bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Re-visioning English language arts practices and writing outcomes through the remaking of Cinderella
Authors: Choi Tat Heung , Ng Ka Wa
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– This paper, which originates in an English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) classroom activity in Hong Kong, aims to explore English learners’ expressive and creative potential in writing by studying their work in the literary narrative genre.

Design/methodology/approach

– A group of upper secondary students (15-16 years of age) with limited English resources and competence was enlisted to remake a folktale with visual and written prompts.

Findings

– The writing samples demonstrate that these low-level EFL writers are able to refashion the narrative elements, and to communicate meanings for their own purposes. They exhibit logicality and problem-solving skills in their attempts to challenge and transform idea and to include themes of interest to them. There is also evidence of creative play with language in their use of dialogues and figures of speech.

Research limitations/implications

– These writing outcomes suggest the need to re-vision English language arts practices in increasingly diverse education systems. Genre-based instruction, with its emphasis on “writing to mean” as a social activity supported by learning to use language, could lead to widening EFL learners’ access to genre knowledge and to greater life chances.

Practical implications

– A linguistics-based pedagogy scaffolding less able EFL writers while they learn to build effective narratives is identified as a way forward.

Originality/value

– Although the idea of using narratives to engage EFL learners in writing is not entirely new, this paper contributes to the field by responding to low-level learners’ writing that goes beyond linguistic “correctness”, and developing strategies for supporting creativity and language play.
Standards-based governance of English teaching, past, present, and future?
Authors: Brass Jory
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– This study aims to draw from overlapping scholarship in critical policy studies and governmentality studies to examine how recent standards-based education policies mark a pivotal shift in the aims and governance of English education.

Design/methodology/approach

– The author traces this shift through a comparative analysis of the past two standards projects in the USA: the 1996 IRA/NCTE Standards for the English Language Arts and the 2010 Common Core State Standards.

Findings

– An analysis of the standards’ comparative development processes, educational aims and governmentalities exemplifies a global shift toward new policy networks, neoliberal imaginaries and the interrelated policy technologies of managerialism, performativity and free markets.

Originality/value

– This paper hopes to prompt more critical, reflexive and strategic stances towards standardization and the ways in which global education policies seek to reshape subject English and the future of teaching and teacher education.
Speaking up about oracy: the contribution of drama pedagogy to enhanced oral communication
Authors: Stinson Madonna
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to consider the growing interest in oracy and to propose the pedagogy of process drama as an ideal model for the dialogic classroom.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper takes the form of an explanatory case study where the author draws on a successful drama/oracy project in a primary school in Brisbane, Australia, to illustrate the connections between Alexander’s five indicators of a dialogic classroom and the process drama in which the students participated.

Findings

– The application of this process drama as pedagogy for the teaching and learning of oracy has contributed positively to students’ oral communication skills and intercultural awareness. In addition, parents provide positive feedback about student engagement in school and developing self-confidence because “they have something to say”.

Research limitations/implications

– There was no formal pre-post test for the oral communication skills on this study, instead the researchers developed a draft “oracy” checklist which deserves further interrogation and development.

Practical implications

– There are implications for the use of process drama as a means of creating and sustaining the dialogic classroom. Teacher professional development would be required to assist the planning and delivery of dramas that allow for the deep and complex learning evidenced in this study.

Social implications

– This is an ideal vehicle for assisting in the development of empathy, collaboration, emotional intelligence and intercultural understanding.

Originality/value

– This is an example of an extremely high-quality curriculum plan and implementation. The importance of engaging in implicit and explicit instruction of oral communication for the twenty-first century should not be underestimated. The process drama allows oral language to be foregrounded, with additional learning opportunities from a range of other learning areas, brought together in a coherent and complex model of practice.
The significance of the interaction of stability and damage propagation in metallic and composite panels
Authors: Horst Peter
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– In general two main types of criteria are essential for the sizing of aircraft structural panels, namely, stability and damage tolerance. The way these criteria act and interact is very different for metallic and composite building blocks. While interaction of both types of criteria is relatively clear for composite parts, this is normally not the case for metallic ones. What is common for both is the fact that, if an interaction occurs, the impact is essential. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is a survey paper.

Findings

– There is a strong mutual influence of buckling and damage in many cases.

Originality/value

– It shows the significance of both, buckling and damage as a combined phenomenon.
Potentially Inappropriate Medication and Health Care Outcomes: An Instrumental Variable Approach
Authors: Chen Chi‐Chen , Cheng Shou‐Hsia
Published: November 2015

Objective

To examine the effects of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use on health care outcomes in elderly individuals using an instrumental variable (IV) approach.

Data Sources/Study Setting

Representative claim data from the universal health insurance program in Taiwan from 2007 to 2010.

Study Design

We employed a panel study design to examine the relationship between PIM and hospitalization. We applied both the naive generalized estimating equation (GEE) model, which controlled for the observed patient and hospital characteristics, and the two‐stage residual inclusion (2SRI) GEE model, which further accounted for the unobserved confounding factors. The PIM prescription rate of the physician most frequently visited by each patient was used as the IV.

