bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A vulnerability paradox in the cross-national prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder
Authors: Dückers Michel L. A. , Alisic Eva , Brewin Chris R.
Published: July 2016

Background

Determinants of cross-national differences in the prevalence of mental illness are poorly understood.

Aims

To test whether national post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rates can be explained by (a) rates of exposure to trauma and (b) countries' overall cultural and socioeconomic vulnerability to adversity.

Method

We collected general population studies on lifetime PTSD and trauma exposure, measured using the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview (DSM-IV). PTSD prevalence was identified for 24 countries (86 687 respondents) and exposure for 16 countries (53 038 respondents). PTSD was predicted using exposure and vulnerability data.

Results

PTSD is related positively to exposure but negatively to country vulnerability. Together, exposure, vulnerability and their interaction explain approximately 75% of variance in the national prevalence of PTSD.

Conclusions

Contrary to expectations based on individual risk factors, we identified a paradox whereby greater country vulnerability is associated with a decreased, rather than increased, risk of PTSD for its citizens.
Nonadherence to Oral Medications for Chronic Conditions in Breast Cancer Survivors
Authors: Yang Jingyan , Neugut Alfred I. , Wright Jason D. , Accordino Melissa , Hershman Dawn L.
Published: July 2016

Purpose:

Nonadherence to oral endocrine therapy is common among women with breast cancer (BC). Less is known about nonadherence to medications for other chronic conditions among survivors of BC.

Methods:

We used the MarketScan Database to identify women older than 18 years who had nonmetastatic BC diagnosed between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2013. Prescriptions were identified for the following six non–cancer-related conditions: hypertension, thyroid disease, hyperlipidemia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis. The study period was defined as 1 year before BC diagnosis (index date) through 1.5 years after the index date, with a 6-month washout period after the index data to control for adherence during the preoperative period and during chemotherapy if necessary. Adherence was defined as a medication possession ratio ≥ 80%. Change in adherence was defined as a 20% decrease in the medication possession ratio from the time before diagnosis compared with after treatment. Factors associated with change in adherence were evaluated in multivariable logistic models.

Results:

Among 36,149 patients diagnosed with BC, the average adherence to these medications before BC was 91.4%. However, after BC treatment, adherence decreased to 77.9% (P < .001). Looking at drugs for each condition, nonadherence ranged from 15.6% to 38% (P < .001). Factors associated with an increase in nonadherence included older age, insurance type, number of medications, and comorbid conditions.

Conclusion:

Decreased adherence to medications for chronic diseases was found in the first year after breast cancer treatment. Breast cancer survivors may need additional interventions to improve their adherence to their medications for chronic conditions.
COPI is essential for Golgi cisternal maturation and dynamics
Authors: Ishii Midori , Suda Yasuyuki , Kurokawa Kazuo , Nakano Akihiko
Published: July 2016

Proteins synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are transported to the Golgi and then sorted to their destinations. For their passage through the Golgi, one widely accepted mechanism is cisternal maturation. Cisternal maturation is fulfilled by the retrograde transport of Golgi-resident proteins from later to earlier cisternae, and candidate carriers for this retrograde transport are coat protein complex I (COPI)-coated vesicles. We examined the COPI function in cisternal maturation directly by 4D observation of the transmembrane Golgi-resident proteins in living yeast cells. COPI temperature-sensitive mutants and induced degradation of COPI proteins were used to knockdown COPI function. For both methods, inactivation of COPI subunits Ret1 and Sec21 markedly impaired the transition from cis to medial and to trans cisternae. Furthermore, the movement of cisternae within the cytoplasm was severely restricted when COPI subunits were depleted. Our results demonstrate the essential roles of COPI proteins in retrograde trafficking of the Golgi-resident proteins and dynamics of the Golgi cisternae.
Do respiratory limitations affect metabolism of insect larvae before moulting: an empirical test at the individual level
Authors: Kivelä Sami M. , Lehmann Philipp , Gotthard Karl
Published: July 2016

Recent data suggest that oxygen limitation may induce moulting in larval insects. This oxygen dependent induction of moulting (ODIM) hypothesis stems from the fact that the tracheal respiratory system of insects grows primarily at moults, whereas tissue mass increases massively between moults. This may result in a mismatch between oxygen supply and demand at the end of each larval instar because oxygen demand of growing tissues exceeds the relatively fixed supply capacity of the respiratory system. The ODIM hypothesis predicts that, within larval instars, respiration and metabolic rates of an individual larva first increase with increasing body mass but eventually level off once the supply capacity of the tracheal system starts to constrain metabolism. Here, we provide the first individual-level test of this key prediction of the ODIM hypothesis. We use a novel methodology where we repeatedly measure respiration and metabolic rates throughout the penultimate- and final-instar larvae in the butterfly Pieris napi. In the penultimate instar, respiration and metabolic rates gradually decelerated along with growth, supporting the ODIM hypothesis. However, respiration and metabolic rates increased linearly during growth in the final instar, contradicting the prediction. Moreover, our data suggest considerable variation among individuals in the association between respiration rate and mass in the final instar. Overall, the results provide partial support for the ODIM hypothesis and suggest that oxygen limitation may emerge gradually within a larval instar. The results also suggest that there may be different moult induction mechanisms in larva-to-larva moults compared to the final metamorphic moult.
Varicocele – a case for early intervention
Authors: Bach Phil V. , Najari Bobby B. , Goldstein Marc
Published: July 2016

