bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ultrastructural analysis of sequential cyprinid herpesvirus 3 morphogenesis in vitro
Authors: Monaghan S J , Bergmann S M , Thompson K D , Brown L , Herath T , del‐Pozo J , Adams A
Published: December 2016

Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV‐3) is an alloherpesvirus, and it is the aetiological agent of koi herpesvirus disease. Although the complex morphogenic stages of the replication cycle of CyHV‐3 were shown to resemble that of other members of the Herpesvirales, detailed analysis of the sequence and timing of these events was not definitively determined. This study describes these features through a time course using cyprinid cell cultures (KF‐1 and CCB) infected with CyHV‐3 (KHV isolate, H361) and analysed by transmission electron microscopy. Rapid viral entry was noted, with high levels of intracellular virus within 1–4 h post‐infection (hpi). Intranuclear capsid assembly, paracrystalline array formation and primary envelopment of capsids occurred within 4 hpi. Between 1 and 3 days post‐infection (dpi), intracytoplasmic secondary envelopment occurred, as well as budding of infectious virions at the plasma membrane. At 5–7 dpi, the cytoplasm contained cytopathic vacuoles, enveloped virions within vesicles, and abundant non‐enveloped capsids; also there was frequent nuclear deformation. Several morphological features are suggestive of inefficient viral assembly, with production of non‐infectious particles, particularly in KF‐1 cells. The timing of this alloherpesvirus morphogenesis is similar to other members of the Herpesvirales, but there may be possible implications of using different cell lines for CyHV‐3 propagation.
Design and validation of a RT‐qPCR procedure for diagnosis and quantification of most types of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus using a single pair of degenerated primers
Authors: Vázquez D , Cutrín J M , Olveira J G , Dopazo C P
Published: December 2016

Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) is an important virus which affects the salmonid aquaculture industry worldwide; therefore, it is important to develop rapid and reliable methods of diagnosis to detect the disease at early stages. Nowadays, RT‐qPCR is replacing other methods because it provides additional information on the viral load, which is important to have a better understanding of the virus replication level and of the stage of the infection and its risk level. The main problem stems from the high diversity of this virus, which can compromise the reliability of the diagnosis. In this study, we have designed an RT‐qPCR procedure for diagnosis and quantification of IPNV based on a single pair of primers targeted to segment B. The procedure has been validated, in vitro and in vivo, testing two different types of standards against seven reference strains and 23 field isolates from different types. The procedure is reliable for the detection of any type, with a detection limit of 31 TCID50 mL−1, 50 pfu mL−1 or 66 RNA copies mL−1, depending on the standard. All the standard curves showed high reliability (R2 > 0.95). The results support the high reliability of this new procedure for the diagnosis and quantification of IPNV.
Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 as a potential biological control agent for carp (Cyprinus carpio) in Australia: susceptibility of non‐target species
Authors: McColl K A , Sunarto A , Slater J , Bell K , Asmus M , Fulton W , Hall K , Brown P , Gilligan D , Hoad J , Williams L M , Crane M St J
Published: December 2016

Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) is a pest species in Australian waterways, and cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV‐3) is being considered as a potential biological control (biocontrol) agent. An important consideration for any such agent is its target specificity. In this study, the susceptibility to CyHV‐3 of a range of non‐target species (NTS) was tested. The NTS were as follows: 13 native Australian, and one introduced, fish species; a lamprey species; a crustacean; two native amphibian species (tadpole and mature stages); two native reptilian species; chickens; and laboratory mice. Animals were exposed to 100–1000 times the approximate minimum amount of CyHV‐3 required to cause disease in carp by intraperitoneal and/or bath challenge, and then examined clinically each day over the course of 28 days post‐challenge. There were no clinical signs, mortalities or histological evidence consistent with a viral infection in a wide taxonomic range of NTS. Furthermore, there was no molecular evidence of infection with CyHV‐3, and, in particular, all RT‐PCRs for viral mRNA were negative. As a consequence, the results encourage further investigation of CyHV‐3 as a potential biocontrol agent that is specific for carp.
Environmental Impacts of Selective Laser Melting: Do Printer, Powder, Or Power Dominate?
Authors: Faludi Jeremy , Baumers Martin , Maskery Ian , Hague Richard
Published: December 2016

This life cycle assessment measured environmental impacts of selective laser melting, to determine where most impacts arise: machine and supporting hardware; aluminum powder material used; or electricity used to print. Machine impacts and aluminum powder impacts were calculated by generating life cycle inventories of materials and processing; electricity use was measured by in‐line power meter; transport and disposal were also assessed. Impacts were calculated as energy use (megajoules; MJ), ReCiPe Europe Midpoint H, and ReCiPe Europe Endpoint H/A. Previous research has shown that the efficiency of additive manufacturing depends on machine operation patterns; thus, scenarios were demarcated through notation listing different configurations of machine utilization, system idling, and postbuild part removal. Results showed that electricity use during printing was the dominant impact per part for nearly all scenarios, both in MJ and ReCiPe Endpoint H/A. However, some low‐utilization scenarios caused printer embodied impacts to dominate these metrics, and some ReCiPe Midpoint H categories were always dominated by other sources. For printer operators, results indicate that maximizing capacity utilization can reduce impacts per part by a factor of 14 to 18, whereas avoiding electron discharge machining part removal can reduce impacts per part by 25% to 28%. For system designers, results indicate that reductions in energy consumption, both in the printer and auxiliary equipment, could significantly reduce the environmental burden of the process.
Gene tracing analysis reveals the contribution of neural crest‐derived cells in pituitary development
Authors: Ueharu Hiroki , Yoshida Saishu , Kikkawa Takako , Kanno Naoko , Higuchi Masashi , Kato Takako , Osumi Noriko , Kato Yukio
Published: December 2016

