bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Variations in stable isotope ratios in lamb blood fractions following dietary changes: a preliminary study
Authors: Bontempo L. , Camin F. , Ziller L. , Biondi L. , D'Urso M. G. , Vasta V. , Luciano G.
Published: December 2015

Rationale

In meat production it is common practice to use finishing diets based on concentrates, even for those animals previously raised on pasture. No studies have investigated the variations of stable isotope ratios in lamb plasma and erythrocytes, following a switch from pasture to a concentrate‐based diet during the last days before slaughter. For meat traceability it is important to verify how and whether these parameters are affected in blood fractions.

Methods

Blood of ten male Italian Merino lambs, whose diet was switched from pasture to concentrate, was sampled 8 times (days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 14) in the last 14 days before slaughter. The variations in the δ13C, δ15N, δ18O and δ34S values of blood plasma and erythrocytes were investigated. The stable isotope ratios of the samples were measured using a stable isotope mass spectrometer coupled with an elemental analyser (C, N, S) and a CO2/H2O equilibration system (Oplasma).

Results

The δ13Cplasma, δ18Oplasma and δ34Splasma values were shown to be different 7 days after the abrupt variation in the diet. The comparison between erythrocytes and plasma stable isotope ratios could be suitable for verifying whether the animal was actually pasture‐raised and could merit a higher price. The erythrocytes isotopic signature was not affected by very short finishing periods in previously grazed animals and maintained the pasture‐raised fingerprint, while the analysis of plasma could detect very short finishing periods with concentrate and hay.

Conclusions

The present study has demonstrated that the combination of blood plasma and erythrocytes stable isotope ratios of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and sulphur can be used to infer the dietary background of lambs and thus offers a tool for the authentication of the animal production system. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
25 Years of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Nursing in Brazil: A Historical–Social Research
Authors: Mendes Isabel A. , Ventura Carla A. , Trevizan Maria A. , Marchi‐Alves Leila M. , Gazzotti Juliana , Tognoli Silvia H. , Pasqualin Líviade O.
Published: December 2015

The aim of this study was to analyse the development of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Nursing in Brazil in view of the evolution in its Terms of Reference. The timeframe considered ranged from 1986 to 2013. A work plan was elaborated, which included the identification, location and analysis of primary sources, with a view to interpreting the facts based on the designation proposal, the approved Terms of Reference and the annual reports. The 25‐year development of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing in Brazil demonstrates its evolution as an open system that attempts to adapt to external requirements while considering its internal characteristics and peculiarities. The Collaborating Centre's actions were focused on distinction and on increasing integration processes, based on information feedback and internal and external control flows. The WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing in Brazil has complied with its mission of contributing to nursing research development. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
CROSS HEDGING WINTER CANOLA
Authors: KIM SEON-WOONG , BRORSEN B. WADE , YOON BYUNG-SAM
Published: December 2015

The growth in winter canola acreage in the southern Great Plains has led to questions about the best way to reduce price risk because there is no U.S. canola futures market. Cross-hedge ratios and hedging effectiveness are calculated, and encompassing tests are conducted for short-horizon hedging. Possible cross-hedge markets considered are U.S. soybeans, soybean oil, soybean meal, hard red winter wheat, and Canadian canola. The selected cross hedge is a combination of soybean oil and meal futures, but its hedging effectiveness is substantially less than what is typically provided by a direct hedge.
WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR POTENTIAL STANDING TIMBER INSURANCE
Authors: DENG YILING , MUNN IAN A. , COBLE KEITH , YAO HAIBO
Published: December 2015

Landowners rarely insure standing timber, suggesting the limited products available do not appeal to potential clientele. We estimated landowner willingness to pay (WTP) for standing timber insurance. Data were generated through a contingent valuation survey. Questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of Mississippi private forest landowners with 100+ acres of forestland. WTP for standing timber insurance was derived using an interval-censored survival model and a Kaplan-Meier Turnbull nonparametric model. The estimated WTP premium rate was approximately $3.20 per $1,000 of standing timber value, well below existing premium rates. This partially explains the underinsurance of standing timber among landowners.
Efficacy and Safety of Pedunculopontine Nuclei (PPN) Deep Brain Stimulation in the Treatment of Gait Disorders: A Meta-Analysis of Clinical Studies
Authors: Golestanirad Laleh , Elahi Behzad , Graham Simon J. , Das Sunit , Wald Lawrence L.
Published: December 2015

Background: Pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) has complex reciprocal connections with basal ganglia, especially with internal globus pallidus and substantia nigra, and it has been postulated that PPN stimulation may improve gait instability and freezing of gait. In this meta-analysis, we will assess the evidence for PPN deep brain stimulation in treatment of gait and motor abnormalities especially focusing on Parkinson disease patients. Methods: PubMed and Scopus electronic databases were searched for related studies published before February 2014. Medline (1966-2014), Embase (1974-2010), CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus bibliographic, and Google Scholar databases (1960-2014) were also searched for studies investigating effect of PPN deep brain stimulation in treatment of postural and postural instability and total of ten studies met the inclusion criteria for this analysis. Results: Our findings showed a significant improvement in postural instability (p<0.001) and motor symptoms of Parkinson disease on and off medications (p<0.05), but failed to show improvement in freezing of gait. Conclusions: Despite significant improvement in postural instability observed in included studies, evidence from current literature is not sufficient to generalize these findings to the majority of patients.
Collectivism-oriented human resource management and innovation performance: An examination of team reflexivity and team psychological safety
Authors: Chen Silu , Zhang Guanglei , Zhang Anfu , Xu Jieying
Published: December 2015

