bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dynamics of sensorimotor cortex activation during absence and myoclonic seizures in a mouse model of juvenile myoclonic epilepsy
Authors: Ding Li , Gallagher Martin J.
Published: August 2016

Objective

Generalized epilepsy syndromes often confer multiple types of seizures, but it is not known if these seizures activate separate or overlapping brain networks. Recently, we reported that mice with a juvenile myoclonic epilepsy mutation (Gabra1[A322D]) exhibited both absence and myoclonic generalized seizures. Here, we determined the time course of sensorimotor cortex activation and the spatial distribution of spike voltage during these two seizures.

Methods

We implanted Gabra1+/A322D mice with multiple electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes over bilateral somatosensory cortex barrel fields (S1) and anterior (aM1) and posterior (pM1) motor cortices and recorded absence seizures/spike‐wave discharges (SWDs) and myoclonic seizures. We used nonlinear‐association analyses and cross‐correlation calculations to determine the strength, leading regions, and time delays of cortical coupling from the preictal to ictal states and within the spike and interspike periods. The distribution of spike voltage was also measured in SWDs and myoclonic seizures.

Results

EEG connectivity among all electrode pairs increased at the onset of both SWDs and myoclonic seizures. Surprisingly, during spikes of both seizure types, S1 led M1 with similar delay times. Myoclonic seizure spikes started more focally than SWD spikes, with a significant majority appearing first only in S1 electrodes, whereas a substantial fraction of SWD spikes were detected first in S1 and at least one M1 electrode. The absolute voltage of myoclonic seizure spikes was significantly higher than that of SWD spikes, and there was a greater relative voltage over M1 during myoclonic seizure spikes than in the first one to two SWD spikes.

Significance

The leading sites in S1 and similar delay times suggest both SWDs and myoclonic seizures activate overlapping networks in sensorimotor cortex and thus, therapeutically targeting of this network could potentially treat both seizures. Spike focality, absolute voltage, and voltage distribution provide insight into neuronal activation during these two seizure types.
Will life find a way? Evolution of marine species under global change
Authors: Calosi Piero , De Wit Pierre , Thor Peter , Dupont Sam
Published: August 2016

Projections of marine biodiversity and implementation of effective actions for its maintenance in the face of current rapid global environmental change are constrained by our limited understanding of species’ adaptive responses, including transgenerational plasticity, epigenetics and natural selection. This special issue presents 13 novel studies, which employ experimental and modelling approaches to (i) investigate plastic and evolutionary responses of marine species to major global change drivers; (ii) ask relevant broad eco‐evolutionary questions, implementing multiple species and populations studies; (iii) show the advantages of using advanced experimental designs and tools; (iv) construct novel model organisms for marine evolution; (v) help identifying future challenges for the field; and (vi) highlight the importance of incorporating existing evolutionary theory into management solutions for the marine realm. What emerges is that at least some populations of marine species have the ability to adapt to future global change conditions. However, marine organisms’ capacity for adaptation appears finite, due to evolutionary trade‐offs and possible rapid losses in genetic diversity. This further corroborates the idea that acquiring an evolutionary perspective on how marine life will respond to the selective pressure of future global changes will guide us in better identifying which conservation efforts will be most needed and most effective.
Targeting of NADPH oxidase in vitro and in vivo suppresses fibroblast activation and experimental skin fibrosis
Authors: Dosoki Heba , Stegemann Agatha , Taha Muna , Schnittler Hans , Luger Thomas A. , Schröder Katrin , Distler Jörg H. W. , Kerkhoff Claus , Böhm Markus
Published: August 2016

Although there is increasing evidence that oxidative stress is involved in collagen synthesis and myofibroblast activation, the NADPH oxidase (Nox) system is incompletely investigated in the context of human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) and skin fibrosis. Using the pan‐Nox inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium (DPI) as an initial tool, we show that gene expression of collagen type I, α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA) and fibronectin 1 is suppressed in HDFs. Detailed expression analysis of all Nox isoforms and adaptors revealed expression of RNA and protein expression of Nox4, p22phox and Poldip2 but neither Nox1 nor Nox2. Nox4 could be immunolocalized to the endoplasmic reticulum. Importantly, TGF‐β1 had a dose‐ and time‐dependent upregulating effect on NADH activity and Nox4 gene expression in HDFs. Genetic silencing of Nox4 as demonstrated by siRNA in HDFs as well as in murine fibroblasts established from Nox4 knockout mice confirmed that TGF‐β1‐mediated collagen type I gene, α‐SMA and fibronectin 1 gene expressions were Nox4‐dependent. This TGF‐β1 effect was mediated by Smad3 as shown by in silico promoter analysis, pharmacological inhibition and gene silencing of Smad3. The relevance of these findings is highlighted in the bleomycin‐induced scleroderma mouse model. DPI treatment attenuated skin fibrosis and myofibroblast activation. Moreover, Nox4 knockdown by siRNA reduced skin collagen synthesis, α‐SMA and fibronectin 1 expression in vivo. Finally, analyses of HDFs from patients with systemic sclerosis confirmed the expression of Nox4 and its adaptors, whereas Nox1 and Nox2 were not detectable. Our findings indicate that Nox4 targeting is a promising future treatment for fibrotic skin diseases.
Can Dasymetric Mapping Significantly Improve Population Data Reallocation in a Dense Urban Area?
Authors: Pavía Jose M. , Cantarino Isidro
Published: August 2016

