bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Protein kinase R-like ER kinase and its role in endoplasmic reticulum stress-decided cell fate
Authors: Liu Z , Lv Y , Zhao N , Guan G , Wang J
Published: July 2015

Over the past few decades, understandings and evidences concerning the role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in deciding the cell fate have been constantly growing. Generally, during ER stress, the signal transductions are mainly conducted by three ER stress transducers: protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), inositol-requiring kinase 1 (IRE1) and activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6). Consequently, the harmful stimuli from the ER stress transducers induce apoptosis and autophagy, which share several crosstalks and eventually decide the cell fate. The dominance of apoptosis or autophagy induced by ER stress depends on the type and degree of the stimuli. When ER stress is too severe and prolonged, apoptosis is induced to eliminate the damaged cells; however, when stimuli are mild, cell survival is promoted to maintain normal physiological functions by inducing autophagy. Although all the three pathways participate in ER stress-induced apoptosis and autophagy, PERK shows several unique characteristics by interacting with some specific downstream effectors. Notably, there are some preliminary findings on PERK-dependent mechanisms switching autophagy and apoptosis. In this review, we particularly focused on the novel, intriguing and complicated role of PERK in ER stress-decided cell fate, and also discussed more roles of PERK in restoring cellular homeostasis. However, more in-depth knowledge of PERK in the future would facilitate our understanding about many human diseases and benefit in searching for new molecular therapeutic targets.
WWOX dysfunction induces sequential aggregation of TRAPPC6AΔ, TIAF1, tau and amyloid β, and causes apoptosis
Authors: Chang J-Y , Chang N-S
Published: July 2015

Aggregated vesicle-trafficking protein isoform TRAPPC6AΔ (TPC6AΔ) has a critical role in causing caspase activation, tau aggregation and Aβ generation in the brains of nondemented middle-aged humans, patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and 3-week-old Wwox gene knockout mice. WWOX blocks neurodegeneration via interactions with tau and tau-phosphorylating enzymes. WWOX deficiency leads to epilepsy, mental retardation and early death. Here, we demonstrated that TGF-β1 induces shuttling of endogenous wild-type TPC6A and TPC6AΔ in between nucleoli and mitochondria (~40–60 min per round trip), and WWOX reduces the shuttling time by 50%. TGF-β1 initially maximizes the binding of TPC6AΔ to the C-terminal tail of WWOX, followed by dissociation. TPC6AΔ then undergoes aggregation, together with TIAF1 (TGF-β1-induced antiapoptotic factor), in the mitochondria to induce apoptosis. An additional rescue scenario is that TGF-β1 induces Tyr33 phosphorylation and unfolding of WWOX and its the N-terminal WW domain slowly binds TPC6AΔ to block aggregation and apoptosis. Similarly, loss of WWOX induces TPC6AΔ polymerization first, then aggregation of TIAF1, amyloid β and tau, and subsequent cell death, suggesting that a cascade of protein aggregation leads to neurodegeneration.
Exploring bubble oscillation and mass transfer enhancement in acoustic-assisted liquid-liquid extraction with a microfluidic device
Authors: Xie Yuliang , Chindam Chandraprakash , Nama Nitesh , Yang Shikuan , Lu Mengqian , Zhao Yanhui , Mai John D. , Costanzo Francesco , Huang Tony Jun
Published: July 2015

We investigated bubble oscillation and its induced enhancement of mass transfer in a liquid-liquid extraction process with an acoustically-driven, bubble-based microfluidic device. The oscillation of individually trapped bubbles, of known sizes, in microchannels was studied at both a fixed frequency and over a range of frequencies. Resonant frequencies were analytically identified and were found to be in agreement with the experimental observations. The acoustic streaming induced by the bubble oscillation was identified as the cause of this enhanced extraction. Experiments extracting Rhodanmine B from an aqueous phase (DI water) to an organic phase (1-octanol) were performed to determine the relationship between extraction efficiency and applied acoustic power. The enhanced efficiency in mass transport via these acoustic-energy-assisted processes was confirmed by comparisons against a pure diffusion-based process.
Interleukin-35 administration counteracts established murine type 1 diabetes – possible involvement of regulatory T cells
Authors: Singh Kailash , Kadesjö Erik , Lindroos Julia , Hjort Marcus , Lundberg Marcus , Espes Daniel , Carlsson Per-Ola , Sandler Stellan , Thorvaldson Lina
Published: July 2015

The anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-35 is produced by regulatory T (Treg) cells to suppress autoimmune and inflammatory responses. The role of IL-35 in type 1 diabetes (T1D) remains to be answered. To elucidate this, we investigated the kinetics of Treg cell response in the multiple low dose streptozotocin induced (MLDSTZ) T1D model and measured the levels of IL-35 in human T1D patients. We found that Treg cells were increased in MLDSTZ mice. However, the Treg cells showed a decreased production of anti-inflammatory (IL-10, IL-35, TGF-β) and increased pro-inflammatory (IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-17) cytokines, indicating a phenotypic shift of Treg cells under T1D condition. IL-35 administration effectively both prevented development of and counteracted established MLDSTZ T1D, seemingly by induction of Eos expression and IL-35 production in Treg cells, thus reversing the phenotypic shift of the Treg cells. IL-35 administration reversed established hyperglycemia in NOD mouse model of T1D. Moreover, circulating IL-35 levels were decreased in human T1D patients compared to healthy controls. These findings suggest that insufficient IL-35 levels play a pivotal role in the development of T1D and that treatment with IL-35 should be investigated in treatment of T1D and other autoimmune diseases.
A 3D printed microliquid jet with an adjustable nozzle diameter
Authors: Fernandes D. L. A. , Pavliuk M. V. , Sá J.
Published: July 2015

