bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Slowing BMI Growth Trajectories in Elementary School-Aged Children
Authors: Toussaint Loren L. , Housholder Kristin , Janssen Katelyn , Mansfield Ann , Lynch Brian A.
Published: May 2017

This project examines the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative, a policy-, community-, and school-based effort to slow children's body mass index (BMI) growth over 6 years. Kindergarteners (K) to fifth graders (5) from 10 different school districts participated (N = 4101). Students with 0 to 1 years of initiative exposure showed greater growth in BMI compared with children who had 2 to 6 years of exposure, resulting in K-5 BMI savings of 1.5 points (6 lb) for median-height boys and girls. Results suggest that changes to policies, communities, and schools may provide effective obesity reduction in children.
Dance Your Heart Out
Authors: Becker Karin L.
Published: May 2017

Cardiovascular health has been identified as a prioritized community health need according to recent community health needs assessment data. While the Affordable Care Act mandates that nonprofit hospitals conduct a community health needs assessment, little guidance exists on how to address the identified needs. Logic models provide systematic structure and necessary direction in how communities can start to address their identified health needs. Completing logic models in a nonlinear fashion is encouraged to employ a strengths-based approach and verify the logic. This article provides an application of logic models as one strategy to generate a community-based program theory to improve cardiovascular health.
The Use of an Electrophysiological Brain Function Index in the Evaluation of Concussed Athletes
Authors: Brooks M. Alison , Bazarian Jeffrey J. , Prichep Leslie S. , Dastidar Samanwoy Ghosh , Talavage Thomas M. , Barr William
Published: May 2017

Objective:

To evaluate the effectiveness of the electroencephalographic (EEG) Brain Function Index (BFI) for characterizing sports-related concussive injury and recovery.

Participants:

Three hundred fifty-four (354) male contact sport high school and college athletes were prospectively recruited from multiple locations over 6 academic years of play (244 control baseline athletes and 110 athletes with a concussion).

Methods:

Using 5 to 10 minutes of eyes closed resting EEG collected from frontal and frontotemporal regions, a BFI was computed for all subjects and sessions. Group comparisons were performed to test for the significance of the difference in the BFI score between the controls at baseline and athletes with a concussion at several time points.

Results:

There was no significant difference in BFI between athletes with a concussion at baseline (ie, prior to injury) and controls at baseline (P = .4634). Athletes with a concussion, tested within 72 hours of injury, exhibited significant differences in BFI compared with controls (P = .0036). The significant differences in BFI were no longer observed at 45 days following injury (P = .19).

Conclusion:

Controls and athletes with a concussion exhibited equivalent BFI scores at preseason baseline. The concussive injury (measured within 72 hours) significantly affected brain function reflected in the BFI in the athletes with a concussion. The BFI of the athletes with a concussion returned to levels seen in controls by day 45, suggesting recovery. The BFI may provide an important objective marker of concussive injury and recovery.
Brief Report: Pediatric Cancer Burden and Treatment Resources Within the Pediatric IeDEA Consortium
Authors: Brown Steven A. , Abbas Salma , Davies Mary-Ann , Bunupuradah Torsak , Sohn Annette H. , Technau Karl-Günter , Renner Lorna , Leroy Valériane , Edmonds Andrew , Yotebieng Marcel , McGowan Catherine C. , Duda Stephany N. , Mofenson Lynne , Musick Beverly , Wools-Kaloustian Kara
Published: May 2017

Introduction:

The incidence and treatment of cancer in HIV-infected children from resource-limited settings has not been extensively studied.

Objectives:

Develop and implement a cross-sectional survey to evaluate pediatric cancer burden, diagnostic modalities in use, and treatment availability as perceived by HIV clinic staff at regional International Epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) sites.

Methods:

IeDEA regional investigators developed a cross-sectional clinical site survey which included questions on the numbers and types of pediatric cancers observed, modalities used to treat identified cancers, and treatment options available at individual sites in the Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Central Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and Southern Africa regions.

Results:

Kaposi sarcoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and Burkitt lymphoma were reported by site personnel to be the most prevalent types of cancer in the pediatric HIV population. Survey results indicate that access to comprehensive cancer treatment modalities is very limited for children in these regions despite HIV care and treatment sites reporting that they diagnose pediatric cancers. Responses also showed that evaluating cancer in the pediatric HIV population is a challenge due to a lack of resources and varying treatment availability within regions.

