bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anesthesia reduces discharge rates in the human pallidum without changing the discharge rate ratio between pallidal segments
Authors: Castrioto Anna , Marmor Odeya , Deffains Marc , Willner Dafna , Linetsky Eduard , Bergman Hagai , Israel Zvi , Eitan Renana , Arkadir David
Published: September 2016

Classical rate models of basal ganglia circuitry associate discharge rate of the globus pallidus external and internal segments (GPe, GPi respectively) solely with dopaminergic state and predict an inverse ratio between the discharge rates of the two pallidal segments. In contrast, the effects of other rate modulators such as general anesthesia (GA) on this ratio have been ignored. To respond to this need, we recorded the neuronal activity in the GPe and GPi in awake and anesthetized human patients with dystonia (57 and 53 trajectories respectively) and in awake patients with Parkinson's disease (PD, 16 trajectories) undergoing deep brain stimulation procedures. This triad enabled us to dissociate pallidal discharge ratio from general discharge modulation. An automatic offline spike detection and isolation quality system was used to select 1560 highly isolated units for analysis. The mean discharge rate in the GPi of awake PD patients was dramatically higher than in awake dystonia patients although the firing rate in the GPe was similar. Firing rates in dystonic patients under anesthesia were lower in both nuclei. Surprisingly, in all three groups, GPe firing rates were correlated with firing rates in the ipsilateral GPi. Thus, the firing rate ratio of ipsilateral GPi/GPe pairs was similar in awake and anesthetized patients with dystonia and significantly higher in PD. We suggest that pallidal activity is modulated by at least two independent processes: dopaminergic state which changes the GPi/GPe firing rate ratio, and anesthesia which modulates firing rates in both pallidal nuclei without changing the ratio between their firing rates.
The Anatomy of a Socially Responsible Corporation
Authors: Prakash Rajshree , Ravi Rahul , Zhao Rubin
Published: September 2016

Prior research treats corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a unitary construct. Using principal component analysis, we show that CSR activities can be divided into two types: responsive CSR (RCSR), which includes initiatives that address specific concerns caused by firm activity, and adaptive CSR (ACSR), which are initiatives that anticipate concerns before they arise. We find that responsive motives are roughly three times more dominant than adaptive motives. Larger firms, older firms, and more diversified firms invest more in RCSR while younger firms and more focused firms tend to invest more in ACSR.
Impact of vascular access intervention therapy on cardiac load in hemodialysis patients
Authors: Adachi Takayuki , Sakurada Tsutomu , Otowa Takanori , Uehara Keita , Sueki Shina , Kojima Shigeki , Kaneshiro Nagayuki , Matsui Katsuomi , Tomohiro Tadahisa , Shibagaki Yugo
Published: September 2016

Vascular access intervention therapy (VAIVT) has been positioned as the first choice of treatment for stenosis lesions frequently observed in arteriovenous fistula (AVF) for hemodialysis patients in Japan. Furthermore, increased blood flow can provide a stable dialysis. In contrast, it has been reported that excess blood flow of AVF causes high‐output heart failure. Although VAIVT is used to increase blood flow of AVF, the impact of VAIVT on cardiac load has been rarely reported. We examined the factors associated with cardiac load in hemodialysis patients undergoing VAIVT by measuring levels of α human atrial natriuretic polypeptide (hANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) before and after VAIVT. Data were extracted on hemodialysis patients who underwent measurements of αhANP and BNP in before and after VAIVT at our facility and related facilities between February 2014 and December 2014. Nineteeen patients (median age, 73.0 [66.5–80.5] years; male, 52.6%; 36.8% with diabetes; median duration of dialysis treatment, 50.0 [21–109] months) were enrolled in this study. Flow volume of AVF was higher after VAIVT than that before VAIVT (442.0 vs. 758.0 mL/minute, P < 0.001). Moreover, resistance index (RI) of AVF after VAIVT was lower than that before VAIVT (0.61 vs. 0.53, P < 0.01). Although αhANP did not change before and after VAIVT (55.6 vs. 54.9 pg/mL, P = 0.099), BNP after VAIVT was significantly higher than that before VAIVT (145.2 vs. 175.0 pg/mL, P < 0.05). Factors correlated with the increase in BNP were flow volume of AVF before VAIVT (r = −0.458, P = 0.049) and levels of BNP before VAIVT (r = 0.472, P = 0.041). There was no significant correlation between the increase in αhANP with flow volume of AVF before VAIVT, levels of αhANP before VAIVT. Patients with high levels of BNP and low flow volume of AVF before VAIVT were considered to have a high risk of developing heart failure after VAIVT.
In tandem extracorporeal therapies during hemodialysis in pediatric patients
Authors: McAlister Amy E. , Geile Kira , Halabi Carmen M. , Davis T. KEEFE
Published: September 2016

We describe the successful treatment of a pediatric transplant patient with simultaneous intermittent hemodialysis and therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). The patient presented with kidney graft failure. He had life threatening electrolyte disturbances and fluid overload due to antibody‐mediated rejection. Therefore, he was in need of both emergent kidney replacement therapy and TPE. Both extracorporeal circuits were set up, established, and maintained safely and effectively without difficulty or alarms. Running intermittent hemodialysis and TPE simultaneously significantly reduced therapy time, allowed both needed therapies priority, and provided a superior pediatric patient experience in an acute situation.
Comparisons of amino acids, body constituents and antioxidative response between long‐time HD and normal HD
Authors: Torigoe Akira , Sato Emiko , Mori Takefumi , Ieiri Norio , Takahashi Chika , Ishida Yoko , Hotta Osamu , Ito Sadayoshi
Published: September 2016

