bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Large‐scale patterns of fish diversity and assemblage structure in the longest tropical river in Asia
Authors: Chea Ratha , Lek Sovan , Ngor Pengbun , Grenouillet Gaël
Published: August 2016

Although the Mekong River is one of the world's 35 biodiversity hot spots, the large‐scale patterns of fish diversity and assemblage structure remain poorly addressed. This study aimed to investigate the fish distribution patterns in the Lower Mekong River (LMR) and to identify their environmental determinants. Daily fish catch data (i.e. from December 2000 to November 2001) at 38 sites distributed along the LMR were related to 15 physicochemical and 19 climatic variables. As a result, four different clusters were defined according to the similarity in assemblage composition and 80 indicator species were identified. While fish species richness was highest in the Mekong delta and lowest in the upper part of the LMR, the diversity index was highest in the middle part of the LMR and lowest in the delta. We found that fish assemblages changed along the environmental gradients and that the main drivers affecting the fish assemblage structure were the seasonal variation of temperature, precipitation, dissolved oxygen, pH and total phosphorus. Specifically, upstream assemblages were characterised by cyprinids and Pangasius catfish, well suited to low temperature, high dissolved oxygen and high pH. Fish assemblages in the delta were dominated by perch‐like fish and clupeids, more tolerant to high temperatures, and high levels of nutrients (nitrates and total phosphorus) and salinity. Overall, the patterns were consistent between seasons. Our study contributes to establishing the first holistic fish community study in the LMR.
French mental health first aid guidelines for eating disorders: an exploration of user characteristics and usefulness among college students
Authors: Melioli Tiffany , Rispal Magali , Hart Laura M. , Chabrol Henri , Rodgers Rachel F.
Published: August 2016

Aim

The literature has highlighted that strategies to increase appropriate and timely treatment seeking for eating disorders (EDs) are needed. The aim of this study was to use the Internet to disseminate guidelines for providing first aid to individuals suffering from ED among college students.

Methods

Users were invited to complete two surveys: an initial one assessing user characteristics and, 28 days later, a questionnaire assessing the perceived usefulness of the guidelines. A sample of 651 college students (M
age = 22, standard deviation (SD) = 3.9) responded to the first questionnaire and 50 completed the second questionnaire (M
age = 22.2, SD = 2.6).

Results

The guidelines were downloaded 1174 times and 56% of users reported finding them useful.

Conclusions

College students might be particularly interested in learning more about ED and the guidelines could be valuable to address the gap in available resources for ED‐related mental health literacy.
Predictors of academic performance in the discipline‐specific bioscience paper: a retrospective qualitative study
Authors: Khareedi R.
Published: August 2016

Introduction

The cohort of students enrolled in the discipline‐specific bioscience paper reflects a structural diversity in that it includes students of multiple ethnicities, varied age groups, differing scholastic and life experiences. These divergent identities of students are known to influence academic performance. The purpose of this retrospective quantitative study was to determine the ability of a set of variables such as age, gender, ethnicity, level of prior education, the place from which prior education was obtained, work experience and prior academic achievement to predict academic performance in the discipline‐specific bioscience paper.

Method

The sample for this study was a purposive sample of all oral health students who had enrolled in the paper at the Auckland University of Technology from 2011 to 2014. The desensitised empirical data of 116 students from the University's database were subject to multivariable regression analysis. Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated.

Results

Prior academic achievement was a statistically significant predictor variable (P < 0.001) for the academic performance in the discipline‐specific bioscience paper and was also positively correlated (r = 0.641, P < 0.001) to the grades in the discipline‐specific bioscience paper.

Conclusion

Prior academic achievement was the only variable that was demonstrated to be correlated to and predictive of the academic performance in the discipline‐specific bioscience paper.
Young But Not Old Adult African Striped Mice Reduce Their Activity in the Dry Season When Food Availability is Low
Authors: Rimbach Rebecca , Willigenburg Remco , Schoepf Ivana , Yuen Chi Hang , Pillay Neville , Schradin Carsten
Published: August 2016

An individual′s survival and fitness depend on its ability to effectively allocate its time between competing behaviors. Sex, social tactic, season and food availability are important factors influencing activity budgets. However, few field studies have tested their influences. The African striped mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio) lives in highly seasonal habitats in southern Africa, and individuals can adopt different social tactics. We investigated seasonal changes in activity budgets of different tactics and predicted that individuals will reduce their activity in the non‐breeding season to save energy when food availability is low and that young non‐breeding adults (‘philopatrics’) invest mainly in activities related to gaining body mass to increase survival probability. We predicted old adults (‘breeders’), which bred during the previous breeding season, to invest mainly in maintenance of their social status. We conducted 90 focal observations during the non‐breeding season and 73 during the breeding season. Activity budgets of striped mice were season and tactic specific, with philopatrics, but not breeders, reducing activity when food availability was low, possibly to decrease energy expenditure. Philopatrics of both sexes foraged and basked more in the breeding season than during the non‐breeding season. Male philopatrics gained body mass and female philopatrics maintained their body mass in both seasons. Sex‐specific differences occurred during the breeding season, when female breeders foraged more than male breeders, while male breeders chased other individuals more than female breeders. These findings indicate that individuals adopting different social tactics display distinct behaviors to fulfill tactic‐specific energetic needs.
Multiple allosteric sites are involved in the modulation of insulin‐degrading‐enzyme activity by somatostatin
Authors: Tundo Grazia R. , Di Muzio Elena , Ciaccio Chiara , Sbardella Diego , Di Pierro Donato , Polticelli Fabio , Coletta Massimo , Marini Stefano
Published: August 2016

