bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Goat cathelicidin‐2 is secreted by blood leukocytes regardless of lipopolysaccharide stimulation
Authors: Srisaikham Supreena , Suksombat Wisitiporn , Yoshimura Yukinori , Isobe Naoki
Published: July 2015

It has been reported that goat cathelicidin‐2, an antimicrobial peptide, localizes in leukocytes and is present in milk. Here, we examined whether cathelicidin‐2 is secreted by leukocytes. Different concentrations (105–108 cells/mL) of blood leukocytes were cultured for 0–48 h with or without lipopolysaccharide (LPS). After culture, the concentrations of cathelicidin‐2 in the conditioned media were measured. Blood was collected from male goats 0–24 h after the intravenous injection of Escherichia coli O111:B4 LPS. The plasma cathelicidin‐2 concentrations were determined and the blood leukocytes immunostained with anti‐cathelicidin‐2 antibody to calculate the proportion of cathelicidin‐2‐positive cells in the total leukocytes. When higher concentrations of leukocytes were cultured, the cathelicidin‐2 concentrations in the media increased significantly, whereas the addition of LPS to the media caused no further increase. The plasma cathelicidin‐2 concentrations did not increase with time after LPS infusion. The proportion of cathelicidin‐2‐positive cells in the total leukocytes was significantly reduced 1 h after LPS injection compared with that at 0 h, but increased again at 6 h and thereafter. These results suggest that cathlicidin‐2 is secreted by leukocytes even without LPS stimulation, whereas LPS may be required for cathelicidin‐2‐containing leukocytes to be recruited from the blood to tissues showing inflammation.
Parity and litter size effects on maternal behavior of Small Tail Han sheep in China
Authors: Lv Shen‐Jin , Yang Yan , Li Fu‐Kuan
Published: July 2015

The effects of parity and litter size on maternal behavior of Small Tail Han sheep was investigated at Linyi University, China. Sixty‐eight ewes were observed from parturition to weaning. Continuous focal animal sampling was used to quantify the duration of maternal behaviors. Ewe feces were collected every 2 days and estradiol concentration was measured with an enzyme immunoassay kit. All lambs were weighed 24 h after parturition and again at 35 days of age. Parity increased sucking, following, grooming, low‐pitched bleat, head‐up and udder‐refusal behavior and decreased aggressive behavior (P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P < 0.05, P < 0.05, P < 0.05, P < 0.05, P < 0.01, respectively), and litter size showed significant effect on sucking, following and low‐pitched bleat behavior (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, P < 0.05, respectively). The lambs of multiparous ewes were significantly heavier than primiparous ewes at birth (P < 0.01) and were significantly heavier at weaning age (P < 0.01). Similar results were founded for birth weight and weaning weight gain in litter size (P < 0.01, P < 0.01, respectively). Estradiol concentration in feces was higher in multiparous ewes than primiparous ewes. Parity and litter size may have effects on maternal behavior during lactation. Ewes that have 2–3 lambs may be more suitable for production of Small Tail Han sheep in China.
Infants' observation of others' actions: Brief movement‐specific visual experience primes motor representations
Authors: Boyer Ty W. , Bertenthal Bennett I.
Published: July 2015

Recent research suggests that infants' observation of others' reaching actions activates corresponding motor representations which develop with their motor experience. Contralateral reaching develops a few months later than ipsilateral reaching, and 9‐month‐old infants are less likely to map the observation of these reaches to their motor representations. The goal of the current study was to test whether a brief familiarization with contralateral reaching is sufficient to prime this less developed motor representation to increase the likelihood of its activation. In Experiment 1, infants were familiarized with contralateral reaching before they were tested in an observational version of the A‐not‐B paradigm. A significant number of infants searched incorrectly, suggesting that the observation of contralateral reaching primed their motor representations. In Experiment 2, infants were familiarized with ipsilateral reaching, which shared the goals but not the movements associated with the contralateral reaches observed during testing, and they did not show a search bias. Taken together, these results suggest that a brief familiarization with a movement‐specific behaviour facilitates the direct matching of observed and executed actions.
Sex pheromone of the alfalfa plant bug, Adelphocoris lineolatus
Authors: Zhang Tao , Mei Xiang‐Dong , Li Yao‐Fa , Zhang Kaixin , Wu Kong‐Ming , Ning Jun
Published: July 2015

