bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How does the faculty of language relate to rules, axioms, and constraints?
Authors: Mondal Prakash
Published: July 2014

This paper explores the link between rules of grammar, grammar formalisms and the architecture of the language faculty. In doing so, it provides a flexible meta-level theory of the language faculty through the postulation of general axioms that govern the interaction of different components of grammar. The idea is simply that such an abstract formulation allows us to view the structure of the language faculty independently of specific theoretical frameworks/formalisms. It turns out that the system of rules, axioms and constraints of grammar cannot beexplicitlyrepresented in a general architecture of the language faculty — which circumvents the ontological mismatch of mental representations and formal/axiomatic properties of language. Rather, the system of rules, axioms, constraints of grammar isintentionallyprojected by humans, and this projection realizes/instantiates what Dascal (1992) calls ‘psychopragmatics’. Relevant implications for linguistic theory, learnability and (computational) models of language processing are also explored.
Instructions or dominion?
Authors: Vesterinen Rainer
Published: July 2014

In a highly interesting study, Dam and Dam-Jensen (2010) put forward the idea that the indicative and the subjunctive mood in Spanish complementizer phrases can be explained by the instructions they convey. The indicative instructs the addressee to locate the situation created by the verb relative to the situation of utterance, whereas the subjunctive instructs the addressee not to locate the situation described by the verb relative to the situation of utterance. Although this explanation is most appealing, the present paper argues that it also may create explanatory problems. Thus, it is claimed that the notion ofdominioncan explain the semantic meaning of the Spanish subjunctive mood. This verbal mood designates events that are located outside the conceptualizer’s dominion, either in terms ofepistemic controlor in terms ofeffective control.
The role of pragmatics in (re)constructing the rational law-maker
Authors: Capone Alessandro
Published: July 2014

The recent debate on pragmatics and the law has found ways to circumvent an important distinction, originally drawn by Dascal and Wróblewski (1991), between the historical law-maker, the current law-maker, and the ideal/rational law-maker.1 By insisting on the relationship between the rational law-maker and contextualism and textualism (see Manning 2005, 2006), I want to redress this fault in current discussions. In this paper, I start with general considerations on pragmatics, intentionality in ordinary conversation, and intentionality in the context of judiciary proceedings and legal texts. I then move on to considerations on rationality as a prerequisite for understanding the law and on the rational law-maker, an ideal construct proposed by Dascal and Wróblewski (1991). I argue that contextualism (of the moderate kind) is the best way to carry out the program by Dascal and Wróblewski on interpretation and the rational law-maker (also see considerations by Fish 2005); (on contextualism see Dascal and Weizman 1987). I argue that bearing in mind the rational law-maker postulated by Dascal and Wróblewski is a guidance to interpretation of statutes whose texts create interpretative difficulties. I conclude by saying that the considerations on the rational law-maker constitute a compromise between Scalia’s (1997) textualism and contextualism (see Manning 2005, 2006 on the divide between textualism and contextualism).
Lupus rapax
Authors: Anzulewicz Henryk
Published: July 2014

In den theologischen Werken des Albertus Magnus, die vornehmlich den Bereich der Bibelexegese abdecken und einem paränetischen Zweck dienen, erscheint der Wolf als das Sinnbild der Bosheit von Menschen, deren Verhalten durch instinktive Feindseligkeit und Hinterlist gegenüber den Schwächeren und Gutmutigen geprägt ist. Wie dem tierischen Verhalten des Wolfes der Jagdinstinkt als Motor zugrunde liegt, so treibt die Menschen, auf die die Metapher des Wolfes zutrifft – gemeint sind damit oft die Weltkleriker –, das ausbeuterische Streben nach materiellen Gütern an. Die Zähmung des animalischen Wesens des Wolfes und die Korrektur derartiger Charaktereigenschaften des Menschen scheinen zwar unmöglich zu sein, sind aber die Voraussetzung des Überlebens der Schwächeren und des friedlichen Miteinanders der ‘räuberischen Wölfe’ und der ‘sanftmütigen Schafe’. Der allegorischen und moralisierenden Adaption der Figur des Wolfes liegt dessen naturkundlicher Begriff zugrunde, den Albertus Magnus in seinen zoologischen Schriften auf der Basis literarischer Quellen, mündlicher Fremdberichte und eigener Beobachtungen arstellt.
Tractat per l’art de la caça; edición y estudio léxico
Authors: Mas i Miralles Antoni , Garcia Sempere Marinela
Published: July 2014

