bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
President's Message
Authors: O'Brien Patricia E.
Published: February 2018

To assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women; by authorizing enforcement of the standards developed under the Act; by assisting and encouraging the States in their efforts to assure safe and healthful working conditions; by providing for research, information, education, and training in the field of occupational safety and health; and for other purposes.

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970
Synovial fluid levels of TWEAK and matrix metalloproteinase 1 in patients with osteoarthritis, and associations with disease severity
Authors: Hwang Il-Yeong , Youm Yoon-Seok , Cho Sung-Do , Choi Seung-Won , Bae Mun-Hee , Park Seon-Jae , Kim Han-Wook
Published: February 2018

Purpose:

This study assessed the levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor–like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) and matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1) in the synovial fluid from osteoarthritic knees to determine their role as well as the relationship between these levels and the severity of osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods:

Synovial fluid was obtained from 44 knees of 40 patients. The Kellgren–Lawrence (KL) grade was measured using radiograph. The concentration of TWEAK and MMP-1 in the synovial fluid was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The underlying inflammatory factors (erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein) were also measured. We analyzed the correlation between the factors measured. In addition, the samples were subdivided into three groups according to OA severity using the KL grade, and the differences in TWEAK and MMP-1 levels between groups were analyzed.

Results:

The TWEAK and MMP-1 levels in the synovial fluid showed a positive correlation with each other. The TWEAK and MMP-1 levels were compared between the three groups according to the KL grade, and the levels showed a significant difference. A post hoc test demonstrated that the group with advanced OA showed a lower concentration of both factors when compared to groups with early OA.

Conclusion:

The concentration of TWEAK and MMP-1 in the synovial fluid were relatively high in the early stage of OA, and the levels decreased as the OA progressed.
Incomplete articular-side repair increase re-tear rate in full-thickness rotator cuff tears
Authors: Kim Kyung Cheon , Lee Woo-Yong , Shin Hyun Dae , Han Sun-Cheol
Published: February 2018

Purpose:

This study compared the functional outcome and repair integrity of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair according to articular-side repair state in full-thickness tears.

Methods:

We prospectively enrolled 80 consecutive patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears of 1.5–3.5 cm at the anterior to posterior dimension. These patients were divided into two groups according to intraoperative articular-side repair state during operation: complete and incomplete repair groups. Repair integrity was evaluated at 6 months after the operation by magnetic resonance image or ultrasonography. Clinical outcomes were evaluated at 1 year and 2 years postoperatively. Four outcome measures were used in this study: visual analog scale pain score, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, the Shoulder Rating Scale of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) score, and range of motion.

Results:

At 2-year follow-up, the average UCLA, ASES, and constant score improved significantly to 32.46, 87.94, and 79.69, respectively, in the complete group and to 32.50, 87.65, and 78.92, respectively, in the incomplete group. The UCLA, ASES, and constant score improved in both groups postoperatively (all ps < 0.000); however, there was no significant difference between the two groups ( p = 0.960, 0.921, and 0.796, respectively). The re-tear rate was 13.7% in the shoulders that underwent complete repair and 33.3% in the shoulders that underwent incomplete repair; this difference was statistically significant ( p = 0.041).

Conclusion:

Regardless of the repair state of articular-side rotator cuff, the arthroscopic rotator cuff repair resulted in comparable functional outcomes between two groups at short-term follow-up. However, patients who repaired articular-side rotator cuff incompletely revealed higher re-tear rate after operation than those who repaired completely.
The mathematical structure of Alexander’s A Pattern Language: An analysis of the role of invariant patterns
Authors: Dawes Michael J , Ostwald Michael J
Published: February 2018

In 1977 Christopher Alexander and his colleagues from the Centre for Environmental Structure published A Pattern Language, an innovative design guide aimed at restoring life and beauty to the built environment. Since then, A Pattern Language has become one of the most widely read architectural treatises ever published. However, despite its popularity, the structure of A Pattern Language remains poorly understood. In response to this situation, this paper uses graph theory to examine Alexander’s language including the entire set of 253 patterns and over 1800 relationships between them. Through this mathematical analysis the paper tests two hypotheses about the ‘invariant patterns’ Alexander was most confident in. The first hypothesis tests whether invariant patterns occupy more prominent positions within the language, and the second tests whether invariant patterns form a core structure within the language that supports less developed patterns. Through this process the paper illuminates several previously unconsidered aspects of the structure of A Pattern Language while providing the first graphic representation of the entire underlying structure that unites the individual patterns into a coherent language.
What drives consumers in China to buy clothing online? Application of the technology acceptance model
Authors: Wei Zhenqian , Lee Min-Young , Shen Hong
Published: February 2018