Testicular varicocele, which is defined as the dilation of the veins draining the testicle, has long been associated with a detrimental effect on testicular function. Despite a lack of high-quality, prospective data, recent evidence has shed light on potential links between varicocele and male infertility and serum testosterone levels. Similarly, varicocele repair has increasingly been shown to have a beneficial impact on pregnancy rates, semen parameters, and on improving serum testosterone in adult men. Numerous studies have assessed the optimal technique for varicocele repair and the bulk of the evidence has shown the microsurgical inguinal/subinguinal approach to have the highest success rates, the lowest overall complication rates, and the lowest recurrence rates. The management of varicocele in adolescents remains a clinical conundrum, but contemporary evidence suggests early deleterious effects of varicocele on testicular function in some patients. Well-designed prospective trials are critical to delineate the true impact and role of varicocele repair on male infertility and hypogonadism in adult and adolescent men.
A Nonparametric Joint Assortment and Price Choice Model
Authors: Jagabathula Srikanth , Rusmevichientong Paat
Published: July 2016

The selection of products and prices offered by a firm significantly impacts its profits. Existing approaches do not provide flexible models that capture the joint effect of assortment and price. We propose a nonparametric framework in which each customer is represented by a particular price threshold and a particular preference list over the alternatives. The customers follow a two-stage choice process; they consider the set of products with prices less than the threshold and choose the most preferred product from the set considered. We develop a tractable nonparametric expectation maximization (EM) algorithm to fit the model to the aggregate transaction data and design an efficient algorithm to determine the profit-maximizing combination of offer set and price. We also identify classes of pricing structures of increasing complexity, which determine the computational complexity of the estimation and decision problems. Our pricing structures are naturally expressed as business constraints, allowing a manager to trade off pricing flexibility with computational burden.

This paper was accepted by Yinyu Ye, optimization.
Risk in a Large Claims Insurance Market with Bipartite Graph Structure
Authors: Kley Oliver , Klüppelberg Claudia , Reinert Gesine
Published: July 2016

We model the influence of sharing large exogeneous losses to the reinsurance market by a bipartite graph. Using Pareto-tailed claims and multivariate regular variation we obtain asymptotic results for the value-at-risk and the conditional tail expectation. We show that the dependence on the network structure plays a fundamental role in their asymptotic behaviour. As is well known in a nonnetwork setting, if the Pareto exponent is larger than 1, then for the individual agent (reinsurance company) diversification is beneficial, whereas when it is less than 1, concentration on a few objects is the better strategy.

An additional aspect of this paper is the amount of uninsured losses that are covered by society. In our setting of networks of agents, diversification is never detrimental to the amount of uninsured losses. If the Pareto-tailed claims have finite mean, diversification is never detrimental, to society or individual agents. By contrast, if the Pareto-tailed claims have infinite mean, a conflicting situation may arise between the incentives of individual agents and the interest of some regulator to keep the risk for society small. We explain the influence of the network structure on diversification effects in different network scenarios.
With Whom Do Technology Sponsors Partner During Technology Battles? Social Networking Strategies for Unproven (and Proven) Technologies
Authors: Cohen Susan K. , Hsu Sean T. , Dahlin Kristina B.
Published: July 2016

The academic literature on technology battles has grown rapidly since the 1970s, tracking the ever-expanding role of information and communication technologies in our daily lives. An intriguing thread in this literature pertains to the influence of social networks on standards setting processes. While scholars acknowledge networks’ importance, their relevance to sponsors’ efforts to diffuse their technologies and establish them as de facto standards have been neglected. We theorize that sponsors choose alliance partners according to their location in the networks that connect potential adopters and that the network position that enhances a partner’s attractiveness depends on a technology’s stage of development. We hypothesize that sponsors of technologies that are early in their development and unproven commercially choose partners to create multiple points of contact between previous and potential adopters, called wide bridges. These redundant ties can foster the broad acceptance of a new technology that is essential to drive its diffusion. Sponsors of technologies in later stages of their development, with a commercial track record, can rely on a sparser network of ties to activate peer-to-peer diffusion. In line with our predictions, we found that during the battle to establish a 2G wireless standard in the U.S. market, Qualcomm, sponsor of the unproven CDMA (code division multiple access) technology, formed alliances that conformed to a wide-bridge pattern, while Ericsson, sponsor of the proven TDMA (time division multiple access) technology, formed alliances consistent with a peer-to-peer pattern of diffusion.
Carrying capacity of U.S. agricultural land: Ten diet scenarios
Authors: Peters Christian J. , Picardy Jamie , Darrouzet-Nardi Amelia F. , Wilkins Jennifer L. , Griffin Timothy S. , Fick Gary W.
Published: July 2016

