bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nutritional Status in the First 2 Years of Life in Cystic Fibrosis Diagnosed by Newborn Screening
Authors: Munck Anne , Boulkedid Rym , Weiss Laurence , Foucaud Pierre , Wizla‐Derambure Nathalie , Reix Philippe , Bremont François , Derelle Jocelyne , Schroedt Julien , Alberti Corinne ,   Gastroenterology and Nutrition Société française de la Mucoviscidose (SFM) Working Group and the ALIMUDE Study Group
Published: March 2018

Objective:

To evaluate nutritional status and associated factors in a cystic fibrosis (CF) cohort diagnosed by newborn screening and followed up to month 24.

Methods:

A prospective longitudinal multicenter study assessing nutritional status according to pancreatic status, feeding modalities, prescriptions, pulmonary outcome, and biological nutritional parameters.

Results:

One hundred and five infants were recruited and 99 completed the study. Nutritional care management prevented undernutrition and stunting in those with exocrine pancreatic sufficiency (EPS), but affected (13/87) 15% and (21/86) 24%, respectively, of infants with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). The logistic regression model found a positive association between both weight and length z scores “at risk” at month 24, and initial pulmonary symptoms (odds ratio [OR] 0.06, P < 0.01 and OR 0.08, P < 0.01, respectively); these symptoms were less frequent when age at first visit was earlier than 1.2 months (33% vs 67%, P = 0.02); stunting was also associated with high‐calorie density intake and Staphylococcus aureus (OR 0.05, P = 0.01 and OR 0.17, P < 0.01). Pulmonary outcome did not differ according to pancreatic status; breast‐feeding for at least 3 months delayed first acquisition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Despite sodium and fat‐soluble vitamin supplementation, half of both cohorts had low urinary sodium output and half of the EPI cohort had low vitamin D levels.

Conclusions:

Our data shed light on the fact that stunting was more frequent than undernutrition, while both parameters involved only patients with pancreatic insufficiency. Modalities of feeding were not associated with nutritional status; breast‐feeding may provide some protection against acquisition of P aeruginosa.
Dose‐response Relationship Between Donor Human Milk, Mother's Own Milk, Preterm Formula, and Neonatal Growth Outcomes
Authors: Brownell Elizabeth A. , Matson Adam P. , Smith Kelsey C. , Moore James E. , Esposito Patricia A. , Lussier Mary M. , Lerer Trudy J. , Hagadorn James I.
Published: March 2018

Background:

A dose‐response relationship between proportions of donor human milk (DHM) intake and in‐neonatal intensive care unit (in‐NICU) growth rates, if any, remains poorly defined. Objective was to evaluate interrelationships between percentages of DHM, mother's own milk (MOM), and preterm formula (PF) intake and neonatal growth parameters at 36 weeks postmenstrual age or NICU discharge.

Methods:

Infants eligible for this single‐center retrospective study were inborn at ⩽32 weeks gestation or ⩽1800 g, stayed in the NICU for ≥7 days, and received enteral nutrition consisting of human milk fortified with Enfamil human milk fortifier acidified liquid. Study exposures were defined as 10% increments in the total volumetric proportions of infant diet provided as MOM, DHM, or PF. Outcomes were growth parameters at 36 weeks postmenstrual age or NICU discharge. Multivariable linear regression modeled the adjusted additive effect of infant diet on individual growth parameters.

Results:

A total of 314 infants records were eligible for analysis. Using MOM as reference, the adjusted mean growth velocity for weight significantly decreased by 0.17 g · kg−1 · day−1 for every 10% increase in DHM intake, but did not vary with PF intake. The adjusted mean change in weight z score significantly decreased with increasing proportion of DHM intake but significantly improved with increasing PF intake. The adjusted mean head circumference velocity was significantly decreased by 0.01 cm/wk for every 10% increase in DHM intake, in reference to MOM, but did not vary with PF intake. Neither proportion of DHM nor PF intake was associated with length velocity.

Conclusions:

When DHM and MOM are fortified interchangeably, preterm infants receiving incremental amounts of DHM are at increased risk of postnatal growth restriction. The dose‐response relationship between DHM, MOM, and PF and long‐term growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes warrants further research.
Repair of Large Full-Thickness Scalp Defects Using Biomaterial and Skin Grafting
Authors: Yan Sheng , Shi Hangyan , Chen Da , Guo Jincai , Sun Yi , Wu Sufan
Published: March 2018

The reconstruction of large full-thickness scalp defects remains a surgical challenge, especially when the skull is exposed completely without periosteum. Surgical technique options for wound coverage have included tissue expansion, skin grafting, local or regional flaps, and microvascular free tissue transfer. In recent years, some authors have reported to use biological material as an alternative for repairing complex wounds. The authors report the successful reconstruction of a large defect with bare skull in bilateral temporal regions of a 3-year-old child. The patient was treated with artificial biomaterial followed by skin grafting, without making multiple cranial burr holes or burring out the outer bony cortex. The relevant literatures were reviewed and the vascular anatomy evidence of the blood supply at temporal region was also demonstrated on cadaver. This case suggests that artificial biomaterial followed by skin grafting is a potential alternative for the treatment of large full-thickness scalp defects in pediatric patients.
Early Allograft Dysfunction Is Associated With Higher Risk of Renal Nonrecovery After Liver Transplantation
Authors: Wadei Hani M. , Lee David D. , Croome Kristopher P. , Mai Lorraine , Leonard Deanne , Mai Martin L. , Taner C. Burcin , Keaveny Andrew P.
Published: March 2018

