bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Material Provenance of Medieval Stone Babas from the Collection of the Dnipropetrovsk Historical Museum
Authors: Nikitenko I. , Kutsevol M.
Published: April 2018

Petrographic research into the medieval stone stelae (babas) of the Dnipropetrovsk Historical Museum collection was carried out. Most of the items belonged to the medieval nomadic Polovtsians (Cumans, Kipchaks). The probable areas of stone mining were established. It was reaffirmed that the raw materials of the vast majority of the collection of statues are sandstones from the Donets Ridge territory and limestones from the Lower Dnipro area of Ukraine. Granitoids and sandstones from the Middle Dnipro area were also used. Thus, the Polovtsians could both deliver statues or blocks from Donets Ridge to the Dnipro area and use local stone materials.
The Artisan and the Tool: a Technological–Functional Analysis of Tlaxcallan Spindle Whorls
Authors: Ibarra T. E. , López Corral A. , Santacruz Cano R.
Published: April 2018

This work analyses the technological–functional performance of 283 archaeological spindle whorls from the site of Tepeticpac, Tlaxcala, Mexico, a Late Postclassic (ad 1250/1300–1519) state‐level political entity from highland Mesoamerica. We evaluate spindle whorl morphology and their performance associated with different fibre processing and thread quality production. Statistical analysis, in conjunction with an experimental study, supports the existence of two large groups of archaeological whorls, which can be correlated with two spinning techniques. Also, we found an association between thread quality and artisan's skill. The methodology developed here is applicable and comparable to samples from Mesoamerican and worldwide archaeological sites.
On thin ice: Assembling a resilient service hub
Authors: Evans Joshua , Collins Damian , Chai Cher‐Ann
Published: April 2018

Inner‐city service hubs are vital spaces of survival for homeless populations. They are also vulnerable to gentrification‐induced displacement, putting the populations they serve at increased risk. This paper contributes to recent work on the resilience of inner‐city service hubs through a case study of Edmonton, Canada. Specifically, we theorise the assemblage‐like qualities of Edmonton's service hub, in the context of a major urban redevelopment project. As a heterogeneous grouping of different spaces of care, service hubs lend themselves well to assemblage thinking. Viewed from this vantage point, service hubs can been seen as relational achievements, assembled through articulations among voluntary sector, private and government organisations. We demonstrate how these articulations express multiple practices, ideals and values and add to the spatial resilience of the service hub in historically and spatially contingent ways.
Are people more prejudiced towards groups that are perceived as coherent? A meta‐analysis of the relationship between out‐group entitativity and prejudice
Authors: Agadullina Elena R. , Lovakov Andrey V.
Published: April 2018

A meta‐analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between out‐group entitativity and prejudice. A quantitative analysis of 85 effect sizes from 33 independent samples showed a significant positive relationship between entitativity and prejudice (Fisher's z = .414, 95% CI [0.272, 0.557], p < .0001). Three possible moderators of the relationship between entitativity and prejudice were tested: conceptualization of the entitativity (essence‐based entitativity scale, agency‐based entitativity scale, common entitativity scale), the target of the prejudice, and the measures of prejudice (attitudes, emotions, behaviour towards out‐group). Results demonstrated that out‐group entitativity correlated with prejudice only when entitativity was conceptualized as an essence‐based or common‐based scale, and prejudice was measured as the attitude to the out‐group. The target of prejudice does not moderate the relationship between entitativity and prejudice.
FcεRI expression and IgE binding by dendritic cells and basophils in allergic rhinitis and upon allergen immunotherapy
Authors: Berings M. , Gevaert P. , De Ruyck N. , Derycke L. , Holtappels G. , Pilette C. , Bachert C. , Lambrecht B. N. , Dullaers M.
Published: April 2018

Background

In humans, both basophils and dendritic cells (DCs) express the high‐affinity IgE receptor (FcεRI).

Objective

To gain more insight into the relation between serum IgE levels and FcεRI expression and IgE binding by DCs and basophils in house dust mite (HDM) allergy and during subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT).

Methods

We measured FcεRI, IgE and HDM allergen on DCs (conventional type 2 DCs, cDC2s; plasmacytoid dendritic cells, pDCs) and basophils by flow cytometry in 22 non‐allergic vs 52 allergic subjects and upon HDM SCIT in 28 allergic subjects. IgE levels were measured in serum.

Results

Serum IgE correlated differentially with FcεRI expression and IgE binding depending on cell type and allergic status. In non‐allergic subjects, FcεRI/IgE surface densities increased with serum IgE to a significantly stronger degree on basophils compared to cDC2s. By contrast, in allergic subjects FcεRI/IgE surface densities increased with serum IgE to a slightly stronger degree on cDC2s compared to basophils. In addition, the data set suggests sequential loading of IgE onto FcεRI expressed by these cells (basophils>cDC2s>pDCs). Finally, HDM SCIT induced a temporary increase in serum IgE, which was paralleled by a peak in FcεRI and IgE on DCs, but not on basophils.

