bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the Posterior Vertebral Column Resection With the Expandable Cage Versus the Nonexpandable Cage in Thoracolumbar Angular Kyphosis
Authors: Lee Jung-Hee , Oh Hyun-Seok , Choi Jeong-Gyu
Published: December 2014

Study Design:

This was a retrospective study.

Objective:

To compare the radiographic and clinical results of anterior support with nonexpandable cage with those of expandable cage.

Summary of Background Data:

The goals of surgical treatment in patients with thoracolumbar angular kyphosis are to improve the neurological deficit through neural decompression, to restore the normal alignment by correction of deformity, and to stabilize the spinal column by arthrodesis. Mesh cages have been traditionally used for reconstruction after corpectomy. However, expandable cages are gaining popularity due to some advantages over mesh cages, structural autograft or allograft, and poly-ether-ether-ketone/carbon fiber.

Materials and Methods:

We performed a retrospective study in a consecutive series of 42 subjects with a male-to-female ratio of 15:27, a mean age of 65.3±10.9 years, and a mean follow-up period of 36.4±7.1 months, who underwent posterior vertebral column resection at our medical institutions between 2006 and 2011. They consist of 32 patients with posttraumatic kyphosis with a mean kyphotic angle of 33.1 degrees (range, 12.2–58.1 degrees) and 10 patients with tuberculous kyphosis with a mean kyphotic angle of 53.9 degrees (range, 22.6–126.0 degrees). The mean follow-up period was 36.4 months (range, 28–54 mo). We compared the clinical outcomes between the 2 groups based on radiographic findings, neurological status, and complications. Intervertebral heights and kyphosis at the level of vertebral column resection were used to measure the radiographic outcomes. Neurological outcome was evaluated using the modified Frankel grading system.

Results:

Postoperatively, the mean kyphosis angle was 3.0±10.8 and 6.7±7.2 degrees (P=0.094). At a final follow-up, these values were 4.7±10.1 and 12.3±18.9 degrees in the corresponding order (P=0.099). There were 19 (80.0%) and 21 (86.4%) patients with solid arthrodesis of grade 1. On modified Frankel grading system, all the patients but one achieved improvement. But there was no significant difference in the grade between the 2 groups (P>0.05). Also in our series, there were 12 patients with cage subsidence and 6 with screw loosening.

Conclusions:

Nonexpandable cage and expandable cage are viable options for anterior support; both cages allow for correction of kyphosis with good fusion rate with similar neurological outcomes. Expandable cage is effective for the anterior support of posterior vertebral column resection.
Defining heterochromatin in C. elegans through genome-wide analysis of the heterochromatin protein 1 homolog HPL-2
Authors: Garrigues Jacob M. , Sidoli Simone , Garcia Benjamin A. , Strome Susan
Published: December 2014

Formation of heterochromatin serves a critical role in organizing the genome and regulating gene expression. In most organisms, heterochromatin flanks centromeres and telomeres. To identify heterochromatic regions in the heavily studied model C. elegans, which possesses holocentric chromosomes with dispersed centromeres, we analyzed the genome-wide distribution of the heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) ortholog HPL-2 and compared its distribution to other features commonly associated with heterochromatin. HPL-2 binding highly correlates with histone H3 mono- and dimethylated at lysine 9 (H3K9me1 and H3K9me2) and forms broad domains on autosomal arms. Although HPL-2, like other HP1 orthologs, binds H3K9me peptides in vitro, the distribution of HPL-2 in vivo appears relatively normal in mutant embryos that lack H3K9me, demonstrating that the chromosomal distribution of HPL-2 can be achieved in an H3K9me-independent manner. Consistent with HPL-2 serving roles independent of H3K9me, hpl-2 mutant worms display more severe defects than mutant worms lacking H3K9me. HPL-2 binding is enriched for repetitive sequences, and on chromosome arms is anticorrelated with centromeres. At the genic level, HPL-2 preferentially associates with well-expressed genes, and loss of HPL-2 results in up-regulation of some binding targets and down-regulation of others. Our work defines heterochromatin in an important model organism and uncovers both shared and distinctive properties of heterochromatin relative to other systems.
Microstructure of mandibulate mouthparts in the greater rice weevil, Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Authors: Moon Myung‐Jin
Published: December 2014

The greater rice weevil, Sitophilus zeamais, is a serious pest of stored grain. It chews a hole in the grain and deposits an egg inside. For the purpose of excavating a tunnel, these weevils are equipped with effective mandibulate mouthparts for penetrating and boring holes. The mouthparts of the weevil are a long slender snout, which consist of a labrum, a pair of mandibles, a pair of maxillae and a labium. Mothparts exhibit typical morphology of phytophagous coleopteran beetles and have characteristics of chewing mouthparts. Mandibles are connected to the head capsule through dicondyous articulation, which allows movement along one single rotating axis. Both labrum and labium are fused to the snout and form the upper and lower lips, respectively. Along the depressed surface of the snout, a number of short sensory hairs are sparsely arranged. The distal apexes of the maxillary and labial palpi are deeply depressed into a sensillar field, and only one type of the basiconic sensilla, which function as chemo‐ or gustatory receptors, occurs in both sexes.
A multilevel examination of high‐performance work systems and unit‐level organisational ambidexterity
Authors: Chang Yi‐Ying
Published: December 2014