Early allograft dysfunction (EAD) identifies allografts with marginal function soon after liver transplantation (LT) and is associated with poor LT outcomes. The impact of EAD on post-LT renal recovery, however, has not been studied. Data on 69 primary LT recipients (41 with and 28 without history of renal dysfunction) who received renal replacement therapy (RRT) for a median (range) of 9 (13-41) days before LT were retrospectively analyzed. Primary outcome was renal nonrecovery defined as RRT requirement 30 days from LT. Early allograft dysfunction developed in 21 (30%) patients, and 22 (32%) patients did not recover renal function. Early allograft dysfunction was more common in the renal nonrecovery group (50% vs 21%, P = 0.016). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that EAD (odds ratio, 7.25; 95% confidence interval, 2.0-25.8; P = 0.002) and baseline serum creatinine (odds ratio, 3.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-8.1; P = 0.007) were independently associated with renal nonrecovery. History of renal dysfunction, duration of renal dysfunction, and duration of RRT were not related to renal recovery (P > 0.2 for all). Patients who had EAD and renal nonrecovery had the worst 1-, 3-, and 5-year patient survival, whereas those without EAD and recovered renal function had the best outcomes (P < 0.001). Post-LT EAD was independently associated with renal nonrecovery in LT recipients on RRT for a short duration before LT. Furthermore, EAD in the setting of renal nonrecovery resulted in the worst long-term survival. Measures to prevent EAD should be undertaken in LT recipients on RRT at time of LT.
Three-dimensional quasi-periodic shifted Green function throughout the spectrum, including Wood anomalies
Authors: Bruno Oscar P. , Shipman Stephen P. , Turc Catalin , Stephanos Venakides
Published: March 2018

This work, part II in a series, presents an efficient method for evaluation of wave scattering by doubly periodic diffraction gratings at or near what are commonly called ‘Wood anomaly frequencies’. At these frequencies, there is a grazing Rayleigh wave, and the quasi-periodic Green function ceases to exist. We present a modification of the Green function by adding two types of terms to its lattice sum. The first type are transversely shifted Green functions with coefficients that annihilate the growth in the original lattice sum and yield algebraic convergence. The second type are quasi-periodic plane wave solutions of the Helmholtz equation which reinstate certain necessary grazing modes without leading to blow-up at Wood anomalies. Using the new quasi-periodic Green function, we establish, for the first time, that the Dirichlet problem of scattering by a smooth doubly periodic scattering surface at a Wood frequency is uniquely solvable. We also present an efficient high-order numerical method based on this new Green function for scattering by doubly periodic surfaces at and around Wood frequencies. We believe this is the first solver able to handle Wood frequencies for doubly periodic scattering problems in three dimensions. We demonstrate the method by applying it to acoustic scattering.
Age distribution dynamics with stochastic jumps in mortality
Authors: Calabrese Salvatore , Porporato Amilcare , Laio Francesco , D’Odorico Paolo , Ridolfi Luca
Published: March 2018

While deterministic age distribution models have been extensively studied and applied in various disciplines, little work has been devoted to understanding the role of stochasticity in birth and mortality terms. In this paper, we analyse a stochastic M’Kendrick–von Foerster equation in which jumps in mortality represent intense losses of population due to external events. We present explicit solutions for the probability density functions of the age distribution and the total population and for the temporal dynamics of their moments. We also derive the dynamics of the mean age of the population and its harmonic mean. The framework is then used to calculate the age distribution of salt in the soil root zone, where the accumulation of salt by atmospheric deposition is counteracted by plant uptake and by jump losses due to percolation events.
Swelling-induced wrinkling in layered gel beams
Authors: Nardinocchi P. , Puntel E.
Published: March 2018

Gels are widely employed in smart mechanical devices and biomedical applications. Swelling-induced bending actuation can be obtained by means of a simple bilayer gel beam. We show that this system can also exhibit wrinkling patterns of potential interest for structural morphing and sensing. We study swelling-induced wrinkling at the extrados of a bilayer gel beam with the softer layer on top. The bent configuration at finite strain is recovered first and, starting from it, a linear perturbation analysis is performed. We delimit the zone corresponding to wrinkling modes in a parameter plane encompassing a mechanical stiffness ratio and a geometric top layer to total height ratio. Interestingly, we observe that surface instability precedes and envelopes wrinkling modes of finite wavelength. Finally, we discuss the effect of changes in stiffness and of the Flory–Huggins parameters
χ
on the size of the wrinkling domain.
Bidispersive vertical convection
Authors: Gentile M. , Straughan B.
Published: March 2018

