bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mainland size variation informs predictive models of exceptional insular body size change in rodents
Authors: Durst Paul A. P. , Roth V. Louise
Published: June 2015

The tendency for island populations of mammalian taxa to diverge in body size from their mainland counterparts consistently in particular directions is both impressive for its regularity and, especially among rodents, troublesome for its exceptions. However, previous studies have largely ignored mainland body size variation, treating size differences of any magnitude as equally noteworthy. Here, we use distributions of mainland population body sizes to identify island populations as ‘extremely’ big or small, and we compare traits of extreme populations and their islands with those of island populations more typical in body size. We find that although insular rodents vary in the directions of body size change, ‘extreme’ populations tend towards gigantism. With classification tree methods, we develop a predictive model, which points to resource limitations as major drivers in the few cases of insular dwarfism. Highly successful in classifying our dataset, our model also successfully predicts change in untested cases.
Stimulus induced visual cortical networks are recapitulated by spontaneous local and inter-areal synchronization
Authors: Lewis C. M. , Bosman C. A. , Womelsdorf T. , Fries P.
Published: June 2015

Intrinsic covariation of brain activity has been studied across many levels of brain organization. Between visual areas, neuronal activity covaries primarily among portions with similar retinotopic selectivity. We hypothesized that spontaneous inter-areal co-activation is subserved by neuronal synchronization. We performed simultaneous high-density electrocorticographic recordings across several visual areas in awake monkeys to investigate spatial patterns of local and inter-areal synchronization. We show that stimulation-induced patterns of inter-areal co-activation were reactivated in the absence of stimulation. Reactivation occurred through both, inter-areal co-fluctuation of local activity and inter-areal phase synchronization. Furthermore, the trial-by-trial covariance of the induced responses recapitulated the pattern of inter-areal coupling observed during stimulation, i.e. the signal correlation. Reactivation-related synchronization showed distinct peaks in the theta, alpha and gamma frequency bands. During passive states, this rhythmic reactivation was augmented by specific patterns of arrhythmic correspondence. These results suggest that networks of intrinsic covariation observed at multiple levels and with several recording techniques are related to synchronization and that behavioral state may affect the structure of intrinsic dynamics.
Correspondence between resting state activity and brain gene expression
Authors: Wang Guang-Zhong , Grant Belgard T. , Mao Deng , Chen Leslie , Berto Stefano , Preuss Todd M. , Lu Hanzhang , Geschwind Daniel H. , Konopka Genevieve
Published: June 2015

The relationship between functional brain activity and gene expression has not been fully explored in the human brain. Here, we identify significant correlations between gene expression in the brain and functional activity by comparing fractional Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations (fALFF) from two independent human fMRI resting state datasets to regional cortical gene expression from a newly generated RNA-seq dataset and two additional gene expression datasets to obtain robust and reproducible correlations. We find significantly more genes correlated with fALFF than expected by chance, and identify specific genes correlated with the imaging signals in multiple expression datasets in the default mode network. Together, these data support a population-level relationship between regional steady state brain gene expression and resting state brain activity.

HIGHLIGHTS

Gene expression is correlated with resting state activity in human brain.

Specific genes are correlated with activity in the default mode network.

Activity-correlated genes are enriched in neurons.

Regionally-patterned gene expression is enriched for activity-correlated genes.
The nucleoporin Nup153 regulates embryonic stem cell pluripotency through gene silencing
Authors: Jacinto Filipe V. , Benner Chris , Hetzer Martin W.
Published: June 2015

Nucleoporins (Nups) are a family of proteins best known as the constituent building blocks of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), membrane-embedded channels that mediate nuclear transport across the nuclear envelope. Recent evidence suggests that several Nups have additional roles in controlling the activation and silencing of developmental genes; however, the mechanistic details of these functions remain poorly understood. Here, we show that depletion of Nup153 in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) causes the derepression of developmental genes and induction of early differentiation. This loss of stem cell identity is not associated with defects in the nuclear import of key pluripotency factors. Rather, Nup153 binds around the transcriptional start site (TSS) of developmental genes and mediates the recruitment of the polycomb-repressive complex 1 (PRC1) to a subset of its target loci. Our results demonstrate a chromatin-associated role of Nup153 in maintaining stem cell pluripotency by functioning in mammalian epigenetic gene silencing.
Transformational leadership in perception of subordinates
Authors: Stelmokiene Aurelija , Endriulaitiene Aukse
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify the model that explains transformational leadership in perceptions of subordinates from Lithuanian organizations and to find out the interactive predictive value of perceivers’ personality traits and social identification.

Design/methodology/approach

– The self-administered questionnaires that consisted of global transformational leadership scale, social identification questionnaire and NEO-FFI from 505 employees provided data for this study. Cross-sectional methodology, group comparison, correlational and linear regression analyses, structural equation modeling were used to answer the main research questions.