Conclusions & Clinical Relevance

This study provides a comprehensive insight into the relation between serum IgE and FcεRI/IgE on basophils and DC subsets. The novel finding that HDM SCIT induces a temporary increase in FcεRI expression on DCs, but not on basophils, can be an incentive for future research on the potential tolerogenic role of IgE/FcεRI signalling in DCs in the setting of allergen immunotherapy.
The role of pericardial adipose tissue in the heart of obese minipigs
Authors: Wang Chia‐Yu , Li Sin‐Jin , Wu Twin‐Way , Lin Han‐Jen , Chen Jyun‐Wei , Mersmann Harry J. , Ding Shih‐Torng , Chen Ching‐Yi
Published: April 2018

Background

Pericardial adipose tissue (PAT) volume is highly associated with the presence and severity of cardiometabolic diseases, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. We previously demonstrated that a high‐fat diet (HFD) induced metabolic dysregulation, cardiac fibrosis and accumulation of more PAT in minipigs. This study used our obese minipig model to investigate the characteristics of PAT and omental visceral fat (VAT) induced by a HFD, and the potential link between PAT and HFD‐related myocardial fibrosis.

Materials and methods

Five‐month‐old Lee‐Sung minipigs were made obese by feeding a HFD for 6 months.

Results

The HFD induced dyslipidemia, cardiac fibrosis and more fat accumulation in the visceral and pericardial depots. The HFD changes the fatty acid composition in the adipose tissue by decreasing the portion of linoleic acid in the VAT and PAT. No arachidonic acid was detected in the VAT and PAT of control pigs, whereas it existed in the same tissues of obese pigs fed the HFD. Compared with the control pigs, elevated levels of malondialdehyde and TNFα were exhibited in the plasma and PAT of obese pigs. HFD induced greater size of adipocytes in VAT and PAT. Higher levels of GH, leptin, OPG, PDGF, resistin, SAA and TGFβ were observed in obese pig PAT compared to VAT.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated the similarities and dissimilarities between PAT and VAT under HFD stimulus. In addition, this study suggested that alteration in PAT contributed to the myocardial damage.
Decline of Paulownia tomentosa caused by Trametes hirsuta in Serbia
Authors: Milenković I. , Tomšovský M. , Karadžić D. , Veselinović M.
Published: April 2018

During the monitoring of the health status of nurseries and plantations in Serbia, a decline in a 5‐year‐old Paulownia tomentosa plantation was recorded. Trees displayed symptoms of dieback, massive breaking at different positions, the appearance of decay and fungal fruitbodies at the stems. Using standard isolation methods, white colonies with cottony surfaces and regular growth were obtained from the decaying wood samples, and after the oxidation degree analysis, it was determined that these isolates belonged to Davidson's group 6, indicating white rot basidiomycetes. To identify the isolated fungus, the ITS region of one selected isolate was sequenced. Based on the morphological analysis of the obtained colonies, collected fruitbodies and ITS sequence analysis, this fungus was identified as Trametes hirsuta. This is the first report of T. hirsuta on Paulownia tomentosa in Serbia. Irregularly performed pruning as the possible infection route and the implications of these findings are discussed.
Role of chronic kidney disease and atrial fibrillation in outcomes of patients with ischemic stroke
Authors: Khan A. A. , Lip G. Y. H.
Published: April 2018

Click here to view the accompanying paper in this volume.
Characterisation and reactivity continuum of dissolved organic matter in forested headwater catchments of Andean Patagonia
Authors: Garcia Roberto Daniel , Diéguez María del Carmen , Gerea Marina , Garcia Patricia Elizabeth , Reissig Mariana
Published: April 2018

Terrestrial inputs of dissolved organic matter (DOM) make a significant contribution to the carbon pool of headwaters and the reactivity of this pool depends on its source and diagenetic state, being influenced by photochemical and biological processes. The main goal of this study was to characterise the composition and reactivity of soil and leaf litter DOM from a native forest of Nothofagus pumilio (Nothofagaceae), and from natural stream water, evaluating the effect of degradation processes.

Photo‐ and biodegradation laboratory experiments were conducted using DOM leached from soil and leaf litter, while the impact of photodegradation alone was also analysed through laboratory assays using stream water. The effects of photo‐ and biodegradation were evaluated through changes in the concentration of dissolved organic and inorganic carbon (DOC and DIC, respectively) and optical DOM proxies (absorbance and fluorescence).

In the initial characterisation, DOM from soil and water leachates showed naturally high humification, aromaticity and lignin content compared with the DOM of leaf litter leachate rich in non‐humic compounds.

Photo‐ and biodegradation increased humification of the DOM. DOM from leaf litter leachate was more bioavailable than DOM from soil leachate, as reflected by the higher growth of bacteria, DOC consumption and DIC production. In general, biodegradation increased DOM molecular weight, aromaticity and lignin content. Changes in fluorescent DOM (FDOM) showed a trend characterised by the loss of labile protein‐like compounds and an increase in refractory humic‐like components.

Long‐rod shaped bacteria were more abundant in leaf litter leachate, suggesting their preference for labile DOM, whereas cocci dominated in the humic and more biorecalcitrant DOM from soil leachate.

