bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Syrian Refugees as Seasonal Migrant Workers: Re-Construction of Unequal Power Relations in Turkish Agriculture
Authors: Pelek Deniz
Published: September 2018

This article examines the case of Syrian refugees as seasonal migrant workers in Turkey and critically discusses the working and living conditions fostering their relative vulnerability compared to other workers. Syrian refugees are subject to discriminatory practices in terms of lower wages, longer working hours and improper sheltering conditions. This article explores how unequal power relations between ethnically different groups of workers in the agricultural sector are (re)constructed and the consequences of the emergence of Syrian refugees as a novel class. The essential aim of this study is to unravel the process and practice of ethnically hierarchized agricultural labour market after the entrance of refugees. To that effect, the empirical data was gathered through the ethnographic fieldwork (based on semi-structured interviews and participant observation) carried out in Manisa in August of 2013 and 2014 and in Adana-Mersin in September 2013 and February 2015. This study looks into the ways in which actors on farms (workers, labour intermediaries, land owners, village dwellers and state representatives) have responded to the current situation with regard to three controversial subjects: migrant employment, legal framework and the politics on Syrian refugees. It is argued that externalization of labour force realizes through creating new layers, which necessitates the construction of new ethnic categories such as Syrian refugees.
Prognostic value of hypochloremia versus hyponatremia among patients with chronic kidney disease—a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Kubota Keiichi , Sakaguchi Yusuke , Hamano Takayuki , Oka Tatsufumi , Yamaguchi Satoshi , Shimada Karin , Matsumoto Ayumi , Hashimoto Nobuhiro , Mori Daisuke , Matsui Isao , Isaka Yoshitaka
Published: September 2018

Background

Serum chloride (Cl) levels confer better prognostic value than serum sodium (Na) levels among patients with heart failure. Little is known about the relationship between serum Cl levels and clinical outcomes among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study enrolling patients with Stages G3–G5 CKD who visited the nephrology outpatient department of Osaka University Hospital from April 2005 to December 2014. The main exposure was time-varying serum Cl levels categorized as quartiles. The study outcome was a composite of all-cause death and cardiovascular events.

Results

A total of 2661 patients with CKD were included in the analysis. During a median follow-up of 4.0 years, 284 deaths and 416 cardiovascular events occurred. Compared with patients in the third Cl quartile, those in the first Cl quartile showed a significantly higher risk of the outcome after adjustment for demographics and clinical factors including time-varying serum Na, serum albumin and bicarbonate levels, and use of diuretics and sodium bicarbonate [hazard ratio (HR) 2.13; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.20–3.81; P = 0.01] and, additionally, anion gap (HR 2.13; 95% CI 1.26–3.57; P = 0.004). Adding serum Cl levels, but not serum Na levels, to the multivariable model significantly improved net reclassification index (0.335; P < 0.001) and integrated discrimination improvement (0.0113; P = 0.01).

Conclusions

Lower serum Cl levels are an independent predictor of death and cardiovascular events. The incremental prognostic value of Cl was superior to that of Na in patients with CKD.
Association Between Adolescent Body Mass Index and Adulthood Smoking
Authors: Fang Michael
Published: September 2018

Introduction

Studies increasingly find a prospective association between adolescent weight status and adverse physical health outcomes. However, less is known about the long-term consequences of adolescent body weight on the adoption of health-risk behaviors. This study sought to determine whether adolescent body mass index (BMI) was associated with cigarette smoking in adulthood.

Methods

Six thousand six hundred eighty-three nonsmoking adolescents were interviewed at baseline (1996, age 11–20) and at follow-up (2008, age 24–32) as part of the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health. Logistic and fractional regression models tested the association between adolescent BMI and smoking status and frequency in adulthood. Respondent weight and height were measured at baseline and converted into age and sex-specific BMI z-scores. Being a smoker was defined as smoking at least once in the past 30 days, while smoking frequency was defined as the proportion of days smoked over the past 30 days. Both outcomes were measured at follow-up.

Results

Adolescent BMI was positively associated with the transition from nonsmoking to smoking 12 years later for women but not men. Adolescent BMI was also positively associated with smoking frequency among women smokers. Both associations persisted after adjusting for established risk factors and were robust to sensitivity analyses.

Conclusions

Adolescent BMI was strongly associated with increased cigarette smoking behavior in adulthood for women, even after adjusting for important risk factors.

Implications

Using a large, nationally representative sample, this study found that adolescent BMI was positively associated with smoking behavior during adulthood for women but not men. These results have potentially important public health implications for future smoking rates in the United States, as the prevalence of overweight and obesity among US adolescent females continues to grow. Thus, it may be important for smoking prevention interventions to prioritize overweight adolescent females moving forward.
Adaptation and Implementation of the STarT Back Risk Stratification Strategy in a US Health Care Organization: A Process Evaluation
Authors: Hsu Clarissa , Evers Sarah , Balderson Benjamin H , Sherman Karen J , Foster Nadine E , Estlin Katherin , Levine Martin , Cherkin Dan
Published: September 2018

Objective

To support implementation of effective treatments for back pain that can be delivered to a range of people, we summarize learnings from our process evaluation of the MATCH trial’s implementation of an adaptation of the STarT Back risk-stratified care model.

Design

Our logic model–driven evaluation focused primarily on qualitative data sources.

Setting

This study took place in a US-based health care delivery system that had adapted and implemented the STarT Back stratified care approach. This was the first formal test of the strategy in a US setting.

