bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Histopathological, immunohistochemical and molecular cytogenetic analysis of 21 spindle cell/sclerosing rhabdomyosarcomas
Authors: Rekhi Bharat , Singhvi Tanvi
Published: April 2014

Recently, spindle cell/sclerosing rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) has been recognized as another distinct variant of a RMS. We evaluated clinicopathological features of 21 cases of spindle cell and sclerosing RMS and performed fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) testing in 10 (47.6%) tumours. Twenty‐one tumours occurred in 16 males and 5 females (mean age, 19.7 years); commonly in the head and neck region (8) (38%) and extremities (7) (33.3%), followed by paratesticular region (2) (9.5%), chest wall (1), abdomen (1), pelvis (1) and paraspinal region (1). Average tumour size was 7.9 cm. Histopathologically, tumours that were spindle cell type (8) (38%) mostly occurred in the head and neck region, while sclerosing type (10) (47.6%) mostly occurred in the extremities. Remaining three (14.2%) tumours were mixed (sclerosing with spindle cell type). Tumour areas resembling embryonal RMS (ERMS) and alveolar RMS (ARMS) were noted in eight and three tumours respectively. Immunohistochemically, tumour cells were positive for desmin (21/21) (100%), MyoD1 (19/19) (100%), myogenin (13/15) (86.6%), SMA (2/3) and MIC2 (1/8) (12.5%). On FISH testing, none of the 10 tumours exhibited RMS1 (PAX3‐FOXO1) or RMS 2 (PAX7‐FOXO1) fusion. Eighteen patients underwent surgical resection and were offered adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) (4 cases), adjuvant CT + radiotherapy (RT) (4 cases) and adjuvant RT (1 case). Two patients underwent CT and a single patient received CT + RT. On follow‐up (16 cases) (2–36 months), six tumours recurred and nine metastasized. Spindle/sclerosing RMSs are aggressive tumours and occur commonly in the head and neck and extremity sites. These tumours are histopathologically interrelated. Their immunohistochemical and cytogenetic profile is closer to ERMS than ARMS.
Clinical review of Hendra virus infection in 11 horses in New South Wales, Australia
Authors: Ball MC , Dewberry TD , Freeman PG , Kemsley PD , Poe I
Published: April 2014

Case series

Between 2006 and 2012, there were 11 horses diagnosed with Hendra virus (HeV) on 9 independent premises in New South Wales (NSW). We defined a case of HeV as premises where one or more horses were confirmed to be infected with HeV by PCR. All the cases occurred in the north‐eastern region of NSW. In 8 of the 9 cases, infection occurred within 2 months over the winter of 2011. With no exception, the affected horses were kept at pasture on properties visited by flying foxes. Of the 11 horses testing positive for HeV, 5 had an association with a fence, with the horses dead or dying on a fence line. In the majority of cases, disease was an acute illness leading to death within 48 h. When signs of disease were observed, neurological signs predominated. There was limited spread to in‐contact horses, with only two properties having more than one horse affected. There was significant variation in the sampling strategies undertaken by veterinarians.

Conclusion

Caution is needed to interpret a negative diagnosis when only swabs have been collected.
Effect of β‐blockers on platelet aggregation: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Bonten Tobias N. , Plaizier Chiara E. I. , Snoep Jaap‐Jan D. , Stijnen Theo , Dekkers Olaf M. , van der Bom Johanna G.
Published: April 2014

Aims

Platelets play an important role in cardiovascular disease, and β‐blockers are often prescribed for cardiovascular disease prevention. β‐Blockers may directly affect platelet aggregation, because β‐adrenergic receptors are present on platelets. There is uncertainty about the existence and magnitude of an effect of β‐blockers on platelet aggregation. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the effect of β‐blockers on platelet aggregation.

Methods

MEDLINEandEMBASEwere searched untilApril 2014. Two reviewers independently performed data extraction and risk of bias assessment. Type of β‐blocker, population, treatment duration and platelet aggregation were extracted. Standardized mean differences were calculated for each study and pooled in a random‐effects meta‐analysis.

Results

We retrieved 31 studies (28 clinical trials and three observational studies). β‐Blockers decreased platelet aggregation (standardized mean difference −0.54, 95% confidence interval −0.85 to −0.24,P< 0.0001). This corresponds to a reduction of 13% (95% confidence interval 8–17%). Nonselective lipophilic β‐blockers decreased platelet aggregation more than selective nonlipophilic β‐blockers.

