bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Novel findings in immunopathophysiology of chronic rhinosinusitis and their role in a model of precision medicine
Authors: Xu Xinni , Ong Yew Kwang , Wang De Yun
Published: September 2019

Our understanding of the pathophysiology of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is continuously evolving. The traditional description of CRS in terms of two phenotypes based on the presence or absence of nasal polyps belies the underlying intricate immunopathophysiological processes responsible for this condition. CRS is being increasingly recognized as a disease spectrum encompassing a range of inflammatory states in the sinonasal cavity, with non‐type 2 inflammatory disease on one end, type 2 inflammatory, eosinophil‐heavy disease on the other and an overlap of both in different proportions in between. Abundance in research on the immune mechanisms of CRS has revealed various new endotypes that hold promise as biomarkers for the development of targeted therapies in severe, uncontrolled CRS. The introduction of precision medicine to manage this chronic, complex condition is a step forward in providing individualized care for all patients with CRS. In this review, the latest research on the pathophysiology of CRS with a focus on potential novel biomarkers and treatment options over the last 2 years are summarized and integrated into a suggested model of precision medicine in CRS.
Induction of specific cell‐mediated immune responses and protection in BALB/c mice by vaccination with outer membrane vesicles from a Brucella melitensis human isolate
Authors: Bagheri Nejad Ramin , Yahyaraeyat Ramak , Es‐haghi Ali , Nayeri Fasaei Bahar , Zahraei Salehi Taghi
Published: September 2019

Brucellosis is a worldwide bacterial zoonosis caused by Brucella spp. No approved vaccine is available for human use against the disease. In this study, outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) from a Brucella melitensis biovar 1 human isolate obtained in Iran were used to immunize BALB/c mice (n = 12) by 2 intramuscular injections with a 2‐week interval. Another group of 12 mice was used as non‐vaccinated controls. Two weeks after the last vaccination, six mice of each group were sacrificed, and proliferation and interferon gamma (IFNγ) production responses of their splenocytes were evaluated following in vitro stimulation with killed Brucella cells. The other mice were challenged with the virulent B. melitensis isolate. Two weeks later, mice were killed and spleens were cultured to determine the number of the challenge strain. The results showed proliferative response and IFNγ production of splenocytes from vaccinated mice (stimulation index: 2.18 ± 0.57, and 1519.35 ± 10.70 pg/mL, respectively) were significantly higher than those of control mice (stimulation index: 1.02 ± 0.02, and 210.01 ± 17.58 pg/mL, respectively). Numbers of the challenge strain in spleens of vaccinated mice were also significantly less than those in the controls with 1.6 units of protection. Our study revealed vaccination with OMVs of the B. melitensis isolate could induce specific immune responses and protection against infection in the mouse model suggesting their potential application for active immunization against brucellosis.
The growth rates of dot enumeration ability predict mathematics achievements: A 5‐year longitudinal study
Authors: Liu Yingyi , Wong Terry Tin‐Yau
Published: September 2019

Background

Dot enumeration is the basic mathematics competency in young children and a significant indicator of later mathematics achievement.

Aim

The present study focused on (1) how children's dot enumeration ability changed as they progressed from late kindergarten years (K3) to the second year of primary school in Hong Kong (P2), and (2) the extent to which such changes are associated with students’ mathematics outcomes assessed at the fourth grade, including standardized mathematics achievement, whole number magnitude understanding, and rational number concept.

Sample(s)

Two hundred and eleven Hong Kong kindergarteners were recruited.

Methods

The participants’ dot enumeration was assessed from K3 to P2. Their mathematics outcomes were assessed at P4, including standardized mathematics achievement, whole number magnitude understanding, and rational number concept.

Results

The changes in their dot enumeration speed reflected a linear growth pattern. Further, both the initial level and growth rate of dot enumeration predicted standardized mathematics achievement and whole number magnitude understanding 2 years later while only the latter predicted rational number concept.

Conclusions

The results indicate the importance of focusing on children's growth in a specific mathematics skill, in addition to their status at one single time point. Practical implications are discussed in this article.
A robust green traffic‐based routing problem for perishable products distribution
Authors: Tirkolaee Erfan Babaee , Hadian Shaghayegh , Weber Gerhard‐Wilhelm , Mahdavi Iraj
Published: September 2019

Nowadays, transportation and logistics are considered as the drivers of economic development in the countries due to their impacts on the main variables of the country's economy such as production, employment, price, and the cost of living. Statistics indicate that fuel consumption constructs a major part of transportation costs, where its optimization leads to the creation of an energy‐efficient and sustainable transportation system. On the other hand, vehicles' traffic is also one of the main criteria affecting the travel time of vehicles between demand nodes in a supply chain, increasing fuel consumption, and, consequently, damaging effects of greenhouse gasses. In this paper, a novel robust mixed‐integer linear programming model is developed for a green vehicle routing problem with intermediate depots considering different urban traffic conditions, fuel consumption, time windows of services, and uncertain demand for perishable products. To validate and solve the suggested model, CPLEX solver of GAMS software is employed as an exact method. Finally, a case study problem is investigated to evaluate the applicability of the proposed model and determine the optimal managerial insights and policies in the real‐world conditions using sensitivity analyses. Moreover, a novel robustness threshold comparison is conducted to find the optimal level of budget assignment.
Reduced‐intensity conditioning allogeneic transplant with dual T‐cell depletion in myelofibrosis
Authors: Salas Maria Queralt , Lam Wilson , Law Arjun Datt , Kim Dennis (Dong Hwan) , Michelis Fotios V. , Loach David , Al‐Shaibani Zeyad , Lipton Jeffrey Howard , Kumar Rajat , Mattsson Jonas , Viswabandya Auro
Published: September 2019

