bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Organizing for inter-organizational learning in service networks
Authors: Peronard Jean-Paul , Brix Jacob
Published: December 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to consolidate existing research on ‘service networks’ and to frame this literature as a new ‘context for learning’. Research from inter-organizational learning is used to qualify this consolidation and advances from inter-organizational learning are used to operationalize how service network actors in this new context can organize for inter-organizational learning to create more value for themselves and their customers.

Design/methodology/approach

By conceptualizing the learning context of a service network and the interrelated dimensions, an overview of the learning challenges for improved service performance is provided.

Findings

Inspired by the service triangle, the proposed framework highlights the learning challenges among two or more actors and the knowledge and skills needed for them to organize the service network. To build a collaboration characterized by trust, behaviors associated with transparency and receptivity are argued to be imperative.

Practical implications

The framework can increase the opportunities for inter-organizational learning in a service network. Knowing the learning context and the challenges associated with this learning allows for a more accurate intervention and allocation of resources to improve service network performance.

Originality/value

The novelty lies in the consolidation of the literature of service networks and the extension of the literature on inter-organizational learning hereto.
Treatment consensus for management of polymyositis and dermatomyositis among rheumatologists, neurologists and dermatologists
Authors: Kohsaka Hitoshi , Mimori Tsuneyo , Kanda Takashi , Shimizu Jun , Sunada Yoshihide , Fujimoto Manabu , Kawaguchi Yasushi , Jinnin Masatoshi , Muro Yoshinao , Ishihara Shoichiro , Tomimitsu Hiroyuki , Ohta Akiko , Sumida Takayuki
Published: December 2018

Although rheumatologists, neurologists and dermatologists see patients with polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM), their management appears to vary depending on the physician's specialty. The aim of the present study was to establish the treatment consensus among specialists of the three fields to standardize the patient care. We formed a research team supported by a grant from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Japan. Clinical questions (CQ) on the management of PM and DM were raised. A published work search on CQ was performed primarily using PubMed. Using the nominal group technique, qualified studies and results in the published work were evaluated and discussed to reach consensus recommendations. They were sent out to the Japan College of Rheumatology, Japanese Society of Neurology and Japanese Dermatological Association for their approval. We reached a consensus in 23 CQ and made recommendations and a decision tree for management was proposed. They were officially approved by the three scientific societies. In conclusion, a multidisciplinary treatment consensus for the management of PM and DM was established for the first time.
Usefulness of ulceration and hyperkeratosis as clinical predictors of Merkel cell polyomavirus‐negative and combined Merkel cell carcinoma: A retrospective study
Authors: Nagase Kotaro , Kimura‐Kaku Hiromi , Inoue Takuya , Shinogi Taro , Narisawa Yutaka
Published: December 2018

Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin that is associated with Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV). The clinical appearance and demographic characteristics of this tumor have been described using the mnemonic AEIOU: asymptomatic, expanding rapidly, immune suppression, older than 50 years, and ultraviolet‐exposed fair skin. In addition, MCC can be categorized based on morphology as pure MCC or combined MCC that exhibits neuroendocrine and other phenotypic elements. There is limited information regarding the clinical characteristics and prognosis of combined MCC. This retrospective study aimed to identify factors, such as ulceration or hyperkeratosis, that could predict MCPyV status and morphological variants. Twenty patients with MCC were divided into groups based on MCPyV status and morphology: MCPyV‐positive or MCPyV‐negative MCC and pure or combined MCC. The patients’ MCPyV status was immunohistochemically determined using the CM2B4 antibody to the MCPyV large T‐antigen. The patients’ clinicopathological characteristics were evaluated to identify predictors of MCPyV‐negative MCC and combined MCC. The presence of ulceration/hyperkeratosis predicted the presence of MCPyV‐negative MCC (80% of cases) and combined MCC (50% of cases). None of the 10 patients with MCPyV‐positive MCC had ulceration/hyperkeratosis. The clinical presence of ulceration/hyperkeratosis may help guide the diagnosis of MCPyV‐negative MCC and combined MCC.
The contribution of road‐based citizen science to the conservation of pond‐breeding amphibians
Authors: Sterrett Sean C. , Katz Rachel A. , Fields William R. , Campbell Grant Evan H.
Published: December 2018

Roadside amphibian citizen science (CS) programmes bring together volunteers focused on collecting scientific data while working to mitigate population declines by reducing road mortality of pond‐breeding amphibians. Despite the international popularity of these movement‐based, roadside conservation efforts (i.e. “big nights,” “bucket brigades” and “toad patrols”), direct benefits to conservation have rarely been quantified or evaluated.

As a case study, we used a population simulation approach to evaluate how volunteer intensity, frequency and distribution influence three conservation outcomes (minimum population size, population growth rate and years to extinction) of the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum), often a focal pond‐breeding amphibian of CS and conservation programmes in the United States.

Sensitivity analysis supported the expectation that spotted salamander populations were primarily recruitment‐driven. Thus, conservation outcomes were highest when volunteers focused on metamorph outmigration as opposed to adult in‐migration—contrary to the typical timing of such volunteer events.

