bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Paleoecology and paleoceanography of the Athel silicilyte, Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary, Sultanate of Oman
Authors: Stolper D. A. , Love G. D. , Bates S. , Lyons T. W. , Young E. , Sessions A. L. , Grotzinger J. P.
Published: April 2017

The Athel silicilyte is an enigmatic, hundreds of meters thick, finely laminated quartz deposit, in which silica precipitated in deep water (>~100–200 m) at the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary in the South Oman Salt Basin. In contrast, Meso‐Neoproterozoic sinks for marine silica were dominantly restricted to peritidal settings. The silicilyte is known to contain sterane biomarkers for demosponges, which today are benthic, obligately aerobic organisms. However, the basin has previously been described as permanently sulfidic and time‐equivalent shallow‐water carbonate platform and evaporitic facies lack silica. The Athel silicilyte thus represents a unique and poorly understood depositional system with implications for late Ediacaran marine chemistry and paleoecology. To address these issues, we made petrographic observations, analyzed biomarkers in the solvent‐extractable bitumen, and measured whole‐rock iron speciation and oxygen and silicon isotopes. These data indicate that the silicilyte is a distinct rock type both in its sedimentology and geochemistry and in the original biology present as compared to other facies from the same time period in Oman. The depositional environment of the silicilyte, as compared to the bounding shales, appears to have been more reducing at depth in sediments and possibly bottom waters with a significantly different biological community contributing to the preserved biomarkers. We propose a conceptual model for this system in which deeper, nutrient‐rich waters mixed with surface seawater via episodic mixing, which stimulated primary production. The silica nucleated on this organic matter and then sank to the seafloor, forming the silicilyte in a sediment‐starved system. We propose that the silicilyte may represent a type of environment that existed elsewhere during the Neoproterozoic. These environments may have represented an important locus for silica removal from the oceans.
Circumpolar dynamics of a marine top‐predator track ocean warming rates
Authors: Descamps Sébastien , Anker‐Nilssen Tycho , Barrett Robert T. , Irons David B. , Merkel Flemming , Robertson Gregory J. , Yoccoz Nigel G. , Mallory Mark L. , Montevecchi William A. , Boertmann David , Artukhin Yuri , Christensen‐Dalsgaard Signe , Erikstad Kjell‐Einar , Gilchrist H. Grant , Labansen Aili L. , Lorentsen Svein‐Håkon , Mosbech Anders , Olsen Bergur , Petersen Aevar , Rail Jean‐Francois , Renner Heather M. , Strøm Hallvard , Systad Geir H. , Wilhelm Sabina I. , Zelenskaya Larisa
Published: April 2017

Global warming is a nonlinear process, and temperature may increase in a stepwise manner. Periods of abrupt warming can trigger persistent changes in the state of ecosystems, also called regime shifts. The responses of organisms to abrupt warming and associated regime shifts can be unlike responses to periods of slow or moderate change. Understanding of nonlinearity in the biological responses to climate warming is needed to assess the consequences of ongoing climate change. Here, we demonstrate that the population dynamics of a long‐lived, wide‐ranging marine predator are associated with changes in the rate of ocean warming. Data from 556 colonies of black‐legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla distributed throughout its breeding range revealed that an abrupt warming of sea‐surface temperature in the 1990s coincided with steep kittiwake population decline. Periods of moderate warming in sea temperatures did not seem to affect kittiwake dynamics. The rapid warming observed in the 1990s may have driven large‐scale, circumpolar marine ecosystem shifts that strongly affected kittiwakes through bottom‐up effects. Our study sheds light on the nonlinear response of a circumpolar seabird to large‐scale changes in oceanographic conditions and indicates that marine top predators may be more sensitive to the rate of ocean warming rather than to warming itself.
Natural colorant enrichment of apple tissue with black carrot concentrate using vacuum impregnation
Authors: Yılmaz Fatih Mehmet , Ersus Bilek Seda
Published: April 2017

Coloured apple discs containing black carrot concentrate (BCC), calcium lactate and lactic acid were formulated and produced as a new functional fresh fruit product using vacuum impregnation. Sensory test was conducted to select the most preferred impregnation formulation containing an addition of 0.0%, 0.4%, 0.8% and 1.2% BCC, 1.5%, 3.0% and 4.5% calcium lactate and 2.0%, 3.0% and 4.0% lactic acid. Results indicated that the formulation with the addition of 3% Ca‐lactate, 3% lactic acid and 0.8% BCC within 0.2 m mannitol solution was significantly preferred. The optimum vacuum pressure (211 mm Hg), vacuum time (3 min) and restoration time (20 min) according to highest colorant transfer, while the minimum cellular disruption occurs were estimated using response surface methodology. The use of Ca‐lactate and BCC contributed the treated apple to resemble untreated apple properties in terms of texture, total phenolic, total flavonoid contents and antioxidant capacity.
Child protection in China: Changing policies and reactions from the field of social work
Authors: Zhao Fang , Hämäläinen Juha Erkki Antero , Chen Honglin L.
Published: April 2017

This article offers a general review of the development of national policies on child protection in China. It offers an in‐depth analysis of related legislation enacted between 2010 and 2015 that have had an impact on child protection and related historical, cultural and legal issues. Furthermore, in the study we examined the emerging role of social work in preventing and responding to child abuse and neglect in China. Major findings of the research include: (i) policies concerning child protection have been highly influenced by Confucianism and its perspective of the child as family property; (ii) child protection regulations on accident reporting, custody transfer, and surrogate care are gradually being refined and improved, although the legal system for child protection is still incomplete and needs further substantiation; and (iii) the involvement of non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) and social workers has enhanced the child protection system.

