bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Three-Dimensional Echocardiography Compared With Computed Tomography to Determine Mitral Annulus Size Before Transcatheter Mitral Valve Implantation
Authors: Mak George J. , Blanke Philipp , Ong Kevin , Naoum Christopher , Thompson Christopher R. , Webb John G. , Moss Robert , Boone Robert , Ye Jian , Cheung Anson , Munt Brad , Leipsic Jonathon , Grewal Jasmine
Published: June 2016

Background—

Previously, through the use of computed tomography (CT), it has been proposed that D-shaped versus saddle-shaped mitral annulus (MA) segmentation is more biomechanically appropriate to determine transcatheter mitral valve implantation size and eligibility.

Methods and Results—

Forty-one patients with severe mitral regurgitation being considered for transcatheter mitral valve implantation who had undergone cardiac CT and 3-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3D-TEE) were retrospectively evaluated. A standardized segmentation protocol for the D-shaped MA was developed using Philips Q-Laboratory mitral valve quantification software. MA dimensions were compared using Spearman’s rank correlation and Bland–Altman analysis. Inter- and intraobserver agreement was quantified by intraclass correlation coefficient and Bland–Altman analysis. Mean age was 77±14 years; 71% male (n=29); mitral regurgitation pathogenesis was functional in 54% (n=22) and myxomatous in 46% (n=19). Mean MA area and circumference by 3D-TEE and CT were 11.3±2.7 versus 11.4±3.0 (
P
=0.67) and 124.1±15.6 versus 123.9±15.5 (
P
=0.79), respectively, with excellent correlation between modalities (
r
=0.84 and
r
=0.86;
P
<0.0001) and no systematic bias (−0.20±1.8 cm
2
[−3.7 cm
2
; 3.3 cm
2
], 0.37±9 mm [−18.0 mm; 17.27 mm]). Mean septal-to-lateral and inter-trigone distances by 3D-TEE and CT were 33.2±4.7 versus 32.5±4.4 (
P
=0.24) and 31.7±3.5 versus 32.6±3.6 (
P
=0.06), respectively, with good correlation (
r
=0.69 and
r
=0.71;
P
<0.0001) and no systematic bias (0.77±3.8 mm [−6.7 mm; 8.2 mm], −1.5±3.1 mm [−4.6 mm; 7.6 mm]). There was excellent intra- and interobserver agreement according to intraclass correlation coefficients >0.90 for all parameters.

Conclusions—

Similar to cardiac CT, 3D-TEE allows for D-shaped MA segmentation with no systematic difference in MA dimensions between modalities. This study supports the utilization of 3D-TEE as a complementary tool to CT assessment of the D-shaped MA to determine transcatheter mitral valve implantation size.
Noninvasive Localization of Accessory Pathways in Wolff–Parkinson–White Syndrome by Three-Dimensional Speckle Tracking Echocardiography
Authors: Ishizu Tomoko , Seo Yoshihiro , Igarashi Miyako , Sekiguchi Yukio , Machino-Ohtsuka Tomoko , Ogawa Kojiro , Kuroki Kenji , Yamamoto Masahiro , Nogami Akihiko , Kawakami Yasushi , Aonuma Kazutaka
Published: June 2016

Background—

We have developed a noninvasive isochrone activation imaging (AI) system with 3-dimensional (3D) speckle tracking echocardiography (STE), which allows visualization of the wavefront image of mechanical propagation of the accessory pathway (ACP) in Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome.

Methods and Results—

Patients with manifest Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome were imaged in 3D-STE AI mode, which quantified the time from QRS onset to regional endocardial deformation. In 2 patients with left- and right-side ACP, we confirmed that intraoperative contact endocardial electric mapping and the 3D-STE AI system showed comparable images pre- and postablation. In normal heart assessment by 3D-echo AI, the earliest activation sites were found at the attachment of the papillary muscles in the left ventricle and midseptum in the right ventricle, and none showed earliest activation at the peri-atrioventricular valve annuli. An analyzer who was unaware of the clinical information assessed 39 ACP locations in 38 Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome patients using 3D-STE. All showed abnormal perimitral or tricuspid annular activations, and the location of 34 ACP (87%) showed agreement with the successful ablation sites within a 2-o’clock range. Especially for left free wall ACP, 17/18 (94%) showed consistency with the ablation site within a 2 o’clock range. Among 15 ACP at the ventricular septum, 9 (60%) showed early local activation in both right and left sides of the septum.

