bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Age and growth of albacoreThunnus alalungain the North Pacific Ocean
Authors: Chen K.‐S. , Shimose T. , Tanabe T. , Chen C.‐Y. , Hsu C.‐C.
Published: May 2012

The age and growth of North Pacific albacoreThunnus alalungawere investigated using obliquely sectioned sagittal otoliths from samples of 126 females and 148 males. Otolith edge analysis indicated that the identified annulus in a sagittal otolith is primarily formed during the period from September to February. The assessments of the fish age at first annulus formation indicated that the first annulus represents an age of <1 year. This study presents an age estimate (0·75 years) for the formation of the first annulus. The oldest fish ages observed in this study were 10 years for females and 14 years for males. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters of females estimated wereL∞= 103·5 cm in fork length (LF),K= 0·340 year−1andt0= −0·53 years, and the parameters of males wereL∞= 114·0 cm,K= 0·253 year−1andt0= −1·01 years. Sexual size dimorphism between males and females seemed to occur after reaching sexual maturity. The coefficients of the power function for expressing theLF–mass relationship obtained from sex‐pooled data werea= 2·964 × 10−5andb= 2·928.
German medical students lack knowledge of how to treat smoking and problem drinking
Authors: Strobel Lisa , Schneider Nick K. , Krampe Henning , Beißbarth Tim , Pukrop Tobias , Anders Sven , West Robert , Aveyard Paul , Raupach Tobias
Published: May 2012

Aim  To assess the extent of undergraduate medical training on alcohol use disorders (AUD) and smoking, and medical students' perceived knowledge regarding consequences of, and treatment options for, these disorders compared with other chronic conditions.

Design  Cross‐sectional survey assessing teaching and perceived knowledge of health consequences and treatment options for AUD and smoking compared with diabetes and hypertension.

Setting  Medical schools in Germany.

Participants  Twenty‐five of 36 medical school offices (response rate 69.4%) and 19 526 of 39 358 students from 27 medical schools (response rate 49.6%).

Measurement  Medical schools were asked to provide information on curricular coverage of the four conditions. Students reported their year of study and perceived knowledge about the consequences of all four disorders and perceived knowledge of treatment options.

Findings  Courses time‐tabled approximately half as many teaching hours on AUD and tobacco as on diabetes or hypertension. Final‐year students reported high levels of knowledge of consequences of all four conditions and how to treat diabetes and hypertension, but only 20% believed they knew how to treat alcohol use disorders or smoking.

Conclusions  Curriculum coverage in German medical schools of alcohol use disorders and smoking is half that of diabetes and hypertension, and in the final year of their undergraduate training most students reported inadequate knowledge of how to intervene to address them.
Genome‐wide association studies for hematological traits in swine
Authors: Wang J. Y. , Luo Y. R. , Fu W. X. , Lu X. , Zhou J. P. , Ding X. D. , Liu J. F. , Zhang Q.
Published: May 2012

Improving immune capacity may increase the profitability of animal production if it enables animals to better cope with infections. Hematological traits play pivotal roles in animal immune capacity and disease resistance. Thus far, few studies have been conducted using a high‐density swine SNP chip panel to unravel the genetic mechanism of the immune capability in domestic animals. In this study, using mixed model‐based single‐locus regression analyses, we carried out genome‐wide association studies, using the Porcine SNP60 BeadChip, for immune responses in piglets for 18 hematological traits (seven leukocyte traits, seven erythrocyte traits, and four platelet traits) after being immunized with classical swine fever vaccine. After adjusting for multiple testing based on permutations, 10, 24, and 77 chromosome‐wise significant SNPs were identified for the leukocyte traits, erythrocyte traits, and platelet traits respectively, of which 10 reached genome‐wise significance level. Among the 53 SNPs for mean platelet volume, 29 are located in a linkage disequilibrium block between 32.77 and 40.59 Mb on SSC6. Four genes of interest are located within the block, providing genetic evidence that this genomic segment may be considered a candidate region relevant to the platelet traits. Other candidate genes of interest for red blood cell, hemoglobin, and red blood cell volume distribution width also have been found near the significant SNPs. Our genome‐wide association study provides a list of significant SNPs and candidate genes that offer valuable information for future dissection of molecular mechanisms regulating hematological traits.
Moss species effects on peatland carbon cycling after fire
Authors: Orwin Kate H. , Ostle Nicholas J.
Published: May 2012

1. Peatlands are a significant store of global carbon (C) and may be particularly sensitive to climate change. Understanding the drivers of C cycling in peatlands is therefore important for predicting feedbacks to climate change. One such driver may be the identity of component plant species.

2. Moss species contribute significantly to peatland vegetation, yet we understand comparatively little of their role in short‐term C cycling and whether that role is consistent regardless of environmental context.

3. We examined the impact of three dominant, co‐occurring moss species (Hypnum jutlandicum, Sphagnum capillifolium and Plagiothecium undulatum) on C cycling across a long‐term fire frequency experiment, where plots have been burnt every 10 years, every 20 years or have not been burnt since 1954. We measured species effects on in situ net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and decomposition environments, and moss species litter decomposition rates in a laboratory experiment. The fire experiment also provided an ideal opportunity to test whether moss species effects were consistent regardless of context.

