bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Globally invading populations of the fungal plant pathogen Verticillium dahliae are dominated by multiple divergent lineages
Authors: Short Dylan P. G. , Gurung Suraj , Gladieux Pierre , Inderbitzin Patrik , Atallah Zahi K. , Nigro Franco , Li Guoqing , Benlioglu Seher , Subbarao Krishna V.
Published: January 2015

The spread of aggressive fungal pathogens into previously non‐endemic regions is a major threat to plant health and food security. Analyses of the spatial and genetic structure of plant pathogens offer valuable insights into their origin, dispersal mechanisms and evolution, and have been useful to develop successful disease management strategies. Here, we elucidated the genetic diversity, population structure and demographic history of worldwide invasion of the ascomycete Verticillium dahliae, a soil‐borne pathogen, using a global collection of 1100 isolates from multiple plant hosts and countries. Seven well‐differentiated genetic clusters were revealed through discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC), but no strong associations between these clusters and host/geographic origin of isolates were found. Analyses of clonal evolutionary relationships among multilocus genotypes with the eBURST algorithm and analyses of genetic distances revealed that genetic clusters represented several ancient evolutionary lineages with broad geographic distribution and wide host range. Comparison of different scenarios of demographic history using approximate Bayesian computations revealed the branching order among the different genetic clusters and lineages. The different lineages may represent incipient species, and this raises questions with respect to their evolutionary origin and the factors allowing their maintenance in the same areas and same hosts without evidence of admixture between them. Based on the above findings and the biology of V. dahliae, we conclude that anthropogenic movement has played an important role in spreading V. dahliae lineages. Our findings have implications for the development of management strategies such as quarantine measures and crop resistance breeding.
Hydrogen sulfide can inhibit and enhance oxygenic photosynthesis in a cyanobacterium from sulfidic springs
Authors: Klatt Judith M. , Haas Sebastian , Yilmaz Pelin , de Beer Dirk , Polerecky Lubos
Published: January 2015

We used microsensors to investigate the combinatory effect of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and light on oxygenic photosynthesis in biofilms formed by a cyanobacterium from sulfidic springs. We found that photosynthesis was both positively and negatively affected by H2S: (i) H2S accelerated the recovery of photosynthesis after prolonged exposure to darkness and anoxia. We suggest that this is possibly due to regulatory effects of H2S on photosystem I components and/or on the Calvin cycle. (ii) H2S concentrations of up to 210 μM temporarily enhanced the photosynthetic rates at low irradiance. Modelling showed that this enhancement is plausibly based on changes in the light‐harvesting efficiency. (iii) Above a certain light‐dependent concentration threshold H2S also acted as an inhibitor. Intriguingly, this inhibition was not instant but occurred only after a specific time interval that decreased with increasing light intensity. That photosynthesis is most sensitive to inhibition at high light intensities suggests that H2S inactivates an intermediate of the oxygen evolving complex that accumulates with increasing light intensity. We discuss the implications of these three effects of H2S in the context of cyanobacterial photosynthesis under conditions with diurnally fluctuating light and H2S concentrations, such as those occurring in microbial mats and biofilms.
Location equilibria in a mixed duopsony with a cooperative
Authors: Fousekis Panos
Published: January 2015

This work analyses a two‐stage price–location game between a profit maximising firm and a primary producers' cooperative. According to the results, the location equilibria are not fixed but depend on the intrinsic competitiveness of the spatial market. As the intrinsic competitiveness rises, the cooperative tends to be located closer to the middle point of the market. The limited differentiation in location entails an efficiency loss which is nevertheless smaller than that associated with the competition of two profit maximising firms (pure duopsony) on exactly the same spatial market. The superiority of a mixed duopsony lies in the fact that the resulting equilibrium locations entail lower total transportation cost relative to those of a pure duopsony.
Using applied behaviour analysis as standard practice in a UK special needs school
Authors: Foran Denise , Hoerger Marguerite , Philpott Hannah , Jones Elin Walker , Hughes J. Carl , Morgan Jonathan
Published: January 2015

This article describes how applied behaviour analysis can be implemented effectively and affordably in a maintained special needs school in the UK. Behaviour analysts collaborate with classroom teachers to provide early intensive behaviour education for young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and function based behavioural interventions for children between the ages of three and 18 years. Data are presented that show how the model is effective. Children with ASD under the age of seven made significant gains on intelligence quotient and on a range of skills including language, social and play, and academic skills following three academic terms of intervention. Case study data for two children reveal a marked decrease in challenging behaviour following a function based behavioural intervention. These interventions have led to greater independence, integration and access to curricular activities. These data show that children are making significant gains within this cost‐effective model.
Translating evidence‐based practice into a comprehensive educational model within an autism‐specific special school
Authors: Lambert‐Lee Katy A. , Jones Rebecca , O'Sullivan Julie , Hastings Richard P. , Douglas‐Cobane Emma , Thomas J. Esther , Hughes Carl , Griffith Gemma
Published: January 2015