The issue of reallocating population figures from a set of geographical units onto another set of units has received a great deal of attention in the literature. Every other day, a new algorithm is proposed, claiming that it outperforms competitor procedures. Unfortunately, when the new (usually more complex) methods are applied to a new data set, the improvements attained are sometimes just marginal. The relationship cost‐effectiveness of the solutions is case‐dependent. The majority of studies have focused on large areas with heterogeneous population density distributions. The general conclusion is that as a rule more sophisticated methods are worth the effort. It could be argued, however, that when we work with a variable that varies gradually in relatively homogeneous small units, simple areal weighting methods could be sufficient and that ancillary variables would produce marginal improvements. For the case of reallocating census data, our study shows that, even under the above conditions, the most sophisticated approaches clearly yield the better results. After testing fourteen methods in Barcelona (Spain), the best results are attained using as ancillary variable the total dwelling area in each residential building. Our study shows the 3‐D methods as generating the better outcomes followed by multiclass 2‐D procedures, binary 2‐D approaches and areal weighting and 1‐D algorithms. The point‐based interpolation procedures are by far the ones producing the worst estimates.
Leaf margin analysis of Chinese woody plants and the constraints on its application to palaeoclimatic reconstruction
Authors: Li Yaoqi , Wang Zhiheng , Xu Xiaoting , Han Wenxuan , Wang Qinggang , Zou Dongting
Published: August 2016

Aim

Leaf margin states have been found to be strongly related to temperature, and hence have been used to reconstruct palaeotemperatures. Here, we aimed to explore the uncertainties and conditions of use of this technique in China by testing the influences of plant life‐form, precipitation and evolutionary history on the relationship between percentage of untoothed species and temperature.

Location

China.

Methods

Using distribution maps and leaf margin states (untoothed versus toothed) of 10,480 Chinese woody dicots and dated family‐level phylogenies, we evaluated the phylogenetic signal of leaf margin state, and demonstrated the variation in the patterns of leaf margin percentage and the relationship with temperature across different life‐forms (evergreen and deciduous; trees, shrubs and lianas), regions with different precipitation and species quartiles with different family ages.

Results

Significant phylogenetic signals were found for the percentage of untoothed species within families. Relationships between leaf margin percentage and temperature were: (1) weak or insignificant for all woody dicots, shrubs, evergreen and deciduous dicots, but strong for trees and lianas; (2) significantly enhanced with increasing precipitation, and (3) significantly weakened for trees belonging to old families.

Main conclusions

Our results showed the complete leaf margin spectrum found in China and revealed great uncertainties in its relationship with temperature induced by life‐form, precipitation and evolutionary history. These findings suggest that analysis of leaf margins for palaeotemperature reconstruction should be done cautiously: (1) only dicot trees with a relatively young family age can be used and their leaf margin states are more strongly affected by winter cold than by mean annual temperature; (2) the transfer function between leaf margin percentage and temperature is only reliable in humid and semi‐humid regions of China.
Thermal Imagery of Groundwater Seeps: Possibilities and Limitations
Authors: Mundy Erin , Gleeson Tom , Roberts Mark , Baraer Michel , McKenzie Jeffrey M.
Published: August 2016

Quantifying groundwater flow at seepage faces is crucial because seepage faces influence the hydroecology and water budgets of watersheds, lakes, rivers and oceans, and because measuring groundwater fluxes directly in aquifers is extremely difficult. Seepage faces provide a direct and measurable groundwater flux but there is no existing method to quantitatively image groundwater processes at this boundary. Our objective is to determine the possibilities and limitations of thermal imagery in quantifying groundwater discharge from discrete seeps. We developed a conceptual model of temperature below discrete seeps, observed 20 seeps spectacularly exposed in three dimensions at an unused limestone quarry and conducted field experiments to examine the role of diurnal changes and rock face heterogeneity on thermal imagery. The conceptual model suggests that convective air‐water heat exchange driven by temperature differences is the dominant heat transfer mechanism. Thermal imagery is effective at locating and characterizing the flux of groundwater seeps. Areas of active groundwater flow and ice growth can be identified from thermal images in the winter, and seepage rates can be differentiated in the summer. However, the application of thermal imagery is limited by diverse factors including technical issues of image acquisition, diurnal changes in radiation and temperature, and rock face heterogeneity. Groundwater discharge rates could not be directly quantified from thermal imagery using our observations but our conceptual model and experiments suggest that thermal imagery could quantify groundwater discharge when there are large temperature differences, simple cliff faces, non‐freezing conditions, and no solar radiation.
Variability in platelet dense granule adenosine triphosphate release findings amongst patients tested multiple times as part of an assessment for a bleeding disorder
Authors: Badin M. S. , Graf L. , Iyer J. K. , Moffat K. A. , Seecharan J. L. , Hayward C. P. M.
Published: August 2016

Introduction

Lumi‐aggregometry quantification of platelet dense granule adenosine triphosphate (ATP) release is commonly used for diagnosing platelet function disorders. As the test findings show considerable variability for healthy controls, we postulated that patient findings might also be variable and investigated patients who were assessed for dense granule ATP release defects more than once.

