bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Florey turns 50
Authors: Coghlan John P
Published: March 2014

The origins of the Howard Florey Laboratories of Experimental Physiology, Department of Physiology, The University of Melbourne, are tied to the ground‐breaking clinical work of Derek A Denton in 1947 and to the investigations of the initial scientific team into the control of salt and water balance in health and disease over the period 1947–1963 were Professor RD Wright, Drs JR Goding, IR McDonald, John P Coghlan, E Marelyn Wintour and John R Blair‐West. An Act of Parliament in 1971 by the Victorian State Government formally established the Institute named after Howard Florey, the Australian Nobel Prize winner who isolated penicillin. The Howard Florey Laboratories/Institute quickly became an international leader in the scientific areas of the physiological control of body fluids and electrolyte balance, especially sodium regulation and the regulation of the secretion of aldosterone, the adrenal salt‐retaining hormone; the micro measurement of hormones, in particular steroids and peptides; instinctive ingestive behaviour; fetal fluid regulation; hybridization histochemistry, and the hormone relaxin. Subsequently, the senior staff included, inter alia, Bruce Scoggins, Richard Weisinger, John McDougall, Brian Oldfield, Michael McKinley, Robin McAllen, Hugh Niall, Geoff Tregear and Felix Beck. During the 1990s, an explosion occurred in neuroscience and, in 1997, the Board made the strategic decision to change the focus of the Institute to brain disorders. From 1997 to 2007, Fred Mendelsohn steered the Florey to become one of Australia's premier brain research institutes and, under the current director (the eminent clinician and neuroscientist Geoffrey Donnan), this reputation has been further enhanced.
To settle or to move? The interplay between two classes of cyclic lipopeptides in the biocontrol strain Pseudomonas CMR12a
Authors: D'aes Jolien , Kieu Nam Phuong , Léclère Valérie , Tokarski Caroline , Olorunleke Feyisara Eyiwumi , De Maeyer Katrien , Jacques Philippe , Höfte Monica , Ongena Marc
Published: March 2014

Pseudomonas CMR12a is a biocontrol strain that produces phenazine antibiotics and as yet uncharacterized cyclic lipopeptides (CLPs). The CLPs of CMR12a were studied by chemical structure analysis and in silico analysis of the gene clusters encoding the non‐ribosomal peptide synthetases responsible for CLP biosynthesis. CMR12a produces two different classes of CLPs: orfamides B, D and E, whereby the latter two represent new derivatives of the orfamide family, and sessilins A–C. The orfamides are made up of a 10 amino acid peptide coupled to a β‐hydroxydodecanoyl or β‐hydroxytetradecanoyl fatty acid moiety, and are related to orfamides produced by biocontrol strain Pseudomonas protegens Pf‐5. The sessilins consist of an 18‐amino acid peptide linked to a β‐hydroxyoctanoyl fatty acid and differ in one amino acid from tolaasins, toxins produced by the mushroom pathogen Pseudomonas tolaasii. CLP biosynthesis mutants were constructed and tested for biofilm formation and swarming motility. Orfamides appeared indispensable for swarming while sessilin mutants showed reduced biofilm formation, but enhanced swarming motility. The interplay between the two classes of CLPs fine tunes these processes. The presence of sessilins in wild type CMR12a interferes with swarming by hampering the release of orfamides and by co‐precipitating orfamides to form a white line in agar.
‘I will be “fighting” even more for pupils with SEN’: SENCOs' role predictions in the changing English policy context
Authors: Pearson Sue , Mitchell Rafael , Rapti Maria
Published: March 2014

The Coalition Government's ‘Green Paper’ (DfE 2011) proposes a systemic overhaul of services for pupils with special educational needs in England, with increased parental choice of provision and ‘sharper accountability’ (p. 67) in schools. Deadlines for various stages of this reform have not been met, and its final nature remains uncertain. This paper reveals SENCOs' insights into their changing role in this turbulent policy context. This is achieved through the thematic analysis of 227 responses to an ‘open‐ended’ question in the national Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) Survey 2012. Findings from this sample indicate that SENCOs predict that schools in England will become more inclusive, with greater shared responsibility for achievement for all, and SENCOs' increased involvement in staff training and other whole school capacity‐building activities. Respondents predict a greater partnership with parents, for whom they will provide advice and links to other services. They foresee their reduced involvement in direct teaching and an intensification of their work in other ways, especially in terms of paperwork associated with pupil tracking and other accountability measures. These changes are anticipated against a backdrop of resource cuts, requiring SENCOs to show increasing self‐reliance and imagination.
PULLING BACK THE CURTAIN ON HERITABILITY STUDIES: BIOSOCIAL CRIMINOLOGY IN THE POSTGENOMIC ERA
Authors: BURT CALLIE H. , SIMONS RONALD L.
Published: March 2014

