bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Potential phosphorus leaching from sandy topsoils with different fertilizer histories before and after application of pig slurry
Authors: Liu J. , Aronsson H. , Ulén B. , Bergström L.
Published: September 2012

This study investigated the effects of historical long‐term and recent single applications of pig slurry on phosphorus (P) leaching from intact columns of two sandy topsoils (Mellby and Böslid). The soils had similar physical properties, but different soil P status (ammonium lactate‐extractable P; P‐AL) and degree of P saturation (DPS‐AL). Mellby had P‐AL of 220–280 mg/kg and DPS‐AL of 32–42%, which was higher than for Böslid (P‐AL 140 mg/kg and DPS 21%). The study investigated the effects since 1983 of four treatments with different fertilizer histories, in summary high (HighSlurryMellby) and low (LowSlurryMellby) rates of pig slurry and mineral P (MinMellby) applications at Mellby and mineral P application at Böslid (MinBöslid). The columns were irrigated in the laboratory five times before and five times after a single application of pig slurry (22 kg P/ha). Concentrations of dissolved reactive P (DRP), dissolved organic P and total‐P (TP) in leachate and loads were significantly higher (P < 0.005) from the treatments at Mellby than those at Böslid. TP concentrations followed the trend: HighSlurryMellby (0.57–0.59 mg/L) > MinMellby (0.41–0.49 mg/L) > LowSlurryMellby (0.31–0.36 mg/L) > MinBöslid (0.14–0.15 mg/L), both before and after the single slurry application. DRP concentrations in leachate were positively correlated with DPS‐AL values in the topsoil (R2 = 0.95, P < 0.0001) and increased with greater DPS‐AL values after the single slurry application (R2 = 0.79, P < 0.0001). Thus, DPS‐AL can be an appropriate indicator of P leaching risk from sandy soils. Moreover, the build‐up of soil P because of long‐term repeated manure applications seems to be more important for potential P losses than a single manure application.
Message Framing and Parents' Intentions to have their Children Vaccinated Against HPV
Authors: Gainforth Heather L. , Cao Wei , Latimer‐Cheung Amy E.
Published: September 2012

Objective

Framing a message in terms of the benefits of engaging in the behavior (gain frame), the costs of failing to engage in the behavior (loss frame), or both the benefits and the costs (mixed frame) can impact parents' decisions about their childrens' and adolescents' health. This study, investigated the effect of framed messages on parents' intentions to have their children vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV).

Design and Sample

The study employed a 2 (gender of the parent) × 2 (gender of the child) × 3 (message frame) between‐groups, quasi‐experimental design. A convenience sample of 367 parents with children in Grade 5, 6, or 7 who had at least one child who had not been vaccinated against HPV.

Measures

Social‐cognitive variables relating to intentions to vaccinate a child were assessed.

Intervention

Participants were randomly assigned to read one of three framed messages about the HPV vaccine (gain, loss, or mixed).

Results

Gain‐framed messages seemed to persuade mothers of sons to speak to a doctor about the vaccine (p < .05). Framing effects were not significant for other outcomes.

Conclusions

Findings provide preliminary evidence that certain vaccination messages may be more effective for different parent‐child dyads.
Cutaneous Graft versus Host Disease in Pediatric Multivisceral Transplantation
Authors: Feito‐Rodríguez Marta , de Lucas‐Laguna Raúl , Gómez‐Fernández Cristina , Sendagorta‐Cudós Elena , Collantes Elena , Beato Maria Jose , Boluda Esther Ramos
Published: September 2012

Abstract:  Multivisceral transplantation (MvTx) is the concurrent transplantation of the stomach, pancreaticoduodenal complex, and intestine, with or without the liver. Its use is increasing worldwide as it has been considered as a therapy for patients with functional disturbance of several organs. Graft‐versus‐host disease (GvHD) has been a relevant clinical problem in MvTx ever since the procedure was first performed, but little has been reported about its specific cutaneous features. Our study included all pediatric patients with clinical and histopathologic evidence of cutaneous GvHD who received MvTx between October 1999 and December 2010 in University Hospital La Paz. Seventeen children underwent MvTx at our center during this period of time. Five patients developed cutaneous GvHD (29.4%). The median onset was 45.2 days after transplantation. Acute cutaneous GvHD, consisting of symmetrical maculopapular exanthema with prominent acral erythema and accentuated lesions on the face and pinnae, was clinically suspected and pathologically confirmed in four patients (80%). Three children (60%) experienced disease progression to a formation and a positive Nikolsky sign. Only one girl (20%) showed lichenoid GvHD. The first therapeutic approach was steroids and tacrolimus adjustment; many other drugs were used in refractory cases. Three of the five patients (60%) died with concomitant GvHD, the immediate cause of death being another comorbid disease. Knowledge of the features of cutaneous GvHD in MvTx allows clinicians early recognition and prompt therapeutic intervention that may prevent progression to higher‐grade disease and improve outcomes for these patients.
Infantile Hemangioma: Treatment with Short Course Systemic Corticosteroid Therapy as an Alternative for Propranolol
Authors: Nieuwenhuis Klaske , de Laat Peter C. J. , Janmohamed Sherief R. , Madern Gerard C. , Oranje Arnold P.
Published: September 2012

