bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Considerations for Multiteam Systems in Emergency Medical Services
Authors: Lazzara Elizabeth H. , Keebler Joseph R. , Shuffler Marissa L. , Patzer Brady , Smith Dustin C. , Misasi Paul
Published: October 2015

Objective

Despite good intentions, mishaps in teamwork continue to affect patient's lives and plague the medical community at large and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in particular. Effective and efficient management of patient care necessitates that sets of multiple teams (i.e., multiteam systems [MTSs] - EMS ground crews, EMS air crews, dispatch, and receiving hospital teams) seamlessly work together. Although advances have been made to improve teams, little research has been dedicated to enhancing MTSs especially in the critical yet often under studied domain of EMS. The purpose of this paper is to assist the pre-hospital community in strengthening patient care by presenting considerations unique to multiteam systems.

Methods

We synthesized the literature pertinent to multi-team systems and emergency medical services.

Results

From this synthesis, we derived five unique considerations: goals, boundary spanning, adaptation, leadership, and social identity.

Conclusions

MTSs are prevalent in prehospital care, as they define how multiple component healthcare teams work together to intervene in emergency situations. We provided some initial directions regarding considerations for success in EMS MTSs based on existing research, but we also recognize the need for further study on these issues.
Wildlife-friendly farming increases crop yield: evidence for ecological intensification
Authors: Pywell Richard F. , Heard Matthew S. , Woodcock Ben A. , Hinsley Shelley , Ridding Lucy , Nowakowski Marek , Bullock James M.
Published: October 2015

Ecological intensification has been promoted as a means to achieve environmentally sustainable increases in crop yields by enhancing ecosystem functions that regulate and support production. There is, however, little direct evidence of yield benefits from ecological intensification on commercial farms growing globally important foodstuffs (grains, oilseeds and pulses). We replicated two treatments removing 3 or 8% of land at the field edge from production to create wildlife habitat in 50–60 ha patches over a 900 ha commercial arable farm in central England, and compared these to a business as usual control (no land removed). In the control fields, crop yields were reduced by as much as 38% at the field edge. Habitat creation in these lower yielding areas led to increased yield in the cropped areas of the fields, and this positive effect became more pronounced over 6 years. As a consequence, yields at the field scale were maintained—and, indeed, enhanced for some crops—despite the loss of cropland for habitat creation. These results suggested that over a 5-year crop rotation, there would be no adverse impact on overall yield in terms of monetary value or nutritional energy. This study provides a clear demonstration that wildlife-friendly management which supports ecosystem services is compatible with, and can even increase, crop yields.
Combinatorial control of Drosophila circular RNA expression by intronic repeats, hnRNPs, and SR proteins
Authors: Kramer Marianne C. , Liang Dongming , Tatomer Deirdre C. , Gold Beth , March Zachary M. , Cherry Sara , Wilusz Jeremy E.
Published: October 2015

Thousands of eukaryotic protein-coding genes are noncanonically spliced to produce circular RNAs. Bioinformatics has indicated that long introns generally flank exons that circularize in Drosophila, but the underlying mechanisms by which these circular RNAs are generated are largely unknown. Here, using extensive mutagenesis of expression plasmids and RNAi screening, we reveal that circularization of the Drosophila laccase2 gene is regulated by both intronic repeats and trans-acting splicing factors. Analogous to what has been observed in humans and mice, base-pairing between highly complementary transposable elements facilitates backsplicing. Long flanking repeats (∼400 nucleotides [nt]) promote circularization cotranscriptionally, whereas pre-mRNAs containing minimal repeats (<40 nt) generate circular RNAs predominately after 3′ end processing. Unlike the previously characterized Muscleblind (Mbl) circular RNA, which requires the Mbl protein for its biogenesis, we found that Laccase2 circular RNA levels are not controlled by Mbl or the Laccase2 gene product but rather by multiple hnRNP (heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein) and SR (serine–arginine) proteins acting in a combinatorial manner. hnRNP and SR proteins also regulate the expression of other Drosophila circular RNAs, including Plexin A (PlexA), suggesting a common strategy for regulating backsplicing. Furthermore, the laccase2 flanking introns support efficient circularization of diverse exons in Drosophila and human cells, providing a new tool for exploring the functional consequences of circular RNA expression across eukaryotes.
Comparison against 186 canid whole-genome sequences reveals survival strategies of an ancient clonally transmissible canine tumor
Authors: Decker Brennan , Davis Brian W. , Rimbault Maud , Long Adrienne H. , Karlins Eric , Jagannathan Vidhya , Reiman Rebecca , Parker Heidi G. , Drögemüller Cord , Corneveaux Jason J. , Chapman Erica S. , Trent Jeffery M. , Leeb Tosso , Huentelman Matthew J. , Wayne Robert K. , Karyadi Danielle M. , Ostrander Elaine A.
Published: October 2015

Canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) is a parasitic cancer clone that has propagated for thousands of years via sexual transfer of malignant cells. Little is understood about the mechanisms that converted an ancient tumor into the world's oldest known continuously propagating somatic cell lineage. We created the largest existing catalog of canine genome-wide variation and compared it against two CTVT genome sequences, thereby separating alleles derived from the founder's genome from somatic mutations that must drive clonal transmissibility. We show that CTVT has undergone continuous adaptation to its transmissible allograft niche, with overlapping mutations at every step of immunosurveillance, particularly self-antigen presentation and apoptosis. We also identified chronologically early somatic mutations in oncogenesis- and immune-related genes that may represent key initiators of clonal transmissibility. Thus, we provide the first insights into the specific genomic aberrations that underlie CTVT's dogged perseverance in canids around the world.
Crystal structure of the inclusion complex 25-benzoylmethoxy-5,11,17,23-tetra-tert-butyl-26,27,28-trihydroxy-2,8,14,20-tetrathiacalix[4]arene–tetraethylammonium chloride (1/1)
Authors: Akkurt Mehmet , Jasinski Jerry P. , Mohamed Shaaban K. , Omran Omran A. , Albayati Mustafa R.
Published: October 2015

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C48H54O5S4·N(C2H5)4+·Cl−, contains two tetra-tert-butyl-[(benzoyl)methoxy]-trihydroxy-tetrathiacalix[4]arene molecules, two tetraethylammonium cations and two chloride anions. The two calixarene molecules in the asymmetric unit each display a cone conformation. There are no significant differences between the two independent molecules. The guest species do not sit within the calixarene `buckets'. In the crystal, extensive O—H...O, O—H...S and O—H...Cl hydrogen bonds and weak C—H...O, C—H...S and C—H...Cl interactions link the thiacalixarene molecules, tetraethylammonium cations and chloride anions, forming a three-dimensional network encompassing channels running parallel to thea-axis direction. The structure contains a solvent-accessible void of 76 (3) Å3, but no solvent molecule could reasonably be located. The crystal studied was an inversion twin with a 0.57 (8):0.43 (8) domain ratio.
UK substance use policy research should think local
Authors: Haydock William
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to consider how policy researchers should respond to recent developments in substance use and the governance of drug and alcohol policy in the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper takes two elements from the 2010 UK Drug Strategy – supply and treatment – and considers a case study in each to briefly examine the potential role of local policymakers in shaping how substance use is experienced.

Findings

– It is argued that the Coalition Government’s health reforms have given local commissioners greater autonomy over treatment policy than they had under the preceding Labour Government. Similarly, the regulation of new psychoactive substances in the UK has left local areas to determine their own approach to controlling supply through retail outlets.

Research limitations/implications

– Drawing on the broader academic literature on policymaking, this paper calls for ethnographic research into local policymaking related to substance use, which will help to illuminate how perceived policy problems are shaped by particular local systems and understandings of evidence.

Originality/value

– While this paper is not unique in identifying the importance of locally based research, it identifies the particular relevance of this research agenda in the UK today. It seeks to inform and encourage research that can shape the development of local policymaking.
From civil disobedience to drug users’ well-being: grass-roots activity and the establishment of drug consumption rooms in Denmark
Authors: Ankjærgaard Simon Kratholm , Christensen Ivan , Ege Peter Preben , Gotfredsen Nanna W. , Kjær Jørgen , Olsen Michael Lodberg , Majlund Kaj Lykke
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide contextual information around the grass-roots activities which resulted in legislation allowing the opening of drug consumption rooms in Denmark. This background has not been included in, e.g. the annual Danish Focal Point reports to the EMCDDA.

Design/methodology/approach

– An account by some of those involved on the grass-roots and political activities which resulted in the enabling changes in law and the provision of building-based drug consumption rooms in Denmark.

Findings

– The actions described originated in a concern for the health and well-being of drug users. That grass-roots action can act as a catalyst for political changes in social policy to take account of the situations and needs of socially marginalised groups.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper describes the sequence of grass-roots actions from the point of view of those involved. It does not seek to represent the views of those opposed to the activists’ aims.

Practical implications

– The use of international evidence to support policy and legal changes in one nation, Denmark, in order to improve conditions for drug users. The need for funding commitments to support and realise the legal and policy changes.

Social implications

– The success of long-term campaigning on behalf of a specific marginalised and socially excluded group of citizens and the countering of myths and stigma associated with this group.

Originality/value

– This is a unique account told by those directly involved of the social and campaigning processes which led to a change in the law and a shifting of popular and political opinion and action.
Back to nature
Authors: Gration David , Raciti Maria , Walters Gabby
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore festivalgoer/camper perceptions of and responses to the non-urban festival service environment (blended festivalscape).

Design/methodology/approach

– For this exploratory study a quantitative approach was adopted. A self-administered online survey was administered to recipient members of an Australian non-urban festival e-newsletter database resulting in 398 usable responses from festival campers.

Findings

– Environmental beliefs held by festival campers’ influenced their perceptions of naturescape, socialscape and overall satisfaction. Festival campers’ who attended more than once were found to have stronger pro-environmental beliefs than those who attended once. Festival camper perception of naturescape has a positive moderating influence leading to greater overall satisfaction and the likelihood of repeat attendance and positive word-of-mouth.

