bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CSR report assurance in the USA: an empirical investigation of determinants and effects
Authors: H. Cho Charles , Michelon Giovanna , M. Patten Dennis , W. Roberts Robin
Published: April 2014

Purpose

– The authors aims to examine, first, what factors appear to lead those US companies that do obtain assurance on their CSR reports to do so, and second, whether this assurance appears to be valued by market participants.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors use logistic regression analysis to determine what factors explain the choice to seek assurance. For the second stage of the analysis, the authors rely on Aboodyet al.'s market valuation model to examine the association between CSR report assurance and firm value.

Findings

– The authors find that industry membership and disclosure extensiveness both appear to influence the choice to attain third-party assurance on CSR reports in the USA. However, the results also indicate that the assurance is not associated with higher market value for report-issuing companies.

Research limitations/implications

– The authors examine only large firms and limit the investigation to a single year. Further, the authors do not examine market valuation effects where a broader stakeholder orientation might influence these relations.

Practical implications

– The results suggest that improving the incidence of CSR report attestation in the USA may require efforts from the assurance community to better identify the potential benefits of the practice.

Originality/value

– This is the first study to focus on CSR report assurance in a setting where country-level influences appear to limit adoption of the practice. As such, the findings are potentially important for understanding both the low incidence of assurance and what might be necessary to increase its use.
Accountants' construction of CSR competencies and commitment
Authors: Caron Marie-Andrée , Fortin Anne
Published: April 2014

Purpose

– The article's main purpose is to investigate the relationship between organizational and professional commitment and accountants' construction of corporate social responsibility (CSR) competencies.

Design/methodology/approach

– A survey of accounting professionals in Canada (chief financial officers/finance directors) was conducted to ask them about their organization's CSR position, their openness to CSR, involvement in related activities, the codified knowledge they use and their organizational and professional commitment.

Findings

– The results show the dominance of normative commitment to the profession or organization and its relationship with professional CSR training. Professional CSR training and organizational and other CSR training activities are also related to the professional's openness to CSR.

Research limitations/implications

– The study's main limitation is the small number of participants. Future research is needed to investigate the conditions under which normative commitment is developed.

Practical implications

– The results make a practical contribution by suggesting that organizations seeking to involve accounting professionals in CSR activities might want to consider encouraging them to get CSR training using professional resources because of its link to both forms of normative commitment. Further, the findings indicate that the profession could integrate CSR issues more extensively in its accreditation process to enhance its role as a resource provider in the construction of accountants' CSR competencies.

Originality/value

– To the authors' knowledge, the study is the first one to investigate the relationship between organizational and professional commitment and accountants' construction of CSR competencies.
Effects of large native herbivores on other animals
Authors: Foster Claire N. , Barton Philip S. , Lindenmayer David B.
Published: April 2014

Large mammalian herbivores are major drivers of the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems world‐wide, and changes in their abundance have resulted in many populations being actively managed. Many empirical studies have identified that abundant mammalian herbivores can have negative impacts on biodiversity, but there has been no specific review of the impacts of native mammalian herbivores.

We assessed the peer‐reviewed literature on the effects of large native herbivores on other animals. We aimed to quantitatively synthesize current knowledge, identify gaps and limitations in the literature, and highlight priorities for future research.

Most empirical studies of herbivory effects compared only two levels of herbivory (76%), and meta‐analysis showed that very high densities of herbivores, when compared with very low densities, had mostly negative effects on other animal species. These negative effects were usually attributed to changes in the quantity and/or structure of vegetation. Only 24% of papers studied animal responses across a gradient of herbivore densities, and nonlinear responses to herbivory, as well as responses to low and moderate herbivore densities, remain poorly understood.

The literature also was dominated by short‐term studies (76% sampled animal responses for 2 years or less), and there was a high incidence of confounding factors among studies (38% of studies). In addition, many studies used only coarse metrics to assess effects (e.g. only 33% of studies assessed species composition) and few included community‐level synthesis (only 31% of studies reported results from more than one animal class).

Synthesis and applications. Critical questions remain for both basic ecology and the management of large native herbivores for biodiversity. Key knowledge gaps include (i) nonlinear responses to herbivore pressure, (ii) how responses differ between different herbivores, (iii) the spatial and (iv) the temporal variation of responses, (v) how the effects of herbivores interact with other land management activities and (vi) the mechanisms driving cascading effects through ecosystems. We identify ways to address these gaps and emphasize the need for studies which employ contrasts over a gradient of ecologically relevant herbivore densities and biologically meaningful time frames.
Doubt, conflict, mediation: the anthropology of modern time
Authors: Bear Laura
Published: April 2014

