bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bilingual children with primary language impairment: 3 months after treatment
Authors: Pham Giang , Ebert Kerry Danahy , Kohnert Kathryn
Published: August 2014

Background

Evidence on the treatment effectiveness for bilingual children with primary language impairment (PLI) is needed to advance both theory and clinical practice. Of key interest is whether treatment effects are maintained following the completion of short‐term intense treatments.

Aims

To investigate change in select language and cognitive skills in Spanish–English bilingual children with PLI 3 months after children have completed one of three experimental treatment conditions. There are two main study aims. First, to determine if skills in Spanish, English and cognitive processing decline, improve or are maintained after treatment has been completed. Second, to determine if differential rates of change are a function of the type of treatment children received.

Methods & Procedures

Participants were 48 children, aged 5:6–11:3, who spoke Spanish and English and were diagnosed with moderate to severe PLI. Participants received 6 weeks of treatment focused on English only (EO), bilingual skills in Spanish and English (BI) or nonlinguistic cognitive processing (NCP). Treatment effects reported in a previous study were determined by comparing pre‐ and post‐treatment performance on a variety of language and cognitive measures. Here we re‐administered each measure 3 months after completion of the experimental treatments. Hierarchical linear models were calculated for each measure using pre‐, post‐ and follow‐up testing scores to estimate change trajectories and compare outcomes between treatment conditions.

Outcomes & Results

Participants in all three treatment conditions either maintained skills or showed improvement even after treatment was discontinued for 3 months. Main findings included (1) comparable, positive rates of change on all English language outcomes for EO and BI conditions; (2) maintenance of Spanish language skills, and (3) modest improvements in NCP following the discontinuation of treatment.

Conclusions & Implications

This study is the first to examine longer‐term treatment effects for bilingual school‐age children with PLI. Differences in rates of change between languages and between treatment conditions are discussed in terms of social and cognitive processes that impact children's language systems. The main findings have at least two implications for clinical practice: (1) therapy that emphasizes focused practice in language and cognitive processing skills may promote gains in children's language learning abilities; and (2) bilingual treatment does not detract from outcomes in English, the language of the majority community for study participants.
Critical limb ischaemia: An evaluation of current revascularization outcome of endovascular intervention versus open‐bypass surgery
Authors: Chan Shun‐Yan , Pang Skyi Yin‐Chun
Published: August 2014

Aim

The aim of the present study was to evaluate current results of endovascular and open‐bypass treatment of critical limb ischaemia subsequent to advancement in endovascular instruments and the development of endovascular technique in the past decade.

Patients and Methods

A total of 160 patients with 167 limbs treated at a single centre between 2008 and 2012 were followed up for at least 2 years and reviewed retrospectively. Patients were stratified into an endovascular group and an open‐bypass group based on first intervention received. The two groups demonstrated comparable demographics, clinical profile classified by Rutherford Classifications and lesion characteristics evaluated according to TransAtlantic Intersociety Consensus staging standards. One‐year primary patency, 2‐year primary patency, secondary patency, overall survival rate and amputation‐free‐survival rate were compared between the endovascular group and open‐bypass group.

Results

The endovascular group showed superior results to the bypass group in terms of 1‐year amputation‐free‐survival (endovascular: 78.2 per cent, open bypass: 61.3 per cent, P = 0.023) and 2‐year‐amputation‐free‐survival (endovascular: 73.1 per cent, open bypass: 56 per cent, P = 0.027). No significant difference was found between the two groups in 1‐year primary patency (endovascular: 80.3 per cent, open bypass: 67.8 per cent, P = 0.103), 2‐year primary patency (endovascular: 80.3 per cent, open bypass: 64.8 per cent, P = 0.056), 1‐year secondary patency (endovascular: 77.8 per cent, open bypass: 66.7 per cent, P = 0.577) and two‐year secondary patency (endovascular: 77.8 per cent, open bypass: 58.3 per cent, P = 0.350). Comparable results were noted in the 1‐year survival rate (endovascular: 91 per cent, open bypass: 81.3 per cent, P = 0.082) and 2‐year survival rate (endovascular: 84.6 per cent, open bypass: 72 per cent, P = 0.058). Lower median blood loss (endovascular: 15 mL, open bypass: 100 mL) and shorter mean operative time (endovascular: 27.2 min, open bypass: 143.1 min) were demonstrated in the endovascular group.

Conclusion

Endovascular intervention has demonstrated superior results to bypass surgery in critical limb ischaemia in terms of 1‐year and 2‐year amputation‐free‐survival, with potential benefits of lower intraoperative blood loss and a shorter operative time. Primary patency, secondary patency and overall survival in 2 years are currently comparable between the two intervention modalities.
Collision malignant melanoma and medullary carcinoma of the thyroid
Authors: He Qingqing , Zhuang Dayong , Zheng Luming , Zhou Peng , Duan Songjian , Jing Hongbiao
Published: August 2014