4. Moss‐dominated patches were on average net sources of CO2 over the main growing period, with Sphagnum‐dominated patches showing the lowest NEE. The presence of mosses reduced peat temperature, but this was insufficient to cause differences in the decomposition rate of a standard substrate. Sphagnum and Hypnum litter decomposed more slowly (17 and 16% mass loss, respectively) than Plagiothecium litter (64% mass loss) over a 42‐week incubation period.

5. Fire frequency treatments had few effects on measures of C cycling. Moss effects were generally consistent regardless of fire frequency treatment, but Plagiothecium and Sphagnum litter collected from the no‐fire plots had higher rates of decomposition than litter collected from the plots burnt more frequently.

6. In summary, postfire, both inter‐ and intraspecific differences in mosses had significant effects on short‐term C cycling. Consequently, changes in both moss species composition and variation within species may need to be taken into account to accurately predict C cycling in peatland ecosystems subject to fire.
The many faces of acinic cell carcinomas of the salivary glands: a study of 40 cases relating histological and immunohistological subtypes to clinical parameters and prognosis
Authors: Schwarz Stephan , Zenk Johannes , Müller Maximilian , Ettl Tobias , Wünsch Peter H , Hartmann Arndt , Agaimy Abbas
Published: May 2012

Schwarz S, Zenk J, Müller M, Ettl T, Wünsch P H, Hartmann A & Agaimy A  (2012) Histopathology 61, 395–408

The many faces of acinic cell carcinomas of the salivary glands: a study of 40 cases relating histological and immunohistological subtypes to clinical parameters and prognosis

Aims:  To study the morphological heterogeneity of acinic cell carcinoma (ACC) in correlation with clinicopathological parameters.

Methods and results:  Forty well‐characterized ACCs were classified as solid (n = 20), microcystic (n = 15), papillary‐cystic (n = 4) or follicular (n = 1), based on the dominant architectural growth pattern. Fourteen tumours exhibited eosinophilic/clear cell morphology and 18 tumours were rich in zymogen granules (so‐called blue dot tumours). High‐grade morphology occurred in five tumours. Based on cytokeratin (CK) 7 staining and in analogy to CK7 expression in normal salivary gland epithelia, three distinct histogenetic subtypes were recognized: acinar (CK7‐negative; n = 13), ductular (diffuse CK7‐positive; n = 11) and mixed ductulo‐acinar (10–66% CK7‐positive cells; n = 16). Most papillary‐cystic tumours displayed ductular differentiation (P = 0.015), whereas blue dot tumours never did (P < 0.001). Analysis of relapse‐free survival (RFS) revealed that Stage I tumours had the best prognosis without any relapse in 18 years follow‐up (P = 0.06). High‐grade tumours were associated with shorter RFS (P = 0.028). Concerning the histogenetic types, monophasic (pure acinar or ductular) tumours were associated with a significantly better RFS than mixed ductulo‐acinar tumours (P = 0.008).

Conclusion:  The results underscore the great histological diversity of ACC, and the value of histogenetic subtyping as an additional prognostic factor regarding RFS.
Treatment of a crown‐root fracture with intentional replantation – case report with 16‐year follow‐up
Authors: Moura L. F. A. D. , Lima M. D. M. , Moura M. S. , Carvalho P. V. , Cravinhos J. C. P. , Carvalho C. M. R. S.
Published: May 2012

Aim

To report the intentional replantation of a maxillary central incisor with a crown‐root fracture.

An 11‐year‐old girl was referred to a paediatric clinic with an extensive crown‐root fracture of the maxillary right central incisor (tooth 11) with pulp exposure. Radiographs revealed that tooth 11 had a periapical radiolucent lesion, which suggested pulpal necrosis. The treatment option chosen was planned extraction and immediate intentional replantation of tooth 11 in a more coronal position. Sixteen years after treatment, tooth 11 was aesthetically and functionally sound, suggesting that the treatment was successful.

Key learning point

Intentional replantation may be considered as a treatment option for teeth with crown‐root fractures.
Functional properties of protein hydrolysates from pea (Pisum sativum, L) seeds
Authors: Barac Miroljub , Cabrilo Slavica , Stanojevic Sladjana , Pesic Mirjana , Pavlicevic Milica , Zlatkovic Branislav , Jankovic Miodrag
Published: May 2012

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of partial enzymatic hydrolysis on functional properties of two different pea protein isolates obtained from two pea genotypes, Maja and L1. Papain and commercial protease (Streptomyces griseus protease) were used for protein modification. Solubility, emulsifying and foaming properties were estimated at four different pH values (3.0, 5.0, 7.0 and 8.0). Papain increased solubility of L1 pea protein isolate at pH 3.0, 5.0 and 8.0, emulsifying properties and foaming capacity at all pH values. Otherwise, papain increased solubility of Maja pea protein isolate only at pH 8.0. This pea protein isolate modified with both enzymes formed emulsions with improved stability at lower pH (3.0, 5.0). The commercial protease‐prepared pea protein isolates showed generally low solubility and different emulsifying and foaming properties. Proper selection of enzyme, conditions of hydrolysis and genotypes could result in production of pea protein isolates with desirable functional properties.
Phylogeography of the chestnut‐tailed antbird (Myrmeciza hemimelaena) clarifies the role of rivers in Amazonian biogeography
Authors: Fernandes Alexandre M. , Wink Michael , Aleixo Alexandre
Published: May 2012

Aim  We examined patterns of spatial and temporal diversification of the Amazonian endemic chestnut‐tailed antbird, Mymeciza hemimelaena (Thamnophilidae), to evaluate the diversification of a widespread avian taxon across rivers that potentially represent major natural barriers.

