bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Home range, activity and sociality of a top predator, the dingo: a test of the Resource Dispersion Hypothesis
Authors: Newsome Thomas M. , Ballard Guy‐Anthony , Dickman Christopher R. , Fleming Peter J. S. , van de Ven Remy
Published: March 2013

The idea that groups of individuals may develop around resource patches led to the formulation of the Resource Dispersion Hypothesis (RDH). We tested the predictions of the RDH, within a quasi‐experimental framework, using Australia’s largest terrestrial predator, the dingo Canis lupus dingo. Average dingo group sizes were higher in areas with abundant focal food sources around two mine sites compared with those in more distant areas. This supports the notion that resource richness favours larger group size, consistent with the RDH. Irrespective of season or sex, average home range estimates and daily activity for dingoes around the mine sites were significantly less than for dingoes that lived well away. Assuming that a territory is the defended part of the home range and that territory size is correlated with home range size, consistent with the RDH, the spatial dispersion of food patches therefore determined territory size for dingoes in our study. However, although sample size was small, some dingoes that accessed the supplementary food resource at the mines also spent a large proportion of their time away, suggesting a breakdown of territorial defence around the focal food resource. This, in combination with the large variation in home range size among dingoes that accessed the same supplementary food resource, limits the predictive capabilities of the RDH for this species. We hypothesize that constraints on exclusive home range occupancy will arise if a surfeit of food resources (in excess of requirements for homeostasis) is available in a small area, and that this will have further effects on access to mates and social structure. We present a conceptual model of facultative territorial defence where focal resources are available to demonstrate our findings.
Antelope mating strategies facilitate invasion of grasslands by a woody weed
Authors: Jadeja Shivani , Prasad Soumya , Quader Suhel , Isvaran Kavita
Published: March 2013

Intra and interspecific variation in frugivore behaviour can have important consequences for seed dispersal outcomes. However, most information comes from among‐species comparisons, and within‐species variation is relatively poorly understood. We examined how large intraspecific differences in the behaviour of a native disperser, blackbuck antelope Antilope cervicapra, influence dispersal of a woody invasive, Prosopis juliflora, in a grassland ecosystem. Blackbuck disperse P. juliflora seeds through their dung. In lekking blackbuck populations, males defend clustered or dispersed mating territories. Territorial male movement is restricted, and within their territories males defecate on dung‐piles. In contrast, mixed‐sex herds range over large areas and do not create dung‐piles. We expected territorial males to shape seed dispersal patterns, and seed deposition and seedling recruitment to be spatially localized. Territorial males had a disproportionately large influence on seed dispersal. Adult males removed twice as much fruit as females, and seed arrival was disproportionately high on territories. Also, because lek‐territories are clustered, seed arrival was spatially highly concentrated. Seedling recruitment was also substantially higher on territories compared with random sites, indicating that the local concentration of seeds created by territorial males continued into high local recruitment of seedlings. Territorial male behaviour may, thus, result in a distinct spatial pattern of invasion of grasslands by the woody P. juliflora. An ex situ experiment showed no beneficial effect of dung and a negative effect of light on seed germination. We conclude that large intraspecific behavioural differences within frugivore populations can result in significant variation in their effectiveness as seed dispersers. Mating strategies in a disperser could shape seed dispersal, seedling recruitment and potentially plant distribution patterns. These mating strategies may aid in the spread of invasives, such as P. juliflora, which could, in turn, negatively influence the behaviour and ecology of native dispersers.
Fruit color and contrast in seasonal habitats – a case study from a cerrado savanna
Authors: Camargo Maria Gabriela G. , Cazetta Eliana , Schaefer H. Martin , Morellato L. Patrícia C.
Published: March 2013

Communication contributes to mediate the interactions between plants and the animals that disperse their genes. As yet, seasonal patterns in plant–animal communication are unknown, even though many habitats display pronounced seasonality e.g. when leaves senescence. We thus hypothesized that the contrast between fruit displays and their background vary throughout the year in a seasonal habitat. If this variation is adaptive, we predicted higher contrasts between fruits and foliage during the fruiting season in a cerrado–savanna vegetation, southeastern Brazil. Based on a six‐year data base of fruit ripening and a one‐year data set of fruit biomass, we used reflectance measurements and contrast analysis to show that fruits with distinct colors differed in the beginning of ripening and the peak of fruit biomass. Black, and particularly red fruits, that have a high contrast against the leaf background, were highly seasonal, peaking in the wet season. Multicolored and yellow fruits were less seasonal, not limited to one season, with a bimodal pattern for yellow ones, represented by two peaks, one in each season. We further supported the hypothesis that seasonal changes in fruit contrasts can be adaptive because fruits contrasted more strongly against their own foliage in the wet season, when most fruits are ripe. Hence, the seasonal variation in fruit colors observed in the cerrado–savanna may be, at least partly, explicable as an adaptation to ensure high conspicuousness to seed dispersers.
Continental estimates of forest cover and forest cover changes in the dry ecosystems of Africa between 1990 and 2000
Authors: Bodart Catherine , Brink Andreas B. , Donnay François , Lupi Andrea , Mayaux Philippe , Achard Frédéric
Published: March 2013

Aim

This study provides regional estimates of forest cover in dry African ecoregions and the changes in forest cover that occurred there between 1990 and 2000, using a systematic sample of medium‐resolution satellite imagery which was processed consistently across the continent.

