bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Internal Tag Performance in Hatchery-Reared Juvenile Spotted Seatrout
Authors: Wagner Jonathan P. , Blaylock Reginald B. , Peterson Mark S.
Published: July 2013

Stock enhancement programs rely on the ability to recapture and identify stocked fish to evaluate stocking effectiveness. Since 2006, the Seatrout Population Enhancement Cooperative (SPEC) has released almost 600,000 Spotted Seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus, about 100 mm TL, tagged with opercular coded wire tags (CWTs) into coastal Mississippi waters. However, only about 50 fish have been recaptured and initial retention of the opercular CWT has rarely exceeded 75%. This study first evaluated the suitability of visible implant alpha (VIA) and visible implant elastomer (VIE) tags for use in juvenile Spotted Seatrout. The VIA tags performed poorly. Based on those results, the study evaluated the effects of tagging site and fish size on survival, growth, and retention of CWTs and VIE tags and VIE tag fragmentation in juvenile Spotted Seatrout. Three separate growth experiments with juvenile Spotted Seatrout that had mean initial TLs of 93, 138, and 152 mm, respectively, were conducted to assess the effects of tagging. Each growth experiment had nine treatments consisting of a control, fish with either an opercular CWT, a dorsal muscle CWT, a ventral caudal fin VIE tag, or a jaw VIE tag, and four false-tagged treatments corresponding to each tagged treatment. Dorsal CWTs were retained better than opercular CWTs; VIE tags were equally retained regardless of body location. However, VIE tag quality was affected over the long term by pigmentation overlap and fragmentation. Growth rates and survival were not different within any size-class experiment or among treatments. This study has shown that CWTs and VIE tags are effective marking methods for juvenile Spotted Seatrout.

Received October 11, 2012; accepted May 16, 2013
Fish Species Distribution in Seagrass Habitats of Chesapeake Bay are Structured by Abiotic and Biotic Factors
Authors: Schaffler Jason J. , Montfrans Jacques , Jones Cynthia M. , Orth Robert J.
Published: July 2013

Seagrass habitats have long been known to serve as nursery habitats for juvenile fish by providing refuges from predation and areas of high forage abundance. However, comparatively less is known about other factors structuring fish communities that make extensive use of seagrass as nursery habitat. We examined both physical and biological factors that may structure the juvenile seagrass-associated fish communities across a synoptic-scale multiyear study in lower Chesapeake Bay. Across 3 years of sampling, we collected 21,153 fish from 31 species. Silver Perch Bairdiella chrysoura made up over 86% of all individuals collected. Nine additional species made up at least 1% of the fish community in the bay but were at very different abundances than historical estimates of the fish community from the early 1980s. Eight species, including Silver Perch, showed a relationship with measured gradients of temperature or salinity and Spot Leiostomus xanthurus showed a negative relationship with the presence of macroalgae. Climate change, particularly increased precipitation and runoff from frequent and intense events, has the potential to alter fish–habitat relationships in seagrass beds and other habitats and may have already altered the fish community composition. Comparisons of fish species to historical data from the 1970s, our data, and recent contemporary data in the late 2000s suggests this has occurred.

Received September 4, 2012; accepted May 5, 2013
Lewis Binford
Authors: Meltzer David
Published: July 2013

Lewis R. Binford (b. 1931–d. 2011) was an American archaeologist who had a profound impact on the thinking and practice of archaeology worldwide. Binford held degrees from the University of North Carolina (BA 1957), and the University of Michigan (MA 1958, PhD 1964). From 1962 through 1968 he held multiple academic appointments, his brief stays a result of several factors, not least Binford’s powerful personality and enthusiasm for confronting archaeological orthodoxy. From 1968 to 1991 he was on the faculty of the University of New Mexico, after which he served as a distinguished professor at Southern Methodist University. He retired in 2003. In the early 1960s Binford issued a call for archaeology to become more anthropological and more scientific, and to seek the processes by which cultures adapted and changed. His efforts gave rise to the “New Archaeology” (later called “processual archaeology”), and in the ensuing decade it dominated discussions of archaeological theory and method. Although many shared the goals of the movement, differences quickly emerged as to how to achieve those goals. Binford himself grew disillusioned with what the New Archaeology was becoming, and with his own efforts to understand patterns in the archaeological record. How could one learn, from a static archaeological record in the present, about the dynamic systems that produced that record in the past? Archaeologists needed to develop a “middle range” theory, he argued, to learn from present dynamic systems and their material correlates, in order to infer past dynamics from present archaeological statics. Toward that end, he conducted ethnoarchaeological research to better understand how foragers adapted to a landscape, organized their technology, and targeted their prey. The research results, published rapid-fire in the late 1970s and the 1980s, caused a sea change in archaeological hunter-gatherer studies; introduced influential analytical measures for understanding how foragers procured, processed, and consumed prey; and helped tease apart the natural and cultural processes that affect material in a site. The effort, in turn, led Binford to question received wisdom about early human cultural evolution, most notably the role of hunting in human evolution. His ideas shook up paleoanthropology and were much debated in the 1980s and 1990s. So too were his ideas about an archaeological science. Post-processualists dismissed the idea that archaeology could be an objective science, arguing instead for a more historically constituted approach. These and other debates engaged much of Binford’s attention in his last decades, but throughout he continued his efforts to understand hunter-gatherer adaptations. Over his career he was the recipient of four honorary doctorates and multiple awards, including the Huxley Memorial Medal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, the Society for American Archaeology Lifetime Achievement Award, and election to the British Academy and to the National Academy of Sciences.
Commodities
Authors: Patico Jennifer
Published: July 2013

