bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Theorizing the EU's Actorness: Towards an Interactionist Role Theory Framework
Authors: Klose Stephan
Published: March 2018

For decades, actorness has been a much‐debated concept central to the theorization and analysis of the EU's evolution as an international actor. While this concept is often presented as a set of factors, which together shape the EU's capacity to act internationally, the literature displays a surprisingly deficient understanding of how these factors interact in the emergence of actorness. To address this gap, this article theorizes about actorness from an interactionist role theory perspective, which draws on the works of social psychologist George Herbert Mead. In building on this perspective, the article conceptualizes actorness as an entity's capacity to (re)‐imagine and realize roles for its ‘self’ in (specific contexts of) international affairs. This capacity, the approach suggests, emerges in the interplay of (social and material) resources, creative action and (domestic and external) role expectations.
Comparison of clinical outcomes between variceal and non‐variceal gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with cirrhosis
Authors: Tandon Parul , Bishay Kirles , Fisher Stacey , Yelle Dominique , Carrigan Ian , Wooller Krista , Kelly Erin
Published: March 2018

Background and Aim

Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) in cirrhosis is associated with significant morbidity and mortality and can be classified as acute variceal bleeding (AVB) or non‐variceal bleeding (NVB). Differences in mortality, hospital length of stay (LOS), and 30‐day readmission have yet to be determined. As such, the study aimed to evaluate differences in these clinical outcomes in cirrhotic patients admitted with UGIB.

Methods

This retrospective study included all cirrhotic patients hospitalized for UGIB who underwent upper endoscopy from July 2014 to July 2016. AVB was defined as the presence of varices on endoscopy with high‐risk stigmata such as cherry‐red spots. Mortality, intensive care unit admission, hospital LOS, and 30‐day hospital readmission were recorded and compared among patients with AVB and NVB.

Results

A total of 116 patients with cirrhosis were included, 73 with AVB and 43 with NVB. Patients with NVB were older than those with AVB (60.4 ± 11.1 vs 55.0 ± 9.5, P = 0.006) whereas patients with AVB were more likely to have known esophageal varices (64.4% vs 37.2%, P = 0.007). Patients with AVB and NVB had similar mortality (15.1% vs 9.3%, P = 0.57), hospital LOS (4.9, interquartile range: 3.6–6.9 days vs 5.0, interquartile range: 2.7–8.3 days), and 30‐day readmission rates (19.2% vs 30.2%, P = 0.18). Severity of clinical presentation was associated with increased LOS and overall mortality, including the need for intensive care unit admission, but these were not associated with 30‐day readmission rates.

Conclusion

There were no differences in clinical outcomes, including mortality, in cirrhotic patients admitted with AVB and NVB.
Elder Abuse and Chronic Pain: Cross‐Sectional and Longitudinal Results from the Preventing Elder Abuse and Neglect Initiative
Authors: Yunus Raudah M , Hairi Noran N , Choo Wan Y , Tan Maw P , Hairi Farizah , Sooryanarayana Rajini , Ismail Norliana , Kandiben Shatanapriya , Peramalah Devi , Ali Zainudin M , Ahmad Sharifah N , Razak Inayah A , Othman Sajaratulnisah , Mydin Fadzilah HM , Chinna Karuthan , Bulgiba Awang
Published: March 2018

Objectives

To examine the cross‐sectional and longitudinal relationships between elder abuse and neglect (EAN) and chronic pain in rural older Malaysians.

Design

Two‐year prospective cohort study.

Setting

Kuala Pilah, a district in Negeri Sembilan approximately 100 km from the capital city, Kuala Lumpur.

Participants

Community‐dwelling older adults aged 60 and older. Using a multistage cluster sampling strategy, 1,927 respondents were recruited and assessed at baseline, of whom 1,189 were re‐assessed 2 years later.

Measures

EAN was determined using the modified Conflict Tactic Scale, and chronic pain was assessed through self‐report using validated questions.

Results

The prevalence of chronic pain was 20.4%. Cross‐sectional results revealed 8 variables significantly associated with chronic pain—age, education, income, comorbidities, self‐rated health, depression, gait speed, and EAN. Abused elderly adults were 1.52 times as likely to have chronic pain (odds ratio=1.52, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.03–2.27), although longitudinal analyses showed no relationship between EAN and risk of chronic pain (risk ratio=1.14, 95% CI=0.81–1.60). This lack of causal link was consistent when comparing analysis with complete cases with that of imputed data.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate no temporal relationship between EAN and chronic pain but indicated cross‐sectional associations between the two. This might indicate that, although EAN does not lead to chronic pain, individuals with greater physical limitations are more vulnerable to abuse. Our study also shows the importance of cohort design in determining causal relationships between EAN and potentially linked health outcomes.
Recent research on stimulated emission depletion microscopy for reducing photobleaching
Authors: LI C. , LIU S. , WANG W. , LIU W. , KUANG C. , LIU X.
Published: March 2018

Stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy is a useful tool in investigation for super‐resolution realm. By silencing the peripheral fluorophores of the excited spot, leaving only the very centre zone vigorous for fluorescence, the effective point spread function (PSF) could be immensely squeezed and subcellular structures, such as organelles, become discernable. Nevertheless, because of the low cross‐section of stimulated emission and the short fluorescence lifetime, the depletion power density has to be extremely higher than the excitation power density and molecules are exposed in high risk of photobleaching. The existence of photobleaching greatly limits the research of STED in achieving higher resolution and more delicate imaging quality, as well as long‐term and dynamic observation. Since the first experimental implementation of STED microscopy, researchers have lift out variety of methods and techniques to alleviate the problem. This paper would present some researches via conventional methods which have been explored and utilised relatively thoroughly, such as fast scanning, time‐gating, two‐photon excitation (TPE), triplet relaxation (T‐Rex) and background suppression. Alternatively, several up‐to‐date techniques, especially adaptive illumination, would also be unveiled for discussion in this paper. The contrast and discussion of these modalities would play an important role in ameliorating the research of STED microscopy.
It's no problem to be polite: Apparent‐time change in responses to thanks
Authors: Dinkin Aaron J.
Published: March 2018

This paper reports a rapid and anonymous study of apparent‐time change in Toronto among the use of expressions such as you're welcome and no problem as responses to thanks, thank you, and thank you very much. We observe change in progress toward no problem and no worries at the expense of you're welcome. Meanwhile, a change in stylistic stratification is also taking place: for older speakers, no problem is a less formal response, suitable principally for responding to more perfunctory thanks, rather than more formal thank you; among younger speakers, no problem appears at equal rates in response to all levels of thanking expressions. This combination of changes may explain the intensity of the negative attention no problem attracts from prescriptivists and in popular media, in that older people perceive younger speakers as using what to them is an informal variant disproportionately frequently when a formal variant is called for.
Does consumer liking fit the sensory quality assessed by trained panelists in traditional food products? A study on PDO Idiazabal cheese
Authors: Ojeda Mónica , Etaio Iñaki , Guerrero Luis , Fernández‐Gil Mᵃ Pilar , Pérez‐Elortondo Francisco José
Published: March 2018

The aim of this work was to study the degree of agreement between consumer liking and the sensory quality scored by the trained panel in charge of the quality control of a traditional product (PDO Idiazabal cheese). Nine cheeses of different qualities were evaluated by eight trained assessors and by 212 consumers from Vitoria‐Gasteiz (Basque Country). Cheese samples were clearly different regarding overall sensory quality (OSQ) assessed by the trained panel. Regarding consumers, five groups with different correlation levels with OSQ were identified: “sweet” and “toasty” were the main sensory drivers leading the liking of the consumers with a higher positive correlation, whereas some defective characteristics (“animal,” “rancid,” and “bitter”) were the main drivers for consumers with higher negative correlation. These results suggest that it would be interesting for the Regulatory Council to strength the communicational strategies among consumers to be able to identify the typical and nontypical (mainly defects) characteristics of this traditional product, especially among those liking defective cheeses.

Practical applications

This study gives information about the degree of agreement concerning the sensory quality of a traditional product reached by a trained panel and by consumers' preferences. The research includes information regarding the sensory characteristics which drive liking among different groups of consumers. These results are of interest for the Regulatory Council of this product to define its marketing polices and consumer‐oriented education activities in order to provide information about the specific sensory characteristics of the product. Moreover, it may be interesting for PDO Regulatory Councils and other producers of traditional products in order to be more aware about the possible agreement and/or disagreement between the sensory quality of the product and consumer preferences.
Development of an aroma attributes lexicon for retorted cat foods
Authors: Koppel Siim , Koppel Kadri
Published: March 2018

The objective of this study was to develop an aroma attributes lexicon for retorted cat foods. Total of 40 retorted cat foods were subjected to descriptive sensory analysis using a highly trained descriptive panel. The cat foods chosen varied in processing, ingredients, and packaging. The attributes were determined, defined, and referenced. In general retorted packaged cat foods can be described as meaty, brothy, and cooked, sometimes with processed, vitamin and barnyard aromatics, and depending on the formulation, with beefy, poultry, seafood, liver, and heated oil aromatics. Additional attributes detected included musty/dusty, earthy, grainy, brothy‐vegetable, pungent, vegetable, herb, hay‐like, sulfur, yeast, and butyric. Multivariate analysis revealed product development opportunities on the product maps. This research may help pet food industry better understand the retorted cat food sensory properties, market, and its opportunities.

Practical applications

The pet food industry is continuously growing and is serving more than 150 million pets in the United States. It is important to understand which sensory characteristics are important in these products and what kind of product development opportunities exist.
C‐reactive protein and immature‐to‐total neutrophil ratio have no utility in guiding lumbar puncture in suspected neonatal sepsis
Authors: Goldfinch Christopher D , Korman Tony , Kotsanas Despina , Burgner David P , Tan Kenneth
Published: March 2018

Aim

Meningitis may complicate neonatal sepsis, but there is scant evidence to inform the decision to perform a lumbar puncture (LP) and considerable variation in practice. We investigated whether inflammatory markers − C‐reactive protein (CRP) and immature‐to‐total neutrophil ratio (ITR) – were predictive of meningitis or significant cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis and useful in guiding the decision to perform a LP.

