bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhancing the Effectiveness of Significant Event Analysis: Exploring Personal Impact and Applying Systems Thinking in Primary Care
Authors: Bowie Paul , McNaughton Elaine , Bruce David , Holly Deirdre , Forrest Eleanor , Macleod Marion , Kennedy Susan , Power Ailsa , Toppin Denis , Black Irene , Pooley Janet , Taylor Audrey , Swanson Vivien , Kelly Moya , Ferguson Julie , Stirling Suzanne , Wakeling Judy , Inglis Angela , McKay John , Sargeant Joan
Published: August 2016

Introduction:

Significant event analysis (SEA) is well established in many primary care settings but can be poorly implemented. Reasons include the emotional impact on clinicians and limited knowledge of systems thinking in establishing why events happen and formulating improvements. To enhance SEA effectiveness, we developed and tested “guiding tools” based on human factors principles.

Methods:

Mixed-methods development of guiding tools (Personal Booklet—to help with emotional demands and apply a human factors analysis at the individual level; Desk Pad—to guide a team-based systems analysis; and a written Report Format) by a multiprofessional “expert” group and testing with Scottish primary care practitioners who submitted completed enhanced SEA reports. Evaluation data were collected through questionnaire, telephone interviews, and thematic analysis of SEA reports.

Results:

Overall, 149/240 care practitioners tested the guiding tools and submitted completed SEA reports (62.1%). Reported understanding of how to undertake SEA improved postintervention (P < .001), while most agreed that the Personal Booklet was practical (88/123, 71.5%) and relevant to dealing with related emotions (93/123, 75.6%). The Desk Pad tool helped focus the SEA on systems issues (85/123, 69.1%), while most found the Report Format clear (94/123, 76.4%) and would recommend it (88/123, 71.5%). Most SEA reports adopted a systems approach to analyses (125/149, 83.9%), care improvement (74/149, 49.7), or planned actions (42/149, 28.2%).

Discussion:

Applying human factors principles to SEA potentially enables care teams to gain a systems-based understanding of why things go wrong, which may help with related emotional demands and with more effective learning and improvement.
Computed Tomography-Guided Percutaneous Thoracic Duct Sclero-Embolization for Persistent Chylothorax
Authors: Garcia Rodrigo Gobbo , Rocha Rafael Dahmer , Franceschini Juliana , Ghefter Mário Cláudio , Affonso Breno Boueri , Rahal Antonio , Falsarella Priscila Mina , Nasser Felipe , dos Santos Ricardo Sales
Published: August 2016

Postoperative chylous leak is often a consequence of thoracic duct injury during surgical procedures. Persistent chylothorax can be an extremely morbid condition. The authors describe a case of a refractory and long-standing chylous leak after thoracotomy for mediastinal lymphangioma removal. The patient was treated with a computed tomography-guided percutaneous thoracic duct sclero-embolization after failure of the conventional therapies. The chest tube output abruptly decreased after the procedure and was removed at 13th day. Percutaneous thoracic duct sclero-embolization proved to be safe and effective in the treatment of a persistent chylothorax.
CaMKIIα underlies spontaneous and evoked pain behaviors in Berkeley sickle cell transgenic mice
Authors: He Ying , Chen Yan , Tian Xuebi , Yang Cheng , Lu Jian , Xiao Chun , DeSimone Joseph , Wilkie Diana J. , Molokie Robert E. , Wang Zaijie Jim
Published: August 2016

Pain is one of the most challenging and stressful conditions to patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and their clinicians. Patients with SCD start experiencing pain as early as 3 months old and continue having it throughout their lives. Although many aspects of the disease are well understood, little progress has been made in understanding and treating pain in SCD. This study aimed to investigate the functional involvement of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKIIα) in the persistent and refractory pain associated with SCD. We found that nonevoked ongoing pain as well as evoked hypersensitivity to mechanical and thermal stimuli were present in Berkeley sickle cell transgenic mice (BERK mice), but not nonsickle control littermates. Prominent activation of CaMKIIα was observed in the dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord dorsal horn region of BERK mice. Intrathecal administration of KN93, a selective inhibitor of CaMKII, significantly attenuated mechanical allodynia and heat hyperalgesia in BERK mice. Meanwhile, spinal inhibition of CaMKII elicited conditioned place preference in the BERK mice, indicating the contribution of CaMKII in the ongoing spontaneous pain of SCD. We further targeted CaMKIIα by siRNA knockdown. Both evoked pain and ongoing spontaneous pain were effectively attenuated in BERK mice. These findings elucidated, for the first time, an essential role of CaMKIIα as a cellular mechanism in the development and maintenance of spontaneous and evoked pain in SCD, which can potentially offer new targets for pharmacological intervention of pain in SCD.
Benefit and harm of adding ketamine to an opioid in a patient-controlled analgesia device for the control of postoperative pain: systematic review and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials with trial sequential analyses
Authors: Assouline Benjamin , Tramèr Martin R , Kreienbühl Lukas , Elia Nadia
Published: August 2016

