bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Body fat mass is a predictor of risk of osteoporotic fractures in women but not in men: a prospective population study
Authors: Moayyeri A. , Luben R. N. , Wareham N. J. , Khaw K.‐T.
Published: August 2011

Abstract.  Moayyeri A, Luben RN, Wareham NJ, Khaw K‐T (University of Cambridge, Cambridge; Institute of Metabolic Science; Cambridge, UK). Body fat mass is a predictor of risk of osteoporotic fractures in women but not in men: a prospective population study. J Intern Med 2012; 271: 472–480.

Objectives.  Obesity has generally been associated with higher bone density and lower fracture risk. However, weight‐related indices of obesity may be related differently to health end‐points, compared with fat‐related indices (such as body fat distribution and fat mass), as they may capture different dimensions of obesity and the associated biological effects. The aim of this study was to examine the association between percentage body fat (%BF) and prospective risk of fracture.

Methods.  The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) in Norfolk was a population‐based prospective study. A total of 14 789 participants (6470 men, aged 42–82 years at baseline) were included. The main outcome measures were quantitative ultrasound of the heel and incident hip and any osteoporotic fractures.

Results.  A total of 556 participants suffered a fracture (184 hip fractures) during 8.7 ± 0.8 years of follow‐up. Risk of hip fracture decreased linearly with increasing %BF amongst women but not men. After adjustment for age, history of fracture, height, smoking, alcohol intake and heel broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA), the hazard ratio (95% CI) for a 10% higher %BF on risk of hip fracture was 0.56 (0.39–0.79) in women and 0.92 (0.39–2.21) in men. The effect size in women was approximately equivalent to a difference of 5 years in age or 1 standard deviation (17 dB MHz−1) increased BUA. A nonlinear negative association was also observed between %BF and risk of ‘any type of fracture’ amongst women but not men.

Conclusions.  The %BF appears to predict hip fracture risk in women with an effect size comparable to that of bone density as measured by heel ultrasound. This effect was not observed in men. Understanding the differences in relationships between different indices of obesity as well as sex differences may help to elucidate the metabolic and other underlying mechanisms involved in bone health and fracture risk.
Factors associated with good self‐management in older adults with a schizophrenic disorder compared with older adults with physical illnesses
Authors: STEIN‐PARBURY J. , GALLAGHER R. , CHENOWETH L. , LUSCOMBE G. M.
Published: August 2011

Accessible summary

There are an increasing number of older people living with a schizophrenic illness and the specific needs of this population have received scant attention especially in relation to their illness self‐management.

This study demonstrated that the illness self‐management of a group of older adults diagnosed with a schizophrenic illness was worse in comparison with their peers with a diagnosed chronic physical illness.

In people with a schizophrenic disorder poor self‐rated health and the presence of comorbid conditions negatively affect self‐management factors, whereas being married, voluntarily treated and a greater sense of coherence have a positive effect.

Nurse can assist older people with a schizophrenic disorder to improve their illness self‐management by working collaboratively with them and enabling them to gain a better understanding of their illness, monitor their symptoms, attend to their general health and respond appropriately to symptoms of ill health.

The number of older people living with a schizophrenic disorder (SD) is increasing yet little attention paid has been paid to the needs of this population relative to people with other chronic illnesses. In order to achieve optimal functioning people with a SD need to manage their illness and its impact; therefore, this study set out to determine the factors associated with self‐management in this population. The illness management of people over 50 years of age and living with schizophrenia (n= 84) was compared with their peers who were diagnosed with a chronic physical illness (n= 216). Participants completed a survey that included an illness management inventory, self‐rated health and sense of coherence. The results demonstrated that participants with a SD had lower illness management levels, particularly for understanding their symptoms and taking appropriate actions in relation to health care. Poor self‐rated health and the presence of comorbid conditions had a pervasive negative effect on self‐management factors in the SD group, whereas being married, having a greater sense of coherence and being voluntary to treatment had a positive effect. Nurses need to develop strategies to address general health and self‐management in older adults living with a SD.
N‐linked glycosylation in Archaea: two paths to the same glycan
Authors: Guerry Patricia
Published: August 2011

N‐linked protein glycosylation occurs in all three branches of life, eukaryotes, bacteria and archaea. The simplest system is that of the bacterium, Campylobacter jejuni, in which a heptasaccharide glycan is added to multiple proteins from a single lipid carrier molecule. In the eukaryotic system a conserved tetradecasaccharide modification is first added to target proteins, but is then modified by trimming and addition of other glycans from additional carrier molecules resulting in a diverse array of glycans of distinct functionality. In the halophilic Archaea from the Dead Sea, Haloferax volcanii, the surface array or S‐layer protein is glycosylated with a pentasaccharide. This glycan is synthesized from two separate carrier molecules, one that carries a tetrasaccharide and another that carries the terminal mannose, in a process that is analogous to that of eukaryotes. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology the glycosylation of the S‐layer of another halophilic Archaea from the Dead Sea, Haloarcula marismortui is characterized (Calo et al., 2011). This S‐layer is glycosylated with the same pentasaccharide as that of Hfx.  volcanii, but the intact pentasaccharide is synthesized on a single carrier molecule in Har. marismortui in a process that more closely resembles that of the bacterial N‐linked system.
Repression of shade‐avoidance reactions by sunfleck induction of HY5 expression in Arabidopsis
Authors: Sellaro Romina , Yanovsky Marcelo J. , Casal Jorge J.
Published: August 2011