Methods

We studied all inpatients in a single tertiary neonatal unit who were <6 months of age who had a LP performed between March 2011 and October 2014. We categorised CSF results as follows: (i) culture‐positive meningitis; (ii) probable culture‐negative meningitis but meeting a priori criteria for significant CSF leucocytosis; or (iii) no evidence of meningitis. CRP and ITR obtained within 48 h of LP were analysed. We assessed the test performance of CRP and ITR by area under receiver operating characteristic curves.

Results

A total of 757 (male 471, 62.2%) infants were included. The median (interquartile range) gestational age was 38.4 weeks (30–40.3), and birthweight was 2940 g (1330–3560). Ten (1.3%) infants had culture‐positive meningitis; 71 (9.4%) were classified as probable culture‐negative meningitis and 676 (89.3%) as non‐meningitis. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve for culture‐positive and probable culture‐negative meningitis was 0.43 for CRP (95% confidence interval 0.36–0.51) and 0.58 for ITR (0.51–0.65). At a CRP threshold of 30 mg/L, there was a positive likelihood ratio (LR) of 0.77 and a negative LR of 1.44.

Conclusions

CRP and ITR perform poorly in identifying infants with confirmed or probable meningitis. The decision to perform an LP should be more focused on clinical grounds and/or a positive blood culture and less on inflammatory or haematological markers in isolation.
Global public goods and coalition formation under matching mechanisms
Authors: Liu Weifeng
Published: March 2018

This paper links coalition theory with matching mechanisms in the presence of global public goods among heterogeneous players. This matching coalition may achieve Pareto‐improving outcomes while avoiding side payments. The paper characterizes conditions of coalition profitability and stability at both interior and corner equilibria. It is generally much harder to satisfy stability conditions than profitability conditions. A matching coalition is more profitable but less stable with a larger matching rate. Empirically there is no stable coalition but this can be overcome by introducing reputation mechanisms. There always exists a stable grand matching coalition if players value their reputation. The matching coalition faces a trade‐off between matching depth and breadth.
Copaiba oil enhances in vitro/in vivo cutaneous permeability and in vivo anti-inflammatory effect of celecoxib
Authors: Quiñones Oliesia Gonzalez , Hossy Bryan Hudson , Padua Tatiana Almeida , Miguel Nádia Campos de Oliveira , Rosas Elaine Cruz , Ramos Mônica Freiman de Souza , Pierre Maria Bernadete Riemma
Published: March 2018

Objectives

The aim of this article was to use copaiba oil (C.O) to improve skin permeability and topical anti-inflammatory activity of celecoxib (Cxb).

Methods

Formulations containing C.O (1–50%) were associated with Cxb (2%). In vitro skin permeability studies were conducted using porcine ear skin. Histological analysis of the hairless mice skin samples after application of formulations was achieved with the routine haematoxylin/eosin technique. The anti-inflammatory activity was assessed using the AA-induced ear oedema mice model.

Key findings

The formulation containing 25% C.O promoted the highest levels of in vitro Cxb permeation through pig ear skin, retention in the stratum corneum (SC) and epidermis/dermis of pig ear skin in vitro (~5-fold) and hairless mice skin in vivo (~2.0-fold), as compared with the control formulation. At 25%, C.O caused SC disorganization and increased cell infiltration and induced angiogenesis without clear signs of skin irritation. The formulation added to 25% C.O as adjuvant inhibited ear oedema and protein extravasation by 77.51 and 89.7%, respectively, and that it was, respectively, 2.0- and 3.4-fold more efficient than the commercial diethylammonium diclofenac cream gel to suppress these inflammatory parameters.

Conclusions

25% C.O is a potential penetration enhancer for lipophilic drugs like Cxb that can improve cutaneous drug penetration and its anti-inflammatory activity.
English Learners’ Use of Segmental and Suprasegmental Cues to Stress in Lexical Access: An Eye‐Tracking Study
Authors: Connell Katrina , Hüls Simone , Martínez‐García Maria Teresa , Qin Zhen , Shin Seulgi , Yan Hanbo , Tremblay Annie
Published: March 2018

This study investigated the use of segmental and suprasegmental cues to lexical stress in word recognition by Mandarin‐speaking English learners, Korean‐speaking English learners, and native English listeners. Unlike English and Mandarin, Korean does not have lexical stress. Participants completed a visual‐world eye‐tracking experiment that examined whether listeners’ word recognition is constrained by suprasegmental cues to stress alone or by a combination of segmental and suprasegmental cues. Results showed that English listeners used both suprasegmental cues alone and segmental and suprasegmental cues together to recognize English words, with the effect of stress being greater for combined cues. Conversely, Mandarin listeners used stress in lexical access only when stress was signaled by suprasegmental cues alone, and Korean listeners did so only when stress was signaled by segmental and suprasegmental cues together. These results highlight the importance of a cue‐based approach to the study of stress in word recognition.