El Tractat per l’art de la caça es una obra medieval de cetrería escrita en catalán, anónima y hasta ahora inédita. Se conserva en un único manuscrito, en el que también se copia el Llibre de cetreria de Felip Dalmau I de Rocabertí. Constituye, con los otros tratados catalanes conservados, un conjunto representativo de este género, que tanta difusión tuvo en la Europa medieval. En este trabajo presentamos, en primer lugar, una breve introducción sobre esta obra: las características del manuscrito, el contenido y algunas de las posibles fuentes. A continuación, un análisis lexicológico de los términos de medicina referidos a enfermedades, remedios y tratamientos, junto a un inventario de los nombres de plantas medicinales que recoge el texto, con las que se podían preparar toda clase de ungüentos, emplastos y otra clase de fórmulas. Voces que eran normales y frecuentes en este tipo de obras, ya que, sin duda, los halconeros poseían unos vastos conocimientos, tanto de veterinaria como de botánica, porque de sus cuidados y atenciones dependía, en buena medida, la salud de las aves de caza. Finalmente, ofrecemos una transcripción a partir del facsímil de este manuscrito.The Tractat per l’art de la caça is a mediaeval work of falconry written in Catalan, anonymous and up to now unpublished. It is preserved in a single manuscript, in which also the Llibre de cetreria by Felip Dalmau I of Rocabertí is copied. It constitutes, with the rest of Catalan treatises conserved, a representative set of works of of this genre, which was so widely spread in mediaeval Europe. In this paper we present, in the first place, a brief introduction to this work: the characteristics of the manuscript, its content, and some of its possible sources. Then follows a lexicological analysis of the medical terms referring to illnesses, cures and treatments, and an inventory of the names of medicinal plants collected in the text, with which one could prepare all class of ointments, poultices and other kinds of cures. These words were usual and frequent in this type of works, since, definitely, falconers possessed a vast knowledge, both about veterinary science and about botany, as the health of their birds of prey depended so much on their proper care and attention. Finally, we offer a transcription from the facsimile of this manuscript.
Das Tierprozessions-Kapitell im Straßburger Münster
Authors: Ruberg Uwe
Published: July 2014

Cette contribution propose la première édition et exploitation d’une feuille volante illustrée anonyme (ca 1565/1570) qui formule en prose allemande une Abcontrafeihung
(reproduction) et Außlegung
(interprétation) d’un chapiteau de la cathédrale de Strasbourg ; celui-ci, apparemment daté de 1277, représente une procession d’animaux. Le document, traduction libre tirée d’un traité latin du luthérien Jacob Heerbrand (1521–1600), constitue un exemple précoce des luttes confessionnelles de la Réforme, et son importance est située par rapport aux feuilles volantes polémiques et satiriques qui lui sont apparentées, par Johann Fischart (1546/47–1590) et par Johannes Nas (1534–1590). Dans leurs ‘Auslegungen’, ces auteurs passent sous silence, sans doute à dessein mais pour des raisons divergentes, le substrat de la scène du chapiteau, lié à l’épopée animale: la messe et la procession funèbre que la Branche XVII du Roman de Renart met en scène dans l’épisode de la fausse mort du goupil. Tout porte à croire que la charge confessionnelle et politique des sculptures pouvait être plus efficacement développée et perçue en prenant appui non pas sur une fiction animalière reconnue, mais sur une sorte de vérité “inspirée“ par une vision allégorique intemporelle des animaux.
Zorros y cigüeñas en el coro
Authors: Teijeira Pablos María Dolores
Published: July 2014

Este artículo propone el estudio de las representaciones de la fábula de la zorra y la cigüeña en algunas sillerías de coro de las catedrales españolas de fines del gótico, especialmente las de Ciudad Rodrigo, Toledo y Oviedo, como ejemplo del modo de trabajar de sus tallistas. Estos artistas, que debían tallar un número muy elevado de motivos de carácter profano para los soportes marginales de los estalos, utilizaron, entre otras fuentes, la fábula, bien representándola directamente, bien modificándola en función de sus necesidades compositivas e iconográficas, creando nuevos motivos con nuevos significados a partir de la relación de las fábulas con otras fuentes literarias similares, como el Roman de Renard.
Two ‘transitions’: the political economy of Joyce Banda's rise to power and the related role of civil society organisations in Malawi
Authors: Gabay Clive
Published: July 2014

When Joyce Banda became Malawi's president in 2012, she was welcomed by the international community as an antidote to the increasingly erratic and autocratic behaviour of her unexpectedly deceased predecessor Bingu wa Mutharika. Banda appeared to be the product of the twin drivers of a ‘rising’ Africa; namely a newly empowered donor-supported civil society on the one hand, and a Western-oriented political elite committed to transparency and good governance on the other. Based on several field trips to Malawi over the past five years, this article seeks to problematise the degree to which Joyce Banda and Malawi's civil society organisations represented a double transition from the more patrimonial form of politics which had dominated the political and civil society sectors throughout Malawi's postcolonial era. Although prepared prior to recent corruption scandals which have engulfed the Banda government in the run-up to elections in May 2014, this article sets the context for understanding these cases as a product of Malawi's political economy and uneven insertion into the global economy.
Structural determination of anN-glycan moiety attached to the prothoracicotropic hormone from the silkmothBombyx mori
Authors: Nagata Shinji , Kobayashi Jun , Kataoka Hiroshi , Suzuki Akinori
Published: July 2014

The predominant structure of the N-glycan on the prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) isolated from 1.8 million adult heads of silkmoths was determined to be Manα1-6Manβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-4(Fucα1-6)GlcNAc-OH, which is identical to that of the baculovirus-expressed recombinant PTTH. An ecdysis progression assay demonstrated that N-glycosylated PTTH exhibited a slightly higher activity than the recombinant PTTH without N-glycosylation produced by an Escherichia coli expression system.
Lipids help epithelia stand tall
Authors: Short Ben
Published: July 2014

