bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting the likelihood of suicide attempts for rural outpatients with schizophrenia
Authors: Lee Jwo‐Leun , Ma Wei‐Fen , Yen Wen‐Jiuan , Huang Xuan‐Yi , Chiang Li‐Chi
Published: August 2012

Aims and objectives.  To explore suicide predictors in rural outpatients with schizophrenia.

Background.  Suicide is a major cause of mortality in patients with schizophrenia. Evidence indicates that patients in rural areas are at high risk for inadequate health care services. However, information is limited on suicide risk in outpatients with schizophrenia in rural areas.

Design.  Cross‐sectional survey.

Methods.  Data were collected on individuals enrolled in the 2007 Taiwan National Health Insurance program as diagnosed with schizophrenia, ≥18 years, and living in a rural county. Eligible individuals (n = 1655) were assessed by 12 community‐based nurses at 12 public health centres. Participants’ personal information was retrieved from National Health Insurance records using a personal data sheet, and treatment experiences were obtained by interviewing patients with a 10‐item risk‐assessment inventory. Data were collected over 18 months (2007–2008) and analysed by descriptive statistics and regression analyses.

Results.  Risk of suicide attempt in the previous year had four significant predictors: number of self‐harm incidents during the previous year, violent incidents towards others during the previous year, number of follow‐ups by mental health clinics and number of involuntary hospitalisations during the previous year (R2 = 0·337, adjusted R2 = 0·334, F = 133·19, p = 0·000).

Conclusion.  Health care providers should assess rural outpatients with schizophrenia for suicidal thoughts by asking simple questions to evaluate for a history of self‐harm and violence and by comparing this information with health system data on follow‐ups by mental health clinics and involuntary hospitalisations.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Community‐based health providers may use these results to prioritise assessments when they have a high case load of patients with schizophrenia. Community‐based nurses need to be trained to recognise these four predictors to increase their sensitivity to suicidality among patients with schizophrenia.
Inhibitory Function of the Dorsomedial Hypothalamic Nucleus on the Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis Response to an Emotional Stressor but not Immune Challenge
Authors: Ebner K. , Muigg P. , Singewald N.
Published: August 2012

Accumulating evidence implicates the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus (DMH) in the regulation of autonomic and neuroendocrine stress responses. However, although projections from the DMH to the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN), which is the critical site of the neuroendocrine stress axis, have been described, the impact of DMH neurones in the modulation of hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis activation during stress is not fully understood. The present study aimed to investigate the role of the DMH in HPA axis responses to different types of stimuli. Male Sprague–Dawley rats fitted with a chronic jugular venous catheter were exposed to either an emotional stressor (elevated platform‐exposure) or immune challenge (systemic interleukin‐1β administration). Bilateral electrolytic lesions of the DMH disinhibited HPA axis responses to the emotional stressor, as indicated by higher plasma adrenocorticotrophic hormone levels during and after elevated platform exposure in lesioned animals compared to sham‐lesioned controls. Moreover, DMH‐lesioned animals showed increased neuronal activation in the PVN, as indicated by a higher c‐Fos expression after elevated‐platform exposure compared to controls. By contrast, DMH‐lesions had no effects on HPA axis responses to immune challenge. Taken together, our data suggest an inhibitory role of DMH neurones on stress‐induced HPA axis activation that is dependent upon the nature of the stimulus being important in response to an emotional stressor but not to immune challenge.
A model to predict 3‐month mortality risk of acute‐on‐chronic hepatitis B liver failure using artificial neural network
Authors: Zheng M.‐H. , Shi K.‐Q. , Lin X.‐F. , Xiao D.‐D. , Chen L.‐L. , Liu W.‐Y. , Fan Y.‐C. , Chen Y.‐P.
Published: August 2012

Model for end‐stage liver disease (MELD) scoring was initiated using traditional statistical technique by assuming a linear relationship between clinical features, but most phenomena in a clinical situation are not linearly related. The aim of this study was to predict 3‐month mortality risk of acute‐on‐chronic hepatitis B liver failure (ACHBLF) on an individual patient level using an artificial neural network (ANN) system. The ANN model was built using data from 402 consecutive patients with ACHBLF. It was trained to predict 3‐month mortality by the data of 280 patients and validated by the remaining 122 patients. The area under the curve of receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) was calculated for ANN and MELD‐based scoring systems. The following variables age (P < 0.001), prothrombin activity (P < 0.001), serum sodium (P < 0.001), total bilirubin (P = 0.015), hepatitis B e antigen positivity rate (P < 0.001) and haemoglobin (P < 0.001) were significantly related to the prognosis of ACHBLF and were selected to build the ANN. The ANN performed significantly better than MELD‐based scoring systems both in the training cohort (AUROC = 0.869 vs 0.667, 0.591, 0.643, 0.571 and 0.577; P < 0.001, respectively) and in the validation cohort (AUROC = 0.765 vs 0.599, 0.563, 0.601, 0.521 and 0.540; P ≤ 0.006, respectively). Thus, the ANN model was shown to be more accurate in predicting 3‐month mortality of ACHBLF than MELD‐based scoring systems.
Identification of the mutation responsible for resistance to QoI fungicides and its detection in Ascochyta rabiei (teleomorph Didymella rabiei)
Authors: Delgado J. A. , Lynnes T. C. , Meinhardt S. W. , Wise K. A. , Gudmestad N. C. , Bradley C. A. , Markell S. G. , Goswami R. S.
Published: August 2012