An enormous number of Internet users have made China a profitable e-commerce marketplace, and clothing is one of the most frequently purchased items. This study explores the predictors of consumers’ motivation to buy clothing online in China by extending the technology acceptance model. Data were collected via an online questionnaire, resulting in 504 returned responses. The results indicate that perceived usefulness has a significant effect on consumers’ intention to buy clothing online; however, no direct relationship between perceived ease of use and buying intention was found. Furthermore, perceived convenience, perceived money saving, and perceived time-saving can explain why consumers perceive buying clothing online as useful, and these perceptions have positive effects on buying intention. Additionally, the findings imply that fashion innovativeness and friend circles significantly influence consumers’ intention to purchase clothing online. This article discusses the results and provides recommendations for implication and future research.
Ketamine as anaesthesia for ECT: is there room to improve a gold standard treatment?
Authors: Andrade Chittaranjan
Published: February 2018

One meta-analysis of ketamine anaesthesia for electroconvulsive therapy found no improvement of end-point antidepressant outcomes; another meta-analysis with a broader range of included trials found that ketamine improved both early and late outcomes. If ketamine anaesthesia is useful, researchers may need to look for benefits earlier during the treatment course.

Declaration of interest

None.
Pathological Appearances observed in the Brains of the Insane
Authors: Balfour W. G.
Published: February 2018

In the “Journal of Mental Science” for October, 1870, Dr. Howden, the Superintendent of the Montrose Asylum, published an analysis of the lesions observed by him in the brains of 235 persons who died insane, and expressed a hope that some uniform method of arranging the morbid appearances found in the insane after death would be adopted by Psychologists, so as to render of scientific value the postmortem records of the different asylums, and be a ready means of reference to any one working at special lesions. Dr. Tuke, in an appendix to the annual report of the Fife and Kinross Asylum for 1871, followed the plan proposed by Dr. Howden, and arranged in a tabular form the lesions found by him in the brains of 75 insane persons. With the sanction of Dr. Marshall, I collected and arranged, in a similar way, the lesions observed in the brains of 390 women who died in Colney Hatch. From these sources Table I. has been formed. It shows the lesions and their frequency in the brains of 700 people who died insane, and although its value is greatly lessened by the absence of the history, symptoms, and form of insanity under which the patients laboured, still it gives the changes from health to disease, which are, to a certain extent, peculiar to insanity.
Remarks on Crime and Criminals
Authors: Maudsley Henry
Published: February 2018

There is a growing disposition in some quarters to look on every criminal as an unsound person having a special neurosis; to discover, diagnostic evidence of the criminal nature in the conformation of the head and face, and in defective structure of brain; and to demand in consequence that criminals should not be punished as responsible, but treated as diseased, beings. It is a tendency against which, in the interests of true psychology, a timely protest may well be made; for its interests cannot in the end be served by pretensions to a knowledge which it is far from possessing and by unwarrantable claims to authority based upon such pretensions. If all criminals are, as the theory postulates, of defective or diseased mental organization, we must needs go on to acknowledge that few, if any, persons are well formed or sound mentally. Every Christian who listens reverently to the reading of the Ten Commandments and prays devoutly that God will incline his heart to keep them, feels, or ought to feel if he be in earnest, that he has in him the potentiality of committing every crime or sin forbidden by them. That he does not commit a particular crime which another person does is not owing always to a stronger and better nature in him, nor to an opportune infusion of prevenient grace, but to the absence of the adequate temptation in the circumstances of his life and calling. Time and the occasion count for much in the production of crime, as in the production of other human events; and it is quite possible that behind the crime of one who succumbs to an overwhelming temptation there may sometimes lie more merit than in the open virtue of another who has never been greatly tempted.
General Paralysis and Traumatism. [Paralysie Générale et Traumatisme]. (Rev. Neur., No. 22, October, 1915.) Benon, R.
Authors: Cole Sydney J.
Published: February 2018

This prolific writer here surveys the diverse opinions of authors respecting the significance of injury in the ætiology of general paralysis, since the first description of the disease by Bayle in 1822, and gives eighty-four references. He considers that injury can act neither as a determining nor as a predisposing cause, and that it is very doubtful whether it can act even as an occasioning cause. Injury can, of course, accelerate or aggravate a pre-existing general paralysis, but it is not certain that it can give rise to the disease, even in a syphilitic subject. On this point, scientifically, an attitude of the greatest reserve is necessary, but for medico-legal purposes it is often right that an injured person should have the benefit of the doubt. The writer sets forth the differential diagnosis between traumatic dementia (strictly so-called) and post-traumatic general paralysis. His account of the medico-legal aspects of the question is mainly of French interest.
The Diagnosis of “War Psychoses” (Arch. of Near, and Psychiat., vol. 2, no. 2, August, 1919.) McPherson, G. E., and Hohman, L. B.
Authors: Devine H.
Published: February 2018

The writers consider that many diagnostic mistakes were made in war psychoses owing to the tendency to crowd cases into one of the two great pigeon-holes, manic-depressive insanity or dementia præcox, and that in many instances little attempt was made to understand the cases as reactions in terms of personality, conflicts and wishes. Many cases showing symptoms of these psychoses occurred in unadaptable individuals and the disorder readily cleared up upon removal to hospital. Many illustrative cases are given which enable the writers to conclude that: (1) affective disorders were frequently mistaken for dementia præcox; (2) psychoses showing typical schizophrenic development had recognisable benign features; (3) acute confusional hallucinatory psychoses with fear were incorrectly diagnosed as dementia præcox; (4) acute paranoia was a relatively common psychosis; (5) the distinction between psychosis and psychoneurosis is untenable.
Insanity and its Treatment
Authors: Maudsley Henry
Published: February 2018

