bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Material hardship and depression among low‐income households in South Korea: Differences by household type
Authors: Kim Jaeseung , Shim Joyce , Lee RaeHyuck
Published: June 2015

With the recent trend of growing poverty in South Korea, low‐income households, particularly elderly‐ and single‐headed households, are at high risk of experiencing material hardship and depression. However, less is known about the association between material hardship and depression by household type in Korea. Using data (N = 2,913) from the Korean Welfare Panel Study and employing several methodological approaches to address the omitted variables bias, this study examined: (i) the association between material hardship and depression among low‐income households, and (ii) whether the association differed by household type. We found that experiencing material hardship was associated with a higher likelihood of being depressed. In addition, we also found that the association between material hardship and depression differed by household type. The magnitude of the association was most pronounced in single‐ and elderly‐headed households. Policy implications to improve well‐being among low‐income households were discussed.
More tricks with tetramers: a practical guide to staining T cells with peptide–MHC multimers
Authors: Dolton Garry , Tungatt Katie , Lloyd Angharad , Bianchi Valentina , Theaker Sarah M. , Trimby Andrew , Holland Christopher J. , Donia Marco , Godkin Andrew J. , Cole David K. , Thor Straten Per , Peakman Mark , Svane Inge Marie , Sewell Andrew K.
Published: June 2015

Analysis of antigen‐specific T‐cell populations by flow cytometry with peptide–MHC (pMHC) multimers is now commonplace. These reagents allow the tracking and phenotyping of T cells during infection, autoimmunity and cancer, and can be particularly revealing when used for monitoring therapeutic interventions. In 2009, we reviewed a number of ‘tricks’ that could be used to improve this powerful technology. More recent advances have demonstrated the potential benefits of using higher order multimers and of ‘boosting’ staining by inclusion of an antibody against the pMHC multimer. These developments now allow staining of T cells where the interaction between the pMHC and the T‐cell receptor is over 20‐fold weaker (KD > 1 mm) than could previously be achieved. Such improvements are particularly relevant when using pMHC multimers to stain anti‐cancer or autoimmune T‐cell populations, which tend to bear lower affinity T‐cell receptors. Here, we update our previous work to include discussion of newer tricks that can produce substantially brighter staining even when using log‐fold lower concentrations of pMHC multimer. We further provide a practical guide to using pMHC multimers that includes a description of several common pitfalls and how to circumvent them.
Who Takes Care of Whom in the United States? Time Transfers by Age and Sex
Authors: Dukhovnov Denys , Zagheni Emilio
Published: June 2015

Non‐monetary transfers of time represent a largely unknown, yet pivotal component, of the support system in the United States. We map flows of time transfers, by age and sex, related to informal childcare and adult care in the US. We develop methods to estimate intra‐ and inter‐household time transfers using data from the American Time Use Survey (2011–2013). We summarize the results in matrices of time flows by age and sex for the general US population, as well as for the “sandwich generation.” Most time transfers flow downwards from parents to young children, with relevant gender differences. The time produced by the sandwich generation is directed toward a more diverse population spectrum, including substantial intra‐generational transfers to spouses. Extrapolations based on our findings reveal a projected rise in demand, relative to supply, of informal care, indicating that, to maintain current levels of care, US society will have to rely more heavily either on the market or on an increased effort of caregivers.
Fitness declines towards range limits and local adaptation to climate affect dispersal evolution during climate‐induced range shifts
Authors: Hargreaves A. L. , Bailey S. F. , Laird R. A.
Published: June 2015

Dispersal ability will largely determine whether species track their climatic niches during climate change, a process especially important for populations at contracting (low‐latitude/low‐elevation) range limits that otherwise risk extinction. We investigate whether dispersal evolution at contracting range limits is facilitated by two processes that potentially enable edge populations to experience and adjust to the effects of climate deterioration before they cause extinction: (i) climate‐induced fitness declines towards range limits and (ii) local adaptation to a shifting climate gradient. We simulate a species distributed continuously along a temperature gradient using a spatially explicit, individual‐based model. We compare range‐wide dispersal evolution during climate stability vs. directional climate change, with uniform fitness vs. fitness that declines towards range limits (RLs), and for a single climate genotype vs. multiple genotypes locally adapted to temperature. During climate stability, dispersal decreased towards RLs when fitness was uniform, but increased when fitness declined towards RLs, due to highly dispersive genotypes maintaining sink populations at RLs, increased kin selection in smaller populations, and an emergent fitness asymmetry that favoured dispersal in low‐quality habitat. However, this initial dispersal advantage at low‐fitness RLs did not facilitate climate tracking, as it was outweighed by an increased probability of extinction. Locally adapted genotypes benefited from staying close to their climate optima; this selected against dispersal under stable climates but for increased dispersal throughout shifting ranges, compared to cases without local adaptation. Dispersal increased at expanding RLs in most scenarios, but only increased at the range centre and contracting RLs given local adaptation to climate.
The diversification ofHeliconiusbutterflies: what have we learned in 150 years?
Authors: Merrill R. M. , Dasmahapatra K. K. , Davey J. W. , Dell'Aglio D. D. , Hanly J. J. , Huber B. , Jiggins C. D. , Joron M. , Kozak K. M. , Llaurens V. , Martin S. H. , Montgomery S. H. , Morris J. , Nadeau N. J. , Pinharanda A. L. , Rosser N. , Thompson M. J. , Vanjari S. , Wallbank R. W. R. , Yu Q.
Published: June 2015