This study characterized a fragment of the cytochrome b gene from Ascochyta rabiei isolates collected in North Dakota, USA, that varied in sensitivity to quinone‐outside inhibitor (QoI) fungicides. The sequenced genomic DNA fragment contained a group I intron immediately after codon 131. The size of the cytochrome b gene was estimated to be over 4·6 kb. Multiple alignment analysis of cDNA and protein sequences revealed a mutation that changed the codon for amino acid 143 from GGT to GCT, introducing an amino acid substitution from glycine to alanine (G143A), which is frequently associated with QoI resistance. Based on this mutation, a diagnostic PCR assay was developed using an approach called mismatch amplification mutation assay. This method was successfully validated by testing a total of 70 A. rabiei isolates, of which 38 isolates were found to be QoI‐resistant. This fast and accurate PCR assay provides a very useful and simple screening method for QoI resistance in A. rabiei isolates.
Virulence of ‘Dickeya solani’ and Dickeya dianthicola biovar‐1 and ‐7 strains on potato (Solanum tuberosum)
Authors: Czajkowski R. , de Boer W. J. , van der Zouwen P. S. , Kastelein P. , Jafra S. , de Haan E. G. , van den Bovenkamp G. W. , van der Wolf J. M.
Published: August 2012

Studies were conducted to explain the relative success of ‘Dickeya solani’, a genetic clade of Dickeya biovar 3 and a blackleg‐causing organism that, after recent introduction, has spread rapidly in seed potato production in Europe to the extent that it is now more frequently detected than D. dianthicola. In vitro experiments showed that both species were motile, had comparable siderophore production and pectinolytic activity, and that there was no antagonism between them when growing. Both ‘D. solani’ and biovar 1 and biovar 7 of D. dianthicola rotted tuber tissue when inoculated at a low density of 103 CFU mL−1. In an agar overlay assay, D. dianthicola was susceptible to 80% of saprophytic bacteria isolated from tuber extracts, whereas ‘D. solani’ was susceptible to only 31%, suggesting that ‘D. solani’ could be a stronger competitor in the potato ecosystem. In greenhouse experiments at high temperatures (28°C), roots were more rapidly colonized by ‘D. solani’ than by biovar 1 or 7 of D. dianthicola and at 30 days after inoculation higher densities of ‘D. solani’ were found in stolons and progeny tubers. In co‐inoculated plants, fluorescent protein (GFP or DsRed)‐tagged ‘D. solani’ outcompeted D. dianthicola in plants grown from vacuum‐infiltrated tubers. In 3 years of field studies in the Netherlands with D. dianthicola and ‘D. solani’, disease incidence varied greatly annually and with strain. In summary, ‘D. solani’ possesses features which allow more efficient plant colonization than D. dianthicola at high temperatures. In temperate climates, however, tuber infections with ‘D. solani’ will not necessarily result in a higher disease incidence than infections with D. dianthicola, but latent seed infection could be more prevalent.
An interglacial on snowball Earth? Dynamic ice behaviour revealed in the Chuos Formation, Namibia
Authors: LE HERON DANIEL P. , BUSFIELD MARIE E. , KAMONA FRED
Published: August 2012

The Sturtian is the oldest (ca 716 Ma) of three pan‐global glaciations in the Cryogenian. At Omutirapo, in northern Namibia, a 2 km wide, 400 m deep palaeovalley is filled by glaciogenic strata of the Chuos Formation, which represents the Sturtian glacial record. Sedimentary logging of an exceptionally high‐quality exposure permits detailed stratigraphic descriptions and interpretations, allowing two glacial cycles to be identified. At the base of the exposed succession, strong evidence supporting glaciation includes diamictites, ice‐rafted dropstones and intensely sheared zones of interpreted subglacial origin. These facies collectively represent ice‐proximal to ice‐rafted deposits. Upsection, dropstone‐free mudstones in the middle of the succession, and the absence of diamictites, imply sedimentation free from glacial influence. However, the reappearance of glacial deposits above indicates a phase of Sturtian glacial re‐advance. Comparison with age‐equivalent strata in South Australia, where evidence for sea‐ice free sedimentation has been established previously, suggests that a Sturtian interglacial may have been extensive, implying global‐scale waxing and waning of ice sheets during a Cryogenian glacial event.
Jasmonoyl‐l‐isoleucine hydrolase 1 (JIH1) regulates jasmonoyl‐l‐isoleucine levels and attenuates plant defenses against herbivores
Authors: Woldemariam Melkamu G. , Onkokesung Nawaporn , Baldwin Ian T. , Galis Ivan
Published: August 2012