Abstract:  Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are increasingly being treated with propranolol or other beta‐blockers, but before this therapeutic option was available, oral glucocorticosteroids (GCSs) were the criterion standard treatment and are still the alternative modality in problematic cases. Nevertheless, there is no standard treatment protocol for the dose and duration of GCSs. Long‐term treatment with GCSs is associated with unwanted side effects such as growth suppression, behavioral changes, and reflux. Twenty‐one children with troublesome IHs were treated according to an algorithm with 3 mg/kg/day of oral prednisolone divided three times per day with varying duration and number of GCS courses. Two blinded investigators independently interpreted therapy results using the Hemangioma Activity Score (HAS). Side effects were determined according to reports in patient charts and parental questionnaires. The median duration of a short course of GCSs was 2 weeks (range 1–6 weeks). The number of courses was 2 (range 1–5). The median cumulative dose was 91 mg/kg. Growth stabilized in all patients, with a good response (>50% reduction in HAS) in 62% and a favorable response (30–50% reduction is HAS) in 23%. Twelve of the 21 children (57%) had minor side effects. Persistent side effects did not occur. Intermittent short course, systemic, high‐dose GCS therapy is an effective and safe treatment modality for IH, with a substantially lower cumulative dose of GCSs compared to prolonged therapy and no major side effects. This treatment is an alternative in cases in which propranolol fails or is contraindicated.
Clustered Juvenile Xanthogranuloma
Authors: Messeguer Francesc , Agustí‐Mejias Anna , Colmenero Isabel , Hernández‐Martin Angela , Torrelo Antonio
Published: September 2012

Abstract:  Clustered or agminated juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) is an unusual form of JXG characterized by multiple reddish‐brown or yellowish papules and nodules in a coalescent pattern. We report a case of clustered JXG involving the left lower back of a 5‐month‐old boy.
Tissue plasminogen activator does not alter development of acquired epilepsy
Authors: Tan Mei‐Lyn , Ng Ashley , Pandher Puneet S. , Sashindranath Maithili , Hamilton John A. , Davis Stephen M. , O’Brien Terence J. , Medcalf Robert L. , Yan Bernard , Jones Nigel C.
Published: September 2012

Purpose:  Tissue plasminogen activator (t‐PA), a proven therapy for acute ischemic stroke, is an endogenous serine protease associated with neuronal activity and synaptic plasticity in the brain. Its expression is enhanced after seizures, and is involved in seizure propagation throughout the brain. Therefore, the increased use of t‐PA to treat stroke may have important implications for the development of poststroke epilepsy. Using experimental and clinical approaches, we investigated the role of t‐PA in the development of epilepsy.

Methods:  Mice deficient in t‐PA (t‐PA−/−) or mice transgenically modified to overexpress neuronal t‐PA (T4) underwent amygdala kindling, and seizure threshold and rates of kindling were compared to those in wild‐type mice. For the clinical study, we recruited acute ischemic stroke patients who either received intravenous t‐PA treatment on admission to hospital (n = 177; cases) or did not (n = 158; controls). We then assessed the incidence of early and late onset seizures and epilepsy in these patients.

Key Findings:  T4 mice were more seizure‐prone than wild‐type mice, exhibiting lower seizure thresholds (p = 0.002), but there were no significant differences observed in the rate of kindling development when comparing either T4 mice, or t‐PA−/− mice, to their wild‐type controls. Furthermore, we found no significant differences between the proportion of poststroke patients experiencing early or late seizures, or developing epilepsy, between those who received t‐PA and those who did not.

Significance:  Overexpression of endogenous t‐PA lowers seizure threshold but does not influence kindling epileptogenesis. Moreover, the therapeutic administration of t‐PA in humans does not influence the development of acquired poststroke epilepsy.
DNA Methylation/Demethylation Network Expression in Psychotic Patients with a History of Alcohol Abuse
Authors: Guidotti Alessandro , Dong Erbo , Gavin David P. , Veldic Marin , Zhao Weihan , Bhaumik Dulal K. , Pandey Subhash C. , Grayson Dennis R.
Published: September 2012

Background

Recent studies suggest that protracted and excessive alcohol use induces an epigenetic dysregulation in human and rodent brains. We recently reported that DNA methylation dynamics are altered in brains of psychotic (PS) patients, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients. Because PS patients are often comorbid with chronic alcohol abuse, we examined whether the altered expression of multiple members of the DNA methylation/demethylation network observed in postmortem brains of PS patients was modified in PS patients with a history of chronic alcohol abuse.

Methods

DNA‐methyltransferase‐1 (DNMT1) mRNA‐positive neurons were counted in situ in prefrontal cortex samples obtained from the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center, Belmont, MA. 10‐11‐translocation (TETs 1, 2, 3), apolipoprotein B editing complex enzyme (APOBEC‐3C), growth and DNA‐damage‐inducible protein 45β (GADD45β), and methyl‐binding domain protein‐4 (MBD4) mRNAs were measured by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction in inferior parietal cortical lobule samples obtained from the Stanley Foundation Neuropathology Consortium, Bethesda, MD.