Unfortunately, the nature‐versus‐nurture debate continues in criminology. Over the past 5 years, the number of heritability studies in criminology has surged. These studies invariably report sizeable heritability estimates (∼50 percent) and minimal effects of the so‐called shared environment for crime and related outcomes. Reports of such high heritabilities for such complex social behaviors are surprising, and findings indicating negligible shared environmental influences (usually interpreted to include parenting and community factors) seem implausible given extensive criminological research demonstrating their significance. Importantly, however, the models on which these estimates are based have fatal flaws for complex social behaviors such as crime. Moreover, the goal of heritability studies—partitioning the effects of nature and nurture—is misguided given the bidirectional, interactional relationship among genes, cells, organisms, and environments. This study provides a critique of heritability study methods and assumptions to illuminate the dubious foundations of heritability estimates and questions the rationale and utility of partitioning genetic and environmental effects. After critiquing the major models, we call for an end to heritability studies. We then present what we perceive to be a more useful biosocial research agenda that is consonant with and informed by recent advances in our understanding of gene function and developmental plasticity.
Perennial crops under stochastic water supply
Authors: Feinerman Eli , Tsur Yacov
Published: March 2014

Perennial crops require substantial initial investment in groundwork and planting, as well as a multiyear gestation period without commercial yield. Therefore, a crop's cycle (from planting to felling) should be long enough in order to cover the fixed cost and become profitable. The problem becomes involved when the cycle's duration is stochastic due to occurrence of uncertain event that terminates the cycle prematurely. Studying orchard management under stochastic drought events, we show that to each perennial crop that is profitable without drought hazard, there exists a critical drought hazard above which the crop turns loss making. We refer to this critical drought hazard as the crop's drought vulnerability index and show that it increases with the length of the gestation period, the ratio of fixed cost to average annual profit and the interest rate, and decreases with the natural (uninterrupted) cycle length. We then investigate the economic value of a stable water source, such as recycled water, that stabilizes the water supply and diminishes the drought hazard. An empirical application in northern Israel reveals that the stabilization value of recycled water due to its role in eliminating the drought hazard far exceeds its supply cost.
The interaction of speculators and index investors in agricultural derivatives markets
Authors: Guilleminot Benoît , Ohana Jean‐Jacques , Ohana Steve
Published: March 2014

Through the analysis of the weekly Commodity Futures Trading Commission reports on 12 US traded agricultural commodities, we revisit the heated debate on the impact of index flows on commodities prices. After introducing a novel stock‐to‐use proxy that may be used to represent inventory variations at the intra‐month level, we show that speculators, contrary to index investors, are sensitive to commodity‐specific fundamental information. Their endogeneity to commodities markets hinders the estimation of their market impact. Regarding the market impact of index flows, the endogeneity problem is alleviated in two ways: first, we restrict the scope to agricultural commodities, for which index flows are more exogenous to market prices; second, we introduce two novel instrumental variables that are computed from index flows outside the market under analysis. We find that index investment flows are offset by commercial players, not speculators. The serial correlation of index flows may explain the tendency of speculators to synchronize with index investors. There is strong evidence of an index flows' impact in those commodities markets where speculative and index positions are the most correlated. The market impact of index flows is located in periods of liquidity stress, as is the correlation between speculative and index positions. Overall, our results demonstrate an impact of index investors on some agricultural prices and suggest that the synchronicity between speculative and index positions is an important determinant of this impact.
Effect of serum interleukin 21 on the development of coronary artery disease
Authors: Ding Ru , Gao Wenwu , He Zhiqing , Liao Mingfang , Wu Feng , Zou Sili , Ma Lan , Liang Chun , Wu Zonggui
Published: March 2014

There has been more and more evidence to confirm the essential role of inflammatory processes in the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). Interleukin‐21 (IL‐21), the most recently discovered CD132‐dependent cytokine, plays a key role in regulating inflammation. The aim of the study was to understand the effect of peripheral IL‐21 on the pathogenesis and progression of CAD. Serum level of IL‐21 in 92 CAD patients and 73 controls was measured by the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Data showed that IL‐21 expression was significantly increased in CAD than in controls (p < 0.001). Interestingly, when comparing IL‐21 level with different genders, male subjects revealed higher IL‐21 than female subjects (p = 0.024). Also, we observed that patients with hypertension had upregulated level of serum IL‐21 (p = 0.002). Moreover, serum level of IL‐21 was positively correlated with total cholesterol level (p = 0.015) or low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (p = 0.0009) of CAD cases. In addition, we analyzed IL‐21 level with the severity of CAD, and identified that cases with 3‐vessel affected had significantly elevated level of IL‐21 than those with 1‐vessel or 2‐vessel affected. These data suggested that serum level of IL‐21 may be closely associated with the development and progression of CAD.
Bridging the research‐to‐practice gap in education: A software‐mediated approach for improving classroom instruction
Authors: Weston Mark E. , Bain Alan
Published: March 2014

This study reports findings from a matched‐comparison, repeated‐measure for intact groups design of the mediating effect of a suite of software on the quality of classroom instruction provided to students by teachers. The quality of instruction provided by teachers in the treatment and control groups was documented via observations that were conducted by an independent research team at pre, mid and postintervals of a 225‐day study period. Analysis of the data that was generated revealed no statistically significant differences at pretest between the quality of instruction provided by teachers in the treatment and control groups. Over three occasions, no statistically significant differences were found for the control group. Statistically significant differences were found for the overall treatment group at mid and postintervals. Moreover, overall differences between the control and treatment groups were statistically significant at mid and posttreatment including a posttreatment effect size of 1.54. Analysis indicates the treatment had a mediating effect on the quality of classroom instruction and the effect scaled to single and multiple school levels. These results suggest that the field of education's long‐standing challenges with improving instructional quality could be resolved by information and communications technology effectively mediating research and practice.

