bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Soil erosion and phosphorus losses under variable land use as simulated by the INCA‐P model
Authors: Farkas C. , Beldring S. , Bechmann M. , Deelstra J.
Published: March 2013

We describe the calibration and application of the Integrated Catchment Phosphorus model (INCA‐P) to determine the key factors controlling run‐off, sediment and phosphorus (P) losses from a small catchment in southeast Norway. The INCA‐P model was parameterized for five land use categories: forest, grassland, urban areas and agricultural areas with and without autumn tillage. Monitoring data from the Norwegian Agricultural Environmental Monitoring Program were used for model calibration at the outlet of the catchment (Skuterud). Available measurements and local expert knowledge were used as reference data on sediment and P loss specific to land uses. We successfully applied the INCA‐P model to Nordic conditions: the Nash–Sutcliffe (N‐S) statistic, calculated for the calibration period, was 0.82, 0.71 and 0.67 for run‐off, sediment and P losses, respectively. For the validation period, the sediment and P losses were slightly overestimated. Scatter plots of observed versus modelled values of run‐off, sediment and total P losses indicated that in some cases, the INCA‐P model did not adequately represent extreme situations. It is likely that the modelled system behaves in a different way under moderate and large rainfall events, and the model does not represent these. We applied the model to five land use change scenarios to evaluate the possibilities for reducing particle‐bound P loads at the catchment outlet. Our results indicate that land use change can lead to more significant reduction in particle and P losses than changes in agricultural practices. The most favourable scenario for freshwater ecosystems would be afforestation: changing half of the agricultural areas to forest would reduce sediment and P losses by 44 and 40%, respectively. Changes in agricultural practice could also improve the situation, especially by reducing areas with autumn tillage to a minimum.
Critical evaluation of models used to study agricultural phosphorus and water quality
Authors: Vadas P. A. , Bolster C. H. , Good L. W.
Published: March 2013

There is an increasing demand to evaluate all agricultural systems where nonpoint source phosphorus (P) pollution is a priority. Because experiments cannot evaluate all possible interactions between management and natural processes that impact P in the environment, computer models are necessary. This article uses research examples to discuss issues related to integrating experimental and model development research. Model development often follows an evolution from a perceptual model of qualitative understanding to a conceptual model of equations to a procedural model of computer code. Integrating experiments and models is an efficient way to show if conceptual models are incorrect and design hypothesis‐driven experiments to develop alternative models. A model can be perceptually correct but conceptually incorrect, such as some P Indexes in the US. Translation of conceptual equations into procedural model equations can vary between models, such as how the same soil P model varies in EPIC, SWAT and AnnAGNPS. Commonly used P models often do not reflect current science, such as in simulating soil total P and inorganic P sorption and desorption, surface‐applied manure and fertilizer and direct P loss in run‐off, grazing cattle dung dynamics and contributions to P in run‐off, and subsurface P leaching and transport. Thus, models may be applied in situations for which their algorithms are inadequate. Validating models using more than one output parameter, over multiple years and with diverse scenarios can help identify model weaknesses. Ultimately, a framework of integrated experimentation and model development can advance agricultural P science and environmental protection beyond the point that either can achieve alone.
Relationships between the P status of surface and deep horizons of agricultural soils under various cropping systems and for different soil types: a case study in Belgium
Authors: Renneson M. , Dufey J. , Legrain X. , Genot V. , Bock L. , Colinet G.
Published: March 2013

Application of phosphorus (P) fertilizers to agricultural soils should be based on sound knowledge about soil P reserves, availability and lability to optimize conditions for plant uptake while limiting P transport to surface waters. This study investigated relationships between parent material (PM), land use and P fractions in agricultural soils at a regional scale. Surface and deep (100–120 cm) soil samples were collected from 120 agricultural sites (240 total samples) and analysed for three P forms (inorganic, organic and available) as well as for additional key properties. Land uses within the study area were continuous cropland, permanent pasture and temporary grassland. The area covered the 12 most common parent types in Wallonia. Mean total P contents were 904 and 401 mg/kg in surface and deep samples, respectively, with a 33% coefficient of variation for both horizons. The organic P fraction represented, on average, 30% of total P, while available P corresponded to 9% of total P. The influence of PM was apparent in both the surface and deep soil samples, while land use influenced only surface properties. The pattern in total P content relative to land use was pasture ≥ cropland ≥ temporary grassland. Correlation analyses highlighted significant relationships between edaphic parameters viz Alox, Feox, CEC, TOC, pH and P content, the main soil parameter being Alox which determines P sorption capacity. An enrichment factor was used to distinguish between geogenic sources and human activities in terms of topsoil P content.
A phosphorus index for use in intensive irrigated areas
Authors: Dechmi F. , Isidoro D. , Stambouli T.
Published: March 2013

