bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evidence of multimicrometric coherent γ′ precipitates in a hot‐forged γ–γ′ nickel‐based superalloy
Authors: CHARPAGNE M.‐A. , VENNÉGUÈS P. , BILLOT T. , FRANCHET J.‐M. , BOZZOLO N.
Published: January 2016

This paper demonstrates the existence of large γ’ precipitates (several micrometres in diameter) that are coherent with their surrounding matrix grain in a commercial γ–γ’ nickel‐based superalloy. The use of combined energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometry and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) analyses allowed for revealing that surprising feature, which was then confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Coherency for such large second‐phase particles is supported by a very low crystal lattice misfit between the two phases, which was confirmed thanks to X‐ray diffractograms and TEM selected area electron diffraction patterns. Dynamic recrystallization of polycrystalline γ–γ’ nickel‐based superalloys has been extensively studied in terms of mechanisms and kinetics. As in many materials with low stacking fault energy, under forging conditions, the main softening mechanism is discontinuous dynamic recrystallization. This mechanism occurs with preferential nucleation on the grain boundaries of the deformed matrix. The latter is then being consumed by the growth of the newly formed grains of low energy and by nucleation that keeps generating new grains. In the case of sub‐solvus forging, large γ’ particles usually pin the migrating boundaries and thus limit grain growth to a size which is determined by the distribution of second‐phase particles, in good agreement with the Smith–Zener model. Under particular circumstances, the driving force associated with the difference in stored energy between the growing grains and the matrix can be large enough that the pinning forces can be overcome, and some grains can then reach much larger grain sizes. In the latter exceptional case, some intragranular primary γ’ particles can be observed, although they are almost exclusively located on grain boundaries and triple junctions otherwise. In both cases, primary precipitates have no special orientation relationship with the surrounding matrix grain(s). This paper demonstrates the existence of high fractions of large γ’ precipitate (several micrometres in diameter) that are coherent with their surrounding matrix grain, in a commercial γ–γ’ nickel‐based superalloy. Such a configuration is very surprising, because there is apparently no reason for the coherency of such particles.
Differential detection of impact site versus rotational site injury by magnetic resonance imaging and microglial morphology in an unrestrained mild closed head injury model
Authors: Hernandez Alfredo , Donovan Virgina , Grinberg Yelena Y. , Obenaus Andre , Carson Monica J.
Published: January 2016

Seventy‐five percent of all traumatic brain injuries are mild and do not cause readily visible abnormalities on routine medical imaging making it difficult to predict which individuals will develop unwanted clinical sequelae. Microglia are brain‐resident macrophages and early responders to brain insults. Their activation is associated with changes in morphology or expression of phenotypic markers including P2Y12 and major histocompatibility complex class II. Using a murine model of unrestrained mild closed head injury (mCHI), we used microglia as reporters of acute brain injury at sites of impact versus sites experiencing rotational stress 24 h post‐mCHI. Consistent with mild injury, a modest 20% reduction in P2Y12 expression was detected by quantitative real‐time PCR (qPCR) analysis but only in the impacted region of the cortex. Furthermore, neither an influx of blood‐derived immune cells nor changes in microglial expression of CD45, TREM1, TREM2, major histocompatibility complex class II or CD40 were detected. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), small reductions in T2 weighted values were observed but only near the area of impact and without overt tissue damage (blood deposition, edema). Microglial morphology was quantified without cryosectioning artifacts using ScaleA2 clarified brains from CX3CR1‐green fluorescence protein (GFP) mice. The cortex rostral to the mCHI impact site receives greater rotational stress but neither MRI nor molecular markers of microglial activation showed significant changes from shams in this region. However, microglia in this rostral region did display signs of morphologic activation equivalent to that observed in severe CHI. Thus, mCHI‐triggered rotational stress is sufficient to cause injuries undetectable by routine MRI that could result in altered microglial surveillance of brain homeostasis.

image

Acute changes in microglial morphology reveal brain responses to unrestrained mild traumatic brain injury

In areas subjected to rotational stress distant from impact site

In the absence of detectable changes in standard molecular indicators of brain damage, inflammation or microglial activation.

That might result in decreased surveillance of brain function and increased susceptibility to subsequent brain insults.
The Interpersonal Adaptiveness of Dispositional Guilt and Shame: A Meta‐Analytic Investigation
Authors: Tignor Stefanie M. , Colvin C. Randall
Published: January 2016