This study showed a continuum of DOM humification, with decreasing DOM reactivity from leaf litter leachate towards soil leachate and stream water. Soil leachate DOM was probably the main source of stream water DOM, as reflected by their similar signatures and close positioning in the reactivity continuum, although carbon mineralisation was much lower in soil leachate than stream water.
Heat waves and their significance for a temperate benthic community: A near‐natural experimental approach
Authors: Pansch Christian , Scotti Marco , Barboza Francisco R. , Al‐Janabi Balsam , Brakel Janina , Briski Elizabeta , Bucholz Björn , Franz Markus , Ito Maysa , Paiva Filipa , Saha Mahasweta , Sawall Yvonne , Weinberger Florian , Wahl Martin
Published: April 2018

Climate change will not only shift environmental means but will also increase the intensity of extreme events, exerting additional stress on ecosystems. While field observations on the ecological consequences of heat waves are emerging, experimental evidence is rare, and lacking at the community level. Using a novel “near‐natural” outdoor mesocosms approach, this study tested whether marine summer heat waves have detrimental consequences for macrofauna of a temperate coastal community, and whether sequential heat waves provoke an increase or decrease of sensitivity to thermal stress. Three treatments were applied, defined and characterized through a statistical analysis of 15 years of temperature records from the experimental site: (1) no heat wave, (2) two heat waves in June and July followed by a summer heat wave in August and (3) the summer heat wave only. Overall, 50% of the species showed positive, negative or positive/negative responses in either abundance and/or biomass. We highlight four possible ways in which single species responded to either three subsequent heat waves or one summer heat wave: (1) absence of a response (tolerance, 50% of species), (2) negative accumulative effects by three subsequent heat waves (tellinid bivalve), (3) buffering by proceeding heat waves due to acclimation and/or shifts in phenology (spionid polychaete) and (4) an accumulative positive effect by subsequent heat waves (amphipod). The differential responses to single or sequential heat waves at the species level entailed shifts at the community level. Community‐level differences between single and triple heat waves were more pronounced than those between regimes with vs. without heat waves. Detritivory was reduced by the single heat wave while suspension feeding was less common in the triple heat wave regime. Critical extreme events occur already today and will occur more frequently in a changing climate, thus, leading to detrimental impacts on coastal marine systems.
Promoting oral health care among people living in residential aged care facilities: Perceptions of care staff
Authors: Villarosa Amy R. , Clark Sally , Villarosa Ariana C. , Patterson Norrie Tiffany , Macdonald Susan , Anlezark Jennifer , Srinivas Ravi , George Ajesh
Published: April 2018

Objective

This study aimed to look at the practices and perspectives of residential aged care facility (RACF) care staff regarding the provision of oral health care in RACFs.

Background

Emphasis has been placed on the provision of adequate oral health care in RACFs through the Better Oral Health in Residential Aged Care programme. Endorsed by the Australian government, this programme provided oral health education and training for aged care staff. However, recent evidence suggests that nearly five years after the implementation of this programme, the provision of oral care in RACFs in NSW remains inadequate.

Materials and Methods

This project utilised an exploratory qualitative design which involved a focus group with 12 RACF care staff. Participants were asked to discuss the current oral health practices in their facility, and their perceived barriers to providing oral health care.

Results

The key findings demonstrated current oral health practices and challenges among care staff. Most care staff had received oral health training and demonstrated positive attitudes towards providing dental care. However, some participants identified that ongoing and regular training was necessary to inform practice and raise awareness among residents. Organisational constraints and access to dental services also limited provision of dental care while a lack of standardised guidelines created confusion in defining their role as oral healthcare providers in the RACF.

Conclusion

This study highlighted the need for research and strategies that focus on capacity building care staff in oral health care and improving access of aged care residents to dental services.
Decreasing rates of acute myocardial infarction in people living with HIV: a nationwide cohort study in Spain, 2004–2015
Authors: Masiá M , Padilla S , García JA , Bernardino JI , Campins AA , Asensi V , Gutiérrez F ,   for the Cohort of HIV Adults of the AIDS Research Network (CoRIS) study
Published: April 2018

Objectives

Contemporary data from country‐wide cohorts are needed to reveal trends in the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in people living with HIV (PLWH). We analysed time trends in the standardized incidence rate (sIR) of AMI in PLWH in Spain from 2004 to 2015, and compared them with trends in the general population.

Methods

A longitudinal study in a nationwide contemporary multicentre HIV‐infected cohort was carried out. Data on all incident AMI events were collected, and age‐ and sex‐standardized IRs calculated. To analyse the IR of AMI in the general population, the national rates of hospital discharges for AMI per 100 000 inhabitants stratified for age and sex from 2004 to 2015 were obtained using the morbidity report data from the National Statistics Institute. A Poisson regression model was fitted to assess the effect of covariates of interest on AMI occurrence.

Results

The sIRs of AMI in 2004–2015 were 237.92 [95% confidence interval (CI) 225.95–249.90] and 66.75 (95% CI: 23.49–110.01) per 100 000 patient‐years in male and female PLWH, respectively. There was a decrease in the sIR of AMI in male PLWH from 279.02 (95% CI: 265.46–292.59) per 100 000 person‐years in 2004–2009 to 222.13 (95% CI: 210.83–233.42) per 100 000 person‐years in 2010–2015. Compared with the general population, the sIR ratio was 1.41 (95% CI: 1.26–1.55) in 2004–2009, and 1.28 (95% CI: 1.15–1.43) in 2010–2014. AMI occurrence was associated with older age (P < 0.066 for each 10‐year age stratum ≥ 35‐years compared with the 25‐34 year stratum), higher plasma HIV RNA (P < 0.001), lower CD4 count (P < 0.04 for CD4 strata > 350 cells/μL compared with the 0‐100 cells/μL stratum), and the period 2004–2009 (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

There has been a decreasing incidence of AMI in PLWH in Spain, associated with improving immune and virological status, but the incidence of AMI has remained higher than in the general population.
Evaluating the characteristics of the grieving process in people with intellectual disability
Authors: Alcedo Rodríguez M. Ángeles , Cristóbal Fernández Leticia , Gómez Sánchez Laura E. , Arias González Víctor B.
Published: April 2018

Background

The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics associated with the grieving process among a population with intellectual disability and the influence of particular variables.