Principal Findings

The naive GEE models indicated that patient PIM use was associated with a higher likelihood of hospitalization (odds ratio [OR], 1.399; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.363–1.435). Using the physician PIM prescribing rate as an IV, we identified a stronger significant association between PIM and hospitalization (OR, 1.990; 95 percent CI, 1.647–2.403).

Conclusions

PIM use is associated with increased hospitalization in elderly individuals. Adjusting for unobserved confounders is needed to obtain unbiased estimates of the relationship between PIM and health care outcomes.
‘A good deal of Trash’: Reading Societies, Religious Controversy and Networks of Improvement in Eighteenth‐Century Scotland
Authors: Dick Alexander
Published: November 2015

Scholars generally agree that the reading societies that developed with Scottish improvement in the eighteenth century signal that country's secularisation. Yet historical evidence suggests that devotional or ‘covenantal’ reading practices, derived from Calvinist theology, persisted in reading clubs and societies, especially in rural areas, alongside the ‘emulative’ reading being encouraged by the denizens of improvement and enlightenment. This paper tracks the tensions and intersections between these two practices in the Scottish improvement network. It ends with a reading of a poem by Burns illustrating the way these reading practices intersect.
Mary Steele, Mary Hays and the Convergence of Women's Literary Circles in the 1790s
Authors: Whelan Timothy
Published: November 2015

A circle of Dissenting women writers that began in the 1770s, centred on Mary Steele of Broughton and Elizabeth Coltman of Leicester, merged in the 1790s in London with a group of Dissenting literary women and men revolving around William Godwin, Mary Hays and Crabb Robinson, a phenomenon revealed almost exclusively through informal life‐writings and poems, most of which have remained in manuscript. This cross‐pollination of women's literary coteries reveals much about how eighteenth‐century women's literary networks were formed and perpetuated, how they overcame geographical boundaries and how they enriched the lives of their members and their male friends.
Transpennine Enlightenment: The Literary and Philosophical Societies and Knowledge Networks in the North, 1781‐1830
Authors: Mee Jon , Wilkes Jennifer
Published: November 2015

This essay investigates the role of the literary and philosophical societies in Manchester (1781) and Newcastle (1793) as part of the wider network of the ‘the transpennine Enlightenment’. It argues that these societies were concerned not just with the science and technology interface, but also with polite letters and general ‘improvement’. Originating in conversation societies, they were committed to the collision of mind. Although they banned religious and political controversy, they were not free of conflict over the mode and purpose of the improvement they sponsored, an issue illustrated by the public quarrel over the ‘New Institution’ at Newcastle in 1808.
Introduction
Authors: Mee Jon
Published: November 2015

Eighteenth‐century Britain was a heavily networked domain self‐consciously committed to the dissemination of improvement. Clubs and societies of all kinds were deeply invested in this process. They served as nodes in larger networks that crisscrossed the country and reached out to global readers. Town histories frequently pointed to their existence as proof of improvement in itself, but clubs and societies frequently found themselves in internal conflict over their aims and objectives. This special issue investigates networks of improvement as they manifested themselves in a variety of associational forms across the long eighteenth century.
Randomised Controlled Trials in WOHP Interventions: A Review and Guidelines for Use
Authors: O'Shea Deirdre , O' Connell Brenda H. , Gallagher Stephen
Published: November 2015

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have long been considered a gold standard for intervention design and the most rigorous method for understanding causal mechanisms. However, their implementation in work and organisational health psychology (WOHP) can be challenging. We review the use of RCTs in WOHP interventions and demonstrate that their adoption has been relatively scarce in comparison to areas such as health psychology and medical sciences. For WOHP researchers to be able to compare the effectiveness of their work‐specific health interventions with other interventions in health and medicine, it is important that the design methodology, rigor, and reporting are comparable. Thus, there is a need for a clearer road map and guidance for WOHP researchers, to encourage greater use of RCTs in WOHP intervention research. In the paper, we provide an overview of RCTs, and review past research that has utilised an RCT design when evaluating WOHP interventions. We develop an adapted RCT checklist for use in WOHP settings, which takes specific organisational issues into account. Thus, our paper provides for future researchers a clearer road map for the design and reporting of WOHP RCT studies.
Review: Attachment and attachment‐related outcomes in preschool children – a review of recent evidence
Authors: Barlow Jane , Schrader‐McMillan Anita , Axford Nick , Wrigley Zoe , Sonthalia Shreya , Wilkinson Tom , Rawsthorn Michaela , Toft Alex , Coad Jane
Published: November 2015

Background

Secure attachment is associated with optimal outcomes across all domains in childhood, and both insecure and disorganised attachment are associated with a range of later psychopathologies. Insecure and disorganised attachment are common, particularly in disadvantaged populations, pointing to the need to identify effective methods of addressing such problems.

Aims

This paper presents the findings of a review of secondary and primary studies evaluating the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving attachment and attachment‐related outcomes on a universal, targeted or indicated basis, which was undertaken as part of an update of the evidence base for a UK‐based national programme targeting children aged 0–5 years (Healthy Child Programme).

