bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
1,2-Dichloroethane induced nephrotoxicity through ROS mediated apoptosis in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Li Wenxue , Chen Liping , Su Yiwei , Yin Hua , Pang Yaqin , Zhuang Zhixiong
Published: July 2015

1,2-Dichloroethane (DCE) decreased kidney cell proliferation, even induced cell apoptosisviaincreasing the generation of ROS in the presence of an extra-metabolic system.
The discursive (de)legitimisation of global governance: political contestation and the emergence of new actors in the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body
Authors: Michael Strange
Published: July 2015

The World Trade Organization's Dispute Settlement Body provides the teeth of the global trade regime – empowering it with substantial means to adjudicate in disagreements between Memberstates over the implementation of WTO law. The WTO's teeth have, however, also helped make the organisation controversial. The Dispute Settlement Body has frequently found itself at the centre of a much wider societal critique of the broader WTO – as well as contemporary global trade governance – in which its legitimacy to operate has been fiercely questioned.

The political sensitivity of its work has been made most apparent in those cases where the principles of WTO law appear to run counter to environmental or consumer safety concerns, taking the system into the mass media and making it the subject of street protests. Yet, where rulings have given new access to non-state actors campaigning for these concerns (e.g. amicus curiae provisions), there has been further controversy amongst Member-states over whether the Dispute Settlement Body has acted outside its delegated authority by effectively rewriting ‘who’ or ‘what’ is an actor in the system.

The changing character of this specific institutional arrangement is approached in the article as part of a wider struggle over the terms of what is ‘legitimate’ in global governance. Where WTO Dispute Settlement has been re-politicised, both inside and out-side the formal institution, a contradiction becomes visible – between its legal-technocratic identity and a world that is fundamentally political. The legal normalisation of new actor identities needs to be understood in this context, as an attempt to manage that tension and reinforce the claim that WTO Dispute Settlement is legitimate. How the institution has changed and new identities emerged since its birth in 1995 is enhanced if understood in the context of a struggle in which the terms of what is legitimate in global governance are ultimately unfixed.
Attitudes of undergraduate business students toward sustainability issues
Authors: Eagle Lynne , Low David , Case Peter , Vandommele Lisa
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to report on findings from the first phase of a longitudinal study of undergraduate business students’ attitudes, beliefs and perceptions concerning sustainability issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– To improve understanding of the potential effects of changes in the curriculum, business students enrolled during the academic year prior to a redesigned, sustainability-informed, curriculum were surveyed. Familiarity with key sustainability terms was tested using a semi-structured questionnaire applied across two campuses of James Cook University, Australia. Quantitative data were complemented by use of open-ended questions that yielded qualitative insight into a range of student knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and normative influences relating to sustainability and climate change.

Findings

– Findings reflect naïve awareness of the potential impact of individual contributions to sustainability and environmental challenges. They reveal a tendency to regard major issues as beyond personal control and to view solutions as being the responsibility of others. This is coupled with reluctance to consider major lifestyle changes.

Social implications

– Universities are increasing their focus on sustainability-related issues and the ways in which these can be effectively communicated via curricula. This paper carries implications for this societal agenda, particularly in relation to the need to address disconnections between awareness of issues, personal relevance and effective strategies for addressing sustainability issues.

Originality/value

– The findings shed fresh light on the attitudes and behavioural dispositions of undergraduate business students and could help guide the development and delivery of curriculum content.
Participatory processes in sustainable universities – what to assess?
Authors: Disterheft Antje , Azeiteiro Ulisses M , Leal Filho Walter , Caeiro Sandra
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to connect participatory sustainability implementation with sustainability assessment, exploring learning theories, the principles of Higher Education for Sustainable Development (HESD) and respective indicators applied in the university context. Even though participation is partly considered in existing assessment practices, it is still unclear what and how to measure participatory processes that envision implementing sustainability principles in higher education institutions. Holistic approaches are often proclaimed, but reductionist assessment methods are frequently followed.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study followed a qualitative approach, inspired by the Delphi method, and includes semi-structured expert interviews (N = 15) and two focus group discussions (N = 23), with participants coming from a total of 17 different countries. Data were analysed and compared according to qualitative content analysis and systemized according to the underlying theoretical strands.

Findings

– The findings suggest that participatory processes can be better assessed from a social learning and organisational learning perspective, emphasizing non-linear criteria for the quality of the process in terms of depth and meaningfulness as well as criteria for the quality of the outcome in terms of knowledge generation and innovation. The findings also point implicitly to the need of considering double- and triple-loop learning, if a culture of participation towards sustainability is to be pursued, and underline the high impact of institutional governance.