In this introduction, I argue that in spite of recent discussions of global and neoliberal time, the anthropology of modern time remains under‐explored. Modern time here is understood to be a complex historical product. At its centre is the abstract time‐reckoning of capitalism, which acts as a universal measure of value, but which always comes into conflict with concrete experiences of time. Its social disciplines emerge from Christian practice, but the ethics of these routines are marked as secular and universal. Its politics is founded on representations of the natural connections of communities through a homogeneous historical time. Its science and technology tightly link social, human time to external non‐human rhythms. It is important for anthropologists to reflect on modern time because our discipline has been profoundly influenced by the discoveries of its depth, secularity, and relativity. The controversies that emerged in relation to Darwin's and Einstein's insights still provide the framework for many of our theories, especially when we draw on phenomenological philosophy. In this introduction, I suggest that the key resources for overcoming this significant absence in anthropology lie in a rapprochement between Alfred Gell's epistemology of time and the approaches of Marxist political philosophers. This combination, along with an emphasis on the labour in/of time, gives rise to new questions and reveals new aspects of modern time in the present.
4 Historical narrative, mundane political time, and revolutionary moments: coexisting temporalities in the lived experience of social movements
Authors: Lazar Sian
Published: April 2014

This paper responds to the challenge to conceptualize political activity through temporal as well as spatial perspectives, and does so by means of a discussion of the different temporalities experienced by union and social movement activists. It is based on fieldwork with activists from two public sector workers’ unions in Buenos Aires and residents and street vendors’ organizations in the city of El Alto, Bolivia. I discuss two coexisting temporalities, or social experiences of time (Munn): ‘historical time’, a sense of emplacement within a historical narrative of political action that looks back to the past and to illustrious ancestors and forwards to an imagined set of possibilities for the future; and ‘attritional time’, one of constant protest or negotiation, the continuance of the day to day of political life when there is no resolution in sight to a particular conflict or problem, coupled occasionally with a dramatization of what can become quite banal over time. Finally, I discuss a kind of event‐based mediation between different temporalities, specifically revolution as a clash or meeting of attritional time and historical time, coexisting but separately experienced temporalities. This mediation involves both the revolutionary actions themselves and the practices of hailing, both contemporaneous and retrospective, which include scholarly research as well as other forms of social commentary. I suggest that this hailing might be in part enacted through a promise or assertion of discontinuity and rupture in the flow of time (Harris), even when events may not have been experienced as such at the time itself. Thus, different social experiences of time meet in a politics of time, to co‐construct kairos, or revolution.
The Bioaccumulation and Physiological Effects of Heavy Metals in Carrots, Onions, and Potatoes and Dietary Implications for Cr and Ni: A Review
Authors: Stasinos Sotiris , Nasopoulou Constantina , Tsikrika Constantina , Zabetakis Ioannis
Published: April 2014

The bioaccumulation of heavy metals in food tubers (carrots, onions, and potatoes) as a result of polluted irrigation water has been studied in this review paper. Given that heavy metals can cause a considerable oxidative stress, the impact of these metals to the physiology of the plants has also been assessed. The consumption of vegetables cross‐contaminated with heavy metals carries a considerable risk for humans (especially for children and pregnant women) and these dietary implications are discussed while European Food Safety Authority has been urged to look into this matter of concern.
Effects of Chitosan‐Essential Oil Coatings on Safety and Quality of Fresh Blueberries
Authors: Sun Xiuxiu , Narciso Jan , Wang Zhe , Ference Christopher , Bai Jinhe , Zhou Kequan
Published: April 2014

Chitosan coating plus different essential oils was developed and applied to fresh blueberries in order to find more natural treatments to preserve fresh fruit quality and safety during postharvest storage. Studies were 1st performed in vitro where wild‐type Escherichia coli and Penicillium digitatum were grown in suitable media, and then subjected to 6 essential oils. Three compounds, carvacrol (CAR), cinnamaldehyde (CIN), and trans‐cinnamaldehyde (ECIN) had high antimicrobial capacity and were selected for an in vivo study for postharvest storage of blueberries. The selected essential oils, 0.5% each, were added into a chitosan solution and coated on fresh blueberries. After storage at 5, 10, and 20 °C for various days, fruit firmness and microbial populations were evaluated. The chitosan coating substantially decreased bacteria and yeasts/molds on the fruit, and all 3 essential oils added to the antimicrobial activities. Further dosage experiments showed that the antimicrobial activity remained even when lowering CAR concentration to 0.1% and ECIN to 0.2%. Chitosan, CAR, and ECIN also maintained fruit firmness. Our results suggest that chitosan coatings containing essential oils are effective in extending the shelf life of fresh blueberries.

Practical Application

Blueberries are high‐value fruit with strong antioxidant capacity and other health‐promoting benefits. However, microbial food safety is an increasing concern, and decay and softening limits their storability. A combination of ≥0.1% CAR or ≥0.2% ECIN with a chitosan coating effectively reduced softening of fresh berries and decay by inhibiting microbial growth.
Biologic agents therapy for Saudi children with rheumatic diseases: indications and safety
Authors: Al‐Mayouf Sulaiman M. , Alenazi Abdullatif , AlJasser Hind
Published: April 2014

Objective

To report the indications and safety of biologic agents in childhood rheumatic diseases at a tertiary hospital.

Methods

Children with rheumatic diseases treated with biologic agents at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from January 2001 to December 2011 were included. All patients were reviewed for: demographic characteristics, diagnosis, concomitant treatment and indications of using biologic agents, age at start of therapy and side effects during the treatment period.

