bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Canada's Housing Bubble Story: Mortgage Securitization, the State, and the Global Financial Crisis
Authors: Walks Alan
Published: November 2012

Canada's experience during and after the financial crisis appears to distinguish it from its international peers. Canadian real estate sales and values experienced record increases since the global financial crisis emerged in 2008, rather than declines, and Canada did not witness any bank failures. The dominant trope concerning Canada's financial and housing markets is that they are sound, prudent, appropriately regulated and ‘boring but effective’. It is widely assumed that Canadian banks did not need, nor receive, a ‘bailout’, that mortgage lending standards remained high, and that the securitization of mortgages was not widespread. The truth, however, does not accord with this mainstream view. In fact, the Canadian financial and housing markets reveal marked similarities with their international peers. Canada's banks needed, and received, a substantial ‘bailout’, while federal policies before and after the financial crisis resulted in the massive growth of mortgage securitization and record household indebtedness. This article documents the growth of Canada's housing bubble, the history of mortgage securitization, and of government policies implemented before and after the crisis. Instead of making the Canadian financial and housing sectors more resilient and sustainable, the outcomes of state responses are best understood as regressively redistributive.
Euroscepticism at the Supranational Level: The Case of the ‘Untidy Right’ in the European Parliament*
Authors: BRACK NATHALIE
Published: November 2012

For the last 20 years, Euroscepticism has become a stable component of European politics and has attracted much attention. European elections have provided Eurosceptic parties with an opportunity to get parliamentary representation. While there is a burgeoning literature on the Eurosceptic stances of these parties, there remains relatively little research on their strategies once inside the European Parliament. This article analyzes how Eurosceptic MEPs from the ‘untidy right’ conceive and carry out their representative mandate in an institution they despise. First, it takes an historical perspective to show that despite the persistence of Euroscepticism in the European Union's elected chamber, the body of research remains comparatively limited. Second, it examines the institutional constraints faced by Eurosceptic representatives resulting from the institutional environment and the ideological heterogeneity of these actors. The final part proposes a typology of parliamentary roles to account for their attitudes and behaviours inside the chamber.
Different Varieties of Euroscepticism? Conceptualizing and Explaining Euroscepticism in Western European Non‐Member States
Authors: SKINNER MARIANNE SUNDLISÆTER
Published: November 2012

Since the late 1990s, much scholarly work has been done in the field of Euroscepticism in terms of mapping and conceptualizing different types of opposition to the process of European integration. But even though studies examining Euroscepticism in the EU are plentiful, the lack of insight into different types of Euroscepticism in non‐Member States is striking: there is very little research which considers the extent to which there are different varieties of Euroscepticism in the European states that have chosen non‐membership of the Union. What is Euroscepticism in these countries, and why are the Icelanders, Norwegians and Swiss so Eurosceptic? The article looks at how Euroscepticism plays out in Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. It examines what Euroscepticism is and why it occurs in these countries, using a framework for analyzing Euroscepticism based on the concepts of economic, political, post‐materialist value‐based, right‐wing value‐based, cultural and rural society Euroscepticism.
Assessments of sensory processing in infants: a systematic review
Authors: EELES ABBEY L , SPITTLE ALICIA J , ANDERSON PETER J , BROWN NISHA , LEE KATHERINE J , BOYD ROSLYN N , DOYLE LEX W
Published: November 2012

Aim  The aim of the study was to evaluate the psychometric properties and clinical use of assessments of sensory processing function, within the first 2 years of life, and to identify which assessment is the most appropriate and precise in measuring the construct of sensory processing.

Method  The literature was comprehensively searched, and assessments used to measure sensory processing in infancy were systematically selected and reviewed for clinical use, reliability, validity, and responsiveness.

Results  Thirty‐four assessments were identified; three met the predefined inclusion criteria. All discriminative assessments, the Sensory Rating Scale, and Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile are parent‐reported questionnaires and can be administered from birth up to 3 years of age. The Test of Sensory Function in Infants is a performance‐based assessment and is suitable for infants aged 4 to 18 months. Studies evaluating the psychometric properties of these three assessments differed in the properties addressed and reported poor to adequate reliability.

Interpretation  Selecting the most appropriate and precise assessment to measure sensory processing function in infancy will depend on the specific components of sensory processing that need to be evaluated, infant age, and what other sources of information are available about the infant’s development.
The effect of academic exam stress on mucosal and cellular airway immune markers among healthy and allergic individuals
Authors: Trueba Ana F. , Rosenfield David , Oberdörster Eva , Vogel Pia D. , Ritz Thomas
Published: November 2012

Research suggests that psychological stress can exacerbate allergies, but relatively little is known about the effect of stress on mucosal immune processes central to allergic pathophysiology. In this study, we quantified vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interferon gamma (IFN‐γ), and interleukin‐4 concentrations in saliva (S) and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) during final exams and at midsemester among 23 healthy and 21 allergic rhinitis individuals. IFN‐γs decreased during exams for both groups while VEGFEBC increased (and increases in VEGFs were a trend). Elevated negative affect ratings predicted higher VEGFEBC in allergic individuals. IFN‐γEBC increased in healthy individuals early during exams and then decreased, while allergic individuals showed a decrease in IFN‐γEBC throughout final exams. These findings suggest that psychological stress can suppress cellular immune function among allergic individuals while increasing VEGF.
The virtue of problem‐solving: Perceived partner virtues as predictors of problem‐solving efficacy
Authors: VELDORALE‐BROGAN AMANDA , LAMBERT NATHANIEL M. , FINCHAM FRANK D. , DEWALL C. NATHAN
Published: November 2012

