bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The relationship between physical activity and heart rate variability in orthotopic heart transplant recipients
Authors: Lai Fu‐Chih , Chang Wen‐Lin , Jeng Chii
Published: September 2012

Aims and objectives.  To investigate the relationship between physical activity and heart rate variability in orthotopic heart transplant recipients, to compare the difference in heart rate variability between patients one year after orthotopic heart transplant and healthy adults matched to the heart transplant recipients in terms of age, gender and physical activity levels.

Background.  Although physical activity affects the heart rate variability in patients with heart disease, there is a paucity of literature discussing the correlation between physical activity and heart rate variability among heart transplant recipients.

Design.  This was a descriptive and cross‐sectional study.

Methods.  A total of 120 eligible subjects were divided into the orthotopic heart transplant recipient group (n = 60) and the healthy adult group (n = 60). The Seven‐day Physical Activity Recall questionnaire was used to record the subjects’ amount of physical activity per week. Heart rate variety parameters were determined by separate frequency domain components.

Results.  Results indicated heart transplant recipients’ heart rate variety was significantly lower than that of healthy adults in terms of mean, sdr, total power (ms2), low frequency (ms2), low frequency (nu), high frequency (ms2) and low frequency/high frequency. Heart transplant recipients’ heart rate variety including total power (ms2), low frequency (ms2) and high frequency (ms2) was 18·2, 2 and 7·2% of healthy controls, respectively; the amount of absolutely and relatively moderate physical activity was positively related to high frequency (ms2) and high frequency (nu), but was negatively related to low frequency/high frequency. High frequency (nu) increases while the total amount of weekly physical activity increases.

Conclusions.  Results confirmed that the more the moderate physical activity performed, the better the patient’s heart rate variability.

Relevance to clinical practice.  We suggest that clinical care providers have to encourage heart transplant recipients to engage in moderate physical activity.
Learning needs of patients with heart failure a descriptive, exploratory study
Authors: Kim So‐Sun , Ahn Jeong‐Ah , Kang Seok‐Min , Kim GiYon , Lee Sunhee
Published: September 2012

Aims and objectives.  To assess the learning needs of patients with heart failure in Korea as this information is the cornerstone for developing a programme based on patients’ learning needs.

Background.  Heart failure is a life‐threatening event and a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Korea. Cardiac educational programmes are intended to prevent the recurrence of heart failure and improve patients’ quality of life. However, patients’ information requests have historically not been well met by physicians and nurses in Korea.

Design.  A descriptive and exploratory study was designed.

Methods.  We recruited 121 patients with heart failure between the ages of 19–88 years. Self‐report questionnaires, which included general characteristics, disease‐related characteristics and the Heart Failure Patients’ Learning Needs Inventory patient version, were used to gather data.

Results.  The only general characteristic that was significantly related to patients’ learning needs was their occupation. No disease‐related characteristics were related to learning needs. The overall mean learning needs score was 3·78.

Conclusion.  Patients’ learning needs in Korea are lower than those typically seen in Western countries. Korean patients with heart failure had a low level of knowledge about heart failure and did not recognise the importance of being informed about their disease, which is why Korean patients with heart failure tend to depend on their physicians to make decisions related to their health management. These conditions can negatively affect clinical outcomes.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Although an educational programme for patients with heart failure should be based on the patients’ learning needs, heart failure management and education programmes in Korea are not currently developed using a needs‐based approach. Therefore, this study will provide a basis for encouraging Korean patients to obtain information about their disease and to guide professionals in developing heart failure management and education programmes.
District nurses’ perceptions of the concept of delegating administration of medication to home care aides working in the municipality: A discrepancy between legal regulations and practice
Authors: Craftman Asa G , von Strauss Eva , Rudberg Susanne L , Westerbotn Margareta
Published: September 2012

Aims and objectives.  To describe district nurses’ perceptions of the concept of delegating medication management to unlicensed personnel working in municipal social care.

Background.  The delegation of medical tasks involves responsibility and is regulated by law to avoid damage and injuries and to protect the patient. The delegation of the administration of medication is a multifaceted task. The delegating district nurse is responsible for the outcome and should also follow up the delegated task.

Design.  A descriptive qualitative study, involving semi‐structured interviews and content analysis.

Methods.  Twenty district nurses were interviewed. The interviews were audio taped. The data were collected from April 2009–August 2010 and analysed using content analysis.

Results.  The findings revealed that the statutes of delegation appear to be incompatible with practice, however, mostly due to lack of time. Communication between district nurses and home care aides, as well as tutoring, was regarded as important. The district nurses found it imperative to be available to the home care aides and made an effort to create a trusting atmosphere.

Conclusions.  District nurses cannot manage their workload without delegating the administration of medication in the present organisational model of health care and social care. The statutes regarding delegating medicine tasks are also cumbersome and difficult to incorporate for district nurses who are responsible for the delegation.