In northern China, due to the large‐scale adoption of transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) cotton, the number of Adelphocoris lineolatus (Goeze) (Hemiptera: Miridae) has increased quickly, causing significant loss in cotton and alfalfa production. One of the environmentally safe strategies without use of pesticides is the application of insect pheromone for mating disruption. In our study, we aim to identify the active components in sexually mature virgin female A. lineolatus, and activity and optimal ratio of these components. By using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) and gas chromatography–electroantennographic detection (GC‐EAD), we identified three active compounds: hexyl butyrate (HB), (E)‐2‐hexenyl butyrate (E2HB), and (E)‐4‐oxo‐2‐hexenal (4‐OHE). We examined the release rate of septum and tube dispensers in a wind tunnel. In a field experiment, deletion of 4‐OHE or E2HB resulted in significant suppression of male trap catches, indicating that E2HB or 4‐OHE may be the active pheromone components. Traps baited with a blend of 4‐OHE and E2HB at 2:5, 3:4, and 4:3 caught significantly more males, suggesting that the optimal ratio of 4‐OHE and E2HB could be in the range of 1:1 to 1:2. The addition of a large amount of HB could strongly reduce the attractive activity of both virgin females and artificial lures. We also compared the attractiveness of septum lures and tube lures in field experiments. The septum lures attracted males in the first 3 days. The tube lures caught more males after 3 days and the attractive effects existed up to 5 weeks, suggesting them as a tool for long‐term monitoring and control of plant bugs.
Cortical inhibition of laser pain and laser‐evoked potentials by non‐nociceptive somatosensory input
Authors: Testani Elisa , Le Pera Domenica , Del Percio Claudio , Miliucci Roberto , Brancucci Alfredo , Pazzaglia Costanza , De Armas Liala , Babiloni Claudio , Rossini Paolo Maria , Valeriani Massimiliano
Published: July 2015

Although the inhibitory action that tactile stimuli can have on pain is well documented, the precise timing of the interaction between the painful and non‐painful stimuli in the central nervous system is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate this issue by measuring the timing of the amplitude modulation of laser evoked potentials (LEPs) due to conditioning non‐painful stimuli. LEPs were recorded from 31 scalp electrodes in 10 healthy subjects after painful stimulation of the right arm (C6–C7 dermatomes). Non‐painful electrical stimuli were applied by ring electrodes on the second and third finger of the right hand. Electrical stimuli were delivered at +50, +150, +200 and +250 ms interstimulus intervals (ISIs) after the laser pulses. LEPs obtained without any conditioning stimulation were used as a baseline. As compared to the baseline, non‐painful electrical stimulation reduced the amplitude of the vertex N2/P2 LEP component and the laser pain rating when electrical stimuli followed the laser pulses only at +150 and +200 ms ISIs. As at these ISIs the collision between the non‐painful and painful input is likely to take place at the cortical level, we can conclude that the late processing of painful (thermal) stimuli is partially inhibited by the processing of non‐painful (cutaneous) stimuli within the cerebral cortex. Moreover, our results do not provide evidence that non‐painful inputs can inhibit pain at a lower level, including the spinal cord.
Equine grass sickness in Scotland: A case‐control study of environmental geochemical risk factors
Authors: Wylie C. E. , Shaw D. J. , Fordyce F. M. , Lilly A. , Pirie R. S. , McGorum B. C.
Published: July 2015

Reasons for performing study

We hypothesised that the apparent geographical distribution of equine grass sickness (EGS) is partly attributable to suboptimal levels of soil macro‐ and trace elements in fields whereEGSoccurs. If proven, altering levels of particular elements could be used to reduce the risk ofEGS.

Objectives

To determine whether the geographical distribution ofEGScases in eastern Scotland is associated with the presence or absence of particular environmental chemical elements.

Study design

Retrospective time‐matched case‐control study.

Methods

This study used data for 455 geo‐referencedEGScases and 910 time‐matched controls in eastern Scotland, and geo‐referenced environmental geochemical data from the British Geological Survey Geochemical Baseline Survey of the Environment stream sediment (G‐BASE) and the James Hutton Institute, National Soil Inventory of Scotland (NSIS) datasets.

Results

Multivariable statistical analyses identified clusters of three main elements associated with cases from (i) the G‐BASEdataset ‐ higher environmental Ti and lower Zn, and (ii) theNSISdataset ‐ higher environmental Ti and lower Cr. There was also some evidence from univariable analyses for lower Al, Cd, Cu, Ni and Pb and higher Ca, K, Mo, Na and Se environmental concentrations being associated with a case. Results were complicated by a high degree of correlation between most geochemical elements.

Conclusions

The work presented here would appear to reflect soil‐ not horse‐level risk factors forEGS, but due to the complexity of the correlations between elements, further work is required to determine whether these associations reflect causality, and consequently whether interventions to alter concentrations of particular elements in soil, or in grazing horses, could potentially reduce the risk ofEGS. The effect of chemical elements on the growth of those soil microorganisms implicated inEGSaetiology also warrants further study.
Soil charcoal as long‐term pyrogenic carbon storage in Amazonian seasonal forests
Authors: Turcios Maryory M. , Jaramillo Margarita M. A. , do Vale José F. , Fearnside Philip M. , Barbosa Reinaldo Imbrozio
Published: July 2015

