bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bloody foreigners! Overseas equity on the London Stock Exchange, 1869–1929
Authors: Grossman Richard S.
Published: October 2014

This article presents data on quantity, capital gains, dividend yields, and total returns of domestic and overseas equities listed on the London Stock Exchange during 1869–1929. Indices are presented for Africa, Asia, Australia (including New Zealand), Europe, Latin America, and North America (as well as for the UK), and for the finance, transportation, raw materials, and utilities sectors in each region. Returns and volatility were typically highest in emerging regions and the raw materials sector. Dividend yields were similar across regions and differences in total returns were due largely to disparities in capital gains. Contingent liability was most extensively employed where leverage was high and the physical assets were either meagre or inaccessible to creditors.
The association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and dementia: a population‐based retrospective cohort study
Authors: Liao W.‐C. , Lin C.‐L. , Chang S.‐N. , Tu C.‐Y. , Kao C.‐H.
Published: October 2014

Background and purpose

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is frequently associated with various comorbidities. However, the proportion of COPD patients with dementia has not been adequately examined. This retrospective cohort study investigated the association between COPD and dementia by using a nationwide population‐based database in Taiwan.

Methods

Data were retrieved from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database and analyzed using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models to assess the effects of COPD on the risk of dementia after adjusting for demographic characteristics and comorbidities.

Results

The COPD cohort exhibited a higher prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, head injury and depression at baseline than did the non‐COPD cohort (P < 0.0001). After adjusting for covariates, the COPD patients exhibited a 1.27‐fold higher risk of developing dementia (hazard ratio 1.27, 95% confidence interval 1.20–1.36). The incidence rate was higher in patients with frequent acute exacerbations than in the non‐COPD patients regardless of whether a hospital admission or emergency room visit was required (hazard ratio 196.8 vs. 41.7, 95% confidence intervals 145.9–265.5 and 22.3–78.0).

Conclusion

This study shows that COPD is associated with a subsequent higher risk of dementia after adjusting for comorbidities. Specifically, the association between COPD and dementia is greater in patients with more frequent acute exacerbation events of COPD.
Extending the Role of Similarity Attraction in Friendship and Advice Networks in Angel Groups
Authors: Mitteness Cheryl R. , DeJordy Rich , Ahuja Manju K. , Sudek Richard
Published: October 2014

Although similarity attraction theory is often utilized to explain why people form relationships with similar others, we utilize diversity research to look beyond surface–level demographic characteristics similarity to explain situations when angels form interpersonal relations with angels with dissimilar deep–level personal characteristics due to a strong desire to receive information and cognitive benefits. We use data collected from a chapter of one of the largest angel organizations in the United States. Our results show that although individuals often form relations with similar others, conditions exist when angels exert the extra effort required to form relations with dissimilar others.
Asset Securitizations and Credit Default Swaps
Authors: Zhang John Ziyang
Published: October 2014

This study examines the effects of off‐balance sheet versus on‐balance sheet securitizations on the originator's credit risk in the default swap (CDS) market across the recent business cycle from 2002 to 2009. I find that on‐balance sheet securitizations demonstrate greater effects on the originator's CDS premium than off‐balance sheet securitizations in the business cycle. While off‐balance sheet securitizations’ effects on the originator's CDS premium become significantly stronger after 2007 when the economy declines, on‐balance sheet securitizations’ effects on the originator's CDS premium do not experience a significant change with the onset of the recession. The results suggest that the CDS market views originators as having greater probabilities not to honour their implicit guarantees for off‐balance sheet securitizations during the economic downturn. The results also indicate that on balance sheet and off‐balance sheet securitizations have distinctly different risk properties. It would be beneficial to investors if regulations take into considerations the changing credit risks of off‐balance sheet securitizations and the different structures of asset securitizations.
Expression of amino acid transporters (LAT1, ASCT2 and xCT) as clinical significance in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Namikawa Masashi , Kakizaki Satoru , Kaira Kyoichi , Tojima Hiroki , Yamazaki Yuichi , Horiguchi Norio , Sato Ken , Oriuchi Noboru , Tominaga Hideyuki , Sunose Yutaka , Nagamori Shushi , Kanai Yoshikatsu , Oyama Tetsunari , Takeyoshi Izumi , Yamada Masanobu
Published: October 2014

Aim

Amino acid transporters play an important role in tumor progression and survival of cancer cells. However, the prognostic significance of L‐type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1), system ASC amino acid transporter‐2 (ASCT2) and xCT expression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate the clinicopathological significance of these amino acid transporters in patients with HCC.

Methods

We examined 84 patients with surgically resected HCC. Tumor sections were stained by immunohistochemistry for LAT1, ASCT2, xCT, 4F2hc/CD98hc (4F2hc), Ki‐67 and microvessel density (MVD) determined by CD34.