Materials and Methods

The sample was composed of 380 participants with intellectual disability, on whose behalf 149 professionals completed a 20‐item questionnaire with four Likert‐type answer options, developed to evaluate the grieving process:Inventory of Grief and Coping Strategies in Intellectual Disability(IGCS‐ID).

Results

The IGCS‐ID shows adequate levels of reliability. It covers three dimensions: understanding of the concept of death, coping with the loss and post‐bereavement reactions. The level of intellectual disability, the time elapsed since the loss and the residential setting gave rise to significant differences in the three dimensions based on the participants.

Conclusion

An assessment of the grieving process would help to put in place effective resources to help people with intellectual disability overcome the loss and cope with the changes that it brings.
A common regulatory variant in SLC35B4 influences the recurrence and survival of prostate cancer
Authors: Huang Eric Y. , Chang Yu‐Jia , Huang Shu‐Pin , Lin Victor C. , Yu Chia‐Cheng , Huang Chao‐Yuan , Yin Hsin‐Ling , Chang Ta‐Yuan , Lu Te‐Ling , Bao Bo‐Ying
Published: April 2018

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the regulatory elements of a gene can alter gene expression, making these SNPs of prime importance for candidate gene association studies. We aimed to determine whether such regulatory variants are associated with clinical outcomes in three cohorts of patients with prostate cancer. We used RegulomeDB to identify potential regulatory variants based on in silico predictions and reviewed genome‐wide experimental findings. Overall, 131 putative regulatory SNPs with the highest confidence score on predicted functionality were investigated in two independent localized prostate cancer cohorts totalling 458 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy. The statistically significant SNPs identified in these two cohorts were then tested in an additional cohort of 504 patients with advanced prostate cancer. We identified one regulatory SNPs, rs1646724, that are consistently associated with increased risk of recurrence in localized disease (P = .003) and mortality in patients with advanced prostate cancer (P = .032) after adjusting for known clinicopathological factors. Further investigation revealed that rs1646724 may affect expression of SLC35B4, which encodes a glycosyltransferase, and that down‐regulation of SLC35B4 by transfecting short hairpin RNA in DU145 human prostate cancer cell suppressed proliferation, migration and invasion. Furthermore, we found increased SLC35B4 expression correlated with more aggressive forms of prostate cancer and poor patient prognosis. Our study provides robust evidence that regulatory genetic variants can affect clinical outcomes.
Breaking‐up within Europe: Sub‐state Nationalist Strategies in Multilevel Polities
Authors: Cetrà Daniel , Liñeira Robert
Published: April 2018

This article examines sub‐state nationalist strategies in relation to European integration in the Basque Country, Catalonia, Flanders and Scotland. First, we discuss the impact of European and economic integration on sovereignty and the cost of independence for small nations. Second, we compare the support for the European project in our four territories. We stress that European integration is a divisive issue in British politics but fundamentally consensual in the other cases. Third, we examine the European strategies of sub‐state nationalist parties. We distinguish between two broad strategies, one maximizing regional influence in the EU and the other promoting independence within the EU. Regarding the latter, we focus on the cases of Scotland and Catalonia, where sub‐state nationalist parties currently seek independence.
The Rise of Regional Influence in the EU – From Soft Policy Lobbying to Hard Vetoing
Authors: Tatham Michaël
Published: April 2018

Initially unfolding in parallel ways, the Europeanization and the regionalization of politics have increasingly intersected. Regional authorities have organized themselves to affect policy developments at the supranational level. They do so through the internal restructuring of their administrations, by carrying lobbying activities directly in Brussels, but also by institutionalizing and sometimes constitutionalizing their authority over their Member State's EU position. In other words, both their informal and formal influence over EU affairs has grown. The relevance of these trends is illustrated by recent events such as the Wallonia parliament holding up the EU–Canada trade deal. This case highlights how the nature of both subnational and supranational politics has changed over time. International trade deals used to be considered as ‘high politics’, remote from the immediate concerns of regional bodies and well beyond their formal reach. The Wallonia case illustrates this is no longer so.
Early warm‐rewarding parenting moderates the genetic contributions to callous–unemotional traits in childhood
Authors: Henry Jeffrey , Dionne Ginette , Viding Essi , Vitaro Frank , Brendgen Mara , Tremblay Richard E. , Boivin Michel
Published: April 2018

Background

Previous gene–environment interaction studies of CU traits have relied on the candidate gene approach, which does not account for the entire genetic load of complex phenotypes. Moreover, these studies have not examined the role of positive environmental factors such as warm/rewarding parenting. The aim of the present study was to determine whether early warm/rewarding parenting moderates the genetic contributions (i.e., heritability) to callous–unemotional (CU) traits at school age.