I have felt no little difficulty in choosing a subject for the remarks which it is my privilege, in the honourable position of President, now to address to you. Those who have preceded me in the office have, in their several discourses, treated so fully of the most important matters relating to the department of the specialty in which we are engaged, that there seemed little left for me to say. As Editor of your Journal, my opinions, too, are for the most part sufficiently well known to you. On considering what I should do under these circumstances, I first resolved to select for my address the evidence of evolution and degeneration of mind which the study of psychology, healthy and morbid, reveals, with special reference to their bearing on the well-known views of Mr. Darwin. I am persuaded that some weighty facts and arguments in support of these views may yet be drawn from a scientific study of mind in all its manifestations—in animal as well as in man, in man savage as well as in man civilized, in disease as well as in health. Without giving an opinion upon the great question of the day—whether man be or be not descended from an arboreal baboon, it might be justly argued with no little force that, if he were so descended, or had so ascended, many of the psychological facts might be expected to be very much as they are now. The battle ground which the opponents of Mr. Darwin have chosen and hold cannot certainly be pronounced quite impregnable, if the attack be made in the right quarter. This design, though it was partly carried into execution, I thought it best, however, on reflection, to abandon as unsuited to the occasion, and, in the end, resolved to limit my remarks to matters of more immediate practical interest to us as physicians engaged in the care and treatment of insane persons. What I have to say will be of a somewhat desultory character, and for this I must bespeak your indulgence, my aim being to excite discussion and to elicit opinions on matters of great practical interest, rather than to treat them in an elaborate and systematic manner. Instead of attempting to make a scientific display, I shall hope to elicit a display of your scientific experience, by asking, in the Socratic spirit, what we really know, and what we only think we know, concerning some matters of weighty consequence in our specialty.
The Nature of Insanity
Authors: Mercier Charles
Published: February 2018

Before the circulation of the blood was discovered, the pathology of diseases of the heart must have been unknown, and their treatment empirical and of little effect. Before the discovery of the glycogenic function of the liver, the pathology of diabetes remained a mystery, and its treatment a matter of guess-work. In all dealings with the facts of life, the science of the normal must precede the science of the abnormal. In the domain of mental operations the science of the normal is of very modern discovery, and Alienism, the science of the abnormal, has consequently been until recently compelled to limit itself to collections of materials for future use, and to tentative groupings of these materials which have necessarily been provisional on their harmonizing with the future developments of the science.
On Certain Acute Secondary Visceral Lesions in the Insane
Authors: Dufour E.
Published: February 2018

In a paper in the “Annales Médico-Psychologiques,” for July, 1876, Dr. Dufour showed the existence of numerous secondary visceral lesions in certain cases. Now experiments by various physiologists have proved that these lesions can be produced at will in animals by pricking or tearing certain regions of the brain, such as the peduncles, &c., in which irritation by foreign bodies causes various disorders of the pleurae, lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach, intestines, &c. Further, some facts seem to prove that the same changes may follow mechanical irritation of the periphery of the cerebral organs. Are these results due to a direct action, or to transmission to the central nuclei ? The question is difficult of solution, but the fact remains. Do not the phenomena of émotivité, which have their seat in the cerebral cortex, react in the same manner upon the splanchnic organs.
On Moral Insanity
Authors: Gasquet J. R.
Published: February 2018

The perusal of Dr. Savage's most interesting article in the July number of this Journal has suggested to me, as no doubt to all who read it, some important reflections. If I venture to submit my own thoughts on the subject, it is mainly in the hope that their consideration may lessen the “abstract metaphysical difficulty” (to which our President confessed in his address) “of conceiving moral as distinct from intellectual insanity.” I may say at once, that I believe the difficulty chiefly arises from our disregarding the number and complexity of the mental processes involved in even the simplest moral acts. Let it be remembered that all recent physiological psychology has gone to show how numerous, almost beyond belief, are the factors of even the most rudimentary perception. The ground, indeed, seems almost to fail from under one's feet when one realizes how such an apparently elementary act has been shown to be the sum of numerous observations and differences, of which many are, perhaps, unsuspected, and all are unknown to our direct consciousness.
Note on the Chemical Constituents of Hyoscyamus
Authors: Bacon Dr. G. M.
Published: February 2018

Although Hyoscyamine in some shape or other has been used now for some time, but little is known of its chemical constitution, and one is, therefore, glad to notice that at the Pharmaceutical Conference, held in London, in August, 1881, a communication was read from E. Merck, of Darmstadt, the now famous producer of this drug, on the “Present State of our Knowledge of the Proximate Constituents of Henbane.”
Recovery, after nearly three years, from an attack of Mania, in which Hallucinations formed a prominent symptom
Authors: Bacon Dr.
Published: February 2018

