bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dental histology of Coelophysis bauri and the evolution of tooth attachment tissues in early dinosaurs
Authors: Fong Raymond K.M. , LeBlanc Aaron R.H. , Berman David S. , Reisz Robert R.
Published: April 2016

Studies of dinosaur teeth have focused primarily on external crown morphology and thus, use shed or in situ tooth crowns, and are limited to the enamel and dentine dental tissues. As a result, the full suites of periodontal tissues that attach teeth to the jaws remain poorly documented, particularly in early dinosaurs. These tissues are an integral part of the tooth and thus essential to a more complete understanding of dental anatomy, development, and evolution in dinosaurs. To identify the tooth attachment tissues in early dinosaurs, histological thin sections were prepared from the maxilla and dentary of a partial skull of the early theropod Coelophysis bauri from the Upper Triassic (Rhaetian‐ 209–201 Ma) Whitaker Quarry, New Mexico, USA. As one of the phylogenetically and geologically oldest dinosaurs, it is an ideal candidate for examining dental tissues near the base of the dinosaurian clade. The teeth of C. bauri exhibited a fibrous tooth attachment in which the teeth possessed five tissues: enamel, dentine, cementum, periodontal ligament (PDL), and alveolar bone. Our findings, coupled with those of more recent studies of ornithischian teeth, indicate that a tripartite periodontium, similar to that of crocodilians and mammals, is the plesiomorphic condition for dinosaurs. The occurrence of a tripartite periodontium in dinosaurs adds to the growing consensus that the presence of these tissues is the plesiomorphic condition for the major amniote clades. Furthermore, this study establishes the relative timing of tissue development and growth directions of periodontal tissues and provides the first comparative framework for future studies of dinosaur periodontal development, tooth replacement, and histology. J. Morphol. 277:916–924, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Global molecular changes in a tibial compression induced ACL rupture model of post‐traumatic osteoarthritis
Authors: Chang Jiun C. , Sebastian Aimy , Murugesh Deepa K. , Hatsell Sarah , Economides Aris N. , Christiansen Blaine A. , Loots Gabriela G.
Published: April 2016

Joint injury causes post‐traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). About ∼50% of patients rupturing their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) will develop PTOA within 1–2 decades of the injury, yet the mechanisms responsible for the development of PTOA after joint injury are not well understood. In this study, we examined whole joint gene expression by RNA sequencing (RNAseq) at 1 day, 1‐, 6‐, and 12 weeks post injury, in a non‐invasive tibial compression (TC) overload mouse model of PTOA that mimics ACL rupture in humans. We identified 1446 genes differentially regulated between injured and contralateral joints. This includes known regulators of osteoarthritis such as MMP3, FN1, and COMP, and several new genes including Suco, Sorcs2, and Medag. We also identified 18 long noncoding RNAs that are differentially expressed in the injured joints. By comparing our data to gene expression data generated using the surgical destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) PTOA model, we identified several common genes and shared mechanisms. Our study highlights several differences between these two models and suggests that the TC model may be a more rapidly progressing model of PTOA. This study provides the first account of gene expression changes associated with PTOA development and progression in a TC model. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Orthopaedic Research Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:474–485, 2017.
Prospective evaluation of skin and nipple‐areola sensation and patient satisfaction after nipple‐sparing mastectomy
Authors: Dossett Lesly A. , Lowe Janell , Sun Weihong , Lee M.C. , Smith Paul D. , Jacobsen Paul B. , Laronga Christine
Published: April 2016

Background

Sensation and quality of life (QOL) before and after nipple sparing mastectomy (NSM) are poorly understood.

Methods

Women electing mastectomy with immediate reconstruction and eligible for NSM were prospectively enrolled in a sensation and satisfaction/QOL study. Women self‐selected skin‐sparing mastectomy (SSM) or NSM. Skin sensation testing using Semmes Weinstein monofilaments and patient satisfaction/QOL surveys were administered preoperatively and at 1 year postoperatively.

Results

53 patients were enrolled (n = 38, 72% NSM and n = 15, 28% SSM). Both groups had significant reduction in postoperative skin sensation. For NSM, measurable NAC sensation was preserved in both NAC for 26% of patients and in one NAC for 68%. QOL and satisfaction was similar between groups. Neither group was satisfied with sexual arousal with breast or nipple stimulation after surgery.

Conclusion

Patients undergoing SSM and NSM have considerable loss in skin and NAC sensation following surgery. Satisfaction and QOL did not differ between groups. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;114:11–16. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Spaceborne laser filamentation for atmospheric remote sensing
Authors: Dicaire I. , Jukna V. , Praz C. , Milián C. , Summerer L. , Couairon A.
Published: April 2016

A proof‐of‐concept of space‐borne laser filamentation for atmospheric remote sensing is presented. The remote generation of laser filaments from an Earth‐orbiting satellite is shown by numerical simulations to be theoretically possible for a large range of laser parameters. The model includes a realistic representation of the stratified atmosphere and accounts for multi‐species ionization and the dependence of air density upon the molecule type and altitude profile. The remote generation of a white light continuum extending from 350 nm to 1.1 μm within the filament is demonstrated, and hereby proposed as an atmospheric in‐situ light source for monitoring greenhouse gases and pollutants on a global scale by light detection and ranging (lidar) techniques. Scaling laws are also derived for estimating the filament altitude as a function of peak pulse power (3 GW‐3 TW), beam radii (10‐200 cm) and for three different curvatures (300, 390, 500 km) for femtosecond infrared (800 nm) pulses. We find that operating conditions for remote supercontinuum generation are already available with current ground‐based mobile laser technology and within reach of future space laser systems.

