bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The ‘Caring Entrepreneur’? Childcare Policy and Private Provision in an Enterprising Age
Authors: Gallagher Aisling
Published: May 2014

Childcare has become a recent focus of government intervention. Concerns have been raised about the soaring costs for parents, patchy provision, and the often small and unprofitable nature of the services themselves. This paper will explore how the problem of sustainability in the childcare sector is being addressed through a neoliberal development rationale. Focusing on the Irish childcare sector and the childcare funding programme introduced in 2006, I will illustrate how a particular entrepreneurial subjectivity has been mobilised to remedy the perceived problems of private sector childcare. I refer to this subjectivity as the ‘caring entrepreneur’. After I outline the contours of this subjectivity, the final section of the paper will examine how it is being realised within a rural childcare market, in the process offering a more situated account of what ‘sustainability’ means in place.
Reflections on Doing the Expat Show: Performing the Global Mobility Industry
Authors: Cranston Sophie
Published: May 2014

This paper argues that we need to pay more attention to the spaces in which the (knowledge) economy operates and industry sectors are brought into being. Following research that examines the performative nature of the economy, the paper sees the trade show as not merely a reflection of an industry sector, but as a space that produces it into being. Looking at the Global Mobility Industry, an industry directed towards the management of expatriates, the paper uses narratives to uncover performance as a way to understand the practice of knowledge, specifically benchmarking about talent management, at the Expat Show.
Learning and Envisioning under Climatic Uncertainty: An African Experience
Authors: Tschakert Petra , Dietrich Kathleen , Tamminga Ken , Prins Esther , Shaffer Jen , Liwenga Emma , Asiedu Alex
Published: May 2014

Learning about and embracing change and uncertainty are essential for responding to climate change. Creativity, critical reflection, and cogenerative inquiry can enhance adaptive capacity, or the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to adverse future impacts. However, precisely how learning about change and its driving forces occurs and how experiences are combined with envisioned yet indefinite prospects of the future are poorly understood. We present two linked methodological tools—an assessment of drivers of change and participatory scenario building—used in a climate change adaptation project in Ghana and Tanzania (ALCCAR). We discuss opportunities and challenges of such iterative learning. Our findings suggest that joint exploration, diverse storylines, and deliberation help to expand community-based adaptation repertoires and to strike a balance between hopelessness and a tendency to idealize potential future realities.
Rethinking Sociotechnical Transitions and Green Entrepreneurship: The Potential for Transformative Change in the Green Building Sector
Authors: Gibbs David , O'Neill Kirstie
Published: May 2014

This paper explores the development of green entrepreneurship and its potential role in transformative change towards a green economy. It achieves this through a study of the green building sector in England and Wales, based on qualitative empirical data from fifty-five semistructured interviews with businesses in the green building sector and with support organisations, including banks, financial sources, and business advice and support. The paper both critiques and synthesises two bodies of literature— entrepreneurial research and sociotechnical transitions theories, specifically the multilevel perspective (MLP)—to better understand the role of green entrepreneurs in facilitating a shift towards a green economy. This analysis embeds green entrepreneurs in a wider system of actors, rather than reifying the lone entrepreneurial hero, in order to explore how green entrepreneurs facilitate sustainability transitions. The paper challenges the notion that green entrepreneurs are an unproblematic category. We discovered that individuals move between ‘green’ and ‘conventional’ business, evolving over time, such that this is a fluid and blurred, rather than static, state. Moreover, while the green economy and the green building sector are often referred to as coherent sectors, with agreed and consistent practices, our evidence suggests that they are far from agreed, that business models vary, and that there are significant contradictions within so-called green building practices. The paper contributes to the development of sociotechnical transitions theory and suggests that the MLP needs to incorporate complexity and multiplicity within niches, that niches may be inherently conflictual rather than consensual, and that the concept of ‘protection’ for niches is problematic.
Polymerase exchange on single DNA molecules reveals processivity clamp control of translesion synthesis
Authors: Kath James E. , Jergic Slobodan , Heltzel Justin M. H. , Jacob Deena T. , Dixon Nicholas E. , Sutton Mark D. , Walker Graham C. , Loparo Joseph J.
Published: May 2014

Significance

DNA damage can be a potent block to replication. One pathway to bypass damage is translesion synthesis (TLS) by specialized DNA polymerases. These conserved TLS polymerases have higher error rates than replicative polymerases, requiring careful regulation of polymerase exchange. By reconstituting the full polymerase exchange reaction at the single-molecule level, we show how distinct sets of binding sites on the β processivity clamp regulate exchange between the
Escherichia coli
replicative polymerase (Pol) III and the TLS Pol IV. At low concentrations, Pol IV binds β in an inactive binding mode, promoting rapid bypass of a cognate DNA lesion, whereas at high concentrations (corresponding to SOS damage response levels), association at a low-affinity sites facilitates Pol III displacement.
Rhbdf2
mutations increase its protein stability and drive EGFR hyperactivation through enhanced secretion of amphiregulin
Authors: Hosur Vishnu , Johnson Kenneth R. , Burzenski Lisa M. , Stearns Timothy M. , Maser Richard S. , Shultz Leonard D.
Published: May 2014

