bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Retracted: Cav2.3 (R‐type) calcium channels are critical for mediating anticonvulsive and neuroprotective properties of lamotrigine in vivo
Authors: Dibué Maxine , Kamp Marcel A. , Alpdogan Serdar , Tevoufouet Etienne E. , Neiss Wolfram F. , Hescheler Jürgen , Schneider Toni
Published: June 2013

Purpose

Lamotrigine (LTG) is a popular modern antiepileptic drug (AED); however, its mechanism of action has yet to be fully understood, as it is known to modulate many members of several ion channel families. In heterologous systems, LTG inhibits Cav2.3 (R‐type) calcium currents, which contribute to kainic‐acid (KA)–induced epilepsy in vivo. To gain insight into the role of R‐type currents in LTG drug action in vivo, we compared the effects of LTG to two other AEDs in Cav2.3‐deficient mice and controls on KA‐induced seizures.

Methods

Behavioral seizure rating and quantitative electrocorticography were performed after injection of 20 mg/kg (and 30 mg/kg) KA. One hour before KA injection, mice were pretreated with 30 mg/kg LTG, 50 mg/kg topiramate (TPM), or 30 mg/kg lacosamide (LSM).

Key Findings

Ablation of Cav2.3 reduced total seizure scores by 28.6% (p = 0.0012), and pretreatment with LTG reduced seizure activity of control mice by 23.2% (p = 0.02). In Cav2.3‐deficient mice, LTG pretreatment increased seizure activity by 22.1% (p = 0.018) and increased the percentage of degenerated CA1 pyramidal neurons (p = 0.02). All three AEDs reduced seizure activity in control mice; however, only the non–calcium channel modulating AED, LSM, had an anticonvulsive effect in Cav2.3‐deficient mice. Furthermore, LTG altered electrocorticographic parameters differently in the two genotypes: decreasing relative power of ictal spikes in control mice but increasing relative power of high frequency fast ripple discharges during seizures in Cav2.3‐deficient mice.

Significance

These findings provided the first in vivo evidence for an essential role for Cav2.3 in LTG pharmacology and shed light on a paradoxical effect of LTG in their absence. Furthermore, LTG appears to promote ictal activity in Cav2.3‐deficient mice by increasing high frequency components of seizures, resulting in increased neurotoxicity in the CA1. This paradoxical mechanism, possibly reflecting rebound hyperexcitation of pyramidal CA1 neurons after increased inhibition, may be key in understanding LTG‐induced seizure aggravation observed in clinical practice.
Infectious agents associated with diarrhoea in neonatal foals in central Kentucky: A comprehensive molecular study
Authors: Slovis N. M. , Elam J. , Estrada M. , Leutenegger C. M.
Published: June 2013

Reasons for performing study

Diarrhoea caused by infectious agents is common in foals but there is no comprehensive molecular work‐up of the relative prevalence of common agents and appearance of coinfections.

Objectives

To determine the prevalence of 9 infectious agents in gastrointestinal (GI)‐diseased and healthy foals with ages ranging from 1 to 20 weeks of age and to what degree coinfections are associated with clinical signs of GI disease.

Study design

Retrospective controlled observational study.

Methods

The population consisted of 88 Thoroughbred foals aged 2 days to 17 weeks born on 32 different studfarms in Kentucky. Healthy (n = 37) and GI‐diseased (n = 51) foals were identified based on clinical presentation. Faecal samples were analysed for 9 infectious agents by real‐time PCR: equine rotavirus, equine coronavirus, Clostridium difficile toxins A & B, Neorickettsia risticii, Clostridium perfringens alpha toxin, Lawsonia intracellularis, Rhodococcus equi, Cryptosporidium spp., and Salmonella spp. Salmonella was also cultured from overnight selenite enrichment broth.

Results

The prevalence of infectious pathogens under study was between 0% (Lawsonia intracellularis) and 34.6% (equine rotavirus). The overall prevalence for any infectious agent was 63.2% in the GI‐diseased group and 43.2% in the healthy group. Coinfections were significantly more frequent in the sick group (15 monoinfections vs. 22 coinfections) than in the healthy group (12 vs. 4, respectively, P = 0.0002). Six of the 8 infectious agents were associated with the GI‐diseased group, the other 2 were not (equine coronavirus and R. equi).

Conclusions

The use of panels rather than individual tests in combination with quantitative toxin gene analysis enables detection of coinfections significantly associated with risk of disease. Several infectious diseases previously not tested for or considered unimportant were found at high prevalence and require further investigation.
Relationship between structural characteristics and outcome quality indicators at health care facilities for the elderly requiring long‐term care in Japan from a nationwide survey
Authors: Sandoval Garrido Felipe Alfonso , Tamiya Nanako , Kashiwagi Masayo , Miyata Sumiko , Okochi Jiro , Moriyama Yoko , Yamaoka Yui , Takamuku Kiyoshi
Published: June 2013

Aim

To clarify the performance situation of selected quality indicators: falls, pressure ulcers and dehydration, at health care facilities for the elderly in Japan, and what structural characteristics are related to them.