A video abstract of this article can be viewed at http://youtu.be/iaWZ23yJGH8
The Potential Risk of Conical Implant‐Abutment Connections: The Antirotational Ability of Cowell Implant System
Authors: Yao Kuang‐Ta , Kao Hung‐Chan , Cheng Cheng‐Kung , Fang Hsu‐Wei , Huang Chang‐Hung , Hsu Ming‐Lun
Published: March 2014

Background

Conical implant‐abutment connections are popular because of good antibending performance. However, the cross section is round, and the antirotational ability is questionable because restorations in the oral cavity also have to bear torsional moments resulting from chewing patterns.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the antirotational ability of conical implant‐abutment connections with and without an index.

Materials and Methods

Conical connection implant system (Cowell Medi, Busan, South Korea) was selected. Two kinds of cyclic loading, a bending moment with (C) and without (L) a torsional moment, were respectively applied to two kinds of abutments, pure cone (N‐Octa) and cone with an octagonal index (Octa). The number of cycles to fatigue and the failure modes was recorded. Morphologies of the abutments were examined with scanning electron microscopy.

Results

Only group C(N‐Octa) passed the fatigue test, whereas the other three groups failed because of different failure modes. In group L(N‐Octa), all abutments generated rotation within 150 cycles. In groups C(Octa) and L(Octa), all abutments fractured but in different areas.

Conclusions

In Cowell implant system (taper angle = 7°), there was no antirotational ability in purely conical connections. Adding an octagonal index could provide an antirotational function but could compromise the antibending strength of the abutment.
Linear Measurement Accuracy of Eight Cone Beam Computed Tomography Scanners
Authors: Kosalagood Pasupen , Silkosessak Onanong C , Pittayapat Pisha , Pisarnturakit Pagaporn , Pauwels Ruben , Jacobs Reinhilde
Published: March 2014

Background

Information regarding linear accuracy is necessary for efficient treatment evaluation, especially for maxillofacial reconstruction or implants.

Purpose

To investigate the accuracy of linear measurements from multiple cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) devices.

Materials and Methods

A RANDO® phantom was scanned with eight CBCT scanners (11 modes). The viewing software accompanying each scanner was employed for measurements in mediolateral, anteroposterior, and supero‐inferior dimensions by two dentomaxillofacial radiologists. Digital caliper measurements were used as a “gold standard.” ANOVA with Scheffé post hoc analysis and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were utilized for statistical analyses. The level of confidence was 95%.

Results

Differences from the gold standard among 11 acquisition modes were statistically significant (p < .001). Measurements from one unit were always underestimated compared with all others (p < .001). The range of absolute measurement errors for tested units was −2.56 to 0.54 mm (mean ± SD 0.45 ± 0.71) including the outlier and −0.34 to 0.54 mm (0.16 ± 0.11) excluding the outlier. Slightly more values were underestimated than overestimated (41 of 66 measurements, 7 out of 11 CBCT modes). ICC scores for inter‐ and intraobserver agreement were perfect (1.000).

Conclusions

Treatment planning from large‐volume CBCT was found to be reliable in all except one of the investigated scanners. New CBCT scanners should always be tested for geometric accuracy.
THE BOY WHO CRIED BUBBLE: PUBLIC WARNINGS AGAINST RIDING BUBBLES
Authors: ASAKO YASUSHI , UEDA KOZO
Published: March 2014

Attempts by governments to stop bubbles by issuing warnings seem unsuccessful. This article examines the effects of public warnings using a simple model of riding bubbles. We show that public warnings against a bubble can stop it if investors believe that a warning is issued in a definite range of periods commencing around the starting period of the bubble. If a warning involves the possibility of being issued too early, regardless of the starting period of the bubble, it cannot stop the bubble immediately. Bubble duration can be shortened by a premature public warning, but lengthened if it is late.(JEL D82, E58, G18)
Demographic and clinical characteristics of young people seeking help at youth mental health services: baseline findings of the Transitions Study
Authors: Purcell Rosemary , Jorm Anthony F. , Hickie Ian B. , Yung Alison R. , Pantelis Christos , Amminger G. Paul , Glozier Nick , Killackey Eoin , Phillips Lisa J. , Wood Stephen J. , Harrigan Susy , Mackinnon Andrew , Scott Elizabeth , Hermens Daniel F. , Guastella Adam J. , Kenyon Amanda , Mundy Laura , Nichles Alissa , Scaffidi Antoinette , Spiliotacopoulos Daniela , Taylor Lara , Tong Janet P.Y. , Wiltink Suzanne , Zmicerevska Natalia , McGorry Patrick D.
Published: March 2014

Aim

The Transitions Study was designed to establish a cohort of young people (12–25 years) seeking help for mental health problems, in order to longitudinally explore and refine a clinical staging model of the development and progression of mental disorders. This paper presents the baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of the cohort, particularly the nature and severity of psychopathology.