Location

The study area corresponds to the dry forests and woodlands of Africa between the humid forests and the semi‐arid regions. This area covers the Sudanian and Zambezian ecoregions.

Methods

A systematic sample of 1600 Landsat satellite imagery subsets, each 20 km × 20 km in size, were analysed for two reference years: 1990 and 2000. At each sample site and for both years, dense tree cover, open tree cover, other wooded land and other vegetation cover were identified from the analysis of satellite imagery, which comprised multidate segmentation and automatic classification steps followed by visual control by national forestry experts.

Results

Land cover and land‐cover changes were estimated at continental and ecoregion scales and compared with existing pan‐continental, regional and local studies. The overall accuracy of our land‐cover maps was estimated at 87%. Between 1990 and 2000, 3.3 million hectares (Mha) of dense tree cover, 5.8 Mha of open tree cover and 8.9 Mha of other wooded land were lost, with a further 3.9 Mha degraded from dense to open tree cover. These results are substantially lower than the 34 Mha of forest loss reported in the FAO's 2010 Global Forest Resources Assessment for the same period and area.

Main conclusions

Our method generates the first consistent and robust estimates of forest cover and change in dry Africa with known statistical precision at continental and ecoregion scales. These results reduce the uncertainty regarding vegetation cover and its dynamics in these previously poorly studied ecosystems and provide crucial information for both science and environmental policies.
Genetic, phenotypic and ecological divergence with gene flow at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec: the case of the azure‐crowned hummingbird (Amazilia cyanocephala)
Authors: Rodríguez‐Gómez Flor , Gutiérrez‐Rodríguez Carla , Ornelas Juan Francisco
Published: March 2013

Aim

We test whether populations of the Mesoamerican azure‐crowned hummingbird, Amazilia cyanocephala (Trochilidae), located east and west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec are genetically, morphologically and environmentally differentiated and examine the relative role of drift and selection in driving diversification.

Location

Mexico.

Methods

We sequenced the mitochondrial ATPase‐6 and ATPase‐8 genes and the control region of 130 individuals collected throughout the range of the species in Mexico. Population genetic methods and coalescent tests were used to reconstruct the phylogeography of the species. Morphological and niche variation between genetic groups of A. cyanocephala were assessed.

Results

The data revealed two genetic groups separated by the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in the late Pleistocene (49,300–75,800 years ago), with the split occurring in the presence of gene flow. Deviations from demographic equilibrium were detected for the two genetic groups, indicating more recent population expansions. Amazilia cyanocephala individuals from populations on either side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec differed in morphology and were distributed in unique environmental space. A coalescent‐based test indicated that selection is driving the observed morphological differentiation.

Main conclusions

Our findings implicate the Isthmus of Tehuantepec as a permeable barrier driving recent diversification of A. cyanocephala in the presence of gene flow. The two A. cyanocephala mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) groups corresponding with morphological and environmental niche differences, in concert with the results of a coalescent‐based test, suggest that selection has been strong enough to counteract the effects of gene flow.
Factors of learner–instructor interaction which predict perceived learning outcomes in online learning environment
Authors: Kang M. , Im T.
Published: March 2013

Interaction in the online learning environment has been regarded as one of the most critical elements that affect learning outcomes. This study examined what factors in learner–instructor interaction can predict the learner's outcomes in the online learning environment. Learners in K Online University participated by answering the survey, and data from 654 respondents were analysed for this study. Results showed that factors related to instructional interaction predicted perceived learning achievement and satisfaction better than factors related to social interaction. However, it was revealed that social interaction such as social intimacy could negatively affect perceived learning achievement and satisfaction. This study has value because it found factors under learner–instructor interaction which predict perceived learning achievement and satisfaction with empirical evidence.
Anal intraepithelial neoplasia in a sexually transmitted diseases outpatient clinic: correlation with cytological screening
Authors: Repiso Jiménez J.B. , Frieyro‐Elicegui M. , Padilla‐España L. , Palma‐Carazo F. , de la Torre Lima J. , Rivas‐Ruiz F.
Published: March 2013

Background

High‐grade anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) is currently considered a precursor of anal cancer. The population most susceptible to AIN is men who have sex with men (MSM), especially if they are infected by HIV.

Objectives

We analysed the population diagnosed with AIN and evaluated anal cytology as a method of screening the at‐risk population.

Methods

We undertook a retrospective review of patients diagnosed with AIN by means of a surgical biopsy between 2008 and 2010. We analysed the risk factors of the population affected and the degree of agreement with the cytology performed previously.

Results

During the study period 41 patients were diagnosed with AIN and seven with anal canal carcinoma in situ; 77% were men, most MSM. A history of receptive anal intercourse was found in 81% of the patients and in 71% there was an association with anogenital warts; 32 patients were HIV‐positive, most of them men. Of the patients with anal dysplasia of any type in the cytology, 90% had some grade of AIN or carcinoma in situ in the later biopsy. The degree of agreement between the cytology and the biopsy was 94% in the high‐grade dysplasias and 50% in the low‐grade dysplasias.