Research evaluations of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)‐based interventions for children with autism demonstrate positive outcomes. However, little research has focused on the translation of these evidence‐based interventions into service delivery models within existing education systems. In the present article, we provide a description of the comprehensive ABA‐based educational model used within TreeHouse School, London, UK. In addition, we analyse progress data over 12 months for a group of learners attending the school. Fifty‐three students with autism were tested and then re‐tested with the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS‐R). For 23 of these students a repeated Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) assessment was also available. Repeated measures t‐tests revealed statistically significant improvements over time on all ABLLS domains and for all VABS scores. These data provide preliminary evidence that an ABA‐based educational model can be integrated into the UK system and produce positive outcomes for children.
Life on the hoof: gender, youth, and the environment in the Indian Himalayas
Authors: Dyson Jane
Published: January 2015

This article examines how young people in the Indian Himalayas understand, appreciate, and discuss their environment. Building on intensive ethnographic field research in Bemni, Uttarakhand, I point to the changing ways in which young people use the everyday practice of herding to acquire knowledge and engage in playful activity. I emphasize that age and gender shape the capacity for young people to interact creatively with their local environments. I will argue that studies of human/environment relations might usefully combine a focus on the movement of individuals through environments with a focus on the gendered ways in which they move through the life‐course.
Of love and fur: grandmothers, class, and pre‐mortem inheritance in a southern Polish city
Authors: Magee Siobhan
Published: January 2015

This article analyses the pre‐mortem alternate‐generation inheritance of fur clothing in Kraków: a practice that speaks to the conventions of grandmother‐granddaughter relationships and also to the connection between inheritance and social class. The perception of fur as a symbolically loaded material enhances its suitability for being ‘kept in the family’. Clothing inheritance fosters bourgeois belonging over multiple generations, encouraging the patronage of selected spaces and services (including furriers). In the shorter term, however, generational differences within amicable grandmother‐granddaughter pairs are amplified in part through the way pre‐mortem inheritance practices highlight granddaughters' non‐reciprocable debt to their grandmothers. A focus on fur as a particular kind of object highlights the significance of certain inheritance practices and their links to the affective ties in the reproduction of class in Poland. The article also contributes to a broader understanding of the reproduction of class by analysing the interconnections between taste, the body, and memory.
‘The problem of delimitation’: parataxis, bureaucracy, andEcuador's popular and solidarity economy
Authors: Nelms Taylor C.
Published: January 2015

What happens when an alternative economy becomes subject to a state bureaucratic apparatus? The question is posed in the context of a state project in Ecuador to institutionalize a so‐called ‘economía popular y solidaria’ (orEPS). This ‘popular and solidarity economy’, part of a project of ‘post‐neoliberal’ state transformation, invites questions about how to delimit its boundaries. This article offers an ethnographically informed account of the expert knowledge forms and bureaucratic techniques of Ecuadorian state actors charged with institutionalizing theEPS. I argue that in descriptions of theEPS, officials deploy an open‐ended aesthetic (which I term ‘parataxis’); in response to everyday bureaucratic demands to identify existingEPSpractitioners, however, officials rely on techniques of provisional delimitation. The case promises insight into alternative economic imaginaries and the post‐neoliberal turn in Latin America and it raises questions central to the anthropology of the state about the intersection of expert knowledge and bureaucratic practice.
Chupar frutas in Salvador da Bahia: a case of practice‐specific alterities
Authors: van de Port Mattijs , Mol Annemarie
Published: January 2015

In this article we interfere with the naturalization of ‘eating’ by comparing two modes of engaging with fruits in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. One of these is comer, which translates as ‘to eat’. The other is chupar, ‘to suck’. In comer, a piece of fruit crosses distinct bodily boundaries and gets swallowed; in chupar, juices spill over hands, while stones or fibres that have made it into a mouth are taken out again. Some fruits, like apples, compel a person to comer; others, like mangoes, invite chupar. But fruits do not decide by themselves how they will be handled: at a dinner table, in public, or in places that need to stay clean, comer is advisable; chupar fits backyards and more intimate company. And then there are gratifications: comer may come with the pride of being educated; chupar offers such pleasures as overflowing juices and childhood memories. All in all, our comparison reveals that ‘eating’ is not a given precedent, but that comer and chupar evoke different worlds, populated by different entities (bodies, fruits), and coloured by different pleasures. One might say that the ontologies involved are different, but that is not quite strong enough, as the relevant alterities also include activities and normativities, while the boundaries between the worlds of comer and chupar are markedly fluid and shot through with partial connections.
City of purposes: free life and libertarian activism in London
Authors: Reed Adam
Published: January 2015

This essay looks at the ideas and practice of libertarian activists in London. It focuses on the value placed on purposefulness, and on the city as the terrain for a free life. These libertarians' activism is explored through an engagement with the centrality of ‘freedom’ in the emergent anthropology of ethics, and by reference to alternative theories of power or action. In particular, attention falls on the challenge of representing subjects who seem to embody and profess overly familiar theories of individual freedom and responsibility. The essay is meant as a contribution to political and urban anthropology, and the ethnography of Britain.
The Three‐Level Collaboration Exercise – Impact of Learning and Usefulness
Authors: Berlin Johan M. , Carlström Eric D.
Published: January 2015