Strategies for environmental sustainability and global food security must account for dietary change. Using a biophysical simulation model we calculated human carrying capacity under ten diet scenarios. The scenarios included two reference diets based on actual consumption and eight “Healthy Diet” scenarios that complied with nutritional recommendations but varied in the level of meat content. We considered the U.S. agricultural land base and accounted for losses, processing conversions, livestock feed needs, suitability of land for crops or grazing, and land productivity. Annual per capita land requirements ranged from 0.13 to 1.08 ha person-1 year-1 across the ten diet scenarios. Carrying capacity varied from 402 to 807 million persons; 1.3 to 2.6 times the 2010 U.S. population. Carrying capacity was generally higher for scenarios with less meat and highest for the lacto-vegetarian diet. However, the carrying capacity of the vegan diet was lower than two of the healthy omnivore diet scenarios. Sensitivity analysis showed that carrying capacity estimates were highly influenced by starting assumptions about the proportion of cropland available for cultivated cropping. Population level dietary change can contribute substantially to meeting future food needs, though ongoing agricultural research and sustainable management practices are still needed to assure sufficient production levels.
Is it time to re-visit stigma? A critical review of Goffman 50 years on
Authors: Gibbons Brogan , Birks Matt
Published: July 2016

It has become a truism that the subject of mental health and in particular, those who suffer from mental health conditions, are subject to social stigma. Indeed Bates and Stickley (2013) demonstrate how mental health nurses and the law combine to reinforce stigma through systems-fostered defensive and risk-averse practice. This article explores further how the law on unintended consequences can predispose well-meant practice to be, in some cases, counter-productive and contrary to the principles of recovery. It also illustrates how stigma is understood to be a far more complex and subtly corrosive phenomenon than Goffman foresaw.
Latest developments
Authors: Bayram Liz , Leitch Neil
Published: July 2016

Send your letters, news stories or latest developments to: The Editor, Child Care, St Jude's Church, Dulwich Road, Herne Hill, London, SE24 0PB email: childcare@markallengroup.com
The key factors that affect psychological adaptation to a stoma: a literature review
Authors: Wallace Anna
Published: July 2016

Stoma care nurses support patients with a stoma throughout the care pathway and beyond, during their life with a stoma. In practice, there is wide variance in the ways that patients adapt psychologically to this life-changing surgery. This review seeks to research causative factors. Synthesising these findings can inform nursing practice and improve understanding among all health professionals involved in the care of patients with a stoma. Three key themes emerged from the literature—acceptance of the stoma, self-efficacy and preparedness for a stoma—and these three themes interlink as a whole. Understanding these key factors affecting psychological adaptation can aid the planning of effective patient-centred care. It can identify themes that are based on recognised psychological concepts and highlight when to refer for in-depth psychological support. Recommendations for nursing practice and further research are also offered.
Mathematical Model for the Formaldehyde Emission from Wood Composites
Authors: Meng Mianwu , Hong Wei
Published: July 2016

Because of the possibility of harmful formaldehyde emissions from industrial-produced wood composites, the influence of temperature, relative humidity, and frequency of ventilation on formaldehyde emission from particleboard, plywood and fiberboard respectively, were investigated in this article. An improved generally applicable model for calculating the formaldehyde emission from wood composites was established by using the iteration method, a double exponential attenuation model, and mass transfer theory. The model parameters for the emission of formaldehyde from wood composites are also discussed in this article. It is concluded that a high-temperature or high-humidity environment will promote the emission of formaldehyde from wood composites. The process of emission of formaldehyde from wood composites can be divided into quick-release, slow-release, and release saturation phases. The formaldehyde concentration can be predicted from the formaldehyde mathematical model, and the maximum difference between observed and predicted formaldehyde concentrations is less than 15 percent under different general environmental conditions.
Ant community (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) associated with Callisthene fasciculata (Spr.) Mart. (Vochysiaceae) canopies in the Pantanal of Poconé, Mato Grosso, Brazil
Authors: Yamazaki Lúcia , Dambroz Juliana , Meurer Eliandra , Vindica Vanessa França , Delabie Jacques Hubert Charles , Marques Marinêz Isaac , Batirolla Leandro Denis
Published: July 2016

Ants act in different trophic levels and are important due to their abundance, distribution and diversity in a variety of habitats, exercising influence on many different organisms and ecosystems. Thus, this study compared temporal variation on the structure and composition of the Formicidae community in canopies of Callisthene fasciculata (Spr.) Mart. (Vochysiaceae) during high water and dry periods, in the Pantanal of Poconé, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Ant sampling was performed on 12 specimens of C. fasciculata, in 2010 and 2011, using canopy fogging with insecticide, in a total of 120m² of sampled canopy. Altogether, 2,958 ants were collected. The 2,943 adults were distributed in four subfamilies, 12 genus and 26 species. Myrmicinae (18.7 ind./m2) was the most representative taxon, followed by Formicinae (3.2 ind./m2), Dolichoderinae (2.2 ind./m2) and Pseudomyrmecinae (0.3 ind./m2). The community is made up of six trophic groups, in which omnivorous (23.5 ind./m2) were the most prevalent, followed by minimum hypogeical generalists (0.5 ind./m2) and arboreal generalist predators (0.3 ind./m2). Although the results showed that Formicidae community richness, associated to C. fasciculata canopies, does not represent a significant difference among the seasonal periods, there are differences as to species distribution and grouping in trophic guilds on the host plant over the seasonal periods, indicating the influence of temporal variation, and therefore, habitat conditions on this community.
Toxicity of plant extracts from Bahia, Brazil, to Atta sexdens sexdens workers (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Authors: Gomes Mariana De Carvalho Aguiar Ribas , Paula Vanderlúcia Fonseca de , Moreira Aldenise Alves , Castellani Maria Aparecida , Macedo Guadalupe Edilma Licona de
Published: July 2016