Key Practitioner Message: • Policies concerning child protection have been subject to an immense impact by Confucianism, placing strong responsibility on family members in providing childcare although the child is viewed as part of the family's property; • After 1949, the newly founded socialist political structure began to exert a significant influence on welfare and child welfare policies. Because the Confucian perspective emphasised family and parental responsibility, government in China has traditionally not been heavily involved in policies that interfere in the internal workings of families; • Since the shift toward an open‐door policy in 1979, child protection policies in China have begun to develop, with a child welfare network gradually spreading to cover the majority of children. Moreover, child protection is generally supported by the legal system, within which regulations on accident reporting, custody transfer and surrogate care are gradually being refined and improved. However, despite the huge progress achieved in recent years, there are significant deficits in its implementation and monitoring; • The involvement of non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) and professional social work services has promoted a child protection system.
Psychometric study of the pain drawing
Authors: Trahan Lisa H. , Cox‐Martin Emily , Johnson Carrie E. , Dougherty Patrick M. , Yu Jun , Feng Lei , Cook Christina , Novy Diane M.
Published: April 2017

The objectives of the study were to (1) assess the extent to which interrater reliability of pain drawing location and dispersion scoring methods are similar across pain disciplines in a sample of patients with cancer treatment‐induced neuropathic pain (N = 56); and (2) investigate indicators of validity of the pain drawing in this unique sample. Patients undergoing cancer therapy completed the Brief Pain Inventory Body Map, the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory, and the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Intraclass correlation coefficients among medical and psychology professionals ranged from .93 to 99. Correlations between pain drawing score and symptom burden severity ranged from .29 to 39; correlations between pain drawing score and symptom burden interference ranged from .28 to 34. Patients who endorsed pain in the hands and feet more often described their pain as electric, numb, and shooting than patients without pain in the hands and feet. They also endorsed significantly more descriptors of neuropathic pain. Results suggest a similar understanding among members of a multidisciplinary pain team as to the location and dispersion of pain as represented by patients’ pain drawings. In addition, pain drawing scores were related to symptom burden severity and interference and descriptors of neuropathic pain in expected ways.
Can additional N fertiliser ameliorate the elevated CO2‐induced depression in grain and tissue N concentrations of wheat on a high soil N background?
Authors: Tausz M. , Norton R. M. , Tausz‐Posch S. , Löw M. , Seneweera S. , O'Leary G. , Armstrong R. , Fitzgerald G. J.
Published: April 2017

Elevated CO2 stimulates crop yields but leads to lower tissue and grain nitrogen concentrations [N], raising concerns about grain quality in cereals. To test whether N fertiliser application above optimum growth requirements can alleviate the decline in tissue [N], wheat was grown in a Free Air CO2 Enrichment facility in a low‐rainfall cropping system on high soil N. Crops were grown with and without addition of 50–60 kg N/ha in 12 growing environments created by supplemental irrigation and two sowing dates over 3 years. Elevated CO2 increased yield and biomass (on average by 25%) and decreased biomass [N] (3%–9%) and grain [N] (5%). Nitrogen uptake was greater (20%) in crops grown under elevated CO2. Additional N supply had no effect on yield and biomass, confirming high soil N. Small increases in [N] with N addition were insufficient to offset declines in grain [N] under elevated CO2. Instead, N application increased the [N] in straw and decreased N harvest index. The results suggest that conventional addition of N does not mitigate grain [N] depression under elevated CO2, and lend support to hypotheses that link decreases in crop [N] with biochemical limitations rather than N supply.
Incremental theories of weight and healthy eating behavior
Authors: Ehrlinger Joyce , Burnette Jeni L. , Park Jina , Harrold Mycah L. , Orvidas Kasey
Published: April 2017

We examined whether a belief in weight as malleable (an incremental theory) leads to healthier eating than a belief that weight is fixed (an entity theory). Participants with incremental theories of weight consumed fewer calories from high‐calorie foods in a lab‐based taste‐test than did those with more entity theories of weight. This pattern held correlationally, with naturally occurring theories of weight (Study 1), and when we experimentally manipulated participants’ theories of weight (Study 2). A third study provided evidence that differences in self‐efficacy regarding food mediate the relationship between theories of weight and eating behavior (Study 3). One way to encourage healthy eating might be to develop interventions that encourage more incremental views of weight.
Corporate social responsibility and firm financial risk reduction: On the moderating role of the legal environment
Authors: Benlemlih Mohammed , Girerd‐Potin Isabelle
Published: April 2017

