bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Episodic foresight and anxiety: Proximate and ultimate perspectives
Authors: Miloyan Beyon , Bulley Adam , Suddendorf Thomas
Published: March 2015

Objective

In this paper, we examine the relationship between episodic foresight and anxiety from an evolutionary perspective, proposing that together they confer an advantage for modifying present moment decision‐making and behaviour in the light of potential future threats to fitness.

Methods

We review the body of literature on the role of episodic foresight in anxiety, from both proximate and ultimate perspectives.

Results

We propose that anxious feelings associated with episodic simulation of possible threat‐related future events serve to imbue these simulations with motivational currency. Episodic and semantic details of a future threat may be insufficient for motivating its avoidance, but anxiety associated with a simulation can provoke adaptive threat management. As such, we detail how anxiety triggered by a self‐generated, threat‐related future simulation prepares the individual to manage that threat (in terms of its likelihood and/or consequences) over greater temporal distances than observed in other animals. We then outline how anxiety subtypes may represent specific mechanisms for predicting and managing particular classes of fitness threats.

Conclusions

This approach offers an inroad for understanding the nature of characteristic future thinking patterns in anxiety disorders and serves to illustrate the adaptive function of the mechanism from which clinical anxiety deviates.

Practitioner points

Episodic foresight can elicit anxiety even when there are no immediate environmental cues of fitness threats.

Anxiety may be a mechanism by which simulations of future events are imbued with motivational currency, to ensure the management of potential future threats to fitness.

Subtypes of anxiety disorders may reflect different mechanisms for effectively managing certain potential future threats to fitness.

Understanding the utility of episodic foresight in anxiety disorders may lead to new insights into diagnosis and treatment.
Forward‐oriented designing for learning as a means to achieve educational quality
Authors: Ghislandi Patrizia M.M. , Raffaghelli Juliana E.
Published: March 2015

In this paper, we reflect on how Design for Learning can create the basis for a culture of educational quality. We explore the process of Design for Learning within a blended, undergraduate university course through a teacher‐led inquiry approach, aiming at showing the connections between the process of Design for Learning and academic staff/student reflections on educational quality. As emerges from the evidence collected, forward‐oriented design—which is Design for Learning as iterative and participatory practice—supports meta‐learning on the practices and values of educational quality. We introduce in depth the two main constructs adopted in our work—Design for Learning and educational quality—in order to understand the ongoing debate in these two separate (but convergent) areas of research. The four phases (design for configuration, design for orchestration, design for reflection and design for redesign) show the impact of design on educational quality reflections and practices. Alongside the process of Design for Learning, the data are collected and analysed adopting different methods that enable the researchers to better understand the diverse perspectives of staff and students.

We conclude that Design for Learning can be deemed a mediational instrument to explore methods of transforming existing educational situations into desired situations, linking the vision of educational quality with concrete practices of the teacher and students' daily activities.
Understanding transactional distance in web‐based learning environments: An empirical study
Authors: Huang Xiaoxia , Chandra Aruna , DePaolo Concetta A. , Simmons Lakisha L.
Published: March 2015

Transactional distance is an important pedagogical theory in distance education that calls for more empirical support. The purpose of this study was to verify the theory by operationalizing and examining the relationship of (1) dialogue, structure and learner autonomy to transactional distance, and (2) environmental factors and learner demographic factors to transactional distance in web‐based distance courses. More than 200 online undergraduate and graduate students in a Midwest university in the USA were surveyed. The findings indicate that high levels of structure and dialogue are not necessarily incompatible while supporting the inverse relationship of structure, dialogue and learner autonomy to transactional distance. Environmental factors and learner characteristics impacting transactional distance are identified, and practical implications of the findings for online course design are discussed.
Improving the Tuberculosis Drug Development Pipeline
Authors: Evangelopoulos Dimitrios , McHugh Timothy D.
Published: March 2015

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is considered one of the most successful pathogens and multidrug‐resistant tuberculosis, a disease that urgently requires new chemical entities to be developed for treatment. There are currently several new molecules under clinical investigation in the tuberculosis (TB) drug development pipeline. However, the complex lifestyle of M. tuberculosis within the host presents a barrier to the development of new drugs. In this review, we highlight the reasons that make TB drug discovery and development challenging as well as providing solutions, future directions and alternative approaches to new therapeutics for TB.
The Arrow of Time in the Space of the Present: Temporality as Methodological and Theoretical Dimension in Child Research
Authors: Nielsen Harriet Bjerrum
Published: March 2015

The concern of this article is that some prevailing theoretical dualisms in child research may be traced back to a split between time and space, and the argument is that securing a temporal as well as a spatial dimension in the research methodology may allow to transgress such dualisms. The article analyses how an insufficient account of the temporal dimension in different theoretical moments in childhood studies has led to theoretical dualisms between agency and development and between change and continuity in the process of subject formation. Confronting these theoretical dualisms with a qualitative longitudinal study of children indicates that the two sides of each dualism may be understood as interdependent dimensions that co‐constitute subjectivity. The article suggests that temporal and spatial dimensions may be easier to integrate if they are conceived of as two interacting temporal modes, one connected to linear time (the arrow of time) and one connected to non‐linear processes (significations in the space of the present). Theoretically, this is elaborated on with a hermeneutic interpretation of Henri Bergson and Freud's thinking about time and space.
Civic and Political Participation of Children and Adolescents: A Lifestyle Analysis for Positive Youth Developmental Programs
Authors: Rivera Reynaldo , Santos David
Published: March 2015

