bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The wider economic impacts of high-skilled migrants: a survey of the literature for receiving countries
Authors: Nathan Max
Published: February 2014

In recent years, the economics of migration literature has shown a substantial growth in papers exploring host country impacts beyond the labour market. Specifically, researchers have begun to shift their attention from labour market and fiscal changes, towards exploring what we might call ‘the wider effects of migration’ on the production and consumption sides of the economy – and the role of high-skilled migrants in these processes. This paper surveys the emerging ‘wider impacts’ literature, including studies from the US, European and other countries. It sets out some simple, non-technical frameworks, discusses the empirical findings and identifies avenues for future research.

JEL codes

G23; G24; J15; J61; L5; L26; M12; M13; O31; O32; R11
Histone deacetylase 6 inhibition improves memory and reduces total tau levels in a mouse model of tau deposition
Authors: Selenica Maj-Linda , Benner Leif , Housley Steven B , Manchec Barbara , Lee Daniel C , Nash Kevin R , Kalin Jay , Bergman Joel A , Kozikowski Alan , Gordon Marcia N , Morgan Dave
Published: February 2014

Introduction

Tau pathology is associated with a number of age-related neurodegenerative disorders. Few treatments have been demonstrated to diminish the impact of tau pathology in mouse models and none are yet effective in humans. Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) is an enzyme that removes acetyl groups from cytoplasmic proteins, rather than nuclear histones. Its substrates include tubulin, heat shock protein 90 and cortactin. Tubastatin A is a selective inhibitor of HDAC6. Modification of tau pathology by specific inhibition of HDAC6 presents a potential therapeutic approach in tauopathy.

Methods

We treated rTg4510 mouse models of tau deposition and non-transgenic mice with tubastatin (25 mg/kg) or saline (0.9%) from 5 to 7 months of age. Cognitive behavior analysis, histology and biochemical analysis were applied to access the effect of tubastatin on memory, tau pathology and neurodegeneration (hippocampal volume).

Results

We present data showing that tubastatin restored memory function in rTg4510 mice and reversed a hyperactivity phenotype. We further found that tubastatin reduced the levels of total tau, both histologically and by western analysis. Reduction in total tau levels was positively correlated with memory improvement in these mice. However, there was no impact on phosphorylated forms of tau, either by histology or western analysis, nor was there an impact on silver positive inclusions histologically.

Conclusion

Potential mechanisms by which HDAC6 inhibitors might benefit the rTg4510 mouse include stabilization of microtubules secondary to increased tubulin acetylation, increased degradation of tau secondary to increased acetylation of HSP90 or both. These data support the use of HDAC6 inhibitors as potential therapeutic agents against tau pathology.
Early mobilization of patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Abrams Darryl , Javidfar Jeffrey , Farrand Erica , Mongero Linda B , Agerstrand Cara L , Ryan Patrick , Zemmel David , Galuskin Keri , Morrone Theresa M , Boerem Paul , Bacchetta Matthew , Brodie Daniel
Published: February 2014

Introduction

Critical illness is a well-recognized cause of neuromuscular weakness and impaired physical functioning. Physical therapy (PT) has been demonstrated to be safe and effective for critically ill patients. The impact of such an intervention on patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has not been well characterized. We describe the feasibility and impact of active PT on ECMO patients.

Methods

We performed a retrospective cohort study of 100 consecutive patients receiving ECMO in the medical intensive care unit of a university hospital.

Results

Of the 100 patients receiving ECMO, 35 (35%) participated in active PT; 19 as bridge to transplant and 16 as bridge to recovery. Duration of ECMO was 14.3 ± 10.9 days. Patients received 7.2 ± 6.5 PT sessions while on ECMO. During PT sessions, 18 patients (51%) ambulated (median distance 175 feet, range 4 to 2,800) and 9 patients were on vasopressors. Whilst receiving ECMO, 23 patients were liberated from invasive mechanical ventilation. Of the 16 bridge to recovery patients, 14 (88%) survived to discharge; 10 bridge to transplant patients (53%) survived to transplantation, with 9 (90%) surviving to discharge. Of the 23 survivors, 13 (57%) went directly home, 8 (35%) went to acute rehabilitation, and 2 (9%) went to subacute rehabilitation. There were no PT-related complications.

Conclusions

Active PT, including ambulation, can be achieved safely and reliably in ECMO patients when an experienced, multidisciplinary team is utilized. More research is needed to define the barriers to PT and the impact on survival and long-term functional, neurocognitive outcomes in this population.
Do men perform better than women in trauma?
Authors: Hernández-Tejedor Alberto , García-Fuentes Carlos , Alted-López Emilio
Published: February 2014

In recent decades, numerous studies have compared survival according to gender of patients admitted to general hospitals and particularly to intensive care units. In a previous issue of Critical Care, Schoeneberg and colleagues presented the results of a German observational study on a sample from a 10 year registry in a Level 1 trauma center. The conclusion is that there is a trend towards a higher mortality in women than in men.
Genome-wide discovery and characterization of maize long non-coding RNAs
Authors: Li Lin , Eichten Steven R , Shimizu Rena , Petsch Katherine , Yeh Cheng-Ting , Wu Wei , Chettoor Antony M , Givan Scott A , Cole Rex A , Fowler John E , Evans Matthew M S , Scanlon Michael J , Yu Jianming , Schnable Patrick S , Timmermans Marja C P , Springer Nathan M , Muehlbauer Gary J
Published: February 2014

Background

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcripts that are 200 bp or longer, do not encode proteins, and potentially play important roles in eukaryotic gene regulation. However, the number, characteristics and expression inheritance pattern of lncRNAs in maize are still largely unknown.