The anterior pituitary originates from the adenohypophyseal placode. Both the preplacode region and neural crest (NC) derive from subdivision of the neural border region, and further individualization of the placode domain is established by a reciprocal interaction between placodal precursors and NC cells (NCCs). It has long been known that NCCs are present in the adenohypophysis as interstitial cells. A recent report demonstrated that NCCs also contribute to the formation of pericytes in the developing pituitary. Here, we attempt to further clarify the role of NCCs in pituitary development using P0‐Cre/EGFP reporter mice. Spatiotemporal analyses revealed that GFP‐positive NCCs invaded the adenohypophysis in a stepwise manner. The first wave was detected on mouse embryonic day 9.5 (E9.5), when the pituitary primordium begins to be formed by adenohypophyseal placode cells; the second wave occurred on E14.5, when vasculogenesis proceeds from Atwell's recess. Finally, fate tracing of NCCs demonstrated that NC‐derived cells in the adenohypophysis terminally differentiate into all hormone‐producing cell lineages as well as pericytes. Our data suggest that NCCs contribute to pituitary organogenesis and vasculogenesis in conjunction with placode‐derived pituitary stem/progenitor cells.
A preliminary investigation into the morphology of oral papillae and denticles of blue sharks (Prionace glauca) with inferences about its functional significance across life stages
Authors: Rangel Bianca de S. , Wosnick Natascha , Hammerschlag Neil , Ciena Adriano P. , Kfoury Junior José Roberto , Rici Rose E. G.
Published: December 2016

Sensory organs in elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, rays) detect and respond to a different set of biotic and/or abiotic stimuli, through sight, smell, taste, hearing, mechanoreception and electroreception. Although gustation is crucial for survival and essential for growth, mobility, and maintenance of neural activity and the proper functioning of the immune system, comparatively little is known about this sensory system in elasmobranchs. Here we present a preliminary investigation into the structural and dimensional characteristics of the oral papillae and denticles found in the oropharyngeal cavity of the blue shark (Prionace glauca) during embryonic development through adulthood. Samples were obtained from the dorsal and ventral surface of the oropharyngeal cavity collected from embryos at different development stages as well as from adults. Our results suggest that development of papillae occurs early in ontogeny, before the formation of the oral denticles. The diameter of oral papillae gradually increases during development, starting from 25 μm in stage I embryos, to 110 μm in stageIVembryos and 272–300 μm in adults. Embryos exhibit papillae at early developmental stages, suggesting that these structures may be important during early in life. The highest density of papillae was observed in the maxillary and mandibular valve regions, possibly related to the ability to identify, capture and process prey. The oral denticles were observed only in the final embryonic stage as well as in adults. Accordingly, we suggest that oral denticles likely aid in ram ventilation (through reducing the hydrodynamic drag), to protect papillae from injury during prey consumption and assist in the retention and consumption of prey (through adhesion), since these processes are only necessary after birth.
Influence of the interval between antenatal corticosteroid therapy and delivery on respiratory distress syndrome
Authors: Yasuhi Ichiro , Myoga Mai , Suga Sachie , Sugimi So , Umezaki Yasushi , Fukuda Masashi , Yamashita Hiroshi , Kusuda Nobuko
Published: December 2016

Aim

In spite of the recommendation for rescue antenatal corticosteroids (ACS), the optimal time interval between primary and rescue courses has not been clearly demonstrated. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the interval between a single ACS course and delivery on the incidence of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).

Methods

In this retrospective study, we included singleton pregnant women who received a single course of ACS and delivered beyond 48 h after ACS administration between 24 and 33 weeks' gestation. The risk of RDS was compared between patients who delivered within seven days (Group I), 7–14 days (Group II) and beyond 14 days (Group III) after ACS administration.

Results

We included 83, 14 and 20 patients in Groups I, II and III, respectively. After adjusting for confounders, the ACS delivery interval was significantly associated with RDS in Group II (adjusted odds ratio 12.8, 95% confidence interval 1.31–164.7) and Group III (adjusted odds ratio 64.0, 95% confidence interval 1.32–5808.6).

Conclusion

A longer ACS delivery interval is associated with a higher risk of RDS. Thus, the use of a rescue course could be expected to reduce the incidence of RDS in patients beyond seven days after ACS administration who remain at risk for preterm delivery within seven days, especially in cases of placenta previa and/or women bearing a male fetus.
Omega 3: a novel treatment agent in oral submucous fibrosis: a pilot study
Authors: Raizada Milanjeet Kaur , Sable Digamber M , Chowdhery Asha , Chavan Mahesh Shivaji , Rajpurohit Ladu Singh
Published: December 2016

Background

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a chronic debilitating disease and a premalignant condition of the oral cavity. It is well known for its impervious nature to medical therapy. Omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have been reported to have anti‐inflammatory properties. However, its role in OSF is still not known. This preliminary study assessed the efficacy of systemic omega 3 in this disease.

