bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Example‐Based Reasoning and Fact‐Weighting Guidance in Accounting Standards
Authors: Capps Greg , Koonce Lisa , White Brian J.
Published: November 2016

The provision of examples as implementation guidance is pervasive in accounting standards. Prior research has established that preparers engage in “example‐based reasoning,” a tendency to favor the accounting treatment in an example, even when the example does not exactly match the transaction at hand. In this paper, we investigate whether fact‐weighting guidance counteracts this tendency. Such guidance, now found in some accounting standards, indicates whether particular transaction facts are more important than others in determining the appropriate accounting treatment. Using an experiment, we find that fact‐weighting guidance does reduce preparers' tendency to favor the accounting treatment in an example. However, results also suggest that some degree of example‐based reasoning persists even with fact‐weighting guidance, and that preparers are not fully aware of how fact‐weighting guidance affects their judgments. Our findings have practical implications. They suggest to standard setters a potential remedy—namely, fact‐weighting guidance—for the misuse of accounting examples. They also provide insights to accounting preparers regarding how fact‐weighting guidance influences their judgments in ways they may not anticipate.
Phosphatidylethanol in Postmortem Brain and Serum Ethanol at Time of Death
Authors: Thompson Peter M. , Hill‐Kapturczak Nathalie , Lopez‐Cruzan Marisa , Alvarado Luis A. , Dwivedi Alok K. , Javors Martin A.
Published: November 2016

Background

Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is a metabolite of ethanol (EtOH), and its concentration in whole blood samples is a direct biomarker of alcohol consumption. Because PEth is also present in the brain and incorporated in lipid membranes, it can be used to classify deceased individuals on alcohol consumption status at the time of death. The purpose of this study was to detect PEth homologs in postmortem brains of individuals known to have had alcohol use disorder (AUD) and to determine the relationship between serum alcohol at the time of death and PEth in the cerebellum (CE) and orbital frontal cortex (OFC).

Methods

Postmortem brain was collected and stored according to standard protocol. Psychiatric symptoms experienced prior to death were obtained by next of kin psychological autopsy to categorize subjects. Thirty male subjects were chosen for analyses: 10 with AUD with positive serum EtOH levels present at time of autopsy (AUD‐W), 10 with AUD without positive serum EtOH levels (AUD‐WO), and 10 controls. PEth 16:0/18:1 and 16:0/18:2 were quantified in 50 mg of CE and OFC of human postmortem brain using HPLC and mass spectrometric detection (triple quadrupole).

Results

Results of this study were as follows: (i) PEth 16:0/18:1 and 16:0/18:2 were detected in the CE and OFC of all subjects diagnosed with AUD, (ii) PEth 16:0/18:1 levels were about 10‐fold higher than PEth 16:0/18:2 in all subjects and both areas of brain, (iii) AUD‐W subjects had higher PEth homolog levels in CE and OFC than controls and AUD‐WO subjects, (iv) PEth 16:0/18:1, but not PEth 16:0/18:2, levels in CE and OFC of AUD‐W subjects correlated significantly with serum EtOH levels at the time of death.

Conclusions

Quantification of combined PEth homolog levels in postmortem human brain is a good candidate as a diagnostic factor to classify drinking status, especially for those with AUD at the time of death. For alcohol research studies with postmortem brain, verification of drinking status is essential.
High serum dihydrotestosterone examined by ultrasensitive LC‐MS/MS as a predictor of benign prostatic hyperplasia or Gleason score 6 cancer in men with prostate‐specific antigen levels of 3–10 ng/mL
Authors: Miyoshi Y. , Uemura H. , Suzuki K. , Shibata Y. , Honma S. , Harada M. , Kubota Y.
Published: November 2016

There has been no consensus on the role of serum androgen concentrations in prostate cancer detection in men with prostate‐specific antigen levels of 3–10 ng/mL. In this study, testosterone and dihydrotestosterone concentrations in blood were examined by a newly developed method using ultrasensitive liquid chromatography with two serially linked mass spectrometers (LC‐MS/MS). We investigated the correlation between serum androgen levels and Gleason scores at biopsy. We analyzed data of 157 men with a total prostate‐specific antigen range of 3–10 ng/mL who underwent initial systematic prostate needle biopsy for suspected prostate cancer between April 2000 and July 2003. Peripheral blood testosterone and dihydrotestosterone concentrations were determined by LC‐MS/MS. Blood levels of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone were compared with pathological findings by multivariate analyses. Median values of prostate‐specific antigen and prostate volume measured by ultrasound were 5.7 ng/mL and 31.4 cm3, respectively. Benign prostatic hyperplasia was diagnosed in 97 patients (61.8%), and prostate cancer was diagnosed in 60 (38.2%) patients, including 31 (19.7%) patients with a Gleason score of 6 and 29 (18.5%) patients with a Gleason score of 7–10. Median values of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in blood were 3798.7 and 371.7 pg/mL, respectively. There was a strong correlation between serum testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. In multivariate analysis, age, prostate volume, and serum dihydrotestosterone were significant predictors of benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostate cancer with a Gleason score of 6. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve for age, prostate volume, and serum dihydrotestosterone were 0.67, 0.67, and 0.67, respectively . We confirmed that high dihydrotestosterone blood levels can predict benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostate cancer with a Gleason score of 6 in men with prostate‐specific antigen levels of 3–10 ng/mL.
Metabolic syndrome and the seminal cytokine network in morbidly obese males
Authors: Pilatz A. , Hudemann C. , Wolf J. , Halefeld I. , Paradowska‐Dogan A. , Schuppe H.‐C. , Hossain H. , Jiang Q. , Schultheiss D. , Renz H. , Weidner W. , Wagenlehner F. , Linn T.
Published: November 2016