In irrigated semi‐arid areas, nutrient pollution from agriculture from irrigation return flows is one of the most important surface water quality problems and can lead to eutrophication. In this study, a new phosphorus index called IPreg has been adapted as a management tool for application to irrigated farming systems and then applied within ‘Las Filadas’ drainage basin (Spain) at a plot scale. Two new transport factors related to the irrigation management system were introduced: (i) the seasonal irrigation performance index and (ii) the efficiency of the mean irrigation dose that represents average water losses below the root zone when an average irrigation dose is applied. IPreg includes 10 factors, three of which account for P availability in the soil and seven for P transport processes. The results indicate that 18% of the study area had a high to very high risk of phosphorus loss and 60% at medium risk. Corn and alfalfa had the highest IPreg values under intense irrigation and high fertilizer application rates. IPreg was also higher in phosphorus‐rich soils and in plots treated with organic manure, especially pig slurry.
Estimation of Joint Incongruence in Dysplastic Canine Elbows Before and After Dynamic Proximal Ulnar Osteotomy
Authors: Böttcher Peter , Bräuer Sabine , Werner Hinnerk
Published: March 2013

Objective

To characterize joint incongruence in dysplastic canine elbows before and after dynamic proximal ulnar osteotomy (DPUO).

Study Design

Clinical, prospective study.

Animals

Dogs (n = 10; 12 elbows) with ≥2 mm radioulnar incongruence (RUI), FCP, and/or OCD.

Methods

Computed tomography in a nonload bearing position was used to generate in silico 3D models of the elbow joint before DPUO, and this was repeated after DPUO union (median 3 months postoperatively). On these models, RUI, humeroradial and humeroulnar subchondral joint space width (SJSW) as well as alignment of the proximal ulnar segment were investigated.

Results

RUI at the medial coronoid process (MCP) decreased (P = .001), while it increased at the lateral coronoid process (P = .0005), and remained unchanged at the level of the trochlear ridge (P = .25). SJSW at the MCP increased (P = .001), changing from focal joint space collapse preoperatively to a more homogeneous pattern of moderate SJSW at follow‐up. The proximal ulnar segment rotated in all 3 planes with caudal tipping at the level of the osteotomy and varus deformity, while no axial translation could be noted.

Conclusions

DPUO results in reduction of RUI and amelioration of focal contact area at the MCP. This effect is the result of a complex three‐dimensional rotation of the proximal ulnar segment, rather than axial shift.
Inter‐ and Intratester Reliability of Anthropometric Assessment of Limb Circumference in Labrador Retrievers
Authors: Smith Thomas J. , Baltzer Wendy I. , Jelinski Susan E. , Salinardi Brenda J.
Published: March 2013

Objective

To report a standardized method of, and determine inter‐ and intratester reliability for, anthropometric assessment of limb circumference in dogs.

Study Design

Prospective blinded study.

Animals

Labrador Retrievers (n = 20).

Method

Unsedated dogs were manually restrained in lateral recumbency and triplicate measurements of limb circumference at the level of the proximal antebrachium, mid brachium, proximal crus, and mid‐thigh were made using the Gulick II tape measure in the morning and afternoon of the same day. Observers were blinded to measurements made during each occasion and those made by co‐observers. Estimates of inter‐ and intratester reliability were made for first and mean measurements using intra‐class correlation coefficients (ICC).

Results

Measurements of the proximal antebrachium were made with moderate to fair intratester reliability by all observers with ICC's ranging from 0.68–0.78 (1st measurement) and 0.67–0.78 (mean measurement), and moderate to fair intertester reliability with ICC's of 0.66–0.68 (1st measurement) and 0.70–0.72 (mean measurement). Measurements of the brachium, crus, and thigh typically had poor inter‐ and intratester reliability, ICC < 0.5.

Conclusion

Using the described method of muscle measurement in Labrador Retrievers only measurement of the proximal antebrachium was reliable; a single (1st) measurement was as reliable as using the mean of triplicate measurements.
Tunneling Under the Digastricus Muscle Increases Salivary Duct Exposure and Completeness of Excision in Mandibular and Sublingual Sialoadenectomy in Dogs
Authors: Marsh Andrew , Adin Christopher
Published: March 2013

Objective

To document the extent of rostral salivary duct and glandular tissue excision achieved through a conventional lateral approach before and after tunneling under the digastricus muscle.

Study Design

Experimental cadaveric study.

Animals

Dog cadavers (n = 8).

Methods

Bilateral mandibular and sublingual sialoadenectomy was performed in 8 cadavers using a conventional lateral approach and the point of proposed salivary duct transection was marked with Evans blue dye. Remaining salivary duct was then tunneled under the digastricus muscle and dissection continued rostrally. The most rostral point of the gland/duct complex was marked before transection of the salivary duct. Once removed, the distance between the 2 marks was measured and recorded. Completeness of glandular tissue excision was confirmed by dissection and gross examination.

Results

The tunneling technique improved rostral exposure and increased the median (IQR) length of salivary duct excision by 1.8 (0.35) cm. Residual polystomatic sublingual salivary tissue remained in all cadavers after simulated resection without tunneling under the digastricus muscle. After tunneling, complete removal of rostral salivary tissue was achieved in 13 of 15 procedures.