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Approximation schemes for single‐machine scheduling with a fixed maintenance activity to minimize the total amount of late work
Authors: Yin Yunqiang , Xu Jianyou , Cheng T. C. E. , Wu Chin‐Chia , Wang Du‐Juan
Published: April 2016

We consider the problem of scheduling n independent and simultaneously available jobs without preemption on a single machine, where the machine has a fixed maintenance activity. The objective is to find the optimal job sequence to minimize the total amount of late work, where the late work of a job is the amount of processing of the job that is performed after its due date. We first discuss the approximability of the problem. We then develop two pseudo‐polynomial dynamic programming algorithms and a fully polynomial‐time approximation scheme for the problem. Finally, we conduct extensive numerical studies to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 63: 172–183, 2016
Prescription Monitoring Program Trends Among Individuals Arrested in Maine for Trafficking Prescription Drugs in 2014
Authors: McCall Kenneth , Nichols Stephanie D. , Holt Christina , Ochs Leslie , Cattabriga Gary , Tu Chunhao
Published: April 2016

Objective

To evaluate controlled substance prescribing trends available in the Maine Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) among individuals arrested for prescription drug “trafficking.” The demographic characteristics of the individuals who had matching prescription records in the PMP within 90 days of the arrest were identified.

Study Design

A population‐based, retrospective cohort study using data from the Maine Diversion Alert Program (DAP) and the Maine PMP. The study population consisted of persons arrested for trafficking prescription drugs in Maine during the 2014 calendar year from January 1 to December 31.

Results

There were 594 trafficking arrests reported by the Maine DAP in 2014. The study population consisted of the 235 persons (40%) with arrests involving controlled prescription medications. The mean age of these persons was 33 years (range 18–77 yrs), and 156 (66%) were male. Arrests involved 154 prescription opioids (65%), seven stimulants (3%), seven benzodiazepines (3%), and 77 unspecified controlled prescription drugs (33%). A minority of individuals (n=57, 24%) had a prescription record in the PMP that matched the substance involved in the arrest. Only one person with matching PMP and arrest records utilized ≥ 5 prescribers, while none used ≥ 5 pharmacies within 90 days before the arrest. Payment methods for matching prescriptions were commercial insurance (n=28, 49%), Medicaid (n=19, 33%), Medicare (n=5, 9%), and cash (n=5, 9%).

Conclusions

The majority (76%) of persons arrested for prescription drug trafficking did not have PMP records and did not directly obtain the diverted medication from a licensed pharmacy. Traditional red flags, like cash payment and using multiple prescribers or pharmacies, were uncommon. Therefore, arrest records for diversion and PMPs are distinct and complementary tools for identifying individuals at risk for substance misuse.
Time‐dependent changes of surface properties of polyether ether ketone caused by air plasma treatment
Authors: Rymuszka Diana , Terpiłowski Konrad , Borowski Piotr , Holysz Lucyna
Published: April 2016

The effect of air plasma treatment on wetting and energy properties, surface composition and morphology of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) was investigated. The influence of the storage time on the surface properties of plasma‐treated polymer plate was also examined. The properties were determined by advancing and receding contact angle measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy supported by theoretical spectrum modelling, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and optical profilometry. Three theoretical approaches were used in the determination of the apparent surface free energy of the untreated and plasma‐treated PEEK samples from the measured contact angles of probe liquids (water, formamide, diiodomethane): the contact angle hysteresis method, the Owens and Wendt approach and the Lifsthitz − van der Waals acid–base approach. It was found that air plasma treatment of PEEK causes significant chemical and morphological changes of the polymer surface, which are reflected in the decrease of contact angles from 83.4° to 11.7° for water after 180 s plasma treatment. This is due to the formation of polar functional groups resulting in the increase of the surface hydrophilicity. After plasma treatment the apolar component of the surface free energy practically does not change, while the polar component increases significantly, especially for plates treated for 180 s, from 0 to 19.6 mJ m−2. In addition, the modified PEEK surface is not stable during storage and it acquires more hydrophobic character. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
Influence of substrate temperature on the morphology of silicon oxide nanowires synthesized using a tin catalyst
Authors: Khmel S. Ya. , Baranov E. A. , Zamchiy A. O. , Maximovskiy E. A. , Gulyaev D. V. , Zhuravlev K. S.
Published: April 2016