Location  Lowland Amazonia.

Methods  Sequences of the mitochondrial ND2 and cytochrome b genes were investigated from 65 individuals distributed throughout the entire range of M. hemimelaena, and including the two currently valid subspecies M. h. hemimelaena and M. h. pallens. Based on a combination of phylogeographic tools, molecular dating, and population genetic methods, we reconstructed a spatio‐temporal scenario of diversification of M. hemimelaena in the Amazon.

Results  The data revealed three genetically divergent and monophyletic groups in M. hemimelaena, which can also be distinguished by a combination of morphological and vocal characters. Two of these clades correspond to the previously described taxa M. h. hemimelaena and M. h. pallens, which are separated by the upper Madeira River, a main Amazonian tributary. The third clade is distributed between the middle reaches of the Madeira River and the much smaller tributaries Jiparaná and Aripuanã, and, although currently treated as M. h. pallens, clearly constitutes an independent evolutionary lineage probably deserving separate species status. Molecular clock and population genetic analyses indicate that diversification in this group occurred throughout the Pleistocene, with demographic fluctuations assumed for M. h. hemimelaena and M. h. pallens.

Main  conclusions  The findings implicate rivers as barriers driving diversification in the M. hemimelaena complex. Levels of mitochondrial DNA divergence and associated morphological and vocal traits support its division into at least three separate species with comparatively small ranges. The existence of a previously unrecognized lineage in the M. hemimelaena complex, and the high degree of population structuring found in M. h. hemimelaena underscore the pervasiveness of cryptic endemism throughout Amazonia and the importance of DNA‐based taxonomic and phylogeographic studies in providing the accurate estimates of diversity that are essential for conservation planning.
Glutathione serves an extracellular defence function to decrease arsenite accumulation and toxicity in yeast
Authors: Thorsen Michael , Jacobson Therese , Vooijs Riet , Navarrete Clara , Bliek Tijs , Schat Henk , Tamás Markus J.
Published: May 2012

Arsenic is an environmental toxin and a worldwide health hazard. Since this metalloid is ubiquitous in nature, virtually all living organisms require systems for detoxification and tolerance acquisition. Here, we show that during chronic exposure to arsenite [As(III)], Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast) exports and accumulates the low‐molecular‐weight thiol molecule glutathione (GSH) outside of cells. Extracellular accumulation of the arsenite triglutathione complex As(GS)3 was also detected and direct transport assays demonstrate that As(GS)3 does not readily enter cells. Yeast cells with increased extracellular GSH levels accumulate less arsenic and display improved growth when challenged with As(III). Conversely, cells defective in export and extracellular accumulation of GSH are As(III) sensitive. Taken together, our data are consistent with a novel detoxification mechanism in which GSH is exported to protect yeast cells from arsenite toxicity by preventing its uptake.
Role of mature sphingolipids in yeast: new tools
Authors: Conzelmann Andreas
Published: May 2012

Sphingolipids of yeast have been described as being important for numerous cell biological phenomena such as heat resistance, endocytosis, stress resistance and many others. The genetic or pharmacological elimination of specific features or entire classes of sphingolipids has pinpointed specific sphingolipids as pivotal regulators in many processes. The report by Epstein et al. adds two new tools for such studies: a strain being completely resistant to aureobasidin A, a specific inhibitor of inositol phosphorylceramide synthase and a second strain where this synthase is deleted. The resulting phenotypes advocate new roles of complex sphingolipids in cytokinesis, lipid droplet biogenesis and cell survival.
Expression of an apoplast‐localized BURP‐domain protein from soybean (GmRD22) enhances tolerance towards abiotic stress
Authors: WANG HONGMEI , ZHOU LIANG , FU YAPING , CHEUNG MING‐YAN , WONG FUK‐LING , PHANG TSUI‐HUNG , SUN ZONGXIU , LAM HON‐MING
Published: May 2012

The BURP‐domain protein family comprises a diverse group of plant‐specific proteins that share a conserved BURP domain at the C terminus. However, there have been only limited studies on the functions and subcellular localization of these proteins. Members of the RD22‐like subfamily are postulated to associate with stress responses due to the stress‐inducible nature of some RD22‐like genes. In this report, we used different transgenic systems (cells and in planta) to show that the expression of a stress‐inducible RD22‐like protein from soybean (GmRD22) can alleviate salinity and osmotic stress. We also performed detailed microscopic studies using both fusion proteins and immuno‐electron microscopic techniques to demonstrate the apoplast localization of GmRD22, for which the BURP domain is a critical determinant of the subcellular localization. The apoplastic GmRD22 interacts with a cell wall peroxidase and the ectopic expression of GmRD22 in both transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana and transgenic rice resulted in increased lignin production when subjected to salinity stress. It is possible that GmRD22 regulates cell wall peroxidases and hence strengthens cell wall integrity under such stress conditions.
The transcriptional repressor activity of ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1 is inhibited by direct interaction with calmodulin in Arabidopsis
Authors: HAN HAY JU , PARK HYEONG CHEOL , BYUN HYE‐JIN , LEE SANG MIN , KIM HO SOO , YUN DAE‐JIN , CHO MOO JE , CHUNG WOO SIK
Published: May 2012

