bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysing Mussolini postcards
Authors: Sturani Enrico
Published: May 2013

During the Fascist regime millions of postcards circulated featuring Mussolini in many different guises and forms. This article reflects on their production, distribution and consumption and considers the extent to which they can be seen as part of the propaganda of a totalitarian regime. It also explores the meanings of the imagery of a selection of postcards. It argues that Mussolini postcards, despite their vast numbers, amounted in fact to only a small proportion of those circulating under the regime. Moreover, many of them were produced by private publishers for profit rather that Fascist organisations or the state. Therefore they cannot simply be considered as a manifestation of totalitarianism and must rather be conceived in large part as an effect of the impact of Mussolini on popular culture.
Social cohesion and economic development: some reflections on the Italian case
Authors: Busso Sandro , Storti Luca
Published: May 2013

The processes of globalisation, market deregulation and the retreat of the welfare state in advanced capitalist societies have revitalised the debate about how to reconcile economic development and social cohesion. This debate has been widespread in Italy, where great differences occur between local contexts as regards economic performance, the level of inequality and, more generally, the cohesion of the social fabric. Within this framework, this paper explores the level of both economic development and social cohesion in Italian provinces, through the analysis of secondary data. With particular reference to the Italian situation, the article therefore contributes to the debate on the focalisation and operationalisation of the two concepts. Finally, the complex relation between economic development and social cohesion is analysed, and its non-linear trend is outlined.
Kelly on Ockham’s Razor and Truth-Finding Efficiency
Authors: Fitzpatrick Simon
Published: May 2013

This article discusses Kevin Kelly’s recent attempt to justify Ockham’s Razor in terms of truth-finding efficiency. It is argued that Kelly’s justification fails to warrant confidence in the empirical content of theories recommended by Ockham’s Razor. This is a significant problem if, as Kelly and many others believe, considerations of simplicity play a pervasive role in scientific reasoning, underlying even our best tested theories, for the proposal will fail to warrant the use of these theories in practical prediction.
The small GTPase HRas shapes local PI3K signals through positive feedback and regulates persistent membrane extension in migrating fibroblasts
Authors: Thevathasan Jervis Vermal , Tan Elisabeth , Zheng Hui , Lin Yu-Chun , Li Yang , Inoue Takanari , Fivaz Marc
Published: May 2013

Self-amplification of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling is believed to regulate asymmetric membrane extension and cell migration, but the molecular organization of the underlying feedback circuit is elusive. Here we use an inducible approach to synthetically activate PI3K and interrogate the feedback circuitry governing self-enhancement of 3′-phosphoinositide (3-PI) signals in NIH3T3 fibroblasts. Synthetic activation of PI3K initially leads to uniform production of 3-PIs at the plasma membrane, followed by the appearance of asymmetric and highly amplified 3-PI signals. A detailed spatiotemporal analysis shows that local self-amplifying 3-PI signals drive rapid membrane extension with remarkable directional persistence and initiate a robust migratory response. This positive feedback loop is critically dependent on the small GTPase HRas. Silencing of HRas abrogates local amplification of 3-PI signals upon synthetic PI3K activation and results in short-lived protrusion events that do not support cell migration. Finally, our data indicate that this feedback circuit is likely to operate during platelet-derived growth factor–induced random cell migration. We conclude that positive feedback between PI3K and HRas is essential for fibroblasts to spontaneously self-organize and generate a productive migratory response in the absence of spatial cues.
Breast Milk Is Better Than Formula Milk in Preventing Parenteral Nutrition–Associated Liver Disease in Infants Receiving Prolonged Parenteral Nutrition
Authors: Kulkarni Sakil , Mercado Velma , Rios Mirta , Arboleda Richard , Gomara Roberto , Muinos William , Reeves‐Garcia Jesse , Hernandez Erick
Published: May 2013

Background and Aim:

Breast milk has been shown to be associated with greater success with regard to weaning children with intestinal failure off parenteral nutrition (PN). There are only a few studies investigating the role of breast milk in decreasing PN‐associated liver disease (PNALD). The aim of our study was to determine whether breast milk is better than formula milk in preventing PNALD in infants receiving PN for >4 weeks.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective analysis of newborns requiring prolonged parenteral nutrition. We divided the sample into 3 different groups (exclusive breast‐feeding, exclusive formula‐feeding, and mixed feeding. We compared baseline characteristics, feeding profiles and liver function tests, and liver enzymes among the 3 groups.

Results:

Among infants receiving PN for >4 weeks, we found that infants who were fed only breast milk were significantly less likely to develop PNALD (34.6%) compared with those who were fed only formula milk (72.7%; P = 0.008). The mean maximum conjugated bilirubin (P = 0.03) and the mean maximum aspartate aminotransferase were significantly lower in the breast‐fed group (P = 0.04) compared with the formula‐fed group. Among the mixed‐feeding group, infants who received a higher percentage of breast milk showed a significant negative correlation with the mean maximum conjugated bilirubin. (Pearson correlation −0.517, P = 0.027). The mean number of days receiving PN and the average daily lipid intake in the 2 groups was not significantly different.