The aim of the study was to examine the emergency personnel's perception of the effects of exercises, with regard to learning and usefulness. The exercises were quasi‐experimental and constructed in such a way that employees from different organizations overlapped each other's tasks. This was accomplished by: having asymmetries included in the scenarios, repeating exercise procedures and testing different strategies, which were discussed at joint seminars. The exercises were compared to a similar study, published in this journal, of nonquasiexperimental but merely traditional exercises. Surveys were distributed and collected from emergency personnel in connection with seven exercises. At the exercises, 94.3% of the personnel thought that the exercises had a focus on collaboration (traditional exercises, 75.6%).
Crisis vs. Controversy
Authors: Ziek Paul
Published: January 2015

Communication is a response that can mitigate and even restore the damage resulting from organizational crisis. Yet what is often asserted in most of the research is that organizations are in a state of crisis and that they are indeed engaging in crisis communication. Sometimes organizations are in controversy as opposed to crisis. The distinction between controversy and crisis, in turn, has implications for the practice of communication. The current paper takes the opportunity to show the fruitful directions to be taken up based on the differences between crisis and controversy and how these differences impact organizational communication.
Using ‘voice’ to understand what college students with intellectual disabilities say about the teaching and learning process
Authors: Kubiak John
Published: January 2015

There is a growing awareness of the value of using pupils’ voices in educational research. At primary and second level, the principle of pupil voice has gained in profile over the last decade. However, in higher education, the use of voice in research collaborations remains under‐theorised and under‐utilised. This paper reports on an inclusive phenomenographic study undertaken with college students with intellectual disabilities (ID). It outlines how pupil voice can be used to gain a deeper understanding of the teaching and learning process. The strategies that promoted learner engagement and autonomy include establishing a supportive learning climate or environment, and promoting self‐regulated learning strategies. These findings suggest that the use of pupil voice is fundamental to changing the way teachers think about students with ID and their learning.
Glue ear – a common but complicated childhood condition
Authors: Capewell Carmel
Published: January 2015

The changes in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice extends the provision for those people aged 0–25 years and focuses more on disabilities, such as hearing difficulties. There is a particular focus on anticipating needs rather than waiting for ‘special educational’ needs to develop. This paper considers the implications of these changes for educators in providing appropriate support for young people with glue ear. This common condition affects about 80% of children under 7 years of age when they are developing their social and language skills and can result in permanent hearing impairment. This paper draws upon research which adapted and combined the methodologies of Photovoice and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to encourage a small sample of young people, and their mothers, to reflect upon their experience of chronic glue ear. The participants in this research explained that there were few adaptations made in the classroom to help minimise the impact of their hearing loss. Educational professionals appear to have a low awareness about the social, behavioural and cognitive effects of the condition on pupils. This may indicate that they would benefit from training in the potential impacts of it for their pupils.
Physical Activity, Gender Difference, and Depressive Symptoms
Authors: Zhang Jun , Yen Steven T.
Published: January 2015

Objective

To investigate the roles of physical activity (exercise) and sociodemographic factors in depressive symptoms among men and women in the United States.

Data Source

2011 U.S. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

Study Design

Patient Health Questionnaire Depression Scale (PHQ‐8) scores are aggregated and divided into five categories. An ordered switching probability model with binary endogenous physical activity is developed to accommodate ordinality of depression categories and ameliorate statistical biases due to endogeneity of physical activity.

Principal Findings

Average treatment effects suggest physical activity ameliorates depressive symptoms among mildly and moderately depressed individuals, most notably among mildly depressed women. Gender differences exist in the roles of sociodemographic factors, with age, income, race, education, employment status, and recent mental health condition playing differentiated roles in affecting depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

Regular physical activity reduces depressive symptoms among both men and women with mild to moderate depression, notably among women.
Panic escape polyethism in worker and soldier Coptotermes formosanus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)
Authors: Wang Cai , Henderson Gregg , Gautam Bal K. , Chen Jie , Bhatta Dependra
Published: January 2015

Termites were the first animal to form societies. Two hundred million years of evolution provide for a multitude of innate social behaviors that can be experimentally dissected. These fine‐tuned patterns of behavior are especially interesting when observing group decision making in the panic mode. In this study, we examined behavioral patterns of termites under panic conditions to gain insight into how an escape flow self‐organizes. One hundred worker and 10 soldier Coptotermes formosanus were released into agar plates. After a disturbance was created most workers followed each other and ran along the wall of dishes, thus forming a unidirectional escape flow, whereas soldiers showed a significantly higher frequency of moving to the center of the arena or on periphery of the escape flow as compared to workers. Agonistic behavior was usually observed as soldiers moved to center or periphery. This is the first report on the behavioral repertoire of termites when panicked, with details on the behavioral polymorphism of workers and soldiers during an escape.
Reappraisal of the role of postoperative radiation therapy in patients with pIIIa‐N2 non‐small cell lung cancer: A propensity score matching analysis
Authors: Cao Qinchen , Zhang Baozhong , Zhao Lujun , Wang Changli , Gong Liqun , Wang Jun , Pang Qingsong , Li Kai , Liu Weishuai , Li Xue , Wang Peng , Wang Ping
Published: January 2015

Background

Reappraisal of the role of postoperative radiotherapy in pN2 non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients according to N1 lymph node involvement.

