bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phylogeny and form in fishes: Genetic and morphometric characteristics of dragonets (Foetorepus sp.) do not align
Authors: Myun Park Joo , Powell Nicholas N. , Gillings Michael R. , Gaston Troy F. , Williamson Jane E.
Published: December 2018

Measures of biodiversity are often hindered by a lack of methodological practices that distinguish cryptic or morphologically similar cohabiting species. This is particularly difficult for marine fishes where direct observations of the ecology and demography of populations are difficult. Dragonets (Foetorepus c.f. calauropomus) were collected as bycatch from research trawls deployed in waters off north‐eastern Tasmania, Australia. Morphometric and genetic analyses were conducted on the 43 specimens recovered. Sequence analysis of two mitochondrial loci distinguished three genetic clusters, each having levels of dissimilarity consistent with species‐level distinctions between other members of the Callionymidae. While clear morphological distinctions were observed between male and female fish, limited morphometric analyses could not differentiate between members of the three genetic groups. This finding highlights questions about the ability of genetically distinct but morphologically similar groups to occupy the same ecological niche, and points to additional and undescribed hidden biodiversity amongst cryptic species of fish.
Novel therapeutic agents for relapsed classical Hodgkin lymphoma
Authors: von Keudell Gottfried , Younes Anas
Published: December 2018

Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) is a B‐cell lymphoproliferative disorder with an excellent prognosis for the majority of patients who are treated with multi‐agent chemotherapy, with or without radiation. A subset of patient, however, does not respond to therapy or relapses after accomplishing an initial response. Their outcome is poor and new treatment strategies are urgently needed for this patient population. Recent advances in the understanding of the tumour biology of HL and its microenvironment have ushered a new era of targeted‐ and immuno‐therapies with remarkable activity. Most notably, the antibody‐drug conjugate brentuximab‐vedotin, and the immune checkpoint blockers pembrolizumab and nivolumab have recently been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and have transformed the therapeutic landscape of this disease. Other novel drug compounds are being investigated either as single agents or in combination and hold promise to further the field.
Allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation impacts on outcomes of mantle cell lymphoma with TP53 alterations
Authors: Lin Richard J. , Ho Caleb , Hilden Patrick D. , Barker Juliet N. , Giralt Sergio A. , Hamlin Paul A. , Jakubowski Ann A. , Castro‐Malaspina Hugo R. , Robinson Kevin S. , Papadopoulos Esperanza B. , Perales Miguel‐Angel , Sauter Craig S.
Published: December 2018

TP53 alterations portend extremely poor prognosis in patients with mantle cell lymphoma treated with standard treatment modalities. We reviewed outcomes of 42 patients with available TP53 status who had received a reduced‐intensity or non‐myeloablative allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplant at our institution. We demonstrated a 2‐year overall survival and progression‐free survival of 78% [95% confidence interval (CI) 60–88] and 61% (95% CI 43–75), respectively. The 2‐year cumulative incidences of relapse and non‐relapse mortality were 19% and 20%, respectively. Importantly, there is no significant difference among patients with and without TP53 alterations, suggesting for the first time a beneficial treatment modality for these high‐risk patients.
Bladder mapping of tumour recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma and its influence on oncological outcomes
Authors: Belhadj Yassine , Grande Pietro , Seisen Thomas , Gobert Aurelien , Gomez Florie D , Cussenot Olivier , Roupret Morgan
Published: December 2018

Objectives

To assess the location of intravesical recurrence (IVR) after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC), to determine the main predictive factors for IVR in the bladder‐cuff area (BCA), and to assess the effect of BCA recurrence (BCAR) on prognosis.

Patients and methods

This was a multicentre, retrospective study using the French collaborative database on UTUC, which includes data for all patients treated in 24 referral uro‐oncology centres across the country. All patients who underwent RNU with bladder‐cuff excision and who developed IVR between 1995 and 2010 were selected. Patients were divided into two groups: Group A: BCAR; and Group B: recurrence elsewhere in the bladder. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to estimate the probability of BCAR‐free survival. Groups were compared using the log‐rank test. Independent risk factors for BCAR were identified using a Cox proportional hazard regression model, with univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results

Overall, 163 patients were included in the final analysis: Group A, 87 patients (53.4%) and Group B, 76 (46.6%). The clinicopathological characteristics were similar in the groups. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) follow‐up was 36 (31.7–40.39) months. The median (IQR) time to IVR was 10.0 (8.6–13.39) months [Group A: 11.0 (8.8–13.2)  months vs Group B: 10.0 (8.5–11.5) months; P = 0.35]. The probability of BCAR at 1, 2, and 3 years was 45.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 40.1–50.9), 17.9% (95% CI 13.7–22.1), and 10.8% (95% CI 7.4–14.2) respectively, whereas the probability of recurrence elsewhere in the bladder was 42.1% (95% CI 36.4–47.8), 14.7% (95% CI 10.6–18.8), and 4.4% (95% CI 1.9–6.9), respectively (P = 0.35). Pathological tumour stage (≥pT3) was significantly related to the risk of BCAR (P = 0.03).