Conclusions:

Further study is needed to increase our understanding of the changing epidemiology of cancer in HIV-infected pediatric populations. Increased financial and technical resources are critical to aid in the advancement of health services to support treatment of these children in resource-constrained settings.
Systematic assessment of next generation sequencing for quantitative small RNA profiling: a multiple protocol study across multiple laboratories
Authors: Giraldez MD , Spengler RM , Etheridge A , Godoy PM , Barczak AJ , Srinivasan S , De Hoff PL , Tanriverdi K , Courtright A , Lu S , Khoory J , Rubio R , Baxter D , Driedonks TAP , Buermans HPJ , Nolte-‘t Hoen ENM , Jiang H , Wang K , Ghiran I , Wang Y , Van Keuren-Jensen K , Freedman JE , Woodruff PG , Laurent LC , Erle DJ , Galas DJ , Tewari M
Published: May 2017

Small RNA-seq is increasingly being used for profiling of small RNAs. Quantitative characteristics of long RNA-seq have been extensively described, but small RNA-seq involves fundamentally different methods for library preparation, with distinct protocols and technical variations that have not been fully and systematically studied. We report here the results of a study using common references (synthetic RNA pools of defined composition, as well as plasma-derived RNA) to evaluate the accuracy, reproducibility and bias of small RNA-seq library preparation for five distinct protocols and across nine different laboratories. We observed protocol-specific and sequence-specific bias, which was ameliorated using adapters for ligation with randomized end-nucleotides, and computational correction factors. Despite this technical bias, relative quantification using small RNA-seq was remarkably accurate and reproducible, even across multiple laboratories using different methods. These results provide strong evidence for the feasibility of reproducible cross-laboratory small RNA-seq studies, even those involving analysis of data generated using different protocols.
High Activity of Selective Essential Oils against Stationary PhaseBorrelia burgdorferi
Authors: Feng Jie , Zhang Shuo , Shi Wanliang , Zubcevik Nevena , Miklossy Judith , Zhang Ying
Published: May 2017

Although the majority of patients with Lyme disease can be cured with the standard 2-4 week antibiotic treatment, about 10-20% of patients continue to suffer from post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). While the cause for this is debated, one possibility is due to persisters not killed by the current Lyme antibiotics. It has been reported that essential oils have antimicrobial activities and some have been used by patients with persisting Lyme disease symptoms. However, the activity of essential oils against the causative agentBorrelia burgdorferi (B. burgdorferi)has not been carefully studied. Here, we evaluated the activity of 34 essential oils againstB. burgdorferistationary phase culture as a model for persisters. We found that many essential oils had varying degrees of activity againstB. burgdorferi, with top 5 essential oils (oregano, cinnamon bark, clove bud, citronella, and wintergreen) at a low concentration of 0.25% showing more activity than the persister drug daptomycin. Interestingly, some highly active essential oils were found to have excellent anti-biofilm ability as shown by their ability to dissolve the aggregated biofilm-like structures. The top 3 hits, oregano, cinnamon bark and clove bud, completely eradicated all viable cells without regrowth in subculture. Carvacrol was found to be the most active ingredient of oregano oil showing excellent activity againstB. burgdorferistationary phase cells, while p-cymene and α-terpinene had no apparent activity. Future studies are needed to characterize and optimize the active essential oils in drug combinations in vitro and in vivo for improved treatment of persistent Lyme disease.

IMPORTANCE

There is a huge need for effective treatment of patients with Lyme disease who suffer from PTLDS. Recent in vitro and in vivo studies suggest thatB. burgdorferidevelops persisters that are not killed by the current Lyme antibiotics as a possible contributor to this condition. Although essential oils are used by patients with Lyme disease with variable improvement in symptoms, their anti-borrelia activity has not been carefully studied. Here we found that not all essential oils have adequate anti-borrelia activity and identified some highly potent essential oils (oregano, cinnamon bark, clove bud) that have even higher anti-persister and anti-biofilm activity than the persister drug daptomycin. Carvacrol was found to be the most active ingredient of oregano oil and have the potential to serve as a promising oral persister drug. Our findings may have implications for developing improved treatment of persisting Lyme disease.
Population coding of conditional probability distributions in dorsal premotor cortex
Authors: Glaser Joshua I. , Perich Matthew G. , Ramkumar Pavan , Miller Lee E. , Kording Konrad P.
Published: May 2017

Our bodies and the environment constrain our movements. For example, when our arm is fully outstretched, we cannot extend it further. More generally, the distribution of possible movements is conditioned on the state of our bodies in the environment, which is constantly changing. However, little is known about how the brain represents such distributions, and uses them in movement planning. Here, we recorded from dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) and primary motor cortex (M1) while monkeys reached to randomly placed targets. The hand’s position within the workspace created probability distributions of possible upcoming targets, which affected movement trajectories and latencies. PMd, but not M1, neurons had increased activity when the monkey’s hand position made it likely the upcoming movement would be in the neurons’ preferred directions. Across the population, PMd activity represented probability distributions of individual upcoming reaches, which depended on rapidly changing information about the body’s state in the environment.
A neural population mechanism for rapid learning
Authors: Perich Matthew G. , Gallego Juan A. , Miller Lee E.
Published: May 2017