Calmodulin (CaM), a key Ca2+ sensor, regulates diverse cellular processes by modulating the activity of a variety of enzymes and proteins. However, little is known about the biological function of CaM in plant development. In this study, an ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1 (AS1) transcription factor was isolated as a CaM‐binding protein. AS1 contains two putative CaM‐binding domains (CaMBDs) at the N‐terminus. Using domain mapping analysis, both predicted domains were identified as authentic Ca2+‐dependent CaMBDs. We identified three hydrophobic amino acid residues for CaM binding, Trp49 in CaMBDI, and Trp81 and Phe103 in CaMBDII. The interactions of AS1 with CaM were verified in yeast and plant cells. Based on electrophoretic mobility shift assays, CaM inhibited the DNA‐binding activity of the AS1/AS2 complex to two cis‐regulatory motifs in the KNAT1 promoter. Furthermore, CaM relieved the suppression of KNAT1 transcription by AS1 not only in transient expression assays of protoplasts but also by the overexpression of a CaM‐binding negative form of AS1 in as1 mutant plant. Our study suggests that CaM, a calcium sensor, can be involved in the transcriptional control of meristem cell‐specific genes by the inhibition of AS1 under the condition of higher levels of Ca2+ in plants.
Benzothiadiazole‐primed defence responses and enhanced differential expression of defence genes in Vitis vinifera infected with biotrophic pathogens Erysiphe necator and Plasmopara viticola
Authors: Dufour M. C. , Lambert C. , Bouscaut J. , Mérillon J. M. , Corio‐Costet M. F.
Published: May 2012

Benzothiadiazole (BTH), a salicylic acid analogue, strengthens plant defence mechanisms against a broad spectrum of pathogens. The role of pre‐treatment with BTH in enhancing resistance against infection with various isolates of downy and powdery mildews (Plasmopara viticola and Erysiphe necator) was investigated in grapevine leaves. Tools were developed to better assess the defence status of the plant. In compatible interactions amongst a set of 19 genes, more than 57·2% of differentiated transcripts from P. viticola infected‐leaves (Pv‐infected leaves) and 90% from E. necator‐infected leaves (En‐infected leaves) were down‐regulated at 24 h post‐inoculation (hpi), indicating a manipulation of host responses by the pathogens. BTH treatment enhanced grapevine defences, with pathogen growth inhibited by 61–98%, depending on the pathogen isolate. Treatment also triggered up‐regulation of pathogenesis‐related protein genes such as PR‐1, PR‐2, PR‐3, PR‐8 and PR‐10 in Pv‐infected leaves, and PR‐3, PR‐6 and PR‐10 in En‐infected leaves. Treatment with BTH also led to regulation of indole pathway transcripts; in particular, anthranilate synthase was down‐regulated at 24 hpi in all infected leaves, then strongly up‐regulated afterwards according to the rate of pathogen development. Quantitation of polyphenols and stilbenes showed that pterostilbene was specifically accumulated in pre‐treated leaves and associated with biological efficacy and significant increases in PR protein gene transcripts. The temporal evolution of defence‐related genes in pre‐treated infected leaves suggests that grapevine responses vary depending on the inter‐ or intra‐species variability of pathogens.
Disseminated Mycobacterium immunogenum infection presenting with septic shock and skin lesions in a renal transplant recipient
Authors: Biggs H.M. , Chudgar S.M. , Pfeiffer C.D. , Rice K.R. , Zaas A.K. , Wolfe C.R.
Published: May 2012

Mycobacterium immunogenum is a relatively new species within the Mycobacterium chelonae‐Mycobacterium abscessus group of rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM). M. immunogenum was first characterized in 2001 and, similar to other RGM, is an ubiquitous environmental organism. This organism has most commonly been implicated in cutaneous infection in both healthy and immunosuppressed patients. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of septic shock in the setting of disseminated M. immunogenum infection. Definitive identification of this organism requires gene sequencing at specialized centers, which may limit its detection. M. immunogenum is resistant to many anti‐mycobacterial agents, and treatment can be especially challenging in transplant patients, given potential drug interactions and added toxicities. It is important to distinguish M. immunogenum from other RGM and determine the susceptibility profile to devise a successful treatment plan, particularly in the transplant population in which it can potentially cause severe, disseminated disease.
Tuberculous meningitis in a lung transplanted patient
Authors: Hiemann N.E. , Grimmer S. , Kemper D. , Knosalla C. , Hetzer R.
Published: May 2012

A 57‐year‐old female lung transplant recipient developed tuberculosis after quadruple maintenance immunosuppression for acute cellular rejection with respiratory compromise. Deteriorating neurological status led to cerebral imaging and lumbar puncture, which showed Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculous meningitis with elevated intracranial pressure was treated for 2 weeks on a neurosurgical ward, and intensive care therapy was necessary for another 2 weeks. Complete neurological recovery was achieved after 3 months.
Is bipolar disorder specifically associated with aggression?
Authors: Ballester Javier , Goldstein Tina , Goldstein Benjamin , Obreja Mihaela , Axelson David , Monk Kelly , Hickey MaryBeth , Iyengar Satish , Farchione Tiffany , Kupfer David J , Brent David , Birmaher Boris
Published: May 2012

