bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Symbolic Configuration for Interactive Container Ship Stowage Planning
Authors: Kroer Christian , Svendsen Martin Kjær , Jensen Rune M. , Kiniry Joseph , Leknes Eilif
Published: July 2014

Low‐cost containerized shipping requires high‐quality stowage plans. Scalable stowage planning optimization algorithms have been developed recently. All of these algorithms, however, produce monolithic solutions that are hard for stowage coordinators to modify, which is necessary in practice owing to exceptions and operational disruptions. This article introduces an approach for modifying a stowage plan interactively without breaking its constraints. We focus on rearranging the containers in a single‐bay section and show two approaches for providing complete and backtrack‐free decision support using symbolic configuration techniques, one based on binary decision diagrams and one based on DPLL solvers. We show that binary decision diagrams can be used to solve real‐world sized instances of a single bay, and that search‐based solvers can be used to solve simplified instances going beyond a single bay.
The effect of flow on the competition between the alien racer goby and native European bullhead
Authors: Jermacz Łukasz , Kobak Jarosław , Dzierżyńska Anna , Kakareko Tomasz
Published: July 2014

The racer goby is an invasive Ponto‐Caspian fish spreading throughout Europe. They threaten a native species of similar biology, the European bullhead, by displacing them from shelters. These shelters are necessary for reproduction as well as for protection against predators and hydrodynamic forces. However, abiotic conditions may strongly modify the outcome of an interspecific competition in the wild. Nevertheless, little is known of the effect of flow velocity on the competition between these rheophilic species, although this factor is crucial for their distribution in the field. We video‐recorded fish behaviour for 2 h in single‐species and mixed‐species pairs in the presence of single shelters at three flow velocities: 0, 10 (a velocity preferred by the racer goby) and 30 cm·s−1 (a velocity greater than preferred by the racer goby) to determine whether the invader can deprive the native species of its shelter. At the flow of 0 and 10 cm·s−1, the racer goby exhibited aggressive behaviour towards bullhead, and this restricted the time spent by the bullhead in the shelter. Moreover, although the flow of 30 cm·s−1 inhibited racer goby aggression, the time spent by the bullhead in the shelter in interspecific competition was still reduced when compared to intraspecific controls. Our results suggest that under natural conditions, the racer goby displace bullheads from their shelters even at flow velocities greater than optimal for the racer goby.
Higher C‐peptide levels are associated with regional cortical thinning in 1093 cognitively normal subjects
Authors: Yoon C. W. , Kang M. , Shin H. Y. , Jeon S. , Yang J.‐J. , Kim S. T. , Noh Y. , Kim G. H. , Kim H. J. , Kim Y. J. , Kim J.‐H. , Cho H. , Ye B. S. , Lee J. M. , Choi S. H. , Im K. , Moon H.‐S. , Na D. L. , Seo S. W.
Published: July 2014

Background and purpose

Recent studies have demonstrated an association between increased insulin secretion and cognitive impairment. However, there is no previous study that directly evaluates the association between increased insulin secretion and cortical thickness to our knowledge. Therefore, our aim was to evaluate the effect of hyperinsulinemia, as measured by C‐peptide level, on cortical thickness in a large sample of cognitively normal individuals.

Methods

Cortical thickness was measured in 1093 patients who visited the Samsung Medical Health Promotion Center and underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a blood test to measure C‐peptide concentration. Automated surface‐based analyses of the MRI data were used to measure cortical thickness. C‐peptide levels were divided into quartiles for comparison. Patients in the first to third quartiles were used as the reference category.

Results

Patients in the highest quartile group (Q4) of C‐peptide levels showed cortical thinning, predominantly in both medial temporal lobes, the right inferior temporal gyrus, both medial prefrontal lobes and the right superior parietal lobule, compared with the lower quartile groups (Q1–Q3) after controlling for age, gender, body mass index, history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, previous stroke, cardiovascular disease and fasting glucose level.

Conclusions

A higher C‐peptide level is associated with regional cortical thinning, even in cognitively normal individuals.
Analysis of ELP4, SRPX2, and interacting genes in typical and atypical rolandic epilepsy
Authors: Reinthaler Eva M. , Lal Dennis , Jurkowski Wiktor , Feucht Martha , Steinböck Hannelore , Gruber‐Sedlmayr Ursula , Ronen Gabriel M. , Geldner Julia , Haberlandt Edda , Neophytou Birgit , Hahn Andreas , Altmüller Janine , Thiele Holger , Toliat Mohammad R. ,   EuroEPINOMICS Consortium, Lerche Holger , Nürnberg Peter , Sander Thomas , Neubauer Bernd A. , Zimprich Fritz
Published: July 2014

Rolandic epilepsy (RE) and its atypical variants (atypical rolandic epilepsy, ARE) along the spectrum of epilepsy–aphasia disorders are characterized by a strong but largely unknown genetic basis. Two genes with a putative (ELP4) or a proven (SRPX2) function in neuronal migration were postulated to confer susceptibility to parts of the disease spectrum: the ELP4 gene to centrotemporal spikes and SRPX2 to ARE. To reexamine these findings, we investigated a cohort of 280 patients of European ancestry with RE/ARE for the etiological contribution of these genes and their close interaction partners. We performed next‐generation sequencing and single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)–array based genotyping to screen for sequence and structural variants. In comparison to European controls we could not detect an enrichment of rare deleterious variants of ELP4, SRPX2, or their interaction partners in affected individuals. The previously described functional p.N327S variant in the X chromosomal SRPX2 gene was detected in two affected individuals (0.81%) and also in controls (0.26%), with some preponderance of male patients. We did not detect an association of SNPs in the ELP4 gene with centrotemporal spikes as previously reported. In conclusion our data do not support a major role of ELP4 and SRPX2 in the etiology of RE/ARE.

