bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Magnetic Resonance Tumor Regression Grade and Residual Mucosal Abnormality as Predictors for Pathological Complete Response in Rectal Cancer Postneoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy
Authors: Bhoday Jemma , Smith Fraser , Siddiqui Muhammed R. , Balyasnikova Svetlana , Swift Robert I. , Perez Rodrigo , Habr-Gama Angelita , Brown Gina
Published: September 2016

BACKGROUND:

Pathological complete response after chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer occurs in 10% to 30% of patients. The best method to identify such patients remains unclear. Clinical assessment of residual mucosal abnormality is considered the most accurate method. In our institution, magnetic resonance tumor regression grade is performed as routine to assess response.

OBJECTIVE:

The purpose of this study was to compare the sensitivity of magnetic tumor regression grade against residual mucosal abnormality in detecting patients with a pathological complete response.

DESIGN:

Magnetic tumor regression grade scores from reported posttreatment MRI scans were documented. Magnetic tumor regression grade 1 to 3 was defined as likely to predict complete or near complete response. Gross appearances of the mucosa were derived from histopathology reports and used as a surrogate for clinical assessment (previously validated). Final histopathological staging was used to determine response.

SETTINGS:

The study was conducted at Royal Marsden National Health Service Trust, United Kingdom.

PATIENTS:

A total of 143 patients with rectal adenocarcinoma, diagnosed between September 1, 2009, and September 1, 2013, who received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy before curative surgery were included.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:

The sensitivity of magnetic tumor regression grade and residual mucosal abnormality in detecting patients with pathological complete response were measured

RESULTS:

Eighteen patients had a pathological complete response. Seventeen were detected using magnetic resonance tumor regression grade 1 to 3, with sensitivity 94% (95% CI, 0.74–0.99), and 10 were detected using residual mucosal abnormality, with sensitivity 62% (95% CI, 0.38–0.81). There was no statistical difference between the false positive rates for either method. Magnetic tumor regression grade identified 10 times more patients with a pathological complete response (diagnostic OR = 10.2 (95% CI, 1.30–73.73)) compared with clinical assessment with RMA.

LIMITATIONS:

Residual mucosal abnormality was used as a surrogate marker for endoscopic appearances.

CONCLUSIONS:

Most patients with rectal cancer who have a pathological complete response do not manifest a complete response at the mucosal level. Magnetic tumor regression grade is able to identify 10 times more patients than clinical assessment, with no significant compromise in the false positive rate.
Consensus Recommendations for Combined Aesthetic Interventions Using Botulinum Toxin, Fillers, and Microfocused Ultrasound in the Neck, Décolletage, Hands, and Other Areas of the Body
Authors: Fabi Sabrina G. , Burgess Cheryl , Carruthers Alastair , Carruthers Jean , Day Doris , Goldie Kate , Kerscher Martina , Nikolis Andreas , Pavicic Tatjana , Rho Nark-Kyoung , Rzany Berthold , Sattler Sonja , Seo Kyle , Werschler William Philip , Sattler Gerhard
Published: September 2016

BACKGROUND

The popularity of aesthetic procedures in the face has led to greater disparity between treated areas and those that still show evidence of true age. Although many areas of the body often require multiple treatment procedures for optimal rejuvenation, combination therapy for specific areas is not yet well defined.

OBJECTIVE

To develop recommendations for the optimal combination and ideal sequence of botulinum toxin (BoNT), hyaluronic acid, calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA), and microfocused ultrasound with visualization in nonfacial areas across all skin phototypes.

METHODS

Fifteen specialists convened under the guidance of a certified moderator. Consensus was defined as approval from 75% to 94% of all participants, whereas agreement of ≥95% denoted a strong consensus.

RESULTS

Recommendations have been provided for the neck, décolletage, and hands and include the timing and sequence of specific procedures when used concurrently or over several treatment sessions. Position statements are offered in lieu of consensus for the upper arms, abdomen, buttocks, and knees.

CONCLUSION

Nonfacial rejuvenation often requires multiple procedures for optimal results in individuals with significant age-related changes. Further clinical studies are recommended to raise awareness of non-facial indications and provide clinicians with the best evidence for best treatment practices.
Personality Disorders in DSM-5: A Commentary on the Perceived Process and Outcome of the Proposal of the Personality and Personality Disorders Work Group
Authors: Silk Kenneth R.
Published: September 2016

There has been much discussion and controversy concerning the process undertaken and the decisions made with respect to the Personality and Personality Disorders Work Group (PPDWG) proposal for DSM-5, as well as the rejection of the work group’s final proposal, by the American Psychiatric Association Board of Trustees. This commentary suggests that the way the PPDWG members were selected and the perceived secrecy associated with the PPDWG’s deliberations almost assured that, despite the hard work and good intentions of the group members, the proposal would raise controversy and could ultimately fail. This commentary provides a personal perspective on some of the issues, assumptions, and preconceptions that arose between members of different theoretical and conceptual camps within the field of personality disorders. It concludes with suggestions as to how we might avoid these mistakes in the future and also how we might take advantage of the PPDWG’s substantive work as we make future attempts to improve diagnosis in the area of personality disorders.
“Good Enough” Psychiatric Residency Training in Borderline Personality Disorder: Challenges, Choice Points, and a Model Generalist Curriculum
Authors: Unruh Brandon T. , Gunderson John G.
Published: September 2016

