bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘Diables incarnez, Machiavelistes, heretiques’: The Villains of Pierre Matthieu's
La Guisiade
Reconsidered
Authors: Patterson Jonathan
Published: November 2015

This article proposes a new reading of Pierre Matthieu's
La Guisiade
(1589), a polemical tragedy written at the height of France's Wars of Religion (1562–98).
La Guisiade
constitutes an incandescent response to the assassination on 23 December 1588 of the Duc de Guise, the charismatic leader of the uncompromising ultra-Catholic faction (the Ligue) on the verge of toppling France's much-maligned monarch, Henri III. Matthieu was a militant
ligueur
when he composed
La Guisiade
, seeking to vilify those he deemed responsible for Guise's murder: the king, his various
mignons
, and his malevolent counsellors. This article will show how the language of villainy that pervades
La Guisiade
has much in common — and more so than previously assumed — with the inflammatory pamphlets (
libelles
) circulated by the Ligue in the late 1580s and early 1590s. Matthieu's hybrid tragedy combines the vitriolic rhetoric of a pamphleteer with a humanist's classicizing sensibility. Viewed as such, it becomes necessary to question the scholarly orthodoxy that Matthieu's villains are predominantly ‘Machiavellian’. Instead, Machiavelli is but one symbol of
ligueur
hatred alongside other deeply reviled figures, including the Huguenot, the Turk, the
politique
, and the sorcerer, whose villainy is conceptualized as mutually reinforcing.
Hydroxymethyluracil modifications enhance the flexibility and hydrophilicity of double-stranded DNA
Authors: Carson Spencer , Wilson James , Aksimentiev Aleksei , Weigele Peter R. , Wanunu Meni
Published: November 2015

Oxidation of a DNA thymine to 5-hydroxymethyluracil is one of several recently discovered epigenetic modifications. Here, we report the results of nanopore translocation experiments and molecular dynamics simulations that provide insight into the impact of this modification on the structure and dynamics of DNA. When transported through ultrathin solid-state nanopores, short DNA fragments containing thymine modifications were found to exhibit distinct, reproducible features in their transport characteristics that differentiate them from unmodified molecules. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that 5-hydroxymethyluracil alters the flexibility and hydrophilicity of the DNA molecules, which may account for the differences observed in our nanopore translocation experiments. The altered physico-chemical properties of DNA produced by the thymine modifications may have implications for recognition and processing of such modifications by regulatory DNA-binding proteins.
An Anesthesiologist’s Perspective on the History of Basic Airway Management
Authors: Matioc Adrian A.
Published: November 2015

AbstractAbstract

Basic airway management modern history starts in the early 18th century in the context of resuscitation of the apparently dead. History saw the rise and fall of the mouth-to-mouth and then of the instrumental positive-pressure ventilation generated by bellows. Pulmonary ventilation had a secondary role to external and internal organ stimulation in resuscitation of the apparently dead. Airway access for the extraglottic technique was to the victim’s nose. The bellows-to-nose technique was the “basic airway management technique” applicable by both medical and nonmedical personnel. Although the techniques had been described at the time, very few physicians practiced glottic (intubation) and subglottic (tracheotomy) techniques. Before the anesthetic era, positive-pressure ventilation was discredited and replaced by manual negative-pressure techniques. In the middle of the 19th century, physicians who would soon administer anesthetic gases were unfamiliar with the positive-pressure ventilation concept.

The modern history of basic airway management started in the early 18th century. The preanesthetic era (1700 to 1846) saw the rise and fall of the positive pressure ventilation and its replacement with negative pressure ventilation.
A Longitudinal Examination of Postural Impairments in Children With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Implications for Acute Testing
Authors: Rhine Tara , Quatman-Yates Catherine , Clark Ross A.
Published: November 2015

Objective:

To examine how postural control changes following pediatric mild traumatic brain injury.

Setting:

Urban pediatric emergency department.

Participants:

Children 11 to 16 years old who presented within 6 hours of sustaining mild traumatic brain injury.

Design:

Prospective observational cohort followed for 1 month.

Main Measures:

Total center of pressure path velocity and path velocity within distinct frequency bands, ranging from moderate to ultralow, were recorded by the Nintendo Wii Balance Board during a 2-legged stance. Measurements were recorded in 2 separate tests with eyes open and closed. The scores of the 2 tests were compared, and a Romberg quotient was computed.

Results:

Eleven children were followed for 1 month postinjury. The ultralow frequency, which reflects slow postural movements associated with exploring stability boundaries, was lower (p = .02) during the eyes closed stance acutely following injury. The Romberg quotient for this frequency was also significantly lower acutely following injury (p = .007) than at 1 month.