Approaching the institutional environment through its regulative component, we distinguish between shareholder‐oriented and stakeholder‐oriented countries. Identifying first this classification with the distinction between common law versus civil law countries and using a large sample of 5,716 firm‐year observations that represents 1,169 individual firms in 25 countries between 2001 and 2011, we show that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) significantly reduces firms’ idiosyncratic risk in civil law countries but not in common law countries. Using then a more direct classification based on shareholder and employee protection scores, our findings suggest that CSR negatively affects firms’ idiosyncratic and systematic risks only in less shareholder‐oriented and more stakeholder‐oriented countries, respectively. These findings are similar in the different components of CSR with two notable exceptions: a high score in corporate governance reduces firm risk only in common law countries, and community involvement increases idiosyncratic risk in more shareholder‐oriented and less stakeholder‐oriented countries, respectively. Taken together, our results strongly support the view that the relationship between CSR and financial risk is moderated by the institutional context of the firm.
The role of unaffiliated bankers on conditional conservatism: Evidence from IFRS information shock
Authors: Bonetti Pietro , Ipino Elisabetta , Parbonetti Antonio
Published: April 2017

We exploit IFRS mandatory adoption as a source of variation in the demand for conditional conservatism to examine the role of unaffiliated bankers on the level of conditional conservatism. We show that firms with unaffiliated bankers on boards of directors experience a significant increase in the level of conditional conservatism compared with firms without unaffiliated bankers on boards. These findings hold after we account for other country‐level factors that shape the demand for conditional conservatism. Additional analyses show that the role of unaffiliated bankers on conditional conservatism depends also on firm‐specific incentives arising from the contracting environment. Taken together, our findings provide new insights into the role of corporate governance arrangements on financial reporting outcomes.
Do analysts who understand accounting conservatism exhibit better forecasting performance?
Authors: Jung Jay Heon , Lim Sonya S. , Pae Jinhan , Yoo Choong‐Yuel
Published: April 2017

This study investigates the performance of analysts when they match the asymmetric timeliness of their earnings forecast revisions (i.e., asymmetric forecast timeliness) with the asymmetric timeliness of firms’ reported earnings (i.e., asymmetric earnings timeliness). We find that better timeliness‐matching analysts produce more accurate earnings forecasts and elicit stronger market reactions to their forecast revisions. Further, better timeliness‐matching analysts issue less biased earnings forecasts, more profitable stock recommendations and have more favorable career outcomes. Overall, our results indicate that analysts’ ability to incorporate conditional conservatism into their earnings forecasts is an important reflection of analyst expertise and professional success.
Identification and electrophysiological characterization of early left atrial structural remodeling as a predictor for atrial fibrillation recurrence after pulmonary vein isolation
Authors: Yagishita Atsuhiko , Sparano Dina , Cakulev Ivan , Gimbel J. Rod , Phelan Timothy , Mustafa Hossam , De Oliveira Samer , Mackall Judith , Arruda Mauricio
Published: April 2017

Background

Voltage‐guided substrate ablation following pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) improves atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation outcomes. However, by setting an upper voltage cutoff of 0.5 mV during sinus rhythm (SR) to guided substrate ablation using electroanatomic voltage mapping (EAVM), mildly affected low‐voltage area (maLVA) may be undetected. We sought to determine the optimal bipolar voltage cutoff to identify maLVA, its electrogram complexity, and the implication on ablation outcome.

Methods and results

Left atrial (LA) EAVMs were obtained in patients without AF and structural heart disease (control) to devise a voltage cutoff to identify maLVA. Subsequently, we investigated 100 patients without low‐voltage area (LVA) of < 0.5 mV who underwent PVI alone. In our 6 control cohorts, 95% of LA regional bipolar voltage was > 1.17 mV. maLVA, defined as <1.1 mV, was present in 43% of AF patients, associated with higher prevalence of abnormal electrograms (44.1% vs. 4.4%, P < 0.001). During a median of 2.4 years, patients with maLVA had higher recurrence rate (Log‐rank P < 0.001), and maLVA was an independent predictor for recurrence in a multivariate analysis (hazard ratio [HR] 3.944; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.292–12.042; P = 0.016).

Conclusions

A control‐derived LA voltage cutoff of <1.1 mV for EAVM in SR reveals maLVA, harboring abnormal electrograms, as an independent predictor for recurrences after PVI alone in patients without LVA (< 0.5 mV). Adjunctive maLVA‐guided substrate ablation targeting mildly remodeled and potentially arrhythmogenic LA substrate may further improve the long‐term outcome of AF ablation.
Gestational diabetes mellitus and first trimester pregnancy‐associated plasma protein A: A case–control study in a Chinese population
Authors: Xiao Di , Chenhong Wang , Yanbin Xu , Lu Zhou
Published: April 2017

Aims/Introduction

To investigate the relationship between pregnancy‐associated plasma protein A (PAPP‐A) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and to determine whether PAPP‐A has improved value for predicting GDM in a Chinese population.

Materials and Methods

Clinical data for 599 GDM patients and 986 unaffected pregnant women undergoing both antenatal examinations and delivery were retrospectively analyzed. First‐trimester serum PAPP‐A levels were compared between the groups. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to explore the risk factors for GDM, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to determine the value of PAPP‐A for predicting GDM.