Method

All eligible young people attending one of four headspace clinical services were invited to participate, and completed a battery of self‐report and interviewer‐administered measures of psychopathology and functional impairment at baseline, which will be repeated at the annual follow up.

Results

Of 1615 eligible clients, 802 young people (66% women; mean age = 18.3 years) consented to participate and completed baseline assessments (participation rate = 50%). The severity of mental health problems varied, with 51% meeting the criteria for probable caseness related to generalized anxiety, 45% presenting with moderate to severe depressive symptoms and over a third experiencing subthreshold psychotic symptomatology. Disordered eating (32%) and problematic tobacco (56%), cannabis (30%) and alcohol (38%) use also affected a significant proportion. Overall, 39% of the cohort were classed as being functionally impaired at baseline.

Conclusion

The Transitions Study recruited a heterogeneous cohort at baseline in relation to the nature and severity of mental health problems and levels of functional impairment. The variation in clinical presentations within the cohort, from mild, through moderate to severe levels of psychopathology and impairment, increases the likelihood of the Transitions Study ultimately being able to achieve its aims of empirically testing a clinical staging model for mental disorders.
Does it Pay to Care?: Exploring the Costs and Benefits of Parental Care in the Hibiscus Harlequin BugTectocoris diophthalmus(Heteroptera: Scutelleridae)
Authors: Giffney Raelene A. , Kemp Darrell J.
Published: March 2014

Knowledge of the selective pressures favouring parental care can inform our understanding of the evolutionary origins and transitions of sociality in insects. Here, we report upon investigations designed to estimate the costs and benefits of parental care in the egg‐guarding hibiscus harlequin bugTectocoris diophthalmus(Heteroptera:Scutelleridae). We found that the presence of a guarding female had no effect on hatching success under benign laboratory conditions. In the wild, however, guarding decreased the likelihood of total clutch failure, and produced a fourfold greater egg‐hatching rate relative to unguarded clutches. Females guarded against generalist invertebrate egg predators, including conspecific nymphs, but were ineffective against hymenopteran egg parasitoids. Females continued to feed during the guarding period and exhibited no signs of weight loss or increased mortality due to this behaviour. We did not observe the production of subsequent clutches in any experimental females; therefore, the lifetime fecundity costs of providing parental care inT. diophthalmusremain indeterminate. Overall, maternal egg guarding appears to function as a relatively low cost–low benefit strategy that increases hatching success by protecting against predation – but not parasitism.
Female Remating Behavior in a Lekking Moth
Authors: Engqvist Leif , Cordes Nils , Schwenniger Janina , Bakhtina Svetlana , Schmoll Tim
Published: March 2014

In polyandrous species, male reproductive success will at least partly be determined by males' success in sperm competition. To understand the potential for post‐mating sexual selection, it is therefore important to assess the extent of female remating. In the lekking moth Achroia grisella, male mating success is strongly determined by female choice based on the attractiveness of male ultrasonic songs. Although observations have indicated that some females will remate, only little is known about the level of sperm competition. In many species, females are more likely to remate if their first mating involved an already mated male than if the first male was virgin. Potentially, this is because mated males are less well able to provide an adequate sperm supply, nutrients, or substances inhibiting female remating. This phenomenon will effectively reduce the strength of pre‐copulatory sexual selection because attractive males with high mating success will be more susceptible to sperm competition. We therefore performed an experiment designed both to provide a more precise estimate of female remating probability and simultaneously to test the hypothesis that female remating is influenced by male mating history. Overall, approximately one of five females remated with a second male. Yet, although females mated to non‐virgin males were somewhat more prone to remate, the effect of male mating history was not significant. The results revealed, however, that heavier females were more likely to remate. Furthermore, we found that females' second copulations were longer, suggesting that, in accordance with theory, males may invest more sperm in situations with an elevated risk of sperm competition.
The Roles of Colour and Shape in Pollinator Deception in the Orchid Mantis Hymenopus coronatus
Authors: O'Hanlon James C.
Published: March 2014

