bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Consistent temperature dependence of respiration across ecosystems contrasting in thermal history
Authors: Perkins Daniel M. , Yvon‐Durocher Gabriel , Demars Benoît O.L. , Reiss Julia , Pichler Doris E. , Friberg Nikolai , Trimmer Mark , Woodward Guy
Published: November 2011

Ecosystem respiration is a primary component of the carbon cycle and understanding the mechanisms that determine its temperature dependence will be important for predicting how rates of carbon efflux might respond to global warming. We used a rare model system, comprising a network of geothermally heated streams ranging in temperature from 5 °C to 25 °C, to explore the nature of the relationship between respiration and temperature. Using this ‘natural experiment’, we tested whether the natal thermal regime of stream communities influenced the temperature dependence of respiration in the absence of other potentially confounding variables. An empirical survey of 13 streams across the thermal gradient revealed that the temperature dependence of whole‐stream respiration was equivalent to the average activation energy of the respiratory complex (0.6–0.7 eV). This observation was also consistent for in‐situ benthic respiration. Laboratory experiments, incubating biofilms from four streams across the thermal gradient at a range of temperatures, revealed that the activation energy and Q10 of respiration were remarkably consistent across streams, despite marked differences in their thermal history and significant turnover in species composition. Furthermore, absolute rates of respiration at standardised temperature were also unrelated to ambient stream temperature, but strongly reflected differences in biofilm biomass. Together, our results suggest that the core biochemistry, which drives the kinetics of oxidative respiratory metabolism, may be well conserved among diverse taxa and environments, and that the intrinsic sensitivity of respiration to temperature is not influenced by ambient environmental temperature.
Super‐resolution microscopy reveals cell wall dynamics and peptidoglycan architecture in ovococcal bacteria
Authors: Wheeler Richard , Mesnage Stéphane , Boneca Ivo G. , Hobbs Jamie K. , Foster Simon J.
Published: November 2011

Cell morphology and viability in Eubacteria is dictated by the architecture of peptidoglycan, the major and essential structural component of the cell wall. Although the biochemical composition of peptidoglycan is well understood, how the peptidoglycan architecture can accommodate the dynamics of growth and division while maintaining cell shape remains largely unknown. Here, we elucidate the peptidoglycan architecture and dynamics of bacteria with ovoid cell shape (ovococci), which includes a number of important pathogens, by combining biochemical analyses with atomic force and super‐resolution microscopies. Atomic force microscopy analysis showed preferential orientation of the peptidoglycan network parallel to the short axis of the cell, with distinct architectural features associated with septal and peripheral wall synthesis. Super‐resolution three‐dimensional structured illumination fluorescence microscopy was applied for the first time in bacteria to unravel the dynamics of peptidoglycan assembly in ovococci. The ovococci have a unique peptidoglycan architecture and growth mode not observed in other model organisms.
Associations between grip strength of parents and their 4‐year‐old children: findings from the Southampton Women's Survey
Authors: Inskip Hazel , Macdonald‐Wallis Corrie , Kapasi Tasneem , Robinson Siân , Godfrey Keith , Cooper Cyrus , Harvey Nicholas , Aihie Sayer Avan ,   the Southampton Women's Survey Study Group
Published: November 2011

Inskip H, Macdonald‐Wallis C, Kapasi T, Robinson S, Godfrey K, Cooper C, Harvey N, Sayer AA, the Southampton Women's Survey Study Group. Associations between grip strength of parents and their 4‐year‐old children: findings from the Southampton Women's Survey. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2012; 26: 27–33.

Relationships between birthweight and grip strength throughout the life course suggest that early influences on the growth and development of muscle are important for long‐term muscle function. However, little is known about parental influences on children's grip strength. We have explored this in the Southampton Women's Survey, a prospective general population cohort study from before conception through childhood. Grip strength was measured using a Jamar handgrip dynamometer in the mother at 19 weeks' gestation and her partner, and in the child at age 4 years. Pre‐pregnancy heights and weights were measured in the mothers; reported weights and measured heights were available for the fathers.

Complete data on parents and children were available for 444 trios. In univariable analyses, both parents' grip strengths were significantly associated with that of the child (r = 0.17, P < 0.001 for mothers; r = 0.15, P = 0.002 for fathers). These correlations were similar to that between the grip strength of the mothers and the fathers (r = 0.17, P < 0.001). In the multivariable model, after adjustment for child's height and physical activity, the correlations with the child's grip strength were attenuated, being 0.10 (P = 0.02) and 0.11 (P = 0.01) for mothers' and fathers' grip strength respectively. The findings show that grip strength of each parent is associated with that of the child, indicating that heritable influences and the shared family environment influence the development of muscle strength. This contributes to our understanding of the role of heritable and environmental factors on early muscle growth and development, which are important for muscle function across the life course.
Inhibition of 11β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 by carbenoxolone affects glucose homeostasis and obesity in db/db mice
Authors: Dhanesha Nirav , Joharapurkar Amit , Shah Gaurang , Kshirsagar Samadhan , Dhote Vipin , Sharma Ajay , Jain Mukul
Published: November 2011

1. One of the major causes of metabolic syndrome is elevated 11β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (11β‐HSD1) in the liver and adipose tissue. High 11β‐HSD1 expression contributes significantly to the diabetic phenotype in db/db mice. The purpose of the present study was to test the effect of the pharmacological inhibition of 11β‐HSD1 inhibition by carbenoxolone in db/db mice, a genetic model of diabetes.

