bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What limits the evolutionary emergence of pathogens?
Authors: Gandon S. , Hochberg M. E. , Holt R. D. , Day T.
Published: December 2012

The ability of a pathogen to cause an epidemic when introduced in a new host population often relies on its ability to adapt to this new environment. Here, we give a brief overview of recent theoretical and empirical studies of such evolutionary emergence of pathogens. We discuss the effects of several ecological and genetic factors that may affect the likelihood of emergence: migration, life history of the infectious agent, host heterogeneity, and the rate and effects of mutations. We contrast different modelling approaches and indicate how details in the way we model each step of a life cycle can have important consequences on the predicted probability of evolutionary emergence. These different theoretical perspectives yield important insights into optimal surveillance and intervention strategies, which should aim for a reduction in the emergence (and re-emergence) of infectious diseases.
The probability of evolutionary rescue: towards a quantitative comparison between theory and evolution experiments
Authors: Martin Guillaume , Aguilée Robin , Ramsayer Johan , Kaltz Oliver , Ronce Ophélie
Published: December 2012

Evolutionary rescue occurs when a population genetically adapts to a new stressful environment that would otherwise cause its extinction. Forecasting the probability of persistence under stress, including emergence of drug resistance as a special case of interest, requires experimentally validated quantitative predictions. Here, we propose general analytical predictions, based on diffusion approximations, for the probability of evolutionary rescue. We assume a narrow genetic basis for adaptation to stress, as is often the case for drug resistance. First, we extend the rescue model of Orr & Unckless (
Am. Nat.
2008
172
, 160–169) to a broader demographic and genetic context, allowing the model to apply to empirical systems with variation among mutation effects on demography, overlapping generations and bottlenecks, all common features of microbial populations. Second, we confront our predictions of rescue probability with two datasets from experiments with
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
(yeast) and
Pseudomonas fluorescens
(bacterium). The tests show the qualitative agreement between the model and observed patterns, and illustrate how biologically relevant quantities, such as the
per capita
rate of rescue, can be estimated from fits of empirical data. Finally, we use the results of the model to suggest further, more quantitative, tests of evolutionary rescue theory.
Predicting demographically sustainable rates of adaptation: can great tit breeding time keep pace with climate change?
Authors: Gienapp Phillip , Lof Marjolein , Reed Thomas E. , McNamara John , Verhulst Simon , Visser Marcel E.
Published: December 2012

Populations need to adapt to sustained climate change, which requires micro-evolutionary change in the long term. A key question is how the rate of this micro-evolutionary change compares with the rate of environmental change, given that theoretically there is a ‘critical rate of environmental change’ beyond which increased maladaptation leads to population extinction. Here, we parametrize two closely related models to predict this critical rate using data from a long-term study of great tits (Parus major). We used stochastic dynamic programming to predict changes in optimal breeding time under three different climate scenarios. Using these results we parametrized two theoretical models to predict critical rates. Results from both models agreed qualitatively in that even ‘mild’ rates of climate change would be close to these critical rates with respect to great tit breeding time, while for scenarios close to the upper limit of IPCC climate projections the calculated critical rates would be clearly exceeded with possible consequences for population persistence. We therefore tentatively conclude that micro-evolution, together with plasticity, would rescue only the population from mild rates of climate change, although the models make many simplifying assumptions that remain to be tested.
Is the introduction of anonymous delivery associated with a reduction of high neonaticide rates in Austria? A retrospective study
Authors: Klier CM , Grylli C , Amon S , Fiala C , Weizmann‐Henelius G , Pruitt SL , Putkonen H
Published: December 2012

Objective

To assess rates of neonaticide after the implementation of a preventative ‘anonymous delivery’ law in mid‐2001 in Austria. Women are allowed to access antenatal care and give birth in a hospital anonymously, without showing any ID and free of charge.

Design

Retrospective study.

Setting

A complete census of police‐reported neonaticides was obtained from the police statistics of Austria, Sweden and Finland.

Population

All neonaticides reported to the police, 1991–2009.

Main outcome measures

Neonaticide rates before (1991–2001) and after (2002–2009) the introduction of anonymous delivery legislation per 100 000 births.

Methods

The Mann–Whitney U‐test for two independent samples was used to compare neonaticide rates in the period before the new law was introduced with the rates observed after the implementation of the new law for each country.

Results

On average the rate of police‐reported neonaticides was 7.2 per 100 000 births (SD 3.5, median 7.1) in Austria prior to the new law being passed, and 3.1 per 100 000 births (SD 2.1, median 2.6) after the law was passed. A significant decrease in neonaticide was observed in Austria after the implementation of anonymous delivery (Mann–Whitney U‐test P = 0.017). Whereas the Finnish and Swedish rates were lower than the Austrian rates before and after the implementation of the Austrian law, they remained unchanged over the study period.

