bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The use of auricular acupuncture in opioid use disorder: A systematic literature review
Authors: Baker Tanya E. , Chang Grace
Published: November 2016

Background and Objectives

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic disease with significant personal, societal, and public health consequences. Even for the minority who receive the most effective evidence‐based treatments, morbidity, and mortality remain significant. These facts, along with the recovery movement calling for individualized, holistic, culturally sensitive care, have led to the exploration of adjunctive interventions including acupuncture. Despite hundreds of international trials, however, there is a lack of consensus regarding its efficacy in OUD due in large part to methodological issues of trials to date. In response to these issues, the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) developed an operationalized manual auricular acupuncture protocol that has since become the most widely used in the US. This systematic review is the first to focus explicitly on randomized trials utilizing the NADA protocol as a complementary intervention to address OUD.

Methods

The methods utilized to identify studies for inclusion are based on a 2009 protocol developed by the Cochrane Collaboration.

Results

Four trials met inclusion criteria. Despite methodological issues, results indicate that while the NADA protocol may not be effective in reducing acute opiate craving or withdrawal, it may be effectively utilized as an adjunctive treatment to increase treatment retention and decrease methadone detoxification and maintenance dosages in OUD.

Conclusion and Scientific Significance

Incorporation of the NADA protocol into existing evidence‐based treatment approaches may facilitate recovery and, through its impact on treatment retention and completion, indirectly impact morbidity, and mortality in individuals with OUD. Given the limitations of the current review, conclusions are tentative and directions for future research are discussed. (Am J Addict 2016;25:592–602)
Dutasteride‐mediated morphological changes in the genitourinary tract associated with altered expression patterns of the androgen and estrogen receptors in male rats
Authors: Enatsu N. , Chiba K. , Sumii K. , Fukuda T. , Okada K. , Matsushita K. , Fujisawa M.
Published: November 2016

We evaluated the effects of dutasteride on the genitourinary tract using fifteen 8‐week‐old male Sprague–Dawley rats. Animals were divided into three groups comprising five animals each and treated as follows. Group A was a control group, members of Group B received oral administration of dutasteride 0.1 mg/kg/day from the age of 8 to 16 weeks, and members of Group C were castrated at the age of 8 weeks. All rats were killed at the age of 16 weeks for the sample collection of blood, bladder, prostate, seminal vesicles, and penis. Then, we evaluated the pathological examination for evaluating the tissue fibrosis and hormonal receptor expression. The results showed that the mean size of the prostate and seminal vesicles was smaller in Group B and Group C than in Group A. Serum and tissue concentrations of both testosterone and dihydrotestosterone were remarkably reduced in serum and all tissues in Group C compared with Group A. On the other hand, in Group B, only dihydrotestosterone was reduced in serum and penis. Histopathological examination revealed that Group C showed statistically significant histological changes, such as an increase in fibrotic tissue in the bladder, prostate, and penis. Similarly, Group B showed fibrotic changes in the prostate and penis compared with the Group A. Immunofluorescent staining revealed that the androgen receptor was more strongly expressed than the estrogen receptor beta in Group A. On the other hand, in Group C, weak expression of the androgen receptor and strong expression of the estrogen receptor beta was noted. In Group B, these changes were noted in the prostate and penis. These findings suggest that dutasteride cause morphological changes not only in prostate but also in penis. These changes are associated with altered expression patterns of androgen receptor and estrogen receptor.
Trends in publication of general surgical research in New Zealand, 1996–2015
Authors: Wells Cameron I. , Robertson Jason P. , O'Grady Gregory , Bissett Ian P.
Published: November 2016

Background

Recent analyses of the surgical literature have suggested a general trend towards increasing numbers of published articles and an improved quality of evidence produced. The aim of this bibliometric analysis was to identify trends in the publication of general surgical research in New Zealand from 1996 to 2015.

Methods

Ovid MEDLINE was searched for general surgical publications by New Zealand authors. Two investigators screened results, and a range of data were collected for included articles. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data and identify significant trends.

Results

A total of 601 articles were identified, with a progressive increase in the number of publications from 1996 to 2015. Randomized trials and systematic reviews accounted for 33 and 97 publications, respectively. The median number of authors per paper rose from 3.0 to 5.0 (P < 0.001). There was an exponential increase in the publication of randomized trials (P = 0.001) and systematic reviews (P < 0.001), while publication of basic science articles remained relatively steady (P = 0.22). The median impact factor for published articles increased from 1.5 to 2.6, which was equivalent to organic growth of the journal impact factors over the 20‐year period.