Background

There remains a significant mortality in recipients with MF who undergo allogeneic stem cell transplant (allo‐HSCT). The combination of antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and post‐transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) provides good control of graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) when peripheral blood stem cell grafts are used.

Methods

We report the outcome of 37 recipients with myelofibrosis who underwent reduced‐intensity conditioning (RIC) allo‐HSCT with ATG and PTCy. Median follow‐up was 16.4 months.

Results

Nine (24.3%) recipients received 10/10 MRD grafts, 17 (45.9%) 10/10 MUD grafts, 4 (10.8%) 9/10 MUD grafts, and 7 (18.9%) haploidentical donor grafts. Six (16.3%) patients had graft failure. The cumulative incidence of grade II‐IV and grade III‐IV aGVHD at day +100 and moderate/severe chronic GVHD at 1 year was as follows: 13.5%, 5.4%, and 17%. There were no deaths secondary to GVHD. One‐year overall survival (OS), relapse‐free survival (RFS), non‐relapse mortality (NRM), and GVHD‐free/RFS (GRFS) were respectively 74.4%, 71.3%, 23%, and 43.3%. Those recipients who had worse KPS ≤ 80% had worse OS and RFS.

Conclusion

RIC allo‐HSCT with ATG and PTCy results in high OS and RFS in patients with myelofibrosis and absence of mortality secondary to GVHD. Further investigations are required to reduce NRM and graft failure rates.
Herbivore consumers face different challenges along opposite sides of the stoichiometric knife‐edge
Authors: Zhou Libin , Declerck Steven A. J.
Published: September 2019

Anthropogenic activities have reshaped the relative supply rates of essential elements to organisms. Recent studies suggested that consumer performance is strongly reduced by food that is either very high or very low in relative phosphorus content. However, the generality of such ‘stoichiometric knife‐edge’ and its underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. We studied the response of a planktonic rotifer to a 10‐fold food carbon : phosphorus (C : P) gradient and confirmed the existence of the stoichiometric knife‐edge. Interestingly, we observed a complete homeostatic breakdown associated with strong growth reductions at high food C : P. In contrast, at low food C : P, animals maintained homeostasis despite pronounced performance reductions. Our results suggest that the mechanisms underlying adverse effects of stoichiometric imbalance are determined by both the identity of elements that are limiting and those that are present in excess. Negative effects of excess P reveal an additional way of how eutrophication may affect consumers.
Resources, Rules, and Oppression
Authors: Engelhardt Jeff
Published: September 2019

There is a large and growing literature on communal interpretive resources: the concepts, theories, narratives, and so on that a community draws on in interpreting its members and their world. (They're also called “hermeneutical resources” in some places and “epistemic resources” in others.) Several recent contributions to this literature have concerned dominant and resistant interpretive resources and how they affect concrete lived interactions. In this article, I note that “using” interpretive resources—applying them to parts of the world in conversation with others—is “a rule‐governed activity”; and I propose that in oppressive systems, these rules are influenced by the rules of oppression. Section I clarifies some rules governing the use of resources. Section II draws on work by Gaile Pohlhaus, Jr. and others to suggest that according to the present rules of our oppressive system, it is permissible for dominantly situated speakers to dismiss interpretive resources developed in marginalized communities. Section III appeals to Charles Mills's work on White ignorance to propose, further, that our system's rules make it impermissible and deserving of punishment to use resistant resources. The conclusion enumerates several further points about such rules governing the use of interpretive resources, their social effects, and some philosophical literatures.
A human skin model to evaluate the protective effect of compounds against UVA damage
Authors: Abadie S. , Bedos P. , Rouquette J.
Published: September 2019

Objective

The main function of skin is to protect the body from external aggressions. Over time, normal skin ageing is accelerated by external stresses such as smoking, pollution, chemical products and radiation. UV light, in particular UVA, causes DNA damage, apoptosis and morphological modifications, which are responsible for both premature ageing and cancer. The aim of this study was to establish a discriminatory and sufficiently reproducible cutaneous model for evaluating UVA damage, to enable testing for effectiveness of potentially protective compounds.

Methods

The cutaneous model is based on Human skin explants irradiated with UVA. Deleterious effects on epidermis were observed and quantified by haematoxylin–eosin staining and by immunofluorescence of ɣ‐H2Ax, cytokeratin 5, involucrin and loricrin protein. Dermis deterioration was evaluated by transmission electronic microscopy and zymography in situ.