Methods

Data collection included observation of implementation activities, staff/provider interviews, and post-training evaluation questionnaires. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis of qualitative data and descriptive statistics for questionnaire data.

Results

We found that both primary care teams and physical therapists at intervention clinics gave the training high scores on evaluation questionnaires and reported in the interviews that they found the training engaging and useful. However, there was significant variation in the extent to which the risk stratification strategy was incorporated into care. Some primary care providers reported that the intervention changed their conversations with patients and increased their confidence in working with patients with back pain. Providers using the STarT Back tool did not change referral rates for recommended matched treatments.

Conclusions

These insights provide guidance for future efforts to adapt and implement the STarT Back strategy and other complex practice change interventions. They emphasize the need for primary care–based interventions to minimize complexity and the need for ongoing monitoring and feedback.
Developmental heterogeneity of microglia and brain myeloid cells revealed by deep single-cell RNA sequencing
Authors: Li Qingyun , Cheng Zuolin , Zhou Lu , Darmanis Spyros , Neff Norma , Okamoto Jennifer , Gulati Gunsagar , Bennett Mariko L. , Sun Lu O. , Clarke Laura E. , Marschallinger Julia , Yu Guoqiang , Quake Stephen R. , Wyss-Coray Tony , Barres Ben A.
Published: September 2018

Microglia are increasingly recognized for their major contributions during brain development and neurodegenerative disease. It is currently unknown if these functions are carried out by subsets of microglia during different stages of development and adulthood or within specific brain regions. Here, we performed deep single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of microglia and related myeloid cells sorted from various regions of embryonic, postnatal, and adult mouse brains. We found that the majority of adult microglia with homeostatic signatures are remarkably similar in transcriptomes, regardless of brain region. By contrast, postnatal microglia represent a more heterogeneous population. We discovered that postnatal white matter-associated microglia (WAM) are strikingly different from microglia in other regions and express genes enriched in degenerative disease-associated microglia. These postnatal WAM have distinct amoeboid morphology, are metabolically active, and phagocytose newly formed oligodendrocytes. This scRNA-seq atlas will be a valuable resource for dissecting innate immune functions in health and disease.

Highlights

Myeloid scRNA-seq atlas across brain regions and developmental stages

Limited transcriptomic heterogeneity of homeostatic microglia in the adult brain

Phase-specific gene sets of proliferating microglia along cell cycle pseudotime

Phagocytic postnatal white matter-associated microglia sharing DAM gene signatures
Simulations suggest a constrictive force is required for Gram-negative bacterial cell division
Authors: Nguyen Lam T. , Oikonomou Catherine M. , Ding H. Jane , Kaplan Mohammed , Yao Qing , Chang Yi-Wei , Beeby Morgan , Jensen Grant J.
Published: September 2018

To divide, Gram-negative bacterial cells must remodel their peptidoglycan cell wall to a smaller and smaller radius at the division site, but how this process occurs remains debated. While the tubulin homolog FtsZ is thought to generate a constrictive force, it has also been proposed that cell wall remodeling alone is sufficient to drive membrane constriction, possibly via a make-before-break mechanism in which new hoops of cell wall are made inside the existing hoops (make) before bonds in the existing wall are cleaved (break). Previously, we constructed software, REMODELER 1, to simulate cell wall remodeling in rod-shaped bacteria during growth. Here, we used this software as the basis for an expanded simulation system, REMODELER 2, which we used to explore different mechanistic models of cell wall division. We found that simply organizing the cell wall synthesis complexes at the midcell was not sufficient to cause wall invagination, even with the implementation of a make-before-break mechanism. Applying a constrictive force at the midcell could drive division if the force was sufficiently large to initially constrict the midcell into a compressed state before new hoops of relaxed cell wall were incorporated between existing hoops. Adding a make-before-break mechanism could drive division with a smaller constrictive force sufficient to bring the midcell peptidoglycan into a relaxed, but not necessarily compressed, state.
Plasticity in leaf litter traits partly mitigates the impact of thinning on forest floor carbon cycling
Authors: Henneron Ludovic , Chauvat Matthieu , Archaux Frédéric , Akpa‐Vinceslas Marthe , Bureau Fabrice , Dumas Yann , Ningre François , Richter Claudine , Balandier Philippe , Aubert Michaël
Published: September 2018

Reducing stand density by thinning intensification has been emphasized as an efficient strategy of forest adaptation to climate change as it improves stand resistance to drought. Yet, it is still unclear how it could affect litter carbon (C) cycling processes. Recent evidence indicates that the plasticity of an oak tree species can lead to a decline in its leaf litter quality and decomposability following thinning. The consequences for litter decomposition and forest floor C storage at the ecosystem scale remain largely unexplored.

In this study, we took advantage of a regional‐scale, multi‐site network of long‐term thinning experiments in temperate oak (Quercus petraea) forests to address this issue. We measured ecosystem properties related to forest floor C cycling in 19 plots across eight experimental sites covering a large gradient of stand density and age. Though we expected thinning to affect in situ litter decomposition by altering oak leaf litter quality, we conducted complementary experiments exploring additional mechanisms, that is alterations of microenvironmental conditions and soil faunal activity.

Thinning intensification induced a strong decline in tree canopy leaf area index, above‐ground tree litter production and forest floor decomposition rate in early “aggradation” stage of forest development. This slower litter decomposition was mainly driven by plasticity of oak trees that produced leaf litter of poorer quality and decomposability following thinning, for example, litter richer in secondary metabolites such as condensed tannins. Change in microenvironmental conditions also contributed to the slowdown of litter decomposition, likely as a result of the less buffered microclimate associated with larger tree canopy opening. No change in soil faunal effect induced by thinning was observed.

