bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Safety and efficacy of Nasya/Prevalin in reducing symptoms of allergic rhinitis
Authors: Stoelzel Katharina , Bothe Gordana , Chong Pee Win , Lenarz Minoo
Published: November 2013

Background

Nasya/Prevalin is a natural, drug‐free nasal spray for treatment and prevention of allergic rhinitis. Because of its thixotropic property, it forms a barrier on the nasal mucosa, preventing allergen contact. This study assesses the clinical efficacy and safety of Nasya/Prevalin in a nasal provocation test with house dust mite allergens.

Methodology/Principal

In this randomised, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial, 20 subjects suffering from allergic rhinitis because of house dust mite allergens received a single dose of Nasya/Prevalin or saline spray before allergen challenge. Total nasal symptom score and total ocular symptom score were assessed 15, 30, 60, 75, 90, 120 and 240 min after challenge. Further, the appearance of the mucosa was examined by rhinoscopy.

Results

A single treatment with Nasya/Prevalin led to a significant reduction of TNSS at 60, 75 and 90 min after dust mite allergen challenge as compared with placebo (pVCAS = 0.021, pVCAS = 0.035, pVCAS = 0.036, respectively). Mucosa changes assessed by the rhinoscopic score (on swelling, secretion and colour) were significantly worse in the placebo group compared with the Nasya/Prevalin group (P = 0.033). Nasya/Prevalin was well tolerated, and the safety was comparable with placebo.

Conclusions

Treatment with Nasya/Prevalin was effective in preventing allergic reactions induced by dust mite allergen challenge.
First record of the drumming signals of stoneflies Capnopsis Morton, 1896 and Protonemura Kempny, 1898 genera (Plecoptera, Capniidae and Nemouridae)
Authors: Tierno de Figueroa J. Manuel , Luzón‐Ortega Julio M. , López‐Rodríguez Manuel J.
Published: November 2013

The male drumming signal of Capnopsis schilleri is studied for the first time. It is a monophasic call composed of 4–8 beats with a decreasing frequency. In the present paper, the drumming signals of some Protonemura species are also recorded and described for the first time both in males (Protonemura alcazaba, Protonemura meyeri and Protonemura navacerrada) and females (P. meyeri, P. navacerrada and Protonemura pyrenaica). The male call is very homogeneous in all the studied species and they consist of a repetition of 2–11 sequences of 6–31 beats, with an inter‐beat interval ranging from 0.034 to 0.088 s. The females have monophasic long signals consisting of a repetition of 5 to 109 beats with an inter‐beat interval of 0.061 to 0.159 s. It is extraordinary that females produced signals when males were absent, and so the female signal can be also considered as a call and not only an answer, as usually pointed out in stoneflies.
Sexual dimorphism and intraspecific variation in wing size and shape of Tongeia fischeri (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)
Authors: Jeratthitikul Ekgachai , Yago Masaya , Hikida Tsutomu
Published: November 2013

Wing morphological variations are described here for the lycaenid butterfly Tongeia fischeri. A landmark‐based geometric morphometric approach based on wing venation of 197 male and 187 female butterflies collected in Japan was used to quantify wing size and shape variations between sexes and among populations. Sexual dimorphism in wing size and shape was detected. Females had significantly larger wings than males, while males showed a relatively elongated forewing with a longer apex and narrower wing tornus in comparison to females. Intraspecific variations in wing morphology among populations were revealed for the wing shape, but not wing size. Distinct wing shape differences were found in the vein intersections area around the distal part of the discal cell where median veins originated in the forewing and around the origin of the CU1 vein in the hindwing. In addition, phenotypic relationships inferred from wing shape variations grouped T. fischeri populations into three groups, reflecting the subspecies classification of the species. The spatial variability and phenotypic relationships between conspecific populations of T. fischeri detected here are generally in agreement with the previous molecular study based on mitochondrial and nuclear sequences, suggesting the presence of a phylogenetic signal in the wing shape of T. fischeri, and thus having taxonomic implications.
Retraction: A reduction state potentiates the glucocorticoid response through receptor protein stabilization
Authors: Kitagawa Hirochika , Yamaoka Ikuko , Akimoto Chihiro , Kase Ikuko , Mezaki Yoshihiro , Shimizu Takafumi , Kato Shigeaki
Published: November 2013

Retraction: The above article in Genes to Cells (doi: 10.1111/j.1365‐2443.2007.01131.x), published online on 2 November 2007 in Wiley Online Library (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal Editor in Chief, Mitsuhiro Yanagida, and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd. The retraction has been agreed to due to lack of the gel images for the lanes 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 and 10 of ‘GR’ and lanes 1, 2, 9 and 10 of ‘Brg‐1’ in Figure 3(D) and the multiple usage of the gel images in Figure 3(B) and (C).
Climate change and habitat heterogeneity drive a population increase in Common Buzzards Buteo buteo through effects on survival
Authors: Jonker Rudy M. , Chakarov Nayden , Krüger Oliver
Published: November 2013

