bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘Writing’ Black Womanhood in the Early Cuban Republic, 1904–16
Authors: Brunson Takkara
Published: July 2016

This article explores the intersection of race, class and womanhood during the early years of the Cuban Republic. It focuses on the writings of elite women who published in the black press between 1904 and 1916. While legal reforms and the expansion of the educational system facilitated new gender expectations, racial ideologies positioned upper‐class white women as the standard of ideal womanhood. I argue that elite women of African descent employed modernising gender norms in order to counter anti‐black racism and to affirm their identification with upper‐class whites. In particular, they published articles that promoted the dominant values regarding marriage, education and public comportment. They disparaged unmarried unions and the practice of African cultural traditions among the labouring poor. Elite black women's writings drew from the model of the enlightened caretaker also to engage broader debates regarding feminism and black civic unity. Yet their emphasis on ideals that promoted white superiority helped reinforce the anti‐black tenets of Cuban citizenship they hoped to undermine. By analysing elite black women's articles, poetry and letters, the article demonstrates the importance of understanding how women of African descent forged an intellectual trajectory, and thus contributes to the historiography of gendered racial ideologies in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Mourned Choices and Grievable Lives: The Anti‐Abortion Movement's Influence in Defining the Abortion Experience in Australia Since the 1960s
Authors: Millar Erica
Published: July 2016

This article provides a genealogy of foetocentric grief, an emotion that permeates accounts of abortion in Australia across multiple discursive sites. Foetocentric grief represents women as indelibly mourning their ‘unborn children’ after abortion. The emotion first came to prominence in anti‐abortion activism of the mid‐1980s. Focus on the purported consequences of abortion for women enabled anti‐abortionists to respond to charges that they were unsympathetic towards women who have abortions. Foetocentric grief also transcribes the primary claim of the anti‐abortion movement – that abortion entails a mother's destruction of her unborn child – onto the very experience of abortion. Since the mid‐1980s, foetocentric grief has moved outside the anti‐abortion movement to dominate accounts of the abortion experience in the print media as well as, surprisingly, mainstream pro‐choice activism. This article maps the convergence of these trends and examines the political and regulatory effects of foetocentric grief. It argues that foetocentric grief is a culturally enforced emotion that discursively recuperates the figure of the aborting woman to normative regimes of pregnancy and femininity, where pregnant women are envisaged as already mothers to autonomous foetal‐subjects.
Paediatric recreational vehicle‐related head injuries presenting to the emergency department of a major paediatric trauma centre in Australia: Is there room for improvement?
Authors: Bressan Silvia , Daverio Marco , Barker Ruth , Molesworth Charlotte , Babl Franz E
Published: July 2016

Objective

This study examines clinical characteristics and helmet use of children presenting to the ED with a recreational vehicle (RV)‐related head injury (HI).

Methods

Observational retrospective study of children <18 years presenting with a RV‐related HI to the ED of a state‐wide paediatric trauma centre in Australia between April 2011 and January 2014.

Results

In the 647 presentations identified, corresponding to 7.5% (95% CI 7.0–8.1) of all HI presentations, RVs involved were bicycles (36.3%), push scooters (18.5%), motorcycles (18.4%), horses (11.7%), skateboards (11.6%), quadbikes (2.8%) and go‐karts (0.6%). Recorded helmet use was the highest in motorcycle, horse and bicycle riders (83.2%, 82.9% and 65.1%, respectively), and the lowest for push scooter (25.8%) and skateboard riders (17.3%). Overall 23% underwent a CT scan, 8.8% had intracranial injuries on CT, 30.6% were admitted, and 2.2% underwent neurosurgery. Push scooter‐related HIs were the least severe. Age (in years), riding a motorised vehicle and not wearing a helmet were independently associated with intracranial injuries on CT on multiple logistic regression (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.0–1.2; OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.3–4.6 and OR 6.0, 95% CI 3.2–11.2, respectively).

Conclusions

RV‐related HIs accounted for a non‐negligible proportion of paediatric HIs presenting to the ED and for significant morbidity and use of hospital resources. Interventions such as introduction of mandatory helmet use for off‐road motorised vehicle riding and skateboard riding in children, enhanced injury prevention campaigns, and strict adult supervision during motorised vehicle riding may reduce the morbidity and health care costs associated with paediatric RV‐related HIs.
Vertical partitioning of freshwater bacterioplankton community in a deep mesotrophic lake with a fully oxygenated hypolimnion (Lake Biwa, Japan)
Authors: Okazaki Yusuke , Nakano Shin‐Ichi
Published: July 2016