Introduction Oxidative stress is one of the main mediators of progression of chronic kidney diseases (CKD). Nuclear factor E2‐related factor 2 (Nrf2) is the transcription factor of antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes and related proteins which play an important role in cellular defense. Long‐time hemodialysis (HD) therapy (8 hours) has been considered to be more beneficial compared to normal HD therapy (4 hours). We investigated oxidative response related to Nrf2 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of long‐time HD and normal HD patients.

Methods Eight adult long‐time HD therapy patients (44.5 ± 3.0 years) and 10 normal HD therapy patients (68.1 ± 2.7 years) were enrolled. PBMCs were isolated and processed for expression of Nrf2 and its related genes by qRT‐PCR. Plasma indoxyl sulfate, amino acids, and body constituents were measured.

Findings Plasma indoxyl sulfate was significantly low after long‐time HD therapy compare to that of normal HD therapy. Although, skeletal muscle mass, lean body mass, mineral and protein were significantly decreased 2 months in normal HD patients, those in long‐time HD patients were significantly increased after 2 months. Almost of amino acids were significantly decreased after HD therapy in both HD therapies. Plasma amino acids were significantly low in long‐time HD patients compared to normal HD patients. In PBMCs, the expression of Nrf2 was significantly decreased and hemooxygenase‐1 expression was significantly increased in long‐time HD compared to normal HD.

Conclusion These observations indicate the beneficial effects of in long‐time HD in improving oxidative stress in patients.
Blood pressure targets for hemodialysis patients: Aspirational or practical?
Authors: Davenport Andrew
Published: September 2016

Whereas there is strong relationship between high blood pressure and increased overall and cardiovascular mortality for the general population, observational studies in hemodialysis patients have reported a “U” shaped relationship between pre‐hemodialysis blood pressure recordings and patient survival. Previous attempts to introduce pre and post‐hemodialysis blood pressure targets were associated with an increased frequency of intra‐dialytic hypotension, itself an independent risk factor for mortality. Conversely, meta‐analyses of trials of antihypertensive medications in hemodialysis patients, reported survival benefit for those prescribed medication. More recently, further meta‐analyses have suggested a reduced risk for cardiovascular mortality benefit with a systolic blood pressures (SBPs) of less than 140 mmHg, the absolute benefit, in terms of risk reduction was greatest in those with the highest vascular disease burden. Even though data from current observational studies and studies of antihypertensive medications would suggest that patient survival would be greater with pre‐dialysis SBP should be less than 160 mmHg, there is no current data to propose specific blood pressure targets. Defining blood pressure targets can only be answered by adequately powered prospective randomized controlled trials comparing different targets. As the benefits of lowering blood pressure appear to be greatest for those with most vascular disease, then blood pressure targets may have to be adjusted on an individual risk basis, and future trials should therefore stratify patients according to vascular morbidity and have different targets for patients with differing degrees of pre‐existing cardiovascular disease.
Ibsen's Nora and the Confucian Critique of the “Unencumbered Self”
Authors: O'Dwyer Shaun
Published: September 2016

Criticisms of the liberal‐individualist idea of the “unencumbered self” are not just a staple of communitarian thought. Some modern Confucian thinkers are now seeking to develop an ethically particular understanding of social roles in the family that is sensitive to gender‐justice issues, and that provides an alternative to liberal‐individualist conceptions of the “unencumbered self” in relation to family roles. The character of Nora in Henrik Ibsen'sA Doll's Houseseemingly exemplifies such conceptions of the unencumbered self in her rejection of her housewife role for a more authentic selfhood. Drawing upon the capabilities approach to justice, and positive early Japanese bluestockings’ responses to Ibsen's play, I argue that Nora's character is better understood as exemplifying an ethically compelling disencumbered self in potentially cross‐cultural circumstances: a self criticizing and rejecting social roles that are found to be unjust according to universal, as opposed to particularist, “Confucian” ethical standards.
Infinite Responsibility in the Bedpan: Response Ethics, Care Ethics, and the Phenomenology of Dependency Work
Authors: Reynolds Joel Michael
Published: September 2016

Because Levinas understands ethical response as a response to the radical alterity of the other, he contrasts it with justice, for which alterity becomes a question of equality. Drawing upon the practice of dependency work and the insights of feminist care ethics, I argue that the opposition between responding to another's singularity and leveling it via parity‐based principles is belied in the experience of care. Through a hermeneutic phenomenology of caring for my post‐stroke grandfather, I develop an account of dependency work as a material dialectic of embodied response involving moments of leveling, attention, and interruption. Contra much of response ethics’ and care ethics’ respective literatures, this dialectic suggests that they complement each other in ways that productively illuminate themes of each. I conclude by suggesting that when response and care ethics are thought together through the experience of dependency work, such labors produce finite responsibility with infinite hope.
A Call to Arms: The Centrality of Feminist Consciousness‐Raising Speak‐Outs to the Recovery of Rape Survivors
Authors: Kelland Lindsay
Published: September 2016