Conclusion

There were more BCARs after RNU in advanced UTUC. However, no preferred site for recurrence was detected.
Sacral neuromodulation using the standardized tined lead implantation technique with a curved vs a straight stylet: 2‐year clinical outcomes and sensory responses to lead stimulation
Authors: Vaganée Donald , Kessler Thomas M. , Van de Borne Sigrid , De Win Gunter , De Wachter Stefan
Published: December 2018

Objectives

To assess clinical follow‐up data over 24 months, comparing the use of a curved vs straight stylet in patients undergoing sacral neuromodulation using the standardized tined lead implantation technique.

Patients and Methods

We conducted a single tertiary‐centre, prospective study between August 2013 and June 2015 involving 40 patients with overactive bladder and 15 with non‐obstructive urinary retention refractory to first‐line treatment. The primary outcome was successful tined lead procedure according to intention‐to‐treat analyses at 12 and 24 months. The secondary outcome was number of optimal electrode configurations during programming. Statistical analysis was performed using plain non‐parametric tests for numerical and categorical data.

Results

Successful tined lead procedures were achieved in 33 of 35 patients (94%) implanted with the curved stylet compared with 13 of 20 patients (65%) implanted with the straight stylet (P = 0.005). Intention‐to‐treat analyses at 12 and 24 months showed success rates of 94% and 91%, respectively, in the curved stylet group vs 65% and 45%, respectively, in the straight stylet group (P = 0.002 and P < 0.001). In the curved stylet group, 60% and 25% of the electrode configurations were considered optimal and poor, respectively, vs 40% and 37%, respectively, in the straight stylet group (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

The use of the standardized implantation technique with the curved stylet led to more successful tined lead procedures, better success rates after 2 years of follow‐up and a greater number of optimal electrode configurations when compared to use of the straight stylet.
A National Cancer Database‐based nomogram to predict lymph node metastasis in penile cancer
Authors: Peak Taylor C. , Russell Gregory B. , Dutta Rahul , Rothberg Michael B. , Chapple Andrew G. , Hemal Ashok K.
Published: December 2018

Objective

To evaluate the predictive nature of several clinicopathological variables by developing a nomogram predictive for lymph node‐positive disease using the National Cancer Database cohort of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the penis.

Methods

Stepwise logistic regression was used to find the best‐fit model; remaining clinical variables were used to create a nomogram to predict the probability of lymph node‐positive disease.

Results

On multivariate analysis, high pathological grade (3–4 vs 1: odds ratio [OR] 3.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.70–6.29; 2 vs 1: OR 2.58, 95% CI 1.39–4.79 [P = 0.002]), lymphovascular invasion (OR 2.49, 95% CI 1.61–3.84 [P < 0.001]), and positive clinical lymph node status (N1 vs N0: OR 20.0, 95% CI 11.4–35.7; N2 vs N0: OR 27.8, 95% CI 14.1–55.6; N3 vs N0: OR 49.2, 95% CI 14.8–162.8 [P < 0.001]) were predictors of lymph node metastasis in penile cancer. The bootstrap‐corrected concordance index of this nomogram was 0.880.

Conclusion

Using tumour grade, tumour lymphovascular invasion and clinical lymph node status, we developed a nomogram highly predictive of pathologial lymph node metastasis that, after further external validation, could be helpful in the surgical decision‐making process.
Examining the geometry, age and genesis of buried Quaternary valley systems in the Midland Valley of Scotland, UK
Authors: Kearsey Timothy I. , Lee Jonathan R. , Finlayson Andrew , Garcia‐Bajo Marieta , Irving Anthony A. M.
Published: December 2018

Buried palaeo‐valley systems have been identified widely beneath lowland parts of the UK including eastern England, central England, south Wales and the North Sea. In the Midland Valley of Scotland palaeo‐valleys have been identified yet the age and genesis of these enigmatic features remain poorly understood. This study utilizes a digital data set of over 100 000 boreholes that penetrate the full thickness of deposits in the Midland Valley of Scotland. It identified 18 buried palaeo‐valleys, which range from 4 to 36 km in length and 24 to 162 m in depth. Geometric analysis has revealed four distinct valley morphologies, which were formed by different subglacial and subaerial processes. Some palaeo‐valleys cross‐cut each other with the deepest features aligning east–west. These east–west features align with the reconstructed ice‐flow direction under maximum conditions of the Main Late Devensian glaciation. The shallower features appear more aligned to ice‐flow direction during ice‐sheet retreat, and were therefore probably incised under more restricted ice‐sheet configurations. The bedrock lithology influences and enhances the position and depth of palaeo‐valleys in this lowland glacial terrain. Faults have juxtaposed Palaeozoic sedimentary and igneous rocks and the deepest palaeo‐valleys occur immediately down‐ice of knick‐points in the more resistant igneous bedrock. The features are regularly reused and the fills are dominated by glacial fluvial and glacial marine deposits. This suggests that the majority of infilling of the features happened during deglaciation and may be unrelated to the processes that cut them.
MicroRNA‐143‐3p inhibits colorectal cancer metastases by targeting ITGA6 and ASAP3
Authors: Guo Lingchuan , Fu Jianhong , Sun Shimei , Zhu Minsheng , Zhang Lifeng , Niu Hui , Chen Zhi , Zhang Yongsheng , Guo Lingling , Wang Shouli
Published: December 2018

