bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Type and duration of subsyndromal symptoms in youth with bipolar I disorder prior to their first manic episode
Authors: Correll Christoph U , Hauser Marta , Penzner Julie B , Auther Andrea M , Kafantaris Vivian , Saito Ema , Olvet Doreen , Carrión Ricardo E , Birmaher Boris , Chang Kiki D , DelBello Melissa P , Singh Manpreet K , Pavuluri Mani , Cornblatt Barbara A
Published: March 2014

Objectives

The aim of the present study was to systematically evaluate the prodrome to mania in youth.

Methods

New‐onset/worsening symptoms/signs of ≥ moderate severity preceding first mania were systematically assessed in 52 youth (16.2 ± 2.8 years) with a research diagnosis of bipolar I disorder (BD‐I). Youth and/or caregivers underwent semi‐structured interviews, using the Bipolar Prodrome Symptom Scale–Retrospective.

Results

The mania prodrome was reported to start gradually in most youth (88.5%), with either slow (59.6%) or rapid (28.8%) deterioration, while a rapid‐onset‐and‐deterioration prodrome was rare (11.5%). The manic prodrome, conservatively defined as requiring ≥ 3 symptoms, lasted 10.3 ± 14.4 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 6.3–14.4], being present for ≥ 4 months in 65.4% of subjects. Among prodromal symptoms reported in ≥ 50% of youth, three were subthreshold manic in nature (irritability: 61.5%, racing thoughts: 59.6%, increased energy/activity: 50.0%), two were nonspecific (decreased school/work functioning: 65.4%, mood swings/lability: 57.7%), and one each was depressive (depressed mood: 53.8%) or subthreshold manic/depressive (inattention: 51.9%). A decreasing number of youth had ≥ 1 (84.6%), ≥ 2 (48.1%), or ≥ 3 (26.9%) ‘specific’ subthreshold mania symptoms (i.e., elation, grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts, or hypersexuality), lasting 9.5 ± 14.9 months (95% CI: 5.0–14.0), 3.5 ± 3.5 months (95% CI: 2.0–4.9), and 3.0 ± 3.2 months (95% CI: 1.0–5.0) for ≥ 1, ≥ 2, or ≥ 3 specific symptoms, respectively.

Conclusions

In youth with BD‐I, a relatively long, predominantly slow‐onset mania prodrome appears to be common, including subthreshold manic and depressive psychopathology symptoms. This suggests that early clinical identification and intervention may be feasible in bipolar disorder. Identifying biological markers associated with clinical symptoms of impending mania may help to increase chances for early detection and prevention before full mania.
Anti-interleukin-10R1 monoclonal antibody in combination with bacillus Calmette–Guérin is protective against bladder cancer metastasis in a murine orthotopic tumour model and demonstrates systemic specific anti-tumour immunity
Authors: Newton M R , Askeland E J , Andresen E D , Chehval V A , Wang X , Askeland R W , O'Donnell M A , Luo Y
Published: March 2014

Effective treatment of bladder cancer with bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) depends on the induction of a T helper type (Th) 1 immune response. Interleukin (IL)-10 down-regulates the Th1 response and is associated with BCG failure. In this study, we investigated whether blocking IL-10 signalling could enhance the BCG-induced Th1 response and anti-tumour immunity in a murine orthotopic tumour model. Treatment with BCG and anti-IL-10 receptor 1 monoclonal antibody (anti-IL-10R1 mAb) increased the interferon (IFN)-γ to IL-10 ratio in both splenocyte cultures and urine. Mice bearing luciferase-expressing MB49 (MB49-Luc) tumours were treated and followed for tumour growth by bioluminescent imaging, bladder weight and histology. Mice treated with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) (group 1), BCG plus control immunoglobulin (Ig)G1 (group 2) or BCG plus anti-IL-10R1 mAb (group 3) showed 0, 6 and 22% tumour regression, respectively. The mean bladder weight of group 3 mice was substantially lower than those of groups 1 and 2 mice. Remarkably, 36% of group 1 and 53% of group 2 mice but no group 3 mice developed lung metastasis (P = 0·02). To investigate the mechanisms underlying the effect of combination therapy, splenocytes were stimulated with S12 peptide (serine mutation at codon 12 of the K-ras oncogene) known to be expressed in MB49-Luc cells. Induction of ras mutation-specific IFN-γ and cytotoxicity was observed in mice treated with combination therapy. These observations indicate that BCG, in combination with anti-IL-10R1 mAb, induces enhanced anti-tumour immunity that is protective against lung metastasis. Anti-IL-10R1 mAb demonstrates systemic effects and may prove useful in clinical practice for treating bladder cancer in high-risk patients.
Innate DNA sensing is impaired in HIV patients and IFI16 expression correlates with chronic immune activation
Authors: Nissen S K , Højen J F , Andersen K L D , Kofod-Olsen E , Berg R K , Paludan S R , Østergaard L , Jakobsen M R , Tolstrup M , Mogensen T H
Published: March 2014

