bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deuterium occupation of vacancy-type defects in argon-damaged tungsten exposed to high flux and low energy deuterium plasma
Authors: Zhu Xiu-Li , Zhang Ying , Cheng Long , Yuan Yue , De Temmerman Gregory , Wang Bao-Yi , Cao Xing-Zhong , Lu Guang-Hong
Published: February 2016

Doppler broadening spectroscopy in the positron annihilation technique (DBS-PA) has been employed to investigate the defect properties in argon-damaged tungsten exposed to low-energy and high flux deuterium plasma. Argon ion irradiations with energy 500 keV are performed for tungsten samples with various levels of damage. The remarkable increment of the S parameter in DBS-PA indicates the introduction of vacancy-type defects in argon irradiated tungsten. An increase of ion fluence results in a continuous increase of the S parameter until saturation. Unexpectedly, a much higher fluence leads to a decrease of the S parameter in the near surface, and the (S,W) slope changes greatly. This should be associated with the formation of argon-vacancy complexes in the near surface produced by the excessive implanted argon ions. With deuterium plasma exposure, a significant decrease of the S parameter occurs in the pre-irradiated tungsten, suggesting the sharp reduction of the number and density of the vacancy-type defects. The thermal desorption spectroscopy results demonstrate that the argon-damaged tungsten, compared to the pristine one, exhibits an enhanced low-temperature desorption peak and an additional and broad high-temperature desorption peak, which indicates that deuterium atoms are trapped in both low-energy and high-energy sites. All these observations directly indicate the deuterium occupation of irradiation-induced vacancy defects in damaged tungsten, which is responsible for the remarkable increase of the deuterium retention in comparison with the pristine one.
Seafood Safety and Marketing: The Case of the Deepwater Horizon Tragedy
Authors: Vickner Steven S.
Published: February 2016

This case explores the impact of the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon on various aspects of the seafood industry. Nielsen syndicated point‐of‐purchase scanner data for frozen fish, shrimp, and crab are used to gauge consumer response at several points during the event. Traceability systems for seafood harvested from both aquaculture production and capture fisheries are also discussed. The role of corporate environmental policies for seafood procurement is highlighted for Whole Foods Market. The case concludes with a discussion of British Petroleum's historic settlement with the US government, five states adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico, and numerous local governments.
Non-induction of radioadaptive response in zebrafish embryos by neutrons
Authors: Ng Candy Y.P. , Kong Eva Y. , Kobayashi Alisa , Suya Noriyoshi , Uchihori Yukio , Cheng Shuk Han , Konishi Teruaki , Yu Kwan Ngok
Published: February 2016

In vivo neutron-induced radioadaptive response (RAR) was studied using zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) embryos. The Neutron exposure Accelerator System for Biological Effect Experiments (NASBEE) facility at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS), Japan, was employed to provide 2-MeV neutrons. Neutron doses of 0.6, 1, 25, 50 and 100 mGy were chosen as priming doses. An X-ray dose of 2 Gy was chosen as the challenging dose. Zebrafish embryos were dechorionated at 4 h post fertilization (hpf), irradiated with a chosen neutron dose at 5 hpf and the X-ray dose at 10 hpf. The responses of embryos were assessed at 25 hpf through the number of apoptotic signals. None of the neutron doses studied could induce RAR. Non-induction of RAR in embryos having received 0.6- and 1-mGy neutron doses was attributed to neutron-induced hormesis, which maintained the number of damaged cells at below the threshold for RAR induction. On the other hand, non-induction of RAR in embryos having received 25-, 50- and 100-mGy neutron doses was explained by gamma-ray hormesis, which mitigated neutron-induced damages through triggering high-fidelity DNA repair and removal of aberrant cells through apoptosis. Separate experimental results were obtained to verify that high-energy photons could disable RAR. Specifically, 5- or 10-mGy X-rays disabled the RAR induced by a priming dose of 0.88 mGy of alpha particles delivered to 5-hpf zebrafish embryos against a challenging dose of 2 Gy of X-rays delivered to the embryos at 10 hpf.
LONG-TERM OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH VITREOMACULAR TRACTION TREATED WITH A SINGLE INTRAVITREAL INJECTION OF OCRIPLASMIN
Authors: Tyler Lyndon , Singer Michael , Bell Darren
Published: February 2016

Purpose:

To report long-term outcomes in patients with vitreomacular traction injected with intravitreal ocriplasmin.

Methods:

Interventional case series.

Patients:

A 64-year-old woman and a 46-year-old woman.

Results:

In Case 1, a 64-year-old woman with focal vitreomacular traction with impending macular hole presented with a visual acuity of 20/80 +1 and was injected with ocriplasmin 11 days later. Visual acuity continued to improve and stabilized through 60 weeks of follow-up with a final visual acuity of 20/50. Vitreomacular traction release was confirmed by optical coherence tomography 6 weeks after injection.