Relevance to clinical practice.  The findings elucidate the current situation as regards district nurses and the need to delegate the administration of medication. Health care and social care for home‐dwelling older patients, as well as statutes, needs to be evaluated and updated to meet and be prepared for the increasing demands of care.
Sexual selection and experimental evolution of chemical signals in Drosophila pseudoobscura
Authors: Hunt J. , Snook R. R. , Mitchell C. , Crudgington H. S. , Moore A. J.
Published: September 2012

Our expectations for the evolution of chemical signals in response to sexual selection are uncertain. How are chemical signals elaborated? Does sexual selection result in complexity of the composition or in altered quantities of expression? We addressed this in Drosophila pseudoobscura by examining male and female cuticular hydrocarbons (CHs) after 82 generations of elevated (E) sexual selection or relaxed sexual selection through monogamy (M). The CH profile consisted of 18 different components. We extracted three eigenvectors using principal component analysis that explained 72% of the variation. principal component (PC)1 described the amount of CHs produced, PC2 the trade‐off between short‐ and long‐chain CHs and PC3 the trade‐off between apparently arbitrary CHs. In both sexes, the amount of CHs produced was greater in flies from the E treatment. PC3 was also higher, indicating that sexual selection also influenced the evolution of CH composition. The sexes differed in all three PCs, indicating substantial sexual dimorphism in this species, although the magnitude of this dimorphism was not increased as a result of our experimental evolution. Collectively, our work provides direct evidence that sexual selection plays an important role in the evolution of CHs in D. pseudoobscura and that both increased quantity and overall composition are targeted.
Respiratory viruses in neonates hospitalized with acute lower respiratory tract infections
Authors: Cho Hye Jung , Shim So‐Yeon , Son Dong Woo , Sun Yong Han , Tchah Hann , Jeon In‐Sang
Published: September 2012

Background

The burden of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in neonates has not been clearly studied. The aims of this study were to determine the overall distribution of respiratory viruses in neonates hospitalized with acute lower respiratory tract infectiosns (ALRI) and to describe the clinical characteristics of RSV infections in these neonates.

Methods

From January 2009 through May 2010, neonates aged <1 month who were hospitalized with ALRI and did not have underlying disease were included in the study. Viruses were identified on multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction using nasal swab samples. Clinical variables were evaluated between the RSV and non‐RSV infection groups.

Results

Of the 108 infants included in the study, 46 (42.6%) had RSV; human rhinovirus (18.5%), human parainfluenza virus 3 (7.5%), and human metapneumovirus (3.7%) were the next most common infections. Codetections accounted for 8.3% of the cases. Crowding increased the risk of RSV infection compared to the non‐RSV group (OR, 16.5; P = 0.001). The RSV group had a greater incidence of dyspnea (P = 0.027), pneumonia (P < 0.001), requirement for oxygen (P < 0.001), and prolonged hospitalization (P = 0.011) than the non‐RSV group.

Conclusions

RSV was the most common viral etiology in neonates without underlying diseases who were hospitalized with ALRI. The disease severity of RSV infection was worse than that of other detected viral infections. Strict prevention strategies should be considered in overcrowded situations.
Neuro‐Fuzzy Cost Estimation Model Enhanced by Fast Messy Genetic Algorithms for Semiconductor Hookup Construction
Authors: Hsiao Fan‐Yi , Wang Shih‐Hsu , Wang Wei‐Chih , Wen Chao‐Pao , Yu Wen‐Der
Published: September 2012

Abstract:  Semiconductor hookup construction (i.e., constructing process tool piping systems) is critical to semiconductor fabrication plant completion. During the conceptual project phase, it is difficult to conduct an accurate cost estimate due to the great amount of uncertain cost items. This study proposes a new model for estimating semiconductor hookup construction project costs. The developed model, called FALCON‐COST, integrates the component ratios method, fuzzy adaptive learning control network (FALCON), fast messy genetic algorithm (fmGA), and three‐point cost estimation method to systematically deal with a cost‐estimating environment involving limited and uncertain data. In addition, the proposed model improves the current FALCON by devising a new algorithm to conduct building block selection and random gene deletion so that fmGA operations can be implemented in FALCON. The results of 54 case studies demonstrate that the proposed model has estimation accuracy of 83.82%, meaning it is approximately 22.74%, 23.08%, and 21.95% more accurate than the conventional average cost method, component ratios method, and modified FALCON‐COST method, respectively. Providing project managers with reliable cost estimates is essential for effectively controlling project costs.
The Argument Structure of Experience: Experiential Constructions in Early Vedic, Homeric Greek and Early Latin1
Authors: Dahl Eystein , Fedriani Chiara
Published: September 2012

In this paper we investigate different types of argument‐structure constructions associated with so‐called experiential predicates in Early Vedic, Homeric Greek and Early Latin. We argue that the broad range of argument‐realisation patterns associated with experiential verbs in these languages reflects the fact that experiential predicates differ in fundamental respects from prototypically transitive verbs which we take to represent the perhaps most salient verb type in natural language. We survey the most important construction types attested in the domain of experience in the languages under scrutiny with particular regard to recurrent paths of association between experiential verb classes and their argument‐realisation options. Finally, on the basis of our data we provide some proposals regarding the main tendencies in the linguistic organisation of this complex functional domain in Proto‐Indo‐European.
Incorporating Asymmetric Preferences into Fan Charts and Path Forecasts*
Authors: Demetrescu Matei , Wang Mu‐Chun
Published: September 2012