A PowerPoint slide summarizing this article is available for download in the Supporting Information section here.
Incidence of hospital admissions due to adverse drug reactions in France: the EMIR study
Authors: Bénard‐Laribière Anne , Miremont‐Salamé Ghada , Pérault‐Pochat Marie‐Christine , Noize Pernelle , Haramburu Françoise ,   the EMIR Study Group on behalf of the French network of pharmacovigilance centres
Published: July 2014

To assess the incidence of hospital admissions related to adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in France and the frequency of preventable ADRs in France, a prospective study was conducted among a representative randomly selected sample of medical wards in public hospitals between December 2006 and June 2007; all patients admitted during a 2‐week period were included. An ADR‐related hospitalization case was defined as a hospital admission because of an ADR, and an independent committee reviewed and validated all potential cases. Preventability was assessed using the French ADR preventability scale. Data were extrapolated to the population of France. Among 2692 admissions, 97 were related to an ADR (incidence 3.6%, 95% confidence interval, CI [2.8–4.4]). Patients admitted for an ADR were significantly older than those admitted for other reasons (P < 0.001). A third (32.0%) of ADR‐related hospitalizations were ‘preventable’, 16.5% ‘potentially preventable’. Drug interactions accounted for 29.9% of ADR‐related hospitalizations. The most frequent causes of ADR‐related hospitalizations were vascular disorders (20.6%), mainly bleeding complications, central nervous system disorders (11.3%), gastrointestinal disorders, and general disorders (9.3%). Antithrombotic and antineoplastic agents were the most frequently involved (12.6% each), followed by diuretics and analgesics (9.0% each). Vitamin‐K‐antagonists (VKAs) were the most common drugs associated with admission. The estimated annual number of ADR‐related hospitalizations in France was 143 915 (95% CI [112 063–175 766]). ADRs were a significant cause of hospital admission in 2006–2007, in particular those due to VKAs. As new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have been marketed, more attention needs to be paid to ensure a safe use of antithrombotic agents.
Influence of physiological phenology on the seasonal pattern of ecosystem respiration in deciduous forests
Authors: Migliavacca Mirco , Reichstein Markus , Richardson Andrew D. , Mahecha Miguel D. , Cremonese Edoardo , Delpierre Nicolas , Galvagno Marta , Law Beverly E. , Wohlfahrt Georg , Andrew Black T. , Carvalhais Nuno , Ceccherini Guido , Chen Jiquan , Gobron Nadine , Koffi Ernest , William Munger J. , Perez‐Priego Oscar , Robustelli Monica , Tomelleri Enrico , Cescatti Alessandro
Published: July 2014

Understanding the environmental and biotic drivers of respiration at the ecosystem level is a prerequisite to further improve scenarios of the global carbon cycle. In this study we investigated the relevance of physiological phenology, defined as seasonal changes in plant physiological properties, for explaining the temporal dynamics of ecosystem respiration (RECO) in deciduous forests. Previous studies showed that empirical RECO models can be substantially improved by considering the biotic dependency of RECO on the short‐term productivity (e.g., daily gross primary production, GPP) in addition to the well‐known environmental controls of temperature and water availability. Here, we use a model‐data integration approach to investigate the added value of physiological phenology, represented by the first temporal derivative of GPP, or alternatively of the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation, for modeling RECO at 19 deciduous broadleaved forests in the FLUXNET La Thuile database. The new data‐oriented semiempirical model leads to an 8% decrease in root mean square error (RMSE) and a 6% increase in the modeling efficiency (EF) of modeled RECO when compared to a version of the model that does not consider the physiological phenology. The reduction of the model‐observation bias occurred mainly at the monthly time scale, and in spring and summer, while a smaller reduction was observed at the annual time scale. The proposed approach did not improve the model performance at several sites, and we identified as potential causes the plant canopy heterogeneity and the use of air temperature as a driver of ecosystem respiration instead of soil temperature. However, in the majority of sites the model‐error remained unchanged regardless of the driving temperature. Overall, our results point toward the potential for improving current approaches for modeling RECO in deciduous forests by including the phenological cycle of the canopy.
Oxidation‐Induced Sintering: An Innovative Method for Manufacturing Porous Ceramics
Authors: Gupta Surojit , Riyad Mohammad F.
Published: July 2014

We report for the first time a novel method of manufacturing macroporous ceramics by oxidation‐induced sintering (OIS) of porous compacts composed of Ti powders and fugitive poreformers. Using this novel manufacturing method, novel porous TiO2 ceramics can be fabricated over a wide range of porosity at a relatively faster heating rate (4°C/min) and shorter sintering periods (≤4 h) at 1450°C. The porous ceramics were subsequently characterized by SEM, XRD, and compressive strength measurements. The detailed microstructure study showed that the solid network in these solids is interconnected.
Gluten‐free pasta: effect of green plantain flour addition and influence of starch modification on the functional properties and resistant starch content
Authors: Sarawong Chonthira , Rodríguez Gutiérrez Zuleyka Concepción , Berghofer Emmerich , Schoenlechner Regine
Published: July 2014