Conclusions

Our data demonstrate a significant decrease in the number of police‐reported neonaticides in Austria after the implementation of anonymous delivery. Even though underlying factors associated with neonaticide are complex, the findings could indicate an effect of anonymous delivery in the prevention of this crime.
Aflatoxin B1: Toxicity, bioactivation and detoxification in the polyphagous caterpillar Trichoplusia ni
Authors: Zeng Ren Sen , Wen Zhimou , Niu Guodong , Berenbaum May R.
Published: December 2012

Trichoplusia ni caterpillars are polyphagous foliage‐feeders and rarely likely to encounter aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus, in their host plants. To determine how T. ni copes with AFB1, we evaluated the toxicity of AFB1 to T. ni caterpillars at different developmental stages and found that AFB1 tolerance significantly increases with larval development. Diet incorporation of AFB1 at 1 μg/g completely inhibited larval growth and pupation of newly hatched larvae, but 3 μg/g AFB1 did not have apparent toxic effects on larval growth and pupation of caterpillars that first consume this compound 10 days after hatching. Piperonyl butoxide, a general inhibitor of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s), reduced the toxicity of AFB1, suggesting that AFB1 is bioactivated in T. ni and this bioactivation is mediated by P450s. Some plant allelochemicals, including flavonoids such as flavones, furanocoumarins such as xanthotoxin and imperatorin, and furanochromones such as visnagin, that induce P450s in other lepidopteran larvae ameliorated AFB1 toxicity, suggesting that P450s are also involved in AFB1 detoxification in T. ni.
Basophils are recruited to inflamed lungs and exacerbate memory Th2 responses in mice and humans
Authors: Wakahara K. , Van V. Q. , Baba N. , Bégin P. , Rubio M. , Delespesse G. , Sarfati M.
Published: December 2012

Background

Although the contribution of basophils as inducers or amplifiers of Th2 responses is still debated, prolonged basophil/CD4 T cell interactions were observed in lungs but not lymph nodes (LNs) of parasite‐infected mice. However, the impact of basophils on the function of tissue CD4 effector T cells remains unknown.

Methods

Basophils were purified from the lungs of ovalbumin (OVA)‐sensitized and OVA‐challenged (OVA‐immunized) mice or human peripheral blood for in vivo and in vitro functional studies. Pulmonary basophils were adoptively transferred to OVA‐sensitized hosts to assess airway inflammation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and Th2 responses in lung explants and draining LNs. Basophils were co‐cultured with effector T cells or Ag‐specific naïve T cells alone or in combination with dendritic cells (DCs); IL‐4 production was determined by flow cytometry and ELISA.

Results

Basophils accumulated in lungs of OVA‐immunized mice. Adoptive transfer of basophils to OVA‐sensitized hosts enhanced lung IL‐4 and IL‐13 release while co‐administration of OVA further aggravated airway inflammation and Th2 responses in LNs. Mechanistic in vitro studies revealed that pulmonary basophils interacted with lung CD4 effectors, in the absence of DCs, to increase T cell survival and Th2 cytokine expression at the single cell level but amplified OVA‐loaded DC‐driven Th2 differentiation. Finally, human basophils augmented in vitro IL‐4 expression in effector memory CD4 T cells that include CRTH2+ cells through IL‐4 and TCR‐independent pathways.

Conclusions

Basophils may worsen Th2 inflammatory disorders through direct interactions with pathogenic CD4 T cells as well as by enhancing DC‐induced Th2 cell development.
Efficacy and safety of the SQ‐standardized grass allergy immunotherapy tablet in mono‐ and polysensitized subjects
Authors: Nelson H. , Blaiss M. , Nolte H. , Würtz S. Ø. , Andersen J. S. , Durham S. R.
Published: December 2012

The efficacy of single‐allergen‐specific immunotherapy in polysensitized subjects is a matter of debate. We therefore performed a post hoc analysis of pooled data from six randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trials (N = 1871) comparing the efficacy and safety of the SQ‐standardized grass allergy immunotherapy tablet (AIT), Grazax (Phleum pratense 75 000 SQ‐T/2800 BAU, ALK, Denmark), in mono‐ and polysensitized subjects. A statistically significant reduction in the mean total combined symptom/medication score (TCS) of 27% was demonstrated in actively treated subjects compared with placebo (P < 0.0001). This was not dependent on sensitization status (P = 0.5772), suggesting a similar treatment effect in mono‐ and polysensitized subjects (i.e. reductions of the TCSs of 28% and 26%, respectively, both P < 0.0001). Finally, a comparable and favourable safety profile of grass AIT was demonstrated in the two subgroups. Thus, no difference in efficacy and safety of single‐allergen grass AIT was observed between mono‐ and polysensitized subjects.
Parents' experiences of support during and after their child's diagnosis of Meningococcal Disease
Authors: Sweeney Faye , M Viner Russell , Booy Robert , Christie Deborah
Published: December 2012

Aim

To understand parents'/carers' experiences of support received following their child's diagnosis of invasive meningococcal serogroup B disease (MenB).

Methods

Structured interviews with parents/carers of 244 survivors of MenB disease in childhood, drawn from a population‐based case‐control study.