Three studies involving dating relationships and friendships tested the hypothesis that higher perceived partner virtues (or personal strengths enacted in the context of relationships) are related to greater relationship problem‐solving efficacy. Studies 1 and 2 showed that higher perceived partner virtues were related to more relationship problem‐solving efficacy concurrently and longitudinally. Study 3 showed that perceiving one's partner as more virtuous predicted increased turning toward one's partner for assistance, which, in turn, predicted increased problem‐solving efficacy. All 3 studies showed that higher perceived partner virtues were related to greater relationship problem‐solving efficacy.
Maternal provisioning and possible joint breeding in the burrower bugAdomerus triguttulus(Heteroptera:Cydnidae)
Authors: Nakahira Taichi , Tanaka Keita D. , Kudo Shin‐ichi
Published: November 2012

Subsocial burrower bugs (Heteroptera:Cydnidae) provide unique opportunities to investigate evolutionary ecological questions regarding parental provisioning and family dynamics. Observations and marked nutlet‐setting experiments in the field showed thatAdomerus triguttulusfemales progressively delivered mint nutlets into nests harbouring nymphs under the litter. More than one female often attended nymphs, but not eggs, in a nest in the field. The number of nymphs aggregating in a nest with a single female was usually smaller than that in a nest with two females, suggesting the joining of different families and facultative joint parental care. There was a positive correlation between the number of nutlets delivered and the number of nymphs in a nest. The number of attendant females also affected the amount of provisioning; more nutlets were found for second‐instar broods with more females. The effect of brood size on provisioning was confirmed for families under laboratory rearing. Maternal provisioning also varied with the developmental stage of offspring; second‐instar broods received more nutlets than first‐instar broods, with a temporal decrease in provisioning during the moulting of nymphs. Considering the growing evidence of food solicitation signals of young in subsocial insects, the observed finely tuned supply of food by the female could be induced by begging signals from the nymphs.
Recent multiple introductions of the gall‐forming aphid Pemphigus bursarius into Japanese islands
Authors: Lee Wonhoon , Akimoto Shin‐ichi
Published: November 2012

Recently, the number of collection records of Pemphigus galls from Populus nigra has been increasing in Japan. To identify the galls on P. nigra, mitochondrial COI sequences were analyzed from galling aphid samples collected on P. nigra in Tokyo and Hokkaido. From the BLAST search and neighbor‐joining (NJ) analysis, the aphid samples were identified as Pemphigus bursarius, which has not been recorded from Japan. Two samples from Tokyo and Hokkaido showed a genetic difference of 0.30%. This result suggests that different strains of P. bursarius might have been introduced into the Japanese islands at least twice.
Size and symmetry of sex combs were not related to male mating success inDrosophila melanogasterreared at different temperatures
Authors: Pavković‐Lučić Sofija , Lučić Luka , Kekić Vladimir
Published: November 2012

Temperature is one of the most important climatic factors that may influence different traits (morphological, physiological or behavioral) inDrosophila. In this study, we examined the effects of two developmental temperatures (18°Cand 25°C) on the size and the symmetry of sex combs (a male sexual trait) and their importance for male mating success inDrosophila melanogaster. However, the number of sex comb teeth (“size”) and its difference between right and left legs (“symmetry”) were relevant neither to male mating success nor to the growth temperatures.
A Fistula Flap Technique for Correction of Type II Atresia Ani and Rectovaginal Fistula in 6 Kittens
Authors: Jardel Nicolas , Vallefuco Rosario , Viateau Véronique
Published: November 2012

Objective

To report a surgical technique and long‐term outcomes of type II atresia ani (AA) and rectovaginal fistula (RvF) correction, using a fistula flap technique in kittens.

Study Design

Clinical study.

Animals

Domestic shorthaired female kittens (n = 6) with type II AA‐RvF.

Methods

Diagnosis of type II AA‐RvF was made by clinical examination and vaginography. The anomaly was surgically corrected by a fistula flap technique for reconstruction of the anal canal and anus, and by vaginoplasty. Kittens were monitored for short and long‐term complications.

Results

All 6 kittens were fecal and urinary continent in the immediate postoperative period. Postoperative complications occurred in 2 kittens: partial dehiscence between the anal and vaginal opening and a stenosis at the level of the rectal mucocutaneous anastomosis. Dehiscence healed by second intention and stenosis was treated by anoplasty.

No long‐term complications (median follow‐up, 12 months; range, 12–17 months) were observed.