This report presents the case of a 54‐year‐old woman with a collision tumour of malignant melanoma and medullary thyroid carcinoma in the thyroid. Twenty four of 25 neck lymph nodes contained metastatic melanoma, with the rest having both metastatic melanoma and medullary carcinoma. Systemic chemotherapy was administered for the malignant melanoma, and a complete response was thus obtained. However, just after having the chemotherapy, multiple lung and brain metastases emerged. The simultaneous occurrence of malignant melanoma and medullary carcinoma in the same thyroid has not been previously reported in the literature. Collision tumour of malignant melanoma and medullary carcinoma of the thyroid might imply bad prognosis.
‘And the Oscar Goes to… Daybreak in Udi’: Understanding Late Colonial Community Development and its Legacy through Film
Authors: Page Ben
Published: August 2014

This article analyses the 1949 film Daybreak in Udi and the influential ideas of its ‘star’ Edward Rowland Chadwick, a District Officer, with a view to understanding the legacy of the colonial policy of Community Development in Eastern Nigeria and Cameroon. The film, which is freely available online, follows an African community using ‘self‐help’ methods to construct a rural maternity home. It helps visualize the colonial practices of ‘mass education’ and ‘community betterment’ but is not just a drama‐documentary: it is also an argument in favour of community development. The article argues that Chadwick's ideas had a profound influence within the region where he worked, and that colonial community development more generally provides a key source for ‘participatory development’. The film also discloses a late colonial ‘socio‐geographical imaginary’, articulated through a hierarchy of specific social categories (administrative officers, teachers, peasants, elders, women and troublemakers), spatial locations (urban, rural) and the distinctions between them (modern/reactionary, leader/worker, audible/silent). The article shows that colonial community development not only played an important role in fixing these categories within subsequent development thinking, but that it also ran up against one of the ongoing paradoxes of ‘self‐help development’, namely that it usually requires an outsider.
Declining Predation during Development: a Feedback Process
Authors: Bethencourt Carlos , Perera‐Tallo Fernando
Published: August 2014

Empirical evidence suggests that poorer countries have larger amounts of predation. We formulate a neoclassical growth model in which agents devote time to either produce or predate. When the elasticity of substitution between labour and capital is lower than one, the labour share rises with capital, reducing the incentive to predate and increasing the incentive to produce throughout the transition. Consequently, a feedback process between capital accumulation and predation arises, which amplifies income differences generated by differences in productivity. This paper helps to explain why differences between countries have remained stable and the key role that institutions play in development.
Biogeography of parasitism in freshwater fish: spatial patterns in hot spots of infection
Authors: Blasco‐Costa Isabel , Rouco Carlos , Poulin Robert
Published: August 2014

Contrary to species occurrence, little is known about the determinants of spatial patterns of intraspecific variation in abundance, particularly for parasitic organisms. In this study, we provide a multi‐faceted overview of spatial patterns in parasite abundance and examine several potential underlying processes. We first tested for a latitudinal gradient in local abundance of the regionally most common parasite species and whether these species achieve higher abundances at the same localities (shared hot spots of infection). Secondly, we tested whether intraspecific similarity in local abundance between sites follows a spatial distance decay pattern or is better explained by variation in extrinsic biotic and abiotic factors between localities related to local parasite transmission success. We examined the infection landscape of a model fish host system (common and upland bullies, genusGobiomorphus: Eleotridae) across its entire distributional range. We applied general linear models to test the effect of latitude on each species local abundance independently, including the abundance of each co‐infecting species as another predictor. We computed multiple regressions on distance matrices among localities based on abundance of each of the four most common trematode species, as well as for geographic distance, biotic and abiotic distinctness of the localities. Our results showed that the most widely distributed parasites of bullies also achieve the highest mean local abundances, following the abundance – occupancy relationship. Variation in local abundance of any focal parasite species was independent of latitude, the abundance of co‐occurring species and spatial distance or disparity in biotic attributes between localities. For only one parasite species, similarity of abundance between sites covaried with the extent of abiotic differences between sites. The lack of association between hot spots of infection for co‐occurring species reinforces the geographic mosaic scenario in which hosts and parasites coevolve by suggesting non‐deterministic, species‐specific variation in parasite abundance across space.
First‐episode affective psychosis and lipid monitoring: survival analysis of the first abnormal lipid test
Authors: Archie Suzanne , Zangeneh‐Kazemi Azadeh , Akhtar‐Danesh Noori
Published: August 2014

Aim

This study aimed to assess the probability of developing a lipid test abnormality over time, among first‐time users of antipsychotic medications with affective psychosis.

Methods

Survival analysis was used to analyse data from an early intervention in psychosis programme for the first 53 consecutive and eligible cases of patients between the ages of 14 and 40 years who had a diagnosis of affective psychosis. Data on initiation of antipsychotic medications and lipid laboratory test results were abstracted from chart reviews.

Results

Within the first 18 months of receiving antipsychotic medications, the probability of surviving without an abnormal lipid test was only 25% (confidence interval 95%: 13.1%, 40.4%). The median time to the development of an abnormal test was 8 months for males and 12 months for females (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Additional studies are needed to document the incidence over time of abnormal lipid tests to inform clinicians about the optimal frequency of monitoring.
LDH is an adverse prognostic factor independent of ISS in transplant‐eligible myeloma patients receiving bortezomib‐based induction regimens
Authors: Chim Chor Sang , Sim Joycelyn , Tam Sidney , Tse Eric , Lie Albert Kwok Wai , Kwong Yok Lam
Published: August 2014

Background

Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) has been an adverse prognostic factor for myeloma but does not feature in the International Staging System (ISS). We examined whether elevated serum LDH at diagnosis remains an adverse risk factor independent of ISS for survivals transplant‐eligible myeloma patients receiving early/frontline bortezomib‐based induction, followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT).

