bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of epidural analgesia on change in Mallampati class during labour
Authors: Guru R. , Carere M. D. , Diwan S. , Morau E. L. , Saunders J. , Shorten G. D.
Published: May 2013

Mallampati class has been shown to increase during labour. Epidural analgesia might influence this change. The aim of our study was to compare the change in Mallampati class during labour in parturients who did and did not receive epidural analgesia and study the association of these changes with pre‐defined clinical characteristics. We performed a prospective observational study of 190 parturients. Using standard methodology, photographs of the upper airway were taken with a digital camera during early labour and within 90 min of delivery. Two to three consultant anaesthetists, blinded to the origin of the photographs, evaluated the images obtained and assigned a Mallampati class to each. Overall, Mallampati class increased in 61 (32.1%), decreased in 18 (9.5%) and did not change in 111 (58.4%) parturients (p < 0.001). The proportions of parturients in the epidural and non‐epidural groups who demonstrated an increase, decrease and no change in Mallampati class were similar. Of the relationships between change in Mallampati class and the other factors studied, only the total dose of epidural levobupivacaine during labour demonstrated a weak positive correlation 0.17 (p = 0.039) with Mallampati class. This study confirms that labour is associated with an increase in the Mallampati class in approximately one third of parturients. Our findings indicate that having an epidural does not influence the likelihood of a change in Mallampati class during labour.
Timberline meadows along a 1000‐km transect in NW North America: species diversity and community patterns
Authors: Wagner Viktoria , Spribille Toby , Abrahamczyk Stefan , Bergmeier Erwin
Published: May 2013

Question

The mountains of NW North America are home to natural meadows that cover large areas at the timberline. The vegetation of these meadows has been the topic of few local studies, and little is known of species composition turnover across mountain ranges and along the latitudinal gradient. We sampled and analyzed community composition along a 1000‐km gradient to answer the following questions: (1) what are the main community types in timberline meadows; (2) what are the most important abiotic gradients underlying their composition; and (3) how is species diversity related to environmental factors and how does it change along the latitudinal gradient?

Location

SE and central British Columbia (Canada), NW Montana (USA).

Methods

We recorded data on cover and presence/absence of vascular plant, bryophyte and lichen species, as well as structure and environmental properties in 4 m × 4 m plots (n = 112). Using the OptimClass approach, we classified plots into distinct community types. We used NMDS and multiple regressions to analyse the relationship between composition, species richness and environmental and geographic gradients.

Results

Despite drawing from a large geographic area, our classification revealed only four meadow communities. Mesic meadows were the most frequent and had a pronounced species turnover along latitude, resulting in two distinct community types. In addition, a three‐dimensional ordination showed that vegetation structural properties, macroclimate and geographic predictors were important underlying gradients for species composition. Vascular species richness increased with soil pH, and exhibited a quadratic relationship with litter cover and latitude. Furthermore, in the latter case, it increased towards the southern and northern ends of our gradient.

Conclusions

Detection of only four meadow communities along the 1000‐km sampling gradient suggests a relatively recently established flora and a lack of regional differentiation consistent with the low level of endemism in the region. Higher vascular species diversity at the northern and southern edges of our gradient may reflect the geographic proximity to areas unglaciated during the Pleistocene, and suggests that areas farthest from the unglaciated edge may be experiencing colonization debt.
Update on Hypophysitis and TTF‐1 Expressing Sellar Region Masses
Authors: Kleinschmidt‐DeMasters Bette K. , Lopes M. Beatriz S.
Published: May 2013

This article reviews recent literature on sellar region masses that most closely mimic nonsecretory pituitary adenomas: hypophysitis, pituicytoma, spindle cell oncocytoma, and granular cell tumor of neurohypophysis. Even today, these four entities often cannot be confidently distinguished from each other clinically or by preoperative neuroimaging features. Thus, they often come to biopsy/surgical resection and require tissue confirmation of diagnosis. Causes of secondary and primary hypophysitis will be discussed, including two newly described types, IgG4 plasma cell hypophysitis and hypophysitis caused by anti‐cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte antigen 4 antibody therapy for cancer. For the neoplastic conditions, emphasis will be placed on literature that has emerged since these entities were first codified in the 2007 World Health Organization fascicle. The finding that immunohistochemical staining for thyroid transcription factor‐1 is shared by pituicytoma, spindle cell oncocytoma, and granular cell tumor of neurohypophysis suggests common lineage and explains why histological overlap can be encountered. We incorporate our own experiences over the last 30 years from two referral institutions with specialty practices in pituitary region masses.
Estimating the benefit of high school for university‐bound students: evidence of subject‐specific human capital accumulation
Authors: Morin Louis‐Philippe
Published: May 2013

Numerous studies suggest that the value of high school education is large for potential dropouts, yet we know much less about the benefits for students who will go on to post‐secondary education. To help fill this gap I measure, using a recent Ontario high school reform, the value‐added (in terms of university grades) of an extra year of high‐school mathematics for university‐bound students. The estimated benefit is small for these students: 2.3 points on a 100‐point scale. This evidence helps to explain why the literature has found only modest effects of taking more mathematics in high school on wages.
Mixed duopoly, privatization, and subsidization with excess burden of taxation
Authors: Matsumura Toshihiro , Tomaru Yoshihiro
Published: May 2013