Microliquid jets have many applications, in particular in the fields of spectroscopy/analysis of samples susceptible to beam damage.
Triflyloxy-substituted carboranes as useful weakly coordinating anions
Authors: Press Loren P. , McCulloch Billy J. , Gu Weixing , Chen Chun-Hsing , Foxman Bruce M. , Ozerov Oleg V.
Published: July 2015

New carborane anions carrying one or three triflyloxy substituents are described.
Oxidative inactivation of NiFeSe hydrogenase
Authors: Ceccaldi Pierre , Marques Marta C. , Fourmond Vincent , Pereira Inês Cardoso , Léger Christophe
Published: July 2015

We propose a resolution to the paradox that spectroscopic studies of NiFeSe hydrogenase have not revealed any major signal attributable to NiIII states formed upon reaction with O2, despite the fact that two inactive states are formed upon either aerobic or anaerobic oxidation.
Thermal decomposition and desorption of PFPE Zdol on a DLC substrate using quartic bond interaction potential
Authors: Deb Nath S. K.
Published: July 2015

In heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) system, heating of the hard disk magnetic layer is carried out by applying laser rays during the movement of the read/write head over the carbon overcoat for the purpose of reading and writing on its magnetic layer.
Application of surface complexation modeling on modification of hematite surface with cobalt cocatalysts: a potential tool for preparing homogeneously distributed catalysts
Authors: Wang TsingHai , Hung Hsin-Ting , Wang Wei , Li Po-Chieh , Hsieh Yi-Kong , Dong Yingchao , Wang Chu-Fang
Published: July 2015

The knowledge to synthesize homogeneously distributed catalysts on the support is rather identical to understand the interactions between pollutants and adsorbents in the environmental chemistry.
Silica coated magnetic NiFe2O4 nanoparticle supported phosphomolybdic acid; synthesis, preparation and its application as a heterogeneous and recyclable catalyst for the one-pot synthesis of tri- and tetra-substituted imidazoles under solvent free conditions
Authors: Maleki Behrooz , Eshghi Hossein , Khojastehnezhad Amir , Tayebee Reza , Ashrafi Samaneh Sedigh , Kahoo Golnoosh Esmailian , Moeinpour Farid
Published: July 2015

A novel heteropolyacid supported on silica coated nickel ferrite nanoparticles (NFS–PMA) was synthesized and used as a green catalyst for one-pot syntheses of tri/tetra-substituted imidazoles. The catalyst could be recycled and reused through application of a magnetic field.
Ag-decorated Bi2O3 nanospheres with enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic activities for water treatment
Authors: Zhong Xin , Dai Zan , Qin Fan , Li Ju , Yang Hao , Lu Zhong , Liang Ying , Chen Rong
Published: July 2015

Uniform sphere-like Ag/Bi2O3 nanocomposites show excellent performance in Cr(vi) photoreduction and photocatalytic disinfection under visible light irradiation, and have great potential in wastewater treatment.
Enantioselective reductive multicomponent coupling reactions between isatins and aldehydes
Authors: Horwitz Matthew A. , Tanaka Naoya , Yokosaka Takuya , Uraguchi Daisuke , Johnson Jeffrey S. , Ooi Takashi
Published: July 2015

A reductive coupling of two different carbonyls via a polar two-electron reaction mechanism was developed and the stereochemical outcome of this multicomponent process is precisely controlled by a chiral triaminoiminophosphorane.
Laser induced instantaneous gelation: aerogels for 3D printing
Authors: Saeed Shaukat , Al-Sobaihi Rola M. , Bertino Massimo F. , White Lauren S. , Saoud Khaled M.
Published: July 2015

We present the synthesis of polymer cross-linked silica alcogels in a matter of seconds by illuminating the solution of TEOS, hexanedioldiacrylate, Eosin Y and amine with a laser beam (λ = 532 nm).
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy using mid-infrared femtosecond pulses
Authors: Hartig K. C. , Colgan J. , Kilcrease D. P. , Barefield J. E. , Jovanovic I.
Published: July 2015

We report on a laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) experiment driven by mid-infrared (2.05-μm) fs pulses, in which time-resolved emission spectra of copper were studied. Ab-initio modeling is consistent with the results of new fs measurements at 2.05 μm and traditional 800-nm fs-LIBS. Ablation by mid-infrared fs pulses results in a plasma with a lower plasma density and temperature compared to fs-LIBS performed at shorter laser wavelength. LIBS driven by mid-infrared fs pulses results in a signal-to-background ratio ∼50% greater and a signal-to-noise ratio ∼40% lower than fs-LIBS at near-infrared laser wavelength.
New regime of low ion collisionality in the neoclassical equilibrium of tokamak plasmas
Authors: Ramos J. J.
Published: July 2015