This article explores the various challenges that survivors of rape and sexual violence face when attempting to construct a narrative of their experience under political and epistemic conditions that are not supportive: including the absence of adequate language with which to understand, articulate, and explain their experiences; narrative disruptions at the personal, interpersonal, and social levels; hermeneutical injustice; and canonical narratives that typically further the harms experienced by survivors. In response, I argue that feminist consciousness‐raising speak‐outs should be revived by contemporary feminists since they are able to do significant work to ameliorate the above‐mentioned challenges and thereby aid in the recovery of rape survivors.
Milkweed restoration in the Midwest for monarch butterfly recovery: estimates of milkweeds lost, milkweeds remaining and milkweeds that must be added to increase the monarch population
Authors: Pleasants John
Published: September 2016

The loss of milkweeds in corn and soybean fields in the Midwest due to herbicide use has been implicated in the decline of the monarch butterfly population. In order to gauge the magnitude of the milkweed restoration effort necessary to compensate for this loss, it is necessary to know how many milkweeds have been lost and how many remain on the landscape.

I estimate that since 1999, 850 million milkweeds have been lost from corn and soybean fields. In addition, since 2008, over 11 million milkweeds have been lost from grasslands due to their conversion into cropland, an annual loss rate of about 2 million milkweeds.

Of the estimated 2.2 billion milkweeds present on the landscape in the Midwest in 1999, only 1.34 billion remained in 2014, a decline of almost 40%. But because each milkweed stem in an agricultural field averages 3.9 times more monarch eggs than a milkweed stem in non‐agricultural habitats, the potential monarch support capacity loss has been 71%.

A conservation goal of 6 ha of overwintering butterflies has been proposed. It is estimated that the current milkweed population could support about 3.2 ha under average weather conditions in the breeding season.

A total of 425 million milkweeds would need to be added to increase the monarch support capacity by just one more overwintering hectare and 1.6 billion would be needed to meet the 6 ha conservation goal. Thus, a massive milkweed restoration effort will be needed to produce a resilient monarch population.
Chikungunya fever: an emerging viral infection threatening North America and Europe
Authors: Handler Marc Z. , Handler Nancy S. , Stephany Matthew P. , Handler Glenn A. , Schwartz Robert A.
Published: September 2016

Since the beginning of the twenty‐first century, there has been a rapid rise in the number of cases of chikungunya. Initially limited to islands of the southwestern Indian Ocean, the virus has spread across Africa and into the islands of the Caribbean. Cutaneous symptoms include a morbilliform eruption, hyperpigmented macules, and aphthae‐like ulcers. Patients often also experience fever and joint pain. We review the methods for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of this increasingly prevalent virus now emerging more commonly in Europe and North America.
Treatment of 100 chronic thalassemic leg wounds by plasma‐rich platelets
Authors: Afradi Hojjat , Saghaei Yassaman , Kachoei Zohre A. , Babaei Vahid , Teimourian Shahram
Published: September 2016

Objective

Thalassemia is a heterogeneous group of congenital hemoglobinopathies caused by mutations in the globin gene complex that result in an unbalanced globin synthesis. Unmatched globin chains bind to the cytosolic surface of red blood cell membrane where they cause oxidative damage that might in part be responsible for membrane weakness. The deformability of red blood cells and hypercoagulable state in thalassemic patients have been incriminated in leg ulcer formation, as this might cause ischemia to the skin and consequently friability and ulceration.

Methods

Platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) gel is considered an advanced wound therapy for chronic and acute wounds. PRP gel consists of cytokines, growth factors, chemokines, and a fibrin scaffold derived from a patient's blood. In this study, we treated 100 thalassemic leg wounds using PRP.

Results

There was wound size reduction in patients after 4 weeks of treatment. In wounds with 2–3.5 cm2 surface area, complete closure happened after 12.5 weeks, 5–12 cm2 wounds completely closed after 13.2 weeks, and finally, 4.5–6 cm2 wounds healed completely after 14 weeks. None of the wounds reopened after 8 months of monitoring.

Conclusion

This study will help extrapolation of the use of PRP for at least thalassemic leg wound treatment.
The Value Added by Trading Based on Valuation Criteria
Authors: Andreu Laura , Mateos Lydia , Sarto José Luis
Published: September 2016

We investigate the value added by active mutual fund management by examining a comprehensive database of monthly trades of equity mutual funds because understanding how managers add value for their clients is important in the current context of a growing fraction of individual investors delegating their portfolio management to professional managers. We find that the value added by trading based on valuation criteria outperform trading decisions motivated by other reasons such as liquidity and taxes. This finding is obtained using both the measures previously proposed by financial literature as well as some refinements proposed here to evaluate the role of mutual funds' cash level as well as the interdependence between buying and selling decisions. In addition, mutual funds that trade based on valuation criteria more frequently outperform funds that follow this type of trading occasionally. The results are consistent with the notion that active mutual funds on average fail to outperform passive benchmarks and only a subset of funds have skilled managers.
Reclaiming Evangelism
Authors: Woods Philip
Published: September 2016

