bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A conceptual framework of ITSMCA for a building collapse accident
Authors: Yan Xiaoli , Kim Young-Chan
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to timely control of a construction collapse accident effectively during its development process by constructing a stage model and then aligning IT with each stage to help provide the information for decision making.

Design/methodology/approach

Through comprehensive literature review, this paper first identifies the various IT applications in on-site construction monitoring and analyzes the existed disaster/crisis stage models, also the stage models are compared with the causation models to illustrate the strengths. Then, a three-step methodology was conducted to develop and apply the conceptual framework, including the construction of the four-stage model; the establishment of the conceptual framework of information technology (IT) support for management of construction accidents (ITSMCA); and a building collapse accident used to illustrate the proposed framework.

Findings

The accident is divided into four stages, which are incubation stage, outbreak stage, spreading stage and final stage. The real-time staged information to support decision making, such as the contributing factors of on-site workers, materials, equipment and workplace, can be provided by emerging IT. Therefore, IT is aligned with the variations of contributing factors’ attributes in the four stages and ITSMCA is constructed to help accidents management.

Research limitations/implications

The focus of the framework presented in this paper is that the stage model is effective for it catches the variations of the attributes whose values can be provided by IT rather than research on the practical application of the IT system. The construction and application of the IT system will be the research focus in the future.

Originality/value

This paper presents a stage model of a building collapse accident and gives a comprehensive conceptual framework of ITSMCA, which align the IT with different stages of the collapse accident. The ITSMCA proposes a feasible ideology and practical method for real-time management of the collapse accident during the process.
Advancing real estate decision making: understanding known, unknown and unknowable risks
Authors: Higgins David , Perera Treshani
Published: July 2018

Purpose

Whilst existing literature on real estate risk management focusses almost exclusively on holistic risk management techniques, documented increases in frequency and magnitude of unforeseen, rare and extreme events can throw up sudden, unexpected shocks that can challenge recognised real estate decision-making strategies. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

To advance real estate decision-making practice in this area, this research paper takes the skilfully conceptualised downside risk framework presented by Dieboldet al.(2010), being the known (K), the unknown (u) and the unknowable (U) risk categories, to provide a blueprint for effective real estate decision making in a changing global environment.

Findings

In recording categories of risk, managing uncertainty can be achieved by an interrelated approach of adaption, robustness and resilience. This is important part of a real estate manager’s decision-making toolkit as risk recognition and knowledge of KuU event categories can augment an effective management strategy.

Originality/value

The mastery of modern real estate risk management can be better served by understanding and managing extreme downside risk events. Creating a comprehensive risk management framework can enhance comparative real estate performance whereby unprepared competitors fail in a world increasingly affected by large, highly improbable and unpredictable events.
Factors affecting maintenance management in hospital buildings
Authors: Jandali Dana , Sweis Rateb
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and assess the factors affecting maintenance management performance in public and private hospitals in Amman-Jordan.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper identified 70 items affecting maintenance management performance from the literature review. Descriptive analysis was performed to assess the practices in both sectors. Comparison between public and private hospitals was performed through conducting a Mann-Whitney U-test.

Findings

Public hospitals were found to be implementing more improved practices than private hospitals. The perception of maintenance staff in both sectors regarding the factors affecting maintenance management performance varied.

Originality/value

This paper provides an original review of the factors affecting maintenance management in public and private hospitals in Amman-Jordan. The identified factors provide a useful reference to maintenance departments to improve maintenance performance and practices.
Integrating diverse social and ecological motivations to achieve landscape restoration
Authors: Jellinek Sacha , Wilson Kerrie A. , Hagger Valerie , Mumaw Laura , Cooke Benjamin , Guerrero Angela M. , Erickson Todd E. , Zamin Tara , Waryszak Pawel , Standish Rachel J.
Published: July 2018

Landscape‐scale restoration requires stakeholder collaboration and recognition of diverse social and ecological motivations to achieve multiple benefits. Yet few landscape restoration projects have set and achieved shared social and ecological goals.

Mechanisms to integrate social and ecological motivations will differ in different landscapes. We provide examples from urban, agricultural, and mined landscapes to highlight how integration can achieve multiple benefits and help incentivize restoration.

Better communication of ecological and especially social benefits of restoration could increase motivation. Social and economic incentives from carbon markets are evident in agricultural landscapes, biodiversity offset schemes are unlikely to motivate restoration without proof‐of‐concept, and framing restoration in terms of ecosystem services shows promise.

Synthesis and applications. When setting restoration goals, it is important to recognize the diverse motivations that influence them. In doing so, and by evaluating both social and ecological benefits, we can better achieve desired restoration outcomes. Customizing incentives to cater for diverse stakeholder motivations could therefore encourage restoration projects.
Divergent gene expression among phytoplankton taxa in response to upwelling
Authors: Lampe Robert H. , Cohen Natalie R. , Ellis Kelsey A. , Bruland Kenneth W. , Maldonado Maria T. , Peterson Tawnya D. , Till Claire P. , Brzezinski Mark A. , Bargu Sibel , Thamatrakoln Kimberlee , Kuzminov Fedor I , Twining Benjamin S. , Marchetti Adrian
Published: July 2018