Methods

A randomized single‐blinded controlled trial was designed, and a total of 10 clinically confirmed adult patients with OSF were included in the study. Group A was given biweekly intralesional injections of dexamethasone 1.5 ml and hyaluronidase 1500 IU mixed with lignocaine for 6 weeks and a placebo for 3 months. Group B was also given similar intralesional injections but with 1 gm of omega 3 three times daily continuously for 3 months. Patients were followed every month for 3 months and then after 6 months.

Results

Significant improvement was noted among all clinical parameters (interincisal distance, tongue protrusion, cheek flexibility, and visual analogue scale) in both the groups. Intergroup comparison showed significant reduction in burning sensation in group B; that is, P value was 0.005, while improvement in rest of the three clinical features was not statistically significant.

Conclusion

Omega 3 can be used as an adjunctive treatment option in patients with OSF to reduce subjective symptoms. More studies should be conducted with a larger sample size to study the effect of omega 3 in patients with OSF.
Oracle M‐Estimation for Time Series Models
Authors: Giurcanu Mihai C.
Published: December 2016

We propose a thresholding M‐estimator for multivariate time series. Our proposed estimator has the oracle property that its large‐sample properties are the same as of the classical M‐estimator obtained under thea prioriinformation that the zero parameters were known. We study the consistency of the standard block bootstrap, the centred block bootstrap and the empirical likelihood block bootstrap distributions of the proposed M‐estimator. We develop automatic selection procedures for the thresholding parameter and for the block length of the bootstrap methods. We present the results of a simulation study of the proposed methods for a sparse vector autoregressive VAR(2) time series model. The analysis of two real‐world data sets illustrate applications of the methods in practice.
Small‐Group Dynamics, Ideology, and Decision Making on the US Courts of Appeals
Authors: Miller Banks , Curry Brett
Published: December 2016

There is some evidence that judges who specialize in particular legal areas vote in more ideologically consistent ways than do nonspecialists. Upon replicating those individual results across multiple legal areas in the US courts of appeals, we assess how this increasing reliance on ideology by specialists affects decision making by others on a three‐judge panel. We find that judges who serve with a specialist are especially likely to vote in a manner consistent with the ideological position of the specialist with whom they serve. These results suggest that specialization has the potential to facilitate panel effects across numerous legal policy areas.
Self‐fertilization, long‐distance flash invasion and biogeography shape the population structure of Pseudosuccinea columella at the worldwide scale
Authors: Lounnas M. , Correa A. C. , Vázquez A. A. , Dia A. , Escobar J. S. , Nicot A. , Arenas J. , Ayaqui R. , Dubois M. P. , Gimenez T. , Gutiérrez A. , González‐Ramírez C. , Noya O. , Prepelitchi L. , Uribe N. , Wisnivesky‐Colli C. , Yong M. , David P. , Loker E. S. , Jarne P. , Pointier J. P. , Hurtrez‐Boussès S.
Published: December 2016

Population genetic studies are efficient for inferring the invasion history based on a comparison of native and invasive populations, especially when conducted at species scale. An expected outcome in invasive populations is variability loss, and this is especially true in self‐fertilizing species. We here focus on the self‐fertilizing Pseudosuccinea columella, an invasive hermaphroditic freshwater snail that has greatly expanded its geographic distribution and that acts as intermediate host of Fasciola hepatica, the causative agent of human and veterinary fasciolosis. We evaluated the distribution of genetic diversity at the largest geographic scale analysed to date in this species by surveying 80 populations collected during 16 years from 14 countries, using eight nuclear microsatellites and two mitochondrial genes. As expected, populations from North America, the putative origin area, were strongly structured by selfing and history and harboured much more genetic variability than invasive populations. We found high selfing rates (when it was possible to infer it), none‐to‐low genetic variability and strong population structure in most invasive populations. Strikingly, we found a unique genotype/haplotype in populations from eight invaded regions sampled all over the world. Moreover, snail populations resistant to infection by the parasite are genetically distinct from susceptible populations. Our results are compatible with repeated introductions in South America and flash worldwide invasion by this unique genotype/haplotype. Our study illustrates the population genetic consequences of biological invasion in a highly selfing species at very large geographic scale. We discuss how such a large‐scale flash invasion may affect the spread of fasciolosis.
Genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics: enabling insights into social evolution and disease challenges for managed and wild bees
Authors: Trapp Judith , McAfee Alison , Foster Leonard J.
Published: December 2016