Green plantain flour (GPF) is rich in indigestible carbohydrates, especially in resistant starch (RS). The objective of this study was to improve the functional pasta properties and RS content by producing gluten‐free (GF) pasta based on rice flour with different amounts of GPF addition (15–60% of total flour blend). Egg albumen (3.5–6.0% of total flour) and dough moisture (36–40%, dough humidity%), at constant emulsifier (0.5% of total flour) addition, were optimised in the first trials. The results showed that an addition up to 30% GPF with higher amount of egg albumen (6%) at dough moisture of 38% provided pasta with acceptable cooking quality and high RS content. Some qualities and/or RS content of GF pasta samples was further improved by adding 30% pregelatinised flours from the native GPF or drum‐dried green banana flour (DDGBF) in combination with applying varied steps of cooking and/or cooling, which were applied after pasta extrusion prior to drying them. The study suggests that GPF, in its native form, but particularly when pregelatinised, is a promising ingredient to be used for the production of GF pasta.
Child overweight and obesity are associated with reduced executive cognitive performance and brain alterations: a magnetic resonance imaging study in Mexican children
Authors: Bauer C. C. C. , Moreno B. , González‐Santos L. , Concha L. , Barquera S. , Barrios F. A.
Published: July 2014

Background

Overweight and obesity in childhood is associated with negative physical and psychological effects. It has been proposed that obesity increase the risk for developing cognitive deficits, dementia and Alzheimer's disease and that it may be associated with marked differences in specific brain structure volumes.

Objective

The purpose of this study was a neurobiopsychological approach to examine the association between overweight and obesity, brain structure and a paediatric neuropsychological assessment in Mexican children between 6 and 8 years of age.

Methods

We investigated the relation between the body mass index (BMI), brain volumetric segmentation of subcortical gray and white matter regions obtained with magnetic resonance imaging and the Neuropsychological Assessment of Children standardized for Latin America. Thirty‐three healthy Mexican children between 6 and 8 years of age, divided into normal weight (18 children) and overweight/obese (15 children) groups.

Results

Overweight/obese children showed reduced executive cognitive performance on neuropsychological evaluations (i.e. verbal fluidity, P = 0.03) and presented differences in brain structures related to learning and memory (reduced left hippocampal volumes, P = 0.04) and executive functions (larger white matter volumes in the left cerebellum, P = 0.04 and mid‐posterior corpus callosum, P = 0.03). Additionally, we found a positive correlation between BMI and left globulus pallidus (P = 0.012, ρ = 0.43) volume and a negative correlation between BMI and neuropsychological evaluation scores (P = 0.033, ρ = –0.37).

Conclusions

The findings contribute to the idea that there is a relationship between BMI, executive cognitive performance and brain structure that may underlie the causal chain that leads to obesity in adulthood.
High waist circumference is associated with elevated blood pressure in non‐Hispanic White but not Hispanic children in a cohort of pre‐adolescent children
Authors: Smith L. P. , Gilstad‐Hayden K. , Carroll‐Scott A. , Ickovics Jeannette
Published: July 2014

Background

Hispanics comprise the most rapidly growing demographic in the US, but little is known about the cardiometabolic risk factors in Hispanic children. This study examined the association of high waist circumference (WC) and elevated blood pressure by race/ethnicity in a cohort of 9 to 13 year olds in New Haven, CT (n = 824).

Methods

WC, overweight status and blood pressure were measured in 2009, with follow‐up in 2011.

Results

Logistic regression revealed that Hispanic children had increased likelihood of elevated blood pressure at follow‐up. High baseline WC was associated with increased likelihood of elevated blood pressure for non‐Hispanic White but not Hispanic or non‐Hispanic Black pre‐adolescents, controlling for baseline age, gender, overweight, and blood pressure.

Conclusion

Potential racial/ethnic differences in the association between high WC and elevated blood pressure may impact identification of children at risk for elevated blood pressure, especially among Hispanics.
The P450 enzyme Shade mediates the hydroxylation of ecdysone to 20‐hydroxyecdysone in the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata
Authors: Kong Y. , Liu X‐P. , Wan P‐J. , Shi X‐Q. , Guo W‐C. , Li G‐Q.
Published: July 2014

Ecdysone 20‐monooxygenase (E20MO), a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (CYP314A1), catalyses the conversion of ecdysone (E) to 20‐hydroxyecdysone (20E). We report here the cloning and characterization of the Halloween gene Shade (Shd) encoding E20MO in the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata. LdSHD has five conserved motifs typical of insect P450s, ie the Helix‐C, Helix‐I, Helix‐K, PxxFxPE/DRF (PERF) and heme‐binding motifs. LdShd was expressed in developing eggs, the first to fourth instars, wandering larvae, pupae and adults, with statistically significant fluctuations. Its mRNA was ubiquitously distributed in the head, thorax and abdomen. The recombinant LdSHD protein expressed in Spodoptera frugiperda 9 (Sf9) cells catalysed the conversion of E to 20E. Dietary introduction of double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA) of LdShd into the second instar larvae successfully knocked down the LdShd expression level, decreased the mRNA level of the ecdysone receptor (LdEcR) gene, caused larval lethality, delayed development and affected pupation. Moreover, ingestion of LdShd‐dsRNA by the fourth instars also down‐regulated LdShd and LdEcR expression, reduced the 20E titre, and negatively influenced pupation. Introduction of 20E and a nonsteroidal ecdysteroid agonist halofenozide into the LdShd‐dsRNA‐ingested second instars, and of halofenozide into the LdShd‐dsRNA‐ingested fourth instars almost completely relieved the negative effects on larval performance. Thus, LdSHD functions to regulate metamorphotic processes by converting E to 20E in a coleopteran insect species Le. decemlineata.
Inhibition of CD1d‐mediated antigen presentation by the transforming growth factor‐β/Smad signalling pathway
Authors: Bailey Jennifer C. , Iyer Abhirami K. , Renukaradhya Gourapura J. , Lin Yinling , Nguyen Hoa , Brutkiewicz Randy R.
Published: July 2014