Results

GDM‐affected and unaffected pregnant women were significantly different in terms of age (P < 0.001), BMI (P < 0.001), family history of diabetes (P = 0.002), α‐thalassemia trait (P < 0.01), parity (P < 0.001), conception methods (P < 0.001), gestational weeks at the time of labor (P < 0.001) and corrected PAPP‐A multiples of the median values (P < 0.001). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that PAPP‐A levels were negatively related to the subsequent development of GDM (odds ratio 0.798, 95% confidence interval 0.647–0.984). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for maternal factors was 0.684 (95% CI: 0.657–0.711), and did not significantly differ from that for the combination of maternal factors and serum PAPP‐A levels, which was 0.686 (95% CI: 0.660–0.713; χ2 = 0.625, P = 0.429).

Conclusions

Serum PAPP‐A was an independent factor for the development of GDM in pregnant Chinese women. Serum‐PAPP‐A does not have improved value with respect to predicting GDM when combined with other maternal factors.
Does increased heat resistance result in higher susceptibility to predation? A test using Drosophila melanogaster selection and hardening
Authors: Hangartner S. , Dworkin I. , DeNieu M. , Hoffmann A. A.
Published: April 2017

Heat resistance of ectotherms can be increased both by plasticity and evolution, but these effects may have trade‐offs resulting from biotic interactions. Here, we test for predation costs in Drosophila melanogaster populations with altered heat resistance produced by adult hardening and directional selection for increased heat resistance. In addition, we also tested for genetic trade‐offs by testing heat resistance in lines that have evolved under increased predation risk. We show that while 35/37 °C hardening increases heat resistance as expected, it does not increase predation risk from jumping spiders or mantids; in fact, there was an indication that survival may have increased under predation following a triple 37 °C compared to a single 35 °C hardening treatment. Flies that survived a 39 °C selection cycle showed lower survival under predation, suggesting a predation cost of exposure to a more severe heat stress. There was, however, no correlated response to selection because survival did not differ between control and selected lines after selection was relaxed for one or two generations. In addition, lines selected for increased predation risk did not differ in heat resistance. Our findings suggest independent evolutionary responses to predation and heat as measured in laboratory assays, and no costs of heat hardening on susceptibility to predation.
Morphological constraints on changing avian migration phenology
Authors: Møller A. P. , Rubolini D. , Saino N.
Published: April 2017

Many organisms at northern latitudes have responded to climate warming by advancing their spring phenology. Birds are known to show earlier timing of spring migration and reproduction in response to warmer springs. However, species show heterogeneous phenological responses to climate warming, with those that have not advanced or have delayed migration phenology experiencing population declines. Although some traits (such as migration distance) partly explain heterogeneity in phenological responses, the factors affecting interspecies differences in the responsiveness to climate warming have yet to be fully explored. In this comparative study, we investigate whether variation in wing aspect ratio (reflecting relative wing narrowness), an ecomorphological trait that is strongly associated with flight efficiency and migratory behaviour, affects the ability to advance timing of spring migration during 1960–2006 in a set of 80 European migratory bird species. Species with larger aspect ratio (longer and narrower wings) showed smaller advancement of timing of spring migration compared to species with smaller aspect ratio (shorter and wider wings) while controlling for phylogeny, migration distance and other life‐history traits. In turn, migration distance positively predicted aspect ratio across species. Hence, species that are better adapted to migration appear to be more constrained in responding phenologically to rapid climate warming by advancing timing of spring migration. Our findings corroborate the idea that aspect ratio is a major evolutionary correlate of migration, and suggest that selection for energetically efficient flights, as reflected by high aspect ratio, may hinder phenotypically plastic/microevolutionary adjustments of migration phenology to ongoing climatic changes.
Identification of suitable reference genes for quantitative real‐time PCR normalization in blotched snakehead Channa maculata
Authors: Mao H. , Chen K. , Zhu X. , Luo Q. , Zhao J. , Li W. , Wu X. , Xu H.
Published: April 2017

A systematic study was conducted to identify reliable reference genes for normalization of gene expression analysis in the blotched snakehead Channa maculata under normal physiological conditions. Firstly, the partial complementary (c)DNA of nine candidate reference genes (actb, tmem104, ube2l3, ef1α, churc1, tmem256, rpl13a, sep15 and g6pd) were cloned from C. maculata. The expression levels of these genes were then assessed in embryos of different developmental stages and various tissue types of adult fish using quantitative real‐time (qrt‐)PCR. RefFinder algorithm was used to evaluate the expression stability of these genes based on their cycle‐threshold (Ct) values in the qrt‐PCR analysis. Results showed that there was no single best reference gene for all stages of embryos and adult tissues tested. Furthermore, it was found that, among the nine candidate genes tested, actb and tmem104 were the most stable reference genes across adult tissue types, while sep15 and tmem256 were the most stable ones across developmental stages of embryos. These stable reference genes are recommended for normalization of gene expression analysis in C. maculata.
First record of Cynoscion regalis (Pisces, Sciaenidae) in Portuguese continental waters
Authors: Gomes P. , Vieira A. R. , Oliveira R. , Silva H. , Martins R. , Carneiro M.
Published: April 2017