Conclusions

Anal cytology in at‐risk populations has a high degree of agreement with the biopsy when performed surgically, though less in low‐grade dysplasias, which must always be studied. More studies evaluating the degree of progression of AIN to anal cancer are necessary.
Effects of ornamentation and phylogeny on the evolution of wing shape in stalk‐eyed flies (Diopsidae)
Authors: Husak J. F. , Ribak G. , Baker R. H. , Rivera G. , Wilkinson G. S. , Swallow J. G.
Published: March 2013

Exaggerated male ornaments are predicted to be costly to their bearers, but these negative effects may be offset by the correlated evolution of compensatory traits. However, when locomotor systems, such as wings in flying species, evolve to decrease such costs, it remains unclear whether functional changes across related species are achieved via the same morphological route or via alternate changes that have similar function. We conducted a comparative analysis of wing shape in relation to eye‐stalk elongation across 24 species of stalk‐eyed flies, using geometric morphometrics to determine how species with increased eye span, a sexually selected trait, have modified wing morphology as a compensatory mechanism. Using traditional and phylogenetically informed multivariate analyses of shape in combination with phenotypic trajectory analysis, we found a strong phylogenetic signal in wing shape. However, dimorphic species possessed shifted wing veins with the result of lengthening and narrowing wings compared to monomorphic species. Dimorphic species also had changes that seem unrelated to wing size, but instead may govern wing flexion. Nevertheless, the lack of a uniform, compensatory pattern suggests that stalk‐eyed flies used alternative modifications in wing structure to increase wing area and aspect ratio, thus taking divergent morphological routes to compensate for exaggerated eye stalks.
Morphology and Phylogeny of Three New Loxophyllum Species (Ciliophora, Pleurostomatida) from Mangrove Wetlands of Southern China
Authors: Wu Lei , Chen Ruimin , Yi Zhenzhen , Li Jiqiu , Warren Alan , Lin Xiaofeng
Published: March 2013

Three new pleurostomatid ciliates, Loxophyllum meridionale sp. n., L. salinum sp. n., and L. planum sp. n., isolated from brackish waters of mangrove wetlands in southern China, were investigated using live observation and protargol impregnation. The main characteristic feature of L. meridionale sp. n. is the presence of three contractile vacuoles (CVs) along its dorsal margin. Loxophyllum salinum sp. n. can be identified by the presence of three closely spaced CVs along the ventral margin and 12–15 right and four to six left kineties. Loxophyllum planum sp. n. is characterized by the combination of two macronuclei, a single, subterminal CV, and the absence of cortical granules. Phylogenetic trees based on the small subunit rDNA sequence data recovered Loxophyllum as a monophyletic group within the pleurostomatids. Loxophyllum meridionale sp. n., L. salinum sp. n., and L. planum sp. n. were all nested within the Loxophyllum clade. Based on its ciliary pattern and general morphological features, Loxophyllum asetosum is transferred to the genus Amphileptus and a new combination is suggested: Amphileptus asetosus (Burkovsky 1970) comb. n. [basionym L. asetosum Burkovsky 1970].
Retracted: Localizing and extracting filament distributions from microscopy images
Authors: BASU S. , DAHL K.N. , ROHDE G.K.
Published: March 2013

Detailed quantitative measurements of biological filament networks represent a crucial step in understanding architecture and structure of cells and tissues, which in turn explain important biological events such as wound healing and cancer metastases. Confocal microscope images of biological specimens marked for different structural proteins constitute an important source for observing and measuring meaningful parameters of biological networks. Unfortunately, current efforts at quantitative estimation of architecture and orientation of biological filament networks from microscopy images are predominantly limited to visual estimation and indirect experimental inference. Here we describe a new method for localizing and extracting filament distributions from 2D confocal microscopy images. The method combines a filter‐based detection of pixels likely to contain a filament with a constrained reverse diffusion‐based approach for localizing the filaments centrelines. We show with qualitative and quantitative experiments, using both simulated and real data, that the new method can provide more accurate centreline estimates of filament in comparison to other approaches currently available. In addition, we show the algorithm is more robust with respect to variations in the initial filter‐based filament detection step often used. We demonstrate the application of the method in extracting quantitative parameters from an experiment that seeks to quantify the effects of carbon nanotubes on actin cytoskeleton in live HeLa cells. We show that their presence can disrupt the overall actin cytoskeletal organization in such cells.
Seeing why they cannot see: Understanding the syndrome and causes of posterior cortical atrophy
Authors: Crutch Sebastian J.
Published: March 2013

Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a syndrome defined by focal neurodegeneration of the parietal, occipital, and occipito‐temporal cortices and associated with progressive dysfunction of visual processing, praxis, numeracy and reading. The condition is most commonly caused by (and viewed as an atypical presentation of) Alzheimer's disease, although can also be caused by other degenerative diseases. The current paper examines the relationship of PCA to other degenerative syndromes, and considers what comparisons of these syndromes and disease phenotypes can tell us about underlying disease mechanisms. The focus then turns to neuropsychological investigations of the cognitive basis of symptoms which, although unusual in the broader context of a dementia clinic, are particularly characteristic of the PCA syndrome, before exploring implications for clinical management and patient and carer support.
Emotional Work and Diversity in Clinical Placements of Nursing Students
Authors: Arieli Daniella
Published: March 2013

Purpose

To learn how students experience clinical placements in a setting of diversity and how they cope with the emotional challenges involved.

