bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electroantennogram response and attraction of Anastrepha suspensa to volatiles of various sugar sources and aged sugar solutions
Authors: Guillén L. , Epsky N.D. , Kendra P.E. , Montgomery W.S. , Gill M. , Allen C. , Niogret J. , Heath R.R.
Published: September 2016

With the aim of finding new, sugar‐based volatile attractants for economically important tephritid fruit fly species, we used electroantennography (EAG) to quantitate olfactory responses of female Caribbean fruit fly, Anastrepha suspensa (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae), to volatiles of six sugar sources (refined white and brown cane sugar, coconut sugar, date sugar, date jaggery, and cane panela). Laboratory‐strain and wild flies, both sexually immature and mature, were tested for EAG responses to the volatiles of dry crystallized sugar sources and 10% (wt/vol) aqueous solutions that had aged in the laboratory for 0–7 days. In general, wild flies exhibited higher EAG responses than laboratory flies, and immature females responded more strongly than mature females. With the exception of date jaggery and cane panela, volatiles of dry sugar sources and 0‐ and 1‐day‐old solutions elicited lower EAG responses than any of the aged solutions. Most solution volatiles elicited the strongest EAG response after 2 days of aging. Of the treatments evaluated, volatiles of the 5‐day‐old date jaggery solution elicited the highest‐amplitude EAG responses (39%) in A. suspensa females. On the basis of the latter, we tested the attraction response of mature and immature females to date‐jaggery solutions aged over 2 and 4 days in two‐choice flight tunnel bioassays. With both mature and immature females, the 2‐day‐old solution was more attractive than the 4‐day‐old jaggery solution, but significantly more mature females (70% of captures) were attracted to 2‐day‐old jaggery solution. We discuss our results with respect to the improvement of fruit fly lures and attractants by incorporating elements from aged date‐jaggery sugar.
Exposure to the neonicotinoid imidacloprid disrupts sex allocation cue use during superparasitism in the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis
Authors: COOK NICOLA , GREEN JADE , SHUKER DAVID M. , WHITEHORN PENELOPE R.
Published: September 2016

1. Neonicotinoid insecticides are potent neurotoxins of significant economic importance. However, it is clear that their use can adversely impact beneficial insects in the environment, even at low, sub‐lethal doses.

2. It has recently been shown that the neonicotinoid imidacloprid disrupts adaptive sex allocation in the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis (Walker) by limiting their ability to respond to the presence of other females on oviposition patches. In the present study, that work was extended to explore whether sex allocation when superparasitising – laying eggs on a host that has already been parasitised – is also disrupted by imidacloprid.

3. Under superparasitism, sex allocation theory predicts that females should vary their offspring sex ratio in relation to their relative clutch size. It was found that sex allocation under superparasitism in Nasonia is disrupted in a dose‐dependent manner, with exposed females producing more daughters.

4. Importantly, imidacloprid does not appear to influence the ability of females to estimate the number of eggs already present on a host, suggesting a disassociation between the sex ratio and clutch size cues.

5. The present work highlights the fitness costs to beneficial insects of exposure to neonicotinoids, but also provides clues as to how female Nasonia use information when allocating sex.
Pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of sulcardine sulfate: an open‐label, single‐dose, randomized study in healthy Chinese subjects
Authors: Chen Qian , Qian Hong‐jie , Wang Wei , Zhang Meng‐qi , Lu Dong‐ying , Lu Chuan , Jin Jie‐mei , Hu Chao‐ying , Liu Gang‐yi , Jia Jing‐ying , Zheng Hong‐chao , Li Xue‐ning , Yu Chen , Wang Yi‐ping , Liu Yun
Published: September 2016

Sulcardine sulfate (Sul) is a novel anti‐arrhythmic agent as a potential treatment for atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmias. This study was conducted to investigate the pharmacokinetic profile, safety, and tolerability of Sul in healthy Chinese subjects. In this open‐label, single‐dose, randomized study, 10 healthy subjects were assigned to receive Sul doses of 200, 400, and 800 mg under fasting conditions (Cohorts A, B, and C, respectively) or 400 mg under fed conditions (Cohort D). The study incorporated a crossover design, separated by a seven‐day washout period. Blood samples were collected before treatment and at successive time intervals up to 48 h after treatment. Sul concentrations in plasma samples were determined using a validated LC‐MS/MS method. Tolerability was determined by clinical evaluation and adverse event (AE) monitoring. Pharmacokinetic results demonstrated that Cmax and AUC(0–t) of Sul increased with an increasing dose. The mean t1/2 values for Cohorts A, B, and C were 16.85, 17.66, and 11.87 h, respectively. No statistically significant differences were observed between men and women for the main pharmacokinetic parameters, with the exception of t1/2 in Cohorts B and C. No significant differences were observed in the absorption and bioavailability of Sul between the fed and fasted states (P > 0.05). Four subjects reported mild AEs during the study. No serious AEs were reported. Sul was shown to be safe and well tolerated in healthy Chinese subjects. Pharmacokinetics studies demonstrated that Sul has adequate oral absorption and bioavailability properties.
Response to The Availability of Conscious Knowledge: A Comment on Lindseth (2016)
Authors: Lindseth Martina
Published: September 2016

