bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
8 Maya Polychrome Vessels as Inalienable Possessions
Authors: Callaghan Michael G.
Published: April 2014

During the Late Classic period in the Maya Lowlands (C.E. 650–800), polychrome serving vessels were produced and circulated in restricted exchange systems. The production and circulation of these vessels has traditionally been understood in terms of prestige good economy. In this chapter, I use Annette Weiner's concept of inalienable possessions to extend analysis of Late Classic–period polychromes beyond the tenets of prestige goods to: (1) discuss how value came to be embedded in specific polychrome vessels; (2) identify previously overlooked ceramic social valuables; and (3) discuss how these vessels were used to simultaneously promote social hierarchy and integrate communities.
9 Negotiation of Inalienability and Meanings at the Classic Maya Center of Aguateca, Guatemala
Authors: Inomata Takeshi
Published: April 2014

A central issue in Annette Weiner's theory of inalienable possessions is the meaning of objects. This chapter provides a critique of conceptualizations that view objects as repositories of fixed, preexisting meaning from perspectives of practice theory, performance theory, and cognitive sciences. It examines how inalienability and associated meanings are created, negotiated, and contested. Data from the Classic Maya site of Aguateca provide an example of how symbolic objects and their perceived inalienability became points of reference and contestation among the ruler, other elites, and non‐elites.
10 Land, Labor, Bodies, and Objects: Comments on Inalienability and Mesoamerican Social Life
Authors: Mills Barbara J.
Published: April 2014

The original use of the term “inalienable possessions” by Annette Weiner applied to movable objects. As the contributors to this volume bring out, the concept has much greater potential when discussed in the context of all material life. In this chapter, the advantages of a broader use of the term inalienability are discussed and the chapters compared based on three major themes: (1) the importance of eliminating dichotomies such as alienability–inalienability, prestige–nonprestige goods, and elites–commoners; (2) how inalienability extends interpretations of the materiality of social life; and (3) the varied ways in which inalienability was part of performative practices that created, reinforced, and transformed value, identity, and social distinctions in the Mesoamerican area.
Retrospective comparison of open versus laparoscopic ventral and incisional hernia repair
Authors: Tsuruta Atsushi , Hirai Toshihiro , Nakamura Masafumi
Published: April 2014

Introduction

We performed a retrospective study to determine the mid‐term recurrence and complication rates of patients following laparoscopic ventral and incisional hernia repair (LVHR) with DualMesh, an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) mesh. Additionally, a study of the mesh contraction rate was performed postoperatively.

Methods

We compared open mesh repair of ventral and incisional hernias (OR) and LVHR. We also analyzed the shrinkage rate of ePTFE mesh. We included 45 patients (21 OR, 24 LVHR) who underwent mesh repair for primary ventral and incisional hernias between January 2008 and December 2012. Patients' characteristics did not significantly differ between the two groups.

Results

Mean operating time was 152.7 min for the OR group and 143.1 min for the LVHR group (P = 0.25). Mean postoperative hospital stay was 13.4 days for the OR group and 6.8 days for the LVHR groups (P = 0.01). The postoperative complication rate was 28.6% for the OR group and 12.5% for the LVHR group (P = 0.03). Among OR patients, causes of morbidity were variable: two recurrent cases, one surgical‐site infection, one re‐recurrence, one case of enteritis, and one case of heart failure. Among the LVHR patients, there was one surgical‐site infection and two cases of seroma. No patients in the LVHR group experienced recurrence, while 14.3% of OR patients had a recurrence. In the LVHR group, the mean ePTFE mesh contraction rate was 10.6%.

Conclusion

LVHR has advantages compared with OR, and the post‐insertion contraction rate of ePTFE mesh was 10.6%.
Comparative effects of sodium butyrate and flavors on feed intake of lactating sows and growth performance of piglets
Authors: Wang Jun , Yang Mei , Xu Shengyu , Lin Yan , Che Lianqiang , Fang Zhengfeng , Wu De
Published: April 2014

We examined the effects of sodium butyrate and flavors on feed intake of lactating sows and growth performance of piglets. A total of 52 primiparous sows (Large White) were randomly divided into four treatments (n = 13) and received 6 g/kg sodium butyrate (SB), fruit‐milk (FM) flavor and fruit‐milk‐anise (FMA) flavor with pair feeding to the mothers receiving the control diet. The feeding trial lasted for 29 days, including 21 days of nursing and 8 days of post‐weaning period, respectively. The nursing and weaning piglets received creep diets with the same flavor or SB supplement as their mother. The results showed that FMA flavor increased average daily feed intake (ADFI) of lactating sows (P < 0.01), as well as improved litter weight gain (P = 0.05) and ADFI (P < 0.01) of nursing pigs among treatments. Indeed, greater ADFI and average daily gain of weaning piglets for the initial 8 days after weaning was observed in the FMA group compared with those in the control group (P < 0.01). These findings indicated that adding FMA flavor was superior to SB for increasing feed intake of lactating sows and improving growth performance of piglets.
Population PK modelling and simulation based on fluoxetine and norfluoxetine concentrations in milk: a milk concentration‐based prediction model
Authors: Tanoshima Reo , Bournissen Facundo Garcia , Tanigawara Yusuke , Kristensen Judith H. , Taddio Anna , Ilett Kenneth F. , Begg Evan J. , Wallach Izhar , Ito Shinya
Published: April 2014

Aims

Population pharmacokinetic (pop PK) modelling can be used for PK assessment of drugs in breast milk. However, complex mechanistic modelling of a parent and an active metabolite using both blood and milk samples is challenging. We aimed to develop a simple predictive pop PK model for milk concentration–time profiles of a parent and a metabolite, using data on fluoxetine (FX) and its active metabolite, norfluoxetine (NFX), in milk.