Methods

The operational population consisted of 1057 institutionalized users (approximately 10 randomly selected per facility) from a survey answered by the care staff. The facilities were divided into two groups according to their prevalence of negative outcomes (falls, pressure ulcers, dehydration): the best 25% (the very good performers) and the remaining 75% (not so good performers). Logistic regression analysis was carried out to examine the relationship between the structure characteristics of the facilities and their performance regarding each quality indicator.

Results

After controlling for sex, years of operation and average age of the users, our results showed a beneficial significant relationship between falls and the total number of nurses per 100 users with an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of 0.77 (95% CI 0.59–0.98); In contrast, for pressure ulcers, harmful associations between a higher number of registered nurses (AOR 1.23, 95% CI 1.01–1.05) and the availability of 24‐h nurse staffing (AOR 4.95, 95% CI 1.19–24.91) were found; regarding dehydration, we did not find any related staffing characteristics.

Conclusion

Nursing staff might be considered as a potentially related variable in the quality of care in health care facilities for the elderly. The present study is the first to show a relationship between structural characteristics and quality outcomes in health care facilities for the elderly. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2013; 14: 301–308.
CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION: FATHERS AND SONS IN ANTIFASCIST DEFA FILMS
Authors: Wölfel Ute
Published: June 2013

The article looks at three antifascist films from the 1980s by the East German film company DEFA: Jürgen Brauer's Pugowitza (1981), Egon Schlegel's Die Schüsse der Arche Noah (1983), and Helmut Dziuba's Jan auf der Zille (1986), which during this final decade of the East German state re‐examine an ideologically seminal constellation of the GDR's official antifascism – the relationship between antifascist father and son. Linking generational and political succession, the father‐son relationship helped to legitimise the GDR as a state in which the young continued the antifascist fight of the old communists against the Nazi dictatorship. From the 1950s on, DEFA films contributed to the visualisation of this relationship, codifying it not only as heroic but also as ‘natural’: the assumed innocence of the communist son was meant to naturalise the father's antifascist/communist cause. The 1980s saw this naturalised political succession questioned. By re‐telling the canonised father‐son story, the three films visualise the generational antifascist contract as flawed. Re‐deploying the son's assumed innocence in a critique of the father, they explore new endings to the antifascist story and revive the discussion of categories like ‘victim’ and ‘perpetrator’.
Myogenin expression in vulvovaginal spindle cell lesions: analysis of a series of cases with an emphasis on diagnostic pitfalls
Authors: McCluggage W Glenn , Longacre Teri A , Fisher Cyril
Published: June 2013

Aims

Myogenin (myf4) is a nuclear transcription factor that is considered to be a sensitive and highly specific marker for skeletal muscle differentiation. Following the identification of focal strong nuclear staining with myogenin in two fibroepithelial polyps of the lower female genital tract (the index cases), we stained a series of vulvovaginal spindle cell lesions with this marker in order to investigate how widespread myogenin staining is in these lesions.

Methods and results

Fibroepithelial polyps (n = 13), other vulvovaginal mesenchymal lesions (n = 21) and vulval or vaginal spindle cell squamous carcinomas (n = 4) were stained for myogenin. Apart from the index cases, all of the other cases were negative, except for one vaginal spindle cell squamous carcinoma, which showed focal weak nuclear immunoreactivity. Ten of 12 embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas of the lower female genital tract were myogenin‐positive, as was a single vaginal rhabdomyoma.

Conclusions

Our study illustrates that focal myogenin immunoreactivity occurs uncommonly in fibroepithelial polyps of the lower female genital tract. This may result in diagnostic confusion and misdiagnosis as a skeletal muscle neoplasm, especially the sarcoma botryoides variant of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma.
Culture, Intermarriage, and Immigrant Women's Labor Supply
Authors: Eylem Gevrek Z. , Gevrek Deniz , Gupta Sonam
Published: June 2013

We examine the impact of culture on the work behaviour of second‐generation immigrant women in Canada. We contribute to the literature by analysing the role of intermarriage in intergenerational transmission of culture and its effect on labour market outcomes. Using female labour force participation and total fertility rates in the country of ancestry as cultural proxies, we find that culture affects the female labour supply. Cultural proxies are significant in explaining number of hours worked by second‐generation women with immigrant parents. The impact of culture is significantly larger for women with immigrant parents who share the same ethnic background than for those with intermarried parents. The weaker effect of culture for women raised in intermarried families stresses the importance of intermarriage in assimilation process. Our findings imply that government policies targeting women's labour supply may have differential effects on the labour market behaviour of immigrant women of different ancestries.

Policy Implications

The result that culture has statistically significant impact on second‐generation immigrant women's labour supply has policy implications in terms of the government programmes and benefits that target the labour supply of women and immigration policies in general.