Ordinary fan charts consist of symmetric marginal forecast intervals, and do not take into consideration the concrete loss function of the user of the forecast. The note shows how to build fan charts that have exact joint coverage even under asymmetric loss, and maintain at the same time the intuition conveyed by ordinary fan charts. The proposed method is computationally simple, and easily implemented with any loss function. The differences between the information conveyed by fan charts with or without asymmetries, and with or without exact joint coverage, are illustrated with a Bayesian forecast exercise of US GDP growth rates.
A role for an endosperm‐localized subtilase in the control of seed size in legumes
Authors: D'Erfurth I. , Le Signor C. , Aubert G. , Sanchez M. , Vernoud V. , Darchy B. , Lherminier J. , Bourion V. , Bouteiller N. , Bendahmane A. , Buitink J. , Prosperi J. M. , Thompson R. , Burstin J. , Gallardo K.
Published: September 2012

Here, we report a subtilase gene (SBT1.1) specifically expressed in the endosperm of Medicago truncatula and Pisum sativum seeds during development, which is located at a chromosomal position coinciding with a seed weight quantitative trait locus (QTL).

Association studies between SBT1.1 polymorphisms and seed weights in ecotype collections provided further evidence for linkage disequilibrium between the SBT1.1 locus and a seed weight locus. To investigate the possible contribution of SBT1.1 to the control of seed weight, a search for TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes) mutants was performed.

An inspection of seed phenotype revealed a decreased weight and area of the sbt1.1 mutant seeds, thus inferring a role of SBT1.1 in the control of seed size in the forage and grain legume species. Microscopic analyses of the embryo, representing the major part of the seed, revealed a reduced number of cells in the MtP330S mutant, but no significant variation in cell size.

SBT1.1 is therefore most likely to be involved in the control of cotyledon cell number, rather than cell expansion, during seed development. This raises the hypothesis of a role of SBT1.1 in the regulation of seed size by providing molecules that can act as signals to control cell division within the embryo.
Stomatal penetration by aqueous solutions – an update involving leaf surface particles
Authors: Burkhardt Juergen , Basi Sabin , Pariyar Shyam , Hunsche Mauricio
Published: September 2012

The recent visualization of stomatal nanoparticle uptake ended a 40‐yr‐old paradigm. Assuming clean, hydrophobic leaf surfaces, the paradigm considered stomatal liquid water transport to be impossible as a result of water surface tension. However, real leaves are not clean, and deposited aerosols may change hydrophobicity and water surface tension.

Droplets containing NaCl, NaClO3, (NH4)2SO4, glyphosate, an organosilicone surfactant or various combinations thereof were evaporated on stomatous abaxial and astomatous adaxial surfaces of apple (Malus domestica) leaves. The effects on photosynthesis, necrosis and biomass were determined. Observed using an environmental scanning electron microscope, NaCl and NaClO3 crystals on hydrophobic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cuticles underwent several humidity cycles, causing repeated deliquescence and efflorescence of the salts.

All physiological parameters were more strongly affected by abaxial than adaxial treatments. Spatial expansion and dendritic crystallization of the salts occurred and cuticular hydrophobicity was decreased more rapidly by NaClO3 than NaCl.

The results confirmed the stomatal uptake of aqueous solutions. Humidity fluctuations promote the spatial expansion of salts into the stomata. The ion‐specific effects point to the Hofmeister series: chaotropic ions reduce surface tension, probably contributing to the defoliant action of NaClO3, whereas the salt spray tolerance of coastal plants is probably linked to the kosmotropic nature of chloride ions.
Effects of Temporary In‐Work Benefits for Welfare Recipients: Examination of the Australian Working Credit Programme*
Authors: Wilkins Roger , Leigh Andrew
Published: September 2012

We investigate the impact of ‘Working Credit’, a nationally‐implemented programme which created increased incentives for welfare recipients to undertake temporary work. Highlighting the difficulties in identifying programme effects in the absence of a randomised controlled trial or a natural experiment, we produce estimates of impacts under alternative identifying assumptions and also undertake various robustness checks. Unconditional and regression‐adjusted difference‐in‐difference estimates suggest that the introduction of the Working Credit programme increased employment rates, earnings and exits for those on income support, but matching methods and various robustness checks provide conflicting evidence on the impact on movements from welfare to work for unemployment benefit recipients. Moreover, estimated effects on earnings while on benefits are sensitive to identifying assumptions. Notwithstanding our inability to conclusively identify causal effects of the programme, we note that our findings are broadly consistent with the incentive effects of the programme, with recipients making use of the credits to increase earnings while on benefits, but not increasing movements off welfare.
Lifetime Generational Accounts for the Netherlands*
Authors: Ter Rele Harry , Labanca Claudio
Published: September 2012

