bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Community Health Care Nursing in Rajasthan
Authors: Granström Malin , Lindmark Birgitta
Published: March 2013

This study focused on the great shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in primary health care in Rajasthan, India. It dealt especially with the nurses' own opinions about working in primary health care and their reasons for not working in it. Nurses at different levels in the health care organization were interviewed. The study was based on interviews with six RNs individually, three groups of six to eight nursing students each, and three policy‐making chief nurses individually. The Minister of Health in Rajasthan also participated in the study. The study showed that the reasons for the lack of RNs in community health care were as follows: a government policy decision to place less educated nurses in the communities; the great shortage of nurses in general; the system whereby a nurse is not able to choose her/his place of work; unwillingness on the part of the nurses to work in community health care because of the great security problems; lack of support from authorities and lack of equipment. In general, community health care nursing as a work area was despised by society at large in Rajasthan.
Nutritional State and Functional Capacity among Elderly Swedish People with Acute Hip Fracture
Authors: Bachrach‐Lindström Margareta A. , Ek Anna‐Christina , Unosson Mitra
Published: March 2013

The objective of this study was to describe characteristics in a group of elderly men and women with hip fracture, regarding presumed risk factors, such as nutritional state and functional capacity. A total of 142 men and women aged 75 years or more were consecutively included on admittance to the hospital. Anthropometry and body composition were measured 4–6 days after the fracture. Data on functional status, activities of daily living and living arrangements at the time of the fracture were collected. The women and men had a body mass index (BMI) of 22.3 ± 3.7 kg/m2 and 21.7 ± 2.1 kg/m2, respectively. Of the whole group, 71% had a BMI < 24 kg/m2 and 25% a BMI < 20.0 kg/m2. Forty‐five percent of the patients needed daily home help, and a majority of them were mentally impaired (p < 0.0001). Women with a trochanteric hip fracture were shorter, had lower body weight, lower lean body mass and lower arm muscle circumference (AMC) than the cervical fracture group (p < 0.05). Fewer women with a trochanteric fracture and fewer women with mental impairment took walks outside before the fracture, (p = 0.023 and p = 0.002, respectively). Characteristics found in the group were low BMI, low muscle mass as indicated by low lean body mass and mental impairment. It seems important to evaluate such factors when developing post‐operative care plans aimed at avoiding further deterioration. Extra frail sub‐groups of patients, such as people who are mentally impaired, women with trochanteric fracture and women with high dependency concerning ADL functions were identified.
Physicians' Stories about Suicidal Psychiatric Inpatients
Authors: Talseth Anne‐Grethe , Jacobsson Lars , Norberg Astrid
Published: March 2013

Fourteen Norwegian, three Danish, and two Swedish physicians employed at a Norwegian psychiatric hospital narrated their lived experiences in caring for suicidal psychiatric inpatients. The interview text was transcribed and interpreted using a phenomenological‐hermeneutics method, inspired by Ricoeur's philosophy. Two main themes were found:Power Over, i.e. Communicating with the patients; Not accepting one's own mortality; Not accepting one's own vulnerability; Not accepting one's own fallibility; Being rejected by the patients; andPower To, Deep communicating with the patients; Accepting one's own mortality; Accepting one's own vulnerability; Accepting one's own fallibility; Being trusted by the patients. These findings were pondered in the light of Cissna's and Sieburg's writings about confirming. The study emphasizes the importance to physicians of confronting their own strong and frightening feelings about mortality, vulnerability and fallibility in order to confirm suicidal psychiatric patients during interactions with them, when in hospital after suicide thoughts and attempts.
SECURITIES LENDING AROUND PROXIES: IS THE INCREASE IN LENDING DUE TO PROXY ABUSE OR A RESULT OF DIVIDENDS?
Authors: Moser Shane M. , Ness Bonnie F. Van , Ness Robert A. Van
Published: March 2013

The notion of empty voting, or borrowing shares of stock to vote without an equivalent economic interest, has captured the attention of both the financial press and financial researchers. We investigate the securities lending market around proxy record dates for evidence of proxy abuse. We verify a weak statistical effect for share capture at the proxy. However, after controlling for dividend record dates (when more stock lending activity occurs), incremental equity lending activity at the proxy is indistinguishable from zero.
LITIGATION RISK AND MARKET REACTION TO RESTATEMENTS
Authors: Bardos Katsiaryna Salavei , Golec Joseph , Harding John P.
Published: March 2013

A large negative stock price reaction to a restatement announcement could imply a significant accounting error, or one made by a firm with a high probability of being sued. We investigate the extent to which market reactions to restatement announcements are explained by litigation risk. We model the simultaneous relation between restatement announcement abnormal returns and litigation risk and find that about half of the −9.2% average restatement announcement effect is due to expected litigation costs. We also find that the significance of the accounting error only affects abnormal return indirectly because it increases the probability of being sued.
THREE‐WAY TAKEOVERS
Authors: Xu Fangming , Zhao Huainan
Published: March 2013