Patients

Seventy‐seven transplant‐eligible Chinese patients received three induction regimens [staged approach (N = 25), PAD (N = 19), VTD (N = 33)], followed by ASCT and thalidomide maintenance.

Results

Five‐year overall (OS) and event‐free (EFS) survivals were 66.4% and 36.2%. There was no difference in demographics, complete remission/near complete remission (CR/nCR rates postinduction or ASCT, and survivals among patients induced by the three induction regimens. Elevated LDH was associated with male gender (P = 0.006), ISS III (P = 0.042) and serum β2‐microglobulin (P = 0.040). Univariate analysis showed that elevated LDH, ISS III, high β2‐microglobulin, and failure to attain CR/nCR post‐ACST were risk factors adversely impacting both OS and EFS. Multivariate analysis showed that elevated LDH was the only factor impacting both OS (P = 0.007) and EFS (P = 0.008).

Conclusion

In this uniformly treated cohort of transplant‐eligible myeloma patients, elevated serum LDH is an adverse risk factor independent of ISS for both OS and EFS. Bortezomib‐based induction/ASCT regimen had not abolished the adverse impact of elevated LDH.
Systematic review of epilepsy self‐management interventions integrated with a synthesis of children and young people's views and experiences
Authors: Lewis Sheila A. , Noyes Jane , Hastings Richard P.
Published: August 2014

Aim

To determine the effectiveness of epilepsy self‐management interventions and explore the views and experiences of medication and seizures by children and young people.

Background

Experiencing seizures and side‐effects from anti‐epileptic medicines have negative impacts on children and young people managing their epilepsy. Children commonly experiment with not taking epilepsy medication as prescribed and engage in unhealthy lifestyles.

Design/Review Methods

Mixed‐method systematic review with theory development. Cochrane quantitative methods and thematic synthesis of qualitative and survey evidence.

Data Sources

Eight databases were searched from earliest dates to July 2013.

Results

Nineteen studies were included. Meta‐analysis was not possible. Zero of nine intervention studies showed improvement in anti‐epilepsy medication adherence. Skill‐based behavioural techniques with activities such as role play and goal setting with young people increased epilepsy knowledge and seizure self‐management (small effects). Intervention studies were methodologically weak and no studies reported if improvement in self‐management was sustained over time. Synthesis of nine qualitative and one mixed‐method studies generated six themes encapsulating anti‐epilepsy medication and epilepsy effects. There was a lack of fidelity between intervention programme theories and what children and young people found difficult with medication self‐management and managing the effects of epilepsy.

Conclusion

Children and young people knowingly and/or unknowingly take risks with their epilepsy and give reasoned explanations for doing so. There are no effective interventions to change epilepsy medication adherence behaviours. There is an urgent need for more innovative and individually tailored interventions to address specific challenges to epilepsy self‐management as identified by children and young people themselves.
A critical season approach to Allen's rule: bill size declines with winter temperature in a cold temperate environment
Authors: Danner Raymond M. , Greenberg Russell
Published: August 2014

Aim

Bill size is positively correlated with average air temperature in several avian taxa. The conventional explanation for this pattern is that the poorly insulated surface area of the bill functions to dissipate excess heat in hot climates or retain heat in cold climates (Allen's rule). We hypothesize that the applicability of Allen's rule depends upon the season of critical thermal stress, which may vary by location and species. We previously found that bill size increases with high summer temperature in song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) of California, supporting the hypothesis that larger bills are an adaptation to release dry heat and minimize evaporative water loss in a hot, dry environment. Song sparrows in eastern North America face a different climatic regime, in which summers are warm but moist, and winters are cold. We predicted that this climate region would select for smaller bills to minimize heat loss.

Location

From coastal Delaware and Maryland to the Allegheny Plateau of the eastern USA.

Methods

We measured body size and bill morphology of 274 song sparrow individuals across a climatic gradient and geographical gradient. We used linear regression models to test for effects of geographical location and 30‐year means of minimum winter and maximum summer temperatures and annual rainfall on bill size.

Results

Bill size was best predicted by, and positively correlated with, cold winter temperatures and distance from the Atlantic coast. Body size did not change substantially with distance from the coast, indicating that the pattern of bill size was not a result of allometry. Coastal birds had bills larger than predicted by a linear effect of minimum temperature.

