bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trajectories of Academic Performance Across Compulsory Schooling and Thriving in Young Adulthood
Authors: Tomasik Martin J. , Napolitano Christopher M. , Moser Urs
Published: September 2018

Thriving is a developmental process that is shaped by previous and current interactions within developmental contexts. We hypothesized that academic performance in the school context will positively predict thriving in young adulthood. Data of N = 2,043 students from Zurich were assessed with standardized tests in Grades 1, 3, 6, and 9. Results showed that a stronger increase in academic performance significantly predicted thriving at age 20, even after statistically controlling for various covariates. Further analyses showed that school bonding might represent a mediating link between the academic performance and thriving. We argue that although schools can be considered the most widespread and intensive “youth development program” of sorts, their role for thriving has been largely neglected in developmental science.
Personalizing obesity assessment and care planning in primary care: patient experience and outcomes in everyday life and health
Authors: Luig T. , Anderson R. , Sharma A. M. , Campbell‐Scherer D. L.
Published: September 2018

Obesity is a complex, chronic disease, frequently associated with multiple comorbidities. Its management is hampered by a lack of translation of evidence on chronicity and pathophysiology into clinical practice. Also, it is not well understood how to support effective provider–patient communication that adequately addresses patients’ personal root causes and barriers and helps them feel capable to take action for their health. This study examined interpersonal processes during clinical consultations, their impacts, and outcomes with the aim to develop an approach to personalized obesity assessment and care planning. We used a qualitative, explorative design with 20 participants with obesity, sampling for maximum variation, to examine video‐recorded consultations, patient interviews at three time points, provider interviews and patient journals. Analysis was grounded in a dialogic interactional perspective and found eight key processes that supported patients in making changes to improve health: compassion and listening; making sense of root causes and contextual factors in the patient's story; recognizing strengths; reframing misconceptions about obesity; focusing on whole‐person health; action planning; fostering reflection and experimenting. Patient outcomes include activation, improved physical and psychological health. The proposed approach fosters emphatic care relationships and sensible care plans that support patients in making manageable changes to improve health.
The potential for citizen science to produce reliable and useful information in ecology
Authors: Brown Eleanor D. , Williams Byron K.
Published: September 2018

We examined features of citizen science that influence data quality, inferential power, and usefulness in ecology. As background context for our examination, we considered topics such as ecological sampling (probability based, purposive, opportunistic), linkage between sampling technique and statistical inference (design based, model based), and scientific paradigms (confirmatory, exploratory). We distinguished several types of citizen science investigations, from intensive research with rigorous protocols targeting clearly articulated questions to mass‐participation internet‐based projects with opportunistic data collection lacking sampling design, and examined overarching objectives, design, analysis, volunteer training, and performance. We identified key features that influence data quality: project objectives, design and analysis, and volunteer training and performance. Projects with good designs, trained volunteers, and professional oversight can meet statistical criteria to produce high‐quality data with strong inferential power and therefore are well suited for ecological research objectives. Projects with opportunistic data collection, little or no sampling design, and minimal volunteer training are better suited for general objectives related to public education or data exploration because reliable statistical estimation can be difficult or impossible. In some cases, statistically robust analytical methods, external data, or both may increase the inferential power of certain opportunistically collected data. Ecological management, especially by government agencies, frequently requires data suitable for reliable inference. With standardized protocols, state‐of‐the‐art analytical methods, and well‐supervised programs, citizen science can make valuable contributions to conservation by increasing the scope of species monitoring efforts. Data quality can be improved by adhering to basic principles of data collection and analysis, designing studies to provide the data quality required, and including suitable statistical expertise, thereby strengthening the science aspect of citizen science and enhancing acceptance by the scientific community and decision makers.
Longitudinal changes in kidney function following heart transplantation: Stanford experience
Authors: Taiwo Adetokunbo A. , Khush Kiran K. , Stedman Margaret R. , Zheng Yuanchao , Tan Jane C.
Published: September 2018

Many heart transplant recipients experience declining kidney function following transplantation. We aimed to quantify change in kidney function in heart transplant recipients stratified by pre‐transplant kidney function. A total of 230 adult heart transplant recipients between May 1, 2008, and December 31, 2014, were evaluated for up to 5 years post‐transplant (median 1 year). Using 19 398 total estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) assessments, we evaluated trends in eGFR in recipients with normal/near‐normal (eGFR ≥45 mL/min/1.73 m2) vs impaired (eGFR <45 mL/min/1.73 m2) kidney function and the likelihood of reaching an eGFR of 20 mL/min/1.73 m2 after heart transplant. Baseline characteristics were similar. Immediately following heart transplant, the impaired pre‐transplant kidney function group showed a mean eGFR gain of 9.5 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 193) vs a mean decline of 4.9 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 37) in the normal/near‐normal group. Subsequent rates of eGFR decline were 2.2 mL/min/1.73 m2/y vs 2.9 mL/min/1.73 m2/y, respectively. The probability of reaching an eGFR of 20 mL/min/1.73 m2 or less at 1, 5, and 10 years following heart transplant was 1%, 4%, and 30% in the impaired group, and <1%, <1%, and 10% in the normal/near‐normal group. Estimates of expected recovery in kidney function and its decline over time will help inform decision making about kidney care after heart transplantation.
Physical activity is associated with lower insulin and C‐peptide during glucose challenge in children and adolescents with family background of diabetes
Authors: Ungethüm K. , Jolink M. , Hippich M. , Lachmann L. , Haupt F. , Winkler C. , Hummel S. , Pitchika A. , Kordonouri O. , Ziegler A.‐G. , Beyerlein A.
Published: September 2018