Results

In all, 134 children (89 female) with various rheumatic diseases were treated with biologic agents. Mean age at starting biologic treatment was 9.3 (4.25–14) years and mean therapy duration was 14.7 (3–88) months. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) was the most frequent diagnosis (70.1%) followed by systemic lupus erythematosus (12.7%) and vasculitis (4.5%). All patients received concomitant therapy (corticosteroids and disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs). In total, 273 treatments with biologic agents were used, (95 etanercept, 52 rituximab, 47 adalimumab, 37 infliximab, 23 anakinra, 10 tocilizumab and nine abatacept). Therapy was switched to another agent in 57 (42.5%) patients, mainly because of inefficacy (89.4%) or adverse event (10.6%). A total of 95 (34.8%) adverse events were notified; of these, the most frequent were infusion‐related reactions (33.7%) followed by infections (24.2%) and autoantibody positivity (10.6%). One patient developed macrophage activation syndrome.

Conclusion

Biologic agents were used in children with a range of rheumatic diseases. Of these, the most frequent was JIA. Off‐label use of biologic agents in our cohort is common. These agents seem safe. However, they may associated with various adverse events. Sequential therapy seems well tolerated. However, this should be carefully balanced and considered on an individual basis.
Financial costs for teaching in rural and urban Australian general practices: Is there a difference?
Authors: Laurence Caroline O. , Coombs Maryanne , Bell Janice , Black Linda
Published: April 2014

Objective

To determine if the financial costs of teaching GP registrars differs between rural and urban practices.

Design

Cost‐benefit analysis of teaching activities in private GP for GP vocational training. Data were obtained from a survey of general practitioners in South Australia and Western Australia.

Setting and participants

General practitioners and practices teaching in association with the Adelaide to Outback General Practice Training Program or the Western Australian General Practice Training.

Main outcome measures

Net financial effect per week per practice.

Results

At all the training levels, rural practices experienced a financial loss for teaching GP registrars, while urban practices made a small financial gain. The differences in net benefit between rural and urban teaching practices was significant at the GPT2/PRRT2 (−$515 per week 95% CI −$1578, −$266) and GPT3/PRRT3 training levels (−$396 per week, 95% CI (−$2568, −$175). The variables contributing greatest to the difference were the higher infrastructure costs for a rural practice and higher income to the practice from the GP registrars in urban practices.

Conclusion

There were significant differences in the financial costs and benefits for a teaching rural practice compared with an urban teaching practice. With infrastructure costs which include accommodation, being a key contributor to the difference found, it might be time to review the level of incentives paid to practices in this area. If not addressed, this cost difference might be a disincentive for rural practices to participate in teaching.
Clinical scholarship among preceptors supervising longitudinal integrated medical clerkships in regional and rural communities of practice
Authors: Weston Kathryn M. , Hudson Judith N.
Published: April 2014

Objective

All senior medical students at the University of Wollongong undertake a longitudinal integrated community‐based clerkship, supervised by experienced general practitioners in a regional or rural community. This study investigates the influence of the longitudinal integrated clerkship model of medical education on scholarship among preceptors in these practice communities.

Design

General practitioner preceptors were interviewed after the first student cohort had completed their 38‐week placements. Analysis of transcripts identified themes supporting clinical scholarship among preceptors. The entire transcript for each preceptor was analysed, permitting a quantitative determination of each theme. Quotations supporting the themes were selected.

Setting

The setting was the primary health care practices supervising the longitudinal integrated clerkship medical students.

Participants

Twenty‐six preceptors who supervised longitudinal integrated clerkship medical students in rural and regional New South Wales participated. None had previously been involved in this model of medical education.

Main outcome measure

The study looked for evidence of clinical scholarship among preceptors supervising students in the longitudinal medical student clerkship.

Results

Thematic analysis of interview transcripts revealed evidence of clinical scholarship in regional/rural clinical medicine. The ‘practice’ was validated as a place where scholarship occurs, an ‘academy of learning’ and part of the university. About half of the preceptors believed the longitudinal integrated clerkship gave students a deeper link with the community. Two thirds of participants perceived an improved quality of care in their practice.

Conclusion

Longitudinal integrated clerkships in teaching communities of practice provide the opportunity for emergence of clinical scholarship among preceptors supporting the learning needs of medical students.
Laparoscopic versus robotic‐assisted radical prostatectomy: an Australian single‐surgeon series
Authors: Papachristos Alexander , Basto Marnique , te Marvelde Luc , Moon Daniel
Published: April 2014

Background

In Australia, robotic‐assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) has steadily replaced open and laparoscopic surgery in the management of localized prostate cancer. Given the increased cost of this technology, we aimed to compare the perioperative, pathological, oncological and functional outcomes as well as short‐term complications of laparoscopic and RARP.

Methods

We performed a retrospective review of prospectively collected data on 200 consecutive patients during the transition of a single surgeon (DM) from pure laparoscopic (n = 100) to RARP (n = 100) between September 2007 and March 2011.