The aim of this study was to evaluate the toxicity of extracts of Aspidosperma spruceanum Benth ex. Mull Arg. (leaf and bark), Casearia arborea (Rich.) Urb. (leaf and branch), Casearia sylvestris Sw. (leaf and bark), Erythroxylum affine A.St.-Hil. (leaf and branch), Esenbeckia grandiflora Mart. (leaf and bark), Ocotea brasiliensis Coe-Teix (bark and branch), Simarouba amara Aubl. (bark), Tabernaemontana bracteolaris Mart. ex Müll.Arg.  (leaf, bark and branch) and Zanthoxylum rhoifolium Lam. (leaf and branch) plant species, collected in the state of Bahia, Brazil, to workers of Atta sexdens L. cutting-ants. The toxicity of extracts was assessed through tests of ingestion and contact, with topical application on thorax of ants and through addition of extracts in diet, respectively. Data of topical application were submitted to analysis of variance and to the Tukey test while data from ingestion were compared by survival curves using the statistical test ¨log rank¨. Through contact, the extracts of leaf and branch of Z. rhoifolium and of bark of S. amara were the most toxic ones. Through ingestion, four extracts were toxic and were characterized as of delayed action, with the extract of Z. rhoifolium branch presenting the slowest action (S50= 10 days). This characteristic is crucial to its possible use in toxic baits. The extracts of leaf and branch of Z. rhoifolium were the only ones that presented toxicity through contact and ingestion.
Is the initial nest depth adapted to favorable conditions for the incipient colony in leaf-cutting ants?
Authors: Camargo Roberto , Forti Luiz Carlos , Matos Carlos Alberto Oliveira , Caldato Nadia , Fonseca Otavio Silvaston
Published: July 2016

The nest dug by the leaf-cutter ant queen of the genus Atta is a vertical tunnel interconnected to a small chamber to hold its offspring and the symbiotic fungus. The depth of the initial chamber of the Atta sexdens rubropilosa ranges from 10 to 30 cm below the soil surface. This available information, could it be that the ideal initial nest depth is adapted to favorable conditions for the initial colony? We hypothesized this depth can provide a minimum temperature range with almost constant temperature, leading to the development of symbiotic fungus and brood yet to emerge. To test this hypothesis, laboratory experiments were carried out and the soil temperature was measured at different depths. The colony development at different temperatures was studied in the laboratory and the brood production (number of eggs, larvae, pupae and adults) was measured until the first workers emergency. Additionally, lipid content and the survival of queens at different temperatures were determined. Our results show an suitable temperature range (ranging from 24.82±3.14°C to 24.11±1.30°C) at a depth of 5 to 25 cm from the ground, an ideal brood development at temperatures of 24 and 28 °C, and consequently a reduction in lipid content of the queens at high temperatures, without affecting their survival in the trial period. These results indicate that the depth of the initial chamber excavated by the queen is suitable for the success of the incipient colony.
Towards [hyper] drawing... through ambiguity
Authors: Marshall Russell , Sawdon Phil
Published: July 2016

This article explores ambiguity in contemporary fine art drawing through the presentation of a proposal and subsequent response. Drawing within three figurations – Empson’s seven types of ambiguity in literary prose (first published in 1930), the logical fallacies of ambiguity, and grammatical prepositions (e.g. between, beyond, beside, etc.) – the article aims to investigate the opportunities that arise if we are ambivalent to, subvert, or challenge definitions of drawing. The article critiques the origins of hyperdrawing by tracing from a point of retrieval, where a conceptual and practical view ‘point’ is set into motion beginning with a revisiting of the author’s previous research into this hyperview. This trace moves through the three figurations: mapping the seven ambiguities, overlaid and interwoven with five fallacies, drawing emergent prepositions, in advancing logical disorder. An example drawn response, titled Seventh (from a series of drawings titled First through to Seventh), is selectively unwoven in the context of the figurations. The article discusses the opportunities highlighted through this response, returning to the proposal that a position of ambiguity (a lack of definition) is desirable and presents a fallacious definition. Ultimately (drawing) ambiguity is left unresolved; however, its opportunities are explored through an examination of the boundary between literary criticism and drawing.
Time trace: A drawn perception
Authors: Carlson Brooke
Published: July 2016

If drawing is the trace of an action, and action is transitory, could drawing then exist as a perception of time in space? ‘Time Trace: a drawn perception’ investigates the tactility of the drawing discipline specifically within the context of performative practices. The article aims to discover the act of drawing as a way of marking time and the role of tactility in the experience of live action. By examining the collaborative project, what remains and is to come by Katrina Brown and Rosanna Irvine, the article explores how artists activate the auditory and visual senses to discover the transitory space of past, present and future. In relation to temporal experience, Henri Bergson’s phenomenology of ‘successive sensations’ is analysed alongside Amelia Jones’ interrogation of materiality concerned with the performative use of the artist’s body.
Cutcomb Polaroid
Authors: McMurray Grace
Published: July 2016