Open Practices

This article has been awarded an Open Materials badge. All materials are publicly accessible via the IRIS Repository athttps://www.iris-database.org. Learn more about the Open Practices badges from the Center for Open Science:https://osf.io/tvyxz/wiki.
Altering Neurospora crassa MOB2A exposes its functions in development and affects its interaction with the NDR kinase COT1
Authors: Aharoni‐Kats Liran , Zelinger Einat , Chen She , Yarden Oded
Published: March 2018

The Neurospora crassa Mps One Binder (MOB) proteins MOB2A and MOB2B physically interact with the Nuclear Dbf2 Related (NDR) kinase COT1 and have been shown to have overlapping functions in various aspects of asexual development. Here, we identified two N. crassa MOB2A residues, Tyr117 and Tyr119, which are potentially phosphorylated. Using phosphomimetic mob‐2a mutants we have been able to establish that apart from their previously described roles, MOB2A/B are involved in additional developmental processes. Enhanced conidial germination, accompanied by conidial agglutination, in the phosphomimetic mutants indicated that MOB2A is a negative regulator of germination. Thick‐section imaging of perithecia revealed slow maturation and a lack of asci alignment in the mutant strains demonstrating a role for MOB2A in sexual development. We demonstrate that even though MOB2A and MOB2B have some overlapping functions, MOB2B cannot compensate for the roles MOB2A has in conidiation and germination. Altering Tyr residues 117 and 119 impaired the physical interactions between MOB2A and COT1, most likely contributing to some of the observed effects. As cot‐1 and the phosphomimetic mutants share an extragenic suppressor (gul‐1), we concluded that at least some of the effects imposed by altering Tyr117 and Tyr119 are mediated by the NDR kinase.
Fungal diseases in children and adolescents in a referral centre in Bogota, Colombia
Authors: Alvarado Zulma , Pereira Claudia
Published: March 2018

A cross‐sectional descriptive study was conducted at a dermatology referral centre in Bogotá, to estimate the frequencies and aetiologies of mycoses in the population under 18 years of age attending the medical mycology laboratory over a 13‐year period (2000‐2012). A total of 1337 samples from 1221 patients were evaluated, involving direct examination and culture for 1279 samples, direct examination alone for 50 and culture alone for 8. During the study period, dermatophytosis was diagnosed via culture in 537 cases (40.1%). The most common aetiological agents were Trichophyton rubrum (235 cases), Microsporum canis (177), Trichophyton mentagrophytes (74) and Microsporum gypseum (22). Pityriasis versicolor was found in 31 cases (5.1%), Candida spp. were found in 17 cases, and non‐dermatophyte moulds were confirmed by a second sample in 6 cases (3 cases involving Fusarium spp., 2 Neoscytalidium dimidiatum and 1 Acremonium spp.). In addition, white piedra was diagnosed in 4 cases (0.7%), and tinea nigra in 2 cases (0.3%). Regarding subcutaneous mycoses, 14 cases of sporotrichosis were identified. The results from this study confirm the predominance of dermatophytosis in the paediatric population. T. rubrum and M. canis were the main aetiological agents. We found a few cases of onychomycosis by non‐dermatophyte moulds. Sporotrichosis was the only subcutaneous mycosis diagnosed during the study period.
Ambient aerosol increases minimum leaf conductance and alters the aperture–flux relationship as stomata respond to vapor pressure deficit (VPD)
Authors: Grantz David A. , Zinsmeister Daniel , Burkhardt Juergen
Published: March 2018

Aerosols are important components of the global plant environment, with beneficial and deleterious impacts. The direct effects of aerosol deposition on plant–water relationships remain poorly characterized but potentially important.

Vicia faba was grown in ambient urban air and in the same air with aerosol excluded, in a moderately polluted environment using two exposure protocols. Simultaneous measurement of gas exchange and stomatal pore aperture was combined with leaf dehydration kinetics and microscopic evaluation of leaf wetness formation and aerosol deposition patterns.

The ambient aerosol was shown to be hygroscopic. Aerosol exposure increased minimum leaf conductance, shown by dehydration kinetics, and nocturnal water vapor flux, shown by dark‐adapted gas exchange. Aerosol exposure decreased stomatal apertures at each level of vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and increased stomatal conductance at comparable levels of aperture. Overall, these effects were modest, and largest when stomata were wide open.