Despite decades of empirical research, conclusions regarding the adaptiveness of dispositional guilt and shame are mixed. We use meta‐analysis to summarize the empirical literature and clarify these ambiguities. Specifically, we evaluate how guilt and shame are uniquely related to pro‐social orientation and, in doing so, highlight the substantial yet under‐acknowledged impact of researchers’ methodological choices. A series of meta‐analyses was conducted investigating the relationship between dispositional guilt (or shame) and pro‐social orientation. Two main methodological moderators of interest were tested: test format (scenario vs. checklist) and statistical analysis (semi‐partial vs. zero‐order correlations). Among studies employing zero‐order correlations, dispositional guilt was positively correlated with pro‐social orientation (k = 63, Mr = .13, p < .001), whereas dispositional shame was negatively correlated, (k = 47, Mr = –.05, p = .07). Test format was a significant moderator for guilt studies only, with scenario measures producing significantly stronger effects. Semi‐partial correlations resulted in significantly stronger effects among guilt and shame studies. Although dispositional guilt and shame are differentially related to pro‐social orientation, such relationships depend largely on the methodological choices of the researcher, particularly in the case of guilt. Implications for the study of these traits are discussed.
Wild ginseng cambial meristematic cells ameliorate hepatic steatosis and mitochondrial dysfunction in high-fat diet-fed mice
Authors: Lee Sang-Bin , Cho Hong-Ik , Jin Young-Woo , Lee Eun-Kyong , Ahn Jeung Youb , Lee Sun-Mee
Published: January 2016

Objectives

The aim of this study was to determine the protective mechanisms of wild ginseng cambial meristematic cells (CMCs) on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice.

Methods

Male C57BL/6 mice received either normal-fat diet or HFD for 10 weeks along with wild ginseng CMCs (75, 150 and 300 mg/kg) or vehicle (0.5% carboxyl methyl cellulose) by oral administration once a day. Triglyceride and total cholesterol contents were measured in liver and serum samples. Parameters for hepatic lipid metabolism and mitochondria biogenesis were assessed.

Key findings

Treatment with wild ginseng CMCs markedly attenuated body weight, serum and hepatic lipid contents, and serum aminotransferase activity. While wild ginseng CMCs attenuated the increases in sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor 1 (SREBP-1) and carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein (ChREBP) expression, it enhanced the increases in carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT1A) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α) expression. HFD decreased glutamate dehydrogenase activity and glutathione content, and increased lipid peroxidation, which were all attenuated by wild ginseng CMCs. Furthermore, wild ginseng CMCs enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis-related factors, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ co activator 1α (PGC1α), nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1) and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM).

Conclusions

Wild ginseng CMCs protect against HFD-induced liver injury, which prevents lipid accumulation and mitochondrial oxidative stress, and enhances mitochondrial biogenesis.
Use of Serial Quantitative PCR of the vapA Gene of Rhodococcus equi in Feces for Early Detection of R. equi Pneumonia in Foals
Authors: Madrigal R.G. , Shaw S.D. , Witkowski L.A. , Sisson B.E. , Blodgett G.P. , Chaffin M.K. , Cohen N.D.
Published: January 2016

Background

Current screening tests for Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals lack adequate accuracy for clinical use. Real‐time, quantitative PCR (qPCR) for virulent R. equi in feces has not been systematically evaluated as a screening test.

Objective

The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of qPCR for vapA in serially collected fecal samples as a screening test for R. equi pneumonia in foals.

Animals

One hundred and twenty‐five foals born in 2011 at a ranch in Texas.

Methods

Fecal samples were collected concurrently with thoracic ultrasonography (TUS) screening examinations at ages 3, 5, and 7 weeks. Affected (pneumonic) foals (n = 25) were matched by age and date‐of‐birth to unaffected (n = 25) and subclinical (ie, having thoracic TUS lesions but no clinical signs of pneumonia) foals (n = 75). DNA was extracted from feces using commercial kits and concentration of virulent R. equi in feces was determined by qPCR.

Results

Subsequently affected foals had significantly greater concentrations of vapA in feces than foals that did not develop pneumonia (unaffected and subclinical foals) at 5 and 7 weeks of age. Accuracy of fecal qPCR, however, was poor as a screening test to differentiate foals that would develop clinical signs of pneumonia from those that would remain free of clinical signs (including foals with subclinical pulmonary lesions attributed to R. equi) using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) methods.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

In the population studied, serial qPCR on feces lacked adequate accuracy as a screening test for clinical R. equi foal pneumonia.
Forest age and isolation affect the rate of recovery of plant species diversity and community composition in secondary rain forests in tropical Australia
Authors: Goosem Miriam , Paz Claudia , Fensham Rod , Preece Noel , Goosem Stephen , Laurance Susan G. W.
Published: January 2016

Questions

Which factors affect the diversity and species composition of tropical secondary rain forests in a region with little information regarding their contribution to global biodiversity?

Can older secondary forests approach the diversity and composition of mature forests following 100 yr of pasture use?

Location

Tropical secondary rain forest, northeast Australia.

Methods

We identified trees, shrubs and vines ≥2.5 cm DBH in a chronosequence comprising 33 sites, aged 3–60 yr since the formation of closed canopy (9–69 yr since pasture abandonment) and compared them with eight sites in nearby mature forest remnants.

Results

Species richness and community composition were strongly influenced by secondary forest age but did not attain values of mature forest. Sites in close proximity to mature forests had higher plant richness, whereas low soil fertility appeared to depress species recruitment. Thus, multiple factors operated in secondary forest community assembly. Unusual tree community patterns that suggest accelerated or slowed successional trajectories were observed at several sites.

