bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gutting Canada's Fisheries Act: No Fishery, No Fish Habitat Protection
Authors: Hutchings Jeffrey A , Post John R
Published: November 2013

Revisions to Canada's national fisheries legislation have eviscerated the country's ability and responsibility to protect most fish habitat. Changes to the Fisheries Act, passed by Parliament in 2012 and supported by new regulations in 2013, stipulate that habitat will now be protected only for fish that are considered part of a fishery or that support a fishery. The habitats of most freshwater fish species in Canada, including the majority of threatened and endangered fishes, will no longer be protected. Contrary to responsible management practices for the protection of native fishes, the act now inadvertently prioritizes habitat protection for some nonnative species—even hatchery-produced hybrids—as long as they are part of a fishery. Changes to the Fisheries Act were not supported by scientific advice (contrary to government policy) and are inconsistent with an ecosystem-based approach to management. Politically motivated dismantling of habitat protection provisions in the Fisheries Act erases 40 years of enlightened and responsible legislation and diminishes Canada's ability to fulfill its national and international obligations to protect, conserve, and sustainably use aquatic biodiversity.

RESUMEN

Las revisiones de la legislación pesquera de Canadá han desentrañado la habilidad y responsabilidad del país para proteger la mayor parte de los hábitats para peces. Los cambios al Acta Pesquera canadiense, aprobados por el parlamento en 2012 y apoyados por nuevas regulaciones establecidas en 2013, señalan que se protegerá el hábitat sólo de aquellas especies de peces que sean parte u objetivo de una pesquería. Los hábitats del grueso de las especies de peces de agua dulce de Canadá, incluyendo gran parte de los peces amenazados y en peligro, ya no estarán protegidos. En oposición a las prácticas de manejo responsable para la protección de especies nativas, inadvertidamente el acta prioriza la protección del hábitat de algunas especies de peces no nativas e incluso de especies híbridas—producidas en criaderos—en tanto éstas formen parte de una pesquería. Los cambios al acta pesquera no fueron apoyados por la información científica (contrario a la política de gobierno) y éstos son inconsistentes con el enfoque de manejo de pesquerías basado en el ecosistema. Motivado por intereses políticos, el retiro de la protección del hábitat estipulado en dicha Acta Pesquera, elimina 40 años de legislación responsable y merma la habilidad de Canadá de cumplimentar sus obligaciones nacionales e internacionales de proteger, conservar y utilizar de forma sostenible su biodiversidad acuática.
Between traditions: Stephen Ball and the critical sociology of education
Authors: Apple Michael W.
Published: November 2013

Stephen Ball's work has deservedly received a good deal of attention. In this article, I detail a number of tasks in which the critical sociologist of education – as a 'public intellectual' – should engage. I then place Ball's work within these tasks and evaluate his contributions
to them. In the process, I show that one of the things that set Stephen Ball apart from many others is his insistence that both structural and poststructural theories and analyses are necessary for 'bearing witness' and for an adequate critical understanding of educational realities. I demonstrate
how he creatively employs both sets of traditions. At the same time as I am very positive in my evaluation of his contributions, I suggest a number of issues that Ball and those who are rightly influenced by his work could productively deal with to go further into the complexities of the relationship
between education and the politics of redistribution and recognition.
On not researching school leadership: the contribution of S. J. Ball
Authors: Gunter Helen M.
Published: November 2013

Stephen Ball's research continues to make a contribution to describing, understanding and explaining the political, social, economic and cultural context in which educational professionals locate their practices. Therefore, Ball engages with issues about school leadership, but he does
not set out to present solutions for school leaders. Based on critical reading and interview data, I show how by not researching school leadership he makes a robust and relevant analysis of school leadership for the profession. He makes a contribution to understanding the realities of doing
and thinking about leaders doing leadership and exercising leadership, where his starting point is to work with the profession as public intellectuals.
Terror/enjoyment: performativity, resistance and the teacher's psyche
Authors: Clarke Matthew
Published: November 2013

This paper focuses on Stephen Ball's article, The teacher's soul and the terrors of performativity, since it is here that he analyses the issue of how neoliberal education policies shape teacher identities that I also wish to explore. I begin by providing a summary of the 2003
piece, noting how it locates teachers and their work in the midst of policy, politics, and passion in contrast to dominant techno-rational discourses of teaching – embodied, for example, in discourses of professional teacher 'standards' or 'competencies' that reduce teaching to matters
of technical efficiency. As part of this summary, and complementing Ball's own use of Foucault, I use the four 'axes' of Foucault's ethics to explain how performativity has brought about changes in relation to (1) the domain, (2) the authority sources/mode of subjectivization, (3) the practices
and (4) the telos of being a teacher. The paper goes on to argue that Ball's emphasis on 'terror' can usefully be supplemented by a Lacanian-inspired recognition of 'enjoyment' as an explanatory factor that help us understand the grip of neoliberalism's ideology of performativity. The paper
concludes by examining the economies of fantasy and enjoyment as they relate to the work of teachers, how these economies work to sustain the terrors of performativity, and how an ethics of the Real that emphasizes the critical and creative potential of sublimation, might form part of a repertoire
of resistance.
Contributions of Stephen J. Ball to the research on educational and curriculum policies in Brazil
Authors: Mainardes Jefferson , Gandin Luis Armando
Published: November 2013