The persistence of auditory hallucinations is generally admitted to be good evidence of an incurable condition among the insane, and I, therefore, think it may be worth putting on record the following case, in which such symptoms were followed by recovery:—

A married woman, æt. 33, was admitted into the Cambs. Asylum in May, 1874, in a state of acute mania. She was raving, violent, and destructive. She was treated with bromide of potassium, digitalis, chloral, &c., for two months, but got no better. She got better at times, but in December was reported as full of mischief, dirty and untidy, and does a little scrubbing at times.
3. Russian Retrospect.: Studies in the Medico-Psychological Clinique of Professor Mierzejewski at St. Petersburg
Authors: Ireland W. W.
Published: February 2018

The contributions of Dr. Mierzejewski, Professor in the Medico-Chirurgical Academy of St. Petersburg, to our knowledge of the structure and pathology of the nervous system have earned for him a high reputation. His observations on the histology of the brains of idiots are of much scientific value, and as the field is wide and in a great degree unexplored, it is to be hoped that he will steadily prosecute his researches. The distinguished Professor has gathered round him a group of medical men devoted to the study of neurology who not only record the results of their observations on the cases presented by the asylums and hospitals of St. Petersburg, but also prosecute original researches in his laboratory with a view to filling up any “leak” which presents itself in our acquired knowledge of the physiology and pathology of the nervous system. Instead of taking up further time with praise, however well deserved, it will be better for our readers if we recapitulate some of the results arrived at by this ardent and industrious band of observers. With the exception of Dr. Mierzejewski's own memoir, all these contributions, or at least all these in our hands, have been published in the “St. Petersburger Medicinische Wochenschrift.”
Thirty-Eighth Report of the Commissioners in Lunacy.—17th July, 1884
Authors: James Henry , Herschell Farrer
Published: February 2018

This report, which is no less voluminous than its immediate predecessors, contains a large amount of interesting and valuable material.
On the Present State of Lunacy Legislation in Scotland; a Historical Note of Warning
Authors: Rorie James
Published: February 2018

The object of the present paper is to bring under the notice of this meeting the present state of Scotch Lunacy Legislation, especially as it affects our Chartered Asylums. For some years back efforts have from time to time been made to introduce various Bills into Parliament, calculated, more or less, to interfere with the present position of these institutions, and during the past Session one of these Bills has passed into law. It was evident to those who took any interest in this measure, that a strong feeling existed in regard to the extent to which Parochial Boards had control over their patients, and it was evident, sooner or later, that more extensive and more comprehensive legislation would ere long be forced on the notice of the public. That we should be prepared for this, it seems very desirable that we should know exactly our position, or how existing institutions are likely to be affected by such legislative efforts. But to understand this thoroughly, it will be necessary to consider the changes which have taken place in the Statutes affecting lunacy in Scotland since these were enacted in 1857, and this I will now do as briefly as possible.
On the Chemical Pathology of the Brain
Authors: Addison Adam
Published: February 2018

The chemistry of the nervous system is a subject to which little attention has been given by British authors, but their place has been creditably supplied by several foreign chemists, conspicuous among whom are Couërbe, Fremy, Von Bibra, Hauff, Walther, and Schlossberger. These writers have effected something as regards the chemical pathology of the brain in persons dying sane, but with the exception of a few isolated analyses whose results are sadly in want of confirmation, by Lassaigne, Couërbe, and L'Héritier, it may be said that absolutely nothing has been done in the case of the insane. In fact, the field is a terra incognita of unknown extent. I purpose, therefore, to devote some attention to this subject, and to communicate to the profession from time to time the results of such chemical analyses of insane brains as it may be in my power to make. With this view I shall take my starting-point from the results obtained by Bibra and others; and in order to present a standard for comparison, I shall give an abstract of what has been effected by these chemists. I find that this has been so thoroughly done by Von Gorup-Besanez (‘Lehrbuch der Pathologischen Chemie’) that I shall not hesitate to make a free translation of his chapter on this subject, criticising and adding where I think it necessary.
Notes of a Visit to American Asylums
Authors: Robertson Alexander
Published: February 2018

Last summer, in the course of a tour in the United States and Canada, I visited a number of Asylums for the Insane, jotting down my observations and impressions at the earliest opportunity after leaving the respective establishments. They are now submitted in a condensed form in these notes; and I trust that they may convey to the readers somewhat of the interest experienced by myself during my visits. It is almost superfluous to say that the physician-superintendents received me most courteously, and their kind attention will ever be suggestive of pleasant recollections in connection with my trans-Atlantic trip. Without further preface, I shall proceed first to give a short account of the Michigan Asylum,* visited 13th June, 1868.
A Contribution to the Study of the so-called Puerperal Insanity
Authors: Dickson J. Thompson
Published: February 2018

The prominence which the question of the so-called puerperal insanity has lately attained through the medium of one of our law courts, in one of the most startling cases that have been tried form any years, is of itself sufficient warrant for now bringing it up for discussion, irrespective of its own special-interest on scientific grounds. It is, however, in its scientific aspect, rather than its legal bearing, that I purpose to present the subject to you, but I propose not to lose sight entirely of its legal interest.
On Boarding the Insane in Licensed Private Houses
Authors: Robertson Alexander
Published: February 2018