Conclusions

Reconstruction of the anal canal and anus using the fistula as a local flap in combination with a vaginoplasty can be effective to treat feline type II AA and RvFs.
Experimental Evidence for Sildenafil's Action in the Central Nervous System: Dopamine and Serotonin Changes in the Medial Preoptic Area and Nucleus Accumbens During Sexual Arousal
Authors: Kyratsas Christos , Dalla Christina , Anderzhanova Elmira , Polissidis Alexia , Kokras Nikolaos , Konstantinides Konstantinos , Papadopoulou-Daifoti Zeta
Published: November 2012

Introduction

Sildenafil is the first effective oral treatment for male erectile dysfunction. Although it is generally accepted that its action is peripheral, it has been suggested that it influences central neural pathways that are involved in male sexual arousal. Recently, it was shown that local sildenafil administration enhances extracellular dopamine (DA) in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc).

Aim

The aim of this study was to determine whether sildenafil administration alters dopaminergic and serotonergic activity in the NAcc and the medial preoptic area (mPOA) during a model of sexual arousal.

Methods

An acute (2 days) or chronic (21 days) sildenafil regimen (1 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally to male rats. Thirty minutes after the last sildenafil injection, all males were exposed to noncontact erection sessions by the presentation of inaccessible estrous females. Half of the males had previous experience of noncontact sexual encounter and the other half were exposed for the first time.

Main Outcome Measures

Tissue levels of DA and its metabolites, 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA), as well as serotonin (5-HT) and its metabolite 5-HIAA, were measured in the mPOA and NAcc with high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detector. Dopamine ([DOPAC+HVA]/DA) and serotonin (5-HIAA/5-HT) turnovers were also calculated as indices of neurotransmission.

Results

In nontrained males, acute and chronic sildenafil treatment increased DA and 5-HT turnover rates in the mPOA and NAcc. In trained rats, acute sildenafil also increased DA and 5-HT turnover rates in both structures, whereas chronic treatment enhanced 5-HT turnover rate only in the mPOA and DA turnover rate only in the NAcc.

Conclusions

Our data confirm that sildenafil enhances dopaminergic activity in the NAcc, extend these findings to the mPOA and furthermore, reveal sildenafil-induced effects on serotonergic activity in these brain regions as well. Therefore, present findings support an effect of sildenafil on central neural pathways that are involved in the control of sexual arousal.
Duration of serological response to canine parvovirus‐type 2, canine distemper virus, canine adenovirus type 1 and canine parainfluenza virus in client‐owned dogs inAustralia
Authors: Mitchell SA , Zwijnenberg RJ , Huang J , Hodge A , Day MJ
Published: November 2012

Objective

To determine whether client‐owned dogs in Australia, last vaccinated withCanvac® vaccines containing canine parvovirus‐type 2 (CPV‐2), canine distemper virus (CDV), canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV‐2) ± canine parainfluenza virus (CPiV) at least 18 months ago, were seropositive or responded serologically to revaccination.

Methods

A total of 235 dogs were recruited from 23 veterinary clinics, representing a variety of breeds, ages and time since last vaccination (TSLV: range 1.5–9 years, mean 2.8 years). Dogs had a blood sample taken and were revaccinated on day 0. A second blood sample was taken 7–14 days later. Blood samples were assessed for antibody titres toCPV‐2 (by haemagglutination inhibition) andCDV,CAVtype 1 (CAV‐1) and CPiV (by virus neutralisation). Dogs with a day 0 titre >10 or a four‐fold increase in titre following revaccination were considered to be serological responders.

Results

The overall percentage of dogs classified as serological responders was 98.7% forCPV‐2, 96.6% forCDV, 99.6% forCAV‐1 and 90.3% forCPiV.

Conclusions

These results suggest that the duration of serological response induced by modified‐live vaccines againstCPV‐2,CDV,CAV‐1 andCPiV, includingCanvac® vaccines, is beyond 18 months and may extend up to 9 years. Accordingly, these vaccines may be considered for use in extended revaccination interval protocols as recommended by current canine vaccine guidelines.
Der Kampf um den Phallus: Körperfragmentierung, Textbegehren und groteske Ästhetik im Nonnenturnier
Authors: Eming Jutta
Published: November 2012

Der Beitrag behandelt eine mittelalterliche Kurzerzählung (ein sogenanntes Märe) aus dem Sub‐Genre der Priapeia, in denen verselbstständigte Genitalien im Mittelpunkt stehen. Dabei wird versucht, im Rekurs auf einen genderorientierten Ansatz bei einer Ästhetik des Grotesken eine neue Perspektive auf die bislang auch in poststrukturalistisch inspirierten Interpretationen als irritierend “phallozentrisch” erachtete Logik der Erzählung zu entwickeln. Dies wird auch im Horizont historischer Relationierungen von Gender und Begehren reflektiert.
Masks and Metamorphoses: The Transformation of Classical Tradition in Goethe's Römische Elegien
Authors: Ter Horst Eleanor
Published: November 2012

Goethe's Römische Elegien present a theatrical model of imitation, in which the texts of classical antiquity are performed, brought to life again in the present. The performance acknowledges the models, but also transforms them. The notion of “Halbinkognito,” which Goethe, in the Italienische Reise, applies to his own disguise as a German in Rome, also informs the structure of the Elegien, which present recognizable figures and texts from antiquity, but give them new meaning in an eighteenth‐century context. In this article, I examine three elegies, the Second, the Twelfth and the 24th, which illustrate the interplay between private and public identities, and which reveal the possibilities inherent in the parallels and disjunctions between ancient and modern texts.
Maneuvering in Nervous Times: The Hyperlinks in Reinhard Jirgl's Abtrünnig
Authors: Veel Kristin
Published: November 2012