The light environment provides signals that play a critical role in the control of stem growth in plants. The reduced irradiance and altered spectral composition of shade light promote stem growth compared with unfiltered sunlight. However, whereas most studies have used seedlings exposed to contrasting but constant light treatments, the natural light environment may exhibit strong fluctuations. As a result of gaps in the canopy, plants shaded by neighbours may experience sunflecks, i.e. brief periods of exposure to unfiltered sunlight. Here, we show that sunflecks are perceived by phytochromes A and B, and inhibit hypocotyl growth in Arabidopsis thaliana mainly if they occur during the final portion of the photoperiod. By using forward and reverse genetic approaches we found that ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5, LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL, PHYTOCHROME KINASE SUBSTRATE 4 and auxin signalling are key players in this response.
Medicago truncatula mtpt4 mutants reveal a role for nitrogen in the regulation of arbuscule degeneration in arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis
Authors: Javot Hélène , Penmetsa R. Varma , Breuillin Florence , Bhattarai Kishor K. , Noar Roslyn D. , Gomez S. Karen , Zhang Quan , Cook Douglas R. , Harrison Maria J.
Published: August 2011

Plants acquire essential mineral nutrients such as phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) directly from the soil, but the majority of the vascular plants also gain access to these mineral nutrients through endosymbiotic associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. In AM symbiosis, the fungi deliver P and N to the root through branched hyphae called arbuscules. Previously we identified MtPT4, a Medicago truncatula phosphate transporter located in the periarbuscular membrane that is essential for symbiotic phosphate transport and for maintenance of the symbiosis. In mtpt4 mutants arbuscule degeneration occurs prematurely and symbiosis fails. Here, we show that premature arbuscule degeneration occurs in mtpt4 mutants even when the fungus has access to carbon from a nurse plant. Thus, carbon limitation is unlikely to be the primary cause of fungal death. Surprisingly, premature arbuscule degeneration is suppressed if mtpt4 mutants are deprived of nitrogen. In mtpt4 mutants with a low N status, arbuscule lifespan does not differ from that of the wild type, colonization of the mtpt4 root system occurs as in the wild type and the fungus completes its life cycle. Sulphur is another essential macronutrient delivered to the plant by the AM fungus; however, suppression of premature arbuscule degeneration does not occur in sulphur‐deprived mtpt4 plants. The mtpt4 arbuscule phenotype is strongly correlated with shoot N levels. Analyses of an mtpt4‐2 sunn‐1 double mutant indicates that SUNN, required for N‐mediated autoregulation of nodulation, is not involved. Together, the data reveal an unexpected role for N in the regulation of arbuscule lifespan in AM symbiosis.
Cyclic electron flow around photosystem I via chloroplast NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (NDH) complex performs a significant physiological role during photosynthesis and plant growth at low temperature in rice
Authors: Yamori Wataru , Sakata Naoki , Suzuki Yuji , Shikanai Toshiharu , Makino Amane
Published: August 2011

The role of NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (NDH)‐dependent cyclic electron flow around photosystem I in photosynthetic regulation and plant growth at several temperatures was examined in rice (Oryza sativa) that is defective in CHLORORESPIRATORY REDUCTION 6 (CRR6), which is required for accumulation of sub‐complex A of the chloroplast NDH complex (crr6). NdhK was not detected by Western blot analysis in crr6 mutants, resulting in lack of a transient post‐illumination increase in chlorophyll fluorescence, and confirming that crr6 mutants lack NDH activity. When plants were grown at 28 or 35°C, all examined photosynthetic parameters, including the CO2 assimilation rate and the electron transport rate around photosystems I and II, at each growth temperature at light intensities above growth light (i.e. 800 μmol photons m−2 sec−1), were similar between crr6 mutants and control plants. However, when plants were grown at 20°C, all the examined photosynthetic parameters were significantly lower in crr6 mutants than control plants, and this effect on photosynthesis caused a corresponding reduction in plant biomass. The Fv/Fm ratio was only slightly lower in crr6 mutants than in control plants after short‐term strong light treatment at 20°C. However, after long‐term acclimation to the low temperature, impairment of cyclic electron flow suppressed non‐photochemical quenching and promoted reduction of the plastoquinone pool in crr6 mutants. Taken together, our experiments show that NDH‐dependent cyclic electron flow plays a significant physiological role in rice during photosynthesis and plant growth at low temperature.
The significance of glutathione for photoprotection at contrasting temperatures in the alpine plant species Soldanella alpina and Ranunculus glacialis
Authors: Laureau Constance , Bligny Richard , Streb Peter
Published: August 2011

