bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards a comprehensive pedagogical theory to inform lesson study: an editorial review
Authors: Elliott John
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– This editorial review takes its agenda from issues about the meaning and use of variation theory in the context of Lesson Study, which have already been raised in previous issues of the journal. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a way of resolving such issues by locating variation theory in a broader framework of pedagogical theory. Runesson’s editorial commentary on papers in the special issue on the uses of pedagogical and learning theories in the context of Lesson Study suggest that they challenge the presumption that variation theory can be used as a basis for pre-specifying learning objectives in advance of teaching. This raises the issue of which approach to teaching the theory can be matched with; namely, teaching viewed as a technology or teaching viewed as an interactive process with students in which ends cannot be specified independently of the process. Also Hogan’s review of two recent books about Lesson and Learning Study in issue 4.2 raises the issue about the extent to which the examples supplied abstract the experience of learning from questions about students’ motivation and attitudes in classrooms. Hogan suggests that the widespread use of learning theories, such as variation theory tends to distort the concept of learning employed in Learning Study by emphasizing its cognitive rather than emotional/attitudinal aspects.

Design/methodology/approach

– Elliott’s approach to the above issue is to pick up on Posch’s comments in the current issue, which suggest that variation theory has implications for student motivation that need to be made more conceptually explicit in the context of Lesson and Learning Study. He argues that this can be done by integrating it into Alexander’s dialogic model of teaching and Stenhouse’s process model of curriculum development, and linking it with two related pedagogical theories that underpin these models; namely, “democratic pedagogy” (Dewey) and “accelerated learning” (Vygotsky).

Findings

– Such a conceptual integration of variation theory within a dialogic model of teaching throws light, Elliott argues, on Learning Study viewed as a form ofeducationalaction research.

Originality/value

– This review paper goes on to examine how the Lesson Studies depicted in Issue 4.4 can be located in the light of the pedagogical framework and perspectives proposed.
Teachers developing teaching
Authors: Björk Marie , Pettersson-Berggren Gunilla
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate what might be relevant to younger children’s understanding of a number line and how teaching can be designed according to variation theory to give pupils the opportunity to develop an understanding of the number line as a tool for mathematical thinking.

Design/methodology/approach

– A Learning Study was conducted by mathematics teachers at Sjöstadsskolan in Stockholm. Variation theory was used as a theory of learning. In order to use the number line as a tool in mathematical thinking, pupils have to discern what is important for this form of representation of the numeral system. Critical aspects from other studies with similar learning objects have been taken into consideration for pre-test design. These aspects supplemented and enhanced the analysis of the results and the results were consistent with earlier learning studies’.

Findings

– Four critical features, for younger pupils’ understanding of how the number line can be constructed, have been established in the study: the number line can have a different range (e.g. 0-20 or 30-60), correlation between the distance and value, two reference points are needed to place a third number and determine the scale, and the correlation between a part and whole.

Originality/value

– Learning Study is emphasized as a powerful and structured model for teacher driven research aiming to develop the praxis. The use of experiences and results from other studies is recommended.
Laboratoire Lausannois Lesson Study
Authors: Clivaz Stéphane , Grigioni Sveva , Batteau Valérie , Clerc-Georgy Anne , Martin Daniel
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this poster is to present the new Lausanne Laboratory Lesson Study.

Design/methodology/approach

– It stresses the links between six dimensions of this research center.

Findings

– The poster provides a list of current researches and a list of publications.

Originality/value

– This research center is the first about Lesson Study in French-speaking countries.
Intellectual capital reporting in a mandatory management report: the case of Germany
Authors: Goebel Viktoria
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships of company characteristics to intellectual capital (IC) reporting in a mandatory management report. Based on the relevant regulation in Germany, IC components of the mandatory management report can be characterised as being partially required, partially recommended and partially voluntary.

Design/methodology/approach

– A content analysis of 428 group management reports of listed German companies was conducted for required, recommended and voluntary IC reporting. To investigate the relationship of certain company characteristics to IC reporting, this study conducted a regression analysis considering company returns, size and industry.

Findings

– The findings show that structural capital dominates total IC reporting in Germany. This observation is in contrast to prior literature, in which relational capital has been found to be most frequently reported. However within the sub-group of voluntary IC reporting in German companies, relational capital has the highest proportion. The regression results show that company returns show no effect on IC reporting, but size and industry group are significantly related to IC reporting.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings indicate that IC reporting requirements and the relatively stringent German regulatory recommendations influence corporate IC reporting behaviour. The findings provide a basis for further discussion by standard setters regarding the extent to which requirements and recommendations on individual IC components seem to encourage IC reporting.

Originality/value

– This study utilises the unique research setting in Germany with a mandated management report to distinguish between required, recommended and voluntary IC reporting.
A rational approach to identify and cluster intangible assets
Authors: Battagello Franco M. , Grimaldi Michele , Cricelli Livio
Published: October 2015

Purpose

– This study is intended to work out a bottleneck in the comprehension of the relational nexus which links the set of key strategic resources (SRs) of a company, represented by the uncertain recognition and the ambiguous clustering of their intangible components. The purpose of this paper is to provide a candidate solution for a rational appraisal of the inventory of the knowledge-based resources held by a company, which synergically form its Intellectual Capital (IC).