Somatostatin is a cyclic peptide, released in the gastrointestinal system and the central nervous system, where it is involved in the regulation of cognitive and sensory functions, motor activity and sleep. It is a substrate of insulin‐degrading enzyme (IDE), as well as a modulator of its activity and expression. In the present study, we have investigated the modulatory role of somatostatin on IDE activity at 37 °C and pH 7.3 for various substrates [i.e. insulin, β‐amyloid (Aβ)1–40 and bradykinin], aiming to quantitatively characterize the correlation between the specific features of the substrates and the regulatory mechanism. Functional data indicate that somatostatin, in addition to the catalytic site of IDE (being a substrate), is also able to bind to two additional exosites, which play different roles according to the size of the substrate and its binding mode to the IDE catalytic cleft. In particular, one exosite, which displays high affinity for somatostatin, regulates only the interaction of IDE with larger substrates (such as insulin and Aβ1–40) in a differing fashion according to their various modes of binding to the enzyme. A second exosite, which is involved in the regulation of enzymatic processing by IDE of all substrates investigated (including a 10–25 amino acid long amyloid‐like peptide, bradykinin and somatostatin itself, which had been studied previously), probably acts through the alteration of an ‘open–closed’ equilibrium.
Effects of UVB radiation on net community production in the upper global ocean
Authors: Garcia‐Corral Lara S. , Holding Johnna M. , Carrillo‐de‐Albornoz Paloma , Steckbauer Alexandra , Pérez‐Lorenzo María , Navarro Nuria , Serret Pablo , Duarte Carlos M. , Agusti Susana
Published: August 2016

Aim

Erosion of the stratospheric ozone layer together with oligotrophication of the subtropical ocean is leading to enhanced exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation in ocean surface waters. The impact of increased exposure to UVB on planktonic primary producers and heterotrophs is uncertain. Here we test the null hypothesis that net community production (NCP) of plankton communities in surface waters of the tropical and subtropical ocean is not affected by ambient UVB radiation and extend this test to the global ocean, including the polar oceans and the Mediterranean Sea using previous results.

Location

We conducted experiments with 131 surface communities sampled during a circumnavigation cruise along the tropical and subtropical ocean and combined these results with 89 previous reports encompassing the Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic and Southern Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea.

Methods

The use of quartz (transparent to UVB radiation) and borosilicate glass materials (opaque to most UVB) for incubations allowed us to compare NCP between communities where UVB is excluded and those receiving natural UVB radiation.

Results

We found that NCP varies when exposed to natural UVB radiation compared to those where UVB was removed. NCP of autotrophic communities tended to decrease under natural UVB radiation, whereas the NCP of heterotrophic communities tended to increase. However, these variations showed the opposite trend under higher levels of UVB radiation.

Main conclusions

Our results suggest that earlier estimates of NCP for surface communities, which were hitherto derived using materials blocking UVB radiation were biased, with the direction and magnitude of this bias depending on the metabolic status of the communities and the underwater penetration of UVB radiation.
Comprehensive effects of galantamine and cilostazol combination therapy on patients with Alzheimer's disease with asymptomatic lacunar infarction
Authors: Hishikawa Nozomi , Fukui Yusuke , Sato Kota , Ohta Yasuyuki , Yamashita Toru , Abe Koji
Published: August 2016

Aim

The coexistence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cerebrovascular disease pathology increases age‐dependently. We comprehensively analyzed the clinical effects of galantamine or cilostazol monotherapy to the add‐on combination therapy on three major factors of dementia, such as cognitive, affective and activities of daily living functions in AD patients with asymptomatic lacunar infarction.

Methods

We divided 101 AD patients with asymptomatic lacunar infarction into two subgroups: group A (n = 61, first treated with galantamine and then cilostazol added) and group B (n = 40, first treated with cilostazol and galantamine added). We compared the clinical effects before and after combination therapy of galantamine and cilostazol (i.e. 3 months [M] before (–3 M), baseline (0 M), 3 and 6 M after the add‐on combination).