This article investigated how collectivism-oriented human resource management can influence on innovation performance through team reflexivity and team psychological safety. Using a sample of 200 research-oriented teams in Chinese universities, the empirical results clearly indicate that collectivism-oriented human resource management is beneficial to teams’ innovation performance. The results of the mediating model show how team reflexivity and team psychological safety mediate the relationship between collectivism-oriented human resource management and innovation performance. The implications for researchers and practitioners are also discussed.
The Effects of Social Status and Self-Esteem on Imitation and Choice of a Popular Peer
Authors: Lansu Tessa A.M. , Cillessen Antonius H.N. , Karremans Johan C.
Published: December 2015

This study addressed the role of influencer and influencee peer status in social influence of status-unrelated behaviours among emerging adults, while disentangling two forms of peer status, being liked (preference) and being powerful (popularity). Peer influence was examined in 67 women (M age = 20.5 years, SD = 2.1 years) using an experimental design. Popularity of the influencers and influencees (participants), as well as influencees’ preference and self-esteem were considered. Peer influence was measured through imitation of status-unrelated behaviours and task partner choice. In both tasks, influencees moved away from, rather than towards, a popular peer. Popular young women with low self-esteem were most likely to imitate a popular peer. Unpreferred young women with high self-esteem were least likely to imitate a popular peer. The findings demonstrate that the role of peer status in social influence processes is not limited to adolescence, and that the peer status of influencers and the influencees continues to affect social influence on status-unrelated behaviour in emerging adulthood.
Protecting People from Natural Disasters: Political Institutions and Ocean-Originated Hazards
Authors: Quiroz Flores Alejandro
Published: December 2015

Why do some leaders protect their citizens from natural disasters while others do not? This paper argues that leaders in large coalition systems provide more protection against natural disasters than leaders in small coalition systems. Yet, autocrats also provide large-scale disaster protection if members of their winning coalition are exposed to natural hazards. The paper tests these propositions by examining cross-country variation in the number of sea-level stations as a lower bound for protection against ocean-originated disasters. Empirical evidence indicates that leaders in large coalition systems deploy more sea-level stations than their counterparts in small coalition systems. The evidence also shows that if the national capital is close to the coast, thus exposing members of the ruling coalition to ocean-originated hazards, leaders across political systems install more sea-level stations.
Effects of the mycelial extract of cultured Cordyceps sinensis on in vivo hepatic energy metabolism and blood flow in dietary hypoferric anaemic mice
Authors: Manabe N. , Azuma Y. , Sugimoto M. , Uchio K. , Miyamoto M. , Taketomo N. , Tsuchita H. , Miyamoto H.
Published: December 2015

The beneficial effects of a traditional Chinese medicine, Cordyceps sinensis (Cs), on mice with hypoferric anaemia were evaluated by NMR spectroscopy. Experimental hypoferric anaemia was induced in mice by feeding with an Fe-free diet for 6 weeks. They were then given extract from cultured Cs (200 mg/kg body weight daily, orally) and were placed on an Fe-containing recovery diet (35 mg Fe/kg diet) for 4 weeks. In vivo31P and 2H NMR spectra acquired noninvasively and quantitatively at weekly intervals were used to evaluate hepatic energy metabolism and blood flow in the mice. During the 4-week Cs-extract treatment, consistent increases were observed in liver β-ATP: inorganic phosphate value by liver 31P NMR spectroscopy, representing the high energy state, and in blood-flow rate as determined by 2H NMR spectroscopy of deuterated water (D2O) uptake after intravenous injection of D2O. The haematological variables (the packed cell volume and the haemoglobin level) and the hepatic intracellular pH, which was determined from the NMR chemical shift difference between the inorganic phosphate peak and the α-phosphate peak of ATP, were not significantly different between Cs-extract-treated and control mice. As blood flow and energy metabolism are thought to be linked, the Cs-extract-increased hepatic energy metabolism in the dietary hypoferric anaemic mice was concluded to be due to increased hepatic blood flow.
Origin, evolution and function of the hemipteran perimicrovillar membrane with emphasis on Reduviidae that transmit Chagas disease
Authors: Gutiérrez-Cabrera A.E. , Córdoba-Aguilar A. , Zenteno E. , Lowenberger C. , Espinoza B.
Published: December 2015

