bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Root functional parameters along a land‐use gradient: evidence of a community‐level economics spectrum
Authors: Prieto Iván , Roumet Catherine , Cardinael Remi , Dupraz Christian , Jourdan Christophe , Kim John H. , Maeght Jean Luc , Mao Zhun , Pierret Alain , Portillo Noelia , Roupsard Olivier , Thammahacksa Chantanousone , Stokes Alexia
Published: November 2014

There is a fundamental trade‐off between leaf traits associated with either resource acquisition or resource conservation. This gradient of trait variation, called the economics spectrum, also applies to fine roots, but whether it is consistent for coarse roots or at the plant community level remains untested.

We measured a set of morphological and chemical root traits at a community level (functional parameters; FP) in 20 plant communities located along land‐use intensity gradients and across three climatic zones (tropical, mediterranean and montane). We hypothesized (i) the existence of a root economics spectrum in plant communities consistent within root types (fine, < 2 mm; coarse, 2–5 mm), (ii) that variations in root FP occur with soil depths (top 20 cm of soil and 100–150 cm deep) and (iii) along land‐use gradients.

Root FP covaried, in line with the resource acquisition–conservation trade‐off, from communities with root FP associated with resource acquisition (e.g. high specific root length, SRL; thin diameters and low root dry matter contents, RDMC) to root FP associated with resource conservation (e.g. low SRL, thick diameters and high RDMC). This pattern was consistent for both fine and coarse roots indicating a strong consistency of a trade‐off between resource acquisition and conservation for plant roots.

Roots had different suites of traits at different depths, suggesting a disparity in root function and exploitation capacities. Shallow, fine roots were thinner, richer in nitrogen and with lower lignin concentrations associated with greater exploitation capacities compared to deep, fine roots. Shallow, coarse roots were richer in nitrogen, carbon and soluble concentrations than deep, coarse roots.

Fine root parameters of highly disturbed, herbaceous‐dominated plant communities in poorer soils were associated with foraging strategies, that is greater SRL and lower RDMC and lignin concentration than those from less disturbed communities. Coarse roots, however, were less sensitive to the land‐use gradient.

Synthesis. This study demonstrates the existence of a general trade‐off in root construction at a community level, which operates within all root types, suggesting that all plant tissues are controlled by the trade‐off between resource acquisition and conservation.
Inside the “Black Box” of Sell‐Side Financial Analysts
Authors: BROWN LAWRENCE D. , CALL ANDREW C. , CLEMENT MICHAEL B. , SHARP NATHAN Y.
Published: November 2014

Our objective is to penetrate the “black box” of sell‐side financial analysts by providing new insights into the inputs analysts use and the incentives they face. We survey 365 analysts and conduct 18 follow‐up interviews covering a wide range of topics, including the inputs to analysts’ earnings forecasts and stock recommendations, the value of their industry knowledge, the determinants of their compensation, the career benefits of Institutional Investor All‐Star status, and the factors they consider indicative of high‐quality earnings. One important finding is that private communication with management is a more useful input to analysts’ earnings forecasts and stock recommendations than their own primary research, recent earnings performance, and recent 10‐K and 10‐Q reports. Another notable finding is that issuing earnings forecasts and stock recommendations that are well below the consensus often leads to an increase in analysts’ credibility with their investing clients. We conduct cross‐sectional analyses that highlight the impact of analyst and brokerage characteristics on analysts’ inputs and incentives. Our findings are relevant to investors, managers, analysts, and academic researchers.
Improving Attendance at Post–Emergency Department Follow‐up Via Automated Text Message Appointment Reminders: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Arora Sanjay , Burner Elizabeth , Terp Sophie , Nok Lam Chun , Nercisian Aren , Bhatt Vivek , Menchine Michael
Published: November 2014

Objectives

Patients discharged from the emergency department (ED) are often referred for primary care, specialty, or other disease‐specific follow‐up appointments. Attendance at these scheduled follow‐up appointments has been found to improve patient outcomes, decrease ED bounce‐backs, and reduce malpractice risk. Reasons for missing follow‐up visits are complex, but the most commonly reason cited by patients is simply forgetting. In this study the authors evaluated the ability of an automated text message reminder system to increase attendance at post‐ED discharge follow‐up appointments in a predominantly Hispanic safety‐net population.

Methods

This was a randomized controlled trial of ED patients with outpatient follow‐up visits scheduled at the time of ED discharge. A total of 374 English‐ and Spanish‐speaking patients with text‐capable mobile phones were enrolled. Patients in the intervention arm received automated, personalized text message appointment reminders including date, time, and clinic location at 7, 3, and 1 day before scheduled visits. A t‐test of proportions was used to compare outcomes between intervention and control groups. Both an intention‐to‐treat (ITT) and a per‐protocol analysis of the data were performed. The ITT more accurately reflects real‐world conditions where errors such as number entry errors are bound to occur. The per‐protocol analysis adds value by isolating the effect of the intervention by comparing patients who actually received it compared with those who did not.

Results

In the per‐protocol analysis of the primary outcome, the overall appointment adherence rate was 72.6% in the intervention group compared with 62.1% in the control group (difference between groups = 10.5%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.3% to 20.8%; p = 0.045; number needed to treat = 9.5). In the ITT analysis, the overall appointment attendance rate 70.2% in the intervention group compared with 62.1% in the control group (difference between groups = 8.2%; 95% CI = –1.6% to 17.7%; p = 0.100). In a secondary largely exploratory analysis, the intervention was found to have the most benefit in patients with the lowest baseline follow‐up rate (English speakers with specialty care appointments).

