bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of a new benazepril hydrochloride chewable tablet and evaluation of its bioequivalence for treatment of heart failure in dogs
Authors: Qian M. , Chen T. , Zhou D. , Zhang Z. , Zhang Q. , Tang S. , Xiao X.
Published: July 2015

The aim of the study was to develop a new chewable benazepril hydrochloride(BH) tablet, investigate its physical properties, and evaluate its bioequivalence with the branded formulation (Fortekor®). A corrective agent was included in the formula to improve its palatability and convenience for administration to dogs. The tablet remained stable in light, heat, and humidity tests, and its physical properties such as hardness, uniformity of content, and dissolution rate were highly consistent with the technical standards. After single and repeated administrations to eight beagles and single dose to 14 mongrel dogs (0.5 mg/kg p.o.), plasma BH and its active metabolite, benazeprilat (BZ), were detected. There was no significant difference in the major pharmacokinetic parameters (Cmax, Tmax, and AUC0–24) between the two formulations. The 90% confidence intervals calculated for the ratios of area under the time–concentration curve (AUC0–24) were 92.4–116.3% for BH and 89.9–102.3% for BZ, within the accepted range for bioequivalence of 80–125%. The results showed our new chewable tablet is bioequivalent to the commercial product and suitable for addition to the benazepril product family for the treatment of heart failure in dogs.
Pharmacokinetics studies of enrofloxacin injectable in situ forming gel in dogs
Authors: Li H.‐M. , Tian J. , Zhang Z.‐R. , Luo X.‐Q. , Yu Z.‐G.
Published: July 2015

The objective of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetic characteristics of enrofloxacin (ENR) injectable in situ gel we developed in dogs following a single intramuscular (i.m.) administration. Twelve healthy dogs were randomly divided into two groups (six dogs per group), then administrated a single 20 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) ENR injectable in situ gel and a single 5 mg/kg b.w. ENR conventional injection, respectively. High‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine ENR plasma concentrations. The pharmacokinetic parameters of ENR injectable in situ gel and conventional injection in dogs are as follows: MRT (mean residence time) (45.59 ± 14.05) h verse (11.40 ± 1.64) h, AUC (area under the blood concentration vs. time curve) (28.66 ± 15.41) μg·h/mL verse (11.06 ± 3.90) μg·h/mL, cmax (maximal concentration) (1.59 ± 0.35) μg/mL verse (1.46 ± 0.07) μg/mL, tmax (time needed to reach cmax) (1.25 ± 1.37) h verse (1.40 ± 0.55) h, t1/2λz (terminal elimination half‐life) (40.27 ± 17.79) h verse (10.32 ± 0.97) h. The results demonstrated that the in situ forming gel system could increase dosing interval of ENR and thus reduced dosing frequency during long‐term treatment. Therefore, the ENR injectable in situ gel seems to be worth popularizing in veterinary clinical application.
Evaluation of tizanidine as a marker of canine CYP1A2 activity
Authors: Locuson C. W. , Williams P. , Adcock J. M. , Daniels J. S.
Published: July 2015

The dog CYP1A2 enzyme is likely an important contributor to the metabolism of veterinary drugs. Dog CYP1A2 is expressed in liver, plus it is inducible and polymorphic, creating the potential for intersubject differences in pharmacokinetics. Hence, the ability to probe dog CYP1A2 activity and inhibition is relevant toward veterinary drug development and drug–drug interaction assessment. Previous studies have relied on human probes with questionable specificity for CYP1A2, so it was hypothesized that recombinant CYP1A2 could be used to find a specific CYP1A2 substrate. Intrinsic clearance experiments demonstrated that tizanidine was a substrate of CYP1A2. Profiling of tizanidine metabolites generated by CYP1A2 identified the imidazole metabolite that was detectable in dog plasma. The imidazole metabolite was subsequently used to evaluate tizanidine as a CYP1A2 probe. Co‐administration of the CYP1A inhibitor enrofloxacin with tizanidine significantly decreased (30%; n = 3) the formation of the imidazole metabolite vs. control experiments. As enrofloxacin is a weak inhibitor, further studies are required to confirm the sensitivity of tizanidine as an in vivo probe. However, tizanidine may be a more selective CYP1A2 probe than phenacetin when conducting in vitro studies due to the presence of other phenacetin‐metabolizing enzymes in dog liver microsomes.
Trailblazers and Those That Followed: Personal Experiences, Gender, and Judicial Empathy
Authors: Moyer Laura P. , Haire Susan B.
Published: July 2015

This article investigates one causal mechanism that may explain why female judges on the federal appellate courts are more likely than men to side with plaintiffs in sex discrimination cases. To test whether personal experiences with inequality are related to empathetic responses to the claims of female plaintiffs, we focus on the first wave of female judges, who attended law school during a time of severe gender inequality. We find that female judges are more likely than their male colleagues to support plaintiffs in sex discrimination cases, but that this difference is seen only in judges who graduated law school between 1954 and 1975 and disappears when more recent law school cohorts of men and women judges are compared. These results suggest that the effect of gender as a trait is tied to the role of formative experiences with discrimination.
The Effects of Civil Hate Speech Laws: Lessons from Australia
Authors: Gelber Katharine , McNamara Luke
Published: July 2015