Globally, there are over 20 000 bee species (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila) with a host of biologically fascinating characteristics. Although they have long been studied as models for social evolution, recent challenges to bee health (mainly diseases and pesticides) have gathered the attention of both public and research communities. Genome sequences of twelve bee species are now complete or under progress, facilitating the application of additional ‘omic technologies. Here, we review recent developments in honey bee and native bee research in the genomic era. We discuss the progress in genome sequencing and functional annotation, followed by the enabled comparative genomics, proteomics and transcriptomics applications regarding social evolution and health. Finally, we end with comments on future challenges in the postgenomic era.
Sex differences in leucocyte telomere length in a free‐living mammal
Authors: Watson Rebecca L. , Bird Ellen J. , Underwood Sarah , Wilbourn Rachael V. , Fairlie Jennifer , Watt Kathryn , Salvo‐Chirnside Eliane , Pilkington Jill G. , Pemberton Josephine M. , McNeilly Tom N. , Froy Hannah , Nussey Daniel H.
Published: December 2016

Mounting evidence suggests that average telomere length reflects previous stress and predicts subsequent survival across vertebrate species. In humans, leucocyte telomere length (LTL) is consistently shorter during adulthood in males than in females, although the causes of this sex difference and its generality to other mammals remain unknown. Here, we measured LTL in a cross‐sectional sample of free‐living Soay sheep and found shorter telomeres in males than in females in later adulthood (>3 years of age), but not in early life. This observation was not related to sex differences in growth or parasite burden, but we did find evidence for reduced LTL associated with increased horn growth in early life in males. Variation in LTL was independent of variation in the proportions of different leucocyte cell types, which are known to differ in telomere length. Our results provide the first evidence of sex differences in LTL from a wild mammal, but longitudinal studies are now required to determine whether telomere attrition rates or selective disappearance are responsible for these observed differences.
Seasonal acoustic behavior of blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) in the Gulf of California, Mexico
Authors: Paniagua‐Mendoza Aurora , Gendron Diane , Romero‐Vivas Eduardo , Hildebrand John A.
Published: December 2016

Six years of passive acoustic monitoring data from the Gulf of California reveal seasonality and movements for the northeastern Pacific blue whales. Three sites were studied, one from the southern (Punta Pescadero) and two from the northern (Isla Tiburon and Canal de Ballenas) regions. A total of 4,953 h were analyzed, and 15,539 blue whale calls were detected, of which 2,723 (18%) were A calls, 11,249 were B calls (72%), and 1,567 were D calls (10%). A and B calls were produced both as song units (2,524) or AB singular calls (2,026). The high rate of songs and their seasonality suggest that the GC is a winter‐breeding ground. A shift from AB call predominance in winter, to D calls in spring and early summer, especially at the entrance of the GC, suggests the importance of this area for reproduction and foraging. Analysis of calling frequency suggests a clear movement of blue whales from the southern region (Punta Pescadero) to the northern regions (Canal de Ballenas and Isla Tiburon), with subsequent southern movement in March. The seasonality and mobility of blue whales in the Gulf of California, inferred from their calling, contributes to the ecological understanding of this population.
A critical analysis of scales to measure the attitude of nurses toward spiritual care and the frequency of spiritual nursing care activities
Authors: Garssen Bert , Ebenau Anne Frederieke , Visser Anja , Uwland Nicoline , Groot Marieke
Published: December 2016

Quantitative studies have assessed nurses’ attitudes toward and frequency of spiritual care [SC] and which factors are of influence on this attitude and frequency. However, we had doubts about the construct validity of the scales used in these studies. Our objective was to evaluate scales measuring nursing SC. Articles about the development and psychometric evaluation of SC scales have been identified, using, Web of Science, and CINAHL, and evaluated with respect to the psychometric properties and item content of the scales. Item content was evaluated by each of the five authors with respect to the following questions: Does the item (1) reflect a general opinion about SC instead of a personal willingness to offer SC; (2) reflect general psychosocial care instead of specific SC; (3) focus solely on religious care; (4) contain the words ‘spiritual’ (care/needs/health/strengths, etc.); and (5) contain multiple propositions, or have an unclear meaning? We found eight scales. Psychometric analysis of these scales was often meager and the items of all but one scale suffered from two or more of the five problems described above. This leads us to conclude that many quantitative results in this area are based on findings with questionable scales. Suggestions for improvements are provided.
Neurocognitive profile of euthymic Japanese patients with bipolar disorder
Authors: Ishisaka Nozomi , Shimano Satomi , Miura Tomofumi , Motomura Keisuke , Horii Machiko , Imanaga Hisako , Kishimoto Junji , Kaneda Yasuhiro , Sora Ichiro , Kanba Shigenobu
Published: December 2016

Aim

Neurocognitive impairment is one of the core symptoms of bipolar disorder (BD). The MATRICS Cognitive Consensus Battery (MCCB) is a potential consensus assessment tool to evaluate cognitive function in patients with BD. Here, we report on cognitive deficits evaluated using the MCCB Japanese version (MCCB‐J) in euthymic Japanese patients with BD, and compare them with scores in previous studies.

Methods

We compared neurocognitive function in 25 patients with euthymic BD and 53 healthy controls (HC). Additionally, we searched all available databases for studies that have evaluated cognitive function in BD using the MCCB, and conducted a meta‐analysis.