MicroRNAs, which regulate mRNAs, operate through a variety of signaling pathways to participate in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, we found that microRNA (miR)‐143‐3p expression was significantly lower in both CRC and liver metastatic CRC tissues from liver compared with normal colonic tissues. Functional assays showed that miR‐143‐3p inhibited CRC cell invasion and migration in vitro. Using a bioinformatics approach, we identified miR‐143‐3p target mRNAs. Among the candidate targets, only the expression of integrin alpha 6 (ITGA6) and ArfGAP with the SH3 domain and ankyrin repeat and PH domain 3 (ASAP3) were significantly reduced by miR‐143‐3p mimics as examined by western blot, and the metastasis potential of CRC cells was attenuated by endogenous ITGA6 and ASAP3 knockdown, determined by migration and invasion assays. Both ITGA6 and ASAP3 were upregulated in CRC tissues compared to normal tissues. Analysis of the relationship between clinicopathological features and ITGA6/ASAP3 protein expression in 200 patients with CRC showed a significant difference in positive ITGA6 expression between the early stage (I + II) and the advanced stage (III + IV), and ASAP3 expression levels positively correlated with metastasis in the lymph nodes. These results indicate that miR‐143‐3p acts as an anti‐oncogene by downregulating ITGA6/ASAP3 protein expression and could offer new insight into potential therapeutic targets for CRC.
Maternal Perinatal and Concurrent Anxiety and Mental Health Problems in Early Childhood: A Sibling‐Comparison Study
Authors: Gjerde Line C. , Eilertsen Espen M. , Eley Thalia C. , McAdams Tom A. , Reichborn‐Kjennerud Ted , Røysamb Espen , Ystrom Eivind
Published: December 2018

Do associations between maternal anxiety symptoms and offspring mental health remain after comparing differentially exposed siblings? Participants were 17,724 offspring siblings and 11,553 mothers from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort study. Mothers reported anxiety and depressive symptoms at 30 weeks’ gestation, and 0.5, 1.5, 3, and 5 years postpartum. Child internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed at ages 1.5, 3, and 5, and modeled using multilevel analyses with repeated measures nested within siblings, nested within mothers. Maternal pre‐ and postnatal anxiety were no longer associated with child internalizing or externalizing problems after adjusting for maternal depression and familial confounding. Maternal anxiety when the children were in preschool age, however, remained significantly associated with child internalizing but not externalizing problems.
HOW DO STATE INFERTILITY INSURANCE MANDATES AFFECT DIVORCE?
Authors: Cintina Inna , Wu Bingxiao
Published: December 2018

The technological developments in infertility treatments have increased the success of childbearing among women with impaired fertility. Fifteen U.S. states have mandated insurance coverage of assisted reproductive technology, thus subsidizing and increasing the use of the technology. We exploit the variation of mandates across states and over time to examine the relationship between state mandates and the likelihood of divorce. Using individual‐level data from the 1984–2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation, we find that women are less likely to divorce after the state adopts infertility insurance mandates. We find the effect is larger among women in their 40s, covered by private insurance, with a college degree, and without children. (JEL J12, J13, J18, I13, I18)
Rickettsioses: Cutaneous findings frequently lead to diagnosis – a review
Authors: Fischer Marcellus
Published: December 2018

While epidemic typhus caused by Rickettsia prowazekii posed a significant threat in Europe before and throughout World War II due to its high mortality, the condition fortunately no longer plays a significant role. Nevertheless, rickettsioses, such as African tick bite fever, have been increasingly diagnosed in travelers returning from sub‐Saharan Africa.

Caused by Rickettsia africae, African tick bite fever presents with characteristic cutaneous findings such as eschar (tache noir) and a rash. Similar findings are also observed in Mediterranean spotted fever caused by Rickettsia conorii. On the other hand, Rocky Mountain spotted fever – caused by Rickettsia rickettsii – is characterized by a rash without an eschar, in combination with distinctly more severe general symptoms.

The objective of the present CME article is to familiarize dermatologists with the spectrum of the most common types of rickettsiosis in humans, including their epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, and treatment. Recognition of characteristic cutaneous manifestations and their correct interpretation facilitate early diagnosis. Prompt initiation of treatment usually results in recovery without sequelae.
Mesophotic ecosystems: Distribution, impacts and conservation in the South Atlantic
Authors: Soares Marcelo de Oliveira , Tavares Tallita Cruz Lopes , Carneiro Pedro Bastos de Macêdo
Published: December 2018

Aim

This study reviews recent research on the South Atlantic Mesophotic ecosystems (MEs) and the pressures threatening them, and offers suggestions for their management and conservation.

Location

The South Atlantic Ocean.

Methods

A comprehensive compilation of the scientific literature was performed to examine the distribution, human impacts and conservation status of the South Atlantic MEs.