The neoclassical description of an axisymmetric toroidal plasma equilibrium is formulated for an unconventionally low ordering of the collisionality that suits realistic thermonuclear fusion conditions. This requires a drift-kinetic analysis to the second order of the ion Larmor radius, which yields a new contribution to the leading solution for the non-Maxwellian part of the ion distribution function if the equilibrium geometry is not up-down symmetric. An explicit geometrical factor weighs this second Larmor-radius order, low-collisionality effect that modifies the neoclassical ion parallel flow, and the ion contribution to the bootstrap current.
Enhancement of Er optical efficiency through bismuth sensitization in yttrium oxide
Authors: Scarangella Adriana , Reitano Riccardo , Franzò Giorgia , Priolo Francesco , Miritello Maria
Published: July 2015

The process of energy transfer (ET) between optically active ions has been widely studied to improve the optical efficiency of a system for different applications, from lighting and photovoltaics to silicon microphotonics. In this work, we report the influence of Bi on the Er optical emission in erbium-yttrium oxide thin films synthesized by magnetron co-sputtering. We demonstrate that this host permits to well dissolve Er and Bi ions, avoiding their clustering, and thus to stabilize the optically active Er3+ and Bi3+ valence states. In addition, we establish the ET occurrence from Bi3+ to Er3+ by the observed Bi3+ PL emission decrease and the simultaneous Er3+ photoluminescence (PL) emission increase. This was further confirmed by the coincidence of the Er3+ and Bi3+ excitation bands, analyzed by PL excitation spectroscopy. By increasing the Bi content of two orders of magnitude inside the host, though the occurrence of Bi-Bi interactions becomes deleterious for Bi3+ optical efficiency, the ET process between Bi3+ and Er3+ is still prevalent. We estimate ET efficiency of 70% for the optimized Bi:Er ratio equal to 1:3. Moreover, we have demonstrated to enhance the Er3+ effective excitation cross section by more than three orders of magnitude with respect to the direct one, estimating a value of 5.3 × 10−18 cm2, similar to the expected Bi3+ excitation cross section. This value is one of the highest obtained for Er in Si compatible hosts. These results make this material very promising as an efficient emitter for Si-compatible photonics devices.
Live-cell superresolution microscopy reveals the organization of RNA polymerase in the bacterial nucleoid
Authors: Stracy Mathew , Lesterlin Christian , Garza de Leon Federico , Uphoff Stephan , Zawadzki Pawel , Kapanidis Achillefs N.
Published: July 2015

Significance

Transcription is one of the most fundamental processes for life. In eukaryotic cells, transcriptional activity is regulated to a large degree by chromosome packaging. In bacteria, despite the absence of a nuclear envelope and many of the DNA-packaging proteins of eukaryotes, the chromosome is still highly condensed into a structured object, the nucleoid. The spatial organization of transcription within the nucleoid and the effect of transcription on DNA organization remain poorly understood. In this work, we characterize how RNA polymerase accesses transcription sites on DNA, and show that active transcription can cause spatial reorganization of the nucleoid, with movement of gene loci out of the bulk of DNA as levels of transcription increase.
To Adapt or Not Adapt: Assessing the Adaptive Capacity of Artisanal Fishers in the Trondheimsfjord (Norway) to Jellyfish (Periphylla periphylla) Bloom and Purse Seiners
Authors: Tiller Rachel Gjelsvik , Mork Jarle , Liu Yajie , Borgersen Åshild L , Richards Russell
Published: July 2015

Worldwide increases of jellyfish has occurred during the last several decades. A dense population of a large scyphozoan jellyfish, Periphylla periphylla, has established itself as top predator in the Trondheimsfjord in Norway, impacting traditional fisheries. On this background we discuss the adaptive capacity of artisanal fishers and stakeholder involvement in environmental management. A serendipitous discovery was that fishers report that their capacity to adapt to the presence of jellyfish in fact was sufficient. What they could not adapt to, within the context of jellyfish proliferation, was top–down decisions from the national government allowing purse seiners into the fjord to harvest Sprat Sprattus sprattus and Atlantic Herring Clupea harengus rest quotas and thereby also large bycatches of the local codfishes. This harvest was perceived more detrimental to their fishery than was the jellyfish invasion. Relative to fisheries management's choice of regulatory mechanisms during times of climatic change, we argue that by involving stakeholders intimately, the resulting policy advice will be experienced bottom–up and, thus, more legitimate and serendipitous results of a critical nature are more likely to surface.

Received August 21, 2014; accepted March 20, 2015
Immunization Costs and Programmatic Barriers at an Urban HIV Clinic
Authors: Eaton Ellen F. , Kulczycki Andrzej , Saag Michael , Mugavero Michael , Raper James L.
Published: July 2015

Background.  Although the increasing number of recommended immunizations is essential for patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the potentially uncompensated costs of expanded immunizations will present significant challenges for clinics and health systems serving HIV-infected patients.

Methods.  We estimated costs of providing Gardasil, Prevnar, and Zostavax to eligible patients at a US Ryan White Part C academically affiliated HIV clinic in 2013. Clinic expenditures were calculated using vaccine price and administrative fees. Revenue was calculated using insurance reimbursement data for vaccination and administration. Three scenarios were used: 100% uptake of vaccines, adjusted uptake based on published rates, and adjusted reimbursement according to pre-Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance status.