Results

We were able to observe and quantify deleterious effects associated with UVA irradiation: epidermal and dermal disruption, appearance of Sunburn cells, increased DNA damage and induced apoptosis. The use of this model in the evaluation of protective compounds was first confirmed using sunscreens, then further validated with a panel of active ingredients which showed beneficial effects on epidermis morphology and DNA integrity after UVA exposure.

Conclusion

We have developed a model and a standardized protocol, based on the use of human skin explants, which allows us to explore the protective effect of active ingredients to environmental stresses such as UVA.
Predictors of breakfast skipping among 14 to 16 years old adolescents in Jordan: The influential role of mothers
Authors: Ali Reem A. , Abdel Razeq Nadin M. , Al‐Kloub Manal I. , Alzoubi Fatmeh A.
Published: September 2019

Aim

To assess the prevalence and identify the predictors of breakfast skipping among 14‐ to 16‐year‐old adolescents in Jordan, focusing on mother‐related variables.

Background

Breakfast is an essential meal across one's entire lifespan and especially important during the adolescent years. The practice of skipping breakfast has become so prevalent among adolescents that it is now a well‐documented nutritional problem.

Design

A descriptive cross‐sectional correlational design.

Methods

A proportional cluster stratified sampling protocol was used to select 1896 adolescents and their mothers (1013) during the period of March to June 2016. A self‐reported questionnaire was used to collect data on breakfast‐skipping rates, the perceived reasons for this behavior, the perceived importance of consuming breakfast, and maternal encouragement of breakfast consumption.

Results

The prevalence of breakfast skipping was 34.3% among adolescents and 21.5% among their mothers. A significant association was found between breakfast skipping among adolescents and their mothers (χ2 [1, n = 998] = 37.90, P = .001). Maternal encouragement of breakfast consumption, gender, and adolescent perception of the importance of this meal were found to be significant predictors of adolescent breakfast skipping.

Conclusion

The findings highlight the importance of involving mothers in developing nutritional health plans aimed at promoting regular breakfast consumption among adolescents.
Women's decision‐making processes and experiences of vaginal birth after caesarean birth: A phenomenological study
Authors: Akgün Mehtap , Boz İlkay
Published: September 2019

Aim

To discover, identify, and interpret the decision‐making processes and experiences of women on vaginal birth after caesarean section.

Methods

This Husserlian phenomenological qualitative study was conducted using semistructured individual interviews with 12 women who experienced vaginal birth after caesarean section between August and December 2017. Colaizzi's qualitative analysis method was used.

Results

Four themes emerged: “finding a way to have vaginal birth after caesarean section,” “healing by giving birth,” “advantageous birth,” and “being at the centre of the care,” with 13 subthemes. Women defined vaginal birth after caesarean section as an important aspect of their femininity and a sense of motherhood. The women noted that traumatic experiences in caesarean section birth had been removed with vaginal birth and regarded this as an important spiritual experience and life event. The women reported that the important advantage of vaginal birth after caesarean section was not being in need of others in the post‐partum period. However, women described negative experiences where health care professionals did not respect their birth preference or provide adequate information and support.

Conclusions

Continuing professional development training is recommended in order to improve health care professionals' caring consciousness about the importance of shared decision making for women's birth type.
Practice pattern of non‐muscle invasive bladder cancer in Japan, Korea and Taiwan: A Web‐based survey
Authors: Choo Seol Ho , Nishiyama Hiroyuki , Kitamura Hiroshi , Chen Chung‐Hsin , Pu Yeong‐Shiau , Lee Hyung‐Lae , Jeong Byong Chang , Kim Sun Il
Published: September 2019

Objectives

To investigate the treatment pattern of non‐muscle invasive bladder cancer patients among urologists in Japan, Korea and Taiwan, with emphasis on compliance with important treatment guidelines.

Methods

A Web‐based questionnaire survey was conceived by representative members of each country's urological oncology society and was open from June 2016 to February 2017 to each society's members. Descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression analysis were used.

Results

A total of 2334 urologists were invited and 701 responded to the survey with a response rate of 30.0%. Instruments used during transurethral resection of bladder cancer varied significantly between countries and depended on their availability. The re‐transurethral resection rate for pT1 or high‐grade disease >50% of the time was significantly higher in Japan than in the other two countries, but the collective rate was just 49%. The frequency of intravesical therapy in intermediate‐ to high‐risk disease was generally consistent across countries. However, the choice of agent between chemotherapy and bacillus Calmette–Guérin was significantly different between countries. Maintenance bacillus Calmette–Guérin was used <10% of the time by 45% of respondents, the most important reasons being fear of side‐effects, followed by a lack of efficacy and shortage of drug supply.