Main conclusions

Collectively, these results support the hypothesis that variation in bill size reflects selection for winter heat retention rather than for summer heat dissipation. Bill size may be shaped by physiological responses to regional climates, and the season of critical thermal stress may vary geographically, even on relatively small spatial scales.
Evolution and diversification related to rainfall regimes: diversification patterns in the South African genus Metalasia (Asteraceae–Gnaphalieae)
Authors: Bengtson Annika , Nylinder Stephan , Karis Per Ola , Anderberg Arne A.
Published: August 2014

Aim

The Cape region is known for its exceptional species richness, although much remains unknown regarding the appearance of the modern Cape flora. One explanation is that floral diversification was influenced by the establishment of winter rainfall/summer arid conditions hypothesized to have occurred towards the end of the Miocene. We studied the evolution and diversification of the plant genus Metalasia (Asteraceae–Gnaphalieae), with the aim of testing whether radiation patterns may have been influenced by the climatic changes.

Location

South Africa, with emphasis on the south‐west.

Methods

The radiation of Metalasia was investigated using two approaches: a species diffusion approach, which estimated the ancestral areas by means of a relaxed random walk while sampling from extant distributions; and a discrete approach, in which distributions were defined according to the phytogeographical centres of the Cape region. Secondarily derived clock rates from an earlier Gnaphalieae study were used for calibration purposes.

Results

Our analyses date Metalasia to approximately 6.9 Ma, after the Miocene–Pliocene boundary and the establishment of the winter rainfall/summer arid conditions. Metalasia consists of two sister clades: Clade A and Clade B. Clade B, which is endemic to the winter rainfall area, is estimated to have diversified c. 6.4 Ma, whereas Clade A, with a main distribution in the all‐year rainfall area, is considerably younger, with a crown group age estimated to 3.3 Ma. Diversification rates suggest an early rapid speciation, with rates decreasing through time both for Metalasia and for clades A and B separately. Ancestral area estimations show a possible scenario for the radiation of Metalasia to its current diversity and distribution, with no conflict between results inferred from diffusion or discrete methods.

Main conclusions

The diversification of Metalasia is estimated to have begun after the establishment of the winter rainfall/summer arid conditions, consistent with its radiation having been influenced by changes in the climatic regime.
The History of Genres: Reaching for Reality in Law and Literature
Authors: Rosenberg Anat
Published: August 2014

Genres are historical formations; their ability to generate knowledge depends on their interrelationships within a culture. Since law, too, can be viewed as a genre, studies of specific historical relationalities between law and other genres are necessary for law's own history and theory. This essay discusses differentiations between Victorian law and literature, starting out from the recent publication of Ayelet Ben‐Yishai'sCommon Precedents: The Presentness of the Past in Victorian Law and Fiction(2013), which reveals some of that history. I examine two points: differentiations in legal and literary approaches to probabilistic knowledge, and differentiations in the author functions in law and literature. These differentiations bear multiple implications. I discuss implications for evidence‐law debates about probabilistic evidence, for contract‐law debates about the centrality of autonomy and self‐authorship, and for understandings of legal reasoning itself—the elusive notion of “thinking like a lawyer.”
The response regulator BcSkn7 is required for vegetative differentiation and adaptation to oxidative and osmotic stresses in Botrytis cinerea
Authors: Yang Qianqian , Yin Dafang , Yin Yanni , Cao Yi , Ma Zhonghua
Published: August 2014

The high‐osmolarity glycerol pathway plays an important role in the responses of fungi to various environmental stresses. Saccharomyces cerevisiae Skn7 is a response regulator in the high‐osmolarity glycerol pathway, which regulates the oxidative stress response, cell cycle and cell wall biosynthesis. In this study, we characterized an Skn7 orthologue BcSkn7 in Botrytis cinerea. BcSKN7 can partly restore the growth defects of S. cerevisiae SKN7 mutant and vice versa. The BcSKN7 mutant (ΔBcSkn7‐1) revealed increased sensitivity to ionic osmotic and oxidative stresses and to ergosterol biosynthesis inhibitors. In addition, ΔBcSkn7‐1 was also impaired dramatically in conidiation and sclerotial formation. Western blot analysis showed that BcSkn7 positively regulated the phosphorylation of BcSak1 (the orthologue of S. cerevisiae Hog1) under osmotic stress, indicating that BcSkn7 is associated with the high‐osmolarity glycerol pathway in B. cinerea. In contrast with BcSak1, BcSkn7 is not involved in the regulation of B. cinerea virulence. All of the phenotypic defects of ΔBcSkn7‐1 are restored by genetic complementation of the mutant with the wild‐type BcSKN7. The results of this study indicate that BcSkn7 plays an important role in the regulation of vegetative differentiation and in the response to various stresses in B. cinerea.
Suppression of NGB and NAB/ERabp1 in tomato modifies root responses to potato cyst nematode infestation
Authors: Dąbrowska‐Bronk Joanna , Czarny Magdalena , Wiśniewska Anita , Fudali Sylwia , Baranowski Łukasz , Sobczak Mirosław , Święcicka Magdalena , Matuszkiewicz Mateusz , Brzyżek Grzegorz , Wroblewski Tadeusz , Dobosz Renata , Bartoszewski Grzegorz , Filipecki Marcin
Published: August 2014