In Case 2, a 46-year-old woman with focal vitreomacular traction presented with a visual acuity of 20/60 and received ocriplasmin treatment the same day. Vitreomacular traction release was confirmed by optical coherence tomography 2 days later. After subsequent worsening of visual acuity, pneumatic retinopexy and pars plana vitrectomy were performed. Visual acuity continued to improve and stabilize throughout the 52-week follow-up with a final visual acuity of 20/25.

Conclusion:

We present here two patients with focal vitreomacular traction treated with ocriplasmin and followed up long-term for up to one year. In both cases, visual acuity improved compared with baseline and stabilized after ocriplasmin treatment. These cases add to the growing literature demonstrating resolution of symptoms after ocriplasmin treatment over longer follow-up periods.
Sirolimus-Induced Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage: A Case Report
Authors: Balcan Baran , Simsek Ergun , Ugurlu Aylin O. , Demiralay Ebru , Sahin Sevgi
Published: February 2016

Sirolimus is a mammalian target of the rapamycin, a protein kinase, which is responsible for inhibition of T cell and B cell proliferation. Sirolimus has side effects on lugs, and may cause cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, diffuse alveolar hemorrhage, lymphocytic pneumonitis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, desquamative interstitial pneumonia, and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. Diagnosis is based on the combination of clinical, radiological, histological, and pathological investigation. We report a case of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage in a 33-year-old, female renal transplant recipient. After discontinuation of sirolimus, radiological images and clinical condition of the patient got better. We also planned steroid therapy for 6 months by tapering the dosage slowly. After steroid therapy, full recovery of pulmonary functions achieved, and the patient is observed in our outpatient clinic with lack of any pulmonary symptoms.
Clear Cell Carcinoma of the Penis: An HPV-related Variant of Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Sanchez Diego F. , Rodriguez Ingrid M. , Piris Adriano , Cañete Sofía , Lezcano Cecilia , Velazquez Elsa F. , Fernandez-Nestosa Maria J. , Mendez-Pena Javier E. , Hoang Mai P. , Cubilla Antonio L.
Published: February 2016

Penile clear cell carcinoma originating in skin adnexal glands has been previously reported. Here, we present 3 morphologically distinctive penile tumors with prominent clear cell features originating not in the penile skin but in the mucosal tissues of the glans surface squamous epithelium. Clinical and pathologic features were evaluated. Immunohistochemical stains were GATA3 and p16. Human papilloma virus (HPV) detection by in situ hybridization was performed in 3 cases, and whole-tissue section-polymerase chain reaction was performed in 1 case. Patients’ ages were 52, 88, and 95 years. Tumors were large and involved the glans and coronal sulcus in all cases. Microscopically, nonkeratinizing clear cells predominated. Growth was in solid nests with comedo-like or geographic necrosis. Focal areas of invasive warty or basaloid carcinomas showing in addition warty or basaloid penile intraepithelial neoplasia were present in 2 cases. There was invasion of corpora cavernosa, lymphatic vessels, veins, and perineural spaces in all cases. p16 was positive, and GATA3 stain was negative in the 3 cases. HPV was detected in 3 cases by in situ hybridization and in 1 case by polymerase chain reaction. Differential diagnoses included other HPV-related penile carcinomas, skin adnexal tumors, and metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Features that support primary penile carcinoma were tumor location, concomitant warty and/or basaloid penile intraepithelial neoplasia, and HPV positivity. Clinical groin metastases were present in all cases, pathologically confirmed in 1. Two patients died from tumor dissemination at 9 and 12 months after penectomy. Clear cell carcinoma, another morphologic variant related to HPV, originates in the penile mucosal surface and is probably related to warty carcinomas.
Two Cases of Renal Cell Carcinoma Harboring a Novel STRN-ALK Fusion Gene
Authors: Kusano Hironori , Togashi Yuki , Akiba Jun , Moriya Fukuko , Baba Katsuyoshi , Matsuzaki Naomi , Yuba Yoshiaki , Shiraishi Yusuke , Kanamaru Hiroshi , Kuroda Naoto , Sakata Seiji , Takeuchi Kengo , Yano Hirohisa
Published: February 2016

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) translocation renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) have been reported by several independent groups in recent times. The clinical behavior and histopathologic characteristics of these carcinomas are not fully understood because of the paucity of cases reported. Here, we describe 2 cases of RCC harboring a novel striatin (STRN)-ALK fusion. The first case was a 33-year-old woman with no sickle cell trait who underwent nephrectomy for right renal mass and had late recurrence in para-aortic lymph nodes twice 10 and 12 years after initial surgery. After the second recurrence, she was carefully observed without any treatment. Twenty-six years after the initial nephrectomy, the second para-aortic lymphadenectomy was performed, and gastrectomy was performed for newly developed primary gastric cancer. The resected para-aortic lymph nodes were largely replaced by metastatic carcinoma. The second case was a 38-year-old man with no sickle cell trait who underwent cytoreductive nephrectomy followed by sunitinib therapy for metastatic RCC. In both cases, the tumor showed solid, papillary, tubular, and mucinous cribriform structures. Psammoma bodies were occasionally seen in the stroma. Tumor cells had a large nucleus and prominent nucleoli with predominantly eosinophilic cytoplasm. Rhabdoid cells and signet-ring cells were also observed. Intracytoplasmic mucin deposition and background mucinous stroma were confirmed. In the second case, tumor necrosis was seen in some areas. Tumor cells exhibited diffuse positive staining for ALK in both cases. ALK translocation was confirmed by fluorescent in situ hybridization, and further gene analysis revealed a STRN-ALK fusion. These cases provide great insights into ALK translocation RCCs.
sCNAphase: using haplotype resolved read depth to genotype somatic copy number alterations from low cellularity aneuploid tumors
Authors: Chen Wenhan , Robertson Alan J. , Ganesamoorthy Devika , Coin Lachlan J.M.
Published: February 2016