Conclusions

There are significant differences between Japan, Korea and Taiwan in the management of intermediate‐ to high‐risk non‐muscle invasive bladder cancer. The results of this survey can serve as the basis for joint efforts to develop common clinical guidelines.
Language Acquisition, Employment Status, and the Earnings of Jewish and Non‐Jewish Immigrants in Israel
Authors: Chiswick Barry R. , Rebhun Uzi , Beider Nadia
Published: September 2019

This article analyses the Hebrew language proficiency, probability of employment, and labour market earnings of immigrants in Israel. It uses the 2010/11 Immigrant Absorption Survey conducted by the Israeli CBS. In addition to standard immigration, demographic, and human capital variables, the analysis includes unique features: the study of long‐duration immigrants, analyses of males’ and females’ primary reasons for immigration, the subsidized intensive Hebrew language training programme, Ethiopian Jews, and Jewish and non‐Jewish immigrants from the Former Soviet Union. Results from multivariate analyses largely accord with the “standard theoretical model” of language proficiency regarding the mechanisms of “exposure”, “efficiency”, and “economic incentives”. Acquaintance with the local language increases the likelihood of being employed and has positive earnings outcomes. We discuss implications of the findings for public policy which can improve the adjustment of these new immigrants to their new society, hence also moderate inter‐group tensions.
International Travel Security and the Global Compacts on Refugees and Migration
Authors: Koslowski Rey
Published: September 2019

This article examines the security dimension of the Global Compact on Refugees and the Global Compact for Migration and explains how the global compacts expand international cooperation on travel security. Although the Global Compact on Refugees contains relatively few security‐related provisions, many of the Global Compact for Migration's commitments are largely devoted to increasing security by strengthening border controls, improving travel documents, collecting data, using new technologies, like biometrics, and sharing data. By agreeing to increase cooperation on international travel security aimed at reducing irregular migration, migrant origin states have won commitments from migrant destination states to improve conditions for their nationals working abroad. Given that both global compacts are non‐binding and states may take actions to realize some of the compacts’ commitments but not others, the actual consequences of the compacts may vary greatly and lead to unanticipated outcomes.
Taking a seat at the table: an educational model for nursing empowerment
Authors: Lamb D. , Hofman A. , Clark J. , Hughes A. , Sukhera A.M.
Published: September 2019

Background

The human resources for health crisis has generated much debate as to the radical changes necessary to mitigate the risks to universal health coverage. Nurses can make a significant impact on global health, if only they feel empowered to take their seat at the political table.

Aim

The aim of this paper was to outline nurse‐led initiatives to enhance organizational culture and clinical processes at the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. These have been designed and implemented by the United Kingdom (UK) Defence Medical Services to empower the nursing workforce in Pakistan.

Outcome

An educational model has been developed that will build capacity, within a workforce constrained by numbers, by bridging the gap between nursing theory and practice. It is geared to actively engage Pakistani nurses in quality improvement to ensure care is based on best evidence that will enhance patient outcomes.

Conclusion and implications for nursing & health policy

The wider impact of the model has already been evidenced by nurses, country‐wide, who are gaining the necessary skills and confidence to realize their true potential in influencing the patient care pathway and future policy. This is crucial to the recruitment and retention of nurses who might otherwise seek alternative career paths if they lack a sense of value within the profession. Their renewed sense of value will enable them to find their voice and ability to contribute to the sustainable development goals adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015.
Impact of heat stress on pod‐based yield components in field pea (Pisum sativumL.)
Authors: Jiang Yunfei , Lindsay Donna L. , Davis Arthur R. , Wang Zhifa , MacLean Dustin E. , Warkentin Thomas D. , Bueckert Rosalind A.
Published: September 2019

Elevated temperatures associated with climate change result in crops being exposed to frequent spells of heat stress. Heat stress results in reduced yield in field pea (Pisum sativumL.); it is therefore important to identify cultivars with improved pod and seed retention under heat to mitigate this loss. Objectives were to investigate the effect of heat stress on phenology, yield and pod‐based yield components. Sixteen pea cultivars were evaluated at normal and late (hot) seeding dates in the field in Arizona 2012 and in growth chambers with two temperature regimes (24/18°C and 35/18°C day/night temperature for 7 days) during reproductive development. We measured variation in the pattern of pod retention at four‐node positions on plants, seed retention by ovule position (stylar, medial and basal) within pods and screened cultivars for pod retention, seed retention and yield. Heat stress reduced seed yield by accelerating the crop lifecycle and reducing pod number and seed size. Heat stress had the most damaging effect on younger reproductive growth (flowers and pods developed later), resulting in ovary abortion from developing flowers. Heat also accelerated seed abortion in all ovule positions within pods. Two high‐yielding cultivars under control temperature, “Naparnyk” and “CDC Meadow”, maintained high yield in heat, and “MFR043” had the lowest yield. Cultivars “40‐10” and “Naparnyk” retained the most ovules and seeds per pod, and “MFR043” aborted seeds when exposed to heat. In half of the cultivars, ovules at the basal peduncle end of pods were likely to abort while ovules at the medial and stylar end positions developed into seeds. For seven of the field cultivars, ovules at the medial pod position also produced mature seeds. Cultivars “40‐10”, “Naparnyk” and “CDC Meadow” had greater pod and ovule retention or maintained high yield under heat stress, and were identified as heat‐tolerant cultivars. Our results allow for a better understanding of pod‐based yield components in field pea under heat stress and developing heat‐tolerant cultivars.
How to upgrade a leadless pacemaker to cardiac resynchronization therapy
Authors: Lacour Thibaud , Bisson Arnaud , Bernard Anne , Fauchier Laurent , Babuty Dominique , Clementy Nicolas
Published: September 2019