Results

Median operative time and estimated blood loss were the same for both surgical approaches, 195 min (P = 0.29) and 300 mL (P = 0.88) respectively. Median length of hospital stay was shorter for RARP (P = 0.003). Complication rates were not statistically different between groups. There was no significant difference in positive surgical margin rates in pT2 (P = 0.36) or pT3 disease (0.99) or biochemical recurrence rate between groups (P = 0.14). The 12 months continence rate was improved with RARP compared with laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (93% versus 82%; P = 0.025). The potency rate was 56% and 74% at 12 months after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy and RARP respectively (P = 0.12) for a bilateral nerve sparing procedure.

Conclusion

We conclude from our single‐surgeon comparative series that the robotic approach results in a significantly shorter length of hospital stay and improved 12 months continence rates and demonstrated a trend towards better potency rates. Complications, positive surgical margin rates and the requirement for adjuvant therapy are all improved with the robotic approach but did not show statistically significant differences.
Considering nationality and performativity: undertaking research across the geopolitical divide in the Falkland Islands and Argentina
Authors: Benwell Matthew C
Published: April 2014

This paper explores the substantial challenges of doing research with citizens living in nation‐states on different sides of a geopolitical dispute. It draws on an on‐going research project being undertaken in Argentina, the Falkland Islands and the UK focusing on tensions in the South Atlantic over the status of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands. Geographical research that looks to examine the impacts of geopolitics on everyday lives is increasingly commonplace and some of this work is being undertaken in politically volatile and (post)conflict settings. Set in this context, the paper argues that more attention needs to be placed on the process of doing this kind of research in ways that take account of researcher–researched relations, performance and positionality. First, it argues that doing multi‐sited geographical research of this nature can enable and disable relations with respondents in ways that require constant analysis during fieldwork. The prevailing historical, socio‐cultural, (geo)political and temporal dynamics of research encounters must be sensitively considered. Second, national identity was consistently referenced in my field diary entries and the paper contends that this aspect of researcher identity has been neglected in discussions of positionality. Drawing on theoretical literatures that discuss the performance of national identity, the paper suggests how researchers might think more self‐reflexively about nationality and its performativity through the doing of research.
High concentrate: Forage ratio diet inhibiting omasal epithelium growth is associated with decreased cyclin D1 and CDK4 expression in growing goats
Authors: Zhao Huaibao , Lu Jinye , Huang Zhinan , Yan Lei , Holger Martens , Shen Zanming
Published: April 2014

The hypothesis that different concentrate : forage ratio diets alter omasal epithelium proliferation of growing goats via cyclins and regulation of the cell cycle was tested. Growing goats were fed with a high concentrate (HC, n = 8) or a low concentrate (LC, n = 8) diet for 42 days. The concentrate : forage ratio was 40:60 in the HC group and 0:100 in the LC group. In the HC group, the relative weight and DNA content of the omasal epithelium were lower, but the protein : DNA ratio was higher. Flow cytometry revealed that HC omasal cell numbers were smaller in S‐ and G2/M‐phases of the cell cycle and higher in the G0/G1‐phases and were accompanied by reduced expression of cyclin D1 and CDK4 mRNA and protein. These data are consistent with morphologic observations in the HC that cell density decreased in the stratum spinosum (SS) plus stratum granulosum (SG) and stratum basale, and that cell density was lower in the SS plus SG. Thus, high‐concentrate : forage ratio diet retards omasal epithelial growth by slowing the G1 to S phase transition of the cell cycle and is associated with decreased cyclin D1 and CDK4 expression in growing goats.
The evolution of three decades of antiretroviral therapy: challenges, triumphs and the promise of the future
Authors: Tseng Alice , Seet Jason , Phillips Elizabeth J.
Published: April 2014

The evolution of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment has improved our understanding and management of complex pharmacological issues that have driven improved outcomes and quality of life of the HIV‐infected patient. These issues include adherence, long‐ and short‐term toxicities, pharmacoenhancement, pharmacogenomics, therapeutic drug monitoring, differential penetration of drugs into sanctuary sites, such as the central nervous system, genital tract and small bowel, and drug–drug and drug–food interactions related to cytochrome P450 drug‐metabolizing enzymes, uridine diphosphate glucuronyltransferases and drug transporters, to name a few. There is future promise, as an increased understanding of the immunopathogenesis of HIV and global public health initiatives are driving novel treatment approaches with goals to prevent, control and, ultimately, eradicate HIV.
Visual variability affects early verb learning
Authors: Twomey Katherine E. , Lush Lauren , Pearce Ruth , Horst Jessica S.
Published: April 2014

