bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of thickness and Ti interlayers on stresses and texture transformations in thin Ag films during thermal cycling
Authors: Baker Shefford P. , Saha Krishanu , Shu Jonathan B.
Published: November 2013

The driving forces for the (111) to (100) texture transformation often observed during annealing of thin face-centered cubic metal films were investigated. Thin passivated silver films were produced with and without Ti adhesion layers. Stresses were measured in situ during heating to induce the texture transformation, and the texture was characterized using x-ray diffraction. Sufficiently thin films did not transform and sufficiently thick films transformed fully. Intermediate thickness films transformed to an extent dependent on thickness, leading to stable mixed textures. In the prevailing thermodynamic model, texture transformation is attributed to minimization of strain and interface energies. However, calculations using the measured stresses, known elastic constants, and estimated interface energies in this model reveal that the stresses are not sufficient to cause the texture transformation and, furthermore, that variations in interface energy cannot lead to the observed behavior. The results suggest that neither the interface energy nor the stress plays decisive roles in the texture transformation.
Vection Induced by Illusory Motion in a Stationary Image
Authors: Seno Takeharu , Kitaoka Akiyoshi , Palmisano Stephen
Published: November 2013

Ilusory self-motion (vection) can be induced by large areas of visual motion stimulation. Here we demonstrate for the first time that illusory expansion can induce vection in the absence of any physical display motion.
Effects of organic selenium supplementation on growth performance, nutrient utilisation, oxidative stress and selenium tissue concentrations in broiler chickens
Authors: Celi Pietro , Selle Peter H. , Cowieson Aaron J.
Published: November 2013

The effects of organic selenium (Se) supplementation of diets for broiler chickens were evaluated in the present study. Broiler diets had average background Se concentrations of 0.36 mg/kg Se (control diet) and were supplemented with two organic Se sources, namely BiOnyc® Tor-Sel (selenohomolanthionine = SH) and Alltech’s Sel PlexTM (selenomethionine = SM); their addition increased dietary selenium concentrations by an average of 0.57 mg/kg Se. Their effects on growth performance, nutrient utilisation and oxidative status of broiler chickens were determined. Growth performance was very similar across all dietary treatments; in contrast, significant differences in nutrient utilisation were observed. The N-corrected apparent metabolisable energy value for the control group (14.14 MJ/kg) and SH (14.15 MJ/kg) diet was significantly (P < 0.01) higher than that for the SM (13.64 MJ/kg) diet. Alternatively, N retention with the SM (68.4%) diet was significantly (P < 0.005) higher than that for the control (65.2%) and SH (64.5%) diets. Neither of the Se sources influenced plasma concentrations of reactive oxygen metabolites, biological antioxidant potential and advanced oxidation protein products. The activity of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase in both plasma and tissues samples and the concentration of plasma glutathione were increased by SH and SM compared with the control group. Our findings suggest that SH and SM improved the antioxidant status of broilers by elevating activities of antioxidant enzymes and concentrations of antioxidant. Both Se supplements significantly (P < 0.001) increased Se concentrations in liver and muscle, and in liver tissue there was no statistical difference between the two supplements. However, SH generated significantly higher Se concentrations in muscle tissue (0.283 versus 0.257; P < 0.005) than did SM. In summary, SH was at least the equivalent to SM as a source of organic Se for broiler chickens under the conditions of the present feeding study. This is reflected in the outcome that SH generated significantly higher Se concentrations in muscle tissue than did the alternative Se supplement.
Replacing wheat with canola meal in a partial mixed ration increases the milk production of cows grazing at a restricted pasture allowance in spring
Authors: Auldist M. J. , Marett L. C. , Greenwood J. S. , Wright M. M. , Hannah M. , Jacobs J. L. , Wales W. J.
Published: November 2013

Milk production responses were measured in grazing cows offered supplements in different ways. Holstein–Friesian cows averaging 70 days in milk were allocated into 20 groups of eight, each including one rumen-fistulated cow. One of three dietary treatments was then randomly assigned to each of the 20 groups. Treatments were (1) Control (8 groups), where cows were supplemented with rolled wheat grain fed twice daily in the dairy and pasture silage provided in the paddock; (2) partial mixed ration (PMR; 8 groups), where cows were offered a PMR comprising rolled wheat grain, maize grain, maize silage and lucerne hay, which was presented on a feedpad immediately after each milking; the PMR was formulated to provide the same estimated metabolisable energy intake as the Control supplements; and (3) PMR+Canola (4 groups), where cows were fed in the same way as the PMR cows, except that a proportion of the wheat in the PMR was replaced with solvent-extracted canola meal. This ration was formulated to provide the same metabolisable energy as the Control and PMR treatments, but had greater amounts of crude protein. For Control and PMR treatments, supplements were offered at 8, 10, 12 or 14 kg DM/cow.day (2 groups per amount) while for the PMR+Canola treatment supplement was offered at 12 or 14 kg DM/cow.day (2 groups per amount). In addition to their supplements, all groups grazed an allowance of ~14 kg DM/cow.day (measured to ground level) of perennial ryegrass pasture. Yields of energy-corrected milk increased linearly with increasing supplement intake, but there was no difference between Control and PMR cows. When canola meal was added to the PMR, there was an increase in energy-corrected milk at a predicted supplement intake of 13.0 kg DM/cow.day. This was associated with a greater concentration and yield of milk fat in the PMR+Canola cows. Ruminal fluid pH and DM intake from pasture were also greater in PMR+Canola cows. It is concluded that farmers feeding high amounts of supplements to grazing cows could increase milk production by carefully considering the composition and form of the supplement mix, including the inclusion of canola meal.
Acoustic-reward learning as a method to reduce the incidence of aggressive and abnormal behaviours among newly mixed piglets
Authors: Ismayilova G. , Sonoda L. , Fels M. , Rizzi R. , Oczak M. , Viazzi S. , Vranken E. , Hartung J. , Berckmans D. , Guarino M.
Published: November 2013