Research intoHeliconiusbutterflies has made a significant contribution to evolutionary biology. Here, we review our understanding of the diversification of these butterflies, covering recent advances and a vast foundation of earlier work. Whereas no single group of organisms can be sufficient for understanding life's diversity, after years of intensive study, research intoHeliconius has addressed a wide variety of evolutionary questions. We first discuss evidence for widespread gene flow between Heliconiusspecies and what this reveals about the nature of species. We then address the evolution and diversity of warning patterns, both as the target of selection and with respect to their underlying genetic basis. The identification of major genes involved in mimetic shifts, and homology at these loci between distantly related taxa, has revealed a surprising predictability in the genetic basis of evolution. In the final sections, we consider the evolution of warning patterns, andHeliconiusdiversity more generally, within a broader context of ecological and sexual selection. We consider how different traits and modes of selection can interact and influence the evolution of reproductive isolation.
Pollination by sexual deception promotes outcrossing and mate diversity in self‐compatible clonal orchids
Authors: Whitehead M. R. , Linde C. C. , Peakall R.
Published: June 2015

The majority of flowering plants rely on animals as pollen vectors. Thus, plant mating systems and pollen dispersal are strongly influenced by pollinator behaviour. In Australian sexually deceptive orchids pollinated by male thynnine wasps, outcrossing and extensive pollen flow is predicted due to floral deception, which minimizes multiple flower visitations within patches, and the movement of pollinators under mate‐search rather than foraging behaviours. This hypothesis was tested using microsatellite markers to reconstruct and infer paternity in two clonal, self‐compatible orchids. Offspring from naturally pollinated Chiloglottis valida and C. aff. jeanesii were acquired through symbiotic culture of seeds collected over three seasons. In both species, outcrossing was extensive (tm = 0.924–1.00) despite clone sizes up to 11 m wide. The median pollen flow distance based on paternity for both taxa combined was 14.5 m (n = 18, range 0–69 m), being larger than typically found by paternity analyses in other herbaceous plants. Unexpectedly for orchids, some capsules were sired by more than one father, with an average of 1.35 pollen donors per fruit. This is the first genetic confirmation of polyandry in orchid capsules. Further, we report a possible link between multiple paternity and increased seed fitness. Together, these results demonstrate that deceptive pollination by mate‐searching wasps enhances offspring fitness by promoting both outcrossing and within‐fruit paternal diversity.
Estimating sampling error of evolutionary statistics based on genetic covariance matrices using maximum likelihood
Authors: Houle D. , Meyer K.
Published: June 2015

We explore the estimation of uncertainty in evolutionary parameters using a recently devised approach for resampling entire additive genetic variance–covariance matrices (G). Large‐sample theory shows that maximum‐likelihood estimates (including restricted maximum likelihood, REML) asymptotically have a multivariate normal distribution, with covariance matrix derived from the inverse of the information matrix, and mean equal to the estimated G. This suggests that sampling estimates of G from this distribution can be used to assess the variability of estimates of G, and of functions of G. We refer to this as the REML‐MVN method. This has been implemented in the mixed‐model program WOMBAT. Estimates of sampling variances from REML‐MVN were compared to those from the parametric bootstrap and from a Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach (implemented in the R package MCMCglmm). We apply each approach to evolvability statistics previously estimated for a large, 20‐dimensional data set for Drosophila wings. REML‐MVN and MCMC sampling variances are close to those estimated with the parametric bootstrap. Both slightly underestimate the error in the best‐estimated aspects of the G matrix. REML analysis supports the previous conclusion that the G matrix for this population is full rank. REML‐MVN is computationally very efficient, making it an attractive alternative to both data resampling and MCMC approaches to assessing confidence in parameters of evolutionary interest.
Evolution and functional significance of derived sternal ossification patterns in ornithothoracine birds
Authors: O'Connor J. K. , Zheng X.‐T. , Sullivan C. , Chuong C.‐M. , Wang X.‐L. , Li A. , Wang Y. , Zhang X.‐M. , Zhou Z.‐H.
Published: June 2015