Results

Galantamine monotherapy increased cognitive Hasegawa dementia score‐revised scores, which were further improved with add‐on cilostazol. Cilostazol monotherapy also increased the cognitive tests, which were further improved with add‐on galantamine. Add‐on cilostazol significantly improved Geriatric Depression Scale and Abe's behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia scores after galantamine monotherapy. Cilostazol monotherapy also significantly improved Geriatric Depression Scale scores, with further improvements in Geriatric Depression Scale, apathy scores and Abe's behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia scores by add‐on galantamine. Activities of daily living scores continuously improved with galantamine monotherapy and add‐on cilostazol.

Conclusions

The present study provides a clinical possibility that galantamine or cilostazol monotherapy and the combination therapy maintained or even improved cognitive, affective, and activities of daily living functions in AD with asymptomatic lacunar infarction. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1384–1391.
Relationship between fear of falling and functional status in nursing home residents aged older than 65 years
Authors: Kocic Mirjana , Stojanovic Zorica , Lazovic Milica , Nikolic Dejan , Zivkovic Vesna , Milenkovic Marina , Lazarevic Konstansa
Published: August 2016

Aim

The present study investigated the relationship between fear of falling and functional status, and sociodemographic and health‐related factors in nursing home residents aged older than 65 years.

Methods

The cross‐sectional study involved 100 participants who were residents of a nursing home and aged older than 65 years. Fear of falling was assessed using the Falls Efficacy Scale. Functional status was assessed by four performance‐based measures. Balance was assessed by the Berg Balance Scale, mobility by the Timed Up and Go test, lower limbs muscle strength by the Chair Rising Test and participants’ functional ability by the motor Functional Independence Measure.

Results

There was a significant negative correlation between the Falls Efficacy Scale and Berg Balance Scale (P < 0.001), and motor Functional Independence Measure (P < 0.001) scores; and a positive correlation with the Timed Up and Go test (P < 0.001) and Chair Rising Test (P < 0.001) values. Falls Efficacy Scale score increase is associated with age, being a widower/widow and the number of falls in the previous year. Higher fear of falling is associated with an increase in the number of falls in the previous year and with a decrease in Berg Balance Scale score.

Conclusions

The study found a significant associations between Falls Efficacy Scale score and all of the examined parameters of functional status, the number of falls in the previous year, age and marital status of widower/widow. The major finding was that poor balance and an increase in the number of falls in the previous year are independent factors significantly associated with the fear of falling. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1470–1476.
Heparin albumin priming in a clinical setting for hemodialysis patients at risk for bleeding
Authors: Skagerlind Malin , Stegmayr Bernd
Published: August 2016

Introduction: Intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) is sometimes necessary in patients with a bleeding risk, i.e., before/after surgery or brain hemorrhage. In such case IHD has to be modified to limit the conventional anticoagulation used to avoid clotting of the extracorporeal circuit (ECC). We evaluated if priming using a heparin and albumin (HA) mixture could minimize the exposure to heparin.

Methods: Retrospective data from 1995 to 2013 were collected from 1408 acute dialysis treatment protocols that included 321 patients. Comparisons were made between IHD patients that had increased risk for bleeding and were treated by standard anticoagulation (Group‐S), and patients at increased risk of bleeding (Group‐HA). The ECC in Group‐HA was primed with a solution of unfractioned heparin (UFH) (5000 Units/L) and albumin (1 g/L) in saline that was discarded after priming. There were 16 different dialyzers in the material.

Findings: Comparing Group‐S (n = 883) with Group‐HA (n = 221), the mean age was 61.6 vs. 62.2 years (P = 0.8), dialysis time was 197 vs. 190 minutes (P = 0.002), and total dose of intravenous anticoagulant/IHD was at median 5000 Units vs. 1200 Units (P = 0.001). Twenty‐four percent of patients were treated without any additional heparin. Clotting resulting in interrupted dialysis was similar in both groups (0.8% for Group‐S vs. 1.0% for Group‐HA, P = 0.8). No secondary bleeding was reported in either group.

Discussion: HA priming minimized the risk of clotting and enabled acute IHD in vulnerable patients without increased bleeding, thus allowing completion of IHD to the same extent as for standard HD.
Binary mixture of Satureja hortensis and Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum essential oils: in vivo therapeutic efficiency against Helicobacter pylori infection
Authors: Harmati Maria , Gyukity‐Sebestyen Edina , Dobra Gabriella , Terhes Gabriella , Urban Edit , Decsi Gabor , Mimica‐Dukić Neda , Lesjak Marija , Simin Nataša , Pap Bernadett , Nemeth Istvan B. , Buzas Krisztina
Published: August 2016

Background

Helicobacter pylori can cause many gastrointestinal and also extra‐gastrointestinal disorders and is a major risk factor for gastric carcinoma and MALT lymphoma. Currently, numerous antibiotic‐based therapies are available; however, these therapies have numerous drawbacks, mainly due to increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistant strains. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop novel therapeutic agents against H. pylori infections.