Design

This study is based on inductive, qualitative research undertaken with Israeli nursing students.

Method

In‐depth interviews were conducted with 20 students: 10 Arabs (5 men and 5 women), 9 Jews (2 men and 7 women), and 1 Circassian. The interviews were analyzed through coding and categorization.

Findings

The students’ experiences are characterized by emotional strains of various sorts—stress, ambivalence, disgust, frustration, and conflict—that arise in three types of relationships: relationships with patients, with the clinical instructors, and with other students who are on their teams. The data show that diversity has an impact on all these relationships. The data further show that the students cope with the emotional strains by using several strategies of emotional work: distancing, self‐strengthening, self‐motivation work, and minimizing significance.

Conclusions and Implications

(a) Nursing students’ experiences during their clinical placements should be understood in terms of emotional challenges, and their emotional work and coping strategies call for appropriate forms of support. (b) The diversity of the clinical placement environment should be considered as an important factor, both in understanding students’ experiences and learning processes and in designing the support that they need.

Clinical Relevance

Culturally diverse settings entail distinct challenges that impact students’ emotional reaction to clinical work. Understanding the types of emotional work students do in the process of their clinical experience is critical for educators seeking to promote genuinely caring and effective nursing in culturally diverse settings.
The role of muscle‐specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK) and mystery of MuSK myasthenia gravis
Authors: Koneczny Inga , Cossins Judith , Vincent Angela
Published: March 2013

MuSK myasthenia gravis is a rare, severe autoimmune disease of the neuromuscular junction, only identified in 2001, with unclear pathogenic mechanisms. In this review we describe the clinical aspects that distinguish MuSK MG from AChR MG, review what is known about the role of MuSK in the development and function of the neuromuscular junction, and discuss the data that address how the antibodies to MuSK lead to neuromuscular transmission failure.
Managing Partners and Management Professionals: Institutional Work Dyads in Professional Partnerships
Authors: Empson Laura , Cleaver Imogen , Allen Jeremy
Published: March 2013

This study presents an empirical analysis of the micro‐dynamics of institutional work. Examining the ‘corporatization’ of large international law firm partnerships, the study identifies the dyadic relationship that develops between two different types of professionals, the managing partner and management professional, and demonstrates how their relationship becomes a key mechanism for institutional work. The study shows how, by working together, these individuals take advantage of differences in their relative social positions: specifically their formal authority, specialist expertise, and social capital. The study identifies seven forms of institutional work in which they engage and demonstrates how these multiple forms simultaneously encompass the creation, maintenance,anddisruption of the institution of partnership. The study argues that this simultaneous occurrence helps to account for the phenomenon of sedimentation, whereby the gradually emerging institutional logic of the corporatized partnership is being integrated into the traditional partnership form.
Effect of storage conditions on the stability of β-lapachone in solid state and in solution
Authors: Cunha-Filho Marcílio S S , Martínez-Pacheco Ramón , Landin Mariana
Published: March 2013

Objectives

In this work, the effects of several technological factors on the stability of β-lapachone (βLAP) in solution and in the solid state were investigated.

Methods

The effects of relative humidity and light on the stability of βLAP in the solid state were studied. Samples were characterized by liquid chromatography, thermal analysis, X-ray powder diffraction and optical microscopy. In solution, the effects of light conditions and additives (cyclodextrins) were also evaluated. Molecular modelling was used to support the degradation mechanism involved. Additionally, the pH stability profile of βLAP was established.

Key findings

The synergism of relative humidity and light promoted degradation of βLAP in the solid state, with important consequences for the physical and chemical characteristics of the drug after storage. Random methyl-β-cyclodextrin was able to protect the drug against the hydrolytic process in darkness. However, it accelerated the drug decomposition by photolysis in light conditions. According to the pH stability profile, βLAP undergoes an alkaline hydrolysis, its maximum stability pH being over the range 2–4.