Ballester J, Goldstein T, Goldstein B, Obreja M, Axelson D, Monk K, Hickey MB, Iyengar S, Farchione T, Kupfer DJ, Brent D, Birmaher B. Is bipolar disorder specifically associated with aggression? Bipolar Disord 2012: 14: 283–290. © 2012 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Objective:  Several studies have suggested that bipolar disorder (BP) in adults is associated with aggressive behaviors. However, most studies have included only inpatients and have not taken into consideration possible confounding factors. The goal of the present study was to compare the prevalence of aggression in subjects with BP compared to subjects with other, non‐BP psychopathology and healthy controls.

Methods:  Subjects with bipolar I disorder (BP‐I) and bipolar II disorder (BP‐II) (n = 255), non‐BP psychopathology (n = 85), and healthy controls (n = 84) were recruited. Aggression was measured using the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ). Group comparisons were adjusted for demographic and clinical differences (e.g., comorbid disorders) and multiple comparisons. The effects of the subtype of BP, current versus past episode, polarity of current episode, psychosis, the presence of irritable mania/hypomania only, and pharmacological treatment were examined.

Results:  Subjects with BP showed significantly higher total and subscale AQ scores (raw and T‐scores) when compared to subjects with non‐BP psychopathology and healthy controls. Exclusion of subjects with current mood episodes and those with common comorbid disorders yielded similar results. There were no effects of BP subtype, polarity of the current episode, irritable manic/hypomanic episodes only, or current use of pharmacological treatments. Independent of the severity of BP and polarity of the episode, those in a current mood episode showed significantly higher AQ scores than those not in a current mood episode. Subjects with current psychosis showed significantly higher total AQ score, hostility, and anger than those without current psychosis.

Conclusions:  Subjects with BP display greater rates of anger and aggressive behaviors, especially during acute and psychotic episodes. Early identification and management of these behaviors is warranted.
Neurosyphilis presenting as mania
Authors: Barbosa Izabela Guimarães , Vale Thiago Cardoso , de Macedo Daniela Lino , Gomez Rodrigo Santiago , Teixeira Antônio Lúcio
Published: May 2012

Barbosa IG, Vale TC, de Macedo DL, Gomez RS, Teixeira AL. Neurosyphilis presenting as mania. Bipolar Disord 2012: 14: 309–312. © 2012 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Objective:  General paresis of the insane is a late and severe form of neurosyphilis characterized by nonspecific neuropsychiatric symptoms. There are a limited number of case reports of mood disorders presenting in neurosyphilis, with depressive illness being the most common.

Methods:  We performed a literature review of case reports of secondary bipolar disorder induced by syphilitic infection.

Results:  Herein reported is a case of a 53‐year‐old woman who initially presented with symptoms of mania and depression, mimicking bipolar disorder, but was subsequently diagnosed with general paresis of the insane.

Conclusion:  The present case report emphasizes that if a substantial delay occurs in syphilis diagnosis and management, the patient may have a very poor prognosis.
Stabilizing sexual selection for female ornaments in a dance fly
Authors: WHEELER J. , GWYNNE D. T. , BUSSIÈRE L. F.
Published: May 2012

Ornamental traits function by improving attractiveness and are generally presumed to experience directional selection for mating success. However, given the greater investment of females in offspring than males, female‐specific ornaments can in theory signal fecundity yet be constrained by fecundity costs. Theoretical work predicts that such constraints can lead to stabilizing selection via male choice for intermediately ornamented females. Female dance flies Rhamphomyia longicauda (Diptera: Empididae) display two female‐specific ornaments in mating swarms – inflatable abdominal sacs and pinnate tibial scales. We investigated the intensity and form of sexual selection on female traits including ornaments and found no evidence for directional sexual selection. Instead, we found marginally nonsignificant quadratic selection for all three measures of ornament expression. Canonical analysis confirmed that the strongest vectors of nonlinear selection were associated with ornamental traits, although the significance of the quadratic coefficients associated with these vectors depended on the statistical approach. Direct Mitchell‐Olds and Shaw tests for the location of the maximum fitted fitness value for both raw morphological traits and canonical axes revealed only one marginally nonsignificant result for the multivariate axis loading most heavily on pinnate leg scales. Together, these results provide the first tentative support for stabilizing selection on female‐specific ornaments.
Differences in caste dimorphism among three hornet species (Hymenoptera: Vespidae): forewing size, shape and allometry
Authors: PERRARD A. , VILLEMANT C. , CARPENTER J. M. , BAYLAC M.
Published: May 2012

