bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ultrasound‐Targeted Microbubble Destruction Enhances Gene Expression of microRNA‐21 in Swine Heart via Intracoronary Delivery
Authors: Liu Yangchun , Li Lang , Su Qiang , Liu Tao , Ma Zhiying , Yang Huafeng
Published: January 2015

Background

Ultrasound‐targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) has proved to be a promising method for gene delivery. However, the feasibility and efficacy of UTMD‐mediated gene delivery to the heart of large animals remain unclear. The present study was to explore the probability of increasing the transfection of microRNA‐21 (miR‐21) in swine heart by UTMD, and to search for the most suitable transfection conditions.

Methods

We first optimized ultrasound intensity for successful miR‐21 delivery. After intravenous injection of miR‐21/microbubble mixture (miR‐21/MB), transthoracic ultrasound irradiation (US) was applied from the left anterior chest using different intensities (1, 2, and 3 W/cm2). Then the efficacy of UTMD‐mediated miR‐21 delivery into myocardium via intracoronary injection was explored. Solution of miR‐21/MB was infused intravenously or intracoronarily with US over the heart. Swine undergoing phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS) injection, miR‐21/MB injection via ear vein or coronary artery without US served as the control. The dynamic changes of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and serum troponin I (cTnI) after UTMD were detected, then the left ventricular myocardium was harvested for hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining 4 days later; the expression levels of miR‐21 and programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) were detected by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) and Western blot, respectively.

Results

Results showed that pulse ultrasound at an intensity of 2 W/cm2 and a 50% duty ratio for 20 minutes, there was no increase in serum cTnI, no histological sign of myocardial damage, and no noted cardiac dysfunction with relatively higher miR‐21 expression (P < 0.05). Compared to miR‐21/MB alone, UTMD significantly increased gene expression in myocardium regardless of the delivery routes (P < 0.05). Interestingly, the transfection efficiency was found to be a little bit higher with intracoronary injection than that with intravenous injection, though the dose for intracoronary injection was half of the intravenous injection (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Under suitable conditions, UTMD can efficiently enhance gene expression in swine heart regardless of the delivery routes. The intravenous injection might be superior to intracoronary injection with less invasiveness and lower requirement of the technique. And for those undergoing percutanesous coronary intervention, intracoronary injection seems to be another alternative.
The role of hypoxia and Morg1 in renal injury
Authors: Loeffler Ivonne , Wolf Gunter
Published: January 2015

Background

Renal hypoxia is known to play an important role in the pathophysiology of acute renal injury as well as in chronic kidney diseases. The mediators of hypoxia are the transcription factors HIF (hypoxia‐inducible factors), that are highly regulated. Under normoxic conditions constitutively expressed HIF‐α subunits are hydroxylated by prolyl hydroxylases (PHD1, PHD2, and PHD3) and subsequently degraded by proteasomes.

Materials and methods

This narrative review is based on the material searched for and obtained via PubMed and MEDLINE up to January 2015.

Results

The MAPK organizer 1 (Morg1) has been identified to act as a scaffold protein of PHD3 and suppression of Morg1 leads to the stabilization of HIF‐α, which forms in the absence of oxygen a heterodimer with HIF‐β, translocates to the nucleus and promotes the transcription of HIF target genes.

Conclusions

This review summarizes the current knowledge regarding the role of hypoxia, HIF signalling, and Morg1 in acute and chronic renal injury.
Local delivery of paclitaxel in the treatment of peripheral arterial disease
Authors: Ng Vivian G. , Mena Carlos , Pietras Cody , Lansky Alexandra J.
Published: January 2015

Background

Despite advancements from balloon angioplasty to drug‐eluting stents, primary patency rates after endovascular revascularization of peripheral artery disease have remained inferior compared to surgery. Endovascular revascularization has been limited by restenosis and mechanical stent failure. Thus, there is increased research into other nonstent‐based local drug delivery modalities, which can provide an active drug to inhibit restenosis focally and avoid the risk of systemic adverse effects.

Methods

This review will summarize the unique properties of paclitaxel and studies on paclitaxel local delivery for the treatment of peripheral artery disease. A MEDLINE search for relevant peer‐reviewed scientific literature published in English was conducted. Search terms included but were not limited to paclitaxel pharmacodynamics, paclitaxel local drug delivery, and drug eluting balloons, with a focus on the use of paclitaxel in the context of coronary and peripheral vascular disease.

Results

The primary search produced 182 results of which 51 papers were relevant. Of the 51 relevant papers, 27 were original research papers and 24 were either review papers, commentary or opinion papers.