Conclusions—

Isochrone AI with 3D-STE may be a promising noninvasive imaging tool to assess cardiac synchronized activation in normal hearts and detect abnormal breakthrough of mechanical activation from both atrioventricular annuli in Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome.
Diplomacy and Advocacy
Authors: Wubs-Mrozewicz Justyna , Wijffels Alain
Published: June 2016

Against the background of the Northern Seven Years’ War, a Dutch fleet carrying salt from France to the Baltic was arrested in 1564 by the Danish authorities in the Sound, and only allowed to proceed after declaring under oath that they would not sell their cargo to Denmark’s enemy. Afterwards, having reached the Baltic, the fleet encountered a Swedish man-of-war which (according to the Dutchmen) forced them to sail to Stockholm, where the salt was sold at a fixed price. The fleet then sailed to Danzig, where the ships and goods were seized. The incident appears to have played a part in the closure of the Sound to Dutch trade by the Danish Crown, which tried to put pressure on the rulers of the Netherlands for their support in his war efforts. A practical solution to the diplomatic crisis was worked out in setting up a trial opposing the king of Denmark to the skippers of the seized ships before the municipal authorities of Danzig, a city under the overlordship of the King of Poland, who was allied to Denmark in the war against Sweden, while Danzig itself endeavoured to avoid any direct involvement in the warfare. The lawsuit followed the format of civil law procedure. The memorandum and rejoinders, together with a consilium to which a subscriptio by several law professors of Louvain was added, document how a political and diplomatic dispute could be defused and managed through quasi-judicial proceedings and legal arguments. An interim decree of the Danzig authorities discharged the Dutch skippers (1565) and that provisional outcome was eventually confirmed by the king of Poland’s final decision (1567).
Secularist Suspicion and Legal Pluralism at the United Nations
Authors: Årsheim Helge
Published: June 2016

Drawing on a secularist view of religion as primarily a private matter for individuals, the international discourse on human rights has historically considered alternative bodies of law and legal reasoning to be inherently suspect. This ‘secularist suspicion’ has been particularly pronounced towards religious and customary forms of law, which are commonly seen as challenges to the sovereignty and hegemony of human rights law. Through a close reading of the practice of United Nations committees monitoring racism and women’s rights from 1993 to 2010, the development of a gradual divergence in their views of legal pluralism is explored. It is suggested that these views stem from different understandings of what religion is and should be in law, politics and society. Left unattended, this divergence may threaten the conceptual unity and holism of the human rights enterprise.
Two new species of Carex (Cyperaceae) from northern South America
Authors: JIMÉNEZ-MEJÍAS PEDRO , ROALSON ERIC H.
Published: June 2016

We describe and illustrate two new species of Carex from northern South America. Carex via-incaica from Ecuador belongs to section Aciculares. Carex haematopus from Colombia belongs to section Carex. Both species are so far known only from their type localities.
The type species of the genus Geotrygon Gosse, 1847 (Aves: Columbidae)
Authors: MLÍKOVSKÝ JIŘÍ
Published: June 2016

The generic name Geotrygon was introduced by Gosse (1847: 316) for some doves from the island of Jamaica and has been subsequently used for the so-called quail-doves of Middle and South America (Baptista et al. 1997; Gibbs et al. 2001; Dickinson 2003; Dickinson & Remsen 2013). Johnson & Weckstein (2011) and Banks et al. (2013) indicated that this genus is polyphyletic. The application of a generic name is determined by its type species (Art. 42.3 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature; ICZN 1999; hereafter the Code). A literature search showed that different nominal species have been proposed as the type species of Geotrygon, and the situation thus requires clarification.
Responsibility as Responsiveness: Enacting a Dispositional Ethics of Encounter
Authors: Beausoleil Emily
Published: June 2016

With the normative demand to attend to social difference and an absence of universal evaluative terms with which to do so, recent theory has increasingly turned to the study of the affective rather than epistemological conditions of ethical encounter. This I call a “dispositional ethics” that construes responsibility as responsiveness. Recent articulations of such an ethics, notably in the most current work of Judith Butler, James Tully, Jade Larissa Schiff, and Ella Myers, highlight its connection to situated practices of concrete bodies-in-relation, but often stop short of developing an account of what such embodied practices might be. Based on interviews with thirteen experts who take the body as their primary vocational and intellectual field and characterize their practice as an art of listening, I distinguish three dimensions of a dispositional ethics in practice and some of the specific strategies available to cultivate the conditions for responsiveness in political life.
To what extent is post-positivism ‘practised’ in International Relations? Evidence from China and the USA
Authors: Eun Yong-Soo
Published: June 2016

It is now more than three decades since various post-positivist approaches were introduced into the discipline of International Relations (IR) by scholars launching ‘massive attacks’ on positivism. However, many continue to express concern about the ‘marginalization’ of post-positivist scholarship within IR, while others discuss how and why ‘theoretical proliferation’ has come about in the field, convinced that IR is ‘a plural, and pluralist, field.’ Neither group, however, offers the empirical evidence needed to sustain its argument. To provide such evidence, this article undertakes an empirical investigation of the extent to which post- positivist research is practised in contemporary IR, examining publishing and teaching practices in American IR, and the rapidly emerging Chinese IR community. The findings of this investigation will be useful in broadening the debate about theoretical diversity in the discipline.
Synodality and primacy: Reflections from the Australian Lutheran/Roman Catholic Dialogue
Authors: Edwards Denis
Published: June 2016

A fundamental level of Receptive Ccumenism is that of the reception by a dialoguing church of an institutional charism of a partner church as a gift of the Spirit. It is proposed here that in the Lutheran/Roman Catholic Dialogue in Australia, this kind of receptivity has been evident in two ways. First, at least in part through this dialogue, the Lutheran Church of Australia has come to a new reception of episcopacy. Second, in and through this same dialogue, Roman Catholic participants have come to see that their church has much to receive from the Lutheran Church of Australia with regard to synodality, above all in fully involving the lay faithful in synodal structures of church life.
The ecumenism of ecology
Authors: Kelly Anthony J.
Published: June 2016