The effect of changing climatic conditions on wild populations has been the subject of much recent research. Most attention has been on the direct effects of climate changes on species of lower trophic levels and on the negative consequences of climate change. However, a deeper understanding of how climate change affects apex predators is vital, as they are keystone species that have a disproportionate effect on ecosystems. Studying survival in an apex predator requires individual‐based data from long‐term studies and is complicated by the integration of climatic effects on lower trophic levels. Here we assess how climate affects the survival of the Common Buzzard Buteo buteo. We analysed the survival of 670 males and 669 females over the period 1989–2011, during which time our study population quadrupled. We used mark–recapture survival analysis of individual resightings of breeding adults to identify the environmental factors best explaining survival. A decrease in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index increased survival to an extent that largely explains the population increase. This might be caused by higher Common Vole Microtus arvalis survival in drier conditions and under snow cover. Buzzard survival appeared to increase more for males than for females, possibly due to the males' higher sensitivity to winter food availability resulting from their smaller body mass. However, we also found that the effect of NAO strongly depended on the area in which individuals lived, especially for females. This may have been caused by the recolonization of Eagle Owls Bubo bubo in some parts of our study area. This study suggests that climatic changes can have complex effects on species of higher trophic levels via an interaction with their prey.
Elevational patterns of plant richness and their drivers on an Asian mountain
Authors: Lee Chang‐Bae , Chun Jung‐Hwa , Ahn Hyo‐Hyeon
Published: November 2013

We examined the elevational patterns of plant species along two transects on Mt Seorak, South Korea, and calculated four richness indices from field survey data: total number of species per 100 m elevational band; mean number of species per plot in each elevational band; total estimated number of species per elevational band; and beta diversity of each elevational band. We evaluated the effects of area, mean distance between plots, climatic variables (mean annual temperature and precipitation), and productivity on the richness patterns along the two transects. In total, 235 plant species belonging to 72 families and 161 genera were recorded from 130 plots along the two transects. The analyses revealed different patterns including monotonic decline, and unimodal and multimodal shapes for richness indices of total, woody, and herbaceous plants with the change in elevation along the two transects. The proportion of suitable area (as opposed to rocky areas) was the best predictor for total number of species per elevational band, mean number of species per plot, and total estimated number of species per elevational band of total and herbaceous plants along the two transects. Mean distance between plots was the most important variable for beta diversity of all plant groups. Although regional area, climatic variables, and productivity were important variables for predicting woody plant richness patterns, the effects were not consistent between the two transects. Our study suggests that elevational species richness patterns may differ not only among different plant groups, but also between nearby elevational transects, and that these differences are explained by differences in the underlying mechanisms shaping these patterns.
Aspidistra albopurpurea, A. khangii, A. lubae and A. stellata spp. nov. (Asparagaceae, Convallariaceae s.s.) from Indochina
Authors: Averyanov Leonid V. , Tillich H.‐J.
Published: November 2013

Aspidistra albopurpurea, A. khangii, A. lubae and A. stellata discovered recently are described and illustrated as species new to science. All novelties are local endemics of northern Vietnam and southeastern Laos. Aspidistra albopurpurea is unique in the genus with a white/red stigma in striking contrast to the large milk‐white tube base. Aspidistra stellata belongs to a group of species with extraordinary long and narrow lineate perigone lobes. Aspidistra khangii and A. lubae belong to a small group of species having erect, vertical shoots. The first species is easily distinguished by its stout stem, down‐curved peduncle and obpyramidal, container‐shaped perianth. Aspidistra lubae has characteristic horizontal, peduncles and urceolate flowers. Besides the type variety, A. lubae includes var. lancifolia, which differs in its erect, lanceolate, immaculate, shortly petiolate leaves. Both varieties of A. lubae were found growing, often intermixed, in the same locality in very similar ecological conditions.
Hypospadias and variants in genes related to sex hormone biosynthesis and metabolism
Authors: Carmichael S. L. , Witte J. S. , Ma C. , Lammer E. J. , Shaw G. M.
Published: November 2013

We examined whether variants in genes related to sex hormone biosynthesis and metabolism were associated with hypospadias in humans. We examined 332 relatively common tag single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs) in 20 genes. Analyses included 633 cases (84 mild, 322 moderate, 212 severe and 15 undetermined severity) and 855 population‐based non‐malformed male controls born in California from 1990 to 2003. We used logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for each SNP. Several of the 332 studied SNPs had p < 0.01: one in CYP3A4, four in HSD17B3, one in HSD3B1, two in STARD3, 10 in SRD5A2 and seven in STS. In addition, haplotype analyses gave several associations with p < 0.01. For HSD17B3, 14‐SNP and 5‐SNP blocks had ORs of 1.5 (95% CI 1.1, 2.0, p < 0.001) and 2.8 (95% CI 1.6, 4.8, p < 0.001) respectively. For SRD5A2, 9‐SNP, 3‐SNP and 8‐SNP blocks had ORs of 1.7 (95% CI 1.3, 2.2, p < 0.001), 1.4 (95% CI 1.1, 1.8, p = 0.008) and 1.5 (95% CI 1.2, 1.9, p = 0.002) respectively. Our study indicates that several genes that contribute to sex hormone biosynthesis and metabolism are associated with hypospadias risk.
Democratic inequality in the austerity state
Authors: Offe Claus
Published: November 2013

Claus Offe argues that a natural tendency for democracies to exclude the poorest has been exacerbated by austerity policies and a diminished offer from an ‘emaciated state’.
After post‐feminism: Pursuing material equality in a digital age
Authors: Benn Melissa
Published: November 2013