Conclusions

Tunneling under the digastricus muscle increases the length of rostral salivary duct and glandular tissue that can be removed through a conventional lateral approach.
When employees behave badly: the roles of contract importance and workplace familism in predicting negative reactions to psychological contract breach
Authors: Restubog Simon Lloyd D. , Zagenczyk Thomas J. , Bordia Prashant , Tang Robert L.
Published: March 2013

In this paper, we examine the influence of contract importance, feelings of violation, and workplace familism on the relationship between psychological contract breach and organizational deviance. Results from a study of 168 supervisor–employee dyads in a pharmaceutical organization suggest that (a) feelings of violation mediated the relationship between perceived breach and supervisor‐rated organizational deviance; (b) relational and transactional contract importance influenced the relationship between breach and feelings of violation such that the relationship was stronger under conditions of high relational and transactional importance; and (c) high levels of workplace familism mitigated the effects of feelings of violation on supervisor‐rated organizational deviance.
Direct and indirect interactions co‐determine species composition in nurse plant systems
Authors: Schöb Christian , Armas Cristina , Pugnaire Francisco I.
Published: March 2013

Facilitation by nurse plants plays an important role in determining community composition in severe environments. Although the unidirectional effect of nurses on beneficiary species has received considerable research interest, nurse‐mediated interactions among beneficiary species (so‐called indirect interactions) are less known. Consequently, community composition in nurse plant systems is generally considered as a simple consequence of the facilitative effect of the nurse even though beneficiary species may significantly contribute to community assembly and modulate the direct nurse effects on the community. In an observational study we assessed nurse effects and nurse‐mediated beneficiary interactions in two contrasting nurse plant systems in dry environments using a newly developed framework. We quantified plant–plant interaction intensity using the relative interaction index (RII) at the community and species level for three Retama sphaerocarpa shrub size‐classes in a semiarid shrubland and four Arenaria tetraquetra cushion plant communities differing in aspect and elevation in dry alpine gravel habitats. The observed RII was split into nurse and beneficiary effects, and related to individual mass, species frequency and abundance using generalized linear mixed models. Results showed predominantly positive nurse effects and negative beneficiary interactions. The effect size of nurse plants, however, was significantly higher than the effect size of beneficiary species in both systems. Individual plant mass and abundance of species was dependent on the combined effects of nurse and beneficiary species whereas species occurrence was related to nurse effects only. Despite evident differences, the semiarid and alpine nurse plant systems showed strong functional parallelisms. We found interdependence between the effects of nurse and beneficiary species on beneficiary plant assemblages emphasizing their combined role on community assembly in both systems. Our results highlight the need to consider indirect interactions to understand fully plant community dynamics.
Detection of oral bacterial DNA in synovial fluid
Authors: Reichert Stefan , Haffner Maximilian , Keyßer Gernot , Schäfer Christoph , Stein Jamal M. , Schaller Hans‐Guenter , Wienke Andreas , Strauss Heiko , Heide Steffen , Schulz Susanne
Published: March 2013

Objectives

As periodontal bacteria might be involved in the aetiology of rheumatic diseases, we analysed synovial fluid obtained from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and controls for the presence of DNA of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Tannerella forsythia, and Treponema denticola.

Methods

In all, 42 patients suffering from RA (mean age 53.8 ± 16.7 years, 40.4% females) and 114 controls with no rheumatic diseases (mean age 56.1 ± 15.2 years, 52.4% females) were included. DNA from synovial fluid was isolated by QiaAmp kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). Polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) specific for the 16S rRNA genes of the above specified bacteria were developed. Subgingival bacterial colonization was analysed using micro‐Ident® test (HAIN‐Diagnostik, Nehren, Germany).

Results

In patients with RA DNA of P. gingivalis was detected in synovial fluid more often than in controls (15.7% versus 3.5%, p = 0.045). More patients than controls harboured DNA from P. gingivalis in both, oral plaque and synovial fluid (11.9% versus. 0.9%, p = 0.030). Among the patients group the number of missing teeth was correlated with the number of joints with movement restrictions caused by RA.

Conclusions

DNA of periodontopathogens can be found in synovial fluid and oral bacteria may play a role in the pathogenesis of arthritis.
Delayed closure of complex defects with serial tightening of loop sutures – clinical outcome in 64 consecutive patients
Authors: Felcht Moritz , Koenen Wolfgang , Weiss Christel , Weina Kasia , Geraud Cyrill , Faulhaber Jörg
Published: March 2013

Background

Direct wound closure, flaps or grafts are considered to be gold standards for the reconstruction of defects. However, these techniques may not be applicable in all cases, especially for the challenging closure of large defects.

Objective

We developed a technique to close large defects, of varying size and shape, using serial tightening loop sutures. In 64 consecutive patients, loop sutures were applied to defects from 3 cm² up to 173 cm² for a maximum of 42 days with tightening every 2–7 days.

Results

The median size of the defects was 20 cm². In 58 patients (91%) the defects were closed by direct approximation of the wound edges within a median time of 11 days (range: 4–42 days). Two patients received a skin transplant after a significant reduction of the defect size and four remaining defects healed by secondary intention. The skin stretching of defects located on the trunk was faster compared with defects on the extremities. Defects located on the scalp were closed hair bearing with little scarring. Overall, aesthetic results were satisfying.