Method

A systematic search of key electronic databases was undertaken to identify secondary and primary sources of data that addressed the research question and that had been published between 2008 and 2014; search sources included Cochrane Collaboration, NICE, EPPI Centre, Campbell Collaboration and PubMed, PsychInfo, CINAHL databases.

Findings

Six systematic reviews and 11 randomised controlled trials were identified that had evaluated the effectiveness of universal, selective or indicated interventions aimed at improving attachment and attachment‐related outcomes in children aged 0–5 years. Potentially effective methods of improving infant attachment include parent–infant psychotherapy, video feedback and mentalisation‐based programmes. Methods that appear to be effective in improving attachment‐related outcomes include home visiting and parenting programmes.

Conclusions

A number of methods of working to promote attachment and attachment‐related outcomes in preschool children are now being recommended as part of the Healthy Child Programme. The implications in terms of the role and contribution of practitioners working in child and adolescent mental health service are discussed.
Luteal‐phase ovarian stimulation vs conventional ovarian stimulation in patients with normal ovarian reserve treated for IVF: a large retrospective cohort study
Authors: Wang Ningling , Wang Yun , Chen Qiuju , Dong Jing , Tian Hui , Fu Yonglun , Ai Ai , Lyu Qifeng , Kuang Yanping
Published: November 2015

Objective

We have previously reported a new luteal‐phase ovarian stimulation (LPS) strategy for infertility treatment. The purpose of this study was to systematically assess the efficiency and safety of this strategy by comparing it with conventional ovarian stimulation protocols.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Subjects

Patients with normal ovarian reserve undergoing ovum pick‐up (OPU) cycles between April 2012 and September 2013 were enrolled: 708 patients underwent the LPS protocol compared with 745 patients who underwent the mild treatment protocol and 1287 patients who underwent the short‐term protocol.

Measurements

Number of mature oocytes retrieved and top‐quality embryos obtained, implantation rate, pregnancy rate, live birth and ongoing pregnancy rate and neonatal outcomes.

Results

The numbers of mature oocytes retrieved and top‐quality embryos obtained per OPU cycle were significantly increased in the LPS group (10·9 ± 7·6 and 4·6 ± 4·3, respectively) compared with the mild treatment group (3·7 ± 3·0 and 1·8 ± 1·8, respectively, both P < 0·001) or the short‐term group (9·1 ± 5·5 and 3·7 ± 3·1, respectively, both P < 0·001). Moreover, the total gonadotrophin used was also the highest in the LPS group. No significant differences were identified in the implantation rate (35·5% vs 34·8%, P > 0·05), pregnancy rate (46·2% vs 43·7%, P > 0·05) or live birth and ongoing pregnancy rate (44·4% vs 41·7%, P > 0·05) per frozen‐thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycle in the LPS and mild treatment groups, respectively. However, the LPS protocol achieved a higher implantation rate (35·5% vs 31·8%, P = 0·012), pregnancy rate (46·2% vs 41·9%, P = 0·041), and live birth and ongoing pregnancy rate (44·4% vs 39·2%, P = 0·012) compared with the short‐term protocol. Neonatal outcomes in the LPS group were similar to the other two groups.

Conclusions

The available data suggest that LPS is a feasible strategy for infertility treatment and complements the available follicular‐phase ovarian stimulation strategies.
Can slight glucose intolerance during pregnancy predict future maternal atherosclerotic morbidity?
Authors: Charach R. , Wolak T. , Shoham‐Vardi I. , Sergienko R. , Sheiner E.
Published: November 2015

Aim

o examine the association between glucose level during pregnancy and the subsequent development of long‐term maternal atherosclerotic morbidity.

Methods

A retrospective case–control study was conducted. The study included all women who had at least one glucose measurement during their pregnancies. Cases were all women who delivered between the years 2000–2012 and subsequently developed atherosclerotic morbidity (n = 815). Controls were randomly matched by age and year of delivery (n = 6065). The atherosclerotic morbidity group was further divided by severity: major events (cardiovascular, cerebrovascular disease, chronic renal failure), minor events (hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidaemia without target organ damage or complications) and cardiac evaluation tests (such as coronary angiography without records of atherosclerosis, cardiac scan and stress test). The mean follow‐up duration for the study group was 74 months. Cox proportional hazards model was used to control for confounders.

Results

A significant linear association was found between glucose levels during pregnancy and long‐term maternal atherosclerotic morbidity. Among the cases with severe atherosclerotic morbidity, the proportion of women with a high glucose level (> 5.5 mmol/l) was the highest, whereas in controls it was the lowest (P < 0.001). In a Cox proportional hazard model, adjusted for atherosclerotic confounders such as gestational diabetes, pre‐eclampsia and obesity, a glucose level of > 5.5 mmol/l was noted as an independent risk factor for hospitalizations later in non‐pregnant life (hazard ratio = 1.3, 95% confidence interval 1.1–1.5, P < 0.003).