Introduction

We sought to develop an efficient method to upgrade pacing‐induced cardiomyopathy (PICM) patients from a leadless pacemaker (LPM) to cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Methods and Results

Three consecutive patients with chronic atrial fibrillation, implanted with an LPM, with permanent right ventricular pacing, and who developed left ventricular systolic dysfunction due to PICM, were included. A conventional biventricular pacemaker with two different coronary sinus leads, one used for left lateral ventricular pacing, one for early right ventricular sensing, was implanted. It was then synchronized with the LPM working as the right ventricular pacing lead to provide biventricular pacing. The upgrading technique was feasible in all cases, without any perioperative complication. All patients had an improved clinical status during follow‐up.

Conclusion

This new upgrading technique allows efficient cardiac resynchronization therapy in LPM patients while preventing tricuspid valve crossing and providing an increased battery longevity.
PFN1 and integrin‐β1/mTOR axis involvement in cornea differentiation of fibroblast limbal stem cells
Authors: Tomasello Laura , Coppola Antonina , Pitrone Maria , Failla Valentina , Cillino Salvatore , Pizzolanti Giuseppe , Giordano Carla
Published: September 2019

Ex vivo limbal stem cell transplantation is the main therapeutic approach to address a complete and functional re‐epithelialization in corneal blindness, the second most common eye disorder. Although important key points were defined, the molecular mechanisms involved in the epithelial phenotype determination are unclear. Our previous studies have demonstrated the pluripotency and immune‐modulatory of fibroblast limbal stem cells (f‐LSCs), isolated from the corneallimbus.We defined a proteomic profile especially enriched in wound healing and cytoskeleton‐remodelling proteins, including Profilin‐1 (PFN1). In this study we postulate that pfn‐1 knock down promotes epithelial lineage by inhibiting the integrin‐β1(CD29)/mTOR pathway and subsequent NANOG down‐expression. We showed that it is possible modulate pfn1 expression levels by treating f‐LSCs with Resveratrol (RSV), a natural compound: pfn1 decline is accompanied with up‐regulation of the specific differentiation epithelial genes pax6 (paired‐box 6), sox17 (sex determining region Y‐box 17) and ΔNp63‐α (p63 splice variant), consistent with drop‐down of the principle stem gene levels. These results contribute to understand the molecular biology of corneal epithelium development and suggest that pfn1 is a potential molecular target for the treatment of corneal blindness based on epithelial cell dysfunction.
LncRNA HOTAIRM1 promotes osteogenesis by controlling JNK/AP‐1 signalling‐mediated RUNX2 expression
Authors: Fu Lei , Peng Shifang , Wu Wanfeng , Ouyang Yi , Tan Deming , Fu Xiaoyu
Published: September 2019

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have potential ability to differentiate into osteocytes in response to in vitro specific induction. However, the molecular basis underlying this biological process remains largely unclear. In this study, we identify lncRNA HOTAIRM1 as a critical regulator to promote osteogenesis of MSCs. Loss of HOTAIRM1 significantly inhibits the calcium deposition and alkaline phosphatase activity of MSCs. Mechanistically, we find that HOTAIRM1 positively modulates the activity of JNK and c‐Jun, both of which are widely accepted as crucial regulators of osteogenic differentiation. More importantly, c‐Jun is found to be functionally involved in the regulation of RUNX2 expression, a master transcription factor of osteogenesis. In detail, c‐Jun can help recruit the acetyltransferase p300 to RUNX2 promoter, facilitating acetylation of histone 3 at K27 site, therefore epigenetically activating RUNX2 gene transcription. In summary, this study highlights the functional importance of HOTAIRM1 in regulation of osteogenesis, and we characterize HOTAIRM1 as a promising molecular target for bone tissue repair and regeneration.
No evidence of inbreeding depression in fast declining herds of migratory caribou
Authors: Gagnon Marianne , Yannic Glenn , Perrier Charles , Côté Steeve D.
Published: September 2019

