bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Service provider perspectives on a focused deterrence program
Authors: Schnobrich-Davis Julie , Gardner Desiree
Published: April 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to gain the perspectives from social service providers that are a key component in focused deterrence programs. All focused deterrence/pulling levers programs have at least two essential elements: first, the message to the target population that reoffending will be met with swift and certain punishment, and second that social service providers are available to assist in their transition to a law-abiding lifestyle.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study approach was used to gather qualitative data with open-ended interviews of social service providers that participated in Operation RASOR, a modified focused deterrence initiative that identified cross-jurisdictional, chronic offenders across three cities in New England.

Findings

The results showed that many providers were unable, and sometimes unwilling, to participate in the strategy due to their lack of awareness of what focused deterrence strategies encompass, participant eligibility restrictions, and lack of funding. These findings may impact the success of focused deterrence programs.

Research limitations/implications

Future research should include a larger sample from programs operating in different cities. The importance of the social services component of focused deterrence strategies and their capability of serving clients within those programs needs further examination for the integrity of these programs to adequately serve the participants.

Originality/value

The perceptions from social service providers on the program elements and ability to provide necessary services to the targeted offenders have never been examined. This study aids in expanding the literature on focused deterrence programs. It can also inform law enforcement agencies on the services that are most needed by the target population and the importance of coordinating their initiatives with service providers.
A system perspective on revenue sharing in the mobile
value chain: an evidence from China mobile video ecosystem
Authors: Choi Kanghwa
Published: April 2018

Purpose

Hyperconnectivity and supercooperation among partners within the mobile value
chain are crucial factors for sustainable growth of the mobile ecosystem.
This study aims to identify the complex structure of hyperconnectivity and
supercooperation underlying revenue sharing practices and the actions and
reactions of Chinese mobile video triads.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses the causal loop diagram and system dynamics simulation to
demonstrate the feedback causal structure wherein the revenue sharing (RS)
rule adjustments trigger interactions among participants (e.g., MNOs, SPs
and CPs) in mobile video service triads, leading to fluctuations in the
number of mobile video users and total revenue in the mobile video value
chain.

Findings

Change of RS rules among value chain participants is an incentive for
achieving the sustainability of the mobile ecosystem, as examined using a
system dynamics (SD) simulation. However, from the perspective of a
tri-partite mobile value chain, the “accidental adversary”
system archetype caused by adjustment of RS rules has an unintended negative
impact on counterparts in the mobile ecosystem value chain.

Originality/value

This study analyzes a complex feedback causal structure based on structural
interdependencies among growth, limiting and relaxing loops in the Chinese
mobile video ecosystem. The result of SD simulation suggests strategic
alternatives such as the “growth and underinvestment” systems
archetype to overcome “limits to growth”. Moreover, this study
explores the accidental adversary archetype in complex and complicated
mobile service triads as an impediment to achieving sustainability of the
mobile ecosystem.
Using DNA metabarcoding for simultaneous inference of common vampire bat diet and population structure
Authors: Bohmann Kristine , Gopalakrishnan Shyam , Nielsen Martin , Nielsen Luisa dos Santos Bay , Jones Gareth , Streicker Daniel G. , Gilbert M. Thomas P.
Published: April 2018

Metabarcoding diet analysis has become a valuable tool in animal ecology; however, co‐amplified predator sequences are not generally used for anything other than to validate predator identity. Exemplified by the common vampire bat, we demonstrate the use of metabarcoding to infer predator population structure alongside diet assessments. Growing populations of common vampire bats impact human, livestock and wildlife health in Latin America through transmission of pathogens, such as lethal rabies viruses. Techniques to determine large‐scale variation in vampire bat diet and bat population structure would empower locality‐ and species‐specific projections of disease transmission risks. However, previously used methods are not cost‐effective and efficient for large‐scale applications. Using bloodmeal and faecal samples from common vampire bats from coastal, Andean and Amazonian regions of Peru, we showcase metabarcoding as a scalable tool to assess vampire bat population structure and feeding preferences. Dietary metabarcoding was highly effective, detecting vertebrate prey in 93.2% of the samples. Bats predominantly preyed on domestic animals, but fed on tapirs at one Amazonian site. In addition, we identified arthropods in 9.3% of samples, likely reflecting consumption of ectoparasites. Using the same data, we document mitochondrial geographic population structure in the common vampire bat in Peru. Such simultaneous inference of vampire bat diet and population structure can enable new insights into the interplay between vampire bat ecology and disease transmission risks. Importantly, the methodology can be incorporated into metabarcoding diet studies of other animals to couple information on diet and population structure.
Atherosclerosis and autoimmunity: a growing relationship
Authors: Sanjadi Maryam , Rezvanie Sichanie Ziba , Totonchi Hamidreza , Karami Jafar , Rezaei Ramazan , Aslani Saeed
Published: April 2018