Methods

Analyses were performed on prospectively collected data for first and second tests for subjects tested for dense granule ATP release defects more than once by the Hamilton Regional Laboratory Program (HRLMP) between January 2007 and June 2013 (cohort I). Similar analyses were performed for subjects who were recruited to a platelet disorder study (cohort II) and were assessed for ATP release defects more than once before October 2015.

Results

A total of 150 unique subjects had multiple ATP release tests. Results with individual agonists were variable for many subjects. While normal findings with all tested agonists were often confirmed by the second test (cohort I: 83%; cohort II: 100%), impaired release with multiple agonists was confirmed in only some subjects (cohort I: 34%; cohort II: 54%). Inconsistent findings were common (cohort I: 36%; cohort II: 39%). ISTH bleeding scores showed no relationship to the test findings. The finding of impaired ATP release with 2 or more agonists on both tests was not associated with an increased likelihood of a definite bleeding disorder.

Conclusion

The variability in platelet dense granule ATP release findings amongst patients assessed for diagnostic purposes suggests that the test has limited value for diagnosing platelet disorders.
Catheter blockage factors in patients cared for in their own home requiring long‐term urinary catheterisation
Authors: Maeda Shuko , Takiuti Takako , Kohno Yumiko , Nakai Hisao , Fukuda Moriyoshi , Moriyama Manabu T.
Published: August 2016

Early urinary catheter removal from patients cared for in their own home is often difficult because of incontinence and care burdens, resulting in long duration of catheterization. Urinary tract infection and catheter blockage are major complications associated with long‐term catheterization. Preventing these complications is important for patients who require long‐term catheterization in their own home.

This study aimed to examine the occurrence characteristics of urinary catheter blockage and to identify the causative factors of catheter blockage in patients cared for in their own home requiring long‐term urinary catheterization.

The study targeted 154 patients cared for in their own home requiring long‐term urinary catheterization. Patient data were collected by questionnaire by the nurse manager.

Catheter blockage occurred in 33·8% of patients requiring long‐term catheterization within the first 6 months, and the mean frequency in these patients was 3·0, indicating that catheter blockage occurs repeatedly. The following management factors significantly correlated with the frequency of catheter blockage: ‘check urine volume’, ‘check for flexion and distortion of the catheter’ and ‘check urinary tract infection symptoms’ for catheter management by caregivers. Symptoms correlated with catheter blockage included ‘cloudiness of the urine’, ‘decreased urine volume’, ‘abdominal pain’ and ‘duration of catheterization’. In the future, we would like to prepare the protocol to help visiting nurses improve their abilities to manage catheter blockage in patients requiring long‐term catheterization, by incorporating the findings from this study.
A New Look at the Longitudinal Relationship Between Motor Carrier Financial Performance and Safety
Authors: Miller Jason W. , Saldanha John P.
Published: August 2016

Motor carrier safety impacts the well‐being of the traveling public and the economic well‐being of the shippers who entrust motor carriers with safely transporting freight. Shippers are affected by motor carrier safety due to accidents damaging their cargo and disrupting their customers’ operations. One characteristic frequently theorized to predict motor carrier safety is motor carriers financial performance. However, the literature offers mixed evidence linking motor carrier financial performance to safety. This does not help practitioners or policy makers and necessitates research to resolve these inconsistent findings, which we undertake in this research. We extend previous work by developing a theoretical framework based on strain theory to explain why both absolute (static) financial performance and year‐to‐year change in financial performance should uniquely affect carrier safety. We test our hypotheses by fitting mixed‐effects models to a repeated‐measure, longitudinal database of publically traded motor carrier financial performance and safety measures. Results indicate that financial performance measures uniquely affect carrier safety. These findings attempt to resolve the inconsistencies in the past literature and, carry important implications for researchers studying motor carrier safety, motor carrier managers, shippers, and policy makers.
B‐Type Natriuretic Peptide Modulates Pulmonary Vein Arrhythmogenesis: A Novel Potential Contributor to the Genesis of Atrial Tachyarrhythmia in Heart Failure
Authors: LIN YUNG‐KUO , CHEN YAO‐CHANG , CHEN YI‐ANN , YEH YUNG‐HSIN , CHEN SHIH‐ANN , CHEN YI‐JEN
Published: August 2016

BNP Modulates PV Electrophysiology

Background

Heart failure (HF) plays a critical role in the genesis of atrial fibrillation (AF). A high B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP) level occurs in patients with HF and in patients with AF. However, the role of BNP in the pathophysiology of AF is not clear. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the effects of BNP on pulmonary vein (PV) arrhythmogenesis.