The significance of total glutathione content was investigated in two alpine plant species with highly differing antioxidative scavenging capacity. Leaves of Soldanella alpina and Ranunculus glacialis incubated for 48 h in the presence of buthionine–sulfoximine had 50% lower glutathione contents when compared with leaves incubated in water. The low leaf glutathione content was not compensated for by activation of other components involved in antioxidative protection or electron consumption. However, leaves with normal but not with low glutathione content increased their ascorbate content during high light (HL) treatment (S. alpina) or catalase activity at low temperature (LT) (R. glacialis), suggesting that the mere decline of the leaf glutathione content does not act as a signal to ameliorate antioxidative protection by alternative mechanisms. CO2‐saturated oxygen evolution was not affected in glutathione‐depleted leaves at various temperatures, except at 35°C, thereby increasing the high temperature (HT) sensitivity of both alpine species. Leaves with low and normal glutathione content were similarly resistant to photoinhibition and photodamage during HL treatment at ambient temperature in the presence and absence of paraquat or at LT. However, HL‐ and HT‐induced photoinhibition increased in leaves with low compared to leaves with normal glutathione content, mainly because the recovery after heat inactivation was retarded in glutathione‐depleted leaves. Differences in the response of photosystem II (PSII) activity and CO2‐saturated photosynthesis suggest that PSII is not the primary target during HL inactivation at HT. The results are discussed with respect to the role of antioxidative protection as a safety valve for temperature extremes to which plants are not acclimated.
A critical discourse analysis of British national newspaper representations of the academic level of nurse education: too clever for our own good?
Authors: Gillett Karen
Published: August 2011

GILLETT K. Nursing Inquiry 2012; 19: 297–307  A critical discourse analysis of British national newspaper representations of the academic level of nurse education: too clever for our own good?

This critical discourse analysis examines articles about the academic level of nurse education that appeared in British national newspapers between 1999 and 2009. British newspaper journalists regularly attribute problems with recruitment into nursing and nursing care to the increasing academic nature of nurse education. It is impossible to separate discourse about nurse education from the wider nursing discourse. Many journalists laud a traditional and stereotypical construct of nurse identity and suggest that increasing nurse education produces nurses who are ‘too clever to care’. This article argues that whilst nurses lack a voice in the National press, they have little input into the construction of newspaper discourse about nurse education and subsequently, limited influence on resulting public opinion, government policy and the morale of nurses.
Roflumilast in Asian patients with COPD: A randomized placebo‐controlled trial
Authors: LEE SANG‐DO , HUI DAVID S. C. , MAHAYIDDIN AZIAH A. , ROA JR CAMILO C. , KWA KHENG HOE , GOEHRING UDO‐MICHAEL , BREDENBRÖKER DIRK , KUO HAN‐PIN
Published: August 2011

Background and objective:  Roflumilast, an oral, selective phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor, has been shown to reduce exacerbations and improve pulmonary function in patients with COPD. This study examined the efficacy, safety and tolerability of roflumilast in Asian patients with COPD.

Methods:  Patients with COPD were randomized 1:1 to enter a 12‐week treatment period and receive either oral roflumilast, 500 µg once daily, or placebo, following a single‐blind, 4‐week baseline period in which all patients received placebo. The primary end point was mean change in FEV1 from baseline to each postrandomization visit during the treatment period. Other spirometric lung function measurements were evaluated as secondary end points. COPD exacerbations were monitored. Safety was assessed from clinical laboratory tests, vital signs, physical examination (including electrocardiogram) and monitoring of adverse events (AEs).

Results:  Of 551 patients recruited, 410 were randomized and received at least one dose of study medication (roflumilast, n = 203; placebo, n = 207). Superiority of roflumilast over placebo was demonstrated by a statistically significant difference in postbronchodilator FEV1 (79 mL, P < 0.0001). Other spirometry end points, including prebronchodilator FEV1, pre‐and postbronchodilator FEV6, forced vital capacity and peak expiratory flow significantly favoured roflumilast over placebo. AEs were more common with roflumilast than with placebo, but were comparable with those reported in previous studies.

Conclusions:  Roflumilast, 500 µg once daily, improves pulmonary function in Asian patients with COPD. The safety and tolerability of roflumilast in this population was similar to that in a Caucasian population.
Increased expression of CYP17 and CYP11B1 in subclinical Cushing's syndrome due to adrenal adenomas
Authors: Cao Caixia , Yang Xuecheng , Li Li , Sun Ruixia , Xian Yuxin , Lv Wenshan , Wang Jing , Xu Yijun , Gao Yanyan
Published: August 2011

Objectives:  To determine whether steroidogenic enzyme expression is associated with the steroid secretory pattern of subclinical Cushing's syndrome (SCS) by investigating the mRNA and protein expression of CYP17 and CYP11B1 in SCS adenomas, normal adrenal cortices (NA), non‐functional adrenal adenomas (NFA) and cortisol‐producing adenomas (CPA).

Methods:  Total RNA and protein were extracted from 20 CPA, six SCS, 15 NFA, and eight NA. Real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blotting analysis were performed to determine the mRNA and protein expression of CYP17 and CYP11B1 in different tissues. The expression of CYP17 and CYP11B1 in the adrenocortical tumors was compared expression in NA.

Results:  Expression of both CYP11B1 and CYP17 mRNA and protein was detected in all samples tested. The expression of CYP11B1 mRNA and protein was significantly higher in the CPA group than in the other groups and was slightly higher in SCS samples compared with NA and NFA samples (all P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in CYP11B1 mRNA and protein expression between NA and NFA samples (P > 0.05). The expression of CYP17 mRNA and protein in different tissues was similar to that of CYP11B1. Neither CYP11B1 nor CYP17 mRNA and protein expression was correlated with plasma cortisol or adrenocorticotrophin levels (all P > 0.05).