Conclusions

Secondary forests in our study region contained important plant diversity for conservation, particularly in older sites, however, even the oldest secondary forests (60 yr) did not converge with the species composition and diversity of mature forests. The protection of mature forest tracts and remnants must be a priority if we are to maintain high levels of plant diversity in tropical landscapes, conserve rare species and facilitate the recruitment of plant species in recovering forests.
Biotic and abiotic determinants of appendage length evolution in a cave amphipod
Authors: Delić T. , Trontelj P. , Zakšek V. , Fišer C.
Published: January 2016

Subterranean animals are known for their highly evolved phenotypes. They are eyeless, depigmented and possess elongated appendages compared to their surface relatives. Increased antenna and leg length of cave species has traditionally been explained as a consequence of selection for non‐visual senses and increased food‐finding ability in an environment low in energy. Variation in appendage length between cave species is usually thought to result from differences in time since the colonization of the subterranean habitat. In this study, we analyzed appendage length variation in the Dinaric amphipod speciesNiphargus croaticus. Relative length of appendages varied substantially among populations. Using multilocus phylogenetic analysis, we showed that the species is nested within highly specializedN. steuerispecies complex and rejected the time hypothesis. Next, we explored the effects and strength of two environmental factors, water flow and presence of a competing species,N. subtypicus. Populations in caves with flowing water had shorter appendages than populations in cave lakes. Presence of the competing sister species did lead to longer appendages in stagnant water, but had no effect in flowing water. Abiotic factors had a stronger effect than biotic factors, but their relative strength differed among appendage pairs. High variation in appendage length between adjacent population shows that the morphology of cave arthropods is changing quickly and therefore cannot be used to predict species age. Rather than being a general adaptation to cave life, long appendages seem to be associated with the absence of water flow as well as character displacement when in sympatry with ecologically similar competing species.
Are Financial Cooperatives Crowded out by Commercial Banks in the Process of Financial Sector Development?
Authors: Périlleux Anaïs , Vanroose Annabel , D'Espallier Bert
Published: January 2016

This paper investigates whether financial cooperatives are crowded out by commercial banks in the process of financial sector development. We use a self‐constructed database based on World Council of Credit Unions data for the years 1990‐2011 of cooperatives in 55 developing countries. Our empirical results are threefold. First, financial cooperatives tend to reach more members in countries where the commercial banking sector is weak. This validates their role as a banking market failure solution. Second, in the process of commercial bank expansion, financial cooperatives run the risk of being crowded out. Third, the relationship is actually complex, since financial cooperatives seem to benefit from some kind of bank presence, especially as far as savings mobilization is concerned.
A Constitutional Economics Perspective on Soft Paternalism
Authors: Schnellenbach Jan
Published: January 2016

Using a framework that distinguishes short‐term consumer preferences, individual reflective preferences and political preferences, we discuss from a constitutional economics perspective whether individuals find it in their common constitutional interest to endow representatives and bureaucrats with the competence to impose soft paternalist policies. The focus is specifically on soft paternalist policies, because these often work with non‐transparent “nudges” that are considered as manipulative in some contributions to the literature. We show that those soft paternalist policies that are manipulative indeed collide with three criteria of consumer sovereignty, reflective sovereignty, and citizen sovereignty that can be argued to represent common constitutional interest of citizens. On the other hand, we argue that the set of paternalist policies that is deemed acceptable on the constitutional level is restricted to non‐manipulative instruments, and their application as government policies is limited to cases with stable and very homogenous preferences. However, we also argue that competitive markets are capable of supplying many mechanisms that allow individuals to cope with problems in their decision‐making processes on a private level.
Individual Differences in Emotional Reactivity and Academic Achievement: A Psychophysiological Study
Authors: Scrimin Sara , Altoè Gianmarco , Moscardino Ughetta , Pastore Massimiliano , Mason Lucia
Published: January 2016

Factors related to grade point average (GPA) are of great importance for students' success. Yet, little is known about the impact of individual differences in emotional reactivity on students' academic performance. We aimed to examine the emotional reactivity–GPA link and to assess whether self‐esteem and psychological distress moderate this relationship.