Methods and Results

Whole‐cell patch clamp and fluorescence were used to study the action potential, ionic currents, and calcium homeostasis in isolated single rabbit PV cardiomyocytes before and after a BNP infusion, with or without ODQ (10 μM), milrinone (50 μM), or ouabain (1 μM). BNP increased PV spontaneous activity by 28.2 ± 7.5% at 100 nM and by 23.8 ± 9.1% at 300 nM. Similar to those with BNP, milrinone 50 μM increased the PV beating rate from 3.0 ± 0.2 to 3.6 ± 0.3 Hz (P < 0.0005, n = 7). In the presence of ODQ application, BNP didn't change PV spontaneous activity. BNP (100 nM) increased calcium transients (F/F0 from 1.6 ± 0.1 to 1.9 ± 0.2, n = 20, P < 0.05) and increased the pacemaker current (0.4 ± 0.1 to 1.0 ± 0.2 pA/pF, n = 17, P < 0.0005) in PV cardiomyocytes. Moreover, BNP (100 nM) increased the transient inward current, sodium currents, sodium‐calcium exchanger currents, and L‐type calcium current; but reduced late sodium currents and the Na‐K pump in PV cardiomyocytes.

Conclusion

BNP increases PV arrhythmogenesis, which may contribute to the genesis of atrial tachyarrhythmogenesis in HF. Cyclic GMP activation, phosphodiesterase 3 inhibition and Na+/K+‐ATPase inhibition might participate in the BNP modulation of PV electrophysiology.
Escherichia coli populations adapt to complex, unpredictable fluctuations by minimizing trade‐offs across environments
Authors: Karve S. M. , Bhave D. , Nevgi D. , Dey S.
Published: August 2016

In nature, organisms are simultaneously exposed to multiple stresses (i.e. complex environments) that often fluctuate unpredictably. Although both these factors have been studied in isolation, the interaction of the two remains poorly explored. To address this issue, we selected laboratory populations of Escherichia coli under complex (i.e. stressful combinations of pH, H2O2 and NaCl) unpredictably fluctuating environments for ~900 generations. We compared the growth rates and the corresponding trade‐off patterns of these populations to those that were selected under constant values of the component stresses (i.e. pH, H2O2 and NaCl) for the same duration. The fluctuation‐selected populations had greater mean growth rate and lower variation for growth rate over all the selection environments experienced. However, whereas the populations selected under constant stresses experienced trade‐offs in the environments other than those in which they were selected, the fluctuation‐selected populations could bypass the across‐environment trade‐offs almost entirely. Interestingly, trade‐offs were found between growth rates and carrying capacities. The results suggest that complexity and fluctuations can strongly affect the underlying trade‐off structure in evolving populations.
Phytosterol recovery from oilseeds: Recent advances
Authors: Sujith Kumar M. S. , Mawlong Ibandalin , Singh Dhiraj
Published: August 2016

Phytosterols are high value compounds having hypocholesterolemic and antioxidant properties, predominantly present in seed oils. High temperature during pretreatment of oilseeds and high initial moisture content (>10%) results in the degradation of phytosterols and have considerable effect on its yield during extraction. As more than 40% of sterols are lost during oil refining processes, the by‐products of refining industries can be excellent sources of this value‐added product. This review focuses on the scope of various strategies to maximize the yield of phytosterols from oilseeds. Storage as well as pretreatment of oilseeds are as important as the method of extraction to prevent degradation of sterols. Solvent crystallization, counter current chromatography, supercritical fluid extraction, and enzymatic transesterification are some of the current techniques employed for phytosterol recovery.

Practical applications

Phytosterols are high value compounds present in seed oils having cholesterol‐lowering properties. Its extraction and isolation from oilseeds for the purpose of fortification of food stuffs would be the best way to harness its virtues. But since they are present in very low quantity in oils (0.5 to 2 %), its recovery becomes quite difficult. Phytosterols are also lost during seed storage, pretreatment and oil refining processes. Hence it is necessary to take appropriate measures to retain these valuable compounds in oil. This review focuses on the scope of various strategies to maximize its yield during extraction by different methods.
Strong leadership: the case for global connections
Authors: Rosser Elizabeth A , Scammell Janet , Bevan Ann , Hundley Vanora A
Published: August 2016

Aims and objectives

To identify how nurse leaders view and experience the opportunities offered by one of the largest global nursing organisations Sigma Theta Tau International.

Background

Worldwide, nursing leadership is challenged with addressing the complex issues impacting on care delivery. International nursing organisations are a means to bring together individuals to promote leadership and scholarship for nursing practice to promote patient safety and quality care. The newly established all‐England chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International is a recent addition to the society in terms of nurse leadership in Europe, as such faces challenges as it establishes its identity and seeks to interpret the organisational vision: to advance world health through nursing leadership and scholarship. Moving forward, members views were sought on the goals of the chapter and how they may be enacted.

Design

In July 2013, all chapter members at that time had been nominated on the basis of achievement in nurse leadership; all were invited to participate in an online survey. The online questionnaire contained a series of closed and open questions.

Results

Most respondents joined because they believed in the vision and networking opportunities Sigma Theta Tau International provides. Three themes were extracted from the data: the value of networking and communication, leadership and the development of culturally sensitive organisations and the need for shared scholarship for nursing practice.