The aim of the study was to test whether aggressive actions among piglets could be redirected by an automatically generated sound signal followed by a sweet food reward. Per round, four litters of 25-day-old piglets (BHZP breed) were trained 5 times per day over 8 days to expect a sweet feed reward from a dog feeder after hearing a specific sound. In total 144 piglets in 14 entire litters were trained in five trials. At the end of the training 71% of the piglets were around the feeder 5 s after the feeder sound. After the training period, the piglets were weaned and mixed in two pens, 12 piglets per pen. During 2 days (3 h/day) after mixing two observers (one per pen) hidden behind a wooden wall activated the feeder when aggressive or abnormal behaviour started. A total of 616 aggressive events and 31 incidences of abnormal behaviour (ear biting) were used for the analysis. The logistic regression showed that the type of behaviour had a significant effect on the piglets’ response to the feeder sound (P < 0.001). The results showed the possibility of interruption of the aggressive behaviours such as head thrust [odds ratio (OR) = 0.43], jump on other (OR = 0.56) or attack with bite (OR = 0.61). Ear biting was very unlikely to continue (OR = 0.55). The risk of continuing elevated aggression level behaviours was doubled in the event of chasing (OR = 2.16) and the risk that fight would continue after the feeder sound was released was 7 times higher (OR = 7.89). Categorical analysis showed a significant effect (<0.001) of the time intervals t ≤ 1 s and 1 s < t ≤ 3 s on interruption of aggression by the feeder sound release. The piglets’ response to the feeder sound differed significantly between the experimental days (P < 0.001). On the second day of mixing, the feeder sound interrupted 74.9% of aggressive events, compared with 33.7% on the first day. The results suggest that acoustic-reward treatment can distract pigs from performing certain aggressive behaviours and ear biting in piglets when properly applied in time.
Responsive P(NIPAM-co-AA) Particle-Functionalized Magnetic Microspheres
Authors: Wang Yiheng , Xia Mengge , Wu Yongtao , Zhu Meifang
Published: November 2013

Functionalized magnetic microspheres were prepared by anchoring cross-linked core–shell poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (P(NIPAM-co-AA)) nanoparticles onto silica-coated magnetic microspheres (Fe3O4@SiO2). First, the smaller polystyrene/P(NIPAM-co-AA) core–shell nanoparticles were synthesized through seed emulsion polymerization and adhered to the surface of amino-modified Fe3O4@SiO2 micorspheres, which were made using the modified Stöber method through electrostatic interaction under appropriate preparation conditions. An amidation reaction between the carboxylic and amino groups on the respective surfaces was then catalyzed. Finally, the novel architecture magnetic microspheres with multiresponsive functionalities were obtained, and their polymerization conditions, environmental sensitivity, and magnetic properties were discussed and optimized. The superparamagnetism and temperature/pH dual responsivity and excellent dispersibility of the P(NIPAM-co-AA) functionalized magnetic microspheres provide them with high potential to be used in the fields of controlled drug delivery, bioseparation, and catalysis.
Experimental subsoiling by in-line shallow and deep tines
Authors: Hamza M. A. , Riethmuller G. P. , Anderson W. K.
Published: November 2013

Conventional soil ripping has high fuel consumption because it involves high draft force and may produce large soil clods. This experiment compares the use of shallow leading tines ahead of the main tine with use of a conventional single-tine ripper. The study showed that attaching a single, shallow leading tine ahead of, and in line with, the main tine and 25–40% shallower in depth gave the greatest significant decrease in specific draft force. This led to a fuel reduction from 13.6 to 11.5 L/ha, or a saving of 15% when ripping a moist loamy sand soil to 330 mm depth. Attaching more than one shallow lead tine ahead of the ripper did not significantly affect specific draft forces, whether the shallow lead tines were in line or offset. Other advantages of using the shallow leading tine ripper over the conventional ripper are: improved soil tilth by significantly decreasing soil clod size; potentially a wider moisture range for ripping the soil (as soil clods are smaller and drier soil increases clod size) thus increasing the time available for the operation; and decreased depreciation of ripping components.
Impact of roadside habitat on swamp wallaby movement and fitness
Authors: Ben-Ami Dror , Ramp Daniel
Published: November 2013