Eighty undergraduate students reported on their GPA, self‐esteem, and psychological distress. Students' pupil radius was monitored during affective picture viewing to assess sympathetic activation in response to emotional stimuli. Cluster analysis on pupil reactivity to pictures identified low, average, and high emotionally reactive students. Regression analyses indicated that profiles of emotional reactivity were associated with GPA. This relationship was moderated by self‐esteem, but not psychological distress. Among students with higher emotional reactivity, those with lower self‐esteem reported poorer GPA. Findings document the importance of differences in students' emotional reactivity and self‐esteem in relation to academic success.
Obesity and Cancer: An Angiogenic and Inflammatory Link
Authors: Fukumura Dai , Incio Joao , Shankaraiah Ram C. , Jain Rakesh K.
Published: January 2016

With the current epidemic of obesity, a large number of patients diagnosed with cancer are overweight or obese. Importantly, this excess body weight is associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis. The mechanisms for this worse outcome, however, remain poorly understood. We review here the epidemiological evidence for the association between obesity and cancer, and discuss potential mechanisms focusing on angiogenesis and inflammation. In particular, we will discuss how the dysfunctional angiogenesis and inflammation occurring in adipose tissue in obesity may promote tumor progression, resistance to chemotherapy, and targeted therapies such as anti‐angiogenic and immune therapies. Better understanding of how obesity fuels tumor progression and therapy resistance is essential to improve the current standard of care and the clinical outcome of cancer patients. To this end, we will discuss how an anti‐diabetic drug such as metformin can overcome these adverse effects of obesity on the progression and treatment resistance of tumors.
A novel Meloidogyne enterolobii effector MeTCTP promotes parasitism by suppressing programmed cell death in host plants
Authors: Zhuo Kan , Chen Jiansong , Lin Borong , Wang Jing , Sun Fengxia , Hu Lili , Liao Jinling
Published: January 2016

Meloidogyne enterolobii is one of the most important plant‐parasitic nematodes that can overcome the Mi‐1 resistance gene and damage many economically important crops. Translationally controlled tumour protein (TCTP) is a multifunctional protein that exists in various eukaryotes and plays an important role in parasitism. In this study, a novel M. enterolobii TCTP effector, named MeTCTP, was identified and functionally characterized. MeTCTP was specifically expressed within the dorsal gland and was up‐regulated during M. enterolobii parasitism. Transient expression of MeTCTP in protoplasts from tomato roots showed that MeTCTP was localized in the cytoplasm of the host cells. Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants overexpressing MeTCTP were more susceptible to M. enterolobii infection than wild‐type plants in a dose‐dependent manner. By contrast, in planta RNA interference (RNAi) targeting MeTCTP suppressed the expression of MeTCTP in infecting nematodes and attenuated their parasitism. Furthermore, MeTCTP could suppress programmed cell death triggered by the pro‐apoptotic protein BAX. These results demonstrate that MeTCTP is a novel plant‐parasitic nematode effector that promotes parasitism, probably by suppressing programmed cell death in host plants.
Optimising the diagnostic strategy for onychomycosis from sample collection to FUNGAL identification evaluation of a diagnostic kit for real‐time PCR
Authors: Petinataud Dimitri , Berger Sibel , Ferdynus Cyril , Debourgogne Anne , Contet‐Audonneau Nelly , Machouart Marie
Published: January 2016

Onychomycosis is a common nail disorder mainly due to dermatophytes for which the conventional diagnosis requires direct microscopic observation and culture of a biological sample. Nevertheless, antifungal treatments are commonly prescribed without a mycological examination having been performed, partly because of the slow growth of dermatophytes. Therefore, molecular biology has been applied to this pathology, to support a quick and accurate distinction between onychomycosis and other nail damage. Commercial kits are now available from several companies for improving traditional microbiological diagnosis. In this paper, we present the first evaluation of the real‐time PCR kit marketed by Bio Evolution for the diagnosis of dermatophytosis. Secondly, we compare the efficacy of the kit on optimal and non‐optimal samples. This study was conducted on 180 nails samples, processed by conventional methods and retrospectively analysed using this kit. According to our results, this molecular kit has shown high specificity and sensitivity in detecting dermatophytes, regardless of sample quality. On the other hand, and as expected, optimal samples allowed the identification of a higher number of dermatophytes by conventional mycological diagnosis, compared to non‐optimal samples. Finally, we have suggested several strategies for the practical use of such a kit in a medical laboratory for quick pathogen detection.
Peritoneal dialysis practice in Australia and New Zealand: A call to sustain the action
Authors: Mudge David W , Boudville Neil , Brown Fiona , Clayton Philip , Duddington Michelle , Holt Stephen , Johnson David W , Jose Matthew , Saweirs Walaa , Sud Kamal , Voss David , Walker Rowan
Published: January 2016

This paper updates a previous ‘Call to Action’ paper (Nephrology 2011; 16: 19–29) that reviewed key outcome data for Australian and New Zealand peritoneal dialysis patients and made recommendations to improve care. Since its publication, peritonitis rates have improved significantly, although they have plateaued more recently. Peritoneal dialysis patient and technique survival in Australian and New Zealand have also improved, with a reduction in the proportion of technique failures attributed to ‘social reasons’. Despite these improvements, technique survival rates overall remain lower than in many other parts of the world. This update includes additional practical recommendations based on published evidence and emerging initiatives to further improve outcomes.
Resource levels and prey state influence antipredator behavior and the strength of nonconsumptive predator effects
Authors: Matassa Catherine M. , Donelan Sarah C. , Luttbeg Barney , Trussell Geoffrey C.
Published: January 2016

