bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PDLIM2 regulates transcription factor activity in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition via the COP9 signalosome
Authors: Bowe Rachael A. , Cox Orla T. , Ayllón Verónica , Tresse Emilie , Healy Nollaig C. , Edmunds Shelley J. , Huigsloot Merei , O'Connor Rosemary
Published: November 2013

Epithelial cell differentiation and polarized migration associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer requires integration of gene expression with cytoskeletal dynamics. Here we show that the PDZ-LIM domain protein PDLIM2 (Mystique/SLIM), a known cytoskeletal protein and promoter of nuclear nuclear factor κB (NFκB) and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) degradation, regulates transcription factor activity and gene expression through the COP9 signalosome (CSN). Although repressed in certain cancers, PDLIM2 is highly expressed in invasive cancer cells. Here we show that PDLIM2 suppression causes loss of directional migration, inability to polarize the cytoskeleton, and reversal of the EMT phenotype. This is accompanied by altered activity of several transcription factor families, including β-catenin, Ap-1, NFκB, interferon regulatory factors, STATs, JUN, and p53. We also show that PDLIM2 associates with CSN5, and cells with suppressed PDLIM2 exhibit reduced nuclear accumulation and deneddylation activity of the CSN toward the cullin 1 and cullin 3 subunits of cullin-RING ubiquitin ligases. Thus PDLIM2 integrates cytoskeleton signaling with gene expression in epithelial differentiation by controlling the stability of key transcription factors and CSN activity.
Screening Wild Oat Accessions from Morocco for Resistance to Puccinia coronata
Authors: Tan M. Y. A. , Carson M. L.
Published: November 2013

Here, we report the screening of 332 new accessions of 11 different wild oat (Avena) species from the United States Department of Agriculture National Small Grains Collection in Aberdeen, ID, for resistance to crown rust disease, caused by Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae. This collection originated from Morocco and includes Avena agadiriana, A. atlantica, A. barbata, A. damascena, A. eriantha, A. hirtula, A. longiglumis, A. magna, A. murphyi, A. sterilis, and A. wiestii. After screening this collection with a highly diverse population of P. coronata f. sp. avenae, 164 accessions (49%) were rated moderately resistant to resistant in the preliminary screen at the seedling stage and 181 accessions (55%) rated moderately resistant to highly resistant in the adult plant stage. Although none of the accessions showed a highly resistant response consistently in the seedling stage, 20 accessions did display a highly resistant response in the adult plant stage. Both seedling as well as adult plant resistance was found in 150 (45%) of the accessions. Virulence in P. coronata has been reported to all resistance genes currently being used in North American oat cultivars. The new resistance sources presented here are potentially new sources for future breeding. The resistance found in 52 accessions of A. magna and A. murphyi with the AACC genome is especially valuable because these should be relatively easy to transfer into hexaploid A. sativa.
Bearded ladies: females suffer fitness consequences when bearing male traits
Authors: Swierk Lindsey , Langkilde Tracy
Published: November 2013

A central assumption in evolutionary biology is that females of sexually dimorphic species suffer costs when bearing male secondary sexual traits, such as ornamentation. Nevertheless, it is common in nature to observe females bearing rudimentary versions of male ornaments (e.g. ‘bearded ladies’), as ornaments can be under similar genetic control in both sexes. Here, we provide evidence that masculinized females incur both social and reproductive costs in nature. Male fence lizards (
Sceloporus undulatus
) discriminated against ornamented females during mate choice. Ornamented females had lower reproductive output, and produced eggs that were laid and hatched later than those of non-ornamented females. These findings support established theories of the evolution of sexual dimorphism and intralocus sexual conflict, and raise questions regarding the persistence of masculinizing ornamentation in females.
Ants learn to rely on more informative attributes during decision-making
Authors: Sasaki Takao , Pratt Stephen C.
Published: November 2013

Evolutionary theory predicts that animals act to maximize their fitness when choosing among a set of options, such as what to eat or where to live. Making the best choice is challenging when options vary in multiple attributes, and animals have evolved a variety of heuristics to simplify the task. Many of these involve ranking or weighting attributes according to their importance. Because the importance of attributes can vary across time and place, animals might benefit by adjusting weights accordingly. Here, we show that colonies of the antTemnothorax rugatulususe their experience during nest site selection to increase weights on more informative nest attributes. These ants choose their rock crevice nests on the basis of multiple features. After exposure to an environment where only one attribute differentiated options, colonies increased their reliance on this attribute relative to a second attribute. Although many species show experience-based changes in selectivity based on a single feature, this is the first evidence in animals for adaptive changes in the weighting of multiple attributes. These results show that animal collectives, like individuals, change decision-making strategies according to experience. We discuss how these colony-level changes might emerge from individual behaviour.
Climatic effects on breeding grounds are more important drivers of breeding phenology in migrant birds than carry-over effects from wintering grounds
Authors: Ockendon Nancy , Leech Dave , Pearce-Higgins James W.
Published: November 2013