Frequent blooms of phytoplankton occur in coastal upwelling zones creating hotspots of biological productivity in the ocean. As cold, nutrient‐rich water is brought up to sunlit layers from depth, phytoplankton are also transported upwards to seed surface blooms that are often dominated by diatoms. The physiological response of phytoplankton to this process, commonly referred to as shift‐up, is characterized by increases in nitrate assimilation and rapid growth rates. To examine the molecular underpinnings behind this phenomenon, metatranscriptomics was applied to a simulated upwelling experiment using natural phytoplankton communities from the California Upwelling Zone. An increase in diatom growth following 5 days of incubation was attributed to the genera Chaetoceros and Pseudo‐nitzschia. Here, we show that certain bloom‐forming diatoms exhibit a distinct transcriptional response that coordinates shift‐up where diatoms exhibited the greatest transcriptional change following upwelling; however, comparison of co‐expressed genes exposed overrepresentation of distinct sets within each of the dominant phytoplankton groups. The analysis revealed that diatoms frontload genes involved in nitrogen assimilation likely in order to outcompete other groups for available nitrogen during upwelling events. We speculate that the evolutionary success of diatoms may be due, in part, to this proactive response to frequently encountered changes in their environment.
Compartments with predominant ephrin‐B1 and EphB2/B4 expression are present alternately along the excurrent duct system in the adult mouse testis and epididymis
Authors: Gofur M. R. , Ogawa K.
Published: July 2018

Background

Ephrin receptors (Eph) and ligands are membrane‐bound cell–cell communication molecules that regulate the spatial organization of various tissues and organs by repulsive or adhesive signals arising from contact between Eph‐ and ephrin‐bearing cells. However, the expression and functions of Eph receptors in the testis and epididymis are virtually unknown.

Objectives

We aimed to investigate the expression of several EphB receptors and ephrin‐B ligands in the testis and epididymis of adult mice.

Materials and methods

mRNA and protein expression was detected via reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction amplification and immunostaining, respectively.

Results

Complementary expression patterns were observed in the epithelia along the excurrent duct system in the testis and epididymis; ephrin‐B1 was strongly expressed in the epithelia of the rete testis and segment I in the ductus epididymis, whereas EphB2 and/or EphB4 were strongly expressed in the epithelia of the straight tubules and efferent ductules. Moreover, ephrin‐B1 was expressed in the spermatogonia, Leydig cells, and peritubular myoid cells in the testis, whereas EphB2 was expressed in elongated spermatids and EphB4 was expressed in the spermatogonia and Leydig cells. Furthermore, these receptors were found to be tyrosine‐phosphorylated in the testis and/or epididymis.

Discussion

Receptor localization and phosphorylation patterns suggested that EphB/ephrin‐B signaling might occur in the seminiferous tubules and epithelial junctions among the straight tubules, rete testis, efferent ductules, and ductus epididymis. Therefore, we propose that EphB/ephrin‐B signaling may regulate epithelial boundary formation in the excurrent tubule/ductule/duct system as well as modulate spermatogenesis and spermiation.

Conclusion

Overall, this study represents the first analysis of EphB receptor and ephrin‐B ligand expression in the normal adult testis and epididymis.
Radial Artery Tonometry to Monitor Blood Pressure and Hemodynamics in Ambulatory Left Ventricular Assist Device Patients in Comparison With Doppler Ultrasound and Transthoracic Echocardiography: A Pilot Study
Authors: Zayat Rashad , Drosos Vasileios , Schnoering Heike , Lee Ju‐Yeon , Bleilevens Christian , Musetti Giulia , Jansen‐Park So‐Hyun , Kang HeeJung , Menon Ares K. , Schmitz‐Rode Thomas , Autschbach Rüdiger , Hatam Nima , Moza Ajay
Published: July 2018

Noninvasive measurements of blood pressure (BP) and cardiac output (CO) are crucial in the follow‐up of continuous‐flow left ventricular assist device (CF‐LVAD) patients. For our pilot study, we sought to compare BP measurements between a tonometry blood pressure pulse analyzer (BPPA) (DMP‐Life, DAEYOMEDI Co., Ltd., Gyeonggi‐do, South Korea) and Doppler ultrasound in CF‐LVAD patients, as well as to compare the BPPA estimated CO to LVAD calculated blood flow and to the patient’s intrinsic CO estimated with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). Ambulatory CF‐LVAD patients (6 HeartMate, 26 HeartMate II), were included. According to TTE findings, patients were then subdivided in two groups: patients with an opening aortic valve (OAV) [n = 21] and those with an intermittent opening aortic valve (IOAV) [n = 11]. We found a very good correlation of systolic BP (SBP) measurements between the two methods, BPPA and Doppler ultrasound (r = 0.87, P < 0.0001). Bland‐Altman plots for SBP revealed a low bias of −4.6 mm Hg and SD of ±4.7 mm Hg. In CF‐LVAD patients with IOAV, the BPPA‐CO had a good correlation with the LVAD‐flow (r = 0.78, P < 0.0001), but in OAV patients, there was no correlation. After adding the patient’s intrinsic CO, estimated from TTE in patients with OAV to the LVAD‐flow, we found a very good correlation between the BPPA‐CO and LVAD‐flow + TTE‐CO (r = 0.81, P = 0.002). Our study demonstrated that compared with the standard clinical method, Doppler ultrasound, the BPPA measured BP noninvasively with good accuracy and precision of agreement. In addition, tonometry BPPA provided further valuable information regarding the CF‐LVAD patient’s intrinsic CO.
Music therapy supported the health‐related quality of life for children undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplants
Authors: Uggla L , Bonde L‐O , Hammar U , Wrangsjö B , Gustafsson B
Published: July 2018

Aim

Paediatric haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a stressful treatment with an impact on health‐related quality of life (HRQoL), and supportive interventions are needed. This study evaluated the effects of music therapy during and after HSCT.