Results

LAT1, 4F2hc, ASCT2 and xCT were positively expressed in 61% (50/84), 77% (65/84), 63% (53/84) and 65% (55/84), respectively. Positive LAT1 expression was significantly associated with 4F2hc expression, Ki‐67 and the serum albumin. By univariate analysis, LAT1 expression, disease stage and albumin had a significant relationship with overall survival. Tumor size, disease stage, portal vein invasion, albumin and α‐fetoprotein had a significant relationship with progression‐free survival. Multivariate analysis confirmed that LAT1 expression is an independent and significant prognostic factor for predicting worse outcome after surgery.

Conclusion

LAT1 can serve as a significant prognostic marker for predicting negative prognosis after surgery.
Human placental extract treatment for non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis non‐responsive to lifestyle intervention: A pilot study
Authors: Shimokobe Hideto , Sumida Yoshio , Tanaka Saiyu , Mori Kojiro , Kitamura Yoko , Fukumoto Kohei , Kakutani Akira , Ohno Tomoyuki , Kanemasa Kazuyuki , Imai Shunsuke , Hibino Sawako , Yoshikawa Toshikazu
Published: October 2014

Aim

No pharmacological therapies have been established for non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which can lead to liver‐related mortality. Human placental extract (HPE), which has anti‐inflammatory effects, has been expected to be a promising treatment for chronic liver disease. This pilot study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of HPE for biopsy‐diagnosed NASH.

Methods

After a lifestyle intervention for 12 weeks, 10 subjects with abnormal alanine aminotransferase (≥30 IU/L) and biopsy‐proven NASH (Non‐Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Activity Score [NAS], ≥4) received i.m. injections of HPE (Laennec) at a dose of 4 mL/day twice per week for 24 weeks, and seven of them underwent a second liver biopsy after the treatment. Liver biopsies were scored for NAS and fibrosis. Histological response was defined as a decrease of 2 points or more in NAS and no increase in fibrosis.

Results

Serum transaminase activities were significantly lower at 8 weeks compared with pretreatment levels in nine patients who continued treatment for 24 weeks. One patient refused to continue the treatment soon after starting therapies. In seven patients undergoing post‐treatment biopsies, NAS (mean [standard deviation]) mildly decreased from 5.29 (0.95) to 4.00 (1.83) without reaching statistical significance (P = 0.078). Histological response was observed in all three obese patients and in only one of four non‐obese ones. No significant changes were observed in body mass index, lipid profiles and diabetic control/insulin resistance.

Conclusion

In NASH patients who received HPE treatment, significant reductions in serum liver enzymes were obtained after 8 weeks. Histological efficacy may be better in obese patients than in non‐obese ones.
The mysterious pathways of cardiac myxomas: a review of histogenesis, pathogenesis and pathology
Authors: Di Vito Anna , Mignogna Chiara , Donato Giuseppe
Published: October 2014

Cardiac myxoma is the most common benign cardiac tumour, localized generally in the left atrium. The majority of cardiac myxomas occur sporadically, while a relatively small proportion of cases develop as a part of Carney complex syndrome. Currently, the histogenesis of myxoma is poorly understood; however, the mesenchymal and endothelial properties of myxoma cells suggest that a clearer understanding of tumour origins can be achieved through a detailed investigation of heart development and endocardial histogenesis. Growing evidence appears to indicate the reactivated expression in cardiac myxoma of genes encoding heart precursor markers, although the exact mechanisms have not yet been described. In this paper we review the most recent scientific literature concerning cardiac embryology and relate this to recent advances in our understanding of the histogenesis of cardiac myxoma. Moreover, given that much of the literature regarding myxoma is of single case reports, we review progress in our knowledge of the pathology and pathogenesis of this condition.
How to address smoking cessation in HIV patients
Authors: Calvo‐Sánchez M , Martinez E
Published: October 2014

Tobacco consumption is the modifiable risk factor contributing most to the development of non‐AIDS‐defining events among persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Clinicians' awareness of this problem is critical and not yet adequate. Practical information issued by public health authorities or contained in experts' clinical guidelines regarding how to address smoking cessation in PLWHA is scarce. The aim of this review is to provide physicians with comprehensive and practical information regarding how to identify HIV‐positive patients willing to stop smoking and those more likely to succeed, how to choose the most suitable strategy for an individual patient, and how to help the patient during the process. In the light of current evidence on the efficacy and benefits of stopping smoking in PLWHA, physicians must actively pursue smoking cessation as a major objective in the clinical care of PLWHA.
Children First, Offenders Second: The Centrality of Engagement in Positive Youth Justice
Authors: Case Stephen , Haines Kevin
Published: October 2014

Contemporary European youth justice practice, notably in England and Wales, fosters retrospective, risk‐focused and reductionist views of children. Enforced, inequitable, prescriptive and adult‐led youth justice relationships adulterise children and responsibilise them fully for their offending behaviour, disengaging them from constructive youth justice interventions. This article sets out and evidences an alternative model of youth justice: Children First, Offenders Second (CFOS). The CFOS model offers a whole child, preventative and diversionary approach that normalises offending by children and promotes strengths and positive behaviour. The model is grounded in the principles of child‐friendly, child‐appropriate and legitimate practice as a means of engaging children with youth justice services and interventions. Evidence of how these key principles have been animated in local practice is provided and implications for engagement in the youth justice context are discussed.
Predictive microbiology for cosmetics based on physicals, chemicals and concentration parameters
Authors: Ghalleb S. , De Vaugelade S. , Sella O. , Lavarde M. , Mielcarek C. , Pense‐Lheritier A.‐M. , Pirnay S.
Published: October 2014