The orchid mantis Hymenopus coronatus (Insecta: Mantodea) is a deceptive predator that attracts pollinators as prey. Their resemblance to a flower has given rise to the hypothesis that they are flower mimics. However, floral mimicry as a predatory strategy, and in particular, how predatory floral mimicry functions at a mechanistic level is poorly understood. Two main morphological characteristics are thought to make orchid mantises appear similar to flowers and thus attractive to pollinators: (1) their ‘flower‐like’ white colouration and (2) their ‘petal‐shaped’ expansions of exoskeleton on their mid‐femur and hind femur (femoral lobes). I investigated the contribution of these colour and shape characteristics to pollinator attraction using artificial orchid mantis models. Models with the ‘flower‐like’ white colouration of the orchid mantis had higher rates of pollinator inspection than brown models. Manipulating overall body shape by removing or changing the orientation of the ‘petal‐shaped’ femoral lobes did not affect the attractiveness of models. As certain flower‐like characteristics (symmetry and petals) did not affect the attractiveness of models, pollinators may not necessarily cognitively misclassify orchid mantises as flowers. Rather, mantises may be exploiting sensory biases of their pollinator prey, and their UV‐absorbing white colouration may be sufficient to lure pollinators. The effectiveness of using artificial models established here provides a basis for future research into orchid mantis morphology and the fine‐scale interactions between orchid mantises and pollinators.
Development of New PCR Primers by Comparative Genomics for the Detection of Helicobacter suis in Gastric Biopsy Specimens
Authors: Matsui Hidenori , Takahashi Tetsufumi , Murayama Somay Y. , Uchiyama Ikuo , Yamaguchi Katsushi , Shigenobu Shuji , Matsumoto Takehisa , Kawakubo Masatomo , Horiuchi Kazuki , Ota Hiroyoshi , Osaki Takako , Kamiya Shigeru , Smet Annemieke , Flahou Bram , Ducatelle Richard , Haesebrouck Freddy , Takahashi Shinichi , Nakamura Shinichi , Nakamura Masahiko
Published: March 2014

Background

Although the infection rate of Helicobacter suis is significantly lower than that of Helicobacter pylori, the H. suis infection is associated with a high rate of gastric mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. In addition, in vitro cultivation of H. suis remains difficult, and some H. suis‐infected patients show negative results on the urea breath test (UBT).

Materials and Methods

Female C57BL/6J mice were orally inoculated with mouse gastric mucosal homogenates containing H. suis strains TKY or SNTW101 isolated from a cynomolgus monkey or a patient suffering from nodular gastritis, respectively. The high‐purity chromosomal DNA samples of H. suis strains TKY and SNTW101 were prepared from the infected mouse gastric mucosa. The SOLiD sequencing of two H. suis genomes enabled comparative genomics of 20 Helicobacter and 11 Campylobacter strains for the identification of the H. suis‐specific nucleotide sequences.

Results

Oral inoculation with mouse gastric mucosal homogenates containing H. suis strains TKY and SNTW101 induced gastric MALT lymphoma and the formation of gastric lymphoid follicles, respectively, in C57BL/6J mice. Two conserved nucleotide sequences among six H. suis strains were identified and were used to design diagnostic PCR primers for the detection of H. suis.

Conclusions

There was a strong association between the H. suis infection and gastric diseases in the C57BL/6 mouse model. PCR diagnosis using an H. suis‐specific primer pair is a valuable method for detecting H. suis in gastric biopsy specimens.
Robbins Remembered and Dismembered, Contextualising the Anniversary
Authors: Ainley Patrick
Published: March 2014

This polemical paper was motivated by its author's concern that the United Kingdom Coalition higher education minister, Willetts, should claim at recent quinquageniary commemorations of the publication of the 1963 Robbins Report to be preserving its legacy for higher education. By contrast, this paper argues that the period of reform aimed at changing society through education marked by Robbins has been closed by the Coalition government's acceptance of the 2010 Browne Review recommendations. The paper is therefore little concerned with the contents of the report but places it in a wider context ending in the current attempted reversal towards a minority higher education with academic schooling dominant throughout the system. In a still greater reversal, the expansion of state over private provision characteristic of the 50‐year period of reform of education, is also being reversed towards a state‐subsidised privatisation at all levels of learning. In conclusion some alternatives are suggested.
Robbins, the Binary Policy and Mass Higher Education
Authors: Scott Peter
Published: March 2014

The Robbins report published half a century ago in 1963 has overshadowed all subsequent reports on the reform of higher education. A large part of its significance was that it made the case for expansion and therefore set higher education in the United Kingdom on the road to become a mass system. However the committee's recommendations for the future structure of the expanded system appeared to be quickly contradicted by the introduction of the binary policy and the creation of the polytechnics by Crosland, Secretary Of State for Education and Science in the incoming Labour government. Only in the 1990s, was the Robbins path resumed when the binary policy was abandoned. However, an alternative account is possible, which argues that the differences between Robbins and Crosland have been exaggerated. Both Robbins and Crosland believed that the future system should be dominated by large, comprehensive and multi‐faculty institutions. Only now are the fundamental ideas of Robbins being challenged: first, as the idea that there should be a ‘system’ of higher education is being eroded by the introduction of a ‘market’; and, second, as the parallel idea that any system should be essentially ‘public’ is being undermined by the drive towards privatisation.
Robbins and His Children: the Theory and Practice of Higher Education Inquiries, 1963–2013
Authors: Watson David
Published: March 2014

