bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The relationship between stocking eggs in boreal spawning rivers and the abundance of brown trout parr
Authors: Syrjänen Jukka Tapani , Ruokonen Timo Juhani , Ketola Tarmo , Valkeajärvi Pentti
Published: February 2015

Stocking with eggs has been widely used as a management measure to support degraded salmonid stocks. In Finland, Atlantic salmon and both sea-migrating and lake-migrating brown trout are stocked as eggs, alevins, fry, parr, and smolt, whereas trout are also stocked as mature fish. The aim of this stocking is to improve catches and to support collapsed spawning stocks. We assessed the success of stocking with brown trout eggs in a study of 17 Finnish boreal forest rivers, of which 9 were subject to egg stocking. All rivers contained some naturally spawning trout. In 16 rivers, including non-stocking years and unstocked rivers, egg stocking did not increase the total (wild and stocked) density of 0-year-old parr. However, those rivers with higher existing trout densities in non-stocking years seemed to benefit most from stocking, suggesting some role of river-specific extrinsic factors affecting egg-to-parr survival. In one river monitored for 14 years, only a weak correlation was found between the total density of 0-year-old parr and the number of eggs stocked. However, in nine parr samples from five rivers, the mean proportion of parr derived from stocked eggs was 40%. The mean survival to first autumn parr of egg-stocked and wild individuals was 1.0 and 3.3%, respectively. Probable reasons for the detected low to moderate impact of egg-stocking are (i) large variation in total parr density between years and rivers, (ii) small number of stocked eggs, (iii) placing egg boxes and egg pockets in unsuitable microhabitats, and (iv) unsuitable emergence time of egg-stocked individuals, or other extrinsic factors creating extra mortality. We recommend field and laboratory experiments to improve and standardize stocking methods, and monitoring the connection of wild spawning stocks and parr recruitment. Finally, we encourage fishery authorities to create clear management goals for threatened wild salmonid stocks.
Antibiotic research and development: business as usual?
Authors: Harbarth S. , Theuretzbacher U. , Hackett J. ,   on behalf of the DRIVE-AB consortium, Adriaenssens Niels , Anderson James , Antonisse Ad , Årdal Christine , Baillon-Plot Nathalie , Baraldi Enrico , Bettiol Esther , Bhatti Taimur , Bradshaw David , Brown Nicholas , Carmeli Yehuda , Cars Otto , Charbonneau Claudie , Cheng Sue , Ciabuschi Francesco , Cirino Joseph , Clift Charles , Colson Abby , Dane Aaron , De-Lima Natalie , Dooa Mindy , Drabik Dusan , Eisenstein Barry , Farquhar Ronald , Fidan Dogan , Findlay David , Galli Frederic , Gilchrist Kim , Gilman Steve , Goeschl Timo , Goodall Jonathan , Goossens Herman , Gouglas Dimitrios , Guise Tracey , Gyssens Inge , Hallerbäck Peter , Heymann David , Hoffman Steven , Howell Jenny , Hulscher Marlies , Hunt Timothy , Huttner Benedikt , Jantarada Fabricio , Jaquest Dominique , Joly Florence , Ka Lum , Karas Andreas , Knirsch Charles , Kullberg Bart-Jan , Laxminarayan Ramanan , Le Maréchal Marion , Legros Stéphane , Lilliott Nicky , Lindgren Eva , Longshaw Chris , Mahoney Nicole , Mastrangelo Dana , McDonald John , McKeever Steve , Mepham Tim , Milanic Romina , Monnier Annelie , Morel Chantal , Morton Alec , Mossialos Elias , Nolet Brigitte , Outterson Kevin , Payne David , Piddock Laura , Plahte Jens , Potter Danielle , Pulcini Céline , Rex John , Ross Emma , Rottingen John-Arne , Ryan Kellie , Ryan James , Salimi Tehseen , Schouten Jeroen , Schultz Suzanne , So Antony , Spiesser Julie , Stålhammar Nils-Olov , Stanic Mirji , Tacconelli Evelina , Temkin Liz , Trick Donald , Vink Patrick , Vlahovic-Palcevski Vera , Watt Maureen , Wells Marc , Wesseler Justus , White Alex , Wood Susan , Zanichelli Veronica , Zorzet Anna
Published: February 2015

The global burden of antibiotic resistance is tremendous and, without new anti-infective strategies, will continue to increase in the coming decades. Despite the growing need for new antibiotics, few pharmaceutical companies today retain active antibacterial drug discovery programmes. One reason is that it is scientifically challenging to discover new antibiotics that are active against the antibiotic-resistant bacteria of current clinical concern. However, the main hurdle is diminishing economic incentives. Increased global calls to minimize the overuse of antibiotics, the cost of meeting regulatory requirements and the low prices of currently marketed antibiotics are strong deterrents to antibacterial drug development programmes. New economic models that create incentives for the discovery of new antibiotics and yet reconcile these incentives with responsible antibiotic use are long overdue. DRIVE-AB is a €9.4 million public–private consortium, funded by the EU Innovative Medicines Initiative, that aims to define a standard for the responsible use of antibiotics and to develop, test and recommend new economic models to incentivize investment in producing new anti-infective agents.
Nursing domain of CI governance: recommendations for health IT adoption and optimization
Authors: Collins Sarah A , Alexander Dana , Moss Jacqueline
Published: February 2015

Context There is a lack of recommended models for clinical informatics (CI) governance that can facilitate successful health information technology implementation.