Conclusions:  In conclusion, CYP11B1 and CYP17 are overexpressed in subclinical CPA and their overexpression accounts for the increased production of cortisol that is characteristic of CPA.
Chronic and non‐communicable diseases: a critical challenge for nurses globally
Authors: Alleyne G. , Hancock C. , Hughes P.
Published: August 2011

ALLEYNE G., HANCOCK C. & HUGHES P. (2011) Chronic and non‐communicable diseases: a critical challenge for nurses globally. International Nursing Review58, 328–331

Background:  Chronic and non‐communicable diseases (NCDs) are a growing and enormous challenge that faces countries across the world. Low‐ and middle‐income countries are disproportionately affected.

Contributory factors:  Three risk factors – tobacco use, poor diet (including excessive alcohol intake) and lack of physical activity – contribute to four major chronic diseases – cardiovascular, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and some cancers, which are responsible for over 50% of deaths worldwide.

Potential solutions:  International governmental and non‐governmental agencies are becoming increasingly concerned and active. Nurses across the world are well positioned to play a significant role and work with a wide range of people involved in the prevention and management of these chronic diseases.
The rate of accumulation of nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) resistance in patients kept on a virologically failing regimen containing an NNRTI*
Authors: Cozzi‐Lepri A , Paredes R , Phillips AN , Clotet B , Kjær J , Von Wyl V , Kronborg G , Castagna A , Bogner JR , Lundgren JD ,   for EuroSIDA in EuroCoord
Published: August 2011

Background

Virological failure of first‐generation nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) can compromise the efficacy of etravirine as a result of the accumulation of NNRTI resistance mutations. How quickly NNRTI resistance accumulates in patients with a delayed switch from nevirapine or efavirenz despite virological failure, when these drugs are used as a component of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), remains unclear.

Methods

The rate of NNRTI resistance accumulation was estimated in patients in EuroSIDA with at least two available genotypic resistance tests (GRTs), provided that (1) the date of the first GRT (t0) was after the date of the first virological failure (VF) of an NNRTI, and (2) patients were receiving an NNRTI and HIV RNA was >500 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL in all measurements between GRTs.

Results

A total of 227 patients were included in the study, contributing 467 GRT pairs. At baseline‐t0, a median of 3 months after VF, 66% of patients had at least one NNRTI mutation: 103N (34%), 181C (22%) and 190A (20%) were the most common mutations. Overall, 180 additional NNRTI mutations were found to have accumulated over 295 years [1 new/1.6 years; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5–1.8]. The rate of accumulation was faster in the first 6 months from VF (1 new/1.1 years), and slower in patients exposed to nevirapine vs. those receiving efavirenz [relative risk (RR) 0.66; 95% CI 0.46–0.95; P=0.03].

Conclusions

There is an initial phase of rapid accumulation of NNRTI mutations close to the time of VF followed by a phase of slower accumulation. We predict that it should take approximately one year of exposure to a virologically failing first‐generation NNRTI‐based cART regimen to reduce etravirine activity from fully susceptible to intermediate resistant, and possibly longer in patients kept on a failing nevirapine‐containing regimen.
Robertson's model: a framework for exploration of World War II conservation consumption policy influence on fashion in the US
Authors: Dalton Lauren , Sullivan Pauline , Heitmeyer Jeanne , DuPont Ann
Published: August 2011

This paper studies pertinent materials related to the conservation of textile apparel and textile‐related natural resources that appeared in poster campaign communications published during the Second World War in the US. An examination of World War II poster campaign communications conveying the need for conservation efforts and rationing as communicated to consumers infers the historical context of the era. These poster campaign communications asked consumers to utilize fully of limited resources while maintaining a sense of individuality and trend‐setting creativity and fashion. World War II shortages and allocations influenced fashion innovations in women's apparel in the US. This paper provides a retrospective examination of innovative trends and the various conservation themes associated with women's fashion identify themes used to influence and to inspire Americans to reuse and recycle in support of the war effort. At no other time in history was voluntary textile conservation as prevalent in mainstream American culture as it was during the 1940s.

Content analysis reveals reoccurring themes that appeared in the advertisements developed by the War Advertising Council in the 1940s and used in their poster campaign advertisements. Themes and conservation activities identified in their poster campaign communications included

‘America's New Role as Fashion Arbiters’;

‘Conserve Time, Money, Materials for National Defense Program’;

‘War Production Board General Limitations Order L‐85 – Fabric Conservation on Silhouette Dimensions’;

‘Fashion for Victory’;

‘Beauty in Peace and War’;

‘Fabric Conservation’;

‘Teaching Consumers How to Conserve’;

‘You're In the War Too’;

‘Wearing Clothes More’;

‘Changing Materials for War [Nylon]’.