Conclusions

Paclitaxel has several chemical properties, which make it ideal for local drug delivery including its hydrophobicity, ability to concentrate into the arterial intima layer and prolonged effect on cells even after brief exposure periods. Local delivery of paclitaxel via injection catheters, balloon catheters and coated balloons has shown encouraging results in terms of efficacy and safety in small‐scale animal and clinical studies. Additional preclinical and clinical studies are needed to determine the long‐term efficacy and safety of these treatments in humans.
Just add milk: a productivity analysis of the revolutionary changes in nineteenth‐century Danish dairying
Authors: Lampe Markus , Sharp Paul
Published: January 2015

The late nineteenth‐century Danish agricultural revolution saw the modernization and growth of the dairy industry. Denmark rapidly caught up with the leading economies, and Danish dairying led the world in terms of productivity. Uniquely in a world perspective, high quality micro‐level data exist documenting this episode. These allow the use of the tool of modern agricultural economists, stochastic frontier analysis, to estimate production functions for milk and thus find the determinants of these productivity and efficiency advances. This article identifies the contribution of modernization through specific new technologies and practices.
Deficiency of Factor VII activating protease alters the outcome of ischemic stroke in mice
Authors: Joshi A. U. , Orset C. , Engelhardt B. , Baumgart‐Vogt E. , Gerriets T. , Vivien D. , Kanse S. M.
Published: January 2015

Factor VII activating protease (FSAP) is a circulating protease with a putative role in hemostasis, remodeling and inflammation. A polymorphism giving rise to low proteolytic activity has been associated with an increased risk of stroke and carotid stenosis. To date, no in vivo studies or mechanistic information is available to explain these results. Based on the polymorphism data we hypothesize that a lack of endogenous FSAP will increase the severity of stroke. Stroke was induced by applying thrombin in the middle cerebral artery in wild‐type (WT) and FSAP−/− mice. Increased stroke volume and worsened neurological deficit were observed in FSAP−/− mice. Raised levels of FSAP protein were detected in the infarcted area of WT mice together with enhanced leukocyte infiltration and apoptosis in FSAP−/− mice. There was a concomitant increase in the activation of the NFκB pathway and decrease in expression of the PI3K/AKT pathway proteins. At a cellular level, FSAP increased cell survival and decreased apoptosis in primary cortical neurons and astrocytes exposed to tPA/NMDA excitotoxicity or oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD)/reoxygenation, respectively. This was mediated via the PI3K/AKT pathway with involvement of the protease activated receptor‐1. To corroborate the human epidemiological data, which link FSAP with stroke, we now show that the lack of FSAP in mice worsens the outcome of stroke. In the absence of FSAP there was a stronger inflammatory response and lower cell survival due to insufficient activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway.
Expanding Sexual Selection Gradients; A Synthetic Refinement of Sexual Selection Theory
Authors: Fitzpatrick Courtney L.
Published: January 2015

Sexual selection is usually modeled as fitness differences that are mediated through variation in the number of mates obtained (variance in mating success, VMS). Nevertheless, empirical studies increasingly posit sexual selection even when VMS is low or does not contribute to variance in fitness, as is the case in females of many species. In these contexts, evolution by sexual selection is only plausible if it is mediated through variation in mate quality (VMQ) rather than exclusively through variation in the number of mates (VMS). However, we lack a formal theoretical foundation for sexual selection in these cases. Here, I argue the need for an explicit, formal treatment of how VMQ may result in sexual selection. Building upon the conceptually powerful framework of sexual selection gradients, I propose a graphical heuristic model that aims to serve as a foundation for future formal models. I close by discussing the implications of this perspective for sexual selection research in general, with particular attention to predictions that the model generates for the action of sexual selection on female traits.
Challenges in integrating herbal medicine in healthcare systems
Authors: Roufogalis Basil D
Published: January 2015

In this perspective some of the challenges facing the integration of herbal medicine in the healthcare system are described. Such challenges include the need to understand the chemical nature of complex herbal products and their formulation for human therapeutic use, the importance of translation of basic scientific research to human clinical safety and efficacy, provision of a framework for obtaining the evidence required for validation of traditional herbal medicinal products and defining a regulatory system which allows adequate research funding and protection of resulting intellectual property. Requirements for developing standard operating procedures for clinical trials on herbal medicines are described.
Identification of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and stroke in mid‐ and older‐aged women: Comparing self‐report and administrative hospital data records
Authors: Navin Cristina Tina J , Stewart Williams Jennifer A , Parkinson Lynne , Sibbritt David W , Byles Julie E
Published: January 2015

Aim

To estimate the prevalence of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and stroke in self‐report and hospital data in two cohorts of women; measure sensitivity and agreement between data sources; and compare between cohorts.

Methods

Women born between 1946–1951 and 1921–1926 who participated in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH); were New South Wales residents; and admitted to hospital (2004–2008) were included in the present study. The prevalence of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and stroke was estimated using self‐report (case 1 at latest survey, case 2 across multiple surveys) and hospital records. Agreement (kappa) and sensitivity (%) were calculated. Logistic regression measured the association between patient characteristics and agreement.