Cutcomb Polaroid explores the relationships of drawing processes, between digital practice and the handmade, and image creation in relation to theory.
Reviews
Authors: O’Donnell Lucy , Kantrowitz Andrea , Brew Angela , Fava Michelle
Published: July 2016

The Prison Drawing Project: Contemporary Drawing Exhibition, The Old Borough of Scarborough Jail, Scarborough, Yorkshire, 13–14 February

We All Draw: The Fourth International Thinking through Drawing Symposium,
Bargehouse, OXO Tower Wharf, London, 6–8 November 2015
Book Review
Authors: Jackson Mark
Published: July 2016

ANCHOR, Joe Graham (ed.) (2015) London: Marmalade Publishers of Visual Theory, 120 pp., ISBN: 978-0-9933373-0-7, p/bk, £8.99, €10.00
Isolation and molecular characterization of Acanthamoeba strains isolated from the oral cavity of immunosuppressed individuals in Tehran, Iran
Authors: Memari Fatemeh , Niyyati Maryam , Lorenzo-Morales Jacob , Jonaydi Zaynab
Published: July 2016

spp. is an opportunistic protozoan parasite which is the causative agent of granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) and
New species of Parapharyngodon (Nematoda: Pharyngodonidae) in Phymaturus spp. (Iguania: Liolaemidae) from Argentina
Authors: Ramallo Geraldine , Bursey Charles , Castillo Gabriel , Acosta Juan Carlos
Published: July 2016

sp. nov. (Nematoda: Pharyngodonidae) from the large intestines of
Occurrence of Toxoplasma gondii in domestic rabbits of Northeastern Brazil
Authors: de Lima Débora Costa Viegas , Santos André de Souza , da Silva Luana Thamires Rapôso , de Melo Renata Pimentel Bandeira , da Silva José Givanildo , Júnior José Wilton Pinheiro , Mota Rinaldo Aparecido
Published: July 2016

The present study aimed to conduct a serosurvey of toxoplasmosis in domestic rabbits of Northeastern Brazil. Blood samples and tissue fragments (brain, heart and diaphragm) were collected from 150 and 54 rabbits from the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, respectively. The serum samples were subjected to serological analysis (Modified Agglutination Test – MAT) and the tissue samples were assessed by PCR and histopathological analysis. Data collected through questionnaires were subjected to analysis of risk factors. According to the MAT and the PCR results, 6.7% (10/150; CI 3.2%–11.9%) of the rabbits were positive for anti-
Supplementary studies on Anacanthorus penilabiatus and Mymarothecium viatorum (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) from Piaractus mesopotamicus (Characiformes: Serrasalmidae) in Brazil
Authors: Müller Maria Isabel , Ceccarelli Paulo Sãrgio , Ueta Marlene Tiduko
Published: July 2016

The dactylogyrid monogeneans
Prevalence and distribution of human Plasmodium infection in Federally Administrative Tribal Areas of Pakistan
Authors: Hussain Irfan , Qureshi Naveeda Akhtar , Afzal Muhammad , Shaheen Nargis , Ali Abid , Ashraf Asma
Published: July 2016

About 3.6 million Pashtun and over 1.5 million immigrants from Afghanistan live in the federally administered tribal areas (FATA) on the border between Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and southern Afghanistan. Although malaria cases are common in FATA, no detailed studies have yet been performed to reveal the actual status of malaria in the local population and epidemiological data are insufficient to elucidate the actual incidence. A malariometric survey of 691 patients of all ages and genders in seven agencies (districts) in FATA was carried out in 2013 using whole blood samples. Microscopically confirmed positive species were subjected to nested-PCR for the reconfirmation and detection of four species of
A new quill mite Syringophiloidus plocei sp. nov. (Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) parasitizing ploceid birds (Passeriformes) in Gabon – a combined description using morphology and DNA barcoding
Authors: Glowska Eliza , Broda Lukasz , Gebhard Christina A. , Dabert Miroslawa
Published: July 2016

A new species of quill mites (Syringophilidae)
Molecular screening for bacteria and protozoa in great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis) nesting in Slovakia, central Europe
Authors: Víchová Bronislava , Reiterová Katarína , Špilovská Silvia , Blaňarová Lucia , Hurníková Zuzana , Turčeková Ĺudmila
Published: July 2016

This study brings the data about the occurrence of bacterial and protozoan pathogens in 32 great cormorants
Description of three species of Isorchis (Digenea: Atractotrematidae) from Australia
Authors: Andres Michael J. , Pulis Eric E. , Overstreet Robin M.
Published: July 2016

Three species of
Coprology of a single Northern white-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus roumanicus): first report of Isospora rastegaievae in Poland
Authors: Pyziel Anna M. , Jeżewski Witold
Published: July 2016

Coprological analysis of a sample from one free-living hedgehog was done with the use of a direct flotation method with additional incubation of fecal material. The study revealed three types of eggs and oocysts in the feces. The most commonly diagnosed were oocysts of
Increased level of soluble adenosine deaminase in bone marrow of visceral leishmaniasis patients: an inverse relation with parasite load
Authors: Rai Ambak K. , Kumar Prabin , Saini Sheetal , Thakur Chandreshwar P. , Seth Tulika , Mitra Dipendra K.
Published: July 2016