Almost every volunteer strategy resulted in increased conservation outcomes compared to a no‐volunteer strategy. Specifically, volunteer frequency during metamorph migration increased outcomes more than the same increases in volunteer effort during adult migration. Small population sizes resulted in a negligible effect of volunteer intensity. Volunteers during the first adult in‐migration had a relatively small effect compared to most other strategies.

Synthesis and applications. Although citizen science (CS)‐focused conservation actions could directly benefit declining populations, additional conservation measures are needed to halt or reverse local amphibian declines. This study demonstrates a need to evaluate the effectiveness of focusing CS mitigation efforts on the metamorph stage, as opposed to the adult stage. This may be challenging, compared to other management actions such as road‐crossing infrastructure. Current amphibian CS programmes will be challenged to balance implementing evidence‐based conservation measures on the most limiting life stage, while retaining social and community benefits for volunteers.
Alien plants can be associated with a decrease in local and regional native richness even when at low abundance
Authors: Bernard‐Verdier Maud , Hulme Philip E.
Published: December 2018

The impacts of alien plants on native richness are usually assessed at small spatial scales and in locations where the alien is at high abundance. But this raises two questions: to what extent do impacts occur where alien species are at low abundance, and do local impacts translate to effects at the landscape scale?

In an analysis of 47 widespread alien plant species occurring across a 1,000 km2 landscape, we examined the relationship between their local abundance and native plant species richness in 594 grassland plots. We first defined the critical abundance at which these focal alien species were associated with a decline in native α‐richness (plot‐scale species numbers), and then assessed how this local decline was translated into declines in native species γ‐richness (landscape‐scale species numbers).

After controlling for sampling biases and environmental gradients that might lead to spurious relationships, we found that eight out of 47 focal alien species were associated with a significant decline in native α‐richness as their local abundance increased. Most of these significant declines started at low to intermediate classes of abundance. For these eight species, declines in native γ‐richness were, on average, an order of magnitude (32.0 vs. 2.2 species) greater than those found for native α‐richness, mostly due to spatial homogenization of native communities. The magnitude of the decrease at the landscape scale was best explained by the number of plots where an alien species was found above its critical abundance.

Synthesis. Even at low abundance, alien plants may impact native plant richness at both local and landscape scales. Local impacts may result in much greater declines in native richness at larger spatial scales. Quantifying impact at the landscape scale requires consideration of not only the prevalence of an alien plant, but also its critical abundance and its effect on native community homogenization. This suggests that management approaches targeting only those locations dominated by alien plants might not mitigate impacts effectively. Our integrated approach will improve the ranking of alien species risks at a spatial scale appropriate for prioritizing management and designing conservation policies.
Public–Private Partnerships for Biosecurity: An Opportunity for Risk Sharing
Authors: Mato‐Amboage Rosa , Pitchford Jonathan W. , Touza Julia
Published: December 2018

Private efforts to prevent and control biological pests and infectious diseases can be a public good, and so incentivising private biosecurity management actions is both desirable and problematic. Compensation contracts can encourage biosecurity efforts, provide support against the collapse of economic sectors, and create an insurance network. We conceptualise a novel biosecurity instrument relying on formal compensation private–public partnerships using contract theory. Our framework explains how the public sector can harness increased private biosecurity measures by making payments to agents which depend both on their performance and that of the other stakeholders. Doing so allows the government to spread the risk across signatory agents. The framework also improves our understanding of government involvement due to public effects of biosecurity, influenced by the private agents’ capacity to derive private benefit from their own efforts on monitoring and control. Lastly, these theoretical results provide a foundation for further study of contractual responsibility sharing for pest management.
Understanding predator densities for successful co‐existence of alien predators and threatened prey
Authors: Moseby Katherine E. , Letnic Michael , Blumstein Daniel T. , West Rebecca
Published: December 2018

The high failure rate of threatened species translocations has prompted many managers to fence areas to protect wildlife from introduced predators. However, conservation fencing is expensive, restrictive and exacerbates prey naïveté reducing the chance of future co‐existence between native prey and introduced predators. Here, we ask whether two globally threatened mammal species protected in fenced reserves, with a history of predation‐driven decline and reintroduction failure, could co‐exist with introduced predators. We defined co‐existence as population persistence for at least 3 years and successful recruitment. We manipulated the density of feral cats within a large fenced paddock and measured the impact on abundance and reproduction of 353 reintroduced burrowing bettongs and 47 greater bilbies over 3 years. We increased cat densities from 0.038 to 0.46 per square km and both threatened species survived, reproduced and increased their population size. However, a previous reintroduction trial of 66 bettongs into the same paddock found one red fox (Vulpes vulpes), at a density of 0.027 per square km, drove the bettong population extinct within 12 months. Our results show that different predator species vary in their impact and that despite a history of reintroduction failure, threatened mammal species can co‐exist with low densities of feral cats. There may be a threshold density below which it is possible to maintain unfenced populations of reintroduced marsupials. Understanding the numerical relationships between population densities of introduced predators and threatened species is urgently needed if these species are to be re‐established at landscape scales. Such knowledge will enable a priori assessment of the risk of reintroduction failure thereby increasing the likelihood of reintroduction success and reducing the financial and ethical cost of failed translocations.
Comparison of MultiColor fundus imaging and colour fundus photography in the evaluation of epiretinal membrane
Authors: Song Ji Hun , Moon Ka Young , Jang Seran , Moon YeoRae
Published: December 2018

Purpose

To compare MultiColor fundus imaging (MC) and colour fundus photography (CFP) for the evaluation of epiretinal membrane (ERM).