Conclusion

The quality and quantity of surgical research in New Zealand has substantially increased over the past two decades. These results reflect the successful growth of a culture of academic surgery and the ongoing support of partner organizations.
Shared Social License: Mining and Conservation in the Peruvian Andes
Authors: Norris Timothy B.
Published: November 2016

Over the last two decades financial relationships between conservation and extraction have become conspicuously close. Both sectors unabashedly publicized these business deals as a form of greening extraction and marketizing conservation. This essay uses a case study in Perú to propose a tentative theory of how this seemingly incompatible but very profitable union unfolds on the ground. The development of fictitious commodities in nature for each sector is examined and the labor theory of value is combined with the labor of persuasive work to expose a fundamental shared need in both sectors: in Perú's contemporary political and economic context extractive and conservation actors increasingly must persuade landowners—usually indigenous communities—to allow for specific forms of capital to flow through their territory. In some cases this need to secure the “social license” is shared across sectors and the labor to secure the license can be undertaken together.
Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells for retinal vascular injury
Authors: Wang Jin‐Da , An Ying , Zhang Jing‐Shang , Wan Xiu‐Hua , Jonas Jost B. , Xu Liang , Zhang Wei
Published: November 2016

Purpose

To examine the potential of intravitreally implanted human bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to affect vascular repair and the blood–retina barrier in mice and rats with oxygen‐induced retinopathy, diabetic retinopathy or retinal ischaemia–reperfusion damage.

Methods

Three study groups (oxygen‐induced retinopathy group: 18 C57BL/6J mice; diabetic retinopathy group: 15 rats; retinal ischaemia–reperfusion model: 18 rats) received BMSCs injected intravitreally. Control groups (oxygen‐induced retinopathy group: 12 C57BL/6J mice; diabetic retinopathy group: 15 rats; retinal ischaemia–reperfusion model: 18 rats) received an intravitreal injection of phosphate‐buffered saline. We applied immunohistological techniques to measure retinal vascularization, spectroscopic measurements of intraretinally extravasated fluorescein‐conjugated dextran to quantify the blood–retina barrier breakdown, and histomorphometry to assess retinal thickness and retinal ganglion cell count.

Results

In the oxygen‐induced retinopathy model, the study group with intravitreally injected BMSCs as compared with the control group showed a significantly (p = 0.001) smaller area of retinal neovascularization. In the diabetic retinopathy model, study group and control group did not differ significantly in the amount of intraretinally extravasated dextran. In the retinal ischaemia–reperfusion model, on the 7th day after retina injury, the retina was significantly thicker in the study group than in the control group (p = 0.02), with no significant difference in the retinal ganglion cell count (p = 0.36).

Conclusions

Intravitreally implanted human BMSCs were associated with a reduced retinal neovascularization in the oxygen‐induced retinopathy model and with a potentially cell preserving effect in the retinal ischaemia–reperfusion model. Intravitreal BMSCs may be of potential interest for the therapy of retinal vascular disorders.
Abnormal neurodevelopmental outcomes are very likely in cases of bilateral neonatal arterial ischaemic stroke
Authors: Jin Ju Hyun , Shin Jeong Eun , Lee Soon Min , Eun Ho Seon , Park Min Soo , Park Kook In , Namgung Ran
Published: November 2016

Aim

Neonatal arterial ischaemic stroke (AIS) is an important cause of severe neurological disability. This study aimed to analyse the clinical manifestations and outcomes of AIS patients.

Methods

We enrolled neonates with AIS admitted to Severance Children's Hospital and Gangnam Severance Hospital between 2008 and 2015. AIS was confirmed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We retrospectively reviewed the clinical manifestations, MRI findings, electroencephalography (EEG) findings and neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Results

The study comprised 29 neonates (18 boys). The mean follow‐up period was 15.4 months (range 6–44 months), and the mean age at diagnosis was 8.1 days. Seizure was the most common symptom (66%). Bilateral involvement was more common than unilateral involvement (52%). The middle cerebral artery was the most commonly identified territory (79%). Abnormal EEG findings were noted in 93% of the cases. Neurodevelopment was normal in 11 (38%) patients, while cerebral palsy and delayed development were noted in eight (28%) and six (21%) patients, respectively. Patients with bilateral involvement were very likely to have abnormal neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Conclusion

Our study showed that abnormal neurodevelopmental outcomes were very likely after cases of neonatal AIS with bilateral involvement, and clinicians should consider early and more effective interventions in such cases.
Geochemical Analysis of Massif Armoricain (France) Sources for Neolithic Dolerite Axes
Authors: Kerdivel G. , Bézos A. , La C. , Tsobgou Ahoupe R.
Published: November 2016

This study presents new geochemical data on dolerites from the Plussulien and Beulin Neolithic quarries in the Massif Armoricain (France) and for dolerite samples from their surrounding local regions. Using the major and trace element data obtained on these rocks, the two quarries and regional dolerite occurrences appear to be clearly distinct. Consequently, a set of chemical criteria is proposed to identify the dolerite axes produced uniquely at the Beulin quarry and to discriminate between the axes produced in the surrounding local region of Beulin, but outside the quarries, and those produced in the local region of Plussulien. These results could also be used, for example, to identify the existence of undiscovered quarries in the Beulin region. This work may provide the breakthrough needed to understand stone axe exchanges during the Neolithic times in north‐western France and beyond.
Sex‐ and age‐related differences in c‐fos expression in dog olfactory bulbs
Authors: Wei Qinguo , Zhang Honghai , Ma Shisheng , Guo Dongge
Published: November 2016