Conclusions

Clinically used β‐blockers significantly reduce platelet aggregation. Nonselective lipophilic β‐blockers seem to reduce platelet aggregation more effectively than selective nonlipophilic β‐blockers. These findings may help to explain why some β‐blockers are more effective than others in preventing cardiovascular disease.
A comparative study of the effects of cultural differences on the adoption of mobile learning
Authors: Arpaci Ibrahim
Published: April 2014

The objective of this paper is to understand the impact of cultural differences on mobile learning adoption through identifying key adoption characteristics in Canada and Turkey, which have markedly different cultural backgrounds. A multi‐group analysis was employed to test the hypothesised relationships based on the data collected by means of survey questionnaires from 190 and 163 undergraduate students in Turkey and Canada respectively. The results indicated that there is a strong relationship between culture and adoption behaviour, and there are major differences in patterns between the adoption behaviours of the two countries. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in Contemporary Mental Health Services: Current Evidence, Future Role and Challenges
Authors: Brown Kayleigh M. , Tracy Derek K.
Published: April 2014

Three interacting challenges are facing all aspects of health care in the United Kingdom: financial restraint in the context of a global economic downturn; a move to services being commissioned and decommissioned by primary care Clinical Commissioning Groups; and a need to provide evidence based practice through ‘payment by results’. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy faces more difficulty than most services in mental health, with long and frequent criticisms of it being expensive and under‐researched; and it is not as well understood by GPs as cognitive behavioural therapy, with which it is frequently unfavourably compared. This review provides an overview of the existing evidence for psychoanalytic psychotherapy, identifying strengths and areas that are under explored. We also argue that psychoanalytic psychotherapy has a unique clinical role but this will need to be clearly stated in the future, and promoted by clinicians to encourage future commissioning in the UK.
Anna Freud: A New Look at Development
Authors: Tischler Lydia
Published: April 2014

This paper is a summary of Anna Freud's important contribution to our understanding of child development and its deviations. It highlights her concern for the whole child, both his internal and external world and their mutual interactions. An example is given of changes in the law with regard to children in which her views were influential. Vignettes are given showing the evolution of her thinking regarding treatment techniques in the light of the widening range of developmental disturbances and presenting problems.
Development and internal validation of a nomogram for predicting stone‐free status after flexible ureteroscopy for renal stones
Authors: Ito Hiroki , Sakamaki Kentaro , Kawahara Takashi , Terao Hideyuki , Yasuda Kengo , Kuroda Shinnosuke , Yao Masahiro , Kubota Yoshinobu , Matsuzaki Junichi
Published: April 2014

Objective

To develop and internally validate a preoperative nomogram for predicting stone‐free status (SF) after flexible ureteroscopy (fURS) for renal stones, as there is a need to predict the outcome of fURS for the treatment of renal stone disease.

Patients and Methods

We retrospectively analysed 310 fURS procedures for renal stone removal performed between December 2009 and April 2013. Final outcome of fURS was determined by computed tomography 3 months after the last fURS session. Assessed preoperative factors included stone volume and number, age, sex, presence of hydronephrosis and lower pole calculi, and ureteric stent placement. Multivariate logistic regression analysis with backward selection was used to model the relationship between preoperative factors and SF after fURS. Bootstrapping was used to internally validate the nomogram.

Results

Five independent predictors of SF after fURS were identified: stone volume (P < 0.001), presence of lower pole calculi (P = 0.001), operator with experience of >50 fURS (P = 0.026), stone number (P = 0.075), and presence of hydronephrosis (P = 0.047). We developed a nomogram to predict SF after fURS using these five preoperative characteristics. Total nomogram score (maximum 25) was derived from summing individual scores of each predictive variable; a high total score was predictive of successful fURS outcome, whereas a low total score was predictive of unsuccessful outcome. The area under the receiver operating characteristics for nomogram predictions was 0.87.

Conclusion

The nomogram can be used to reliably predict SF based on patient characteristics after fURS treatment of renal stone disease.
A novel prognostic model for patients with sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Zhang Ben Y. , Thompson R. Houston , Lohse Christine M. , Leibovich Bradley C. , Boorjian Stephen A. , Cheville John C. , Costello Brian A.
Published: April 2014

Objective

To demonstrate sarcomatoid differentiation is an independent prognostic feature for patients with grade 4 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with or without distant metastases. To identify independent predictors of survival, evaluate the correlation between the amount of sarcomatoid differentiation and cancer‐specific survival (CSS), and to design a multivariate prognostic model for patients with sarcomatoid RCC.

Patients and Methods

We used the Mayo Clinic Nephrectomy Registry to identify 204 post‐nephrectomy patients with sarcomatoid‐variant RCC, as well as 207 patients with unilateral grade 4 RCC without sarcomatoid features for comparison. All slides were reviewed by one pathologist. CSS was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. The associations of clinical and pathological features with death from RCC were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards regression models.

Results

For all patients with grade 4 RCC, the presence of sarcomatoid differentiation was associated with a 58% increased risk of death from RCC (P < 0.001). For patients with grade 4 non‐metastatic (M0) RCC, the presence of sarcomatoid differentiation was associated with an 82% increased risk of death from RCC (P < 0.001). For patients with sarcomatoid RCC, the 2009 primary tumour classifications, presence of regional lymph nodes and distant metastases, coagulative tumour necrosis, and the amount of sarcomatoid differentiation were each significantly associated with death from RCC in a multivariate setting. After adjusting for other prognostic variables, each 10% increase in the amount of sarcomatoid differentiation was associated with a 6% increased risk of death from RCC (P = 0.028). Patients whose tumours contained ≥30% (median amount) sarcomatoid differentiation were 52% more likely to die from RCC compared with patients whose tumours contained <30% sarcomatoid differentiation (hazard ratio 1.52; P = 0.018).