Aims

Children and adolescents with a family history of diabetes are at increased risk of overweight, but little is known about the potentially beneficial effects of physical activity on these children. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and metabolic and inflammatory risks in children and adolescents with a family background of Type 1 diabetes or gestational diabetes.

Methods

Valid MVPA measurements, made with accelerometers, were available from 234 participants (median age, 10.2 years) who had a first‐degree relative with either Type 1 or gestational diabetes. Anthropometric and metabolic measurements were made and cytokines measured, and were correlated with MVPA measurements, with stepwise adjustment for confounding factors, in a cross‐sectional analysis.

Results

MVPA was negatively associated with insulin and C‐peptide during challenge with an oral glucose tolerance test. MVPA was also significantly positively associated with the insulin sensitivity index, whereas no consistently significant associations were found between MVPA and BMI, blood pressure or cytokine levels.

Discussion

Our findings indicate that physical activity may have beneficial effects on insulin and C‐peptide metabolism in children and adolescents with a family background of diabetes, but show no evidence of a protective association with other health‐related outcomes.
ASSET DYNAMICS, LIQUIDITY, AND INEQUALITY IN DECENTRALIZED MARKETS
Authors: Iacopetta Maurizio , Minetti Raoul
Published: September 2018

The Kiyotaki and Wright model has exerted a considerable influence on the monetary search literature. We argue that the model also delivers important insights into a broader range of macroeconomic and development issues. The analysis studies how market frictions and the liquidity of assets affect the distribution of income. Experiments illustrate how the economy adjusts to shocks to asset returns and to the matching technology. They also deal with long‐run transition. An experiment interprets the reversal of fortune hypothesis as a situation in which an economy with a low‐return asset takes over a similar economy with a high‐return asset. (JEL C61, C63, E41, E27, D63)
Experimental evidence of the role of heterochrony in evolution of the Mesoamerican cichlids pigment patterns
Authors: Prazdnikov Denis V. , Shkil Fedor N.
Published: September 2018

The Mesoamerican cichlids display a spectacular diversity of pigment patterns, which serve a variety of functions and serve as a strong selective trait for this lineage. The development and variation of coloration in the Mesoamerican cichlids have been detailed by several groups. In particular, Říčan, Musilová, Muška, and Novák () and Říčan, Piálek, Dragová, and Novák () determined homology of pattern and revealed four alternative types of coloration and their ontogeny. In this work, this group posed an “ontogenetic timing hypothesis” proposing heterochronic shifts underlying major transitions in the evolution of the Mesoamerican cichlids. Here, we experimentally test this hypothesis by experimentally altering timing of pigment pattern formation in the convict cichlid Amatitlania nigrofasciata, a member of the Mesoamerican cichlids, via manipulations of thyroid hormone (TH) function. The response of different pigment cell lineages to TH‐perturbations revealed that the transition from larval to juvenile coloration in the convict cichlid is under the control of TH‐signaling. Importantly, hormonally induced changes in the timing of pigment cell lineages’ development resulted in shifts of coloration ontogeny type observed between lineages and led to the appearance of phenotypes mimicking those in phylogenetically close and distant species. Thus, our findings support the hypothesis that simple changes in ontogenetic timing underlies species specific patterns in pigmentation and provide new perspectives for studying the role of endocrine signaling in the evolution of cichlids.
Complex problems need detailed solutions: Harnessing multiple data types to inform genetic management in the wild
Authors: Grueber Catherine E. , Fox Samantha , McLennan Elspeth A. , Gooley Rebecca M. , Pemberton David , Hogg Carolyn J. , Belov Katherine
Published: September 2018

For bottlenecked populations of threatened species, supplementation often leads to improved population metrics (genetic rescue), provided that guidelines can be followed to avoid negative outcomes. In cases where no “ideal” source populations exist, or there are other complicating factors such as prevailing disease, the benefit of supplementation becomes uncertain. Bringing multiple data and analysis types together to plan genetic management activities can help. Here, we consider three populations of Tasmanian devil, Sarcophilus harrisii, as candidates for genetic rescue. Since 1996, devil populations have been severely impacted by devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), causing significant population decline and fragmentation. Like many threatened species, the key threatening process for devils cannot currently be fully mitigated, so species management requires a multifaceted approach. We examined diversity of 31 putatively neutral and 11 MHC‐linked microsatellite loci of three remnant wild devil populations (one sampled at two time‐points), alongside computational diversity projections, parameterized by field data from DFTD‐present and DFTD‐absent sites. Results showed that populations had low diversity, connectivity was poor, and diversity has likely decreased over the last decade. Stochastic simulations projected further diversity losses. For a given population size, the effects of DFTD on population demography (including earlier age at death and increased female productivity) did not impact diversity retention, which was largely driven by final population size. Population sizes ≥500 (depending on the number of founders) were necessary for maintaining diversity in otherwise unmanaged populations, even if DFTD is present. Models indicated that smaller populations could maintain diversity with ongoing immigration. Taken together, our results illustrate how multiple analysis types can be combined to address complex population genetic challenges.
Post‐partum uterine rupture: Standing repair in three mares using a laparoscopic technique
Authors: Diekstall M. , Rohde C. , Rijkenhuizen A. B. M.
Published: September 2018