In the light of Pope Francis’s encyclical on ecology, Laudato si’, this article points to the ecumenical significance of an ecological conversion as integral to the Christian vocation and the promotion of an authentic catholicity. Etymologically speaking, a ‘religious’ commitment intrinsically brings together spiritual and ecological concerns, and inspires new choices in our moral conduct. In ecumenical terms, among the many possible topics, those of creation, Trinity and Eucharist suggest broad and deep dimensions of ecological vision and commitment for the churches that can continue to grow.
Helping people with a mental illness obtain work: the Health Optimisation Program for Employment
Authors: Castle David , Crosse Caroline , Morgain Dea , McDowell Caitlin , Rossell Susan , Thomas Neil , Phillipou Andrea , Gilbert Monica , Moore Gaye , Fossey Ellie , Harvey Carol
Published: June 2016

Objective:

Inclusion in work and education remains problematic for many people with a mental illness. We describe a structured programme – the Health Optimisation Program for Employment – that supported people with a mental illness to gain employment or commence studies.

Method:

Twenty hours of the Health Optimisation Program for Employment were delivered to 600 individuals. Participants were asked to complete an evaluation survey encompassing vocational status and ratings of self-efficacy.

Results:

Of the 364 participants who completed the baseline assessment, 168 responded to the evaluation survey 6 months after the delivery of the Health Optimisation Program for Employment. Of these, 21.5% had started a new job, while a further 42.8% were either volunteering or studying. Satisfaction with the programme was high and self-efficacy ratings improved significantly over the short term only.

Conclusions:

The Health Optimisation Program for Employment requires further evaluation using rigorous scientific methodology but these initial results are encouraging in terms of vocational attainment for people with a mental illness, in the Australian context.
Six In Vivo Assessments of Compulsive Behavior: A Validation Study Using the Obsessive–Compulsive Inventory–Revised
Authors: Summers Berta J. , Sarawgi Shivali , Fitch Kristin E. , Dillon Kirsten H. , Cougle Jesse R.
Published: June 2016

Due to the complex and heterogeneous nature of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), movement toward multimodal assessment has become necessary to more precisely understand the nature of the disorder and interrelations between symptom clusters. Thus, the present study utilized large undergraduate samples (total N = 800) to test the validity of six in vivo assessments of OC symptoms (i.e., one ordering/arranging task, two contamination fear/washing tasks, and three checking tasks). Associations between task-specific variables and self-reported symptom scores (as measured by the Obsessive–Compulsive Inventory–Revised [OCI-R]) were examined. The majority of the in vivo task variables (those presented in Studies 1-4) exhibited significant relationships with the corresponding OCI-R symptom subscale (i.e., ordering, washing, checking). However, many of the task variables demonstrated relationships with other OCI-R symptom subscales, as well. Some evidence for discriminant validity was found, as task variables were generally unrelated to past-week symptoms of depression or anxiety. While continued research is necessary to further establish the validity and utility of the tasks discussed in the current article, findings have implications for improving future empirical examination of OC symptoms.
Reduction in sick leave by a workplace educational low back pain intervention: A cluster randomized controlled trial
Authors: Ree Eline , Lie Stein Atle , Eriksen Hege R. , Malterud Kirsti , Indahl Aage , Samdal Oddrun , Harris Anette
Published: June 2016

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate whether a workplace educational low back pain intervention had an effect on sick leave at the individual level and to identify possible predictors of the effect of intervention. Methods: Work units in two municipalities were cluster randomized to (a) educational meetings and peer support (45 units), (b) educational meetings, peer support and access to an outpatient clinic if needed (48 units) or (c) a control group (42 units). Both intervention groups attended educational meetings with information about back pain based on a non-injury model. A peer adviser was selected from among their colleagues. The outcome was days of sick leave at the individual level at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months, adjusting for previous sick leave at the unit level. As a result of similar effects on sick leave, the two intervention groups were merged ( n=646) and compared with the control group ( n=211). The predictors were different levels of belief in back pain myths, pain-related fear, helplessness/hopelessness and low back pain. Results: The intervention group had significantly less days of sick leave at the three month (4.9 days, p=0.001) and six month (4.4 days, p=0.016) follow ups compared with the control group. At three months, a low level of pain-related fear was the only predictor for the intervention effect (8.0 less days of sick leave, p<0.001). Conclusions: A workplace educational back pain intervention had an effect on sick leave for up to six months. A low score on pain-related fear was a predictor of the intervention effect.
Middle Eastern Conflicts: Implications for Refugee Health in the European Union and Middle Eastern Host Countries
Authors: Silbermann Michael , Daher Michel , Kebudi Rejin , Nimri Omar , Al-Jadiry Mazin , Baider Lea
Published: June 2016