Conclusion

A high glucose level during pregnancy, even if within the range of slight glucose intolerance, may serve as a marker for future maternal atherosclerotic morbidity. Further long‐term studies are needed to confirm our findings.
Impact of falls on mental health outcomes for older adult mental health patients: An Australian study
Authors: Heslop Karen Ruth , Wynaden Dianne Gaye
Published: November 2015

Sustaining a fall during hospitalization reduces a patient's ability to return home following discharge. It is well accepted that factors, such as alteration in balance, functional mobility, muscle strength, and fear of falling, are all factors that impact on the quality of life of elderly people following a fall. However, the impact that falls have on mental health outcomes in older adult mental health patients remains unexplored. The present study reports Health of the Nation Outcome Scale scores for people over the age of 65 (HoNOS65+), which were examined in a cohort of 65 patients who sustained a fall and 73 non‐fallers admitted to an older adult mental health service (OAMHS). Results were compared with state and national HoNOS65+ data recorded in Australian National Outcome Casemix Collection data to explore the effect that sustaining a fall while hospitalized has on mental health outcomes. Australian state and national HoNOS65+ data indicate that older adults generally experience improved HoNOS65+ scores from admission to discharge. Mental health outcomes for patients who sustained a fall while admitted to an OAMHS did not follow this trend. Sustaining a fall while admitted to an OAMHS negatively affects discharge mental health outcomes.
Dimensions et effets des activités informelles dans une très petite économie
Authors: BESIM Mustafa , EKICI Tufan , JENKINS Glenn P.
Published: November 2015

Les auteurs évaluent l'emploi informel – et les revenus non déclarés qu'il engendre – dans une très petite économie à gouvernance médiocre. Les données d'une enquěte auprès des ménages et d'un recensement leur servent à estimer le nombre de travailleurs en emploi informel à Chypre‐Nord, ainsi que les caractéristiques de cet emploi, entre 2004 et 2011. Les travailleurs concernés sont essentiellement des citoyens non affiliés à la sécurité sociale, des immigrés employés illégalement ou des personnes ayant deux emplois dont un non déclaré. L'économie informelle aurait représenté 9,1 pour cent du PNB en 2006, et 12,2 en 2011.
Face à l'économie informelle au Mozambique: volontarisme ou maintien du statu quo?
Authors: DIBBEN Pauline , WOOD Geoffrey , WILLIAMS Colin C.
Published: November 2015

L'économie informelle fournit l'essentiel de l'emploi dans nombre de pays émergents. Selon la théorie de la régulation, l'activité économique est régie par un ensemble complexe de règles formelles et informelles. Les auteurs examinent, à partir du cas du Mozambique, les éléments qui favorisent ou entravent la transition vers l'économie formelle, ainsi que les diverses formes de régulation, en s'appuyant sur une enquěte qualitative conjuguant observation directe et entretiens avec des personnalités locales. Les données recueillies font apparaître un rôle ambivalent de l'Etat, qui se montre parfois volontariste et soucieux de réformer la réglementation et les institutions et parfois partisan du statu quo.
Ampleur et modalités du non‐respect de la loi sur le travail dans l'industrie en Inde
Authors: CHATTERJEE Urmila , KANBUR Ravi
Published: November 2015

S'il est notoire que le non‐respect du droit du travail est monnaie courante dans les pays en développement, on n'a guère d'éléments précis sur son ampleur. Les auteurs ont quantifé les violations de la loi indienne sur les établissements industriels: les entreprises contrevenantes sont le double de celles qui respectent la législation, mais aussi bien plus nombreuses que celles qui l'évitent. Ainsi ce non‐respect est‐il une caractéristique du «segment intermédiaire manquant» en Inde. Les auteurs explorent les grandes tendances et les modalités de ces violations et montrent les pistes à suivre par la recherche et pour l'action.
One‐note samba: the biogeographical history of the relict Brazilian butterfly Elkalyce cogina
Authors: Talavera Gerard , Kaminski Lucas A. , Freitas André V. L. , Vila Roger
Published: November 2015

Aim

Biogeographically puzzling taxa represent an opportunity to understand the processes that have shaped current species distributions. The systematic placement and biogeographical history of Elkalyce cogina, a small lycaenid butterfly endemic to Brazil and neighbouring Argentina, are long‐standing puzzles. We use molecular tools and novel biogeographical and life history data to clarify the taxonomy and distribution of this butterfly.

Location

South America, with emphasis on the Atlantic Rain Forest and Cerrado biomes (Brazil and Argentina).

Methods

We gathered a data set of 71 Polyommatini (Lycaenidae) samples, including representatives of all described subtribes and/or sections. Among these, we contributed new sequences for E. cogina and four additional relevant taxa in the target subtribes Everina, Lycaenopsina and Polyommatina. We inferred a molecular phylogeny based on three mitochondrial genes and four nuclear markers to assess the systematic position and time of divergence of E. cogina. Ancestral geographical ranges were estimated with the R package BioGeoBEARS. To investigate heterogeneity in clade diversification rates, we used Bayesian analysis of macroevolutionary mixtures (bamm).