The uncoupling of conductance (flux‐based) from aperture (directly measured microscopically) implies that aerosol‐induced water loss is not fully under stomatal control. This reduces drought tolerance and may provide a mechanism by which deposited aerosol plays a direct role in stomatal response to VPD.
Systematics and phylogeny of Vasseuromys (Mammalia, Rodentia, Gliridae) with a description of a new species from the late Miocene of eastern Europe
Authors: Sinitsa Maxim V. , Nesin Valentin A.
Published: March 2018

Vasseuromys is a species‐rich genus of small‐ to medium‐sized glirids spanning the latest Oligocene to late Miocene of Europe and western Asia. Despite extensive discoveries over the past 50 years, little phylogenetic work has been done on Vasseuromys. This study presents the first phylogenetic analysis of the genus that includes all the described species and a new taxon Vasseuromys tectus sp. nov. from the late Miocene of eastern Europe, providing the first insights into the evolutionary relationships within the clade. Results suggest that the genus is clearly paraphyletic. Two strongly supported genus‐level clades are recognized within ‘Vasseuromys’: a restricted Vasseuromys clade (containing the three species, V. pannonicus, V. rugosus and V. tectus) and the Glirulus clade that includes ‘Vasseuromys’ duplex. The remaining ‘Vasseuromys’ species are found to constitute a set of paraphyletic taxa, with the polyphyletic ‘Ramys’ nested within it. The genus Gliruloides is synonymized with Glirulus. Vasseuromys tectus sp. nov. is the most derived member of the genus in having a greater number of cheek teeth ridges including constantly present anterotrope, centrotrope, second prototrope on M1–2, third metatrope on M2, two to three posterotropids on p4 and strong ectolophids on lower molars. The results of the study confirm a European origin for Vasseuromys while suggesting that the late Miocene species of the genus dispersed from the east in the early Turolian.
Fiscal Institutional Externalities: The Negative Effects of Local Tax and Expenditure Limits on Municipal Budgetary Solvency
Authors: Jimenez Benedict S.
Published: March 2018

This study explores the effects of state‐imposed local tax and expenditure limits or TELs on the budgetary solvency of city governments in the US. Most local TELs were enacted in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and have remained largely unchanged in the last three to four decades. These quasi‐permanent fiscal institutions do not take into account changes in voters’ fiscal policy preferences across time or the possibility of external fiscal shocks that require flexibility in changing tax and spending policies. Without this flexibility, TELs can lead to poor financial management practices that negatively affect budgetary solvency. The empirical analysis produces strong evidence supporting this argument. Whether TELs are assumed to be exogenously or endogenously determined, the results of the econometric analysis, including various robustness tests, indicate that TELs weaken city budgetary solvency.
Effects of temperature and water availability on light energy utilization in photosynthetic processes of Deschampsia antarctica
Authors: Sáez Patricia L. , Rivera Betsy K. , Ramírez Constanza F. , Vallejos Valentina , Cavieres Lohengrin A. , Corcuera Luis J. , Bravo León A.
Published: March 2018

Regional climate change in Antarctica would favor the carbon assimilation of Antarctic vascular plants, since rising temperatures are approaching their photosynthetic optimum (10–19°C). This could be detrimental for photoprotection mechanisms, mainly those associated with thermal dissipation, making plants more susceptible to eventual drought predicted by climate change models. With the purpose to study the effect of temperature and water availability on light energy utilization and putative adjustments in photoprotective mechanisms of Deschampsia antarctica Desv., plants were collected from two Antarctic provenances: King George Island and Lagotellerie Island. Plants were cultivated at 5, 10 and 16°C under well‐watered (WW) and water‐deficit (WD, at 35% of the field capacity) conditions. Chlorophyll fluorescence, pigment content and de‐epoxidation state were evaluated. Regardless of provenances, D. antarctica showed similar morphological, biochemical and functional responses to growth temperature. Higher temperature triggered an increase in photochemical activity (i.e. electron transport rate and photochemical quenching), and a decrease in thermal dissipation capacity (i.e. lower xanthophyll pool, Chl a/b and β carotene/neoxanthin ratios). Leaf mass per unit area was reduced at higher temperature, and was only affected in plants exposed to WD at 16°C and exhibiting lower electron transport rate and amount of chlorophylls. D. antarctica is adapted to frequent freezing events, which may induce a form of physiological water stress. Photoprotective responses observed under WD contribute to maintain a stable photochemical activity. Thus, it is possible that short‐term temperature increases could favor the photochemical activity of this species. However, long‐term effects will depend on the magnitude of changes and the plant's ability to adjust to new growth temperature.
The Swedish policy approach to directed mutagenesis in a European context
Authors: Eriksson Dennis
Published: March 2018

This review describes the Swedish approach to directed mutagenesis in plants and puts it in a comparative European perspective. Directed mutagenesis is accomplished by a number of genome editing techniques; however, the legal status of these techniques and their resulting products is uncertain in the European Union (EU) as there is no political consensus on whether or not these should be regulated as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). A number of cases have developed over the past few years, putting the GMO regulatory framework to the test. These include oilseed rape developed by oligonucleotide‐directed mutagenesis, Arabidopsis developed by clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat‐Cas9, and the case on mutagenesis for which the French Court requested a preliminary ruling from the Court of Justice of the EU. In this review, the involvement of the Swedish Government and governmental authorities in these cases is described and compared with that of other EU member states and/or EU entity statements and reports. Various approaches to the definition of recombinant nucleic acids are also discussed, as this is crucial for the EU GMO definition thus affecting the legal status of products developed by directed mutagenesis.
Prior knowledge of category size impacts visual search
Authors: Wu Rachel , McGee Brianna , Echiverri Chelsea , Zinszer Benjamin D.
Published: March 2018