Design/methodology/approach

– This goal is achieved by the means of a qualitative/quantitative approach composed of sequential phases, intended to: atomize the value domain of the firm into its basic building blocks; gauge their mutual interactions and impacts; re-aggregate those involved entities accordingly; cluster them into a collection of identified and validated Intangible Assets (IAs). Never giving any direct judgment on the IAs themselves (whose extension can be fuzzy or unknown). But on the impacts between the value drivers they are built on.

Findings

– The proposed procedure, step-by-step illustrated by means of a numerical simulation, out of the amorphous mass of the SRs, returns an analytic picture of its composing elements keeping track of their intertwined connections and mutual influence. Consequently, allowing the comprehension of the actual framing and of the relational positioning and magnitude of such entities.

Practical implications

– This risk-mitigated rational identification of IAs allows the analyst to target a proper evaluation technique on them. And the management of the company to mindfully allocate/leverage on them to improve business performance and strategy alignment. The implementation returns some analytic tools which render a diagnostic snapshot of the composing elements of the IC, increasing the awareness of such entities and allowing internal/external benchmarking.

Originality/value

– The suggested methodology mitigates the risk of discretionality in the definition of the perimeter of each target-entity, by avoiding any direct biased judgment on them. So that each asset gets unambiguously identified within a network-logic and the interlinked portfolio of knowledge-based resources can be assessed and managed in an rational and traceable way.
Multi‐method virtual electromagnetic experiments for developing suitable monitoring designs: A fictitious CO2 sequestration scenario in Northern Germany
Authors: Börner Jana H. , Wang Feiyan , Weißflog Julia , Bär Matthias , Görz Ines , Spitzer Klaus
Published: October 2015

We present a numerical study for 3D time‐lapse electromagnetic monitoring of a fictitious CO2 sequestration using the geometry of a real geological site and a suite of suitable electromagnetic methods with different source/receiver configurations and different sensitivity patterns. All available geological information is processed and directly implemented into the computational domain, which is discretized by unstructured tetrahedral grids. We thus demonstrate the performance capability of our numerical simulation techniques.

The scenario considers a CO2 injection in approximately 1100 m depth. The expected changes in conductivity were inferred from preceding laboratory measurements. A resistive anomaly is caused within the conductive brines of the undisturbed reservoir horizon. The resistive nature of the anomaly is enhanced by the CO2 dissolution regime, which prevails in the high‐salinity environment. Due to the physicochemical properties of CO2, the affected portion of the subsurface is laterally widespread but very thin.

We combine controlled‐source electromagnetics, borehole transient electromagnetics, and the direct‐current resistivity method to perform a virtual experiment with the aim of scrutinizing a set of source/receiver configurations with respect to coverage, resolution, and detectability of the anomalous CO2 plume prior to the field survey. Our simulation studies are carried out using the 3D codes developed in our working group. They are all based on linear and higher order Lagrange and Nédélec finite‐element formulations on unstructured grids, providing the necessary flexibility with respect to the complex real‐world geometry. We provide different strategies for addressing the accuracy of numerical simulations in the case of arbitrary structures.

The presented computations demonstrate the expected great advantage of positioning transmitters or receivers close to the target. For direct‐current geoelectrics, 50% change in electric potential may be detected even at the Earth's surface. Monitoring with inductive methods is also promising. For a well‐positioned surface transmitter, more than 10% difference in the vertical electric field is predicted for a receiver located 200 m above the target. Our borehole transient electromagnetics results demonstrate that traditional transient electromagnetics with a vertical magnetic dipole source is not well suited for monitoring a thin horizontal resistive target. This is due to the mainly horizontal current system, which is induced by a vertical magnetic dipole.
Anti‐inflammatory role of obestatin in autoimmune myocarditis
Authors: Pamukcu Ozge , Baykan Ali , Bayram Latife Cakir , Narin Figen , Cetin Nazmi , Narin Nazmi , Argun Mustafa , Ozyurt Abdullah , Uzum Kazim
Published: October 2015

Obestatin is a popular endogeneous peptide, known to have an autoimmune regulatory effect on energy metabolism and the gastrointestinal system. Studies regarding the anti‐inflammatory effects of obestatin are scarce. The aim of this study was to show the anti‐inflammatory effect of obestatin in an experimental model of autoimmune myocarditis in rats. Experimental autoimmune myocarditis was induced in Lewis rats by immunization with subcutaneous administration of porcine cardiac myosin, twice at 7‐day intervals. Intraperitoneal pretreatment with obestatin (50 μg/kg) was started before the induction of myocarditis and continued for 3 weeks. The severity of myocarditis was evidenced by clinical, echocardiographic and histological findings. In addition, by‐products of neutrophil activation, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory and anti‐inflammatory cytokines were measured in serum. Obestatin significantly ameliorated the clinical and histopathological severity of autoimmune myocarditis. Therapeutic effects of obestatin in myocarditis were associated with reduced lipid peroxidation, suppression of polymorphonuclear leukocyte infiltration and enhancement of glutathione synthesis, inhibition of serum inflammatory and activation of anti‐inflammatory cytokines. Histopathologically, the left ventricle was significantly dilated, and its wall thickened, along with widespread lymphocytic and histocytic infiltration. The myocardium was severely infiltrated with relatively large mononuclear cells. These histopathological changes were observed in lesser degrees in obestatin‐treated rats. This study demonstrated a novel anti‐inflammatory effect of obestatin in an experimental model of autoimmune myocarditis. Consequently, obestatin administration may represent a promising therapeutic approach for myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy in the future.
Ten years of peace, bravery and resilience in Aceh
Authors: Smith Catherine
Published: October 2015