Methods

A total of 218 pIIIa‐N2 NSCLC patients who underwent complete surgical resection with systematic nodal dissections were enrolled. Propensity scores were used for matching N1 involvement. Overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS) were analyzed retrospectively.

Results

After matching, pN2b patients without N1 involvement (pN0N2b) exhibited better prognoses than those with N1 involvement (pN1N2b) (5‐year OS: 37.5% vs. 7.1%, P = 0.008; 5‐year DFS: 31.8% vs. 4.6%, P = 0.004). Similar results were not detected in pN2a disease (5‐year OS: 37.8% vs. 31.0%, P = 0.517; 5‐year DFS: 27.1% vs. 20.2%, P = 0.788). The five‐year OS of patients who received no adjuvant therapy (22 pN2a cases, 7 pN0N2b, 5 pN1N2b), adjuvant chemotherapy alone (74 pN2a cases, 11 pN0N2b, 17 pN1N2b) or chemoradiotherapy (25 pN2a cases, 7 pN0N2b, 6 pN1N2b) were compared (pN2a: 31.3%, 37.0%, and 32.0%, P = 0.808; pN0N2b: 0.0%, 18.2%, and 71.4%, P = 0.108; pN1N2b: 0.0%, 0.0%, and 33.3%, P < 0.0001). The five‐year DFS was also analyzed (pN2a: 31.6%, 24.0%, and 18.3%, P = 0.410; pN0N2b: 0.0%, 11.1%, and 57.1%, P = 0.192; pN1N2b: 0.0%, 0.0%, and 16.7%, P < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis revealed that the novel classification based on N1 involvement and pN2a/pN2b staging was an independent prognostic factor of OS and DFS.

Conclusion

N1 involvement significantly impacted the prognosis of pN2b NSCLC patients. The benefit of adjuvant therapy in pN2a and pN0N2b patients requires confirmation by further study.
Prognostic value and clinicopathological significance of epithelial cadherin expression in non‐small cell lung cancer
Authors: Qiu Zhi‐Xin , Zhao Shuang , Li Lei , Li Wei‐Min
Published: January 2015

Background

Epithelial cadherin (E‐cadherin), a calcium‐dependent cell‐cell adhesion molecule, as an important adhesion and signaling pathway mediator plays key roles in the maintenance of tissue integrity. However, the available results of E‐cadherin expression and its prognostic value on non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain controversial. Therefore, a meta‐analysis of published studies investigating the prognostic value of E‐cadherin expression and its association with clinicopathological characteristics with NSCLC was performed.

Methods

A literature search via PubMed, EMBASE, and MEDLINE (Ovid) databases was conducted. Data from eligible studies were extracted. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA 12.0.

Results

A total of 2412 patients from 15 studies were included in the meta‐analysis. The results showed that the pooled hazard ratio (HR) for overall survival was 0.55 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.44–0.69) by univariate analysis and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.43–1.08) by multivariate analysis. In addition, the results showed a significant association between E‐cadherin expression and the presence of lymph node metastasis (odds ratio = 0.37, 95% CI=0.05–0.69, P = 0.001).

Conclusion

Our study showed that positive expression of E‐cadherin was associated with a favorable prognosis in patients with NSCLC, and might act as an inhibition factor of metastasis. However, adequately designed prospective studies are required to confirm this finding.
The Effects of a Web‐Based Nursing Process Documentation Program on Stress and Anxiety of Nursing Students in South Korea
Authors: Lee Eunjoo , Noh Hyun Kyung
Published: January 2015

Aim

To examine the effects of a web‐based nursing process documentation system on the stress and anxiety of nursing students during their clinical practice.

Methods

A quasi‐experimental design was employed. The experimental group (n = 110) used a web‐based nursing process documentation program for their case reports as part of assignments for a clinical practicum, whereas the control group (n = 106) used traditional paper‐based case reports. Stress and anxiety levels were measured with a numeric rating scale before, 2 weeks after, and 4 weeks after using the web‐based nursing process documentation program during a clinical practicum. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t tests, chi‐square tests, and repeated‐measures analyses of variance.

Results

Nursing students who used the web‐based nursing process documentation program showed significant lower levels of stress and anxiety than the control group.