Prior research has shown that category search can be similar to one‐item search (as measured by the N2pc ERP marker of attentional selection) for highly familiar, smaller categories (e.g., letters and numbers) because the finite set of items in a category can be grouped into one unit to guide search. Other studies have shown that larger, more broadly defined categories (e.g., healthy food) also can elicit N2pc components during category search, but the amplitude of these components is typically attenuated. Two experiments investigated whether the perceived size of a familiar category impacts category and exemplar search. We presented participants with 16 familiar company logos: 8 from a smaller category (social media companies) and 8 from a larger category (entertainment/recreation manufacturing companies). The ERP results from Experiment 1 revealed that, in a two‐item search array, search was more efficient for the smaller category of logos compared to the larger category. In a four‐item search array (Experiment 2), where two of the four items were placeholders, search was largely similar between the category types, but there was more attentional capture by nontarget members from the same category as the target for smaller rather than larger categories. These results support a growing literature on how prior knowledge of categories affects attentional selection and capture during visual search. We discuss the implications of these findings in relation to assessing cognitive abilities across the lifespan, given that prior knowledge typically increases with age.
Histological and immunohistochemical investigations of ovarian interstitial glands during non‐breeding season in camels (Camelus dromedarius)
Authors: Awad MM , Mohamed RH , Amin YA , Hussein HA
Published: March 2018

Contents

The aim of this was to investigate the histology and immunohistochemistry of interstitial glands during non‐breeding season in camel ovaries. A total of 21 mature, non‐pregnant and apparently healthy camels aged between 8 and 12 years were slaughtered. The ovaries were removed within 15 min, cleaned from adipose tissue, weighted and examined grossly. The histological preparation was made, and then, the blocks were cut at 3–5 microns thickness and stained by H&E for histological examinations. Moreover, some sections were stained with Sudan Black for lipid detection. Immunohistochemical analysis of paraffin‐embedded ovarian tissues was performed to detect the localization of S‐100, vimentin, progesterone receptors (PR) and oestrogen receptors (ER). Immunoreactive signals were detected using UltraVision Detection System. The results revealed that the interstitial glands were located in the cortical region and they were arranged in various arrangements either single, in couple or in groups rich in lipid droplet. All interstitial gland arrangements were enclosed by connective tissue capsules containing fibroblasts and collagenous fibres separated them from the surrounding ovarian structures. Both interstitial glands and their surrounding CT were penetrated by several blood vessels. There was a strong immunoreactive signal for S‐100 in the nuclei of interstitial cells, and no signals were detected either in cells of the interstitial glands or their connective tissue with PR. We could conclude that the interstitial gland is distinct in ovary of camel and further studies are needed to elucidate its rule in steroid synthesis.
The Greek library of Giannozzo Manetti (1396–1459): his collection and his Greek studies
Authors: den Haan Annet
Published: March 2018

Greek studies were central to the movement of fifteenth‐century Italian humanism, as the humanists claimed themselves. But before 1450, Greek manuscripts were scarce, and many humanists were more enthusiastic about learning the language in theory than in practice. The case of Giannozzo Manetti (1396–1459) helps us understand the nature of humanist Greek studies in practice in this period. My study of Manetti's Greek skills is based on his collection of Greek manuscripts, which have been preserved as a set among the Palatini graeci in the Vatican Library. I compare the way he collected and used his Greek manuscripts with his use of Greek sources in his Latin writings. Whereas Manetti hardly used Greek sources in the 1430s and 1440s, after 1450 he produced new Latin translations from the Greek. I suggest that this change could result from a sudden improvement in his Greek skills, but also from a different modus operandi in the case of his original Latin compositions as opposed to his translations.
Managing the Disruptive and Sustaining the Disrupted: The Case of Kodak and Fujifilm in the Face of Digital Disruption
Authors: Ho Jonathan C. , Chen Hongyi
Published: March 2018

Valuable lessons can be learned from the comparison between Kodak and Fujifilm in terms of how the two companies confronted the digital disruption, with one failing and the other thriving. Through a series of theoretical propositions rooted in literature and tested with case studies on Kodak and Fujifilm, this article suggests a systematic way for incumbent firms to navigate technological disruptions. A disruptive technological change does not necessarily render all technological competences embedded in the firm's products obsolete. Further, a competence disrupted in the home market does not have to be abandoned. By analyzing a firm's technological system and closely studying its innovation capability, an incumbent can nurture certain technological competences and diversify into new fields where such competences are valued and can distinguish the firm from its competitors. The challenge lies in a timely redefining of the firm's core business and restructuring the organization to ensure consistent execution of the strategies.
The expansion of “crimmigration,” mass detention, and deportation
Authors: Menjívar Cecilia , Gómez Cervantes Andrea , Alvord Daniel
Published: March 2018