Silicon oxide nanowires SiOx were synthesized by the gas‐jet electron beam plasma chemical vapor deposition method. The synthesis of nanostructures was carried out on silicon substrates with thin tin film as a catalyst. The evolution in the morphology of the obtained structures was investigated while changing the substrate temperature in the range 200–415 °C. Dense array of aligned nanowire bundles (microropes) is formed at a temperatures of 335 and 415 °C. With decrease in the temperature to 270 and 245 °C arrays of microropes transform into cocoon‐like structures of nanowires. At a temperature 200 °С, array formed almost entirely consisting of cocoon‐like structures. The results of X‐ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) of the nanowires show that the ratio of oxygen to silicon is on average Si:O = 1:2.4. At the same time, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of the obtained nanostructures showed that the synthesized nanowires consist of SiOx with x around 2. Moreover, the composition of the structures remains practically unchanged with the variation of the substrate temperature. The IR spectra show bands due to both Si–OH bonds and water molecules. Measurements of contact angles for water showed that the nanowire film surface synthesized in this work is hydrophilic in nature. When structuring involves the oriented growth microropes, the contact angle is about 20–35°. Decreasing of the substrate temperature and formation of cocoon‐like structures leads to a decrease in the contact angle to 4–12°. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of nanostructures synthesized at the different substrate temperatures consist of a broad band with a maximum around 2.5 eV when using laser at 325 nm as the exciting source. We assume that the composition of the nanowires is close to SiO2, and the excess of oxygen in structures composition is due to the influence of adsorbed water molecules and hydroxyl groups with the formation of Si–OH bonds. Apparently, these bonds define the photoluminescence spectrum.
Thickness dependence of a CuI hole transport layer on initial photostability and photovoltaic performance of organic solar cells
Authors: Yoon Sangcheol , Kim Hyebin , Shin Eul‐Yong , Noh Yong‐Young , Park Byoungchoo , Hwang Inchan
Published: April 2016

Understanding the effects of interlayers in organic photovoltaic devices is necessary to investigate its potential to maximize efficiencies. Here, we investigate how a solution‐processed copper (I) iodide (CuI) hole transport layer (HTL) prepared onto indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates affects the photovoltaic performances of the devices based on Poly(3‐hexylthiophene‐2,5‐diyl) (P3HT):Phenyl‐C61‐butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), with its different thicknesses. We found that the film morphology and roughness depends sensitively on the concentration of CuI solutions used for thin films. The surface of CuI films spun with high concentration solutions consists of large grains with high roughness, resulting in a direct short in the devices. For the devices with a thin CuI layer, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the devices under illumination was observed to decrease with time. The X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) suggests that the indium ions might be diffused into the active layer across the thin CuI layer. Our results highlight that the CuI layer thickness is a key parameter in affecting not only efficiency but also device yield and short‐term photostability.
Downregulation of steroid hormone receptor expression and activation of cell signal transduction pathways induced by a chiral nonylphenol isomer in mouse sertoli TM4 cells
Authors: Liu Xiaozhen , Nie Shaoping , Yu Qiang , Wang Xiaoyin , Huang Danfei , Xie Mingyong
Published: April 2016

Nonylphenols (NPs) are considered as important environmental toxicants and potential endocrine disrupting compounds which can disrupt male reproductive system. 4‐[1‐Ethyl‐1‐methylhexy] phenol (4‐NP65) is one of the main isomers of technical nonylphenol mixtures. In the present study, effect of NPs was evaluated from an isomer‐specific viewpoint using 4‐NP65. Decreased mRNA expression levels of estrogen receptor (ER)‐α, ER‐β, androgen receptor (AR) and progesterone receptor (PR) were observed in the cells exposed to 4‐NP65 for 24 h. Furthermore, 4‐NP65 treatment evoked significant decrease in protein expression levels of ER‐α and ER‐β. Levels of mullerian inhibiting substance and transferrin were found to change significantly in 4‐NP65 challenged cells. Additionally, JNK1/2‐MAPK pathway was activated due to 4‐NP65 exposure, but not ERK1/2 and p38‐MAPK pathways. Meanwhile, 4‐NP65 increased the p‐Akt level and showed no effects on the Akt level which indicated that Akt pathway was activated by 4‐NP65. In conclusion, these findings have shown that 4‐NP65 exposure affected expression of cell receptors and cell signaling pathways in Sertoli TM4 cells. We proposed that molecular mechanism of reproductive damage in Sertoli cells induced by NPs may be mediated by cell receptors and/or cell signal transduction pathways, and that the effects were dependent on the side chain of NP isomers. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 469–476, 2017.
Adopt FERPA Basics training test questions for staff and work‐study students
Authors: Rainsberger Richard
Published: April 2016

Last month, we looked at 10 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act test questions for faculty (using Bloom's Taxonomy). This month, you have 12 questions, again using Bloom's Taxonomy, designed for staff and work‐study students.
Guide students to graduation with personalized technology
Authors: Sutton Halley
Published: April 2016

ANAHEIM, CALIF. — How do you effectively usher large groups of students through your programs and to degree completion? Technology to help advise your students toward degree completion and inform them of their progress toward the degree is beneficial for the workload of the Registrar's Office and for your students. Dennis Geyer, university registrar at Sacramento State University; Jean Irving, university registrar at Chico State University; and Cem Sunata, university registrar at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo spoke during the Pacific Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers annual conference about the three different tools their institutions use to help guide students to graduation.
Listening can create magic
Authors: Hodges Dawn Z.
Published: April 2016