In addition, print communications were categorized according to Robertson's adoption process model. This study found evidence that supports that Robertson's adoption process model was a useful tool in studying these poster campaign communications relative to Robertson's decision‐making process.
Italian consumer awareness of layer hens' welfare standards: a cluster analysis
Authors: Vecchio Riccardo , Annunziata Azzurra
Published: August 2011

Animal welfare has assumed in recent years an increasing significance for European consumers, becoming part of the Community Agricultural Policy strategy that encourages farmers to achieve higher standards of animal welfare. Undoubtedly, the superior social sensitivity towards animal welfare has produced over time notable changes within European Union (EU) Policy. However, while EU legislation has progressively focused on granting animals better possibilities to express their behavioural repertoire, recent analysis shows that consumer knowledge of animal welfare compulsory standards is still quite limited. Drawing on the results of a direct survey on 300 Italian food shoppers, our research analyses consumer knowledge of the welfare standards of laying hens. Our findings highlight important market opportunities and policy implications. Our research shows that, although the majority of the sample expressed concern on hen husbandry systems, most of respondents were unaware of the current mandatory labelling system for eggs. Through cluster analysis three segments were found: the inactive consumer cluster, the conflicted consumer cluster and the ethically competent consumer cluster. This segmentation is especially valuable for producers of ‘animal‐friendly’ eggs to identify market opportunities and formulate appropriate marketing strategies.
Oxytocin suppresses basal glutamatergic transmission but facilitates activity‐dependent synaptic potentiation in the medial prefrontal cortex
Authors: Ninan Ipe
Published: August 2011

J. Neurochem. (2011) 119, 324–331.

Both oxytocin and oxytocin receptors are implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders, particularly autism which involves a severe deficit in social cognition. Consistently, oxytocin enhances social cognition in humans and animals. The infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex (IL‐mPFC) is believed to play an important role in the regulation of social cognition which might involve top‐down control of subcortical structures including the amygdala. However, little is known about whether and how oxytocin modulates synaptic function in the IL‐mPFC. The effect of oxytocin on excitatory neurotransmission in the IL‐mPFC was studied by examining both the evoked and spontaneous excitatory neurotransmission in the IL‐mPFC layer V pyramidal neurons before and after perfusion with oxytocin. To investigate the effect of oxytocin on synaptic plasticity, low‐frequency stimulation‐induced long‐lasting depression was studied in oxytocin‐treated brain slices. Oxytocin produced a significant suppression of glutamatergic neurotransmission in the IL‐mPFC layer V pyramidal neurons which was mediated by a reduction in glutamate release. Activation of the cannabinoid CB1 receptors was involved in this pre‐synaptic effect. Treatment of brain slices with oxytocin for 1 h converted long‐lasting depression into long‐lasting potentiation of glutamatergic neurotransmission. This oxytocin‐mediated plasticity was NMDA receptor‐dependent and was mediated by the synaptic insertion of calcium‐permeable α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazole propionic acid receptors. The aforementioned suppression of basal glutamatergic neurotransmission and facilitation of activity‐dependent synaptic plasticity in the IL‐mPFC might be critical for the effect of oxytocin on social cognition.
Patterns of seasonal and yearly mass variation in West African tropical savannah birds
Authors: COX DANIEL T. C. , BRANDT MIRIAM J. , MCGREGOR ROSS , OTTOSSON ULF , STEVENS MATTHEW C. , CRESSWELL WILL
Published: August 2011

Birds in the northern hemisphere usually increase mass reserves in response to seasonal low temperatures and shorter day length that increase foraging unpredictability and so starvation risk. In the lowland tropics, relatively low temperatures and short day lengths are absent and so the risk of starvation may be reduced, leading to much smaller seasonal effects on mass. Nevertheless, other factors such as high temperatures and water and food availability may vary greatly between tropical wet and dry seasons, leading to variable starvation risk and seasonal mass effects. Using data collected from 47 species of birds caught over a 10‐year period in a tropical savannah region in West Africa we tested for seasonal variation in mass in response to a predictable, strongly seasonal tropical climate. Many species (91%) showed seasonal variation in mass, and this was often in a clear annual pattern that was constant across the years. Many species (89%) varied their mass in response to seasonally predictable rainfall. Annual variation in mass was also important (45% of species). Relatively few species (13%) had a seasonal pattern of mass variation that varied between years. Feeding guild or migratory status was not found to affect seasonal or annual mass variation. Seasonal mass change was on average 8.1% across the 21 species with a very large sample size and was comparable with both northern and southern temperate species. Our study showed that biologically significant consistent seasonal mass variation is common in tropical savannah bird species, and this is most likely in response to changing resource availability brought about by seasonal rainfall and the interrupted foraging response due to the constraints of breeding.
“White Night”: Gentrification, Racial Exclusion, and Perceptions and Participation in the Arts
Authors: Shaw Samuel , Sullivan Daniel Monroe
Published: August 2011

Art festivals are a feature of many urban districts undergoing gentrification; they help to catalyze change by drawing a set of consumers with particular cultural interests. This article examines whether the arts produce racial exclusions by examining long–term Black and White residents’ participation in and perceptions of the monthly Last Thursday Art Walks in Portland's gentrifying Alberta Arts District. We use surveys to measure arts participation and follow–up, in–depth interviews to understand whether long–time residents feel excluded by the arts, and if race is a factor. We find that Black residents participate less in Last Thursdays than White residents, and they often feel uncomfortable or unwelcome. We conclude that the arts–anchored symbolic economy results in racial exclusions that have little to do with differences in arts appreciation, but much to do with perceptions of people associated with the arts, and with residents’ abilities to use the arts to identify with neighborhood changes.
Of Dogs and Men: The Making of Spatial Boundaries in a Gentrifying Neighborhood
Authors: Tissot Sylvie
Published: August 2011