Conclusion:

Following mild traumatic brain injury, children acutely demonstrate significantly more rigid sway patterns with eyes closed than with eyes open, which were highlighted by the Romberg quotient. The Romberg quotient could allow for accurate identification and tracking of postural instability without requiring knowledge of preinjury balance ability.
Molecular cytogenetics of tragelaphine and alcelaphine interspecies hybrids: hybridization, introgression and speciation in some African antelope
Authors: Robinson T. J. , Cernohorska H. , Schulze E. , Duran-Puig A.
Published: November 2015

Hybridization can occur naturally among diverging lineages as part of the evolutionary process leading to complete reproductive isolation, or it can result from range shifts and habitat alteration through global warming and/or other anthropogenic influences. Here we report a molecular cytogenetic investigation of hybridization between taxonomically distinct species of the Alcelaphini (Alcelaphus buselaphus2n= 40 ×Damaliscus lunatus2n= 36) and the Tragelaphini (Tragelaphus strepsiceros 2n= 31/32 ×Tragelaphus angasii2n= 55/56). Cross-species fluorescencein situhybridization provides unequivocal evidence of the scale of karyotypic difference distinguishing parental species. The findings suggest that although hybrid meiosis of the former cross would necessitate the formation of a chain of seven, a ring of four and one trivalent, the progeny follow Haldane's rule showing F1male sterility and female fertility. The tragelaphine F1hybrid, a male, was similarly sterile and, given the 11 trivalents and chain of five anticipated in its meiosis, not unexpectedly so. We discuss these findings within the context of the broader evolutionary significance of hybridization in African antelope, and reflect on what these hold for our views of antelope species and their conservation.
Predictions replaced by facts: a keystone species' behavioural responses to declining arctic sea-ice
Authors: Hamilton Charmain D. , Lydersen Christian , Ims Rolf A. , Kovacs Kit M.
Published: November 2015

Since the first documentation of climate-warming induced declines in arctic sea-ice, predictions have been made regarding the expected negative consequences for endemic marine mammals. But, several decades later, little hard evidence exists regarding the responses of these animals to the ongoing environmental changes. Herein, we report the first empirical evidence of a dramatic shift in movement patterns and foraging behaviour of the arctic endemic ringed seal (
Pusa hispida
), before and after a major collapse in sea-ice in Svalbard, Norway. Among other changes to the ice-regime, this collapse shifted the summer position of the marginal ice zone from over the continental shelf, northward to the deep Arctic Ocean Basin. Following this change, which is thought to be a ‘tipping point’, subadult ringed seals swam greater distances, showed less area-restricted search behaviour, dived for longer periods, exhibited shorter surface intervals, rested less on sea-ice and did less diving directly beneath the ice during post-moulting foraging excursions. In combination, these behavioural changes suggest increased foraging effort and thus also likely increases in the energetic costs of finding food. Continued declines in sea-ice are likely to result in distributional changes, range reductions and population declines in this keystone arctic species.
A simple mechanistic explanation for original antigenic sin and its alleviation by adjuvants
Authors: Ndifon Wilfred
Published: November 2015

A large number of published studies have shown that adaptive immunity to a particular antigen, including pathogen-derived, can be boosted by another, cross-reacting antigen while inducing suboptimal immunity to the latter. Although this phenomenon, called original antigenic sin (OAS), was first reported approximately 70 years ago (Francis
et al
. 1947
Am. J. Public Health
37, 1013–1016 (
doi:10.2105/AJPH.37.8.1013
)), its underlying biological mechanisms are still inadequately understood (Kim
et al
.
Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA
109, 13 751–13 756 (
doi:10.1073/pnas.0912458109
)). Here, focusing on the humoral aspects of adaptive immunity, I propose a simple and testable mechanism: that OAS occurs when T regulatory cells induced by the first antigen decrease the dose of the second antigen that is loaded by dendritic cells and available to activate naive lymphocytes. I use both a parsimonious mathematical model and experimental data to confirm the deductive validity of this proposal. This model also explains the puzzling experimental observation that administering certain dendritic cell-activating adjuvants during antigen exposure alleviates OAS. Specifically, the model predicts that such adjuvants will attenuate T regulatory suppression of naive lymphocyte activation. Together, these results suggest additional strategies for redeeming adaptive immunity from the destructive consequences of antigenic ‘sin’.
Partially observed epidemics in wildlife hosts: modelling an outbreak of dolphin morbillivirus in the northwestern Atlantic, June 2013–2014
Authors: Morris Sinead E. , Zelner Jonathan L. , Fauquier Deborah A. , Rowles Teresa K. , Rosel Patricia E. , Gulland Frances , Grenfell Bryan T.
Published: November 2015

Morbilliviruses cause major mortality in marine mammals, but the dynamics of transmission and persistence are ill understood compared to terrestrial counterparts such as measles; this is especially true for epidemics in cetaceans. However, the recent outbreak of dolphin morbillivirus in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean can provide new insights into the epidemiology and spatio-temporal spread of this pathogen. To deal with uncertainties surrounding the ecology of this system (only stranded animals were observed), we develop a statistical framework that can extract key information about the underlying transmission process given only sparse data. Our self-exciting Poisson process model suggests that individuals are infectious for at most 24 days and can transfer infection up to two latitude degrees (220 km) within this time. In addition, the effective reproduction number is generally below one, but reaches 2.6 during a period of heightened stranding numbers near Virginia Beach, Virginia, in summer 2013. Network analysis suggests local movements dominate spatial spread, with seasonal migration facilitating wider dissemination along the coast. Finally, a low virus transmission rate or high levels of pre-existing immunity can explain the lack of viral spread into the Gulf of Mexico. More generally, our approach illustrates novel methodologies for analysing very indirectly observed epidemics.
Adaptation options for wheat in Europe will be limited by increased adverse weather events under climate change
Authors: Trnka Miroslav , Hlavinka Petr , Semenov Mikhail A.
Published: November 2015