Materials and Methods

In this study, the anti‐H. pylori activity of 2:1 mixture of Satureja hortensis and Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum essential oils (2MIX) was investigated in vivo. After screening in vitro cytotoxicity of 2MIX on mammalian cell lines, the therapeutic efficiency was studied in a mouse model, where changes in H. pylori colonization were detected by PCR and histology of gastric samples. The immune reaction of mice was tested based on cytokine and chemokine production, and the in vivo toxicity of 2MIX was also investigated by measuring ALT and AST enzyme activities and Cyp3a11 and HO‐1 mRNA levels in livers of mice.

Results

2MIX had not shown in vitro cytotoxicity against cell lines, only the highest concentration caused significant decrease in their survival rates. In the in vivo experiments, 2MIX successfully eradicated the pathogen in 70% of the mice. We could not detect toxicity or altered cytokine and chemokine balance after in vivo treatments in mice.

Conclusions

These results show that 2MIX is effective in reducing H. pylori colonization suggesting that this essential oil mixture has great potential as a new, effective, and safe therapeutic agent against H. pylori.
Hepatitis B core‐related antigen kinetics in chronic hepatitis B virus genotype D‐infected patients treated with nucleos(t)ide analogues or pegylated‐interferon‐α
Authors: Caviglia Gian Paolo , Abate Maria Lorena , Noviello Daniele , Olivero Antonella , Rosso Chiara , Troshina Giulia , Ciancio Alessia , Rizzetto Mario , Saracco Giorgio Maria , Smedile Antonina
Published: August 2016

Aim

The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between hepatitis B core‐related antigen (HBcrAg) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels, and to investigate HBcrAg kinetics during nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) or pegylated‐interferon (PEG‐IFN)‐α treatment in a cohort of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) genotype D patients.

Methods

One hundred thirty eight sequential serum samples were collected from 28 hepatitis B e antigen‐negative CHB genotype D patients (20 men and 8 women; median age, 54 years [range, 47–58 years]) who underwent NA (n = 20) or PEG‐IFN‐α (n = 8) treatment. Serum HBcrAg levels were determined by chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay. Longitudinal analysis was carried out at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after NA treatment initiation and at 6, 12, and 18 months and at follow‐up month 6 after PEG‐IFN‐α treatment.

Results

Basal HBcrAg levels were 4.7 ± 1.8 Log U/mL and 3.3 ± 1.6 Log U/mL in NA‐ and PEG‐IFN‐α‐treated patients, respectively. Hepatitis B core‐related antigen showed a moderate correlation with HBV DNA (r = 0.498, P < 0.0001) and no correlation with HBsAg (r = 0.192, P = 0.0669). In serial serum samples, a significant HBcrAg reduction was observed only in patients receiving NA (P = 0.019). In these patients, we observed a group (n = 12) with an early HBcrAg decline to undetectable levels between months 6–12, whereas the other group (n = 8) still had detectable HBcrAg at month 36 (4.4 ± 0.6 Log U/mL), independently from HBV DNA and HBsAg kinetics.

Conclusions

Serum HBcrAg correlates with HBV DNA levels, most likely through expression of viral replication activity. We observed two different HBcrAg kinetics in NA‐treated patients, suggesting different relapse risk related to NA cessation. Further studies on larger patient cohorts will elucidate the role of HBcrAg in the safe discontinuation of NA in CHB genotype D patients.
Contributions of Look Duration and Gaze Shift Patterns to Infants’ Novelty Preferences
Authors: Fisher‐Thompson Donna
Published: August 2016

Data from 72 infants, tested using a serial paired‐comparison paradigm, were analyzed to better understand infant novelty preferences. Infants between the ages of 15 and 26 weeks were tested in three studies with familiar stimuli displayed adjacent to novel stimuli on each trial. Differences in look duration, look number, and gaze shifts directed at novel versus familiar stimuli were assessed to measure their contributions to group and individual novelty preferences. Infants produced longer looks for novel stimuli in all three studies, and stimulus differences in look duration accounted for more than 50% of the variability in individual novelty preferences. Infants that produced more looks to novel rather than familiar stimuli did not produce overall novelty preferences unless they also looked longer at novel stimuli. Gaze shift patterns did not predict individual novelty preferences, and novel stimuli did not determine where infants looked. The infants’ visual exploration was constrained by memories for the direction of the previous look as well as by the attention‐holding features of novel stimuli.
Adaptive Water Governance: Integrating the Human Dimensions into Water Resource Governance
Authors: Akamani Kofi
Published: August 2016