Social participation plays a key role in predicting positive youth development (PYD). As a previous step of this link, this research examined how children and adolescents' relational lifestyles influenced their participation in political and civic activities. This research provides a multi‐dimensional approach to the study of children's social participation, based on six children's lifestyles factors (i.e. family dialogue, risky behaviours, cultural activities, civic values, family supervision and peer group relationships). Using data from an international survey that included 6130 participants (2198 Spanish, 3932 Italian, Mage = 13.8), this study's results show that relational lifestyles (especially family dialogue and out‐of‐school cultural activities) are positively related to political and civic participation among children and adolescents. On the contrary, some peer group relationships decreased their social participation in those key dimensions for PYD. Limitations of the current study, implications for future policy decisions and applications to children social programs are discussed.
Differential expression of TOX by skin‐infiltrating T cells in Sézary syndrome and erythrodermic dermatitis
Authors: Boonk Stephanie E. , Çetinözman Fatma , Vermeer Maarten H. , Jansen Patty M. , Willemze Rein
Published: March 2015

Background

The histopathologic differentiation between Sézary syndrome (SS) and erythrodermic dermatitis may be extremely difficult. In this immunohistochemical study, it was investigated if thymocyte selection‐associated high mobility group box protein (TOX) and C‐MYC can be used as additional diagnostic markers to differentiate between SS and erythrodermic dermatitis.

Method

Paraffin‐embedded skin biopsies from 15 SS patients and 17 erythrodermic dermatitis patients were stained and scored for TOX or C‐MYC expression.

Results

Strong nuclear staining for TOX in more than 50% of skin‐infiltrating T cells was observed in 13 of 15 (87%) SS cases, whereas erythrodermic dermatitis cases showed weak nuclear staining in 11–50% (median: 25%) of the T cells; strong nuclear staining as found in SS was never observed in erythrodermic dermatitis. No significant differences in C‐MYC expression between SS and erythrodermic dermatitis were found. In most patients of both groups, percentages of C‐MYC positive‐cells varied between less than 10 and 25% of skin‐infiltrating T cells.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that strong expression of TOX in more than 50% of skin‐infiltrating T cells in erythrodermic skin is a useful marker in the differentiation between SS and erythrodermic dermatitis, whereas staining for C‐MYC does not contribute to differential diagnosis.
Diagnostic performance of endocytoscopy for evaluating the invasion depth of different morphological types of colorectal tumors
Authors: Kudo Toyoki , Kudo Shin‐ei , Wakamura Kunihiko , Mori Yuichi , Misawa Masashi , Hayashi Takemasa , Kutsukawa Makoto , Ichimasa Katsuro , Miyachi Hideyuki , Ishida Fumio , Inoue Haruhiro
Published: March 2015

Background and Aim

Endocytoscopy (EC) is a next‐generation endoscopic technique that enables diagnostic imaging at 450× magnification. In the present study, we retrospectively evaluated the diagnostic performance of EC and magnifying chromoendoscopy (MCE) for diagnosing the invasion depth of colorectal tumors.

Methods

We investigated 330 lesions with a ≥10‐mm tumor diameter that could be diagnosed by both MCE and EC. The lesions were classified according to morphological type as follows: laterally spreading type–granular (LST‐G), laterally spreading type–non‐granular (LST‐NG), protruding, or depressed. After all lesions had been classified by both pit pattern and EC, qualitative and quantitative (invasion depth) diagnoses were made. The diagnostic accuracy was then compared between pit pattern classification and EC classification.

Results

Diagnostic accuracy of EC classification was significantly higher for LST‐NG lesions (90.5%) than for protruding lesions (80.6%) (P < 0.05). Diagnostic accuracy for LST‐NG lesions was significantly higher with EC classification (90.5%) than with pit pattern classification (79.3%) (P < 0.001). Comparison of the diagnostic performance of EC3a findings using EC classification between LST‐NG and protruding lesions revealed a sensitivity of 92.9% versus 11.3% (P < 0.001), positive predictive value of 78.0% versus 27.3% (P < 0.001), negative predictive value of 95.5% versus 56.1% (P < 0.001), and diagnostic accuracy of 87.9% versus 51.2% (P < 0.001), respectively.