Sex‐ and age‐related differences in cognitive abilities are frequently reported. However, the sex‐ and age‐related differences in dog olfaction due to biological system are still poorly understood. We examined c‐fos expression in dog olfactory bulbs by immunohistochemistry approaches. The c‐fos is mainly expressed in the olfactory glomerular layer (GL), mitral cell layer (ML) and granule cell layer (GRL). We found that a higher density of c‐fos‐positive cells could be detected in the ML of olfactory bulbs of adult female dogs compared with that in males and the c‐fos‐positive cells in females' olfactory bulbs are more distinct. Sex‐related differences in c‐fos expression also appeared in the GL of olfactory bulbs in juvenile dogs. We also discovered that the density of c‐fos‐positive cells in the GRL of adult dogs was much higher than that in the GRL of juvenile dogs. Our results indicate that cells in the olfactory bulbs of female dogs are more active than those in males and female dogs may have much stronger ability for long‐time memory of odours than male dogs. Furthermore, our results also suggest that adult dogs may have much stronger ability for long‐time memory of odours and can deal with more complicated odour information than juvenile dogs.
Extension of the clinical and molecular phenotype of DIAPH1‐associated autosomal dominant hearing loss (DFNA1)
Authors: Neuhaus C. , Lang‐Roth R. , Zimmermann U. , Heller R. , Eisenberger T. , Weikert M. , Markus S. , Knipper M. , Bolz H.J.
Published: November 2016

In about 20% of non‐syndromic hearing loss (NSHL) cases, inheritance is autosomal dominant (ADNSHL). DIAPH1 mutations define the ADNSHL locus DFNA1. We identified two new families with heterozygous truncating DIAPH1 mutations (p.Ala1210Serfs*31 and p.Arg1213*). In contrast to the extensively studied original DFNA1 family, hearing loss was not confined to low frequencies, but congenital manifestation and rapid progression were confirmed. In line with a recent unrelated study, we identified an association with thrombocytopenia, reclassifying DFNA1 as a syndrome. Consequently, we suggest to include the blood count into the initial clinical workup of patients with autosomal dominant hearing loss to guide the genetic diagnosis. We provide the first data on DIAPH1 expression in the organ of Corti, where it localizes to the inner pillar cells, at the base of the outer hair cells. Homozygous truncating DIAPH1 mutations located N‐terminally to the DFNA1 mutations have recently been identified in autosomal recessive microcephaly. It is therefore noteworthy that we found DIAPH1 expression also in spiral ganglion neurons and in the barrier between the myelinating glia of the peripheral nervous system and oligodendrocytes that form the myelinating glia of the central nervous system (CNS).
Mutually exclusive phylogenomic inferences at the root of the angiosperms: Amborella is supported as sister and Observed Variability is biased
Authors: Simmons Mark P.
Published: November 2016

Identifying the extant sister group to the remaining angiosperms has been a subject of long debate, for which the primary currently competing hypotheses are that Amborella alone is sister or that the clade (Amborella, Nymphaeales) is sister. Both Xi et al. (Syst. Biol., 2014, 63, 919) and Goremykin et al. (Syst. Biol., 2015, 64, 879) identified Amborella as sister in concatenation‐based phylogenetic analyses of their 310 nuclear genes and 78 plastid genes, respectively. But after application of Observed Variability‐based character subsampling, both papers reported the clade (Amborella, Nymphaeales) as sister. Hence alternative character‐sampling strategies may produce highly supported yet mutually exclusive phylogenetic inferences when applied to nuclear and plastid genomic data sets. Edwards et al. (Mol. Phylogenet. Evol., 2016, 94, 447) defended Observed Variability and the (Amborella, Nymphaeales) hypothesis. In this study I respond to Edwards et al.'s (Mol. Phylogenet. Evol., 2016, 94, 447) criticisms of Simmons and Gatesy (Mol. Phylogenet. Evol., 2015, 91, 98) and use Edwards et al.'s (Mol. Phylogenet. Evol., 2016, 94, 447) and Goremykin et al.'s (Syst. Biol., 2015, 64, 879) own data to demonstrate that the best‐supported phylogenetic hypothesis is that Amborella alone is sister and that the competing evidence in favour of the (Amborella, Nymphaeales) hypothesis is caused primarily by methodological artifacts (biased character deletion by Observed Variability, MP‐EST and STAR generally not being robust to the highly divergent and mis‐rooted gene trees that were used).
Who Cares About Your Big Day? Impact of Life Events on Dynamics of Social Networks
Authors: Srinivasan Arati , Guo Hong , Devaraj Sarv
Published: November 2016