The risk of predation can drive trophic cascades by causing prey to engage in antipredator behavior (e.g. reduced feeding), but these behaviors can be energetically costly for prey. The effects of predation risk on prey (nonconsumptive effects, NCEs) and emergent indirect effects on basal resources should therefore depend on the ecological context (e.g. resource abundance, prey state) in which prey manage growth/predation risk tradeoffs. Despite an abundance of behavioral research and theory examining state‐dependent responses to risk, there is a lack of empirical data on state‐dependent NCEs and their impact on community‐level processes. We used a rocky intertidal food chain to test model predictions for how resources levels and prey state (age/size) shape the magnitude of NCEs. Risk cues from predatory crabsCarcinus maenascaused juvenile and sub‐adult snailsNucella lapillusto increase their use of refuge habitats and decrease their growth and per capita foraging rates on barnaclesSemibalanus balanoides. Increasing resource levels (high barnacle density) and prey state (sub‐adults) enhanced the strength of NCEs.

Our results support predictions that NCEs will be stronger in resource‐rich systems that enhance prey state and suggest that the demographic composition of prey populations will influence the role of NCEs in trophic cascades. Contrary to theory, however, we found that resources and prey state had little to no effect on snails in the presence of predation risk. Rather, increases in NCE strength arose because of the strong positive effects of resources and prey state on prey foraging rates in the absence of risk. Hence, a common approach to estimating NCE strength – integrating measurements of prey traits with and without predation risk into a single metric – may mask the underlying mechanisms driving variation in the strength and relative importance of NCEs in ecological communities.
Older people's involvement in activities related to meals in nursing homes
Authors: Grøndahl Vigdis Abrahamsen , Aagaard Heidi
Published: January 2016

Aims and objectives

To explore how residents in nursing homes perceive their participation in activities related to food and meals, and possible factors influencing their involvement.

Background

Eating and drinking are fundamental human needs and consequently essential parts of nursing and nursing care. Therefore and as part of nursing care, encouraging older people in nursing homes to engage in different mealtime activities could be one way to increase participation in activities of daily living and more optimal nutrition status among older people.

Design

A cross‐sectional survey design was used.

Methods

A total of 204 residents (88%) in one Norwegian county agreed to participate and completed a face‐to‐face interview questionnaire about food and meal experiences. Descriptive and comparative statistics was used.

Results

Close to 30% of the residents were vulnerable to malnourishment. None of the residents were involved in menu planning, and more than 90% did not participate in food preparation or setting/clearing tables. Ten per cent were able to choose where they could eat and 5% when they could eat. Older persons living in nursing homes with more than 80 residents and those younger than 65 years of age participated the most, while older people with poor appetites were able to choose more often where they wanted to eat, compared to those with a healthy appetite.

Conclusion

The residents in this study appeared to be vulnerable to malnourishment. The results indicated that they only to a limited extent were involved in activities concerning food and meals at the nursing homes.

Implications for practice

Management and nurses should focus on residents' eating and drinking, which are essentials of nursing care. The residents should be asked whether they would like to participate in different mealtime activities. Further, a person‐centred care approach that facilitates activities concerning food and meals should be promoted.
Improvement and transcriptome analysis of root architecture by overexpression of Fraxinus pennsylvanica DREB2A transcription factor in Robinia pseudoacacia L. ‘Idaho’
Authors: Xiu Yu , Iqbal Arshad , Zhu Chen , Wu Guodong , Chang Yanping , Li Na , Cao Yu , Zhang Wenbiao , Zeng Huiming , Chen Shouyi , Wang Huafang
Published: January 2016

Transcription factors play a key role to enable plants to cope with abiotic stresses. DREB2 regulates the expression of several stress‐inducible genes and constitutes major hubs in the water stress signalling webs. We cloned and characterized a novel gene encoding the FpDREB2A transcription factor from Fraxinus pennsylvanica, and a yeast activity assay confirmed its DRE binding and transcription activation. Overexpression of FpDREB2A in R. pseudoacacia showed enhanced resistance to drought stress. The transgenic plant survival rate was significantly higher than that of WT in soil drying and re‐watering treatments. Transgenic lines showed a dramatic change in root architecture, and horizontal and vertical roots were found in transgenic plants compared to WT. The vertical roots penetrated in the field soil to more than 60 cm deep, while horizontal roots expanded within the top 20–30 cm of the soil. A physiological test demonstrated that chlorophyll contents were more gradually reduced and that soluble sugars and proline levels elevated more sharply but malondialdehyde level stayed the same (P < 0.05). Plant hormone levels of abscisic acid and IAA were higher than that of WT, while gibberellins and zeatin riboside were found to be lower. The root transcriptomes were sequenced and annotated into 2011 differential expression genes (DEGs). The DEGs were categorized in 149 pathways and were found to be involved in plant hormone signalling, transcription factors, stimulus responses, phenylalanine, carbohydrate and other metabolic pathways. The modified pathways in plant hormone signalling are thought to be the main cause of greater horizontal and vertical root development, in particular.
Late primary transplantation in complex congenital heart disease
Authors: Deshpande Shriprasad R. , Shehata Bahig M. , Sallee Denver , Kogon Brian E. , Mahle William T.
Published: January 2016