Energised by highly visible, media‐friendly issues of sexualisation and representation, new‘fourth‐wave’feminism must not dismiss concerns of structural inequality as relics of a previous age, argues Melissa Benn.
Lib‐Labism in 2015: The prospects for a radical coalition
Authors: Huhne Chris
Published: November 2013

Former Coalition environment secretary Chris Huhne surveys the policy landscape and sets out the potential basis for an historic radical progressive coalition between Labour and the Liberal Democrats 2015.
The role of macrophages polarization in predicting prognosis of radically resected gastric cancer patients
Authors: Pantano Francesco , Berti Pierpaolo , Guida Francesco Maria , Perrone Giuseppe , Vincenzi Bruno , Amato Michelina Maria Carla , Righi Daniela , Dell'Aquila Emanuela , Graziano Francesco , Catalano Vincenzo , Caricato Marco , Rizzo Sergio , Muda Andrea Onetti , Russo Antonio , Tonini Giuseppe , Santini Daniele
Published: November 2013

Tumour‐associated Macrophages (TAM) present two different polarizations: classical (M1) characterized by immunostimulation activity and tumour suppression; alternative (M2) characterized by tumour promotion and immune suppression. In this retrospective study, we evaluated the correlation between the two forms of TAM with survival time in radically resected gastric cancer patients. A total of 52 chemo‐ and radio‐naive patients were included. Two slides were prepared for each patient and double‐stained for CD68/NOS2 (M1) or CD68/CD163 (M2) and five representative high‐power fields per slide were evaluated for TAM count. The median value of the two macrophage populations density and the median value of M1/M2 ratio were used as cut‐off. Twenty‐seven patients with M1 density above‐the‐median had a significantly higher survival compared to those below the median. Twenty‐six patients with M1/M2 ratio above the median showed median OS of 27.2 months compared to 15.5 months of the patients below the median. No association between M2 macrophage density and patient's outcome was found. In multivariate analysis, M1/M2 was a positive independent predictor of survival. The M1 macrophage density and M1/M2 ratio, as confirmed in multivariate analysis, are factors that can help in predicting patients survival time after radical surgery for gastric cancer.
Life experiences among obstructive sleep apnoea patients receiving continuous positive airway pressure therapy
Authors: Hu Shui‐Tao , Yu Chung‐Chieh , Lee Pei‐Shan , Tsao Lee‐Ing
Published: November 2013

Aims and objectives

To generate a descriptive theoretical framework for experiences among obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients undergoing continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy.

Background

Insufficient information is available about subjective experiences among OSA patients undergoing CPAP therapy. This study aims to address that lack of insight into patients' feelings.

Design

A qualitative study using the grounded theory method to establish a descriptive theory.

Methods

Twenty‐two Taiwanese OSA patients undergoing CPAP therapy participated in comprehensive interviews.

Results

The patients, aged 37–68 years, participated in wide‐ranging interviews. ‘Living with CPAP’ was the core theme describing the life experiences of OSA patients undergoing CPAP. Health warnings were identified as the antecedent condition, with subcategories including the following: severe snoring, choking and feelings of a terrible death during sleep, day and night sleepiness, easy tiredness, decreased memory, poor sleep, dry mouth, dry throat, headache, high blood pressure, poor blood sugar level control and falling asleep while driving. Analyses indicated seven subcategories of OSA patients with CPAP: (1) seeking medical information, (2) difficulties with CPAP, (3) trial and error for the ‘right’ CPAP, (4) long scheduled waiting times, (5) wondering, (6) high expectations, and (7) getting back good health.

Conclusions

The results will assist healthcare providers with references for OSA health care based on patients' subjective perspectives.

Relevance to clinical practice

After interpreting and analysing results, suggestions include the following: (1) provide medical resource education for outpatients and inpatients to access self‐care knowledge regarding OSA; (2) institute professional personnel for providing OSA health education in sleep clinics or sleep centres; (3) develop hospital standards for sleep examination processes to shorten waiting times; (4) establish case management for pursuing OSA patients receiving CPAP; (5) arrange regular forums for patients to share their experiences; and (6) provide community health education to promote awareness of snoring issues.
Monitoring acute phase proteins in retrovirus infected cats undergoing feline interferon‐ω therapy
Authors: Leal R. O. , Gil S. , Sepúlveda N. , McGahie D. , Duarte A. , Niza M.M.R.E. , Tavares L.
Published: November 2013

Objectives

Recombinant feline interferon‐ω therapy is an immunomodulator currently used in the treatment of different retroviral diseases including feline immune deficiency virus and feline leukaemia virus. Although its mechanism of action remains unclear, this drug appears to potentiate the innate response. Acute phase proteins are one of the key components of innate immunity and studies describing their use as a monitoring tool for the immune system in animals undergoing interferon‐ω therapy are lacking. This study aimed to determine whether interferon‐ω therapy influences acute phase protein concentrations namely serum amyloid‐A, α‐1‐glycoprotein and C‐reactive protein.