Palmitoylation and phosphoinositides target ankyrin-G/βII-spectrin network to lateral membranes.
Gohta Goshima: Questing for answers on the mitotic spindle
Authors: Sedwick Caitlin
Published: July 2014

Goshima studies spindle assembly and microtubule dynamics.
A Poincaré-Birkhoff-Witt theorem for quadratic algebras with group actions
Authors: Shepler Anne , Witherspoon Sarah
Published: July 2014

Braverman, Gaitsgory, Polishchuk, and Positselski gave necessary and sufficient conditions for a nonhomogeneous quadratic algebra to satisfy the Poincaré-Birkhoff-Witt property when its homogeneous version is Koszul. We widen their viewpoint and consider a quotient of an algebra that is free over some (not necessarily semisimple) subalgebra. We show that their theorem holds under a weaker hypothesis: We require the homogeneous version of the nonhomogeneous quadratic algebra to be the skew group algebra (semidirect product algebra) of a finite group acting on a Koszul algebra, obtaining conditions for the Poincaré-Birkhoff-Witt property over (nonsemisimple) group algebras. We prove our main results by exploiting a double complex adapted from Guccione, Guccione, and Valqui (formed from a Koszul complex and a resolution of the group), giving a practical way to analyze Hochschild cohomology and deformations of skew group algebras in positive characteristic. We apply these conditions to graded Hecke algebras and Drinfeld orbifold algebras (including rational Cherednik algebras and symplectic reflection algebras) in arbitrary characteristic, with special interest in the case when the characteristic of the underlying field divides the order of the acting group.
Coupled cell networks: Semigroups, Lie algebras and normal forms
Authors: Rink Bob , Sanders Jan
Published: July 2014

We introduce the concept of a semigroup coupled cell network and show that the collection of semigroup network vector fields forms a Lie algebra. This implies that near a dynamical equilibrium the local normal form of a semigroup network is a semigroup network itself. Networks without the semigroup property will support normal forms with a more general network architecture, but these normal forms nevertheless possess the same symmetries and synchronous solutions as the original network. We explain how to compute Lie brackets and normal forms of coupled cell networks and we characterize the SN-decomposition that determines the normal form symmetry. This paper concludes with a generalization to nonhomogeneous networks with the structure of a semigroupoid.
Evaluation of Selected Sorghum Lines and Hybrids for Resistance to Grain Mold and Long Smut Fungi in Senegal, West Africa
Authors: Prom Louis K. , Perumal Ramasamy , Cissé Ndiaga , Little Christopher R.
Published: July 2014

Grain mold in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is a major problem worldwide. Damage caused by this fungal disease complex includes a reduction in yield (loss of seed mass), grain density, and germination. Long smut is another important fungal disease in sorghum and is a threat to food security in West Africa. Studies identifying potential sources of resistance for these two diseases in Senegal are limited. The objective of this research was to assess the vulnerability of selected breeding lines and hybrids from the United States to grain mold and long smut in two locations in 2009 and 2010. Four sorghum lines (Sureno, RTx2911, SC719-11E, and IS18760) and four hybrids (Sorghum Partners NK6638, Asgrow A571, AN600 × RN610, and Pioneer 83G19) exhibited low grain mold severity at both locations. The cultivars 3694 and SC748-5 and one hybrid, Novartis 2030/C, were resistant to long smut infection at both locations. Lines BTx623 and RTx430 were found to be highly susceptible to long smut, and therefore the available commercial sorghum hybrids involving these two parental lines' genetic backgrounds are likely to be vulnerable to long smut. There are no differential responses between lines and hybrids for both grain mold and long smut disease severity. None of the lines or hybrids showed resistance to both diseases.

Accepted for publication 6 March 2014. Published 20 June 2014.
Differential Resistance to Stripe Rust (Puccinia striiformis) in Collections of Basin Wild Rye (Leymus cinereus)
Authors: Dugan Frank M. , Cashman Michael J. , Johnson Richard C. , Wang Meinan , Chen Xianming
Published: July 2014

Differential resistance to stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis) in a planting of 111 wild collections of Basin wild rye (Leymus cinereus) was noted 2011-2013. In 2011, rust severity was rated on a scale of 1-9. Much lighter infection in 2012 and 2013 was rated as the number of symptomatic leaves per plant divided by plant circumference (to adjust for plant size). Effect of collection was significant in 2011 (P = 0.0042), 2012 (P = 0.0032), and 2013 (P = 0.0095), with a relatively weak (0.23) but significant (P = 0.0149) correlation between 2011 and 2012 and a stronger (0.38) and highly significant (P < 0.0001) correlation between 2012 and 2013. Correlation between results of 2011 and 2013 was near zero and insignificant unless the ratings from 2011 were adjusted for plant size. Representative resistant and susceptible collections will be conserved as accessions in the National Plant Germplasm System.