Results

Responses indicated that optimal support should encompass the whole treatment pathway, beginning with fast and accurate recognition of MenB by clinicians, followed by the provision of information about the symptoms and possible sequelae of MenB, better communication about the treatment process and disease progression and greater follow‐up care.

Conclusion

Parents' experience of support following their child's diagnosis of MenB could be significantly enhanced through better education and enhanced knowledge in health care professionals, improved access to information about short‐ and long‐term sequelae and easier access to follow‐up support and advice. Much of the data generated pertained to situations and processes common to most serious illnesses occurring in children and therefore it is likely that these findings pose wider questions about support and communication in paediatrics.
Efficacy and late complications of laparoscopic pyeloplasty: Experience involving 125 consecutive ureters
Authors: Iwamura Masatsugu , Nishi Morihiro , Soh Shigehiro , Ikeda Masaomi , Matsumoto Kazumasa , Fujita Tetsuo , Baba Shiro
Published: December 2012

Introduction

Laparoscopic pyeloplasty is now widely recognized as a minimally invasive alternative for the surgical management of ureteropelvic junction obstruction. However, there have been insufficient reports describing the long‐term outcomes and the stability of the results. In addition, late complications have not been thoroughly discussed.

Methods

Between October 1999 and December 2010, we performed laparoscopic pyeloplasty on 125 consecutive ureters in 119 patients with an obstruction of the ureteropelvic junction. We performed dismembered Anderson‐Hynes pyeloplasty, Fenger plasty and Y‐V flap in 108 (86.4%), 15 (12.0%), and 2 ureters (1.6%), respectively.

Results

All procedures were completed successfully. Median operative time was 200 min (range, 80–775 min) and median estimated blood loss was 20 mL (range, 20–250 mL). Intraoperative and postoperative complications categorized as Clavien grade II and III occurred in 11 (8.9%) procedures. Among them, three were observed after 12 months postoperative and all involved renal stones in the collapsed pelvis. In 120 (96%) ureters, hydronephrosis improved and/or obstructive pattern on diuretic renography disappeared during a median follow‐up period of 45 months (range, 5–146 months). The degree of hydronephrosis steadily improved for more than 2 years, and re‐obstruction was never observed after 1 year postoperative.

Conclusion

The efficacy of laparoscopic pyeloplasty seems to be durable over 2 years postoperatively. Because obstruction recurrence was not observed after 12 months postoperative, patients with complete disappearance of hydronephrosis may unnecessarily be followed longer than 2 years. However, cases with persisting hydronephrosis should be regularly monitored because of the remaining possibility of stone formation.
Inbreeding depression on production and reproduction traits of buffaloes from Brazil
Authors: Malhado Carlos Henrique Mendes , Malhado Ana Claudia Mendes , Carneiro Paulo Luiz Souza , Ramos Alcides Amorim , Carrillo José Adrián , Pala Akin
Published: December 2012

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of inbreeding depression on traits of buffaloes from Brazil. Specifically, the traits studied were body weight at 205 and 365 days of age, average daily gain from birth to 205 days (ADG_205), average daily gain between 205 and 365 days (ADG205_365) in Mediterranean buffaloes, and milk yield, lactation length, age of first calving and calving intervals in Murrah buffaloes. Inbreeding effects on the traits were determined by fitting four regression models (linear, quadratic, exponential and Michaelis‐Menten) about the errors generated by the animal model. The linear model was only significant (P < 0.05) for growth traits (exception of ADG205_365). The exponential and Michaelis‐Menten models were significant (P < 0.01) for all the studied traits while the quadratic model was not significant (P > 0.05) for any of the traits. Weight at 205 and 365 days of age decreased 0.25 kg and 0.39 kg per 1% of increase in inbreeding, respectively. The inbred animals (F = 0.25) produced less milk than non‐inbred individuals: 50.4 kg of milk. Moreover, calving interval increased 0.164 days per 1% of increase in inbreeding. Interestingly, inbreeding had a positive effect on age at first calving and lactation length, decreasing age of first calving and increasing lactation length.
Biodiversity theory applied to the real world of ecological restoration
Authors: Wilson J. Bastow
Published: December 2012

One of the perceived benefits of biodiversity is resistance to invasion by exotic species. This has relevance for vegetation restoration: according to theory, sowing more species of the desired type would help to exclude the invasion of undesired ones. Oakley & Knox (Applied Vegetation Science, this issue) tested this in a real restoration situation: the revegetation of bare compacted clay after construction or commercial activity. Higher sown diversity did indeed reduce the invasion of non‐sown species and, of particular practical relevance, reduced the invasion of exotic species.
AT1 mutations and risk of atrial fibrillation based on genotypes from 71 000 individuals from the general population
Authors: Marott Sarah C. W. , Nordestgaard Børge G. , Jensen Gorm B. , Tybjærg‐Hansen Anne , Benn Marianne
Published: December 2012

Aims

Activation of the angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor has been shown to mediate the structural and electrical remodelling of the atrial myocardium associated with atrial fibrillation. We hypothesized that AT1 genotypic variation is associated with atrial fibrillation or diseases predisposing to atrial fibrillation, such as hypertension, heart failure, ischaemic heart disease and myocardial infarction, in the general population.