A very considerable portion of the large and increasing expenditure for the poor in Scotland, which has lately attracted so much public attention, has been incurred on account of pauper lunatics. Thus, while the entire cost of this class to the country in 1858 was &pond;80,652, in 1867 it amounted to &pond;117,186, having reached this point by a constant though irregular growth each intervening year. Possibly, after all the asylums which have been recently erected are in full operation, the annual addition may not be so great in future years; but in the meantime there is no indication of a reduction in the rate of increase. For the report of the General Lunacy Board for 1868 shows that the sum expended by parochial boards on account of the insane, in 1867, was &pond;6,382 more than in 1866; and it appears from the last report of the Board of Supervision for the relief of the poor, that during the year ending 30th June, 1869, the additional cost was &pond;11,136. The explanation of this constant growth of expenditure is not difficult to find, but it would be foreign to my subject to enter into the question. I shall, therefore, at once proceed to consider the measure of relief provided in the Lunacy Act for 1862, by which parochial authorities are empowered to lodge the insane in private houses. In doing so I shall confine myself almost entirely to a simple record of my experience. The propriety of the scheme has already been sufficiently discussed on theoretical considerations; the final appeal must be to facts.
Microtubule organization in presynaptic boutons relies on the formin DAAM
Authors: Migh Ede , Götz Torsten , Földi István , Szikora Szilárd , Gombos Rita , Darula Zsuzsanna , Medzihradszky Katalin F. , Maléth József , Hegyi Péter , Sigrist Stephan , Mihály József
Published: February 2018

Regulation of the cytoskeleton is fundamental to the development and function of synaptic terminals, such as neuromuscular junctions. Despite the identification of numerous proteins that regulate synaptic actin and microtubule dynamics, the mechanisms of cytoskeletal control during terminal arbor formation have remained largely elusive. Here, we show that DAAM, a member of the formin family of cytoskeleton organizing factors, is an important presynaptic regulator of neuromuscular junction development in Drosophila. We demonstrate that the actin filament assembly activity of DAAM plays a negligible role in terminal formation; rather, DAAM is necessary for synaptic microtubule organization. Genetic interaction studies consistently link DAAM with the Wg/Ank2/Futsch module of microtubule regulation and bouton formation. Finally, we provide evidence that DAAM is tightly associated with the synaptic active zone scaffold, and electrophysiological data point to a role in the modulation of synaptic vesicle release. Based on these results, we propose that DAAM is an important cytoskeletal effector element of the Wg/Ank2 pathway involved in the determination of basic synaptic structures, and, additionally, that DAAM may couple the active zone scaffold to the presynaptic cytoskeleton.
Centrosomal protein Dzip1l binds Cby, promotes ciliary bud formation, and acts redundantly with Bromi to regulate ciliogenesis in the mouse
Authors: Wang Chengbing , Li Jia , Takemaru Ken-Ichi , Jiang Xiaogang , Xu Guoqiang , Wang Baolin
Published: February 2018

The primary cilium is a microtubule-based organelle required for Hedgehog (Hh) signaling and consists of a basal body, a ciliary axoneme and a compartment between the first two structures, called the transition zone (TZ). The TZ serves as a gatekeeper to control protein composition in cilia, but less is known about its role in ciliary bud formation. Here, we show that centrosomal protein Dzip1l is required for Hh signaling between Smoothened and Sufu. Dzip1l colocalizes with basal body appendage proteins and Rpgrip1l, a TZ protein. Loss of Dzip1l results in reduced ciliogenesis and dysmorphic cilia in vivo. Dzip1l interacts with, and acts upstream of, Cby, an appendage protein, in ciliogenesis. Dzip1l also has overlapping functions with Bromi (Tbc1d32) in ciliogenesis, cilia morphogenesis and neural tube patterning. Loss of Dzip1l arrests ciliogenesis at the stage of ciliary bud formation from the TZ. Consistent with this, Dzip1l mutant cells fail to remove the capping protein Cp110 (Ccp110) from the distal end of mother centrioles and to recruit Rpgrip1l to the TZ. Therefore, Dzip1l promotes ciliary bud formation and is required for the integrity of the TZ.
Olfaction, experience and neural mechanisms underlying mosquito host preference
Authors: Wolff Gabriella H. , Riffell Jeffrey A.
Published: February 2018

Mosquitoes are best known for their proclivity towards biting humans and transmitting bloodborne pathogens, but there are over 3500 species, including both blood-feeding and non-blood-feeding taxa. The diversity of host preference in mosquitoes is exemplified by the feeding habits of mosquitoes in the genus Malaya that feed on ant regurgitation or those from the genus Uranotaenia that favor amphibian hosts. Host preference is also by no means static, but is characterized by behavioral plasticity that allows mosquitoes to switch hosts when their preferred host is unavailable and by learning host cues associated with positive or negative experiences. Here we review the diverse range of host-preference behaviors across the family Culicidae, which includes all mosquitoes, and how adaptations in neural circuitry might affect changes in preference both within the life history of a mosquito and across evolutionary time-scales.
Molecular and functional characterization of the Gulf toadfish serotonin transporter (SERT; SLC6A4)
Authors: Amador Molly H. B. , McDonald M. Danielle
Published: February 2018