Three mares underwent diagnostic laparoscopy because of suspicion of post‐partum uterine ruptures. All three horses showed clinical signs of a uterine rupture between 1 and 3 days after parturition and underwent diagnostic laparoscopy. In all cases a full thickness uterine rupture could be detected and was sutured laparoscopically. Availability of suture material and surgeon experience were responsible for the surgical methods chosen for repair. In the first case, a hand‐assisted laparoscopic approach was chosen for suturing the ruptured uterus, whereas in the other cases the approach was entirely laparoscopic. In the second case, extracorporeal knots were used for the repair and in the last case described a barbed loop suture was available for closure of the uterus. Two of three mares were alive for at least 12 months after surgery without any abdominal problems. One of these mares delivered a healthy foal 2 years after surgery. The remaining mare died 3 months after surgery but no necropsy was done. Laparoscopy should be considered for post‐partum mares with signs of peritonitis to access the uterus and repair a rupture if it is accessible. A laparoscopic approach using intracorporeal knots or barbed sutures for the repair of the uterine rupture as well as a hand‐assisted laparoscopic approach are feasible. The use of the barbed suture for intracorporeal closure makes the minimal invasive laparoscopic technique easier to perform.
Effect of oral isotretinoin on the nucleo‐cytoplasmic distribution of FoxO1 and FoxO3 proteins in sebaceous glands of patients with acne vulgaris
Authors: Agamia Naglaa Fathi , Roshdy Osama Hussein , Abdelmaksoud Rania ElSaied , Abdalla Dina Mohamed , Talaat Iman Mamdouh , Zaki Eiman Ibrahim , El Tawdy Amira , Melnik Bodo C.
Published: September 2018

Oral isotretinoin is the most effective anti‐acne drug with the strongest sebum‐suppressive effect caused by sebocyte apoptosis. It has been hypothesized that upregulation of nuclear FoxO transcription factors and p53 mediate isotretinoin‐induced sebocyte apoptosis in vivo. It is the aim of our study to analyse the distribution of the pro‐apoptotic transcription factors FoxO1 and FoxO3 in the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments of human sebocytes in vivo before and during isotretinoin treatment of acne patients. Immunohistochemical analysis of skin biopsies with antibodies distinguishing phosphorylated and non‐phosphorylated human FoxO1 and FoxO3 proteins was performed before isotretinoin treatment, six weeks after initiation of isotretinoin therapy, and in acne‐free control patients not treated with isotretinoin. Our in vivo study demonstrates a significant increase in the nucleo‐cytoplasmic ratio of non‐phosphorylated FoxO1 and FoxO3 during isotretinoin treatment of acne patients. Translational and presented experimental evidence indicates that upregulation of nuclear FoxO1 and FoxO3 proteins is involved in isotretinoin‐induced pro‐apoptotic signalling in sebocytes confirming the scientific hypothesis of isotretinoin‐mediated upregulation of FoxO expression.
A novel de novo mutation p.Ala428Asp in KRT5 gene as a cause of localized epidermolysis bullosa simplex
Authors: Stawczyk‐Macieja Marta , Wertheim‐Tysarowska Katarzyna , Jakubowski Rafał , Szczerkowska‐Dobosz Aneta , Krygier Magdalena , Wilkowska Aleksandra , Sawicka Justyna , Nowak Wiesław , Bal Jerzy , Nowicki Roman
Published: September 2018

Epidermolysis bullosa is a group of inherited blistering skin diseases resulting in most cases from missense mutations in KRT5 and KRT14 genes encoding the basal epidermal keratins 5 and 14. Here, we present a patient diagnosed with a localized subtype of epidermolysis bullosa simplex caused by a heterozygous mutation p.Ala428Asp in the KRT5 gene, that has not been previously identified. Moreover, a bioinformatic analysis of the novel mutation was performed, showing changes in the interaction network between the proteins. Identification of novel mutations and genotype‐phenotype correlations allow to better understanding of underlying pathophysiologic bases and is important for genetic counselling, patients’ management, and disease course prediction.
Something special about CO‐dependent CO2 fixation
Authors: Xavier Joana C. , Preiner Martina , Martin William F.
Published: September 2018