Conclusions:

As a modality for early enteral nutrition, breast milk is protective against the development of PNALD in infants receiving PN for >4 weeks.
Human papillomavirus type 16 does not require cathepsin L or B for infection
Authors: Calton Christine M. , Schlegel Angela M. , Chapman Janice A. , Campos Samuel K.
Published: May 2013

Cathepsin L (CatL) and cathepsin B (CatB) are lysosomal proteases that many viruses utilize for capsid disassembly. We tested whether CatL and CatB are required for infection by human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16). CatL- and CatB-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts had higher levels of infection when compared with wild-type cells. Similar results were obtained in HaCaT keratinocytes treated with CatL- or CatB-specific small interfering RNA. Thus, CatL and CatB are not required for HPV16 infection but instead appear to restrict infection.
17β-Estradiol is necessary for extinction of cocaine seeking in female rats
Authors: Twining Robert C. , Tuscher Jennifer J. , Doncheck Elizabeth M. , Frick Karyn M. , Mueller Devin
Published: May 2013

Human and preclinical models of addiction demonstrate that gonadal hormones modulate acquisition of drug seeking. Little is known, however, about the effects of these hormones on extinction of drug-seeking behavior. Here, we investigated how 17β-estradiol (E2) affects expression and extinction of cocaine seeking in female rats. Using a conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm, ovariectomized rats were maintained throughout conditioning with 2 d of E2 treatment followed by 2 d of vehicle treatment, or were injected with E2 daily. Hormone injections were paired or explicitly unpaired with place conditioning sessions. Expression of a cocaine CPP was of equal magnitude regardless of conditioning protocol, suggesting that E2 levels during conditioning did not affect subsequent CPP expression. During extinction, daily E2 administration initially enhanced expression of the cocaine CPP, but resulted in significantly faster extinction compared to controls. Whereas E2-treated rats were extinguished within 8 d, vehicle-treated rats maintained CPP expression for more than a month, indicative of perseveration. To determine whether E2 could rescue extinction in these rats, half were given daily E2 treatment and half were given vehicle. E2-treated rats showed rapid extinction, whereas vehicle-treated rats continued to perseverate. These data demonstrate for the first time that E2 is necessary for extinction of cocaine seeking in female rats, and that it promotes rapid extinction when administered daily. Clinically, these findings suggest that monitoring and maintaining optimal E2 levels during exposure therapy would facilitate therapeutic interventions for female cocaine addicts.
Differential recruitment of distinct amygdalar nuclei across appetitive associative learning
Authors: Cole Sindy , Powell Daniel J. , Petrovich Gorica D.
Published: May 2013

The amygdala is important for reward-associated learning, but how distinct cell groups within this heterogeneous structure are recruited during appetitive learning is unclear. Here we used Fos induction to map the functional amygdalar circuitry recruited during early and late training sessions of Pavlovian appetitive conditioning. We found that a number of distinct amygdalar nuclei were differentially recruited by tone–food pairings during the early and late stages of training, suggesting evidence of learning-induced plasticity. Notably, these selectively activated nuclei belong to dissociable subsystems that are well placed to simultaneously inform cortical (cognitive) processing and behavioral control during tone–food learning.
Nonredundant Function of Zeins and Their Correct Stoichiometric Ratio Drive Protein Body Formation in Maize Endosperm
Authors: Guo Xiaomei , Yuan Lingling , Chen Han , Sato Shirley J. , Clemente Thomas E. , Holding David R.
Published: May 2013

Zeins, the maize (Zea mays) prolamin storage proteins, accumulate at very high levels in developing endosperm in endoplasmic reticulum membrane-bound protein bodies. Products of the multigene α-zein families and the single-gene γ-zein family are arranged in the central hydrophobic core and the cross-linked protein body periphery, respectively, but little is known of the specific roles of family members in protein body formation. Here, we used RNA interference suppression of different zein subclasses to abolish vitreous endosperm formation through a variety of effects on protein body density, size, and morphology. We showed that the 27-kilodalton (kD) γ-zein controls protein body initiation but is not involved in protein body filling. Conversely, other γ-zein family members function more in protein body expansion and not in protein body initiation. Reduction in both 19- and 22-kD α-zein subfamilies severely restricted protein body expansion but did not induce morphological abnormalities, which result from reduction of only the 22-kD α-zein class. Concomitant reduction of all zein classes resulted in severe reduction in protein body number but normal protein body size and morphology.
Alogliptin and its benzoate salt
Authors: Gelbrich Thomas , Kahlenberg Volker , Griesser Ulrich J.
Published: May 2013

The crystal structure of the free base of the antidiabetic drug alogliptin [systematic name: 2-({6-[(3R)-3-aminopiperidin-1-yl]-3-methyl-2,4-dioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidin-1-yl}methyl)benzonitrile], C18H21N5O2, displays a two-dimensional N—H...O hydrogen-bonded network. It contains two independent molecules, which have the same conformation but differ in their hydrogen-bond connectivity. In the crystal structure of the benzoate salt (systematic name: (3R)-1-{3-[(2-cyanophenyl)methyl]-1-methyl-2,6-dioxo-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyrimidin-4-yl}piperidin-3-aminium benzoate), C18H22N5O2+·C7H5O2−, the NH3+group of the cation is engaged in three intermolecular N—H...O hydrogen bonds to yield a hydrogen-bonded layer structure. The benzoate salt and the free base differ fundamentally in the conformations of their alogliptin moieties.
In situX-ray beam imaging using an off-axis magnifying coded aperture camera system
Authors: Kachatkou Anton , Kyele Nicholas , Scott Peter , van Silfhout Roelof
Published: May 2013