Until very recently, health care in conflict settings was based on a model developed in the second half of the twentieth century. Things have changed, and present civil wars, such as those that are currently taking place in the Middle East, do not address the complexity of the ongoing armed conflicts in countries such as Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. These conflicts have caused a significant increase in the number of refugees in the region, as well as in Europe. Hundreds of thousands of refugees succeed in settling in mid- and north-European countries, and their health issues are becoming of great importance. Refugees in Europe in the twenty-first century do not suffer so much from infectious diseases but more from noninfectious chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiac disease, and cancer. These facts profoundly alter the demographics and disease burden of hostility-derived migrants. Thus, host European countries face situations they have never faced before. Hence, new approaches and strategies are urgently needed to cope with this new situation. The efforts to absorb refugees of different traditions and cultural backgrounds often cause increasing ethnic and religious tensions, which frequently escort the emergence of social violence. To date, little attention has been paid to the overall load of distress being experienced, especially among the first-generation refugees. The current ongoing hostilities in the Middle East induce a long-term health impact on people expelled from their homes, communities, traditions, and cultural environment. The realization of collective suffering forces communities and governmental health agencies to develop new programs that include social determinants to overcome the severe cultural gaps of the newcomers in their new European host countries.
Manganese-Stimulated Kisspeptin Is Mediated by the IGF-1/Akt/Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Pathway in the Prepubertal Female Rat
Authors: Srivastava Vinod K. , Hiney Jill K. , Dees William L.
Published: June 2016

Low-dose administration of manganese chloride (MnCl2) causes release of hypothalamic LH-releasing hormone (LHRH) and advances puberty in rat. Recently, this element was shown to up-regulate mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), kisspeptin gene (KiSS-1), and LHRH gene expressions in the brain preoptic area (POA)/anteroventral periventricular (AVPV) nucleus. Because these genes are critical for puberty, this study was conducted to identify the upstream mechanism by which Mn activates the mTOR/KiSS-1 pathway. On day 12, immature female rats began receiving a daily supplemental dose of 10 mg/kg of MnCl2 or saline by gavage, and POA/AVPV tissues were collected on day 29 for specific protein assessments. Another experiment assessed in vitro IGF-1 release in response to Mn and assessed signal transduction pathways in the POA/AVPV region after Mn delivery into the third ventricle. Chronic Mn exposure increased (P < .05) basal expressions of mTOR and kisspeptin proteins. Mn increased protein kinase B (Akt) and Ras homolog enriched in brain, both capable of activating mTOR. Central Mn delivery increased expressions of phosphorylated IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) (P < .05) and Akt (P < .01) in the POA/AVPV region. The previous central delivery of JB1, an IGF-1R antagonist, blocked Mn-induced expressions of both phosphorylated IGF-1R and Akt. Downstream to Akt, centrally administered Mn increased tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (P < .05), Ras homolog enriched in brain (P < .01), mTOR (P < .05), and kisspeptin (P < .05). Finally, we observed that the early puberty induced by Mn was blocked by the administration of an mTOR inhibitor. These results suggest that Mn acts, at least in part, through the IGF-1/Akt/mTOR pathway to influence prepubertal kisspeptin and LHRH.
Tissue Oximetry and Clinical Outcomes
Authors: Bickler Philip , Feiner John , Rollins Mark , Meng Lingzhong
Published: June 2016

A number of different technologies have been developed to measure tissue oxygenation, with the goal of identifying tissue hypoxia and guiding therapy to prevent patient harm. In specific cases, tissue oximetry may provide clear indications of decreases in tissue oxygenation such as that occurring during acute brain ischemia. However, the causation between tissue hemoglobin-oxygen desaturation in one organ (eg, brain or muscle) and global outcomes such as mortality, intensive care unit length of stay, and remote organ dysfunction remains more speculative. In this review, we describe the current state of evidence for predicting clinical outcomes from tissue oximetry and identify several issues that need to be addressed to clarify the link between tissue oxygenation and outcomes. We focus primarily on the expanding use of near-infrared spectroscopy to assess a venous-weighted mixture of venous and arterial hemoglobin-oxygen saturation deep in tissues such as brain and muscle. Our analysis finds that more work is needed in several areas: establishing threshold prediction values for tissue desaturation–related injury in specific organs, defining the types of interventions required to correct changes in tissue oxygenation, and defining the effect of interventions on outcomes. Furthermore, well-designed prospective studies that test the hypothesis that monitoring oxygenation status in one organ predicts outcomes related to other organs need to be done. Finally, we call for more work that defines regional variations in tissue oxygenation and improves technology for measuring and even imaging oxygenation status in critical organs. Such studies will contribute to establishing that monitoring and imaging of tissue oxygenation will become routine in the care of high-risk patients because the monitors will provide outputs that direct therapy to improve clinical outcomes.
Factors Influencing the Choice of Anesthesia as a Career by Undergraduates of the University of Rwanda
Authors: Chan Denise M. , Wong Rex , Runnels Sean , Muhizi Epaphrodite , McClain Craig D.
Published: June 2016

BACKGROUND:

Rwanda currently faces a severe shortage of trained medical personnel, including physician anesthesiologists. The recruitment of residents into the anesthesia program has been consistently low. This study aimed at determining the factors that influence undergraduates’ decision to pursue anesthesia as a career choice.