Long-term learning of language, mathematics, and motor skills likely requires plastic changes in the cortex, but behavior often requires faster changes, sometimes based even on single errors. Here, we show evidence of one mechanism by which the brain can rapidly develop new motor output, seemingly without altering the functional connectivity between or within cortical areas. We recorded simultaneously from hundreds of neurons in the premotor (PMd) and primary motor (M1) cortices, and computed models relating these neural populations throughout adaptation to reaching movement perturbations. We found a signature of learning in the “null subspace” of PMd with respect to M1. Earlier experiments have shown that null subspace activity allows the motor cortex to alter preparatory activity without directly influencing M1. In our experiments, the null subspace planning activity evolved with the adaptation, yet the “potent” mapping that captures information sent to M1 was preserved. Our results illustrate a population-level mechanism within the motor cortices to adjust the output from one brain area to its downstream structures that could be exploited throughout the brain for rapid, online behavioral adaptation.
Reconstruction of body mass evolution in the Cetartiodactyla and mammals using phylogenomic data
Authors: Figuet E. , Ballenghien M. , Lartillot N. , Galtier N.
Published: May 2017

This preprint has been reviewed and recommended by Peer Community In Evolutionary Biology (http://dx.doi.org/10.24072/pci.evolbiol.100042).

Reconstructing ancestral characters on a phylogeny is an arduous task because the observed states at the tips of the tree correspond to a single realization of the underlying evolutionary process. Recently, it was proposed that ancestral traits can be indirectly estimated with the help of molecular data, based on the fact that life history traits influence substitution rates. Here we challenge these new approaches in the Cetartiodactyla, a clade of large mammals which, according to paleontology, derive from small ancestors. Analysing transcriptome data in 41 species, of which 22 were newly sequenced, we provide a dated phylogeny of the Cetartiodactyla and report a significant effect of body mass on the overall substitution rate, the synonymous vs. non-synonymous substitution rate and the dynamics of GC-content. Our molecular comparative analysis points toward relatively small Cetartiodactyla ancestors, in agreement with the fossil record, even though our data set almost exclusively consists of large species. This analysis demonstrates the potential of phylogenomic methods for ancestral trait reconstruction and gives credit to recent suggestions that the ancestor to placental mammals was a relatively large and long-lived animal.
Comparison of phantom materials for use in quality assurance of microbeam radiation therapy
Authors: Cameron Matthew , Cornelius Iwan , Cutajar Dean , Davis Jeremy , Rosenfeld Anatoly , Lerch Michael , Guatelli Susanna
Published: May 2017

Microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) is a promising radiotherapy modality that uses arrays of spatially fractionated micrometre-sized beams of synchrotron radiation to irradiate tumours. Routine dosimetry quality assurance (QA) prior to treatment is necessary to identify any changes in beam condition from the treatment plan, and is undertaken using solid homogeneous phantoms. Solid phantoms are designed for, and routinely used in, megavoltage X-ray beam radiation therapy. These solid phantoms are not necessarily designed to be water-equivalent at low X-ray energies, and therefore may not be suitable for MRT QA. This work quantitatively determines the most appropriate solid phantom to use in dosimetric MRT QA. Simulated dose profiles of various phantom materials were compared with those calculated in water under the same conditions. The phantoms under consideration were RMI457 Solid Water (Gammex-RMI, Middleton, WI, USA), Plastic Water (CIRS, Norfolk, VA, USA), Plastic Water DT (CIRS, Norfolk, VA, USA), PAGAT (CIRS, Norfolk, VA, USA), RW3 Solid Phantom (PTW Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany), PMMA, Virtual Water (Med-Cal, Verona, WI, USA) and Perspex. RMI457 Solid Water and Virtual Water were found to be the best approximations for water in MRT dosimetry (within ±3% deviation in peak and 6% in valley). RW3 and Plastic Water DT approximate the relative dose distribution in water (within ±3% deviation in the peak and 5% in the valley). PAGAT, PMMA, Perspex and Plastic Water are not recommended to be used as phantoms for MRT QA, due to dosimetric discrepancies greater than 5%.
A developed case-based reasoning system for machine tool selection
Authors: Chakraborty Shankar , Boral Soumava
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Subtractive manufacturing process is the controlled removal of unwanted material from the parent workpiece for having the desired shape and size of the product. Several types of available machine tools are utilized to carry out this manufacturing operation. Selection of the most appropriate machine tool is thus one of the most crucial factors in deciding the success of a manufacturing organization. Ill-suited machine tool may often lead to reduced productivity, flexibility, precision and poor responsiveness. Choosing the best suited machine tool for a specific machining operation becomes more complex, as the process engineers have to consider a diverse range of available alternatives based on a set of conflicting criteria. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Case-based reasoning (CBR), an amalgamated domain of artificial intelligence and human cognitive process, has already been proven to be an effective tool for ill-defined and unstructured problems. It imitates human reasoning process, using specific knowledge accumulated from the previously encountered situations to solve new problems. This paper elucidates development and application of a CBR system for machine tool selection while fulfilling varying user defined requirements. Here, based on some specified process characteristic values, past similar cases are retrieved and reused to solve a current machine tool selection problem.

Findings

A software prototype is also developed in Visual BASIC 6.0 and three real time examples are illustrated to validate the application potentiality of CBR system for the said purpose.