Accepted for publication 19 May 2014. Published 23 June 2014
From Biological Clocks to Unspeakable Inequalities: The Intersectional Positioning of Young Professionals
Authors: Kelan Elisabeth K.
Published: July 2014

The article examines how gender and age influence the experience of being a professional by drawing on intersectionality as an act of positioning for which different discursive resources are employed. Through interviews with employees at two professional services firms, it is shown how younger men and women make sense of professional experiences. First, the biological clock is used to explain the divergence of career patterns of men and women while ignoring that all women, regardless of actual maternal status, suffer a maternity penalty. Second, individual strategies for overcoming being in a minority are suggested that indicate that the individual rather than societal structures shape chances of success. Finally, generational change is used to argue that gender inequality belongs to a previous generation, which indicates that inequality is becoming unspeakable. The article shows that young professionals position themselves in unique ways with regard to age and gender, which entails emphasizing individual agency over systemic inequalities.
Influence of Green and Gold Kiwifruit on Indices of Large Bowel Function in Healthy Rats
Authors: Paturi Gunaranjan , Butts Christine A. , Bentley‐Hewitt Kerry L. , Ansell Juliet
Published: July 2014

The effects of kiwifruit on large bowel health were investigated in healthy rats. Four‐week old Sprague‐Dawley rats were given diets containing 10% homogenized green kiwifruit, gold kiwifruit or 10% glucose solution (control) over 4 or 6 wk. Green kiwifruit increased the fecal output compared to control. Growth of certain bacterial species in cecum was influenced by both green and gold kiwifruit. A significant increase in cecal Lachnospiraceae in rats fed the green kiwifruit diet was observed at week 4. At week 6, green and gold kiwifruit diets assisted in improving colonic barrier function by upregulating the expression of mucin (MUC)‐2, MUC3, Toll‐like receptor (TLR)‐4 or trefoil factor‐3 genes. Gold kiwifruit consumption increased the colonic goblet cells per crypt at week 6. Significant negative correlations between E. coli and β‐defensin 1 and TLR4 expression were observed. Consuming green and gold kiwifruit for 6 wk significantly altered the biomarkers of large bowel health; indicating that regularly consuming kiwifruit helps attain optimal digestive health.
‘What Pleasure We Scullers Have’: Humour, Menstruation and Literacy in Smollett's Humphry Clinker
Authors: Alves Kathleen Tamayo
Published: July 2014

Linking menstruation theory in the period advanced by royal physician John Freind in Emmenologia (1703) and the linguistic excess of Winifred Jenkins in Smollett's Humphry Clinker, this article considers how comic fiction's parody of scientific discourses interrogates such bodies of knowledge. While her writing, imbued with physical obscenity, expresses the novel's engagement with the leaky female underclass body imagined in iatromechanical menstruation theory and humour, it also articulates the disruptive and expanding potential of servant writing, a revolutionising influence on the linguistic structures of the novel.
Frances Burney's Private Professionalism
Authors: Ulph Cassandra
Published: July 2014

Frances Burney's experiences of conversational culture at Streatham and St Martin's Street are crucial to an understanding of her early artistic identity. While the influence of the Streatham coterie on Burney's professional development is well established, and often seen as an antidote to the private circulation models of the bluestocking circle, the vibrant artistic and intellectual network of her father's household is formative. Her experiences of all of these coteries would ultimately enable Burney to synthesise a hybrid blend of domestic privacy and artistic professionalism that she would valorise in her later work, and idealise in Memoirs of Doctor Burney.
Discovery and validation of gene‐linked diagnostic SNP markers for assessing hybridization between Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and Florida bass (M. floridanus)
Authors: Li Chao , Gowan Spencer , Anil Ammu , Beck Benjamin H. , Thongda Wilawan , Kucuktas Huseyin , Kaltenboeck Ludmilla , Peatman Eric
Published: July 2014

Efforts to improve recreational fisheries have included widespread stocking of Micropterus floridanus outside its native range of peninsular Florida. Hybridization of Florida bass (M. floridanus) with largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) has now dramatically expanded beyond a naturally occurring intergrade zone in the southeast U.S. In recent years, there has been growing interest in protecting the genetic integrity of native basses and assessing the impact and nature of M. salmoides/M. floridanus introgression from the standpoint of hatchery and sport‐fishery managers, fish biologists, ecologists and evolutionary biologists. Here, we conducted RNA‐seq‐based sequencing of the transcriptomes of M. salmoides, M. floridanus and their F1 hybrid and identified a set of 3674 SNP markers with fixed‐allelic differences from 2112 unique genes. We then developed a subset of 25 of these markers into a single diagnostic multiplex assay and validated its capacity for assessing integrity and hybridization in hatchery and wild populations of largemouth and Florida bass. The availability of this resource, high‐quality transcriptomes and a large set of gene‐linked SNPs, should greatly facilitate functional and population genomics studies in these key species and allow the identification of traits and processes under selection during introgressive hybridization.
The role of behavioral inhibition and parenting for an unfavorable emotional trauma response and PTSD
Authors: Asselmann E. , Wittchen H.‐U. , Lieb R. , Höfler M. , Beesdo‐Baum K.
Published: July 2014

Objective

The role of behavioral inhibition (BI) and parenting for an unfavorable emotional trauma response (DSM‐IV criterion A2) and post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) development is unclear.

Method

A community sample of adolescents and young adults (aged 14–24) was followed up over 10 years (N = 2378). Traumatic events, criterion A2, and PTSD (according to DSM‐IV‐TR) were assessed using the M‐CIDI. BI and parenting were assessed using the Retrospective Self‐Report of Inhibition and the Questionnaire of Recalled Parenting Rearing Behavior. Multiple logistic regressions adjusted for sex, age, and number of traumata were used to examine associations of BI as well as maternal and paternal overprotection, rejection, and reduced emotional warmth with (i) criterion A2 in those with trauma (N = 1794) and (ii) subsequent PTSD in those with criterion A2 (N = 1160).