Research limitations/implications

– It is very important to know how festivalgoers perceive and relate to their festival service environment. Critical to the appeal and success of the non-urban festival is the alignment of festivalgoer environmental beliefs to the natural setting in which they are held. Limitations include use of a single case study context.

Originality/value

– This paper responds to lack of research on non-urban festivals when compared to urban festivals and the surprisingly little interest shown in the central role of natural settings and the camping experience. A closer understanding of the environmental beliefs of campers at non-urban festivals has the potential to provide beneficial outcomes for people, profit and planet.
Purposeful pedaling: analyzing MS 150 participant behavior
Authors: Gregg Elizabeth A. , Pierce David A. , Sweeney Kristi M. , Lee Jason W.
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore factors affecting participant awareness, attraction, and attachment to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s (NMSS) MS 150 PGA Tour Cycle to the Shore charitable bike ride utilizing the Psychological Continuum Model (PCM) developed by Funk and James. In addition, the authors sought to outline variables sport organizations can use to predict donor behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data for this project were derived from an electronic survey distributed to race participants and was analyzed in SPSS® software. Regression analysis was employed.

Findings

– The findings support previous research employing the PCM; wherein social situational variables have the greatest influence on the relational significance of hedonic and dispositional needs in attraction and attachment to sporting events. The work supports the inclusion of communities as an additional attachment outcome.

Practical implications

– In all, 92 percent of riders were informed about the event through word of mouth (WOM) marketing, highlighting the importance this promotional technique in the awareness stage of the PCM. NMSS would be well served by capitalizing on the power of WOM.

Originality/value

– The research provides insight into predictors of fundraising efficacy. In terms of fundraising effectiveness, participants with four or more years of participation were six times more likely than first-year riders to raise $1,000 or more.
Study of corrosion of copper in industrial cooling systems
Authors: Kartsonakis Ioannis A , Koumoulos Elias P. , Karantonis Antonis , Charitidis Costas A. , Dessypris S , Monos A
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to perform the evaluation of copper susceptibility to corrosion in industrial cooling systems. Microstructure and defects of copper are observed, while divergences from optimum structure are discussed.

Design/methodology/approach

– Various types of corrosion are examined. Electrochemical techniques such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarisation are applied in these materials, using corrosion inhibitors. Microscopic observations and electrochemical measurements are interpreted according to possible mechanistic scenarios.

Findings

– It is evident that, under specific conditions (e.g. high pH), water cooling ingredients can enhance corrosion, leading to significant copper mass loss from the inner surface of the pipe and thus leading to failure.

Originality/value

– Evaluation of copper corrosion in cooling industrial systems was done, as well as studies of copper corrosion in sodium chloride.
Family firms, firm characteristics, and corporate social performance
Authors: Aoi Michikazu , Asaba Shigeru , Kubota Keiichi , Takehara Hitoshi
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore corporate social performance attained by listed family and non-family firms in Japan. They are measured by the composite CSP index and five attributes composed of employ relations, social contributions (SCs), firm security and product safety, internal governance and risk control, and environment concern.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors employ univariate and regression analyses on the quantitatively aggregated CSP score data of Japanese firms from 2007 to 2009.

Findings

– Japan non-family firms tend to perform better than family firms in terms of attaining corporate social performance overall. Family CEOs positively affect CSP in the foods, textiles and apparels, and pharmaceutical industries as well as in retail trade, wholesale, and services industries, but negatively affect CSP in the heavy manufacturing industry. In these industries the joint effect of the percentage of family shareholdings and the fraction of family members on the board also augments the positive role played by family CEO. The findings are robust when the sample is ranked by Tobin’s q.

Research limitations/implications

– The observation period is short due to the data availability of CSP by Toyo Keizai Inc. This data covers all the listed firms which answered the questionnaire, which may also contain sample selection problems.

Practical implications

– Positive role of CEO and negative effects of shareholdings among listed family firms in Japan call for attention and corrective measures for top management and family shareholders.

Social implications

– While family firms in Japan may accumulate socioemotional wealth, they should exert more efforts to advance CSP and create social capital.

Originality/value

– This is the first comprehensive quantitative study in the field, which explored CSP of all the listed family firms vs non-family firms in Japan with large sample.
Cold temperature extremes during spring do not limit the range shift of Mediterranean pines into regions with intermittent frost
Authors: Bachofen Christoph , Wohlgemuth Thomas , Ghazoul Jaboury , Moser Barbara
Published: October 2015

Bioclimatic envelope models have predicted latitudinal range shifts of tree species in Europe following climate change. Accordingly, Mediterranean species will be able to migrate northwards if climatic conditions become warmer and dryer. Frost, on the other hand, is an important and recurring factor in temperate and boreal regions causing damage to buds and leaves, and potentially limiting the survival of Mediterranean tree species or populations at higher latitudes. Since species distribution models rely on average climatic parameters, they may underestimate the risk of frost damage from low temperature extremes.