Caste shape dimorphism (CShD) has previously been studied in wasps through comparison of different body parts, originating from different imaginal discs. Using geometric morphometrics with a new protocol for measuring wings of pinned specimens from natural history collections, we tested CShD of three hornet species in an organ developed from a single imaginal disc: the forewing. Gaussian mixture models retrieved most castes and species levels, confirming that caste is an important component of wing variations in females of these hornets. Size and allometry – the influence of size on shape – contribution to wing dimorphism between castes was major, but failed to explain the entire shape dimorphism. This deviation from simple allometric scaling was not similar in the three species: in Vespa tropica, allometric directions in the shape space differed between castes, whereas in V. crabro and V. velutina, they were similar but a significant part of CShD resulted from lateral transpositions. These results clearly indicate that queens are not just enlarged workers. They also support that the different patterns of CShD may result from different developmental mechanisms. Finally, they highlight that even in a highly social group like hornets, there is still variation in caste dimorphism among species.
Misuse of Antimicrobials and Selection of Methicillin‐Resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius Strains in Breeding Kennels: Genetic Characterization of Bacteria After a Two‐year Interval
Authors: Rota A , Milani C , Corrò M , Drigo I , Börjesson S
Published: May 2012

Contents

Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) strains have been isolated from dogs with increasing frequency; prolonged or excessive use of antimicrobials is associated with the selection of MRSP, and misuse of antimicrobials is frequent in breeding kennels. This study was carried out in two breeding kennels (A and B) in which we had isolated MRSP in 2008: the aim was to assess colonization of previously positive bitches and of other bitches sharing the same environment and to assess the genetic profile of both the old and the new strains [spa typing, staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing and Pulsed‐field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE)]. Six animals from Kennel A (two from 2008) and eight from Kennel B (one from 2008) were tested: 16 MRSP strains were isolated only from bitches housed in Kennel B. Old and new isolates were mecA positive, resulted spa type t02 and carried SSCmec II–III. PGFE showed that all isolates were related and belonged to the main clone lineage dominating in Europe, ST71‐J‐t02‐II–III. Kennels A and B differ in the use of antimicrobials, which has been reduced over time in Kennel A, while has remained excessive in Kennel B, where many agents belonging to different classes (third‐generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, macrolids) are administered to dogs, without veterinary supervision, especially around parturition. Misuse of antimicrobials is the key factor for the selection of MRSP strains in healthy dogs and for their persistence over time. Dog breeders should be aware that infections caused by multiresistant bacteria have very limited therapeutical options and represent a huge challenge for animal health.
Inhibitory effect of ramosetron on corticotropin releasing factor‐ and soybean oil‐induced delays in gastric emptying in rats
Authors: Hirata Takuya , Keto Yoshihiro , Yamano Mayumi , Yokoyama Toshihide , Sengoku Takanori , Seki Nobuo
Published: May 2012

Background and Aim:  Symptoms of functional dyspepsia (FD) are highly prevalent in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, the effects of therapeutic agents for IBS on the pathophysiology of FD are unclear. In this study, therefore, we examined the effects of ramosetron, a serotonin 5‐HT3 receptor antagonist, on corticotropin releasing factor (CRF)‐ and soybean oil‐induced delays in gastric emptying of rats, in comparison with anti‐diarrheal agent and spasmolytics. The involvement of 5‐HT and the 5‐HT3 receptor in delayed gastric emptying was also evaluated.

Methods:  Corticotropin releasing factor was administered intravenously to rats 10 min before oral administration of 0.05% phenol red solution, and the amount remaining in the stomach was measured after 30 min. Soybean oil was administered orally with glass beads, and the number of residual beads in the stomach was counted 1 h later.

Results:  Both CRF and soybean oil inhibited gastric emptying dose‐dependently. Ramosetron and itopride, a gastro‐prokinetic agent, significantly reduced both CRF‐ and soybean oil‐induced delays in gastric emptying, while an anti‐diarrheal agent and spasmolytics aggravated them. Pretreatment with p‐chlorophenylalanine for 2 days to reduced the synthesis of endogenous 5‐HT diminished the effects of both CRF and soybean oil on gastric emptying. A 5‐HT3 receptor agonist m‐chlorophenylbiguanide suppressed gastric emptying of both phenol red and glass beads, and those effects were reversed by ramosetron.

Conclusions:  These results suggest that CRF and soybean oil suppress gastric emptying in rats by activating 5‐HT3 receptors, and that by antagonizing these receptors, ramosetron may ameliorate symptoms of FD in clinical settings.
Free tissue transfers at Hutt Hospital
Authors: Heather Jonathan P. S. , Avery Gary , Ackland Christina M. , Tan Swee T.
Published: May 2012

Background:  The Wellington Regional Plastic, Maxillofacial & Burns Unit based at Hutt Hospital provides comprehensive reconstructive services to central New Zealand with a population of 1.1 million. Free tissue transfer procedures in the Unit were audited to determine the indications and rate of usage in our population, our success and complication rates, and how these compare with published series.

Methods:  Prospectively collected data on all free tissue transfer procedures between January 2006 and September 2010 were analysed.

Results:  Two hundred and seven free flaps including 17 flap types being performed on 186 consecutive patients including 199 primary and 8 salvage flaps. Eighty‐three percent were elective and 17% were acute cases. The majority of the flaps were used for head and neck (48%) and breast (31.5%) reconstruction. Ulnar forearm flap was the most commonly used fasciocutaneous flap. 18.8% of patients had major complications requiring return to theatre. Microsurgical revision was performed in nine (4.3%) flaps of which six were successfully salvaged. Overall, 13 flaps (6.3%) failed completely, giving an overall success rate of 93.7%. Haematoma requiring formal drainage occurred in 12 (5.8%) cases.