The date 15 August 2015 marks the 10th anniversary of the Helsinki Peace Agreement, which ended a major thirty‐year conflict between the Free Aceh Movement and the Government of Indonesia. In this article I argue that much greater acknowledgement should be given to the creative responses that ordinary conflict survivors have brought to the process of post‐conflict social recovery. The article briefly discusses some observations on resilience made through 17 months of ethnographic fieldwork with Acehnese conflict survivors. I conclude that while Acehnese resilience is impressive, there remains a need for greater recognition of the experiences of conflict survivors, both to support justice for survivors and to enable a deeper understanding of ongoing political complexities in Aceh.
Politicizing place perception: a phenomenology of urban activism in Istanbul
Authors: Houston Christopher
Published: October 2015

Phenomenology intuits that people's perception of the environment is related to their lived activities, emotions, and perspectives, and is in this process also temporally experienced. This article applies these insights to political activism, exploring its conditioning of militants’ sensory experience of the city and showing how militants’ urban knowledge is intimately connected to political practices of organizing, mobilizing, and agitating, each orientated in turn by the pursuit of revolution. Based on fieldwork in Istanbul with ex‐militants and their memories of political action from the years immediately before and after the 1980 military coup, the article applies and extends phenomenological understandings of place perception to explore their changing experiences of the city. This quality of perception as a temporal process is vital for understanding both historical and contemporary features of ex‐militants’ remembering of Istanbul, related as they are to a state project to shape and simplify public knowledge of their activities, and to certain political developments posited by activists themselves as efficacious in transforming the meaning of their past acts. It concludes by illustrating how these two processes come together in the recent institution by ex‐militants of a new museum (12 September Museum of Shame), opened some thirty years after the events it objectivizes.
The Subprime Virus
Authors: Agarwal Sumit , Ambrose Brent W. , Yildirim Yildiray
Published: October 2015

We examine the correlation between prime mortgage default risk and the introduction of subprime mortgages in a local area. We motivate our analysis with a model of a default contagion effect that spreads the effect of a mortgage foreclosure from one property to surrounding properties. Through numerical analysis, we demonstrate the effect of subprime mortgage originations to the risk of prime mortgages. Finally, we offer empirical support for our model by examining the spatial variation in MSA prime mortgage default rates and the level of subprime mortgage activity.
Director Monitoring of Expense Misreporting in Nonprofit Organizations: The Effects of Expense Disclosure Transparency, Donor Evaluation Focus and Organization Performance
Authors: Chen Qiu
Published: October 2015

This study examines whether three factors—the transparency of expense disclosures, donor evaluation focus, and organization performance—influence how directors monitor management expense misreporting in nonprofit organizations. An experiment with 189 nonprofit directors finds that the enhanced transparency of expense disclosures increases director monitoring by reducing the tendency to accept management expense misreporting. Further, an organization's nonfinancial performance and the perceived fairness of donor evaluation focus interact to influence director monitoring practices. Specifically, when directors know an organization's nonfinancial performance is poor and understand that this performance will negatively influence the willingness of donors to contribute, directors monitor less if they think that donors are adopting a more balanced approach to organizational evaluation that focuses on both financial and nonfinancial performance; that is, there is a reverse fair process effect as this donor approach is perceived as being fairer than if donors focus solely on financial performance. However, monitoring is equally strong regardless of donor evaluation focus when directors know that an organization's nonfinancial performance is good and a donation is forthcoming.
No weak days? Impact of day in the week on surgical mortality
Authors: Singla Animesh A. , Guy Gordon S. , Field John B. F. , Ma Ning , Babidge Wendy J. , Maddern Guy J.
Published: October 2015

Background

Studies show increased rates of mortality for admissions on the weekend (WE) versus the weekday (WD). However, scepticism exists of this so‐called ‘weekend effect’ on patient outcome. It remains poorly investigated, particularly the timing of the day of surgery and post‐operative outcomes. A UK study found higher odds of death when operated on Friday and the WE, versus WD. This relationship was investigated by interrogating the Australian and New Zealand Audit of Surgical Mortality database.