We investigate optimal tax‐subsidy policies in mixed and private oligopolies with excess burden of taxation. We compare the optimal subsidies and the resulting welfare levels among four regimes: mixed and private Cournot duopolies and Stackelberg competition with public and private leaderships. We show that, in contrast to the existing works on the privatization neutrality theorem, privatization affects resulting welfare.
The endowment effect and intertemporal choice: a laboratory investigation
Authors: Morrison William G. , Oxoby Robert J.
Published: May 2013

We present a laboratory investigation of intertemporal choice (i.e., elicited discount rates) allowing for the influence of the endowment effect. Consistent with the previous literature, we hypothesize that the endowment effect in an intertemporal choice setting results in substantially higher discount rates relative to when individuals treat the resources in question as found money. Our results support this hypothesis and our experimental design provides a new protocol for conducting choice experiments wherein the endowment effect is an important determinant of behaviour.
The Effects of Cultural Transmission Are Modulated by the Amount of Information Transmitted
Authors: Griffiths Thomas L. , Lewandowsky Stephan , Kalish Michael L.
Published: May 2013

Information changes as it is passed from person to person, with this process of cultural transmission allowing the minds of individuals to shape the information that they transmit. We present mathematical models of cultural transmission which predict that the amount of information passed from person to person should affect the rate at which that information changes. We tested this prediction using a function‐learning task, in which people learn a functional relationship between two variables by observing the values of those variables. We varied the total number of observations and the number of those observations that take unique values. We found an effect of the number of observations, with functions transmitted using fewer observations changing form more quickly. We did not find an effect of the number of unique observations, suggesting that noise in perception or memory may have affected learning.
Honey bee queen mandibular pheromone inhibits ovary development and fecundity in a fruit fly
Authors: Camiletti Alison L. , Percival‐Smith Anthony , Thompson Graham J.
Published: May 2013

A key feature of eusocial insects is their reproductive division of labour. The queen signals her fecundity to her potentially reproductive daughters via a pheromone, which renders them sterile. In contrast, solitary insects lack division in reproductive labour and there is no such social signalling or need for ovary‐regulating pheromones. Nonetheless, females from both non‐social and eusocial lineages are expected to regulate their ovaries to maximize inclusive lifetime reproductive success. It is not known, however, whether the underlying networks that regulate ovary activation are homologous between non‐social and eusocial taxa, especially when these taxa are phylogenetically distant. In this study, we provide evidence that solitary fruit flies may share a conserved ovary‐regulating pathway with a eusocial honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Specifically, we demonstrate that honey bee queen mandibular pheromone (QMP) inhibits fly ovaries in much the same way as it suppresses worker ovaries. Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae) exposed to sufficient doses of QMP showed a reduction in ovary size, produced fewer eggs, and generated fewer viable offspring, relative to unexposed controls. Drosophila melanogaster therefore responds to an interspecific social cue to which it would not normally be exposed. Although we cannot strictly rule out an incidental effect, this conspicuous response suggests that these two species may share an underlying mechanism for ovary regulation. Why a non‐social species of fly responds to a highly social bee's pheromone is not clear, but one possibility is that solitary and social insects share pathways associated with female reproduction, as predicted by the ‘groundplan’ hypothesis of social evolution.
Distribution of chestnut blight and diversity of Cryphonectria parasitica in chestnut forests in Bulgaria
Authors: Risteski M. , Milev M. , Rigling D. , Milgroom M. G. , Bryner S. F. , Sotirovski K.
Published: May 2013

We surveyed chestnut stands at 18 sites in 11 locations in Bulgaria in 2005 and 2007 for the presence of chestnut blight. We found chestnut blight in seven locations (Belogradchik, Berkovitsa, Brezhani, Barziya, Govezhda, Petrich and Petrovo) but not in four others (Tsaparevo, Kresna, Dupnica and Botevgrad). We successfully isolated Cryphonectria parasitica from cankers on 606 trees with symptoms of chestnut blight and assayed them for vegetative compatibility (vc) types and mating type. Three vc types were identified among the 606 isolates; all three were among the European vc types with known vegetative incompatibility (vic) genotypes. Vc type EU‐12 was the most common, representing 80% of the isolates, and was found at all locations with blight, with the exception of Belogradchik in north‐west Bulgaria, where all isolates were vc type EU‐2. Only one population (Barziya) had more than one vc type, with a combination of EU‐12 and EU‐10 in almost equal frequencies. Similarly, the diversity of mating types was very low. All but three of 536 isolates assayed were in mating‐type MAT‐1; MAT‐2 was only found in one population in the north‐west (Berkovitsa). We inspected 671 bark samples from chestnut blight cankers with stromata of C. parasitica and found perithecia in only 33, of which 28 were from Berkovitsa where MAT‐2 was present. We did not detect hypoviruses in any of the 270 isolates screened using the standard double‐stranded RNA extraction protocol. Similar to results from previous studies in south‐eastern Europe, the diversity of vc types and mating type of C. parasitica in Bulgaria is low, and reproduction of the fungus is mainly asexual. Unfortunately, naturally occurring hypovirulence was not detected. Nevertheless, we observed a small number of superficial cankers typical of those caused by C. parasitica isolates infected with a hypovirus.
Substrate modification for enhanced native forest restoration, Reefton
Authors: Norton David A. , Creedy Simone , Keir Dean
Published: May 2013