Given the increasing prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in males of reproductive age, the objective of this prospective case–controlled study was to investigate the impact of subacute systemic inflammation associated with MetS on seminal cytokines and standard sperm parameters in comparison with healthy men. Between 2011 and 2014, we recruited 27 patients with MetS out of 41 obese patients screened from an internal outpatient clinic. Twenty‐seven age‐matched healthy controls were enrolled from 54 men requesting vasectomy in a urological outpatient clinic. A multiplex analysis was performed to quantify simultaneously the level of 30 cytokines (Eotaxin, FGF, Fraktalkine, GCSF, GMCSF, Granzyme A, IFN‐γ, IL‐1α, IL‐1β, IL‐2, IL‐4, IL‐5, IL‐6, IL‐7, IL‐8, IL‐9, IL‐10, IL‐12p70, IL‐13, IL‐17A, IL‐21, IP‐10, I‐TAC, MCP‐1, MIG, MIP‐1α, MIP‐1β, RANTES, TNF‐α, and VEGF) in each 50 μL of blood and seminal plasma during the andrological work‐up. Semen analysis was performed according to the WHO (Global status report on noncommunicable diseases, 2010) recommendations, including standard sperm parameters as well as peroxidase‐positive leukocytes and polymorphonuclear elastase. Blood levels of C‐reactive protein, interleukins 6 and 10 were elevated in MetS (p > 0.001). Two‐way hierarchical cluster analysis showed characteristic cytokine networks in semen greatly differing from those in blood, but not between MetS and controls. No deterioration of semen analysis was evident in men diagnosed with MetS. Our results suggest that there is no transmission of the systemic inflammation associated with MetS into semen based on cytokine profiles and that MetS does not impair standard semen parameters to a clinically significant extent.
Lacrimal gland ductal carcinomas: Clinical, Morphological and Genetic characterization and implications for targeted treatment
Authors: Andreasen Simon , Grauslund Morten , Heegaard Steffen
Published: November 2016

Purpose

Ductal carcinomas (DCs) of the lacrimal gland are very rare but aggressive malignancies. We investigated DC of the lacrimal gland for potentially clinically actionable targets in the search for new therapeutic options.

Methods

Case 1: A 77‐year‐old man, presented with diplopia and xerophtalmia; case 2: A 53‐year‐old man, presented with headache, proptosis and chemosis and case 3: A 73‐year‐old man, presenting with chemosis and a corneal abscess. All three cases were characterized morphologically including immunohistochemistry and genetically with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and one case with next‐generation sequencing (NGS) of cancer relevant genes.

Results

Cases 1 and 3 were composed of large, rounded, irregular cystic nodules of carcinoma cells with prominent central comedonecrosis, whereas case 2 had a scirrhous morphology. High expression of CK7, CK19, EMA, p53 and HER2 was characteristic for all three tumours. Androgen receptor was intensely positive in case 1, in scattered cells in case 2 and negative in case 3, whereas oestrogen and progesterone receptor were consistently negative. Genetically, a hemizygous deletion and a point mutation in PTEN were identified in case 1, whereas HER2 amplification was found in cases 2 and 3.

Conclusion

This study identified a spectrum of genetic events and pattern of protein expression in DC of the lacrimal gland similar to a subset of carcinomas of the breast and ductal carcinomas of the salivary glands. For therapeutic purposes, aberrations in several components of especially the HER2 signalling pathway could alleviate the effect of HER2‐directed therapy illustrating an inadequacy of isolated HER2 testing.
Cutaneous exposure to hypoxia does not affect skin perfusion in humans
Authors: Siebenmann C. , Keramidas M. E. , Rundqvist H. , Mijwel S. , Cowburn A. S. , Johnson R. S. , Eiken O.
Published: November 2016

Aim

Experiments have indicated that skin perfusion in mice is sensitive to reductions in environmental O2 availability. Specifically, a reduction in skin‐surface PO2 attenuates transcutaneous O2 diffusion, and hence epidermal O2 supply. In response, epidermal HIF‐1α expression increases and facilitates initial cutaneous vasoconstriction and subsequent nitric oxide‐dependent vasodilation. Here, we investigated whether the same mechanism exists in humans.

Methods

In a first experiment, eight males rested twice for 8 h in a hypobaric chamber. Once, barometric pressure was reduced by 50%, while systemic oxygenation was preserved by O2‐enriched (42%) breathing gas (HypoxiaSkin), and once barometric pressure and inspired O2 fraction were normal (Control1). In a second experiment, nine males rested for 8 h with both forearms wrapped in plastic bags. O2 was expelled from one bag by nitrogen flushing (AnoxiaSkin), whereas the other bag was flushed with air (Control2). In both experiments, skin blood flux was assessed by laser Doppler on the dorsal forearm, and HIF‐1α expression was determined by immunohistochemical staining in forearm skin biopsies.