Methods

A single‐arm study was performed using 16 cats, living in an animal shelter, naturally infected with retroviruses and subjected to the interferon‐ω therapy licensed protocol. Samples were collected before (D0), during (D10 and D30) and after therapy (D65). Serum amyloid‐A and C‐reactive protein were measured by specific enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay kits and α‐1‐glycoprotein by single radial immunodiffusion.

Results

All the acute phase proteins significantly increased in cats undergoing interferon‐ω therapy (D0/D65: P<0·05)

Clinical Significance

Acute phase proteins appear to be reasonable predictors of innate‐immune stimulation and may be useful in the individual monitoring of naturally retroviral infected cats undergoing interferon‐ω therapy.
Nobody's Child: The Role of Trauma and Interpersonal Violence in Women's Pathways to Incarceration and Resultant Service Needs
Authors: Fuentes Catherine Mitchell
Published: November 2013

With the rate of women's incarceration significantly outpacing that of men's, combined with the fact that the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, there is an urgent need to delineate incarcerated women's pathways to crime and subsequent service needs. This article reports findings of modified participant observation and qualitative research conducted from 2008 to 2010 with women incarcerated in a large, county jail in North Carolina addressing these issues. Thirty life history interviews, nine focus groups, and 60 questionnaires reveal the centrality of trauma, particularly in the form of interpersonal violence (i.e., sexual, physical, and/or emotional abuse in adulthood and/or childhood), in incarcerated women's lives. In the absence of positive resources (e.g., counseling, family/friend support), women's attempts to cope with trauma increase their risks for incarceration as well as further trauma. In addition to providing trauma‐based treatment, decreasing women's recidivism requires macro‐level examinations of policies that marginalize women economically and socially.
Troubling “Environments”
Authors: Whitmarsh Ian
Published: November 2013

Postgenomics is intended to move beyond the search for genes to explore disease as a result of genes interacting with their environment, revealing how they have relevance for health. This addition of environment confers genomic research with new cultural life, making it relevant to public health discourse, government interventions, and health disparities. Drawing on ethnographic research following an American genetics of asthma study conducted in Barbados, I explore the ways environment gets construed by the multiple communities involved—U.S. researchers, Bajan officials, medical practitioners, and patient participants. I draw on Lévi‐Strauss to argue that plural competing environments give mana to the American postgenomic project as intervention on racial injustice, household practices, pollution, and other aspects of asthma.
Non‐dermatophyte mould onychomycosis: a clinical and epidemiological study at a dermatology referral centre in Bogota, Colombia
Authors: Morales‐Cardona Camilo A. , Valbuena‐Mesa Martha C. , Alvarado Zulma , Solorzano‐Amador Andrea
Published: November 2013

Worldwide prevalence of non‐dermatophyte mould onychomycosis has increased in recent years; however, available information on the topic is confusing and oftentimes contradictory, probably due to the small number of reported cases. The aim of this study was to determine and describe the aetiological agents, as well as the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of non‐dermatophyte mould onychomycosis in a dermatology referral centre in Bogota, Colombia. A cross‐sectional descriptive study was conducted between January 2001 and December 2011 among patients who attend the National Institute of Dermatology with a confirmed diagnosis of onychomycosis by non‐dermatophytes moulds. There were 317 confirmed cases of non‐dermatophyte mould onychomycosis in 196 women and 121 men whose average age was 43 years. Twenty‐seven per cent of them had a history of systemic disease. The habit of walking and showering barefoot was the major infection‐related factor. Distal and lateral subungual presentation was the most common pattern of clinical presentation. The most frequent non‐dermatophyte mould was Neoscytalidium dimidiatum followed by Fusarium spp. No relationship was observed with predisposing factors previously reported in the literature. Clinical features found in this population are indistinguishable from onychomycosis caused by dermatophytes. High prevalence of N. dimidiatum found here was in contrast to a large number of studies where other types of moulds predominate.
Glomerular filtration rates in healthy Asians without kidney disease
Authors: Teo Boon Wee , Xu Hui , Koh Yun Yin , Li Jialiang , Subramanian Srinivas , Sinha Arvind Kumar , Shuter Borys , Toh Qi Chun , Sethi Sunil , Lee Evan JC
Published: November 2013

Aim

The Chronic Kidney Disease Collaboration – Epidemiology (CKD‐EPI) glomerular filtration rates (GFR) estimation equation is believed to estimate GFR more accurately in healthy people but this has not been validated in Asians. We studied the distribution of GFR in a multi‐ethnic Asian population without CKD, and compared the performance of measures of GFR estimation, including the CKD‐EPI equation, Cockroft‐Gault equation, and 24‐hour urine creatinine clearances.

Materials and Methods

A total of 103 healthy volunteers without a history of kidney disease, hypertension, or diabetes underwent GFR measurement using 3‐sample plasma clearance of 99mTc‐DTPA. Cockroft‐Gault estimated GFR and 24‐hour urine creatinine clearances were normalized to body surface area.

Results

The mean measured GFR was 101 ± 15.8 mL/min per 1.73 m2 and was lowest in Indians (93 ± 12.3 mL/min per 1.73 m2; P < 0.001). The CKD‐EPI equation appears to be more accurate for healthy participants. Estimated GFR correlated with measured GFR (r = 0.57, P < 0.001), and the mean difference is 3.72 ± 14.43 mL/min per 1.73 m2 (P < 0.001). However, estimating GFR using self‐directed 24‐hour urine creatinine clearances is poorer than using the CKD‐EPI equation.