Conclusions

Automated text message appointment reminders resulted in improvement in attendance at scheduled post‐ED discharge outpatient follow‐up visits and represent a low‐cost and highly scalable solution to increase attendance at post‐ED follow‐up appointments, which should be further explored in larger sample sizes and diverse patient populations.
How I learned to channel: Epistemology, phenomenology, and practice in a New Age course
Authors: KLIN‐ORON ADAM
Published: November 2014

New Age channeling aims at intimate and daily contact with benevolent incorporeal entities. In an Israeli channeling course, students learn to interpret external events in a new light and to monitor internal mental, physical, and emotional processes in new ways, culminating in an ability to achieve “controlled flow,” a state of consciousness in which self‐attention is heightened but a sense of volition diminishes. Through the braiding of epistemology, practice, and phenomenology, they engage in a new mode of being‐in‐the‐world and inhabit a new lifeworld where they become conduits to external forces. Anthropological fieldwork also aims at understanding epistemological systems through active participation, but by examining my own experience in the channeling course I demonstrate how temporary suspension of disbelief differs from permanent adoption of a new system of belief. [spirituality, being‐in‐the‐world, participant‐observation, lifeworld, epistemology, phenomenology, embodiment]
Modern meetings: Participation, democracy, and language ideology in Brazil's MST landless movement
Authors: MORTON GREGORY DUFF
Published: November 2014

In the democratic cosmology of Brazil's MST landless movement, a meeting must occur before a decision can be reached—even if the decision was set before the meeting. I examine MST speech habits in an effort to understand the meeting as a symptomatically modern method for producing authoritative discourse. I identify four properties of MST meeting speech: (1) a lexicon that highlights verbs of speech, (2) the enforcement of tight semantic linkages between utterances, (3) the equal availability of one speech act to all participants, and (4) the generation of a distinctive species of collective voicing. By virtue of these properties, the meeting becomes a crucial site for the construction of equality and participation as political values. It is these values that are ultimately in play when a speaker mobilizes other people's words to make—or prevent—a decision.
The utility of transoesophageal echocardiography for estimating right ventricular systolic pressure
Authors: Cowie B. , Kluger R. , Rex S. , Missant C.
Published: November 2014

With the reduction in use of the pulmonary artery catheter, alternative methods of pulmonary pressure estimation are required. The use of echocardiographically‐derived right ventricular systolic pressure has recently been questioned, but this technique has not been validated in anaesthetised surgical patients with transoesophageal echocardiography. One hundred measurements of right ventricular systolic pressure with transoesophageal echocardiography were compared with the pulmonary artery systolic pressure obtained simultaneously from a pulmonary artery catheter in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Simultaneous right ventricular systolic pressure and pulmonary artery systolic pressure measurements were possible in all patients, and these measurements were strongly correlated (r = 0.98, p < 0.001), with minimal bias and narrow limits of agreement (approximately −5 to +5 mmHg), across a broad range of pulmonary pressures. Measurement of right ventricular systolic pressure using tranoesophageal echocardiography is readily achievable and closely correlates with pulmonary artery systolic pressure, with minimal bias, in cardiac surgical patients undergoing general anaesthesia and positive pressure mechanical ventilation of the lungs.
Determinants of migration from ASEAN‐3 into Malaysia
Authors: Jajri Idris , Ismail Rahmah
Published: November 2014

Migration theory advances several reasons for migration, which can be categorised into two groups: push factors and pull factors. Push factors include the economic performance of the emigrating country, whereas the pull factors include performance in the destination country. The latter include gross domestic product, job creation, the unemployment rate, education level, and wage rate. This paper examines the determinants of immigration from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)‐3, namely Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines, into Malaysia. The analysis is based on panel data of 1990–2008 using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag approach. The results show that the main determinants of this migration flow are the real wage ratio among the ASEAN‐3 and Malaysia, the unemployment rate in the source countries, and the real exchange rate ratio between the ASEAN‐3 and Malaysia.
Learning with serious games: Is fun playing the game a predictor of learning success?
Authors: Iten Nina , Petko Dominik
Published: November 2014

Serious games are generally considered to induce positive effects in the areas of learning motivation and learning gains. Yet few studies have examined how these factors are related. Therefore, an empirical study was conducted to test the relationship between anticipated enjoyment and willingness to play, as well as between game enjoyment, self‐reported cognitive and motivational learning gains and test results. In an explorative study, 74 children from five primary schools played the learning game AWWWARE. The results of pre‐ and post‐tests were analysed using multiple linear regressions. The analysis showed that anticipated enjoyment played only a minor part in students' willingness to learn with serious games. Of greater importance was the students' expectation that the learning game would be easy and instructive. The level of actual enjoyment of the game also had a smaller influence than expected. While there was a correlation between enjoyment and the motivation to continue being engaged with the subject matter of the game, no effect was found with respect to self‐assessed or tested learning gains. The results lead to the conclusion that other factors, such as explicit learning tasks, instruction and support inherent in the game or supplemented by teachers, may be more decisive than the experience of fun during the game.
Management of Pentalogy of Cantrell with complete ectopia cordis and Double Outlet Right Ventricle
Authors: Harring Gesa , Weil Jochen , Thiel Christian , Schmelzle Rainer , Mueller Goetz C.
Published: November 2014