Thinning intensification resulted in a limited decrease in forest floor C stock. Indeed, the slower litter decomposition offset nearly half of the forest floor C loss associated to the reduced litterfall in “aggradation” stage.

Our study demonstrated that phenotypic plasticity in leaf litter traits of a dominant tree species can strongly affect ecosystem functioning by slowing forest floor decomposition following thinning intensification, in turn partly mitigating the negative effect of thinning on forest floor C storage.
Marchenko imaging by unidimensional deconvolution
Authors: Matias Mayara M. A. , da C. Pestana Reynam , van der Neut Joost
Published: September 2018

Obtaining an accurate image of the subsurface still remains a great challenge for the seismic method. Migration algorithms aim mainly on positioning seismic events in complex geological contexts. Multiple reflections are typically not accounted for in this process, which can lead to the emergence of artefacts. In Marchenko imaging, we retrieve the complete up‐ and downgoing wavefields in the subsurface to construct an image without such artefacts. The quality of this image depends on the type of imaging condition that is applied. In this paper, we propose an imaging condition that is based on stabilized unidimensional deconvolution. This condition is computationally much cheaper than multidimensional deconvolution, which has been proposed for Marchenko imaging earlier. Two specific approaches are considered. In the first approach, we use the full up‐ and downgoing wavefields for deconvolution. Although this leads to balanced and relatively accurate amplitudes, the crosstalk is not completely removed. The second approach is to incorporate the initial focussing function in the deconvolution process, in such a way that the retrieval of crosstalk is avoided. We compare images with the results of the classical cross‐correlation imaging condition, which we apply to reverse‐time migrated wavefields and to the up‐ and downgoing wavefields that are retrieved by the Marchenko method.
Adverse obstetric history is not a risk factor for poor outcome after ventral rectopexy for obstructive defaecation syndrome
Authors: Kremel D. , Riss S. , Müller C. , von Strauss M. , Winstanley C. , Winstanley J. , Potter M. , Paterson H. , Collie M.
Published: September 2018

Aim

Ventral rectopexy (VR) has gained popularity in the management of obstructive defaecation syndrome (ODS) due to a symptomatic rectocele ± intussusception. Data on the efficacy and safety of VR are variable and there are few predictors of successful outcome. This study aimed to examine whether or not an adverse obstetric history influenced the functional outcome following VR for ODS.

Method

This was a retrospective study of a cohort of 76 consecutive patients who had undergone VR for ODS at a tertiary referral centre between 2012 and 2015. Patients were followed up by telephone questionnaire. The obstetric history and pre‐ and postoperative symptoms of ODS and faecal incontinence (FI) were obtained from telephone interviews.

Results

In this cohort, symptoms of ODS were significantly improved by surgery, with 56% of patients showing a reduction of symptoms of 50% or more (P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that a lower body mass index (BMI; 24.4 vs 27.3 kg/m2; P < 0.05) and shorter duration of symptoms (7 vs 10 years; P < 0.05) led to a better outcome. VR had no effect on FI. Obstetric factors such as foetal weight, instrumental delivery, episiotomy, perineal tear and total number of deliveries did not influence outcomes.

Conclusion

Patients with a less straightforward obstetric history can be reassured that this should not adversely influence the functional outcome after VR for ODS. Colorectal surgeons who offer this surgery should warn patients with an elevated BMI or with longstanding symptoms that the operation may be less successful than for those with a lower BMI or shorter duration of symptoms.
Interindividual differences in neonatal sociality and emotionality predict juvenile social status in rhesus monkeys
Authors: Wooddell Lauren J. , Simpson Elizabeth A. , Murphy Ashley M. , Dettmer Amanda M. , Paukner Annika
Published: September 2018

In humans, socioeconomic status (SES) has profound outcomes on socio‐emotional development and health. However, while much is known about the consequences of SES, little research has examined the predictors of SES due to the longitudinal nature of such studies. We sought to explore whether interindividual differences in neonatal sociality, temperament, and early social experiences predicted juvenile social status in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta), as a proxy for SES in humans. We performed neonatal imitation tests in infants’ first week of life and emotional reactivity assessments at 2 and 4 weeks of age. We examined whether these traits, as well as the rearing environment in the first 8 months of life (with the mother or with same‐aged peers only) and maternal social status predicted juvenile (2–3 years old) social status following the formation of peer social groups at 8 months. We found that infants who exhibited higher rates of neonatal imitation and newborn emotional reactivity achieved higher social status as juveniles, as did infants who were reared with their mothers, compared to infants reared with peers. Maternal social status was only associated with juvenile status for infant dyads reared in the same maternal group, indicating that relative social relationships were transferred through social experience. These results suggest that neonatal imitation and emotional reactivity may reflect ingrained predispositions toward sociality that predict later outcomes, and that nonnormative social experiences can alter socio‐developmental trajectories. Our results indicate that neonatal characteristics and early social experiences predict later social outcomes in adolescence, including gradients of social stratification.
Engagement with peer observation of teaching by a dental school faculty in the United Kingdom
Authors: Buchanan John A. G. , Parry David
Published: September 2018

Introduction

Well‐conducted peer observation of teaching (POT) programmes are effective in enhancing teaching quality and teacher development in higher education including healthcare teaching. This study evaluated POT's use in dental education and involved predominantly clinical dental educators working in a United Kingdom (UK) dental school and hospital. It aimed to (i) audit their engagement with POT, (ii) review the design(s) of POT in use, (iii) assess participant's perceived value of POT and (iv) explore ways that the existing programme could be enhanced to maximise its utility.