Results

By exploiting available public EST databases, maize whole genome sequence annotation and RNA-seq datasets from 30 different experiments, we identified 20,163 putative lncRNAs. Of these lncRNAs, more than 90% are predicted to be the precursors of small RNAs, while 1,704 are considered to be high-confidence lncRNAs. High confidence lncRNAs have an average transcript length of 463 bp and genes encoding them contain fewer exons than annotated genes. By analyzing the expression pattern of these lncRNAs in 13 distinct tissues and 105 maize recombinant inbred lines, we show that more than 50% of the high confidence lncRNAs are expressed in a tissue-specific manner, a result that is supported by epigenetic marks. Intriguingly, the inheritance of lncRNA expression patterns in 105 recombinant inbred lines reveals apparent transgressive segregation, and maize lncRNAs are less affected by cis- than by trans-genetic factors.

Conclusions

We integrate all available transcriptomic datasets to identify a comprehensive set of maize lncRNAs, provide a unique annotation resource of the maize genome and a genome-wide characterization of maize lncRNAs, and explore the genetic control of their expression using expression quantitative trait locus mapping.
Bernard Lazare: Du Franco-Judaïsme Au Prophétisme Romantique
Authors: Debrauwere-Miller Nathalie
Published: February 2014

Bernard Lazare est une figure historique dont le nom évoque avant tout la cause dreyfusarde. Et pourtant, pendant l’Affaire Dreyfus (1894-1906), bien qu’il se lance à corps perdu en faveur du capitaine Dreyfus au nom de son identité juive, il est délaissé par la judaïcité française. Certains intellectuels de son temps, tels Charles Péguy, tentent de lui rendre hommage, mais il faut attendre les écrits d’Hannah Arendt pour que soit reconnue à sa juste valeur sa conception de la judéité et son implication politique. Dans cet essai, il s’agira donc d’étudier cette figure insolite qui passa de l’assimilation au nationalisme juif, en analysant précisément sa francité choyée, son rapport à la judaïcité avant et après l’Affaire Dreyfus, son rejet du franco-judaïsme après y avoir adhéré, sa judéité perdue puis reconquise, et son sionisme idéalisé par sa mission prophétique. L’itinéraire juif de Lazare se révèle bien singulier et, néanmoins, propre au contexte historique de la France de la fin-de-siècle. Car son parcours complexe représente le paradoxe de la république française où l’identité nationale est prise simultanément entre l’universalisme républicain et le particularisme identitaire.

Bernard Lazare is a historical figure remembered mainly as a “Dreyfusard,” yet he was a complex figure who was unheralded by the French Jewish community during his life-time. Though he was acknowledged by some notable intellectuals (such as Charles Péguy), it was only later thanks to Hannah Arendt that his conception of Jewish identity and its political implications would become widely recognized. At first Lazare was a partisan of the Franco-Judaism theory but later founded a French Jewish nationalism movement in opposition to Theodor Herzl. This essay recapitulates the complexity of this historical figure who embodies the paradoxes of French Jewish identity (between particularism and universalism) in the context of the Third Republic of late nineteenth-century France. It also explores how Lazare became a utopian nationalist. In so doing, it analyzes his so-called metamorphosis during the Dreyfus affair (1894-1906), his idealized Zionism, and his romantic prophetism that, according to Charles Péguy, place him among the most important Jewish figures of his time.
A Lieu D’histoire, a Lieu de Mémoire, and a Lieu de Vie: The Multidirectional Potential of the Cité De La Muette
Authors: Hansen Alise
Published: February 2014

An innovative social housing project located in the banlieue of Drancy and rooted in the garden city tradition and modernism, the Cité de la Muette constitutes a significant landmark in the history of early twentieth-century urban planning and architecture. As a former internment camp and deportation center, it is also an important site of Holocaust memory. Simultaneously, the cité is a place where some five hundred residents currently live. Drawing on Michael Rothberg’s concept of multidirectional memory, this article brings together intertwined stories of architecture, atrocity, and everyday life to paint a more nuanced picture of the Cité de la Muette’s past and present. After exploring the cité’s threefold identity as a lieu d’histoire, a lieu de mémoire, and a lieu de vie, I ask whether this place can accommodate multiple narratives and foster dialogue between difficult histories that carry critical social and political implications for the present and future.