METHODS:

A questionnaire was created and administered to final year undergraduate medical students at the University of Rwanda. The questionnaire was created based on factors identified from literature review and key informant interviews. The questionnaire was translated, field-tested, and refined. The final survey questionnaire contains 27 4-point Likert scale items and 4 free-text questions.

RESULTS:

Seventy-nine final year undergraduate medical students responded to the survey. Only 2 students (2.5%) chose anesthesia as their top choice for postgraduate training. The most frequently named factors for not choosing anesthesiology were long work hours and high stress level, insufficient mentorship, and low job opportunity.

CONCLUSIONS:

The issues identified by our survey must be considered when making efforts toward increasing anesthesia recruitment in Rwanda. Factors such as lack of material resources and high workload will not be easily addressed. Others can be addressed through changes in medical student anesthesiology rotations and better mentorship by anesthesiologists during formative years. Focusing on factors that can be changed now may increase enrollment into anesthesiology. Future studies will include broadening the survey population and further investigating the influencing factors elucidated by this study.
In Uniform Code: Catherine Barkley’s Wartime Nursing Service inA Farewell to Arms
Authors: Huang Michelle N.
Published: June 2016

Readings of Catherine Barkley, the female protagonist of Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, have focused on her gender without fully considering her medical vocation. In contrast, this article foregrounds Catherine’s work as a Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurse through a sociohistorical lens drawn from World War I nursing memoirs and medical history. Situating her behavioral antinomies within the discipline of wartime nursing demonstrates Catherine’s capability to repurpose her role as an instrument of war: through her affective labor, Catherine establishes human connections unsanctioned by military authority. This reframing of A Farewell to Arms as Catherine’s war story rather than as her love story also reveals a Hemingway sensitive to how the trauma of World War I rewrote identity for women as well as men.
No discrimination shock avoidance with sequential presentation of stimuli but shore crabs still reduce shock exposure
Authors: Magee Barry , Elwood Robert W.
Published: June 2016

Insights into the potential for pain may be obtained from examination of behavioural responses to noxious stimuli. In particular, prolonged responses coupled with long-term motivational change and avoidance learning cannot be explained by nociceptive reflex but are consistent with the idea of pain. Here, we placed shore crabs alternately in two halves of a test area divided by an opaque partition. Each area had a dark shelter and in one repeated small electric shocks were delivered in an experimental but not in a control group. Crabs showed no specific avoidance of the shock shelter either during these trials or in a subsequent test in which both were offered simultaneously; however they often emerged from the shock shelter during a trial and thus avoided further shock. More crabs emerged in later trials and took less time to emerge than in early trials. Thus, despite the lack of discrimination learning between the two shelters they used other tactics to markedly reduce the amount of shock received. We note that a previous experiment using simultaneous presentation of two shelters demonstrated rapid discrimination and avoidance learning but the paradigm of sequential presentation appears to prevent this. Nevertheless, the data show clearly that the shock is aversive and tactics, other than discrimination learning, are used to avoid it. Thus, the behaviour is only partially consistent with the idea of pain.
Mechanistic underpinnings of dehydration stress in the American dog tick revealed through RNA-Seq and metabolomics
Authors: Rosendale Andrew J. , Romick-Rosendale Lindsey E. , Watanabe Miki , Dunlevy Megan E. , Benoit Joshua B.
Published: June 2016

Ticks are obligate blood feeders but spend the majority of their lifetime off-host where they must contend with a multitude of environmental stresses. Survival under desiccating conditions is a determinant for habitats where ticks can become established, and water-balance characteristics of ticks have been extensively studied. However, little is known about the underlying aspects associated with dehydration stress in ticks. In this study, we examined the response of male American dog ticks, Dermacentor variabilis, to dehydration using a combined transcriptomics and metabolomics approach. During dehydration, 497 genes were differentially expressed, including an up-regulation of stress-response and protein-catabolism genes and concurrent down-regulation of several energetically expensive biological processes. Accumulation of several metabolites, including specific amino acids, glycerol and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), and transcript shifts in the associated pathways for generating these metabolites indicated congruence between changes in the metabolome and gene expression. Ticks treated with exogenous glycerol and GABA demonstrated altered water-balance characteristics; specifically, increased water absorption at high relative humidity. Finally, we observed changes in locomotor activity in response to dehydration, but this change was not influenced by the accumulation of GABA. Overall, the responses to dehydration by these ticks were similar to those observed in other dehydration-tolerant arthropods, but several molecular and behavioral responses are distinct from those associated with other taxa.
Physiological and microbial adjustments to diet quality permit facultative herbivory in an omnivorous lizard
Authors: Kohl Kevin D. , Brun Antonio , Magallanes Melisa , Brinkerhoff Joshua , Laspiur Alejandro , Acosta Juan Carlos , Bordenstein Seth R. , Caviedes-Vidal Enrique
Published: June 2016