In a three‐way takeover, a firm bids for a bidder while the bidder's own acquisition deal is ongoing. The bid creates a three‐party fight among the target, bidder, and bidder's bidder (b‐bidder) which is unobservable in typical takeover contests. Examining a sample of three‐way takeovers, we find that more than half of the deals are clustered in financial, utilities, and communication, where fierce competition for market power drives the three‐way bids. Targets and bidders gain from the three‐party bargaining at the expense of b‐bidders who appear to be more concerned about winning the bids irrespective of the costs.
The Effects of Foreign Trading of U.S. Treasuries
Authors: Ai Chunrong , Chatrath Arjun , Christie‐David Rohan A. , Song Frank
Published: March 2013

We examine the effects of foreign trading of U.S. Treasuries on the market's microstructure. Two intervals, the first characterized by heavy run‐ups in foreign ownership (1/1994–6/1997), and the second by multiple indicators of peaking of foreign ownership (7/1997–2000), are followed. Our findings reveal systematic effects associated with foreign trading. For instance, reductions in liquidity and trade sizes, and increases in informational asymmetry and dealer risk aversion, accompany falling demand for Treasury debt. Moreover, in this environment, foreign trading volume plays a larger explanatory role about the market's microstructure, than in an environment of rising demand. We also find dealer reactions to foreign transactions vary across the term‐structure.
Price Discovery in Near‐ and Away‐from‐the‐Money Option Markets
Authors: Rourke Thomas
Published: March 2013

This paper examines the relative price discovery roles of near‐ and away‐from‐the‐money option markets. The evidence shows that, when considering multiple options with different strike prices jointly, option markets have an average information share of 17.6%. However, no individual option market dominates in the price discovery process, higher and lower trading activity options (i.e., near‐ and away‐from‐the‐money options, respectively) each contribute approximately equally to this process. The main implications of these results are that (1) collectively, option markets process a substantial amount of new stock price‐related information, and (2) looking across strike prices, option markets appear to be informationally nonredundant.
New Cohort Fertility Forecasts for the Developed World: Rises, Falls, and Reversals
Authors: Myrskylä Mikko , Goldstein Joshua R. , Cheng Yen‐hsin Alice
Published: March 2013

With period fertility having risen in many low‐fertility countries, an important emerging question is whether cohort fertility trends are also reversing. We produce new estimates of cohort fertility for 37 developed countries using a new, simple method that avoids the underestimation typical of previous approaches. Consistent with the idea that timing changes were largely responsible for the last decades' low period fertility, we find that family size has remained considerably higher than the period rates of 1.5 in many “low‐fertility” countries, averaging about 1.8 children. Our forecasts suggest that the long‐term decline in cohort fertility is flattening or reversing in many world regions previously characterized by low fertility. We document the marked increase of cohort fertility in the English‐speaking world and in Scandinavia; signs of an upward reversal in many low‐fertility countries, including Japan and Germany; and continued declines in countries such as Taiwan and Portugal. We include in our forecasts estimates of statistical uncertainty and the possible effects of the recent economic recession.
Population Change and Resulting Slowdown in Potential GDP Growth in China
Authors: Cai Fang , Lu Yang
Published: March 2013

As a result of the shrinking working age population (aged 15 to 59 years), all factors that have driven China's rapid economic growth over the past 30 years tend to diminish from 2010. The present paper estimates the average annual growth rate of potential output to be 7.2 percent over the 12th Five‐year Plan period and 6.1 percent over the 13th Five‐year Plan period. Future sustainable growth requires furthering economic reform in related areas to enhance potential growth. This paper simulates two scenarios in which both an increase in labor force participation and improvement in total factor productivity can significantly enhance the potential GDP growth rate. Relevant policy implications are discussed.
Elaphoglossum clathratum sp. nov. (Dryopteridaceae) from the eastern side of the Andes in Ecuador
Authors: Matos Fernando B. , Moran Robbin C.
Published: March 2013

Elaphoglossum clathratum F. B. Matos & R. C. Moran sp. nov. (Dryopteridaceae), which grows at middle elevations on the eastern side of the Andes in Ecuador, is described, illustrated, and compared to its most similar species. It is unusual in Elaphoglossum by having lamina margin scales that are strongly clathrate. Research on the phylogeny of the genus has shown that the new species belongs to Elaphoglossum sect. Polytrichia. However, it is unique in the subulate‐scaled clade of Elaphoglossum by having planar, not subulate, scales.
A qualitative meta‐synthesis of patients' experiences of intra‐ and inter‐hospital transitions
Authors: Uhrenfeldt Lisbeth , Aagaard Hanne , Hall Elisabeth O.C. , Fegran Liv , Ludvigsen Mette Spliid , Meyer Gabriele
Published: March 2013

Aim

To aggregate, interpret and synthesize findings from qualitative studies of patients' experiences on being transferred/in transition from one hospital to another or from one ward to another.

Background

Studies about patients' experiences of transfer focused on concepts such as transfer stress, transfer anxiety, and translocation syndrome; however, a meta‐synthesis on experiences of transition across different patient populations was lacking.

Design

The meta‐synthesis approach was based on the guidelines by Sandelowski and Barroso.

Data source

Six electronic databases were searched for articles published between the years 1999‐2011, based on the target phenomenon: patients' experiences of transition after transfer between hospitals or units. Reference lists of included articles were screened for eligible papers.