The midline pattern of sternal ossification characteristic of the Cretaceous enantiornithine birds is unique among the Ornithodira, the group containing birds, nonavian dinosaurs and pterosaurs. This has been suggested to indicate that Enantiornithes is not the sister group of Ornithuromorpha, the clade that includes living birds and their close relatives, which would imply rampant convergence in many nonsternal features between enantiornithines and ornithuromorphs. However, detailed comparisons reveal greater similarity between neornithine (i.e. crown group bird) and enantiornithine modes of sternal ossification than previously recognized. Furthermore, a new subadult enantiornithine specimen demonstrates that sternal ossification followed a more typically ornithodiran pattern in basal members of the clade. This new specimen, referable to the Pengornithidae, indicates that the unique ossification pattern observed in other juvenile enantiornithines is derived within Enantiornithes. A similar but clearly distinct pattern appears to have evolved in parallel in the ornithuromorph lineage. The atypical mode of sternal ossification in some derived enantiornithines should be regarded as an autapomorphic condition rather than an indication that enantiornithines are not close relatives of ornithuromorphs. Based on what is known about molecular mechanisms for morphogenesis and the possible selective advantages, the parallel shifts to midline ossification that took place in derived enantiornithines and living neognathous birds appear to have been related to the development of a large ventral keel, which is only present in ornithuromorphs and enantiornithines. Midline ossification can serve to medially reinforce the sternum at a relatively early ontogenetic stage, which would have been especially beneficial during the protracted development of the superprecocial Cretaceous enantiornithines.
Nutritional variations at Nesidiocoris tenuis feeding sites and reciprocal interactions between the mirid and tomato plants
Authors: Sanchez J. A. , del Amor F. M. , Flores P. , López‐Gallego E.
Published: June 2015

Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae) uses a flush‐and‐lacerate feeding strategy producing necrotic rings (NR) at feeding sites in tomato plants. The aim was to investigate the variation in the concentrations of amino acids (aa) and sugars at feeding sites, and its effect on this mirid's life‐history traits and behaviour. The concentration of nutrients was measured in different parts of stems damaged by N. tenuis and mechanically using liquid chromatography. aa concentrations increased below NR; around and above NR, the concentrations of essential and non‐essential aa declined. The concentration of glucose was lower around NR and below. The change in the distribution of aa was similar in NR and mechanically damaged stems, whereas there were no differences in sugar contents. Development time and nymphal mortality were measured on fresh leaflets, leaflets with NR and leaflets plus Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Without prey, development took longer on NR than on fresh leaflets. Development was quicker and mortality lower on leaflets plus moth eggs. Finally, behavioural events were recorded in fifth‐instar nymphs of N. tenuis in: (i) double‐choice experiments (DCE) using leaflets with and without NR; (ii) DCE using leaflets exposed and non‐previously exposed to nymphs and (iii) fresh tomato leaflets plus Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) nymphs. In (i), feeding events lasted longer at NR sites; in (ii), the behaviour of the nymphs on previously exposed leaflets was not significantly different from fresh leaflets; and in (iii), most of the time was dedicated to prey feeding. The overall results indicate that N. tenuis do not take advantage of the inhibited translocation of nutrients in the phloem. The poorer performance of nymphs on leaflets from plants previously exposed to N. tenuis might be due to a general decrease in the concentration of nutrients or to the activation of plant defences.
Stretching the imagination beyond muscle spindles – stretch‐sensitive mechanisms in arthropods
Authors: Suslak Thomas J. , Jarman Andrew P.
Published: June 2015

Much attention has been given to mammalian muscle spindles and their role in stretch‐mediated muscle proprioception. Recent studies, particularly, have sought to determine the molecular mediators of stretch‐evoked mechanotransduction, which these endings rely upon for functionality. Nonetheless, much about these endings remains unknown. Opportunities may be presented from consideration of extensive parallel research in stretch receptor mechanisms in arthropods. Such systems may provide a useful source of additional data and powerful tools for dissecting the complex systems of stretch transduction apparatus. At the least, such systems provide tractable exemplars of how organisms solve the problem of converting stretch stimuli to electrical output. Potentially, they may even provide molecular mechanisms and candidate molecular mediators of direct relevance to mammalian muscle spindles. Here we provide a brief overview of research on arthropod stretch receptors.
Changes in gene expression and cell shape characterise stages of epibranchial placode‐derived neuron maturation in the chick
Authors: Smith Alexandra C. , Fleenor Stephen J. , Begbie Jo
Published: June 2015

Sensory neurons in the head are largely generated from neurogenic placodes. Previous studies have revealed early events in placode development; however, the process of maturation has not been studied. In this study, it has been shown that placodal neurogenesis follows a sequential progression with distinct stages defined by expression of specific markers. These markers highlight domains of maturation within the stream of migratory neuroblasts that extend between the placode and the neural tube. Commitment to neurogenesis occurs in the apical placode, with the newborn neuroblasts delaminating basally and entering a transition zone. The neuroblasts migrate through the transition zone, differentiating further and becoming post‐mitotic as they approach the ganglionic anlage. It has further been demonstrated that this progression from the transition zone to the ganglionic anlage is accompanied by a switch from multipolar to bipolar cell morphology. This sequential progression parallels events observed elsewhere in the nervous system, but here the stages are distinct and anatomically segregated. It is proposed that placodal neurogenesis provides a tractable system to examine the transition between states in neurogenesis.
Cardiac amyloidosis: where are we today?
Authors: Patel K. S. , Hawkins P. N.
Published: June 2015