Conclusion

EC is a very useful method for evaluating the invasion depth of LST‐NG lesions.
Independent Schools and Long‐run Educational Outcomes: Evidence from Sweden's Large‐scale Voucher Reform
Authors: Böhlmark Anders , Lindahl Mikael
Published: March 2015

We estimate effects on educational outcomes from the expansion of the independent school sector in Sweden, which followed as a consequence of the radical 1992 voucher reform. Using variation in this expansion across municipalities, we find that an increase in the share of independent school students improves average short‐ and long‐run outcomes, explained primarily by external effects (e.g. school competition). For most outcomes, we observe significant effects first a decade after the reform. By using regional level TIMSS data, we can reconcile our results with the negative national trend for Swedish students in international achievement tests.
Histological observations of pulpal replacement tissue in immature dog teeth after revascularization of infected pulps
Authors: Saoud Tarek Mohamed A. , Zaazou Ashraf , Nabil Ahmed , Moussa Sybel , Aly Hanaa Mohamed , Okazaki Katsushi , Rosenberg Paul A. , Lin Louis M.
Published: March 2015

Background and aim: Many studies have examined the nature of tissue formed in the canals of immature necrotic teeth, following revascularization in animals and humans. While speculations have been made that regeneration of the pulp tissue might take place in the canal, the tissue has been found to be cementum‐like, bone‐like, and periodontal ligament‐like. The purpose of this study was to histologically examine the tissue in the root canals in immature dog teeth that had been artificially infected and then revascularized.

Methods

Two 4‐ to 5‐month‐old mongrel dogs with immature teeth were used in the study. In one dog, four maxillary and four mandibular anterior teeth, and in another dog, four maxillary and five mandibular anterior teeth were used in the experiment. Pulp infection was artificially induced in the immature teeth. Revascularization was performed on all teeth by disinfecting the root canals with sodium hypochlorite irrigation and triple antibiotic intracanal dressing, completed with induction of intracanal bleeding, and sealed with an MTA plug. The access cavity was restored with silver amalgam. The animals were sacrificed 3 months after revascularization procedures. The revascularized teeth and surrounding periodontal tissues were removed and prepared for histological examination.

Results

Besides cementum‐like, bone‐like, and periodontal ligament‐like tissues formed in the canals, residual remaining pulp tissue was observed in two revascularized teeth. In four teeth, ingrowth of alveolar bone into the canals was seen; presence of bone in the root canals has the potential for ankylosis.

Conclusions

Within the limitation of this study, it can be concluded that residual pulp tissue can remain in the canals after revascularization procedures of immature teeth with artificially induced pulp infection. This can lead to the misinterpretation that true pulpal regeneration has occurred. Ingrowth of apical bone into the root canals undergoing revascularization can interfere with normal tooth eruption if ankylosis occurs.
Arrest and Calcification Repair of internal root resorption with a novel treatment approach: Report of two cases
Authors: Ebeleseder Kurt Alois , Kqiku Lumnije
Published: March 2015

Aim

We report a novel treatment option for teeth with internal root resorption (IRR) in which the lesion had perforated to the PDL and was located in the coronal aspect of the root. Arrest and calcification of IRR can be achieved by local application of calcium hydroxide without further intracanal instrumentation.

Case Report

Two cases of severe IRR without periapical inflammation were treated with a novel technique: The vital pulp including the granuloma was left in place and subjected to long‐term disinfection with application of calcium hydroxide in the coronal aspect of the IRR. In both cases, the radiolucent areas were reduced and showed progressive calcification. Solid barriers were found in the coronal layers of the IRRs, and mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) was placed as definitive fillings. No apical periodontitis was seen during the follow‐up period of 6 years. The root canals appeared to gradually be narrowed. The results were similar to those obtained after successful cervical pulpotomy. Thus, the biological outcome was improved in comparison with pulp extirpation and conventional root canal treatment.

Key learning points of this article

A treatment option for internal root resorption without periapical inflammation.
Effects of radiation on the fertility of the Ethiopian fruit fly, Dacus ciliatus
Authors: Rempoulakis Polychronis , Castro Rossana , Nemny‐Lavy Esther , Nestel David
Published: March 2015

The Ethiopian fruit fly, Dacus ciliatus (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a significant pest of cucurbit crops in Asia and Africa and is currently controlled with insecticides. The sterilizing effect of gamma radiation on D. ciliatus adults was investigated to assess the suitability of sterile insect technique (SIT) for use as an alternative, non‐chemical strategy for the control of this pest. Late pupae (48 h before emergence) were irradiated with 60, 80, 100, 120, and 140 Gy of gamma rays emitted by a 60Co source. Following emergence, the biological characteristics of the experimental cohorts (including all possible male‐female combinations of irradiated and untreated flies) were recorded. No significant negative effects of irradiation on pupal eclosion or the ability of newly emerged flies to fly were observed. Samples of eggs at reproductive fly‐ages (12‐, 15‐, and 17‐day‐old pairs) were collected and their hatch rates were assessed. At 60 Gy, females were completely sterilized, whereas complete sterilization of the males was observed only at 140 Gy (a small amount of fertility persisted even at 120 Gy). In addition to the above experiments, three fruit infestation trials were conducted with zucchini [Cucurbita pepo L. (Cucurbitaceae)] as the plant host and the pupae produced in those trials were collected and recorded. We observed significant (ca. 10%) infestation following treatment with up to 120 Gy and zero progeny only at 140 Gy, mirroring the egg‐hatch results. Our findings support the feasibility of SIT for the control of D. ciliatus.
Plant choice, herbivory and weight gain of wood crickets under the risk of predation
Authors: Bucher Roman , Heinrich Hannah , Entling Martin H.
Published: March 2015