The anthropology of commodities has a significant history, although it has picked up pace and intensity since the 1980s. Commodities generally are understood as goods that are subject to market exchange; yet anthropologists also have expanded, problematized, and relativized this definition. The anthropological study of commodities often is framed in terms of research on consumption or consumer culture; it is also linked with studies of globalization, cross-cultural encounter, and large-scale economic transformation. Scholarship stretches across disciplinary and subdisciplinary boundaries, impacting and impacted by developments in economics, political economy, cultural studies, sociology, and geography as well as sociocultural anthropology, archaeology, economic anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. This article centers on theoretical and ethnographic perspectives from sociocultural anthropology. However, certain key texts from beyond the discipline are included, particularly when their impact on anthropological analysis has been significant and ongoing. While the study of commodities goes back at least as far as Adam Smith, Karl Marx (b. 1818–d. 1883) was an early and continuing influence on anthropological understandings and definitions of the commodity. Early-to-mid-20th-century anthropologists typically described economies that were not centered around commodity exchange but involved other modes of exchange closely tied with kinship, cosmology, and ritual; commodities were conceptualized mainly, implicitly or explicitly, in the effort to define these other forms of exchange by contrast. In the 1980s–2000s, these frameworks were revisited as anthropologists presented new theories of exchange and value. Meanwhile, in the 1980s, some anthropologists incorporated Marx’s materialism, paying close attention to long-term histories of colonization and capitalist expansion. Such work helped opened the door to a new generation of studies that focused on the trade and consumption of commodities as integral to the processes of cross-cultural encounter, cultural change, and capitalist “modernization” happening around the world. By the 1990s, the conversation had shifted for many anthropologists to the study of globalization: How had sped-up production and new communications technologies impacted cultures? How did commodities and commodity images, circulated transnationally, serve as vehicles of cultural expression or transformation? In the 21st century, anthropologists are investigating the social and political as well as economic arrangements associated with neoliberalism through attention not only to commodity consumption, but more broadly to commodification—of emotional labor, reproductive capacity, or linguistic ability, for example—as an increasingly salient aspect of contemporary life. Attention also has turned to how efforts toward “ethical consumption” are reshaping consumerism around the world—not necessarily with the intended political and environmental consequences.
Seasonal phenology of interactions involving short‐lived annual plants, a multivoltine herbivore and its endoparasitoid wasp
Authors: Fei Minghui , Gols Rieta , Harvey Jeffrey A.
Published: July 2013

Spatial‐temporal realism is often missing in many studies of multitrophic interactions, which are conducted at a single time frame and/or involving interactions between insects with a single species of plant. In this scenario, an underlying assumption is that the host‐plant species is ubiquitous throughout the season and that the insects always interact with it.

We studied interactions involving three naturally occurring wild species of cruciferous plants, Brassica rapa, Sinapis arvensis and Brassica nigra, that exhibit different seasonal phenologies, and a multivoltine herbivore, the large cabbage white butterfly, Pieris brassicae, and its gregarious endoparasitoid wasp, Cotesia glomerata. The three plants have very short life cycles.

In central Europe, B. rapa grows in early spring, S. arvensis in late spring and early summer, and B. nigra in mid to late summer. P. brassicae generally has three generations per year, and C. glomerata at least two. This means that different generations of the insects must find and exploit different plant species that may differ in quality and which may be found some distance from one another.

Insects were either reared on each of the three plant species for three successive generations or shifted between generations from B. rapa to S. arvensis to B. nigra. Development time from neonate to pupation and pupal fresh mass were determined in P. brassicae and egg‐to‐adult development time and body mass in C. glomerata.

Overall, herbivores performed marginally better on S. arvensis and B. nigra plants than on B. rapa plants. Parasitoids performance was closely tailored with that of the host. Irrespective as to whether the insects were shifted to a new plant in successive generations or not, development time of P. brassicae and C. glomerata decreased dramatically over time.

Our results show that there were some differences in insect development on different plant species and when transferred from one species to another. However, all three plants were of generally high quality in terms of insect performance. We discuss ecological and evolutionary constraints on insects that must search in new habitats for different plant species over successive generations.
The interacting effects of diversity and propagule pressure on early colonization and population size
Authors: Hedge Luke H. , Leung Brian , O'Connor Wayne A. , Johnston Emma L.
Published: July 2013

We are now beginning to understand the role of intraspecific diversity on fundamental ecological phenomena. There exists a paucity of knowledge, however, regarding how intraspecific, or genetic diversity, may covary with other important factors such as propagule pressure.