Accurate identification of copy number alterations is an essential step in understanding the events driving tumor progression. While a variety of algorithms have been developed to use high-throughput sequencing data to profile copy number changes, no tool is able to reliably characterize ploidy and genotype absolute copy number from tumor samples which contain less than 40% tumor cells. To increase our power to resolve the copy number profile from low-cellularity tumor samples, we developed a novel approach which pre-phases heterozygote germline SNPs in order to replace the commonly used ‘B-allele frequency’ with a more powerful ‘parental-haplotype frequency’. We apply our tool - sCNAphase - to characterize the copy number and loss-of-heterozygosity profiles of four publicly available breast cancer cell-lines. Comparisons to previous spectral karyotyping and microarray studies revealed that sCNAphase reliably identified overall ploidy as well as the individual copy number mutations from each cell-line. Analysis of artificial cell-line mixtures demonstrated the capacity of this method to determine the level of tumor cellularity, consistently identify sCNAs and characterize ploidy in samples with as little as 10% tumor cells. This novel methodology has the potential to bring sCNA profiling to low-cellularity tumors, a form of cancer unable to be accurately studied by current methods.
Common methods for fecal sample storage in field studies yield consistent signatures of individual identity in microbiome sequencing data
Authors: Blekhman Ran , Tang Karen , Archie Elizabeth , Barreiro Luis , Johnson Zachary , Wilson Mark , Kohn Jordan , Yuan Michael , Gesquiere Laurence , Grieneisen Laura , Tung Jenny
Published: February 2016

Field studies of wild vertebrates are frequently associated with extensive collections of banked fecal samples, which are often collected from known individuals and sometimes also sampled longitudinally across time. Such collections represent unique resources for understanding ecological, behavioral, and phylogenetic effects on the gut microbiome, especially for species of particular conservation concern. However, we do not understand whether sample storage methods confound the ability to investigate interindividual variation in gut microbiome profiles. This uncertainty arises in part because comparisons across storage methods to date generally include only a few (≤5) individuals, or analyze pooled samples. Here, we used n=52 samples from 13 rhesus macaque individuals to compare immediate freezing, the gold standard of preservation, to three methods commonly used in vertebrate field studies: storage in ethanol, lyophilization following ethanol storage, and storage in RNAlater. We found that the signature of individual identity consistently outweighed storage effects: alpha diversity and beta diversity measures were significantly correlated across methods, and while samples often clustered by donor, they never clustered by storage method. Provided that all analyzed samples are stored the same way, banked fecal samples therefore appear highly suitable for investigating variation in gut microbiota. Our results open the door to a much-expanded perspective on variation in the gut microbiome across species and ecological contexts.
RNA-activated DNA cleavage by the Type III-B CRISPR–Cas effector complex
Authors: Estrella Michael A. , Kuo Fang-Ting , Bailey Scott
Published: February 2016

The CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat) system is an RNA-guided immune system that protects prokaryotes from invading genetic elements. This system represents an inheritable and adaptable immune system that is mediated by multisubunit effector complexes. In the Type III-B system, the Cmr effector complex has been found to cleave ssRNA in vitro. However, in vivo, it has been implicated in transcription-dependent DNA targeting. We show here that the Cmr complex from Thermotoga maritima can cleave an ssRNA target that is complementary to the CRISPR RNA. We also show that binding of a complementary ssRNA target activates an ssDNA-specific nuclease activity in the histidine–aspartate (HD) domain of the Cmr2 subunit of the complex. These data suggest a mechanism for transcription-coupled DNA targeting by the Cmr complex and provide a unifying mechanism for all Type III systems.
5-Bromo-1H-indole-2,3-dione
Authors: Gurung Sita , Golen James A. , Manke David R.
Published: February 2016

The title compound, C8H4BrNO2, has a single, almost planar, planar molecule in the asymmetric unit, with the non-H atoms having a mean deviation from planarity of 0.024 Å. In the crystal, N—H...O hydrogen bonds link the molecules into [001]C(4) chains. C—H...O interactions form [0-11] chains. These interactions combine to generate sheets along (100). No π–π interactions are observed in the structure.
Corporate response to climate change: language, power and symbolic construction
Authors: Ferguson John , Sales de Aguiar Thereza Raquel , Fearfull Anne
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore corporate communications related to climate change in both a voluntary and mandatory setting. Adopting a critical perspective, the paper examines how companies who participated in the voluntary UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) and the UK Government’s mandatory Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme positioned themselves within the climate change debate. In particular, the analysis draws attention to how companies, through their communicative practice, helped to constitute and reproduce the structure of the field in which they operate.