CD1d‐mediated lipid antigen presentation activates a subset of innate immune lymphocytes called invariant natural killer T (NKT) cells that, by virtue of their potent cytokine production, bridge the innate and adaptive immune systems. Transforming growth factor (TGF‐β) is a known immune modulator that can activate the mitogen‐activated protein kinase p38; we have previously shown that p38 is a negative regulator of CD1d‐mediated antigen presentation. Several studies implicate a role for TGF‐β in the activation of p38. Therefore, we hypothesized that TGF‐β would impair antigen presentation by CD1d. Indeed, a dose‐dependent decrease in CD1d‐mediated antigen presentation and impairment of lipid antigen processing was observed in response to TGF‐β treatment. However, it was found that this inhibition was not through p38 activation. Instead, Smads 2, 3 and 4, downstream elements of the TGF‐β canonical signalling pathway, contributed to the observed effects. In marked contrast to that observed with CD1d, TGF‐β was found to enhance MHC class II‐mediated antigen presentation. Overall, these results suggest that the canonical TGF‐β/Smad pathway negatively regulates an important arm of the host's innate immune responses – CD1d‐mediated lipid antigen presentation to NKT cells.
A biased random‐key genetic algorithm for the minimization of open stacks problem
Authors: Gonçalves José Fernando , Resende Mauricio G. C. , Costa Miguel Dias
Published: July 2014

This paper describes a biased random‐key genetic algorithm (BRKGA) for the minimization of the open stacks problem (MOSP). The MOSP arises in a production system scenario, and consists of determining a sequence of cutting patterns that minimize the maximum number of open stacks during the cutting process. The proposed approach combines a BRKGA and a local search procedure for generating the sequence of cutting patterns. A novel fitness function for evaluating the quality of the solutions is also developed. Computational tests are presented using available instances taken from the literature. The high quality of the solutions obtained validate the proposed approach.
Greater fear reactivity and psychophysiological hyperactivity among infants with later conduct problems and callous‐unemotional traits
Authors: Mills‐Koonce William R. , Wagner Nicholas J. , Willoughby Michael T. , Stifter Cynthia , Blair Clancy , Granger Douglas A. ,   The Family Life Project Key Investigators
Published: July 2014

Background

Approximately one third of children who meet criteria for conduct problems (CP) are also characterized by elevated callous‐unemotional (CU) traits. This subgroup is at elevated risk for more pervasive and extreme levels of later antisocial behavior and has been characterized by a fearlessness temperament and blunted stress psychophysiology at older ages. The objective of this study was to examine group differences in fear reactivity and stress psychophysiology in infancy among children classified as having CP with CU (CP + CU), CP without CU (CP only), or no CP in later childhood.

Methods

A birth cohort study (n = 1,292) was followed longitudinally from birth through first grade. Behavioral fear, baseline heart period (HP) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and pretask, 20‐min posttask, and 40‐min posttask salivary cortisol were assessed at 6 and 15 months of age around a fear challenge task. CP and CU were assessed by maternal report at first grade and children were classified into CP and CU groups if they scored in the upper 10th percentile of these ratings.

Results

No group differences were observed in children at 6 months of age. However, at 15 months of age children with later CP + CU displayed greater high‐intensity fear behavior, higher pretask and overall cortisol levels, and lower levels of HP and RSA compared to children with CP only and children with no CP.

Conclusions

The discrepancy between the biobehavioral correlates of conduct problems with callous‐unemotional traits in infancy and those reported from studies of older children and adults suggests that the etiology of this behavioral phenotype may be more complex than a simple genetic maturation model.
Senescence‐feeders: a new trophic sub‐guild of insect herbivores
Authors: White T. C. R.
Published: July 2014

Herbivorous insects that have evolved to feed on senescing tissues of plants, or the phloem flowing from those tissues, comprise a distinct sub‐guild of the major trophic guilds, the senescence‐feeders. Some senescence‐feeders have evolved the capacity to accelerate the rate at which the tissues they feed on senesce, thus enhancing the quantity and quality of their food. Other species prolong their access to good food by feeding alternatively on both senescing and flushing tissues. Senescing plant tissues release a poorer quality food more slowly than the rapid inflow to new growth. As a result, senescence‐feeders grow more slowly than equivalent flush‐feeders. Any environmental stress of a plant that hastens its rate of senescence results in faster growth and higher survival of senescence‐feeders. Senescence‐feeders therefore succeed best on damaged or stressed plants and frequently reach outbreak levels on drought‐stressed trees. If the distinctive ecology of senescence‐feeders and the way in which they differ from flush‐feeders in their response to the condition of their host plants are to be recognized and understood, it is important to identify species that belong to this separate trophic sub‐guild. Such understanding is also necessary if attempts to control or manage their attacks on crops and forests are to succeed.
Coastal buildings and infrastructure flood risk analysis using multi‐attribute decision‐making
Authors: Mojtahedi S.M.H. , Oo B.L.
Published: July 2014