Methods

This was a randomised clinical pilot study of 29 patients aged 0–17 years who underwent HSCT at Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden, between February 2013 and May 2017. The music therapy group comprised 14 children who received the music therapy during hospitalisation. Fifteen children in the control group received the intervention after discharge. Music therapy was offered twice a week for four to six weeks. The patients’ HRQoL, pain and mood were evaluated at admission, discharge and after six months. The instruments for HRQoL included the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 generic core scales.

Results

The scales showed that the music therapy group had a higher estimated physical function (adjusted p = 0.04) at the time of discharge, and the control group showed improved results after the intervention in all domains (p = 0.015).

Conclusion

Despite the small sample, we found improved HRQoL after music therapy, which suggests that it could be a complementary intervention during and after paediatric HSCT.
Behavioural and emotional concerns reported by parents of children attending a neurodevelopmental diagnostic centre
Authors: Miller Anton R. , Gardiner Emily , Harding Louise
Published: July 2018

Background

Behavioural and emotional problems are a salient concern for parents of children with neurodisability, but little is known about the nature of such concerns in this population, nor about the distribution of concern types across ostensibly different subpopulations.

Methods

Information about behavioural and emotional concerns was extracted from clinical reports of developmental paediatricians (N = 12) who had assessed children aged 3 to 8 years (N = 129) through three clinics at a major developmental and rehabilitation service centre. All concerns were captured at a granular level. A two‐stage, consensus‐based interdisciplinary concept‐sorting technique was used to identify and group thematically related behavioural and emotional concerns into First Stage Groupings, intended to preserve detail and specificity, and a reduced number of Second Stage Clusters.

Results

A total of 669 discrete concerns were encountered, aggregated to 58 First Stage Concern Groupings and 28 Second Stage Concern Clusters. Findings of the salience of Groupings related to Attention, Concentration and Distractibility, and Anxiousness, Shyness, and Emotional Sensitivity reflect existing literature for children with neurodevelopmental concerns. “Social Isolation/Peer Engagement,” “Tantrums/Outbursts/Meltdowns” and “Volatility/Self‐regulation Difficulties,” and “Sensory Issues” emerged as areas of significant concern and salience as well. Across clinics, three Clusters recurred among the top five observed for each clinic: “Tantrums/Outbursts/Meltdowns,” “Inflexibility/Gets Stuck or Fixated,” and “Social Behaviours.”

Conclusions

This rich descriptive dataset affords insight into the phenomenology of behaviour and emotional concerns in the daily lives of parents whose children have known or suspected neurodisability. Study findings can inform and sensitize clinicians working with this population. Usefulness is enhanced by inclusion of behavioural material that is subthreshold for a formal psychopathologic diagnosis. Certain concern types are encountered commonly across different clinical subpopulations, supporting a noncategorical view of behavioural and emotional problems as functional attributes that cross neurodisability diagnostic categories.
The development of a short form of the Test of Gross Motor Development‐2 in Brazilian children: Validity and reliability
Authors: Valentini Nadia C. , Rudisill Mary E. , Bandeira Paulo Felipe R. , Hastie Peter A.
Published: July 2018

Background

Assessing children's motor skills is important for identifying children with delays, measuring learning, and determining teaching effectiveness. One popular assessment for measuring fundamental motor skills in children is the Test of Gross Motor Development‐2 (TGMD‐2). Although the TGMD‐2 long form is widely known, a short form of the TGMD‐2 has not been yet proposed and investigated. The aim of this study was to develop a short form of the TGMD‐2 and to examine its validity, interrater reliability and test–retest reliability.

Method

Data from 2,463 Brazilian children were analyzed. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was used to investigate the validity of reducing the number of TGMD‐2 skills.

Results

The short‐form version of the TGMD‐2 with six skills has appropriate indices of confirmatory factorial validity (root mean square error of approximation: 0.06, 90% confidence interval [0.06, 0.07]; comparative fit index: 0.94; normed fit index: 0.94: Tucker–Lewis index: 0.83; goodness‐of‐fit index: 0.98; adjusted goodness‐of‐fit index: 0.95), internal consistency (α = 0.70 for the overall test), interrater and intrarater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients values from 0.81 to 0.96) and test–retest reliability (r values from 0.55 to 0.95).

Conclusions

From these findings, practitioners now have a valid and reliable, short form of the TGMD‐2 for use in assessing children's motor skill competence; promoting wider use of the test for screening and pedagogical purposes.
Risk factor model of mechanical complications in implant‐supported fixed complete dentures: A prospective cohort study
Authors: Coltro Maria Paula L. , Ozkomur Ahmet , Villarinho Eduardo A. , Teixeira Eduardo R. , Vigo Alvaro , Shinkai Rosemary S. A.
Published: July 2018

Objectives

This prospective cohort study estimated the effect of technical and clinical factors on mechanical complications in implant‐supported fixed complete dentures (IFCDs). The patient's perception of the impact of oral rehabilitation on quality of life was assessed.