Results.  2887 patients (27% Medicare, 13% Alabama Medicaid, 26% Commercial, 34% Uninsured), received care with wide variation in immunization reimbursement ($0 to $210) by insurance and vaccine. The net yield (revenue minus expenditure) was calculated for each vaccine. Prevnar was most costly: annual net yield of −$60 691. Provision of all 3 vaccines would lead to a net yield of −$97 122. Adjusting for reduced uptake led to annual clinic losses of $44 119. Using pre-ACA reimbursement for immunization of the uninsured led to reduced clinic losses (−$62 326), attributable to reimbursement via Ryan White funds.

Conclusions.  A cost analysis of 3 vaccines shows great variation in insurance coverage, with potential losses of almost $100 000 for one HIV clinic if eligible patients received vaccinations in one calendar year. Adequate, cost neutral reimbursement should be instituted if medical providers and health systems are to achieve Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices immunization recommendations for both HIV positive and negative adults.
Extracting relations from traditional Chinese medicine literature via heterogeneous entity networks
Authors: Wan Huaiyu , Moens Marie-Francine , Luyten Walter , Zhou Xuezhong , Mei Qiaozhu , Liu Lu , Tang Jie
Published: July 2015

Objective Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a unique and complex medical system that has developed over thousands of years. This article studies the problem of automatically extracting meaningful relations of entities from TCM literature, for the purposes of assisting clinical treatment or poly-pharmacology research and promoting the understanding of TCM in Western countries.

Methods Instead of separately extracting each relation from a single sentence or document, we propose to collectively and globally extract multiple types of relations (eg, herb-syndrome, herb-disease, formula-syndrome, formula-disease, and syndrome-disease relations) from the entire corpus of TCM literature, from the perspective of network mining. In our analysis, we first constructed heterogeneous entity networks from the TCM literature, in which each edge is a candidate relation, then used a heterogeneous factor graph model (HFGM) to simultaneously infer the existence of all the edges. We also employed a semi-supervised learning algorithm estimate the model’s parameters.

Results We performed our method to extract relations from a large dataset consisting of more than 100 000 TCM article abstracts. Our results show that the performance of the HFGM at extracting all types of relations from TCM literature was significantly better than a traditional support vector machine (SVM) classifier (increasing the average precision by 11.09%, the recall by 13.83%, and the F1-measure by 12.47% for different types of relations, compared with a traditional SVM classifier).

Conclusion This study exploits the power of collective inference and proposes an HFGM based on heterogeneous entity networks, which significantly improved our ability to extract relations from TCM literature.
Tree-based Claims Algorithm for Measuring Pretreatment Quality of Care in Medicare Disabled Hepatitis C Patients
Authors: Chirikov Viktor V. , Shaya Fadia T. , Onukwugha Ebere , Mullins C. Daniel , dosReis Susan , Howell Charles D.
Published: July 2015

Background:

To help broaden the use of machine-learning approaches in health services research, we provide an easy-to-follow framework on the implementation of random forests and apply it to identify quality of care (QC) patterns correlated with treatment receipt among Medicare disabled patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Methods:

Using Medicare claims 2006–2009, we identified 1936 patients with 6 months continuous enrollment before HCV diagnosis. We ran a random forest on 14 pretreatment QC indicators, extracted the forest’s representative tree, and aggregated its terminal nodes into 4 QC groups predictive of treatment. To explore determinants of differential QC receipt, we compared patient-level and county-level (linked AHRF data) characteristics across QC groups.

Results:

The strongest predictors of treatment included “liver biopsy,” “HCV genotype testing,” “specialist visit,” “HCV viremia confirmation,” and “iron overload testing.” High QC [n=360, proportion treated (pt)=33.3%] was defined for patients with at least 2 from the above-mentioned metrics. Good QC patients (n=302, pt=12.3%) had either “HCV genotype testing” or “specialist visit,” whereas fair QC (n=282, pt=7.1%) only had “HCV viremia confirmation.” Low QC patients (n=992, pt=2.5%) had none of the selected metrics. The algorithm accuracy of predicting treatment was 70% sensitivity and 78% specificity. HIV coinfection, drug abuse, and residence in counties with higher supply of hospitals with immunization and AIDS services correlated with lower QC.

Conclusions:

Machine-learning techniques could be useful in exploring patterns of care. Among Medicare disabled HCV patients, the receipt of more QC indicators was associated with higher treatment rates. Future research is needed to assess determinants of differential QC receipt.
Asset management using a hybrid backcasting/forecasting approach
Authors: Jones Keith , Desai Api , Mulville Mark , Jones Aled
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present an alternative approach to facilities and built asset management adaptation planning to climate change based on a hybrid backcasting/forecasting model. Backcasting envisions a future state and examines alternative “pathways of approach” by looking backwards from the future state to the present day. Each pathway is examined in turn to identify interventions required for that pathway to achieve the future state. Each pathway is reviewed using forecasting tools and the most appropriate is selected. This paper describes the application of this approach to the integration of climate change adaptation plans into facilities and built asset management.