A combination of theoretical modelling and experimentation was used to explore the way propagule pressure and genetic richness may interact. We compare colonization rates of the Australian bivalve Saccostrea glomerata (Gould 1885). We cross propagule size and genetic richness in a factorial design in order to examine the generalities of our theoretical model.

Modelling showed that diversity and propagule pressure should generally interact synergistically when positive feedbacks occur (e.g. aggregation). The strength of genotype effects depended on propagule size, or the numerical abundance of arriving individuals. When propagule size was very small (<4 individuals), however, greater genetic richness unexpectedly reduced colonization.

The probability of S. glomerata colonization was 76% in genetically rich, larger propagules, almost 39 percentage points higher than in genetically poor propagules of similar size. This pattern was not observed in less dense, smaller propagules. We predict that density‐dependent interactions between larvae in the water column may explain this pattern.
Dynamics of macronutrient self‐medication and illness‐induced anorexia in virally infected insects
Authors: Povey Sonia , Cotter Sheena C. , Simpson Stephen J. , Wilson Kenneth
Published: July 2013

Some animals change their feeding behaviour when infected with parasites, seeking out substances that enhance their ability to overcome infection. This ‘self‐medication’ is typically considered to involve the consumption of toxins, minerals or secondary compounds. However, recent studies have shown that macronutrients can influence the immune response and that pathogen‐challenged individuals can self‐medicate by choosing a diet rich in protein and low in carbohydrates. Infected individuals might also reduce food intake when infected (i.e. illness‐induced anorexia).

Here, we examine macronutrient self‐medication and illness‐induced anorexia in caterpillars of the African armyworm (Spodoptera exempta) by asking how individuals change their feeding decisions over the time course of infection with a baculovirus. We measured self‐medication behaviour across several full‐sib families to evaluate the plasticity of diet choice and underlying genetic variation.

Larvae restricted to diets high in protein (P) and low in carbohydrate (C) were more likely to survive a virus challenge than those restricted to diets with a low P : C ratio. When allowed free choice, virus‐challenged individuals chose a higher protein diet than controls.

Individuals challenged with either a lethal or sublethal dose of virus increased the P : C ratio of their chosen diets. This was mostly due to a sharp decline in carbohydrate intake, rather than an increased intake of protein, reducing overall food intake, consistent with an illness‐induced anorexic response. Over time the P : C ratio of the diet decreased until it matched that of controls.

Our study provides the clearest evidence yet for dietary self‐medication using macronutrients and shows that the temporal dynamics of feeding behaviour depends on the severity and stage of the infection. The strikingly similar behaviour shown by different families suggests that self‐medication is phenotypically plastic and not a consequence of genetically based differences in diet choice between families.
Inbreeding avoidance, patch isolation and matrix permeability influence dispersal and settlement choices by male agile antechinus in a fragmented landscape
Authors: Banks Sam C. , Lindenmayer David B.
Published: July 2013

Animal dispersal is highly non‐random and has important implications for the dynamics of populations in fragmented habitat. We identified interpatch dispersal events from genetic tagging, parentage analyses and assignment tests and modelled the factors associated with apparent emigration and post‐dispersal settlement choices by individual male agile antechinus (Antechinus agilis, a marsupial carnivore of south‐east Australian forests).

Emigration decisions were best modelled with on data patch isolation and inbreeding risk.

The choice of dispersal destination by males was influenced by inbreeding risk, female abundance, patch size, patch quality and matrix permeability (variation in land cover). Males were less likely to settle in patches without highly unrelated females.

Our findings highlight the importance of individual‐level dispersal data for understanding how multiple processes drive non‐randomness in dispersal in modified landscapes. Fragmented landscapes present novel environmental, demographic and genetic contexts in which dispersal decisions are made, so the major factors affecting dispersal decisions in fragmented habitat may differ considerably from unfragmented landscapes. We show that the spatial scale of genetic neighbourhoods can be large in fragmented habitat, such that dispersing males can potentially settle in the presence of genetically similar females after moving considerable distances, thereby necessitating both a choice to emigrate and a choice of where to settle to avoid inbreeding.
Nutrient limitation along the Jurien Bay dune chronosequence: response to Uren & Parsons ()
Authors: Laliberté Etienne , Turner Benjamin L. , Zemunik Graham , Wyrwoll Karl‐Heinz , Pearse Stuart J. , Lambers Hans
Published: July 2013

Uren & Parsons () criticize our nutrient addition experiment and question the integrity of the Jurien Bay dune chronosequence. Their primary criticisms relate to (i) inconsistencies in parent material along the chronosequence and (ii) the lack of consideration of micronutrients in our glasshouse experiment.

We reaffirm that the Quindalup–Spearwood succession is a consistent Holocene–Middle (possibly Early) Pleistocene soil chronosequence in which parent material, topography, and present‐day climate and vegetation type (i.e. Mediterranean shrubland) are held relatively constant. The older (Early Pleistocene–Late Pliocene) Bassendean Sand probably contained less carbonate initially, but nevertheless represents the endpoint of an exceptionally strong gradient in soil nutrient availability.