2. Inhibition of 11β‐HSD1 by carbenoxolone was evaluated in liver homogenates obtained from untreated mice. At 0.4, 0.8, 1.6 and 3.2 μmol/L, carbenoxolone reduced the conversion of cortisone to cortisol by 21%, 48%, 82% and 95%, respectively.

3. In another series of experiments in which female db/db mice were dosed orally with carbenoxolone (10, 25 and 50 mg/kg, twice daily) for 10 days, dose‐dependent decreases were observed in 11β‐HSD1 activity in the brain, adipose and liver. In the case of 10 mg/kg carbenoxolone, the effects were not significant. In addition, the bodyweight of female db/db mice was reduced by 10% and 13% following treatment with 10 and 50 mg/kg carbenoxolone, respectively. Carbenoxolone treatment dose‐dependently improved fat mass, energy expenditure, the serum lipid profile, serum leptin and insulin and glucose tolerance. Furthermore, 50 mg/kg carbenoxolone reduced both phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and glucose‐6‐phosphatase (G6Pase) activity in the liver by 75% and 52%, respectively. These decreases were associated with increased glucokinase protein expression and activity in the liver.

4. Carbenoxolone inhibition of 11β‐HSD1 in the liver, adipose and brain significantly improves the symptoms of metabolic syndrome in db/db mice. These improvements can be attributed to increased energy expenditure, decreased activity of the gluconeogenic enzymes PEPCK and G6Pase in the liver and improved glucokinase function in the liver and pancreas.
Resistance, mobilization and militancy: nurses on strike
Authors: Briskin Linda
Published: November 2011

BRISKIN L. Nursing Inquiry 2012; 19: 285–296  Resistance, mobilization and militancy: nurses on strike

Drawing on nurses’ strikes in many countries, this paper explores nurse militancy with reference to professionalism and the commitment to service; patriarchal practices and gendered subordination; and proletarianization and the confrontation with healthcare restructuring. These deeply entangled trajectories have had a significant impact on the work, consciousness and militancy of nurses and have shaped occupation‐specific forms of resistance. They have produced a pattern of overlapping solidarities – occupational solidarity, gendered alliances and coalitions around healthcare restructuring – which have supported, indeed promoted, militancy among nurses, despite the multiple forces arrayed against them. The professional commitments of nurses to the provision of care have confronted healthcare restructuring, nursing shortages, intensification of work, precarious employment and gendered hierarchies with a militant discourse around the public interest, and a reconstitution and reclamation of ‘caring’, what I call the politicisation of caring. In fact, nurses’ dedication to caring work in the late twentieth and early twenty‐first centuries may encourage rather than dissuade them from going on strike. This paper uses a trans‐disciplinary methodology, qualitative material in the form of strike narratives constructed from newspaper archives, and references to the popular and scholarly literature on nursing militancy.
Types and development pathways of lateral line scales in some teleost species
Authors: Voronina Elena P. , Hughes Dianne R.
Published: November 2011

Voronina, E.P. and Hughes, D.R. 2011. Types and development pathways of lateral line scales in some teleost species. —Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 00: 1–13.

A comparative study of lateral line scales (lls) in nine teleost species was undertaken to trace their ontogenetic structural changes. Three universal characters were used to describe and classify definitive and developing lls. The four main structural types in teleosts are represented. In adult fish, lls are the same structural type in all parts of lateral line in any one specimen, but number of tubules and their orientation may vary. In juvenile fish, except for one species, the structural type of every lls changes with growth, and this process progresses along the lateral line in the direction of development typical for the species. Definitive structural type of the lls is not determined by common scale type and size, presence or absence of nerve foramen on lls, scale overlapping or time of initiation of scales and trunk canal. Development pathways are proposed in which terminal states correspond to the final development of the most complex lls type in Cyprinus carpio, Carassius carassius, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Diplodus annularis and Mullus barbatus. The intermediate states of these pathways correspond to other types of lls as examples of pedomorphosis in Perca fluviatilis, Sander lucioperca, Symphysodon aequifasciatus and Hippoglossoides platessoides.
A UK public health perspective: what is a healthy sustainable diet?
Authors: Riley H. , Buttriss J. L.
Published: November 2011