Conclusion

The use of loop sutures allows the delayed closure of large defects avoiding the need for skin flaps or grafts in most cases.
A counting method for density packed cells based on sliding band filter image enhancement
Authors: SUI D. , WANG K.
Published: March 2013

Cell loss and addition is an important biological event in pathology, and it usually provides central information to the changes of biological activity in the histological sections. To develop a reliable and accurate cell counting tools in tissue section, in this paper, we proposed a novel cell nuclei detecting method based on the sliding band filter which is a member of convergence index family. We evaluated the accuracy and performance of our method on density packed retinal outer nuclear layer cell confocal multivariate fluorescence microscopy image datasets. The results show our proposed method exhibited an excellent performance with its accuracy compared with human manual counting. It is worth noting that the proposed cell counting method can clearly benefit for retinal detachment and reattachment visual diagnostics close related to cell loss and addition.
Predicting Quality of Work Life on Nurses’ Intention to Leave
Authors: Lee Ya‐Wen , Dai Yu‐Tzu , Park Chang‐Gi , McCreary Linda L.
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between quality of work life (QWL) and nurses’ intention to leave their organization (ITLorg).

Design

A descriptive cross‐sectional survey design was conducted using purposive sampling of 1,283 nurses at seven hospitals in Taiwan. Data were collected from March to June 2012.

Methods

Three questionnaires, including the Chinese version of the Quality of Nursing Work Life scale (C‐QNWL), a questionnaire of intention to leave the organization, and a demographic questionnaire, with two informed consent forms were delivered to the nurses at their workplaces. Descriptive data, Pearson's correlations, and the ordinal regression model were analyzed.

Findings

Over half (52.5%) of nurses had ITLorg. Seven QWL dimensions were significantly negatively correlated with ITLorg (r = −0.17 to −0.37, p < .01). Significant predictors (p < .05) of ITLorg (the pseudo R2 = 0.282) were being single, having a diploma or lower educational level, working in a nonteaching hospital. Four of the QWL dimensions—supportive milieu with job security and professional recognition, work arrangement and workload, work or home life balance, and nursing staffing and patient care—were also predictors of ITLorg. Three QWL dimensions were not predictors of ITLorg.

Conclusions

This study showed that individual‐related variables (being single, having a diploma or lower educational level), a work‐related variable (working at a nonteaching hospital), and the four QWL dimensions play a significant role in nurses’ ITLorg. After the QWL dimensions were added to the regression, the variance explained by the model more than doubled.

Clinical Relevance

To reduce nurses’ ITLorg, nursing administrators may offer more focused interventions to improve the supportive milieu with job security and professional recognition, work arrangement and workload, work or home life balance, and nursing staffing and patient care.
Falling behind: a substantive theory of care for older people with cognitive impairment in acute settings
Authors: Nilsson Anita , Rasmussen Birgit H , Edvardsson David
Published: March 2013

Aims and objectives

To develop a theoretical understanding of the processes hindering person‐centred care of older people with cognitive impairment in acute care settings.

Background

Although person‐centred care with its holistic focus on the biopsychosocial needs of patients is commonly considered the gold standard care for older people with cognitive impairment, the extent to which care is person‐centred can increase in acute care settings generally.

Design

Grounded theory inspired by Strauss and Corbin.

Method

The study used a grounded theory approach to generate and analyse data from a Swedish sample of acute care staff, patients and family members.

Results

The substantive theory postulates that staff risks ‘falling behind’ in meeting the needs of older patients with cognitive impairment if working without consensus about the care of these patients, if the organisation is disease‐oriented and efficiency‐driven, and if the environment is busy and inflexible. This facilitated ‘falling behind’ in relation to meeting the multifaceted needs of older patients with cognitive impairment and contributed to patient suffering, family exclusion and staff frustration.

Conclusions

The theory highlights aspects of importance in the provision of person‐centred care of older people with cognitive impairment in acute settings and suggests areas to consider in the development of caring environments in which the place, pace and space can meet the needs of the older person.

Relevance to clinical practice

The proposed substantive theory can be used to critically examine current ward practices and routines, and the extent to which these support or inhibit high‐quality person‐centred care for older patients with known or unknown cognitive impairments.
The Relationship between Slack Resources and the Performance of Entrepreneurial Firms: The Role of Venture Capital and Angel Investors
Authors: Vanacker Tom , Collewaert Veroniek , Paeleman Ine
Published: March 2013