Originality/value

The developed CBR system for machine tool selection retrieves a set of similar cases and selects the best matched case nearest to the given query set. It can successfully provide a reasonable solution to a given machine tool selection problem where there is a paucity of expert knowledge. It can also guide the process engineers in setting various parametric combinations for achieving maximum machining performance from the selected machine tool, although fine-tuning of those settings may often be required.
Perceived employability in university students: developing an integrated model
Authors: Álvarez-González Paula , López-Miguens María Jesús , Caballero Gloria
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated model on perceived employability in university students, based on personal and contextual factors.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use structural equation modelling to estimate a model that includes a set of variables, previously validated at exploratory and confirmatory levels, in order to measure personal and contextual factors involved in perceived employability. The sample comprises 816 university students selected by a stratified procedure.

Findings

The model explains how perceived employability in university students is built up. It identifies the involved factors and their level of influence and provides statistically valid and reliable measures for these factors.

Research limitations/implications

This study develops an integrated model which explains more than previous ones to know perceived employability of university students by combining personal and contextual factors. A limitation of the study lies in the use of a cross-sectional design, and the specificities of the cultural context as well as consideration of the labour market situation. Generalizing the results to other cultural contexts requires caution.

Practical implications

The model explains perceived employability in university students and provides validated scales at confirmatory level that can be used for futures studies in sociology, behavioural psychology, human resources management or education. The model and scales also serve as tools for evaluation that can be used by those responsible for such personal or contextual factors.

Originality/value

The development of an integrated model that explains perceived employability to a much higher degree than previous models.
Taking advantage of disruptive innovation through changes in value networks: insights from the space industry
Authors: Pérez Lourdes , Dos Santos Paulino Victor , Cambra-Fierro Jesus
Published: May 2017

Purpose

The aim of this paper is twofold: first, to provide further insights into the challenges and opportunities that arise from simultaneously being an entrant and an incumbent and, second, to help these firms effectively use supply chain management capabilities to respond to disruptive threats.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an “insights from industry” paper. It is based on a retrospective analysis of rich data obtained at the SIRIUS Chair in Toulouse, France, from an important cluster of aerospace firms and the authors’ accumulated experience.

Findings

The authors found that under conditions of disruptive change, the ability to make the final customer the focal point and to build a comprehensive understanding of the overall supply network are key in shaping and taking advantage of future opportunities. These abilities enable firms to analyze different scenarios and identify the roles they want to play, the collaborations they need to establish and the possible internal changes required.

Originality/value

This paper offers several new perspectives from practice. The authors analyze two types of space industry innovations: individual small satellites (or “smallsats”) and smallsat constellations. Three types of capabilities are focused on: inside-out, outside-in and spanning. Disrupt-or-be-disrupted does not fully describe the dynamics the authors observed; cooperative competition and complementarity provide a better framework for ideas on how to cope with disruptive opportunities.
Enabling good emotional support for and with people with learning disabilities
Authors: Mason Victoria , Williams Val
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Picking up from Cotter et al.’s article on the transferential process, the purpose of this paper is to set out some arguments about the ways of meeting the emotional needs of people with learning disabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

The commentary draws on two studies: one is about understanding and changing disabling practices, and the other is about bereavement support for people with learning disabilities. Both use qualitative approaches, and in both studies, people with learning disabilities are active agents or co-researchers, who have assisted in shaping the ideas and values of the research.

Findings

Professional practices, including those within the therapeutic context, can act as institutional barriers which create people with learning disabilities as passive or incompetent. However, this paper sets out some preliminary findings showing that not only can people with learning disabilities support each other, but also that face-to-face support workers can support people with learning disabilities to understand and cope with their emotions.

Practical implications

Frontline support workers should be seen as professionals, with their own range of resources to provide good emotional support. Further, people with learning disabilities can come together in groups to develop peer support about difficult and sensitive topics.

Originality/value

Talking about therapies for people with learning disabilities has long been overlooked. As their value is now recognised, it is important that the views and wishes of people with learning disabilities themselves are heard, so that they can contribute to the processes which support them.
Queen presence mediates the relationship between collective behaviour and disease susceptibility in ant colonies
Authors: Keiser Carl N. , Vojvodic Svjetlana , Butler Imani O. , Sartain Elizabeth , Rudolf Volker H. W. , Saltz Julia B.
Published: May 2017

The success of social living can be explained, in part, by a group's ability to execute collective behaviours unachievable by solitary individuals. However, groups vary in their ability to execute these complex behaviours, often because they vary in their phenotypic composition. Group membership changes over time due to mortality or emigration, potentially leaving groups vulnerable to ecological challenges in times of flux. In some societies, the loss of important individuals (e.g. leaders, elites and queens) may have an especially detrimental effect on groups’ ability to deal with these challenges.

Here, we test whether the removal of queens in colonies of the acorn antTemnothorax curvispinosusalters their ability to execute important collective behaviours and survive outbreaks of a generalist entomopathogen.