Methods

We resequenced the AT1 gene in 760 individuals with atrial fibrillation and identified two nonsynonymous variants (I103T and A244S), which were subsequently genotyped in the prospective Copenhagen City Heart Study (n = 10 603) and the prospective Copenhagen General Population Study (n = 60 647).

Results

Risk of atrial fibrillation for heterozygotes for AT1 genetic variants A244S and I103T/A244S vs. noncarriers was increased by 2.7‐fold (95% confidence interval 1.5‐ to 5.1‐fold) and 2.6‐fold (95% confidence interval 1.6‐ to 4.2‐fold), respectively, for men.

Conclusions

Heterozygosity for the nonsynonymous AT1 genetic variants A244S and I103T/A244S was associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation in men. The AT1 recptor might be a target for the pharmaceutical industry. This finding needs to be validated in independent studies.
Public Employee Compensation and the Efficacy of Privatization Alternatives in US State and Local Governments
Authors: Keefe Jeffrey
Published: December 2012

This article investigates the evidence used in the debate over public‐sector collective bargaining and privatization as US states attempted to resolve their budget problems. Specifically, the article evaluates the research on whether US state and local government workers are overpaid and whether privatization provides a cost‐effective alternative to the provision of public services by public employees. All recent studies find that state and local public employees earn on average lower wages than comparable private‐sector workers and on average receive better health benefits and pensions than private‐sector employees. Most studies find that the better benefits offset lower wages on average, and there is no state and local public employee compensation premium. The research on privatization in the USA indicates that it has reached something of an equilibrium with approximately one‐quarter of municipal public services being provided by private organizations. The major costs of privatization include overhead costs of competitive bidding, monitoring, oversight, and evaluation, which if done properly can often offset any privatization cost advantage, while if privatization is done without adequate controls, it can result in corruption, poor quality services, and then demands for reverse privatization.
Elevational gradients in the neotropical table mountains: patterns of endemism and implications for conservation
Authors: Nogué Sandra , Rull Valentí , Vegas‐Vilarrúbia Teresa
Published: December 2012

Aim

The aim of the present study was to describe the diversity patterns along elevational gradients that are crucial for conservation management and for understanding diversification processes in montane environments. This article analyses the distributional range and elevation patterns of endemic and non‐endemic (NE) vascular plants living on a unique set of Neotropical table mountains (tepuis). To investigate the potential causes of the high degree of diversity and endemism we tested the role of elevation, area and the mid‐domain effect (MDE). We also aimed to discuss the origin of the current tepuian biota.

Location

The Guayana Highlands (northern South America). Emphasis is placed on the mountaintops above 1500 m elevation, which form the highly biodiverse Pantepui biogeographical province.

Methods

We examined the distribution patterns of vascular plant species richness in relation to elevation, area, and the MDE using generalized additive models. We used Range Model for the MDE.

Results

We found that regional endemics richness show a hump‐shaped curve in relation to elevation. Single‐tepui endemics (STE) increase with elevation, whereas NE and total species richness decrease. Area and MDE influence this pattern for Pantepui and STE, but not for NE. We also observed that the spatial distribution of endemic richness displays a left‐skewed distribution pattern due to the dominance of STE.

Main conclusions

Our results demonstrate that a combination of elevation, area and MDE provide a basic explanation for the diversity of vascular plants in Pantepui. In addition, the present study indicates that maxima of STE are located at the highest altitudes, where the possibility of biotic connection (via migration) and gene flux has been minimal, even during glacial phases when most migration pathways amongst the tepui mountains were open. We also suggest that climatic filtering due to the extreme conditions atop the tepuis and low dispersal capacity stand out as the main drivers of the decline in NE species richness with elevation.
Sterilization by copulation in Drosophila
Authors: Markow Therese Ann
Published: December 2012

Females in some species of the genus Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) are rendered sterile by mating. I review cases where these failed matings occur between closely related species as well as between closely related individuals of the same species. I also discuss the evolutionary implications of both types of failed matings and suggest how a better understanding of Drosophila ecology could assist in interpreting these failures. I further suggest that future studies of female mating failures in Drosophila be conducted in the framework of the differences observed in their matings, as this may offer a way to test predictions about the relationship between mating system type and female mating failures.
Isolated females and limited males: evolution of insect resistance in structured landscapes
Authors: Spencer Joseph , Onstad David , Krupke Christian , Hughson Sarah , Pan Zaiqi , Stanley Bruce , Flexner Lindsey
Published: December 2012