Methods

Using a previously published data set of drug concentrations in milk from 25 women treated with FX, a pop PK model predictive of milk concentration–time profiles of FX and NFX was developed. Simulation was performed with the model to generate FX and NFX concentration–time profiles in milk of 1000 mothers. This milk concentration‐based pop PK model was compared with the previously validated plasma/milk concentration‐based pop PK model of FX.

Results

Milk FX and NFX concentration–time profiles were described reasonably well by a one compartment model with a FX‐to‐NFX conversion coefficient. Median values of the simulated relative infant dose on a weight basis (sRID: weight‐adjusted daily doses of FX and NFX through breastmilk to the infant, expressed as a fraction of therapeutic FX daily dose per body weight) were 0.028 for FX and 0.029 for NFX. The FX sRID estimates were consistent with those of the plasma/milk‐based pop PK model.

Conclusions

A predictive pop PK model based on only milk concentrations can be developed for simultaneous estimation of milk concentration–time profiles of a parent (FX) and an active metabolite (NFX).
Optimal sampling of antipsychotic medicines: a pharmacometric approach for clinical practice
Authors: Perera Vidya , Bies Robert R. , Mo Gary , Dolton Michael J. , Carr Vaughan J. , McLachlan Andrew J. , Day Richard O. , Polasek Thomas M. , Forrest Alan
Published: April 2014

Aim

To determine optimal sampling strategies to allow the calculation of clinical pharmacokinetic parameters for selected antipsychotic medicines using a pharmacometric approach.

Methods

This study utilized previous population pharmacokinetic parameters of the antipsychotic medicines aripiprazole, clozapine, olanzapine, perphenazine, quetiapine, risperidone (including 9‐OH risperidone) and ziprasidone. d‐optimality was utilized to identify time points which accurately predicted the pharmacokinetic parameters (and expected error) of each drug at steady‐state. A standard two stage population approach (STS) with MAP‐Bayesian estimation was used to compare area under the concentration–time curves (AUC) generated from sparse optimal time points and rich extensive data. Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) was used to simulate 1000 patients with population variability in pharmacokinetic parameters. Forward stepwise regression analysis was used to determine the most predictive time points of the AUC for each drug at steady‐state.

Results

Three optimal sampling times were identified for each antipsychotic medicine. For aripiprazole, clozapine, olanzapine, perphenazine, risperidone, 9‐OH risperidone, quetiapine and ziprasidone the CV% of the apparent clearance using optimal sampling strategies were 19.5, 8.6, 9.5, 13.5, 12.9, 10.0, 16.0 and 10.7, respectively. Using the MCS and linear regression approach to predict AUC, the recommended sampling windows were 16.5–17.5 h, 10–11 h, 23–24 h, 19–20 h, 16.5–17.5 h, 22.5–23.5 h, 5–6 h and 5.5–6.5 h, respectively.

Conclusion

This analysis provides important sampling information for future population pharmacokinetic studies and clinical studies investigating the pharmacokinetics of antipsychotic medicines.
Cancer Biology, Toxicology and Alternative Methods Development Go Hand‐in‐Hand
Authors: Kohonen Pekka , Ceder Rebecca , Smit Ines , Hongisto Vesa , Myatt Glenn , Hardy Barry , Spjuth Ola , Grafström Roland
Published: April 2014

Toxicological research faces the challenge of integrating knowledge from diverse fields and novel technological developments generally in the biological and medical sciences. We discuss herein the fact that the multiple facets of cancer research, including discovery related to mechanisms, treatment and diagnosis, overlap many up and coming interest areas in toxicology, including the need for improved methods and analysis tools. Common to both disciplines, in vitro and in silico methods serve as alternative investigation routes to animal studies. Knowledge on cancer development helps in understanding the relevance of chemical toxicity studies in cell models, and many bioinformatics‐based cancer biomarker discovery tools are also applicable to computational toxicology. Robotics‐aided, cell‐based, high‐throughput screening, microscale immunostaining techniques and gene expression profiling analyses are common tools in cancer research, and when sequentially combined, form a tiered approach to structured safety evaluation of thousands of environmental agents, novel chemicals or engineered nanomaterials. Comprehensive tumour data collections in databases have been translated into clinically useful data, and this concept serves as template for computer‐driven evaluation of toxicity data into meaningful results. Future ‘cancer research‐inspired knowledge management’ of toxicological data will aid the translation of basic discovery results and chemicals‐ and materials‐testing data to information relevant to human health and environmental safety.
Down‐Regulation of Asparagine Synthetase Induces Cell Cycle Arrest and Inhibits Cell Proliferation of Breast Cancer
Authors: Yang Hongjian , He Xiangming , Zheng Yabing , Feng Weiliang , Xia Xianghou , Yu Xingfei , Lin Zhiqiang
Published: April 2014