Significance

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signal transduction plays a major role in growth, proliferation, and differentiation of mammalian cells. Although inactive rhomboids (iRhoms) are cardinal regulators of EGFR signaling in
Drosophila melanogaster
, their physiological role in regulating EGFR signaling and their substrates in mammals remain unclear. Here, we show that iRhoms are short-lived proteins, but dominant mutations increase their protein stability and stimulate secretion of specific EGF family ligand amphiregulin independent of metalloprotease activity. This study demonstrates the significance of mammalian iRhoms in regulating an EGFR signaling event that promotes accelerated wound healing and triggers tumorigenesis. Given their ability to regulate EGFR signaling in parallel with metalloproteases, iRhoms can be potential therapeutic targets in impaired wound healing and cancer.
Bacterial fight-and-flight responses enhance virulence in a polymicrobial infection
Authors: Stacy Apollo , Everett Jake , Jorth Peter , Trivedi Urvish , Rumbaugh Kendra P. , Whiteley Marvin
Published: May 2014

Significance

Polymicrobial synergy occurs when infections caused by more than one species are more severe than the sum of the individual species acting alone. Here, we show that a bacterial fight-and-flight response to an antimicrobial, hydrogen peroxide (H
2
O
2
), is required for a pathogen to display synergy with a commensal bacterium in vivo. H
2
O
2
is generated by the commensal, and in response, the pathogen either enzymatically destroys (fights) the antimicrobial or disperses away (takes flight) from the antimicrobial-producing commensal. Remarkably, both behaviors are critical for the pathogen to display synergy during coinfection. Moreover, when the pathogen is unable to disperse, the community loses spatial organization, trapping the pathogen next to the commensal.
Tracking of intertissue migration reveals the origins of tumor-infiltrating monocytes
Authors: Shand Francis H. W. , Ueha Satoshi , Otsuji Mikiya , Koid Suang Suang , Shichino Shigeyuki , Tsukui Tatsuya , Kosugi-Kanaya Mizuha , Abe Jun , Tomura Michio , Ziogas James , Matsushima Kouji
Published: May 2014

Significance

Solid tumors contain large numbers of immune cells, including monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages that promote tumor progression. During tumor development, monocytes accumulate in the spleen. However, the influence of spleen cells on tumor growth remains controversial. Here, we used novel methods for tracking intertissue migration and monitoring hematopoiesis to show that during tumor development the bone marrow dramatically accelerates production of monocytes, rapidly transferring many of these newly formed cells to a reservoir in the spleen. However, these spleen monocytes are less able than their bone marrow counterparts to enter the tumor and make only a minor contribution to the tumor-infiltrating monocyte population. These findings clarify the roles of the spleen and bone marrow in cancer development.
Xenophobia, sovereign power and the limits of citizenship
Authors: Idahosa Grace , Vincent Louise D.
Published: May 2014

African foreigners in South Africa have frequently been the targets of violent and discriminatory practices, which occur in the enabling context of negative discourses concerning African foreigners that circulate in various spheres of public life. This study is interested in one particular field of interaction between African foreigners and the South African state, namely the public health sector. Discriminatory and, sometimes, violent practices towards African foreigners on the part of South African citizens are widely documented. Less discussed are the ways in which these practices of violence and discrimination are in fact state practices. We show this with reference to the treatment of African foreigners in the public health sector. We refer to this prejudicial treatment as health-care Xenophobia which is made possible by a wider set of discourses related to citizenship and the rights accruing to citizens which suggest the ‘non-rights’ of the non-citizen.
Constitutional hybridity and constitutionalism in Ghana
Authors: Van Gyampo Ransford Edward , Graham Emmanuel
Published: May 2014

Ghana’s 1992 Constitution is a hybrid arrangement that combines some features of both the US Presidential and British Westminster systems of Government. Having modelled three different constitutions along the lines of both systems since 1960, there emerged the preference for constitutional hybridity in 1992. This was based on the assumption that the best constitution is a mixed system that borrows from the features of the two main systems of government. Nevertheless, after over 20 years of operation, this study shows that Ghana’s 1992 Constitution upsets the balance of power between the arms of government, particularly between the executive and legislature and in favour of the former in a manner that undermines constitutionalism. This paper discusses the specific arrangements and provisions of the hybrid constitution and how they facilitate the exercise of unbridled as well as unmitigated executive power. It makes a call for the abolition of the hybrid system and an adherence to either of the two main systems, but not both.
Drosha protein levels are translationally regulated during Xenopus oocyte maturation
Authors: Muggenhumer Dominik , Vesely Cornelia , Nimpf Simon , Tian Nan , Yongfeng Jin , Jantsch Michael F.
Published: May 2014