Results

Hypertension had the highest prevalence and estimates were higher for older women: 32.5% case 1, 45.4% case 2, 12.8% in hospital data (1946–1951 cohort); 57.8% case 1, 73.2% case 2, 38.2% in hospital data (1921–1926 cohort). Agreement was substantial for diabetes: κ = 0.75 case 1, κ = 0.70 case 2 (1946–1951 cohort); κ = 0.77 case 1, κ = 0.80 case 2 (1921–1926 cohort), and lower for other conditions. The 1946–1951 cohort had 2.08 times the odds of agreement for hypertension (95% CI 1.56 to 2.78; P < 0.0001), and 6.25 times the odds of agreement for heart disease (95% CI 4.35 to 10.0; P < 0.0001), compared with the 1921–1926 cohort.

Conclusion

Substantial agreement was found for diabetes, indicating accuracy of ascertainment using self‐report or hospital data. Self‐report data appears to be less accurate for heart disease and stroke. Hypertension was underestimated in hospital data. These findings have implications for epidemiological studies relying on self‐report or administrative data. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2016; 16: 95–102.
Fake it till you make it—the uncanny art of forging amber
Authors: Eriksson Mats E. , Poinar George O.
Published: January 2015

Amber has fascinated people since the Stone Age and as one of the best means of preservation of fossil organisms, it tickles our senses. The animals that are sometimes trapped in amber, like frozen moments of long‐lost ecosystems, can be so incredibly well preserved that they look modern—which, in some cases, has proven to be just the case. Because fossil‐bearing amber not only has a significant scientific value but is also a desired commodity on the open market, fake amber has unfortunately been around for centuries.
Massive Open Online Change? Exploring the Discursive Construction of the ‘MOOC’ in Newspapers
Authors: Selwyn Neil , Bulfin Scott , Pangrazio Luci
Published: January 2015

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been a prominent topic of recent educational discussion and debate. MOOCs are, in essence, university‐affiliated courses offered to large groups of online learners for little or no cost and are seen by many as a bellwether for change and reform across higher education systems. This study uses content and discourse analysis methods to examine how understandings of MOOC‐related ‘change’ were presented in US, UK and Australian newspapers. Drawing on detailed analysis of 457 newspaper articles published between 2011 and 2013, the findings point to a predominant portrayal of MOOCs in relation to the massification, marketization and monetization of higher education, rather than engaging in debate of either ‘technological’ or ‘educational’ issues such as online learning and pedagogy, instructional design or student experience. The article then considers the reasons underpinning this restricted framing of what many commentators have touted as a radical educational form—not least the apparently close association between MOOCs and the economics of higher education.
Patient satisfaction from two studies of collaborative doctor – pharmacist prescribing in Australia
Authors: Hale Andrew , Coombes Ian , Stokes Julie , Aitken Stuart , Clark Fiona , Nissen Lisa
Published: January 2015

Background

Pharmacist prescribing has been introduced in several countries and is a possible future role for pharmacy in Australia.

Objective

To assess whether patient satisfaction with the pharmacist as a prescriber, and patient experiences in two settings of collaborative doctor‐pharmacist prescribing may be barriers to implementation of pharmacist prescribing.

Design

Surveys containing closed questions, and Likert scale responses, were completed in both settings to investigate patient satisfaction after each consultation. A further survey investigating attitudes towards pharmacist prescribing, after multiple consultations, was completed in the sexual health clinic.

Setting and Participants

A surgical pre‐admission clinic (PAC) in a tertiary hospital and an outpatient sexual health clinic at a university hospital. Two hundred patients scheduled for elective surgery, and 17 patients diagnosed with HIV infection, respectively, recruited to the pharmacist prescribing arm of two collaborative doctor‐pharmacist prescribing studies.

Results

Consultation satisfaction response rates in PAC and the sexual health clinic were 182/200 (91%) and 29/34 (85%), respectively. In the sexual health clinic, the attitudes towards pharmacist prescribing survey response rate were 14/17 (82%). Consultation satisfaction was high in both studies, most patients (98% and 97%, respectively) agreed they were satisfied with the consultation. In the sexual health clinic, all patients (14/14) agreed that they trusted the pharmacist's ability to prescribe, care was as good as usual care, and they would recommend seeing a pharmacist prescriber to friends.

Discussion and Conclusion

Most of the patients had a high satisfaction with pharmacist prescriber consultations, and a positive outlook on the collaborative model of care in the sexual health clinic.
An Officer and a Scholar: Nineteenth-Century West Point and the Invention of the Blackboard
Authors: Phillips Christopher J.
Published: January 2015

Over two centuries after the invention of blackboards, they still feature prominently in many American classrooms. The blackboard has outlasted most other educational innovations and technologies, and has always been more than anaide memoire. Students and teachers have long assumed inscriptions on its surface made mental processes visible. As early as 1880, in fact, the A.H. Andrews & Co. catalog described the blackboard as a “mirror reflecting the workings, character, and quality of the individual mind.” The blackboard's ultimate origins are unclear but in North America one institution, the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, played a particularly important role in establishing the device within classrooms. The blackboard's use at West Point in the first years of the nineteenth century garnered the novel tool notice and by the Civil War, the blackboard's place had been so firmly established in American schools as to be easily overlooked in importance; it was simply part of the physical and intellectual architecture of the classroom, Subsequent changes in construction and production have affected cost and appearance, but the basic idea of a vertical surface on which erasable inscriptions are made has remained.
RECURSIVE AMBIGUITY AND MACHINA'S EXAMPLES
Authors: Dillenberger David , Segal Uzi
Published: January 2015