The innate immune system has been recognized to play a role in the pathogenesis of HIV infection, both by stimulating protective activities and through a contribution to chronic immune activation, the development of immunodeficiency and progression to AIDS. A role for DNA sensors in HIV recognition has been suggested recently, and the aim of the present study was to describe the influence of HIV infection on expression and function of intracellular DNA sensing. Here we demonstrate impaired expression of interferon-stimulated genes in responses to DNA in peripheral blood monuclear cells from HIV-positive individuals, irrespective of whether patients receive anti-retroviral treatment. Furthermore, we show that expression levels of the DNA sensors interferon-inducible protein 16 (IFI16) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase were increased in treatment-naive patients, and for IFI16 expression was correlated with high viral load and low CD4 cell count. Finally, our data demonstrate a correlation between IFI16 and CD38 expression, a marker of immune activation, in CD4+ central and effector memory T cells, which may indicate that IFI16-mediated DNA sensing and signalling contributes to chronic immune activation. Altogether, the present study demonstrates abnormal expression and function of cytosolic DNA sensors in HIV patients, which may have implications for control of opportunistic infections, chronic immune activation and T cell death.
SLC26A2 disease spectrum in Sweden – high frequency of recessive multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (rMED)
Authors: Mäkitie O. , Geiberger S. , Horemuzova E. , Hagenäs L. , Moström E. , Nordenskjöld M. , Grigelioniene G. , Nordgren A.
Published: March 2014

Diastrophic dysplasia (DTD) is an autosomal recessive skeletal dysplasia caused by SLC26A2 mutations. Clinical features include short stature, joint contractures, spinal deformities, and cleft palate. SLC26A2 mutations also result in other skeletal dysplasias, including the milder recessive multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (rMED). DTD is overrepresented in Finland and we speculated that this may have influenced the prevalence and spectrum of SLC26A2‐related skeletal conditions also in Sweden. We reviewed the patient registry at Department of Clinical Genetics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm to identify subjects with SLC26A2 mutations. Seven patients from six families were identified; clinical data were available for six patients. All but one patient had one or two copies of the Finnish SLC26A2 founder mutation IVS1+2T>C. Arg279Trp mutation was present in compound heterozygous form in five patients with phenotypes consistent with rMED. Their heights ranged from −2.6 to −1.4 standard deviation units below normal mean and radiographic features included generalised epiphyseal dysplasia and double‐layered patellae. Two rMED patients had hypoplastic C2 and cervical kyphosis, a severe manifestation previously described only in DTD. Our study confirms a high prevalence of rMED in Sweden and expands the phenotypic manifestations of rMED.
THE HARDER THE TASK, THE HIGHER THE SCORE: FINDINGS OF A DIFFICULTY BIAS
Authors: MORGAN HILLARY N. , ROTTHOFF KURT W.
Published: March 2014

Studies have found that going first or last in a sequential order contest leads to a biased outcome, commonly called order bias (or primacy and recency). Studies have also found that judges have a tendency to reward contestants they recognize with additional points, called reference bias. Controlling for known biases, we test for a new type of bias we refer to as “difficulty bias,” which reveals that athletes attempting more difficult routines receive higher execution scores, even when difficulty and execution are judged separately. Despite some identification challenges, we add to the literature by finding strong evidence of a difficulty bias in gymnastics. We also provide generalizations beyond athletics. (JEL L10, L83, D81, J70, Z1)
Deterministic functions of cortical acetylcholine
Authors: Sarter Martin , Lustig Cindy , Howe William M. , Gritton Howard , Berry Anne S.
Published: March 2014

Traditional descriptions of the basal forebrain cholinergic projection system to the cortex have focused on neuromodulatory influences, that is, mechanisms that modulate cortical information processing but are not necessary for mediating discrete behavioral responses and cognitive operations. This review summarises and conceptualises the evidence in support of more deterministic contributions of cholinergic projections to cortical information processing. Through presynaptic receptors expressed on cholinergic terminals, thalamocortical and corticocortical projections can evoke brief cholinergic release events. These acetylcholine (ACh) release events occur on a fast, sub‐second to seconds‐long time scale (‘transients’). In rats performing a task requiring the detection of cues as well as the report of non‐cue events cholinergic transients mediate the detection of cues specifically in trials that involve a shift from a state of monitoring for cues to cue‐directed responding. Accordingly, ill‐timed cholinergic transients, generated using optogenetic methods, force false detections in trials without cues. We propose that the evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that cholinergic transients reduce detection uncertainty in such trials. Furthermore, the evidence on the functions of the neuromodulatory component of cholinergic neurotransmission suggests that higher levels of neuromodulation favor staying‐on‐task over alternative action. In other terms, higher cholinergic neuromodulation reduces opportunity costs. Evidence indicating a similar integration of other ascending projection systems, including noradrenergic and serotonergic systems, into cortical circuitry remains sparse, largely because of the limited information about local presynaptic regulation and the limitations of current techniques in measuring fast and transient neurotransmitter release events in these systems.
Recommendations for HLA‐B*15:02 and HLA‐A*31:01 genetic testing to reduce the risk of carbamazepine‐induced hypersensitivity reactions
Authors: Amstutz Ursula , Shear Neil H. , Rieder Michael J. , Hwang Soomi , Fung Vincent , Nakamura Hidefumi , Connolly Mary B. , Ito Shinya , Carleton Bruce C. ,   the CPNDS clinical recommendation group
Published: March 2014