Objectives To understand existing CI governance structures and provide a model with recommended roles, partnerships, and councils based on perspectives of nursing informatics leaders.

Design, Setting, Participants We conducted a cross-sectional study through administering a survey via telephone to facilitate semistructured interviews from June 2012 through November 2012. We interviewed 12 nursing informatics leaders, across the United States, currently serving in executive- or director-level CI roles at integrated health care systems that have pioneered electronic health records implementation projects.

Results We found the following 4 themes emerge: (1) Interprofessional partnerships are essential. (2) Critical role-based levels of practice and competencies need to be defined. (3) Integration into existing clinical infrastructure facilitates success. (4) CI governance is an evolving process. We described specific lessons learned and a model of CI governance with recommended roles, partnerships, and councils from the perspective of nursing informatics leaders.

Conclusion Applied CI work is highly interprofessional with patient safety implications that heighten the need for best practice models for governance structures, adequate resource allocation, and role-based competencies. Overall, there is a notable lack of a centralized CI group comprised of formally trained informaticians to provide expertise and promote adherence to informatics principles within EHR implementation governance structures. Our model of the nursing domain of CI governance with recommended roles, partnerships, and councils provides a starting point that should be further explored and validated. Not only can the model be used to understand, shape, and standardize roles, competencies, and structures within CI practice for nursing, it can be used within other clinical domains and by other informaticians.
Drug-drug interaction checking assisted by clinical decision support: a return on investment analysis
Authors: Helmons Pieter J , Suijkerbuijk Bas O , Nannan Panday Prashant V , Kosterink Jos GW
Published: February 2015

Background Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) are very prevalent in hospitalized patients.

Objectives To determine the number of DDI alerts, time saved, and time invested after suppressing clinically irrelevant alerts and adding clinical-decision support to relevant alerts.

Materials and methods The most frequently occurring DDIs were evaluated for clinical relevance by a multidisciplinary expert panel. Pharmacist evaluation of relevant DDIs was facilitated using computerized decision support systems (CDSS). During Phase 1, only CDSS-assisted DDI checking was implemented. During Phase 2, CDSS-assisted DDI checking remained in place, and clinically irrelevant DDIs were suppressed. In each phase, the number of alerts and duration of pharmacist DDI checking were compared to conventional DDI checking. In addition, the time invested to implement and configure the CDSS was compared to the time saved using CDSS-assisted DDI checking.

Results CDSS-assisted DDI checking resulted in a daily decrease of DDI checking alerts from 65 to 47 alerts in Phase 1 (P = .03) and from 73 to 33 alerts in Phase 2 (P = .003). DDI checking duration decreased from 15 to 11 minutes (P = .044) and from 15½ to 8½ minutes (P = .001) in Phases 1 and 2, respectively. Almost 298 of the 392 hours required for implementation were invested by pharmacists. An annual timesaving of 30 hours yielded a return on investment of 9.8 years.

Conclusion CDSS-assisted DDI checking resulted in a 55% reduction of the number of alerts and a 45% reduction in time spent on DDI checking, yielding a return on investment of almost 10 years. Our approach can be used to refine other drug safety checking modules, increasing the efficiency of checking for drug safety without the need to add more staff pharmacists.
Semantic enrichment of clinical models towards semantic interoperability. The heart failure summary use case
Authors: Martínez-Costa Catalina , Cornet Ronald , Karlsson Daniel , Schulz Stefan , Kalra Dipak
Published: February 2015

Objective To improve semantic interoperability of electronic health records (EHRs) by ontology-based mediation across syntactically heterogeneous representations of the same or similar clinical information.

Materials and Methods Our approach is based on a semantic layer that consists of: (1) a set of ontologies supported by (2) a set of semantic patterns. The first aspect of the semantic layer helps standardize the clinical information modeling task and the second shields modelers from the complexity of ontology modeling. We applied this approach to heterogeneous representations of an excerpt of a heart failure summary.

Results Using a set of finite top-level patterns to derive semantic patterns, we demonstrate that those patterns, or compositions thereof, can be used to represent information from clinical models. Homogeneous querying of the same or similar information, when represented according to heterogeneous clinical models, is feasible.

Discussion Our approach focuses on the meaning embedded in EHRs, regardless of their structure. This complex task requires a clear ontological commitment (ie, agreement to consistently use the shared vocabulary within some context), together with formalization rules. These requirements are supported by semantic patterns. Other potential uses of this approach, such as clinical models validation, require further investigation.