A bidispersive porous material is one which has usual pores but additionally contains a system of micro pores. We consider a fluid-saturated bidispersive porous medium in the vertical layer
x
∈(−1/2,1/2) with gravity in the −
z
(downward) direction. The walls of the layer are maintained at different constant temperatures. A suitable Rayleigh number is defined and we derive a global stability threshold below which no instability may arise. We additionally show that the porous layer is stable for all Rayleigh numbers provided the initial temperature gradient is bounded in a precise sense.
Multi-scale mechanics of granular solids from grain-resolved X-ray measurements
Authors: Hurley R. C. , Hall S. A. , Wright J. P.
Published: March 2018

This work discusses an experimental technique for studying the mechanics of three-dimensional (3D) granular solids. The approach combines 3D X-ray diffraction and X-ray computed tomography to measure grain-resolved strains, kinematics and contact fabric in the bulk of a granular solid, from which continuum strains, grain stresses, interparticle forces and coarse-grained elasto-plastic moduli can be determined. We demonstrate the experimental approach and analysis of selected results on a sample of 1099 stiff, frictional grains undergoing multiple uniaxial compression cycles. We investigate the inter-particle force network, elasto-plastic moduli and associated length scales, reversibility of mechanical responses during cyclic loading, the statistics of microscopic responses and microstructure–property relationships. This work serves to highlight both the fundamental insight into granular mechanics that is furnished by combined X-ray measurements and describes future directions in the field of granular materials that can be pursued with such approaches.
Nonlinear mode interaction in equal-leg angle struts susceptible to cellular buckling
Authors: Bai L. , Wang F. , Wadee M. A. , Yang J.
Published: March 2018

A variational model that describes the interactive buckling of a thin-walled equal-leg angle strut under pure axial compression is presented. A formulation combining the Rayleigh–Ritz method and continuous displacement functions is used to derive a system of differential and integral equilibrium equations for the structural component. Solving the equations using numerical continuation reveals progressive cellular buckling (or snaking) arising from the nonlinear interaction between the weak-axis flexural buckling mode and the strong-axis flexural–torsional buckling mode for the first time—the resulting behaviour being highly unstable. Physical experiments conducted on 10 cold-formed steel specimens are presented and the results show good agreement with the variational model.
Monoamine abnormalities in the SAPAP3 knockout model of obsessive-compulsive disorder-related behaviour
Authors: Wood Jesse , LaPalombara Zoe , Ahmari Susanne E.
Published: March 2018

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a leading cause of illness-related disability, but the neural mechanisms underlying OCD symptoms are unclear. One potential mechanism of OCD pathology is monoamine dysregulation. Because of the difficulty of studying monoamine signalling in patients, animal models offer a viable alternative to understanding this aspect of OCD pathophysiology. We used HPLC to characterize post-mortem monoamine levels in lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), medial OFC, medial prefrontal cortex and dorsal and ventral striatum of SAPAP-3 knockout (KO) mice, a well-validated model of compulsive-like behaviours in OCD. As predicted from previous studies, excessive grooming was significantly increased in SAPAP-3 KO mice. Overall levels of the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (HIAA) and the ratio of 5HIAA/serotonin (serotonin turnover) were increased in all cortical and striatal regions examined. In addition, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid/dopamine ratio was increased in lateral OFC, and HVA/dopamine ratio was increased in lateral and medial OFC. No baseline differences in serotonin or dopamine tissue content were observed. These data provide evidence of monoaminergic dysregulation in a translational model of OCD symptoms and are consistent with aberrant cortical and striatal serotonin and dopamine release/metabolism in SAPAP-3 KO mice. These results are guiding ongoing experiments using circuit and cell-type specific manipulations of dopamine and serotonin to determine the contributions of these monoaminergic systems to compulsive behaviours, and serve here as a touchstone for an expanded discussion of these techniques for precise circuit dissection.

This article is part of the discussion meeting issue ‘Of mice and mental health: facilitating dialogue between basic and clinical neuroscientists'.
BAP1 Loss Predicts Therapeutic Vulnerability in Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma
Authors: Shrestha Raunak , Nabavi Noushin , Lin Yen-Yi , Mo Fan , Anderson Shawn , Volik Stanislav , Adomat Hans H. , Lin Dong , Xue Hui , Dong Xin , Shukin Robert , Bell Robert H. , McConeghy Brian , Haegert Anne , Brahmbhatt Sonal , Li Estelle , Oo Htoo Zarni , Hurtado-Coll Antonio , Fazli Ladan , Zhou Joshua , McConnell Yarrow , McCart Andrea , Lowy Andrew , Morin Gregg B. , Daugaard Mads , Sahinalp S. Cenk , Hach Faraz , Bihan Stephane Le , Gleave Martin E. , Wang Yuzhuo , Churg Andrew , Collins Colin C.
Published: March 2018

Background

Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma (PeM) is a rare but frequently fatal cancer that originates from the peritoneal lining of the abdomen. Standard treatment of PeM is limited to cytoreductive surgery and/or chemotherapy, and no effective targeted therapies for PeM yet exist. In the search for novel therapeutic target candidates in PeM, we performed a comprehensive integrative multi-omics analysis of 19 treatment-naïve PeM tumors.