Asparagine synthetase (ASNS) is deemed to be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of several cancers, but its functional role in human breast cancer is still unknown. In this study, we employed RNA interference as an efficient tool to silence endogenous ASNS expression in breast cancer cell lines. The relationship between ASNS expression and breast cancer cell growth was investigated, and the therapeutic value of ASNS in breast cancer was further evaluated. Depletion of ASNS remarkably inhibited the proliferation and colony formation capacity of breast cancer cells and arrested cell cycle in the S phase. Our findings suggest that ASNS may contribute to breast cancer tumorigenesis and could be a potential therapeutic target in human breast cancer.
Picturing Objects in Infancy
Authors: Shinskey Jeanne L. , Jachens Liza J.
Published: April 2014

Infants’ transfer of information from pictures to objects was tested by familiarizing 9‐month‐olds (N = 31) with either a color or black‐and‐white photograph of an object and observing their preferential reaching for the real target object versus a distractor. One condition tested object recognition by keeping both objects visible, and the other tested object representation by hiding both objects. On visible trials, infants reached more for the distractor, indicating they recognized the target object from its picture. On hidden trials, infants reached more for the target object, suggesting they formed a continued representation of the object based on its picture. Photograph color had no effect. Infants thus show picture‐to‐object transfer by 9 months with preferential reaching, even with black‐and‐white pictures.
Impaired cytokine responses in patients with cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS)
Authors: Haverkamp M H , van de Vosse E , Goldbach-Mansky R , Holland S M
Published: April 2014

Cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS) is characterized by dysregulated inflammation with excessive interleukin (IL)-1β activation and secretion. Neonatal-onset multi-system inflammatory disease (NOMID) is the most severe form. We explored cytokine responses in 32 CAPS patients before and after IL-1β blocking therapy. We measured cytokines produced by activated peripheral blood monuclear cells (PBMCs) from treated and untreated CAPS patients after stimulation for 48 h with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), PHA plus IL-12, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or LPS plus interferon (IFN)-γ. We measured IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, tumour necrosis factor (TNF), IL-12p70 and IFN-γ in the supernatants. PBMCs from three untreated CAPS patients were cultured in the presence of the IL-1β blocker Anakinra. Fifty healthy individuals served as controls. CAPS patients had high spontaneous production of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF and IFN-γ by unstimulated cells. However, stimulation indexes (SIs, ratio of stimulated to unstimulated production) of these cytokines to PHA and LPS were low in NOMID patients compared to controls. Unstimulated IL-10 and IL-12p70 production was normal, but up-regulation after PHA and LPS was also low. LPS plus IFN-γ inadequately up-regulated the production of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF and IL-10 in CAPS patients. In-vitro but not in-vivo treatment with Anakinra improved SIs by lowering spontaneous cytokine production. However, in-vitro treatment did not improve the low stimulated cytokine levels. Activating mutations in NLRP3 in CAPS are correlated with poor SIs to PHA, LPS and IFN-γ. The impairment in stimulated cytokine responses in spite of IL-1β blocking therapy suggests a broader intrinsic defect in CAPS patients, which is not corrected by targeting IL-1β.
Photon Differential Splatting for Rendering Caustics
Authors: Frisvad Jeppe Revall , Schjøth Lars , Erleben Kenny , Sporring Jon
Published: April 2014

We present a photon splatting technique which reduces noise and blur in the rendering of caustics. Blurring of illumination edges is an inherent problem in photon splatting, as each photon is unaware of its neighbours when being splatted. This means that the splat size is usually based on heuristics rather than knowledge of the local flux density. We use photon differentials to determine the size and shape of the splats such that we achieve adaptive anisotropic flux density estimation in photon splatting. As compared to previous work that uses photon differentials, we present the first method where no photons or beams or differentials need to be stored in a map. We also present improvements in the theory of photon differentials, which give more accurate results and a faster implementation. Our technique has good potential for GPU acceleration, and we limit the number of parameters requiring user adjustment to an overall smoothing parameter and the number of photons to be traced.
GEARS: A General and Efficient Algorithm for Rendering Shadows
Authors: Wang Lili , Zhou Shiheng , Ke Wei , Popescu Voicu
Published: April 2014

We present a soft shadow rendering algorithm that is general, efficient and accurate. The algorithm supports fully dynamic scenes, with moving and deforming blockers and receivers, and with changing area light source parameters. For each output image pixel, the algorithm computes a tight but conservative approximation of the set of triangles that block the light source as seen from the pixel sample. The set of potentially blocking triangles allows estimating visibility between light points and pixel samples accurately and efficiently. As the light source size decreases to a point, our algorithm converges to rendering pixel accurate hard shadows.
Hospital stay following complex major head and neck resection: what factors play a role?
Authors: Tadiparthi S. , Enache A. , Kalidindi K. , O'Hara J. , Paleri V.
Published: April 2014

Objectives

Identify factors which have an impact on the length of postoperative hospital stay in patients undergoing major surgical resection for head and neck cancer.

Design

Retrospective study using hospital case notes.

Setting

Tertiary centre.

Participants

One hundred and eighty‐four patients who underwent 191 major head and neck resections between 2006 and 2010 were identified from the head and neck oncology database. An additional cohort of 52 patients from a second centre was used to externally validate the model.

