bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fibrotic scar model and TGF‐β1 differently modulate action potential firing and voltage‐dependent ion currents in hippocampal neurons in primary culture
Authors: Ondacova Katarina , Moravcikova Lucia , Jurkovicova Dana , Lacinova Lubica
Published: August 2017

Traumatic injury of the central nervous system is accompanied by various functional and morphological changes. Animal models of traumatic brain injury are commonly used to investigate changes in behaviour, morphology, in the expression of various proteins around the site of the injury, or the expression of diagnostically important biomarkers. Excitability of a single neuron at, or close to, the site of injury was rarely investigated. Several in vitro models were developed which allow such investigation. In the present work, we employed a fibrotic scar model according to Kimura‐Kuroda and coauthors to analyse altered excitability of rat hippocampal neurons under the conditions mimicking traumatic brain injury. Hippocampal neurons from newborn rats were cultured either on a fibrotic scar model or in the presence of TGF‐β1, a cytokine secreted at a brain injury site that may have both neuroprotective and neurodegenerative function. Fibrotic scar facilitated ability of neonatal hippocampal neurons to fire action potential series by increasing the density of voltage activated sodium and potassium currents. Chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans played substantial role in these effects, as proven by their full reversion after administration of Chondroitinase ABC. In contrast, TGF‐β1 did not contribute to them. An application of TGF‐β1 itself attenuated generation of action potentials, inhibited sodium current and potentiated potassium currents. Main alteration of electrophysiological parameters of neonatal hippocampal neurons caused by a fibrotic scar model is enhanced excitability. TGF‐β1 may have predominantly neuroprotective role in injured rat hippocampus.
Investigation into intraoral approach for nerve block injection at the mental foramen in the horse
Authors: Eckert R. E. , Griffin C. E. , Cohen N. D. , Marx S.
Published: August 2017

Invasive dental procedures performed in the standing, sedated horse are facilitated by local and regional anaesthesia. The traditional transcutaneous approach to the mental foramen is used to desensitise the incisive region including the mandibular incisors, but is not well tolerated by many sedated patients. In this study, a new, intraoral needle insertion technique for nerve block at the mental foramen was investigated. In 15 equine cadaver heads and two live horses, computed tomography (CT) was used to verify Tuohy needle placement into each mental foramen using an intraoral technique. Varying volumes of contrast medium (3, 6, 10 mL) were injected into the mandibular canal with and without digital occlusion of the mental foramen. The distance of retrograde flow was measured. Additionally, measurements were taken to determine the position of the mental foramen within the interdental space. Correct placement of Tuohy needles and injection of contrast medium into the mandibular canal using an intraoral approach at the mental foramen was achieved in all injections. Retrograde flow of contrast medium was accomplished with all volumes, regardless of occlusion. Although not statistically significant, the 10 mL group appeared to have a greater distance of flow. The needle insertion technique described here appears to be a potential alternative to traditional transcutaneous approaches to mental nerve block for procedures involving the incisive region. In addition, it was found that 79% of the mandibular canals injected with 10 mL of contrast medium had retrograde flow to the position of PM4, suggesting this method may be a useful alternative technique for nerve block for the more rostrally located cheek teeth. The location of the mental foramen was consistently found in the distal third of the interdental space (approximately 60–80% of the distance between the distal aspect of the lateral corner incisor and the mesial aspect of the second premolar).
Examining the process of performance measurement system design and implementation in two Italian public service organizations
Authors: Bracci Enrico , Maran Laura , Inglis Robert
Published: August 2017

In the last two decades, the adoption of new public management (NPM) practices in the public sector has increased as public sector organizations seek to improve efficiency, effectiveness and public accountability. We present case study findings of a NPM initiative to implement balanced scorecard (BSC) performance measurement systems in two Italian public sector organizations. This study considers the question of whether the BSC development process can be effectively translated into the public sector context. Our findings highlight the importance of aligning the development of performance management systems with a greater understanding of the internal and external environment of public sector organizations. Our results further emphasize the significant role of emergent stakeholders and management culture for the success of NPM performance management initiatives.
Managing diversions in unregulated streams using a modified percent‐of‐flow approach
Authors: Mierau Darren W. , Trush William J. , Rossi Gabriel J. , Carah Jennifer K. , Clifford Matthew O. , Howard Jeanette K.
Published: August 2017

In Mediterranean‐type river systems, naturally low seasonal stream flows are often overexploited, which has implications for managing flows for environmental as well as human needs.

Traditional approaches to instream flow management are not well suited to unregulated systems with strong seasonal patterns of water availability and many water diverters, and are challenging to implement in such systems. They often do not protect the full range of variability in the annual hydrograph, require extensive site‐specific data, expensive modelling or both.

In contrast, holistic flow management strategies, such as percent‐of‐flow (POF) strategies are designed to protect multiple ecological processes and preserve inter‐annual flow variability. However,POFapproaches typically require real‐time streamflow gauging, and often lack a robust metric relating a diversion rate to ecological processes in the stream.