This paper examines the process linking high‐performance work systems (HPWS) and organisational ambidexterity both at the unit and firm level of analyses by integrating strategic HRM, human capital and social capital perspectives. Multisource and multilevel data from 2,887 employees and 536 managers of 58 banks was collected. Results revealed that firm‐level HPWS were positively related to unit‐level employee human capital. Unit‐level employee human capital partially mediated the relationship between firm‐level HPWS and unit organisational ambidexterity. Furthermore, firm‐level social climate moderated the effect of firm‐level HPWS on unit organisational ambidexterity through unit‐level employee human capital. This paper contributes to HPWS and ambidexterity research by revealing the impacts of firm‐level HPWS and mediating mechanisms, as well as identifying boundary conditions for pursuing unit‐level organisational ambidexterity.
Stage IB2 adenosquamous cervical cancer diagnosed at 19‐weeks' gestation
Authors: Peculis Luiza D. , Ius Yvette , Campion Michael , Friedlander Michael , Hacker Neville
Published: December 2014

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for advanced cervical cancer in pregnancy has been shown to increase operability and be effective against spread of disease. In all reported cases of advanced disease, residual tumour has been found at surgery following NACT. We present a case of a 27‐year old diagnosed with stage IB2 adenosquamous cervical carcinoma at 19‐weeks' gestation who was treated with NACT. Following caesarean section and radical hysterectomy, histopathology showed no evidence of residual tumour in the cervix and negative pelvic lymph nodes.
Understanding drug preferences, different perspectives
Authors: Mol Peter G. M. , Arnardottir Arna H. , Straus Sabine M. J. , de Graeff Pieter A. , Haaijer‐Ruskamp Flora M. , Quik Elise H. , Krabbe Paul F. M. , Denig Petra
Published: December 2014

Aims

To compare the values regulators attach to different drug effects of oral antidiabetic drugs with those of doctors and patients.

Methods

We administered a ‘discrete choice’ survey to regulators, doctors and patients with type 2 diabetes in The Netherlands. Eighteen choice sets comparing two hypothetical oral antidiabetic drugs were constructed with varying drug effects on glycated haemoglobin, cardiovascular risk, bodyweight, duration of gastrointestinal complaints, frequency of hypoglycaemia and risk of bladder cancer. Responders were asked each time which drug they preferred.

Results

Fifty‐two regulators, 175 doctors and 226 patients returned the survey. Multinomial conditional logit analyses showed that cardiovascular risk reduction was valued by regulators positively (odds ratio 1.98, 95% confidence interval 1.11–3.53), whereas drug choices were negatively affected by persistent gastrointestinal problems (odds ratio 0.24, 95% confidence interval 0.14–0.41) and cardiovascular risk increase (odds ratio 0.49, 95% confidence interval 0.27–0.87). Doctors and patients valued these effects in a similar manner to regulators. The values that doctors attached to large changes in glycated haemoglobin and that both doctors and patients attached to hypoglycaemia and weight gain also reached statistical significance. No group's drug choice was affected by a small absolute change in risk of bladder cancer when presented in the context of other drug effects. When comparing the groups, the value attached by regulators to less frequent hypoglycaemic episodes was significantly smaller than by patients (P = 0.044).

Conclusions

Regulators may value major benefits and risks of drugs for an individual diabetes patient mostly in the same way as doctors and patients, but differences may exist regarding the value of minor or short‐term drug effects.
In Vitro Functional Assessment of 22 Newly Identified CYP2D6 Allelic Variants in the Chinese Population
Authors: Dai Da‐Peng , Geng Pei‐Wu , Wang Shuang‐Hu , Cai Jie , Hu Li‐Ming , Nie Jing‐Jing , Hu Ji‐Hong , Hu Guo‐Xin , Cai Jian‐Ping
Published: December 2014

Cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is one of the most widely investigated CYPs related to genetic polymorphisms and is responsible for one‐quarter of the currently used clinical drugs. We previously detected 22 novel, non‐synonymous, mutated sites in the Chinese population, but nothing is known about the functional effects of these mutations in terms of specific CYP2D6 substrates. In this study, wild‐type CYP2D6, two common allelic variants and 22 newly reported CYP2D6 isoforms were transiently expressed in 293FT cells, and the enzymatic activities of these variants were systematically assessed using dextromethorphan and bufuralol as the probing substrates. Consequently, 19 and 21 allelic variants were found to exhibit significantly decreased enzymatic activities for dextromethorphan and bufuralol, respectively. Of 22 novel CYP2D6 variants, six allelic isoforms (CYP2D6.89, CYP2D6.92, CYP2D6.93, CYP2D6.96, E215K and R440C) exhibited absent or extremely reduced metabolic activities compared with those observed for the wild‐type enzyme. Our in vitro functional data can be useful for CYP2D6 phenotype prediction and provide valuable information for the study of clinical impact of these newly found CYP2D6 variants in China.
Reverse Stock Splits, Institutional Holdings, and Share Value
Authors: Chung Kee H. , Yang Sean
Published: December 2014

We show that both the number of institutional investors and the percentage of shares that are held by institutional investors increase significantly after reverse splits with a presplit price lower than $5 and a target price higher than $5. This effect is larger than for other comparable reverse splits. These results suggest institutional holdings are affected by the prudent‐person rule and reverse splits are used by firms to alleviate this constraint. We also show that an increase in institutional holdings that results from reverse splits is associated with an increase in share price.
Analyzing Educational Achievement Differences between Second-Generation Immigrants: Comparing Germany and German-Speaking Switzerland
Authors: Kunz Johannes S.
Published: December 2014