Methods

Data collected on 13 variables including age, preoperative haemoglobin level, body mass index, timing of surgery (primary or recurrent tumour), category of surgical procedure (clean, clean‐contaminated, contaminated, dirty), tracheostomy (yes or no) and duration of the operation were analysed using a multiple linear regression.

Results

In the 13 parameter model, the four variables that were found to significantly (P < 0.05) prolong length of stay (LOS) were surgical wound type (clean‐contaminated, P = 2.19 × 10−6 versus clean), tracheostomy (P = 0.0034), operation time (P = 0.011) and American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) grades 3 and 4 (P = 0.0067) versus 1 and 2. The statistically significant variables were used to generate a preoperative submodel without the operative time and a postoperative submodel with all four variables. Overall, the best model based on adjusted R2 was the postoperative model. When fitted on the external data set, there was no significant difference in the residuals, indicating that the models generalise across centres.

Conclusion

Clean‐contaminated wound was the most significant factor affecting the LOS, with others being ASA grades 3 and 4, longer duration of surgery and presence of a tracheostomy. Using these parameters, it is possible to predict the LOS in patients undergoing major surgical resection for head and neck cancer.
Perinatal outcome in relation to fetal sex in offspring to mothers with pre‐gestational and gestational diabetes—a population‐based study
Authors: Persson M. , Fadl H.
Published: April 2014

Aim

The objective of the present study was to investigate if perinatal outcome differs with fetal sex in pregnancies with maternal Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes.

Methods

This was a population‐based cohort study, with data from the Medical Birth Registry in Sweden throughout the period 1998–2007. Singleton pregnancies with maternal Type 1 diabetes (n = 4092), Type 2 diabetes (n = 412) and gestational diabetes (n = 8602) were identified based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition code. For comparison, 905 565 pregnancies without diabetes were included. The primary outcome was a composite outcome, consisting of any of the following diagnoses: perinatal mortality rate, major malformation, preterm delivery, acute respiratory disorders and neonatal hypoglycaemia. Logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios for adverse outcomes in male offspring within the diabetic and reference cohorts, respectively.

Results

In pregnancies with diabetes, maternal characteristics did not differ with fetal sex, except for a higher rate of Caesarean delivery in male offspring of women with Type 1 diabetes. Male infants to mothers with Type 1 diabetes and gestational diabetes had significantly increased odds of respiratory disorders [adjusted odds ratio (confidence interval) Type 1 diabetes: 1.50 (1.12–2.02); gestational diabetes: 1.81 (1.27–2.57)]. Male infants to mothers with gestational diabetes also had significantly increased odds of major malformations [adjusted odds ratio: 1.44 (1.07–1.93)]. In offspring of mothers with Type 2 diabetes, odds ratios of most outcomes were higher in male infants; however, not significantly different from female infants. In pregnancies without diabetes, male infants had significantly higher odds of all adverse outcomes, except perinatal mortality rate.

Conclusion

The risk of adverse perinatal outcome in offspring of mothers with Type 1 diabetes and gestational diabetes did not differ by sex, except for a higher risk in male infants for respiratory disorders. The risk of major malformations was also significantly increased in male offspring to mothers with gestational diabetes. In offspring of mothers with Type 2 diabetes, no significant differences between sexes were found.
Multispecies interactions across trophic levels at macroscales: retrospective and future directions
Authors: Kissling W. Daniel , Schleuning Matthias
Published: April 2014

Trophic interactions among multiple species are ubiquitous in nature and their importance for structuring ecological communities has been extensively demonstrated at local spatial scales. However, how local species interactions scale‐up to large spatial scales and how they contribute to shape species distributions and diversity patterns at macroecological extents remains less clear. Here, we provide an overview of recent and potential future developments in macroecology that explore the role of antagonistic and mutualistic interactions among multiple species across trophic levels. Recent studies broadly represent two analytical methods (analyses of species richness and ecological networks) and provide evidence that plant–animal interactions (e.g. pollination, frugivory) and predator–prey interactions influence large‐scale richness patterns and that ecological network structure varies systematically at macroscales. Current methodological problems and challenges are related to defining the functional links in cross‐trophic richness analyses, understanding trait effects in multispecies interactions, and addressing sampling effects when analyzing multiple ecological networks across large spatial extents. Key topics for future research are 1) testing paleoclimatic imprints on interaction diversity, 2) understanding macroevolution and the phylogenetic structure of multispecies interactions, 3) quantifying contemporary spatial and temporal variability in complex ecological networks, and 4) predicting novel interactions under global change. Moreover, we see great potential for a deeper bidirectional integration of macroecology and network research, e.g. by analyses of trait complementarity and functional diversity of interacting groups and by employing species distribution modeling to predict changes in functional network structure. Addressing these key topics and achieving a better integration between these two research fields will significantly advance our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary drivers of multispecies interactions. This could also help to develop more realistic forecasts of changes in biodiversity under climate and land use change.
Evergreen foliage allows early hatching in a pine processionary moth and escape from predation
Authors: RONNÅS CECILIA , DALIN PETER
Published: April 2014

1. Seasonal variation in leaf quality and climate conditions often imposes constraints on the temporal occurrence of tree‐feeding insect larvae, but the seasonal effects of predation have received limited attention. In temperate climate zones, both the abundance and activity of predators can be expected to vary over time.