Results

Canonical discriminant analysis revealed significant differences in MCCB‐J domain scores between BD and HC. Patients with BD performed significantly worse on visual learning, social cognition, speed of processing, and MCCB composite scores. Our meta‐analysis revealed that patients with BD performed worse than HC, as reflected by MCCB composite scores and scores on all seven cognitive domains. However, there are differences in the cognitive deficits identified in previous studies compared with our participants, particularly social cognition.

Conclusion

As reported in previous studies, neurocognitive deficits were observed in Japanese euthymic BD patients assessed using the MCCB‐J. Further study is needed to clarify whether differences in social cognition between this study and previous studies are a result of coping mechanisms for social settings in Japanese populations.
Managing the Entanglement: Complexity Leadership in Public Sector Systems
Authors: Murphy Joanne , Rhodes Mary Lee , Meek Jack W. , Denyer David
Published: December 2016

Complexity in public sector systems requires leaders to balance the administrative practices necessary to be aligned and efficient in the management of routine challenges and the adaptive practices required to respond to dynamic circumstances. Conventional notions of leadership in the field of public administration do not fully explain the role of leadership in balancing the entanglement of formal, top‐down, administrative functions and informal, emergent, adaptive functions within public sector settings with different levels of complexity. Drawing on and extending existing complexity leadership constructs, this article explores how leadership is enacted over the duration of six urban regeneration projects representing high, medium, and low levels of project complexity. The article suggests that greater attention needs to be paid to the tensions inherent in enabling leadership if actors are to cope with the complex, collaborative, cross‐boundary, adaptive work in which they are increasingly engaged.
Institutional Analysis of Neighborhood Collective Action
Authors: Craw Michael
Published: December 2016

Sublocal governance organizations may provide a way for some urban neighborhoods to stabilize and improve property values. Recent advances in collective action theory, spatial statistical methods, and data availability now make it possible to more directly evaluate the effects of these organizations. The analysis combines geocoded assessor's data and data from a survey of neighborhood and homeowner associations to analyze a model of prices of single‐family homes in Little Rock, Arkansas, from 2012 to 2016. The results show that neighborhood and homeowner associations both have significant positive effects on neighborhood property values relative to unorganized neighborhoods and that the effect of neighborhood associations is at least as large as that of homeowner associations. Moreover, the results indicate that neighborhood association structure mediates the effect on property values, although this is not the case for homeowner associations.
Regulation of diapause in carnivores
Authors: Fenelon JC , Lefèvre PL , Banerjee A , Murphy BD
Published: December 2016

Contents

Embryonic diapause is an evolutionary strategy to ensure that offspring are born when maternal and environmental conditions are optimal for survival. In many species of carnivores, obligate embryonic diapause occurs in every gestation. In mustelids, the regulation of diapause and reactivation is influenced by photoperiod, which then acts to regulate the secretion of pituitary prolactin. Prolactin in turn regulates ovarian steroid function. Reciprocal embryo transplant studies indicate that this state of embryonic arrest is conferred by uterine conditions and is presumed to be due to a lack of specific factors necessary for continued development. Studies of global gene expression in the mink (Neovison vison) revealed reduced expression of a cluster of genes that regulate the abundance of polyamines in the uterus during diapause, including the rate‐limiting enzyme in polyamine production, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). In addition, in this species, in vivo inhibition of the conversion of ornithine to the polyamine, putrescine, induces a reversible arrest in embryonic development and an arrest in both trophoblast and inner cell mass proliferation in vitro. Putrescine, at 0.5, 2 and 1,000 μM concentrations induced reactivation of mink embryos in culture, indicated by an increase in embryo volume, observed within five days. Further, prolactin induces ODC1 expression in the uterus, thereby regulating uterine polyamine levels. These results indicate that pituitary prolactin acts on ovarian and uterine targets to terminate embryonic diapause. In summary, our findings suggest that the polyamines, with synthesis under the control of pituitary prolactin, are the uterine factor whose absence is responsible for embryonic diapause in mustelid carnivores.
Long‐term effects of GnRH agonists on fertility and behaviour
Authors: Goericke‐Pesch S
Published: December 2016

Contents

This review aimed to summarize the present knowledge about the effects of GnRH agonist slow‐release implants (GnRH A‐SRI) on fertility and behaviour in male and female dogs and cats with special focus on deslorelin.

Following an initial stimulation of gonadotropin and testosterone secretion possibly associated with an improved semen quality, GnRH A‐SRI induce long‐term depression of fertility in male dogs and cats with, however, a large individual variation in onset and duration of efficacy especially in cats. The GnRH A‐SRI furthermore interfere with testosterone‐dependent/affected behaviour; a significant positive effect in reducing sexual behaviour and libido, hypersexuality, intermale dominance and excessive territorial urine marking has been described. Rates of improvement of the respective behaviour are comparable to those after surgical castration, making GnRH A‐SRI a valuable option to predict castration‐related effects on behaviour and to identify animals where surgical castration will not be beneficial. No effect has been seen in reducing aggression towards humans indicating the need for behavioural therapy to control this problem. Effects on spermatogenesis, steroidogenesis and behaviour have by now been shown to be fully reversible. Knowledge in females is more limited, and particularly, the initial induction of a possibly fertile oestrus and individual variation in duration of efficacy remain problems in bitches and queens treated for suppression of fertility. However, long‐term suppression of oestrous cycle and fertility seems to be possible with induced effects shown to be reversible including restoration of normal fertility after the end of efficacy/GNRH A‐SRI removal.
New insights into the understanding of MHC associations with immune‐mediated disorders
Authors: Caillat‐Zucman S.
Published: December 2016