My study (Lindseth, The Effects of Form‐Focused Instruction on the Acquisition of Subject‐Verb Inversion in German) that was published in the Volume 49, No. 1 issue of Foreign Language Annals suggested that form‐focused instruction that targets a specific structure may help learners progress faster toward accurate use of this structure in spontaneous speech, i.e., a situation that does not appear to allow monitoring or consciously applying rules. In his letter to the editor in this issue, Dr. Krashen questioned whether participants were, indeed, using language in a spontaneous way. He framed his concerns in terms of his 1982 hypothesis, which states that second language performers can access and apply conscious knowledge when all three of the following conditions are met: (1) speakers consciously know the rule, (2) they are thinking about correctness, and (3) they have time to apply the rule. I do not agree that all three conditions were met in my study.
Youth Participatory Action Research in World Language Classrooms
Authors: Bocci Melissa Cochrane
Published: September 2016

Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) requires students to use language in myriad ways as they define a problem, design and conduct an original research project, disseminate their findings, and take change‐seeking actions in their community. YPAR embeds language development in community‐centered and cross‐disciplinary work and empowers youth as valuable knowledge producers and change agents in their community. In so doing, it offers a unique opportunity to world language teachers, particularly those of heritage speakers, who are looking for ways to address the World‐Readiness Standards (National Standards Collaborative Board, 2015), meaningfully incorporate best practices, and affirmatively engage their students. This article details YPAR's connection to existing world language methods and standards, offers an example of YPAR in practice, and presents the results of a study examining teachers’ and heritage language learners’ observations of learner growth using the NCSSFL‐ACTFL Can‐Do statements as a result of their participation in a course‐embedded YPAR project. Findings demonstrated that students had positive mean gain scores across all categories of communication skill and all but one student finished the semester performing above grade level in at least three of the five communicative domains. The largest gains were for written and spoken presentational communication.
Effects of sheep stocking on the plant community and agricultural characteristics of upland Anthoxanthum odoratum–Geranium sylvaticum meadow in northern England
Authors: Smith R. S. , Shiel R. S. , Millward D. , Simkin J. M.
Published: September 2016

In the UK, upland hay meadows (Anthoxanthum odoratum–Geranium sylvaticum grassland) with high plant biodiversity are rare and confined to submontane areas of northern England. We report results from a 5‐year experiment to test suggestions that recent biodiversity declines were attributable to increased sheep‐stocking density and a longer spring stocking period, thus delaying the shut up date for the growth of the hay crop. Longer stocking periods and higher stocking densities decreased the forage mass at 8 July, but they increased herbage N content and digestibility, reduced plant species diversity and reduced populations and seed production of Rhinanthus minor. Compared with unstocked swards, the similarity of the vegetation to Anthoxanthum odoratum–Geranium sylvaticum grassland was reduced by 16·9% when stocking with sheep continued until 27 May each year, and by 8·3% when sward heights were maintained at 3 cm compared with 5 cm. Increased mean sward height and height of R. minor were positively correlated with accumulated temperatures. Results support suggestions that recent reductions in the nature value of these grasslands might be a consequence of high stocking densities persisting until later in the spring, carried out during a 1‐year period with warmer temperatures.
REPRESENTING AND REPETITION: VICTOR GOLLANCZ'S IN DARKEST GERMANY AND THE METONYMY OF SHOES
Authors: Medhurst Jessica
Published: September 2016

Victor Gollancz's book, In Darkest Germany (1947), is compiled from letters written and photographs taken during his six‐week visit to the British Zone of Occupation in 1946, and provides a counter to the official British political narrative about the occupation of Germany. This article examines Gollancz's text in the light of more recent theories of photography and of childhood as constructions in order to address his claim that photography is at ‘a long remove’ from what he saw in post‐war Germany, and to discuss the implications this has for our understanding of the German war child. It situates close readings of Gollancz's writing about photography and photographs of ‘[s]chool children's shoes in Hamburg and Düsseldorf’ within the wider contexts of his socialism and the metonymy of children's shoes in post‐war Germany, in order to argue that he engages with sophisticated theoretical ideas about the insufficiency of photography and language as means of retrieving a lived reality in pursuance of his efforts to engage a politically apathetic public. The repetitiveness of his photographs of children's shoes positions them as standing in for the situation of German children generally in the aftermath of World War II, with the aim of making these conditions comprehensible to the British public. Underpinning the repetition is the representation of the war child, which seems to escape the issues of photography that Gollancz discusses but which ultimately confirms them.