Review methods

Data were analysed into meta‐summary and meta‐synthesis. The qualitative content analysis process started with a search for common themes, concepts, and metaphors.

Results

Fourteen qualitative studies were included. Three main categories were identified: transfer as unpredictable, scary and stressful; transfer as recovery and relief; and transfer as sliding into insignificance. The meta‐synthesis showed patients' experiences of transitions as critical events where nurses need to focus on patient outcome of transfer as safe, predictable, and individual.

Conclusion

It was difficult for patients to leave their experiences behind when feeling unimportant. Evidence existed for clinical nurses to continue the development of care quality and safety for patients in transfer/transition. Intervention studies and policy development to improve transfers and transitions for patients are recommended.
Inquiry and the Practice of Theoretical Conversation: Engaging in Dialogue to Elaborate Hidden Connections
Authors: Fawcett Stanley E. , Waller Matthew A.
Published: March 2013

Our goal at JBL is not just to provide a forum for theoretical conversation but also to proactively invite more insightful and interactive conversation. As active inquiry and open dialogue are critical to achieving this goal, we discuss the nature of inquiry and argue for developing the skills and conditions required to promote dialogue over discussion. Only through more profound dialogue can we address the challenges of a tumultuous decision‐making environment, advance theoretical understanding, and improve managerial practice. We then introduce “Dialogue,” a new feature at JBL, which will consist of concise statements of alternative perspectives and diverse views. Through Dialogue, we invite members of the supply chain community to join colleagues in a grand adventure of knowledge discovery. We hope you will agree that the quest for understanding is more fun when we travel the path of discovery together.
Using Laboratory Experiments in Logistics and Supply Chain Research
Authors: Deck Cary , Smith Vernon
Published: March 2013

Laboratory experiments provide an underutilized methodology for subjecting research in logistics and supply chain management to rigorous scientific scrutiny. As discussed in this paper, by following established procedures researchers can create an economic system in which behavior can be observed and replicated. With the ability to control the institution and the environment, researchers have complete information and can exogenously manipulate treatment variables, neither of which may be feasible in field work. We also address many of the reservations that skeptics of laboratory experiments often express including issues of realism, participant sophistication, and payoff stakes. We then provide several examples where experiments have been used to study issues relevant to logistics and supply chain management including auctions, wholesale practices in gasoline markets, inventory replenishment, liberalization of the electric power industry, and deregulation of the natural gas markets. Finally, we identify several additional areas where laboratory experiments could be informative.
Take This Job and Shove It: Examining the Influence of Role Stressors and Emotional Exhaustion on Organizational Commitment and Identification in Professional Truck Drivers
Authors: Kemp Elyria , Kopp Steven W. , Kemp Eramus C.
Published: March 2013

Professional truck drivers experience many challenges in the course of performing their jobs. Drivers must meet the needs of their company, shippers, and receivers as well as comply with safety regulations. It is well documented that truck drivers are prone to physical exhaustion; however, they may also be subject to emotional exhaustion, which can impact their decision to remain with a company. This research examines the influence of job stressors, such as role conflict and role ambiguity and their relationship to emotional exhaustion in professional truck drivers. Furthermore, the effect that job stressors and emotional exhaustion have on the efforts of a firm to build corporate identification, collective mind, and commitment among truck drivers is examined. Using qualitative and quantitative data from 435 professional truck drivers, a conceptual model is developed and tested using structural equation modeling. Findings are discussed and implications for managers in improving driver retention rates are offered.
Latitudinal clines in the grasshopperDichroplus elongatus: Coevolution of the A genome and B chromosomes?
Authors: Rosetti N. , Remis M. I.
Published: March 2013

Argentine populations ofDichroplus elongatus(Orthoptera: Acrididae) are polymorphic for B chromosomes. Previous studies showed that B chromosomes affect body size and some fitness components in Northwestern populations. We studied phenotype and B′s variation patterns along a latitudinal cline as well as the relationship between karyotype and body size related traits in 17 populations from East.

Body size related traits showed a ‘saw tooth’ pattern of variation being small at low and high latitudes and large at intermediate latitudes in most of the analysed populations. Analyses of variance and principal components demonstrated that in most analysed populations B carrier males are associated with a decrease in body size related traits with respect to individuals with standard karyotype. Accordingly with the relationship between karyotype and body size, an opposite pattern of latitudinal variation in the frequencies of B′s with respect to body size variation was observed in this area.i.e. smaller individuals tend to have a higher frequency of B chromosomes. The comparison of the differentiation of both karyotype and body size traits with molecular neutral markers demonstrated the relative importance of selection moulding chromosome and phenotype variation. The observed pattern of phenotypic variation is likely to be the result of local adaptation to season length along the latitudinal gradient. The observed contrary pattern of B′s clinal variation may reflect the population ability to maintain this chromosome in relation to the local adaptation. The available evidence indicates that the distribution of B chromosome frequency was shaped by selective factors.
Food fight: sexual conflict over free amino acids in the nuptial gifts of male decorated crickets
Authors: Gershman S. N. , Hunt J. , Sakaluk S. K.
Published: March 2013