We employed a split‐colony design where one half of a colony was maintained with its queen, while the other half was separated from the queen. We then tested these subcolonies’ performance in a series of collective behaviour assays and finally exposed colonies to the entomopathogenic fungusMetarhizium robertsiiby exposing two individuals from the colony and then sealing them back into the nest.

We found that queenright subcolonies outperformed their queenless counterparts in nearly all collective behaviours. Queenless subcolonies were also more vulnerable to mortality from disease. However, queenless groups that displayed more interactions with brood experienced greater survivorship, a trend not present in queenright subcolonies. Queenless subcolonies that engage in more brood interactions may have had more resources available to cope with two physiological challenges (ovarian development after queen loss and immune activation after pathogen exposure).

Our results indicate that queen presence can play an integral role in colony behaviour, survivorship and their relationship. They also suggest that interactions between workers and brood are integral to colonies survival. Overall, a social group's history of social reorganization may have strong consequences on their collective behaviours and their vulnerability to disease outbreaks.
An Analysis of the Impact of Health on Occupation
Authors: Flavel Joanne
Published: May 2017

Maintaining individuals with health limitations in the labour force is a challenge of growing importance. Determining the effect of health on occupation may tell us how people adapt to their limitations, and what types of jobs make this harder or easier. This paper uses the first 14 waves of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey to examine the effect of health and changes in health on occupation for the working‐age population. I use dynamic panel models which account for selection into employment. Two measures of occupation are used to capture two aspects of occupation highlighted in the literature as being linked to health: physical job demands and status. The results of the analyses provide some evidence that a health shock reduces the likelihood of manual employment for younger men, suggesting that younger men may adapt to a health shock by reducing physical job demands. Worsening health and work‐limiting long‐term conditions are found to have a negative effect on occupational status for men and women, suggesting health selection into lower‐status jobs, and an adverse effect of poor health on occupational mobility.
Evidence that eating baked egg or milk influences egg or milk allergy resolution: a systematic review
Authors: Lambert R. , Grimshaw K. E. C. , Ellis B. , Jaitly J. , Roberts G.
Published: May 2017

Background

It has been proposed that the frequent ingestion of baked hen's egg or cow's milk accelerates the resolution of hen's egg or cow's milk allergy. This practice is being introduced into clinical practice.

Objective

To systematically review the evidence to determine whether the introduction of baked hen's egg or cow's milk into the diet of children with hen's egg or cow's milk allergies respectively leads to a larger proportion of children outgrowing these allergies than expected.

Methods

A systematic review of the literature was conducted in Medline, Embase and CINAHL. The inclusion criteria were as follows: randomized control trials, case‐control or cohort studies; children aged 0–18 years with hen's egg or cow's milk allergy; baked hen's egg or cow's milk intervention with or without a comparator; and resolution of the hen's egg or cow's milk allergy as determined by food challenge as the outcome. Studies were critically appraised using the quality assessment tool for quantitative studies. PROSPERO reference CRD42015026029.

Results

We identified 851 and 2816 hen's egg and cow's milk articles respectively. Only three hen's egg and three cow's milk studies fulfilled our pre‐specified inclusion criteria. The studies concluded that baked products either increased the likelihood of the resolution of allergy or accelerated resolution. However, when critiqued, all studies were classified as weak because they were observational, lacking an appropriate control group; this brings into doubt the study's conclusions. There were a number of examples of severe reactions to baked products.

Conclusion

There is little evidence to address the hypothesis that the ingestion of baked hen's egg or cow's milk results in more patients outgrowing their hen's egg or cow's milk allergy respectively. Data are required from a trial comparing the resolution rates of baked‐tolerant participants who are randomized to ingest or avoid baked products to assess the accuracy of this hypothesis.
Race/ethnicity is associated with ABO‐nonidentical liver transplantation in the United States
Authors: Ge Jin , Roberts John P. , Lai Jennifer C.
Published: May 2017

United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) policies allow for ABO‐nonidentical liver transplantation (LT) in candidates with Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores greater than 30. Previous studies showed ABO‐nonidentical LT resulted in an 18% and 55% net gain in livers for B and AB candidates. These results suggested that the current liver ABO allocation policies may need refinement. There are, however, strong associations between ABO blood groups and race/ethnicity. We hypothesized that race/ethnicity is associated with ABO‐nonidentical LT and that this is primarily influenced by recipient ABO status. We examined non‐status 1 adult candidates registered between July 1, 2013, and December 31, 2015. There were 27 835 candidates (70% non‐Hispanic White, 15% Hispanic, 9% Black, 4% Asian, 1% Other/Multiracial). A total of 11 369 underwent deceased donor LT: 93% ABO identical, 6% ABO compatible, and 1% ABO incompatible. Black and Asian race/ethnicity were associated with increased likelihoods of ABO‐nonidentical LT. Adjustment for disease etiology, listing MELD, transplant center volume, and UNOS region did not alter this association. Stepwise inclusion of recipient ABO status did eliminate this significant association of race/ethnicity with ABO‐nonidentical LT. Blacks and Asians may be advantaged by ABO‐nonidentical LT, and we suspect that changes to the existing policies may disproportionately impact these groups.
Role of the endocannabinoid system in vertebrates: Emphasis on the zebrafish model
Authors: Oltrabella Francesca , Melgoza Adam , Nguyen Brian , Guo Su
Published: May 2017