Identifying inbreeding depression early in small and declining populations is essential for management and conservation decisions. Correlations between heterozygosity and fitness (HFCs) provide a way to identify inbreeding depression without prior knowledge of kinship among individuals. In Northern Quebec and Labrador, the size of two herds of migratory caribou (Rivière‐George, RG and Rivière‐aux‐Feuilles, RAF) has declined by one to two orders of magnitude in the last three decades. This raises the question of a possible increase in inbreeding depression originating from, and possibly contributing to, the demographic decline in those populations. Here, we tested for the association of genomic inbreeding indices (estimated with 22,073 SNPs) with body mass and survival in 400 caribou sampled in RG and RAF herds between 1996 and 2016. We found no association of individual heterozygosity or inbreeding coefficient with body mass or annual survival. Furthermore, those genomic inbreeding indices remained stable over the period monitored. These results suggest that the rapid and intense demographic decline of the herds did not cause inbreeding depression in those populations. Although we found no evidence for HFCs, if demographic decline continues, it is possible that such inbreeding depression would be triggered.
Effect of GnRHa on plasma levels of Fsh and Lh in the female greater amberjack Seriola dumerili
Authors: Nyuji Mitsuo , Yamamoto Ikki , Hamada Kazuhisa , Kazeto Yukinori , Okuzawa Koichi
Published: September 2019

The effects of gonadotropin‐releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) on plasma levels of follicle‐stimulating hormone (Fsh) and luteinising hormone (Lh) are reported for female greater amberjack Seriola dumerili with post‐vitellogenic ovarian oocytes. Five females were implanted with pellets containing GnRHa (600 μg kg−1 body weight), while five other females were injected with saline. All females implanted with GnRHa‐containing pellets ovulated 36–42 h post‐implantation. The GnRHa implants elevated Lh, but not Fsh plasma levels within 42 h of GnRHa administration.
Meeting the Mandates of Gault: Automatic Appointment of Counsel in Juvenile Delinquency Proceedings
Authors: Scali Mary Ann
Published: September 2019

In 1967, the United States Supreme Court ruled that children facing delinquency charges have a constitutional right to defense counsel. Despite that mandate, state assessments of juvenile defense systems have consistently found high rates of waiver of counsel. Children are facing harsh punishments with potentially lifelong consequences without the benefit of a trained defense attorney at their side. Given the severity of the consequences of juvenile court involvement and society’s understanding of the developmental science behind adolescence, this article argues that to meet constitutional requirements, juvenile courts must automatically appoint defense counsel for all children facing delinquency charges.
Visuospatial bias in line bisection in Williams syndrome
Authors: Saj A. , Heiz J. , Van Calster L. , Barisnikov K.
Published: September 2019

Background

Recently, a study using the subjective straight‐ahead task showed that individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) present a bias in the representation of body perception. The aim of the present study is to examine the horizontal midline body representation in WS participants using the bisection line task, which is an important benchmark for an egocentric frame of reference.

Method

Fifteen WS participants (mean age = 21.7 ± 9.5 years) were compared with two typical development control groups: one composed of 15 participants matched on chronological age and one composed of 15 children matched on mental age. The task consisted of dividing each line in a series of 18 lines into two equal halves by drawing a vertical mark with a pencil in the centre of the line.

Results

Individuals with WS presented a significant leftward bias in comparison to mental age and chronological age groups.

Conclusions

The leftward deviation in WS could be linked to the body representation bias and difficulties in the development of the egocentric reference system. An early detection of such deviation should help in the development of targeted interventions for WS individuals to improve visual–spatial skills and learning.
Food and heart—the nutritional jungle: Patients’ experiences of dietary habits and nutritional counselling after coronary artery bypass grafting
Authors: Elbrønd Pia , Højskov Ida E. , Missel Malene , Borregaard Britt
Published: September 2019

Aims and objectives

The aim of the study was to examine patients’ experience of dietary habits and nutritional counselling in the early period during hospitalisation after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG).

Background

Undergoing CABG, patients have two different nutritional needs, extra proteins and calories for the first period after surgery and a heart‐healthy diet when the recovery period is over. These needs can be difficult to manage for the patients.

Design

Qualitative study.

Methods

Interviews were conducted and analysed within a phenomenological‐hermeneutic frame inspired by the French philosopher Paul Ricoeur. Patients undergoing CABG were interviewed 4–5 days after surgery at Odense University Hospital from March to May, 2017. The study adhered to the COREQ guidelines.

Results

In total, 15 patients were interviewed (mean age 65 years, 87% men). After analysing the interviews following themes emerged, “Different needs—the nutritional jungle”, “Food and heart—the lacking attention,” and “The force of habits—being under the influence from spouses on dietary habits”.

Conclusion

The interviewed patients had no or only a little knowledge about how to eat after heart surgery. In general, they experienced a lack of attention to nutritional counselling by the nursing staff during hospitalisation. Furthermore, the health behaviour of men seems to be different from women's, and therefore, interventions aiming at optimising men's health might be prioritised. Finally, spouses have a great influence on eating habits, why they should be involved in nutritional counselling.