Methods

Data were collected in a population sample of 662 twin pairs (Quebec Newborn Twin Study – QNTS). Mothers reported on their warm/rewarding parenting. Teachers assessed children's CU traits. These reports were subjected to twin modeling.

Results

Callous–unemotional traits were highly heritable, with the remaining variance accounted for by nonshared environmental factors. Warm/rewarding parenting significantly moderated the role of genes in CU traits; heritability was lower when children received high warm/rewarding parenting than when they were exposed to low warm/rewarding parenting.

Conclusions

High warm/rewarding parenting may partly impede the genetic expression of CU traits. Developmental models of CU traits need to account for such gene–environment processes.
Modeling of soybean hydration as a Stefan problem: Boundary immobilization method
Authors: Nicolin Douglas Junior , da Silva Gisleine E. C. , Jorge Regina Maria Matos , Jorge e Luiz Mario de Matos
Published: April 2018

In the present work, the mathematical modeling of the soybean hydration process is presented, considering the increase in the grain radius by Stefan problem approach. The boundary immobilization method was used in the model to take into account the spatial mesh variation caused by the diffusion of moisture in the grains. The results provided by the model show its quality when compared with experimental data, both for the adequacy of the predictions for moisture data over time and for the adequacy of grain radius increase predictions over time, for five different temperatures. The presented methodology showed improvements on results already reported in the literature.

Practical applications

The approach presented in this article allows one to fit diffusivity values for soybean hydration by taking into account a phenomenon commonly observed in this process: the increase of the grains during water absorption. Thus, it is expected the diffusivities to be more realistic and precise, improving the project of equipment. Since the model proposed provide the increase of the grains along the hydration process, an estimation of the increase of a higher amount of the grains could be obtained as well. Such estimation is relevant due to the considerable increase that grains suffer after absorbing water.
Age‐Related Differences in Reperfusion Therapy and Outcomes for ST‐Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Turk Julien , Fourny Magali , Yayehd Komlavi , Picard Nicolas , Ageron François‐Xavier , Boussat Bastien , Belle Loïc , Vanzetto Gérald , Puymirat Etienne , Labarère José , Debaty Guillaume
Published: April 2018

Objectives

To compare timely access to reperfusion therapy and outcomes according to age of older adults with ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEM) managed within an integrated regional system of care.

Design

Ongoing, prospective, regional, hospital‐based clinical registry.

Setting

Twenty‐three public and private hospitals in the Northern Alps in France.

Participants

Individuals presenting with STEMI evolving for less than 12 hours from symptom onset between January 2009 and December 2015 (N=4,813; 3,716 (77.2%) <75, 782 (16.2%) 75–84, 315 (6.5%) ≥85).

Measurements

Delivery of any reperfusion therapy (primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), intravenous fibrinolysis), primary PCI, and timely reperfusion therapy and in‐hospital outcomes.

Results

The percentages of patients receiving any reperfusion therapy were 92.9% for those younger than 75, 89.0% for those aged 75 to 84, and 78.7% for those aged 85 and older (P < .001). The percentages of patients undergoing primary PCI were 63.7%, 70.3%, 72.4% (P < .001); and the percentages of patients receiving timely delivery of reperfusion therapy were 44.6%, 36.8%, 29.9% (P < .001). In‐hospital all‐cause mortality was 3.4% for those younger than 75, 10.2% for those aged 75 to 84, and 19.8% for those aged 85 and older (P <.001). In multivariable analysis adjusting for baseline characteristics, timely delivery of reperfusion therapy was associated with lower in‐hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio=0.63, 95% confidence interval=0.46–0.85) with no significant heterogeneity between age groups (P‐value for interaction = .45).

Conclusion

Older adults meeting contemporary eligibility criteria for reperfusion therapy continue to receive delayed reperfusion therapy and experience higher mortality than their younger counterparts.
Stress, alcohol and infection during early development: A brief review of common outcomes and mechanisms
Authors: Surkin P. N. , Brenhouse H. , Deak T. , Liberman A. C. , Lasaga M.
Published: April 2018

Although stress is an adaptive physiological response to deal with adverse conditions, its occurrence during the early stages of life, such as infancy or adolescence, can induce adaptations in multiple physiological systems, including the reproductive axis, the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis, the limbic cortex and the immune system. These early changes have consequences in adult life, as seen in the physiological and behavioural responses to stress. This review highlights the impact of several stress challenges incurred at various stages of development (perinatal, juvenile, adolescent periods) and how the developmental timing of early‐life stress confers unique physiological adaptations that may persist across the lifespan. In doing so, we emphasise how intrinsic sex differences in the stress response might contribute to sex‐specific vulnerabilities, the molecular processes underlying stress in the adult, and potential therapeutic interventions to mitigate the effects of early stage stress, including the novel molecular mechanism of SUMOylation as a possible key target of HPA regulation during early‐life stress.
Up‐regulation of hypothalamic arginine vasopressin by peripherally administered furosemide in transgenic rats expressing arginine vasopressin‐enhanced green fluorescent protein
Authors: Ueno H. , Yoshimura M. , Tanaka K. , Nishimura H. , Nishimura K. , Sonoda S. , Motojima Y. , Saito R. , Maruyama T. , Miyamoto T. , Serino R. , Tamura M. , Onaka T. , Otsuji Y. , Ueta Y.
Published: April 2018