The endocannabinoid system (eCBs), named after the plant Cannabis sativa, comprises cannabinoid receptors, endogenous ligands known as “endocannabinoids”, and enzymes involved in the biosynthesis and degradation of these ligands, as well as putative transporters for these ligands. ECBs proteins and small molecules have been detected in early embryonic stages of many vertebrate models. As a result, cannabinoid receptors and endogenous as well as exogenous cannabinoids influence development and behavior in many vertebrate species. Understanding the precise mechanisms of action for the eCBs will provide an invaluable guide towards elucidation of vertebrate development and will also help delineate how developmental exposure to marijuana might impact health and cognitive/executive functioning in adulthood. Here we review the developmental roles of the eCBs in vertebrates, focusing our attention on the zebrafish model. Since little is known regarding the eCBs in zebrafish, we provide new data on the expression profiles of eCBs genes during development and in adult tissue types of this model organism. We also highlight exciting areas for future investigations, including the synaptic regulation of eCBs, its role in reward and addiction, and in nervous system development and plasticity.
Impact of severe tricuspid regurgitation on accuracy of systolic pulmonary arterial pressure measured by Doppler echocardiography: Analysis in an unselected patient population
Authors: Fei Beini , Fan Ting , Zhao Ling , Pei Xiaoli , Shu Xianhong , Fang Xiaoyan , Cheng Leilei
Published: May 2017

Pulmonary arterial pressure is an important index in cardiovascular disorders, especially for pulmonary hypertension (PH). Doppler echocardiography (DE) is widely used as a noninvasive method to assess pulmonary arterial pressure. However, recent studies have found several hemodynamic factors that affect its accuracy in estimating systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (sPAP). But the effect of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) has not been investigated. Therefore, our study is aimed to determine whether the severity of TR will affect the accuracy of sPAP measured by DE in an unselected patient population. We retrospectively studied 177 patients who underwent DE and right heart catheterization (RHC) examinations. Patients were categorized into 3 groups according to the severity of TR (mild, moderate, and severe). The discrepancy in sPAP measured by DE and RHC was calculated and compared in each group. Determinants of discordant results between two methods were also evaluated. Age, gender, interval between DE and RHC, sequence of DE and RHC were similar among groups (all P>.05). Differences in sPAP, RAP, and tricuspid regurgitation pressure gradient (TR‐PG) were similar in group 1 and 2 (all P>.05), while all significantly higher in group 3 (all P<.05). The difference in sPAP between DE and RHC was affected independently by severe TR and severe PH (both P<.05). Severe TR and severe PH affect the accuracy of sPAP measured by DE. Modification of echocardiographic sPAP measurements by taking into consideration of these factors may lead to reduced systemic errors.
Three‐dimensional proximal flow convergence automatic calculation for determining mitral valve area in rheumatic mitral stenosis
Authors: Sampaio Francisco , Ladeiras‐Lopes Ricardo , Almeida João , Fonseca Paulo , Fontes‐Carvalho Ricardo , Ribeiro José , Gama Vasco
Published: May 2017

Purpose

Management of patients with mitral stenosis (MS) depends heavily on the accurate quantification of mitral valve area (MVA) using echocardiography. All currently used two‐dimensional (2D) methods have limitations. Estimation of MVA using the proximal isovelocity surface area (PISA) method with real time three‐dimensional (3D) echocardiography may circumvent those limitations. We aimed to evaluate the accuracy of 3D direct measurement of PISA in the estimation of MVA.

Methods

Twenty‐seven consecutive patients (median age of 63 years; 77.8% females) with rheumatic MS were prospectively studied. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography with 2D and 3D acquisitions were performed on the same day. The reference method for MVA quantification was valve planimetry after 3D‐volume multiplanar reconstruction. A semi‐automated software was used to calculate the 3D flow convergence volume.

Results

Compared to MVA estimation using 3D planimetry, 3D PISA showed the best correlation (rho=0.78, P<.0001), followed by pressure half‐time (PHT: rho=0.66, P<.001), continuity equation (CE: rho=0.61, P=.003), and 2D PISA (rho=0.26, P=.203). Bland‐Altman analysis revealed a good agreement for MVA estimation with 3D PISA (mean difference −0.03 cm2; limits of agreement (LOA) −0.40–0.35), in contrast to wider LOA for 2D methods: CE (mean difference 0.02 cm2, LOA −0.56–0.60); PHT (mean difference 0.31 cm2, LOA −0.32–0.95); 2D PISA (mean difference −0.03 cm2, LOA −0.92–0.86).