The serotonin transporter (SERT) functions in the uptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) from the extracellular milieu and is the molecular target of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a common group of antidepressants. The current study comprehensively assesses the sequence, tissue distribution, transport kinetics, and physiological function of a teleost SERT. The 2,022-bp toadfish SERT sequence encodes a protein of 673 amino acids, which shows 83% similarity to zebrafish SERT and groups with SERT of other teleosts in phylogenetic analysis. SERT mRNA is ubiquitous in tissues and is expressed at high levels in the heart and, within the brain, in the cerebellum. SERT cRNA expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes demonstrates a Km value of 2.08±0.45 µM, similar to previously reported Km values for zebrafish and human SERT. Acute systemic blockade of SERT by intraperitoneal administration of the SSRI fluoxetine (FLX) produces a dose-dependent increase in plasma 5-HT, indicating effective inhibition of 5-HT uptake from the circulation. As teleosts lack platelets, which are important 5-HT sequestration sites in mammals, the FLX-induced increase in plasma 5-HT suggests that toadfish tissues may normally be responsible for maintaining low 5-HT concentrations in the bloodstream.
SERT gene polymorphisms are associated with risk-taking behaviour and breeding parameters in wild great tits
Authors: Timm Killu , van Oers Kees , Tilgar Vallo
Published: February 2018

Individual differences in coping with potentially dangerous situations are affected by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. How genetic polymorphisms and behavioural variations are related to fitness is unknown. One of the candidate genes affecting a variety of behavioural processes, including impulsivity, anxiety and mood fluctuations in both humans and other vertebrates is the serotonin transporter gene (SERT/SLC6A). The aim of this study was to assess an association between SERT genotypes and novelty seeking, risk-taking behaviours and breeding parameters of great tits (Parus major) in a natural environment. We associated polymorphisms in the promoter exonic regions of the SERT gene with parental risk-taking related behaviour and fitness traits. Our results show that (i) risk-taking behaviour in our great tit population is linked to single nucleotide polymorphisms in the SERT gene exon 3 and exon 8; (ii) the genotype-behaviour associations are consistent at the presence of different stressors; (iii) polymorphisms in exon 8 could be associated with fitness-related traits, such as the start of egg-laying and hatching success. We showed for the first time that genetic variability of SERT plays an important role in shaping individual decision-making that affects fitness consequences in a wild population. However, the results are based on one population and on the polymorphisms that are in one single gene. Therefore, replication studies are needed in order to confirm these preliminary results.
Low-cost synchronization of high-speed audio and video recordings in bio-acoustic experiments
Authors: Laurijssen Dennis , Verreycken Erik , Geipel Inga , Daems Walter , Peremans Herbert , Steckel Jan
Published: February 2018

In this paper, we present a method for synchronizing high-speed audio and video recordings of bio-acoustic experiments. By embedding a random signal into the recorded video and audio data, robust synchronization of a diverse set of sensor streams can be performed without the need to keep detailed records. The synchronization can be performed using recording devices without dedicated synchronization inputs. We demonstrate the efficacy of the approach in two sets of experiments: behavioral experiments on different species of echolocating bats and the recordings of field crickets. We present the general operating principle of the synchronization method, discuss its synchronization strength and provide insights in how to construct such a device using off-the-shelf components.
Hydrosilylation of Aromatic Aldehydes and Ketones Catalyzed by Mono- and Tri-Nuclear Platinum(0) Complexes
Authors: Tsuchido Yoshitaka , Abe Ryota , Kamono Megumi , Tanaka Kimiya , Tanabe Makoto , Osakada Kohtaro
Published: February 2018

Hydrosilylation of aromatic aldehydes and acetophenone with H2SiPh2 was studied by using Pt complexes as the catalyst. Reaction of aromatic aldehydes, such as PhCHO, 4-FC6H4CHO, 4-MeC6H4CHO and 4-CF3C6H4CHO with H2SiPh2 in the presence of [Pt(PPh3)3] catalyst proceeds smoothly at room temperature with similar reaction rates. The hydrosilylation of PhCHO with H2Si(C6H4-4-Me)2 proceeds faster than that with H2SiPh2. Comparison of the reactions of PhCHO with H2SiPh2 and with D2SiPh2 demonstrated a large kinetic isotope effect (3.1). The hydrosilylation of the aldehydes catalyzed by [Pt(PMe3)(μ-SiPh2)]3, reported in our previous paper, shows large dependence of the reaction rate on the aryl group of the substrate, in the order, 4-MeC6H4CHO ≫ PhCHO = 4-FC6H4CHO > 4-CF3C6H4CHO. Hydrosilylation of (3-vinyl)benzaldehyde and 10-undecenal in the presence of [Pt(PPh3)3] catalyst occurs at the carbonyl group selectively to form the corresponding alkoxysilanes. The hydrosilylation of acetophenone with H2SiPh2 catalyzed by [Pt(PPh3)3] forms 1-phenylethyl(diphenylsilyl)ether, while the reaction using the Pt3 catalyst is accompanied by dehydrosilylation to yield a mixture of the saturated and unsaturated silyl ethers.
How Does Household Income Affect Child Personality Traits and Behaviors?
Authors: Akee Randall , Copeland William , Costello E. Jane , Simeonova Emilia
Published: February 2018