Methods

In this retrospective study, 192 eyes (181 patients) that underwent vitrectomy for ERM were imaged using Spectralis optical coherence tomography (for MC) and AFC‐210 digital camera (for CFP) 1 week before vitrectomy. Two investigators independently determined the rate of delineability and ERM area for each modality.

Results

The intergrader agreement rates for delineability were very high for both image modalities. The rate of delineability of ERM (%) was higher for MC than for CFP, for both investigators [70.8% versus 52.6% and 73.4% versus 53.6% (both p –)]. Epiretinal membrane (ERM) area measurement showed high agreement between investigators for MC (p = 0.466) but differed significantly between the investigators for CFP (p –). The ERM area determined on MC was significantly wider than that on CFP for both investigators (p – for investigator 1 and p – for investigator 2).

Conclusion

The ERM area is more clearly detectable and widely demarcated in MC than in CFP images. MultiColor imaging (MC) may be more sensitive and accurate for early detection of ERM and ERM area measurement.
The molecular mechanism of pH‐regulating C3d‐CR2 interactions: Insights from molecular dynamics simulation
Authors: Zhang Yan , Guo Jingjing , Ning Lulu , Tian Jiaqi , Yao Xiaojun , Liu Huanxiang
Published: December 2018

The interactions of complement receptor 2 (CR2) and the degradation fragment C3d of complement component C3 mediate the innate and adaptive immune systems. Due to the importance of C3d‐CR2 interaction in the design of vaccines, many studies have indicated the interactions are pH‐dependent. Moreover, C3d‐CR2 interactions at pH 5.0 are unknown. To investigate the molecular mechanism of pH‐regulating C3d‐CR2 interaction, molecular dynamics simulations for C3d‐CR2 complex in different pH are performed. Our results revealed that the protonation of His9 in C3d at pH 6.0 slightly weakens C3d‐CR2 association as reducing pH from 7.4 to 6.0, initiated from a key hydrogen bond formed between Gly270 and His9 in C3d at pH 6.0. When reducing pH from 6.0 to 5.0, the protonation of His33 in C3d weakens C3d‐SCR1 association by changing the hydrogen‐bond network of Asp36, Glu37, and Glu39 in C3d with Arg13 in CR2. In addition, the protonation of His90 significantly enhances C3d‐SCR2 association. This is because the enhanced hydrogen‐bond interactions of His90 with Glu63 and Ser69 of the linker change the conformations of the linker, Cys112‐Asn116 and Pro87‐Gly91 regions. This study uncovers the molecular mechanism of the mediation of pH on C3d‐CR2 interaction, which is valuable for vaccine design.
Parent–Child Math Talk About Fractions During Formal Learning and Guided Play Activities
Authors: Eason Sarah H. , Ramani Geetha B.
Published: December 2018

This study examined parent–child math talk within three contexts (formal learning; guided play; unguided play) in order to identify characteristics of activities supporting high‐quality math engagement. Seventy‐two dyads of parents and 4‐ and 5‐year‐olds were observed using a set of toy foods; instructions and materials varied across conditions. Parents and children engaged in the most math talk in formal learning; guided play also yielded more math talk than unguided play. Parents rated the formal learning and guided play activities as equally supportive of math learning, but rated the guided play activity as more enjoyable than the formal learning activity. The findings have implications for how parents should be encouraged to support preschoolers’ math learning.
Adequacy of EBUS‐TBNA specimen for mutation analysis of lung cancer
Authors: Cicek Tugba , Ozturk Ayperi , Yılmaz Aydın , Aktas Zafer , Demirag Funda , Akyurek Nalan
Published: December 2018

Objective

Convex probe endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)‐guided transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) is a minimally invasive technique with high sensitivity in the mediastinal staging of non‐small cell carcinoma (NSCLC). In recent years, molecular testing has been developed to study genetic mutations in NSCLC. There are studies revealing improved survival in advanced NSCLC using targeted therapy as the first‐line treatment in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the adequacy of EBUS‐TBNA in providing adequate size specimens for EGFR, ALK and ROS1 genetic mutation analysis in patients with adenocarcinoma or not otherwise specified (NOS) lung cancer.

Materials and Methods

Charts of patients diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma or NOS via EBUS‐TBNA were retrospectively reviewed. Information on patient demographics, number of lymph nodes sampled, their size and location, targeted gene mutations and the adequacy of the material sampled for the molecular testing was recorded.

Results

A total of 114 patients were included in the study, adenocarcinoma 86 (75%) and NOS 28 (25%). EGFR gene mutation was studied in all of the patients included in the study while ALK in 113 and ROS1 in 98. The material adequacy ratios for EGFR gene mutation, ALK and ROS1 rearrangements were found to be 88.6%, 93.8% and 91.8%, respectively. EGFR gene mutation, ALK and ROS1 rearrangements were found positive in 13 (11.4%), 9 (8%) and 1 (1%) patients, respectively.