Atherosclerosis is regarded as one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the world. Nowadays, it seems that atherosclerosis cannot be defined merely through the Framingham traditional risk factors and that autoimmunity settings exert a remarkable role in its mechanobiology. Individuals with autoimmune disorders show enhanced occurrence of cardiovascular complications and subclinical atherosclerosis. The mechanisms underlying the atherosclerosis in disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, antiphospholipid syndrome, systemic sclerosis and Sjögren's syndrome, seem to be the classical risk factors. However, chronic inflammatory processes and abnormal immune function may also be involved in atherosclerosis development. Autoantigens, autoantibodies, infectious agents and pro‐inflammatory mediators exert a role in that process. Being armed with the mechanisms underlying autoimmunity in the etiopathogenesis of atherosclerosis in rheumatic autoimmune disorders and the shared etiologic pathway may result in substantial developing therapeutics for these patients.
Systemic sclerosis and malignancy
Authors: Sargin Gokhan , Senturk Taskin , Cildag Songul
Published: April 2018

Background

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) has increased risk of morbidity and mortality due to pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary arterial hypertension, renal crisis, infections and malignancies. Chemical exposure, smoking and cytotoxic drugs increase the malignancy risk in rheumatic diseases including SSc. We aim to evaluate characteristics, identify risk factors and mortality in SSc patients with malignancies.

Methods

One hundred and fifty‐three patients with SSc (24 male, 129 female, with mean age of 56.4 ± 12.9 years) according to 2013 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria for SSc were enrolled in this study. Clinical, demographic, laboratory and radiological characteristics of the patients were evaluated by using SPSS 17.0. Chi‐square test was used to compare qualitative data and descriptive statistics are shown as n (%).

Results

Seven cases of cancer (three male, four female, with mean age of 51.2 ± 7.0 years) were identified. The tumor types included lung cancer, gastrointestinal tract cancer (gastric adenocarcinoma and gastric neuroendocrine tumor), myelodysplastic syndrome and malignant melanoma (eye and skin). Five (3.4%) died due to infection, cardiopulmonary involvement and renal crisis. Six of them had a diffuse cutaneous SSc clinical subtype, and the ratio for anti‐Scl‐70 was 71.4%. There was no significant relationship between age, sex, anti‐Scl‐70, pulmonary and cardiac involvement between cancer and non‐cancer patients.

Conclusions

The malignancies may occur before, together or after the diagnosis of SSc. Both of these disorders have increased morbidity and mortality compared with the general population. Rational treatment, monitoring and reducing the risk factors may prevent the development of malignancy. Also, the clinical features, risk factors and prevalence ratios are similar to that reported by large cohorts.
Non‐small cell lung cancer harboring a rare EGFR L747P mutation showing intrinsic resistance to both gefitinib and osimertinib (AZD9291): A case report
Authors: Huang Jing , Wang Yiyin , Zhai Yachao , Wang Jin
Published: April 2018

The most common EGFR mutations in non‐small cell lung cancer are exon 19 deletions and exon 21 point mutations, which are both sensitive to EGFR‐tyrosine kinase inhibitors. However, rare EGFR mutations do exist and how these mutations respond to tyrosine kinase inhibitors is not well understood. A Chinese woman diagnosed with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma harbored a rare EGFR L747P (2239‐2240 TT > CC) mutation, and treatment with gefitinib and osimertinib failed to achieve the desired effect. Herein, possible correlations between gene analysis and the outcomes of subsequent treatment are discussed.
Scaling up effects of measures mitigating pollinator loss from local‐ to landscape‐level population responses
Authors: Kleijn David , Linders Theo E. W. , Stip Anthonie , Biesmeijer Jacobus C. , Wäckers Felix L. , Bukovinszky Tibor
Published: April 2018

Declining pollinator populations have caused concern about consequences for food production, and have initiated an increasing number of initiatives that aim to mitigate pollinator loss through enhancement of floral resources. Studies evaluating effects of mitigation measures generally demonstrate positive responses of pollinators to floral resource enhancement. However, it remains unclear whether this represents landscape‐level population effects or results from a spatial redistribution of individuals from otherwise unaffected populations.

Here, we present a method for estimating landscape‐level population effects using data from commonly used standardized pollinator transect surveys. The approach links local density responses of pollinators in both mitigation sites and surrounding landscape elements to the area these habitats occupy in mitigation landscapes as well as control landscapes to obtain landscape‐level population estimates.

We demonstrate the method using data from a 2‐year study examining the effects of experimental wildflower enhancements on wild bumblebees and solitary bees in Dutch agricultural landscapes. The results show that conclusions based on local responses may differ significantly from those based on landscape‐level responses.

Wildflower enhancements significantly enhanced landscape‐level abundance of both bumblebees and solitary bees. Bumblebees showed a pronounced positive local density response in mitigation sites and the surrounding landscape that was in line with significant landscape‐level increases in abundance. However, solitary bees showed no local response to mitigation sites, and the landscape‐level increases in abundance only became apparent when the area of bee habitat was taken into account.