Conventional generational accounting only includes future benefits and burdens from the government. This paper's contribution is to include past benefits and burdens as well, and in this way to provide a full lifetime account of how much current and future generations benefit from government, in net terms, under various future policy lines. The calculations are carried out for the Netherlands and for the cohorts born since 1946. The more complete picture may be helpful for political decision‐making on equitable intergenerational policies. A second contribution of this paper is that it uses a more comprehensive benefit concept than other such backward‐looking studies by including non‐cash benefits as well. The results point out that there are substantial differences in net lifetime benefits between generations and these are mainly driven by non‐cash benefits such as education and healthcare, on which expenditure increased substantially after 1946.
Use of intracranial self‐stimulation to evaluate abuse‐related and abuse‐limiting effects of monoamine releasers in rats
Authors: Bauer CT , Banks ML , Blough BE , Negus SS
Published: September 2012

Background and Purpose

Monoamine releasers constitute a class of drugs that promote the release of dopamine (DA), serotonin (5‐HT) and/or norepinephrine. Although some drugs in this class are well‐known drugs of abuse (amphetamine, methamphetamine), others are thought to have reduced (3,4‐methylenedioxy‐N‐methylamphetamine [MDMA]) or no (fenfluramine) abuse potential. The purpose of this study was to further elucidate the role of dopamine versus serotonin selectivity on expression of abuse‐related effects produced by monoamine releasers in an assay of intracranial self‐stimulation (ICSS) in rats.

Experimental Approach

This study evaluated effects produced in a frequency–rate ICSS procedure by 11 monoamine releasers that vary in selectivity to release DA versus 5‐HT.

Key Results

Efficacy of monoamine releasers to facilitate ICSS correlated with DA‐selectivity, such that DA‐selective releasers exclusively facilitated ICSS, a 5‐HT‐selective releaser exclusively depressed ICSS, and mixed‐action releasers both facilitated low ICSS rates and depressed high ICSS rates. Fixed‐proportion mixtures of a DA‐selective releaser and a 5‐HT‐selective releaser recapitulated effects of mixed‐action releasers. Efficacy of monoamine releasers to facilitate ICSS also correlated with previously published data on efficacy to maintain self‐administration in rhesus monkeys responding under a progressive‐ratio schedule of reinforcement.

Conclusions and Implications

These data support the importance of selectivity for DA versus 5‐HT in determining abuse potential of monoamine releasers and demonstrate a novel correlation between rat ICSS and nonhuman primate self‐administration measures of abuse‐related effects. Taken together, these results support the use of ICSS in rats as an experimental tool to study the expression and pharmacological determinants of abuse‐related effects of monoamine releasers.
Exogenous calreticulin improves diabetic wound healing
Authors: Greives Matthew R. , Samra Fares , Pavlides Savvas C. , Blechman Keith M. , Naylor Sara‐Megumi , Woodrell Christopher D. , Cadacio Caprice , Levine Jamie P. , Bancroft Tara A. , Michalak Marek , Warren Stephen M. , Gold Leslie I.
Published: September 2012

A serious consequence of diabetes mellitus is impaired wound healing, which largely resists treatment. We previously reported that topical application of calreticulin (CRT), an endoplasmic reticulum chaperone protein, markedly enhanced the rate and quality of wound healing in an experimental porcine model of cutaneous repair. Consistent with these in vivo effects, in vitro CRT induced the migration and proliferation of normal human cells critical to the wound healing process. These functions are particularly deficient in poor healing diabetic wounds. Using a genetically engineered diabetic mouse (db/db) in a full‐thickness excisional wound healing model, we now show that topical application of CRT induces a statistically significant decrease in the time to complete wound closure compared with untreated wounds by 5.6 days (17.6 vs. 23.2). Quantitative analysis of the wounds shows that CRT increases the rate of reepithelialization at days 7 and 10 and increases the amount of granulation tissue at day 7 persisting to day 14. Furthermore, CRT treatment induces the regrowth of pigmented hair follicles observed on day 28. In vitro, fibroblasts isolated from diabetic compared with wild‐type mouse skin and human fibroblasts cultured under hyperglycemic compared with normal glucose conditions proliferate and strongly migrate in response to CRT compared with untreated controls. The in vitro effects of CRT on these functions are consistent with CRT's potent effects on wound healing in the diabetic mouse. These studies implicate CRT as a potential powerful topical therapeutic agent for the treatment of diabetic and other chronic wounds.
Performative Force, Convention, and Discursive Injustice
Authors: Kukla Rebecca
Published: September 2012