Forest fires (paleo + modern) have caused charcoal particles to accumulate in the soil vertical profile in Amazonia. This forest compartment is a long‐term carbon reservoir with an important role in global carbon balance. Estimates of stocks remain uncertain in forests that have not been altered by deforestation but that have been impacted by understory fires and selective logging. We estimated the stock of pyrogenic carbon derived from charcoal accumulated in the soil profile of seasonal forest fragments impacted by fire and selective logging in the northern portion of Brazilian Amazonia. Sixty‐nine soil cores to 1‐m depth were collected in 12 forest fragments of different sizes. Charcoal stocks averaged 3.45 ± 2.17 Mg ha−1 (2.24 ± 1.41 Mg C ha−1). Pyrogenic carbon was not directly related to the size of the forest fragments. This carbon is equivalent to 1.40% (0.25% to 4.04%) of the carbon stocked in aboveground live tree biomass in these fragments. The vertical distribution of pyrogenic carbon indicates an exponential model, where the 0–30 cm depth range has 60% of the total stored. The total area of Brazil's Amazonian seasonal forests and ecotones not altered by deforestation implies 65–286 Tg of pyrogenic carbon accumulated along the soil vertical profile. This is 1.2–2.3 times the total amount of residual pyrogenic carbon formed by biomass burning worldwide in 1 year. Our analysis suggests that the accumulated charcoal in the soil vertical profile in Amazonian forests is a substantial pyrogenic carbon pool that needs to be considered in global carbon models.
Effect of climate change, CO2 trends, nitrogen addition, and land‐cover and management intensity changes on the carbon balance of European grasslands
Authors: Chang Jinfeng , Ciais Philippe , Viovy Nicolas , Vuichard Nicolas , Herrero Mario , Havlík Petr , Wang Xuhui , Sultan Benjamin , Soussana Jean‐François
Published: July 2015

Several lines of evidence point to European managed grassland ecosystems being a sink of carbon. In this study, we apply ORCHIDEE‐GM a process‐based carbon cycle model that describes specific management practices of pastures and the dynamics of carbon cycling in response to changes in climatic and biogeochemical drivers. The model is used to simulate changes in the carbon balance [i.e., net biome production (NBP)] of European grasslands over 1991–2010 on a 25 km × 25 km grid. The modeled average trend in NBP is 1.8–2.0 g C m−2 yr−2 during the past two decades. Attribution of this trend suggests management intensity as the dominant driver explaining NBP trends in the model (36–43% of the trend due to all drivers). A major change in grassland management intensity has occurred across Europe resulting from reduced livestock numbers. This change has ‘inadvertently’ enhanced soil C sequestration and reduced N2O and CH4 emissions by 1.2–1.5 Gt CO2‐equivalent, offsetting more than 7% of greenhouse gas emissions in the whole European agricultural sector during the period 1991–2010. Land‐cover change, climate change and rising CO2 also make positive and moderate contributions to the NBP trend (between 24% and 31% of the trend due to all drivers). Changes in nitrogen addition (including fertilization and atmospheric deposition) are found to have only marginal net effect on NBP trends. However, this may not reflect reality because our model has only a very simple parameterization of nitrogen effects on photosynthesis. The sum of NBP trends from each driver is larger than the trend obtained when all drivers are varied together, leaving a residual – nonattributed – term (22–26% of the trend due to all drivers) indicating negative interactions between drivers.
A reciprocal test of Darwin's naturalization hypothesis in two mediterranean‐climate regions
Authors: Park Daniel S. , Potter Daniel
Published: July 2015

Aim

Regions with a mediterranean climate are among the most species‐rich regions in the world. They are also among the regions with the greatest number of non‐native invasive species. However, not all introduced species become invasive. Previously, we found that non‐native Asteraceae closely related to native species are more likely to establish and spread in California, USA. We conducted reciprocal studies in another mediterranean‐climate region with high species richness, the Italian Peninsula. Mediterranean Basin invaders in the Astereae mostly originated in temperate North America, whereas the invasive Cardueae of California are primarily from the Mediterranean Basin.

Location

The Mediterranean Basin (Italy).

Methods

Utilizing the first fossil‐calibrated molecular phylogenies of the tribe Astereae, we explored the evolutionary patterns among native and non‐native taxa within this group. To elucidate the mechanisms driving the observed patterns, we modelled the ecological niches of Astereae species on a global scale and examined correlations between ecological similarity and evolutionary relatedness among taxa.

Results

Not only were invasive taxa highly clustered among natives, they were also more closely related to natives than were non‐invasive introduced taxa. We found that invasive species had higher degrees of niche overlap with native species than did non‐invasive introduced species. Moreover, pairwise niche distance among species was significantly correlated with evolutionary time, indicating that the ecological niche is phylogenetically conserved.

Main conclusions

The results of our study are consistent with those from our work in California, suggesting that introduced Asteraceae taxa that are closely related to native species are likely to become invasive on both sides of the Atlantic. Furthermore, existing ecological attributes seem to drive these evolutionary patterns. We suggest that potential invaders closely related to natives should be considered as high priorities for management.
Functional and conformational characterisation of walnut protein obtained through AOT reverse micelles
Authors: Hu Haifang , Sun Yali , Zhao Xiaoyan , Liu Di , Fu Lidan , Zhu Haitao
Published: July 2015