Incorporating the area of both newly created and pre‐existing pollinator habitats into effect estimates accounts for density‐dependent processes such as dilution, spillover and local concentration of individuals. It, therefore, results in more reliable estimates of the response to mitigation measures of pollinators, as well as other mobile arthropod groups that are often being surveyed using transect surveys.
Quantifying camouflage and conspicuousness using visual salience
Authors: Pike Thomas W.
Published: April 2018

Being able to quantify the conspicuousness of animal and plant colouration is key to understanding its evolutionary and adaptive significance. Camouflaged animals, for example, are under strong selection pressure to minimise their conspicuousness to potential predators. However, successful camouflage is not an intrinsic characteristic of an animal, but rather an interaction between that animal’s phenotype and the visual environment that it is viewed against. Moreover, the efficacy of any given camouflage strategy is determined not by the signaller’s phenotype per se, but by the perceptual and cognitive capabilities of potential predators. Any attempts to quantify camouflage must therefore take both predator perception and the visual background into account.

Here I describe the use of species‐relevant saliency maps, which combine the different visual features that contribute to selective attention (in this case the luminance, colour and orientation contrasts of features in the visual environment) into a single holistic measure of target conspicuousness. These can be tuned to the specific perceptual capabilities of the receiver, and used to derive a quantitative measure of target conspicuousness. Furthermore, I provide experimental evidence that these computed measures of conspicuousness significantly predict the performance of both captive and wild birds when searching for camouflaged artificial prey.

By allowing the quantification of prey conspicuousness, saliency maps provide a useful tool for understanding the evolution of animal signals. However, this is not limited to inconspicuous visual signals, and the same approach could be readily used for quantifying conspicuous visual signals in a wide variety of contexts, including, for example, signals involved in mate choice and warning colouration.
Isocapnic hyperventilation provides early extubation after head and neck surgery: A prospective randomized trial
Authors: Hallén K. , Jildenstål P. , Stenqvist O. , Oras J. , Ricksten S.‐E. , Lindgren S.
Published: April 2018

Background

Isocapnic hyperventilation (IHV) shortens recovery time after inhalation anaesthesia by increasing ventilation while maintaining a normal airway carbon dioxide (CO2)‐level. One way of performing IHV is to infuse CO2 to the inspiratory limb of a breathing circuit during mechanical hyperventilation (HV). In a prospective randomized study, we compared this IHV technique to a standard emergence procedure (control).

Methods

Thirty‐one adult ASA I‐III patients undergoing long‐duration (>3 hours) sevoflurane anaesthesia for major head and neck surgery were included and randomized to IHV‐treatment (n = 16) or control (n = 15). IHV was performed at minute ventilation 13.6 ± 4.3 L/min and CO2 delivery, dosed according to a nomogram tested in a pilot study. Time to extubation and eye‐opening was recorded. Inspired (FICO2) and expired (FETCO2) CO2 and arterial CO2 levels (PaCO2) were monitored. Cognition was tested preoperatively and at 20, 40 and 60 minutes after surgery.

Results

Time from turning off the vapourizer to extubation was 13.7 ± 2.5 minutes in the IHV group and 27.4 ± 6.5 minutes in controls (P < .001). Two minutes after extubation, PaCO2 was 6.2 ± 0.5 and 6.2 ± 0.6 kPa in the IHV and control group respectively. In 69% (IHV) vs 53% (controls), post‐operative cognition returned to pre‐operative values within 40 minutes after surgery (NS). Incidences of pain and nausea/vomiting did not differ between groups.

Conclusions

In this randomized trial comparing an IHV method with a standard weaning procedure, time to extubation was reduced with 50% in the IHV group. The described IHV method can be used to decrease emergence time from inhalation anaesthesia.
Mapping QTL for production traits in segregating Piétrain pig populations using genome‐wide association study results of F2 crosses
Authors: Schmid M. , Maushammer M. , Preuß S. , Bennewitz J.
Published: April 2018

In this study, genome‐wide association study (GWAS) results of porcine F2 crosses were used to map QTL in outcross Piétrain populations. For this purpose, two F2 crosses (Piétrain × Meishan, n = 304; Piétrain × Wild Boar, n = 291) were genotyped with the PorcineSNP60v2 BeadChip and phenotyped for the dressing yield, carcass length, daily gain and drip loss traits. GWASs were conducted in the pooled F2 cross applying single marker mixed linear models. For the investigated traits, between two and five (in total 15) QTL core regions, spanning 250 segregating SNPs around a significant trait‐associated peak SNP, were identified. The SNPs within the QTL core regions were subsequently tested for trait association in two outcross Piétrain populations consisting of 771 progeny‐tested boars and 210 sows with their own performance records. In the sow (boar) dataset, five (eight) of the 15 mapped QTL were validated. Hence, many QTL mapped in the F2 crosses (with Piétrain as a common founder breed) are still segregating in the current Piétrain breed. This confirms the usefulness of existing F2 crosses for mapping QTL that are still segregating in the recent founder breed generation. The approach utilizes the high power of an F2 cross to map QTL in a breeding population for which it is not guaranteed that they would be found using a GWAS in this population.
Neonates colonized with pathogenic bacteria in the airways have a low‐grade systemic inflammation
Authors: Rahman Fink N. , Chawes B. L. , Thorsen J. , Stokholm J. , Krogfelt K. A. , Schjørring S. , Kragh M. , Bønnelykke K. , Brix S. , Bisgaard H.
Published: April 2018

Background and objectives

The development of childhood asthma is associated with neonatal colonization with pathogenic bacteria in hypopharynx. Furthermore, established asthma is associated with systemic low‐grade inflammation. We here report on the association between neonatal colonization with pathogenic bacteria in hypopharynx and the development of systemic low‐grade inflammation.