To delay evolution of insect resistance to insecticidal Bacillus thuringiensisBerliner (Bt) transgenic crops, USA and Canadian maize growers commonly set aside a portion of each field as a refuge, where susceptible pests can develop without exposure to the toxin(s) expressed in the insecticidal crop. Abundant mate‐seeking refuge adults are expected to move into insecticidal crop areas and mate with rare, resistant insects. Production of heterozygous offspring, rather than homozygous offspring reduces the rate of resistance evolution. Expectations about the refuge strategy are predicated on assumptions about when and where pest insects move and mate. Accumulating evidence indicates that the behavior of western corn rootworm beetles, Diabrotica virgifera virgiferaLeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) (WCR), in refuge and corn rootworm (CRW)‐active Bt‐transgenic maize does not always conform to assumptions about random mating and individual movement. Contrary to expectations, up to 23.6% of unmated refuge females left refuge and were non‐teneral by the time they mated in CRW‐active maize. Consequences of protandry, limited male mating capacity, pre‐mating male and female movement patterns, skewed sex ratios, and delayed adult emergence from CRW‐active maize all may contribute to unexpected or undesirable patterns of WCR reproductive behavior. Modeling suggests that temporal and spatial components of WCR mating that limit interactions in block refuges can be reduced by deploying blended refuges.
Phytoplankton patchiness in Winam Gulf, Lake Victoria: a study using principal component analysis of in situ fluorescent excitation spectra
Authors: ALEXANDER RYAN , IMBERGER JÖRG
Published: December 2012

1. In order to characterise phytoplankton patchiness at fine scales, a profiling multiwavelength fluorometer was cast at numerous locations throughout Winam Gulf in Lake Victoria to measure fluorescent excitation spectra, which are indicators of both phytoplankton diversity and coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM).

2. Processing the spectral data with principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that linear combinations of four fundamental ‘base’ spectra could explain almost all of the variation in spectral measurements. Three of the base spectra were associated with spatially distinct patches of phytoplankton containing different species assemblages, while the fourth base spectrum was due to CDOM fluorescence.

3. The locations of the phytoplankton patches were traced to the south‐east of Winam Gulf, the western end of the Rusinga Channel and the open waters of Lake Victoria adjacent to Winam Gulf, respectively. The high CDOM fluorescence was traced mainly to relatively deep water in the Rusinga Channel.

4. The phytoplankton and CDOM patchiness were interpreted in the context of physical and chemical gradients that were measured at the site at the same scale as the spectral data. Strong relationships were found between the gradients in spectral data and other environmental variables, which suggested several underlying explanations for the phytoplankton and CDOM patchiness.
Depth selection byDaphnia pulexin response toChaoboruskairomone
Authors: ORAM ERIC , SPITZE KEN
Published: December 2012

1. The presence of kairomone from the predaceous larval dipteranChaoborus americanuscan result in juvenileDaphnia pulexpositioning themselves higher in the water column.Chaoborusnormally lives at greater depth during the day, so this behavioural response byDaphniawill reduce its encounter rate with the predator and enhance survival.

2. Behavioural observations of seven clones from a single population were made under four treatments (with and withoutChaoboruskairomone prior to and/or during experiments).

3. All clones moved higher when exposed to kairomones during behavioural observations. Six moved higher when kairomone was added prior to the experiment (i.e. pre‐conditioned), while the other clone went lower, providing evidence for the presence of genetic variation in induced behaviour. When this clone was removed from the analysis, the evidence for genetic variation in induced response disappeared.

4. JuvenileDaphniathat were pre‐conditioned had a significantly greater response than those that had no previous exposure. Of the total shift in depth (comparing treatment and control means), 38% was due to prior exposure to the kairomone (‘preconditioning’), while 62% was due to exposure during the 2‐h experiments when the depth selection was assessed. When the effect of the one clone with a qualitatively different response was removed, these two figures became 45% and 55%, respectively.

5. The enhanced effect of prior exposure to the kairomone during development suggests that such exposure causes greater sensitivity to the kairomone.
High within‐ and between‐trunk variation in the nematoceran (Diptera) community and its physical environment in decaying aspen trunks
Authors: Halme Panu , Vartija Noora , Salmela Jukka , Penttinen Jouni , Norros Veera
Published: December 2012

Dead wood is a primary habitat for a large number of insects, including species from many nematoceran (Diptera) groups. The species living in dead wood must be adapted to the ephemeral and ever‐changing nature of their substrate. There is a growing body of knowledge about the effects of dead wood quality and the surrounding landscape on the saproxylic beetle community, but we know very little about the other saproxylic insects. Moreover, we know only very little about the variation in the insect community between different parts of decaying wood pieces.

Using emergence traps, we studied the saproxylic nematoceran communities occupying different parts of decaying fallen aspen trunks in a boreal forest. To explain the variation in the detected assemblages, we also studied the variation in the physical environment in different parts of one of the studied trunks during the season.

We found out that the overall variation in assemblages was very high and also the similarity between the base and top of the same trunk was usually low. Dissimilarity arose more from differences in species richness than from species turnover. The greatest contrasts in the physical conditions of the study trunk were between the inside and the upper and lower surface of the trunk base.