Systemic amyloidosis is generally considered to be rare, but the heart is frequently involved and is a major determinant of prognosis. New diagnostic imaging methods have recently been developed with the capacity to enhance the accuracy of diagnosis, which will be ever more important with the variety of new treatments on the near horizon. Most cases of cardiac amyloidosis are of either monoclonal immunoglobulin light chain (AL) type, which can occur at any age from young adulthood onwards, or transthyretin (ATTR) type, which can be acquired in elderly individuals or inherited at a younger age. Cardiac involvement is the most serious manifestation of AL amyloidosis, and serum cardiac biomarkers have proved to be of great value in staging disease severity and response to an ever increasing array of chemotherapy agents. Cardiac involvement is the dominant manifestation of nonhereditary ATTR amyloidosis, also known as senile cardiac amyloidosis, the prevalence of which is not known but is probably much greater than currently recognized. A genetic variant in the gene for transthyretin (TTR), which is present in 3–4% of African Americans and probably a similar proportion of black individuals of African descent generally, appears to be associated with increased susceptibility to developing cardiac ATTR amyloidosis in older age. Several novel therapies are in the advanced stages of development for ATTR amyloidosis including TTR protein stabilizers and RNA inhibitors that greatly diminish TTR production. Here, we will review recent developments in the diagnosis and management of cardiac amyloidosis.
Accounting for Stakeholders and Making Accounting Useful
Authors: Andon Paul , Baxter Jane , Chua Wai Fong
Published: June 2015

A belief in the importance of available and relevant information to managers and stakeholders has propelled significant accounting change, motivating the development of new forms of reporting argued to provide more useful accounting information. However, accounting is not inherently useful. Accounting information is a heterogeneous agglomeration that ismadeuseful in practice. We overview research, illustrating the experimental, emotional, imaginative and complementation stratagems that practitioners adopt in making accounting information useful. This research shows that diverse stakeholder interests are mobilised in processes making accounting information useful. The ethical implications of accounting for stakeholders are then considered, particularly the problematic consequences of greater transparency. The critical possibilities of accounting for stakeholders are outlined next. We conclude by arguing that further research problematizing the usefulness of accounting information, including the networks of interests accomplishing this, is vital to advance debate on accounting for stakeholders.
A Meta‐Analysis of fMRI Activation Differences during Episodic Memory in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Terry Douglas P. , Sabatinelli Dean , Puente A. Nicolas , Lazar Nicole A. , Miller L. Stephen
Published: June 2015

Functional MRI (fMRI) has the potential to be used as a tool to detect biomarkers related to classifying Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its prodromal stage, mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Previous meta‐analyses suggest that during episodic memory tasks, MCI patients exhibit hyperactivation in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) while AD patients exhibit hypoactivation, compared to healthy older adults (HOAs). However, these previous studies have methodological weaknesses that limit the generalizability of the results. This quantitative meta‐analysis re‐examines the activation associated with episodic memory in AD and MCI as compared to cognitively normal populations to assess these commonly cited activation differences. A whole‐brain activation likelihood estimation based meta‐analysis was conducted on fMRI studies that examined episodic memory in HOA (n = 200), MCI (n = 131), and AD populations (n = 89; total n = 409). Diffuse activation was exhibited in the HOA sample, while activation was more limited in the clinical populations. Additionally, the HOA sample showed more activation in the right hippocampus compared to the AD sample. The MCI studies showed greater activation in the cerebellum compared to the HOA sample, potentially indicating a compensatory mechanism for verbal encoding. MTL hypoactivation in the AD sample is consistent with previous studies, but more evidence of MCI hyperactivation is needed before considering MTL activation as an early biomarker for the AD disease process.
A Pilot Study of Diagnostic Neuromuscular Ultrasound in Bell's Palsy
Authors: Tawfik Eman A. , Walker Francis O. , Cartwright Michael S.
Published: June 2015

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Neuromuscular ultrasound of the cranial nerves is an emerging field which may help in the assessment of cranial neuropathies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of neuromuscular ultrasound in Bell's palsy. A second objective was to assess the possibility of any associated vagus nerve abnormality.

METHODS

Twenty healthy controls and 12 Bell's palsy patients were recruited. The bilateral facial nerves, vagus nerves, and frontalis muscles were scanned using an 18 MHz linear array transducer. Facial nerve diameter, vagus nerve cross‐sectional area, and frontalis thickness were measured.