This article aims at showcasing the main contributions of Stephen J. Ball to educational research in Brazil, particularly to the study of educational and curriculum policies. We also highlight some of the limitations in the incorporation of Ball's ideas in Brazil as well as some of
the challenges that these author's ideas pose to Brazilian researchers. The article points out to the ability of Ball's work to inspire a critical analysis of educational and curriculum policies and of the outcomes and consequences of these policies to different social classes. Due to the
richness and depth of Ball's work, the article indicates that it would be crucial for Brazilian researchers to explore a wider variety of Ball's texts, with the goal of understanding how he operates with the concepts and theories and how he develops his analyses. This task would also contribute
to a better quality of research in Brazil, particularly for those researchers that already have been using Ball's work as a reference.
High‐intensity cycle interval training improves cycling and running performance in triathletes
Authors: Etxebarria Naroa , Anson Judith M. , Pyne David B. , Ferguson Richard A.
Published: November 2013

Effective cycle training for triathlon is a challenge for coaches. We compared the effects of two variants of cycle high‐intensity interval training (HIT) on triathlon‐specific cycling and running. Fourteen moderately‐trained male triathletes (O2peak 58.7 ± 8.1 mL kg−1 min−1; mean ± SD) completed on separate occasions a maximal incremental test (O2peak and maximal aerobic power), 16 × 20 s cycle sprints and a 1‐h triathlon‐specific cycle followed immediately by a 5 km run time trial. Participants were then pair‐matched and assigned randomly to either a long high‐intensity interval training (LONG) (6–8 × 5 min efforts) or short high‐intensity interval training (SHORT) (9–11 × 10, 20 and 40 s efforts) HIT cycle training intervention. Six training sessions were completed over 3 weeks before participants repeated the baseline testing. Both groups had an ∼7% increase in O2peak (SHORT 7.3%, ±4.6%; mean, ±90% confidence limits; LONG 7.5%, ±1.7%). There was a moderate improvement in mean power for both the SHORT (10.3%, ±4.4%) and LONG (10.7%, ±6.8%) groups during the last eight 20‐s sprints. There was a small to moderate decrease in heart rate, blood lactate and perceived exertion in both groups during the 1‐h triathlon‐specific cycling but only the LONG group had a substantial decrease in the subsequent 5‐km run time (64, ±59 s). Moderately‐trained triathletes should use both short and long high‐intensity intervals to improve cycling physiology and performance. Longer 5‐min intervals on the bike are more likely to benefit 5 km running performance.
The Life of p: “Just Significant” Results are on the Rise
Authors: Leggett Nathan C. , Thomas Nicole A. , Loetscher Tobias , Nicholls Michael E. R.
Published: November 2013

Null hypothesis significance testing uses the seemingly arbitrary probability of .05 as a means of objectively determining whether a tested effect is reliable. Within recent psychological articles, research has found an overrepresentation of p values around this cut-off. The present study examined whether this overrepresentation is a product of recent pressure to publish or whether it has existed throughout psychological research. Articles published in 1965 and 2005 from two prominent psychology journals were examined. Like previous research, the frequency of p values at and just below .05 was greater than expected compared to p frequencies in other ranges. While this overrepresentation was found for values published in both 1965 and 2005, it was much greater in 2005. Additionally, p values close to but over .05 were more likely to be rounded down to, or incorrectly reported as, significant in 2005 than in 1965. Modern statistical software and an increased pressure to publish may explain this pattern. The problem may be alleviated by reduced reliance on p values and increased reporting of confidence intervals and effect sizes.
A Nobel Prize for membrane traffic: Vesicles find their journey’s end
Authors: Mellman Ira , Emr Scott D.
Published: November 2013

Cell biologists everywhere rejoiced when this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to James Rothman, Randy Schekman, and Thomas Südhof for their contributions to uncovering the mechanisms governing vesicular transport. In this article, we highlight their achievements and also pay tribute to the pioneering scientists before them who set the stage for their remarkable discoveries.
The end of the black hole dark ages and the origin of warm absorbers
Authors: King A. R. , Pounds K. A.
Published: November 2013

We consider how the radiation pressure of an accreting supermassive black hole (SMBH) affects the interstellar medium around it. Much of the gas originally surrounding the hole is swept into a shell with a characteristic radius somewhat larger than the black hole's radius of influence (∼1–100 pc). The shell has a mass directly comparable to the (M-σ) mass that the hole will eventually reach, and may have a complex topology. We suggest that outflows from the central SMBHs are halted by collisions with the shell, and that this is the origin of the warm absorber components frequently seen in active galactic nucleus (AGN) spectra. The shell may absorb and reradiate some of the black hole accretion luminosity at long wavelengths, implying both that the bolometric luminosities of some known AGN may have been underestimated, and that some accreting SMBH may have escaped detection entirely.
High-resolution microbial community reconstruction by integrating short reads from multiple 16S rRNA regions
Authors: Amir Amnon , Zeisel Amit , Zuk Or , Elgart Michael , Stern Shay , Shamir Ohad , Turnbaugh Peter J. , Soen Yoav , Shental Noam
Published: November 2013