This article examines the effects of hate speech laws in Australia. Triangulating data from primary and secondary sources, we examine five hypothesized effects: whether the laws provide a remedy to targets of hate speech, encourage more respectful speech, have an educative or symbolic effect, have a chilling effect, or create “martyrs.” We find the laws provide a limited remedy in the complaints mechanisms, provide a framework for direct community advocacy, and that knowledge of the laws exists in public discourse. However, the complaints mechanism imposes a significant enforcement burden on targeted communities, who still regularly experience hate speech. We find a reduction in the expression of prejudice in mediated outlets, but not on the street. We find no evidence of a chilling effect and we find the risk of free speech martyrs to be marginal. We draw out the implications of these findings for other countries.
Lawyers' Perceptions of the U.S. Supreme Court: Is the Court a “Political” Institution?
Authors: Bartels Brandon L. , Johnston Christopher D. , Mark Alyx
Published: July 2015

Do legal elites—lawyers admitted to federal appellate bars—perceive the Supreme Court as a “political” institution? Legal elites differentiate themselves from the mass public in the amount and sources of information about the Court. They also hold near-universal perceptions of Court legitimacy, a result we use to derive competing theoretical expectations regarding the impact of ideological disagreement on various Court perceptions. Survey data show that many legal elites perceive the Court as political in its decision making, while a minority perceive the Court as activist and influenced by external political forces. Ideological disagreement with the Court's outputs significantly elevates political perceptions of decision making, while it exhibits a null and moderate impact on perceptions of activism and external political influence, respectively. To justify negative affect derived from ideological disagreement, elites highlight the political aspects of the Court's decision making rather than engage in “global delegitimization” of the institution itself.
Symbolic and Nonsymbolic Equivalence Tasks: The Influence of Symbols on Students with Mathematics Difficulty
Authors: Driver Melissa K. , Powell Sarah R.
Published: July 2015

Students often experience difficulty with attaching meaning to mathematics symbols. Many students react to symbols, such as the equal sign, as a command to “do something” or “write an answer” without reflecting upon the proper relational meaning of the equal sign. One method for assessing equal–sign understanding is through nonstandard equations (e.g., 3 + 4 = __ + 5) where student answers provide cues about operational or relational interpretation of the equal sign. This study investigated the influence of symbolic and nonsymbolic presentations on a measure of nonstandard equations. A representative sample of 2nd–grade students ( n = 413) solved a set of nonstandard equations presented with symbols (i.e., symbolic) and the same set presented with pictures and stories (i.e., nonsymbolic). Students with and without mathematics difficulty demonstrated significantly higher scores on the nonsymbolic version without mathematics symbols. Results have implications for mathematics assessment and instruction.
Quality of Life of Children with Learning Disabilities: A Comparison of Self–Reports and Proxy Reports
Authors: Sakız Halis , Sart Zeynep Hande , Börkan Bengü , Korkmaz Barış , Babür Nalan
Published: July 2015

This study aimed to explore how children with learning disabilities (LD) perceive their quality of life (QoL) and to compare self–reports and proxy reports regarding their QoL. Children with LD, their typically developing peers, their parents and teachers responded to the child, parent, and teacher forms of KINDLR Questionnaire for Measuring Health–Related Quality of Life (Ravens–Sieberer & Bullinger, 1998). Findings showed that children with LD reported significantly lower QoL scores than those reported by typically developing peers. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and t–test results showed that agreement between child reports and parent–proxy reports was either low or moderate on each QoL dimension. Findings of the study may be used to raise awareness regarding the social and educational needs of children with LD in Turkey.
The Effects of an Intensive Reading Intervention for Ninth Graders with very Low Reading Comprehension
Authors: Solís Michael , Vaughn Sharon , Scammacca Nancy
Published: July 2015

This experimental study examined the efficacy of a multicomponent reading intervention compared to a control condition on the reading comprehension of adolescent students with low reading comprehension (more than 1½ standard deviations below normative sample). Ninth–grade students were randomly assigned to treatment ( n = 25) and comparison ( n = 19). Reading teachers provided instruction for 90–min, five times every two weeks for approximately 80 sessions. Treatment effects for each outcome measure were estimated using repeated measure of analysis of covariance for measures of reading comprehension and fluency. Results indicate no statistically significant differences between treatment and comparison conditions. Repeated–measures analyses of variance between students with lower and higher decoding skills indicated a statistically significant interaction between treatment condition and decoding ability on the WJ–III PC and Bridge–IT, with large effect sizes ( ηp2. 16 and. 12, respectively), indicating that treatment was differentially beneficial for students with higher decoding skills.
Introgression between invasive and native blue mussels (genus Mytilus) in the central California hybrid zone
Authors: Saarman Norah P. , Pogson Grant H.
Published: July 2015