Methods

A standardized tool is used to collect data after every surgical death. Data in this retrospective cohort study from participating private and public hospitals in Australia on elective and emergency operations were extracted and included 7718 patients who had a surgical procedure within 30 days of admission and who subsequently died. A proxy measure of early surgical mortality, namely odds of dying within the first 48 h following surgery, was used to compare surgical mortality across days of the week.

Results

Unadjusted and adjusted odds of early surgical mortality were higher on the WE compared to WD, unadjusted and adjusted OR 1.30 (P < 0.001) and 1.19 (P = 0.026), respectively. When separated by day of week, there was a trend for higher surgical mortality on Friday, Saturday and Sunday versus all other days, although this did not reach statistical significance. ASA grade and specialty of surgery were important predictors of outcome.

Conclusion

There appears to be an association between day of surgery and surgical outcome. The exact cause and contributing factors requires further investigation.
Laparoscopic and robotic hepatectomy: experience from a single centre
Authors: Lee Kit‐Fai , Cheung Yue‐Sun , Chong Charing C. N. , Wong John , Fong Anthony K. W. , Lai Paul B. S.
Published: October 2015

Background

Both laparoscopic and robotic hepatectomy have been adopted in our centre for selected patients with benign or malignant liver diseases. This article reports the perioperative outcomes of these two approaches and tries to determine any difference between them.

Methods

A retrospective review of prospectively collected data was performed for all patients who underwent laparoscopic hepatectomy (LH) and robotic hepatectomy (RH) in our institute. The perioperative results were reported and compared. In order to standardise the type of liver resection performed, a subgroup analysis was made for laparoscopic left lateral sectionectomy (LS) and robotic left lateral sectionectomy (RS).

Results

Sixty‐six LH and 70 RH were performed between November 2003 and January 2015. The two groups were comparable in demographic data and disease characteristics except more patient with recurrent pyogenic cholangitis (RPC) occurred in RH group. More major hepatectomies were performed in RH (20.0% versus 3.0%, P = 0.002). There was no mortality. No difference was noted in morbidity (LH 4.5%, RH 11.4%), conversion rate (LH 12.1%, RH 5.7%), median blood loss (both 100 mL) and median length of post‐operative hospital stay (both 5 days) but operative time was longer in RH (251.5 min versus 215 min, P = 0.008). There were 29 LS and 38 RS, no difference was noted in all perioperative outcomes between the two groups.

Conclusion

Both laparoscopic and robotic hepatectomy are safe and their perioperative outcomes are comparable and favourable.
An imputation‐based genome‐wide association study on traits related to male reproduction in a White Duroc × Erhualian F2 population
Authors: Zhao Xueyan , Zhao Kewei , Ren Jun , Zhang Feng , Jiang Chao , Hong Yuan , Jiang Kai , Yang Qiang , Wang Chengbin , Ding Nengshui , Huang Lusheng , Zhang Zhiyan , Xing Yuyun
Published: October 2015

Boar reproductive traits are economically important for the pig industry. Here we conducted a genome‐wide association study (GWAS) for 13 reproductive traits measured on 205 F2 boars at day 300 using 60 K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data imputed from a reference panel of 1200 pigs in a White Duroc × Erhualian F2 intercross population. We identified 10 significant loci for seven traits on eight pig chromosomes (SSC). Two loci surpassed the genome‐wide significance level, including one for epididymal weight around 60.25 Mb on SSC7 and one for semen temperature around 43.69 Mb on SSC4. Four of the 10 significant loci that we identified were consistent with previously reported quantitative trait loci for boar reproduction traits. We highlighted several interesting candidate genes at these loci, including APN, TEP1, PARP2, SPINK1 and PDE1C. To evaluate the imputation accuracy, we further genotyped nine GWAS top SNPs using PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism or Sanger sequencing. We found an average of 91.44% of genotype concordance, 95.36% of allelic concordance and 0.85 of r2 correlation between imputed and real genotype data. This indicates that our GWAS mapping results based on imputed SNP data are reliable, providing insights into the genetic basis of boar reproductive traits.
Addiction, Voluntary Choice, and Informed Consent: A Reply to Uusitalo and Broers
Authors: Henden Edmund
Published: October 2015

In an earlier article in this journal I argued that the question of whether heroin addicts can give voluntary consent to take part in research which involves giving them a choice of free heroin does not – in contrast with a common assumption in the bioethics literature – depend exclusively on whether or not they possess the capacity to resist their desire for heroin. In some cases, circumstances and beliefs might undermine the voluntariness of the choices a person makes even if they do possess a capacity for self‐control. Based on what I took to be a plausible definition of voluntariness, I argued that the circumstances and beliefs typical of many vulnerable heroin addicts are such that we have good reasons to suspect they cannot give voluntary consent to take part in such research, even assuming their desire for heroin is not irresistible. In a recent article in this journal, Uusitalo and Broers object to this on the grounds that I misdescribe heroin addicts' options set, that the definition of voluntariness on which I rely is unrealistic and too demanding, and, more generally, that my view of heroin addiction is flawed. I think their arguments derive from a misunderstanding of the view I expressed in my article. In what follows I hope therefore to clarify my position.
Ambiguities and Asymmetries in Consent and Refusal: Reply to Manson
Authors: Lawlor Rob
Published: October 2015

John Harris claims that is it ‘palpable nonsense’ to suggest that ‘a child (or anyone) might competently consent to a treatment but not be competent to refuse it.’