Conclusion

The study demonstrated that EBUS‐TBNA provides adequate material for mutation analysis in patients with newly diagnosed adenocarcinoma or NOS lung cancer.
Radical treatment for walled‐off necrosis: Transmural nasocyst continuous irrigation
Authors: Tamura Takashi , Itonaga Masahiro , Tanioka Kensuke , Kawaji Yuki , Nuta Junya , Hatamaru Keiichi , Yamashita Yasunobu , Yoshida Takeichi , Ida Yoshiyuki , Maekita Takao , Iguchi Mikitaka , Kitano Masayuki
Published: December 2018

Background and Aim

Treatment efficiency of walled‐off necrosis (WON) using endoscopic ultrasound‐guided drainage (EUS‐D) with a double pigtail stent (DPS) is limited. Endoscopic necrosectomy is often carried out if EUS‐D fails. However, endoscopic necrosectomy is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Thus, we developed transmural nasocyst continuous irrigation (TNCCI) as an alternative therapeutic option for WON. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of TNCCI therapy for WON.

Methods

Between April 2009 and March 2018, 19 of 39 patients admitted with WON underwent EUS‐D. Ten consecutive patients also received TNCCI therapy (TNCCI group) between May 2015 and March 2018. TNCCI was carried out by inserting an external tube from the gastroduodenal lumen into the WON under endoscopic ultrasonography guidance and then continuously irrigating the WON with saline at a rate of 40 ml/h. Nine consecutive patients who underwent EUS‐D without TNCCI therapy between April 2009 and April 2015 were used for comparison (control group). Various parameters were compared between the TNCCI and control groups.

Results

Time taken to reduce WON (6 vs 32 days, P = 0.001), implementation rate of endoscopic necrosectomy (0% vs 55.6%, P = 0.01), and number of endoscopic necrosectomy sessions per patient (0 vs 0.8 ± 1.0, P = 0.008) were significantly lower in the TNCCI group than in the control group.

Conclusions

Walled‐off necrosis can be effectively and safely treated by endoscopic drainage with a DPS and TNCCI. This technique can be an alternative therapeutic option before carrying out endoscopic necrosectomy.
Quarantine host range and natural history of Gadirtha fusca, a potential biological control agent of Chinese tallowtree (Triadica sebifera) in North America
Authors: Wheeler Gregory S. , Jones Emily , Dyer Kirsten , Silverson Nick , Wright Susan A.
Published: December 2018

Classical biological control can provide an ecologically sound, cost‐effective, and sustainable management solution to protect diverse habitats. These natural and managed ecosystems are being invaded and transformed by invasive species. Chinese tallowtree, Triadica sebifera (L.) Small (Euphorbiaceae), is one of the most damaging invasive weeds in the southeastern USA, impacting wetlands, forests, and natural areas. A defoliating moth, Gadirtha fusca Pogue (Lepidoptera: Nolidae), was discovered feeding on Chinese tallowtree leaves in the weed's native range and has been tested for its suitability as a biological control agent. Natural history studies of G. fusca indicated that the neonates have five instars and require 15.4 days to reach pupation. Complete development from egg hatch to adult emergence required 25.8 days. No differences were found between males and females in terms of life history and nutritional indices measured. Testing of the host range of G. fusca larvae was conducted with no‐choice, dual‐choice, and multigeneration tests and the results indicated that this species has a very narrow host range. No‐choice experiments indicated that most larvae died in <3 days when fed each of the 78 non‐target taxa; a similar duration as larvae fed only water. Although 81.6% of the neonates fed Chinese tallowtree survived to adult, the only survivors in no‐choice tests were those fed the four non‐target taxa, Euphorbia hypericifolia L., Euphorbia hyssopifolia L., Euphorbia milii Des Moul., or Gymnanthes lucida Sw. where 14.3% or less of the larvae fed and completed development. The results of dual‐choice tests indicated that very little of each of these non‐target taxa was eaten when given a choice with Chinese tallowtree. Furthermore, when neonates were reared for multiple generations on each non‐target taxon, no more than two generations were completed when fed the non‐target G. lucida, whereas the larvae were unable to complete more than one generation when fed the remaining non‐targets. These tests indicate that although a small amount of feeding may occur in no‐choice conditions on four species of non‐targets, the larvae will not be able to maintain a population for more than two generations on any species except the target weed Chinese tallowtree. This species may play an important role and contribute to the integrated control of this invasive weed.
Losing autonomy: the Norwegian central bank during the Second World War
Authors: Lie Einar
Published: December 2018

In the mid‐twentieth century a number of central banks around the western world lost their operational autonomy and were placed under government control. The origin of these policy changes can be traced to the intellectual and political developments of the interwar era in addition to the introduction of the Bretton Woods monetary system. The Norwegian central bank offers a particularly stark example of this phenomenon: experiencing a rapid decline from its high level of autonomy in the interwar years, to a clear subordination to the government after 1945. Through an analysis of the correspondence between the main policy makers in the exiled Norwegian government and central bank management, this article contributes to the understanding of central bank autonomy by tracing the decisive factors that led to the Norwegian central bank's loss of agency.
Attitudes of dental undergraduate students towards patient safety in a UK dental school
Authors: Palmer Julia C. , Blanchard Jessica R. , Jones Judith , Bailey Edmund
Published: December 2018

Objectives

Patient safety is an important issue in health care. In the United Kingdom, wrong site tooth extraction contributes to a significant proportion of adverse or harmful events, coined “never events.” Therefore, patient safety within the field of dentistry is of paramount importance. This novel study aims to explore the teaching of patient safety to undergraduate dental students and their current attitudes to the subject.