The ecological and genetic factors determining the extent of introgression between species in secondary contact zones remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate the relative importance of isolating barriers and the demographic expansion of invasive Mytilus galloprovincialis on the magnitude and the direction of introgression with the native Mytilus trossulus in a hybrid zone in central California. We use double‐digest restriction‐site‐associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) to genotype 1337 randomly selected single nucleotide polymorphisms and accurately distinguish early and advanced generation hybrids for the first time in the central California Mytilus spp. hybrid zone. Weak levels of introgression were observed in both directions but were slightly more prevalent from the native M. trossulus into the invasive M. galloprovincialis. Few early and advanced backcrossed individuals were observed across the hybrid zone confirming the presence of strong barriers to interbreeding. Heterogeneous patterns of admixture across the zone of contact were consistent with the colonization history of M. galloprovincialis with more extensive introgression in northern localities furthest away from the putative site of introduction in southern California. These observations reinforce the importance of dynamic spatial and demographic expansions in determining patterns of introgression between close congeners, even in those with high dispersal potential and well‐developed reproductive barriers. Our results suggest that the threat posed by invasive M. galloprovincialis is more ecological than genetic as it has displaced, and continues to displace the native M. trossulus from much of central and southern California.
Identifying and integrating consumer perspectives in clinical practice guidelines on autosomal‐dominant polycystic kidney disease
Authors: Tong Allison , Tunnicliffe David J. , Lopez‐Vargas Pamela , Mallett Andrew , Patel Chirag , Savige Judy , Campbell Katrina , Patel Manish , Tchan Michel C. , Alexander Stephen I , Lee Vincent , Craig Jonathan C. , Fassett Robert , Rangan Gopala K.
Published: July 2015

Aim

This study aimed to identify consumer perspectives on topics and outcomes to integrate in the Kidney Health Australia Caring for Australasians with Renal Impairment (KHA‐CARI) clinical practice guidelines on autosomal‐dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).

Methods

A workshop involving three concurrent focus groups with 18 consumers (patients with ADPKD (n = 15), caregivers (n = 3)) was convened. Guideline topics, interventions and outcomes were identified, and integrated into guideline development. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the reasons for their choices.

Results

Twenty‐two priority topics were identified, with most focussed on non‐pharmacological management (diet, fluid intake, physical activity, complementary medicine), pain management and psychosocial care (mental health, counselling, cognitive and behavioural training, education, support groups). They also identified 26 outcomes including quality of life (QoL), progression of kidney disease, kidney function, cyst growth and nephrotoxity. Almost all topics and outcomes suggested were identified by health professionals with the exception of five topics/outcomes. Six themes reflected reasons for their choices: clarifying ambiguities, resolving debilitating pain, concern for family, preparedness for the future, taking control and significance of impact.

Conclusion

Although there was considerable concordance between the priority topics and outcomes of health professionals and consumers for guidelines of ADPKD, there was also important discordance with consumers focused on fewer issues, but particularly on lifestyle, psychosocial support, pain, and QoL and renal outcomes. Active consumer engagement in guidelines development can help to ensure the inclusion of patient‐centred recommendations, which may lead to better management of disease progression, symptoms, complications, and psychosocial impact.
Using modern plant trait relationships between observed and theoretical maximum stomatal conductance and vein density to examine patterns of plant macroevolution
Authors: McElwain Jennifer C. , Yiotis Charilaos , Lawson Tracy
Published: July 2015

Understanding the drivers of geological‐scale patterns in plant macroevolution is limited by a hesitancy to use measurable traits of fossils to infer palaeoecophysiological function.

Here, scaling relationships between morphological traits including maximum theoretical stomatal conductance (gmax) and leaf vein density (Dv) and physiological measurements including operational stomatal conductance (gop), saturated (Asat) and maximum (Amax) assimilation rates were investigated for 18 extant taxa in order to improve understanding of angiosperm diversification in the Cretaceous.

Our study demonstrated significant relationships between gop, gmax and Dv that together can be used to estimate gas exchange and the photosynthetic capacities of fossils. We showed that acquisition of high gmax in angiosperms conferred a competitive advantage over gymnosperms by increasing the dynamic range (plasticity) of their gas exchange and expanding their ecophysiological niche space. We suggest that species with a high gmax (> 1400 mmol m−2 s−1) would have been capable of maintaining a high Amax as the atmospheric CO2 declined through the Cretaceous, whereas gymnosperms with a low gmax would experience severe photosynthetic penalty.