The fifty‐year history of higher education inquiries following Robbins is analysed through the device of ‘twelve frameworks’ for the funding and organisation of the system, of which Robbins is the first and that of the coalition government (since 2010) the last. Attention is focused on the relative impact of ‘inquiry'‐led frameworks, especially Robbins (reporting in 1963), James (in 1972), Dearing (in 1997), and Browne (in 2010), as well as wholly ‘politically’ managed frameworks including Baker‐Clarke (between 1987 and 1992), ‘Blair’ (2003–2004) and ‘Willetts‐Clegg’ (2010–2013). Conclusions are drawn about the short and longer‐term impacts of the inquiries, about the potential counter‐factual (what might have happened anyway), with reference to similar exercises in other jurisdictions (the United States, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa), and about the relative lack of impact of institutional research, self‐study and self‐knowledge. The author also interpolates some autobiographical reflections.
Comparative evaluation of the shaping ability of WaveOne, Reciproc and OneShape single‐file systems in severely curved root canals of extracted teeth
Authors: Saber S. E. D. M. , Nagy M. M. , Schäfer E.
Published: March 2014

Aim

To compare the shaping ability of WaveOne, Reciproc and OneShape single‐file systems in severely curved root canals in extracted human molar teeth.

Methodology

Sixty mandibular molars with mesio‐buccal canals with curvatures ranging between 25° and 35° and radii of curvature ranging between 4 and 9 mm were divided into three groups of 20 teeth each: group W (WaveOne), group R (Reciproc) and group O (OneShape). Using standardized pre‐ and post‐instrumentation radiographs, straightening of canal curvatures was determined using the NIH Image J software. A double‐digital standardized radiographic technique was used to determine apical transportation at 0.5 mm from the working length (1.5 mm coronal to the major foramen). Preparation time and instrument failures were also recorded. Data were analysed using one‐way analysis of variance (anova) and post‐hoc Tukey‐test.

Results

During root canal preparation, no instruments fractured but all OneShape instruments were deformed after preparation of four canals. The use of OneShape resulted in significantly greater canal straightening and apical transportation than WaveOne and Reciproc (P < 0.05), with no significant differences between WaveOne and Reciproc (P > 0.05). Instrumentation with OneShape was significantly faster than with WaveOne and Reciproc (P < 0.05), whilst Reciproc was significantly faster than WaveOne (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

All instruments were safe to use. Reciproc and WaveOne instruments respected the original canal curvature better than OneShape files. The use of OneShape instruments required less time to prepare the curved canals compared with Reciproc and WaveOne.
Measurement of vancomycin hydrochloride concentration in the exudate from wounds receiving negative pressure wound therapy: a pilot study
Authors: Ida Yukiko , Matsumura Hajime , Onishi Masami , Ono Sayaka , Imai Ryutaro , Watanabe Katsueki
Published: March 2014

It has been reported that negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is effective in the treatment of contaminated wounds. We hypothesised that systemically administered antibiotics migrate to wound site effectively by NPWT, which provides the antibacterial effect. We measured and compared the concentrations of vancomycin in the exudate and blood serum. Eight patients with skin ulcers or skin defect wounds who were treated with NPWT and were administered an intravenous drip of vancomycin were enrolled in this study. The wound surfaces were muscle, muscle fascia or adipose tissue. We administered vancomycin intravenously to NPWT patients (1–3 g/day). The exudate was obtained using 500 ml V.A.C. ATS® canisters without gel. Three days later, the concentrations of vancomycin were measured. The mean concentration of vancomycin in the exudate from NPWT was 67% of the serum vancomycin concentration. We found that concentrations of vancomycin in NPWT exudates are higher than the previously reported concentrations in soft tissue without NPWT. The proactive use of NPWT might be considered in cases of suspected wound contamination when a systemic antibiotic is administered.
Ductuli efferentes of the male Golden Syrian hamster reproductive tract
Authors: Ford J. , Carnes K. , Hess R. A.
Published: March 2014

Efferent ductules are responsible for the transportation of spermatozoa from the testis to the epididymis and their epithelium is responsible for the reabsorption of over 90% of the luminal fluid. The purpose of this research was to characterize the gross morphology and histology of efferent ductules in the male Golden Syrian hamster. The efferent ductules emerge from rete testis with a unique polarity at the apex or cephalic pole of the testis. The number of efferent ductules varied from 3 to 10 with an average of 6.0 and blind ending ducts were observed in approximately 56% of the males. The ductules merged into a single common duct prior to entering the caput epididymidis. The proximal efferent ductule lumen was wider than the distal (conus and common ducts), consistent with reabsorption of most of the luminal fluid, as was morphology of the ductal epithelium. Non‐ciliated cells in the proximal region had prominent endocytic apparatuses, showing both coated pits and apical tubules in the apical cytoplasm. Large basolateral, intercellular spaces were also present in the epithelium of the proximal region. Distal non‐ciliated cells had an abundance of large endosomes and lysosomal granules. Localisation of sodium/hydrogen exchanger‐3 (NHE3;SLC9A3) and aquaporins 1 and 9 (AQP1,AQP9) along the microvillus border was also consistent with ion transport and fluid reabsorption by this epithelium. In comparison, the caput epididymidis epithelium expressed onlyAQP9 immunostaining. Another unusual feature of the hamster efferent ductules was the presence of glycogen aggregates in the basal cytoplasm of small groups of epithelial cells, but only in the proximal ducts near the rete testis. Androgen (AR), estrogen (ESR1 andESR2) and vitamin D receptors (VDR) were also abundant in epithelial nuclei of proximal and distal efferent ductules. In comparison, caput epididymidis showed very little immunostaining forESR1.
Mating systems and selection efficacy: a test using chloroplastic sequence data in Angiosperms
Authors: Glémin S. , Muyle A.
Published: March 2014