For most plant hormones, biological activity is suppressed by reversible conjugation to sugars, amino acids and other small molecules. In contrast, the conjugation of jasmonic acid (JA) to isoleucine (Ile) is known to enhance the activity of JA. Whereas hydroxylation and carboxylation of JA‐Ile permanently inactivates JA‐Ile‐mediated signaling in plants, the alternative deactivation pathway of JA‐Ile by its direct hydrolysis to JA remains unstudied. We show that Nicotiana attenuata jasmonoyl‐l‐isoleucine hydrolase 1 (JIH1), a close homologue of previously characterized indoleacetic acid alanine resistant 3 (IAR3) gene in Arabidopsis, hydrolyzes both JA‐Ile and IAA‐Ala in vitro. When the herbivory‐inducible NaJIH1 gene was silenced by RNA interference, JA‐Ile levels increased dramatically after simulated herbivory in irJIH1, compared with wild‐type (WT) plants. When specialist (Manduca sexta) or generalist (Spodoptera littoralis) herbivores fed on irJIH1 plants they gained significantly less mass compared with those feeding on wild‐type (WT) plants. The poor larval performance was strongly correlated with the higher accumulation of several JA‐Ile‐dependent direct defense metabolites in irJIH1 plants. In the field, irJIH1 plants attracted substantially more Geocoris predators to the experimentally attached M. sexta eggs on their leaves, compared with empty vector plants, which correlated with higher herbivory‐elicited emissions of volatiles known to function as indirect defenses. We conclude that NaJIH1 encodes a new homeostatic step in JA metabolism that, together with JA and JA‐Ile‐hydroxylation and carboxylation of JA‐Ile, rapidly attenuates the JA‐Ile burst, allowing plants to tailor the expression of direct and indirect defenses against herbivore attack in nature.
Cannabidiol inhibits the reward‐facilitating effect of morphine: involvement of 5‐HT1A receptors in the dorsal raphe nucleus
Authors: Katsidoni Vicky , Anagnostou Ilektra , Panagis George
Published: August 2012

Cannabidiol is a non‐psychotomimetic constituent of Cannabis sativa, which induces central effects in rodents. It has been shown that cannabidiol attenuates cue‐induced reinstatement of heroin seeking. However, to the best of our knowledge, its effects on brain stimulation reward and the reward‐facilitating effects of drugs of abuse have not yet been examined. Therefore, we investigated the effects of cannabidiol on brain reward function and on the reward‐facilitating effect of morphine and cocaine using the intracranial self‐stimulation (ICSS) paradigm. Rats were prepared with a stimulating electrode into the medial forebrain bundle (MFB), and a guide cannula into the dorsal raphe (microinjection experiments), and were trained to respond for electrical brain stimulation. A low dose of cannabidiol did not affect the reinforcing efficacy of brain stimulation, whereas higher doses significantly elevated the threshold frequency required for MFB ICSS. Both cocaine and morphine lowered ICSS thresholds. Cannabidiol inhibited the reward‐facilitating effect of morphine, but not cocaine. This effect was reversed by pre‐treatment with an intra‐dorsal raphe injection of the selective 5‐HT1A receptor antagonist WAY‐100635. The present findings indicate that cannabidiol does not exhibit reinforcing properties in the ICSS paradigm at any of the doses tested, while it decreases the reward‐facilitating effects of morphine. These effects were mediated by activation of 5‐HT1A receptors in the dorsal raphe. Our results suggest that cannabidiol interferes with brain reward mechanisms responsible for the expression of the acute reinforcing properties of opioids, thus indicating that cannabidiol may be clinically useful in attenuating the rewarding effects of opioids.
Mesenchymal stem cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells modulate T‐cell phenotypes in allergic rhinitis
Authors: Fu Q. L. , Chow Y. Y. , Sun S. J. , Zeng Q. X. , Li H. B. , Shi J. B. , Sun Y. Q. , Wen W. , Tse H. F. , Lian Q. , Xu G.
Published: August 2012

Background

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) possess remarkable self‐renewal capacity and the potential to differentiate into novel cell types, such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). iPSC‐MSCs have been shown to enhance tissue regeneration and attenuate tissue ischaemia; however, their contribution to the immune regulation of Th2‐skewed allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma remains unclear.

Objective

This study compared the immunomodulatory effects of iPSC‐MSCs and bone marrow‐derived MSCs (BM‐MSCs) on lymphocyte proliferation, T‐cell phenotypes and cytokine production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in patients with AR, and investigated the possible molecular mechanisms underlying the immunomodulatory properties of iPSC‐MSCs.

Methods

In co‐cultures of PBMCs with iPSC‐MSCs or BM‐MSCs, lymphocyte proliferation was evaluated using 3H‐thymidine (3H‐TdR) uptake, carboxyfluorescein diacetate, succinimidyl ester (CFDA‐SE) assays; the regulatory T‐cell (Treg) phenotype was determined by flow cytometry, and cytokine levels were measured using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. The immunomodulatory properties of both MSCs were further evaluated using NS398 and transwell experiments.

Results

Similar to BM‐MSCs, we determined that iPSC‐MSCs significantly inhibit lymphocyte proliferation and promote Treg response in PBMCs (P < 0.05). Accordingly, the cytokine milieu (IFN‐γ, IL‐4, IL‐5, IL‐10 and IL‐13) in the supernatants of PBMCs changed significantly (P < 0.05). The immunomodulatory properties of iPSC‐MSCs and BM‐MSCs were associated with prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production and cell–cell contact.