Results

Skin blood flux during HypoxiaSkin and AnoxiaSkin remained similar to the corresponding Control trial (P = 0.67 and P = 0.81). Immunohistochemically stained epidermal HIF‐1α was detected on 8.2 ± 6.1 and 5.3 ± 5.7% of the analysed area during HypoxiaSkin and Control1 (P = 0.30) and on 2.3 ± 1.8 and 2.4 ± 1.8% during AnoxiaSkin and Control2 (P = 0.90) respectively.

Conclusion

Reductions in skin‐surface PO2 do not affect skin perfusion in humans. The unchanged epidermal HIF‐1α expression suggests that epidermal O2 homoeostasis was not disturbed by HypoxiaSkin/AnoxiaSkin, potentially due to compensatory increases in arterial O2 extraction.
Postoperative symptomatic haematoma and pneumorrhachis in a dog with a thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion
Authors: Cornelis I , Monticelli P , De Decker S
Published: November 2016

Case report

A 6‐year‐old male neutered crossbreed dog presented with acute onset paraparesis and was diagnosed with an L1–L2 intervertebral disc extrusion. A right‐sided T13–L2 hemilaminectomy was performed. However, the dog deteriorated and became paraplegic with marked thoracolumbar hyperaesthesia 48 h after surgery. A computed tomography scan of the thoracolumbar vertebral column revealed the presence of pneumorrhachis (PR) at the level of T13, possibly embedded in a haematoma, and causing marked spinal cord compression. Revision surgery confirmed the presence of a haematoma, which was removed. The dog gradually improved and was neurologically normal 6 weeks after surgery.

Conclusion

Although PR is a rare condition, it may be considered a possible cause for early postoperative neurological deterioration in dogs undergoing decompressive spinal surgery. Surgical revision resulted in a good outcome in the presented case.
New actions of an old friend: perivascular adipose tissue's adrenergic mechanisms
Authors: Ayala‐Lopez Nadia , Watts Stephanie W
Published: November 2016

The revolutionary discovery in 1991 by Soltis and Cassis that perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) has an anti‐contractile effect changed how we think about the vasculature. Most experiments on vascular pharmacology begin by removing the fat surrounding vessels. Thus, PVAT was thought to have a minor role in vascular function and its presence was just for structural support. The need to rethink PVAT's role was precipitated by observations that obesity carries a high cardiovascular risk and PVAT dysfunction is associated with obesity. PVAT is a vascular‐adipose organ that has intimate connections with the nervous and immune system. A complex world of physiology resides in PVAT, including the presence of an ‘adrenergic system’ that is able to release, take up and metabolize noradrenaline. Adipocytes, stromal vascular cells and nerves within PVAT contain components that make up this adrenergic system. Some of the great strides in PVAT research came from studying adipose tissue as a whole. Adipose tissue has many roles and participates in regulating energy balance, energy stores, inflammation and thermoregulation. However, PVAT is dissimilar from non‐PVAT adipose tissues. PVAT is intimately connected with the vasculature, which is what makes its role in body homeostasis unique. The adrenergic system within PVAT may be an integral link connecting the effects of obesity with the vascular dysfunction observed in obesity‐associated hypertension, a condition in which the sympathetic nervous system has a significant role. This review will explore what is known about the adrenergic system in adipose tissue and PVAT, plus the translational importance of these findings.

Linked Articles

This article is part of a themed section on Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Perivascular Adipose Tissue – Potential Pharmacological Targets? To view the other articles in this section visithttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v174.20/issuetoc
Sensory‐based conservation of seabirds: a review of management strategies and animal behaviours that facilitate success
Authors: Friesen Megan R. , Beggs Jacqueline R. , Gaskett Anne C.
Published: November 2016

ABSTRACT

Sensory‐based conservation harnesses species' natural communication and signalling behaviours to mitigate threats to wild populations. To evaluate this emerging field, we assess how sensory‐based manipulations, sensory mode, and target taxa affect success. To facilitate broader, cross‐species application of successful techniques, we test which behavioural and life‐history traits correlate with positive conservation outcomes. We focus on seabirds, one of the world's most rapidly declining groups, whose philopatry, activity patterns, foraging, mate choice, and parental care behaviours all involve reliance on, and therefore strong selection for, sophisticated sensory physiology and accurate assessment of intra‐ and inter‐species signals and cues in several sensory modes. We review the use of auditory, olfactory, and visual methods, especially for attracting seabirds to newly restored habitat or deterring birds from fishing boats and equipment. We found that more sensory‐based conservation has been attempted with Procellariiformes (tube‐nosed seabirds) and Charadriiformes (e.g. terns and gulls) than other orders, and that successful outcomes are more likely for Procellariiformes. Evolutionary and behavioural traits are likely to facilitate sensory‐based techniques, such as social attraction to suitable habitat, across seabird species. More broadly, successful application of sensory‐based conservation to other at‐risk animal groups is likely to be associated with these behavioural and life‐history traits: coloniality, philopatry, nocturnal, migratory, long‐distance foraging, parental care, and pair bonds/monogamy.
Structural and biochemical insights into the allosteric activation mechanism of AMP‐activated protein kinase
Authors: Li Jin , Li Shuying , Wang Fengzhong , Xin Fengjiao
Published: November 2016

The AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK), a complicated αβγ heterotrimer, can sense cellular energy status and maintain energy homeostasis via switching catabolic and anabolic pathways. AMPK also participates in the regulation of many other life activities, including the cell cycle, cell polarity, autophagy, and life span. Therefore, AMPK is widely studied as a potential drug target for treatment of type 2 diabetes and some other metabolic diseases, cancers, and cardiovascular diseases. Similar to other kinases, the phosphorylation of α‐Thr172 in the activation loop by upstream kinases is crucial for the activation of AMPK. In addition, the binding of AMP and its analogues to the γ subunit causes further allosteric activation, which makes AMPK distinctive from other kinases. Here, we give a brief introduction to the domain constitutions of mammalian AMPK and then systematically review its allosteric activation mechanism from a structural and biochemical view.
Out of Reach, Out of Mind? Infants’ Comprehension of References to Hidden Inaccessible Objects
Authors: Osina Maria A. , Saylor Megan M. , Ganea Patricia A.
Published: November 2016

This study investigated the nature of infants’ difficulty understanding references to hidden inaccessible objects. Twelve‐month‐old infants (N = 32) responded to the mention of objects by looking at, pointing at, or approaching them when the referents were visible or accessible, but not when they were hidden and inaccessible (Experiment I). Twelve‐month‐olds (N = 16) responded robustly when a container with the hidden referent was moved from a previously inaccessible position to an accessible position before the request, but failed to respond when the reverse occurred (Experiment II). This suggests that infants might be able to track the hidden object's dislocations and update its accessibility as it changes. Knowing the hidden object is currently inaccessible inhibits their responding. Older, 16‐month‐old (N = 17) infants’ performance was not affected by object accessibility.
Esthetic Assessment of Implants Placed into Fresh Extraction Sockets for Single‐Tooth Replacements Using a Flapless Approach
Authors: Kolerman Roni , Mijiritsky Eitan , Barnea Eitan , Dabaja Areeje , Nissan Joseph , Tal Haim
Published: November 2016

Background

To validate the concept of immediate implant placement and nonfunctional loading for use in the esthetically sensitive anterior maxilla, clinical trials should ideally include objective esthetic criteria.

Purpose

This study analyzed procedural results as graded by the pink esthetic score and white esthetic score (PES/WES).

Methods

Thirty‐nine suitable patients (mean follow‐up 44.82 ± 28 months) were evaluated.

Results

Thirty‐eight implants fulfilled stringent criteria for successful osseointegration: absence of peri‐implant radiolucency, implant mobility, suppuration, and pain. The mean total PES/WES was 15.50 ± 2.67 (range: 10–20). The mean total PES of 7.92 ± 1.60 (range: 5–10) indicated favorable overall peri‐implant soft‐tissue conditions. Root convexity and texture (1.63 ± 0.54) and curvature of the facial mucosa (1.68 ± 0.47) and distal papilla (1.66 ± 0.48) had the highest mean values, whereas acceptable levels of facial tissue (1.53 ± 0.73) and mesial papilla (1.42 ± 0.64) were the most difficult to fully achieve. The mean mesial and distal bone loss at data collection was, was 1.19 ± 0.54 and 1.15 ± 0.51, respectively. Periodontal disease severity (advanced chronic and aggressive periodontitis) was significantly associated with a low total PES (p = .048).

Conclusions

Objective PES/WES assessment validated immediate anterior maxillary single‐tooth replacement and restoration as being a successful and esthetically predictable treatment modality in sites where the buccal bone had been preserved during the extraction at 1 year of follow‐up.
Loss of habitat and connectivity erodes species diversity, ecosystem functioning, and stability in metacommunity networks
Authors: Thompson Patrick L. , Rayfield Bronwyn , Gonzalez Andrew
Published: November 2016

Habitat loss fragments metacommunities, altering the movement of species between previously connected habitat patches. The consequences of habitat loss for ecosystem functioning depend, in part, on how these changes in connectivity alter the spatial insurance effects of biodiversity. Spatial insurance is the maintenance of biodiversity and stable ecosystem functioning in changing environments that occurs when species are able to move between local habitat patches in order to track conditions to which they are adapted. Spatial insurance requires a combination of species sorting dynamics, which allow species to disperse to habitats where they are productive, and mass effect dynamics, where dispersal allows species to persist in marginal habitats where environmental conditions do not support growth. Here we use a spatially explicit metacommunity model to show that the relative contribution of species sorting and mass effects to spatial insurance changes with the rate of dispersal. We then simulate different sequences of habitat loss by removing habitat patches based on their betweenness centrality (the degree to which a patch serves as a connection between other patches in the metacommunity). We demonstrate that the sequence of habitat loss has a large, non‐linear impact on diversity, ecosystem functioning and stability. Spatial insurance is lost because habitat fragmentation impedes species sorting, while promoting mass effects and dispersal limitation. We find that species sorting dynamics, and thus spatial insurance, are most robust to the removal of habitat patches with low betweenness centrality. These findings advance our understanding of how habitat connectivity facilitates the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, and may prove useful for the design of habitat networks.
Fragmentation affects plant community composition over time
Authors: Collins C. D. , Banks‐Leite C. , Brudvig L. A. , Foster B. L. , Cook W. M. , Damschen E. I. , Andrade A. , Austin M. , Camargo J. L. , Driscoll D. A. , Holt R. D. , Laurance W. F. , Nicholls A. O. , Orrock J. L.
Published: November 2016