Results

We observed an increase in DNMT1 mRNA‐positive neurons in PS patients compared with non‐PS subjects. In addition, there was a pronounced decrease in APOBEC‐3C and a pronounced increase in GADD45β and TET1 mRNAs in PS patients with no history of alcohol abuse. In PS patients with a history of chronic alcohol abuse, the numbers of DNMT1‐positive neurons were not increased significantly. Furthermore, the decrease in APOBEC‐3C mRNA was less pronounced, while the increase in TET1 mRNA had a tendency to be potentiated in those PS patients that were chronic alcohol abusers. GADD45β and MBD4 mRNAs were not influenced by alcohol abuse. The effect of chronic alcohol abuse on DNA methylation/demethylation network enzymes cannot be attributed to confounding demographic variables or to the type and dose of medication used.

Conclusions

Based on these results, we hypothesize that PS patients may abuse alcohol as a potential attempt at self‐medication to normalize altered DNA methylation/demethylation network pathways. However, before accepting this conclusion, we need to study alterations in the DNA methylation/demethylation pathways and the DNA methylation dynamics in a substantial number of alcoholic PS and non‐PS patients. Additional investigation may also be necessary to determine whether the altered DNA methylation dynamics are direct or the consequence of an indirect interaction of alcohol with the neuropathogenetic mechanisms underlying psychosis.
Projections of Future Extreme Weather Losses Under Changes in Climate and Exposure
Authors: Bouwer Laurens M.
Published: September 2012

Many attempts are made to assess future changes in extreme weather events due to anthropogenic climate change, but few studies have estimated the potential change in economic losses from such events. Projecting losses is more complex as it requires insight into the change in the weather hazard but also into exposure and vulnerability of assets. This article discusses the issues involved as well as a framework for projecting future losses, and provides an overview of some state‐of‐the‐art projections. Estimates of changes in losses from cyclones and floods are given, and particular attention is paid to the different approaches and assumptions. All projections show increases in extreme weather losses due to climate change. Flood losses are generally projected to increase more rapidly than losses from tropical and extra‐tropical cyclones. However, for the period until the year 2040, the contribution from increasing exposure and value of capital at risk to future losses is likely to be equal or larger than the contribution from anthropogenic climate change. Given the fact that the occurrence of loss events also varies over time due to natural climate variability, the signal from anthropogenic climate change is likely to be lost among the other causes for changes in risk, at least during the period until 2040. More efforts are needed to arrive at a comprehensive approach that includes quantification of changes in hazard, exposure, and vulnerability, as well as adaptation effects.
Frequency, Time Course, and Possible Causes of Right Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction after Cardiac Transplantation: A Single Center Experience
Authors: Mastouri Ronald , Batres Yasir , Lenet Adam , Gradus‐Pizlo Irmina , O'Donnell Jacqueline , Feigenbaum Harvey , Sawada Stephen G.
Published: September 2012

Background: The frequency and causes of right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction early after cardiac transplantation are not well defined. Methods: We investigated the prevalence and causes of RV dysfunction in 27 heart transplant recipients, as measured by lateral tricuspid annular plane excursion (TAPSE) and fractional area change (FAC) at a mean of 15 ± 11 days after transplant. Tissue Doppler imaging was used to assess systolic time velocity integral (TVI) of the RV basal free wall. A subset of 22 patients had follow‐up TAPSE measurement at 406 ± 121 days. Results: RV systolic dysfunction, defined as TAPSE > 2 standard deviation (SD) below values in a control group, was present in 100% (27/27) of patients (P < 0.05). FAC was also significantly lower in patients compared with controls (P < 0.0001). TVI confirmed the presence of RV dysfunction in all 16 patients with both TAPSE and TVI (P < 0.05). Ischemic time (P = 0.017) and posttransplant tricuspid regurgitation (P = 0.024) were independent predictors of early RV dysfunction (r = 0.753). On follow‐up, RV function improved in 15 of 22 patients but all patients remained with TAPSE > 2 SD below controls. Conclusion: This study showed that 100% of patients had reduced RV function early after transplant. Two thirds of patients had partial recovery of RV function during the first year. In all patients, however, RV function remained significantly lower than in controls.
Three‐Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiography of Aortic Atherosclerosis
Authors: Kocabay Gonenc , Muraru Denisa , Peluso Diletta , Iliceto Sabino , Badano Luigi P.
Published: September 2012

Mini‐Abstract

We present a 75‐year‐old woman with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis who underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TOE) as part of the routine examinations before scheduling transcatheter aortic valve implantation. The examination identified, in addition to severe calcific aortic stenosis, intimal thickening of the ascending aorta. Three‐dimensional (3D) TOE was performed to better characterize atherosclerotic plaque size, shape, and relationships with the surrounding aortic wall.
Nanoindentation Study of Pop‐in Phenomenon Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of Sapphire (102) Crystal
Authors: Mao Weiguo , Shen Yaogen
Published: September 2012