Material and methods

A non‐probabilistic sample consisted of 88 consecutive patients treated with 94 screw‐retained, metal‐acrylic IFCDs. Data collection included sociodemographic variables, presence and intensity of bruxism, maximal occlusal force, opposing arch, design of the metallic framework, distribution of occlusal contacts, and quality of life (OHIP‐14). IFCD‐level data were analyzed using Kaplan‐Meier survival analysis and Cox regression model. Quality of life data were analyzed by paired Studentttest.

Results

During a mean follow‐up of 35.1 ± 18.3 months, 16/94 IFCDs (17%) had repairable mechanical complications because of loosening/fracture of artificial teeth (n = 15) and screw loosening (n = 1). Framework design (retention pins <4 mm) was a significant risk factor for complications (HR = 11.038;p = 0.027) when adjusted for sex. Mechanical complications were not associated with sex, body mass index, thickness of the acrylic resin veneering, type of opposing arch, distribution of occlusal contacts and force, protrusion interference, presence/intensity of bruxism or maximal occlusal force. OHIP‐14 total scores decreased after IFCD treatment for both patients with or without complications.

Conclusions

Within the limitations of this study, the results suggest that clinical success is associated to framework design with retention pins equal or longer than 4 mm. Quality of life improved with IFCD treatment, even in patients with mechanical complications.
The nucleus accumbens shell in reinstatement and extinction of drug seeking
Authors: Gibson Gabrielle D. , Millan E. Zayra , McNally Gavan P.
Published: July 2018

The contexts where drugs are self‐administered have important control over relapse and extinction of drug‐seeking behavior. The nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh) is essential to this contextual control over drug‐seeking behavior. It has been consistently implicated in both the expression of context‐induced reinstatement and the expression of extinction, across a variety of drug classes and other rewards. Here, we review the evidence linking AcbSh to the extinction and reinstatement of drug seeking. We consider whether this dual role can be linked to known heterogeneities in AcbSh cell types, their major afferents, and their major efferents. We show that although these heterogeneities are each important and can determine extinction vs. reinstatement, they do not seem adequate to explain the body of findings from the behavioral literature. Rather, we suggest that this functional specialization of AcbSh may be more profitably viewed in terms of the segregation and compartmentalization of AcbSh channels.
The influence of endogenous estrogen on transcranial direct current stimulation: A preliminary study
Authors: Lee Susan , Chung Sung W. , Rogasch Nigel C. , Thomson Cassandra J. , Worsley Roisin N. , Kulkarni Jayashri , Thomson Richard H. , Fitzgerald Paul B. , Segrave Rebecca A.
Published: July 2018

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non‐invasive neuromodulatory technique. Responses to tDCS differ substantially between individuals. Sex hormones that modulate cortical excitability, such as estrogen, may contribute to this inter‐individual variability. The influence of estrogen on tDCS after‐effects has not yet been researched. This study aimed to investigate whether endogenous estrogen levels influence cortical response to tDCS. Data from 15 male and 14 female healthy adults were analyzed. Males completed one experimental session. Females completed two, one during the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle when estrogen was low, one during the mid‐luteal phase when estrogen was high. Each session comprised 15‐min of anodal tDCS delivered to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Response to stimulation was assessed using electroencephalography with DLPFC transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) administered before, immediately after, and 20‐min after tDCS. Changes in amplitudes of N120 and P200 components of TMS‐evoked potentials over time were compared between males, women with low estrogen and women with high estrogen. Blood assays verified estrogen levels. Women with high estrogen demonstrated a significant increase in P200 amplitude at both time points and change over time was greater for the high estrogen group compared with males. No significant differences were observed between males and women with low estrogen, or between women with low and high estrogen. These preliminary results indicate that greater neuroplastic response to DLPFC tDCS is seen in highest compared with lowest estrogen states, suggesting that endogenous estrogen levels contribute to inter‐individual variability of tDCS outcomes.
Rapid determination of soil classes in soil profiles using vis–NIR spectroscopy and multiple objectives mixed support vector classification
Authors: Chen S. , Li S. , Ma W. , Ji W. , Xu D. , Shi Z. , Zhang G.
Published: July 2018

Visible‐near infrared (vis–NIR) spectroscopy can reveal various soil properties and facilitate soil classification. However, few studies have attempted to classify vertical soil profiles that contain several genetic horizons. Here, we propose the ‘multiple objectives mixed support vector classification’ (MOM–SVC) method to classify soil profiles. A total of 130 soil profiles were collected from genetic horizons in Zhejiang Province, China. After laboratory analysis, soil profiles were classified according to the Chinese Soil Taxonomy system. Vis–NIR spectra were recorded from each genetic horizon of each soil profile and were then pre‐processed. We performed the MOM–SVC method as follows: (i) created a support vector machine (SVM) model (one‐versus‐one approach) using spectral data from all soil horizons in calibration profiles, (ii) applied the SVM model on each horizon of the profile to be predicted, (iii) extracted ‘votes’ from each horizon and mixed (or summarized) them into the votes of each profile to be predicted and (iv) classified each profile by the majority‐voting method. We also investigated whether the additional input of auxiliary soil information (e.g. moist soil colour, soil organic matter and soil texture), which could be measured easily or be well predicted by vis–NIR spectroscopy, could improve the accuracy of soil classification when combined with it. Independent validation results showed that the MOM–SVC method performed better at the soil order level than at the suborder level. Adding auxiliary soil information to the classification model improved the overall accuracy of classification at the soil order level. The proposed MOM–SVC method provides a fast objective diagnostic of soil classes for use in soil surveys and can help to update soil databases when a more objective soil classification system is developed.