Predators can indirectly reduce herbivory by killing herbivores. In addition, predation risk can influence the feeding rate and feeding location of herbivores. Herbivores are expected to avoid plants currently occupied by a predator. Consequently, less herbivory is expected on plants bearing fresh predator cues. We examined whether wood crickets, Nemobius sylvestris Bosc (Orthoptera: Gryllidae), avoided plants bearing the chemical cues of nursery web spiders, Pisaura mirabilis Clerck (Araneae: Pisauridae), or red wood ants, Formica rufa L. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). We conducted a series of behavioural experiments, in which crickets had the choice between a plant with spider or ant cues vs. a control plant, a plant with spider cues vs. a plant with ant cues, or two control plants. For all plants, we quantified leaf damage and the position and weight change in the crickets. Crickets avoided plants with spider cues. In contrast, ant cues did not significantly deter crickets. The herbivory pattern among the plants reflected the plant choice of the crickets. However, net herbivory was not affected by the presence of predator cues. Thus, our results suggest that spider cues affect feeding location rather than the total amount of herbivory.
Temporal response and attraction of Diaphorina citri to visual stimuli
Authors: Paris Thomson M. , Croxton Scott D. , Stansly Phillip A. , Allan Sandra A.
Published: March 2015

As the vector of the global disease of citrus greening or huanglongbing, Asian citrus pysllids, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), are the greatest threat to the worldwide citrus industry. Critical to management of D. citri and huanglongbing is optimization of surveillance methodologies. Although phytophagous insects may find host plants by multimodal cues, some appear to primarily use visual cues. In this study, we examined the behavior of Asian citrus psyllids toward light from light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) in the insect visible spectrum. The periodicity of attraction of psyllids to visual cues was evaluated in the field (yellow sticky traps) and laboratory (multi‐colored LEDs) with a strong peak of activity during the afternoon in both the field and the laboratory (both 14:00 to 18:00 hours). In laboratory evaluations of psyllids to differently colored LEDs, strongest attraction was to LEDs emitting ultraviolet (390 nm), green (525 nm), and yellow (590 nm) light. Male and female psyllids did not differ significantly in their responses to visual cues. These findings provide the basis for formulating better traps that reflect UV and yellow light and potentially incorporate UV LEDs for monitoring psyllids and a better understanding of Asian citrus psyllid visual behavior.
Additive effects of predator diversity on pest control caused by few interactions among predator species
Authors: ROUBINET EVE , STRAUB CORY , JONSSON TOMAS , STAUDACHER KARIN , TRAUGOTT MICHAEL , EKBOM BARBARA , JONSSON MATTIAS
Published: March 2015

1. Studies of the impact of predator diversity on biological pest control have shown idiosyncratic results. This is often assumed to be as a result of differences among systems in the importance of predator–predator interactions such as facilitation and intraguild predation. The frequency of such interactions may be altered by prey availability and structural complexity. A direct assessment of interactions among predators is needed for a better understanding of the mechanisms affecting prey abundance by complex predator communities.

2. In a field cage experiment, the effect of increased predator diversity (single species vs. three‐species assemblage) and the presence of weeds (providing structural complexity) on the biological control of cereal aphids were tested and the mechanisms involved were investigated using molecular gut content analysis.

3. The impact of the three‐predator species assemblages of aphid populations was found to be similar to those of the single‐predator species treatments, and the presence or absence of weeds did not alter the patterns observed. This suggests that both predator facilitation and intraguild predation were absent or weak in this system, or that these interactions had counteracting effects on prey suppression. Molecular gut content analysis of predators provided little evidence for the latter hypothesis: predator facilitation was not detected and intraguild predation occurred at a low frequency.

4. The present study suggests additive effects of predators and, therefore, that predator diversity per se neither strengthens nor weakens the biological control of aphids in this system.
How should children with West syndrome be efficiently and accurately investigated? Results from the National Infantile Spasms Consortium
Authors: Wirrell Elaine C. , Shellhaas Renée A. , Joshi Charuta , Keator Cynthia , Kumar Shilpi , Mitchell Wendy G. ,   Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium (PERC)
Published: March 2015

Objective

To prospectively evaluate the etiology of new‐onset infantile spasms and evaluate the yield of genetic and metabolic investigations in those without obvious cause after initial clinical evaluation and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods

Twenty‐one U.S. pediatric epilepsy centers prospectively enrolled infants with newly diagnosed West syndrome in a central database. Etiology and investigations performed within 3 months of diagnosis were documented.

Results

From June 2012 to June 2014, a total of 251 infants were enrolled (53% male). A cause was identified in 161 (64.4%) of 250 cases (genetic,14.4%; genetic‐structural, 10.0%; structural‐congenital, 10.8%; structural‐acquired, 22.4%; metabolic, 4.8%; and infectious, 2.0%). An obvious cause was found after initial clinical assessment (history and physical examination) and/or MRI in 138 of 161, whereas further genetic and metabolic studies were revealing in another 23 cases. Of 112 subjects without an obvious cause after initial evaluation and MRI, 81 (72.3%) had undergone genetic testing, which showed a causal abnormality in 23.5% and a variant of unknown significance in 14.8%. Although metabolic studies were done in the majority (serum, 79.5%; urine, 69.6%; and cerebrospinal fluid [CSF], 38.4%), these revealed an etiology in only five cases (4.5%). No correlation was found between type of health insurance (public vs. private) and either genetic or metabolic testing.