In recent years, the deportation and detention of immigrants has become a common phenomenon around the world. In this article, we shed light on the global expansion of crimmigration (the increasingly blurring of lines between immigration and criminal laws) and examine in depth the United States as an example of this trend. Crimmigration scholarship has largely focused on the processes in which laws, media narratives, and political discourses criminalize undocumented immigrants. We summarize the literature that demonstrates how these processes are predicated on the racialization and gendering of certain immigrants, in the United States and elsewhere. Using the US case as an example, we discuss how criminalization practices are closely tied to for profit prison interests. Finally, we provide suggestions for future research to critically examine the criminalization of immigration and immigrants.
Is Out of Sight out of Mind? Place Attachment among Rural Youth Out‐Migrants
Authors: Pedersen Helle Dalsgaard
Published: March 2018

The article adds to the literature on youth migration within a rapidly changing rural society. Insights are presented on how multiple place attachment is reflected in the context of rural‐to‐urban migration in the lives of 14 Danish rural youth out‐migrants. Findings demonstrate that out‐migrants’ attachment to their rural childhood place must be considered ambivalent, in particular regarding how the young people identify with the places, as these are experienced as both nurturing and isolating and safe and restricted. This reveals the multidimensionality of the young people's relationship with place, as these contain both positive and negative elements, which are equally meaningful and contribute to place attachment. Further, the article contributes to the place attachment literature by offering insights into the significance of continuity in the context of migration, as old relationships and rural identities provide significant stability within the young people's lives and constitute important elements in their identities and multiple place attachment.
Economising the Rural: How New Markets and Property Rights Transform Rural Economies
Authors: Dobeson Alexander
Published: March 2018

How do new markets and property rights transform rural economies? Based on an ethnographic case study of the Icelandic fisheries, this article shows how the organisation of markets for fishing rights and fresh fish has transformed the rural periphery into a globally entangled site of investments, valuation and exchange. The empirical material shows, on one hand, how the economisation of the traditional small‐boat fisheries has disentangled locally bound fishers into independent market actors and investors; and on the other hand, how daily economic coping re‐entangles fishers into a new web of money‐mediated relations and debt that pushes them to economise their operations for the purpose of increasing profit‐making in order to stay afloat. While economisation has led to a general valorisation of small boats and the construction of a ‘quality’‐oriented market niche, fishing communities of the rural periphery maintain their struggle to survive in a new and volatile culture of liberal rural capitalism.
Developing a social functional account of laughter
Authors: Wood Adrienne , Niedenthal Paula
Published: March 2018

Laughter is ubiquitous, universal, and variable. This article develops a social functional account to explain the many physical forms laughter takes and the many social contexts in which it occurs. In contrast to previous perspectives that emphasize the internal state of the producer or the eliciting context, the current social functional account distinguishes laughter according to the behavioral intentions it conveys and the behavioral response it elicits in the recipient. The general function of human and nonhuman laughter is to signal harmless intentions, and within this function, we identify 3 distinct social tasks accomplished by human laughter. We propose that the first social function of laughter, both evolutionarily and developmentally, is to reward the behavior of others and reinforce the ongoing interaction. The second task accomplished by laughter is the easing of social tension and signaling of affiliation and nonthreat. A third form of laughter nonconfrontationally enforces social norms, negotiates status, and corrects undesirable behavior in others by conveying dominance or superiority. We propose that the acoustic modulations that communicate these social intentions follow principles common to human and nonhuman vocal signaling.
Cytomegalovirus infection in heart transplantation: A single center experience
Authors: Echenique Ignacio A. , Angarone Michael P. , Rich Jonathan D. , Anderson Allen S. , Stosor Valentina
Published: March 2018

Background

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection remains a major complication after heart transplantation with varying prophylaxis strategies employed. We sought to determine the impact of valganciclovir (VGC) duration on the epidemiology of CMV infections after heart transplantation.

Methods

We performed a prospective cohort study of CMV donor (D) or recipient (R) seropositive heart transplant recipients from 2005 to 2012 who completed VGC prophylaxis, ranging from 3 to 12 months according to serostatus and induction immunosuppression. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was performed.

Results

Among 159 heart transplant recipients during the study period, 130 (82%) were eligible for VGC prophylaxis. CMV D/R serostatus was as follows: 24% D+/R−, 30% D+/R+, and 29% D−/R+. 65% and 21% received basiliximab and thymoglobulin induction, respectively, followed by maintenance tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisone. Twenty‐one (16%) recipients suffered CMV infection. There was no association with comorbidities including diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, or mechanical assist devices, nor were there associations with rejection, treatments of rejection, or mortality. When VGC prophylaxis duration was stratified by ≤6 vs ≥12 months, time from heart transplantation to CMV infection was delayed (median 247 vs 452 days, P = .002) but there was no difference in days from VGC discontinuation to onset of CMV infection (median 72 vs 83 days, P = .31). CMV infection occurred most frequently within 6‐16 weeks of VGC cessation, and 95% of infections occurred during the 6 months post‐prophylaxis period.