While the public health burden posed by borderline personality disorder (BPD) rivals that associated with other major mental illnesses, the prevailing disposition of psychiatrists toward the disorder remains characterized by misinformation, stigma, aversive attitudes, and insufficient familiarity with effective generalist treatments that can be delivered in nonspecialized health care settings. Residency training programs are well positioned to better equip the next generation of psychiatrists to address these issues, but no consensus or guidelines currently exist for what and how residents should be taught about managing BPD. Instead, disproportionately limited curricular time, teaching of non-evidence-based approaches, and modeling of conceptually confused combinations of techniques drawn from specialty BPD treatments are offered. In this article, we (1) explain why training in a generalist model is sensible and why alternative approaches are not appropriate for residents, (2) propose a plan for giving residents adequate training via a generalist model, highlighting minimal didactic and clinical-training objectives (dubbed “core competencies” and “milestones”) and a model curriculum developed at the Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital residency program, and (3) describe obstacles to implementation of effective generalist training posed by infrastructural, faculty-centered, and resident-centered variables.
Cognitive Rehabilitation for Military Service Members With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Cooper Douglas B. , Bowles Amy O. , Kennedy Jan E. , Curtiss Glenn , French Louis M. , Tate David F. , Vanderploeg Rodney D.
Published: September 2016

Objective:

To compare cognitive rehabilitation (CR) interventions for mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) with standard of care management, including psychoeducation and medical care for noncognitive symptoms.

Setting:

Military medical center.

Participants:

A total of 126 service members who received mTBI from 3 to 24 months before baseline evaluation and reported ongoing cognitive difficulties.

Interventions:

Randomized clinical trial with treatment outcomes assessed at baseline, 3-week, 6-week, 12-week, and 18-week follow-ups. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four 6-week treatment arms: (1) psychoeducation, (2) computer-based CR, (3) therapist-directed manualized CR, and (4) integrated therapist-directed CR combined with cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy (CBT). Treatment dosage was constant (10 h/wk) for intervention arms 2 to 4.

Measures:

Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT); Symptom Checklist–90 Revised (SCL-90-R); Key Behaviors Change Inventory (KBCI).

Results:

No differences were noted between treatment arms on demographics, injury-related characteristics, or psychiatric comorbidity apart from education, with participants assigned to the computer arm having less education. Using mixed-model analysis of variance, all 4 treatment groups showed a significant improvement over time on the 3 primary outcome measures. Treatment groups showed equivalent improvement on the PASAT. The therapist-directed CR and integrated CR treatment groups had better KBCI outcomes compared with the psychoeducation group. Improvements on primary outcome measures during treatment were maintained at follow-up with no differences among arms.

Conclusions:

Both therapist-directed CR and integrated CR with CBT reduced functional cognitive symptoms in service members after mTBI beyond psychoeducation and medical management alone.
Efficacy of Orbital Color Doppler Imaging and Neuroimaging in the Diagnosis of Carotid Cavernous Fistulas
Authors: Srinivasan Archana , Biro Nicolas G. , Murchison Ann P. , Sergott Robert C. , Moster Mark L. , Jabbour Pascal M. , Bilyk Jurij R.
Published: September 2016

Purpose:

To evaluate the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of orbital color Doppler imaging (CDI) and conventional neuroimaging (CT/MRI) compared with cerebral angiography in patients with carotid-cavernous fistulas (CCFs).

Methods:

The study design was a retrospective patient chart and imaging review. The authors reviewed 655 charts of all patients who underwent CDI and neuroimaging (CT/MRI) between 2006 and 2015 at one institution. Sixty patients had a presumptive diagnosis of CCF without thrombosis. Thirty-seven patients with 43 events met the inclusion criteria of the study. The diagnostic sensitivity of the 3 noninvasive imaging modalities (CDI, CT, MRI) for CCF was compared with the gold standard 6-vessel cerebral angiography. Significance testing was performed using the 2-tailed Fisher test.

Results:

Color Doppler imaging had high sensitivity (96.8%) but low specificity (41.7%) for the diagnosis of CCFs with anterior orbital findings. A negative CDI had more diagnostic value than a positive CDI. While an arterial wave form in the superior ophthalmic vein was the most common finding of CCF on CDI, enlargement of the superior ophthalmic vein was the only statistically significant finding. Posterior cortical venous drainage was noted in about 10% of the patients with indirect (low-flow) fistulas, who presented with unilateral orbital signs and symptoms, a finding not previously reported in the literature.