Restoration of postmining substrates to native forest is a standard requirement of resource consents for mine sites located within areas of native forest in New Zealand. Unweathered waste rock presents significant challenges for plant growth, and past research highlights the importance of replacing soil as part of restoration. However, replacing soil with its horizon structure intact or even obtaining sufficient soil for restoration can be a challenge in some situations. In this paper, we describe the results of two trials undertaken at the OceanaGold Ltd. open‐cast gold mine in Reefton to explore the influence of substrate conditions on the growth of native forest seedlings. We show that beech (Nothofagus) seedlings grown on A‐horizon soil grew significantly better than those grown on soil mixed with waste rock, and both grew significantly better than plants grown just on waste rock. In the second trial, we show that bark chips are not a good substitute for soil. These results confirm the importance of having the correct substrate for successful native forest restoration.
Control charts for improved decisions in environmental management: a case study of catchment water supply in south‐west Western Australia
Authors: Gove Aaron D. , Sadler Rohan , Matsuki Mamoru , Archibald Robert , Pearse Stuart , Garkaklis Mark
Published: May 2013

Environmental monitoring is becoming increasingly sophisticated with the widespread adoption of data loggers, sensor arrays and remote sensing, leading to larger scale, higher resolution and superior quality data. However, interpreting monitoring data and deciding when and how to apply environmental management remains a subjective and underdeveloped area of research. Control charts, developed in industrial settings to identify when manufacturing processes were beyond the acceptable bounds of production quality, represent one solution. Despite their potential utility, control charts have rarely been adopted in environmental monitoring. In theory, they are able to identify undesirable trends early and provide transparent and broadly consensual criteria for defining when management action should take place, that is action is triggered when parameter values are observed beyond the agreed control limits of the process. Once triggered, a predetermined management action is implemented. Possible actions are many and varied, and range from investigation and increased monitoring to intervention in the system. Here, the utility of control charts in monitoring water supply in south‐western Australia from 1911 to 2010 is examined, and their ability to provide an early, transparent and easily understandable means of triggering management action is assessed. Two control chart types are applied: the X‐bar chart and the CUSUM chart. X‐bar charts varied widely in their ability to trigger action and were insensitive to many traditional threshold criteria (of which there are many to choose from). In contrast, standard CUSUM charts are specifically designed to detect subtler shifts away from a mean trend and hence provided a more consistent warning of the decline in water supply. While managers were aware of the decline in water supply from an early stage, we believe that control charts could have clearly communicated this earlier, enabling consensus among decision makers to be reached more rapidly.
Reintroductions and controlling feral predators: Interview with Per Christensen
Authors: Christensen Per , McDonald Tein
Published: May 2013

From tracking Antelope and other species in Kenya as a child, Per Christensen went on to train in ecology and participate in many of the key small mammal reintroduction programs in Western Australia. What lessons can be gleaned from these experiences for current and future restoration ecology?
Murray Catchment habitat restoration: Lessons from landscape‐level research and monitoring
Authors: Lindenmayer David , Willinck Emmo , Crane Mason , Michael Damian , Okada Sachiko , Cumming Chris , Durant Kylie , Frankenberg Judy
Published: May 2013

Native vegetation restoration and conservation works have been ongoing for three decades in the South West Slopes Bioregion of NSW's Murray Catchment. Monitoring of extensive areas of protected remnants and revegetation undertaken through a major partnership between ANU researchers and the Murray CMA shows early benefits of restoration efforts to biodiversity and helps to refine future efforts.
Atypical presentation of caecal perforation in two horses
Authors: Gray S. N. , Dechant J. E. , Yamout S. , Devine D. V. , Schoonover M. J.
Published: May 2013

This case report describes retroperitoneal and subserosal emphysema as the primary indication of a caecal perforation associated with an episode of colic. Feed contamination was not noted on repeated peritoneal fluid samples or within the peritoneal cavity at the time of surgery; however, subserosal and retroperitoneal emphysema at the base of the caecum was identified during surgical exploration, which later corresponded to retroperitoneal caecal perforation at necropsy examination.
Carcinoma of an accessory genital gland in a 23‐year‐oldCamargue gelding
Authors: Suthers J. M. , Sardon D. , Blundell R. , Nikolaou G. , Archer D. C.
Published: May 2013

This report describes the case management, histopathological andpost mortemfindings in a 23‐year‐old gelding with a peri‐rectal mass. The mass was debulked surgically and submitted samples revealed it to be a poorly differentiated carcinoma. In the post operative period the horse developed signs of abdominal pain and dysuria and was subjected to euthanasia.Post mortemexamination revealed a large infiltrative mass located between the rectum and urethra, consistent with a carcinoma of an accessory genital gland, most likely the seminal vesicle.
In the eye of the storm: mitochondrial damage during heart and brain ischaemia
Authors: Borutaite Vilmante , Toleikis Adolfas , Brown Guy C.
Published: May 2013