Significance

Clinical evaluation and MRI provide a specific diagnosis in 55% of children presenting with West syndrome. We propose that a cost‐effective workup for those without obvious cause after initial clinical evaluation and MRI includes an array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) followed by an epilepsy gene panel if the microarray is not definitive, serum lactate, serum amino acids, and urine organic acids.
Indications and expectations for neuropsychological assessment in routine epilepsy care: Report of the ILAE Neuropsychology Task Force, Diagnostic Methods Commission, 2013–2017
Authors: Wilson Sarah J. , Baxendale Sallie , Barr William , Hamed Sherifa , Langfitt John , Samson Séverine , Watanabe Masako , Baker Gus A. , Helmstaedter Christoph , Hermann Bruce P. , Smith Mary‐Lou
Published: March 2015

The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Diagnostic Methods Commission charged the Neuropsychology Task Force with the job of developing a set of recommendations to address the following questions: (1) What is the role of a neuropsychological assessment? (2) Who should do a neuropsychological assessment? (3) When should people with epilepsy be referred for a neuropsychological assessment? and (4) What should be expected from a neuropsychological assessment? The recommendations have been broadly written for health care clinicians in established epilepsy settings as well as those setting up new services. They are based on a detailed survey of neuropsychological assessment practices across international epilepsy centers, and formal ranking of specific recommendations for advancing clinical epilepsy care generated by specialist epilepsy neuropsychologists from around the world. They also incorporate the latest research findings to establish minimum standards for training and practice, reflecting the many roles of neuropsychological assessment in the routine care of children and adults with epilepsy. The recommendations endorse routine screening of cognition, mood, and behavior in new‐onset epilepsy, and describe the range of situations when more detailed, formal neuropsychological assessment is indicated. They identify a core set of cognitive and psychological domains that should be assessed to provide an objective account of an individual's cognitive, emotional, and psychosocial functioning, including factors likely contributing to deficits identified on qualitative and quantitative examination. The recommendations also endorse routine provision of feedback to patients, families, and clinicians about the implications of the assessment results, including specific clinical recommendations of what can be done to improve a patient's cognitive or psychosocial functioning and alleviate the distress of any difficulties identified. By canvassing the breadth and depth of scope of neuropsychological assessment, this report demonstrates the pivotal role played by this noninvasive and minimally resource intensive investigation in the care of people with epilepsy.
A multicentre, prospective, randomised, blinded clinical trial to compare some perioperative effects of buprenorphine or butorphanol premedication before equine elective general anaesthesia and surgery
Authors: Taylor P. M. , Hoare H. R. , de Vries A. , Love E. J. , Coumbe K. M. , White K. L. , Murrell J. C.
Published: March 2015

Reasons for performing study

Buprenorphine, a μ‐agonist opioid, has recently been licensed for equine use, but butorphanol, a κ‐agonist opioid, is more commonly used in horses. The effect of the 2 opioids has not previously been compared in a large clinical study.

Objectives

To compare post operative analgesia and physiological variables in horses undergoing elective surgery following premedication with either buprenorphine or butorphanol in a conventional clinical setting.

Study design

Multicentre, prospective, randomised, blinded clinical investigation.

Methods

Eighty‐nine healthy horses admitted for elective surgery to one of 6 UK equine veterinary clinics were premedicated with acepromazine, a nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug, and romifidine followed by intravenous (i.v.) buprenorphine or butorphanol. Anaesthesia was induced with diazepam/ketamine and maintained with isoflurane in oxygen. A range of surgical procedures were performed and supplementary anaesthetic agents given as required. Physiological variables were monitored during anaesthesia and pain, ataxia, sedation and vital function were assessed post operatively. Data were analysed using t‐tests, ANOVA, Mann–Whitney U‐test and Chi‐squared test as appropriate and P<0.05 was regarded as significant, except for multiple comparisons, when P<0.01 was used.

Results

Surgery was carried out successfully in all cases and no mortality or serious morbidity occurred. Physiological variables remained within normal limits and all horses recovered successfully, most standing within 1 h of ceasing anaesthesia. There were no significant differences between groups in any variable except post operative pain when scores (simple descriptive scale) between 3 and 6 h were significantly lower after buprenorphine than after butorphanol.