Conclusion

Findings indicate the growth of effective leadership at all levels of nursing could be harnessed through successful collaboration and keen support for robust connections between practice and education to promote quality care.

Relevance to clinical practice

Whilst challenging, globalisation presents an opportunity for a nursing society such as Sigma Theta Tau International to work collaboratively to address healthcare issues. A nursing society that explores and resolves its own complex issues by actively promoting leadership and collaborative scholarship reveals a potential to empower the profession to share our collective solutions towards enhancing clinical practice.
Effects of health service geographic accessibility in patients with treated end stage kidney disease: Cohort study 2000–2010
Authors: Kotwal Sradha , Gallagher Martin , Cass Alan , Webster Angela
Published: August 2016

Aim

Patients in rural areas experience poor access to health services. There are limited data on patterns of health service utilization in rural patients treated with renal replacement therapy (RRT).

Methods

All prevalent patients over the age of 18 and resident in New South Wales who were receiving RRT on 01/07/2000 and incident patients who started RRT between 01/07/2000 up until 31/07/2010 were included in the study. The Accessibility Remoteness Index of Australia was used to measure rurality and to categorize participant postcode of residence at the time of their first use of a New South Wales healthcare facility after the start of RRT.

We assessed (1) rates of hospitalization, (2) rates of inter‐hospital transfer (IHT), (3) length of hospital stay (LOS) and (4) survival. Day‐only and dialysis admissions were excluded.

Negative binomial regression was used to calculate incidence rate ratios (IRR) for hospitalizations, IHT and LOS. Cox proportional hazards was used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) for survival.

Results

Of the 10 505 patients included in the analysis, 1527 (15%) were rural residents while 8978 (85%) resided in urban areas. Median follow up time from start of RRT/study to end of study/death was 4.2 years (IQR 2.0 to 8.2). After allowing for differences in baseline characteristics, rural residence increased the rates of hospitalization by 8% (IRR 1.08: 95% CI 1.01–1.15; P = 0.02), rates of IHT by 176% (IRR 2.76: 95% CI 2.44–3.13; P < 0.001) and the hazard of death by 14% (HR 1.14 95% CI: 1.05–1.24; P = 0.003) LOS was similar (Median 4.0; P = 0.07).

Conclusions

Rural residents receiving RRT have higher hospitalization rates, markedly higher rates of IHT and higher long‐term mortality compared with their urban counterparts.
Neoliberalism and the government of nursing through competency‐based education
Authors: Foth Thomas , Holmes Dave
Published: August 2016

Competency has become a key concept in education in general over the last four decades. This article examines the development of the competency‐based movement with a particular focus on the significance it has had for nursing education. Our hypothesis is that the competency movement can only adequately be understood if it is analyzed in relation to the broad societal transformation of the last decades—often summarized under the catchword neoliberalism—and with it the emergence of managerial models for Human Resource Management (HRM) for the reorganization of social services. Classical professions, which were characterized under welfarism by an esoteric knowledge based on ethical norms, have now become marketable commodities that can be evaluated in the same way as other commodities. We want to underline that while this development is still under way, it is the concept of competency that was the decisive political instrument enabling this profound change. With the widespread implementation of competency‐based education that now governs nursing knowledge, the development of a critical, oppositional perspective becomes more challenging, if not entirely impossible. We will be focusing primarily on nursing education in Canada, although we maintain that it has relevance for nursing internationally.
Diplycosia rigidifolia sp. nov. (Ericaceae) from Borneo, Sabah, Malaysia
Authors: Fritsch Peter W. , Bush Catherine M.
Published: August 2016

Diplycosia rigidifolia sp. nov. from Mount Kinabalu, Borneo, Sabah, Malaysia, is described and illustrated. This species is similar to D. urceolata, but differs by its shorter petiole, thicker, strictly elliptic leaf blades, longer pedicels, calyx lobes with sharply acuminate apex, and larger purplish black fruiting calyx. The species is known only from Mt Kinabalu in northern Sabah state, Malaysia.
Fundamental wheat stripe rust research in the 21st century
Authors: Schwessinger Benjamin
Published: August 2016

In the 21st century, the wheat stripe rust fungus has evolved to be the largest biotic limitation to global wheat production. New pathogen genotypes are more aggressive and able to infect previously resistant wheat varieties, leading to rapid pathogen migration across and between continents. We now know the full life cycle, microevolutionary relationships and past migration routes on a global scale. Current sequencing technologies have provided the first fungal draft genomes and simplified plant resistance gene cloning. Yet, we know nothing about the molecular and microevolutionary mechanisms that facilitate the infection process and cause new devastating pathogen races. These are the questions that need to be addressed by exploiting the synergies between novel 21st century biology tools and decades of dedicated pathology work.