Machina (American Economic Review 99 (2009), 385–392; American Economic Review 104 (2014), 3814–40) lists a number of situations where Choquet expected utility, as well as other known models of ambiguity aversion, cannot capture plausible features of ambiguity attitudes. Most of these problems arise in choice over prospects involving three or more outcomes. We show that the recursive nonexpected utility model of Segal (International Economic Review 28 (1987), 175–202) is rich enough to accommodate all these situations and, moreover, that this can be done using the same functional form for all situations.
SHARED PATENT RIGHTS AND TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS
Authors: Mitchell Matthew , Zhang Yuzhe
Published: January 2015

We study how to reward innovators who build on one another. Rewards come in the form of patents. Because patent rights are scarce, the optimal allocation involves sharing: More than one innovator's patent is in force at a given time. We interpret such allocations as patents that infringe one another as licensing through an ever growing patent pool and as randomization through litigation. We contrast the rate of technological progress under the optimal allocation with the outcome if sharing is prohibitively costly. Avoiding sharing initially slows progress and leads to a more variable rate of technological progress.
COMPETITION POLICY AND CARTEL SIZE
Authors: Bos Iwan , Harrington Joseph E.
Published: January 2015

This article examines endogenous cartel formation in the presence of a competition authority. Competition policy is shown to make the most inclusive stable cartels less inclusive. In particular, small firms that might have been cartel members in the absence of a competition authority are no longer members. Regarding the least inclusive stable cartels, competition policy can either decrease or increase their size and, in the latter case, the collusive price can rise.
Assessing readiness for transition from paediatric to adult health care: Revision and psychometric evaluation of the Am I ON TRAC for Adult Care questionnaire
Authors: Moynihan Melissa , Saewyc Elizabeth , Whitehouse Sandra , Paone Mary , McPherson Gladys
Published: January 2015

Aim

To refine and psychometrically test the Am I ON TRAC for Adult Care questionnaire.

Background

Inadequate transition to adult care for adolescents with special healthcare needs has been associated with greater risk of treatment non‐adherence, lack of medical follow‐up, increased morbidity and mortality. Presently, there are no well‐validated measures assessing adolescents' readiness to transition from paediatric to adult medical care.

Design

Descriptive cross‐sectional study.

Methods

The Am I ON TRAC for Adult Care questionnaire was refined to improve the instrument's methodological soundness. A literature review informed the revisions. A convenience sample of 200 adolescents, 12‐19 years, was recruited from four outpatient clinics at a paediatric hospital in Western Canada between April–June 2012. Construct validity was evaluated by Exploratory Factory Analysis; concurrent validity was assessed using the Psychosocial Maturity Index. Internal consistency was evaluated by computing Cronbach's alpha estimates.

Results

Factor analysis of the knowledge items identified a 14‐item unidimensional scale. Knowledge and behaviour sub‐scale scores increased with age, with a stronger relationship between knowledge and age. Psychosocial maturity correlated with both sub‐scale scores, but had a stronger association with behaviour. Psychosocial maturity and age had a weak but significant correlation suggesting age is a loose proxy for maturity. Only 27% of 17‐year olds, but 62% 18‐year olds, scored above the behaviour cut‐off for transition readiness.

Conclusion

The revised Am I ON TRAC for Adult Care questionnaire is a psychometrically sound measure that has potential to be used as a readiness assessment tool in both clinical practice and research.
Irisin levels are associated with urotensin II levels in diabetic patients
Authors: He Wan‐Yu , Bai Qiong , A La‐Ta , Tang Chao‐Shu , Zhang Ai‐Hua
Published: January 2015

Aims/Introduction

Irisin is a newly identified myokine that can promote energy expenditure. Previous studies showed that circulating urotensin II (UII) levels were increased in diabetes, and UII could inhibit the glucose transport in skeletal muscle in diabetic mice and aggravated insulin resistance. We presumed that irisin levels are associated with UII in diabetic patients.

Materials and Methods

A total of 71 patients with type 2 diabetes and 40 healthy subjects were recruited. Blood and urinary irisin concentrations were measured by using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, and UII concentrations were measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Every participant's body composition was analyzed by bioelectrical impedance.

Results

The serum irisin levels were significantly lower in diabetic patients than that of controls, whereas serum UII levels were significantly higher in diabetic patients than that in that of controls. Serum irisin levels were negatively associated with circulating UII, hemoglobin A1c and the natural logarithm transformation of urinary albumin excretion, whereas serum irisin was positively associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate, and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol and urinary irisin were positively associated with urinary UII. Furthermore, circulating irisin is positively associated with muscle mass, whereas circulating UII is negatively associated with muscle mass in diabetic patients. Hemoglobin A1c and circulating UII are independent determinants of circulating irisin by multiple regression analysis.