Results

Our review indicated that the South Atlantic Ocean (SAO) is one of the major MEs areas in the world's oceans. The South Atlantic MEs are composed of a mosaic of distinct seascapes, mainly rhodolith beds, mesophotic reefs (i.e., rocky and biogenic) and marine animal forests (e.g., sponge aggregations, octocoral and black coral forests) that occur along the East South American and West African coasts, seamounts and oceanic islands. Throughout the SAO, the distinct seascapes of MEs are usually formed on the middle and outer continental shelves, shelf‐edge, seamounts, submarine canyons, incised valleys and paleochannels, reef structures and insular shelves. We highlighted sea temperature anomalies, ocean acidification, extreme floods and droughts, fisheries, invasive species, marine debris, mining, and oil and gas exploitation as major threats to these ecosystems.

Main conclusions

Given the threats to the South Atlantic MEs, growing human pressures may degrade these ecosystems in the next years and undermine their unique biodiversity as well as their potential to provide connectivity between regions and depths. Our review revealed the existence of some extensive and unprotected formations, which urgently demand in‐depth investigations and conservation action.
Testing Darwin's Naturalization Conundrum using phylogenetic relationships: Generalizable patterns across disparate communities?
Authors: Ng Julienne , Weaver William N. , Laport Robert G.
Published: December 2018

Aim

Alternative hypotheses of Darwin's Naturalization Conundrum (DNC) predict that the non‐native species that successfully establish within a community are those either more closely or more distantly related to the resident native species. Despite the increasing number of studies using phylogenetic data to testDNCand evaluate community assembly, it remains unknown whether phylogenetic relationships alone can be used to predict invasion susceptibility across communities differing environmentally and in disturbance history. In this study, we evaluate whether phylogenetic structure of diverse native communities predicts the occurrence of non‐native species and offers insight into community assembly.

Location

Eastern United States of America.

Methods

We examine multiple communities across a north–south transect of the eastern United States to test whether non‐native species richness and abundance are associated with phylogenetic diversity measures of the native community. We also test whether non‐native species are consistently closely or distantly related to native species using two approaches differing in phylogenetic scale and whether this differs with ecologically successful species.

Results

Our analyses did not unambiguously resolveDNC. Non‐native species richness and abundance decreased with increasing native species phylogenetic diversity. Within some communities, non‐native species were significantly more closely related to native species than expected by chance, and tended to be more often closely related to a native species than that native species was to other native relatives. When considering species abundance, only one community showed that ecologically successful non‐native species were closely related to resident species.

Main conclusions

Phylogenetic relationships can reveal important details about community assembly in diverse ecological settings. However, given the multifaceted nature of community assembly, phylogenetic metrics alone have limited utility as a general predictive tool for community invasion. Our study highlights a need to incorporate additional types of data to better understand why some communities are more susceptible to non‐native species establishment.
Do migratory and resident birds differ in their responses to interacting effects of climate, weather and vegetation?
Authors: Lindenmayer David B. , Lane Peter , Foster Claire N. , Westgate Martin J. , Sato Chloe , Ikin Karen , Crane Mason , Michael Damian , Florance Daniel , Scheele Ben C.
Published: December 2018

Aim

Knowledge of the individual and collective effects of habitat, weather variability and climate on bird populations is limited, with the result that species vulnerability to the collective impacts of global change is poorly understood. We quantified the effects of interactions between these potential drivers on the occurrence of resident, migratory and nomadic birds in Australian temperate woodlands.

Location

A 1.8 million hectare temperate woodland belt in south‐eastern Australia.

Time period

2002–2015.

Major taxa studied

Temperate woodland birds.

Methods

We used logistic mixed models to quantify the factors affecting the occurrence of three groups of birds (residents, partial migrants and nomads) at 203 long‐term field sites located in three vegetation types (restoration plantings, natural regrowth woodland and old growth woodland) surveyed repeatedly between 2002 and 2015. Potential explanatory variables included vegetation type, three long‐term climate variables (mean annual rainfall, maximum temperature and minimum temperature), and the three corresponding weather variables for 12 months preceding each survey.

Results

We found four‐way interactions between bird movement category, type of vegetation cover and rainfall (both as a long‐term climate variable and as a short‐term weather variable). Increased occurrence of nomads and partial migrants, but not resident species, was associated with high short‐term rainfall. The effects were more marked in long‐term climatically wet areas, and also differed between vegetation types. Models for maximum and minimum temperature were simpler than those for rainfall but showed evidence of partial migrants and nomadic species avoiding low minimum or high maximum temperatures in some vegetation types.

Main conclusions

Our analyses revealed that birds with different movement patterns exhibit different responses to weather and long‐term climate. Nomadic species in particular respond to rainfall strongly in climatically wet locations (presumably because of large pulses in resources). Drying conditions resulting from climate change may therefore create problems for the future persistence of nomadic bird species.
Conservation implications of ecological responses to extreme weather and climate events
Authors: Maxwell Sean L. , Butt Nathalie , Maron Martine , McAlpine Clive A. , Chapman Sarah , Ullmann Ailish , Segan Dan B. , Watson James E. M.
Published: December 2018

Aim

Many conservation efforts now focus on mitigating biodiversity loss due to climate change. While a focus on impacts from mean, long‐term changes in climate is warranted, the vast majority of conservation plans largely ignore another key factor of climate change—changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather and climate events. A typology of the full range and severity of ecological responses to extreme events would help underpin tracking of their impacts.