Results

The analysis identified PeM tumors withBAP1loss to form a distinct molecular subtype characterized by distinct expression patterns of genes involved in chromatin remodeling, DNA repair pathway, and immune checkpoint receptor activation. This PeM subtype could potentially benefit from immune checkpoint, PARP, or HDAC inhibition therapies.

Conclusions

Our findings uncoverBAP1as a trackable prognostic and predictive biomarker, and refine PeM disease classification. This integrated molecular characterization provides a comprehensive foundation for developing PeM precision medicine.
On the flexibility of basic risk attitudes in monkeys
Authors: Farashahi Shiva , Azab Habiba , Hayden Benjamin , Soltani Alireza
Published: March 2018

Monkeys and other animals appear to share with humans two risk attitudes predicted by prospect theory: an inverse-S-shaped probability weighting function and a steeper utility curve for losses than for gains. These findings suggest that such preferences are stable traits with common neural substrates. We hypothesized instead that animals tailor their preferences to subtle changes in task contexts, making risk attitudes flexible. Previous studies used a limited number of outcomes, trial types, and contexts. To gain a broader perspective, we examined two large datasets of male macaques’ risky choices: one from a task with real (juice) gains and another from a token task with gains and losses. In contrast to previous findings, monkeys were risk-seeking for both gains and losses (i.e. lacked a reflection effect) and showed steeper gain than loss curves (loss-seeking). Utility curves for gains were substantially different in the two tasks. Monkeys showed nearly linear probability weightings in one task and S-shaped ones in the other; neither task produced a consistent inverse-S-shaped curve. To account for these observations, we developed and tested various computational models of the processes involved in the construction of reward value. We found that adaptive differential weighting of prospective gamble outcomes could partially account for the observed differences in the utility functions across the two experiments and thus, provide a plausible mechanism underlying flexible risk attitudes. Together, our results support the idea that risky choices are flexibly constructed at the time of elicitation and place important constraints on neural models of economic choice.
Asynchronous suppression of visual cortex during absence seizures
Authors: Meyer Jochen , Maheshwari Atul , Noebels Jeffrey , Smirnakis Stelios
Published: March 2018

Absence epilepsy is a common childhood disorder featuring frequent cortical spike-wave seizures with a loss of awareness and behavior. Using the calcium indicator GCaMP6 with in vivo 2-photon cellular microscopy and simultaneous electrocorticography, we examined the collective activity profiles of individual neurons and surrounding neuropil across all layers in V1 during spike-wave seizure activity over prolonged periods in stargazer mice. We show that most (∼80%) neurons in all cortical layers reduce their activity during seizures, whereas a smaller pool activates or remains neutral. Unexpectedly, ictal participation of identified single unit activity is not fixed, but fluctuates on a flexible time scale across seizures. Pairwise correlation analysis of calcium activity reveals a surprising lack of synchrony among neurons and neuropil patches in all layers during seizures. Our results demonstrate an asynchronous suppression of visual cortex during absence seizures, with major implications for understanding cortical network function during EEG states of reduced awareness.
Positional information specifies the site of organ regeneration and not tissue maintenance in planarians
Authors: Hill Eric M. , Petersen Christian P.
Published: March 2018

Most animals undergo homeostatic tissue maintenance, yet those capable of robust regeneration in adulthood use mechanisms significantly overlapping with homeostasis. Here we show in planarians that modulations to body-wide patterning systems shift the target site for eye regeneration while still enabling homeostasis of eyes outside this region. The uncoupling of homeostasis and regeneration, which can occur during normal positional rescaling after axis truncation, is not due to altered injury signaling or stem cell activity, nor specific to eye tissue. Rather, pre-existing tissues, which are misaligned with patterning factor expression domains, compete with properly located organs for incorporation of migratory progenitors. These observations suggest that patterning factors determine sites of organ regeneration but do not solely determine the location of tissue homeostasis. These properties provide candidate explanations for how regeneration integrates pre-existing tissues and how regenerative abilities could be lost in evolution or development without eliminating long-term tissue maintenance and repair.