Ketamine is often added to opioids in patient-controlled analgesia devices. We tested whether in surgical patients, ketamine added to an opioid patient–controlled analgesia decreased pain intensity by ≥25%, cumulative opioid consumption by ≥30%, the risk of postoperative nausea and vomiting by ≥30%, the risk of respiratory adverse effects by ≥50%, and increased the risk of hallucination not more than 2-fold. In addition, we searched for evidence of dose-responsiveness. Nineteen randomized trials (1349 adults, 104 children) testing different ketamine regimens added to various opioids were identified through searches in databases and bibliographies (to 04.2016). In 9 trials (595 patients), pain intensity at rest at 24 hours was decreased by 32% with ketamine (weighted mean difference −1.1 cm on the 0-10 cm visual analog scale [98% CI, −1.8 to −0.39], P < 0.001). In 7 trials (495 patients), cumulative 24 hours morphine consumption was decreased by 28% with ketamine (weighted mean difference −12.9 mg [−22.4 to −3.35], P = 0.002). In 7 trials (435 patients), the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting was decreased by 44% with ketamine (risk ratio 0.56 [0.40 to 0.78], P < 0.001). There was no evidence of a difference in the incidence of respiratory adverse events (9 trials, 871 patients; risk ratio 0.31 [0.06 to 1.51], P = 0.08) or hallucination (7 trials, 690 patients; odds ratio 1.16 [0.47 to 2.79], P = 0.70). Trial sequential analyses confirmed the significant benefit of ketamine on pain intensity, cumulative morphine consumption, and postoperative nausea and vomiting and its inability to double the risk of hallucination. The available data did not allow us to make a conclusion on respiratory adverse events or to establish dose-responsiveness.
The Role of Self-Care for Parents in Recovery From Substance Use Disorders
Authors: Raynor Phyllis , Pope Charlene
Published: August 2016

Background

Lack of stress modifiers, such as self-care behaviors (SCBs), can increase vulnerability to drug use for parents in recovery from substance use disorders (SUDs).

Purpose

The purpose of this integrative review was to determine how the existing literature describes, conceptualizes, and measures SCB for parents in the general population for its application to parents with a history of SUD.

Methods

Framed by Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory of Substance Abuse, four qualitative and five quantitative studies identify SCB, although only one study describes SCB of parents in recovery.

Results

Few studies addressed parental SCB, and most of those studies focused on behaviors for new mothers with or without SUDs during the early child years.

Conclusions

Exploring the role of SCB in relation to parental well-being for the general population is a needed area for further research, even more so for parents who are recovering from SUDs.
Trends in Colposcopy Volume: Where Do We Go From Here?
Authors: Landers Emily E. , Erickson Britt K. , Bae Sejong , Huh Warner K.
Published: August 2016

Objective

To describe the change in colposcopy volume in light of recent guideline shifts, which target higher-risk women while limiting unnecessary procedures in low-risk women.

Methods

After institutional review board approval, colposcopy clinic visits at a large-volume referral center from January 2010 to December 2015 were reviewed. All women diagnosed with abnormal cervical cytology who were referred and subsequently underwent colposcopic evaluation were included. Mean monthly and annual clinic volumes were calculated. Return visit proportions were compared using chi-square test. Negative binomial regression analysis was used to examine trends.

Results

There were a total of 8722 colposcopy clinic visits between January 2010 and December 2015. Approximately 7395 visits (85%) were new patient visits, and 1327 visits (15%) were return visits. The percentage of return visits declined dramatically during the study period from 22.9% (2011) of total visits to 9.0% in 2015 (P < 0.001). Annual clinic volume ranged from 903 to 1884 with a mean monthly volume of 121.13 visits (SD, 42.1). Annual volume was highest in 2011 (n = 1884) and has since demonstrated a steady decline. In 2015, average monthly volume (75.3 visits) dropped to nearly one third of its peak 218 visits per month in July 2010.

Conclusions

In a large referral clinic that adheres to guideline-based screening and management recommendations, monthly colposcopy volume has declined dramatically with a reduction by two thirds compared with peak volume in 2010.
The Association Between Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Metabolic Abnormalities in The United States Population
Authors: Jinjuvadia Raxitkumar , Antaki Fadi , Lohia Prateek , Liangpunsakul Suthat
Published: August 2016

Background:

Prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and rate of advanced fibrosis among individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its individual metabolic abnormalities needs better understanding in the United States population. We aim to study these by using a large United States population database, the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III).

Methods:

A total of 11,674 individuals were included in our study cohort. NAFLD was defined as presence of moderate to severe hepatic steatosis on liver ultrasound in absence of viral hepatitis, significant alcohol use, elevated transferrin level, and medication use leading to hepatic steatosis. Advanced fibrosis among those with NAFLD was determined using noninvasive method, the NAFLD fibrosis score. MetS was defined based on the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III definition.