Location

Global.

Methods

Here, we review 519 observational studies of ecological responses to extreme events between 1941 and 2015. We include responses from amphibians, birds, fish, invertebrates, mammals, plants and reptiles to cyclones, drought, flood, cold waves and heat waves.

Results

Negative ecological responses were the most commonly reported, accounting for 57% of all documented responses. There were over 100 cases of a >25% population decline and 31 cases of local extirpation. Sixty per cent of the studies in our review observed ecological responses for more than 1 year, and of the studies that monitored species or ecosystem recovery following exposure to an extreme event, 38% showed species or ecosystems did not recover to pre‐disturbance levels.

Main conclusions

Extreme weather and climate events have profound implications for species and ecosystem management. We discuss current conceptual challenges associated with incorporating extreme events into conservation planning efforts, which include how to quantify species sensitivity and adaptive capacity to extreme events, how to account for interactions between extreme events and other stressors, and how to maximize adaptive capacity to more frequent and intense extreme events.
Radioisotope and stable isotope ratios (Δ14C, δ15N) suggest larval lamprey growth is dependent on both fresh and aged organic matter in streams
Authors: Evans Thomas M. , Bellamy Amber R. , Bauer James E.
Published: December 2018

Lampreys have a complex life cycle which includes a multi‐year infaunal larval stage (ammocoete). Gut content analysis has generally identified detritus (i.e., unidentifiable organic matter) as the major dietary component to ammocoetes, though algae can also be important. However, gut content preserves only a snapshot of the animal's diet and does not reflect assimilated material. In order to better characterise the nutritional sources supporting ammocoete growth, we analysed ammocoete body tissue and potential dietary sources at two streams using natural Δ14C and δ15N to estimate time‐integrated nutritional support. Bayesian isotope mixing models revealed differences in the importance of sources supporting ammocoetes between sites. Ammocoetes from a stream in a mixed land usage area (~50% agriculture, ~40% forest and ~10% developed) were primarily supported (mean: ~50%) by fresh terrestrial organic matter but were also supported by substantial contributions (mean: ~30%) by aged organic matter (AOM) and autochthonous material (algae; mean ~20%). In a predominantly forested (~90%) headwater stream, different modelling scenarios (uninformed or informed priors) suggested that algal support of ammocoete nutrition ranged from 7% to 45%. However, the model relying on informed priors developed from gut content analysis produced the low estimates, suggesting these were more reliable. When algae were a minor component of the nutrition at the forested site, ammocoetes were highly dependent on AOM (83 ± 26%; mean ± SD). Based on these findings, ammocoete growth and development are predicted to be strongly influenced by both land use and the availability of allochthonous and autochthonous materials of varying ages within streams.
Cytomolecular analysis of the male sex chromosome of Tropidacris cristata grandis (Thunberg, 1824) (Orthoptera: Romaleidae)
Authors: Baldissera Joana Neres Cruz , Pine Mariana Bozina , Lopes Thayná Bisson Ferraz , Dias Felipe Cordeiro , de Domenico Fernando Campos , da Rosa Renata
Published: December 2018

Many species of grasshopper have an XX/XO sex chromosome system, including Tropidacris cristata grandis (23, XX/XO). The X chromosome behaves differently from the autosomes, but little is known about its origin and molecular composition. To better understand the genomic composition and evolutionary processes involved in the origin of the sex chromosomes, we undertook an analysis of its meiotic behavior, heterochromatin distribution and microdissection in T. c. grandis. Analysis of meiotic cells revealed a difference in the behavior of the X chromosome compared to the autosomes, with different patterns of condensation and cellular arrangement. Heterochromatic terminal blocks were predominant. The chromosome painting revealed a bright block in the centromeric/pericentromeric region of the X chromosome and slight markings in the other regions. In the autosomes, the X chromosome probe hybridized in the centromeric/pericentromeric region, and hybridization signals on terminal regions corresponding to the heterochromatic regions were also observed. The results showed that the X chromosome contains a significant amount of repetitive DNA. Based on the hybridization pattern, it is possible that the autosomes and sex chromosomes of T. c. grandis have a similar composition of repetitive DNAs, which could mean that the X chromosome has an autosomal origin.
Influence of surface wetness on bonding effectiveness of universal adhesives in etch‐and‐rinse mode
Authors: Tsujimoto Akimasa , Shimatani Yusuke , Nojiri Kie , Barkmeier Wayne W. , Markham Mark D. , Takamizawa Toshiki , Latta Mark A. , Miyazaki Masashi
Published: December 2018