Plant‐parasitic nematodes cause significant damage to major crops throughout the world. The small number of genes conferring natural plant resistance and the limitations of chemical control require the development of new protective strategies. RNA interference or the inducible over‐expression of nematicidal genes provides an environment‐friendly approach to this problem. Candidate genes include NGB, which encodes a small GTP‐binding protein, and NAB/ERabp1, which encodes an auxin‐binding protein, which were identified as being up‐regulated in tomato roots in a transcriptome screen of potato cyst nematode (Globodera rostochiensis) feeding sites. Real‐time reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) and in situ hybridization confirmed the localized up‐regulation of these genes in syncytia and surrounding cells following nematode infection. Gene‐silencing constructs were introduced into tomato, resulting in a 20%–98% decrease in transcription levels. Nematode infection tests conducted on transgenic plants showed 57%–82% reduction in the number of G. rostochiensis females in vitro and 30%–46% reduction in pot trials. Transmission electron microscopy revealed a deterioration of cytoplasm, and degraded mitochondria and plastids, in syncytia induced in plants with reduced NAB/ERabp1 expression. Cytoplasm in syncytia induced in plants with low NGB expression was strongly electron translucent and contained very few ribosomes; however, mitochondria and plastids remained intact. Functional impairments in syncytial cytoplasm of silenced plants may result from NGB's role in ribosome biogenesis; this was confirmed by localization of yellow fluorescent protein (YFP)‐labelled NGB protein in nucleoli and co‐repression of NGB in plants with reduced NAB/ERabp1 expression. These results demonstrate that NGB and NAB/ERabp1 play important roles in the development of nematode‐induced syncytia.
THE EFFECT OF MONOPSONY POWER ON PRORATIONING AND UNITIZATION REGULATION OF THE COMMON POOL
Authors: BOYCE JOHN R.
Published: August 2014

For four decades beginning in the 1930s, the U.S. oil and gas industry was regulated by a quota‐supported price‐floor instrument known as prorationing. Most economists argue that unitization would have been a more efficient form of regulation. This paper studies how monopsony power held by integrated pipeline/refinery firms affects that conclusion. Absent regulation, the underproduction by monopsony dominates the overproduction from common‐property supply. Thus, unitization, which forces producers to internalize costs, causes output to be further restricted. In contrast, prorationing severs the price‐setting ability of the monopsonist, so can increase output to the first‐best. Under prorationing, at the first‐best output level, the marginal monopsony rents equal the Pigouvian output tax that solves the common‐property problem. Also discussed are the distribution of gains under prorationing and unitization as implemented.
Development of onabotulinumtoxinA for chronic migraine
Authors: Whitcup Scott M. , Turkel Catherine C. , DeGryse Ronald E. , Brin Mitchell F.
Published: August 2014

Discovery of the neuromuscular effects of botulinum toxin began in the early 19th century and has continued to evolve. Currently, onabotulinumtoxinA is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for two cosmetic and eight medical indications, including chronic migraine (CM). CM is a disabling form of migraine characterized by ≥15 headache days monthly and is believed to result from neuronal hypersensitivity to proinflammatory mediators, upregulation of sensory receptors, and consequent maladaptive pain responses with peripheral and central sensitization. OnabotulinumtoxinA achieves migraine prophylaxis in CM through regulation of vesicular trafficking and exocytosis, inhibition of peripheral release of neuropeptides and inflammatory peptides, and reduced cell surface expression of certain ion channels and receptors. Clinically, efficacy of onabotulinumtoxinA for CM has been shown in two phase III, placebo‐controlled trials (PREEMPT 1 and PREEMPT 2). OnabotulinumtoxinA significantly reduced the number of headache days per 28‐day cycle relative to placebo at week 24 (change from baseline: −8.4 days for onabotulinumtoxinA versus −6.6 days for placebo; P < 0.001, pooled data). OnabotulinumtoxinA improved health‐related quality of life and had an acceptable safety profile. OnabotulinumtoxinA is the only approved treatment specifically for CM prevention and represents a safe and effective therapeutic for chronic migraineurs.
Stability and retention of micronutrients in fortified rice prepared using different cooking methods
Authors: Wieringa Frank T. , Laillou Arnaud , Guyondet Christophe , Jallier Vincent , Moench‐Pfanner Regina , Berger Jacques
Published: August 2014

Fortified rice holds great potential for bringing essential micronutrients to a large part of the world population. However, it is unknown whether differences in cooking methods or in production of rice premix affect the final amount of micronutrient consumed. This paper presents a study that quantified the losses of five different micronutrients (vitamin A, iron, zinc, folic acid, and vitamin B12) in fortified rice that was produced using three different techniques (hot extrusion, cold extrusion, and coating) during cooking and five different cooking methods (absorption method with or without soaking, washing before cooking, cooking in excess water, and frying rice before cooking). Fortified rice premix from six different producers (two for each technique) was mixed with normal rice in a 1:100 ratio. Each sample was prepared in triplicate, using the five different cooking methods, and retention of iron, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B12, and folic acid was determined. It was found that the overall retention of iron, zinc, vitamin B12, and folic acid was between 75% and 100% and was unaffected by cooking method, while the retention of vitamin A was significantly affected by cooking method, with retention ranging from 0% (excess water) to 80% (soaking), depending on the cooking method and producer of the rice premix. No systematic differences between the different production methods were observed. We conclude that different cooking methods of rice as used in different regions of the world do not lead to a major loss of most micronutrients, with the exception of vitamin A. The factors involved in protecting vitamin A against losses during cooking need to be identified. All production techniques of rice premix yielded similar results, showing that coating is not inferior to extrusion techniques. Standard overages (50%) for vitamin B12 and folic acid are too high.
Desiccation enhances phosphorylation of PSII and affects the distribution of protein complexes in the thylakoid membrane
Authors: Gao Shan , Gu Wenhui , Xiong Qian , Ge Feng , Xie Xiujun , Li Jian , Chen Weizhou , Pan Guanghua , Wang Guangce
Published: August 2014