Design/methodology/approach

– A context-sensitive discursive analysis of 99 stand-alone reports produced by companies participating in the UK ETS and CRC over a nine-year period. The analysis is informed by Thompson’s (1990) depth-hermeneutic framework, which mediates the connection between linguistic strategies and the institutional field.

Findings

– The analysis suggests that companies tended to adopt particular linguistic strategies in their communications related to climate change. For example, the strategy of “rationalisation” was employed in order to emphasise the organisational “opportunities” resulting from climate change; in this sense, companies sought to exploit climate crises in order to advance a doctrine that endorsed market-based solutions. A noteworthy finding was that in the mandatory CRC period, there was a notable shift towards the employment of the strategies that Thompson (1990) refers to as “differentiation” – whereby companies attempted to displace responsibility by presenting either government or suppliers as barriers to progress.

Originality/value

– This paper explores how disclosure on climate change evolved while organisations participate in voluntary and compulsory climate change initiatives. In this respect, the analysis is informed by the social and political context in which the disclosure was produced.
Outsourcing destination choices: the role of economic and cultural attributes
Authors: Livanis Grigorios , Robertson Christopher J. , Al-Shuaibi Khalid M. , Hussain Khalid
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine how country-of-origin (COO) perceptions of managers affect their provider selection for offshoring and offshore-outsourcing of services. In particular, it examines how economic and cultural attributes of the supplier’s host nation shape these choices and identifies whether these attributes have a substitutive, complementary, or competing relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

– A quantitative study was performed using data collected from 235 managers in Saudi Arabia, which has relatively homogeneous managerial population with a clear significant cultural attribute and so presents an ideal setting to study the theory developed in this paper. Data were analyzed using a repeated-measures analysis of variance and a repeated-measures and doubly multivariate analysis of variance.

Findings

– Building on signaling theory, it is shown that buyers from developing countries prefer suppliers from developed rather than culturally distant developing economies as stronger institutions in developed nations increase the credibility of firms. It is also shown that they prefer suppliers from developing countries that share a common cultural attribute such as religion over other developing countries, supporting social identification behavior and a substitutive relationship between cultural and economic attributes. Finally, they are indifferent between suppliers located in a developed and in a culturally similar developing country, even when the cost of obtaining the service is the same in both countries. In such cases, economic and cultural COO attributes have a competing relationship in provider selection.

Research limitations/implications

– It would be interesting to examine if the results of the current study extend to cultural attributes/cues other than religion that may shrink the social distance between buyers and suppliers.

Practical implications

– Service multinationals from developing countries may struggle to establish credibility in the eyes of potential customers, who consistently evaluate them lower than firms in developed markets or firms from developing countries that share a common social trait with the potential customers. They can compensate for this by adopting policies that enhance pre-contract trust, invest in homogeneity capital that decreases the social distance between the two firms, or by focussing their sales efforts on countries with which they share a social/cultural attribute.

Originality/value

– This paper contributes to the marketing and international business literatures by providing insights on how firms from developing countries can effectively compete in the global marketplace given COO effects. Overall, the results provide novel evidence of the importance of co-membership in transnational communities (for instance, religious groups across countries) in supplier selection and its relationship to economic attributes.
Cultural influences on expectations and evaluations of service quality in emerging markets
Authors: Guesalaga Rodrigo , Pierce Meghan , Scaraboto Daiane
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore cultural sources of variation on consumers’ expectations and evaluations of service quality within local emerging markets.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors employ a multi-method approach. The multi-method research design utilizes: first, netnography to examine foreign consumers’ blogs and online communities; second, interviews with local and foreign consumers to unveil critical incidents in service encounters; and third, an online survey of 139 foreign consumers living in Chile and 460 Chilean consumers to map differences in their expectations and evaluations of services.

Findings

– A general analysis of local and foreign consumers living in an emerging market reveals that these two groups do not differ significantly in their expectations of service quality. The authors also find that differences in expectations and evaluations of service quality within a local emergent market are only partially explained by aggregating consumers according to their country or region of origin. Finally, the findings demonstrate that examining cultural differences at the individual level generates a better understanding of how cultural factors impact consumer expectations and evaluations of service quality within emerging markets.

Research limitations/implications

– The research is limited to one emerging market (Chile) and focusses largely in one industry (banking). Further research should be conducted to examine the findings in other contexts, including developed markets, and to identify how other cultural differences (e.g. language mastery) within local markets may impact consumer expectations and evaluations of services.