Synopsis

Objective

Challenge test (CT) is essential to assure the efficiency of the preservative system in products. A previous study realized by our staff in 2012, carried out to evaluate the influence of three parameters (ethanol, pH and water) on the microbiological cosmetics products conservation. Following this work, a correlation between aw (based on the glycerine concentration) and the selected parameter has been demonstrated. In the present study, smaller limits of ethanol, pH and glycerine were applied to determinate CT necessity.

Methods

Sixteen stables O/W cosmetics creams with different concentration of ethanol (1–19%), glycerine (3–16%) and different pH (6–11) were formulated. To evaluate the efficiency of the different formulations, CTs were performed according to the International Standard ISO 11930:2012. To determine the influence of the parameters, a D‐optimal plan generated by Design Expert® was applied. Design of Experiments software offers to plan, estimate and control the statistics and models for factorial and no‐factorial designs.

Results

Challenge tests results show that 10 formula passed criteria A, two passed criteria B and four are not conform. Mostly, an ethanol concentration higher than 16% exempts products of CT. It has been shown that an ethanol concentration between 10.5% and 16%, and an glycerine concentration >10%; or if the ethanol concentration is between 5% and 10.5%, glycerine is >6% and pH is ≥10, the CT is not required. Ethanol has a significant impact on conservation and especially when it is correlated with glycerine and pH. Finally, a glycerine concentration higher than 16% exempts products of CT.

Conclusion

Following the analysis of the different concentration, a correlation between glycerine and ethanol that directly influence microbiological protection of cosmetics products has been established. Indeed, by controlling ethanol, pH and glycerine, many products may be exempted from the CT.
Aesthetic Learning About, In, With and Through the Arts: A Curriculum Study
Authors: Lindström Lars
Published: October 2014

Aesthetic learning is a major issue in arts education. The ‘method of art’ is often expected to facilitate in‐depth learning not only in the arts but across the curriculum. This article defines aesthetic learning in terms of a conceptual framework based on two dimensions, one representing the goal and the other the means of aesthetic learning. The goal is described as convergent or divergent. Convergent learning is goal‐directed, focused and rational, while divergent learning is explorative, open‐ended and intuitive. The means are described as medium‐specific or medium‐neutral. Medium‐specific learning emphasises the forms of representation, for example words, pictures, algebra, dance. Medium‐neutral learning emphasises instrumental aspects of learning, such as academic achievement or personal development. Combining these dimensions two‐by‐two, the author arrives at a suggested definition of what is meant by learning about, learning in, learning with and learning through the arts. The rest of the article investigates the potential utility of this framework in various contexts and for different purposes. First, the author presents two temporary ‘Culture‐in‐School’ projects. Secondly, the framework is used to study aesthetic learning processes in sloyd (art & craft), based on student teachers’ portfolios in metalwork. Thirdly, the four modes of learning are compared to equivalent modes of teaching: the instructor, the facilitator, the advisor and the educator. Fourthly, there is a discussion on the role of aesthetics in a ‘balanced’ curriculum. Finally, there is an argument on the need for a variety of assessment tools based on the four modes of learning and teaching, such as copying, portfolios, projects and the repertory grid technique.
Room 13: The Movement and International Network
Authors: Gibb Claire
Published: October 2014

Room 13 is a global uprising of creative and entrepreneurial children who are responsible for a growing international network of student‐organised art studios. Each Room 13 studio facilitates the work of young artists alongside a professional adult artist in residence, providing an exchange of ideas, skills and experience across the ages. The result is an ongoing collaboration between adults and young people and a thriving culture of philosophical enquiry driven by a motivation to think and to learn. My own experience with Room 13 spans from that of the student, to adult artist and practitioner. Working under the direction of subsequent student‐management teams, I have been fortunate to be involved in the process by which Room 13 has gone on to establish an international network of student‐run art studios, serving an expanding global community of young artists.