Findings

– Results of this study suggest that integrative model in which social identification and neuroticism are predictors of perceived transformational leadership and extraversion and agreeableness have links with social identification explains how subordinates perceive transformational leadership. More extraverted and agreeable subordinates tend to report higher levels of social identification with work-unit that together with less emotional stability are related to seeing leader as more transformational.

Research limitations/implications

– Self-report data may bias the results due to social desirability. Future research should include group’s and individual’s prototypes as important variables in the model that explains perceived transformational leadership.

Practical implications

– Data of the study revealed that social characteristics of subordinates are important factors in a process of meaning making about a leader. Moreover, human resource managers should be aware that different team building interventions are recommended to employees with different personality profiles.

Originality/value

– This study is based on a leading transformational leadership theory from under-estimated follower-centric perspective. In addition, it specifically examines interactive predictive value of individual and social subordinates’ characteristics to perceived transformational leadership.
Coupled FEM and experimental analysis to characterize initial crack growth regime in AISI 316L(N) stainless steel
Authors: Krishnan S. A. , Moitra A. , Sasikala G. , Albert S.K. , Bhaduri A.K.
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present a methodology to predict initial crack growth behavior of crack or notch like stress raisers in AISI 316L(N) stainless steel material subjected to monotonic loading condition.

Design/methodology/approach

– The methodology for critical crack blunting corresponding to crack initiation in crack or notch like stress raisers is based on critical plastic strain (Epc) at a characteristic distance (lc), where uniform strain (Eu) is considered as Epc and two grain diameter is considered as lc. Further crack growth is based on parabolic crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) scheme established based on coupled experimental and FEM analysis of compact tension (CT) specimen subjected to mode-I loading condition. The FEM predicted load-displacement plots is compared with experimental result of CT specimens with different a/W ratios. It has shown that the proposed methodology could account initial crack blunting appropriately and predict the fracture load and load-displacement plots for initial crack growth regime.

Findings

– The results show that for crack growth with near straight crack front, experimental data from a CT specimen of particular a/W ratio coupled with plane strain 2D FEM analysis could predict load vs displacement plots for different a/W ratios when initial crack blunting is accounted appropriately with a local damage model.

Originality/value

– The present study is a part of developing methods to analyse fracture behavior of AISI 316L(N) SS material components used for fast breeder reactor-based power plant being built at Kalpakkam, India.
Enhancement of optical, mechanical and micro structural properties in nanocomposite films of PVA doped with WO3 nanoparticles
Authors: N.B. Rithin Kumar , Crasta Vincent , Praveen B M
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the synthesis, preparation and investigation of micro structural, optical and mechanical studies of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) doped with tungsten oxide (WO3) nanocomposites films. These films were prepared by simple solvent casting method is further characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible spectroscopy, universal testing machine (UTM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX) and atomic force microscope (AFM) techniques to determine the enhancement in structural, optical and mechanical properties with increase in dopant concentration.

Design/methodology/approach

– The present paper deals with the synthesis of WO3 nanoparticles using precipitation method and doping into PVA matrix to prepare a polymer nanocomposite film using coagulation and solvent casting method. The FTIR explores the interaction of dopants with PVA matrix. The XRD spectra investigate the variation of crystallinity. The UV/Vis-spectra reveals the information of optical energy band gap and the Urbach Energy for different doping concentrations. The mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were exposed using UTM. The phase homogeneity, film topography, chemical composition of nanocomposites is analyzed using SEM, EDAX and AFM techniques supporting the above results.

Findings

– The films characterized by FTIR spectroscopy explores the irregular shift in the bands of pure and doped PVA can be understood on the basis of intra/inter molecular hydrogen bonding with the adjacent OH group of PVA backbone. The XRD result reconnoiters that the particle size and crystallinity increases whereas microstructural strain and dislocation density decreases with increase in dopant concentration. Further the drastic decrease in optical energy band gap E

g
=0.94 eV for doping concentration x=15 wt% and the increase in values of Urbach Energy (E

u
) with doping concentrations were investigated by UV/Vis spectra. Also the extinction coefficient was high in the wavelength range of 250-400 nm and low in the wavelength range of 400-1,200 nm. The mechanical studies indicates that the addition of the WO3 with weight percentage concentration x=15 percent increases the tensile strength and Young’s modulus. The phase homogeneity, the particle size of the dopants and chemical composition of nanocomposites is analyzed using SEM and EDAX. The film topography of the nanocomposites is analyzed using AFM techniques supporting the above results.