My administrative assistant and I have been together for five years. She came into my office the other day and said, “You know those articles you write? You want an idea for one?” Never one to turn down some creative help, I said, “Sure!” She remarked that over the years she'd watched people come and go from my office. “I don't know what you do in there, but people always leave happier than they went in,” she said. “I call it magic! Write about that!” I thanked her for the compliment and the idea.
A national survey of Canadian emergency medicine residents’ comfort with geriatric emergency medicine
Authors: Snider Tristan , Melady Don , Costa Andrew P.
Published: April 2016

Background

Geriatric patients represent a large and complex subgroup seen in emergency departments (EDs). Competencies in geriatric emergency medicine (EM) training have been established. Our objectives were to examine Canadian postgraduate year (PGY)-5 EM residents’ comfort with the geriatric EM competency domains, assess whether Canadian EM residents become more comfortable through residency, and determine whether geriatric educational exposures are correlated with resident comfort with geriatric EM.

Methods

A national, cross-sectional study of PGY-1 and PGY-5 Royal College EM residents was conducted to determine their comfort in geriatric EM clinical competency domains. Residents reported their level of comfort in satisfying each competency domain using a seven-point Likert scale. Residents were also asked about the location of their medical education as well as the type and number of different geriatric exposures that they had received to date.

Results

Of the 141 eligible residents from across Canada, 77% (109) consented to participate. None of the PGY-1 EM residents and 34% (14) of PGY-5 EM residents reported that they were comfortable with all eight geriatric EM competency domains. PGY-5 EM residents were significantly more comfortable than PGY-1 EM residents. Residents reported a highly variable range of geriatric educational exposures obtained during training. No relationship was found between resident-reported comfort and the nature or number of geriatric exposures that they had received.

Conclusion

Current Royal College EM residency training in Canada may not be adequately preparing graduates to be comfortable with defined competencies for the care of older ED patients.
New Radiocarbon Dates from Tel Kabri Support a High Middle Bronze Age Chronology
Authors: Höflmayer Felix , Yasur-Landau Assaf , Cline Eric H , Dee Michael W , Lorentzen Brita , Riehl Simone
Published: April 2016

This article presents new radiocarbon evidence from the Middle Bronze Age palatial site of Tel Kabri (Israel). The final phase of the palace (Phase III) can be dated to Middle Bronze Age II, with an end date around the transition from Middle Bronze II to III or very early in Middle Bronze III. According to our14C data, the end of Tel Kabri Phase III (and thus the transition from Middle Bronze II to III) can be dated to ~1700 BC. This date is about 50–100 yr earlier than traditional chronological models for the Middle Bronze Age propose (~1650 BC according to the traditional chronology or ~1600 BC according to the low chronology).14C data from Tel Kabri thus add additional evidence for a higher Middle Bronze Age chronology for the Levant, consistent with recent14C evidence from Tell el-Dabca (Egypt), Tel Ifshar (Israel), and Tell el-Burak (Lebanon).
Rural Family Backgrounds, Higher Education, and Marriage Negotiations in Northwest China
Authors: OBENDIEK HELENA
Published: April 2016

Since the early twentieth century, reforms of the social institution of marriage in China have profoundly curtailed the power of the senior generation to influence the marriage decisions of their offspring. Yet the marriage considerations of graduates from economically deprived rural family backgrounds in China's northwestern Gansu Province reveal a definite impact of feelings of social obligation towards the family as well as of a local understanding of marriage market stratification which (also) reflects these obligations. In this rural region, higher education mainly aims at long-term upward mobility into the formal urban sector of the economy. After all, the basic ‘citizenship divide’ between rural and urban residence rights established by the socialisthukou(household registration) system continues to determine rural families’ structural exclusion from access to various urban resources. Feelings of indebtedness for financial and other support received from parents and family members during years of higher education entangle graduates from economically deprived rural family backgrounds in webs of social relations that oblige them to also consider the interests of others when deciding on whom to marry. When choosing a marriage partner they thus often face dilemmas of negotiating material versus emotional interests, as well as collective versus individual ones. While higher education empowers them to reject others’ interference in their marriage decisions, if they do so, they have to cope with feelings of having disappointed all the hopes their supporters invested in them.
Longitudinal associations between post-traumatic stress disorder and metabolic syndrome severity
Authors: Wolf E. J. , Bovin M. J. , Green J. D. , Mitchell K. S. , Stoop T. B. , Barretto K. M. , Jackson C. E. , Lee L. O. , Fang S. C. , Trachtenberg F. , Rosen R. C. , Keane T. M. , Marx B. P.
Published: April 2016

Background

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with elevated risk for metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, the direction of this association is not yet established, as most prior studies employed cross-sectional designs. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate bidirectional associations between PTSD and MetS using a longitudinal design.

Method

A total of 1355 male and female veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan underwent PTSD diagnostic assessments and their biometric profiles pertaining to MetS were extracted from the electronic medical record at two time points (spanning ~2.5 years,n= 971 at time 2).