Pentalogy of Cantrell (PoC) is a rare congenital midline defect. We present a case and its treatment of PoC with complete ectopia cordis and congenital heart disease. Postnatally the congenital heart defect was surgically corrected and the ectopic heart was covered by musculous mobilized flap. Due to cephalic orientation of the heart and limited intrathoracic space, replacement of the heart into the thoracic cavity was initially not performed. After 11 years of follow up our patient now is without relevant limitations solely wearing a thoracic shelter. This case elucidates the complexity of further management. The potential risk of disastrous hemodynamic compromise by intrathoracic shift is to compare with the limited safety of the ectopic heart.
Association of achondroplasia withDown syndrome: Difficulty in prenatal diagnosis by sonographic and 3‐Dhelical computed tomographic analyses
Authors: Kaga Akimune , Murotsuki Jun , Kamimura Miki , Kimura Masato , Saito‐Hakoda Akiko , Kanno Junko , Hoshi Kazuhiko , Kure Shigeo , Fujiwara Ikuma
Published: November 2014

Achondroplasia andDown syndrome are relatively common conditions individually. But co‐occurrence of both conditions in the same patient is rare and there have been no reports of fetal analysis of this condition by prenatal sonographic and three‐dimensional (3‐D) helical computed tomography (CT). Prenatal sonographic findings seen in persons withDown syndrome, such as a thickened nuchal fold, cardiac defects, and echogenic bowel were not found in the patient. A prenatal 3‐DhelicalCTrevealed a large head with frontal bossing, metaphyseal flaring of the long bones, and small iliac wings, which suggested achondroplasia. In a case with combination of achondroplasia andDown syndrome, it may be difficult to diagnose the co‐occurrence prenatally without typical markers ofDown syndrome.
Optimal Integrated Strategies to Control an Invasive Weed
Authors: Chalak Morteza , Pannell David J.
Published: November 2014

Although there have been numerous studies on the economics of weed control in agriculture, relatively few studies have focused on weeds in natural ecosystems. A stochastic dynamic simulation model and a stochastic dynamic programming model are developed to: (A) identify the combination of control options that is optimal for blackberry (Rubus anglocandicans) in Australian natural ecosystems, (B) assess whether an integrated control strategy is superior to chemical‐only strategies, (C) evaluate the net benefits of biological control (a rust and grazing by goats), and (D) determine how changes in model parameters affect the optimal control strategy. The results indicate that, while an integrated strategy combining chemical and nonchemical control methods may be optimal in certain circumstances, it is not necessarily superior to a chemical‐dominant strategy in all cases. The results show that grazing goats for control of blackberry can be optimal despite uncertainty about its effectiveness. Policy makers need to be aware of the trade‐offs between choosing more effective control options that may impose environmental and health risks versus less effective control strategies that are safer to the environment and human health.
Non‐linear relationship between birthweight and cardiometabolic risk factors in Chinese adolescents and adults
Authors: Tam C. H. T. , Wang Y. , Luan J. , Lee H. M. , Luk A. O. Y. , Tutino G. E. , Tong P. C. Y. , Ko G. T. C. , Ozaki R. , Tam W. H. , Kong A. P. S. , So W. Y. , Chan J. C. N. , Ma R. C. W.
Published: November 2014

Aim

To investigate the relationship between birthweight and cardiometabolic traits in two cohorts: one of Chinese adolescents and one of Chinese adults.

Methods

Birthweight and clinical data, including anthropometric traits, fasting plasma glucose and fasting plasma insulin levels, blood pressure and lipid profiles were collected from 2035 adolescents and 456 adults. A subset of 735 subjects underwent an oral glucose tolerance test to measure the glucose and insulin concentrations at 0, 15, 30, 60 and 120 min.

Results

Among adolescents, birthweight showed U‐shaped relationships with larger body size, obesity, abdominal obesity in girls, insulin resistance and worse lipid profiles (0.0013 < Pquadratic < 0.0499), as well as an inverse association with fasting plasma glucose (Plinear = 0.0368). After further adjustment for adiposity, decreasing birthweight was associated with elevated fasting plasma glucose levels, greater insulin resistance and worse lipid profiles (3.1 × 10‐5 < Plinear < 0.0058). Among adults, high birthweight was associated with larger body size and abdominal obesity in men, while low birthweight was associated with elevated glucose levels at 15, 30, 60 and 120 min and a greater area under the curve at 0–120 min, as well as with β‐cell dysfunction (6.5 × 10‐5 < Plinear < 0.0437). Adjustment for adult adiposity did not substantially change the relationships. There was significant interaction between birthweight and abdominal obesity in elevating fasting plasma insulin and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (P > 0.05), with abdominally obese adolescents in the lowest birthweight category ( ≤ 2.5 kg) having the highest risk of insulin resistance.

