ultrasonography. Transrectal ultrasonography yielded findings highly suggestive of lumbosacral intervertebral disc protrusion and due to the lack of improvement and a poor prognosis, the horse was humanely subjected to euthanasia.Post mortemcomputed tomography, necropsy and histopathological evaluation confirmed lumbosacral intervertebral disc disease and protrusion into the spinal canal with subsequent impingement of the spinal nerve roots. Lumbosacral intervertebral disc protrusion as a clinical disease in the horse has not been previously described and should be included as a differential diagnosis in cases with acute hindlimb ataxia, proprioceptive deficits, and urinary and faecal incontinence.
Bodyweight change aids prediction of survival in chronic equine grass sickness
Authors: Jago R. C. , Handel I. , Hahn C. N. , Pirie R. S. , Keen J. A. , Waggett B. E. , McGorum B. C.
Published: December 2015

Reasons for performing study

Objective criteria for predicting survival of chronic grass sickness cases are currently lacking.

Objectives

To determine whether the rate and/or magnitude of bodyweight change during hospitalisation of chronic grass sickness cases can provide an objective predictor of survival to discharge from hospital. Clinicians’ recorded indication(s) for euthanasia were also reviewed.

Study design

Single centre retrospective observational study.

Methods

Case records of all horses admitted for management of chronic grass sickness to The Dick Vet Equine Hospital between 1998 and 2013 were analysed. Case background, survival to hospital discharge, indication(s) for euthanasia, disease duration at admission and bodyweight changes during the hospitalisation period were analysed, and data for survivors and nonsurvivors compared. Percentage weight change was calculated for 7 day intervals up to 28 days (0–7, 7–14, 14–21, 21–28 days) and for entire periods from the first weight recorded (0–7, 0–14, 0–21, 0–28 days). These results were used to estimate survival probability conditional on weight change.

Results

The study sample comprised 213 horses, with 114 survivors (53.5%) and 99 (46.5%) nonsurvivors. Compared with nonsurvivors, survivors had significantly lower median maximum bodyweight loss as a percentage of first weight (survivors 5.9%, interquartile range 1.8–13.5; nonsurvivors 12.7%, 6.4–17.3). Throughout all time periods analysed, survivors had significantly lower median bodyweight loss than nonsurvivors, but no specific time period was more predictive of survival. Highest percentages of total bodyweight loss for individual horses were comparable for survivors (36%) and nonsurvivors (37%). Survival prediction curves reporting percentage survival rates for all time periods analysed provided data to aid prediction of chronic grass sickness survival.

Conclusions

Overall, nonsurvivors had greater bodyweight loss than survivors. Rapidity and magnitude of bodyweight loss were equally predictive of outcome. Percentage survival prediction curves provide objective data to aid discussion of prognosis, but greater predictive specificity with associated sensitivity is required for clinical decision making in individual cases.
Effect of Crystallite Size and Crystallinity on Photoluminescence Properties and Energy Transfer of Y6MoO12:Eu
Authors: Li Huaiyong , Pu Xipeng , Yin Jie , Wang Xiaoqin , Yao Shujuan , Noh Hyeon Mi , Jeong Jung Hyun
Published: December 2015

The phosphors Y6MoO12:Eu3+ have been synthesized via citrate complexation method at different calcination temperatures. The evolutions of the crystal structure and the photoluminescence (PL) properties were characterized by means of powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Raman and PL spectra, respectively. It was revealed that a red emission could be obtained via three excitation channels, namely f–f transition of Eu3+ ions, charge‐transfer transition from O2 to Eu3+, and interband transition (IBT) of MoO6 groups. The PL spectra and their temporal decay character of Eu3+ ions depended on both crystal structure and excitation channel. The emission reduced with the crystallite size when Eu3+ ions were excited directly, but the emission evolved in a different model with the host lattices were excited. The effect of grain boundary and other lattice defect on the energy transfer and dissipation within the phosphors were discussed.
Evidence‐based medicine teaching requirements in the USA: taxonomy and themes
Authors: Shaughnessy Allen F. , Torro John R. , Frame Kara A. , Bakshi Munish
Published: December 2015

Background

In the USA, recent changes to oversight of residency training codify the requirements for teaching evidence‐based medicine and information mastery (lifelong learning) knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Objective

The goal of this project is to determine current requirements for teaching of evidence‐based medicine (EBM) and information mastery (IM) in specialty residency education in the USA.

Methods

The project was a qualitative thematic analysis using content analysis. The source of the requirements for EBM and IM were the “milestone” statements for all 28 major specialties and transition year programs. Milestone descriptors related to EBM/IM were extracted and codes were developed and applied to each descriptor by four researchers. The resulting codes were coalesced into themes and tested against the milestone descriptors.

Results

The coding process identified 15 content areas comprising five themes. Two themes related to the knowledge and skills of EBM and three themes related to the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of IM. EBM themes encompassed basic critical appraisal skills and knowledge of clinical epidemiology principles and statistics. IM themes centered on identifying one's information needs for patient‐specific information, using information sources, and using current awareness services to remain abreast of changes in medicine. In general, they align well with the Sicily Statement on Evidence‐Based Practice. No specialty required competence in all areas.