This paper introduces approaches to reclaiming evangelism, noting the challenges and opportunities of our changing global context, and stressing the importance of authentic witness. The author draws on the Council for World Mission's work promoting the development of missional congregations as life‐affirming communities and its statement identifying six conversation threads (the absence of God; secularism; issues of identity; how we affirm life; the sources we use to shape and nurture our faith; and how we overcome fear and violence in our societies and in the world) that need to be developed on Christian witness in a pluralist world.
On the “Litany of Costlies” of the World Council of Churches: An Appeal for an Organizational Pilgrimage toward the Church as Moral Community
Authors: Sidorak Stephen J.
Published: September 2016

This essay concerns itself with what Lewis S. Mudge described as “the church as moral community.” The trilogy of World Council of Churches’ documents entitled Costly Unity, Costly Commitment, and Costly Obedience are the primary source materials for rigorous and systematic reflection on the idea of the church as moral community. Reading this “litany of costlies” will deepen appreciation of the ecumenical significance of the idea of the church as moral community and inspire dedicated ecumenists to model it. Indeed, study of the ecclesiology and ethics process might have immediate, wider ecumenical implications. It could be a catalyst for creative organizational development in as many conciliar bodies that choose to practise the principles of building “the church as moral community.”
Practicing the Story: Equiping Congregations for Evangelism
Authors: Lewis Tracey
Published: September 2016

“Evangelism” carries a lot of baggage! And many in our 21st‐century church feel that the baggage was packed by someone else and contains clothes that no longer fit or equip them for sharing the gospel with people and life in the present world. If evangelism is to find its place high on the agenda of our church of today, we need to enable Christian people to freely and honestly explore first, what it means to be people of the gospel now, and then, the message they have to share and how they will share it with the world today. Radical questions about our understandings of the gospel and purpose and practice in sharing it need to be asked, discussed, and explored with faith and courage in the many different contexts that Christian people are called to live and serve in. If the Christian church is to be faithful to the gospel and recognizing and growing the kingdom of God, then we must be listening to the discomfort within ourselves and our neighbours and open to the possibility of transformation. Can our Christian story, always a renewal movement, inspire that new thinking, sharing, and action that will reach the people we meet today?
Transforming Discipleship: Missiological Reflections
Authors: Bevans Stephen
Published: September 2016

Although not explicitly tied, the terms “transforming” and “discipleship” relate directly to and fruitfully qualify each other in the most important recent documents in contemporary missiology. Together they frame a profoundly rooted and deeply relevant notion of discipleship that ties the personal commitment of Christians to the larger Christian communion, work for justice, and the very fabric of our evolving universe.
Evangelism from the Margins: Experiences of the Ironic in Evangelism in Cardiff, UK
Authors: Cruchley‐Jones Peter
Published: September 2016

This article arises from a presentation to the CWM/WCC Consultation, Explorations in Evangelism which took place in Sydney from 5 to 13 September 2015. There I shared the street art evangelism of my own congregation. However, in this article I want to explore how this street art evangelism is pointing us to the need for an appreciation of the ironic nature of evangelism, and consider evangelism from the margins. I explore this here as an aspect of the liberation missiology of the WCC's new ecumenical affirmation of mission: Together towards Life. But also show how it describes the historical roots of evangelism in the early church and captures the possibilities of evangelism now in a post‐Christian context like the UK. The article explores ideas and artwork as they invite an ironic appreciation of the countercultural nature of Christ's call to life, a call that questions the empires of Caesar and the church.
A goal programming approach to address the proposal selection problem: a case study of a clinical and translational science institute
Authors: Munoz David A. , Nembhard Harriet Black , Camargo Kate
Published: September 2016

One of the most challenging tasks faced by healthcare organizations is to properly allocate resources that support the accomplishment of their organizational strategy. This challenge is particularly pressing for healthcare organizations that provide funding through call for proposals processes. In this study, we propose a goal programming (GP) model for the proposal selection problem within a clinical and translational science institute (CTSI) in an academic institution. The proposed GP model seeks to formalize and operationalize the strategy and long‐term vision of the healthcare organization into the selection of a mix of proposals. A case study is presented to illustrate the practical use of the GP model. Additionally, this model was validated using real data from a recent call for proposal cycle at the Pennsylvania State University CTSI. The results provided a match on seven of the nine selected proposals from a pool of 24.
The Resource Basis of Magnetic Refrigeration
Authors: Gauß Roland , Homm Gert , Gutfleisch Oliver
Published: September 2016

Emerging economies such as China and India are currently experiencing a “refrigeration revolution.” Energy spent for domestic cooling is expected to outreach that for heating worldwide over the course of the twenty‐first century. Magnetic refrigeration is an alternative cooling technology that works without gas‐based refrigerants and has the potential to be significantly more energy efficient. We evaluate to what extent the raw materials needed to produce this kind of technology on a mass‐market scale are critical in terms of demand and supply, thus identifying potential supply bottlenecks that might hinder the breakthrough of this promising technology. We assess the criticality of three promising magnetocaloric materials, that is, Gd5(SiGe)4, La(FeSi)13, and (MnFe)2P), as well as of Nd2Fe14B, as the candidate permanent magnet material to drive the cooling cycle. The Gd‐based alloys are disqualified as a mass‐market refrigerant in terms of resource criticality, whereas La‐ and Mn‐based alloys are much less problematic. Given the current state of technology and projected resource supply, Nd in Nd2Fe14B magnets would experience a significant bottleneck only at a later innovation stage, that is, when magnetic cooling technology would largely dominate the domestic refrigerator and air‐conditioning market.
Compositional mapping of bitumen using local electrostatic force interactions in atomic force microscopy
Authors: MAGONOV SERGEI , ALEXANDER JOHN , SURTCHEV MARKO , HUNG ALBERT M. , FINI ELHAM H.
Published: September 2016