Our findings imply that government policies targeting women's labour supply may have differential influence on the labour market behaviour of second‐generation immigrant women of different ancestries.
CD4+ T‐cell depletion in HIV infection: mechanisms of immunological failure
Authors: Okoye Afam A. , Picker Louis J.
Published: June 2013

The hallmark of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) pathogenesis is a progressive depletion of CD4+ T‐cell populations in close association with progressive impairment of cellular immunity and increasing susceptibility to opportunistic infections (OI). Disease progression in untreated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection can take many years, and it was originally hypothesized to be a consequence of slow, viral‐mediated CD4+ T‐cell destruction. However, massive CD4+ memory T‐cell destruction is now known to occur quite early in infection, almost always without overt immunodeficiency. In most individuals, this initial destruction is countered by CD4+ memory T‐cell regeneration that preserves CD4+ T‐cell numbers and functions above the threshold associated with overt immunodeficiency. This regeneration, which occurs in the setting of chronic immune activation and immune dysregulation does not, however, restore all functionally important CD4+ T‐cell populations and is not stable over the long term. Ultimately, CD4+ memory T‐cell homeostasis fails and critical effector populations decline below the level necessary to prevent OI. Thus, the onset of overt immune deficiency appears to be intimately linked with CD4+ memory T‐cell dynamics and reflects the complex interplay of direct viral cytopathogenicity and the indirect effects of persistent immune activation on CD4+ memory T‐cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival.
Pathobiology of HIV/SIV‐associated changes in secondary lymphoid tissues
Authors: Estes Jacob D.
Published: June 2013

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is principally a disease of lymphoid tissues (LTs), due to the fact that the main target cell of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the CD4+ T lymphocyte that primarily resides within organs of the immune system. The impact of HIV infection on secondary LTs, in particular lymph nodes, is critical to delineate, as these immune organs are the principal sites for initiating and facilitating immune responses and are critical for lymphocyte homeostatic maintenance and survival. The underlying structural elements of LTs, fibroblastic reticular cell (FRC) network, not only form the architectural framework for these organs, but also play in integral role in the production and storage of cytokines needed for T‐cell survival. There is an interdependent relationship between the FRC stromal network and CD4+ T lymphocytes for their survival and maintenance that is progressively disrupted during HIV disease. HIV infection results in profound pathological changes to LTs induced by persistent chronic immune activation and inflammation that leads to progressive collagen deposition and fibrosis disrupting and damaging the important FRC network. In this review, I focus on the process, mechanisms, and the implications of pathological damage to important secondary LTs, combining what we have learned from HIV‐infected individuals as well as the invaluable knowledge gained from studies in non‐human primate simian immunodeficiency virus infection models.
HIV controllers: a genetically determined or inducible phenotype?
Authors: Sáez‐Cirión Asier , Pancino Gianfranco
Published: June 2013

Less than 0.5% of human immunodeficiency virus‐1 (HIV‐1)‐infected patients maintain viral load below the threshold of detection by conventional assays for many years without antiretroviral therapy. These patients are known as HIV controllers (HICs) and offer a unique opportunity to explore and unravel efficient mechanisms of defense against HIV. An intense research effort has led to identifying viral and host factors that contribute to the control of viral replication. Although the host factors appear to be the primary determinants for HIV control, different genomic, transcriptomic, and immunological profiles have been described in HICs. This supports the existence of different mechanisms of control. We review here the most significant data in the field, including our own work, in the light of a crucial question: whether the ability to achieve and maintain the control of HIV replication is linked to genetic or immunological features specific to HIC or can be induced by vaccine or therapeutic approaches in the general population.
“The Paper that you Have in Your Hand is My Freedom”: Migrant Domestic Work and the Sponsorship (Kafala) System in Lebanon
Authors: Pande Amrita
Published: June 2013

A recent report on migrant domestic work in Lebanon has cited psychological disorder among Lebanese “Madams” as the leading cause of violence against their migrant maids (Jureidini, 2011, www.kafa.org.lb/StudiesPublicationPDF/PRpdf38.pdf ). This report typifies much of the existing scholarship on the experiences of migrant domestic workers (MDWs) in the Middle East, where the focus is on employer–employee relationships, especially the abusive Arab “Madam.” In this paper, I argue that the portrayal of violations of MDW rights as abuse of one set of women by another is inherently problematic on several fronts. It privatizes the structural problem of workers’ and immigrant rights violations, delegates it to the household, and absolves the state of its responsibility. Moreover, the focus on abusive employers takes attention away from the root of the problem – the inherently exploitative system of migration and recruitment in the region, the sponsorship system. The sponsorship system not only creates conditions for much of these violations, but also systematically produces a new population of readily exploitable worker – the category of “illegal workers.” Oral histories and interviews with individual workers are employed to analyze the process by which illegal workers are “produced” in Lebanon. Finally, focus group discussions highlight critical policy recommendations made by the workers themselves, which address the systemic bases of their exploitation in Lebanon.
Acts of Violence and their Reverberations
Authors: Rochkovski Olga
Published: June 2013

The author deals with a very challenging subject: the mental state of a couple compelled to confess under torture during the last Uruguayan dictatorship (1973–1985). This case is presented from the point of view of the therapist—a viewpoint which is informed by second order cybernetics. I describe the way I as therapist resonated with the problems of this couple, my way of intervening, and the way in which my intervention resonated in the patients, allowing a shift in perceptions. Finally, I identify some difficulties in repairing the social network destroyed by the dictatorship.
The Place of Single Session Family Consultations: Five Years’ Experience in Canberra
Authors: Hampson Ralph , O'Hanlon Josephine , Franklin Annie , Pentony Margaret , Fridgant Lev , Heins Terry
Published: June 2013