The claim that we did not consider the potential importance of micronutrients is unfounded. We included a micronutrient treatment in our experiment and discussed the importance of micronutrient availability in young calcareous substrates.

Synthesis. We restate that our experimental results support predictions about changes in nutrient limitation during long‐term pedogenesis, and affirm that the Jurien Bay chronosequence is a valuable model system for addressing ecological questions related to pedogenesis, plant diversity and plant–soil interactions.
De‐industrialization and re‐industrialization in the Middle East: reflections on the cotton industry in Egypt and in the Izmir region
Authors: Panza Laura
Published: July 2013

This article presents an investigation of the process of decline and rebirth of textile manufacturing in two Middle Eastern regions, Egypt and the Izmir region, during the first wave of globalization (1850–1914). Through the application of the ‘Dutch disease’ model, it explores the linkages between terms of trade and industrialization. These are further related to the evolution of price transmission between domestic and global raw cotton markets. Findings indicate that different levels of market integration have contributed to diverging trajectories in industrial development in the two regions: while in Egypt the process of de‐industrialization was not reversed, in the Izmir region weaker international price transmission facilitated the creation of a nascent domestic textile industry. However, terms of trade patterns and relative price movements are only one of the causes that can explain the differences between the two regions.
Spatial models for distance sampling data: recent developments and future directions
Authors: Miller David L. , Burt M. Louise , Rexstad Eric A. , Thomas Len
Published: July 2013

Our understanding of a biological population can be greatly enhanced by modelling their distribution in space and as a function of environmental covariates. Such models can be used to investigate the relationships between distribution and environmental covariates as well as reliably estimate abundances and create maps of animal/plant distribution.

Density surface models consist of a spatial model of the abundance of a biological population which has been corrected for uncertain detection via distance sampling methods.

We review recent developments in the field and consider the likely directions of future research before focussing on a popular approach based on generalized additive models. In particular, we consider spatial modelling techniques that may be advantageous to applied ecologists such as quantification of uncertainty in a two‐stage model and smoothing in areas with complex boundaries.

The methods discussed are available in anRpackage developed by the authors (dsm) and are largely implemented in the popular Windows software Distance.
Calibrating indices of avian density from non‐standardized survey data: making the most of a messy situation
Authors: Sólymos Péter , Matsuoka Steven M. , Bayne Erin M. , Lele Subhash R. , Fontaine Patricia , Cumming Steve G. , Stralberg Diana , Schmiegelow Fiona K. A. , Song Samantha J.
Published: July 2013

The analysis of large heterogeneous data sets of avian point‐count surveys compiled across studies is hindered by a lack of analytical approaches that can deal with detectability and variation in survey protocols.

We reformulated removal models of avian singing rates and distance sampling models of the effective detection radius (EDR) to control for the effects of survey protocol and temporal and environmental covariates on detection probabilities.

We estimated singing rates andEDRfor 75 boreal forest songbird species and found that survey protocol, especially point‐count radius, explained most of the variation in detectability. However, environmental and temporal covariates (date, time, vegetation) affected singing rates andEDRfor 73% and 59% of species, respectively.

Unadjusted survey counts increased by an average of 201% from a 5‐min, 50‐m radius survey to a 10‐min, 100‐m radius survey (n= 75 species). This variability was decreased to 8·5% using detection probabilities estimated from a combination of removal and distance sampling models.

Our modelling approach reduced computation when fitting complex models to large data sets and can be used with a wide range of statistical techniques for inference and prediction of avian densities.
Analysis of spectral domain optical coherence tomography measurements in optic neuritis: differences in neuromyelitis optica, multiple sclerosis, isolated optic neuritis and normal healthy controls
Authors: Park Kyung‐Ah , Kim Jaeryung , Oh Sei Yeul
Published: July 2013

Purpose:  To compare the retinal layer thickness of eyes with optic neuritis (ON) and that of control eyes and ON eyes with and without neuromyelitis optica (NMO) or multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods:  Horizontal and vertical SD‐OCT scans of the fovea were undertaken for 56 patients with ON with and without NMO or MS and for 24 healthy controls. Patients with ON were divided into three groups: NMO, MS and isolated ON without NMO or MS. The thickness of each retinal layer was compared between ON and healthy control eyes, and between ON eyes with and without NMO or MS.

Results:  Compared with healthy control eyes, ON eyes showed significant thinning of the ganglion cell layer plus the inner plexiform layer (GCL + IPL) at all eight inner and outer macular locations. Significant differences in thickness were observed for the retinal layers of NMO, MS and isolated ON without NMO or MS at several retinal locations.