Research demonstrates that within‐category visual variability facilitates noun learning; however, the effect of visual variability on verb learning is unknown. We habituated 24‐month‐old children to a novel verb paired with an animated star‐shaped actor. Across multiple trials, children saw either a single action from an action category (identical actions condition, for example, travelling while repeatedly changing into a circle shape) or multiple actions from that action category (variable actions condition, for example, travelling while changing into a circle shape, then a square shape, then a triangle shape). Four test trials followed habituation. One paired the habituated verb with a new action from the habituated category (e.g., ‘dacking’ + pentagon shape) and one with a completely novel action (e.g., ‘dacking’ + leg movement). The others paired a new verb with a new same‐category action (e.g., ‘keefing’ + pentagon shape), or a completely novel category action (e.g., ‘keefing’ + leg movement). Although all children discriminated novel verb/action pairs, children in the identical actions condition discriminated trials that included the completely novel verb, while children in the variable actions condition discriminated the out‐of‐category action. These data suggest that – as in noun learning – visual variability affects verb learning and children's ability to form action categories.
Propensity‐score matched analysis comparing robot‐assisted with laparoscopic partial nephrectomy
Authors: Wu Zhenjie , Li Mingmin , Song Shangqing , Ye Huamao , Yang Qing , Liu Bing , Cai Chen , Yang Bo , Xiao Liang , Chen Qi , Lü Chen , Gao Xu , Xu Chuanliang , Gao Xiaofeng , Hou Jianguo , Wang Linhui , Sun Yinghao
Published: April 2014

Objectives

To compare the peri‐operative and early renal functional outcomes of robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) and laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) for kidney tumours.

Materials and Methods

A total of 237 patients fulfilling the selection criteria were included, of whom 146 and 91 patients were treated with LPN and RAPN, respectively. To adjust for potential baseline confounders, propensity‐score matching was performed. A favourable outcome was defined as a warm ischaemia time (WIT) of ≤20 min, negative surgical margins, no surgical conversion, no Clavien ≥3 complications and no postoperative chronic kidney disease (CKD) upstaging. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed before and after propensity‐score matching.

Results

Within the propensity‐score‐matched cohort, the RAPN group was associated with significantly lower estimated blood loss (EBL; 156 vs 198 mL, mean difference [MD] = −42; P = 0.025), a shorter WIT (22.8 vs 31 min, MD = −8.2; P < 0.001) and a higher proportion of malignant lesions (88.4 vs 67.5%; odds ratio [OR]: 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2–5.67; P = 0.023). With regard to early renal functional outcomes, the mean last estimated glomerular filtration rate was 95.8 and 89.4 mL/min per 1.73 m2 (MD = 6.4; P = 0.01), with a mean ± sd percentage change of −4.8 ± 17.9 and −12.2 ± 16.6 (MD = 7.4; P = 0.018) in the RAPN and LPN groups, respectively. The intra‐operative complication rate was significantly lower in the RAPN group (1.3 vs 11.7%; OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.01–0.81; P = 0.018). On multivariable analysis, surgical approach (RAPN vs LPN, OR 5.457, 95% CI 2.075–14.346; P = 0.001), Charlson Comorbidity Index (OR 0.223; 95% CI 0.062–0.811; P = 0.023), diameter‐axial‐polar score (OR 0.488, 95% CI 0.329–0.723; P < 0.001) and preoperative CKD stage (OR 3.189, 95% CI 1.204–8.446; P = 0.020) were found to be independent predictors of obtaining a favourable outcome.

Conclusions

After adjusting for potential treatment selection biases, RAPN was found to be superior to LPN for peri‐operative outcomes (EBL, WIT and intra‐operative complications) and early renal functional preservation.
Complications after artificial urinary sphincter implantation in patients with or without prior radiotherapy
Authors: Ravier Emmanuel , Fassi‐Fehri Hakim , Crouzet Sébastien , Gelet Albert , Abid Nadia , Martin Xavier
Published: April 2014

Objective

To compare complications after implantation of an artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) in patients with or without prior radiotherapy (RT).

Patients and Methods

Between January 2000 and December 2011, 160 patients underwent AMS 800 AUS implantation in our institution. We excluded neurological and traumatic causes, implantation on ileal conduit diversion, penoscrotal urethral cuff position and those lost to follow‐up. In all, 122 patients were included in the study, 61 with prior RT and 61 without prior RT. All patients underwent the same surgical technique by two different surgeons. All AUS were implanted with a bulbar urethral cuff position. The mean (range) follow‐up was 37.25 (1–126) months.

Results

In the patients without prior RT and those with prior RT, revision rates were 32.8% vs 29.5%, respectively (P = 0.59). The median time to first revision was 11.7 months. Early complications were similar in the two groups (4.9% vs 6.5%, P = 1). Erosion rates were not significantly different (4.9% vs 13.1%, P = 0.13). However, infection and explantation were more prevalent in patients with prior RT [two (3.2%) vs 10 (16.3%), P = 0.018 and three (4.9%) vs 12 (19.6%), P = 0.016, respectively]. Finally, continence rates were not significantly different [75.4% (without prior RT) vs 63.9% (with prior RT), P = 0.23].