Design/methodology/approach

– The researchers worked with various stakeholders as part of a participatory research team to identify climate change adaptations that may be required to ensure the continued performance of a new educational building over its life cycle. The team identified 2020, 2040 and 2080 year end-goals and assessed alternative pathways of approach. The most appropriate pathways were integrated into the facilities and built asset management plan.

Findings

– The paper outlines a conceptual framework for formulating long term facilities and built asset management strategies to address adaptation to climate change.

Research limitations/implications

– The conceptual framework is validated by a single research case study, and further examples are needed to ensure validity of the approach in different facilities management contexts.

Originality/value

– This is the first paper to explore backcasting principles as part of facilities and built asset management planning.
Measuring the added value of workplace change
Authors: Riratanaphong Chaiwat , van der Voordt Theo
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to compare performance measurement systems from the literature with current performance measurement approaches in practice to get a better understanding of the complex relationships between workplace change, added value and organisational performance. To be able to measure the added value of workplace change, a valid and reliable performance measurement system is needed to measure the impact of the work environment on organisational performance before and after the change. A second aim is to have a closer look at the appraisal of workplace change by the end users.

Design/methodology/approach

– A review of the literature traced various performance measurement systems with different performance areas and key performance indicators (KPIs). Three case studies were conducted, two in Thailand, and one in The Netherlands, to explore if and how these theoretical insights are applied in current practice. Due to the worldwide introduction of New Ways of Working, special attention is paid to employee satisfaction and perceived productivity support.

Findings

– Many performance criteria and KPIs from literature are used in practice. However, apart from the balanced scorecard, no performance measurement system from literature is literally applied. Regarding most issues, none of the organisations conducted a comparison of the impact of their real estate on organisational performance before and after the change. In one case only, both ex ante and ex post data were collected about the appraisal of change by the end users.

Research limitations/implications

– The number of cases is limited. Additional case studies in depth are needed to get a wider picture of practice. Besides, still much work has to be done to operationalise the performance criteria.

Practical implications

– The performance measurement systems that were found in theory and practice can be used as input to value adding management of facilities. Based on the findings, a step-by-step procedure is presented to facilitate the selection of prioritised KPIs.

Originality/value

– This research connects the concepts of performance measurement and adding value by workplace change with data from two different continents.
Studies on wear resistance of organic tamarind kernel powder filled glass-epoxy composites based on Taguchi technique
Authors: A R Annappa , Basavarajappa S
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– The aim of the this study is to develop a new class of composites which would be more commercially viable and environmentally sustainable via reduced resource depletion, as there has been global interest in utilization of natural resources. The dry sliding wear behavior of glass-epoxy (G-E)-based composites filled with tamarind kernel powder (TKP) in different volume fractions of fillers (0 per cent, 3 per cent and 6 per cent) was studied as per standards.

Design/methodology/approach

– In the present study, the analysis and optimization of the wear process has been studied. The Taguchi approach to experimental design was used to identify the effect of wear parameters such as applied load, sliding velocity and sliding distance. Taguchi tools such as analysis of variance and multiple linear regression models have been used to analyze, obtain the significant parameters and evaluate the optimum combination levels of wear process parameters. The results of Taguchi analysis indicate that sliding distance was found to be the prominent parameter affecting wear volume loss compared to other wear parameters.

Findings

– The G-E composites with 3 and 6 vol.% of TKP had the lowest wear volume loss. Multiple linear regression models for all the tested composites’ results well match with experimental results. Confirmation tests were conducted to validate the analysis. There was a close relationship between the experimental results and the statistical model.

Originality/value

– However, to the best of author’s knowledge, these literature reports related to natural organic filler materials are limited to analysis of polymer matrix composite. Further, the addition of TKP particle as a potential filler has not been addressed. An attempt has been made to clarify the technical viability of TKP as a potential filler for G-E composite.
Experimental evidence that the effectiveness of conservation biological control depends on landscape complexity
Authors: Jonsson Mattias , Straub Cory S. , Didham Raphael K. , Buckley Hannah L. , Case Bradley S. , Hale Roddy J. , Gratton Claudio , Wratten Steve D.
Published: July 2015

The expansion of intensive agricultural practices is a major threat to biodiversity and to the delivery of ecosystem services on which humans depend. Local‐scale conservation management strategies, such as agri‐environment schemes to preserve biodiversity, have been widely adopted to reduce the negative impacts of agricultural intensification. However, it is likely that the effectiveness of these local‐scale management actions depend on the structure and composition of the surrounding landscape.

We experimentally tested the utility of floral resource strips to improve local‐scale biological control of crop pests, when placed within a gradient of moderately simple through to highly complex landscapes.

We found that experimental provision of floral resources enhanced parasitism rates of two globally important crop pests in moderately simple landscapes but not in highly complex ones, and this translated into reduced pest abundances and increased crop yield.

Synthesis and applications. Our results lend experimental support for the ‘intermediate landscape complexity hypothesis’, which predicts that local conservation management will be most effective in moderately simple agricultural landscapes, and less effective in either very simple landscapes where there is no capacity for response, or in highly complex landscapes where response potential is already saturated. This knowledge will allow more targeted and cost‐effective implementation of conservation biological control programs based on an improved understanding of landscape‐dependent processes, which will reduce the negative impacts of agricultural intensification.
Antenatal magnetic resonance imaging versus ultrasound for predicting neonatal macrosomia: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Malin GL , Bugg GJ , Takwoingi Y , Thornton JG , Jones NW
Published: July 2015

Background

Fetal macrosomia is associated with an increased risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Objectives

To compare the accuracy of antenatal two‐dimensional (2D) ultrasound, three‐dimensional (3D) ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in predicting fetal macrosomia at birth.