Conclusions:  Our SD‐OCT data revealed a notable difference in the GCL + IPL thickness between ON and healthy control eyes. It also showed differences in the thickness of several retinal layers for ON subgroups including NMO, MS and isolated ON. This may be helpful for distinguishing the aetiology of ON.
Immune-monitoring in Kawasaki disease patients treated with infliximab and intravenous immunoglobulin
Authors: Burns J C , Song Y , Bujold M , Shimizu C , Kanegaye J T , Tremoulet A H , Franco A
Published: July 2013

The expansion of regulatory T cells (Treg) controls inflammation in children with acute Kawasaki disease (KD). Blockade of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α is an emerging therapy for KD patients with refractory inflammation, but there is concern that this therapy could impede the host immune regulation. To define the effect of TNF-α blockade, we conducted ex-vivo immune-monitoring in KD subjects who participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of the addition of infliximab to standard intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy. We enumerated circulating myeloid and plasmocytoid dendritic cells (DC), regulatory T cells (Treg) and memory T cells (Tmem) in 14 consecutive, unselected KD patients (seven treated with IVIG, seven with IVIG + infliximab) at three time-points: (i) acute phase prior to treatment, (ii) subacute phase and (iii) convalescent phase. Myeloid DC (mDC), but not plasmacytoid DC (pDC), were numerous in the peripheral blood in acute KD subjects and decreased in the subacute phase in both IVIG− and IVIG + infliximab-treated groups. The co-stimulatory molecule for antigen presentation to T cells and CD86 decreased in mDC from acute to subacute time-points in both treatment groups, but not in the single patient who developed coronary artery aneurysms. We also defined tolerogenic mDC that expand in the subacute phase of KD not impaired by infliximab treatment. Treg and Tmem expanded after treatment with no significant differences between the two groups. Treatment of KD patients with infliximab does not adversely affect generation of tolerogenic mDC or the development of T cell regulation and memory.
Early morning salivary cortisol and cortisone, and adrenal responses to a simplified low‐dose short Synacthen test in children with asthma
Authors: Blair Joanne , Lancaster Gillian , Titman Andrew , Peak Matthew , Newlands Paul , Collingwood Catherine , Chesters Christine , Moorcroft Teresa , Wallin Naomi , Hawcutt Daniel , Gardner Christopher , Didi Mohammed , Lacy David , Couriel Jonathan
Published: July 2013

Objective

To examine serum cortisol responses to a simplified low‐dose short Synacthen test (LDSST) in children treated with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) for asthma and to compare these to early morning salivary cortisol (EMSC) and cortisone (EMSCn) levels.

Design

Early morning salivary cortisol and EMSCn samples were collected for three consecutive days. On day three, Synacthen 500 ng/1·73 m2 was administered intravenously. Samples were collected at 0, 15, 25, 35 min.

Results

A total of 269 subjects (160 M: 109 F), median (range) age 10·0 (5·1–15·2) years were studied. Peak cortisol in the LDSST was <500 nmol/l in 101 subjects (37·5%) and <350 nmol/l in 12 subjects (4·5%). Basal cortisol correlated with peak cortisol: r = 0·55, (95% CI: 0·46, 0·63, P < 0·0001). Time at which peak cortisol concentration was achieved was significantly related to the value of peak cortisol (P < 0·0001), with higher cortisol peaks occurring later in the test and lower cortisol peaks occurring earlier. EMSC and EMSCn had no predictive value for the identification of patients with a peak cortisol <500 nmol/l. EMSCn was superior to EMSC in identifying patients with a peak cortisol <350 nmol/l: a minimum EMSCn cut‐off value of 12·5 nmol/l gave a negative predictive value of 99·2% and positive predictive value of 30·1%.

Conclusion

Our data illustrate that basal measures of cortisol are likely to be of value in screening populations for patients at greatest risk of adrenal crisis. EMSCn shows promise as a screening tool for the identification of patients with severe adrenal insufficiency.
Immediate Loading of Trabecular Metal‐Enhanced Titanium Dental Implants: Interim Results from an International Proof‐of‐Principle Study
Authors: Schlee Marcus , van der Schoor W. Peter , van der Schoor Alexandra R. M.
Published: July 2013

Objectives

A 3‐year proof‐of‐principle study was initiated to evaluate the clinical efficacy of immediately loading titanium dental implants with surfaces enhanced with porous tantalum trabecular metal (PTTM). First‐year interim results are presented.

Materials and Methods

Healthy, partially edentulous patients (n = 30) were enrolled and treated per protocol (minimum insertion torque: ≥35 Ncm) with 37 implants placed in one or two premolar or molar locations in either jaw (study group). Implants were immediately provisionalized out of occlusion with single acrylic crowns. After 7 to 14 days of soft tissue healing, implants were definitively restored in occlusion with ceramometal crowns. Because most study group implants (54.1%, n = 20) had less than 1 year of clinical follow‐up, this interim analysis was limited to the first 22 consecutively placed implants in 17 subjects (10 women and 7 men) who completed 1 year of clinical follow‐up to date (focus group).

Results

To date, one implant failed to integrate in the study group (survival = 97.3%, n = 36/37). Focus group implants achieved 100% (n = 22/22) survival with 0.43 ± 0.41 mm of mean marginal bone loss. There were no serious complications.