Conclusion We show how an ontology-based representation of a clinical summary, guided by semantic patterns, allows homogeneous querying of heterogeneous information structures. Whether there are a finite number of top-level patterns is an open question.
Transformation of standardized clinical models based on OWL technologies: from CEM to OpenEHR archetypes
Authors: Legaz-García María del Carmen , Menárguez-Tortosa Marcos , Fernández-Breis Jesualdo Tomás , Chute Christopher G , Tao Cui
Published: February 2015

Introduction The semantic interoperability of electronic healthcare records (EHRs) systems is a major challenge in the medical informatics area. International initiatives pursue the use of semantically interoperable clinical models, and ontologies have frequently been used in semantic interoperability efforts. The objective of this paper is to propose a generic, ontology-based, flexible approach for supporting the automatic transformation of clinical models, which is illustrated for the transformation of Clinical Element Models (CEMs) into openEHR archetypes.

Methods Our transformation method exploits the fact that the information models of the most relevant EHR specifications are available in the Web Ontology Language (OWL). The transformation approach is based on defining mappings between those ontological structures. We propose a way in which CEM entities can be transformed into openEHR by using transformation templates and OWL as common representation formalism. The transformation architecture exploits the reasoning and inferencing capabilities of OWL technologies.

Results We have devised a generic, flexible approach for the transformation of clinical models, implemented for the unidirectional transformation from CEM to openEHR, a series of reusable transformation templates, a proof-of-concept implementation, and a set of openEHR archetypes that validate the methodological approach.

Conclusions We have been able to transform CEM into archetypes in an automatic, flexible, reusable transformation approach that could be extended to other clinical model specifications. We exploit the potential of OWL technologies for supporting the transformation process. We believe that our approach could be useful for international efforts in the area of semantic interoperability of EHR systems.
Consequences of variable larval dispersal pathways and resulting phenotypic mixtures to the dynamics of marine metapopulations
Authors: Shima Jeffrey S. , Noonburg Erik G. , Swearer Stephen E.
Published: February 2015

Larval dispersal can connect distant subpopulations, with important implications for marine population dynamics and persistence, biodiversity conservation and fisheries management. However, different dispersal pathways may affect the final phenotypes, and thus the performance and fitness of individuals that settle into subpopulations. Using otolith microchemical signatures that are indicative of ‘dispersive’ larvae (oceanic signatures) and ‘non-dispersive’ larvae (coastal signatures), we explore the population-level consequences of dispersal-induced variability in phenotypic mixtures for the common triplefin (a small reef fish). We evaluate lipid concentration and otolith microstructure and find that ‘non-dispersive’ larvae (i) have greater and less variable lipid reserves at settlement (and this variability attenuates at a slower rate), (ii) grow faster after settlement, and (iii) experience similar carry-over benefits of lipid reserves on post-settlement growth relative to ‘dispersive’ larvae. We then explore the consequences of phenotypic mixtures in a metapopulation model with two identical subpopulations replenished by variable contributions of ‘dispersive’ and ‘non-dispersive’ larvae and find that the resulting phenotypic mixtures can have profound effects on the size of the metapopulation. We show that, depending upon the patterns of connectivity, phenotypic mixtures can lead to larger metapopulations, suggesting dispersal-induced demographic heterogeneity may facilitate metapopulation persistence.
Climate change in fish: effects of respiratory constraints on optimal life history and behaviour
Authors: Holt Rebecca E. , Jørgensen Christian
Published: February 2015

The difference between maximum metabolic rate and standard metabolic rate is referred to as aerobic scope, and because it constrains performance it is suggested to constitute a key limiting process prescribing how fish may cope with or adapt to climate warming. We use an evolutionary bioenergetics model for Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) to predict optimal life histories and behaviours at different temperatures. The model assumes common trade-offs and predicts that optimal temperatures for growth and fitness lie below that for aerobic scope; aerobic scope is thus a poor predictor of fitness at high temperatures. Initially, warming expands aerobic scope, allowing for faster growth and increased reproduction. Beyond the optimal temperature for fitness, increased metabolic requirements intensify foraging and reduce survival; oxygen budgeting conflicts thus constrain successful completion of the life cycle. The model illustrates how physiological adaptations are part of a suite of traits that have coevolved.
Reduction of female copulatory damage by resilin represents evidence for tolerance in sexual conflict
Authors: Michels Jan , Gorb Stanislav N. , Reinhardt Klaus
Published: February 2015

Intergenomic evolutionary conflicts increase biological diversity. In sexual conflict, female defence against males is generally assumed to be resistance, which, however, often leads to trait exaggeration but not diversification. Here, we address whether tolerance, a female defence mechanism known from interspecific conflicts, exists in sexual conflict. We examined the traumatic insemination of female bed bugs via cuticle penetration by males, a textbook example of sexual conflict. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed large proportions of the soft and elastic protein resilin in the cuticle of the spermalege, the female defence organ. Reduced tissue damage and haemolymph loss were identified as adaptive female benefits from resilin. These did not arise from resistance because microindentation showed that the penetration force necessary to breach the cuticle was significantly lower at the resilin-rich spermalege than at other cuticle sites. Furthermore, a male survival analysis indicated that the spermalege did not impose antagonistic selection on males. Our findings suggest that the specific spermalege material composition evolved to tolerate the traumatic cuticle penetration. They demonstrate the importance of tolerance in sexual conflict and genitalia evolution, extend fundamental coevolution and speciation models and contribute to explaining the evolution of complexity. We propose that tolerance can drive trait diversity.
Inflammation in intervertebral disc degeneration and regeneration
Authors: Molinos Maria , Almeida Catarina R. , Caldeira Joana , Cunha Carla , Gonçalves Raquel M. , Barbosa Mário A.
Published: February 2015