Walnut protein was extracted from defatted walnut flour by bis (2‐ethylhexyl) sodium sulfosuccinate (AOT) reverse micellar system and alkali solution with isoelectric precipitation. The functional and conformational characteristics of two proteins were investigated and compared. Walnut protein obtained through AOT reverse micelles was found to have higher extraction yield, solubility, emulsifying activity, foam capacities, water‐ and oil‐holding capacity compared to the protein from alkali solution along with isoelectric precipitation, while the surface hydrophobicity (H0), contents of disulphide bond (SS) and sulfhydryl group (SH) were relatively lower. The differences of H0, SS and SH contents could be due to the conformational changes of walnut proteins using two extraction methods. FTIR spectra and data showed that the reverse micelles caused the decrease in α‐helix, β‐sheet, random and β‐turn of walnut protein, the increase in the side‐chain structure content, which could be responsible for the modification of functional properties.
Effects of different carbon sources and C/N values on nonvolatile taste components of Pleurotus eryngii
Authors: Li Wen , Li Xiaobei , Yang Yan , Zhou Feng , Liu Yanfang , Zhou Shuai , Yu Hailong
Published: July 2015

Pleurotus eryngii, the second largest industrial cultivation mushroom in China, is usually cultivated on substrates mainly consisting of sawdust and corncob. In this study, experiments were performed to determine the effects of different carbon sources and C/N values on nonvolatile taste components of P. eryngii. The effects of different carbon sources on nonvolatile taste components levels revealed that sawdust was beneficial to high levels of crude protein, amino acids, 5′‐nucleotides and equivalent umami concentration, while corncob was beneficial to high contents of carbohydrate, polysaccharides and trehalose. At the similar C/N values, relatively higher sawdust content was beneficial to umami amino acid production, while relatively higher corncob content was beneficial to high contents of carbohydrate, polysaccharides and mannitol. Higher C/N value was beneficial to high levels of crude protein, amino acids, 5′‐nucleotides and equivalent umami concentration, while lower C/N value was beneficial to high contents of carbohydrate, polysaccharides and trehalose. These results provided information for P. eryngii fruit body industrial cultivation to obtain specific nonvolatile taste components with high levels.
The impact of collagen on softening of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) fillets stored under superchilled and ice storage
Authors: Jiang Xiaoqing , Xu Yanshun , Ge Lihong , Xia Wenshui , Jiang Qixing
Published: July 2015

The objective of this work was to study the impact of collagen on softening of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) fillets during chilled storage. The fillets were stored under superchilling (−1.5 ± 0.2 °C) and with ice (0.2 ± 0.1 °C) for 21 days, and texture properties, collagen and the related enzyme activities were measured. Results showed that firmness and collagen content were strongly influenced by storage temperature and time. Fillet firmness decreased by 32.3% (superchilling) and 49.6% (ice stored) of the initial values after 3 days of storage, respectively. Total collagen content decreased with time, but different collagen fractions showed variations. Collagen degraded to different extents depending on storage conditions as indicated by SDS‐PAGE and amino acid analysis. In addition, collagenase activity declined significantly during the first 3 days, followed by a slow increase. This study demonstrated that collagen degradation was involved in grass carp fillet softening and provided useful information for fillet quality improvement.
A distance‐based decision‐making method to improve multiple criteria ABC inventory classification
Authors: Fu Yelin , Lai Kin Keung , Miao Yajun , Leung John W.K.
Published: July 2015

The present paper extends the Ng‐model for multiple criteria ABC inventory classification based on a distance‐based decision‐making method. The proposed method determines the common weights associated with all rankings of the criteria importance, and then provides a comprehensive scoring scheme by aggregating all rankings. A numerical illustration is presented to compare our computational results with previous studies.
Promoting labour rights in the global economy: Could the United States’ new model trade and investment frameworks advance international labour standards in Bangladesh?
Authors: BROWN Ronald C.
Published: July 2015

International free‐trade or investment agreements offer great potential for improving labour standards. But that potential is far from realized. Compared with earlier models, the strengthened labour provisions of the United States’ recent trade agreement with the Republic of Korea mark a definite improvement, but the author questions their effectiveness, not least because the rights they purport to protect are specifically framed (somewhat loosely) in terms of the ILO Declaration of 1998 rather than the fundamental Conventions that underpin it. Enforcement mechanisms are also questionable. He considers what would need to be done to ensure that such agreements genuinely contribute to raising labour standards globally.
Behavioural responses during feather replacement in house sparrows
Authors: Ben‐Hamo Miriam , Burns Darren John , Bauchinger Ulf , Mukherjee Shomen , Embar Keren , Pinshow Berry
Published: July 2015

Birds lose feathers, whether during molt or by accident, and replace them by processes that are energetically demanding. We hypothesized that house sparrows Passer domesticus biblicus use behavioral means to save energy when feathers are lost, and tested the general prediction that house sparrows growing new feathers adjust their behavior to minimize the energy costs of foraging and to increase net energy gain from their food. To test these predictions we divided 18 house sparrows into three groups: 1) plucked – house sparrows from which we plucked 15 flight feathers; 2) cut – house sparrows in which the same 15 feathers were cut off at the calamus below the barbs; and 3) control – unmanipulated house sparrows with plumage intact. We recorded both the quantity of seeds the house sparrows ate and the time they spent foraging from assay food patches. We found that ‘plucked’ sparrows growing new feathers adjust their foraging behavior by reducing their feeding time and the number of visits to a food patch. This allowed them to increase their patch harvest rate while maintaining a steady body mass.
Global variation in thermal physiology of birds and mammals: evidence for phylogenetic niche conservatism only in the tropics
Authors: Khaliq Imran , Fritz Susanne A. , Prinzinger Roland , Pfenninger Markus , Böhning‐Gaese Katrin , Hof Christian
Published: July 2015