The occurrence of Cynoscion regalis in Portuguese continental waters is reported for the first time, with six specimens collected in 2015 from three areas: Tagus Estuary, Sado Estuary and Praia da Vieira (central‐west coast). Analyses of morphometric and meristic characteristics confirmed all six specimens as C. regalis; further validation was obtained by sequencing a 675 bp region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I gene. These records constitute a range extension of C. regalis into the southern north‐east Atlantic Ocean.
Investigating the factors that affect the communication of death‐related bad news to people with intellectual disabilities by staff in residential and supported living services: An interview study
Authors: Tuffrey‐Wijne I. , Rose T.
Published: April 2017

Background

Most staff working in intellectual disability services will be confronted with people with intellectual disabilities who need support around death, dying and bereavement. Previous studies suggest that intellectual disability staff tend to protect clients from knowing about death and avoid communication about death. The aims of this study were to gain further insight into the individual, organisational and contextual factors that affect the communication of death‐related bad news to people with intellectual disabilities by intellectual disability staff and to develop guidelines for services to enable appropriate communication with clients about death and dying.

Method

Semi‐structured interviews were held with 20 social care staff working in intellectual disability residential or supported living services in London, who had supported a client affected by death‐related bad news in the past 6 months.

Results

Staff found supporting people with intellectual disabilities around death and dying extremely difficult and tended to avoid communication about death. The following factors had a particularly strong influence on staff practice around communicating death‐related bad news: fear and distress around death; life and work experience; and organisational culture. Staff attitudes to death communication had a stronger influence than their client's level of cognitive or communicative abilities. Managers were important role models.

Conclusions

Service managers should ensure not only that all their staff receive training in death, loss and communication but also that staff are enabled to reflect on their practice, through emotional support, supervision and team discussions. Future work should focus on the development and testing of strategies to enable intellectual disability staff to support their clients in the areas of dying, death and bereavement.
Barriers to and Facilitators of South Asian Indian‐Americans’ Engagement in Advanced Care Planning Behaviors
Authors: Radhakrishnan Kavita , Saxena Shubhada , Jillapalli Regina , Jang Yuri , Kim Miyong
Published: April 2017

Purpose

To identify barriers to and facilitators of older South Asian Indian‐Americans’ (SAIAs’) engagement in behaviors associated with advance care planning (ACP).

Methods

Using a descriptive qualitative design guided by the transcultural nursing assessment model, data were collected in focus groups of community‐dwelling older SAIA participants, SAIA family caregivers, and SAIA physicians. A directed approach using predetermined coding categories derived from the Transcultural Nursing Assessment model and aided by NVivo 10 software (Melbourne, Australia) facilitated the qualitative data analysis.

Results

Eleven focus groups with 36 older SAIAs (61% female, 83% 70+ years old), 10 SAIA family caregivers, and 4 SAIA physicians indicated prior lack of awareness of ACP, good health status, lack of access to linguistically and health literacy–tailored materials, healthcare provider hesitation to initiate discussions on ACP, trust in healthcare providers’ or oldest sons' decision making, busy family caregiver work routines, and cultural assumptions about filial piety and after‐death rituals as major barriers to engaging in ACP. Introducing ACP using personal anecdotes in a neutral, group‐based community setting and incentivizing ACP discussions by including long‐term care planning were suggested as facilitators to engage in ACP.

Clinical Relevance

The study's findings will guide development of culturally sensitive interventions to raise awareness about ACP among SAIAs and encourage SAIA older adults to engage in ACP.
Who's the Boss at the Top? A Micro‐Level Analysis of Director Expertise, Status and Conformity Within Boards
Authors: Veltrop Dennis B. , Molleman Eric , Hooghiemstra Reggy B. H. , van Ees Hans
Published: April 2017

In this paper we address how director expertise impacts a director's social status and conformity within the board. Our results, derived from two unique multi‐source datasets of peer ratings on director status and conformity of non‐executive directors from Dutch organizations, indicate that industry‐specific expertise and financial expertise differently impact directors’ social status and influence within the board. We find that directors’ individual performance orientation – the motivation to demonstrate expertise – acts as an important contingency for expertise to increase directors’ status within the board. Additional analyses using archival data and interviews with non‐executive directors substantiate our findings and provide additional insight into the dynamics operating within boards. This study extends existing research on boards of directors and provides unique micro‐level insights into the boardroom dynamics that connect director expertise to director status and conformity within boards.
Cognitive‐Adaptive Trait Theory: A Shift in Perspective on Personality
Authors: Matthews Gerald
Published: April 2017

Traditional, biologically based trait theories have deservedly gained broad acceptance, but some long‐standing core issues of personality research remain unresolved. Recent research questions whether (a) there can be a single universal structural model of personality superfactors, (b) current theory adequately specifies the processes that mediate behavioral and emotional expressions of traits, and (c) brain‐based accounts of traits adequately explain their role in real‐world functioning and adaptation. This article reviews the perspective on these issues provided by cognitive‐adaptive trait theory. This theory rejects the view that personality dimensions directly reflect brain systems. Instead, traits correspond to variation in strategies for managing key adaptive challenges. Thus, each trait is expressed in environments that pose those challenges, and each trait corresponds to skills and self‐knowledge that facilitate adaptation to those environments. The cognitive‐adaptive theory affords novel perspectives on trait psychometrics, theoretical accounts of mediating processes, and real‐world adaptation.
Anglo‐Dutch translations of medical and scientific texts
Authors: Fransen Sietske
Published: April 2017