Conclusion

A web‐based nursing process documentation program could be used to reduce the stress and anxiety of nursing students during clinical practicum, which ultimately would benefit nursing students by increasing satisfaction with and effectiveness of clinical practicum.
Rhizobacteria that produce auxins and contain 1‐amino‐cyclopropane‐1‐carboxylic acid deaminase decrease amino acid concentrations in the rhizosphere and improve growth and yield of well‐watered and water‐limited potato (Solanum tuberosum)
Authors: Belimov A.A. , Dodd I.C. , Safronova V.I. , Shaposhnikov A.I. , Azarova T.S. , Makarova N.M. , Davies W.J. , Tikhonovich I.A.
Published: January 2015

Plant‐growth‐promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) utilise amino acids exuded from plant root systems, but hitherto there have been no direct measurements of rhizosphere concentrations of the amino acid 1‐amino‐cyclopropane‐1‐carboxylic acid (ACC) following inoculation with PGPR containing the enzyme ACC deaminase. When introduced to the rhizosphere of two potato (Solanum tuberosum) cultivars (cv. Swift and cv. Nevsky), various ACC deaminase containing rhizobacteria (Achromobacter xylosoxidans Cm4, Pseudomonas oryzihabitans Ep4 and Variovorax paradoxus 5C‐2) not only decreased rhizosphere ACC concentrations but also decreased concentrations of several proteinogenic amino acids (glutamic acid, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, valine). These effects were not always correlated with the ability of the bacteria to metabolise these compounds in vitro, suggesting bacterial mediation of root amino acid exudation. All rhizobacteria showed similar root colonisation following inoculation of sand cultures, thus species differences in amino acid utilisation profiles apparently did not confer any selective advantage in the potato rhizosphere. Rhizobacterial inoculation increased root biomass (by up to 50%) and tuber yield (by up to 40%) in pot trials, and tuber yield (by up to 27%) in field experiments, especially when plants were grown under water‐limited conditions. Nevertheless, inoculated and control plants showed similar leaf water relations, indicating that alternative mechanisms (regulation of phytohormone balance) were responsible for growth promotion. Rhizobacteria generally increased tuber number more than individual tuber weight, suggesting that accelerated vegetative development was responsible for increased yield.
PIM‐1 modulates cellular senescence and links IL‐6 signaling to heterochromatin formation
Authors: Jin Bo , Wang Yu , Wu Chen Lin , Liu Kai Yu , Chen Hao , Mao Ze Bin
Published: January 2015

Cellular senescence is a stable state of proliferative arrest that provides a barrier against malignant transformation and contributes to the antitumor activity of certain chemotherapies. Unexpectedly, we found that the expression of proto‐oncogene PIM‐1, which can promote tumorigenesis, is induced at transcriptional level during senescence. Inhibition of PIM‐1 alleviated both replicative and oncogene‐induced senescence. Conversely, ectopic expression of PIM‐1 resulted in premature senescence. We also revealed that PIM‐1 interacts with and phosphorylates heterochromatin protein 1γ (HP1γ) on Ser93. This PIM‐1‐mediated HP1γ phosphorylation enhanced HP1γ's capacity to bind to H3K9me3, resulting in heterochromatin formation and suppression of proliferative genes, such as CCNA2 and PCNA. Analysis of the mechanism underlying the up‐regulation of PIM‐1 expression during senescence demonstrated that IL‐6, a critical regulator of cellular senescence, is responsible for PIM‐1 induction. Our study demonstrated that PIM‐1 is a key component of the senescence machinery that contributes to heterochromatin formation. More importantly, we demonstrated that PIM‐1 is also a direct target of IL‐6/STAT3 signaling and mediates cytokine‐induced cellular senescence.
Predicting performance and survival across topographically heterogeneous landscapes: the global pest insect Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner, 1808) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Authors: Barton Madeleine G , Terblanche John S
Published: January 2015

Species distribution models provide a means of better understanding how climate constrains the survival of organisms. Although effective in predicting the presence or absence of species across the landscape, model outputs are not necessarily relevant to, or easily interpreted for, local management and conservation programs. An alternative approach, however, would be to use species distribution models as a tool for applied ecological projects. Integrative pest management programs, for example, which aim to control the abundance and distribution of agricultural insect pests may benefit from a model that predicts the relative performance and survival of the target pest on its host plant. We present a microclimate model to predict ambient, and thus the equilibrium body, temperature of the globally significant agricultural pest the bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera. We allow the different life‐history stages of H. armigera to select specific microclimates within a host apple tree, thus developing a realistic framework for predicting core‐body temperatures, and proxies for physiological performance and fitness, of this species. Subsequently, we incorporate the predicted body temperature with established data for developmental rates and critical‐temperature thresholds to predict how fluctuations in temperature and variation in topography may affect phenology and survival. Although the model requires further validation against empirical data, the current outputs allow insights into how variation in local topography, farming practices and climate change will affect the relative phenology and survival of H. armigera. Moreover, the biophysical nature of the model means that with some modifications to parameter inputs, the fitness and survival of a range of pest insects on their host plants can be explored more readily.
Effects of treatment beyond the treated: a general equilibrium impact evaluation of Lesotho's cash grants program
Authors: Filipski Mateusz J. , Taylor J. Edward , Thome Karen E. , Davis Benjamin
Published: January 2015