Conclusions

Among patients with grade 4 RCC, either with or without distant metastases at surgery, sarcomatoid differentiation is significantly associated with adverse survival in a multivariate setting. We also suggest for the first time that the percentage of sarcomatoid differentiation is an independent prognostic feature in a multivariate setting. The 2009 primary tumour classifications, regional lymph node status, the presence of distant metastases classifications, coagulative tumour necrosis, and the amount of sarcomatoid differentiation are independent predictors of survival for patients with sarcomatoid RCC.
Casuarina Invasion Alters Primary Succession on Lava Flows on La Réunion Island
Authors: Potgieter Luke J. , Wilson John. R. U. , Strasberg Dominique , Richardson David M.
Published: April 2014

Invasive plants can alter community dynamics and the successional trajectories of ecosystems they colonize. We explore how interactions between disturbance and invasion govern successional trajectories in the case of Casuarina equisetifolia invading lava flows on La Réunion Island. Surveys from 1972 and 1990 were compared with results of a survey in 2012 to detail progression of the invasion over time. General additive models were used to estimate the influence of altitude, distance to putative source of introduction, and lava flow age on the abundance of C. equisetifolia. Based on the predictions, we estimated the likely rate and eventual extent of spread of the species in the area through time. We placed our findings in the context of a conceptual model of successional processes in the area to highlight how the invasion of C. equisetifolia and natural and human‐mediated disturbances are changing natural vegetation dynamics. The extent of invasion by C. equisetifolia has increased twentyfold over the past 40 yr from 110 ha in 1972 to 2373 ha in 2012. Lava flows have facilitated this spread, and in turn C. equisetifolia has started to radically change successional trajectories, increasing the rate of succession sevenfold. The continued spread of this species poses a major threat to the small area of remaining native lowland rain forests on La Réunion Island, which cover <2 percent of their original extent.
A Host Creates an Enemy‐free Space for Mistletoes by Reducing Seed Predation Caused by a Woodboring Beetle: A Hypothesis
Authors: Fadini Rodrigo F. , Mellado Ana , Ghizoni Leidielly P.
Published: April 2014

Parasitic plants rely on host plants for nutrition. The number of host species varies largely between groups, from single species or genus to hundreds of species. Relative abundance of the host and evolutionary history are the main requisites for parasitic plants to develop specificity to abundant hosts. In the present study, we suggest a novel mechanism by which a hemiparasitic mistletoe can develop local specificity mediated by its host. First, we describe a novel interaction in which a woodboring beetle (Hypothenemus obscurus) preys on mistletoe seeds (Psittacanthus plagiophyllus) attached to tree branches. This beetle preys more frequently on seeds deposited on branches of non‐host species than on branches of its unique local host species (53 percent on average vs. 26 percent respectively). We hypothesize that local host specificity for this mistletoe could be partly mediated by beetle‐host incompatibility, since the host offers a predation‐free space in which mistletoes have better chances to grow. Furthermore, that the exceptional gum exudates produced by this unique host species minimize beetle attacks on branches, thus reducing predation of mistletoe seeds. This novel tritrophic interaction opens an avenue for research on macroscopic host‐specificity mechanisms that occur at the level of the host bark and that have been poorly studied by plant ecologists.
Human epidermal growth factor receptor‐2 expression in locally advanced rectal cancer: Association with response to neoadjuvant therapy and prognosis
Authors: Meng Xiangjiao , Wang Renben , Huang Zhaoqin , Zhang Jianbo , Feng Rui , Xu Xiaoqing , Zhu Kunli , Dou Xue , Chen Dong , Yu Jinming
Published: April 2014

The aim of this study was to determine whether pretreatment status of human epidermal growth factor receptor‐2 (HER‐2) could predict pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) and outcomes for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). A total of 119 patients diagnosed with LARC received standardized multimodal treatment. Their HER‐2 status was determined in pretreatment biopsies by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and FISH. Tumor response was assessed in resected regimens using the tumor regression grade system and TNM staging system. Twenty‐two cases in 119 patients assessed as IHC3+ or IHC2+ plus gene‐amplified were determined as HER‐2 positive. Positive HER‐2 status was not associated with any pretreatment clinicopathologic parameters (P > 0.05). HER‐2 status could not predict pathologic response to nCRT based on downstaging (P = 0.210) and tumor regression grade (P = 0.085) but it provides us with a trend that HER‐2‐positive tumors may be resistant to nCRT. Positive HER‐2 status was significantly associated with poor 5‐year disease‐free survival (P = 0.015) and 5‐year overall survival (P = 0.026). It can act as a worse prognostic factor for LARC patients.
Role of autophagy in high linear energy transfer radiation‐induced cytotoxicity to tumor cells
Authors: Jin Xiaodong , Liu Yan , Ye Fei , Liu Xiongxiong , Furusawa Yoshiya , Wu Qingfeng , Li Feifei , Zheng Xiaogang , Dai Zhongying , Li Qiang
Published: April 2014