Discussion:  The wide variety of flaps used reflects the very broad range of defects requiring free flap reconstruction. We show a free flap success rate of 93.7% in our medium‐sized regional unit. Our microsurgical revision rate of 4.3% is lower than the revision rate of 10% in reported series with high overall success rates. More consistent early detection of failing flaps is likely to further improve our overall success rate.
The phenological window for western spruce budworm: seasonal decline in resource quality
Authors: Nealis Vincent G.
Published: May 2012

Western spruce budworm Choristoneura occidentalis Free. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) emerge in the spring before budburst and then face a rapidly deteriorating host quality each season.

Measures of fitness, survival and fecundity, were made on cohorts of final‐instar spruce budworms deployed on host trees at several times during the season in four field locations in coastal and interior British Columbia, Canada.

Survival and fecundity were strongly correlated throughout the season and varied as much as four‐fold from maxima at mid‐season to minima at the end of the season.

Fitness values overall were greatest in the coastal compared with interior locations. Among interior locations, fitness was greatest at the highest elevation and least at the lowest elevation. Both cohort and sample‐based estimates of survival of wild, final‐instar budworms were relatively high in these outbreak populations.

The influence of the phenological window and degree of synchrony with the host plant on herbivore abundance often depends on other processes affecting population rates of change.
Context and Action in the Transformation of Strategy Scholarship
Authors: Sminia Harry , de Rond Mark
Published: May 2012

abstract

We revisit Andrew Pettigrew's seminal ‘Context and action in the transformation of the firm’, first published in this journal in November 1987. In doing so, we not only review Pettigrew's contributions, but contextualize these with respect to adjoining strategy scholarship. Our discussion concludes with some novel, and fairly speculative, ways forward, designed to advance strategy scholarship. Working with the ideas contained in Pettigrew's article and drawing on insights from institutional entrepreneurship, we make a case for the processualization of strategy content research. This allows us to add the issue of effectiveness of strategy practices to current strategy‐as‐practice research while arguing for a further humanization of strategic management.
Agricultural commodities pricing model applied to the Brazilian sugar market
Authors: Pereira Leonel M. , de Oliveira Ribeiro Celma , Securato José R.
Published: May 2012

This article suggests a pricing model for commodities used to produce biofuel. The model is based on the concept that the deterministic component of the Wiener process is not constant and depends on time and exogenous variables. The model, which incorporates theory of storage, the convenience yield and the seasonality of harvests, was applied in the Brazilian sugar market. After predictions were made with the Kalman filter, the model produced results that were statistically more accurate than those returned by the two‐factor model available in the literature.
MACHINE LEARNING METHODS FOR DETECTING PATTERNS OF MANAGEMENT FRAUD
Authors: Whiting David G. , Hansen James V. , McDonald James B. , Albrecht Conan , Albrecht W. Steve
Published: May 2012

Discovery of financial fraud has profound social consequences. Loss of stockholder value, bankruptcy, and loss of confidence in the professional audit firms have resulted from failure to detect financial fraud. Previous studies that have attempted to discover fraud patterns from publicly available information have achieved only moderate levels of success. This study explores the capabilities of recently developed statistical learning and data mining methods in an attempt to advance fraud discovery performance to levels that have potential for proactive discovery or mitigation of financial fraud. The partially adaptive methods we test have achieved success in a number of complex problem domains and are easily interpretable. Ensemble methods, which combine predictions from multiple models via boosting, bagging, or related approaches, have emerged as among the most powerful data mining and machine learning methods. Our study includes random forests, stochastic gradient boosting, and rule ensembles. The results for ensemble models show marked improvement over past efforts, with accuracy approaching levels of practical potential. In particular, rule ensembles do so while maintaining a degree of interpretability absent in the other ensemble methods.
‘A wondrous adventure’: mutuality and individuality in Internet adoption narratives
Authors: BLASCO PALOMA GAY Y
Published: May 2012

In this article, I analyse the narratives that American adopters of Chinese children put up on Internet family websites in the early 2000s. I focus on what these narratives reveal about the complex articulation of notions of kinship and of individuality in twenty‐first‐century America. These website accounts illustrate both the relational nature of middle‐class American individualism and its embeddedness in a deeply racialized world‐view and a political economy of desire that turns Chinese children into vehicles for the assertion of American personal and communal selves.

Le présent article analyse les récits mis en ligne au début des années 2000, sur des sites Web consacrés à la famille, par des parents américains ayant adopté des enfants chinois. L'auteure se concentre sur ce que ces narrations révèlent de la complexe articulation des notions de parenté et d'individualité dans l'Amérique du XXIème siècle. Ces récits en ligne illustrent à la fois la nature relationnelle de l'individualisme américain des classes moyennes et son enracinement dans une vision du monde profondément racialisée et dans une économie politique du désir qui transforme des enfants chinois en moyens d'affirmer le moi personnel et communautaire des Américains.
Exploring Geomorphometry through User Generated Content: Comparing an Unsupervised Geomorphometric Classification with Terms Attached to Georeferenced Images in Great Britain
Authors: Gschwend Christian , Purves Ross S.
Published: May 2012