Furosemide, which is used worldwide as a diuretic agent, inhibits sodium reabsorption in Henle's loop, resulting in diuresis and natriuresis. Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is synthesised in the supraoptic nucleus (SON), paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. The synthesis of AVP in the magnocellular neurones of SON and PVN is physiologically regulated by plasma osmolality and blood volume and contributes to water homeostasis by increasing water reabsorption in the collecting duct. Central AVP dynamics after peripheral administration of furosemide remain unclear. In the present study, we investigated the effects of i.p. administration of furosemide (20 mg kg−1) on hypothalamic AVP using transgenic rats expressing AVP‐enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) under the AVP promoter. The i.p. administration of furosemide did not affect plasma osmolality in the present study; however, eGFP in the SON and magnocellular divisions of the PVN (mPVN) was significantly increased after furosemide administration compared to the control. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed Fos‐like immunoreactivity (‐IR) in eGFP‐positive neurones in the SON and mPVN 90 minutes after i.p. administration of furosemide, and AVP heteronuclear RNA and eGFP mRNA levels were significantly increased. These furosemide‐induced changes were not observed in the suprachiasmatic AVP neurones. Furthermore, furosemide induced a remarkable increase in Fos‐IR in the organum vasculosum laminae terminals, median preoptic nucleus, subfornical organ, locus coeruleus, nucleus of the solitary tract and rostral ventrolateral medulla after i.p. administration of furosemide. In conclusion, we were able to visualise and quantitatively evaluate AVP‐eGFP synthesis and neuronal activation after peripheral administration of furosemide using AVP‐eGFP transgenic rats. The results of the present study may provide new insights and help clarify the physiological mechanisms underlying the body fluid homeostasis induced by furosemide.
Do Merger Efficiencies Always Mitigate Price Increases?
Authors: Chen Zhiqi , Li Gang
Published: April 2018

In a Cournot model with differentiated products, we demonstrate that merger efficiencies in the form of lower marginal costs for the merging firms (the insiders) lead to higher post‐merger prices under certain conditions. Specifically, when the degree of substitutability between the two insiders is not too high relative to that between an insider and an outsider, increased efficiencies may exert upward rather than downward pressure on the prices of the merging firms. Our results suggest that in cases where firms engage in quantity competition, antitrust authorities should not presume that efficiencies will necessarily mitigate the anticompetitive effects of the merger.
Is a Big Entrant a Threat to Incumbents? The Role of Demand Substitutability in Competition Among the Big and the Small
Authors: Pan Lijun , Hanazono Makoto
Published: April 2018

We establish a model of market competition between large and small firms and investigate the way in which demand substitutability affects how the entry of big firms impacts incumbents. We focus on the relative strength of two opposing effects of entry on large incumbent firms’ demand: the direct substitution effect among large firms (negative) and the indirect feedback effect through the change in small firms’ aggregated behavior (positive). If the substitutability between large and small firms is sufficiently high, the indirect effect dominates the direct effect and large incumbents’ equilibrium prices and profits increase. We show that welfare effects are ambiguous, which calls for careful assessment when regulating large firms’ entry.
Additive Manufacturing Technologies Used for Processing Polymers: Current Status and Potential Application in Prosthetic Dentistry
Authors: Revilla‐León Marta , Özcan Mutlu
Published: April 2018

There are 7 categories of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, and a wide variety of materials can be used to build a CAD 3D object. The present article reviews the main AM processes for polymers for dental applications: stereolithography (SLA), digital light processing (DLP), material jetting (MJ), and material extrusion (ME). The manufacturing process, accuracy, and precision of these methods will be reviewed, as well as their prosthodontic applications.
The effect of phloretin on synaptic proteins and adult hippocampal neurogenesis in Aβ (1-42)-injected male Wistar rats
Authors: Ghumatkar Priya , Peshattiwar Vaibhavi , Patil Sachin , Muke Suraj , Whitfield David , Howlett David , Francis Paul , Sathaye Sadhana
Published: April 2018

Objectives

Considering the deleterious effect of Aβ1-42, a study was designed to evaluate the effect of phloretin on altered synaptic proteins and adult hippocampal neurogenesis in Aβ1-42-injected Wistar rats.

Methods

The rats were pretreated with 5 mg/kg p.o dose of phloretin and donepezil (positive control) for 28 days, followed by intrahippocampal injections of aggregated Aβ1-42. After termination, perfused brains were isolated and subjected to Western blot and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis.