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is one of the major causes of low back pain, a problem with a heavy economic burden, which has been increasing in prevalence as populations age. Deeper knowledge of the complex spatial and temporal orchestration of cellular interactions and extracellular matrix remodelling is critical to improve current IVD therapies, which have so far proved unsatisfactory. Inflammation has been correlated with degenerative disc disease but its role in discogenic pain and hernia regression remains controversial. The inflammatory response may be involved in the onset of disease, but it is also crucial in maintaining tissue homeostasis. Furthermore, if properly balanced it may contribute to tissue repair/regeneration as has already been demonstrated in other tissues. In this review, we focus on how inflammation has been associated with IVD degeneration by describing observational andin vitrostudies as well asin vivoanimal models. Finally, we provide an overview of IVD regenerative therapies that target key inflammatory players.
Using constraints and their value for optimization of large ODE systems
Authors: Domijan Mirela , Rand David A.
Published: February 2015

We provide analytical tools to facilitate a rigorous assessment of the quality and value of the fit of a complex model to data. We use this to provide approaches to model fitting, parameter estimation, the design of optimization functions and experimental optimization. This is in the context where multiple constraints are used to select or optimize a large model defined by differential equations. We illustrate the approach using models of circadian clocks and the NF-κB signalling system.
Impact of human mobility on the periodicities and mechanisms underlying measles dynamics
Authors: Marguta Ramona , Parisi Andrea
Published: February 2015

Three main mechanisms determining the dynamics of measles have been described in the literature: invasion in disease-free lands leading to import-dependent outbreaks, switching between annual and biennial attractors driven by seasonality, and amplification of stochastic fluctuations close to the endemic equilibrium. Here, we study the importance of the three mechanisms using a detailed geographical description of human mobility. We perform individual-based simulations of an SIR model using a gridded description of human settlements on top of which we implement human mobility according to the radiation model. Parallel computation permits detailed simulations of large areas. Focusing our research on the British Isles, we show that human mobility has an impact on the periodicity of measles outbreaks. Depending on the level of mobility, we observe at the global level multi-annual, annual or biennial cycles. The periodicity observed globally, however, differs from the local epidemic cycles: different locations show different mechanisms at work depending on both population size and mobility. As a result, the periodicities observed locally depend on the interplay between the local population size and human mobility.
Identification of the Primary Lesion of Toxic Aluminum in Plant Roots
Authors: Kopittke Peter M. , Moore Katie L. , Lombi Enzo , Gianoncelli Alessandra , Ferguson Brett J. , Blamey F. Pax C. , Menzies Neal W. , Nicholson Timothy M. , McKenna Brigid A. , Wang Peng , Gresshoff Peter M. , Kourousias George , Webb Richard I. , Green Kathryn , Tollenaere Alina
Published: February 2015

Despite the rhizotoxicity of aluminum (Al) being identified over 100 years ago, there is still no consensus regarding the mechanisms whereby root elongation rate is initially reduced in the approximately 40% of arable soils worldwide that are acidic. We used high-resolution kinematic analyses, molecular biology, rheology, and advanced imaging techniques to examine soybean (Glycine max) roots exposed to Al. Using this multidisciplinary approach, we have conclusively shown that the primary lesion of Al is apoplastic. In particular, it was found that 75 µm  Al reduced root growth after only 5 min (or 30 min at 30 µm  Al), with Al being toxic by binding to the walls of outer cells, which directly inhibited their loosening in the elongation zone. An alteration in the biosynthesis and distribution of ethylene and auxin was a second, slower effect, causing both a transient decrease in the rate of cell elongation after 1.5 h but also a longer term gradual reduction in the length of the elongation zone. These findings show the importance of focusing on traits related to cell wall composition as well as mechanisms involved in wall loosening to overcome the deleterious effects of soluble Al.
Overexpression of Plastid Transketolase in Tobacco Results in a Thiamine Auxotrophic Phenotype
Authors: Khozaei Mahdi , Fisk Stuart , Lawson Tracy , Gibon Yves , Sulpice Ronan , Stitt Mark , Lefebvre Stephane C. , Raines Christine A.
Published: February 2015