The main constituents of a healthy diet are generally accepted but which dietary patterns are both healthy and sustainable? This is proving a complex question to answer given the many challenges that face the global food system, particularly the need to produce more food with fewer resources to feed the world's growing population. It is likely that change to the current UK diet could help ease the pressure on the global food system but it is important that this is balanced with the physiological requirement of nutrients for health. Therefore, the challenge ahead is to identify dietary patterns that provide us with the many nutrients we need for health, in appropriate amounts, that are also equitable, affordable and sustainable. This paper explores the challenges for the global food system and public health in providing a healthy diet for the expanding population, how UK diets may need to change to ensure they are both healthy and sustainable, and the challenges of changing people's diets. Although the issues are complex, it is essential that action is taken now to ensure a sustainable and healthy global food supply for future generations.
The food industry perspective: a collection of case studies
Authors: Lunn J. , Howie M. , Hughes C. , Fenwick H. , Read L. , Richardson A. , Casson R. , O’Kennedy E.
Published: November 2011

The food industry sectors of food manufacturing, food retail and food service have a key role to play in helping address the challenges that face the global food system. These sectors have the ability to influence both the supply and demand for food, owing to their close interactions with primary food producers and consumers.

In recent years, many food businesses have accepted the challenge and identified their role in ensuring a sustainable global food supply for future generations. Many of these businesses have outlined their priorities for action in this area in corporate responsibility plans, many of which are publicly available, and have put substantial resources into research and development. Many have also instigated food‐ and nutrition‐related initiatives to make their products more ‘sustainable’.

This article includes a selection of case studies from companies across the food industry sectors. These case studies, written by company personnel, illustrate the breadth of food and nutrition‐related initiatives that are currently being undertaken by food businesses to help secure a sustainable global food supply for the future.
An adaptive governance approach to disaster‐related behavioural health services
Authors: Andrew Simon A. , Kendra James M.
Published: November 2011

This paper explores the provision of disaster‐related behavioural and mental health (DBH) services as a problem of institutional collective action in the United States. This study reviews the challenges that providers have in surmounting multi‐organizational disconnects, unstable professional legitimacy, ambiguous information, and shifting disaster needs in developing a system for delivering DBH services. Based on the adaptive governance framework, it argues that existing protocols such as the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS) may be helpful in advancing collective action, but that real progress will depend on a recognition of norms, expectations, and credentials across many spheres—in other words, on the ability of responders to continuously adjust their procedures and administrative boundaries for behavioural health institutions.
Social, not physical, infrastructure: the critical role of civil society after the 1923 Tokyo earthquake
Authors: Aldrich Daniel P.
Published: November 2011

Despite the tremendous destruction wrought by catastrophes, social science holds few quantitative assessments of explanations for the rate of recovery. This article illuminates four factors—damage, population density, human capital, and economic capital—that are thought to explain the variation in the pace of population recovery following disaster; it also explores the popular but relatively untested factor of social capital. Using time‐series, cross‐sectional models and propensity score matching, it tests these approaches using new data from the rebuilding of 39 neighbourhoods in Tokyo after its 1923 earthquake. Social capital, more than earthquake damage, population density, human capital, or economic capital, best predicts population recovery in post‐earthquake Tokyo. These findings suggest new approaches for research on social capital and disasters as well as public policy avenues for handling catastrophes.
Emotional and behavioural reactions to tremors of the Umbria‐Marche earthquake
Authors: Prati Gabriele , Catufi Valeria , Pietrantoni Luca
Published: November 2011

This is a study of 100 citizens of Fabriano, Italy, who experienced an earthquake. Results of a structured interview provide information on their emotional and behavioural reactions during and immediately after the earthquake as well as descriptions of the context. Respondents identify their coping responses during the earthquake as taking flight, freezing, taking shelter, failing to realize what was happening, reaching and protecting significant others, seeking information from the social environment, and recovering personal belongings. Moreover, in the aftermath of the earthquake, the most common responses were: evacuation, returning to houses, reuniting with family members, undertaking activities, observing the scene, recovering personal belongings, meeting in groups, and continuing activities. Respondents describe their emotional reactions as fear, helplessness, worry, and terror. Prosocial behaviour was frequent and looting did not occur. Emotional and cognitive reactions were influenced by environmental and social factors.
The Service Role of Outside Boards in High Tech Start‐ups: A Resource Dependency Perspective
Authors: Knockaert Mirjam , Ucbasaran Deniz
Published: November 2011

Despite growing interest in the board of directors of entrepreneurial firms, the role of outside board members in high tech start‐ups has been largely neglected. This dearth of research is surprising since the high level of resource dependency these ventures face is likely to heighten the potential contribution outside board members can make. We argue that, for high tech start‐ups, the service role the board plays will be crucial in overcoming resource dependencies. In contrast to existing studies that tie the outside boards’ servicing role to board characteristics, we propose that greater attention needs to be paid to the resource profile of the venture. Building on resource dependency theory, we find that the extent to which the outside board members fulfil a service role is dependent on the initial human, financial and technological resource base of the entrepreneurial venture. Specifically, we find that ventures with less diversified teams, teams with lower levels of R&D experience and higher levels of financial experience and ventures earlier in the technological development process receive higher levels of support from the outside board.
TRANSACTIONS COSTS IN RURAL DECISION‐MAKING: THE CASES OF FUNDING AND MONITORING IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN ENGLAND
Authors: CURRY NIGEL RUSSELL
Published: November 2011