Key findings

The Western blot revealed that Aβ1-42-injected rats had significantly low levels of synaptophysin as compared to sham control. Phloretin pretreatment significantly protected the presynaptic protein synaptophysin against the effects of Aβ1-42. There were no significant changes in the levels of PSD95 between different groups. The IHC findings showed that Aβ1-42 significantly reduced the Ki67 and DCX in the dentate gyrus as compared to sham control. However, phloretin significantly improved the number of Ki67- and DCX-positive neurons in the dentate gyrus region as compared to Aβ1-42 group.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated the protective effect of phloretin on synaptophysin and adult neuronal proliferating cells in Aβ1-42-injected rats. The encouraging findings highlight the potential of phloretin as a dietary supplement targeting key therapeutic mechanisms in neurodegenerative disorders such as AD.
Disruptive Innovation: Conceptual Foundations, Empirical Evidence, and Research Opportunities in the Digital Age
Authors: Hopp Christian , Antons David , Kaminski Jermain , Oliver Salge Torsten
Published: April 2018

See virtual issue: Disruptive Innovation
A qualitative signature for early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma based on relative expression orderings
Authors: Ao Lu , Zhang Zimei , Guan Qingzhou , Guo Yating , Guo You , Zhang Jiahui , Lv Xingwei , Huang Haiyan , Zhang Huarong , Wang Xianlong , Guo Zheng
Published: April 2018

Background & Aims

Currently, using biopsy specimens to confirm suspicious liver lesions of early hepatocellular carcinoma are not entirely reliable because of insufficient sampling amount and inaccurate sampling location. It is necessary to develop a signature to aid early hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis using biopsy specimens even when the sampling location is inaccurate.

Methods

Based on the within‐sample relative expression orderings of gene pairs, we identified a simple qualitative signature to distinguish both hepatocellular carcinoma and adjacent non‐tumour tissues from cirrhosis tissues of non‐hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Results

A signature consisting of 19 gene pairs was identified in the training data sets and validated in 2 large collections of samples from biopsy and surgical resection specimens. For biopsy specimens, 95.7% of 141 hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and all (100%) of 108 cirrhosis tissues of non‐hepatocellular carcinoma patients were correctly classified. Especially, all (100%) of 60 hepatocellular carcinoma adjacent normal tissues and 77.5% of 80 hepatocellular carcinoma adjacent cirrhosis tissues were classified to hepatocellular carcinoma. For surgical resection specimens, 99.7% of 733 hepatocellular carcinoma specimens were correctly classified to hepatocellular carcinoma, while 96.1% of 254 hepatocellular carcinoma adjacent cirrhosis tissues and 95.9% of 538 hepatocellular carcinoma adjacent normal tissues were classified to hepatocellular carcinoma. In contrast, 17.0% of 47 cirrhosis from non‐hepatocellular carcinoma patients waiting for liver transplantation were classified to hepatocellular carcinoma, indicating that some patients with long‐lasting cirrhosis could have already gained hepatocellular carcinoma characteristics.

Conclusions

The signature can distinguish both hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and tumour‐adjacent tissues from cirrhosis tissues of non‐hepatocellular carcinoma patients even using inaccurately sampled biopsy specimens, which can aid early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Identifying palliative care needs in a Portuguese liver unit
Authors: Carvalho Joana Rita , Vasconcelos Mariana , Marques da Costa Pedro , Marinho Rui Tato , Fatela Narcisa , Raimundo Miguel , Carvalhana Sofia , Ramalho Fernando , Cortez‐Pinto Helena , Velosa José
Published: April 2018

Background & Aims

Chronic liver disease is a major worldwide cause of morbidity and mortality. Palliative care policies are not clearly established in chronic liver disease. The NECPAL CCOMS‐ICO© (NECesidades PALiativas/Palliative Needs) is a tool to identify palliative care needs, including a section for liver disease. Aim: The aim of this study was to identify palliative care needs in liver patients hospitalised in a tertiary referral Liver Unit.

Methods

Single‐centre prospective observational study. One hundred and twenty patients with cirrhosis were included and NECPAL questionnaire was applied to all patients in a 7‐month period.

Results

84.2% of patients were considered as requiring palliative intervention; however, clinicians identified those needs only in 65.8% of the cases and caregivers in 6.7% of the cases; less than 8% of the patients were referred for palliative care consultation. An excessive use of healthcare resources (positive answer to question 3) was strongly associated with a positive need for palliative care (positive NECPAL): OR 7.305, CI 95% 2.54‐20.995, P < .001). An excessive use of healthcare facilities has a sensitivity of 84.2% and a specificity of 42.1% for prediction of a positive NECPAL result (AUC 0.710, 95% CI 0.570‐0.850, P = .004).

Conclusions

The NECPAL CCOMS‐ICO© represents a feasible and easy‐to‐use tool to identify palliative care needs in patients with chronic liver disease.
Senses of Humor as Political Virtues
Authors: Deen Phillip
Published: April 2018

This article discusses whether a sense of humor is a political virtue. It argues that a sense of humor is conducive to the central political virtues. We must first, however, delineate different types of humor (benevolent or malicious) and the different political virtues (sociability, prudence, and justice) to which they correspond. Generally speaking, a sense of humor is politically virtuous when it encourages good will toward fellow citizens, an awareness of the limits of power, and a tendency not to take oneself too seriously or when it condemns moral or intellectual vice. An analysis of President Donald Trump's deeply flawed sense of humor is used to ground this account.
Generosity: A Preliminary Account of a Surprisingly Neglected Virtue
Authors: Miller Christian B.
Published: April 2018