Practical implications

– Service companies operating in emerging markets should account for cultural differences when determining service standards and protocols. These differences may cut across the local-foreign divide and suggest that profiling foreign customers depending on their country of origin is not the most adequate approach for providing excellence in service and enjoying the benefits that follow.

Social implications

– Foreign consumers living in a local market are frequently considered a homogeneous group distinct from local consumers, and are treated as such by public and private service providers. The study demonstrates that foreign consumers may be more or less similar to local consumers depending on their cultural values, and should not be considered as a uniform group.

Originality/value

– The findings extend research on consumer expectations and evaluations of service quality to account for cultural diversity within local emerging markets. The authors demonstrate that a cluster-approach to examining consumer expectations and evaluations of service quality better accounts for variations due to cultural values within local markets.
Destabilizing or stabilizing the identity of Slawek Magala?
Authors: Klamer Arjo
Published: February 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that Slawek Magala and the author have a great deal in common and that the author is putting the differences to an interesting use in the Erasmus Honors Program designed for the top students of all faculties of the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. The model of education gaining the upper hand in contemporary universities should be balanced with the more fundamental humanist upbringing of students-citizens.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper has been written as an empirical report based on five years of participative observation, regular analysis and group discussion of student essays, and on the on-going application of qualitative techniques in designing a curriculum, running the program and joint evaluation of its intended effects with the main protagonist of the paper, namely the colleague Slawek Magala. The labels “traditionalist” and “postmodernist” have been codified according to the most frequent academic usage.

Findings

– If Slawek manifests himself as a typical post-modernist who does not believe in stable identities, the author will be then the neo-traditionalist, who tries to connect identities to value choices and value choices to stable philosophies of virtue and moral choices. Both of them have multiple identities. Slawek is a Pole who has adapted the Dutch nationality. The author is a born Dutch who also carries an American passport. What brings them together intellectually, the author thinks, is a conviction that they have to bring culture into the scientific pursuits.

Originality/value

– Very few academic studies pointed out that cultural repertoire of value qchoices involves an on-going cultural negotiation. The author has succeeded in legitimizing the concept of culture in the teaching and research. Other researchers may employ the notions of culture and value to develop a value-based approach to the economy. The paper helps to show that identities get stabilized, that people are in need of stabilizing their values, and with those their identities.
Analysis of the traveltime sensitivity kernels for an acoustic transversely isotropic medium with a vertical axis of symmetry
Authors: Djebbi Ramzi , Plessix René‐Édouard , Alkhalifah Tariq
Published: February 2016

In anisotropic media, several parameters govern the propagation of the compressional waves. To correctly invert surface recorded seismic data in anisotropic media, a multi‐parameter inversion is required. However, a tradeoff between parameters exists because several models can explain the same dataset. To understand these tradeoffs, diffraction/reflection and transmission‐type sensitivity‐kernels analyses are carried out. Such analyses can help us to choose the appropriate parameterization for inversion. In tomography, the sensitivity kernels represent the effect of a parameter along the wave path between a source and a receiver. At a given illumination angle, similarities between sensitivity kernels highlight the tradeoff between the parameters. To discuss the parameterization choice in the context of finite‐frequency tomography, we compute the sensitivity kernels of the instantaneous traveltimes derived from the seismic data traces. We consider the transmission case with no encounter of an interface between a source and a receiver; with surface seismic data, this corresponds to a diving wave path. We also consider the diffraction/reflection case when the wave path is formed by two parts: one from the source to a sub‐surface point and the other from the sub‐surface point to the receiver. We illustrate the different parameter sensitivities for an acoustic transversely isotropic medium with a vertical axis of symmetry. The sensitivity kernels depend on the parameterization choice. By comparing different parameterizations, we explain why the parameterization with the normal moveout velocity, the anellipitic parameter η, and the δ parameter is attractive when we invert diving and reflected events recorded in an active surface seismic experiment.
Demography of the critically endangered Balearic shearwater: the impact of fisheries and time to extinction
Authors: Genovart Meritxell , Arcos José Manuel , Álvarez David , McMinn Miguel , Meier Rhiannon , B. Wynn Russell , Guilford Tim , Oro Daniel
Published: February 2016

World‐wide, many seabirds are affected by fisheries in opposing ways: as a source of mortality from bycatch, but also by providing discards as a predictable and abundant food resource. This applies to the Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus, the most endangered European seabird, whose time to extinction was estimated at only ˜40 years a decade ago.

Since the previous assessment, new data and more sophisticated demographic modelling have become available, and new fishing policies from the European Union (Common Fisheries Policy, CFP) will apply, posing different scenarios for the viability of the species. Thus, there is both an urgent need and an opportunity for a more reliable update of the conservation status of the species.

Demographic data were collected between 1985 and 2014 at one of the world's largest colonies. Most demographic parameters were estimated using multievent capture–recapture modelling. Some parameters, such as bycatch rate, immature individual survival and recruitment, were estimated for the first time. We incorporated estimates into stochastic population models to forecast time to extinction and assess the viability under different management scenarios, accounting for upcoming fishing policies.