Although a few natural hazard mitigation policies and techniques exist to provide resilience to built environmental Australian communities, few empirical studies have been conducted to develop tools that measure the vulnerability of states and territories to flood disasters. This paper proposes an approach to analyse and rank the vulnerabilities of Australian states and territories, in terms of their coastal buildings and transport infrastructures, to flood disasters by considering socio‐economic and built environment attributes independently and simultaneously, using a multi‐attribute decision‐making tool. The results show remarkable changes occurring in ranking states and territories when both socio‐economic and the built environment attributes were considered simultaneously. Queensland is the most vulnerable state in Australia based on socio‐economic exposure analysis, but it ranks second, followed by Western Australia, based on the built environment exposure analysis. These results would assist government and other institutes to prepare high‐level natural hazard mitigation planning.
Childhood adiposity trajectories and risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in adolescents
Authors: Ayonrinde Oyekoya T , Olynyk John K , Marsh Julie A , Beilin Lawrence J , Mori Trevor A , Oddy Wendy H , Adams Leon A
Published: July 2014

Background and Aim

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its metabolic risk factors are recognized during childhood and adolescence. Identification of adolescents at risk of NAFLD from childhood anthropometry may expose opportunities to influence the hepatic and metabolic destinies of individuals. We sought associations between NAFLD diagnosed during adolescence and earlier life trajectories of anthropometry, in a population‐based cohort of predominantly Caucasian adolescents.

Methods

Assessment for NAFLD, using questionnaires and liver ultrasound, was performed on 1170 adolescents, aged 17 years, from the population‐based Raine cohort. We sought associations between NAFLD in adolescents and serial anthropometric measurements recorded from birth, childhood, and adolescence.

Results

NAFLD was diagnosed in 15.2% of adolescents. Birth anthropometry, including birth weight, skinfold thickness, and ponderal index, was not associated with NAFLD. However, adiposity differences between 17‐year‐old adolescents with NAFLD and those without NAFLD were apparent from age 3 years. Greater adiposity trajectories for weight, body mass index, skinfold thickness, mid‐arm circumference, and chest circumference from age 3 years onwards, particularly in males, were associated with the diagnosis of NAFLD and severity of hepatic steatosis at age 17 years (P < 0.05). The strength of the associations increased with age after 3 years for each adiposity measure (all P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Trajectories of childhood adiposity are associated with NAFLD. Adiposity attained by 3 years of age and older, but not at birth, was associated with the diagnosis and severity of hepatic steatosis in late adolescence. Exploration of clinically relevant risk factors and preventative measures for NAFLD should begin during childhood.
Lipopolysaccharide enhanced renal vascular response to endothelin‐1 through ETA overexpression in portal hypertensive rats
Authors: Chuang Chiao‐Lin , Huang Hui‐Chun , Chang Ching‐Chih , Lee Fa‐Yauh , Wu Jaw‐Ching , Lee Jing‐Yi , Hsieh Hsian‐Guey , Lee Shou‐Dong
Published: July 2014

Background and Aim

Hypo‐perfusion resulting from intense renal vasoconstriction is traditionally contributed to renal dysfunction in advanced liver disease, although cumulative studies demonstrated renal vasodilatation with impaired vascular contractility to endogenous vasoconstrictors in portal hypertension and compensated liver cirrhosis. The pathophysiology of altered renal hemodynamics remains unclear. This study, using a rat model of portal hypertension with superimposed endotoxemia, was designed to delineate the evolution of renal vascular reactivity and vaso‐regulatory gene expression during liver disease progression.

Methods

Rats were randomized into sham surgery (SHAM) or partial portal vein ligation (PVL). Endotoxemia was induced by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the seventh day following surgery. Isolated kidney perfusion was performed at 0.5 h or 5 h after LPS to evaluate renal vascular response to endothelin‐1.

Results

In contrast to impaired vascular contractility of SHAM rats, PVL rats displayed enhanced renal vascular reactivity to endothelin‐1 at 5 h following endotoxemia. There were extensive upregulations of inducible nitric oxide synthase in kidney tissues of endotoxemic rats. The changes of renal endothelin receptor type A (ETA) level paralleled with the changes of renal vascular reactivity in LPS‐treated rats. Compared with SHAM rats, PVL rats showed increased renal ETA and phosphorylated extracellular‐signal‐regulated kinases 1/2 (p‐ERK1/2) at 5 h after LPS.