Conclusion:

Color Doppler imaging is a useful noninvasive, radiation-free modality for diagnosis of CCF with anterior drainage, with higher sensitivity than CT or MRI, but equivalent specificity. A significant limitation of CDI is the lack of usefulness in diagnosing fistulas with posterior cortical venous drainage, which carry a risk of intracerebral hemorrhage and stroke. In this series, 10% of unilateral CCFs with anterior orbital signs and symptoms showed angiographic evidence of posterior cortical venous drainage.
Induced Hypothermia in Neurocritical Care: A Review
Authors: Cook Courtney J.
Published: September 2016

Induced hypothermia (IH) continues to become a more prevalent treatment modality in neurocritical care. Reducing core temperature has been shown to protect brain tissue during injury and disease. IH has been particularly beneficial in the medical management of refractory intracranial hypertension and malignant cerebral edema. These pathologies are often the result of diffuse cerebral edema after traumatic brain injury, malignant ischemic stroke, or intracerebral hemorrhage. Although there are many benefits to IH, it is not without complications. Chief among these is shivering, which decreases oxygen delivery to brain tissue, increases metabolic demands, and consequently reduces nutrient delivery. This article will review indications for IH administration, methods of providing IH, nursing responsibilities, and identifying and/or managing complications.
Postoperative Intussusception: A Case Study
Authors: Anderson Brittney , Hill Melisa
Published: September 2016

Postoperative intussusception is a known yet very uncommon postoperative complication after abdominal surgeries, including ostomy takedown. Early recognition of the symptoms of postoperative intussusception is important for both bedside nurses and nurse practitioners. Understanding clinical features and how to approach diagnosis and management are imperative for the nurse practitioner and the entire surgical team.
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acquired aplastic anemia
Authors: Georges George E. , Storb Rainer
Published: September 2016

Purpose of review

There has been a steady improvement in outcomes with allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for severe aplastic anemia (SAA), because of progress in optimization of the conditioning regimens, donor hematopoietic cell source, and supportive care. Here, we review recently published data that highlight the improvements and current issues in the treatment of SAA.

Recent findings

Approximately one-third of aplastic anemia patients treated with immune suppressive therapy (IST) have acquired mutations in myeloid cancer candidate genes. Because of the greater probability for eventual failure of IST, human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched sibling donor BMT is the first-line of treatment for SAA. HLA-matched unrelated donor (URD) BMT is generally recommended for patients who have failed IST. However, in younger patients for whom a 10/10-HLA-allele matched URD can be rapidly identified, there is a strong rationale to proceed with URD BMT as first-line therapy. HLA-haploidentical BMT using posttransplant cyclophosphamide conditioning regimens is now a reasonable second-line treatment for patients who failed IST.

Improved outcomes have led to an increased first-line role of BMT for treatment of SAA. The optimal cell source from an HLA-matched donor is bone marrow. Additional studies are needed to determine the optimal conditioning regimen for HLA-haploidentical donors.
Low Childhood Cholesterol Absorption Predisposes to Gallstone Disease
Authors: Nissinen Markku J. , Simonen Piia , Gylling Helena , Viikari Jorma , Hutri‐Kähönen Nina , Jokinen Eero , Tossavainen Päivi , Laitinen Tomi , Raitakari Olli , Juonala Markus , Pakarinen Mikko P.
Published: September 2016

Objectives:

Unraveling pathogenesis of gallstones could help to diminish its enormous disease burden. We hypothesized that certain properties of childhood cholesterol metabolism predict gallstone disease in adulthood.

Methods:

Childhood serum cholestanol and plant sterols (surrogates for cholesterol absorption), cholesterol precursors (surrogates for cholesterol synthesis), lipids, demographics, and dietary habits were compared between individuals diagnosed with gallstone disease subsequently in adulthood (n = 95) and control subjects (n = 190) matched for age, sex, and body mass index in 1980. Subjects were participants of prospective Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study.

Results:

In 1980, at mean age of 11.4 years gallstone cohort was characterized by 5.8% lower cholestanol (P = 0.038), and 11.2% to 12.2% (P range = 0.003–0.008) lower plant sterols campesterol, sitosterol, and avenasterol compared with controls. Mean lathosterol/sitosterol ratio was 16.3% higher in gallstone compared with control cohort (P = 0.028). Female gallstone group had 5.4% lower mean cholestanol compared with controls (P < 0.05), and, respectively, those of campesterol, sitosterol, and avenasterol were 12.7% to 14.0% lower (P < 0.05 for each). Body mass index was inversely related to cholestanol and sitosterol (r range = −0.161 to −0.208, P < 0.05 for each) in controls, but not among patients with gallstone. In whole study population, surrogates of cholesterol absorption (eg, campesterol, P = 0.018) and low dietary intake of vegetables (P = 0.009) were significant predictors of gallstones in logistic regression model.