Heart transplantation is a viable option for patients with congenital heart disease who manifest heart failure, predominantly post‐surgical palliation. We present a case of complex congenital heart disease, where surgical palliation was considered not to be an option. Considerate medical management with close follow‐up allowed for a nine‐yr delay until eventual successful heart transplantation. The case also highlights the natural history over nine yr of the effects of right ventricular outflow tract obstruction on the left ventricular remodeling which is analogous to a PA banding in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.
Kant's Moral and Political Cosmopolitanism
Authors: Kleingeld Pauline
Published: January 2016

In this essay, I first outline the contexts in which the idea of cosmopolitanism appears in Kant's moral and political philosophy. I then survey the three main debates regarding his political cosmopolitanism, namely, on the nature of the international federation he advocated, his theory of cosmopolitan right, and his views on colonialism and ‘race’, and I consider the relation between patriotism and cosmopolitanism in Kant's work. I subsequently discuss Kant's moral cosmopolitanism. Kant is widely held to be a defender of moral cosmopolitanism, but the terminology of world citizenship is in fact strikingly rare in Kant's writings on moral theory. I offer a two‐part explanation for why this is the case.
Pollination of lark daisy on roadsides declines as traffic speed increases along an Amazonian highway
Authors: Dargas J. H. F. , Chaves S. R. , Fischer E.
Published: January 2016

Ecological disturbances caused by roadways have previously been reported, but traffic speed has not been addressed. We investigate effects of traffic speed on pollination of Centratherum punctatum (Asteraceae) along an Amazonian highway roadside. We hypothesised that frequency of flower visitors, duration of single visits and pollen deposition on stigmas will vary negatively as traffic speed increases. After measuring vehicle velocities, we classified three road sections as low‐, mid‐ and high‐velocity traffic. The main pollinator bee, Augochlora sp., visited C. punctatum inflorescences with decreasing frequency from low‐ to high‐velocity roadside sections, whereas the nectar thief butterflies did the opposite. Duration of single visits by bees and butterflies was shorter, and arrival of pollen on C. punctatum stigmas was lower, in high‐ than in low‐velocity roadside. Air turbulence due to passing vehicles increases with velocity and disturbed the flower visitors. Overall, results support that traffic velocity negatively affects foraging of flower visitors and the pollination of C. punctatum on roadsides.
Innovation management practices: cross‐sectorial adoption, variation, and effectiveness
Authors: Tidd Joe , Thuriaux‐Alemán Ben
Published: January 2016

Innovation management practices (IMPs) represent the codification of innovation research and management experience, and offer the potential to improve innovation performance. Studies suggest limited awareness of IMPs amongst practitioners, and even lower rates of application, and we know little of their perceived importance or effectiveness in different industries. Our paper assesses the use of eight functional groups of IMPs within and across sectors, drawing on a sample of 292 valid responses, based on survey data and associated and validated case studies. Overall, we find significant variation in usage patterns across sectors and a positive relationship between the use of IMPs and innovation outcomes. However, only a very small number of innovation management practices can be considered to be universally positive, including external technology intelligence gathering, and technology and product portfolio management. We find that the use and effectiveness of most IMPs varies by industry. This suggests there is significant potential for the more widespread application of some IMPs, but that managers must be highly selective.
Business model innovation and decision making: uncovering mechanisms for coping with uncertainty
Authors: Schneckenberg Dirk , Velamuri Vivek K. , Comberg Christian , Spieth Patrick
Published: January 2016

As a research subject, business model innovation spans the strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship fields. Yet, despite the importance of the concept, prior work has paid little attention to how decision‐makers cope with uncertainty and gain understanding about interdependencies in new business model configurations. To address this gap, we combine top‐down theorising and evidence‐based exploration and seek to unpack some of the coping mechanisms that operate in the evolutionary view of business model innovation. Using in‐depth interviewing to collect data, our study reveals five strategies – customer centricity, value co‐creation, capability evolution, ecosystem growth, and adaptive pricing – that decision‐makers apply to cope with uncertainty in business model innovation. We find that coping mechanisms support decision making during the development of new business models. Furthermore, we find that the five coping strategies delineate decision making for value proposition, value creation, and value capture configurations in more detail than existing literature has described. Our findings have important implications for decision making in business model innovation.
Airway epithelial repair in health and disease: Orchestrator or simply a player?
Authors: Iosifidis Thomas , Garratt Luke W. , Coombe Deirdre R. , Knight Darryl A. , Stick Stephen M. , Kicic Anthony
Published: January 2016