Das Buch In Darkest Germany (1947) von Victor Gollancz enthält Briefe und Fotografien, die 1946 während Gollanczs sechswöchiger Reise durch die britische Besatzungszone entstanden; es bietet einen Gegendiskurs zum offiziellen britischen Diskurs über die Besatzung Deutschlands. Dieser Aufsatz analysiert Gollanczs Text mit Hilfe neuerer Theorien zum Konstruktionscharakter von Fotografie und Kindheit, um die Implikationen von Gollanczs Einsicht, die Fotografie sei ‘weit entfernt’ von dem, was er im Nachkriegsdeutschland gesehen habe, für unser Verständnis des deutschen Kriegskindes zu erhellen. Der Aufsatz stellt die Analyse von Gollanczs Äußerungen über den Repräsentationscharakter von Fotografie in den Kontext seiner sozialistischen Ideale. Dabei wird argumentiert, dass Gollancz sich auf eine komplexe theoretische Auseinandersetzung mit der Unzulänglichkeit von Fotografie und Sprache, das historisch Tatsächliche zu erfassen, einlässt, während er gleichzeitig eine politisch desinteressierte Öffentlichkeit mit seiner Arbeit aufrütteln will. Der Wiederholungscharakter seiner Fotografien von Kinderschuhen positioniert diese als Repräsentation der Lebensbedingungen deutscher Kinder in der Nachkriegszeit, um diese Verhältnisse der britischen Öffentlichkeit verständlich zu machen. Die Darstellung des Kriegskindes scheint von den Fragen, die Gollancz anhand der Fotografien diskutiert, zunächst nicht betroffen, wird jedoch von diesen eingeholt.
Rationale for Daily Dialysis
Authors: Buoncristiani Umberto , Fagugli Riccardo , Quintaliani Giuseppe , Kulurianu Hrissanti
Published: September 2016

The kidneys maintain the body's homeostasis by removing water and waste products continuously and efficiently. The ideal dialytic treatment should emulate the functions of the kidney. Of the dialysis treatments currently available for chronic renal failure, the only continuous ones are continuous ambulatory and continuous cyclic peritoneal dialysis; however, the efficiency of peritoneal dialysis is limited by the nature of the peritoneal membrane. Extracorporeal dialysis is markedly more efficient than peritoneal dialysis, but is performed intermittently (usually 3 times/week) with large fluctuations of body fluid volumes and concentrations of various solutes and electrolytes. These fluctuations cause intercompartmental disequilibrium during dialysis, induce intradialytic and interdialytic symptoms, and create difficulties in controlling blood pressure. Daily dialysis is both frequent and efficient and therefore seems to be superior to any other form of renal replacement therapy.
Is the Generally Held View That Intravenous Dihydroergotamine Is Effective in Migraine Based on Wrong “General Consensus” of One Trial? A Critical Review of the Trial and Subsequent Quotations
Authors: Bekan Goran , Tfelt‐Hansen Peer
Published: September 2016

Background

The claim that parenteral dihydroergotamine (DHE) is effective in migraine is based on one randomized, placebo‐controlled, crossover trial from 1986. The aim of this review was to critically evaluate the original article. It was also found to be of interest to review quotes concerning the results in the more than 100 articles subsequently referring to the article.

Methods

The correctness of the stated effect of intravenous DHE in the randomized clinical trial (RCT) was first critically evaluated. Then, Google Scholar was searched for references to the article and these references were classified as to whether they judged the reported RCT as positive or negative.

Results

The design of the RCT, with a crossover within one migraine attack, only allows evaluation of the results for the first period and the effect of DHE and placebo were quite comparable. About 151 references were found for the article in Google scholar. Among the 95 articles with a judgment on the efficacy of intravenous DHE in the RCT, 90 stated that DHE was effective or likely effective whereas only 5 articles stated that DHE was ineffective.

Conclusions

Despite a “negative” RCT, authors of subsequent articles on the efficacy of parenteral DHE overwhelmingly reported this RCT as “positive.” This is probably due to the fact that the authors concluded in the abstract that DHE is effective, and to a kind of “wrong general consensus.”
The Glasgow Prognostic Score and its variants predict mortality in living donor but not in deceased donor liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: A double‐center validation study
Authors: Kaltenborn Alexander , Schrem Harald , Reichert Benedikt , Braun Felix , Emmanouilidis Nikos , Klempnauer Jürgen , Becker Thomas , Heits Nils
Published: September 2016

Aim

This study aimed to evaluate whether the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) and its variants are able to predict mortality in live donor and deceased donor liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods

Data of 29 live donor and 319 deceased donor transplantations from two German transplant centers was analyzed. The GPS, modified GPS, hepatic GPS, and Abe score were investigated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was carried out to calculate the sensitivity, specificity, and overall model correctness of the investigated scores as a predictive model. Study end‐points were 1‐year, 3‐year, and long‐term mortality.

Results

A 1‐year mortality of 19.1% (n = 61), 3‐year mortality of 26.3% (n = 84), and overall mortality of 37.3% (n = 119) was observed. All investigated scores failed to predict outcome in deceased donor liver transplantation (areas under ROC curves <0.700), whereas GPS, hepatic GPS, modified GPS, and the Abe score reached areas under ROC curves >0.700 for the prediction of 1‐year mortality in live donor transplantation. The GPS and Abe score were also able to predict 3‐year mortality. None of the investigated scores was a reliable predictor of long‐term mortality.