In decorated crickets, Gryllodes sigillatus, the spermatophore that a male transfers at mating includes a gelatinous spermatophylax that the female consumes, delaying her removal of the sperm‐filled ampulla. Male fertilization success increases with the length of time females spend feeding on the spermatophylax, while females may benefit by prematurely discarding the spermatophylaxes of undesirable males. This sexual conflict should favour males that produce increasingly appealing spermatophylaxes, and females that resist this manipulation. To determine the genetic basis of female spermatophylax feeding behaviour, we fed spermatophylaxes to females of nine inbred lines and found that female genotype had a major influence on spermatophylax feeding duration. The amino acid composition of the spermatophylax was also significantly heritable. There was a positive genetic correlation between spermatophylax feeding duration and the gustatory appeal of the spermatophylax. This correlation suggests that genes expressed in males that produce more manipulative spermatophylaxes are positively linked to genes expressed in females that make them more vulnerable to manipulation. Outbred females spent less time feeding on spermatophylaxes than inbred females, and thus showed greater resistance to male manipulation. Further, in a nonspermatophylax producing cricket (Acheta domesticus), females were significantly more prone to feeding on spermatophylaxes than outbred female Gryllodes. Collectively, these results suggest a history of sexually antagonistic coevolution over the consumption of nuptial food gifts.
Cannibalism as an interacting phenotype: precannibalistic aggression is influenced by social partners in the endangered Socorro Isopod (Thermosphaeroma thermophilum)
Authors: Bleakley B. H. , Welter S. M. , McCauley‐Cole K. , Shuster S. M. , Moore A. J.
Published: March 2013

Models for the evolution of cannibalism highlight the importance of asymmetries between individuals in initiating cannibalistic attacks. Studies may include measures of body size but typically group individuals into size/age classes or compare populations. Such broad comparisons may obscure the details of interactions that ultimately determine how socially contingent characteristics evolve. We propose that understanding cannibalism is facilitated by using an interacting phenotypes perspective that includes the influences of the phenotype of a social partner on the behaviour of a focal individual and focuses on variation in individual pairwise interactions. We investigated how relative body size, a composite trait between a focal individual and its social partner, and the sex of the partners influenced precannibalistic aggression in the endangered Socorro isopod,Thermosphaeroma thermophilum. We also investigated whether differences in mating interest among males and females influenced cannibalism in mixed sex pairs. We studied these questions in three populations that differ markedly in range of body size and opportunities for interactions among individuals. We found that relative body size influences the probability of and latency to attack. We observed differences in the likelihood of and latency to attack based on both an individual's sex and the sex of its partner but found no evidence of sexual conflict. The instigation of precannibalistic aggression in these isopods is therefore a property of both an individual and its social partner. Our results suggest that interacting phenotype models would be improved by incorporating a new conditionalψ, which describes the strength of a social partner's influence on focal behaviour.
Vesicle dynamics: how synaptic proteins regulate different modes of neurotransmission
Authors: Chung ChiHye , Raingo Jesica
Published: March 2013

Central synapses operate neurotransmission in several modes: synchronous/fast neurotransmission (neurotransmitters release is tightly coupled to action potentials and fast), asynchronous neurotransmission (neurotransmitter release is slower and longer lasting), and spontaneous neurotransmission (where small amounts of neurotransmitter are released without being evoked by an action potential). A substantial body of evidence from the past two decades suggests that seemingly identical synaptic vesicles possess distinct propensities to fuse, thus selectively serving different modes of neurotransmission. In efforts to better understand the mechanism(s) underlying the different modes of synaptic transmission, many research groups found that synaptic vesicles used in different modes of neurotransmission differ by a number of synaptic proteins. Synchronous transmission with higher temporal fidelity to stimulation seems to require synaptotagmin 1 and complexin for its Ca2+ sensitivity, RIM proteins for closer location of synaptic vesicles (SV) to the voltage operated calcium channels (VGCC), and dynamin for SV retrieval. Asynchronous release does not seem to require functional synaptotagmin 1 as a calcium sensor or complexins, but the activity of dynamin is indispensible for its maintenance. On the other hand, the control of spontaneous neurotransmission remains less clear as deleting a number of essential synaptic proteins does not abolish this type of synaptic vesicle fusion. VGCC distance from the SV seems to have little control on spontaneous transmission, while there is an involvement of functional synaptic proteins including synaptotagmins and complexin. Recently, presynaptic deficits have been proposed to contribute to a number of pathological conditions including cognitive and mental disorders. In this review, we evaluate recent advances in understanding the regulatory mechanisms of synaptic vesicle dynamics and in understanding how different molecular substrates maintain selective modes of neurotransmission. We also highlight the implications of these studies in understanding pathological conditions.
Evaluation of vaginal fluid β‐human chorionic gonadotrophin for the diagnosis of preterm premature rupture of membranes
Authors: Bahasadri Shohreh , Kashanian Maryam , Khalili Shokoufeh
Published: March 2013

Aim

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate vaginal fluid β‐human chorionic gonadotrophin (β‐hCG) for the diagnosis of preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM).