Africa's social cash transfer programs target the most resource‐constrained households, unlikely to expand supply in response to transfer‐induced demand. We propose a local economy‐wide impact evaluation model and use it to evaluate local spillovers from Lesotho's Child Grants Program. We report Monte‐Carlo confidence bounds around impact‐simulation results. We find significant spillovers to nonrecipient households and significant real income multipliers, although the latter are dampened if factor supply constraints generate excessive inflationary pressures. Our findings raise questions about how to measure the impacts of cash transfers. Evaluations focusing only on eligible households are likely to significantly understate program impacts.
What Makes an Agency Independent?
Authors: Selin Jennifer L.
Published: January 2015

The responsiveness of government agencies to elected officials is a central question in democratic governance. A key source of variation in responsiveness is agency structure. Yet scholars often view agencies as falling into broad structural categories (e.g., cabinet departments or independent commissions) or fixate on some features of design (e.g., “for cause” protections). I develop new estimates of structural independence based on new data on 50 different structural features of 321 federal agencies in the federal executive establishment. Using a Bayesian latent variable model, I estimate independence on two dimensions: limits on the appointment of key agency decision makers and limits on political review of agency policy. I illustrate the value of this new measure by using it to examine how structure affects political influence and how agency independence can vary over time.
Adverse reactions to immunotherapy are associated with different patterns of sensitization to grass allergens
Authors: Sastre J. , Rodríguez F. , Campo P. , Laffond E. , Marín A. , Alonso M. D.
Published: January 2015

The aim of the study was to investigate whether adverse drug reactions (ADRs) during immunotherapy with a grass extract (AVANZ® Phleum, ALK‐Abelló) are related to the different patterns of sensitization of patients to grass allergens. A total of 192 patients with rhinitis and/or asthma sensitized to grass pollen received a 4‐week updosing with five injections. ADRs were evaluated following EAACI guidelines. A total of 432 ADRs in 133 (69%) patients were recorded, 64% local and 31% systemic. There was a significant association between the number of grass allergens that sensitized the patients and the total number of ADRs (P = 0.004) occurred locally (P = 0.003) and systemically (P = 0.01). Sensitization to Phl p1 + Phl p5 or Phl p1 + Phl p5 + Phl p12 was significantly associated with a higher frequency of local or systemic reactions (P = 0.001, both). Different patterns of sensitization to grass allergens may potentially be considered a risk marker to the development of ADRs to immunotherapy.
Interval shifts in basophil measures correlate with disease activity in chronic spontaneous urticaria
Authors: Oliver E. T. , Sterba P. M. , Saini S. S.
Published: January 2015

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) significantly impacts the quality of life of those affected through symptoms of pruritus and recurrent skin lesions. In active CSU disease, reduced IgE‐mediated basophil histamine release (HR) and basopenia are observed. We sought to examine the relationship between interval changes in basophil measures and shifts in patient‐reported disease impairment. Simultaneous symptom and basophil evaluations were completed at two sequential study visits, and interval changes in measures were compared between visits for each subject (n = 38). These measures included Skindex‐29, current itch and hives scores, total leukocyte histamine content (an indirect measure of blood basophil presence), and basophil HR in response to anti‐IgE and formyl‐methionine‐leucine‐phenylalanine. Overall, interval improvements in disease measures in CSU subjects were associated with increased basophil numbers (total leukocyte histamine content) and IgE‐mediated HR. This suggests these measures are potential biomarkers for CSU disease improvement and further implicates a role for basophils in CSU.
Morphological and proliferative studies on ex vivo cultured human anterior lens epithelial cells – relevance to capsular opacification
Authors: Andjelić Sofija , Drašlar Kazimir , Lumi Xhevat , Yan Xiaohe , Graw Joachim , Facskó Andrea , Hawlina Marko , Petrovski Goran
Published: January 2015

Purpose

To determine the structural characteristics of lens epithelial cells (LECs) found on the anterior portion of the lens capsule and their pluripotency, proliferating and migrating potential when grown ex vivo with relevance to posterior capsular opacification (PCO) after cataract surgery.

Methods

The explants of anterior portion of the lens capsule consisting of monolayer of LECs were obtained from uneventful cataract surgery and were cultivated under adherent conditions. The size and shape of the outgrowing cells were recorded by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while their migration and proliferation potential were followed using light microscopy. Positivity for proliferation (Ki‐67)‐ and pluripotency (Sox2)‐specific markers were tested by immunofluorescent staining.

Results

The proliferation and migration of anterior portion of the lens capsule's LECs filling up the denuded and reverse side regions of the lens capsule as well as their growth on glass culture surfaces could be followed by light microscopy and SEM, while the distribution of LECs and their morphology could be analysed in detail by SEM. The expression of Ki‐67 and Sox2 in LECs growing adherently on human anterior portion of the lens capsule could also be detected.

Conclusions

Classic light microscopy and SEM can be used to show that human anterior portion of the lens capsule harbours LECs that can proliferate and migrate, suggesting their pluripotency or putative stem cell nature. Similarly, morphological techniques can be used to study PCO and the effect different drugs or physical treatments have against PCO development.
Floods reduce the prevalence of exotic plant species within the riparian zone: evidence from natural floods
Authors: Greet Joe , Webb J. Angus , Cousens Roger D.
Published: January 2015

Questions

Does flooding reduce the prevalence of exotic plant species and promote native riparian plant species?