In the seventeenth century the use of vernacular languages became more and more accepted in scientific publications and communications, and began to supplement the traditional language in this field, namely: Latin. The increase in the number of languages used in science and medicine was accompanied by a heightened need for translators. The close relationship between England and the Low Countries in the seventeenth century has led to a focus in the existing research on political and religious issues, and this has been reflected in the study of translations between English and Dutch. Yet one also finds in the fields of medicine and science an exchange of ideas through translation. The language skills of both Dutch and English men and women were often not sufficient to understand each other's language, which means that translations were vital. By considering the examples of how Thomas Browne'sReligio mediciwas translated into Dutch, and how letters by Antoni van Leeuwenhoek and a publication by Jan Baptista van Helmont were translated into English, this essay examines the exchange of scientific and medical ideas across the Channel.
Female Involvement, Membership, and Centrality: A Social Network Analysis of the Hartlib Circle
Authors: Bourke Evan
Published: April 2017

This article builds upon the pioneering work of Carol Pal, Lynette Hunter, Ruth Connolly and Michelle DiMeo by carrying out an extensive social network analysis of the Hartlib Papers. By adapting the methodology recently developed by Ruth Ahnert and Sebastian E. Ahnert to analyse Protestant letter networks memorialised in Foxe'sActs and Monuments, this article uses digital and visual tools to assess the importance of female involvement in the Hartlib Circle. It examines how integral female members were to the information flow of this network and the degree to which their positions in the network granted them influence over other members. Through this computational approach, this article also challenges the view that at its core the Hartlib Circle was made up of a group of male friends, arguing that Dorothy Moore Dury and Katherine Jones, Viscountess Ranelagh need to be recognised as integral elements of this network's core.
Devotional Culture and Intellectual Community in the English Convents in Exile
Authors: Lay Jenna
Published: April 2017

Throughout the 17th century, English convents located in France, Portugal, and the Low Countries offered Catholic women an alternative to England's religious settlement. These exilic communities enabled multiple forms of exchange, grounded in the devotional cultures that flourished within specific religious orders, including Mary Ward's unenclosed order modeled on the Jesuits; new foundations of Benedictine, Augustinian, and Poor Clare convents, among others; and the continuous community of Syon Abbey, forced into exile at the dissolution. In the last decade, editorial projects and data collection have begun to reveal the richness and variety of surviving textual materials, and recent scholarly work has built upon these recovery efforts to demonstrate the significance of the convents in exile to the national and religious identity of English Catholics, Civil War and Interregnum politics, and the development of canonical literary history.
Transient elastography alone and in combination with FibroTest® for the diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis in alcoholic liver disease
Authors: Voican Cosmin Sebastian , Louvet Alexandre , Trabut Jean‐Baptiste , Njiké‐Nakseu Micheline , Dharancy Sébastien , Sanchez Andrea , Corouge Marion , Lamouri Karima , Lebrun Amandine , Balian Axel , Prévot Sophie , Lachgar Mounia , Maitre Sophie , Agostini Hélène , Mathurin Philippe , Perlemuter Gabriel , Naveau Sylvie
Published: April 2017

Background & Aims

The reliability of transient elastography (TE) to assess liver fibrosis is insufficiently validated in alcoholic liver disease (ALD). We aimed to validate the diagnostic utility of TE for liver fibrosis in patients with excessive alcohol consumption and evaluate whether Fibrotest® adds diagnostic value relative to or in combination with TE.

Methods

We conducted a multicentre prospective study on a total of 217 heavy drinkers with high serum aminotransferase levels. Patients underwent liver biopsy, TE, Fibrotest®, PGAA, APRI, FIB‐4 and FORNS. The overall diagnostic performance was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves and Obuchowski measures.

Results

TE values correlated with fibrosis stage (r=.73; P<.0001) and steatosis stage (r=.19; P<.01). Patients with alcoholic hepatitis had higher TE values than those without alcoholic hepatitis (P<.0001). In an multivariate analysis, fibrosis stage and the presence of alcoholic hepatitis were the only parameters that correlated with liver stiffness. For the diagnosis of advanced fibrosis (F≥3), the AUROC curves were 0.90, 0.85, 0.83, 0.91 and 0.90 for TE, Fibrotest®, PGAA and associations TE‐Fibrotest®, TE‐PGAA respectively. For the diagnosis of cirrhosis, the AUROC curves were 0.93, 0.88, 0.89, 0.94 and 0.95 respectively. The Obuchowski measures for the diagnosis of fibrosis were 0.94, 0.92, 0.91, 0.95 and 0.94 respectively. The performance of TE was not significantly different than those of Fibrotest®, PGAA and combinations TE‐Fibrotest®, TE‐PGAA.