Expansion of the ecophysiological niche space in angiosperms, afforded by coordinated evolution of high gmax, Dv and increased plasticity in gop, adds further functional insights into the mechanisms driving angiosperm speciation.
Still a good neighbour? Implications of changing priorities in New Zealand Aotearoa's aid sector
Authors: Zweifel Esther , Hill Douglas P.
Published: July 2015

The period following the election of the National government in 2008 has been controversial for Aotearoa New Zealand's aid programme for a number of reasons. This article examines changes in funding modalities and other aspects of non‐governmental organisation (NGO)–government relations as the sites of contested philosophies that surround aid and development discourse. In focusing on the introduction of the Sustainable Development Fund in 2010, the article argues that this shift has generated significant uncertainty among the aid community and may ultimately undermine many of the relationships NGOs previously enjoyed with partners in the Global South.
New Zealand Census 2013: A short commentary on the role which the Census plays and the findings of the 2013 Census
Authors: Campbell Malcolm
Published: July 2015

This short paper aims to discuss the role and the importance of the Census in New Zealand. It also discusses some of the multitude of uses of Census data in various contexts to help us understand the demographic and socio‐economic landscape of New Zealand. Debates internationally on the nature, scale and frequency of a national Census, or even whether a Census is necessary at all, mean that we cannot take this valuable resource for granted. With this in mind, we as geographers have a wealth of data to explore and analyse that we should take full advantage of. What gets counted counts!
Place invaders: Identity, place attachment and possum control in the South Island West Coast of New Zealand
Authors: Bidwell Susan , Thompson Lee
Published: July 2015

The pesticide 1080 (sodium fluoroacetate) is used in New Zealand as the primary means of controlling the Australian brushtail possum, a problem pest. This study identified place and its role in identity as an important mediator of the perspectives of those that either strongly supported or opposed its use. Individuals' differing constructions of place influenced the way they perceived ‘others’ as a threat to their place and their views on control of its management and protection. This study may contribute to a new understanding of the importance of place in this and other similar natural resource disputes.
Trainee‐therapists are not all equal: Examination of therapeutic efficiency, effectiveness and early client dropout after 12 months of clinical training
Authors: Banham James A. , Schweitzer Robert D.
Published: July 2015

Objective

Contemporary research demonstrates the feasibility of assessing therapeutic performance of trainee‐therapists through the use of objective measures of client treatment outcome. Further, significant variation between individual therapists based on their client treatment outcomes has been demonstrated. This study sets out to determine whether a reliable composite measure of therapeutic efficiency, effectiveness and early dropout can be developed and used to objectively compare trainee‐therapists against each other.

Design and methods

Treatment outcomes of 611 clients receiving treatment from 58 trainee‐therapists enrolled in a professional training programme were tracked with the OQ‐45.2 over a 6‐year period to assess therapeutic efficiency, therapeutic effectiveness and early client dropout.

Results

Significant variation between trainee‐therapists was observed for each index. Findings of a moderately strong correlation between therapeutic efficiency and effectiveness enabled the ranking of trainee‐therapists based upon a composite measure of these indexes. A non‐significant correlation was found between early client dropout and measures of therapeutic effectiveness and efficiency.

Conclusions

The findings stress the importance of utilizing objective measures to track the treatment outcomes. Despite all trainee‐therapists being enrolled in the same training programme, significant variation between trainee‐therapists' therapeutic efficiency and effectiveness was found to exist.

Practitioner points

Developing of potential benchmarking tools that enable trainee‐therapists, supervisors and educational institutions to quickly assess therapeutic performance can become part of a holistic assessment of a trainee‐therapist's clinical development.

Despite an inherent optimistic belief that therapists do not cause harm, there appears to be a small and significant proportion of trainee‐therapists who consistently evidence little therapeutic change.

Considerable variability in trainee‐therapists' therapeutic efficiency and effectiveness can exist in the one training programme.

Early client dropout may not be associated with therapists' therapeutic effectiveness and efficiency.
Prostaglandin E‐mediated molecular mechanisms driving remodeling of the ductus arteriosus
Authors: Yokoyama Utako
Published: July 2015

The ductus arteriosus (DA), a fetal arterial connection between the pulmonary arteries and aorta, normally closes after birth. Persistent DA patency usually has life‐threatening consequences. In certain DA‐dependent congenital heart diseases, however, patient survival depends on maintaining DA patency. Complete closure of the DA involves both functional closure, induced by muscle contraction, and anatomical closure, achieved through morphological and molecular remodeling. Anatomical closure of the DA is associated with the formation of intimal thickening, which is characterized by deposition of extracellular matrix in the subendothelial region, sparse elastic fiber formation, and migration of medial smooth muscle cells into the subendothelial space. In addition, fetal molecular remodeling that is suitable for postnatal muscle contraction has been observed in the DA. After the second trimester, high concentration of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) causes the DA to dilate through the remainder of the fetal period. Emerging evidence from studies using pharmacological approaches and genetically modified mice suggests that, in addition to its vasodilatory effect, this chronic exposure to PGE2 promotes DA‐specific anatomical and molecular remodeling through EP4, one of four receptor subtypes for PGE2. Signals that are downstream of PGE2‐EP4, such as cyclic AMP (cAMP)‐protein kinase A (PKA), exchange protein activated by cAMP (Epac), phospholipase C, and Wnt/β‐catenin, may be involved in the regulation of intimal thickening, elastogenesis, and contraction‐related genes. Understanding the physiological role of PGE2 in DA remodeling could enable more effective regulation of PDA, both in isolation and in the context of congenital cardiac anomalies.
Limited surgical resection for graft salvage following recovery from complicated exfoliative rejection in pediatric intestinal recipients
Authors: Goldschmidt Monique L. , Kocoshis Samuel A. , Tiao Gregory M. , Alonso Maria H. , Nathan Jaimie D.
Published: July 2015