This article examines the role of animals in the processes of social inclusion and exclusion in a gentrifying neighborhood. Residents who move into mixed–income, inner–city neighborhoods generally express a taste for diversity while simultaneously attempting to distance themselves from “undesirables.” Dogs allow newcomers to manage these tensions. The urge to control public spaces leads to the creation of new and quasi–exclusionary places, such as dog runs. At the same time, in the process of creating them, residents produce the neighborhood's image as a “diverse community.” Based on fieldwork conducted in a neighborhood of a large city in the northeastern United States, the author uses a wide range of discourse settings and genres to demonstrate that discursive production is part–and–parcel of the process of making places.
Catheter Ablation of Idiopathic Ventricular Tachycardia Originating from Myocardial Extensions into a Noncoronary Aortic Cusp
Authors: HLIVÁK PETER , PEICHL PETR , ČIHÁK ROBERT , WICHTERLE DAN , KAUTZNER JOSEF
Published: August 2011

Catheter Ablation of Idiopathic Ventricular Tachycardia. We present a 34‐year‐old woman with idiopathic ventricular tachycardia that resisted 2 previous attempts for catheter ablation and was successfully ablated in the myocardial extension within the noncoronary aortic cusp. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 23, pp. 98‐101, January 2012)
CT Angiography Source Images Acquired with a Fast‐Acquisition Protocol Overestimate Infarct Core on Diffusion Weighted Images in Acute Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Yoo Albert J. , Hu Ranliang , Hakimelahi Reza , Lev Michael H. , Nogueira Raul G. , Hirsch Joshua A. , González R. Gilberto , Schaefer Pamela W.
Published: August 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Studies have demonstrated that computed tomography (CT) angiography source images (CTA‐SI) acquired under near‐steady‐state contrast concentration provide infarct core estimates equivalent to diffusion‐weighted images (DWI). We sought to test this relationship using our current CTA protocol optimized for faster scan acquisition.

METHODS

Forty‐eight consecutive acute ischemic stroke patients met the following criteria: fast‐acquisition CTA and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) within 9 hours of symptom onset, CTA‐to‐MRI interval under 2 hours, and anterior circulation vessel occlusion. Collaterals were graded on CTA, and lesion volumes were calculated on CTA‐SI, DWI, and MR mean transit time (MTT) maps.

RESULTS

The mean CTA‐to‐MRI interval was 36 minutes (± 18 minutes). In paired analysis, lesion volumes on CTA‐SI were significantly larger than on DWI (45.6 cm3 vs 29.9 cm3; P < .0001). In 14 (29.2%) cases, there was major CTA‐SI overestimation (>25 cm3 difference) of the DWI lesion. Lower collateral score (P= .001), higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (P= .01), older age (P= .01), and proximal occlusion (P < .05) were univariate predictors of major overestimation, with collateral score being the only independent predictor. The interobserver agreement was worse for CTA‐SI than for DWI (P < .001 for limits of agreement).

CONCLUSIONS

CTA‐SI performed using a fast‐acquisition protocol overestimates the infarct core on DWI. Substantial differences are observed in over 25% of cases, and are associated with reduced collateralization.
The Fornix Sign: A Potential Sign for Alzheimer's Disease Based on Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Authors: Oishi Kenichi , Mielke Michelle M. , Albert Marilyn , Lyketsos Constantine G. , Mori Susumu
Published: August 2011

BACKGROUND

We investigated a simple imaging sign for Alzheimer's disease (AD), using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We hypothesized that a reduction in fractional anisotropy (FA) in the fornix could be utilized as an imaging sign.

METHODS

Twenty‐three patients with AD, 24 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and 25 control participants (NC) underwent DTI at baseline and 1 year later. The diagnosis was reevaluated 1 year and 3 years after the initial scan. A color‐scaled FA map was used to visually identify the FA reduction (“fornix sign”). We investigated whether the fornix sign could separate AD from NC, and could predict progression from aMCI to AD or NC to aMCI. We also quantified FA of the fornix to validate the fornix sign.

RESULTS

The fornix sign was identical to thelackof any voxels with an FA > .52 within the fornix. The fornix sign differentiated AD from NC with specificity of 1.0 and sensitivity of .56. It predicted conversion from NC to aMCI with specificity of 1.0 and sensitivity of .67, and from aMCI to AD with specificity of .94 and sensitivity of .83.