Method

Dental educators’ teaching role and experience, current engagement and experience of POT were explored using an anonymous mixed methodology questionnaire survey which was administered during 2016. Free‐text responses were subjected to thematic analysis to identify emerging themes.

Results

Of 65 surveys distributed, 57 (88%) completed surveys were returned. The majority of respondents reported that POT was a useful process which resulted in self‐perceived enhanced teaching quality. Choice of observer emerged as fundamental to POT's success. Despite recognising its utility, only 46% of the academic teaching faculty underwent POT during a 12‐month period. Utilisation of a reciprocal, “critical friends” approach was infrequent. A number of barriers to its regular and effective use emerged.

Conclusions

POT is an effective method for dental educator development through feedback and self‐reflection. Strategies to enhance the Dental Institute's POT programme are suggested. The quality of the POT process rather than its frequency is an important factor to consider. POT may be an effective developmental intervention for part‐time teachers.
Destructive twisting of neutral metalloproteases: the catalysis mechanism of the Dispase autolysis‐inducing protein from Streptomyces mobaraensis DSM 40487
Authors: Fiebig David , Storka Juliana , Roeder Markus , Meyners Christian , Schmelz Stefan , Blankenfeldt Wulf , Scrima Andrea , Kolmar Harald , Fuchsbauer Hans‐Lothar
Published: September 2018

The Dispase autolysis‐inducing protein (DAIP) is produced by Streptomyces mobaraensis to disarm neutral metalloproteases by decomposition. The absence of a catalytic protease domain led to the assumption that the seven‐bladed β‐propeller protein DAIP causes structural modifications, thereby triggering autolysis. Determination of protein complexes consisting of DAIP and thermolysin or DAIP and a nonfunctional E138A bacillolysin variant supported this postulation. Protein twisting was indicated by DAIP‐mediated inhibition of thermolysin while bacillolysin underwent immediate autolysis under the same conditions. Interestingly, an increase in SYPRO orange fluorescence allowed tracking of the fast degradation process. Similarly rapid autolysis of thermolysin mediated by DAIP was only observed upon the addition of amphiphilic compounds, which probably amplify the induced structural changes. DAIP further caused degradation of FITC‐labeled E138A bacillolysin by trypsin, as monitored by a linear decrease in fluorescence polarization. The kinetic model, calculated from the obtained data, suggested a three‐step mechanism defined by (a) fast DAIP–metalloprotease complex formation, (b) slower DAIP‐mediated protein twisting, and (c) fragmentation. These results were substantiated by crystallized DAIP attached to a C‐terminal helix fragment of thermolysin. Structural superposition of the complex with thermolysin is indicative of a conformational change upon binding to DAIP. Importantly, the majority of metalloproteases, also including homologs from various pathogens, are highly conserved at the autolysis‐prone peptide bonds, suggesting their susceptibility to DAIP‐mediated decomposition, which may offer opportunities for pharmaceutical applications.

Databases

The atomic coordinates and structure factors (PDB ID: 6FHP) have been deposited in the Protein Data Bank (http://www.pdb.org/).

Enzymes

Aureolysin, EC 3.4.24.29; bacillolysin (Dispase, Gentlyase), EC 3.4.24.28; lasB (elastase), EC 3.4.24.4; subtilisin, EC 3.4.21.62; thermolysin, EC 3.4.24.27; transglutaminase, EC 2.3.2.13; trypsin, EC 3.4.21.4; vibriolysin (hemagglutinin(HA)/protease), EC 3.4.24.25.
European Society of Endodontology position statement: External Cervical Resorption
Authors:   European Society of Endodontology (ESE) developed by:, Patel S. , Lambrechts P. , Shemesh H. , Mavridou A.
Published: September 2018

This Position Statement represents the consensus of an expert committee convened by the European Society of Endodontology (ESE) on External Cervical Resorption (ECR). The statement is based on current clinical and scientific evidence as well as the expertise of the committee. The primary aim is to provide a current authoritative position on the aetiology, histopathology, clinical presentation and management of ECR, and also to highlight areas where there is minimal evidence. Previously published review articles provide more detailed background information and the basis for this position statement (International Endodontic Journal 51, 1205, 2018, International Endodontic Journal 51, 1224, 2018). It is intended that this position statement will be updated at appropriate intervals, as further evidence emerges.
Identification and expression analysis of the Spodoptera exigua neuropeptidome under different physiological conditions
Authors: Llopis‐Giménez A. , Han Y. , Kim Y. , Ros V. I. D. , Herrero S.
Published: September 2018

Neuropeptides are small signalling molecules acting as neurohormones, neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. Being part of the chemical communication system between cells within an organism, they are involved in the regulation of different aspects of animal physiology and behaviour such as feeding, reproduction, development and locomotion. Transcriptomic data from larval and adult tissues have been obtained and mined to generate a comprehensive neuropeptidome for the polyphagous insect pest Spodoptera exigua. Sixty‐three neuropeptides have been identified and described based on their tissue specificity and their regulation in response to different abiotic perturbations. Expression analyses have identified those neuropeptides involved in ingestive and digestive behaviour of S. exigua larvae and revealed a general pattern of upregulation in the midgut during larval starvation. Our results represent a comprehensive neuropeptidome of a lepidopteran species that will be highly relevant to future studies and provide novel information of the insect’s perception of its environment.
Aggressive prevention and preemptive management of vascular complications after pediatric liver transplantation: A major impact on graft survival and long‐term outcome
Authors: Grimaldi Chiara , di Francesco Fabrizio , Chiusolo Fabrizio , Angelico Roberta , Monti Lidia , Muiesan Paolo , de Ville de Goyet Jean
Published: September 2018