Heavy‐ion radiotherapy has a potential advantage over conventional radiotherapy due to improved dose distribution and a higher biological effectiveness in cancer therapy. However, there is a little information currently available on the cellular and molecular basis for heavy‐ion irradiation‐induced cell death. Autophagy, as a novel important target to improve anticancer therapy, has recently attracted considerable attention. In this study, the effect of autophagy induced by high linear energy transfer (LET) carbon ions was examined in various tumor cell lines. To our knowledge, our study is the first to reveal that high‐LET carbon ions could induce autophagy in various tumor cells effectively, and the autophagic level in the irradiated cells increased in a dose‐ and LET‐dependent manner. The ability of carbon ions to inhibit the activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway rose with increasing their LET. Moreover, modulation of autophagy in tumor cells could modify their sensitivity to high‐LET radiation, and inhibiting autophagy accelerated apoptotic cell death, resulting in an increase in radiosensitivity. Our data imply that targeting autophagy might enhance the effectiveness of heavy‐ion radiotherapy.
Distinguishing immunorelated haemocytopenia from idiopathic cytopenia of undetermined significance (ICUS): a bone marrow abnormality mediated by autoantibodies
Authors: Fu R , Liu H , Wang Y , Liu H , He H , Chen J , Wang H , Yu H , Ding K , Huang L , Wang H , Xing L , Song J , Li L , Shao Z
Published: April 2014

In recent years we have observed that some patients with idiopathic cytopenia of undetermined significance (ICUS) responded well to corticosteroid and high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin treatment, indicating that some cytopenia in ICUS might be mediated by autoantibodies. In this study, we analysed 166 ICUS cases retrospectively, some of which were autoantibodies detected on haemopoietic cells in bone marrow (BM) by BM mononuclear cell (BMMNC)-Coombs test, flow cytometry (FCM), Western blot and immunofluorescence (IF). We found that 25·9% (43 of 166) of the cases had autoantibodies positive verified with BMMNC-Coombs test or FCM analysis, 72·1% (31 of 43) of whom had immunoglobulin (Ig)G autoantibody positive by Western blot. IgG could be detected in the erythroblastic islands on the BM smear of nine (32·1%, nine of 28) ICUS patients with autoantibodies by IF. Of these 43 patients, the median percentage of reticulocytes was 1·79%. More than half the patients had hyper-BM cellularity with a higher percentage of nucleated erythroid cells in the sternum. Total response rates to immunosuppressive therapy at 6, 12, 24 and > 36 months were 46·5% (20 of 43), 75% (30 of 40), 77·4% (24 of 31) and 66·7% (16 of 24), respectively. We termed this group of ICUS cases with autoantibodies as immunorelated haemocytopenia (or BMMNC-Coombs test-positive haemocytopenia).
Fasting and post‐prandial glucagon like peptide 1 and oral contraception in polycystic ovary syndrome
Authors: Aydin Kadriye , Arusoglu Gulcan , Koksal Gulden , Cinar Nese , Yazgan Aksoy Duygu , Yildiz Bulent O.
Published: April 2014

Objective

We aimed to investigate whether fasting and meal regulated glucagon like peptide 1 (GLP‐1) secretion are altered in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) compared to healty women and whether oral contraceptive use influence GLP‐1 secretion dynamics in the syndrome.

Design

Prospective observational study.

Patients

Fourteen lean normal glucose tolerant patients with PCOS and 11 age‐ and body mass index (BMI)‐matched healthy women.

Measurements

Glucagon like peptide 1, glucose and insulin levels were measured during a standardized meal tolerance test and area under the curves (AUCs) were calculated. Whereas healthy controls were assessed at baseline, all tests were repeated in women with PCOS after treatment with ethinyl estradiol 30 μg/drospirenone 3 mg (EE/DRSP) for 3 months.

Results

Both fasting and post‐meal levels of GLP‐1 were significantly reduced in women with PCOS compared to controls (P = 0·022 and P = 0·028, respectively). AUC for GLP‐1 was also lower in PCOS (P = 0·012). Glucose and insulin measurements did not show a significant change between the groups. In the PCOS group, GLP‐1, glucose and insulin levels did not show any change after 3 months of EE/DRSP use.

Conclusion

GLP‐1 levels both at fasting and in response to a meal are blunted in lean women with PCOS compared to healthy women. Short term oral contraception do not alter GLP‐1 secretion in PCOS. Disturbance in incretin secretion dynamics might contribute to the risk of impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes in PCOS.
Lateral forces exerted through ball or bar attachments in relation to the inclination of mini‐implant underneath overdentures: in vitro study
Authors: Takagaki Kyozo , Gonda Tomoya , Maeda Yoshinobu
Published: April 2014

Objective

Lateral force to mini‐implants should be avoided because mini‐implants are weak mechanically because of its small diameter. Overdentures retained by mini‐implants are usually formed using ball attachments. However, bar attachments can offer the advantage of splinting the mini‐implants. This study examined the effect of attachments in withstanding these lateral forces in tilted mini‐implants of overdentures.

Materials and methods

Strain gauges were attached to the mini‐implants (2.5 × 18 mm) embedded in an acrylic resin block. Two mini‐implants were inserted vertically (Control) or with one mini‐implant inclined at 10° or 20° (10‐inclined and 20‐inclined, respectively). The female portions of the attachments were secured to the denture base. A prefabricated ball attachment and CAD/CAM‐fabricated bar attachment were compared. A vertical load of 49 N was applied to the occlusal surface at a distance 10 mm away from the center of two mini‐implants. The lateral force borne by the mini‐implants was measured via the attached strain gauge. Mann–Whitney U‐test and an analysis of Bonferroni correction were used to compare differences between the two attachments and among the three models (P < 0.05).