Aim

Physiological traits that approximate the fundamental climatic niche – the climatic conditions where a species can survive – are the outcome of adaptation to the environment under historical and current environmental constraints. If a large amount of the variation in physiological traits among species can be explained by their phylogeny rather than by contemporary environmental conditions, this would indicate phylogenetic conservatism in physiological traits, i.e. the tendency of species to retain their ancestral physiology over time. Here, we evaluate the relative contributions of phylogeny and environment to explain the variation in physiological traits of birds and mammals at the global level, as well as separately for tropical versus temperate species.

Location

Global.

Methods

We compiled a large data set from the literature, on the thermal traits and basal metabolic rates of 552 endotherms (255 bird and 297 mammal species) as measured in physiological experiments, along with phylogenetic, geographical and climatic data. Our analyses, which were performed separately for birds and mammals, partitioned the variation in comparative physiological data into the relative contributions of phylogenetic and environmental distance matrices.

Results

Overall, the current environment explained a larger amount of variation in thermal traits among species than the phylogeny. However, we found that phylogeny was much more important than current environment for explaining the variation in physiological traits in the tropics, whereas environment was more important than phylogeny in temperate species.

Main conclusions

While evidence for phylogenetic conservatism in physiological traits at the global level was weak, results for tropical species suggest phylogenetic conservatism in their physiological traits. These results indicate a stronger tendency in tropical species to retain their ancestral thermal traits, which might in turn imply a lower physiological adaptability of tropical species to ongoing and future climate change.
Validity of Self‐Report Data in Hypertension Research: Findings From The Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health
Authors: Tenkorang Eric Y. , Sedziafa Pearl , Sano Yuji , Kuuire Vincent , Banchani Emmanuel
Published: July 2015

Several studies indicate little congruence between self‐report and biometric data, yet very few have examined the reasons for such differences. This paper contributes to the limited but growing body of literature that tracks inconsistent reports of hypertension using data from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE). Focusing on five countries with different levels of development (Ghana, China, India, South Africa, and Russia), this study offers a comparative perspective that is missing in the literature. Data were obtained from wave 1 of SAGE collected in 2007/2008. A multinomial logit model was used to examine the effects of demographic and socioeconomic variables on the likelihood of respondents self‐reporting that they are not hypertensive when their biometric data show otherwise. The authors also model the likelihood of respondents self‐reporting that they are hypertensive when in fact their biometric data show they are not. Socioeconomic and demographic variables were shown to be significantly associated with inconsistent reporting of hypertension. For instance, it was observed that wealth was associated with a lower likelihood of self‐reporting that one is not hypertensive when their biometric data indicate otherwise. Tracking such inconsistent reports is crucial to minimizing measurement errors and generating unbiased and more precise parameter estimates in hypertension research.
Assessing adherence to guidelines with administrative data in psychiatric outpatients
Authors: van Fenema Esther , Giltay Erik , van Noorden Martijn , van Hemert Albert , Zitman Frans
Published: July 2015

Rationale, aims and objectives

To assess (feasibility) of adherence to treatment guidelines among outpatients with common mental disorders in a routine Dutch clinical outpatient setting for common mental disorders using administrative data.

Methods

In a retrospective cohort study, we analysed routinely collected administrative data of 5346 patients, treated for mood, anxiety or somatoform disorders with pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy or a combination of both. Available administrative data allowed assessment of guideline adherence with a disorder‐independent set of five quality indicators, assessing psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, a combination of both and routine outcome measurements (ROM) during diagnostic and therapeutic phases. Associations between the socio‐demographic variables age, gender, clinical diagnosis and treatment type on the one hand and non‐adherence to guidelines were tested using logistic regression analysis.

Results

Patients were aged 39.5 years (SD 13.0) on average. The majority of patients were treated with a combination of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy (50.1%), followed by psychotherapy (44.2%) and pharmacotherapy (5.6%). The majority of patients were suffering from a mood disorder (50.0%), followed by anxiety (43.9%) and somatoform disorders (6.1%). A diagnosis of anxiety or somatoform disorder was associated with higher odds of suboptimal duration [odds ratio (OR): 1.55 and 1.82[ and suboptimal frequency of psychotherapeutic treatment (OR of 0.89 and 0.63), and absence of ROM in the diagnostic phase (ORs 1.31 and 1.36, respectively) compared with depressive disorders. No ROM in the diagnostic phase was also predicted for by increasing age (ORs for the age categories of 56 and older of 1.48).