Conclusions

The present results provide the clinical evidence of an association between irisin and UII in diabetic patients. Hemoglobin A1c and circulating UII are independent determinants of circulating irisin. Our results hint that UII and high glucose might inhibit the release of irisin from skeletal muscle in diabetic patients.
Simple Banking: Profitability and the Yield Curve
Authors: ALESSANDRI PIERGIORGIO , NELSON BENJAMIN D.
Published: January 2015

How does bank profitability vary with interest rates? We present a model of a monopolistically competitive bank subject to repricing frictions and test the model's predictions using a unique panel data set on UK banks. We find evidence that large banks retain a residual exposure to interest rates, even after accounting for hedging activity operating through the trading book. In the long run, both level and slope of the yield curve contribute positively to profitability. In the short run, however, increases in market rates compress interest margins, consistent with the presence of nonnegligible loan pricing frictions.
Developing a Comprehensive School Connectedness Scale for Program Evaluation
Authors: Chung‐Do Jane J. , Goebert Deborah A. , Chang Janice Y. , Hamagani Fumiaki
Published: January 2015

BACKGROUND

Evidence show that school connectedness is important to youth wellness. However, considerable inconsistency in the concepts and measures of school connectedness exists across studies. In addition, many measures do not capture the multifaceted dimensions of the school connectedness construct. This study examined the psychometric properties of a school connectedness scale that aimed to measure comprehensively the key constructs of school connectedness.

METHODS

The scale was developed with teachers and tested with an ethnically diverse sample of 717 high school students enrolled in a school connectedness course using confirmatory factor analysis.

RESULTS

Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated the association of the 15 items with the 5 factors identified in the literature—school involvement, academic motivation, school attachment, teacher support, and peer relations (χ2 = 439.99, df = 83, p < .0001, Comparative Fit Index = 0.991, Tucker‐Lewis index = 0.988, root mean square error of approximation = 0.077). Cronbach coefficient alphas for the factors ranged from 0.73 to 0.93.

CONCLUSIONS

Although further tests need to be conducted to assess its validity and reliability, this newly developed scale may provide researchers a tool to measure comprehensively school connectedness for program evaluation.
Aging Together: Sibling Carers of Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Coyle Caitlin E. , Kramer John , Mutchler Jan E.
Published: January 2015

Family care provision is the norm for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), even as they and their support networks grow older. As families age together, the role of primary carer frequently transitions from the parent to a sibling, as aging parents die or become too frail to provide continued support. The purpose of this paper is to explore the transition in care from the perspective of a sibling who has replaced parents as the primary carer for an individual aging with I/DD. Data are drawn from semi‐structured, in‐depth interviews with a sample of adults over age 40, living in the United States, and caring for a sibling with I/DD (n = 15). Data were analyzed using a constant comparative qualitative approach. Results reveal themes impacting the adjustment to the role of primary carer, the extent to which aging transformed the content of care needs, the importance of planning, and the availability of supplementary support. Findings from this study underscore the need to develop long‐term services and supports as well as educational resources that accommodate this population of carers as they age together with their sibling with I/DD.
Strengths and Limitations of Health and Disability Support Administrative Databases for Population‐Based Health Research in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Lin Elizabeth , Balogh Robert , Isaacs Barry , Ouellette‐Kuntz Helene , Selick Avra , Wilton Andrew S. , Cobigo Virginie , Lunsky Yona
Published: January 2015

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience high rates of social and health disadvantage. Planning effective services that meet the needs of this vulnerable population requires good population‐based data that are collected on a routine, ongoing basis. However, in most jurisdictions, none of the commonly available data (e.g., health or disability benefits administrative data) completely captures the IDD population. To more accurately identify persons with IDD in a population, one solution is to link data across multiple sources. To do this, the authors report on an effort to create a linked database to identify a cohort of adults, aged 18–64, with IDD in Ontario and use these data to examine how the linkage can help study health and healthcare access. The linked dataset was created using four health and one disability income support databases. Standardized differences were used to compare sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the IDD cohorts identified through the health, disability income support, and linked datasets. Indirect estimation was used to evaluate which IDD subgroups might be over‐ or underestimated if only a single source of data was available. The linked database identified a cohort of 66,484 adults with IDD (0.78% prevalence). The health and disability income support data each uniquely identified approximately a third of the cohort. Health data were more likely to identify younger adults (18–24 years), those with psychiatric illnesses, and hospitalized individuals. The disability income support data were more likely to identify adults aged 35–54 and those living in lower income neighborhoods. By linking multiple databases, the authors were able to identify a much larger cohort of individuals with IDD than if they had used a single data source. It also enabled the creation of a more accurate sociodemographic and clinical profile of this population as each source captured different segments of it.
Diminished Functional Connectivity on the Road to Child Sexual Abuse in Pedophilia
Authors: Kärgel Christian , Massau Claudia , Weiß Simone , Walter Martin , Kruger Tillmann H.C. , Schiffer Boris
Published: January 2015

Background

Pedophilia is a disorder recognized for its impairment to the individual and for the harm it may cause to others. However, the neurobiology of pedophilia and a possible propensity to sexually abuse children are not well understood. In this study, we thus aimed at providing new insights in how functional integration of brain regions may relate to pedophilia or child sexual abuse (CSA).