Originality/value

– The investigation of synthesis, preparation and investigation of micro structural, optical and mechanical studies of PVA doped with WO3 nanocomposites films as been done. The results prove that these nanocomposites having good mechanical strength with crystalline nature and also very low optical energy gap value that could find possible applications in industries.
Achieving integrated care through CAS thinking and a collaborative mindset
Authors: Edgren Lars , Barnard Keith
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to contribute to knowledge by exploring and distilling how providers in health and social care who have adopted complex adaptive systems thinking (CAS thinking) and have a collaborative mindset are in a better position to achieve integrated care than those who adopt reductionist approaches.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper is a research review and a conceptual analysis of key aspects drawn from the literature on CAS thinking and collaborative mindset applied to integrated care. By choosing this approach the authors intend to promote understanding and efforts made to put it into action. The intended audience comprises managers responsible for addressing the problem of fragmentation and the research community challenged by the task of supporting those managers.

Findings

– Specialization of knowledge and skill has increased the risk of fragmentation. It is possible to reduce that risk and hence to foster integrated care when providers with different specializations stimulated by a collaborative mindset develop an understanding of how they connect with others in a CAS. The essence of CAS thinking applied to integrated care is the readiness to connect. This readiness is facilitated by adopting a collaborative mindset.

Originality/value

– Literature on CAS thinking and collaborative mindset have evolved independently of one another. The study points at the importance of connecting the two concepts to produce effective action.
Do we need medical leadership or medical engagement?
Authors: Spurgeon Peter , Long Paul , Clark John , Daly Frank
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to address issues of medical leadership within health systems and to clarify the associated conceptual issues, for example, leadership versus management and medical versus clinical leadership. However, its principle contribution is to raise the issue of the purpose or outcome of medical leadership, and, in this respect, it argues that it is to promote medical engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

– The approach is to provide evidence, both from the literature and empirically, to suggest that enhanced medical engagement leads to improved organisational performance and, in doing so, to review the associated concepts.

Findings

– Building on current evidence from the UK and Australia, the authors strengthen previous findings that effective medical leadership underpins the effective organisational performance.

Research limitations/implications

– There is a current imbalance between the size of the databases on medical engagement between the UK (very large) and Australia (small but developing).

Practical implications

– The authors aim to equip medical leaders with the appropriate skill set to promote and enhance greater medical engagement. The focus of leaders in organisations should be in creating a culture that fosters and supports medical engagement.

Social implications

– This paper provides empowerment of medical professionals to have greater influence in the running of the organisation in which they deliver care.

Originality/value

– The paper contains, for the first time, linked performance data from the Care Quality Commission in the UK and from Australia with the new set of medical engagement findings.
Changes in commitment to change among leaders in home help services
Authors: Westerberg Kristina , Tafvelin Susanne
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of the this study was to explore the development of commitment to change among leaders in the home help services during organizational change and to study this development in relation to workload and stress. During organizational change initiatives, commitment to change among leaders is important to ensure the implementation of the change. However, little is known of development of commitment of change over time.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study used a qualitative design with semi-structured interviews with ten leaders by the time an organizational change initiative was launched and follow-up one year later. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the interviews.

Findings

– Commitment to change is not static, but seems to develop over time and during organizational change. At the first interview, leaders had a varied pattern reflecting different dimensions of commitment to change. One year later, the differences between leaders’ commitment to change was less obvious. Differences in commitment to change had no apparent relationship with workload or stress.

Research limitations/implications

– The data were collected from one organization, and the number of participants were small which could affect the results on workload and stress in relation to commitment to change.

Practical implications

– It is important to support leaders during organizational change initiatives to maintain their commitment. One way to accomplish this is to use management team meetings to monitor how leaders perceive their situation.

Originality/value

– Qualitative, longitudinal and leader studies on commitment to change are all unusual, and taken together, this study shows new aspects of commitment.
The relationship between supervisor support and individual improvisation
Authors: Nisula Anna-Maija
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of perceived supervisor support on individual improvisation, and the mediating role of the psychological empowerment and improvisation-related self-efficacy in that relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

– The data were collected in 2011 from the large municipal organization. The total sample size was 593. The partial least square analysis conducted to estimate the mediation effects of empowerment and self-efficacy on the relationship between supervisor support and individual improvisation.

Findings

– The findings of the study show psychological empowerment and improvisation-related self-efficacy as mechanisms through which supervisor support affects individual improvisation.

Research limitations/implications

– Limitation of the study is that it concerns only one organization. The study extends understanding of the factors effecting on individual improvisation in organizations and invites management to pay attention to the mechanisms through which they can affect their subordinates. In a broader sense, the results of this study suggest organizations to develop their management system to better empower their subordinates to stimulate creativity, innovation, novel solutions to face the environmental turbulence.

Practical implications

– The practical implications of this study invite management to pay attention to the mechanisms through which they can affect their subordinates. In a broader sense, the results of this study suggest organizations to develop their management system to better empower their subordinates, which thereby could stimulate organizational creativity, innovation, and novel solutions to face the environmental turbulence.