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether surface wetness would influence the bonding effectiveness of universal adhesives in etch‐and‐rinse mode. All‐Bond Universal (AB), G‐Premio Bond (GP), Prime & Bond Active (PB), and Scotchbond Universal Adhesive (SU) were evaluated. Initial bond strengths and bond‐fatigue strengths of universal adhesives to both wet and dry enamel and dentin in etch‐and‐rinse mode were determined. Scanning electron microscopy observations of the adhesive interfaces were also conducted. The bond‐fatigue durability of universal adhesive to enamel in etch‐and‐rinse mode was influenced by the surface wetness, unlike that to dentin. The bond fatigue durability of AB and GP to dentin in etch‐and‐rinse mode was different depending on the surface wetness, unlike that of PB and SU. The thicknesses of the adhesive or hybrid layer of resin–dentin interfaces were not influenced by the surface wetness, but the length of resin tags in the wet group was longer than in the dry group. Some universal adhesives with the addition of specific components and optimization of water content can achieve stable bonds regardless of surface wetness, but the surface wetness of dentin is still a significant factor for universal adhesive bonding in etch‐and rinse mode, unlike that of enamel.
Bank liquidity, macroeconomic risk, and bank risk: Evidence from the Financial Services Modernization Act
Authors: Chen I‐Ju , Lee Yu‐Yi , Liu Yong‐Chin
Published: December 2018

We investigate the empirical relationship between macroeconomic risk, bank liquidity, and bank risk surrounding the 1999 Financial Services Modernization Act. We propose that bank risk and liquidity are positively related as macroeconomic risk increases, and that this effect is particularly strong after the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act (GLBA). We test our hypotheses by collecting data from 1994 to 2006 for banks in the United States. The results show that banks flush with liquid assets in a high macroeconomic risk environment conducted more lending activities following the enactment of the GLBA, leading to higher bank risk. Our study complements the understanding of bank liquidity management.
Application of a ridden horse ethogram to video recordings of 21 horses before and after diagnostic analgesia: Reduction in behaviour scores
Authors: Dyson S. , Van Dijk J.
Published: December 2018

Identification of low‐grade lameness is challenging. A whole horse ridden ethogram has been developed, describing 24 behavioural markers. Previous work indicated that the presence of ≥8 behavioural markers was likely to reflect musculoskeletal pain. The objectives of this repeated measures study were to compare the results of application of the ridden‐horse ethogram by trained and untrained assessors to horses before and after musculoskeletal pain had been substantially improved using diagnostic analgesia, and to assess the repeatability of the ethogram application among untrained assessors, and to compare their performance with a trained assessor. All horses underwent a comprehensive lameness investigation. Anonymised video recordings of 21 lame horses, ridden by professional riders in trot and canter before and after diagnostic analgesia had abolished lameness, were reviewed in a random order by a trained assessor and 10 untrained assessors. For each horse the duration of the recordings before and after diagnostic analgesia was time matched. The most frequent lameness grade was 2/8 (range 1–4). For the trained assessor, the number of behaviours exhibited by lame horses before diagnostic analgesia ranged from 3–12/24 (median 10; mean 8.9). After lameness and overall performance had been substantially improved using diagnostic analgesia, the number of behaviours ranged from 0–6/24 (median 3; mean 3.0). The decrease in behaviour scores for all assessors after diagnostic analgesia was highly significant (Z = 20,147, P<0.0001). Agreement between the trained assessor and untrained assessors was moderate before diagnostic analgesia and non‐existent after analgesia (Fleiss Kappa 0.49, 0 respectively), when individual behaviours were assessed. The main limitation was that horses were anonymised, but it was impossible to blind their identity, so bias is possible. It was concluded that despite limitations in the agreement between untrained observers and the trained assessor, the ethogram is a potentially valuable tool for determining the presence of musculoskeletal pain and may be useful for longitudinal monitoring of improvement in lameness.
Regulation of melanocyte stem cells in the pigmentation of skin and its appendages: Biological patterning and therapeutic potentials
Authors: Qiu Weiming , Chuong Cheng‐Ming , Lei Mingxing
Published: December 2018

Skin evolves essential appendages and indispensable types of cells that synergistically insulate the body from environmental insults. Residing in the specific regions in the skin such as epidermis, dermis and hair follicle, melanocytes perform an array of vital functions including defending the ultraviolet radiation and diversifying animal appearance. As one of the adult stem cells, melanocyte stem cells in the hair follicle bulge niche can proliferate, differentiate and keep quiescence to control and coordinate tissue homeostasis, repair and regeneration. In synchrony with hair follicle stem cells, melanocyte stem cells in the hair follicles undergo cyclic activation, degeneration and resting phases, to pigment the hairs and to preserve the stem cells. Disorder of melanocytes results in severe skin problems such as canities, vitiligo and even melanoma. Here, we compare and summarize recent discoveries about melanocyte in the skin, particularly in the hair follicle. A better understanding of the physiological and pathological regulation of melanocyte and melanocyte stem cell behaviours will help to guide the clinical applications in regenerative medicine.
Engagement of Fas differentially regulates the production of LPS‐induced proinflammatory cytokines and type I interferons
Authors: Brennan Kiva , Lyons Caitriona , Fernandes Philana , Doyle Sarah , Houston Aileen , Brint Elizabeth
Published: December 2018