Method

By using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique, we compared functional connectivity at rest (RSFC) between pedophiles who engaged (P+CSA; N = 12) or did not engage (P–CSA; N = 14) in CSA and healthy controls (HCs; N = 14) within two networks: (i) the default mode network and (ii) the limbic network that has been linked to pedophilia before.

Results

Pedophiles who engaged in CSA show diminished RSFC in both networks compared with HC and P–CSA. Most importantly, they showed diminished RSFC between the left amygdala and orbitofrontal as well as anterior prefrontal regions. Though significant age differences between groups could not be avoided, correlation control analysis did not provide evidence for the assumption that the RSFC effects were related to age differences.

Conclusion

We found significantly diminished RSFC in brain networks critically involved in widespread motivational and socio-emotional processes. These results extend existing models of the functional neuroanatomy of pedophilia and CSA as altered RSFC between these regions were related to CSA rather than pedophilia and thus may account for an increased propensity to engage in CSA in people suffering from pedophilia.
High‐resolution studies of double‐layered ejecta craters: Morphology, inherent structure, and a phenomenological formation model
Authors: Wulf Gerwin , Kenkmann Thomas
Published: January 2015

The ejecta blankets of impact craters in volatile‐rich environments often possess characteristic layered ejecta morphologies. The so‐called double‐layered ejecta (DLE) craters are characterized by two ejecta layers with distinct morphologies. The analysis of high‐resolution image data, especially HiRISE and CTX, provides new insights into the formation of DLE craters. A new phenomenological excavation and ejecta emplacement model for DLE craters is proposed based on a detailed case study of the Martian crater Steinheim—a well‐preserved DLE crater—and studies of other DLE craters. The observations show that the outer ejecta layer is emplaced as medial and distal ejecta that propagate outwards in a debris avalanche or (if saturated with water) a debris flow mode after landing, overrunning previously formed secondary craters. In contrast, the inner ejecta layer is formed by a translational slide of the proximal ejecta deposits during the emplacement stage that overrun and superimpose parts of the outer ejecta layer. Based on our model, DLE craters on Mars are the result of an impact event into a rock/ice mixture that produces large amounts of shock‐induced vaporization and melting of ground ice, leading to high ejection angles, proximal landing positions, and an ejecta curtain with relatively wet (in terms of water in liquid form) composition in the distal part versus dryer composition in the proximal part. As a consequence, basal melting of ice components in the ejecta at the transient crater rim, which is induced by frictional heating and the enhanced pressure at depth, initiates an outwards directed collapse of crater rim material in a translational slide mode. Our results indicate that similar processes may also be applicable for other planetary bodies with volatile‐rich environments, such as Ganymede, Europa, and the Earth.
Two widespread green Neottia species (Orchidaceae) show mycorrhizal preference for Sebacinales in various habitats and ontogenetic stages
Authors: Těšitelová Tamara , Kotilínek Milan , Jersáková Jana , Joly François‐Xavier , Košnar Jiří , Tatarenko Irina , Selosse Marc‐André
Published: January 2015

Plant dependence on fungal carbon (mycoheterotrophy) evolved repeatedly. In orchids, it is connected with a mycorrhizal shift from rhizoctonia to ectomycorrhizal fungi and a high natural 13C and 15N abundance. Some green relatives of mycoheterotrophic species show identical trends, but most of these remain unstudied, blurring our understanding of evolution to mycoheterotrophy. We analysed mycorrhizal associations and 13C and 15N biomass content in two green species, Neottia ovata and N. cordata (tribe Neottieae), from a genus comprising green and nongreen (mycoheterotrophic) species. Our study covered 41 European sites, including different meadow and forest habitats and orchid developmental stages. Fungal ITS barcoding and electron microscopy showed that both Neottia species associated mainly with nonectomycorrhizal Sebacinales Clade B, a group of rhizoctonia symbionts of green orchids, regardless of the habitat or growth stage. Few additional rhizoctonias from Ceratobasidiaceae and Tulasnellaceae, and ectomycorrhizal fungi were detected. Isotope abundances did not detect carbon gain from the ectomycorrhizal fungi, suggesting a usual nutrition of rhizoctonia‐associated green orchids. Considering associations of related partially or fully mycoheterotrophic species such as Neottia camtschatea or N. nidus‐avis with ectomycorrhizal Sebacinales Clade A, we propose that the genus Neottia displays a mycorrhizal preference for Sebacinales and that the association with nonectomycorrhizal Sebacinales Clade B is likely ancestral. Such a change in preference for mycorrhizal associates differing in ecology within the same fungal taxon is rare among orchids. Moreover, the existence of rhizoctonia‐associated Neottia spp. challenges the shift to ectomycorrhizal fungi as an ancestral pre‐adaptation to mycoheterotrophy in the whole Neottieae.
Operationalising national identity: the cases of the Scottish National Party and Frisian National Party
Authors: van der Zwet Arno
Published: January 2015