Reinhard Jirgl is an important and challenging but still relatively understudied contemporary German writer. This article looks at his novel Abtrünnig: Roman aus der nervösen Zeit from 2005, focusing on the function of the hyperlinks boxes, which dominate the textual layout. It shows that Abtrünnig is a strong example of how hyperlinks can work in a printed literary environment as a vehicle for a discussion of reading practices, linearity, and narrative structures. The novel engages with the theoretical debates about digital hyperlinks from the 1990s onwards, and it elegantly uses the link structure to challenge the format of the traditional, printed book. However, this article also shows how the novel is very much a part of a generation of literary interest in digital information structures, which not only uses the hyperlinks as a way of subverting the physical medium of the book, but also uses the links as an enhancement of the plot and the story it wants to tell. The hyperlinks are thus not merely a formal feature, but an integrated part of the novel's depiction of contemporary conditions of life in the “nervous times” it portrays.
Phosphoenolpyruvate, a glycolytic intermediate, as a cytoprotectant and antioxidant in ex-vivo cold-preserved mouse liver: a potential application for organ preservation
Authors: Kondo Yuki , Ishitsuka Yoichi , Kadowaki Daisuke , Fukumoto Yusuke , Miyamoto Yohei , Irikura Mitsuru , Hirata Sumio , Sato Keizo , Maruyama Toru , Hamasaki Naotaka , Irie Tetsumi
Published: November 2012

Objectives

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), a glycolytic intermediate, on organ damage during cold preservation of liver.

Methods

An ex-vivo mouse liver cold-preservation model and an in-vitro liver injury model induced by hydrogen peroxide in HepG2 cells were leveraged.

Key findings

PEP attenuated the elevation of aminotransferases and lactate dehydrogenase leakage during organ preservation, histological changes and changes in oxidative stress parameters (measured as thiobarbituric acid reactive substance and glutathione content) induced by 72 h of cold preservation of the liver. The effects were comparable with the University of Wisconsin solution, a gold standard organ preservation agent. The decrease in ATP content in liver during the cold preservation was attenuated by PEP treatment. PEP prevented the cellular injury and increases in intracellular reactive oxygen species in HepG2 cells. In addition, PEP scavenged hydroxyl radicals, but had no effect on superoxide anion as evaluated by an electron paramagnetic resonance spin-trapping technique.

Conclusions

PEP significantly attenuated the injury, oxidative stress and ATP depletion in liver during cold preservation. The antioxidative potential of PEP was confirmed by in-vitro examination. We suggest that PEP acts as a glycolytic intermediate and antioxidant, and is particularly useful as an organ preservation agent in clinical transplantation.
The new version of a patient classification instrument: assessment of psychometric properties
Authors: Perroca Marcia Galan
Published: November 2012

Aims

This paper assessed the reliability and construct validity of the new version of a patient classification instrument.

Background

In the development of patient classification instruments, monitoring validity and reliability is essential to assure that patient care requirements and nursing staff workload are appropriately measured.

Design method

The sample included 194 patients (construct validity test) and 60 patients (inter‐rater reliability test) at medical, surgical, and specialized wards of a teaching hospital in the south east of Brazil. The study was conducted in 2009–2010. For analysis purposes, Spearman's correlation and Cronbach's alpha (internal consistency) were used, and weighted kappa (inter‐rater reliability), factor analysis with principal axis factoring extraction method (construct validity) and ordinal regression (instrument's predictive ability).

Results

A high level of inter‐rater agreement was found. The importance of all care areas and their contribution to distinguish patient care needs and category in the new instrument were demonstrated. Results also showed the instrument's high predictive ability (99·6%).

Conclusion

The findings give the evidence that the new scale is a reliable and valid tool to assess patient care needs and care category and that it can be used to guide nursing management practice in determining the nursing staff workload.
An interpretive phenomenological study of Chinese mothers' experiences of constant vigilance in caring for a hospitalized sick child
Authors: Lee Regina L.T. , Lau Vicky W.K.
Published: November 2012

Aim

To examine Chinese mothers' experience of caring for their hospitalized sick child.

Background

Engaging the mother in providing care for a hospitalized sick child is considered one of the key elements for high‐quality care in advanced paediatric nursing. There is evidence that a mother's belief in her capacity to manage stressful situations could improve the nurse–parent relationship because they might play an important role in protecting mothers against heightened stress during crisis situation.

Design

An interpretive phenomenological approach involving semi‐structured interview and thematic analysis was used.

Method

Fifteen interviews were conducted in Hong Kong, China from April 2009–January 2010, with 15 mothers caring for their hospitalized sick children with acute injury or illness. Crist and Tanner's circular process of hermeneutic interpretive phenomenology was chosen to guide the data analysis.