Conclusions

In this proof of principal study, we were able to assess some key indicators assessing adherence to clinical guidelines by using administrative data. Also, we could identify predictors of adherence with simple parameters available in every administrative data. Administrative data could help to monitor and aid guideline adherence in routine care, although quality may vary between settings.
Physicochemical Properties of Pastirma from Horse Meat, Beef, Mutton and Pork
Authors: Ren Wen‐Wen , Bekhit Alaa El‐Din A. , Li Fang , Yang Hai‐Yan , Jiang Xiao‐Feng , Zhang Wen , Kong Ling‐Ming
Published: July 2015

The present study investigated the physicochemical properties of pastirma prepared from beef, mutton, pork and horse meat. Left semimembranosus muscles from four carcasses of each species were processed into pastirma and the corresponding right muscles were used fresh for comparison. The proximate composition, pH, lipid oxidation, fatty acid profile and color of fresh and processed samples were determined. The shear force of the processed samples was also evaluated. The proximate composition varied among the meat types and greatly influenced by pastirma processing. Beef and pork pastirma had the highest protein content, while horse and mutton pastime had the highest fat content (P < 0.05). Mutton pastirma had the lowest shear force and the highest Chroma value compared with other meats (P < 0.05). Raw horse meat had the highest polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), but pastirma from all samples had similar PUFA contents.

Practical Applications

Meat from different species offers the opportunity to generate products with different physicochemical characteristics and nutritional values. Pastirma from various types of meats had different protein and fat contents, texture, color and lipid oxidation levels, suggesting different eating and keeping qualities of the final products. Processing horse meat into pastirma decreased the concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acid, suggesting loss of important nutrients and pastirma processing may not be the best processing option for horse meat, unless the sensory evaluation of the products, currently progressing, shows an advantage for horse meat.
Intravenous Preload of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Rescues Erectile Function in a Rat Model of Cavernous Nerve Injury
Authors: Takayanagi Akio , Sasaki Masanori , Kataoka-Sasaki Yuko , Kobayashi Ko , Matsuda Yohei , Oka Shinichi , Masumori Naoya , Kocsis Jeffery D. , Honmou Osamu
Published: July 2015

Introduction

We evaluated the potential preventive effects and mechanisms of intravenously preloaded mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for erectile dysfunction (ED) in a cavernous nerve (CN) injury model.

Methods

Male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were used for this study. Rats were randomized into two groups. One group was intravenously preloaded with MSCs (1.0 × 106 cells in 1 mL total fluid volume) and the other was infused with medium alone (1 mL Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium [DMEM]) for sham control, respectively. Crushed CN injury was induced immediately after infusion. The surgeon was blind to the experimental conditions (MSC or medium).

Main Outcome Measures

To assess erectile function, we measured the intracavernous pressure (ICP) and arterial pressure (AP) at 1 hour and 2 weeks after CN injury. After measuring the initial ICP/AP of pre-injury (normal) male SD rats, they were randomized into the two groups and infused with MSCs or medium. PKH26-labelled MSCs were used for tracking. To investigate the mRNA expression levels of neurotrophins in the major pelvic ganglia (MPG), we performed real-time quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Results

The reduction of ICP/AP and area under the curve of ICP (ICP-AUC) in the MSC group was significantly lower than in the DMEM group (P < 0.05; P < 0.05) at 1 hour. The ICP/AP and ICP-AUC at 2 weeks post-injury in the MSC group was significantly higher than in the DMEM group (P < 0.01; P < 0.05). The preloaded PKH26-labelled MSCs were detected in the MPG and CN using confocal microscopy indicating homing of the cells to the injured nerve and ganglia. Glia cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and neurturin, which are important neurotrophic factors for erection, had expression levels in MPG significantly higher in the MSC group than in the DMEM group (P < 0.01, 0.05).

Conclusion

Intravenous preload of MSCs before a CN injury may prevent or reduce experimental ED.
Volatile Composition, Texture and Sensory Description of Gaz (Traditional Persian Confection)
Authors: Hojjati Mohammad , Speziale Marisa , Noguera‐Artiaga Luis , Carbonell‐Barrachina Ángel Antonio
Published: July 2015

Gaz is a typical Iranian confectionary product prepared from almond and/or pistachio, gaz‐angebin, sugar, glucose syrup, rosewater and egg white. The physicochemical properties of seven gaz samples were studied. Volatile compounds were extracted by solid‐phase microextraction and investigated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Texture and organoleptic characteristics were determined by a texture analyzer and a trained panel, respectively. Twenty‐eight compounds were detected, including ketones, alcohols, furans, linear hydrocarbons, terpenes, aldehydes, aromatics hydrocarbons and pyrroles. Carvone was the predominant volatile compound. The type and amount of nuts determined the intensity of key flavor attributes; however, these two factors only influenced the hardness of samples but no other texture attributes. The sensory texture profile of gaz could be successfully predicted by easy‐to‐conduct instrumental tests, mainly texture profile analysis and cutting test. However, further research is needed in order to clearly prove whether the instrumental evaluation of the volatile compounds could be used to replace sensory analysis.