Conclusions:

Cholesterol metabolism trait characterized by low serum levels of surrogate markers of cholesterol absorption precedes adult gallstone disease already in childhood. Low serum cholestanol and plant sterol ratios during normal Western diet may have role as predictive biomarkers for gallstones.
Influence of Gestational Age, Secretor, and Lewis Blood Group Status on the Oligosaccharide Content of Human Milk
Authors: Kunz Clemens , Meyer Christina , Collado Maria Carmen , Geiger Lena , García‐Mantrana Izaskun , Bertua‐Ríos Bibiana , Martínez‐Costa Cecilia , Borsch Christian , Rudloff Silvia
Published: September 2016

Objectives:

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are considered to play an important role for the infant. As the biotechnical production of some HMOs is feasible today and clinical studies are being designed, the individual variation of the total amount of HMOs and of single components is of particular importance. Our objectives were to investigate whether differences exist between term and preterm milk, milk from mothers with secretor or nonsecretor status, and a Lewis blood group (a+b−), (a−b+), or (a−b−) pattern.

Methods:

Within a longitudinal study 96 milk samples (colostrum, transitional, and mature milk) from 32 mothers with preterm (n = 18) and term (n = 14) infants were collected. Delipidated and deproteinized milk was subjected to porous graphitized carbon cartridges followed by high pH anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection.

Results:

Quantitation of 16 single HMOs revealed changes during the first weeks of lactation without discrepancies between term and preterm milk. Significant differences occurred between “secretor” and “nonsecretor” milk (median approximately 10 vs 5 g/L total HMOs). Lacto‐N‐tetraose (LNT) and lacto‐N‐fucopentaose (LNFP) II comprised > 55% of the total HMO content in Lewis blood group (a+b−), “nonsecretor” milk and LNT together with 2'fucosyllactose, LNFP I, and difucosyllactose approximately 60% in Lewis (a−b+), “secretor” milk. In Lewis (a−b−), “secretor” milk 80% of oligosaccharides are due to LNT, 2'fucosyllactose, and LNFP I.

Conclusions:

There are marked differences in total HMOs and single HMOs in milk depending on Lewis blood group and secretor status, which need to be taken into account in clinical studies.
Promoting patient-centred palliative care: a scoping review of the patient dignity question
Authors: Arantzamendi María , Belar Alazne , Martínez Marina
Published: September 2016

Purpose of review

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in promoting dignity in care, and specific interventions have been developed to include it at the end of life. The patient dignity question (PDQ) is a recent, novel and simple intervention that healthcare professionals can implement; however, little information is known about its impact. This scoping review aims to examine and map out the PDQ literature.

Recent findings

Studies suggest that patients, families and professionals have a positive view of the PDQ in that it helps to get to know patients and provide them with the best care possible. The PDQ seems to promote an environment of care focused on the person and the prevalence of more human aspects in clinical encounters between professionals and patients. This is especially so in situations in which human aspects of the healthcare relationship at baseline received lower marks. Healthcare professionals thought that performing the PDQ to determine what is important to the patient is a feasible and effective exercise.

The published literature suggests that PDQ is a beneficial intervention for approaching and getting to know a patient as a person. More studies are needed that measure pre–post-PDQ changes and that demonstrate their impact on patient care.
Arctic sea ice a major determinant in Mandt's black guillemot movement and distribution during non-breeding season
Authors: Divoky G. J. , Douglas D. C. , Stenhouse I. J.
Published: September 2016

Mandt's black guillemot (Cepphus grylle mandtii) is one of the few seabirds associated in all seasons with Arctic sea ice, a habitat that is changing rapidly. Recent decreases in summer ice have reduced breeding success and colony size of this species in Arctic Alaska. Little is known about the species' movements and distribution during the nine month non-breeding period (September–May), when changes in sea ice extent and composition are also occurring and predicted to continue. To examine bird movements and the seasonal role of sea ice to non-breeding Mandt's black guillemots, we deployed and recovered (n= 45) geolocators on individuals at a breeding colony in Arctic Alaska during 2011–2015. Black guillemots moved north to the marginal ice zone (MIZ) in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas immediately after breeding, moved south to the Bering Sea during freeze-up in December, and wintered in the Bering Sea January–April. Most birds occupied the MIZ in regions averaging 30–60% sea ice concentration, with little seasonal variation. Birds regularly roosted on ice in all seasons averaging 5 h d−1, primarily at night. By using the MIZ, with its roosting opportunities and associated prey, black guillemots can remain in the Arctic during winter when littoral waters are completely covered by ice.
Relative costs of offspring sex and offspring survival in a polygynous mammal
Authors: Froy Hannah , Walling Craig A. , Pemberton Josephine M. , Clutton-Brock Tim H. , Kruuk Loeske E. B.
Published: September 2016