In freshwater microbial ecology, extensive studies are attempting to characterize the vast majority of uncultivated bacterioplankton taxa. However, these studies mainly focus on the epilimnion and little is known regarding the bacterioplankton inhabiting the hypolimnion of deep holomictic lakes, despite its biogeochemical importance. In this study, we investigated the bacterioplankton community composition in a deep freshwater lake with a fully oxygenated hypolimnion (Lake Biwa, Japan) using high‐throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Sampling at a pelagic site over 15 months throughout the water column revealed that the community composition in the hypolimnion was significantly different from that in the epilimnion. The bacterial community in the hypolimnion was composed of groups dominating in the whole water layer (e.g., bacI‐A1 and acI‐B1) and groups that were hypolimnion habitat specialists. Among the hypolimnion specialists, members of Chloroflexi and Planctomycetes were highly represented (e.g., CL500‐11, CL500‐15 and CL500‐37), followed by members of Acidobacteria, Chlorobi and nitrifiers (e.g., Ca. Nitrosoarchaeum, Nitrosospira and Nitrospira). This study identified the number of previously understudied taxa dominating the deep aerobic freshwater habitat, suggesting that the biogeochemical cycling there is driven by the microbial community that are different from that in the epilimnion.
Dominant plasmids carrying extended‐spectrum β‐lactamases blaCTX‐M genes in genetically diverse Escherichia coli from slaughterhouse and urban wastewaters
Authors: Dupouy Véronique , Doublet Benoît , Arpaillange Nathalie , Praud Karine , Bibbal Delphine , Brugère Hubert , Oswald Eric , Cloeckaert Axel , Toutain Pierre‐Louis , Bousquet‐Mélou Alain
Published: July 2016

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) receiving effluents from food‐producing animals and humans may contribute to the spread of extended‐spectrum β‐lactamases (ESBL)‐carrying plasmids. This study was designed to investigate extended‐spectrum cephalosporin resistant Escherichia coli strains, CTX‐M distributions and the genetic lineage of blaCTX‐M‐carrying plasmids from urban and slaughterhouse wastewaters. The level of extended‐spectrum cephalosporin‐resistant E. coli in slaughterhouse wastewater entering the WWTP was negligible compared with that of urban wastewater. The blaCTX‐M‐1 gene was predominant in slaughterhouse wastewater whereas diverse blaCTX‐M genes were encountered in urban wastewater and WWTP outlet. Characterization of the main CTX‐M‐producing E. coli isolates by antibiotic resistance phenotyping, genotyping and typing of plasmids carrying blaCTX‐M genes revealed that blaCTX‐M‐1 and blaCTX‐M‐15 genes were harboured by the predominant blaCTX‐M‐1 IncI1/ST3 and blaCTX‐M‐15 F31:A4:B1 plasmids, which were recovered from unrelated E. coli genotypes in both slaughterhouse and urban wastewaters. This study highlighted the spread of predominant blaCTX‐M‐1 and blaCTX‐M‐15 plasmid lineages in diverse E. coli genotypes from humans and food‐producing animals, their mixing in WWTP and final release into the aquatic environment. This could have a serious negative impact on public health and requires further evaluation.
Fruiting pattern in longan, Dimocarpus longan: from pollination to aril development
Authors: Pham V.T. , Herrero M. , Hormaza J.I.
Published: July 2016

In most fleshy fruits, the edible part of the fruit is formed either by the pericarp derived from the ovary wall or by an engrossed receptacle. However, in a number of fruit tree species the edible part is the aril, an outgrowth of the ovule that envelops the seed, and there is a paucity of information on fruit development and fruiting pattern in these crops. To fill this gap, in this work, we have characterised the progamic phase, fruit development and fruit/fruitlet drop in longan, Dimocarpus longan. The progamic phase from pollination to fertilisation took just 3 days; the pollen tubes arrived to the base of the style in 1 day, reached the locule 1 day later and penetrated the ovules 3 days after pollination. Only one of the two ovules present in each longan flower fertilised. However, this did not result in rapid fruitlet growth, since a very slow fruit development occurred up to 6 weeks after flowering. Pollination was required for fruiting and unpollinated flowers dropped 9 days after anthesis. Only 7% of the female flowers produced became fruits. There was a first flower/fruitlet drop 2–4 weeks after flowering that appeared to be related to lack of fertilisation followed by a second fruitlet drop 5–6 weeks after flowering, concomitantly with the rapid growth of the embryo and the aril, that appears to be related to competition for nutrients. These results set a frameline to understand fruiting in tree species in which the edible part of the fruit is a fleshy aril.
Which Febrile Children With Sickle Cell Disease Need a Chest X‐Ray?
Authors: Eisenbrown Katherine , Nimmer Mark , Ellison Angela M. , Simpson Pippa , Brousseau David C.
Published: July 2016

Objective

Controversy exists regarding which febrile children with sickle cell disease (SCD) should receive a chest x‐ray (CXR). Our goal is to provide data informing the decision of which febrile children with SCD presenting to the emergency department (ED) require a CXR to evaluate for acute chest syndrome (ACS).

Methods

Retrospective chart review of children ages 3 months to 21 years with SCD presenting to the ED at one of two academic children's hospitals with fever ≥38.5°C between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2012. Demographic characteristics, respiratory symptoms, and laboratory results were abstracted. The primary outcome was the presence of ACS. Binary recursive partitioning was performed to determine predictive factors for a diagnosis of ACS.

Results

A total of 185 (10%) of 1,837 febrile ED visits met ACS criteria. The current National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) consensus criteria for obtaining a CXR (shortness of breath, tachypnea, cough, or rales) identified 158 (85%) of ACS cases, while avoiding 825 CXRs. Obtaining a CXR in children with NHLBI criteria or chest pain and in children without those symptoms but with a white blood cell (WBC) count ≥18.75 × 109/L or a history of ACS identified 181 (98%), while avoiding 430 CXRs.