Results

Our results confirm the hypothesis that E. cogina belongs to the subtribe Everina and not Lycaenopsina, but unexpectedly recovered it as the sister group to the rest of Everina, with an estimated divergence time of approximately 10 Ma. Ancestral geographical range reconstruction points to an old colonization from Asia, the centre of diversity for the Everina, to the New World. The Neotropical Polyommatina lineage diversified to produce almost 100 species in multiple genera, whereas the E. cogina lineage did not diversify at all. Such lack of diversification is unique among the seven Everina/Polyommatina lineages that colonized the New World. We also show that the larvae of E. cogina feed on Fabaceae, supporting the identification of this host‐plant family as the ancestral state for the whole group.

Main conclusions

The age and biogeographical reconstruction of the Elkalyce lineage are similar to those of the Neotropical lineage of Polyommatina and suggest that both travelled via the route proposed by Vladimir Nabokov (Asia–Beringia–North America–South America). This coincidence suggests that the climatic conditions at c. 10 Ma favoured dispersal from Asia to the Neotropics and that later events may have erased traces of these butterfly lineages in North America.
Unequal Carbon Exchanges: The Environmental and Economic Impacts of Iconic U.S. Consumption Items
Authors: Prell Christina , Feng Kuishuang
Published: November 2015

In this article, we track how consumption in the United States, a highly developed “core” country, triggers value added and carbon inequalities around the globe. We consider these two sources of inequality for all commodities and services consumed in the United States, and then for three specific sectors, these being electronics, motor vehicles, and wearing apparel. Our findings show how the production of commodities for U.S. consumption tends to reify inequalities between countries. Larger shares of value added (in comparison to shares of carbon emissions) are generally experienced by more‐developed, more‐integrated countries, whereas the opposite tendency is experienced in less‐developed, less‐integrated regions. We note how these between‐country differences can depend on the product chains that are analyzed. Our article makes use of a novel combination of social network analysis and multiregional input‐output analysis to better capture some intuitive ideas of global trade and its consequences.
A Framework for Web‐Based Interprofessional Education for Midwifery and Medical Students
Authors: Reis Pamela J. , Faser Karl , Davis Marquietta
Published: November 2015

Scheduling interprofessional team‐based activities for health sciences students who are geographically dispersed, with divergent and often competing schedules, can be challenging. The use of Web‐based technologies such as 3‐dimensional (3D) virtual learning environments in interprofessional education is a relatively new phenomenon, which offers promise in helping students come together in online teams when face‐to‐face encounters are not possible. The purpose of this article is to present the experience of a nurse‐midwifery education program in a Southeastern US university in delivering Web‐based interprofessional education for nurse‐midwifery and third‐year medical students utilizing the Virtual Community Clinic Learning Environment (VCCLE). The VCCLE is a 3D, Web‐based, asynchronous, immersive clinic environment into which students enter to meet and interact with instructor‐controlled virtual patient and virtual preceptor avatars and then move through a classic diagnostic sequence in arriving at a plan of care for women throughout the lifespan. By participating in the problem‐based management of virtual patients within the VCCLE, students learn both clinical competencies and competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice, as described by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice. This article is part of a special series of articles that address midwifery innovations in clinical practice, education, interprofessional collaboration, health policy, and global health.
Detection of Angiostrongylus vasorum by quantitative PCR in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in Belgian dogs
Authors: Canonne A.‐M. , Roels E. , Caron Y. , Losson B. , Bolen G. , Peters I. , Billen F. , Clercx C.
Published: November 2015

OBJECTIVES

To describe Angiostrongylus vasorum infection in a series of clinical cases over a 12‐month period, report the use of quantitative PCR on broncho‐alveolar lavage fluid and investigate the ‐possibility of previously undiagnosed angiostrongylosis in a retrospective cohort of coughing and healthy dogs.

METHODS

Pulmonary angiostrongylosis was diagnosed based on compatible clinical signs and positive quantitative PCR on broncho‐alveolar lavage fluid and/or positive Baermann examination. Quantitative PCR was also performed retrospectively on broncho‐alveolar lavage fluid from 65 dogs (55 coughing and 10 healthy dogs), examined between 2008 and 2014; results of Baermann examination were also available in 33 dogs.

RESULTS

Seven young adult dogs from Southeastern Belgium with respiratory clinical signs were diagnosed with angiostrongylosis between March 2013 and April 2014. Positive broncho‐alveolar lavage fluid quantitative PCR results and positive Baermann examination were obtained in 5/5 and 2/5 dogs, respectively. In the remaining two dogs, only Baermann analysis was performed. Among the retrospective cohorts, only one broncho‐alveolar lavage fluid from a coughing dog was quantitative PCR‐positive whereas all faecal samples were negative.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Until recently, canine angiostrongylosis was not reported in Belgium. It should now be included in the differential diagnosis of coughing Belgian dogs. Identification of affected dogs may be aided by quantitative PCR on broncho‐alveolar lavage fluid.
A bird's eye view of two mimetic tropical butterflies: coloration matches predator's sensitivity
Authors: Thurman T. J. , Seymoure B. M.
Published: November 2015