Results

Behavioral inhibition (BI; odds ratio, OR = 1.32) and paternal overprotection (OR = 1.27) predicted criterion A2 in those with trauma, while only BI (OR = 1.53) predicted subsequent PTSD. BI and paternal emotional warmth interacted on subsequent PTSD (OR = 1.32), that is, BI only predicted PTSD in those with low paternal emotional warmth.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that BI and adverse parenting increase the risk of an unfavorable emotional trauma response and subsequent PTSD. Paternal emotional warmth buffers the association between BI and PTSD development.
Cellular Inhibitors of Apoptosis Proteins cIAP1 and cIAP2 are Increased after Labour in Foetal Membranes and Myometrium and are Essential for TNF‐α‐Induced Expression of Pro‐Labour Mediators
Authors: Lappas Martha
Published: July 2014

Problem

Inflammation is commonly associated with preterm birth. In non‐gestational tissues, the cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein (cIAP) 1 and 2, independent of their role in apoptosis, have emerged as important regulators of inflammation. There is, however, no data on the effect of human labour on the expression of cIAPs in human gestational tissues, or on their role in modulating TNF‐α induced inflammation.

Method of study

Myometrium and fetal membranes and myometrium were obtained from term non‐labouring and labouring fetal membranes and myometrium. Fetal membranes were also obtained from preterm non‐labouring and labouring fetal membranes with and without histological chorioamnionitis. The effect of cIAP1 and cIAP2 knockdown by siRNA in myometrial primary cells on pro‐labour mediators was also determined.

Results

cIAP1 and cIAP2 expression was significantly higher in fetal membranes and myometrium after spontaneous labour, in preterm fetal membranes with infection, and with LPS and TNF‐α. cIAP2 expression was also higher in fetal membranes after spontaneous preterm labour when compared to non‐labouring tissues. Knockdown of cIAP1 and cIAP2 in primary myometrial cells significantly decreased TNF‐α induced expression and secretion of pro‐inflammatory cytokines (IL‐6 and IL‐8); cyclooxygenase (COX)‐2 expression and subsequent release of the prostaglandin PGE2; the expression and secretion of MMP‐9; and NF‐κB transcriptional activity.

Conclusion

cIAP1 and cIAP2 are increased after labour in fetal membranes and myometrium and are involved in TNF‐α induced‐expression of pro‐labour mediators. Thus, cIAP1 and cIAP2 represent novel therapeutic targets for the prevention of spontaneous preterm birth.
Independence does not come with the method – treatment of neurogenic bowel dysfunction in children with myelomeningocele
Authors: Wide Peter , Glad Mattsson Gunilla , Drott Peder , Mattsson Sven
Published: July 2014

Aim

The aim was to evaluate and compare different bowel regimes with regard to satisfaction, faecal incontinence and independence, and the relationship to quality of life among children with myelomeningocele (MMC).

Methods

A questionnaire, including the health‐related quality of life instrument PedsQL 4.0™, was sent to all children aged seven to 16 years (n = 172) with MMC, treated at two centres in Sweden and one in Norway. The three centres cover a third of the population in the two countries. The response rate was 62%.

Results

Parents of children (30%) using antegrade colonic enemas (ACE) reported higher satisfaction (p = 0.01) than the parents of those (47%) using transanal irrigation (TAI). The children reported no significant difference. Children and parents in the ACE group reported more complete evacuation of the bowels than the TAI group. No significant difference was found in faecal incontinence or independent toileting. The children (40%) who emptied their bowels independently reported a higher quality of life. Children using TAI or ACE spent around one hour on the toilet at every bowel emptying.

Conclusion

TAI and ACE are effective treatments, but time‐consuming and difficult to perform independently. Higher parental satisfaction is obtained with ACE. Irrespective of method the children who can use the toilet independently report a higher quality of life, which makes efforts to support independence valuable.
Objectively measured physical activity has a negative but weak association with academic performance in children and adolescents
Authors: Esteban‐Cornejo Irene , Tejero‐González Carlos Mª , Martinez‐Gomez David , Cabanas‐Sánchez Verónica , Fernández‐Santos Jorge R. , Conde‐Caveda Julio , Sallis James F. , Veiga Oscar L. ,   UP & DOWN Study Group
Published: July 2014

Aim

There is an emerging body of evidence on the potential effects of regular physical activity on academic performance. The aim of this study was to add to the debate, by examining the association between objectively measured physical activity and academic performance in a relatively large sample of children and adolescents.

Methods

The Spanish UP & DOWN study is a 3‐year longitudinal study designed to assess the impact, overtime, of physical activity and sedentary behaviours on health indicators. This present analysis was conducted with 1778 children and adolescents aged 6–18 years. Physical activity was objectively measured by accelerometry. Academic performance was assessed using school grades.

Results

Physical activity was inversely associated with all academic performance indicators after adjustment for potential confounders, including neonatal variables, fatness and fitness (all p < 0.05). This association became nonsignificant among quartiles of physical activity. There were only slight differences in academic performance between the lowest and the second quartile of physical activity, compared to the highest quartile, with very small effect size (d < 0.20).