Vascular complications are a major cause of patient and graft loss after LTs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a multimodal perioperative strategy aimed at reducing the incidence of vascular complications. A total of 126 first isolated LTs—performed between November 2008 and December 2015—were retrospectively analyzed. A minimum follow‐up period of 24 months was analyzable for 124/126 patients (98.4%). The aggressive preemptive strategy consisted of identifying and immediately managing any problem and any abnormality in the vascular flow, in any of the hepatic vessels, and at any time after the liver graft revascularization. As a result, with a median follow‐up of 57 months (3‐112 months), not a single graft has been lost from vascular or biliary problems. The actuarial 8‐year graft survival is 96.5%. These results have shown that a combination of technical attention, medical prevention, an early diagnosis, and rapid interventions reduced the negative impact of vascular problems on the outcome of both grafts and patients.
Combined treatment with oestradiol benzoate, d‐cloprostenol and oxytocin permits cervical dilation and nonsurgical embryo recovery in ewes
Authors: da Fonseca Jeferson Ferreira , Zambrini Fabiana Nunes , Guimarães José Domingos , Silva Marcio Roberto , Oliveira Maria Emilia Franco , Brandão Felipe Zandonadi , Bartlewski Pawel Mieczyslaw , Souza‐Fabjan Joanna Maria Gonçalves
Published: September 2018

Contents

This study examined the feasibility of transcervical embryo recovery after the hormonal treatment to induce cervical dilation, following the 7‐day oestrous synchronization protocol in multiparous Santa Inês ewes. A total of 23 cyclic ewes received two doses of 37.5 μg of d‐cloprostenol by latero‐vulvar route 7 days apart. After the second injection of d‐cloprostenol, the ewes were checked for oestrus (every 12 hr) and then mated by fertile rams throughout the oestrous period. All ewes received 37.5 μg of d‐cloprostenol (latero‐vulvar) and 1 mg of oestradiol benzoate by either intramuscular (EBim group; n = 12) or intravaginal (EBivg group; n = 11) route 16 hr before embryo flushing. Twenty minutes before the flushing, 50 IU of oxytocin were administered intravenously. The oestrous response (i.e., the percentage of ewes that showed signs of oestrous behaviour after the second d‐cloprostenol injection) was 91.3% (21/23). The proportion of successfully penetrated ewes (81.8% compared with 80.0%), the mean duration of embryo flushing (24.7 ± 2.0 min compared 26.2 ± 1.9 min), the flushing fluid recovery rate (94.8 ± 1.3% compared with 91.0 ± 2.9%) and the average number of structures recovered per ewe (0.5 ± 0.4 compared with 0.8 ± 0.4) did not vary (p > 0.05) between the EBim and EBivg groups. Viable embryos were recovered from 41.2% (7/17) of successfully penetrated ewes. It can be concluded that nonsurgical (i.e., transcervical) embryo collection can be performed in oestrous‐synchronized Santa Inês ewes pretreated with d‐cloprostenol, oxytocin and oestradiol benzoate, with the latter hormone administered by either the intramuscular or intravaginal route.
Effect of frame rate capture frequency on sperm kinematic parameters and subpopulation structure definition in boars, analysed with aCASA‐Mot system
Authors: Valverde Anthony , Madrigal Mónica , Caldeira Carina , Bompart Daznia , de Murga Javier Núñez , Arnau Sandra , Soler Carles
Published: September 2018

Contents

Motility is the most widely used indicator of sperm quality. Computer‐Assisted Semen Analysis (CASA) allows the objective evaluation of sperm motility parameters.CASAtechnology is a common tool to predict semen doses in farm animal reproduction. The kinds of video cameras used until now for image acquisition have presented limited frame rates (FR), which have a negative influence on the quality of the obtained data. The aim of the present work was to define the optimal frame rate for a correct evaluation of boar sperm motility and its subpopulation structure. Eighteen ejaculates from nine mature boars of the Pietrain breed were used. Using theISAS®v1CASA‐Mot system, with a video camera working up to 200 Hz, sixFRs (25, 50, 75, 100, 150 and 200 fps) were compared.ISAS®D4C20 counting chambers, warmed to 37°C, were used.FRaffected all the kinematic parameters, with curvilinear velocity (VCL) andBCFthe most sensitive ones. All the parameters showed differences among animals. Non‐linear correlation showed the asymptotic level forVCLat 212 fps, being the highestFRfor all the parameters. For future studies based just on progressive motility, almost 100 fpsFRfor 0.5 s must be used, while when kinematics must be considered, almost 212 fps for one‐second should be analysed. Three principal components were obtained (velocity, progressivity and oscillation), being similar at 50 and 200 fps. Cells were grouped in four subpopulations but with different kinematic and cellular distribution at bothFRs.
A study on ghrelin and LH secretion after short fasting and on ghrelin levels at perioestrual period in dairy cattle
Authors: Chouzouris Thomas Markos , Dovolou Eleni , Rekkas Constantinos A. , Georgoulias Panagiotis , Athanasiou Lambrini V. , Amiridis Georgios S.
Published: September 2018