With online social networking having revolutionized the way in which individuals communicate and interact with each other, there is heightened research interest in the dynamics of social networks. This article seeks to contribute to this stream of research by addressing the key question of the impact of major life events, such as getting married or graduating from college, on social network evolution. Consistent with prior studies on the evolution of individuals’ social networks, we specifically focus on two key attributes of an individual's network: indegree of ties and relational embeddedness. By longitudinally analyzing the network activities of a large‐scale online social network, we find that the indegree of ties increased significantly following a major life event, and that this impact was stronger for more active users in the network. Interestingly, we also find that the broadcast of major life events served to revive dormant ties as reflected by a decrease in embeddedness following a life event. We also found that one‐time life events such as weddings had a greater impact than recurring life events such as birthdays on the evolution of a user's social network. From a research perspective, our study contributes to existing research by focusing on a user's communication network as opposed to friendship network and by emphasizing how exogenous life events add a different dimension to user communication patterns. The importance of life events on social network evolution has important implications for practice as well by providing insights to advertisers as well as to social networking sites.
Acute phase response in amputated tail stumps and neural tissue‐preferential expression in tail bud embryos of the Xenopus neuronal pentraxin I gene
Authors: Hatta‐Kobayashi Yuko , Toyama‐Shirai Mie , Yamanaka Takehiro , Takamori Mayuko , Wakabayashi Yoko , Naora Yuko , Kunieda Takekazu , Fukazawa Taro , Kubo Takeo
Published: November 2016

Regeneration of lost organs involves complex processes, including host defense from infection and rebuilding of lost tissues. We previously reported that Xenopus neuronal pentraxin I (xNP1) is expressed preferentially in regenerating Xenopus laevis tadpole tails. To evaluate xNP1 function in tail regeneration, and also in tail development, we analyzed xNP1 expression in tailbud embryos and regenerating/healing tails following tail amputation in the ‘regeneration’ period, as well as in the ‘refractory’ period, when tadpoles lose their tail regenerative ability. Within 10 h after tail amputation, xNP1 was induced at the amputation site regardless of the tail regenerative ability, suggesting that xNP1 functions in acute phase responses. xNP1 was widely expressed in regenerating tails, but not in the tail buds of tailbud embryos, suggesting its possible role in the immune response/healing after an injury. xNP1 expression was also observed in neural tissues/primordia in tailbud embryos and in the spinal cord in regenerating/healing tails in both periods, implying its possible roles in neural development or function. Moreover, during the first 48 h after amputation, xNP1 expression was sustained at the spinal cord of tails in the ‘regeneration’ period tadpoles, but not in the ‘refractory’ period tadpoles, suggesting that xNP1 expression at the spinal cord correlates with regeneration. Our findings suggest that xNP1 is involved in both acute phase responses and neural development/functions, which is unique compared to mammalian pentraxins whose family members are specialized in either acute phase responses or neural functions.
Understanding the Role of National Development Experts in Development Ethnography
Authors: Kamruzzaman Palash
Published: November 2016

International aid architecture has created a space for development experts to operationalise development policies in various capacity. A growing body of literature highlights the agency of this group through an ethnographic lens for deepening the understanding of development practice. However, this article reveals that there is a gap in the existing literature as the roles of national development experts (NDEs) remain rather unexplored in development. This article aims to bridge this gap by introducing theNDEs as an unexplored actor in development and setting an agenda for further research. Drawing on a Bangladesh case this article argues that not only will the accounts ofNDEs deepen the existing scholarship but also without their reflections we will only have partial development ethnographies.
Climatic microrefugia under anthropogenic climate change: implications for species redistribution
Authors: Lenoir Jonathan , Hattab Tarek , Pierre Guillaume
Published: November 2016

The role of modern climatic microrefugia is a neglected aspect in the study of biotic responses to anthropogenic climate change. Current projections of species redistribution at continental extent are based on climatic grids of coarse (≥ 1 km) resolutions that fail to capture spatiotemporal dynamics associated with climatic microrefugia. Here, we review recent methods to model the climatic component of potential microrefugia and highlight research gaps in accounting for the buffering capacity due to biophysical processes operating at very fine (< 1 m) resolutions (e.g. canopy cover) and the associated microclimatic stability over time (i.e. decoupling). To overcome this challenge, we propose a spatially hierarchical downscaling framework combining a free‐air temperature grid at 1 km resolution, a digital elevation model at 25 m resolution and small‐footprint light detection‐and‐ranging (LiDAR) data at 50 cm resolution with knowledge from the literature to mechanistically model sub‐canopy temperatures and account for microclimatic decoupling. We applied this framework on a virtual sub‐canopy species and simulated the impact of a warming scenario on its potential distribution. Modelling sub‐canopy temperatures at 50 cm resolution and accounting for microclimatic stability over time enlarges the range of temperature conditions towards the cold end of the gradient, mitigates regional temperature changes and decreases extirpation risks. Incorporating these spatiotemporal dynamics into species redistribution models, being correlative, mechanistic or hybrid, will increase the probability of local persistence, which has important consequences in the understanding of the capacity of species to adapt. We finally provide a synthesis on additional ways that the field could move towards effectively considering potential climatic microrefugia for species redistribution.
Targeting mutant p53 in cancer: a long road to precision therapy
Authors: Mantovani Fiamma , Walerych Dawid , Sal Giannino Del
Published: November 2016