Material and Methods

An observational cross‐sectional study was performed on 123 pregnant women who were in the third trimester of their gestation (28–37 weeks). The patients were divided into three groups: (i) PPROM group (41 cases); (ii) suspected PPROM group (42 cases); and (iii) intact membranes control group (40 cases). Five milliliters of sterile normal saline was inserted into the posterior fornix of the vagina and then vaginal fluid was aspirated and sent to the laboratory for β‐hCG measurement. Finally, the amount of β‐hCG was compared in the three groups.

Results

β‐hCG concentration was 7.71 ± 15.7 mIU/mL in the intact membrane control group, 468.06 ± 366.34 mIU/mL in the PPROM group and 176.43 ± 316.37 mIU/mL in the suspected PPROM group, which showed a significant difference between the three groups (P < 0.001). In order to find an optimal cut‐off value for β‐hCG, the receiver–operator curve was used and a cut‐off value of 79.5 mIU/mL with a sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 84% was determined to be optimal.

Conclusion

β‐hCG was higher in the cases of PPROM and patients who were suspected to have PPROM, and may be used as a suitable, fast and reliable test for detecting rupture of membranes.
Do neonates conceived after assisted reproductive technology require neonatal surgery more frequently? A 5‐year single‐center experience
Authors: Yanagisawa Satohiko , Maeda Kosaku , Tazuke Yuko , Tsuji Yuki , Kubota Insu , Koike Yasunori , Yada Yukari , Kono Yumi , Takahashi Naoto , Matsubara Shigeki
Published: March 2013

Aim

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) has increased the incidences of multiple gestations and low birth weights, which frequently warrant pediatric surgery. ART may have also increased the rate of birth defects. In this study, we aimed to determine whether infants conceived after ART required neonatal surgery more frequently compared with naturally conceived infants.

Material and Methods

Our study population comprised 1891 infants (160 ART (+) and 1731 ART (−)) who were admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit during a 5‐year period (January 2006–December 2010); of these, 198 infants (9 ART (+) and 189 ART (−)), with diseases requiring surgery, were referred to pediatric surgeons (consultation cases). We examined the following: (i) factors potentially increasing the requirement for surgery; (ii) frequency of birth defects; and (iii) maternal factors that may increase the need for surgery.

Results

A significantly higher incidence of multiple gestation and low birth weight was observed in the ART (+) group than the ART (−) group. However, ART did not yield a higher rate of surgery and birth defects: overall, the rate of surgery was 4% (7/160) in the ART (+) group and 8% (143/1731) in the ART (−) group. Of 198 consultation cases, the percentage of infants actually requiring surgery was approximately the same in the ART (+) group (7/9 [78%]) and the ART (−) group (143/189 [76%]).

Conclusion

Infants conceived after ART comprised a small proportion of neonatal surgery cases, and did not require surgery more frequently.
Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Test and Surface Antigen ELISAs for Antemortem Diagnosis of Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis
Authors: Johnson A.L. , Morrow J.K. , Sweeney R.W.
Published: March 2013

Background

Recent research suggests that serum : CSF titer ratios could provide the most accurate antemortem diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) caused by Sarcocystis neurona.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of two commercially available tests, the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and the surface antigen 2, 4/3 ELISA (SAG2, 4/3 ELISA), using archived paired serum and CSF samples.

Animals

Samples were obtained from 4 types of clinical patients. Confirmed positive cases (n = 9 horses; 11 sample sets) had neurologic deficits and postmortem lesions consistent with EPM. Confirmed negative cases (n = 28) had variable clinical signs and postmortem lesions consistent with another disease. Suspected positive cases (n = 6) had neurologic deficits consistent with EPM, marked improvement after treatment, and exclusion of other diseases. Suspected negative cases (n = 14) had variable signs with a strong presumptive diagnosis of another disease.

Methods

For each test, descriptive statistics were calculated using serum results alone, CSF results alone, and a serum : CSF titer ratio.

Results

Overall accuracy was highest for SAG2, 4/3 ELISA titer ratio at 0.97 (95% CI 0.88–0.99) with sensitivity = 0.88 (95% CI 0.66–0.97) and specificity = 1 (95% CI 0.92–1). IFAT CSF and titer ratio results also showed high accuracy at 0.88 (95% CI 0.77–0.94), but lower sensitivity = 0.65 (95% CI 0.41–0.83).

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Using serum results alone was least accurate for both test types. The more accurate methods, such as the SAG2, 4/3 ELISA serum : CSF titer ratio, should be utilized.
Renin‐Angiotensin‐Aldosterone System Activity in Hyperthyroid Cats with and without Concurrent Hypertension
Authors: Williams T.L. , Elliott J. , Syme H.M.
Published: March 2013

Background

Hypertension is present in some hyperthyroid cats at diagnosis or can develop after treatment for hyperthyroidism. Activation of the renin‐angiotensin‐aldosterone system (RAAS) could be involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension.

Hypothesis

Hyperthyroid cats that develop hypertension before or after treatment for hyperthyroidism will have greaterRAASactivation than normotensive cats.

Animals

Ninety‐nine hyperthyroid cats.

Methods

Retrospective case–control study. Plasma renin activity (PRA) and plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) were measured in untreated hyperthyroid hypertensive cats (HT‐Pre group), initially normotensive hyperthyroid cats that develop hypertension after treatment (HT‐Post group), and hyperthyroid cats that are normotensive (NTgroup). Data are presented as median [25th, 75th percentile].