I explore how gender can shape the pragmatics of speech. In some circumstances, when a woman deploys standard discursive conventions in order to produce a speech act with a specific performative force, her utterance can turn out, in virtue of its uptake, to have a quite different force—a less empowering force—than it would have if performed by a man. When members of a disadvantaged group face a systematic inability to produce a specific kind of speech act that they are entitled to perform—and in particular when their attempts result in their actually producing a different kind of speech act that further compromises their social position and agency—then they are victims of what I call discursive injustice. I examine three examples of discursive injustice. I contrast my account with Langton and Hornsby's account of illocutionary silencing. I argue that lack of complete control over the performative force of our speech acts is universal, and not a special marker of social disadvantage. However, women and other relatively disempowered speakers are sometimes subject to a distinctive distortion of the path from speaking to uptake, which undercuts their social agency in ways that track and enhance existing social disadvantages.
Infrared Thermographic Comparison of Temperature Increases on the Root Surface during Dowel Space Preparations Using Circular versus Oval Fiber Dowel Systems
Authors: Kilic Kerem , Er Ozgur , Kilinc Halil I. , Aslan Tugrul , Bendes Emre , Sekerci Ahmet Ercan , Aslantas Veysel
Published: September 2012

Purpose: The purpose was to evaluate temperature increases during dowel space preparations with oval and circular fiber dowel systems.

Materials and Methods: This study included 42 single‐rooted human mandibular premolars. Roots were scanned with cone‐beam computerized tomography (CBCT) to determine the ovoid root canal morphology. Root canals were treated with Ni‐Ti rotary instruments and obturated. A second CBCT was taken to determine the thinnest dentin thickness of each root. Roots were randomly divided into two groups (n = 21) according to the fiber dowel system used: group 1, circular fiber dowel system (D.T. Light‐Post); group 2, oval fiber dowel system (Ellipson Post). Dowel spaces were prepared using a circular fiber dowel drill and a diamond‐coated ultrasonic tip with an oval section under water cooling until 9 mm dowel spaces were obtained. Temperature changes were recorded from the thinnest root surfaces using a FLIR E60 thermal imaging camera.

Results: Temperature increases were significantly greater with the circular fiber dowel system than with the oval fiber dowel system (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Although both dowel systems generated high temperature increases on root surfaces, the relatively lower temperature increase associated with the use of oval fiber dowels in ovoid canals makes it preferable to the use of circular fiber dowels.
Complete Denture Occlusion: An Evidence‐Based Approach
Authors: Farias‐Neto Arcelino , Carreiro Adriana da Fonte Porto
Published: September 2012

Purpose: This study involved an extensive search for randomized controlled clinical trials comparing bilateral balanced and canine‐guided dentures, and questioned whether a bilateral balanced occlusion is imperative for successful denture treatment.

Materials and Methods: Studies were identified by searching electronic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, LILACS, and BBD). The keywords “denture” and “occlusion” were used. The minimum inclusion requirements were (1) randomized controlled trials with patients of any age wearing both maxillary and mandibular conventional complete dentures (CDs), (2) comparison between bilateral balanced and canine‐guided dentures, and (3) assessment of masticatory function and/or patients’ satisfaction.

Results: The search resulted in the identification of 5166 articles. Subsequently, 5156 articles were excluded on the basis of title and abstract. By the end of the search phase, seven randomized controlled trials were considered eligible.

Conclusions: Current scientific evidence suggests that bilateral balanced occlusion is not imperative for successful treatment with conventional CDs in average patients. More studies are necessary to identify if specific clinical conditions may benefit from a balanced occlusion.
Safety Management and Public Spaces: Restoring Balance
Authors: Ball David J. , Ball‐King Laurence
Published: September 2012

Since 2000, the reputation of health and safety in the United Kingdom has been tarnished, so much so that it has become the subject of both a media circus and a government inquiry. This not only threatens the worthy goals of health and safety, but also impacts upon the associated tool of risk assessment itself such that "risk assessment" is increasingly seen by the public at large as a term inviting ridicule, even abuse. The main thrust of the government's examination of health and safety has been its concern that safety requirements were placing a disproportionate burden on business. However, there is another source of discontent, which is public chagrin over the impact of injury control measures upon life beyond the conventional workplace, in particular upon the public spaces that people frequent in their leisure time and on the activities they engage in there. This article provides a perspective on this second dimension of the crisis in confidence. It describes how many U.K. agencies with responsibilities for a wide portfolio of public amenities ranging from the provision of play spaces for the young to the management of publicly accessible countryside, the maintenance of urban and rural trees, the stewardship of sites of cultural heritage, and the pursuit of outdoor educational activities have responded to some conflicts posed to their services by the new safety culture. It concludes with a discussion of implications for the management of public space and for risk assessment itself.
Compliance Mixture Modelling with a Zero‐Effect Complier Class and Missing Data
Authors: Sobel Michael E. , Muthén Bengt
Published: September 2012