Objective

To systematically review evidence on genetic risk factors for carbamazepine (CBZ)–induced hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) and provide practice recommendations addressing the key questions: (1) Should genetic testing for HLA‐B*15:02 and HLA‐A*31:01 be performed in patients with an indication for CBZ therapy to reduce the occurrence of CBZ‐induced HSRs? (2) Are there subgroups of patients who may benefit more from genetic testing for HLA‐B*15:02 or HLA‐A*31:01 compared to others? (3) How should patients with an indication for CBZ therapy be managed based on their genetic test results?

Methods

A systematic literature search was performed for HLA‐B*15:02 and HLA‐A*31:01 and their association with CBZ‐induced HSRs. Evidence was critically appraised and clinical practice recommendations were developed based on expert group consensus.

Results

Patients carrying HLA‐B*15:02 are at strongly increased risk for CBZ‐induced Stevens‐Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) in populations where HLA‐B*15:02 is common, but not CBZ‐induced hypersensitivity syndrome (HSS) or maculopapular exanthema (MPE). HLA‐B*15:02–positive patients with CBZ‐SJS/TEN have been reported from Asian countries only, including China, Thailand, Malaysia, and India. HLA‐B*15:02 is rare among Caucasians or Japanese; no HLA‐B*15:02‐positive patients with CBZ‐SJS/TEN have been reported so far in these groups. HLA‐A*31:01–positive patients are at increased risk for CBZ‐induced HSS and MPE, and possibly SJS/TEN and acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP). This association has been shown in Caucasian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and patients of mixed origin; however, HLA‐A*31:01 is common in most ethnic groups. Not all patients carrying either risk variant develop an HSR, resulting in a relatively low positive predictive value of the genetic tests.

Significance

This review provides the latest update on genetic markers for CBZ HSRs, clinical practice recommendations as a basis for informed decision making regarding the use of HLA‐B*15:02 and HLA‐A*31:01 genetic testing in patients with an indication for CBZ therapy, and identifies knowledge gaps to guide future research.

A PowerPoint slide summarizing this article is available for download in the Supporting Information section here.
Examining the impact of shade on above‐ground biomass and normalized difference vegetation index of C3 and C4 grass species in North‐Western NSW, Australia
Authors: Barnes P. , Wilson B. R. , Reid N. , Bayerlein L. , Koen T. B. , Olupot G.
Published: March 2014

Previous investigations have detected a directional trend in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of pastures around scattered paddock trees and identified shade from the tree as the most likely causal factor. This study uses a field experiment to quantify the effect of varying levels of shade on the above‐ground biomass and NDVI of three grass species native to Australia (Microlaena stipoides, C3, shade tolerant; Austrodanthonia richardsonii, C3, prefers full sunlight, and Chloris ventricosa, C4, prefers full sunlight) in different seasons. The study demonstrates that shade had little influence on the above‐ground biomass of C3 species but significantly reduced biomass in the C4 species. Until early winter, the NDVI of each species was generally significantly higher in all shaded treatments than in the no‐shade treatment. This suggests that shaded plants retained a higher proportion of green biomass and/or changed leaf shape, increased leaf area and chlorophyll content. Regardless, although not proven in this experiment, it is likely shade prolonged the retention of green plant material into mid to late winter. Overall, this experiment explains the directional trends in NDVI around scattered trees found in previous work and suggests that shade from scattered trees prolongs green pasture production in a range of native grass species, without loss of C3 pasture biomass.
Beyond the Crisis of the Nobility. Recent Historiography on the Nobility in the Medieval Low Countries II
Authors: van Steensel Arie
Published: March 2014

The medieval Low Countries are not usually associated with nobility and knighthood, but historical research in the past decades has proven that they should be. This series of essays gives a historiographical overview of the recent literature on the nobility in the medieval Low Countries and links it with major international debates on the subject. The second of the three sections into which this survey is organised concerns the history of the nobility in the later Middle Ages, a period characterised by commercialisation, urbanisation and state formation. The intensity of these processes varied across the different principalities, but recent research suggests that, overall, the nobility showed great resilience to political and economic challenges and maintained its dominant position in late‐medieval society.
Political Arithmetic's 18th Century Histories: Quantification in Politics, Religion, and the Public Sphere
Authors: McCormick Ted
Published: March 2014