Selfing is assumed to reduce selection efficacy, especially purifying selection. This can be tested using molecular data, for example by comparing the Dn/Ds ratio between selfing and outcrossing lineages. So far, little evidence of relaxed selection against weakly deleterious mutations (as inferred by a higher Dn/Ds ratio) in selfers as compared to outcrossers has been found, contrary to the pattern often observed between asexual and sexual lineages. However, few groups have been studied to date. To further test this hypothesis, we compiled and analysed chloroplastic sequence data sets in several plant groups. We found a general trend towards relaxed selection in selfers in our data sets but with weak statistical support. Simulations suggested that the results were compatible with weak‐to‐moderate Dn/Ds ratio differences in selfing lineages. Simple theoretical predictions also showed that the ability to detect relaxed selection in selfers could strongly depend on the distribution of the effects of deleterious mutations on fitness. Our results are compatible with a recent origin of selfing lineages whereby deleterious mutations potentially have a strong impact on population extinction or with a more ancient origin but without a marked effect of deleterious mutations on the extinction dynamics.
Local Observed‐Score Kernel Equating
Authors: Wiberg Marie , van der Linden Wim J. , von Davier Alina A.
Published: March 2014

Three local observed‐score kernel equating methods that integrate methods from the local equating and kernel equating frameworks are proposed. The new methods were compared with their earlier counterparts with respect to such measures as bias—as defined by Lord's criterion of equity—and percent relative error. The local kernel item response theory observed‐score equating method, which can be used for any of the common equating designs, had a small amount of bias, a low percent relative error, and a relatively low kernel standard error of equating, even when the accuracy of the test was reduced. The local kernel equating methods for the nonequivalent groups with anchor test generally had low bias and were quite stable against changes in the accuracy or length of the anchor test. Although all proposed methods showed small percent relative errors, the local kernel equating methods for the nonequivalent groups with anchor test design had somewhat larger standard error of equating than their kernel method counterparts.
The Random‐Effect DINA Model
Authors: Huang Hung‐Yu , Wang Wen‐Chung
Published: March 2014

The DINA (deterministic input, noisy, and gate) model has been widely used in cognitive diagnosis tests and in the process of test development. The outcomes known as slip and guess are included in the DINA model function representing the responses to the items. This study aimed to extend the DINA model by using the random‐effect approach to allow examinees to have different probabilities of slipping and guessing. Two extensions of the DINA model were developed and tested to represent the random components of slipping and guessing. The first model assumed that a random variable can be incorporated in the slipping parameters to allow examinees to have different levels of caution. The second model assumed that the examinees’ ability may increase the probability of a correct response if they have not mastered all of the required attributes of an item. The results of a series of simulations based on Markov chain Monte Carlo methods showed that the model parameters and attribute‐mastery profiles can be recovered relatively accurately from the generating models and that neglect of the random effects produces biases in parameter estimation. Finally, a fraction subtraction test was used as an empirical example to demonstrate the application of the new models.
Mephedrone alters basal ganglia and limbic neurotensin systems
Authors: German Christopher L. , Hoonakker Amanda H. , Fleckenstein Annette E. , Hanson Glen R.
Published: March 2014

Mephedrone (4‐methylmethcathinone) is a synthetic cathinone designer drug that alters pre‐synaptic dopamine (DA) activity like many psychostimulants. However, little is known about the post‐synaptic dopaminergic impacts of mephedrone. The neuropeptide neurotensin (NT) provides inhibitory feedback for basal ganglia and limbic DA pathways, and post‐synaptic D1‐like and D2‐like receptor activity affects NT tissue levels. This study evaluated how mephedrone alters basal ganglia and limbic system NT content and the role of NT receptor activation in drug consumption behavior. Four 25 mg/kg injections of mephedrone increased NT content in basal ganglia (striatum, substantia nigra and globus pallidus) and the limbic regions (nucleus accumbens core), while a lower dosage (5 mg/kg/injection) only increased striatal NT content. Mephedrone‐induced increases in basal ganglia NT levels were mediated by D1‐like receptors in the striatum and the substantia nigra by both D1‐like and D2‐like receptors in the globus pallidus. Mephedrone increased substance P content, another neuropeptide, in the globus pallidus, but not in the dorsal striatum or substantia nigra. Finally, the NT receptor agonist PD149163 blocked mephedrone self‐administration, suggesting reduced NT release, as indicated by increased tissue levels, likely contributing to patterns of mephedrone consumption.