2. The study reported herein examined the impact of temporal variation in predator activity levels on the life history of an herbivorous insect feeding on a constant food source: previous‐year needles of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). In field experiments, the survival and growth rates of colonies of Thaumetopoea pinivora
Treitschke larvae that had been manipulated to hatch at three different dates were compared. Eggs of T. pinivora usually hatch by mid‐April in southern Sweden, which is earlier than most other herbivorous insects that overwinter as eggs in this region.

3. Predator exclusion experiments indicated that larvae which hatched later than April experienced a higher level of predator activity, mainly by ants. The final larval size and the timing of pupation were not affected by hatching date. First instar larvae were more extensively preyed on than second instars.

4. The life history of herbivore species can be affected by seasonal variation in predation pressures. This study suggests that early hatching in a lepidopteran species can allow a temporal escape from predation during the vulnerable early life stages.
Terrestrial deposition of aquatic insects increases plant quality for insect herbivores and herbivore density
Authors: BULTMAN HILARY , HOEKMAN DAVID , DREYER JAMIN , GRATTON CLAUDIO
Published: April 2014

1. Mobile organisms such as emergent aquatic insects can subsidise land with aquatic nutrients, creating a link between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

2. Deposition of aquatic insects on land produces bottom‐up effects in arthropod detritivore communities and may also affect plants and plant–herbivore interactions.

3. To investigate the effects of insect deposition on plant–herbivore interactions, we conducted a field experiment and surveys of tealeaf willow (Salicaceae; Salix phylicifolia Coste) and July highflyer caterpillars (Geometridae; Hydriomena furcata Thunberg) at lakes in Northeast Iceland with either high‐ or low‐midge density and deposition to land.

4. It was found that willow at high‐midge lakes had 8–11% higher nitrogen content compared with willow at low‐midge lakes. In addition, natural caterpillar density was 4–6 times higher and caterpillars were 72% heavier at high‐midge lakes than low‐midge lakes.

5. A fully reciprocal caterpillar transplant experiment among willow at high‐ and low‐midge lakes was performed to separate the influence of habitat and midge effects on caterpillar performance.

6. After transplant, pupae of July Highflyer caterpillars were on average 11% heavier at high‐midge sites compared with low‐midge sites. However, this difference was not statistically significant.

7. The present findings indicate that cross‐ecosystem subsidies in the form of aquatic insects can increase plant foliar quality and the abundance of insect herbivores in recipient ecosystems.
Changes in glutamate concentration, glucose metabolism, and cerebral blood flow during focal brain cooling of the epileptogenic cortex in humans
Authors: Nomura Sadahiro , Fujii Masami , Inoue Takao , He Yeting , Maruta Yuichi , Koizumi Hiroyasu , Suehiro Eiichi , Imoto Hirochika , Ishihara Hideyuki , Oka Fumiaki , Matsumoto Mishiya , Owada Yuji , Yamakawa Takeshi , Suzuki Michiyasu
Published: April 2014

Objective

Recently, focal brain cooling (FBC) was proposed as a method for treating refractory epilepsy. However, the precise influence of cooling on the molecular basis of epilepsy has not been elucidated. Thus the aim of this study was to assess the effect of FBC on glutamate (Glu) concentration, cerebral blood flow (CBF), and glucose metabolism in patients with intractable epilepsy.

Methods

Nine patients underwent FBC at 15°C for 30 min prior to cortical resection (n = 6) or hippocampectomy (n = 3). Measurement of metabolites and CBF, as well as electrocorticography (ECoG), was performed.

Results

Epileptic discharge (ED), as observed by ECoG, disappeared in the cooling period and reappeared in the rewarming period. Glu concentrations were high during the precooling period and were reduced to 51.2% during the cooling period (p = 0.025). Glycerol levels showed a similar decrease (p = 0.028). Lactate concentration was high during the precooling period and was reduced during the cooling period (21.3% decrease; p = 0.005). Glucose and pyruvate levels were maintained throughout the procedure. Changes in CBF were parallel to those observed by ECoG.

Significance

FBC reduced EDs and concentrations of Glu and glycerol. This demonstrates the neuroprotective effect of FBC. Our findings confirm that FBC is a reasonable and optimal treatment option for patients with intractable epilepsy.

A PowerPoint slide summarizing this article is available for download in the Supporting Information section here.
Open Stakeholder Consultations at the European Level—Voice of the Citizens?
Authors: Marxsen Christian
Published: April 2014

The European Commission's open consultations of stakeholders are a central mechanism of the attempt to practice participatory governance at the European level and to open the political process to contributions from the societal sphere. This paper analyses the current practice of open consultations as one important operationalisation of participatory governance and as an implementation of Article 11 of the Treaty of the European Union (TEU). It asks whether consultations can be a means to give voice to the citizens and to increase the legitimacy of European institutions. The paper presents an empirical analysis of the field of participants in the consultations. A main finding is that business and industry organisations dominate the consultative process while the participation of citizens and not‐for‐profit organisations is generally weak. The paper explores to which extent the consultations can, considering the empirical findings, be seen as a suitable way for direct or representative citizen participation.
Effects of Moderate Aerobic Exercise Training on Vascular Health and Blood Pressure in African Americans
Authors: Feairheller Deborah L. , Diaz Keith M. , Kashem Mohammed A. , Thakkar Sunny R. , Veerabhadrappa Praveen , Sturgeon Kathleen M. , Ling Chenyi , Williamson Sheara T. , Kretzschmar Jan , Lee Hojun , Grimm Heather , Babbitt Dianne M. , Vin Charmie , Fan Xiaoxuan , Crabbe Deborah L. , Brown Michael D.
Published: April 2014