In ‘Transitional Paternalism: How Shared Normative Powers Give Rise to the Asymmetry of Adolescent Consent and Refusal’ Neil Manson aims to explain away the apparent oddness of this asymmetry of consent and refusal, by appealing to the idea of shared normative powers, presenting joint bank accounts as an example.

In this article, I will argue that Manson's account fails to explain away the oddness. Rather, I will argue that there are ambiguities to which Manson has not paid sufficient attention. In fact, as odd as it may sound, I argue that Manson actually agrees with Harris (at least in relation to the asymmetry of competence). He fails to recognize that he agrees with Harris because he is not careful enough to distinguish between different asymmetries, which I have labelled the asymmetries of choice, permissibility and competence.
Avoiding the Personhood Issue: Abortion, Identity, and Marquis's ‘Future‐Like‐Ours’ Argument
Authors: Reitan Eric
Published: October 2015

One reason for the persistent appeal of Don Marquis' ‘future like ours’ argument (FLO) is that it seems to offer a way to approach the debate about the morality of abortion while sidestepping the difficult task of establishing whether the fetus is a person. This essay argues that in order to satisfactorily address both of the chief objections to FLO – the ‘identity objection’ and the ‘contraception objection’ – Marquis must take a controversial stand on what is most essential to being the kind of entity that an adult human being is. Such a stand amounts to a controversial account of personhood. To the extent that FLO's success depends on accepting such a controversial metaphysical view, one apparent attraction of FLO proves illusory.
Relationship between Survival Rate of Avian Artificial Nests and Forest Vegetation Structure along a Tropical Altitudinal Gradient on Mount Cameroon
Authors: Djomo Nana Eric , Sedláček Ondřej , Doležal Jiří , Dančák Martin , Altman Jan , Svoboda Miroslav , Majeský Ľuboš , Hořák David
Published: October 2015

Nest predation is assumed to be an important factor driving avian life histories. Altitudinal gradients offer valuable study systems to investigate how avian nest predation risk varies between bird populations. In this study, a hypothesis postulating an increase in avian nest survival rate with elevation as a result of decreasing predation pressure was experimentally tested along an altitudinal gradient (300‐2250 m) in West‐Central Africa. Three types of artificial nests (cup‐shrub, cup‐ground and bare‐ground) were used along the altitudinal gradient. Overall, elevation had no effect on the daily survival rate (DSR) of the artificial nests. However, there was a significant elevation‐nest type interaction. Daily survival rate for cup‐shrub nests decreased significantly with elevation, but for cup‐ground and bare‐ground nests, elevation had no significant effect. We tested the effects of the same vegetation parameters (tree density, herb and shrub layer coverage, and canopy openness) on the DSR of different nest types to understand how different vegetation layers or combinations of them affect DSR. Daily survival rate for bare‐ground nests significantly decreased with increasing canopy openness, and was positively influenced by coverage of herb layer and tree density. For cup‐shrub nests, DSR increased significantly with increasing shrub layer coverage. Finally, for cup‐ground nests, we found a positive effect of shrub coverage and canopy openness on DSR. In summary, we found that different forest vegetation layers affect predation risk of different nest types along elevations on Mt. Cameroon.
A telephone interview version of the middle childhood HOME Observation Measurement of the Environment
Authors: Lai W. W. , O'Mahony M. , Mulligan A.
Published: October 2015

Background

The Home Observation Measurement of the Environment (HOME) is a 59‐item observation and interview tool used to measure how suitable a child's home is for a child of his or her developmental age and has been used extensively in research. The HOME is usually performed in the child's home, which has cost implications. We wished to develop a telephone version of the HOME.

Methods

We developed a 54‐item telephone interview version of the HOME and used it to measure the home environment in 77 children aged 6–10 years inclusive attending a child and adolescent mental health clinic, followed by a home visit and HOME assessment. The results of the telephone home assessment were then compared with the results of the original HOME.

Results

Our sample had a mean HOME score of 47.6, standard deviation (SD) = 5.5 and a mean telephone home score of 42.6, SD = 5.1. No difference was found in comparison of the subscale mean scores of the HOME with the telephone home assessment. The agreement of 54 items in common between the HOME and telephone home assessment ranged from 73% agreement to 100% agreement. Forty‐three of 50 items had moderate to almost perfect agreement using kappa analysis (kappa = 0.41–0.99); three had 100% agreement.

Conclusions

The telephone version of the HOME compares favourably with the HOME.
Scattered atypical melanocytes with hyperchromatic nuclei in the nail matrix: diagnostic clue for early subungual melanoma in situ
Authors: Park Se‐Won , Jang Kee‐Taek , Lee Jae‐Ho , Park Ji‐Hye , Kwon Ghee Young , Mun Goo‐Hyun , Lee Dong‐Youn , Lee Jason B. , Park Kelly K.
Published: October 2015

Background

The lack of highly specific clinical and histopathological criteria has contributed to the delay in diagnosis of subungual melanoma in situ in its early stages.