Methods

Bacterial colonization of the hypopharynx with Moraxella catharralis, Haemophilus influenzae, and/or Streptococcus pneumoniae was assessed in asymptomatic children from the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood2000 (COPSAC2000) cohort at age 1 month by culturing technique (N = 238) and by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technique (N = 249) and in the COPSAC2010 cohort by culturing at age 1 month (N = 622) and again at age 3 months (N = 613). Systemic low‐grade inflammation was determined in both cohorts at age 6 months by measuring plasma levels of high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP), tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), and interleukin‐6 (lL‐6).

Results

In both cohorts, bacterial colonization was associated with increased levels of hs‐CRP: COPSAC2000, 1 month culturing (geometric mean ratio of colonized/noncolonized [95% CI]), 1.39 [0.97‐2.01], P = .08; 1 month qPCR, 1.55 [1.14‐2.10], P < .01; COPSAC2010, 1 month, 1.52 [1.23‐1.87], P < .01; and 3 month, 1.57 [1.30‐1.90], P < .01. A multiparametric principal component analysis incorporating hs‐CRP, TNF‐α, and IL‐6 confirmed a systemic inflammatory profile in children colonized with M. catharralis, H. influenzae. and/or S. pneumoniae in the hypopharynx compared to noncolonized children (P‐values < .05).

Conclusion

The composition of the upper airway microbiome in early life may cause systemic low‐grade inflammation.
The nightmare ECG of a spontaneously aborted sudden cardiac death
Authors: Coluccia Giovanni , Punzi Raffaele , Polini Silvia , La Rosa Concetto , Rillo Mariano
Published: April 2018

We present the case of a spontaneously aborted sudden cardiac death related to an high‐rate ventricular tachycardia in an healthy man with bileaflet mitral valve prolapse. An effective treatment of the patient, with complete suppression of ventricular ectopic activity, was achieved only combining medical therapy, ICD and catheter ablation, thus overcoming the limitations of each approach.
Is Perceived Growth Associated with Momentary Indicators of Health and Well‐Being in People with Asthma or Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Authors: Jones Dusti R. , Johnson Jillian A. , Graham‐Engeland Jennifer E. , Park Crystal L. , Smyth Joshua M.
Published: April 2018

Background

Perceived growth (PG) refers to perceptions of positive changes that unfold over time after experiencing trauma. Higher PG is often associated with positive long‐term health, but the processes through which PG may influence health are unclear. The present study examines two potential pathways among individuals living with asthma or RA: (1) by promoting momentary indicators of health and well‐being in everyday life, and (2) by buffering against stress.

Method

In a micro‐longitudinal design, 128 participants with asthma (n = 97) or rheumatoid arthritis (n = 31) reported perceived growth using the Post‐Traumatic Growth (PTG) Inventory and subsequently completed ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) for one week. Participants were signaled five times a day to report on health‐related indicators, including affect, disease interference, social interactions, and stress.

Results

Multilevel modeling revealed that higher PTG was associated with significantly less negative affect and greater positive affect in everyday life. There were no significant associations between PTG and momentary disease interference, pleasantness of social interactions, or stress, nor evidence that PTG buffered against effects of stress on health‐related outcomes.

Conclusions

This research highlights the utility of examining PG in everyday life. Results suggest that closer examination of momentary affect as a process by which PG may facilitate positive health outcomes is warranted.
Radiocarbon Dates from the Oxford AMS System: Archaeometry Datelist 36
Authors: Higham T. F. G. , Bronk Ramsey C. , Chivall D. , Graystone J. , Baker D. , Henderson E. , Ditchfield P.
Published: April 2018

This is the thirty‐sixth list of AMS radiocarbon determinations measured at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit (ORAU). Amongst some of the sites included here are the latest series of determinations from the key sites of El Mirón (Spain) and Sutton Courtney (UK), as well as others dating to the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and later periods. Submitters of the material provide comments on the significance of the results.
Erasing the place of dissent: Inscriptions and eliminations of Gezi Park graffiti
Authors: Evered Kyle T.
Published: April 2018