An imaging model and an image reconstruction algorithm for a transparent X-ray beam imaging and position measuring instrument are presented. The instrument relies on a coded aperture camera to record magnified images of the footprint of the incident beam on a thin foil placed in the beam at an oblique angle. The imaging model represents the instrument as a linear system whose impulse response takes into account the image blur owing to the finite thickness of the foil, the shape and size of camera's aperture and detector's point-spread function. The image reconstruction algorithm first removes the image blur using the modelled impulse response function and then corrects for geometrical distortions caused by the foil tilt. The performance of the image reconstruction algorithm was tested in experiments at synchrotron radiation beamlines. The results show that the proposed imaging system produces images of the X-ray beam cross section with a quality comparable with images obtained using X-ray cameras that are exposed to the direct beam.
Tensile properties of corroded embedded steel bars B500c in concrete
Authors: Apostolopoulos Ch. Alk. , Kappatos Vassilios
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The corrosion of reinforcing steel bars reduces significantly the life and durability of concrete structures. This critical concern causes great losses to the economy and industry. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the effects of corrosion on the tensile mechanical properties of embedded steel bars B500c in concrete.

Design/methodology/approach

The concept is based on the curve fitting modelling, as well the mathematical correlation of the tensile mechanical properties between corroded bare and corroded embedded steel bars. In order to achieve this, extensive experiments were carried out on both bare (Ø8, 10, 12, 16 and 18 mm) and embedded (Ø8 mm) steel bars B500c, which were subjected to artificially accelerated corrosive conditions in a chloride‐rich atmosphere for several exposure times.

Findings

The research results show that the estimation method is available and effective in simulating the tensile mechanical behaviour of corroded reinforcing steel bars B500c.

Originality/value

As far as is known, this is the first time that an advanced data processing technique has been employed to try to find the mathematical correlation of the existing corrosion damage on the residual tensile properties between bare and embedded steel bars. It is argued that these models can be developed in order to reduce the need for expensive experimental investigation in materials.
The changing role of management accounting in the transition from a family business to a non‐family business
Authors: Hiebl Martin R.W. , Feldbauer‐Durstmüller Birgit , Duller Christine
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of the present paper is to investigate whether the transition from a family business to a non‐family business affects the institutionalisation of management accounting.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on an online survey among all large and medium‐sized Austrian firms. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were used to test the impact of the level of family influence on aspects of the institutionalisation of management accounting. Firm size is included as the main control variable.

Findings

A lower level of influence from the controlling family was found to be correlated with the institutionalisation and intensification of management accounting in medium‐sized firms. For large firms, such a linear relationship could not be drawn. The level of education of management accountants was inversely correlated with the level of family influence in both large and medium‐sized firms.

Research limitations/implications

Further research into the reasons, underlying drivers and inter‐organisational promoters of management accounting change in family businesses is needed. Furthermore, the organisational impacts of the transition from family businesses to non‐family businesses deserve further investigation.

Originality/value

A framework for assessing the organisational effects of the transition from family businesses to non‐family businesses is provided. The empirical results on the impact of the transition on the institutionalisation of management accounting are presented. The level of family influence was found to act as a significant contextual factor for the organisation of management accounting in medium‐sized firms.
The development of MCS packages – balancing constituents' demands
Authors: Strauss Erik R. , Nevries Pascal , Weber Juergen
Published: May 2013

Purpose

This study aims to consider how emerging management control systems (MCS) form the MCS package of start‐up firms. Based on institutional theory, the authors aim to better understand reasons for introducing MCS and the reciprocity between the parts of the firm's overall MCS package.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors apply a qualitative cross‐sectional field study approach involving 74 interviews with key stakeholders in 20 young start‐up firms with venture capital financing. Interview data are fully transcribed, analysed, checked, and triangulated.

Findings

The results uncover the main constituents of start‐up firms in three different institutional fields (nascent, start‐up, post start‐up), which substantially impact on the introduction of new MCS and the subsequent MCS packages. The introduction of formal MCS seems to be divided into different phases.

Research limitations/implications

This study is subject to the limitations of case‐based research. Moreover, the theoretical underpinning of institutional theory potentially underestimates the influence of agency on social behaviour and structures.

Practical implications

The study highlights the major drivers of establishing a set of control systems through which the interests of different stakeholders are aligned. A multitude of concrete examples of managing controls are given, including reasons for their introduction and their effects.

Originality/value

This paper sheds light on the introduction of MCS in young firms. This complements prior research, which has almost exclusively focused on MCS in more mature and established firms. Moreover, the authors deepen prior insights that are primarily focused on isolated formal components of MCS, by understanding MCS as a package.
Working together: community and university partnerships
Authors: Hillier Yvonne
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how government policy has encouraged universities and their community group partnerships to work together through the relationship between the University of Brighton and members of community groups in Hastings who are researching recent educational regeneration in the town. It identifies lessons learnt from engaging community members with such research.