Relevance to clinical practice

This study provides important and relevant knowledge about patients’ lacking knowledge about nutrition. When planning nutritional measures, whether it is promoting healing after heart surgery or preventing progression of arteriosclerosis, the study contributes with suggestions as to which factors should be considered in this process—men's health behaviour and spouses’ influence on dietary habits in the household.
The efficacy and safety of thalidomide on the recurrence interval of continuous recurrent aphthous ulceration: A randomized controlled clinical trial
Authors: Zeng Qingxiang , Shi Xueke , Yang Jin , Yang Miao , Zhao Wei , Zhao Xiaoyi , Shi Jiahong , Zhou Hongmei
Published: September 2019

Background

Recurrent aphthous ulceration (RAU) is the most common oral mucosal disease. Some patients have almost continuous oral ulcers which influence the quality of life. The aim of this study was to observe the efficacy and safety of thalidomide on the recurrence interval of continuous RAU.

Methods

A randomized controlled clinical trial was designed, and 60 continuous RAU patients were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n = 32, taking thalidomide before bed at a dose of 100 mg/d for 10 days, then 50 mg/d for 10 days, and 25 mg/d for 10 days) and the control group (n = 28, taking 0.4 mg/kg/d prednisone every morning for 15 days and then 0.2 mg/kg/d for 15 days). The clinical outcomes consisted of the primary outcome (recurrence interval) and the secondary outcomes (pain level, number of ulcers, and days for ulcer healing), and they were measured at every visit. Adverse reactions were recorded.

Results

A total of 54 and 51 patients presented at the first and second return visit, respectively. After 1 month, the increase in the recurrence interval was not shown to differ between the two groups (P = .12). However, the improvement in the recurrence interval was significantly greater in the experimental group (P < .001) at the second return visit. The improvement in the secondary outcomes was identical between two groups at each return visit (P > .05). The incidence of adverse reactions was similar between two groups (P = .50).

Conclusions

Thalidomide had a long‐term effect of extending the recurrence interval of continuous RAU.
Mind–Language = ? The significance of non‐verbal autism
Authors: Hinzen Wolfram , Slušná Dominika , Schroeder Kristen , Sevilla Gabriel , Vila Borrellas Elisabet
Published: September 2019

The possibility and extent of thought without language have been subject to much controversy. Insight from non‐ or minimally verbal humans can inform this debate empirically. Since most such individuals are on the autism spectrum, of which they make up a sizable 25–30%, an important connection between language and autism transpires. Here we propose a model which makes sense of this link and explains why the non‐verbal human mind, as present evidence suggests, represents a fundamentally different cognitive phenotype. This model views the relevant part of the autism spectrum as reflecting the breakdown of a cognitive phenotype of which language is an inherent element and which will manifest principled limitations in the latter's absence.
An empirical test of the mechanistic underpinnings of interference competition
Authors: Beggs Richard , Pierson Jennifer , Tulloch Ayesha I. T. , Blanchard Wade , Westgate Martin , Lindenmayer David
Published: September 2019

Interspecific competition is an essential element of the evolution of species and can strongly influence the abundance and distribution of species. Where competition interacts with anthropogenic habitat modification, this natural ecosystem process can become a threatening process. Understanding the mechanisms behind competition in such cases is essential for the formulation of cost‐effective management responses for biodiversity conservation. According to the resource availability hypothesis of competition, interference competition limits access to resources by species vulnerable to such aggression and wastes energy in evasive responses. Studying competition is notoriously difficult, however, empirical evidence of the resource availability theory is limited, and there are few published experimental studies showing such an effect at larger scales. We present the results of a controlled and replicated empirical study of interference competition at a landscape scale. We removed an aggressive, overabundant native bird, Manorina melanocephala (noisy miner), whose interference competition is a threatening process for small woodland birds in the highly modified agricultural landscapes of eastern Australia. We monitored foraging and harassment rates of small woodland birds before and after removal to indicate if levels of interference competition changed. Due to unexpected immediate recolonisation, abundance of M. melanocephala in treatment sites declined by only 34% relative to control sites. Twenty‐four bird species displayed aggressive behaviour towards other birds and 41 bird species were victims of aggression. Manorina melanocephala was responsible for 66% of all aggressive interactions. After removal, we recorded a doubling in foraging rate of small woodland birds in treatment compared to control sites. This appears to confirm the resource availability hypothesis of competition. Paradoxically, however, increased foraging was not accompanied by a decline in harassment. Low detection rates of harassment of small woodland birds, combined with the modest reduction in abundance of M. melanocephala, make it difficult to draw firm conclusions about the relationship between rates of harassment and rates of foraging.
Effect of permeable cryoprotectant‐free vitrification on DNA fragmentation of equine oocyte–cumulus cells
Authors: Pereira Blasa Carmen , Ortiz Isabel , Dorado Jesús Manuel , Diaz‐Jimenez Maria Angeles , Consuegra Cesar , Gosalvez Jaime , Hidalgo Manuel
Published: September 2019