Findings

The prevailing concept identified through analysis was the ‘constant vigilance’ that mothers developed. Interpretation of data resulted in the identification of four key themes: ‘being sensitive to others’, ‘providing helping hands’, ‘monitoring health conditions’, and ‘maintaining dialogues’. The findings highlight Chinese mothers' desire for participation in caring for their hospitalized child, their unexpressed needs for communication, and concern about being uncared by the busy health professionals, which affect their care for the child's health outcomes.

Conclusion

The findings facilitate the development of family‐centred care focuses on partnership of care between the nurse and family to enhance the Chinese family's active and participatory role.
Exploring the concept of respite
Authors: Evans David
Published: November 2012

Aim

To report an analysis of the concept of respite for older people.

Background

Respite is an important support strategy for family carers of older people. However, there is considerable confusion in the literature about the nature, scope, and outcomes of respite services.

Data sources

The data source for the concept analysis was a review of literature addressing respite for older people. There were no publication date restrictions for the review and literature was searched up to 2010.

Design

Concept analysis that was informed by the work of Dubin and the operationalization of Dubin's work by Holton and Lowe.

Review method

A review of the literature was undertaken to better understand the nature of respite for older people. The review investigated the views of respite from the perspective of the service provider, family carer, and care‐recipient. A conceptual model of respite was developed using a four‐step approach: gaining an understanding of the phenomenon; identifying and retrieving relevant studies; analysing the construct; and developing the conceptual model.

Results

The conceptual model that emerged from this process consisted of three attributes, Partnership, Service, and Respite. The attribute of Partnership concerned the relationship between the service provider, carer and care‐recipient. The attribute of Service concerned what the provider offered and focused on two important areas, assistance and engagement. The attribute of Respite concerned the outcomes that the family carer and care‐recipient gained from respite and focused on freedom, support, and connection.

Conclusion

The conceptual model provides a framework to assist in the development of respite services.
Legitimacy in legacy: a discussion paper of historical scholarship published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1976–2011
Authors: Fealy Gerard , Kelly Jacinta , Watson Roger
Published: November 2012

Aims

This paper presents a discussion of historical scholarship published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

Background

The Journal of Advanced Nursing provides a forum for disseminating high‐quality research and scholarship. For over 35 years, scholars have used the Journal of Advanced Nursing to disseminate research into aspects of nursing, including nursing history.

Data sources

The data source was Wiley Online electronic database for the Journal of Advanced Nursing for the period 1976–December 2011.

Discussion

Relative to other academic concerns, nursing history represents a topic of limited concern to nursing scholars, as evidenced in published scholarship in the Journal of Advanced Nursing. The trends in historical scholarship in the journal have been on disciplinary development, the place and context of practice, and gendered relationships. While these are legitimate academic concerns, they suggest a lack of attention to clinical practice in historical research, that which confers social legitimacy on the discipline.

Implications for nursing

Nursing derives its social legitimacy, in part, through its history, including reliable accounts of the legacy of nursing work in the development of healthcare systems. Disciplinary development in nursing is advanced by giving greater prominence to nursing history in nursing scholarship, including the history of nursing practice

Conclusions

Relative to other academic concerns, nursing scholarship affords little prominence to the topic of nursing history and less still to the history of practice, as evidenced in the outputs of one of nursing's major organs of scholarship. Not to assign due importance to the history of nursing and its practice demonstrates nursing's lack of disciplinary maturity.
Stochastic faunal exchanges drive diversification in widespread Wallacean and Pacific island lizards (Squamata: Scincidae: Lamprolepis smaragdina)
Authors: Linkem Charles W. , Brown Rafe M. , Siler Cameron D. , Evans Ben J. , Austin Christopher C. , Iskandar Djoko T. , Diesmos Arvin C. , Supriatna Jatna , Andayani Noviar , McGuire Jimmy A.
Published: November 2012

Aim

Widespread species found in disturbed habitats are often expected to be human commensals. In island systems, this association predicts that dispersal will be mediated by humans. We investigated the biogeographical relationships among populations of a widespread tree skink that inhabits coastal forest and human‐cultivated plantations in Southeast Asia. We sought to determine whether populations of the emerald tree skink, Lamprolepis smaragdina, dispersed via mechanisms that were not human‐mediated (‘natural’ dispersal) or whether dispersal was mediated by humans. The latter scenario predicts low levels of genetic differentiation across a species' range, coupled with a genetic signature of recent range expansion.

Location

Southeast Asia, the Philippines, Wallacea and the south‐western Pacific.

Methods

We analysed sequences of mitochondrial DNA from 204 samples collected throughout the range of this species. We use phylogenetic and population genetic methods to distinguish between predicted geographical patterns of genetic variation that might indicate natural or human‐mediated dispersal.

Results

In contrast to predictions derived from similar studies of taxonomy and natural history, we found L. smaragdina to be characterized by highly structured and seemingly geographically stable mitochondrial gene lineages.

Main conclusions

Our results demonstrate a novel pattern of widespread species distribution, never before observed in vertebrates of the Indo‐Australian Archipelago. Although this widespread and highly dispersive species is capable of long‐distance dispersal, and has a clear history of over‐water dispersal, it exhibits sharp genetic differentiation across its range. Our results suggest that random waif dispersal has been a pervasive ongoing phenomenon throughout the evolutionary history of this species.
Geographical variability in propagule pressure and climatic suitability explain the European distribution of two highly invasive crayfish
Authors: Capinha César , Brotons Lluís , Anastácio Pedro
Published: November 2012

Aim

We assess the relative contribution of human, biological and climatic factors in explaining the colonization success of two highly invasive freshwater decapods: the signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) and the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii).