Methods

Eighteen cases of subungual melanoma in situ, the largest series reported to date, were analyzed to characterize the clinical and histopathological findings of early stages of subungual melanoma in situ along with five cases of nail matrix nevus and five cases of subungual lentigo serving as histologic control.

Results

Clinically, longitudinal melanonychia was present in all 18 cases of subungual melanoma in situ, consisting of irregular dark brown to black streaks within a brown background with (11 cases) or without Hutchinson's sign. Histopathologically, variable shaped and sized, hyperchromatic nuclei surrounded by retraction artifact were present in all cases. Nine cases showed a significant increase in the number of atypical melanocytes with marked nuclear atypia, while the rest of the cases showed less noticeable changes in nail matrix including lower density of melanocytes and/or mild nuclear atypia. In 15 cases, the nuclear enlargement in some of the melanocytes was greater than two times that of the neighboring matrix cells. In the remaining three cases, the nuclei were enlarged to a much lesser degree. All cases displayed areas of haphazard and uneven distribution of solitary melanocytes and, although not observed in all cases, some degree of pagetoid spread was present in majority of the cases. In contrast, nail matrix nevi showed well‐formed nests consisting of relatively monomorphous melanocytes with abundant cytoplasm and subungual lentigos consisted of subtle increase in the number of dendritic melanocytes in solitary units within the lower layers of the nail matrix.

Conclusion

Increase in the number of scattered atypical melanocytes with large hyperchromatic nuclei in a partial nail matrix may provide a diagnostic clue to subungual melanoma in situ in concert with its clinical suspicion.
Concomitant use of benzodiazepine and alcohol in methadone‐maintained patients from the ANRS–Methaville trial: Preventing the risk of opioid overdose in patients who failed with buprenorphine
Authors: Roux Perrine , Lions Caroline , Michel Laurent , Vilotitch Antoine , Mora Marion , Maradan Gwenaelle , Marcellin Fabienne , Spire Bruno , Alain Morel , Patrizia Carrieri M. ,   ANRS Methaville Study Group
Published: October 2015

Introduction and Aims

Concomitant elevated alcohol consumption and use of benzodiazepines (BZD) during methadone treatment is widespread and particularly worrying because of the increased risk of overdose. Using concomitant binge drinking and use of BZD as a proxy of overdose risk, we aimed to study whether buprenorphine switchers were at higher risk of overdose during methadone treatment.

Design and Methods

The French National Agency for Research for Aids and Viral Hepatitis –Methaville multisite randomised trial enrolled 195 patients to assess the feasibility of initiating methadone in primary care by comparing it with methadone initiation in specialised centres. We selected 174 patients with available data on BZD use and alcohol binge drinking at baseline and 12 months, accounting for 318 visits. The outcome was defined to take into account an overdose risk gradient as follows: no BZD use, BZD use without and with binge drinking during the previous month. To identify factors associated with the outcome, we performed a mixed multinomial logistic regression analysis.

Results

At baseline, 26% of the sample reported BZD use alone while 16% reported BZD use and binge drinking. Half of the sample (51%) was switching from buprenorphine treatment. After multivariate analysis, employment, depressive symptoms and switching treatment from buprenorphine to methadone [odds ratio (95% confidence interval) 5.38 (1.74–16.62)] remained associated with BZD use and binge drinking.

Discussion and Conclusions

As well as the importance of identifying socially vulnerable and depressed methadone‐maintained patients, clinicians should be aware that patients who fail buprenorphine treatment and switch to methadone require greater clinical monitoring and management to avoid the risk of overdose. [Roux P, Lions C, Michel L, Mora M, Maradan G, Marcellin F, Spire B, Alain M, Patrizia CM, the ANRS Methaville Study Group. Concomitant use of benzodiazepine and alcohol in methadone‐maintained patients from the ANRS Methaville trials: Preventing the risk of opioid overdose in patients who failed with buprenorphine. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015; ●●:●●–●●]
Computerized tomography scanning: are we optimizing catheter revision surgery in targeted drug delivery systems?
Authors: Farid Reza
Published: October 2015

This commentary is on the original article by Abousamra et al. on pages 409–415 of this issue.
Marine reserves can enhance ecological resilience
Authors: Barnett Lewis A. K. , Baskett Marissa L.
Published: October 2015

The goals of ecosystem‐based management (EBM) include protecting ecological resilience, the magnitude of a perturbation that a community can withstand and remain in a given state. As a tool to achieve this goal, no‐take marine reserves may enhance resilience by protecting source populations or reduce it by concentrating fishing in harvested areas. Here, we test whether spatial management with marine reserves can increase ecological resilience compared to non‐spatial (conventional) management using a dynamic model of a simplified fish community with structured predation and competition that causes alternative stable states. Relative to non‐spatial management, reserves increase the resilience of the desired (predator‐dominated) equilibrium state in both stochastic and deterministic environments, especially under intensive fishing. As a result, spatial management also increases the feasibility of restoring degraded (competitor‐dominated) systems, particularly if combined with culling of competitors or stock enhancement of adult predators.
Picture – Object Recognition in Kea (Nestor notabilis)
Authors: Wein Amelia , Gajdon Gyula K. , Schwing Raoul
Published: October 2015