Conclusion

LPS‐induced systemic hypotension induces a paradoxical change of renal vascular response to endothelin‐1 between SHAM and PVL rats. LPS‐induced renal vascular hyperreactivity in PVL rats was associated with upregulation of renal ETA and subsequent activation of ERK1/2 signaling.
Diet‐induced obesity accelerates the onset of terminal phenotypes in α‐synuclein transgenic mice
Authors: Rotermund Carola , Truckenmüller Felicia M. , Schell Heinrich , Kahle Philipp J.
Published: July 2014

Parkinson's disease (PD) and diabetes belong to the most common neurodegenerative and metabolic syndromes, respectively. Epidemiological links between these two frequent disorders are controversial. The neuropathological hallmarks of PD are protein aggregates composed of amyloid‐like fibrillar and serine‐129 phosphorylated (pS129) α‐synuclein (AS). To study if diet‐induced obesity could be an environmental risk factor for PD‐related α‐synucleinopathy, transgenic (TG) mice, expressing the human mutant A30P AS in brain neurons, were subjected after weaning to a lifelong high fat diet (HFD). The TG mice became obese and glucose‐intolerant, as did the wild‐type controls. Upon aging, HFD significantly accelerated the onset of the lethal locomotor phenotype. Coinciding with the premature movement phenotype and death, HFD accelerated the age of onset of brainstem α‐synucleinopathy as detected by immunostaining with antibodies against pathology‐associated pS129. Amyloid‐like neuropathology was confirmed by thioflavin S staining. Accelerated onset of neurodegeneration was indicated by Gallyas silver‐positive neuronal dystrophy as well as astrogliosis. Phosphorylation of the activation sites of the pro‐survival signaling intermediate Akt was reduced in younger TG mice after HFD. Thus, diet‐induced obesity may be an environmental risk factor for the development of α‐synucleinopathies. The molecular and cellular mechanisms remain to be further elucidated.

image

Life‐long high fat diet (HFD) induces obesity and glucose intolerance in a transgenic mouse model for α‐synucleinopathy and thereby leads to decreased life span as well as accelerated age of onset of the terminal phenotype. This is accompanied by increased neuroinflammation and premature α‐synuclein pathology in the brainstems of the HFD‐fed mice.
Addressing sexual health behaviour during emerging adulthood: a critical review of the literature
Authors: Alexander Kamila A , Jemmott Loretta S , Teitelman Anne M , D'Antonio Patricia
Published: July 2014

Aims and objectives

In this critical literature review, we examine evidence‐based interventions that target sexual behaviours of 18‐ to 25‐year‐old emerging adult women.

Background

Nurses and clinicians implement theory‐driven research programmes for young women with increased risk of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections. Strategies to decrease transmission of HIV and sexually transmitted infections are rigorously evaluated and promoted by public health agencies such as the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While many interventions demonstrate episodic reductions in sexual risk behaviours and infection transmission, there is little evidence they build sustainable skills and behaviours. Programmes may not attend to contextual and affective influences on sexual behaviour change.

Design

Discursive paper.

Methods

We conducted a conceptually based literature review and critical analysis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's best‐evidence and good‐evidence HIV behavioural interventions. In this review, we examined three contextual and affective influences on the sexual health of emerging adult women: (1) developmental age, (2) reproduction and pregnancy desires and (3) sexual security or emotional responses accompanying relationship experiences.

Results

Our analyses revealed intervention programmes paid little attention to ways age, desires for pregnancy or emotional factors influence sexual decisions. Some programmes included 18‐ to 25‐year‐olds, but they made up small percentages of the sample and did not attend to unique emerging adult experiences. Second, primary focus on infection prevention overshadowed participant desires for pregnancy. Third, few interventions considered emotional mechanisms derived from relationship experiences involved in sexual decision‐making.

Conclusions

Growing evidence demonstrates sexual health interventions may be more effective if augmented to attend to contextual and affective influences on relationship risks and decision‐making. Modifying currently accepted strategies may enhance sustainability of sexual health‐promoting behaviours.

Relevance to clinical practice

This study provides nurses and public health educators with recommendations for broadening the content of sexual health promotion intervention programming.
Financial Intermediaries and the Cross‐Section of Asset Returns
Authors: ADRIAN TOBIAS , ETULA ERKKO , MUIR TYLER
Published: July 2014

Financial intermediaries trade frequently in many markets using sophisticated models. Their marginal value of wealth should therefore provide a more informative stochastic discount factor (SDF) than that of a representative consumer. Guided by theory, we use shocks to the leverage of securities broker‐dealers to construct an intermediary SDF. Intuitively, deteriorating funding conditions are associated with deleveraging and high marginal value of wealth. Our single‐factor model prices size, book‐to‐market, momentum, and bond portfolios with an R2 of 77% and an average annual pricing error of 1%—performing as well as standard multifactor benchmarks designed to price these assets.
Young Women's Job Mobility: The Influence of Motherhood Status and Education
Authors: Looze Jessica
Published: July 2014

Previous research has found that women who become mothers in their 20s face larger wage penalties compared to women who delay childbearing until their 30s. Explanations for this have focused on the consequences of employment breaks early in one's career and reduced opportunities in the workplace following the birth of a child. In this article, the author uses panel data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (N = 4,566) to examine another possible explanation: differences in patterns of and wage returns to job mobility. She found that young mothers, relative to childless women, make fewer wage‐enhancing voluntary job separations and often receive lower wage returns for these separations. Educational attainment exacerbates these patterns, largely to the disadvantage of women with less education.
Have Authoritarian Parenting Practices and Roles Changed in the Last 50 Years?
Authors: Trifan Tatiana Alina , Stattin Håkan , Tilton‐Weaver Lauree
Published: July 2014