In recent years, many researchers have investigated bitumen surface morphology, especially the so‐called bee‐like structures, in an attempt to relate the chemical composition and molecular conformation to bitumen micromechanics and ultimately performance properties. Even though recent studies related surface morphology and its evolution to stiffness and stress localization, the complex chemical nature of bitumen and its time‐ and temperature‐dependent properties still engender significant questions about the nature and origin of the observed morphological features and how they evolve due to exposure to various environmental and loading conditions. One such question is whether the observed surface features are formed from wax or from the coprecipitation of wax and asphaltene. Our prior work was mainly theoretical; it used density functional theory and showed that the coprecipitation theory may not stand, mainly because wax–asphaltene interactions are not thermodynamically favourable compared to wax–wax interactions. This paper presents a comprehensive approach based on experiments to study surface morphology of bitumen and conduct compositional mapping to shed light on the origin of the bee‐like surface morphological features. We used Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), with the main focus being on single‐pass detection and mapping of local electric properties, as a novel approach to enhance existing compositional mapping techniques. This method was found to be highly effective in differentiating various domains with respect to their polarity. The results of our study favour the hypothesis that the bee‐like features are mainly composed of wax, including a variety of alkanes.
Rapid Response Teams: Is it Time to Reframe the Questions of Rapid Response Team Measurement?
Authors: Salvatierra Gail G. , Bindler Ruth C. , Daratha Kenn B.
Published: September 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to present an overview of rapid response team (RRT) history in the United States, provide a review of prior RRT effectiveness research, and propose the reframing of four new questions of RRT measurement that are designed to better understand RRTs in the context of contemporary nursing practice as well as patient outcomes.

Organizing Construct

RRTs were adopted in the United States because of their intuitive appeal, and despite a lack of evidence for their effectiveness. Subsequent studies used mortality and cardiac arrest rates to measure whether or not RRTs “work.” Few studies have thoroughly examined the effect of RRTs on nurses and on nursing practice.

Methods

An extensive literature review provided the background. Suppositions and four critical, unanswered questions arising from the literature are suggested.

Findings

The results of RRT effectiveness, which have focused on patient‐oriented outcomes, have been ambiguous, contradictory, and difficult to interpret. Additionally, they have not taken into account the multiple ways in which these teams have impacted nurses and nursing practice as well as patient outcomes.

Conclusions

What happens in terms of RRT process and utilization is likely to have a major impact on nurses and nursing care on general medical and surgical wards. What that impact will be depends on what we can learn from measuring with an expanded yardstick, in order to answer the question, “Do RRTs work?”

Clinical Relevance

Evidence for the benefits of RRTs depends on proper framing of questions relating to their effectiveness, including the multiple ways RRTs contribute to nursing efficacy.
Towards a new orientation: a qualitative longitudinal study of an intensive care recovery programme
Authors: Jensen Janet F , Overgaard Dorthe , Bestle Morten H , Christensen Doris F , Egerod Ingrid
Published: September 2016

Aims and objectives

To describe the patient experience of ICU recovery from a longitudinal perspective by analysing follow‐up consultations at three time‐points.

Background

After a stay in the intensive care unit, patients risk physical and psychological problems during recovery. Follow‐up after intensive care has emerged to aid psychological recovery, and improve health‐related quality of life. More insight is needed into the mechanisms of intensive care recovery.

Design

A descriptive multicenter longitudinal qualitative design.

Methods

A subsample of 36 consultations with 12 patients strategically selected from a randomised controlled trial on intensive care recovery from 10 Danish intensive care units. Data were generated during an ICU recovery programme including three consultations (at 1–3, 4–5, 9–11 months). First consultation was face‐to‐face using patient photographs to aid memory. Second and third consultations were by telephone using reflection sheets to focus dialogue. Thematic analysis and narrative theory were used to explore mechanisms of recovery using audio‐recordings of consultations, patient photographs and reflection sheets as the sources of data.

Results

The basic narrative of recovery was ‘toward a trajectory of new orientation’. This narrative contained the chronological narratives of being ‘at death's door’, ‘still not out of the woods’ and ‘on the road to recovery’. The road to recovery was described as downhill, steady‐state or progressive. New orientation was obtained in steady‐state or progressive recovery.

Conclusions

This study provides a contemporary understanding of the process of intensive care recovery. Recovery evolves through narratives of mortal danger, risk of relapse and moving forward towards a new orientation in life.

Relevance to clinical practice

These findings enable health care professionals to understand what patients experience during stages of recovery. This is important to improve health care professionals in the assessment of long‐term outcome, and management of patients after intensive care.
The seasonal importance of serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D for bone mineral density in older women
Authors: Michaëlsson K. , Wolk A. , Byberg L. , Mitchell A. , Mallmin H. , Melhus H.
Published: September 2016

Background

The impact of season when determining a serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (S‐25OHD) cut‐off level for optimal bone health is unknown.