We review research investigating mitochondrial damage during heart and brain ischaemia, focusing on the mechanisms and consequences of ischaemia‐induced and/or reperfusion‐induced: (a) inhibition of mitochondrial respiratory complex I; (b) release of cytochrome c from mitochondria; (c) changes to mitochondrial phospholipids; and (d) nitric oxide inhibition of mitochondria. Heart ischaemia causes inhibition of cytochrome oxidase and complex I, release of cytochrome c, and induction of permeability transition and hydrolysis and oxidation of mitochondrial phospholipids, but some of the mechanisms are unclear. Brain ischaemia causes inhibition of complexes I and IV, but other effects are less clear.
Cardiac glycosides correct aberrant splicing of IKBKAP‐encoded mRNA in familial dysautonomia derived cells by suppressing expression of SRSF3
Authors: Liu Bo , Anderson Sylvia L. , Qiu Jinsong , Rubin Berish Y.
Published: May 2013

The ability to modulate the production of the wild‐type transcript in cells bearing the splice‐altering familial dysautonomia (FD) causing mutation in the IKBKAP gene prompted a study of the impact of a panel of pharmaceuticals on the splicing of this transcript, which revealed the ability of the cardiac glycoside digoxin to increase the production of the wild‐type, exon‐20‐containing, IKBKAP‐encoded transcript and the full‐length IκB‐kinase‐complex‐associated protein in FD‐derived cells. Characterization of the cis elements and trans factors involved in the digoxin‐mediated effect on splicing reveals that this response is dependent on an SRSF3 binding site(s) located in the intron 5′ of the alternatively spliced exon and that digoxin mediates its effect by suppressing the level of the SRSF3 protein. Characterization of the digoxin‐mediated effect on the RNA splicing process was facilitated by the identification of several RNA splicing events in which digoxin treatment mediates the enhanced inclusion of exonic sequence. Moreover, we demonstrate the ability of digoxin to impact the splicing process in neuronal cells, a cell type profoundly impacted by FD. This study represents the first demonstration that digoxin possesses splice‐altering capabilities that are capable of reversing the impact of the FD‐causing mutation. These findings support the clinical evaluation of the impact of digoxin on the FD patient population.
Effect of nucleoside analog use in patients with hepatitis B virus‐related hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Nishikawa Hiroki , Nishijima Norihiro , Arimoto Akira , Inuzuka Tadashi , Kita Ryuichi , Kimura Toru , Osaki Yukio
Published: May 2013

Aim

To examine the effect of nucleoside analog (NA) therapy on clinical outcome in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent curative therapy.

Methods

A total of 131 patients with HBV‐related HCC who underwent curative therapy were analyzed. They were divided into an NA group who received NA therapy (n = 99, group A) and a control group (n = 32, group B). Group A was further classified into two groups of patients who either received NA therapy before HCC therapy (n = 34, group Aa) or who received NA therapy with initial HCC therapy (n = 65, group Ab). Overall survival (OS) and recurrence‐free survival (RFS) were compared in the three groups.

Results

The 1‐ and 3‐year cumulative OS rates were both in group Aa, 100% and 88.0% in group Ab, and 100% and 75.7% in group B (overall significance, P = 0.002), respectively. The corresponding RFS rates were 93.1% and 36.0% in group Aa, 78.3% and 45.7% in group Ab, and 78.0% and 38.0% in group B (overall significance, P = 0.734), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that being part of group Aa (P < 0.001) or group Ab (P < 0.001) and having albumin levels of 4.0 g/dL or more (P = 0.040) were significantly associated with OS, while HCC stage (P = 0.001) and hepatitis B e‐antigen positivity (P < 0.001) were independent predictors linked to RFS.

Conclusion

NA therapy in patients with HBV‐related HCC may improve survival after curative therapy.
Three cases of adult‐onset type II citrullinemia treated with different therapies: Efficacy of sodium pyruvate and low‐carbohydrate diet
Authors: Kogure Takayuki , Kondo Yasuteru , Kakazu Eiji , Ninomiya Masashi , Kimura Osamu , Kobayashi Nao , Shimosegawa Tooru
Published: May 2013

We report three cases of adult‐onset type II citrullinemia (CTLN2) treated with different therapies including one case successfully treated with p.o. administration of sodium pyruvate and low‐carbohydrate diet. Although recent advances in liver transplantation have enabled successful treatment of patients with CTLN2, several issues concerning liver transplantation remain. Further, there is still an urgent need for therapies that do not rely on liver transplantation. The first case was a 41‐year‐old man who developed impaired consciousness in 1992. The patient was treated with conventional therapy for hepatic encephalopathy and died of severe brain edema. The second case was a 31‐year‐old man who suddenly presented a syncope‐like attack with hyperammonemia. He was treated with carbohydrate‐restricted diet but the encephalopathy could not be controlled, and he received emergency living donor liver transplantation. The third patient was a 67‐year‐old man who developed abnormal behavior with hyperammonemia. He has remained well with oral sodium pyruvate and a low‐carbohydrate diet without receiving liver transplantation.
Challenges of social workers' involvement in the recovery of the 5.12WenchuanEarthquake inChina
Authors: Huang Yunong , Fu Yao , Wong Hung
Published: May 2013