Desiccation has significant effects on photosynthetic processes in intertidal macro‐algae. We studied an intertidal macro‐alga, Ulva sp., which can tolerate desiccation, to investigate changes in photosynthetic performance and the components and structure of thylakoid membrane proteins in response to desiccation. Our results demonstrate that photosystem II (PSII) is more sensitive to desiccation than photosystem I (PSI) in Ulva sp. Comparative proteomics of the thylakoid membrane proteins at different levels of desiccation suggested that there were few changes in the content of proteins involved in photosynthesis during desiccation. Interestingly, we found that both the PSII subunit, PsbS (Photosystem II S subunit) (a four‐helix protein in the LHC superfamily), and light‐harvesting complex stress‐related (LHCSR) proteins, which are required for non‐photochemical quenching in land plants and algae, respectively, were present under both normal and desiccation conditions and both increased slightly during desiccation. In addition, the results of immunoblot analysis suggested that the phosphorylation of PSII and LHCII increases during desiccation. To investigate further, we separated out a supercomplex formed during desiccation by blue native‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and identified the components by mass spectrometry analysis. Our results show that phosphorylation of the complex increases slightly with decreased water content. All the results suggest that during the course of desiccation, few changes occur in the content of thylakoid membrane proteins, but a rearrangement of the protein complex occurs in the intertidal macro‐alga Ulva sp.
A psychometric evaluation of the Icelandic version of the WHO‐5
Authors: Guðmundsdóttir Helga Berglind , Ólason Daníel Þór , Guðmundsdóttir Dóra Guðrún , Sigurðsson Jón Friðrik
Published: August 2014

The psychometric properties of the Icelandic version of the World Health Organization five wellbeing index (WHO‐5) were evaluated using two samples, a randomly selected sample (N = 3,896) from the Icelandic National Registry and a convenience sample of primary care patients (N = 126). The factor structure of the scale was tested with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The correlation between the WHO‐5 and other measures of depression and anxiety were calculated to assess the scale's convergent and divergent validity. The discriminant validity of the WHO‐5 was explored with a receiver operating analysis compared to the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. The CFA indicated that the factor structure of the WHO‐5 was one‐dimensional and factorial invariant between groups. The internal reliability of the WHO‐5 was adequate and the convergent, divergent and discriminant validity of the WHO‐5 was supported. It is concluded that the psychometric properties of the Icelandic version of the WHO‐5 are satisfactory.
‘Let's Talk about Emotions!’. The Effect of Conversational Training on Preschoolers' Emotion Comprehension and Prosocial Orientation
Authors: Ornaghi Veronica , Grazzani Ilaria , Cherubin Elisa , Conte Elisabetta , Piralli Francesca
Published: August 2014

We investigated whether conversational intervention focused on emotions could promote the development of emotion comprehension (EC), theory of mind (ToM), and prosocial orientation in preschoolers. Seventy‐five 4‐ to 5‐year‐old children (Mage at pre‐test: 5 years and 1 month; standard deviation = 6.83 months), assigned to experimental and control conditions, were pre‐ and post‐tested for verbal ability, EC, false‐belief understanding, and prosocial orientation. Over a 6‐week intervention, all children were presented with brief illustrated scenarios based on emotional scripts. The training group was then involved in conversations about the nature, causes, and regulation of emotion whereas the control group engaged in free play, where conversation was minimized. The training group outperformed the control group in EC and prosocial orientation, even after controlling for gains in verbal ability whereas no differences were found for children's false‐belief understanding. The positive effect remained stable over time. Practical implications of the findings are discussed.
Targeting of Viral Capsids to Nuclear Pores in a Cell‐Free Reconstitution System
Authors: Anderson Fenja , Savulescu Anca F. , Rudolph Kathrin , Schipke Julia , Cohen Ilana , Ibiricu Iosune , Rotem Asaf , Grünewald Kay , Sodeik Beate , Harel Amnon
Published: August 2014

Many viruses deliver their genomes into the nucleoplasm for viral transcription and replication. Here, we describe a novel cell‐free system to elucidate specific interactions between viruses and nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). Nuclei reconstituted in vitro from egg extracts of Xenopus laevis, an established biochemical system to decipher nuclear functions, were incubated with GFP‐tagged capsids of herpes simplex virus, an alphaherpesvirus replicating in the nucleus. Capsid binding to NPCs was analyzed using fluorescence and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Tegument‐free capsids or viral capsids exposing inner tegument proteins on their surface bound to nuclei, while capsids inactivated by a high‐salt treatment or covered by inner and outer tegument showed less binding. There was little binding of the four different capsid types to nuclei lacking functional NPCs. This novel approach provides a powerful system to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that enable viral structures to engage with NPCs. Furthermore, this assay could be expanded to identify molecular cues triggering viral genome uncoating and nuclear import of viral genomes.
Young people, Malay and English in multilingual Singapore
Authors: CHONG EUVIN LOONG JIN , SEILHAMER MARK F.
Published: August 2014