Objective

To investigate the relative importance of S‐25OHD for bone mineral density (BMD) by season.

Methods

A subcohort of 5002 Swedish women (mean age 68 years), randomly selected from a large population‐based longitudinal cohort study with repeat dietary and lifestyle information, was enrolled during 2003–2009 for a clinical examination, which included dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry and collection of fasting blood samples. Categories of vitamin D status were determined by S‐25OHD (measured by HPLC‐MS/MS).

Results

In samples collected during summer, we found a gradual increase in BMD of the total hip up to a S‐25OHD level of 40 nmol L−1 (6% of the cohort). In women with S‐25OHD concentrations below 30 nmol L−1 during summer, adjusted BMD was 11% lower [95% confidence interval (CI) 3–19] and in those with S‐25OHD levels of 30–40 nmol L−1 BMD was 6% lower (95% CI 1–11), compared with women with S‐25OHD levels above 80 nmol L−1. Low S‐25OHD concentrations during summer (<30 nmol L−1) were also associated with higher adjusted relative risk of osteoporosis (4.9; 95% CI 2.9–8.4) compared with concentrations above 80 nmol L−1. By contrast, no differences in mean BMD values between categories of S‐25OHD were found during winter.

Conclusions

Summer concentrations of S‐25OHD appear to be the most useful to predict BMD, whereas winter levels have limited value. To determine a S‐25OHD cut‐off level for vitamin D deficiency, it may be necessary to take into account the season of blood collection.
Response of lactating dairy cows to degree of steam‐flaked barley grain in low‐forage diets
Authors: Safaei Kh. , Ghorbani G. R. , Alikhani M. , Sadeghi ‐ Sefidmazgi A. , Yang W. Z.
Published: September 2016

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of processing method (grinding vs. steam flaking) and increasing densities of steam‐flaked barley grain on dry matter intake (DMI), rumen pH and fermentation characteristics, digestibility of dry matter in the total digestive tract (DDTT), and milk production of dairy cows. Eight multiparous mid‐lactation Holstein cows averaging 103 ± 24 DIM, 44.5 ± 4.7 kg milk/day and weighing 611 ± 43 kg at the start of the experiment were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design with 21‐day periods. Cows were fed diets consisting of (DM basis) 23.8% corn silage, 13.5% chopped alfalfa hay and 62.7% concentrate. The dietary treatments were either ground barley (GB) using a hammer mill or steam‐flaked barley (SFB) – varying density at 390, 340 or 290 g/l. Processing method (GB vs. SFB) did not affect DMI (23.6 kg/day on average), DDTT (71.0% on average), milk yield (43.4 kg/day on average), milk components, rumen pH and molar proportions of acetate, propionate, butyrate and sorting activity. Ruminal isovalerate concentration tended (p = 0.06) to be higher for cows fed GB than those fed SFB‐based diets. Decreasing the density of SFB from 390, 340 to 290 g/l tended to linearly increase DMI (p = 0.09), decrease total solids percentage of milk (p = 0.10) and linearly decreased milk urea nitrogen (12.8, 12.4 and 12.1 mg/dl; p = 0.04); also, the sorting index (SI) of the particles retained on the 19.0‐mm sieve without affecting the SI of the particles retained on 8.0‐mm, 1.18‐mm or passed through 1.18‐mm sieve (p = 0.05). These results indicated the limited effects of processing method (grinding vs. steam flaking) and densities of SFB (390, 290 or 290 g/l) on cows’ performance and feed utilization for dairy cows fed low‐forage diets. Therefore, both processing methods could be recommended under current feeding conditions of dairy cows.
Optimal feeding frequency of captive head‐started green turtles (Chelonia mydas)
Authors: Kanghae H. , Thongprajukaew K. , Yeetam P. , Jarit‐ngam T. , Hwan‐air W. , Rueangjeen S. , Kittiwattanawong K.
Published: September 2016

Optimal feeding frequency was investigated to improve head‐started propagation programme of juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas). The 15‐day‐old turtles (25–26 g body weight) were fed for ad libitum intake at one (1MD), two (2MD), three (3MD) or four (4MD) meals daily over a 3‐month trial. Responses in growth, feed utilization, faecal characteristics, haematological parameters and carapace elemental composition were used to compare treatment effects. At the end of the feeding trial, no treatment had induced mortality. Growth performance in terms of weight gain and specific growth rate was similar in turtles fed 2MD, 3MD or 4MD (p > 0.05), but 1MD differed from these (p < 0.05), and feeding at excess frequency (3MD and 4MD) increased the within‐group size variation. Turtles fed 2MD had significantly lower feed intake than in 3MD and 4MD groups, but the feed conversion ratios were similar. Faecal digestive enzyme analysis indicated higher catabolism of lipid and protein in the deprivation group (1MD), when compared with turtles fed at least twice daily. The feeding frequency did not affect the specific activities of carbohydrate‐digesting enzymes. The results on enzymes activities were corroborated by the transition enthalpy characteristics of faeces, indicating nutrients remaining after digestion. The 2MD treatment also improved the haematological characteristics and the carapace quality, relative to low or excess feeding. Overall, the findings indicate that feeding juvenile green turtles twice a day is the preferred option in their head‐started propagation. This promotes growth, reduces feed consumption, and improves health and carapace quality.
Effects of Dietary Yeast Polysaccharides on the Immune Responses of Apostichopus japonicus to a Sudden Drop in Temperature
Authors: Zhao Wen , Liang Miao , Wei Jie , Wang Shan
Published: September 2016