Conclusions

These data demonstrate that iPSC‐MSCs are capable of modulating T‐cell phenotypes towards Th2 suppression through inducing Treg expansion, suggesting that iPSC‐MSCs can be used as an alternative candidate to adult MSCs to treat allergic airway diseases.
Bosentan in heart transplantation candidates with severe pulmonary hypertension: efficacy, safety and outcome after transplantation
Authors: Perez‐Villa Felix , Farrero Marta , Cardona Montse , Castel Maria Angeles , Tatjer Irene , Penela Diego , Vallejos Isabel
Published: August 2012

Background

Increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) is associated with increased right ventricular failure and mortality after heart transplantation.

Methods

In this prospective study, 22 patients considered high‐risk candidates for heart transplantation because of severe pulmonary hypertension (PVR = 6 ± 2 Wood units; transpulmonary gradient 22 ± 7 mmHg), received bosentan 125 mg bid. Right heart catheterization was repeated after four months (n = 22) and 12 months (n = 9). Eleven patients who declined participation in the study were considered as control group.

Results

After four months, PVR decreased by 38% in patients receiving bosentan (n = 22), while it increased by 25% in the control group (p = 0.001). Those patients who received bosentan for 12 months (n = 9), experienced a 60% reduction in PVR compared to baseline (p = 0.003). Only three patients (14%) had no hemodynamic improvement with bosentan. After bosentan therapy, 14 patients (64%) underwent heart transplantation. Patients with high PVR who received bosentan showed a trend toward better one‐yr survival after transplantation than patients with PVR ≤ 2.5 Wood units transplanted in the same period of time (93% vs. 83%).

Conclusions

In patients considered high‐risk candidates for heart transplantation because of high PVR, therapy with bosentan is associated with a significant reduction in PVR and a good outcome after transplantation.
Evaluation of sequence‐specific priming and real‐time polymerase chain reaction assays for detecting HLA‐B*51 alleles confirmed by sequence‐based typing
Authors: Park Y. , Kim Y. S. , Kim S. I. , Kim H. , Kim H. S.
Published: August 2012

The human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐B*51 genotype is one of the well‐known genetic factors associated with the development of Behcet's disease. We evaluated three sequence‐specific priming (SSP) assays and one real‐time PCR assay for detecting HLA‐B*51 alleles using 93 whole blood samples, which were genotyped by high‐resolution sequence‐based typing (SBT). All HLA‐B*51 alleles determined by SBT were detected by the four evaluated assays, and the results for all HLA‐B alleles other than HLA‐B*51 were negative on all assays. Thus, all HLA‐B51 tests showed 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity for detecting HLA‐B*51 alleles. The three SSP assays and the real‐time PCR test for HLA‐B*51 genotyping are simple, but reliable for detecting HLA‐B*51 alleles in clinical laboratories.
Neutropenic enterocolitis after high‐dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation: incidence, risk factors, and outcome
Authors: Gil L. , Poplawski D. , Mol A. , Nowicki A. , Schneider A. , Komarnicki M.
Published: August 2012

Background

Neutropenic enterocolitis (NE) is a life‐threatening complication occurring after intensive chemotherapy; however, no data are available on NE development after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT). The aim of this study was to determine the incidence, risk factors, and outcome of NE after high‐dose chemotherapy and autologous SCT (autoSCT).

Methods

A total of 297 adult patients who qualified for autoSCT with non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, and acute myeloid leukemia were analyzed. Patients were conditioned with carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, melphalan (BEAM); melphalan alone; or busulfan and cyclophosphamide (BuCy2), and transplanted with peripheral blood or bone marrow CD34+ cells. Diagnosis of NE was established in case of neutropenic fever, abdominal pain or diarrhea, and bowel wall thickening >4 mm on abdominal sonography.

Results

Neutropenic infections occurred in 262 patients (88%). NE was diagnosed in 32 patients (12%), a median +3 (1‐5) days after SCT. Bloodstream infections were present in 18 patients, with gram‐negative bacteria in 11 patients. All patients were treated conservatively with carbapenems and total parenteral nutrition with bowel rest. The course of disease was complicated by ileus or septic shock in 9 patients, and was fatal for 3 (9.6%) patients. In univariate analysis, the initial diagnosis of NHL (P = 0.017) and conditioning with BEAM (P = 0.043) had prognostic value. In multivariate analysis, only initial diagnosis of NHL (P = 0.017) had prognostic significance.

Conclusions

NE is a rare but severe complication in patients undergoing autoSCT. Gram‐negative bacteria remain the main causative pathogen. Abdominal sonography allows early diagnosis and treatment, effective in most of patients without surgery. In our analysis, NE was seen more often in NHL patients treated with a BEAM regimen.
Randomized controlled trial for endoscopy with propofol versus midazolam on psychometric tests and critical flicker frequency in people with cirrhosis
Authors: Agrawal Amit , Sharma Barjesh Chander , Sharma Praveen , Uppal Rajiv , Sarin Shiv Kumar
Published: August 2012

Background and Aim

People with cirrhosis are at increased risk of development of complications related to sedation. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of sedation for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGIE) with propofol and midazolam on psychometric tests and critical flicker frequency (CFF) in people with cirrhosis.