To address these challenges, we present a modified percent‐of‐flow (MPOF) diversion approach where diversions are allocated from a streamflow baseline which is derived from a regional relationship between a conservative streamflow‐exceedance and date. The streamflow baseline remains the same from year to year, and is independent of water‐year type. This approach protects inter‐annual flow variability and provides a predictable daily allowable volume of diversion at any diversion point—supporting efficient water management planning.

The allowable diversion rate in theMPOFapproach is based not on a fixed percentage of the ambient streamflow, but rather on a maximum allowable percentage change in riffle crest thalweg depth, an ecologically meaningful, common hydraulic measurement.

In this paper, we demonstrate that theMPOFapproach is a holistic approach well suited to manage diversions in unregulated streams typical of California's Mediterranean‐type coastal drainages.
How network structure can affect nitrogen removal by streams
Authors: Helton Ashley M. , Hall Robert O. , Bertuzzo Enrico
Published: August 2017

Streams and rivers can be highly reactive sites for nitrogen (N) transformation and removal. Empirical and model‐based research show how location in a stream network affects rates of N removal. Because the structure of stream networks can vary widely and N cycling in headwater streams may affect N cycling in downstream reaches, we hypothesised that network structure may affect whole stream network processing of N.

We generated three stream networks with the same catchment area but differing shapes, based on optimal channel network theory. We applied a model of nitrate () transport and denitrification, and implemented model scenarios to examine how network shape affects removal with (1) increased loading from the catchment, (2) altered spatial distributions of loading and (3) decreased drainage density (i.e. loss of headwater streams).

For all stream networks, the fraction of total removed decreased with increasing loading from the catchment. Stream networks in narrow catchments removed a higher fraction of , particularly at intermediate loading rates. Network shape also controlled the distribution of removal in small versus large streams, with larger streams removing a higher fraction of the total load in narrower networks.

The effects of network shape on removal when the spatial distribution of loading was altered varied with the magnitude of loading. At low loads, was entirely removed when added to distal parts of the stream network, and about 50% removed when added near the outlet; there was no effect of network shape. At intermediate and high loads, the fraction of total load removed by the narrow stream network was 1.5× higher than the rectangular and square networks when was added to distal parts of the networks. Network shape did not have an effect when load occurred near the outlet, regardless of the magnitude of the load.

The fraction of total removed by the stream network was up to 5% lower when drainage density was reduced from 1.0 to 0.74 km−1, with the least change for the narrow network. Reducing the drainage density also altered the role of small relative to large streams, with the net effect of moving the location of removal downstream.

Overall, effects of network shape contributed up to 20% of the variation in the fraction of removed by stream networks. Network shape was most important at intermediate to high loads and when was loaded to distal parts of the catchment. The narrow network removed more across model scenarios, with elevated removal in larger streams explaining most of the difference. We suggest the shape of the catchment may modulate the degree to which large streams contribute to whole network removal.
Experimental nutrient enrichment of forest streams increases energy flow to predators along greener food‐web pathways
Authors: Bumpers Phillip M. , Rosemond Amy D. , Maerz John C. , Benstead Jonathan P.
Published: August 2017

Nutrient enrichment is a key stressor of lakes and streams globally, affecting the relative availability of important basal resources such as algae and detritus. These effects are controlled by responses of autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms that subsequently affect primary consumers and higher level predators. Despite the potential for propagation of these bottom‐up effects, few studies have examined how nutrients affect “green” (autotrophic) versus “brown” (heterotrophic) energy pathways to predators via changes in the quantity or type of prey consumed.

We studied the pathways by which nutrient enrichment affected two predatory salamander species (Desmognathus quadramaculatus and Eurycea wilderae) using detailed diet analyses before and during 2‐year nutrient additions to five headwater forest streams. The streams were continuously enriched with different concentrations of dissolved nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), creating relatively greater N or P concentrations and distinct N:P ratios (2:1, 8:1, 16:1, 32:1 and 128:1) in each stream.

Nutrient addition resulted in greater prey number, size and biomass consumed by D. quadramaculatus, an effect driven more by P than by N additions. Some of these effects were greater in the second year of enrichment and were greater for larger individuals. Shifts in the prey composition of D. quadramaculatus included increases in algivores and decreases in detritivores, tracking observed treatment effects on basal resource quantity (e.g. algivore abundance in guts was related to algal biomass, which increased with enrichment, and detritivore abundance in guts was related to detrital standing stocks, which declined with enrichment). For E. wilderae diets, there was limited evidence for increased prey size and number, or for alteration of prey composition with enrichment despite evidence of increased larval growth. We hypothesise that body size differences between the two salamander species partially explain their different dietary responses to enrichment.

