bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association between genes, stressful childhood events and processing bias in depression vulnerable individuals
Authors: Vrijsen J. N. , van Oostrom I. , Arias‐Vásquez A. , Franke B. , Becker E. S. , Speckens A.
Published: March 2014

The brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) genes are relevant candidates for depression. Variation in these genes is associated with stress sensitivity and depressotypic cognitive biases. The interaction between genes and stressful events is considered as an important mechanism in the development of depression. This study examined the effects of the BDNF and COMT genes on biased processing and the interaction with childhood stress in vulnerable individuals. A total of 198 remitted depressed individuals performed an n‐back task with emotional facial stimuli (happy and sad). Childhood events were measured with a questionnaire. Genotype by childhood events interactions were analyzed for happy and sad expressions for BDNF (Val66Met; rs6265) and COMT (Val158Met; rs4680), individually and combined. BDNF and COMT both interacted significantly (P = 0.006 and P = 0.014, respectively) with childhood trauma on reaction time for happy faces. For both genes, Met‐carriers with childhood trauma showed less positive bias for happy faces than those without childhood trauma. Val‐carriers did not show a differential bias. Individuals with childhood trauma and 3 or 4 risk alleles (BDNF and COMT combined) showed less positive bias than those without childhood trauma (P = 0.011). The BDNF × COMT × childhood trauma interaction yielded a P = 0.055, but had limited power. A potential weakness is the measurement method of the childhood events, as negative bias might have affected participants' recall. Our findings endorse the association of BDNF and COMT with stress and depression and provide a possible intermediate, i.e. biased processing of positive information. Tailoring treatment to specific risk profiles based on genetic susceptibility and childhood stress could be promising.
Absence of chromosomal abnormalities in herniated orbital fat
Authors: Stacy Rebecca C , Bernardo Lindsay A , Nielsen Gunnlauger Petur
Published: March 2014

Aims

Lipomatous tumours of the orbit are rare, and can sometimes be difficult to characterize. Herniated orbital fat is thought to be a reactive process, but its presentation can mimic a lipomatous tumour such as an atypical lipomatous tumour or spindle cell/pleomorphic lipoma. Genetic studies to determine if it is indeed a reactive process rather than an adipocytic neoplasm have not been performed.

Methods and results

Four samples of herniated orbital fat were reviewed clinically, histopathologically and immunohistochemically. Array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) was used to search for genome‐wide copy number alterations within the tumours. Histological evaluation revealed that all four tumours contained collections of adipocytes surrounded by fibrous septae. Lochkern cells and floret‐like multinucleated giant cells were present, consistent with herniated orbital fat. CD34 was positive in all tumours. Staining for MDM2 and CDK4 was negative. ACGH analysis demonstrated no copy number alterations.

Conclusions

Herniated orbital fat may share some histopathological features with lipoma and atypical lipomatous tumour, but the absence of copy number gains or losses is consistent with the impression that herniated orbital fat is a reactive process. Genetic analysis may be another method to help differentiate herniated orbital fat from a lipomatous orbital tumour when the diagnosis is in question.
Periapical lesions are not always a sequelae of pulpal necrosis: a retrospective study of 1521 biopsies
Authors: Kontogiannis T. G. , Tosios K. I. , Kerezoudis N. P. , Krithinakis S. , Christopoulos P. , Sklavounou A.
Published: March 2014

Aim

To record the incidence of lesions that were not the sequelae of pulpal necrosis (non‐SPN) amongst 1521 biopsies of periapical lesions submitted with a clinical diagnosis of a sequelae of pulpal necrosis (SPN).

Methodology

A retrospective study of 1521 biopsy request forms of specimens submitted for histopathological examination with a clinical diagnosis ‘periapical inflammation’, ‘periapical abscess’, ‘periapical granuloma’ or ‘periapical cyst’ during an arbitrarily selected 14‐year period was undertaken. Gender and age of the patient, site and maximum diameter of the lesion, symptoms, inclusion of the final diagnosis in the differential diagnosis and specialty of the clinician submitting the biopsy material were recorded in each case. The final diagnosis for each case was extracted from the pathology report, and two groups were formed, SPN and non‐SPN lesions. Differences between the respective features of SPN and non‐SPN cases were analysed with Yate's chi‐square test and t‐test (significance level P < 0.05)

Results

In 52 of the 1521 cases examined (3.42%), the histological diagnosis was not consistent with a SPN. In most non‐SPN cases, the histopathological diagnosis was not included in the differential diagnosis. The keratocystic odontogenic tumour [odontogenic keratocyst (OKC)] was the most frequent non‐SPN lesion (34.62%). Other, yet less frequent, non‐SPN lesions included glandular odontogenic cysts, lateral periodontal cysts, central ossifying fibromas as well as malignancies (metastatic carcinomas and Langerhans cell histiocytosis).