Results:

The prevalence of NAFLD among included study cohort was 18.2% (95% confidence interval, 16.5-19.9). Individuals with metabolic abnormalities demonstrated higher prevalence (MetS, 43.2%; increased waist circumference, 31.2%; impaired fasting glucose/diabetes, 41.2%; high triglyceride level, 34.7%; low high-density lipoprotein, 27.8%; high blood pressure, 29.2%). The individuals with MetS had significantly higher NAFLD prevalence compared with controls (adjusted odds ratio, 11.5; 95% confidence interval, 8.9-14.7). The severity of hepatic steatosis was also noted to increase with higher number of metabolic abnormalities. Among individual metabolic abnormalities, increased waist circumference, impaired fasting glucose/diabetes, high triglyceride, and low high-density lipoprotein levels were found to be independently associated with NAFLD. Individuals with impaired fasting glucose/diabetes and those with 5 metabolic abnormalities had higher rate of advanced fibrosis (18.6% and 30.3%, respectively). Prevalence of NAFLD among individuals without any metabolic abnormality was 6.1%.

Conclusion:

Prevalence of NAFLD and rate of advanced fibrosis are significantly high among individuals with metabolic abnormalities.
Esophageal involvement is frequent in lichen planus: study in 32 patients with suggestion of clinicopathologic diagnostic criteria and therapeutic implications
Authors: Kern Johannes S. , Technau-Hafsi Kristin , Schwacha Henning , Kuhlmann Jan , Hirsch Gunther , Brass Volker , Deibert Peter , Schmitt-Graeff Anette , Kreisel Wolfgang
Published: August 2016

Objective

Lichen planus (LP) is a classic skin disease that can involve the skin, hair, and nails, as well as the oral and genital mucosa. Histopathology is characterized by a T-lymphocytic, lichenoid, and interface dermatitis. Multiple case reports and small case series have shown that LP can involve the esophagus. However, the diagnostic criteria, incidence, and best treatment options remain uncertain. This study aimed to refine the diagnostic criteria, estimate prevalence, and present an outlook on treatment options to prevent long-term sequelae.

Patients and methods

Thirty-two consecutive patients with LP of the skin, hair, nails, oral mucosa, and/or genital mucosa underwent a comprehensive clinicopathologic assessment. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy was performed, and biopsies were evaluated histologically, immunohistochemically, and by direct immunofluorescence. Patients diagnosed with esophageal lichen planus (ELP) were followed up prospectively where possible.

Results

In total, 20 of 32 patients had ELP. Ten of these 20 patients were classified as having proven ELP, with clear-cut endoscopically visible lesions; the other 10 were classified as having probable ELP. Eight of 10 patients with proven ELP were started on new or additional therapy because of esophageal findings. Treatment with a topical budesonide formulation or systemic corticosteroids was successful in most patients with proven ELP and reversed functional esophageal stenosis.

Conclusion

ELP can be found in more than 50% of patients with proven mucocutaneous LP when clinical and pathologic findings are correlated carefully. Topical or systemic corticosteroids are the first-line therapy for ELP. Timely medical therapy seems to prevent scarring stenosis of the esophagus.
Tissue engineering in the larynx and airway
Authors: Hertegård Stellan
Published: August 2016

Purpose of review

Tissue engineering is a rapidly expanding field in medicine and involves regeneration and restoration of many organs, including larynx and the airways. Currently, this is not included in routine practice; however, a number of clinical trials in humans are ongoing or starting. This review will cover publications during the past 2 years and the focus is on larynx and trachea.

Recent findings

Recent reports concern the development and investigations of cell therapies, including biological factors such as growth factors which promote healing of damage and increased vascular support of the tissue. A separate section concerns studies of stromal cells and stem cells in tissue engineering. Cell therapies and treatment with biological active factors are often combined with the development of scaffolds to support or reconstruct the soft tissue in the larynx or the cartilages in trachea or larynx. New techniques for scaffold construction, such as 3D printing, are developed. The trend in the recent publications is to combine these methods.

Recent advances in tissue engineering of the larynx and trachea include the development of cell therapies or treatment with biological active factors often in combination with scaffolds.
Laryngeal framework surgery: current strategies
Authors: Hess Markus M. , Fleischer Susanne
Published: August 2016

Purpose of review

Laryngeal framework surgery (LFS) is an indispensable surgical approach for the treatment of voice problems. The purpose of this review is to single out some relevant articles published on the topic of LFS from 2015 to mid-2016. Articles referring to injection laryngoplasty (augmentation) are entirely left aside.

Recent findings

In the vast majority of recent publications, LFS mostly addresses surgery intended to improve vocal function in cases of glottic insufficiency. Here, medialization laryngoplasties remain the most important surgery. Arytenoid adduction remains an important technique within this field. Some clinical studies concerning indications and outcome of LFS are covered in the recent articles, trying to improve decision making for the indication of medialization laryngoplasty to enhance the rate of favorable long-term results. As in the past years, only a few articles report on laboratory research and other aspects of LFS.