Our results show that nutrient addition, primarily of P, affected the quantity and composition of predator diets in our nutrient‐poor streams. These effects on diet were consistent with concurrent studies showing that P enrichment resulted in faster growth of salamanders and occurred partly via effects on algal biofilm or “green” food‐web pathways, despite the dominance of detrital or “brown” resources in our heavily shaded forest stream sites. Thus, nutrient enrichment can promote algae‐ versus detritus‐based energy‐flow pathways in nominally light‐limited stream ecosystems, with associated changes in food‐web characteristics and function.
Climate change and Saharan dust drive recent cladoceran and primary production changes in remote alpine lakes of Sierra Nevada, Spain
Authors: Jiménez Laura , Rühland Kathleen M. , Jeziorski Adam , Smol John P. , Pérez‐Martínez Carmen
Published: August 2017

Recent anthropogenic climate change and the exponential increase over the past few decades of Saharan dust deposition, containing ecologically important inputs of phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca), are potentially affecting remote aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we examine changes in cladoceran assemblage composition and chlorophyll‐a concentrations over the past ~150 years from high‐resolution, well‐dated sediment cores retrieved from six remote high mountain lakes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Southern Spain, a region affected by Saharan dust deposition. In each lake, marked shifts in cladoceran assemblages and chlorophyll‐a concentrations in recent decades indicate a regional‐scale response to climate and Saharan dust deposition. Chlorophyll‐a concentrations have increased since the 1970s, consistent with a response to rising air temperatures and the intensification of atmospheric deposition of Saharan P. Similar shifts in cladoceran taxa across lakes began over a century ago, but have intensified over the past ~50 years, concurrent with trends in regional air temperature, precipitation, and increased Saharan dust deposition. An abrupt increase in the relative abundance of the benthic cladoceran Alona quadrangularis at the expense of Chydorus sphaericus, and a significant increase in Daphnia pulex gr. was a common trend in these softwater lakes. Differences in the magnitude and timing of these changes are likely due to catchment and lake‐specific differences. In contrast with other alpine lakes that are often affected by acid deposition, atmospheric Ca deposition appears to be a significant explanatory factor, among others, for the changes in the lake biota of Sierra Nevada that has not been previously considered. The effects observed in Sierra Nevada are likely occurring in other Mediterranean lake districts, especially in softwater, oligotrophic lakes. The predicted increases in global temperature and Saharan dust deposition in the future will further impact the ecological condition of these ecosystems.
Simulating plant invasion dynamics in mountain ecosystems under global change scenarios
Authors: Carboni Marta , Guéguen Maya , Barros Ceres , Georges Damien , Boulangeat Isabelle , Douzet Rolland , Dullinger Stefan , Klonner Guenther , van Kleunen Mark , Essl Franz , Bossdorf Oliver , Haeuser Emily , Talluto Matthew V. , Moser Dietmar , Block Svenja , Conti Luisa , Dullinger Iwona , Münkemüller Tamara , Thuiller Wilfried
Published: August 2017

Across the globe, invasive alien species cause severe environmental changes, altering species composition and ecosystem functions. So far, mountain areas have mostly been spared from large‐scale invasions. However, climate change, land‐use abandonment, the development of tourism and the increasing ornamental trade will weaken the barriers to invasions in these systems. Understanding how alien species will react and how native communities will influence their success is thus of prime importance in a management perspective. Here, we used a spatially and temporally explicit simulation model to forecast invasion risks in a protected mountain area in the French Alps under future conditions. We combined scenarios of climate change, land‐use abandonment and tourism‐linked increases in propagule pressure to test if the spread of alien species in the region will increase in the future. We modelled already naturalized alien species and new ornamental plants, accounting for interactions among global change components, and also competition with the native vegetation. Our results show that propagule pressure and climate change will interact to increase overall species richness of both naturalized aliens and new ornamentals, as well as their upper elevational limits and regional range‐sizes. Under climate change, woody aliens are predicted to more than double in range‐size and herbaceous species to occupy up to 20% of the park area. In contrast, land‐use abandonment will open new invasion opportunities for woody aliens, but decrease invasion probability for naturalized and ornamental alien herbs as a consequence of colonization by native trees. This emphasizes the importance of interactions with the native vegetation either for facilitating or potentially for curbing invasions. Overall, our work highlights an additional and previously underestimated threat for the fragile mountain flora of the Alps already facing climate changes, land‐use transformations and overexploitation by tourism.
When empathy hurts: Modelling university students’ word of mouth behaviour in public vs. private universities in Syria
Authors: Mahmoud Ali Bassam , Grigoriou Nicholas
Published: August 2017