Results

The prevalence of MetS among veterans with PTSD was just under 40% at both time points and was significantly greater than that for veterans without PTSD; the prevalence of MetS among those with PTSD was also elevated relative to age-matched population estimates. Cross-lagged panel models revealed that PTSD severity predicted subsequent increases in MetS severity (β= 0.08,p= 0.002), after controlling for initial MetS severity, but MetS did not predict later PTSD symptoms. Logistic regression results suggested that for every 10 PTSD symptoms endorsed at time 1, the odds of a subsequent MetS diagnosis increased by 56%.

Conclusions

Results highlight the substantial cardiometabolic concerns of young veterans with PTSD and raise the possibility that PTSD may predispose individuals to accelerated aging, in part, manifested clinically as MetS. This demonstrates the need to identify those with PTSD at greatest risk for MetS and to develop interventions that improve both conditions.
Mobility and Internationality of Academics in the Humanities and Social Sciences
Authors: Teichler Ulrich
Published: April 2016

The discourse on ‘knowledge society’ and ‘knowledge economy’ often implicitly or explicitly suggests that the natural sciences are at the forefront of the development towards worldwide mobility, communication and cooperation in the world of knowledge, while the humanities and social sciences look more frequently at the specifics of certain cultures and countries or lag behind in their intention to internationalize. On dits can be persistent in the domain, among other things, because systematic information on mobility and migration of scholars, as well as on their international activities is scarce. This contribution tries to extract what can be found on mobility and migration of scholars in Europe. The available information suggests that differences by disciplinary groups are unexpectedly small.
The Diverging Legacies of Classical Empires in China and Europe
Authors: Blockmans Wim , De Weerdt Hilde
Published: April 2016

The memory of classical empires has been prominent in both Chinese and European history but it has had a different imprint in each culture. The Han territories were periodically reunified in part and were more consistently ruled as unified empires from the 13th century onwards. In medieval Western Europe the Carolingian and the Holy Roman empires boasted of being renewals of the glorious ancient models but they developed in a different environment, were no longer built on the Roman scale, and only borrowed selectively from the Roman repertoire. In this essay we examine how differences in power relationships, fiscal regimes, and territoriality help explain both the peripheral impact of the classical model in the European context and the enhanced prospects for it in Chinese history from the 12th century onwards.
Serum and red-blood-cell folate demonstrate differential associations with BMI in pregnant women
Authors: Shen Minxue , Chaudhry Shazia Hira , MacFarlane Amanda J , Gaudet Laura , Smith Graeme N , Rodger Marc , White Ruth Rennicks , Walker Mark C , Wen Shi Wu
Published: April 2016

Objective

To examine the association between BMI and folate concentrations in serum and red blood cells (RBC) in pregnant women.

Design

A cross-sectional comparison of folate concentrations in serum and RBC sampled simultaneously from the same individual.

Setting

The Ottawa Hospital and Kingston General Hospital, Ontario, Canada.

Subjects

Pregnant women recruited between 12 and 20 weeks of gestation.

Results

A total of 869 pregnant women recruited from April 2008 to April 2009 were included in the final analysis. Serum folate was inversely associated and RBC folate positively associated with BMI, after adjusting for folic acid supplementation, age, gestational age at blood sample collection, race, maternal education, annual income, smoking and MTHFR 677C→T genotype. In stratified analyses, this differential association was significant in women with the MTHFR CC variant. In women with the CT and TT variants, the differential associations were in the same direction but not significant. Folic acid supplementation during pregnancy did not alter the differential association of BMI with serum and RBC folate concentration. This indicates that the current RBC folate cut-off approach for assessing risk of neural tube defects in obese women may be limited.

Conclusions

BMI is inversely associated with serum folate and positively associated with RBC folate in pregnant women, especially for those with the MTHFR CC variant.
A survey of prostate cancer patients’ perceptions of the support they receive during radical radiotherapy: is there room for improvement?
Authors: Clarke Hazel , Burke Gemma
Published: April 2016

Aim

The aim of this study was to ascertain prostate cancer patients’ perceptions of the quality of physical and emotional support they receive as standard during their course of radiotherapy treatment.

Method

Semi-structured interviews were conducted on 13 patients undergoing radical radiotherapy treatment for prostate cancer. Interviews were conducted between fractions 32 and 37 and data were analysed using the Giorgi method.

Results

A number of themes emerged from the data including, interestingly, the value of patients’ place on the ‘waiting room support’ with 46% finding this to be a positive aspect of their experience. On the whole, patients felt well supported during their treatment by both radiographers and fellow patients. However, the results highlighted areas for further improvements, particularly around bowel and bladder preparation.