One Sentence Summary

Homeostatic tissue maintenance can occur independent of precise positional information in planarians.
Astrocytes integrate and drive neural activity
Authors: Deemyad Tara , Lüthi Joel , Spruston Nelson
Published: March 2018

Many brain functions depend on the ability of neural networks to temporally integrate transient inputs to produce sustained discharges. This can occur through cell-autonomous mechanisms in individual neurons or through reverberating activity in recurrently connected neural networks. We report a third mechanism involving temporal integration of neural activity by a network of astrocytes. Previously, we showed that some types of interneurons can generate long-lasting trains of action potentials for tens of seconds (“barrage firing”) following repeated depolarizing stimuli. Here, we show that calcium signaling in an astrocytic network correlates with barrage firing; that active depolarization of astrocyte networks by chemical or optogenetic stimulation enhances barrage firing; and that chelating internal calcium, inhibiting release from internal stores, or inhibiting GABA transporters or metabotropic glutamate receptors inhibited barrage firing. Thus, through complex molecular processes, networks of interconnected astrocytes influence the spatiotemporal dynamics of neural networks by directly integrating neural activity and driving long-lasting barrages of action potentials in some populations of inhibitory interneurons.
A new view of dorsal visual cortex in macaques revealed by submillimeter fMRI
Authors: Zhu Qi , Vanduffel Wim
Published: March 2018

Macaque dorsal occipital cortex is generally thought to contain one elongated third-tier area, V3d, extending along most of the rostral V2d border. In contrast, our submillimeter retinotopic fMRI maps (0.6 mm isotropic voxels, achieved by implanted phased-array receive coils) consistently show three sectors anterior to V2d. The dorsal (mirror-image) sector complies with the traditional V3d definition, and the middle (non-mirror image) sector with V3A. The ventral (mirror-image) sector bends away from V2d, as does VLP in marmosets and DLP in owl monkeys, and represents the entire contralateral hemifield like V3A. Its population receptive field size, however, suggests that this ventral sector is another fourth-tier area caudal to V4d. Hence, contrary to prevailing views, the retinotopic organization of cortex rostral to V2d differs substantially from widely accepted models. Instead, it is evolutionarily largely conserved in Old and New World monkeys.
Spatial summation in the human fovea: the effect of optical aberrations and fixational eye movements
Authors: Tuten William S. , Cooper Robert F. , Tiruveedhula Pavan , Dubra Alfredo , Roorda Austin , Cottaris Nicolas P. , Brainard David H. , Morgan Jessica I.W.
Published: March 2018

Psychophysical inferences about the neural mechanisms supporting spatial vision can be undermined by uncertainties introduced by optical aberrations and fixational eye movements, particularly in fovea where the neuronal grain of the visual system is fine. We examined the effect of these pre-neural factors on photopic spatial summation in the human fovea using a custom adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscope that provided control over optical aberrations and retinal stimulus motion. Consistent with previous results, Ricco’s area of complete summation encompassed multiple photoreceptors when measured with ordinary amounts of ocular aberrations and retinal stimulus motion. When both factors were minimized experimentally, summation areas were essentially unchanged, suggesting that foveal spatial summation is limited by post-receptoral neural pooling. We compared our behavioral data to predictions generated with a physiologically-inspired front-end model of the visual system, and were able to capture the shape of the summation curves obtained with and without pre-retinal factors using a single post-receptoral summing filter of fixed spatial extent. Given our data and modeling, neurons in the magnocellular visual pathway, such as parasol ganglion cells, provide a candidate neural correlate of Ricco’s area in the central fovea.
The effects of extinction-aroused attention on context conditioning
Authors: Nelson James Byron , Fabiano Andrew M. , Lamoureux Jeffrey A.
Published: March 2018

Two experiments assessed the effects of extinguishing a conditioned cue on subsequent context conditioning. Each experiment used a different video-game method where sensors predicted attacking spaceships and participants responded to the sensor in a way that prepared them for the upcoming attack. In Experiment 1 extinction of a cue which signaled a spaceship-attack outcome facilitated subsequent learning when the attack occurred unsignaled. In Experiment 2 extinction of a cue facilitated subsequent learning, regardless of whether the spaceship outcome was the same or different as used in the earlier training. In neither experiment did the extinction context become inhibitory. Results are discussed in terms of current associative theories of attention and conditioning.
α2-Adrenergic receptor activation promotes long-term potentiation at excitatory synapses in the mouse accessory olfactory bulb
Authors: Huang Guang-Zhe , Taniguchi Mutsuo , Zhou Ye-Bo , Zhang Jing-Ji , Okutani Fumino , Murata Yoshihiro , Yamaguchi Masahiro , Kaba Hideto
Published: March 2018

The formation of mate recognition memory in mice is associated with neural changes at the reciprocal dendrodendritic synapses between glutamatergic mitral cell (MC) projection neurons and GABAergic granule cell (GC) interneurons in the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB). Although noradrenaline (NA) plays a critical role in the formation of the memory, the mechanism by which it exerts this effect remains unclear. Here we used extracellular field potential and whole-cell patch-clamp recordings to assess the actions of bath-applied NA (10 µM) on the glutamatergic transmission and its plasticity at the MC-to-GC synapse in the AOB. Stimulation (400 stimuli) of MC axons at 10 Hz but not at 100 Hz effectively induced N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-dependent long-term potentiation (LTP), which exhibited reversibility. NA paired with subthreshold 10-Hz stimulation (200 stimuli) facilitated the induction of NMDA receptor-dependent LTP via the activation of α2-adrenergic receptors (ARs). We next examined how NA, acting at α2-ARs, facilitates LTP induction. In terms of acute actions, NA suppressed GC excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) responses to single pulse stimulation of MC axons by reducing glutamate release from MCs via G-protein coupled inhibition of calcium channels. Consequently, NA reduced recurrent inhibition of MCs, resulting in the enhancement of evoked EPSCs and spike fidelity in GCs during the 10-Hz stimulation used to induce LTP. These results suggest that NA, acting at α2-ARs, facilitates the induction of NMDA receptor-dependent LTP at the MC-to-GC synapse by shifting its threshold through disinhibition of MCs.
Elucidating the mechanisms of fear extinction in developing animals: a special case of NMDA receptor-independent extinction in adolescent rats
Authors: Bisby Madelyne A. , Baker Kathryn D. , Richardson Rick
Published: March 2018