The article sets out to examine the complexity of national identity and to provide a more nuanced understanding of how inclusive and exclusive characteristics of national identity, which appear theoretically contradictory but show empirically considerable compatibility, relate to each other. In order to empirically investigate the nature of national identity, the article develops a multidimensional model – consisting of an ethnic, cultural, territorial and civic dimension. The article explores the understanding of national identity in two specific groups: members of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in the United Kingdom and members of the Frisian National Party (FNP) in the Netherlands. The evidence presented is based on data from two full membership studies, and the model is operationalised using a confirmatory factor analyses. The conclusion is that national identity can be conceptualised as consisting of one, or several, base layer(s) that can be ‘topped‐up’ with secondary layers.
Dealing with the contested past in Serbia: decontextualisation of the war veterans memories
Authors: David Lea
Published: January 2015

This article addresses the protracted process that took place following the wars of the 1990s through which the war veteran populations in Serbia were fragmented, alienated and marginalised. The main assumption in this paper is that gaining control over the veteran populations was a crucial step in silencing any public reckoning with the nation's criminal past. Drawing on the case study of the top‐down reframing of the war veterans' memories, I show that the most effective strategy was found to be first to fragment the veteran population and then to encourage them to de‐contextualise and reframe their memories replacing concrete historical suffering with abstract remembrance. This resulted in the reinstitution of Serbia's former national narrative of Serbian victimisation. It is suggested that the Serbian case of collective memory reconstruction after the wars of the 1990s is a prime example of how post‐conflict states may mediate their contested past in order to bridge the gap between domestic demands and those of the international community.
Phylogenetics and molecular clocks reveal the repeated evolution of ant‐plants after the lateMiocene inAfrica and the earlyMiocene inAustralasia and theNeotropics
Authors: Chomicki Guillaume , Renner Susanne S.
Published: January 2015

Ant–plant symbioses involve over 110 ant species in five subfamilies that are facultative or obligate occupants of stem, leaf or root domatia formed by hundreds of ant‐plant species. The phylogenetic distribution and geological ages of these associations, and the frequency of gains or losses of domatium, are largely unknown.

We compiled an up‐to‐date list of ant domatium‐bearing plants, estimated their probable true number from model‐based statistical inference, generated dated phylogenies that includec. 50% of ant‐plant lineages, and traced the occurrence of domatia and extrafloral nectaries on a 1181‐species tree, using likelihood and Bayesian methods.

We found 681 vascular plants with domatia (159 genera in 50 families) resulting from minimally 158 inferred domatium origins and 43 secondary losses over the last 19 Myr. The oldest African ant–plant symbioses are younger than those in Australasia and the Neotropics. The best statistical model suggests that the true number of myrmecophytes may approach 1140 species.

The phylogenetic distribution of ant‐plants shows that domatia evolved from a range of pre‐adapted morphological structures and have been lost frequently, suggesting that domatia have no generalizable effect on diversification. The Miocene origin of ant–plant symbioses is consistent with inferred changes in diet and behaviour during ant evolution.
Mycorrhizal networks and coexistence in species‐rich orchid communities
Authors: Jacquemyn Hans , Brys Rein , Waud Michael , Busschaert Pieter , Lievens Bart
Published: January 2015

Multispecies assemblages often consist of a complex network of interactions. Describing the architecture of these networks is a first step in understanding the stability and persistence of these species‐rich communities. Whereas a large body of research has been devoted to the description of above‐ground interactions, much less attention has been paid to below‐ground interactions, probably because of difficulties to adequately assess the nature and diversity of interactions occurring below the ground.

In this study, we used 454 amplicon pyrosequencing to investigate the architecture of the network between mycorrhizal fungi and 20 orchid species co‐occurring in a species‐rich Mediterranean grasslands.

We found 100 different fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) known to be mycorrhizal in orchids, most of which were members related to the genera Ceratobasidium and Tulasnella. The network of interactions was significantly compartmentalized (M = 0.589, P = 0.001), but not significantly nested (N = 0.74, NODF = 10.58; P > 0.05). Relative nestedness was negative (N* = −0.014), also suggesting the existence of isolated groups of interacting species.

Compartmentalization is a typical feature of ecological systems showing high interaction intimacy, and may reflect strong specialization between orchids and fungi resulting from physiological, physical or spatial constraints.
Novel roles of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in regulating pectin synthesis and demethylesterification in the cell wall of rice (Oryza sativa) root tips
Authors: Xiong Jie , Yang Yongjie , Fu Guanfu , Tao Longxing
Published: January 2015

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has been reported to increase lignin formation, enhance cell wall rigidification, restrict cell expansion and inhibit root elongation. However, our results showed that it not only inhibited rice (Oryza sativa) root elongation, but also increased root diameter. No study has reported how and why H2O2 increases cell expansion and root diameter.