Open Day, in the form of two half day single session family clinics, has operated weekly in the ACT Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service since April 1993 and over a thousand families have been seen. Clinicians are often resistant to the concept of single sessions and frequently overestimate the amount of assistance that clients feel they require. However in an era of sharply increasing demand for services, selective use of single family sessions for milder problems, screened by a telephone intake process, has value to both families and workers. Telephone follow‐ups of 100 families in 1994 and 70 families in 1996 found that single session family interviews were well accepted by the large majority of families seen. Clinicians see the program as reducing pressure from clients for early attention, enhancing client motivation when seen at crisis times, providing readily available consultation support from peers, increasing learning opportunities and building inter‐disciplinary team work.
Training Police Liaison Officers in Zimbabwe
Authors: Muzenda Eunice
Published: June 2013

Before independence, the Zimbabwe Republic police force worked in a Law and Order approach. After independence, policing was to involve popular participation. Community Relations Liaison Officers were trained in systemic counselling skills to equip them for the work. Case vignettes show both the challenges and police response.
PRESS COVERAGE AND STOCK PRICE DEVIATION FROM FUNDAMENTAL VALUE
Authors: Chen Chia‐Wei , Pantzalis Christos , Park Jung Chul
Published: June 2013

We find that excessively high levels of press coverage can significantly exaggerate stock price deviation from fundamental value. We show that being “in the news” a lot is associated with both greater liquidity and more information risk. When we examine signed mispricing, we find that the effect of abnormal press coverage is significant only for stocks with high relative valuations, consistent with the concurrent existences of media‐induced sentiment and media bias. Indeed, we uncover that the sentiment effect is attenuated when firms with low valuations receive heavy coverage in the local press.
Skeletal muscle mass reference curves for children and adolescents
Authors: McCarthy H. D. , Samani‐Radia D. , Jebb S. A. , Prentice A. M.
Published: June 2013

What is already known about this subject

Skeletal muscle is considered a major site of insulin‐mediated glucose disposal and is thus a key tissue in whole‐body glucose homeostasis.

Low muscle mass and fitness is associated with metabolic risk and muscular strength is positively related to higher insulin sensitivity in children and adolescents.

The use of skeletal muscle mass measurement in surveillance has been constrained by the absence of normative data that identifies individuals across the age spectrum with high or low amount of skeletal muscle.

What this study adds

This study demonstrates that compartmental bioimpedance analysis provides a simple and non‐invasive method for assessing muscle‐to‐fat ratios in children.

Centile curves for appendicular skeletal muscle mass and fat‐free mass have been added to the suite of charts available for assessing growth and body composition across childhood and adolescence.

Muscle‐to‐fat ratio has been described and shows potential as an improved measure of metabolic risk.

Background

Skeletal muscle is key to motor development and represents a major metabolic end organ that aids glycaemic regulation.

Objectives

To create gender‐specific reference curves for fat‐free mass (FFM) and appendicular (limb) skeletal muscle mass (SMMa) in children and adolescents. To examine the muscle‐to‐fat ratio in relation to body mass index (BMI) for age and gender.

Methods

Body composition was measured by segmental bioelectrical impedance (BIA, Tanita BC418) in 1985 Caucasian children aged 5–18.8 years. Skeletal muscle mass data from the four limbs were used to derive smoothed centile curves and the muscle‐to‐fat ratio.

Results

The centile curves illustrate the developmental patterns of %FFM and SMMa. While the %FFM curves differ markedly between boys and girls, the SMMa (kg), %SMMa and %SMMa/FFM show some similarities in shape and variance, together with some gender‐specific characteristics. Existing BMI curves do not reveal these gender differences. Muscle‐to‐fat ratio showed a very wide range with means differing between boys and girls and across fifths of BMI z‐score.

Conclusions

BIA assessment of %FFM and SMMa represents a significant advance in nutritional assessment since these body composition components are associated with metabolic health. Muscle‐to‐fat ratio has the potential to provide a better index of future metabolic health.
Magnetic and Impedance Properties of Nanocomposite CoFe2O4/Co0.7Fe0.3 and Single‐Phase CoFe2O4 Prepared Via a One‐Step Hydrothermal Synthesis
Authors: Zan Fenlian , Ma Yongqing , Ma Qian , Xu Yuanfeng , Dai Zhenxiang , Zheng Ganhong , Wu Mingzai , Li Guang
Published: June 2013

Using a one‐step hydrothermal method and at different stirring speeds (Vs), we have synthesized different types of CoFe2O4‐based magnetic nanocrystalline samples. With increasing Vs, the sample changes from a nanocomposite of CoFe2O4/Co0.7Fe0.3 (CFO/CF) to single‐phase CoFe2O4 (CFO). The maximum magnetization, 88.9 emu/g, and coercivity, 3010 Oe, were obtained when Vs = 0. As Vs increases, the saturation magnetization Ms decreases, because the amount of soft magnetic CF phase decreases. A clear enhancement in the remanence, Mr, was observed, with the maximum Mr/Ms = 0.67; the coercivity Hc also exhibits a local maximum for the sample with Vs = 200 r/min. These trends can be explained well by the interplay between dipolar interaction, magnetocrystalline anisotropy, and shape anisotropy. The stirring speed also influences the impedance of the materials; the related mechanism is discussed.
Prediction of Permeability for Chemical Vapor Infiltration
Authors: Guan Kang , Cheng Laifei , Zeng Qingfeng , Li Hui , Liu Shanhua , Li Jianping , Zhang Litong
Published: June 2013