Conclusions

Horses experienced less post operative pain after buprenorphine than after butorphanol premedication. Compared with butorphanol, buprenorphine did not cause any different effects on vital function.
The survival of discarded Sepia officinalis in the English Channel
Authors: Revill A. , Bloor I. S. M. , Jackson E. L.
Published: March 2015

Cuttlefish are currently the highest yielding cephalopod group harvested in the north‐east Atlantic. English Channel cuttlefish show seasonal migrations to and from deep offshore wintering grounds, which results in a large number of smaller cuttlefish within the offshore stocks, some of which are caught by trawlers. Discarding small cuttlefish from trawls may give them the opportunity to migrate inshore and spawn, but only if they survive. This study examined survival rates of small (<15‐cm dorsal mantle length) cuttlefish caught on board a commercial beam trawler. Overall, 31% of the small cuttlefish caught remained alive by the time they reached the sorting table (immediate survival rate). This survival rate dropped to 16% after specimens were subsequently held in an on‐board aquarium system for up to 72 h (short‐term survival rate). Measures that reduce the capture of small cuttlefish in the first place and/or increase their survival could potentially benefit the stocks.
The DYX2 locus and neurochemical signaling genes contribute to speech sound disorder and related neurocognitive domains
Authors: Eicher J. D. , Stein C. M. , Deng F. , Ciesla A. A. , Powers N. R. , Boada R. , Smith S. D. , Pennington B. F. , Iyengar S. K. , Lewis B. A. , Gruen J. R.
Published: March 2015

A major milestone of child development is the acquisition and use of speech and language. Communication disorders, including speech sound disorder (SSD), can impair a child's academic, social and behavioral development. Speech sound disorder is a complex, polygenic trait with a substantial genetic component. However, specific genes that contribute to SSD remain largely unknown. To identify associated genes, we assessed the association of the DYX2 dyslexia risk locus and markers in neurochemical signaling genes (e.g., nicotinic and dopaminergic) with SSD and related endophenotypes. We first performed separate primary associations in two independent samples – Cleveland SSD (210 affected and 257 unaffected individuals in 127 families) and Denver SSD (113 affected individuals and 106 unaffected individuals in 85 families) – and then combined results by meta‐analysis. DYX2 markers, specifically those in the 3′ untranslated region of DCDC2 (P = 1.43 × 10−4), showed the strongest associations with phonological awareness. We also observed suggestive associations of dopaminergic‐related genes ANKK1 (P = 1.02 × 10−2) and DRD2 (P = 9.22 × 10−3) and nicotinic‐related genes CHRNA3 (P = 2.51 × 10−3) and BDNF (P = 8.14 × 10−3) with case–control status and articulation. Our results further implicate variation in putative regulatory regions in the DYX2 locus, particularly in DCDC2, influencing language and cognitive traits. The results also support previous studies implicating variation in dopaminergic and nicotinic neural signaling influencing human communication and cognitive development. Our findings expand the literature showing genetic factors (e.g., DYX2) contributing to multiple related, yet distinct neurocognitive domains (e.g., dyslexia, language impairment, and SSD). How these factors interactively yield different neurocognitive and language‐related outcomes remains to be elucidated.
Evidence of climate‐driven ecosystem reorganization in the Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Karnauskas Mandy , Schirripa Michael J. , Craig J. K. , Cook Geoffrey S. , Kelble Christopher R. , Agar Juan J. , Black Bryan A. , Enfield David B. , Lindo‐Atichati David , Muhling Barbara A. , Purcell Kevin M. , Richards Paul M. , Wang Chunzai
Published: March 2015

The Gulf of Mexico is one of the most ecologically and economically valuable marine ecosystems in the world and is affected by a variety of natural and anthropogenic phenomena including climate, hurricanes, coastal development, agricultural runoff, oil spills, and fishing. These complex and interacting stressors, together with the highly dynamic nature of this ecosystem, present challenges for the effective management of its resources. We analyze a compilation of over 100 indicators representing physical, biological, and economic aspects of the Gulf of Mexico and find that an ecosystem‐wide reorganization occurred in the mid‐1990s. Further analysis of fishery landings composition data indicates a major shift in the late 1970s coincident with the advent of US national fisheries management policy, as well as significant shifts in the mid‐1960s and the mid‐1990s. These latter shifts are aligned temporally with changes in a major climate mode in the Atlantic Ocean: the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). We provide an explanation for how the AMO may drive physical changes in the Gulf of Mexico, thus altering higher‐level ecosystem dynamics. The hypotheses presented here should provide focus for further targeted studies, particularly in regard to whether and how management should adjust to different climate regimes or states of nature. Our study highlights the challenges in understanding the effects of climatic drivers against a background of multiple anthropogenic pressures, particularly in a system where these forces interact in complex and nonlinear ways.
Alcohol dehydrogenase 3 contributes to the protection of liver from nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
Authors: Goto Maki , Kitamura Hiroshi , Alam Md. Morshedul , Ota Nao , Haseba Takeshi , Akimoto Toshio , Shimizu Akio , Takano‐Yamamoto Teruko , Yamamoto Masayuki , Motohashi Hozumi
Published: March 2015