Costs of reproduction are expected to be ubiquitous in wild animal populations and understanding the drivers of variation in these costs is an important aspect of life-history evolution theory. We use a 43 year dataset from a wild population of red deer to examine the relative importance of two factors that influence the costs of reproduction to mothers, and to test whether these costs vary with changing ecological conditions. Like previous studies, our analyses indicate fitness costs of lactation: mothers whose calves survived the summer subsequently showed lower survival and fecundity than those whose calves died soon after birth, accounting for 5% and 14% of the variation in mothers' survival and fecundity, respectively. The production of a male calf depressed maternal survival and fecundity more than production of a female, but accounted for less than 1% of the variation in either fitness component. There was no evidence for any change in the effect of calf survival or sex with increasing population density.
Communities that thrive in extreme conditions captured from a freshwater lake
Authors: Low-Décarie Etienne , Fussmann Gregor F. , Dumbrell Alex J. , Bell Graham
Published: September 2016

Organisms that can grow in extreme conditions would be expected to be confined to extreme environments. However, we were able to capture highly productive communities of algae and bacteria capable of growing in acidic (pH 2), basic (pH 12) and saline (40 ppt) conditions from an ordinary freshwater lake. Microbial communities may thus include taxa that are highly productive in conditions that are far outside the range of conditions experienced in their host ecosystem. The organisms we captured were not obligate extremophiles, but were capable of growing in both extreme and benign conditions. The ability to grow in extreme conditions may thus be a common functional attribute in microbial communities.
Tuning the instrument: sonic properties in the spider's web
Authors: Mortimer B. , Soler A. , Siviour C. R. , Zaera R. , Vollrath F.
Published: September 2016

Spider orb webs are multifunctional, acting to absorb prey impact energy and transmit vibratory information to the spider. This paper explores the links between silk material properties, propagation of vibrations within webs and the ability of the spider to control and balance web function. Combining experimental and modelling approaches, we contrast transverse and longitudinal wave propagation in the web. It emerged that both transverse and longitudinal wave amplitude in the web can be adjusted through changes in web tension and dragline silk stiffness, i.e. properties that can be controlled by the spider. In particular, we propose that dragline silk supercontraction may have evolved as a control mechanism for these multifunctional fibres. The various degrees of active influence on web engineering reveals the extraordinary ability of spiders to shape the physical properties of their self-made materials and architectures to affect biological functionality, balancing trade-offs between structural and sensory functions.
Acute induction of anomalous and amyloidogenic blood clotting by molecular amplification of highly substoichiometric levels of bacterial lipopolysaccharide
Authors: Pretorius Etheresia , Mbotwe Sthembile , Bester Janette , Robinson Christopher J. , Kell Douglas B.
Published: September 2016

It is well known that a variety of inflammatory diseases are accompanied by hypercoagulability, and a number of more-or-less longer-term signalling pathways have been shown to be involved. In recent work, we have suggested a direct and primary role for bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in this hypercoagulability, but it seems never to have been tested directly. Here, we show that the addition of tiny concentrations (0.2 ng l−1) of bacterial LPS to both whole blood and platelet-poor plasma of normal, healthy donors leads to marked changes in the nature of the fibrin fibres so formed, as observed by ultrastructural and fluorescence microscopy (the latter implying that the fibrin is actually in an amyloid β-sheet-rich form that on stoichiometric grounds must occur autocatalytically). They resemble those seen in a number of inflammatory (and also amyloid) diseases, consistent with an involvement of LPS in their aetiology. These changes are mirrored by changes in their viscoelastic properties as measured by thromboelastography. As the terminal stages of coagulation involve the polymerization of fibrinogen into fibrin fibres, we tested whether LPS would bind to fibrinogen directly. We demonstrated this using isothermal calorimetry. Finally, we show that these changes in fibre structure are mirrored when the experiment is done simply with purified fibrinogen and thrombin (±0.2 ng l−1LPS). This ratio of concentrations of LPS : fibrinogenin vivorepresents a molecular amplification by the LPS of more than 108-fold, a number that is probably unparalleled in biology. The observation of a direct effect of such highly substoichiometric amounts of LPS on both fibrinogen and coagulation can account for the role of very small numbers of dormant bacteria in disease progression in a great many inflammatory conditions, and opens up this process to further mechanistic analysis and possible treatment.
Importance of metabolic rate to the relationship between the number of genes in a functional category and body size in Peto's paradox for cancer
Authors: Takemoto Kazuhiro , Ii Masato , Nishizuka Satoshi S.
Published: September 2016