Conclusions

Non‐SPN lesions appeared in the periapical region mimicking a SPN, although rarely. Most of them were developmental cysts, in particular OKCs, but odontogenic tumours, such as ameloblastoma, or malignant lesions were also diagnosed. Histological examination of tissue harvested from periapical lesions should be performed, in particular when those lesions are large.
Antioxidant activity and phenolic content of pressurised liquid and solid–liquid extracts from four Irish origin macroalgae
Authors: Heffernan Natalie , Smyth Thomas J. , FitzGerald Richard J. , Soler‐Vila Anna , Brunton Nigel
Published: March 2014

The efficiency of solid–liquid extraction (SLE) and pressurised liquid extraction (PLE) for the recovery of antioxidant and polyphenols from the Irish macroalgae, Fucus serratus, Laminaria digitata, Gracilaria gracilis and Codium fragile, was assessed using the 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays and the Folin–Ciocalteu total phenol content (TPC) assay. Fucus serratus had TPC and antioxidant activities thirty times higher than the other species. Solid–liquid extraction cold water (CWSLE) had the highest TPC (81.17 μg GAE mg−1 sample) derived from F. serratus, compared with the TPC of 61.12 μg GAE mg−1 sample for the corresponding PLE extract. For both SLE and PLE extracts, low TPC levels were observed in L. digitata, G. gracilis and C. fragile. The majority of SLE extracts possessed higher FRAP and DPPH activities compared with their PLE counterparts. This study indicates that the high temperatures and pressures in PLE did not enhance the antioxidant activities relative to conventional SLE extraction.
Physico‐functional and antioxidant properties of purple‐flesh sweet potato flours as affected by extrusion and drum‐drying treatments
Authors: Soison Bisri , Jangchud Kamolwan , Jangchud Anuvat , Harnsilawat Thepkunya , Piyachomkwan Kuakoon , Charunuch Chulaluck , Prinyawiwatkul Witoon
Published: March 2014

Effects of extrusion and drum‐drying treatments on physico‐functional and antioxidant properties of flours prepared from purple‐flesh sweet potato were evaluated. Extrusion variables were feed moisture contents (MC; 10%, 13%, 16%) and screw speeds (SS; 250, 325, 400 r.p.m.), whereas drum‐drying was done at 120, 130 or 140 °C. Effects of MC were generally greater than SS on flour properties. Extruded flours showed higher water absorption and water solubility indices compared with control nonextruded flours. Regardless of SS, total phenolic content and antioxidant activities (DPPH and ABTS) of flours processed at 10% MC were significantly higher than those at 13% and 16%. Both extruded and drum‐dried flours exhibited no peak viscosity, indicating complete gelatinisation of starch. Maximum phenolic content and antioxidant activities of drum‐dried flours were obtained at 140 °C. Although drum‐dried flours had higher antioxidant capacity than extruded flours, both flours could potentially be used as food ingredients.
Antioxidant and functional properties of a high dietary fibre powder from carambola (Averrhoa carambola L.) pomace
Authors: Pantaleón‐Velasco Maria del Rosario , Ruiz‐López Irving Israel , Pérez‐Silva Araceli , Bravo‐Clemente Laura , Mateos Raquel , Ruiz‐Espinosa Héctor , Vivar‐Vera Maria de los Angeles
Published: March 2014

The use of carambola pomace as a raw material for the production of a high dietary fibre powder (HDFP) was investigated. A face‐centred design was used to study the effects of extraction conditions, namely water‐to‐pomace ratio, time and temperature, on both reducing sugars (RS) and total extractable polyphenols (EPP) contents of fibre concentrate. RS content decreased by increasing extraction times and water‐to‐pomace ratios, while EPP tend to diminish by increasing temperature and contact time (P < 0.01). Selected HDFPs showed an EPP content in the range of 5.0–6.1 g GAE 100 g−1 dry basis (db), with antioxidant activities between 386.2–443.9 and 204.7–228.6 μmol Trolox equivalents g−1 db according to FRAP and ABTS assays, respectively. HDFP obtained at 55 °C, 5 min and 2:1 water‐to‐pomace ratio exhibited the highest EPP content, total dietary fibre (84.0% db) and dietary indigestible fraction (61.3% db). This product can be considered as a potential valuable food ingredient considering their oil retention and swelling capacities.
Opioid conversion ratios used in palliative care: is there an Australian consensus?
Authors: Syrmis W. , Good P. , Wootton J. , Spurling G.
Published: March 2014

Background

Opioid switching or rotation is reported to be a common practice in palliative care. Published tables of opioid conversion ratios have been found to vary in their recommendations, potentially leading to significant differences in clinical practice.

Aims

To identify common practices in the calculation of opioid equianalgesia by specialist palliative medicine practitioners and trainees.

Method

An anonymous, cross‐sectional, online survey completed by 85 Australian palliative care specialists or advanced trainees. Questions focused on conversion ratios used in switching between oral and parenteral opioid doses; conversion ratios used when switching from other opioids to oral morphine; and practice of commencing methadone.

Results

The majority of respondents calculated equianalgesic doses for morphine, oxycodone and hydromorphone using the same conversion ratios. Methadone was used almost equally as either the sole opioid or as a ‘co‐opioid’. The majority surveyed converted slow‐release hydromorphone differently to the manufacturer's recommendations.