This study examined changes in authoritarian parenting practices and family roles in Sweden over the last 50 years. Data came from 3 cohorts (1958, 1981, and 2011) of young to middle‐age adults living in a suburb of Stockholm who answered questions about how they were raised (N1958 = 385, N1981 = 207, N2011 = 457). The results showed a dramatic decrease in parents' directive control. Also, over time, parents increasingly allowed children to express anger toward them. Parents' roles changed from stereotyped versions of fathers as decision makers and mothers as caregivers to both parents sharing decisions and garnering respect from children. Overall, the results suggest that authoritarian parenting practices have declined dramatically and moved toward more egalitarian family environments. Virtually all these changes in parental practices and parental roles happened between the last 2 cohorts.
3D and 2D Marginal Fit of Pressed and CAD/CAM Lithium Disilicate Crowns Made from Digital and Conventional Impressions
Authors: Anadioti Evanthia , Aquilino Steven A. , Gratton David G. , Holloway Julie A. , Denry Isabelle , Thomas Geb W. , Qian Fang
Published: July 2014

Purpose

This in vitro study evaluated the 3D and 2D marginal fit of pressed and computer‐aided‐designed/computer‐aided‐manufactured (CAD/CAM) all‐ceramic crowns made from digital and conventional impressions.

Materials and Methods

A dentoform tooth (#30) was prepared for an all‐ceramic crown (master die). Thirty type IV definitive casts were made from 30 polyvinyl siloxane (PVS) impressions. Thirty resin models were produced from thirty Lava Chairside Oral Scanner impressions. Thirty crowns were pressed in lithium disilicate (IPS e.max Press; 15/impression technique). Thirty crowns were milled from lithium disilicate blocks (IPS e.max CAD; 15/impression technique) using the E4D scanner and milling engine. The master die and the intaglio of the crowns were digitized using a 3D laser coordinate measurement machine with accuracy of ±0.00898 mm. For each specimen a separate data set was created for the Qualify 2012 software. The digital master die and the digital intaglio of each crown were merged using best‐fitting alignment. An area above the margin with 0.75 mm occlusal‐gingival width circumferentially was defined. The 3D marginal fit of each specimen was an average of all 3D gap values on that area. For the 2D measurements, the marginal gap was measured at two standardized points (on the margin and at 0.75 mm above the margin), from standardized facial‐lingual and mesial‐distal digitized sections. One‐way ANOVA with post hoc Tukey's honestly significant difference and two‐way ANOVA tests were used, separately, for statistical analysis of the 3D and 2D marginal data (alpha = 0.05).

Results

One‐way ANOVA revealed that both 3D and 2D mean marginal gap for group A: PVS impression/IPS e.max Press (0.048 mm ± 0.009 and 0.040 mm ± 0.009) were significantly smaller than those obtained from the other three groups (p < 0.0001), while no significant differences were found among groups B: PVS impression/IPS e.max CAD (0.088 mm ± 0.024 and 0.076 mm ± 0.023), C: digital impression/IPS e.max Press (0.089 mm ± 0.020 and 0.075 mm ± 0.015) and D: digital impression/IPS e.max CAD (0.084 mm ± 0.021 and 0.074 mm ± 0.026). The results of two‐way ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between impression techniques and crown fabrication methods for both 3D and 2D measurements.

Conclusions

The combination of PVS impression method and press fabrication technique produced the most accurate 3D and 2D marginal fits.
Effect of Thermocycling on the Shear Bond Strength of Different Resins Bonded to Thermoplastic Foil Applied in Occlusal Splint Therapy
Authors: Wieckiewicz Mieszko , Boening Klaus W. , Richter Gert , Wieckiewicz Wlodzimierz
Published: July 2014

Purpose

Temporomandibular disorders are a group of symptoms related to the impaired function of the temporomandibular joints and associated muscles. Occlusal splint therapy is a common treatment in the aforementioned syndrome. One of the methods of manufacturing occlusal splints is to place a polymer on thermoplastic foil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the shear bond strength of light‐ and self‐cured resins bonded to thermoplastic foil dependent on artificial aging.

Materials and Methods

Thirty cylinders composed of light‐cured resin and 30 cylinders made of self‐cured resin were attached to 60 rectangular thermoplastic plates. All specimens were divided into six groups. A control study was conducted for groups 1 and 2. The other preparation groups were subjected to thermocycling by setting appropriately 1000 cycles for groups 3 and 4 and 3000 cycles for groups 5 and 6 in distilled water. Bond strength was measured in a universal testing machine. The results were subjected to statistical analysis using the Mann‐Whitney U test (p≤ 0.05).

Results

The statistics revealed that the values of the shear bond strength for specimens composed of self‐cured resin after 1000 and 3000 thermocycles were significantly higher than on those made of light‐cured resin (p= 0.003 andp= 0.002).

Conclusion

The shear bond strength between the self‐cured resin and the thermoplastic foil was higher and more resistant to aging than the shear bond strength between the light‐cured resin and the thermoplastic foil.
Assisted conception, maternal personality and parenting: Associations with toddler sleep behaviour
Authors: Johnson Nikki , McMahon Catherine , Gibson Frances
Published: July 2014

Aim

To explore the role of maternal personality (hardiness), sleep‐related cognitions and bedtime involvement in child sleep behaviour during the second post‐natal year in a sample of spontaneous and assisted conception first‐time mothers.