Results

BaselinePRAwas not significantly different among the 3 groups (HT‐Pre group 1.50 [0.05, 2.37] ng/mL/h,HT‐Post group 0.66 [0.17, 2.31] ng/mL/h,NTgroup 1.11 [0.57, 2.18] ng/mL/h;P = .44).PRAdecreased significantly after treatment in theNTgroup (1.09 [0.53, 2.47] versus 0.22 [0.05, 0.76] ng/mL/h;P < .001) and theHT‐Post group (0.71 [0.17, 2.33] versus 0.28 [0.07, 0.57] ng/mL/h;P = .006). BaselinePACwas not significantly different among the 3 groups (HT‐Pre group 72.2 [40.0, 145.6] pg/mL,HT‐Post group 69.7 [43.3, 142.6] pg/mL,NTgroup 109.0 [68.2, 184.6] pg/mL;P = .10).PACdecreased significantly after treatment in theNTgroup (114.4 [56.6, 204.1] versus 59.5 [32.4, 98.2] pg/mL;P < .001) but did not change significantly in theHT‐Post group (61.2 [44.9, 124.0] versus 58.4 [42.0, 97.7] pg/mL;P = .59).

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

RAASactivation occurs in hyperthyroid cats, but is not associated with the development of hypertension.PACis not influenced by changes inPRAin hyperthyroid cats that develop hypertension after treatment, perhaps indicatingRAASdysfunction in these cats.
Grazing by goats on islands affects the populations of an endemic Mediterranean lizard
Authors: Pafilis P. , Anastasiou I. , Sagonas K. , Valakos E. D.
Published: March 2013

Grazing of goats on Mediterranean islets is a common practice. Its consequences on plant communities are well documented, although not on vertebrates. We aim to shed light on the effect of livestock farming on lizards by investigating five populations of the insular lizard, Podarcis gaigeae, differing in the duration and intensity of grazing. Data on grazing regime, invertebrate abundance, tick prevalence, infestation levels, gull nests and lizard densities were collected during a period of 6 consecutive years. Grazing had a negative impact on insect populations, thus decreasing food availability for lizards. Tick prevalence and infestation levels were higher in places of continuous grazing. Goat activity disturbed gulls, which avoid nesting, so depriving the islets of marine subsidies. As a consequence of all these factors, lizard densities were higher in ungrazed and lower in grazed biotopes. Grazing effects were more severe on islets communities than on the main island populations. Our data imply that management action should be taken to conserve the highly diverse islet populations.
Genetic diversity of Bartonella quintana in macaques suggests zoonotic origin of trench fever
Authors: Li Hao , Bai Jie‐Ying , Wang Li‐Yuan , Zeng Lin , Shi Yan‐Sheng , Qiu Zheng‐Liang , Ye Hua‐Hu , Zhang Xiao‐Fei , Lu Qing‐Bin , Kosoy Michael , Liu Wei , Cao Wu‐Chun
Published: March 2013

Bartonella quintana is a bacterium that causes a broad spectrum of diseases in humans including trench fever. Humans were previously considered to be the primary, if not the only, reservoir hosts for B. quintana. To identify the animal reservoir and extend our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary history of B. quintana, we examined blood samples from macaques and performed multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis. We demonstrated the prevalence of B. quintana infection was common in macaques from main primate centres in mainland China. Overall, 18.0% (59/328) of rhesus macaques and 12.7% (39/308) of cynomolgus macaques were found to be infected with B. quintana by blood culture and/or polymerase chain reaction. The infection was more frequently identified in juvenile and young monkeys compared with adult animals. In contrast with the relatively low level of sequence divergence of B. quintana reported in humans, our investigation revealed much higher genetic diversity in nonhuman primates. We identified 44 new nucleotide variable sites and 14 novel sequence types (STs) among the B. quintana isolates by MLST analysis. Some STs were found only in cynomolgus macaques, while some others were detected only in rhesus macaques, suggesting evidence of host‐cospeciation, which were further confirmed by phylogenetic analysis and Splits decomposition analysis. Our findings suggest that trench fever may primarily be a zoonotic disease with macaques as the natural hosts.
Post‐transcriptional regulation of GORK channels by superoxide anion contributes to increases in outward‐rectifying K+ currents
Authors: Tran Daniel , El‐Maarouf‐Bouteau Hayat , Rossi Marika , Biligui Bernadette , Briand Joël , Kawano Tomonori , Mancuso Stefano , Bouteau François
Published: March 2013

Ion fluxes are ubiquitous processes in the plant and animal kingdoms, controlled by fine‐tuned regulations of ion channel activity. Yet the mechanism that cells employ to achieve the modification of ion homeostasis at the molecular level still remains unclear. This is especially true when it comes to the mechanisms that lead to cell death.

In this study, Arabidopsis thaliana cells were exposed to ozone (O3). Ion flux variations were analyzed by electrophysiological measurements and their transcriptional regulation by RT‐PCR. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was quantified by luminescence techniques and caspase‐like activities were investigated by laser confocal microscopy.