We examine the effects of a quasi-experimental unconditional household income transfer on child emotional and behavioral health and personality traits. Using longitudinal data, we find that there are large beneficial effects on children's emotional and behavioral health and personality traits during adolescence. We find evidence that these effects are most pronounced for children who start out with the lowest initial endowments. The income intervention also results in improvements in parental relationships which we interpret as a potential mechanism behind our findings. (JEL D14, I12, I26, I31, I38, J13, J15)
Rheumatoid arthritis in an adult patient with mosaic distal 18q-, 18p- and ring chromosome 18
Authors: Chau Alanna , Ramesh KH , Jagannath Anand D , Arora Shitij
Published: February 2018

Ring chromosome 18 has a highly variable phenotype, depending on the extent of distal arm deletions. It is most commonly presented as a combination of 18p- and distal 18q- syndrome. IgA deficiency and autoimmune diseases have been previously described in these patients. Seven cases of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) have been reported. Here we report the first case of late onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a 32 year old Dominican woman with hypothyroidism, vitiligo, IgA deficiency, interstitial lung disease (ILD), cystic bronchiectasis, and features consistent with ringed 18, 18p- and distal 18q syndrome.  The multiple autoimmune findings in our patient lends further support to the idea of loci on chromosome 18 playing a role in autoimmune disease expression. Late onset RA and ILD in a patient with chromosome 18 abnormalities are novel findings and are additional conditions to be aware of in this population.
Draft genomes of two Australian strains of the plant pathogen, Phytophthora cinnamomi
Authors: Longmuir Amy L. , Beech Peter L. , Richardson Mark F.
Published: February 2018

Background: The oomycete plant pathogen, Phytophthora cinnamomi, is responsible for the destruction of thousands of species of native Australian plants, as well as several crops, such as avocado and macadamia, and has one of the widest host-plant ranges of the Phytophthora genus. The current reference genome of P. cinnamomi is based on an atypical strain and has large gaps in its assembly. To further studies of the pathogenicity of this species, especially in Australia, robust genome assemblies of more typical strains are required. Here we report the genome sequencing, draft assembly, and preliminary annotation of two geographically separated Australian strains of P. cinnamomi.

Findings:  Some 308 million raw reads were generated for the two strains, DU054 and WA94.26. Independent genome assembly produced final genome sequences of 62.8 Mb (in 14,268 scaffolds) and 68.1 Mb (in 10,084 scaffolds), which are comparable in size and contiguity to other Phytophthora genomes. Gene prediction yielded > 22,000 predicted protein-encoding genes within each genome, while BUSCO assessment showed 94.4% and 91.5% of the stramenopile single-copy orthologs to be present in the assembled genomes, respectively.

Conclusions: The assembled genomes of two geographically distant isolates of Phytophthora cinnamomi will provide a valuable resource for further comparative analyses and evolutionary studies of this destructive pathogen, and further annotation of the presented genomes may yield possible targets for novel pathogen control methods.
Case Report: Dual nebulised antibiotics among adults with cystic fibrosis and chronic Pseudomonas infection
Authors: Mann Nina , Murray Shirley , Hoo Zhe Hui , Curley Rachael , Wildman Martin J.
Published: February 2018

Pulmonary exacerbations in adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Psae) infection are usually treated with dual intravenous antibiotics for 14 days, despite the lack of evidence for best practice. Intravenous antibiotics are commonly associated with various systemic adverse effects, including renal failure and ototoxicity. Inhaled antibiotics are less likely to cause systematic adverse effects, yet can achieve airway concentrations well above conventional minimum inhibitory concentrations. Typically one inhaled antibiotic is used at a time, but dual inhaled antibiotics (i.e. concomitant use of two different inhaled antibiotics) may have synergistic effect and achieve better results in the treatment of exacerbations. We presented anecdotal evidence for the use of dual inhaled antibiotics as an acute treatment for exacerbations, in the form of a case report. A female in her early thirties with CF and chronic Psae infection improved her FEV1 by 5% and 2% with two courses of dual inhaled antibiotics to treat exacerbations in 2016. In contrast, her FEV1 changed by 2%, –2%, 0% and 2%, respectively, with four courses of dual intravenous antibiotics in 2016. Baseline FEV1 was similar prior to all six courses of treatments. The greater FEV1 improvements with dual inhaled antibiotics compared to dual intravenous antibiotics suggest the potential role of using dual inhaled antibiotics to treat exacerbations among adults with CF and chronic Psae infection, especially since a greater choice of inhaled anti-pseudomonal antibiotics is now available. A previous study in 1985 has looked at the concomitant administration of inhaled tobramycin and carbenicillin, by reconstituting antibiotics designed for parenteral administration. To our knowledge, this is the first literature to describe the concomitant use of two different antibiotics specifically developed for delivery via the inhaled route.
Homeostatic synaptic scaling: molecular regulators of synaptic AMPA-type glutamate receptors
Authors: Chowdhury Dhrubajyoti , Hell Johannes W
Published: February 2018