Originality/value

– The study provides originality by examining the factors effecting on individual improvisation in organizations and by examining the effect of multiple factors, both individual level-and organizational-level factors on individual-level phenomenon (improvisation). The results of the study are valuable for organizations aiming to foster organizational creativity and innovation.
Temperature sensing and actuating capabilities of polymeric shape memory composite containing thermochromic particles
Authors: Lu Haibao , Yao Yongtao , Lin Long
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to create and to study multifunctional shape memory polymer (SMP) composites having temperature-sensing and actuating capabilities by embedding thermochromic particles within the polymer matrix.

Design/methodology/approach

– The multifunctional materials were fabricated following a process consisting of blending (of the thermochromic particles and the SMP at various ratios), mixing, degasing, moulding and thermal curing, prepared by incorporating thermochromic particles within the polymer. The effect of the thermochromic particles on the thermomechanical properties and thermally responsive shape memory effect of the resulting multifunction SMP composites were characterised and interpreted.

Findings

– It was found that exposure of the composites to temperatures above 70°C led to a pronounced change of their colour that was recorded by the thermal and electrical actuation approaches and was reproducibly reversible. It was also found that the colour of the composites was independent of the mechanical state of the SMP. Such effects enabled monitoring of the onset of the set/release temperature of the SMP matrix. Furthermore, the combination of thermochromic additive and the SMP resulted in significantly improved thermomechanical strength, absorption of infrared radiation and the temperature distribution of the SMP composites.

Research limitations/implications

– The temperature-sensing and actuating capabilities of the polymeric shape memory composites developed through this study will help to extend the field of potential applications of such composites to fields including sensors, actuators, security labels and information dissemination, where colour indication is an advantageous feature.

Originality/value

– The SMP composites capable of temperature sensing and actuating are novel.
Preparation of pigment dispersion resin and stable colour paste
Authors: Chen Lijun , Bao Zhongbin , Fu Zhengrong , Li Wen
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this research is to prepare a dispersion resin with good dispersity and a colour paste with good stability. At present, the colour paste is being prepared using the pigment dispersion resin which has the group quaternary ammonium. The dispersion resin prepared has good dispersity of pigment and extender. However, the stability of storage and construction of the colour paste is relatively poor, which has a negative influence on the application of cathodic electrodeposited (CED) coatings. However, the detailed investigation on the dispersion resin and the stable colour paste has not been reported.

Design/methodology/approach

– Three steps are adopted to prepare the dispersion resin, that is blocking toluene diisocyanate (TDI), quaternary ammoniation of blocked TDI and ring opening of epoxy resin. The resultant dispersion is used to prepare the colour paste. The factors, which have an influence on the dispersity of the dispersion resin and stability of the colour paste, are optimised.

Findings

– The typical recipes of preparing the dispersion resin and the resultant colour paste are obtained. The dispersity of the dispersion resin and stability of the colour paste are good based on the typical recipe. In addition, the film of the CED coating is smooth, dense and hard when the colour paste is used in the CED coating.

Practical implications

– The dispersion resin can be used to prepare a colour paste, which can be used in the CED coatings. In addition, it also can be applied as a binder of coatings and adhesions.

Originality/value

– The factors, which have an influence on the dispersity of the dispersion resin and stability of the colour paste, are studied in detail. The typical recipes of preparing the dispersion resin and the resultant colour paste are obtained. Based on the typical recipe, the dispersity of the dispersion resin and stability of the colour paste are good.
Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie (1783–1862) – a pioneer rheumatologist
Authors: Travers Richard , Sayag‐Boukris Véronique
Published: June 2015

Aim

Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie (1783–1862) was a London surgeon who investigated joint disease by observation and morbid anatomy in the first half of the 19th century. His descriptions of inflammatory joint disease have been referred to in the past, but only in a fragmentary way. This study aimed to provide more detail than previously, allowing for a new appreciation of his contributions.

Methods

The authors used the first (1818), third (1834) and fifth (1850) editions of his book, Pathological and Surgical Observations on the Diseases of Joints, to provide his description of reactive arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.

Results

Brodie's descriptions are admirably clear. He describes reactive arthritis in the first edition of his book more completely than authors before him and even Reiter a century later. He recognised that the conjunctivo‐urethral‐synovial syndrome can occur independently of gonorrhoea, that there are often repeated attacks, and that irits is a complication – the first indication that this syndrome might be part of what we now call seronegative spondyloarthritis. The fifth edition (1850) has among the earliest descriptions in English of ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Conclusion

Brodie's understanding of rheumatic diseases, and his willingness to pass this knowledge on, demands that he be widely recognised as a pioneer rheumatologist.
Estimating golden‐cheeked warbler immigration: implications for the spatial scale of conservation
Authors: Duarte A. , Weckerly F. W. , Schaub M. , Hatfield J. S.
Published: June 2015