In this study, I provide evidence that the educational achievement of second- generation immigrants in German-speaking Switzerland is greater than in Germany. The impact of the first-generation immigrants’ destination decision on their offspring’s educational achievement seems to be much more important than has been recognized by the existing literature. I identify the test score gap between these students that cannot be explained by differences in individual and family characteristics. Moreover, I show how this gap evolves over the test score distribution and how the least favorably endowed students fare. My results suggest that the educational system of Switzerland, relative to the German system, enhances the performance of immigrants’ children substantially. This disparity is largest when conditioning on the language spoken at home, and prevails even when comparing only students whose parents migrated from the same country of origin.
Assessing Variability of Complex Descriptive Statistics in Monte Carlo Studies Using Resampling Methods
Authors: Boos Dennis D. , Osborne Jason A.
Published: December 2014

Good statistical practice dictates that summaries in Monte Carlo studies should always be accompanied by standard errors. Those standard errors are easy to provide for summaries that are sample means over the replications of the Monte Carlo output: for example, bias estimates, power estimates for tests and mean squared error estimates. But often more complex summaries are of interest: medians (often displayed in boxplots), sample variances, ratios of sample variances and non‐normality measures such as skewness and kurtosis. In principle, standard errors for most of these latter summaries may be derived from the Delta Method, but that extra step is often a barrier for standard errors to be provided. Here, we highlight the simplicity of using the jackknife and bootstrap to compute these standard errors, even when the summaries are somewhat complicated. © 2014 The Authors. International Statistical Review © 2014 International Statistical Institute
Captive breeding the Critically Endangered Egyptian tortoise Testudo kleinmanni Lortet, 1883, for an in situ recovery project in Egypt
Authors: Zwartepoorte H.
Published: December 2014

The Egyptian tortoise Testudo kleinmanni (Family Testudinidae) is a small‐sized tortoise with a carapace length of up to 140 mm that inhabits an arid to semi‐arid range extending over the coastal regions of Egypt and Libya, and some interior desert areas of Israel. The species is almost completely herbivorous. Population sizes have been under severe pressure for decades. Causes of the decline are overgrazing by cattle, intensification of agriculture and overcollecting for the international pet trade. In Egypt the species is virtually extinct. Since 2000, the breeding programmes of both the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria and the European Studbook Foundation have been coordinated. In the northern Sinai desert, a recovery project has been established, supported by the local Sweirki Bedouin tribe and coordinated by Nature Conservation Egypt. Linking the in situ project to the ex situ breeding programmes forms the basis for the conservation and recovery of the Egyptian tortoise in Egypt.
Ultrasound scanning as an effective tool in the conservation of chelonians
Authors: Kuchling G.
Published: December 2014

Ultrasound scanning (ultrasonography) was first developed to study chelonian reproduction in the late 1980s to find out why the last ♀♀ of the Critically Endangered Western swamp tortoise Pseudemydura umbrina did not breed in captivity. This problem could be and was solved, and a successful breeding operation for this species is still operating at Perth Zoo, Australia. Since then, ultrasound scanning has been used in several other captive‐breeding programmes for threatened chelonians around the world and has led to some novel insights into chelonian natural history. These include the discovery of mating‐induced ovulation in the Malagasy Ploughshare tortoise Astrochelys yniphora and the Loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta. The application of ultrasound scanning in captive‐breeding operations enhances the scientific understanding of chelonians and contributes to their conservation.
HIV Status, Gender, and Marriage Dynamics among Adults in Rural Malawi
Authors: Anglewicz Philip , Reniers Georges
Published: December 2014

Awareness of and responses to HIV health risks stemming from relations between sexual partners have been well documented in sub‐Saharan Africa, but few studies have estimated the effects of observed HIV status on marriage decisions and outcomes. We study marriage dissolution and remarriage in rural Malawi using longitudinal data with repeated HIV and marital status measurements. Results indicate that HIV‐positive individuals face greater risks of union dissolution (via both widowhood and divorce) and lower remarriage rates. Modeling studies suggest that the exclusion of HIV‐positive individuals from the marriage or partnership pools will reduce the spread of HIV.
IN DEFENCE OF MANTITHEUS: STRUCTURE, STRATEGY AND ARGUMENTATION IN LYSIAS 16
Authors: KAPELLOS AGGELOS
Published: December 2014

Lysias presents Mantitheus as an exemplary citizen, a democrat, who participates sentimentally in the misfortunes of Athens, a good son, distinct from the Thirty. His name in the cavalry register is only a part of the problem of the identification of the cavalrymen He is dissociated from dissolute youngsters, a quiet man, a pater familias and a good citizen. He puts Athens' interests above ideologies; he is generous towards his fellow soldiers, brave and more courageous than Thrasybulus, a charismatic soldier, ready for self-sacrifice, supported by all the social strata of Athens. He does not want to arouse envy, asks what he deserves and respects the Council.
ORPHEUS' EROTIC MYSTERIES: PLATO, PEDERASTY, AND THE ZAGREUS MYTH IN PHANOCLES F 1
Authors: WATSON SARAH BURGES
Published: December 2014