Location

Europe.

Methods

We used boosted regression trees to evaluate the relative influence of, and relationship between, the invader's current pattern of distribution and a set of spatially explicit variables considered important to their colonization success. These variables are related to four well‐known invasion hypotheses, namely the role of propagule pressure, climate matching, biotic resistance from known competitors, and human disturbance.

Results

Model predictions attained a high accuracy for the two invaders (mean AUC ≥ 0.91). Propagule pressure and climatic suitability were identified as the primary drivers of colonization, but the former had a much higher relative influence on the red swamp crayfish. Climate matching was shown to have limited predictive value and climatic suitability models based on occurrences from other invaded areas had consistently higher relative explanatory power than models based on native range data. Biotic resistance and human disturbance were also shown to be weak predictors of the distribution of the two invaders.

Main conclusions

These results contribute to our general understanding of the factors that enable certain species to become notable invaders. Being primarily driven by propagule pressure and climatic suitability, we expect that, given their continued dispersal, the future distribution of these problematic decapods in Europe will increasingly represent their fundamental climatic niche.
QRS Axis and the Benefit of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in Patients with Mildly Symptomatic Heart Failure Enrolled in MADIT‐CRT
Authors: BRENYO ANDREW , RAO MOHAN , BARSHESHET ALON , CANNOM DAVID , QUESADA AURELIO , McNITT SCOTT , HUANG DAVID T. , MOSS ARTHUR J. , ZAREBA WOJCIECH
Published: November 2012

Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy and QRS Axis. Background: Mildly symptomatic heart failure (HF) patients derive substantial clinical benefit from cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator (CRT‐D) as shown in MADIT‐CRT. The presence of QRS axis deviation may influence response to CRT‐D. The objective of this study was to determine whether QRS axis deviation will be associated with differential benefit from CRT‐D.

Methods

: Baseline electrocardiograms of 1,820 patients from MADIT‐CRT were evaluated for left axis deviation (LAD: quantitative QRS axis ‐30 to ‐90) or right axis deviation (RAD: QRS axis 90–180) in left bundle branch block (LBBB), right bundle branch block (RBBB), and nonspecific interventricular conduction delay QRS morphologies. The primary endpoints were the first occurrence of a HF event or death and the separate occurrence of all‐cause mortality as in MADIT‐CRT.

Results:
Among LBBB patients, those with LAD had a higher risk of primary events at 2 years than non‐LAD patients (20% vs 16%; P = 0.024). The same was observed among RBBB patients (20% vs 10%; P = 0.05) but not in IVCD patients (22% vs 23%; P = NS). RAD did not convey any increased risk of the primary combined endpoint in any QRS morphology subgroup. When analyzing the benefit of CRT‐D in the non‐LBBB subgroups, there was no significant difference in hazard ratios for CRT‐D versus ICD for either LAD or RAD. However, LBBB patients without LAD showed a trend toward greater benefit from CRT therapy than LBBB patients with LAD (HR for no LAD: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.26–0.53 and with LAD: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.36–0.79; P value for interaction = 0.18).

Conclusions:
LAD in non‐LBBB patients (RBBB or IVCD) is not associated with an increased benefit from CRT. In LBBB patients, those without LAD seem to benefit more from CRT‐D than those with LAD. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 24, pp. 442‐448, April 2013)
Cell‐specific effects on surface α7 nicotinic receptor expression revealed by over‐expression and knockdown of rat RIC3 protein
Authors: Koperniak Thomas M. , Garg Brijesh K. , Boltax Jay , Loring Ralph H.
Published: November 2012

We tested whether surface α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor expression is dependent on an endogenous chaperone named Resistance to Inhibitors of Cholinesterase 3 (RIC3) by comparing RIC3 protein in rat GH4C1 and human SH‐EP1 cells, which express strikingly different surface receptor levels following α7 transfection. Cloned rat RIC3 exists in at least two isoforms because of an ambiguous splice site between exons 4 and 5. Both rat isoforms permit surface α7 expression in SH‐EP1 and human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells measured by α‐bungarotoxin binding. Contrary to expectations, endogenous RIC3 protein expression determined by immunoblots did not differ between untransfected GH4C1 or SH‐EP1 cells. siRNA against rat RIC3 exon 4 and shRNA against exons 2, 5 and 6 knocked down transfected rat RIC3 expression in SH‐EP1 cells and simultaneously blocked toxin binding. However, no RNAi construct blocked binding when co‐transfected with α7 into GH4C1 cells. shRNA against rat exons 2 and 5 knocked down rat RIC3 protein transfected into GH4C1 cells with a time course suggesting a protein half‐life of a few days. These results suggest GH4C1 cells may possess unknown chaperone(s) allowing high surface α7 expression in the absence of known RIC3 splice variants.
Hypothalamic Brain‐Derived Neurotrophic Factor Regulates Glucagon Secretion Mediated by Pancreatic Efferent Nerves
Authors: Gotoh K. , Masaki T. , Chiba S. , Ando H. , Fujiwara K. , Shimasaki T. , Mitsutomi K. , Katsuragi I. , Kakuma T. , Sakata T. , Yoshimatsu H.
Published: November 2012