The peritrophic matrix is a chitin-protein structure that envelops the food bolus in the midgut of the majority of insects, but is absent in some groups which have, instead, an unusual extra-cellular lipoprotein membrane named the perimicrovillar membrane. The presence of the perimicrovillar membrane (PMM) allows these insects to exploit restricted ecological niches during all life stages. It is found only in some members of the superorder Paraneoptera and many of these species are of medical and economic importance. In this review we present an overview of the midgut and the digestive system of insects with an emphasis on the order Paraneoptera and differences found across phylogenetic groups. We discuss the importance of the PMM in Hemiptera and the apparent conservation of this structure among hemipteran groups, suggesting that the basic mechanism of PMM production is the same for different hemipteran species. We propose that the PMM is intimately involved in the interaction with parasites and as such should be a target for biological and chemical control of hemipteran insects of economic and medical importance.
Antipredator behavior of the new mass-reared unisexual strain of the Mexican Fruit Fly
Authors: González-López G. I. , Rao D. , Díaz-Fleischer F. , Orozco-Dávila D. , Pérez-Staples D.
Published: December 2015

Tephritid pests controlled through the sterile insect technique (SIT) are mass-reared and subsequently released in affected areas. Several quality parameters are currently used to test adults, but none take into account interactions with a predator. When sterile males are released in the field, they will need to avoid predators until they reach sexual maturity and survive long enough to mate with wild females. Spiders are one of the most common predators that flies may encounter in release sites. In this study, we evaluated the antipredator behavior of a mass-reared sterile unisexual strain (‘Tapachula-7’) of the Mexican fruit fly Anastrepha ludens (Diptera: Tephritidae) against their spider predators. We sampled spiders in citrus trees to determine which families could be more common. We established the baseline activity rates of sterile Tapachula-7 (Tap-7) flies in comparison with wild flies. We also tested the behavior of the fertile and sterile bisexual strain and wild flies against hunting spiders (Family Salticidae) and orb building spiders (Family Tetragnathidae). We recorded 18 spider families, with Salticidae being the most dominant. Tap-7 flies diminished their activity in comparison with wild males at 1800 h but showed similar activity levels earlier in the day. When exposed to orb-web spiders (Leucauge venusta), Tap-7, fertile and sterile males from the bisexual strain had similar rates of survival, but Tap-7 males showed lower survival than wild males. Against hunting spiders (Phidippus audax), wild males had higher probability of defensive wing displays, but there was no difference in spider attack rates. In general, sterile Tap -7 males performed as well as males from the bisexual strain, although they had lower survival than wild males. This could be due to either mass-rearing and/or irradiation effects. We recommend the use of the defensive wing display behavior as a quality parameter and propose a rapid and effective method to evaluate fly activity. The efficiency of SIT will be improved if released sterile males have the same antipredator repertoire as their wild counterparts.
Reproducing or Contesting the Global? Belgian Organized Consumerism and its International Entanglements (1957–1995)
Authors: Nath Giselle
Published: December 2015

Between 1957 and 1984, Belgian consumers were represented by two comparative testing organizations: Test-Achats and the Union Féminine pour l’Information et la Défense du Consommateur. These two consumer organizations were fundamentally dissimilar in terms of their staff, their audience, and their ideological framing of consumer interests. Only the “politically independent” Test-Achats joined the International Organization of Consumer Unions (IOCU), even though it was initially smaller and weaker than the Union Féminine, the social-democratic alternative for consumers. A comparative analysis of Belgian organized consumerism reveals how, after 1957, the consumer interest was gradually reframed to fit a hegemonic definition. A private and commercial model of consumer representation was actively promoted over and against a public model through a complex transatlantic dialogue. Moreover, I argue that the international connections – or lack thereof – of the two organizations are essential to explain their success (or failure). The diffusion of organized consumerism during the 1950s and 1960s was financially and ideologically connected with the Keynesian-Fordist regulatory framework. The attack on embedded liberalism in the late 1970s thus posed serious challenges. Mapping the choices and trajectories of Belgian consumer activists in an international context helps us to understand these challenges better.
OUTSOURCING PROGRESS: ON CONCEPTUAL MUSIC
Authors: Iddon Martin
Published: December 2015

This article addresses the phenomenon of New Conceptualism, otherwise known as conceptual music, or Konzeptmusik, and locates it within the German new music scene of the last decade. It is suggested that conceptual music may perhaps be a contradiction in terms, representing a nostalgic desire for the semantic strength of conceptual art. In particular the article focuses on Johannes Kreidler's 2009 work, Fremdarbeit, and scrutinises the composer's claim to have ‘outsourced’ the composition of the work to India and China. The significance of this – whether actual or fictional – as an example of globalisation is examined and set within its political and economic context.
BBC Proms 2015: Hugh Wood, James MacMillan, Luke Bedford and Colin Matthews
Authors: Stein Robert
Published: December 2015

‘Love poems are the best things to make song cycles out of’, Hugh Wood claimed in a pre-Prom interview. Wood's affection for English poetry dates back a long way: Scenes from Comus, his Milton setting premiered at the Proms in 1965 set his career going.
John Luther Adams Across the Distance, Meltdown Festival, Royal Festival Hall, London
Authors: Graham Cameron
Published: December 2015