Public domain decisions in rural England have become more complex as the number of stakeholders having a say in them has increased. Transactions costs can be used to explore this increasing complexity. The size and distribution of these costs are higher in rural areas. Grouping transactions costs into four – organizations, belief systems, knowledge and information, and institutions – two of the latter are evaluated empirically: growth in the bid culture, and monitoring and evaluation. Amongst 65 Agents of Rural Governance (ARGs) in Gloucestershire, both were found to be increasing over time, but those relating to finance were a greater burden than those of monitoring: the latter can improve ARG performance. Increasing transactions costs in rural decision‐making appears to be at variance with ambitions of achieving ‘smaller government' through, for example, the Big Society. Smaller government is likely to be shifting the incidence of these costs, rather than reducing them.
Comparative Political Economy of Long‐Term Care for Elderly People: Political Logic of Universalistic Social Care Policy Development
Authors: Hieda Takeshi
Published: November 2011

Despite there being common socio‐demographic pressures across advanced industrialized countries, the public elder care programmes therein tend to vary. While the current literature on social care devotes itself to describing the care arrangements of each country and pigeonholing welfare/gender regime types, it does not sufficiently address this empirical puzzle. This study looks to specify the causal relationship between political institutions and public long‐term care programmes. It argues that countries with personal‐vote‐oriented electoral systems and/or fragmented party systems have difficulties in developing universalistic public elder care programmes, whereas countries with party‐vote‐oriented electoral systems and cohesive party systems are likely to develop generous elder care programmes. For whilst the former types of political institutions prioritize patronage‐based, particularistic benefits, the latter types encourage political actors to appeal to broader constituencies through universalistic welfare programmes. This study tests this claim by examining pooled time‐series and cross‐section data of advanced democracies, from 1980 until 2001. The empirical results suggest that politicians' reliance on personal votes and the fragmentation of ruling coalitions impede the expansion of public spending for elder care.
An epidemiological study of ADHD symptoms among young persons and the relationship with cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and illicit drug use
Authors: Gudjonsson Gisli H. , Sigurdsson Jon Fridrik , Sigfusdottir Inga Dora , Young Susan
Published: November 2011

Background:  This study investigates the relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and cigarette smoking, alcohol use and illicit drug use.

Method:  The participants were 10,987 pupils in the final three years of their compulsory education in Iceland (ages 14–16 years). The participants completed questionnaires in class relating to anxiety, depression and antiestablishment attitudes, ADHD symptoms, smoking, alcohol consumption and illicit drug use.

Results:  Of the total sample, 5.4% met screening criteria for ADHD. Smoking, alcohol and illicit drug use were significantly related to ADHD symptoms. In addition, the number of different illicit drugs consumed was significantly higher among the ADHD symptomatic than the nonsymptomatic participants, including the illicit use of sedatives. The main distinguishing illicit drug substances were lysergic acid diethylamide (odds ratio or OR = 8.0), cocaine (OR = 7.5), mushrooms (OR = 7.1) and amphetamines (OR = 6.5). Logistic multiple regressions showed that after controlling for gender and school grade, ADHD symptoms predicted smoking, alcohol use and illicit drug use independent of anxiety, depression and antiestablishment attitudes. In addition, poly‐substance use was linearly and incrementally related to ADHD symptoms with a large effect size.

Conclusions:  The findings underscore the vulnerability of young persons with ADHD symptoms to smoking, alcohol and illicit drug use, possibly as a means of self‐medication, and emphasize a need for early identification and treatment to reduce the risk of escalation.
Water quality standards or carbon reduction: is there a balance?
Authors: Baleta Hannah , McDonnell Rachael
Published: November 2011

Currently there is a misalignment between the European Union Water Framework Directive (EU WFD) and the United Kingdom Climate Change Act (UK CCA). This paper explores the tensions and complexities experienced by water companies in England and Wales as they attempt to meet the contradictory legislative requirements. A simple model is used to explore the effect of increasing effluent quality on power consumption and hence carbon emissions. Further data are collected through interviews and textual analysis to dissect opinions and views on the dilemma facing the water industry. In addition to complexities within the EU WFD and UK CCA, water companies are restricted by the regulatory framework of the UK water industry and additional policies and directives. Through this research, numerous suggestions offered by key stakeholders in the industry are explored. Among the proposed solutions is process optimisation of aeration, during activated sludge treatment. This does not require additional changes to legislation and may form one of the principle solutions because it is able to reduce emissions immediately. However, recent research has shown that aeration optimisation may cause increased emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. This must be taken into account when finding the optimal solution.
Melanotic Neuroectodermal Tumor of Infancy
Authors: Magliocca Kelly R. , Pfeifle Robert M. , Bhattacharyya Indraneel , Cohen Donald M.
Published: November 2011