Articles published from 2015 to mid-2016 show that further improvements in LFS have been made, both surgically–technically and in respect of patient selection. There is still a debate about the combination of medialization laryngoplasty and arytenoid adduction in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis or paresis (UVFP). Although augmentation laryngoplasties are significantly increasing in number, it seems that LFS remains an important procedure within phonosurgery.
Pediatric unilateral sensorineural hearing loss: implications and management
Authors: Dornhoffer James R. , Dornhoffer John L.
Published: August 2016

Purpose of review

The purpose of this review is to summarize current studies detailing the impact of unilateral sensorineural hearing loss in children and the most current modalities of treatment used in its management.

Recent findings

Current studies corroborate historic views on the impact of unilateral sensorineural hearing loss on patient wellbeing and academic success and stress the use of additional surveillance and studies to diagnose those patients that may pass standard screening practices and suffer from lack of prompt and proper care. With respect to management, notable findings include the continuous development of improved conventional and contralateral routing of signal amplification devices that may act to provide alternatives to percutaneous bone-anchored hearing aid implantation. These include improvements in more conventional hearing aid technology, so as to bridge the performance gap with the classical bone-anchored hearing aid implant, and the development of partially implanted transcutaneous bone conduction hearing devices. Due to dissatisfaction with sound localization, a new and significant development is the burgeoning accumulation of research on cochlear implantation for the treatment of unilateral sensorineural hearing loss in children.

With advances in technology in historic modalities of treatment, and the advent of new modalities such as cochlear implantation, the clinician has a wide armamentarium by which to provide treatment to patients based on clinical circumstances and patient desires.
Autoimmune swallowing disorders
Authors: Amos Janine , Baron Anthony , Rubin Adam D.
Published: August 2016

Purpose of review

Dysphagia can be the presenting symptom of autoimmune disease. The otolaryngologist should be familiar with and consider these disorders when assessing the patient with swallowing difficulties.

Recent findings

The present review gives a brief overview of Sjogren's syndrome, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, pemphigus and pemphigoid, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma and inflammatory myopathies, and how they affect swallowing. Diagnosis of these diseases is generally based off of clinical presentation, serology, and/or biopsy. Corticosteroids in combination with other immune modulators and symptomatic therapy are the mainstays of treatment. Treatment should be coordinated with a rheumatologist.

The otolaryngologist should be able to recognize when a systemic disease may be the cause of a patient's dysphagia and guide appropriate evaluation. Furthermore, the otolaryngologist can help localize the specific nature of the swallowing problem and guide or provide treatment.
Affiliation and Its Benefits to the Hospital and Community
Authors: Schneider Maureen
Published: August 2016

As a result of the Affordable Care Act, innovative strategies must be developed and initiated to work with the Affordable Care Act in order to diminish fragmentation of care delivery and thereby improve quality and reduce costs. It is imperative for health care organizations to explore options from mergers and acquisitions to affiliation agreements in order to prepare for business transformation. Since financial strength combined with independent governance and retention of cultural identity may be optimal, a legal transactional structure such as an affiliation is sometimes the best course of action for a health system. This article explores the affiliation process for health care organizations.
The Caregiver’s Experience With an Illness Blog
Authors: Hansen Dana M. , Sheehan Denice , Stephenson Pam
Published: August 2016

Life-limiting illness affects both the ill person and family caregivers in significant ways. Illness blogs provide an innovative way for families and friends to connect as the ill person shares his/her experiences. Phenomenological methods were used to explore the experiences of family caregivers. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 9 family caregivers. The overarching theme, “we are all in this together,” emerged from the data and was supported by 3 subthemes: “enhancing communication,” “finding and accepting support,” and “navigating new roles.” “Enhancing communication” was the experience of reading the illness blog, which enhanced the caregiver’s understanding of his/her loved one’s perceptions of the illness. “Finding and accepting support” was described as seeking support from others experiencing similar situations, which provided comfort knowing that they were not alone. In addition, the illness blog offered clarification for “navigating new roles” for the family caregiver. The illness blogs became a tool for communication and connection with the ill person, leading to face-to-face conversations, support for and from others, and comfort and hope for positive outcomes. The findings of this study demonstrate an innovative approach to understanding how family caregivers and their loved ones with life-limiting illnesses communicate and enhance their relationship.
Case Study of an Adolescent Young Adult Patient With Multiple Sclerosis and Unpredictable Fatigue
Authors: Newland Pamela , Oliver Brant J. , Smith Judith , Hendricks-Ferguson Verna L.
Published: August 2016

Female adolescent young adult patients who received a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) often experience unpredictable symptoms. Ineffective control of MS-related symptoms can adversely impact the quality of life of patients affected with MS. In this case study, we describe (a) a female adolescent young adult with unpredictable fatigue symptoms, (b) the pathophysiology of MS-related fatigue, (c) the National MS Society–recommended practice guidelines for fatigue, (d) current recommendations for pharmacology management of fatigue, and (e) stressors of patients with MS and their family caregivers. We propose that the use of multiple symptom-control interventions has the potential to promote quality of life and decrease suffering associated with unpredictable symptoms of MS.
Prehospital Management of Pediatric Hanging
Authors: Rehn Marius , Davies Gareth , Foster Elizabeth , Lockey David J.
Published: August 2016

Objectives

Hanging may inflict laryngotracheal injuries and increase the potential for difficult airway management. We describe the management of pediatric hangings attended by an urban physician-led prehospital trauma service to provide information on a clinical situation encountered infrequently by most acute care clinicians.