This study examines and compares word of mouth (WOM) behaviour among university students in Syria. To date, little is known about this important phenomenon which is surprising given the deregulated education market in Syria that allows for private universities to compete for students alongside public universities. Using a mixed methods research design and structural equation modelling, our results show faculty individualised attention and student satisfaction were found to be positively related to university image. Further, student satisfaction and university image were found to be direct sources of students’ positive WOM behaviour. We found a moderating effect of university ownership type on university image. Interestingly, we identified six themes showing how support staff empathy could be seen as a source of low student satisfaction. These were defined as deception/credibility/soft‐soapers/suspiciousness: when support staff coax something out of students; confusion/role conflict: resulting from the diverse roles played by support staff while interacting with students; unfairness: when a student notices discrimination in the level of empathy between their peers; privacy: when support staff empathy can be perceived as a kind of intrusion; self‐congratulatory: when a support staff member shows off or praises their empathy; and support staff/student ratio: when this ratio is seen to be small, the empathy effect reverses.
Randomized controlled trial on mouth rinse and flossing efficacy on interproximal gingivitis and dental plaque
Authors: Luís HS , Luís LS , Bernardo M , dos Santos NR
Published: August 2017

Objective

The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of an essential oils mouth rinse and dental floss on dental plaque accumulation and gingivitis in interproximal areas.

Methods

With informed consent, a parallel randomized controlled clinical trial was developed with 60 third‐year dental hygiene students, randomly divided into two non‐blind groups of 30 individuals each. For a period of 2 weeks, one group used an essential oils mouth rinse, according to manufacturer's instructions, and the other group flossed twice a day. Both groups received a toothbrush and fluoridated toothpaste for home dental hygiene care. A baseline dental hygiene appointment consisted of tooth scaling, prophylaxis and collection of the study data, using the Lobene modified gingival index; Saxton & Ouderaa gingival bleeding index and the Quigley & Hein modified by Turesky dental plaque index.

Results

At baseline, there was no significant difference between the groups for interproximal gingival inflammation (P = .214), gingival bleeding (P = .829) and dental plaque accumulation (P = .860). After 2 weeks of treatment, no significant differences were found between the essential oils mouth rinse and dental flossing for reduction of interproximal gingival inflammation (P = .938) and bleeding (P = .307). Essential oils mouth rinse showed to be significantly better than dental flossing in reducing interproximal dental plaque accumulation (P = .006).

Conclusion

The use of an essential oils mouth rinse may be advised, as a complement, for patients unable to floss effectively, as it is more effective in reducing interproximal dental plaque accumulation than dental floss.
Nurses' perceptions of health beliefs and impact on teaching and practice: a Q‐sort study
Authors: Cao R. , Stone T.E. , Petrini M.A. , Turale S.
Published: August 2017

Aim

To understand Chinese nurses’ perceptions of health beliefs, their content, origin and the influence of sociocultural factors, as a basis of their evidence‐based practice. This study contributes to a larger study to establish the health beliefs of Japanese, Australian, Chinese, South Korean and Thai nurses.

Background

Registered nurses teach patients and students about maintaining or attaining health are subject to the same range of influences and their health beliefs may be antithetical to current health evidence.

Methods

Q‐method design using q‐sort and interview was used to explore the perspectives on a range of health beliefs of 60 nurses in four cities in China.

Findings

Three factors arose from the perceptions of the participants about health and accounted for 50.2% of the total variance: (1) social impact, (2) ‘the importance of evidence’, and (3) beliefs rooted in culture.

Discussion

Influence on nurses’ health beliefs was explored in terms of the internalized and frequently unconscious beliefs, values and norms tying them to their communities, reflecting the need for nurses to be aware of their health beliefs and behaviours.

Conclusions

Education for nurses in practice needs to acknowledge that individual practitioners’ beliefs strongly influence health teaching for patients and families. In order to implement evidenced‐based practice and teach in line with current evidence nurses need to critically examine and reflect on the impact of culture, society and the media on their own health beliefs.

Implications for nursing policy and health policy

Education policy needs to consider that culture and societal pressures affect nurses’ health beliefs and practice. Critical thinking, reflective and evidence‐based practice need to be emphasized in clinical training and nurse education. China also needs to develop policies to allow nurses to be able to assess the reliability of health information on the Internet and to make quality health research more available.
Exploring the association between genetic and environmental factors and molar incisor hypomineralization: evidence from a twin study
Authors: Teixeira Rafael José Pio Barbosa , Andrade Natália Silva , Queiroz Lisanca Carvalho Cavalcante , Mendes Fausto Medeiros , Moura Marcoeli Silva , Moura Lúcia de Fátima Almeida de Deus , Lima Marina Deus Moura
Published: August 2017

Background

The etiology of molar‐incisor hypomineralization (MIH) remains unknown. Studies indicate that it is multifactorial, and that genetic and environmental factors are involved. Research with twins provides important subsidy to investigate the Influence of genetics and environmental factors that act during pregnancy on the etiology of alterations.

Aim

This cross‐sectional study evaluated the agreement of molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) between monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs and the association with environmental factors.

Design

The sample consisted of 167 pairs of twins (8–15 years old), 94 monozygotic and 73 dizygotic. The parents answered a questionnaire on sociodemographic data and pre‐, peri‐, and postnatal health. A dental examination was performed by two calibrated examiners (Kappa ≥0.88) for MIH diagnosis, following the criteria proposed by the European Academy of Pediatric Dentistry in 2003.