Conclusion

Objectively measured physical activity may influence academic performance during both childhood and adolescence, but this association was negative and very weak. Longitudinal and intervention studies are necessary to further our understanding.
The effect of hypogonadism and testosterone‐enhancing therapy on alkaline phosphatase and bone mineral density
Authors: Dabaja Ali A. , Bryson Campbell F. , Schlegel Peter N. , Paduch Darius A.
Published: July 2014

Objective

To evaluate the relationship of testosterone‐enhancing therapy on alkaline phosphatase (AP) in relation to bone mineral density (BMD) in hypogonadal men.

Patients and Methods

Retrospective review of 140 men with testosterone levels of <350 ng/dL undergoing testosterone‐enhancing therapy and followed for 2 years. Follicle‐stimulating hormone, luteinising hormone, free testosterone, total testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin, calcium, AP, vitamin D, parathyroid hormone, and dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans were analysed. A subgroup of 36 men with one DEXA scan before and one DEXA 2 years after initiating treatment was performed.

Results

Analysis of the relationship between testosterone and AP at initiation of therapy using stiff linear splines suggested that bone turnover occurs at total testosterone levels of <250 ng/dL. In men with testosterone levels of <250 ng/dL, there was a negative correlation between testosterone and AP (R2 = −0.347, P < 0.001), and no correlation when testosterone levels were between 250 and 350 ng/dL. In the subgroup analysis, the mean (sd) testosterone level was 264 (103) ng/dL initially and 701 (245), 539 (292), and 338 (189) ng/dL at 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively. AP decreased from a mean (sd) of 87 (38) U/L to 57 (12) U/L (P = 0.015), 60 (17) U/L (P < 0.001), and 55 (10) U/L (P = 0.03) at 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively. The BMD increased by a mean (sd) of 20 (39)% (P = 0.003) on DEXA.

Conclusion

In hypogonadal men, the decrease in AP is associated with an increase in BMD on DEXA testing. This result suggests the use of AP as a marker of response to therapy.
Vaccine-associated varicella and rubella infections in severe combined immunodeficiency with isolated CD4 lymphocytopenia and mutations in IL 7 R detected by tandem whole exome sequencing and chromosomal microarray
Authors: Bayer D K , Martinez C A , Sorte H S , Forbes L R , Demmler-Harrison G J , Hanson I C , Pearson N M , Noroski L M , Zaki S R , Bellini W J , Leduc M S , Yang Y , Eng C M , Patel A , Rodningen O K , Muzny D M , Gibbs R A , Campbell I M , Shaw C A , Baker M W , Zhang V , Lupski J R , Orange J S , Seeborg F O , Stray-Pedersen A
Published: July 2014

In areas without newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), disease-defining infections may lead to diagnosis, and in some cases, may not be identified prior to the first year of life. We describe a female infant who presented with disseminated vaccine-acquired varicella (VZV) and vaccine-acquired rubella infections at 13 months of age. Immunological evaluations demonstrated neutropenia, isolated CD4 lymphocytopenia, the presence of CD8+T cells, poor lymphocyte proliferation, hypergammaglobulinaemia and poor specific antibody production to VZV infection and routine immunizations. A combination of whole exome sequencing and custom-designed chromosomal microarray with exon coverage of primary immunodeficiency genes detected compound heterozygous mutations (one single nucleotide variant and one intragenic copy number variant involving one exon) within the IL7R gene. Mosaicism for wild-type allele (20–30%) was detected in pretransplant blood and buccal DNA and maternal engraftment (5–10%) demonstrated in pretransplant blood DNA. This may be responsible for the patient's unusual immunological phenotype compared to classical interleukin (IL)-7Rα deficiency. Disseminated VZV was controlled with anti-viral and immune-based therapy, and umbilical cord blood stem cell transplantation was successful. Retrospectively performed T cell receptor excision circle (TREC) analyses completed on neonatal Guthrie cards identified absent TREC. This case emphasizes the danger of live viral vaccination in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) patients and the importance of newborn screening to identify patients prior to high-risk exposures. It also illustrates the value of aggressive pathogen identification and treatment, the influence newborn screening can have on morbidity and mortality and the significant impact of newer genomic diagnostic tools in identifying the underlying genetic aetiology for SCID patients.
New diagnostic criteria could distinguish common variable immunodeficiency disorder from anticonvulsant‐induced hypogammaglobulinemia
Authors: Ameratunga Rohan , Lindsay Karen , Woon See‐Tarn , Jordan Anthony , Anderson Neil E. , Koopmans Wikke
Published: July 2014

Hypogammaglobulinemia is a well‐recognized complication of long‐term anticonvulsant drug use. Stopping or changing the anticonvulsant might result in resolution of the hypogammaglobulinemia. We determined the utility of our new diagnostic criteria for common variable immunodeficiency disorder (CVID) in a patient suffering from profound hypogammaglobulinemia who was taking anticonvulsants. Application of these criteria confirmed our patient had underlying CVID, making complete recovery of her immunoglobulins unlikely. Changing her drugs did not completely resolve her immune deficiency, and her seizure control deteriorated during this time. The partial recovery of her immunoglobulins showed that the anticonvulsants were also contributing to her hypogammaglobulinemia. In conclusion, the new diagnostic criteria we have proposed could identify patients with CVID taking anticonvulsants with greater precision, and will provide useful prognostic information. This might improve patient safety.
Inequalities in child welfare intervention rates: the intersection of deprivation and identity
Authors: Bywaters Paul , Brady Geraldine , Sparks Tim , Bos Elizabeth
Published: July 2014