Accurate estimation of the permeability of fibrous media is extremely important for designing and optimizing composites processing. Compared with the liquid processing of composites, the researchers on chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) are more concerned with detailed knowledge of the variation in permeability during the densification. Although, many models and theories have been developed to relating the permeability of porous medium to their structural properties, the ones can be directly applied to CVI are very limited. Thus, in this study, we numerically calculate the permeability of six types of fiber or fiber bundle structures in the high and intermediate density domain (porosity is less than 70%) and the applicabilities of Tomadakis's and Gebart's permeability models to CVI are studied. Our study shows that the original form of Tomadakis's model overpredicts the viscous tortuosity (underpredicts the permeability) in most cases, thus his model should be modified by introducing a new parameter, whereas the general form of Gebart's model with three adjustable parameters is able to predict the evolution of permeability fairly well. Furthermore, our prediction is compared well with the reported data from various references not limited to CVI, thus could also be useful for other engineering applications.
Mindfulness in nursing: an evolutionary concept analysis
Authors: White Lacie
Published: June 2013

Aim

To report an analysis of the concept of mindfulness.

Background

Mindfulness is an emerging concept in health care that has significant implications for a variety of clinical populations. Nursing uses this concept in limited ways, and subsequently requires conceptual clarity to further identify its significance, use and applications in nursing.

Design

Mindfulness was explored using Rodgers evolutionary method of concept analysis.

Data Sources

For this analysis, a sample of 59 English theoretical and research‐based articles from the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature database were obtained. The search was conducted between all‐inclusive years of the database, 1981–2012.

Review Methods

Data were analysed with particular focus on the attributes, antecedents, consequences, references and related terms that arose in relation to mindfulness in the nursing literature.

Results

The analysis found five intricately connected attributes: mindfulness is a transformative process where one develops an increasing ability to ‘experience being present’, with ‘acceptance’, ‘attention’ and ‘awareness’. Antecedents, attributes and consequences appeared to inform and strengthen one another over time. Mindfulness is a significant concept for the discipline of nursing with practical applications for nurse well‐being, the development and sustainability of therapeutic nursing qualities and holistic health promotion.

Conclusion

It is imperative that nurse well‐being and self‐care become a more prominent focus in nursing research and education. Further development of the concept of mindfulness could support this focus, particularly through rigorous qualitative methodologies.
Mass communication, social influence, and consumer behavior: two field experiments
Authors: Batinic Bernad , Appel Markus
Published: June 2013

The present article connects advertising by means of mass communication with social influence processes. Predictions derived from a theoretical model on the impact of mass communication on consumers who were not directly exposed to the message (distant consumers) were tested with two field experiments (Experiment 1: n = 77 participants, n = 261 peers; Experiment 2: n = 97 participants, n = 289 peers). Both studies addressed consumer behavior in the media sector. The results suggest that mass communication changes the behavior of distant consumers, that recipients' opinion leadership enhances the indirect impact of mass communication, and that recipients' consumer behavior mediates the influence of mass communicated messages on distant consumers. The role of word‐of‐mouth is also examined.
Diversification patterns and processes of wingless endemic insects in the Mediterranean Basin: historical biogeography of the genus Blaps (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)
Authors: Condamine Fabien L. , Soldati Laurent , Clamens Anne‐Laure , Rasplus Jean‐Yves , Kergoat Gael J.
Published: June 2013

Aim

The Mediterranean Basin (MB) is a species‐rich biogeographical region with many endemic taxa. We analysed the historical patterns of temporal and geographical diversification of Mediterranean Blaps (Tenebrionidae), a diverse group of flightless beetles, estimated their date of origin and colonization of the MB, and tracked temporal changes in diversification rates.

Location

Mediterranean Basin.

Methods

We reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships of Mediterranean Blaps using four mitochondrial genes and 47 morphological characters. Divergence‐time estimates were investigated with a Bayesian relaxed clock approach that was calibrated with both fossil and geological constraints. Biogeographical analyses were performed using the dispersal–extinction–cladogenesis likelihood model associated with a stratified palaeogeographical scenario. Diversification rate analyses allowed the investigation of diversity dynamics through time as well as rate shifts during major Cenozoic climate events.

Results

The Bayesian relaxed clock analysis suggests that Blaps first appeared in the MB about 28 Ma. The most likely scenario is that Mediterranean Blaps originated in the Arabian and north‐east African regions and then dispersed progressively westwards and northwards, using temporary land bridges to colonize the northern shores of the MB. Island endemics are more likely to be the products of recent dispersals than of old vicariance events. Birth–death analyses suggest that diversification rates in the Miocene and Pliocene are consistent with a ‘museum model’, in which most of the extant diversity is best explained by a steady accumulation of lineages under constant diversification rates. Although major Cenozoic climatic events do not seem to have influenced the diversification of Mediterranean Blaps, a decrease in diversification rates was detected during the Pleistocene.