Methods

Retrospective trauma registry-based observational study of all children younger than 16 years attended with hanging as mechanism of injury in the period between 2000 and 2014.

Results

Twenty-three thousand one hundred thirty patients were attended; 2415 (10%) of which were children. Of these, 32 cases (<1%) were pediatric hanging (1 case excluded due to missing data). There were 22 (71%) boys and 9 (29%) girls. Median age was 13 years. There was suicidal intent in 23 (74%) cases, and in 8 (26%) cases, hanging was accidental. There were 17 (55%) deaths, of which 14 (82%) were suicides.

The doctor-paramedic team intubated 25 (80%) patients, with a 100% success rate. One (3%) patient was managed with a supraglottic airway device, and 5 (16%) patients did not require any advanced airway management.

Conclusions

Pediatric hanging is rare, but has a high mortality rate. Attempted suicide is the leading cause of hangings in children and preventive measures should target psychiatric morbidity. Despite concerns about airway edema or laryngeal injury, experienced doctor-paramedic teams had no failed airway attempts.
Mass drug administration and the global control of schistosomiasis: successes, limitations and clinical outcomes
Authors: Olveda David U. , McManus Donald P. , Ross Allen G.P.
Published: August 2016

Purpose of review

Preventive chemotherapy is advocated for the global control and elimination of schistosomiasis. Despite the well known short-term benefits of treating patients for schistosomiasis, the impact of mass drug administration (MDA) campaigns to control the disease in the long term remains unresolved.

Recent findings

Many studies have advocated the success of MDA programs in order to attract donor funds for elimination efforts but such successes are often short-lived given the drug does not alter the life cycle of the organism or prevent reinfection. Within a matter of months to years after halting treatment, the prevalence, intensity of infection and morbidity of disease return to baseline levels. Other mitigating factors contribute to the failings of MDA campaigns namely: poverty, poor drug coverage, poor drug compliance, and, in the case of Asiatic schistosomiasis, zoonotic transmission. Genetic and innate and acquired immunologic mechanisms complicate the epidemiologic picture of schistosomiasis globally, and may contribute indirectly to MDA shortcomings. The possibility of drug resistance is an ever present concern because of the sole reliance on one drug, praziquantel.

Preventive chemotherapy is advocated for the global control and elimination of schistosomiasis. The short-term benefits of MDA campaigns are well documented but the long-term benefits are questionable.
Atf3
mutant mice show reduced axon regeneration and impaired regeneration-associated gene induction after peripheral nerve injury
Authors: Gey Manuel , Wanner Renate , Schilling Corinna , Pedro Maria T. , Sinske Daniela , Knöll Bernd
Published: August 2016

Axon injury in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) induces a regeneration-associated gene (RAG) response.
Atf3
(activating transcription factor 3) is such a RAG and ATF3's transcriptional activity might induce ‘effector’ RAGs (e.g. small proline rich protein
1a
(
Sprr1a
)
, Galanin
(
Gal
)
,
growth-associated protein 43 (
Gap43
)) facilitating peripheral axon regeneration. We provide a first analysis of
Atf3
mouse mutants in peripheral nerve regeneration. In
Atf3
mutant mice, facial nerve regeneration and neurite outgrowth of adult ATF3-deficient primary dorsal root ganglia neurons was decreased. Using genome-wide transcriptomics, we identified a neuropeptide-encoding RAG cluster (vasoactive intestinal peptide (
Vip
)
, Ngf, Grp, Gal, Pacap
) regulated by ATF3. Exogenous administration of neuropeptides enhanced neurite growth of
Atf3
mutant mice suggesting that these molecules might be effector RAGs of ATF3's pro-regenerative function. In addition to the induction of growth-promoting molecules, we present data that ATF3 suppresses growth-inhibiting molecules such as chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2. In summary, we show a pro-regenerative ATF3 function during PNS nerve regeneration involving transcriptional activation of a neuropeptide-encoding RAG cluster. ATF3 is a general injury-inducible factor, therefore ATF3-mediated mechanisms identified herein might apply to other cell and injury types.
Hypoxia increases the risk of egg predation in a nest-guarding fish
Authors: Olsson Karin H. , Kvarnemo Charlotta , Andrén Maria Norevik , Larsson Therése
Published: August 2016