Regarded commonly and policed routinely as disamenity and vandalism, graffiti nonetheless provide vital accounts of identity, territoriality and contestation. Of proportionate consequence, however, are the means by which societies and states act to deter and remove graffiti and how these efforts correspond with other projects to police a population, activism and dissidence, and public discourse. During and after the Gezi Park protests of 2013, Turkish authorities initiated on‐the‐ground anti‐graffiti actions that resulted in a patchy assemblage of institutional beiges, greys, and other nondescript colours obscuring impacted surfaces, vertical and horizontal, throughout graffitied neighbourhoods. Conspicuous in its visual outcomes but otherwise conforming with the remediation standards of many states, officials went beyond these anticipated measures of removal to also suppress selectively reproductions and disseminations of graffiti imagery and verses. Beyond validating the transgressive potency of graffiti itself, these reactions illuminate further ongoing analyses of both the contestation of public places in and the political climate of present‐day Turkey. In this study, I examine how, within these contexts, state authorities moved from painting over graffiti to situating purposefully dissident spaces both of expression and collective memory to align with the proscribed spaces of sedition and terrorism. Through this analysis, my study of the ongoing Gezi experience contributes to graffiti geographies as it reveals how regimes of policing can extend far beyond public spaces and defaced walls.
Evaluation of a Janus kinase 1 inhibitor, PF‐04965842, in healthy subjects: A phase 1, randomized, placebo‐controlled, dose‐escalation study
Authors: Peeva Elena , Hodge Martin R. , Kieras Elizabeth , Vazquez Michael L. , Goteti Kosalaram , Tarabar Sanela G. , Alvey Christine W. , Banfield Christopher
Published: April 2018

Aims

To determine the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the Janus kinase 1‐selective inhibitor, PF‐04965842.

Methods

This was a phase 1, first‐in‐human, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, combination single‐ and multiple‐dose escalation, parallel design study in healthy subjects (http://clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01835197). Subjects received a single dose of placebo or 3, 10, 30, 100, 200, 400 or 800 mg PF‐04965842 (single ascending dose phase) and placebo or 30 mg once daily (QD), 100 mg QD, 200 mg QD, 400 mg QD, 100 mg twice daily (BID) or 200 mg BID PF‐04965842 for 10 consecutive days (multiple ascending dose phase). The primary objective was to determine the safety and tolerability of PF‐04965842.

Results

Seventy‐nine subjects were randomized and received study treatments. There were no deaths or serious adverse events. The most frequent treatment‐emergent adverse events were headache (n = 13), diarrhoea (n = 11) and nausea (n = 11). PF‐04965842 was absorbed rapidly (median time at which maximum plasma concentration occurred generally ≤1 h following either single‐ or multiple‐dose administration) and eliminated rapidly (mean t½ 2.8−5.2 h after 10 days of QD or BID administration in the multiple ascending dose phase). Increases in maximum plasma concentration and area under the concentration–time curve were dose proportional up to 200 mg (single or total daily doses) with an apparent trend towards greater than proportional increases with higher doses. Less than 4.4% of the dose was recovered unchanged in urine. Changes in pharmacodynamic biomarkers were consistent with the known effects of Janus kinase signalling inhibition.

Conclusions

These results support further evaluation of PF‐04965842 for clinical use in patients with inflammatory diseases.
Core outcome sets in dermatology: report from the second meeting of the International Cochrane Skin Group Core Outcome Set Initiative
Authors: Kottner J. , Jacobi L. , Hahnel E. , Alam M. , Balzer K. , Beeckman D. , Busard C. , Chalmers J. , Deckert S. , Eleftheriadou V. , Furlan K. , Horbach S.E.R. , Kirkham J. , Nast A. , Spuls P. , Thiboutot D. , Thorlacius L. , Weller K. , Williams H.C. , Schmitt J. ,   on behalf of the International Cochrane Skin Group Core Outcome Set Initiative (CSG-COUSIN) group
Published: April 2018

Clinical trials are needed to find out whether drugs or other treatments work for people with skin diseases. People who take part in a clinical trial are often put into two groups. One group gets the test treatment and the other gets the control treatment. After the treatment has been tried over a period of time, the effect of the treatment in both groups is compared. The more the disease has improved, and the fewer the side effects, the better the treatment. It is very important to measure a person's response to treatment correctly, or else the study conclusions are useless. For instance, itch can be measured by asking the patient directly or by a doctor looking at scratch marks. Both “outcomes” give different information. It is equally important that researchers include the same outcomes when doing clinical trials in similar patient groups. In the field of atopic eczema for instance, it would be very difficult to compare the results of different treatments if one only measured skin redness, another measured itch and another measured only quality of life. You would think that by now, researchers over the world would have got together to sort our which outcomes should always be measured in certain skin diseases. But the reality is that everyone measures different things, making it almost impossible to combine the studies into something that makes sense. Now, a group of researchers, patients, and other experts are finally getting together to discuss how to best measure the treatment effects (or outcomes) in clinical trials of people with skin diseases. At an international meeting in Germany in January 2017, there was agreement about the best way to choose the “core” outcomes by looking at the best evidence and by asking lots of people. But some other things, such as how to best involve patients in making such decisions and how to reach agreement within a larger group of experts, turned out to be more tricky. The international CSG-COUSIN group are committed to following through their work and hope to come up with a set of core outcomes that should always be measured in people with different skin diseases, so that patients, doctors, nurses and those who pay for healthcare can make better sense of the hundreds of clinical trials that are being done today.
British Association of Dermatologists guidelines for the management of lichen sclerosus, 2018
Authors: Lewis F.M. , Tatnall F.M. , Velangi S.S. , Bunker C.B. , Kumar A. , Brackenbury F. , Mohd Mustapa M.F. , Exton L.S.
Published: April 2018

Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a chronic skin disease mainly affecting the anal and genital region. This article is a guideline, which means that the authors looked at all the available evidence about LS in scientific journals, and from this, put together up-to-date, evidence-based recommendations for the management of the disease in adults (18+ years), children (0–12 years) and young people (13–17 years). The guideline was written by a committee of the British Association of Dermatologists, following strict criteria they have for assessing all the different studies on the subject. The guideline helps to guide doctors and nurses working in primary care (which means a patient's first port of call when they have a health problem, e.g. GP clinics, walk-in centres) as well as in secondary care (meaning where GPs will send people for more specialist care, e.g. hospitals). The guideline covers a range of issues, from treatment options, to gaps in research that need to be addressed. From the guideline, an updated Patient Information Leaflet has been created and is available on the British Association of Dermatologists’ website (www.bad.org.uk). On the basis of these studies and expert consensus, 31 recommendations are made for the diagnosis and management of LS for both general practitioners and secondary care specialists. The recommended patient treatment pathways are presented as flow diagrams for men and women. All the evidence points to a potent topical steroid ointment as the most effective treatment for the condition. This is initially used for 3 months and then the frequency of treatment application is tailored to the individual patient to maintain good control of both symptoms and signs. Nine suggestions for future research studies are made to answer some outstanding questions and to fill gaps in current knowledge.
Investigation and management of a raised serum ferritin
Authors: Cullis Jonathan O. , Fitzsimons Edward J. , Griffiths William JH , Tsochatzis Emmanouil , Thomas D. Wayne ,   the British Society for Haematology
Published: April 2018

Serum ferritin level is one of the most commonly requested investigations in both primary and secondary care. Whilst low serum ferritin levels invariably indicate reduced iron stores, raised serum ferritin levels can be due to multiple different aetiologies, including iron overload, inflammation, liver or renal disease, malignancy, and the recently described metabolic syndrome. A key test in the further investigation of an unexpected raised serum ferritin is the serum transferrin saturation. This guideline reviews the investigation and management of a raised serum ferritin level. The investigation and management of genetic haemochromatosis is not dealt with however and is the subject of a separate guideline.
Drainage integration and sediment dispersal in active continental rifts: A numerical modelling study of the central Italian Apennines
Authors: Geurts Anneleen H. , Cowie Patience A. , Duclaux Guillaume , Gawthorpe Rob L. , Huismans Ritske S. , Pedersen Vivi K. , Wedmore Luke N. J.
Published: April 2018

Progressive integration of drainage networks during active crustal extension is observed in continental areas around the globe. This phenomenon is often explained in terms of headward erosion, controlled by the distance to an external base‐level (e.g. the coast). However, conclusive field evidence for the mechanism(s) driving integration is commonly absent as drainage integration events are generally followed by strong erosion. Based on a numerical modelling study of the actively extending central Italian Apennines, we show that overspill mechanisms (basin overfilling and lake overspill) are more likely mechanisms for driving drainage integration in extensional settings and that the balance between sediment supply vs. accommodation creation in fault‐bounded basins is of key importance. In this area drainage integration is evidenced by lake disappearance since the early Pleistocene and the transition from internal (endorheic) to external drainage, i.e. connected to the coast. Using field observations from the central Apennines, we constrain normal faulting and regional surface uplift within the surface process model CASCADE (Braun & Sambridge, 1997, Basin Research, 9, 27) and demonstrate the phenomenon of drainage integration, showing how it leads to the gradual disappearance of lakes and the transition to an interconnected fluvial transport system over time. Our model results show that, in the central Apennines, the relief generated through both regional uplift and fault‐block uplift produces sufficient sediment to fill the extensional basins, enabling overspill and individual basins to eventually become fluvially connected. We discuss field observations that support our findings and throw new light upon previously published interpretations of landscape evolution in this area. We also evaluate the implications of drainage integration for topographic development, regional sediment dispersal and offshore sediment supply. Finally, we discuss the applicability of our results to other continental rifts (including those where regional uplift is absent) and the importance of drainage integration for transient landscape evolution.
What can mixed‐species flock movement tell us about the value of Amazonian secondary forests? Insights from spatial behavior
Authors: Mokross Karl , Potts Jonathan R. , Rutt Cameron L. , Stouffer Philip C.
Published: April 2018