Conclusion

Systemic inflammation‐based scores have great prognostic potential in live donor transplantation. Abe score could be successfully externally validated in the current study for the first time. In deceased donor transplantation, none of the analyzed scores was able to allow reliable prediction for the investigated study end‐points.
(In) between the living and the dead: New perspectives on time in history
Authors: Fareld Victoria
Published: September 2016

This article outlines some new temporal perspectives in historical studies. The first part deals with the dominant view of the relation between past and present within traditional historiography, in which the past is made absent, distant, or detached from the present. Gabrielle Spiegel's allusion to the historian as autopsist is seen as a manifestation of this view, echoing Michel de Certeau's claim that history articulates the conceptual border between the living and the dead. The second part is a discussion of the Austrian‐born and Auschwitz survivor Jean Améry's refusal to let go of the past. It is argued that Améry reveals the “chrononormativity” (Freeman) of historical time. He uncovers how prevailing conceptions of time structure our historical thinking: What can we not account for within an established regime of historicity? The haunting memories of victims have initiated a questioning of linear time as the natural medium for historians. The third part of the article discusses this questioning as part of a more general refiguration of the relation between past and present occurring in historical thinking today, exemplified by Berber Bevernage and others, who try to rework the conceptual space of temporality in historiography in favor of a plurality of non‐synchronous and conflicting temporal modes, albeit one that does not fall back upon metaphysical notions of historical reality.
Early Modern Diplomatic History
Authors: Sowerby Tracey A.
Published: September 2016

Over the last two decades, the study of early modern diplomatic history has changed considerably. Once diplomatic historians took a bureaucratic state‐centric focus to the topic and typically produced studies of foreign policy. Now they are more likely to focus on the processes by which international relations were maintained, prioritising the study of individual diplomats and monarchs, personal and information networks, and princely courts. Scholars have reinterpreted the chronology and geography of the introduction of resident ambassadors in Europe and have broadened their field of analysis to include diplomatic gifts, diplomatic ceremonial, diplomatic hospitality, and other aspects of diplomatic culture.
As the Tsunami of Histories of Atlantic and Liberal Revolutions Wash up in Upper Canada: Worries from a Colonial Shore – Part One
Authors: McNairn Jeffrey L.
Published: September 2016

In two parts, this article reviews the unusually large number of books about Upper Canada (1791–1841), the British colony that became the province of Ontario, published since 2010. Non‐national approaches, especially Atlantic world but borderlands and British imperial as well, are prevalent. In particular, Atlantic history's interest in the age of revolution has dovetailed with Ian McKay's call to adopt a liberal order framework. Yet many of these works struggle to incorporate Upper Canada in ways that do not cast it as an anomalous or anachronistic space defined by its awkward relationship to a master narrative or that do not re‐inscribe older national narratives by which Upper Canada masquerades as the nascent nation. At the same time, claims to have adopted a novel perspective have tended to divert attention from existing scholarship on closely related themes, especially work on the colony's legal history. Interest in Atlantic and liberal revolutions has brought renewed attention to Upper Canada but not always in helpful ways.
Internalizing and externalizing problems and parenting: Results from a Saudi Arabian sample
Authors: Schwartz Joseph A. , Said Al‐Ghamdi Mohammed , Nezar Kobeisy Ahmed , Alqurashi Fathiyah H. , Connolly Eric J. , Beaver Kevin M.
Published: September 2016

Relatively few studies have attempted to identify factors that contribute to variation in parental behavior. The literature has revealed associations between both internal and external factors in the variation in parenting behaviors. In addition, the vast majority of the existing literature has focused almost exclusively on Western cultures (e.g., the USA). The current study addresses these limitations by examining direct and indirect pathways involving both internal and external sources of influence on parenting behaviors in a sample of adults from Saudi Arabia (N = 196). The employed statistical models revealed robust and consistent direct associations between the examined internalizing sources of influence (self‐control and psychopathy) and parenting behaviors. Subsequent models revealed some evidence of mediation stemming from external sources of influence (namely, aggression). However, the resulting indirect effects were inconsistent, indicating that other, unmeasured mechanisms ultimately connect the examined internalizing problems and parenting behaviors.
The Evolution of Earnings Volatility During and After the Great Recession
Authors: Koo Kyong Hyun
Published: September 2016

This paper explores how men's and women's earnings volatility evolved during and after the Great Recession, the most severe downturn of the postwar era. Using matched March Current Population Survey data, I find that earnings volatility rose considerably after the Great Recession began and, particularly for men, the volatility increase was as large as in the severe recession of the early 1980s. These findings update the evidence on the counter‐cyclicality of earnings volatility. I show that such counter‐cyclicality is due mainly to counter‐cyclical volatility in annual hours of work. In turn, the counter‐cyclical volatility in work hours appears mainly among workers who experience unemployment.
No effect of partner age and lifespan on female age‐specific reproductive performance in blue tits
Authors: Amininasab Seyed Mehdi , Hammers Martijn , Vedder Oscar , Komdeur Jan , Korsten Peter
Published: September 2016

