bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Medical interpreting for business purposes and language access in ordinary hospitals in Korea
Authors: Lee Sang-Bin
Published: February 2016

In Korea, a first-of-its-kind national medical interpreter training program was launched in July 2009. This program was designed to assist with communication between Korean medical professionals and medical tourists who visit Korea for economical and advanced medical services. Medical tourism (MT) is Korea’s strategic industry for economic growth and the government has implemented various policies to support the MT industry, including the medical interpreter training program. Against this backdrop, recent discussion in Korean society about medical interpreting has been framed around non-resident medical tourists and tertiary referral hospitals engaging in MT. Medical interpreting has been generally considered special language services for foreign patients who seek sophisticated medical care in big-name hospitals. The need for better interpreter services has been discussed mainly in the context of MT; however, little attention has been paid to the situation of language access in ‘non-MT’ (i.e., ordinary) hospitals. The purpose of this study is two-fold. First, the study aims to explore unique conditions in Korea under which issues concerning medical interpreting have been addressed. Second, the study diagnoses problems with the medical communication in ordinary hospitals between Korean medical personnel and patients with limited proficiency in Korean.
Expressing pleasure and avoiding engagement in online adult video comment sections
Authors: Pihlaja Stephen
Published: February 2016

Online video pornography websites have grown into a key online industry and location for pornography consumption. While much work has been done investigating reception of online video generally, discourse analysis of comments and interaction around online pornography remains rare. This article focuses on comments on adult videos, comparing and contrasting the comments on adult videos with other online video sites. The goal is to identify and explain differences and similarities in the content of comments and interaction. The article therefore analyses 22,562 comments taken from the 100 most-viewed videos on the popular porn-hosting website, Pornhub. In contrast to studies of non-pornographic online video pages, analysis shows little interaction among users in comments sections and that offense is largely absent. Building on this analysis, I then discuss why offense does not arise in the comments. Findings suggest that the location of the comments at the point of pornography consumption affects the comment content, resulting in a discourse of solitary pleasure and fantasy rather than community engagement.
12. How adolescents use social discourse to open space for language learning during peer interactions
Authors: Martin-Beltrán Melinda , Chen Pei-Jie , Guzman Natalia , Merrills Kayra Alvarado
Published: February 2016

This chapter investigates how adolescents learning English and Spanish mediated two-way language learning opportunities during their interactions in a language exchange program in one high school. Drawing upon sociocultural theory and interactional ethnography, we examined moment-to-moment discourse to identify language-related episodes (LREs) and discursive moves of social inquiry, solidarity, and support. Findings revealed how adolescent peers mediated each other’s learning using relationship-building discourse. This chapter contributes to interactional research in SLA by revealing how students construct comity in their interactions with peers, and how their discourse may afford opportunities for co-construction of knowledge and second language learning. We consider the pedagogical implications of recognizing social discourse as a tool to expand language learning among peers.
Importance of transient-state models in assessing and predicting water, soil and crop dynamics under irrigated agriculture.
Authors: Visconti F.
Published: February 2016

For millennia, irrigation has been one of the main driving forces of civilization. Given that the world human population is estimated to reach 9 billion in the next 40 years, irrigation is going to be a key factor in food security. However, irrigation makes use of slowly renewable or just non-renewable natural resources, mainly freshwater, soil, and several mineral ores, which raises many concerns about its sustainability. To cope with these sustainability issues, irrigation management requires the use of tools rooted in reliable and readily usable scientific knowledge and technology. Since the 'steady-state hypothesis' presents some constraints on simulating the ever-changing events of irrigated agriculture (e.g. water and solute dynamics), transient-state models seem to be the best tools to use. Presently, there are several transient-state models which are able to simulate water and solute flows through soils - core phenomena in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. These models can simulate the dynamics of water, nutrients (mainly nitrogen, but also phosphorus and potassium) and salts to forecast crop growth, yield and harvest quality, or alternatively, the models can simulate the leaching and transformation of various chemicals such as salts, nutrients, xenobiotic organic compounds and heavy metals. Better decisions for the management of irrigation and fertilization can be made when using transient-state and hence, their importance is going to increase in the future. This review presents the main characteristics of some of the most recently cited models designed to simulate the dynamics of water, soil, various solutes and crops under irrigated agriculture.
The lowest volume 3–orbifolds with high torsion
Authors: Atkinson Christopher , Futer David
Published: February 2016

For each natural number

n
≥
4

n \geq 4

, we determine the unique lowest volume hyperbolic

3
3

–orbifold whose torsion orders are bounded below by

n
n

. This lowest volume orbifold has base space the

3
3

–sphere and singular locus the figure–

8
8

knot, marked

n
n

. We apply this result to give sharp lower bounds on the volume of a hyperbolic manifold in terms of the order of elements in its symmetry group.
L
Authors: Scarth Edward , Smith Susan
Published: February 2016

This chapter includes drugs beginning with the letter L, including labetalol, levetiracetam, levosimendan, levothyroxine, lidocaine, linezolid, lithium, and lorazepam.
N
Authors: Scarth Edward , Smith Susan
Published: February 2016