Conclusion

Children with SCD presenting to the ED with fever and shortness of breath, tachypnea, cough, rales, or chest pain should receive a CXR due to high ACS rates. A higher WBC count or history of ACS in a child without one of those symptoms may suggest the need for a CXR. Prospective validation of these criteria is needed.
The 2016 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference, “Shared Decision Making in the Emergency Department: Development of a Policy‐relevant Patient‐centered Research Agenda” Diagnostic Testing Breakout Session Report
Authors: Barrett Tyler W. , Rising Kristin L. , Bellolio M. Fernanda , Hall M. Kennedy , Brody Aaron , Dodd Kenneth W. , Grieser Mira , Levy Phillip D. , Raja Ali S. , Self Wesley H. , Weingarten Gail , Hess Erik P. , Hollander Judd E.
Published: July 2016

Diagnostic testing is an integral component of patient evaluation in the emergency department (ED). Emergency clinicians frequently use diagnostic testing to more confidently exclude “worst‐case” diagnoses rather than to determine the most likely etiology for a presenting complaint. Increased utilization of diagnostic testing has not been associated with reductions in disease‐related mortality but has led to increased overall healthcare costs and other unintended consequences (e.g., incidental findings requiring further workup, unnecessary exposure to ionizing radiation or potentially nephrotoxic contrast). Shared decision making (SDM) presents an opportunity for clinicians to discuss the benefits and harms associated with diagnostic testing with patients to more closely tailor testing to patient risk. This article introduces the challenges and opportunities associated with incorporating SDM into emergency care by summarizing the conclusions of the diagnostic testing group at the 2016 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference on SDM. Three primary domains emerged: 1) characteristics of a condition or test appropriate for SDM, 2) critical elements of and potential barriers to SDM discussions on diagnostic testing, and 3) financial aspects of SDM applied to diagnostic testing. The most critical research questions to improve engagement of patients in their acute care diagnostic decisions were determined by consensus.
European Integration and Australian Manufacturing Industry: The Case of Philips Electronics, 1960s–1970s
Authors: van der Eng Pierre
Published: July 2016

The creation of the Common Market in the European Community required electronics multinational Philips to integrate production operations across European countries. This effort had consequences for its Australian subsidiary. Rather than become a regional Philips hub with the support of its parent, as intended in the 1960s, it was absorbed by addressing changes in Australian trade policy and increased Japanese imports. The parent company's establishment of regional supply centres in Europe and Asia left no role for the small Australian production facilities in the company's global structure. Production and employment at Philips Australia were scaled back drastically during the 1970s.
What drives stock market integration? An analysis using agribusiness stocks
Authors: Valdes Rodrigo , Von Cramon‐Taubadel Stephan , Engler Alejandra
Published: July 2016

This article explores the drivers of regional stock market integration with a focus on the agribusiness sector across relevant regional trade blocs around the world. We implement panel cointegration models to analyze the stock indices of agribusiness firms in the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), European Union (EU), Asia‐Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Based on the literature on market integration and stock return pricing, we identify nine possible determinants of stock market integration, which we separate into three categories: individual market performance, macroeconomic conditions, and agricultural trade. In our analysis, we account for agriculture‐specific factors to control for possible structural shifts in financial markets regimes by including the two main commodity price bubbles during last 20 years. Our results show that most of the variables included in our categories have been important factors in promoting regional stock market integration. Moreover, integration among regional stock markets was strengthened by the implementation of trade agreements. This effect is stronger in trade blocs with fewer members, such as NAFTA and MERCOSUR, compared with larger and more heterogeneous blocs, such as the EU and APEC.
Glutamate‐Like Neurons in the Turtle Brain
Authors: Hussan M. T. , Saito S. , Atoji Y.
Published: July 2016

Glutamate acts as the excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain and is mediated largely by the vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUTs). The objective of the study was to determine the distribution ofVGLUT2mRNAin the turtle brain by in situ hybridization. Intense expression was observed in the olfactory bulb, cerebral cortex, nucleus dorsomedialis thalami, nucleus dorsolateralis thalami, dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus, nucleus reuniens and nucleus periventricularis hypothalami. Moderate expression was noticed in the nucleus rotundus, area lateralis hypothalami, reticular nucleus, cerebellar nucleus and nucleus cochlearis. In conclusion, this study reveals many glutamatergic neurons in the turtle brain.
The Australasian Psoriasis Collaboration view on methotrexate for psoriasis in the Australasian setting
Authors: Rademaker Marius , Gupta Monisha , Andrews Megan , Armour Katherine , Baker Chris , Foley Peter , Gebauer Kurt , George Jacob , Rubel Diana , Sullivan John
Published: July 2016