The pop‐in behavior and mechanical properties of sapphire crystal vertically indented to its rhombohedral R (102) plane were investigated by nanoindentation using a Berkovich indenter. Effect of loading rate on pop‐in load and pop‐in extension width was observed within the indentation depth of h < 120 nm. The indentation size effect (ISE) of hardness within an indentation depth of 60 nm was systematically analyzed using Nix‐Gao and Al‐Rub models. Our experiments provided the consistent evaluations of hardness (H = 27.5 GPa), true hardness (Htrue = 68.9 GPa) at the non‐ISE region and effective indentation modulus (M = 423 GPa) for the contact depth of hc > 20 nm. Using the Hertzian contact theory, Schmid's law, and energy principle of indentation, the possible dominant slip system, which mainly contributed to the first pop‐in event when indented normal to the (102) plane, was estimated as {101} <20>. The distributions of corresponding resolved shear stress and principal stresses at the slip plane were also estimated.
Long‐Lived Photoluminescence in Amorphous Si–O–C(–H) Ceramics Derived from Polysiloxanes
Authors: Narisawa Masaki , Kawai Taketoshi , Watase Seiji , Matsukawa Kimihiro , Dohmaru Takaaki , Okamura Kiyohito , Iwase Akihiro
Published: September 2012

The decarbonization process for silicone resin particles in a hydrogen gas flow and the properties of resulting Si–O–C(–H) ceramics were investigated in terms of mass loss, specific surface areas, and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. In particular, PL spectra of Si–O–C(–H) ceramics decarbonized in a hydrogen gas flow at 800°C and 1100°C were investigated in detail using pulsed laser excitation. The powder decarbonized at 800°C (SiO1.68C0.48H1.66) exhibited short‐lived PL with a peak at 410 nm that decayed within a time range of 10–60 ns. After evacuation of the system down to 1 Pa, long‐lived PL decaying within a time range of 1.0–4.0 s appeared around 560 nm, in addition to the short‐lived PL. On the other hand, the powder decarbonized at 1100°C (SiO1.54C0.26H0.12) exhibited yellow–white PL with a peak at 520–530 nm. Time‐resolved analysis revealed that the broad emission consisted of both short‐lived PL (peak at 500 nm) and long‐lived PL (peak at 580 nm). This long‐lived PL in the powder decarbonized at 1100°C was stable in air. Such stabilized long‐lived PL was also observed in the powders decarbonized at 1000°C–1300°C.
A Collaboration to Teach Students to Utilize Historic Dress as Inspiration for Apparel Design
Authors: Gam Hae Jin , Banning Jennifer
Published: September 2012

Historic dress is often used by apparel designers as a source of inspiration for new designs. However, using historic information as a source of inspiration in designing has been taught separately in apparel design (AD) and fashion history (FH) courses. To help students expand their creativity in AD, two university instructors decided to collaborate on a project linking historic dress and AD. The instructors prepared and presented teaching materials and assessed related projects for the required courses in Apparel Design and Fashion History. To assess students’ learning and satisfaction, the instructors developed prequestionnaires and postquestionnaires based on Lamb and Kallal () Functional, Expressive and Aesthetic (FEA) Apparel Design Framework. Responses to the prequestionnaire showed that students lacked awareness and information about using historic dress as inspiration. Responses from the postquestionnaires revealed that students looked at historic garment details, colors, and silhouettes and interpreted them in a modern way. Students said that additional benefits were that the exposure to historic dress increased their creativity, helped them understand FH, and helped them connect their course work in Fashion History and Apparel Design.
Testing for host‐associated differentiation in two egg parasitoids of a forest herbivore
Authors: Simonato Mauro , Battisti Andrea , Zovi Daniel , Medina Raul F.
Published: September 2012

Several studies underline the importance of ecological barriers and differential selection in driving sympatric speciation. Host‐associated differentiation (HAD) has been proposed as one of the mechanisms leading to sympatric speciation. However, it is still unclear how common HAD is or which are the factors that could promote it. In particular, not much is known about HAD in predators and parasitoids of herbivorous insects. One of the characteristics postulated to pre‐dispose insects to HAD is parthenogenesis as it may favour adaptive responses to particular environments, amplifying selected gene complexes. In this study, we used amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers to determine whether HAD is present in two parthenogenetic egg parasitoids attacking the same herbivore species – the pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Denis & Schiffermüller) (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae) – on two host Pinus species. A total of 100 loci for 59 individuals sampled in four populations of Baryscapus servadeii (Domenichini) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), a specialist parasitoid, and 106 loci for 117 individuals sampled in six populations of Ooencyrtus pityocampae Mercet (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), a generalist parasitoid, were analysed. Levels of genetic differentiation were also assessed with an outlier analysis, checking for alleles associated to host plants. No evidence of HAD was detected in any of the two parasitoid species. We hypothesize that both the lack of strict parthenogenetic reproduction and the ectophagous nature of the insect host could explain the absence of HAD. The genetic variation observed in the generalist parasitoid responded to a pattern of local adaptation, whereas no relationship with either host or geography was found in the specialist parasitoid.
Reciprocally beneficial interactions between introduced plants and ants are induced by the presence of a third introduced species
Authors: Ness J. H. , Morales M. A. , Kenison E. , Leduc E. , Leipzig‐Scott P. , Rollinson E. , Swimm B. J. , von Allmen D. R.
Published: September 2012