This chapter includes drugs beginning with the letter N, including nalbuphine, naloxone, neostigmine, nifedipine, nimodipine, nitric oxide, nitrous oxide, and noradrenaline.
R
Authors: Scarth Edward , Smith Susan
Published: February 2016

This chapter includes drugs beginning with the letter R, including ranitidine, remifentanil, rivaroxaban, rocuronium, and ropivacaine.
The new patient with renal failure
Authors: Levy Jeremy , Brown Edwina , Lawrence Anastasia
Published: February 2016

This chapter describes the incidence and prevalence of kidney disease in the UK and globally. It outlines an updated classification of chronic kidney disease, its causes, presentation, investigations, and complications. Survival and causes of death of patients with kidney disease are discussed. Advantages and disadvantages of different dialysis modalities from the patient perspective are reviewed, and making the decision about choice of dialysis modality and when to start dialysis are both outlined.
Nursing a patient on haemodialysis
Authors: Levy Jeremy , Brown Edwina , Lawrence Anastasia
Published: February 2016

This chapter describes nursing care and management of vascular access and its complications, preparing patients for haemodialysis, the haemodialysis prescription, initiation and discontinuation of dialysis, intradialytic monitoring and symptoms, post-haemodialysis evaluation, psychological care of haemodialysis patients, dealing with complications of alarms and machines, staffing dialysis units, education, audits, and infection control.
Special situations
Authors: Levy Jeremy , Brown Edwina , Lawrence Anastasia
Published: February 2016

This chapter describes special situations associated with renal failure, particularly specific issues for dialysis in the elderly, those with diabetes and myeloma, pain management in end-stage kidney disease and different analgesic drugs, managing surgery in patients on dialysis, and managing dialysis in pregnancy. There are specific sections on technical and management issues in plasmapheresis and immunoadsorption, their indications, and complications.
Complications of ESKD: infection
Authors: Levy Jeremy , Brown Edwina , Lawrence Anastasia
Published: February 2016

This chapter describes the risks and management of infections in patients on dialysis other than those specifically related to haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis such as TB, MRSA, resistant organisms, viral infections including hepatitis B and C, HIV, and other viruses.
Standards and guidelines
Authors: Levy Jeremy , Brown Edwina , Lawrence Anastasia
Published: February 2016

Overview of UK guidelines - K/DOQI and KDIGO guidelines - European Renal Best Practice - International Society of Peritoneal Dialysis - Useful websites
Constraints on the circumstellar dust around KIC 8462852
Authors: Thompson M. A. , Scicluna P. , Kemper F. , Geach J. E. , Dunham M. M. , Morata O. , Ertel S. , Ho P. T. P. , Dempsey J. , Coulson I. , Petitpas G. , Kristensen L. E.
Published: February 2016

We present millimetre (Submillimeter Array) and submillimetre (SCUBA-2) continuum observations of the peculiar star KIC 8462852 which displayed several deep and aperiodic dips in brightness during the Kepler mission. Our observations are approximately confusion-limited at 850 μm and are the deepest millimetre and submillimetre photometry of the star that has yet been carried out. No significant emission is detected towards KIC 8462852. We determine upper limits for dust between a few 10−6 M⊕ and 10−3 M⊕ for regions identified as the most likely to host occluding dust clumps and a total overall dust budget of <7.7 M⊕ within a radius of 200 au. Such low limits for the inner system make the catastrophic planetary disruption hypothesis unlikely. Integrating over the Kepler light curve we determine that at least 10−9 M⊕ of dust is required to cause the observed Q16 dip. This is consistent with the currently most favoured cometary breakup hypothesis, but nevertheless implies the complete breakup of ∼30 Comet 1/P Halley type objects. Finally, in the wide SCUBA-2 field of view we identify another candidate debris disc system that is potentially the largest yet discovered.
Brain catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibition by tolcapone counteracts recognition memory deficits in normal and chronic phencyclidine-treated rats and in COMT-Val transgenic mice
Authors: Detrait Eric R. , Carr Greg V. , Weinberger Daniel R. , Lamberty Yves
Published: February 2016

The critical involvement of dopamine in cognitive processes has been well established, suggesting that therapies targeting dopamine metabolism may alleviate cognitive dysfunction. Catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) is a catecholamine-degrading enzyme, the substrates of which include dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. The present work illustrates the potential therapeutic efficacy of COMT inhibition in alleviating cognitive impairment. A brain-penetrant COMT inhibitor, tolcapone, was tested in normal and phencyclidine-treated rats and COMT-Val transgenic mice. In a novel object recognition procedure, tolcapone counteracted a 24-h-dependent forgetting of a familiar object as well as phencyclidine-induced recognition deficits in the rats at doses ranging from 7.5 to 30 mg/kg. In contrast, entacapone, a COMT inhibitor that does not readily cross the blood–brain barrier, failed to show efficacy at doses up to 30 mg/kg. Tolcapone at a dose of 30 mg/kg also improved novel object recognition performance in transgenic mice, which showed clear recognition deficits. Complementing earlier studies, our results indicate that central inhibition of COMT positively impacts recognition memory processes and might constitute an appealing treatment for cognitive dysfunction related to neuropsychiatric disorders.
Microbiological Analysis of Hemodialysis Water in a Developing Country
Authors: Heidarieh Parvin , Hashemi Shahraki Abodolrazagh , Yaghoubfar Rezvan , Hajehasani Azadeh , Mirsaeidi Mehdi
Published: February 2016