Context Roads have numerous impacts on wildlife populations, such as forming barriers to movement and isolating them from resources. However, knowledge of how wildlife behave in road-impacted environments is limited. Aims Our aim was to assess the suitability of roadside habitat for the swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor). Methods We measured the home range, habitat use and body metrics of swamp wallabies at two roadside locations. The home ranges and fitness of the roadside wallabies were compared with the metrics of swamp wallabies within the adjacent reserve. Key results The roadside wallabies had a preference for canopy cover, but not for other habitat features. The roadside home ranges were stable and relatively small. The nocturnal ranges were considerably smaller and further from the road than were diurnal ranges. Only one wallaby crossed the road during the study, via an underpass. There was a significant positive linear correlation between pes length and bodyweight. Roadside wallabies were significantly heavier than were reserve wallabies. Conclusions Our study suggested that individual wallabies avoid the road, are habituated to the roadside environment and may even benefit from it. At the very least, roadside habitats are adequate for the swamp wallaby. Implications Fencing and road crossings are likely to be beneficial conservation-management measures for swamp wallabies in roadside reserves.
Stochastic detection of Pim protein kinases reveals electrostatically enhanced association of a peptide substrate
Authors: Harrington Leon , Cheley Stephen , Alexander Leila T. , Knapp Stefan , Bayley Hagan
Published: November 2013

Significance

The modulation of ionic current flowing through an individual pore can be used for the stochastic sensing of a wide variety of analytes. Here we have produced protein pores by inserting peptide sequences that remain attached in an unconstrained conformation after limited proteolysis. The engineered pores were used for the label-free, single-molecule discrimination of Pim protein kinases. Further, we found unusually high, electrostatically enhanced, association rates for the Pim kinases and a consensus substrate, which suggests an additional element of control between cell-signaling pathways.
B cells are critical for autoimmune pathology in Scurfy mice
Authors: Aschermann Susanne , Lehmann Christian H. K. , Mihai Sidonia , Schett Georg , Dudziak Diana , Nimmerjahn Falk
Published: November 2013

Significance

The deficiency of regulatory T cells leads to a fatal systemic autoimmune disease in mice (Scurfy phenotype) and humans [IPEX (immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked) syndrome]. At present it is largely unclear to what degree the different deregulated parts of the immune system contribute to the disease pathology. To understand the role of B cells and the corresponding autoantibodies produced by these cells in this fatal disease we generated B-cell–deficient Scurfy mice and show that most of the systemic autoimmune phenotypes are greatly ameliorated. Consistent with this genetic approach, therapeutic depletion of B cells resulted in a similar increase in survival and reduction in multiorgan inflammation, suggesting that B cells may be a therapeutic target to ameliorate disease pathology.
ARF1 regulates the Rho/MLC pathway to control EGF-dependent breast cancer cell invasion
Authors: Schlienger Sabrina , Campbell Shirley , Claing Audrey
Published: November 2013

Invasion of tumor cells is a key step in metastasis that depends largely on the ability of these cells to degrade the extracellular matrix. Although we have showed that the GTPase ADP-ribosylation factor 1 (ARF1) is overexpressed in highly invasive breast cancer cell lines and that epidermal growth factor stimulation can activate this ARF isoform to regulate migration as well as proliferation, the role of this small GTP-binding protein has not been addressed in the context of invasiveness. Here we report that modulation of ARF1 expression and activity markedly impaired the ability of M.D. Anderson-metastatic breast-231 cells, a prototypical highly invasive breast cancer cell line, to degrade the extracellular matrix by controlling metalloproteinase-9 activity. In addition, we demonstrate that this occurs through inhibition of invadopodia maturation and shedding of membrane-derived microvesicles, the two key structures involved in invasion. To further define the molecular mechanisms by which ARF1 controls invasiveness, we show that ARF1 acts to modulate RhoA and RhoC activity, which in turn affects myosin light-chain (MLC) phosphorylation. Together our findings underscore for the first time a key role for ARF1 in invasion of breast cancer cells and suggest that targeting the ARF/Rho/MLC signaling axis might be a promising strategy to inhibit invasiveness and metastasis.
Anesthesia, Microcirculation, and Wound Repair in Aging
Authors: Bentov Itay , Reed May J.
Published: November 2013

Age-related changes in skin contribute to impaired wound healing after surgical procedures. Changes in skin with age include decline in thickness and composition, a decrease in the number of most cell types, and diminished microcirculation. The microcirculation provides tissue perfusion, fluid homeostasis, and delivery of oxygen and other nutrients. It also controls temperature and the inflammatory response. Surgical incisions cause further disruption of the microvasculature of aged skin. Perioperative management can be modified to minimize insults to aged tissues. Judicious use of fluids, maintenance of normal body temperature, pain control, and increased tissue oxygen tension are examples of adjustable variables that support the microcirculation. Anesthetic agents influence the microcirculation of a combination of effects on cardiac output, arterial pressure, and local microvascular changes. The authors examined the role of anesthetic management in optimizing the microcirculation and potentially improving postoperative wound repair in older persons.
From principles to practice: a spatial approach to systematic conservation planning in the deep sea
Authors: Wedding L. M. , Friedlander A. M. , Kittinger J. N. , Watling L. , Gaines S. D. , Bennett M. , Hardy S. M. , Smith C. R.
Published: November 2013