Search strategy

Medline (1966–2013), Embase, the Cochrane Library and Web of Knowledge.

Selection criteria

Cohort or diagnostic accuracy studies of women with a singleton pregnancy, who had third‐trimester imaging to predict macrosomia (>4000 g, >4500 g or >90th or >95th centile).

Data collection and analysis

Two reviewers screened studies, performed data extraction and assessed methodological quality. The bivariate model was used to obtain summary sensitivities, specificities and likelihood ratios.

Main results

Fifty‐eight studies (34 367 pregnant women) were included. Most were poorly reported. Only one study assessed 3D ultrasound volumetry. For predicting birthweight >4000 g or >90th centile, the summary sensitivity for 2D ultrasound (Hadlock) estimated fetal weight (EFW) >90th centile or >4000 g (29 studies) was 0.56 (95% CI 0.49–0.61), 2D ultrasound abdominal circumference (AC) >35 cm (four studies) was 0.80 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.69–0.87) and MRI EFW (three studies) was 0.93 (95% CI 0.76–0.98). The summary specificities were 0.92 (95% CI 0.90–0.94), 0.86 (95% CI 0.74–0.93) and 0.95 (95% CI 0.92–0.97), respectively.

Conclusion

There is insufficient evidence to conclude that MRI EFW is more sensitive than 2D ultrasound AC (which is more sensitive than 2D EFW); although it was more specific. Further primary research is required before recommending MRI EFW for use in clinical practice.

Tweetable abstract

Systematic review of antenatal imaging to predict macrosomia. MRI EFW is more sensitive than ultrasound EFW.
Hospital variation in maternal complications following caesarean delivery in the United States: 2006–2012
Authors: Moroz LA , Wright JD , Ananth CV , Friedman AM
Published: July 2015

Objective

To assess hospital variability in and patient and hospital factors associated with caesarean delivery (CD) complications.

Study Design

Population‐based cohort.

Setting

United States delivery admissions.

Population

Women who underwent a CD between 2006 and 2012.

Methods

Hospital‐specific random‐effects log‐linear regression models were developed to account for patient, obstetric, and hospital risk factors related to a composite complication outcome including infection, haemorrhage, surgical complications and prolonged hospital stay. Between‐hospital variability in rates of CD complications was also estimated.

Main outcome measure

Composite complication rate.

Results

Among 1 339 397 women who underwent CD in 457 hospitals, 6.4% (n = 85 838) experienced a complication. The most frequent complications were haemorrhage, transfusion, length of stay >7 days, and endometritis. Complications were strongly associated with the presence of obstetric factors and pre‐existing medical conditions. Complication rates were 54% higher among black (8.8%) than white (5.7%) women (P < 0.001), and were more common in teaching (8.1%) than non‐teaching (5.4%) hospitals (P < 0.001). In an adjusted model, the mean complication rate was 6.7%. A small proportion of hospitals (4.8%) had a complication rate greater than twice the mean (≥13.4%). Complications were strongly associated with the presence of obstetrical factors and pre‐existing medical conditions.

Conclusions

CD complication rates are strongly associated with patient and obstetric factors. While CD complication rates may be a quality metric of limited utility given the low rate of complications across most hospitals, a small number of hospitals demonstrate particularly high rates of complications. Review of CD complication rates may be an important aspect of quality assurance processes for these centres.

Tweetable abstract

A small number of hospitals demonstrate particularly high rates of caesarean complications.
New Fixed‐Dose Combinations of Fenofibrate/Simvastatin Therapy Significantly Improve the Lipid Profile of High‐Risk Patients with Mixed Dyslipidemia Versus Monotherapies
Authors: Foucher Christelle , Aubonnet Patrick , Reichert Petr , Berli Mario , Schaeffer Axel , Calvo Vargas Cesar Gonzalo , Lochocka Anna , Belenky Dmitry , Koch Hans‐Friedrich ,   the Cholib study Investigators
Published: July 2015

Aims

Guidelines propose additional therapy to statin to treat elevated triglycerides (TG) and low high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) in dyslipidemic patients. We evaluated the effects of new fixed‐dose combinations (FDC) of fenofibrate/simvastatin on plasma lipids versus simvastatin or fenofibrate monotherapies.

Methods

Subjects with mixed dyslipidemia at high or very high cardiovascular risk on stable statin therapy for at least 3 months were included in a randomized, double‐blind, active‐control, parallel‐group study. Patients were treated with FDC fenofibrate/simvastatin 145/20 mg or 145/40 mg, simvastatin 20 mg or 40 mg, or fenofibrate 145 mg for 12 weeks. Plasma lipids, C‐reactive protein, and cystatin C were measured before and after treatments. Differences in % changes were compared between FDC fenofibrate/simvastatin and monotherapies.