Long-distance migrants may be particularly vulnerable to climate change on both wintering and breeding grounds. However, the relative importance of climatic variables at different stages of the annual cycle is poorly understood, even in well-studied Palaearctic migrant species. Using a national dataset spanning 46 years, we investigate the impact of wintering ground precipitation and breeding ground temperature on breeding phenology and clutch size of 19 UK migrants. Although both spring temperature and arid zone precipitation were significantly correlated with laying date, the former accounted for 3.5 times more inter-annual variation. Neither climate variable strongly affected clutch size. Thus, although carry-over effects had some impact, they were weaker drivers of reproductive traits than conditions on the breeding grounds.
Slip boundary condition of heat flux in Knudsen layers
Authors: Xu Mingtian
Published: November 2013

In a Knudsen layer with thickness comparable to the mean free path, collisions between heat carriers and solid walls play an important role in nanoscale heat transports. An interesting question is that whether these collisions also induce the slip of heat flow similar to the velocity slip condition of the rarefied gases on solid walls. In this work based on the discrete Boltzmann transport equation, the slip boundary condition of heat flux on solid walls in the Knudsen layer is established. This result is exemplified by the slip boundary condition of heat flux in nanowires, which has been proposed in a phenomenological way.
Carbon pools recover more quickly than plant biodiversity in tropical secondary forests
Authors: Martin Philip A. , Newton Adrian C. , Bullock James M.
Published: November 2013

Although increasing efforts are being made to restore tropical forests, little information is available regarding the time scales required for carbon and plant biodiversity to recover to the values associated with undisturbed forests. To address this knowledge gap, we carried out a meta-analysis comparing data from more than 600 secondary tropical forest sites with nearby undisturbed reference forests. Above-ground biomass approached equivalence to reference values within 80 years since last disturbance, whereas below-ground biomass took longer to recover. Soil carbon content showed little relationship with time since disturbance. Tree species richness recovered after about 50 years. By contrast, epiphyte richness did not reach equivalence to undisturbed forests. The proportion of undisturbed forest trees and epiphyte species found in secondary forests was low and changed little over time. Our results indicate that carbon pools and biodiversity show different recovery rates under passive, secondary succession and that colonization by undisturbed forest plant species is slow. Initiatives such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and REDD+ should therefore encourage active management to help to achieve their aims of restoring both carbon and biodiversity in tropical forests.
An experimental investigation into the effects of traffic noise on distributions of birds: avoiding the phantom road
Authors: McClure Christopher J. W. , Ware Heidi E. , Carlisle Jay , Kaltenecker Gregory , Barber Jesse R.
Published: November 2013

Many authors have suggested that the negative effects of roads on animals are largely owing to traffic noise. Although suggestive, most past studies of the effects of road noise on wildlife were conducted in the presence of the other confounding effects of roads, such as visual disturbance, collisions and chemical pollution among others. We present, to our knowledge, the first study to experimentally apply traffic noise to a roadless area at a landscape scale—thus avoiding the other confounding aspects of roads present in past studies. We replicated the sound of a roadway at intervals—alternating 4 days of noise on with 4 days off—during the autumn migratory period using a 0.5 km array of speakers within an established stopover site in southern Idaho. We conducted daily bird surveys along our ‘Phantom Road’ and in a nearby control site. We document over a one-quarter decline in bird abundance and almost complete avoidance by some species between noise-on and noise-off periods along the phantom road and no such effects at control sites—suggesting that traffic noise is a major driver of effects of roads on populations of animals.
Personality-dependent dispersal cancelled under predation risk
Authors: Cote Julien , Fogarty Sean , Tymen Blaise , Sih Andrew , Brodin Tomas
Published: November 2013

Dispersal is a fundamental life-history trait for many ecological processes. Recent studies suggest that dispersers, in comparison to residents, display various phenotypic specializations increasing their dispersal inclination or success. Among them, dispersers are believed to be consistently more bold, exploratory, asocial or aggressive than residents. These links between behavioural types and dispersal should vary with the cause of dispersal. However, with the exception of one study, personality-dependent dispersal has not been studied in contrasting environments. Here, we used mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) to test whether personality-dependent dispersal varies with predation risk, a factor that should induce boldness or sociability-dependent dispersal. Corroborating previous studies, we found that dispersing mosquitofish are less social than non-dispersing fish when there was no predation risk. However, personality-dependent dispersal is negated under predation risk, dispersers having similar personality types to residents. Our results suggest that adaptive dispersal decisions could commonly depend on interactions between phenotypes and ecological contexts.
Sexual selection on cuticular hydrocarbons of male sagebrush crickets in the wild
Authors: Steiger Sandra , Ower Geoffrey D. , Stökl Johannes , Mitchell Christopher , Hunt John , Sakaluk Scott K.
Published: November 2013

Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) play an essential role in mate recognition in insects but the form and intensity of sexual selection on CHCs has only been evaluated in a handful of studies, and never in a natural population. We quantified sexual selection operating on CHCs in a wild population of sagebrush crickets, a species in which nuptial feeding by females imposes an unambiguous phenotypic marker on males. Multivariate selection analysis revealed a saddle-shaped fitness surface, suggesting a complex interplay between the total abundance of CHCs and specific CHC combinations in their influence on female choice. The fitness surface resulting from two axes of disruptive selection reflected a trade-off between short- and long-chained CHCs, suggesting that males may be sacrificing some level of desiccation resistance in favour of increased attractiveness. There was a significant correlation between male body size and total CHC abundance, suggesting that male CHCs provide females with a reliable cue for maximizing benefits obtained from males. Notwithstanding the conspicuousness of males’ acoustic signals, our results suggest that selection imposed on males via female mating preferences may be far more complex than previously appreciated and operating in multiple sensory modalities.
Migration costs drive convergence of threshold traits for migratory tactics
Authors: Sahashi Genki , Morita Kentaro
Published: November 2013

Partial migration of some, but not all, members of a population is a common form of migration. We evaluated how migration costs influence which members migrate in 10 populations of two salmonid species. The migratory patterns of both species were evaluated based on the size at maturity for resident males, which is the threshold trait that determines the migratory tactics used within a population. In both species, this size was smaller in males located further from the sea, where migration costs are presumably higher. Moreover, the threshold sizes at maturity in males were correlated between both species. Our results suggest that migration costs are a significant convergent selective force on migratory tactics and life-history traits in nature.
Trend of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes at the Children’s Hospital in Tunisia
Authors: Jlili Nour El-Houda , Réjiba Samia , Smaoui Hanen , Guillard Thomas , Chau Françoise , Kechrid Amel , Cambau Emmanuelle
Published: November 2013

The prevalence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes [qnr,aac(6′)-Ib-crandqepA] was sought amongEnterobacteriaceaestrains obtained from the Children’s Hospital of Tunis (Tunisia). Non-duplicate isolates (n = 278) with resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins and collected in 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2009 were screened forqnrgenes. Forty (14.4 %) isolates wereqnrpositive and were screened for the presence of theaac(6′)-Ib-crandqepAgenes.qnrBwas detected in 21Klebsiella pneumoniae, 11Escherichia coliand 6Enterobacter cloacaeisolates. Sequence analysis of theqnrBamplicons revealed variants including 24qnrB1, 11qnrB2and 3qnrB6.qnrS(qnrS1allele) was detected only inK. pneumoniaeisolates, either alone (two isolates) or with theqnrBgene (one isolate). TheqnrA,qnrCandqnrDgenes were not found in any of the 278 isolates. Noqnr-positive isolates carried theqepAgene. Pyrosequencing results showed thataac(6′)-Ib-cr, a variant of theaac(6′)-Ibgene, was present in 31qnr-positive isolates (21K. pneumoniaeisolates, sevenEscherichia coliisolates and threeEnterobacter cloacaeisolates).aac(6′)-Ibwas also found either alone (two isolates) or in association withaac(6′)-Ib-cr(one isolate). Of the 40qnr-positive isolates, 92.5, 82.5, 57.5, 85 and 82.5 % were non-susceptible to nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, ofloxacin and norfloxacin, respectively, and all were extended-spectrum β-lactamase producers. Random amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR typing of these isolates showed 16, 8 and 5 different genotypes inK. pneumoniae,Escherichia coliandEnterobacter cloacaeisolates, respectively. Our study highlights the high prevalence ofqnrin association withaac(6′)-Ib-cramongEnterobacteriaceaeisolates, even from children, who are patients not overtreated with quinolones.
SAXS characterization of polymer-embedded hollow nanoparticles and of their shell porosity
Authors: Chen Zhi Hong , Hwang Sun Hye , Zeng Xiang-bing , Roh Jongmin , Jang Jyongsik , Ungar Goran
Published: November 2013

Size parameters of SiO2/TiO2hollow nanoparticles (HNPs) of 25–100 nm in diameter were characterized by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). On the basis of the decoupling and the Percus–Yevick approximations, and using a hollow sphere model, size information on HNPs was extracted, including average outer diameter, average inner diameter and polydispersity. Application of an alternative form factor based on hollow ellipsoids, and of a sticky hard sphere structure factor, did not improve the fit significantly. The shell porosity of the HNPs and the size of the pores in the HNP shell were further characterized by combining SAXS with gas adsorption methods. The above HNPs were then supported on a porous poly(ethylene oxide) scaffold by freeze drying from aqueous solution. To characterize the product, a multishell model was applied to fit the experimental SAXS curves and extract the following morphological information: distribution of HNPs between the surface and interior of the polymer, thickness of the polymer layers lining the outer and inner surfaces of HNPs, and densities of the outer and inner polymer layers. The work demonstrates the versatility of SAXS in obtaining key information on dissolved and polymer-supported HNPs in applications such as drug delivery and catalysis.
Relationship between the locations of activated dislocations and the cooling flux direction in monocrystalline-like silicon grown in the [001] and [111] directions
Authors: Gao Bing , Kakimoto Koichi
Published: November 2013