Habitat fragmentation can lead to major changes in community composition, but little is known about the dynamics of these changes, or how community trajectories are affected by the initial state of habitat maturity. We use four landscape‐scale experiments from different biogeographic regions to understand how plant community composition responds to fragmentation over decades. Within each experiment, we consider first whether plant communities in the most‐fragmented treatments diverge in composition from plant communities in the least‐fragmented treatments. Second, because communities embedded in different fragments may become more similar to one another over time (biotic homogenization), we asked whether beta diversity – compositional variation across space – declines among fragments over time. Third, we assessed whether fragmentation alters the degree to which temporal change in fragmented landscapes is due to ordered species losses and gains (nestedness) versus species replacements (turnover). For each of these three questions, we contrasted patterns of compositional change in mature communities following fragmentation (disassembly; n = 2 experiments) with patterns in newly‐developing plant communities in fragments cleared of vegetation (assembly; n = 2 experiments).

In the two studies where communities were disassembling, community composition in the most‐fragmented habitats diverged from that in least‐fragmented habitats. Beta diversity within a fragmentation treatment did not change over time at any of the four sites. In all four experiments, temporal patterns of compositional change were due mostly to species turnover, although nestedness played a role in the least‐fragmented sites in two of the studies. Overall, the impacts on community composition varied among landscape experiments, and divergence may have been affected by the maturity of the plant community. Future comparisons across ecosystems that account for species identities (vs simply richness) will be critical for predicting the effects of fragmentation, managing mature plant communities in remnants, and restoring plant communities where habitat has been lost.
Parthenogenesis did not consistently evolve in insular populations of Ischnura hastata (Odonata, Coenagrionidae)
Authors: LORENZO‐CARBALLA M. OLALLA , HASSALL CHRISTOPHER , ENCALADA ANDREA C. , SANMARTÍN‐VILLAR IAGO , TORRES‐CAMBAS YUSDIEL , CORDERO‐RIVERA ADOLFO
Published: November 2016

1. The evolutionary advantages that have driven the evolution of sex are still very much debated, and a number of benefits of parthenogenesis over sexual reproduction have been proposed. In particular, parthenogenetic individuals are thought to exhibit higher probabilities of establishment following arrival in new, isolated habitats such as islands.

2. One notable example of parthenogenesis occurring in islands is the damselfly Ischnura hastata, an American species that has colonised the Azores archipelago, where the populations consist only of females. This is the only known example of parthenogenesis within the insect order Odonata.

3. Here, two island populations of I. hastata were studied, one in the Galapagos and one in Cuba, to test whether island colonisation is consistently associated with parthenogenesis in this species. Field capture–mark–recapture studies and laboratory rearing of field‐collected eggs were undertaken in both areas.

4. Sex ratios in the field were found to be heavily female‐biased among mature individuals; however, fertility rates of field‐collected eggs were high, and the sex ratios in the laboratory did not differ from 1 : 1. Data from laboratory rearing showed that shorter larval development times and shorter adult life spans in males result in protandry, which might explain the skewed sex ratios in the field.

5. These findings are consistent with sex differences in key demographic parameters which could predispose I. hastata to parthenogenesis. However, the Azores population of I. hastata remains the only documented case of asexual reproduction in this insect group.
Temporal behavior of seizures and interictal bursts in prolonged intracranial recordings from epileptic canines
Authors: Ung Hoameng , Davis Kathryn A. , Wulsin Drausin , Wagenaar Joost , Fox Emily , McDonnell John J. , Patterson Ned , Vite Charles H. , Worrell Gregory , Litt Brian
Published: November 2016

Objective

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder, but seizure recordings are usually obtained in the acute setting. The chronic behavior of seizures and the interictal bursts that sometimes initiate them is unknown. We investigate the variability of these electrographic patterns over an extended period of time using chronic intracranial recordings in canine epilepsy.

Methods

Continuous, yearlong intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) recordings from four dogs with naturally occurring epilepsy were analyzed for seizures and interictal bursts. Following automated detection and clinician verification of interictal bursts and seizures, temporal trends of seizures, burst count, and burst–burst similarities were determined. One dog developed status epilepticus, the recordings of which were also investigated.

Results

Multiple seizure types, determined by onset channels, were observed in each dog, with significant temporal variation between types. The first 14 days of invasive recording, analogous to the average duration of clinical invasive recordings in humans, did not capture the entirety of seizure types. Seizures typically occurred in clusters, and isolated seizures were rare. The count and dynamics of interictal bursts form distinct groups and do not stabilize until several weeks after implantation.