Originality/value

– Although a great volume of literature about sustainability implementation in higher education exists, studies focusing on participatory processes in this context are rather scarce. This research pays attention to sustainability experts working in universities rarely heard in a more systemic manner and also applies a reflective participatory approach itself by using qualitative methods.
Experiential learning for sustainability leadership in higher education
Authors: Savage Emma , Tapics Tara , Evarts John , Wilson Jeffrey , Tirone Susan
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to compare the program design of a sustainability leadership certificate to participants’ perceptions of their in-program learnings and competencies development. The authors present the results from the analysis of one program evaluation component, a survey, which was delivered before the program start and at the program end.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors describe key design elements of a sustainability leadership certificate, which was framed around five key sustainability competencies. Using a pre/post self-assessment, participants (n = 32) selected their level of confidence and competence in each of the key sustainability competencies and completed open-ended questionnaires. Quantitative data were analyzed using a Mann–Whitney U test, and qualitative data were transcribed and coded using a grounded theory approach in NVivo 10.

Findings

– Based on the survey feedback, the program participants were generally excited by the program’s experiential format and supportive community. They felt that they had improved their confidence and competence in the key sustainability competencies. Three themed clusters, community, future and personal development, emerged from the participants’ open-ended responses. This supports the program design and can inform further program development.

Practical implications

– The third theme, personal development, is notable, as it is not a typical focus of sustainability in higher education, but held high importance to participants. This strong resonance with participants suggests that sustainability programs should consider the role of the self to foster the development of key sustainability competencies.

Originality/value

– The program’s focus on “personal” was intentional in the program design. Based on participants’ feedback, the inclusion of personal development exercises was a critical element for successful sustainability leadership development.
Teams as technology: strengths, weaknesses, and trade-offs in cognitive task performance
Authors: Hinsz Verlin
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to assert that teams are a technology used to achieve task goals or social objectives that cannot be accomplished by individuals alone. Much current work in organizations is knowledge based, so it is important to know when to apply teams as a technology and how teams can be effectively utilized for cognitive task performance. This paper describes a number of strengths, weaknesses and trade-offs that accompany teams performing cognitive tasks.

Design/methodology/approach

– Research comparing team performance to that of similarly treated individuals indicates that teams on average exceed the performance of individuals on cognitive tasks; however, teams rarely match the performance of their best member.

Findings

– Based on analysis of this research, a set of strengths of teams are highlighted: information pooling, error correction, meta-knowledge, reliability and information sharing. Two weaknesses of team performance on cognitive tasks are also identified: slow to action and coordination losses. As a function of teams having these strengths and weaknesses, trade-offs in their task performance emerge: speed versus accuracy, convergence versus divergence, participation versus deindividuation, losses versus gains in motivation, social facilitation versus inhibition, accumulation versus coordination, focused versus distributed attention and accentuation versus attenuation of biases.

Originality/value

– These trade-offs demonstrate that teams operate in specific ways that sometimes benefit cognitive processing but will be hindered under other conditions. An understanding of those conditions is important when attempting to effectively use teams. So, “technical” knowledge rather than intuition is required to manage these processes appropriately and effectively.
Caesarean section rates in subgroups of women and perinatal outcomes
Authors: Zhang J , Geerts C , Hukkelhoven C , Offerhaus P , Zwart J , de Jonge A
Published: July 2015

Objectives

To identify factors that are associated with a relatively low caesarean section (CS) rate by examining the CS rate in various subgroups in the Netherlands.

Design

Cross‐sectional analysis.

Settings

the Netherlands.

Population

A total of 685 452 births in the Netherlands Perinatal Registry from 2007 to 2010.

Methods

A modified classification system for CS was used to categorise all women into ten groups. Labour management, mode of delivery, maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality were assessed according to these ten groups.

Main outcome measures

Caesarean section, labour induction, instrumental delivery, postpartum haemorrhage, perineal laceration, duration of second stage of labour, Apgar score, fetal and neonatal mortality.

Results

Total CS rate was 15.6%. Term, nulliparous and parous women with a singleton pregnancy of a fetus in cephalic position and spontaneous onset of labour had CS rates of 9.6 and 1.9% and instrumental birth rates of 19.4 and 2.4%, respectively; 17.3% of births were induced. Among women with a previous CS and term, singleton pregnancies with a fetus in cephalic presentation, 71% had trial of labour, of which 75% had a successful vaginal birth. Of women with multiple gestation, 43% had CS. Women with CS due to ‘failure to progress’ in the second stage of labour had a median duration of second‐stage pushing of almost 2 hours in nulliparas and >90 minutes in parous women.

Conclusions

Several obstetric practice patterns may have contributed to the relatively low overall CS rate in the Netherlands: a relatively low CS rate in term, singleton pregnancies of a fetus in cephalic position and spontaneous onset of labour, relatively low rate of labour induction, a high rate of a trial of labour after a previous CS, the use of vacuum and forceps, and a high proportion of women being taken care of by midwives.