Conclusions

TE has excellent diagnostic value for liver fibrosis in alcoholic liver disease. The combined use of TE‐Fibrotest® or TE‐PGAA does not improve the performance of TE.
Sulfur restriction extends fission yeast chronological lifespan through Ecl1 family genes by downregulation of ribosome
Authors: Ohtsuka Hokuto , Takinami Masahiro , Shimasaki Takafumi , Hibi Takahide , Murakami Hiroshi , Aiba Hirofumi
Published: April 2017

Nutritional restrictions such as calorie restrictions are known to increase the lifespan of various organisms. Here, we found that a restriction of sulfur extended the chronological lifespan (CLS) of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The restriction decreased cellular size, RNA content, and ribosomal proteins and increased sporulation rate. These responses depended on Ecl1 family genes, the overexpression of which results in the extension of CLS. We also showed that the Zip1 transcription factor results in the sulfur restriction‐dependent expression of the ecl1+ gene. We demonstrated that a decrease in ribosomal activity results in the extension of CLS. Based on these observations, we propose that sulfur restriction extends CLS through Ecl1 family genes in a ribosomal activity‐dependent manner.
The Streptomyces O‐B one connection: a force within layered repression of a key developmental decision
Authors: Flärdh Klas , McCormick Joseph R.
Published: April 2017

The study of Streptomyces development has made significant advances in the past few years and ongoing work is poised to add even more. One key to advancing the field has been the application of genome‐wide approaches using Streptomyces venezuelae, which is capable of fairly synchronous sporulation in submerged growth conditions. WhiA and WhiB are well‐known transcriptional regulators governing the pathway for spore formation in aerial hyphae. Recent ChIP‐seq and RNA expression analyses indicated that WhiA and WhiB regulate the same set of genes, each being dependent on the presence of the other to exert control. Functional WhiAB is believed to form when developmental accumulation of WhiB joins constitutive accumulation of WhiA, suggesting that an important developmental decision is the control of WhiB accumulation. Now, a new WhiAB‐controlled gene called bldO has been described and characterized. Strikingly, BldO has one target for repression in the entire genome, whiB. BldO now joins pleiotropic repressor BldD to exert a multi‐layer control of the temporal and spatial activity of WhiB. BldD activity is controlled by c‐di‐GMP concentration and BldO potentially responds to an unknown signal. Together BldO and BldD repress developmental genes from being expressed until the appropriate time.
Genome‐wide functional characterization of putative peroxidases in the head blight fungus Fusarium graminearum
Authors: Lee Yoonji , Son Hokyoung , Shin Ji Young , Choi Gyung Ja , Lee Yin‐Won
Published: April 2017

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are associated with various developmental processes and host–pathogen interactions in pathogenic fungi. Peroxidases are a group of ROS‐detoxifying enzymes that are involved in the oxidative stress response and in a variety of physiological processes. In this study, we performed a genome‐wide functional characterization of putative peroxidase genes in Fusarium graminearum, a head blight pathogen of cereal crops. We identified 31 putative peroxidase genes and generated deletion mutants for these genes. Twenty‐six of the deletion mutants showed developmental phenotypes indistinguishable from that of the wild‐type, and five deletion mutants exhibited phenotypic changes in at least one phenotypic category. Four deletion mutants, fca6, fca7, fpx1 and fpx15, showed increased sensitivity to extracellular H2O2. Deletion mutants of FCA7 also exhibited reduced virulence and increased trichothecene production compared with those of the wild‐type strain, suggesting that Fca7 may play an important role in the host–pathogen interaction in F. graminearum. To identify the transcription factors (TFs) regulating FCA6, FCA7, FPX1 and FPX15 in response to oxidative stress, we screened an F. graminearum TF mutant library for growth in the presence of H2O2 and found that multiple TFs co‐regulated the expression of FCA7 under oxidative stress conditions. These results demonstrate that a complex network of transcriptional regulators of antioxidant genes is involved in oxidative stress responses in this fungus. Moreover, our study provides insights into the roles of peroxidases in developmental processes and host–pathogen interactions in plant‐pathogenic fungi.
The 50 distal amino acids of the 2AHP homing protein of Grapevine fanleaf virus elicit a hypersensitive reaction on Nicotiana occidentalis
Authors: Martin Isabelle R. , Vigne Emmanuelle , Berthold François , Komar Véronique , Lemaire Olivier , Fuchs Marc , Schmitt‐Keichinger Corinne
Published: April 2017

Avirulence factors are critical for the arm's race between a virus and its host in determining incompatible reactions. The response of plants to viruses from the genus Nepovirus in the family Secoviridae, including Grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV), is well characterized, although the nature and characteristics of the viral avirulence factor remain elusive. By using infectious clones of GFLV strains F13 and GHu in a reverse genetics approach with wild‐type, assortant and chimeric viruses, the determinant of necrotic lesions caused by GFLV‐F13 on inoculated leaves of Nicotiana occidentalis was mapped to the RNA2‐encoded protein 2AHP, particularly to its 50 C‐terminal amino acids. The necrotic response showed hallmark characteristics of a genuine hypersensitive reaction, such as the accumulation of phytoalexins, reactive oxygen species, pathogenesis‐related protein 1c and hypersensitivity‐related (hsr) 203J transcripts. Transient expression of the GFLV‐F13 protein 2AHP fused to an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) tag in N. occidentalis by agroinfiltration was sufficient to elicit a hypersensitive reaction. In addition, the GFLV‐F13 avirulence factor, when introduced in GFLV‐GHu, which causes a compatible reaction on N. occidentalis, elicited necrosis and partially restricted the virus. This is the first identification of a nepovirus avirulence factor that is responsible for a hypersensitive reaction in both the context of virus infection and transient expression.
Severe demyelination in a patient with a late infantile form of Niemann‐Pick disease type C
Authors: Kodachi Tsuyoshi , Matsumoto Shizuko , Mizuguchi Masashi , Osaka Hitoshi , Kanai Nobuyuki , Nanba Eiji , Ohno Kousaku , Yamagata Takanori
Published: April 2017