Increases in the demand and price for industrial metals, combined with advances in technological capabilities have now made deep-sea mining more feasible and economically viable. In order to balance economic interests with the conservation of abyssal plain ecosystems, it is becoming increasingly important to develop a systematic approach to spatial management and zoning of the deep sea. Here, we describe an expert-driven systematic conservation planning process applied to inform science-based recommendations to the International Seabed Authority for a system of deep-sea marine protected areas (MPAs) to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem function in an abyssal Pacific region targeted for nodule mining (e.g. the Clarion–Clipperton fracture zone, CCZ). Our use of geospatial analysis and expert opinion in forming the recommendations allowed us to stratify the proposed network by biophysical gradients, maximize the number of biologically unique seamounts within each subregion, and minimize socioeconomic impacts. The resulting proposal for an MPA network (nine replicate 400 × 400 km MPAs) covers 24% (1 440 000 km2) of the total CCZ planning region and serves as example of swift and pre-emptive conservation planning across an unprecedented area in the deep sea. As pressure from resource extraction increases in the future, the scientific guiding principles outlined in this research can serve as a basis for collaborative international approaches to ocean management.
The evolution of bacterial mutation rates under simultaneous selection by interspecific and social parasitism
Authors: O'Brien Siobhán , Rodrigues Antonio M. M. , Buckling Angus
Published: November 2013

Many bacterial populations harbour substantial numbers of hypermutable bacteria, in spite of hypermutation being associated with deleterious mutations. One reason for the persistence of hypermutators is the provision of novel mutations, enabling rapid adaptation to continually changing environments, for example coevolving virulent parasites. However, hypermutation also increases the rate at which intraspecific parasites (social cheats) are generated. Interspecific and intraspecific parasitism are therefore likely to impose conflicting selection pressure on mutation rate. Here, we combine theory and experiments to investigate how simultaneous selection from inter- and intraspecific parasitism affects the evolution of bacterial mutation rates in the plant-colonizing bacterium
Pseudomonas fluorescens.
Both our theoretical and experimental results suggest that phage presence increases and selection for public goods cooperation (the production of iron-scavenging siderophores) decreases selection for mutator bacteria. Moreover, phages imposed a much greater growth cost than social cheating, and when both selection pressures were imposed simultaneously, selection for cooperation did not affect mutation rate evolution. Given the ubiquity of infectious phages in the natural environment and clinical infections, our results suggest that phages are likely to be more important than social interactions in determining mutation rate evolution.
Differential population responses of native and alien rodents to an invasive predator, habitat alteration and plant masting
Authors: Fukasawa Keita , Miyashita Tadashi , Hashimoto Takuma , Tatara Masaya , Abe Shintaro
Published: November 2013

Invasive species and anthropogenic habitat alteration are major drivers of biodiversity loss. When multiple invasive species occupy different trophic levels, removing an invasive predator might cause unexpected outcomes owing to complex interactions among native and non-native prey. Moreover, external factors such as habitat alteration and resource availability can affect such dynamics. We hypothesized that native and non-native prey respond differently to an invasive predator, habitat alteration and bottom-up effects. To test the hypothesis, we used Bayesian state-space modelling to analyse 8-year data on the spatio-temporal patterns of two endemic rat species and the non-native black rat in response to the continual removal of the invasive small Indian mongoose on Amami Island, Japan. Despite low reproductive potentials, the endemic rats recovered better after mongoose removal than did the black rat. The endemic species appeared to be vulnerable to predation by mongooses, whose eradication increased the abundances of the endemic rats, but not of the black rat. Habitat alteration increased the black rat's carrying capacity, but decreased those of the endemic species. We propose that spatio-temporal monitoring data from eradication programmes will clarify the underlying ecological impacts of land-use change and invasive species, and will be useful for future habitat management.
How to predict community responses to perturbations in the face of imperfect knowledge and network complexity
Authors: Aufderheide Helge , Rudolf Lars , Gross Thilo , Lafferty Kevin D.
Published: November 2013

Recent attempts to predict the response of large food webs to perturbations have revealed that in larger systems increasingly precise information on the elements of the system is required. Thus, the effort needed for good predictions grows quickly with the system's complexity. Here, we show that not all elements need to be measured equally well, suggesting that a more efficient allocation of effort is possible. We develop an iterative technique for determining an efficient measurement strategy. In model food webs, we find that it is most important to precisely measure the mortality and predation rates of long-lived, generalist, top predators. Prioritizing the study of such species will make it easier to understand the response of complex food webs to perturbations.
Prevalence of the aminoglycoside phosphotransferase genes aph(3′)-IIIa and aph(3′)-IIa in Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica and Staphylococcus aureus isolates in Austria
Authors: Woegerbauer Markus , Zeinzinger Josef , Springer Burkhard , Hufnagl Peter , Indra Alexander , Korschineck Irina , Hofrichter Johannes , Kopacka Ian , Fuchs Reinhard , Steinwider Johann , Fuchs Klemens , Nielsen Kaare M. , Allerberger Franz
Published: November 2013