The emerging global movement surrounding these studios calls for a serious revaluation of what art is – and who is qualified to make it. Room 13 not only augments the case for the work of young artists, but presents a challenge to the current systems for art education. As the quality of formal arts education is eroded by a universal need to standardise educational experiences, the training that Room 13 provides motivates individuals and develops their creativity in a way that outstrips anything that schools, or even art colleges, can currently offer.
Franz Kafka in the Design Studio: A Hermeneutic‐Phenomenological Approach to Architectural Design Education
Authors: Hisarligil Beyhan Bolak
Published: October 2014

This article demonstrates the outcomes of taking a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to architectural design and discusses the potentials for imaginative reasoning in design education. This study tests the use of literature as a verbal form of art and design and the contribution it can make to imaginative design processes – which are all too often limited by physical constraints. It has been observed that a person reading a novel can choose to suspend their disbelief and become entangled in the events of the book – where they become involved with the art not only subjectively, but also as a form of play. In the words of Hans‐Georg Gadamer: ‘understanding occurs in interpreting’. This study asked design students to read three of Franz Kafka's books –The Metamorphosis, The Trial and The Castle– prior to designing a Franz Kafka museum. The students found themselves drawn into numerous worlds that they were compelled to play along with; and demonstrating the productive role that literature can play in studio design, the students were observed to reconstruct the text and authorial context as a spatio‐temporal frame of reference, in this case a museum, and thus provide museum visitors with a Kafkaesque spatial experience of the narrative world in terms of design.
Concepts of Art and Interpretation in Interviews with Educators from Tate Britain
Authors: Arriaga Amaia , Aguirre Imanol
Published: October 2014

Educational practices in art museums are determined, to a great degree, by ideas of art and interpretation put into play, consciously or not, by both museums and educators. This article presents the results of research conducted at Tate Britain in which we have analysed the concepts of art and interpretation that underlie the discourses of the educators interviewed in this gallery. To this end we have designed a methodological device, a model that proposes four ways of understanding and interpreting art commonly found in educational contexts. This model has arranged the various conceptions from more visual or perceptual approaches to the most experientially complex as those summarised below: works of art as a visual representation and interpretation as identification; works of art as a message to be revealed, and interpretation as decodification; works of art as an intellectual, historical and cultural fact, and interpretation as an opportunity for critical reflection; works of art as the materialisation of an experience, and interpretation as an opportunity for self‐development. We conclude that in interviews with educators working in the Tate Britain different narratives about the idea of art and the idea of interpretation coexist, which in many cases are complementary and in some others are contradictory. Examples of the interviews are presented throughout the article.
Assessment as a Barrier in Developing Design Expertise: Interior Design Student Perceptions of Meanings and Sources of Grades
Authors: Smith Kennon M.
Published: October 2014

This article reports on a portion of a larger qualitative study focused on a group of interior design students' perceptions of their educational experiences. Twelve interior design students enrolled in their final studio course participated in interviews intended to elicit their perceptions of key barriers encountered during their undergraduate design school experience. Among students' perceived barriers to learning, studio project grades figured so prominently that they are the focus of this article. Interviews were transcribed, coded and analysed using a constant comparative approach. Themes were developed to describe the students' conceptions of meanings and sources of grades. Interactions among main themes are examined and implications for future research are addressed.
Designing Student Citizenship: Internationalised Education in Transformative Disciplines
Authors: Mendoza Hannah Rose , Matyók Tom
Published: October 2014

Design is a transformative, socially engaged practice and design education must provide a platform from which that practice can grow. Education plays a vital role in preparing design students to move beyond a purely reactive state to one in which they are actively engaged in shaping the world around them. Such a shift is built upon the provision of a holistic education that invites interaction with the concepts of democracy, engagement and empathy at the global scale. At a time when our graduates need to be prepared for global citizenship and design without borders, higher education has moved sharply toward discipline specific training and job preparation and away from liberal education and the development of critical thinking abilities.

The internationalisation of education in design disciplines is reliant upon the formation of deep connections that are an embedded part of a student's larger academic career, rather than an isolated opportunity. Rather than focus on ‘exposure’, the internationalised education that design students need includes deep immersion and diverse contact in order to transform the study abroad tour into a layer of embedded experience rather than an artificial veneer. As students develop relationships with students from other cultures and experience the richness of others, they explore their own knowledges, values and assumptions. While all design graduates will live and work in a global environment, not all students are able to study abroad. Therefore, alternative opportunities for internationalising the curriculum must be explored.
Professional Capabilities for Twenty‐First Century Creative Careers: Lessons from Outstandingly Successful Australian Artists and Designers
Authors: Bridgstock Ruth
Published: October 2014

Artists and designers are positioned at the centre of the twenty‐first century creative economy. In order to recognise and make the most of the opportunities afforded by this new era, artists and designers still require the creativity, disciplinary depth of knowledge and technical skills traditionally possessed by professionals in these fields – skills which are a core strength of higher and further art and design education. However, they may also require a range of other, ‘twenty‐first century’ creative capabilities which are harder to define, teach for and assess, and are not the focus of traditional art and design pedagogies. This article draws upon the findings of nine in‐depth interviews with award‐winning Australian artists and designers about their careers and working practices, along with recent international research about the characteristics of the twenty‐first century creative career, in order to highlight the importance of certain professional capabilities for art and design. It discusses the implications of these findings for art and design educators in universities, and curricular and pedagogic considerations associated with embedding these capabilities into undergraduate courses.
Words for Artworks: The Aesthetics of Meaning Making
Authors: Fróis João Pedro , White Boyd
Published: October 2014