In his Ἔρωτɛς ἢ Kαλoί, Phanocles tells how Orpheus was decapitated by Thracian women because he ‘revealed’ homoerotic love and rejected women. Iconographic and literary evidence suggests that Orpheus is associated with homoeroticism and misogyny from the Classical period. Phanocles' poem also exploits Orpheus' ambivalent status: as founder of the Eleusinian mysteries, his authority was immense. But he was also seen as the guru of a countercultural fringe, who preached reincarnation and vegetarianism. The fact that Phanocles presents Orpheus' erotic predilections as mysteries points to Plato, who rejected the mainstream, Eleusinian Orpheus, and embraced the counter-cultural (Pythagorean) one. Orpheus rejects generative love because he is associated with the transcendent, rather than earthly, realm. Plato re-configures both Orpheus' mystical teachings and his music-making as philosophy/philosophical love, benefiting from traditions of interpreting Orphic poetry allegorically.
‘BLEARY EYES AND DROOPING EARS’: IMAGES OF THE BODY AND SELF-REPRESENTATION IN HORACE SERMONES BOOK ONE
Authors: FREEMAN ROD
Published: December 2014

In this article I consider the literary programme that Horace establishes in Sermones 1 and then discuss in two subsequent sections the implications of this programme for our understanding of various themes, associated with Augustan ideology, that run through this text. By re-evaluating persona theory and evidence for audience reactions to pseudo-biographical writing in the Ancient world, I assimilate the purely ‘textual’ approach with the broader ethical, political and social questions which the text raises, and consider how the symbolic and intertextual properties of images of the body in the text, and issues of self-representation, allow for diverse readings of his work, reconciling the hitherto separated literary Callimachean poet with the quasi-biographical ‘Horace’.
Alveolar bone regeneration in response to local application of calcitriol in vitamin D deficient rats
Authors: Fügl Alexander , Gruber Reinhard , Agis Hermann , Lzicar Hannah , Keibl Claudia , Schwarze Uwe Yacine , Dvorak Gabriella
Published: December 2014

Aim

Vitamin D deficiency is considered to diminish bone regeneration. Yet, raising the serum levels takes months. A topic application of the active vitamin D metabolite, calcitriol, may be an effective approach. Thus, it becomes important to know the effect of vitamin D deficiency and local application on alveolar bone regeneration.

Material and Methods

Sixty rats were divided into three groups; two vitamin depletion groups and a control group. Identical single defects (2 mm diameter) were created in the maxilla and mandible treated with calcitriol soaked collagen in one deficiency group while in the other two groups not. Histomorphometric analysis and micro CTs were performed after 1 and 3 weeks. Serum levels of 25(OH)D3 and PTH were determined.

Results

Bone formation rate significantly increased within the observation period in all groups. Bone regeneration was higher in the maxilla than in the mandible. However, bone regeneration was lower in the control group compared to vitamin depletion groups, with no significant effects by local administration of calcitriol (micro CT mandible p = 0.003, maxilla p < 0.001; histomorphometry maxilla p = 0.035, mandible p = 0.18).

Conclusion

Vitamin D deficiency not necessarily impairs bone regeneration in the rat jaw and a single local calcitriol application does not enhance healing.
Lmax and imiquimod 3.75%: the new standard in AK management
Authors: Stockfleth E.
Published: December 2014

The new target for the treatment of actinic keratosis (AK) is the detection and clearance of clinical and subclinical lesions across an entire sun‐exposed field. This is because patients with AK have field cancerization as ultraviolet light affects the entire sun‐exposed area and because it is not possible to predict which AK lesions will progress into invasive squamous cell carcinoma. To fully assess the effectiveness of field‐directed therapies against the full burden of AK, a new efficacy concept has been developed which is based on the reduction in lesions from Lmax, or the maximum lesion count during treatment. This new parameter enables the efficacy of a field‐directed therapy against both clinical and subclinical lesions to be assessed. Imiquimod 3.75% is a novel field‐directed therapy which uniquely can detect and clear both clinical and subclinical lesions across a large sun‐exposed field such as the full face or balding scalp, and so far is the only AK treatment to have had its efficacy assessed with the Lmax concept. The detection of subclinical lesions is evidenced by an increase in lesion count during each of the 2‐week treatment cycles, which are separated by a 2‐week treatment‐free interval. The median percentage reduction in lesions from Lmax with imiquimod 3.75% is 92%, and the effective clearance of both clinical and subclinical lesions leads to sustained lesion clearance for at least 1 year. Imiquimod 3.75% has an acceptable tolerability profile. Rest periods from treatment may be taken if required to manage local skin reactions, with no loss in efficacy. In conclusion, Lmax and imiquimod 3.75% together set the new standard in the management of patients with AK.
Stock enhancement to address multiple recreational fisheries objectives: an integrated model applied to red drum Sciaenops ocellatus in Florida
Authors: Camp E. V. , Lorenzen K. , Ahrens R. N. M. , Allen M. S.
Published: December 2014