Complications of ER contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality following intestinal transplantation. The surgical management of three pediatric patients who experienced complications of late ER after composite LSB transplantation is described, highlighting the potential for allograft salvage after limited surgical resection. A retrospective case series was compiled. Data collected included time to ER from transplant, medical management of ER, complications, and surgical management of ER complications. All patients had undergone composite LSB transplantation between one and two yr of age. Time to ER after transplantation was 9.5–26.5 months. ER complications included ileal allograft stricture, intramural hematoma with perforation of jejunal allograft, and massive GI hemorrhage secondary to focal ulceration and pseudopolyp formation. With evidence of mucosal regeneration, all three patients underwent limited segmental allograft resection. Two patients continue to maintain satisfactory allograft function 39–44 months following operation. The third patient retained adequate allograft function until he developed PTLD, subsequently dying from disseminated Adenovirus infection 51 months after resection. Severe disruption of intestinal allograft integrity in ER can lend itself to medically refractory complications. Prompt recognition and surgical correction of complications can play a crucial role in allograft salvage and patient survival after ER.
Cueing vocabulary during sleep increases theta activity during later recognition testing
Authors: Schreiner Thomas , Göldi Maurice , Rasch Björn
Published: July 2015

Neural oscillations in the theta band have repeatedly been implicated in successful memory encoding and retrieval. Several recent studies have shown that memory retrieval can be facilitated by reactivating memories during their consolidation during sleep. However, it is still unknown whether reactivation during sleep also enhances subsequent retrieval‐related neural oscillations. We have recently demonstrated that foreign vocabulary cues presented during sleep improve later recall of the associated translations. Here, we examined the effect of cueing foreign vocabulary during sleep on oscillatory activity during subsequent recognition testing after sleep. We show that those words that were replayed during sleep after learning (cued words) elicited stronger centroparietal theta activity during recognition as compared to noncued words. The reactivation‐induced increase in theta oscillations during later recognition testing might reflect a strengthening of individual memory traces and the integration of the newly learned words into the mental lexicon by cueing during sleep.
Particularism about Composition
Authors: Gabriel John
Published: July 2015

Unwilling to adopt the radical ontologies that leading answers to van Inwagen's special composition question imply, Ned Markosian proposes that there is no true, non‐trivial, and finitely long answer to the SCQ. On my usage, this makes Markosian a particularist about composition. I argue that an improved version of Markosian's particularism fails because it cannot explain how sense perception justifies many of the ordinary‐object beliefs we base on it. I further argue that psychologists' research on object perception suggests that general principles govern how we perceptually discriminate unified wholes from mere pluralities, and this narrows the range of answers to the SCQ available to commonsense ontologists.
A Fine Balance: Developing Clinical Practice Guidelines in Areas Where Evidence is Lacking
Authors: Levin Adeera , Wheeler David C.
Published: July 2015

Over the last 15 years, numerous clinical practice guidelines have been developed by clinicians driven by national societies and funders of healthcare services. Writing and publication of guidelines have been refined such that a transparent and robust process has evolved. The main purpose of clinical practice guidelines is to provide healthcare professionals with evidence‐based recommendations to assist clinical decision‐making and reduce variability in clinical practice: this benefits patients and the healthcare system. When evidence is abundant and robust, guideline development is relatively straightforward. However, in areas where evidence is lacking, there is a tension between providing advice based on expert opinion while maintaining a clinical equipoise that will facilitate the design and execution of clinical trials, so that new information is gained, and that will ultimately inform care . In this commentary, we explore these problems and suggest an alternative approach to the development of clinical guidance in areas where evidence is lacking.
Long‐term effects of tillage, nutrient application and crop rotation on soil organic matter quality assessed byNMRspectroscopy
Authors: Shrestha B. M. , Singh B. R. , Forte C. , Certini G.
Published: July 2015

Crop and land management practices affect both the quality and quantity of soil organic matter (SOM) and hence are driving forces for soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. The objective of this study was to assess the long‐term effects of tillage, fertilizer application and crop rotation onSOCin an agricultural area of southern Norway, where a soil fertility and crop rotation experiment was initiated in 1953 and a second experiment on tillage practices was initiated in 1983. The first experiment comprised 6‐yr crop rotations with cereals only and 2‐yr cereal and 4‐yr grass rotations with recommended (base) and more than the recommended (above base) fertilizer application rates; the second experiment dealt with autumn‐ploughed (conventional‐till) plots and direct‐drilled plots (no‐till). Soil samples at 0–10 and 10–30 cm depths were collected in autumn 2009 and analysed for their C and N contents. The quality ofSOMin the top layer was determined by13C solid‐stateNMRspectroscopy. TheSOCstock did not differ significantly because of rotation or fertilizer application types, even after 56 yr. However, the no‐till system showed a significantly higherSOCstock than the conventional‐till system at the 0–10 cm depth after the 26 yr of experiment, but it was not significantly different at the 10–30 cm depth. In terms of quality,SOMwas found to differ by tillage type, rate of fertilizer application and crop rotation. The no‐till system showed an abundance of O‐alkyl C, while conventional‐till system indicated an apparently indirect enrichment in alkyl C, suggesting a more advanced stage ofSOMdecomposition. The long‐term quantitative and qualitative effects onSOMsuggest that adopting a no‐tillage system and including grass in crop rotation and farmyard manure in fertilizer application may contribute to preserve soil fertility and mitigate climate change.
Language in fieldwork: Making visible the ethnographic impact of the researcher's linguistic fluency
Authors: Tanu Danau , Dales Laura
Published: July 2015