In this article we introduce a research strategy that involves the making of visual maps by individuals in response to their interactions with artworks. The maps record the meaning‐making processes involved in the encounters and provide us with permanent records of otherwise ephemeral experiences. The case study presented here provides data for comparisons between three visits each to two artworks exhibited at the Calouste Gulbenkian Modern Art Centre in Lisbon. We conclude that our meaning‐making strategy is important for its own heuristic research value in both formal and non‐formal educational contexts, as well as providing an instrument for the training of teachers and museum educators.
Long non‐coding RNAs in non‐small cell lung cancer as biomarkers and therapeutic targets
Authors: Chen Jing , Wang Rui , Zhang Kai , Chen Long‐Bang
Published: October 2014

Lung cancer‐associated mortality is the most common cause of cancer death worldwide. Non‐coding RNAs (ncRNAs), with no protein‐coding ability, have multiple biological roles. Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a recently characterized class of ncRNAs that are over 200 nucleotides in length. Many lncRNAs have the ability of facilitating or inhibiting the development and progression of tumours, including non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Because of their fundamental roles in regulating gene expression, along with their involvement in the biological mechanisms underlying tumourigenesis, they are a promising class of tissue‐ and/or blood‐based cancer biomarkers. In this review, we highlight the emerging roles of lncRNAs in NSCLC, and discuss their potential clinical applications as diagnostic and prognostic markers and as therapeutic targets.
Weapon allometry varies with latitude in the New Zealand giraffe weevil
Authors: Painting C. J. , Buckley T. R. , Holwell G. I.
Published: October 2014

Animal body size commonly shows a relationship with latitude to the degree that this phenomenon is one of the few ‘rules’ discussed in evolutionary ecology: Bergmann's rule. Although exaggerated secondary sexual traits frequently exhibit interesting relationships with body size (allometries) and are expected to evolve rapidly in response to environmental variation, the way in which allometry might interact with latitude has not been addressed. We present data showing latitudinal variation in body size and weapon allometry for the New Zealand giraffe weevil (Lasiorhynchus barbicornis). Males display an extremely elongated rostrum used as a weapon during fights for access to females. Consistent with Bergmann's rule, mean body size increased with latitude. More interestingly, weapon allometry also varied with latitude, such that lower latitude populations exhibited steeper allometric slopes between weapon and body size. To our knowledge, this is the first study to document a latitudinal cline in weapon allometry and is therefore a novel contribution to the collective work on Bergmann's rule and secondary sexual trait variation.
Management of feline distal tibial fractures using a hybrid external skeletal fixator
Authors: Witte P. G. , Bush M. A. , Scott H. W.
Published: October 2014

OBJECTIVE

To document the results of management of feline distal tibial fractures with circular–linear hybrid external skeletal fixators.

METHODS

Retrospective examination of case records and radiographs of cats with distal tibial fractures managed with hybrid external skeletal fixators. Signalment, pre‐operative fracture conformation, post‐operative fracture reduction, implant complications, time to tibial and fibular fracture healing and time to hybrid external skeletal fixators removal were analysed.

RESULTS

Case records of eight cats were reviewed and included three closed fractures and five type 1 open fractures. Post‐operative fracture reduction was considered appropriate in all cases. Healing of five tibial fractures was complete and hybrid external skeletal fixators were removed within a mean of 13 weeks. Healing of the fibular fracture was complete within a mean of 12 · 1 weeks. Three tibial fractures demonstrated non‐union and were revised after a mean duration of 24 weeks. All three non‐union fractures were open on presentation.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Feline distal tibial fractures may be managed with hybrid external skeletal fixators, however, non‐union still occurs. In this study type I open feline distal tibial fractures appeared more likely to develop non‐union.
Community assembly of ectomycorrhizal fungi along a subtropical secondary forest succession
Authors: Gao Cheng , Zhang Yu , Shi Nan‐Nan , Zheng Yong , Chen Liang , Wubet Tesfaye , Bruelheide Helge , Both Sabine , Buscot François , Ding Qiong , Erfmeier Alexandra , Kühn Peter , Nadrowski Karin , Scholten Thomas , Guo Liang‐Dong
Published: October 2014

Environmental selection and dispersal limitation are two of the primary processes structuring biotic communities in ecosystems, but little is known about these processes in shaping soil microbial communities during secondary forest succession.

We examined the communities of ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi in young, intermediate and old forests in a Chinese subtropical ecosystem, using 454 pyrosequencing.

The EM fungal community consisted of 393 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), belonging to 21 EM fungal lineages, in which three EM fungal lineages and 11 EM fungal OTUs showed significantly biased occurrence among the young, intermediate and old forests. The EM fungal community was structured by environmental selection and dispersal limitation in old forest, but only by environmental selection in young, intermediate, and whole forests. Furthermore, the EM fungal community was affected by different factors in the different forest successional stages, and the importance of these factors in structuring EM fungal community dramatically decreased along the secondary forest succession series.