Conclusions

Both high and low birthweights are associated with an increased risk of cardiometabolic abnormalities including obesity, abdominal obesity, hyperglycaemia, dyslipidaemia and insulin resistance, as well as with β‐cell dysfunction.
Fatty acid composition of Cladocera and Copepoda from lakes of contrasting temperature
Authors: Gladyshev Michail I. , Sushchik Nadezhda N. , Dubovskaya Olga P. , Buseva Zhanna F. , Makhutova Olesia N. , Fefilova Elena B. , Feniova Irina Y. , Semenchenko Vitaliy P. , Kolmakova Anzhelika A. , Kalachova Galina S.
Published: November 2014

We studied the fatty acid (FA) composition of six species of Cladocera and six species of Copepoda from five cold‐water lakes, situated in the tundra and/or in the mountains, and eight species of Cladocera and four species of Copepoda from eight warm‐water lakes (including one reservoir) in temperate regions.

We asked whether the contrasting temperature would result primarily simply in changes in the percentages (i.e. percentage of total FAs) and absolute contents (quantities) of the long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n‐3, EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n‐3, DHA), or whether there are other FAs with various number of double bonds and/or chain lengths which could be responsible for a putative homeoviscous adaptation. We also aimed to reveal any consistent phylogenetic differences in FA percentages and contents between Cladocera and Copepoda, separable from any temperature effects.

Both taxa in warm waters had greater percentages of 18:0, and lower percentages of 14:0 and 18:4n‐3, than in cold waters, but there were no differences in percentages of DHA. In addition, Cladocera, besides the lower percentage of EPA, had higher percentages of 20:0 and 22:0 in warm waters. These patterns in the percentages of 14:0, 18:0, 18:4n‐3, 20:0 and 22:0 are in a good agreement with the hypothesis of homeoviscous adaptation. Thus, the role of EPA, and particularly DHA, as unique regulators of the homeoviscous adaptation of the zooplankton may have been overestimated.

Overall, we confirmed the known differences between Cladocera and Copepoda, namely higher percentages of EPA in Cladocera and higher percentages of DHA in Copepoda. However, there was c. 50% overlap in the ranges of the percentage of EPA in Cladocera and Copepoda, while the ranges in the content of EPA per unit organic carbon in Cladocera and Copepoda overlapped completely. Differences in the percentages and content of DHA between Cladocera and Copepoda were statistically significant and invariant with temperature, and therefore are probably due to phylogenetic factors, rather than any temperature adaptation.

Contrasting temperature was not associated with significant differences in the contents of EPA and DHA per unit of organic carbon within the taxa studied. If this remained the case in a warming climate, such warming would be unlikely to reduce the accumulation of these important PUFAs in the zooplankton, at least if species composition was unchanged. However, if there were shifts in the proportions of Cladocera and Copepoda in the zooplankton, for example fewer copepods as temperature rises, a decrease of the flux of PUFA in the ecosystem is plausible, taking into account the phylogenetic (and temperature invariant) differences in DHA between the two groups.
Olfactory Acuity in Chronic Migraine: A Cross‐Sectional Study
Authors: Whiting Alexander C. , Marmura Michael J. , Hegarty Sarah E. , Keith Scott W.
Published: November 2014

Objective/Background

This study aims to measure olfactory acuity in chronic migraine subjects, at baseline and on migraine days, and compare to age‐ and sex‐matched controls. Olfactory impairment is common in neurological disorders. While smell hypersensitivity has been established with chronic migraine, olfactory acuity has not been well studied.

Methods

We recruited 50 subjects with chronic migraine from the Jefferson Headache Center and 50 age‐ and sex‐matched controls. Using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), a validated test of olfaction, olfactory acuity was measured at baseline and during a migraine for subjects, and compared to controls at baseline and at home 2 weeks later. All subjects were additionally screened for odor sensitivity and allodynia.

Results

The mean UPSIT score for migraine subjects was 34.5 on non‐migraine days and 34.7 on migraine days (mean difference = −0.4, 95% confidence interval [CI; −1.3, 0.6] P = .45). Controls had a mean of 35.9 and 36.1 for each test day (mean difference = −0.1, 95% CI [−0.9, 0.7] P = .87). On average, migraineurs performed worse than their matched control counterparts in both test sittings (test 1: P = .047; test 2: P = .01). The great majority of subjects were allodynic (42/50) compared with only 9 of 50 controls, and the majority of subjects (41/50) found more than one listed odor to be bothersome, compared with only 10/50 controls. On non‐migraine days, 18/48 chronic migraine subjects had abnormal olfaction and on migraine days 14/42 had abnormal olfaction, compared with only 9/50 controls who had abnormal olfaction on their first UPSIT.

Conclusions

While chronic migraine patients do not appear to have a significant change in olfactory acuity between migrainous and non‐migrainous periods, they do appear to be more likely to have abnormal olfactory acuity at baseline compared to age‐ and sex‐matched controls.
Tradition and difference: can mainstream academic discourse in Applied Linguistics ever change?
Authors: Jordao Clarissa Menezes
Published: November 2014

This text is a response to some European‐oriented journals in the field of English language teaching who reject submissions on the basis of their particular use of academic discourse. It is therefore deeply indebted to some open‐minded editors and some narrow‐minded reviewers who functioned as my imaginary interlocutors. I hope it can inspire more academics to struggle against the dictatorship of traditional journals and their dictatorial ways to control language. From my experience growing up in the 1970's in Brazil, I learned to feel strongly about freedom of expression: enough of totalitarian regimes.
Stevens–Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis: a 20‐year single‐center experience
Authors: Lalosevic Jovan , Nikolic Milos , Gajic‐Veljic Mirjana , Skiljevic Dusan , Medenica Ljiljana
Published: November 2014

Background

Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are life‐threatening diseases that are most frequently caused by drugs.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to summarize 20 years of experience with SJS and TEN in the largest dermatology clinic in Serbia.