Results

The lateral force exerted to the inclined mini‐implant was significantly greater than that borne by a vertical mini‐implant for both attachment types. The lateral force on the 20° inclined mini‐implants with bar attachments was smaller than that on mini‐implants with ball attachments.

Conclusion

Inclined mini‐implants are subjected to greater stresses than vertical ones, and a bar attachment can reduce the lateral forces borne by the mini‐implant when one mini‐implant inclined at 20°.
Early loading of 6‐mm‐short implants with a moderately rough surface supporting single crowns – a prospective 5‐year cohort study
Authors: Rossi Fabio , Lang Niklaus P. , Ricci Emanuele , Ferraioli Lorenzo , Marchetti Claudio , Botticelli Daniele
Published: April 2014

Aim

To evaluate prospectively the clinical and radiographic outcomes after 5 years of early loading of 6‐mm implants with a moderately rough (SLActive®) surface supporting single crowns in the posterior regions.

Material and methods

Thirty‐five consecutive patients received 40 SLActive® (Straumann) 6‐mm implants with a diameter of 4.1 mm (n = 19) or 4.8 mm (n = 21). Insertion torque and resonance frequency analysis (RFA) were measured at implant installation. RFA was also measured at abutment connection. SynOcta abutments were tightened with 35 Ncm after 6 weeks of healing, and single porcelain fuse to metal crowns was cemented within 1 week. Implant survival rate and marginal bone loss were evaluated at various time intervals until 5 years after loading. The clinical crown/implant ratio was calculated as well.

Results

Two of 40 implants were lost before loading (incorporation rate 95%), and no further implant loss or technical complications were encountered during the 5‐year follow‐up period. A mean marginal bone loss of 0.7 ± 0.6 mm was found after 5 years of function. The clinical crown/implant ratio increased with time from 1.6 at the delivery of the prosthesis to 2 after 5 years of loading.

Conclusion

Six millimeter implants with a SLActive® moderately rough surface supporting single crowns in the posterior region and loaded after 6–7 weeks maintained full function for at least 5 year with low marginal bone resorption.
Baseline series fragrance markers fail to predict contact allergy
Authors: Mann Jack , McFadden John P. , White Jonathan M. L. , White Ian R. , Banerjee Piu
Published: April 2014

Background

Negative patch test results with fragrance allergy markers in the European baseline series do not always predict a negative reaction to individual fragrance substances.

Objectives

To determine the frequencies of positive test reactions to the 26 fragrance substances for which labelling is mandatory in the EU, and how effectively reactions to fragrance markers in the baseline series predict positive reactions to the fragrance substances that are labelled.

Methods

The records of 1951 eczema patients, routinely tested with the labelled fragrance substances and with an extended European baseline series in 2011 and 2012, were retrospectively reviewed.

Results

Two hundred and eighty‐one (14.4%) (71.2% females) reacted to one or more allergens from the labelled‐fragrance substance series and/or a fragrance marker from the European baseline series. The allergens that were positive with the greatest frequencies were cinnamyl alcohol (48; 2.46%), Evernia furfuracea (44; 2.26%), and isoeugenol (40; 2.05%). Of the 203 patients who reacted to any of the 26 fragrances in the labelled‐fragrance substance series, only 117 (57.6%) also reacted to a fragrance marker in the baseline series. One hundred and seven (52.7%) reacted to either fragrance mix I or fragrance mix II, 28 (13.8%) reacted to Myroxylon pereirae, and 13 (6.4%) reacted to hydroxyisohexyl 3‐cyclohexene carboxaldehyde.

Conclusions

These findings confirm that the standard fragrance markers fail to identify patients with contact allergies to the 26 fragrances.
Forecasts of habitat suitability improve habitat corridor efficacy in rapidly changing environments
Authors: Gregory Stephen D. , Ancrenaz Marc , Brook Barry W. , Goossens Benoit , Alfred Raymond , Ambu Laurentius N. , Fordham Damien A.
Published: April 2014

Aim

Habitat fragmentation threatens species’ persistence by increasing subpopulation isolation and vulnerability to stochastic events, and its impacts are expected to worsen under climate change. By reconnecting isolated fragments, habitat corridors should dampen the synergistic impacts of habitat and climate change on population viability. Choosing which fragments to reconnect is typically informed by past and current environmental conditions. However, habitat and climate are dynamic and change over time. Habitat suitability projections could inform fragment selection using current and future conditions, ensuring that corridors connect persistent fragments. We compare the efficacy of using current‐day and future forecasts of breeding habitat to inform corridor placement under land cover and climate‐change mitigation and no mitigation scenarios by evaluating their influence on subpopulation abundance, and connectivity and long‐term metapopulation abundance. Our case study is the threatened orangutan metapopulation in Sabah.

Location

Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

Methods

Using coupled niche–population models that capture a metapopulation distribution and its major processes, we forecast the effect of current‐day and future‐informed habitat corridor implementations under two scenarios where (1) land cover and climate change continue unabated (no mitigation) and (2) local and international cooperation mitigates their synergistic impact (mitigation).