With English use extremely prevalent in Singapore, young Singaporeans are increasingly abandoning the use of their ethnic languages. The Singapore Malay community, however, is frequently depicted as an exception to this trend, proudly keeping Malay as their dominant language and an integral part of their cultural identities despite the overwhelming dominance of English in present day Singaporean society. This study seeks to obtain a sense of whether this is indeed the case by investigating the relationships Singaporean Malay university students (ages 18–26) have with Malay along the dimensions of language expertise, language inheritance, and language affiliation. Fifty survey participants reported on their proficiency in, use of, and perceptions of Malay and English. The results indicate that participants’ relationships with Malay are indeed strongly characterized by all three dimensions – expertise, inheritance, and affiliation – despite their prevalent use of English in all but a few domains and, by the majority, identification of English as the language that best defines them as Singaporeans.
Adjustable Linkage Pump: Efficiency Modeling and Experimental Validation
Authors: Wilhelm Shawn , Van de Ven James
Published: August 2014

Variable displacement pumps are a key component to a variety of mobile and industrial hydraulic systems, yet the efficiency of existing pump architectures is poor at low displacement. As a solution to this issue, a new pump architecture is proposed that eliminates the planar hydrodynamic joints of a conventional architecture with rolling-element pin joints in an adjustable linkage. This new architecture uses an adjustable six-bar linkage that reaches true zero displacement and has the same top-dead-center (TDC) position regardless of displacement. In this work, the linkage kinematics and dynamics are discussed, an energy loss model is developed and used to drive design decisions of a first generation prototype, and experimental results are presented to validate the model. It is shown that this linkage-based, variable, positive displacement architecture shows promise as a highly efficient alternative to existing pump architectures across a wide range of displacements.
Experimental Analysis of Dynamic Interaction Between a Centrifugal Compressor and Its Casing
Authors: Almeida P. , Gibert C. , Thouverez F. , Leblanc X. , Ousty J.-P.
Published: August 2014

In turbomachinery, one way to improve aerodynamic performance and reduce fuel consumption consists of minimizing the clearance between rotor and casing. Yet, the probability of contact is increased and this may lead in some specific conditions to a large and even unstable excitation on the impeller and stator. To achieve better understanding of the dynamic behavior occurring during the blade-to-casing contact, many numerical studies have been conducted but only a few experiments have been reported in the literature thus far. The interaction experiment reported in this paper involves a low-pressure, rotating centrifugal compressor and its casing tested in a vacuum chamber. Contact is initiated by introducing a gap near zero, and certain events with significant dynamic levels are observed during the run-up. Measurements are performed using strain gauges on both the rotating and stationary parts and a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer on the stator. This research focuses on an analysis of the recorded data. Time series data are also analyzed by means of standard signal processing and a full spectrum analysis in order to identify the direction of traveling wave propagation on the two structures as well as nodal diameters and frequencies. The dynamic response of structures is accompanied by variations in other physical parameters such as temperature, static deformed shapes, speed, and torque. A wearing pattern is evaluated following the contact experiments. The spectral content of response is dominated by frequency modes excited by rotating speed harmonics as well as by sidebands due to inherent system nonlinearity.
Regiochemistry and substituent effects on pyrylogen and thiopyrylogen stability and electronic character
Authors: Clennan Edward L. , Welch Will , El-Idreesy Tamer T. , Arulsamy Navamoney
Published: August 2014

A physical organic analysis of a collection of 57 data sets generated by B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,p) geometry optimizations and TD-DFT calculations is presented. The analysis engenders recommendations for syntheses of new pyrylogen electron-transfer sensitizers that are potentially optimized for low energy absorbance and high extinction coefficients. It is argued that bathochromically shifted intense absorbance is especially useful to avoid competitive absorbance by electron-transfer substrates and for use at the low concentrations likely achievable in experimentally attractive nonpolar solvents.
Wildfire risk adaptation: propensity of forestland owners to purchase wildfire insurance in the southern United States
Authors: Gan Jianbang , Jarrett Adam , Gaither Cassandra Johnson
Published: August 2014