Recent advances in technologies such as high density array‐based genotyping, DNA and RNA deep sequencing, expression quantitative‐trait loci mapping, epigenome analyses, and new computational strategies, have introduced drastic shifts into our understanding of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) association with immune‐mediated diseases. Here, we review the most exciting findings in this field. We show how the fine characterization of structural features and expression levels of MHC alleles, posttranslational or environmental modifications of HLA‐bound peptides, and epistatic interactions with non‐HLA genes, has made it possible not only to provide mechanistic explanations for MHC associations with immune‐mediated diseases but also to help choose relevant therapeutic targets.
From classical mutagenesis to nuclease‐based breeding – directing natural DNA repair for a natural end‐product
Authors: Pacher Michael , Puchta Holger
Published: December 2016

Production of mutants of crop plants by the use of chemical or physical genotoxins has a long tradition. These factors induce the natural DNA repair machinery to repair damage in an error‐prone way. In the case of radiation, multiple double‐strand breaks (DSBs) are induced randomly in the genome, leading in very rare cases to a desirable phenotype. In recent years the use of synthetic, site‐directed nucleases (SDNs) – also referred to as sequence‐specific nucleases – like the CRISPR/Cas system has enabled scientists to use exactly the same naturally occurring DNA repair mechanisms for the controlled induction of genomic changes at pre‐defined sites in plant genomes. As these changes are not necessarily associated with the permanent integration of foreign DNA, the obtained organisms per se cannot be regarded as genetically modified as there is no way to distinguish them from natural variants. This applies to changes induced by DSBs as well as single‐strand breaks, and involves repair by non‐homologous end‐joining and homologous recombination. The recent development of SDN‐based ‘DNA‐free’ approaches makes mutagenesis strategies in classical breeding indistinguishable from SDN‐derived targeted genome modifications, even in regard to current regulatory rules. With the advent of new SDN technologies, much faster and more precise genome editing becomes available at reasonable cost, and potentially without requiring time‐consuming deregulation of newly created phenotypes. This review will focus on classical mutagenesis breeding and the application of newly developed SDNs in order to emphasize similarities in the context of the regulatory situation for genetically modified crop plants.
Distinct complexes of yeast Snx4 family SNX‐BARs mediate retrograde trafficking of Snc1 and Atg27
Authors: Ma Mengxiao , Burd Christopher G. , Chi Richard J.
Published: December 2016

The yeast SNX4 sub‐family of sorting nexin containing a Bin‐Amphiphysin‐Rvs domain (SNX‐BAR) proteins, Snx4/Atg24, Snx41 and Atg20/Snx42, are required for endocytic recycling and selective autophagy. Here, we show that Snx4 forms 2 functionally distinct heterodimers: Snx4‐Atg20 and Snx4‐Snx41. Each heterodimer coats an endosome‐derived tubule that mediates retrograde sorting of distinct cargo; the v‐SNARE, Snc1, is a cargo of the Snx4‐Atg20 pathway, and Snx4‐Snx41 mediates retrograde sorting of Atg27, an integral membrane protein implicated in selective autophagy. Live cell imaging of individual endosomes shows that Snx4 and the Vps5‐Vps17 retromer SNX‐BAR heterodimer operate concurrently on a maturing endosome. Consistent with this, the yeast dynamin family protein, Vps1, which was previously shown to promote fission of retromer‐coated tubules, promotes fission of Snx4‐Atg20 coated tubules. The results indicate that the yeast SNX‐BAR proteins coat 3 distinct types of endosome‐derived carriers that mediate endosome‐to‐Golgi retrograde trafficking.
Identification of Visceral Leishmaniasis‐Susceptible Areas using Spatial Modelling in Southern Caucasus
Authors: Rajabi M. , Pilesjö P. , Bazmani A. , Mansourian A.
Published: December 2016

This study explores the application of spatial modelling techniques to generate susceptibility maps for a neglected zoonotic disease, visceral leishmaniasis (VL), in an endemic area in southern Caucasus that includes Iran, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The social and physical environment of southern Caucasus has been mainly characterized by the presence of several factors that are strongly associated with VL, which has caused a significant number of infections during the past decade. Three popular spatial modelling techniques, consisting of the weights of evidence, logistic regression and fuzzy logic methods, were evaluated and trained using a study area in north‐western Iran where an inventory of highly infected areas and high‐quality evidential factors was available. Model performance was assessed using the receiver‐operating characteristic (ROC) approach. According to the results of these assessments, the fuzzy logic method with γ = 0.5 was chosen for the prediction of VL incidence in southern Caucasus. The susceptibility map generated using the fuzzy logic method indicated that VL followed a spatial pattern at the conjunction of the three countries, which suggests that the prevalence of VL in southern Caucasus is socio‐ecologically dependent.
Participatory Policy Making by Dairy Producers to Reduce Anti‐Microbial use on Farms
Authors: van Dijk L. , Hayton A. , Main D. C. J. , Booth A. , King A. , Barrett D. C. , Buller H. J. , Reyher K. K.
Published: December 2016