Tweetable abstract

The Netherlands has several practice patterns that may have contributed to its relatively low CS rate.
Community Discharge of Nursing Home Residents: The Role of Facility Characteristics
Authors: Holup Amanda A. , Gassoumis Zachary D. , Wilber Kathleen H. , Hyer Kathryn
Published: July 2015

Objective

Using a socio‐ecological model, this study examines the influence of facility characteristics on the transition of nursing home residents to the community after a short stay (within 90 days of admission) or long stay (365 days of admission) across states with different long‐term services and supports systems.

Data Source

Data were drawn from the Minimum Data Set, the federal Online Survey, Certification, and Reporting (OSCAR) database, the Area Health Resource File, and the LTCFocUs.org database for all free‐standing, certified nursing homes in California (n = 1,127) and Florida (n = 657) from July 2007 to June 2008.

Study Design

Hierarchical generalized linear models were used to examine the impact of facility characteristics on the probability of transitioning to the community.

Principal Findings

Facility characteristics, including size, occupancy, ownership, average length of stay, proportion of Medicare and Medicaid residents, and the proportion of residents admitted from acute care facilities are associated with discharge but differed by state and whether the discharge occurred after a short or long stay.

Conclusion

Short‐ and long‐stay nursing home discharge to the community is affected by resident, facility, and sometimes market characteristics, with Medicaid consistently influencing discharge in both states.
Population pharmacokinetics of edoxaban in patients with symptomatic deep‐vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism—the Hokusai‐VTE phase 3 study
Authors: Niebecker Ronald , Jönsson Siv , Karlsson Mats O. , Miller Raymond , Nyberg Joakim , Krekels Elke H. J. , Simonsson Ulrika S. H.
Published: July 2015

Aims

This study characterized the population pharmacokinetics of edoxaban in patients with symptomatic deep‐vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism in the Hokusai‐VTE phase 3 study. The impact of the protocol‐specified 50% dose reductions applied to patients with body weight ≤ 60 kg, creatinine clearance (CLcr) of 30 to 50 ml min–1 or concomitant P‐glycoprotein inhibitor on edoxaban exposure was assessed using simulations.

Methods

The sparse data from Hokusai‐VTE, 9531 concentrations collected from 3707 patients, were pooled with data from 13 phase 1 studies. In the analysis, the covariate relationships used for dose reductions were estimated and differences between healthy subjects and patients as well as additional covariate effects of age, race and gender were explored based on statistical and clinical significance.

Results

A linear two‐compartment model with first order absorption preceded by a lag time best described the data. Allometrically scaled body weight was included on disposition parameters. Apparent clearance was parameterized as non‐renal and renal. The latter increased non‐linearly with increasing CLcr. Compared with healthy volunteers, inter‐compartmental clearance and the CLcr covariate effect were different in patients (+64.6% and +274%). Asian patients had a 22.6% increased apparent central volume of distribution. The effect of co‐administration of P‐glycoprotein inhibitors seen in phase 1 could not be confirmed in the phase 3 data. Model‐based simulations revealed lower exposure in dose‐reduced compared with non‐dose‐reduced patients.

Conclusions

The adopted dose‐reduction strategy resulted in reduced exposure compared with non‐dose‐reduced, thereby overcompensating for covariate effects. The clinical impact of these differences on safety and efficacy remains to be evaluated.
Achievement of complete remission predicts outcome of allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia. A study of the Chronic Malignancies Working Party of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation
Authors: Symeonidis Argiris , van Biezen Anja , de Wreede Liesbeth , Piciocchi Alfonso , Finke Juergen , Beelen Dietrich , Bornhäuser Martin , Cornelissen Jan , Volin Liisa , Mufti Ghulam , Chalandon Yves , Ganser Arnold , Bruno Benedetto , Niederwieser Dietger , Kobbe Guido , Schwerdtfeger Rainer , de Witte Theo , Robin Marie , Kröger Nicolaus ,   the Chronic Malignancies Working Party of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation
Published: July 2015

The results of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo‐SCT) in chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) are usually reported together with other categories of myelodysplastic syndrome. We analysed transplantation outcome in 513 patients with CMML, with a median age of 53 years reported to the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Conditioning was standard (n = 249) or reduced‐intensity (n = 226). Donors were human leucocyte antigen‐related (n = 285) or unrelated (n = 228). Disease status at transplantation was complete remission (CR) in 122 patients, no CR in 344, and unknown in 47. Engraftment was successful in 95%. Grades 2–4 acute graft‐versus‐host disease (GvHD) occurred in 33% of the patients and chronic GvHD was reported in 24%. The 4‐year cumulative incidence of non‐relapse mortality was 41% and 32% for relapse, resulting in a 4‐year estimated relapse‐free and overall survival (OS) of 27% and 33%, respectively. Patients transplanted in CR had lower probability for non‐relapse death (P = 0·002) and longer relapse‐free and OS (P = 0·001 and P = 0·005, respectively). In multivariate analysis the only significant prognostic factor for survival was the presence of CR at transplantation (P = 0·005). Allo‐SCT remains a curative treatment option for patients with CMML and should preferably be performed early after diagnosis or after establishing the best possible remission status.
Time to redefine Myeloma
Authors: Pratt Guy , Bowcock Stella , Chantry Andrew , Cook Gordon , Jackson Graham , Lai Maggie , Low Eric , Mulholland Nicola , Owen Roger , Rabin Neil , Ramasamy Karthik , Snowden John A , Streetly Matthew , Wechalekar Ashutosh , Yong Kwee , Bird Jenny
Published: July 2015