We measured the cold hardiness of Pinus sylvestris, Pinus nigra and Pinus halepensis seedlings from a total of 11 European populations growing in a common garden in a cold Central Alpine valley on seven dates between February and July 2013. On each date, needles were artificially frozen at several temperatures and the temperature estimated at which 50% of the needle tissue is damaged (LT50; relative electrolyte leakage).

Cold hardiness did not differ between populations of the same species and was not related to the minimum temperatures at the seed origin. In comparison with deciduous trees, Mediterranean P. sylvestris and P. nigra maintained extremely wide safety margins against frost throughout late winter and spring. By contrast, safety margins of P. halepensis were much narrower until March and winter cold hardiness was in the range of regularly recurring low temperature events in Central Europe.

According to the measured LT50 values, the migration of a wide range of drought‐tolerant populations of P. sylvestris and P. nigra from the Mediterranean to Central and Western Europe is not limited by intermittent cold temperature extremes in spring. They are notably as well adapted to frost as populations from Central Alpine origin.

Differences in dehardening patterns between species demonstrate the importance of analysing cold hardiness repeatedly during potentially sensitive periods in order to predict species range shifts in the context of climatic change.
Gender differences in patterns of authorship do not affect peer review outcomes at an ecology journal
Authors: Fox Charles W. , Burns C. Sean , Muncy Anna D. , Meyer Jennifer A.
Published: October 2015

There is a widespread perception in the academic community that peer review is subject to many biases and can be influenced by the identity and biographic features (such as gender) of manuscript authors.

We examined how patterns of authorship differ between men and women, and whether author gender influences editorial and peer review outcomes and/or the peer review process for papers submitted to the journal Functional Ecology between 2010 and 2014.

Women represented approximately a third of all authors on papers submitted to Functional Ecology. Relative to overall frequency of authorship, women were underrepresented as solo authors (26% were women). On multi‐authored papers, women were also underrepresented as last/senior authors (25% were women) but overrepresented as first authors (43% were women). Women first authors were less likely than men first authors to serve as corresponding and submitting author of their papers; this difference was not influenced by the gender of the last author. Women were more likely to be authors on papers if the last author was female.

Papers with female authors (i) were equally likely to be sent for peer review, (ii) obtained equivalent peer review scores and (iii) were equally likely to be accepted for publication, compared to papers with male authors. There was no evidence that male editors or male reviewers treated papers authored by women differently than did female editors and reviewers, and no evidence that more senior editors reached different decisions than younger editors after review, or cumulative through the entire process, for papers authored by men vs. women.

Papers authored by women were more likely to be reviewed by women. This is primarily because women were more likely to be invited to review if the authors on a paper were female than if the authors were male.

Patterns of authorship, and the role undertaken as author (e.g., submitting and serving as corresponding author), differ notably between men and women for papers submitted to Functional Ecology. However, consistent with a growing body of literature indicating that peer review underlying the scholarly publishing process is largely gender‐neutral, outcomes of editorial and peer review at Functional Ecology were not influenced by author gender.
Sex differences in the mechano‐energetic effects of genistein on stunned rat and guinea pig hearts
Authors: Colareda Germán A , Ragone María I , Consolini Alicia E
Published: October 2015

Although the phytoestrogen genistein (Gen) is considered protective in cardiovascular diseases, its direct effects on stunned hearts after transient ischemia‐reperfusion (I/R) are unknown. This report studied the effects of 20 μmol/L Gen on the mechano‐calorimetric behaviour during I/R of rat and guinea pig hearts to evaluate the energetics of Ca2+ homeostasis. Isolated beating hearts were perfused with control Krebs solution inside a calorimeter with or without perfusion of Gen before a transient period of I/R. Left ventricular pressure development (P) and total heat rate (Ht) were continuously measured. At 37°C, Gen did not change post‐ischemic contractile recovery (PICR), but it increased the relaxation rate. However, PICR was reduced in hearts of male rats and guinea pigs at 30°C. Total muscle economy (P/Ht) showed the same behaviour as P at each temperature. Inhibition of phosphatases with orthovanadate during Gen perfusion prevented a decrease in PICR in male rat hearts, suggesting that this effect is due to tyrosine kinase inhibition. Reperfusing ischemic hearts with 10 mmol/L caffeine‐36 mmol/L Na+‐Krebs induced contracture dependent on the sarcoreticular Ca2+ content. Contracture relaxation depends on mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake and Gen reduced the relaxation rate. Moreover, Gen prevented the increase in Rhod‐2 fluorescence (free [Ca2+]m) of rat cardiomyocytes. In guinea pig hearts, Gen maintained ischemic preconditioning, but was reduced by 5‐hydroxydecanoate, suggesting the participation of mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate (ATP)‐dependent K channels. Results suggest that Gen acts on several mechanisms that regulate myocardial calcium homeostasis and energetics during I/R, which differ in a temperature‐ and sex‐dependent manner.
Nicergoline inhibits human platelet Ca2+ signalling through triggering a microtubule‐dependent reorganization of the platelet ultrastructure
Authors: Walford T , Musa F I , Harper A G S
Published: October 2015

Background and Purpose

Recently, we demonstrated that a pericellular Ca2+ recycling system potentiates agonist‐evoked Ca2+ signalling and granule secretion in human platelets and hypothesized a role for the membrane complex (MC) in orchestrating the accumulation of Ca2+ in the pericellular region. Previous work has demonstrated that treatment with high concentrations of nicergoline may disrupt the MC through an ability to trigger a re‐organization of the dense tubular system. Experiments were therefore performed to assess whether nicergoline‐induced changes in platelet ultrastructure affects thrombin‐evoked Ca2+ fluxes and dense granule secretion.