To investigate the effect of increased plastid transketolase on photosynthetic capacity and growth, tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants with increased levels of transketolase protein were produced. This was achieved using a cassette composed of a full-length Arabidopsis thaliana transketolase cDNA under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. The results revealed a major and unexpected effect of plastid transketolase overexpression as the transgenic tobacco plants exhibited a slow-growth phenotype and chlorotic phenotype. These phenotypes were complemented by germinating the seeds of transketolase-overexpressing lines in media containing either thiamine pyrophosphate or thiamine. Thiamine levels in the seeds and cotyledons were lower in transketolase-overexpressing lines than in wild-type plants. When transketolase-overexpressing plants were supplemented with thiamine or thiamine pyrophosphate throughout the life cycle, they grew normally and the seed produced from these plants generated plants that did not have a growth or chlorotic phenotype. Our results reveal the crucial importance of the level of transketolase activity to provide the precursor for synthesis of intermediates and to enable plants to produce thiamine and thiamine pyrophosphate for growth and development. The mechanism determining transketolase protein levels remains to be elucidated, but the data presented provide evidence that this may contribute to the complex regulatory mechanisms maintaining thiamine homeostasis in plants.
Followers’ personality, transformational leadership and performance
Authors: Soane Emma , Butler Christina , Stanton Emma
Published: February 2015

Purpose

– Effective leadership is important to performance in both organisational and sporting arenas. The authors theorised that follower personality would influence perceptions of leadership, and that perceived effective leadership would be associated with performance. The authors drew on Social Identity Theory (Tajfel and Turner, 1986), Transformational Leadership and personality theory to develop a research model designed to assess leadership effectiveness and performance. The purpose of this paper is to test the research model in a sporting context.

Design/methodology/approach

– The context of the research was a round the world sailing race, a ten-month competitive circumnavigation with ten identical boats. Quantitative data were gathered concerning participants’ personality, their perceptions of transformational leadership and boat performance. Qualitative data on transformational leadership and leadership effectiveness were gathered from a subsample of crew members.

Findings

– Results showed that transformational leadership was associated with leadership effectiveness and performance. Personality influenced perceptions of leadership and, for moderate performing boats, there were associations between perceptions of leadership and performance.

Research limitations/implications

– The data have implications for the extension of transformational leadership theory. Further consideration of follower personality could enhance leadership effectiveness. A limitation is the relatively small scale of the study.

Practical implications

– The main implication is that leaders should take follower personality into account, and adapt their leadership style accordingly. Doing so has consequences for performance.

Originality/value

– This novel study examined personality, leadership, and performance and has implications for enhancing leadership and performance in sports and business.
Investigation of a Compound Perforated Panel Absorber With Backing Cavities Partially Filled With Polymer Materials
Authors: Wang C. Q. , Choy Y. S.
Published: February 2015

The paper concerns the sound absorption performance of a compound absorber which consists of a parallel arrangement of multiple perforated panel absorbers of different backing cavity depths partially filled with poroelastic polymer materials. Three polymer materials are considered: expandable polystyrene (EPS) foam, polymethacrylimide (PMI) foam, and polyester fiber. The normal incidence sound absorption coefficients of the compound panel absorber are tested experimentally. Results show that the former two foams can achieve similar absorption performance to the rigid cavity configuration, while the resonances shift to lower frequencies due to the changes of effective cavity depths. It is also found that the additional attenuation by polymer foams may improve sound absorption, but the effect is marginal. For polyester fiber, results show that it performs more like a single perforated panel absorber. Finite element simulation of the compound panel absorber is also discussed, and good agreement is observed between simulated and experimental results.
The Effect of Vertical Throughflow on Thermal Instability in a Porous Medium Layer Saturated by a Nanofluid: A Revised Model
Authors: Nield D. A. , Kuznetsov A. V.
Published: February 2015

The model developed in our previous paper (Nield and Kuznetsov, 2011, “The Effect of Vertical Throughflow on Thermal Instability in a Porous Medium Layer Saturated by a Nanofluid,” Transp. Porous Media, 87(3), pp. 765–775) is now revised to accommodate a more realistic boundary condition on the nanoparticle volume fraction. The new boundary condition postulates zero nanoparticle flux through the boundaries. We established that in the new model, oscillatory instability is impossible. We also established that the critical Rayleigh number depends on three dimensionless parameters, and we derived these three parameters from the governing equations. We also briefly investigated the major trends.
A Control-Oriented Modeling Approach to Spatial Neutronics Simulation of a Lead-Cooled Fast Reactor
Authors: Lorenzi S. , Cammi A. , Luzzi L. , Ponciroli R.
Published: February 2015

The most diffused neutronics modeling approach in control-oriented simulators is pointwise kinetics. In the framework of developing control strategies for innovative reactor concepts, such a simplified description is less effective as it prevents the possibility of exploiting the capabilities of advanced control schemes. In the present work, in order to overcome these limitations, a spatial neutronics description based on the modal method has been considered. This method allows separating the spatial and time dependence of the neutron flux, which can be represented as the sum of the eigenfunctions of the neutron diffusion equation weighted by time-dependent coefficients. In this way, the system dynamic behavior is reduced to the study of these coefficients and can be represented by a set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs), reducing the simulation computational burden. In this paper, a test case involving three fuel pins of an innovative lead-cooled fast reactor has been set up and investigated. Once the eigenfunctions are obtained, the set of ODEs for studying the time-dependent coefficients has been derived and then implemented in the DYMOLA environment, developing an object-oriented component based on the reliable, tested, and well-documented Modelica language. In addition, a heat transfer model for the fuel pin has been developed, still drawing on the principles of the object-oriented modeling. Finally, in order to assess the performance of the developed spatial neutronics component, the outcomes have been compared with the reference results obtained from the multigroup diffusion partial differential equations, achieving a satisfactory agreement.
Aging’s Effects on Marathon Performance: Insights From the New York City Race
Authors: Santos-Lozano Alejandro , Angulo Ana M. , Collado Pilar S. , Sanchis-Gomar Fabian , Pareja-Galeano Helios , Fiuza-Luces Carmen , Lucia Alejandro , Garatachea Nuria
Published: February 2015