Microbiological control of hemodialysis fluid is important for the prevention of hemodialysis-associated illness. Bacterial populations inhabiting a distribution system for hemodialysis water were studied over a 4 month period in five hospitals (one in Tehran, and the others at Alborz). All the samples from the four hospitals at Alborz had colony counts of ≥100 CFU/ml, which at different points of sampling were higher than the maximum recommended values. A total of 80 samples taken at different points in each hospital’s hemodialysis distribution system were collected, and 229 planktonic bacteria isolated on R2A medium. No growth was detected by culturing the samples on Blood agar or Mueller-Hinton agar, according to routine procedures currently used in the five hospitals. A representative of isolates from each of 45 different morphotypes were identified using 16S RNA sequencing. A diverse bacterial community, containing predominantly gram-positive members of Kocuria, Arthrobacter and Staphylococcus and Mycobacterium, was detected. Bacteria from the genera Acinetobacter, Burkholderia, Halomonas, Herbaspirillum, Pseudomonas, and Sphingomonas were identified, which has been described in the build-up of biofilms. Some of the species reported here may represent a health risk to patients receiving hemodialysis treatment. In conclusion, it is recommended that standard protocols for evaluation of microbial contamination be used for regular monitoring and identification of culturable bacteria.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Incidence, Characteristics, and Outcomes in Neonatal Down Syndrome Patients
Authors: Backes Carl H. , Nicholson Lisa , Rivera Brian K. , Swier Natasha , Marshall William , Cua Clifford L.
Published: February 2016

Practice patterns for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) use in newborns with Trisomy 21 (T21) have not been fully reported. The goals of this study were to 1) determine the incidence of ECMO use in T21 neonates; 2) identify clinical and demographic characteristics associated with ECMO use in this population; 3) describe outcomes of neonates with T21 supported with ECMO. This was a retrospective cohort study using the Pediatric Health Information System database (January 2000 to January 2014). Given the exploratory nature, only descriptive statistics were used. p < 0.05 was considered significant. Within 43 pediatric hospitals, the incidence of ECMO use in neonates with T21 was 2.3% (131/5,737). Neonates with T21 supported with ECMO were more likely to be admitted earlier; have higher birth weight, gestational age, and longer hospitalization; and have congenital diaphragmatic hernia or select cardiac anomalies versus those who did not require ECMO. T21 neonates supported with ECMO also had higher incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, necrotizing enterocolitis, and mortality (unadjusted odds ratio 12.3 [95% confidence interval: 8.6–17.6]) compared with T21 neonates not exposed to ECMO. Compared with T21 neonates not requiring ECMO, those supported with ECMO had increased morbidity and mortality. Additional investigation on timing, indications, and risk/benefit profiles, for ECMO use in T21 neonates is needed.
Validity of Using Inpatient and Outpatient Administrative Codes to Identify Acute Venous Thromboembolism
Authors: Fang Margaret C. , Fan Dongjie , Sung Sue Hee , Witt Daniel M. , Schmelzer John R. , Steinhubl Steven R. , Yale Steven H. , Go Alan S.
Published: February 2016

Background:

Administrative data are frequently used to identify venous thromboembolism (VTE) for research and quality reporting. However, the validity of these codes, particularly in outpatients, has not been well-established.

Objective:

To determine how well International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes for VTE predict chart-confirmed acute VTE in inpatient and outpatients.

Patients and Methods:

We selected 4642 adults with an incident ICD-9 diagnosis of VTE between years 2004 and 2010 from the Cardiovascular Research Network Venous Thromboembolism cohort study. Medical charts were reviewed to determine validity of events. Positive predictive values (PPVs) of ICD-9 codes were calculated as the number of chart-validated VTE events divided by the number with specific VTE codes. Analyses were stratified by VTE type [pulmonary embolism (PE), deep venous thrombosis (DVT)], code position (primary, secondary), and setting [hospital/emergency department (ED), outpatient].

Results:

The PPV for any diagnosis of VTE was 64.6% for hospital/ED patients and 30.9% for outpatients. Primary diagnosis codes from hospital/ED patients were more likely to represent acute VTE than secondary diagnosis codes (78.9% vs. 44.4%, P<0.001). Primary hospital/ED codes for PE and lower extremity DVT had higher PPV than for upper extremity DVT (89.1%, 74.9%, and 58.1%, respectively). Outpatient codes were poorly predictive of acute VTE: 28.0% for PE and 53.6% for lower extremity DVT.