Ways of increasing the production of wheat, the most widely grown cereal crop, will need to be found to meet the increasing demand caused by human population growth in the coming decades. This increase must occur despite the decrease in yield gains now being reported in some regions, increased price volatility and the expected increase in the frequency of adverse weather events that can reduce yields. However, if and how the frequency of adverse weather events will change over Europe, the most important wheat-growing area, has not yet been analysed. Here, we show that the accumulated probability of 11 adverse weather events with the potential to significantly reduce yield will increase markedly across all of Europe. We found that by the end of the century, the exposure of the key European wheat-growing areas, where most wheat production is currently concentrated, may increase more than twofold. However, if we consider the entire arable land area of Europe, a greater than threefold increase in risk was predicted. Therefore, shifting wheat production to new producing regions to reduce the risk might not be possible as the risk of adverse events beyond the key wheat-growing areas increases even more. Furthermore, we found a marked increase in wheat exposure to high temperatures, severe droughts and field inaccessibility compared with other types of adverse events. Our results also showed the limitations of some of the presently debated adaptation options and demonstrated the need for development of region-specific strategies. Other regions of the world could be affected by adverse weather events in the future in a way different from that considered here for Europe. This observation emphasizes the importance of conducting similar analyses for other major wheat regions.
Conundrum of IP
6
Authors: Vucenik Ivana
Published: November 2015

Here are comments on the recent paper on the determination of inositol hexaphosphate (IP
6
) in human plasma and on its efficacy.
The RZZ complex requires the N-terminus of KNL1 to mediate optimal Mad1 kinetochore localization in human cells
Authors: Caldas Gina V. , Lynch Tina R. , Anderson Ryan , Afreen Sana , Varma Dileep , DeLuca Jennifer G.
Published: November 2015

The spindle assembly checkpoint is a surveillance mechanism that blocks anaphase onset until all chromosomes are properly attached to microtubules of the mitotic spindle. Checkpoint activity requires kinetochore localization of Mad1/Mad2 to inhibit activation of the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome in the presence of unattached kinetochores. In budding yeast andCaenorhabditis elegans, Bub1, recruited to kinetochores through KNL1, recruits Mad1/Mad2 by direct linkage with Mad1. However, in human cells it is not yet established which kinetochore protein(s) function as the Mad1/Mad2 receptor. Both Bub1 and the RZZ complex have been implicated in Mad1/Mad2 kinetochore recruitment; however, their specific roles remain unclear. Here, we investigate the contributions of Bub1, RZZ and KNL1 to Mad1/Mad2 kinetochore recruitment. We find that the RZZ complex localizes to the N-terminus of KNL1, downstream of Bub1, to mediate robust Mad1/Mad2 kinetochore localization. Our data also point to the existence of a KNL1-, Bub1-independent mechanism for RZZ and Mad1/Mad2 kinetochore recruitment. Based on our results, we propose that in humans, the primary mediator for Mad1/Mad2 kinetochore localization is the RZZ complex.
Bounding the plastic strength of polycrystalline voided solids by linear-comparison homogenization techniques
Authors: Ramos Nervi Juan E. , Idiart Martín I.
Published: November 2015

The elastoplastic response of polycrystalline voided solids is idealized here as rigid-perfectly plastic. Bounds on the macroscopic plastic strength for prescribed microstructural statistics and single-crystal strength are computed be means of a linear-comparison homogenization technique developed by Idiart & Ponte Castañeda (2007
Proc. R. Soc. A
463
, 907–924. (
doi:10.1098/rspa.2006.1797
)). Hashin–Shtrikman (HS) and Self-Consistent (SC) results in the form of yield surfaces are reported for cubic and hexagonal polycrystals with isotropic texture and varying degrees of crystal anisotropy. In all cases, the surfaces are smooth, closed and convex. Improvements over earlier linear-comparison bounds of up to 40% are found at high-stress triaxialities. New HS results can even be sharper than earlier SC results for some material systems. In the case of deficient crystals, the SC results assert that voided aggregates of crystals with four independent systems can accommodate arbitrary deformations, those with three independent systems can dilate but not distort, and those with fewer than three independent systems cannot deform at all. We report the sharpest bounds available to date for all classes of material systems considered.
Evolution of the additive genetic variance–covariance matrix under continuous directional selection on a complex behavioural phenotype
Authors: Careau Vincent , Wolak Matthew E. , Carter Patrick A. , Garland Theodore
Published: November 2015