An integrated socioecological model was developed to evaluate the potential for stock enhancement with hatchery fishes to achieve socioeconomic and conservation objectives in recreational fisheries. As a case study, this model was applied to the red drum Sciaenops ocellatus recreational fishery in the Tampa Bay estuary, Florida, U.S.A. The results suggest that stocking of juvenile fish larger than the size at which the strongest density dependence in mortality occurs can help increase angler satisfaction and total fishing effort (socioeconomic objectives) but are likely to result in decreases to the abundance of wild fishes (a conservation objective). Stocking of small juveniles that are susceptible to density‐dependent mortality after release does not achieve socioeconomic objectives (or only at excessive cost) but still leads to a reduction of wild fish abundance. The intensity and type of socioeconomic gains depended on assumptions of dynamic angler‐effort responses and importance of catch‐related satisfaction, with greatest gains possible if aggregate effort is responsive to increases in abundance and satisfaction that are greatly related to catch rates. These results emphasize the view of stock enhancement, not as a panacea but rather as a management tool with inherent costs that is best applied to recreational fisheries under certain conditions.
Understanding and managing enhancements: why fisheries scientists should care
Authors: Lorenzen K.
Published: December 2014

Fisheries enhancements are a set of management approaches involving the use of aquaculture technologies to enhance or restore fisheries in natural ecosystems. Enhancements are widely used in inland and coastal fisheries, but have received limited attention from fisheries scientists. This paper sets out 10 reasons why fisheries scientists should care about understanding and managing enhancements. (1) Enhancements happen, driven mostly by resource users and managers rather than scientists. (2) Enhancements create complex fisheries systems that encompass and integrate everything fisheries stakeholders can practically manage. (3) Enhancements emerge in fisheries where the scope for technical and governance control is high, and they synergistically reinforce both. (4) Successful enhancements expand management options and achievable outcomes. (5) Many enhancements fail or do ecological harm but persist regardless. (6) Effective science engagement is crucial to developing beneficial enhancements and preventing harmful ones. (7) Good scientific guidance is available to aid development or reform of enhancements but is not widely applied. (8) Enhancement research advances, integrates and unifies the fisheries sciences. (9) Enhancements provide unique opportunities for learning about natural fish populations and fisheries. (10) Needs, opportunities and incentives for enhancements are bound to increase.
Evaluation of demographic factors affecting predictability of the sacro‐femoral‐pubic angle in healthy adolescents
Authors: Liu Zhen , Bao Hongda , Qiu Yong , Qiao Jun , Xu Leilei , Zhu Feng , Qian Bangping , Zhu Zezhang
Published: December 2014

The objectives of the present study are to evaluate the correlation between pelvic tilt (PT) and the sacro‐femoral‐pubic (SFP) angle in Asian healthy adolescents, to provide the normal value of SFP angle as reference data in Asian adolescents, and to clarify whether the predictability of PT could be affected by gender and ontogenesis. In all, 100 girls with a mean age of 12.66 years (range 8–18 years) and 70 boys with a mean age of 13.35 years (range 8–18 years) were recruited in this retrospective study. SFP angles and PT were obtained on long‐cassette standing upright radiographs. The subjects were grouped based on age. Independent‐sample t‐tests were performed to compare age, SFP angle, and PT between genders. In all age groups, the relationship between SFP angle and PT was analyzed by Pearson's correlation analysis and linear regression analysis, respectively. Reliability analysis showed high intra‐ and inter‐observer agreements in PT and SFP, with an intra‐class correlation coefficient (ICC) > 0.8. SFP angle averaged 71.64° ± 4.91 in all the normal subjects, of which the mean PT was 72.03°± 4.94 in the female group and 71.09°± 4.83 in the male group. SFP and PT were strongly correlated in all the age groups according to Pearson's correlation analysis. The overall coefficient was 0.679 in girls and 0.584 in boys. The present study is the first to describe the normal value of SFP angle in healthy Asian adolescents to serve as a reference data. In all age groups, SFP angles can be used to predict PT when lateral radiographs do not permit assessment of PT. The predictability of SFP angle for PT was not affected by gender or maturation status.
Ensuring Liberties: Understanding State Restrictions on Religious Freedoms
Authors: Finke Roger , Martin Robert R.
Published: December 2014

Promises of religious freedoms have become the standard in national constitutions. Yet, despite these assurances, religious freedoms are routinely denied. Combining new data collections with expanded theoretical explanations, this research explores how dimensions of governance and measures of the religious economy contribute to government restrictions on religion. Consistent with recent work on the judicialization of politics, we find that the absence of an independent judiciary is an important predictor of government restrictions on religious freedoms, whereas free elections and government effectiveness are insignificant in our full models. Consistent with the religious economy theory, we find that social restrictions and government favoritism toward a religion(s) are persistent predictors of the government's restrictions. Although the proportion of the population Muslim holds a strong bivariate association with government restrictions (r = .57), the relationship is reduced to insignificance in our full models. We briefly discuss the implications of these findings.
The Political Advantages of a Polysemous Secular
Authors: Blankholm Joseph
Published: December 2014

This article uses the occasion of the Secular Coalition for America's first‐ever congressional briefing as a case study for demonstrating the political advantages a polysemous secular affords secular lobbyists. The briefing, conducted primarily for the benefit of staff members from the U.S. House of Representatives, offers a rare public forum in which the Secular Coalition tried to strike a balance between the two halves of its mission: advocating for nontheists and promoting secular government. In its efforts to fulfill this mission, the Secular Coalition conflates and distinguishes between four distinct meanings of the secular and secularism: the separation of church and state, the secular public sphere, the ideology of nonbelief, and a nascent secular identity. By studying the ongoing efforts of secular activists to redefine the place and meaning of the secular and the religious in American life, this article contributes to the study of how the secular gets made, who makes it, and why.
Diagnostic tools for rapid detection and quantification of Weissella ceti NC36 infections in rainbow trout
Authors: Snyder A.K. , Hinshaw J.M. , Welch T.J.
Published: December 2014