Seventeenth‐and 18th‐century political arithmetic – the gathering, interpretation, and dissemination of quantitative demographic information for various political, economic, scientific, and scholarly purposes – has attracted increasing scholarly attention since the mid‐1990s. Long understood as an early or proto‐social scientific discipline, anticipatory of modern economics and statistical demography, political arithmetic has emerged from recent studies (informed by new approaches to state‐formation, contextual intellectual history, constructivist history of science, and work on biopolitical governmentality) as a more variegated, less straightforwardly modern and, notably, less secular phenomenon. These developments have exposed the teleological nature and other limitations of older disciplinary approaches, but new studies have neither wholly shed nor replaced older definitions of what constituted political arithmetic during the long eighteenth century. This article surveys the state of the field and argues that a comprehensive history of political arithmetic's multiple roles and meanings during the long eighteenth century must take a much wider range of contributors and publics into account.
Hip dysfunction‐related urinary incontinence: A prospective analysis of 189 female patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty
Authors: Tamaki Tatsuya , Oinuma Kazuhiro , Shiratsuchi Hideaki , Akita Keiichi , Iida Satoshi
Published: March 2014

Patients reporting that their symptoms of urinary incontinence have decreased after total hip arthroplasty can be encountered in orthopedic practice. In this questionnaire‐based study, we prospectively evaluated the symptoms of urinary incontinence before and after total hip arthroplasty. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire‐Short Form was used to prospectively evaluate these symptoms in 189 consecutive female patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty. The patients were asked to fill in a questionnaire before and 3 months after surgery. A decrease in the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire‐Short Form score of ≥1 point was defined as an improvement, whereas an increase of ≥1 point was defined as worsening. A total of 81 (43%) patients reported urinary incontinence before total hip arthroplasty. At 3 months after surgery, symptoms of urinary incontinence were improved in 64% of these patients, remained unchanged in 32% and worsened in 4%. Mean International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire‐Short Form score in patients with urinary incontinence before surgery significantly improved from 6.0 to 3.5 (P = 0.0002). These findings suggest a relationship between hip joint function and pelvic floor function, and consequently a hip dysfunction‐related urinary incontinence.
What is your diagnosis?
Authors: Moores A. P. , Cornerford E. J.
Published: March 2014

A 10‐YEAR‐OLD, male neurered golden retriever presented with a three‐month :history of intermittent left thoracic limb lameness. The owner reported that the lameness was worse on uneven ground and after exercise. At times, while resting, the dog held the left thoracic limb off the ground. The lameness had partially responded to non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatories and strict rest, bur had deteriorated again after the exercise level was increased. On examination, flexion of both carpiillicited pain responses in the animal. The dog was 3/10 lame on the left thoracic limb.
Lipid concentrations and semen quality: the LIFE study
Authors: Schisterman E. F. , Mumford S. L. , Chen Z. , Browne R. W. , Boyd Barr D. , Kim S. , Buck Louis G. M.
Published: March 2014

The decline in sperm count rates over the last 50 years appears to parallel the rising prevalence of obesity. As lipid levels are strongly associated with obesity, high lipids levels or hyperlipidaemia may thus play an important role in the decline in fertility in addition to other environmental or lifestyle factors. The objective of this population based cohort study was to evaluate the association between men's serum lipid concentrations and semen quality parameters among 501 male partners of couples desiring pregnancy and discontinuing contraception. Each participant provided prospectively up to two semen samples (94% of men provided one or more semen samples, and 77% of men provided a second sample approximately 1 month later). Linear mixed effects models were used to estimate the associations between baseline lipid concentrations and semen quality parameters, adjusted for age, body mass index and race. We found that higher levels of serum total cholesterol, free cholesterol and phospholipids were associated with a significantly lower percentage of spermatozoa with intact acrosome and smaller sperm head area and perimeter. Our results suggest that lipid concentrations may affect semen parameters, specifically sperm head morphology, highlighting the importance of cholesterol and lipid homeostasis for male fecundity.
The society of equals: Restoring democratic equality in relations
Authors: Rosanvallon Pierre
Published: March 2014

Leading political philosopher Pierre Rosanvallon outlines a reformation of the idea of equality that takes its inspiration from the revolutionary visions of France and the United States while embracing what is good about our modern individualism and diversity.
A world turned upside down: Social hierarchies and a new history of egalitarianism
Authors: Anderson Elizabeth , Jackson Ben , Phillips Anne
Published: March 2014

Elizabeth Anderson traces the history of egalitarian ideas as they have grown out of grassroots movements focused on overcoming entrenched social hierarchies. In reply, Ben Jackson and Anne Phillips engage with this relational account, particularly in a British context where distributional concerns are high on the political agenda.
Power shift: Giving people the power to reform public services
Authors: Kendall Liz
Published: March 2014

Labour shadow minister Liz Kendall traces the foundations of a new approach to public service reform, in which people take power and control over how services are designed, commissioned and delivered.
Institutional thinking: A new settlement between public and private
Authors: Painter Anthony
Published: March 2014

Mediated conversation is a lost art, argues Anthony Painter, and to fill this gap in our democracy he proposes a bold new vision of the institution, defined by its purpose to negotiate between public and private interests through rules and inclusivity.
Rapid Geomorphic and Habitat Stream Assessment Techniques Inform Restoration Differently Based on Levels of Stream Disturbance
Authors: Habberfield Michael W. , Blersch Stacey Sloan , Bennett Sean J. , Atkinson Joseph F.
Published: March 2014