Methods

Focus groups were held at Barts’ and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, QMUL in 2018 to ascertain the views and opinions of thirteen third‐year dental undergraduate students.

Results

Thematic analysis was performed on verbatim transcripts. Key themes were highlighted. All students could provide a complete definition of patient safety and of “never events,” with examples. There was a strong emphasis upon awareness of one's own competence and the need for effective communication to maintain patient safety. Small group teaching and the requirement for standardization of teaching were encouraged. The challenge of incorporation of the patient safety concept into the clinical routine without causing repetition during teaching was highlighted.

Conclusion

The results show a positive attitude towards the concept and the teaching of patient safety. All students understood patient safety concepts and techniques used to prevent adverse or harmful events. This study proves that teaching on the subject was thought to be of value. It is crucial that the teaching of patient safety is introduced and built upon within the early years of dental undergraduate training so that its practice becomes second nature.
Career pathways and professional skills of postgraduate students from a dental research‐intensive programme
Authors: Kumari Amrita , Wu David T. , Motiani Kumail K. , Wu Kevin Y. , Palumbo Maria , Tran Simon D.
Published: December 2018

Background

With current global trends in postgraduate education, graduate programmes must make evidence‐based improvements to offer the best programme that aligns with student needs and prepare them for their future career prospects. The aim of this cross‐sectional study was to investigate the postgraduation career pathways of MSc and PhD students who graduated within the past 15 years from the McGill University Postgraduate Dental Research Program.

Materials and methods

An online questionnaire, composed of 10 closed‐ended format items, was used that covered domains such as student profile, career profile, postgraduate skill development, job search experience and satisfaction. Descriptive statistics and interpretative qualitative analysis were used to evaluate student feedback.

Results

Sixty‐six students responded to the online survey, out of which sixty‐two students completed the survey (61% participation rate). The majority of the graduate students, 67% (n = 44), obtained MSc degree in Dental Sciences. Overall, our results showed that most graduates started careers in academia in their original field of study and were satisfied with their income. Most graduates reported “critical and creative thinking” to be the strongest acquired skills during their postgraduate training and identified fierce competition for their position of interest as the main challenge after graduation.

Discussion and conclusion

Our results showed that graduates in dental research appeared to be overall satisfied with their careers after postgraduate research training, both in terms of scope of practice and income. However, strong competition in obtaining the position of their interest seemed to be the main obstacle after graduation.
Predictors of survival and progression in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia
Authors: Agarwal S. , Ahmed R. M. , D'Mello M. , Foxe D. , Kaizik C. , Kiernan M. C. , Halliday G. M. , Piguet O. , Hodges J. R.
Published: December 2018

Background and purpose

Predicting the course of behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) remains a major clinical challenge. This study aimed to identify factors that predict survival and clinical progression in bvFTD.

Methods

Consecutive patients with clinically probable bvFTD were prospectively followed up over an 8‐year period. Baseline neuropsychological variables, presence of a known pathogenic frontotemporal dementia gene mutation and a systematic visual magnetic resonance imaging assessment at baseline were examined as candidate predictors using multivariate modelling.

Results

After screening 121 cases, the study cohort consisted of 75 patients with probable bvFTD, with a mean age of 60.8 ± 8.5 years, followed up for a mean duration of 7.2 ± 3.5 years from symptom onset. Median survival time from disease onset was 10.8 years and median survival, prior to transition to nursing home, was 8.9 years. A total of 25 of the 75 patients died during the study follow‐up period. Survival without dependence was predicted by shorter disease duration at presentation (hazard ratio, 0.49, P = 0.001), greater atrophy in the anterior cingulate cortex (hazard ratio, 1.75, P = 0.047), older age (hazard ratio, 1.07, P = 0.026) and a higher burden of behavioural symptoms (hazard ratio, 1.04, P = 0.015).

In terms of disease progression, presence of a known pathogenic frontotemporal dementia mutation (β = 0.46, P < 0.001) was the strongest predictor of progression. Deficits in letter fluency (β = −0.43, P = 0.017) and greater atrophy in the motor cortex (β = 0.51, P = 0.03) were also associated with faster progression.