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) which degrades adenosine to inosine, is known to be pro-inflammatory molecule in many diseases. Adenosine suppresses the functioning of the immune system and thus promotes dissemination of the parasite. In our previous finding, the level of soluble ADA in serum of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) was found to be increased as compared to healthy controls. However, it cannot be fairly interpreted unless their level is demonstrated at the disease site, where the parasite resides. We designed this study to correlate the level of soluble ADA (sADA) with parasitic load at the disease site i.e. bone marrow (BM). We found increased levels of sADA in BM as compared to the unaffected BM. Furthermore, a significant inverse correlation is observed between the parasite load and level of sADA at the disease site.
Isolation of thermotolerant Vermamoeba vermiformis strains from water sources in Lanzarote Island, Canary Islands, Spain
Authors: Reyes-Batlle María , Wagner Carolina , Zamora-Herrera Jonadab , Vargas-Mesa Alejandro , Sifaoui Ines , González Ana C. , López-Arencibia Atteneri , Valladares Basilio , Martínez-Carretero Enrique , Piñero José E. , Lorenzo-Morales Jacob
Published: July 2016

In this study, twenty water samples were collected in the island of Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain in order to check for the presence of
Computer-aided analysis of data from evaluation sheets of subjects with autism spectrum disorders
Authors: Pancerz Krzysztof , Derkacz Aneta , Mich Olga , Gomula Jerzy
Published: July 2016

In this paper, we deal with the problem of the initial analysis of data from evaluation sheets of subjects with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). In the research, we use an original evaluation sheet including questions about competencies grouped into 17 spheres. An initial analysis is focused on the data preprocessing step including the filtration of cases based on consistency factors. This approach enables us to obtain simpler classifiers in terms of their size (a number of nodes and leaves in decision trees and a number of classification rules).
Community structure of epiphytic diatoms on seaweeds in Northeastern Brazil
Authors: Costa Manoel Messias da Silva , Pereira Sonia Maria Barreto , Silva-Cunha Maria da Glória Gonçalves da , Arruda Patrícia Campos de , Eskinazi-Leça Enide
Published: July 2016

Epiphytic diatoms associated with three species of seaweeds, the phaeophyte Bachelotia antillarum, the ulvophyte Caulerpa verticillata, and the rhodophyte Haloplegma duperreyi, were investigated in the subtidal zone of Northeastern Brazil. A total of 54 diatom species were recorded, distributed among motile (24 species), erect (20 species), and adnate growth forms (five species), in addition to accidental occurrences (five species). Although motile diatoms showed the highest number of species, erect growth forms were the most abundant, accounting for 69% of the entire epiphytic diatom cell abundance. The total abundance ranged from 29,783 to 45,842 cells g-1 wet weight (ww), with Melosira moniliformis (erect), Rhabdonema adriaticum (erect), Cocconeis scutellum (adnate), and Surirella fastuosa (motile) as the most abundant species. The results confirmed qualitative and quantitative differences between the hosts with a greater shape diversity in B. antillarum whose thalli (filamentous-like tufts) offered an increased surface area for colonization mainly by epiphytic erect growth forms.
First evidence of the deep-sea fungus Oceanitis scuticella Kohlmeyer (Halosphaeriaceae, Ascomycota) from the Northern Hemisphere
Authors: Dupont Joëlle , Schwabe Enrico
Published: July 2016

We report on a collection of the deep-sea fungus Oceanitis scuticella from recently sunken wood at abyssal depth in the Northwest Pacific Ocean. The fungus was originally described as wood-associated from the Angola Basin. Subsequently, it was also found on sunken wood in the Southwest Pacific Ocean. Ascomata and ascospores of O. scuticella were examined by scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. The phylogenetic affiliation of the fungus within the Halosphaeriaceae was demonstrated using partial nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions and large subunit (LSU) rDNA sequencing. Slight morphological differences between this collection and previously described material were observed concerning ascomata shape, namely the drop-shaped cavity, the form of the hypostroma and the thickness of the peridium. In addition, the ascospores were smaller than those reported in previous collections. LSU rDNA phylogeny provided a good support for the placement of the NW Pacific Ocean sample within O. scuticella. The ITS rDNA sequence of the present collection differed from those of the earlier collections by 2.5–3%, a value accepted for intraspecific variation in fungi. Based on the present material, some factors interpreted as indicators for true deep-sea fungi, such as the absence of bark or co-existing xylophagic bivalves in sunken wood, are discussed and their importance is considered as limited.
A collections-based approach to the species and their distribution based on the bladed Bangiales (Rhodophyta) of Iceland
Authors: Gunnarsson Karl , Egilsdóttir Svanhildur , Nielsen Ruth , Brodie Juliet
Published: July 2016

An assessment of the 11 species of bladed Bangiales from Iceland in a collection of approximately 1770 specimens collected between 1883 and 2013 was undertaken by combining results from molecular analysis with examination of morphological variation in order to determine their distribution in detail. Seven of the species grow all around Iceland. Of the remaining four species, Porphyra linearis, P. dioica and Pyropia leucosticta have their northern limit of distribution along the southwestern and western part of the country, and Pyropia thulaea, an arctic species, only grows at the eastern coast, which is the coldest part of the coastline. Detailed reliable records of species distribution are important to detect future changes in the flora due to anthropogenic or natural environmental changes and have implications for conservation policy.
Analytical performance of 17 general chemistry analytes across countries and across manufacturers in the INPUtS project of EQA organizers in Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom and Spain
Authors: Weykamp Cas , Secchiero Sandra , Plebani Mario , Thelen Marc , Cobbaert Christa , Thomas Annette , Jassam Nuthar , Barth Julian H. , Perich Carmen , Ricós Carmen , Faria Ana Paula
Published: July 2016

Background:

Optimum patient care in relation to laboratory medicine is achieved when results of laboratory tests are equivalent, irrespective of the analytical platform used or the country where the laboratory is located. Standardization and harmonization minimize differences and the success of efforts to achieve this can be monitored with international category 1 external quality assessment (EQA) programs.