To effectively control dislocations of monocrystalline-like silicon grown in the [001] and [111] directions, the relationship between the locations of activated dislocations and the cooling flux direction was studied numerically from the perspective of activation of slip systems. The cooling flux direction was shown to have a significant effect on the activation of slip systems. The radial flux and axial flux activate different slip systems at different locations in the crystal. The relationship between the flux direction and the activation of slip systems in the [001] and [111] growth directions has been revealed. The results provide theoretical support for reducing dislocations inside a crystal or in the part of the crystal where dislocations can cause the most damage, by intentionally controlling the flux direction during the crystal growth process.
Incorporation of a hydration layer in the `dummy atom'ab initiostructural modelling of biological macromolecules
Authors: Koutsioubas Alexandros , Pérez Javier
Published: November 2013

Ab initioalgorithms for the restoration of biomacromolecular structure from small-angle scattering data have gained popularity in the past 15 years. In particular, `dummy atom' models that require minimal information about the system under study have been proven capable of recovering the low-resolution shape of proteins and nucleic acids in many published works. However, consideration of solvated biological molecules as particles of uniform electron density contrast relative to the solvent neglects the presence of a hydration layer around their surface, leading to an overall apparent swelling of the obtained models and to a large overestimation of the volume of the particle. Here this problem is addressed by the introduction of an additional type of `dummy atom', representing the hydration layer. Successful applications of this new approach are illustrated for several proteins, and related results are compared with those from the programDAMMIN[Svergun (1999).Biophys. J.76, 2879–2886].
Analyzing diffuse scattering with supercomputers
Authors: Michels-Clark T. M. , Lynch V. E. , Hoffmann C. M. , Hauser J. , Weber T. , Harrison R. , Bürgi H. B.
Published: November 2013

Two new approaches to quantitatively analyze diffuse diffraction intensities from faulted layer stacking are reported. The parameters of a probability-based growth model are determined with two iterative global optimization methods: a genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO). The results are compared with those from a third global optimization method, a differential evolution (DE) algorithm [Storn & Price (1997).J. Global Optim.11, 341–359]. The algorithm efficiencies in the early and late stages of iteration are compared. The accuracy of the optimized parameters improves with increasing size of the simulated crystal volume. The wall clock time for computing quite large crystal volumes can be kept within reasonable limits by the parallel calculation of many crystals (clones) generated for each model parameter set on a super- or grid computer. The faulted layer stacking in single crystals of trigonal three-pointed-star-shaped tris(bicylco[2.1.1]hexeno)benzene molecules serves as an example for the numerical computations. Based on numerical values of seven model parameters (reference parameters), nearly noise-free reference intensities of 14 diffuse streaks were simulated from 1280 clones, each consisting of 96 000 layers (reference crystal). The parameters derived from the reference intensities with GA, PSO and DE were compared with the original reference parameters as a function of the simulated total crystal volume. The statistical distribution of structural motifs in the simulated crystals is in good agreement with that in the reference crystal. The results found with the growth model for layer stacking disorder are applicable to other disorder types and modeling techniques, Monte Carlo in particular.
Performance of polycapillary X-ray optics for confocal energy-dispersive small-angle X-ray scattering
Authors: Sun Tianxi , Peng Song , Liu Zhiguo , Sun Weiyuan , Ma Yongzhong , Ding Xunliang
Published: November 2013

A confocal energy-dispersive small-angle X-ray scattering (EDSAXS) setup based on polycapillary optics was designed. In this confocal EDSAXS setup, a polycapillary slightly focusing X-ray lens (PSFXRL) and a polycapillary parallel X-ray lens (PPXRL) with a long input focal distance were placed confocally in the excitation channel and detection channel, respectively. This confocal configuration was helpful in improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the EDSAXS. The high gain in power density of the PSFXRL and PPXRL decreased the power requirement of the X-ray source for EDSAXS. The confocal EDSAXS technology could be used to perform nondestructive andin situanalysis of samples such as milk powder in its packaging.
Retrieval of local surface wave velocities from traffic noise – an example from the La Barge basin (Wyoming)
Authors: Behm M. , Leahy Garrett M. , Snieder R.
Published: November 2013