Conclusions

This study provides novel clinical predictors of survival and progression in bvFTD. Our findings are likely to have an impact on prognostication and care planning in this difficult disease.
Patterns of genetic differentiation in Colorado potato beetle correlate with contemporary, not historic, potato land cover
Authors: Crossley Michael S. , Rondon Silvia I. , Schoville Sean D.
Published: December 2018

Changing landscape heterogeneity can influence connectivity and alter genetic variation in local populations, but there can be a lag between ecological change and evolutionary responses. Temporal lag effects might be acute in agroecosystems, where land cover has changed substantially in the last two centuries. Here, we evaluate how patterns of an insect pest’s genetic differentiation are related to past and present agricultural land cover change over a 150‐year period. We quantified change in the amount of potato, Solanum tuberosum L., land cover since 1850 using county‐level agricultural census reports, obtained allele frequency data from 7,408 single‐nucleotide polymorphism loci, and compared effects of historic and contemporary landscape connectivity on genetic differentiation of Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say, in two agricultural landscapes in the United States. We found that potato land cover peaked in Wisconsin in the early 1900s, followed by rapid decline and spatial concentration, whereas it increased in amount and extent in the Columbia Basin of Oregon and Washington beginning in the 1960s. In both landscapes, we found small effect sizes of landscape resistance on genetic differentiation, but a 20× to 1,000× larger effect of contemporary relative to historic landscape resistances. Demographic analyses suggest population size trajectories were largely consistent among regions and therefore are not likely to have differentially impacted the observed patterns of population structure in each region. Weak landscape genetic associations might instead be related to the coarse resolution of our historical land cover data. Despite rapid changes in agricultural landscapes over the last two centuries, genetic differentiation among L. decemlineata populations appears to reflect ongoing landscape change. The historical landscape genetic framework employed in this study is broadly applicable to other agricultural pests and might reveal general responses of pests to agricultural land‐use change.
Counties not countries: Variation in host specificity among populations of an aphid parasitoid
Authors: Hopper Keith R. , Oppenheim Sara J. , Kuhn Kristen L. , Lanier Kathryn , Hoelmer Kim A. , Heimpel George E. , Meikle William G. , O’Neil Robert J. , Voegtlin David G. , Wu Kongming , Woolley James B. , Heraty John M.
Published: December 2018

Parasitic wasps are among the most species‐rich groups on Earth. A major cause of this diversity may be local adaptation to host species. However, little is known about variation in host specificity among populations within parasitoid species. Not only is such knowledge important for understanding host‐driven speciation, but because parasitoids often control pest insects and narrow host ranges are critical for the safety of biological control introductions, understanding variation in specificity and how it arises are crucial applications in evolutionary biology. Here, we report experiments on variation in host specificity among 16 populations of an aphid parasitoid, Aphelinus certus. We addressed several questions about local adaptation: Do parasitoid populations differ in host ranges or in levels of parasitism of aphid species within their host range? Are differences in parasitism among parasitoid populations related to geographical distance, suggesting clinal variation in abundances of aphid species? Or do nearby parasitoid populations differ in host use, as would be expected if differences in aphid abundances, and thus selection, were mosaic? Are differences in parasitism among parasitoid populations related to genetic distances among them? To answer these questions, we measured parasitism of a taxonomically diverse group of aphid species in laboratory experiments. Host range was the same for all the parasitoid populations, but levels of parasitism varied among aphid species, suggesting adaptation to locally abundant aphids. Differences in host specificity did not correlate with geographical distances among parasitoid populations, suggesting that local adaption is mosaic rather than clinal, with a spatial scale of less than 50 kilometers. We sequenced and assembled the genome of A. certus, made reduced‐representation libraries for each population, analyzed for single nucleotide polymorphisms, and used these polymorphisms to estimate genetic differentiation among populations. Differences in host specificity correlated with genetic distances among the parasitoid populations.
The history of urologic pathology: an overview
Authors: Young Robert H , Eble John N
Published: December 2018

This article begins with the testis and a legendary figure, Sir Astley Cooper, who wrote an early text on the organ. The early 20th century saw the first major development, the description of the seminoma by the French investigator Maurice Chevassu, but the pace of knowledge did not accelerate until after World War II with a major article from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) by Nathan B. Friedman and Robert A. Moore, soon followed by the first series testis fascicle by Frank J. Dixon and Moore. Other noteworthy contributions were made by two masters of gonadal pathology, Gunnar Teilum and Robert E. Scully. In the 1970s, Niels E. Skakkebaek played a seminal role in elaborating in‐situ neoplasia of the testis. The school of British testicular tumour authored, in the mid‐1970s, under the editorship of Roger C. B. Pugh, one of the best texts on testicular pathology. Advances in more recent years have been largely spearheaded by Thomas M. Ulbright of the Indiana University School of Medicine. Observations on the prostate gland date back to Andreas Vesalius and William Cheselden, the latter appearing to have introduced the word for the gland. Note is made of contributions on the anatomy and histology of the gland by Oswald Lowsley, L. M. Franks, and John McNeal. Diagnosing carcinoma of the prostate was brought into the modern age in a landmark 1953 article by Robert S. Totten et al. In the 1960s, Donald F. Gleason introduced a grading system that is now in use worldwide. The topic of premalignant lesions has been well established only for approximately three decades, based initially on the work of Dr McNeal and David G. Bostwick. One of the first to write a book on the bladder was the remarkable British surgeon‐pathologist Sir Henry Thompson. Workers at the AFIP, including Colonel James E. Ash and Fatallah K. Mostofi, wrote many outstanding articles on bladder pathology. The roles of other institutions, such as Johns Hopkins University, the Mayo Clinic, and St Peter's Hospital Institute of Urology, London, and those who worked there are noted. Knowledge of the pathology of the urachus dates largely back to the remarkable book on the topic in 1916 by the Hopkins investigator Thomas S. Cullen. Information on renal tumours dates largely to the work of Paul Grawitz, but awareness of the many variants of renal cell carcinoma in general was slow to evolve, and has only accelerated in recent years. The AFIP group of Dr Mostofi, ably assisted by Colonel Charles J. Davis and Isabell A. Sesterhenn, has contributed to knowledge of renal neoplasia with articles of note on oncocytoma, metanephric adenoma, and medullary carcinoma. In the mid‐1980s, the German workers Wolfgang Thoenes and Stephan Störkel recognised the distinctive tumour known as chromophobe renal cell carcinoma. Work on renal tumours in the young owes much to J. Bruce Beckwith. The observational talents of numerous investigators have, in just over a century, advanced our knowledge of diseases of the urinary tract and testis remarkably.
The Punitive Nature of Pre‐Trial Detention: Perspectives of Detainees in Hong Kong
Authors: CHENG KEVIN KWOK‐YIN , LEUNG BECKY PO‐YEE
Published: December 2018