John Luther Adams holds a unique position in American contemporary music. His works are as tinged with minimalist virtues as they are rigorously experimental, offering sound worlds that seem at once unearthly and welcoming, unconventional yet accessible. At the core of the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer's work lies a major concern with translating the tenuous and illusory concept of acoustic and natural sonic space into densely textured instrumental works. Exploring the composer's oeuvre, one senses a deep fascination with acoustic phenomena; in works such as the orchestral soundscape Becoming Ocean (2012), and the percussion pieces Inuksuit (2009) and Strange and Sacred Noise (1997), the composer eschews any audible rhythmic and melodic complexities in favour of serene yet coursing sound masses and highly sonorous ensemble textures.
Donnacha Dennehy The Last Hotel, Wide Open Opera with Crash Ensemble, Edinburgh International Festival
Authors: Bowler Laura
Published: December 2015

When greeted by a deconstructed, open set of brutal bleakness (designed by Jamie Vartan), haunted by the waste of the night before – a pink high-heeled shoe, empty coat hangers and discarded plastic cups – one is made immediately aware of the potency of Enda Walsh's theatrical aesthetic. There is a lone orange balloon offering a tragic echo of a party. Underscored with silence, The Hotel Servant (played by Walsh's long-term collaborator Mikel Murfi) enters and cleans the blood from the stained hotel room floor, and does so with a charisma equal to that of Michael Gambon in the opening scene of Krapp's Last Tape.
Bendigo International Festival of Exploratory Music (BIFEM) 2015
Authors: Noble Alistair
Published: December 2015

Each September, contemporary music enthusiasts, composers, scholars and performers from around Australia migrate toward the Victorian regional city of Bendigo for BIFEM, a remarkable music festival now in its third year. The festival has established itself as an annual event of unparalleled significance in Australia – not only as a forum for the presentation of exciting and little-heard music, but as a gathering of like-minded peers. A high proportion of the audience consists of musicians and composers, so informal conversations between concerts are almost as stimulating as the programmed forums and workshops that take place during the festival. In 2015, over the weekend 4–6 September, almost every work in the programme was an Australian premiere, which gives some further evidence of the importance of the festival to the nation's cultural ecology.
‘A Day for Pierre Boulez’, Lucerne Festival im Sommer, Kultur- und Kongresszentrum
Authors: Adler-McKean Jack
Published: December 2015

The ninetieth birthday of the last surviving founding father of post-WWII classical music is certainly reason enough for celebration, but what could the Lucerne Festival offer that has not already been covered by the many festivities that have taken place around the world? Fortunately, the festival has a trump card up its sleeve: the Lucerne Festival Academy, founded 11 years ago by Pierre Boulez and festival director Michael Haefliger to provide young musicians with the opportunity for intensive study of the music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra and Ensemble were omnipresent during 11 concerts given over nine hours on 23 August 2015, performing eight world premieres from three generations of composers inspired by Boulez, alongside eight works from the master himself.
Erotic Pursuit and Narrative Seduction in Ovid's Metamorphoses
Authors: Nagle Betty Rose
Published: December 2015

TheMetamorphosesis a poem full of tales of erotic pursuit. It is also a poem full of fictional narrators and audiences. These two features frequently intersect, since erotic pursuit is often the subject of an embedded tale, and sometimes — but considerably less often — the occasion for one. Erotic seduction is much more common as the subject for a story than as the objective of one. Narrative seduction in the frame, however — that is, a narrator's seduction of an audience into listening to, or even soliciting, a story — is quite common. Indeed, most embedded tales in theMetamorphosesare requested tales, and quite often the request is engineered by the prospective narrator. In considering instances of narrative discourse as ‘narrative transactions’, Barbara Hernnstein Smith has suggested that one should examine the general question ‘why … someone has chosen (or agreed) to tell someone else that something happened and why the latter has chosen (or agreed) to listen’. More specifically, Robert Scholes and Gerald Prince have both pointed to a figuratively erotic relationship between narrator and audience, viz. the fact that the narrator must first arouse desire for a story. Ovid himself seems to hint at this connection between erotic and narrative seduction by calling attention to the narrative situation in so many of his tales of erotic pursuit.
Quality assurance in nursing practice
Authors: Kitson Alison
Published: December 2015

It is with some pride that members of the nursing profession point to Florence Nightingale as one of the forerunners in developing quality evaluation in health care. Her interest and belief in the necessity of routine collection of hospital data for comparative purposes is well documented. Given the clarity of the vision and the force with which it was communicated it is interesting to speculate why nursing did not directly or immediately benefit from Nightingale's vision. It was almost a century before mechanisms were in place to allow some of Nightingale's recommendations to be realised.
Autistic spectrum disorders
Authors: Hallahan Brian P , Murphy Kieran C
Published: December 2015

Autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), are a group of disorders characterised by qualitative abnormalities in social and emotional behaviour and are associated with restricted, stereotyped and repetitive interests and activities. There has been considerable understanding of ASD in recent years. This educational review paper focuses on four areas of interest and relevance to trainees preparing for the membership examination of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych): (a) diagnosing ASD; (b) epidemiology of ASD; (c) aetiology, including genetic, cognitive and neurochemical/neuropathological theories in ASD; and (d) treatment of ASD. Relevant papers are discussed and recommendations for further reading are provided.
Women and Anxiety Disorders: Implications for Diagnosis and Treatment
Authors: Ginsberg David L.
Published: December 2015

Community studies indicate that 19% of men and 31% of women will develop some type of anxiety disorder during their lifetime. The impact of gender is profound in that it increases the likelihood of developing an anxiety disorder by 85% in women compared to men. Sex difference in prevalence rates are apparent as early as age 6, when girls are twice as likely as boys to have an anxiety disorder. In the National Comorbidity Survey, the prevalence rates for panic disorder in women and men were 5% and 2%, respectively. Agoraphobia, which often coexists with panic disorder, has a lifetime prevalence rate of 7% in women and 3.5% in men. Prevalence of trauma is increased in young women as well, and is experienced earlier in life; 62% of sexual assaults are inflicted on females ≤18 years of age, and 29% occur in children < 11 years of age. Comorbidity of anxiety in women complicates other medical conditions as well. For example, panic disorder is highly comorbid with CHD, which remains the leading cause of death in women in developed countries. Fluctuations in reproductive hormone levels during the female life cycle is thought to be responsible for modulating anxiety. This is often implicated in the later age of onset, the more sudden and acute symptom emergence, and the more episodic course of OCD in women, and in the high prevalence (47.4%) of PMDD. Pregnancy appears to be a protective period for some anxiety disorders, including panic, while for others, such as OCD, it may be associated with onset. Hormonal changes during pregnancy, such as increased prolactin, oxytocin, and cortisol, may contribute to the suppression of stress response that occurs during this period. Despite a large and growing body of literature on anxiety disorders in general, the available data relating to women and girls falls short of informing aspects of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention that may entail sex differences. Additional work is required to understand the biological and psychosocial causes of these differences.
Service user perspectives on the impact of a mental illness diagnosis
Authors: Rose Diana , Thornicroft Graham
Published: December 2015

Aim– to provide a conceptual and practical analysis of the impacts of mental health diagnoses on consumers and to consider how service users might contribute to the new psychiatric classifications currently being drawn up.Methods– A search was carried out revealing a very sparse literature on this topic. Consultations with service users were conducted and the views of experts sought.Results– Diagnosis is important as it marks the formal status of psychiatric patient being conferred. Consumers react differently, and often, negatively to this. Stigma can follow from a diagnosis. The process of giving a diagnosis can range from one of negotiation and taking the person's strengths into account to the blunt allocation of an unwanted label. Consumers can be reduced to their diagnosis so it becomes their whole personhood and this can have an effect on their sense of self. However, consumers are not passive victims and have their own strategies for dealing with these issues.Conclusion– Consumers can use these experiences to make contributions to the new diagnostic classification systems and to future research.
Development of a set of schizophrenia quality indicators for integrated care
Authors: Weinmann Stefan , Roick Christiane , Martin Luise , Willich Stefan , Becker Thomas
Published: December 2015

Aim– We aimed at developing a prioritized set of quality indicators for schizophrenia care to be used for continuous quality monitoring. They should be evidence-based and rely on routine data.Methods– A systematic literature search was performed to identify papers on validated quality indicators published between 1990 to April 2008 in MEDLINE, the Cochrane databases, EMBASE and PsycINFO. Databases of relevant national and international organizations were searched. Indicators were described with respect to meaningfulness, feasibility and actionability. A workshop with relevant stakeholders evaluated the measures through a structured consensus process.Results– We identified 78 indicators through literature search and selected 22 quality indicators. Furthermore, 12 structural and case-mix indicators were choosen. Only five quality indicators were rated “essential indicators” (priority 1), 14 were rated “additional first choice” (priority 2), and three were rated as “additional second choice” (priority 3). Only four indicators assessed outcome quality. In the majority of indicators the evidence base supporting the indicator recommendation was weak. None of the selected indicators was validated in experimental studies.Conclusions– Evidence and validation base played only a subordinate role for indicator prioritisation by stakeholders indicating that there are discrepancies between clinical questions and requirements in schizophrenia care and scientific research.