Contents

Summary
1625

I.
Introduction
1625

II.
Wheat stripe rust can be controlled with genetics
1626

III.
The Puccinia striformis f. sp. tritici life cycle enables genetic diversity and rapid adaptation
1626

IV.
Puccinia striformis f. sp. tritici evolves and migrates rapidly on a global scale
1626

V.
Puccinia striformis . sp. tritici genomes are highly heterozygous and encode over 1000 candidate effectors
1628

VI.
Novel 21st century tools to provide insight into Puccinia striformis f. sp. tritici biology
1629

VII.
Conclusion
1629

Acknowledgements
1630

References
1630
Time series analysis of volatility in the petroleum pricing markets: the persistence, asymmetry and jumps in the returns series
Authors: Olubusoye Olusanya E. , Yaya OlaOluwa S.
Published: August 2016

The petroleum energy market is becoming more volatile owing to recent fluctuations in oil price, which in the long run affects the pricing and volatility persistence levels of other petroleum products. Apart from the symmetry and asymmetry that are known with volatility series, jumps have recently been identified, while the symmetric and asymmetric models failed in predicting the jump components in the financial series. The historical prices of crude oil and its distilled constituents possess occasional jumps as a result of global political or economic constraints. We applied both fractional persistence and volatility modelling frameworks in studying the volatility persistence in crude oil and petroleum products prices. We chose among symmetric, asymmetric and jumps volatility models. Results indicated that prices of crude oil and gasoline were less persistent when compared with volatility series of other petroleum products. The newly proposed jump volatility model variants outperformed other existing volatility models in predicting the volatility in the prices of crude oil, heating oil and diesel. The exception was the Asymmetric PowerARCH(APARCH) model, which emerged best in predicting the prices of gasoline, kerosene and propane prices; butGASvariants were still ranked second and third competing models in predicting the volatility in gasoline and kerosene prices. Using wrongly specified model for predicting the volatility in petroleum pricing can misinform oil markets, thereby generating intense conditional oil market volatility that is capable of distorting the price of oil and macroeconomic stability of the entire globe.
Effect of outliers on volatility forecasting and Value at Risk estimation in crude oil markets
Authors: Sharma Himanshu , Dharmaraja Selvamuthu
Published: August 2016

Crude oil markets are one of the most volatile commodity markets. The effect of shocks on volatility is of concern to policy makers and market participants. A better understanding of how shocks affect volatility over time would be helpful to participants of financial markets. This article investigates effect of outliers in three markets—Brent, West Texas Intermediates (WTI) and Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). We compare forecasting and Value at Risk (VaR) estimation accuracy of GARCH family models with and without outlier adjustment and conclude that conditional volatility models work better on outlier adjusted data with respect to out‐of‐sample performance but not necessarily with respect to VaR estimation. Furthermore, we conclude that VaR violations in crude oil markets are independent.
Internet addiction and self‐evaluated attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder traits among Japanese college students
Authors: Tateno Masaru , Teo Alan R. , Shirasaka Tomohiro , Tayama Masaya , Watabe Motoki , Kato Takahiro A.
Published: August 2016

Aim

Internet addiction (IA), also referred to as Internet use disorder, is a serious problem all over the world, especially in Asian countries. Severe IA in students may be linked to academic failure, attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and forms of social withdrawal, such as hikikomori. In this study, we performed a survey to investigate the relation between IA and ADHD symptoms among college students.

Methods

Severity of IA and ADHD traits was assessed by self‐report scales. Subjects were 403 college students (response rate 78%) who completed a questionnaire including Young's Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and the Adult ADHD Self‐Report Scale–V1.1.

Results

Out of 403 subjects, 165 were male. The mean age was 18.4 ± 1.2 years, and mean total IAT score was 45.2 ± 12.6. One hundred forty‐eight respondents (36.7%) were average Internet users (IAT < 40), 240 (59.6%) had possible addiction (IAT 40–69), and 15 (3.7%) had severe addiction (IAT ≥ 70). Mean length of Internet use was 4.1 ± 2.8 h/day on weekdays and 5.9 ± 3.7 h/day on the weekend. Females used the Internet mainly for social networking services while males preferred online games. Students with a positive ADHD screen scored significantly higher on the IAT than those negative for ADHD screen (50.2 ± 12.9 vs 43.3 ± 12.0).

Conclusion

Our results suggest that Internet misuse may be related to ADHD traits among Japanese youth. Further investigation of the links between IA and ADHD is warranted.
Atypical Scleredema Involving the Hands in an Adolescent
Authors: Lewis Caroline M. , Sanchez April T. , Davis Loretta S.
Published: August 2016

Scleredema is a rare and incompletely understood disorder characterized by progressive skin thickening and induration typically affecting the trunk, neck, and proximal upper extremities. Hand and finger involvement is exceptionally rare, having been reported in only two infection‐related cases. We present an atypical case of postinfectious scleredema involving the hands and discuss scleredema as an important potential cause of hand tightness and induration in adolescents.
Relational turbulence among military couples after reunion following deployment
Authors: KNOBLOCH LEANNE K. , MCANINCH KELLY G. , ABENDSCHEIN BRYAN , EBATA AARON T. , MCGLAUGHLIN PATRICIA C.
Published: August 2016