Child welfare systems internationally exhibit very large inequalities in a variety of dimensions of practice, for example, in rates of child protection plans or registrations and out‐of‐home care. Previous research in the midlands region of England (Bywaters; Bywaters et al.) has detailed key aspects of the relationship between levels of neighbourhood deprivation and intervention rates. This paper reports further evidence from the study examining the intersection of deprivation with aspects of identity: gender, disability, ethnicity and age. Key findings include a decreasing gender gap and a decreasing proportion of children in need reported to be disabled as deprivation increases. The data challenge the perception that black children are more likely than white to be in out‐of‐home care, a finding that only holds if the much higher level of deprivation among black children is not taken into account. Similarly, after controlling for deprivation and age, Asian children were found to be up to six times less likely to be in out‐of‐home care. The study requires replication and extension in order that observed inequalities are tested and explained. Urgent ethical, research, policy and practice issues are raised about child welfare systems.
An Empirical Assessment of the Focal Species Hypothesis
Authors: LINDENMAYER D.B. , LANE P.W. , WESTGATE M.J. , CRANE M. , MICHAEL D. , OKADA S. , BARTON P.S.
Published: July 2014

Biodiversity surrogates and indicators are commonly used in conservation management. The focal species approach (FSA) is one method for identifying biodiversity surrogates, and it is underpinned by the hypothesis that management aimed at a particular focal species will confer protection on co‐occurring species. This concept has been the subject of much debate, in part because the validity of the FSA has not been subject to detailed empirical assessment of the extent to which a given focal species actually co‐occurs with other species in an assemblage. To address this knowledge gap, we used large‐scale, long‐term data sets of temperate woodland birds to select focal species associated with threatening processes such as habitat isolation and loss of key vegetation attributes. We quantified co‐occurrence patterns among focal species, species in the wider bird assemblage, and species of conservation concern. Some, but not all, focal species were associated with high levels of species richness. One of our selected focal species was negatively associated with the occurrence of other species (i.e., it was an antisurrogate)—a previously undescribed property of nominated focal species. Furthermore, combinations of focal species were not associated with substantially elevated levels of bird species richness, relative to levels associated with individual species. Our results suggest that although there is some merit to the underpinning concept of the FSA, there is also a need to ensure that actions are sufficiently flexible because management tightly focused on a given focal species may not benefit some other species, including species of conservation concern, such of which might not occur in species‐rich assemblages.

Una Evaluación Empírica de la Hipótesis de Especie Focal
Ecological and Social Outcomes of a New Protected Area in Tanzania
Authors: HALL JACLYN M. , BURGESS NEIL D. , RANTALA SALLA , VIHEMÄKI HEINI , JAMBIYA GEORGE , GEREAU ROY E. , MAKONDA FORTUNATUS , NJILIMA FADHILI , SUMBI PETER , KIZAJI ADAM
Published: July 2014

Balancing ecological and social outcomes of conservation actions is recognized in global conservation policy but is challenging in practice. Compensation to land owners or users for foregone assets has been proposed by economists as an efficient way to mitigate negative social impacts of human displacement from protected areas. Joint empirical assessments of the conservation and social impacts of protected area establishment involving compensation payments are scarce. We synthesized social and biological studies related to the establishment of the Derema forest corridor in Tanzania's biodiverse East Usambara Mountains. This lengthy conservation process involved the appropriation of approximately 960 ha of native canopy agroforest and steep slopes for the corridor and monetary compensation to more than 1100 claimants in the surrounding villages. The overarching goals from the outset were to conserve ecological processes while doing no harm to the local communities. We evaluated whether these goals were achieved by analyzing 3 indicators of success: enhancement of forest connectivity, improvement of forest condition, and mitigation of negative impacts on local people's livelihoods. Indicators of forest connectivity and conditions were enhanced through reductions of forest loss and exotic species and increases in native species and canopy closure. Despite great efforts by national and international organizations, the intervention failed to mitigate livelihood losses especially among the poorest people. The Derema case illustrates the challenges of designing and implementing compensation schemes for conservation‐related displacement of people.