In this study, we seek to further delineate factors that condition the relationship between slack resources and firm performance. To do so, we develop and test a model that establishes the role of venture capital (VC) and angel investors as powerful external stakeholders who positively moderate the slack–performance relationship. In addition, we provide more insight into this relationship by examining differences between these two types of private investors and by examining the role of their ownership stakes. We test our hypotheses using a sample of 1215 private firms, including VC‐backed firms, angel‐backed firms, and similar firms without such investors. We find that the presence of VC investors positively moderates the relationship between both financial and human slack resources and firm performance, while angel investors only positively moderate the effect of human resource slack. Further, VC investors are only marginally better at helping entrepreneurs to extract value from human resource slack than angel investors and they are no better when it comes to financial slack. Finally, we find that the impact of financial and human resource slack on firm performance is more positive in VC‐backed firms when investors hold high ownership stakes, an effect which is significantly stronger than when angel investors hold high ownership stakes.
Carbon allocation under light and nitrogen resource gradients in two model marine phytoplankton1
Authors: Bittar Thais B. , Lin Yajuan , Sassano Lara R. , Wheeler Benjamin J. , Brown Susan L. , Cochlan William P. , Johnson Zackary I.
Published: March 2013

Marine phytoplankton have conserved elemental stoichiometry, but there can be significant deviations from this Redfield ratio. Moreover, phytoplankton allocate reduced carbon (C) to different biochemical pools based on nutritional status and light availability, adding complexity to this relationship. This allocation influences physiology, ecology, and biogeochemistry. Here, we present results on the physiological and biochemical properties of two evolutionarily distinct model marine phytoplankton, a diatom (cf. Staurosira sp. Ehrenberg) and a chlorophyte (Chlorella sp. M. Beijerinck) grown under light and nitrogen resource gradients to characterize how carbon is allocated under different energy and substrate conditions. We found that nitrogen (N)‐replete growth rate increased monotonically with light until it reached a threshold intensity (~200 μmol photons · m−2 · s−1). For Chlorella sp., the nitrogen quota (pg · μm−3) was greatest below this threshold, beyond which it was reduced by the effect of N‐stress, while for Staurosira sp. there was no trend. Both species maintained constant maximum quantum yield of photosynthesis (mol C · mol photons−1) over the range of light and N‐gradients studied (although each species used different photophysiological strategies). In both species, C:chl a (g · g−1) increased as a function of light and N‐stress, while C:N (mol · mol−1) and relative neutral lipid:C (rel. lipid · g−1) were most strongly influenced by N‐stress above the threshold light intensity. These results demonstrated that the interaction of substrate (N‐availability) and energy gradients influenced C‐allocation, and that general patterns of biochemical responses may be conserved among phytoplankton; they provided a framework for predicting phytoplankton biochemical composition in ecological, biogeochemical, or biotechnological applications.
China's New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme and Underutilization of Medical Care Among Adults Over 45: Evidence From CHARLS Pilot Data
Authors: Shi Lu , Zhang Donglan
Published: March 2013

Purpose

With its population rapidly aging, China needs prompt action to facilitate the middle‐aged and senior citizens' utilization of health care. The New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS), a health care reform initiative started in 2003, is currently China's primary insurance program for the rural population.

Methods

With a 2‐province pilot sample (Gansu, the poorest province, and Zhejiang, one of the richest) of people over age 45 from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), this paper used logistic regressions to examine the association between the coverage of New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme and the underutilization of medical care.

Findings

Among those who had a need to visit a health care provider during the previous month, people covered by NCMS were more likely to underutilize outpatient care than the uninsured (Odds Ratio = 5.610, 2.035‐15.466). As for those who had a need to be hospitalized in the past year, the association between NCMS coverage and the underutilization of inpatient care was not statistically significant (Odds Ratio = 1.907, 0.335‐10.862). Low total household expenditure per capita, living in the inland province of Gansu, and being an urban resident were also associated with underutilizing outpatient care.

Conclusion

Further research is needed to understand the negative association between NCMS coverage and outpatient care utilization.
Effect of distraction on children's pain during intravenous catheter insertion
Authors: Sadeghi Tahereh , Mohammadi Nooredin , Shamshiri Mahmood , Bagherzadeh Rafat , Hossinkhani Navabeh
Published: March 2013

Purpose

This study examined the effect of pressing a soft ball during intravenous catheter insertion (IVCI) on the intensity of pain in children ages 4–6 years.

Design and Methods

In this quasi‐experimental study, children in the intervention group were asked to press a soft ball with the opposite hand during IVCI and to immediately mark the Wong–Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale.

Results

There was a significant difference in the intensity of pain between the control group (n = 30) and the intervention group (n = 30; p =.012).

Practice Implications

Pressing a soft ball during IVCI may be an easily accessed, inexpensive, and effective technique to control or reduce pain in young children.
Race, Ethnicity, Postcoloniality, and the New Jewish (Trans)cultural Studies
Authors: Glaser Jennifer
Published: March 2013

Jewish studies scholars have traditionally been at odds with scholars in fields such as postcolonial, diasporic, and ethnic studies. Recently, however, a number of scholars in Jewish studies – particularly in Jewish American literary studies – have embraced the possibilities of a comparative, transcultural, and interethnic Jewish studies. By analyzing how Jewish literature and experience might expand formulations of the nation, difference, race, identity, colonialism, and the state, these critics have opened up new vistas in Jewish studies, American studies, and comparative diasporic studies.
Romantic London and the Architecture of Memory
Authors: Lai Christine
Published: March 2013