The emergence of massively parallel sequencing technology has revolutionized microbial profiling, allowing the unprecedented comparison of microbial diversity across time and space in a wide range of host-associated and environmental ecosystems. Although the high-throughput nature of such methods enables the detection of low-frequency bacteria, these advances come at the cost of sequencing read length, limiting the phylogenetic resolution possible by current methods. Here, we present a generic approach for integrating short reads from large genomic regions, thus enabling phylogenetic resolution far exceeding current methods. The approach is based on a mapping to a statistical model that is later solved as a constrained optimization problem. We demonstrate the utility of this method by analyzing human saliva and Drosophila samples, using Illumina single-end sequencing of a 750 bp amplicon of the 16S rRNA gene. Phylogenetic resolution is significantly extended while reducing the number of falsely detected bacteria, as compared with standard single-region Roche 454 Pyrosequencing. Our approach can be seamlessly applied to simultaneous sequencing of multiple genes providing a higher resolution view of the composition and activity of complex microbial communities.
Comparative analysis of affinity-based 5-hydroxymethylation enrichment techniques
Authors: Thomson John P. , Hunter Jennifer M. , Nestor Colm E. , Dunican Donncha S. , Terranova Rémi , Moggs Jonathan G. , Meehan Richard R.
Published: November 2013

The epigenetic modification of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) is receiving great attention due to its potential role in DNA methylation reprogramming and as a cell state identifier. Given this interest, it is important to identify reliable and cost-effective methods for the enrichment of 5hmC marked DNA for downstream analysis. We tested three commonly used affinity-based enrichment techniques; (i) antibody, (ii) chemical capture and (iii) protein affinity enrichment and assessed their ability to accurately and reproducibly report 5hmC profiles in mouse tissues containing high (brain) and lower (liver) levels of 5hmC. The protein-affinity technique is a poor reporter of 5hmC profiles, delivering 5hmC patterns that are incompatible with other methods. Both antibody and chemical capture-based techniques generate highly similar genome-wide patterns for 5hmC, which are independently validated by standard quantitative PCR (qPCR) and glucosyl-sensitive restriction enzyme digestion (gRES-qPCR). Both antibody and chemical capture generated profiles reproducibly link to unique chromatin modification profiles associated with 5hmC. However, there appears to be a slight bias of the antibody to bind to regions of DNA rich in simple repeats. Ultimately, the increased specificity observed with chemical capture-based approaches makes this an attractive method for the analysis of locus-specific or genome-wide patterns of 5hmC.
Local Economic Development, Agglomeration Economies, and the Big Push: 100 Years of Evidence from the Tennessee Valley Authority *
Authors: Kline Patrick , Moretti Enrico
Published: November 2013

We study the long-run effects of one of the most ambitious regional development programs in U.S. history: the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Using as controls authorities that were proposed but never approved by Congress, we find that the TVA led to large gains in agricultural employment that were eventually reversed when the program’s subsidies ended. Gains in manufacturing employment, by contrast, continued to intensify well after federal transfers had lapsed—a pattern consistent with the presence of agglomeration economies in manufacturing. Because manufacturing paid higher wages than agriculture, this shift raised aggregate income in the TVA region for an extended period of time. Economists have long cautioned that the local gains created by place-based policies may be offset by losses elsewhere. We develop a structured approach to assessing the TVA’s aggregate consequences that is applicable to other place-based policies. In our model, the TVA affects the national economy both directly through infrastructure improvements and indirectly through agglomeration economies. The model’s estimates suggest that the TVA’s direct investments yielded a significant increase in national manufacturing productivity, with benefits exceeding the program’s costs. However, the program’s indirect effects appear to have been limited: agglomeration gains in the TVA region were offset by losses in the rest of the country. Spillovers in manufacturing appear to be the rare example of a localized market failure that cancels out in the aggregate.
Correlation of cefpodoxime susceptibility with cephalothin and cefuroxime for urinary tract isolates
Authors: Bookstaver David A. , Bland Christopher M. , Woodberry Mitchell W. , Mansell Karon B.
Published: November 2013

This study attempted to determine whether cefuroxime was superior to cephalothin as a surrogate marker for cefpodoxime among urinary tract isolates. The MicroScan system (Siemens) was used to determine susceptibility for cephalothin and cefuroxime on consecutive cultures with a colony count of ≥50 000 organisms. Simultaneously, an Etest (bioMérieux) for cefpodoxime was conducted. The cefpodoxime interpretation was compared to that of the other two agents, and the categorical agreement was calculated, defined as the percentage of identical susceptibility interpretations. Cefuroxime (83 %) had a significantly higher categorical agreement than cephalothin (63 %) among 300 isolates (P<0.01). The major error rate was 16 % for cephalothin and 3 % for cefuroxime. The very major error rate was 7 % for cephalothin and 14 % for cefuroxime among the 14 cefpodoxime-resistant isolates. For Escherichia coli, the major error rates were 15 % and 1 % for cephalothin and cefuroxime, respectively. Very major error rates were 9 % for both agents. Cefuroxime was a better predictor of cefpodoxime susceptibility than cephalothin, and appears to be the preferred surrogate agent for the MicroScan system, particularly for E. coli.
Loss of memory CD4+ T-cells in semi-wild mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) naturally infected with species-specific simian immunodeficiency virus SIVmnd-1
Authors: Greenwood Edward J. D. , Schmidt Fabian , Liégeois Florian , Kondova Ivanela , Herbert Anaïs , Ngoubangoye Barthelemy , Rouet François , Heeney Jonathan L.
Published: November 2013