Results

The prevalence of MIH was 29.3%. There was greater concordance of MIH between monozygotic twins for affected first molars and permanent incisors (P = 0.0012) and pairs of twins assessed (P = 0.0211). The presence of MIH was associated with family income between one and two wages (P = 0.009, prevalence ratio [PR] = 3.82, confidence interval [CI 95%] 1.40–10.44), above two wages (P = 0.007, PR = 4.60, 95% CI: 1.51–14.05), and gestational hemorrhage (P = 0.032, PR = 5.70, 95% CI: 1.16–28.14).

Conclusions

The greater concordance in the diagnosis of MIH among monozygotic twins indicates a genetic influence, although environmental factors, such as family income and hemorrhage during pregnancy, are also associated with the occurrence of MIH.
Re‐Examining Supply Chain Fit: An Assessment of Moderating Factors
Authors: Gligor David
Published: August 2017

Research has emphasized the importance of matching products' characteristics with their supply chain design (i.e., supply chain fit). Fisher () introduced the notion of supply chain fit and indicated that before developing a supply chain firms must consider the nature of the demand for their products. I expand on the Fisher () framework by offering a more comprehensive understanding of when it pays off for firms to deploy resources to achieve supply chain fit. I argue that it is simplistic to assume that perfect supply chain fit will always lead to improved financial performance because the benefits generated by perfect supply chain fit might be offset by the resources deployed to achieve that fit. In order to execute this research I use archival and survey data to evaluate the moderating effects of six dimensions of environmental uncertainty (e.g., munificence, market dynamism, technological dynamism, technical complexity, product diversity, and geographic dispersion) on the relationship between supply chain fit and financial performance.
Striking a new path in reducing cartilage breakdown: combination of antioxidative therapy and chondroanabolic stimulation after blunt cartilage trauma
Authors: Riegger Jana , Joos Helga , Palm Hans‐Georg , Friemert Benedikt , Reichel Heiko , Ignatius Anita , Brenner Rolf E.
Published: August 2017

Cartilage injury can trigger crucial pathomechanisms, including excessive cell death and expression of matrix‐destructive enzymes, which contribute to the progression of a post‐traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). With the intent to create a novel treatment strategy for alleviating trauma‐induced cartilage damage, we complemented a promising antioxidative approach based on cell and chondroprotective N‐acetyl cysteine (NAC) by chondroanabolic stimulation. Overall, three potential pro‐anabolic growth factors – IGF‐1, BMP7 and FGF18 – were tested comparatively with and without NAC in an ex vivo human cartilage trauma‐model. For that purpose, full‐thickness cartilage explants were subjected to a defined impact (0.59 J) and subsequently treated with the substances. Efficacy of the therapeutic approaches was evaluated by cell viability, as well as various catabolic and anabolic biomarkers, representing the present matrix turnover. Although monotherapy with NAC, FGF18 or BMP7 significantly prevented trauma‐induced cell dead and breakdown of type II collagen, combination of NAC and one of the growth factors did not yield significant benefit as compared to NAC alone. IGF‐1, which possessed only moderate cell protective and no chondroprotective qualities after cartilage trauma, even reduced NAC‐mediated cell and chondroprotection. Despite significant promotion of type II collagen expression by IGF‐1 and BMP7, addition of NAC completely suppressed this chondroanabolic effect. All in all, NAC and BMP7 emerged as best combination. As our findings indicate limited benefits of the simultaneous multidirectional therapy, a sequential application might circumvent adverse interferences, such as suppression of type II collagen biosynthesis, which was found to be reversed 7 days after NAC withdrawal.
Customer‐employee substitution: Evidence from gasoline stations
Authors: Basker Emek , Foster Lucia , Klimek Shawn
Published: August 2017

We document the adoption of self‐service pumps in U.S. gasoline stations from 1977 to 1992. Using establishment‐level data from the Census of Retail Trade over this period, we show that self‐service stations employ approximately one quarter fewer attendants per pump, all else equal. The work done by these attendants has shifted to customers, biasing upward conventional measures of productivity growth.
Reply to: Function but not Multimorbidity at the Cornerstone of Geriatric Medicine
Authors: Rizzuto Debora , Melis René J. F. , Marengoni Alessandra
Published: August 2017

This letter comments on the Letter by Pedro Abizanda et al.
Significance of post‐peak metamorphic reaction microstructures in the ultrahigh temperature Eastern Ghats Province, India
Authors: Kelsey David E. , Morrissey Laura J. , Hand Martin , Clark Chris , Tamblyn Renee , Gaehl Adrian A. , Marshall Sarah
Published: August 2017