Weissellosis of rainbow trout is caused by the Gram-positive bacteria Weissella ceti and has been reported in China, Brazil and the United States. This disease can result in high mortality in market-sized fish and thus can cause significant economic loss. Thus far, phenotypic characterization and 16S rRNA sequencing have been used to confirm a Weissellosis diagnosis. Here, we present the development of PCR-based diagnostic tools for the rapid identification and quantification of W. ceti within bacteriological culture and infected tissues. A duplex PCR, which amplifies both genus- and strain-specific targets, positively identifies isolates as W. ceti NC36. A qPCR assay was also developed to quantify pathogen load from infected tissues, using a W. ceti NC36 unique locus. A proof of concept study was performed to demonstrate that quantification using traditional plate count methods and qPCR were significantly correlated when assessed from infected brain and spleen tissue. These tools were also used to confirm diagnosis of Weissellosis in a commercial rainbow trout farm during an outbreak investigation. These are the first diagnostic tools developed for identification and quantification of W. ceti infection within rainbow trout, contributing to rapid Weissellosis diagnosis, enhanced pathogen surveillance and epidemiological studies.

Significance and Impact of the Study

Weissellosis is a rapidly emerging infectious disease of farmed rainbow trout caused by Weissella ceti, a Gram-positive lactic-acid bacterium. This disease can cause significant economic loss, and thus, efforts to limit its spread are urgently needed and are dependent on the development of diagnostic tools. The article presents the development of PCR-based diagnostic assays for the rapid identification of W. ceti and for quantification of pathogen load directly from tissues without the need for bacterial amplification or isolation. These tools are critical for rapid confirmation of Weissellosis diagnosis and for studying the epidemiology of this emerging pathogen.
Interaction of TLR–IFN and HLA polymorphisms on susceptibility of chronic HBV infection in Southwest Han Chinese
Authors: He Dengming , Tao Shiqi , Guo Shimin , Li Maoshi , Wu Junqiu , Huang Hongfei , Guo Xinwu , Yan Guohua , Zhu Peng , Wang Yuming
Published: December 2014

Background & Aims

The toll‐like receptor‐interferon (TLR–IFN) signalling pathway plays a crucial role in HBV infection. Human leucocyte antigen (HLA) polymorphisms are associated with chronic HBV infection by genome wide association study (GWAS). We aimed to explore interaction between TLR–IFN and HLA gene polymorphisms in susceptibility of chronic HBV infection.

Methods

In the Chinese Southwest Han population, 1191 chronic HBV infection patients and 273 HBV clearance were selected. A total of 39 single nucleotide polymorphism loci in 23 genes of the TLR–IFN pathway and four HLA polymorphism loci associated with chronic HBV infection identified by GWAS were selected for genotyping. SNPStats, QVALUE, and multifactor dimensionality reduction were used for statistical analysis.

Results

A significant association was seen in several of the TLR–IFN pathway genes, TLR9 rs352140 (OR = 0.70, P = 0.0088), IL1B rs16944 (OR = 0.67, P = 0.016), IL12B rs3212227 (OR = 1.38, P = 0.021), IFNGR1 rs3799488 (OR = 1.48, P = 0.0048), IFNGR2 rs1059293 (OR = 0.27, P = 0.011), MX1 rs467960 (OR = 0.68, P = 0.022), as well as four loci in HLA, rs3077 (OR = 0.55, P < 0.0001), rs2856718 (OR = 0.60, P = 4e‐04), rs9277535 (OR = 0.54, P < 0.0001) and rs7453920 (OR = 0.43, P < 0.0001). A synergistic relationship was seen between rs9277535 and rs16944 (0.13%), rs1143623 and rs6613 (0.10%). The combination of rs9277535 in HLA and rs16944 in IL1B was the best model to predict chronic HBV infection (testing accuracy = 0.6040, P = 0.0010, cross‐validation consistency = 10/10).

Conclusions

TLR–IFN pathway gene polymorphisms are associated with chronic HBV infection. Interactions with polymorphisms in these genes may be one mechanism by which HLA polymorphisms influence susceptibility to chronic HBV infection, as specific single nucleotide polymorphism combinations are highly predictive of chronic HBV infection.
Evolutionary history of a dispersal‐associated locus across sympatric and allopatric divergent populations of a wing‐polymorphic beetle acrossAtlanticEurope
Authors: Van Belleghem Steven M. , Roelofs Dick , Hendrickx Frederik
Published: December 2014