This article explores the challenges of social workers' involvement in recovery work of the 5.12WenchuanEarthquake (12May 2008). Six social workers working in three social work stations inSichuan,China, were asked to report the challenges they faced in working with disaster survivors. Findings reveal that the social workers faced many challenges. These include lack of government support, low professional status of social work, rapid changes in the social environment in disaster‐affected areas, lack of supervision, lack of cooperation and coordination among social service agencies, and lack of experience and knowledge in working with disaster survivors. The practical, educational and policy implications of the findings are addressed.
A Thr/Ser dual residue motif in the cytoplasmic tail of human CD1d is important for the down‐regulation of antigen presentation following a herpes simplex virus 1 infection
Authors: Liu Jianyun , Glosson Nicole L. , Du Wenjun , Gervay‐Hague Jacquelyn , Brutkiewicz Randy R.
Published: May 2013

CD1d‐restricted T (natural killer T; NKT) cells are important for controlling herpesvirus infections. Interestingly, herpes simplex virus (HSV) can down‐regulate CD1d‐mediated activation of NKT cells. We have previously shown that the Thr322 residue in the cytoplasmic tail of human CD1d is important for its intracellular trafficking and functional expression. We proposed that the phosphorylation of T322 is a signal for CD1d lysosomal targeting and subsequent degradation. In the current study, we generated dual mutants by substituting the T322 and S323 residues of wild‐type (WT) CD1d with Ala (non‐phosphorylatable) or Asp (mimicking phosphorylation) and ectopically expressed them in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. We found that the surface expression levels of the CD1d mutants was in this order: T322AS323A > WT > T322A > S323A > S323D > T322D > T322DS323D. Our results therefore suggest that mimicking the phosphorylation of both T322 and S323 has a cumulative negative effect on the functional expression of CD1d. As previously reported, we also found that upon an HSV infection, antigen presentation by WT CD1d is reduced and the CD1d molecule is degraded. Interestingly, the T322A/S323A double mutation inhibited CD1d degradation and rescued CD1d‐mediated antigen presentation following an HSV‐1 infection. This suggests that the T322/S323 dyad may be phosphorylated, which then targets CD1d for lysosomal degradation post‐infection as a means of immune evasion, explaining (at least in part) the reduced antigen presentation observed. Hence, our findings strongly suggest that T322 and S323 form a dual residue motif that can regulate the functional expression of CD1d during a viral infection.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Anatomy of the Ovine Stifle
Authors: Vandeweerd Jean‐Michel , Kirschvink Nathalie , Muylkens Benoit , Cintas Celine , Catsyne Charles Vande , Hontoir Fanny , Clegg Peter , Coomer Richard , Nisolle Jean‐Francois
Published: May 2013

Objective

To describe magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) anatomy of the ovine stifle and investigate meniscotibial and cruciate ligaments anatomy.

Study Design

Descriptive ex vivo study.

Animals

Pelvic limbs (n = 44) from 22 adult Texel ewes.

Methods

Forty limbs (n = 40) were scanned using 3 Tesla MRI before gross anatomic dissection. Two other limb pairs were frozen and transected to obtain sections that were compared with MRI images for identification of anatomic structures.

Results

In all stifles, the craniomedial bundle of the cranial cruciate ligament inserted caudally to the cranial attachment of the medial meniscus. No transverse intermeniscal ligament was identified in 80% of stifles, whereas a few small ligamentous fibers were seen crossing from 1 cranial horn to the other in 20% of stifles. There was good differentiation of menisci, ligaments, and synovial cavities on MRI images. Two bundles were identified in all cranial cruciate ligaments on MRI. Sensitivity and specificity of 3T MRI for detection of transverse intermeniscal ligament were 42% and 84%, respectively.

Conclusion

3T MRI provided well defined reference images for menisci, synovial cavities, and most ligaments.
Learning English Through Social Interaction: The Case of Big Brother 2006, Finland
Authors: Kääntä Leila , Jauni Heidi , Leppänen Sirpa , Peuronen Saija , Paakkinen Terhi
Published: May 2013

In line with recent Conversation Analytic work on language learning as situated practice, this article investigates how interactants can create language learning opportunities for themselves and others in and through social interaction. The study shows how the participants of Big Brother Finland, a reality TV show, whose main communication is in Finnish, take up resources provided by English and use them for learning in their interaction. This interaction is characterized by an orientation to both the local context and the television audience, a mixture of activity types and translanguaging. It focuses on one of the participants who explicitly evaluates his own proficiency in English as limited, and demonstrates how English nevertheless constitutes a motivated choice for him that he integrates into his and the other Big Brother housemates' talk and interaction. Analysis shows how the participant actively topicalizes English not only to understand the ongoing talk, but also to serve a range of social and symbolic purposes, for example, for inviting and engaging in participation, building expert–novice participant roles, and creating entertainment and humor. In this fashion the study depicts diverging interactional environments where learning opportunities are created and shows how these are employed by the participants.
Stability of High‐Temperature Dielectric Properties for (1 − x)Ba0.8Ca0.2TiO3–xBi(Mg0.5Ti0.5)O3 Ceramics
Authors: Zeb Aurang , Milne Steven J.
Published: May 2013