Conclusion

Early clinical findings indicated that immediate loading of PTTM implants was safe and effective under the controlled study conditions.
Research Participation by Low‐Income and Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups: How Payment May Change the Balance
Authors: Walter Jennifer K. , Burke James F. , Davis Matthew M.
Published: July 2013

Minorities are underenrolled in clinical research trials, and one‐third of trials are underenrolled overall. The role of payment has not been studied at the national level as an explanation for enrollment patterns. Our objective was to examine the distribution of self‐reported previous research participation across different sociodemographic groups; to assess the public's perception of fair payment for a low‐risk medicine trial and the association between requested payment and sociodemographic characteristics; to estimate the amount of payment for a medication trial to achieve proportional representation of minorities and different socioeconomic groups. This was a cross‐sectional study with nationally representative data collected in 2011 by the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. To determine the relationship between perceived fair payment and individual‐level characteristics, we used multivariable linear regression.

With 60% participation rate, in a sample of 2,150 respondents 11% (n = 221) of the sample had previously participated in medical research. Requested payment differed significantly by racial/ethnic group with Hispanics requesting more payment than non‐Hispanic whites (0.37 [95%CI 0.02, 0.72]) In contrast to payment at $49, $149, and $249, payment at $349 yielded proportional representation of racial/ethnic minority groups.

Hispanics requested higher payment for research participation, suggesting a possible explanation for their underenrollment.
Decreased serum levels of immunoglobulin A, immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G in a patient with primary biliary cirrhosis: A case report
Authors: Kawaguchi Takumi , Tanaka Toshimitsu , Hashiguchi Michitoshi , Miyoshi Hiroaki , Akiba Jun , Kage Masayoshi , Yano Hirohisa , Ohshima Koichi , Okamura Takashi , Sata Michio
Published: July 2013

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a cholestatic liver disease with an elevated serum immunoglobulin (Ig)M level. Patients with PBC may develop extrahepatic manifestations, including hypogammaglobulinemia. However, hypogammaglobulinemia seldom occurs, and the associated changes of lymphocytes remain unknown. Furthermore, the impact of Ig on the progression of PBC is still unclear. Here, we describe a case of hypogammaglobulinemia developed in a female patient with PBC. The patient was diagnosed with PBC at the age of 46 years and treated with ursodeoxycholic acid and bezafibrate. At the age of 50 years, the patient developed bronchitis, and laboratory test results indicated a marked decrease in serum levels of IgA, IgM and IgG. Then, the patient was diagnosed as having idiopathic hypogammaglobulinemia and treated with Ig replacement therapy; however, respiratory infections recurred frequently, leading to the patient's death at the age of 53 years. An autopsy revealed hyperplastic bone marrow with CD3, CD20 and IgG positive lymphocytes. However, no CD79a, CD138, IgA and IgM positive lymphocytes were observed. Moreover, the severity of PBC progressed even after the onset of hypogammaglobulinemia. In addition, CD3 positive cells were seen around chronic non‐suppurative destructive cholangitis in the autopsy specimen of the liver. Thus, the present case demonstrated changes of lymphocytes in hypogammaglobulinemia developed in patients with PBC. Furthermore, the clinical course of the present case of PBC may indicate that the Ig‐mediated mechanisms may be non‐essential for the progression of PBC.
Nonprofit Human Milk Banking in the United States
Authors: Updegrove Kimberly
Published: July 2013

Human milk, widely understood to be beneficial for infants, can be lifesaving for preterm neonates, especially in reducing the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis. Donor human milk (DHM) is an option when mothers are unable to provide milk or have an inadequate supply for their infants. Nonprofit donor human milk banks are established to provide safe, processed human milk from milk donated by healthy lactating mothers who have undergone a rigorous screening process. These milk banks, operating under the auspices of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America, obtain, process, and dispense human milk under strict guidelines set by the association. Increasing the supply of donor human milk to meet a dramatic increase in demand poses a significant challenge for nonprofit milk banks. Efforts to increase supply nationwide include education of providers, use of social media to engage potential donors, and outreach to news media. In parallel, milk banks are establishing regional depots to collect donations, and additional milk banks are being developed. This article describes the current nonprofit milk bank industry in the United States, its challenges, and its future prospects.
Did the EU Summits Succeed in Convincing the Markets during the Recent Crisis?
Authors: Smeets Dieter , Zimmermann Marco
Published: July 2013

Using an event study approach, this article examines whether crisis meetings of European heads of state and government, as well as their agreed and communicated results, had a significant impact on Europe's financial markets. The analysis is based on daily data for seven Member States of the eurozone (France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain), starting in autumn 2008 and covering the time period until April 2012. To summarize the findings, the high‐profile meetings appear to have only minor effects that ceased quickly. Therefore, it can be concluded that investors consider Europe's economic and political crisis management insufficient and its communication strategy little convincing. While controlling for additional effects, it was found that European Central Bank policy measures may have had short‐run effects on bond returns and the exchange rate, but no intended influence on stock prices, except for Italy.
The accuracy of cone‐beam computed tomography in assessing maxillary molar furcation involvement
Authors: Qiao Jing , Wang Shiying , Duan Jinyu , Zhang Yong , Qiu Yun , Sun Changzhou , Liu Denggao
Published: July 2013

Aim

The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) in assessing maxillary molar furcation involvement (FI).