Pressures for more responsible use of anti‐microbial (AM) medicines in food animals are likely to increase from policymakers and the food industry, including retailers. To address this challenge, participatory approaches to welfare interventions and disease prevention may also be necessary alongside more conventional regulatory measures. This article describes the process of enabling groups of dairy producers to use a participatory policy making approach to develop an AM stewardship policy. The policy includes measures agreed to by all producers for more responsible use of AMs, whilst maintaining or improving dairy herd health and welfare. This process provided a unique opportunity for collaboration and dialogue between producers, veterinarians, industry and researchers. Its participatory nature encouraged comprehensive learning for all involved. This integration of science with producers’ knowledge and experience led to credible and practical recommendations designed to deliver real and lasting change in AM use. The multidisciplinary nature of this research marks a significant contribution to embedding social science skills and approaches into the veterinary sphere. As an initial step in creating better understanding of how participatory approaches with farmers can be applied in a UK context and more widely, this work serves as a pilot for promoting more responsible use of veterinary medicines in other livestock species.
Four‐week cold acclimation in adult humans shifts uncoupling thermogenesis from skeletal muscles to brown adipose tissue
Authors: Blondin Denis P. , Daoud Amani , Taylor Taryn , Tingelstad Hans C. , Bézaire Véronic , Richard Denis , Carpentier André C. , Taylor Albert W. , Harper Mary‐Ellen , Aguer Céline , Haman François
Published: December 2016

Key points

Muscle‐derived thermogenesis during acute cold exposure in humans consists of a combination of cold‐induced increases in skeletal muscle proton leak and shivering.

Daily cold exposure results in an increase in brown adipose tissue oxidative capacity coupled with a decrease in the cold‐induced skeletal muscle proton leak and shivering intensity.

Improved coupling between electromyography‐determined muscle activity and whole‐body heat production following cold acclimation suggests a maintenance of ATPase‐dependent thermogenesis and decrease in skeletal muscle ATPase independent thermogenesis.

Although daily cold exposure did not change the fibre composition of the vastus lateralis, the fibre composition was a strong predictor of the shivering pattern evoked during acute cold exposure.

We previously showed that 4 weeks of daily cold exposure in humans can increase brown adipose tissue (BAT) volume by 45% and oxidative metabolism by 182%. Surprisingly, we did not find a reciprocal reduction in shivering intensity when exposed to a mild cold (18°C). The present study aimed to determine whether changes in skeletal muscle oxidative metabolism or shivering activity could account for these unexpected findings. Nine men participated in a 4 week cold acclimation intervention (10°C water circulating in liquid‐conditioned suit, 2 h day–1, 5 days week–1). Shivering intensity and pattern were measured continuously during controlled cold exposure (150 min at 4 °C) before and after the acclimation. Muscle biopsies from the m. vastus lateralis were obtained to measure oxygen consumption rate and proton leak of permeabilized muscle fibres. Cold acclimation elicited a modest 21% (P < 0.05) decrease in whole‐body and m. vastus lateralis shivering intensity. Furthermore, cold acclimation abolished the acute cold‐induced increase in proton leak. Although daily cold exposure did not change the fibre composition of the m. vastus lateralis, fibre composition was a strong predictor of the shivering pattern evoked during acute cold. We conclude that muscle‐derived thermogenesis during acute cold exposure in humans is not only limited to shivering, but also includes cold‐induced increases in proton leak. The efficiency of muscle oxidative phosphorylation improves with cold acclimation, suggesting that reduced muscle thermogenesis occurs through decreased proton leak, in addition to decreased shivering intensity as BAT capacity and activity increase. These changes occur with no net difference in whole‐body thermogenesis.
Ethical Issues in Concussion Management
Authors: Neal Timothy
Published: December 2016

Athletic health care professionals, team physicians, and athletic trainers have an ethical obligation to safeguard the short- and long-term well-being of the athlete they care for. The potential long-term negative consequences to the student-athlete’s physical, cognitive, and mental health as a result of concussions and their mismanagement is a reality. How the athletic health care professional attends to this top priority of providing optimal health care to the concussed athlete while navigating the mitigating circumstances and influences of nonmedical entities found in competitive athletics is one of the great ethical challenges of present day sports medicine. Effectively navigating the complex challenges faced by athletic health care professionals is as important as the care delivered. Understanding the ethical challenges faced by athletic health care decision makers should be a central focus in providing the optimal care the patient deserves.
Performance Enhancement and Health Care Professionals’ Ethical Obligation
Authors: Newsham Katherine R.
Published: December 2016

Performance enhancement is a multibillion dollar industry, with little known about the efficacy or safety of many practices. Many sport governing bodies have banned certain equipment, supplements, and drugs, yet, some athletes use anyway. This use may pose a danger to the individual user, as well as to other participants, and can challenge the integrity of the sport. We must consider how we, as health care professionals, balance personal autonomy, individual safety, and the integrity of sport in fulfilling our social contract.
Ethics Education: Preventing Moral Distress and Empathy Decline in Sports Medicine Practice
Authors: Peer Kimberly S.
Published: December 2016