Conclusions

GFR estimation using self‐directed 24‐hour urine collection for creatinine clearance is less accurate than using the CKD‐EPI equation. A larger study is required to clarify GFR in healthy Asians, and the association of health outcomes of Asian kidney donors with lower GFR thresholds.
Potassium nutrition of ectomycorrhizal Pinus pinaster: overexpression of the Hebeloma cylindrosporum HcTrk1 transporter affects the translocation of both K+ and phosphorus in the host plant
Authors: Garcia Kevin , Delteil Amandine , Conéjéro Geneviève , Becquer Adeline , Plassard Claude , Sentenac Hervé , Zimmermann Sabine
Published: November 2013

Mycorrhizal associations are known to improve the hydro‐mineral nutrition of their host plants. However, the importance of mycorrhizal symbiosis for plant potassium nutrition has so far been poorly studied. We therefore investigated the impact of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Hebeloma cylindrosporum on the potassium nutrition of Pinus pinaster and examined the involvement of the fungal potassium transporter HcTrk1.

HcTrk1 transcripts and proteins were localized in ectomycorrhizas using in situ hybridization and EGFP translational fusion constructs. Importantly, an overexpression strategy was performed on a H. cylindrosporum endogenous gene in order to dissect the role of this transporter.

The potassium nutrition of mycorrhizal pine plants was significantly improved under potassium‐limiting conditions. Fungal strains overexpressing HcTrk1 reduced the translocation of potassium and phosphorus from the roots to the shoots of inoculated plants in mycorrhizal experiments. Furthermore, expression of HcTrk1 and the phosphate transporter HcPT1.1 were reciprocally linked to the external inorganic phosphate and potassium availability.

The development of these approaches provides a deeper insight into the role of ectomycorrhizal symbiosis on host plant K+ nutrition and in particular, the K+ transporter HcTrk1. The work augments our knowledge of the link between potassium and phosphorus nutrition via the mycorrhizal pathway.
Still scratching the surface: how much of the ‘black box’ of soil ectomycorrhizal communities remains in the dark?
Authors: Pickles Brian J. , Pither Jason
Published: November 2013

See also the Commentary by Dickie and Koide
Anesthetic neurotoxicity: what to tell the parents?
Authors: Nemergut Michael E. , Aganga Devon , Flick Randall P.
Published: November 2013

Over the past decade, numerous preclinical and retrospective human studies have reported that the provision of anesthetic and sedative agents to infants and children may be associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. These data have gained widespread attention from professional and regulatory agencies, including the public at large. As such, pediatric anesthesiologists are being increasingly questioned by parents about the risks of anesthetic agents on their children's neurocognitive development. To impart a framework from which anesthesiologists may address the apprehensions of parents who actively bring up this issue, we review the data supporting anesthetic neurotoxicity and discuss its strengths and limitations. As many parents are not yet aware and do not actively raise these concerns, we also discuss whether such a conversation should be undertaken as a part of the consent process.
Pneumatosis intestinalis following pediatric live‐related liver transplant: A case report and successful conservative approach
Authors: Abdel‐Aziz Omer , Elaffandi Ahmed H. , El Shazly Mostafa , Hosny Adel , El‐Karaksy Hanaa
Published: November 2013

PI has been rarely reported following pediatric live‐related liver transplantation. Such a disorder is characterized by accumulation of gas in the bowel wall. The cause of PI has not been yet established; however, it has been strongly linked with steroid therapy. In this report, we present a case of PI following pediatric live‐related liver transplantation that has been successfully managed conservatively.
Theories of Governance: Comparative Perspectives on Seattle's Light Rail Project
Authors: Page Stephen B.
Published: November 2013

Governance entails the formulation and implementation of public policies across organizational and sectoral boundaries through coalitions, contracts, and networks. Studies of governance tend to cluster loosely into two theoretic traditions: rational choice and sociological institutionalism. Where the former analyzes actors’ individual interests and information, the latter examines their joint relationships and norms. These different analytic foci can be difficult to reconcile, leaving scholars at a loss as to how to cumulate insights and knowledge across the theoretic traditions. To understand better how the two traditions conflict and support one another in the analysis of governance, this article distinguishes domains of governance and identifies the different theories that the traditions use to study each domain. A case study of a rail transit project compares the insights from these theories, and assesses the quality and the complementarities of the explanations they offer. An analysis of the case generates propositions about the comparative utility of different concepts and theoretic traditions for understanding key governance phenomena.
A Two‐Tiered Method for Identifying Trends in Media Framing of Policy Issues: The Case of the War on Terror
Authors: Boydstun Amber E. , Glazier Rebecca A.
Published: November 2013