Unprofitable prey with conspicuous warning signals are often mimicked by other species, which then gain protection from predators. How closely two mimetic species resemble one another depends upon the visual perception of the signal receiver. However, most studies of mimetic coloration have been conducted using only the human visual system, which differs greatly from that of most animals. To better understand mimicry, we should study mimetic visual signals through the eyes of the intended receiver. Here, we use avian visual models to test predictions of putative Batesian mimicry in two Amazonian butterflies, Mimoides pausanias and Heliconius sara. We calculated Just Noticeable Differences (JNDs) and tetrahedral color volumes for 11 different patches: iridescent blue, yellow bars, red spots and black background. Several color patches were not visually discriminable for both avian visual systems (UV/VIS and V/VIS), and visual discrimination (i.e. degree of mimicry) of color patches depended upon the avian visual system. These two butterfly species are more mimetic when viewed by their likely avian predators, which have V/VIS vision. Therefore, this mimetic assemblage may have evolved to be more spectrally accurate in the non‐UV wavelengths which their avian predators are able to see. However, while many color patches of the two species were modeled to be difficult to discriminate, most color patches were not perfect matches regardless of visual system, and several patches were very poor mimics. Through this study we demonstrate the importance of testing putative mimetic assemblages using known predator perceptual models and lay a foundation for behavioral studies to further test mimicry in H. sara and M. pausanius.
Late‐glacial to Holocene depositional architecture of the Ombrone palaeovalley system (Southern Tuscany, Italy): Sea‐level, climate and local control in valley‐fill variability
Authors: Breda Anna , Amorosi Alessandro , Rossi Veronica , Fusco Fabio
Published: November 2015

The Ombrone palaeovalley was incised during the last glacial sea‐level fall and was infilled during the subsequent Late‐glacial to Holocene transgression. A detailed sedimentological and stratigraphic study of two cores along the palaeovalley axis led to reconstruction of the post‐Last Glacial Maximum valley‐fill history. Stratigraphic correlations show remarkable similarity in the Late‐glacial to early‐Holocene succession, but discrepancy in the Holocene portion of the valley fill. Above the palaeovalley floor, about 60 m below sea‐level, Late‐glacial sedimentation is recorded by an unusually thick alluvial succession dated back to ca 18 cal kyr bp. The Holocene onset was followed by the retrogradational shift from alluvial to coastal facies. In seaward core OM1, the transition from inner to outer estuarine environments marks the maximum deepening of the system. By comparison, in landward core OM2, the emplacement of estuarine conditions was interrupted by renewed continental sedimentation. Swamp to lacustrine facies, stratigraphically equivalent to the fully estuarine facies of core OM1, represent the proximal expression of the maximum flooding zone. This succession reflects location in a confined segment of the valley, just landward of the confluence with a tributary valley. It is likely that sudden sediment input from the tributary produced a topographic threshold, damming the main valley course and isolating its landward segment from the sea. The seaward portion of the Ombrone palaeovalley presents the typical estuarine backfilling succession of allogenically controlled incised valleys. In contrast, in the landward portion of the system, local dynamics completely overwhelmed the sea‐level signal, following marine ingression. This study highlights the complexity of palaeovalley systems, where local morphologies, changes in catchment areas, drainage systems and tributary valleys may produce facies patterns significantly different from the general stratigraphic organization depicted by traditional sequence‐stratigraphic models.
Influence of nuclear interactions in body tissues on tumor dose in carbon‐ion radiotherapy
Authors: Inaniwa T. , Kanematsu N. , Tsuji H. , Kamada T.
Published: November 2015

Purpose:

In carbon‐ion radiotherapy treatment planning, the planar integrated dose (PID) measured in water is applied to the patient dose calculation with density scaling using the stopping power ratio. Since body tissues are chemically different from water, this dose calculation can be subject to errors, particularly due to differences in inelastic nuclear interactions. In recent studies, the authors proposed and validated a PID correction method for these errors. In the present study, the authors used this correction method to assess the influence of these nuclear interactions in body tissues on tumor dose in various clinical cases.

Methods:

Using 10–20 cases each of prostate, head and neck (HN), bone and soft tissue (BS), lung, liver, pancreas, and uterine neoplasms, the authors first used treatment plans for carbon‐ion radiotherapy without nuclear interaction correction to derive uncorrected dose distributions. The authors then compared these distributions with recalculated distributions using the nuclear interaction correction (corrected dose distributions).

Results:

Median (25%/75% quartiles) differences between the target mean uncorrected doses and corrected doses were 0.2% (0.1%/0.2%), 0.0% (0.0%/0.0%), −0.3% (−0.4%/−0.2%), −0.1% (−0.2%/−0.1%), −0.1% (−0.2%/0.0%), −0.4% (−0.5%/−0.1%), and −0.3% (−0.4%/0.0%) for the prostate, HN, BS, lung, liver, pancreas, and uterine cases, respectively. The largest difference of −1.6% in target mean and −2.5% at maximum were observed in a uterine case.