Nutritional steatohepatitis is closely associated with dysregulation of lipid metabolism and oxidative stress control. ADH3 is a highly conserved bifunctional enzyme involved in formaldehyde detoxification and termination of nitric oxide signaling. Formaldehyde and nitric oxide are nonenzymatically conjugated with glutathione, which is regenerated after ADH3 metabolizes the conjugates. To clarify roles of ADH3 in nutritional liver diseases, we placed Adh3‐null mice on a methionine‐ and choline‐deficient (MCD) diet. The Adh3‐null mice developed steatohepatitis more rapidly than wild‐type mice, indicating that ADH3 protects liver from nutritional steatohepatitis. NRF2, which is a key regulator of cytoprotective genes against oxidative stress, was activated in the Adh3‐null mice with liver damage. In the absence of NRF2, the Adh3 disruption caused severe steatohepatitis by the MCD diet feeding accompanied by significant decrease in glutathione, suggesting cooperative function between ADH3 and NRF2 in the maintenance of cellular glutathione level for cytoprotection. Conversely, with enhanced NRF2 activity, the Adh3 disruption did not cause steatohepatitis but induced steatosis, suggesting that perturbation of lipid metabolism in ADH3‐deficiency is not compensated by NRF2. Thus, ADH3 protects liver from steatosis by supporting normal lipid metabolism and prevents progression of steatosis into steatohepatitis by maintaining the cellular glutathione level.
Ugandan geosites
Authors: Schumann A. , Muwanga A. , Lehto T. , Staudt M. , Schlüter T. , Kato V. , Namboyera A.
Published: March 2015

Geosites are important and/or unique geological or geographical features of significance. Typically they comprise geological, palaeontological, as well as archaeological sites. Geosites should be regarded as deserving to be preserved and protected, either from the elements or from destructive human activities, both for the community and future generations. A good knowledge of geological heritage, and a healthy respect for it, is an important factor in the holistic approach for sustainable development. Very often, these sites bear a multi‐faceted ‘story’, which may date back from very recent times to billions of years ago. As such, geosites are of great educational and scientific value. In Africa, such sites have not been receiving the attention they deserve. Only a few countries on the continent acknowledge their importance. Within the framework of a Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources Project (SMMRP), geological mapping, geochemical surveys and mineral resources assessment in selected areas of Uganda have been completed under the umbrella of the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), and the Department of Geological Survey and Mines (DGSM, Uganda). Apart from recording ‘hard‐tough’ geology, 62 geosites were documented in 2010 and 2011. For the first time, such sites have been incorporated in the new geological maps of the country (at a scale of 1: 250 000). It is possible that this is the first time that such places have been shown on geological maps of Africa. Currently, the extreme north‐east of the country is being geologically mapped by DGSM, with the eventuality of more possible geosites being discovered.
Messengers from the deep – the mantle under the North Atlantic area
Authors: Brooks Kent
Published: March 2015

Only the very outermost skin of the Earth will ever be directly accessible with the deepest boreholes extending to only about 10 km. This is negligible compared to the distance to the core of around 6000 km, or even the base of the crust, which is tens of kilometres thick under the continents. Nevertheless, we can gain information about the deep regions of the earth by two means: geophysics, and situations where deep rocks have become exposed at the surface.
In the footsteps of Alexander the Great: searching for the origins of ancient zooplankton on the wild steppe of Central Asia
Authors: Williams Mark , Siveter David J. , Perrier Vincent , Mikhailova Elena , Tarasenko Anna , Salimova Firuza , Kim Irina A.
Published: March 2015

Rising above the modern town of Nurata, in Navoiy Province, eastern Uzbekistan is the ancient fortress of Alexander the Great, built as part of Alexander's campaigns to subjugate the Persian‐speaking Sogdian peoples that lived in this province of the Persian Empire in the 4th Century bc. Alexander passed this way in 327 bc, marching his ancient army through this beautiful but desolate landscape, and conquering all before him. His fortress was built in a strategic place at the boundary between fertile agricultural lands and a dry and uncompromising vastness of steppe that lies to the east. From Nurata, about one hour drive by car along a road that cuts eastwards across the desert, is the sleepy town of Jo'sh. In the mountains beyond Jo'sh sits the hamlet of Kanda, a few mud‐brick houses nestling at the head of a small valley where a spring emerges miraculously from a bone‐dry landscape. Hereabouts are telltale signs of ancient marine deposits yielding graptolites from rocks of the Silurian system. And in these rocks are the fossils of tiny arthropods that mark a fundamental shift in the marine arthropod zooplankton 425 million years ago. It is these fossils that we have chased halfway across the world to the steppe of Central Asia.
Comprehending conodonts
Authors: Barham Milo
Published: March 2015

Conodonts were small, thin, elongate jawless creatures that were a common component of the marine fauna from the late Cambrian, throughout the Palaeozoic and into the Triassic. For the majority of conodont research history, speculations on conodont affinity were restricted to the histology and arrangement of their mineralized tissues—‘conodont elements’. These conodont elements comprise millimetre‐scale phosphatic microfossils that superficially resemble teeth, and are commonly recovered from the residues of appropriately aged, disaggregated sedimentary rocks. It has only been in the last three decades, since the discovery of exceptionally preserved soft tissues, that the debate on conodont affinity has been refined, though it has hardly been less vigorously debated. Despite being studied extensively for over more than a century and a half, conodonts retain significant enigmatic qualities. Although many geologists today are familiar with the name, knowledge of conodont biology and ecology are often surprisingly lacking or confused, and conodonts remain as largely disembodied microfossil curiosities. Despite this, conodont elements are extensively and variously used in biostratigraphy, thermal maturation studies and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, while conodonts themselves occupy a potentially critical position in the evolutionary tree of our own phylum—the chordates.
Personal viewpoint: Limiting maximum ultrafiltration rate as a potential new measure of dialysis adequacy
Authors: Agar John W M
Published: March 2015