Conclusions

These studies provide useful information regarding the optimal storage conditions and formulations of βLAP.
Effects of eccentric exercise on branched‐chain amino acid profiles in rat serum and skeletal muscle
Authors: Qun Z. , Xinkai Y. , Jing W.
Published: March 2013

Supplementation of branched‐chain amino acid (BCAA) is often used to attenuate exercise‐induced skeletal muscle damage and promote adaptation, but no definitive conclusion on the benefits of BCAA on muscle recovery after injurious exercise can be drawn. Exploration of the systematic BCAA alteration in muscular injury‐repair stage per se without any BCAA supplement should provide some useful information in favour of BCAA application in muscle regeneration after injury. One bout of 90‐min downhill‐running exercise was performed to cause rat skeletal muscle injury. After exercise, myofibrillar BCAA concentrations showed minor changes compared with exercise before, while serum concentrations of BCAA were lower after exercise. Especially, serum leucine, isoleucine and total BCAA concentrations 2 weeks post‐run were significantly lower than normal values of exercise before (p = 0.008, p = 0.041, p = 0.015). The data demonstrate that a single eccentric exercise can significantly decrease the serum BCAA concentrations, which mean high utilization of BCAA for myogenesis after injurious exercise.
Surgical management of recurrent cervical sialoceles in four dogs
Authors: Tsioli V. , Papazoglou L.G. , Basdani E. , Kosmas P. , Brellou G. , Poutahidis T. , Bagias S.
Published: March 2013

Recurrent cervical sialoceles were diagnosed in four dogs associated with inadequate excision of the sublingual gland. Three dogs were managed by resection of the remnants of the sublingual gland via an oral approach. One dog was managed through a ventral approach as identification of the sublingual gland was not possible with the oral approach. The outcome was favourable in all cases and no relapses were detected after a median follow‐up time of 10 months.
Renal Replacement Therapy in Healthy Adult Horses
Authors: Wong D.M. , Witty D. , Alcott C.J. , Sponseller B.A. , Wang C. , Hepworth K.
Published: March 2013

Background

Renal replacement therapy (RRT) has been implemented extensively in people to facilitate recovery from acute renal failure (ARF).RRThas not been explored in horses, but might provide a further treatment option in horses withARF.

Objective

To investigate efficacy and safety ofRRTin horses.

Animals

Five healthy adult horses.

Methods

A prospective study was performed on horses restrained in stocks and intravenously connected to a commercialRRTmachine to allow continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration to be performed for 6 hours. The RRT machine was set at the following flow rates: blood flow rate 250 mL/min; dialysate rate 3,000 mL/h; prefilter replacement pump 3,000 mL/h; and postfilter replacement pump rate 2,000 mL/h. Balanced electrolyte solution was used as dialysate and replacement fluid. Heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, direct arterial blood pressure, urine output, and various clinicopathologic parameters were measured over the study period.

Results

Renal replacement therapy was successfully performed in horses, resulting in a mean creatinine clearance of 0.127 mL/kg/min (68.9 mL/min) and urea reduction ratio of 24%. No adverse effects were detected although a significant decrease in rectal temperature was observed (P ≤ .007). A significant increase in serum phosphorus (P ≤ .001) and decrease in BUN (P < .001) were also noted. A significant prolongation of prothrombin (P < .01) and partial thromboplastin time (P < .0001) were observed along with a decrease in platelet count (P ≤ .04).

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Renal replacement therapy can safely and effectively be used in adult horses.
Peri‐articular Histiocytic Sarcoma and Previous Joint Disease in Bernese Mountain Dogs
Authors: van Kuijk L. , van Ginkel K. , de Vos J.P. , Brearley M.J. , Butinar J. , Gielen I. , van Garderen E. , Chiers K. , Verhoeven P.S.
Published: March 2013

Background

Peri‐articular histiocytic sarcoma (PAHS) occurs in dogs, including Bernese Mountain Dogs (BMD). An etiologic relationship with previous joint disease has not been documented.

Hypothesis

Peri‐articular histiocytic sarcoma in BMD will be more frequently encountered around previously diseased joints compared with normal joints.

Animals

920 European BMD.

Methods

A retrospective study, in which data were obtained through an Internet questionnaire and from 2 veterinary pathology laboratories. Archived samples of hematoxylin‐eosin (H&E) staining diagnosed PAHS and synovial cell sarcoma (SCS) were immunolabeled with CD18 and pancytokeratin. Descriptive, comparative, and actuarial statistics comprise the data analysis.

Results

All primary synovial tumors were identified as PAHS based on their morphology, positive CD18, and negative pancytokeratin labeling. Joint disease was diagnosed in 226 BMD, of which 15 developed PAHS in a previously diseased joint and 3 in a nondiseased joint. Of the remaining 694 BMD without joint disease, 9 developed PAHS. The odds ratio for a dog with previous joint disease developing PAHS is calculated as 5.4 (95% CI: 2.3–12.5; P < .0001) compared with no previous joint problem. A significant association between previous joint disease and PAHS in the same joint was demonstrated for the left elbow (P = .016), right elbow (P = .006), right shoulder (P = .047), left and right stifle (P < .001), and left carpal joint (P = .010).