Reintegration following deployment is a pivotal time for returning service members and at‐home partners. We test logic derived from the relational turbulence model about depressive symptoms, relational uncertainty, and interference from a partner as predictors of people's appraisals of turmoil during the post‐deployment transition. Participants were 118 military couples who completed an online questionnaire once per month for the first 3 months after homecoming. Multilevel models predicting people's appraisals of turmoil revealed (a) actor and partner effects of depressive symptoms, (b) actor effects of relational uncertainty, and (c) actor effects of interference from a partner that were apparent beyond people's appraisals of turmoil during the previous month. These findings advance both theory and practice.
Introduction
Authors: Balfour Danny L. , Newbold Stephanie P.
Published: August 2016

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Dramatic texts in the Tudor curriculum: John Palsgrave and the Henrician educational reforms
Authors: Juhász‐Ormsby Ágnes
Published: August 2016

In 1540, the English humanist scholar, schoolmaster, and royal chaplain John Palsgrave (d. 1554) published a bilingual Latin‐English annotated edition of the Dutch humanist and reformer Wilhelm Gnapheus’ (1493–1568) widely popular play Acolastus (1529). Palsgrave's Acolastus reflects a growing trend in England and on the continent to Christianize Terence for classroom use, to expurgate or simply move away from the morally ambiguous classical playwrights. More importantly, the English edition of Acolastus was meant to form part, as a proposed standardized text, of the educational reforms of the late 1530s initiated by the government in accordance with the Protestant policy to reorganize grammar schools and unify their curriculum. As part of these reforms, Palsgrave elevated the educational function of dramatic texts by selecting a contemporary neo‐Latin play as a model for textual exegesis in class and by making it the main source of Latin language practice. Palsgrave's extensive annotations reveal how dramatic texts were taught, analysed, and applied not only to practical rhetorical training performed on stage, but also to the grammatical and ethical reading of literary texts in the lower forms of English grammar schools. Furthermore, Palsgrave's annotations attest to a much broader pedagogical application of English translations, highlighting a conscious vernacularization within the humanist curriculum that took place considerably earlier in the sixteenth century than has been hitherto assumed.
A woman saint in the Parisian colleges: Claude Roillet's Catharinae Tragoedia (1556)
Authors: Nassichuk John
Published: August 2016

This article introduces and examines a hitherto little‐discussed tragedy by the French humanist Claude Roillet, professor and principal at the Collège de Bourgogne in the University of Paris during the reign of Henri II. This brief five‐act play entitled Catharinae tragedia, which presents the life of the iconic saint Catherine of Alexandria, based principally upon information gleaned from late‐mediaeval, Latin prose sources, was first printed amongst the author's collected Varia Poemata in 1556. This study shall examine Roillet's debt to his Latin sources, with some consideration of possible influences exercised by the vernacular, dramatic mysteries devoted to Catherine and presented in France during the first half of the sixteenth century. The objective is to situate this Latin play within the tradition of texts of all genres devoted to this well‐known character who is frequently met with in mediaeval and early Renaissance iconography. The article will also discuss the didactic aspects proper to Roillet's presentation of the story.
Drama in the margins – academic text and political context in Matthew Gwinne's Nero: Nova Tragædia (1603) and Ben Jonson's Sejanus (1603/5)
Authors: Buckley Emma
Published: August 2016

While recent scholarship has recognized the attractions of Matthew Gwinne's chronicle history Nero (1603), its major drawback – an uncritical over‐dependence on the historical sources – has attracted the charge that the play is dramatically incoherent, ultimately a mere ‘academic exercise’. At first glance this approach might be confirmed in Gwinne's pedantic inclusion of scholarly side‐notes which add little to a play‐text already containing the whole historical record. But through a comparative reading with the quarto text of Jonson's Sejanus (first performed 1603; published with Latin side‐notes, 1605) I will argue that both authors use the interpretative potential of ‘text’ and ‘margin’ to reflect not just on the tyranny of princes but also the obedience of citizens, and more specifically the right conduct of a constituency made up, precisely, of the intended cast and audience of Nero, those closest to monarchical power, the counsellors. After sketching the controlling, pre‐emptive and fragmenting policy of margination in Sejanus in the service of a politically defensive use of the ancient historical record, as Jonson relies upon the authenticity of Tacitus to bolster the integrity of his own play, I contrast Gwinne's own practice in Act IV of Nero, which centres on the aftermath of Agrippina's murder and Nero's decision to exile his wife Octavia. Through the margins, Gwinne opens up contradictions in the historical record and invites complicating reflection and contested interpretation of Nero's reign, above all in his interrogation of the conduct of the tutor‐philosopher Seneca. By framing Seneca's role in government through ancient and modern texts that reflect on the politics and ethics of service under tyranny (above all John of Salisbury's Policraticus (1159) and Savile's The Ende of Nero (1591)), I argue that Gwinne's ‘Tacitist’ Nero goes far beyond mere homiletic instruction.
Outbreak of Campylobacteriosis Associated with Raccoon Contact at a Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, Minnesota, 2013
Authors: Saunders S. , Smith K. , Schott R. , Dobbins G. , Scheftel J.
Published: August 2016