While herbivory is a common feeding strategy in a number of vertebrate classes, less than 4% of squamate reptiles feed primarily on plant material. It has been hypothesized that physiological or microbial limitations may constrain the evolution of herbivory in lizards. Herbivorous lizards exhibit adaptations in digestive morphology and function that allow them to better assimilate plant material. However, it is unknown whether these traits are fixed or perhaps phenotypically flexible as a result of diet. Here, we maintained a naturally omnivorous lizard, Liolaemus ruibali, on a mixed diet of 50% insects and 50% plant material, or a plant-rich diet of 90% plant material. We compared parameters of digestive performance, gut morphology and function, and gut microbial community structure between the two groups. We found that lizards fed the plant-rich diet maintained nitrogen balance and exhibited low minimum nitrogen requirements. Additionally, lizards fed the plant-rich diet exhibited significantly longer small intestines and larger hindguts, demonstrating that gut morphology is phenotypically flexible. Lizards fed the plant-rich diet harbored small intestinal communities that were more diverse and enriched in Melainabacteria and Oscillospira compared with mixed diet-fed lizards. Additionally, the relative abundance of sulfate-reducing bacteria in the small intestine significantly correlated with whole-animal fiber digestibility. Thus, we suggest that physiological and microbial limitations do not sensu stricto constrain the evolution of herbivory in lizards. Rather, ecological context and fitness consequences may be more important in driving the evolution of this feeding strategy.
Intuitive representation of photopolarimetric data using the polarization ellipse
Authors: Gagnon Yakir Luc , Marshall Nicholas Justin
Published: June 2016

Photopolarimetry is the spatial characterization of light polarization. Unlike intensity or wavelength, we are largely insensitive to polarization and therefore find it hard to explore the multidimensional data that photopolarimetry produces (two spatial dimensions plus four polarization dimensions). Many different ways for presenting and exploring this modality of light have been suggested. Most of these ignore circular polarization, include multiple image-panes that make correlating structure with polarization difficult, and obscure the main trends with overly detailed information and often misleading colour maps. Here, we suggest a novel way for presenting the main results from photopolarimetric analyses. By superimposing a grid of polarization ellipses onto the RGB image, the full polarization state of each cell is intuitively conveyed to the reader. This method presents linear and circular polarization as well as ellipticity in a graphical manner, does not require multiple panes, facilitates the correlation between structure and polarization, and requires the addition of only three novel colours. We demonstrate its usefulness in a biological context where we believe it would be most relevant.
Hfq assists small RNAs in binding to the coding sequence of ompD mRNA and in rearranging its structure
Authors: Wroblewska Zuzanna , Olejniczak Mikolaj
Published: June 2016

The bacterial protein Hfq participates in the regulation of translation by small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs). Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the role of Hfq in the regulation by sRNAs binding to the 5′-untranslated mRNA regions. However, it remains unknown how Hfq affects those sRNAs that target the coding sequence. Here, the contribution of Hfq to the annealing of three sRNAs, RybB, SdsR, and MicC, to the coding sequence of Salmonella ompD mRNA was investigated. Hfq bound to ompD mRNA with tight, subnanomolar affinity. Moreover, Hfq strongly accelerated the rates of annealing of RybB and MicC sRNAs to this mRNA, and it also had a small effect on the annealing of SdsR. The experiments using truncated RNAs revealed that the contributions of Hfq to the annealing of each sRNA were individually adjusted depending on the structures of interacting RNAs. In agreement with that, the mRNA structure probing revealed different structural contexts of each sRNA binding site. Additionally, the annealing of RybB and MicC sRNAs induced specific conformational changes in ompD mRNA consistent with local unfolding of mRNA secondary structure. Finally, the mutation analysis showed that the long AU-rich sequence in the 5′-untranslated mRNA region served as an Hfq binding site essential for the annealing of sRNAs to the coding sequence. Overall, the data showed that the functional specificity of Hfq in the annealing of each sRNA to the ompD mRNA coding sequence was determined by the sequence and structure of the interacting RNAs.
Η Γνωσιακή Επιστήμη των Ενσώματων Μαθηματικών. Το Παράδειγμα του Τετραγωνισμού της Παραβολής.
Authors: Μπούκης Γιώργος
Published: June 2016

Κατά την τελευταία εικοσαετία, έχει αναπτυχθεί στο πεδίο της γνωσιακής έρευνας μια τάση με αυξανόμενη επιρροή, η οποία δίνει έμφαση στον ενσώματο χαρακτήρα της μαθηματικής κατανόησης. Τα μέχρι τώρα συμπεράσματά της έρχονται να εμπλουτίσουν ή ακόμη να αμφισβητήσουν κρατούσες απόψεις της ψυχολογίας, της φιλοσοφίας και της διδακτικής ως προς τις απαρχές, τη δημιουργία και την εκμάθηση των Μαθηματικών.
Σύγκριση κινήτρων μάθησης φοιτητών παραδοσιακής και εξ αποστάσεως τριτοβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης
Authors: Παπαδόπουλος Δημήτριος , Δημητριάδης Σπυρίδων , Λαζαρίδης Παναγιώτης
Published: June 2016