RESULTS

Mean facial nerve diameter was .8 ± .2 mm in controls and 1.1 ± .3 mm in patients group. The facial nerve diameter was significantly larger in patients than controls (P = .006, 95% CI for the difference between groups of .12‐.48), with a significant side‐to‐side difference in patients as well (P = .004, 95% CI for side‐to‐side difference of .08‐.52). ROC curve analysis of the absolute facial nerve diameter revealed a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 70%. No significant differences in vagus nerve cross‐sectional area or frontalis thickness were detected between patients and controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Ultrasound can detect facial nerve enlargement in Bell's palsy and may have a role in assessment, or follow‐up, of Bell's palsy and other facial nerve disorders. The low sensitivity of the current technique precludes its routine use for diagnosis, however, this study demonstrates its validity and potential for future research.
Powdery Mildew Caused by an Erysiphe sp. on Korean Ginseng
Authors: Cho Sung‐Eun , Park Mi‐Jeong , Choi Gug‐Seoun , Park Ji‐Hyun , Shin Hyeon‐Dong
Published: June 2015

In August and September 2014, Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) plants showing symptoms of powdery mildew infection were found in a polyethylene film‐covered greenhouse in Suwon, Korea. The mildew was initially observed to occur in circular to irregular white colonies, which subsequently developed into abundant mycelial growths on both leaf surfaces. No chasmothecia were observed. Based on its morphological characteristics, the fungus was determined to be a species of Erysiphe. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequence of the internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal DNA obtained from the isolate placed the powdery mildew fungus in the genus Erysiphe. Here, we describe this Erysiphe sp. found growing on Korean ginseng using both illustrations and molecular data. A comparison of the Korean isolate and three previous records of powdery mildews known to grow on Panax plants is also provided. This is the first report of powdery mildew on Korean ginseng in Korea.
Orchid Fleck Virus Infecting Orchids in Paraguay: First Report and Use of Degenerate Primers for its Detection
Authors: Ramos‐González Pedro Luis , Sarubbi‐Orue Humberto , Gonzales‐Segnana Luis , Chabi‐Jesus Camila , Freitas‐Astúa Juliana , Kitajima Eliot Watanabe
Published: June 2015

The presence of Orchid fleck virus (OFV) in Paraguay was confirmed in orchid plants collected during a survey carried out in 2013. Leaves displayed ringspot and fleck symptoms, and in infected tissues, non‐enveloped, short, rodlike viral particles were observed. Partial OFV N and L genes were amplified using specific and degenerate primers, respectively; the nucleotide sequences demonstrated high identities (98%) with other OFV isolates. Degenerate primers for the L gene were designed considering conserved regions within all of the available OFV sequences and those from the closely related isolates citrus leprosis virus nuclear type (CiLV‐N) and citrus necrotic spot virus. Degenerate primers were also successfully used for the detection of CiLV‐N from infected citrus samples.
Stages and transitions in the development of tooth brushing skills in children of Mexican immigrant families: a qualitative study
Authors: Benadof Dafna , Polk Deborah , Documet Patricia
Published: June 2015

Objectives

Compared with white children, the oral health of Latino children in the United States is much worse. One factor contributing to oral health is tooth brushing. Few studies have addressed the formation of the tooth brushing habit in children, and only one of them studied a Latino population. The purpose of this study is to explore the development of the tooth brushing habit in children of Mexican immigrant families and develop hypothesis based on its results.

Methods

This is an exploratory qualitative study, with a case study design based on 20 in‐depth interviews. Participants were Mexican immigrant mothers living in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, PA. Participants had at least one child six‐years‐old or younger. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using qualitative analysis procedures.

Results

Four stages were identified in the tooth brushing learning process: initiation and entirely dependent tooth brushing, assisted tooth brushing, road to tooth brushing independence, and independent tooth brushing. Two factors influenced parents' teaching approaches: parents' perceptions of their child's achievement of physical, cognitive, and motor developmental milestones and parents' knowledge about oral hygiene.

Conclusions

We identified four distinct stages and found evidence to hypothesize that transitions from one stage to the next are triggered not by the age of the child but by parents' knowledge about oral hygiene and their perceptions of their child's achievement of physical, cognitive, and motor developmental milestones. Future quantitative research studies should be conducted to test this hypothesis in larger groups of Latinos as well as other ethnic groups.
A comprehensive review on phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of Elaeagnus angustifolia L.
Authors: Farzaei Mohammad Hosein , Bahramsoltani Roodabeh , Abbasabadi Zahra , Rahimi Roja
Published: June 2015

Objective

Elaeagnus angustifolia L., commonly known as oleaster or Russian olive, is used worldwide as a traditional natural remedy or nutritional agent for the management of a wide range of illnesses. The aim of the present study is to comprehensively review the ethnopharmacological uses, biological activities and phytochemistry of E. angustifolia.

Key findings

Modern scientific investigations suggest that the plant possesses a broad spectrum of pharmacological and therapeutic effects, including antimicrobial, insecticidal, antioxidant, anti-arthritic, wound healing, cardioprotective, hypolipidemic, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, antitumour and gastroprotective activity. Various phytochemical constituents, including β-carboline alkaloids, polysaccharides, esters, flavone glycosides, phenols, phenolic acids, ketones, phenyl ethers, pyrimidines, steroids and terpenes, as well as nutritional components such as essential and non-essential amino acids and nutraceuticals like vitamins and fatty acids, have been identified in E. angustifolia.