The aminoglycoside phosphotransferase aph(3′)-IIa primarily inactivates kanamycin and neomycin, whilst aph(3′)-IIIa also inactivates amikacin. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of both resistance genes in major human pathogens to obtain their baseline prevalence in the gene pool of these bacterial populations in Austria. In total, 10 541 Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica and Staphylococcus aureus isolates were collected representatively without selection bias between 2008 and 2011. Isolates were analysed by aph(3′)-IIIa/nptIII- and aph(3′)-IIa/nptII-specific TaqMan real-time PCR. For positive strains, MICs using Etests were performed and resistance gene sequences were determined. The overall prevalence of aph(3′)-IIIa/nptIII was 1.62 % (95 % confidence interval: 1.38–1.88 %). In Escherichia coli, enterococci, Staphylococcus aureus, P. aeruginosa and Salmonella spp., the aph(3′)-IIIa/nptIII prevalence was 0.47 % (0–1.47 %), 37.53 % (32.84–42.40 %), 2.90 % (1.51–5.02 %), 0 % (0–0.32 %) and 0 % (0–0.037 %), respectively. Eleven of a total of 169 carriers showed single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the resistance allele. The overall prevalence of aph(3′)-IIa/nptII was 0.0096 % (0–0.046 %). Escherichia coli (0–0.70 %), enterococci (0–0.75 %), Staphylococcus aureus (0–0.73 %) and P. aeruginosa (0–0.32 %) did not carry aph(3′)-IIa. A single Salmonella isolate was positive, resulting in an aph(3′)-IIa prevalence of 0.013 % (0–0.058 %). aph(3′)-IIIa/nptIII carriers were moderately prevalent in the strains tested except for in enterococci, which appeared to be an important reservoir for aph(3′)-IIIa. aph(3′)-IIa/nptII genes were detected at clinically irrelevant frequencies and played no significant role in the aminoglycoside resistance gene pool during the observation period.
Small-angle scattering contrast calculator for protein and nucleic acid complexes in solution
Authors: Sarachan Kathryn L. , Curtis Joseph E. , Krueger Susan
Published: November 2013

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) with contrast variation can provide useful information about the structure and disposition of two or more chemically distinct components within a complex. TheSASSIE Contrast Calculator(SCC) is a new software tool designed to assist in planning SANS experiments with contrast variation on protein and nucleic acid complexes. On the basis of the primary sequence and deuteration level of each protein or nucleic acid component, theSCCcalculates and plotsI(0), contrast and scattering length densities; since SANS experiments often complement small-angle X-ray scattering studies, the program provides both neutron and X-ray parameters. TheSCCis run as an integrated component ofSASSIE[Curtis, Raghunandan, Nanda & Krueger (2012).Comput. Phys. Commun.183, 382–389], a software suite for atomistic modeling of ensembles of structures consistent with scattering data.
WillItFit: a framework for fitting of constrained models to small-angle scattering data
Authors: Pedersen Martin Cramer , Arleth Lise , Mortensen Kell
Published: November 2013

A software framework for analysis of small-angle scattering data is presented. On the basis of molecular constraints and prior knowledge of the chemical composition of the sample, the software is capable of simultaneously fitting small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering data to analytical or semi-analytical models of biomacromolecules. The software features various fitting routines along with the possibility of incorporating instrumental resolution effects on the fit. Finally, trust region estimation, based on the profile likelihood strategy, is implemented. The algorithms and models are written in C, whereas the user interface is written in Python. Parallelization is implemented using the OpenMP extensions to C. The source code is available for free upon request orviathe associated code repository. The software runs on Linux, Windows and OSX and is available as an open-source initiative published under the General Publishing License.
A novel comparative study of crystalline perfection and optical homogeneity in Nd:GGG crystals grown by the Czochralski technique with different crystal/melt interface shapes
Authors: Zimik Khavangkhui , Bhagavannarayana G. , Kumar Ramesh , Chauhan Rashmi Rai , Murari Krishna , Malhan Neelam , Thakur Harneet V.
Published: November 2013