Un ensemble de logements sociaux situé dans la banlieue de Drancy qui trouve ses racines dans la cité-jardin et le modernisme, la Cité de la Muette est une étape significative dans l’histoire de l’urbanisme et de l’architecture du XXe siècle. En tant qu’ancien camp d’internement et de déportation, c’est aussi un lieu important de la mémoire de la Shoah. En même temps, la cité est un lieu où habitent de nos jours presque cinq cents gens. S’inspirant du concept de « multidirectional memory » élaboré par Michael Rothberg, cet article rassemble les histoires entremêlées de l’architecture, de l’atrocité, et de la vie quotidienne afin de créer une image plus nuancée de la Cité de la Muette, du passé comme du présent. Après avoir étudié l’identité triple de la cité comme un lieu d’histoire, un lieu de mémoire, et un lieu de vie, j’examine si cet endroit peut accueillir les histoires multiples et encourager un dialogue entre celles, difficiles, qui possèdent des implications sociales et politiques pour le présent et l’avenir.
Finite Winding (H2O)12 Chain Stabilized by One-Dimensional Coordination Polymer
Authors: Noro Shin-ichiro , Hasegawa Kei , Kubo Kazuya , Nakamura Takayoshi
Published: February 2014

The one-dimensional Zn(II) coordination polymer, {[Zn2(chdc)2(mepy)4]·6H2O}n (1⊃6H2O, chdc: trans-1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate and mepy: 4-methylpyridine), stabilized unique water aggregate, finite winding (H2O)12 chains.
Evolving Risk Perceptions About Near-Miss Terrorist Events
Authors: Dillon Robin L. , Tinsley Catherine H. , Burns William J.
Published: February 2014

After disasters such as the attacks of September 11, 2001, the public experiences a heightened response that naturally returns to some lower level of concern. We demonstrate that this pattern of heightened response followed by a decline as time passes also occurs for terrorist events that are near misses. Data from a field study and two experimental lab studies show that people's perceptions of the risk of similar category events and their perception that the near-miss attempt was close to being a successful terrorist attack decline over time. Moreover, the decline in the perception of how close the near miss was to being a successful terrorist attack partially explains the decline in the perception of the risk of future similar category events. We also show that the perceived risk for terrorism in general decays more slowly than for a specific category event, and is reactivated by additional terrorist attempts. Finally, we show that people rely on reference points to provide the context for near-miss terrorism events, and without reference points assessing perceptions of risk and perceptions of how close an event was to having a truly bad outcome are difficult. The reliance on reference points for context can result in different people evaluating the same event differently depending on that person's information about prior terrorist attempts. Our contributions provide guidance to organizations such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for encouraging stakeholders to make rational decisions on the basis of the nature, scale, and scope of the attack that balance recovery with continued vigilance. We also provide information to other intelligence agencies who need to consider their own individuals' personal biases that may arise when repeatedly examining terrorist near misses.
Augmenting Ordinal Methods of Attribute Weight Approximation
Authors: Danielson Mats , Ekenberg Love , He Ying
Published: February 2014

Multicriteria decision aid (MCDA) methods have been around for quite some time. However, the elicitation of preference information in MCDA processes and the lack of supporting practical means are problematic in real-life applications. Various proposals have been made for how to eliminate some of the obstacles and methods for introducing so-called surrogate weights have proliferated in the form of ordinal ranking methods for criteria weights. Considering the decision quality, one main problem is that the input information allowed in ordinal methods is sometimes too restricted. At the same time, decision makers often possess more background information, for example, regarding the relative strengths of the criteria, and might want to use that. We propose combined methods for facilitating the elicitation process and show how this provides a way to use partial information from the strength of preference judgment over weights in assessing weights for multiattribute utility functions.
Cast Aside: Boredom, Downward Mobility, and Homelessness in Post-Communist Bucharest
Authors: O'Neill Bruce
Published: February 2014

The homeless, in post-Communist Bucharest, Romania, are bored. They describe themselves as bored all of the time. Drawing upon nearly three years of ethnographic fieldwork that moves between Bucharest’s homeless shelters and squatter camps, day centers and public parks, this article approaches the homeless’s boredom as an everyday affect structured by the politics of consumption in post-communist Bucharest. At the center of this study sits not simply the inability to consume but also the feeling of being cast aside, of being downwardly mobile in a neoliberal era of supposed ascent. In an increasingly consumer-driven society, boredom, I argue, is an affective state that registers within the modality of time the newly homeless’s expulsion to the margins of the city. In this sense, boredom is a persistent form of social suffering made possible by a crisis-generated shift in the global economy, one that has forced tens of millions of people the world over to come to terms with diminished economic capacities.
The Precarious Present: Wageless Labor and Disrupted Life in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Authors: Millar Kathleen M.
Published: February 2014

This article explores the relationship between precarity as a labor condition and precarity as an ontological experience in the lives of urban poor in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The focus is on a garbage dump on the outskirts of the city where thousands of Rio’s poor, known as catadores, reclaim recyclables for a living. Attending to cyclic moments in which these workers leave the dump for other jobs and then return, I explore how everyday emergencies in Rio’s periphery often clash with the rigid conditions of regular, wage-labor employment. These comings and goings of catadores result from a tension between the desire for “real” work and the desire for what I describe as relational autonomy, made possible by the conditions of wageless work. The article considers how specific histories and experiences of capitalism in the global South differentially shape the articulation of precarious labor with precarious life. I conclude by suggesting that the returns of catadores to the dump do not signal an end for Rio’s poor, but rather constitute a politics of detachment that enables life to be lived in fragile times.
A Note on Income Effects and Health Care Cost Growth in Medicare
Authors: McGuire Thomas G.
Published: February 2014