The command‐and‐control paradigm of water resource management that dominated 20th century water policy has resulted in vulnerabilities due to its inadequate consideration of the human dimensions as well as its failure to prioritize the need for learning and adapting to change and uncertainties. In response to these shortfalls, recent years have seen the emergence of alternative water policy frameworks, notably integrated water resource management (IWRM) and adaptive management. However, while IWRM broadens the planning goals and scope of water resource governance through integration and coordination across scales and sectors, it does not adequately emphasize learning to deal with uncertainty. On the other hand, adaptive management emphasizes the need to prioritize learning to deal with uncertainty in resource management through monitoring and experimentation, but places less emphasis on the human dimensions required for its successful implementation. This paper discusses adaptive water governance – collaborative, flexible, and learning‐based institutions that connect state and non‐state actors across multiple levels for ecosystem‐based management of land and water resources – as a promising institutional mechanism for integrating the human dimensions into water resource governance while building the capacity of water resource systems to learn and adapt to change. The paper highlights four attributes of adaptive water governance: (1) reintegrating humans into nature; (2) integrating diverse sources and types of knowledge; (3) promoting adaptive and integrative management goals; and (4) using polycentric institutions and analytic deliberation processes. Through these mechanisms, adaptive governance can contribute to sustainability, good governance, conflict management, and social‐ecological resilience in water resource systems.
Institutional Constraints to Collaborative Ecosystem Management within a Wetlands Conservation Partnership
Authors: Behnken Jennifer A. , Groninger John W. , Akamani Kofi
Published: August 2016

Recent decades have seen an evolution in resource management paradigms from the multiple use and sustained yield toward ecosystem management. This ongoing paradigm shift has generated interest in collaborative decision‐making as a more promising alternative to conventional top down institutions. While a collaborative approach to ecosystem management promises several benefits, including equity, efficiency, and sustainability, institutional constraints often impede the success of these initiatives. Using the Cache River Joint Venture Partnership in southern Illinois, USA as a case study, this study employed a qualitative research approach to understand how various institutional attributes influence prospects for conflict and cooperation in collaborative decision‐making processes. We found that stakeholder motivation and capacity for cooperation with other partners in ecosystem management can be enabled or constrained by several institutional factors, including external policy and regulatory mandates, internal administrative and budget structures, institutional cultures, and approaches to science and decision‐making criteria. We conclude with a suggestion that stakeholders in collaborative ecosystem management partnerships identify and address constraints for cooperative action during the early stages of the process.
Irrigation Technology Choice as Adaptation to Climate Change in the Western United States
Authors: Frisvold George , Bai Ting
Published: August 2016

Several commentators have suggested adoption of improved irrigation will be important for agricultural adaptation to climate change. This study used data from a special tabulation of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey to examine how climate and other factors influence the choice of sprinkler versus gravity‐flow irrigation across 17 western states. Because studies of irrigation technology adoption often concentrate on small geographic areas with the same climate, few have estimated effects of climate on irrigation technology choice. Results suggest sprinkler irrigation is a more promising climate adaptation in areas that are relatively cooler and where extreme precipitation events increase. Sprinkler adoption is less likely in warmer climates and under drier climate change scenarios. An implication is that for hot, arid parts of the West, other climate adaptation strategies may be more important to pursue. Consistent with several previous studies, sprinkler adoption was greater among farms that were larger, had higher water costs, and relied more on groundwater. Sprinkler adoption was also greater in states with a higher erosion index that captured effects of rainfall, field slope, and soil water‐holding capacity, which also have been found to be important adoption predictors in a number of previous studies.
Water and Society: Interdisciplinary Education in Natural Resources
Authors: Kulcsar Laszlo J. , Aistrup Joseph A. , Bulatewicz Thomas , Peterson Jeffrey M. , Welch Stephen M. , Steward David R.
Published: August 2016

Natural resource management and education must account for both the natural and human components of a complex system, yet examples of such interdisciplinary approaches are still relatively rare, especially in education. This study discusses a graduate seminar on water management, developed from an interdisciplinary National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. The seminar applied constructivist pedagogy which is not only best suited for interdisciplinary work, but also allows flexibility to redesign the course components and deliverables after each evaluation cycle. While the seminar was a successful experiment, several challenges remain when implementing such courses. These challenges include not only the organization and assessment of course deliverables, but also fitting such courses into the administrative structure of the university when represented disciplines are located in several colleges across campus.
Phylogeography of a freshwater crustacean species complex reflects a long‐gone archipelago
Authors: Copilaş‐Ciocianu Denis , Petrusek Adam
Published: August 2016

Aim

The Carpathian Mountains are an important European biodiversity hotspot and are characterized by a dynamic geological history. Their freshwater amphipod fauna is ubiquitous and diverse, consisting of micro‐endemic lineages that apparently reflect historical geological events. In this study, we propose that the complementary distribution of two widespread morphotypes belonging to the Gammarus balcanicus species complex reflects two chronologically distinct uplift episodes of the Carpathian Archipelago during the Miocene.

Location

Southeastern Europe.

Methods

We sequenced two mitochondrial (COI and 16S) and three nuclear (28S, 18S and EF1α) markers from 68 localities (n = 171) across the Carpathian Arc. Distance and phylogenetic‐based methods were used to quantify cryptic diversity from the mitochondrial markers. We examined phylogenetic relationships, estimated divergence times and reconstructed ancestral geographical distributions of the Carpathian lineages within a wider geographical and phylogenetic context.