Conclusion

AUS is the ‘gold standard’ treatment of male urinary incontinence after re‐education failure in patients with or without prior RT. Our experience showed similar functional outcomes in both groups but a higher rate of major complications in the group with prior RT.
Local and Regional Variation in Local Frequency of Multiple Coffee Pests Across a Mosaic Landscape in Coffea arabica's Native Range
Authors: Samnegård Ulrika , Hambäck Peter A. , Nemomissa Sileshi , Hylander Kristoffer
Published: April 2014

Shaded coffee has been highlighted for its potential to conserve biodiversity, and thus perhaps also a diversity of natural enemies that could control pest organisms. In southwestern Ethiopia, coffee is grown in shade both in contiguous forests and in forest patches with native trees surrounded by open fields. We hypothesized that coffee grown in contiguous forests, which is the natural habitat for coffee (Coffea arabica) and its interacting organisms, would have less pest damage due to high protection by natural enemies. We surveyed pests on coffee plants in plots within contiguous forests (10 sites) and in forest patches (21 sites). In general, the variation in number of damaged or attacked leaves by individual insect or fungal pests was larger between plants than between plots, which suggests that very local conditions or processes are important. The spatial signals were generally weak. Coffee rust and coffee blotch miner tended to have lower infestation rates in accordance with our hypothesis, while fruit flies in ripe berries were more abundant in forest patches closer to contiguous forest. Based on interviews, olive baboons showed a clear dependency on contiguous forest habitat and were regarded as a problem only in contiguous forests and forest patches close to contiguous forests. In conclusion, we found no support for a generally stronger top‐down control on coffee pests in sites within, or with connectivity to, contiguous moist afromontane forests in the native range of coffee.
Resource Partitioning by Mangrove Bird Communities in North Australia
Authors: Mohd‐Azlan Jayasilan , Noske Richard A. , Lawes Michael J.
Published: April 2014

Mangrove bird communities in northAustralia comprise relatively few passerine species compared with other arboreal habitats in the region. Mangroves are dominated by a few tree species and there are potentially few resource axes available for partitioning by terrestrial birds. Competition for limited resources is predicted to cause strong niche differentiation and a highly structured, but low diversity, bird assemblage. Using multivariate and bipartite network analyses based on 1771 foraging observations (33% of 5320 behavioral observations), we examined resource partitioning by 20 terrestrial bird species in mangroves of northAustralia. The mangrove bird community largely comprised generalist insectivores that partitioned insects by size with moderate‐to‐high interspecific overlap in diet. Gleaning for insects was the most common foraging mode. Few species specialized on nectar. Flowers of one or more mangrove species were available in every month of the year and insect abundance was correlated with flowering peaks. Niche differentiation by birds was determined by food type and foraging mode more than by broad spatial (mangrove zones) or temporal (seasonal) segregation of the use of resources. There was little evidence of bird species saturation or species sorting, suggesting loose species packing and a lesser role than expected for species interactions and interference competition in structuring the bird assemblage in mangroves.
Harvesting Increases Reproductive Activity in Himatanthus drasticus (Mart.) Plumel (Apocynaceae), a Non‐Timber Forest Product of the Brazilian Savanna
Authors: Baldauf Cristina , da Silva Alexsandra Salvador , Sfair Julia C. , Ferreira Rosijânia , dos Santos Flavio Antonio Maës
Published: April 2014

The harvesting of non‐timber forest products (NTFP) can influence the pattern of resource allocation in plants, affecting their growth, survival, and reproduction. However, only a small number of studies have addressed the impacts of NTFP harvesting on the reproductive phenology of the exploited species. The aim of this observational study was to assess the effects of harvesting and climatic variables on the reproductive phenology of Himatanthus drasticus, a highly exploited medicinal tree from the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado). We evaluated the effects of two different debarking levels (50 and 100%) in comparison to a control (no harvesting). We performed monthly counts of the number of buds, flowers in anthesis, unripe and ripe fruits in each sampled tree (intensity index), as well as the number of trees in each phenophase (activity index), over 2 yr. We used circular statistics tools to compare the effects of each treatment on flower and fruit production and to test whether the reproductive peaks were related to climatic variables. Both the activity and intensity indexes exhibited the same patterns; flower and fruit production were lower in the control, intermediate in the 50 percent debarking group and higher in the 100 percent debarking group. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of NTFP to demonstrate an increase in reproductive activity after several years of harvesting. All phenophases were positively correlated with higher temperature and precipitation, as it is common in the Cerrado.
The Interplay of Habitat and Seed Type on Scatterhoarding Behavior in a Fragmented Afromontane Forest Landscape
Authors: Aliyu Babale , Adamu Hammadu , Moltchanova Elena , Forget Pierre Michel , Chapman Hazel
Published: April 2014

Scatterhoarding by rodents, whereby seeds are collected and stored for later consumption, can result in seed dispersal. Seeds may be covered in litter on the forest floor (cached) or buried. This is particularly so in the Neotropics for large, nutritious seeds, and where primary dispersers are rare or missing. In African forests, contemporary anthropogenic pressures such as hunting, forest degradation, and fragmentation are contributing toward major declines in large frugivores, yet the potential for scatterhoarding to mitigate this loss is largely unknown. In this study, we used thread‐marked seed to explore the balance between seed predation and dispersal by rodents in Afromontane forest. We studied two tree species in three habitats: (1) continuous forest; (2) continuous forest edge, and (3) small, degraded riparian forest patches. We found that seed removal rates were high and almost the same in all three habitats for both tree species, but that the predation/dispersal balance differed among habitats. In continuous forest, more seeds of each species were scatterhoarded than depredated, and rates of scatterhoarding differed between the two species. In all habitats, burying seeds up to 2 cm belowground was more common than caching. Distances seeds were moved was approximately five times greater in continuous forest than in forest edge or riparian patches. We found strong evidence to suggest that the African pouched rat, Cricetomys sp. nov was responsible for the scatterhoarding.
Asymmetrical Dependence Between a Neotropical Mistletoe and its Avian Seed Disperser
Authors: Guerra Tadeu J. , Pizo Marco A.
Published: April 2014