Experimental Approach

Thrombin‐evoked Ca2+ fluxes were monitored in Fura‐2‐ or Fluo‐5N‐loaded human platelets, or using platelet suspensions containing Fluo‐4 or Rhod‐5N K+ salts. Fluorescence microscopy was utilized to monitor microtubule structure and intracellular Ca2+ store distribution in TubulinTracker‐ and Fluo‐5N‐loaded platelets respectively. Dense granule secretion was monitored using luciferin–luciferase.

Key Results

Nicergoline treatment inhibited thrombin‐evoked Ca2+ signalling and induced alterations in the microtubule structure and the distribution of intracellular Ca2+ stores in platelets. Nicergoline altered the generation and spreading of thrombin‐induced pericellular Ca2+ signals and almost completely prevented dense granule secretion. Stabilization of microtubules using taxol reversed most effects of nicergoline on platelet Ca2+ signalling and partially reversed its effects on dense granule secretion.

Conclusions and Implications

Nicergoline‐induced alterations to platelet ultrastructure disrupt platelet Ca2+ signalling in a manner that would be predicted if the MC had been disrupted. These data suggest that nicergoline may be a useful prototype for the discovery of novel MC‐disrupting anti‐thrombotics.
Newcomers at the Israeli National Table: Transforming Urban Landscapes and the Texture of Citizenship
Authors: SHOKEID MOSHE
Published: October 2015

Advocating research of the “ethnographic present,” the article portrays the recent evolvement of two constituencies in Israeli urban society conceived as new socio‐economic‐cultural and spatial social “banks”: Jewish immigrants from Ethiopia residing in ethnically segregated urban neighborhoods; the gradual concentration in Tel Aviv's downtown neighborhoods of authorized and undocumented labor migrants from Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as asylum seekers from Eritrea and Sudan. It reports on the growing protest by local Israeli residents, the government's efforts to limit the presence of “uninvited strangers,” as well as the active response of the unwelcome aliens. I posit that the emergence of these new ethnic enclaves converges with other critical changes in Israeli institutional life. Major transformations in the texture and tenets of Israeli citizenry, its spatial construction and national identity are steadily progressing.
Costa Rica's Chinatown: The Art of Being Global in the Age of China
Authors: DEHART MONICA
Published: October 2015

Inaugurated in its capital city of San José in 2012, Costa Rica's Chinatown represents the newest addition to a list of over 100 Chinatowns worldwide. Through ethnographic research on the project's construction, public debates, and fall‐out, this paper analyzes how municipal efforts to enact urban revitalization were tied to a changing global landscape increasingly defined by China. In particular, I examine how planners, urban citizens, and ethnic Chinese community members use Chinatown as a space in which to debate and deploy competing visions of “the art of being global” based on their diverse valuations of China's significance to national identity and future development. The project's ultimate failure highlights how “world conjuring” efforts of this kind can undermine the multicultural histories and cosmopolitan ties that cities claim as the very source of their global difference and value.
Caffeine treatment prevents rapid eye movement sleep deprivation‐induced impairment of late‐phase long‐term potentiation in the dentate gyrus
Authors: Alhaider Ibrahim A. , Alkadhi Karim A.
Published: October 2015

The CA1 and dentate gyrus (DG) are physically and functionally closely related areas of the hippocampus, but they differ in various respects, including their reactions to different insults. The purpose of this study was to determine the protective effects of chronic caffeine treatment on late‐phase long‐term potentiation (L‐LTP) and its signalling cascade in the DG area of the hippocampus of rapid eye movement sleep‐deprived rats. Rats were chronically treated with caffeine (300 mg/L drinking water) for 4 weeks, after which they were sleep‐deprived for 24 h. L‐LTP was induced in in anaesthetized rats, and extracellular field potentials from the DG area were recorded in vivo. The levels of L‐LTP‐related signalling proteins were assessed by western blot analysis. Sleep deprivation markedly reduced L‐LTP magnitude, and basal levels of total cAMP response element‐binding protein (CREB), phosphorylated CREB (P‐CREB), and calcium/calmodulin kinase IV (CaMKIV). Chronic caffeine treatment prevented the reductions in the basal levels of P‐CREB, total CREB and CaMKIV in sleep‐deprived rats. Furthermore, caffeine prevented post‐L‐LTP sleep deprivation‐induced downregulation of P‐CREB and brain‐derived neurotrophic factor in the DG. The current findings show that caffeine treatment prevents acute sleep deprivation‐induced deficits in brain function.
Male Mating History Influences Female Mate Choice in the Trinidadian Guppy (Poecilia reticulata)
Authors: Scarponi Valentina , Chowdhury Deepro , Godin Jean‐Guy J.
Published: October 2015