For fish with parental care, a nest should meet both the oxygenation needs of the eggs and help protect them against predators. While a small nest opening facilitates the latter, it impedes the former and vice versa. We investigated how the presence of potential egg predators in the form of shore crabs
Carcinus maenas
affects nest building, egg fanning, defensive displays and filial cannibalism of egg-guarding male sand gobies
Pomatoschistus minutus
under two levels of dissolved oxygen. In the high oxygen treatment, males retained their nest opening size in the presence of crabs, while males in low oxygen built large nest openings both in the absence and presence of crabs, despite the fact that crabs were more likely to successfully intrude into nests with large entrances. Males in low oxygen also fanned more. In the presence of crabs males increased their defensive displays, but while males in high oxygen reduced fanning, males in low oxygen did not. Filial cannibalism was unaffected by treatment. Sand gobies thus prioritize egg ventilation over the protection afforded by small nest openings under hypoxia and adopt defensive behaviour to avert predator attention, even though this does not fully offset the threat from the egg predators.
A small azhdarchoid pterosaur from the latest Cretaceous, the age of flying giants
Authors: Martin-Silverstone Elizabeth , Witton Mark P. , Arbour Victoria M. , Currie Philip J.
Published: August 2016

Pterosaur fossils from the Campanian–Maastrichtian of North America have been reported from the continental interior, but few have been described from the west coast. The first pterosaur from the Campanian Northumberland Formation (Nanaimo Group) of Hornby Island, British Columbia, is represented here by a humerus, dorsal vertebrae (including three fused notarial vertebrae), and other fragments. The elements have features typical of Azhdarchoidea, an identification consistent with dominance of this group in the latest Cretaceous. The new material is significant for its size and ontogenetic stage: the humerus and vertebrae indicate a wingspan ofca1.5 m, but histological sections and bone fusions indicate the individual was approaching maturity at time of death. Pterosaurs of this size are exceedingly rare in Upper Cretaceous strata, a phenomenon commonly attributed to smaller pterosaurs becoming extinct in the Late Cretaceous as part of a reduction in pterosaur diversity and disparity. The absence of small juveniles of large species—which must have existed—in the fossil record is evidence of a preservational bias against small pterosaurs in the Late Cretaceous, and caution should be applied to any interpretation of latest Cretaceous pterosaur diversity and success.
Folded isometric deformations and banana-shaped seedpod
Authors: Couturier Etienne
Published: August 2016

Thin vegetal shells have recently been a significant source of inspiration for the design of smart materials and soft actuators. Herein is presented a novel analytical family of isometric deformations with a family of
θ
-folds crossing a family of parallel
z
-folds; it contains the isometric deformations of a banana-shaped surface inspired by a seedpod, which converts a vertical closing into either an horizontal closing or an opening depending on the location of the fold. Similarly to the seedpod, optimum shapes for opening ease are the most elongated ones.
Vertical ground motion and its effects on liquefaction resistance of fully saturated sand deposits
Authors: Tsaparli Vasiliki , Kontoe Stavroula , Taborda David M. G. , Potts David M.
Published: August 2016

Soil liquefaction has been extensively investigated over the years with the aim to understand its fundamental mechanism and successfully remediate it. Despite the multi-directional nature of earthquakes, the vertical seismic component is largely neglected, as it is traditionally considered to be of much lower amplitude than the components in the horizontal plane. The 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence in New Zealand is a prime example that vertical accelerations can be of significant magnitude, with peak amplitudes well exceeding their horizontal counterparts. As research on this topic is very limited, there is an emerging need for a more thorough investigation of the vertical motion and its effect on soil liquefaction. As such, throughout this study, uni- and
bidirectional
finite-element analyses are carried out focusing on the influence of the input vertical motion on sand liquefaction. The effects of the frequency content of the input motion, of the depth of the deposit and of the hydraulic regime, using variable permeability, are investigated and exhaustively discussed. The results indicate that the usual assumption of linear elastic response when compressional waves propagate in a fully saturated sand deposit does not always hold true. Most importantly post-liquefaction settlements appear to be increased when the vertical component is included in the analysis.
A micromechanical approach for homogenization of elastic metamaterials with dynamic microstructure
Authors: Muhlestein Michael B. , Haberman Michael R.
Published: August 2016

An approximate homogenization technique is presented for generally anisotropic elastic metamaterials consisting of an elastic host material containing randomly distributed heterogeneities displaying frequency-dependent material properties. The dynamic response may arise from relaxation processes such as viscoelasticity or from dynamic microstructure. A Green's function approach is used to model elastic inhomogeneities embedded within a uniform elastic matrix as force sources that are excited by a time-varying, spatially uniform displacement field. Assuming dynamic subwavelength inhomogeneities only interact through their volume-averaged fields implies the macroscopic stress and momentum density fields are functions of both the microscopic strain and velocity fields, and may be related to the macroscopic strain and velocity fields through localization tensors. The macroscopic and microscopic fields are combined to yield a homogenization scheme that predicts the local effective stiffness, density and coupling tensors for an effective Willis-type constitutive equation. It is shown that when internal degrees of freedom of the inhomogeneities are present, Willis-type coupling becomes necessary on the macroscale. To demonstrate the utility of the homogenization technique, the effective properties of an isotropic elastic matrix material containing isotropic and anisotropic spherical inhomogeneities, isotropic spheroidal inhomogeneities and isotropic dynamic spherical inhomogeneities are presented and discussed.
Möbius bands, unstretchable material sheets and developable surfaces
Authors: Chen Yi-chao , Fried Eliot
Published: August 2016