Conclusions:

For most clinical cases, dose calculation errors due to the water nonequivalence of the tissues in nuclear interactions would be marginal compared to intrinsic uncertainties in treatment planning, patient setup, beam delivery, and clinical response. In some extreme cases, however, these errors can be substantial. Accordingly, this correction method should be routinely applied to treatment planning in clinical practice.
Linear-response reflection coefficient of the recorder air-jet amplifier
Authors: Price John C. , Johnston William A. , McKinnon Daniel D.
Published: November 2015

In a duct-flute such as the recorder, steady-state oscillations are controlled by two parameters, the blowing pressure and the frequency of the acoustic resonator. As in most feedback oscillators, the oscillation amplitude is determined by gain-saturation of the amplifier, and thus it cannot be controlled independently of blowing pressure and frequency unless the feedback loop is opened. In this work, the loop is opened by replacing the recorder body with a waveguide reflectometer: a section of transmission line with microphones, a signal source, and an absorbing termination. When the mean flow from the air-jet into the transmission line is not blocked, the air-jet amplifier is unstable to edge-tone oscillations through a feedback path that does not involve the acoustic resonator. When it is blocked, the air-jet is deflected somewhat outward and the system becomes stable. It is then possible to measure the reflection coefficient of the air-jet amplifier versus blowing pressure and acoustic frequency under linear response conditions, avoiding the complication of gain-saturation. The results provide a revealing test of flute drive models under the simplest conditions and with few unknown parameters. The strengths and weaknesses of flute drive models are discussed.
Idolizing a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Smith Orla
Published: November 2015

Inhibiting the E3 ubiquitin ligase Idol in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s-like pathology ameliorates disease severity by promoting clearance of Aβ peptides by microglia.
In search of a biocompass
Authors: Prabakaran Sudhakaran
Published: November 2015

A rod-shaped protein complex with iron detects and aligns with magnetic fields.
A Notch in our understanding of vascular disease
Authors: Shaw Tanya J.
Published: November 2015

Atherosclerosis triggers a decrease in endothelial cell Notch expression, affecting vascular homeostasis and disease susceptibility.
A role for risperidone in the treatment of communication disorder and comorbid mental health problems?
Authors: Moreton Adam , Imran Shermin
Published: November 2015

This case report describes the co-occurrence of a psychiatric disorder with a specific communication disorder in a teenage girl who presented to youth mental health services in crisis, posing a significant risk of harm to herself and others. Description of this case would be of interest to practitioners in youth mental health in relation to the assessment and treatment of young people with similar difficulties. We present the case of a 17-year-old girl previously admitted to an inpatient adolescent unit. Her diagnosis was reformulated 4 months into her second admission to include a specific communication disorder with both receptive and expressive difficulties, evident from her pragmatic use of language. She was started on risperidone in month eight; following this, a significant improvement was seen and the patient was discharged a month later. Prior to the start of risperidone, a referral had been made to low secure adolescent services for further assessment and advice on management, due to the patient's challenging presentation and poor engagement with treatment.
Guillain-Barré syndrome as first presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus: a rare manifestation complicated by IVIg-induced splenic infarct
Authors: Fazio Richard M , Chen Ioana , Somal Navjot
Published: November 2015

A 44-year-old woman presented with progressively worsening neurological symptoms of 1 week duration. Physical examination revealed absent reflexes of the lower extremities and proximal muscle weakness, bilaterally. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis and electrophysiological studies were consistent with the diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and the patient was started on intravenous immunoglobulin infusion. Along with positive neurological findings, rheumatological work up revealed elevated antinuclear antibody titres, positive double-stranded DNA and anti-Smith antibodies. These results, in conjunction with positive clinical findings, confirmed an underlying diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The patient's hospital course was complicated by an episode of severe left upper quadrant abdominal pain, fever, tachycardia and elevated inflammatory markers. CT scan of the abdomen revealed a splenic infarct following completion of IVIg infusion, making this a contributor to thrombus formation in the setting of an already thrombophilic state, and a rare complication of an approved method of treatment.
Amoebiasis masquerading as inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Den Yo , Kinoshita Junji , Deshpande Gautam A , Hiraoka Eiji
Published: November 2015

A 60-year-old Japanese man presented with bloody diarrhoea. He stated that he had been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC) 3 years prior, but discontinued follow-up care as treatment was ineffective. One year later, he came to our hospital with anorexia and weight loss. The abdomen was soft and flat without tenderness. Laboratory tests were unremarkable; faecal culture andClostridium difficiletoxin were negative. Findings and biopsy from a subsequent colonoscopy reconfirmed his diagnosis of UC. Neither mesalazine, which was initially prescribed, nor additional treatments improved his symptoms. Repeat colonoscopy, performed 5 months later, demonstrated similar findings in the same area. Although the pathology remained consistent with UC, multiple treatment failures suggested ongoing occult infection. Additional testing revealed positiveEntamoeba histolyticaantibody. 14 days of metronidazole dramatically improved his symptoms. He has remained asymptomatic after 2 years.
Effect of increased water intake on plasma copeptin in patients with chronic kidney disease: results from a pilot randomised controlled trial
Authors: Sontrop Jessica M , Huang Shi-Han , Garg Amit X , Moist Louise , House Andrew A , Gallo Kerri , Clark William F
Published: November 2015

Objectives

Increased water intake may have a beneficial effect on the kidney through suppression of plasma vasopressin. We examined the effect of increased water intake on plasma copeptin (a marker of vasopressin) over 6 weeks in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Design

Secondary analysis of a randomised controlled parallel-group pilot trial.