Ceramics in the solid solution system, (1 − x)Ba0.8Ca0.2TiO3–xBi(Mg0.5Ti0.5)O3, were prepared by a conventional mixed oxide route. Single‐phase perovskite‐type X‐ray diffraction patterns were observed for compositions x < 0.6. A change from tetragonal to single‐phase cubic X‐ray patterns occurred at x ≥ 0.1. Dielectric measurements indicated relaxor behavior for x ≥ 0.1. Increasing the Bi(Mg0.5Ti0.5)O3 content improved the temperature sensitivity of relative permittivity ϵr at high temperatures. At x = 0.5, a near‐plateau relative permittivity, 835 ± 40, extended across the temperature range, 65°C–550°C; the permittivity increased at x = 0.6 to 2170 ± 100 for temperatures 160°C–400°C (1 kHz). The corresponding loss tangent, tanδ, was ≤0.025 for temperatures between 100°C and 430°C for composition x = 0.5; at x = 0.6, losses increased sharply at >300°C. Comparisons of dielectric properties with other materials proposed for high‐temperature capacitor applications suggest that (1 − x)Ba0.8Ca0.2TiO3–xBi(Mg0.5Ti0.5)O3 ceramics are a promising base material for further development.
Marine dispersal and barriers drive Atlantic seahorse diversification
Authors: Boehm J. T. , Woodall Lucy , Teske Peter R. , Lourie Sara A. , Baldwin Carole , Waldman John , Hickerson Mike
Published: May 2013

Aim

To investigate how marine barriers shaped the demographic history of Atlantic seahorses (Syngnathidae: Hippocampus).

Location

Atlantic Ocean.

Methods

Range‐wide sampling (n = 390) at mitochondrial and up to five nuclear DNA loci was carried out across the Hippocampus erectus species complex (H. erectus from the Caribbean/North America, H. patagonicus from South America and H. hippocampus from Europe and West Africa). Multi‐species coalescent and approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) frameworks were used to estimate support of competing biogeographical hypotheses and demographic parameters, including lineage divergence times, effective population sizes and magnitudes of population size change.

Results

We identified four distinct lineages within the H. erectus complex. A posterior probability of 0.626 and corresponding Bayes factors ranging from 3.68 to 11.38 gave moderate to strong support for a basal divergence between South American populations of H. patagonicus and Caribbean/North American populations of H. erectus coincident with the inter‐regional freshwater outflow of the Amazon River Barrier (ARB). Estimates of historical effective population sizes and divergence times indicate that European and West African populations of H. hippocampus expanded after colonization from a more demographically stable Caribbean/North American H. erectus.

Main conclusions

Our findings of trans‐Atlantic colonization followed by isolation across a deep oceanic divide, and isolation across a freshwater barrier, may demonstrate a contrast in marine divide permeability for this group of rafters. Demographic inference supports the establishment of an ancestral population of the H. erectus complex in the Americas, followed by the ARB splitting it into Caribbean/North and South American lineages at a time of increased sedimentation and outflow. Our estimates suggest that following this split, colonization occurred across the Atlantic via the Gulf Stream currents with subsequent trans‐Atlantic isolation. These results illustrate that rafting can be a means of range expansion over large distances, but may be insufficient for sustaining genetic connectivity across major barriers, thereby resulting in lineage divergence.
Within‐population polymorphism of sex‐determination systems in the common frog (Rana temporaria)
Authors: Rodrigues N. , Betto‐Colliard C. , Jourdan‐Pineau H. , Perrin N.
Published: May 2013

In sharp contrast with birds and mammals, the sex chromosomes of ectothermic vertebrates are often undifferentiated, for reasons that remain debated. A linkage map was recently published for Rana temporaria (Linnaeus, 1758) from Fennoscandia (Eastern European lineage), with a proposed sex‐determining role for linkage group 2 (LG2). We analysed linkage patterns in lowland and highland populations from Switzerland (Western European lineage), with special focus on LG2. Sibship analyses showed large differences from the Fennoscandian map in terms of recombination rates and loci order, pointing to large‐scale inversions or translocations. All linkage groups displayed extreme heterochiasmy (total map length was 12.2 cM in males, versus 869.8 cM in females). Sex determination was polymorphic within populations: a majority of families (with equal sex ratios) showed a strong correlation between offspring phenotypic sex and LG2 paternal haplotypes, whereas other families (some of which with female‐biased sex ratios) did not show any correlation. The factors determining sex in the latter could not be identified. This coexistence of several sex‐determination systems should induce frequent recombination of X and Y haplotypes, even in the absence of male recombination. Accordingly, we found no sex differences in allelic frequencies on LG2 markers among wild‐caught male and female adults, except in one high‐altitude population, where nonrecombinant Y haplotypes suggest sex to be entirely determined by LG2. Multifactorial sex determination certainly contributes to the lack of sex‐chromosome differentiation in amphibians.
Response of Tribolium castaneum and Rhyzopertha dominica to various resources, near and far from grain storage
Authors: Ahmad F. , Ridley A. W. , Daglish G. J. , Burrill P. R. , Walter G. H.
Published: May 2013

Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) are common cosmopolitan pests of stored grain and grain products. We evaluated the relative attraction of T. castaneum and R. dominica to wheat, sorghum and cotton seeds in the field, near grain storage facilities and well away from storages in southern and central Queensland using multiple trapping techniques. The results show that T. castaneum is more strongly attracted to linted cotton seed relative to wheat, whereas R. dominica did not respond to cotton seed at all and was attracted only to wheat. Significantly more adults of T. castaneum (10–15 times) were attracted to traps placed on the ground, near grain storage, than to equivalent traps that were suspended (1.5 m above the ground) nearby. These results suggest that Tribolium beetles detect and respond to resources towards the end of their dispersal flight, after which they localize resources while walking. By contrast R. dominica was captured only in suspended traps, which suggests they fly directly onto resources as they localize them. The ability of both species to colonize and reproduce in isolated resource patches within the relatively short time of 1 month is illustrated by the returns from the traps deployed in the field (at least 1 km from the nearest stored grain) even though they caught only a few beetles. The results presented here provide novel insights about the resource location behaviours of both T. castaneum and R. dominica. In particular, the relationship of T. castaneum with non‐cereal resources that are not conventionally associated with this species suggests an emphasis on these other resources in investigating the resource location behaviour of these beetles. This new perspective on the ecology of T. castaneum highlights the potential role of non‐cereal resources (such as the lint on cotton seed) in the spread of grain pest infestations.
Big Roles of Small Kinases: The Complex Functions of Receptor‐Like Cytoplasmic Kinases in Plant Immunity and Development
Authors: Lin Wenwei , Ma Xiyu , Shan Libo , He Ping
Published: May 2013

Plants have evolved a large number of receptor‐like cytoplasmic kinases (RLCKs) that often functionally and physically associate with receptor‐like kinases (RLKs) to modulate plant growth, development and immune responses. Without any apparent extracellular domain, RLCKs relay intracellular signaling often via RLK complex‐mediated transphosphorylation events. Recent advances have suggested essential roles of diverse RLCKs in concert with RLKs in regulating various cellular and physiological responses. We summarize here the complex roles of RLCKs in mediating plant immune responses and growth regulation, and discuss specific and overlapping functions of RLCKs in transducing diverse signaling pathways.

image

Ping He

(Corresponding author)
Coexistence of Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth disease type 1A and anti‐MAG neuropathy
Authors: Piscosquito Giuseppe , Salsano Ettore , Ciano Claudia , Palamara Luisa , Morbin Michela , Pareyson Davide
Published: May 2013

At age 35, a man with a genetic diagnosis of Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A) but no family history of neuropathy and no clinical symptoms developed rapidly progressive loss of balance, distal limb numbness, loss of manual dexterity, and hand tremor. Five years later, he walked with support and had mild pes cavus, marked sensory ataxia, severe leg and hand weakness, absent deep tendon reflexes (DTRs), severe sensory loss, and hand tremor. He had dramatically reduced motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV), strikingly prolonged motor distal latencies, absent sensory action potentials and lower limb compound muscle action potentials. CMT1A duplication was reconfirmed but the dramatic change in his clinical course suggested a superimposed acquired neuropathy. An IgM‐kappa monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance (MGUS) with high titer anti‐myelin associated glycoprotein (anti‐MAG) activity was found. Nerve biopsy showed severe loss of myelinated fibers with onion bulbs, no evidence of uncompacted myelin, and few IgM deposits. Rituximab was given and he improved. It is very likely that this is a chance association of two rare and slowly progressive neuropathies; rapidly worsening course may have been due to a “double hit”. Interestingly, there are reports of possible superimposition of dysimmune neuropathies on hereditary ones, and the influence of the immune system on inherited neuropathies is matter for debate.
Use of serotonin reuptake inhibitors in patients with psoriasis is associated with a decreased need for systemic psoriasis treatment: a population‐based cohort study
Authors: Thorslund K. , Svensson T. , Nordlind K. , Ekbom A. , Fored C. M.
Published: May 2013

Objective

To investigate whether psoriasis is affected by the use of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Design

A population‐based cohort study.

Setting

The general adult population with plaque psoriasis in Sweden between 1997 and 2006.

Subjects

A total of 69 830 patients with plaque psoriasis were identified in the National Patient Register. Whether study subjects were exposed to SSRIs was identified through the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register. The SSRI‐exposed subjects (n = 1282) had a prescription for SSRIs dispensed twice during 6 months at a Swedish pharmacy between 1 July 2006 and 1 April 2008, with a wash‐out period of 1 year or longer. The reference subjects (n = 1282), who were not exposed to SSRIs, were matched for age, county of residence, sex, psoriasis severity and seasonal variation.

Main outcome measure

Change in psoriasis severity defined by switching between nonsystemic and systemic psoriasis treatments 6 months after exposure to SSRIs.

Results

The risk of switching from nonsystemic to systemic psoriasis treatments was significantly decreased in the SSRI‐exposed group (odds ratio 0.44, 95% confidence interval 0.28–0.68).

Conclusion

SSRI use in patients with psoriasis is associated with a decreased need for systemic psoriasis treatment.
Effectiveness of Coating Acrylic Resin Dentures on Preventing Candida Adhesion
Authors: Ali Aiman A. , Alharbi Fahad A. , Suresh C.S.
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The aim of this study was to prevent the adhesion of C. albicans on acrylic resin dentures by modifying their surfaces.

Materials and Methods

Ninety acrylic resin plates were divided into three groups. Group I: conventionally processed acrylic resin plates. Group II: plates painted with 2‐Octyl Cyanoacrylate adhesive. Group III: plates painted with Adper Single Bond Adhesive. All specimens were immersed separately in containers filled with artificial saliva that contained C. albicans and then incubated for 11 days at 37°C. Three methods of evaluation were used to count the adhered Candida: direct culture, slide count, and serial dilutions.