Studies of age‐specific reproductive performance are fundamental to our understanding of population dynamics and the evolution of life‐history strategies. In species with bi‐parental care, reproductive ageing trajectories of either parent may be influenced by their partner's age, but this has rarely been investigated. We investigated within‐individual age‐specific performance (laying date and number of eggs laid) in wild female blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus and evaluated how the age and longevity of their male partner indirectly influenced the females’ reproductive performance. Females showed clear age‐dependence in both laying date and number of eggs laid. We found that female reproductive performance improved in early life, before showing a decline. Longer‐lived females had an earlier laying date throughout their lives than shorter‐lived females, but there was no difference in number of eggs laid between longer‐ and shorter‐lived females. Within breeding pairs, the female's (age‐specific) reproductive performance was not dependent on the age and longevity of the male partner. We conclude that the age and quality of the male partner may be of little importance for traits that are under direct female control.
The Phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase Class III Complex Containing TcVps15 and TcVps34 Participates in Autophagy in Trypanosoma cruzi
Authors: Schoijet Alejandra C. , Sternlieb Tamara , Alonso Guillermo D.
Published: September 2016

Autophagy is a degradative process by which eukaryotic cells digest their own components to provide aminoacids that may function as energy source under nutritional stress conditions. There is experimental evidence for autophagy in parasitic protists belonging to the family Trypanosomatidae. However, few proteins implicated in this process have been characterized so far in these parasites. Moreover, it has been shown that autophagy is involved in Trypanosoma cruzi differentiation and thus might have a role in pathogenicity. Here, we report the cloning and biochemical characterization of TcVps15. In addition, we demonstrate that TcVps15 interact with the PI3K TcVps34 and that both proteins associate with cellular membranes. Under nutritional stress conditions, TcVps15 and TcVps34 modify their subcellular distribution showing a partial co‐localization in autophagosomes with TcAtg8.1 and using an active site TcVps15‐mutated version (TcVps15‐K219D‐HA) we demonstrated that this relocalization depends on the TcVps15 catalytic activity. Overexpression of TcVps15‐HA and TcVps15‐K219D‐HA also leads to increased accumulation of monodansylcadaverine (MDC) in autophagic vacuoles under nutritional stress conditions compared to wild‐type cells. In addition, the MDC‐specific activity shows to be significantly higher in TcVps15‐HA overexpressing cells when compared with TcVps15‐K219D‐HA. Our results reveal for the first time a role of TcVps15 as a key regulator of TcVps34 enzymatic activity and implicate the TcVps15‐Vps34 complex in autophagy in T. cruzi, exposing a new key pathway to explore novel chemotherapeutic targets.
Application of radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of intermediate‐stage hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Nouso Kazuhiro , Kariyama Kazuya , Nakamura Shinichiro , Oonishi Ayano , Wakuta Akiko , Oyama Atsushi , Ako Soichiro , Dohi Chihiro , Wada Nozomu , Morimoto Yuki , Takeuchi Yasuto , Kuwaki Kenji , Onishi Hideki , Ikeda Fusao , Shiraha Hidenori , Takaki Akinobu , Okada Hiroyuki
Published: September 2016

Background and Aim

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a standard therapy for the treatment of intermediate‐stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we tried to elucidate the possibility of using radiofrequency ablation (RFA) as an alternative treatment of intermediate‐stage HCC.

Methods

Among 246 patients who were initially diagnosed with intermediate‐stage HCC, 76 who were treated with TACE (TACE group) and 91 who were treated with RFA (RFA group) were enrolled in this study. The risk for survival was analyzed with the Cox Proportional Hazard Model, and the survival rates were compared using propensity score matching.

Results

About half (50.6%) of the intermediate‐stage HCC patients in the RFA group were diagnosed with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer substage‐B1 (BCLC‐B1) compared with only 19.7% of the patients in the TACE group. Survival of the RFA group was longer than that of TACE group in patients with BCLC‐B1 and BCLC‐B2. In contrast, no difference between groups was observed in patients with BCLC‐B3/4. Multivariate analysis revealed that large tumor size (>30 mm, hazard ratio = 1.685, P = 0.043), high des‐γ‐carboxyprothrombin (>100 mAU/mL, hazard ratio = 1.920, P = 0.012), and TACE group (hazard ratio = 1.896, P = 0.016) were significant risk factors for survival. Overall 3‐year survival of the patients in the RFA group (69.5%) was significantly longer than that of patients in the TACE group (51.5%) after propensity score matching (P = 0.032). No significant adverse events were observed in either group.

Conclusions

RFA was useful for the treatment of less advanced intermediate‐stage HCC and could be an alternative to TACE in selected cases.
Successive motor nerve blocks to identify the muscles causing a spasticity pattern: example of the arm flexion pattern
Authors: Genet F. , Schnitzler A. , Droz‐Bartholet F. , Salga M. , Tatu L. , Debaud C. , Denormandie P. , Parratte B.
Published: September 2016