Niemann‐Pick disease type C (NPC) is a cholesterol storage disease caused by defective cellular cholesterol transportation. The onset and progression of NPC are variable, and autopsy findings have mainly been reported for the adult and juvenile forms of this disease. Here we report the clinical and pathological findings from a 9‐year‐old female patient with the late infantile form of NPC due to NPC1 gene mutation. She had notable splenomegaly at 4 months of age. She lost the ability to speak at 18 months of age. She learned to walk, but often fell and could no longer walk after 30 months. At 3 years of age, she was diagnosed with NPC. Sequence analysis of the NPC1 gene revealed compound heterozygous mutation of T2108C (F703S) and C2348G (S813X) (both novel). Thereafter, the patient suffered repeated respiratory infections and died of respiratory failure at 9 years of age. Pathological findings included cerebral atrophy (particularly of white matter), severe demyelination, and the loss of neurons from the cerebrum and from the nuclei of the brain stem. Remnant neuronal cells and microglia in the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brain stem had become swollen and foamy. Neurons of the hippocampal CA1 and Purkinje cells were relatively spared, and senile plaques and axonal spheroids were not present. Foamy cells were also observed in other organs, especially the spleen and bone marrow. The F703S mutation in this patient was localized in a sterol‐sensing domain (SSD). Severe neurological phenotypes have been previously reported in patients with missense mutations in an SSD. It is considered that the combination of a nonsense mutation and missense mutation in an SSD was responsible for the severe neurological phenotype of our present patient. While pathological findings of adult/juvenile forms of NPC have included swollen neurons and glia, neuronal cell loss, and NFTs, demyelination may be a predominant finding in the infantile form of NPC.
Calcifying pseudoneoplasm of the neuraxis in direct continuity with a low‐grade glioma: A case report and review of the literature
Authors: Higa Nayuta , Yokoo Hideaki , Hirano Hirofumi , Yonezawa Hajime , Oyoshi Tatsuki , Goto Yuko , Arita Kazunori
Published: April 2017

Calcifying pseudoneoplasms of the neuraxis (CAPNON) are presumed to be a non‐neoplastic reactive pathology, based on the frequent finding of granulomatous inflammation. To our knowledge, there are few reports of CAPNON in association with a neoplasm. Here, we report the case of a 62‐year‐old man presenting with headache, which was caused by CAPNON in the left cingulate gyrus. CT scan revealed a calcified mass exhibiting gradual growth and increasing peritumoral edema. MRI showed an intra‐axial hypointense mass on T1‐ and T2‐weighted images. Development of a peri‐lesional hyperintense lesion on T2‐weighted images suggested local edema or tumoral invasion. Gadolinium‐enhanced T1‐weighted images revealed mild peripheral enhancement of the calcified nodule. L‐methyl‐11C methionine‐positron emission tomography revealed the uptake of tracer in the calcified nodule. The calcified mass and its enveloping brain tissue were removed using a parietal craniotomy. The calcified tissue was surrounded by spindle‐shaped cells positive for GFAP and nestin. The MIB‐1 labeling index of spindle cells was around 10% (i.e. a hot spot). Fourteen months after surgery, gadolinium‐enhanced MRI evidenced growth of a tiny residual lesion. Therefore, this report illustrates a potential case of CAPNON arising from low‐grade glial neoplasm.
The potential of genetic engineering of plants for the remediation of soils contaminated with heavy metals
Authors: Fasani Elisa , Manara Anna , Martini Flavio , Furini Antonella , DalCorso Giovanni
Published: April 2017

The genetic engineering of plants to facilitate the reclamation of soils and waters contaminated with inorganic pollutants is a relatively new and evolving field, benefiting from the heterologous expression of genes that increase the capacity of plants to mobilize, stabilize and/or accumulate metals. The efficiency of phytoremediation relies on the mechanisms underlying metal accumulation and tolerance, such as metal uptake, translocation and detoxification. The transfer of genes involved in any of these processes into fast‐growing, high‐biomass crops may improve their reclamation potential. The successful phytoextraction of metals/metalloids and their accumulation in aerial organs have been achieved by expressing metal ligands or transporters, enzymes involved in sulfur metabolism, enzymes that alter the chemical form or redox state of metals/metalloids and even the components of primary metabolism. This review article considers the potential of genetic engineering as a strategy to improve the phytoremediation capacity of plants in the context of heavy metals and metalloids, using recent case studies to demonstrate the practical application of this approach in the field.