This essay attempts a reading of the relationship between literature and architecture in Romantic writings. The correspondence between external and internal structures – between the literal city as encountered outside the text and the reimagined city constructed in textual space – is most discernible in the context of metropolitan improvements. In the opening decades of the nineteenth century, Regency London underwent a series of significant urban changes. These developments, notwithstanding their importance to the culture and cityscape of London, ironically nurtured intense anxieties about the consequences of change. The loss of certain buildings or spaces in the city as a result of urban growth overlaps with experiences of personal loss, so that the new architecture in the city ironically acts as aides‐mémoires of the drastic shifts in subjective history. Buildings thus impress the mind in a way that yields an intensely personal understanding of the changing urban environment. De Quincey’s Confessions of an English Opium Eater (1821) is read as a case study that explores the implications of metropolitan improvements and the extent to which memories of loss are projected onto the buildings and streets of the newly expanded London.
Patterns of diversity and adaptation in Glomeromycota from three prairie grasslands
Authors: Ji Baoming , Gehring Catherine A. , Wilson Gail W. T. , Miller R. M. , Flores‐Rentería Lluvia , Johnson Nancy Collins
Published: March 2013

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are widespread root symbionts that often improve the fitness of their plant hosts. We tested whether local adaptation in mycorrhizal symbioses would shape the community structure of these root symbionts in a way that maximizes their symbiotic functioning. We grew a native prairie grass (Andropogon gerardii) with all possible combinations of soils and AM fungal inocula from three different prairies that varied in soil characteristics and disturbance history (two native prairie remnants and one recently restored). We identified the AM fungi colonizing A. gerardii roots using PCR amplification and cloning of the small subunit rRNA gene. We observed 13 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonging to six genera in three families. Taxonomic richness was higher in the restored than the native prairies with one member of the Gigaspora dominating the roots of plants grown with inocula from native prairies. Inoculum source and the soil environment influenced the composition of AM fungi that colonized plant roots. Correspondingly, host plants and AM fungi responded significantly to the soil–inoculum combinations such that home fungi often had the highest fitness and provided the greatest benefit to A. gerardii. Similar patterns were observed within the soil–inoculum combinations originating from two native prairies, where five sequence types of a single Gigaspora OTU were virtually the only root colonizers. Our results indicate that indigenous assemblages of AM fungi were adapted to the local soil environment and that this process occurred both at a community scale and at the scale of fungal sequence types within a dominant OTU.
Identification of the amino acid residues and domains in the cysteine‐rich protein of Chinese wheat mosaic virus that are important for RNA silencing suppression and subcellular localization
Authors: Sun Liying , Andika Ida Bagus , Kondo Hideki , Chen Jianping
Published: March 2013

Cysteine‐rich proteins (CRPs) encoded by some plant viruses in diverse genera function as RNA silencing suppressors. Within the N‐terminal portion of CRPs encoded by furoviruses, there are six conserved cysteine residues and a Cys–Gly–X–X–His motif (Cys, cysteine; Gly, glycine; His, histidine; X, any amino acid residue) with unknown function. The central domains contain coiled‐coil heptad amino acid repeats that usually mediate protein dimerization. Here, we present evidence that the conserved cysteine residues and Cys–Gly–X–X–His motif in the CRP of Chinese wheat mosaic virus (CWMV) are critical for protein stability and silencing suppression activity. Mutation of a leucine residue in the third coiled‐coil heptad impaired CWMV CRP activity for suppression of local silencing, but not for the promotion of cell‐to‐cell movement of Potato virus X (PVX). In planta and in vitro analysis of wild‐type and mutant proteins indicated that the ability of the CRP to self‐interact was correlated with its suppression activity. Deletion of up to 40 amino acids at the C‐terminus did not abolish suppression activity, but disrupted the association of CRP with endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and reduced its activity in the enhancement of PVX symptom severity. Interestingly, a short region in the C‐terminal domain, predicted to form an amphipathic α‐helical structure, was responsible for the association of CWMV CRP with ER. Overall, our results demonstrate that the N‐terminal and central regions are the functional domains for suppression activity, whereas the C‐terminal region primarily functions to target CWMV CRP to the ER.
A common partitioning strategy for photosynthetic products in evolutionarily distinct phytoplankton species
Authors: Halsey Kimberly H. , O'Malley Robert T. , Graff Jason R. , Milligan Allen J. , Behrenfeld Michael J.
Published: March 2013

We compare the nutrient‐dependent photosynthetic efficiencies of the chlorophyte, Dunaliella tertiolecta, with those of the marine diatom, Thalassiosira weissflogii. Despite considerable evolutionary and physiological differences, these two species appear to use nearly identical growth strategies under a wide range of nutrient limitation.

Using a variety of physiological measurements, we find that, for both species and across all growth rates, 75% of the gross photosynthetic electron flow is invested in carbon fixation and only 30% is retained as net carbon accumulation. A majority of gross photosynthesis (70%) is ultimately used as reductant for biosynthetic pathways and for the generation of ATP.

In both species, newly formed carbon products exhibit much shorter half‐lives at slow growth rates than at fast growth rates. We show that this growth rate dependence is a result of increased polysaccharide storage during the S phase of the cell cycle.