Based on the phenotype‐linked fertility hypothesis, sexual selection should favour females that can accurately assess the recent mating history of available sexual partners and preferentially avoid mating with recently‐mated males [who may be sperm depleted (SD)] so as to minimize the risk of their eggs not being fertilized. This hypothesis has received to date only limited attention and empirical support. Therefore, in the current study, we investigated experimentally whether females of a vertebrate species, the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata), are able to assess the recent mating history of males, and thus potentially their functional fertility, and choose to avoid mating with males that appear to have recently mated and who may be sperm limited. Individual virgin females were first given a dichotomous choice between a male that had not been recently observed to interact sexually with another female (i.e. not sperm‐depleted) and another male that had been observed to interact sexually with a female (i.e. potentially sperm‐depleted) as sexual partners. Paired males were matched for body length and coloration. Immediately following this test, the focal females were subjected to a free‐swimming mate‐choice test using the same paired stimulus males. As predicted, on average, female guppies avoided the apparently recently‐mated (and potentially sperm‐depleted) male and exhibited a significant preference for the other male not recently observed mating (and thus not likely sperm limited) during both tests. We do not yet fully understand the underlying mechanisms of this preference. Therefore, further research on the particular cues that females use to assess the recent mating history and fertility status of males is required.
Noise Reduces Foraging Efficiency in Pallid Bats (Antrozous pallidus)
Authors: Bunkley Jessie Patrice , Barber Jesse Rex
Published: October 2015

Anthropogenic noise is an emerging global pollutant. Road networks and energy extraction infrastructure are both spatially extensive and rapidly expanding sources of noise. We predict that predators reliant on acoustic cues for hunting are particularly sensitive to louder environments. Here we examined the foraging efficiency of pallid bats (Antrozous pallidus) when exposed to played‐back traffic and gas compressor station noise in the laboratory. We show that both types of noise at each of five exposure levels (58–76 dBA, 10–640 m from source) and low‐level amplifier noise (35 dBA) increase the time required for bats to locate prey‐generated sounds by twofold to threefold. The mechanism underlying these findings is unclear and, given the potential landscape‐level habitat degradation indicated by our data, we recommend continued research into the effects of noise exposure on acoustically specialized predators.
How Do Females’ Genetic Characteristics Influence Male Mate Preference in the Terrestrial Isopod Armadillidium vulgare?
Authors: Durand Sylvine , Beauché Fanny , Richard Freddie‐Jeanne , Beltran‐Bech Sophie
Published: October 2015

Genetic diversity is a key factor that can influence mate choice in many species. We experimentally determined the influence of this factor on mate preference in the crustacean terrestrial isopod Armadillidium vulgare. This biological model is gregarious which could increase the risk of inbreeding by mating with closely related partners. Mechanisms of inbreeding avoidance during mate choice can thus be expected. Moreover, previous studies predict that males would be the choosy sex. We performed Y‐choice tests giving males the choice between two females presenting different levels of heterozygosity and genetic similarity to the male. Our results show potential inbreeding avoidance according to the genetic characteristics of females presented to males. The higher the variation in genetic similarity to the male between females is, the higher the preference of the male towards the most dissimilar female is. Hence, male preferences may only be detectable when the difference between females’ genetic characteristics is large enough. If heterozygosity is associated with fitness in A. vulgare (as in many organisms), the patterns of mate preference we observe may be adaptive.
Choosing Your Object of Benevolence: A Field Experiment on Donation Options*
Authors: Aretz Bodo , Kube Sebastian
Published: October 2015

In a large natural field experiment, we explore the effect of providing donors with the opportunity of choosing the target country for their donations. We find that our treatment manipulation affects neither the average donation size nor the response rate. Only a small fraction of donors (3.5 percent) actually choose their object of benevolence. These donors give more than those who do not specify a recipient. However, based on previous donations, we can only provide indicative evidence that this might be a causal effect rather than a mere selection effect.
Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Bias on Isotope Ratios in Dolomite–Ankerite, Part II: δ13C Matrix Effects
Authors: Śliwiński Maciej G. , Kitajima Kouki , Kozdon Reinhard , Spicuzza Michael J. , Fournelle John H. , Denny Adam , Valley John W.
Published: October 2015