Contents

In two experiments, we studied (a) the changes of LH secretion in heifers under different feeding schedules and (b) total ghrelin concentration at oestrus in cows and heifers. In experiment one, synchronized heifers were allocated in three groups (R, regularly fed controls; F, fasted; and F‐F fasted‐fed). One day after the completion of the oestrous induction protocol, group F and F‐F animals stayed without feed for 24 hr; thereafter, feed was provided to R and F‐F cattle; 2 hr later, GnRH was administered to all animals. Blood samples were collected for ghrelin, progesterone, LH and cortisol concentrations. Fasting caused increased ghrelin concentrations in groups F and F‐F, while in response to GnRH, LH surge was significantly attenuated in groups F and F‐F compared to R. In experiment 2, lactating cows and heifers were used. On day 9 of a synchronized cycle, PGF2α was administered, and blood samples were collected twice daily until the third day after oestrus and analysed for progesterone, estradiol, ghrelin, glucose and BHBA concentrations. No difference was recorded between groups in steroids and BHBA concentrations. In comparison to mid‐luteal values, ghrelin concentrations significantly increased at perioestrual period in cows, but not in heifers. This study provides evidence that starving‐induced elevated ghrelin concentrations can have suppressing effect on LH secretion, even after ghrelin's restoration to basal values and that during oestrus, ghrelin secretion is differently regulated in cows and heifers, likely being independent from oestradiol concentrations. Further research is required to identify the determining factors that drive the different regulation of ghrelin secretion in cows and heifers.
Energy code compliant house design for lowest lifecycle cost based on market-available technologies
Authors: Hesaraki Behnaz , Chen YuXiang , Dias Ferreira Regina , Al-Hussein Mohamed
Published: September 2018

Investigating code-compliant and market-available options for building envelope, domestic systems, and solar photovoltaic systems accounting for construction and operational cost, the near-lowest lifecycle cost (LCC) design compliant with building energy codes is identifiable following the methodology proposed in this study. A case study of a house design in Edmonton, Canada, is conducted to demonstrate the methodology; the 30-year LCC of options for code-compliance are calculated for three energy cost scenarios. The results indicate that the most cost-effective design may have a 16% to 30% lower LCC than other investigated designs. In terms of achieving a similar level of energy performance, a house that uses a heat recovery ventilator, forced-air gas-fired space heating system, tankless water heater, and features a less-insulated building envelope offers the lowest LCC. The results of this study suggest that LCC should be considered in the development of building energy regulations to include economic aspects while proposing energy standards.
Lifestyle interventions in prevention and comprehensive management of COPD
Authors: Ambrosino Nicolino , Bertella Enrica
Published: September 2018

Chronic respiratory diseases are among the four major human chronic diseases. Tobacco smoke as well as environmental pollutants, infections, physical activity and nutritional status play a role in the prevalence, development and/or progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Changes in lifestyle are possible and may be beneficial in prevention and comprehensive management of COPD. Population-level interventions aimed at early diagnosis, promotion of vaccinations and prevention of infections, and reductions in smoking, environmental pollutants, physical inactivity, obesity and malnutrition may increase the number of life-years lived in good health.

Educational aims

To improve awareness of the influence of lifestyle on natural history of COPD.

To describe the effects of some interventions to modify lifestyle in prevention and management.

To provide information on the main clinical results.

To define recommendations and limitations.
Zwei-Reiche-Lehre und Widerstand gegen die Staatsgewalt. Entfaltung einer Bemerkung Bonhoeffers
Authors: Ohly Lukas
Published: September 2018

A passage from one of Bonhoeffer’s prison letters hints at a diversification of Luther’s doctrine of the two kingdoms. Thus Bonhoeffer solves a dilemma: On the one hand, the doctrine of the two kingdoms does not support rogue regimes. On the other hand, Bonhoeffer escapes the danger of dissolving political justice by religious fanaticism. The solution, which is recon­structed in this essay, consists of a non-principal, but nevertheless evident situation of decision in favor of resistance. Any possible objections against this proposition are countered by the theological phenomenon of »Widerfahrnis« of human experience.
Gefüge des Zuschauens
Authors: Bee Julia
Published: September 2018

»Gefüge des Zuschauens« ist eine experimentelle medienwissenschaftliche Studie: Mit Collagen und im Dialog mit jungen Erwachsenen untersucht Julia Bee Rezeptionserfahrungen von TV-Serien wie »True Blood« und Filmen wie »The Dark Knight«. Indem Affekte und Perzepte dabei als Politiken der Wahrnehmung, des schöpferischen Begehrens und mannigfaltiger Differenzen betrachtet werden, zeigt die Studie, dass Gefüge, Prozesse und Kräfte ein konzeptuelles Gegengewicht zu einer linear-kausalen Wirkung bilden. Aus prozessphilosophischer Perspektive wird unter Rückgriff auf die Arbeiten von William James, Gilles Deleuze/Félix Guattari und Brian Massumi die Zuschauer_innen-Forschung so als schöpferisches, heterogenes Gefüge entwickelt.
Promising Prospects, and the Hurdles Along the Way: Sharing and Archiving Community Media Content Online
Authors: van Beek Joost
Published: September 2018