Σκοπός της παρούσας εργασίας ήταν να προσδιοριστούν και να συγκριθούν τα κίνητρα μάθησης των φοιτητών της παραδοσιακής εκπαίδευσης με τα αντίστοιχα των φοιτητών της εξ αποστάσεως και να διερευνηθεί η σχέση τους με την ακαδημαϊκή επιτυχία των φοιτητών. Το δείγμα αποτελούνταν από 378 προπτυχιακούς φοιτητές της ελληνικής τριτοβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης (Ν=378). Οι 240 από αυτούς σπούδαζαν με το σύστημα της παραδοσιακής εκπαίδευσης, ενώ οι 138 με το σύστημα της εξ αποστάσεως. Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν ότι στους 3 από τους 4 παρακινητικούς παράγοντες για μάθηση, οι σπουδαστές της παραδοσιακής εκπαίδευσης κατέγραψαν υψηλότερες τιμές. Αντίθετα, οι σπουδαστές της εξ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευσης διέθεταν υπερδιπλάσιες ώρες για μελέτη. Τα κίνητρα των σπουδαστών της παραδοσιακής εκπαίδευσης, που οδηγούσαν στην ακαδημαϊκή επιτυχία ήταν εσωτερικά και εξωτερικά ταυτόχρονα, ενώ τα αντίστοιχα κίνητρα των σπουδαστών της εξ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευσης ήταν εσωτερικά.
Semi-automated Modular Program Constructor for physiological modeling: Building cell and organ models
Authors: Jardine Bartholomew , Raymond Gary M. , Bassingthwaighte James B.
Published: June 2016

The Modular Program Constructor (MPC) is an open-source Java based modeling utility, built upon JSim's Mathematical Modeling Language (MML) (http://www.physiome.org/jsim/) that uses directives embedded in model code to construct larger, more complicated models quickly and with less error than manually combining models. A major obstacle in writing complex models for physiological processes is the large amount of time it takes to model the myriad processes taking place simultaneously in cells, tissues, and organs. MPC replaces this task with code-generating algorithms that take model code from several different existing models and produce model code for a new JSim model. This is particularly useful during multi-scale model development where many variants are to be configured and tested against data. MPC encodes and preserves information about how a model is built from its simpler model modules, allowing the researcher to quickly substitute or update modules for hypothesis testing. MPC is implemented in Java and requires JSim to use its output. MPC source code and documentation are available athttp://www.physiome.org/software/MPC/.
State support for the development of agro-tourism in Moscow region
Authors: Пинаев Антон , Pinaev Anton
Published: June 2016

Agrotourism promotes not only countryside development, but also development of region as a whole. However, nothing can happen of itself, so every movement needs a push. And this is truly for agrotourism. The state has the means to support activities in the field of rural tourism, and particularly agrotourism. Thus, it can and should be a driving force. State support is reflected in the existing normative legal acts, regulating these types of tourism activity, as well as in the creation of new programs and projects for the development of rural areas. Unfortunately, the legal restrictions that appear on the basis of existing laws interfere with full realization of the state support programs. For example, only legal entity, having financial security, liability insurance, able to follow the cultural and environmental side of its activity, can be engaged in agrotourism. Today this fact hampers the development of this type of tourism. Therefore, in the near future, regulatory and legal framework for this and other similar issues should be settled. In addition to the direct support of agrotourism activities, an important task of government programs is to engage entrepreneurs, especially among rural people, in this activity.
The use of legal-reference systems for professional training in tourism
Authors: Дашковская Ольга , Dashkovskaya Olga , Мельникова Инна , Melnikova Inna
Published: June 2016

The article is devoted to the possibilities of the use of legal reference systems in the training of students studying "Tourism" and the professional development of teachers in the course of their use. Successful experience is demonstrated by the example of the P.G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University. Applying of legal reference systems allows more effectively implementing the requirements of the current federal state educational standards of higher professional education of the third generation in the formation of important professional competence of specialists in tourism. The range of use of these software systems is very wide. They can be used not only in the study of "Information Technologies in the tourism industry", but also during the development of the legal and economic disciplines, writing term papers and final qualifying works. Compared with other sources of legal information, legal reference systems have significant advantages. Legal reference system"Consultant Plus" most actively cooperates with institutions for many years, its share in the market of legal information systems in Russia is more than 70%. In P.G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University all regular lecturers of the Department of Regional Study and Tourism have been trained in the framework of the developed by the company the program of cooperation with educational institutions and have got the right to conduct teaching activities in this area. Professional version of "Consultant Plus" has been installed on computers of faculty and computer lab. Materials of reference legal system allow teachers to actualize the lecture material, taking into account changes in the legislation, to apply innovative tools and techniques with the advice of professionals on their use. Introduction of reference legal system in educational process also allows to increase students´ interest in learning and to enhance their independent work.
Ecological tourism in Russia and Scandinavia
Authors: Логинова Наталия , Loginova Nataliya , Костоварова Валентина , Kostovarova Valentina , Чудайкина Галина , Chudaykina Galina
Published: June 2016