This study is Part II of a series that documents the development of a suite of calibration reference materials for in situ SIMS analysis of stable isotope ratios in Ca‐Mg‐Fe carbonates. Part I explored the effects of Fe2+ substitution on SIMS δ18O bias measured from the dolomite–ankerite solid solution series [CaMg(CO3)2–CaFe(CO3)2], whereas this complementary work explores the compositional dependence of SIMS δ13C bias (calibrated range: Fe# = 0.004–0.789, where Fe# = molar Fe/(Mg+Fe)). Under routine operating conditions for carbonate δ13C analysis at WiscSIMS (CAMECA IMS 1280), the magnitude of instrumental bias increased exponentially by 2.5–5.5‰ (session‐specific) with increasing Fe‐content in the dolomite structure, but appeared insensitive to minor Mn substitution [< 2.6 mole % Mn/(Ca+Mg+Fe+Mn)]. The compositional dependence of bias (i.e., the matrix effect) was expressed using the Hill equation, yielding calibration residual values ≤ 0.3‰ relative to CRM NBS‐19 for eleven carbonate reference materials (6‐μm‐diameter spot size measurements). Based on the spot‐to‐spot repeatability of a drift monitor material that ‘bracketed’ each set of ten sample‐spot analyses, the analytical precision was ± 0.6–1.2‰ (2s, standard deviations). The analytical uncertainty for individual sample analyses was approximated by combining the precision and calibration residual values (propagated in quadrature), suggesting an uncertainty of ± 1.0–1.5‰ (2s).
Fluoride concentrations of milk, infant formulae, and soy‐based products commercially available in Brazil
Authors: Nagata Mariana Emi , Delbem Alberto Carlos Botazzo , Kondo Karina Yuri , de Castro Luciene Pereira , Hall Kevin Bruce , Percinoto Célio , Aguiar Sandra Maria Herondina Coelho Ávila , Pessan Juliano Pelim
Published: October 2015

Objectives

To assess the fluoride (F) content in commercially available milk formulae in Brazil and to estimate the F intake in children from this source in the first year of life.

Methods

Samples of cow's milk (n = 51), infant formulae (n = 15), powdered milk (n = 13), and soy‐based products (n = 4) purchased in Araçatuba (Brazil) had their F content measured using an ion‐specific electrode, after hexamethyldisiloxane‐facilitated diffusion. Powdered milk and infant formulae were reconstituted with deionized water, while ready‐to‐drink products were analyzed without any dilution. Using average infant body masses and suggested volumes of formula consumption for infants 1‐12 months of age, possible F ingestion per body mass was estimated. Data were analyzed by descriptive analysis.

Results

Mean F content ranged from 0.02 to 2.52 mg/L in all samples. None of the cow's milk provided F intake higher than 0.07 mg/kg. However, two infant formulae, one powdered milk, and one soy‐milk led to a daily F intake above the suggested threshold for fluorosis when reconstituted with deionized water. Assuming reconstitution of products with tap water at 0.7 ppm F, two infant formulae, five powdered milk, and four soymilks led to daily F intake ranging from 0.108 to 0.851 mg/kg.

Conclusions

The results suggest that the consumption of some brands of infant formulae, powdered milk, and soy‐based milk in the first year of age could increase the risk of dental fluorosis, reinforcing the need for periodic surveillance of the F content of foods and beverages typically consumed by young children.
Burden of fungal infections in Senegal
Authors: Badiane Aida S. , Ndiaye Daouda , Denning David W.
Published: October 2015

Senegal has a high rate of tuberculosis and a low HIV seropositivity rate and aspergilloma, life‐threatening fungal infections, dermatophytosis and mycetoma have been reported in this study. All published epidemiology papers reporting fungal infection rates from Senegal were identified. Where no data existed, we used specific populations at risk and fungal infection frequencies in each to estimate national incidence or prevalence. The results show that tinea capitis is common being found in 25% of children, ~1.5 million. About 191 000 Senegalese women get recurrent vaginal thrush, ≥4 times annually. We estimate 685 incident cases of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) following TB and prevalence of 2160 cases. Asthma prevalence in adults varies from 3.2% to 8.2% (mean 5%); 9976 adults have allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) and 13 168 have severe asthma with fungal sensitisation (SAFS). Of the 59 000 estimated HIV‐positive patients, 366 develop cryptococcal meningitis; 1149 develop Pneumocystis pneumonia and 1946 develop oesophageal candidiasis, in which oral candidiasis (53%) and dermatophytosis (16%) are common. Since 2008–2010, 113 cases of mycetoma were diagnosed. In conclusion, we estimate that 1 743 507 (12.5%) people in Senegal suffer from a fungal infection, excluding oral candidiasis, fungal keratitis, invasive candidiasis or aspergillosis. Diagnostic and treatment deficiencies should be rectified to allow epidemiological studies.
Burden of serious fungal diseases in Hungary
Authors: Sinkó János , Sulyok Mihály , Denning David W.
Published: October 2015