This study suggests that different assembly mechanisms operate on the EM fungal community at different stages in secondary subtropical forest succession.
The predictive value of allergen skin prick tests and IgE tests at pre‐school age: The PACT study
Authors: Rø Anne Dorthea , Simpson Melanie Rae , Storrø Ola , Johnsen Roar , Videm Vibeke , Øien Torbjørn
Published: October 2014

Background

Sensitization toward allergens, as determined by skin prick test (SPT) or specific IgE (sIgE), is a predictor for the later presence of allergy‐related disease (atopic eczema, allergic rhinoconjuctivitis and asthma). However, it is not known whether SPT or sIgE should be the preferred test. The aim of this study was to compare the predictive ability of SPT and sIgE when performed in a general population of 2‐yr‐old children.

Methods

In a prospective, longitudinal population‐based study of children aged 2–6 yr, SPT and sIgE for nine common allergens were performed at 2 yr. Allergy‐related disease was evaluated by clinical examination and questionnaire at 2 and 6 yr of age (n = 199).

Results

Skin prick test or sIgE was positive in 10.6% and 21.1% in the 2‐yr‐old children, respectively. The prevalence of allergy‐related disease was 25.6% at 2 yr and 25.1% at 6 yr. Half of the cases at 2 yr were transient. Both SPT and sIgE were statistically significant predictors for later allergy‐related disease, OR = 6.5 (95% CI 2.3–18.6) and OR = 4.1 (95% CI 1.9–9.0), respectively. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that SPT and sIgE had comparable predictive ability for atopic eczema, asthma or any allergy‐related disease, but sIgE had better ability to predict later allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.

Conclusion

Sensitization at 2 yr may be useful predictors of allergy‐related disease later in childhood. The predictive ability of SPT and sIgE were mainly comparable; however, it may be that sIgE is the preferred choice in young children when the aim is to predict allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.
Association of autism tendency and hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortex during facial expression stimuli measured by multi‐channel near‐infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Hosokawa Mai , Nakadoi Yoshihiro , Watanabe Yukina , Sumitani Satsuki , Ohmori Tetsuro
Published: October 2014

Aim

The aim of this study is to examine the hemodynamic changes induced by the cognitive process of facial expression by using multi‐channel near‐infrared spectroscopy in healthy subjects with varying degrees of autism tendency.

Methods

Subjects were 38 volunteers, 20 men and 18 women. Autism tendency was measured by the Autism Spectrum Quotient. The hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortex were measured by 24‐channel near‐infrared spectroscopy system, while subjects were asked to judge their own emotional response to standardized pictures of eight kinds of facial expressions on a computer screen.

Results

There were significant negative correlations between Autism Spectrum Quotient scores and accuracy of fearful expression recognition as well as increases in the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin in response to four kinds of emotional faces (fear, contempt, sadness and disgust).

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that the greater tendency to autism that subjects have, the more difficulty they have in recognizing a fearful expression and the less hemodynamic change in the prefrontal cortex they show in response to negative facial expressions.
Are bilateral breast cancers and breast cancers coexisting with ovarian cancer different from solitary tumors? A pair‐matched immunohistochemical analysis aimed at intrinsic tumor phenotype
Authors: Senkus Elżbieta , Szade Jolanta , Pieczyńska Beata , Żaczek Anna , Świerblewski Maciej , Biernat Wojciech , Jassem Jacek
Published: October 2014

Patients with bilateral breast cancer (BBC) and breast‐ovarian cancer syndrome (BOCS) constitute populations potentially enriched for molecular defects involved in the pathomechanisms of these malignancies. The aim of our study was to compare tumor morphology and expression of estrogen and progesterone receptor, HER2, Ki67, cytokeratin 5/6, E‐cadherin, vimentin and epidermal growth factor receptor in tissue microarrays from 199 tumors from BBC or BOCS patients and 199 age‐matched solitary tumors. Compared to controls, BBC and BOCS considered jointly had lower incidence of DCIS, lower expression of PgR and HER2, and higher expression of Ki67 and vimentin. BOCS tumors were of higher grade, had lower expression of ER and PgR and higher expression of Ki67, CK5/6, vimentin and EGFR. BBC had less DCIS component, lower HER2 expression and higher Ki67 expression. Metachronous BBC (mBBC) had lower expression of ER, PgR and HER2, and higher expression of Ki67 and vimentin. Synchronous BBC (sBBC) had less DCIS component, higher expression of ER, and lower expression of CK5/6, EGFR and E‐cadherin. BBC and breast cancers in BOCS differ in many aspects from solitary tumors. BBC are a heterogeneous group of tumors, differing between sBBC and mBBC. mBBC phenotype shares many features with BOCS tumors.
Cross‐border Mergers and Greenfield Foreign Direct Investment
Authors: Stepanok Ignat
Published: October 2014

This paper presents a model of international trade and foreign direct investment (FDI), where FDI is comprised of greenfield FDI and mergers and acquisitions (M&A). In a monopolistically competitive environment merging firms do not reduce competition. Mergers are motivated by efficiency gains and transfer of technology. Following empirical evidence, greenfield investors are modeled as more productive than M&A firms, which are in turn more productive than exporters. The model has two symmetric countries and generates two‐way flows of both M&A and greenfield FDI. Trade liberalization makes more firms choose greenfield FDI over M&A and leads to lower productivity and welfare.
Struggling with issues about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for end‐stage heart failure patients
Authors: Brännström Margareta , Jaarsma Tiny
Published: October 2014

Background

Integrating heart failure and palliative care teams combines unique expertise from both cardiology and palliative care. However, professionals from the two arenas of life‐saving cardiology and palliative care may well have different experiences with and approaches to patient care. Little is known how to optimally discuss cardiopulmonary resuscitation with patients and their relatives and what challenges are for healthcare providers.