Highlights

The MOM–SVC method can be used to classify soil profiles objectively with a variety of soil horizons.

Stratified random sampling was used to quantify prediction uncertainty in classification

MOM–SVC can predict soil orders with greater accuracy than suborders.

Adding auxiliary soil information into the classification model improved prediction accuracy.
RIP4 upregulates CCL20 expression through STAT3 signalling in cultured keratinocytes
Authors: Bae Hyun Cheol , Jeong Sang Hoon , Kim Jin Hee , Lee Hana , Ryu Woo‐In , Kim Min‐Gyu , Son Eui Dong , Lee Tae Ryong , Son Sang Wook
Published: July 2018

The receptor‐interacting protein kinase 4 (RIP4), a serine/threonine kinase, is an important modulator of epidermal growth and cutaneous inflammation. We found that RIP4 expression was significantly increased in the lesional skin of psoriasis. However, the role and regulatory mechanism of RIP4 in psoriasis have not been characterized. After treatment with IL‐17, RIP4 mRNA and protein levels were increased in HaCaT cells. IL‐17 also activated the RIP4 promoter. To understand the functional role of RIP4 in keratinocyte and to investigate the genes regulated by RIP4, RNA‐based microarray analysis was performed. Among immune response‐related genes, CCL20 expression was significantly changed by RIP4. To identify RIP4‐interacting protein, an immunoprecipitation assay was performed. As a result, STAT3 was identified as a new protein that interacts with RIP4. The interaction of RIP4 and STAT3 enhanced STAT3 phosphorylation. In addition, the transcriptional activity of STAT3 induced by RIP4 regulated IL‐17‐mediated CCL20 expression in HaCaT cells. Taken together, these findings indicate that IL‐17 increased RIP4‐mediated STAT3 phosphorylation by directly interacting with STAT3. Thus, transcriptional activation of STAT3 promotes the expression of CCL20. Thus, activations of these signalling pathways by RIP4 may contribute to epithermal inflammation in psoriatic keratinocytes.
Effects of gastrostomy fee schedule revision on artificial nutrition routes among older people with dementia in Japan: A time series observational study
Authors: Maeda Toshiki , Babazono Akira , Nishi Takumi , Arima Hisatomi , Tsuji Masayoshi , Kawazoe Miki , Satoh Atsushi
Published: July 2018

Aim

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of the 2014 Japanese fee schedule revision on trends in artificial nutrition routes, including gastrostomy, nasogastric tube and parenteral nutrition, among older people with dementia, using time series analysis.

Methods

The study used claim data in Japan submitted to Fukuoka Late Elders' Health Insurance from fiscal year 2010 to fiscal year 2016. We identified older people with dementia provided for the first time with artificial nutrition via gastrostomy, nasogastric tube or central venous line and aggregated their data by month. Interrupted time series analyses were used to examine trends in artificial nutrition routes over time.

Results

The numbers of older people with dementia receiving nutrition via gastrostomy, nasogastric tube and parenterally declined consistently. The slopes for pre‐revision trends in gastrostomy, nasogastric tube and parenteral nutrition procedures were all significantly negative in the interrupted time series analyses. The post‐revision trends in gastrostomy and parenteral nutrition continuously had significant negative slopes. In contrast, the significant negative trend in nasogastric tube procedures in the pre‐revision period had disappeared during the post‐revision period.

Conclusions

The study showed that the fee schedule revision had limited impact on gastrostomy and parenteral nutrition. However the trend for nasogastric tube was ambiguous; hence, sustainable surveillance is required for evidence‐based health policy. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 1405–1409.
eIF2α kinases PERK and GCN2 act on FOXO to potentiate FOXO activity
Authors: You Shiqiu , Li Huifang , Hu Zhubing , Zhang Wei
Published: July 2018

PERK and GCN2 are eIF2α kinases known to mediate the effects of ER stress and respond to an array of diverse stress stimuli. Previously, we reported that ER stress potentiates insulin resistance through PERK‐mediated FOXO phosphorylation. Inhibition of PERK improves cellular insulin responsiveness at the level of FOXO activity. Here we provide further evidence that FOXO is required for the functional output of PERK by showing that lowering FOXO activity ameliorates a PERK gain‐of‐function phenotype in Drosophila. More importantly, we present results demonstrating that GCN2 acts similarly to PERK to promote FOXO activity. Regulation of FOXO by GCN2 is evolutionarily conserved and can be compensated for by PERK. The combination of these mechanisms may contribute to the complex regulatory network between PERK, GCN2, and FOXO, which has been implicated in the development and progression of a variety of diseases.
Long‐term outcomes of primary sclerosing cholangitis: an Australian non‐transplant tertiary hospital perspective
Authors: Freeman Elliot , Majeed Ammar , Kemp William , Roberts Stuart K.
Published: July 2018

Background

There are limited Australian epidemiological and outcome data on primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), with the only published study involving a state liver transplantation service.