The value of secondary forest for rain forest species remains an important question for conservation in the 21st century. Here, we describe the spatial behavior of understory mixed‐species flocks in a heterogeneous landscape in central Amazonia. Understory mixed‐species flocks represent a diverse, highly organized component of the rich Amazonian avifauna. We recorded movements within 26 flock home ranges in primary forest, secondary forest, interfaces between forest types, and forest fragments. We describe frequency and movement orientation in relation to forest edges, movement patterns and proportion of use between secondary and primary forest, the relation between home range sizes and vegetation height, and home range configuration. Flocks visited only a small portion of forest edges, and showed a tendency for moving parallel to edges next to less‐developed secondary forest. Movement patterns in secondary forests did not show significant differences compared to primary forests. Time spent in secondary forests increased in proportion to mean canopy height. Flocks were consistently present in secondary forests where vegetation height averaged over 15 m, but home ranges were nearly twice as large compared to primary forest. Home range limits tended to be aligned with disturbed vegetation, essentially rearranging a territorial configuration normally adjusted by topography. The spatial behavior of this important subset of the Amazonian avifauna shows that secondary forests are tolerated above a certain development threshold, but perceived as suboptimal habitat until canopy height closely matches primary forests.
A novel inhibitor of the new antibiotic resistance protein OptrA
Authors: Zhong Xiaobo , Xiang Hua , Wang Tiedong , Zhong Ling , Ming Di , Nie Linyan , Cao Fengjiao , Li Bangbang , Cao Junjie , Mu Dan , Ruan Ke , Wang Lin , Wang Dacheng
Published: April 2018

The antibiotic resistance (ARE) subfamily of ABC (ATP‐binding cassette) proteins confers resistance to a variety of clinically important ribosome‐targeting antibiotics and plays an important role in infections caused by pathogenic bacteria. However, inhibitors of ARE proteins have rarely been reported. Here, OptrA, a new member of the ARE proteins, was used to study inhibitors of these types of proteins. We first confirmed that destroying the catalytic activity of OptrA could restore the sensitivity of host cells to antibiotics. Then, fragment‐based screening, a drug screening method, was used to screen for inhibitors of OptrA. The competitive saturation transfer difference experiments, docking, and molecular dynamics were used to determine the binding sites and mode of interactions between OptrA and fragment screening hits. In this study, we first find a novel and specific inhibitor of OptrA (CP1), which suppressed the ATPase activity of OptrA in vitro by 30%. A hydrogen bond formed between the 8‐position phenylcyclic cyano group in CP1 and the amino acid residue Lys‐271 allows CP1 to form a stable complex with OptrA protein. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the further optimization of the inhibitor structure to obtain inhibitors with higher efficiencies.
Quality of life in patients with adrenal disease: A systematic review
Authors: Ho Winnie , Druce Maralyn
Published: April 2018

Background

Evaluating the patient with adrenal disease is challenging due to the lack of precise clinical and biochemical parameters for disease control. Quality of life (QOL) evaluation aims to measure the patient's subjective experience.

Objective

To describe how QOL is defined and measured in adrenal disease, critically appraise the use of QOL tools in published literature, discuss the implications of these findings and provide direction for further research in this field.

Materials and methods

We searched the Cochrane library, EMBASE, Google Scholar, PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science databases to identify only primary studies where self‐reported QOL was measured as a parameter in adults with confirmed adrenal disease, and results presented in English. Key data were independently extracted from each study and adherence to reporting guidelines evaluated.

Results

A total of 117 studies involving 13 717 subjects were included. The vast majority of studies did not define QOL. The most common approach was to combine generic and domain‐specific tools, although disease‐specific tools are increasingly being used. Adherence to reporting guidelines was variable. A narrative synthesis of the findings was performed.

Conclusion

We present the first systematic review of QOL in adrenal disease. Quality of life is reduced in patients with adrenal disease, irrespective of adrenal hyperfunction or hypofunction. Quality of life improved with therapy but was not completely reversed despite biochemical remission. Authors should adhere to consistent reporting practices which are interpretable by clinicians. Further research is required to explain the mechanisms driving impaired QOL and value of QOL evaluations in the clinical context.
Emerging diagnostic tests for vitreoretinal lymphoma: a review
Authors: Dawson Abby C , Williams Keryn A , Appukuttan Binoy , Smith Justine R
Published: April 2018

Vitreoretinal lymphoma, which most commonly is diffuse large B‐cell non‐Hodgkin in type, is a rare cancer with high morbidity and high mortality. Making a tissue diagnosis of vitreoretinal lymphoma is a major challenge for clinicians due to biological and technical factors. Yet, the delay in start of treatment may have vision‐ and life‐threatening consequences, and there is considerable interest in the application of molecular assays to improve the accuracy of the diagnostic process: detection of a clonal immunoglobulin heavy‐chain rearrangements in lymphoma cells by polymerase chain reaction; measurement of vitreous or aqueous interleukin‐10 protein levels in ocular fluids; and identification of mutations in the myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 in tumour cells. In this article, we review the historical development and current application of each of these molecular methods. We also discuss future opportunities for the molecular diagnosis of vitreoretinal lymphoma through next‐generation sequencing technologies.
THE IMPACT OF PERCEIVED BACKGROUND RISK ON BEHAVIORAL HEALTH: EVIDENCE FROM HURRICANE KATRINA
Authors: Pesko Michael F.
Published: April 2018