This paper analyses the impact of the researcher's linguistic fluency or competence (or lack thereof) on the data collection process during fieldwork and subsequent analysis. We focus on researcher interaction with the field in a largely monolingual setting in Japan, and the multilingual setting of an international school in Indonesia. Researcher positionality during fieldwork shifts with their (perceived) linguistic fluency, which in turn affects the data. Despite the emphasis on reflexive ethnography, anthropological research rarely interrogates the impact of the researcher's linguistic fluency on the field. We attribute this silence to the perception that highlighting researcher language ability may compromise their ethnographic authority. In this paper we use self‐reflexivity to make visible the ethnographic impact that the researcher's language ability has on fieldwork processes. We argue that being self‐reflexive about our linguistic fluency, or lack thereof, does not necessarily compromise our analysis.
Development Differentials and Interaction Effects in the European Regions: A Study Based on the Regional Lisbon Index
Authors: Rios Vicente , Arzoz Pedro Pascual , Apezteguia BelÉn iraizoz
Published: July 2015

This paper investigates regional development dynamics in a sample of 254 NUTS 2 European Union regions over the period 2000–2010. To that end, we propose a new version of the regional Lisbon index containing changes with respect the index developed by Dijkstra. The regional Lisbon index includes employment, education and R&D indicators. Targets for these indicators are related to an action and economic development plan for the EU regions and have been incorporated into European Regional Policy programming. The analysis of regional development is based on the estimation of the spatial Durbin model, containing endogenous and exogenous interaction effects. We compare the performance of different specifications of the spatial weights matrix describing the spatial arrangement of the sample regions finding evidence in favour of an exponential‐decay distance matrix. Using this matrix, we determine the extent to which a change in a covariate in a particular region affects development in other regions.
Opportunistic infections complicating solid organ transplantation with alemtuzumab induction
Authors: Helfrich M. , Ison M.G.
Published: July 2015

Opportunistic infections remain a common complication of solid organ transplantation. Despite significant changes in immunosuppression and infectious diseases prophylaxis, data are limited on the contemporary epidemiology and outcomes of opportunistic infections. Alemtuzumab, a potent lymphocyte‐depleting antibody, has been used with increased frequency in solid organ transplant recipients in the last decade. A literature review was performed to summarize the current understanding of the epidemiology, risk factors, and outcomes of opportunistic infections complicating solid organ transplantation with and without alemtuzumab induction therapy. Areas where data are limited regarding opportunistic infections in solid organ transplantation with alemtuzumab induction are indicated.
The Arabidopsis TAC Position Viewer: a high‐resolution map of transformation‐competent artificial chromosome (TAC) clones aligned with theArabidopsis thalianaColumbia‐0 genome
Authors: Hirose Yoshitsugu , Suda Kunihiro , Liu Yao‐Guang , Sato Shusei , Nakamura Yukino , Yokoyama Koji , Yamamoto Naoki , Hanano Shigeru , Takita Eiji , Sakurai Nozomu , Suzuki Hideyuki , Nakamura Yasukazu , Kaneko Takakazu , Yano Kentaro , Tabata Satoshi , Shibata Daisuke
Published: July 2015

We present a high‐resolution map of genomic transformation‐competent artificial chromosome (TAC) clones extending over allArabidopsis thaliana(Arabidopsis) chromosomes. The Arabidopsis genomicTACclones have been valuable genetic tools. Previously, we constructed an Arabidopsis genomicTAClibrary consisting of more than 10 000TACclones harboring large genomicDNAfragments extending over the whole Arabidopsis genome. Here, we determined 13 577 end sequences from 6987 ArabidopsisTACclones and mapped 5937TACclones to precise locations, covering approximately 90% of the Arabidopsis chromosomes. We present the large‐scale data set ofTACclones with high‐resolution mapping information as a Java application tool, the ArabidopsisTACPosition Viewer, which provides ready‐to‐go transformable genomicDNAclones corresponding to certain loci on Arabidopsis chromosomes. TheTACclone resources will accelerate genomicDNAcloning, positional walking, complementation of mutants andDNAtransformation for heterologous gene expression.
Exotic plants along roads near La Paz, Bolivia
Authors: Fernández‐Murillo M P , Rico A , Kindlmann P
Published: July 2015