CONCLUSION

The fornix sign is a promising predictive imaging sign of AD.
Dramatic Changes of a DWI Lesion in a Patient with Acute Ischemic Stroke Treated with IV t‐PA
Authors: Sakamoto Yuki , Kimura Kazumi , Iguchi Yasuyuki , Shibazaki Kensaku , Aoki Junya
Published: August 2011

A diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) lesion changed dramatically in a hyperacute stroke case treated with intravenous tissue‐plasminogen activator (IV t‐PA). The initial hyperintense lesion on DWI disappeared completely immediately after IV t‐PA treatment without improvement of neurological symptoms. However, the lesion reappeared 24 hours later. Successful thrombolysis can resolve DWI lesions but does not always improve the neurological symptoms.
Positive and negative life events and personality traits in predicting course of depression and anxiety
Authors: Spinhoven P. , Elzinga B. M. , Hovens J. G. F. M. , Roelofs K. , van Oppen P. , Zitman F. G. , Penninx B. W. J. H.
Published: August 2011

Spinhoven P, Elzinga BM, Hovens JGFM, Roelofs K, van Oppen P, Zitman FG, Penninx BWJH. Positive and negative life events and personality traits in predicting course of depression and anxiety.

Objective:  To examine the prognostic value of personality dimensions and negative and positive life events for diagnostic and symptom course trajectories in depressive and anxiety disorder.

Method:  A total of 1209 subjects (18–65 years) with depressive and/or anxiety disorder were recruited in primary and specialized mental health care. Personality dimensions at baseline were assessed with the NEO‐FFI and incidence and date of life events retrospectively with a structured interview at 2‐year follow‐up. DSM‐IV‐based diagnostic interviews as well as life chart assessments allowed course assessment at both the diagnostic and symptom trajectory level over 2 years.

Results:  Life events were significantly related to diagnostic and symptom course trajectories of depression and anxiety also after correcting for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Only negative life events prospectively predicted longer time to remission of depressive disorder. Prospective associations of neuroticism and extraversion with prognosis of anxiety and depression were greatly reduced after correcting for baseline severity and duration of index disorder. Personality traits did not moderate the effect of life events on 2‐year course indicators.

Conclusions:  Negative life events have an independent effect on diagnostic and symptom course trajectories of depression and to a lesser extent anxiety unconfounded by sociodemographic, clinical, and personality characteristics.
Responses of grassland species richness to local and landscape factors depend on spatial scale and habitat specialization
Authors: Reitalu Triin , Purschke Oliver , Johansson Lotten J. , Hall Karin , Sykes Martin T. , Prentice Honor C.
Published: August 2011

Questions

To what extent is species richness in semi‐natural grasslands related to local environmental factors and (present/past) surrounding landscape structure? Do responses of species richness depend on degree of habitat specialization (specialists vs generalists) and/or scale of the study?

Location

Öland, Sweden.

Methods

Richness of herbaceous vascular plants (subdivided into richness of grassland specialists and generalists) was recorded within 50 × 50 cm plots and 0.1–4.8 ha grassland polygons. Generalized linear models and hierarchical partitioning were used to identify local factors (habitat area and heterogeneity, grazing intensity, habitat continuity) and landscape factors (proportion of surrounding grassland in 2004, 1938 and 1800, and landscape diversity in 2004) associated with the richness estimates.

Results

At the polygon scale, both specialist and generalist richness was positively associated with local habitat area and heterogeneity and, independently of area and heterogeneity, with grazing intensity, habitat continuity and amount of surrounding grassland in 1800. At the plot scale, specialist species richness was positively associated with habitat heterogeneity, amount of surrounding grassland in 2004 and landscape diversity. Plot‐scale generalist richness was negatively associated with surrounding grassland in 1938 and positively associated with local grazing intensity.

Conclusions

Because both habitat specialization and study scale influence conclusions about relationships between species richness and local and landscape factors, the study highlights the need to consider species diversity at multiple spatial scales when making decisions about grassland management. Large‐scale (polygon) species richness is influenced by immigration processes, with both specialists and generalists accumulating in old grasslands over centuries of grazing management. Habitat heterogeneity increased specialist species richness at both scales, suggesting that management policies should favour maintenance of a heterogeneous mosaic of open areas, trees and shrubs in temperate grazed grasslands. Although grassland specialists are sensitive to grassland isolation, in extensively managed landscapes with high landscape diversity input of grassland species from the landscape matrix may buffer negative effects of habitat fragmentation on grassland communities.
Mass spectrometric characterization of proteins transferred from polyacrylamide gels to membrane filters
Authors: Ino Yoko , Hirano Hisashi
Published: August 2011

In the 1990s, a technique was developed to transfer proteins from electrophoresis gels onto poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) membranes, digest the proteins on the membranes with proteases such as trypsin and analyze the resulting peptides on the membranes directly by mass spectrometry to identify the proteins. This technique, based on gel electrophoresis, is particularly useful for analyzing protein isoforms, splicing variants and post‐translationally modified proteins. Previously, the low ionization efficiency of peptides immobilized on the membranes often rendered this technique useless. However, this technique has been improved by the use of PVDF membranes with a small pore size, which has enabled highly efficient and effective electroblotting and mass spectrometric analyses. Here, the advantage of this technique is discussed.
Homology‐modelled structure of the βB2B3‐crystallin heterodimer studied by ion mobility and radical probe MS
Authors: Downard Kevin M. , Kokabu Yuichi , Ikeguchi Mitsunori , Akashi Satoko
Published: August 2011

Ion mobility MS was employed to study the structure of the βB2B3‐crystallin heterodimer following its detection by ESI‐TOF MS. The results demonstrate that the heterodimer has a similar cross‐section (3 165 Å2) and structure to the βB2B2‐crystallin homodimer. Several homology‐modelled structures for the βB2B3 heterodimer were constructed and assessed in terms of their calculated collision cross‐sections and whether the solvent accessibilities of reactive amino acid side chains throughout the βB3 subunit are in accord with measured oxidation levels in radical probe MS protein footprinting experiments. The βB2B3 heterodimer AD model provides the best representation of the heterodimer’s structure overall following a consideration of both the ion mobility and radical probe MS data.