Pre‐trial detention plays an important, and often contentious, role in the criminal justice process. Legal theorists have gone to great lengths to distinguish between preventive detention and punishment with respect to pre‐trial detention, as it would violate the principle of retribution and the presumption of innocence if yet‐to‐be convicted defendants were subjected to punishment. Nonetheless, the experiences of detainees remains an understudied area. The purpose of this article is not to dispute whether pre‐trial detention is, or can be justified as, a form of punishment, but it is to show that pre‐trial detention, at least in the minds of detained defendants, is punitive. Drawing on interviews with a sample of previously‐detained defendants in Hong Kong, it is found that they experience censure (stigma) and hard treatment during their time in pre‐trial detention. Implications and recommendations are discussed.
Nursing research in the Arab Region: A bibliometric analysis
Authors: Dardas Latefa Ali , Sawair Faleh A. , Nabolsi Manar , Simmons Leigh Ann
Published: December 2018

Aims

Scientific discovery in general, and nursing research specifically, is an increasingly global effort consistent with changing demographics and the need to provide culturally competent care in a diverse society. Given that Arabs account for an increasing proportion of the populations in many Western countries, this study presents findings from the first bibliometric analysis of nursing research conducted through December 2017 in the Arab region.

Methods

We used quantitative and qualitative indicators to analyse bibliometric data from Scopus.

Results

We provided significant data on Arab nursing publication output and growth trends; types of published documents; publication geographic loci, focus, and subject categories; authors' collaboration patterns; core publishing journals and their impact; and citation patterns.

Conclusions

Our findings highlighted the need for Arab policy makers and funding agencies to allocate research funding that supports the dissemination of Arab nursing research into the broader scientific community so that Western researchers, policymakers, and health care providers can appropriately address the health care needs of Arab individuals and families. The insights gleaned regarding the performance of journals, authors, countries, and institutions are discussed in relation to the potential impacts of the publish‐or‐perish culture of the current academic world.
MicroRNA miR‐252 targets mbt to control the developmental growth of Drosophila
Authors: Lim D.‐H. , Lee S. , Han J. Y. , Choi M.‐S. , Hong J.‐S. , Lee Y. S.
Published: December 2018

Developmental growth is an intricate process involving the coordinated regulation of the expression of various genes, and microRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in diverse processes throughout animal development. The ecdysone‐responsive miRNA, miR‐252, is normally upregulated during the pupal and adult stages of Drosophila development. Here, we found that overexpression of miR‐252 in the larval fat body decreased total tissue mass through a reduction in both cell size and cell number, causing a concomitant decrease in larval size. Furthermore, miR‐252 overexpression led to a delayed larval‐to‐pupal transition with defective anterior spiracle eversion, as well as a decrease in adult size and mass. Conversely, adult flies lacking miR‐252 showed an increase in mass compared with control flies. We found that miR‐252 directly targeted mbt, encoding a p21‐activated kinase, to repress its expression. Notably, co‐overexpression of mbt rescued the developmental and growth defects associated with miR‐252 overexpression, indicating that mbt is a biologically relevant target of miR‐252. Overall, our data support a role for the ecdysone/miR‐252/mbt regulatory axis in growth control during Drosophila development.
Newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency and T‐cell lymphopenia
Authors: Puck Jennifer M.
Published: December 2018