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are ∼21-nucleotide-long, single-stranded noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression. Biogenesis of miRNAs is mediated by the two RNase III-like enzymes, Drosha and Dicer. Here we study miRNA biogenesis during maturation of Xenopus oocytes to eggs using microinjection of pri-miRNAs. We show that processing of exogenous and endogenous primary miRNAs (pri-miRNAs) is strongly enhanced upon maturation of oocytes to eggs. Overexpression of cloned Xenopus Drosha in oocytes, however, boosts pri-miRNA processing dramatically, indicating that Drosha is a rate-limiting factor in Xenopus oocytes. This developmental regulation of Drosha is controlled by poly(A) length addition to the Drosha mRNA, which boosts translation upon transition from oocytes to eggs. Processing of pri-miRNAs by Drosha and Dicer has been shown to be affected by adenosine-to-inosine deamination–type RNA editing. Using activated Xenopus eggs for microinjection experiments, we demonstrate that RNA editing can reduce pri-miRNA processing in vivo. This processing block is determined by the structural but not sequence changes introduced by RNA editing.
Ulrich Wolfgang Arndt. 23 April 1924 — 24 March 2006
Authors: Crowther R. A. , Leslie A. G. W.
Published: May 2014

Ulrich (Uli) Arndt was a physicist and engineer whose contributions to the development of a wide range of instrumentation for X-ray crystallography played an important part in our ability to solve the atomic structure of large biological molecules. Such detailed information about protein structures has for the past 50 years underpinned the huge advances in the field of molecular biology. His innovations spanned all aspects of data generation and collection, from improvements in X-ray tubes, through novel designs for diffractometers and cameras to film scanners and more direct methods of X-ray detection. When he started in the field, the intensities of individual X-ray reflections were often estimated by eye from films. By the end of his career the whole process of collecting from a crystal a three-dimensional data set, possibly comprising hundreds of thousands of measurements, was fully automated and very rapid.
Dangerous jellyfish blooms are predictable
Authors: Gershwin Lisa-ann , Condie Scott A. , Mansbridge Jim V. , Richardson Anthony J.
Published: May 2014

The potentially fatal Irukandji syndrome is relatively common in tropical waters throughout the world. It is caused by the sting of the Irukandji jellyfish, a family of box jellyfish that are almost impossible to detect in the water owing to their small size and transparency. Using collated medical records of stings and local weather conditions, we show that the presence of Irukandji blooms in coastal waters can be forecast on the basis of wind conditions. On the Great Barrier Reef, blooms largely coincide with relaxation of the prevailing southeasterly trade winds, with average conditions corresponding to near zero alongshore wind on the day prior to the sting. These conditions are consistent with hypotheses long held by local communities and provide a basis for designing management interventions that have the potential to eliminate the majority of stings.
Co-culture systems and technologies: taking synthetic biology to the next level
Authors: Goers Lisa , Freemont Paul , Polizzi Karen M.
Published: May 2014

Co-culture techniques find myriad applications in biology for studying natural or synthetic interactions between cell populations. Such techniques are of great importance in synthetic biology, as multi-species cell consortia and other natural or synthetic ecology systems are widely seen to hold enormous potential for foundational research as well as novel industrial, medical and environmental applications with many proof-of-principle studies in recent years. What is needed for co-cultures to fulfil their potential? Cell–cell interactions in co-cultures are strongly influenced by the extracellular environment, which is determined by the experimental set-up, which therefore needs to be given careful consideration. An overview of existing experimental and theoretical co-culture set-ups in synthetic biology and adjacent fields is given here, and challenges and opportunities involved in such experiments are discussed. Greater focus on foundational technology developments for co-cultures is needed for many synthetic biology systems to realize their potential in both applications and answering biological questions.
Unravelling novel synergies between organometallic and biological partners: a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics study of an artificial metalloenzyme
Authors: Ortega-Carrasco Elisabeth , Lledós Agustí , Maréchal Jean-Didier
Published: May 2014

In recent years, the design of artificial metalloenzymes obtained by the insertion of homogeneous catalysts into biological macromolecules has become a major field of research. These hybrids, and the corresponding X-ray structures of several of them, are offering opportunities to better understand the synergy between organometallic and biological subsystems. In this work, we investigate the resting state and activation process of a hybrid inspired by an oxidative haemoenzyme but presenting an unexpected reactivity and structural features. An extensive series of quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations show that the resting state and the activation processes of the novel enzyme differ from naturally occurring haemoenzymes in terms of the electronic state of the metal, participation of the first coordination sphere of the metal and the dynamic process. This study presents novel insights into the sensitivity of the association between organometallic and biological partners and illustrates the molecular challenge that represents the design of efficient enzymes based on this strategy.
Within-host viral dynamics of dengue serotype 1 infection
Authors: Clapham Hannah E. , Tricou Vianney , Van Vinh Chau Nguyen , Simmons Cameron P. , Ferguson Neil M.
Published: May 2014

Dengue, the most common mosquito-borne viral infection of humans, is endemic across much of the world, including much of tropical Asia and is increasing in its geographical range. Here, we present a mathematical model of dengue virus dynamics within infected individuals, detailing the interaction between virus and a simple immune response. We fit this model to measurements of plasma viral titre from cases of primary and secondary DENV 1 infection in Vietnam. We show that variation in model parameters governing the immune response is sufficient to create the observed variation in virus dynamics between individuals. Estimating model parameter values, we find parameter differences between primary and secondary cases consistent with the theory of antibody-dependent enhancement (namely enhanced rates of viral entry to target cells in secondary cases). Finally, we use our model to examine the potential impact of an antiviral drug on the within-host dynamics of dengue. We conclude that the impact of antiviral therapy on virus dynamics is likely to be limited if therapy is only started at the onset of symptoms, owing to the typically late stage of viral pathogenesis reached by the time symptoms are manifested and thus treatment is started.
Habitat connectivity and resident shared predators determine the impact of invasive bullfrogs on native frogs in farm ponds
Authors: Atobe Takashi , Osada Yutaka , Takeda Hayato , Kuroe Misako , Miyashita Tadashi
Published: May 2014