Conclusion

Further discussion among Australian palliative care specialist organisations is recommended in order to produce uniform conversion guidelines to improve consistency and safety in the prescribing of opioids.
Intranasal delivery of central nervous system‐retargeted human mesenchymal stromal cells prolongs treatment efficacy of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
Authors: Fransson Moa , Piras Elena , Wang Hao , Burman Joachim , Duprez Ida , Harris Robert A. , LeBlanc Katarina , Magnusson Peetra U. , Brittebo Eva , Loskog Angelica S. I.
Published: March 2014

Treatment with mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) is currently of interest for a number of diseases including multiple sclerosis. MSCs are known to target inflamed tissues, but in a therapeutic setting their systemic administration will lead to few cells reaching the brain. We hypothesized that MSCs may target the brain upon intranasal administration and persist in central nervous system (CNS) tissue if expressing a CNS‐targeting receptor. To demonstrate proof of concept, MSCs were genetically engineered to express a myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein‐specific receptor. Engineered MSCs retained their immunosuppressive capacity, infiltrated into the brain upon intranasal cell administration, and were able to significantly reduce disease symptoms of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Mice treated with CNS‐targeting MSCs were resistant to further EAE induction whereas non‐targeted MSCs did not give such persistent effects. Histological analysis revealed increased brain restoration in engineered MSC‐treated mice. In conclusion, MSCs can be genetically engineered to target the brain and prolong therapeutic efficacy in an EAE model.
Collaborative Community Hydrology Research in Northern New Mexico
Authors: Guldan Steven J. , Fernald Alexander G. , Ochoa Carlos G. , Tidwell Vincent C.
Published: March 2014

In New Mexico, increasing demand for water, combined with limited supplies and periodic drought, is placing additional stress on traditional acequia communities. Research on the hydrology of acequia agriculture in northern New Mexico has been carried out in three communities and their associated watersheds and irrigated valleys. Critical to the effort has been the participation of the acequias and individual farmers, ranchers, and other community member stakeholders. Participation in hydrology research included assistance in altering flows in acequias, and access to private property and wells, critical to obtain ground and surface water measurements. Further research that integrated hydrologic data with ecosystem, land‐use, economics, and sociocultural data, via development of a system dynamics model, required community member participation through surveys, interviews, and workshops to develop, calibrate and refine the model.
Estimating the Public Water Supply Protection Value of Forests
Authors: Elias Emile , Laband David , Dougherty Mark
Published: March 2014

We developed a methodology to assess the economic value of forested watersheds to improve water quality for public supplies. The interdisciplinary approach required collaboration between economists, municipal water managers, regional growth planners, hydrologic and water quality modelers. Data used in this project were derived from federal, state and local entities. We used regional growth projections with linked watershed and reservoir simulation models and cost‐based valuation economics. Additional treatment cost to comply with Safe Drinking Water Act regulations was calculated using volume treated and simulated total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations. Simulated base TOC concentrations (3 percent urban) were compared with TOC concentrations predicted by 2020 (22 percent urban). Mean increase in daily treatment costs ranged from $91 to $95 per km2 per day. The developed methodology is applicable to other watersheds to estimate water purification ecosystem services and is recommended for use in future interdisciplinary modeling courses.
Disadvantage, Autonomy, and the Continuity Test
Authors: Colburn Ben
Published: March 2014

The Continuity Test is the principle that a proposed distribution of resources is wrong if it treats someone as disadvantaged when they don't see it that way themselves, for example by offering compensation for features that they do not themselves regard as handicaps. This principle — which is most prominently developed in Ronald Dworkin's defence of his theory of distributive justice — is an attractive one for a liberal to endorse as part of her theory of distributive justice and disadvantage. In this article, I play out some of its implications, and show that in its basic form the Continuity Test is inconsistent. It relies on a tacit commitment to the protection of autonomy, understood to consist in an agent deciding for herself what is valuable and living her life in accordance with that decision. A contradiction arises when we consider factors which are putatively disadvantaging by dint of threatening individual autonomy construed in this way. I argue that the problem can be resolved by embracing a more explicit commitment to the protection (and perhaps promotion) of individual autonomy. This implies a constrained version of the Continuity Test, thereby salvaging most of the intuitions which lead people to endorse the Test. It also gives us the wherewithal to sketch an interesting and novel theory of distributive justice, with individual autonomy at its core.
Antecedents and Employee Outcomes of Line Managers' Perceptions of Enabling HR Practices
Authors: Kuvaas Bård , Dysvik Anders , Buch Robert
Published: March 2014

To learn more about the role of line managers in the implementation of HR practices, we propose and test a model of line managers' perceptions of enabling HR practices on the one hand and employee outcomes on the other. In a field study of 89 line managers and 631 employees, we observed that the relationship between line managers' perceptions of enabling HR practices and employees' intrinsic motivation, affective organizational commitment, and turnover intention was mediated by employees' perceived supervisor support. Line managers' perceptions of enabling HR practices, in turn, were predicted by line managers' perceived quality of the HR training they received. Theoretical and practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Effects of varying fixed lingual apex positions on tongue pressure during straw drinking
Authors: Hara M. , Ishida R. , Ohkubo M. , Sugiyama T. , Abe S.
Published: March 2014