Understanding the molecular mechanism of the regulation of glucagon secretion is critical for treating the dysfunction of α cells observed in diabetes. Glucagon‐like peptide (GLP)‐1 analogues reduce plasma glucagon and are assumed to contribute to their action to lower blood glucose. It has previously been demonstrated that the central administration of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) improves glucose metabolism by a mechanism independent of feeding behaviour in obese subjects. Using male rats, we examined whether BDNF influences glucagon secretion from α cells via the the central nervous system. We investigate whether: (i) the central infusion of BDNF stimulates glucagon and/or insulin secretion via the pancreatic efferent nerve from the hypothalamus; (ii) the intraportal infusion of GLP‐1 regulates glucose metabolism via the central and peripheral nervous system; and (iii) BDNF receptor and/or BDNF‐positive fibres are localised near α cells of islets. The portal glucagon level decreased with the central administration of BDNF (n = 6, in each; P < 0.05); in contrast, there was no significant change in portal insulin, peripheral glucagon and insulin levels with the same treatment. This reduction of glucagon secretion was abolished by pancreatic efferent denervation (n = 6, in each; P < 0.05). In an immunohistochemical study, pancreatic α cells were stained specifically with BDNF and tyrosine‐related kinase B, a specific receptor for BDNF, and α cells were also co‐localised with BDNF. Moreover, intraportal administration of GLP‐1 decreased glucagon secretion, as well as blood glucose, whereas it increased the BDNF content in the pancreas; these effects were inhibited with the central infusion of BDNF antibody (n = 6, in each; P < 0.05). BDNF and GLP‐1 affect glucose metabolism and modulate glucagon secretion from pancreatic α cells via the central and peripheral nervous systems.
Progesterone Attenuates Several Hippocampal Abnormalities of the Wobbler Mouse
Authors: Meyer M. , Gonzalez Deniselle M. C. , Gargiulo‐Monachelli G. , Lima A. , Roig P. , Guennoun R. , Schumacher M. , De Nicola A. F.
Published: November 2012

It is now recognised that progesterone plays a protective role for diseases of the central nervous system. In the Wobbler mouse, a model of motoneurone degeneration, progesterone treatment prevents spinal cord neuropathology and clinical progression of the disease. However, neuropathological and functional abnormalities have also been discovered in the brain of Wobbler mice and patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The present study examined the hippocampus of control and afflicted Wobbler mice and the changes in response to progesterone treatment. Mice received either a single progesterone implant (20 mg for 18 days). We found that the hippocampal pathology of the untreated Wobblers involved a decreased expression of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA, decreased astrogliosis in the stratum lucidum, stratum radiatum and stratum lacunosum‐moleculare, decreased doublecortin (DCX)‐positive neuroblasts in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus and a decreased density of GABA immunoreactive hippocampal interneurones and granule cells of the dentate gyrus. Although progesterone did not change the normal parameters of control mice, it attenuated several hippocampal abnormalities in Wobblers. Thus, progesterone increased hippocampal BDNF mRNA expression, decreased glial fibrillary acidic protein‐positive astrocytes and increased the number of GABAergic interneurones and granule cells. The number of DCX expressing neuroblasts and immature neurones remained impaired in both progesterone‐treated and untreated Wobblers. In conclusion, progesterone treatment exerted beneficial effects on some aspects of hippocampal neuropathology, suggesting its neuroprotective role in the brain, in agreement with previous data obtained in the spinal cord of Wobbler mice.
Effect of protamine on the accumulation of gentamicin in opossum kidney epithelial cells
Authors: Nagai Junya , Komeda Takuji , Yumoto Ryoko , Takano Mikihisa
Published: November 2012

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not protamine, an arginine-rich basic protein mixture, inhibits the accumulation of gentamicin, a nephrotoxic drug, in cultured opossum kidney (OK) epithelial cells.

Methods

The effect of protamine from salmon on accumulation and binding of [3H]gentamicin was investigated in OK cells.

Key findings

Protamine inhibited the binding and accumulation of [3H]gentamicin in a concentration-dependent manner. The accumulation of [14C]inulin, a marker of fluid-phase endocytosis, was not affected by protamine at concentrations up to 1 mm. l-Arginine at concentrations up to 10 mm had no significant effect on the accumulation of [3H]gentamicin. On the other hand, preincubation with 100 μm protamine for 5 min decreased the accumulation of [3H]gentamicin to almost the same extent as coincubation with 100 μm protamine for 60 min.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that protamine decreases the accumulation of gentamicin in OK cells. These findings suggest that protamine or its derivatives might be useful in preventing the nephrotoxicity of aminoglycoside antibiotics including gentamicin.
Quantitative vegetation reconstruction from pollen analysis and historical inventory data around a Danish small forest hollow
Authors: Overballe‐Petersen Mette Venås , Nielsen Anne Birgitte , Bradshaw Richard H.W.
Published: November 2012

Questions

Can the model performance of the landscape reconstruction algorithm (LRA) for small forest hollows be validated through comparison to inventory‐based vegetation reconstructions from the last 150 yrs? Does the application of LRA and the comparison to historical data enhance interpretation of the pollen record?