The TP53 tumor suppressor is the most frequently mutated gene in human cancers. In recent years, a blooming of research efforts based on both cell lines and mouse models have highlighted how deeply mutant p53 proteins affect fundamental cellular pathways with cancer‐promoting outcomes. Neomorphic mutant p53 activities spread over multiple levels, impinging on chromatin structure, transcriptional regulation and microRNA maturation, shaping the proteome and the cell's metabolic pathways, and also exerting cytoplasmic functions and displaying cell‐extrinsic effects. These tumorigenic activities are inextricably linked with the blend of highly corrupted processes that characterize the tumor context. Recent studies indicate that successful strategies to extract core aspects of mutant p53 oncogenic potential and to identify unique tumor dependencies entail the superimposition of large‐scale analyses performed in multiple experimental systems, together with a mindful use of animal models. This will hopefully soon lead to the long‐awaited inclusion of mutant p53 as an actionable target of clinical antitumor therapies.
A longer vernal window: the role of winter coldness and snowpack in driving spring transitions and lags
Authors: Contosta Alexandra R. , Adolph Alden , Burchsted Denise , Burakowski Elizabeth , Green Mark , Guerra David , Albert Mary , Dibb Jack , Martin Mary , McDowell William H. , Routhier Michael , Wake Cameron , Whitaker Rachel , Wollheim Wilfred
Published: November 2016

Climate change is altering the timing and duration of the vernal window, a period that marks the end of winter and the start of the growing season when rapid transitions in ecosystem energy, water, nutrient, and carbon dynamics take place. Research on this period typically captures only a portion of the ecosystem in transition and focuses largely on the dates by which the system wakes up. Previous work has not addressed lags between transitions that represent delays in energy, water, nutrient, and carbon flows. The objectives of this study were to establish the sequence of physical and biogeochemical transitions and lags during the vernal window period and to understand how climate change may alter them. We synthesized observations from a statewide sensor network in New Hampshire,USA, that concurrently monitored climate, snow, soils, and streams over a three‐year period and supplemented these observations with climate reanalysis data, snow data assimilation model output, and satellite spectral data. We found that some of the transitions that occurred within the vernal window were sequential, with air temperatures warming prior to snow melt, which preceded forest canopy closure. Other transitions were simultaneous with one another and had zero‐length lags, such as snowpack disappearance, rapid soil warming, and peak stream discharge. We modeled lags as a function of both winter coldness and snow depth, both of which are expected to decline with climate change. Warmer winters with less snow resulted in longer lags and a more protracted vernal window. This lengthening of individual lags and of the entire vernal window carries important consequences for the thermodynamics and biogeochemistry of ecosystems, both during the winter‐to‐spring transition and throughout the rest of the year.
Responses of arthropod populations to warming depend on latitude: evidence from urban heat islands
Authors: Youngsteadt Elsa , Ernst Andrew F. , Dunn Robert R. , Frank Steven D.
Published: November 2016

Biological effects of climate change are expected to vary geographically, with a strong signature of latitude. For ectothermic animals, there is systematic latitudinal variation in the relationship between climate and thermal performance curves, which describe the relationship between temperature and an organism's fitness. Here, we ask whether these documented latitudinal patterns can be generalized to predict arthropod responses to warming across mid‐ and high temperate latitudes, for taxa whose thermal physiology has not been measured. To address this question, we used a novel natural experiment consisting of a series of urban warming gradients at different latitudes. Specifically, we sampled arthropods from a single common street tree species across temperature gradients in four US cities, located from 35.8 to 42.4° latitude. We captured 6746 arthropods in 34 families from 111 sites that varied in summer average temperature by 1.7–3.4 °C within each city. Arthropod responses to warming within each city were characterized as Poisson regression coefficients describing change in abundance per °C for each family. Family responses in the two midlatitude cities were heterogeneous, including significantly negative and positive effects, while those in high‐latitude cities varied no more than expected by chance within each city. We expected high‐latitude taxa to increase in abundance with warming, and they did so in one of the two high‐latitude cities; in the other, Queens (New York City), most taxa declined with warming, perhaps due to habitat loss that was correlated with warming in this city. With the exception of Queens, patterns of family responses to warming were consistent with predictions based on known latitudinal patterns in arthropod physiology relative to regional climate. Heterogeneous responses in midlatitudes may be ecologically disruptive if interacting taxa respond oppositely to warming.
Decoupling of latitudinal gradients in species and genus geographic range size: a signature of clade range expansion
Authors: Tomašových Adam , Jablonski David
Published: November 2016

Aim

Clade range size is a function of species range sizes but also depends on the geographic deployment of species: clade range expansion should therefore depend partly on the tendency of a clade to produce new species. Previous work has shown empirically that species‐rich clades are more likely to expand outside their present distributions, i.e. to overcome niche conservatism, than species‐poor ones. This pattern can follow from a neutral probabilistic model of clade‐level range expansion arising from differences in net species diversification between clades. We show that predictions of this model discriminate between weaker and stronger climatic niche conservatism, and compare these predictions with range‐size patterns of marine bivalves at the species and clade (genus) level.

Location

Western Pacific, eastern Pacific and western Atlantic.