Conclusions

This small single-centre study has highlighted the importance of good quality, timely information provision. Although patients were, for the most part very happy with the services they were being provided with, areas in need of development where also highlighted. If a more structured review process is to be further investigated then the role of the ‘review radiographer’ should be considered as part of this. The potential benefits of patient peer support is also worthy of further exploration.
Public policy-making and risk profiles: Scandinavian centre-right governments after the turn of the millennium
Authors: Arndt Christoph
Published: April 2016

Recent theoretical advances in the welfare state literature have outlined the differences between labour market- and life course-related schemes as centre-right parties have difficulties in enacting retrenchment on life course-related schemes because these concern every voter. In contrast, the textbook risk profile of centre-right parties’ electorates allows them to cutback on labour market-related schemes as these parties get negligible support from workers and low-income voters. Conducting a comparative case study of recent Danish and Swedish centre-right governments, this article analyses the stylized assumptions on the party level by comparing two similar centre-right governments, which differed in their voter coalitions’ risk profile. I first argue that centre-right governments are generally constrained by the popular entrenchment of the universal welfare state when it comes to life course-related welfare schemes. Second, I argue that the leeway on labour market-related schemes is contingent on the actual risk profile of the centre-right’s electorate, and thereby move beyond the stylized assumptions from recent literature. In this respect, the Danish centre-right did, in contrast to its Swedish counterpart, gain power with an unusual high support among working-class voters which constrained its latitude on labour market-related schemes. I find that the Danish centre-right governments after 2001 acted with bound hands thanks to its high working-class backing, and refrained from outright cutbacks on both labour market- and life course-related schemes until 2010 except for labour market outsiders. In contrast, the Swedish centre-right had a much lower working-class backing and therefore engaged in some outright cutbacks of labour market-related schemes such as unemployment benefits directly after taking office 2006. The centre-right’s actual voter coalition’s risk profile is thus an important determinant for its public policies and its leeway for policy-seeking.
Prevalence and severity of mental disorders in military personnel: a standardised comparison with civilians
Authors: Trautmann S. , Goodwin L. , Höfler M. , Jacobi F. , Strehle J. , Zimmermann P. , Wittchen H.-U.
Published: April 2016

Aims.

Provision and need for mental health services among military personnel are a major concern across nations. Two recent comparisons suggest higher rates of mental disorders in US and UK military personnel compared with civilians. However, these findings may not apply to other nations. Previous studies have focused on the overall effects of military service rather than the separate effects of military service and deployment. This study compared German military personnel with and without a history of deployment to sociodemographically matched civilians regarding prevalence and severity of 12-month DSM-IV mental disorders.

Method.

1439 deployed soldiers (DS), 779 never deployed soldiers (NS) and 1023 civilians were assessed with an adapted version of the Munich Composite International Diagnostic interview across the same timeframe. Data were weighted using propensity score methodology to assure comparability of the three samples.

Results.

Compared with adjusted civilians, the prevalence of any 12-month disorder was lower in NS (OR: 0.7, 95% CI: 0.5–0.99) and did not differ in DS. Significant differences between military personnel and civilians regarding prevalence and severity of individual diagnoses were only apparent for alcohol (DS: OR: 0.3, 95% CI: 0.1–0.6; NS: OR: 0.2, 95% CI: 0.1–0.6) and nicotine dependence (DS: OR: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3–0.6; NS: OR: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3–0.7) with lower values in both military samples. Elevated rates of panic/agoraphobia (OR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.4–5.3) and posttraumatic stress disorder (OR: 3.2, 95% CI: 1.3–8.0) were observed in DS with high combat exposure compared with civilians.

Conclusions.

Rates and severity of mental disorders in the German military are comparable with civilians for internalising and lower for substance use disorders. A higher risk of some disorders is reduced to DS with high combat exposure. This finding has implications for mental health service provision and the need for targeted interventions. Differences to previous US and UK studies that suggest an overall higher prevalence in military personnel might result from divergent study methods, deployment characteristics, military structures and occupational factors. Some of these factors might yield valuable targets to improve military mental health.
Surprise disrupts cognition via a fronto-basal ganglia suppressive mechanism
Authors: Wessel Jan R. , Jenkinson Ned , Brittain John-Stuart , Voets Sarah H. E. M. , Aziz Tipu Z. , Aron Adam R.
Published: April 2016

Surprising events markedly affect behaviour and cognition, yet the underlying mechanism is unclear. Surprise recruits a brain mechanism that globally suppresses motor activity, ostensibly via the subthalamic nucleus (STN) of the basal ganglia. Here, we tested whether this suppressive mechanism extends beyond skeletomotor suppression and also affects cognition (here, verbal working memory, WM). We recorded scalp-EEG (electrophysiology) in healthy participants and STN local field potentials in Parkinson’s patients during a task in which surprise disrupted WM. For scalp-EEG, surprising events engage the same independent neural signal component that indexes action stopping in a stop-signal task. Importantly, the degree of this recruitment mediates surprise-related WM decrements. Intracranially, STN activity is also increased post surprise, especially when WM is interrupted. These results suggest that surprise interrupts cognition via the same fronto-basal ganglia mechanism that interrupts action. This motivates a new neural theory of how cognition is interrupted, and how distraction arises after surprising events.
Magnetic droplet nucleation boundary in orthogonal spin-torque nano-oscillators
Authors: Chung Sunjae , Eklund Anders , Iacocca Ezio , Mohseni Seyed Majid , Sani Sohrab R. , Bookman Lake , Hoefer Mark A. , Dumas Randy K. , Åkerman Johan
Published: April 2016