Location

Denmark. The Gribskov‐Ostrup small forest hollow (56°N, 12°20′ E, 44 m a.s.l.) in the forest of Gribskov, eastern Denmark.

Methods

Pollen analysis was carried out on a small forest hollow, and LRA used to derive pollen‐based quantitative estimates of past vegetation. Historical forest inventory data and maps were used to reconstruct the vegetation within three different circles around the hollow (20, 50 and 200 m ring widths) for five time periods during the last 150 yrs. The results of the two approaches were compared in order to evaluate model performance, and the LRA‐based reconstruction used to describe how the model changes interpretation of vegetation development during the last ca. 6500 yrs compared to the use of pollen percentages alone.

Results

Distance‐weighted inventory‐based reconstructions within 200 m of the hollow's edge provide the best match with the LRA‐modelled vegetation. Precise validation of the model is not possible due to insufficient historical data, but the comparison indicates that the LRA reconstruction for Gribskov tends to (1) underestimate tree cover and overestimate open areas, (2) give a too high representation of on‐site pollen types, (3) give an underestimation of Fagus and (4) a small overestimation of Quercus and Corylus. Despite these uncertainties, application of the LRA model shows a higher degree of openness than would be apparent from the uncorrected pollen diagram, and makes it possible to attempt to distinguish changes at the local scale from regional vegetation changes, thus giving a clearer picture of the vegetation changes at the site.

Conclusions

We demonstrate that the estimates of the LRA model applied to pollen data from small forest hollows can be compared with small‐scale historical data to evaluate model performance.
ECONOMIC CRISES, HOUSING PRICE BUBBLES AND SADDLE‐POINT ECONOMICS
Authors: Christiaans Thomas
Published: November 2012

Starting from the recent financial and economic crisis the standard interpretation of rational expectations and optimal control dynamic models is called into question referring to its lack of robustness. Using the example of the housing market it is shown that an alternative interpretation closer to the mathematical basics would imply economies much more crisis‐prone than they actually are. Market frictions reduce chances for bubbles and should be taken into consideration in positive as well as in normative economics. Dynamic models in a neoclassical spirit can explain reality only with frictions, and increasing frictions may sometimes be a reasonable stabilizing instrument of economic policy.
Exploitation of genomics in fungicide research: current status and future perspectives
Authors: Cools Hans J. , Hammond‐Kosack Kim E.
Published: November 2012

Every year, fungicide use to control plant disease caused by pathogenic fungi increases. The global fungicide market is now worth more than £5.3 billion, second only to the herbicide market in importance. In the UK, over 5500 tonnes of fungicide were applied to crops in 2010 (The Food and Environment Research Agency, Pesticide Usage Statistics), with 95.5% of the wheat‐growing area receiving three fungicide sprays. Although dependence on fungicides to produce food securely, reliably and cheaply may be moderated in the future by further developments in crop biotechnology, modern crop protection will continue to require a diversity of solutions, including effective and safe chemical control. Therefore, investment in exploiting the increasingly available genome sequences of the most devastating fungal and oomycete phytopathogenic species should bring an array of new opportunities for chemical intervention. To date, the impact of whole genome research on the development, introduction and stewardship of fungicides has been limited, but ongoing improvements in computational analysis, molecular biology, chemical genetics, genome sequencing and transcriptomics will facilitate the development and registration of the future suite of crop protection chemicals.
Phylogenetic and experimental evidence for host‐specialized cryptic species in a biotrophic oomycete
Authors: Rouxel Mélanie , Mestre Pere , Comont Gwenaelle , Lehman Brian L. , Schilder Annemiek , Delmotte François
Published: November 2012

Assortative mating resulting from host plant specialization has been proposed to facilitate rapid ecological divergence in biotrophic plant pathogens. Downy mildews, a major group of biotrophic oomycetes, are prime candidates for testing speciation by host plant specialization.

Here, we combined a phylogenetic and morphological approach with cross‐pathogenicity tests to investigate host plant specialization and host range expansion in grapevine downy mildew. This destructive disease is caused by Plasmopara viticola, an oomycete endemic to North America on wild species and cultivated grapevines.

Multiple genealogies and sporangia morphology provide evidence that P. viticola is a complex of four cryptic species, each associated with different host plants. Cross‐inoculation experiments showed complete host plant specialization on Parthenocissus quinquefolia and on Vitis riparia, whereas cryptic species found on V. aestivalis, V. labrusca and V. vinifera were revealed to be less specific. We reconstructed the recent host range expansion of P. viticola from wild to cultivated grapevines, and showed that it was accompanied by an increase in aggressiveness of the pathogen.

This case study on grapevine downy mildew illustrates how biotrophic plant pathogens can diversify by host plant specialization and emerge in agrosystems by shifting to cultivated hosts. These results might have important implications for viticulture, including breeding for resistance and disease management.