Methods

We decompose the latitudinal and thermal distribution of genera into within‐species and among‐species components. We use a neutral model in which species range expansion does not vary with latitude and descendants originate within the ranges of their ancestors (model with spatial dependency) or where descendants originate independently of ancestral ranges (model without spatial dependency).

Result

In accord with model predictions: (1) genus latitudinal range size is weakly related to the latitudinal range sizes of congeneric species, but strongly depends on per‐genus species richness; (2) among‐species latitudinal distances correlate positively with per‐genus species richness; and (3) genus latitudinal and thermal range sizes increase towards higher latitudes because genera that are species rich anywhere within their range increase in proportion towards higher latitudes.

Main conclusions

Application of the neutral probabilistic model to marine bivalves shows that tropical niche conservatism is only moderately strong, and that species diversification plays a significant role in range expansion of bivalve genera to new latitudes and climates, even when thermal range sizes and limits of congeneric species show significant correlations, and are thus conserved to some degree.
Patient and nurse preferences for implementation of bedside handover: Do they agree? Findings from a discrete choice experiment
Authors: Whitty Jennifer A. , Spinks Jean , Bucknall Tracey , Tobiano Georgia , Chaboyer Wendy
Published: November 2016

Objective

To describe and compare patients' and nurses' preferences for the implementation of bedside handover.

Design

Discrete choice experiment describing handover choices using six characteristics: whether the patient is invited to participate; whether a family member/carer/friend is invited; the number of nurses present; the level of patient involvement; the information content; and privacy.

Setting

Two Australian hospitals.

Participants

Adult patients (n=401) and nurses (n=200) recruited from medical wards.

Main outcome measures

Mean importance scores for handover characteristics estimated using mixed multinomial logit regression of the choice data.

Results

Both patient and nurse participants preferred handover at the bedside rather than elsewhere (P<.05). Being invited to participate, supporting strong two‐way communication, having a family member/carer/friend present and having two nurses rather than the nursing team present were most important for patients. Patients being invited to participate and supporting strong two‐way communication were most important for nurses. However, contrary to patient preferences, having a family member/carer/friend present was not considered important by nurses. Further, while patients expressed a weak preference to have sensitive information handed over quietly at the bedside, nurses expressed a relatively strong preference for handover of sensitive information verbally away from the bedside.

Conclusions

All participants strongly support handover at the bedside and want patients to participate although patient and nurse preferences for various aspects of bedside handover differ. An understanding of these preferences is expected to support recommendations for improving the patient hospital experience and the consistent implementation of bedside handover as a safety initiative.
Similar perspectives on prostate cancer screening value and new guidelines across patient demographic and PSA level subgroups: A qualitative study
Authors: Partin Melissa R. , Lillie Sarah E. , White Katie M. , Wilt Timothy J. , Chrouser Kristin L. , Taylor Brent C. , Burgess Diana J.
Published: November 2016

Background

In 2012, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended against prostate‐specific antigen (PSA)‐based prostate cancer screening for all men.

Objective

To inform educational materials addressing patient questions and concerns about the 2012 USPSTF guidelines, we sought to: (i) characterize patient perceptions about prostate cancer screening benefits, harms and recommendations against screening, and (ii) compare perceptions across race, age and PSA level subgroups.

Methods

We conducted qualitative interviews with a sample of 26 men from the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, stratified by race (African American, other), age (50‐69, 70‐84) and PSA level (documented PSA level ≥4 in Veterans Health Administration electronic medical records vs no such documentation). We used an inductive approach informed by grounded theory to analyse transcribed interviews.

Results

Most men in all subgroups expressed misperceptions about the benefits of prostate cancer screening and had difficulty identifying harms associated with screening. In all subgroups, reactions to recommendations against screening ranged from unconditionally receptive to highly resistant. Some men in every subgroup initially resistant to the idea said they would accept a recommendation to discontinue screening from their provider.

Conclusions

Given the similarity of perceptions and reactions across subgroups, materials targeted by race, age and PSA level may not be necessary. Efforts to inform decision making about prostate cancer screening should address misperceptions about benefits and lack of awareness of harms. Provider perspectives and recommendations may play a pivotal role in shaping patient reactions to new guidelines.
Texture‐based characterization of subskin features by specified laser speckle effects at λ = 650 nm region for more accurate parametric ‘skin age’ modelling
Authors: Orun A. B. , Seker H. , Uslan V. , Goodyer E. , Smith G.
Published: November 2016

Objective

The textural structure of ‘skin age’‐related subskin components enables us to identify and analyse their unique characteristics, thus making substantial progress towards establishing an accurate skin age model.

Methods

This is achieved by a two‐stage process. First by the application of textural analysis using laser speckle imaging, which is sensitive to textural effects within the λ = 650 nm spectral band region. In the second stage, a Bayesian inference method is used to select attributes from which a predictive model is built.

Results

This technique enables us to contrast different skin age models, such as the laser speckle effect against the more widely used normal light (LED) imaging method, whereby it is shown that our laser speckle‐based technique yields better results.