Adult survival was much lower than expected (0·809, SE: 0·013) and largely influenced by bycatch, which accounted for a minimum of 0·455 (SE: 0·230) of total mortality. Breeding success was positively correlated with discard availability. Recruitment started at low rates in 3‐year‐old birds (0·030, SE: 0·0455), increasing in following age classes and was almost complete at 6 years. Under the present scenario, we predict a time to extinction of 61 years (95% CI: 55–69).

Synthesis and applications. Population projections suggest that the actual impact of fisheries on Balearic shearwaters is unsustainable and the imminent discard ban under the new Common Fisheries Policy may accelerate the declining trend. This study demonstrates that reducing the bycatch rates of fisheries is an unavoidable and urgent conservation measure for avoiding the extinction of the species. We also advise setting up demographic long‐term studies, to allow researchers to diagnose, with reliability, the effectiveness of management actions. These actions will also benefit many other marine top‐predator species affected by this anthropogenic impact.
Candidate‐centred electoral systems and change in incumbent vote share: A cross‐national and longitudinal analysis
Authors: SÖDERLUND PETER
Published: February 2016

This study examines if prime minister's parties are punished or rewarded by voters to a lesser extent in candidate‐centred electoral systems compared to party‐centred systems. Candidate‐centred systems allow the voters greater choice in determining the fate of individual candidates at the district level and create incentives for candidates to cultivate a personal vote rather than pursuing a party vote. Voters in these systems are more likely to focus on individual candidates than on parties, thus fostering individual accountability at the expense of collective (party) accountability. Cross‐sectional time‐series data for 23 OECD countries between 1961 and 2014 were analysed. Two indices of intraparty efficiency (the Farrell–McAllister Index and the Shugart Index) were used to capture the candidate‐centredness of electoral systems. The analysis of aggregate‐level data with almost 300 observations showed that incumbent parties tend to win or lose fewer votes in candidate‐centred electoral systems. This effect has become stronger over time. Candidate‐centredness has a weak moderating impact on the state of the economy on the degree of public sanctioning of government parties.
Diabetes, hyperglycemia, and the burden of functional disability among older adults in a community‐based study
Authors: Godino Job G , Appel Lawrence J , Gross Alden L , Schrack Jennifer A , Parrinello Christina M , Kalyani Rita R , Windham Beverly Gwen , Pankow James S , Kritchevsky Stephen B , Bandeen‐Roche Karen , Selvin Elizabeth
Published: February 2016

Background

There is a need for continued surveillance of diabetes‐related functional disability. In the present study, we examined associations between diabetes, hyperglycemia, and the burden of functional disability in a community‐based population.

Methods

A cross‐sectional analysis was conducted of 5035 participants who attended Visit 5 (2011–13) of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. Functional disability was dichotomously defined by any self‐reported difficulty performing 12 tasks essential to independent living grouped into four functional domains. Associations of diagnosed diabetes (via self‐report) and undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes (via HbA1c) with functional disability were evaluated using Poisson regression.

Results

Participants had a mean age of 75 years, 42 % were male, 22 % were Black, and 31 % had diagnosed diabetes. Those with diagnosed diabetes had a significantly greater burden of functional disability than those without diabetes, even after adjustment for demographics, health behaviors, and comorbidities: prevalence ratios (95 % confidence intervals) were 1.24 (1.15, 1.34) for lower extremity mobility, 1.14 (1.07, 1.21) for general physical activities, 1.33 (1.16, 1.52) for instrumental activities of daily living (ADL), and 1.46 (1.24, 1.73) for ADL (all P < 0.05). The associations of undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes with disability were not statistically significant (all P > 0.05).

Conclusions

Among older adults, the burden of functional disability associated with diabetes was not entirely explained by known risk factors, including comorbidities. Hyperglycemia below the threshold for the diagnosis of diabetes was not associated with disability. Research into effective strategies for the prevention of functional disability among older adults with diabetes is needed.
Is deep neuromuscular block beneficial in laparoscopic surgery? No, probably not
Authors: Kopman Aaron F. , Naguib Mohamed
Published: February 2016

Background

There is currently a controversy regarding the need for and clinical benefit of maintaining deep neuromuscular block (post‐tetanic counts of 1 or 2) vs. moderate block (train‐of‐four counts of 1–3) for routine laparoscopic surgery. Two recent review articles on this subject arrived at rather different conclusions. This manuscript is part of Pro/Con debate from the authors of these two reviews.

Methods

The authors of the Pro and Con sides of the debate had the opportunity to read each other manuscripts and worked from the same basic database of references.

Results

The present authors could find only one peer‐reviewed paper which presented objective evidence supporting the proposition that deep neuromuscular block provides superior operating conditions for the surgeon during laparoscopic surgery.