Most studies on aging and marathon have analyzed elite marathoners, yet the latter only represent a very small fraction of all marathon participants. In addition, analysis of variance or unpaired Student t tests are frequently used to compare mean performance times across age groups. In this report the authors propose an alternative methodology to determine the impact of aging on marathon performance in both nonelite and elite marathoners participating in the New York City Marathon. In all, 471,453 data points corresponding to 370,741 different runners over 13 race editions (1999–2011) were retrieved. Results showed that the effect of aging on marathon performance was overall comparable in both sexes, the effect of aging differed between the fastest and slowest runners in both sexes, and the magnitude of the sex differences was higher in the slowest runners than in the fastest ones. Current data suggest that the biological differences between sexes allow men to have better marathon performance across most of the human life span.
Predictors of Individual Player Match Performance in Junior Australian Football
Authors: Tangalos Christie , Robertson Samuel J. , Spittle Michael , Gastin Paul B.
Published: February 2015

Context:

Player match statistics in junior Australian football (AF) are not well documented, and contributors to success are poorly understood. A clearer understanding of the relationships between fitness and skill in younger players participating at the foundation level of the performance pathway in AF has implications for the development of coaching priorities (eg, physical or technical).

Purpose:

To investigate the relationships between indices of fitness (speed, power, and endurance) and skill (coach rating) on player performance (disposals and effective disposals) in junior AF.

Methods:

Junior male AF players (N = 156, 10–15 y old) were recruited from 12 teams of a single amateur recreational AF club located in metropolitan Victoria. All players were tested for fitness (20-m sprint, vertical jump, 20-m shuttle run) and rated by their coach on a 6-point Likert scale for skill (within a team in comparison with their teammates). Player performance was assessed during a single match in which disposals and their effectiveness were coded from a video recording.

Results:

Coach rating of skill displayed the strongest correlations and, combined with 20-m shuttle test, showed a good ability to predict the number of both disposals and effective disposals. None of the skill or fitness attributes adequately explained the percentage of effective disposals. The influence of team did not meaningfully contribute to the performance of any of the models.

Conclusions:

Skill development should be considered a high priority by coaches in junior AF.
Physical Activity Promotion in Primary Health Care in Brazil: A Counseling Model Applied to Community Health Workers
Authors: Florindo Alex Antonio , Costa Evelyn Fabiana , Sa Thiago Herick , dos Santos Taynã Ishii , Velardi Marília , Andrade Douglas Roque
Published: February 2015

Background:

The aim of this study was to describe a methodology for training to provide counseling on physical activity among community health workers working within primary healthcare in Brazil.

Methods:

This was an intervention study conducted with 65 community health workers in the Ermelino Matarazzo district in the São Paulo, Brazil (30 in intervention group). The intervention group received a course of 12 hours (with 4 meetings of 3 hours each in 1 month) that aimed to improve their knowledge and be autonomous with regard to promoting physical activity. For data analysis, focus groups and questionnaires on knowledge and perceptions regarding physical activity were used.

Results:

The average attendance for the 4 meetings was 29 workers (93% of total). There was an improvement in knowledge on physical activity recommendations in comparison with the control (P = .03), and qualitative results revealed that the professionals appreciated the learned content, valued its application based on knowledge construction and felt secure about promoting physical activity. This was seen through high adherence levels and construction collective of proposal for home visits for physical activity promotion.

Conclusion:

The training was effective in improving knowledge and attitudes toward counseling on physical activity among community health workers.
Commuting to School and to Work Among High School Students in Santa Catarina State, Brazil: A Comparative Analysis Between 2001 and 2011
Authors: Silva Kelly Samara , da Silva Lopes Adair , Hardman Carla Meneses , Azevedo Cabral Luciana Gatto , da Silva Shana Ginar , Nahas Markus Vinicius
Published: February 2015

Background:

Commuting reflects an important opportunity for youth to engage in physical activity. This study aimed to compare modes of commuting to school and to work and to identify sociodemographic factors associated with various modes of transportation.

Methods:

Epidemiologic study with a repeated cross-sectional design. Participants included high school students (15–19 years of age) from Santa Catarina state, Brazil, in 2001 (n = 5028) and 2011 (n = 6529). A questionnaire containing information on the type of transport used to commute to school and to work was administered.