Methods

The study included 38 patients treated during the period 1993–2012. The patients were classified into three groups according to whether they were diagnosed with SJS, a condition representing an overlap of SJS and TEN (SJS/TEN), or TEN. Patients with TEN were also divided into three groups according to the modality of therapy: supportive therapy (ST) only (n = 3); ST plus systemic corticosteroids (SC) (n = 8); and ST plus SC plus IV immunoglobulins (IVIG) (n = 6).

Results

The study population included 13 SJS patients, eight SJS/TEN patients, and 17 TEN patients. The disease had started at a mean ± standard deviation (SD) of 7.1 ± 3.5 days after the commencement of treatment with the offending drug. The disease resulted in three lethal outcomes, all of which occurred in TEN patients. However, the predicted mortality for the whole group was 5.6 in 38 patients, whereas that for the TEN group was 3.97 in 17 patients. The differences between actual and predicted rates of mortality were not significant. Among the three groups of TEN patients, there were no significant differences in the commencement of re‐epithelialization or the duration of hospitalization.

Conclusions

In the present study, nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory and anti‐infective drugs were the most frequent causative agents (eight patients in each group). In the group of SJS and SJS/TEN patients treated with ST and SC, the mortality rate was 0%. In TEN patients, the mortality rate was 17.6% (three of 17 patients). There were no significant differences in mortality rate among the three TEN treatment groups, but the results may have been biased by the small number of patients.
Impact of enforcing a statutory minimum wage on work and quality of life of vulnerable groups in Hong Kong
Authors: Wong Hung , Ye Shengquan
Published: November 2014

The statutory minimum wage (SMW) law was enforced in Hong Kong on 1 May 2011. To examine its impact, this longitudinal study measured the quality of life, job and pay satisfaction, monthly income, hourly rate and working hours of vulnerable groups (n = 253) before and after the legislation. The findings confirmed that the enforcement of the SMW induced a positive impact as intended. The introduction of the SMW induced a positive wage and employment effect on the vulnerable groups in Hong Kong without harming their employment rate. Job and pay satisfaction, as well as most domains of the quality of life (i.e., physical and psychological health, and environment), increased significantly. In general, the positive impact of the SMW was more prominent for employees who previously worked less than 18 hours a week and who had hourly rates less than 28 HKD. The implications of the findings are discussed in the social context of Hong Kong.

Key Practitioner Message: ● Enforcing minimum wage induced a positive impact on quality of life, job and pay satisfaction, and a monthly income of vulnerable groups. ● The social relations (quality of life) decreased after implementing minimum wage for workers working longer than 18 hours a week. ● Longer working hours is a key factor for the increase of a monthly income among the vulnerable groups.
Transgenic characterization of two testis‐specific promoters in the silkworm, Bombyx mori
Authors: Xu J. , Bi H. , Chen R. , Aslam A. F. M. , Li Z. , Ling L. , Zeng B. , Huang Y. , Tan A.
Published: November 2014

Sex‐specific regulatory elements are key components for developing insect genetic sexing systems. The current insect genetic sexing system mainly uses a female‐specific modification system whereas little success was reported on male‐specific genetic modification. In the silkworm Bombyx mori, a lepidopteran model insect with economic importance, a transgene‐based, female‐specific lethality system has been established based on sex‐specific alternative splicing factors and a female‐specific promoter BmVgp (vitellogenin promoter) has been identified. However, no male‐specific regulatory elements have yet been identified. Here we report the transgenic identification of two promoters that drive reporter gene expression in a testis‐specific manner in B. mori. Putative promoter sequences from the B. mori Radial spoke head 1 gene (BmR1) and beta‐tubulin 4 gene (Bmβ4) were introduced using piggybac‐based germline transformation. In transgenic silkworms, expression of the reporter gene enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) directed by either BmR1 promoter (BmR1p) or Bmβ4p showed precisely testis‐specific manners from the larval to adult stage. Furthermore, EGFP expression of these two transgenic lines showed different localization in the testis, indicating that BmR1p or Bmβ4p might be used as distinct regulatory elements in directing testis‐specific gene expression. Identification of these testis‐specific promoters not only contributes to a better understanding of testis‐specific gene function in insects, but also has potential applications in sterile insect techniques for pest management.
A few steps forward and no steps back: long‐distance dispersal patterns in small carpenter bees suggest major barriers to back‐dispersal
Authors: Rehan Sandra , Schwarz Michael
Published: November 2014

Aim

Inequality between rates of forward and backward dispersal is one mechanism that will produce regional differences in biotic composition. Any such differences will affect ecosystem assembly. Thus, it is important to understand why unequal dispersal rates might occur. Recent studies have indicated strong differences between forward and backward dispersal in two major bee groups, Hylaeinae and Allodapini. Here, we use a third bee group, tribe Ceratinini, to determine whether this might be a more general phenomenon.

Location

Worldwide.