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

The results of this study suggest a relation between previous joint disease and the development of PAHS in the same joint of European BMD. Owners of BMD should monitor dogs for peri‐articular swellings, particularly around previously diseased joints.
Women’s Speech in the Age of Shakespeare
Authors: Smith Kathleen Kalpin
Published: March 2013

Examinations of the representations of women’s speech in early modern England aim to understand more fully the various ways in which speaking women were categorized into appropriate and inappropriate, licit and illicit categories. Scholarship in the field reveals that early modern texts, including Shakespeare’s plays, record for us depictions of women negotiating these boundaries. At the same time, understanding the operation of these prescriptions against women’s speech in early modern society and the examples of women’s responses to these expectations enriches our understanding of the cultural contexts for Shakespeare’s plays today.
Royalism and Social Change: The Case of James Howell
Authors: Goldstone Dawn
Published: March 2013

The suggestion of a politically contingent and successfully adaptable royalist identity is at the forefront of current debates in Royalist Studies and this essay is an intervention in these discussions. The essay begins by offering a brief overview of the way new research has attempted to re‐evaluate the royalist experience during the civil wars and interregnum. It follows with an examination of selected popular writings by the royalist pamphleteer James Howell (1594–1666). The essay argues that Howell’s writings provide an opportunity to observe the crisis of royalist identity and it questions the extent to which Howell productively negotiated changes in the social fabric. By situating Howell within current developments within the field the essay seeks to understand how royalist identities functioned in the context of ideological struggle. Popular discourses during this period drew on humoral physiology to attempt to make sense of civil disruption and account for social and political changes. The essay traces Howell’s contribution to these discussions by following his discourses on commercial society and that of the holistic body politic. The essay suggests that this juncture would prove a productive site for further investigations into the royalist experience and concludes with suggestion that Howell’s writings produce a discordant, rather than successfully adaptable subject position.
Victorian Literature, Religion, and Secularization
Authors: LaPorte Charles
Published: March 2013

Recent debates about secularization are transforming Victorian literary studies. Earlier consensus about how to understand the relationship between religion, modernity, and secularization has given way to a variety of new models that no longer take for granted religion’s modern decline. Historical and literary studies now often emphasize the robust state of nineteenth‐century religion in particular, and this emphasis should alter our view of that period’s representative texts. Finally, revisionist ideas about secularization also permit us to see an internal critique of our prior secularization narrative from within the nineteenth century itself.
Larval development and emergence sites of farm‐associated Culicoides in the United Kingdom
Authors: HARRUP L. E. , PURSE B. V. , GOLDING N. , MELLOR P. S. , CARPENTER S.
Published: March 2013

Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are the biological vectors of internationally important arboviruses of livestock including bluetongue virus (BTV). Information on the habitats used by Culicoides for larval development is valuable for establishing targeted vector control strategies and for improving local scale models of vector abundance. This study combines emergence trap collections of adult Culicoides identified using molecular markers and physiochemical measurements of habitats to investigate larval development sites of Palaearctic Culicoides in South East England. The known range of larval habitats for several Culicoides species is extended and the potential BTV vector species C. obsoletus and C. scoticus are confirmed to co‐occur in many larval habitats. The presence of emerging C. obsoletus was favoured by increasing substrate moisture level [odds ratio (OR) 6.94 (2.30; 20.90)] and substrate pH [OR 4.80 (1.66; 13.90)] [bias‐corrected Dxy: 0.68; area under the curve (AUC): 0.86] rather than any particular larval habitat type, as expected for a species with relatively wide larval habitat preference. Of the newly emerged sub‐genus Avaritia individuals collected, 23% were observed to have a degree of abdominal pigmentation commonly inferred to indicate parity. If consistent across species and locations, this observation represents a potential source of error for age structure analyses of Culicoides populations.
Catholic, Irish and Nationalist: evaluating the importance of ethno‐national and ethno‐religious variables in determining nationalist political allegiance in Northern Ireland
Authors: Evans Jocelyn , Tonge Jonathan
Published: March 2013

Irish national identity, political nationalism and Catholicism are the defining characteristics of the minority community in Northern Ireland. These identifiable ethno‐national and ethno‐religious characteristics have been the basis of communal solidarity that has transcended increasing socio‐economic heterogeneity within that community. Both of the Nationalist political parties in Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), draw their support almost exclusively from their community of origin. What is not known, however, is the relative importance of Irishness, Catholicism and Nationalism in shaping support for either party. Which of these ethnic identifiers is of greatest salience in identifying support for Sinn Féin or the SDLP? Drawing upon recent election survey evidence, this article attempts to rectify this information deficit, highlighting the weighting of components of ethnicity in determining intra‐bloc political allegiances.
The role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus – from bench to bedside
Authors: Yap Desmond Yat Hin , Lai Kar Neng
Published: March 2013

The pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) entails a complex interaction between the different arms of the immune system. While autoantibodies production and immune complex deposition are cornered as hallmark features of SLE, there is growing evidence to propose the pathogenic role of cytokines in this disease. Examples of these cytokines include BLys, interleukin‐6, interleukin‐17, interleukin‐18, type I interferons and tumour necrosis factor alpha. These cytokines all assume pivotal functions to orchestrate the differentiation, maturation and activation of various cell types, which would mediate local inflammatory process and tissue injury. The knowledge on these cytokines not only fosters our understanding of the disease, but also provides insights in devising biomarkers and targeted therapies. In this review, we focus on cytokines which have substantial pathogenic significance and also highlight the possible clinical applications of these cytokines.
Patterns of myopigenic activities with age, gender and ethnicity inSydney schoolchildren
Authors: French Amanda N , Morgan Ian G , Mitchell Paul , Rose Kathryn A
Published: March 2013

Purpose

To examine the patterns of myopigenic activity (high near work, low time outdoors) in children growing up inSydney,Australia, by age, ethnicity and gender.