Given the pace at which human-induced environmental changes occur, a pressing challenge is to determine the speed with which selection can drive evolutionary change. A key determinant of adaptive response to multivariate phenotypic selection is the additive genetic variance–covariance matrix (G). Yet knowledge ofGin a population experiencing new or altered selection is not sufficient to predict selection response becauseGitself evolves in ways that are poorly understood. We experimentally evaluated changes inGwhen closely related behavioural traits experience continuous directional selection. We applied the genetic covariance tensor approach to a large dataset (n= 17 328 individuals) from a replicated, 31-generation artificial selection experiment that bred mice for voluntary wheel running on days 5 and 6 of a 6-day test. Selection on this subset ofGinduced proportional changes across the matrix for all 6 days of running behaviour within the first four generations. The changes inGinduced by selection resulted in a fourfold slower-than-predicted rate of response to selection. Thus, selection exacerbated constraints withinGand limited future adaptive response, a phenomenon that could have profound consequences for populations facing rapid environmental change.
Spectral shifts of mammalian ultraviolet-sensitive pigments (short wavelength-sensitive opsin 1) are associated with eye length and photic niche evolution
Authors: Emerling Christopher A. , Huynh Hieu T. , Nguyen Minh A. , Meredith Robert W. , Springer Mark S.
Published: November 2015

Retinal opsin photopigments initiate mammalian vision when stimulated by light. Most mammals possess a short wavelength-sensitive opsin 1 (SWS1) pigment that is primarily sensitive to either ultraviolet or violet light, leading to variation in colour perception across species. Despite knowledge of both ultraviolet- and violet-sensitive SWS1 classes in mammals for 25 years, the adaptive significance of this variation has not been subjected to hypothesis testing, resulting in minimal understanding of the basis for mammalian SWS1 spectral tuning evolution. Here, we gathered data on SWS1 for 403 mammal species, including novel
SWS1
sequences for 97 species. Ancestral sequence reconstructions suggest that the most recent common ancestor of Theria possessed an ultraviolet SWS1 pigment, and that violet-sensitive pigments evolved at least 12 times in mammalian history. We also observed that ultraviolet pigments, previously considered to be a rarity, are common in mammals. We then used phylogenetic comparative methods to test the hypotheses that the evolution of violet-sensitive SWS1 is associated with increased light exposure, extended longevity and longer eye length. We discovered that diurnal mammals and species with longer eyes are more likely to have violet-sensitive pigments and less likely to possess UV-sensitive pigments. We hypothesize that (i) as mammals evolved larger body sizes, they evolved longer eyes, which limited transmittance of ultraviolet light to the retina due to an increase in Rayleigh scattering, and (ii) as mammals began to invade diurnal temporal niches, they evolved lenses with low UV transmittance to reduce chromatic aberration and/or photo-oxidative damage.
The oxidative costs of reproduction are group-size dependent in a wild cooperative breeder
Authors: Cram Dominic L. , Blount Jonathan D. , Young Andrew J.
Published: November 2015

Life-history theory assumes that reproduction entails a cost, and research on cooperatively breeding societies suggests that the cooperative sharing of workloads can reduce this cost. However, the physiological mechanisms that underpin both the costs of reproduction and the benefits of cooperation remain poorly understood. It has been hypothesized that reproductive costs may arise in part from oxidative stress, as reproductive investment may elevate exposure to reactive oxygen species, compromising survival and future reproduction and accelerating senescence. However, experimental evidence of oxidative costs of reproduction in the wild remains scarce. Here, we use a clutch-removal experiment to investigate the oxidative costs of reproduction in a wild cooperatively breeding bird, the white-browed sparrow weaver,
Plocepasser mahali
. Our results reveal costs of reproduction that are dependent on group size: relative to individuals in groups whose eggs were experimentally removed, individuals in groups that raised offspring experienced an associated cost (elevated oxidative damage and reduced body mass), but only if they were in small groups containing fewer or no helpers. Furthermore, during nestling provisioning, individuals that provisioned at higher rates showed greater within-individual declines in body mass and antioxidant protection. Our results provide rare experimental evidence that reproduction can negatively impact both oxidative status and body mass in the wild, and suggest that these costs can be mitigated in cooperative societies by the presence of additional helpers. These findings have implications for our understanding of the energetic and oxidative costs of reproduction, and the benefits of cooperation in animal societies.
Influence of environmental parameter variations on X-ray beam intensities: a time-dependent absorption correction
Authors: Weigel Tina , Leisegang Tilmann , Zschornak Matthias , Herrmann Marco , Rothenberger Manuel , Wünsche Andreas , Stöcker Hartmut , Meyer Dirk C.
Published: November 2015