Declaration of Interest: Stefan Weinmann and Thomas Becker received an unrestricted grant from the Federal Association of Local Health Funds (AOK-BV) for the whole project. Christiane Roick is an employee of the AOK-BV. All authors declare that there are no other financing arrangements or payments that might be considered a conflict of interests related to the present paper.
Post-Event Processing across Multiple Anxiety Presentations: Is it Specific to Social Anxiety Disorder?
Authors: Perera Stefan , Rowa Karen , McCabe Randi E.
Published: December 2015

Background: Post-event processing (PEP) occurs when individuals engage in cognitive rumination following an event or interaction. Although the relation between PEP and social anxiety has been clearly demonstrated, it remains unclear whether PEP is limited to individuals with elevated social anxiety, or if it is also problematic among people with other anxiety presentations. Aims: The present study assessed PEP after the first session of group cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in individuals with a variety of anxiety presentations. Method: Participants with a principal diagnosis of SAD (N = 25), those diagnosed with a principal other anxiety disorder with comorbid SAD (N = 18), and those with principal other anxiety diagnoses with no SAD (N = 43) completed baseline measures of social anxiety severity and state anxiety at their first session of CBT and measures of PEP one week later. Results: Participants with a principal diagnosis of SAD experienced the most PEP in the week following the first CBT session, while those with no comorbid SAD experienced the least. Those with comorbid SAD experienced intermediate levels of PEP. The strongest predictor of PEP was state anxiety during the first session. Conclusions: Results suggest that PEP is more problematic for clients with SAD as part of their clinical presentation. Clinical and theoretical implications are discussed.
Cognitive Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder in Adolescents: A Development Case Series
Authors: Leigh Eleanor , Clark David M.
Published: December 2015

Background: Social anxiety disorder is common and typically starts in childhood or adolescence. Cognitive Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder (CT-SAD) in adults is a well-established treatment that shows strong evidence of differential effectiveness when compared to other active treatments. In contrast, CBT approaches to social anxiety in young people have yet to demonstrate differential effectiveness and there is some evidence that young people with social anxiety disorder respond less well than those with other anxiety disorders. Aims: To adapt CT-SAD for use with adolescents and conduct a pilot case series. Method: Five adolescents, aged 11–17 years, with a primary DSM-5 diagnosis of social anxiety disorder received a course of CT-SAD adapted for adolescents. Standardized clinical interview and questionnaire assessments were conducted at pre and posttreatment, and 2 to 3-month follow-up. Results: All five participants reported severe social anxiety at baseline and achieved remission by the end of treatment. Significant improvements were also observed in general anxiety, depression, concentration in the classroom, and putative process measures (social anxiety related thoughts, beliefs and safety behaviours). Conclusions: An adapted form of CT-SAD shows promise as a treatment for adolescents.
Leaf concentrate compared with skimmed milk as nutritional supplementation for HIV-infected children: a randomized controlled trial in Burundi
Authors: Collin Simon M , Leclercq Bernard , Twungubumwe Novat , Andréoletti Laurent , Richardier François-Christophe , Bertin Eric
Published: December 2015

Objective

The effectiveness of leaf concentrate powder (LCP) as a nutritional supplement was established in trials conducted among adolescent girls and pregnant women in India. Here we evaluate LCP, compared with skimmed milk powder (SMP), as a supplement for antiretroviral-naïve children living with HIV in a sub-Saharan African country.

Design

Randomized controlled, two-arm, 6-month trial comparing effects of isoproteic (5 g) LCP (10 g daily) and SMP (15 g daily) on HIV-1 viral load, CD4+cell count/percentage, weight/height-for-age, general blood parameters, diarrhoea, respiratory and HIV-related opportunistic infections.

Setting

Bujumbura and Kirundo, Burundi.

Subjects

Eighty-three HIV-positive, antiretroviral-naïve children aged 5–14 years: median (range) CD4+count, 716 (361–1690) cells/mm3; log10HIV-1 viral load, 4·39 (1·79–6·00).

Results

LCP was equivalent to SMP in relation to HIV-specific blood parameters and did not demonstrate superiority over SMP in relation to Hb. Three children in each arm (LCP, 7·1 % (3/42); SMP, 7·3 % (3/41)) proceeded to antiretroviral therapy because their CD4+counts fell below 350 cells/mm3. Children in the LCP group reported higher levels of appetite and overall health at 6 months. There were no differences in clinical events or any other outcome measures. LCP was less palatable than SMP to the children in this population, but there were few negative perceptions of appearance, texture and taste.

Conclusions

LCP appears to be equivalent to SMP as a nutritional supplement in this population, despite slightly lower palatability. In relation to viral load and CD4+count, equivalence may indicate no effect in either group. Effectiveness relative to no supplementation remains to be determined.
An Irish perennial ryegrass genetic resource collection clearly divides into two major gene pools
Authors: Barth Susanne , McGrath Sarah Katherine , Arojju Sai Krishna , Hodkinson Trevor Roland
Published: December 2015

This study assessed the genetic diversity in 928 individuals from 40 diploid populations ofLolium perenneusing nuclear simple sequence repeat markers, including 22 accessions of Irish ecotypes, seven European ecotypes and 11 released varieties. High levels of allelic and genetic diversity were determined, with intra-population variation accounting for the majority of the variation. The majority of the accessions deviated from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium and had relatively high inbreeding coefficients. Two major gene pools of ecotypic accessions were defined by unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) and PCA analyses. One of these two gene pools accounted for two-thirds of the ecotypes and included most of the current Irish and Northern Irish breeding materials and about half of the European ecotypes included in this study; these European ecotypes performed well under Irish selection conditions. Population structure and differentiation analyses using Structure analysis and analysis of molecular variance confirmed the results found in the UPGMA and PCA analyses. These results will be useful for breeders who wish to exploit specific pools from ecotype collections.
Gamma Rays from Solar Flares
Authors: Mandzhavidze Natalie , Ramaty Reuven
Published: December 2015

We review recent results obtained from the analysis of the solar flare gamma ray line emission:

(a)

The gamma ray derived ambient elemental abundances show that the First Ionization Potential (FIP) effect already sets in at relatively low altitudes in the solar atmosphere.