Resultados Ecológicos y Sociales de un Área Protegida Nueva en Tanzania
Positive Feedback Loop between Introductions of Non‐Native Marine Species and Cultivation of Oysters in Europe
Authors: MINEUR FREDERIC , LE ROUX AUGUSTE , MAGGS CHRISTINE A. , VERLAQUE MARC
Published: July 2014

With globalization, agriculture and aquaculture activities are increasingly affected by diseases that are spread through movement of crops and stock. Such movements are also associated with the introduction of non‐native species via hitchhiking individual organisms. The oyster industry, one of the most important forms of marine aquaculture, embodies these issues. In Europe disease outbreaks affecting cultivated populations of the naturalized oyster Crassostrea gigas caused a major disruption of production in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Mitigation procedures involved massive imports of stock from the species’ native range in the northwestern Pacific from 1971 to 1977. We assessed the role stock imports played in the introduction of non‐native marine species (including pathogens) from the northwestern Pacific to Europe through a methodological and critical appraisal of record data. The discovery rate of non‐native species (a proxy for the introduction rate) from 1966 to 2012 suggests a continuous vector activity over the entire period. Disease outbreaks that have been affecting oyster production since 2008 may be a result of imports from the northwestern Pacific, and such imports are again being considered as an answer to the crisis. Although successful as a remedy in the short and medium terms, such translocations may bring new diseases that may trigger yet more imports (self‐reinforcing or positive feedback loop) and lead to the introduction of more hitchhikers. Although there is a legal framework to prevent or reduce these introductions, existing procedures should be improved.

Ciclo de Retroalimentación Positiva entre la Introducción de Especies Marinas No‐Nativas y el Cultivo de Ostras en Europa
Proteomics for the diagnosis of thyroid lesions: preliminary report
Authors: Pagni F. , Mainini V. , Garancini M. , Bono F. , Vanzati A. , Giardini V. , Scardilli M. , Goffredo P. , Smith A. J. , Galli M. , De Sio G. , Magni F.
Published: July 2014

Objective

Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) is a unique proteomic technology that explores the spatial distribution of biomolecules directly in situ, thus integrating molecular and morphological information. The possibility of correlating distribution maps of multiple analyses with cytological features makes it an ideal research tool for discovering new diagnostic markers. A previous study showed that MALDI‐IMS could help discrimination between different types of thyroid lesions, especially papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC); the present feasibility study on ex vivo fine needle aspiration (FNA) smears describes its potential in detecting new proteomic targets of other thyroid lesions (follicular lesions, medullary carcinoma).

Methods

MALDI‐IMS was conducted on ex vivo FNAs obtained from surgical specimens and corresponding in vivo samples. Differences between proteomic profiles of different thyroid lesions were compared.

Results

Comparing the protein profiles of hyperplastic nodules obtained from three different patients with each other, and with a new PTC, showed a high degree of concordance, indicating good reproducibility of the IMS technology on cytological samples, suggesting its potential as a tool for biomarker discovery. Furthermore, comparison of the average proteomic profiles of hyperplastic nodules with a Hürthle cell adenoma revealed significant differences, underlying the capability of MALDI‐IMS to distinguish between different thyroid lesions. Finally, the proteomic profile of medullary thyroid carcinoma was also characterized.

Conclusions

Our results confirmed the possible role of MALDI‐IMS in the search for diagnostic targets of PTC and follicular lesions, which could be applied in larger trials aimed at the identification of proteins, convertible to cost‐effective diagnostic tools such as immunohistochemistry. These tests could be used to analyse in vivo cytological smears, improving the preoperative diagnosis of indeterminate thyroid nodules.
Plasma free fatty acids do not provide the link between obesity and insulin resistance or β‐cell dysfunction: results of the Reading, Imperial, Surrey, Cambridge, Kings (RISCK) study
Authors: Johns I. , Goff L. , Bluck L. J. , Griffin B. A. , Jebb S. A. , Lovegrove J. A. , Sanders T. A. B. , Frost G. , Dornhorst A.
Published: July 2014

Aims

To investigate the relationship between adiposity and plasma free fatty acid levels and the influence of total plasma free fatty acid level on insulin sensitivity and β‐cell function.

Methods

An insulin sensitivity index, acute insulin response to glucose and a disposition index, derived from i.v. glucose tolerance minimal model analysis and total fasting plasma free fatty acid levels were available for 533 participants in the Reading, Imperial, Surrey, Cambridge, Kings study. Bivariate correlations were made between insulin sensitivity index, acute insulin response to glucose and disposition index and both adiposity measures (BMI, waist circumference and body fat mass) and total plasma free fatty acid levels. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed, controlling for age, sex, ethnicity and adiposity.

Results

After adjustment, all adiposity measures were inversely associated with insulin sensitivity index (BMI: β = −0.357; waist circumference: β = −0.380; body fat mass: β = −0.375) and disposition index (BMI: β = −0.215; waist circumference: β = −0.248; body fat mass: β = −0.221) and positively associated with acute insulin response to glucose [BMI: β = 0.200; waist circumference: β = 0.195; body fat mass β = 0.209 (P values <0.001)]. Adiposity explained 13, 4 and 5% of the variation in insulin sensitivity index, acute insulin response to glucose and disposition index, respectively. After adjustment, no adiposity measure was associated with free fatty acid level, but total plasma free fatty acid level was inversely associated with insulin sensitivity index (β = −0.133), acute insulin response to glucose (β = −0.148) and disposition index [β = −0.218 (P values <0.01)]. Plasma free fatty acid concentration accounted for 1.5, 2 and 4% of the variation in insulin sensitivity index, acute insulin response to glucose and disposition index, respectively.

Conclusions

Plasma free fatty acid levels have a modest negative association with insulin sensitivity, β‐cell secretion and disposition index but no association with adiposity measures. It is unlikely that plasma free fatty acids are the primary mediators of obesity‐related insulin resistance or β‐cell dysfunction.