In regions where active source seismic exploration is constrained by limitations of energy penetration and recovery, cost and logistical concerns, or regulatory restrictions, analysis of natural source seismic data may provide an alternative. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of using locally‐generated seismic noise in the 2–6 Hz band to obtain a subsurface model via interferometric analysis. We apply this technique to three‐component data recorded during the La Barge Passive Seismic Experiment, a local deployment in south‐western Wyoming that recorded continuous seismic data between November 2008 and June 2009. We find traffic noise from a nearby state road to be the dominant source of surface waves recorded on the array and observe surface wave arrivals associated with this source up to distances of 5 kms. The orientation of the road with respect to the deployment ensures a large number of stationary points, leading to clear observations on both in‐line and cross‐line virtual source‐receiver pairs. This results in a large number of usable interferograms, which in turn enables the application of standard active source processing methods like signal processing, common offset stacking and traveltime inversion. We investigate the dependency of the interferograms on the amount of data, on a range of processing parameters and on the choice of the interferometry algorithm. The obtained interferograms exhibit a high signal‐to‐noise ratio on all three components. Rotation of the horizontal components to the radial/transverse direction facilitates the separation of Rayleigh and Love waves. Though the narrow frequency spectrum of the surface waves prevents the inversion for depth‐dependent shear‐wave velocities, we are able to map the arrival times of the surface waves to laterally varying group and phase velocities for both Rayleigh and Love waves. Our results correlate well with the known geological structure. We outline a scheme for obtaining localized surface wave velocities from local noise sources and show how the processing of passive data benefits from a combination with well‐established exploration seismology methods. We highlight the differences with interferometry applied to crustal scale data and conclude with recommendations for similar deployments.
Research Note: Experimental measurements of Q‐contrast reflections
Authors: Lines Larry , Wong Joe , Innanen Kris , Vasheghani Fereidoon , Sondergeld Carl , Treitel Sven , Ulrych Tadeusz
Published: November 2013

While seismic reflection amplitudes are generally determined by real acoustical impedance contrasts, there has been recent interest in reflections due to contrasts in seismic‐Q. Herein we compare theoretical and modelled seismic reflection amplitudes for two different cases of material contrasts. In case A, we examine reflections from material interfaces that have a large contrast in real‐valued impedance () with virtually no contrast in seismic‐Q. In case B, we examine reflections from material interfaces that have virtually no contrast in but that have very large seismic‐Q contrasts. The complex‐valued reflection coefficient formula predicts non‐zero seismic reflection amplitudes for both cases. We choose physical materials that typify the physics of both case A and case B. Physical modelling experiments show significantly large reflections for both cases – with the reflections in the two cases being phase shifted with respect to each other, as predicted theoretically. While these modelling experiments show the existence of reflections that are predicted by theory, there are still intriguing questions regarding the size of the Q‐contrast reflections, the existence of large Q‐contrast reflections in reservoir rocks and the possible application of Q‐reflection analysis to viscosity estimation in heavy oilfields.
Joint parameter estimation from magnetic resonance and vertical electric soundings using a multi‐objective genetic algorithm
Authors: Akca İrfan , Günther Thomas , Müller‐Petke Mike , Başokur Ahmet T. , Yaramanci Ugur
Published: November 2013

Magnetic resonance sounding (MRS) has increasingly become an important method in hydrogeophysics because it allows for estimations of essential hydraulic properties such as porosity and hydraulic conductivity. A resistivity model is required for magnetic resonance sounding modelling and inversion. Therefore, joint interpretation or inversion is favourable to reduce the ambiguities that arise in separate magnetic resonance sounding and vertical electrical sounding (VES) inversions. A new method is suggested for the joint inversion of magnetic resonance sounding and vertical electrical sounding data. A one‐dimensional blocky model with varying layer thicknesses is used for the subsurface discretization. Instead of conventional derivative‐based inversion schemes that are strongly dependent on initial models, a global multi‐objective optimization scheme (a genetic algorithm [GA] in this case) is preferred to examine a set of possible solutions in a predefined search space. Multi‐objective joint optimization avoids the domination of one objective over the other without applying a weighting scheme. The outcome is a group of non‐dominated optimal solutions referred to as the Pareto‐optimal set. Tests conducted using synthetic data show that the multi‐objective joint optimization approximates the joint model parameters within the experimental error level and illustrates the range of trade‐off solutions, which is useful for understanding the consistency and conflicts between two models and objectives. Overall, the Levenberg‐Marquardt inversion of field data measured during a survey on a North Sea island presents similar solutions. However, the multi‐objective genetic algorithm method presents an efficient method for exploring the search space by producing a set of non‐dominated solutions. Borehole data were used to provide a verification of the inversion outcomes and indicate that the suggested genetic algorithm method is complementary for derivative‐based inversions.
‘What help can you get talking to somebody?’ Explaining class differences in the use of talking treatments
Authors: Holman Daniel
Published: November 2013

Talking treatments are underused in England by working‐class people: their higher rates of common mental disorders compared with their middle‐class counterparts are not matched by an increased use of these treatments. Given that, overall, talking treatments are effective in tackling depression and anxiety, understanding their underuse is important. Based upon semi‐structured interview data I argue that a framework centred on individuals' cultural dispositions towards treatment can help with this task. Following Bourdieu, such dispositions can be traced to social structural conditioning factors, together comprising the habitus. Four key dispositions emerge from the data: verbalisation and introspection, impetus for emotional health, relation to medical authority and practical orientation to the future. In turn, these dispositions are rooted in the material, health, occupational and educational characteristics of working‐class circumstances. Tracing these circumstances offers suggestions for increasing the use of this service.
Constructing notions of healthcare productivity: the call for a new professionalism?
Authors: Moffatt Fiona , Martin Paul , Timmons Stephen
Published: November 2013