Summary Randomized experiments are the gold standard for evaluating proposed treatments. The intent to treat estimand measures the effect of treatment assignment, but not the effect of treatment if subjects take treatments to which they are not assigned. The desire to estimate the efficacy of the treatment in this case has been the impetus for a substantial literature on compliance over the last 15 years. In papers dealing with this issue, it is typically assumed there are different types of subjects, for example, those who will follow treatment assignment (compliers), and those who will always take a particular treatment irrespective of treatment assignment. The estimands of primary interest are the complier proportion and the complier average treatment effect (CACE). To estimate CACE, researchers have used various methods, for example, instrumental variables and parametric mixture models, treating compliers as a single class. However, it is often unreasonable to believe all compliers will be affected. This article therefore treats compliers as a mixture of two types, those belonging to a zero‐effect class, others to an effect class. Second, in most experiments, some subjects drop out or simply do not report the value of the outcome variable, and the failure to take into account missing data can lead to biased estimates of treatment effects. Recent work on compliance in randomized experiments has addressed this issue by assuming missing data are missing at random or latently ignorable. We extend this work to the case where compliers are a mixture of types and also examine alternative types of nonignorable missing data assumptions.
Those Easily Forgotten: The Impact of Emigration on Those Left Behind
Authors: Marchetti‐Mercer Maria C.
Published: September 2012

Much has been written about the experiences and stresses of those who emigrate. By contrast, little attention has been paid to the experiences of those who stay behind—family members and friends who for various reasons do not to join their loved ones in the destination country. In this article, I describe the experiences of some South Africans whose families and friends have emigrated. This study forms part of a larger research project focusing on the impact of emigration on South African family life. Twenty‐one participants were interviewed by means of a semistructured interview at least 6 months after one or more family member(s) and/or friend(s) left South Africa, to explore participants’ experiences around their loved ones’ emigration. A thematic analysis of the data reveals that those left behind experience various emotions, ranging from emotional ambivalence to anger and distress. Emigration is mostly experienced as a vast loss, almost akin to a “death,” bringing about significant changes in social networks and relationships. The therapeutic significance of the findings for those working with emigrant families is also explored.
Learning Phonemes With a Proto‐Lexicon
Authors: Martin Andrew , Peperkamp Sharon , Dupoux Emmanuel
Published: September 2012

Before the end of the first year of life, infants begin to lose the ability to perceive distinctions between sounds that are not phonemic in their native language. It is typically assumed that this developmental change reflects the construction of language‐specific phoneme categories, but how these categories are learned largely remains a mystery. Peperkamp, Le Calvez, Nadal, and Dupoux (2006) present an algorithm that can discover phonemes using the distributions of allophones as well as the phonetic properties of the allophones and their contexts. We show that a third type of information source, the occurrence of pairs of minimally differing word forms in speech heard by the infant, is also useful for learning phonemic categories and is in fact more reliable than purely distributional information in data containing a large number of allophones. In our model, learners build an approximation of the lexicon consisting of the high‐frequency n‐grams present in their speech input, allowing them to take advantage of top‐down lexical information without needing to learn words. This may explain how infants have already begun to exhibit sensitivity to phonemic categories before they have a large receptive lexicon.
Low pay in South Africa
Authors: OOSTHUIZEN Morné
Published: September 2012

Remuneration in South Africa has been abundantly researched, but relatively little work has focused specifically on low‐paid work. This article looks at low pay among workers in wage employment between 2001 and 2007. After considering several definitions of low pay, the author estimates its incidence and analyses some of the factors associated with the probability of low pay. Based on the minimum wages prescribed in the Department of Labour's “sectoral determinations”, which he maps onto Labour Force Survey data, he then investigates the effects of statutory minimum wages and collective bargaining, finding that the latter in particular reduces the incidence of low pay.
Distribution of carcinoembryonic antigen‐related cellular adhesion molecules in human gingiva
Authors: Huynh‐Torlakovic Hong , Bjerkan Louise , Schenck Karl , Blix Inger J. S.
Published: September 2012

Carcinoembryonic antigen‐related cellular adhesion molecules (CEACAMs) are glycoproteins produced in epithelial, endothelial, lymphoid, and myeloid cells. Carcinoembryonic antigen‐related cellular adhesion molecules mediate cell–cell contact and host–pathogen interactions. The aims of this study were to map the distribution and examine the regulation of CEACAMs in human gingival sites. Quantitative real‐time PCR performed on human gingival biopsies from periodontitis sites revealed mRNA coding for CEACAM1, ‐5, ‐6, and ‐7. Immunohistochemistry showed that CEACAMs were not found in oral gingival epithelium, except for CEACAM5 in periodontitis. Carcinoembryonic antigen‐related cellular adhesion molecules 1, 5, and 6 were present in the oral sulcular epithelium of periodontitis but not in that of healthy gingiva. In junctional epithelium, all three molecules were present in healthy gingiva, but in periodontitis only CEACAM1 and ‐6 were detected. Staining for CEACAM1 and ‐6 was also seen in the inflammatory cell infiltrate in periodontitis. No staining for CEACAM7 was found. Proinflammatory mediators, including lipopolysaccharide (LPS), tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α)/interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β), and interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ), increased the expression of CEACAM1 and CEACAM6 mRNAs in cultured human oral keratinocytes. CEACAM1 and CEACAM6 mRNAs were also strongly up‐regulated upon stimulation with lysophosphatidic acid. In conclusion, the distribution of different CEACAMs was related to specific sites in the gingiva. This might reflect different functional roles in this tissue.
Dealing with Europe's other deficit
Authors: Schmidt Vivien
Published: September 2012