Studying the evolutionary history of trait divergence, in particular those related to dispersal capacity, is of major interest for the process of local adaptation and metapopulation dynamics. Here, we reconstruct the evolution of different alleles at the nuclear‐encoded mitochondrialNADP+‐dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (mtIdh) locus of the ground beetlePogonus chalceusthat are differentially and repeatedly selected in short‐ and long‐winged populations in response to different hydrological regimes at both allopatric and sympatric scales along the Atlantic European coasts. We sequenced 2788 bp of themtIdhlocus spanning a ~7‐kb genome region and compared its variation with that of two supposedly neutral genes.mtIdhsequences show (i) monophyletic clustering of the short‐winged associated mtIDH‐DEhaplotypes within the long‐winged associated mtIDH‐ABhaplotypes, (ii) a more than tenfold lower haplotype diversity associated with the mtIDH‐DEalleles compared to the mtIDH‐ABalleles and (iii) a high number of fixed nucleotide differences between both mtIDHhaplotype clusters. Coalescent simulations suggest that this observed sequence variation in themtIdhlocus is most consistent with a singular origin in a partially isolated subpopulation, followed by a relatively recent spread of the mtIDH‐DEallele in short‐winged populations along the Atlantic coast. These results demonstrate that even traits associated with decreased dispersal capacity can rapidly spread and that reuse of adaptive alleles plays an important role in the adaptive potential within this sympatric mosaic ofP. chalceuspopulations.
Creation of Partial Fascicular Block: An Approach to Ablation of Idiopathic Left Ventricular Tachycardia in the Pediatric Population
Authors: FISHBERGER STEVEN B. , OLEN MELISSA M. , ROLLINSON NANCY L. , ROSSI ANTHONY F.
Published: December 2014

Background

Catheter ablation of idiopathic left ventricular tachycardia in the pediatric population remains challenging. A recent multicenter study reported limited success with 14% not undergoing ablation due to inability to induce ventricular tachycardia (VT) or blood pressure instability during tachycardia. Creating complete or partial fascicular block with radiofrequency catheter ablation is a technique that may eliminate VT. This approach is performed during sinus rhythm, enabling atrioventricular conduction monitoring and maintaining stable hemodynamics. Importantly, induction of VT is not necessary for mapping or assessing efficacy of the procedure.

Methods

A retrospective review of pediatric patients (3–17 years) with recurrent, documented idiopathic left ventricular tachycardia by electrocardiogram who received catheter ablation by creating fascicular block as a therapeutic endpoint was performed. All had ablation at the site of an identified Purkinje potential.

Results

There were six patients with idiopathic left ventricular tachycardia, five originating from the posterior fascicle and one from the anterior fascicle. VT was not induced or spontaneous in four patients using programmed stimulation and isoproterenol infusion. All patients had a QRS axis shift following ablation, though none met criteria for fascicular block. At follow up (7–49 months, mean 27 months), all patients had persistence of this shift. There were no recurrences of VT and none of the patients were taking antiarrhythmic medication.

Conclusion

The technique of creating partial fascicular block appears to be a safe and effective approach to ablation of idiopathic left ventricular tachycardia in children.
Treatment Considerations for Cancer Pain: A Global Perspective
Authors: Pergolizzi Joseph V. , Gharibo Christopher , Ho Kok‐Yuen
Published: December 2014

Cancer pain is prevalent, undertreated, and feared by patients with cancer. In April 2013, a panel of pain experts convened in Singapore to address the treatment of cancer pain. They discussed the various types of cancer pain, including breakthrough pain, which is sometimes clinically confused with analgesic gaps. Reasons for undertreating cancer pain include attitudes of patients, clinicians, and factors associated with healthcare systems. The consequences of not treating cancer pain may include reduced quality of life for patients with cancer (who now live longer than ever), functional decline, and increased psychological stress. Early analgesic intervention for cancer pain may reduce the risk of central sensitization and chronification of pain. To manage pain in oncology patients, clinicians should assess pain during regular follow‐up visits using validated pain measurement tools and follow prescribing guidelines, if necessary referring patients with cancer to pain specialists. Many patients with cancer require opioids for pain relief. Pain associated with cancer may also relate to cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy‐induced peripheral neuropathy. Many patients with cancer are what might be considered “special populations,” in that they may be elderly, frail, comorbid, or have end‐stage organ failure. Specific pain therapy guidelines for those populations are reviewed. Patients with cancer with a history of or active substance abuse disorder deserve pain control but may require close medical supervision. While much “treatment inertia” exists in cancer pain control, cancer pain can be safely and effectively managed and should be carried out to alleviate suffering and improve outcomes.
Toward a Phenomenology of Mood
Authors: Freeman Lauren
Published: December 2014

MartinHeidegger's account of attunement [Befindlichkeit] through mood [Stimmung] is unprecedented in the history of philosophy and groundbreaking vis‐à‐vis contemporary accounts of emotion. On his view, moods are not mere mental states that result from, arise out of, or are caused by our situation or context. Rather, moods are fundamental modes of existence that are disclosive of the way one is or finds oneself [sich befinden] in the world. Mood is one of the basic modes through which we experience the world and through which the world is made present to us. Moreover, moods are the lenses through which things, people, animals, events, and aspects in the world matter to us. In this paper, I make the case thatHeidegger's insights with respect to mood can and ought to be extended beyond the narrow scope of his fundamental ontology (inBeing and Time) in which they were developed. I argue that contemporary accounts of mood within psychology ought to take theseHeideggerian insights seriously and use them when defining, studying, evaluating, and drawing conclusions about the nature of moods. There are three sections to my paper. In section 1, I delineateHeidegger's account of mood. In section 2, I turn to some key studies on mood in psychology, and I elaborate upon some of the main shortcomings in this literature. In section 3, I suggest how psychology might benefit from understanding and utilizing aHeideggerian‐inspired phenomenology of mood.
Assessment of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in 121 dogs and 30 cats at a university teaching hospital (2009–2012)
Authors: McIntyre Robin L. , Hopper Kate , Epstein Steven E.
Published: December 2014

Objective

To prospectively describe cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and evaluate factors associated with outcome in dogs and cats with cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA).