Static and dynamic magnetic solitons play a critical role in applied nanomagnetism. Magnetic droplets, a type of non-topological dissipative soliton, can be nucleated and sustained in nanocontact spin-torque oscillators with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy free layers. Here, we perform a detailed experimental determination of the full droplet nucleation boundary in the current–field plane for a wide range of nanocontact sizes and demonstrate its excellent agreement with an analytical expression originating from a stability analysis. Our results reconcile recent contradicting reports of the field dependence of the droplet nucleation. Furthermore, our analytical model both highlights the relation between the fixed layer material and the droplet nucleation current magnitude, and provides an accurate method to experimentally determine the spin transfer torque asymmetry of each device.
Structural basis for specific single-stranded RNA recognition by designer pentatricopeptide repeat proteins
Authors: Shen Cuicui , Zhang Delin , Guan Zeyuan , Liu Yexing , Yang Zhao , Yang Yan , Wang Xiang , Wang Qiang , Zhang QunXia , Fan Shilong , Zou Tingting , Yin Ping
Published: April 2016

As a large family of RNA-binding proteins, pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins mediate multiple aspects of RNA metabolism in eukaryotes. Binding to their target single-stranded RNAs (ssRNAs) in a modular and base-specific fashion, PPR proteins can serve as designable modules for gene manipulation. However, the structural basis for nucleotide-specific recognition by designer PPR (dPPR) proteins remains to be elucidated. Here, we report four crystal structures of dPPR proteins in complex with their respective ssRNA targets. The dPPR repeats are assembled into a right-handed superhelical spiral shell that embraces the ssRNA. Interactions between different PPR codes and RNA bases are observed at the atomic level, revealing the molecular basis for the modular and specific recognition patterns of the RNA bases U, C, A and G. These structures not only provide insights into the functional study of PPR proteins but also open a path towards the potential design of synthetic sequence-specific RNA-binding proteins.
Intermediate honeycomb ordering to trigger oxygen redox chemistry in layered battery electrode
Authors: Mortemard de Boisse Benoit , Liu Guandong , Ma Jiangtao , Nishimura Shin-ichi , Chung Sai-Cheong , Kiuchi Hisao , Harada Yoshihisa , Kikkawa Jun , Kobayashi Yoshio , Okubo Masashi , Yamada Atsuo
Published: April 2016

Sodium-ion batteries are attractive energy storage media owing to the abundance of sodium, but the low capacities of available cathode materials make them impractical. Sodium-excess metal oxides Na2MO3 (M: transition metal) are appealing cathode materials that may realize large capacities through additional oxygen redox reaction. However, the general strategies for enhancing the capacity of Na2MO3 are poorly established. Here using two polymorphs of Na2RuO3, we demonstrate the critical role of honeycomb-type cation ordering in Na2MO3. Ordered Na2RuO3 with honeycomb-ordered [Na1/3Ru2/3]O2 slabs delivers a capacity of 180 mAh g−1 (1.3-electron reaction), whereas disordered Na2RuO3 only delivers 135 mAh g−1 (1.0-electron reaction). We clarify that the large extra capacity of ordered Na2RuO3 is enabled by a spontaneously ordered intermediate Na1RuO3 phase with ilmenite O1 structure, which induces frontier orbital reorganization to trigger the oxygen redox reaction, unveiling a general requisite for the stable oxygen redox reaction in high-capacity Na2MO3 cathodes.
Low-density lipoprotein mimics blood plasma-derived exosomes and microvesicles during isolation and detection
Authors: Sódar Barbara W , Kittel Ágnes , Pálóczi Krisztina , Vukman Krisztina V , Osteikoetxea Xabier , Szabó-Taylor Katalin , Németh Andrea , Sperlágh Beáta , Baranyai Tamás , Giricz Zoltán , Wiener Zoltán , Turiák Lilla , Drahos László , Pállinger Éva , Vékey Károly , Ferdinandy Péter , Falus András , Buzás Edit Irén
Published: April 2016

Circulating extracellular vesicles have emerged as potential new biomarkers in a wide variety of diseases. Despite the increasing interest, their isolation and purification from body fluids remains challenging. Here we studied human pre-prandial and 4 hours postprandial platelet-free blood plasma samples as well as human platelet concentrates. Using flow cytometry, we found that the majority of circulating particles within the size range of extracellular vesicles lacked common vesicular markers. We identified most of these particles as lipoproteins (predominantly low-density lipoprotein, LDL) which mimicked the characteristics of extracellular vesicles and also co-purified with them. Based on biophysical properties of LDL this finding was highly unexpected. Current state-of-the-art extracellular vesicle isolation and purification methods did not result in lipoprotein-free vesicle preparations from blood plasma or from platelet concentrates. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy showed an association of LDL with isolated vesicles upon in vitro mixing. This is the first study to show co-purification and in vitro association of LDL with extracellular vesicles and its interference with vesicle analysis. Our data point to the importance of careful study design and data interpretation in studies using blood-derived extracellular vesicles with special focus on potentially co-purified LDL.
Stellate Cell Networks in the Teleost Pituitary
Authors: Golan Matan , Hollander-Cohen Lian , Levavi-Sivan Berta
Published: April 2016