Location

Field study, two regulated lowland rivers, SE Australia.

Methods

We used a large flood in spring to test predictions of vegetation response to flooding. We predicted that the species richness of exotic taxa (mostly terrestrial annual/biennial grasses and forbs in the study systems) would be reduced by flooding, while the richness of native riparian species adapted to fluvial disturbance would increase. We surveyed the riparian vegetation at three sites on each of two regulated rivers in the summers before and after a large flood in early spring that inundated all of the sites on one river, and one site on the other river; the remaining sites were not flooded. Overall, the study was a natural experiment with a before–after control–impact design.

Results

As predicted, flooding dramatically reduced the richness of exotic taxa, particularly of terrestrial grasses. However, some invasive flood‐tolerant exotic taxa, such as blackberries and willows, were promoted by the floods. Flooding reduced the cover of most native taxa, but did not affect overall native taxon richness. In contrast, the richness and cover of native summer annuals increased following the flood.

Conclusions

Our study provides evidence to support the use of managed floods to reduce the prevalence of terrestrial exotic taxa within the riparian zones of regulated rivers. The frequency and intensity of flow pulses necessary to keep terrestrial exotics at low levels requires further research.
Interleukin 35 may contribute to the loss of immunological self‐tolerance in patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia
Authors: Sun Tiantian , Zhang Donglei , Yang Yanhui , Zhang Xian , Lv Cuicui , Fu Rongfeng , Lv Mingen , Liu Wenjie , Chen Yunfei , Liu Wei , Huang Yueting , Xue Feng , Liu Xiaofan , Zhang Lei , Li Huiyuan , Yang Renchi
Published: January 2015

Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder. Interleukin‐35 (IL35) can suppress T cell proliferation and elicit the development of inducible regulatory T cells (Tregs). Previous studies have shown decreased plasma IL35 levels and dysfunctional T cells in patients with ITP. In this study, we determined whether decreased IL35 levels correlate with T cell dysfunction in ITP patients. Plasma IL35 levels were found to be lower in ITP patients than in healthy controls, were positively correlated with platelet levels and the percentage of peripheral circulating Tregs, and negatively correlated with the levels of T helper‐1 cells in ITP patients. We also evaluated the effects of IL35 on cytokines contributing to T cell proliferation. IL35 promoted the secretion of interleukin 10 (IL10) and transforming growth factor–β1 but reduced the levels of interferon‐γ and IL17A (also termed IL17). Moreover, IL35 inhibited the proliferation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells but induced the differentiation and proliferation of Tregs in ITP. In summary, IL35 appears to contribute to the loss of immunological self‐tolerance in ITP patients by modulating T cells and immunoregulatory cytokines.
The dark side of cognitive illusions: When an illusory belief interferes with the acquisition of evidence‐based knowledge
Authors: Yarritu Ion , Matute Helena , Luque David
Published: January 2015

Cognitive illusions are often associated with mental health and well‐being. However, they are not without risk. This research shows they can interfere with the acquisition of evidence‐based knowledge. During the first phase of the experiment, one group of participants was induced to develop a strong illusion that a placebo medicine was effective to treat a fictitious disease, whereas another group was induced to develop a weak illusion. Then, inPhase 2, both groups observed fictitious patients who always took the bogus treatment simultaneously with a second treatment which was effective. Our results showed that the group who developed the strong illusion about the effectiveness of the bogus treatment duringPhase 1 had more difficulties in learning duringPhase 2 that the added treatment was effective.
Ten things you should know about protein kinases: IUPHAR Review 14
Authors: Fabbro Doriano , Cowan‐Jacob Sandra W , Moebitz Henrik
Published: January 2015

Many human malignancies are associated with aberrant regulation of protein or lipid kinases due to mutations, chromosomal rearrangements and/or gene amplification. Protein and lipid kinases represent an important target class for treating human disorders. This review focus on ‘the 10 things you should know about protein kinases and their inhibitors', including a short introduction on the history of protein kinases and their inhibitors and ending with a perspective on kinase drug discovery. Although the ‘10 things’ have been, to a certain extent, chosen arbitrarily, they cover in a comprehensive way the past and present efforts in kinase drug discovery and summarize the status quo of the current kinase inhibitors as well as knowledge about kinase structure and binding modes. Besides describing the potentials of protein kinase inhibitors as drugs, this review also focus on their limitations, particularly on how to circumvent emerging resistance against kinase inhibitors in oncological indications.
Inhibition of prostate smooth muscle contraction and prostate stromal cell growth by the inhibitors of Rac, NSC23766 and EHT1864
Authors: Wang Y , Kunit T , Ciotkowska A , Rutz B , Schreiber A , Strittmatter F , Waidelich R , Liu C , Stief C G , Gratzke C , Hennenberg M
Published: January 2015

Background and Purpose

Medical therapy of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) targets smooth muscle contraction in the prostate, or prostate growth. However, current therapeutic options are insufficient. Here, we investigated the role of Rac in the control of smooth muscle tone in human prostates and growth of prostate stromal cells.