Significance

There is significant temporal variability in seizures and interictal bursts after electrode implantation that requires several weeks to reach steady state. These findings, comparable to those reported in humans implanted with the NeuroPace Responsive Neurostimulator System (RNS) device, suggest that transient network changes following electrode implantation may need to be taken into account when interpreting or analyzing iEEG during evaluation for epilepsy surgery. Chronic, ambulatory iEEG may be better suited to accurately map epileptic networks in appropriate individuals.
Lamotrigine and levetiracetam exert a similar modulation of TMS‐evoked EEG potentials
Authors: Premoli Isabella , Biondi Andrea , Carlesso Sara , Rivolta Davide , Richardson Mark P.
Published: November 2016

Objective

Antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment failures may occur because there is insufficient drug in the brain or because of a lack of relevant therapeutic response. Until now it has not been possible to measure these factors. It has been recently shown that the combination of transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS‐EEG) can measure the effects of drugs in healthy volunteers. TMS‐evoked EEG potentials (TEPs) comprise a series of positive and negative deflections that can be specifically modulated by drugs with a well‐known mode of action targeting inhibitory neurotransmission. Therefore, we hypothesized that TMS‐EEG can detect effects of two widely used AEDs, lamotrigine and levetiracetam, in healthy volunteers.

Methods

Fifteen healthy subjects participated in a pseudo‐randomized, placebo‐controlled, double‐blind, crossover design, using a single oral dose of lamotrigine (300 mg) and levetiracetam (3,000 mg). TEPs were recorded before and 120 min after drug intake, and the effects of drugs on the amplitudes of TEP components were statistically evaluated.

Results

A nonparametric cluster‐based permutation analysis of TEP amplitudes showed that AEDs both increased the amplitude of the negative potential at 45 msec after stimulation (N45) and suppressed the positive peak at 180 msec (P180). This is the first demonstration of AED‐induced modulation of TMS‐EEG measures.

Significance

Despite the different mechanism of action that lamotrigine and levetiracetam exert at the molecular level, both AEDs impact the TMS‐EEG response in a similar way. These TMS‐EEG fingerprints observed in healthy subjects are candidate predictive markers of treatment response in patients on monotherapy with lamotrigine and levetiracetam.
RNF167 targets Arl8B for degradation to regulate lysosome positioning and endocytic trafficking
Authors: Deshar Rakesh , Moon Song , Yoo Wonjin , Cho Eun‐Bee , Yoon Sungjoo K. , Yoon Jong‐Bok
Published: November 2016

The protease‐associated (PA) domain‐containing E3 ubiquitin ligases are transmembrane proteins located in intracellular organelles such as the endoplasmic reticulum, endosomes, or lysosomes. The functional roles of these ubiquitin ligases are not well defined. To understand the function of E3 ubiquitin ligases, identification of their substrates is of critical importance. In this study, we describe a newly devised method based on proximity‐dependent biotin labeling to identify substrates of ubiquitin ligases. Application of this method to RING finger protein 167 (RNF167), a member of the PA domain‐containing E3 family, led to identification of Arl8B as its substrate. We demonstrated that RNF167 ubiquitinates Arl8B at the lysine residue K141 and reduces the level of the Arl8B protein. Overexpression and knockdown of RNF167 revealed its regulatory role in Arl8B‐dependent lysosome positioning and endocytic trafficking to lysosomes. Furthermore, we found that the ubiquitination‐defective Arl8B K141R mutant counteracts RNF167 in these cellular events. These results indicate that RNF167 plays a crucial role as an E3 ubiquitin ligase targeting Arl8B to regulate lysosome positioning and endocytic trafficking.
Fitting fatigue data with a bi‐conditional model
Authors: Cova M , Tovo R
Published: November 2016

The formulation of a probability‐stress‐life (P‐S‐N) curve is a necessary step beyond the basic S‐N relation when dealing with reliability. This paper presents a model, relevant to materials that exhibits a fatigue limit, which considers the number of cycles to failure and the occurrence of the failure itself as statistically independent events, described with different distributions and/or different degree of scatter. Combining these two as a parallel system leads to the proposed model. In the case where the S‐N relation is a Basquin's law, the formulations of the probability density function, cumulative distribution function, quantiles, parameter and quantile confidence interval are presented in a procedure that allows practically any testing strategy.

The result is a flexible model combined with the tools that deliver a wide range of information needed in the design phase. Finally, an extension to include static strength and applicability to fatigue crack growth and defects‐based fatigue approach are presented.
Experimental and analytical investigation of fatigue crack propagation of T‐welded joints considering the effect of boundary condition
Authors: Sun D , Gan J , Wang Z , Luo P , Wu W
Published: November 2016

T‐welded joints are commonly employed in ship and ocean structures. The fatigue failure of structure components subjected to cyclic loading always occurs in T‐welded joints because of the metallurgical differences, tensile residual stress fields and stress concentrations. The former researches about T‐welded joints fatigue have in common that the boundary condition needs to be taken into account as an influencing parameter to predict the crack propagation during cyclic loading. In this paper, the crack growth behaviour in T‐welded joint processed with Q345D steel (Pingxiang Iron & Steel Co., Ltd, Hukou, Jiangxi Province in China) under the fatigue loading was analysed via analytical model and verified via experiment. The results show that the influence of boundary condition should be considered in T‐welded joint structure during crack propagation in weld toe area. The correction factor concerning the effect of boundary condition and modified Paris' equation was proposed according to the experimental results and verified by the following repeated experiments.
Foreign Language Writing Fellows Programs: A Model for Improving Advanced Writing Skills
Authors: Snyder Delys Waite , Nielson Rex P. , Kurzer Kendon
Published: November 2016