Results

We show that Future‐informed corridor placement maximizes long‐term metapopulation abundance when human‐driven land cover and climate change alter the spatio‐temporal composition of suitable habitat. By contrast, there is no apparent benefit in using future forecasts of breeding habitat to inform corridor placement if conditions remain comparatively stable. For the Sabah orangutan under unabated land cover and climate change, habitat corridors should connect current‐day populated eastern habitat fragments with vacant fragments in the state's west.

Main conclusions

The efficacy of habitat corridors can be improved by using habitat‐suitability model projections to inform corridor placement in rapidly changing environments, even for long‐lived, low‐fecundity, philopatric species such as orangutan.
The hegemony of the ‘despots’: the control of avifaunas over vast continental areas
Authors: Mac Nally Ralph , Kutt Alex S. , Eyre Teresa J. , Perry Justin J. , Vanderduys Eric P. , Mathieson Michael , Ferguson Daniel J. , Thomson James R.
Published: April 2014

Aim

We explored whether one native bird (the yellow‐throated miner Manorina flavigula) greatly affected the composition of avifaunas in > 500,000 km2 in northern Australia.

Location

Rangelands of north‐eastern Australia

Methods

Repeated avian surveys were conducted in 368 locations, for which in‐site vegetation and landscape‐contextual measurements were made. Hierarchical Bayesian models were used to determine whether avian assemblages were affected by variation in abundances of the yellow‐throated miner.

Results

Variation in the abundances of the yellow‐throated miner appeared to be governed largely by vegetation cover in surrounding landscapes. Summed abundances and richness of birds less massive than the yellow‐throated miner (< 53 g) were negatively associated with abundances of the yellow‐throated miner. Variation in other widely distributed species with larger body masses than the yellow‐throated miner (> 53 g) bird could not explain the patterns of variation in small‐bodied species as well as the yellow‐throated miner. There were no relationships between abundances and richness of larger species and abundances of the yellow‐throated miner.

Main conclusions

The genus Manorina appears to be a competitive despot insofar as species smaller than it are concerned. There now is strong evidence that the local composition of avifaunas over much of a continent is controlled by the indiscriminate aggression of a colonial genus. Many of the existing ideas in community ecology that have been proffered for explaining the composition of vertebrate assemblages are inadequate for these assemblages given the profound influence of species of the genus Manorina. The mooted agricultural expansion of development in northern Australia almost certainly would favour the spread of the yellow‐throated miner and probably will depress the occurrence and abundances of small‐bodied bird species.
Dendrochronological reconstruction of the epicentre and early spread of emerald ash borer inNorthAmerica
Authors: Siegert Nathan W. , McCullough Deborah G. , Liebhold Andrew M. , Telewski Frank W.
Published: April 2014

Aim

Emerald ash borerAgrilus planipenniswas identified in 2002 as the cause of extensive ash (Fraxinusspp.) decline and mortality in Detroit, Michigan, and has since killed millions of ash trees in theUSand Canada. When discovered, it was not clear how long it had been present or at what location the invading colony started. We used dendrochronological methods to document the onset and progression of ash mortality and the spatio‐temporal dynamics of the invasion. Reconstructing the progression of ash mortality serves as a proxy to draw inferences about the colonization and spread of emerald ash borer in North America.

Location

Southeastern Michigan,USA.

Methods

We collected increment cores from dead, declining or non‐symptomatic ash trees on a systematic 4.8 × 4.8 or 2.4 × 2.4 km grid in 2004–2006. Geo‐referenced samples were cross‐dated to determine the earliest date emerald ash borer‐killed trees in each location. Interpolated dates of ash mortality were analysed to determine rates and patterns of emerald ash borer spread across the 1.5 million ha study area.

Results

We identified a location in southeastern Michigan where ash trees were killed by emerald ash borer as early as 1997. Rates of ash mortality subsequently progressed at 3.84 km year−1from 1998 to 2001 and then increased to 12.97 km year−1from 2001 to 2003 as satellite colonies coalesced with the primary infestation. From 1998 to 2003, new satellites formed at a rate of 7.4 per year, with average jump distances of 24.5 km.

Main conclusions

Emerald ash borer was likely established in southeastern Michigan by at least the early to mid‐1990s. Anthropogenic‐aided stratified dispersal and the coalescence of satellite colonies with the primary population resulted in biphasic range expansion, rapidly expanding the footprint of the invasion. Our reconstruction of the emerald ash borer invasion demonstrates this invaders’ remarkable capacity for population growth and spread.
Learning Emergent Strategies Through Design Thinking
Authors: Fixson Sebastian K. , Rao Jay
Published: April 2014

Analyzing a new business opportunity with traditional business tools, which are based on the logic of predictability, can handicap a new project before it even begins. That's why Babson educators teach emergent strategy, and they do it using design thinking.