Valid data on the prevalence of serious fungal diseases are difficult to derive as in most countries these conditions are not reportable infections. To assess the burden of these infections in Hungary prevalence estimates from international peer‐reviewed papers and population statistics were utilised. In the intensive care unit (ICU) population at least 370 cases of serious yeast and 52 mould infections can be expected yearly. The total number of candidaemia cases may be as high as 1110 annually. In patients with acute leukaemia and recipients of haematopoietic stem cell and solid organ transplants the predicted incidence is more than 55 every year. Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis – though not a life‐threatening condition – can adversely affect the quality of life of more than 177 000 Hungarian women. According to organisation for economic co‐operation and development (OECD), 4.7% of total population older than 15 will suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and 4.4% from asthma, adding another very broad risk group to the aforementioned categories susceptible for mycotic complications. Here more than 17 000 can have severe asthma with fungal sensitisation (SAFS) and more than 13 000 are at risk for developing allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). The incidence of dermatomycoses and other superficial fungal infections is even more difficult to assess but – according to international estimations – can effect around 14.3% of the total population. More than 1.6 million Hungarians may suffer from fungal diseases annually, with 33 000 cases being life threatening or very serious. This is an under‐recognised problem of special importance for public health.
Cryptococcal disease and the burden of other fungal diseases in Uganda; Where are the knowledge gaps and how can we fill them?
Authors: Parkes‐Ratanshi R. , Achan B. , Kwizera R. , Kambugu A. , Meya D. , Denning D. W.
Published: October 2015

The HIV epidemic in Uganda has highlighted Cryptococcus and Candida infections as important opportunistic fungal infections. However, the burden of other fungal diseases is not well described. We aimed to estimate the burden of fungal infections in Uganda. All epidemiological papers of fungal diseases in Uganda were reviewed. Where there is no Ugandan data, global or East African data were used. Recurrent vaginal candidiasis is estimated to occur in 375 540 Uganda women per year; Candida in pregnant women affects up to 651 600 women per year. There are around 45 000 HIV‐related oral and oesophageal candidosis cases per year. There are up to 3000 cases per year of post‐TB chronic pulmonary aspergillosis. There are an estimated 40 392 people with asthma‐related fungal conditions. An estimated 1 300 000 cases of tinea capitis occur in school children yearly in Uganda. There are approximately 800 HIV‐positive adults with Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) annually and up to 42 000 children with PJP per year. There are an estimated 4000 cryptococcal cases annually. There are an estimated 2.5 million fungal infections per year in Uganda. Cryptococcus and PJP cause around 28 000 deaths in adults and children per year. We propose replicating the model of research around cryptococcal disease to investigate and development management strategies for other fungal diseases in Uganda.
Burden of serious fungal infections in Tanzania
Authors: Faini Diana , Maokola Werner , Furrer Hansjakob , Hatz Christoph , Battegay Manuel , Tanner Marcel , Denning David W. , Letang Emilio
Published: October 2015

The incidence and prevalence of fungal infections in Tanzania remains unknown. We assessed the annual burden in the general population and among populations at risk. Data were extracted from 2012 reports of the Tanzanian AIDS program, WHO, reports, Tanzanian census, and from a comprehensive PubMed search. We used modelling and HIV data to estimate the burdens of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP), cryptococcal meningitis (CM) and candidiasis. Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and tuberculosis data were used to estimate the burden of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) and chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA). Burdens of candidaemia and Candida peritonitis were derived from critical care and/or cancer patients’ data. In 2012, Tanzania's population was 43.6 million (mainland) with 1 500 000 people reported to be HIV‐infected. Estimated burden of fungal infections was: 4412 CM, 9600 PCP, 81 051 and 88 509 oral and oesophageal candidiasis cases respectively. There were 10 437 estimated posttuberculosis CPA cases, whereas candidaemia and Candida peritonitis cases were 2181 and 327 respectively. No reliable data exist on blastomycosis, mucormycosis or fungal keratitis. Over 3% of Tanzanians suffer from serious fungal infections annually, mostly related to HIV. Cryptococcosis and PCP are major causes of mycoses‐related deaths. National surveillance of fungal infections is urgently needed.
Estimated burden of fungal infections in Germany
Authors: Ruhnke Markus , Groll Andreas H. , Mayser Peter , Ullmann Andrew J. , Mendling Werner , Hof Herbert , Denning David W. ,   The University of Manchester in association with the LIFE program
Published: October 2015

In the late 1980's, the incidence of invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) in Germany was estimated with 36.000 IFDs per year. The current number of fungal infections (FI) occurring each year in Germany is still not known. In the actual analysis, data on incidence of fungal infections in various patients groups at risk for FI were calculated and mostly estimated from various (mostly national) resources. According to the very heterogenous data resources robust data or statistics could not be obtained but preliminary estimations could be made and compared with data from other areas in the world using a deterministic model that has consistently been applied in many countries by the LIFE program ( www.LIFE-worldwide.org). In 2012, of the 80.52 million population (adults 64.47 million; 41.14 million female, 39.38 million male), 20% are children (0–14 years) and 16% of population are ≥65 years old. Using local data and literature estimates of the incidence or prevalence of fungal infections, about 9.6 million (12%) people in Germany suffer from a fungal infection each year. These figures are dominated (95%) by fungal skin disease and recurrent vulvo‐vaginal candidosis. In general, considerable uncertainty surrounds the total numbers because IFDs do not belong to the list of reportable infectious diseases in Germany and most patients were not hospitalised because of the IFD but a distinct underlying disease.