In November 2014 the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) revised the definition of multiple myeloma, such that asymptomatic patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma without any of the traditional ‘CRAB’ (hypercalcaemia, renal impairment, anaemia, bone disease) end organ damage criteria but with one of three new criteria would be recommended to start treatment. Previously, the standard of care for such patients was expectant management. These three new criteria are: greater than 60% clonal plasma cells on bone marrow biopsy, a serum free light chain (sFLC) ratio of >100 (the involved sFLC must be >100 mg/l) and greater than one unequivocal focal lesion on advanced imaging (low dose whole body computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, 18F fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography). Although this would appear to affect a small number of patients, the impact of these changes are broad, leading to an increased use of advanced imaging, a debate around the management of patients previously diagnosed with smouldering myeloma, changed terminology and clinical trial design and an extension of the use of biomarkers. For the first time the philosophy of treatment in myeloma will change from treatment initiation only being triggered by overt end organ damage to an era where sub clinical risk factors will also be taken into account.
Barriers in using cardiometabolic risk information among consumers with low health literacy
Authors: Damman Olga C. , Bogaerts Nina M. M. , van Dongen Diana , Timmermans Danielle R. M.
Published: July 2015

Objectives

To identify the barriers from the perspective of consumers with low health literacy in using risk information as provided in cardiometabolic risk assessments.

Design

A qualitative thematic approach using cognitive interviews was employed.

Methods

We performed interviews with 23 people with low health literacy/health numeracy, who were recruited through (1) several organisations and snowball sampling and (2) an online access panel. Participants completed the risk test of the Dutch national cardiometabolic risk assessment and viewed the personalized information about their risk. They were asked to answer probing questions about different parts of the information. The qualitative data were analysed by identifying main themes related to barriers in using the information, using a descriptive thematic approach.

Results

The four main themes identified were as follows: (1) People did not fully accept the risk message, partly because numerical information had ambiguous meaning; (2) people lacked an adequate framework for understanding their risk; (3) the purpose and setting of the risk assessment was unclear; and (4) current information tells nothing new: A need for more specific risk information.

Conclusions

The main barriers were that the current presentation seemed to provoke undervaluation of the risk number and that texts throughout the test, for example about cardiometabolic diseases, did not match people's existing knowledge, failing to provide an adequate framework for understanding cardiometabolic risk. Our findings have implications for the design of disease risk information, for example that alternative forms of communication should be explored that provide more intuitive meaning of the risk in terms of good versus bad.

Statement of contribution

What is already known on this subject?

Online disease risk assessments have become widely available internationally.

People with low SES and health literacy tend to participate less in health screening.

Risk information is difficult to understand, yet little research has been carried out among people with low health literacy.

What does this study add?

People with low health literacy do not optimally use risk information in an online cardiometabolic risk assessment.

The texts provided in the cardiometabolic risk assessment do not suit to their existing knowledge.

The typical risk communication (numbers, bar graph, verbal label) seems to provoke undervaluation of risk.
Prostate carcinoma with positive margins at radical prostatectomy: role of tumour zonal origin in biochemical recurrence
Authors: O'Neil Luke M. , Walsh Shane , Cohen Ronald J. , Lee Stephen
Published: July 2015

Objective

To assess the influence of tumour zonality on biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical prostatectomy (RP) with a histologically confirmed positive surgical margin (PSM).

Patients and Methods

Data from 382 patients that underwent RP with either transition zone (TZ) or peripheral zone (PZ) tumours involving PSMs between 1998 and 2010 were retrieved from the Abbott West Australian Prostatectomy Database. Statistical analysis was used to evaluate the relationship of various tumour clinicopathological parameters, e.g. zonal origin of tumour, tumour volume, Gleason score, and stage to the development of BCR

Results

There were 51 TZ and 331 PZ tumours with PSMs identified. The TZ tumours compared with PZ tumours were larger (median 5.67 vs 3.64 mL, P < 0.001), more frequently lower grade (Gleason score 6 33% vs 5%, P < 0.01), organ confined (51% vs 35.6%, P = 0.073), and preferentially involved the bladder neck (49% vs 6%, P < 0.001). Tumour zonality was not associated with BCR for the entire cohort. TZ and PZ tumours had similar 5‐year BCR‐free survival rates (58% vs 63%, P = 0.691) and comparable time to development of BCR (14.4 vs 19.2 months, P = 0.346). On univariate analysis, preoperative PSA level, PSM at the bladder neck, tumour volume, Gleason score (P < 0.001) and tumour stage were independent predictors of BCR for the entire cohort. On multivariate analysis tumour volume and Gleason score retained significance as independent predictors of BCR. Tumour zonality was not directly associated with BCR. Of the patients who received adjuvant therapy, the incidence of BCR was similar for TZ and PZ tumours (58% vs 67%, P = 0.077), although TZ tumours failed significantly earlier (mean 4.4 vs 16.4 months, P = 0.037).