Methods

A total of 127 people with cirrhosis were randomized into three groups: propofol group (n = 40), midazolam group (n = 42) and no sedation (n = 45). All patients underwent CFF test and combination of psychometry (number connection test‐A and B [NCT‐A,B]; digit symbol test [DST], line tracing test [LTT] and serial dotting test [SDT]) at baseline and at 2 h post‐endoscopy. CFF was done at 30 min and repeated every 30 min for 2 h.

Results

In the propofol group there was no deterioration in psychometry (NCT‐A [55.6 ± 18.7 vs 56.4 ± 19.0 s], NCT‐B [98.2 ± 35.1 vs 97.8 ± 34.6 s], DST [26.7 ± 5.7 vs 26.3 ± 5.3], LTT [112.9 ± 35.7 vs 113.7 ± 36.6 s], SDT [94.6 ± 34.1 vs 95.2 ± 34.5 s]). Significant deterioration from baseline (39.8 ± 2.9 Hz) was seen in CFF at 30 min (38.8 ± 2.3 Hz) and 1 h (39.2 ± 2.4 Hz), P = 0.01 but no difference thereafter. In the midazolam group, significant deterioration was observed on psychometry (NCT‐A [56.0 ± 18.5 vs 60.4 ± 19.8 s], NCT‐B [99.9 ± 29.1 vs 105.9.6 ± 30.3 s], DST [26.1 ± 4.7 vs 25.2 ± 4.3], LTT [129.1 ± 34.5 vs 132.9 ± 35.4 s], SDT [95.6 ± 34.2]). No deterioration was observed in psychometry and CFF in people with cirrhosis without sedation.

Conclusions

Propofol sedation for UGIE was associated with earlier recovery compared with midazolam, which causes deterioration of psychometric tests and CFF for a longer time in comparison with propofol.
Anesthetic considerations for rapid‐onset obesity, hypoventilation, hypothalamic dysfunction, and autonomic dysfunction (ROHHAD) syndrome in children
Authors: Chandrakantan Arvind , Poulton Thomas J.
Published: August 2012

Rapid‐onset obesity, hypoventilation, hypothalamic dysfunction, and autonomic dysfunction is an increasingly common diagnosis in patients who are being seen at tertiary care children’s hospitals. We present two cases of anesthetics from the authors’ own experience in addition to a comprehensive review of the disorder and anesthetic implications.
Biocontrol of tomato wilt disease by Bacillus subtilis isolates from natural environments depends on conserved genes mediating biofilm formation
Authors: Chen Yun , Yan Fang , Chai Yunrong , Liu Hongxia , Kolter Roberto , Losick Richard , Guo Jian‐hua
Published: August 2012

Bacillus subtilis and other Bacilli have long been used as biological control agents against plant bacterial diseases but the mechanisms by which the bacteria confer protection are not well understood. Our goal in this study was to isolate strains of B. subtilis that exhibit high levels of biocontrol efficacy from natural environments and to investigate the mechanisms by which these strains confer plant protection. We screened a total of 60 isolates collected from various locations across China and obtained six strains that exhibited above 50% biocontrol efficacy on tomato plants against the plant pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum under greenhouse conditions. These wild strains were able to form robust biofilms both in defined medium and on tomato plant roots and exhibited strong antagonistic activities against various plant pathogens in plate assays. We show that plant protection by those strains depended on widely conserved genes required for biofilm formation, including regulatory genes and genes for matrix production. We provide evidence suggesting that matrix production is critical for bacterial colonization on plant root surfaces. Finally, we have established a model system for studies of B. subtilis–tomato plant interactions in protection against a plant pathogen.
ParI, an orphan ParA family protein from Pseudomonas putida KT2440‐specific genomic island, interferes with the partition system of IncP‐7 plasmids
Authors: Miyakoshi Masatoshi , Shintani Masaki , Inoue Kei , Terabayashi Tsuguno , Sai Fumiya , Ohkuma Moriya , Nojiri Hideaki , Nagata Yuji , Tsuda Masataka
Published: August 2012

Pseudomonas putida KT2440 is an ideal soil bacterium for expanding the range of degradable compounds via the recruitment of various catabolic plasmids. In the course of our investigation of the host range of IncP‐7 catabolic plasmids pCAR1, pDK1 and pWW53, we found that the IncP‐7 miniplasmids composed of replication and partition loci were exceptionally unstable in KT2440, which is the authentic host of the archetypal IncP‐9 plasmid pWW0. This study identified ParI, a homologue of ParA family of plasmid partitioning proteins encoded on the KT2440‐specific cryptic genomic island, as a negative host factor for the maintenance of IncP‐7 plasmids. The miniplasmids were destabilized by ectopic expression of ParI, and the loss rate correlated with the copy number of ParB binding sites in the centromeric parS region. Mutations in the conserved ATPase domains of ParI abolished destabilization of miniplasmids. Furthermore, ParI destabilized miniplasmid derivatives carrying the partition‐deficient parA mutations but failed to impact the stability of miniplasmid derivatives with parB mutations in the putative arginine finger. Altogether, these results indicate that ParI interferes with the IncP‐7 plasmid partition system. This study extends canonical partition‐mediated incompatibility of plasmids beyond heterogeneous mobile genetic elements, namely incompatibility between plasmid and genomic island.
The translational repressor Crc controls the Pseudomonas putida benzoate and alkane catabolic pathways using a multi‐tier regulation strategy
Authors: Hernández‐Arranz Sofía , Moreno Renata , Rojo Fernando
Published: August 2012