A Möbius band can be formed by bending a sufficiently long rectangular unstretchable material sheet and joining the two short ends after twisting by 180
°
. This process can be modelled by an isometric mapping from a rectangular region to a developable surface in three-dimensional Euclidean space. Attempts have been made to determine the equilibrium shape of a Möbius band by minimizing the bending energy in the class of mappings from the rectangular region to the collection of developable surfaces. In this work, we show that, although a surface obtained from an isometric mapping of a prescribed planar region must be developable, a mapping from a prescribed planar region to a developable surface is not necessarily isometric. Based on this, we demonstrate that the notion of a rectifying developable cannot be used to describe a pure bending of a rectangular region into a Möbius band or a generic ribbon, as has been erroneously done in many publications. Specifically, our analysis shows that the mapping from a prescribed planar region to a rectifying developable surface is isometric only if that surface is cylindrical with the midline being the generator. Towards providing solutions to this issue, we discuss several alternative modelling strategies that respect the distinction between the physical constraint of unstretchability and the geometrical notion of developability.
Critical ignition conditions in exothermically reacting systems for arbitrary reaction kinetics
Authors: Filimonov Valeriy Yu. , Koshelev Konstantin B.
Published: August 2016

In this work, a universal method for determination of the critical ignition conditions taking into account the reactant consumption is proposed. Based on the analysis of the phase trajectories equation, the equation for maximal temperatures of exothermic reactions was obtained. In this case, the asymptotic criterion of ignition is determined by the impossibility of slow reaction mode realization with low value of maximum temperature. The method allows demarcating the regions of low- and high-temperature modes of exothermic reactions and to establish the criteria of transition to the region of high-temperature modes. The corresponding parametric diagrams can be characterized as the bifurcation ones (bistability). It was found that the region of thermal explosion (TE) existence is bounded by the classical TE conditions from below and by the degeneration conditions from above. The comparison of analytical calculation results with the results of numerical calculation gives a satisfactory agreement.
Immigration of susceptible hosts triggers the evolution of alternative parasite defence strategies
Authors: Chabas Hélène , van Houte Stineke , Høyland-Kroghsbo Nina Molin , Buckling Angus , Westra Edze R.
Published: August 2016

Migration of hosts and parasites can have a profound impact on host–parasite ecological and evolutionary interactions. Using the bacteriumPseudomonas aeruginosaUCBPP-PA14 and its phage DMS3vir, we here show that immigration of naive hosts into coevolving populations of hosts and parasites can influence the mechanistic basis underlying host defence evolution. Specifically, we found that at high levels of bacterial immigration, bacteria switched from clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR-Cas) to surface modification-mediated defence. This effect emerges from an increase in the force of infection, which tips the balance from CRISPR to surface modification-based defence owing to the induced and fixed fitness costs associated with these mechanisms, respectively.
Pathogen population bottlenecks and adaptive landscapes: overcoming the barriers to disease emergence
Authors: Geoghegan Jemma L. , Senior Alistair M. , Holmes Edward C.
Published: August 2016

Emerging diseases are a major challenge to public health. Revealing the evolutionary processes that allow novel pathogens to adapt to new hosts, also the potential barriers to host adaptation, is central to understanding the drivers of disease emergence. In particular, it is unclear how the genetics and ecology of pathogens interact to shape the likelihood of successful cross-species transmission. To better understand the determinants of host adaptation and emergence, we modelled key aspects of pathogen evolutionary dynamics at both intra- and inter-host scales, using parameter values similar to those observed in influenza virus. We considered the possibility of acquiring the necessary host adaptive mutations both before (‘off-the-shelf’ emergence) and after (‘tailor-made’ emergence) a virus is transmitted from a donor to a new recipient species. Under both scenarios, population bottlenecks at inter-host transmission act as a major barrier to host adaptation, greatly limiting the number of adaptive mutations that are able to cross the species barrier. In addition, virus emergence is hindered if the fitness valley between the donor and recipient hosts is either too steep or too shallow. Overall, our results reveal where in evolutionary parameter space a virus could adapt to and become transmissible in a new species.
Context-dependent expression of the
foraging
gene in field colonies of ants: the interacting roles of age, environment and task
Authors: Ingram Krista K. , Gordon Deborah M. , Friedman Daniel A. , Greene Michael , Kahler John , Peteru Swetha
Published: August 2016