Botulinum Toxin A has been the main treatment for spasticity since the beginning of the 1990s. Surprisingly, there is still no consensus regarding injection parameters or, importantly, how to determine which muscles to target to improve specific functions. The aim of this study was to develop a systematic approach to determine this, using the example of the arm flexion pattern. We first determined anatomical landmarks for selective motor block of the brachialis nerve, using 20 forearms from 10 fresh cadavers in Ecole Européenne de Chirurgie and a university‐based dissection centre, Paris, France. We then carried out selective blocks of the motor nerves to the brachialis, brachioradialis and biceps brachii in patients with stroke with an arm flexion pattern, in a University Rehabilitation Hospital, Garches, France. We measured: the resting angle of the elbow angle in standing (manual goniometer), active and passive range of extension, and spasticity using the Held and Tardieu and the Modified Ashworth scales. Range of passive elbow extension was also measured with the shoulder in 90° of flexion. The resting angle of the elbow in standing decreased by 35.0° (from 87.6 ± 23.7 to 52.6 ± 24.2°) with inhibition of brachialis, by a further 3.9° (from 52.6 ± 24.2 to 48.7 ± 23.7°) with inhibition of brachioradialis and a further 14.5° (from 48.7 ± 23.7to 34.2 ± 20.7°) with inhibition of biceps brachii. These results were consistent with the clinical evaluation of passive elbow range of motion with the shoulder at 90°. Sequential blocking of the nerves to the three main elbow flexors revealed that the muscle that limited elbow extension the most, was brachialis. This muscle should be the main target to improve the arm flexion pattern. These results show that it is important not simply to inject the most superficial or powerful muscles to treat a spastic deformity. A comprehensive assessment is required. The strategy proposed in this paper should increase the effectiveness of botulinum toxin injections by ensuring that the relevant muscles are targeted.
“Harm or Good?”: Consumer Perceptions of Corporate Strategic Giving in Schools
Authors: Aitken Robert , Watkins Leah
Published: September 2016

This paper reports on consumer perceptions of an in‐school strategic giving initiative as a form of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to consider its social implications and to understand the complexity of children's vulnerability in this context. Results suggest that corporate benefits are not balanced by welfare gains to the children and this creates a tension between positive perceptions of the initiative and negative concerns with its targeting of children. This raises a number of ethical issues related to corporate marketing in schools and provides empirical support for earlier theoretical work in this area. The paper contributes to CSR literature by suggesting that opinions towards corporate giving are determined both by perceptions of their underlying motives and in relation to the benefits they provide to stakeholders. Finally, we provide support for the need for policy and regulatory revision with regard to children's vulnerability to in‐school marketing.
Chemical characterization of sunscreens composition and its related potential adverse health effects
Authors: Jallad Karim N
Published: September 2016

Although the sun is very beneficial and essential for life, exposing ourselves too much to sunlight might lead to detrimental health effects such as skin cancer. Eight percent of the total different electromagnetic radiation that regularly irradiates the earth is classified as ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The ozone layer absorbs the most energetic UV rays; consequently, UV‐A and UV‐B reach the earth surface. UV‐A rays heavily contribute to both premature skin aging and skin cancer, while UV‐B rays cause sunburn. Hence, the use of sunscreen is strongly encouraged by many healthcare practitioners in order to minimize or possibly eradicate the harmful effects of UV rays on our skin, keeping in mind, that about 90% of all skin cancers are associated with exposure to the sun's harmful radiation. Unfortunately, inaccurate information is currently roaming the media and the Internet regarding the safety, toxicity, and acute side effects of the active ingredients currently used in sunscreens, therefore discouraging people from using sunscreens. In this review article, it is concluded based on the scientific published literature that the sunscreen ingredients are safe and there are no related potential hazardous health risks associated with their use. In addition, at present, sunscreens are very useful in preventing sunburn and probably skin cancer and photoaging and their regular use can have a positive and a significant impact on public health as means or instruments implemented to reduce exposure to UV radiation.
Comparative Assessment of a New Holistic‐Oriented and an Old Specialty‐Specific Undergraduate Curriculum in Removable Prosthodontics: A Study Based on Senior Students’ Perceptions
Authors: Papadiochou Sofia , Kotsiomiti Eleni , Pissiotis Argirios L.
Published: September 2016

Purpose

A survey was conducted in the Dental School, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece, (i) to assess the perceptions and experiences of senior dental students, Classes of 2014 and 2015, toward the old, specialty‐specific (OC) and new, holistic‐oriented (NC) undergraduate curriculum, respectively, in removable prosthodontics and (ii) to identify areas of improvement in prosthodontic training.

Materials and Methods

Structural components of both curricula were collected, including the total number of (i) laboratory/lecture/clinical training hours, (ii) written examinations, (iii) mandatory clinical cases, and (iv) European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credits. A 20‐item closed‐type questionnaire using a five‐point Likert scale was distributed in two consecutive groups of seniors, Classes of 2014 (n = 54) and 2015 (n = 57); 54 OC and 57 NC senior students filled out the questionnaire.

Results

A greater percentage of NC students stated that (i) they felt less confident to carry out jaw relation recording and removable partial denture metal framework design and (ii) the time allocated for clinical training was less sufficient. Students of both curricula reported that the laboratory courses and lectures contributed little to their clinical performance. Implant restorations and prosthetic management of patients with craniomandibular disorders were the most popular treatment options that the respondents felt that should be incorporated in the undergraduate curriculum.

Conclusions

As a general trend, students completing the revised curriculum reported more difficulties during their training and felt more insecure about their clinical competences. To enhance students’ self‐confidence in prosthodontics, more effective preclinical training methods, introduction of additional treatment options, and alternative educational methods should be considered.
Children's postoperative symptoms at home through nurse‐led telephone counseling and its effects on parents’ anxiety: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Özalp Gerçeker Gülçin , Karayağız Muslu Gonca , Yardimci Figen
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The objective of this study was to evaluate children's postoperative symptoms at home after outpatient surgery through nurse‐led telephone counseling and the effects of the nurse‐led telephone counseling on parents’ state–trait anxiety scores.