Conclusions:

ICD-9 codes for VTE obtained from outpatient encounters or from secondary diagnosis codes do not reliably reflect acute VTE. More accurate ways of identifying VTE in outpatients are needed before these codes can be adopted for research or policy purposes.
Histone H1 limits DNA methylation inNeurospora crassa
Authors: Seymour Michael , Ji Lexiang , Santos Alex M. , Kamei Masayuki , Sasaki Takahiko , Basenko Evelina Y. , Schmitz Robert J. , Zhang Xiaoyu , Lewis Zachary A.
Published: February 2016

Histone H1 variants, known as linker histones, are essential chromatin components in higher eukaryotes, yet compared to the core histones relatively little is known about their in vivo functions. The filamentous fungusNeurospora crassaencodes a single H1 protein that is not essential for viability. To investigate the role ofN. crassaH1, we constructed a functional FLAG-tagged H1 fusion protein and performed genomic and molecular analyses. Cell fractionation experiments showed that H1-FLAG is a chromatin binding protein. Chromatin-immunoprecipitation combined with sequencing (ChIP-seq) revealed that H1-3XFLAG is globally enriched throughout the genome with a subtle preference for promoters of expressed genes. In mammals, the stochiometery of H1 impacts nucleosome repeat length. To determine if H1 impacts nucleosome occupancy or nucleosome positioning inN. crassa, we performed Micrococcal nuclease digestion in wildtype and the ΔhH1strain followed by sequencing (MNase-seq). Deletion ofhH1did not significantly impact nucleosome positioning or nucleosome occupancy. Analysis of DNA methylation by whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (MethylC-seq) revealed a modest but global increase in DNA methylation in the ΔhH1mutant. Together, these data suggest that H1 acts as a non-specific chromatin binding protein that can limit accessibility of the DNA methylation machinery inN. crassa.
Evaluation of worksite policies and practices promoting nutrition and physical activity among hospital workers
Authors: Sharma Shreela V. , Winston Paolicelli Courtney , Jyothi Vinu , Baun William , Perkison Brett , Phipps Mary , Montgomery Cathy , Feltovich Michael , Griffith Julie , Alfaro Veronica , Pompeii Lisa A
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– As posited by the ecological model of health, improvements in the nutrition and physical activity environments of worksites may facilitate healthier dietary intakes and physical activity patterns of employees. This cross-sectional study describes current policies and practices targeting these environments in five large Texas-based hospitals employing approximately 40,000 adults. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– The environmental assessment tool survey, an observation tool, was used to assess these policies and practices in August and September 2012.

Findings

– Results demonstrated major policy and practice deficiencies, including a lack of policies supporting on and offsite employee physical fitness, no healthy catering or healthy meeting policies, minimal subsidizing of healthy food and beverage options, few health-promoting vending services, and no performance objectives related to worksite health improvement. Hospitals having an active employee wellness staff consistently performed better on implementation of policies and practices supporting healthy eating and physical activity.

Practical implications

– This study supports practice recommendations including engaging executive leadership to prioritize worksite wellness and using policies to create an infrastructure that promotes healthy eating and encourages physical activity among employees.

Originality/value

– This study is the first to compare and contrast the nutrition and the physical activity environments of large hospitals, allowing for the identification of common environmental barriers and supports across multiple hospital and foodservice systems.
Developing an “experience framework” for an evidence-based information literacy educational intervention
Authors: Forster Marc
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to describe how an “experience framework” for an evidence-based information literacy educational intervention can be formulated.

Design/methodology/approach

– The experience framework is developed by applying the qualitative methodology phenomenography to the analysis of the variation in the experience of a phenomenon by a target group, making specific use of one of its data analysis methods, that pioneered by Gerlese Akerlind. A phenomenographic study’s descriptions of the limited but related experiences of the phenomenon, and the detail of context and complexity in experience achieved through the Akerlind data analysis technique, are essential to a framework’s structure and educationally valuable richness of detail.

Findings

– The “experience framework”, an example of which is set out in this paper, is formed from a detailed range of contexts, forms and levels of complexity of experience of a phenomenon, such as information literacy, in a group or profession. Groupings of aspects of that experience are used to formulate, through the application of variation theory, an education theory developed from previous phenomenographic research, learning contexts and aims which can form the focus of educational activities.

Originality/value

– The framework can be used to form the basis of an evidence-based educational intervention to enrich the experience of any concept within LIS that Information professionals work to develop in their users.
A collaborative filtering similarity measure based on potential field
Authors: Leng Yajun , Lu Qing , Liang Changyong
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– Collaborative recommender systems play a crucial role in providing personalized services to online consumers. Most online shopping sites and many other applications now use the collaborative recommender systems. The measurement of the similarity plays a fundamental role in collaborative recommender systems. Some of the most well-known similarity measures are: Pearson’s correlation coefficient, cosine similarity and mean squared differences. However, due to data sparsity, accuracy of the above similarity measures decreases, which makes the formation of inaccurate neighborhood, thereby resulting in poor recommendations. The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel similarity measure based on potential field.