Due to high variation within the trunks and especially between the trunks, the sampling effort in studies on the ecology of saproxylic insects should be high to have a reliable estimate of the local community.
Glass and Photonics — an Overview
Authors: Richardson Kathleen , Ebendorff‐Heidepriem Heike
Published: December 2012

Editor's Note: This issue of the International Journal of Applied Glass Science is the second in a planned series which engage internationally recognized authorities to serve as Guest Editors. We are especially pleased that Drs' Kathleen Richardson and Heike Ebendorff‐Heidepriem accepted our invitation to organize this issue on Glass and Photonics, arguably one of the most important branches of glass science throughout the world. We extend sincere thanks to them for their care, diligence, and exceptional dedication in completing this task. We also extend our sincere thanks to the authors who committed their time and energy to bring this issue to completion.
Volatile compounds emitted by Triatoma dimidiata, a vector of Chagas disease: chemical analysis and behavioural evaluation
Authors: MAY‐CONCHA I. , ROJAS J. C. , CRUZ‐LÓPEZ L. , MILLAR J. G. , RAMSEY J. M.
Published: December 2012

In this study, we evaluated the responses of Triatoma dimidiata Latreille (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) to volatiles emitted by conspecific females, males, mating pairs and metasternal gland (MG) extracts with a Y‐tube olfactometer. The volatile compounds released by mating pairs and MGs of T. dimidiata were identified using solid‐phase microextraction and coupled gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). Females were not attracted to volatiles emitted by males or MG extracts; however, they preferred clean air to their own volatiles or those from mating pairs. Males were attracted to volatiles emitted by males, females, mating pairs, pairs in which the male had the MG orifices occluded or MG extracts of both sexes. However, males were not attracted to volatiles emitted by pairs in which the female had the MG orifices occluded. The chemical analyses showed that 14 and 15 compounds were detected in the headspace of mating pairs and MG, respectively. Most of the compounds identified from MG except for isobutyric acid were also detected in the headspace of mating pairs. Both females and males were attracted to octanal and 6‐methyl‐5‐hepten‐2‐one, and males were attracted to 3,5‐dimethyl‐2‐hexanol. Males but not females were attracted to a seven‐compound blend, formulated from compounds identified in attractive MG extracts.
In vivo and in vitro approaches in understanding the differences between Caucasian and African skin types: specific involvement of the papillary dermis
Authors: Girardeau‐Hubert Sarah , Pageon Hervé , Asselineau Daniel
Published: December 2012

Background  Most of the identified differences between Caucasian and African skin types have been related to the superficial part of the skin, the epidermis. We investigated possible implications of the dermal compartment in cutaneous differences observed between Caucasians and Africans.

Methods  In vivo and in vitro comparative studies were carried out using normal human skin biopsies and the corresponding in vitro reconstructed skin. Skin equivalents were developed with papillary fibroblasts isolated from the superficial dermis of both Caucasian and African skin types. Expression of major components of the dermal–epidermal junction (DEJ) was examined as a function of ethnicity.

Results  Control histological examinations of skin biopsies showed that the African skin type had greater convoluted appearance of the DEJ than the Caucasian skin type. Immunostainings of type IV and VII collagens, laminin 5, and nidogen proteins at the DEJ were lower in African skin compared with Caucasian skin biopsies.

Conclusions  This study brings together new elements on involvement of the papillary dermis in differences between Caucasian and African skin types. As fibroblasts from the superficial dermis cooperate with epidermal keratinocytes in producing protein of the membrane basal zone, present in vivo results suggest that papillary fibroblasts may play a part in the distinct features observed at the DEJ. In preliminary in vitro experiments, differences in several protein expressions contributing to the DEJ framework were found in reconstructed skin models made with papillary fibroblasts from both Caucasian and African skin types. Therefore, in vitro skin equivalents may be useful for better understanding of ethnic skin differences in the future.
Cancers cutanés fréquemment rencontrés à l’hôpital universitaire de Calabar, à Calabar, dans le sud du Nigéria
Authors: Asuquo Maurice Efana , Ebughe Godwin
Published: December 2012

Les cancers cutanés constituent les formes de cancer les plus fréquentes. L’exposition au soleil constitue le risque majeur chez les personnes à la peau blanche, alors que des facteurs non solaires semblent constituer le risque principal chez les personnes ayant une pigmentation de peau foncée.

Méthodes  Nous avons examiné 162 patients ayant reçu un diagnostic histologique de cancer cutané, qui ont consultéà l’Hôpital universitaire de Calabar, à Calabar, entre janvier 2000 et décembre 2009.

Résultats  Les 162 cas de patients observés durant cette étude représentent 12% de tous les cancers diagnostiqués pendant la même période. Le carcinome épidermoïde (SCC) était le plus courant (n = 62; 38.3%), suivi du sarcome de Kaposi (KS) (n = 33; 30.9%). Les autres cancers cutanés diagnostiqués pendant cette période étaient le mélanome malin (MM; n = 16; 9.9%), le dermatofibrosarcome protubérant (DFSP ; n = 11; 6.8%), le carcinome basocellulaire (BCC ; n = 8; 4.9%). Le membre inférieur était le site le plus fréquemment affecté (n = 82; 48.8%) alors que la tête et le cou se plaçaient en deuxième position (n = 32; 22.0%). 146 (90%) des patients avaient une pigmentation de peau foncée et 16 (10%) patients étaient albinos. Certains patients atteints de SCC et de MM ont consulté tardivement en vue de recevoir une intervention chirurgicale curative. La chirurgie a entraîné une guérison chez les patients atteints de BCC alors que le taux récurrent de DFSP était élevé. Le KS endémique a répondu à la chimiothérapie cytotoxique, mais le résultat était médiocre pour le KS associéà l’infection par le virus de l’immunodéficience humaine (VIH).