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection is found in a number of African primate species and is thought to be generally non-pathogenic. However, studies of wild primates are limited to two species, with SIV infection appearing to have a considerably different outcome in each. Further examination of SIV-infected primates exposed to their natural environment is therefore warranted. We performed a large cross-sectional study of a cohort of semi-wild mandrills with naturally occurring SIV infection, including 39 SIV-negative and 33 species-specific SIVmnd-1-infected animals. This study was distinguished from previous reports by considerably greater sample size, examination of exclusively naturally infected animals in semi-wild conditions and consideration of simian T-lymphotropic virus (STLV) status in addition to SIVmnd-1 infection. We found that SIVmnd-1 infection was associated with a significant and progressive loss of memory CD4+T-cells. Limited but significant increases in markers of immune activation in the T-cell populations, significant increases in plasma neopterin and changes to B-cell subsets were also observed in SIV-infected animals. However, no increase in plasma soluble CD14 was observed. Histological examination of peripheral lymph nodes suggested that SIVmnd-1 infection was not associated with a significant disruption of the lymph node architecture. Whilst this species has evolved numerous strategies to resist the development of AIDS, significant effects of SIV infection could be observed when examined in a natural environment. STLVmnd-1 infection also had significant effects on some markers relevant to understanding SIV infection and thus should be considered in studies of SIV infection of African primates where present.
Deletion Mutagenesis Identifies a Haploinsufficient Role for γ-Zein in opaque2 Endosperm Modification
Authors: Yuan Lingling , Dou Yongchao , Kianian Shahryar F. , Zhang Chi , Holding David R.
Published: November 2013

Quality Protein Maize (QPM) is a hard kernel variant of the high-lysine mutant opaque2. Using γ-irradiation, we created opaque QPM variants to identify opaque2 modifier genes and to investigate deletion mutagenesis combined with Illumina sequencing as a maize (Zea mays) functional genomics tool. A K0326Y QPM deletion mutant was null for the 27- and 50-kD γ-zeins and abolished vitreous endosperm formation. Illumina exon and RNA sequencing revealed a 1.2-megabase pair deletion encompassing the 27- and 50-kD γ-zein genes on chromosome 7 and a deletion of at least 232 kb on chromosome 9. Protein body number was reduced by over 90%, while protein body size is similar to the wild type. Kernels hemizygous for the γ-zein deletion had intermediate 27- and 50-kD γ-zein levels and were semivitreous, indicating haploinsufficiency of these gene products in opaque2 endosperm modification. The γ-zein deletion further increased lysine in QPM in its homozygous and hemizygous states. This work identifies 27-kD γ-zein as an opaque2 modifier gene within the largest QPM quantitative trait locus and may suggest the 50-kD γ-zein also contributes to this quantitative trait locus. It further demonstrates that genome-wide deletions in nonreference maize lines can be identified through a combination of assembly of Illumina reads against the B73 genome and integration of RNA sequencing data.
Arabidopsis56–Amino Acid Serine Palmitoyltransferase-Interacting Proteins Stimulate Sphingolipid Synthesis, Are Essential, and Affect Mycotoxin Sensitivity
Authors: Kimberlin Athen N. , Majumder Saurav , Han Gongshe , Chen Ming , Cahoon Rebecca E. , Stone Julie M. , Dunn Teresa M. , Cahoon Edgar B.
Published: November 2013

Maintenance of sphingolipid homeostasis is critical for cell growth and programmed cell death (PCD). Serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT), composed of LCB1 and LCB2 subunits, catalyzes the primary regulatory point for sphingolipid synthesis. Small subunits of SPT (ssSPT) that strongly stimulate SPT activity have been identified in mammals, but the role of ssSPT in eukaryotic cells is unclear. Candidate Arabidopsis thaliana  ssSPTs, ssSPTa and ssSPTb, were identified and characterized. Expression of these 56–amino acid polypeptides in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae  SPT null mutant stimulated SPT activity from the Arabidopsis LCB1/LCB2 heterodimer by >100-fold through physical interaction with LCB1/LCB2. ssSPTa transcripts were more enriched in all organs and >400-fold more abundant in pollen than ssSPTb transcripts. Accordingly, homozygous ssSPTa T-DNA mutants were not recoverable, and 50% nonviable pollen was detected in heterozygous ssspta mutants. Pollen viability was recovered by expression of wild-type ssSPTa or ssSPTb under control of the ssSPTa promoter, indicating ssSPTa and ssSPTb functional redundancy. SPT activity and sensitivity to the PCD-inducing mycotoxin fumonisin B1 (FB1) were increased by ssSPTa overexpression. Conversely, SPT activity and FB1 sensitivity were reduced in ssSPTa RNA interference lines. These results demonstrate that ssSPTs are essential for male gametophytes, are important for FB1 sensitivity, and limit sphingolipid synthesis in planta.
Was there a peso problem in cattle options?
Authors: Thomsen Michael , M. McKenzie Andrew , J. Power Gabriel
Published: November 2013