Methods

Ceratinini is globally distributed (excepting Antarctica) and contains the single genus Ceratina and 21 subgenera, most of which are endemic to continents. We examined the phylogeny of Ceratinini using sequence data from three genes and 99 species, and inferred ancestral distributions using Bayesian and maximum likelihood approaches.

Results

We show that the tribe Ceratinini had an African origin in the early Eocene. This was followed by four dispersals out of Africa in the Eocene and early Oligocene and three further dispersals between the Miocene and the present. There has been no back‐dispersal of Ceratinini to Africa. The lack of back‐dispersal cannot be explained by species abundance in non‐African regions, and physical barriers to back‐dispersal seem unlikely.

Main conclusions

Our results are similar to findings for two other major bee groups and indicate that back‐dispersal is very rare. It is unlikely that physical barriers can explain these patterns. However, dispersal patterns might be explained by assembly rules such as niche pre‐emption or by reduced opportunities for escaping into enemy‐free space. At a continental level, it is likely that the composition of bee fauna is more strongly influenced by very early dispersal events rather than by later physical barriers to dispersal.
Pleistocene speciation is not refuge speciation
Authors: Rull Valentí
Published: November 2014

A number of researchers working on the origin of extant Neotropical biodiversity implicitly and without appropriate proofs assume that Pleistocene speciation should necessarily follow the rules of the refuge hypothesis. A recent example is provided by a study of Neotropical butterflies. Although the analysis showed that these groups experienced their main diversification burst during the last 2.6 million years, coinciding with the Pleistocene glacial cycles (Garzón‐Orduña et al., 2014, Journal of Biogeography, 41, 1631–1638), a causal link between the speciation chronology and the evolutionary mechanisms proposed by the refuge hypothesis is not provided. Without more detailed studies on the environmental drivers, geographical patterns and speciation modes, establishing a causal link between speciation chronology and a particular speciation model – of which the refuge hypothesis is only one among many possibilities – is too speculative. Here I provide a six‐step conceptual framework for linking the speciation chronology with the environmental drivers and the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms potentially involved.
Hypothesis: cell signalling influences age‐related risk of colorectal cancer
Authors: Bordonaro Michael , Lazarova Darina L.
Published: November 2014

We propose that ageing is linked to colonic carcinogenesis through crosstalk between Wnt activity and signalling pathways related to ageing and senescence: progerin, klotho and mTOR. Mutations in the Wnt signalling pathway are responsible for the majority of colorectal cancers (CRCs); however, hyperactivation of Wnt signalling by butyrate, a breakdown product of dietary fibre, induces CRC cell apoptosis. This effect of butyrate may in part explain the protective action of fibre against CRC. Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome is a premature ageing disorder caused by accumulation of the progerin protein; however, healthy individuals also produce progerin in the course of their normal ageing. Progerin activates expression of the Wnt inhibitors HES1 and TLE1. Thus, we hypothesize that with age, the increasing expression of progerin suppresses butyrate‐mediated Wnt hyperactivation and apoptosis, leading to increased CRC risk. Wild‐type klotho contributes to a significantly increased lifespan; however, Klotho gene variants differ significantly between newborns and elderly. Klotho inhibits basal Wnt signalling activity; thus, the protein may function as a tumour suppressor for CRC. However, similar to progerin, klotho variants associated with lifespan differences may repress butyrate‐mediated Wnt hyperactivation, and thus increase the risk of CRC. Finally, mTOR signalling has also been linked to human ageing, and crosstalk between Wnt and mTOR signalling may influence colonic tumourigenesis. Understanding how progerin, klotho and mTOR link ageing with colonic neoplastic development may lead to novel preventive and therapeutic strategies against CRC associated with age.
Role of p38 MAPK in enhanced human cancer cells killing by the combination of aspirin and ABT‐737
Authors: Zhang Chong , Shi Jing , Mao Shi‐ying , Xu Ya‐si , Zhang Dan , Feng Lin‐yi , Zhang Bo , Yan You‐you , Wang Si‐cong , Pan Jian‐ping , Yang You‐ping , Lin Neng‐ming
Published: November 2014

Regular use of aspirin after diagnosis is associated with longer survival among patients with mutated‐PIK3CA colorectal cancer, but not among patients with wild‐type PIK3CA cancer. In this study, we showed that clinically achievable concentrations of aspirin and ABT‐737 in combination could induce a synergistic growth arrest in several human PIK3CA wild‐type cancer cells. In addition, our results also demonstrated that long‐term combination treatment with aspirin and ABT‐737 could synergistically induce apoptosis both in A549 and H1299 cells. In the meanwhile, short‐term aspirin plus ABT‐737 combination treatment induced a greater autophagic response than did either drug alone and the combination‐induced autophagy switched from a cytoprotective signal to a death‐promoting signal. Furthermore, we showed that p38 acted as a switch between two different types of cell death (autophagy and apoptosis) induced by aspirin plus ABT‐737. Moreover, the increased anti‐cancer efficacy of aspirin combined with ABT‐737 was further validated in a human lung cancer A549 xenograft model. We hope that this synergy may contribute to failure of aspirin cancer therapy and ultimately lead to efficacious regimens for cancer therapy.
Sitagliptin attenuates sympathetic innervation via modulating reactive oxygen species and interstitial adenosine in infarcted rat hearts
Authors: Lee Tsung‐Ming , Chen Wei‐Ting , Yang Chen‐Chia , Lin Shinn‐Zong , Chang Nen‐Chung
Published: November 2014