The degree of interdependence among interacting species has major implications for our understanding of the coevolutionary process and biodiversity maintenance. However, the mutualism strength among fruiting plants and their seed dispersers remains poorly understood in tropical ecosystems. We evaluated simultaneously the effectiveness of the avian seed dispersers of the mistletoe Struthanthus flexicaulis (Loranthaceae) and the contribution of its fruits to their diets in a highland rocky savanna in southeastern Brazil. The mistletoe fruits are small lipid‐rich pseudoberries available throughout the year. Four passerine birds fed on fruits, but Elaenia cristata (Tyrannidae) was the most effective disperser, responsible for more than 96 percent of the dispersed seeds. This bird swallowed fruits whole, expelling and depositing undamaged seeds by regurgitation and bill wiping on perches. From 646 dispersed seeds, 56 percent were deposited on safe sites, thin live twigs of 38 susceptible host species. Elaenia cristata were predominantly frugivorous, feeding on typically ornithocoric fruits of at least 12 species, but also on arthropods. Although fruits represented 75 percent of the feeding bouts along the year, S. flexicaulis fruits represented only 34 percent of the E. cristata diet. Our results highlight the asymmetrical nature of this mutualistic interaction, with the mistletoe life cycle locally linked to one highly effective seed disperser that is more weakly dependent on mistletoes fruits as a food source. We suggest that merging the seed dispersal effectiveness framework with diet assessment of seed dispersers is needed to clarify the asymmetries in mutualistic pairwise interactions involving plants and their animal partners.
Low and moderate doses of ionizing radiation up to 2 Gy modulate transmigration and chemotaxis of activated macrophages, provoke an anti-inflammatory cytokine milieu, but do not impact upon viability and phagocytic function
Authors: Wunderlich R , Ernst A , Rödel F , Fietkau R , Ott O , Lauber K , Frey B , Gaipl U S
Published: April 2014

Benign painful and inflammatory diseases have been treated for decades with low/moderate doses of ionizing radiation (LD-X-irradiation). Tissue macrophages regulate initiation and resolution of inflammation by the secretion of cytokines and by acting as professional phagocytes. Having these pivotal functions, we were interested in how activated macrophages are modulated by LD-X-irradiation, also with regard to radiation protection issues and carcinogenesis. We set up an ex-vivo model in which lipopolysaccharide pre-activated peritoneal macrophages (pMΦ) of radiosensitive BALB/c mice, mimicking activated macrophages under inflammatory conditions, were exposed to X-irradiation from 0·01 Gy up to 2 Gy. Afterwards, the viability of the pMΦ, their transmigration and chemotaxis, the phagocytic behaviour, the secretion of inflammatory cytokines and underlying signalling pathways were determined. Exposure of pMΦ up to a single dose of 2 Gy did not influence their viability and phagocytic function, an important fact regarding radiation protection. However, significantly reduced migration, but increased chemotaxis of pMΦ after exposure to 0·1 or 0·5 Gy, was detected. Both might relate to the resolution of inflammation. Cytokine analyses revealed that, in particular, the moderate dose of 0·5 Gy applied in low-dose radiotherapy for inflammatory diseases results in an anti-inflammatory cytokine microenvironment of pMΦ, as the secretion of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1β was reduced and that of the anti-inflammatory cytokine transforming growth factor (TGF)-β increased. Further, the reduced secretion of IL-1β correlated with reduced nuclear translocation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65, starting at exposure of pMΦ to 0·5 Gy of X-irradiation. We conclude that inflammation is modulated by LD-X-irradiation via changing the inflammatory phenotype of macrophages.
Analysis of CD4+ CD8+ double-positive T cells in blood, cerebrospinal fluid and multiple sclerosis lesions
Authors: Waschbisch A , Sammet L , Schröder S , Lee D-H , Barrantes-Freer A , Stadelmann C , Linker R A
Published: April 2014

T cells with a CD4+ CD8+ double-positive (DP) phenotype are present in small numbers in the peripheral blood of healthy humans and may have anti-viral capacities. Here we investigate numbers and function of DP T cells in patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), either treatment-naive or under therapy with natalizumab. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that frequencies of circulating DP T cells in treatment-naive and natalizumab-treated MS patients are comparable to healthy controls. These cells have a memory phenotype with cytotoxic potential, express high levels of CD49d and are similarly functional in treatment-naive as well as natalizumab-treated MS patients. DP T cells were enriched in the cerebrospinal fluid, but do not invade acutely inflamed MS lesions. In conclusion, DP T cells are functional in MS and may play a role in the immune surveillance of the central nervous system, but do not display functional impairment under natalizumab therapy.
Ambient particulate matter induces an exacerbation of airway inflammation in experimental asthma: role of interleukin-33
Authors: Shadie A M , Herbert C , Kumar R K
Published: April 2014