NMDA receptors (NMDARs) are considered critical for the consolidation of extinction but recent work challenges this assumption. Namely, NMDARs are not required for extinction retention in infant rats as well as when extinction training occurs for a second time (i.e., reextinction) in adult rats. In this study, a possible third instance of NMDAR-independent extinction was tested. Although adolescents typically exhibit impaired extinction retention, rats that are conditioned as juveniles and then given extinction training as adolescents (JuvCond-AdolesExt) have good extinction retention. Unexpectedly, this good extinction retention is not associated with an up-regulation of a synaptic plasticity marker in the medial prefrontal cortex, a region implicated in extinction consolidation. In the current study, rats received either the noncompetitive NMDAR antagonist MK801 (0.1 mg/kg, s.c.) or saline before extinction training. In several experiments, rats conditioned and extinguished as juveniles, adolescents, or adults exhibited impaired extinction retention after MK801 compared to saline, but this effect was not observed in JuvCond-AdolesExt rats. Further experiments ruled out several alternative explanations for why NMDAR antagonism did not affect extinction retention in adolescents extinguishing fear learned as a juvenile. These results illustrate yet another circumstance in which NMDARs are not required for successful extinction retention and highlight the complexity of fear inhibition across development.
Corporate reporting readability and regulatory review risk
Authors: Hesarzadeh Reza , Bazrafshan Ameneh
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The regulatory review process imposes significant costs on companies. Therefore, managers try to find ways to avoid the regulatory review risk. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether corporate reporting readability reduces the regulatory review risk.

Design/methodology/approach

This study measures the corporate reporting readability using the Fog Index. It measures the regulatory review risk using the probability of receiving a comment letter from the Securities and Exchange Organization of Iran.

Findings

The findings reveal that corporate reporting readability reduces the regulatory review risk, after controlling for the factors that affect the regulatory review risk.

Originality/value

The current paper identifies an easy strategy for managers to mitigate one of the important risks faced by companies. Thus, the results will be of interest to managers, audit committees, and stakeholders involved in the regulatory review process.
Artificial neural networks for prediction of local thermal insulation of clothing protecting against cold
Authors: Dabrowska Anna Katarzyna
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop artificial neural networks (ANNs) allowing us to simulate the local thermal insulation of clothing protecting against cold on a basis of the characteristics of materials and design solutions used.

Design/methodology/approach

For this purpose, laboratory tests of thermal insulation of clothing protecting against cold as well as thermal resistance of textile systems used in the clothing were performed. These tests were conducted with a use of thermal manikin and so-called skin model, respectively. On a basis of results gathered, 12 ANNs were developed that correspond to each thermal manikin’s segment besides hands and feet which are not covered by protective clothing.

Findings

In order to obtain high level of simulations, optimization measures for the developed ANNs were introduced. Finally, conducted validation indicated a very high correlation (above 0.95) between theoretical and experimental results, as well as a low error of the simulations (max 8 percent).

Originality/value

The literature reports addressing the problem of modeling thermal insulation of clothing focus mainly on the impact of the degree of fit and the velocity of air movement on thermal insulation properties, whereas reports dedicated to modeling the impact of the construction of clothing protecting against cold as well as of diverse material systems used within one design of clothing on its thermal insulation are scarce.
Gaming attribute preferences in social marketing programmes
Authors: Dietrich Timo , Mulcahy Rory , Knox Kathy
Published: March 2018

Purpose

There is growing evidence that serious games can be an effective tool in social marketing programmes. Although multiple (serious) game attribute frameworks exist, there is limited knowledge about which game attributes are applicable for sensitive social marketing issues. This research aims to fill this gap by compiling a taxonomy of game attributes for serious games based on the existing literature and investigating which of the game attributes users prefer in the context of an alcohol programme targeted at adolescents.

Design/methodology/approach

Three serious games were administered to a sample of adolescents as part of a larger trial. Game feedback data from 640 participants are coded and compared using the synthesised classification taxonomy of reward-based and meaningful game attributes.

Findings

Meaningful game attributes are more frequently preferred than reward game attributes across all three serious games.

Research limitations/implications

This study examined serious games targeting only one specific context (alcohol) in one market segment (Australian adolescents) on one gaming platform (online).

Practical implications

This study proposes that meaningful game attributes are more important than reward game attributes when designing serious games for (alcohol) social marketing programmes. Nevertheless, social marketers must also recognise that reward-based game attributes are important attributes, as they are essential for making and motivating gameplay.