Conclusion

New training requirements for specialties in the USA require the development of both classic EBM skills as well as skills for managing information. However, there is marked variation in the requirements among specific specialties.
Treatment of canine nasopharyngeal stenosis using balloon‐expandable metallic stents: long‐term follow‐up of four cases
Authors: Bird L. , Nelissen P. , White R. A. S. , Tappin S. W.
Published: December 2015

Four dogs were diagnosed with nasopharyngeal stenosis using endoscopy and magnetic resonance imaging. Treatment using balloon‐expandable metallic stent, placed under fluoroscopic and endoscopic guidance, resulted in immediate resolution of clinical signs. All dogs were clinically normal 40 to 62 months following stent placement.
Isotopologue profiling of the listerial N‐metabolism
Authors: Kutzner Erika , Kern Tanja , Felsl Angela , Eisenreich Wolfgang , Fuchs Thilo M.
Published: December 2015

The nitrogen (N‐) sources and the relative contribution of a nitrogenous nutrient to the N‐pool of the gram‐positive pathogen Listeria monocytogenes are largely unknown. Therefore, 15N‐isotopologue profiling was established to study the N‐metabolism of L. monocytogenes. The pathogen was grown in a defined minimal medium supplemented with potential 15N‐labeled nutrients. The bacteria were harvested and hydrolysed under acidic conditions, and the resulting amino acids were analysed by GC‐MS, revealing 15N‐enrichments and isotopomeric compositions of amino acids. The differential 15N‐profiles showed the substantial and simultaneous usage of ammonium, glutamine, methionine, and, to a lower extent, the branched‐chain amino acids valine, leucine, and isoleucine for anabolic purposes, with a significant preference for ammonium. In contrast, arginine, histidine and cysteine were directly incorporated into proteins. L. monocytogenes is able to replace glutamine with ethanolamine or glucosamine as amino donors for feeding the core N‐metabolism. Perturbations of N‐fluxes caused by gene deletions demonstrate the involvement of ethanolamine ammonia lyase, and suggest a role of the regulator GlnK of L. monocytogenes distinct from that of Escherichia coli. The metabolism of nitrogenous nutrients reflects the high flexibility of this pathogenic bacterium in exploiting N‐sources that could also be relevant for its proliferation during infection.
Ubiquitin regulates TORC1 in yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Hu Kejin , Guo Shuguang , Yan Gonghong , Yuan Wenjie , Zheng Yin , Jiang Yu
Published: December 2015

In the yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiaethe TOR complex 1 (TORC1) controls many growth‐related cellular processes and is essential for cell growth and proliferation. Macrolide antibiotic rapamycin, in complex with a cytosol protein named FKBP12, specifically inhibits TORC1, causing growth arrest. The FKBP12‐rapamycin complex interferes with TORC1 function by binding to the FRB domain of the TOR proteins. In an attempt to understand the role of the FRB domain in TOR function, we identified a single point mutation (Tor2W2041R) in the FRB domain of Tor2 that renders yeast cells rapamycin resistant and temperature sensitive. At the permissive temperature, the Tor2 mutant protein is partially defective for binding with Kog1 and TORC1 is impaired for membrane association. At the restrictive temperature, Kog1 but not the Tor2 mutant protein, is rapidly degraded. Overexpression of ubiquitin stabilizes Kog1 and suppresses the growth defect associated with thetor2mutant at the nonpremissive temperature. We find that ubiquitin binds non‐covalently to Kog1, prevents Kog1 from degradation and stabilizes TORC1. Our data reveal a unique role for ubiquitin in regulation of TORC1 and suggest that Kog1 requires association with the Tor proteins for stabilization.
A Candida albicans regulator of disseminated infection operates primarily as a repressor and governs cell surface remodeling
Authors: Böhm Lena , Muralidhara Prathibha , Pérez J. Christian
Published: December 2015

Virulence traits are often controlled by transcription regulators, i.e. sequence‐specific DNA‐binding proteins. The regulators that sustain microbial proliferation in the host typically work by promoting the expression of the genes that mediate such traits. Here, we report a singular example in the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans in which a transcription regulator functions by repressing the expression of virulence genes, yet its overall role is to promote virulence. We explain this apparent paradox by establishing that a major function of this protein, Zcf21p, is to set a default state of low expression of multiple cell wall components which include virulence determinants. These components comprise GPI‐anchored proteins, adhesins and enzymes that synthesize cell wall sugar decorations. Deletion or overexpression of ZCF21 results in cell wall structure modifications that influence recognition and elimination of the fungus by macrophages. By leveling off the expression of adhesins, ZCF21 also prevents C. albicans self‐aggregation. Balancing the expression of cell wall components – virulence determinants included – is, therefore, critical for C. albicans to assemble a cell surface configuration that is suitable to colonize mammalian tissues and evade immune surveillance.