As healthcare progresses toward individualized medicine, understanding how different racial groups respond to lifestyle interventions is valuable. It is established that African Americans have disproportionate levels of cardiovascular disease and impaired vascular health, and clinical practice guidelines suggest lifestyle interventions as the first line of treatment. Recently, the authors reported that 6 months of aerobic exercise improved inflammatory markers, flow‐mediated dilation (FMD), and levels of circulating endothelial microparticles (EMPs) in African American adults. This study is a subgroup analysis of the aerobic exercise–induced changes in vascular health and blood pressure (BP) measures, including carotid artery intima‐media thickness (IMT), nitroglycerin‐mediated dilation (NMD), ambulatory BP, and office BP. Sedentary African American adults (53.4±6.2 years; 21 women and 5 men) showed improved vascular health but no change in BP. Carotid artery IMT decreased 6.4%, plasma nitric oxide levels increased 76.6%, plasma EMP levels decreased, percentage of FMD increased 59.6%, and FMD/NMD ratio increased 36.2% (P<.05 for all). Six months of aerobic exercise training is sufficient to elicit improvements in vascular structure and function in African Americans, even without improvements in BP measures or NMD (ie, smooth muscle function). To our knowledge, this is the first study to report such findings in African Americans.
Microbiome investigation in the ecological speciation context of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) using next‐generation sequencing
Authors: Sevellec M. , Pavey S. A. , Boutin S. , Filteau M. , Derome N. , Bernatchez L.
Published: April 2014

Few studies have applied NGS methods to investigate the microbiome of vertebrates in their natural environment and in freshwater fishes in particularly. Here, we used pyrosequencing of the 16S gene rRNA to (i) test for differences in kidney bacterial communities (i.e. microbiota) of dwarf and normal whitefish found as sympatric pairs, (ii) test the hypothesis of higher bacterial diversity in normal compared with dwarf whitefish and (iii) test for the occurrence of parallelism with the presence and composition of bacterial communities across species pairs inhabiting different lakes. The kidney microbiota of 253 dwarf and normal whitefish from five lakes was analysed combining a double‐nested PCR approach with 454 pyrosequencing. Bacteria were detected in 52.6% of the analysed whitefish. There was no overall significant difference among lakes and forms, although the lake × form interaction was found significant. We identified 579 bacterial genera, which is substantially more than previous descriptions using less sensitive techniques of fish bacterial diversity in kidney, pathogenic or not. Ten of these genera contained eighteen pathogenic species. Differences in bacteria composition between whitefish forms were not parallel among lakes. In accordance with the higher diversity of prey types, normal whitefish kidney tissue consistently had a more diverse bacterial community and this pattern was parallel among lakes. These results add to building evidence from previous studies on this system that the adaptive divergence of dwarf, and normal whitefish has been driven by both parallel and nonparallel ecological conditions across lakes.
The contribution of estuary‐resident life histories to the return of adult Oncorhynchus kisutch
Authors: Jones K. K. , Cornwell T. J. , Bottom D. L. , Campbell L. A. , Stein S.
Published: April 2014

This study evaluated estuarine habitat use, life‐history composition, growth and survival of four successive broods of coho salmon Oncoryhnchus kisutch in Salmon River, Oregon, U.S.A. Subyearling and yearling O. kisutch used restored and natural estuarine wetlands, particularly in the spring and winter. Stream‐reared yearling smolts spent an average of 2 weeks in the estuary growing rapidly before entering the ocean. Emergent fry also entered the estuary in the spring, and some resided in a tidal marsh throughout the summer, even as salinities increased to > 20. A significant portion of the summer stream‐resident population of juvenile O. kisutch migrated out of the catchment in the autumn and winter and used estuary wetlands and adjacent streams as alternative winter‐rearing habitats until the spring when they entered the ocean as yearling smolts. Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag returns and juvenile life‐history reconstructions from otoliths of returning adults revealed that four juvenile life‐history types contributed to the adult population. Estuarine‐associated life‐history strategies accounted for 20–35% of the adults returning to spawn in the four brood years, indicating that a sizable proportion of the total O. kisutch production is ignored by conventional estimates based on stream habitat capacity. Juvenile O. kisutch responses to the reconnection of previously unavailable estuarine habitats have led to greater life‐history diversity in the population and reflect greater phenotypic plasticity of the species in the U.S. Pacific Northwest than previously recognized.
Self‐Management Behaviors in Older Adults with Asthma: Associations with Health Literacy
Authors: Federman Alex D. , Wolf Michael S. , Sofianou Anastasia , Martynenko Melissa , O'Connor Rachel , Halm Ethan A. , Leventhal Howard , Wisnivesky Juan P.
Published: April 2014

Objectives

To examine self‐management behaviors, including medication adherence and inhaler technique, in older adults with asthma and their association with health literacy.