Carbon dioxide enters metabolism via six known CO2 fixation pathways, of which only one is linear, exergonic in the direction of CO2‐assimilation, and present in both bacterial and archaeal anaerobes – the Wood‐Ljungdahl (WL) or reductive acetyl‐CoA pathway. Carbon monoxide (CO) plays a central role in the WL pathway as an energy rich intermediate. Here, we scan the major biochemical reaction databases for reactions involving CO and CO2. We identified 415 reactions corresponding to enzyme commission (EC) numbers involving CO2, which are non‐randomly distributed across different biochemical pathways. Their taxonomic distribution, reversibility under physiological conditions, cofactors and prosthetic groups are summarized. In contrast to CO2, only 15 reaction classes involving CO were detected. Closer inspection reveals that CO interfaces with metabolism and the carbon cycle at only two enzymes: anaerobic carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (CODH), a Ni‐ and Fe‐containing enzyme that generates CO for CO2 fixation in the WL pathway, and aerobic CODH, a Mo‐ and Cu‐containing enzyme that oxidizes environmental CO as an electron source. The CO‐dependent reaction of the WL pathway involves carbonyl insertion into a methyl carbon‐nickel at the Ni‐Fe‐S A‐cluster of acetyl‐CoA synthase (ACS). It appears that no alternative mechanisms to the CO‐dependent reaction of ACS have evolved in nearly 4 billion years, indicating an ancient and mechanistically essential role for CO at the onset of metabolism.
Hours worked of the self‐employed and agglomeration
Authors: Cai Zhengyu
Published: September 2018

This paper investigates the causal effects of agglomeration on hours worked by the self‐employed. Urbanization and localization are instrumented using the minimum distance from the work Public Use Microdata Area centroid to the United States’ coastlines and estimated industry shares in 1930. The 2SLS results demonstrate that urbanization decreases, and localization increases, hours worked of the self‐employed, respectively. These results are mainly from outsourcing and competition, whereas sorting, simultaneity, and agglomeration wage effect are less likely to be influential. Additionally, only small business owners perceive the pressures of competition in localization economies. The young unincorporated self‐employed are more likely to be affected by peer competitors, whereas the elder unincorporated perceive more pressures from large firms.
Non‐job work/unpaid caring: Gendered industrial relations in long‐term care
Authors: Baines Donna , Armstrong Pat
Published: September 2018

This article explores the operation of gender and industrial relations in long‐term care work or nursing home work, ‘from within’ the experience of the predominantly female workforce in seven unionized facilities in Canada. Drawing on qualitative case study data in non‐profit facilities, the article argues that the main industrial relations challenges facing long‐term care workers are that their workplace priorities do not fit within existing, gendered, industrial relations processes and institutions. This article starts from the experience of women and threads this experience through other layers of social organization such as: global and local policy directions including austerity, New Public Management, and social and healthcare funding; industrial relations mechanisms and policy; and workers’ formal [union] and informal efforts to represent their interests in the workplace. The strongest themes in the reported experience of the women include: manufacturing conditions for unpaid work; increasing management and state dependence on unpaid care work; fostering loose boundaries; and limiting respect and autonomy as aspects of care work. The article extends the feminist political economy by analysing the links between the policies noted above and frontline care work. Building on gendered organizational theory the article also introduces the concept of non‐job work and suggests a fourth industrial relations institution, namely the needs and gendered expectations of residents, families and workers themselves, operating within the liminal spaces in care work.
Neoliberal feminism: The neoliberal rhetoric on feminism by Australian political actors
Authors: Colley Linda , White Catherine
Published: September 2018

Feminism seems to be experiencing a resurgence. This research examines an Australian case where this resurgence produces some bizarre outcomes and an uncomfortable mix of moderate and neoliberal feminisms, as conservative women distance themselves from the term feminist and conservative men embrace it. We rhetorically analyse the discourse of four conservative leaders using an ideographic analysis to reveal how political actors evoke ideologically laden terminology to support specific courses of action. For the conservative women, the ideograph feminist was too heavily laden with history. A more feminine‐liberal political discourse allowed them to explain their own success in individual terms and, by substituting support for feminism with a broader gender equality agenda, they could explain the government's policy approach of individualized rather than collective or state support to advance the needs of women. They are articulating a postfeminism sensibility themselves and neoliberal feminist other. For the conservative men, the ideograph feminist did not reflect on their own personal success or careers; they were happy to embrace it for purely political purposes to advance their standing with the voting public and saw no significance in terms of the government's policy approach of neoliberal feminism.
History and Review of anti‐Calcitonin Gene‐Related Peptide (CGRP) Therapies: From Translational Research to Treatment
Authors: Tepper Stewart J.
Published: September 2018

Objective – To briefly describe the history of and available data on anti‐calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP) therapies for headache.

Background – CGRP was proposed as a target for primary headache therapies. Translational research involved moving from delineating the relationships between CGRP and primary headaches and the clinical development of anti‐CGRP treatments. The first anti‐CGRP treatment, an intravenous CGRP‐receptor antagonist or gepant, olcegepant, was described as effective in terminating migraines in humans in 2004.

Methods – The author briefly reviews some of the pathophysiology and translational research that led to the development of the gepants initially and then subsequently to the anti‐CGRP and anti‐CGRP receptor monoclonal antibodies. All accessible randomized controlled trials, abstracts, platform presentations, and press releases on the monoclonal antibody trials are summarized. The trajectory from bench research to the approval of the first anti‐CGRP receptor monoclonal antibody for clinical use in migraine prevention, erenumab, is discussed, as well as potential clinical uses of the anti‐CGRP treatments.