Results

Our results revealed that one morphotype, Gammarus cf. balcanicus, is a highly diverse and polyphyletic entity (consisting of at least 20 cryptic lineages), mostly inhabiting the areas corresponding to old Carpathian palaeo‐islands. We estimated that this morphotype originated and diversified on this archipelago throughout the Miocene. In contrast, a distinct morph, previously described as G. balcanicus dacicus (elevated here to species rank as G. dacicus [new status]), is monophyletic and comprises only two lineages that likely originated and diversified on younger landmasses at the onset of the Late Miocene. Furthermore, it appears that the Pleistocene glaciations did not have a significant effect on the observed distribution and diversity patterns. Each cryptic lineage detected by mitochondrial markers was also supported by at least one nuclear marker.

Main conclusions

The different timings of landmass uplifts of the Carpathian palaeo‐archipelago seem to have played a central role in the evolution and diversification of local lineages of the G. balcanicus species complex. This indicates that the genetic legacy of long‐gone archipelagos can persist for millions of years in contemporaneous continental biotas.
European consensus‐based (S2k) Guideline on the Management of Herpes Zoster – guided by the European Dermatology Forum (EDF) in cooperation with the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV), Part 2: Treatment
Authors: Werner R.N. , Nikkels A.F. , Marinović B. , Schäfer M. , Czarnecka‐Operacz M. , Agius A.M. , Bata‐Csörgő Z. , Breuer J. , Girolomoni G. , Gross G.E. , Langan S. , Lapid‐Gortzak R. , Lesser T.H. , Pleyer U. , Sellner J. , Verjans G.M. , Wutzler P. , Dressler C. , Erdmann R. , Rosumeck S. , Nast A.
Published: August 2016

Herpes zoster (HZ, shingles) is a frequent medical condition which may severely impact the quality of life of affected patients. Different therapeutic approaches to treat acute HZ are available. The aim of this European project was the elaboration of a consensus‐based guideline on the management of patients who present with HZ, considering different patient populations and different localizations. This interdisciplinary guideline aims at an improvement of the outcomes of the acute HZ management concerning disease duration, acute pain and quality of life of the affected patients and at a reduction in the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) and other complications. The guideline development followed a structured and pre‐defined process, considering the quality criteria for guidelines development as suggested by the AGREE II instrument. The steering group was responsible for the planning and the organization of the guideline development process (Division of Evidence‐Based Medicine, dEBM). The expert panel was nominated by virtue of clinical expertise and/or scientific experience and included experts from the fields of dermatology, virology/infectiology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, neurology and anaesthesiology. Recommendations for clinical practice were formally consented during the consensus conference, explicitly considering different relevant aspects. The guideline was approved by the commissioning societies after an extensive internal and external review process. In this second part of the guideline, therapeutic interventions have been evaluated. The expert panel formally consented recommendations for the treatment of patients with HZ (antiviral medication, pain management, local therapy), considering various clinical situations. Users of the guideline must carefully check whether the recommendations are appropriate for the context of intended application. In the setting of an international guideline, it is generally important to consider different national approaches and legal circumstances with regard to the regulatory approval, availability and reimbursement of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.
Ambiguous Loss and Emotional Recovery After Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Kreutzer Jeffrey S. , Mills Ana , Marwitz Jennifer H.
Published: August 2016

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is highly prevalent, with many survivors experiencing long‐term disability as a consequence of cognitive impairments, adverse personality changes, and emotional and communication difficulties. Because family members most often assume the long‐term role of caregiver, their feelings, relationships, and life plans are often negatively affected. Boss has defined a type of ambiguous loss in which the person is physically present but psychologically absent, which is the case for many families after brain injury. Over the past 2 decades we have developed interventions incorporating ambiguous loss theory to enhance resilience and improve psychological outcomes in families after TBI. This article provides a brief overview of TBI, discusses ambiguous loss in families after TBI, and describes the therapeutic goals and framework of empirically supported family interventions using the lens of ambiguous loss theory.
Viral eradication reduces all‐cause mortality, including non–liver‐related disease, in patients with progressive hepatitis C virus‐related fibrosis
Authors: Tada Toshifumi , Kumada Takashi , Toyoda Hidenori , Kiriyama Seiki , Tanikawa Makoto , Hisanaga Yasuhiro , Kanamori Akira , Kitabatake Shusuke , Yama Tsuyoki , Tanaka Junko
Published: August 2016

Background and Aim

Eradication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) with interferon (IFN)‐based therapy has been reported to reduce all‐cause mortality in patients with chronic HCV infection. However, the impact of HCV eradication on non–liver‐related mortality and causes of death has not been sufficiently investigated in patients with progressive HCV‐related fibrosis.

Methods

We enrolled 784 chronic HCV patients with progressive liver fibrosis (aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index >1). Cause of death, incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma, and all‐cause mortality including non–liver‐related mortality were analyzed.