Design/methodology/approach

The University of Brighton in Hastings was set up to be a catalyst for change in one of the most deprived coastal towns in the country. The Coastal Regeneration Research Centre (CRRC) was created in 2008 to undertake a research‐led programme within, and focused upon, the community and has established a track record of research and engagement in this community. Research projects have been supported by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), East Sussex County Council (ESCC) and Hastings Borough Council (HBC) and the Ore Valley Forum.

Findings

The relationship between the University and its partners is exemplified through an example of a pilot project examining use of a children's centre in Hastings. This research draws upon work by Turning Point, a charity engaged primarily with social care which engages users within the community to become involved in research into the needs of their peers. Turning Point's successful approach was subsequently adopted in the pilot project examining how parents of pre‐school children engage with a children's community centre in a deprived area of Hastings. The pilot project involved two experienced parent researchers supporting six parent volunteers in their interviews with local parents of young children who engage to varying degrees with the local children's centre.

Originality/value

This paper examines how government policy has encouraged universities and their community group partnerships to work together to research recent educational regeneration in Hastings. It identifies lessons learnt from engaging community members with such research.
Development of productivity‐based estimating tool for energy and air emissions from earthwork construction activities
Authors: Hajji Apif M. , Lewis Phil
Published: May 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to present the framework for a model that can be used to estimate the production rate, activity duration, total fuel use, and total pollutants emissions from earthwork activities. A case study and sensitivity analysis for an excavator performing excavations are presented.

Design/methodology/approach

The tool is developed by combining the multiple linear regressions (MLR) approach for modeling the productivity with the EPA's NONROAD model. The excavator data were selected to build the productivity model, and emission factors of all type of pollutants from NONROAD model were used to estimate the total fuel use and emissions.

Findings

Results indicate that the excavator productivity model had high precision and accuracy, low bias, with trench depth and bucket size are in the model, it can explain 92 per cent variability of productivity rate data, and can be used as the basis for estimating the fuel quantities that will be required and the total expected pollutant emissions for the project.

Practical implications

The estimating tool proposed in this paper will be an effective means for assessing the fuel consumptions and air emissions of earthwork activities and will allow equipment owners or fleet managers, policy makers, and project stakeholders to evaluate their construction projects. The tool will help the contractors to estimate the fuel quantities and pollutant emissions, which would be valuable information for a preliminary environmental assessment of the project.

Originality/value

Although there are already methods and models for estimating productivity rate and emissions for heavy duty diesel (HDD) construction equipment, there currently is not a means for doing all of these at once.
Interpretation of tensor gravity data using an adaptive tilt angle method
Authors: Salem Ahmed , Masterton Sheona , Campbell Simon , Fairhead J. Derek , Dickinson Jade , Murphy Colm
Published: May 2013

Full Tensor Gravity Gradiometry (FTG) data are routinely used in exploration programmes to evaluate and explore geological complexities hosting hydrocarbon and mineral resources. FTG data are typically used to map a host structure and locate target responses of interest using a myriad of imaging techniques. Identified anomalies of interest are then examined using 2D and 3D forward and inverse modelling methods for depth estimation. However, such methods tend to be time consuming and reliant on an independent constraint for clarification. This paper presents a semi‐automatic method to interpret FTG data using an adaptive tilt angle approach. The present method uses only the three vertical tensor components of the FTG data (Tzx, Tzy and Tzz) with a scale value that is related to the nature of the source (point anomaly or linear anomaly). With this adaptation, it is possible to estimate the location and depth of simple buried gravity sources such as point masses, line masses and vertical and horizontal thin sheets, provided that these sources exist in isolation and that the FTG data have been sufficiently filtered to minimize the influence of noise. Computation times are fast, producing plausible results of single solution depth estimates that relate directly to anomalies. For thick sheets, the method can resolve the thickness of these layers assuming the depth to the top is known from drilling or other independent geophysical data. We demonstrate the practical utility of the method using examples of FTG data acquired over the Vinton Salt Dome, Louisiana, USA and basalt flows in the Faeroe‐Shetland Basin, UK. A major benefit of the method is the ability to quickly construct depth maps. Such results are used to produce best estimate initial depth to source maps that can act as initial models for any detailed quantitative modelling exercises using 2D/3D forward/inverse modelling techniques.
Ethical issues arising from the INTERGROWTH‐21st Fetal Growth Longitudinal Study
Authors: Burton F ,   for the International Fetal and Newborn Growth Consortium for the 21 Century (INTERGROWTH‐21)
Published: May 2013

The INTERGROWTH‐21st Project presented a complex set of ethical challenges given the involvement of health institutions in geographically and culturally diverse areas of the world, with differing attitudes to pregnancy. This paper addresses how the research team dealt with some of those issues.
Sudden Unexpected Death due to Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Syndrome
Authors: Chute Dennis J. , Rawley James , Cox John , Bready Robert J.
Published: May 2013

The hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) syndrome is a hyperimmune disorder characterized by lymphohistiocytic infiltrations, elevated cytokine levels in the blood, macrophage activation, and hemophagocytosis, frequently presenting with a febrile septic picture. This unusual disease is more common in infancy and childhood than adulthood. It is classified as primary or familial when a genetic defect is identified and secondary or acquired when triggered by certain infections, autoimmune disorders, or malignancies. If or when such patients expire, they typically do so within a hospital or under a physician's care and so such cases rarely come to the attention of forensic pathologists. We report on the unexpected deaths of two hospitalized adult cases of HLH brought to autopsy without a premortem diagnosis. Postmortem examination demonstrated marked hepatosplenomegaly and lymphadenopathy in association with hemophagocytosis. Although very uncommon HLH must be considered in infants, children, or adults who die unexpectedly with an undiagnosed septic presentation.
Butalbital and Driving Impairment
Authors: Yeakel Jillian K. , Logan Barry K.
Published: May 2013

Butalbital (Fiorinal®), used in the treatment of migraines and muscle pain, is the most commonly encountered barbiturate in impaired driving cases. It has central nervous system (CNS) depressant properties, including sedation, drowsiness, and feelings of intoxication, which can contribute to driving impairment. Twenty‐six driving under the influence cases are reviewed including results from field sobriety tests and toxicology testing. Blood samples were screened using enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique immunoassay, and the presence of butalbital was confirmed and quantified using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, gas chromatography with flame ionization detection, or gas chromatography nitrogen/phosphorus detection. Butalbital concentrations ranged from 1.0 to 30.2 mg/L, with a mean and median of 16.0 mg/L. General impairment indicators in these cases included horizontal and vertical nystagmus, lack of convergence, poor motor coordination, and balance and speech problems, which are common to CNS depressant intoxication, similar to that associated with alcohol. These findings indicate the importance of toxicological testing for butalbital in cases where CNS depressants are indicated.
Variability in the Blood/Breath Alcohol Ratio and Implications for Evidentiary Purposes
Authors: Jaffe Dena H. , Siman‐Tov Maya , Gopher Asher , Peleg Kobi
Published: May 2013

The breath analyzer is an indispensable tool for identifying alcohol levels among drivers. While numerous studies have shown high correlations between blood and breath alcohol concentrations, most are limited by the study design. This study seeks to assess this relationship by minimizing potential measurement bias, document time from alcohol consumption to testing, and adjusting for potential confounders. A blinded study was performed using conditions closely resembling those in the field. The Draeger 7110 MKIII IL breath analyzer was used to assess breath alcohol concentrations (BrAC). Participants were 61 healthy volunteers aged 21–37 years with body mass index ≤30 and no history of alcoholism. A total of 242 valid blood/breath tests were performed in four test sets. The study results showed a high correlation coefficient between BrAC and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels (r = 0.983) with high sensitivity (97%) and specificity (93%). This strong association between the breath analyzer and BAC persisted even after adjustment for various stages of alcohol absorption. These results illustrate the high diagnostic sensitivity of the breath analyzer in field‐tested conditions.
Survival of transplanted nests of the red wood antFormica aquilonia(Hymenoptera: Formicidae): The effects of intraspecific competition and forest clear‐cutting
Authors: Sorvari Jouni , Huhta Esa , Hakkarainen Harri
Published: May 2013

The fitness and survival of ant colonies depend on the resources near their nests. These resources may be limited due to poor habitat quality or by intra‐ and interspecific competitions, which in extreme cases may cause the ant colony to perish. We tested the effect of intraspecific competition and habitat degradation (forest clear‐cutting) on colony survival by transplanting 26 nests of the red wood ant (Formica aquiloniaYarrow, 1955) in 26 different forest areas that contained 0–11 conspecific alien nests per hectare.F. aquiloniais highly dependent on canopy‐dwelling aphids, thus the removal of trees should cause food limitation. During the course of the 4‐year experiment, 9 of the forests were partially clear‐cut. We found that while forest clear‐cutting significantly decreased the colonies’ survival, intraspecific competition did not. As a highly polygynous and polydomous species,F. aquiloniaseems to tolerate the presence of alien conspecific colonies to a certain extent.
Phylogenetic relationships of the Australian Oligo–Miocene ratite Emuarius gidju Casuariidae
Authors: WORTHY Trevor H. , HAND Suzanne J. , ARCHER Michael
Published: May 2013