Aim

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the natural history, and morbidity and mortality of PSC in an Australian population managed in a large metropolitan non‐transplant teaching hospital.

Methods

We identified all PSC patients managed at The Alfred Hospital over a 10‐year period and analysed their clinical and demographic data. Primary outcomes were liver transplantation and death. Secondary outcomes included cholangiocarcinoma, development of cirrhosis, liver decompensation, cholangitis requiring hospital admission and the development of dominant strictures requiring dilatation.

Results

We identified 39 PSC patients (69% male) with a median follow‐up time of 63 months (range 5–289). Median age at diagnosis was 45 years (range 10–81) and 29 (74%) patients had concurrent inflammatory bowel disease. Five patients had cirrhosis at diagnosis and 10 (26%) developed cirrhosis after a median follow up of 54 months. Three (8%) patients developed cholangiocarcinoma and one with overlap syndrome required liver transplantation. The 10‐ and 20‐year survival rates for the entire cohort were 77.4% (95% confidence interval 55.6–89.4) and 68.8% (95% confidence interval 42.1–85) respectively. Survival in patients with small‐duct disease was not different from those without.

Conclusion

Although the PSC population in this Australian cohort appears typical of the disease, rates of liver decompensation are relatively low and the overall transplant‐free survival may be better than that reported in overseas cohorts or from cohorts derived from liver transplantation centres.
DARPP‐32 in the orchestration of responses to positive natural stimuli
Authors: Scheggi Simona , De Montis Maria Graziella , Gambarana Carla
Published: July 2018

Dopamine‐ and cAMP‐regulated phosphoprotein (Mr 32 kDa, DARPP‐32) is an integrator of multiple neuronal signals and plays a crucial role particularly in mediating the dopaminergic component of the systems involved in the evaluation of stimuli and the ensuing elaboration of complex behavioral responses (e.g., responses to reinforcers and stressors). Dopamine neurons can fire tonically or phasically in distinct timescales and in specific brain regions to code different behaviorally relevant information. Dopamine signaling is mediated mainly through the regulation of adenylyl cyclase activity, stimulated by D1‐like or inhibited by D2‐like receptors, respectively, that modulates cAMP‐dependent protein kinase (PKA) function. The activity of DARPP‐32 is finely regulated by its phosphorylation at multiple sites. Phosphorylation at the threonine (Thr) 34 residue by PKA converts DARPP‐32 into an inhibitor of protein phosphatase 1, while the phosphorylation at the Thr75 residue turns it into an inhibitor of PKA. Thus, DARPP‐32 is critically implicated in regulating striatal output in response to the convergent pathways that influence signaling of the cAMP/PKA pathway. This review summarizes some of the landmark and recent studies of DARPP‐32‐mediated signaling in the attempt to clarify the role played by DARPP‐32 in the response to rewarding natural stimuli. Particularly, the review deals with data derived from rodents studies and discusses the involvement of the cAMP/PKA/DARPP‐32 pathway in: 1) appetitive food‐sustained motivated behaviors, 2) motivated behaviors sustained by social reward, 3) sexual behavior, and 4) responses to environmental enrichment.

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Distinct disruptions in Land's cycle remodeling of glycerophosphocholines in murine cortex mark symptomatic onset and progression in two Alzheimer's disease mouse models
Authors: Granger Matthew W. , Liu Hui , Fowler Caitlin F. , Blanchard Alexandre P. , Taylor Matthew W. , Sherman Samantha P. M. , Xu Hongbin , Le Weidong , Bennett Steffany A. L.
Published: July 2018

Changes in glycerophosphocholine metabolism are observed in Alzheimer's disease; however, it is not known whether these metabolic disruptions are linked to cognitive decline. Here, using unbiased lipidomic approaches and direct biochemical assessments, we profiled Land's cycle lipid remodeling in the hippocampus, frontal cortex, and temporal‐parietal‐entorhinal cortices of human amyloid beta precursor protein (ΑβPP) over‐expressing mice. We identified a cortex‐specific hypo‐metabolic signature at symptomatic onset and a cortex‐specific hyper‐metabolic signature of Land's cycle glycerophosphocholine remodeling over the course of progressive behavioral decline. When N5 TgCRND8 and ΑβPPSwe/PSIdE9 mice first exhibited deficits in the Morris Water Maze, levels of lyso‐phosphatidylcholines, LPC(18:0/0:0), LPC(16:0/0:0), LPC(24:6/0:0), LPC(25:6/0:0), the lyso‐platelet‐activating factor (PAF), LPC(O‐18:0/0:0), and the PAF, PC(O‐22:6/2:0), declined as a result of reduced calcium‐dependent cytosolic phospholipase A2α (cPLA2α) activity in all cortices but not hippocampus. Chronic intermittent hypoxia, an environmental risk factor that triggers earlier learning memory impairment in ΑβPPSwe/PSIdE9 mice, elicited these same metabolic changes in younger animals. Thus, this lipidomic signature of phenoconversion appears age‐independent. By contrast, in symptomatic N5 TgCRND8 mice, cPLA2α activity progressively increased; overall Lyso‐phosphatidylcholines (LPC) and LPC(O) and PC(O‐18:1/2:0) levels progressively rose. Enhanced cPLA2α activity was only detected in transgenic mice; however, age‐dependent increases in the PAF acetylhydrolase 1b α1 to α2 expression ratio, evident in both transgenic and non‐transgenic mice, reduced PAF hydrolysis thereby contributing to PAF accumulation. Taken together, these data identify distinct age‐independent and age‐dependent disruptions in Land's cycle metabolism linked to symptomatic onset and progressive behavioral decline in animals with pre‐existing Αβ pathology.