Ultrahigh temperature (UHT) granulites in the Eastern Ghats Province (EGP) have a complex P–T–t history. We review the P–T histories of UHT metamorphism in the EGP and use that as a framework for investigating the P–T–t history of Mg–Al‐rich granulites from Anakapalle, with the express purpose of trying to reconcile the down‐pressure‐dominated P–T path with other UHT localities in the EGP. Mafic granulite that is host to Mg–Al‐rich metasedimentary granulites at Anakapalle has a protolith age of c. 1,580 Ma. Mg–Al‐rich metasedimentary granulites within the mafic granulite at Anakapalle were metamorphosed at UHT conditions during tectonism at 960–875 Ma, meaning that the UHT metamorphism was not the result of contact metamorphism from emplacement of the host mafic rock. Reworking occurred during the Pan‐African (c. 600–500 Ma) event, and is interpreted to have produced hydrous assemblages that overprint the post‐peak high‐T retrograde assemblages. In contrast to rocks elsewhere in the EGP that developed post‐peak cordierite, the metasedimentary granulites at Anakapalle developed post‐peak, generation ‘2’ reaction products that are cordierite‐absent and nominally anhydrous. Therefore, rocks at Anakapalle offer the unique opportunity to quantify the pressure drop that occurred during so‐called M2 that affected the EGP. We argue that M2 is either a continuation of M1 and that the overall P–T path shape is a complex counter‐clockwise loop, or that M1 is an up‐temperature counter‐clockwise deviation superimposed on the M2 path. Therefore, rather than the rocks at Anakapalle having a metamorphic history that is apparently anomalous from the rest of the EGP, we interpret that other previously studied localities in the EGP record a different part of the same P–T path history as Anakapalle, but do not preserve a significant record of pressure decrease. This is due either to the inability of refractory rocks to extensively react to produce a rich mineralogical record of pressure decrease, or because the earlier high‐P part of the rocks history was erased by the M1 loop. Irrespective of the specific scenario, models for the tectonic evolution of the EGP must take the substantial pressure decrease during M2 into account, as it is probable the P–T record at Anakapalle is a reflection of tectonics affecting the entire province.
Analysis of liquid suspensions using scanning electron microscopy in transmission: estimation of the water film thickness using Monte–Carlo simulations
Authors: XIAO J. , FORAY G. , MASENELLI‐VARLOT K.
Published: August 2017

Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) allows the observation of liquids under specific conditions of pressure and temperature. Moreover, when working in the transmission mode, that is in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), nano‐objects can be analysed inside a liquid. The contrast in the images is mass‐thickness dependent as in STEM‐in‐TEM (transmission electron microscopy) using closed cells. However, in STEM‐in‐ESEM, as the liquid–vapour equilibrium is kept dynamically, the thickness of the water droplet remains unknown. In this paper, the contrasts measured in the experimental images are compared with calculations using Monte‐Carlo simulations in order to estimate the thickness of water. Two examples are given. On gold nanoparticles, the thickness of a thick film can be estimated thanks to a contrast inversion. On core‐shell latex particles, the grey level of the shell compared with those of the core and of the water film gives a relatively precise measurement of the water film thickness.
Black peel in facial dermatoses
Authors: Elghblawi Ebtisam
Published: August 2017

Background

Melasma (facial dermatoses) is an acquired chronic disorder of hyperpigmentation over sun exposed parts and continues to be a therapeutic challenge due to the presence of melanin at varying depths in the epidermis and dermis, and many researchers are working hard to find a solution. The main culprit to remain is direct sun exposure, with other factors like drugs, genetic predisposition, thyroid abnormalities, pregnancy, phototoxic and photoallergic cosmetics. Melasma continues to have a remarkable impact on the well‐being of affected patients causing deep psychological and social anguish, and with the expansion of cosmetic dermatology globally, treatments that are successful against skin diseases and boost beauty without prolonged recovery periods, or exposing patients to the risks of surgery, are increasingly recognised and acknowledged. Many clinicians have used various peeling in facial acne, scarring, and hyperpigmentations, and there have been no well‐controlled studies comparing them with other conventional agents. Case presentation: a unique case of facial hyperpigmentation in a black female who presented seeking help which can be attributed to increased aesthetic awareness among people nowadays. A single session of black peel several passes was performed and the lady noted a lightening effect in the following weeks.

Objective

The aim of this paper is to improve, advance and expand our understanding and the knowledge beyond what is already known to wider colleagues, to impact society at large and to disseminate the findings to wider audiences. Also, the objective of the present paper is to examine the different effect of black peel in the treatment of facial dermatoses, and it gives realistic tips on performing black peeling safely and effectively in ethnic skin groups. This is meant to shed light on some ways for clinical handling and improving our understanding scientifically and educationally. It is the first original case report of interest in the existing literature for the best of my knowledge that had a positive impact for my female patient.

Method

A single pass of black peel was applied on the lady's face.

Results

A pleasing brightening effect was examined and boosted the lady confidence.