Conclusion

The method introduced here is non‐invasive, low cost and capable of operating in real time; having the potential to compete against high‐cost instrumentation such as confocal microscopy or similar imaging devices used for skin age identification purposes.
Apical transportation and canal straightening with different continuously tapered rotary file systems in severely curved root canals: F6 SkyTaper and OneShape versus Mtwo
Authors: Bürklein S. , Jäger P. G. , Schäfer E.
Published: November 2016

Aim

To compare apical transportation and canal straightening when using three continuous tapered rotary NiTi systems [F6 SkyTaper (Komet/Brasseler, Lemgo, Germany), Mtwo (VDW, Munich, Germany) and OneShape (Micro Méga, Besançon, France)] in severely curved root canals.

Methodology

A total of 60 root canals in extracted human teeth with angles of curvatures ranging between 25° and 35° and radii ranging between 4 and 9 mm were divided into three groups (n = 20). Based on radiographs taken prior to instrumentation, the groups were balanced with respect to the angle and the radius of canal curvature (P = 1.0 and P = 0.994, respectively). All canals were prepared to an apical size 30 according to the manufacturer's instructions. Pre‐ and post‐instrumentation radiographs were superimposed and apical transportation and canal straightening were analysed using a computer imaging program. Preparation time and instrument failure were also recorded. Data were analysed statistically using anova and Student–Newman–Keuls test.

Results

During preparation, no file fractured. All instruments maintained the original canal curvature well with no significant differences between the instruments (P = 0.542). Concerning apical transportation, no significant differences were obtained (P = 0.414). Regarding preparation time, no significant differences were obtained between F6 SkyTaper and OneShape (P > 0.05), but both were significantly faster than Mtwo (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Under the conditions of this study, all instruments respected the original canal curvature well and apical transportation was negligible. Instruments were safe to use. Preparation with F6 SkyTaper and OneShape was faster than with Mtwo.
Effect of sonic and ultrasonic activation on organic tissue dissolution from simulated grooves in root canals using sodium hypochlorite and EDTA
Authors: Conde A. J. , Estevez R. , Loroño G. , Valencia de Pablo Ó. , Rossi‐Fedele G. , Cisneros R.
Published: November 2016

Aim

To compare soft‐tissue dissolution by sodium hypochlorite, with an EDTA intermediate rinse, with or without activation with passive ultrasonic activation (PUI) or sonic activation using the Endoactivator (EA) or Eddy tips (ED).

Methodology

The root canals of eighty‐three human maxillary central incisors were chemo‐mechanically prepared and the teeth split. A standardized longitudinal intracanal groove was created in one of the root halves. Eighty‐three porcine palatal mucosa samples were collected, adapted to fit into the grooves and weighed. The re‐assembled specimens were randomly divided into four experimental groups (n = 20), based on the final rinse: no activation; EA; PUI; ED, using 2.5% sodium hypochlorite, with an EDTA intermediate rinse. A control group (n = 3) was irrigated with distilled water without activation. The solutions were delivered using a syringe and needle 2 mm from working length. Total irrigation time was 150 s, including 60 s of activation in the specific groups. The study was carried out at 36 ± 2 °C. The porcine palatal mucosa samples were weighed after completion of the assays. Student paired t‐test and anova were used to assess the intra‐ and intergroup weight changes. The multiple comparisons were evaluated using Bonferroni correction (α = 0.05).

Results

Weight loss occurred in all experimental groups. Irrigant activation resulted in greater weight loss when compared to the nonactivated group [vs. EA (P = 0.001); vs. PUI (P < 0.001); vs. ED (P < 0.001)]. No significant differences were found amongst the different activation systems.

Conclusions

Activation increased the tissue‐dissolving activity of irrigants from artificial grooves in root canals of maxillary central incisors.
Endogenous timing of moves in Bertrand–Edgeworth triopolies
Authors: Tasnádi Attila
Published: November 2016

We determine the endogenous order of moves in which the firms set their prices in the framework of a capacity‐constrained Bertrand–Edgeworth triopoly. A three‐period timing game that determines the period in which the firms announce their prices precedes the price‐setting stage. We show that the firm with the largest capacity sets its price first, while the two other firms set their prices later. Our result extends a finding by Deneckere and Kovenock from duopolies to triopolies. This extension was made possible by Hirata's recent advancements on the mixed‐strategy equilibria of Bertrand–Edgeworth games.
Neutrophil volume distribution width as a new marker in detecting inflammatory bowel disease activation
Authors: Aydemir Y. , Pınar A. , Hızal G. , Demir H. , Saltık Temizel İ. N. , Özen H. , Akbıyık F. , Yüce A.
Published: November 2016

Introduction

We sought to investigate the value of neutrophil volume distribution width in detecting inflammatory bowel disease activation.

Methods

Patients with infection and accompanying inflammatory disease were excluded. All the patients were diagnosed and classified according to Porto criteria and Paris classification, respectively. Physician global assessment, pediatric Crohn's disease and pediatric ulcerative colitis activity indexes and fecal calprotectin were used to define disease activation.