DNA fragmentation of cumulus cells could be used as an indicator of oocyte vitrification success as an indirect indicator of the quality of the oocyte. This study was designed to compare the DNA fragmentation of post‐mortem equine cumulus cells before or after vitrification in the absence of permeable cryoprotectant agents. Cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs; n = 56) were recovered from slaughterhouse ovaries and subjected to in vitro maturation (42 hr/38.2°C/5%CO2) before (control group) or after a permeable cryoprotectant‐free vitrification method using 1 M sucrose (vitrification group). After in vitro maturation, COCs were denuded, and cumulus cells were washed and stored at −80°C until thawing. Cumulus cell samples were processed with the chromatin dispersion test (Ovoselect, Halotech DNA, Spain). Low, high and total DNA fragmentation percentages of cumulus cells were recorded and compared between the two groups by Student's t test. Results were expressed as mean ± SEM. The vitrified group resulted in significantly higher (p < 0.05) percentages for low (16.81 ± 1.62 vs. 6.63 ± 0.77) and total (21.14 ± 1.84 vs. 12.76 ± 1.48) DNA fragmentation of cumulus cells. There were no significant differences between groups for high DNA fragmentation of cumulus cells. In conclusion, permeable cryoprotectant‐free vitrification of equine oocytes increased the total DNA fragmentation rate of cumulus cells but protected them against high DNA fragmentation rates. Further studies are needed to examine the relationship between DNA fragmentation of cumulus cells and the developmental competence of equine oocytes.
Longitudinal Dynamic Functional Regression
Authors: Staicu Ana-Maria , Islam Md Nazmul , Dumitru Raluca , van Heugten Eric
Published: September 2019

The paper develops a parsimonious modelling framework to study the time-varying association between scalar outcomes and functional predictors observed at many instances, in longitudinal studies. The methods enable us to reconstruct the full trajectory of the response and are applicable to Gaussian and non-Gaussian responses. The idea is to model the time-varying functional predictors by using orthogonal basis functions and to expand the time-varying regression coefficient by using the same basis. Numerical investigation through simulation studies and data analysis show excellent performance in terms of accurate prediction and efficient computations, when compared with existing alternatives. The methods are inspired and applied to an animal science application, where of interest is to study the association between the feed intake of lactating sows and the minute-by-minute temperature throughout the 21 days of their lactation period. R code and an R illustration are provided.
Leisure or Labour: An Identity Crisis for Modern Hunting?
Authors: von Essen Erica , Tickle Lara
Published: September 2019

Modern hunting appears to be undergoing an identity crisis as a result of transitioning from labour to leisure. This transition is by no means linear or absolute. Today, hunting is framed both as a hobby for the leisure participant, and as a societal duty that delivers wildlife management, pest control for agriculture, sustainably sourced meat and euthanasia of injured wildlife. Hunting is hence doubly serious as ‘serious leisure’: it involves skill and perseverance, but it is also seen as serious in constituting societal labour. In this article, we employ netnographic research to examine how and in what contexts labour‐leisure tensions are manifested among Swedish hunters. We observe hunters struggle with the balance between leisure and labour on four levels: (1) internally, when it comes to reconciling their personal motivations for hunting; (2) between hunters, resulting in the normative differentiation between ‘urban leisure hunters’ and everyday hunters in the countryside doing ‘real’ work; (3) between different hunting practices; and (4) between wanting to enjoy the freedom afforded by the leisure label, while also inviting formalisation of hunting's role as a public service, including compensation. Our findings show the contradiction between labour and leisure is also differently managed across these levels.
The Dynamics of Neural Populations Capture the Laws of the Mind
Authors: Schöner Gregor
Published: September 2019

What would it mean to explain the mind in neural terms? Neural accounts of the mind are often sought in a reductionistic spirit in which neural mechanisms explain cognition. Because an individual’s thoughts and behaviors are not reproducible without careful control of task, stimulus, and behavioral history, laws of the mind are the currency of psychology. Reduction may thus have to take the form familiar from physics: deriving macroscopic laws from microscopic laws. I argue that the metaphor of reduction from non‐equilibrium physics may be the most appropriate. Macroscopic patterns of neural activity, which cause behavior and thought, are slow dynamical variables that dominate the fast microscopic dynamics of individual neurons and synapses. I outline a theoretical framework in which strongly recurrent neural networks, described by neural dynamics, generate neural representations as attractor states that are embedded in low‐dimensional feature spaces. Instabilities of these states are instrumental in decision‐making and the generation of sequences of mental states that are the basis for higher cognition. Networks of such neural population dynamics form neural cognitive architectures that capture the laws of the mind.
Firms' efficiency and global value chains: An empirical investigation on Italian industry
Authors: Agostino Mariarosaria , Brancati Emanuele , Giunta Anna , Scalera Domenico , Trivieri Francesco
Published: September 2019

This paper investigates the effect of participation in global value chains (GVCs) on firms' efficiency and explores heterogeneity in this impact across different firms, according to GVC governance, positioning in the chain and time length of participation. Our analysis takes advantage of survey data providing information on involvement in GVCs for a large set of Italian industrial SMEs between 2008 and 2012. We employ Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to retrieve a measure of firms' technical efficiency (i.e., DEA efficiency scores) and estimate the impact of involvement in GVCs on firms' efficiency through propensity‐score matching techniques and truncated regression. Our results show that participation in GVCs induces significant efficiency premia, especially for suppliers, with stronger effects in the case of relational modes of participation.