Conclusions

PSA recurrence in patients with histologically confirmed PSMs after RP is independent of the zonal location of the index tumour. However, tumour zonal origin may have an indirect influence on PSA relapse, as TZ tumours tend to be of large volume and more likely involve the bladder neck margin, both risk factors for BCR. Bladder neck margin involvement is associated with higher rates of BCR than other sites of PSMs. The preoperative identification of TZ tumours might aid surgical planning with appropriate alteration of RP technique to incorporate wider surgical margins at the bladder neck. Adjuvant radiotherapy appears to be associated with adverse outcome for TZ tumours, a novel finding which warrants further investigation.
Blood–brain barrier and neurological diseases
Authors: Takeshita Yukio , Ransohoff Richard M.
Published: July 2015

The blood–brain barrier (BBB), an anatomically and functionally unique structure, maintains the homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS) by maintaining the optimal ionic environment for neuronal function and transporting trophins or nutrients, as well as restricting access of toxic substances, inflammatory cells, circulating antibodies, and pathogens under physiological and pathological conditions. Brain microvascular endothelial cells directly mediate BBB function. Along with a battery of efflux transporters, the tight junctions of brain microvascular endothelial cells form the anatomical and functional basis of the barrier function of the BBB. Access to the CNS by inflammatory cells is restricted, but not prohibited. Transendothelial migration through the BBB is characterized by tightly controlled multi‐step processes. BBB dysfunction in neurological autoimmune diseases is associated with autoreactive and inflammatory cells and autoantibodies that invade the CNS and induce neuroinflammation. It is still incompletely understood how these neuro‐invaders affect the BBB and gain entry into the CNS across the BBB. In the present review, we introduce current knowledge of BBB cellular components and the multistep process of inflammatory cells crossing the BBB in physiological conditions, and summarize their biological mechanisms to cross the BBB in pathological conditions in representative neurological autoimmune diseases (multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica and systemic lupus erythematosus) with a particular focus on new and recent findings.
Outcomes of pregnancy during interferon beta‐1a therapy in Japanese patients with multiple sclerosis: Interim results of a postmarketing surveillance study
Authors: Shimizu Yuko , Makioka Haruki , Harada Naozumi , Nakabayashi Shoko , Saida Takahiko , Kira Jun‐ichi
Published: July 2015

Objectives

To evaluate pregnancy outcomes in Japanese patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) enrolled in a postmarketing surveillance study of intramuscular interferon beta‐1a (IM IFN beta‐1a).

Methods

Safety data were collected from Japanese patients receiving 30 μg weekly IM IFN beta‐1a. Pregnancy outcomes and annualized relapse rates (ARR) were analyzed retrospectively in patients who registered into the postmarketing surveillance study.

Results

A total of 1110 of 1638 patients registered in the postmarketing surveillance study were women. A total of 21 pregnancies (20 patients) resulted in 17 live births, 2 induced abortions, one spontaneous abortion and one unknown outcome. Weights and lengths of the 17 newborns were similar to newborns in the general Japanese population. No complications or malformations were reported. Of these 20 patients, nine experienced relapses in the year after childbirth, two experienced relapses in the year before pregnancy, and one experienced relapses before and during pregnancy. The mean (standard deviation) ARR was 0.94 (2.18) in the year before pregnancy, 0.25 (1.00), 0 (0) and 0 (0) in the three trimesters of pregnancy, and 1.05 (1.81), 0.84 (1.68), 0.63 (2.01) and 0.21 (0.92) in the first four quarters postpartum. Of the five patients who relapsed during the first quarter postpartum, only one had resumed IFN beta‐1a treatment for 35 days.

Conclusions

Although sample size limits our ability to draw definitive conclusions, we did not find evidence that IFN beta‐1a has adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes in Japanese patients with MS. Early IFN beta‐1a resumption might reduce the risk of relapse within the first quarter postpartum.
Probabilistic Connections for Bidirectional Path Tracing
Authors: Popov Stefan , Ramamoorthi Ravi , Durand Fredo , Drettakis George
Published: July 2015