There have only been three articles in mainstream philosophy journals going back at least to the 1970s on generosity. This paper hopes to draw attention to this neglected virtue. By building on what work has already been done, and trying to advance that discussion along several different dimensions, it hopes that others will take a closer look at this important and surprisingly complex virtue. More specifically, it formulates three important necessary conditions for what is involved in possessing the virtue of generosity, and considers other contenders as well. The necessary conditions have to do with whether what is given must be of value to the giver, whether the giver's primary motivation has to be altruistic, and whether the act of giving has to be supererogatory.
Epistemic Vice and Motivation
Authors: Tanesini Alessandra
Published: April 2018

This article argues that intellectual character vices involve non‐instrumental motives to oppose, antagonise, or avoid things that are epistemically good in themselves. This view has been the recent target of criticism based on alleged counterexamples presenting epistemically vicious individuals who are virtuously motivated or at least lack suitable epistemically bad motivations. The paper first presents these examples and shows that they do not undermine the motivational approach. Finally, having distinguished motivating from explanatory reasons for belief and action, it argues that our epistemic practice of vice attribution supplies evidence in favour of motivational accounts of vice.
Citizens' Political Prudence as a Democratic Virtue
Authors: Ottonelli Valeria
Published: April 2018

This essay aims to vindicate the importance of a theory of ordinary citizens' political prudence in a democratic society. It follows a reconstructive method, by looking at the full range of powers and decisions that are enabled by democratic rights in order to show that in contemporary democracies there is room for the exercise of political prudence by ordinary citizens. By the same method, it also reconstructs the main traits and manifestations of citizens' political prudence in the everyday politics of our democracies. Theorizing citizens' political prudence is important for detecting and correcting the ways in which the citizens of a democratic society, as well as its institutions, may fail to fulfil the mandates of such an essential political virtue.
Pruning representations in a distributed model of working memory: a mechanism for refreshing and removal?
Authors: Shepherdson Peter , Oberauer Klaus
Published: April 2018

Substantial behavioral evidence suggests that attention plays an important role in working memory. Frequently, attention is characterized as enhancing representations by increasing their strength or activation level. Despite the intuitive appeal of this idea, using attention to strengthen representations in computational models can lead to unexpected outcomes. Representational strengthening frequently leads to worse, rather than better, performance, contradicting behavioral results. Here, we propose an alternative to a pure strengthening account, in which attention is used to selectively strengthen useful and weaken less useful components of distributed memory representations, thereby pruning the representations. We use a simple sampling algorithm to implement this pruning mechanism in a computational model of working memory. Our simulations show that pruning representations in this manner leads to improvements in performance compared with a lossless (i.e., decay‐free) baseline condition, for both discrete recall (e.g., of a list of words) and continuous reproduction (e.g., of an array of colors). Pruning also offers a potential explanation of why a retro‐cue drawing attention to one memory item during the retention interval improves performance. These results indicate that a pruning mechanism could provide a viable alternative to pure strengthening accounts of attention to representations in working memory.
The function and failure of sensory predictions
Authors: Bansal Sonia , Ford Judith M. , Spering Miriam
Published: April 2018

Humans and other primates are equipped with neural mechanisms that allow them to automatically make predictions about future events, facilitating processing of expected sensations and actions. Prediction‐driven control and monitoring of perceptual and motor acts are vital to normal cognitive functioning. This review provides an overview of corollary discharge mechanisms involved in predictions across sensory modalities and discusses consequences of predictive coding for cognition and behavior. Converging evidence now links impairments in corollary discharge mechanisms to neuropsychiatric symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions. We review studies supporting a prediction‐failure hypothesis of perceptual and cognitive disturbances. We also outline neural correlates underlying prediction function and failure, highlighting similarities across the visual, auditory, and somatosensory systems. In linking basic psychophysical and psychophysiological evidence of visual, auditory, and somatosensory prediction failures to neuropsychiatric symptoms, our review furthers our understanding of disease mechanisms.
Possible association of oestrogen and Cryba4 with masticatory muscle tendon‐aponeurosis hyperplasia
Authors: Hayashi N , Sato T , Kokabu S , Usui M , Yumoto M , Ikami E , Sakamoto Y , Nifuji A , Hayata T , Noda M , Yoda T
Published: April 2018

Objective

Masticatory muscle tendon‐aponeurosis hyperplasia, which is associated with limited mouth opening, progresses very slowly from adolescence. The prevalence rates of this disease are higher among women than among men, suggesting oestrogen involvement. As parafunctional habits are frequently observed, mechanical stress is likely involved in the pathogenesis and advancement of this disease. To elucidate the pathological condition, we examined the effect of oestrogen on tenocyte function and the relationship between mechanical stress and crystallin beta A4 (Cryba4), using murine TT‐D6 tenocytes.

Materials and Methods

Cell proliferation assays, RT‐PCR, real‐time RT‐PCR, Western blot analysis and mechanical loading experiments were performed.

Results

The physiological dose of oestrogen increased the levels of scleraxis and tenomodulin in TT‐D6 tenocytes. In contrast, forced expression of Cryba4 inhibited scleraxis expression in these cells. Surprisingly, oestrogen significantly promoted cell differentiation in the Cryba4‐overexpressing TT‐D6 tenocytes. Moreover, tensile force induced Cryba4 expression in these tendon cells.

Conclusion

Oestrogen and Cryba4 may be associated with the progression of masticatory muscle tendon‐aponeurosis hyperplasia.