Distributions of invasive alien species (IAS) are well documented all over the world, and roads are considered one of the main means by which IAS spread. Bolivia is one of a few countries for which there are no such studies. For this reason, we determined the number of exotic plant species in the vicinity of roads near the city of La Paz, Bolivia. We distinguish two types of roads, paved and gravel roads, and in their vicinity, we studied the floristic composition in three regions, differing mainly in altitude: high Andes, puna grassland and dry valley. We found three exotic species in the vicinity of roads in the high Andes, five in puna grassland and 10 in the dry valley. We found 13 exotic species along gravel roads and nine along paved roads, whilst there was a trend for such species to be more abundant close to the roads than further away. Pennisetum clandestinum was the most frequently recorded exotic species in all regions and associated with both types of roads. The results indicate that exotic species are quite frequent along roads in Bolivia and present a potential threat as invasive species. Therefore, it may be necessary to take measures to prevent IAS from spreading further.
Quantitative Risk Assessment of Human Trichinellosis Caused by Consumption of Pork Meat Sausages inArgentina
Authors: Sequeira G. J. , Zbrun M. V. , Soto L. P. , Astesana D. M. , Blajman J. E. , Rosmini M. R. , Frizzo L. S. , Signorini M. L.
Published: July 2015

In Argentina, there are three known species of genusTrichinella; however,Trichinella spiralisis most commonly associated with domestic pigs and it is recognized as the main cause of human trichinellosis by the consumption of products made with raw or insufficiently cooked pork meat. In some areas of Argentina, this disease is endemic and it is thus necessary to develop a more effective programme of prevention and control. Here, we developed a quantitative risk assessment of human trichinellosis following pork meat sausage consumption, which may be used to identify the stages with greater impact on the probability of acquiring the disease. The quantitative model was designed to describe the conditions in which the meat is produced, processed, transported, stored, sold and consumed in Argentina. The model predicted a risk of human trichinellosis of 4.88 × 10−6and an estimated annual number of trichinellosis cases of 109. The risk of human trichinellosis was sensitive to the number ofTrichinellalarvae that effectively survived the storage period (r = 0.89), the average probability of infection (PPinf) (r = 0.44) and the storage time (Storage) (r = 0.08). This model allowed assessing the impact of different factors influencing the risk of acquiring trichinellosis. The model may thus help to select possible strategies to reduce the risk in the chain of by‐products of pork production.
Postnatal maturation of GABAergic modulation of sensory inputs onto lateral amygdala principal neurons
Authors: Bosch Daniel , Ehrlich Ingrid
Published: July 2015

Key points

Throughout life, fear learning is indispensable for survival and neural plasticity in the lateral amygdala underlies this learning and storage of fear memories.

During development, properties of fear learning continue to change into adulthood, but currently little is known about changes in amygdala circuits that enable these behavioural transitions.

In recordings from neurons in lateral amygdala brain slices from infant up to adult mice, we show that spontaneous and evoked excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmissions mature into adolescence.

At this time, increased inhibitory activity and signalling has the ability to restrict the function of excitation by presynaptic modulation, and may thus enable precise stimulus associations to limit fear generalization from adolescence onward.

Our results provide a basis for addressing plasticity mechanisms that underlie altered fear behaviour in young animals.

Convergent evidence suggests that plasticity in the lateral amygdala (LA) participates in acquisition and storage of fear memory. Sensory inputs from thalamic and cortical areas activate principal neurons and local GABAergic interneurons, which provide feed‐forward inhibition that tightly controls LA activity and plasticity via pre‐ and postsynaptic GABAA and GABAB receptors. GABAergic control is also critical during fear expression, generalization and extinction in adult animals. During rodent development, properties of fear and extinction learning continue to change into early adulthood. Currently, few studies have assessed physiological changes in amygdala circuits that may enable these behavioural transitions. To obtain first insights, we investigated changes in spontaneous and sensory input‐evoked inhibition onto LA principal neurons and then focused on GABAB receptor‐mediated modulation of excitatory sensory inputs in infant, juvenile, adolescent and young adult mice. We found that spontaneous and sensory‐evoked inhibition increased during development. Physiological changes were accompanied by changes in dendritic morphology. While GABAB heteroreceptors were functionally expressed on sensory afferents already early in development, they could only be physiologically recruited by sensory‐evoked GABA release to mediate heterosynaptic inhibition from adolescence onward. Furthermore, we found GABAB‐mediated tonic inhibition of sensory inputs by ambient GABA that also emerged in adolescence. The observed increase in GABAergic drive may be a substrate for providing modulatory GABA. Our data suggest that GABAB‐mediated tonic and evoked presynaptic inhibition can suppress sensory input‐driven excitation in the LA to enable precise stimulus associations and limit generalization of conditioned fear from adolescence onward.
Mathematical modelling of local calcium and regulated exocytosis during inhibition and stimulation of glucagon secretion from pancreatic alpha‐cells
Authors: Montefusco Francesco , Pedersen Morten Gram
Published: July 2015

Key points

The control of glucagon secretion from pancreatic alpha‐cells is still unclear and, when defective, is involved in the development of diabetes.