As prolonged economic crisis pushes Europe towards a deeper fiscal union, Vivien Schmidt explains how this step can be reconciled with closing the EU's widening democratic deficit.
The end of ideology, again?
Authors: Mount Ferdinand
Published: September 2012

In the wake of the Arab spring and the spread of democracy in Latin America and sub‐Saharan Africa, Ferdinand Mount asks whether Francis Fukuyama's declaration of the ‘end of history’ has been proved right.
Period ratios in multiplanetary systems discovered by Kepler are consistent with planet migration
Authors: Rein Hanno
Published: September 2012

The Kepler planet candidates are an interesting test bed for planet formation scenarios. We present results from N-body simulations of multiplanetary systems that resemble those observed by Kepler. We add both smooth (Type I/II) and stochastic migration forces. The observed period ratio distribution is inconsistent with either of those two scenarios on its own.

However, applying both stochastic and smooth migration forces to the planets simultaneously results in a period ratio distribution that is similar to the observed one. This is a natural scenario if planets form in a turbulent protoplanetary disc where these forces are always present. We show how the observed period ratio and eccentricity distribution can constrain the relative strength of these forces, a parameter which has been notoriously hard to predict for decades.

We make the source code of our simulations and the initial conditions freely available to enable the community to expand this study and include effect other than planetary migration.
Korero te kai o te Rangatira: Nutritional wellbeing of Māori at the pinnacle of life
Authors: WHAM Carol , MAXTED Eruera , DYALL Lorna , TEH Ruth , KERSE Ngaire
Published: September 2012

Aim:  To provide a succinct overview of the historical food eating patterns of Māori, the indigenous population of New Zealand, by examining the dietary practices of older Māori, and the significance of these practices for their health and wellbeing.

Method:  A historical review of food sources that provided pre‐colonisation eating patterns of Māori was developed. Full engagement of older Māori was sought in the design and implementation of a longitudinal study of ageing ‘Life and Living to Advanced Age: A Cohort study in New Zealand’, (LILACS NZ) referred to in the present review. A cross‐sectional pilot study, which included older Māori aged 75 to 79 years, provided detail of traditional foods currently utilised in Northland and the Bay of Plenty regions. For the main study, local Māori providers conducted the research processes and the longitudinal cohort study (LILACS NZ) was implemented. Nutritional assessment included nutrition screening at baseline and detailed assessment using the repeated multiple pass, 24‐hour recall method for each participant in a 12‐month follow up.

Results:  A wide range of foods were utilised prior to European contact. Similar traditional food was used in Northland and Bay of Plenty regions and these traditional foods were found to be valued and frequently used by older Māori. Those able to access important traditional foods on a regular basis had a significantly better nutrition status. Those who had less regard for the importance of traditional foods to practise their culture tended to be at higher nutrition risk. Screening identified over half of older Māori to be at high nutrition risk. Most participants viewed traditional foods to be very important and were able to eat these on a regular basis.

Conclusion:  Research shows the impact of colonisation resulted in displacement of traditional foods from the diets of older Māori and this has been accompanied by higher nutrition risk. Food is an important cultural activity for Māori and Māori elders need to be supported to increase their consumption of traditional foods. Further investigations will examine the dietary patterns and nutrient intake of older Māori in relation to health and wellbeing.
Improving opportunities for food service and dietetics practice in hospitals and residential aged care facilities
Authors: WALTON Karen
Published: September 2012

Aim:  Food is a phenomenon that everyone has an opinion on because eating is a frequent, often social occurrence, and as such the importance of mealtimes can be undervalued in healthcare settings. Some staff may not share our concerns about suboptimal dietary intakes as they assume that nutritional status will improve as people feel better. However, the provision and consumption of an appealing and adequate diet is a critical aspect of holistic health care. This review examines the role of dietitians in food services to improve the situation.

Methods:  A narrative review was formed with reference to the literature.

Results:  Labelling food service departments as a ‘hotel service’ or a ‘non‐clinical service’ does little to assist the perception of these services by others; to enhance the knowledge and skills needed by others about optimising dietary intake opportunities by the sick and elderly; or to enhance the communication that is needed between stakeholders about food and mealtimes. The issue of addressing malnutrition, reviewing and improving menus, mealtime environments, feeding assistance, communication between staff, and acknowledgement of the important care role of food service providers becomes even more relevant as the population ages and the demand for health care grows.

Conclusion:  This narrative highlights that the importance of dietitians building links with food services, leading high‐quality research, and improving the profile and recognition of food and mealtimes as integral to care, has never been greater.
Research in nutrigenomics and potential applications to practice
Authors: FERGUSON Lynnette R. , BARNETT Matthew P.G.
Published: September 2012

Aim:  Nutrigenomics reflects gene–diet interactions. In recent years, the science of nutrigenomics has become more sophisticated. We seek to answer the question as to what this might mean for the dietetics profession.