Experimental Approach

Experiments were performed using human prostate tissues from radical prostatectomy and cultured stromal cells (WPMY‐1). Expression of Rac was examined by Western blot and fluorescence staining. Effects of Rac inhibitors (NSC23766 and EHT1864) on contractility were assessed in the organ bath. The effects of Rac inhibitors were assessed by pull‐down, cytotoxicity using a cell counting kit, cytoskeletal organization by phalloidin staining and cell growth using an 5‐ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine assay.

Key Results

Expression of Rac1–3 was observed in prostate samples from each patient. Immunoreactivity for Rac1–3 was observed in the stroma, where it colocalized with the smooth muscle marker, calponin. NSC23766 and EHT1864 significantly reduced contractions of prostate strips induced by noradrenaline, phenylephrine or electrical field stimulation. NSC23766 and EHT1864 inhibited Rac activity in WPMY‐1 cells. Survival of WPMY‐1 cells ranged between 64 and 81% after incubation with NSC23766 (50 or 100 μM) or EHT1864 (25 μM) for 24 h. NSC23766 and EHT1864 induced cytoskeletal disorganization in WPMY‐1 cells. Both inhibitors impaired the growth of WPMY‐1 cells.

Conclusions and Implications

Rac may be a link connecting the control of prostate smooth muscle tone with proliferation of smooth muscle cells. Improvements in LUTS suggestive of BPH by Rac inhibitors appears possible.
Studying the evolutionary ecology of cognition in the wild: a review of practical and conceptual challenges
Authors: Morand‐Ferron Julie , Cole Ella F. , Quinn John L.
Published: January 2015

Cognition is defined as the processes by which animals collect, retain and use information from their environment to guide their behaviour. Thus cognition is essential in a wide range of behaviours, including foraging, avoiding predators and mating. Despite this pivotal role, the evolutionary processes shaping variation in cognitive performance among individuals in wild populations remain very poorly understood. Selection experiments in captivity suggest that cognitive traits can have substantial heritability and can undergo rapid evolution. However only a handful of studies have attempted to explore how cognition influences life‐history variation and fitness in the wild, and direct evidence for the action of natural or sexual selection on cognition is still lacking, reasons for which are diverse. Here we review the current literature with a view to: (i) highlighting the key practical and conceptual challenges faced by the field; (ii) describing how to define and measure cognitive traits in natural populations, and suggesting which species, populations and cognitive traits might be examined to greatest effect; emphasis is placed on selecting traits that are linked to functional behaviour; (iii) discussing how to deal with confounding factors such as personality and motivation in field as well as captive studies; (iv) describing how to measure and interpret relationships between cognitive performance, functional behaviour and fitness, offering some suggestions as to when and what kind of selection might be predicted; and (v) showing how an evolutionary ecological framework, more generally, along with innovative technologies has the potential to revolutionise the study of cognition in the wild. We conclude that the evolutionary ecology of cognition in wild populations is a rapidly expanding interdisciplinary field providing many opportunities for advancing the understanding of how cognitive abilities have evolved.
Oxytocin, testosterone, and human social cognition
Authors: Crespi Bernard J.
Published: January 2015

I describe an integrative social‐evolutionary model for the adaptive significance of the human oxytocinergic system. The model is based on a role for this hormone in the generation and maintenance of social familiarity and affiliation across five homologous, functionally similar, and sequentially co‐opted contexts: mothers with offspring, female and male mates, kin groups, individuals with reciprocity partners, and individuals within cooperating and competing social groups defined by culture. In each situation, oxytocin motivates, mediates and rewards the cognitive and behavioural processes that underlie the formation and dynamics of a more or less stable social group, and promotes a relationship between two or more individuals. Such relationships may be positive (eliciting neurological reward, reducing anxiety and thus indicating fitness‐enhancing effects), or negative (increasing anxiety and distress, and thus motivating attempts to alleviate a problematic, fitness‐reducing social situation). I also present evidence that testosterone exhibits opposite effects from oxytocin on diverse aspects of cognition and behaviour, most generally by favouring self‐oriented, asocial and antisocial behaviours. I apply this model for effects of oxytocin and testosterone to understanding human psychological disorders centrally involving social behaviour. Reduced oxytocin and higher testosterone levels have been associated with under‐developed social cognition, especially in autism. By contrast, some combination of oxytocin increased above normal levels, and lower testosterone, has been reported in a notable number of studies of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, and, in some cases, higher oxytocin involves maladaptively ‘hyper‐developed’ social cognition in these conditions. This pattern of findings suggests that human social cognition and behaviour are structured, in part, by joint and opposing effects of oxytocin and testosterone, and that extremes of such joint effects partially mediate risks and phenotypes of autism and psychotic‐affective conditions. These considerations have direct implications for the development of therapies for alleviating disorders of social cognition, and for understanding how such disorders are associated with the evolution of human cognitive‐affective architecture.