Visual‐based rapid assessment techniques provide an efficient method for characterizing the restoration potential of streams, with many focusing on channel stability and instream habitat features. Few studies, however, have compared these techniques to see if they result in differing restoration priorities. Three rapid assessment techniques were contrasted at three wild trout streams in western New York with different amounts of channel disturbance. Two methods focused only on geomorphic stability, whereas the third addressed physical habitat condition. Habitat assessment scores were not correlated with scores for either geomorphic assessment method and they varied more between channels with different degrees of disturbance. A model based on dynamic equilibrium concepts best explains the variation among the streams and techniques because it accounts for a stream's capacity to maintain ecological integrity despite some inherent instability. Geomorphic indices can serve as effective proxies for biological indices in highly disturbed systems. Yet, this may not be the case in less disturbed systems, where geomorphic indices cannot differentiate channel adjustments that impact biota from those that do not. Dynamically stable streams can include both stable and unstable reaches locally as characterized by geomorphic methods and translating these results into restoration priorities may not be appropriate if interpretations are limited to the reach scale.
Beta diversity of woody plants in the Japanese archipelago: the roles of geohistorical and ecological processes
Authors: Kubota Yasuhiro , Hirao Toshihide , Fujii Shin‐jiro , Shiono Takayuki , Kusumoto Buntarou
Published: March 2014

Aim

We addressed the roles of geohistorical and ecological factors on beta diversity patterns of woody plants in the Japanese archipelago. We scrutinized the contribution of recent diversification in shaping the woody plant diversity of insular areas in East Asia.

Location

The Japanese archipelago.

Methods

The distribution data of 1030 woody plant species were compiled for 65 localities in the archipelago. First, the relationships between geohistorical (straits, distance and area) and ecological (topographical heterogeneity, minimum temperature and annual precipitation) variables and taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity were tested using regression models. Second, geographical patterns of phylogenetic beta diversity were compared with those of taxonomic beta diversity using ordination and randomization tests. These analyses were applied to the woody plants overall and their functional groups defined by life‐form (coniferous, deciduous broad‐leaved and evergreen broad‐leaved groups).

Results

Distance and minimum temperature showed significant positive relationships with both measures of beta diversity across the woody plants overall and the functional groups. The contributions of geographical barriers, topographical heterogeneity and annual precipitation varied among groups. Ordinations by phylogenetic beta diversity produced patterns that were consistent with those generated by taxonomic beta diversity, showing three clusters of localities in relation to geographical barriers, except in the coniferous group. The regression slopes of phylogenetic beta diversity versus distance were significantly smaller than those of taxonomic beta diversity versus distance across all groups.

Main conclusions

In the Japanese archipelago, the combination of geographical isolation and environmental filtering in response to geohistorical perturbations and environmental gradients has configured the beta diversity patterns of woody plants. The recent diversification of phylogenetically close relatives probably caused the spatial variations that exist in woody plant diversity. The archipelago functions as a refugium for relict taxa and as a hotspot for neoendemics, contributing to the broad‐scale diversity bias favouring East Asia.
The Automatic Stay In Family Law Proceedings: Do We Really Have to Stop?
Authors: Dee McGarity Margaret
Published: March 2014

Since family disasters often come in clusters, many family court judges aren't sure what can continue in their court and what cannot after one of the parties to the family court action files a bankruptcy case. The 2005 Act amendments expanded the exceptions to the automatic stay, so much will remain unaffected. However, a few proceedings still require bankruptcy considerations and perhaps an order for relief from the stay. This article is intended to remove some of the mystery of how the automatic stay affects family court proceedings.
Effect of Freezing Rate and Storage Time on Gluten Protein Solubility, and Dough and Bread Properties
Authors: Silvas‐García M.I. , Ramírez‐Wong B. , Torres‐Chávez P.I. , Carvajal‐Millan E. , Barrón‐Hoyos J.M. , Bello‐Pérez L.A. , Quintero‐Ramos A.
Published: March 2014

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the freezing rate and storage time on the solubility of gluten proteins and on the fermentative and rheological properties of dough as well as the bread quality. Increased storage time very significantly decreased (P < 0.01) the quality of the dough and the bread. Dough frozen at a slow freezing rate exhibited a very significant decrease in the proportion of insoluble polymeric protein (IPP), an increase the protein solubility, a decrease the resistance to extension, an increase the viscous modulus (G′) and the gas retention decreased. In contrast, dough frozen at a fast freezing rate displayed a very significant decrease (P < 0.01) in the specific volume of the bread and a very significant increase (P < 0.01) in its hardness and a decrease in springiness. A higher content of IPP decreased the retention of CO2, and bread was harder and less springy. In conclusion, a slow freezing rate and a short storage period provide better quality bread.