In Australia, ratites (Aves: Palaeognathae) are represented in the extant fauna by the family Casuariidae with 1 species of emu Dromaius novaehollandiae and 1 cassowary Casuarius casuarius. The Australian fossil record reveals no other extinct ratite families but there are a number of other casuariid species. Most significant of these, due to its Oligo–Miocene age and because it is known from abundant material, is Emuarius gidju. Here, we describe additional material and confirm that the taxon had a temporal range of Late Oligocene to Middle Miocene (approximately 24–15 Ma). We reveal new morphological details, including notably that the species had relatively much smaller eyes than D. novaehollandiae, in addition to a less well‐developed cursorial ability, as inferred from its pelvic limb. In these respects, Emuarius is similar to Casuarius and suggest that it was adapted to denser vegetation than the open woodlands and grasslands that characterise much of Australia today and to which D. novaehollandiae, with its large eyes and enhanced cursorial ability, is strongly adapted. Emuarius was compared to and found to be distinct from the poorly provenanced Australian fossil species C. lydekkeri. We conducted a phylogenetic analysis of morphological data that robustly shows that E. gidju is the sister taxon of Dromaius and together these taxa form a clade that is sister to Casuarius. This indicates that the evolution towards enhanced cursorality that characterises Dromaius took place after the divergence of the emu–cassowary lineages and was likely not the driving mechanism of this divergence. Comparisons between D. novaehollandiae and D. baudinianus revealed no qualitative skeletal differences and we suggest that the latter taxon is best considered to be an island dwarf that should be taxonomically recognized at a subspecific level only.
Laryngeal spasm after general anaesthesia due to Ascaris lumbricoides
Authors: FINSNES K.D.
Published: May 2013

Postoperative upper airway obstruction during recovery from general anaesthesia may have several causes. This is a report of a young girl who developed laryngeal spasm as a result of an ectopic roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides.
Higher moments and beta asymmetry: evidence from Australia
Authors: Doan Minh Phuong , Lin Chien‐Ting , Chng Michael
Published: May 2013

We examine whether systematic higher moments capture beta asymmetry in an asset pricing model whereby the conditional beta of a risky asset increases (decreases) during a bear (bull) market state. We first provide a simple conceptual outline from the microeconomic literature to show that beta asymmetry is driven by time‐varying higher‐order risk preferences (prudence and temperance) across different market states. We then empirically relate these higher‐order risk preferences to systematic skewness and systematic kurtosis. We find that beta asymmetry in Australian stock returns cannot be explained by Carhart (1997) 4‐factor model but is subsumed by systematic higher moments.
How People Moved among Ancient Societies: Broadening the View
Authors: Cameron Catherine M.
Published: May 2013

Archaeologists have made great strides in understanding prehistoric migration, yet they have tended to focus on only part of the continuum of human movement. In nonstate societies, individuals and groups moved frequently across social and environmental boundaries for a range of reasons. Although archaeologists are well aware of the fluid nature of social boundaries, we are only beginning to use this knowledge to understand human movement. I use ethnohistoric and ethnographic examples to show that people in nonstate societies moved frequently as a result of warfare and captive taking, processes of fission and fusion, and random demographic events typical of small‐scale societies. Such movement was often hurried, sometimes coerced, and decision making could be constrained by social factors beyond migrants’ control. Illustrated with a case study from the American Southwest, I argue here that consideration of such forms of movement can significantly improve our interpretations of the past.
On Precariousness and the Ethical Imagination: The Year 2012 in Sociocultural Anthropology
Authors: Muehlebach Andrea
Published: May 2013

I dedicate this essay to anthropologists’ heightened attunement to precarity but also to what Michel‐Rolph Trouillot, who passed away last year, called our “moral optimism.” As I show, much of our work is written from within and against precarity while at the same time being committed to this specifically anthropological ethic. This ethic permeates many of the articles surveyed here and can be found in all of the sections into which they are grouped: On Capital and How We Can Know It; Ethical Encounters; Politics and Protest; Religious Ethics; and Anatomies of Relatedness. I ask what the task of ethnography is now that “things are falling apart, again.” This question is crucial because precarity has inserted itself into the very heart of anthropology itself.
Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer regime affect jarrah forest restoration after bauxite mining in Western Australia
Authors: Daws Matthew I. , Standish Rachel J. , Koch John M. , Morald Tim K.
Published: May 2013

Question

Removal of vegetation and disturbance of the soil profile during mining reduce nutrient pools available for plants during mine site restoration. Thus, fertilizer is needed to replace the loss of nutrients available to support vegetation establishment. Yet the application of fertilizer can promote the establishment of competitively dominant species to the exclusion of others, particularly in low‐fertility ecosystems. Here, we test effects of fertilizer application rates on the establishment of jarrah forest.

Location

Five restored mine pits in the jarrah forest that grows on low‐fertility soils in southwest Western Australia.

Methods

Nitrogen (0 and 20 kg elemental N·ha−1) and phosphorus (0, 10, 20 and 40 kg elemental P·ha−1) were applied factorially to 20 m × 20 m field plots at five sites restored after bauxite mining with seeds and seedlings of jarrah forest species.

Results

Two and a half years after the experiment was established, there were no effects of N application rates on species richness, percentage vegetation cover or community composition of the restored jarrah forest. In contrast, P application had a number of effects on the restored jarrah forest. Species richness was highest at intermediate P application rates (10–20 kg·ha−1) and lowest at the two extreme treatments (0 and 40 kg·ha−1). Higher rates of P application resulted in a higher seedling density (2.5 vs 5.0 m−2 for 0 and 40 kg P·ha−1, respectively) and increased plant cover. Fertilizer P also significantly affected community composition, favouring ephemerals and weeds at high application rates and re‐sprouting species at lower application rates. Community composition was more similar to the restoration target (unmined jarrah forest) at 0 kg·P·ha−1 (similarity value of 36%) than at higher P application rates.