Results – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved erenumab, an anti‐CGRP receptor monoclonal antibody, for prevention of migraine May 17, 2018. At the time of this writing (May 2018), 2 other anti‐CGRP monoclonal antibodies have been submitted to the FDA for the indication of prevention of migraine, galcanezumab and fremanezumab. Galcanezumab has reportedly shown effectiveness in preventing episodic cluster headache as well, although has not yet been submitted to the FDA for this indication. Eptinezumab will likely be submitted to the FDA for prevention of migraine later in 2018. Two gepants, ubrogepant and rimegepant, have completed positive pivotal trials for acute treatment of migraine, but have not yet been submitted to the FDA for this indication.

Conclusions – The development of anti‐CGRP therapies opens a new era in the acute and preventive treatment of primary headache disorders.
Short‐term responses of darkling beetles (Coleoptera:Tenebrionidae) to the effects of fire and grazing in savannah rangeland
Authors: Reinhard Johanna E. , Geissler Katja , Blaum Niels
Published: September 2018

Fire and grazing shape biodiversity in savannah landscapes. In land use management, knowing the effects of fire and grazing on biodiversity are important in order to ensure environmental sustainability. Beetles specifically are indicators of the biodiversity response to fire and grazing.

A grazing exclusion and burning experiment in a split‐plot design was used in order to investigate the interacting effects of fire and wildlife grazing on biomass, diversity, and species composition of darkling beetles (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) over time after fire.

Darkling beetle species richness and diversity were responding in a three‐way‐interaction to fire, grazing, and time after fire, whereby biomass of darkling beetles remained unaffected and species compositional changes were attributed to seasonal changes of time only. Fire on ungrazed plots had a negative effect on species diversity and richness 2 weeks and 6 months post fire, whereas fire on grazed plots had no impact on species diversity and richness. Grazing only lowered species diversity and richness 6 months after fire treatments.

Results suggest that grazing overrides the effects of fire and that the similar effects caused by fire and grazing are due to niche and assemblage simplification of the habitat.
MARKET ECONOMIES WITH AN ENDOGENOUS SOCIAL DIVISION OF LABOR
Authors: Gilles Robert P.
Published: September 2018

I consider a general equilibrium model of a competitive market economy in which production is conducted through an endogenous social division of labor. I represent economic decision makers as “consumer–producers,” who consume as well as produce commodities. In this approach, the emergence of a nontrivial social division of labor is guided by Increasing Returns to Specialization (IRSpec) in production. Under IRSpec, I show existence of competitive equilibria, the two fundamental theorems of welfare economics, and characterize these equilibria. Markets equilibrate through the adjustment of the social division of labor; the production technologies completely determine the equilibrium prices.
BEAUTY PREMIUM AND MARRIAGE PREMIUM IN SEARCH EQUILIBRIUM: THEORY AND EMPIRICAL TEST
Authors: Bonilla Roberto , Kiraly Francis , Wildman John
Published: September 2018

We propose a theoretical explanation for the so‐called beauty premium. Our approach relies entirely on search frictions and the fact that physical appearance plays an important role in attracting a marriage partner. We analyze the interaction between frictional labor and marriage markets, making use of what we label constrained job search. The optimal strategy entails different reservation wages for different men, and we establish the existence of a search equilibrium characterized by a beauty premium and/or marriage premium. Predicted profiles of premia allow for potential falsification tests and point to relevant empirical evidence in support of our theory.
LEARNING AND LIFE CYCLE PATTERNS OF OCCUPATIONAL TRANSITIONS
Authors: Gorry Aspen , Gorry Devon , Trachter Nicholas
Published: September 2018

Individuals experience frequent occupational switches during their lifetime, and initial worker characteristics are predictive of future patterns of occupational switching. We construct a quantitative model of occupational choices with worker learning and occupation‐specific productivity shocks to match life cycle patterns of occupational transitions and quantify the value of occupational mobility and learning. For the average 18‐year‐old worker, the value of being able to switch occupations is about 67 months of the maximum wage he or she could earn in the model, and the value of a worker learning his or her type is about 32 months of this maximum wage.
LIQUIDITY, MONETARY POLICY, AND UNEMPLOYMENT: A NEW MONETARIST APPROACH
Authors: Dong Mei , Xiao Sylvia Xiaolin
Published: September 2018

We discover a consumption channel of monetary policy in a model with money and government bonds. When the central bank withdraws government bonds (short‐term or long‐term) through open market operations, it lowers returns on bonds. The lower return has a direct negative impact on consumption by households that hold bonds and an indirect negative impact on consumption by households that hold money. As a result, firms earn less profits from production, which leads to higher unemployment. The existence of such a consumption channel can help us understand the effects of unconventional monetary policy.
The effect of temperature and moderate electric field pre‐treatment on carotenoid extraction from Heterochlorella luteoviridis
Authors: Jaeschke Débora Pez , Merlo Eduardo Antônio , Mercali Giovana Domeneghini , Rech Rosane , Marczak Ligia Damasceno Ferreira
Published: September 2018