The Australasian Psoriasis Collaboration reviewed methotrexate (MTX) in the management of psoriasis in the Australian and New Zealand setting. The following comments are based on expert opinion and a literature review. Low‐dose MTX (< 0.4 mg/kg per week) has a slow onset of action and has moderate to good efficacy, together with an acceptable safety profile. The mechanism of action is anti‐inflammatory, rather than immunosuppressive. For pretreatment, consider testing full blood count (FBC), liver and renal function, non‐fasting lipids, hepatitis serology, HbA1c and glucose. Body mass index and abdominal circumference should also be measured. Optional investigations in at‐risk groups include an HIV test, a QuantiFERON‐TB Gold test and a chest X‐ray. In patients without complications, repeat the FBC at 2–4 weeks, then every 3–6 months and the liver/renal function test at 3 months and then every 6 months. There is little evidence that a MTX test dose is of value. Low‐dose MTX rarely causes clinically significant hepatotoxicity in psoriasis. Most treatment‐emergent liver toxicity is related to underlying metabolic syndrome and non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease or non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis. Alcohol itself is not contraindicated, but should be limited to < 20 gm/day. [Correction added on 6 January 2017, after first online publication: ‘20 mg/day’ has been corrected to ‘20 gm/day’.] Although MTX is a potential teratogen post‐conception, there is little evidence for this pre‐conception. MTX does not affect the quality of sperm. There is no evidence that MTX reduces healing, so there is no specific need to stop MTX peri‐surgery. MTX may be used in combination with cyclosporine, acitretin, prednisone and anti‐tumour necrosis factor biologics.
The prognostic significance of faecal calprotectin in patients with inactive inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Zhulina Y. , Cao Y. , Amcoff K. , Carlson M. , Tysk C. , Halfvarson J.
Published: July 2016

Background

Faecal calprotectin, an established biomarker used to assess mucosal inflammation, has been shown to correlate with endoscopic activity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Longitudinal monitoring of faecal calprotectin, however, has rarely been employed beyond assessment of therapy response and post hoc analyses of clinical trials.

Aim

To study whether consecutive measurements of faecal calprotectin every third month are useful for monitoring patients with IBD in clinical remission.

Methods

Patients aged 18 years or older, with a known diagnosis of IBD in clinical remission, were prospectively studied. Patients provided faecal samples every third month and were prospectively followed until the first clinical relapse or the end of the 2‐year follow‐up period. Measurements (EK‐CAL, Bühlmann Lab. AG, Switzerland) were done at the end of the study. A Cox model with time‐dependent covariates was used for analysis.

Results

Among 104 patients, Crohn's disease (n = 49) and ulcerative colitis (n = 55), 37 had a relapse. A doubling of faecal calprotectin level between two consecutively collected samples was associated with a 101% increased risk of relapse (HR: 2.01; 95% CI: 1.53–2.65; P < 0.001). The relative risk of relapse attenuated with time (HR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.75–0.86; P < 0.001), by a 20% decrease in risk of relapse per 3‐month period since the sample was obtained.

Conclusions

By consecutively measuring faecal calprotectin every third month, we quantified the risk of relapse related to faecal calprotectin change and observed attenuation of the risk across time. Our data suggest that longitudinal monitoring of faecal calprotectin is informative in predicting relapse in IBD.
‘It's different, but it's the same’: perspectives of young adults with siblings with intellectual disabilities in residential care
Authors: Jacobs Paula , MacMahon Ken
Published: July 2016

Accessible summary

Siblings often play important roles in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities.

This study suggests that young adults who have siblings in residential care can feel isolated in their experience.

Adolescence appears to be a turning point and a time when siblings become aware of future caretaking responsibilities.

There is a need for support for siblings of children and adults with intellectual disabilities who live in residential care.

Background: Siblings often play significant roles in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. This study aimed to give voice to young adults whose siblings have an intellectual disability and are in residential care.

Materials and Methods: Six participants were interviewed, with interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology employed.

Results: Emergent themes included family and sibling relationships and concerns for the future. However, ambivalence, in terms of conflicting feelings within participants themselves, was striking. Dissonances within narratives included identifying as ‘one family’ whilst living apart, experiencing guilt while being supportive of the residential placement, and emphasising the normality of the sibling experience whilst also feeling different and isolated.

Conclusion: These findings reflect the particular complexity of sibling relationships when the person with an intellectual disability lives in residential care. There is a need to understand more about the perspectives of siblings, and the influence that residential care may have upon these.
Patch test results with rubber series in the European Surveillance System on Contact Allergies (ESSCA), 2013/14
Authors: Uter Wolfgang , Warburton Katharine , Weisshaar Elke , Simon Dagmar , Ballmer‐Weber Barbara , Mahler Vera , Fuchs Thomas , Geier Johannes , Wilkinson Mark
Published: July 2016

Background

Contact allergy to rubber additives is common, particularly in patients with occupational dermatitis.

Objectives

To descriptively analyse and compare patch test reactions in patients patch tested both with the baseline series and with an additional ‘rubber series’ as used in the department.

Methods

Patch test data from those members of the European Surveillance System on Contact Allergies (ESSCA) network (www.essca‐dc.org) who also contributed data on rubber series patch test results were retrospectively analysed.

Results

Among 29 522 patients patch tested, 2870 were eligible, that is, patch tested both with the baseline series and with a special rubber series. Of these, 8.8% had positive reaction(s) to one of the baseline screening rubber allergens (as compared with 4.2% in all patients), most often to carba mix, 12.3% had positive reaction(s) to allergens from an additional rubber series, and 6.4% had positive reaction(s) to both.