Task allocation among social insect workers is an ideal framework for studying the molecular mechanisms underlying behavioural plasticity because workers of similar genotype adopt different behavioural phenotypes. Elegant laboratory studies have pioneered this effort, but field studies involving the genetic regulation of task allocation are rare. Here, we investigate the expression of the
foraging
gene in harvester ant workers from five age- and task-related groups in a natural population, and we experimentally test how exposure to light affects
foraging
expression in brood workers and foragers. Results from our field study show that the regulation of the
foraging
gene in harvester ants occurs at two time scales: levels of
foraging
mRNA are associated with ontogenetic changes over weeks in worker age, location and task, and there are significant daily oscillations in
foraging
expression in foragers. The temporal dissection of
foraging
expression reveals that gene expression changes in foragers occur across a scale of hours and the level of expression is predicted by activity rhythms: foragers have high levels of
foraging
mRNA during daylight hours when they are most active outside the nests. In the experimental study, we find complex interactions in
foraging
expression between task behaviour and light exposure. Oscillations occur in foragers following experimental exposure to 13 L : 11 D (LD) conditions, but not in brood workers under similar conditions. No significant differences were seen in
foraging
expression over time in either task in 24 h dark (DD) conditions. Interestingly, the expression of
foraging
in both undisturbed field and experimentally treated foragers is also significantly correlated with the expression of the circadian clock gene,
cycle
. Our results provide evidence that the regulation of this gene is context-dependent and associated with both ontogenetic and daily behavioural plasticity in field colonies of harvester ants. Our results underscore the importance of assaying temporal patterns in behavioural gene expression and suggest that gene regulation is an integral mechanism associated with behavioural plasticity in harvester ants.
Does aquatic foraging impact head shape evolution in snakes?
Authors: Segall Marion , Cornette Raphaël , Fabre Anne-Claire , Godoy-Diana Ramiro , Herrel Anthony
Published: August 2016

Evolutionary trajectories are often biased by developmental and historical factors. However, environmental factors can also impose constraints on the evolutionary trajectories of organisms leading to convergence of morphology in similar ecological contexts. The physical properties of water impose strong constraints on aquatic feeding animals by generating pressure waves that can alert prey and potentially push them away from the mouth. These hydrodynamic constraints have resulted in the independent evolution of suction feeding in most groups of secondarily aquatic tetrapods. Despite the fact that snakes cannot use suction, they have invaded the aquatic milieu many times independently. Here, we test whether the aquatic environment has constrained head shape evolution in snakes and whether shape converges on that predicted by biomechanical models. To do so, we used three-dimensional geometric morphometrics and comparative, phylogenetically informed analyses on a large sample of aquatic snake species. Our results show that aquatic snakes partially conform to our predictions and have a narrower anterior part of the head and dorsally positioned eyes and nostrils. This morphology is observed, irrespective of the phylogenetic relationships among species, suggesting that the aquatic environment does indeed drive the evolution of head shape in snakes, thus biasing the evolutionary trajectory of this group of animals.
Uses, misuses, new uses and fundamental limitations of magnetic resonance imaging in cognitive science
Authors: Turner Robert
Published: August 2016

When blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) contrast functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was discovered in the early 1990s, it provoked an explosion of interest in exploring human cognition, using brain mapping techniques based on MRI. Standards for data acquisition and analysis were rapidly put in place, in order to assist comparison of results across laboratories. Recently, MRI data acquisition capabilities have improved dramatically, inviting a rethink of strategies for relating functional brain activity at the systems level with its neuronal substrates and functional connections. This paper reviews the established capabilities of BOLD contrast fMRI, the perceived weaknesses of major methods of analysis, and current results that may provide insights into improved brain modelling. These results have inspired the use ofin vivomyeloarchitecture for localizing brain activity, individual subject analysis without spatial smoothing and mapping of changes in cerebral blood volume instead of BOLD activation changes. The apparent fundamental limitations of all methods based on nuclear magnetic resonance are also discussed.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Interpreting BOLD: a dialogue between cognitive and cellular neuroscience’.
Precision mapping of the vibrissa representation within murine primary somatosensory cortex
Authors: Knutsen Per M. , Mateo Celine , Kleinfeld David
Published: August 2016

The ability to form an accurate map of sensory input to the brain is an essential aspect of interpreting functional brain signals. Here, we consider the somatotopic map of vibrissa-based touch in the primary somatosensory (vS1) cortex of mice. The vibrissae are represented by a Manhattan-like grid of columnar structures that are separated by inter-digitating septa. The development, dynamics and plasticity of this organization is widely used as a model system. Yet, the exact anatomical position of this organization within the vS1 cortex varies between individual mice. Targeting of a particular column
in vivo
therefore requires prior mapping of the activated cortical region, for instance by imaging the evoked intrinsic optical signal (eIOS) during vibrissa stimulation. Here, we describe a procedure for constructing a complete somatotopic map of the vibrissa representation in the vS1 cortex using eIOS. This enables precise targeting of individual cortical columns
.
We found, using C57BL/6 mice, that although the precise location of the columnar field varies between animals, the relative spatial arrangement of the columns is highly preserved. This finding enables us to construct a canonical somatotopic map of the vibrissae in the vS1 cortex. In particular, the position of any column, in absolute anatomical coordinates, can be established with near certainty when the functional representations in the vS1 cortex for as few as two vibrissae have been mapped with eIOS.

This article is part of the themed issue ‘Interpreting BOLD: a dialogue between cognitive and cellular neuroscience’.