Design/methodology/approach

– The proposed approach constructs a dense matrix: user-user potential matrix, and uses this matrix to compute potential similarities between users. Then the potential similarities are modified based on users’ preliminary neighborhoods, andkusers with the highest modified similarity values are selected as the active user’s nearest neighbors. Compared to the rating matrix, the potential matrix is much denser. Thus, the sparsity problem can be efficiently alleviated. The similarity modification scheme considers the number of common neighbors of two users, which can further improve the accuracy of similarity computation.

Findings

– Experimental results show that the proposed approach is superior to the traditional similarity measures.

Originality/value

– The research highlights of this paper are as follows: the authors construct a dense matrix: user-user potential matrix, and use this matrix to compute potential similarities between users; the potential similarities are modified based on users’ preliminary neighborhoods, andkusers with the highest modified similarity values are selected as the active user’s nearest neighbors; and the proposed approach performs better than the traditional similarity measures. The manuscript will be of particular interests to the scientists interested in recommender systems research as well as to readers interested in solution of related complex practical engineering problems.
A self-organising network model of decision making by the honey bee swarm
Authors: Foss Richard Anthony
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to carry out a detailed investigation of the mechanisms operating during decision making by the honey bee swarm, which is now considered to be one of the best examples of collective decision making outside the human domain.

Design/methodology/approach

– This investigation is based on a review of the last 60 years’ published literature about swarm behaviour. It introduces a different perspective to the work by utilising a cybernetic model of a self-organising information network to analyse the findings of this body of research.

Findings

– Scout bees evaluating potential nest sites accumulated support for their site by differential net recruitment, so the total scout numbers present at each site was a good measure of the total evidence in favour of the site and hence the relative probability of choosing it as the swarm’s new home. The accumulation of evidence continued at a number of alternative nest site locations until a critical quorum threshold was sensed at one of them. The first alternative to reach the threshold was chosen as the preferred nest site. Quorum scouts then prepared the swarm for departure and steered it to its new home.

Originality/value

– Swarm decision making has not been modelled as a self-organising information network before. This novel approach reveals how a combination of network modifications, self-amplification, self-attenuation, cross-inhibition, integration and quorum mechanisms together contribute towards accurate group decision making.
Effect of high‐fat meal intake on the pharmacokinetic profile of ivermectin in Japanese patients with scabies
Authors: Miyajima Atsushi , Hirota Takashi , Sugioka Akihito , Fukuzawa Masao , Sekine Mari , Yamamoto Yosuke , Yoshimasu Takashi , Kigure Akira , Anata Taichi , Noguchi Wataru , Akagi Keita , Komoda Masayo
Published: February 2016

Ivermectin (IVM) is used as an anthelmintic agent in many countries. To evaluate the effect of high‐fat (HF) meal intake on the pharmacokinetics of IVM, a clinical trial was conducted in Japanese patients with scabies. The patients were administrated Stromectol® tablets in the fasted state, and after 1 week they were also administrated it after a HF meal (fed state). After the administration, IVM concentrations in plasma and the stratum corneum were determined. The geometric mean of fed/fasted ratio of area under IVM concentration‐time curve (AUC) in plasma was 1.25 (90% confidence interval, 1.09–1.43), suggesting the tendency to increased absorption after a HF meal. The fed/fasted ratio of the maximum IVM concentration in the stratum corneum was well correlated with that in plasma. In addition, no serious adverse events were observed during the trial, while a mild increase of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activity in plasma was observed under the fed state in two patients. The mean AUC of IVM in plasma of those two patients were approximately threefold higher than that of the other patients at that time. On the other hand, the treatment success rate was 76.9% at 7 days after the second administration, which was comparable with the expected level. The present study not only demonstrates that HF meal intake increases the IVM concentration in plasma and the stratum corneum in Japanese patients with scabies, but also suggests the possibility that HF meals increase the risk of hepatic dysfunction by the increased exposure of IVM.
Pathogenicity of H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses isolated from a wild bird fecal specimen and a chicken in Japan in 2014
Authors: Tanikawa Taichiro , Kanehira Katsushi , Tsunekuni Ryota , Uchida Yuko , Takemae Nobuhiro , Saito Takehiko
Published: February 2016

Poultry outbreaks caused by H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) occurred in Japan between December 2014 and January 2015. During the same period; H5N8 HPAIVs were isolated from wild birds and the environment in Japan. The hemagglutinin (HA) genes of these isolates were found to belong to clade 2.3.4.4 and three sub‐groups were distinguishable within this clade. All of the Japanese isolates from poultry outbreaks belonged to the same sub‐group; whereas wild bird isolates belonged to the other sub‐groups. To examine whether the difference in pathogenicity to chickens between isolates of different HA sub‐groups of clade 2.3.4.4 could explain why the Japanese poultry outbreaks were only caused by a particular sub‐group; pathogenicities of A/chicken/Miyazaki/7/2014 (Miyazaki2014; sub‐group C) and A/duck/Chiba/26‐372‐48/2014 (Chiba2014; sub‐group A) to chickens were compared and it was found that the lethality of Miyazaki2014 in chickens was lower than that of Chiba2014; according to the 50% chicken lethal dose. This indicated that differences in pathogenicity may not explain why the Japanese poultry outbreaks only involved group C isolates.
Fungal parasites infect marine diatoms in the upwelling ecosystem of the Humboldt current system off central Chile
Authors: Gutiérrez Marcelo H. , Jara Ana M. , Pantoja Silvio
Published: February 2016