User generated content such as the georeferenced images and their associated tags found in Flickr provides us with opportunities to explore how the world is described in the non‐scientific, everyday language used by contributors. Geomorphometry, the quantitative study of landforms, provides methods to classify Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) according to attributes such as slope and convexity. In this article we compare the terms used in Flickr and Geograph in Great Britian to describe georeferenced images to a quantitative, unsupervised classification of a DEM, using a well established method, and explore the variation of terms across geomorphometric classes and space. Anthropogenic terms are primarily associated with more gentle slopes, while terms which refer to objects such as mountains and waterfalls are typical of steeper slopes. Terms vary both across and within classes, and the source of the user generated content has an influence on the type of term used with Geograph, a collection which aims to document the geography of Great Britain, dominated by features which might be observed on a map.
Expanding the Role of Connectionism in SLA Theory
Authors: Nelson Robert
Published: May 2012

In this article, I explore how connectionism might expand its role in second language acquisition (SLA) theory by showing how some symbolic models of bilingual and second language lexical memory can be reduced to a biologically realistic (i.e., neurally plausible) connectionist model. This integration or hybridization of the two models follows the principles of what philosophers of science call intertheoretic reduction. Such a reduction serves two important purposes: It expands the explanatory scope of the symbolic models and it explains how some features of these models can actually emerge through learning in neural systems. To this end, I present a connectionist simulation of experimental data and show both the general feasibility of such a reduction and the specific manner in which the salient phenomenological distinction between form and meaning may be an emergent product of cortical memory processes. I argue this intertheoretic reduction of the symbolic to the neural serves an important goal of SLA, as these neural models can provide the theory of learning lacking in symbolic models of SLA.
Precautionary and Entrepreneurial Savings: New Evidence from German Households*
Authors: Fossen Frank M. , Rostam‐Afschar Davud
Published: May 2012

Various studies interpret the positive correlation between income risk and wealth as evidence of significant precautionary savings. However, these high estimates emerge from pooling non‐entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs, without controlling for heterogeneity. This article provides evidence for Germany based on representative panel data that includes private wealth balance sheets. Entrepreneurs, who face high income risk, hold more wealth than employees, but this tendency is not because of precautionary motives. Instead, they appear to save more for their old age, because they are usually not covered by statutory pension insurance. The analysis accounts for endogeneity in entrepreneurial choice and heterogeneous risk attitudes.
Certainty of Terms and Leases: Curiouser and Curiouser
Authors: Low Kelvin F. K.
Published: May 2012

The common law rule that requires leases to have a fixed terminus from the outset is one that has been much criticised. In Berrisford v Mexfield Housing Co‐operative Ltd, the Supreme Court managed to blunt its effect by suggesting that most leases of uncertain duration can be transformed into 90‐year tenancies. However, it is suggested that their Lordships have possibly misunderstood and overstretched an ancient common law ‘rule’ and have not fully considered some of the implications of their decision.
ON LAWFULNESS IN HISTORY AND HISTORIOGRAPHY
Authors: LEURIDAN BERT , FROEYMAN ANTON
Published: May 2012

The use of general and universal laws in historiography has been the subject of debate ever since the end of the nineteenth century. Since the 1970s there has been a growing consensus that general laws such as those in the natural sciences are not applicable in the scientific writing of history. We will argue against this consensus view, not by claiming that the underlying conception of what historiography is—or should be—is wrong, but by contending that it is based on a misconception of what general laws such as those of the natural sciences are. We will show that a revised notion of law, one inspired by the work of Sandra D. Mitchell, in tandem with Jim Woodward's notion of “invariance,” is indeed applicable to historiography, much in the same way as it is to most other scientific disciplines. Having developed a more adequate account of general laws, we then show, by means of three examples, that what are called “pragmatic laws” and “invariance” do in fact play a role in history in several interesting ways. These examples—from cultural history, economic history, and the history of religion—have been selected on the basis of their diversity in order to illustrate the widespread use of pragmatic laws in history.
HISTORY'S DEMARCATION PROBLEM
Authors: Tyynelä Jenni , De Mey Tim
Published: May 2012

In his 1998 book Heterocosmica: Fiction and Possible Worlds, Lubomír Doležel put forth a theory of narrative fiction based on the interdisciplinary framework of possible worlds. In Possible Worlds of Fiction and History: The Postmodern Stage, Doležel takes his earlier theory further and applies it to historiography as well, with the specific aim of showing how the study of history might be defended against the postmodern challenge via the use of possible worlds (PW) semantics. Doležel's book is essentially an argument against the postmodern views expressed by Roland Barthes and Hayden White, who have claimed that fundamentally, there is no difference between fictional and historical narratives. According to Doležel, this difference can be saved if the focus of attention is shifted from the textual features of these narratives to the fictional or historical worlds that the narratives project.

Doležel's comparison of fictional and historical worlds to each other is quite illuminating and thorough. However, the question remains whether the application of PW semantics does anything besides offering a detailed analysis of the structure of the different types of narrative worlds. After all, one should not overlook the perhaps more practical way of differentiating between historical and fictional narratives through their institutional status. Furthermore, we argue that by focusing on the properties of the end products, that is, the resulting narratives, Doležel concedes too much to postmodernists. A stronger way to give postmodernists a taste of their own medicine would be to argue that the rules that historians follow in the process of generating, constructing, and evaluating weighed causal explanations (or historical models of the past) are fundamentally different from whatever rules govern the generation and construction of fiction.