Epithelial cells represent the most important surface of contact in the body and form the first line of defence of the body to external environment. Consequently, epithelia have numerous roles in order to maintain a homeostatic defence barrier. Although the epithelium has been extensively studied over several decades, it remains the focus of new research, indicating a lack of understanding that continues to exist around these cells in specific disease settings. Importantly, evidence is emerging that airway epithelial cells in particular have varied complex functions rather than simple passive roles. One area of current interest is its role following injury. In particular, the epithelial‐specific cellular mechanisms regulating their migration during wound repair remain poorly understood and remain an area that requires much needed investigation. A better understanding of the physiological, cellular and molecular wound repair mechanisms could assist in elucidating pathological processes that contribute to airway epithelial pathology. This review attempts to highlight migration‐specific and cell‐extracellular matrix (ECM) aspects of repair used by epithelial cells under normal and disease settings, in the context of human airways.
Postdialysis Fatigue: A Frequent and Debilitating Symptom
Authors: Bossola Maurizio , Tazza Luigi
Published: January 2016

Postdialysis fatigue (PDF) is a frequent and debilitating symptom of patients on chronic hemodialysis that affects their daily living and quality of life. Little is known about the mechanisms underlying this symptom and its severity. Only a few studies have investigated therapeutic interventions and with conflicting results. Given the major impact of PDF on the quality of life of hemodialysis patients, a larger effort is warranted to better understand, prevent, and treat PDF.
Autopolyreactivity Confers a Holistic Role in the Immune System
Authors: Avrameas S.
Published: January 2016

In this review, we summarize and discuss some key findings from the study of naturally occurring autoantibodies. The B‐cell compartment of the immune system appears to recognize almost all endogenous and environmental antigens. This ability is accomplished principally through autopolyreactive humoral and cellular immune receptors. This extended autopolyreactivity (1) along immunoglobulin gene recombination contributes to the immune system's ability to recognize a very large number of self and non‐self constituents; and (2) generates a vast immune network that creates communication channels between the organism's interior and exterior. Thus, the immune system continuously evolves depending on the internal and external stimuli it encounters. Furthermore, this far‐reaching network's existence implies activities resembling those of classical biological factors or activities that modulate the function of other classical biological factors. A few such antibodies have already been found. Another important concept is that natural autoantibodies are highly dependent on the presence or absence of commensal microbes in the organism. These results are in line with past and recent findings showing the fundamental influence of the microbiota on proper immune system development, and necessitate the existence of a host–microbe homeostasis. This homeostasis requires that the participating humoral and cellular receptors are able to recognize self‐antigens and commensal microbes without damaging them. Autopolyreactive immune receptors expressing low affinity for both types of antigens fulfil this role. The immune system appears to play a holistic role similar to that of the nervous system.
Gender and local soil knowledge: Linking farmers' perceptions with soil fertility in two villages in the Philippines
Authors: Christie Maria Elisa , Parks Mary , Mulvaney Michael
Published: January 2016

Scientists often turn to farmers to understand soil management. This process reveals differences and overlaps between local and scientific soil knowledge but rarely considers women and gender issues. This paper examines men's and women's local knowledge of soils in upland, smallholder farms in two villages in Mindanao, the Philippines, using focus group discussions, semi‐structured household interviews, field visits, GIS and soil testing. Farmers' field areas were calculated and delineated based on their perceptions of the different types of soils on their land. Men and women chose the same plots for what they considered their best soil but differed on what they felt were their worst. The fertility of the soils that women considered to be the best and worst was not significantly different from that of the men's respective choices. There was a difference in fertility, however, between the best and worst soils regardless of gender. Although soil fertility analyses showed that the women's chosen soils were similar to men's, analyses of qualitative data showed that their knowledge of soils was different and was based in part on a gendered division of labour. A multidisciplinary approach helped bridge the gap between sociocultural and physical research.
Environmental and political implications of Vietnam's water vulnerabilities: A multiscale assessment
Authors: Givental Elena , Meredith Dianne
Published: January 2016

Vietnam's low‐lying areas of the Lower Mekong Basin are prone to floods, salt water inundation, and riparian competition with upstream neighbours. Vietnam's opening to the global economy, accompanied by industrialization and a rapidly growing population, impose multiscale (global, regional, local) stresses on urban and rural water systems resulting in water contamination and groundwater overdraft. Water vulnerability is a function of both natural and social hazards and depends on the scope of capital investment, political and ideological institutions, managerial capacity and governance. Water distribution and riparian ecosystem health are also hydropolitical issues related to dam‐building activity by Vietnam and its transboundary neighbours, Laos, Cambodia and particularly China, whose territory contains the source of the Mekong River. A multiscale assessment of Vietnam's interlinked water vulnerabilities indicates that the resilience of the country's social‐ecological water system rests on peaceful resolution of regional transboundary conflicts based on shared economic interests and on improved managerial practices of local authorities.
From vulnerability to immunization—A genealogy of early attempts to deal with the climate
Authors: Frewer Tim
Published: January 2016