Bidirectional path tracing (BDPT) with Multiple Importance Sampling is one of the most versatile unbiased rendering algorithms today. BDPT repeatedly generates sub‐paths from the eye and the lights, which are connected for each pixel and then discarded. Unfortunately, many such bidirectional connections turn out to have low contribution to the solution. Our key observation is that we can importance sample connections to an eye sub‐path by considering multiple light sub‐paths at once and creating connections probabilistically. We do this by storing light paths, and estimating probability mass functions of the discrete set of possible connections to all light paths. This has two key advantages: we efficiently create connections with low variance by Monte Carlo sampling, and we reuse light paths across different eye paths. We also introduce a caching scheme by deriving an approximation to sub‐path contribution which avoids high‐dimensional path distance computations. Our approach builds on caching methods developed in the different context of VPLs. Our Probabilistic Connections for Bidirectional Path Tracing approach raises a major challenge, since reuse results in high variance due to correlation between paths. We analyze the problem of path correlation and derive a conservative upper bound of the variance, with computationally tractable sample weights. We present results of our method which shows significant improvement over previous unbiased global illumination methods, and evaluate our algorithmic choices.
Allergologie – Aktuelles zur Prävention und Diagnostik von Soforttyp‐Allergien und zur Therapie der allergischen Rhinokonjunktivitis
Authors: Brehler Randolf , Stöcker Benedikt , Grundmann Sonja
Published: July 2015

Die Inzidenz allergischer Erkrankungen ist in den letzten Jahrzehnten dramatisch gestiegen, so dass diese Erkrankungen jetzt zu den „Volkskrankheiten“ gezählt werden müssen. Allergenexpositionsmeidung galt früher als wichtigste Maßnahme der primären Prävention. Zunehmend zeigen Studien, dass für die Entwicklung immunologischer Toleranz die Auseinandersetzung des Immunsystems mit Allergenen notwendig ist.

Die Diagnostik basiert auf Anamnese, Hauttests und Bestimmung von spezifischen IgE‐Antikörpern. Durch Komponenten‐basierte Diagnostik kann eine primäre Sensibilisierung gegen eine Allergenquelle von Kreuzreaktionen durch Sensibilisierung gegen Panallergene oder kreuzreagierende Kohlenhydratepitope abgegrenzt werden. Die symptomatische Behandlung führt nur zu einer vorübergehenden Linderung der klinischen Beschwerden; durch spezifische Immuntherapie dagegen kann ein dauerhafter Effekt und möglicherweise eine Heilung erzielt werden. Die Auswahl von Allergenen für die spezifische Immuntherapie (SIT) wird durch das Leitallergenprinzip beeinflusst. Verwendet werden sollten Präparate, deren Wirksamkeit und Sicherheit in kontrollierten klinischen Studien belegt worden ist. Für die subkutane Immuntherapie stehen für eine Vielzahl von Allergenen geeignete und zugelassene Präparate zur Verfügung. Die Wirksamkeit der sublingualen Therapie ist insbesondere für Gräser‐ aber auch Baumpollenextrakte durch große klinische Studien belegt, so dass Präparate mit diesen Allergenen regulär zugelassen sind.
Applying a perceptions and practicalities approach to understanding nonadherence to antiepileptic drugs
Authors: Chapman Sarah C. E. , Horne Rob , Eade Rona , Balestrini Simona , Rush Jennifer , Sisodiya Sanjay M.
Published: July 2015

Objective

Nonadherence to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) is a common cause of poor seizure control. This study examines whether reported adherence to AEDs is related to variables identified in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Medicines Adherence Guidelines as being important to adherence: perceptual factors (AED necessity beliefs and concerns), practical factors (limitations in capability and resources), and perceptions of involvement in treatment decisions.

Methods

This was a cross‐sectional study of people with epilepsy receiving AEDs. Participants completed an online survey hosted by the Epilepsy Society (n = 1,010), or as an audit during inpatient admission (n = 118). Validated questionnaires, adapted for epilepsy, assessed reported adherence to AEDs (Medication Adherence Report Scale [MARS]), perceptions of AEDs (Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire [BMQ]), and patient perceptions of involvement in treatment decisions (Treatment Empowerment Scale [TES]).

Results

Low adherence was related to AED beliefs (doubts about necessity: t(577) = 3.90, p < 0.001; and concerns: t(995) = 3.45, p = 0.001), reported limitations in capability and resources (t(589) = 7.78, p < 0.001), and to perceptions of a lack of involvement in treatment decisions (t(623) = 4.48, p < 0.001). In multiple logistic regression analyses, these factors significantly (p < 0.001) increased variance in reported adherence, above that which could be explained by age and clinical variables (seizure frequency, type, epilepsy duration, number of AEDs prescribed).