Nd:GGG crystals (GGG is gadolinium gallium garnet) grown with different crystal/melt interface shapes (convex/flat/concave) by varying the seed rotation rate while using the Czochralski technique were studied for their optical homogeneity and crystalline perfection by optical polarization microscopy (OPM) and high-resolution X-ray diffractometry (HRXRD), respectively. It was found that there is a remarkable effect of seed rotation rate, which decides the shape of the crystal/melt interface, on the optical homogeneity and crystalline perfection. It was found experimentally that, as the rotation rate increases, the crystal/melt interface changes from convex to flat. If the rate further increases the interface becomes concave. With a steep convex interface (for low rotation rates), certain facets are concentrated in the small central portion of the crystal, and as the rate increases, these facets slowly move outward, leading to improved optical homogeneity and crystalline perfection as observed from the OPM and HRXRD results. The strain developed in the crystalline matrix as a result of segregation of oxygen in the crystals at low seed rotation rates as observed from HRXRD seems to be the reason for the observed optical inhomogeneity. The correlation between optical inhomogeneity and crystalline perfection for a variety of specimens with different shapes of the crystal/liquid interface obtained at different seed rotation rates is reported.
Tracking animals to their death
Authors: Hays Graeme C.
Published: November 2013

Satellite tracking is a tool for not only recording the long‐distance movements of a range of species, but also for revealing animal mortality. (a) An osprey equipped with a satellite tag to record its migration from Europe to Sub‐Saharan Africa. Photo: Raymond Klaassen. (b) A dead osprey. Satellite tracking can identify when and where animals die and also sometimes the cause of death. Photo: Ewan Weston. (c) This technique can also be used with other taxa. A loggerhead turtle satellite‐tracked to its death in Greece. Propeller marks indicated that this individual had been hit by a boat before washing ashore dead. Photo: Gail Schofield.

image

Satellite tracking is a tool for not only recording the long‐distance movements of a range of species, but also for revealing animal mortality. (a) An osprey equipped with a satellite tag to record its migration from Europe to Sub‐Saharan Africa. Photo: Raymond Klaassen. (b) A dead osprey. Satellite tracking can identify when and where animals die and also sometimes the cause of death. Photo: Ewan Weston. (c) This technique can also be used with other taxa. A loggerhead turtle satellite‐tracked to its death in Greece. Propeller marks indicated that this individual had been hit by a boat before washing ashore dead. Photo: Gail Schofield.

In Focus: Klaassen, R.H.G., Hake, M., Strandberg, R., Koks, B.J., Trierweiler, C., Exo, K.‐M., Bairlein, F. & Alerstam, T. (2014) When and where does mortality occur in migratory birds? Direct evidence from long‐term satellite tracking of two raptors. Journal of Animal Ecology, 83, 176–184.

Migration may be a high‐risk period. In a study involving three species of raptor migrating from Europe to Sub‐Saharan Africa, Klaassen et al. () satellite‐tracked 51 out of 69 birds to their deaths and showed that rate of mortality during migration was 6x that during stationary phases when birds were on their winter and summer grounds. Travel across the Sahara was particularly risky. Satellite tracking has also been used to infer mortality in other taxa (e.g. sea turtles) and may allow high‐risk hotspots to be identified for wide‐ranging species.
Frail bodies: geriatric medicine and the constitution of the fourth age
Authors: Pickard Susan
Published: November 2013

Clinical discourses of frailty are central both to the construction of the social category of the fourth age and to the role and identity of hospital geriatric medicine. However, the influence of such clinical discourses is not just from science to the social sphere and nor do these discourses have their source in a putative truth of the old body but emerge from an interplay between physiological facts, discourses of governmentality, productive processes associated with late modern capitalism and the professional ambitions of geriatric medicine. The article explores this interplay in the two key discourses of frailty that have emerged in the clinical literature during the past 15 years, that of the phenotype and the accumulation of deficits, respectively. Outlining the development of the discourse of senescence from its origins to the more recent emergence of a nosological category of frailty the article explores how these key discourses capture the older body according to particular sets of norms. These norms link physiological understanding with broader discourses of governmentality, including the professional project of geriatric medicine. In particular, metaphorical representations in the discourses of frailty convey key cultural and clinical assumptions concerning both older bodies and old age more generally.
Unusual data in conservation science: searching for validation
Authors: Keane A.
Published: November 2013

Read the Feature Paper: Assessing the accuracy of interviewed recall for rare, highly seasonal events: the case of wildlife consumption in Madagascar

Other Commentaries on this paper: Wildlife consumption and recall accuracy – but is it recall of hunting, of cooking or of eating?

Response from the authors: Practical directions for the use of recall data in conservation science
The conundrum of eclampsia and fitness to drive
Authors: Barrett Helen L. , Nitert Dekker Marloes , Lust Karin , Fagermo Narelle , Wolski Penny , Callaway Leonie K.
Published: November 2013

Background

Australian Fitness to Drive guidelines suggest that anyone who has had a seizure of any kind in the context of a ‘metabolic’ disorder should avoid driving for a period of 6 months. The special case of eclampsia is not mentioned.

Aims

In this study, we aimed to assess what advice healthcare professionals involved in the peripartum care of women provide to women who have an eclamptic seizure, what investigations they would conduct to exclude other causes of seizures and their level of awareness of whether eclampsia was addressed in the Australian Fitness to Drive guidelines.

Materials and Methods

A survey of 165 healthcare professionals attending the 2012 Society of Obstetric Medicine of Australia and New Zealand annual scientific meeting. Participants included registered nurses, midwives, consultant obstetricians, consultant physicians, doctors in training and others, interested in medical disorders of pregnancy.