Habitat connectivity is considered to have an important role on the persistence of populations in the face of habitat fragmentation, in particular, for species with conservation concern. However, it can also impose indirect negative effects on native species through the spread of invasive species. Here, we investigated direct and indirect effects of habitat connectivity on populations of invasive bullfrogs and native wrinkled frogs and how these effects are modified by the presence of common carp, a resident shared predator, in a farm pond system in Japan. The distribution pattern analysis using a hierarchical Bayesian modelling indicated that bullfrogs had negative effects on wrinkled frogs, and that these negative effects were enhanced with increasing habitat connectivity owing to the metapopulation structure of bullfrogs. The analysis also suggested that common carp mitigated these impacts, presumably owing to a top-down trophic cascade through preferential predation on bullfrog tadpoles. These presumed interspecific interactions were supported by evidence from laboratory experiments, i.e. predation by carp was more intense on bullfrog tadpoles than on wrinkled frog tadpoles owing to the difference in refuge use. Our results indicate that metacommunity perspectives could provide useful insights for establishing effective management strategies of invasive species living in patchy habitats.
Better stay together: pair bond duration increases individual fitness independent of age-related variation
Authors: Sánchez-Macouzet Oscar , Rodríguez Cristina , Drummond Hugh
Published: May 2014

Prolonged pair bonds have the potential to improve reproductive performance of socially monogamous animals by increasing pair familiarity and enhancing coordination and cooperation between pair members. However, this has proved very difficult to test robustly because of important confounds such as age and reproductive experience. Here, we address limitations of previous studies and provide a rigorous test of the mate familiarity effect in the socially monogamous blue-footed booby,Sula nebouxii, a long-lived marine bird with a high divorce rate. Taking advantage of a natural disassociation between age and pair bond duration in this species, and applying a novel analytical approach to a 24 year database, we found that those pairs which have been together for longer establish their clutches five weeks earlier in the season, hatch more of their eggs and produce 35% more fledglings, regardless of age and reproductive experience. Our results demonstrate that pair bond duration increases individual fitness and further suggest that synergistic effects between a male and female's behaviour are likely to be involved in generating a mate familiarity effect. These findings help to explain the age- and experience-independent benefits of remating and their role in life-history evolution.
Larvae from deep-sea methane seeps disperse in surface waters
Authors: Arellano Shawn M. , Van Gaest Ahna L. , Johnson Shannon B. , Vrijenhoek Robert C. , Young Craig M.
Published: May 2014

Many species endemic to deep-sea methane seeps have broad geographical distributions, suggesting that they produce larvae with at least episodic long-distance dispersal. Cold-seep communities on both sides of the Atlantic share species or species complexes, yet larval dispersal across the Atlantic is expected to take prohibitively long at adult depths. Here, we provide direct evidence that the long-lived larvae of two cold-seep molluscs migrate hundreds of metres above the ocean floor, allowing them to take advantage of faster surface currents that may facilitate long-distance dispersal. We collected larvae of the ubiquitous seep mussel
“Bathymodiolus” childressi
and an associated gastropod,
Bathynerita naticoidea
, using remote-control plankton nets towed in the euphotic zone of the Gulf of Mexico. The timing of collections suggested that the larvae might disperse in the water column for more than a year, where they feed and grow to more than triple their original sizes. Ontogenetic vertical migration during a long larval life suggests teleplanic dispersal, a plausible explanation for the amphi-Atlantic distribution of
“B.” mauritanicus
and the broad western Atlantic distribution of
B. naticoidea
. These are the first empirical data to demonstrate a biological mechanism that might explain the genetic similarities between eastern and western Atlantic seep fauna.
Predictors of contraction and expansion of area of occupancy for British birds
Authors: Bradshaw Corey J. A. , Brook Barry W. , Delean Steven , Fordham Damien A. , Herrando-Pérez Salvador , Cassey Phillip , Early Regan , Sekercioglu Cagan H. , Araújo Miguel B.
Published: May 2014