Objective

The aim of this study was to describe the experiences and thoughts of members of an integrated heart failure and palliative care team concerning talking about CPR with end‐stage heart failure patients.

Method

We used a descriptive qualitative design, conducting group interviews during 2011 with professionals from different disciplines working with heart failure patients over a 1‐year period. A qualitative content analysis was performed to examine the interview data.

Results

Professional caregivers in integrated heart failure and palliative homecare are struggling with the issue of CPR of end‐stage heart failure patients. They wrestle with the question of whether CPR should be performed at all in these terminally ill patients. They also feel challenged by the actual conversation about CPR with the patients and their relatives. Despite talking them about CPR with patients and relatives is difficult, the study participants described that doing so is important, as it could be the start of a broader end‐of‐life conversation.

Conclusion

Talking with patient and relatives about CPR in end‐stage heart failure, as suggested in the current heart failure guidelines, is a challenge in daily clinical practice. It is important to discuss the difficulties within the team and to decide whether, whom, how and when to talk about CPR with individual patients and their relatives.
Air density effects on aeolian sand movement: Implications for sediment transport and sand control in regions with extreme altitudes or temperatures
Authors: Han Qingjie , Qu Jianjun , Dong Zhibao , Zhang Kecun , Zu Ruiping
Published: October 2014

Aeolian sand transport results from interactions between the ground surface and airflow. Previous research has focused on the effects on sand entrainment and mass transport of surface features and wind velocity, but the influence of air density, which strongly constrains airflow characteristics and the resulting sand flow, has not been widely considered. In the present study, entrainment, saltation characteristics and transport rates were examined at nine experimental sites ranging in elevation from −154 m below sea‐level (Aiding Lake) to 5076 m above sea‐level (Tanggula Mountain pass on the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau). At each site, a portable wind tunnel and high‐speed camera system were set up, and the friction wind velocity, threshold friction velocity and sand flow structure were observed systematically. For a given volumetric airflow, lower air density increases the wind velocity. Low air density also creates a high threshold friction velocity. The Bagnold wind erosion threshold model remains valid, but the value of empirical parameter A decreased with decreasing air density and ranged from 0·10 to 0·07, the smallest values reported in the literature. For a given wind velocity, increased altitude reduced total sand transport and creeping, but the saltation rate and saltation height increased. The present results provide insights into the fundamental mechanisms of the initiation and transport of sand by wind in regions with an extreme temperature or altitude (for example, alpine deserts and low‐lying lake basins) or on other planets, including Mars. These results also provide theoretical support for improved sand‐control engineering measures. The data and empirical equations provided in this paper improve the ability to estimate threshold and transport conditions for wind‐blown sand.
Primary corneal melanocytoma in a Collie
Authors: Bauer Bianca , Leis Marina L. , Sayi Soraya
Published: October 2014

A 6‐year‐old female, spayed Collie was referred to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine for a 12‐month history of a progressive right corneal mass. A superficial keratectomy was performed and histopathology revealed a corneal melanocytoma with complete excision. There has been no recurrence of the neoplasm to date (12 months). This is the first known report of an isolated corneal melanocytoma in a canine.
Defect formation and transformation in graphene under electron irradiation: A molecular dynamics study
Authors: Yamamoto Masaya , Asayama Yoshiki , Yasuda Masaaki , Kawata Hiroaki , Hirai Yoshihiko
Published: October 2014

Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study defect formation and transformation in graphene under electron irradiation. The single-vacancy was the most frequently formed defect and the number of defects did not depend on the defect formation energy for normal incidence. The single-vacancy transformed to other types of defects and migrated in graphene by heating. The recovery energies of adatom-vacancy and pentagon–heptagon defects were relatively small. The Stone–Wales defect was the most stable, and did not easily recover. In the single atomic chain formation process from graphene by electron irradiation, competition between defect formation by electron collision and the recovery by heating was observed.
T1‐weighted MR image contrast around a cryoablation iceball: A phantom study and initial comparison with in vivo findings
Authors: Overduin Christiaan G. , Bomers Joyce G. R. , Jenniskens Sjoerd F. M. , Hoes Maarten F. , ten Haken Bennie , de Lange Frank , Fütterer Jurgen J. , Scheenen Tom W. J.
Published: October 2014

Purpose:

To correlate T1‐weighted (T1w) magnetic resonance (MR) image contrast around a cryoablation iceball with temperature in a phantom study and to compare this to its in vivo appearance during MR‐guided focal cryoablation of prostate cancer.