Practical Applications

Gaz, a traditional name of Persian nougat, has been produced as a commercial product over the past century and presented as a famous Iranian souvenir to the world. It is mainly produced into bite‐size pieces, and texture and flavor are the most important attributes used by consumers to assess gaz quality. In the present study, aroma profile, texture profile analysis and sensory description of gaz samples were clearly influenced by nut type and amount. The results showed that the gaz samples including higher amounts nut presented significantly higher concentrations of key compounds, such as carvone, benzaldehyde and nonanal, and also increased hardness and chewiness. A deeper knowledge of gaz is needed in order to adapt the product to consumers' demands and needs, especially if the product wants to be exported outside Iran. The information generated here will make easier to know how to conduct sensory analysis of the gaz samples and which methods are more appropriate to evaluate its texture and volatile composition.
Adaptation of a polyphagous herbivore to a novel host plant extensively shapes the transcriptome of herbivore and host
Authors: Wybouw Nicky , Zhurov Vladimir , Martel Catherine , Bruinsma Kristie A. , Hendrickx Frederik , Grbić Vojislava , Van Leeuwen Thomas
Published: July 2015

Generalist arthropod herbivores rapidly adapt to a broad range of host plants. However, the extent of transcriptional reprogramming in the herbivore and its hosts associated with adaptation remains poorly understood. Using the spider mite Tetranychus urticae and tomato as models with available genomic resources, we investigated the reciprocal genomewide transcriptional changes in both spider mite and tomato as a consequence of mite's adaptation to tomato. We transferred a genetically diverse mite population from bean to tomato where triplicated populations were allowed to propagate for 30 generations. Evolving populations greatly increased their reproductive performance on tomato relative to their progenitors when reared under identical conditions, indicative of genetic adaptation. Analysis of transcriptional changes associated with mite adaptation to tomato revealed two main components. First, adaptation resulted in a set of mite genes that were constitutively downregulated, independently of the host. These genes were mostly of an unknown function. Second, adapted mites mounted an altered transcriptional response that had greater amplitude of changes when re‐exposed to tomato, relative to nonadapted mites. This gene set was enriched in genes encoding detoxifying enzymes and xenobiotic transporters. Besides the direct effects on mite gene expression, adaptation also indirectly affected the tomato transcriptional responses, which were attenuated upon feeding of adapted mites, relative to the induced responses by nonadapted mite feeding. Thus, constitutive downregulation and increased transcriptional plasticity of genes in a herbivore may play a central role in adaptation to host plants, leading to both a higher detoxification potential and reduced production of plant defence compounds.
Group cognitive remediation for schizophrenia: Exploring the role of therapist support and metacognition
Authors: Cella Matteo , Reeder Clare , Wykes Til
Published: July 2015

Objectives

Cognitive remediation (CR) is a therapy targeting cognitive difficulties in psychiatric disorders. We recently develop a novel CR program for people with psychosis with a focus on metacognitive skills individually supported by a therapist. This study aims to assess the acceptability and feasibility of implementing CR in small groups where therapist support is shared amongst service users.

Design

Control group design with non‐randomized group allocation.

Method

Twenty‐five service users with a diagnosis of schizophrenia participated. Ten received group CR and 15 individual CR (i.e., one therapist for each service user). Both therapy formats were supported by one therapist. Participants were assessed before and after therapy with neuropsychological tests assessing different cognitive domains, self‐assessed cognitive complaints, and psychotic symptoms. Treatment satisfaction questionnaires and therapist's session ratings were also collected for group CR.

Results

Dropout rate was 20% for both methods. Session attendance was 74% for group CR and 86% for individual CR. Service users evaluated positively group CR and considered it helpful; therapists rated this delivery format feasible. Exploratory analysis suggested that the two methods have similar effects on cognition. After therapy, service users showed improvements in recall memory, reduced negative symptoms, and reported fewer cognitive complains.

Conclusions

It is feasible and acceptable for people with schizophrenia to take part in small CR therapy groups. The reduced therapist contact compared to individual therapy was well tolerated and may help sustain independent work. The small group format allows therapists to spend sufficient time to support the use of metacognitive strategies.

Practitioner points

CR small groups are feasible and acceptable for service users and therapists.

Therapist support can be shared.

Metacognitive‐based CR can improve cognition and may benefit awareness and negative symptoms.
Directed Duties
Authors: May Simon Căbulea
Published: July 2015

Directed duties are duties that an agent owes to some party – a party who would be wronged if the duty were violated. A ‘direction problem’ asks what it is about a duty in virtue of which it is directed towards one party, if any, rather than another. I discuss three theories of moral direction: control, demand and interest theories. Although none of these theories can be rejected out of hand, all three face serious difficulties.
Practices and Principles: On the Methodological Turn in Political Theory
Authors: Erman Eva , Möller Niklas
Published: July 2015