This is the first report of fungal parasitism of diatoms in a highly productive coastal upwelling ecosystem, based on a year‐round time series of diatom and parasitic Chytridiomycota abundance in the Humboldt Current System off Chile (36°30.80'S‐73°07.70'W). Our results show co‐variation in the presence of Skeletonema, Thalassiosira and Chaetoceros diatoms with attached and detached chytrid sporangia. High abundance of attached sporangia was observed during the austral spring, coinciding with a predominance of Thalassiosira and Skeletonema under active upwelling conditions. Towards the end of austral spring, a decreasing proportion of attached sporangia was accompanied by a decline in abundance of Skeletonema and Thalassiosira and the predominance of Chaetoceros, suggesting specificity and host density dependence of chytrid infection. The new findings on fungal parasitism of diatoms provide further support for the inclusion of Fungi in the current model of the role played by the marine microbial community in the coastal ocean. We propose a conceptual model where Fungi contribute to controlling the dynamics of phytoplankton populations, as well as the release of organic matter and the transfer of organic carbon through the pelagic trophic web in coastal upwelling ecosystems.
Functional interactions of archaea, bacteria and viruses in a hypersaline endolithic community
Authors: Crits‐Christoph Alexander , Gelsinger Diego R. , Ma Bing , Wierzchos Jacek , Ravel Jacques , Davila Alfonso , Casero M. Cristina , DiRuggiero Jocelyne
Published: February 2016

Halite endoliths in the Atacama Desert represent one of the most extreme ecosystems on Earth. Cultivation‐independent methods were used to examine the functional adaptations of the microbial consortia inhabiting halite nodules. The community was dominated by haloarchaea and functional analysis attributed most of the autotrophic CO2 fixation to one unique cyanobacterium. The assembled 1.1 Mbp genome of a novel nanohaloarchaeon, Candidatus Nanopetramus SG9, revealed a photoheterotrophic life style and a low median isoelectric point (pI) for all predicted proteins, suggesting a ‘salt‐in’ strategy for osmotic balance. Predicted proteins of the algae identified in the community also had pI distributions similar to ‘salt‐in’ strategists. The Nanopetramus genome contained a unique CRISPR/Cas system with a spacer that matched a partial viral genome from the metagenome. A combination of reference‐independent methods identified over 30 complete or near complete viral or proviral genomes with diverse genome structure, genome size, gene content and hosts. Putative hosts included Halobacteriaceae, Nanohaloarchaea and Cyanobacteria. Despite the dependence of the halite community on deliquescence for liquid water availability, this study exposed an ecosystem spanning three phylogenetic domains, containing a large diversity of viruses and predominance of a ‘salt‐in’ strategy to balance the high osmotic pressure of the environment.
Subterranean Commodification: Informal Housing and the Legalization of Basement Suites in Vancouver from 1928 to 2009
Authors: Mendez Pablo , Quastel Noah
Published: February 2016

This article draws on Margaret Radin's theorization of ‘contested commodities' to explore the process whereby informal housing becomes formalized while also being shaped by legal regulation. In seeking to move once‐informal housing into the domain of official legality, cities can seldom rely on a simple legal framework of private‐law principles of property and contract. Instead, they face complex trade‐offs between providing basic needs and affordability and meeting public‐law norms around living standards, traditional neighbourhood feel and the environment. This article highlights these issues through an examination of the uneven process of legal formalization of basement apartments in Vancouver, Canada. We chose a lengthy period—from 1928 to 2009—to explore how basement apartments became a vital source of housing often at odds with city planning that has long favoured a low‐density residential built form. We suggest that Radin's theoretical account makes it possible to link legalization and official market construction with two questions: whether to permit commodification and how to permit commodification. Real‐world commodification processes—including legal sanction—reflect hybridization, pragmatic decision making and regulatory compromise. The resolution of questions concerning how to legalize commodification are also intertwined with processes of market expansion.
Burden and Prevention of Adverse Cardiac Events in Patients with Concomitant Chronic Heart Failure and Coronary Artery Disease: A Literature Review
Authors: Lavoie Louis , Khoury Hanane , Welner Sharon , Briere Jean‐Baptiste
Published: February 2016

Background

Chronic heart failure (HF) or coronary artery disease (CAD) confers risk for thromboembolism and secondary adverse cardiac events (ACEs) (e.g., mortality, myocardial infarction, and stroke). When HF and CAD occur concomitantly, ACE risk is reported to be elevated. We investigated ACEs, their epidemiology, and the resulting burden among patients with concomitant HF and CAD through a structured review of recent literature. Antithrombotic treatment for ACE prevention was assessed.