Elucidation of tumour suppression mechanisms is a major challenge in cancer biology. Therefore, Peto's paradox, or low cancer incidence in large animals, has attracted focus. According to the gene-abundance hypothesis, which considers the increase/decrease in cancer-related genes with body size, researchers evaluated the associations between gene abundance and body size. However, previous studies only focused on a few specific gene functions and have ignored the alternative hypothesis (metabolic rate hypothesis): in this hypothesis, the cellular metabolic rate and subsequent oxidative stress decreases with increasing body size. In this study, we have elected to explore the gene-abundance hypothesis taking into account the metabolic rate hypothesis. Thus, we comprehensively investigated the correlation between the number of genes in various functional categories and body size while at the same time correcting for the mass-specific metabolic rate (
B
c
). A number of gene functions that correlated with body size were initially identified, but they were found to be artefactual due to the decrease in
B
c
with increasing body size. By contrast, immune system-related genes were found to increase with increasing body size when the correlation included this correction for
B
c
. These findings support the gene-abundance hypothesis and emphasize the importance of also taking into account the metabolic rate when evaluating gene abundance–body size relationships. This finding may be useful for understanding cancer evolution and tumour suppression mechanisms as well as for determining cancer-related genes and functions.
US line-ups outperform UK line-ups
Authors: Seale-Carlisle Travis M. , Mickes Laura
Published: September 2016

In the USA and the UK, many thousands of police suspects are identified by eyewitnesses every year. Unfortunately, many of those suspects are innocent, which becomes evident when they are exonerated by DNA testing, often after having been imprisoned for years. It is, therefore, imperative to use identification procedures that best enable eyewitnesses to discriminate innocent from guilty suspects. Although police investigators in both countries often administer line-up procedures, the details of how line-ups are presented are quite different and an important direct comparison has yet to be conducted. We investigated whether these two line-up procedures differ in terms of (i) discriminability (using receiver operating characteristic analysis) and (ii) reliability (using confidence–accuracy characteristic analysis). A total of 2249 participants watched a video of a crime and were later tested using either a six-person simultaneous photo line-up procedure (USA) or a nine-person sequential video line-up procedure (UK). US line-up procedure yielded significantly higher discriminability and significantly higher reliability. The results do not pinpoint the reason for the observed difference between the two procedures, but they do suggest that there is much room for improvement with the UK line-up.
Different effects of invader–native phylogenetic relatedness on invasion success and impact: a meta-analysis of Darwin's naturalization hypothesis
Authors: Ma Chao , Li Shao-peng , Pu Zhichao , Tan Jiaqi , Liu Manqiang , Zhou Jing , Li Huixin , Jiang Lin
Published: September 2016

Darwin's naturalization hypothesis (DNH), which predicts that alien species more distantly related to native communities are more likely to naturalize, has received much recent attention. The mixed findings from empirical studies that have tested DNH, however, seem to defy generalizations. Using meta-analysis to synthesize results of existing studies, we show that the predictive power of DNH depends on both the invasion stage and the spatial scale of the studies. Alien species more closely related to natives tended to be less successful at the local scale, supporting DNH; invasion success, however, was unaffected by alien–native relatedness at the regional scale. On the other hand, alien species with stronger impacts on native communities tended to be more closely related to natives at the local scale, but less closely related to natives at the regional scale. These patterns are generally consistent across different ecosystems, taxa and investigation methods. Our results revealed the different effects of invader–native relatedness on invader success and impact, suggesting the operation of different mechanisms across invasion stages and spatial scales.
Cold adaptation increases rates of nutrient flow and metabolic plasticity during cold exposure inDrosophila melanogaster
Authors: Williams Caroline M. , McCue Marshall D. , Sunny Nishanth E. , Szejner-Sigal Andre , Morgan Theodore J. , Allison David B. , Hahn Daniel A.
Published: September 2016

Metabolic flexibility is an important component of adaptation to stressful environments, including thermal stress and latitudinal adaptation. A long history of population genetic studies suggest that selection on core metabolic enzymes may shape life histories by altering metabolic flux. However, the direct relationship between selection on thermal stress hardiness and metabolic flux has not previously been tested. We investigated flexibility of nutrient catabolism during cold stress inDrosophila melanogasterartificially selected for fast or slow recovery from chill coma (i.e. cold-hardy or -susceptible), specifically testing the hypothesis that stress adaptation increases metabolic turnover. Using13C-labelled glucose, we first showed that cold-hardy flies more rapidly incorporate ingested carbon into amino acids and newly synthesized glucose, permitting rapid synthesis of proline, a compound shown elsewhere to improve survival of cold stress. Second, using glucose and leucine tracers we showed that cold-hardy flies had higher oxidation rates than cold-susceptible flies before cold exposure, similar oxidation rates during cold exposure, and returned to higher oxidation rates during recovery. Additionally, cold-hardy flies transferred compounds among body pools more rapidly during cold exposure and recovery. Increased metabolic turnover may allow cold-adapted flies to better prepare for, resist and repair/tolerate cold damage. This work illustrates for the first time differences in nutrient fluxes associated with cold adaptation, suggesting that metabolic costs associated with cold hardiness could invoke resource-based trade-offs that shape life histories.
Diversification rates and species richness across the Tree of Life
Authors: Scholl Joshua P. , Wiens John J.
Published: September 2016