Conclusions

Relative to ≤6 months, ≥12 months of VGC did not reduce incidence of CMV infection and only delayed time to onset. 95% of CMV infection occurs within 6 months after cessation of VGC.
Using dynamic clamp to quantify pathological changes in the excitability of primary somatosensory neurons
Authors: Takkala Petri , Prescott Steven A.
Published: March 2018

Key points

Primary somatosensory neurons normally respond to somatic depolarization with transient spiking but can switch to repetitive spiking under pathological conditions. This switch in spiking pattern reflects a qualitative change in spike initiation dynamics and contributes to the hyperexcitability associated with chronic pain.

Neurons can be converted to repetitive spiking by adding a virtual conductance using dynamic clamp. By titrating the conductance to determine how much must be added to cause repetitive spiking, we found that small cells are more susceptible to switching (i.e. required less added conductance) than medium–large cells.

By measuring how much less conductance is required to cause repetitive spiking when dynamic clamp was combined with other pathomimetic manipulations (e.g. application of inflammatory mediators), we measured how much each manipulation facilitated repetitive spiking.

Our results suggest that many pathological factors facilitate repetitive spiking but that the switch to repetitive spiking requires the cumulative effect of many co‐occurring factors.

Primary somatosensory neurons become hyperexcitable in many chronic pain conditions. Hyperexcitability can include a switch from transient to repetitive spiking during sustained somatic depolarization. This switch results from diverse pathological processes that impact ion channel expression or function. Because multiple pathological processes co‐occur, isolating how much each contributes to switching the spiking pattern is difficult. Our approach to this challenge involves adding a virtual sodium conductance via dynamic clamp. The magnitude of that conductance was titrated to determine the minimum required to enable rheobasic stimulation to evoke repetitive spiking. The minimum required conductance, termed , was re‐measured before and during manipulations designed to model various pathological processes in vitro. The reduction in caused by each pathomimetic manipulation reflects how much the modelled process contributes to switching the spiking pattern. We found that elevating extracellular potassium or applying inflammatory mediators reduced whereas direct hyperpolarization had no effect. Inflammatory mediators reduced more in medium–large (>30 μm diameter) neurons than in small (⩽30 μm diameter) neurons, but had equivalent effects in cutaneous and muscle afferents. The repetitive spiking induced by dynamic clamp was also found to differ between small and medium–large neurons, thus revealing latent differences in adaptation. Our study demonstrates a novel way to determine to what extent individual pathological factors facilitate repetitive spiking. Our results suggest that most factors facilitate but do not cause repetitive spiking on their own, and, therefore, that a switch to repetitive spiking results from the cumulative effect of many co‐occurring factors.
Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry—A method to evaluate plasma-modified three-dimensional scaffold chemistry
Authors: Taylor Michael J. , Aitchison Hannah , Hawker Morgan J. , Mann Michelle N. , Fisher Ellen R. , Graham Daniel. J. , Gamble Lara. J.
Published: March 2018

Biopolymers are used extensively in the manufacture of porous scaffolds for a variety of biological applications. The surfaces of these scaffolds are often modified to encourage specific interactions such as surface modification of scaffolds to prevent fouling or to promote a cell supportive environment for tissue engineering implants. However, few techniques can effectively characterize the uniformity of surface modifications in a porous scaffold. By filling the scaffold pores through polymer embedding, followed by analysis with imaging time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), the distribution and composition of surface chemical species though complex porous scaffolds can be characterized. This method is demonstrated on poly(caprolactone) scaffolds modified with a low-fouling plasma-deposited coating from octafluoropropane via plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. A gradient distribution of CF+/CF3+ is observed for scaffolds plasma treated for 5 min, whereas a 20 min treatment results in more uniform distribution of the surface modification throughout the entire scaffold. The authors expect this approach to be widely applicable for ToF-SIMS analysis of scaffolds modified by multiple plasma processing techniques as well as alternative surface modification approaches.
Comment on “Synovial fibroblast-neutrophil interactions promote pathogenic adaptive immunity in rheumatoid arthritis”
Authors: Shi Jing , Andrade Felipe
Published: March 2018

Discrepancies on the role of citrullination in the induction of experimental arthritis by neutrophils extracellular traps.
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Bacteria of Veterinary Origin
Authors: Watts Jeffrey L. , Sweeney Michael T. , Lubbers Brian V.
Published: March 2018

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing is an essential tool to the veterinarian for selecting the most appropriate agent for treatment of bacterial diseases of animals. The availability of well-defined methods that incorporate the necessary quality controls coupled to clinical outcome data is foundational in providing relevant test results for clinical decisions. Since 1993, the Clinical Laboratory and Standards Institute (CLSI) Subcommittee on Veterinary Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (VAST) has developed specific test methods and interpretive criteria for veterinary pathogens. This information has allowed for veterinarians to more effectively treat animal diseases thereby protecting both animal welfare and human food security. Moreover, the availability of standardized test methods for veterinary pathogens has allowed for the development of antimicrobial surveillance programs to detect the emergence of resistance among veterinary pathogens. Future work by the VAST and other groups will be critical to expanding the current test methods and interpretive criteria to more pathogen-antibacterial combinations, as well as, the incorporation of genomic information for routine antimicrobial susceptibility testing in the veterinary diagnostic laboratory.