The question of what role social and political practices should play in the justification of normative principles has received renewed attention in post‐millennium political philosophy. Several current debates express dissatisfaction with the methodology adopted in mainstream political theory, taking the form of a criticism of so‐called ‘ideal theory’ from ‘non‐ideal’ theory, of ‘practice‐independent’ theory from ‘practice‐dependent’ theory, and of ‘political moralism’ from ‘political realism’. While the problem of action‐guidance lies at the heart of these concerns, the critics also share a number of methodological assumptions. Above all, their methodology is practice‐dependent in the sense that an existing (social, political, or institutional) practice is assumed to put substantial limitations on the appropriate normative principles for regulating it. In other words, we cannot formulate and justify an appropriate principle without first understanding the practice (or its point and purpose) this principle is supposed to govern. The aim of this paper is to map out and analyze the common denominators of these debates with regard to methodological commitments. We will investigate how this practice‐dependent method may be understood and motivated. In particular, we point to challenges that must be met in order for the position to remain both distinct and attractive.
Periconceptional Folic Acid Supplementation and Infant Risk of Congenital Heart Defects inNorway 1999–2009
Authors: Leirgul Elisabeth , Gildestad Trude , Nilsen Roy Miodini , Fomina Tatiana , Brodwall Kristoffer , Greve Gottfried , Vollset Stein Emil , Holmstrøm Henrik , Tell Grethe S. , Øyen Nina
Published: July 2015

Background

The birth prevalence of congenital heart defects (CHDs) has decreased inCanada and Europe. Recommended intake of folic acid in pregnancy is a suggestive risk‐reducing factor forCHDs. We investigated the association between periconceptional intake of folic acid supplements and infant risk ofCHDs.

Methods

Information on maternal intake of folic acid supplements before and during pregnancy in the Medical Birth Registry ofNorway 1999–2009 was updated with information onCHDdiagnoses from national health registers and the Cardiovascular Diseases inNorway Project. The association between folic acid intake and infant risk ofCHDwas estimated as relative risk (RR) with binomial log linear regression.

Results

Among 517 784 non‐chromosomal singleton births, 6200 children were identified withCHDand 1153 with severeCHD. For all births, 18.4% of the mothers initiated folic acid supplements before pregnancy and 31.6% during pregnancy. The adjustedRRfor severeCHDwas 0.99 [95% confidence interval [CI] 0.86, 1.13] comparing periconceptional intake of folic acid with no intake. Specifically,RRfor conotruncal defects was 0.99 [95%CI0.80, 1.22], atrioventricular septal defects 1.19 [95%CI0.78, 1.81], left ventricular outflow tract obstructions 1.02 [95%CI0.78, 1.32], and right ventricular outflow tract obstructions 0.97 [95%CI0.72, 1.29]. Birth prevalence of septal defects was higher in the group exposed to folic acid supplements withRR1.19 [95%CI1.10, 1.30].

Conclusions

Periconceptional folic acid supplement use showed no association with severe CHDs in the newborn. An unexpected association with an increased risk of septal defects warrants further investigation.
The Book of Psalms and the early modern sonnet
Authors: Serjeantson Deirdre
Published: July 2015

Psalms and sonnets were the most popular lyric genres in early modern English writing. Little scholarly attention, however, has been paid to the common ground between the two forms, largely because they have been perceived as incompatible, with one epitomizing the sacred, and the other, the secular, literature of their day. Nonetheless, sixteenth‐century writers often moved from one genre to the other; the first sonnet sequence in English (Anne Lock's A Meditation of a Penitent Sinner, 1560), takes the form of a translation of Psalm 51; and paraphrases of other psalms appear in sonnet sequences by Barnabe Barnes and Henry Lok. The figure of David as psalmist and poet is invoked in sonnets as well as psalms, and the diction of the biblical texts was harnessed and remade for the secular tradition. This essay argues for a close relationship between psalms and sonnets, and through an examination of the influences exerted on both genres, including contemporary poetics and Petrarchism, it suggests that both the biblical Book of Psalms, and the broader tradition of psalm translation, provided an important model for the early modern English sonnet sequence.
Hereditary error and popular culture in Pseudodoxia Epidemica
Authors: Phillips Harriet
Published: July 2015

Thomas Browne's Pseudodoxia Epidemica (1646) is often described as a major landmark in the emergence of ‘popular culture’ as the object of scholarly scrutiny. This article argues, however, that the drift of Pseudodoxia's argument is to move away from taxonomies of social distinction, and towards a universal errancy. It suggests that Browne's understanding of error is fundamentally Christian and postlapsarian, and therefore also essentially genealogical. This leads him to prefer historical or philological explanations of error, occluding the contemporary and ephemeral, and underpins one of Pseudodoxia's most distinctive features, its persistent derivation of contemporary popular beliefs and practices from antiquity. While tradition is therefore central to the book's conception of popular errors, it is also problematic. It was a commonplace of seventeenth‐century Protestant culture that popular superstitions were relics of Catholicism: a conclusion which Browne, for intellectual and perhaps also personal reasons, was keen to resist. Pseudodoxia's insistent classicizing, therefore, can be seen as a way to evade these rhetorics, and seek a more nuanced and irenic language of preternatural belief. In severing superstition and Catholicism, Pseudodoxia insists on errancy as a shared human inheritance; a source of unity, rather than division.