The economic and ecological damages caused by wildfires are alarming. Because such damages are expected to increase with changes in wildfire regimes, this calls for more effective wildfire mitigation and adaptation strategies. Wildfire adaptation options for forestland owners include purchasing wildfire insurance, which provides compensation to those insured if a wildfire damages their properties. We attempt to (i) identify factors that influence the decision of family forestland owners in the southern United States to purchase wildfire insurance for their forestlands via logistic regression using landowner survey data and (ii) examine the propensity of these landowners to purchase wildfire insurance under climate change. We find that landowners are much more likely to purchase wildfire insurance if they are female or well educated or if their land is not classed as heirs’ property, has been hit by a hurricane, or has not been burned by wildfire previously. Because climate change is likely to alter future wildfire and hurricane activity in the region, more forestland owners are predicted to purchase wildfire insurance, although the magnitude of such an increase appears moderate under current market institutions. These results would be helpful for developing new wildfire insurance programs and increasing the participation of forestland owners in the wildfire insurance market.
Lack of a functional methionine sulfoxide reductase (MsrB) increases oxacillin and H2O2 stress resistance and enhances pigmentation in Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Singh Vineet K.
Published: August 2014

Staphylococcus aureus produces 3 MsrA enzymes (MsrA1, MsrA2, and MsrA3) and 1 MsrB enzyme. The genes encoding MsrA1 and MsrB are the first and second genes of a 4-gene operon in S. aureus. In a previous study, MsrA1-deficient S. aureus cells showed increased sensitivity to oxidative stress conditions in spite of a higher production of MsrB. In this study, an msrB mutant of S. aureus was created by site-directed mutagenesis that left the first gene of this locus, msrA1, intact. Studies with this mutant suggest that a deletion of MsrB increases resistance of S. aureus to H2O2 and oxacillin and that the mutant cells produce a higher level of carotenoids relative to wild-type S. aureus cells.
Montelukast reduces sepsis-induced lung and renal injury in rats
Authors: Khodir Ahmed E. , Ghoneim Hamdy A. , Rahim Mona Abdel , Suddek Ghada M.
Published: August 2014

This study was undertaken to examine the effects of montelukast (MNT) on lung and kidney injury in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced systemic inflammatory response. Rats were randomized into 5 groups (n = 8 rats/group): (i) Control; (ii) LPS treated (10 mg/kg body mass, by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection); (iii) LPS + MNT (10 mg/kg, per oral (p.o.)); (iv) LPS + MNT (20 mg/kg, p.o); (v) LPS + dexamethasone (DEX; 1 mg/kg, i.p.). Twenty-four hours after sepsis was induced, the lung or kidney:body mass ratio and percent survival of rats were determined. Creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), albumin, total protein, and LDH activity were measured. Lung and kidney samples were taken for histological assessment and for determination of their malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) contents. The expression of tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in tissue was evaluated immunohistochemically. LPS significantly increased the organ:body mass ratio, serum creatinine, BUN, and LDH, and decreased serum albumin and total protein levels. MDA levels increased in lung and kidney tissues after treatment with LPS, and there was a concomitant reduction in GSH levels. Immunohistochemical staining of lung and kidney specimens from LPS-treated rats revealed high expression levels of TNF-α. MNT suppresses the release of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers. Additionally, MNT effectively preserved tissue morphology as evidenced by histological evaluation. These results demonstrate that MNT could have lung and renoprotective effects against the inflammatory process during endotoxemia. This effect can be attributed to its antioxidant and (or) anti-inflammatory properties.
Chest Pain in Adolescent Japanese Male Mimicking Acute Coronary Syndrome
Authors: Gupta Sachin K. , Naheed Zahra
Published: August 2014

Acute chest pain with very elevated troponin level and abnormal EKG in adult population is considered sine qua non to acute coronary syndrome (ACS) unless proved otherwise. Similar presentation in adolescent population is seen less often but raises suspicion for ACS. Most common etiology for chest pain with cardiac enzyme elevation in adolescent population is usually viral myopericarditis. The adolescent population presenting with chest pain and elevated cardiac enzymes should be carefully evaluated for ACS and other etiologies including myocarditis, myopericarditis, pulmonary embolism, acute rheumatic fever, and trauma. We report one Japanese adolescent male with mycoplasma pneumoniae myocarditis who presented to the ER with chest pain, elevated cardiac enzymes, and abnormal EKG.
Effects of Edentulism on Mandibular Morphology: Evaluation of Panoramic Radiographs
Authors: Okşayan Rıdvan , Asarkaya Bayram , Palta Nizamettin , Şimşek İrfan , Sökücü Oral , İşman Eren
Published: August 2014

Purpose. The objective of this study was to evaluate morphological changes of the mandible in edentulous and dentate subjects using panoramic radiographs.Materials and Methods. Panoramic radiographs were divided into the following three groups: Group I (completely edentulous group), Group II (old dentate group) and Group III (young dentate group). The research parameters of gonial angle, condylar height, ramus height, ramus notch depth, and antegonial notch depth were measured on panoramic radiographs. The Kruskal-Wallis statistical test was used to determine significant differences in mandibular morphological parameters among the three groups. The Mann-WhitneyUtest was used to compare the subgroups.Results. Significant differences were found only in ramus height between three groups. According to the Mann-WhitneyUtest, a significant difference was exhibited among Groups I and II in the ramus height parameter. No significant differences were found in the gonial angle, condylar height, ramus notch depth, or antegonial notch depth when comparing the young dentate, old dentate, and completely edentulous subjects.Conclusions. Significant differences were found only in ramus height between the groups. Ramus height may be an indicator that changed by years and tooth loss. It must be considered that ramus height can be decreased in edentulism.