Geographical range dynamics are driven by the joint effects of abiotic factors, human ecosystem modifications, biotic interactions and the intrinsic organismal responses to these. However, the relative contribution of each component remains largely unknown. Here, we compare the contribution of life-history attributes, broad-scale gradients in climate and geographical context of species’ historical ranges, as predictors of recent changes in area of occupancy for 116 terrestrial British breeding birds (74 contractors, 42 expanders) between the early 1970s and late 1990s. Regional threat classifications demonstrated that the species of highest conservation concern showed both the largest contractions and the smallest expansions. Species responded differently to climate depending on geographical distribution—northern species changed their area of occupancy (expansion or contraction) more in warmer and drier regions, whereas southern species changed more in colder and wetter environments. Species with slow life history (larger body size) tended to have a lower probability of changing their area of occupancy than species with faster life history, whereas species with greater natal dispersal capacity resisted contraction and, counterintuitively, expansion. Higher geographical fragmentation of species' range also increased expansion probability, possibly indicating a release from a previously limiting condition, for example through agricultural abandonment since the 1970s. After accounting statistically for the complexity and nonlinearity of the data, our results demonstrate two key aspects of changing area of occupancy for British birds: (i) climate is the dominant driver of change, but direction of effect depends on geographical context, and (ii) all of our predictors generally had a similar effect regardless of the direction of the change (contraction versus expansion). Although we caution applying results from Britain's highly modified and well-studied bird community to other biogeographic regions, our results do indicate that a species' propensity to change area of occupancy over decadal scales can be explained partially by a combination of simple allometric predictors of life-history pace, average climate conditions and geographical context.
Lactobacillus
bombi sp. nov., from the digestive tract of laboratory-reared bumblebee queens (Bombus terrestris)
Authors: Killer J. , Votavová A. , Valterová I. , Vlková E. , Rada V. , Hroncová Z.
Published: May 2014

Three bacterial strains belonging to the genus

Lactobacillus

were isolated from the digestive tracts of laboratory-reared bumblebee queens (Bombus terrestris) using MRS agar under anaerobic conditions. The isolates were identified according to 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis as undescribed members of the genus

Lactobacillus

, with the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (96.9 %) to the uncharacterized bacterial strain Lactobacillus sp. Mboho2r2 isolated from the stomach of a European honeybee (Apis mellifera).

Lactobacillus tucceti

was found to be the closest related species with a validly published name, with 92.9 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to the type strain. However, phylogenetic analyses based on different markers revealed that this species is phylogenetically very distant from the novel strains. The DNA G+C content of the proposed type strain BTLCH M1/2T is 37.8 mol%. The fatty acids C19 : 1ω6c and/or C19 : 0 cyclo ω10c/19ω6, C18 : 1ω9c and C16 : 0 were predominant in all strains. Diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, a phospholipid, seven glycolipids and two phosphoglycolipids were detected in the novel strains. Growth was observed at 47 °C. The peptidoglycan type A4α l-Lys–d-Asp was determined for strain BTLCH M1/2T. Genotypic characteristics and phylogenetic analyses based on the phylogenetic markers hsp60, pheS, rpoA and tuf as well as phenotypic characteristics and the results of chemotaxonomic analyses confirmed that the new isolates belong to a novel species of the genus

Lactobacillus

, for which the name Lactobacillus bombi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is BTLCH M1/2T ( = DSM 26517T = CCM 8440T).
A hydrophobic domain within the small capsid protein of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus is required for assembly
Authors: Capuano Christopher M. , Grzesik Peter , Kreitler Dale , Pryce Erin N. , Desai Keshal V. , Coombs Gavin , McCaffery J. Michael , Desai Prashant J.
Published: May 2014

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) capsids can be produced in insect cells using recombinant baculoviruses for protein expression. All six capsid proteins are required for this process to occur and, unlike for alphaherpesviruses, the small capsid protein (SCP) ORF65 is essential for this process. This protein decorates the capsid shell by virtue of its interaction with the capsomeres. In this study, we have explored the SCP interaction with the major capsid protein (MCP) using GFP fusions. The assembly site within the nucleus of infected cells was visualized by light microscopy using fluorescence produced by the SCP–GFP polypeptide, and the relocalization of the SCP to these sites was evident only when the MCP and the scaffold protein were also present – indicative of an interaction between these proteins that ensures delivery of the SCP to assembly sites. Biochemical assays demonstrated a physical interaction between the SCP and MCP, and also between this complex and the scaffold protein. Self-assembly of capsids with the SCP–GFP polypeptide was evident. Potentially, this result can be used to engineer fluorescent KSHV particles. A similar SCP–His6 polypeptide was used to purify capsids from infected cell lysates using immobilized affinity chromatography and to directly label this protein in capsids using chemically derivatized gold particles. Additional studies with SCP–GFP polypeptide truncation mutants identified a domain residing between aa 50 and 60 of ORF65 that was required for the relocalization of SCP–GFP to nuclear assembly sites. Substitution of residues in this region and specifically at residue 54 with a polar amino acid (lysine) disrupted or abolished this localization as well as capsid assembly, whereas substitution with non-polar residues did not affect the interaction. Thus, this study identified a small conserved hydrophobic domain that is important for the SCP–MCP interaction.
A hybrid method for X-ray optics simulation: combining geometric ray-tracing and wavefront propagation
Authors: Shi Xianbo , Reininger Ruben , Sanchez del Rio Manuel , Assoufid Lahsen
Published: May 2014

A new method for beamline simulation combining ray-tracing and wavefront propagation is described. The `Hybrid Method' computes diffraction effects when the beam is clipped by an aperture or mirror length and can also simulate the effect of figure errors in the optical elements when diffraction is present. The effect of different spatial frequencies of figure errors on the image is compared withSHADOWresults pointing to the limitations of the latter. The code has been benchmarked against the multi-electron version ofSRWin one dimension to show its validity in the case of fully, partially and non-coherent beams. The results demonstrate that the code is considerably faster than the multi-electron version ofSRWand is therefore a useful tool for beamline design and optimization.
Prescribing mobility scooters in Australia: Occupational therapists' narratives
Authors: Maywald Anita , Stanley Mandy
Published: May 2014

Background/aim

In order for older people to remain active and engaged as they age they need to be mobile in the community. One way of maintaining community mobility is through the use of a mobility scooter. Occupational therapists are key health professionals involved with assessing for mobility scooters yet minimal research exists into the experience. This study sought to explore occupational therapists' experiences of assessing for mobility scooters to older people in Australia.