We investigated the impact of tongue‐thrusting on lingual pressure during fluid intake with a straw. In this study, 12 healthy young dentate individuals (two women and 10 men; 19–33 years) were instructed to drink 15 mL of water with a regular drinking straw at 37 °C, when indicated by the investigator. Participants drank after adjusting tongue position to one of the following patterns: (i) Holding the tip of the straw between the lips (Normal Position: NP), (ii) Sticking out the tongue to the vermilion zone of the lower lip and inserting the straw 1 cm past the front teeth (Tongue‐thrusting Position: TP). Five recordings were conducted for each participant in a randomised order. To measure tongue pressure during swallowing, a specially designed 0·1‐mm thick sensor sheet (Nitta, Osaka, Japan) with a tactile system for measurement of pressure distribution (I‐SCAN; Nitta) was used. Duration, maximal magnitude and integrated value of tongue pressure were analysed based on the wave of tongue pressure recorded while water was swallowed. Magnitude, duration and integrated value of tongue pressure were significantly lower in TP than in NP at the median line (Ch1–3). Magnitude and integrated value of tongue pressure at the lateral part of the tongue (Ch5) were significantly lower in TP than in NP. When duration, maximal magnitude and integrated values were compared by channel, no significant differences were observed in NP, but a significant difference was found between Ch3 and the lateral areas Ch4/Ch 5 in TP. When the tongue was thrust forward, movement dynamics of the entire tongue changed and influenced contact between the tongue and palate during liquid intake with a straw. The impact was noticeably weaker on the median line than in lateral areas.
Using an updated time‐calibrated family‐level phylogeny of seed plants to test for non‐random patterns of life forms across the phylogeny
Authors: QIAN Hong , ZHANG Jian
Published: March 2014

Diversity and membership of species in a biological community result from the interplay between evolutionary and ecological processes. Plant ecologists often rely on family‐level phylogenies to address various issues of community assembly because phylogenies resolved at the species or genus level are generally not available. Here, we present an updated time‐calibrated family‐level phylogeny that includes all families of extant seed plants (i.e., angiosperms and gymnosperms) in the world, and use the phylogeny to show patterns of genus and species richness and life forms of all seed plant families in the world across the phylogeny. In addition, we use the phylogeny to examine whether life forms (woody vs. herbaceous) of seed plant families in the world are non‐randomly distributed across the phylogeny. Our study shows that life forms exhibit significant phylogenetic signal across the phylogeny of seed plants.
The evolutionary fate of Δ1‐pyrroline‐5‐carboxylate synthetase 1 (P5CS1) genes in allotetraploid Brassica napus
Authors: WANG Cui‐Ping , LIN Bin , ZHANG Yue‐Qin , LIN Yue‐Hui , LIU Ai‐Hua , HUA Xue‐Jun
Published: March 2014

Although the regulatory and the functional aspects of proline accumulation in plant stress tolerance have been well‐documented since it was discovered more than half a century ago, the evolution of proline metabolic genes in polyploidy species and their diploidy progenitors is not understood so far. Here, we have studied the retention and the expression regulation of Δ1‐pyrroline‐5‐carboxylate synthetase 1 (P5CS1) genes in allotetraploid, Brassica napus, in comparison with its diploids progenitors, B. rapa and B. oleracea under salt stress. Our results indicated that all six P5CS1 genes from two diploid progenitors were retained. Sequence analysis revealed that all Brassica P5CS1 genes had a highly conserved exon–intron structure, similar to P5CS1 in Arabidopsis. In addition, two homeologous genes with different origin, BnaA.P5CS1.a and BnaC.P5CS1.d exhibited biased expression in different organs in B. napus, implying possible sub‐functionalization of P5CS1 in B. napus. All six P5CS1 genes were induced in response to salt stress in B. napus, which rendered gene dose advantage for the level of proline accumulation. These results indicate that in B. napus, P5CS1 gene loss has not occurred during polyploidization, which suggest conserved functionality and evolutionary benefit of proline accumulation for plant adaptation to environmental stresses.
At‐risk characteristics for hospital admissions and ED visits
Authors: Hudson Shannon M. , Mueller Martina , Hester William H. , Magwood Gayenell S. , Newman Susan D. , Laken Marilyn A.
Published: March 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors associated with hospital utilization among infants and young children with complex chronic conditions (CCC).

Design and Methods

A descriptive, retrospective study was conducted with 216 medical records of children with CCC.

Results

Greater complexity, younger age, living with siblings, use of public insurance or self‐pay, use of more than one type of insurance, and presence of conditions affecting certain body systems were associated with increased hospital and emergency department (ED) utilization.