Improving performance is an imperative for most healthcare systems in industrialised countries. This article considers one such system, the UK's National Health Service (NHS). Recent NHS reforms and strategies have advocated improved healthcare productivity as a fundamental objective of policy and professional work. This article explores the construction of productivity in contemporary NHS discourse, analysing it via the Foucauldian concept of governmentality. In this manner it is possible to investigate claims that the commodification of health work constitutes a threat to autonomy, and counter that with an alternative view from a perspective of neoliberal self‐governance. Contemporary policy documents pertaining to NHS productivity were analysed using discourse analysis to examine the way in which productivity was framed and how responsibility for inefficient resource use, and possible solutions, were constructed. Data reveals the notion of productivity as problematic, with professionals as key protagonists. A common narrative identifies traditional NHS command/control principles as having failed to engage professionals or having been actively obstructed by them. In contrast, new productivity narratives are framed as direct appeals to professionalism. These new narratives do not support deprofessionalisation, but rather reconstruct responsibilities, what might be called ‘new professionalism’, in which productivity is identified as an individualised professional duty.
Maximizing pond biodiversity across the landscape: a case study of larval ambystomatid salamanders
Authors: Peterman W. E. , Anderson T. L. , Drake D. L. , Ousterhout B. H. , Semlitsch R. D.
Published: November 2013

Loss or alteration of natural wetland habitats is a near ubiquitous global phenomenon. In theUS, legislation mandates that all lost wetland habitats be replaced; manmade wetland habitats rarely have the same structural form or ecological function as natural wetlands. In the easternUS, these manmade pond habitats often serve as water sources for wildlife, but many are also utilized by amphibians for reproduction. Understanding the features that maximize species’ abundance and diversity is critical to effective management. In this study, we surveyed for ambystomatid salamander larvae at 169 manmade ponds in a military training installation. Three species were present:Ambystoma maculatum,A. opacumand the regionally endemicA. annulatum. We estimated larval densities in each pond in relation to landscape‐ and pond‐level covariates. Important factors relating to larval density were forest habitat surrounding each pond, canopy cover over a pond, the number of ponds within 300 m of the focal pond, presence of fish, slope of the pond basin, hydroperiod and amount of vegetation within the pond. Density estimates for each species were best predicted by different combinations of these factors, underscoring the need to provide a range of pond habitats to promote species diversity on the landscape. Our results indicate that manmade ponds are providing a valuable reproductive resource, but that future construction of ponds on the landscape will best serve the salamander and broader amphibian community if different combinations of hydroperiod and slope are utilized.
Cost‐effectiveness of extended cessation treatment for older smokers
Authors: Barnett Paul G. , Wong Wynnie , Jeffers Abra , Munoz Ricardo , Humfleet Gary , Hall Sharon
Published: November 2013

Aims

We examined the cost‐effectiveness of extended smoking cessation treatment in older smokers.

Design

Participants who completed a 12‐week smoking cessation program were factorial randomized to extended cognitive behavioral treatment and extended nicotine replacement therapy.

Setting

A free‐standing smoking cessation clinic.

Participants

A total of 402 smokers aged 50 years and older were recruited from the community.

Measurements

The trial measured biochemically verified abstinence from cigarettes after 2 years and the quantity of smoking cessation services utilized. Trial findings were combined with literature on changes in smoking status and the age‐ and gender‐adjusted effect of smoking on health‐care cost, mortality and quality of life over the long term in a Markov model of cost‐effectiveness over a lifetime horizon.

Findings

The addition of extended cognitive behavioral therapy added $83 in smoking cessation services cost [P = 0.012, confidence interval (CI) = $22–212]. At the end of follow‐up, cigarette abstinence rates were 50.0% with extended cognitive behavioral therapy and 37.2% without this therapy (P < 0.05, odds ratio 1.69, CI 1.18–2.54). The model‐based incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio was $6324 per quality‐adjusted life year (QALY). Probabilistic sensitivity analysis found that the additional $947 in lifetime cost of the intervention had a 95% confidence interval of −$331 to 2081; the 0.15 additional QALYs had a confidence interval of 0.035–0.280, and that the intervention was cost‐effective against a $50 000/QALY acceptance criterion in 99.6% of the replicates. Extended nicotine replacement therapy was not cost‐effective.