Methods:  We have critically reviewed recent developments in the area, and considered the importance of new business opportunities being opened up, which exploit the full potential of nutrigenomics for dietitians.

Results:  Whereas early business models sold genetic test results through direct‐to‐consumer testing, new business initiatives move dietitians to a central role. This now provides a robust framework that can inform dietitians in their practice.

Conclusion:  This field represents an important advance for dietitians.
Rio+20, biodiversity marginalized
Authors: Carrière Stéphanie M. , Rodary Estienne , Méral Philippe , Serpantié Georges , Boisvert Valérie , Kull Christian A. , Lestrelin Guillaume , Lhoutellier Louise , Moizo Bernard , Smektala Georges , Vandevelde Jean‐Christophe
Published: September 2012

At the Rio+20 Conference (June 2012), the biodiversity conservation agenda was subsumed into broader environmental issues like sustainable development, “green economy,” and climate change. This shoehorning of biodiversity issues is concomitant with a trend toward market‐based instruments and toward standardized biodiversity assessment and monitoring. This article raises concern that these trends can marginalize important and specific aspects of biodiversity governance, including other policy tools and region‐specific socio‐ecological environments. Among other trends, this contributes to the marginalization of agroecosystems as habitat and matrix for biodiversity. Such agroecosystems, however, can have a major impact on conservation outcomes as they comprise a major part of terrestrial lands. If the biodiversity crisis is to be curbed, special attention must be drawn to societies, institutional approaches, and environments that are currently marginalized in conservation policies.
Genotype D of hepatitis B virus and its subgenotypes: An update
Authors: Yousif Mukhlid , Kramvis Anna
Published: September 2012

Aim

The aim of the present study was to systematically and comparatively analyze the subgenotypes of genotype D of hepatitis B virus.

Methods

In total, 304 complete genomes of all genotype D subgenotypes were downloaded from the public databases. The sequences were analyzed using nucleotide divergence calculations, phylogenetic analysis and bioinformatics to detect amino acids signature motifs for each subgenotype and to define their geographical distribution.

Results

Intragroup divergence ranged from 0.8 ± 0.5 (%  standard deviation) for subgenotype D6 to 3.0 ± 0.3 for D8. Inter‐subgenotype divergence mostly ranged 4–7.5%. Phylogenetic analysis of genotype D showed separation into six distinct clusters (subgenotypes D1, D2, D3/D6, D4, D5 and D7/D8) with good bootstrap support. The mean intergroup divergence between D3 and D6 was the lowest and fell below the threshold of 4%, which is required to define a subgenotype, suggesting that subgenotypes D3 and D6 belong to one subgenotype. “D8” is a genotype D/E recombinant, which clusters with D7. A number of signature amino acids were found in all four open reading frames that could differentiate the subgenotypes, which also showed distinct geographical distribution.

Conclusion

There are six and not eight subgenotypes of D, D1–D6, which can be differentiated by distinct clustering with high bootstrap support and signature amino acids. Subgenotypes D3 and “D6” should be reclassified as a single subgenotype D3 and it would be more correct to classify “D8” as a genotype D/E recombinant rather than a subgenotype.
Variant rs2200733 on Chromosome 4q25 Confers Increased Risk of Atrial Fibrillation: Evidence From a Meta‐Analysis
Authors: MOHANTY SANGHAMITRA , SANTANGELI PASQUALE , BAI RONG , DI BIASE LUIGI , MOHANTY PRASANT , PUMP AGNES , NATALE ANDREA
Published: September 2012

Variant rs2200733 on Chromosome 4q25 Confers Increased Risk. Introduction: Several genome‐wide association studies have identified rs2200733, a single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at 4q25 to be the most common chromosomal variant present in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We aimed to explore the association of rs2200733 with AF through a systematic review and meta‐analysis.

Method:
An extensive literature search was performed on PubMed, and other databases using the key words “genetics” and “AF.” Seven case‐control studies evaluating the association via multivariate analysis were identified including a total of 83,335 subjects (10,546 with AF, 72,789 referent individuals without AF). Meta‐analytic estimates were derived using random effects models. Potential sources of heterogeneity were examined in sensitivity analyses, and publication biases were estimated.

Result:
At pooled analysis, there was a strong independent association between the variant rs2200733 and the risk of AF (OR 1.89 [95% CI 1.62–2.16], P < 0.001). Minor allelic frequencies for SNP rs22000733 were significantly more prevalent in AF population than non‐AF. Metaregression results revealed that country of descent (logOR 0.38, P = 0.45) or site of study (logOR: −0.16, P = 0.41) did not moderate the overall effect size.

Conclusion:
Variant rs2200733 on chromosome 4q25 independently confers increased risk of AF. This finding will aid in improving our understanding of AF pathophysiology, risk prediction, and stratification of treatment strategy. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 24, pp. 155‐161, February 2013)