Conclusions

MVA estimation using 3D PISA was feasible and more accurate than 2D methods. Its introduction in daily clinical practice seems possible and may overcome technical limitations of 2D methods.
Gerbode defect and multivalvular dysfunction: Complex complications in adult congenital heart disease
Authors: Ruivo Catarina , Guardado Joana , Montenegro Sá Fernando , Saraiva Fátima , Antunes Alexandre , Correia Joana , Morais João
Published: May 2017

We report a clinical case of a 40‐year‐old male with surgically corrected congenital heart disease (CHD) 10 years earlier: closure of ostium primum, mitral annuloplasty, and aortic valve and root surgery. The patient was admitted with acute heart failure. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) revealed a dysmorphic and severely incompetent aortic valve, a partial tear of the mitral valve cleft repair and annuloplasty ring dehiscence. A true left ventricular‐to‐right atrial shunt confirmed a direct Gerbode defect. The authors aim to discuss the diagnostic challenge of adult CHD, namely the key role of TEE on septal defects and valve regurgitations description.
Growth, Import Dependence, and War
Authors: Bonfatti Roberto , O'Rourke Kevin Hjortshøj
Published: May 2017

Theories of war predict that the leader may launch a war on a follower who is catching up, since the follower cannot commit to not use their increased power in the future. But it was Japan who attacked the West in 1941: both leaders and followers start wars. Similarly, many have argued that trade makes war less likely, yet the First World War erupted at a time of unprecedented globalisation. We develop a model of trade and war that can explain both observations. Dependence on imports can lead followers to attack leaders or resource-rich regions when they are subject to blockade.
Modifying illness beliefs in recent onset psychosis carers: Evaluating the impact of a cognitively focused brief group intervention in a routine service
Authors: Onwumere Juliana , Glover Naomi , Whittaker Sarah , Rahim Shireen , Chu Man Lai , James Gareth , Khan Sanna , Afsharzadegan Roya , Seneviratne Saal , Harvey Raythe , Georgiades Anna , Raune David
Published: May 2017

Aims

At first‐episode psychosis (FEP), many patients will be routed within familial networks and supported by informal carers who are predominately close family members such as parents. Carer burden, distress and poorer coping styles are associated with different illness beliefs. The current study sought to examine the impact and acceptability of a 3 session, cognitively informed, group intervention targeting illness beliefs previously linked to distress and poorer caregiving experiences in FEP carers.

Methods

Carers attending a routine FEP service were invited to attend the group intervention and completed a measure of illness beliefs at baseline and post intervention.

Results

Data on 68 carers with complete datasets are presented. Carers were predominately females (64.2%). Group attendance was linked to positive improvements in carer baseline beliefs about the negative consequences of the illness for the patient and themselves, attributions of blame about the illness to the patient and themselves and their overall understanding about the illness. Significant improvements in their understanding of the illness timeline and course, and confidence in dealing with difficulties were also identified.

Conclusions

A cognitively informed group approach to targeting the less adaptive illness beliefs reported by FEP carers may offer an effective and acceptable pathway to facilitate their understanding of the illness and adjustment. Further studies using controlled designs are required.
The Uunguu Monitoring and Evaluation Committee: Intercultural Governance of a Land and Sea Management Programme in the Kimberley, Australia
Authors: Austin Beau J. , Vigilante Tom , Cowell Stuart , Dutton Ian M. , Djanghara Dorothy , Mangolomara Scholastica , Puermora Bernard , Bundamurra Albert , Clement Zerika
Published: May 2017

The importance of Indigenous peoples’ and their ancestral estates for the maintenance and protection of biodiversity, ecosystem function, threatened species and cultural diversity is clear. Due to their nature, processes and tools to measure the impact of intercultural Indigenous land and sea management partnerships need to be innovative and adaptable. In 2015, the Wunambal Gaambera Healthy Country Plan reached its mid‐point, which triggered an evaluation to enable adaptive management through the assessment of effectiveness. The evaluation was used to appraise the need for adaptation, contribute to the evidence base for healthy Country, and to report on achievements. The Uunguu Monitoring and Evaluation Committee, an innovative, intercultural and interdisciplinary body, and their collaborators adopted a multiple evidence‐based approach to enable an enriched picture. This committee has successfully integrated western scientific and local Indigenous knowledge for adaptive management by embodying the principles of co‐production. The Uunguu Monitoring and Evaluation Committee model outlines a way of doing knowledge integration from the bottom up which, given the significance of the cultural and natural diversity of the Indigenous estate, makes a valuable contribution to the global community of practitioners attempting to use diverse knowledges for better management of biodiversity, ecosystems, threatened species and cultural traditions.
Can postmining revegetation create habitat for a threatened mammal?
Authors: Craig Michael D. , White Danielle A. , Stokes Vicki L. , Prince Jane
Published: May 2017