Joost van Beek lays out how community media share and archive programming online in a chapter that tackles a poignant dilemma: why does a grassroots media sector that should be particularly well equipped to take on the challenges of collaborative digital platforms still struggle to make optimal use of their opportunities to provide easy and durable access to content? Community radio and TV stations produce an extraordinary range of politically, culturally and artistically valuable content, and their focus on community building and bottom-up production models means they can draw especially pronounced benefits from the increased sophistication of interactive platforms for making content accessible and searchable and securing its preservation. Drawing on interviews and research conducted in the EU-funded project Captcha: Creative Approaches to Living Cultural Archives, this chapter highlights inspiring examples of best practice from across Europe. But it also rings the alarm bell about how the sector-specific obstacles it explores mean that legacies which represent not only an individual station's history, but that of whole communities, are at risk of being lost forever.
Viele untote Körper
Authors: Schuck Peter
Published: September 2018

Zombies haben es der Moderne angetan. In William Seabrooks Reisebericht The Magic Island (1929), im Kino George A. Romeros oder als Infizierte in Filmen und Serien jüngeren Datums konfrontieren sie mit der Aporie des Untodes. Die dadurch entstehenden Potenziale diskutiert Peter Schuck an Zusammenhängen, die mit Begriffen wie Haiti, Geste, Apokalypse, Infektion und Gemeinschaft verbunden sind. Der Fokus der Text- und Filmlektüren, etwa zu Passage of Darkness, Night of the Living Dead und 28 Days Later, liegt dabei auf den je unterschiedlichen medialen, diskursiven und politischen Bedingungen und Effekten des zombischen Untodes. Ihr Plädoyer gilt der Unlesbarkeit der Zombies und insofern einem politischen Begriff ihrer vielen untoten Körper.
Vom Raum aus die Stadt denken
Authors: Löw Martina
Published: September 2018

Städte tragen einen Namen. Sie sind immer einzigartig. Als Räume jedoch sind Städte Orte in einem machtvollen Gefüge. In ihnen lagern eine Vielzahl von ungleichen, sich überlappenden, aufeinander verweisenden Raumstrukturen, die sich mit Gewinn gesellschaftstheoretisch lesen lassen. Eine raumtheoretische Perspektive auf Städte ermöglicht es, zwischen einer Differenzlogik von Räumen und einer Eigenlogik von Städten zu unterscheiden. Die raumtheoretische Sichtweise erlaubt zudem, die Brücke von der Soziologie zur Architektur und Planung zu schlagen. Vor dem Hintergrund internationaler und interdisziplinärer Debatten um Raum vereint Martina Löw Forschungen zur Eigenlogik der Städte mit raumsoziologischen Analysen und zeigt dadurch, wie Städte über Raum das soziale Leben strukturieren. Das Spektrum der Beiträge reicht von methodologischen Überlegungen zur Raumanalyse über Fallstudien zu grundlagentheoretischen Perspektiven auf Gegenwart und Zukunft der Raumsoziologie sowie der raumtheoretischen Stadtsoziologie.
Kolonial bewegte Jugend
Authors: Heyn Susanne
Published: September 2018

Das Ende des deutschen Kolonialreichs mobilisierte in der Weimarer Republik und der ehemaligen Kolonie Südwestafrika mehrheitlich revisionistische Aktivitäten. Welche Rolle nahm dabei die junge Generation ein? Koloniale Jugendgruppen widersetzten sich Instrumentalisierungsversuchen durch Erwachsene, indem sie unter Bezugnahme auf die bündische Jugend eigene nationalistische Visionen und Handlungsorientierungen entwickelten. Gleichzeitig nutzten deutsche Siedlernachkommen ihre Bildungsaufenthalte in Deutschland eher für individuelle Ziele, statt sich der Kolonialrevision zu verpflichten. Aus akteurszentrierter Perspektive zeichnet Susanne Heyn ein beziehungsgeschichtliches Bild dieser ersten postkolonialen Phase. Sie reflektiert die Grenzen des Weimarer Kolonialrevisionismus und arbeitet die disparaten Zukunftsvorstellungen von Jung und Alt sowie von Kolonialbewegung und deutschen Siedlerfamilien heraus.
Medienökologie I. Daten von Fakten? Überlegungen zu geologischen Simulationen und dem vernetzten Vesuv
Authors: Menges Saskia
Published: September 2018

Wie werden aus Daten Fakten? Und was bedeuten »Fakten« im gegenwärtigen technologisch bedingten Zeitalter überhaupt? Anhand eines Beispiels - dem nunmehr digital überwachten Vesuv - illustriert und überlegt dieser Beitrag, welche Veränderung der Faktbegriff erhält, wenn digitale Daten seine Grundlage werden.
Stadt der Vielfalt, Stadt in Bewegung. Ankunftsstadt Offenbach am Main
Authors: Schulze-Böing Matthias
Published: September 2018

Immigration ist eine besondere Herausforderung für Städte und Stadträume. Sie kann Stadträume stärken, stellt sie aber auch vor eine Reihe von Herausforderungen bei der Sicherung guter Lebensbedingungen und eines nachhaltigen sozialen Zusammenhalts. Ankunftsstädte sind vor besondere Herausforderungen gestellt, insofern sie oft von besonders hoher ethnischer Vielfalt, hohen Fluktuationsraten und den besonderen Problemen in frühen Phasen des Immigrationsprozesses betroffen sind. Die Stadt Offenbach wird als eine exemplarische Ankunftsstadt beschrieben. Sie verfolgt eine integrierte Integrationsstrategie, die verschiedene Politikfelder verknüpft und auf die Erhaltung und Stärkung des sozialen Kapitals in der Kommune abzielt.
Between Subject, Object, and Abject: Masculinities in the Spanish Picaresque
Authors: Schuhen Gregor
Published: September 2018