Results

One hundred and nine conference attendees completed the survey (response rate 66.1%). 58 respondents (53.2%) had cared for 5 or more women with peripartum seizures, and 23 respondents (21.1%) had cared for 10 or more women with peripartum seizures. 46 respondents (42.2%) had never considered the issue of driving after an eclamptic seizure. For those who had considered the issue, advice ranged from no restriction (n = 5, 4.6%), no driving for 1–2 weeks (n = 14, 12.8%), no driving for 3 months (n = 20, 18.4%) or no driving for 6 months (n = 6, 5.5%).

Conclusions

Many healthcare professionals caring for women with peripartum seizures have not considered issues relating to fitness to drive after an eclamptic seizure. There is a wide range of advice provided. Better prospective data are required regarding the risk of subsequent seizure after eclampsia, to inform clear fitness to drive guidelines.
Let us make God our banker: Ethics, temporality, and agency in a Ugandan charity home
Authors: SCHERZ CHINA
Published: November 2013

Faith in divine intervention affects the ethical and temporal orientations of a community of East African nuns managing a charity home in Central Uganda and leads them to make programmatic decisions that put them at odds with mainstream approaches in development and humanitarianism. By demonstrating that their resistance to long‐term planning and audit practices is not the product of material privation or ignorance but, rather, a consciously developed orientation toward time and agency, I bring together concerns from the anthropology of religion and the anthropology of development. Further, by seeking to explain how the sisters come to hold their particular beliefs, I move beyond the elucidation of doctrine to show how mundane forms of practice are central to the formation of ethical subjectivity.
Polluted money, polluted wealth: Emerging regimes of value in the Mongolian gold rush
Authors: HIGH METTE M.
Published: November 2013

In Mongolia's gold rush economy, money has become such an emphatically localized and contentious object that its cash value cannot be presumed. Drawing on Mongolian notions of “polluted money,” I argue that, in this context, cash value is determined not only by a banknote's status as legal tender but also by local understandings of its materiality. Confronted with the intense pollution that attaches to gold miners’ money, shopkeepers change the face value of the money and effectively set higher prices in a region with increasing numbers of dependent customers. Rather than challenging or subverting money's national indexicality, this redenomination of state currency reflects people's critical position within a troubled economy of pollution. This case demonstrates that currency, like any other object, is a social medium that is intimately tied to the physical and cosmological world.
“It seemed like a punishment”: Teacher transfers, hollow nationalism, and the intimate state in Eritrea
Authors: RIGGAN JENNIFER
Published: November 2013

Discourses of the punishing state that circulated in Eritrea at a time when the government had become increasingly coercive were articulated especially clearly in debates over teacher transfers. Teachers imagined the state on the basis of their intimate encounters with its bureaucrats, who were thought of as capable of punishing, manipulating, or being manipulated. In a country once noted for the effervescent, revolutionary celebration of the state's capacity to defend and develop the nation, thinking of the state as pernicious challenged the core tenets of Eritrean nationalism but left intact lingering fantasies of state fairness. By examining the complexity of debates about teacher transfers, I uncover a multifaceted commentary on government power, a dialogue over the nature and meaning of the notion of duty to the nation, and a reworked popular imaginary of the state.
Crossing Mexico: Structural violence and the commodification of undocumented Central American migrants
Authors: VOGT WENDY A.
Published: November 2013

The undocumented‐migrant journey across Mexico has become a site of intense violence, exploitation, and profit making within the logics of capitalism. While transnational migration is often conceptualized from the perspective of sending and receiving communities and borderlands, I suggest the liminal spaces between these zones are crucial sites for understanding how structural forms of violence are reconfigured in local settings. Drawing on my ethnographic fieldwork in migrant shelters located along the journey, I trace how Central American migrants’ bodies, labor, and lives are transformed into commodities within economies of smuggling, extortion, and humanitarian aid. I argue that everyday violence along the journey is produced by historical trajectories of political and criminal violence and by local and global economies that profit from human mobility. As violence is rearticulated at the local level, new tensions and social dislocations emerge between and among social groups.
Impact of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy on Atrial Electromechanical Delay and P‐Wave Dispersion in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Authors: Bayır Pınar Türker , Demirkan Burcu , Bayır Ömer , Duyuler Serkan , Fırat Hikmet , Güray Ümit , Güray Yeşim , Tatar Emel Çadallı
Published: November 2013

Background

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been shown to be associated with atrial fibrillation (AF). Prolongation of inter‐ and intraatrial conduction times during sinus rhythm has also been shown to be related to AF generation. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is an effective treatment modality of OSA.

Methods

Twenty‐four OSA patients diagnosed through polysomnography and 18 controls were included in the study. The basal inter‐ and intraatrial electromechanic delays prior to onset of the therapy were measured using tissue Doppler imaging. P‐wave dispersion (Pd) was calculated on the basis of 12‐lead electrocardiography. Same measurements were performed in OSA patients 6 months after the initiation of the therapy.