Most revegetation conducted for biodiversity conservation aims to mimic reference ecosystems present predisturbance. However, revegetation can overshoot or undershoot targets, particularly in the early stages of a recovery process, resulting in conditions different from the reference model. Revegetation that has, as yet, failed to fully meet revegetation targets may, nonetheless, provide habitat for threatened species not present in reference ecosystems. To investigate this possibility, we surveyed Quokka (Setonix brachyurus), a threatened macropod, in a mining landscape in south‐western Australia. We established four sites in each of riparian forest, which is the preferred habitat of quokkas but is not mined, mid‐slope forest, which is the premining reference ecosystem but is not suitable habitat for quokkas, and revegetated forest on mine pits 16–21 years postmining. We recorded quokkas in all riparian forest sites and two revegetated forest sites but not in any mid‐slope forest sites. Occupied revegetated sites had greater cover between 0 and 2 m and were spatially closer to riparian forest than unoccupied revegetated sites, suggesting predation pressure was likely influencing which mine pits were occupied. Our study demonstrated postmining revegetation can provide new habitat for a threatened species and suggested that revegetating a small proportion of sites to provide new habitat for threatened species could be considered as a management option in some scenarios. This could improve landscape connectivity and increase both the area of available habitat and between‐site heterogeneity, which could all potentially increase the ability of revegetation to conserve biodiversity.
Vertebrate browsing impacts in a threatened montane plant community and implications for management
Authors: Rathbone Damien A. , Barrett Sarah
Published: May 2017

Montane ecosystems are vulnerable to the removal of vegetation cover through browsing by feral or native vertebrate fauna. The highest elevated peaks of the Stirling Range in Western Australia provide habitat for an endemic plant community, Critically Endangered due to plant disease, frequent fire and an emerging threat of browsing by vertebrate fauna. Survey and camera trapping confirmed the herbivorous feral Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and native Quokka (Setonix brachyurus) are present. Dietary analysis through faecal examination revealed contrasting diets and implicates native rather than feral species as responsible for impacts on dicotyledonous species, and in particular those of conservation significance. Exclosure experiments conducted over 1 year revealed significant changes in abundance, cover and height of perennial herbs and an increase in growth and/or reproduction of four threatened endemic plants. Detrimental impacts caused by native browsing fauna are not unprecedented and may be attributed to disequilibria in ecosystem processes due to multiple interacting threats. Montane ecosystems may be particularly vulnerable to browsing due to their naturally slow recovery after disturbance and browsing may also create environmental conditions more conducive to plant disease. For plant species with critically low population numbers, the impact of browsing poses a threat to population persistence and undermines investment into other conservation recovery actions. For effective management, it is critical to determine the relative impact of browsing species present. Where native species are implicated, the physical protection of high value assets in wire exclosures is warranted to complement other recovery actions and ensure effective species and community recovery.
Ecological restoration of a severely degraded coastal acid sulfate soil: A case study of the East Trinity wetland, Queensland
Authors: Luke Hanabeth , Martens Michelle A. , Moon Ellen M. , Smith Doug , Ward Nicholas J. , Bush Richard T.
Published: May 2017

A severely degraded acid sulfate soil wetland near Cairns, Queensland, has been returned to a functional estuarine habitat using a cost‐effective, low‐technology method based on the reintroduction of tidal water. Gradual increases in tidal inundation, combined with targeted liming of the tidal stream, restored conditions that promoted chemical and microbial processes leading to the rapid recolonisation of mangrove communities and other estuarine flora and fauna. Protocols and understanding developed at East Trinity can be readily applied to other coastal acid sulfate soil sites.
Diffusion tensor imaging of normal‐appearing white matter in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder and multiple sclerosis
Authors: Kim S.‐H. , Kwak K. , Hyun J.‐W. , Joung A. , Lee S. H. , Choi Y.‐H. , Lee J.‐M. , Kim H. J.
Published: May 2017

Background and purpose

The occult changes in normal‐appearing white matter (NAWM) were investigated and compared amongst patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls (HCs) by applying tract‐based spatial statistics to diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data.

Methods

Diffusion tensor imaging was performed with a 3‐T scanner in 93 patients with NMOSD, 53 patients with MS and 43 HCs. Voxel‐wise statistical analyses of the DTI data were performed using tract‐based spatial statistics.

Results

Compared to HCs, patients with NMOSD had significantly lower mean global fractional anisotropy, higher mean diffusivity and radial diffusivity, and no significant differences in axial diffusivity in their NAWM. Patients with MS demonstrated significantly lower mean global fractional anisotropy and higher mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity and radial diffusivity in the NAWM than did patients with NMOSD and HCs. Compared to patients with NMOSD, patients with MS had NAWM damage that was more extensive, particularly in the inferior cerebellar peduncle, external capsule, cingulum, superior fronto‐occipital fasciculus and uncinate fasciculus.

Conclusions

Using DTI, widespread occult damage was demonstrated in the NAWM of patients with NMOSD. However, the NAWM was less affected in patients with NMOSD than it was in patients with MS; specifically, the axonal injuries and diffusion abnormalities in the association fibers were more severe in patients with MS than they were in patients with NMOSD.