Originality/value

This research is the first social marketing study that provides insight into game attributes which are preferred by users of serious games or gamified technology in social marketing programmes.
Leadership in interprofessional health and social care teams: a literature review
Authors: Smith Tony , Fowler-Davis Sally , Nancarrow Susan , Ariss Steven Mark Brian , Enderby Pam
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to review evidence on the nature of effective leadership in interprofessional health and social care teams.

Design/methodology/approach

A critical review and thematic synthesis of research literature conducted using systematic methods to identify and construct a framework to explain the available evidence about leadership in interprofessional health and social care teams.

Findings

Twenty-eight papers were reviewed and contributed to the framework for interprofessional leadership. Twelve themes emerged from the literature, the themes were: facilitate shared leadership; transformation and change; personal qualities; goal alignment; creativity and innovation; communication; team-building; leadership clarity; direction setting; external liaison; skill mix and diversity; clinical and contextual expertise. The discussion includes some comparative analysis with theories and themes in team management and team leadership.

Originality/value

This research identifies some of the characteristics of effective leadership of interprofessional health and social care teams. By capturing and synthesising the literature, it is clear that effective interprofessional health and social care team leadership requires a unique blend of knowledge and skills that support innovation and improvement. Further research is required to deepen the understanding of the degree to which team leadership results in better outcomes for both patients and teams.
The effect of occupational self-efficacy on work performance through intrinsic work motivation
Authors: Çetin Fatih , Aşkun Duysal
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Today, organizations work hard to improve the motivation of their employees and related knowledge, skills and abilities to enhance work performance. Among many other variables, self-efficacy proved to have an influential role in work performance. The main purpose of the current study is to investigate the role of occupational self-efficacy on work performance through intrinsic motivation by using a longitudinal analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants were 76 employees from diverse organizations operating in an organized industrial region in Turkey. Participants filled in a weekly questionnaire during ten consecutive weeks.

Findings

Results of multilevel analyses confirmed our hypotheses by showing that occupational self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation have a significant influential role over work performance, and intrinsic motivation serve as a partial mediator in this relationship.

Originality/value

The study findings also reveal important information for organizational and managerial practices to improve employee motivation and performance.
Family involvement in publicly traded firms and firm performance: a meta-analysis
Authors: Taras Vas , Memili Esra , Wang Zhonghui , Harms Henrik
Published: March 2018

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the effects of family involvement in corporations on firm performance. It remains unclear whether family-owned companies, or companies with other forms of family involvement in the corporate governance, perform better than firms with no family involvement. Furthermore, the study focuses on family involvement in publicly traded firms, which are different from private family firms. Hence, knowledge about family firms will be enriched through a closer look at the publicly traded family firms and shed further light onto the heterogeneity among family firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study uses a meta-analysis of the extant research on family involvement and publicly traded family firm performance. The authors synthesize past research, identify and reconcile mixed findings and expand the understanding of the phenomenon.

Findings

Involvement of the founding family members in firm governance tends to improve firm performance, albeit the effect is rather weak. However, the effect varies greatly depending on the type of family involvement and the measure of performance. The authors also identify regional differences, as well as variations by the firm size and study design. Furthermore, under-researched areas are identified for future research.

Practical implications

The results of the study would be useful in guiding organizational design and investment decisions.

Originality/value

By using the meta-analytic approach, the present study provides a comprehensive review of the empirical evidence available on the issue so far. Most importantly, the authors were able to conduct a series of tests to assess the moderating effects of a number of factors that could not be evaluated in any individual study in the meta-analytic database.
Continued source level reduction during attack in the low‐amplitude bat Barbastella barbastellus prevents moth evasive flight
Authors: Lewanzik Daniel , Goerlitz Holger R.
Published: March 2018

Ears evolved independently in many insect taxa due to the selection pressure of echolocating bats. Eared moths perform evasive flight manoeuvres upon hearing approaching bats, thereby substantially increasing survival probability. Accordingly, eared moths constitute only a minor portion of many bats’ diets. In contrast, the barbastelle bat Barbastella barbastellus almost exclusively feeds on eared moths by emitting low‐amplitude stealth echolocation calls that are undetectable by distant moths. While closing in on the prey, however, the calls might become audible. We thus hypothesised that barbastelle bats lower the source level of their calls even further while closing in, such that the level at the moth's ear remains below the moth's hearing threshold and the moth fails to elicit its evasive manoeuvre.

We tested these hypotheses by offering tethered moths to barbastelle bats in the wild and in captivity. We reconstructed the bats’ three‐dimensional flight paths based on time‐of‐arrival differences of the echolocation calls at four microphones, measured the received sound levels at the moth's position with an additional miniature microphone, and calculated call source levels.

We show that barbastelle bats continuously reduced source level upon detecting a moth, thereby delaying the time and shortening the distance when the moth might detect the bat. The received level at the targeted moth never exceeded the moth's neuronal hearing threshold by more than 10 dB, which is likely sufficiently low to prevent moth evasive flight.