Understanding the factors that drive population dynamics is fundamental to species conservation and management. Since the golden‐cheeked warblerSetophaga chrysopariawas first listed as endangered, much effort has taken place to monitor warbler abundance, occupancy, reproduction and survival. Yet, despite being directly related to local population dynamics, movement rates have not been estimated for the species. We used an integrated population model to investigate the relationship between immigration rate, fledging rate, survival probabilities and population growth rate for warblers in centralTexas,USA. Furthermore, using a deterministic projection model, we examined the response required by vital rates to maintain a viable population across varying levels of immigration. Warbler abundance fluctuated with an overall positive trend across years. In the absence of immigration, the abundance would have decreased. However, the population could remain viable without immigration if both adult and juvenile survival increased by almost half or if juvenile survival more than doubled. We also investigated the response required by fledging rates across a range of immigration in order to maintain a viable population. Overall, we found that immigration was required to maintain warbler target populations, indicating that warbler conservation and management programs need to be implemented at larger spatial scales than current efforts to be effective. This study also demonstrates that by using limited data within integrated population models, biologists are able to monitor multiple key demographic parameters simultaneously to gauge the efficacy of strategies designed to maximize warbler viability in a changing landscape.
Pursuing Urban Commons: Politics and Alliances in Community Land Trust Activism in East London
Authors: Bunce Susannah
Published: June 2015

Community land trust (CLT) practices contribute to analyses of the commons in both conceptual and on‐the‐ground ways. As collective action organizations, CLTs emphasize common land stewardship and resist traditional land speculation and development practices through the mitigation or halting of land value inflation. This paper traces the activist efforts of the East London CLT organization, one of Britain's first urban CLTs, in securing common land in the East London borough of Tower Hamlets, and examines their navigation of political decisions and creation of alliances. Although this process has been challenging as a result of neoliberal governance and private development interests, the East London CLT's trajectory demonstrates the frustrations of activism within these contexts but also the small successes in the pursuit and establishment of urban commons.
Early Parenting and the Development of Externalizing Behavior Problems: Longitudinal Mediation Through Children's Executive Function
Authors: Sulik Michael J. , Blair Clancy , Mills‐Koonce Roger , Berry Daniel , Greenberg Mark ,   The Family Life Project Investigators
Published: June 2015

Path analysis was used to investigate the longitudinal associations among parenting and children's executive function and externalizing behavior problems from 36 to 90 months of age in the Family Life Project (N = 1,115), a study of child development in the context of rural poverty. While controlling for stability in the constructs, semistructured observations of parenting prospectively predicted performance on a battery of executive function tasks and primary caregivers' reports of externalizing behavior. Furthermore, the association between early parenting and later externalizing behavior was longitudinally mediated by executive function, providing support for a process model in which sensitive parenting promotes children's self‐regulation, which in turn reduces children's externalizing behavior.
Association between adult height and tooth loss in a representative sample of Koreans
Authors: Han Dong‐Hun , Khang Young‐Ho , Lee Hye‐Ju
Published: June 2015

Objectives

Evidence suggests that taller individuals have better health than that of shorter individuals. However, evidence for links to tooth loss is scarce. The aim of this study was to examine the association between adult height and tooth loss and to examine the roles of covariates in explaining the association in different birth cohorts in Korea.

Methods

Using data from the Fourth and Fifth Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (KNHANES IV and V), the subjects were grouped into two birth cohorts based on their historical context: born from 1920 to 1945 and 1946 to 1962. The dependent variables were loss of 8 or more teeth and total tooth loss (edentulism), while the independent variable was the height quartile. Demographic factors (survey year, age, and gender), early childhood/adult socioeconomic status (SES) (father's education, own education, income, and place of residence), health behaviors (cigarette smoking, binge drinking, frequency of toothbrushing, and regular dental visit), and health problems (diabetes and hypertension) were included in a series of analytical models.

Results

The survey year‐, age‐, and gender‐adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) of the loss of 8 or more teeth for the shortest quartile were 1.23 (95% confidence intervals, CI: 1.13–1.35) for the 1920–1945 birth cohorts and 1.39 (95% CI: 1.20–1.62) for the 1946–1962 birth cohorts. The PRs for edentulousness were 1.64 (95% CI: 1.34–2.02) for the 1920–1945 birth cohorts and 2.26 (95% CI: 1.31–3.91) for the 1946–1962 birth cohorts. These associations were moderately attenuated after adjusting for own education but still significant in the fully adjusted models. After full adjustment for the covariates, those in the shortest height quartiles in the relatively young birth cohorts (1946–1962 birth cohorts) had a 1.93 (95% CI: 1.09–3.43) times greater prevalence of edentulism than that of their tallest counterparts.