Main conclusions

Our results suggest that Mediterranean Blaps lineages diversified between the Oligocene and the Pliocene, with current distribution patterns mostly accounted for by early vicariance and late dispersal events. Diversification rates were relatively constant through time, but decreased during Pleistocene glaciation cycles. This scenario may be applicable to other Mediterranean terrestrial animal taxa.
Atrial Fibrillation in Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy with a Defibrillator: A Risk Factor for Mortality, Appropriate and Inappropriate Shocks
Authors: BOVEN NICK VAN , THEUNS DOMINIC , BOGAARD KJELL , RUITER JAAP , KIMMAN GEERT , BERMAN LILY , VAN DER PLOEG TJEERD , KARDYS ISABELLA , UMANS VICTOR
Published: June 2013

Atrial Fibrillation in CRT‐D

Introduction

Knowledge about predictive factors for mortality and (in)appropriate shocks in cardiac resynchronization therapy with a defibrillator (CRT‐D) should be available and updated to predict clinical outcome.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 543 consecutive patients assigned to CRT‐D in 2 tertiary medical centers. The aim of this study was to assess risk factors for all‐cause mortality, appropriate and inappropriate shocks.

Results

Mean follow‐up time was 3.2 (±1.8) years. A total of 110 (20%) patients died, 71 (13%) received ≥1 appropriate shocks, and 33 (6.1%) received ≥1 inappropriate shocks. No patients received a His bundle ablation and biventricular pacing percentage was not analyzed. Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that a history of atrial fibrillation (AF) (HR 1.74 CI 1.06–2.86), higher creatinine (HR 1.12; CI 1.08–1.16), and a poorer left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (HR 0.97; CI 0.94–1.01) independently predict all‐cause mortality. In the entire cohort, history of AF and secondary prevention were independent predictors of appropriate shocks and variables associated with inappropriate shocks were history of AF and QRS ≥150 milliseconds. In primary prevention patients, history of AF also predicted appropriate shocks as did ischemic cardiomyopathy and poorer LVEF. History of AF, QRS ≥150 milliseconds, and lower creatinine were associated with inappropriate shocks in this subgroup. Appropriate shocks increased mortality risk, but inappropriate shocks did not.

Conclusion

In symptomatic CHF patients treated with CRT‐D, history of AF is an independent risk factor not only for mortality, but also for appropriate and inappropriate shocks. Further efforts in AF management may optimize the care in CRT‐D patients.
Preschool language profiles of children at family risk of dyslexia: continuities with specific language impairment
Authors: Nash Hannah M. , Hulme Charles , Gooch Debbie , Snowling Margaret J.
Published: June 2013

Background

Children at family risk of dyslexia have been reported to show phonological deficits as well as broader language delays in the preschool years.

Method

The preschool language skills of 112 children at family risk of dyslexia (FR) at ages 3½ and 4½ were compared with those of children with SLI and typically developing (TD) controls.

Results

Children at FR showed two different profiles: one third of the group resembled the children with SLI and scored poorly across multiple domains of language including phonology. As a group, the remaining children had difficulties on tasks tapping phonological skills at T1 and T2. At the individual level, we confirmed that some FR children had both phonological and broader oral language difficulties (compared with TD controls), some had only phonological difficulties and some appeared to be developing typically.

Conclusions

We have highlighted the early overlap between family risk of dyslexia and SLI. A family history of dyslexia carries an increased risk for SLI and the two disorders both show an increased incidence of phonological deficits which appear to a proximal risk factor for developing a reading impairment.
Admission hyperglycemia predicts poorer short‐ and long‐term outcomes after primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST‐elevation myocardial infarction
Authors: Chen Pei‐Chi , Chua Su‐Kiat , Hung Huei‐Fong , Huang Chung‐Yen , Lin Chiu‐Mei , Lai Shih‐Ming , Chen Yen‐Ling , Cheng Jun‐Jack , Chiu Chiung‐Zuan , Lee Shih‐Huang , Lo Huey‐Ming , Shyu Kou‐Gi
Published: June 2013

Aims/Introduction

Admission hyperglycemia is associated with poor outcome in patients with myocardial infarction. The present study evaluated the relationship between admission glucose level and other clinical variables in patients with ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Materials and Methods

The 959 consecutive STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI were divided into five groups based on admission glucose levels of <100, 100–139, 140–189, 190–249 and ≥250 mg/dL. Their short‐ and long‐term outcomes were compared.

Results

Higher admission glucose levels were associated with significantly higher in‐hospital morbidity and mortality, the overall mortality rate at follow up, and the incidence of reinfarction or heart failure requiring admission or leading to mortality at follow up. The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for in‐hospital morbidity, in‐hospital mortality, mortality at follow up and re‐infarction or heart failure or mortality at follow up of patients with admission glucose levels ≥190 mg/dL, compared with those with admission glucose levels <190 mg/dL, were 2.12 (1.3–3.4, P = 0.001), 2.74 (1.4–5.5, P = 0.004), 2.52 (1.2–5.1, P = 0.01) and 1.70 (1.03–2.8, P = 0.04), respectively. Previously non‐diabetic patients with admission glucose levels ≥250 mg/dL had significantly higher in‐hospital morbidity or mortality (44 vs 70%, P = 0.03). Known diabetic patients had higher rates of reinfarction, heart failure or mortality at follow up in the 100–139 mg/dL (8 vs 27%, P = 0.04) and 140–189 mg/dL (11 vs 26%, P = 0.02) groups.