Moderate electric field (MEF) was evaluated as a pre‐treatment (0–180 V) to carotenoid extraction at four different temperatures (30, 40, 50 and 60 °C) followed by a extraction step using ethanol/water as solvent (75% of ethanol, v/v). During the extraction step, samples were collected at 1, 5, 30, 40 and 50 min. Results showed that MEF allowed higher carotenoid concentration at the beginning of the extraction step at 30, 40 and 50 °C, leading to better extraction results along the extraction time. A different behaviour was observed at 60 °C probably due to the thermal effects on the cell and to carotenoids thermal degradation. The highest extraction yield, 86% of the total carotenoid content (compared to exhaustive extraction), was achieved at both 40 and 50 °C with the MEF pre‐treatment, indicating that a high extraction yield can be obtained even at relatively low temperatures (40 °C).
Food or money? Children's brains respond differently to rewards regardless of weight status
Authors: Adise S. , Geier C. F. , Roberts N. J. , White C. N. , Keller K. L.
Published: September 2018

Background

Brain responses to both food and monetary rewards have been linked to weight gain and obesity in adults, suggesting that general sensitivity to reward contributes to overeating. However, the relationship between brain reward response and body weight in children is unclear.

Objective

The objective of this study was to assess the brain's response to multiple rewards and the relationship to body weight in children.

Methods

We tested this by performing functional magnetic resonance imaging while children (7‐ to 11‐years‐old; healthy weight [n = 31], overweight/obese [n = 30]) played a modified card‐guessing task to assess blood‐oxygen‐level‐dependent (BOLD) response to anticipating and winning food and money rewards. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data were analysed using a region of interest and exploratory whole‐brain approach.

Results

Region of interest results demonstrated increased BOLD response in the striatum to anticipating food vs. neutral (control) and winning money vs. neutral. Whole‐brain data showed that winning money vs. food was associated with increased activation in the striatum, as well as regions associated with cognitive control and emotion. Notably, for both approaches, these effects were independent of child weight status. Additionally, children's reported food responsiveness and emotional overeating were negatively correlated with the BOLD response in the left cingulate gyrus for winning food vs. money.

Conclusion

Overall, findings from this study show that regions associated with reward, cognitive control and emotion may play a role in the brain's response to food and money rewards, independently of how much the child weighs. These findings provide insight into reward sensitivity in children, which may have implications for understanding overeating and the development of obesity.
IL‐25 protects against high‐fat diet‐induced hepatic steatosis in mice by inducing IL‐25 and M2a macrophage production
Authors: Zheng Xue‐Lian , Wu Jian‐Ping , Gong Yue , Hong Jun‐Bo , Xiao Hai‐Ying , Zhong Jia‐Wei , Xie Bo , Li Bi‐Min , Guo Gui‐Hai , Zhu Xuan , Wang An‐Jiang
Published: September 2018

Interleukin (IL)‐25 is a cytokine that has previously been shown to have a protective role against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is associated with the induction of M2 macrophage differentiation. However, the direct relationships between IL‐25 expression regulation, M2 induction and NAFLD remain unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that IL‐25 promotes hepatic macrophage differentiation into M2a macrophages both in vivo and in vitro via the IL‐13/STAT6 pathway. M2 macrophages that were differentiated in vitro were able to ameliorate high‐fat diet HFD‐induced hepatic steatosis. Furthermore, we found that IL‐25 treatment, both in vitro and in vivo, promotes direct binding of STAT6 to the IL‐25 gene promoter region. This binding of STAT6 in response to IL‐25 treatment also resulted in the increase of IL‐25 expression in hepatocytes. Together, these findings identify IL‐25 as a protective factor against HFD‐induced hepatic steatosis by inducing an increase of IL‐25 expression in hepatocytes and through promotion of M2a macrophage production.
Prevalence and nature of lung function abnormalities among Indigenous Australians referred to specialist respiratory outreach clinics in the Northern Territory
Authors: Schubert Jonathon , Kruavit Anuk , Mehra Sumit , Wasgewatta Sanjiwika , Chang Anne B. , Heraganahally Subash S.
Published: September 2018

Background

Poor lung function is a predictor of future all‐cause mortality. In Australia, respiratory diseases are particularly prevalent among the indigenous population, especially in remote communities. However, there are little published pulmonary function tests’ (PFT) data of remote‐based adult indigenous patients.

Aim

To evaluate the severity of airflow obstruction and other PFT abnormalities of adults referred to specialist respiratory clinics in remote indigenous communities.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of PFT (pre‐ and post‐bronchodilator spirometry, total lung capacity (TLC) and diffusing capacity to carbon monoxide (DLCO)) of indigenous patients collected during specialist respiratory clinics in remote Northern Territory (NT) indigenous communities (Australia) between 2013 and 2015. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III without ethnic correction was used as the reference.