Conclusions

Given that adult height reflects early‐life conditions, independent associations between height and tooth loss support the view that early‐life circumstances significantly influence oral health outcomes in later life.
Psychiatric and cognitive symptoms in Huntington's disease are modified by polymorphisms in catecholamine regulating enzyme genes
Authors: Vinther‐Jensen T. , Nielsen T.T. , Budtz‐Jørgensen E. , Larsen I.U. , Hansen M.M. , Hasholt L. , Hjermind L.E. , Nielsen J.E. , Nørremølle A.
Published: June 2015

Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor, psychiatric, and cognitive manifestations. HD is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the Huntingtin (HTT) gene but the exact pathogenesis remains unknown. Dopamine imbalance has previously been shown in HD, and furthermore dopamine is thought to be implicated in cognition, behavioral and motor disturbances. A substantiated inverse correlation between motor onset and the elongated CAG repeat in the HTT has been established. This relation does not account for the full variability of the motor onset, and efforts have been put into finding genetic modifiers of motor onset, however, mostly with unsuccessful outcome. In this study, we took an alternative approach focusing on symptom complexes and searched for modifiers of cognitive impairment and psychiatric symptoms in a well‐described cohort of Danish HD gene‐expansion carriers. We show that cognitive impairment and psychiatric symptoms in HD are modified by polymorphisms in the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) and catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) genes and by the 4p16.3 B haplotype. These results support the theory of dopamine imbalance in HD, and point toward more personalized treatment modalities of HD in the future.
Empagliflozin as adjunct to insulin in patients with type 1 diabetes: a 4‐week, randomized, placebo‐controlled trial (EASE‐1)
Authors: Pieber T. R. , Famulla S. , Eilbracht J. , Cescutti J. , Soleymanlou N. , Johansen O. E. , Woerle H. J. , Broedl U. C. , Kaspers S.
Published: June 2015

Aims

To investigate the pharmacodynamics, efficacy and safety of empagliflozin as adjunct to insulin in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Methods

A total of 75 patients with glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) concentrations of ≥7.5 to ≤10.5% (≥58 to ≤91 mmol/mol) were randomized to receive once‐daily empagliflozin 2.5 mg, empagliflozin 10 mg, empagliflozin 25 mg, or placebo as adjunct to insulin for 28 days. Insulin dose was to be kept as stable as possible for 7 days then adjusted, at the investigator's discretion, to achieve optimum glycaemic control. The primary exploratory endpoint was change from baseline in 24‐h urinary glucose excretion (UGE) on day 7.

Results

Empagliflozin significantly increased 24‐h UGE versus placebo on days 7 and 28. On day 28, adjusted mean differences with empagliflozin versus placebo in changes from baseline in: HbA1c were −0.35 to −0.49% (−3.8 to −5.4 mmol/mol; all p < 0.05 vs. placebo); total daily insulin dose −0.07 to −0.09 U/kg (all p<0.05 vs placebo); and weight were −1.5 to −1.9 kg (all p < 0.001 vs. placebo). In the placebo, empagliflozin 2.5, 10 and 25 mg groups, respectively, adverse events were reported in 94.7, 89.5, 78.9 and 100.0% of patients, and the rate of symptomatic hypoglycaemic episodes with glucose ≤3.0 mmol/l not requiring assistance was 1.0, 0.4, 0.5 and 0.8 episodes per 30 days.

Conclusions

In patients with type 1 diabetes, empagliflozin for 28 days as adjunct to insulin increased UGE, improved HbA1c and reduced weight with lower insulin doses compared with placebo and without increasing hypoglycaemia.
Inhibition of hydroxyapatite growth by casein, a potential salivary phosphoprotein homologue
Authors: Romero Maria J. R. H. , Nakashima Syozi , Nikaido Toru , Ichinose Shizuko , Sadr Alireza , Tagami Junji
Published: June 2015

Salivary phosphoproteins are essential in tooth mineral regulation but are often overlooked in vitro. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of casein, as a salivary phosphoprotein homologue, on the deposition and growth of hydroxyapatite (HA) on tooth surfaces. Hydroxyapatite growth was quantified using seeded crystal systems. Artificial saliva (AS) containing HA powder and 0, 10, 20, 50, or 100 μg ml−1 of casein, or 100 μg ml−1 of dephosphorylated casein (Dcasein), was incubated for 0–8 h at 37°C, pH 7.2. Calcium concentrations were measured using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Surface precipitation of HA on bovine enamel and dentine blocks, incubated in similar conditions for 7 d, was examined using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with selected area electron diffraction (SAED). Casein adsorption was assessed using modified Lowry assays and zeta‐potential measurements. The AAS results revealed a concentration‐dependent inhibition of calcium consumption. Hydroxyapatite precipitation occurred when no casein was present, whereas precipitation of HA was apparently completely inhibited in casein‐containing groups. Adsorption data demonstrated increasingly negative zeta‐potential with increased casein concentration and an affinity constant similar to proline‐rich proteins with Langmuir modelling. Casein inhibited the deposition and growth of HA primarily through the binding of esterized phosphate to HA active sites, indicating its potential as a mineral‐regulating salivary phosphoprotein homologue in vitro.
Giant cell arteritis (Horton's disease) in very elderly patients aged 80 years and older: A study of 25 cases
Authors: Muller Géraldine , Devilliers Hervé , Besancenot Jean‐François , Manckoundia Patrick
Published: June 2015

Aim

Analysis of the characteristics of very elderly patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA).