We present a model of carbon utilization that incorporates this growth rate‐dependent carbon allocation and accurately captures (r2 = 0.94) the observed time‐resolved carbon retention. Together, our findings suggest a common photosynthetic optimization strategy in evolutionarily distinct phytoplankton species and contribute towards a systems‐level understanding of carbon flow in photoautotrophs.
Metabolic changes of human dental pulp after rapid palatal expansion
Authors: Wei F. L. , Geng J. , Guo J. , Guo Q. Y. , Wang H. , Liu D. X. , Zhang B. J. , Wang C. L.
Published: March 2013

Structured Abstract

Objectives

To investigate rapid palatal expansion (RPE)–induced metabolic changes in human dental pulp by measuring the expression and activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST).

Methods

mRNA and protein levels of AST in human dental pulp were measured by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot, respectively. Furthermore, the activity of AST was measured by a full automatic biochemical analyzer.

Results

AST mRNA and protein levels were found to be expressed in normal dental pulp. Moreover, the expression of AST was increased significantly after 14 days of RPE and then decreased at 1 month in retention. Three and 6 months after RPE, the AST expression level was gradually decreased to its baseline level. Similarly, AST activity was significantly elevated after 14 days of RPE, which was then down‐regulated at 1 month in retention but was still kept at a higher level as compared with the control group. The enzymatic activity of AST was slowly decreased to its baseline level at 3 and 6 months in retention.

Conclusions

These results showed that significant reversible metabolic changes occurred in dental pulp during RPE, which revealed the high capacity of the pulp tissue for adaptation to this orthopedic method.
Ocular biometric correlates of ciliary muscle thickness in human myopia
Authors: Buckhurst Hetal , Gilmartin Bernard , Cubbidge Robert P , Nagra Manbir , Logan Nicola S
Published: March 2013

Purpose

Anterior segment optical coherent tomography (AS‐OCT) is used to further examine previous reports that ciliary muscle thickness (CMT) is increased in myopic eyes. With reference to temporal and nasal CMT, interrelationships between biometric and morphological characteristics of anterior and posterior segments are analysed for British‐White and British‐South‐Asian adults with and without myopia.

Methods

Data are presented for the right eyes of 62 subjects (British‐White n = 39, British‐South‐Asian n = 23, aged 18–40 years) with a range of refractive error (mean spherical error (MSE (D)) −1.74 ± 3.26; range −10.06 to +4.38) and separated into myopes (MSE (D) <−0.50, range −10.06 to −0.56; n = 30) and non‐myopes (MSE (D) ≥−0.50, −0.50 to +4.38; n = 32). Temporal and nasal ciliary muscle cross‐sections were imaged using a Visante AS‐OCT. Using Visante software, manual measures of nasal and temporal CMT (NCMT and TCMT respectively) were taken in successive posterior 1 mm steps from the scleral spur over a 3 mm distance (designated NCMT1, TCMT1 et seq). Measures of axial length and anterior chamber depth were taken with an IOLMaster biometer. MSE and corneal curvature (CC) measurements were taken with a Shin‐Nippon auto‐refractor. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to determine total ocular volume (OV) for 31 of the original subject group. Statistical comparisons and analyses were made using mixed repeated measures anovas, Pearson's correlation coefficient and stepwise forward multiple linear regression.

Results

MSE was significantly associated with CMT, with thicker CMT2 and CMT3 being found in the myopic eyes (p = 0.002). In non‐myopic eyes TCMT1, TCMT2, NCMT1 and NCMT2 correlated significantly with MSE, AL and OV (p < 0.05). In contrast, myopic eyes failed generally to exhibit a significant correlation between CMT, MSE and axial length but notably retained a significant correlation between OV, TCMT2, TCMT3, NCMT2 and NCMT3 (p < 0.05). OV was found to be a significantly better predictor of TCMT2 and TCMT3 than AL by approximately a factor of two (p < 0.001). Anterior chamber depth was significantly associated with both temporal and nasal CMT2 and CMT3; TCMT1 correlated positively with CC. Ethnicity had no significant effect on differences in CMT.

Conclusions

Increased CMT is associated with myopia. We speculate that the lack of correlation in myopic subjects between CMT and axial length, but not between CMT and OV, is evidence that disrupted feedback between the fovea and ciliary apparatus occurs in myopia development.
The influence of leaf‐atmosphere NH3(g) exchange on the isotopic composition of nitrogen in plants and the atmosphere
Authors: JOHNSON JENNIFER E. , BERRY JOSEPH A.
Published: March 2013