Conclusions

Additional testing with a dedicated rubber series, containing break‐down single ingredients of mixes from the baseline series and additional rubber allergens, is warranted in patients with suspected contact allergy to rubber, to avoid false‐negative results.
Relative Difficulty of Understanding Foreign Accents as a Marker of Proficiency
Authors: Lev‐Ari Shiri , van Heugten Marieke , Peperkamp Sharon
Published: July 2016

Foreign‐accented speech is generally harder to understand than native‐accented speech. This difficulty is reduced for non‐native listeners who share their first language with the non‐native speaker. It is currently unclear, however, how non‐native listeners deal with foreign‐accented speech produced by speakers of a different language. We show that the process of (second) language acquisition is associated with an increase in the relative difficulty of processing foreign‐accented speech. Therefore, experiencing greater relative difficulty with foreign‐accented speech compared with native speech is a marker of language proficiency. These results contribute to our understanding of how phonological categories are acquired during second language learning.
Radical mechanism of azo cleavage for monoazo reactive dyes, a QSPR study: the similarity between photoreduction on polyamide substrates and thermal reduction in aqueous dithionite solutions
Authors: Okada Yasuyo , Hihara Toshio , Morita Zenzo
Published: July 2016

The same radical mechanism occurs in reductive azo cleavage via monohydrogenated radicals generated as the starting reactants in photo‐ and thermal (by dithionite) reduction on a nylon 6 substrate and in aqueous and alcoholic solutions. The rates of photo‐ and thermal azo cleavage in the solid and liquid phases have been thermochemically analysed by calculating the heats of formation of the reactants, intermediates, and products for (1) intramolecular hydrogen transfer (self‐decomposition via rearrangement) in the photo‐ and radically induced hydrazinyl radicals as well as for (2) the disproportionation (redox reaction) between the radicals via a molecular orbital method. The rates of reductive fading (or azo cleavage) are controlled by the heats of reaction via reaction pathways (1) and (2) as well as by rearrangement, depending on the reaction system. Photoreduction of these dyes on polyamide generated the same end products – diazo components and iminooxoquinones from the coupling component – as the products of thermal reduction in aqueous sodium dithionite and of photoreduction in the liquid phase. Photofading on polyamide substrates owing to continuous irradiation is controlled by three factors: the quantum yield of photoinduced hydrazinyl radicals, its rearrangement processes, and the heats of reaction for the thermal azo cleavage reactions via the two pathways. These factors may become molecular descriptors that correlate the rates of fading with molecular structures. The present study may become an introductory trial to construct quantitative structure–property relationship modelling for reduction‐fast azo dyes.
Risk factors for local complications in children with community‐acquired pneumonia
Authors: Krenke Katarzyna , Krawiec Marta , Kraj Grażyna , Peradzynska Joanna , Krauze Agnieszka , Kulus Marek
Published: July 2016

Aim

The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors that could predict the development of local complications (parapneumonic effusion/pleural empyema, necrotizing pneumonia, and lung abscess) in children with community‐acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Methods

Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were prospectively collected and compared in children with noncomplicated and complicated CAP.

Results

Two‐hundred and three patients aged from 2 months to 17 years were enrolled. There were 141 and 62 children with noncomplicated and complicated CAP, respectively. Significantly longer duration of fever and a higher level of acute phase reactants were demonstrated in complicated when noncomplicated to complicated CAP. Asymmetric chest pain as well as prehospital treatment with ibuprofen and acetaminophen were significantly more common in patients with complicated CAP (P < .001, P = .02 and P = .003, respectively). Preadmission cumulative dose of ibuprofen exceeding 78.3 mg/kg (median dose for the entire group) was associated with 2.5‐fold higher odds ratio (OR) for CAP complications [OR 2.54 CI (1.31–4.94); P = .008)]. In contrast, pneumococcal vaccination was associated with lower odds ratio [OR.03 CI (.23–.89); P = .03] for local complications.

Conclusions

Some clinical and laboratory data including chest pain, longer duration of fever, higher acute phase reactants, and especially preadmission treatment with ibuprofen or acetaminophen were associated with local complications of CAP. The results of this study highlight the association between the dose of ibuprofen and local CAP complications.
Sleep quality and daytime sleepiness in patients with COPD and asthma
Authors: Vukoja Marija , Kopitovic Ivan , Milicic Dragana , Maksimovic Olivera , Pavlovic‐Popovic Zora , Ilic Miroslav
Published: July 2016

Introduction

Nocturnal symptoms are common and important in both asthma and COPD but the relationship between sleep quality and diseases' characteristics has not been fully studied.

Objective

To compare sleep quality and daytime sleepiness in asthma and COPD patients and to explore its relation to diseases' characteristics.

Methods

In this cross‐sectional study, we examined 217 consecutive asthma and COPD patients who underwent pulmonary function tests at The Center for Pathophysiology of Breathing and Sleep Medicine of The Institute for Pulmonary Diseases of Vojvodina, Sremska Kamenica, Serbia between July 2014 and January 2015. All patients completed Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS).

Results

Study included 117 patients with asthma, 100 patients with COPD, and 102 healthy controls. There was no difference in PSQI and ESS between patients with asthma and COPD (4.9 ± 3.9 vs 5.8 ± 4.3, P = .09 and 4.8 ± 3.4 vs 4.7 ± 3.6, P = .69, respectively). PSQI and ESS did not correlate with lung function parameters. Patients with uncontrolled asthma had higher PSQI scores (uncontrolled 7.0 ± 3.7 vs partially controlled 4.6 ± 3.1 vs controlled 3.2 ± 3.7, P < .001). PSQI scores were higher in COPD group D and B compared to A and C (group D 6.9 ±4.6 vs B 6.8 ± 4.1 vs A 2.9 ± 1.3 vs C 3.1 ± 3.9, P < .001). Compared to asthma, COPD patients had longer sleep latency and used sleep regulating medications more often.