Design

Observational cohort study.

Setting

Primary care and pulmonary specialty practices in two tertiary academic medical centers and three federally qualified health centers in New York, New York, and Chicago, Illinois.

Participants

Adults with moderate or severe persistent asthma aged 60 and older (N = 433).

Measurements

Outcomes were adherence to asthma controller medications, metered dose inhaler (MDI) and dry powder inhaler (DPI) techniques, having a usual asthma physician, and avoidance of four common triggers. Health literacy was assessed using the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults.

Results

The mean age was 67, and 36% of participants had marginal or low health literacy. Adherence was low (38%) overall and worse in individuals with low health literacy (22%) than in those with adequate literacy (47%, P < .001) and after adjusting for demographic factors and health status (odds ratio (OR) = 0.48, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.31–0.73). Similarly, inhaler technique was poor; only 38% and 54% had good MDI and DPI technique, respectively. Technique was worse in those with low health literacy (MDI technique: OR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.38–0.85; DPI technique: OR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.25–0.71). Asthma self‐monitoring and avoidance of triggers occurred infrequently but were less consistently associated with low health literacy.

Conclusion

Adherence to medications and inhaler technique are poor in older adults with asthma and worse in those with low health literacy. Clinicians should routinely assess controller medication adherence and inhaler technique and use low‐literacy communication strategies to support self‐management in older adults with asthma.
PECTATE LYASE‐LIKE10 is associated with pollen wall development in Brassica campestris
Authors: Jiang Jingjing , Yao Lina , Yu Youjian , Lv Meiling , Miao Ying , Cao Jiashu
Published: April 2014

PECTATE LYASE‐LIKE10 (PLL10) was previously identified as one of the differentially expressed genes both in microspores during the late pollen developmental stages and in pistils during the fertilization process in Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp. chinensis). Here, antisense‐RNA was used to study the functions of BcPLL10 in Chinese cabbage. Abnormal pollen was identified in the transgenic lines (bcpll10‐4, ‐5, and ‐6). In fertilization experiments, fewer seeds were harvested when the antisense‐RNA lines were used as pollen donor. In vivo and in vitro pollen germination assays less germinated pollen tubes were observed in bcpll10 lines. Scanning electron microscopy observation verified that the tryphine materials were over accumulated around the pollen surface and sticked them together in bcpll10. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy observation revealed that the internal endintine was overdeveloped and predominantly occupied the intine, and disturbed the normal proportional distribution of the two layers in the non‐germinal furrow region; and no obvious demarcation existed between them in the germinal furrow region in the bcpll10 pollen. Collectively, this study presented a novel PLL gene that played an important role during the pollen wall development in B. campestris, which may also possess potential importance for male sterility usage in agriculture.
Individual Therapy for Couple Problems: Perspectives and Pitfalls
Authors: Gurman Alan S. , Burton Mark
Published: April 2014

Despite the demonstrated efficacy of conjoint couple therapy, many clients seeking help for couple problems ultimately find themselves in individual therapy for these concerns. Individual therapy for couple problems (ITCP) may evolve from a partner's refusal of conjoint therapy or from the treatment format preferences of either the client or therapist. Having acknowledged the role of partner refusals, we offer some perspectives about the idiosyncratic personal factors and professional background factors that may lead therapists to provide ITCP and discuss the significant pitfalls in its practice. We emphasize five central areas of concern in the ongoing practice of ITCP: structural constraints on change; therapist side‐taking and the therapeutic alliance; inaccurate assessments based on individual client reports; therapeutic focus; and ethical issues relevant to both attending and nonattending partners. We conclude by urging that this very important but largely neglected topic be paid greater attention in psychotherapy research, training and continuing education.
Dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease: mechanisms and current non‐pharmacological interventions
Authors: Heumann Rolf , Moratalla Rosario , Herrero Maria Trinidad , Chakrabarty Koushik , Drucker‐Colín René , Garcia‐Montes Jose Ruben , Simola Nicola , Morelli Micaela
Published: April 2014

Dopamine replacement therapy in Parkinson's disease is associated with several unwanted effects, of which dyskinesia is the most disabling. The development of new therapeutic interventions to reduce the impact of dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease is therefore a priority need. This review summarizes the key molecular mechanisms that underlie dyskinesia. The role of dopamine receptors and their associated signaling mechanisms including dopamine‐cAMP‐regulated neuronal phosphoprotein, extracellular signal‐regulated kinase, mammalian target of rapamycin, mitogen and stress‐activated kinase‐1 and Histone H3 are summarized, along with an evaluation of the role of cannabinoid and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The role of synaptic plasticity and animal behavioral results on dyskinesia are also evaluated. The most recent therapeutic advances to treat Parkinson's disease are discussed, with emphasis on the possibilities and limitations of non‐pharmacological interventions such as physical activity, deep brain stimulation, transcranial magnetic field stimulation and cell replacement therapy. The review suggests new prospects for the management of Parkinson's disease‐associated motor symptoms, especially the development of dyskinesia.