Interspecific interactions play an important role in the success of introduced species. For example, the ‘enemy release’ hypothesis posits that introduced species become invasive because they escape top–down regulation by natural enemies while the ‘invasional meltdown’ hypothesis posits that invasions may be facilitated by synergistic interactions between introduced species. Here, we explore how facilitation and enemy release interact to moderate the potential effect of a large category of positive interactions – protection mutualisms. We use the interactions between an introduced plant (Japanese knotweed Fallopia japonica), an introduced herbivore (Japanese beetle Popillia japonica), an introduced ant (European red ant Myrmica rubra), and native ants and herbivores in riparian zones of the northeastern United States as a model system. Japanese knotweed produces sugary extrafloral nectar that is attractive to ants, and we show that both sugar reward production and ant attendance increase when plants experience a level of leaf damage that is typical in the plants’ native range. Using manipulative experiments at six sites, we demonstrate low levels of ant patrolling, little effect of ants on herbivory rates, and low herbivore pressure during midsummer. Herbivory rates and the capacity of ants to protect plants (as evidenced by effects of ant exclusion) increased significantly when plants were exposed to introduced Japanese beetles that attack plants in the late summer. Beetles were also associated with greater on‐plant foraging by ants, and among‐plant differences in ant‐foraging were correlated with the magnitude of damage inflicted on plants by the beetles. Last, we found that sites occupied by introduced M. rubra ants almost invariably included Japanese knotweed. Thus, underlying variation in the spatiotemporal distribution of the introduced herbivore influences the provision of benefits to the introduced plant and to the introduced ant. More specifically, the presence of the introduced herbivore converts an otherwise weak interaction between two introduced species into a reciprocally beneficial mutualism. Because the prospects for facilitation are linked to the prospects for enemy release in protection mutualisms, species introductions can have complex effects on existing species interactions, between both native and introduced species.
Size‐selective fishing affects sex ratios and the opportunity for sexual selection in Alaskan sockeye salmonOncorhynchus nerka
Authors: Kendall Neala W. , Quinn Thomas P.
Published: September 2012

Selective exploitation can cause adverse ecological and evolutionary changes in wild populations and also affect sex ratios but few studies have empirically documented skewed sex ratios in exploited fishes (other than species with extreme sexual size dimorphism, SSD). To investigate the possibility of sex‐selective fishing on Alaskan sockeye salmonOncorhynchus nerka, we assessed sex ratios in fish at two spatial scales: within each of five fishing districts and among 13 breeding populations in one of these districts. We predicted that populations’ sex ratios would vary based on the average size of fish and SSD because size affects vulnerability to fishing. At the larger scale, we found a small but significant bias in fish returning to four of the five fishing districts (average = 52% females), and in four of the five districts males were caught at significantly higher rates than females. At the finer scale there was marked variation in sex ratio on the breeding grounds, ranging from 36% to 47% males. Populations with fish of intermediate sizes experienced the greatest sex ratio biases; the greater vulnerability of males than females to fishing resulted from a combination of larger SSD and different harvest rates between the sexes associated with the fishery size‐selectivity curve shape. Skewed sex ratios may change competition and behavior on the breeding grounds, relaxing selection on male traits associated with mate choice by females or intra‐sexual competition and altering demographic and evolutionary pressures on the fish. Assessment of the size selectivity of fishing gear and the population's SSD can help to illuminate if and how exploitation can affect sex ratios. Future studies examining size‐selective fishing should also evaluate the consequences for sex ratios, as this might help explain changes in harvested population structure and sustainability.
Flight endurance and heating rate vary with both latitude and habitat connectivity in a butterfly species
Authors: Ducatez S. , Baguette M. , Trochet A. , Chaput‐Bardy A. , Legrand D. , Stevens V. , Fréville H.
Published: September 2012

Environmental factors at both macro‐ecological and landscape scales are likely to affect (meta) population dynamics and species distributions, through direct or indirect effects on individual phenotypes. Although disentangling these scale effects is of prime importance in evolutionary ecology and conservation biology, most studies dealing with the links between phenotype and the environment have mainly focused on the landscape scale, and none has addressed the interactions between effects at both scales. In ectotherms, movement abilities are strongly dependent upon thermoregulation abilities, and thus likely vary with latitude. Moreover, in such species, movement is also highly dependent upon landscape geometry at the landscape scale. Here, we quantified the combined effects of latitude and habitat fragmentation on movement ability in relation with thermoregulation abilities in the butterflyPieris brassicaeas model for understanding the relative contributions of macro‐ecological and landscape scale effects on species’ mobility. We sampled individuals at an early developmental stage (eggs or caterpillars), in natural populations from 27 sites with different degrees of habitat connectivity, along a latitudinal gradient across France and Belgium. Adult flight and heating rate were measured in laboratory controlled conditions and were used as proxies for movement ability and thermoregulation ability, respectively. We found that flight endurance for both sexes and female heating rate increased with latitude. Habitat connectivity had a sex‐dependent effect on both traits: flight endurance in males increased with decreasing habitat connectivity, while the opposite was found in females. Moreover, heating rate increased with increasing habitat connectivity, the effect being stronger in males. Overall, our results highlight the need to integrate intraspecific variation in movement ability at different spatial scales when studying species’ responses to global environmental change.
Using structural equation modelling to test the passenger, driver and opportunist concepts in a Poa pratensis invasion
Authors: White Shannon R. , Tannas Steven , Bao Tan , Bennett Jonathan A. , Bork Edward W. , Cahill James F.
Published: September 2012