In an age of anthropogenic climate change, risk and vulnerability have become common parlance. Yet the histories of both concepts are bound up in the colonial project. This article attempts to give a brief genealogy of these concepts by considering their evolution within early colonial attempts to deal with the dangers and threats posed by a tropical climate. This article argues that British and French colonial writers and administrators began to understand the dangers associated with colonizing distant lands as distinct risks associated with living in a tropical climate. Tropical fevers, ecological devastation, famine and revolt in particular spurred on the development of new knowledge, which advanced understandings of the effects of the tropical climate both on European health and long‐term colonial ambitions. In turn the concept of a pernicious tropical climate that posed a biological threat to the health of Europeans came to play a major role in configuring prevailing notions of race, health and morality. Risk and vulnerability have been key discursive features of new knowledges and governmental technologies crafted in the context of colonialism to secure European rule over distant lands and people.
Similarity Measurements on Multi‐Scale Qualitative Locations
Authors: Du Shihong , Guo Luo
Published: January 2016

Qualitative representation of spatial locations and their similarity measurements are essential for the analysis of linguistic term‐based data. Existing methods have focused on the similarities of spatial relations and spatial scenes but have not considered the variations in geometrical representations and relations over scales. This study developed some new measures to assess the similarities of both single‐ and multi‐scale qualitative locations. Region‐ and cell‐based models were used to formalize qualitative locations of spatial objects with respect to multi‐scale frames of reference. The similarities were assessed by integrating the similarities of frames and qualitative relations. The frame similarity measures how two objects are compared considering the common elements that they occupy in the reference frames. Moreover, the similarity of qualitative relation measures how two relations relate two objects to the corresponding elements in the frames. The location similarities at a single level integrate the similarities of the frames and qualitative relations, whereas the location similarities at multiple scales incorporate the variations in qualitative locations over scales. These methods were used to assess location similarities concerning residential areas, roads, and lakes. The results indicated that the location‐based measurements can disclose the distributions of the similarities and that the cell‐based model is more accurate than the region‐based model.
Climate Change Conceptual Change: Scientific Information Can Transform Attitudes
Authors: Ranney Michael Andrew , Clark Dav
Published: January 2016

Of this article's seven experiments, the first five demonstrate that virtually no Americans know the basic global warming mechanism. Fortunately, Experiments 2–5 found that 2–45 min of physical–chemical climate instruction durably increased such understandings. This mechanistic learning, or merely receiving seven highly germane statistical facts (Experiment 6), also increased climate‐change acceptance—across the liberal‐conservative spectrum. However, Experiment 7's misleading statistics decreased such acceptance (and dramatically, knowledge–confidence). These readily available attitudinal and conceptual changes through scientific information disconfirm what we term “stasis theory”—which some researchers and many laypeople varyingly maintain. Stasis theory subsumes the claim that informing people (particularly Americans) about climate science may be largely futile or even counterproductive—a view that appears historically naïve, suffers from range restrictions (e.g., near‐zero mechanistic knowledge), and/or misinterprets some polarization and (noncausal) correlational data. Our studies evidenced no polarizations. Finally, we introduce HowGlobalWarmingWorks.org—a website designed to directly enhance public “climate‐change cognition.”
Efficacy of proactive long‐term maintenance therapy of canine atopic dermatitis with 0.0584% hydrocortisone aceponate spray: a double‐blind placebo controlled pilot study
Authors: Lourenço Ana M. , Schmidt Vanessa , São Braz Berta , Nóbrega Diana , Nunes Telmo , Duarte‐Correia José H. , Matias Daniela , Maruhashi Emi , Rème Christophe A. , Nuttall Tim
Published: January 2016

Background

Long‐term remission between flares of canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) can be difficult to achieve. Therefore, additional strategic forms of treatment are needed in order to target flare prevention. The concept of proactive therapy is recommended in the European guidelines for the treatment of human atopic eczema.

Objectives

To evaluate the efficacy of a proactive treatment regimen with a 0.0584% hydrocortisone aceponate (HCA) spray for CAD.

Animals

Client‐owned dogs with spontaneous atopic dermatitis (AD) (n = 41).

Methods

This pilot study was conducted as a randomised, placebo‐controlled, double‐blinded clinical trial with an end‐point of treatment failure. Dogs were treated once daily to remission, then randomly assigned to receive either the HCA spray (n = 21) or a placebo (n = 20) spray on two consecutive days each week. All dogs were on appropriate flea control. No topical or systemic anti‐inflammatory or antimicrobial agents were permitted. Intention‐to‐treat analysis was used.

Results

At Day 0, all the dogs were in remission or had mild AD based on their Canine Atopic Dermatitis Extent and Severity Index, version 3 (CADESI‐03) scores. The time to relapse was significantly higher in the HCA group (median 115 d; range 31–260 d) compared to the placebo group (median 33 d; range 15–61 d) (P < 0.0001). No adverse events were attributable to the HCA spray. Four dogs were lost to follow‐up and four were withdrawn after receiving prohibited medication.

Conclusions and clinical importance

These results indicate that proactive long‐term therapy of CAD with an HCA spray administered on two consecutive days each week is effective and well‐tolerated.