We propose a mathematical model of Ca2+ dynamics and exocytosis to understand better the intracellular mechanisms downstream of electrical activity that control glucagon secretion.

The model exploits compartmental modelling of Ca2+ levels near open and closed high voltage‐activated Ca2+ channels involved in exocytosis, in the sub‐membrane Ca2+ compartment, in the bulk cytosol and in the endoplasmic reticulum.

The model reproduces the effects of glucose, glucagon‐like peptide 1 (GLP‐1) and adrenaline, providing insight into the relative contributions of the various subcellular Ca2+ compartments in the control of glucagon secretion.

Our results highlight that the number of open Ca2+ channels is a dominant factor in glucagon release, and clarify why cytosolic Ca2+ is a poor read‐out of alpha‐cell secretion.

Glucagon secretion from pancreatic alpha‐cells is dysregulated in diabetes. Despite decades of investigations of the control of glucagon release by glucose and hormones, the underlying mechanisms are still debated. Recently, mathematical models have been applied to investigate the modification of electrical activity in alpha‐cells as a result of glucose application. However, recent studies have shown that paracrine effects such as inhibition of glucagon secretion by glucagon‐like peptide 1 (GLP‐1) or stimulation of release by adrenaline involve cAMP‐mediated effects downstream of electrical activity. In particular, depending of the intracellular cAMP concentration, specific types of Ca2+ channels are inhibited or activated, which interacts with mobilization of secretory granules. To investigate these aspects of alpha‐cell function theoretically, we carefully developed a mathematical model of Ca2+ levels near open or closed Ca2+ channels of various types, which was linked to a description of Ca2+ below the plasma membrane, in the bulk cytosol and in the endoplasmic reticulum. We investigated how the various subcellular Ca2+ compartments contribute to control of glucagon‐exocytosis in response to glucose, GLP‐1 or adrenaline. Our studies refine previous modelling studies of alpha‐cell function, and provide deeper insight into the control of glucagon secretion.
Contrast invariance of orientation tuning in cat primary visual cortex neurons depends on stimulus size
Authors: Liu Yong‐Jun , Hashemi‐Nezhad Maziar , Lyon David C.
Published: July 2015

Key points

The process of orientation tuning is an important and well‐characterized feature of neurons in primary visual cortex.

The combination of ascending and descending circuits involved is not only relevant to understanding visual processing but the function of neocortex in general.

The classic feed‐forward model of orientation tuning predicts a broadening effect due to increasing contrast; yet, experimental results consistently report contrast invariance.

We show here that contrast invariance actually depends on stimulus size such that large stimuli extending beyond the neuron's receptive field engage circuits that promote invariance, whereas optimally sized, smaller stimuli result in contrast variance that is more in line with the classical orientation tuning model.

These results illustrate the importance of optimizing stimulus parameters to best reflect the sensory pathways under study and provide new clues about different circuits that may be involved in variant and invariant response properties.

Selective response to stimulus orientation is a key feature of neurons in primary visual cortex, yet the underlying mechanisms generating orientation tuning are not fully understood. The combination of feed‐forward and cortical mechanisms involved is not only relevant to understanding visual processing but the function of neocortex in general. The classic feed‐forward model predicts that orientation tuning should broaden considerably with increasing contrast; however, experimental results consistently report contrast invariance. We show here, in primary visual cortex of anaesthetized cats under neuromuscular blockade, that contrast invariance occurs when visual stimuli are large enough to include the extraclassical surround (ECS), which is likely to involve circuits of suppression that may not be entirely feed‐forward in origin. On the other hand, when stimulus size is optimized to the classical receptive field of each neuron, the population average shows a statistically significant 40% increase in tuning width at high contrast, demonstrating that contrast variance of orientation tuning can occur. Conversely, our results also suggest that the phenomenon of contrast invariance relies in part on the presence of the ECS. Moreover, these results illustrate the importance of optimizing stimulus parameters to best reflect the neural pathways under study.
Simulations of Multiphase Particle Deposition on a Gas Turbine Endwall With Impingement and Film Cooling
Authors: Mensch Amy , Thole Karen
Published: July 2015

Replacing natural gas fuels with coal-derived syngas in industrial gas turbines can lead to molten particle deposition on the turbine components. The deposition of the particles, which originate from impurities in the syngas fuels, can increase surface roughness and obstruct film cooling holes. These deposition effects increase heat transfer to the components and degrade the performance of cooling mechanisms, which are critical for maintaining component life. The current experimental study dynamically simulated molten particle deposition on a conducting blade endwall with the injection of molten wax. The key nondimensional parameters for modeling of conjugate heat transfer and deposition were replicated in the experiment. The endwall was cooled with internal impingement jet cooling and film cooling. Increasing blowing ratio mitigated some deposition at the film cooling hole exits and in areas of coolest endwall temperatures. After deposition, the external surface temperatures and internal endwall temperatures were measured and found to be warmer than the endwall temperatures measured before deposition. Although the deposition helps insulate the endwall from the mainstream, the roughness effects of the deposition counteract the insulating effect by decreasing the benefit of film cooling and by increasing external heat transfer coefficients.