We highlighted the delayed activation of K+ outward‐rectifying currents after an O3‐induced oxidative stress leading to programmed cell death (PCD). Caspase‐like activities are detected under O3 exposure and could be decreased by K+ channel blocker. Molecular experiments revealed that the sustained activation of K+ outward current could be the result of an unexpected post‐transcriptional regulation of the guard cell outward‐rectifying K+ (GORK) channels.

This consists of a likely new mode of regulating the processing of the GORK mRNA, in a ROS‐dependent manner, to allow sustained K+ effluxes during PCD. These data provide new mechanistic insights into K+ channel regulation during an oxidative stress response.
Age of myopia onset in a British population‐based twin cohort
Authors: Williams Katie M , Hysi Pirro G , Nag Abhishek , Yonova‐Doing Ekaterina , Venturini Cristina , Hammond Christopher J
Published: March 2013

Purpose

School‐age myopia is becoming more common in Asia and North America; data from the United Kingdom has suggested a significant amount of myopia develops after the age of 17 years. Age of spectacle wear has been used as a proxy of myopia severity in a recent large genome‐wide association study. The purpose of this study was to examine the age of onset of spectacle wear in a large British twin cohort, to examine the reliability and reproducibility of self‐reported age of onset as a proxy measure of myopia severity, and to see if there is evidence in the UK of a rising prevalence of myopia.

Methods

Non‐cycloplegic autorefraction was performed on over 6000 subjects from the TwinsUK cohort, a large, well‐characterized volunteer cohort of British, predominantly Caucasian female twins, between 1998 and 2010. Questionnaires asking age of first spectacle wear were conducted in 2003 and 2008. Myopia was defined as worse than or equal to −1.00 Dioptres, and adult onset myopia as occurring on or after the age of 17 years.

Results

Autorefractive data was available on 6097 participants at a mean age of 53 years. The mean S.E. was −0.36 D (S.D. 2.67, range −25.13 to +9.38). 1705 subjects (28%) were myopic with a mean refractive error of −3.54 (S.D. 2.51, range −25.13 to −1.00) and the median age of first glasses wear was 15 years (mean 18.4 years, S.D. 12.24, range 0–74). Of those who provided an age at which they first wore glasses in both questionnaire sources (n = 628), there was median difference in response of 0 years (S.D. 7.18, mean 0.7, maximum 53). A statistically significant cohort effect for increased myopia prevalence across a range of age groups between 1998–1999 and 2008–2010 was identified, with myopia prevalence increasing from 27% to 34% in those aged 50–54 and from 16% to 32% in those aged 55–59.

Conclusions

Almost half the myopes in this UK‐based population wore glasses after the age of 17; further research into adult‐onset myopia is required. Although self‐reported age of glasses is reproducible and reflects severity, it only explains approximately 15% of the variance of spherical equivalent, so is a rough proxy of refractive error, but still may be useful in large‐scale population studies without access to refraction. We have demonstrated a significant cohort effect for increased myopia prevalence in the UK population over a 10‐year period.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT IN PHARMACEUTICAL REGULATION: CONNECTING TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AND LAY KNOWLEDGE IN RISK MONITORING
Authors: MEIJER ALBERT , BOON WOUTER , MOORS ELLEN
Published: March 2013

The exclusive position of scientific expertise in pharmaceutical regulation is being increasingly challenged. Several authors suggest that lay knowledge could play a role in governing risks. We use the literature to develop ideal‐typical regulatory arrangements with low and high lay stakeholder involvement: a technocratic and a democratic arrangement. We propose that a more technocratic arrangement will yield a better process and output performance while a more democratic arrangement will result in more stakeholder satisfaction. These propositions are explored through two case studies of pharmaceutical regulation in the Netherlands: in pandemic influenza and in HIV. Our study shows equivalent process and output performances but we found indications that the democratic approach results in more stakeholder satisfaction. We conclude that in pharmaceutical regulation, there is no a priori reason to limit involvement to experts: in situations of fundamental uncertainty, democratic monitoring of pharmaceutical risks can contribute to the system's robustness.
Two cytosolic aldolases show different expression patterns during shoot elongation in Moso bamboo, Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel
Authors: Lao Xintian , Azuma Jun‐ichi , Sakamoto Masahiro
Published: March 2013

In fast‐growing Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel), cytosolic fructose 1,6‐bisphosphate aldolase (aldolase; EC 4.2.2.13) was more highly active in elongating tissues than in tissues that had already finished elongating. It is well known that the removal of the culm sheath prevents bamboo from elongating. When the sheath was removed from the culm, the aldolase activity was gradually reduced over time. Two isozyme genes for aldolase, PpAldC1 and PpAldC2, were cloned from the elongating tissues of Moso bamboo. Gene expression analysis using a semi‐quantitative reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction revealed that PpAldC1 was highly expressed in elongating tissues but was hardly detected in elongated internodes, while PpAldC2 seemed to be expressed constitutively in both elongating and elongated tissues. Promoter analysis revealed that the expression of PpAldC1 was induced by gibberellin. These results indicated that the two genes for cytosolic aldolase in Moso bamboo showed different expression patterns and that one of them was involved in shoot elongation.
Asymptotics of the Discrete Log-Concave Maximum Likelihood Estimator and Related Applications
Authors: Balabdaoui Fadoua , Jankowski Hanna , Rufibach Kaspar , Pavlides Marios
Published: March 2013