(b)

The composition of the flare accelerated particles that produce the gamma rays exhibit heavy element and 3He abundance enhancements that are typical for impulsive flares. Unlike the solar energetic particle (SEP) observations in interplanetary space, the gamma ray method allows us to trace the time development of these enhancements.

(c)

Solar flare gamma ray spectroscopy provides the most direct measure of the abundances of the two very high FIP elements, He and Ne, in subcoronal regions leading to somewhat higher abundances than the generally accepted values.

(d)

The high intensities of the aa lines observed from a number of flares imply a high (≳ 0.1) ambient He/H and/or accelerated α/p.

(e)

There are indications for the isotopic fractionation of He from the photosphere to corona that has important implications on the mechanism of solar wind acceleration, the protosolar deuterium abundance and Galactic chemical evolution.
Frequency and time domain analysis of a novel UWB antenna with dual band-notched characteristics
Authors: Sanyal Rajarshi , Patra Abhirup , Sarkar Parthapratim , Chowdhury Santosh Kumar
Published: December 2015

This paper presents the dual band notch characteristics of Ultra wideband (UWB) monopole antenna. Proposed antenna (30 × 30 mm2) consists of arrow shaped patch and truncated ground plane. Operating range of the proposed antenna (voltage standing wave ratio < 2) is 2.2–11 GHz. In order to achieve dual band stop characteristics, λ/2 open ended angularly separated slit pair has been inserted on the radiator for world interoperability for microwave access (WIMAX) (3.3–3.9 GHz) band rejection performance and wireless local area network (WLAN) (5.1–5.9 GHz) band rejection has been realized by introducing a pair of angularly separated λ/2 conductor backed plane (CBP). Using proper adjustment of angular separation for both slit pair and CBP pair, enhanced band rejection can be achieved for the WIMAX and WLAN band, respectively. The performance of antenna has been investigated in terms of frequency domain and time domain to assess its suitability in UWB communication.
Arc-cornered microstrip antenna with defected ground structure for broad banding and improved cross-polarization suppression over whole skew planes
Authors: Chakraborty Subhradeep , Chattopadhyay Sudipta
Published: December 2015

Defected ground structure (DGS)-integrated arc-cornered rectangular microstrip antenna (RMA) has been investigated to achieve broadband along with high co-polarized to cross-polarized radiation (CP–XP) isolation over principal as well as over skew planes without affecting the dominant mode co-polarized (CP) radiation pattern. The present arc-cornered RMA on circular and rectangular dot-type DGS is thoroughly studied and compared with the conventional rectangular microstrip antenna. In the present paper, a crucial emphasis is given to improve CP–XP isolation in all the skew planes and by employing circular dot-type DGS around 20 dB CP–XP isolation is achieved over whole skew planes as well as in the H-plane with the proposed structure with 20% impedance bandwidth. On the contrary, the CP–XP isolation and impedance bandwidth vary in opposite manner in case of the rectangular dot-type DGS. Around 25 and 10 dB CP–XP isolation with 9 and 22% impedance bandwidth have been obtained with thin and thick rectangular dot-type DGS, respectively. The corners of the patch surface are rounded in such a way to reduce spurious radiations from the sharp corners, which are generally attributed for high XP radiation along the diagonal directions.
Body adiposity and bone parameters of male rats from mothers fed diet containing flaxseed flour during lactation
Authors: da Costa C. A. S. , da Silva P. C. A. , Ribeiro D. C. , Pereira A. D. D. , Santos A. d. S. d. , Maia L. d. A. , Ruffoni L. D. G. , de Santana F. C. , de Abreu M. D. C. , Boueri B. F. d. C. , Pessanha C. R. , Nonaka K. O. , Mancini-Filho J. , do Nascimento-Saba C. C. A. , Boaventura G. T.
Published: December 2015

Obesity and osteoporosis may have their origins in early postnatal life. This study was designed to evaluate whether flaxseed flour use during lactation period bears effect on body adiposity and skeletal structure of male rat pups at weaning. At birth, male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to control and experimental (FF) groups, whose dams were treated with control or flaxseed flour diet, respectively, during lactation. At 21 days of age, pups were weaned to assess body mass, length and composition by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The animals were then sacrificed to carry out analysis of serum profile, intra-abdominal adipocyte morphology and femur characteristics. Differences were considered significant when P<0.05. The FF group displayed the following characteristics (P<0.05): higher body mass, length, bone mineral content, bone area and concentrations of osteoprotegerin, osteocalcin and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; higher levels of stearic, α-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic and docosapentaenoic acids and lower levels of arachidonic acid and cholesterol; smaller adipocyte area; and higher mass, epiphysis distance, diaphysis width, maximal load, break load, resilience and stiffness of femur. Flaxseed flour intake during lactation period promoted adipocyte hypertrophy down-regulation and contributed to pup bone quality at weaning.
Temporal and spatial dynamics of scaling-specific features of a gene regulatory network in Drosophila
Authors: Wu Honggang , Manu  , Jiao Renjie , Ma Jun
Published: December 2015