Purpose

– Pricing densities implied from options on live cattle futures show a persistent and negative skew. The purpose is to examine whether the skew can be explained, in part, by peso-type problems.

Design/methodology/approach

– Two announcements of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) provide a natural setting within which to examine the validity of the peso-problem explanation. These announcements represent the first documented cases of BSE in North America. Prior to the announcements, the potential for BSE would have been known by market participants as the disease had been found among cattle in the British Isles, Europe and Asia. The paper uses options market data to compute implied moments of the pricing distribution for live cattle futures. The paper then analyzes these moments around BSE announcements.

Findings

– The first Canadian BSE announcement impacted the mean and volatility but not the implied skew. Later in the year, BSE was found in a US cow and the paper finds a statistically significant change in the implied skew. The distribution showed a pronounced leftward skew prior to the US announcement but was nearly symmetric during the days afterwards. This finding is consistent with the market having priced the possibility of a BSE discovery into deep out-of-the-money put options.

Originality/value

– Peso problems have been documented in other financial markets. The results are important because they suggest that they may also be important to agricultural markets and that agricultural options markets do account for low probability but highly important events.
Attributes of excellence in practice educators: The perspectives of Australian occupational therapy students
Authors: Rodger Sylvia , Thomas Yvonne , Greber Craig , Broadbridge Jacqueline , Edwards Ann , Newton Julie , Lyons Michael
Published: November 2013

Aim

Occupational therapists frequently undertake the role of practice educator contributing to the development of the future workforce, however, little is known about how they effectively perform this role. This study aimed to elucidate students' perspectives on what makes an excellent practice educator.

Method

Documentation for 124 Practice Excellence Commendations nominations by Queensland occupational therapy students for Queensland Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Collaborative awards between 2008 and 2011 were analysed. These were based on students' experiences on long block placements (five weeks or more) in their later years of undergraduate or masters' entry study. Written nominations addressing five selection criteria were de‐identified and responses to each of these compiled. One independent coder and the two lead authors read the transcripts, identified coding categories and reached consensus regarding emerging themes using standard content and thematic analysis techniques.

Results

Providing the ‘just right’ challenge was the overarching theme that symbolised excellence in practice education from students' perspectives. Three themes emerged that enabled practice educators to provide student support needed to balance the challenges of learning on placement; (i) valuing a reciprocal relationship; (ii) facilitating learning opportunities and experiences; and (iii) encouraging autonomy and independence.

Conclusion

Findings provided insights into student perceptions about how excellent practice educators facilitated their learning while on placement. These insights can be used to inform practice educators who wish to enhance their supervision skills. Future research should focus on how the attributes of practice educators positively influence student learning outcomes.
Characterisation of the sensory properties of whey protein concentrates
Authors: Lammert Amy , Olabi Ammar , Kalache Loulwa , Brooks Katie , Tong Phillip
Published: November 2013

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of four commercial whey protein concentrates (WPCs) on the sensory and selected physical properties (colour, viscosity) in sweet solutions. WPCs exhibited significant differences in colour properties, including the L, a and b‐values (P < 0.001). Triangle tests, with 25 untrained panellists, revealed significant brand differences. Descriptive analysis, with eight trained judges, corresponded to instrumental analysis with differences in opacity (P < 0.05) and colour (P < 0.001), but no differences on odour/flavour despite minor differences in composition. The lack of effect on odour/flavour may not be translated to more complex matrices such as WPC‐fortified dairy beverages.
Ultrasound‐guided needle handling using a guidance positioning system in a phantom
Authors: Tielens L. K. P. , Damen R. B. C. C. , Lerou J. G. C. , Scheffer G.‐J. , Bruhn J.
Published: November 2013

The SonixGPS™ needle guidance positioning system provides navigation assistance to facilitate needle handling during ultrasound‐guided procedures. Each of 20 inexperienced nurse anaesthetists performed 12 different ultrasound‐guided tasks in a porcine phantom. Using both in‐plane and out‐of‐plane approaches, they inserted a needle and made contact with metal rods at depths of 2, 4 and 6 cm. We compared their performances without and with navigation as paired observations. Using the out‐of‐plane approach, navigation yielded shorter execution times (26 s vs 14 s, respectively; p = 0.01) and fewer needle repositionings (8 vs 3, respectively; p = 0.001). Using the in‐plane approach, the needle was more visible with navigation assistance: 24% vs 52% of execution time, respectively (95% CI: 44%–12%; p = 0.0025). Better needle visibility was associated with shorter execution times and fewer needle repositionings. Combining ultrasound‐guided techniques with the needle guidance positioning system may reduce tissue manipulation, thus improving patient comfort and safety.
Neutralization of AntiCitrullinated Protein Antibodies in Rheumatoid Arthritis – A Way to Go?
Authors: Cerqueira Cátia F. , Klareskog Lars , Jakobsson Per‐Johan
Published: November 2013

Anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) constitute a class of autoantibodies found in 60–70% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The most common test for ACPA positivity is based on the occurrence of antibodies that bind to circular citrullinated peptides, so‐called CCP, some of which are derived from endogenously citrullinated proteins, like filaggrin. Several lines of evidence suggest that these autoantibodies may confer pathological reactions. They appear years before onset of clinical disease and are associated with worse prognosis and a more erosive disease. Their presence correlates with the most prominent genetic risk factors for RA development, and they were recently described to mediate relevant biological functions such as activation of complement system and induction of osteoclastogenesis. The development of new drugs that specifically target these autoantibodies is an appealing and novel approach. Herein, we briefly review the autoimmune condition of RA, characterized by the presence of ACPA, and we describe how the neutralization of autoantibodies might become a novel pharmacological principle.
Linking Tarim Basin sea retreat (west China) and Asian aridification in the late Eocene
Authors: Bosboom R. , Dupont‐Nivet G. , Grothe A. , Brinkhuis H. , Villa G. , Mandic O. , Stoica M. , Huang W. , Yang W. , Guo Z. , Krijgsman W.
Published: November 2013

The Tarim Basin in western China formed the easternmost margin of a shallow epicontinental sea that extended across Eurasia and was well connected to the western Tethys during the Paleogene. Climate modelling studies suggest that the westward retreat of this sea from Central Asia may have been as important as the Tibetan Plateau uplift in forcing aridification and monsoon intensification in the Asian continental interior due to the redistribution of the land‐sea thermal contrast. However, testing of this hypothesis is hindered by poor constraints on the timing and precise palaeogeographic dynamics of the retreat. Here, we present an improved integrated bio‐ and magnetostratigraphic chronological framework of the previously studied marine to continental transition in the southwest Tarim Basin along the Pamir and West Kunlun Shan, allowing us to better constrain its timing, cause and palaeoenvironmental impact. The sea retreat is assigned a latest Lutetian–earliest Bartonian age (ca. 41 Ma; correlation of the last marine sediments to calcareous nannofossil ZoneCP14 and correlation of the first continental red beds to the base of magnetochron C18r). Higher up in the continental deposits, a major hiatus includes the Eocene–Oligocene transition (ca. 34 Ma). This suggests the Tarim Basin was hydrologically connected to the Tethyan marine Realm until at least the earliest Oligocene and had not yet been closed by uplift of the Pamir–Kunlun orogenic system. The westward sea retreat atca. 41 Ma and the disconformity at the Eocene–Oligocene transition are both time‐equivalent with reported Asian aridification steps, suggesting that, consistent with climate modelling results, the sea acted as an important moisture source for the Asian continental interior.
Food allergens in mattress dust in Norwegian homes – a potentially important source of allergen exposure
Authors: Bertelsen R. J. , Faeste C. K. , Granum B. , Egaas E. , London S. J. , Carlsen K.‐H. , Lødrup Carlsen K. C. , Løvik M.
Published: November 2013

Background

Sensitization to food allergens and food allergic reactions are mostly caused by ingesting the allergen, but can also occur from exposure via the respiratory tract or the skin. Little is known about exposure to food allergens in the home environment.

Objective

The objective of this study was firstly to describe the frequency of detection of allergens from fish, egg, milk, and peanut in mattress dust collected from homes of 13‐year‐old adolescents and secondly to identify home characteristics associated with the presence of food allergen contamination in dust.

Methods

Food allergens were measured by dot blot analysis in mattress dust from 143 homes in Oslo, Norway. We analysed associations between home characteristics (collected by parental questionnaires and study technicians) and food allergens by multivariate regression models.

Results

Fish allergen was detected in 46%, peanut in 41%, milk in 39%, and egg allergen in 22% of the mattress dust samples; only three samples contained none of these allergens. All four food allergens were more frequently detected in mattresses in small dwellings (< 100 m2) than larger dwellings (≥ 130 m2); 63–71% of the small dwellings (n = 24) had milk, peanut, and fish allergens in the samples compared with 33–44% of the larger dwellings (n = 95). Milk, peanut, and egg allergens were more frequently detected in homes with bedroom and kitchen on the same floor as compared with different floors, with odds ratios of 2.5 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1, 5.6) for milk, 2.4 (95% CI: 1.0, 6.1) for peanut, and 3.1 (95% CI: 1.3, 7.5) for egg allergens.