Results

Of these 784 patients, 170 achieved sustained virological response (SVR) (eradication of HCV) with IFN‐based therapy (IFN‐SVR), and 614 did not receive IFN‐based therapy (non‐IFN patients, chronic HCV infection). The median follow‐up duration was 10.3 years. Two hundred seventy‐three patients died during follow‐up (liver‐related death, n = 171; non–liver‐related death, n = 102). The mortality rate from non–liver‐related disease was 63.6% (7/11) in IFN‐SVR patients and 36.3% (95/262) in non‐IFN patients, respectively. In multivariate analysis, the eradication of HCV associated with not only hepatocellular carcinoma incidence (hazard ratio (HR), 0.162; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.092–0.284), and all‐cause mortality (HR, 0.094; 95% CI, 0.047–0.187), but non–liver‐related mortality (HR, 0.286; 95% CI, 0.127–0.644) as well.

Conclusions

Eradication of HCV reduced both liver‐related and non–liver‐related mortality in patients with progressive HCV‐related fibrosis.
Reductions in the mitochondrial enzyme α‐ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex in neurodegenerative disease – beneficial or detrimental?
Authors: Chen Huanlian , Denton Travis T. , Xu Hui , Calingasan Noel , Beal M. Flint , Gibson Gary E.
Published: August 2016

Reductions in metabolism and excess oxidative stress are prevalent in multiple neurodegenerative diseases. The activity of the mitochondrial enzyme α‐ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDHC) appears central to these abnormalities. KGDHC is diminished in multiple neurodegenerative diseases. KGDHC can not only be rate limiting for NADH production and for substrate level phosphorylation, but is also a source of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The goal of these studies was to determine how changes in KGDHC modify baseline ROS, the ability to buffer ROS, baseline glutathionylation, calcium modulation and cell death in response to external oxidants. In vivo, reducing KGDHC with adeno virus diminished neurogenesis and increased oxidative stress. In vitro, treatments of short duration increased ROS and glutathionylation and enhanced the ability of the cells to diminish the ROS from added oxidants. However, long‐term reductions lessened the ability to diminish ROS, diminished glutathionylation and exaggerated oxidant‐induced changes in calcium and cell death. Increasing KGDHC enhanced the ability of the cells to diminish externally added ROS and protected against oxidant‐induced changes in calcium and cell death. The results suggest that brief periods of diminished KGDHC are protective, while prolonged reductions are harmful. Furthermore, elevated KGDHC activities are protective. Thus, mitogenic therapies that increase KGDHC may be beneficial in neurodegenerative diseases.

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Ocular topotecan pharmacokinetics following topical administration to rabbits for diffused anterior retinoblastoma
Authors: Taich Paula , Del Sole Maria , Buontempo Fabian , Williams Gustavo , Winter Ursula , Sgroi Mariana , Chantada Guillermo , Schaiquevich Paula
Published: August 2016

Objectives

We characterized and compared the in-vivo absorption of topotecan into the aqueous humor after instillation of aqueous and ointment formulations.

Methods

A lanolin/petrolatum ointment was used. New Zealand rabbits were instilled with topotecan solution (6 μg, group A), a single 10 μg dose of topotecan ointment (group B) or with five 10 μg doses of topotecan ointment (group C). Aqueous humor samples were collected at different times. Corneal samples were collected only for group A. Topotecan was quantified using HPLC, and pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. Acute corneal epithelial toxicity was assessed after multiple instillations of topotecan ointment.

Key findings

Total topotecan maximum aqueous humor concentration (Cmax) was 16.1, 69.9 and 287 ng/ml in group A, B and C, respectively. A single dose of topotecan ointment increased threefold and sevenfold the aqueous humor Cmax, and exposure compared to the aqueous formulation. Aqueous humor concentrations from group C eyes were substantially above the cytotoxic concentration for retinoblastoma cells. No corneal toxicity was evident after ointment instillation.

Conclusions

Topotecan penetrated into the aqueous humor of the rabbit eye after multiple doses of an ointment in concentrations pharmacologically active against retinoblastoma cells without eliciting acute toxicity. Topotecan ointment may translate to the clinical treatment of anterior segment disseminated retinoblastoma.
Targeting the Treatment: The Strategy behind Lyndon Johnson's Lobbying
Authors: Beckmann Matthew N. , Chaturvedi Neilan S. , Garcia Jennifer Rosa
Published: August 2016

Lyndon Johnson woke up studying whip counts, went to bed reading the Congressional Record, and invested countless hours in between translating that political intelligence into a lobbying offensive. The result, famously christened “The Johnson Treatment,” remains the archetype practitioners and political scientists cite when appraising presidential leadership on Capitol Hill. Yet Beltway folklore aside, we know little about how LBJ helped forge winning legislative coalitions. Stepping back from the (countless) colorful anecdotes, this study offers a new and systematic look at Lyndon Johnson's lobbying. Specifically, after exploring theoretical models of presidential coalition building, we then investigate their operational tenets using original data on all President Johnson's contacts, with each member of Congress, in both chambers, for every day he was president.
Diversity of faunal assemblages associated with ribbed mussel beds along the South American coast: relative roles of biogeography and bioengineering
Authors: Sepúlveda Roger D. , Camus Patricio A. , Moreno Carlos A.
Published: August 2016