Within the growing field of scholarly literature on foreign language (FL) writing pedagogy, few studies have addressed pedagogical questions regarding the teaching of writing to advanced language learners. Writing fellows peer tutoring programs, although typically associated with first language writing instruction, likely can benefit and support advanced language students learning to write in FL contexts. Using a mixed‐methods approach, the authors compared two sections of an upper‐division Portuguese literature class that employed writing fellows tutors with two sections that did not. Data suggest that incorporating writing fellows into FL contexts affected how students learned to write: (1) the papers of students who worked with writing fellows exhibited more developed thought, (2) students who worked with writing fellows employed more successful writing strategies, and (3) students who worked with writing fellows exhibited changes in their writing processes for future writing assignments. These conclusions suggest that the inclusion of peer tutors such as writing fellows may be an effective pedagogical practice for teaching writing to advanced FL learners.
Precision wildlife medicine: applications of the human‐centred precision medicine revolution to species conservation
Authors: Whilde Jenny , Martindale Mark Q. , Duffy David J.
Published: November 2016

The current species extinction crisis is being exacerbated by an increased rate of emergence of epizootic disease. Human‐induced factors including habitat degradation, loss of biodiversity and wildlife population reductions resulting in reduced genetic variation are accelerating disease emergence. Novel, efficient and effective approaches are required to combat these epizootic events. Here, we present the case for the application of human precision medicine approaches to wildlife medicine in order to enhance species conservation efforts. We consider how the precision medicine revolution, coupled with the advances made in genomics, may provide a powerful and feasible approach to identifying and treating wildlife diseases in a targeted, effective and streamlined manner. A number of case studies of threatened species are presented which demonstrate the applicability of precision medicine to wildlife conservation, including sea turtles, amphibians and Tasmanian devils. These examples show how species conservation could be improved by using precision medicine techniques to determine novel treatments and management strategies for the specific medical conditions hampering efforts to restore population levels. Additionally, a precision medicine approach to wildlife health has in turn the potential to provide deeper insights into human health and the possibility of stemming and alleviating the impacts of zoonotic diseases. The integration of the currently emerging Precision Medicine Initiative with the concepts of EcoHealth (aiming for sustainable health of people, animals and ecosystems through transdisciplinary action research) and One Health (recognizing the intimate connection of humans, animal and ecosystem health and addressing a wide range of risks at the animal–human–ecosystem interface through a coordinated, collaborative, interdisciplinary approach) has great potential to deliver a deeper and broader interdisciplinary‐based understanding of both wildlife and human diseases.
Forests growing under dry conditions have higher hydrological resilience to drought than do more humid forests
Authors: Helman David , Lensky Itamar M. , Yakir Dan , Osem Yagil
Published: November 2016

More frequent and intense droughts are projected during the next century, potentially changing the hydrological balances in many forested catchments. Although the impacts of droughts on forest functionality have been vastly studied, little attention has been given to studying the effect of droughts on forest hydrology. Here, we use the Budyko framework and two recently introduced Budyko metrics (deviation and elasticity) to study the changes in the water yields (rainfall minus evapotranspiration) of forested catchments following a climatic drought (2006–2010) in pine forests distributed along a rainfall gradient (P = 280–820 mm yr−1) in the Eastern Mediterranean (aridity factor = 0.17–0.56). We use a satellite‐based model and meteorological information to calculate the Budyko metrics. The relative water yield ranged from 48% to 8% (from the rainfall) in humid to dry forests and was mainly associated with rainfall amount (increasing with increased rainfall amount) and bedrock type (higher on hard bedrocks). Forest elasticity was larger in forests growing under drier conditions, implying that drier forests have more predictable responses to drought, according to the Budyko framework, compared to forests growing under more humid conditions. In this context, younger forests were shown more elastic than older forests. Dynamic deviation, which is defined as the water yield departure from the Budyko curve, was positive in all forests (i.e., less‐than‐expected water yields according to Budyko's curve), increasing with drought severity, suggesting lower hydrological resistance to drought in forests suffering from larger rainfall reductions. However, the dynamic deviation significantly decreased in forests that experienced relatively cooler conditions during the drought period. Our results suggest that forests growing under permanent dry conditions might develop a range of hydrological and eco‐physiological adjustments to drought leading to higher hydrological resilience. In the context of predicted climate change, such adjustments are key factors in sustaining forested catchments in water‐limited regions.
Still Red Hot? Postfeminism and Gender Subjectivity in the Airline Industry
Authors: Duffy Katherine , Hancock Philip , Tyler Melissa
Published: November 2016