Results

Of the 357 patients, 150 had acceptable spirometry, and 71 had acceptable DLCO and TLC studies. Despite the relatively young age (mean = 49 years, SD = 12.9), their lung function was generally low; mean % predicted values were FEV1 = 55% (SD = 20.5%), FVC = 61% (SD = 15.6%), DLCO = 64.0% (SD = 19.7%) and TLC = 70.1% (SD = 18.2%). Mean FEV1/FVC ratio was preserved (0.71, SD = 0.16). Post‐bronchodilator airflow obstruction (FEV1/FVC < 0.7) was observed in 37% of patients, where a large proportion (67%) demonstrated at least a severe airflow obstruction, with a mean FEV1 of 41% predicted.

Conclusion

In this first study of PFT findings of indigenous adults from a remote‐based clinical service, we found a high rate of at least moderate airflow limitation and low FVC along with preserved FEV1/FVC ratio. Increased awareness and screening for reduced lung function needs to be considered in this population.
Nurses’ perceived spiritual climate of a hospital in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Cruz J.P. , Alquwez N. , Albaqawi H.M. , Alharbi S.M. , Moreno‐Lacalle R.C.
Published: September 2018

Aim

This study investigated the spiritual climate of a hospital in Saudi Arabia as perceived by nurses.

Background

A spiritually conducive environment improves patient, nurse and organizational outcomes. Despite being important, no studies have investigated this area in the Muslim‐dominated Middle Eastern countries.

Introduction

A snapshot on the degree of spiritual climate perception may provide insight into the aspects that may need improvement and may become basis for the creation of health and nursing policies directed towards creating a spiritually‐accepting and respecting clinical workplace.

Method

A sample of 219 nurses employed in a 500‐bed capacity hospital in Saudi Arabia was included in this cross‐sectional study utilizing the spiritual climate scale.

Results

The nurses perceived their hospital's spiritual climate to be fair. The item ‘I am encouraged to express spirituality in this clinical area’ received the lowest mean, whereas the item ‘My spiritual views are respected in this clinical area’ received the highest mean. Being Saudi, having less total experience as a nurse, and having greater total experience as a nurse in Saudi Arabia and in the present hospital positively influenced the perception of the spiritual climate among nurses.

Conclusion

The findings stress the need to improve the spiritual climate in the hospital.

Implications for nursing and nursing policy

Hospitals are recommended to create policies to implement interventions geared towards creating a spiritually‐friendly environment. Hospitals are encouraged to create a safe place where nurses can freely express their spirituality regardless of preference or religious denomination. Spiritual education may be provided by hospitals as part of continuing education. Managers may also focus on the existential spirituality of nurses, especially for spiritually‐sensitive environments such as Saudi Arabia.
The direct cost of pressure injuries in an Australian residential aged care setting
Authors: Wilson Lauren , Kapp Suzanne , Santamaria Nick
Published: September 2018

Pressure injuries have a negative effect on well‐being and the cost of treatment places a significant burden on the health care system. Research has, however, tended to extrapolate or estimate the cost of pressure injuries resulting in uncertainty regarding the true cost of this condition. The aim of this prospective observational study was to quantify the cost of pressure injury treatment in the Australian residential aged care setting. An electronic health care record audit and observation of usual pressure injury treatment was undertaken with a sample of 20 participants who had 23 pressure injuries. The actual treatment cost, an evidence‐based practice model cost, and a projected treatment cost were calculated. The overall cost of pressure injury treatment was AU$98,489.22. The average daily cost by pressure injury stage was AU$26.42 for a Stage 1 pressure injury, AU$37.17 for a Stage 2 pressure injury, AU$30.01 for a Stage 3 pressure injury, and AU$10.22 for an Unstageable pressure injury. The projected cost of treatment was AU$104,510.41. At 42 days this cost extended to AU$116,552.79. This study has quantified the cost of pressure injury treatment in a residential aged care setting. The study may inform future efforts to accurately calculate the cost of PIs and the effectiveness of strategies to reduce the economic burden of this condition.
Epidemiological study of burn patients hospitalised at a burns centre, Manipal
Authors: Honnegowda Thittamaranahalli Muguregowda , Kumar Pramod , Udupa Padmanabha , Rao Pragna
Published: September 2018