Research on media framing of policy issues has flourished. Yet the varied approaches to conceptualizing and operationalizing issue frames that make this literature rich also hinder its advancement. Here, we document the benefits of a two‐tiered method: the first level accounts for issue‐specific frames, while the second level tracks frames that generalize across issues. For this study, we draw on generalizable frames from prospect theory (loss vs. gain frames) and social identity theory (self‐referential vs. other‐referential frames). We discuss the theoretical merits of a two‐tiered approach, arguing that it should yield compound insights greater than the sum of its parts. Applying this method to newspaper coverage of the war on terror, we find a strong trend at the generalizable level: media framing of the war shifted over time from a predominant use of “fear” (self‐referential loss) frames to an increasing use of “charity” (other‐referential gain) frames. Our approach further reveals that the fear frames used in the lead‐up to theIraqWar were not driven by issue‐specific frames related to terrorism or weapons of mass destruction as we might have thought, but rather by frames related to the anticipated threats toU.S.troops. This study sharpens our understanding of how framing of the war evolved, but more broadly it suggests that a two‐tiered approach could be applied both within and across policy issues to advance our understanding of the framing process.
Microtopography Influences Early Successional Plant Communities on Experimental Coal Surface Mine Land Reclamation
Authors: Gilland Keith E. , McCarthy Brian C.
Published: November 2013

Surface mining for coal represents one of the dominant forms of anthropogenic disturbance to forests of the eastern United States. Reclamation methods adopted under federal law in the 1970s have led to a state of arrested succession, failing to achieve pre‐disturbance conditions. New methods of reclamation have been proposed with the goal of returning mined land to its former forested state through the use of compaction reducing techniques that significantly increase fine‐scale heterogeneity. The Forestry Reclamation Approach creates topographic heterogeneity by loosely dumping overburden material into large piles to serve as a tree‐planting medium. We examined the effect of fine‐scale topographic relief, soil physical properties, and reclamation method on early plant community development on a mine site in eastern Ohio. We sampled plots at four microtopographic positions and three distances from the remaining forest edge in both experimentally and traditionally reclaimed areas of a surface mine. Multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) on distance matrices indicated significant differences in plant community composition among microtopographic positions and reclamation methods. Microtopographic positions also exhibited significant differences in measured soil properties significantly affecting plant community composition. Plots in the traditionally reclaimed areas had no woody plant colonization, indicating arrested succession common to sites reclaimed using traditional methods. Our results suggest that the creation of topographic heterogeneity at the time of reclamation markedly accelerates ecological succession and promotes enhanced plant community diversity. Expanded application of the methods used here could allow for a faster return to the former forested state of mined lands than traditional reclamation methods.
Waking a Sleeping Giant…on Purpose?
Authors: Oliver Trudy G.
Published: November 2013

Rousing and treating dormant tumors before their escape from the innate immune system may prevent tumor recurrence.
Ralstonia solanacearum Requires PopS, an Ancient AvrE-Family Effector, for Virulence and To Overcome Salicylic Acid-Mediated Defenses during Tomato Pathogenesis
Authors: Jacobs Jonathan M. , Milling Annett , Mitra Raka M. , Hogan Clifford S. , Ailloud Florent , Prior Philippe , Allen Caitilyn
Published: November 2013

During bacterial wilt of tomato, the plant pathogen 
Ralstonia solanacearum
 upregulates expression of
popS
, which encodes a type III-secreted effector in the AvrE family. PopS is a core effector present in all sequenced strains in the
R. solanacearum
species complex. The phylogeny of
popS
mirrors that of the species complex as a whole, suggesting that this is an ancient, vertically inherited effector needed for association with plants. A
popS
mutant of
R. solanacearum
UW551 had reduced virulence on agriculturally important
Solanum
spp., including potato and tomato plants. However, the
popS
mutant had wild-type virulence on a weed host,
Solanum dulcamara
, suggesting that some species can avoid the effects of PopS. The
popS
mutant was also significantly delayed in colonization of tomato stems compared to the wild type. Some AvrE-type effectors from gammaproteobacteria suppress salicylic acid (SA)-mediated plant defenses, suggesting that PopS, a betaproteobacterial ortholog, has a similar function. Indeed, the
popS
mutant induced significantly higher expression of tomato SA-triggered pathogenesis-related (PR) genes than the wild type. Further, pretreatment of roots with SA exacerbated the
popS
mutant virulence defect. Finally, the
popS
mutant had no colonization defect on SA-deficient NahG transgenic tomato plants. Together, these results indicate that this conserved effector suppresses SA-mediated defenses in tomato roots and stems, which are
R. solanacearum
’s natural infection sites. Interestingly, PopS did not trigger necrosis when heterologously expressed in
Nicotiana
leaf tissue, unlike the AvrE homolog DspE

Pcc

from the necrotroph
Pectobacterium carotovorum
subsp.
carotovorum
. This is consistent with the differing pathogenesis modes of necrosis-causing gammaproteobacteria and biotrophic
R. solanacearum
.

IMPORTANCE
The type III-secreted AvrE effector family is widely distributed in high-impact plant-pathogenic bacteria and is known to suppress plant defenses for virulence. We characterized the biology of PopS, the only AvrE homolog made by the bacterial wilt pathogen
Ralstonia solanacearum
. To our knowledge, this is the first study of
R. solanacearum
effector function in roots and stems, the natural infection sites of this pathogen. Unlike the functionally redundant
R. solanacearum
effectors studied to date, PopS is required for full virulence and wild-type colonization of two natural crop hosts.
R. solanacearum
is a biotrophic pathogen that causes a nonnecrotic wilt. Consistent with this, PopS suppressed plant defenses but did not elicit cell death, unlike AvrE homologs from necrosis-causing plant pathogens. We propose that AvrE family effectors have functionally diverged to adapt to the necrotic or nonnecrotic lifestyle of their respective pathogens.
Capturing intraoperative process deviations using a direct observational approach: the glitch method
Authors: Morgan Lauren , Robertson Eleanor , Hadi Mohammed , Catchpole Ken , Pickering Sharon , New Steve , Collins Gary , McCulloch Peter
Published: November 2013

Objectives

To develop a sensitive, reliable tool for enumerating and evaluating technical process imperfections during surgical operations.