This paper sets out a model of technical change and health care cost growth for a representative Medicare beneficiary facing a budget constraint. Derivation of an explicit expression for health care cost growth shows how technological change and preferences, including income effects, affect cost growth. The analysis highlights the role of the 76% subsidy from current taxpayers to Medicare beneficiaries for purchase of health insurance. This subsidy insulates beneficiaries from the income effects of cost growth by shifting the costs and income effects to taxpayers. Simulations show that over the next 10–20 years, income effects will have little effect on cost growth in Medicare.
Humanitäre Intervention und internationale Gerichtsbarkeit – Verflechtung militärischer und juristischer Implementierungsmaßnahmen zu Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts
Authors: Klose Fabian
Published: February 2014

The origins of the phenomena of international jurisdiction and humanitarian intervention can already be found in the beginning of the nineteenth century. The article combines both topics and shows that these two concepts are directly related to one another. Beginning with the international ban of the slave trade in 1815 the analysis focuses on the corresponding implementation machinery created under the leadership of Great Britain. This machinery consisted of a hitherto unique combination of military and juridical measures which were directly dependent on each other. The main argument of the article is that the geneses of the concept of international jurisdiction and humanitarian intervention are significantly entangled with each other and both of their origins lie in the fight against the transatlantic slave trade in the beginning of the nineteenth century.
Deutsche militärische Ausbildungshilfe im Kalten Krieg: Nationalchinas Offiziere in der Bundeswehr 1964–1973
Authors: Chen Chern
Published: February 2014

During the Cold War the Bonn government always insisted on the »principle of non-involvement« in its China policy, in order to maintain strict neutrality in the continuous conflicts in the Far East. For strategic and intelligence considerations, however, the Federal Intelligence Service and the Federal Ministry of Defense had tried to intensify the relations with National China. The contacts between Bonn and Taipei developed to a military training aid, which the Federal Ministry of Defense granted National Chinese officers for training purposes into the Federal Republic. In the period 1964 to 1973, a total of 27 National Chinese army officers were trained in the German Armed Forces schools and the Führungsakademie.

The German military training aid was considered not only as a starting point of a diplomatic break-through, but also as a means to break the political ice age which resulted from the lack of diplomatic relations between West Germany and National China in the post-war period.
Regime-switching cointegration
Authors: Jochmann Markus , Koop Gary
Published: February 2014

We develop methods for Bayesian inference in vector error correction models which are subject to a variety of switches in regime (e.g., Markov switches in regime or structural breaks). An important aspect of our approach is that we allow both the cointegrating vectors and the number of cointegrating relationships to change when the regime changes. We show how Bayesian model averaging or model selection methods can be used to deal with the high-dimensional model space that results. Our methods are used in an empirical study of the Fisher effect.
Qualidade fisiológica de sementes de algodoeiro submetidas ao condicionamento mátrico e osmótico
Authors: Queiroga Vicente de Paula , Bruno Riselane de Lucena Alcântara , Lima Marleide Magalhães de Andrade , Santos José Wellingthon dos
Published: February 2014

Objetivou-se, neste trabalho, avaliar o efeito do condicionamento mátrico e osmótico sobre a qualidade fisiológica de sementes de algodão herbáceo. Foram utilizadas sementes de algodão, deslintadas quimicamente, do cultivar Panton, na proporção de 100 g de sementes para 1000 g da matriz sólida (algalita). Os tratamentos consistiram em cinco teores de água, utilizados para umedecimento da matriz (0,10; 0,25; 0,50; 0,75 e 1,0 mL), durante seis períodos de condicionamento (0; 1; 4; 8; 16 e 32 dias). Quanto ao condicionamento osmótico, foram realizados dois ensaios: sementes submetidas às soluções osmóticas de polietileno glicol (PEG) 6000 (-0,25 MPa) e de nitrato de potássio (0,3 M ou -0,72 Mpa), nos sete tempos de condicionamento osmótico (0; 12; 24; 36; 48; 72 e 96 h), à temperatura de 20 °C. As variáveis analisadas foram porcentagem de germinação e comprimento de plântulas. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi inteiramente ao acaso, com quatro repetições. Observou-se que houve aumento na germinação e no vigor das sementes condicionadas com diferentes níveis de umidade na matriz sólida, em comparação com a testemunha. Constatou-se, também, que a capacidade de revigoramento do tratamento com 0,50 mL de água foi comprovada, à medida que aumentou o tempo de exposição das sementes à matriz sólida; o condicionamento osmótico com PEG 6000 aumentou o vigor das sementes, mas não favoreceu a germinação, e o condicionamento osmótico com nitrato de potássio reduziu a germinação, entretanto, proporcionou aumento no vigor das sementes nas primeiras horas de hidratação.
Conservação on farm da agrobiodiversidade de sítios familiares em Jequié, Bahia, Brasil
Authors: Lyra Danilo Hottis , Sampaio Luana Santos , Pereira Douglas de Almeida , Amaral Cláudio Lúcio Fernandes
Published: February 2014