Conclusions

Admission hyperglycemia, especially at glucose levels ≥190 mg/dL, is a predictor of poor prognosis in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI.
Effect of Enamel Bevel on the Clinical Performance of Resin Composite Restorations Placed in Non‐carious Cervical Lesions
Authors: Costa Thays Regina Ferreira Da , Loguercio Alessandro Dourado , Reis Alessandra
Published: June 2013

Statement of the Problem

Laboratory testing of enamel bevel reports many advantages; however clinical studies on this topic are scarce and controversial.

Purpose of the Study

To evaluate the effect of enamel bevel on the retention rates of composite restorations placed in non‐carious cervical lesions (NCCLs).

Materials and Methods

Forty‐two patients with more than 20 teeth in occlusion and having at least two NCCLs participated in this study. The cavities were divided into non‐beveled (control) and beveled (short bevel [45°, 1–2 mm long] prepared with a diamond bur) groups. The NCCLs were restored with the 2‐step etch‐and‐rinse adhesive ExciTE and the resin composite 4 Seasons (Ivoclar Vivadent). Eight‐four restorations were placed and evaluated at baseline, after 6 and 12 months according to the modified U.S. Public Health Service criteria.

Results

The 12‐month retention rates (95% confidence interval) for the beveled (91% [77–97%]) and non‐beveled [88% (73–95%)] groups were similar. No significant differences were detected between groups in other criteria (Fisher test, p > 0.05). No significant differences were detected in the same group compared across different recall times (McNemar test, p > 0.05).

Conclusion

Enamel beveling may not be clinically relevant for the retention of composite restorations in NCCLs after 12 months.

Clinical Significance

Beveling enamel margins may not be necessary in NCCL restorations restored with the 2‐step etch‐and‐rinse systems.
Review of theAcanthopagrus latuscomplex (Perciformes: Sparidae) with descriptions of three new species from the Indo‐West Pacific Ocean
Authors: Iwatsuki Y.
Published: June 2013

Acanthopagrus latus, long considered a single valid Indo‐West Pacific Ocean species, characterized by having yellow pelvic, anal and caudal fins, is reviewed and separated intoA. latus(east Asian shelf) andAcanthopagrus longispinnis(Bengal Bay), and three new species:Acanthopagrus morrisonisp. nov. (north‐western Australia),Acanthopagrus arabicussp. nov. [Middle East (except for the Red Sea) to coasts of Iran and Pakistan, and western Indian coast] andAcanthopagrus sheimsp. nov. (The Gulf). AlthoughA. latusas redefined considerably varies in morphology and colouration, it can be recognized as a discrete east Asian endemic, with the following nominal species being junior synonyms:Chrysophrys auripes,Chrysophrys xanthopoda,Chrysophrys rubropteraandSparus chrysopterus.Chrysophrys novaecaledoniae, known only from the holotype (type locality: Nouméa, New Caledonia), is a questionable junior synonym ofA. latus, the lack of subsequent collections suggesting that the type locality is erroneous.Acanthopagrus longispinnisis differentiated from the other species in the complex by consistently having 12 dorsal‐fin spines and a much larger second anal‐fin spine, 21–26% (mean 23%) of standard length (LS) (v. 14–24%, mean 18–21% in the other four species).Acanthopagrus morrisonisp. nov. has the entire caudal fin yellow with a wide black posterior margin (persisting in preserved specimens) and consistently 3 ½ scale rows between the fifth dorsal‐fin spine base and the lateral line.Acanthopagrus sheimsp. nov. has the pelvic, anal and lower caudal fins vivid yellow, with two (rarely three) small black blotches on the lower inter‐radial membranes between the spinous and soft dorsal‐fin rays.Acanthopagrus arabicussp. nov. consistently has 4 ½ scale rows between the fifth dorsal‐fin spine base and the lateral line, whereasA. latusalways has black streaks proximally on the inter‐radial membranes between the yellow anal‐fin rays. A neotype and lectotye, respectively, are designated forA. latusandA. longispinnis. Thep‐distance (net nucleotide substitutions per site) of partial mitochondrial16sribosomal RNA genes (538 bp) among the above species (exceptA. longispinnis) and three other congeners (Acanthopagrus berda,Acanthopagrus pacificusandAcanthopagrus bifasciatus) strongly indicates that each is a distinct species. A key is provided for the 20 species ofAcanthopagruscurrently known from the Indo‐West Pacific Ocean.
Can backcalculation models unravel complex larval growth histories in a tropical freshwater fish?
Authors: Starrs D. , Ebner B. C. , Fulton C. J.
Published: June 2013