Methods

Pertinent databases (PubMed, other) were searched for relevant articles published from January 2004 to March 2015. Data collected included ACE incidence, healthcare resource use, costs, change in quality of life attributed to ACEs, and treatment practice for prevention of ACEs in patients with concomitant HF and CAD.

Results

Mortality rates for patients with both HF and CAD ranged from 4.9–12.3% at 30 days to 13.7–86% for periods between 9.9 months and 10 years. Incidence of ACEs among HF patients with CAD is, respectively, at least 82% and 15% higher than for patients without HF or without CAD, except for stroke investigated in two studies. All‐cause and HF‐related hospitalization is the main driver of the economic burden in patients with HF, the majority of whom had CAD origin. Despite high prevalence of ischemic complications, there is limited evidence to support the use of warfarin‐type antithrombotics among HF patients.

Conclusion

This study confirms that patients with concomitant HF and CAD are at elevated risk for ACEs and suggests the need for effective new antithrombotic treatments to further decrease ischemic complication rates in this population.
Capacity Building in Cyberspace as an Instrument of Foreign Policy
Authors: Pawlak Patryk
Published: February 2016

The positive impact of the Internet on human development depends on security and safety of the digital environment. With the share of developing countries in the global Internet population increasing rapidly, addressing the threats posed by malicious cyber activities is a clear priority. The purpose of this article is to explore the linkages between international debates on cyber‐related issues (i.e. Internet governance, cybercrime, cybersecurity, or international norms) and cyber capacity building. Specifically, the article analyses capacity building projects by the Council of Europe and International Telecommunication Union to answer if and how they can be used as a tool in foreign policy. This question stems from the assumption that capacity building as a process focused on human resources development, organisational arrangements and legal and institutional frameworks is ultimately aimed at deep societal and political transformation.
The Opportunity Space of Overlapping Trade Regimes: Turkey, the Customs Union, and TTIP
Authors: Long Catherine
Published: February 2016

The Republic of Turkey (RoT) is closely observing negotiations of the first three mega‐regional preferential trade agreements. Of greatest concern to the Republic is the US–EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), intended to establish the standards for preferential regimes beyond ambitious next generation free trade areas (FTAs). The Republic's primary concern is TTIP's potential impact on the Turkish economy given interaction with the RoT–EU Customs Union (CU). This interaction reflects the problem of outdated trade agreements’ overlap with the spaghetti bowls of next generation and now mega‐regional agreements. Although immediate Turkish TTIP inclusion is unlikely, TTIP triggered a critical juncture for the Republic given the agreement's potential interaction with the CU's outdated features and hub‐and‐spoke structure. This juncture provides the Republic with strategic leverage to pursue the CU's review and possible revision. The RoT's strategic sequencing of its CU review with TTIP engagement may prove advantageous by altering its structural relationship with its hub and primary economic anchor of the EU as well as facilitating its entry into ambitious mega‐regional agreements and contributing to its EU accession process. It also highlights the way in which states may strategically consolidate their particular cases of overlapping preferential trade agreements (PTAs).
Abstinence or maintenance treatment in substance use disorders?
Authors: Walter Marc , Soyka Michael
Published: February 2016

Commentary to: Which medications are suitable for agonist drug maintenance?
A few words on ‘Which medications are suitable for agonist drug maintenance?’
Authors: Shoptaw Steven
Published: February 2016

Commentary to: Which medications are suitable for agonist drug maintenance?
Efficacy of sodium and stannous fluoride mouthrinses when used before single and multiple erosive challenges.
Authors: O'Toole S , Bartlett DW , Moazzez R
Published: February 2016

Background

Application of fluoride mouthrinse before an acidic challenge may decrease enamel erosion. This paper compares the efficacy of stannous (SnF2) and sodium (NaF) fluoride when facing single and multiple erosive cycles in vitro.

Methods

Human enamel samples (N = 60) were randomly assigned to groups testing SnF2 and NaF mouthrinses (225 p.p.m.) and a water control. Samples were allocated into subgroups testing one or five erosive cycles. Samples were immersed in test solution for 1 min prior to citric acid immersion (0.3%, pH 3.2, 10 min), and the cycle repeated either one or five times. Analysis was done using profilometry and microhardness change.

Results

After one cycle, SnF2 resulted in least step height followed by NaF and water (1.3 μm (0.63), 2.3 μm (0.39), 4.3 μm (0.41) respectively; P < 0.0001). After five cycles SnF2 continued to reduce step height but pre‐application of NaF was no different to water (4.6 μm (0.7), 10.5 μm (1.1) and 11.1 μm (0.38) respectively; P < 0.0001). There were no statistical differences in microhardness change between fluorides. After one erosive cycle, fluoride application resulted in statistically softer enamel compared with water.