Essential to the quality of X-ray analysis in crystallography, such as diffractometry and spectrometry, is a stable and reproducible X-ray source. Commonly, different optical elements are utilized to provide a dedicated X-ray beam. The stable alignment of all these components is a prerequisite in order to reduce aberrations and to achieve high signal-to-noise ratios. Besides such aberrations and electronically induced variations of the X-ray primary beam intensity, the environmental conditions are of particular importance, most prominently the barometric pressure, humidity and temperature. In a qualitative as well as quantitative study, the influence of the environmental conditions on the primary beam intensity of a sealed tube with a Cu anode and their correlations are determined. For a common setup, utilizing a scintillation counter, laboratory as well as external conditions are monitored simultaneously for 28 d. Their individual influence on the X-ray intensity and their correlations are evaluated by statistical analysis including time lag. By this comprehensive study, experimental intensity variations of up to ΔI/I= 1.153 ± 0.001% are determined during density of air changes of Δρ/ρ = 3.7 ± 0.6%. This is interpreted in terms of air transmission variations of up toTX-ray= 1.137 ± 0.001% for a typical X-ray analysis setup due to ambient barometric pressure, temperature and humidity changes for natural mid- and long-term variations. Significant correlations with respect to daily and weekly cycles and in particular with ambient conditions are determined. These results are used for a time-dependent absorption correction of the measured intensity, which reduces the standard error by about 25%.
Faith, free choice and the FBI
Authors: Schwarzkopf Stefan
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to review the life and work of one of America’s earliest social researchers, Robert Staughton Lynd (1892-1970). In doing so, it also re-introduces Lynd’s seminal Middletown studies to a wider audience within academic consumer research.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using the historical-biographical method, light is shed on the developments that led to the publication of the Middletown studies and on the way these studies were received by various audiences.

Findings

– The critical impetus of interwar social researcher Lynd was to some extent an outcome of his own entanglement with professional marketing and advertising, and of his Protestant religiosity. This insight has important bearings for critical consumer research as well as consumer culture theory today.

Research limitations/implications

– Market and consumer research comes in many forms. Throughout its history, market and consumer research benefitted from and overlapped with the rise of social research. To fully understand the social and political implications of their work, market and consumer researchers need to have firm knowledge of this interaction with the social sciences and with religious movements in a secular society.

Originality/value

– Very little is known about the interaction between Robert Lynd’s social research and the sphere of market and consumer research. This interaction is studied by drawing on the secondary literature and on archival sources.
From basket to shopping bag
Authors: Hagberg Johan , Normark Daniel
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– This study aims to follow the gradual transformation of consumer mobility in mid-20th-century Sweden in connection with the introduction of self-service retailing.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is based on an analysis of the magazineICA-Tidningen, published by the major Swedish retailer ICA, for the period from 1941 to 1970.

Findings

– The paper describes the transformation of consumer mobility as a set of interrelated changes that involved both retailers and consumers, the interrelationship between modes of transport and container technologies and how self-service not only transformed the interior of retail stores but also had more far-reaching implications.

Originality/value

– When attempting to understand the reconfiguration of shopping practices in the 20th century, there is a tendency to focus on large infrastructural changes. These studies tend to overlook gradual, mundane and everyday translations. This paper contributes methodological tools and analyses that account for such mundane transformations.
Forgotten classics:The Business of Advertising, by Earnest Elmo Calkins (1915)
Authors: Beard Fred
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to review and summarize Earnest Elmo Calkins’sThe Business of Advertisingand to assess its status as a legitimate forgotten classic of the marketing literature.

Design/methodology/approach

–The Business of Advertisingis reviewed, summarized and placed in an historical context.

Findings

– Written during a key period in the history of mass marketing and national brand advertising, Calkins’s work represents a valuable primary source for marketing and advertising historians, especially those interested in marketing industry structures and relationships. Calkins was an influential figure in the development of the modern advertising agency, and his beliefs and approaches in regard to marketing research, campaign planning, branding, message strategy and creativity anticipated some late-twentieth-century approaches and remain highly relevant.

Originality/value

–The Business of Advertisingwas the object of a single-paragraph review at the time of its publication in 1915, and a short trade journal review appeared not long ago (Lamons, 2000). A more thorough and historically sensitive assessment of Calkins’s forgotten classic reveals some fresh insights into the book and the influential beliefs of the man who was eulogized by trade journalAdvertising Age(1964) as a “giant of creative advertising”.
A Limitless Urban Theory? A Response to Scott and Storper's ‘The Nature of Cities: The Scope and Limits of Urban Theory'
Authors: Mould Oli
Published: November 2015

The recent article in this journal by Scott and Storper (2015) suggested that the field of urban studies currently contains a multitude of varied theoretical viewpoints and argued for a unified general urban theory encompassing all urban scholarly work. Their proposal is that such a theory is based upon a foundational understanding of agglomeration and clustering. This response counter‐argues this, suggesting that such a proposal leaves urban theory too instrumental, deterministic and economistic. Moreover, Scott and Storper argue that there is a need to isolate the urbanization process from a wider suite of social, cultural and economic processes in which the urban is said to be ‘embedded'. If we are to embrace a unified urban theory, however, it should be one which views cities as differing intensities of an urbanization process, and does not try to draw arbitrary boundaries about what is and what is not a city. If we are to strive for a general urban theory, then it would be far more beneficial to champion an ontology of an urbanization process with varying degrees of (de)intensification.
Nondestructive Biological Evidence Collection with Alternative Swabs and Adhesive Lifters
Authors: Plaza Dane T. , Mealy Jamia L. , Lane J. Nicholas , Parsons M. Neal , Bathrick Abigail S. , Slack Donia P.
Published: November 2015