No Brasil, a Caatinga é área prioritária para conservação da biodiversidade, na qual muitas comunidades de agricultores mantêm práticas agrícolas fundamentais para a conservação on farm. O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar um levantamento sobre o perfil socioeconômico e cultural de feirantes, identificando espécies e manejos em suas roças, que favoreçam a conservação on farm da diversidade de espécies cultivadas. Foi analisada a influência da área das roças sobre a riqueza e abundância de plantas. A pesquisa foi realizada por meio de visitas em feiras livres e unidades familiares de agricultores, localizadas no município de Jequié - BA, nordeste do Brasil. Foram citadas 28 espécies para fins alimentares, pertencentes a 17 famílias botânicas e totalizando 75 etnovariedades. A influência da área das roças sobre a riqueza teve baixa correlação (r = 0,29, p < 0,01), enquanto a abundância de plantas, forte correlação (r = 0,69, p < 0,01). A maioria dos agricultores tem pouca instrução, baixa renda e, nas roças estudadas, foi verificada a ocorrência de conservação on farm.
Prevalence and risk factors associated with anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in sheep from Bahia state, Brazil
Authors: Guimarães Luciana Afonso , Bezerra Rodrigo Alves , Rocha Daniele de Santana , Albuquerque George Rêgo
Published: February 2014

In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence ofToxoplasma gondii antibodies and identify risk factors associated with this infection in sheep from the southern region of Bahia state. Between February and December 2010, 795 sheep from 31 farms located in nine municipalities were tested. We found seroprevalence of 30.2% (240/795), with titers of 64 (38.3%), 256 (34.2%), 1,024 (18.3%), and 4,096 (9.2%) by Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Test (IFAT). Seropositive sheep were detected in all farms sampled. Univariate statistical analysis detected association between T. gondii seropositivity and the variables age, use of fresh food mainly, water source, stocking rate, production system, presence and number of cats on the farm, and transit of cats (p < 0.05). In the logistic regression model, transit of cats (p = 0.001), production system (p = 0.007), and age (p = 0.027) were identified as risk factors associated with T. gondiiinfection.
Molecular detection of Ehrlichia canisand Anaplasma platys in dogs in Southern Brazil
Authors: Lasta Camila Serina , Santos Andrea Pires dos , Messick Joanne Belle , Oliveira Simone Tostes , Biondo Alexander Welker , Vieira Rafael Felipe da Costa , Dalmolin Magnus Larruscaim , González Félix Hilario Diaz
Published: February 2014

The aims of this study were to determine the occurrence ofAnaplasma platys and Ehrlichia canisinfection in dogs in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil; and to investigate their association with hematological abnormalities. Serum samples from 196 dogs were first tested using dot-ELISA for antibodies against Anaplasmaspp. and Ehrlichia canis. Peripheral blood samples from 199 dogs were subjected to 16S rRNA nested PCR (nPCR) for A. platysand E. canis, followed by DNA sequencing to ensure pathogen identity. A total of 19/196 samples (9.69%) were positive forAnaplasma spp. using ELISA and 28/199 (14.07%) samples were positive for A. platys by nested PCR. All the dog samples were negative for E. canis, both in anti-E. canisantibody tests and in nested PCR. There were no significant differences in hematological parameters between A. platys-PCR positive and negative dogs and Anaplasma spp. serologically positive dogs, except for basophil counts, which were higher in nPCR-positive dogs. This is the first report showing A. platys presence in dogs in Southern Brazil. In conclusion, hematological parameters may not be sufficient to diagnose A. platys infection in dogs in Southern Brazil, probably due either to low pathogenicity or to chronic infection. On the other hand, E. canis may either have very low occurrence or be absent in dogs in Porto Alegre.
Gobioides broussonnetii (Gobiidae): a new host forPterobothrium crassicolle (Trypanorhyncha) on Marajó Island, northern Brazil
Authors: Videira Marcela , Velasco Michele , Dias Lilian , Matos Patrícia , Almeida Henrique Diniz Ferreira de , Costa Marcondes Lima da , São Clemente Sérgio Carmona de , Matos Edilson
Published: February 2014

In the present study, the cestoid Pterobothrium crassicolle Diesing, 1850 (Trypanorhyncha), was observed parasitizing specimens of the violet goby (Gobioides broussonnetii Lacepède, 1800) collected from the estuary of the Paracauarí River on Marajó Island in the north of the Brazilian state of Pará, between January 2009 and December 2010. Tissue samples were analyzed, which led to identification of blastocysts containing plerocercoid larvae. These larvae were processed for scanning electron microscopy. Sixty G. broussonnetii specimens were dissected, and P. crassicolle was found in 48 (80%) of them. The violet goby,G. broussonnetii, is a new host for P. crassicolle.
Parasitic infections of Piaractus mesopotamicus and hybrid (P. mesopotamicus xPiaractus brachypomus) cultured in Brazil
Authors: Franceschini Lidiane , Zago Aline Cristina , Schalch Sérgio Henrique Canello , Garcia Fabiana , Romera Daiane Mompean , Silva Reinaldo José da
Published: February 2014