Barbastelle bats emit low‐amplitude calls to counter moth hearing. Continued amplitude reduction during an attack extends the time before the prey becomes aware of the predator, if at all. In combination, these two strategies allowed barbastelle bats to access a food resource which is largely unavailable to competing species, thereby probably altering competition between sympatric predators.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
An aposematic colour‐polymorphic moth seen through the eyes of conspecifics and predators – Sensitivity and colour discrimination in a tiger moth
Authors: Henze Miriam J. , Lind Olle , Mappes Johanna , Rojas Bibiana , Kelber Almut
Published: March 2018

Although predation is commonly thought to exert the strongest selective pressure on coloration in aposematic species, sexual selection may also influence coloration. Specifically, polymorphism in aposematic species cannot be explained by natural selection alone.

Males of the aposematic wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis) are polymorphic for hindwing coloration throughout most of their range. In Scandinavia, they display either white or yellow hindwings. Female hindwing coloration varies continuously from bright orange to red. Redder females and yellow males suffer least from bird predation.

White males often have higher mating success than yellow males. Therefore, we ask whether females can discriminate the two male morphs by colour. Males approach females by following pheromone plumes from a distance, but search visually at short range. This raises the questions whether males discriminate female coloration and, in turn, whether female coloration is also sexually selected.

Using electroretinograms, we found significantly larger retinal responses in male than female A. plantaginis, but similar spectral sensitivities in both sexes, with peaks in the UV (349 nm), blue (457 nm) and green (521 nm) wavelength range.

According to colour vision models, conspecifics can discriminate white and yellow males as separate morphs, but not orange and red females. For moths and birds (Cyanistes caeruleus), white males are more conspicuous against green and brown backgrounds, mostly due to UV reflectivity, and red females are slightly more conspicuous than orange females.

The costly red coloration among females is likely selected by predator pressure, not by conspecifics, whereas male colour polymorphism is probably maintained, at least partly, by the opposing forces of predation pressure favouring yellow males, and female preference for white males. Whether or not the preference for white males is based on visual cues requires further testing.

The evolution of polymorphic aposematic animals can be better understood when the visual system of the species and their predators is taken into consideration.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
A heritable symbiont and host‐associated factors shape fungal endophyte communities across spatial scales
Authors: Harrison Joshua G. , Parchman Thomas L. , Cook Daniel , Gardner Dale R. , Forister Matthew L.
Published: March 2018

Microbial ecologists are intensely interested in the processes governing microbial community assembly; however, progress has been limited by a lack of studies that span multiple geographical scales and levels of biological organization.

We used high throughput sequencing to characterize foliar fungal endophyte communities and host plant genetic structure both within and among 24 populations of spotted locoweed Astragalus lentiginosus across the Great Basin Desert.

Across the Great Basin, both within and among populations of the host plant, fungal endophyte richness was predicted by plant size and variation in the seed‐borne, heritable fungus, Alternaria fulva, which produces the bioactive alkaloid swainsonine.

The degree of between‐plant turnover in the endophyte community was inversely related to host plant inbreeding and average plant size and positively related to the relative abundance of A. fulva. Plant size was inversely related to endophyte community richness, both among and within populations. The genetic and physical distance between host populations was not predictive of differences in fungal community structure.

Synthesis. Through pairing intensive local and regional sampling, we uncovered a primacy of deterministic forces imposed by a heritable symbiont on the community structure of locoweed endophytes.
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibody significantly increases the risk of hand–foot skin reaction to multikinase inhibitors (MKIs): A systematic literature review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhu Yi , Zhang Xiaochen , Lou Xiaoe , Chen Min , Luo Peihua , He Qiaojun
Published: March 2018

With the use of multikinase inhibitors (MKIs) having emerged in recent years, skin toxicities such as hand–foot skin reaction (HFSR) are primary side effects, and they lack effective prediction methods. Here, we updated a previous systematic review by establishing a meta‐analysis of the risk of developing HFSR among patients receiving MKIs and antivascular endothelial growth factor antibody. Publications from PubMed and abstracts presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting up to February 5, 2015, were searched to identify relevant studies, and a total of 236 patients with metastatic tumours in nine trials were included for analysis. In the meta‐analysis, the pooled incidence rates of all‐grade and high‐grade HFSR among patients who received the combination therapy were 56.9% [95% confidence interval (CI), 45%‐71.1%] and 14.3% (95% CI, 9%‐24.2%), respectively, with significant differences observed with MKI monotherapy (P < .05). Further subgroup analysis demonstrated that increasing the dosages of bevacizumab (77.8% vs 51.1%, P = .04) and MKIs (64.3% vs 52.6%, P = .02) significantly increased HFSR incidence. Moreover, combination with chemotherapy exerted a minimal effect on HFSR risk (61% vs 55.3%, P = .5). This updated review and meta‐analysis confirm the increased risk of HFSR incidence due to the use of MKIs and antivascular endothelial growth factor antibody. Thus, using these therapies requires safety standards.