While the solute clearance marker (Kt/Vurea) is widely used, no effective marker for volume management exists. Two principles apply to acute volume change in hemodialysis: (1) the plasma refill rate, the maximum rate the extracellular fluid can replace a contracting intravascular volume (±5 mL/kg/hour) and (2) the rate of intravascular volume contraction where coronary hypoperfusion, myocardial stun, and vascular risk escalates (observed at ≥10 mL/kg/hour). In extended hour and higher frequency hemodialysis, intravascular contraction rates are usually equilibrated by the plasma refill rate, but in “conventional” in‐center hemodialysis, volume contraction rates commonly exceed the capabilities of the plasma refill rate, resulting in inevitable hypovolemia. To minimize cardiovascular risk, fluid removal rates should ideally be ≤10 mL/kg/hour, acknowledging that this may be challenging in the in‐center setting. Two options exist to limit volume removal to >10 mL/kg/hour: restricting interdialytic weight gain (always conflict‐fraught, often unachievable) or extending sessional duration to allow additional removal time. Just as Kt/Vurea quantifies solute removal, a simple‐to‐apply rate variable should also apply for volume removal. As predialysis and target postdialysis weights are both known, a simple measure—a maximum rate for ultrafiltration (UFRmax)—would advise the sessional duration (T) required to minimize organ stun by removing the required fluid load (V) from any patient of predialysis weight (W). This would ensure a removal rate no greater than 10 mL/kg/hour—T (hours) = V (mL)/10 × W (kg). Used together, Kt/Vurea and UFRmax would form a solute and volume composite, each dialysis treatment continuing until both solute and volume requirements are fulfilled.
Isoniazid poisoning: Pharmacokinetics and effect of hemodialysis in a massive ingestion
Authors: Skinner Kirsty , Saiao Ana , Mostafa Ahmed , Soderstrom Jessamine , Medley Gregory , Roberts Michael S. , Isbister Geoffrey K.
Published: March 2015

Isoniazid is a rare overdose that causes seizures and there is limited evidence to guide treatment. We report a 20‐year‐old female migrant who presented with recurrent seizures after ingesting 25 g of isoniazid. She was treated with activated charcoal, repeated doses of midazolam for the seizures, and given multiple doses of pyridoxine (14 mg), limited by availability. She was admitted to intensive care, and 5.5 hours post‐ingestion, she was commenced on continuous veno‐venous hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF). She was extubated after 24 hours and CVVHDF was ceased 6 hours later (30 hours post‐overdose). Her renal function remained normal and her initial lactate was the highest at 2.3. She made a full recovery. Five plasma samples were collected before, during, and after CVVHDF, and isoniazid was quantified with liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry. A pharmacokinetic analysis of time‐isoniazid concentration data was fitted to a two‐compartment model with first‐order input (with fixed ka) with the effect of CVVHDF modeled as a time‐dependent covariate. This suggested that there was initially good clearance with CVVHDF (4 times endogenous clearance), which rapidly declined within hours.
Genetic and epigenetic associations to obesity‐related appetite phenotypes among African–American children
Authors: Gardner K. R. , Sapienza C. , Fisher J. O.
Published: March 2015

Background

Genetic and epigenetic variations may be an important contributer to altered eating behaviors in childhood which may lead to weight gain and obesity later in life.

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate epigenetic as well as genetic associations with appetite in young children.

Subjects and methods

Participants were 32 non‐obese and 32 obese African–American children aged 5–6 years. Saliva was collected from each child, and RNA and DNA were extracted for analysis. Individuals were genotyped for eating‐ and obesity‐associated single nucleotide polymorphisms in seven candidate genes (FTO, MAOA, SH2B1, LEPR, DNMT3B, BDNF and CCKAR), and DNA methylation levels were measured in the upstream promoter region of each. Transcript levels of MAOA and FTO were also assessed. The Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) was used to assess the aspects of appetite. Child obesity was assessed using measured height and weight, and percent body fat was measured by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry.

Results

Food responsiveness was higher and satiety responsiveness was lower among obese than non‐obese female children (P = 0.001 and P = 0.031), but did not differ among male children. Epigenetic analysis of the BDNF promoter revealed associations with altered satiety responsiveness among female children (P < 0.01).

Conclusion

The findings provide new evidence of epigenetic associations with altered appetite among young African–American girls.
Infant Preferences for Structural and Prosodic Properties of Infant‐Directed Speech in the Second Year of Life
Authors: Segal Judith , Newman Rochelle S.
Published: March 2015

While a large literature discusses young infants' preference for an infant‐directed speaking style, few studies have explored preferences after the first year. The present work compares infants' preference for two different properties of IDS speech: prosodic changes (primarily pitch and pitch variability) and structural properties (utterance length; lexical repetition). We found that both 12‐ and 16‐month‐old infants continued to prefer listening to speech with the prosodic properties of IDS, but neither age showed any preference for speech with the lexical repetition and short utterances typical of IDS.