When the variables are unknown, predicting outcomes a priori with traditional business analytics is often a losing proposition. At Babson College, educators teach emergent strategy, which uses ideation, prototyping, and iteration—tools more familiar to entrepreneurs and design thinkers.
Electrophysiological and behavioural response of Aedes albopictus to n‐heinecosane, an ovipositional pheromone of Aedes aegypti
Authors: Gonzalez Paula V. , González Audino Paola A. , Masuh Héctor M.
Published: April 2014

Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) are highly anthropophilic mosquito species and potential vectors of dengue and yellow fever. The location of suitable sites for oviposition requires a set of visual, tactile, and olfactory cues that influence females before they lay their eggs. In this study, the effect of n‐heneicosane, a recognized oviposition pheromone of Ae. aegypti, on the olfactory receptors of the antennae of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus was studied using electroantennographic detection coupled to gas chromatography (GC‐EAD). A significant electroantennographic response to n‐heneicosane in adult females of both mosquito species was observed. In addition, gravid Ae. albopictus females laid more eggs in substrate treated with n‐heneicosane at 0.1, 1, or 10 p.p.m. than in the control, denoting oviposition attractancy. Conversely, at 30, 50, 100, and 200 p.p.m., more eggs were laid in the control substrate, indicating oviposition repellency. Analysis of the larval cuticle by GC and mass spectrometry confirmed the presence of n‐heneicosane in the cuticles of Ae. albopictus larvae. The species‐specific role of n‐heneicosane as an oviposition pheromone in Ae. aegypti and its significance as a behaviour modifier of Ae. albopictus in breeding sites is discussed.
Cross‐resistance of chrysanthemum to western flower thrips, celery leafminer, and two‐spotted spider mite
Authors: Kos Suzanne P. , Klinkhamer Peter G.L. , Leiss Kirsten A.
Published: April 2014

Chrysanthemum [Chrysanthemum × morifolium Ramat. (Asteraceae)] is one of the economically most important greenhouse ornamentals worldwide. A major constraint in chrysanthemum production is adequate pest management, requiring the use of different tactics, such as improving host plant resistance, in the framework of an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. In this study, we investigated cross‐resistance of chrysanthemum to its three major pests: western flower thrips [Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)], celery leafminer [Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) (Diptera: Agromyzidae)], and two‐spotted spider mite [Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae)]. We quantified resistance to each pest by performing greenhouse bioassays with a broad range of chrysanthemum types from commercial germplasm provided by Dutch breeding companies. Considerable variation was detected among the chrysanthemum cultivars in thrips silver damage and growth damage, leafminer damage, measured as number of mines and pupae, and spider mite numbers and damage. We observed significant positive correlations between thrips damage (both silver and growth damage) vs. leafminer numbers (both mines and pupae), and between leafminer numbers (both mines and pupae) vs. spider mite numbers. Our results indicate an overlap in resistance to all three herbivores. The important implications of this result for chrysanthemum breeding are discussed.
Thinking beyond sickling to better understand pain in sickle cell disease
Authors: Darbari Deepika S. , Ballas Samir K. , Clauw Daniel J.
Published: April 2014

Painful vaso‐occlusive crises (VOCs) are the hallmark of sickle cell disease (SCD); however, many patients experience frequent daily pain that does not follow the pattern of typical VOCs. This pain of variable severity, also referred as persistent pain in the SCD literature, contributes to significant morbidity and poor quality of life and often fails to respond adequately to standard SCD therapies. In this article, we briefly describe types of pain encountered in SCD with a special emphasis on persistent pain. We discuss altered pain processing as a potential contributing mechanism, which may lead to development and maintenance of persistent pain. We describe the advances in the non‐SCD pain field that may help improve the understanding of SCD pain. We highlight the need for further investigation in this area because some of these patients with persistent pain may benefit from receiving adjuvant mechanism‐based therapies used successfully in other non‐SCD chronic pain conditions.
Birth weight and cognition in children with epilepsy
Authors: Jackson Daren C. , Lin Jack J. , Chambers Karlee L. , Kessler‐Jones Alanna , Jones Jana E. , Hsu David A. , Stafstrom Carl E. , Seidenberg Michael , Hermann Bruce P.
Published: April 2014

Objective

Birth weight is an important indicator of prenatal environment, and subtle variations of birth weight within the normal range have been associated with differential risk for cognitive and behavioral problems. Therefore, we aimed to determine if there are differences in birth weight between full‐term children with uncomplicated new/recent‐onset epilepsies and typically developing healthy controls. We further examined the relationships between birth weight and childhood/adolescent cognition, behavior, and academic achievement.

Methods

One hundred eight children with new‐onset/recent‐onset epilepsy and 70 healthy controls underwent neuropsychological assessment. All participants were born full‐term (>37 weeks) without birth complications. Parents were interviewed regarding their child's gestation, birth, and neurodevelopmental history.

Results

Birth weight of children with epilepsy was significantly lower than healthy controls (p = 0.023). Whereas birth weight (covaried with age, sex, handedness, and mother's education) was significantly associated with cognition in controls in multiple domains (intelligence, language, aspects of academic achievement), this relationship was absent in children with epilepsy. Birth weight was not associated with clinical epilepsy variables (age of onset, epilepsy syndrome) and was not predictive of a variety of other academic or psychiatric comorbidities of epilepsy.

Significance

Although the origin of lower birth weight in children with epilepsy is unknown, these findings raise the possibility that abnormal prenatal environment may affect childhood‐onset epilepsy. Furthermore, the positive relationship between birth weight and cognition evident in healthy controls was disrupted in children with epilepsy. However, birth weight was not related to academic and psychiatric comorbidities of childhood epilepsy.