Practice Implications

Nurses must have a heightened awareness of these at‐risk characteristics to prevent avoidable hospital admissions and ED visits.
A comprehensive study of distribution laws for the fragments of Košice meteorite
Authors: Gritsevich Maria , Vinnikov Vladimir , Kohout Tomáš , Tóth Juraj , Peltoniemi Jouni , Turchak Leonid , Virtanen Jenni
Published: March 2014

In this study, we conduct a detailed analysis of the Košice meteorite fall (February 28, 2010), to derive a reliable law describing the mass distribution among the recovered fragments. In total, 218 fragments of the Košice meteorite, with a total mass of 11.285 kg, were analyzed. Bimodal Weibull, bimodal Grady, and bimodal lognormal distributions are found to be the most appropriate for describing the Košice fragmentation process. Based on the assumption of bimodal lognormal, bimodal Grady, bimodal sequential, and bimodal Weibull fragmentation distributions, we suggest that, prior to further extensive fragmentation in the lower atmosphere, the Košice meteoroid was initially represented by two independent pieces with cumulative residual masses of approximately 2 and 9 kg, respectively. The smaller piece produced about 2 kg of multiple lightweight meteorite fragments with the mean around 12 g. The larger one resulted in 9 kg of meteorite fragments, recovered on the ground, including the two heaviest pieces of 2.374 kg and 2.167 kg with the mean around 140 g. Based on our investigations, we conclude that two to three larger fragments of 500–1000 g each should exist, but were either not recovered or not reported by illegal meteorite hunters.
He and Ne in individual chromite grains from the regolith breccia Ghubara (L5): Exploring the history of the L chondrite parent body regolith
Authors: Meier Matthias M. M. , Schmitz Birger , Alwmark Carl , Trappitsch Reto , Maden Colin , Wieler Rainer
Published: March 2014

We analyzed He and Ne in chromite grains from the regolith breccia Ghubara (L5), to compare it with He and Ne in sediment‐dispersed extraterrestrial chromite (SEC) grains from mid‐Ordovician sediments. These SEC grains arrived on Earth as micrometeorites in the aftermath of the L chondrite parent body (LCPB) breakup event, 470 Ma ago. A significant fraction of them show prolonged exposure to galactic cosmic rays for up to several 10 Ma. The majority of the cosmogenic noble gases in these grains were probably acquired in the regolith of the LCPB (Meier et al. ). Ghubara, an L chondritic regolith breccia with an Ar‐Ar shock age of 470 Ma, is a sample of that regolith. We find cosmic‐ray exposure ages of up to several 10 Ma in some Ghubara chromite grains, confirming for the first time that individual chromite grains with such high exposure ages indeed existed in the LCPB regolith, and that the >10 Ma cosmic‐ray exposure ages found in recent micrometeorites are thus not necessarily indicative of an origin in the Kuiper Belt. Some Ghubara chromite grains show much lower concentrations of cosmogenic He and Ne, indicating that the 4π (last‐stage) exposure age of the Ghubara meteoroid lasted only 4–6 Ma. This exposure age is considerably shorter than the 15–20 Ma suggested before from bulk analyses, indicating that bulk samples have seen regolith pre‐exposure as well. The shorter last‐stage exposure age probably links Ghubara to a small peak of 40Ar‐poor L5 chondrites of the same exposure age. Furthermore, and quite unexpectedly, we find a Ne component similar to presolar Ne‐HL in the chromite grains, perhaps indicating that some presolar Ne can be preserved even in meteorites of petrologic type 5.
Kinetics of Xe‐P3 release during pyrolysis of the coarse‐grained fractions of Orgueil (CI) meteorite nanodiamonds
Authors: Fisenko A. V. , Verchovsky A. B. , Semjonova L. F.
Published: March 2014

The kinetics of the release of the Xe‐P3 component from coarse‐grained fractions of Orgueil (CI) meteorite nanodiamonds has been investigated using stepped and isothermal pyrolysis. It has been shown that a first‐order chemical reaction diffusion model with a single activation energy cannot provide a satisfactory explanation for the observed retention of Xe‐P3 during parent body thermal metamorphism and the kinetics of Xe‐P3 release from nanodiamonds during isothermal pyrolysis. Using the activation energy and frequency factor calculated according to this model, it is shown that in the course of thermal metamorphism of the Orgueil meteorite almost the entire Xe‐P3 component must have been lost in a very short time (<4 yr at approximately 100 °C). However, the calculated retention of Xe‐P3 increases significantly if a diffusion model with a spectrum of activation energies is used. In this case, the model can explain not only a high retention of Xe‐P3 in the Orgueil nanodiamonds but also the release pattern of the Xe‐P3 from Semarkona and Bishunpur nanodiamonds that have experienced a significant gas loss during parent body metamorphism as well as the release of Xe‐P3 during isothermal pyrolysis of the Orgueil nanodiamonds. The energetically complicated Xe‐P3 distribution is most likely caused by structural damage to the nanodiamond grains or a complex phase composition of carbon in the surface layer of the diamond grains. It is supposed that the structural damage of the diamond grains can have a radiation origin, while the variations of the carbon phase composition in the grain's mantle can be caused by the radiation‐induced reactions and/or a thermal effect.
Microvascular Glycocalyx Dimension Estimated by Automated SDF Imaging is not Related to Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Amraoui Fouad , Olde Engberink Rik H. G. , van Gorp Jacqueline , Ramdani Amal , Vogt Liffert , van den Born Bert‐Jan H.
Published: March 2014

Objective

The EG regulates vascular homeostasis and has anti‐atherogenic properties. SDF imaging allows for noninvasive visualization of microvessels and automated estimation of EG dimensions. We aimed to assess whether microcirculatory EG dimension is related to cardiovascular disease.