Species richness varies dramatically among clades across the Tree of Life, by over a million-fold in some cases (e.g. placozoans versus arthropods). Two major explanations for differences in richness among clades are the clade-age hypothesis (i.e. species-rich clades are older) and the diversification-rate hypothesis (i.e. species-rich clades diversify more rapidly, where diversification rate is the net balance of speciation and extinction over time). Here, we examine patterns of variation in diversification rates across the Tree of Life. We address how rates vary across higher taxa, whether rates within higher taxa are related to the subclades within them, and how diversification rates of clades are related to their species richness. We find substantial variation in diversification rates, with rates in plants nearly twice as high as in animals, and rates in some eukaryotes approximately 10-fold faster than prokaryotes. Rates for each kingdom-level clade are then significantly related to the subclades within them. Although caution is needed when interpreting relationships between diversification rates and richness, a positive relationship between the two is not inevitable. We find that variation in diversification rates seems to explain most variation in richness among clades across the Tree of Life, in contrast to the conclusions of previous studies.
The impact of recent population history on the deleterious mutation load in humans and close evolutionary relatives
Authors: Simons Yuval B. , Sella Guy
Published: September 2016

Over the past decade, there has been both great interest and confusion about whether recent demographic events—notably the Out-of-Africa-bottleneck and recent population growth—have led to differences in mutation load among human populations. The confusion can be traced to the use of different summary statistics to measure load, which lead to apparently conflicting results. We argue, however, that when statistics more directly related to load are used, the results of different studies and data sets consistently reveal little or no difference in the load of non-synonymous mutations among human populations. Theory helps to understand why no such differences are seen, as well as to predict in what settings they are to be expected. In particular, as predicted by modeling, there is evidence for changes in the load of recessive loss of function mutations in founder and inbred human populations. Also as predicted, eastern subspecies of gorilla, Neanderthals and Denisovans, who are thought to have undergone reductions in population sizes that exceed the human Out-of-Africa bottleneck in duration and severity, show evidence for increased load of non-synonymous mutations (relative to western subspecies of gorillas and modern humans, respectively). A coherent picture is thus starting to emerge about the effects of demographic history on the mutation load in populations of humans and close evolutionary relatives.
Five years investigation of female and male genotypes in Périgord black truffle (Tuber melanosporumVittad.) revealed contrasted reproduction strategies
Authors: De la Varga Herminia , Le Tacon Françis , Lagoguet Mélanie , Todesco Flora , Varga Torda , Miquel Igor , Barry-Etienne Dominique , Robin Christophe , Halkett Fabien , Martin Francis , Murat Claude
Published: September 2016

The Périgord black truffle (Tuber melanosporumVittad.) is a heterothallic ascomycete that establishes ectomycorrhizal symbiosis with trees and shrubs. Small-scale genetic structures of female genotypes in truffle orchards are known, but it has not yet been studied in male genotypes. In this study, our aim was to characterize the small-scale genetic structure of both male and female genotypes over five years in an orchard to better understand theT. melanosporumsexual reproduction strategy, male genotype dynamics, and origins. Two-hundred forty-one ascocarps, 475 ectomycorrhizas, and 20 soil cores were harvested and genotyped using microsatellites and mating type genes. Isolation by distance analysis revealed pronounced small-scale genetic structures for both female and male genotypes. The genotypic diversity was higher for male than female genotypes with numerous small size genotypes suggesting an important turnover due to ascospore recruitment. Larger and perennial female and male genotypes were also detected. Only three genotypes (1.5 %) were found as both female and male genotypes (hermaphrodites) while most were detected only as female or male genotype (dioecy). Our results suggest that germinating ascospores act as male genotypes, but we also proposed that soil mycelium could be a reservoir of male genotypes.
Functional connectivity models for decoding of spatial representations from hippocampal CA1 recordings
Authors: Posani Lorenzo , Cocco Simona , Jezek Karel , Monasson Rémi
Published: September 2016

Hippocampus stores spatial representations, or maps, which are recalled each time a subject is placed in the corresponding environment. Across different environments of similar geometry, these representations show strong orthogonality in CA3 of hippocampus, whereas in the CA1 subfield a considerable overlap between the maps can be seen. The lower orthogonality decreases reliability of various decoders developed in an attempt to identify which of the stored maps is active at the mo-ment. Especially, the problem with decoding emerges with a need to analyze data at high temporal resolution. Here, we introduce a functional-connectivity-based de-coder, which accounts for the pairwise correlations between the spiking activities of neurons in each map and does not require any positional information,i.e.any knowledge about place fields. We first show, on recordings of hippocampal activity in constant environmental conditions, that our decoder outperforms existing decoding methods in CA1. Our decoder is then applied to data from teleportation experiments, in which an instantaneous switch between the environment identity triggers a recall of the corresponding spatial representation. We test the sensitivity of our approach on the transition dynamics between the respective memory states (maps). We find that the rate of spontaneous state shifts (flickering) after a teleportation event is increased not only within the first few seconds as already reported, but this instability is sustained across much longer (>1 min.) periods.
4-[5-(Benzofuran-2-yl)-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl]-N,N-dimethylaniline
Authors: Lingaraju G. S. , Chandra  , Sadashiva M. P.
Published: September 2016