High levels of ambient environmental particulate matter (PM10 i.e. < 10 μm median aerodynamic diameter) have been linked to acute exacerbations of asthma. We examined the effects of delivering a single dose of Sydney PM10 by intranasal instillation to BALB/c mice that had been sensitized to ovalbumin and challenged repeatedly with a low (≈3 mg/m3) mass concentration of aerosolized ovalbumin for 4 weeks. Responses were compared to animals administered carbon black as a negative control, or a moderate (≈30 mg/m3) concentration of ovalbumin to simulate an allergen-induced acute exacerbation of airway inflammation. Delivery of PM10 to mice, in which experimental mild chronic asthma had previously been established, elicited characteristic features of enhanced allergic inflammation of the airways, including eosinophil and neutrophil recruitment, similar to that in the allergen-induced exacerbation. In parallel, there was increased expression of mRNA for interleukin (IL)-33 in airway tissues and an increased concentration of IL-33 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Administration of a monoclonal neutralizing anti-mouse IL-33 antibody prior to delivery of particulates significantly suppressed the inflammatory response induced by Sydney PM10, as well as the levels of associated proinflammatory cytokines in lavage fluid. We conclude that IL-33 plays a key role in driving airway inflammation in this novel experimental model of an acute exacerbation of chronic allergic asthma induced by exposure to PM10.
Anorganic bovine bone (ABB) vs. autologous bone (AB) plus ABB in maxillary sinus grafting. A prospective non‐randomized clinical and histomorphometrical trial
Authors: Schmitt Christian M. , Moest Tobias , Lutz Rainer , Neukam Friedrich W. , Schlegel Karl Andreas
Published: April 2014

Objectives

This investigation focused on histological characteristics and 5‐year implant survival after sinus floor augmentation with anorganic bovine bone (ABB, Bio‐Oss®) and ABB plus autologous bone (AB) with a ratio of 1/1.

Material and methods

Nineteen consecutive patients with bony atrophy of the posterior edentulous maxilla and a vertical bone height ≤4 mm were prospectively included in this study. In the first surgical stage, the maxillary sinus was non‐randomized either augmented with ABB alone (n = 12) or a 1/1 mixture of ABB and AB (n = 7). After a mean healing period of 167 days, biopsies were harvested in the region of the grafted sinus with a trephine burr and implants were placed simultaneously, ABB n = 18 and ABB + AB n = 12. The samples were microradiographically and histomorphometrically analyzed judging the newly formed bone (bone volume, BV), residual bone substitute material volume (BSMV), and intertrabecular volume (soft tissue volume, ITV) in the region of the augmented maxillary sinus. Implant survival was retrospectively evaluated from patient's records.

Results

No significant difference in residual bone substitute material (BSMV) in the ABB group (31.21 ± 7.74%) and the group with the mixture of ABB and AB (28.41 ± 8.43%) was histomorphologically determined. Concerning the de novo bone formation, also both groups showed statistically insignificant outcomes; ABB 26.02 ± 5.23% and ABB + AB 27.50 ± 6.31%. In all cases, implants were installed in the augmented sites with sufficient primary stability. After a mean time in function of 5 years and 2 months, implant survival was 93.75% in the ABB and 92.86% in the ABB + AB group with no statistically significant differences.

Conclusion

The usage of ABB plus AB to a 1/1 ratio leads to an amount of newly formed bone comparable with the solitary use of ABB after grafting of the maxillary sinus. Considering that ABB is a non‐resorbable bone substitute, it can be hypothesized that this leads to stable bone over time and long‐term implant success. Importantly, in the sole use of ABB, bone grafting and therefore donor site morbidities can be avoided.
Markers of Topical Discourse in Child‐Directed Speech
Authors: Rohde Hannah , Frank Michael C.
Published: April 2014

Although the language we encounter is typically embedded in rich discourse contexts, many existing models of processing focus largely on phenomena that occur sentence‐internally. Similarly, most work on children's language learning does not consider how information can accumulate as a discourse progresses. Research in pragmatics, however, points to ways in which each subsequent utterance provides new opportunities for listeners to infer speaker meaning. Such inferences allow the listener to build up a representation of the speakers' intended topic and more generally to identify relationships, structures, and messages that extend across multiple utterances. We address this issue by analyzing a video corpus of child–caregiver interactions. We use topic continuity as an index of discourse structure, examining how caregivers introduce and discuss objects across utterances. For the analysis, utterances are grouped into topical discourse sequences using three annotation strategies: raw annotations of speakers' referents, the output of a model that groups utterances based on those annotations, and the judgments of human coders. We analyze how the lexical, syntactic, and social properties of caregiver–child interaction change over the course of a sequence of topically related utterances. Our findings suggest that many cues used to signal topicality in adult discourse are also available in child‐directed speech.