This experimental study compared the precision and accuracy of the biological intercept (BI), modified fry (MF) and time‐varying growth (TVG) backcalculation models in estimating the early growth of the tropical freshwater purple‐spotted gudgeon Mogurnda adspersa. Larvae were reared up to 41 days post hatching under two temperatures and four different feeding regimes. Food and temperature treatments induced complex growth profiles among fish, and although total length (LT) and otolith radius were related under all conditions, some uncoupling was evident in the otolith–somatic‐growth (OSG) relationship of fish subjected to periods of changing food availability. Furthermore, otolith growth was found to be significantly influenced by temperature, but not by food availability. Analysis of backcalculation residuals by linear mixed effects modelling revealed that BI and TVG were equally precise in predicting somatic growth, with the highest accuracy provided by TVG. The performance of all the three models declined as the OSG relationship weakened under low‐food conditions, with maximum errors estimated to be 39, 60 and 36% of observed LT for the BI, MF and TVG models, respectively. The need for careful validation of backcalculation models is emphasized when examining fishes subjected to variable environmental conditions, and when exploring the differential influence of temperature and food on fish LT and otolith growth.
A Methodological Study for Optimizing Material Selection in Sustainable Product Design
Authors: Tambouratzis Tatiana , Karalekas Dimitris , Moustakas Nikolaos
Published: June 2013

A computational intelligence‐based identification of the properties of maximally sustainable materials for a given application, as derived from key properties of existing candidate materials, is put forward. The correlation surface between material properties (input) and environmental impact (EI) values (output) of the candidate materials is initially created using general regression (GR) artificial neural networks (ANNs). Genetic algorithms (GAs) are subsequently employed for swiftly identifying the minimum point of the correlation surface, thus exposing the properties of the maximally sustainable material. The ANN is compared to and found to be more accurate than classic polynomial regression (PR) interpolation/prediction, with sensitivity and multicriteria analyses further confirming the stability of the proposed methodology under variations in the properties of the materials as well as the relative importance values assigned to the input properties. A nominal demonstration concerning material selection for manufacturing maximally sustainable liquid containers is presented, showing that by appropriately picking the pertinent input properties and the desired material selection criteria, the proposed methodology can be applied to a wide range of material selection tasks.
The Political Economy of Agricultural Statistics and Input Subsidies: Evidence from India, Nigeria and Malawi
Authors: Jerven Morten
Published: June 2013

The political economy of agricultural policies – why certain interventions may be preferred by political leaders rather than others – is well recognized. This paper explores a perspective that has previously been neglected: the political economy of the agricultural statistics. In developing economies, the data on agricultural production are weak. Because these data are assembled using competing methods and assumptions, the final series are subject to political pressure, particularly when the government is subsidizing agricultural inputs. This paper draws on debates on the evidence of a Green Revolution in India and the arguments on the effect of withdrawing fertilizer subsidies during structural adjustment in Nigeria, and finally the paper presents new data on the effect of crop data subsidies in Malawi. The recent agricultural census (2006/7) indicates a maize output of 2.1 million metric tonnes, compared to the previously widely circulated figures of 3.4 million metric tonnes. The paper suggests that ‘data’ are themselves a product of agricultural policies.
Bonded Labour, Agrarian Changes and Capitalism: Emerging Patterns in South India
Authors: Guérin Isabelle
Published: June 2013

Drawing on a number of case studies from Tamil Nadu, this paper shows that bonded labour is not a relic of the past, but surprisingly contemporary. Refuting the tenets of the semi‐feudal thesis, we argue that unfree labour can go hand in hand with capitalism, and that it can be initiated and sustained by capital itself in order to accumulate surplus value. Going against the tenets of the de‐proletarianization thesis, we suggest that bonded labour is not always the preferred working arrangement for capitalism. Bonded labour should be examined in connection with specific historical contexts, the changing nature of the economy, the evolution of political forces and modes of socialization. I argue that bonded labour results from a specific regime of accumulation characterized by cheap labour, increased domestic demand sustained through household debt, as well as modes of conflict, contestation and worker identity formation that engage with both governmental programmes and consumerism.
Transformational leadership and performance: An experimental investigation of the mediating effects of basic needs satisfaction and work engagement
Authors: Kovjanic Snjezana , Schuh Sebastian C. , Jonas Klaus
Published: June 2013

The aim of the present research was to integrate and extend theorizing on transformational leadership, self‐determination, and work engagement. Specifically, we tested experimentally our hypotheses that the satisfaction of followers' basic psychological needs (i.e., for competence, relatedness, and autonomy) and work engagement mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and performance. A total of 190 participants worked on a brainstorming task under either a transformational or a non‐transformational leadership condition. Followers' performance was operationalized through quantity, quality, and persistence. Results revealed that satisfaction of the needs for competence and relatedness mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and work engagement, which, in turn, was positively related to quality, quantity, and persistence. Taken together, these findings are largely in line with our theoretical model and support Bass' (Leadership and performance beyond expectations. New York, NY: Free Press, 1985) and Burns' (Leadership. New York: Harper & Row, 1978) theories on needs satisfaction being a central mechanism behind transformational leadership.

Practitioner points

The results of this study suggest that organizations can benefit from implementing measures to increase employees' work engagement, because this can enhance employees' performance.

Furthermore, the study provides an indication of how to design such measures. It suggests that initiatives focusing on followers' basic psychological needs satisfaction (especially of the needs for competence and relatedness) are particularly effective.

Finally, our findings indicate that transformational leadership is one concrete way to foster employees' needs satisfaction and, consequently, work engagement and performance. Hence, integrating the frameworks of transformational leadership and followers' psychological needs can provide valuable insights for leadership development.