Methods

Patients aged 80 years and older diagnosed with GCA in our department between 1 January 2002 and 31 July 2008 were retrospectively included. For each patient, we recorded general characteristics, reason(s) for hospitalization, specialty of the physician or department that referred the patient to us, medical history, treatment at admission, GCA clinical features, time to diagnosis of GCA, biological screening and GCA treatment.

Results

We analyzed 25 clinical records, 18 women and seven men with a mean age of 83.9 years. General weakness, visual loss and inflammatory syndrome were the principal reasons for hospitalization. Patients were mainly referred by general practitioners or ophthalmological departments. At diagnosis, headache and musculoskeletal disorders were the most frequent signs (52% each), before general weakness and visual disorders. Time to diagnosis was 2.2 months. Inflammatory syndrome was very frequent (92%). Biopsy of the temporal artery confirmed GCA in 16 cases. Corticosteroid therapy (CST) mean dose was 0.9 mg/kg/day. Because of the positive evolution, CST was stopped in nine patients after 22.7 ± 15 months. A total of 22 patients received a preventive osteoporosis treatment. After 3 months of CST, clinical signs and IS vanished in 22 patients. CST complications, mainly infection, appeared in 17 patients.

Conclusion

Clinical and biological features of GCA in the very elderly patients of the present study were comparable with those described in the literature in younger patients. However, it must be pointed out that our patients were not compared with a younger population in this study. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; ●●: ●●–●●.
Clinical significance of serum caveolin‐1 levels in melanoma patients
Authors: Tas Faruk , Karabulut Senem , Tilgen Yasasever Ceren , Duranyildiz Derya
Published: June 2015

Background

Caveolin‐1 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple malignancies, and its expression also strongly affects the outcomes of patients with cancer. The objective of this study was to determine the clinical significance of the serum levels of caveolin‐1 in patients with melanoma.

Materials and methods

A total of 60 patients with a pathologically confirmed diagnosis of melanoma were enrolled into this study. Serum caveolin‐1 concentrations were determined by the solid‐phase sandwich enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay method. Thirty age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls were included in the analysis.

Results

The median age at diagnosis was 53.5 years, range 16–88 years. The baseline serum caveolin‐1 levels of the patients with melanoma were significantly higher than in those in the control group (0.47 vs. 0.37 ng/ml, respectively, P = 0.05). Known clinical variables, including age of patient, gender, site of lesion, histology, stage of disease, serum lactic dehydrogenase levels, and response to chemotherapy, were not found correlated with serum caveolin‐1 concentrations (P > 0.05). Moreover, serum caveolin‐1 concentration was found to have no prognostic role on survival (P = 0.44).

Conclusions

Serum levels of caveolin‐1 may have a diagnostic marker in melanoma patients. However, its predictive and prognostic value was not determined.
Evidence for Pollen and Seed Transmission of the Coconut Cadang‐Cadang Viroid in Cocos nucifera
Authors: Pacumbaba E. P. , Zelazny B. , Orense J. C. , Rillo E. P.
Published: June 2015

Transmission of the coconut cadang‐cadang viroid through seednuts and pollen was demonstrated experimentally. F1 progenies of healthy and infected parents pollinated with diseased pollen contained the viroid and exhibited disease symptoms 6 years after germination. The viroid was also detected in seedlings, embryos and plantlets grown in vitro originating from naturally infected palms. This study provides the first evidence for a natural mode of spread of cadang‐cadang. However, epidemiological observations suggest that this is not the only or necessarily the most common route of field transmission.
Induced Resistance in the Biocontrol of Pythium aphanidermatum by Pseudomonas spp. on Cucumber
Authors: Zhou T. , Paulitz T. C.
Published: June 2015

Plants of Cucumis sativus cv. Corona were grown in rockwool, with the root systems split into two separate pots. B pots were treated with water or a cell suspension of Pseudomonas corrugata isolate 13 or P. fluorescens biovar C isolate 15, two rhizosphere isolates effective as biocontrol agents against Pythium aphanidermatum. The P pot was treated with water or a suspension of zoospores of P. aphanidermatum applied at the same time (simultaneous treatment) or 1 week after B pot treatments. Most of the bacterial treatments reduced disease incidence and disease severity. Simultaneous treatment with isolate 15 increased shoot dry weight, leaf area, and number of fruit of inoculated plants in one trial. Some treatments with isolate 13 or 15 also increased root volume or root dry weight in B or P pots, compared to the inoculated plants where the B pot was treated with water only (Pythium control). Lower population densities of P. aphanidermatum in P pots were detected in some treatments to which bacteria were applied to the B pot, but only in the early stages of the experiment. This is the first report of systemic‐induced resistance against a root pathogen in cucumber obtained by application of Pseudomonas spp. to a root system spatially separated from the pathogen‐inoculated root.
Pseudomonas syringae pv. helianthi (Kawamura 1934) Dye, Wilkie et Young 1978, a Pathogen of Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)
Authors: Arsenijević M. , Vennete R. J. , Maširević S.
Published: June 2015