Results:

Walking/bicycling and the use of the bus to commute to school and to work remained stable after a decade; however, the use of car/motorcycle to school (6.4% versus 12.6%) and to work (10.2% versus 19.7%) increased significantly. In both cases, females more frequently used buses, whereas males commuted to work by car/bus. Students from rural areas more commonly commuted to school by car/motorcycle, whereas those from urban areas traveled to work more by bus. There was a greater use of cars/motorcycles by young people from higher-income families.

Conclusions:

The use of cars/motorcycles to commute to school/work has almost doubled in the last decade. Sex, residential area and income were associated with passive commuting.
Vancouver and the 2010 Olympic Games: Physical Activity for All?
Authors: Derom Inge , Lee Donna
Published: February 2015

Background:

The City of Vancouver, British Columbia strategically designed and implemented a municipal health promotion policy—the Vancouver Active Communities policy—to leverage the 2010 Olympic Games. The goal of the policy was to increase physical activity participation among Vancouver residents by 2010.

Methods:

In this paper, we conduct a critical policy analysis of health promotion policy documents that were available on the City of Vancouver’s website.

Results:

We elaborate on the background to the policy and more specifically we examine its content: the problem definition, policy goals, and policy instruments.

Discussion:

Our analysis showed inconsistency within the policy, particularly because the implemented policy instruments were not designed to address needs of the identified target populations in need of health promotion efforts, which were used to legitimize the approval of funding for the policy. Inconsistency across municipal policies, especially in terms of promoting physical activity among low-income residents, was also problematic.

Conclusions:

If other municipalities seek to leverage health promotion funding related to hosting sport mega-events, the programs and services should be designed to benefit the target populations used to justify the funding. Furthermore, municipalities should clearly indicate how funding will be maintained beyond the life expectancy of the mega-event.
The Role of Landscape Spatial Patterns on Obesity in Hispanic Children Residing in Inner-City Neighborhoods
Authors: Kim Jun-Hyun , Lee Chanam , Olvera Norma E. , Ellis Christopher D.
Published: February 2015

Background:

Childhood obesity and its comorbidities have become major public health challenges in the US. While previous studies have investigated the roles of land uses and transportation infrastructure on obesity, limited research has examined the influence of landscape spatial patterns. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between landscape spatial patterns and obesity in Hispanic children.

Methods:

Participants included 61 fourth- and fifth-grade Hispanic children from inner-city neighborhoods in Houston, TX. BMI z-scores were computed based on objectively-measured height and weight from each child. Parental and child surveys provided sociodemographic and physical activity data. Landscape indices were used to measure the quality of landscape spatial patterns surrounding each child’s home by utilizing Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing analyses using aerial photo images.

Results:

After controlling for sociodemographic factors, in the half-mile airline buffer, more tree patches and well-connected landscape patterns were negatively correlated with their BMI z-scores. Furthermore, larger sizes of urban forests and tree patches were negatively associated with children’s BMI z-scores in the half-mile network buffer assessment.

Conclusions:

This study suggests that urban greenery requires further attention in studies aimed at identifying environmental features that reduce childhood obesity.
Sport Psychology Consultants’ Perceptions of Their Challenges at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Authors: Elsborg Peter , Diment Gregory M. , Elbe Anne-Marie
Published: February 2015

The objective of this study was to explore how sport psychology consultants perceive the challenges they face at the Olympic Games. Post-Olympics semistructured interviews with 11 experienced sport psychology consultants who worked at the London Games were conducted. The interviews were transcribed and inductively content analyzed. Trustworthiness was reached through credibility activities (i.e., member checking and peer debriefing). The participants perceived a number of challenges important to being successful at the Olympic Games. These challenges were divided into two general themes: Challenges Before the Olympics (e.g., negotiating one’s role) and Challenges During the Olympics (e.g., dealing with the media). The challenges the sport psychology consultants perceived as important validate and cohere with the challenge descriptions that exist in the literature. The findings extend the knowledge on sport psychology consultancy at the Olympic Games by showing individual contextual differences between the consultants’ perceptions and by identifying four SPC roles at the Olympic Games.
Single-cell analysis shows that paracrine signaling by first responder cells shapes the interferon-β response to viral infection
Authors: Patil Sonali , Fribourg Miguel , Ge Yongchao , Batish Mona , Tyagi Sanjay , Hayot Fernand , Sealfon Stuart C.
Published: February 2015

Signals produced by early responding cells to viral infection calibrate the immune response of the cell population.
Ski regulates Hippo and TAZ signaling to suppress breast cancer progression
Authors: Rashidian Juliet , Le Scolan Erwan , Ji Xiaodan , Zhu Qingwei , Mulvihill Melinda M. , Nomura Daniel , Luo Kunxin
Published: February 2015

Ski inhibits the transcriptional coactivator TAZ through Hippo pathway–dependent and Hippo pathway–independent mechanisms.
Science Signaling
Podcast: 10 February 2015
Authors: Luo Kunxin , VanHook Annalisa M.
Published: February 2015

Ski inhibits activity of the transcriptional coactivator TAZ and breast cancer progression through multiple mechanisms.
Exploring the limits of protein sequence space
Authors: Riddihough Guy
Published: February 2015