In forensic science, biological material is typically collected from evidence via wet/dry double swabbing with cotton swabs, which is effective but can visibly damage an item's surface. When an item's appearance must be maintained, dry swabbing and tape‐lifting may be employed as collection techniques that are visually nondestructive to substrates' surfaces. This study examined the efficacy of alternative swab matrices and adhesive lifters when collecting blood and fingerprints from glass, painted drywall, 100% cotton, and copy paper. Data were evaluated by determining the percent profile and quality score for each STR profile generated. Hydraflock® swabs, BVDA Gellifters®, and Scenesafe FAST™ tape performed as well as or better than cotton swabs when collecting fingerprints from painted drywall and 100% cotton. Collection success was also dependent on the type of biological material sampled and the substrate on which it was deposited. These results demonstrated that alternative swabs and adhesive lifters can be effective for nondestructive DNA collection from various substrates.
Sense‐giving in health care: the relationship between the HR roles of line managers and employee commitment
Authors: Shipton Helen , Sanders Karin , Atkinson Carol , Frenkel Stephen
Published: November 2015

In this article, we examine line manager prioritisation of HR roles and the consequences for employee commitment in a health‐care setting. Our analysis is based on a quantitative, multi‐actor study (509 employees and 67 line managers) in four Dutch hospitals. Using sense‐giving as a theoretical lens, we demonstrate that, in addition to the effects of high commitment HRM, prioritising the Employee Champion role alone and the Employee Champion and Strategic Partner roles in combination is associated with higher employee commitment. We argue that through performing roles that are evocative of deep‐seated values, such as excellent patient care and concern for others, line managers can have a positive effect on staff attitudes. In a sector often beleaguered by staff turnover, exhaustion and burnout, we offer an important, empirically based framework that has the potential to improve employee commitment and, from there, enhance performance.
Compositional Factors that Influence Lipid Peroxidation in Beef Juice and Standard Sausages
Authors: Yi Gu , Haug Anna , Nordvi Berit , Saarem Kristin , Oostindjer Marije , Langsrud Øyvind , Egelandsdal Bjørg
Published: November 2015

In order to identify how different additives influenced lipid peroxidation formation, a sausage only using beef juice as pigment source and a standard beef–pork meat sausage were studied. The effects of different additives, including fish oil, myoglobin, nitrite, clove extract, and calcium sources on oxidation and sensory properties were examined. Both sausage systems were stored in 3 different manners prior to testing: (1) frozen immediately at −80 °C; (2) chilled stored for 2.5 weeks followed by fluorescent light illumination at 4 °C for another 2 wk; (3) frozen at −20 °C for 5 mo. The frozen group 3 showed the highest peroxide formation and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) for both sausage systems. Unpolar peroxides dominated in both systems. The clove extract could offset the peroxide formation from myoglobin/beef juice and/or fish oil, but the addition of clove flavor was recognized by the sensory panelists. Calcium addition reduced lipid peroxide formation. Added nitrite and fish oil seemed to interact to stimulate nitroso‐myoglobin formation. Nitrite was identified to interact with clove addition and thereby, relatively speaking, increased TBARS. The 2 sausage systems generally ranked the additives similarly as pro– and antioxidants.
Effects of SNF1 on Maltose Metabolism and Leavening Ability of Baker's Yeast in Lean Dough
Authors: Zhang Cui‐Ying , Bai Xiao‐Wen , Lin Xue , Liu Xiao‐Er , Xiao Dong‐Guang
Published: November 2015

Maltose metabolism of baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) in lean dough is negatively influenced by glucose repression, thereby delaying the dough fermentation. To improve maltose metabolism and leavening ability, it is necessary to alleviate glucose repression. The Snf1 protein kinase is well known to be essential for the response to glucose repression and required for transcription of glucose‐repressed genes including the maltose‐utilization genes (MAL). In this study, the SNF1 overexpression and deletion industrial baker's yeast strains were constructed and characterized in terms of maltose utilization, growth and fermentation characteristics, mRNA levels of MAL genes (MAL62 encoding the maltase and MAL61 encoding the maltose permease) and maltase and maltose permease activities. Our results suggest that overexpression of SNF1 was effective to glucose derepression for enhancing MAL expression levels and enzymes (maltase and maltose permease) activities. These enhancements could result in an 18% increase in maltose metabolism of industrial baker's yeast in LSMLD medium (the low sugar model liquid dough fermentation medium) containing glucose and maltose and a 15% increase in leavening ability in lean dough. These findings provide a valuable insight of breeding industrial baker's yeast for rapid fermentation.
The Impact of Carvacrol on Ammonia and Biogenic Amine Production by Common Foodborne Pathogens
Authors: Özogul Fatih , Kaçar Çiğdem , Kuley Esmeray
Published: November 2015