The passenger, driver, and opportunist models are conceptual models of the invasion process used to describe alternative invasion scenarios. In the passenger model, both the invasive species and native community respond independently to environmental changes. In the driver model, changes to the native community are driven by the invasive species, while in the opportunist model invasion occurs in response to changes in the native community. In any given invasion scenario, however, it is possible that the relationships between the invasive, the native community, and the environment correspond to some combination of these invasion models acting simultaneously. We study invasion by Poa pratensis in a grassland in Alberta, Canada. Poa pratensis is a non‐native plant implicated with loss of plant diversity in the region. In a three year field experiment, we manipulate the environment though defoliation, water addition, and nitrogen addition, and measure responses of P. pratensis cover, and cover and richness of the native community. We use structural equation modelling to describe the relationships between the invasive, the native community, and the environmental changes, and then interpret these relationships using the three invasion models. We found that P. pratensis predominantly invaded via the driver model, with subsequent reductions in native plant cover, but not in species richness. Positive effects of the environmental changes on P. pratensis also aided its ability to drive native cover. As well, we found some involvement of the opportunist model, through a negative relationship between the native community and the invasive. As invasion mainly proceeded via the driver model, management actions to limit invasion should focus on efforts to control abundance of P. pratensis itself.
An exploratory clinical study on the safety and efficacy of an autologous fibroblast‐seeded artificial skin cultured with animal product‐free medium in patients with diabetic foot ulcers
Authors: Morimoto Naoki , Ito Tatsuya , Takemoto Satoru , Katakami Mikiko , Kanda Norikazu , Tada Harue , Tanaka Shiro , Teramukai Satoshi , Kawai Katsuya , Nakamura Yoko , Kasai Yasunari , Masayuki Yokode , Maekawa Taira , Shimizu Akira , Suzuki Shigehiko
Published: September 2012

Cultured dermal substitutes have been used for the treatment of chronic skin ulcers; however, the biological risks of animal‐derived materials in the culture process such as foetal bovine serum (FBS) have been reported. In this study, we prepared an autologous fibroblast‐seeded artificial dermis (AFD) using animal‐product‐free medium supplemented with 2% patient autologous serum and without any animal‐derived materials such as trypsin in the culturing process. We applied the AFD in five patients with diabetic ulcers and investigated its safety and efficacy. As the primary endpoint, we defined ‘wound bed improvement' according to the percentage of granulation area to the whole wound area on day 21, and 60% or higher was regarded as improved. The mean age of the patients was 60·6 years and the mean duration of the ulcer was 22·6 months. In the evaluation of the primary endpoint, the ‘wound bed’ was improved in all patients [proportion of improvement: 100%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 48% to 100%]. Three patients had complete wound healing within 12 weeks after application and two patients had >80% wound healing at 12 weeks. Side effects were not serious. Our AFD may be a safe and effective treatment of diabetic ulcers.
Predicting severity of pathological scarring due to burn injuries: a clinical decision making tool using Bayesian networks
Authors: Berchialla Paola , Gangemi Ezio Nicola , Foltran Francesca , Haxhiaj Arber , Buja Alessandra , Lazzarato Fulvio , Stella Maurizio , Gregori Dario
Published: September 2012

It is important for clinicians to understand which are the clinical signs, the patient characteristics and the procedures that are related with the occurrence of hypertrophic burn scars in order to carry out a possible prognostic assessment. Providing clinicians with an easy‐to‐ use tool for predicting the risk of pathological scars. A total of 703 patients with 2440 anatomical burn sites who were admitted to the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Burn Center of the Traumatological Hospital in Torino between January 1994 and May 2006 were included in the analysis. A Bayesian network (BN) model was implemented. The probability of developing a hypertrophic scar was evaluated on a number of scenarios. The error rate of the BN model was assessed internally and it was equal to 24·83%. While classical statistical method as logistic models can infer only which variables are related to the final outcome, the BN approach displays a set of relationships between the final outcome (scar type) and the explanatory covariates (patient's age and gender, burn surface area, full‐thickness burn surface area, burn anatomical area and wound‐healing time; burn treatment options such as advanced dressings, type of surgical approach, number of surgical procedures, type of skin graft, excision and coverage timing). A web‐based interface to handle the BN model was developed on the website www.pubchild.org (burns header). Clinicians who registered at the website could submit their data in order to get from the BN model the predicted probability of observing a pathological scar type.
Chitin membranes containing silver nanoparticles for wound dressing application
Authors: Singh Rita , Singh Durgeshwer
Published: September 2012