Considering its wide variety of pharmacological activity as well as its huge diversity of active phytochemicals, E. angustifolia could be proposed as a good candidate for discovering new drugs. Further clinical and experimental studies are necessary to reveal the beneficial therapeutic, safety and pharmaceutical properties of E. angustifolia and its phytochemicals as a complementary and alternative medicine for the management of various disorders.
Salbutamol inhibits RhoA activation in normal but not in desensitized bronchial smooth muscle cells
Authors: Fogli Stefano , Stefanelli Fabio , Battolla Barbara , Bianchi Francesco , Breschi Maria C , Mattii Letizia
Published: June 2015

Objective

This study was aimed at investigating whether the β2-adrenoceptor agonist, salbutamol, could modulate RhoA activation in normal and homologously desensitized bronchial smooth muscle cells (BSMC).

Methods

Serum-starved BSMCs were stimulated with the Rho-activating compound calpeptin in the presence or absence of salbutamol, the Epac activator, 8-pCPT-2'-O-Me-cAMP, or the site-selective activator of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA), 6-Bnz-cAMP. Activated RhoA was assessed by immunocytochemical detection and by RhoA G-LISA assay.

Key findings

Stimulation with calpeptin caused translocation of RhoA from cytosol to plasma membrane, a condition required for the functional coupling of RhoA with its cellular targets. Pretreatment with salbutamol 10 μm for 15 min was found to block calpeptin-induced activation of RhoA in normal, but not in homologously desensitized cells. Pretreatment of calpeptin-stimulated BSMC with 8-pCPT-2'-O-Me-cAMP or 6-Bnz-cAMP could reproduce the effect of salbutamol.

Conclusions

These findings demonstrated that salbutamol inhibits RhoA activation in human BSMC through β2-adrenoceptor/Epac/PKA pathway. An important pharmacological implication of these finding is the possible contribution of RhoA pathway to the molecular mechanism involved in airway smooth muscle relaxation caused by acute/chronic exposure to β2-adrenoceptor agonists.
The Combination of Dapoxetine and Behavioral Treatment Provides Better Results than Dapoxetine Alone in the Management of Patients with Lifelong Premature Ejaculation
Authors: Cormio Luigi , Massenio Paolo , La Rocca Roberto , Verze Paolo , Mirone Vincenzo , Carrieri Giuseppe
Published: June 2015

Introduction

It is not known whether the efficacy of dapoxetine, the only drug approved for the on-demand treatment of premature ejaculation (PE), can be increased by the addition of sexual behavioral treatment (SBTx).

Aim

To test the hypothesis that combined dapoxetine and SBTx provide better result than dapoxetine alone in the management of patient with lifelong PE.

Methods

After a 4-week run-in period, 50 patients with lifelong PE entered a 24-week, open-label, prospective study with a 1:1 assignment. Twenty-five patients (group A) received on-demand dapoxetine 30 mg alone, and the remaining 25 patients (group B) combined on-demand dapoxetine 30 mg and SBTx. The CONSORT 2010 statement was adhered to where possible.

Main Outcome Measures

The intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT), the premature ejaculation diagnostic tool (PEDT) score, and the treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were analyzed.

Results

Mean age was 34.16 years in group A and 34.44y in group B. From baseline to 4-, 12- and 24-week evaluation, both groups experienced a significant (P < 0.0001) increase in mean IELT and decrease in mean PEDT score, but patients in group A showed a significantly lower increase in mean IELT (85.0; 84.8; 130.7; 160.0 vs. 92.0; 137.9; 232.7; 370.7 seconds, respectively; P < 0.0001) and a significantly lower decrease in mean PEDT score (20.4; 18.16; 15.88; 14.68 vs. 19.56; 16.0; 11.96; 7.92, respectively; P < 0.0001) than those in group B. At 24-week evaluation, no patient in group A reached a PEDT score ≤8 (absence of PE) as opposed to 80% of patients in group B. There was no difference between groups in TEAEs rate (16% vs. 16%; P = 1.00). Limitations included the absence of a group receiving SBTx alone or group crossover.