Practical Applications

The quality of bakery products depends on the viscoelastic properties of the gluten proteins. In frozen dough, the gluten proteins are modified by the migration of water to form ice crystals. The size and shape of the crystals determine the changes in the proteins. Assessing the effect of the freezing rate and the storage period of bread dough on the changes in these proteins may facilitate improving the characteristics of frozen dough and bread. The information obtained from this work showed that the frozen storage is the most important factor that affects the dough and bread quality, and slow freezing rate is better to preserve the overall quality of frozen dough and bread. It could help bread makers to improve the quality of bread after thawing by using flours with protein quality with the features necessary for frozen dough and to obtain bread with better properties.
Formulating Evidence‐Based Guidelines for Certified Nurse‐Midwives and Certified Midwives Attending Home Births
Authors: Cook Elizabeth , Avery Melissa , Frisvold Melissa
Published: March 2014

Introduction

Implementing national home birth guidelines for certified nurse‐midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) in the United States may facilitate a common approach to safe home birth practices. Guidelines are evidence‐based care recommendations for specified clinical situations that can be modified by individual providers to meet specific client needs.

Methods

Following a review of home birth guidelines from multiple countries, a set of home birth practices guidelines for US CNMs/CMs was drafted. Fifteen American Midwifery Certification Board, Inc. (AMCB)‐certified home birth midwives who participate in the American College of Nurse‐Midwives (ACNM) home birth electronic mailing list considered the use of such a document in their practices and reviewed and commented on the guidelines.

Results

The proposed guidelines addressed client screening, informed consent, antepartum care, routine intrapartum care, obstetric complications and hospital transports, postpartum care, neonatal care, gynecologic care, primary care, peer reviews, recordkeeping, and physician collaboration. The reviewers had varying assessments as to whether the guidelines reflected international standards and current best evidence. The primary concern expressed was that an adoption of national guidelines could compromise provider autonomy.

Discussion

Incorporation of evidence‐based guidelines is an ACNM standard and was recommended by the Home Birth Consensus Summit. Clinical practice guidelines are informed by current evidence and supported by experts in a given discipline. Implementation of guidelines ensures optimal patient care and is becoming increasingly central to reimbursement and to medicolegal support. A set of practice guidelines based on current best evidence and internationally accepted standards was developed and reviewed by an interested group of US CNMs/CMs. Further discussion with home birth midwives and other stakeholders about the development and implementation of home birth guidelines is needed, especially in light of this project's finding of less support for national home birth guidelines among the reviewers subsequent to versus prior to their review of the draft guidelines.
The Burnout Phenomenon: A Comparative Study of Student Attitudes toward Collaborative Learning and Sustainability
Authors: Gale Amanda J. , Martin David , Martin Kelly , Duffey Melanie A.
Published: March 2014

The importance of sustainable design and building practices has been well documented in recent literature by Stieg (2006), and as the emphasis on this type of design and construction continues to grow, institutions of higher education are increasingly integrating sustainable design into their curriculum. Congruent with this movement has been the growing realization that interior designers must be able to work and collaborate with a diverse and multifaceted workforce, particularly when sustainable design is a goal. Therefore, using a social constructivist approach this study sought to (1) measure the differences in attitudes toward sustainable design and collaborative learning between lower– and upper–division undergraduate students majoring in interior design at a Southeastern university, (2) investigate the potential impact of interior design education on attitudes toward sustainable design and collaborative learning among the sample, and (3) assess a potential relationship among the variables. Since the interior design program examined for this study incorporates increasing levels of sustainable design education and collaborative learning as students progress through the curriculum, the authors sought to determine whether upper–division students would display more favorable attitudes toward these competencies, which are so highly desired for the workforce. Results revealed that upper–division students held more positive attitudes toward sustainable design than lower–division students and provided support for a relationship between the two variables. However, contrary to expectations, results also revealed that upper–division students held less favorable attitudes toward collaborative learning than their lower–division peers. Educational implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Better Bowling: A Doing–With Approach for Design Studio Instruction and Public Scholarship
Authors: Wang David , Vaux Dana , Xu Mengyuan
Published: March 2014

This paper considers collaboration between design students and local communities to describe a doing–with model for design studio instruction. By doing–with, we mean direct exchanges between university design students and local communities that draw from genuine community needs to provide the basis for studio projects. This differs from traditional design studio approaches in which projects are often based on imagined programs or altered real–world situations. In the absence of predetermined programs, this method emphasizes design as process in the delivery of design as product. Projects and solutions emerge from the real needs of the local citizenry. As the examples below will show, a doing–with approach allows community representatives to determine the direction a project takes. This approach actively deploys students to energize a sense of community when they design projects that local residents launch. The give and take of the exchanges between university students and local residents generates design solutions that fit the local context. The doing–with approach to actual design projects in existing neighborhoods also promotes an amenable way to generate funding.
Congenital cytomegalovirus infection is associated with high maternal socio‐economic status and corresponding low maternal cytomegalovirus seropositivity
Authors: Basha James , Iwasenko Jenna M , Robertson Peter , Craig Maria E , Rawlinson William D
Published: March 2014

Aims

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the leading infectious cause of congenital infection in developed countries. Globally, CMV seropositivity has been associated with low socio‐economic status (SES); however, Australian data are lacking. Therefore, we examined the association between SES and CMV seroprevalence in children and pregnant women.