Methods

A qualitative study was undertaken in which narratives were solicited from 18 occupational therapists involved in scooter assessment to people aged 65 or over. Interview data were analysed following narrative analysis guidelines.

Results

Analysis revealed six predominant narratives ranging from two success stories to the narrative of disempowerment and stories of negotiating risk. Experienced therapists had more resources and skills to draw on to manage the complexity of prescription and negotiation of risk.

Conclusions

Findings from this study suggest that novices or those new to mobility scooter prescription need to access supervision and support to improve the chances of having a successful outcome. Further exploration of how therapists manage situations of vulnerability and risk is warranted to prevent burnout for therapists and reduce the likelihood of restricting clients' occupational potential. Continuing professional development activities are also recommended.
Oestrogen compromises the facilitatory effect of chronic nicotine on adenosine A2B receptor–K+ channel‐mediated renal vasodilation
Authors: El‐Mas Mahmoud M , El‐Gowilly Sahar M , Elsalakawy Lamia K , El‐Gowelli Hanan M
Published: May 2014

We have shown previously that the renal vasodilatory action of the adenosine analogue 5′‐N‐ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA) in female rats is mediated via preferential activation of adenosine A2B receptor (A2BR)–K+ channel signalling. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the renal vasodilatory effect of NECA and its A2BR/K+ channel specificities are altered by chronic nicotine administration. The oestrogenic modulation of the nicotine–NECA renovascular interaction was also evaluated by determining the effect of ovariectomy (OVX) and oestrogen replacement (OVXE2) on the evoked responses. In isolated phenylephrine‐preconstricted perfused kidneys obtained from sham‐operated rats, vasodilation in response to cumulative bolus injections of NECA (1.6–50 nmol) or papaverine (1–243 nmol) were not affected by nicotine (1–8 mg/kg per day, i.p., 2 weeks). However, vasodilator responses to NECA, but not papaverine, were reduced in kidneys of OVX rats and restored to near‐sham values after E2 replacement. Further, nicotine increased NECA‐induced vasodilation in perfused kidneys from OVX rats, but failed to do so in OVXE2 preparations. The enhanced NECA responsiveness in nicotine‐treated OVX preparations was abolished after infusion (into isolated kidneys) of 10 μmol/L alloxazine (A2BR antagonist) or BaCl2 plus glibenclamide (blockers of inward rectifier and ATP‐sensitive K+ channels, respectively). Vasodilator responses to 0.05–1.6 μmol minoxidil (a K+ channel opener) were increased by nicotine in OVX, but not OVXE2, preparations and this increase was abolished after infusion of BaCl2 + glibenclamide. Together, the data suggest that chronic nicotine enhances A2BR/K+ channel‐mediated renal vasodilation in oestrogen‐depleted rats.
Vildagliptin added to sulfonylurea improves glycemic control without hypoglycemia and weight gain in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus 中国2型糖尿病患者使用磺脲类药物联合维格列汀可改善血糖控制且无低血糖及体重增加
Authors: Yang Wenying , Xing Xiaoping , Lv Xiaofeng , Li Yiming , Ma Jianhua , Yuan Guoyue , Sun Feifei , Wang Wei , Woloschak Michael , Lukashevich Valentina , Kozlovski Plamen , Kothny Wolfgang ,   all investigators
Published: May 2014

Objective

The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy and safety of vildagliptin as add‐on to sulfonylurea therapy in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) inadequately controlled on sulfonylurea monotherapy.

Methods

The 24‐week randomized double‐blind placebo‐controlled study compared vildagliptin 50 mg, q.d., with placebo as add‐on to glimepiride in T2DM patients who were inadequately controlled (HbA1c 7.5%–11.0% [58–97 mmol/mol]) on a stable dose of sulfonylurea for ≥12 weeks before study entry.

Results

In all, 279 patients were randomized to receive either vildagliptin (n = 143) or placebo (n = 136). At baseline, overall mean age was 58.5 years, body weight 68.1 kg, duration of diabetes 6.9 years and daily glimepiride dose 3.3 mg. After 24 weeks, the adjusted mean change (AMΔ) in HbA1c was −0.7% (−8 mmol/mol; baseline 8.6%, 70 mmol/mol) in the vildagliptin group and −0.2% (−2 mmol/mol; baseline 8.7%, 72 mmol/mol) in the placebo group, with a treatment difference of −0.5% (−5 mmol/mol; P < 0.001). The between‐group difference in AMΔ in fasting plasma glucose was −0.4 mmol/L (P = 0.160). There was a slight, but not significant, decrease in body weight in both groups. No hypoglycemic events were reported in either group, including those patients reaching HbA1c <7.0%. Patients in the vildagliptin and placebo groups reported low and comparable incidences of adverse events (14.0% vs 17.8%) and serious adverse events (0.7% in each group).