Methods

TheSydney Adolescent Vascular and Eye Study (SAVES) re‐examined children from the two age cohorts (6 and 12 years at baseline) from theSydney Myopia Study (SMS). At 5–6 year follow‐up, 863 in the younger cohort and 1196 in the older cohort had complete refraction data. Cycloplegic autorefraction (cyclopentolate 1%; CanonRK‐F1) was measured at baseline and follow‐up. Children who became myopic (≤−0.50 dioptres spherical equivalent refraction) were those classified as non‐myopic at baseline and myopic at follow‐up. A detailed questionnaire was administered to measure weekly activities, including time spent outdoors and near work at both baseline and follow‐up examination.

Results

Overall, 128 (14.8%) children in the younger cohort and 210 (17.6%) in the older cohort became myopic. At follow‐up, for both cohorts, children had significantly reduced the amount of time spent outdoors (younger cohort,p = 0.001, older cohort,p < 0.0001) and increased near work time (younger cohort,p < 0.0001, older cohort,p = 0.006). Children of EastAsian ethnicity spent significantly less time outdoors by more than 7 h per week (both cohorts at baseline and follow‐up, allp < 0.0001) and more time in near work activities by close to 3 h compared toEuropean Caucasian children at all ages examined (both cohorts at baseline and follow‐up all,p < 0.03). The average pattern of activity for girls differed from that of boys in a similar way (both cohorts at baseline and follow‐up all,p < 0.0001). The two independent samples of 12 year‐old children provided by follow‐up in the younger cohort and baseline in the older cohort gave very similar answers to the questionnaire, with significant differences only evident for computer use (p = 0.001) and books read (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions

Answers to the activity questionnaire were very similar in the two cohorts of 12 year‐olds, suggesting that the questionnaire gives reproducible answers. However, further work is required for validation. Children's pattern of activities become more myopigenic with age, and differed by gender and by ethnicity at all ages, with girls having a more myopigenic activity pattern than boys, and children of EastAsian ancestry having a more myopigenic activity pattern thanEuropean Caucasian children.
Method for Differentiating Left Superior Pulmonary Vein Exit Conduction from Pseudo‐Exit Conduction
Authors: Ip JAMES E. , MARKOWITZ STEVEN M. , CHEUNG JIM W. , LIU CHRISTOPHER F. , THOMAS GEORGE , LESSNER SETH J. , LEE JOSEPH M. , LERMAN BRUCE B.
Published: March 2013

Background

Electrical isolation of pulmonary vein (PV) conduction from the left atrium (LA) is the cornerstone of successful atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. Exit block is confirmed by the absence of LA capture during pacing from a circular mapping catheter positioned in the PV; however, far‐field capture of the left atrial appendage (LAA) (pseudo‐pulmonary vein exit conduction) can occur. In this study, we evaluated a methodology for identifying pseudo‐exit conduction.

Methods and Results

A total of 135 consecutive AF patients undergoing PV isolation were studied. After circumferential ablation established PV entrance block, circumferential pacing (10 mA at 2.0 msec) was performed to assess exit block. In 16 (11.9%) patients, pacing the anterior poles of the left superior PV (LSPV) captured the LA. To differentiate true PV exit conduction from pseudo‐exit conduction, the ablation catheter was positioned within the LAA during PV pacing. LAA activation preceding PV capture was consistent with far‐field capture and this was confirmed by demonstrating local capture and exit block with decreasing pacing output. Using this approach, 14 patients (10.4%) were identified with pseudo‐exit conduction.

Conclusions

Due to the close proximity between the LSPV and LAA, pseudo‐exit conduction is not uncommon and may lead to the erroneous conclusion that the LSPV is not isolated. Using this method to differentiate pseudo‐exit conduction from true exit conduction should prevent unnecessary ablation after achievement of complete PV isolation.
Growth characteristics of Protoheliolites norvegicus (Tabulata; Upper Ordovician; Estonia)
Authors: Liang Kun , Lee Dong‐Jin , Elias Robert J. , Pärnaste Helje , Mõtus Mari‐Ann
Published: March 2013