Metabolically versatile bacteria usually perceive aromatic compounds and hydrocarbons as non‐preferred carbon sources, and their assimilation is inhibited if more preferable substrates are available. This is achieved via catabolite repression. In Pseudomonas putida, the expression of the genes allowing the assimilation of benzoate and n‐alkanes is strongly inhibited by catabolite repression, a process controlled by the translational repressor Crc. Crc binds to and inhibits the translation of benR and alkS mRNAs, which encode the transcriptional activators that induce the expression of the benzoate and alkane degradation genes respectively. However, sequences similar to those recognized by Crc in benR and alkS mRNAs exist as well in the translation initiation regions of the mRNA of several structural genes of the benzoate and alkane pathways, which suggests that Crc may also regulate their translation. The present results show that some of these sites are functional, and that Crc inhibits the induction of both pathways by limiting not only the translation of their transcriptional activators, but also that of genes coding for the first enzyme in each pathway. Crc may also inhibit the translation of a gene involved in benzoate uptake. This multi‐tier approach probably ensures the rapid regulation of pathway genes, minimizing the assimilation of non‐preferred substrates when better options are available. A survey of possible Crc sites in the mRNAs of genes associated with other catabolic pathways suggested that targeting substrate uptake, pathway induction and/or pathway enzymes may be a common strategy to control the assimilation of non‐preferred compounds.
Macroecology of pollination networks
Authors: Trøjelsgaard Kristian , Olesen Jens M.
Published: August 2012

Aim

Interacting communities of species are organized into complex networks, and network analysis is reckoned to be a strong tool for describing their architecture. Many species assemblies show strong macroecological patterns, e.g. increasing species richness with decreasing latitude, but whether this latitudinal diversity gradient scales up to entities as complex as networks is unknown. We investigated this using a dataset of 54 community‐wide pollination networks and hypothesized that pollination networks would display a latitudinal and altitudinal species richness gradient, increasing specialization towards the tropics, and that network topology would be affected by current climate.

Location

Global.

Methods

Each network was organized as a presence/absence matrix, consisting ofPplant species,Apollinator species and their links. From these matrices, network parameters were estimated. Additionally, data about geography (latitude, elevation), climate at the network site (temperature, precipitation) and sampling effort (observation days) and extent (study‐plot size) were gathered. Analyses were done using simultaneous autoregressive modelling (SAR).

Results

Species richness did not vary strongly with either latitude or elevation. However, network modularity decreased significantly with latitude whereas mean number of links per plant species (Lp) andA/Pratio peaked at mid‐latitude. Above 500 m a.s.l.,A/Pratio decreased and mean number of links per pollinator species (La) increased with elevation.Lpdisplayed mid‐ambient peaks with temperature and nestedness and modularity displayed linear relationships with precipitation.

Main conclusion

Pollination networks showed macroecological patterns. No strong latitudinal or altitudinal gradient in species richness was observed.Lpand theA/Pratio peaked at mid‐latitude whereas modularity decreased linearly. Both patterns are suggestive of a more specialized interaction structure towards the tropics. In particular, mean annual precipitation appeared influential on network topology as both nestedness and modularity varied significantly. Importantly, corrected regressions suggest that neither sampling effort nor extent affected the observed patterns.
The relative influence of temperature, moisture and their interaction on range limits of mammals over the past century
Authors: Smith Adam B.
Published: August 2012

Aims

Idetermine the relative importance of temperature and moisture acting alone and in tandem for range contractions and expansions of mammalian species overc. 70 years.

Location

The contiguousUnitedStates west of the eastern border of theRockyMountains (103.77° W).

Methods

Museum records of 67 mammalian species from two time periods (1900–39 and 1970–2009), mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation are used to model historic and modern distributions. For each era the region outside each species’ range in the opposing era is assigned to zones of range limitation: temperature alone is prohibitive, moisture alone is prohibitive, both preclude the species, or both have values that alone are within the species’ tolerance range but in combination are outside its climatic niche (‘interaction’ limitation). The relative importance of each type of limitation is estimated by their intersection with regions of range contraction and expansion.

Results

Averaged across species, 82 ± 3% (± SE) of the areas of contraction are now occupied by interaction limitation, and 74 ± 5% of areas expanded into were historically occupied by similar zones. In comparison, areas of range shift in which just temperature or moisture acting alone would have excluded the species comprise between only 9 and 17%, and areas in which both factors are limiting are negligible. Expansions into and contractions from regions of interaction limitation occurred more often than expected by chance given the distribution of this type of limitation in the wider study region.