Methods

Sublingual EG dimension was estimated by SDF imaging in healthy volunteers and in patients visiting an outpatient clinic for vascular medicine of a university hospital in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. EG dimension was compared among healthy volunteers, patients with CVD, and patients at low (<10%) or high risk (≥10%) of CVD according to the Framingham algorithm.

Results

In total 120 patients and 30 healthy volunteers were included. Patients had a mean age of 59 ± 14 years, 71 (59%) were men and 24 (20%) were black. Healthy volunteers were on average 28 ± 4 years and 19 (63%) were men. EG dimension was similar in healthy volunteers (2.04 ± 0.23 μm), low‐risk patients (2.05 ± 0.24 μm, n = 39), high‐risk patients (2.05 ± 0.23 μm, n = 30) and in patients with CVD (2.09 ± 0.21 μm, n = 51, p = 0.79). EG dimension was not correlated with cardiovascular risk factors.

Conclusions

Microcirculatory EG dimension, as estimated by automated SDF imaging, is not associated with CVD, suggesting that this technique may not contribute to cardiovascular risk stratification.
A procedure for the transient expression of genes by agroinfiltration above the permissive threshold to study temperature‐sensitive processes in plant–pathogen interactions
Authors: Del Toro Francisco , Tenllado Francisco , Chung Bong‐Nam , Canto Tomas
Published: March 2014

Localized expression of genes in plants from T‐DNAs delivered into plant cells by Agrobacterium tumefaciens is an important tool in plant research. The technique, known as agroinfiltration, provides fast, efficient ways to transiently express or silence a desired gene without resorting to the time‐consuming, challenging stable transformation of the host, the use of less efficient means of delivery, such as bombardment, or the use of viral vectors, which multiply and spread within the host causing physiological alterations themselves. A drawback of the agroinfiltration technique is its temperature dependence: early studies have shown that temperatures above 29 °C are nonpermissive to tumour induction by the bacterium as a result of failure in pilus formation. However, research in plant sciences is interested in studying processes at these temperatures, above the 25 °C experimental standard, common to many host–environment and host–pathogen interactions in nature, and agroinfiltration is an excellent tool for this purpose. Here, we measured the efficiency of agroinfiltration for the expression of reporter genes in plants from T‐DNAs at the nonpermissive temperature of 30 °C, either transiently or as part of viral amplicons, and envisaged procedures that allow and optimize its use for gene expression at this temperature. We applied this technical advance to assess the performance at 30 °C of two viral suppressors of silencing in agropatch assays [Potato virus Y helper component proteinase (HCPro) and Cucumber mosaic virus 2b protein] and, within the context of infection by a Potato virus X (PVX) vector, also assessed indirectly their effect on the overall response of the host Nicotiana benthamiana to the virus.
Celebrating the prophet: religious nationalism and the politics ofMilad‐un‐Nabi festivals inIndia
Authors: Parvez Z. Fareen
Published: March 2014

The traditional honoring of the birth of theProphetMohammed (Milad‐un‐Nabi) has shifted in numerous Indian cities from private prayer and ritual meals in the home to grand public festivals that bear resemblances toHindu religious processions. In 2010 in the southernIndian city ofHyderabad, large‐scaleMilad‐un‐Nabi festivals became implicated inHindu–Muslim nationalist riots that erupted weeks later at the commencement of aHindu festival forHanumanJayanthi. This paper explores the political production ofMuslim ethno‐nationalism and the intra‐community debates over the legitimacy and piety ofMilad‐un‐Nabi celebrations. It argues thatMilad‐un‐Nabi as a public performance is a (re)invented tradition that is part of the struggle for material, political and symbolic goods of the nation‐state. It is shaped by local party politics and history of anti‐Muslim discrimination. However, as the festivals highlight community divisions and religious ambiguities, they ultimately reveal the fragility of ethnic groups.
Physiological response of fucoid algae to environmental stress: comparing range centre and southern populations
Authors: Ferreira João G. , Arenas Francisco , Martínez Brezo , Hawkins Stephen J. , Jenkins Stuart R.
Published: March 2014

Climate change has led to alterations in assemblage composition. Species of temperate macroalgae at their southern limits in the Iberian Peninsula have shown shifts in geographical range and a decline in abundance ultimately related to climate, but with the proximate factors largely unknown.

We performed manipulative experiments to compare physiological responses of Fucus vesiculosus and Fucus spiralis from Portugal and Wales (UK), representing, respectively, southern and central areas of their distribution, to different intensities of solar radiation and different air temperatures.

Following exposure to stressful emerged conditions, Portuguese and Welsh individuals of both fucoid species showed increased frond temperature, high desiccation levels and reduced photophysiological performance that was evident even after a 16 h recovery period, with light and temperature acting in an additive, not an interactive, manner. The level of physiological decline was influenced by geographical origin of populations and species identity, with algae from the south and those living higher on the shore coping better with stressful conditions.