Methods:

An EQA project with commutable samples, targeted with reference measurement procedures (RMPs) was organized by EQA institutes in Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, UK, and Spain. Results of 17 general chemistry analytes were evaluated across countries and across manufacturers according to performance specifications derived from biological variation (BV).

Results:

For K, uric acid, glucose, cholesterol and high-density density (HDL) cholesterol, the minimum performance specification was met in all countries and by all manufacturers. For Na, Cl, and Ca, the minimum performance specifications were met by none of the countries and manufacturers. For enzymes, the situation was complicated, as standardization of results of enzymes toward RMPs was still not achieved in 20% of the laboratories and questionable in the remaining 80%.

Conclusions:

The overall performance of the measurement of 17 general chemistry analytes in European medical laboratories met the minimum performance specifications. In this general picture, there were no significant differences per country and no significant differences per manufacturer. There were major differences between the analytes. There were six analytes for which the minimum quality specifications were not met and manufacturers should improve their performance for these analytes. Standardization of results of enzymes requires ongoing efforts.
Biorefinery for the Production of Biodiesel, Hydrogen and Synthesis Gas Integrated with CHP from Oil Palm in Malaysia
Authors: Ayodele Bamidele V. , Cheng Chin Kui
Published: July 2016

Malaysia is presently the world’s largest exporter of palm oil with total production of 19.22 million tonnes of crude palm oil (CPO) in 2013. Aside CPO, by-products such as empty fruit bunch (EFB), palm kernel shell (PKS), palm kernel oil (PKO), palm kernel cake (PKC) and pressed palm fibres (PPF) are produced from the palm oil mills. These biomasses can be used as potential feedstock for the production of biofuels, biogas and bioelectricity. One of the ways to fully harness the potentials of these biomasses is by employing the biorefinery concepts where all the products and by-products from oil palm are utilized for production of valuable bio-products. In this study, technological feasibility of biorefinery for the production of biodiesel, hydrogen, Fischer-Tropsch liquids (FTLs) integrated with combined heat and power (CHP) generation was investigated. Flowsheet was designed for each of the processes using Aspen HYSYS® v 8.0. Material balance was performed on a palm oil mill processing 250 tonnes per year of fresh fruit palm (FFP). Results from the material balance shows that 45.1 tonnes of refined bleached deodorized palm oil (RDBPO) and 52.4 tonnes of EFB were available for the production of biodiesel, hydrogen, FTLs and the CHP generation. The annual plant capacity of the biodiesel production is estimated to be 26,331.912 tonnes. The overall energy consumption of the whole process was estimated to be 36.0 GJ/h. This energy demand was met with power generated from the CHP which is 792 GJ/h leaving a surplus of 756 GJ/h that can be sold to the grid. The process modelling and simulation of the biorefinery process shows technological feasibility of producing valuable products from oil palm.
Community engagement in seafood identification using DNA barcoding reveals market substitution in Canadian seafood
Authors: Naaum Amanda Madelaine , Hanner Robert
Published: July 2016

Seafood authenticity is a global concern. As seafood consumption increases, so does public awareness of the associated nutritional and environmental issues related to seafood mislabeling. Cases of substitution continue to be observed, even after the adoption of DNA barcoding as a regulatory tool by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States in 2011. Although media coverage of these cases has highlighted the incidence of fraud in Canada, more in-depth engagement of the public is lacking. By partnering with community members to conduct research, knowledge about the incidence and impact of seafood mislabeling can be directly communicated to consumers. In this study high school students and educators participated in a market survey using DNA barcoding to identify seafood. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency Fish List was used to determine if mislabeling had occurred. Twenty-three percent of samples surveyed were mislabeled, suggesting that the incidence of retail seafood mislabeling continues to be significant in Canada. Continued involvement of the public in market surveys will help to monitor trends in seafood mislabeling, and may help to increase awareness of potential seafood fraud.
Standards for Conducting a DNA Barcoding Market Survey: Minimum Information and Best Practices
Authors: Naaum Amanda Madelaine , St.Jaques Jason , Warner Kimberly , Santschi Linda , Imondi Ralph , Hanner Robert
Published: July 2016

DNA barcoding has been applied as a method to test seafood authenticity in numerous market surveys. This trend is continuing to gain momentum as DNA barcoding is employed as a regulatory tool, by the media, and by students to test seafood products, in addition to its use by scientific researchers to monitor seafood substitution. However, as market surveys documenting mislabeling continue to be published by both the press and scientific journals, there is a need for standardization in practices to aid in comparing and verifying results. This communication provides an overview of best practices for conducting and reporting DNA barcoding market studies for seafood. These standards can also be used as a guideline for other methods for conducting market surveys, or for market surveys employing DNA barcoding of other groups of organisms.
Use of DNA barcode in the identification of fish species from Ribeira de Iguape Basin and coastal rivers from São Paulo State (Brazil)
Authors: Henriques Jefferson Monteiro , Silva Guilherme José Costa , Ashikaga Fernando Yuldi , Hanner Robert , Foresti Fausto , Oliveira Claudio
Published: July 2016