Fas (CD95) signalling is best known for its role in apoptosis, however, recent reports have shown it to be involved in other cellular responses as well, including inflammation. Fas and its adaptor protein FADD are known to negatively regulate LPS‐induced proinflammatory responses, but their role in LPS‐induced type I interferon production is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that Fas engagement on macrophages, using an agonistic Fas antibody CH11, augments LPS‐induced NF‐κB responses, causing increased production of TNFα, IL‐8, IL‐6 and IL‐12. Conversely, costimulation with both LPS and CH11 causes a significant reduction in the level of interferon‐beta (IFNβ) production. This differential effect involves the Fas adaptor FADD because while LPS‐induced IL‐6 production increased in FADD−/− murine embryonic fibroblasts, LPS‐induced IFNβ production was significantly reduced in these cells. Overexpression of a dominant negative form of FADD (FADD‐DD) inhibits LPS‐induced IFNβ luciferase but not LPS‐induced NF‐κB luciferase. In contrast, overexpression of full‐length FADD inhibited LPS‐induced NF‐κB luciferase activation but was seen to augment LPS‐induced IFNβ luciferase. Moreover, FADD‐DD inhibits TRIF‐, TRAM‐, IKKε‐, TBK‐1‐ and TRAF3‐induced IFNβ luciferase production, with coimmunoprecipitation experiments demonstrating an interaction between FADD and TRIF. These data identify FADD as a novel component of the noncanonical Toll‐like receptor 4/IFNβ signalling pathway and demonstrate that both Fas and its adaptor FADD can differentially regulate the production of LPS‐induced proinflammatory cytokines and type I interferons.
Acoustic detection and acoustic habitat characterisation of the critically endangered white‐bellied heron (Ardea insignis) in Bhutan
Authors: Dema Tshering , Towsey Michael , Sherub Sherub , Sonam Jigme , Kinley Kinley , Truskinger Anthony , Brereton Margot , Roe Paul
Published: December 2018

Growing developmental activities, such as hydropower construction, farm roads, and other human activities, are affecting the critically endangered white‐bellied heron (WBH). Out of a known global population of 60, 28 individuals inhabit the river basin area and freshwater lakes and ponds of Bhutan. Several constraints impede continuous monitoring of endangered species, such as the isolated and cryptic nature of the species and the remoteness of its habitat; to date, there are no long‐term reference data or techniques implemented for continuous monitoring of this species.

In this study, we designed acoustic detection and habitat characterisation methods using long‐duration recordings from three habitat areas in Bhutan. Acoustic indices were extracted and used to implement a species‐specific call detector and to generate habitat soundscape representations. Using WBH calls annotated in month‐long recordings from a known site, a novel indices‐based detector was implemented and tested. A total of 960 hr of continuous audio recordings from three habitats in Bhutan were analysed.

We found that a species call detector implemented using a combination of acoustic indices (that includes measures of spectral and temporal entropy and different angles of spectral ridges) has a correct detection rate of 81%. Additionally, visual inspection of the species’ acoustic habitat using long‐duration false‐colour spectrograms enabled qualitative assessment of acoustic habitat structure and other dominant acoustic events.

This study proposes a combined approach of species acoustic detection and habitat soundscape analysis for holistic acoustic monitoring of endangered species. As a direct outcome of this work, we documented acoustic reference data on the critically endangered WBH from multiple habitat areas and have analysed its temporal vocalisation patterns across sites.
Plant species–area relationships are determined by evenness, cover and aggregation in drylands worldwide
Authors: DeMalach Niv , Saiz Hugo , Zaady Eli , Maestre Fernando T.
Published: December 2018

Aim

Species–area relationships (also known as “species–area curves” and “species accumulation curves”) represent the relationship between species richness and the area sampled in a given community. These relationships can be used to describe diversity patterns while accounting for the well‐known scale‐dependence of species richness. Despite their value, their functional form and parameters, as well as their determinants, have barely been investigated in drylands.

Location

171 drylands from all continents except Antarctica.

Time period

2006–2013.

Major taxa studied

Perennial plants.

Methods

We characterized species–area relationships of plant communities by building accumulation curves describing the expected number of species as a function of the number of sampling units, and later compared the fit of three functions (power law, logarithmic and Michaelis–Menten). We tested the prediction that the effects of aridity, soil pH on the species–area relationship (SAR) are mediated by vegetation attributes such as evenness, cover and spatial aggregation.

Results

We found that the logarithmic relationship was the most common functional form (c. 50%), followed by Michaelis–Menten (c. 33%) and power law (c. 17%). Functional form was mainly determined by evenness. Power‐law relationships were found mostly under low evenness, logarithmic relationships peaked under intermediate evenness and the Michaelis–Menten function increased in frequency with increasing evenness. The SAR parameters approximated by the logarithmic model [“small‐scale richness” (b0) and “accumulation coefficient” (b1)] were determined by vegetation attributes. Increasing spatial aggregation had a negative effect on the small‐scale richness and a positive effect on the accumulation coefficient, while evenness had an opposite effect. In addition, the accumulation coefficient was positively affected by cover. Interestingly, increasing aridity decreased small‐scale richness but did not affect the accumulation coefficient.