Results

A total of 34 pediatric patients with Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and 29 controls were enrolled in the study. Neutrophil volume distribution width (NVDW) was significantly higher in patients with IBD compared to healthy controls (P < 0.001). An increased NVDW level was observed in IBD patients in activation (22.42 ± 2.13) compared to those in remission (19.22 ± 1.63) (P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between IBD patients in remission and healthy controls. The best cutoff of NVDW for prediction of disease activation in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in this series was 20.39 with a sensitivity of 90.9% and a specificity of 75% (AUC: 0.852 CI: 0.698–1.000 P < 0.001) and 19.74 with a sensitivity of 92.9% and a specificity of 90.9% (AUC: 0.961, CI: 0.889–1.000, P < 0.001), respectively.

Conclusions

As a quantitative, objective, and sensitive parameter, we believe that the NVDW has a potential to be an additional test detecting disease activation in IBD.
T‐bet‐mediated Tim‐3 expression dampens monocyte function during chronic hepatitis C virus infection
Authors: Yi Wenjing , Zhang Peixin , Liang Yan , Zhou Yun , Shen Huanjun , Fan Chao , Moorman Jonathan P. , Yao Zhi Q. , Jia Zhansheng , Zhang Ying
Published: November 2016

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) induces a high rate of chronic infection via dysregulation of host immunity. We have previously shown that T‐cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain protein‐3 (Tim‐3) is up‐regulated on monocyte/macrophages (M/Mφ) during chronic HCV infection; little is known, however, about the transcription factor that controls its expression in these cells. In this study, we investigated the role of transcription factor, T‐box expressed in T cells (T‐bet), in Tim‐3 expression in M/Mφ in the setting of HCV infection. We demonstrate that T‐bet is constitutively expressed in resting CD14+ M/Mφ in the peripheral blood. M/Mφ from chronically HCV‐infected individuals exhibit a significant increase in T‐bet expression that positively correlates with an increased level of Tim‐3 expression. Up‐regulation of T‐bet is also observed in CD14+ M/Mφ incubated with HCV+ Huh7.5 cells, as well as in primary M/Mφ or monocytic THP‐1 cells exposed to HCV core protein in vitro, which is reversible by blocking HCV core/gC1qR interactions. Moreover, the HCV core‐induced up‐regulation of T‐bet and Tim‐3 expression in M/Mφ can be abrogated by incubating the cells with SP600125 – an inhibitor for the c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) signalling pathway. Importantly, silencing T‐bet gene expression decreases Tim‐3 expression and enhances interleukin‐12 secretion as well as signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 phosphorylation. These data suggest that T‐bet, induced by the HCV core/gC1qR interaction, enhances Tim‐3 expression via the JNK pathway, leading to dampened M/Mφ function during HCV infection. These findings reveal a novel mechanism for Tim‐3 regulation via T‐bet during HCV infection, providing new targets to combat this global epidemic viral disease.
Formation and Accumulation of Intragranular Pores in the Hydrothermally Synthesized Barium Titanate Nanoparticles
Authors: Baek Changyeon , Wang Ji Eun , Moon San , Choi Chang‐Hak , Kim Do Kyung
Published: November 2016

As highly integrated circuits are demanded for high‐performance electric devices, small sizes of barium titanate (BaTiO3) as a dielectric material are desirable for the application of multilayer ceramic capacitors. Since the small sizes of the particles degrade the dielectric property, especially below a certain critical size, understanding the probable cause is significant for the high‐performance capacitors. Here, we have demonstrated nanosized BaTiO3 with average size below 30 nm and a uniform size distribution. High‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows that the as‐synthesized BaTiO3 contains intragranular pores. We have analyzed the correlation between the intragranular pores inside nanoparticles and their phase ratio of cubic and tetragonal. We have found that the presence of the intragranular pores affects low tetragonality of BaTiO3 particles, and the intragranular pores are generated by the accumulation of hydroxyl groups during hydrothermal reaction. Formation and accumulation of intragranular pores have been investigated by ex‐situ synchrotron X‐ray diffraction and TEM analysis, suggesting the phase evolution model of nanosized BaTiO3.
A Promising approach to the kinetics of crystallization processes: The sample controlled thermal analysis
Authors: Perejón Antonio , Sánchez‐Jiménez Pedro E. , Criado José M. , Pérez‐Maqueda Luis A.
Published: November 2016

Constant Rate Thermal Analysis (CRTA) method implies controlling the temperature in such a way that the reaction rate is maintained constant all over the process. This method allows determining simultaneously both the kinetic parameters and the kinetic model from a single experiment as the shape of the CRTA α‐T curves strongly depends on the kinetic model. CRTA method has been developed in the market only for thermogravimetric and thermodilatometric systems and, therefore, its use has been limited until now to the kinetic study of processes involving changes in mass or size of the samples, respectively. To overcome this obstacle, a method has been developed in this work for using the DSC signal for controlling the process rate in such a way that CRTA would be applied to the kinetic analysis of either phase transformations or crystallizations. The advantages of CRTA for performing the kinetics of crystallization processes have been here successfully demonstrated for the first time after selecting the crystallization of zirconia gel as test reaction.