The ability of neurons and circuits to maintain their excitability and activity levels within the appropriate dynamic range by homeostatic mechanisms is fundamental for brain function. Neuronal hyperactivity, for instance, could cause seizures.  One such homeostatic process is synaptic scaling, also known as synaptic homeostasis. It involves a negative feedback process by which neurons adjust (scale) their postsynaptic strength over their whole synapse population to compensate for increased or decreased overall input thereby preventing neuronal hyper- or hypoactivity that could otherwise result in neuronal network dysfunction. While synaptic scaling is well-established and critical, our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms is still in its infancy. Homeostatic adaptation of synaptic strength is achieved through upregulation (upscaling) or downregulation (downscaling) of the functional availability of AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs) at postsynaptic sites.  Understanding how synaptic AMPARs are modulated in response to alterations in overall neuronal activity is essential to gain valuable insights into how neuronal networks adapt to changes in their environment, as well as the genesis of an array of neurological disorders. Here we discuss the key molecular mechanisms that have been implicated in tuning the synaptic abundance of postsynaptic AMPARs in order to maintain synaptic homeostasis.
Identification of publicly available data sources to inform the conduct of Health Technology Assessment in India
Authors: Downey Laura , Rao Neethi , Guinness Lorna , Asaria Miqdad , Prinja Shankar , Sinha Anju , Kant Rajni , Pandey Arvind , Cluzeau Francoise , Chalkidou Kalipso
Published: February 2018

Background: Health technology assessment (HTA) provides a globally-accepted and structured approach to synthesising evidence for cost and clinical effectiveness alongside ethical and equity considerations to inform evidence-based priorities. India is one of the most recent countries to formally commit to institutionalising HTA as an integral component of the heath resource allocation decision-making process. The effective conduct of HTA depends on the availability of reliable data.  

Methods: We draw from our experience of collecting, synthesizing, and analysing health-related datasets in India and internationally, to highlight the complex requirements for undertaking HTA, and explore the availability of such data in India. We first outlined each of the core data components required for the conduct of HTA, and their availability in India, drawing attention to where data can be accessed, and different ways in which researchers can overcome the challenges of missing or low quality data.

Results: We grouped data into the following categories: clinical efficacy; cost; epidemiology; quality of life; service use/consumption; and equity. We identified numerous large local data sources containing epidemiological information. There was a marked absence of other locally-collected data necessary for informing HTA, particularly data relating to cost, service use, and quality of life.

Conclusions: The introduction of HTA into the health policy space in India provides an opportunity to comprehensively assess the availability and quality of health data capture across the country. While epidemiological information is routinely collected across India, other data inputs necessary for HTA are not readily available. This poses a significant bottleneck to the efficient generation and deployment of HTA into the health decision space. Overcoming these data gaps by strengthening the routine collection of comprehensive and verifiable health data will have important implications not only for embedding economic analyses into the priority setting process, but for strengthening the health system as a whole.
It’s the economy, stupid! When economics and politics override health policy goals – the case of tax reliefs to build private hospitals in Ireland in the early 2000s
Authors: Burke Sara A. , Brugha Ruairi , Thomas Stephen
Published: February 2018

Objectives: To analyse the policy process that led to changes to the Finance Acts in 2001 and 2002 that gave tax-reliefs to build private hospitals in Ireland.

Methods: Qualitative research methods of documentary analysis and in-depth semi-structured interviews with elites, involved in the policy processes, were used.

Results: Despite an Irish health strategy commitment in 2001 to increase the numbers of hospital beds, a majority of which were envisaged in the public sector, two small changes to the Finance Act in 2001 and 2002 resulted in much greater growth in private hospital provision. The result of which was a 34% increase in private hospital beds, whilst public hospital beds grew by 3% between 2002 and 2010.

Conclusion: The use of tax breaks was a core part of national economic policy that strongly contributed to Ireland’s boom and bust cycle in the 2000s.

The application of tax breaks to health was driven by a small number of people from private hospitals who lobbied the Minister for Finance who championed their introduction, despite opposition from his own department, the Minister and the Department of Health. 

Increasing the numbers of private beds, instead of investing in the public health system, exacerbates existing inequalities in access to hospital care in Ireland as the majority of the population do not have access to private hospitals.

The research provides an in-depth analysis of this specific policy making process in order to better understand health and public policy making processes. The research found a highly politicised and personalised policy making process where economic policy goals overrode health policy goals and tax-reliefs were granted to the health facilities, without any public or political scrutiny or consensus.