Conclusions

Adding extended cognitive behavior therapy to standard cessation treatment was cost‐effective. Further intensification of treatment may be warranted.
Confronting uncertainty: Anthropology and zones of the extraordinary
Authors: NIEHAUS ISAK
Published: November 2013

Anthropological theory has privileged consideration of the regularities of everyday life and has paid far less attention to irregular events that disrupt the social order. In this article, I contribute to ongoing theoretical attempts to redress this imbalance. While I acknowledge the potential historical importance of irregular and extraordinary events, I do not see them as entirely free‐floating. Here I concur with Marshall Sahlins, who convincingly shows how people order unusual events through mythopraxis and also how social structures facilitate individual agency. I contemplate a third possible relation between structure and event, namely, “framing.” Drawing on my fieldwork in Bushbuckridge, South Africa, I show how people located and framed unfortunate and destructive events in zones that stood apart from everyday life. This process provides insight into witchcraft and homicide, topics that can no longer be understood only in terms of systemic agency.
Troubling kinship: Sacred marriage and gender configuration in South India
Authors: RAMBERG LUCINDA
Published: November 2013

Patterns of kin‐making amongdevadasisin northern Karnataka pose problems for anthropological charting of kinship and for state projects of family normalization. Given to the goddess Yellamma by her family in a rite of marriage, a devadasi becomes a person who is both a woman and a son. Such a person cannot be mapped within a structuralist calculus of kin in which every position is always already gendered. I elaborate kin‐making as a technology for producing gender and value in persons who can inhabit, but may confound, alignments between sex, gender, and kin position that have been smuggled into the anthropological project as kinship.
Managing the margins: MBA training, international business, and “the value chain of culture”
Authors: ORTA ANDREW
Published: November 2013

Global capitalism requires a world of manageable differences. U.S. business schools train MBA students in the reckoning of international space as a field of risk and opportunity. Focusing particularly on the short‐term study‐abroad trips that have become a staple of MBA training in the past decade, I examine the role of international knowledge and experience as a constitutive part of the managerial selves contemporary capitalism is explicitly thought to require. Through these and other internationalizing experiences, I argue, MBAs learn to manage the margins: converting the risks and uncertainties of social and cultural differences into value.
Making transnational publics: Circuits of censorship and technologies of publicity in Kurdish media circulation
Authors: KOCER SUNCEM
Published: November 2013

Kurdish media producers who interweave social and political agendas with their filmmaking are often marginalized within Turkish media worlds. Impeded by national censorship, these filmmakers move between national and transnational media worlds to advance their cinematic work. Such movement helps them create and maintain transnational publics that reinforce circulation of their media texts. Here I analyze how a documentary film about a seminomadic Kurdish community moves through international screening venues. As it journeys through film festivals in Europe, its director, Kazim Öz, accompanies it and, through deliberate discourse, attempts to increase and accelerate the film's transnational circulation. I explore the ways that Öz discursively globalizes his film, relates it to festival audiences, flags the politics of Kurdish media production, and seeks to construct a European public sensitive to the plight of Turkey's Kurds.
Bidirectional Ventricular Tachycardia?
Authors: Serra José L. , Caresani Julian A. , Bono Julio O.
Published: November 2013

A 65‐year‐old woman was admitted to the hospital because of a syncopal episode with documented transient complete atrioventricular block. A DDD pacemaker was implanted. Post implantation, the patient was diagnosed with bidirectional ventricular tachycardia. Analysis of the arrhythmia and differential diagnosis is performed.
Automated Assessment of Cardiac Autonomic Function by Means of Deceleration Capacity from Noisy, Nonstationary ECG Signals: Validation Study
Authors: Eick Christian , Rizas Konstantinos D. , Zuern Christine S. , Bauer Axel
Published: November 2013

Background

Assessment of heart rate variability by means of deceleration capacity (DC) provides a noninvasive probe of cardiac autonomic activity. However, clinical use of DC is limited by the need of manual review of the ECG signals to eliminate artifacts, noise, and nonstationarities.

Objective

To validate a novel approach to fully automatically assess DC from noisy, nonstationary signals

Methods

We analyzed 100 randomly selected ECG tracings recorded for 10 minutes by routine monitor devices (GE DASH 4000, sample size 100 Hz) in a medical emergency department. We used a novel automated R‐peak detection algorithm, which is mainly based on a Shannon energy envelope estimator and a Hilbert transformation. We transformed the automatically generated RR interval time series by phase‐rectified signal averaging (PRSA) to assess DC of heart rate (DCauto). DCauto was compared to DCmanual, which was obtained from the same manually preprocessed ECG signals.

Results

DCauto and DCmanual showed good correlation and agreement, particularly if a low‐pass filter was implemented into the PRSA algorithm. Correlation coefficient between DCauto and DCmanual was 0.983 (P < 0.0001). Average difference between DCauto and DCmanual was ‒0.23±0.49 ms with limits of agreement ranging from ‒1.19 to 0.73 ms. Significantly lower correlations were observed when a different R‐peak detection algorithm or conventional heart rate variability (HRV) measures were tested.

Conclusions

DC can be fully automatically assessed from noisy, nonstationary ECG signals.
Retinal oxygen metabolism in exudative age‐related macular degeneration
Authors: Geirsdottir Asbjorg , Hardarson Sveinn Hakon , Olafsdottir Olof Birna , Stefánsson Einar
Published: November 2013

Purpose

To determine whether retinal vessel oxygen saturation in patients with exudative age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) is different from that of a healthy population.