Significance

Variables identified in the NICE Medicines Adherence Guidelines as potentially important factors for adherence were found to be related to adherence to AEDs. These factors are potentially modifiable. Interventions to support optimal adherence to AEDs should be tailored to address doubts about AED necessity and concerns about harm, and to overcome practical difficulties, while engaging patients in treatment decisions.
Physiologically based demographic models streamline identification and collection of data in evidence‐based pest risk assessment
Authors: Ponti L. , Gilioli G. , Biondi A. , Desneux N. , Gutierrez A. P.
Published: July 2015

The distribution and abundance of species that cause economic loss (i.e., pests) in crops, forests or livestock depends on many biotic and abiotic factors that are thought difficult to separate and quantify on geographical and temporal scales. However, the weather‐driven biology and dynamics of such species and of relevant interacting species in their food chain or web can be captured via mechanistic physiologically based demographic models (PBDMs). These models can be implemented in the context of a geographic information system (GIS) to predict the potential geographic distribution and relative abundance of pest species given observed or climate change scenarios of weather. PBDMs may include bottom‐up effects of the host on pest dynamics and, if appropriate, the top‐down action of natural enemies. When driven by weather, PBDMs predict the phenology, age structure and abundance dynamics at one or many locations enabling the distribution of the interacting species to be predicted across wide geographic areas. PBDMs are able to capture relevant ecosystem complexity within a modest number of measurable parameters because they use the same ecological models of analogous resource acquisition and allocation processes across all trophic levels. The use of these analogies makes parameter estimation easier as the underlying functions are known. This is a significant advantage in cases where the biological data available to build an evidence base for pest risk assessment is sparse.
Contrasting effects of warming and increased snowfall on Arctic tundra plant phenology over the past two decades
Authors: Bjorkman Anne D. , Elmendorf Sarah C. , Beamish Alison L. , Vellend Mark , Henry Gregory H. R.
Published: July 2015

Recent changes in climate have led to significant shifts in phenology, with many studies demonstrating advanced phenology in response to warming temperatures. The rate of temperature change is especially high in the Arctic, but this is also where we have relatively little data on phenological changes and the processes driving these changes. In order to understand how Arctic plant species are likely to respond to future changes in climate, we monitored flowering phenology in response to both experimental and ambient warming for four widespread species in two habitat types over 21 years. We additionally used long‐term environmental records to disentangle the effects of temperature increase and changes in snowmelt date on phenological patterns. While flowering occurred earlier in response to experimental warming, plants in unmanipulated plots showed no change or a delay in flowering over the 21‐year period, despite more than 1 °C of ambient warming during that time. This counterintuitive result was likely due to significantly delayed snowmelt over the study period (0.05–0.2 days/yr) due to increased winter snowfall. The timing of snowmelt was a strong driver of flowering phenology for all species – especially for early‐flowering species – while spring temperature was significantly related to flowering time only for later‐flowering species. Despite significantly delayed flowering phenology, the timing of seed maturation showed no significant change over time, suggesting that warmer temperatures may promote more rapid seed development. The results of this study highlight the importance of understanding the specific environmental cues that drive species’ phenological responses as well as the complex interactions between temperature and precipitation when forecasting phenology over the coming decades. As demonstrated here, the effects of altered snowmelt patterns can counter the effects of warmer temperatures, even to the point of generating phenological responses opposite to those predicted by warming alone.
Temples, Towers, Shifting Sands: “Greater Truth” in Historical Writing
Authors: Pendery David
Published: July 2015

This paper states two important points, which are combined into one argument. First, I identify a notion of truth can be found in two seemingly conflicting literatures—“true” historiography and “false” historical fiction. I call this variant of truth a “greater truth,” or historical “truth beyond epistemology” (Kansteiner 47). I find this truth in contrast to the typical “true truth” of history writing, that is, absolute truth, objective, antiseptic truth. I argue that such greater truth guides readers toward a much deeper and more complete understanding of history. Additionally, and related to the above, I examine an intellective and to some extent philosophical fusion of fictional and factual historical writing. I argue that fictional and non‐fictional varieties of historical writing are transacting modes in a single patterning and maintain that “falsity” can complement “fact” in this negotiation. I ultimately find that traditional, dispassionate historical research complements discursive, composed imagined historical fiction. My aim is to examine the basis and a coalition of historical truth claims that do not always strictly “correspond” to “what actually happened,” but rather consolidates apprehension and understanding in encompassing and elevated ways. At the highest level, my analysis shows that historical fictions can be construed as credible, newly imagined representations of the past that was experienced.
New Trends in the Political History of Iran Under the Great Saljuqs (11th–12th Centuries)
Authors: Durand‐Guédy David
Published: July 2015

The political history of Iran during the rule of the Saljuq Turks has been the subject of early and high‐quality scholarship since the golden age of Orientalism. By 1970, the factual framework was well established when an invigorating revision of the classical interpretation of the events (the Saljuqs as the secular arm of a Sunni revival monitored by the Abbasid caliphate) was being made. In the next decades, however, the field has fallen in the doldrums. Since the beginning of the 21th century, a “revival” is under way, resulting in a significant reassessment of the imperial narrative and of the centralist view it conveyed. This article introduces three of the most fertile trends of research: the role of the nomads, mostly the Türkmens, often downplayed in the sources, but essential to understand military history and political culture; second, the role of the local elites in the “Saljuq order”, which relied on alliances made between Turkish and Iranian networks; third, the importance of regional logics, whether it be the major East/West divide or the rise of some regions over the period (Azarbaijan, Khwarazm), to explain the complex factual framework.
Study on the self‐assembly property of type I collagen prepared from tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) skin by different extraction methods
Authors: Yan Mingyan , Qin Song , Li Jie
Published: July 2015