Conclusion

The patient had a positive pleasing experience that she had noticed from a single session application of the black peel.
Bivalirudin versus heparin in patients undergoing percutaneous transcatheter aortic valve interventions: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Villablanca Pedro A. , Al‐Bawardy Rasha , Mohananey Divyanshu , Maraboto Carola , Weinreich Michael , Gupta Tanush , Briceno David F. , Ramakrishna Harish
Published: August 2017

Background

Bivalirudin may be an effective anticoagulation alternative to heparin as anticoagulant agent in percutaneous transcatheter aortic valve interventions (PAVI). We aimed to compare safety and efficacy of bivalirudin versus heparin as the procedural anticoagulant agent in patients undergoing PAVI.

Methods

We conducted an electronic database search of all published data. The primary efficacy endpoints were all‐cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Safety endpoints include major and life‐threatening bleed according to VARC and BARC bleeding, blood transfusion, vascular complications, and acute kidney injury. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) computed using the Mantel‐Haenszel method.

Results

Three studies (n = 1690 patients) were included, one randomized trial and two observational studies. There was a significant difference favoring bivalirudin over heparin for myocardial infarction (OR 0.41, 95%CI 0.20‐0.87). There was no significant difference in all‐cause mortality at 30 days (OR 0.97, 95%CI 0.62‐1.52), cardiovascular mortality (OR 1.03, 95%CI 0.52‐2.05), stroke (OR 1.23, 95%CI 0.62‐2.46), vascular complications (OR 0.96, 95%CI 0.70‐1.32), acute kidney injury (OR 1.03, 95%CI 0.53‐2.00), blood transfusion (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.45‐1.01), major and life‐threatening bleed (OR 0.74, 95%CI 0.37‐1.49), and BARC bleeding (OR 0.52, 95%CI 0.23‐1.18).

Conclusions

In patient undergoing aortic valve interventions, no difference was seen between the use of bivalirudin and heparin as the procedural anticoagulant agent, except for a significant lower myocardial infarction events when bivalirudin was used. Further large randomized trials are needed to confirm current results.
Automatic affective responses towards the bed in patients with primary insomnia: evidence for a negativity bias
Authors: Koranyi Nicolas , Meinhard Marie , Bublak Peter , Witte Otto W. , Rupprecht Sven
Published: August 2017

Ruminating about sleep problems and negatively valenced thinking play a key role in the maintenance of sleep complaints in patients with insomnia. Based on associative learning principles, we hypothesized that repeated co‐occurrence of negative thoughts (unconditioned stimulus) and the bedroom environment (conditioned stimulus) results in automatic negative affective responses towards the bed (conditioned response). Twenty‐two insomniacs and 22 good sleepers performed a Single‐Target Implicit Association Test measuring the strength of automatically triggered affective responses towards the bed. Results revealed a significant group difference, indicating a stronger negative affective response towards the bed in patients with insomnia. No correlations were found between the strength of negative affective responses towards the bed and subjective measures of sleep quality. As it might increase the stress experience further during bedtime, automatic negative responses towards the bed are likely to represent an additional factor accounting for the development and maintenance of sleep disorders and represent a potential target for therapeutic interventions.
Gene copy number variations in adaptive evolution: The genomic distribution of gene copy number variations revealed by genetic mapping and their adaptive role in an undomesticated species, white spruce (Picea glauca)
Authors: Prunier Julien , Caron Sébastien , Lamothe Manuel , Blais Sylvie , Bousquet Jean , Isabel Nathalie , MacKay John
Published: August 2017

Gene copy number variation (CNV) has been associated with phenotypic variability in animals and plants, but a genomewide understanding of their impacts on phenotypes is largely restricted to human and agricultural systems. As such, CNVs have rarely been considered in investigations of the genomic architecture of adaptation in wild species. Here, we report on the genetic mapping of gene CNVs in white spruce, which lacks a contiguous assembly of its large genome (~20 Gb), and their relationships with adaptive phenotypic variation. We detected 3,911 gene CNVs including de novo structural variations using comparative genome hybridization on arrays (aCGH) in a large progeny set. We inferred the heterozygosity at CNV loci within parents by comparing haploid and diploid tissues and genetically mapped 82 gene CNVs. Our analysis showed that CNVs were distributed over 10 linkage groups and identified four CNV hotspots that we predict to occur in other species of the Pinaceae. Significant relationships were found between 29 of the gene CNVs and adaptive traits based on regression analyses with timings of bud set and bud flush, and height growth, suggesting a role for CNVs in climate adaptation. The importance of CNVs in adaptive evolution of white spruce was also indicated by functional gene annotations and the clustering of 31% of the mapped adaptive gene CNVs in CNV hotspots. Taken together, these results illustrate the feasibility of studying CNVs in undomesticated species and represent a major step towards a better understanding of the roles of CNVs in adaptive evolution.
Asymmetries in reciprocal baroreflex mechanisms and chronic pain severity: Focusing on irritable bowel syndrome
Authors: Davydov D. M. , Naliboff B. , Shahabi L. , Shapiro D.
Published: August 2017

Background

Objective measures of pain severity remain ill defined, although its accurate measurement is critical. Reciprocal baroreflex mechanisms of blood pressure (BP) control were found to impact differently on pain regulation, and thus their asymmetry was hypothesized to also connect to chronic pain duration and severity.