The development of a T cell receptor excision circle (TREC) assay utilizing dried blood spots (DBS) made possible universal newborn screening (NBS) for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) as a public health measure. Upon being flagged by an abnormal screening test in a SCID screening program, an infant can receive further diagnostic testing for SCID in the neonatal period, prior to onset of infectious complications, to permit immediate institution of protective measures and definitive, life‐saving treatment to establish a functional immune system. SCID screening is now the accepted standard of care in state public health departments across the United States, and it is being adopted in many countries. It has proven effective, with infants having this otherwise inapparent but serious, rare disorder achieving survival and immune reconstitution. In addition to bringing to attention infants with the primary screening target diseases, typical SCID and leaky SCID (due to hypomorphic mutations in known SCID genes), the NBS assay for insufficient TRECs in DBS also reveals infants with non‐SCID T lymphopenic conditions. Experience has accumulated regarding the range and limitations of diagnoses of newborns with low TRECs and low T cells. Previously unknown immune defects have been discovered, as well as conditions not formerly recognized to have low T cells in the neonatal period.
Social determinants of health and maxillofacial injuries in children and adolescents victims of violence: A novel GIS‐based modelling application
Authors: de Macedo Bernardino Ítalo , da Nóbrega Lorena Marques , da Silva José Régis Cordeiro , de Alencar Catarina Ribeiro Barros , de Olinda Ricardo Alves , d’Ávila Sérgio
Published: December 2018

Background

Physical violence against children and adolescents comprises a serious public health problem and often results in oral and maxillofacial traumas. Social determinants may favour the occurrence of these events, but few studies have critically evaluated the interaction between social and geographical risk factors.

Aims

To investigate the spatiotemporal distribution of oral and maxillofacial traumas resulting from violence against children and adolescents through geostatistical techniques.

Methods

This study was an ecological analysis of cases of trauma caused by violence against Brazilian children and adolescents using aggregated data from victims attended at a Center of Forensic Medicine and Forensic Dentistry between January 2012 and December 2015. Data were analysed through modelling based on geographic information system (GIS).

Results

Two distinct patterns of longitudinal trajectory of oral and maxillofacial trauma related to violence against children and adolescents were identified (TP1 and TP2, P < 0.05). The spatial regression analysis revealed a statistically significant association between higher incidence of cases and areas with worse socioeconomic conditions (β = 0.047, SE = 0.020, P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Neighbourhoods with considerable socio‐spatial vulnerability for violence against children and adolescents and maxillofacial traumas were identified.
Impedance spectroscopy and conduction mechanism of magnetoelectric hexaferrite BaFe10.2Sc1.8O19
Authors: Zhu Qishan , Tang Rujun , Zhou Hao , Wang Yu , Xu Sicheng , Zhang Jianmin , Jiang Changjun , Su Xiaodong , Yang Hao
Published: December 2018

The dielectric relaxation and conduction properties of hexaferrite BaFe10.2Sc1.8O19 (BFSO) ceramics have been investigated by impedance spectroscopy (1 Hz‐2 GHz) at various temperatures (253‐473 K). The frequency dependence of impedance and modulus spectra of BFSO shows that its dielectric responses are thermally activated. The scaling behaviors of impedance spectra indicate that the distribution of dielectric relaxation times in BFSO is temperature independent. The frequency‐dependent conductivity spectra follow the universal‐power‐law at high temperatures but deviate slightly at low temperatures. An enormous increase in relaxation/conduction activation energies of BFSO above 413 K is also observed in both impedance and conductivity spectra. This indicates that at high temperatures, relaxation/conduction processes may be contributed mainly by the movable oxygen vacancies, whereas at low‐temperature electron hopping dominates. The conductivity fitting results further suggest that electron/oxygen vacancy‐related small polaron hopping should be the most probable conduction mechanism for BFSO.
Targeting the lysosome by an aminomethylated Riccardin D triggers DNA damage through cathepsin B‐mediated degradation of BRCA1
Authors: Wang Yanyan , Niu Huanmin , Hu Zhongyi , Zhu Mengyuan , Wang Lining , Han Lili , Qian Lilin , Tian Keli , Yuan Huiqing , Lou Hongxiang
Published: December 2018

RD‐N, an aminomethylated derivative of riccardin D, is a lysosomotropic agent that can trigger lysosomal membrane permeabilization followed by cathepsin B (CTSB)‐dependent apoptosis in prostate cancer (PCa) cells, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here we show that RD‐N treatment drives CTSB translocation from the lysosomes to the nucleus where it promotes DNA damage by suppression of the breast cancer 1 protein (BRCA1). Inhibition of CTSB activity with its specific inhibitors, or by CTSB‐targeting siRNA or CTSB with enzyme‐negative domain attenuated activation of BRCA1 and DNA damage induced by RD‐N. Conversely, CTSB overexpression resulted in inhibition of BRCA1 and sensitized PCa cells to RD‐N‐induced cell death. Furthermore, RD‐N‐induced cell death was exacerbated in BRCA1‐deficient cancer cells. We also demonstrated that CTSB/BRCA1‐dependent DNA damage was critical for RD‐N, but not for etoposide, reinforcing the importance of CTSB/BRCA1 in RD‐N‐mediated cell death. In addition, RD‐N synergistically increased cell sensitivity to cisplatin, and this effect was more evidenced in BRCA1‐deficient cancer cells. This study reveals a novel molecular mechanism that RD‐N promotes CTSB‐dependent DNA damage by the suppression of BRCA1 in PCa cells, leading to the identification of a potential compound that target lysosomes for cancer treatment.