Results

Interatrial (39.2 ± 8 vs. 21.1 ± 2.8 ms, P < 0.001), left intraatrial (20.5 ± 7.2 vs. 11.1 ± 2 ms, P = 0.003), and right intraatrial electromechanical delays (20.7 ± 11 vs. 10 ± 2.6 ms, P < 0.001) prior to CPAP therapy were found to be significantly greater in OSA group as compared with the controls. Pd was also greater in the OSA group as compared with the controls (44 ± 7 vs. 28.5 ± 4 ms, P < 0.001). However, significant improvement has been noted after 6 months of CPAP therapy in interatrial (P < 0.0001), left intraatrial (P = 0.002), and right intraatrial electromechanical delays (P < 0.0001) as well as in Pd (P < 0.0001) as compared to baseline values in patients with OSA.

Conclusion

Our findings suggested that CPAP therapy provides more homogenous conduction through atria in patients with OSA. This effect may translate into decreased risk for AF associated with OSA.
An Analysis of the U‐Wave and Its Relation to the T‐Wave in Body Surface Potential Maps for Healthy Subjects and MI Patients
Authors: Fereniec Małgorzata , Stix Günter , Kania Michał , Mroczka Tomasz , Maniewski Roman
Published: November 2013

Background

The aim of this study was to analyze the U‐wave morphology and its relation to the T‐wave in one group of healthy subjects and in two groups of myocardial infarction (MI) patients—with and without ventricular tachycardia (VT) episodes. The context of the U‐wave origin was also discussed and the U‐wave as a potential marker of VT was investigated.

Methods

The study was carried out on three groups of subjects: 20 healthy subjects, 14 MI patients not at risk of VT, and 22 MI patients at risk of VT. The morphology of the repolarization phase was examined in the high‐resolution body surface potential maps recorded from 64 surface ECG leads. The temporal and spatial distributions of several ECG parameters were studied.

Results

The U‐wave was present in almost all the studied subjects. The spatial heterogeneity and smooth change in both the T‐ and U‐wave shapes on the entire torso were observed in all the studied groups. The statistical significance of discrimination between the MI patients without VT and MI patients with VT was observed for QRS interval, QT interval, U‐wave integral, and normalized U‐wave integral.

Conclusions

High‑resolution measurement of body surface potentials and an advanced data analysis allow for a detailed description of U‐wave morphology and its relation to the T‐wave. This might be of value in discriminating intracardiac repolarization effects, mechano‑electrical feedback, and arrhythmia risk stratification.
The Use of Menthol as Temporary Consolidant in the Excavation of Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army
Authors: Han X. , Rong B. , Huang X. , Zhou T. , Luo H. , Wang C.
Published: November 2013

Temporary consolidation is widely used to protect delicate artefacts or other fragile relics in art conservation. Although cyclododecane is extensively accepted, the safety‐related issues have become an increasing concern and its short working time is always annoying. Inspired by its low melting point, polar structure, well‐established safety profile, easy local availability and low cost, we propose menthol as a new temporary consolidant on the new excavation site of Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army. In this paper, we offer a preliminarily exploration of the kinetics of menthol sublimation on two different matrices, its residue after volatilization, its penetrability and distribution in simulated terracotta samples, as well as other important properties in the laboratory. The results obtained from these tests reveal that the sublimation of menthol can be a zero‐ or a first‐order process, depending on the porosity of the matrices, and its best operational temperature resides in the range of 60–80°C. Finally, two field cases at the archaeological site of Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army are presented to show that menthol is a very effective temporary consolidant.
A review of overgeneral memory in child psychopathology
Authors: Hitchcock Caitlin , Nixon Reginald D.V. , Weber Nathan
Published: November 2013

Objectives

Overgeneral autobiographical memory (OGM) refers to the impaired retrieval of specific events from autobiographical memory. This review examined OGM in children and adolescents to answer three main questions. First, do children demonstrate OGM? Second, how does the experience of OGM relate to childhood trauma and associated psychopathology? Third, is the CaR‐FA‐X model (Williams et al., 2007) able to explain OGM in child psychopathology once developmental issues have been considered?

Method

Articles were identified in PsycINFO and PubMed searches using the terms overgeneral memory AND children, autobiographical memory specificity AND children, and autobiographical memory AND children. The authors reviewed 21 articles that examined OGM in young people aged 7–18 years. Effect sizes were calculated for each study.

Results

The review demonstrated consistent support for a relationship with trauma exposure and depression symptoms in childhood. Furthermore, OGM was found to predict depression symptoms. Limited support was provided for the efficacy of the CaR‐FA‐X model in young people.

Conclusions

Future research will need to examine the influence of trauma characteristics on OGM development, along with the relationship of OGM to depression prognosis. Further investigation of the CaR‐FA‐X model is required and developmental aspects will need to be taken into account.

Practitioner points

Overgeneral memory is evident in trauma‐exposed children.

Overgeneral memory offers a potential intervention point for depression.

Further theoretical understanding of overgeneral memory is needed.

The effects of trauma characteristics on overgeneral memory are unexplored.