Gregor Schuhen widmet sich in seinem Beitrag der Inszenierung von Männlichkeit im spanischen Schelmenroman. Hierbei steht sowohl das homosoziale Machtgefüge der gattungsspezifischen Herr-Diener-Konstellation als auch die ironisch vorgebrachte Männlichkeitskritik des Ich-Erzählers im Zentrum der Analyse. Männlichkeit wird dabei sowohl als soziohistorische Variable und narrative Struktur zugleich verstanden. Nach eher allgemeinen Ausführungen zum Verhältnis von Masculinity Studies und Pikareskenforschung werden ausgewählte Episoden aus dem wichtigsten Basistext der novela picaresca, d.h. aus dem anonym veröffentlichen Lazarillo de Tormes (1554) auf ihre narrative Inszenierung von Maskulinität hin untersucht.
Subversion and Stabilization of the Sexes by Transgression in Grimmelshausen's Courasche (1669)
Authors: Lickhardt Maren
Published: September 2018

Maren Lickhardt widmet sich in ihrem Beitrag Grimmelshausens Frauenfigur Courage. Es wird herausgearbeitet, wie diese Figur in ihrer Anlage Geschlechterrollen transzendiert, durch ihre offenkundige heterosexuelle Sexualität aber andererseits bestätigt. Damit entwirft Grimmelshausen eine typisch pikareske ambivalente Figur. Als nicht ambivalent erweist sich hingegen das von Grimmelshausen entworfene gesellschaftliche Szenario. Hier enthüllt sich eine unerbittliche Bewertungskultur, die das Geschlecht der Figur von außen festschreibt und abwertet. Letztlich wird analysiert, wie dynamisch die Pole Transgression und Stabilisierung von Geschlechterrollen sowie Figur und fiktive Gesellschaft verhandelt werden, weil sich all dies über die pikareske, also nicht ganz glaubwürdige Erzählerstimme artikuliert. Weiblichkeit darf hier über sich selbst sprechen; sie kann aber im Rahmen des Genreformulars nicht als gänzlich vertrauenswürdig eingestuft werden.
Sprechen über Contergan
Authors: Crumbach Anne Helen
Published: September 2018

Mit dem Medikament Contergan ist bis heute einer der größten Arzneimittelskandale der westdeutschen Geschichte verbunden. Wie reagierten medizinische und politische Experten sprachlich auf die Meldungen über mögliche Nebenwirkungen des Medikaments? Und was geschah, als diese Meldungen öffentlich in der Presse bekannt wurden? Anne Helen Crumbach untersucht die Sprache im Contergan-Fall: Sie zeichnet nach, wie Journalisten eine eigene Art des Sprechens über Contergan entwickelten, während Mediziner und Politiker auf ihrem Expertenstatus und ihrer Fachsprache beharrten. Dieses konfliktreiche Sprechen über Contergan erzählt gleichzeitig eine Geschichte von Wandel und Kontinuität in den langen 1960er-Jahren.
Managerhandeln im globalen Kontext
Authors: Schalljo Martin
Published: September 2018

Deutungen der Wirklichkeit stellen nicht nur ein Ergebnis soziokultureller Prägung dar, sondern geben zugleich Aufschluss über Dynamiken gesellschaftlicher Prozesse. Die basalen Deutungsmuster der Wirklichkeit weisen zudem Raumbezüge auf, die im Zentrum dieser Untersuchung von Unternehmensübernahmen (Mergers & Acquisitions, M&A) stehen. Denn auch unternehmerisches Handeln, das oftmals als »Black Box« erscheint, unterliegt gesellschaftlicher Prägung. Martin Schalljos objektiv-hermeneutische Rekonstruktion der Dynamik von Nähe- und Distanzproduktionen in länderübergreifenden M&A verspricht sowohl eine Vertiefung der theoretischen Perspektive auf Managerhandeln im globalen Kontext als auch wertvolle Erkenntnisse für eine praxisnahe Sichtweise auf transnationale Kooperationen und kulturelle Faktoren, die bei M&A zum Tragen kommen.
Die Verteufelung des Handys. Oder wie Liebesbeziehungen in der Region Gilgits, Nordpakistan, neu verhandelt werden
Authors: Walter Anna-Maria
Published: September 2018

Anna-Maria Walter spürt in ihrem Beitrag der von älteren Generationen im pakistanischen Hochgebirge oft als demoralisierend empfundenen Technologie des Mobilfunks nach. An den Verbindungen, die das Handy ermöglicht, manifestiert sich der lokale Diskurs um sich wandelnde Liebeskonzepte und damit zusammenhängende Praktiken. Für viele junge (Ehe-)Paare stellt das Handy eine Chance dar, ein inniges emotionales Verhältnis aufzubauen und sich vor oder nach dem Arrangieren der zukünftigen Hochzeit näher kennenzulernen. Dennoch überschreiten Frauen soziale Grenzen kaum, dehnen sie eher aus, soweit es ihnen die verinnerlichte Norm schüchterner Zurückhaltung erlaubt. Das Konzept des embodiment umschreibt wie Denken, Handeln und Fühlen auf kulturellem Wissen basiert und gleichzeitig bewusst erfahren sowie ausgehandelt werden kann. Die unsichtbaren Kommunikationslinien des Mobilfunks entziehen sich dabei zwar sozialer Überwachung, orientieren sich aber an gewachsenen Normen und Werten.