This article considers the relationship between postfeminism and gender subjectivity through a critique of the retro‐aesthetic encoded into Virgin Atlantic'sStill Red Hotadvertising campaign. Launched in 2009, and prompting a series of complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority, this high‐profile 25th‐anniversary campaign featured crowds of people staring in awe at a group of 1980s‐styled female cabin crew, and a male pilot, walking through an airport arrivals lounge. As they pass they elicit a number of not only admiring glances but also clearly sexualized responses, albeit portrayed in an exaggerated and, therefore, comedic manner, all set to the sound of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's ‘Relax’. Focusing on the relationship between performativity, materiality and signification, or what Judith Butler (1990) calls ‘the scenography of production’, the analysis presented here reflects on the cooptation process played out in this particular advertisement, arguing that while ostensibly parodying the sexual iconography associated with the airline industry, it can also be read as an example of the organizational appropriation of postfeminist ideas regarding gender, sexuality and subjectivity. The discussion emphasizes how this retro‐styled campaign is dependent upon the commodification of a knowing, ironic and playful subjectivity preoccupied with the self as a performative project, one that characterizes postfeminist writing but that is at odds with a critique of the discrimination and disadvantage perpetuated within and by the industry.
“What matters to someone who matters to me”: using media campaigns with young people to prevent interpersonal violence and abuse
Authors: Stanley Nicky , Ellis Jane , Farrelly Nicola , Hollinghurst Sandra , Bailey Sue , Downe Soo
Published: November 2016

Background

While media campaigns are increasingly advocated as a strategy for preventing interpersonal violence and abuse, there is little evidence available regarding their effectiveness.

Setting and design

Consultation with experts and young people was used as part of a UK scoping review to capture current thinking and practice on the use of media campaigns to address interpersonal violence and abuse among young people. Three focus groups and 16 interviews were undertaken with UK and international experts, and three focus groups were held with young people.

Main results

Participants argued that, although campaigns initially needed to target whole populations of young people, subsequently, messages should be “granulated” for subgroups including young people already exposed to interpersonal violence and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people. It was suggested that boys, as the most likely perpetrators of interpersonal violence and abuse, should be the primary target for campaigns. Young people and experts emphasized that drama and narrative could be used to evoke an emotional response that assisted learning. Authenticity emerged as important for young people and could be achieved by delivering messages through familiar characters and relevant stories. Involving young people themselves in creating and delivering campaigns strengthened authenticity.

Conclusions

Practice is developing rapidly, and robust research is required to identify the key conditions for effective campaigns in this field. The emotional impact of campaigns in this field appears to be as important as the transmission of learning.
The role of high termitaria in the composition and structure of the termite assemblage in Miombo woodlands of southern Burundi
Authors: Nduwarugira Déogratias , Mpawenayo Balthazar , Roisin Yves
Published: November 2016

Miombo woodlands cover extensive areas in southern and southeastern Africa, but are under high anthropogenic pressure. A conspicuous feature of this ecosystem is the presence of high termitaria (>2 m high) built by fungus‐growing termites (Macrotermitinae).

Despite the fundamental role of termites in African ecosystems, miombo termite communities remain poorly known. We suspected high termitaria to play a structuring role for the whole termite assemblage of miombo woodlands in southern Burundi. In a formerly cleared area, in regeneration since 2009, we expected the termite assemblage to be highly impoverished. The newly growing termitaria of fungus growers might provide suitable bases for recolonisation by soil‐feeding species.

We recorded 25 species from more than 1000 termite samples. Fungus growers were abundant everywhere. In preserved miombo, high termitaria were home to secondary soil‐feeding termite species, seldom encountered in the matrix between mounds. Bushes growing on termitaria also sustained wood‐feeding species. The most remarkable feature of the assemblage was the high frequency and diversity of soil‐feeding soldierless Apicotermitinae, especially in the matrix. Besides scarce Coptotermes wood feeders, Macrotermitinae were the sole inhabitants of the regenerating area.

Our results emphasize the importance of high termitaria for particular soil‐feeding species and wood feeders associated with the vegetation growing on termitaria. They raise the question of the ecological factors allowing the coexistence of a rich assemblage of soldierless Apicotermitinae species in the nutrient‐poor matrix between mounds. The observations from regenerating miombo confirm the vulnerability of soil‐feeding termites to habitat degradation and provide baseline data for future studies of ecosystem restoration.
Does foreign media entry discipline or provoke local media bias?
Authors: Cheah Hon Foong
Published: November 2016

This paper studies how the entry of an imperfectly informed foreign media outlet removes the government's role as the sole provider of information, altering its reporting to maximize citizen support. We find that while foreign media entry typically lowers local media bias, it can also exacerbate bias in countries with an incompetent government. The resulting deterioration in local media quality can outweigh the additional information from a foreign media of moderate quality, leaving citizens worse off. When analyzing a government's decision to suppress foreign media, we find that suppression is most heavily used in countries with a moderately competent government.
Comparative statics under κ‐ambiguity for log‐Brownian asset prices
Authors: Tian Dejian , Tian Weidong
Published: November 2016

This paper examines the comparative statics of optimal risky demand when economic agents are both risk averse and ambiguity averse. In a setting with log‐Brownian asset prices and ‐ambiguity but virtually for all utility functions, we show that the greater the Arrow–Pratt coefficient of absolute risk aversion under ambiguity, the less the optimal demand for risky assets. This monotonic property is demonstrated with varying risk‐free interest rate and allows for distinct estimated model parameters across agents.