Methods

Three groups were examined: 1, a prospective cohort of Australian children aged 0–15 years (n = 220); 2, a clinic‐based sample of pregnant women (n = 778); and 3, a case series of infants and children (n = 219) with symptomatic congenital CMV infection. SES was determined using a postcode‐based score from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.Group 1 was recruited from endocrinology clinics and follow‐up at Prince of Wales Hospital and Children's Hospital at Westmead. Group 2 was recruited at the Royal Hospital for Women. Congenitally infected infants were identified through the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit.

Results

CMV seroprevalence among all children was 20% (95% confidence interval (CI) 15–25%), and there was no association with SES (P = 0.58). Seroprevalence among pregnant women was 57% (53–60%), and higher rates of CMV seropositivity were associated with lower SES (P < 0.001). More congenital CMV cases were reported in the highest socio‐economic groups (55%) than the lowest (9%) (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

A marked socio‐economic gradient in CMV seroprevalence is evident in Australian pregnant women and cases of congenital CMV but not in unselected Australian children. These findings highlight the importance of a community‐wide approach to CMV awareness and the potential for hygienic measures to reduce the burden of congenital CMV in Australia.
Core Concepts of Disability Policy, the Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities, and Public Policy Research With Respect to Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Shogren Karrie A. , Turnbull H. Rutherford
Published: March 2014

This article describes the core concepts of U.S. disability policy and their utility for national and international policy development. It compares and contrasts the core concepts with the articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), and then describes implications of the alignment of these two approaches. There is significant overlap among the core concepts and UNCRPD articles. Aligning the core concepts derived from U.S. disability policy and the UNCRPD provides a unifying international framework for thinking about core values in the development of public policy and research based on the social‐ecological model. The core concepts approach can help researchers analyze policies in other countries and relate analyses to quality of life outcomes for individuals and families affected by disability. The authors posit that policy leaders, advocates in professional and family organizations, nation‐state policymakers and organization leaders, and practitioners might adopt a similar approach.
Flies on the move: an inherited virus mirrors Drosophila melanogaster's elusive ecology and demography
Authors: Wilfert Lena , Jiggins Francis M.
Published: March 2014

Vertically transmitted parasites rely on their host's reproduction for their transmission, leading to the evolutionary histories of both parties being intimately entwined. Parasites can thus serve as a population genetic magnifying glass for their host's demographic history. Here, we study the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster's vertically transmitted sigma virus DMelSV. The virus has a high mutation rate and low effective population size, allowing us to reconstruct at a fine scale how the combined forces of the movement of flies and selection on the virus have shaped its migration patterns. We found that the virus is likely to have spread to Europe from Africa, mirroring the colonization route of Drosophila. The North American DMelSV population appears to be the result of a recent single immigration from Europe, invading together with its host in the late 19th century. Across Europe, DMelSV migration rates are low and populations are highly genetically structured, likely reflecting limited fly movement. Despite being intolerant of extreme cold, viral diversity suggests that fly populations can persist in harsh continental climates and that recolonization from the warmer south plays a minor role. In conclusion, studying DMelSV can provide insights into the poorly understood ecology of D. melanogaster, one of the best‐studied organisms in biology.
Genome‐wide admixture and ecological niche modelling reveal the maintenance of species boundaries despite long history of interspecific gene flow
Authors: De La Torre Amanda R. , Roberts David R. , Aitken Sally N.
Published: March 2014

The maintenance of species boundaries despite interspecific gene flow has been a continuous source of interest in evolutionary biology. Many hybridizing species have porous genomes with regions impermeable to introgression, conferring reproductive barriers between species. We used ecological niche modelling to study the glacial and postglacial recolonization patterns between the widely hybridizing spruce speciesPicea glaucaandP. engelmanniiin western North America. Genome‐wide estimates of admixture based on a panel of 311 candidate gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) from 290 genes were used to assess levels of admixture and introgression and to identify loci putatively involved in adaptive differences or reproductive barriers between species. Our palaeoclimatic modelling suggests that these two closely related species have a long history of hybridization and introgression, dating to at least 21 000 years ago, yet species integrity is maintained by a combination of strong environmental selection and reduced current interspecific gene flow. Twenty loci showed evidence of divergent selection, including six loci that were both Fstoutliers and associated with climatic gradients, and fourteen loci that were either outliers or showed associations with climate. These included genes responsible for carbohydrate metabolism, signal transduction and transcription factors.
Interplay of transcriptional and small RNA‐dependent control mechanisms regulates chitosugar uptake in Escherichia coli and Salmonella
Authors: Plumbridge Jacqueline , Bossi Lionello , Oberto Jacques , Wade Joseph T. , Figueroa‐Bossi Nara
Published: March 2014