Conclusions and clinical relevance

Food allergens occurred frequently in beds in Norwegian homes, with dwelling size and proximity of kitchen and bedroom as the most important determinants. Due to the amount of time children spent in the bedroom, mattress dust may be an important source of exposure to food allergens.
Are patients with autoimmune thyroid disease and autoimmune gastritis at risk of gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms type 1?
Authors: Alexandraki Krystallenia I. , Nikolaou Argiro , Thomas Dimitrios , Syriou Vassiliki , Korkolopoulou Penelope , Sougioultzis Stavros , Kaltsas Gregory
Published: November 2013

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of autoimmune gastritis, enterochromaffin‐like cell (ECL‐cell) hyperplasia and gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms type 1 (GNEN1) in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease.

Design

Prospective observational study in a single institutional study.

Patients and Measurements

One hundred and twenty patients with autoimmune thyroid disease were consecutively recruited from the Endocrine Unit. Upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy (UGE) and biochemical parameters for autoimmune thyroid disease and autoimmune gastritis were assessed at recruitment and annually thereafter in patients with a mean follow‐up of 37·5 ± 14·4 months. Autoimmune gastritis was defined by the presence of antiparietal cell antibodies (APCA) and histological confirmation after UGE. Serum gastrin and chromogranin Α were also measured.

Results

One hundred and eleven patients had Hashimoto's thyroiditis and nine Graves' disease. Autoimmune gastritis was identified in 40 (38 with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and two with Graves' disease) patients all of whom had increased levels of gastrin and chromogranin Α; Helicobacter pylori infection was histologically identified in 15 of 40 (37·5%) patients. Six patients had isolated nodular ECL‐cell hyperplasia and one mixed nodular and linear ECL‐cell hyperplasia [7 of 40 (17·5%)]. Only increased gastrin (P = 0·03) levels predicted the presence ECL‐cell hyperplasia. A GNEN1 developed in one patient with nodular ECL‐cell hyperplasia after 39 months of follow‐up.

Conclusions

Concomitant autoimmune gastritis was found in 33·3% of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease, 17·5% of whom had ECL‐cell hyperplasia that evolved to GNEN1 in one (2·5%). Larger studies with longer follow‐up are needed to define the incidence of GNEN1 in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease and ECL‐cell hyperplasia and potential implications.
Long‐term survival following laparoscopic and open colectomy for colon cancer: a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Theophilus M. , Platell C. , Spilsbury K.
Published: November 2013

Aim

Large randomized clinical trials comparing long‐term survival after laparoscopic and open colectomy for large bowel cancer show equivalence, but meaningful analysis of data by stage has not been possible due to the small numbers of patients in individual trials. The aim of this meta‐analysis was to improve statistical power by combining data to enable assessment of survival for individual stages.

Method

A systematic review and meta‐analysis was conducted through a computerized search of all randomized controlled trials comparing open and laparoscopic surgery for large bowel cancer. Overall survival data were analysed and subgroup analysis was performed for cancer of Stages I–III.

Results

Five trials (3152 patients) were included. Overall survival was equivalent (hazard ration 0.93; 95% confidence interval 0.80–1.07). With each of the cancer stages, I–III, there was no difference in 5‐year survival. There was, however, a nonsignificant trend in favour of open surgery in the subgroup analysis of Stage II patients.

Conclusion

Laparoscopic‐assisted surgery for colon cancer is equivalent to open surgery with respect to long‐term survival although there may be a difference for Stage II cancer.
Seamount benthos in a cobalt‐rich crust region of the central Pacific: conservation challenges for future seabed mining
Authors: Schlacher Thomas A. , Baco Amy R. , Rowden Ashley A. , O'Hara Timothy D. , Clark Malcolm R. , Kelley Chris , Dower John F.
Published: November 2013

Aim

The benthic fauna of seamounts typically includes organisms that are slow‐growing, long‐lived and sensitive to mechanical disturbance, making seamounts susceptible to anthropogenic impacts. Such impacts may arise from mining cobalt‐rich crusts, envisaged for seamounts in the central North Pacific; this scenario requires that environmental guidelines for mining operations on seamounts be developed. Here, we provide the biological information essential for effective conservation planning of deep‐sea features targeted for such mining.

Location

Central North Pacific, Hawaiian Seamount Chain.

Methods

Spatial analysis of seamount benthos using a large biological dataset (> 600 taxa) obtained from 144 submersible dives (depth range: 113–1985 m) on 27 seamounts covering a distance of over 2200 km of ocean.

Results

Benthic assemblages of invertebrates are structurally different between seamounts located inside and outside a region with cobalt‐rich crusts. This spatial contrast results from variations in species composition and relative abundance of species, rather than differences in species richness, challenging historical notions of an impoverished cobalt‐rich crust fauna in the region. Seamount assemblages also have high species turnover with depth and distance at the scale of individual seamounts, but geographic separation was a poor predictor of ecological separation for the region at large.