This study evaluated the occurrence of parasitic infections in the “pacu” fish Piaractus mesopotamicus and the “patinga” hybrid (P. mesopotamicus x Piaractus brachypomus) in the northwest of São Paulo State, Brazil. Fish from the following three fish farms were evaluated every two months: A, a hatchery and larviculture farm (n = 16 pacu / n = 19 patinga), B, a growout farm (n = 35 patinga) and C, a fee-fishing property (n = 28 pacu / n = 7 patinga). Thirty-five fish from each property were collected from February 2010 to February 2011 and subjected to parasitological analysis. The parasites found were the following:Mymarothecium viatorum, Anacanthorus penilabiatus, Notozothecium janauachensis (Dactylogyridae, Monogenea),Trichodina spp., Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, Chilodonella sp. (Protozoa), Myxobolus spp.,Henneguya spp. (Myxozoa), Rondonia rondoni, Contracaecum sp. (Nematoda), and Dolops carvalhoi(Crustacea). Of the fish examined, 62.9% from “A” and 100% from “B” and “C” were infested with at least one parasite species. Pacu fish (n = 44) showed a higher susceptibility to Anacanthorus penilabiatus infestations, whereas patinga (n = 61) were more susceptible to Mymarothecium viatorum (p < 0.05). Appropriate fish handling (nutrition, transport and storage), in conjunction with monitoring of water quality, can reduce the stress to which the farmed fish are exposed and is essential for pathogen control.
Histological changes and immunolabeling ofLeishmania infantum in kidneys and urinary bladder of dogs
Authors: Santos Jamile Prado dos , Alves Leucio Câmara , Ramos Rafael Antonio Nascimento , Pimentel Danillo de Souza , Carvalho Gílcia Aparecida de , Monteiro Maria Fernanda Melo , Faustino Maria Aparecida da Gloria
Published: February 2014

The aim of this study was to assess histological alterations and perform immunolabeling of Leishmania infantum in the kidneys and urinary bladder of naturally infected dogs. Twenty-five urinary bladder and kidney samples of serologically positive animals (ELISA S7® Biogene and IFAT ≥ 1:40 - Biomanguinhos/Fiocruz) were analyzed by means of immunohistochemical and histological techniques. Cystitis was found in 44% (11/25) of the bladder samples and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis in 92% (23/25) of the kidney samples. Immunolabeling of the parasite revealed that 32% (8/25) of the bladders and 8% (2/25) of the kidneys were positive. In conclusion, the immunohistochemical technique is a useful tool for detecting amastigote forms of L. infantum in organs of infected dogs. In addition, this was the first report of detection of amastigote forms ofL. infantum in the bladders of dogs.
Petasiger Dietz, 1909 (Trematoda: Echinostomatidae) in Birds and Mollusks from Brazil
Authors: Pinto Hudson Alves , Mahecha Germán Arturo Bohórquez , Melo Alan Lane de
Published: February 2014

Species of Petasiger Dietz, 1909 are intestinal trematodes of aquatic birds. Despite the diversity of described species in Europe and North America, only two South American species are known and no species have been previously reported in birds from Brazil. During a study of helminths recovered from the Least Grebe, Tachybaptus dominicus(Linnaeus, 1766), from the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, adult trematodes identified as Petasiger novemdecim Lutz, 1928 were found. The prevalence of infection was 55% (5/9), and the mean intensity of infection was 8 (1-32) parasites. Additionally, Biomphalaria straminea (Dunker, 1848) and Biomphalaria tenagophila (d'Orbigny, 1835) obtained from aquatic collections in the same state were found to harbor two species of echinostome cercariae of the Magnacauda group. These cercariae developed into metacercariae in experimentally infected Poecilia reticulataPeters, 1859. Attempts to obtain adult parasites in vertebrate host models (mice, chickens, ducks and canaries) were unsuccessful. The present study is the first report of Petasiger in Brazilian birds and the first morphological description of larvae of these parasites in Brazilian mollusks. Taxonomic aspects related to South American species ofPetasiger are discussed. It is suggested that, based on significant morphological differences observed in larval stages (i.e., larval dimensions) and adult parasites (i.e., disposition of the testes),Petasiger caribbensis Nassi, 1980 should be reconsidered as a distinct species from P. novemdecim.
Spatially explicit structural equation modeling
Authors: Lamb Eric G. , Mengersen Kerrie L. , Stewart Katherine J. , Attanayake Udayanga , Siciliano Steven D.
Published: February 2014

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a powerful statistical approach for the testing of networks of direct and indirect theoretical causal relationships in complex data sets with intercorrelated dependent and independent variables. SEM is commonly applied in ecology, but the spatial information commonly found in ecological data remains difficult to model in a SEM framework. Here we propose a simple method for spatially explicit SEM (SE‐SEM) based on the analysis of variance/covariance matrices calculated across a range of lag distances. This method provides readily interpretable plots of the change in path coefficients across scale and can be implemented using any standard SEM software package. We demonstrate the application of this method using three studies examining the relationships between environmental factors, plant community structure, nitrogen fixation, and plant competition. By design, these data sets had a spatial component, but were previously analyzed using standard SEM models. Using these data sets, we demonstrate the application of SE‐SEM to regularly spaced, irregularly spaced, and ad hoc spatial sampling designs and discuss the increased inferential capability of this approach compared with standard SEM. We provide an R package, sesem, to easily implement spatial structural equation modeling.
Phytophthora Root Rot Resistance in Soybean E00003
Authors: Zhang Zhongnan , Hao Jianjun , Yuan Jiazheng , Song Qijian , Hyten David L. , Cregan Perry B. , Zhang Guorong , Gu Cuihua , Li Ming , Wang Dechun
Published: February 2014