Design

Prospective observational study.

Setting

University teaching hospital.

Animals

One hundred twenty‐one dogs and 30 cats that underwent CPR.

Interventions

None.

Measurements and Main Results

Supervising clinicians completed a data form immediately following completion of CPR. Eighty‐seven (58%) animals attained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), 49 (32%) had ROSC >20 minutes, 15 (10%) were alive at 24 hours, and 8 (5%) were discharged alive. Cardiovascular abnormalities were the most common suspected precipitating cause of CPA (51/151, 34%). Presence of an IV catheter before CPA (P= 0.01) and the presence of palpable pulses during CPR (P= 0.007) were both associated with ROSC. Increased time from CPA to CPR (P= 0.04), longer duration of CPR (P< 0.0001), and neurologic cause of arrest (P= 0.02) were associated with not achieving ROSC. There was no association between ROSC and the initial arrest rhythm identified on ECG, animal weight, number of people present, and ventilation or compression rate. In patients achieving ROSC, those with a “survived event” were more likely to be euthanized and less likely to experience a second CPA than those with ROSC ≤ 20 minutes. Thirty‐four percent of patients submitted for necropsy had gross and histological lesions considered secondary to CPR.

Conclusions

Early CPR interventions were associated with a greater likelihood of ROSC, emphasizing the importance of prompt recognition, and initiation of CPR efforts. Although ROSC rates in this study were comparable or higher than previous human and veterinary studies, the rate of “survived events” was lower than that reported in human patients. This may suggest that advances in post CPR care could have benefits to the veterinary CPR patient in the future.
Organ dysfunction and mortality risk factors in severe canine bite wound trauma
Authors: Ateca Laura B. , Drobatz Kenneth J. , King Lesley G.
Published: December 2014

Objective

To identify mortality risk factors, determine mortality rate, and to describe the treatment, incidence, and type of organ dysfunction in dogs with severe bite wounds.

Design

Retrospective case study from 2000 to 2009.

Setting

University veterinary teaching hospital.

Animals

Ninety‐four dogs admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with bite wounds.

Interventions

None.

Measurements and Main Results

In all dogs, physical parameters, diagnostic testing, surgery and anesthesia timing, and treatment details were recorded at presentation and during ICU hospitalization. The overall mortality rate was 15%. A majority of dogs (68%) were <10 kg. A majority of the wounds (53%) yielded no growth on bacterial culture. Prolonged time from admission to anesthesia was associated with a need for longer postoperative ICU hospitalization (P= 0.0099). Prolonged anesthesia time was associated with mortality (P= 0.0044). Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) occurred in 54.3% of dogs and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) occurred in 27.7% of dogs. The presence of SIRS was significantly associated with mortality (P= 0.01), with a mortality rate of 24% in dogs that developed SIRS. MODS was associated with risk of mortality (P< 0.001) with a mortality rate of 67% in dogs with dysfunction of 4 or more organs. Dogs with dysfunction of 1 organ system had a mortality rate of 9%. The body system most commonly affected was the respiratory system (37%). Cardiovascular dysfunction was highly predictive of mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 29).

Conclusions

Patients with extensive bite wounds have a significant risk of developing severe secondary complications such as SIRS, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, and MODS. Longer time to anesthesia was associated with a longer recovery and longer anesthetic times were associated with mortality, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, and MODS. Injury to the respiratory system was most commonly encountered and mortality increased with cardiovascular injury, MODS, and SIRS.
Specular microscopy to determine corneal endothelial cell morphology and morphometry in chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera) in vivo
Authors: Bercht Bernardo S. , Albuquerque Luciane , Araujo Ana C. P. , Pigatto João A. T.
Published: December 2014

Introduction

The purpose of this study was to measure cell density, average area, and morphology of corneal endothelium of chinchillas in different age groups.

Materials and methods

The corneal endothelium was studied with a contact specular microscope. Thirty chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera) were evaluated, and 30 male chinchillas were divided into three groups of 10 chinchillas each, by age: Group 1 (2–4‐month‐old), Group 2 (48‐month‐old), and Group 3 (10 years of age). Data are presented as endothelial cell density (ECD), average cell area, and pleomorphism.

Results

Endothelial cell density decreases and an increase in endothelial cell area and pleomorphism were observed with age, in the corneas of normal chinchillas. For Group 1 chinchillas, the mean cell density was 3.423 cells per mm2. The mean ECD for Group 2 chinchillas was 2.650 cells per mm2. The mean ECD for Group 3 chinchillas was 2.124 cells per mm2. The average area for Group 1 chinchillas was 350.5 μm2. The average area for Group 2 chinchillas was 442.15 μm2. The average area for Group 3 chinchillas was 583.64 μm2. The pleomorphism for Group 1 was 70.05%. The pleomorphism for Group 2 was 65.18%, and the pleomorphism for Group 3 was 62.28%.

Conclusions

The results suggested that chinchilla corneal endothelium undergoes age‐related changes. Moreover, with advancing age, the mean cell area increased and cell density decreased.