Conclusions

Combined dapoxetine and SBTx proved to be more effective than dapoxetine alone in treating patients with lifelong PE, up to restoring a normal ejaculatory function in most of them.
Legal Intermediaries: How Insurance Companies Construct the Meaning of Compliance with Antidiscrimination Laws
Authors: Talesh Shauhin
Published: June 2015

Existing empirical research suggests that human resource officials, managers, and in‐house counsel influence the meaning of antidiscrimination law by communicating an altered ideology of what civil rights laws mean that is colored with managerial values. This article explores how insurance companies play a critical and, as yet, unrecognized role in mediating the meaning of antidiscrimination law through Employment Practice Liability Insurance (EPLI). My analysis draws from, links, and contributes to two literatures that examine organizational behavior in different ways: new institutional organizational sociology studies of how organizations respond to legal regulation and sociolegal insurance scholars' research on how institutions govern through risk. Through participant observation at EPLI conferences, interviews, and content analysis of insurance loss prevention manuals, my study bridges these two literatures and highlights how the insurance field uses a risk‐based logic to construct the threat of employment law and influence the form of compliance from employers. Faced with uncertain legal risk concerning potential discrimination violations, insurance institutions elevate the risk and threat in the legal environment and offer EPLI and a series of risk‐management services that build discretion into legal rules and mediate the nature of civil rights compliance. My data suggest that insurance risk‐management services may sometimes be compatible with civil rights goals of improving equality, due process, and fair governance in workplace settings, but at other times may simply make discrimination claims against employers more defensible.
OPTIMAL INVESTMENT FOR ALL TIME HORIZONS AND MARTIN BOUNDARY OF SPACE‐TIME DIFFUSIONS
Authors: Nadtochiy Sergey , Tehranchi Michael
Published: June 2015

This paper is concerned with the axiomatic foundation and explicit construction of a general class of optimality criteria that can be used for investment problems with multiple time horizons, or when the time horizon is not known in advance. Both the investment criterion and the optimal strategy are characterized by the Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation on a semi‐infinite time interval. In the case where this equation can be linearized, the problem reduces to a time‐reversed parabolic equation, which cannot be analyzed via the standard methods of partial differential equations. Under the additional uniform ellipticity condition, we make use of the available description of all minimal solutions to such equations, along with some basic facts from potential theory and convex analysis, to obtain an explicit integral representation of all positive solutions. These results allow us to construct a large family of the aforementioned optimality criteria, including some closed‐form examples in relevant financial models.
USING A BIOCULTURAL APPROACH TO EXAMINE FOOD INSECURITY IN THE CONTEXT OF ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATIONS IN RURAL COSTA RICA
Authors: Ruiz Ernesto , Himmelgreen David A. , Romero Daza Nancy , Peña Jenny
Published: June 2015

This article outlines a biocultural approach that employs a mixed‐methods research design to the study of food insecurity in the context of economic transformations in the Monteverde Zone (MVZ), Costa Rica. Using structured survey data related to household (n= 200) and individual level variables as well as on anthropometric measurements, linear regression analyses were run in order to try to predict food insecurity based on biological and cultural data. Additionally, 100 in‐depth, qualitative interviews were carried out with heads of households in order to situate the quantitative findings ethnographically. A multiple linear regression model accounting for 36 percent of the variation in food insecurity was constructed with two predictors: an aggregate index of reported illness symptoms and a categorical variable concerning the strategies employed for the purchase of basic grocery items. Data on reported illness frequency and purchasing strategies predict a sizeable proportion of the variation of food insecurity in the study sample. This highlights the complex, biocultural nature of food insecurity processes.
EXPLORING THE ROLE OF CULTURE IN THE LINK BETWEEN MENTAL HEALTH AND FOOD INSECURITY: A CASE STUDY FROM BRAZIL
Authors: Weaver Lesley Jo , Meek David , Hadley Craig
Published: June 2015

Food insecurity has traditionally been characterized as a driver of health disparities because of its potential impacts on nutritional status. Food, however, has important social and cultural valences that make it much more than a nutritional vehicle. Recent research that is sensitive to the social meanings of food has drawn attention to the complex and far‐reaching mental and social health effects of food insecurity. In this article, we outline several theoretical pathways linking food insecurity to reduced physical and mental well‐being, and then present results of a preliminary study in rural Brazil designed to test the relative importance of each of these pathways. Our results tentatively suggest that in this context, food insecurity is closely related to both mental and physical health disparities, but the pathways connecting food insecurity and mental health remain somewhat unclear. We present lessons learned and propose a set of research steps to further address the relationships between the social meaning of food and mental health.
THE REPRODUCTION OF POVERTY AND POOR HEALTH IN THE PRODUCTION OF HEALTH DISPARITIES IN SOUTHERN PERU
Authors: Leatherman Thomas , Jernigan Kasey
Published: June 2015