Burn injuries constitute a major public health problem and account for a significant cause of mortality and morbidity amongst the Indian population. This 2‐year prospective study was undertaken to find out the exact epidemiological determinants of 737 patients admitted with burn injuries and, thus, to try and formulate effective preventive strategies. This study was conducted in the department of plastic surgery and burns from September 2011 to June 2013. All consecutive patients with major burns admitted for in‐hospital treatment during the study period were included in the study. The data collected included age, gender, cause and mode of burns, total burn surface area (TBSA), microbiological profile and outcome. More than 55% of the patients were female (58.61%). The mean age was 31.3 years ranging from 8 months to 89 years. A higher number of females (97.5%) sustained burn injuries at home compared with 36.11% males sustaining injuries outdoors. (P = 0.000). Almost one third of injuries (40.36%) occurred between 4 pm and 8 pm, followed by 28% between 7 am and 12 noon. Synthetic garments were worn by 70% of females at the time of injury, whereas 40% of males had worn mixed clothing (P = 0.000). Flame injuries contributed to 80.1% of burns in females (P = 0.006). The rate of electrical injuries (9.8%) was significantly higher in males (P = 0.005). In almost 40% of males, TBSA was <19%, whereas in 40% of females, TBSA was >68%. (P = 0.004). Microbial profile showed that pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 260; 35.3%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 209; 28.5%), and Escherichia coli (n = 145; 22.6%) were the most frequent types of Staphylococci bacterial growths. The cause for burn injury was ignition of clothes in 68.74% females, and in 35.48% males, it was because of an attempt to save other burn injury victims (P = 0.013) The case fatality rate was 29.3%. A majority of the males (60.7%) recovered, whereas 45.89% of females succumbed because of their burn injury. (P = 0.001). As the aetiological factors of burn injuries vary considerably in different communities, careful study of the pattern in every community is needed before a sound prevention programme can be planned and implemented. Hence, this study was conducted to assess epidemiological, modes, causes, and risk factors and the microbial profile of burn injuries and to study the outcomes.
SiO2‐improved stability of Mn‐doped CsPbBr0.5I2.5NC and their application for white LED
Authors: He Meiling , Liu Shengnan , Ding Ling , Zhang Zelong , Liu Jianping , Xiang Weidong , Liang Xiaojuan
Published: September 2018

We successfully synthesized Mn‐doped CsPbBr0.5I2.5 nanocrystals (NCs) using a traditional hot injection method. The Mn‐doped CsPbBr0.5I2.5 NCs have very good luminescence propertie. Unfortunately, they can only be dissolved in nonpolar solvents, and they suffer from the effect of air instability, thermal instability, and water instability. In this study, we used mesoporous SiO2 and Al2O3 coatings to improve the air stability and water stability of these nanocrystals, inhibit the loss of Mn2+. The prepared composite material not only maintains the excellent optical properties of the NCs, but also the most important is to significantly improve the stability of the NCs. Importantly, Mn‐doped CsPbBr0.5I2.5 NCs can also be used as a red fluorescent material, with green CsPbBr3 NC glass‐emitting white LED under the excitation of an InGaN blue chip.
Effect of Al2O3 on the formation of color centers and CdSe/Cd1−xZnxSe quantum dots in SiO2–Na2O–ZnO glasses
Authors: Xia Mengling , Liu Chao , Xu Yinsheng , Zhao Xiujian
Published: September 2018

color centers and CdSe/Cd1−xZnxSe quantum dots (QDs) were formed in silicate glasses, respectively, by carefully adjusting the content of Al2O3. The absorption coefficient and broad visible emission at 400‐700 nm of color centers increased firstly and then decreased upon increasing concentration of Al2O3 from 0 to 5 mol. %. With 2 mol. % Al2O3 adding, the band edge emission centered at 497 nm from CdSe QDs in glasses was observed after heat treatment. Raman spectra and TEM characterization confirmed the formation of CdSe/Cd1−xZnxSe QDs. The small amount addition of Al2O3 had a significant effect on the formation of color centers and precipitation of CdSe/Cd1−xZnxSe QDs in glasses due to its complicated effect on the network structure and optical basicity of the glasses.
Melatonin as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of periodontitis associated with obesity
Authors: Virto Leire , Cano Pilar , Jiménez‐Ortega Vanesa , Fernández‐Mateos Pilar , González Jerián , Haugen Håvard J. , Esquifino Ana Isabel , Sanz Mariano
Published: September 2018

Aims

To study the effect of adjunctive systemic administration of melatonin to standard mechanical periodontal therapy in obese rats with experimental periodontitis.

Materials and methods

In 42 Wistar rats with an initial body weight of 180 g., half (n = 21) were fed with a high‐fat diet to induce obesity. In both obese and normal‐weight groups, experimental periodontitis was subsequently induced through oral gavages with a combination of Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum. Both groups were randomly allocated to either no treatment or periodontal treatment consisting on standard mechanical debridement, with either adjunctive chlorhexidine or melatonin. Outcomes were evaluated by the changes in clinical parameters (probing depth modified gingival index, plaque dental index and bleeding on probing [BOP]), in bone resorption and in the levels of biomarkers in plasma and in gingival tissue (inflammatory cytokines, insulin, leptin, osteocalcin, osteopontin, plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1, intercellular adhesion molecule 1, E‐selectin and lipids).

Results

In the obese‐periodontitis group, adjunctive melatonin administration resulted in reduced gingival inflammation and BOP, with significant reductions in probing depth and enhanced bone repair demonstrated by micro‐CT (15% reduction in alveolar bone destruction) when compared with the same group treated with adjunctive CHX or the normal‐weight rats with either melatonin or CHX. In this melatonin‐treated obese‐periodontitis group, a significant impact on biochemical biomarkers was also demonstrated in both gingival and plasma samples, when compared with the other groups, with significant reductions in pro‐inflammatory cytokines.

Conclusions

Adjunctive melatonin therapy significantly reduced alveolar bone loss and exerted a protective anti‐inflammatory effect mainly in those experimental animals affected by the co‐morbidity of periodontitis and obesity.