The negative effect of summer conditions on photophysiology may contribute to changes in fucoid abundance and distribution in southern Europe. Our results emphasise how physiological performance of geographically distinct populations can differ, which is particularly relevant when predicting responses to climate change.
Glucocorticoid metabolism in rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Hardy Rowan S. , Raza Karim , Cooper Mark S.
Published: March 2014

Endogenous glucocorticoids are implicated in the development and resolution of inflammation. Until recently it was thought that these glucocorticoids arose primarily from the adrenal gland. However, it is now known that several cell types can generate active glucocorticoids within their cytoplasm through expression of the 11β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β‐HSD1) enzyme. In a more limited range of cell types, glucocorticoids can be inactivated by the related 11β‐HSD2 enzyme. Both enzymes are regulated by inflammation in various settings. In rheumatoid arthritis, 11β‐HSD activity is present in the inflamed synovium and appears to influence articular and extraarticular disease processes. The generation of active glucocorticoids in the synovium is strongly linked to the level of inflammation. This local production of glucocorticoids is likely to have paracrine consequences and could underpin inflammation‐associated bone loss. The role of 11β‐HSD enzymes in the severity and persistence of inflammatory arthritis in a clinical setting is currently being explored.
Monism and Material Constitution
Authors: Barker Stephen , Jago Mark
Published: March 2014

Are the sculpture and the mass of gold which permanently makes it up one object or two? In this article, we argue that the monist, who answers ‘one object’, cannot accommodate the asymmetry of material constitution. To say ‘the mass of gold materially constitutes the sculpture, whereas the sculpture does not materially constitute the mass of gold’, the monist must treat ‘materially constitutes’ as an Abelardian predicate, whose denotation is sensitive to the linguistic context in which it appears. We motivate this approach in terms of modal analyses of material constitution, but argue that ultimately it fails. The monist must instead accept a deflationary, symmetrical use of ‘materially constitutes’. We argue that this is a serious cost for her approach.
Bi‐level Programing Merger Evaluation and Application to Banking Operations
Authors: Wu Desheng Dash , Luo Cuicui , Wang Haofei , Birge John R.
Published: March 2014

The potential for operational efficiency improvement is a key consideration for firms contemplating the consolidation of both internal and external business units. This paper develops a leader–follower game model to assess such potential gains from the merger of different organizations with constrained resources. A profit‐sharing strategy and algorithm are proposed to solve the model while maintaining incentive compatibility within each unit's decision‐making process. This paper further demonstrates that in a framework, within the data envelopment analysis paradigm, a supply chain with an upstream leader and downstream followers is efficient if and only if both the leader and the followers are individually efficient. A case study of a banking operations merger shows how incentive compatible merger of operations can produce overall efficiency improvement.
Innovating the innovation process: an organisational experiment in global pharma pursuing radical innovation
Authors: Robbins Peter , O'Gorman Colm
Published: March 2014

The challenge of managing the fuzzy front end of the innovation process is particularly acute for large, multi‐brand, research and development (R&D)‐intensive firms. Poor performance at generating radical innovations has resulted in many large organisations seeking to innovate how they organise for innovation. This paper presents an inductive, longitudinal study of an organisational experiment that sought to get ‘game‐changing, radical ideas’ into the new product development funnel of a top three pharma. The immediate outcomes of a team‐based internal innovation tournament included 33 new product ideas, 14 of which were radical. The medium term outcome of the experiment was a reorganisation of how the firm now pursues radical innovation activities. We link these outcomes to team leadership, contrasting innovation processes, including decisions about how to incorporate the ‘voice of the consumer’. The inductive, longitudinal study suggests causal interconnections between innovation team leadership, innovation team processes, and innovation outcomes.
The tortuous journey of introducing the Nurse Practitioner as a new member of the healthcare team: a meta‐synthesis
Authors: Andregård Anna‐Carin , Jangland Eva
Published: March 2014

The aim of this study was to explore the obstacles to and the opportunities for achieving optimal interprofessional team collaboration with the introduction of the nurse practitioner (NP). A team approach can contribute importantly to sustainable and safe patient care, andNPs have been added to the healthcare team in many countries. Following the international trend towards the development of the acute careNP, the role has recently been initiated in surgical care in Sweden. The introduction of an advanced nursing role into existing organisations raises questions about how the role will be developed and what its effects will be on collaboration between the different professions. We conducted a systematic review of qualitative studies using the meta‐ethnographic approach developed by Noblit and Hare. Literature in the field of nursing was searched on PubMed andCINAHL, and empirical qualitative studies from outpatient and inpatient care in seven countries were included. The studies were appraised according to national guidelines and templates and were analysed and synthesised according to the meta‐ethnographic approach. A total of 26 studies were included in the synthesis. The analysis revealed four themes: (i) a threat to professional boundaries, (ii) a resource for the team, (iii) the quest for autonomy and control, and (iv) necessary properties of a developing interprofessional collaboration. Based on these themes, the synthesis was created and presented as a metaphorical journey. The implementation of a new nursing role in a traditional healthcare team is a complex process influenced by many factors and can be described as “a tortuous journey towards a partially unknown destination”. The synthesised obstacles and opportunities drawn from international studies may help healthcare organisations and newNPs prepare for, and optimise, the implementation of a new nursing role.
Exchange and Social Structure in Norwegian Agricultural Communities: How Farmers Acquire Labour and Capital
Authors: Gezelius Stig S.
Published: March 2014