Materials and Methods

Fifteen patients with generalized chronic periodontitis after initial therapy were recruited. CBCT was performed in maxillary molars with probing pocket depths of ≥6 mm and advanced FI, and CBCT images were analysed. Furcation surgery was performed in 20 maxillary molars. Lastly, intra‐surgical FI assessments were compared with CBCT‐based data.

Results

Intra‐surgical findings confirmed 82.4% of the CBCT data, with a weighted kappa of 0.917. The agreement between both assessments was the highest in buccal furcation entrances, followed by distopalatal and mesiopalatal furcation entrances. Of the four parameters tested of detailed root anatomy and furcation morphology, the mean length of the root trunk and the width of the furcation entrance revealed by CBCT were consistent with their respective intra‐surgical values (p > 0.05). Horizontal bone loss and vertical bone loss were underestimated by CBCT relative to their respective intra‐surgical classifications (p ≤ 0.05).

Conclusions

Cone‐beam computed tomography images demonstrate a high accuracy in assessing the loss of periodontal tissue of the FI and root morphologies in maxillary molars.
New insights on cytotoxic activity of group 3 and lanthanide compounds: complexes with [N,N,N]-scorpionate ligands
Authors: Saturnino Carmela , Bortoluzzi Marco , Napoli Mariagrazia , Popolo Ada , Pinto Aldo , Longo Pasquale , Paolucci Gino
Published: July 2013

Objectives

In this work was to evaluate the cytotoxic activity of a series of monomeric group 3 and lanthanide (N,N,N)-heteroscorpionate-triflate complexes (M (OTf) 2 (cybpamd) (THF)) (Ln = Sc (2), Y (3), La (4), Nd (5), Sm (6), Dy (7), Yb (8); OTf = SO3CF3; cybpamd = N, N′-dicyclohexyl-2,2-bis-(3,5-dimethyl-pyrazol-1-yl)-acetamidinate) having octahedral geometry around the metal atoms on the human epithelial lung adenocarcinoma (A549), human melanoma (A375), human cervical epithelial adenocarcinoma, human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) and murine macrophages (J774.A1) cell lines.

Methods

All the tested compounds were incubated with cells for 72 h and their growth inhibition assessed by using MTT assay.

Key findings

On the cell line HEK-293 complexes 5 and 7 show a reasonable activities, while the murine macrophage cell line (J774.A1), only the scandium 2 complex is not very active. All complexes tested are poorly active on human health adenocarcinoma lung epithelial (A549) and human melanoma (A375).

Conclusions

The group 3 and lanthanide (N,N,N)-heteroscorpionate triflate-complexes (M(OTf)2(cybpamd)(THF)) on murine macrophage (J774.A1) cell line, except that of scandium, show a reasonable activity. On human epithelial cervix adenocarcinoma (HeLa) complexes 3, 5 and 6 are significantly more active than cis-platinum, as well as complex 5 is more active on human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cell line. All the tested complexes are poorly active on human epithelial lung adenocarcinoma (A549) and human melanoma (A375).

The different behaviour of the complexes examined (2–8) let us hypothesize that the cytotoxic activity is related to the molecule as a whole and not only to the ligand or the metal ion separately.
Incidence and risk factors for incomplete HBV DNA suppression in HIV/HBV‐co‐infected patients initiating tenofovir‐based therapy
Authors: Hafkin J. S. , Osborn M. K. , Localio A. R. , Amorosa V. K. , Kostman J. R. , Stern J. J. , De La Torre P. , Mounzer K. , Frank I. , Gross R. , Chang K.‐M. , Lo Re V.
Published: July 2013

Suppression of hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐DNA to undetectable levels is an important goal for HIV/HBV‐co‐infected patients receiving anti‐HBV‐active antiretroviral therapy (ART), and current guidelines recommend that this outcome should be reached by 1 year of treatment. However, the proportion of patients that fail to achieve an undetectable HBV DNA at this time point and its determinants remain unknown in clinical practice. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence and risk factors for incomplete HBV suppression following 1 year of tenofovir‐based ART. We performed a cohort study among tenofovir‐treated HIV/HBV‐co‐infected patients. Patients had HBV viraemia, initiated tenofovir‐based ART and had HBV DNA measured at 1 year of therapy. The primary outcome was incomplete HBV suppression (HBV DNA ≥2.6 log IU/mL) at 1 year. Logistic regression determined odds ratio (ORs) of incomplete HBV suppression for risk factors of interest. Among 133 patients, 54% (95% CI, 46–63%) had incomplete HBV suppression at 1 year. Incomplete suppression was associated with higher baseline HBV DNA (OR, 1.46 per log IU/mL increase; 95% CI, 1.1–1.94) and detectable HIV viraemia at 1 year (OR, 2.52; 95% CI, 1.19–5.32). Among 66 patients with suppressed HIV RNA at 1 year, 28 (42%) failed to achieve an undetectable HBV DNA. Failure to suppress HBV DNA by 1 year occurred in a sizeable proportion of tenofovir‐treated HIV/HBV‐co‐infected patients. Higher HBV DNA and detectable HIV viraemia were risk factors for incomplete HBV suppression.
Kraft Foods' 2009 Conflict in Argentina: Turning‐Point Analysis of a Labor–Management Negotiation
Authors: Llorente A. Ariel , Luchi Roberto , Sioli Alejandro
Published: July 2013