Conclusion  La distribution des cancers cutanés révélée lors de cette étude est distincte de celle des cancers de la peau européens. L’éducation en matière de santé, la mise en œuvre précoce de mesures de prévention, la consultation précoce et le traitement dans les premiers stades de la maladie sont autant de mesures qui permettront d’améliorer les résultats thérapeutiques dans notre région.
Japanese development and testing of the Network Establishment Practices Scale for Community and Public Health Nurses
Authors: Koshida Mihoko , Morita Takae
Published: December 2012

The practices required by community and public health nurses to establish community networks mainly involve communicative competencies. Assessment through development and testing of such competencies is necessary for community and public health nurse educators and practitioners around the world to create and maintain a mutual support network. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a scale for community and public health nurse practices to establish and maintain community networks, and to then determine construct validity in a factorial structure model. The participants were 3970 community and public health nurses in Japan. A 43‐item list was developed from a literature review, individual interviews, and repeated examinations. The secondary structural model consisted of four factors with 21 items. The internal consistency of the 21 items was highly reliable (Cronbach's α = 0.915). Confirmatory factor analysis by structural equation modeling showed the fit criteria to be statistically significant. Attributes of the community and public health nurses (age, years of experience, work municipalities, work positions, and educational institutions) showed significant relationships with the scale scores. The findings validated the efficacy of the Network Establishment Practices Scale to assess community and public health nurse practices to establish community networks.
Phonological and articulation treatment approaches in Portuguese children with speech and language impairments: a randomized controlled intervention study
Authors: Lousada M. , Jesus Luis M. T. , Capelas S. , Margaça C. , Simões D. , Valente A. , Hall A. , Joffe V. L.
Published: December 2012

Background

In Portugal, the routine clinical practice of speech and language therapists (SLTs) in treating children with all types of speech sound disorder (SSD) continues to be articulation therapy (AT). There is limited use of phonological therapy (PT) or phonological awareness training in Portugal. Additionally, at an international level there is a focus on collecting information on and differentiating between the effectiveness of PT and AT for children with different types of phonologically based SSD, as well as on the role of phonological awareness in remediating SSD. It is important to collect more evidence for the most effective and efficient type of intervention approach for different SSDs and for these data to be collected from diverse linguistic and cultural perspectives.

Aims

To evaluate the effectiveness of a PT and AT approach for treatment of 14 Portuguese children, aged 4.0–6.7 years, with a phonologically based SSD.

Methods & Procedures

The children were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment approaches (seven children in each group). All children were treated by the same SLT, blind to the aims of the study, over three blocks of a total of 25 weekly sessions of intervention. Outcome measures of phonological ability (percentage of consonants correct (PCC), percentage occurrence of different phonological processes and phonetic inventory) were taken before and after intervention. A qualitative assessment of intervention effectiveness from the perspective of the parents of participants was included.

Outcomes & Results

Both treatments were effective in improving the participants’ speech, with the children receiving PT showing a more significant improvement in PCC score than those receiving the AT. Children in the PT group also showed greater generalization to untreated words than those receiving AT. Parents reported both intervention approaches to be as effective in improving their children's speech.

Conclusions & Implications

The PT (combination of expressive phonological tasks, phonological awareness, listening and discrimination activities) proved to be an effective integrated method of improving phonological SSD in children. These findings provide some evidence for Portuguese SLTs to employ PT with children with phonologically based SSD.
Participation and power in Indonesian oil palm plantations
Authors: Gillespie Piers
Published: December 2012

Participation is commonly accepted to be a process that brings stakeholders together to define issues and create mutually beneficial outcomes. In the fields of development and natural resource management, participation is such a widely accepted part of policy that it is rare to find a project or programme that does not exhort the practice of participation and stakeholder engagement. However, despite the considerable weight of orthodoxy advocating greater participation and stakeholder engagement in development, the participative processes and power relations underpinning such engagement are rarely analysed in careful detail. This is particularly the case with oil palm plantations in frontier Indonesia and the interactions between the principal stakeholders at the plantation‐community level. There has been minimal analysis to date appraising how such stakeholders interact in relation to a plantation, and there is limited description outlining the divergent viewpoints from such stakeholders. The paper argues that one local stakeholder group, oil palm smallholders, usually possess some agency in their decision‐making and interactions with a plantation organisation but that existing structural and informal modes of interaction often limit the transformative potential of participation for all stakeholders.
Oil palm and rural livelihoods in theAsia–Pacific region: An overview
Authors: Cramb Rob , Curry George N.
Published: December 2012