Conclusion

Vildagliptin 50 mg, q.d., added to sulfonylurea monotherapy is effective in Chinese patients with T2DM, without increasing the risk of hypoglycemia and weight gain.
Who under‐reports their alcohol consumption in telephone surveys and by how much? An application of the ‘yesterday method’ in a national Canadian substance use survey
Authors: Stockwell Tim , Zhao Jinhui , Macdonald Scott
Published: May 2014

Background and Aims

Adjustments for under‐reporting in alcohol surveys have been used in epidemiological and policy studies which assume that all drinkers underestimate their consumption equally. This study aims to describe a method of estimating how under‐reporting of alcohol consumption might vary by age, gender and consumption level.

Method

The Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey (CADUMS) 2008–10 (n = 43 371) asks about beverage‐specific ‘yesterday’ consumption (BSY) and quantity–frequency (QF). Observed drinking frequencies for different age and gender groups were calculated from BSY and used to correct values of F in QF. Beverage‐specific correction factors for quantity (Q) were calculated by comparing consumption estimated from BSY with sales data.

Results

Drinking frequency was underestimated by males (Z = 24.62, P < 0.001) and females (Z = 17.46, P < 0.001) in the QF as assessed by comparing with frequency and quantity of yesterday drinking. Spirits consumption was underestimated by 65.94% compared with sales data, wine by 38.35% and beer by 49.02%. After adjusting Q and F values accordingly, regression analysis found alcohol consumption to be underestimated significantly more by younger drinkers (e.g. 82.9 ± 1.19% for underage drinkers versus 70.38 ± 1.54% for those 65+, P < 0.001) and by low‐risk more than high‐risk drinkers (76.25 ± 0.34% versus 49.22 ± 3.01%, P < 0.001). Under‐reporting did not differ by gender.

Conclusions

Alcohol consumption surveys can use the beverage‐specific ‘yesterday method’ to correct for under‐reporting of consumption among subgroups. Alcohol consumption among Canadians appears to be under‐reported to an equal degree by men and women. Younger drinkers under‐report alcohol consumption to a greater degree than do older drinkers, while low‐risk drinkers underestimate more than do medium and high‐risk drinkers.
The importance of underground shelter resources for reptiles in dryland landscapes: A woma python case study
Authors: Bruton Melissa J. , McAlpine Clive A. , Smith Andrew G. , Franklin Craig E.
Published: May 2014

For effective fauna conservation and management, ecologists are required to identify the resources that are critical for species to survive, and consider how these are distributed across landscapes. The critical resources usually considered are food and water, but the availability of appropriate shelter resources can be a key driver of habitat suitability for terrestrial reptiles and amphibians. Reptiles are important components of dryland ecosystems, yet we have little understanding about how anthropogenic disturbances affect the availability of shelter resources and reptile survival in drylands. In this study, we used VHF radio‐tracking to assess the importance of shelter resources in determining the habitat use patterns of a Near‐Threatened reptile species, the woma (Aspidites ramsayi; Pythonidae), in modified and intact dryland landscapes of Queensland, Australia. We compared the structural and thermal attributes of locations that were used, with those that were available. Using an information‐theoretic approach, we found that the occurrence of womas was strongly associated with the presence of ground burrows, which are excellent thermal insulators. No other shelter type was capable of buffering our study species from sub‐zero temperatures during winter, although summer temperatures of >40°C were buffered by hollow logs and piles of woody debris. Habitat use patterns were influenced more by the occurrence of underground shelters than by habitat type. Clearing status per se (cleared, regrowth or intact) had minimal influence on occurrence. Thermally buffered underground shelters are a vital resource for our focal species, and the availability of this shelter resource drives habitat suitability in modified dryland landscapes. Due to the key trophic role of reptiles in dryland ecosystems, and the excellent thermal buffering capacity of underground shelters, we propose that ground burrows may be potentially considered as keystone structures in drylands, and require a similar level of protection to ‘habitat’ or ‘legacy’ trees in forested ecosystems.
General anaesthetics and the developing brain: an overview
Authors: Sinner B. , Becke K. , Engelhard K.
Published: May 2014

Various experimental studies in animals have shown that general anaesthetics are potentially toxic to the developing brain. By inducing apoptosis or interfering with neurogenesis, anaesthetic exposure during a critical period of neuronal development can have significant impact on neurocognitive function later in life. It remains controversial whether these experimental results can be transferred to human beings and this is under intensive scientific evaluation. To gain more insight into possible neurotoxic effects on the human brain of infants and small children, a number of retrospective studies have been performed. At present, there is no clear evidence that exposure to anaesthesia up to the age of 3–4 years is associated with neurocognitive or behavioural deficits. Currently, the PANDA, MASK and GAS studies are underway to explore this relationship. Anaesthesia is not an end in itself, but necessary to facilitate surgical procedures. There is evidence that maintaining physiological conditions is important for the overall outcome following anaesthesia and surgery. Until proven otherwise, it can be recommended to keep anaesthesia and surgery as short as possible, to use short‐acting drugs and/or a combination of general anaesthesia and multimodal pain therapy including systemic analgesics, and local or regional anaesthesia, to reduce the overall drug dosage.
Short QT in a Cohort of 1.7 Million Persons: Prevalence, Correlates, and Prognosis
Authors: Iribarren Carlos , Round Alfred D. , Peng Jonathan A. , Lu Meng , Klatsky Arthur L. , Zaroff Jonathan G. , Holve Taylor J. , Prasad Amit , Stang Paul
Published: May 2014

Background

Short QT syndrome (QTc ≤ 300 ms) is a novel hereditary channelopathy linked to syncope, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, and sudden cardiac death. However, its epidemiological features remain unsettled.