Design

Prospective cohort study with direct observation.

Setting

Operating theatres on five sites in three National Health Service Trusts.

Participants

Staff taking part in elective and emergency surgical procedures in orthopaedics, trauma, vascular and plastic surgery; including anaesthetists, surgeons, nurses and operating department practitioners.

Outcome measures

Reliability and validity of the glitch count method; frequency, type, temporal pattern and rate of glitches in relation to site and surgical specialty.

Results

The glitch count has construct and face validity, and category agreement between observers is good (κ=0.7). Redundancy between pairs of observers significantly improves the sensitivity over a single observation. In total, 429 operations were observed and 5742 glitches were recorded (mean 14 per operation, range 0–83). Specialty-specific glitch rates varied from 6.9 to 8.3/h of operating (ns). The distribution of glitch categories was strikingly similar across specialties, with distractions the commonest type in all cases. The difference in glitch rate between specialty teams operating at different sites was larger than that between specialties (range 6.3–10.5/h, p<0.001). Forty per cent of glitches occurred in the first quarter of an operation, and only 10% occurred in the final quarter.

Conclusions

The glitch method allows collection of a rich dataset suitable for analysing the changes following interventions to improve process safety, and appears reliable and sensitive. Glitches occur more frequently in the early stages of an operation. Hospital environment, culture and work systems may influence the operative process more strongly than the specialty.
Effect of exercise on abdominal fat loss in men and women with and without type 2 diabetes
Authors: Dobrosielski Devon A , Barone Gibbs Bethany , Chaudhari Sameer , Ouyang Pamela , Silber Harry A , Stewart Kerry J
Published: November 2013

Objective

To examine the effect of exercise on abdominal adipose tissue in adults with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Design

Post hoc analysis of two randomised controlled trials.

Setting

Outpatient secondary prevention programme in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Participants

97 men and women with prehypertension, stage 1 or medically controlled hypertension. 49% of the sample was also diagnosed with T2DM.

Intervention

All participants completed a 26-week (6.5 months) supervised aerobic and resistance exercise programme following American College of Sports Medicine guidelines.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The main outcomes in this post hoc analysis were total abdominal adipose tissue (TAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) measured by MRI. Secondary outcomes were to determine whether the magnitude of abdominal fat change differed by diabetes status in men and women and to identify the predictors of change in abdominal fat distribution with exercise.

Results

Overall, participants (mean age 61±6 years; 45% women) significantly improved peak oxygen uptake by 15% (p<0.01) and reduced weight by 2% (p<0.01). No change in SAT was observed after training. The reduction in VAT following exercise was attenuated in participants with T2DM (–3%) compared with participants who were non-T2DM (–18%, p<0.001 for the difference in change). The magnitude of VAT loss was associated with a decrease in body weight (r=0.50, p<0.001). After adjustment for weight change using regression analysis, diabetes status remained an independent predictor of the change in VAT.

Conclusions

Although participants with and without T2DM attained an exercise training effect as evidenced by increased fitness, VAT was unchanged in T2DM compared to those without T2DM, suggesting that these individuals may be resistant to this important benefit of exercise. The strategies for reducing cardiovascular disease risk in T2DM may be most effective when they include a weight loss component.

Clinical Trials Registration

Clinicaltrials.gov RegistryNCT00212303.
Letrozole, berberine, or their combination for anovulatory infertility in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: study design of a double-blind randomised controlled trial
Authors: Li Yan , Kuang Hongying , Shen Wenjuan , Ma Hongli , Zhang Yuehui , Stener-Victorin Elisabet , Hung Ernest , Ng Yu , Liu Jianping , Kuang Haixue , Hou Lihui , Wu Xiaoke
Published: November 2013

Introduction

Letrozole is being used as an alternative to clomiphene citrate in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) requiring ovulation induction. Berberine, a major active component of Chinese herbal medicine rhizoma coptidis, has been used to improve insulin resistance to facilitate ovulation induction in women with PCOS but there is no study reporting the live birth or its potential as a complementary treatment to letrozole. We aim to determine the efficacy of letrozole with or without berberine in achieving live births among 660 infertile women with PCOS in Mainland China.

Methods and analysis

This study is a multicentre randomised, double-blind trial. The randomisation scheme is coordinated through the central mechanism and stratified by the participating site. Participants are randomised into one of the three treatment arms: (1) letrozole and berberine, (2) letrozole and berberine placebo, or (3) letrozole placebo and berberine. Berberine is administered three times a day (1.5 g/day) for up to 24 weeks, starting on day 1 after a spontaneous period or a withdrawal bleeding. Either letrozole or letrozole placebo 2.5 mg is given daily from day 3 to day 7 of the first three cycles and the dose is increased to 5 mg/day in the last three cycles, if not pregnant. The primary hypothesis is that the combination of berberine and letrozole results in a significantly higher live birth rate than letrozole or berberine alone.