Benthic organisms are among the most diverse and abundant in the marine realm, and some species are a key factor in studies related to bioengineering. However, their importance has not been well noted in biogeographic studies. Macrofaunal assemblages associated with subtidal beds of the ribbed mussel (Aulacomya atra) along South America were studied to assess the relationship between their diversity patterns and the proposed biogeographic provinces in the Southeastern Pacific and Southwestern Atlantic Oceans. Samples from ribbed mussel beds were obtained from 10 sites distributed from the Peruvian coast (17°S) to the Argentinean coast (41°S). The sampling included eight beds in the Pacific and two in the Atlantic and the collections were carried out using five 0.04 m2 quadrants per site. Faunal assemblages were assessed through classification analyses using binary and log‐transformed abundance data. Variation in the size and density of mussels, and in the species richness, abundance and structure of their faunal assemblages were tested using a permutational multivariate analysis of variance. Faunal assemblages showed a north–south latitudinal gradient along both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Binary and abundance data showed a difference in the resulting clustering arrangement of Pacific sites between 40°S and 44°S, indicating a pattern of continuity in the species distribution associated with biological substrates. At a regional scale, the distribution of species along the South American coast matched the general provincial pattern shown by prior studies, which show two biogeographic units on the Pacific coast separated by an intermediate (probably transitional) zone and a single province on the Atlantic coast extending up to Northern Argentina. Biological substrates such as ribbed mussel beds play an important ecological role by making a similar habitat type available on a large scale for a variety of invertebrate species. Despite such habitat homogeneity, however, the associated fauna exhibit marked distribution breaks, suggesting strong constraints on dispersal. This therefore suggests that macrofaunal assemblages could possibly be used as biogeographic indicators.
Closely related thyasirid bivalves associate with multiple symbiont phylotypes
Authors: Batstone Rebecca T. , Dufour Suzanne C.
Published: August 2016

Species of thyasirid bivalves are considered to be representative of early stages of chemosymbiosis, given that bacterial symbionts occur outside gill epithelial cells, vary among species in their abundance and nutritional importance, and are environmentally acquired. For these reasons, assessing the extent of host–symbiont specificity in thyasirids could provide valuable information on the evolution of chemosymbiosis. We show that individuals of two closely related and sympatric Thyasira cf. gouldi operational taxonomic units collected from three sites in a fjord in Newfoundland, Canada, associate with one of three distinct, closely related symbiont phylotypes. While associations show some site‐specificity, there is flexibility in host–symbiont pairings within the fjord, further supporting an early and relatively unspecific stage of chemosymbiosis in this family. Morphologic differences observed both within and among symbiont phylotypes suggest physiologic variation, possibly induced by small‐scale differences in sedimentary conditions.
Towards a standard measure of sea anemone size: assessing the accuracy and precision of morphological measures for cantilever‐like animals
Authors: Angeli Andréa , Zara Fernando J. , Turra Alexander , Gorman Daniel
Published: August 2016

Our capacity to detect and interrogate patterns in nature depends on the use of standard methods for measuring biological units. Consensus methods to quantify the size of individual animals and characteristics of biological communities are critical for comparisons across time and space. Nowhere is this more important than when dealing with organisms such as sea anemones that display high plasticity in body shape. Despite the need for accurate measures of anemone size for ecological comparisons, there is little consensus on the accuracy and precision of size inferences for these animals. We assessed several morphological parameters to determine which in‐field measure accurately and reliably reflects the reference size of an anemone measured in the laboratory: (i) column height, (ii) column diameter, (iii) limbus diameter, (iv) pedal disc diameter, (v) pedal disc area or (vi) pedal disc perimeter. The results revealed large variability in the accuracy and precision amongst measures, which have implications for their suitability as a standard method for in situ measurements. In general, measures of diameter were preferable to those of height, area and perimeter; and those associated with attachment (i.e. the limbus and pedal disc diameter) performed the best. Overall, considering concurrence with measures obtained from two differing but useful reference states, pedal disc diameter was the most accurate parameter (mean percentage difference = 0.6) with which to estimate the size of sea anemones in the field, and we thus recommend its use as an effective, non‐destructive means of gaining insights into their behavioural and evolutionary ecology.
Metaphysical Materials: Schoenberg in Our Time
Authors: Whittall Arnold
Published: August 2016

Two Critical Forum contributions toMusic Analysisin 2015 testified to the continuing scholarly concern with Schoenberg's musical thinking, and particularly with the possible connections and disconnections between tonality and the twelve‐note method. This response revisits the materials surveyed in 2015 and adds further references in order to underline the special circumstances of Schoenberg's move from Europe to North America, the profound tensions of a career divided between teaching and composing, and the consequences of not separating thinking about music from thinking about religion – the material from the metaphysical.