Methods:

A MR‐compatible cryoneedle was inserted into identical gel phantoms (n = 3) on a 1.5 T MR system. Two fiber‐optic temperature sensors were placed parallel to the needle. A fast 3D T1w gradient echo (GRE) sequence (TR/TE/FA = 4.81/1.98/6°) was used to monitor iceball progression. Normalized signal intensity (SI) was correlated with temperature. The same T1w sequence was used during MR‐guided prostate cryoablation in ten consecutive patients at the authors’ institution. In vivo findings were quantitatively compared to the phantom data.

Results:

In the phantom study, the cryoablation iceball appeared in the T1w MR images as a sharply delineated signal void. A 2.2 ± 0.2 mm wide hyperintense rim directly surrounded the iceball at cooled but nonfreezing temperatures (<20 °C) in the gel. Normalized SI was maximum at 8.4 ± 2.4 °C, showing a 35.6%–43.0% (mean 40.5%) increase with respect to baseline before cooling. In the clinical procedures, the same image contrast was observed in vivo in all patients. In vivo, width of the hyperintense rim was 1.6 ± 0.6 mm. Normalized SI increases with respect to nontreated prostate ranged 28.4%–55.6% (mean 36.8%). On quantitative analysis, normalized SI changes along a linear region of interest from surrounding tissue onto the iceball center were similar between the patients and phantom setting (root mean square difference 0.06).

Conclusions:

The hyperintense rim around the iceball in fast T1w GRE images corresponded to cooled but nonfreezing temperatures (<20 °C) proximal to the frozen zone. The same image contrast was observed both in a phantom study as well as in vivo in the human prostate during cryotherapy. Potentially, monitoring of this rim could be useful in order to maintain a safe margin from at‐risk tissues during MR‐guided prostate cryoablation procedures.
What Drives Ambush Marketer Misidentification?
Authors: Wolfsteiner Elisabeth , Grohs Reinhard , Wagner Udo
Published: October 2014

This article investigates the effectiveness of ambush marketing in terms of ambush marketer misidentification in the context of sports events. Grounded in associative network models and memory reconstruction heuristics, an empirical study examines how different ambush marketing strategies as well as event, ambush marketer, official sponsor, and individual consumer characteristics can result in ambush marketer misidentification. A descriptive survey collects data on consumers’ knowledge and perceived misleading potential of four ambush marketing strategies. Finally, three experiments aim to determine the effectiveness of these strategies and the aforementioned drivers in terms of actual ambush marketer misidentification. The results from the experiments are contrasted with the findings from the survey study. Findings are discussed with emphasis on implications for researchers, ambush marketers, official sponsors, and event organizers.
Is low fertility really a problem? Population aging, dependency, and consumption
Authors: Lee Ronald , Mason Andrew ,   members of the NTA Network, Lee Ronald , Mason Andrew , Amporfu Eugenia , An Chong-Bum , Bixby Luis Rosero , Bravo Jorge , Bucheli Marisa , Chen Qiulin , Comelatto Pablo , Coy Deidra , d’Albis Hippolyte , Donehower Gretchen , Dramani Latif , Fürnkranz-Prskawetz Alexia , Gal Robert I. , Holz Mauricio , Huong Nguyen Thi Lan , Kluge Fanny , Ladusingh Laishram , Lee Sang-Hyop , Lindh Thomas , Ling Li , Long Giang Thanh , Maliki  , Matsukura Rikiya , McCarthy David , Mejía-Guevara Iván , Mergo Teferi , Miller Tim , Mwabu Germano , Narayana M. R. , Nor Vanndy , Norte Gilberto Mariano , Ogawa Naohiro , Olaniyan Olanrewaju Ademola , Olivera Javier , Oosthuizen Morne , Phananiramai Mathana , Queiroz Bernardo Lanza , Racelis Rachel H. , Rentería Elisenda , Rice James Mahmud , Sambt Joze , Seçkin Aylin , Sefton James , Soyibo Adedoyin , Tovar Jorge A. , Tung An-Chi , Turra Cassio M. , Urdinola B. Piedad , Vaittinen Risto , Vanne Reijo , Zannella Marina , Zhang Qi
Published: October 2014

Longer lives and fertility far below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman are leading to rapid population aging in many countries. Many observers are concerned that aging will adversely affect public finances and standards of living. Analysis of newly available National Transfer Accounts data for 40 countries shows that fertility well above replacement would typically be most beneficial for government budgets. However, fertility near replacement would be most beneficial for standards of living when the analysis includes the effects of age structure on families as well as governments. And fertility below replacement would maximize per capita consumption when the cost of providing capital for a growing labor force is taken into account. Although low fertility will indeed challenge government programs and very low fertility undermines living standards, we find that moderately low fertility and population decline favor the broader material standard of living.