A widely appreciated aspect of developmental robustness is pattern formation in proportion to size. But how such scaling features emerge dynamically remains poorly understood. Here we generate a data set of the expression profiles of six gap genes in Drosophila melanogaster embryos that differ significantly in size. Expression patterns exhibit size-dependent dynamics both spatially and temporally. We uncover a dynamic emergence of under-scaling in the posterior, accompanied by reduced expression levels of gap genes near the middle of large embryos. Simulation results show that a size-dependent Bicoid gradient input can lead to reduced Krüppel expression that can have long-range and dynamic effects on gap gene expression in the posterior. Thus, for emergence of scaled patterns, the entire embryo may be viewed as a single unified dynamic system where maternally derived size-dependent information interpreted locally can be propagated in space and time as governed by the dynamics of a gene regulatory network.
Cold-aggravated pain in humans caused by a hyperactive NaV1.9 channel mutant
Authors: Leipold Enrico , Hanson-Kahn Andrea , Frick Miya , Gong Ping , Bernstein Jonathan A. , Voigt Martin , Katona Istvan , Oliver Goral R. , Altmüller Janine , Nürnberg Peter , Weis Joachim , Hübner Christian A. , Heinemann Stefan H. , Kurth Ingo
Published: December 2015

Gain-of-function mutations in the human SCN11A-encoded voltage-gated Na+ channel NaV1.9 cause severe pain disorders ranging from neuropathic pain to congenital pain insensitivity. However, the entire spectrum of the NaV1.9 diseases has yet to be defined. Applying whole-exome sequencing we here identify a missense change (p.V1184A) in NaV1.9, which leads to cold-aggravated peripheral pain in humans. Electrophysiological analysis reveals that p.V1184A shifts the voltage dependence of channel opening to hyperpolarized potentials thereby conferring gain-of-function characteristics to NaV1.9. Mutated channels diminish the resting membrane potential of mouse primary sensory neurons and cause cold-resistant hyperexcitability of nociceptors, suggesting a mechanistic basis for the temperature dependence of the pain phenotype. On the basis of direct comparison of the mutations linked to either cold-aggravated pain or pain insensitivity, we propose a model in which the physiological consequence of a mutation, that is, augmented versus absent pain, is critically dependent on the type of NaV1.9 hyperactivity.
An event-based architecture for solving constraint satisfaction problems
Authors: Mostafa Hesham , Müller Lorenz K. , Indiveri Giacomo
Published: December 2015

Constraint satisfaction problems are ubiquitous in many domains. They are typically solved using conventional digital computing architectures that do not reflect the distributed nature of many of these problems, and are thus ill-suited for solving them. Here we present a parallel analogue/digital hardware architecture specifically designed to solve such problems. We cast constraint satisfaction problems as networks of stereotyped nodes that communicate using digital pulses, or events. Each node contains an oscillator implemented using analogue circuits. The non-repeating phase relations among the oscillators drive the exploration of the solution space. We show that this hardware architecture can yield state-of-the-art performance on random SAT problems under reasonable assumptions on the implementation. We present measurements from a prototype electronic chip to demonstrate that a physical implementation of the proposed architecture is robust to practical non-idealities and to validate the theory proposed.
Quantum tomography protocols with positivity are compressed sensing protocols
Authors: Kalev Amir , Kosut Robert L , Deutsch Ivan H
Published: December 2015

Characterising complex quantum systems is a vital task in quantum information science. Quantum tomography, the standard tool used for this purpose, uses a well-designed measurement record to reconstruct quantum states and processes. It is, however, notoriously inefficient. Recently, the classical signal reconstruction technique known as ‘compressed sensing’ has been ported to quantum information science to overcome this challenge: accurate tomography can be achieved with substantially fewer measurement settings, thereby greatly enhancing the efficiency of quantum tomography. Here we show that compressed sensing tomography of quantum systems is essentially guaranteed by a special property of quantum mechanics itself—that the mathematical objects that describe the system in quantum mechanics are matrices with non-negative eigenvalues. This result has an impact on the way quantum tomography is understood and implemented. In particular, it implies that the information obtained about a quantum system through compressed sensing methods exhibits a new sense of ‘informational completeness.’ This has important consequences on the efficiency of the data taking for quantum tomography, and enables us to construct informationally complete measurements that are robust to noise and modelling errors. Moreover, our result shows that one can expand the numerical tool-box used in quantum tomography and employ highly efficient algorithms developed to handle large dimensional matrices on a large dimensional Hilbert space. Although we mainly present our results in the context of quantum tomography, they apply to the general case of positive semidefinite matrix recovery.