Phytophthora root rot (PRR) is a devastating disease in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] production. Michigan elite soybean E00003 is resistant to Phytophthora sojae and has been used as a resistance source in breeding. Genetic control of PRR resistance in this source is unknown. To facilitate marker‐assisted selection (MAS), the PRR resistance loci in E00003 and their map locations need to be determined. In this study, a genetic mapping approach was used to identify major PRR‐resistant loci in E00003. The mapping population consists of 240 F4–derived lines developed by crossing E00003 with the P. sojae susceptible line PI 567543C. In 2009 and 2010, the mapping population was evaluated in the greenhouse for PRR resistance against P. sojae races 1, 4, and 7, using modified rice (Oryza sativa L.) grain inoculation method. The population was genotyped with seven simple sequence repeat (SSR) and three single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers derived from bulk segregant analysis. The heritability of resistance in the population ranged from 83 to 94%. A major locus, contributing 50 to 76% of the phenotypic variation, was mapped within a 3 cM interval in the Rps1 region. The interval was further saturated with more BARCSOY SSRs and SNPs with TaqMan assays. Two SSRs and three SNPs within the Rps1k gene were highly associated with PRR resistance in the mapping population. The major resistance gene in E00003 is either allelic or tightly linked to Rps1k. The molecular markers located in the Rps1k gene can be used to improve MAS for PRR resistance.
Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci for Sucrose Content in Soybean Seed
Authors: Zeng A. , Chen P. , Shi A. , Wang D. , Zhang B. , Orazaly M. , Florez‐Palacios L. , Brye K. , Song Q. , Cregan P.
Published: February 2014

Sucrose is a desirable sugar in soybean seed that affects the quality of soyfoods and feed; therefore, soybean cultivars with high sucrose would be valuable for soyfood and soybean meal markets. The objective of this study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with seed sucrose content using simple sequence repeat (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers that can be used for indirect selection in breeding. A low sucrose line, MFS‐553, was crossed with a high sucrose plant introduction, PI 243545, to develop an F2–derived QTL mapping population. A total of 626 SSR primers covering 20 soybean chromosomes were used to screen the parents and 209 SSR markers were polymorphic. The polymorphic SSR markers were used to genotype 220 F2:3 lines. Subsequently, a total of 94 F3:4 lines derived from the initial F2:3 population were genotyped with 5361 SNP markers spanning 20 chromosomes, of which 2016 were polymorphic. Seed from the F2:3, F3:5, and F3:6 lines were analyzed for sucrose using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Following the linkage map construction, composite interval mapping (CIM) and multiple interval mapping (MIM) were performed to locate sucrose QTL. Three novel QTLs for seed sucrose were mapped to chromosomes 5, 9, and 16, accounting for 46, 10 and 8%, respectively, of the phenotypic variation for sucrose content. SSR and SNP markers linked to these QTLs can be used for marker assisted selection (MAS) in breeding soybean lines with the desired sugar profile.
A Diagnostic Tool for Magnesium Nutrition in Maize Based on Image Analysis of Different Leaf Sections
Authors: de Fátima da Silva Fernanda , Luz Pedro Henrique Cerqueira , Romualdo Liliane Maria , Marin Mário Antônio , Zúñiga Alvaro Manuel Gómez , Herling Valdo Rodrigues , Bruno Odemir Martinez
Published: February 2014

The nutritional status of maize (Zea mays L.) can be diagnosed by chemical analysis of leaves, which is very slow, or by visual diagnosis of deficiency symptoms, which is dependent on observer experience. The artificial visual system (AVS) is a technology to identify nutritional deficiencies in maize, allowing correction for nutrient supply at earlier development stages in maize. Our objective was to propose methods of artificial vision and pattern recognition to identify the concentration of magnesium (Mg) in maize plants grown in the greenhouse. Magnesium concentrations were 0.0, 0.65, 1.3, and 2.0 mM Mg, with four replications. Leaf scans were collected at V4 (four leaves fully developed), V6 (six leaves fully developed), and V8 (eight leaves fully developed) stages, and these leaves were samples for chemical assays. Such images were processed using AVS methods. Volumetric fractal dimension (VFD), Gabor wavelet (GW), and VFD with canonical analysis (VFDCA) were techniques used by the AVS to extract deficiency characteristics in the leaf images. The increase of Mg in the nutrient solution caused an increase in the Mg concentration in leaves, resulting in typical visual symptoms. The AVS method was able to identify all levels of deficiency, scoring 75.5% of rights in images of the middle section of leaves in the VFDCA method, in color scans of V4 leaves. The AVS was efficient at diagnosing Mg concentrations in leaves of maize during the V4 stage.
Predictive Relationships between Plant Morphological Traits and Biomass Yield in Switchgrass
Authors: Price David L. , Casler Michael D.
Published: February 2014

Commercial viability of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) as a biofuel will require further improvements of biomass yield to improve sustainability. Direct selection for biomass yield in switchgrass has proven difficult due to the many factors influencing biomass yield. The identification of morphological traits associated with biomass yield could increase the efficiency of breeding efforts if these traits can be used as indirect selection criteria. By allowing increased screening and greater intensity of selection for biomass yield within spaced‐plant nurseries, these results may impact how phenotypic selection is used for switchgrass cultivar development. The objective of this research was to identify morphological traits in parental plants that are predictive of biomass yield in progeny swards. Results of this research demonstrate the challenges of selecting for increased biomass yield in switchgrass within spaced‐plant nurseries. Limited predictive ability was observed using individual and combinations of plant morphological traits. Comparisons of models with varying subsets of traits revealed common traits among the best predictive models including plant height, single‐plant dry biomass, and second leaf width. Predictions of single‐plant biomass, using the same set of morphological traits, revealed a large effect for tillering related traits. The observation that different traits affect biomass yield differently in the two planting types may indicate an effect of plant competition on the relationship of these traits with biomass yield. While these traits can help guide selections for a preferred plant ideotype, additional efforts to improve selection schemes for increasing biomass yield will be necessary for sustained genetic gain in switchgrass.
Genetic Study and QTL Mapping of Seed Glucosinolate Content in Brassica rapa L.
Authors: Rahman Habibur , Kebede Berisso , Zimmerli Céline , Yang Rong‐Cai
Published: February 2014