Conclusions

There is no difference in sleep quality and level of daytime sleepiness between patients with asthma and COPD. Poor sleep quality is related to level of asthma control and is associated with COPD groups B and D.
A Soft OR Approach to Fostering Systems Thinking: SODA Maps Plus Joint Analytical Process
Authors: Wang Shouhong , Wang Hai
Published: July 2016

Higher order thinking skills are important for managers. Systems thinking is an important type of higher order thinking in business education. This article investigates a soft Operations Research approach to teaching and learning systems thinking. It outlines the integrative use of Strategic Options Development and Analysis maps for visualizing and assessing systems thinking and the joint analytical process for systems thinking development. This approach has been applied in an MBA course, and has demonstrated its usefulness for students in developing systems thinking skills.
Manufacturing Squares: An Integrative Statistical Process Control Exercise
Authors: Coy Steven P.
Published: July 2016

In the exercise, students in a junior‐level operations management class are asked to manufacture a simple product. Given product specifications, they must design a production process, create roles and design jobs for each team member, and develop a statistical process control plan that efficiently and effectively controls quality during production. During an in‐class exercise, students test their plan in a pilot study. After class, they are asked to determine whether their process is stable and capable, critique their plans, and recommend plan modifications before they commence mass production. This exercise provides students with a unique opportunity to combine several fundamental topics from an operations management course into one assignment. Furthermore, assessment of learning outcomes before and after the exercise suggests that it improves learning outcomes in several areas.
Process Variability and Capability in Candy Production and Packaging
Authors: Lembke Ronald S.
Published: July 2016

In this short, in‐class activity, students use fun size packages of M&Ms to study process variability, including a real‐world application of Cpk. How process variability and legal requirements force the company to put “Not Labeled for Individual Retail Sale” on each fun size package is discussed, as is the economics of changes the company would have to make to its processes to avoid this requirement. Variability in the weights of each candy, as well as information about the candy shell and chocolate center are also presented.
Partisan Cycles in Offshore Outsourcing: Evidence from U.S. Imports
Authors: Pinto Pablo M. , Weymouth Stephen
Published: July 2016

The wage and employment effects of offshoring roil politics in the United States and around the world. Firms that offshore either outsource their activities to unaffiliated businesses, or internalize production by establishing subsidiaries from which they import intrafirm. We argue that the political environment in trade partner countries influences U.S. offshoring patterns in ways that have been ignored in the extant literature. Drawing on the political business cycle literature, we expect higher production costs and lower profits for firms in capital (labor) intensive sectors when the Left (Right) is in power. These partisan cycles, in turn, shape the sectoral composition of exports from the partner to the United States, and the degree to which trade is conducted intrafirm. Under a Left‐ (Right‐) leaning government in a partner country, U.S. intrafirm imports of capital‐ (labor‐) goods increase relative to total imports in these industries. Examining highly disaggregated U.S. import data, we find strong support for our argument. Our results indicate that the effect of partisan governments on offshore outsourcing depends on factor intensities of production, which vary across industries. The degree of internalization in global sourcing is shaped in part by the distributional objectives of partisan governments, and not by economic factors alone.
Expression of GATA and POU transcription factors during the development of the planktotrophic trochophore of the polychaete serpulid Hydroides elegans
Authors: Wong Kimberly Suk‐Ying , Arenas‐Mena Cesar
Published: July 2016

The expression of transcription factors with endodermal and mesodermal roles in bilaterians is characterized during the development of Hydroides elegans, a serpulid polychaete with planktotrophic trochophore. GATA 4/5/6 is expressed in endodermal and mesodermal precursors during embryogenesis and in the midgut of trochophore larvae. HeGATA1/2/3a is expressed in animal hemisphere blastomeres 1d121 and 1d122, in dorsal ectoderm and in 4d endomesodermal derivatives that maintain their expression in trochophore larvae. HeGATA1/2/3b is not expressed during embryogenesis, but in several regions of the larva during postembryonic development. During very early gastrulation, Brn1/2/4 is first expressed in cells associated with the prospective oral/foregut side of the blastopore, and during larval development in 4d blastomere descendants. Comparison with orthologs in other metazoans suggests ancestral expression of GATA4/5/6 in the midgut of the last common ancestor of protostomes and deuterostomes. The conserved expression of Brn1/2/4 in the foregut precursors of Hydroides and sea urchins suggests an ancestral role in patterning the tripartite gut of planktotrophic larvae. Broader analysis of these and other regulatory genes reveals variability of developmental gene expression among polychaetes with lecithotrophic larvae, suggesting that they are evolutionarily derived from polychaetes with planktotrophic larvae.
Body‐color and behavioral responses by the mid‐instar nymphs of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria (Orthoptera: Acrididae) to crowding and visual stimuli
Authors: Tanaka Seiji , Saeki Shinjiro , Nishide Yudai , Sugahara Ryohei , Shiotsuki Takahiro
Published: July 2016