Values guide behaviors, and consistent behaviors guide practice. Professionals are bound by social contracts to provide high-quality services with the interest of the patient as the primary consideration. Most healthcare professions have a codified standard for ethical behavior, however, the manifestation of ethical decisions can violate the social contract if not carefully considered. Healthcare professions have experienced considerable empathy decline and moral distress both in professional preparation and clinical practice. These emerging trends have created concerns about the structure and function of ethics education in the health professions. Several conceptual, pedagogical strategies have been promoted to engage learners in purposeful reflection about ethical dilemmas. Healthcare educators need to consider different strategies for encouraging ethical reflection and engagement to prevent moral distress and empathy decline. Various pedagogical strategies are discussed with a conceptual framework proposed for reconsidering ethics education in healthcare professions.
Professional Values: Cultivating the Social Contract with the Seeds of Professionalism
Authors: Schlabach Gretchen A.
Published: December 2016

The profession of athletic training has not identified and explicitly articulated shared professional values (PV). Shared PV are the seeds of professionalism, and deeply rooted motivators of professional action which support the social contract through self-regulation. The purpose of this exploratory study was to: (1) discover shared PV in athletic training, (2) examine how important PV are to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) membership, and (3) how important is it for our association to explicitly articulate professional values. This study found that truth/honesty, integrity, and respect are significant athletic training PV. PV are important (96.8%), and it is important for the association to explicitly articulate PV (96.5%). The declaration of shared PV will promote values-based behaviors and internally motivate a duty to uphold the legal, ethical, and regulatory standards of the profession. Dedication to our professional responsibilities will sustain the social contract and encourage public trust.
Chiral symmetry transition in the linear sigma model with quarks: Counting effective QCD degrees of freedom from low to high temperature
Authors: Ayala Alejandro , Castaño-Yepes Jorge David , Cobos-Martínez J. J. , Hernández-Ortiz Saúl , Julia Mizher Ana , Raya Alfredo
Published: December 2016

We use the linear sigma model coupled to quarks, together with a plausible location of the critical end point (CEP), to study the chiral symmetry transition in the QCD phase diagram. We compute the effective potential at finite temperature and density up to the contribution of the ring diagrams, both in the low and high temperature limits, and use it to compute the pressure and the position of the CEP. In the high temperature regime, by comparing to results from extrapolated lattice data, we determine the model coupling constants. Demanding that the CEP remains in the same location when described in the high temperature limit, we determine again the couplings and the pressure for the low temperature regime. We show that this procedure gives an average description of the lattice QCD results for the pressure and that the change from the low to the high temperature domains in this quantity can be attributed to the change in the coupling constants which in turn we link to the change in the effective degrees of freedom.
Instantaneous Bethe–Salpeter view of Goldstone-type pseudoscalar mesons
Authors: Lucha Wolfgang , Schöberl Franz F.
Published: December 2016

Describing the lightest pseudoscalar mesons as bound states of quark and antiquark within the framework of an instantaneous Bethe–Salpeter formalism constructed such as to retain (in contrast to Salpeter’s equation) as much information on the relativistic effects provided by the full quark propagator as conceivable allows for a surprisingly simple implementation of their near masslessness mandatory for their interpretability as pseudo-Goldstone bosons related to the spontaneous breaking of the chiral symmetries of quantum chromodynamics.
Titanium microgram weight low to 50 mg and measurement based on exchange weighing method
Authors: Ren Xiaoping , Dong Lei , Wang Jian , Wang Xiaolei
Published: December 2016

The microgram weights have wide applications in the mechanical testing of nano- and bio-material sensors. They are increasing the requirement of small force and mass below 1 mg among the researchers, industry and bio-pharmaceutical manufacturing. In this paper, the current research status is presented, both from the measurement method and manufacture of microgram weights. The commonly used material for micro-weights is stainless steel and aluminum. Now NIM has developed another kind of microgram weights with titanium alloy. For the reason that it has smaller size than normal material like aluminum, special designed exchange weighing pan was used in measurement, which solved the problems that the weighing hooks cannot carry up and down the wire shape microgram weight. Then this kind of microgram weights was tested in subdivision measurement on an automatic mass comparator. It showed good performance in the experiment, which extends the choice for the industrial and metrological user. The uncertainty evaluation of micro-weight values range from 0.05 mg to 0.5 mg with standard uncertainty between 0.2 g and 0.1 μg.
Stability of the half-vortex in spin-orbit coupled Bose–Einstein condensate
Authors: Wu Rukuan
Published: December 2016

The half-vortex stability of the stripe phase in spin-orbit (SO) coupled Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) is discussed through the multi-mode theory. We find that when the energy of the Rabi coupling is close to zero, the half-vortex in the trap center is always dynamically stable; when the energy becomes larger, the vortex may be structurally unstable. Both of the results are confirmed by the numerical simulation of the full Gross–Pitaevskii equation.