The expansion of oil palm cultivation in theAsia–Pacific region in the past half century has engendered a major agro‐environmental transformation with significant implications for rural livelihoods. The transformation has taken different forms within and between countries, depending on local contexts, as well as involving an important transnational dimension in terms of regional flows of labour and capital, transboundary and global environmental impacts, and efforts to build international governance structures. This special issue is devoted to seven comparative case studies from across the region to highlight the complexity and diversity of the processes underway. In this introductory paper, we provide an overview of the major economic, social and environmental issues, the different modes of production that have been employed and the varying ways in which land, labour and capital have been mobilised in the region. This overview contextualises the specific studies that follow and emphasises the insights that arise from comparative analysis.
Condition-Number-Regularized Covariance Estimation
Authors: Won Joong-Ho , Lim Johan , Kim Seung-Jean , Rajaratnam Bala
Published: December 2012

Estimation of high dimensional covariance matrices is known to be a difficult problem, has many applications and is of current interest to the larger statistics community. In many applications including the so-called ‘large p, small n’ setting, the estimate of the covariance matrix is required to be not only invertible but also well conditioned. Although many regularization schemes attempt to do this, none of them address the ill conditioning problem directly. We propose a maximum likelihood approach, with the direct goal of obtaining a well-conditioned estimator. No sparsity assumptions on either the covariance matrix or its inverse are imposed, thus making our procedure more widely applicable. We demonstrate that the proposed regularization scheme is computationally efficient, yields a type of Steinian shrinkage estimator and has a natural Bayesian interpretation. We investigate the theoretical properties of the regularized covariance estimator comprehensively, including its regularization path, and proceed to develop an approach that adaptively determines the level of regularization that is required. Finally, we demonstrate the performance of the regularized estimator in decision theoretic comparisons and in the financial portfolio optimization setting. The approach proposed has desirable properties and can serve as a competitive procedure, especially when the sample size is small and when a well-conditioned estimator is required.
Robust Estimation for Homoscedastic Regression in the Secondary Analysis of Case–Control Data
Authors: Wei Jiawei , Carroll Raymond J. , Müller Ursula U. , Keilegom Ingrid Van , Chatterjee Nilanjan
Published: December 2012

Primary analysis of case–control studies focuses on the relationship between disease D and a set of covariates of interest (Y, X). A secondary application of the case–control study, which is often invoked in modern genetic epidemiologic association studies, is to investigate the interrelationship between the covariates themselves. The task is complicated owing to the case–control sampling, where the regression of Y on X is different from what it is in the population. Previous work has assumed a parametric distribution for Y given X and derived semiparametric efficient estimation and inference without any distributional assumptions about X. We take up the issue of estimation of a regression function when Y given X follows a homoscedastic regression model, but otherwise the distribution of Y is unspecified. The semiparametric efficient approaches can be used to construct semiparametric efficient estimates, but they suffer from a lack of robustness to the assumed model for Y given X. We take an entirely different approach. We show how to estimate the regression parameters consistently even if the assumed model for Y given X is incorrect, and thus the estimates are model robust. For this we make the assumption that the disease rate is known or well estimated. The assumption can be dropped when the disease is rare, which is typically so for most case–control studies, and the estimation algorithm simplifies. Simulations and empirical examples are used to illustrate the approach.
The Gods Are Watching: An Experimental Study of Religion and Traditional Belief in Burkina Faso
Authors: Hadnes Myriam , Schumacher Heiner
Published: December 2012

Traditional beliefs play an important role in many Sub‐Saharan African village societies. These beliefs imply immediate punishment for any breach of the moral code, and the possibility to influence an individual's life by the use of magic. We analyze the economic impact of traditional beliefs on behavior by conducting an experiment with microentrepreneurs in the environs of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). The salience of traditional beliefs is randomly varied through semistructured interviews. We find that priming traditional beliefs substantially increases prosocial behavior in the Trust Game. This effect is independent of age, gender, religious affiliation, or wealth.
Parental Divorce, Parental Religious Characteristics, and Religious Outcomes in Adulthood
Authors: Uecker Jeremy E. , Ellison Christopher G.
Published: December 2012

Parental divorce has been linked to religious outcomes in adulthood. Previous research, however, has not adequately accounted for parental religious characteristics, which may render the association spurious and/or moderate the relationship. Many studies also do not consider subsequent family context, namely, whether one's custodial parent remarries. Using pooled data from three waves of the General Social Survey, we examine the nature of the relationships among parental divorce, subsequent family structure, and religiosity in adulthood. Growing up in a single‐parent family—but not a stepparent family—is positively associated with religious disaffiliation and religious switching and negatively associated with regular religious service attendance. Accounting for parental religious characteristics, however, explains sizable proportions of these relationships. In fact, after accounting for parental religious affiliation and service attendance, growing up with a single parent does not have a significant effect on religious service attendance. Parental religiosity also moderates the relationship between growing up with a single parent and religious service attendance: being raised in a single‐parent home does have a negative effect on religious service attendance among adults who had two religiously involved parents. There is modest evidence of this moderating relationship for other religious outcomes. Implications of these findings are discussed.