Conclusions

The data suggest that, in terms of maximizing species richness and percentage cover, a P application rate of between 10 kg·P·ha−1and 20 kg·P·ha−1is optimal for jarrah forest restoration after bauxite mining. Additionally, the data suggest no benefit of N application at a rate of 20 kg·N·ha−1.
Children's high‐level writing skills: Development of planning and revising and their contribution to writing quality
Authors: Limpo Teresa , Alves Rui A. , Fidalgo Raquel
Published: May 2013

Background

It is well established that the activity of producing a text is a complex one involving three main cognitive processes: Planning, translating, and revising. Although these processes are crucial in skilled writing, beginning and developing writers seem to struggle with them, mainly with planning and revising.

Aims

To trace the development of the high‐level writing processes of planning and revising, from Grades 4 to 9, and to examine whether these skills predict writing quality in younger and older students (Grades 4–6 vs. 7–9), after controlling for gender, school achievement, age, handwriting fluency, spelling, and text structure.

Sample

Participants were 381 students from Grades 4 to 9 (age 9–15).

Method

Students were asked to plan and write a story and to revise another story by detecting and correcting mechanical and substantive errors.

Results

From Grades 4 to 9, we found a growing trend in students' ability to plan and revise despite the observed decreases and stationary periods from Grades 4 to 5 and 6 to 7. Moreover, whereas younger students' planning and revising skills made no contribution to the quality of their writing, in older students, these high‐level skills contributed to writing quality above and beyond control predictors.

Conclusion

The findings of this study seem to indicate that besides the increase in planning and revising, these skills are not fully operational in school‐age children. Indeed, given the contribution of these high‐level skills to older students' writing, supplementary instruction and practice should be provided from early on.
Snapshot of transurethral resection of bladder tumours in the United Kingdom Audit (STUKA)
Authors: Gan Christine , Patel Amit , Fowler Sarah , Catto James , Rosario Derek , O'Brien Timothy
Published: May 2013

Objectives

To determine the quality of transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) in the UK.

To evaluate the utility of a novel ‘snapshot’ methodology in carrying out national audits.

Patients and Methods

Every consultant Urologist in the UK was asked to contribute details of their first patient with a new bladder cancer treated with TURBT after midnight of 31st January 2010.

Responses were received from 192 consultants.

Results

The median (range) time from referral to first Urology appointment was 11 (0–161) days, and the median (range) time from first appointment to TURBT was 27 (1–588) days.

In all, 12 (6.3%) patients underwent photodynamic diagnosis‐assisted TURBT and 119 patients (61%) received a dose of Mitomycin C after TURBT.

The rate of major complications was low, with five incidences (2.6%) of bladder perforation.

There was no record of muscle present in resected specimens in 40 cases (20.8%) and resection was considered incomplete in 26 cases (13.5%). In all, 31 patients (16.1%) underwent early re‐resection with residual tumour or carcinoma in situ detected in 17 cases, although no tumour was upstaged.

Of the 37 patients classified with intermediate‐risk non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), there were nine recurrences (24.3%) at 3 months, and 13 recurrences (35.1%) at 1 year. Newly presenting MIBC managed with currently available treatments has a high mortality rate of 33.3% at 1 year.

Conclusions

The quality of TURBT in the UK is high.

Areas for improvement include the timeliness of diagnosis and treatment, and improved care of patients with intermediate‐risk NMIBC and MIBC.

The ‘snapshot’ methodology is promising but widening participation is a priority.
Yucatecan–Mexican Relations at the Time of Independence: The Yucatecan Pronunciamiento of 1821
Authors: ALI SHARA
Published: May 2013

This article will explore local Yucatecan politicking and the Yucatecan–Mexican relationship at the time of independence, using Yucatán's pronunciamiento for independence in September 1821 as a case study. This examination will highlight the fact that, while local ambitions played a significant role in Yucatán's bid for independence, this did not necessarily detract from Yucatecans' attempts to not only engage with national political movements, but also to unite with Mexico. This in turn will take further historians' recent attempts to revise the traditional perception of Yucatán as one of the more pro‐autonomous and isolated states of early nineteenth‐century Mexico.
MIS 5/4 transition in a mountain environment: herpetofaunal assemblages from Cueva del Camino, central Spain
Authors: Blain Hugues‐Alexandre , Laplana César , Sevilla Paloma , Arsuaga Juan Luis , Baquedano Enrique , Pérez‐González Alfredo
Published: May 2013