Silver nanoparticles are gaining importance as an antimicrobial agent in wound dressings. Chitin is a biopolymer envisioned to promote rapid dermal regeneration and accelerate wound healing. This study was focused on the evaluation of chitin membranes containing silver nanoparticles for use as an antimicrobial wound dressing. Silver nanoparticles were synthesised by gamma irradiation at doses of 50 kGy in the presence of sodium alginate as stabiliser. The UV–Vis absorption spectra of nanoparticles exhibited an absorption band at 415–420 nm, which is the typical plasmon resonance band of silver nanoparticles. The peaks in the X‐ray diffraction (XRD) pattern are in agreement with the standard values of the face‐centred cubic silver. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images indicate silver nanoparticles with spherical morphology and small particle size in the range of 3–13 nm. In vitro antimicrobial tests were performed using Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus to determine the antimicrobial efficiency of the chitin membranes containing 30, 50, 70 and 100 ppm nanosilver. No viable counts for P. aeruginosa were detected with 70 ppm silver nanoparticles dressing after 1‐hour exposure. A 2‐log reduction in viable cell count was observed for S. aureus after 1 hour and a 4‐log reduction after 6 hours with 100 ppm nanosilver chitin membranes. This study demonstrates the antimicrobial capability of chitin membranes containing silver nanoparticles. The chitin membranes with 100 ppm nanosilver showed promising antimicrobial activity against common wound pathogens.
HERO AND INMATE: WORK, PRISONS, AND PUNISHMENT IN CALIFORNIA'S FIRE CAMPS
Authors: Goodman Philip
Published: September 2012

The debate over penal labor has been a vociferous one, as advocates and proponents have, for at least a century, made their case for or against the practice of putting prisoners to work. Nonetheless, conspicuously absent from this discussion have been the very people who most directly and intimately experience that work: prison inmates. In this article, I examine penal labor as it unfolds in one particular carceral site, namely California's prison fire camps in which state prisoners do manual labor and fight fires. The results reveal that binaries in which prison labor is positioned as either entirely good or entirely exploitative do not mesh well with the multifaceted experiences of those on the ground, who find elements of both at play. The fire camps are, therefore, an atypical case study that will hopefully serve as impetus for more research into the experiences of prisoner workers, as well as a starting point for deepening and complicating the existing debate over work and punishment.
Effect ofBBS‐Based Frit on the Low Temperature Sintering and Electrical Properties ofKNNLead‐Free Piezoceramics
Authors: Li Yue‐Ming , Shen Zong‐Yang , Li Run‐Run , Wang Zhu‐Mei , Hong Yan , Liao Run‐Hua
Published: September 2012

UsingBaO–B2O3–SiO2(BBS)‐based frit as sintering aid, theK0.49Na0.51NbO3(KNN) +xwt%BBS(x = 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5) lead‐free piezoelectric ceramics were successfully fabricated by solid‐state reaction method under low‐sintering temperature of 1000°C. The effect ofBBSfrit doping amount on the structure and electrical properties of the ceramics was investigated. TheKNNceramics with 1.5 wt%BBSfrit showed optimal properties as follows: piezoelectric constantd33 = 108pC/N, planar electromechanical coupling coefficientkp = 41%, mechanical quality factorQm = 225, relative dielectric constantεr = 410, dielectric loss tanδ = 0.57% and Curie temperatureTc = 400°C. This ceramic sample should be a good lead‐free candidate for actuators or high temperature sensors application due to its ultra‐low tanδ, relatively highQmandTc.
Detection and Analysis of Crack Propagation in PZT Multilayer Ceramics
Authors: Kühnlein Tobias , Klonczynski Alexander , Rauscher Martin
Published: September 2012

The flaw propagation in Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) multilayer ceramics under mechanical load was examined using impedance spectroscopy and three‐point bending studies. Initial flaws were generated by applying a positive sinusoidal electric field to the specimens. The cracks were sequentially propagated and after the release of the external mechanical load, impedance spectroscopy was conducted. The shift in the resonance frequencies and the subresonance height of the impedance spectroscopy were used as a measure of flaw extension. A functional dependence of the resonance frequency and the phase shift on the crack length was found. The crack propagation was studied on flaws starting at the positive and negative electrode, respectively. The maximum fracture strength, as well as the crack path, depends on the electrode potential. The variation in the fracture strength was caused by different observed fracture mode: interface cracking, matrix‐cracking, or a combination of both. The morphology of the fracture surfaces was ascribed to a textured microstructure, which is created by the sample processing, for example, by the poling process. A modified poling procedure with a lower poling temperature was analyzed, which yielded a reduction of the anisotropy of the electrode strength. Impedance spectroscopy was found to be a reliable measurement tool for automated flaw detection in PZT multilayer ceramics.
Two populations of transition discs?
Authors: Owen James E. , Clarke Cathie J.
Published: September 2012

We examine the distribution of transition discs as a function of millimetre (mm) flux. We confirm that as expected in any model in which most primordial discs turn into transition discs and in which mm flux declines with time, transition discs have lower mm fluxes on average than primordial discs. However, we find that the incidence of transition discs does not, as expected, fall monotonically towards large mm fluxes and also investigate the hypothesis that these mm bright transition discs may have a distinct physical origin. We find that mm bright transition discs occupy a separate region of parameter space. Transition discs in the bright mm subsample have systematically higher accretion rates than those in the faint mm subsample, along with being systematically weighted to earlier spectral types.
Evaluation of the Impact of a Diabetes Education Curriculum for School Personnel on Disease Knowledge and Confidence in Caring for Students
Authors: Smith Cory T. , Chen Aleda M. H. , Plake Kimberly S. , Nash Christiane L.
Published: September 2012

BACKGROUND: School personnel may lack knowledge of diabetes and be unprepared to address the needs of students with type 1 diabetes. This project evaluated the effectiveness of a type 1 diabetes education program for school personnel on increasing knowledge of diabetes and confidence in caring for students with diabetes.