Ethics and dissemination

The study was approved by the ethics committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine. Study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier:NCT01116167.
Physiological differences between lean and siscowet lake trout morphotypes: Are these metabolotypes?
Authors: Goetz Frederick , Jasonowicz Andrew , Johnson Ronald , Biga Peggy , Fischer Greg , Sitar Shawn
Published: November 2013

Results of a past study on lean and siscowet lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) reared under identical conditions from conception indicated that differences in growth and morphometry between these morphotypes have a genetic basis. Using these cultured lake trout, we found that siscowet lake trout had higher lipid levels and lower glycogen levels as compared with lean lake trout in skeletal muscle and liver. Lean lake trout also had higher circulating levels of lipids and glucose compared with siscowet lake trout. Analysis of F1progeny from crosses of the cultured morphotypes showed that progeny of crosses between siscowet females and siscowet males had higher lipid levels than all other crosses. The combined results indicate that the lake trout morphotypes differ substantially in the storage of energy, which may be related to their specific life histories. Siscowets store energy preferentially as lipid and appear to be more efficient in moving lipid from the blood into the muscle and liver. The lipid in siscowets may be adaptive for regulating buoyancy as well as an essential energy reserve for reproduction.
COLD DARK MATTER AND HIGGS MASS IN THE CONSTRAINED MINIMAL SUPERSYMMETRIC STANDARD MODEL WITH GENERALIZED YUKAWA QUASI-UNIFICATION
Authors: KARAGIANNAKIS N. , LAZARIDES G. , PALLIS C.
Published: November 2013

The construction of specific supersymmetric grand unified models based on the Pati–Salam gauge group and leading to a set of Yukawa quasi-unification conditions which can allow an acceptable b-quark mass within the constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model with μ > 0 is briefly reviewed. Imposing constraints from the cold dark matter abundance in the universe, B physics, and the mass mhof the lighter neutral CP-even Higgs boson, we find that there is an allowed parameter space with, approximately, 44 ≤ tan β ≤ 52, -3 ≤ A0/M1/2≤ 0.1, 122 ≤ mh/ GeV ≤ 127, and mass of the lightest sparticle in the range (0.75–1.43) TeV. Such heavy lightest sparticle masses can become consistent with the cold dark matter requirements on the lightest sparticle relic density thanks to neutralino–stau coannihilations which are enhanced due to stau–antistau coannihilation to down type fermions via a direct-channel exchange of the heavier neutral CP-even Higgs boson. Restrictions on the model parameters by the muon anomalous magnetic moment are also discussed.
Alleviating Coordination Problems and Regulatory Constraints Through Financial Risk Management
Authors: Boyer Marcel , Boyer M. Martin , Garcia René
Published: November 2013

Seeing the firm as a nexus of activities and projects, we propose a characterization of the firm where variations in the market price of risk should induce adjustments in the firm's portfolio of projects. In a setting where managers disagree with respect to what investment maximizes value, changing the portfolio of projects generates coordination costs. We then propose a new role for financial risk management based on the idea that the use of financial derivatives reduces coordination costs by moving the organization's expected cash flows and risks toward a point where coordination in favor of real changes is easier to achieve. We find empirical support for this new rationale for the use of financial derivatives, after controlling for the traditional variables explaining the need for financial risk management.
Chapter 13 Cambrian echinoderm diversity and palaeobiogeography
Authors: Zamora Samuel , Lefebvre Bertrand , Javier Álvaro J. , Clausen Sébastien , Elicki Olaf , Fatka Oldrich , Jell Peter , Kouchinsky Artem , Lin Jih-Pai , Nardin Elise , Parsley Ronald , Rozhnov Sergei , Sprinkle James , Sumrall Colin D. , Vizcaïno Daniel , Smith Andrew B.
Published: November 2013

The distribution of all known Cambrian echinoderm taxa, encompassing both articulated specimens and taxonomically diagnostic isolated ossicles, is documented for the first time. The database described by 2011 comprises 188 species recorded from 65 formations from around the world. Formations that have yielded articulated echinoderms are unequally distributed in space and time. Only Laurentia and West Gondwana provide reasonably complete records at the resolution of Stage. The review of the biogeographical distributions of the eight major echinoderm clades shows that faunas from Laurentia and Northeast Gondwana (China and Korea) are distinct from those of West Gondwana and Southeast Gondwana (Australia); other regions are too poorly sampled to make firm palaeobiogeographical statements. Analysis of alpha diversity (species per formation) shows that diversity rose initially to Cambrian Stage 5, declined into Guzhangian and Paibian before returning to Stage 5 levels by the end of the Cambrian. This pattern is replicated in Laurentia and West Gondwana. We show that taxonomically diagnostic ossicles found in isolation typically occur significantly earlier than the first articulated specimens of the same taxa and provide important information on the first occurrence and palaeobiogeographical distribution of key taxa, and of the phylum as a whole.

Supplementary material:

Articulated Cambrian echinoderms and Isolated plates of Cambrian echinoderms are provided at:
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18668