Conclusion

There is not enough good evidence available to justify the routine use of deep neuromuscular block for laparoscopic surgery and the associated expense of high‐dose sugammadex.
Radiation recall pneumonitis induced by erlotinib after palliative thoracic radiotherapy for lung cancer: Case report and literature review
Authors: Awad Raef , Nott Louise
Published: February 2016

Radiation lung injury usually develops 1–6 months after cessation of radiation therapy to the lung. Acute change in the previously irradiated lung after administration of antineoplastic agent is known as radiation recall pneumonitis. Erlotinib is a reversible epidemal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which is effective for patients with advanced lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor mutations. Here we report a rare case of radiation recall pneumonitis following treatment with erlotinib 4 months after palliative radiotherapy to the lung. A 76‐year‐old man with non–small cell lung cancer was treated with polychemotherapy, palliative thoracic irradiation (30 Gy in 12 fractions) and erlotinib thereafter. Two months after administration of erlotinib he developed of severe dyspnea, cough, anorexia and lack of energy. CT chest revealed extensive radiation pneumonitis. Erlotinib was ceased and high‐dose steroids were started. The symptoms ultimately resolved and erlotinib was resumed cautiously after 11 weeks. On dosimetric analysis, lung V20 and the mean lung dose were 20.33% and 10.7 Gy, respectively, and hence, the risk of radiation pneumonitis is very low. These data indicate that systemic administration of erlotinib after low‐dose palliative radiation therapy can be associated with unexpected toxicity when visceral organs are within the radiation field.
Maternal and neonatal outcomes of antenatal anemia in a Scottish population: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Rukuni Ruramayi , Bhattacharya Sohinee , Murphy Michael F. , Roberts David , Stanworth Simon J. , Knight Marian
Published: February 2016

Introduction

Antenatal anemia is a major public health problem in the UK, yet there is limited high quality evidence for associated poor clinical outcomes. The objectives of this study were to estimate the incidence and clinical outcomes of antenatal anemia in a Scottish population.

Material and methods

A retrospective cohort study of 80 422 singleton pregnancies was conducted using data from the Aberdeen Maternal and Neonatal Databank between 1995 and 2012. Antenatal anemia was defined as haemoglobin ≤10 g/dl during pregnancy. Incidence was calculated with 95% confidence intervals and compared over time using a chi‐squared test for trend. Multivariable logistic regression was used to adjust for confounding variables. Results are presented as adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence interval.

Results

The overall incidence of antenatal anemia was 9.3 cases/100 singleton pregnancies (95% confidence interval 9.1–9.5), decreasing from 16.9/100 to 4.1/100 singleton pregnancies between 1995 and 2012 (p < 0.001). Maternal anemia was associated with antepartum hemorrhage (adjusted odds ratio 1.26, 95% confidence interval 1.17–1.36), postpartum infection (adjusted odds ratio 1.89, 95% confidence interval 1.39–2.57), transfusion (adjusted odds ratio 1.87, 95% confidence interval 1.65–2.13) and stillbirth (adjusted odds ratio 1.42, 95% confidence interval 1.04–1.94), reduced odds of postpartum hemorrhage (adjusted odds ratio 0.92, 95% confidence interval 0.86–0.98) and low birthweight (adjusted odds ratio 0.77, 95% confidence interval 0.69–0.86). No other outcomes were statistically significant.

Conclusions

This study shows the incidence of antenatal anemia is decreasing steadily within this Scottish population. However, given that anemia is a readily correctable risk factor for major causes of morbidity and mortality in the UK, further work is required to investigate appropriate preventive measures.
Automatic Control of Veno‐Venous Extracorporeal Lung Assist
Authors: Kopp Ruedger , Bensberg Ralf , Stollenwerk Andre , Arens Jutta , Grottke Oliver , Walter Marian , Rossaint Rolf
Published: February 2016

Veno‐venous extracorporeal lung assist (ECLA) can provide sufficient gas exchange even in most severe cases of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Commercially available systems are manually controlled, although an automatically controlled ECLA could allow individualized and continuous adaption to clinical requirements. Therefore, we developed a demonstrator with an integrated control algorithm to keep continuously measured peripheral oxygen saturation and partial pressure of carbon dioxide constant by automatically adjusting extracorporeal blood and gas flow. The “SmartECLA” system was tested in six animal experiments with increasing pulmonary hypoventilation and hypoxic inspiratory gas mixture to simulate progressive acute respiratory failure. During a cumulative evaluation time of 32 h for all experiments, automatic ECLA control resulted in a peripheral oxygen saturation ≥90% for 98% of the time with the lowest value of 82% for 15 s. Partial pressure of venous carbon dioxide was between 40 and 49 mm Hg for 97% of the time with no value <35 mm Hg or >49 mm Hg. With decreasing inspiratory oxygen concentration, extracorporeal oxygen uptake increased from 68 ± 25 to 154 ± 34 mL/min (P < 0.05), and reducing respiratory rate resulted in increasing extracorporeal carbon dioxide elimination from 71 ± 37 to 92 ± 37 mL/min (P < 0.05). The “SmartECLA” demonstrator allowed reliable automatic control of the extracorporeal circuit. Proof of concept could be demonstrated for this novel automatically controlled veno‐venous ECLA circuit.
Bed‐sharing by breastfeeding mothers: who bed‐shares and what is the relationship with breastfeeding duration?
Authors: Ball Helen L. , Howel Denise , Bryant Andy , Best Elspeth , Russell Charlotte , Ward‐Platt Martin
Published: February 2016

Aim

To explore the link between breastfeeding duration and bed‐sharing frequency among women reporting a prenatal intention to breastfeed.