The effects of crowding and isolation on body color and behavior were observed for the mid‐instar nymphs of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria. Some of the solitarious (isolation‐reared) nymphs that were crowded for 1 or 4 h during the third instar developed black patterns at the fourth instar, but most individuals remained unaffected. Black patterns appeared in all individuals that were crowded for 1 day or longer, but even after 4 days of crowding the black patterning for some individuals was not as intense as that for the gregarious (crowd‐reared) controls. Isolation of gregarious nymphs caused the black patterns to recede or disappear at the last (fifth) nymphal instar, but it was necessary to isolate the nymphs from the beginning of the first instar to obtain body coloration looking like solitarious nymphs in most individuals. Solitarious nymphs that were allowed to see gregarious nymphs developed different intensities of black patterns depending on the body size and number of nymphs shown. The behavioral phase shift from one phase to another was observed when the nymphs were crowded or isolated for 2 days or longer, as previously reported for the last nymphal instars of the same strain. Behavioral gregarization was induced for isolated nymphs that were allowed to see a group of nymphs through a transparent double wall. These results suggested that body‐color phase shift occurred more rapidly for mid‐instar nymphs than for late instar nymphs but the rate of behavioral phase shift was similar for the two instars.
Species status of Incisitermes spp. (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) in Japan
Authors: Ide Tatsuya , Kanzaki Natsumi , Ohmura Wakako , Takematsu Yoko , Okabe Kimiko
Published: July 2016

The species status of Japanese populations of Incisitermes immigrans from Iwo and Minami Daito Islands was examined using mitochondrial 16S molecular barcode sequences. The molecular sequences of these two populations were compared to those of other Incisitermes spp. deposited in the GenBank database using a maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis. This analysis suggested that the Minami Daito population is indeed I. schwarzi, as suspected previously, while the sequence of the Iwo Island population was identical to that of authentic I. immigrans. In addition to I. minor, which is recorded from middle and southern Japan, the presence of three Incisitermes species in Japan was confirmed.
Regulating levels of the neuromodulator d‐serine in human brain: structural insight into pLG72 and d‐amino acid oxidase interaction
Authors: Birolo Leila , Sacchi Silvia , Smaldone Giovanni , Molla Gianluca , Leo Gabriella , Caldinelli Laura , Pirone Luciano , Eliometri Patrick , Di Gaetano Sonia , Orefice Ida , Pedone Emilia , Pucci Piero , Pollegioni Loredano
Published: July 2016

The human flavoenzyme d‐amino acid oxidase (hDAAO) degrades the NMDA‐receptor modulator d‐serine in the brain. Although hDAAO has been extensively characterized, little is known about its main modulator pLG72, a small protein encoded by the primate‐specific gene G72 that has been associated with schizophrenia susceptibility. pLG72 interacts with neosynthesized hDAAO, promoting its inactivation and degradation. In this work, we used low‐resolution techniques to characterize the surface topology of the hDAAO–pLG72 complex. By using limited proteolysis coupled to mass spectrometry, we could map the exposed regions in the two proteins after complex formation and highlighted an increased sensitivity to proteolysis of hDAAO in complex with pLG72. Cross‐linking experiments by using bis(sulfosuccinimidyl)suberate identified the single covalent bond between T182 in hDAAO and K62 in pLG72. In order to validate the designed mode of interaction, three pLG72 variants incrementally truncated at the C terminus, in addition to a form lacking the 71 N‐terminal residues, were produced. All variants were dimeric, folded, and interacted with hDAAO. The strongest decrease in affinity for hDAAO (as well as for the hydrophobic drug chlorpromazine) was apparent for the N‐terminally deleted pLG7272–153 form, which lacked K62. On the other hand, eliminating the disordered C‐terminal tail yielded a more stable pLG72 protein, improved the binding to hDAAO, although giving lower enzyme inhibition. Elucidation of the mode of hDAAO–pLG72 interaction now makes it possible to design novel molecules that, by targeting the protein complex, can be therapeutically advantageous for diseases related to impairment in d‐serine metabolism.
Why do reed beds decline and fail to re‐establish? A case study of Dutch peat lakes
Authors: Vermaat Jan E. , Bos Bas , Van Der Burg Peter
Published: July 2016

The decline in emergent reed beds in eutrophic shallow lakes in Europe has been linked to multiple factors, such as adverse water and sediment quality, shoreline development and fixed water level preventing recolonisation, recreational disturbances and herbivory by geese and muskrat. This study analyses the relative importance of these factors in a historical context and tests experimentally what currently may prevent the re‐establishment of emergent reed beds.

We examined the historical extent of emergent reed stands (1925–2013) in relation to long‐term time series of lakeside housing development (1920–2013), abundance of greylag geese (Anser anser) and muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) as well as water quality (1977–2013) for the shallow lowland peat lake district of Reeuwijk in The Netherlands. In addition, we carried out a comparative survey to generalise our results and an exclosure experiment to test whether current muskrat grazing pressure may hamper restoration efforts.

A steady, linear decline in the extent of emergent reed beds over time corresponded significantly with a similar increase in lakeside house density. We found no correlation with herbivore stocks or water quality parameters.