Design and Methods

In this prospective randomized controlled study, nurse‐led telephone counseling was provided every day to parents in the intervention group until they came for the follow‐up visit. Parents of children (n = 54) ages 3–17 years who had undergone outpatient surgery for appendicitis, cholecystectomy, or ovarian cysts were eligible to participate in the study. On the first postoperative day and at the follow‐up visit, the Spielberger State–Trait–Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was administered to parents who were randomly allocated to the intervention (n = 24) and control groups (n = 30).

Results

The parents reported on postoperative symptoms such as pain, activity levels, excretion, sleep, nutrition, and wound infection. While there was no difference in STAI scores for parents between the groups at the first postoperative day, there was a significant decrease in STAI scores in the intervention group versus the control group, with parents in the intervention group reporting lower anxiety scores.

Practice Implications

Our results suggest that nurse‐led telephone counseling is effective at reducing anxiety in parents of children after outpatient surgery.
Disposition of a long‐acting oxytetracycline formulation in Thai swamp buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis)
Authors: Poapolathep S. , Wongpanit K. , Imsilp K. , Tanhan P. , Klangkaew N. , Giorgi M. , Poapolathep A.
Published: September 2016

The present study aimed to characterize the pharmacokinetic profile of oxytetracycline long‐acting formulation (OTC‐LA) in Thai swamp buffaloes, Bubalus bubalis, following single intramuscular administration at two dosages of 20 and 30 mg/kg body weight (b.w.). Blood samples were collected at assigned times up to 504 h. The plasma concentrations of OTC were measured by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The concentrations of OTC in the plasma were determined up to 264 h and 432 h after i.m. administration at doses of 20 and 30 mg/kg b.w., respectively. The Cmax values of OTC were 12.11 ± 1.87 μg/mL and 12.27 ± 1.92 μg/mL at doses of 20 and 30 mg/kg, respectively. The AUClast values increased in a dose‐dependent fashion. The half‐life values were 52.00 ± 14.26 h and 66.80 ± 10.91 h at doses of 20 and 30 mg/kg b.w, respectively. Based on the pharmacokinetic data and PK–PD index (T > MIC), i.m. administration of OTC at a dose of 30 mg/kg b.w once per week might be appropriate for the treatment of susceptible bacterial infection in Thai swamp buffaloes.
The Computerization Of Material Culture Catalogues: Objects and Infrastructure in the Smithsonian Institution's Department of Anthropology
Authors: Turner Hannah
Published: September 2016

The history of museum collections is also the history of the management of information about these collections. Today, increased access to large amounts of robust collections data requires that information be curated so that is useful for communities and individuals who wish to access it. This has caused scholars and communities to question modes of ordering that do not necessarily map onto their own local and personal understandings of the world. In light of the major pragmatic and intellectual affordances stimulated by information technologies, the inner workings of these systems are often made invisible and act as infrastructures rather than singular or simple tools. By providing a historical account of how information about anthropological museum collections was computerized in the 1970s at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), I consider the museum catalogue as a socio‐technical information infrastructure. From that perspective, I argue that the knowledge produced by modes of inscription such as catalogues is generated by relationships of individuals and technologies. A detailed and critical history of catalogues must take into account these historical socio‐technical infrastructures.
“Who matters most?”: Clinician perspectives of influence and recommendation on home dialysis uptake
Authors: Walker Rachael C , Marshall Roger , Howard Kirsten , Morton Rachael L , Marshall Mark R
Published: September 2016

Aim

There is little research exploring the association between clinicians' behaviours and home dialysis uptake. This paper aims to better understand the influence of clinicians on home dialysis modality recommendations and uptake.

Methods

Online survey of all NZ renal units to determine the influence of individuals within pre‐dialysis teams. We used the self‐declaration scale of influence to rate the identified member's perceived influence on decision‐making. We used this measure of ‘decisional power’ to compare the perceived influence of pre‐dialysis nurses with nephrologists using both parametric and non‐parametric methods. We developed a generalized linear model to investigate the relationship between the influence of nephrologists and pre‐dialysis nurses with home dialysis uptake by individual centre using additional data from Australian and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry (ANZDATA). Finally, respondents rated the importance of a list of patient and service‐level factors in recommendations for home dialysis.

Results

Data suggest the nephrologists are the most influential member of the pre‐dialysis team. This contrasts with perceptions of survey respondents who view pre‐dialysis nurses as most influential. Nephrologists' recommendations are likely to be a successful way of increasing home dialysis. A single point increase in nephrologist decisional power is associated with a 6.1% increase in the prevalence of home dialysis.