Main conclusions

Our findings highlight the role of evenness, spatial aggregation and cover as the main drivers of SARs in drylands, the Earth’s largest biome.
MAKING A MARK
Authors: STARK LAURA
Published: December 2018

Walter Benjamin believed it was possible “to read what was never written.” His own writing and practices sought both to explain and model how a person might undertake this historical project. Benjamin's essay “On the Mimetic Faculty” provides a through line for the papers collected in this theme issue, which is designed to prompt further work and inquiry into how words—and historical materials broadly construed—might be read not only for their content but for insights about the past that may be evident in their arrangement, appearance, texture, or location. Scholars from history, philosophy, literature, anthropology, and beyond look at cases ranging from premodern Japan to present‐day South Africa to consider how and suggest why scholars might want to “read what was never written.” Together, the articles and commentaries are offered as a record of what has been done, in the eager anticipation of reading what has yet to be written.
PARABLES OF INSCRIPTION: SOME NOTES ON NARRATIVES OF THE ORIGIN OF WRITING
Authors: LURIE DAVID
Published: December 2018

The story of the god Thoth and King Ammon in Plato's Phaedrus is perhaps the most familiar example of a script‐origin narrative, but such accounts also exist from ancient China (such as Xu Shen's postface to the Shuowen jiezi) and Mesopotamia (the poem “Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta”). There are also rich and provocative ancient discussions of what it means to “borrow” or “adapt” writing from an adjacent (often more powerful) civilization, including a set of related narratives in eighth‐century Japanese chronicles about Korean scribes importing Sinitic writing. Such premodern sources can be profitably juxtaposed with modern discussions of colonial and ethnological encounters with literacy, such as frequently quoted and requoted stories of “natives” taken aback at the power of writing, or Claude Lévi‐Strauss's famous “Writing Lesson” (from his 1955 book Tristes Tropiques). This article considers the persistent anachronism that marks such accounts. Whether premodern or modern, it seems they inevitably become parables or allegories of the powers of writing at the time of their composition, rather than plausible reconstructions of its earliest stages. What lies behind this difficulty in writing the history of writing?
“IF THE WHOLE WORLD WERE PAPER…” A HISTORY OF WRITING IN THE NORTH INDIAN VERNACULAR
Authors: WILLIAMS TYLER
Published: December 2018

The poetic and hagiographical works of early modern north Indian saints constitute a rich case study for understanding the relationship among changes in language, material practices of writing, and ideologies of writing. Beginning in the fourteenth century, the commitment of the vernacular language of bhāṣā to writing had the effect of reconfiguring practices and ideologies of writing, posing a serious challenge to the epistemic and cultural privilege formerly accorded to writing in the literary, intellectual, and religious traditions contained in Sanskrit, Persian, and Arabic. Although unable to completely escape the conceptual structures of a postliterate society, these supposedly illiterate, subaltern poet‐saints were able to undermine systems of religious and intellectual authority by questioning the ontological status and epistemic utility of written language and by divesting writing of its aura. They did so by emphasizing the materiality and banality of writing and by characterizing inscription as just another form of worldly labor. Such readings of the saints’ poetic works are made possible precisely by their authorial personas as subaltern, illiterate figures, and these personas are in turn established not in the poetry itself but in the hagiographical works that narrativize these saints’ lives. Importantly, these hagiographies reflect a concern with historicizing both the saints’ utterances and the material processes through which those utterances came to be written down. Perhaps paradoxically, it is this concern with historicity that enables the tradition to establish the transcendent nature of the saints’ speech and thought, and to enable those in the present to recreate the transformative speech acts that the hagiographies describe.
Simvastatin alleviates bone resorption in apical periodontitis possibly by inhibition of mitophagy‐related osteoblast apoptosis
Authors: Yang C.‐N. , Kok S.‐H. , Wang H.‐W. , Chang J. Z.‐C. , Lai E. H.‐H. , Shun C.‐T. , Yang H. , Chen M.‐H. , Hong C.‐Y. , Lin S.‐K.
Published: December 2018

Aim

To assess the connection between mitophagy and hypoxia‐induced apoptosis in osteoblasts and whether simvastatin alleviates bone resorption in apical periodontitis through modulation of mitophagy‐related apoptosis.

Methodology

Hypoxia‐induced generation of reactive oxygen species in mitochondria and changes in mitochondrial membrane potential were evaluated, respectively, by MitoSOX and JC‐1 fluorescence dye signalling. Accumulation of mitophagy markers PTEN‐induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1) and Parkin in mitochondria was examined by Western blotting and immunofluorescence microscopy. Osteoblast apoptosis was assessed by Western analysis of cleaved‐poly (adenosine diphosphate ribose) polymerase (PARP). In a rat model of induced apical periodontitis, the therapeutic effect of simvastatin and its action on osteoblast mitophagy and apoptosis were examined. anova, Fisher's and Student's t‐test were used for data analysis.

Results

Hypoxia‐induced mitochondrial dysfunction and stimulated mitophagy in osteoblasts. Hypoxia also provoked apoptosis in osteoblasts and inhibition of mitophagy decreased hypoxia‐augmented apoptotic activity. Simvastatin alleviated hypoxia‐induced mitochondrial dysfunction, mitophagy and apoptosis. The protective action of simvastatin against apoptosis was related to its antimitophagy activity. Experiments in the rat model of induced apical periodontitis supported the laboratory findings. Simvastatin treatment mitigated periapical bone loss and reduced the activities of apoptosis and mitophagy in regional osteoblasts.

Conclusions

The results suggest that modulation of osteoblast mitophagy may help diminish bone loss associated with inflammation and has potential as an auxiliary therapy for apical periodontitis.