The folliculostellate cells of the mammalian pituitary are non-endocrine cells that are implicated in long-distance communication and paracrine signaling, but to date, these cells have yet to be characterized in teleosts. We found that the stellate cells of the teleost pituitary share many common attributes with mammalian folliculostellate cells. By labeling of stellate cells in live preparations of tilapia pituitaries we investigated their distribution, association with other endocrine cells and their anatomical and functional coupling. In the pars intermedia, stellate cells were arranged around neuronal bundles and their processes extended into the pars distalis. Within the pars distalis, stellate cells formed close associations with FSH cells and, to a lesser degree, with GH and LH cells, suggesting differential paracrine regulation of the two gonadotrope populations. The production of follistatin by stellate cells further corroborates the notion of a paracrine role on FSH release. We also found stellate cells to form gap junctions that enabled dye transfer to neighboring stellate cells, implicating that these cells form a large-scale network that connects distant parts of the pituitary. Our findings represent the first wide-scale study of stellate cells in teleosts and provide valuable information regarding their functional roles in pituitary function.
Control of complex networks requires both structure and dynamics
Authors: Gates Alexander J. , Rocha Luis M.
Published: April 2016

The study of network structure has uncovered signatures of the organization of complex systems. However, there is also a need to understand how to control them; for example, identifying strategies to revert a diseased cell to a healthy state, or a mature cell to a pluripotent state. Two recent methodologies suggest that the controllability of complex systems can be predicted solely from the graph of interactions between variables, without considering their dynamics: structural controllability and minimum dominating sets. We demonstrate that such structure-only methods fail to characterize controllability when dynamics are introduced. We study Boolean network ensembles of network motifs as well as three models of biochemical regulation: the segment polarity network in Drosophila melanogaster, the cell cycle of budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the floral organ arrangement in Arabidopsis thaliana. We demonstrate that structure-only methods both undershoot and overshoot the number and which sets of critical variables best control the dynamics of these models, highlighting the importance of the actual system dynamics in determining control. Our analysis further shows that the logic of automata transition functions, namely how canalizing they are, plays an important role in the extent to which structure predicts dynamics.
Male coercive mating in externally fertilizing species: male coercion, female reluctance and explanation for female acceptance
Authors: Matsumoto Yukio , Takegaki Takeshi
Published: April 2016

Male coercive mating exerts a strong evolutionary pressure on mating-related traits of both sexes. However, it is extremely rare in externally fertilizing species probably because the male mating behaviour is incomplete until females release their eggs. Here we showed that males of the externally fertilizing fish Rhabdoblennius nitidus coercively confine females to the nests until spawning and investigated why females accept male coercive mating. The females entered the males’ nests following male courtship displays, but they usually tried to escape when there were no eggs because males tended to cannibalize all the eggs when there were few. Most males that used small, tight nests acquired new eggs but with experimentally enlarged nests, 90% of the males without eggs failed to confine the females. Spawning tended to occur during the early/late spawning period in nests with no eggs (i.e. male coercive mating). In the nests where the first eggs were deposited in the early period, subsequent matings with other females were more likely to occur, whereas in the late period, most parental care of the eggs failed without additional matings. The females that spawned in the late period may have been compelled to accept male coercive mating due to time constraints.
Agricultural wastes as a resource of raw materials for developing low-dielectric glass-ceramics
Authors: Danewalia Satwinder Singh , Sharma Gaurav , Thakur Samita , Singh K.
Published: April 2016

Agricultural waste ashes are used as resource materials to synthesize new glass and glass-ceramics. The as-prepared materials are characterized using various techniques for their structural and dielectric properties to check their suitability in microelectronic applications. Sugarcane leaves ash exhibits higher content of alkali metal oxides than rice husk ash, which reduces the melting point of the components due to eutectic reactions. The addition of sugarcane leaves ash in rice husk ash promotes the glass formation. Additionally, it prevents the cristobalite phase formation. These materials are inherently porous, which is responsible for low dielectric permittivity i.e. 9 to 40. The presence of less ordered augite phase enhances the dielectric permittivity as compared to cristobalite and tridymite phases. The present glass-ceramics exhibit lower losses than similar materials synthesized using conventional minerals. The dielectric permittivity is independent to a wide range of temperature and frequency. The glass-ceramics developed with adequately devitrified phases can be used in microelectronic devices and other dielectric applications.
2D wax-printed paper substrates with extended solvent supply capabilities allow enhanced ion signal in paper spray ionization
Authors: Damon Deidre E. , Maher Yosef S. , Yin Mengzhen , Jjunju Fred P. M. , Young Iain S. , Taylor Stephen , Maher Simon , Badu-Tawiah Abraham K.
Published: April 2016

Paper-based microfluidic channels were created from solid wax printing, and the resultant 2D wax-printed paper substrates were used for paper spray (PS) mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of small organic compounds.
Quick speciation of iron(ii) and iron(iii) in natural samples using a selective fluorescent carbon dot-based probe
Authors: Hormozi-Nezhad M. Reza , Taghipour M.
Published: April 2016

A new, simple and rapid carbon dot (CD) based fluorescent probe for speciation of Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions was developed.