Abstract:  Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy (MNTI) is an uncommon lesion with remarkably consistent histopathologic features that arises primarily in the pediatric population. We describe a MNTI arising in the anterior maxilla of a 6‐month‐old boy.
When Doctors and Daughters Disagree: Twenty‐Two Days and Two Blinks of an Eye
Authors: Abadir Peter M. , Finucane Thomas E. , McNabney Matthew K.
Published: November 2011

A cornerstone of American medical ethics is the right to say, “Keep your hands off of me,” to decline medical treatment. A central problem is how to decide about individuals who have become incapacitated and can no longer request or refuse potentially life‐sustaining treatment. An advance directive is a formal attempt to protect people's right to autonomy when they are no longer autonomous. As such, it assumes that previously expressed wishes are precise and immutable, but many families make decisions together, and individuals may negotiate, compromise, and modify their genuine preferences, especially when novel threats arise, and the stakes are high. The current article describes a case in which two daughters overruled a patient's explicit preference to refuse life‐sustaining treatment, leading to burdensome illness before death. In the end, the mother seemed to understand her children's needs and seemed willing, at least in retrospect, to have met those needs. After the death of this individual, we continued to talk with the daughters and videotaped an interview in which they shared their perspectives on the case. The daughters consented to be videotaped and to share the video with the medical community (available in online version of article). Their forceful devotion to their mother and their search in retrospect for what could have been done differently has completely changed our understanding of events. We believe that the daughters’ behavior is not the indefensible breach of respect for person that it seemed to be. Their mother's true wishes might well have included a desire to help her children during her own dying. Family members’ preferences are likely to be important considerations for many people, although the possibility of coercion has to be acknowledged as well. Accommodating this level of decision‐making complexity is highly problematic for our understanding of advance directives.
Development of a quality monitoring program for platelet components: a report of the first four years' experience at Canadian Blood Services
Authors: Levin Elena , Jenkins Craig , Culibrk Brankica , Gyöngyössy‐Issa Maria I.C. , Serrano Katherine , Devine Dana V.
Published: November 2011

BACKGROUND: A quality monitoring program (QMP) for platelet concentrates (PCs) was implemented at Canadian Blood Services (CBS) to improve standards and to better understand platelet (PLT) products by supplementing routine quality control (QC).

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Annual surveys of PCs from CBS production sites were conducted, with four completed to date (QMP Cycles 1‐4) spanning two different PC production methods: PLT‐rich plasma (PRP) and buffy coat (BC). Randomly selected PCs were sent to a central laboratory and tested 1 day after expiry. An expanded panel of tests including CD62P expression by flow cytometry, mean PLT volume, PLT count and morphology, extent of shape change, and PLT metabolic parameters, were applied.

RESULTS: QMP data on the implementation of the BC production method across CBS indicated that BC PCs have less variable in vitro quality measures than PRP PCs. For the QC parameters pH and PLT count per unit, the range of mean values from each site for QMP 3 and 4 fell well within the range defined by regulatory standards, a first step in defining quality benchmarks for PCs. Of the extended panel of quality parameters, CD62P expression was the most sensitive indicator of change and identified an issue with the implementation of the BC PC production method at one site, which was subsequently remedied.

CONCLUSION: A QMP was found to be useful to monitor production processes across sites and highlights best practice approaches while deepening understanding of the quality of PLT products at CBS.
Regional Atrial Myocardial Velocity in Normal Fetuses: Evaluation by Quantitative Tissue Velocity Imaging
Authors: Yang Ya , Li Rong‐juan , Li Zhi‐an , Song Li , Wang Zheng
Published: November 2011

Objectives: Quantitative tissue velocity imaging (QTVI) is a new noninvasive method that derives measurements of velocities directly from the myocardium. Data on atrial myocardial tissue velocities in normal fetuses have not been established. The objective of this study was to evaluate atrial myocardial velocity and the myocardial velocity gradient of normal fetuses by using QTVI. Methods: We measured motion velocities of the left and right atrial wall along the long axis in 50 normal fetuses aged 21–32 weeks gestation (mean, 25.3 ± 2.8 weeks). In all fetuses, peak myocardial velocity during early diastole (EW), atrial contraction (AW), and ventricular systole (SW) waves was recorded in the basal and mid‐atrial segments. Correlation analysis was conducted between segmental velocities of the left atrium (LA) and right atrium (RA) and gestational age. Results: The mean values for EW, AW, and SW of the long axis in the same right basal segment of the RA were greater than those of the LA (P < 0.01). There was a degressive gradient with velocity from the basal to superior in the atrial wall. There was a linear relationship with gestation for all basal myocardial velocities of the left and right atrial free wall (P < 0.05). However, the myocardial velocity variables of the midatrial wall showed no age‐dependence. Conclusion: We demonstrated that QTVI is reproducible and provides readily obtained parameters that provide unique data regarding segmental atrial myocardial velocity in normal fetuses. (Echocardiography 2012;29:182‐186)
Characterization of Löeffler Eosinophilic Myocarditis by Means of Real Time Three‐Dimensional Contrast‐Enhanced Echocardiography
Authors: Del Bene Maria Riccarda , Cappelli Francesco , Rega Luigi , Venditti Francesco , Barletta Giuseppe
Published: November 2011