The effect of yeast polysaccharides (YSPs) on immune function was evaluated in sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus, exposed to two protocols of acute decrease in temperature (T5 group: 20 C → 15 C → 10 C → 4 C; T10 group: 20 C → 10 C → 4 C). Juvenile sea cucumbers were fed an artificial diet containing 0.5% YSP. The phagocytic rate and index and the activities of lysozyme, acid phosphatase, and alkaline phosphatase were measured 24 h after each drop in temperature. The immune indices generally decreased in animals fed the basal diet (BD) in both temperature‐change protocols. Supplementing the feed of A. japonicus with YSPs led to increases in most indices compared with those fed the BD, except for the phagocytic index at 10 C in the T5 group. Therefore, the addition of YSPs to the BD improves the immunocompetence of A. japonicus during exposure to a rapid decrease in temperature.
Effects of Dietary Soybean Oil Replacement by Silkworm,Bombyx moriL., Chrysalis Oil on Growth Performance, Tissue Fatty Acid Composition, and Health Status of Juvenile Jian Carp,Cyprinus carpiovar. Jian
Authors: Chen Haojie , Tian Jingjing , Wang Yifei , Yang Ke , Ji Hong , Li Jie
Published: September 2016

Five triplicate groups containing 15 Jian carp (33.51 ± 1.91 g) were fed five isonitrogenous (30%) and isolipidic (8%) diets, with an increase in silkworm chrysalis oil (SCO) to replace soybean oil (SO) at 0 (SO), 25 (SCO25), 50 (SCO50), 75 (SCO75), or 100% (SCO100) levels for 59 d. Results showed that theSCO50andSCO75groups presented higher thermal growth coefficients than theSOandSCO100groups and lower feed conversion ratios than theSCO100group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the 50%SCO‐supplemented level decreased hepatopancreas lipid content and increased muscle crude protein content (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, α‐linolenic acid, n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content, and n‐3/n‐6PUFAratio increased in the hepatopancreas, and intraperitoneal fat and muscle as the replacement ofSOincreased (P < 0.05). No significant differences of the serum biochemical indices and hepatopancreatic malondialdehyde content were found among groups (P > 0.05), but hepatopancreatic superoxide dismutase activities in theSCO25andSCO50groups were significantly higher than those in the other groups (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in muscularis coat thickness, fold height, and fold width in the mid‐intestine (P>0.05). Overall, up to 50 or 75% replacement ofSObySCOin the diet of Jian carp could improve growth performance without affecting the health status of the fish.
Genetic structure and diversity of the black and rufous sengi in Tanzanian coastal forests
Authors: Sabuni C. A. , Van Houtte N. , Gryseels S. , Maganga S. L. S. , Makundi R. H. , Leirs H. , Goüy de Bellocq J.
Published: September 2016

The black and rufous sengi Rhynchocyon petersi is restricted to the Eastern Arc Mountains and coastal forests of East Africa and considered vulnerable because of habitat fragmentation and degradation. Coastal forests are believed to have been isolated from each other for thousands of years due to climatic changes. Since R. petersi is described as strongly dependent on its forest habitat, we hypothesized that R. petersi from different forests would show genetic divergence. We investigated the genetic structure and diversity of this species in four coastal forests in Tanzania using eight microsatellites and cytochrome b sequences. In total, 45 individuals were captured after strenuous sampling efforts. For comparative purposes we also sequenced the cytochrome b of 57 individuals from a sympatric rodent forest species, Beamys hindei. The results indicate extant R. petersi have descended from a single population of high effective size (Ne) with no forest‐distinctive signal. In contrast, B. hindei is more genetically structured: Although the most common haplotype is found in the three closest forests, each forest harbours private haplotypes. Moreover, B. hindei Ne appeared 10 times smaller than R. petersi in Zaraninge forest. While B. hindei results are consistent with the scenario of long‐term isolation of coastal forests, the R. petersi are not. We suggest R. petersi may less depend on forest habitat than previously suspected, consistent with anecdotal reports of sengis nesting in intervening agricultural habitat. From a conservation viewpoint, this sengi species therefore appears robust to the current spatial and temporal scale of habitat fragmentation.
Prevalence of Trichinella infection in three sympatric large carnivores: effects of the host's sex and age
Authors: Kojola I. , Holmala K. , Huhta E. , Oksanen A. , Kokko S.
Published: September 2016