Main conclusions

Particular combinations of temperature and moisture can interact directly or indirectly to limit species ranges even when these factors alone do not exceed species tolerances. Change in the correlation between of range‐limiting factors can have as much effect on species ranges as absolute change in those factors by themselves.
Culture masquerading, identity and organizational commitment
Authors: Hechanova Regina
Published: August 2012

This mixed method study examines the impact of culture masquerading among 488 Filipino customer service representatives handling international accounts. Culture masquerading is practised via taking on foreign names, locations and nationalities. Applying social identity theory, it is hypothesized and supported that masquerading of nationality is negatively related to cultural identity. As predicted, there is a positive relationship between cultural identity and organization commitment. No support is found for the hypothesis that cultural identity mediates the relationship between culture masquerading. Situated identity theory and economic, social, and historical influences are used to explain these findings.
Dissimilar effects of task‐relevant and interpersonal threat on independent–interdependent self‐construal in individuals with high self‐esteem
Authors: Nakashima Ken'ichiro , Yanagisawa Kuniaki , Ura Mitsuhiro
Published: August 2012

Previous research has indicated that individuals with high trait self‐esteem (HSEs) become more independent and less interdependent after experiencing a task‐relevant threat. However, these studies have not investigated other sources of ego threats, such as interpersonal threats. Therefore, the moderating effects of the degree of trait self‐esteem on task‐relevant and interpersonal ego threats were investigated in relation to independent, or interdependent self‐construal. It was predicted that in HSEs, the level of task‐relevant stress would be positively–negatively related to their independence–interdependence, whereas the level of interpersonal stress would be negatively–positively related to their independence–interdependence. In individuals with low trait self‐esteem (LSEs), the two types of stresses and independent–interdependent self‐construal may not have a significant relationship. We conducted a questionnaire survey with undergraduates. Correlational analysis of the results indicated that in HSEs, greater task‐relevant stress was related to heightened independence, whereas greater interpersonal stress had the opposite effect, indicating lower independence and heightened interdependence. However, these stresses were not related to the self‐construal of LSEs. These findings suggest that task‐relevant and interpersonal threat could have differential effects on independent and interdependent self‐construal for HSEs, but not in LSEs.
Modalities of Infant–Mother Interaction in Japanese, Japanese American Immigrant, and European American Dyads
Authors: Bornstein Marc H. , Cote Linda R. , Haynes O. Maurice , Suwalsky Joan T. D. , Bakeman Roger
Published: August 2012

Cultural variation in relations and moment‐to‐moment contingencies of infant–mother person‐oriented and object‐oriented interactions were compared in 118 Japanese, Japanese American immigrant, and European American dyads with 5.5‐month‐olds. Infant and mother person‐oriented behaviors were related in all cultural groups, but infant and mother object‐oriented behaviors were related only among European Americans. Infant and mother behaviors within each modality were mutually contingent in all groups. Culture moderated lead–lag relations: Japanese infants were more likely than their mothers to respond in object‐oriented interactions; European American mothers were more likely than their infants to respond in person‐oriented interactions. Japanese American dyads behaved like European American dyads. Interactions, infant effects, and parent socialization findings are set in cultural and accultural models of infant–mother transactions.
Secret Laws
Authors: GRANT CLAIRE
Published: August 2012

There is a thesis that legal rules need to be made public because people cannot guide their conduct by rules they cannot know. This thesis has been a mainstay of anti‐positivism and the controversy over it continues apace. However, positivism can accommodate the secret laws thesis. The deeper import of the debate over secret laws concerns our understanding of law's nature. In this regard secrecy merits attention as a candidate necessary connection between law and immorality. In addition the mediating role of lawyers as experts in ascertaining the law should be highlighted. It has been widely overlooked despite the fact that lawyers are criterial in Hart's concept of law.
Motivation, Reconsideration and Exclusionary Reasons*
Authors: HATZISTAVROU ANTONY
Published: August 2012

What do exclusionary reasons exclude? This is the main issue I address in this article. Raz appears to endorse what I label the “motivational” model of exclusionary reasons. He stresses that within the context of his theory of practical reasoning, exclusionary reasons are reasons not to be motivated by certain first‐order reasons (namely, the first‐order reasons which conflict with the first‐order reasons that the exclusionary reasons protect). Some of his critics take him to be committed to another model of exclusionary reasons which I label the “consideration” model. According to this model exclusionary reasons are reasons not to consider or think of the conflicting first‐order reasons. I argue that Raz's account of the exclusionary function of decisions suggests a third model of exclusionary reasons which I label the “reconsideration” model. In the reconsideration model, exclusionary reasons are reasons not to reconsider the balance of first‐order reasons. In this article I show how the reconsideration model differs from both the motivational and the consideration model and how it can account for the exclusionary function not only of decisions but also of personal rules and authoritative directives.
Some Problems with Robert Alexy's Account of Legal Validity: The Relevance of the Participant's Perspective*
Authors: GAIDO PAULA
Published: August 2012

This article examines Robert Alexy's account of legal validity. It concludes that Alexy's account of legal validity lacks sufficient support given the author's methodological commitments. To reach that conclusion, it assesses the plausibility of simultaneously maintaining that the participant's perspective has conceptual privilege in the explanation of the nature of law, that legal discourse is a special case of general practical discourse, and that unjust considerations can be legally valid norms.
Supporter Influence on Club Governance in a Sports League; a “Utility Maximization” Model
Authors: Madden Paul , Robinson Terry
Published: August 2012

The article formalizes a seminal suggestion of Sloane (), studying a sports league in which club objectives are multi‐argument utility functions defined over profits, win percentages and fan (=supporter) welfare, thus combining the three objectives that have been addressed separately in previous models. Particular focus is on the consequences of increasing the utility weight on fan welfare, to capture the recent increasing supporter involvement in club governance in UK football. Positive consequences are unambiguously higher attendances, with more nuanced affects on ticket prices and player expenditure. A normative consequence is that positive profits for club owners indicate social sub‐optimality.
Access to Flexible Working and Informal Care
Authors: Bryan Mark L.
Published: August 2012