In recent years, in our country there is a significant growth of interest in such unusual trend in tourism as ecological tourism. Ecotourism is a kind of nature tourism, which brings together people who want to be as close as possible to nature. The very concept of "ecotourism" for our country is a relatively new, but in Western Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and other countries such kind of rest has already gained a lot of popularity. In Russia, despite the opportunities for development of this trend, ecotourism is underdeveloped. This article defines the concept of "ecotourism", describes the peculiarities of this type of tourism, and lists the main requirements for eco-tours. The authors give the main reasons hindering the development of eco-tourism in our country. The authors consider in detail the Nordic countries as an example of the highest level of eco-tourism organizing. Currently, it is one of the most popular destinations for eco-tourists. The Nordic countries, namely Norway, Sweden and Denmark, provide great opportunities for the ecotourism development. It is promoted by the magnificent nature, picturesque landscapes, good level of state support and protection of national parks and reserves, the interest of the local population in maintaining the ecotourism facilities in proper state and creation of comfortable conditions for recreation of foreign and domestic tourists, who prefer to spend their holidays or a weekend surrounded by nature. There are solutions for active rest and relaxing vacation, which allows the Nordic countries to attract more and more eco-tourists year by year.
Improvement of the Methods of Disclosure of Financial Results in the Financial Statements of Construction Companies
Authors: Гаджиева  , Gadzhieva P.
Published: June 2016

Th e article considers the main problems of formation of fi nancial results of realization of construction products

(construction projects, construction works) in fi nancial accounting and reporting. Th e article proposes a methodology for

the disclosure of such information in fi nancial statements using the sub-accounts, accounting records and performance.
Investment Management of Organizations under Conditions of Financial and Economic Instability
Authors: Лаптев  , Laptev S.
Published: June 2016

Th e article considers the infl uence of the most important factors of macroeconomic instability and economic

policy on the development of investment processes in the Russian economy. Th e author gives proposals oriented on

improvement of investment processes dynamic in the country.
Why we should be talking about death with pupils
Authors: Feuchtwang Anna
Published: June 2016

Death is something we shy away from talking about on a personal level. Anna Feuchtwang says it is time to open up the conversation in our schools.
Eczema at school: More than skin deep
Authors: Greener Mark
Published: June 2016

One in five UK school children have atopic dermatitis (eczema), which can undermine academic performance and may lead to bullying, social exclusion, and internalising and externalising behaviours. The first step in management is to attempt to identify and avoid potential triggers, including those encountered at school. Symptom severity and responses to triggers can vary over time. So, atopic eczema is managed with a stepped approach based on symptom severity. Nevertheless, emollients are the foundation of management and should always be used, even when the atopic eczema is in remission. Health professionals should help children, parents or carers recognise flares and offer instructions and treatments that allow patients and carers to self-manage according to the stepped-care plan.
Fear of failure: Supporting students with exam stress
Authors: Thornton Stephanie
Published: June 2016

Stephanie Thornton looks at the impact of the current emphasis on school performance and testing, and provides advice on supporting children and young people with exam stress.
Developing the specialist gastrointestinal nurses of the future: the St Mark's Burdett Nurse Scholarship Programme
Authors: Taylor Claire , Burch Jennie , Black Pat
Published: June 2016

Many nurses who aspire to work in a specialist area find it difficult to gain the necessary educational or practical experience to make the transition from general nursing practice. This article explains how and why an innovative year-long nursing development programme combining weekly supervision, eleven different gastrointestinal (GI) clinical placements alongside a range of funded study days and masterclasses was designed to address this shortfall. Issues associated with developing specialist nursing knowledge and clinical practice skills with specific reference to gastrointestinal nurses are also discussed. The St Mark's Burdett Nurse Scholarship Programme, which started in September 2015, will run over 3 years and aims to recruit two nurse scholars each year. Scholars are granted supernumerary status during the majority of their clinical placements, thereby maximising their learning opportunities, made possible by a grant from the Burdett Trust for Nursing and St Mark's Foundation. Furthermore, the scholars undertake a specific GI nursing module validated by Birmingham City University, with support from stoma product manufacturing company, Dansac.
Bariatric surgery and implications for stoma care
Authors: Swash Carolyn
Published: June 2016

In the UK, 62% of the population are now described as being either overweight or obese. People with weight-management issues have increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer, including bowel cancer. Following the initial National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance in 2006, revised in 2014, health professionals have a more proactive role in identifying people with weight-management issues and supporting them to achieve a weight that helps reduce their health risks. This includes referrals to bariatric surgeons for consideration for surgery if appropriate. One particular surgical procedure, the Roux-en-Y, is not reversible and alters the capacity of the stomach and function of the small bowel in order to achieve weight loss. Using a case study, this article will highlight the role of the stoma nurse in managing a patient, who previously had a Roux-en-Y procedure for weight loss and subsequently needed formation of a loop ileostomy after surgery for bowel cancer.
Gastrointestinal/IBD Nurse of the Year Runner Up
Authors: Greveson Kay
Published: June 2016

Kay Greveson, IBD Nurse Specialist, Royal Free Hospital was awarded runner up in the British Journal of Nursing Awards 2016, here she tells us about the work she did to be shortlisted.
Deranged liver function tests following laparoscopic cholecystectomy: What would Occam have to say?
Authors: Miller R , Appleton S
Published: June 2016

Postoperative complications can pose a significant obstacle in the ongoing management of surgical patients. However, it is pertinent to remember that postoperative events are not always complications of the preceding operation. We present the case of a patient with calculous cholecystitis and gallbladder empyema who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Postoperatively, he continued to have right upper quadrant pain associated with abnormal liver function tests. Ultimately, the cause of his postoperative symptoms was rather prosaic and ran counter to Occam’s razor, the relevance of which is discussed below.