It is a common starting assumption for analyses of health disparities that poverty and poor health occur together and mutually influence one another. While earlier research tended to focus on how poverty leads to poor health, over the past two decades it has become more common to focus on the social and economic costs of illness and disease. Yet, the majority of this research has not employed an ethnographic lens and is limited in accounting for local level factors that shape vulnerability and resilience to illness and its impact on lives and livelihoods. This paper illustrates how the inequality and health dialectic plays out among rural producers in the district of Nuñoa in the southern Peruvian Andes. Using a critical biocultural approach attending to global–local interactions, relations of power and human agency, and that is grounded in ethnographic realities, we explore connections between vulnerability and resiliency in the reproduction of poverty and poor health. While the direct costs of healthcare can be catastrophic to a household's economy in extreme cases, indirect costs to labor power and household production create for many a greater cumulative loss that limits resilience in the face of future illness and other problems. The way illness impacts lives and livelihoods in the reproduction of poverty and poor health is shaped by people's access to land, labor power, and cash reserves, so that these effects are experienced unevenly and with different long‐term implications among vulnerable populations.
SYNDEMIC SUFFERING IN SOWETO: VIOLENCE AND INEQUALITY AT THE NEXUS OF HEALTH TRANSITION IN SOUTH AFRICA
Authors: Mendenhall Emily
Published: June 2015

This article examines the roles of structural and interpersonal violence in individual experiences of health transition in South Africa, focusing on women's narratives of distress and diabetes as well as epidemiology. Over the past decade marked increases in noncommunicable diseases, including type 2 diabetes, have transitioned in South Africa to afflict those who concurrently face great mental health burdens and the world's largest HIV and AIDS and tuberculosis epidemics. First, this article considers how social and health problems cluster among impoverished populations through a discussion of syndemics theory. Drawing from the VIDDA Syndemic employed to describe the experience of Mexican immigrant women living with diabetes and depression in urban United States, this analysis demonstrates how violence plays a unique role as a perpetuator of suffering through structural, social, psychological, and even biological pathways. Second, data around stress and structural violence, gun violence, and gender‐based violence that emerged from a small study of urban South African women with type 2 diabetes are presented to discuss how violence functions as a cofactor of the syndemic of diabetes and depression in this context. This analysis emphasizes the role of historical and social contexts in how conditions such as depression and diabetes are distributed epidemiologically and experienced individually. Finally, this article argues that the utility of understanding the role of violence in health transition may be a fundamental source of intervention to mitigate the effects of the double burden of diseases on socially and economically marginalized populations in middle‐income countries such as South Africa.
Buying Access to Social Capital? From Collaboration to Service Provision in an Agricultural Co‐operative
Authors: Flanigan Sharon , Sutherland Lee‐Ann
Published: June 2015

Recent years have seen a proliferation of state supports to increase agriculture and rural economic development through co‐operative ventures. Implicit or explicit in these activities is the mobilisation of social capital to achieve economic aims. To date, few studies have addressed the long term evolution of social capital‐based relationships. In this article, we assess the evolving role of social capital in an agricultural co‐operative, using the development of machinery rings in Scotland as a case‐study. Drawing on Bourdieu's conceptualisation of capital exchange, we explore the establishment, formalisation, and commoditisation of different capitals embedded in the rings. Findings demonstrate that a range of capital types was important at each stage of machinery ring development, enabling them to evolve in relation to the changes affecting the agriculture industry in Scotland. Early adoption of advanced information technologies enabled the mobilisation of network resources and successful service provision across increasing geographical scales. Through formalisation, the rings became sources of human, social, and economic capitals – access to which could be purchased by new ring members. This formalisation process ultimately led to the establishment of the rings as economically viable businesses, but also a shift in identity from farmer collaboration to commercial service provision.
Coagulation abnormalities in 5 cats with naturally occurring cytauxzoonosis
Authors: Conner Bobbi J. , Hanel Rita M. , Brooks Marjory B. , Cohn Leah A. , Birkenheuer Adam J.
Published: June 2015

Objective

To characterize hemostasis and determine if disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is present in cats with cytauxzoonosis.

Design

Cross‐sectional study.

Setting

University teaching hospital.

Animals

Five client‐owned cats with cytologic and PCR‐confirmed cytauxzoonosis.

Interventions

None.

Measurements and Main Results

Admission samples were collected for hemostasis testing including platelet count, activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, fibrinogen, antithrombin (AT), d‐dimer, protein C, plasminogen, antiplasmin, factors VII, VIII, IX, X, and XI, von Willebrand factor, and thromboelastography. Results were compiled for combined criteria used to define DIC, and all 5 cats satisfied criteria using a previously described modified scoring system for DIC in cats. The abnormalities found in all 5 cats included thrombocytopenia, low protein C activity, and prolonged prothrombin time; however, none of the cats had low AT activity. None of the cats had clinical signs of hemorrhage despite thrombocytopenia, coagulation factor deficiency (5/5 cats), and thromboelastographic evidence of hypocoagulability (2/5 cats). Three of 5 cats survived to hospital discharge. The nonsurvivors had disseminated cytauxzoonosis with schizont‐laden macrophages in vessels of various organs.

Conclusions

This is the first report that comprehensively describes the hemostastic status of cats with naturally occurring infection with Cytauxzoon felis. All 5 cats had laboratory evidence of overt DIC. Unlike human and canine models of sepsis‐induced DIC, AT deficiency was not found in this series of cats. Further research is warranted to investigate therapeutic strategies targeting thrombotic DIC to improve survival in cats with cytauxzoonosis.