Self‐incompatibility in Brassica rapa L. is a major impediment to experimental studies on the genetic control of quantitative traits such as seed glucosinolate (GSL) content. In this paper, we report quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping of total seed GSL content using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from two self‐compatible high‐ and low‐GSL B. rapa grown under different environmental conditions. Furthermore, quantitative genetic analysis using the parents and their F1, F2, B1 (F1 backcrossed to high‐parent P1), B2 (F1 backcrossed to low‐parent P2), and self‐pollinated progenies of B1 generation populations are also reported. Quantitative genetic analysis showed that additive genetic variance was consistently significant under different environments, while the dominance effect was significant under one growth condition. However, a simple additive‐dominance model was inadequate to explain the segregation variation among the generation means. Nonallelic interaction effects were important in the genetic control of GSL content in early generations where the levels of heterozygosity remained high. QTL mapping detected three loci at the linkage groups A2, A7, and A9 involved in the control of this trait. These QTL individually explained 5 to 22% of total phenotypic variation. The QTL on A9 was detected in all environments and explained 22%, the greatest amount of phenotypic variation. No additive × additive gene interaction was detected based on QTL analysis, and this also largely agreed with quantitative genetic analysis. Similarly, the number of loci detected based on QTL mapping also agree with the results obtained from quantitative genetic analysis.
Early Detection of Nerve Fiber Loss by Corneal Confocal Microscopy and Skin Biopsy in Recently Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Ziegler Dan , Papanas Nikolaos , Zhivov Andrey , Allgeier Stephan , Winter Karsten , Ziegler Iris , Brüggemann Jutta , Strom Alexander , Peschel Sabine , Köhler Bernd , Stachs Oliver , Guthoff Rudolf F. , Roden Michael ,   for the German Diabetes Study (GDS) Group
Published: February 2014

We sought to determine whether early nerve damage may be detected by corneal confocal microscopy (CCM), skin biopsy, and neurophysiological tests in 86 recently diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients compared with 48 control subjects. CCM analysis using novel algorithms to reconstruct nerve fiber images was performed for all fibers and major nerve fibers (MNF) only. Intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) was assessed in skin specimens. Neurophysiological measures included nerve conduction studies (NCS), quantitative sensory testing (QST), and cardiovascular autonomic function tests (AFTs). Compared with control subjects, diabetic patients exhibited significantly reduced corneal nerve fiber length (CNFL-MNF), fiber density (CNFD-MNF), branch density (CNBD-MNF), connecting points (CNCP), IENFD, NCS, QST, and AFTs. CNFD-MNF and IENFD were reduced below the 2.5th percentile in 21% and 14% of the diabetic patients, respectively. However, the vast majority of patients with abnormal CNFD showed concomitantly normal IENFD and vice versa. In conclusion, CCM and skin biopsy both detect nerve fiber loss in recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes, but largely in different patients, suggesting a patchy manifestation pattern of small fiber neuropathy. Concomitant NCS impairment points to an early parallel involvement of small and large fibers, but the precise temporal sequence should be clarified in prospective studies.
Age-Adjusted Diabetes Mortality Rates Vary in Local Communities in a Metropolitan Area: Racial and Spatial Disparities and Correlates
Authors: Hunt Bijou R. , Whitman Steven , Henry Candice A.
Published: February 2014

OBJECTIVE

Diabetes has held steady as the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. since 2006. While aggregated data provide insights into how the country as a whole, or even as states, is faring with respect to diabetes mortality, disaggregation provides data that may facilitate targeted interventions and community engagement.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We analyzed deaths from diabetes for residents of Chicago to calculate age-adjusted diabetes mortality rates (AADMRs). We calculated AADMRs for Chicago by race/ethnicity and community area. We also examined the correlation between AADMR and 1) racial/ethnic composition of a community area and 2) median household income.

RESULTS

The AADMR for Chicago (27.5 per 100,000 population) was significantly higher than the national rate (22.5). Within both the U.S. and Chicago, the highest AADMRs were found among non-Hispanic blacks, followed by Hispanics, and then non-Hispanic whites. Within Chicago, Puerto Ricans displayed the highest AADMR at 45.7, compared with 35.0 at the national level. There was a strong positive correlation between the proportion of black residents in a community area and the AADMR (0.64). There was a strong negative relationship between household income and the AADMR for the entire city (−0.63) and for the predominantly black community areas (−0.52).

CONCLUSIONS

These data provide insight into where the worst diabetes mortality problems reside in Chicago. Our hope is that these data can be used to work toward the development of solutions to the very high diabetes mortality rates observed in several communities in Chicago and in similar communities throughout the U.S.