In the title compound, C25H21N3O, the dihedral angles between the pyrazole ring and its phenyl, aniline and benzofuran (r.m.s. deviation = 0.006 Å) substituents are 47.64 (8), 4.00 (8) and 29.12 (7)°, respectively. The methyl C atoms of the aniline group deviate from their attached ring by 0.521 (3) and 0.010 (3) Å. In the crystal, aromatic π–π stacking between the pyrazole rings [centroid–centroid separation = 3.7899 (9) Å and slippage = 0.66 Å] generates inversion dimers.
Sustainable facility development: perceived benefits and challenges
Authors: Stinnett Brad , Gibson Fred
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the perceived benefits and challenges of implementing sustainable initiatives in collegiate recreational sports facilities. Additionally, this paper intends to contribute to the evolving field of facility sustainability in higher education.

Design/methodology/approach

The design included qualitative research methods that allowed respondents to elaborate on perceived benefits and challenges. Respondents consisted of directors of campus recreation departments at National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association member institutions. Content analysis served as the method for analyzing and categorizing the data.

Findings

Six categories of perceived benefits became distinguishable, including Educational, Environmental, Ethical, Fiscal and Operational. Eight categories of perceived challenges emerged after responses were analyzed, including Administrative, Attitudinal, Commitment, Educational, Facility, and Fiscal. The majority of respondents indicated Fiscal demands as being the top challenge when it comes to implementing sustainable initiatives. Common themes arose from the responses and were sorted within their respective category.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the evolving field of sustainability by providing some data regarding recreational sports facilities in higher education. Administrators, particularly those in Student Affairs, Facilities Management and Campus Recreation can benefit from this paper by assessing their respective institution’s current view of sustainability and by proactively determining a strategy to combat the potential challenges identified. Additionally, identifying perceived benefits can help equip facility directors and executives with justification and rationale for moving toward sustainable facility design and operation.
Identification of nail features associated with psoriasis severity
Authors: Choi Jee Woong , Kim Bo Ri , Seo Eunmi , Youn Sang Woong
Published: September 2016

There are no detailed studies of the prevalence of nail psoriasis and clinical characteristics of psoriatic nail involvement, including nail features associated with disease severity. Therefore, we designed a study to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of psoriatic nail involvement in patients with psoriasis and determine the relationship between psoriatic nail features and severity of nail psoriasis and cutaneous psoriasis. The Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI) was used for evaluation of the severity of nail lesions. The presence of nail fold psoriasis (NFP) was also assessed. The severity of psoriasis was evaluated by calculating the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). As a result, the prevalence of nail psoriasis was 85.5%. Pitting was the most common clinical feature (55.6%). The severity of nail psoriasis was not affected by medical parameters, although patients with localized pustular psoriasis tended to have more severe nail psoriasis than did those with chronic plaque psoriasis. When comparing the mean NAPSI and the mean PASI according to nail lesions, we found that subungual hyperkeratosis (SH) and NFP were significantly associated with the severity of both nail psoriasis and cutaneous psoriasis. Psoriatic nail changes were most common in the first digit. Conclusively, the majority of patients with psoriasis had psoriatic nail involvement, and Koebner's response seems to be closely related to the induction of nail psoriasis. To limit progression of the disease, psoriatic patients with SH or NFP should be examined thoroughly because those clinical features reflect the levels of severity of both nail and cutaneous psoriasis.
Plant secondary metabolites in nectar: impacts on pollinators and ecological functions
Authors: Stevenson Philip C. , Nicolson Susan W. , Wright Geraldine A.
Published: September 2016

The ecological function of secondary metabolites in plant defence against herbivores is well established, but their role in plant–pollinator interactions is less obvious. Nectar is the major reward for pollinators, so the occurrence of defence chemicals in the nectar of many species is unexpected. However, increasing evidence supports a variety of potential benefits for both plant and pollinator from these compounds.

Beneficial effects may include: (i) mediating specialization in plant–pollinator interactions, (ii) protecting nectar from robbery or larceny and (iii) microbial activity including preservation of nutrients in nectar from degradation and reduction in disease levels in pollinators.

Secondary metabolites in nectar can be toxic or repellent to flower visitors, but equally they can go undetected or even make nectar more apparent or attractive. These biological effects are concentration dependent, so must be considered at a range of ecologically relevant doses. For example, caffeine occurs in nectar and improves honeybee memory for odours associated with food rewards, which enhances pollen transfer at naturally occurring concentrations but is repellent to honeybees at higher concentrations.

This review synthesizes evidence from recent literature that supports selection for secondary metabolites in floral nectar as an adaptation that drives the co‐evolution between plants and their pollinators. However, their presence in nectar could still simply be a consequence of their defensive role elsewhere in the plant (pleiotropy). We highlight the need for more studies demonstrating measurable benefits to the plant, the importance of exposure levels and effects on target species beyond the current emphasis on alkaloids and bees.

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