Campylobacteriosis is an enteric illness caused by bacteria of the genus Campylobacter. There are approximately 900 culture‐confirmed cases of campylobacteriosis reported annually to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Case patients are interviewed about risk factors, including foods eaten, recreational and drinking water exposures and animal contact. In September 2013, MDH identified two Campylobacter jejuni cases who reported working at the same wildlife rehabilitation centre before illness onset. This report describes the investigation, which used a case–control study design, and identified 16 additional ill persons, for a total of 18 ill persons. Both cases and controls reported working with a variety of animals, including squirrels, chipmunks, mice, raccoons, opossums, rabbits, songbirds, waterfowl and reptiles. In univariate analyses, contact with a number of different animal species was significantly associated with illness, including raccoons (odds ratio [OR], 11.1; P < 0.001), chipmunks (OR, 3.65; P = 0.01), opossums (OR, 4.38; P = 0.005), mice (OR, 4.18; P = 0.01) and rabbits (OR, 4.36; P = 0.003). In a multivariate model, contact with raccoons was the only exposure independently associated with illness (adjusted OR, 12.2; P = 0.01). Bacterial culture and subtyping of the outbreak strain of C. jejuni from raccoon faecal samples further implicated raccoons as the source of the outbreak. Not all of the cases reported handling raccoons, suggesting that environmental contamination contributed to transmission. MDH worked with the wildlife rehabilitation centre's management to strengthen biosecurity and infection control protocols.
Effects of Water Injection on the Power Boost of a Twin Turbocharged Vehicle
Authors: Fawcett McDonald A. , Khan Jobaidur R.
Published: August 2016

The injection of a water/methanol mixture into the intake airflow of turbocharged street racing vehicles has long been known to increase the power and performance, though actual data proves difficult to obtain. In an attempt to maximize the power output of a twin-turbocharged Porsche engine, a water/methanol mixture is introduced into the intake airflow. The injection decreased the temperature and increased the density of the intake air while increasing the compression ratio of the cylinder beyond the effects of the turbocharger itself. The real-time data was used to do the analysis. In an attempt to maximize the power enhancement, the injection parameters are modified. The vehicle sensors were used to obtain temperatures of the intake air, exhaust air, and the engine coolant. The fuel flow rate, air flow rate, mixture flow rate, and manifold pressure in conjunction with temperature measurements was used to determine the mass flow rate of the system. The properties of the mixture components were used to determine the work created by the system, which in turn leads to the power output of the system. Determining the power enhancement created by the water/methanol injection, and potentially maximizing its effect is the focus of this work.
Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Free Stream Flow on the Thermal Behavior of a Turbulent Wall Jet
Authors: Issa Johnny , Ortega Alfonso
Published: August 2016

A systematic experimental investigation is conducted to understand of the effect of the free stream flow on the thermal characteristics of the turbulent wall jet. The jet Reynolds number varies between 6000 and 10000. The effect of the free stream flow on heat transfer and flow characteristics of the wall jet is investigated for blowing ratio varying between 2.4 to infinity. In the absence of free stream flow, Nusselt number data showed a very good agreement with published correlations. The free stream flow reduced Nusselt number in the region close to the jet exit and increased it in the region far downstream, a behavior explained using Reynolds analogy. The local Nusselt number dependence on Reynolds number and on the downstream location is identified and the obtained experimental results are correlated for the various considered blowing ratios.
Optimum Spacing of Vertical Parallel Plates for Maximum Radiation Heat Transfer
Authors: Issavi Hanry , Barez Fred , Shabany Younes , Thurlow Ernest
Published: August 2016

The reliability of the majority of electrical and electromechanical systems depends on their ability to dissipate heat generated by their internal components. Application of parallel plates for cooling electronic equipment is one of the most common methods of heat dissipation through convection and radiation. Others have investigated the optimum spacing between vertical plates for the case of maximum natural convection heat transfer. The goal of this study was to determine the optimum spacing for the maximum radiation heat transfer.

Analytic calculations were carried out to determine the optimum spacing. A mathematical interpolation was used to simplify the view factor correlations and from this an exact correlation was obtained to determine the optimum spacing for radiation heat transfer. It was concluded that for a known plate surface area, the optimum spacing for the maximum radiation decreases when the ratio of height over length of the plates increases. For fixed geometric parameters, the optimum spacing for radiation will display a skewed parabolic distribution when the surface emissivity of the plates was increased.
Dielectric Breakdown Process for Biomass Gasification
Authors: Munoz-Hernandez Andres , Diaz Gerardo
Published: August 2016

When exposed to a sufficiently strong electric field, all materials suffer from a form of breakdown. Although wood is sometimes utilized as an electrical insulator, it is also subject to breakdown when exposed to high electric fields. In general, dielectric breakdown is considered a negative effect for electrically insulating materials since it implies the loss of insulating properties of the material. However, the high temperatures generated inside the material (∼2000 K) can be used as an efficient way to induce the thermo-chemical decomposition of biomass with the purpose of sustainable energy generation. A low power (∼100 W) experimental setup using this novel approach was built to perform experiments under air or nitrogen environments at different flow rates to determine the gasification rate and the specific energy required for thermal-decomposition. Thermal decomposition rates that require specific energies of the order of 17 kJ/g were measured, suggesting that dielectric breakdown can be efficiently used for waste-to-energy conversion.