The distribution of nitrogen isotopes in the biosphere has the potential to offer insights into the past, present and future of the nitrogen cycle, but it is challenging to unravel the processes controlling patterns of mixing and fractionation. We present a mathematical model describing a previously overlooked process: nitrogen isotope fractionation during leaf‐atmosphere NH3(g) exchange. The model predicts that when leaf‐atmosphere exchange of NH3(g) occurs in a closed system, the atmospheric reservoir of NH3(g) equilibrates at a concentration equal to the ammonia compensation point and an isotopic composition 8.1‰ lighter than nitrogen in protein. In an open system, when atmospheric concentrations of NH3(g) fall below or rise above the compensation point, protein can be isotopically enriched by net efflux of NH3(g) or depleted by net uptake. Comparison of model output with existing measurements in the literature suggests that this process contributes to variation in the isotopic composition of nitrogen in plants as well as NH3(g) in the atmosphere, and should be considered in future analyses of nitrogen isotope circulation. The matrix‐based modelling approach that is introduced may be useful for quantifying isotope dynamics in other complex systems that can be described by first‐order kinetics.
The PKD domain distinguishes the trafficking and amyloidogenic properties of the pigment cell protein PMEL and its homologue GPNMB
Authors: Theos Alexander C. , Watt Brenda , Harper Dawn C. , Janczura Karolina J. , Theos Sarah C. , Herman Kathryn E. , Marks Michael S.
Published: March 2013

Proteolytic fragments of the pigment cell‐specific glycoprotein, PMEL, form the amyloid fibrillar matrix underlying melanins in melanosomes. The fibrils form within multivesicular endosomes to which PMEL is selectively sorted and that serve as melanosome precursors. GPNMB is a tissue‐restricted glycoprotein with substantial sequence homology to PMEL, but no known function, and was proposed to localize to non‐fibrillar domains of distinct melanosome subcompartments in melanocytes. Here we confirm that GPNMB localizes to compartments distinct from the PMEL‐containing multivesicular premelanosomes or late endosomes in melanocytes and HeLa cells, respectively, and is largely absent from fibrils. Using domain swapping, the unique PMEL localization is ascribed to its polycystic kidney disease (PKD) domain, whereas the homologous PKD domain of GPNMB lacks apparent sorting function. The difference likely reflects extensive modification of the GPNMB PKD domain by N‐glycosylation, nullifying its sorting function. These results reveal the molecular basis for the distinct trafficking and morphogenetic properties of PMEL and GPNMB and support a deterministic function of the PMEL PKD domain in both protein sorting and amyloidogenesis.
Two Cases of Hemihyperplasia–Multiple Lipomatosis Syndrome and Review of Asymmetric Hemihyperplasia Syndromes
Authors: Craiglow Brittany G. , Ko Christine J. , Antaya Richard J.
Published: March 2013

Hemihyperplasia–multiple lipomatosis syndrome (HHML) is a condition characterized by asymmetric nonprogressive overgrowth, multiple lipomas, and superficial vascular malformations. We present two cases of HHML to enhance the diagnostic acumen of dermatologists and avoid potential misdiagnosis of this rare but probably underrecognized entity. We also provide a brief review of asymmetric overgrowth syndromes, which have overlapping yet distinct clinical manifestations.
Newborn Transepidermal Water Loss Values: A Reference Dataset
Authors: Kelleher Maeve M. , O'Carroll Michelle , Gallagher Aine , Murray Deirdre M. , Dunn Galvin Audrey , Irvine Alan D. , Hourihane Jonathan O'B
Published: March 2013

Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) is a simple noninvasive measurement of inside‐out skin barrier function. The goal of this research was to establish normal values for TEWL in early life using data gathered from the Cork BASELINE Birth Cohort Study. TEWL was recorded in a standardized fashion using a well‐validated open‐chamber system. A mean of three readings was recorded from 1,036 neonates (37–42 weeks gestational age) and 18 late preterm infants (34–37 weeks gestational age) within 96 hours of birth in an environmentally controlled room. Full‐term neonatal TEWL measurements have a normal distribution (mean 7.06 ± 3.41 g of water/m2 per hour) and mean preterm neonatal TEWL measurements were 7.76 ± 2.85 g of water/m2 per hour. This is the largest evaluation to date of TEWL in a normal‐term neonatal population. It therefore constitutes a reference dataset for this measurement using an open‐chamber system.
Teams of Community Health Workers and Nursing Students Effect Health Promotion of Underserved Urban Neighborhoods
Authors: Zandee Gail Landheer , Bossenbroek Debra , Slager Dianne , Gordon Beth
Published: March 2013

Objective(s)

The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of CHW/nursing student teams in promoting secondary protection and improving access to care for residents of three urban underserved neighborhoods. The study also sought to measure CHW and resident satisfaction of such a program.

Design and Sample

Quasi‐experimental and non‐experimental designs were used for the study. Convenience samples consisted of residents who participated in the CHW program during 2005–2006, CHWs and residents who participated in the CHW program during 2005–2007 and a systematic random sample of residents across the three neighborhoods.

Measures

Three quantitative measures were used in the study: a pre/post test with residents who participated in the program, a satisfaction survey of CHWs and participants, and a community assessment survey of the neighborhoods in which the program occurred.

Results

CHW/nursing student teams were shown to increase awareness of community resources, increase access to dental care, decrease use of the ER, promote use of a medical home/regular source of care, and increase the percentage of people having their blood pressure screened in the last 2 years.

Conclusion

CHW/nursing student teams can positively impact the health of underserved populations.