The impact of carvacrol at different levels (0.1%, 0.5%, and 1%) on ammonia (AMN) and biogenic amines (BAs) production by 8 common foodborne pathogens (FBPs) (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Listeria monocytogenes, Aeromonas hydrophila, and Salmonella Paratyphi A) was studied using a rapid high‐performance liquid chromatography method. Significant differences among bacteria (P < 0.05) in AMN and BA production were observed using a tyrosine decarboxylase broth. Tyramine, dopamine, agmatine, spermine, and putrescine were the main amines produced by the bacteria. Tyramine production by P. aeruginosa was the highest (967 mg/L), whereas K. pneumoniae was the poorest tyramine producer (6.42 mg/L). AMN and BA production varied significantly depending on carvacrol levels and the specific bacterial strains. Tyramine production for all bacterial strains was significantly suppressed by addition of carvacrol at levels of 0.5% and 1%, but not 0.1%. Consequently, the effect of carvacrol on BA and AMN formation by FBP was dependent on bacterial strain as well as carvacrol level.
Phylogenetic marker development for target enrichment from transcriptome and genome skim data: the pipeline and its application in southern African Oxalis (Oxalidaceae)
Authors: Schmickl Roswitha , Liston Aaron , Zeisek Vojtěch , Oberlander Kenneth , Weitemier Kevin , Straub Shannon C. K. , Cronn Richard C. , Dreyer Léanne L. , Suda Jan
Published: November 2015

Phylogenetics benefits from using a large number of putatively independent nuclear loci and their combination with other sources of information, such as the plastid and mitochondrial genomes. To facilitate the selection of orthologous low‐copy nuclear (LCN) loci for phylogenetics in nonmodel organisms, we created an automated and interactive script to select hundreds of LCN loci by a comparison between transcriptome and genome skim data. We used our script to obtain LCN genes for southern African Oxalis (Oxalidaceae), a speciose plant lineage in the Greater Cape Floristic Region. This resulted in 1164 LCN genes greater than 600 bp. Using target enrichment combined with genome skimming (Hyb‐Seq), we obtained on average 1141 LCN loci, nearly the whole plastid genome and the nrDNA cistron from 23 southern African Oxalis species. Despite a wide range of gene trees, the phylogeny based on the LCN genes was very robust, as retrieved through various gene and species tree reconstruction methods as well as concatenation. Cytonuclear discordance was strong. This indicates that organellar phylogenies alone are unlikely to represent the species tree and stresses the utility of Hyb‐Seq in phylogenetics.
Constitutionalizing Austerity: Taking the Public out of Public Policy
Authors: McBride Stephen
Published: November 2015

Nothwithstanding their failure to achieve stated objectives, austerity policies have been pursued with persistence. Rather than failures prompting reconsideration, there is a clear trend to render austerity policies a permanent, constitutionalized response to economic challenges ‘for all seasons’. This article links the drive to austerity with the ‘new constitutionalism’ literature which depicts procedurally the removal of important decisions from the realm of liberal democratic politics and their re‐location behind impenetrable and unaccountable barriers; and, in terms of content, embed neoliberal practices and policies, and the power relations that underpin them, as ‘normal’. This takes the public out of public policy making with negative consequences for democratic governance.
The Effect and Underlying Mechanism of Ethanol on Intracellular H+‐Equivalent Membrane Transporters in Human Aorta Smooth Muscle Cells
Authors: Loh Shih‐Hurng , Lee Chung‐Yi , Chen Gunng‐Shinng , Wu Ching‐Hsia , Tsao Chan‐Jun , Shih Shou‐Jou , Chi‐Chung Chou , Tsai Chien‐Sung , Tsai Yi‐Ting
Published: November 2015

Background

The presence of intracellular pH (pHi) regulators, including Na+–H+ exchanger (NHE), Na+– co‐transporter (NBC), Cl−/OH− exchanger (CHE), and Cl−/ exchanger (AE), have been confirmed in many mammalian cells. Alcohol consumption is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disorder. The aims of the study were to identify the possible transmembrane pHi regulators and to explore the effects of ethanol (EtOH) (10 to 300 mM) on the resting pHi and pHi regulators in human aorta smooth muscle cells (HASMCs).

Methods

HASMCs were obtained from patients undergoing heart transplant. The pHi was measured by microspectrofluorimetry with the pH‐sensitive dye, BCECF‐AM.

Results

The following results are obtained. (i) In cultured HASMCs, the resting pHi was 7.19 ± 0.04 and 7.13 ± 0.02 for HEPES‐ and CO2/‐buffered solution, respectively. (ii) Two different Na+‐dependent acid‐equivalent extruders, including NHE and Na+‐coupled transporter, functionally coexisted. (iii) Two different Cl−‐dependent acid loaders (CHE and AE) were functionally identified. (iv) EtOH induced a biphasic, concentration‐dependent change in resting pHi (+0.25 pH unit at 100 mM but only +0.05 pH unit at 300 mM) in bicarbonate‐buffered solution, while caused a concentration‐dependent decrease in resting pHi (−0.06 pH unit at 300 mM) in HEPES‐buffered solution. (v) The effect of EtOH on NHE activity was also biphasic: increase of 40% at lower concentration of 10 mM, followed by decrease of 30% at higher concentration of 300 mM. (vi) The increase in Na+‐coupled transporter activity by EtOH was concentration dependent. (vii) The effect of EtOH on CHE and AE activities was both biphasic: increase of ~25% at 30 mM, followed by decrease of 10 to 25% at 100 mM, and finally increase of 15 to 20% at 300 mM.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that 2 acid extruders and 2 acid loaders coexisted functionally in HASMCs and that EtOH induced a biphasic, concentration‐dependent change in resting pHi by altering the activity of the 2 acid extruders, NHE and Na+‐coupled transporter, and the 2 acid loaders, CHE and AE.
Systematic Review of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Interventions Across the Life Span
Authors: Reid Natasha , Dawe Sharon , Shelton Douglas , Harnett Paul , Warner Judith , Armstrong Eleanor , LeGros Kim , O'Callaghan Frances
Published: November 2015

Background

Individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) can experience profound impairments and long‐term adverse outcomes. This systematic review adopts a life span perspective providing an extensive analysis of the available literature.