Löeffler endocarditis is a rare myocardial disease often due to eosinophil leukemia or idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome. Degranulation of eosinophils within the eosinophil infiltrated myocardium is associated with myocardial necrosis due to the release of toxic cationic proteins, and with mural thrombi formation, which can occur anywhere in the ventricles. Thrombus formed on denuded myocardium is replaced by fibrosis as the final pathological stage of the disease, eventually leading to restrictive cardiomyopathy. We describe a multimodality imaging approach to the diagnosis and follow‐up evaluation of Löeffler disease complicated by thrombus formation and neoangiogenesis of LV apex. (Echocardiography 2012;29:E62‐E66)
Omega‐3 Fatty Acids and Ginger in Maternal Health: Pharmacology, Efficacy, and Safety
Authors: Dennehy Cathi
Published: November 2011

Dietary supplements may be used by pregnant women if they perceive them to be natural and healthy products, if they are fearful of using prescription drugs, or if they are recommended by a health care provider. Usage surveys indicate that midwives feel comfortable in recommending some herbal products to their patients. There are sufficient data from randomized controlled trials on omega‐3 fatty acids and ginger that their pharmacologic properties, efficacy, and safety data for specific indications in maternal health can be evaluated. Requests for information regarding these substances are likely to be encountered by health care providers who care for pregnant women. Omega‐3 fatty acids benefit gestation, infant vision, and neurodevelopment, while effects on major depression in pregnancy and postpartum depression are less clear. Ginger is efficacious for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy but is limited in its safety data. Pharmacologic properties of each supplement and pathophysiology related to each indication are reviewed. It is recommended that pregnant and lactating women be advised to take an omega‐3 fatty acid supplement daily, while the recommendation to use ginger is tentative and will likely be based on each practitioner's comfort level with the safety data that are presented.
Magnesium Sulfate: Past, Present, and Future
Authors: Hunter Linda A. , Gibbins Karen J.
Published: November 2011

First used anecdotally for the control of eclamptic seizures in the early 1900s, magnesium sulfate remains 1 of the most commonly used medications in obstetric practice today. Over the past 95 years, there have been countless research studies investigating the efficacy of magnesium sulfate for the management of eclampsia, preeclampsia, preterm labor, and most recently for prevention of cerebral palsy. The majority of this evidence undeniably supports the use of magnesium sulfate as the drug of choice for the prevention and treatment of eclampsia when evidence of severe disease is present. On the other hand, studies have not shown magnesium sulfate to be comparably more effective than other tocolytics for treating preterm labor, nor is there agreement on whether the evidence supports its use as a neuroprotective agent for prevention of cerebral palsy. The exact mechanism of action of magnesium sulfate remains largely hypothetical, and parenteral use has the potential to cause significant morbidity in high doses. This article reviews magnesium sulfate's remarkable history in obstetric practice and includes a summary of the evidence related to each of the controversies. An initial review of the physiology of magnesium sulfate is essential to understanding pharmacodynamic actions, dosing guidelines, and safety requirements.
Factors Affecting Corrosion Resistance of Silicon Nitride Bonded Silicon Carbide Refractory Blocks
Authors: Etzion Ron , Metson James B.
Published: November 2011

The lifetime of aluminum reduction cells is driven primarily by the lifetimes of two components of the cell lining: the carbon cathode and the sidewall refractory material. The current state‐of‐the‐art sidewall material is a silicon nitride bonded silicon carbide (SNBSC) refractory and its corrosion mechanisms in the aluminum reduction cell environment have been examined in this study. Microstructural analysis of commercial SNBSC materials identified variations in porosity and α/β Si3N4 ratio in the binder phase, with higher porosity levels and β Si3N4 content found in the interior part of the block. Unreacted metallic silicon was observed only as a crystalline phase encapsulated inside SiC grains and not in the binder phase. The effects on the corrosion rate of porosity levels, amount of binder, α/β Si3N4 ratio, and different factors in the environment, were examined in laboratory scale trials. High corrosion rates were associated with high porosity levels and a high β Si3N4 fraction in the binder. The crystal morphology of β Si3N4 is suggested as the main reason for the higher reactivity of this material. This morphology presents a higher surface area compared with α Si3N4 crystals. A corrosion mechanism for SNBSC materials in the aluminum reduction cell atmosphere is suggested.
Synthesis of Hollow Silica Fibers with Porous Walls by Coaxial Electrospinning Method
Authors: Katoch Akash , Kim Sang Sub
Published: November 2011