The assumption of log-concavity is a flexible and appealing non-parametric shape constraint in distribution modelling. In this work, we study the log-concave maximum likelihood estimator of a probability mass function. We show that the maximum likelihood estimator is strongly consistent and we derive its pointwise asymptotic theory under both the well-specified and misspecified settings. Our asymptotic results are used to calculate confidence intervals for the true log-concave probability mass function. Both the maximum likelihood estimator and the associated confidence intervals may be easily computed by using the R package logcondiscr. We illustrate our theoretical results by using recent data from the H1N1 pandemic in Ontario, Canada.
Outlier Robust Small Area Estimation
Authors: Chambers Ray , Chandra Hukum , Salvati Nicola , Tzavidis Nikos
Published: March 2013

Recently proposed outlier robust small area estimators can be substantially biased when outliers are drawn from a distribution that has a different mean from that of the rest of the survey data. This naturally leads one to consider an outlier robust bias correction for these estimators. We develop this idea, proposing two different analytical mean-squared error estimators for the ensuing bias-corrected outlier robust estimators. Simulations based on realistic outlier-contaminated data show that the bias correction proposed often leads to more efficient estimators. Furthermore, the mean-squared error estimation methods proposed appear to perform well with a variety of outlier robust small area estimators.
Canine DLA‐79 gene: an improved typing method, identification of new alleles and its role in graft rejection and graft‐versus‐host disease
Authors: Venkataraman G. M. , Geraghty D. , Fox J. , Graves S. S. , Zellmer E. , Storer B. E. , Torok‐Storb B. J. , Storb R.
Published: March 2013

Developing a preclinical canine model that predicts outcomes for hematopoietic cell transplantation in humans requires a model that mimics the degree of matching between human donor and recipient major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes. The polymorphic class I and class II genes in mammals are typically located in a single chromosome as part of the MHC complex. However, a divergent class I gene in dogs, designated dog leukocyte antigen‐79 (DLA‐79), is located on chromosome 18 while other MHC genes are on chromosome 12. This gene is not taken into account while DLA matching for transplantation. Though divergent, this gene shares significant similarity in sequence and exon–intron architecture with other class I genes, and is transcribed. Little is known about the polymorphisms of DLA‐79 and their potential role in transplantation. This study was aimed at exploring the reason for high rate of rejection seen in DLA‐matched dogs given reduced intensity conditioning, in particular, the possibility that DLA‐79 allele mismatches may be the cause. We found that about 82% of 407 dogs typed were homozygous for a single, reference allele. Owing to the high prevalence of a single allele, 87 of the 108 dogs (∼80%) transplanted were matched for DLA‐79 with their donor. In conclusion, we have developed an efficient method to type alleles of a divergent MHC gene in dogs and identified two new alleles. We did not find any statistical correlation between DLA‐79 allele disparity and graft rejection or graft‐versus‐host disease, among our transplant dogs.
Identification of novel tumour‐associated antigens in canine mammary gland tumour
Authors: Furuya M. , Funasaki M. , Tani H. , Sasai K.
Published: March 2013

Canine mammary gland tumour (MGT) is the most common neoplasm in female dogs and has similar biological characteristics to humanMGT. Spontaneous canineMGTis a more attractive clinical model in oncological research than that of the murine experimental model. Tumour‐associated antigens (TAAs), which are produced in tumour cells, are applied as tumour markers, tumour vaccine antigens and molecular targets of therapeutic drugs. In this study, we have primarily identified 13 differentTAAsof canineMGTby serological immunoscreening ofcDNAexpression library. The results of serological mini‐arrays of identified antigens showed thatCCDC41antigen specially reacted with 35% of sera fromMGT‐dogs and did not react with control sera. We also found thatHSPH1 mRNAexpression levels increased significantly inMGTtissues. These findings will contribute to the development of diagnostic technologies and translational target therapies for dogs.

Clinical relevance: HSPH1, which is strongly expressed in the tumour tissue, will be a possible vaccine antigen of canine MGT.
Enhancement of solution-processed zinc tin oxide thin film transistors by silicon incorporation
Authors: Ryul Mang Sung , Ho Yoon Dae , Young Jeon In , Kyoon Chung Ho , Sun Pu Lyong
Published: March 2013

Thin film transistors (TFTs) with Si incorporation in zinc tin oxide (ZTO) channel layer were fabricated using a sol–gel process, and the effect of Si incorporation in ZTO systems was investigated with respect to optical, structural, and electrical properties. The Si effectively controlled the generation of the oxygen vacancies examined by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which affected the electrical properties of the silicon zinc tin oxide (SZTO) TFTs. As the Si concentration increased in the ZTO systems, the threshold voltage shifted in the positive direction, the on–off current ratio increased due to the effective reduction of the off current, and the subthreshold swing decreased. At a Si mole ratio 0.02, the SZTO TFTs exhibit favorable electrical properties of Vth = 3.0 V, μFE = 1.90 cm2 V−1 s−1, S.S = 0.38 V/decade, and Ion/off = 1.66 × 107. Thus, the SZTO is a promising material for backplanes of displays.