Conclusions

Both SnF2 and NaF reduced erosion after one cycle. After five cycles, SnF2 continued to offer protection whereas NaF was statistically comparable with water. Softening of enamel may not imply less erosion has occurred.
Predator‐induced phenotypic plasticity in an arid‐adapted tropical tadpole
Authors: Schalk Christopher M.
Published: February 2016

Adaptive phenotypic plasticity is widespread and involves diverse phenotypes. Key environmental stressors, such as predation risk, can simultaneously induce changes in multiple traits, but the magnitude of response is dependent upon the environmental conditions. Species that utilize temporary ponds are expected to exhibit stronger predator‐induced responses in the form of morphology than behaviour (i.e. reduced activity) to meet the demands of rapid development by maintaining high foraging activity while reducing predation risk via morphologically plastic traits. In a laboratory experiment, I examined the effects of predator chemical cues and conspecific alarm cues on activity, development and morphology on Leptodactylus bufonius tadpoles. This species has terrestrial oviposition and completes the early part of its development outside of ephemeral and temporary ponds in the Gran Chaco ecoregion of South America. Tadpoles in the predator treatments exhibited both behavioural and morphological predator‐induced plastic responses. Tadpoles tended to possess shorter, deeper tails when exposed to predators. The greatest reduction in activity was observed in tadpoles exposed to both predator and conspecific alarm cues, which subsequently resulted in the slowest development. Temporary and ephemeral pond adapted species with terrestrial oviposition may capitalize on a head start in development by being able to afford reduced growth rates via a reduction in activity. This may occur when the constraints imposed by pond hydroperiod (e.g. risk of pond drying) are relaxed when compared with species with aquatic oviposition, which must undergo all stages of development during the pond's hydroperiod. Thus, in addition to the predator and hydroperiod gradients, examining phenotypically plastic responses along a ‘terrestriality gradient’ in a comparative framework would provide insights as to the costs and benefits of increasing terrestriality in anuran reproductive modes to environmental stressors.
Plant community resilience in the face of fire: experimental evidence from a semi‐arid shrubland
Authors: Lipoma M. Lucrecia , Gurvich Diego E. , Urcelay Carlos , Díaz Sandra
Published: February 2016

The ability of communities or ecosystems to recover their structure and function after a disturbance is known as resilience. According to different views, resilience can be influenced by the resource‐use strategies of the plant functional types that dominate the community or by the existence of functional redundancy within plant functional types. We investigated how the dominance of different plant functional types and species affected the resilience of a mountain shrubland after an intense fire. We took advantage from a pre‐existing long‐term removal experiment in which either whole plant functional types (deciduous shrubs, graminoids, perennial forbs and annual forbs) or the dominant species within each plant functional type were removed for 10 years. We sampled species and plant functional types cover during the first growing season after the fire. First, to test whether functional redundancy increased resilience, we analyzed the existence of functional compensation inside plant functional types. Second, to test whether the dominance of plant functional types with different resource‐use strategies affected recovery, we compared resilience at the levels of species, plant functional types and total cover, estimated on the basis of a change index and multivariate Euclidean distances. No compensation was observed in any of the plant functional types. At the level of species, we found that the assemblages dominated by conservative resource‐use strategies were the ones showing higher resilience. This was due to the high recovery of the dominant species of shrubs plant functional type. The opposite (lowest recovery of conservative resource‐use strategies) was found at the plant functional type and total cover‐levels. Our study did not support the hypothesis of resilience by functional redundancy. Instead, regeneration by buried meristems from the pre‐fire stage appeared to be the factor that most influenced recovery. Resource‐use strategies explained resilience of vegetation cover, but not of floristic composition. Regeneration traits, rather than vegetative traits or mechanism of functional compensation, appeared as the most relevant to explain the response of this system after fire.
Factors affecting choice of repair in Mohs micrographic surgery for non‐melanoma skin cancer of the head
Authors: Thomas Charlotte L , Lam Alvin , Lam Janice , Paver Robert , Storey Leslie , Fernandez‐Peñas Pablo
Published: February 2016

Background/Objectives

In Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) the dermatologist serves as surgeon, pathologist and reconstructive surgeon. Analysis of the factors that play a part in determining defect size and closure type may result in better patient outcomes. The objective was to identify factors contributing to the defect size and closure method employed inMMS.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of allMMSperformed for non‐melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) of the head at the Skin and Cancer Foundation Australia, Westmead, between 1 January and 31 December 2007.

Results

Tumor size was the main factor involved in the final defect size (r2: 0.60,P< 0.001), but the sex and age of the patient, tumour pathology, site and surgeon were also significantly associated with the final defect size. In a multivariate analysis, only sex did not remain as an independent factor. Regarding closure method, the age of the patient, defect size, site and surgeon were significantly associated, but patient's age did not remain significant in the multivariate analysis.

Conclusion

Our study has demonstrated that the performing surgeon is a relevant factor in the determination of defect size and repair methods inMMS. The factors underlying this variability require further study as decisions on closure method should be made objectively, based on patient‐related and tumour‐related factors. As expected, the location and size of the defect are the other factors that determine the chosen method of repair.