Results

C. albicans in 1/10, 1/102, and 1/103 dilutions showed overgrowth in group I, while overgrowth was noted only with 1/10 dilution in group III. For group III, mean colony numbers of 123, 22, 3.4, and 0 were found for the 1/102, 1/103, 1/104, and 1/105 dilutions, respectively. Regarding the slide counts, group I showed a mean fungal count of 166 compared to 40 for group III with 1/10 dilution, 21 compared to 9 with 1/102 dilution, 8.6 compared to 0.7 with 1/103 dilution, and 1.2 compared to 0 with 1/104 dilution. No plates in group II showed any candidal colonies regardless of the method of evaluation (0%). These differences were statistically significant (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion

Coating the acrylic resin dentures with Adper Single Bond Adhesive was effective in reducing C. albicans adhesion to dentures, while coating with 2‐Octyl Cyanoacrylate adhesive completely inhibited such adhesion.
Population pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic modelling and simulation of neutropenia induced by TP300, a novel topoisomerase I inhibitor
Authors: Saito Tomohisa , Iida Satofumi , Abe Masaichi , Jones Keith , Kawanishi Takehiko , Twelves Chris
Published: May 2013

Objectives

TP300 is a novel topoisomerase I inhibitor with neutropenia as a significant toxicity. We developed and evaluated a pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) model, using data from Phase I and II trials to predict neutrophil decrease in patients treated with TP300.

Methods

Plasma drug concentrations of TP300, its active form TP3076 and active metabolite TP3011 and absolute neutrophil counts (ANCs) from a Phase I trial were analysed as a training dataset. A two-plus-two-compartment model was applied to the pharmacokinetics of TP3076 and TP3011. A semi-mechanistic model was used to describe the PK-PD relationship between the plasma concentration of TP3076 and TP3011, and changes in ANC.

Key findings

 The model fitted well to plasma concentrations of TP3076 and TP3011. Model appropriateness was confirmed in a Phase II trial validation dataset. Body weight and liver biochemistry values were identified as covariates. A semi-mechanistic PK-PD model was applied and the longitudinal decrease in ANC was simulated. Neutrophil counts reached their nadir approximately 2 weeks after administration of TP300, and the proportion of subjects affected increased with dose.

Conclusions

This PK-PD model to predict neutropenia following treatment with TP300 fitted well the decrease in ANC with total concentration of TP3076 and TP3011.
Cholinergic basal forebrain structures are involved in the mediation of the arousal effect of noradrenaline
Authors: Lelkes Zoltán , Porkka‐Heiskanen Tarja , Stenberg Dag
Published: May 2013

Cholinergic basal forebrain structures are implicated in cortical arousal and regulation of the sleep–wake cycle. Cholinergic neurones are innervated by noradrenergic terminals, noradrenaline excites them via alpha‐1 receptors and microinjection of noradrenaline into the basal forebrain enhances wakefulness. However, it is not known to what extent the cholinergic versus non‐cholinergic basal forebrain projection neurones contribute to the arousing effects of noradrenaline. To elucidate the roles of cholinergic basal forebrain structures we administered methoxamine, an alpha‐1‐adrenergic agonist into the basal forebrain, in intact animals and again after selective destruction of the basal forebrain cholinergic cells by 192 IgG‐saporin. In eight male Han–Wistar rats implanted with electroencephalogram/electromyogram electrodes, a microdialysis probe targeted into the basal forebrain was perfused with artificial cerebrospinal fluid for 6 h on a baseline day, and with cerebrospinal fluid in the first and with methoxamine in the second 3‐h period of the subsequent day. The sleep–wake activity was recorded for 24 h on both days. Saporin was then injected into the basal forebrain and 2 weeks later the same experimental schedule (with cerebrospinal fluid and methoxamine) was repeated. In the intact animals, methoxamine exhibited a robust arousing effect and non‐rapid eye movement (NREM) and REM sleep was suppressed. Lesioning of the basal forebrain cholinergic neurones abolished almost completely the NREM sleep‐suppressing effect of methoxamine, whereas the REM sleep‐suppressing effect remained intact. Thus, the basal forebrain cholinergic neurones mediate, at least in part, cortical arousal and non‐REM sleep‐suppression, but they are not involved in the REM sleep‐suppressing effects of noradrenaline.
Stacks: an analysis tool set for population genomics
Authors: Catchen Julian , Hohenlohe Paul A. , Bassham Susan , Amores Angel , Cresko William A.
Published: May 2013

Massively parallel short‐read sequencing technologies, coupled with powerful software platforms, are enabling investigators to analyse tens of thousands of genetic markers. This wealth of data is rapidly expanding and allowing biological questions to be addressed with unprecedented scope and precision. The sizes of the data sets are now posing significant data processing and analysis challenges. Here we describe an extension of theStackssoftware package to efficiently use genotype‐by‐sequencing data for studies of populations of organisms.Stacksnow produces core population genomic summary statistics andSNP‐by‐SNPstatistical tests. These statistics can be analysed across a reference genome using a smoothed sliding window.Stacksalso now provides several output formats for several commonly used downstream analysis packages. The expanded population genomics functions inStackswill make it a useful tool to harness the newest generation of massively parallel genotyping data for ecological and evolutionary genetics.