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Quantification of hyaluronan in human fasciae: variations with function and anatomical site
Authors: Fede C. , Angelini A. , Stern R. , Macchi V. , Porzionato A. , Ruggieri P. , De Caro R. , Stecco C.
Published: July 2018

Recently, alterations in fascial gliding‐like movement have been invoked as critical in the etiology of myofascial pain. Various methods have been attempted for the relief of this major and debilitating clinical problem. Paramount have been attempts to restore correct gliding between fascial layers and the movement over bone, joint, and muscular structures. One of the key elements that underlies such fascial movement is hyaluronan. However, until now, the precise content of hyaluronan within fasciae has been unknown. This study quantifies for the first time the hyaluronan content of human fascial samples obtained from a variety of anatomic sites. Here, we demonstrate that the average amount varies according to anatomic site, and according to the different kinds of sliding properties of the particular fascia. For example, the fascia lata has 35 μg of hyaluronan per gram of tissue, similar to that of the rectus sheath (29 μg g−1). However, the types of fascia adherent to muscle contain far less hyaluronan: 6 μg g−1 in the fascia overlying the trapezius and deltoid muscles. In the fascia that surrounds joints, the hyaluronan increases to 90 μg g−1, such as in the retinacula of the ankle, where greater degrees of movement occur. Surprisingly, no significant differences were detected at any site as a function of age or sex (P‐value > 0.05, t‐test) with the sole exception of the plantar fascia. This work can provide a better understanding of the role of hyaluronan in fascia. It will facilitate a better comprehension of the modulation of the hyaluronan‐rich layer that occurs in relation to the various conditions that affect fascia, and the diverse factors that underlie the attendant pathologies.
Hypoactivation of the Right Prefrontal Cortex Underlying Motor‐Related Inhibitory Deficits in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Functional Near‐Infrared Spectroscopy Study
Authors: Ikeda Takahiro , Tokuda Tatsuya , Monden Yukifumi , Hirai Masahiro , Mizushima Sakae G. , Nagashima Masako , Kyutoku Yasushi , Taniguchi Takamichi , Shimoizumi Hideo , Dan Ippeita , Yamagata Takanori
Published: July 2018

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are believed to share the symptom of neurocognitive dysfunction in executive functions. Regarding the components of executive functions, however, dysfunction of motor‐response inhibitory control in children with ASD remains unclear. Thus, using functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we investigated whether putative inhibitory brain dysfunctions are applicable to children with ASD by adopting a go/no‐go task, which has robustly evoked activation in typically developing (TD) children but not in ADHD children. Twenty‐four ASD and 24 TD children underwent a go/no‐go task, and their cortical hemodynamics were assessed using fNIRS. Relative to TD participants, ASD participants showed reduced activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus and middle frontal gyrus (IFG/MFG) during go/no‐go tasks. The current finding suggests that hypoactivation in the right IFG/MFG during a go/no‐go task would serve as a potential biomarker for identifying children with ASD.
Past history of hepatocellular carcinoma is an independent risk factor of treatment failure in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection receiving direct‐acting antivirals
Authors: Sugiura Ayumi , Joshita Satoru , Umemura Takeji , Yamazaki Tomoo , Fujimori Naoyuki , Kimura Takefumi , Matsumoto Akihiro , Igarashi Koji , Usami Yoko , Wada Shuichi , Mori Hiromitsu , Shibata Soichiro , Yoshizawa Kaname , Morita Susumu , Furuta Kiyoshi , Kamijo Atsushi , Iijima Akihiro , Kako Satoko , Maruyama Atsushi , Kobayashi Masakazu , Komatsu Michiharu , Matsumura Makiko , Miyabayashi Chiharu , Ichijo Tetsuya , Takeuchi Aki , Koike Yuriko , Gibo Yukio , Tsukadaira Toshihisa , Inada Hiroyuki , Kiyosawa Kendo , Tanaka Eiji
Published: July 2018