Escherichia coli and Salmonella can use chitin‐derived oligosaccharides as carbon and nitrogen sources. Chitosugars traverse the outer membrane through a dedicated chitoporin, ChiP, and are transported across the cytoplasmic membrane by the chitobiose transporter (ChbBCA). Previous work revealed that synthesis of the chitoporin, ChiP, requires transcription of the chbBCARFG operon. A sequence from the chbBC portion of the transcript was shown to act as a decoy target for a regulatory small RNA, ChiX, that normally blocks chiP expression. ChiX is destabilized and degraded upon pairing with chbBC RNA. Here, we show that the chiP gene, like the chbBCARFG operon, is also downregulated at the transcriptional level by the NagC repressor. NagC repression is critical in maintaining chiP mRNA levels low enough, relative to ChiX, to allow full silencing by this sRNA. We also show that pairing of ChiX to chbBC RNA downregulates chbC under uninduced conditions, that is, when ChiX is in excess to the decoy sequence. Hence, under these conditions, chbBC RNA is not just a decoy, but a true target of ChiX regulation. Altogether these findings underscore the importance of stoichiometry in dictating the strength of the sRNA response and in differentiating the regulator from the regulatory target.
Gene expression related to seed shattering and the cell wall in cultivated and weedy rice
Authors: Nunes A. L. , Delatorre C. A. , Merotto A.
Published: March 2014

Seed shattering is an evolutionary trait that is essential to the survival of wild and weedy rice. Discovery of the qSH1 gene in rice subspecies Japonica and Sh4 in the rice subspecies Indica indicated the possibility that seed shattering is governed by major genes in a qualitative manner. However, observation of the large variability of seed shattering in weedy rice has led us to hypothesise that other genes related to abscission layer integrity could also be important in the regulation of seed shattering in rice. Gene expression 10 days after pollination and nucleotide composition revealed that qSH1 and Sh4 that are described as major players in seed shattering were not important in weedy rice. High expression of the gene OsCPL1 was positively associated with the occurrence of high seed shattering in weedy rice, which did not concur in previous studies of cultivated rice. This result is related to the absence of four SNPs and an indel in the OsCPL1 gene in weedy rice that are related to seed shattering in previous studies. Analysis of the expression of six genes related to cell wall synthesis/degradation revealed the importance of the genes OsXTH8 and OsCel9D in seed shattering in weedy rice. Therefore, in addition to qSH1 and Sh4, the genes OsCPL1, OsXTH8 and OsCel9D should be considered in studies of rice evolution and in the development of mitigation approaches of gene flow in transgenic rice.
Hierarchical Models for Estimating State and Demographic Trends in US Death Penalty Public Opinion
Authors: Shirley Kenneth E. , Gelman Andrew
Published: March 2014

One of the longest running questions that has been regularly included in US national public opinion polls is ‘Are you in favor of the death penalty for persons convicted of murder?’. Because the death penalty is governed by state laws rather than federal laws, it is of special interest to know how public opinion varies by state, and how it has changed over time within each state. We combine dozens of national polls taken over a 50-year span and fit a Bayesian multilevel logistic regression model to estimate support for the death penalty as a function of the year, the state, state level variables and various individual level demographic variables. Among our findings were that support levels in northeastern and southern states have moved in opposite directions over the past 50 years, support among blacks has decreased relative to non-blacks, but at slightly different rates for men and women, and support among some education groups varies widely by region. Throughout the paper, we highlight the use of a variety of analytical and graphical tools for model understanding, including average predictive comparisons, finite population contrasts for overparameterized models and graphical summaries of posterior distributions of group level variance parameters.
Textuality and the Social Organization of Denial: Abu Ghraib, Guantánamo, and the Meanings of U.S. Interrogation Policies
Authors: Rosso Jared Del
Published: March 2014

Recent studies suggest that denial is a socially organized and culturally mediated process. This article furthers the study of socially organized denial by theorizing and empirically examining the role of texts in official denial. I examine the ways that institutional documents serve as resources for state officials to interpret and typify instances of state violence. To do so, I draw on a qualitative content analysis of 10 U.S. Congressional hearings that focus on the violence against detainees in U.S. custody at Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo. Though comparable acts of violence were committed at both facilities, I show that military officials employed different variants of interpretive denial to account for the two cases. Underlying these variants of denial were different descriptions of the connection between the violence and institutional texts that established authorized interrogation practices. Specifically, military officials causally isolated Abu Ghraib, denying the link between Interrogation Rules of Engagement in Iraq and the violence at the prison. Officials, on the other hand, interpreted the instances of violence at Guantánamo as expressions of lawful, institutionally available interrogation techniques. I conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for the study of denial, interpretive work in organizational contexts, and human rights.
Disseminated Cunninghamella bertholletiae infection with septic pulmonary embolism after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation
Authors: Matsumoto K. , Yamamoto W. , Ohgusa E. , Tanaka M. , Maruta A. , Ishigatsubo Y. , Kanamori H.
Published: March 2014

Mucormycosis in immunocompromised patients is often reported. We report a patient who developed non‐thrombotic pulmonary embolism due to Cunninghamella bertholletiae after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.