Results

Significant differences between FDC fenofibrate/simvastatin and simvastatin monotherapies were observed for the % change of TG (LS mean difference [two‐sided 95% CI]: −32.2% [−38.6%, −25.8%], P < 0.001) and HDL‐C (7.5% [4.7%, 10.2%], P < 0.001). A significant difference between the FDC fenofibrate/simvastatin and fenofibrate was observed for LDLC % changes (−34.7% [−40.8%, −28.5%], P < 0.001). Significant differences between FDC fenofibrate/simvastatin and their respective monotherapies were also observed for Apo B and non‐HDLC % changes. The FDC were well tolerated with a similar safety profile compared with monotherapies.

Conclusions

FDC fenofibrate/simvastatin are effective and well‐tolerated therapies to improve the TG and HDLC profile in high‐risk patients with mixed dyslipidemia.
Substance P in the anterior thalamic paraventricular nucleus: promotion of ethanol drinking in response to orexin from the hypothalamus
Authors: Barson Jessica R. , Poon Kinning , Ho Hui Tin , Alam Mohammad I. , Sanzalone Lilia , Leibowitz Sarah F.
Published: July 2015

The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) appears to participate in drug addiction. Recent evidence in rats shows that ethanol drinking is increased by orexin/hypocretin (OX) afferents from the hypothalamus, acting specifically in the anterior (aPVT) rather than posterior (pPVT) PVT subregion. The present study sought to identify neuropeptides transcribed within the PVT, which themselves might contribute to ethanol drinking and possibly mediate the actions of OX. We discovered that substance P (SP) in the aPVT can stimulate intermittent‐access ethanol drinking, similar to OX, and that SP receptor [neurokinin 1 receptor/tachykinin receptor 1 (NK1R)] antagonists in this subregion reduce ethanol drinking. As with OX, this effect is site specific, with SP in the pPVT or dorsal third ventricle having no effect on ethanol drinking, and it is behaviorally specific, with SP in the aPVT reducing the drinking of sucrose and stimulating it in the pPVT. A close relationship between SP and OX was demonstrated by a stimulatory effect of local OX injection on SP mRNA and peptide levels, specifically in the aPVT but not pPVT, and a stimulatory effect of OX on SP expression in isolated thalamic neurons, reflecting postsynaptic actions. A functional relationship between OX and SP in the aPVT is suggested by our additional finding that ethanol drinking induced by OX is blocked by a local NK1R antagonist administered at a sub‐threshold dose. These results, suggesting that SP in the aPVT mediates the stimulatory effect of OX on ethanol drinking, identify a new role for SP in the control of this behavior.
Market interdependence and volatility transmission among major crops
Authors: Gardebroek Cornelis , Hernandez Manuel A. , Robles Miguel
Published: July 2015

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the dynamics of volatility across major agricultural commodities in the United States. Volatility interactions across markets may lower the effectiveness of diversification strategies to mitigate price risks and should be taken into account when analyzing the pricing behavior of different agricultural commodities. We follow a multivariate GARCH approach to evaluate the time evolution of conditional correlations and volatility transmission across corn, wheat, and soybeans price returns on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. The period of analysis is from 1998 to 2012. The estimation results indicate a lack of lead‐lag relationships between corn, wheat, and soybeans price returns at the mean level. We find, however, important volatility spillovers across commodities, particularly at the weekly and monthly level. Wheat and corn seem to play a major role in terms of volatility transmission. Despite the supposed higher financial market integration of agricultural commodities, we do not observe that agricultural markets have become more interdependent in recent years.
Dynamic Pie: A Strategy for Modeling Trade‐Offs in Compositional Variables over Time
Authors: Philips Andrew Q. , Rutherford Amanda , Whitten Guy D.
Published: July 2015

The substance of politics involves competition that evolves over time. While our theories about competition emphasize trade‐offs across multiple categories, most empirical models tend to oversimplify them by considering trade‐offs between one category and everything else. We propose a research strategy for testing theories about trade‐off relationships that shape dynamic compositional variables. This approach improves current methods used to analyze compositional dependent variables by addressing two limitations. First, although scholars have considered compositional dependent variables, they have done so in contexts that were not dynamic. Second, current approaches toward graphical presentations become unwieldy when the compositional dependent variable has more than three categories. We demonstrate the utility of our strategy to expand current theories of party support and political budgeting. In both cases, we can extend trade‐offs across pairs of alternatives (e.g., prime minister versus all other parties or spending on defense versus everything else) to competition across multiple alternatives.
Functional evaluation of peripheral nerve regeneration and target reinnervation in animal models: a critical overview
Authors: Navarro Xavier
Published: July 2015

Peripheral nerve injuries usually lead to severe loss of motor, sensory and autonomic functions in the patients. Due to the complex requirements for adequate axonal regeneration, functional recovery is often poorly achieved. Experimental models are useful to investigate the mechanisms related to axonal regeneration and tissue reinnervation, and to test new therapeutic strategies to improve functional recovery. Therefore, objective and reliable evaluation methods should be applied for the assessment of regeneration and function restitution after nerve injury in animal models. This review gives an overview of the most useful methods to assess nerve regeneration, target reinnervation and recovery of complex sensory and motor functions, their values and limitations. The selection of methods has to be adequate to the main objective of the research study, either enhancement of axonal regeneration, improving regeneration and reinnervation of target organs by different types of nerve fibres, or increasing recovery of complex sensory and motor functions. It is generally recommended to use more than one functional method for each purpose, and also to perform morphological studies of the injured nerve and the reinnervated targets.
A correlation‐based method for extracting subject‐specific components and artifacts from group‐fMRI data
Authors: Pamilo Siina , Malinen Sanna , Hotta Jaakko , Seppä Mika
Published: July 2015