Direct‐acting antiviral (DAA) treatment can achieve a high sustained virological response (SVR) rate in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection regardless of a history of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC [+]). We examined 838 patients (370 men, median age: 69 years) who were treated with DAAs for comparisons of clinical findings between 79 HCC (+) (9.4%) and 759 HCC (−) (90.6%) patients and associations with treatment outcome. Male frequency was significantly higher in the HCC (+) group (60.8% vs 42.4%, P = 0.006). There were significant differences between the HCC (+) and HCC (−) groups for platelet count (115 vs 152 ×109/L, P < 0.001), baseline alpha fetoprotein (AFP) (9.9 vs 4.5 ng/mL, P < 0.001) and the established fibrosis markers of FIB‐4 index (4.7 vs 3.0, P < 0.001), AST‐to‐platelet ratio index (APRI) (1.1 vs 0.7, P = 0.009), M2BPGi (3.80 vs 1.78 COI, P < 0.001) and autotaxin (1.91 vs 1.50 mg/L, P < 0.001). The overall SVR rate was 94.7% and significantly lower in the HCC (+) group (87.3 vs 95.5%, P = 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that a history of HCC was independently associated with DAA treatment failure (odds ratio: 3.56, 95% confidence interval: 1.32‐9.57, P = 0.01). In conclusion, patients with chronic HCV infection and prior HCC tended to exhibit more advanced disease progression at DAA commencement. HCC (+) status at the initiation of DAAs was significantly associated with adverse therapeutic outcomes. DAA treatment for HCV should therefore be started as early as possible, especially before complicating HCC.
Inferences of genetic architecture of bill morphology in house sparrow using a high‐density SNP array point to a polygenic basis
Authors: Lundregan Sarah L. , Hagen Ingerid J. , Gohli Jostein , Niskanen Alina K. , Kemppainen Petri , Ringsby Thor Harald , Kvalnes Thomas , Pärn Henrik , Rønning Bernt , Holand Håkon , Ranke Peter S. , Båtnes Anna S. , Selvik Linn‐Karina , Lien Sigbjørn , Sæther Bernt‐Erik , Husby Arild , Jensen Henrik
Published: July 2018

Understanding the genetic architecture of quantitative traits can provide insights into the mechanisms driving phenotypic evolution. Bill morphology is an ecologically important and phenotypically variable trait, which is highly heritable and closely linked to individual fitness. Thus, bill morphology traits are suitable candidates for gene mapping analyses. Previous studies have revealed several genes that may influence bill morphology, but the similarity of gene and allele effects between species and populations is unknown. Here, we develop a custom 200K SNP array and use it to examine the genetic basis of bill morphology in 1857 house sparrow individuals from a large‐scale, island metapopulation off the coast of Northern Norway. We found high genomic heritabilities for bill depth and length, which were comparable with previous pedigree estimates. Candidate gene and genomewide association analyses yielded six significant loci, four of which have previously been associated with craniofacial development. Three of these loci are involved in bone morphogenic protein (BMP) signalling, suggesting a role for BMP genes in regulating bill morphology. However, these loci individually explain a small amount of variance. In combination with results from genome partitioning analyses, this indicates that bill morphology is a polygenic trait. Any studies of eco‐evolutionary processes in bill morphology are therefore dependent on methods that can accommodate polygenic inheritance of the phenotype and molecular‐scale evolution of genetic architecture.
The contribution of carbon monoxide to vascular tonus
Authors: Koçer Günnur , Nasircilar Ülker Seher , Şentürk Ümit Kemal
Published: July 2018

Objective

The aim of this descriptive study was to examine the contribution of CO in the maintenance of vascular tonus in different organs and different vessel segments; the underlying mechanism of CO‐induced vasodilation was investigated.

Methods

Sixty Wistar albino rats, aged 6‐8 months, were used in this study. Response to CO by isolated arteries from the thoracic and abdominal aorta and mesenteric, renal, gastrocnemius, and gracilis muscles as well as heart, lung, and brain vascular beds was endogenously and exogenously studied using organ baths or myograph. In addition, HO‐2 protein expression was assessed using Western blot analysis in isolated vessel segments.

Results

Although CO was shown to contribute to the regulation of vascular tonus in all feed arteries except those of the gracilis vascular bed, no effect was observed in the resistance arteries, with the sole exception of the pial artery. No relationship between HO‐2 protein level and CO contribution to endogenous vascular tonus was observed.

Conclusions

While the vasodilator effect of CO in vessels smaller than 600 μm in diameter was found to be mediated via potassium channels, in vessels larger than 600 μm in diameter, the effect was through both the potassium channels and the cGMP pathway.
Rice with reduced stomatal density conserves water and has improved drought tolerance under future climate conditions
Authors: Caine Robert S. , Yin Xiaojia , Sloan Jennifer , Harrison Emily L. , Mohammed Umar , Fulton Timothy , Biswal Akshaya K. , Dionora Jacqueline , Chater Caspar C. , Coe Robert A. , Bandyopadhyay Anindya , Murchie Erik H. , Swarup Ranjan , Quick W. Paul , Gray Julie E.
Published: July 2018

Much of humanity relies on rice (Oryza sativa) as a food source, but cultivation is water intensive and the crop is vulnerable to drought and high temperatures. Under climate change, periods of reduced water availability and high temperature are expected to become more frequent, leading to detrimental effects on rice yields.

We engineered the high‐yielding rice cultivar ‘IR64’ to produce fewer stomata by manipulating the level of a developmental signal. We overexpressed the rice epidermal patterning factor OsEPF1, creating plants with substantially reduced stomatal density and correspondingly low stomatal conductance.

Low stomatal density rice lines were more able to conserve water, using c. 60% of the normal amount between weeks 4 and 5 post germination. When grown at elevated atmospheric CO2, rice plants with low stomatal density were able to maintain their stomatal conductance and survive drought and high temperature (40°C) for longer than control plants. Low stomatal density rice gave equivalent or even improved yields, despite a reduced rate of photosynthesis in some conditions.

Rice plants with fewer stomata are drought tolerant and more conservative in their water use, and they should perform better in the future when climate change is expected to threaten food security.