Conclusion

The decisional power around home dialysis in NZ sits with nephrologists. It is therefore critical that nephrologists exercise their decisional power in advocating home dialysis and address reasons why they may not recommend home dialysis to well‐suited and appropriate patients.
PCP‐B class pollen coat proteins are key regulators of the hydration checkpoint in Arabidopsis thaliana pollen–stigma interactions
Authors: Wang Ludi , Clarke Lisa A. , Eason Russell J. , Parker Christopher C. , Qi Baoxiu , Scott Rod J. , Doughty James
Published: September 2016

The establishment of pollen–pistil compatibility is strictly regulated by factors derived from both male and female reproductive structures. Highly diverse small cysteine‐rich proteins (CRPs) have been found to play multiple roles in plant reproduction, including the earliest stages of the pollen–stigma interaction. Secreted CRPs found in the pollen coat of members of the Brassicaceae, the pollen coat proteins (PCPs), are emerging as important signalling molecules that regulate the pollen–stigma interaction.

Using a combination of protein characterization, expression and phylogenetic analyses we identified a novel class of Arabidopsis thaliana pollen‐borne CRPs, the PCP‐Bs (for pollen coat protein B‐class) that are related to embryo surrounding factor (ESF1) developmental regulators. Single and multiple PCP‐B mutant lines were utilized in bioassays to assess effects on pollen hydration, adhesion and pollen tube growth.

Our results revealed that pollen hydration is severely impaired when multiple PCP‐Bs are lost from the pollen coat. The hydration defect also resulted in reduced pollen adhesion and delayed pollen tube growth in all mutants studied.

These results demonstrate that AtPCP‐Bs are key regulators of the hydration ‘checkpoint’ in establishment of pollen–stigma compatibility. In addition, we propose that interspecies diversity of PCP‐Bs may contribute to reproductive barriers in the Brassicaceae.
Herbivore specificity and the chemical basis of plant–plant communication in Baccharis salicifolia (Asteraceae)
Authors: Moreira Xoaquín , Nell Colleen S. , Katsanis Angelos , Rasmann Sergio , Mooney Kailen A.
Published: September 2016

It is well known that plant damage by leaf‐chewing herbivores can induce resistance in neighbouring plants. It is unknown whether such communication occurs in response to sap‐feeding herbivores, whether communication is specific to herbivore identity, and the chemical basis of communication, including specificity.

We carried out glasshouse experiments using the California‐native shrub Baccharis salicifolia and two ecologically distinct aphid species (one a dietary generalist and the other a specialist) to test for specificity of plant–plant communication and to document the underlying volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

We show specificity of plant–plant communication to herbivore identity, as each aphid‐damaged plant only induced resistance in neighbours against the same aphid species. The amount and composition of induced VOCs were markedly different between plants attacked by the two aphid species, providing a putative chemical mechanism for this specificity. Furthermore, a synthetic blend of the five major aphid‐induced VOCs (ethanone, limonene, methyl salicylate, myrcene, ocimene) triggered resistance in receiving plants of comparable magnitude to aphid damage of neighbours, and the effects of the blend exceeded those of individual compounds.

This study significantly advances our understanding of plant–plant communication by demonstrating the importance of sap‐feeding herbivores and herbivore identity, as well as the chemical basis for such effects.
Cultivating character: the art of living
Authors: Paulson Steve , Barrett Lisa Feldman , Kitcher Philip , Tiberius Valerie
Published: September 2016

Nearly everyone agrees that knowledge is gained through diligent study and investigation, but there is far greater ambiguity when it comes to the meaning of wisdom and how it is acquired. What is wisdom, and how can it be attained? Is there an empirical relationship between wisdom and the cultivation of character, as Aristotle and others have argued? Are the development of virtue and the fulfillment of our innate potential prerequisites to living the good life? Steven Paulson, moderator and executive producer of To the Best of our Knowledge, led a discussion with philosopher Philip Kitcher, philosopher Valerie Tiberius, and psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett on role of wisdom in the interplay between positive emotions, virtues, and character.
Multiple Café au Lait Spots in a Group of Fair‐Skinned Children without Signs or Symptoms of Neurofibromatosis Type 1
Authors: St. John Jessica , Summe Heather , Csikesz Courtney , Wiss Karen , Hay Beverly , Belazarian Leah
Published: September 2016

Background

The presence of six or more café au lait (CAL) spots is a criterion for the diagnosis of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF‐1). Children with multiple CAL spots are often referred to dermatologists for NF‐1 screening. The objective of this case series is to characterize a subset of fair‐complected children with red or blond hair and multiple feathery CAL spots who did not meet the criteria for NF‐1 at the time of their last evaluation.

Methods

We conducted a chart review of eight patients seen in our pediatric dermatology clinic who were previously identified as having multiple CAL spots and no other signs or symptoms of NF‐1.

Results

We describe eight patients ages 2 to 9 years old with multiple, irregular CAL spots with feathery borders and no other signs or symptoms of NF‐1. Most of these patients had red or blond hair and were fair complected. All patients were evaluated in our pediatric dermatology clinic, some with a geneticist. The number of CAL spots per patient ranged from 5 to 15 (mean 9.4, median 9).

Conclusion

A subset of children, many with fair complexions and red or blond hair, has an increased number of feathery CAL spots and appears unlikely to develop NF‐1, although genetic testing was not conducted. It is important to recognize the benign nature of CAL spots in these patients so that appropriate screening and follow‐up recommendations may be made.