METHODS: Two types of diabetes education programs were created for school personnel. The basic program provided a 60‐minute overview of diabetes. The expanded program, intended for volunteer health aides, provided participants with a more in‐depth overview of diabetes during a 180‐minute session, including demonstrations of how to assist students with insulin injections. Instruments were created to assess changes in diabetes‐related knowledge and confidence in caring for students. Separate knowledge instruments were created for the basic and expanded programs. Knowledge instruments were administered before and after delivery of the education programs to both groups. Confidence instruments were administered before and after for persons completing the expanded program.

RESULTS: A total of 81 school personnel participated in the basic (N = 44) or expanded programs (N = 37). Overall knowledge regarding diabetes significantly increased in both the basic and expanded programs from baseline (p < .001). Confidence in caring for students with diabetes also increased from pretest to posttest, both for overall confidence and each individual item (p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS: Educational programs offered for school personnel can lead to increased knowledge and increased confidence in caring for students with diabetes, which may assist school personnel in addressing the needs of students with diabetes.
Obesity and Health Risk of Children in the Mississippi Delta
Authors: Gamble Abigail , Waddell Dwight , Allison Ford M. , Bentley John P. , Woodyard Catherine D. , Hallam Jeffrey S.
Published: September 2012

BACKGROUND: Mississippi (MS) Delta adults and youth report obesity rates far exceeding those of the state and nation. State law requires in‐school physical activity and nutrition practices to address childhood obesity but does not require evaluation of outcomes, specifically the impact on weight‐related outcomes. This paper offers 3 things: (1) describes the weight status of elementary school‐age children in the MS Delta; (2) explains the importance of including waist‐to‐height ratio (WHtR) values when reporting body mass index (BMI); and (3) provides impetus for policy that requires weight‐related health risk, as measured by WHtR, to be assessed regularly as a means to evaluate school health policy.

METHODS: We took anthropometric measures in a cross‐sectional investigation of 1136 children from 11 public elementary schools in the MS Delta. Measures included BMI, waist circumference (WC) and WHtR.

RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity (BMI ≥85th percentile) was 47.1% (18.3% overweight and 28.8% obese). In this sample, 59.9% and 42.0% were “at risk” for weight‐related chronic disease based on WC (≥75th percentile) and WHtR (>0.5), respectively. The differences in these proportions were statistically significant. The predominantly black districts reported higher on all of the weight‐related measures.

CONCLUSIONS: Investigators recommend the assessment of health policy include measures of health risk in addition to BMI, namely WHtR as it accounts for growth in both WC and height over age. Furthermore, WHtR is a more accurate indicator of fat distribution and health risk than WC alone.
Compliance: Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Explaining Adherence to Judicial Rulings
Authors: Kapiszewski Diana , Taylor Matthew M.
Published: September 2012

Public authorities' compliance with judicial dictates is central to legality and constitutionality, may influence broader policy and political outcomes, and can have powerful feedback effects on judicial decision making, independence, and power. As such, it has crucial implications for interbranch relations and the rule of law. Effectively measuring compliance with judicial rulings and clearly explaining when and why elected leaders adhere to courts' mandates present a range of inferential challenges. Building on the groundwork laid in the burgeoning literature on the topic, this article advances two analytic frameworks (one for measuring and one for explaining compliance), offers strategies for grappling with the problems of descriptive and causal inference that arise in studying compliance, and advocates the use of multiple analytic methods to generate and test hypotheses regarding compliance.
The Story of the Tattooed Lady: Scandal and the Colonial State in British Burma
Authors: Kim Diana
Published: September 2012

This article centers on Branded Woman v. Unknown, an unusual 1889 trial that gave birth to the “ordinarily accepted significance” of Burmese tattoos. What began as a snippet of gossip from a colonial village became a scandal involving the highest echelon of Britain's metropolis. I explain why this dynamic of escalation occurred and how colonial officials in Burma utilized a courtroom to transform tenuous fictions of tattooing into a seemingly coherent fact about Burma. My argument that this process—shaped through cues from a fragmented audience of peers (rather than a single audience of subordinates)—represents the production of an elite public transcript highlights how colonial scandals worked as eventful moments for an always precarious state to reconfigure its claim to power by prompting local agents to enact expressions of certainty. It further carries implications for scholarship on symbolic state power and the construction of legal facts and public knowledge.
How do the plants used in phytoremediation in constructed wetlands, a sustainable remediation strategy, perform in heavy‐metal‐contaminated mine sites?
Authors: Adams Allan , Raman Anantanarayanan , Hodgkins Dennis
Published: September 2012

This review draws on knowledge for the treatment of heavy‐metal leachate in contaminated mine sites. Mine waste rock dumps and tailings generate a continuous stream of metalliferous and saline leachate over the long term. The mining industry has many legacy sites, which have compromised aquatic ecosystems and groundwater because of heavy‐metal contamination. Chemical and engineering methods are available and have been extensively utilised. However, these methods require intensive energy and often produce substantial volumes of secondary waste. We therefore argue in favour of phytoremediation as a sustainable remediation strategy leading towards efficient and sustainable metal removal and immobilisation through constructed wetlands.