Type I collagen was prepared from tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) skin by acetic acid and pepsin process at 4 °C, respectively (ASC and PSC), and hot‐water method separately at 25, 35 and 45 °C (C‐25, C‐35 and C‐45). Their structure and self‐assembly property were discussed. SDS‐PAGE patterns suggested that pepsin hydrolysis and the 35 and 45 °C extraction produced collagen with much reduced proportions of α‐ and β‐chains. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra revealed that pepsin hydrolysis did not change the conformation of collagen, but higher extraction temperature did. Self‐assembly curves and atomic force microscopy (AFM) observations showed that only ASC, PSC and C‐25 could self‐assemble into fibrils with D‐periodicity, but the reconstruction rate of C‐25 was lower. Besides, PSC had relatively higher resolution ratio compared with others. Overall, pepsin‐extracted collagen displayed higher solubility and better fibril‐forming capacity, having the potential of applying in biomaterials and food‐packaging materials.
Divergence in calls but not songs in the orchard oriole complex: Icterus spurius and I. fuertesi
Authors: Sturge Rachel J. , Omland Kevin E. , Price J. Jordan , Lohr Bernard
Published: July 2015

Birdsong has important functions in attracting and competing for mates, and song characteristics are thought to diverge rapidly during the process of speciation. In contrast, other avian vocalizations that may have non‐reproductive functions, such as calls, are thought to be more evolutionarily conserved and may diverge more slowly among taxa. This study examines differences in both male song and an acoustically simpler vocalization, the ‘jeet’ call, between two closely related taxa, Icterus spurius and I. fuertesi. A previous study comparing song syllable type sharing within and between I. spurius and I. fuertesi indicated that their songs do not differ discernibly. Here we measured 18 acoustic characteristics of their songs and found strong evidence supporting this prior finding. In contrast, we measured 17 acoustic characteristics of jeet calls and found evidence of significant divergence between the two taxa in many of these characteristics. Calls in I. fuertesi have a longer duration, a larger frequency bandwidth, a lower minimum frequency, a lower beginning frequency, and greater levels of both frequency and amplitude modulation in comparison to the calls of I. spurius. In addition, I. fuertesi calls contain two distinct parts, while the calls of I. spurius have only one part. Thus, we find evidence of divergence in the calls of the two taxa but not their songs challenging the widespread assumption that complex bird song evolves more rapidly than other types of vocalizations. Understanding divergence in multiple vocalization types as well as other behavioral, morphological, and molecular traits is important to understanding the earliest stages of speciation.
Recent speciation and elevated Z‐chromosome differentiation between sexually monochromatic and dichromatic species of Australian teals
Authors: Dhami Kirandeep K. , Joseph Leo , Roshier David A. , Peters Jeffrey L.
Published: July 2015

Sex chromosomes potentially have an important role in speciation and often have elevated differentiation between closely related species. In birds, traits associated with male plumage, female mate preference, and hybrid fitness have been linked to the Z‐chromosome (females are heterogametic, ZW). We tested for elevated Z‐differentiation between two recently diverged species of Australian ducks, the sexually monochromatic grey teal Anas gracilis and the dichromatic chestnut teal A. castanea. Despite prominent morphological differences, these two species are genetically indistinguishable at both mitochondrial DNA (mean ΦST < 0.0001) and 17 autosomal loci (mean ΦST = 0.0056). However, we detected elevated Z‐differentiation (mean ΦST = 0.281) and tentative evidence of an island of differentiation on the Z‐chromosome. This elevated differentiation was explained by a high frequency of derived alleles in chestnut teal that were absent in grey teal, which parallels independent evidence for a gain in dichromatism from a monochromatic ancestor. Coalescent estimates of demographic history and simulations indicated that the elevated Z‐differentiation was unlikely to be explained by neutral processes, but instead supported a role of divergent selection. We discuss evidence for models of speciation with gene flow versus adaptive divergence in the absence of gene flow and find that both hypotheses are plausible explanations of the data. Overall, these teal have the weakest background differentiation documented to date for a species showing a large Z‐effect, and they are an excellent model species for studying speciation genomics and the evolution of sexual dichromatism.
Management Changes, Reputation, and “Big Bath”—Earnings Management
Authors: Nieken Petra , Sliwka Dirk
Published: July 2015

We study the effects of managerial turnover on earnings management activities in a model in which managers care about their external reputation. We develop an overlapping generations model showing that both outgoing and incoming managers bias reported earnings such that typically very low returns are reported in the first period after a manager has been replaced. Outgoing managers shift earnings forward to their last period in office as they will not benefit from earnings realized after that. Incoming managers can have an incentive to shift earnings to the second period in office as reported earnings will, immediately after a management change, only be partly attributed to their own ability. Deferred compensation can reduce incentives for earnings management.