A PowerPoint slide summarizing this article is available for download in the Supporting Information section here.
Epilepsy surgery and meaningful improvements in quality of life: Results from a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Fiest Kirsten M. , Sajobi Tolulope T. , Wiebe Samuel
Published: April 2014

Objective

We examine improvement and worsening in quality of life (QOL) in terms of proportions achieving minimum clinically important change (MCID), and factors related to MCID, in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy randomized to medical or surgical treatment.

Methods

Eighty patients with temporal lobe epilepsy randomized to surgical (n1 = 40) or medical (n2 = 40) therapy were followed for 12 months, reporting QOL at baseline, and at 6 and 12 months. Previously established thresholds for MCID across various general and epilepsy‐specific QOL instruments were used to determine meaningful improvement (positive MCID) or worsening (negative MCID). Generalized linear mixed‐effects models were used to compare MCID in both groups.

Results

At 6 months, 56.0% of patients in the surgical group achieved positive MCID on the Quality of Life in Epilepsy (QOLIE)‐89, as compared to 11.0% of those in the medical group (p < 0.001). On the QOLIE‐31, 62.0% of the surgical group and 17.0% of the medical group achieved positive MCID (p < 0.001). Substantially more medically treated patients exhibited clinically significant worsening in QOL, as compared with those surgically treated. The respective medical versus surgical proportions with worsening were 36.67% versus 13.8% in QOLIE31, 20% versus 15% in Health Utility Index‐III (HUI‐III), and 30% versus 19% in Short Form‐36 (SF‐36) Mental Composite Score (MCS). The number of patients who need to undergo surgery for one additional person to have a meaningful improvement in the QOLIE‐31 is two (number needed to treat = 2). The results also favored surgery using the generic HUI‐III instrument, but not with the mental of physical function subscales of the SF‐36.

Significance

Significantly more patients in the surgical group achieved meaningful improvement in epilepsy‐specific measures of QOL at 6 and 12 months compared to those in the medical group. Substantially more patients in the medical therapy group exhibited clinically significant worsening in their QOL assessed with epilepsy‐specific and generic instruments.

A PowerPoint slide summarizing this article is available for download in the Supporting Information section here.
From Ghosts to Ancestors (and Back Again): On the Cultural and Psychodynamic Mediation of Selfscapes
Authors: Hollan Douglas
Published: April 2014

In this article, I use the retelling of a dream experience from a Toraja elder to illustrate how cultural and psychodynamic factors combine and intertwine to mediate self‐other and intraself relationships. I use the concept of “selfscapes” to suggest how dynamic, fluid, and contingent self‐other distinctions often are but also to capture the perduring aspects of memory and self‐organization that are sometimes lost or underemphasized by the strong focus on intersubjectivity in the social sciences today. My analysis builds on some of A. Irving Hallowell's seminal ideas about how psychodynamic theories and concepts might be used to enrich and extend cultural phenomenological analysis.
Changing Cultural Pathways through Gender Role and Sexual Development: A Theoretical Framework
Authors: Manago Adriana M. , Greenfield Patricia M. , Kim Janna L. , Ward L. Monique
Published: April 2014

Greenfield's () theory linking sociodemographic change to dynamic cultural values for family interdependence versus individual independence is applied to sexual and gender role socialization and development. The theory explains how cultural pathways for sexual and gender‐role development transform in concert with sociodemographic changes: urbanization, formal schooling, capitalism, and communication technologies. As environments become more urban, commercial, and technological, with more opportunities for formal education, sexual development moves away from the ideals of procreation and family responsibility and toward the ideals of personal pleasure and personal responsibility. At the same time, gender‐role development moves away from the ideals of complementary and ascribed gender roles and toward chosen and equal gender roles. We present psychological, anthropological, and sociological evidence for these trends in a variety of communities undergoing social and ecological change.
Influence of river discharge on recreational harvest of paddlefish
Authors: Neely B. C. , Pracheil B. M. , Lynott S. T.
Published: April 2014

The Neosho River at Chetopa Dam, Kansas, USA, supports a tailwater paddlefish, Polyodon spathula (Walbaum), snag fishery that is open annually to harvest from 15 March to 15 May and managed to provide anglers with maximum catch. Paddlefish inhabiting this portion of the river are presumed upstream spawning migrants from Grand Lake of the Cherokees, Oklahoma. Angler success in a paddlefish snag fishery is dependent on fish density, a factor that is likely influenced by river hydrology. However, links between river flow regime and angler harvest remain largely unquantified. In this study, hydrological factors that significantly affected paddlefish harvest were identified by regressing paddlefish harvest data from 1992 to 2005 against discharge variables. Two variables describing number of days discharge exceeded a critical threshold that allowed fish to pass a migratory barrier and frequency of discharge increases following decreases combined to explain 53% of variation in harvest. These results can be applied to promote more effective management of this population through increased understanding of relationships between hydrology and harvest. Specifically, anglers can be informed of factors leading to increased harvest in an attempt to increase satisfaction, and cooperating agencies can use these results to develop future water management plans in an effort to increase harvest.