Methods

Oxygen saturation was measured in retinal arterioles and venules in 46 eyes of 46 treatment‐naïve exudative AMD patients and 120 eyes of 120 healthy controls. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were used to compare the two study groups.

Results

Oxygen saturation in retinal venules increases with age in patients with exudative AMD (0.45 ± 0.19% per year; p = 0.026), while it decreases with age in healthy individuals (−0.13 ± 0.03% per year; p = 0.0002). The slopes are statistically different (ANCOVA; p = 0.0003). The reverse is true for the arteriovenous difference in oxygen saturation, which decreases with age in AMD patients (−0.29 ± 0.16% per year; p = 0.065) and increases in healthy individuals (0.12 ± 0.03% per year; p < 0.0001). At age 80 years, AMD patients have 2.7 percentage points higher venous oxygen saturation than healthy persons and 4.2 percentage points less arteriovenous difference.

Conclusions

The data suggest that retinal oxygen metabolism may be altered in exudative AMD. The arteriovenous difference is smaller in exudative AMD than in a healthy cohort, consistent with reduced oxygen extraction by retinal vessels in AMD patients. Further studies are needed to fully understand the role of retinal oxygen metabolism in the pathophysiology of exudative AMD.
Characterization of the heterozygous glucokinase knockout mouse as a translational disease model for glucose control in type 2 diabetes
Authors: Baker D J , Atkinson A M , Wilkinson G P , Coope G J , Charles A D , Leighton B
Published: November 2013

Background and Purpose

The global heterozygous glucokinase (GK) knockout (gkwt/del) male mouse, fed on a high‐fat (60% by energy) diet, has provided a robust and reproducible model of hyperglycaemia. This model could be highly relevant to some facets of human type 2 diabetes (T2D). We aimed to investigate the ability of standard therapeutic agents to lower blood glucose at translational doses, and to explore the glucose‐lowering potential of novel glucokinase activators (GKAs) in this model.

Experimental Approach

We measured the ability of insulin, metformin, glipizide, exendin‐4 and sitagliptin, after acute or repeat dose administration, to lower free‐feeding glucose levels in gkwt/del mice. Further, we measured the ability of novel GKAs, GKA23, GKA71 and AZD6370 to control glucose either alone or in combination with some standard agents.

Key Results

A single dose of insulin (1 unit·kg−1), metformin (150, 300 mg·kg−1), glipizide (0.1, 0.3 mg·kg−1), exendin‐4 (2, 20 μg·kg−1) and GKAs reduced free‐feeding glucose levels. Sitagliptin (10 mg·kg−1), metformin (300 mg·kg−1) and AZD6370 (30, 400 mg·kg−1) reduced glucose excursions on repeat dosing. At a supra‐therapeutic dose (400 mg·kg−1), AZD6370 also lowered basal levels of glucose without inducing hypoglycaemia.

Conclusion and Implications

Standard glucose‐lowering therapeutic agents demonstrated significant acute glucose lowering in male gkwt/del mice at doses corresponding to therapeutic free drug levels in man, suggesting the potential of these mice as a translatable model of human T2D. Novel GKAs also lowered glucose in this mouse model.
Long‐term consequences of perinatal fatty acid amino hydrolase inhibition
Authors: Wu Chia‐Shan , Morgan Daniel , Jew Chris P , Haskins Chris , Andrews Mary‐Jeanette , Leishman Emma , Spencer Corinne M , Czyzyk Traci , Bradshaw Heather , Mackie Ken , Lu Hui‐Chen
Published: November 2013

Background and Purpose

Fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitors show promise as a treatment for anxiety, depression and pain. Here we investigated whether perinatal exposure to URB597, a fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor, alters brain development and affects behaviour in adult mice.

Experimental Approach

Mouse dams were treated daily from gestational day 10.5 to 16.5 with 1, 3 or 10 mg kg−1 URB597. MS was used to measure a panel of endocannabinoids and related lipid compounds and brain development was assessed at embryonic day 16.5. Separate cohorts of mouse dams were treated with 10 mg kg−1 URB597, from gestational day 10.5 to postnatal day 7, and the adult offspring were assessed with a battery of behavioural tests.

Key Results

Perinatal URB597 exposure elevated anandamide and related N‐acyl amides. URB597 did not induce signs of toxicity or affect dam weight gain, neurogenesis or axonal development at embryonic day 16.5. It did lead to subtle behavioural deficits in adult offspring, manifested by reduced cocaine‐conditioned preference, increased depressive behaviours and impaired working memory. Anxiety levels, motor function and sensory‐motor gating were not significantly altered.

Conclusions and Implications

Taken together, the present results highlight how exposure to elevated levels of anandamide and related N‐acyl amides during brain development can lead to subtle alterations in behaviour in adulthood.

Linked Articles

This article is part of a themed section on Cannabinoids 2013. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2014.171.issue‐6