Although pictures are widely used as stimuli in cognitive experiments with both humans and animals, the question of how subjects interpret pictures receives less attention. Gaining a better understanding of this is especially important when working with avian subjects, as their visual anatomy and processing is different from that of humans, and even differs from one avian species to another. Successful testing for picture recognition in birds has been carried out mainly with pigeons, but no such research has been explicitly performed with ‘brainy’ birds like parrots, despite the fact that these have been the subject of exciting cognitive research. This study tested kea (Nestor notabilis) mountain parrots for picture–object recognition using a procedure which required the transfer of a learned discrimination task between pictures and objects. Kea successfully showed both picture‐to‐object and object‐to‐picture transfer and performed at a comparable level when pictures were displayed on a touch screen or as printed photographs.
Shifts in functional traits elevate risk of fire‐driven tree dieback in tropical savanna and forest biomes
Authors: Pellegrini Adam F. A. , Franco Augusto C. , Hoffmann William A.
Published: October 2015

Numerous predictions indicate rising CO2 will accelerate the expansion of forests into savannas. Although encroaching forests can sequester carbon over the short term, increased fires and drought‐fire interactions could offset carbon gains, which may be amplified by the shift toward forest plant communities more susceptible to fire‐driven dieback. We quantify how bark thickness determines the ability of individual tree species to tolerate fire and subsequently determine the fire sensitivity of ecosystem carbon across 180 plots in savannas and forests throughout the 2.2‐million km2 Cerrado region in Brazil. We find that not accounting for variation in bark thickness across tree species underestimated carbon losses in forests by ~50%, totaling 0.22 PgC across the Cerrado region. The lower bark thicknesses of plant species in forests decreased fire tolerance to such an extent that a third of carbon gains during forest encroachment may be at risk of dieback if burned. These results illustrate that consideration of trait‐based differences in fire tolerance is critical for determining the climate‐carbon‐fire feedback in tropical savanna and forest biomes.
Strong asymmetric interspecific aggression between two sympatric New Guinean robins
Authors: Freeman Benjamin G.
Published: October 2015

Interspecific aggression is predicted to be common in diverse tropical avifaunas but is seldom tested experimentally. I conducted two playback experiments to measure interspecific aggression between two sympatric Australo‐Papuan robin species that inhabit the understorey of montane New Guinean forests: Slaty Robin Peneothello cyanus and Ashy Robin Heteromyias albispecularis. The first experiment, at a location where both species were present, demonstrated strong asymmetric interspecific aggression; the larger Ashy Robin responded as aggressively to Slaty Robin playback as to conspecific playback, but Slaty Robins did not respond to Ashy Robin playback. In contrast, in the second experiment, which took place at a nearby site where Slaty Robins were absent, Ashy Robins did not respond aggressively to Slaty Robin playback. Thus, Ashy Robin interspecific aggression appears to be a learned response to the presence of Slaty Robins, and may reflect resource competition between these two sympatric species.
Incidence of dentinal defects after preparation of severely curved root canals using the Reciproc single‐file system with and without prior creation of a glide path
Authors: Saber S. E. D. M. , Schäfer E.
Published: October 2015

Aim

To investigate the incidence of dentinal defects after preparation of severely curved root canals using the Reciproc single‐file system with and without prior creation of a glide path.

Methodology

Mesial roots from extracted mandibular first molars were collected and scanned with CBCT to assess the morphology of the root canal systems. Three groups of 20 anatomically comparable specimens were generated. The control group was left unprepared, whilst the experimental groups were prepared with Reciproc R25 with and without a glide path (groups RG and R, respectively). Roots were then sectioned perpendicular to the long axis at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 mm from the apex, and coloured photographs of the sections at 40× were obtained. Two blinded examiners registered the presence of dentinal defects twice at 2‐week interval. Data were statistically analysed using the Fisher exact and Cochran's Q tests.

Results

No defects were observed in the control group. The overall incidence of dentinal defects was 26% in group R and 24% in group RG, with no significant differences between them (P > 0.05). Dentinal defects occurred significantly more often in the middle and coronal thirds compared to the apical third of the canals (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Prior preparation of a glide path had no impact on the incidence of dentinal defects when using Reciproc files.
Unusual cause of lower extremity wounds: Cobb syndrome
Authors: Abtahi‐naeini Bahareh , Saffaei Ali , Pourazizi Mohsen
Published: October 2015

Cobb syndrome (Cutaneomeningospinal Angiomatosis) is a rare segmental neurocutaneous syndrome associated with metameric cutaneous and spinal cord arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). In this syndrome, capillary malformation or angiokeratoma‐like lesions are formed in a dermatomal distribution, with an AVM in the corresponding segment of the spinal cord. The spinal cord lesions can cause neurological disorder and paraplegia, which typically develop during young adulthood. We report a 32‐year‐old male with the Cobb syndrome associated with lower extremity painful wounds and acute‐onset paraplegia due to metameric vascular malformations.
Volume Matters: Returning Home After Hip Fracture
Authors: Gozalo Pedro , Leland Natalie E. , Christian Thomas J. , Mor Vincent , Teno Joan M.
Published: October 2015

Objectives

To examine the effect of the relationship between volume (number of hip fracture admissions during the 12 months before participant's fracture) and other facility characteristics on outcomes.