Setting

Canada, 2012–2013.

Participants

28 patients with stage 3 chronic kidney disease randomised (2:1) to a hydration (n=17) or control group (n=11).

Intervention

The hydration group was coached to increase water intake by up to 1.5 L/day for 6 weeks. The control group was asked to maintain regular water intake.

Measures and outcomes

Participants provided blood and 24 h urine samples at baseline and 6 weeks. Change in plasma copeptin was compared within and between study groups.

Results

Participants were 64% male with a mean age of 62 years and an estimated glomerular filtration rate of 40 mL/min/1.73 m2. Between baseline and 6 weeks, 24 h urine volume increased by 0.7 L/day in the hydration group, rising from 2.3 to 3.0 L/day (p=0.01), while decreasing by 0.3 L/day among controls, from 2.0 to 1.7 L/day (p=0.07); between-group difference: 0.9 L/day (95% CI 0.37 to 1.46; p=0.002). In the hydration group, median copeptin decreased by 3.6 pmol/L, from 15.0 to 10.8 pmol/L (p=0.005), while remaining stable among controls at 19 pmol/L (p=0.76; p=0.19 for the between-group difference in median change); the between-group difference in mean change was 5.4 pmol/L (95% CI −1.2 to 12.0; p=0.11).

Conclusions

Adults with stage 3 chronic kidney disease can be successfully randomised to drink approximately 1 L more per day than controls. This increased water intake caused a significant decrease in plasma copeptin concentration. Our larger 12-month trial will examine whether increased water intake can slow renal decline in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Trial registration number

NCT01753466.
Wetland vegetation near Old Crow, northern Yukon
Authors: Ovenden Lynn , Brassard Guy R.
Published: November 2015

Wetland vegetation on lowlands of northern Yukon was related to gradients of pH, peat depth, and active-layer depth using detrended correspondence analysis. Seven vegetation types were distinguished by two-way indicator species analysis: Arctophila shoreline marsh, Carex aquatilis – Sphagnum – Chamaedaphne wet meadow, Scorpidium–sedge carpet, Carex rotundata – Andromeda – Sphagnum orientale lawn, Sphagnum–heath on firm peat, thickets and tussock tundra, and Calamagrostis canadensis meadow. The Arctophila marshes and tussocky shrublands resemble other sites in the subarctic and low arctic wetland regions of North America, while Sphagnum–heath on firm peat is typical of high boreal and subarctic wetlands. The wet meadow, carpet, and lawn types of sedge–moss vegetation cannot be characterized as arctic or boreal because the geographic patterns of sedge–moss wetlands in northwestern North America remain unclear.
Nitrogen and phosphorus release from decomposing litter in relation to the disappearance of lignin
Authors: Berg B. , McClaugherty C.
Published: November 2015

Concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and acid insoluble substances were followed in decomposing forest foliage litters in some different forest biomes and in a laboratory study. In all cases, the concentration of these substances increased linearly with litter mass loss. In contrast, absolute amounts of these materials in the litter began decreasing at some point during decay, usually following a period of absolute increase (i.e., immobilization of nutrients or humification for acid insoluble substances). The point during decomposition at which a net release (net disappearance) of a substance began (point for maximum amount), was estimated using the linear relations between concentrations of the substance and accumulated litter mass loss. In addition, the concentrations of acid insoluble substances at maximum absolute amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus were estimated. The results indicate that the points in decay at which a net release of nitrogen and phosphorus began were linearly related to one another and to the onset of acid insoluble substance disappearance. In all litters studied, net release of nitrogen and phosphorus began after a net release of the recalcitrant acid insoluble substance fraction had begun. The relationship between the onset of acid insoluble substance loss and nitrogen and phosphorus release differed between deciduous and coniferous foliage litters. Key words: decomposition, litter, nitrogen, phosphorus, lignin, nitrogen release, phosphorus release.
Modeling the spread of virus in packets on scale free network
Authors: Lamzabi S. , Lazfi S. , Rachadi A. , Ez-Zahraouy H. , Benyoussef A.
Published: November 2015

In this paper, we propose a new model for computer virus attacks and recovery at the level of information packets. The model we propose is based on one hand on the susceptible-infected (SI) and susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) stochastic epidemic models for computer virus propagation and on the other hand on the time-discrete Markov chain of the minimal traffic routing protocol. We have applied this model to the scale free Barabasi–Albert network to determine how the dynamics of virus propagation is affected by the traffic flow in both the free-flow and the congested phases. The numerical results show essentially that the proportion of infected and recovered packets increases when the rate of infection [Formula: see text] and the recovery rate [Formula: see text] increase in the free-flow phase while in the congested phase, the number of infected (recovered) packets presents a maximum (minimum) at certain critical value of [Formula: see text] characterizing a certain competition between the infection and the recovery rates.