This article analyzes a 4‐month‐long labor dispute that unfolded in Argentina between Kraft Foods Argentina's (KFTA) management and its workers' union delegation at the firm's largest plant on account of the 2009 A(H1N1) influenza pandemic outbreak. This crisis included a siege of the firm's headquarters; the inception of a special labor–management negotiation process, a mandatory conciliation, issued by Argentina's Labor Ministry; a 150‐worker layoff; the occupation of the firm's plant by 40 workers and their violent eviction by the provincial police force; the firm's threat to sell off all its assets; and a massive demonstration to pressure the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina. Eventually, the parties reached an agreement and signed Act of Reconciliation to end their conflict. To better understand its complex dynamics, we have used Druckman's turning‐point framework—precipitants, departures, and consequences (Druckman, , ; Druckman, Husbands, & Johnston, ) to examine KFTA's conflict. Our single‐case study explores how negotiators managed their organizational conflict and demonstrates the usefulness of the turning‐point framework to extract practical implications. This may help labor–management negotiators to avoid conflicts or to attain better, enduring agreements.
Neuronal differentiation associated with Gli3 expression predicts favorable outcome for patients with medulloblastoma
Authors: Miyahara Hiroaki , Natsumeda Manabu , Yoshimura Junichi , Ogura Ryosuke , Okazaki Kenichi , Toyoshima Yasuko , Fujii Yukihiko , Takahashi Hitoshi , Kakita Akiyoshi
Published: July 2013

Medulloblastoma (MB) is a malignant cerebellar tumor arising in children, and its ontogenesis is regulated by Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling. No data are available regarding the correlation between expression of Gli3, a protein lying downstream of Shh, and neuronal differentiation of MB cells, or the prognostic significance of these features. We re‐evaluated the histopathological features of surgical specimens of MB taken from 32 patients, and defined 15 of them as MB with neuronal differentiation (ND), three as MB with both glial and neuronal differentiation (GD), and 14 as differentiation‐free (DF) MB. Gli3‐immunoreactivity (IR) was evident as a clear circular stain outlining the nuclei of the tumor cells. The difference in the frequency of IR between the ND+GD (94.4%) and DF (0%) groups was significant (P < 0.001). The tumor cells with ND showed IR for both Gli3 and neuronal nuclei. Ultrastructurally, Gli3‐IR was observed at the nuclear membrane. The overall survival and event‐free survival rates of the patients in the ND group were significantly higher than those in the other groups. The expression profile of Gli3 is of considerable significance, and the association of ND with this feature may be prognostically favorable in patients with MB.
Extraosseous calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumour
Authors: Lanzer M. , Gander T. , Grätz K. , Kruse A. , Lübbers H.‐T.
Published: July 2013

Calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumour (CEOT) represents a very rare entity of odontogenic tumours. Its subform of an extraosseous CEOT is very rarely seen. In this case report, a patient with an extraosseous CEOT is described, treatment algorithm is reported and literature is reviewed for all cases reported on this kind of tumour.
Cytomegalovirus prophylaxis in pediatric kidney transplantation: The Dutch experience
Authors: Jongsma Hidde , Bouts Antonia H. , Cornelissen Elisabeth A. M. , Beersma Matthias F. C. , Cransberg Karlien
Published: July 2013

Many children receiving a kidney transplant are seronegative for CMV and therefore, highly susceptible to a primary CMV infection. This study aims at evaluating incidence, time of occurrence, and severity of CMV infection in the first year post‐transplantation in relation to different types of CMV prophylaxis. Transplantations in three centers in the Netherlands between 1999 and 2010 were included. Retrospective, observational, multicenter study. Clinical data and PCR measurements of CMV were collected. Prophylaxis in high‐risk patients (CMV serostatus D+R−) consisted of (val)ganciclovir during three months, or acyclovir plus CMV immunoglobulin at a former stage. Intermediate‐risk patients (R+) received (val)acyclovir, or acyclovir plus CMV immunoglobulin at a former stage. Low‐risk patients (D−R−) did not receive prophylaxis. Infection was defined as CMV PCR above 50 geq/mL plasma or whole blood, a clinically relevant infection above 1000 geq/mL. One hundred and fifty‐nine transplantations were included. CMV infection was documented for 41% of high‐risk, 24% of intermediate‐risk, and 13% of low‐risk patients, in the latter two groups typically during the first three months. The infection rate was highest in the high‐risk group after cessation of valganciclovir prophylaxis. Valganciclovir provided better protection than did acyclovir + CMV immunoglobulin. Adding an IL2‐receptor blocker to the immunosuppressive regimen did not affect the infection rate. Acute graft rejection was not related with CMV infection. Valganciclovir prophylaxis effectively prevents CMV infection in high‐risk pediatric kidney recipients, but only during prophylaxis. Valacyclovir prophylaxis in intermediate‐risk patients is less effective.