We investigated whether sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP‐4) inhibitor, attenuates arrhythmias through inhibiting nerve growth factor (NGF) expression in post‐infarcted normoglycemic rats, focusing on adenosine and reactive oxygen species production. DPP‐4 bound adenosine deaminase has been shown to catalyse extracellular adenosine to inosine. DPP‐4 inhibitors increased adenosine levels by inhibiting the complex formation. Normoglycemic male Wistar rats were subjected to coronary ligation and then randomized to either saline or sitagliptin in in vivo and ex vivo studies. Post‐infarction was associated with increased oxidative stress, as measured by myocardial superoxide, nitrotyrosine and dihydroethidium fluorescent staining. Measurement of myocardial norepinephrine levels revealed a significant elevation in vehicle‐treated infarcted rats compared with sham. Compared with vehicle, infarcted rats treated with sitagliptin significantly increased interstitial adenosine levels and attenuated oxidative stress. Sympathetic hyperinnervation was blunted after administering sitagliptin, as assessed by immunofluorescent analysis and western blotting and real‐time quantitative RT‐PCR of NGF. Arrhythmic scores in the sitagliptin‐treated infarcted rats were significantly lower than those in vehicle. Ex vivo studies showed a similar effect of erythro‐9‐(2‐hydroxy‐3‐nonyl) adenine (an adenosine deaminase inhibitor) to sitagliptin on attenuated levels of superoxide and NGF. Furthermore, the beneficial effects of sitagliptin on superoxide anion production and NGF levels can be reversed by 8‐cyclopentyl‐1,3‐dipropulxanthine (adenosine A1 receptor antagonist) and exogenous hypoxanthine. Sitagliptin protects ventricular arrhythmias by attenuating sympathetic innervation via adenosine A1 receptor and xanthine oxidase‐dependent pathways, which converge through the attenuated formation of superoxide in the non‐diabetic infarcted rats.
Connexin 31.1 degradation requires the Clathrin‐mediated autophagy in NSCLC cell H1299
Authors: Zhu Xingli , Ruan Zhenchao , Yang Xiufang , Chu Kaili , Wu Hai , Li Yao , Huang Yan
Published: November 2014

Connexins have relative short half‐lives. Connexin 31.1 (Cx31.1) was newly reported to be down‐regulated in non‐small cell lung cancer cell lines, and displayed tumour‐suppressive properties. However, no reports describing how a cell regulates Cx31.1 level were found. In this study, Cx31.1 was suggested to be degraded through both ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS) and autophagy. Blockage of UPS with MG‐132 increased Cx31.1 level, but could not inhibit the degradation of Cx31.1 completely. In H1299 cells stably expressing Cx31.1, Cx31.1 reduced when autophagy was induced through starvation or Brefeldin A treatment. Knockdown of autophagy‐related protein ATG5 could increase the cellular level of Cx31.1 both under normal growth condition and starvation‐induced autophagy. Colocalization of Cx31.1 and autophagy marker light chain 3 (LC3) was revealed by immunofluorescence analysis. Coimmunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence showed that Cx31.1 might interact with clathrin heavy chain which was newly reported to regulate autophagic lysosome reformation (ALR) and controls lysosome homoeostasis. When clathrin expression was knockdown by siRNA treatment, the level of Cx31.1 increased prominently both under normal growth condition and starvation‐induced autophagy. Under starvation‐induced autophagy, LC3‐II levels were slightly accumulated with siCla. treatment compared to that of siNC, which could be ascribed to that clathrin knockdown impaired the late stage of autophagy, ALR. Taken together, we found autophagy contributed to Cx31.1 degradation, and clathrin might be involved in the autophagy of Cx31.1.
Acroosteolysis presenting with brachyonychia following exposure to cold
Authors: EL‐Komy M.H.M. , Baran R.
Published: November 2014

Background

A vast number of conditions ranging from simple trauma to hereditary and collagen vascular disease had been described in association with acroosteolysis.

Objective

To demonstrate that severe cold exposure not mounting to frostbite may be associated with acroosteolysis.

Methods

A 16–year‐old girl with acroosteolysis presenting with brachyonychia was fully investigated for possible cause of her nail and bone deformity.

Results

Lab investigations including Parathormone levels, Anti Scl 70, ANA, Anti‐CCP and RF levels were all normal. X‐ray imaging revealed resorption of the tufts of the terminal phalanges bilaterally. Disruption of nail fold capillaries with sluggish flow in capillary loops was evident on capillaroscopy.