Methods

About 870 participants in a randomised breastfeeding trial, recruited at mid‐pregnancy, provided weekly snapshots of breastfeeding and bed‐sharing behaviour for 26 weeks following birth. Strength of prenatal breastfeeding intent was recorded at recruitment using Likert‐type scales.

Results

Outcomes were frequency of bed‐sharing at home for at least one hour per week, and time to cessation of breastfeeding. There were insufficient data to classify bed‐sharing pattern in 192/870 (22%) of mothers. Of the remainder, 44% (299/678) of participants ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ bed‐shared, 28% (192/678) did so ‘intermittently’ and 28% (187/678) did so ‘often’. These three groups did not differ significantly in marital status, income, infant gestational age, maternal age or delivery mode. Significantly, more participants who bed‐shared ‘often’ reported strong prenatal breastfeeding intent (70% vs. 57% and 56% for ‘intermittent’ and ‘rare’ bed‐share groups) and attached high prenatal importance to breastfeeding (95% vs. 87% and 82%). Significantly, more women who bed‐shared frequently were breastfeeding at 6 months (p < 0.0001) than those who intermittently or rarely/never bed‐shared.

Conclusion

Women with strong motivation to breastfeed frequently bed‐share. Given the complex relationship between bed‐sharing and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) appropriate guidance balancing risk minimisation with support for breastfeeding mothers is crucial.
Time trends in upper gastrointestinal diseases and Helicobacter pylori infection in a multiracial Asian population – a 20‐year experience over three time periods
Authors: Leow A. H.‐R. , Lim Y.‐Y. , Liew W.‐C. , Goh K.‐L.
Published: February 2016

Background

Marked epidemiological changes in upper gastrointestinal diseases and Helicobacter pylori infection have taken place in the Asian Pacific region. In particular, differences with respect to race in the multiracial Asian population in Malaysia have been important and interesting.

Aim

A time trend study of upper gastrointestinal disease and H. pylori infection in three time periods: 1989–1990, 1999–2000 and 2009–2010 spanning a period of 20 years was carried out.

Methods

Consecutive first time gastroscopies carried out on patients attending the University of Malaya Medical Center were studied. Diagnoses and H. pylori infection status were carefully recorded.

Results

A steady decline in prevalence of duodenal ulcer (DU) and gastric ulcer (GU) from 21.1% to 9.5% to 5.0% and from 11.9% to 9.4% to 9.9% while an increase in erosive oesophagitis (EO) from 2.0% to 8.4% to 9.5% (chi‐square for trend; P < 0.001) for the periods 1989–1990, 1999–200 and 2009–2010 were observed. The overall prevalence of H. pylori had also decreased from 51.7% to 30.3% to 11.1% for the same periods of time. The proportion of H. pylori positive ulcers had also decreased: DU (90.1%–69.8%–28.9%) and GU (86.6–56.8%–18.9%) (P < 0.001). This was observed in Malays, Chinese and Indians but the difference over time was most marked in Malays. There was a steady decline in the proportion of patients with gastric and oesophageal cancers.

Conclusions

Peptic ulcers have declined significantly over a 20‐year period together with a decline in H. pylori infection. In contrast, a steady increase in erosive oesophagitis was observed. Gastric and oesophageal squamous cell cancers have declined to low levels.
The Dohner fluorescence in situ hybridization prognostic classification of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL): the CLL Research Consortium experience
Authors: Van Dyke Daniel L. , Werner Lillian , Rassenti Laura Z. , Neuberg Donna , Ghia Emanuella , Heerema Nyla A. , Dal Cin Paola , Dell Aquila Marie , Sreekantaiah Chandrika , Greaves Andrew W. , Kipps Thomas J. , Kay Neil E.
Published: February 2016

This study revisited the Dohner prognostic hierarchy in a cohort of 1585 well‐documented patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. The duration of both time to first treatment (TTFT) and overall survival (OS) were significantly longer than observed previously, and this is at least partly due to improved therapeutic options. Deletion 13q remains the most favourable prognostic group with median TTFT and OS from fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) testing of 72 months and >12 years, respectively. Deletion 11q had the poorest median TTFT (22 months) and 17p deletion the poorest median OS (5 years). The percentages of abnormal nuclei were significantly associated with differential TTFT for the trisomy 12, 13q and 17p deletion cohorts but not for the 11q deletion cohort. From the date of the first FISH study, patients with >85% 13q deletion nuclei had a notably shorter TTFT (24 months). Patients with ≤20% 17p deletion nuclei had longer median TTFT and OS from the date of the first FISH study (44 months and 11 years), and were more likely to be IGHV mutated.