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This study evaluated the effects of mephedrone upon the neuropeptide neurotensin (NT) – an inhibitory feedback of dopamine signaling – within the basal ganglia and limbic system of the central nervous system as well as the role of NT in mephedrone self‐administration. Mephedrone increased NT tissue content, which corresponds to reduced NT release and signaling, and NT receptor agonist treatment reduces mephedrone self‐administration, suggesting drug consumption behavior may be tied to the loss of NT signaling.
Dummy (pacifier) use and sudden infant death syndrome: Potential advantages and disadvantages
Authors: Horne Rosemary SC , Hauck Fern R , Moon Rachel Y , L'Hoir Monique P , Blair Peter S ,   Physiology and Epidemiology Working Groups of the International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death
Published: March 2014

The large decline in deaths due to the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in the last 20 years in many countries is largely due to risk‐reduction advice resulting from observational studies that examined the relationship between infant care practices and SIDS. Most of this advice remains largely uncontroversial and educators and researchers in this field are in agreement as to the specific recommendations that should be given to parents and health professionals. However, advice surrounding the apparent protective effect of dummies (also known as pacifiers) has been controversial. Several systematic reviews have demonstrated a strong association between the lack of a pacifier being used by the infant for the final sleep and SIDS, but it is not clear how pacifiers confer protection or if this is a marker for something as yet unmeasured. The Epidemiology and Physiology Working Groups of the International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death (ISPID) are comprised of leading SIDS researchers with an objective to provide evidence‐based position statements surrounding the factors associated with SIDS (http://www.ispid.org/) and risk‐reduction strategies. The evidence, discussion and conclusions from these working groups regarding dummies (pacifiers) are described below to help inform this debate and describe the future evidence required so that we might find a common recommendation about dummies (pacifiers) and SIDS.
Molecular mechanisms involved in the cytotoxicity induced by coumarins from Calophyllum brasiliense in K562 leukaemia cells
Authors: Gomez-Verjan Juan C , Estrella-Parra Edgar A , González-Sánchez Ignacio , Vázquez-Martínez Edgar Ricardo , Vergara-Castañeda Edgar , Cerbón Marco A , Reyes-Chilpa Ricardo
Published: March 2014

Objectives

The aim of this study was to determine the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cell death induced by mammea A/BA and A/BB (3 : 1) on K562 cells.

Methods

These compounds were isolated from Calophyllum brasiliense and its cytotoxicity was tested using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Cell death was evaluated by Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and immunocytofluorescence of active caspase-3. Genotoxicity was tested using comet assay. Lastly, a chemoinformatic analysis was performed with Osiris-Molinspiration software.

Key findings

The mixture of mammea A/BA and A/BB (3 : 1) showed cytotoxic activity against K562 cells (IC50 = 43.5 μm). TUNEL positive cells and active caspase-3 were detected after treatment. Genotoxicity of mammea A/BA and A/BB on K562 was detected since first hour of treatment. Additionally, mammea A/BA and A/BB were found to be in compliance with Lipinski ‘rule of 5’ suggesting that they possess strong potential of druglikeness.

Conclusions

The overall results confirm and extend the knowledge about coumarins as an important resource of antitumor drugs, and indicate that these compounds could be used in further preclinical studies against leukaemia.
Transitions between child and adult mental health services: service design, philosophy and meaning at uncertain times
Authors: Murcott W. J.
Published: March 2014

Accessible summary

Failings in the transfer of care for young people requiring ongoing care within adult mental health services can have severe negative consequences.

Adult and child services are often driven and designed in different ways. By looking at the way existing services are designed and the practices that drive them, this can then lead to the improvement of transitions of care.

Consideration of the young person's needs and the relationships they have developed should be central to this process, with mental health nurses playing critical roles within this.

A young person's transition of care from child and adolescent mental health services to adult mental health services can be an uncertain and distressing event that can have serious ramifications for their recovery. Recognition of this across many countries and recent UK media interest in the dangers of mental health services failing young people has led practitioners to question the existing processes. This paper reviews the current theories and research into potential failings of services and encourages exploration for a deeper understanding of when and how care should be managed in the transition process for young people. Mental health nurses can play a vital role in this process and, by adopting the assumptions of this paradigm, look at transition from this unique perspective. By reviewing the current ideas related to age boundaries, service thresholds, service philosophy and service design, it is argued that the importance of the therapeutic relationship, the understanding of the cultural context of the young person and the placing of the young person in a position of autonomy and control should be central to any decision and process of transfer between two mental health services.
The effect of sleep on item recognition and source memory recollection among shift‐workers and permanent day‐workers
Authors: Mawdsley Matthew , Grasby Katrina , Talk Andrew
Published: March 2014

We studied the effect of sleep versus wakefulness on item recognition and source memory recollection in a sample of shift‐workers and permanent day‐workers. Recognition of words that were previously viewed arrayed in quadrants of a page, and recollection of the original source location of the words on the page were assessed after a 12‐h retention interval that was filled with wakefulness incorporating the subjects' work‐shift, or an equal period that included sleep. Both shift‐workers and permanent day‐workers had poorer item recognition and source memory recollection when the retention interval was spent awake rather than including sleep. Shift‐workers expressed larger deficits in performance than day‐workers after wakefulness. This effect was not mediated by whether the shift‐workers were on a day‐ or night‐shift at the time of the study. These results indicate that sleep is an important contributor to successful item recognition and source recollection, and that mnemonic processing in shift‐workers may be especially sensitive across their work‐shift.