Methods

Studies were identified from PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Knowledge, CINAHL, ERIC, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and gray literature. Two reviewers independently screened the title and abstract of each reference, and the methodological rigor of the included studies was assessed using the Effective Public Health Project assessment tool.

Results

Thirty‐two studies met the inclusion criteria, of which the vast majority targeted early to middle childhood. Two studies focused on early intervention in the postnatal period, and 6 studies aimed to improve attention and/or self‐regulation in childhood. Three of these provided promising evidence on improving self‐regulatory difficulties for children with FASDs. Nine studies focused on improving specific areas of dysfunction. Six studies addressed social skills; 3 of these used an adaptation of a well‐validated social skills program. Three studies provided promising initial evidence that parents and caregivers could benefit from support with child behavior and a further 4 studies provided education and advocacy for parents/caregivers, teachers, or child welfare workers. The final 2 studies were aimed at supporting parents who were themselves affected by prenatal alcohol exposure.

Conclusions

There is growing evidence for interventions that improve outcomes for early to middle childhood. However, a lack of research exists outside of this developmental period. This lack of research is concerning given the potential positive impact of early intervention, for individuals and, financially, for governments. In addition, the lack of interventions for adolescents and adults further highlights the widening developmental gap and the potential influence of secondary disabilities for this at‐risk population.
BK Channel β1 Subunit Contributes to Behavioral Adaptations Elicited by Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Exposure
Authors: Kreifeldt Max , Cates‐Gatto Chelsea , Roberts Amanda J. , Contet Candice
Published: November 2015

Background

Large conductance, calcium‐ and voltage‐activated potassium (BK) channels regulate neuronal excitability and neurotransmission. They can be directly activated by ethanol (EtOH) and they may be implicated in EtOH dependence. In this study, we sought to determine the influence of the auxiliary β1 and β4 subunits on EtOH metabolism, acute sensitivity to EtOH intoxication, acute functional tolerance, chronic tolerance, and handling‐induced convulsions during withdrawal.

Methods

Motor coordination, righting reflex, and body temperature were evaluated in BK β1 and β4 knockout, heterozygous, and wild‐type mice following acute EtOH administration. Chronic tolerance and physical dependence were induced by chronic intermittent inhalation of EtOH vapor.

Results

Constitutive deficiency in BK β1 or β4 subunits did not alter the clearance rate of EtOH, acute sensitivity to EtOH‐induced ataxia, sedation, and hypothermia, nor acute functional tolerance to ataxia. BK β1 deletion reduced chronic tolerance to sedation and abolished chronic tolerance to hypothermia, while BK β4 deletion did not affect these adaptations to chronic EtOH exposure. Finally, the absence of BK β1 accelerated the appearance, while the absence of BK β4 delayed the resolution, of the hyperexcitable state associated with EtOH withdrawal.

Conclusions

Altogether, the present findings reveal the critical role of BK β1 in behavioral adaptations to prolonged, repeated EtOH intoxication.
Water quality and phytoplankton community structure in mangrove streams under different logging regimes in Cameroon
Authors: Fonge Ambo Beatrice , Tabot Pascal Tabi , Mumbang Coleen , Mange Chop Adeline
Published: November 2015

Mangrove logging is rampant, and its effects on phytoplankton dynamics have not been investigated. Phytoplankton are valuable in biomonitoring pollution in mangrove ecosystems. This study assessed the relationship between physico‐chemical characteristics of the water and observed phytoplankton community structure, in relation to anthropogenic activities. Water samples were collected from seven sites within the mangrove ecosystem that differed in wood harvesting age and proximity to human settlements. Characterization of samples followed standard methods. pH of all water samples indicated acidity. Phytoplankton species richness and soluble P were positively correlated (r = 0.822, P ≤ 0.023), but no correlations existed with logging age (r = −0.273, P = 0553). The site with highest soluble phosphorus concentration (Site 4) had highest phytoplankton abundance, diversity and richness. A total of 127 species were identified in 58 families. Euglenaceae was the most abundant family (13 species) and Anacystis sp. the most frequent species (100%). The most common genera were Microcystis and Anacystis, bioindicators of pollution. The site at which harvesting was most recently performed had more eutrophic species, while site harvested earliest (Site 5) had the least. These results are discussed with respect to how anthropogenic activities influence water quality, phytoplankton community structure, mangrove conservation and management.