Using interviews and survey data from Norwegian farms, I address the questions of how farmers make use of various forms of exchange to acquire labour and capital and how these exchange practices depend on community structure. The article questions the commonly used dichotomy of ‘hired’ versus ‘family’ labour, and argues that the notion of farming as a family business should be supplemented by the notion of farming as a community‐based moral economy in which multiple forms of exchange and payment are used flexibly in a market that is embedded in several types of long‐term relationships. I argue that the embeddedness of this market affects farm economies in ways that may enhance their viability. The study draws on three traditions of economic sociology: political economy, the New Economic Sociology, and social exchange theory. I argue that public policies have protected a community structure that provides for a local, socially embedded labour and capital market. This social embeddedness facilitates two exchange forms that have been neglected by previous research on modern farming: reciprocal and non‐monetised exchange.
The Politics of Financial Intransparency: The Case of Swiss Banking Secrecy
Authors: Emmenegger Patrick
Published: March 2014

In parallel to the growing weight of finance in the global economy, the transparency of financial flows and asset ownership has attracted increasing attention, a process further accelerated by the 2007/8 global financial crisis. Tax‐starved governments want to know the assets their residents own but financial intransparency can make tax collection difficult by obscuring both the ownership of assets as well as their real size. This article reviews three interrelated strands of literature on financial intransparency with a special emphasis given to one of its most prominent examples: Swiss‐style banking secrecy. First, I discuss the challenge of financial intransparency in a globalized economy and document the central role Switzerland plays as an offshore financial centre. I show that while Swiss‐style banking secrecy is an important example of financial intransparency, possible tax evaders also have other instruments at their disposal. Second, a review of the literature on the origins of Swiss banking secrecy shows how struggles for interpretive dominance shape the politics of financial intransparency. Third, I discuss the literature on the first OECD campaign against tax havens and demonstrate that representatives of the Swiss political‐economic system could have anticipated the shift of attention from small island states to OECD member states like Switzerland. Given the writing on the wall, it is surprising that recent developments have caught Swiss banks flat‐footed.
Hematologic and biochemical variables of hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) after overwintering in rehabilitation centers
Authors: Rossi Gabriele , Mangiagalli Gerard , Paracchini Giulia , Paltrinieri Saverio
Published: March 2014

Background

Information about laboratory reference intervals (RIs) of European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) hospitalized at rehabilitation centers is scarce.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to establish hematologic and biochemicalRIs for rehabilitated hedgehogs before the release into the wild, and to assess whether sex and management of the center influence laboratory results.

Methods

Blood was collected from 50 hedgehogs at 3 centers. Thirty‐eight animals were included in the study based on normal body weight, absence of clinical signs of disease, Bunnell index > 0.80, and absence of hibernation during overwintering.CBCs were performed using an automated laser cell counter followed by morphologic analysis of blood smears. Clinical biochemistry was performed using an automated spectrophotometer.RIs were determined as recommended by theASVCPguidelines.

Results

Hematology profiles revealed a prevalence of lymphocytes, a constant presence of nucleatedRBCs, Howell–Jolly bodies and basophils, and bilobed nuclei in neutrophils and eosinophils. Biochemistry profiles were characterized by higher creatinine and urea concentrations, and higherALPand GGT activities compared with other domestic species. The sex did not influence the results. Conversely, numbers of eosinophils, activated and large granular lymphocytes, and concentrations of total protein, glucose and cholesterol were different among the centers, likely due to different management practices (eg, antiparasitic treatments, environmental exposure to microorganisms, diet).

Conclusion

TheRIs established in this study can be used to monitor the health status of hedgehogs in rehabilitation centers. As management practices appeared to influence some variables, it is recommended to standardize the management protocols to minimize their influence on laboratory data.
High level of variation among Sri Lankan weedy rice populations, as estimated by morphological characterization
Authors: Ratnasekera Disna , Perera Udugahapattuwage I.P. , He Zhuoxian , Senanayake Senanayakage G.J.N. , Wijesekara Gamage A.W. , Yang Xiao , Lu Baorong
Published: March 2014

Weedy rice (Oryza sativa f. spontanea) is a notorious weed that infests paddy fields worldwide. Understanding the morphological variation pattern of this weed in a given rice‐planting region will facilitate its effective management and use. Here, 29 populations, covering nearly all the rice‐cultivation regions in Sri Lanka, were characterized in a common‐garden cultivation experiment that was based on 13 morphological traits. The variation level of the weedy rice populations was considerably high, as estimated by the Simpson and Shannon–Weaver indices. An ANOVA revealed a higher level of among‐population variation than within‐population variation. Seed shattering was the most variable trait and the seed length and width were the least variable traits, as indicated by their coefficient of variation. The results of the principal component analysis, in which the first two principal components represented 57.5% of the total variation, indicated the important role of such traits as plant height, seed weight and number of tillers and panicles in the divergence of the weedy rice populations. However, the variation was not associated with their geographical locality. Knowledge of such a morphological variation pattern provides opportunities to design strategic management methods for weedy rice control in Sri Lanka, in addition to the proper use of it as a genetic resource for rice improvement.