The Cueva del Camino site (Pinilla del Valle, Madrid, Spain) is located in the upper valley of the Lozoya River in the Sierra de Guadarrama, a mountain range extending NE−SW within the Central Range System. Due to its location within a mountain range on the central Iberian Peninsula at an altitude of 1114 m a.s.l. and the numerical dating of its sediments, the palaeontological site of Cueva del Camino has proved a highly relevant location for studying the ecological changes linked to the climatic fluctuations at the end of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 and the beginning of MIS 4. Environmental reconstructions suggest a rather open, patchy landscape throughout the succession, with abundant evidence of dry meadows, scrublands and rocky habitats. The climate can be considered as generally warm, reaching mean annual temperatures (MATs) of up to 13.8°C (i.e. higher than today's by up to 2.9°C). Three cooler events can be seen throughout the succession as reflected by the presence of Rana iberica, Anguis fragilis and Coronella austriaca. The first of these events may correlate with MIS 5b; the second in the Central sector may correlate with the Stadial I pollen event occurring at the end of MIS 5a; and the third event, corresponding to the coldest MAT of the entire succession with MATs 0.9°C lower than today's, may correspond to the transition from MIS 5a to MIS 4. The evolution of mean annual precipitation (MAP) is characterized by warm periods, drier and cold periods, as well as wetter periods (up to +356 mm compared to today's MAP values), similar to what occurs today in the high‐elevation areas of the neighbouring mountains. Our study gives new quantitative estimations for the climatic fluctuations in mountain environments of central Spain at the MIS 5/4 transition and their associated ecological changes.
Histological and prognostic importance of CD44+/CD24+/EpCAM+ expression in clinical pancreatic cancer
Authors: Ohara Yusuke , Oda Tatsuya , Sugano Masato , Hashimoto Shinji , Enomoto Tsuyoshi , Yamada Keiichi , Akashi Yoshimasa , Miyamoto Ryoichi , Kobayashi Akihiko , Fukunaga Kiyoshi , Morishita Yukio , Ohkohchi Nobuhiro
Published: May 2013

CD44+/CD24+/EpCAM+ cells have been reported to be cancer stem cells in pancreatic cancer; however, the histological and clinical importance of these cells has not yet been investigated. Here we clarified the characteristics of CD44+/CD24+/EpCAM+ cells in clinical specimens of pancreatic cancer using immunohistochemical assay. We used surgical specimens of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma from 101 patients. In view of tumor heterogeneity, we randomly selected 10 high‐power fields per case, and triple‐positive CD44+/CD24+/EpCAM+ expression was identified using our scoring system. The distribution, histological characteristics, and prognostic importance of CD44+/CD24+/EpCAM+ cells were then analyzed. As a result, the distribution of CD44+/CD24+/EpCAM+ cells varied widely among the 101 cases examined, and CD44+/CD24+/EpCAM+ expression was correlated with poor glandular differentiation and high proliferation. Survival analysis showed that CD44+/CD24+/EpCAM+ expression was not correlated with patient outcome; however, CD44+/CD24+ expression appeared to be correlated with poor prognosis. In conclusion, CD44+/CD24+/EpCAM+ expression overlapped with poorly differentiated cells and possessed high proliferative potential in clinical pancreatic cancer. In particular, the presence of double‐positive CD44+/CD24+ expression seemed to have clinical relevance, associating with poor prognosis.
Roles of AML1/RUNX1 in T‐cell malignancy induced by loss of p53
Authors: Shimizu Kimiko , Yamagata Kazutsune , Kurokawa Mineo , Mizutani Shuki , Tsunematsu Yukiko , Kitabayashi Issay
Published: May 2013

AML1/RUNX1 is a frequent target of chromosome translocations and mutations in myeloid and B‐cell leukemias, and upregulation of AML1 is also observed in some cases of T‐cell leukemias and lymphomas. This study shows that the incidence of thymic lymphoma in p53‐null mice is less frequent in the Aml1+/− than in the Aml1+/+ background. AML1 is upregulated in p53‐null mouse bone‐marrow cells and embryonic fibroblasts. In the steady state, p53 binds to and inhibits the distal AML1 promoter. When the cells are exposed to stresses, p53 is released from the distal AML1 promoter, resulting in upregulation of AML1. Overexpression of AML1 stimulates T‐lymphocyte proliferation. These results suggest that upregulation of AML1 induced by loss of p53 promotes lymphoid‐cell proliferation, thereby inducing lymphoma development.
Ghrelin suppression is associated with weight loss and insulin action following gastric bypass surgery at 12 months in obese adults with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Samat A. , Malin S. K. , Huang H. , Schauer P. R. , Kirwan J. P. , Kashyap S. R.
Published: May 2013

Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery reverses type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in approximately 80% of patients. Ghrelin regulates glucose homeostasis, but its role in T2DM remission after RYGB surgery is unclear. Nine obese T2DM subjects underwent a mixed meal tolerance test before and at 1 and 12 months after RYGB surgery. Changes in ghrelin, body weight, glucagon‐like polypeptide‐1 (GLP‐1, glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity (IS) were measured. At 1 month, body weight, glycaemia and IS were improved, while ghrelin concentrations were reduced (p < 0.05). After 12 months, body weight and fasting glucose were reduced (30 and 16%, respectively; p < 0.05) and IS was enhanced (threefold; p < 0.05). Ghrelin suppression improved by 32% at 12 months (p < 0.05), and this was associated with weight loss (r = 0.72, p = 0.03), enhanced IS (r = −0.78, p = 0.01) and peak postprandial GLP‐1 (r = −0.73, p = 0.03). These data suggest that postprandial ghrelin suppression may be part of the mechanism that contributes to diabetes remission after RYGB surgery.