Conclusion

It had been repeatedly reported that frostbite, Raynaud's disease and diseases associated with repeated chilblains may be associated with secondary cold‐induced acroosteolysis. Here, we present a case of acroosteolysis associated with brachyonychia following exposure to severe cold not mounting to frostbite.
Impact of brief and sequential exposure to nystatin, amphotericin B, ketoconazole, and fluconazole in modulating adhesion traits of oral Candida dubliniensis isolates
Authors: Ellepola Arjuna N.B. , Joseph Bobby K. , Samaranayake Lakshman P. , Bandara H.M.H.N. , Khan Zia U.
Published: November 2014

Aim

Candida adherence is implicated in the pathogenesis of oral candidosis. Adhesion to buccal epithelial cells (BEC), germ tube (GT) formation, and relative cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) are colonization attributes of candidal pathogenicity. Candida dubliniensis (C. dubliniensis) is allied with recurrent oral candidosis, which can be treated with nystatin, amphotericin B, ketoconazole, and fluconazole. Due to the diluent effect of saliva and the cleansing effect of the oral musculature in the oral cavity C. dubliniensis isolates undergo brief and sequential exposure to antifungal agents during therapy. Thus, in the present study, we evaluated the adhesion to BEC, GT formation, and the CSH of oral isolates of C. dubliniensis following brief and sequential exposure to nystatin, amphotericin B, ketoconazole, and fluconazole.

Methods

After determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the aforementioned drugs, 20 oral isolates of C. dubliniensis were briefly (1 h), and sequentially (10 days) exposed to subcidal concentrations of these drugs. Following drug removal, adhesion to BEC, GT formation, and CSH of these isolates were determined.

Results

The percentage reduction of adhesion to BEC, GT formation, and CSH of the isolates following exposure to antifungal agents were as follows: nystatin: 53.55%, 33.98%, and 29.83% (P < 0.001); amphotericin B: 53.84%, 36.23%, and 28.97% (P < 0.001); ketoconazole: 37.43%, 20.51%, and 16.49% (P < 0.001); and fluconazole: 8.93% (P < 0.001), 1.6%, and 0.63% (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

Brief and sequential exposure of C. dubliniensis to antifungal agents would continue to wield an antifungal effect by altering its adhesion attributes, and elucidate possible pharmacodynamics by which antifungal agents might operate in modulating candidal adherence.
The Wax and Wane of Narcissism: Grandiose Narcissism as a Process or State
Authors: Giacomin Miranda , Jordan Christian H.
Published: November 2014

Though grandiose narcissism has predominantly been studied in structural terms—focused on individuals' general tendencies to be more or less narcissistic—we tested whether it also has a meaningful process or state component. Using a daily diary study methodology and multilevel modeling (N = 178 undergraduates, 146 female; Mage = 18.86, SD = 2.21), we examine whether there is significant variability in daily state narcissism and whether this variability relates systematically to other psychological states (i.e., self‐esteem, stress) and daily events. We assessed state narcissism and daily experiences over a 10‐day period. We observed significant within‐person variability in daily narcissism. Notably, this variability was not simply random error, as it related systematically to other psychological states and daily events. Specifically, state narcissism was higher when people experienced more positive agentic outcomes (e.g., having power over someone) or more positive communal outcomes (e.g., helping someone with a problem). State narcissism was lower on days people experienced greater felt stress. These relations held when state self‐esteem, gender, and trait narcissism were controlled. These findings suggest that grandiose narcissism has a meaningful process or state component.
Effect of the Novel BKCa Channel Opener LDD175 on the Modulation of Corporal Smooth Muscle Tone
Authors: Sung Hyun Hwan , Choo Seol Ho , Han Deok Hyun , Chae Mee Ree , Kang Su Jeong , Park Chul-Seung , So Insuk , Park Jong Kwan , Lee Sung Won
Published: November 2014

Introduction

The BKCa channel has been reported to play an important role in erectile function. Recently, novel BKCa channel activator, LDD175, was introduced.

Aim

This study aims to investigate whether LDD175 relaxes corporal smooth muscle (CSM) via BKCa channel activation.

Methods

After isolation of CSM strip from a male rabbit model, contraction studies using organ bath was performed. Isolating human tissue and cell cultures, electrophysiological studies were done via whole-cell patch-clamp recording.

Main Outcome Measures

Vasodilatory effects of LDD175 were evaluated by cumulative addition ranging from 10−7 to 10−4 M in corpus cavernosal strips after precontraction with 10−5 M phenylephrine via organ bath system. Using cultured human CSM cells, patch-clamp recording was performed. Erectile function was measured by in vivo rat cavernous nerve stimulation.

Results

LDD175 caused an endothelium-independent relaxation of corporal tissues, and this effect was abolished by pretreatment with iberiotoxin. The relaxation effect of 10−4 M LDD175 was greater than that of 10−6 M udenafil (54.0 ± 3.1% vs. 34.5 ± 3.9%, P < 0.05); 10−5 M LDD175 with 10−6 M udenafil caused a greater relaxation effect on strips than 10−5 M LDD175 or 10−6 M udenafil alone (50.7%, 34.1%, vs. 20.7%, respectively, P < 0.001). In patch-clamp recordings, LDD175 increased K+ currents in a dose-dependent manner, and washout of LDD175 or the addition of iberiotoxin fully reversed the increase. Intravenous LDD175 improved erectile function measured by area under the curve (AUC) of the intracavernosal pressure (ICP)/arterial blood pressure (ABP) ratio (1,612.1 ± 135.6 vs. 1,093.7 ± 123.1, P < 0.05). There was no difference between 10 mg/kg LDD175 and 1 mg/kg udenafil regarding maximal ICP, maximal ICP/ABP ratio, and the AUC of the ICP/ABP ratio (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

LDD175 leads to an endothelium-independent relaxation of erectile tissue, primarily through the opening of BKCa channels. The results suggest that LDD175 might be a new candidate treatment for erectile dysfunction.