Methods

Seventy‐eight female patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and 27 healthy women were assessed for IBS severity and chronicity, negative affect, and various measures of resting autonomic function including BP, heart rate and its variability (HRV), baroreceptor‐sensitivity to activations and inhibitions, gains of brady‐ and tachy‐cardiac baro‐responses, gains of BP falls/rises, and BP start points for these spontaneous baroreflexes.

Key Results

IBS directly and indirectly (through increased negative affect) was associated with asymmetry between baroreceptor activations/inhibitions compared to symmetrical baroreflex reciprocity in the healthy women. In the IBS group, independently of specific IBS symptoms, pain chronicity was associated with (i) decreased BP falls coupled with either (a) decreased tachycardia associated with lower disease severity (earlier “pain resilience” mechanism), or (b) decreased bradycardia associated with higher disease severity (later “pain decompensation” mechanism), or (ii) increased BP start point for baroreceptor activations coupled with either (a) BP increase (delayed “pain adaptation” mechanism) or (b) affect‐related HRV decrease (delayed “pain aggravation” mechanism).

Conclusion and Inferences

We anticipate the findings to be a starting point for validating these autonomic metrics of pain suffering and pain coping mechanisms in other chronic pain syndromes to suggest them as biomarkers of its severity and duration for profiling and correct management of chronic pain patients.
A case of congenital lipomatous overgrowth, vascular malformations, epidermal nevi, spinal/skeletal anomalies and/or scoliosis syndrome with lipoatrophy as an important clinical manifestation
Authors: Schreiber Ariane , Grenier Pierre‐Olivier , Auger Isabelle
Published: August 2017

Congenital lipomatous overgrowth, vascular malformations, epidermal nevi, spinal/skeletal anomalies and/or scoliosis syndrome is a PIK3CA‐related overgrowth spectrum presenting with congenital, asymmetric, disproportionate overgrowth associated with dysregulated adipose tissue, enlarged bony structures, and mixed primarily truncal vascular malformations. We present this case to raise awareness that very thin body habitus (lipoatrophy) contrasting with areas of overgrowth can be an important clinical feature of this syndrome and, if not recognized, can lead to unnecessary investigations.
Validity of Single Question for Screening Intimate Partner Violence among Urban Latina Women
Authors: Kim Young‐Ju , Montano Nilda Peragallo
Published: August 2017

Objective

The purpose of this study was to test the validity of a single violence question compared with revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2) as an initial tool which can be easily used in community‐based health care settings to detect IPV in Latina women.

Design and Sample

The study was conducted using secondary analyses of the baseline data from a culturally tailored HIV risk prevention project SEPA. A total of 657 Mexican and Puerto‐Rican women aged 18–40, who reported sexual activities were interviewed.

Measures

We used data regarding sociodemographic factors, Latino acculturation, a single violence question of “Did your partner hit or hurt you in any way?” and the CTS2 measuring intimate partner violence.

Results

Using the CTS2 as a gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of a single question for screening partner physical violence was 45.9% and 94.7%, respectively. The positive likelihood ratio of a single question for physical violence was 8.59. The sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio of a single question for screening psychological aggression were 17.9%, 98.5%, and 11.89, respectively.

Conclusion

While a single question used in our study needs further improvement for desirable sensitivity, it may be usable as an initial question for detecting IPV.
The effect of peer support groups on family adaptation from the perspective of wives of war veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder
Authors: Vagharseyyedin Seyyed Abolfazl , Gholami Mojtaba , Hajihoseini Morteza , Esmaeili Aliakbar
Published: August 2017

Objective

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of peer group support on family adaptation of wives of war veterans suffering from post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Design and Sample

In this randomized controlled trial, 80 wives of war veterans with PTSD were incorporated, and selected participants were randomly assigned into intervention and control groups (n = 40 per group). The intervention group was divided into four subgroups, with each participating in eight weekly based 1.5‐hr peer support group sessions and the control group received no intervention.

Measures

Demographics form and Family Adaptation Scale (FAS) developed by Antonovsky and Sourani (1988) were applied.

Results

The total mean scores of family adaptation increased significantly more in the intervention group than in the control group (p = .033). Furthermore, the time × group interaction effects were significant for internal family fit (p = .013) and a combination of both family fit and family community fit (p = .020) dimensions. Nonetheless family fit dimensions mean scores had no significant increase in the intervention group than the control group over time (p = .948).

Conclusions

Peer support group can be a useful tool for health care professionals to enhance family adaptation in spouses of war veterans with PTSD.