Hollow Silica (SiO2) fibers with porous walls were synthesized by a coaxial electrospinning method. The SiO2 sol prepared by a sol–gel route was blended with polyvinylacetate to prepare precursor solutions for electrospinning. Electrospinning‐synthesized hollow SiO2 fibers were highly porous with pore diameters of ~45 nm. A slow heating rate <5°C/min during calcination was required to sustain the hollow and porous morphology. In addition, aligned hollow SiO2 fibers were successfully synthesized using a separate electrode configuration.
In vivo skin treatment with tissue‐tolerable plasma influences skin physiology and antioxidant profile in human stratum corneum
Authors: Fluhr Joachim W. , Sassning Sven , Lademann Olaf , Darvin Maxim E. , Schanzer Sabine , Kramer Axel , Richter Heike , Sterry Wolfram , Lademann Juergen
Published: November 2011

Abstract:  The antimicrobial treatment of wounds is still a major problem. Tissue‐tolerable electrical plasma (TTP) is a new approach for topical microbial disinfection of the skin surface. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of TTP on a carotenoid profile in relation to skin physiology parameters (epidermal barrier function, stratum corneum (SC) hydration, surface temperature and irritation parameters). We were interested in the interaction of TTP and the antioxidative network, as well as the consequences for skin physiology parameters. These parameters are also indicative of TTP safety in vivo. For plasma application, ‘Kinpen 09’ was used (surface exposure 30–43°C) for 3 s. Beta‐carotene and water profiles were assessed by in vivo Raman microspectroscopy (skin composition analyzer 3510). Skin physiology parameters were measured with Tewameter TM 300, Corneometer CM 825, skin thermometer and Chromameter CR 300. All parameters were assessed non‐invasively on seven healthy volunteers before and after plasma application in vivo. We could show that TTP application leads to a decrease in beta‐carotene especially in the superficial SC. Skin‐surface temperature increased by 1.74°C, while the transepidermal water loss (TEWL) increase indicated an impaired barrier function. SC hydration decreased as seen in water profile especially in the superficial layers and capacitance values. A slight increase in skin redness was measurable. The induction of reactive oxygen species is probably the major contributor of TTP efficacy in skin disinfection. Skin physiology parameters were influenced without damaging the skin or skin functions, indicating the safety of TTP under in vivo conditions.
Modulation of skin pigmentation by the tetrapeptide PKEK: in vitro and in vivo evidence for skin whitening effects
Authors: Marini Alessandra , Farwick Mike , Grether‐Beck Susanne , Brenden Heidi , Felsner Ingo , Jaenicke Thomas , Weber Monika , Schild Jennifer , Maczkiewitz Ursula , Köhler Tim , Bonfigli Adriana , Pagani Valerie , Krutmann Jean
Published: November 2011

Abstract:  Uneven skin pigmentation is a significant cosmetic concern, and the identification of topically applicable molecules to address this issue is of general interest. We report that the tetrapeptide PKEK (Pro‐Lys‐Glu‐Lys) can exert skin whitening effects based on one in vitro and four double‐blinded vehicle‐controlled in vivo studies. (i) Treatment of human keratinocytes with PKEK significantly reduced UVB‐stimulated mRNA expression of interleukin (IL)‐6, IL‐8 and TNF‐α and, most importantly, proopiomelanocorticotropin (POMC), i.e. a gene encoding the pigmentation‐inducing soluble mediator α‐ (α‐MSH). (ii) PKEK treatment significantly inhibited UVB‐induced upregulation of genes encoding for IL‐1α, IL‐6, IL‐8, TNF‐α as well as POMC and tyrosinase in 10 healthy volunteers pretreated with PKEK for 4 weeks once daily. (iii) In a study enrolling 39 Caucasian women, facial pigment spots significantly faded after 6 weeks when PKEK was combined with the skin whitener sodium ascorbyl phosphate (SAP), whereas PKEK or SAP alone led to less pronounced fading of the pigment spots. (iv) Addition of PKEK enhanced the skin whitening potency of a SAP‐containing preparation if applied for 8 weeks to the back of hands of 19 Caucasians. (v) 27 Japanese women were treated on their faces twice daily with an SAP only or a PKEK+SAP‐containing formulation for 8 weeks. Application of PKEK+SAP significantly reduced skin pigmentation by 26% and by 18% according to SCINEXA score. We demonstrate that PKEK has the capacity to reduce UVB‐induced skin pigmentation and may be suited to serve as a skin tone–modulating agent in cosmetic products.
Optimal feeding under stoichiometric constraints: a model of compensatory feeding with functional response
Authors: Suzuki‐Ohno Yukari , Kawata Masakado , Urabe Jotaro
Published: November 2011