Objectives

(1) To assess the prevalence of short QT in a large population‐based sample; (2) to evaluate its demographic and clinical correlates and; (3) to determine its prognosis.

Methods

A database of 6.4 million electrocardiograms (ECGs) obtained between 1995 and 2008 among 1.7 million persons was used. An internal, population‐based method for heart rate correction (QTcreg) was used and all ECGs with QTcreg ≤300 ms were manually validated. Linked health plan databases were used for covariate and survival ascertainment.

Results

Of 6,387,070 ECGs, 1086 had an ECG with machine‐read QTcreg ≤300 ms. Only 4% (45/1086) were validated yielding a prevalence of 0.7 per 100,000 or 1 of 141,935 ECGs. At the person level, the overall prevalence of QTcreg ≤300 ms was 2.7 per 100,000 or 1 of 37,335. The factors independently and significantly associated with validated QTcreg ≤300 ms were age over 65 years, Black race, prior history of ventricular dysrhythmias, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ST‐T abnormalities, ischemia, bigeminy pattern, and digitalis effect. After 8.3 years of median follow‐up and relative to normal QTcreg, validated QTcreg ≤300 ms was associated after multivariate adjustment with a 2.6‐fold (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.9–3.7) increased risk of death.

Conclusion

QTcreg ≤300 ms was extraordinarily rare and was associated with significant ECG abnormalities and reduced survival.
Rationale, design, and method of the Diabetes & Women's Health study – a study of long‐term health implications of glucose intolerance in pregnancy and their determinants
Authors: Zhang Cuilin , Hu Frank B. , Olsen Sjurdur F. , Vaag Allan , Gore‐Langton Robert , Chavarro Jorge E. , Bao Wei , Yeung Edwina , Bowers Katherine , Grunnet Louise G. , Sherman Seth , Kiely Michele , Strøm Marin , Hansen Susanne , Liu Aiyi , Mills James , Fan Ruzong ,   the DWH study team
Published: May 2014

Women who develop gestational diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance during pregnancy are at substantially increased risk for type 2 diabetes and comorbidities after pregnancy. Little is known about the role of genetic factors and their interactions with environmental factors in determining the transition from gestational diabetes mellitus to overt type 2 diabetes mellitus. These critical data gaps served as the impetus for this Diabetes & Women's Health study with the overall goal of investigating genetic factors and their interactions with risk factors amenable to clinical or public health interventions in relation to the transition of gestational diabetes mellitus to type 2 diabetes mellitus. To achieve the goal efficiently, we are applying a hybrid design enrolling and collecting data longitudinally from approximately 4000 women with a medical history of gestational diabetes mellitus in two existing prospective cohorts, the Nurses' Health Study II and the Danish National Birth Cohort. Women who had a medical history of gestational diabetes mellitus in one or more of their pregnancies are eligible for the present study. After enrollment, we follow study participants for an additional 2 years to collect updated information on major clinical and environmental factors that may predict type 2 diabetes mellitus risk as well as with biospecimens to measure genetic and biochemical markers implicated in glucose metabolism. Newly collected data will be appended to the relevant existing data for the creation of a new database inclusive of genetic, epigenetic and environmental data. Findings from the study are critical for the development of targeted and more effective strategies to prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus and its complications in this high‐risk population.
Multidimensional Inequality in South Korea: An Empirical Analysis
Authors: Jung Hae‐Sik , Kim Soo‐Wan , Ahn Sang‐Hoon
Published: May 2014

The objective of this study is to review the theoretical limitations of single dimensional approaches for measuring inequality and to prove the effectiveness and practicality of the concept of “multidimensional inequality” by analyzing the inequality embedded in Korean society. This study constitutes nine dimensions of inequality (income, education, health, employment, social capital, leisure, work‐family reconciliation, housing, and social security) and analyzes inequality through the lens of each dimension by using data from of the first to fifth wave of the Korea Welfare Panel Study. The findings show a high degree of correlation among the dimensions of income, education, health, and social capital. However, work‐family reconciliation and housing have a relatively low correlation with income and the other dimensions. Second, multidimensional disparities were found between the groups of gender, age, and region. In conclusion, this study found a high degree of overlap between the concepts of income‐oriented inequalities and the multidimensional inequality approach. By capturing the notions of the multidimensional disparities that exist in each of the different groups, this study confirmed the effectiveness of multidimensional inequality as a useful concept for informing the creation of social policy intervention to alleviate inequality.