Method

Mothers (n = 134 (spontaneous (n = 81); assisted (n = 53) conception)) reported on a resilience measure (hardiness) during pregnancy and child sleep at 7 and 19 months post‐partum. At 19 months post‐partum, mothers also reported on their cognitions and involvement around their child's bedtime, and half the sample used Actigraph monitors (Acitiwatch‐16, Mini Mitter Co. Inc, Bend, OR, USA) to validate maternal report of child sleep.

Results

No significant differences were found between spontaneous and assisted conception mothers on any of the study variables; therefore, assisted and spontaneous samples were combined. Structural equation modelling confirmed that lower pre‐birth maternal hardiness was associated with more problematic sleep‐related cognitions (β = 0.23, P < 0.01) and involvement at bedtime (β = 0.29, P < 0.01) and poorer child sleep outcomes (β = −0.33, P < 0.001) during toddlerhood, even after considering concurrent maternal mood and child temperament.

Conclusions

Pre‐birth maternal hardiness rather than mode of conception contributes to parenting cognitions and behaviour around child sleep and, ultimately, toddlers' sleep outcomes. Findings suggest that targeting negative maternal perceptions of control and efficacy through clinical interventions could benefit toddlers' sleep.
Increased sensitivity to tryptophan bioavailability is a positive adaptation by the human strains of Chlamydia pneumoniae
Authors: Chacko Anu , Barker Christopher J. , Beagley Kenneth W. , Hodson Mark P. , Plan Manuel R. , Timms Peter , Huston Wilhelmina M.
Published: July 2014

One of the most significant activities induced by interferon‐gamma against intracellular pathogens is the induction of IDO (indoleamine 2,3‐dioxygenase) expression, which subsequently results in the depletion of tryptophan. We tested the hypothesis that human strains of Chlamydia pneumoniae are more sensitive to tryptophan limitation than animal C. pneumoniae strains. The human strains were significantly more sensitive to IFN‐γ than the animal strains in a lung epithelia cell model (BEAS‐2B), with exposure to 1 U ml−1 IFN‐γ resulting in complete loss of infectious yield of human strains, compared to the animal strains where reductions in infectious progeny were around 3.5–4.0 log. Strikingly, the IFN‐γ induced loss of ability to form infectious progeny production was completely rescued by removal of the IFN‐γ and addition of exogenous tryptophan for the human strains, but not the animal strains. In fact, a human heart strain was more capable of entering a non‐infectious, viable persistent stage when exposed to IFN‐γ and was also more effectively rescued, compared to a human respiratory strain. Exquisite susceptibility to IFN‐γ, specifically due to tryptophan availability appears to be a core adaptation of the human C. pneumoniae strains, which may reflect the chronic nature of their infections in this host.
Are plant–soil feedback responses explained by plant traits?
Authors: Baxendale Catherine , Orwin Kate H. , Poly Franck , Pommier Thomas , Bardgett Richard D.
Published: July 2014

Plant–soil feedbacks can influence plant growth and community structure by modifying soil biota and nutrients. Because most research has been performed at the species level and in monoculture, our ability to predict responses across species and in mixed communities is limited. As plant traits have been linked to both soil properties and plant growth, they may provide a useful approach for an understanding of feedbacks at a generic level.

We measured how monocultures and mixtures of grassland plant species with differing traits responded to soil that had been conditioned by model grassland plant communities dominated by either slow‐ or fast‐growing species.

Soils conditioned by the fast‐growing community had higher nitrogen availability than those conditioned by the slow‐growing community; these changes influenced future plant growth. Effects were stronger, and plant traits had greater predictive power, in mixtures than in monocultures. In monoculture, all species produced more above‐ground biomass in soil conditioned by the fast‐growing community. In mixtures, slow‐growing species produced more above‐ground biomass, and fast‐growing species produced more below‐ground biomass, in soils conditioned by species with similar traits.

The use of a plant trait‐based approach may therefore improve our understanding of differential plant species responses to plant–soil feedbacks, especially in a mixed‐species environment.
Tracking the sterol biosynthesis pathway of the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum
Authors: Fabris Michele , Matthijs Michiel , Carbonelle Sophie , Moses Tessa , Pollier Jacob , Dasseville Renaat , Baart Gino J. E. , Vyverman Wim , Goossens Alain
Published: July 2014

Diatoms are unicellular photosynthetic microalgae that play a major role in global primary production and aquatic biogeochemical cycling. Endosymbiotic events and recurrent gene transfers uniquely shaped the genome of diatoms, which contains features from several domains of life. The biosynthesis pathways of sterols, essential compounds in all eukaryotic cells, and many of the enzymes involved are evolutionarily conserved in eukaryotes. Although well characterized in most eukaryotes, the pathway leading to sterol biosynthesis in diatoms has remained hitherto unidentified.

Through the DiatomCyc database we reconstructed the mevalonate and sterol biosynthetic pathways of the model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum in silico. We experimentally verified the predicted pathways using enzyme inhibitor, gene silencing and heterologous gene expression approaches.

Our analysis revealed a peculiar, chimeric organization of the diatom sterol biosynthesis pathway, which possesses features of both plant and fungal pathways. Strikingly, it lacks a conventional squalene epoxidase and utilizes an extended oxidosqualene cyclase and a multifunctional isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase/squalene synthase enzyme.

The reconstruction of the P. tricornutum sterol pathway underscores the metabolic plasticity of diatoms and offers important insights for the engineering of diatoms for sustainable production of biofuels and high‐value chemicals.