Protoheliolites is an early heliolitine coral characterized by closely spaced corallites separated in places by sparse coenenchyme. Growth characteristics in the type species, P. norvegicus, are revealed by detailed analysis based on serial peels and thin sections of coralla from the uppermost Katian of north‐western Estonia. Colonies of this species had a strong ability to recover from damage and partial mortality, resulting in various forms of rejuvenation, regeneration, fusion and reorganization of corallites; in some cases, this involved relatively large areas of undifferentiated soft parts. The shells of commensal cornulitids became enclosed in host coralla during colony growth. Coralla of P. norvegicus exhibit distinctive growth cycles due to responses to seasonal changes. The production of new corallites by coenenchymal increase usually occurred in low‐density bands, in which corallites generally display round to subrounded transverse outlines. In high‐density bands, the corallites became crenulated, their wall thickness increased, septal development was more pronounced, and the amount of coenenchyme increased. In addition to these cyclomorphic changes, there were significant astogenetic changes during growth. Compared with the early stage of colony development, distinctive characteristics in the late astogenetic stage include a decrease in the growth rate of the colony, better coordination among corallites, maximum development of corallite crenulations and septa in high‐density bands, more numerous coenenchymal tubules and a greater proportion of corallum area occupied by coenenchyme. In general, the role of polyps in determining morphological characteristics of individual corallites, such as tabularium area, corallite crenulations and wall thickness, was subordinate to the astogeny of the colony. Growth characteristics including colony‐wide coordination of polyp behaviour and subjugation of individuals to restore the colony following damage suggest a strong astogenetic control and high level of colony integration. Protoheliolites probably arose from a heliolitine genus rather than from a nonheliolitine group as some authors have proposed.
New anatomical information on Anomalocaris from the Cambrian Emu Bay Shale of South Australia and a reassessment of its inferred predatory habits
Authors: Daley Allison C. , Paterson John R. , Edgecombe Gregory D. , García‐Bellido Diego C. , Jago James B.
Published: March 2013

Two species of Anomalocaris co‐occur in the Emu Bay Shale (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4) at Big Gully, Kangaroo Island. Frontal appendages of Anomalocaris briggsi Nedin, 1995, are more common than those of Anomalocaris cf. canadensis Whiteaves, 1892, at a quarry inland of the wave‐cut platform site from which these species were originally described. An oral cone has the three large, node‐bearing plates recently documented for Anomalocaris canadensis, confirming that Anomalocaris lacks a tetraradial ‘Peytoia’ oral cone and strengthening the case for the identity of the Australian specimens as Anomalocaris. Disarticulated anomalocaridid body flaps are more numerous in the Emu Bay Shale than in other localities, and they preserve anatomical details not recognized elsewhere. Transverse lines on the anterior part of the flaps, interpreted as strengthening rays or veins in previous descriptions of anomalocaridids, are associated with internal structures consisting of a series of well‐bounded, striated blocks or bars. Their structure is consistent with a structural function imparting strength to the body flaps. Setal structures consisting of a series of lanceolate blades are similar to those of other anomalocaridids and are found in isolation or associated with body flaps. A single specimen also preserves putative gut diverticula. The morphology of the appendages, oral cone, gut diverticula and compound eyes of Anomalocaris, along with its large size, suggests that it was an active predator, and specimens of coprolites containing trilobite fragments and trilobites with prominent injuries have been cited as evidence of anomalocaridid predation on trilobites. Based on frontal appendage morphology, Anomalocaris briggsi is inferred to have been a predator of soft‐bodied animals exclusively and only Anomalocaris cf. canadensis may have been capable of durophagous predation on trilobites, although predation (including possible cannibalism) by Redlichia could also explain the coprolites and damage to trilobite exoskeletons found in the Emu Bay Shale.
Congenital Kaposiform Hemangioendothelioma with Kasabach–Merritt Phenomenon Successfully Treated with Low‐Dose Radiation Therapy
Authors: Malhotra Yogangi , Yang Catherine S. , McNamara Joseph , Antaya Richard J.
Published: March 2013

Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE) associated with Kasabach–Merritt phenomenon is a life‐threatening vasculopathy. The current mainstay treatment for KHEs is corticosteroids and chemotherapy, but these medications do not work for all patients and carry significant side effects. We report a neonate with a large congenital KHE who responded extremely well to low‐dose radiation therapy.
Effects of a Short‐Term Parental Education Program on Childhood Atopic Dermatitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Futamura Masaki , Masuko Ikuyo , Hayashi Keiichi , Ohya Yukihiro , Ito Komei
Published: March 2013

Parental education is important in managing childhood atopic dermatitis (AD). We evaluated the long‐term effects of a 2‐day parental education program (PEP) on childhood AD. In an investigator‐blinded, randomized controlled trial, 59 children age 6 months to 6 years with moderate to severe AD and their mothers were recruited in Japan. Participants were given a booklet about AD and received conventional treatment alone or in combination with a 2‐day PEP comprising three lectures, three practical sessions, and a group discussion. The primary outcome was evaluation of eczema severity using SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included changes in symptom scores, amount of corticosteroid used, parental quality of life as determined according to the Dermatitis Family Impact questionnaire, and change in parental anxiety regarding the use of corticosteroids in their children. Participants in the PEP group had a significantly lower SCORAD score than those in the control group at 6 months (mean difference 10.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.3–17.7, p = 0.01) and objective SCORAD score (mean difference 7.1, 95% CI = 0.8–13.5, p = 0.03). The sleeplessness symptom score (mean difference 1.6, 95% CI = 0.0–3.1, p = 0.048) and corticosteroid anxiety score (p = 0.02) in the PEP group were significantly better than in the control group at 6 months. There was no significant difference between groups in the amount of corticosteroid used or quality of life. The PEP had positive long‐term effects on eczema severity and parental anxiety about corticosteroid usage.