When the nutrient content of food is limited, herbivores often increase their feeding rates. Such an increase in the feeding rate is called ‘compensatory feeding’. Although it has a number of implications for herbivore population and plant–forager dynamics, the compensatory feeding is not yet functionally formulated especially in relation with ecological stoichiometry. Therefore, we constructed a simple mathematical model by incorporating the optimal feeding rate into the type II functional response to maximize a forager's growth rate under constraints of carbon or nutritionally important element like phosphorus (P). We used the planktonic herbivore Daphnia as a model herbivore. The model revealed that the optimal feeding rate increased by using excess carbon when relative P content of food was less than a certain level, which is known as the threshold elemental ratio. This level changed with the change of food abundance. It also showed that whether or not foragers should exhibit compensatory feeding depends on their stoichiometric characteristics and digestive traits, and also on the assimilability of a given food. These findings are helpful to test the feeding conditions under which compensatory feeding is advantageous for a given animal. Our model can be easily incorporated into forager population dynamics and prey‐consumer interaction models because the optimal feeding rate can be analytically given.
To breed or not to breed: a model of partial migration
Authors: Shaw Allison K. , Levin Simon A.
Published: November 2011

Migration is used by a number of species as a strategy for dealing with a seasonally variable environment. In many migratory species, only some individuals migrate within a given season (migrants) while the rest remain in the same location (residents), a phenomenon called ‘partial migration’. Most examples of partial migration considered in the literature (both empirically and theoretically) fall into one of two categories: either species where residents and migrants share a breeding ground and winter apart, or species where residents and migrants share an overwintering ground and breed apart. However, a third form of partial migration can occur when non‐migrating individuals actually forgo reproduction, essentially a special form of low‐frequency reproduction. While this type of partial migration is well documented in many taxa, it is not often included in the partial migration literature, and has not been considered theoretically to date. In this paper we present a model for this partial migration scenario and determine under what conditions an individual should skip a breeding opportunity (resulting in partial migration), and under what conditions individuals should breed every chance they get (resulting in complete migration). In a constant environment, we find that partial migration is expected to occur when the mortality cost of migration is high, and when individuals can greatly increase their fecundity by skipping a year before breeding. In a stochastic environment, we find that an individual should skip migration more frequently with increased risk of a bad year (higher probability and severity), with higher mortality cost of migration, and with lower mortality cost of skipping. We discuss these results in the context of empirical data and existing life history theory.
Increased outbreak frequency associated with changes in the dynamic behaviour of populations of two aphid species
Authors: Estay Sergio A. , Lima Mauricio , Labra Fabio A. , Harrington Richard
Published: November 2011

Sudden changes in the variability of natural populations can result in increased likelihood of extinction or in greater frequency and intensity of pest outbreaks. These changes could be associated with changes in some relevant population parameters such as the equilibrium density or the maximum population growth rate. However, changes in these parameters have very different consequences. An increase in equilibrium density results in a higher variance in population fluctuations according to the relationship between mean and variance described by Taylor's power law, but does not modify the stability properties of the system. On the other hand, changes in the maximum growth rate induce changes in the dynamic regimes and stability properties of the population. In this study, using statistical and mathematical methods borrowed from econometrics and engineering, we identify structural changes to the variance in the population dynamics of the sycamore aphid Drepanosiphum platanoidis and the green spruce aphid Elatobium abietinum in the UK. Some localities showed strong changes in their population parameters, such that their dynamic regime changed completely. These changes in the population dynamic regimes increase the expected frequency of outbreaks, which has enormous economic and ecological consequences. Through this study we show the application of methods that could be helpful to pest and wildlife managers in the task of evaluating changes in the risk of outbreaks or extinction of animal populations under changing global environmental scenarios.
Context dependency and metacommunity structuring in boreal headwater streams
Authors: Heino Jani , Grönroos Mira , Soininen Janne , Virtanen Risto , Muotka Timo
Published: November 2011

We studied the relative importance of spatial and environmental factors as determinants of algal, bryophyte, and macroinvertebrate metacommunities in two boreal drainage basins differing in spatial extent. We used eigenfunction spatial analysis to model the spatial relationships among sites and distance‐based redundancy analysis to partition the variability in biotic communities between the spatial filters generated through spatial eigenfunction analysis and the environmental factors measured in the field. In the smaller study area, each metacommunity was structured mostly by environmental factors. This was evidenced by the fact that either the pure environmental effect was significant or environmental factors were strongly spatially structured. In the larger study area, only pure environmental effects were significant. These findings suggest that the environmental control prevails in boreal headwater streams. However, our findings also suggest that the specific details of the community‐environment and community–space relationships are dependent on the focal organism group and drainage basin.