Exogenous H2O2 and its scavenger 4‐hydroxy‐Tempo were applied to confirm the roles of H2O2. Immunofluorescence, fluorescence probe, ruthenium red staining, histological section and spectrophotometry were used to monitor changes in the degree of pectin methylesterification, pectin content, pectin methylesterase (PME) activity and H2O2 content.

Exogenous H2O2 inhibited root elongation, but increased cell expansion and root diameter significantly. H2O2 not only increased the region of pectin synthesis and pectin content in root tips, but also increased PME activity and pectin demethylesterification. The scavenger 4‐hydroxy‐Tempo reduced root H2O2 content and recovered H2O2‐induced increases in cell expansion and root diameter by inhibiting pectin synthesis, PME activity and pectin demethylesterification.

H2O2 plays a novel role in the regulation of pectin synthesis, PME activity and pectin demethylesterification. H2O2 increases cell expansion and root diameter by increasing pectin content and demethylesterification.
Dieting and weight cycling as risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases: who is really at risk?
Authors: Montani J.‐P. , Schutz Y. , Dulloo A. G.
Published: January 2015

Despite the poor prognosis of dieting in obesity management, which often results in repeated attempts at weight loss and hence weight cycling, the prevalence of dieting has increased continuously in the past decades in parallel to the steadily increasing prevalence of obesity. However, dieting and weight cycling are not limited to those who are obese or overweight as substantial proportions of the various population groups with normal body weight also attempt to lose weight. These include young and older adults as well as children and adolescents who perceive themselves as too fat (due to media, parental and social pressures), athletes in weight‐sensitive competitive sports (i.e. mandatory weight categories, gravitational and aesthetic sports) or among performers for whom a slim image is professionally an advantage. Of particular concern is the emergence of evidence that some of the potentially negative health consequences of repeated dieting and weight cycling are more readily seen in people of normal body weight rather than in those who are overweight or obese. In particular, several metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors associated with weight cycling in normal‐weight individuals have been identified from cross‐sectional and prospective studies as well as from studies of experimentally induced weight cycling. In addition, findings from studies of experimental weight cycling have reinforced the notion that fluctuations of cardiovascular risk variables (such as blood pressure, heart rate, sympathetic activity, blood glucose, lipids and insulin) with probable repeated overshoots above normal values during periods of weight regain put an additional stress on the cardiovascular system. As the prevalence of diet‐induced weight cycling is increasing due to the opposing forces of an ‘obesigenic’ environment and the media pressure for a slim figure (that even targets children), dieting and weight cycling is likely to become an increasingly serious public health issue.
The role for adipose tissue in weight regain after weight loss
Authors: MacLean P. S. , Higgins J. A. , Giles E. D. , Sherk V. D. , Jackman M. R.
Published: January 2015

Weight regain after weight loss is a substantial challenge in obesity therapeutics. Dieting leads to significant adaptations in the homeostatic system that controls body weight, which promotes overeating and the relapse to obesity. In this review, we focus specifically on the adaptations in white adipose tissues that contribute to the biological drive to regain weight after weight loss. Weight loss leads to a reduction in size of adipocytes and this decline in size alters their metabolic and inflammatory characteristics in a manner that facilitates the clearance and storage of ingested energy. We present the hypothesis whereby the long‐term signals reflecting stored energy and short‐term signals reflecting nutrient availability are derived from the cellularity characteristics of adipose tissues. These signals are received and integrated in the hypothalamus and hindbrain and an energy gap between appetite and metabolic requirements emerges and promotes a positive energy imbalance and weight regain. In this paradigm, the cellularity and metabolic characteristics of adipose tissues after energy‐restricted weight loss could explain the persistence of a biological drive to regain weight during both weight maintenance and the dynamic period of weight regain.
Appetite and body weight regulation after bariatric surgery
Authors: Münzberg H. , Laque A. , Yu S. , Rezai‐Zadeh K. , Berthoud H.‐R.
Published: January 2015

Bariatric surgery continues to be remarkably efficient in treating obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus and a debate has started whether it should remain the last resort only or also be used for the prevention of metabolic diseases. Intense research efforts in humans and rodent models are underway to identify the critical mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects with a view towards non‐surgical treatment options. This non‐systematic review summarizes and interprets some of this literature, with an emphasis on changes in the controls of appetite. Contrary to earlier views, surgery‐induced reduction of energy intake and subsequent weight loss appear to be the main drivers for rapid improvements of glycaemic control. The mechanisms responsible for suppression of appetite, particularly in the face of the large weight loss, are not well understood. Although a number of changes in food choice, taste functions, hedonic evaluation, motivation and self‐control have been documented in both humans and rodents after surgery, their importance and relative contribution to diminished appetite has not yet been demonstrated. Furthermore, none of the major candidate mechanisms postulated in mediating surgery‐induced changes from the gut and other organs to the brain, such as gut hormones and sensory neuronal pathways, have been confirmed yet. Future research efforts should focus on interventional rather than descriptive approaches in both humans and rodent models.