We present a simple but effective correlation‐based method (maxCorr) for extracting subject‐specific components from group‐fMRI data. The method finds signal components that correlate maximally with the data set of one subject and minimally with the data sets of the other subjects. We show that such subject‐specific components are often related to movement and physiological noise (e.g. cardiac cycle, respiration). We further demonstrate that removing the most subject‐specific components for each subject reduces the overall data variance and improves the statistical identification of true fMRI activations. We compare the performance of maxCorr with CompCor, a commonly used artifact‐finding method in fMRI analysis. We show that maxCorr is less likely than CompCor to remove actual stimulus‐related activity, especially when no information about the stimulus is available. MaxCorr operates without stimulus information and is therefore well suitable for analyses of fMRI experiments employing naturalistic stimuli, such as movies, where stimulus regressors are difficult to construct, and for brain decoding techniques benefiting from reduced subject‐specific variance in each subject's data.
Morphologic and cytogenetic variables affect the flow cytometric recovery of plasma cell myeloma cells in bone marrow aspirates
Authors: Cogbill C. H. , Spears M. D. , Vantuinen P. , Harrington A. M. , Olteanu H. , Kroft S. H.
Published: July 2015

Introduction

It is widely recognized that plasma cells (PCs) are under‐represented in flow cytometry (FC) studies, but the causes of this phenomenon are poorly understood. We sought to study potential variables that affect PC recovery by flow cytometry (FC) in the analysis of plasma cell myeloma (PCM).

Methods

We retrospectively performed PC differential counts and morphologic assessment on PCM peripheral blood (PB) smears, bone marrow (BM) aspirate smears and posterythrocyte lysis cytospins. PCs were enumerated by FC, excluding erythroid events/debris, and were defined as CD38(bright+), CD45(dim to negative) events. PC recovery was calculated as follows: cytospin/aspirate, FC/aspirate, and FC/cytospin.

Results

Sixty‐four BM analyses from 42 patients showed a mean aspirate PC% of 32.9 ± 23.2%. The mean PC% decreased in both the cytospin (10.9%) and by FC (8.2%). The difference between PC% in the cytospin and by FC was statistically significant (P < 0.03). Mature PC morphology and lower aspirate PC% had poorer recovery (P < 0.05) but higher‐risk cytogenetics (deletions of 13q and TP53) was associated with increased PC recovery. Immunophenotype, heavy chain type, and treatment did not affect PC recovery. PB specimens had superior recovery compared with BM samples.

Conclusions

Similar to prior reports, the greatest loss of PC in BM evaluation occurs between the aspirate and postlysis specimens; however, a small amount occurs from further processing. Additional morphologic and cytogenetic factors also appear to influence recovery in addition to overall PC%.
Restoring normal eating behaviour in adolescents with anorexia nervosa: A video analysis of nursing interventions
Authors: Beukers Laura , Berends Tamara , de Man‐van Ginkel Janneke M. , van Elburg Annemarie A. , van Meijel Berno
Published: July 2015

An important part of inpatient treatment for adolescents with anorexia nervosa is to restore normal eating behaviour. Health‐care professionals play a significant role in this process, but little is known about their interventions during patients' meals. The purpose of the present study was to describe nursing interventions aimed at restoring normal eating behaviour in patients with anorexia nervosa. The main research question was: ‘Which interventions aimed at restoring normal eating behaviour do health‐care professionals in a specialist eating disorder centre use during meal times for adolescents diagnosed with anorexia nervosa? The present study was a qualitative, descriptive study that used video recordings made during mealtimes. Thematic data analysis was applied. Four categories of interventions emerged from the data: (i) monitoring and instructing; (ii) encouraging and motivating; (iii) supporting and understanding; and (iv) educating. The data revealed a directive attitude aimed at promoting behavioural change, but always in combination with empathy and understanding. In the first stage of clinical treatment, health‐care professionals focus primarily on changing patients' eating behaviour. However, they also address the psychosocial needs that become visible in patients as they struggle to restore normal eating behaviour. The findings of the present study can be used to assist health‐care professionals, and improve multidisciplinary guidelines and health‐care professionals’ training programmes.
Economic threat undermines the satisfaction of psychological needs for competence and autonomy
Authors: Dupuis Darcy R. , Newby‐Clark Ian R.
Published: July 2015

During times of macroeconomic instability, the prospect of personal financial deficiency becomes a pervasive concern. This research examined the psychological consequences of contemplating threatening economic futures. In two experiments, we tested whether economic threat undermined the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for competence and autonomy. In Experiment 1, Canadian university students primed with an economic threat (compared with a threat‐neutral topic) reported feeling less competent and autonomous. In Experiment 2, American adults primed with an economic threat reported less competence and autonomy compared to both those primed with (a) a noneconomic threat and (b) a threat‐neutral topic. Participants under economic threat also reported lower well‐being compared with threat‐neutral participants. This effect was mediated by self‐perceived competence and autonomy.