Design

Prospective observational study.

Setting

U.S. skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) admitting individuals discharged from the hospital after treatment for hip fracture between 2000 and 2007 (N = 15,439).

Participants

Community‐dwelling fee‐for‐service Medi‐care beneficiaries aged 75 and older admitted to U.S. hospitals for their first hip fracture and discharged to a SNF for postacute care from 2000 to 2007 (N = 512,967).

Measurements

Successful discharge from SNF to community, defined as returning to the community within 30 days of hospital discharge to the SNF and remaining in the community without being institutionalized for at least 30 days, was examined using Medicare administrative data, propensity score matching, and instrumental variables.

Results

The overall rate of successful discharge to the community was 31%. Of the 15,439 facilities, the facility interquartile range varied from 0% (25th percentile) to 42% (75th percentile). An important determinant of variation in discharge rate was SNF volume of hip fracture admissions. Unadjusted successful discharge from SNF to community was 43.7% in high‐volume facilities (>24 admissions/year), versus 18.8% in low‐volume facilities (1–6 admissions/year). This facility volume effect persisted after adjusting for participant and facility characteristics associated with outcomes (e.g., adjusted odds ratio = 2.06, 95% confidence interval = 1.91–2.21 for volume of 25 vs 3 admissions per year).

Conclusion

In community‐dwelling persons with their first hip fracture, successful return to the community varies substantially according to SNF provider volume and staffing characteristics.
Toll‐like receptors 2, 4, and 9 in primary, metastasized, and recurrent oral tongue squamous cell carcinomas
Authors: Mäkinen Laura K. , Ahmed Abdirisak , Hagström Jaana , Lehtonen Sanna , Mäkitie Antti A. , Salo Tuula , Haglund Caj , Atula Timo
Published: October 2015

Background

Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) are pattern‐recognizing proteins involved in innate immunity and they seem to regulate both cancer progression and inhibition. In oral cancer, TLR activation has been linked to invasion. To define the role of TLR‐2, TLR‐4, and TLR‐9 in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC), we studied their expression in vivo in OTSCC tumor samples, as well as in vitro in cell invasion model.

Methods

We used immunohistochemistry to compare the expression of TLR‐2, TLR‐4, and TLR‐9 in 21 primary Stage I‐II OTSCCs, neck metastases, and recurrent tumors. In addition, we used myoma organotypic invasion assay to evaluate the effect of GIT27 (4,5‐dihydro‐3‐phenyl‐5‐isoxasoleaceticacid) on the invasion of the HSC‐3 OTSCC cell line.

Results

TLR‐2, TLR‐4, and TLR‐9 were expressed in most tumors. Nuclear TLR‐2 expression occurred more often in primary tumors than in neck metastases or recurrent tumors of the neck, whereas nuclear TLR‐4 expression and cytoplasmic TLR‐9 expression were higher in primary tumors than in local recurrent tumors. GIT27 did not affect the invasion of HSC‐3 OTSCC cells, but a myoma organotypic invasion assay revealed that the expression of TLR‐2 and TLR‐4 was stronger in deeper‐invading cells.

Conclusions

TLR‐2, TLR‐4, and TLR‐9 were expressed in primary tumors, neck metastases as well as in recurrent tumors of OTSCC. Thus, these receptors seem to play a role in both the development and progression of tongue carcinoma. These TLRs may also contribute to the invasive potential of OTSCC.
Hemispheric lateralization in reasoning
Authors: Turner Benjamin O. , Marinsek Nicole , Ryhal Emily , Miller Michael B.
Published: October 2015

A growing body of evidence suggests that reasoning in humans relies on a number of related processes whose neural loci are largely lateralized to one hemisphere or the other. A recent review of this evidence concluded that the patterns of lateralization observed are organized according to two complementary tendencies. The left hemisphere attempts to reduce uncertainty by drawing inferences or creating explanations, even at the cost of ignoring conflicting evidence or generating implausible explanations. Conversely, the right hemisphere aims to reduce conflict by rejecting or refining explanations that are no longer tenable in the face of new evidence. In healthy adults, the hemispheres work together to achieve a balance between certainty and consistency, and a wealth of neuropsychological research supports the notion that upsetting this balance results in various failures in reasoning, including delusions. However, support for this model from the neuroimaging literature is mixed. Here, we examine the evidence for this framework from multiple research domains, including an activation likelihood estimation analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies of reasoning. Our results suggest a need to either revise this model as it applies to healthy adults or to develop better tools for assessing lateralization in these individuals.