In the exclosures, rapid expansion of common reed (Phragmites australis), branched bur‐reed (Sparganium erectum) and submerged pondweeds (Potamogeton spp.) occurred, suggesting muskrat herbivory as a factor‐limiting emergent reed re‐establishment in the foreshore.

A combined understanding of the different roles of slow, long‐term pressures (such as housing development) and present constraints (the continuous grazing pressure by muskrat despite a culling program) is crucial to the successful restoration of reed beds in shallow lakes.
Influence of apical enlargement and complementary canal preparation with the Self‐Adjusting File on endotoxin reduction in retreatment cases
Authors: Silva E. J. N. L. , Ferreira V. M. , Silva C. C. , Herrera D. R. , De‐Deus G. , Gomes B. P.
Published: July 2016

Aim

To compare the effectiveness of large apical preparations and complementary canal preparation with the Self‐Adjusting File (SAF) in removing endotoxins from the root canal of teeth with apical periodontitis.

Methodology

Ten single‐rooted and single‐canaled teeth with post‐treatment apical periodontitis were selected. Endotoxin samples were taken after removal of the root filling (S1), after chemomechanical preparation (CMP) using 2.5% NaOCl and an R25 file (S2), after CMP using 2.5% NaOCl and an R40 file (S3) and after complementary CMP using the SAF system (S4). Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) was used to measure endotoxin levels. The Friedman and Wilcoxon tests were used to compare endotoxin levels at each clinical intervention (P < 0.05).

Results

After root filling removal, endotoxin was detected in 100% of the root canals (S1, 4.84 EU mL−1). CMP with the R25 file was able to significantly reduce endotoxin levels (P < 0.05). Increased levels of endotoxin removal were achieved by apical preparation with the R40 file (P < 0.05). Complementary CMP with SAF did not significantly reduce endotoxin levels (P > 0.05) following the use of the R40 instrument.

Conclusions

Apical enlargement protocols were effective in significantly reducing endotoxin levels. Complementary preparation with the SAF system failed to eliminate residual endotoxin contents beyond those obtained with the R40 instrument.
Perioperative blood transfusion in radical cystectomy: Analysis of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database
Authors: Sui Wilson , Onyeji Ifeanyi C , Matulay Justin T , James Maxwell B , Theofanides Marissa C , Wenske Sven , DeCastro Guarionex J
Published: July 2016

Objectives

To determine whether perioperative blood transfusion is associated with worse 30‐day postoperative outcomes in radical cystectomy patients.

Methods

Utilizing the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, we identified 2934 patients diagnosed with bladder cancer (International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision codes 188–188.9) who underwent radical cystectomy (Current Procedure Terminology codes 51570, 51575, 51580, 51585, 51590, 51595, 51596) between 2005 and 2013. Patients were stratified by transfusion status and assessed based on four composite postoperative outcomes: morbidity, surgical site infection, mortality and readmission. Multivariate regression models were used to determine significant independent predictors of the composite outcomes.

Results

Overall, 40.1% of patients received a transfusion, and there were significant differences in baseline variables such as age, sex, body mass index, smoking history and comorbidities. Transfusion was associated with increased morbidity, surgical site infection, readmission, operative time and length of stay on unadjusted analyses. On multivariate regression, transfusion was associated with increased morbidity (OR 1.361, 95% CI 1.131–1.638) and surgical site infection (OR 1.371, 95% CI 1.070–1.757).

Conclusions

Perioperative blood transfusion is associated with increased risk of postoperative infection and morbidity. Previous work in this area has focused on negative long‐term oncological outcomes, but this is the first study to examine short‐term postoperative outcomes. Future research should focus on the immunosuppressive mechanism of perioperative blood transfusion and on restrictive transfusion guidelines for oncology patients.
Ultrasound‐assisted prompted voiding for management of urinary incontinence of nursing home residents: Efficacy and feasibility
Authors: Suzuki Motofumi , Iguchi Yasuhiro , Igawa Yasuhiko , Yoshida Mikako , Sanada Hiromi , Miyazaki Hideyo , Homma Yukio
Published: July 2016

Objectives

To assess the efficacy and feasibility of ultrasound‐assisted prompted voiding for the management of urinary incontinence in nursing homes.

Methods

Nursing home residents who had received prompted voiding care for urinary incontinence were enrolled. The voided urinary volume and residual urinary volume were initially measured for a few days. The sum of the mean values of these volumes was considered as the optimal intravesical urinary volume for voiding. Thereafter, the participants underwent regular monitoring of intravesical urinary volume using an ultrasound device, and were prompted to void in a toilet when the monitored volume almost reached the optimal volume. The primary outcome for efficacy was the change in the absorbent cost before and after ultrasound‐assisted prompted voiding care over 12 weeks. The feasibility was assessed by the change in activity of daily living of residents and quality of life measures of the care workers.

Results

A total of 77 residents completed the 12‐week ultrasound‐assisted prompted voiding intervention. The absorbent cost decreased in 40 participants (51.9%), and the overall cost decreased by 11.8% from the baseline value (P = 0.006). The activity of daily living did not significantly change. The quality of life of the care workers significantly improved for subscales of role emotional (P = 0.020) and mental health (P = 0.007).

Conclusions

The management of urinary incontinence for nursing homes residents through ultrasound‐assisted prompted voiding seems to reduce the absorbent cost and to partially improve care workers' quality of life.