We use matched employer–employee data to explore the relationship between employees’ access to flexible working arrangements and the amount of informal care they provide to sick or elderly friends and relatives. Flexitime and the ability to reduce working hours are each associated with about 13% more hours of informal care. Workplaces do not respond to the presence of carers by providing flexible work, instead there is some underlying selection of carers into flexible workplaces. The wider workplace environment beyond formal flexible work may also facilitate care.
Individual Differences In Contributions And Crowding‐Out Of A Public Good
Authors: Andrew Luccasen Rapheal
Published: August 2012

This paper reports experimental results that link other‐regarding preferences, personality, and demographic characteristics to contributions to a public good and the responsiveness of contributions to tax‐financed contributions. Contribution levels are higher among those with cooperative preferences, those with Myers–Briggs personality types of introversion and intuition, females, and upperclassmen. However, the response to a tax‐financed contribution is uniform. All player types reduce their contribution by an amount equal to the tax, a result known as complete crowd‐out.
Understanding Design with VGI using an Information Relevance Framework
Authors: Parker Christopher J. , May Andrew , Mitchell Val
Published: August 2012

Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) has the potential to offer benefits to end‐users over and above those of Professional Geographic Information (PGI). A multi‐methods approach, consisting of participatory observation, focus groups and diary studies, was used to study how VGI and PGI were actually used by a target user group. A theoretical framework of information relevance was used to understand the attributes of information that were most important in relation to the characteristics of the users' activity and their community. The key finding was that the discussion amongst GIS designers should not be whether to choose VGI or PGI as the information data set, but to consider which combination of VGI and PGI relating to different geographic features and task characteristics would best meet the users' needs. VGI is likely to be most relevant to the user when a geographic feature is dynamic rather than static in nature, and can also provide a level of detail that is unlikely to arise through PGI. These findings have implications for how different forms of information are most effective for different usage situations. Above all, a case is presented for the implementation of User Centred Design (UCD) principles when integrating VGI and PGI together in a single mashup‐based product.
Can Free (and Open Source) Software and Data be Used to Underpin a Self‐Paced Tutorial on Spatial Databases?
Authors: Ellul Claire
Published: August 2012

University College London's Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (CEGE) offers a number of Masters programmes in topics related to Geomatics, including Surveying, Hydrographic Surveying, Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Science. Data management, and in particular the technology and applications of Spatial Databases, forms a key part of the curriculum on these courses. Interest in Spatial Databases is, however, more widespread – especially with the increasing understanding of the relevance of geospatial techniques to fields as diverse as anthropology and architecture. This article describes the development and evaluation of a self‐paced hands‐on course on Databases and Spatial Databases for CEGE students, presented to students to complement and enhance in‐class teaching. The article focuses on both pedagogical elements of self‐paced learning and the suitability of Free and Open Source Software and Open Data (PostgreSQL/PostGIS, Quantum GIS, Open Street Map) for the Spatial Databases curriculum. The resulting material was evaluated by a cohort of 25 students in 2010, and their feedback (very positive) and the overall results provide an interesting insight into suitable methods to employ when teaching technical subjects to a cohort having differing background skill levels.
Language contact in the United Arab Emirates
Authors: BOYLE RONALD
Published: August 2012

ABSTRACT:  The population of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) rose from 1.6 million in 1990 to 8.2 million in 2010, mainly as a result of immigration, and foreigners now constitute about 88 per cent of the population. English is the second or third language for many of the expatriates, and it is used as an acrolectal lingua franca. As these economic migrants are transient workers on short‐term residence visas, most communicate through loose‐knit social networks, and this produces conditions favourable to language change. As a means of examining how English has established itself in the UAE and of describing the changes that are beginning to take place in the language, this paper will apply Schneider's ‘dynamic model’ of postcolonial Englishes to the history of the country from 1820 until the present day. It will argue that the ‘nativization’ phase is just beginning in the UAE and that the lexicogrammatical changes which are appearing are characteristic of this phase.
Attitudes towards Englishes in Sri Lanka
Authors: BERNAISCH TOBIAS
Published: August 2012

ABSTRACT:  Although the study and description of the structural levels of Sri Lankan English as a variety of English in its own right have so far been in the centre of a limited number of small‐scale investigations only, the sociolinguistic scenery in Sri Lanka has attracted more national and international scholarly attention. In this context, most of the sociolinguistic studies with a special focus on attitudes towards English in Sri Lanka did not differentiate between attitudes towards individual varieties of English, but conducted their investigations under the umbrella term English in Sri Lanka. Against this background, the present study examines attitudes towards Sri Lankan English, Indian English, British English and American English in Sri Lanka with the help of an attitudinal survey based on bipolar semantic differential scales and correlates the results with relevant metainformation. While the findings of the survey indicate that British English continues to be a variety of English which is highly valued in Sri Lanka, the informants also display a positive attitude towards Sri Lankan English; a finding with conceptual implications regarding variety‐status of Sri Lankan English and relevance for future language planning activities in Sri Lanka.