Species identification is a difficult task, ranging from the definition of the species concept itself to the definition of the threshold for speciation. DNA Barcode technology uses a fragment of the Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) gene as a molecular tool that many studies have already validated as a tool for species identification. DNA barcode sequences for COI were generated and analyzed from 805 specimens. The General Mixed Yule Coalescent (GMYC) analysis recognized 99 independent evolution units, and the Barcode Index Numbers (BIN) approach pointed to the existence of 104 BINs (interpreted as distinct species). By cross-tabulating the results of all approaches, we identified 109 Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTU) by at least one methodology. In most cases (89 MOTUs), the genetic approaches are in agreement with morphological identification, and the discrepant results of MOTUs are in the complex groups, which have many morphological similarities but may represent species complexes.
A record of the Porbeagle, Lamna nasus, in coastal waters of Buenos Aires (Argentina) confirmed by DNA barcoding
Authors: Mabragaña Ezequiel , Astarloa Juan M. Díaz de , Lucifora Luis O.
Published: July 2016

A record of a juvenile Porbeagle, Lamna nasus, in the coastal waters of Argentina is confirmed by DNA barcoding, since the specimen lacked some external diagnostic features. We discuss the occurrence of this species in the coastal waters of Argentina, its molecular affinity with conspecifics from a broad range of the species, and relevant conservation issues.
Adding nuclear rhodopsin data where mitochondrial COI indicates discrepancies – can this marker help to explain conflicts in cyprinids?
Authors: Behrens-Chapuis S. , Herder F. , Esmaeili H. R. , Freyhof J. , Hamidan N. A. , Özuluğ M. , Šanda R. , Geiger M. F.
Published: July 2016

DNA barcoding is a fast and reliable tool for species identification, and has been successfully applied to a wide range of freshwater fishes. The limitations reported were mainly attributed to effects of geographic scale, taxon-sampling, incomplete lineage sorting, or mitochondrial introgression. However, the metrics for the success of assigning unknown samples to species or genera also depend on a suited taxonomic framework. A simultaneous use of the mitochondrial COI and the nuclear RHO gene turned out to be advantageous for the barcode efficiency in a few previous studies. Here, we examine 14 cyprinid fish genera, with a total of 74 species, where standard DNA barcoding failed to identify closely related species unambiguously. Eight of the genera (Acanthobrama, Alburnus, Chondrostoma, Gobio, Mirogrex, Phoxinus, Scardinius, and Squalius) contain species that exhibit very low interspecific divergence, or haplotype sharing (12 species pairs) with presumed introgression based on mtCOI data. We aimed to test the utility of the nuclear rhodopsin marker to uncover reasons for the high similarity and haplotype sharing in these different groups. The included labeonine species belonging to Crossocheilus, Hemigrammocapoeta, Tylognathus and Typhlogarra were found to be nested within the genus Garra based on mtCOI. This specific taxonomic uncertainty was also addressed by the use of the additional nuclear marker. As a measure of the delineation success we computed barcode gaps, which were present in 75% of the species based on mtCOI, but in only 39% based on nuclear rhodopsin sequences. Most cases where standard barcodes failed to offer unambiguous species identifications could not be resolved by adding the nuclear marker. However, in the labeonine cyprinids included, nuclear rhodopsin data generally supported the lineages as defined by the mitochondrial marker. This suggests that mitochondrial patterns were not mislead by introgression, but are caused by an inadequate taxonomy. Our findings support the transfer of the studied species of Crossocheilus, Hemigrammocapoeta, Tylognathus and Typhlogarra to Garra.
The applicability of DNA barcoding for dietary analysis of sika deer
Authors: Nakahara Fumiko , Ando Haruko , Ito Hideyuki , Murakami Asako , Morimoto Naoki , Yamasaki Michimasa , Takayanagi Atsushi , Isagi Yuji
Published: July 2016

In Japan, overgrazing by sika deer (Cervus nippon) has been suggested to cause a decline in forest understory vegetation. DNA barcoding has become an accepted method for analyzing the diets of animals and may be useful for evaluating the impact of sika deer on vegetation. However, the applicability of DNA barcoding in the dietary analysis of sika deer, particularly whether all of the food plants can be detected with sufficient taxonomic resolution and whether the results can be evaluated quantitatively, has not been investigated. We conducted a feeding trial by feeding five plant species to a captive sika deer and sequenced the chloroplast trnL P6 loop region from the sika deer’s fecal DNA using the Ion PGM sequencer. We detected the sequences of all of the food plants at the species level using the local (selfproduced) database and at the genus or family level with the global database. Although the sequences of some major food plants were detected with high frequency, the proportion of consumed food plants did not match the proportion of sequences obtained from fecal DNA. With further technical advances and the further completeness of the sequence database for vegetation, DNA barcoding will be a useful tool for the dietary study of sika deer.