Main conclusion

Several implications for the design of spatial management and conservation tools with respect to mining emerge: (1) conservation of seamounts outside the cobalt‐rich crust region is unlikely to capture the full range of ecological features found inside the region; (2) conservation areas need to encompass a broad bathymetric gradient; (3) ideally, mining blocks on individual seamounts should not exceed 2 km in length. Overall, the life history characteristics and morphological traits of the deep‐water invertebrate fauna typical of seamounts in the region imply that any recovery from mechanical impacts is likely to be very slow.
Regional distribution models with lack of proximate predictors: Africanized honeybees expanding north
Authors: Jarnevich Catherine S. , Esaias Wayne E. , Ma Peter L. A. , Morisette Jeffery T. , Nickeson Jaime E. , Stohlgren Thomas J. , Holcombe Tracy R. , Nightingale Joanne M. , Wolfe Robert E. , Tan Bin
Published: November 2013

Aim

Species distribution models have often been hampered by poor local species data, reliance on coarse‐scale climate predictors and the assumption that species–environment relationships, even with non‐proximate predictors, are consistent across geographical space. Yet locally accurate maps of invasive species, such as the Africanized honeybee (AHB) in North America, are needed to support conservation efforts. Current AHB range maps are relatively coarse and are inconsistent with observed data. Our aim was to improve distribution maps using more proximate predictors (phenology) and using regional models rather than one across the entire range of interest to explore potential differences in drivers.

Location

United States of America.

Methods

We provide a generalized framework for regional and local species distribution modelling with our more nuanced and spatially detailed forecast of potential AHB spread using multiple habitat modelling techniques and newly derived remotely sensed phenology layers.

Results

Variable importance did differ between the two regions for which we modelled AHB. Phenology metrics were important, especially in the south‐east.

Main conclusions

Results demonstrate that incorporating a combination of both climate drivers and vegetation phenology information into models can be important for predicting the suitable habitat range of these pollinators. Regional models may provide evidence of differing drivers of distributions geographically. This framework may improve many local and regional species distribution modelling efforts.
Forecasting plant range collapse in a mediterranean hotspot: when dispersal uncertainties matter
Authors: Benito Blas M. , Lorite Juan , Pérez‐Pérez Ramón , Gómez‐Aparicio Lorena , Peñas Julio
Published: November 2013

Aim

The Mediterranean Basin is threatened by climate change, and there is an urgent need for studies to determine the risk of plant range shift and potential extinction. In this study, we simulate potential range shifts of 176 plant species to perform a detailed prognosis of critical range decline and extinction in a transformed mediterranean landscape. Particularly, we seek to answer two pivotal questions: (1) what are the general plant‐extinction patterns we should expect in mediterranean landscapes during the 21st century? and (2) does dispersal ability prevent extinction under climate change?

Location

Andalusia: southern Iberian Peninsula; 87,597 km2; 300 by 520 km.

Methods

We gathered information on the dispersal traits of 176 plant species (dispersal vector, average and maximum dispersal distances, shape of the dispersal kernel). We used these data to feed a stochastic dynamic species distribution model (a combination of a cellular automaton with an ensemble of species distribution models) to simulate plant range shift under climate change with realistic dispersal under two different warming scenarios. We compared dispersal and non‐dispersal simulations to assess the influence that climate change and species‐distribution characteristics exert on plant‐extinction patterns.

Results

The dispersal simulation showed a lower percentage of extinct (−1%) and quasi‐extinct species (−19%) than did the non‐dispersal simulation. Summer temperatures of 37 °C and 33 °C, respectively, accelerated the critical range decline and extinction rates. The average elevation of the plant populations was the variable with the highest influence on extinction probability.

Main conclusions

Stochastic dynamic species distribution models proved to be useful when there was lack of data on dispersal distances and population dynamics. Dispersal ability showed minor effectiveness in preventing extinction, but greatly reduced the likelihood of critical range decline for a significant percentage of species.
Quarantine arthropod invasions in Europe: the role of climate, hosts and propagule pressure
Authors: Bacon Steven J. , Aebi Alexandre , Calanca Pierluigi , Bacher Sven
Published: November 2013

Aim

To quantify the relative importance of propagule pressure, climate‐matching and host availability for the invasion of agricultural pest arthropods in Europe and to forecast newly emerging pest species and European areas with the highest risk of arthropod invasion under current climate and a future climate scenario (A1F1).

Location

Europe.

Methods

We quantified propagule pressure, climate‐matching and host availability by aggregating large global databases for trade, European arthropod interceptions, Koeppen–Geiger world climate classification (including the A1F1 climate change scenario until 2100) and host plant distributions for 118 quarantine arthropod species.

Results

As expected, all the three factors, propagule pressure, climate suitability and host availability, significantly explained quarantine arthropod invasions in Europe, but the propagule pressure only had a positive effect on invasion success when considered together with climate suitability and host availability. Climate change according to the A1F1 scenario generally increased the climate suitability of north‐eastern European countries and reduced the climate suitability of central European countries for pest arthropod invasions.

Main conclusions

To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that propagule pressure interacts with other factors to drive invasions and is not alone sufficient to explain arthropod establishment patterns. European countries with more suitable climate and large agricultural areas of suitable host plants for pest arthropods should thus be more vigilant about introduction pathways. Moreover, efforts to reduce the propagule pressure, such as preventing pests from entering pathways and strengthening border controls, will become more important in north‐eastern Europe in the future as the climate becomes more favourable to arthropod invasions.