I explore the hypothesis that Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 raised perceived background risks, which had spillover effects on behavioral health outcomes of mental health and substance use. I estimate the effect that Katrina had in the nondamaged storm surge region, in time intervals leading up to and after the hurricane, compared to areas impervious to hurricanes. I find causal evidence that Katrina increased poor mental health days by 18.8% for the first month after Katrina, and increased smoking among lifetime smokers until 2007. Effects were larger in counties with disproportionate risk to storm surge and for low‐educated individuals. (JEL D81, I12, Q54)
Host plant nitrogen enrichment has both positive and negative effects on the larval growth of a specialist butterfly
Authors: Lebigre Christophe , Vanderbeken Caroline , Turlure Camille , Schtickzelle Nicolas
Published: April 2018

1. The nitrogen limitation hypothesis posits that phytophagous insects benefit from nitrogen enrichment of their host plants through a reduction of the concentration of toxic compounds and an increase of free amino acids and proteins. However, species' response to nitrogen enrichment varies substantially and high nitrogen levels are associated with population decline, suggesting there are major costs to feeding on nitrogen‐rich host plants.

2. To test the hypothesis that larval growth performance is maximal at intermediate nitrogen enrichment, nitrogen levels were measured in 18 populations of the host plant of Lycaena helle, a specialist butterfly inhabiting nutrient‐poor wet meadows. The nitrogen content of host plants was then modified to mirror average natural nitrogen levels (C), highest field‐recorded levels (T1), and levels higher than those observed across our study populations (T2).

3. Caterpillars fed with T1 leaves had a greater maximum body mass than caterpillars of the C group because of their improved food assimilation during the early stages of their development. Caterpillars of C and T2 groups had similar growth patterns but high nitrogen content had detrimental effects, as caterpillars fed with T2 leaves had a slower ingestion rate than C and T1 groups.

4. Quantifying the fitness consequences of these changes in growth performance is necessary to fully understand the implications of nitrogen enrichment for L. helle (rapid growth may result in fitness costs). However, conservation plans for this emblematic glacial relict species should also consider the preservation of its host plant quality to ensure its persistence.
Epitypification, characterization and phylogenetic positioning of Pseudobeltrania cedrelae, the causal agent of pseudobeltrania spot on Cedrela fissilis
Authors: Milagres C. A. , Azevedo D. M. Q. , Pereira O. L. , Furtado G. Q.
Published: April 2018

The fungus Pseudobeltrania cedrelae, the type species of the genus, is the causal agent of an important leaf spot in seedlings and adult plant of cedar (Cedrela fissilis). Due to the contradictory phylogenetic position of the genus Pseudobeltrania, epitypification of P. cedrelae was carried out based on a culture obtained from the same locality and host of the original type. Samples were collected, and 10 isolates of P. cedrelae associated with lesions on cedar leaflets were obtained. For morphological characterization, conidia, conidiophores, conidiogeneous cells, conidiogeneous loci and basal cells were taken both from the fungus obtained from leaf lesions and from that obtained in slide culture. Mycelial growth rates and sporulation were evaluated in six different culture media. For molecular phylogeny, maximum parsimony analyses were performed from the ITS and 28S sequences of the isolates. Both the morphological characteristics of the fungal structures obtained from symptomatic leaves and the slide culture technique presented variations. In foliar lesions, isolates presented the same morphological characteristics as the type material. Mycelial growth rate and sporulation of P. cedrelae were greatest on malt extract agar and V8 juice agar. Pseudobeltrania cedrelae was pathogenic when inoculated into healthy cedar plants. According to the phylogenetic tree, isolates grouped in the same clade, but in a distinct clade of Pseudobeltrania ocoteae. The results suggested that P. ocoteae belongs to the genus Hemibeltrania. This paper presents new information on P. cedrelae that contributes to clarifying the phylogeny of the Beltraniaceae.
Quantifying the effect of pine mistletoe on the growth of Scots pine
Authors: Bilgili E. , Ozturk M. , Coskuner K. A. , Baysal I. , Serdar B. , Yavuz H. , Eroglu M. , Usta Y.
Published: April 2018

Mistletoe infection results in substantial growth losses in mistletoe‐infected forests. This study reports and evaluates the results of retrospective analyses of radial growth of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) in relation to the level of infection of pine mistletoe (Viscum album ssp. austriacum). A total of 43 Scots pine trees were destructively sampled from different sites. Of these trees, 14 were uninfected and 29 were infected. Infection classes were determined using six‐class dwarf mistletoe rating system (DMRS). All needle and mistletoe biomass were removed completely and weighed for each sampled tree. Subsamples from needles and all mistletoe biomass were taken to the laboratory for oven‐dried weight determinations. Five‐cm‐thick wood discs were cut from the stem at the breast height (1.3 m) to determine annual basal area increment for the last 25 years. In addition to DMRS, new infection classes were created using mistletoe‐to‐needle biomass (MB/NB) ratio. The results showed that the radial growth losses could be as much as 41% to 64% at different infection levels. The rate of growth loss in relation to DMRS and MB/NB ratio was similar, but with a larger variability in DMRS values. The results showed that both DMRS rating and MB/NB ratio seem to be important for quantifying growth loss on Scots pine trees infected with mistletoe. The results of this study can also be invaluable in modelling the effects of mistletoe on the growth of Scots pine trees.