It has been suggested that the higher parasite prevalence for mammalian males might be due to differences in diet between the sexes or a lower immunocompetence of males. We examined how the prevalence of a large intracellular parasite, Trichinella spp., varies by sex and age in the brown bear Ursus arctos, grey wolf Canis lupus and Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx in Finland. Data were obtained from 801 bears, 312 wolves and 1958 lynxes killed during licensed hunting in autumn and winter. In all species, the prevalence was higher in males than females and was highest in adults. In bears and lynxes, the difference between the two sexes increased with age. In the brown bear, almost exclusively adults were infected by Trichinella, and prevalence was three times more frequent in adult males than females. In the wolf, prevalence in males was higher in all age classes, but in lynxes <1‐year‐old the prevalence did not differ with sex. According to our macroscopic stomach analysis, raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides and red fox Vulpes vulpes, major reservoirs for Trichinella, were uncommon winter prey for lynx and wolves, but raccoon dogs were more frequently consumed by male than female lynxes. We suggest that differences in feeding habits between sexes might explain higher prevalence in males (at least in lynx and brown bear), though we could not exclude lower the immunocompetence.
The Work of Inscription: Antenatal Care, Birth Documents, and Shan Migrant Women in Chiang Mai
Authors: Seo Bo Kyeong
Published: September 2016

For transnational migrant populations, securing birth documents of newly born children has crucial importance in avoiding statelessness for new generations. Drawing on discussions of sovereignty and political subjectivization, I ask how the fact of birth is constituted in the context of transnational migration. Based on ethnographic data collected from an antenatal clinic in Thailand, this article describes how Shan migrant women from Myanmar (also known as Burma) utilize reproductive health services as a way of assuring a safe birth while acquiring identification documents. Paying close attention to technologies of inscription adopted for maternal care and birth registration, I argue that enacting bureaucratic documents offers a chance for migrant women to bridge the interstice between human and citizen. Birth certificates for migrant children, while embodying legal ambiguity and uncertainty, epitomize non‐citizen subjects’ assertion of their political relationship with the state.
Trigonotis jiaochengensis sp. nov. (Boraginaceae) from Shanxi, China
Authors: Hao Jia‐Chen , Yan Rui‐Ya , Liu Quan‐Ru
Published: September 2016

Trigonotis jiaochengensis Q. R. Liu & R. Y. Yan, a new species from Shanxi, China, is described and illustrated here. It is similar to T. peduncularis in having multiple diffuse stems, ovate to elliptic leaf blades, scorpioid cyme with only basal bracts and trigonous‐tetrahedral nutlets, but differs in having slender pedicels that are 5.2–18.4 mm long (vs clavate pedicels 1.5–4.8 mm in T. peduncularis), smooth nutlets with a short carpophore and a flat bottom (vs verrucose nutlets with a long carpophore and convex bottom in T. peduncularis). Morphological characters, including pollen and nutlets, with illustrations, diagnostic comparisons and habitat, are presented.
Dark‐induced leaf senescence: new insights into a complex light‐dependent regulatory pathway
Authors: Liebsch Daniela , Keech Olivier
Published: September 2016

Leaf senescence – the coordinated, active process leading to the organized dismantling of cellular components to remobilize resources – is a fundamental aspect of plant life. Its tight regulation is essential for plant fitness and has crucial implications for the optimization of plant productivity and storage properties. Various investigations have shown light deprivation and light perception via phytochromes as key elements modulating senescence. However, the signalling pathways linking light deprivation and actual senescence processes have long remained obscure. Recent analyses have demonstrated that PHYTOCHROME‐INTERACTING FACTORS (PIFs) are major transcription factors orchestrating dark‐induced senescence (DIS) by targeting chloroplast maintenance, chlorophyll metabolism, hormone signalling and production, and the expression of senescence master regulators, uncovering potential molecular links to the energy deprivation signalling pathway. PIF‐dependent feed‐forward regulatory modules might be of critical importance for the highly complex and initially light‐reversible DIS induction.

Contents

Summary
563

I.
Introduction
563

II.
Involvement of light receptors in photoretardation of leaf senescence
564

III.
PHYTOCHROME‐INTERACTING FACTORS are major players regulating light deprivation‐induced senescence
564

IV.
PIF‐regulated processes during light deprivation
565

V.
Coherent feed‐forward regulation
565

VI.
Light deprivation vs starvation response
567

VII.
Conclusion and future perspectives
567

Acknowledgements
568

References
568
Tibetan Firefly Luciferase with Low Temperature Adaptation
Authors: Mitani Yasuo , Futahashi Ryo , Liu Zichao , Liang Xingcai , Ohmiya Yoshihiro
Published: September 2016

Fireflies are widespread all over the world and a numerous numbers of luciferases have been isolated and characterized. In this study, we identified and characterized the luciferase and luciferase‐like genes from a Tibetan firefly collected in Shangri‐La, China. The altitude of this area is more than 3300 m. We saw this Tibetan firefly flying with strong luminescence after sunset at ~10°C. We analyzed the transcriptome of Tibetan firefly using head, thorax, abdomen (without light organ), and light organ tissue by RNA sequencing. We identified one luciferase gene, which was almost identical to luciferase from fireflies Pyrocoelia species, and expressed specifically in the light organ. Interestingly, the optimal temperature of the Tibetan firefly recombinant luciferase was 10°C. The Km for D‐luciferin and ATP of the recombinant luciferase was 23 and 154 μm, respectively. The optimal pH was around 7.0–7.5. The emission peak was 556 nm at pH 8.0, while it shifted to 606 nm at pH 6.0. We also found a luciferase‐like gene with 43% identical amino acids to the Tibetan firefly luciferase, which was scarcely expressed in any portion of the adult body. No luciferase activity was detected for this luciferase‐like protein.