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This review aims at summarizing the key molecular mechanisms underlying dyskinesia and the most recent therapeutic advances to treat Parkinson's disease with emphasis on non‐pharmacological interventions such as physical activity, deep brain stimulation (DBS), transcranial magnetic field stimulation (TMS) and cell replacement therapy. These new interventions are discussed from both the experimental and clinical point of view, describing their current strength and limitations.
Inhibition of PaCaMKII‐E isoform in the dorsal unpaired median neurosecretory cells of cockroach reduces nicotine‐ and clothianidin‐induced currents
Authors: List Olivier , Calas‐List Delphine , Taillebois Emiliane , Juchaux Marjorie , Heuland Emilie , Thany Steeve H.
Published: April 2014

Cellular responses to Ca2+ require intermediary proteins such as calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), which transduces the signal into downstream effects. We recently demonstrated that the cockroach genome encodes five different CaMKII isoforms, and only PaCaMKII‐E isoform is specifically expressed in the dorsal unpaired median neurosecretory cells. In the present study, using antisense oligonucleotides, we demonstrated that PaCaMKII‐E isoform inhibition reduced nicotine‐induced currents through α‐bungarotoxin‐sensitive and ‐insensitive nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes. Specifically, PaCaMKII‐E isoform is sufficient to repress nicotinic current amplitudes as a result of its depression by antisense oligonucleotides. Similar results were found using the neonicotinoid insecticide clothianidin, which acted as a full agonist of dorsal unpaired median neuron nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Clothianidin current amplitudes are strongly reduced under bath application of PaCaMKII‐E antisense oligonucleotides but no significant results are found with α‐bungarotoxin co‐applied, demonstrating that CaMKII‐E isoform affects nicotine currents through α‐bungarotoxin‐sensitive and ‐insensitive receptor subtypes whereas clothianidin currents are reduced via α‐bungarotoxin‐insensitive receptors. In addition, we found that intracellular calcium increase induced by nicotine and clothianidin were reduced by PaCaMKII‐E antisense oligonucleotides, demonstrating that intracellular calcium increase induced by nicotine and clothianidin are affected by PaCaMKII‐E inhibition.

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Cellular responses to Ca2+ require intermediary proteins such as calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). We recently demonstrated that the cockroach genome encodes five different CaMKII isoforms and only PaCaMKII‐E isoform was specifically expressed in the dorsal unpaired median neurosecretory cells. Here we show that specific inhibition of PaCaMKII‐E isoform is associated with a decrease in nicotine‐ and clothianidin‐induced currents. In addition, analysis of calcium changes demonstrates that PaCaMKII‐E inhibition induces a decrease in intracellular calcium concentration.
Early Adolescents' Development of Academic Self‐Concept and Intrinsic Task Value: The Role of Contextual Feedback
Authors: Gniewosz Burkhard , Eccles Jacquelynne S. , Noack Peter
Published: April 2014

In this study, we investigate the extent to which achievement‐related feedback in two academic domains (mathematics and language) originating from two contexts (school and family) predicts early adolescents' domain‐specific academic self‐concept and intrinsic task values in Germany (N = 1,190, age range 10–13) and the United States (N = 1,953, age range 10–14). We examined the mediating role of both parents' competence perceptions and the early adolescents' academic self‐concepts linking grades and intrinsic value. Within‐ and cross‐domain effects were tested at each stage of the mediation. As predicted, in both countries the associations of grades with the academic self‐concepts are mediated by the parents' competence perceptions. The association of academic feedback with intrinsic task value is mediated through the students' academic self‐concepts.
Adolescent Attachment Trajectories With Mothers and Fathers: The Importance of Parent–Child Relationship Experiences and Gender
Authors: Ruhl Holly , Dolan Elaine A. , Buhrmester Duane
Published: April 2014

This longitudinal study investigated how attachment with mothers and fathers changes during adolescence, and how gender and parent–child relationship experiences are associated with attachment trajectories. The relative importance of specific positive and negative relationship experiences on attachment trajectories was also examined. An initial sample of 223 adolescents reported on relationship experiences and attachment avoidance and anxiety with mothers and fathers in Grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 (final N = 110; Mage = 11.90 years at onset, SD = .43). Mothers and fathers reported on relationship experiences with adolescents. Hierarchical linear modeling showed that security with parents increased during adolescence. Positive relationship experiences (companionship, satisfaction, approval, support) predicted increases in security, and negative experiences (pressure, criticism) predicted decreases in security. Females reported less avoidance than males.
Characterization and Pathogenicity of Colletotrichum truncatum Causing Stem Anthracnose of Red‐Fleshed Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) in Malaysia
Authors: Iskandar Vijaya Suzianti , Mohd Anuar Intan Sakinah , Zakaria Latiffah
Published: April 2014

During August 2010 and January 2011, 10 isolates of Colletotrichum were recovered from stem anthracnose lesions of Hylocereus polyrhizus in the states of Kedah and Penang, Malaysia. Based on the morphological characteristics of colony colour and appearance, and shapes of conidia as well as sequences of internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS), β‐tubulin, actin (ACT) and glyceraldehyde 3‐phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), the fungus was identified as Colletotrichum truncatum. Pathogenicity test showed that C. truncatum isolates were pathogenic to the artificially inoculated H. polyrhizus stem. This is the first report of C. truncatum causing anthracnose on H. polyrhizus stems in Malaysia.