Four key residues in the
Escherichia coli
protein kinase PhoQ drive recognition of its substrate PhoP.
Learning to identify CNS drug action and efficacy using multistudy fMRI data
Authors: Duff Eugene P. , Vennart William , Wise Richard G. , Howard Matthew A. , Harris Richard E. , Lee Michael , Wartolowska Karolina , Wanigasekera Vishvarani , Wilson Frederick J. , Whitlock Mark , Tracey Irene , Woolrich Mark W. , Smith Stephen M.
Published: February 2015

Existing functional brain imaging data sets were used to identify neural signatures that confirm pharmacological action and predict clinical efficacy of test compounds.
Molecular Characterization of the Cytochrome
b
Gene and
In Vitro
Atovaquone Susceptibility of Plasmodium falciparum Isolates from Kenya
Authors: Ingasia Luicer A. , Akala Hoseah M. , Imbuga Mabel O. , Opot Benjamin H. , Eyase Fredrick L. , Johnson Jacob D. , Bulimo Wallace D. , Kamau Edwin
Published: February 2015

The prevalence of a genetic polymorphism(s) at codon 268 in the cytochrome
b
gene, which is associated with failure of atovaquone-proguanil treatment, was analyzed in 227
Plasmodium falciparum
parasites from western Kenya. The prevalence of the wild-type allele was 63%, and that of the Y268S (denoting a Y-to-S change at position 268) mutant allele was 2%. There were no pure Y268C or Y268N mutant alleles, only mixtures of a mutant allele(s) with the wild type. There was a correlation between parasite 50% inhibitory concentration (IC
50
) and parasite genetic polymorphism; mutant alleles had higher IC
50
s than the wild type.
Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization of Pyrazinamide Resistance among Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates in Zhejiang, China
Authors: Xia Qiang , Zhao Li-li , Li Feng , Fan Yu-mei , Chen Yuan-yuan , Wu Bei-bei , Liu Zheng-wei , Pan Ai-zhen , Zhu Min
Published: February 2015

To explore the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of pyrazinamide (PZA) resistance among multidrug-resistant
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
(MDR-TB) isolates in Zhejiang province, a total of 274 MDR-TB isolates were collected. Drug susceptibility testing and spoligotyping were performed on all clinical isolates. In addition, the mutated features of PZA-resistant loci, including
pncA
and
rpsA
, were also analyzed by DNA sequencing. Our results showed that the prevalence of PZA resistance among MDR-TB strains in Zhejiang province was 43.07% and that PZA resistance was associated with concomitant resistance to streptomycin. The majority of PZA-resistant MDR-TB isolates belonged to the Beijing family. Mutations within
pncA
, not
rpsA
, constituted the primary mechanism of PZA resistance. Among 118 PZA-resistant isolates, 53 different mutations were observed in
pncA
, and most of them were point mutations. Compared with the phenotypic data, DNA sequencing of
pncA
has sensitivity and specificity of 77.97% and 96.79%, respectively. Analysis of
pncA
provided a robust tool for rapid detection of PZA drug resistance.
In Vitro
Spectrum of Pexiganan Activity When Tested against Pathogens from Diabetic Foot Infections and with Selected Resistance Mechanisms
Authors: Flamm Robert K. , Rhomberg Paul R. , Simpson Katie M. , Farrell David J. , Sader Helio S. , Jones Ronald N.
Published: February 2015

Pexiganan, a 22-amino-acid synthetic cationic peptide, is currently in phase 3 clinical trials as a topical antimicrobial agent for the treatment of mild infections associated with diabetic foot ulcers. Bacterial isolates from the 2013 SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program designated as pathogens from diabetic foot infections (DFI) and Gram-negative and -positive pathogens from various infection types that harbored selected resistance mechanisms/phenotypes were tested against pexiganan in reference cation-adjusted Mueller-Hinton broth. The MIC
50
and MIC
90
against all organisms tested from DFI were 16 and 32 μg/ml, respectively.
Escherichia coli
,
Klebsiella pneumoniae
,
Citrobacter koseri
,
Enterobacter cloacae
,
Acinetobacter
species, and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
MIC values ranged from 8 to 16 μg/ml. Pexiganan MIC values among
Staphylococcus aureus
(methicillin-resistant
S. aureus
[MRSA] and methicillin-susceptible
S. aureus
[MSSA]), beta-hemolytic streptococci, and
Enterococcus faecium
ranged from 8 to 32 μg/ml. Pexiganan activity was not adversely affected for members of the family
Enterobacteriaceae
or
P. aeruginosa
that produced β-lactamases or resistance mechanisms to other commonly used antimicrobial agents. Decreased susceptibility to vancomycin did not affect pexiganan activity against
S. aureus
or
E. faecium
.
Enterococcus faecalis
appears to be intrinsically less susceptible to pexiganan (MIC, 32 to 256 μg/ml). The “all organism” MIC
90
of 32 μg/ml for pexiganan in this study was >250-fold below the pexiganan concentration in the cream/delivery vehicle being developed for topical use.