Among the bacterial strains isolated from diseased sunflower leaves, eight were studied in some detail. A fluorescent pseudomonad isolated from necrotic tissues and its reisolates belong to group Ia of phytopathogenic pseudomonads which includes Pseudomonas syringae bacterium. A study of host range indicated that the pathogen infects only sunflower but not the other plant species. Based on the pathogenicity study and biochemical and physiological tests, it was concluded that the pathogen belongs to the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. helianthi.
Isolation and Characterization of Viruses Present in Four Clones of Garlic (Allium sativum) in Venezuela
Authors: Marys E. , Carballo O. , Izaguirre‐Mayoral M. L.
Published: June 2015

Isolation and characterization of viruses infecting garlic in Venezuela indicate the presence of onion yellow dwarf virus [OYDV] in most field‐grown plants of the clones Criollo venezolano, Morado peruano and Blanco, while 14% of the Criollo venezolano plants showed co‐infection of leek yellow stripe virus [LYSV] and OYDV. In leaf tissues OYDV showed an average concentration of 165 μg/g fresh wt., the value being similar among clones. In Criollo venezolano plants co‐infected by LYSV and OYDV the concentration of the former was three fold lower than that of OYDV. Serological tests on leaf extracts of garlic plants indicated the absence of the garlic yellow streak virus [GYSV], shallot latent virus [SLV] and garlic latent virus [GLV] in the clones Criollo venezolano, Morado peruano and Blanco. GLV was found to infect plants of the clone Gigante. Physicochemical analysis of purified GLV strongly supports the inclusion of this virus as a definitive member of the carlavirus group.
New Races of Sunflower Downy Mildew (Plasmopara Halstedii) in Germany
Authors: Spring O. , Miltner F. , Gulya T. J.
Published: June 2015

Plasmopara halstedii, the causal agent of downy mildew of cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annuus), was documented in Germany for the first time in commercial fields. The pathogen was first observed in the Württemberg area, where races 1 and 4 were identified using a set of differential lines. Later, commercial fields near Baden were found to be infected by race 5, which is the first occurrence of that race outside of North America. With the discovery of race 5, there are now eight races of the sunflower downy mildew fungus that have been found in Europe. The sunflower cultivars most frequently grown in Germany were investigated for resistance to race 1, 4 and 5; while all were resistant to race 1, none were resistant to either race 4 or 5.
Morphological Variation in Spores of Pyricularia oryzae Cavara
Authors: Arase S. , Katano Y. , Li X. , Honda Y. , Nozu M.
Published: June 2015

Two mutant isolates of Pyricularia oryzae formed abnormal, longer, cylindrical spores with more septa than those of normal, obpyriform spores of wild isolates. These isolates also produced normal spores, although their number was less than that of the abnormal spores. When normal and abnormal spores were single‐spore‐isolated from the lesions caused by the mutant isolates and inoculated to an agar medium, each colony produced both types of spores, regardless of the type of single spores used for inoculation.
Occurrence of grapevine chrome mosaic nepovirus in Austria
Authors: Dimou D. , D'Onghia A.M. , Machado M. Laimer da Camara , Savino V.
Published: June 2015

A virus recovered by inoculation of sap from Austrian vines with yellow mosaic symptoms was compared with, and found virtually indistinguishable from, an authentic Hungarian isolate of grapevine chrome mosaic nepovirus. This seems to be the first record of the virus in Austria.
Production of Intraspecific Hybrids of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis‐lycopersici and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici by Protoplast Fusions
Authors: Madhosingh C.
Published: June 2015

The fusion of protoplasts from the cycloheximide‐resistant mutant FOL(C) of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (FOL) and the mycostatin‐resistant mutant FORL(M) of F. oxysporum f. sp. radicis‐lycopersici (FORL), produced hybrids which expressed significant differences from the parents in their pathogenicity and growth and in the electrophoretic separation patterns of their proteins, enzymes and isoenzymes. The results suggest a transformed genetic basis for these altered expressions and the feasibility of using protoplast fusion technology for examining the biology of pathogenicity genes and for elucidating the disease and virulence potential for new races from within hybridisable taxa of Fusarium spp. Such information would be useful for the design and development of long‐term control systems for Fusarium diseases, particularly in breeding programs for disease resistance in crops.