Structured digital abstract

 Beta‐crystallin B2 binds to Beta‐crystallinB3 by mass spectrometry studies of complexes (View interaction)

 Beta‐crystallinB2 binds to Beta‐crystallinB2 by mass spectrometry studies of complexes (View interaction)
The challenges of managing complex lymphoedema/chronic oedema in the UK and Canada
Authors: Morgan Philip A , Murray Susie , Moffatt Christine J , Honnor Amanda
Published: August 2011

This article explores the professional challenges of treating patients with complex/severe forms of chronic oedema/lymphoedema with compression therapy. Four focus groups were held, two in the UK and two in Canada, to examine the challenges faced by practitioners in their everyday practice. A number of challenges were identified by participants in both countries and include the changing profile of lymphoedema/chronic oedema and how increasing complexity is outpacing the development of services and research‐based guidelines. Focus groups also highlighted a lack of public awareness, poor professional knowledge, delayed diagnosis and inappropriate treatment as having a significant impact on practice. Other practice‐related issues include a poor understanding of treatment options among practitioners, a lack of evidence‐based practice as well as difficulties associated with managing psychosocial problems and of ensuring concordance with treatment. In Canada, services tend to be more rural and remote than in the UK, autonomous specialist practice is less developed and practitioners were generally less confident and felt more vulnerable than their UK colleagues. There is a need for integrated, multi‐disciplinary services in both countries, with improved education and training, as well as the development of cost‐effective compression bandaging systems that can make a major contribution to meeting the challenges of contemporary lymphoedema practice.
New Zealand geography, biography and autobiography
Authors: Roche Michael
Published: August 2011

This introduction to the special issue on biography and geography in New Zealand reviews some of the existing biographical and autobiographical writing relating to the university discipline of geography in New Zealand. It then frames the five papers in this issue within the boundaries of haphazard events, mistakes and accidents, definitions of geographers and definitions of geography. While arguing for further research into disciplinary history in New Zealand, it is asserted that these endeavours are of value for the future of the discipline and not only a matter of concern for those interested in the past.
Dermatologic manifestation of diabetes
Authors: LEVY Lauren , ZEICHNER Joshua A.
Published: August 2011

With the rising incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in the US, it is of paramount importance that practitioners understand the complications of DM and how best to manage them. Diabetes affects every organ system and the skin is no exception. There are numerous cutaneous manifestations of DM that have similar etiologies and result from the same pathologic mechanisms as the internal complications of this disease state. In addition, skin manifestations may precede the diagnosis of diabetes. The present article reviews both the common and less common cutaneous manifestations of DM, including presenting lesions, pathogenesis, and management.
Gene transcription in sea otters (Enhydra lutris); development of a diagnostic tool for sea otter and ecosystem health
Authors: BOWEN LIZABETH , MILES A. KEITH , MURRAY MICHAEL , HAULENA MARTIN , TUTTLE JUDY , VAN BONN WILLIAM , ADAMS LANCE , BODKIN JAMES L. , BALLACHEY BRENDA , ESTES JAMES , TINKER M. TIM , KEISTER ROBIN , STOTT JEFFREY L.
Published: August 2011

Gene transcription analysis for diagnosing or monitoring wildlife health requires the ability to distinguish pathophysiological change from natural variation. Herein, we describe methodology for the development of quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays to measure differential transcript levels of multiple immune function genes in the sea otter (Enhydra lutris); sea otter‐specific qPCR primer sequences for the genes of interest are defined. We establish a ‘reference’ range of transcripts for each gene in a group of clinically healthy captive and free‐ranging sea otters. The 10 genes of interest represent multiple physiological systems that play a role in immuno‐modulation, inflammation, cell protection, tumour suppression, cellular stress response, xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, antioxidant enzymes and cell–cell adhesion. The cycle threshold (CT) measures for most genes were normally distributed; the complement cytolysis inhibitor was the exception. The relative enumeration of multiple gene transcripts in simple peripheral blood samples expands the diagnostic capability currently available to assess the health of sea otters in situ and provides a better understanding of the state of their environment.
An Extraordinary Early Jurassic Planthopper from Hunan (China) Representing a New Family Qiyangiricaniidae fam. nov. (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Fulgoroidea)
Authors: SZWEDO Jacek , WANG Bo , ZHANG Haichun
Published: August 2011

A new family of planthoppers Fulgoromorpha from the Lower Jurassic of southern China is described to comprise Qiyangiricania cesta Lin, 1986. The new family differs in venation pattern from the other Jurassic representatives of Fulgoroidea, presenting particular model of tegmen venation, not found among extinct and recent planthoppers. The Mesozoic stage of Fulgoroidea evolution is discussed. The extinct taxon Ricaniites fulgens (Brodie, 1845) from the Purbeck of United Kingdom is excluded from the Hemiptera.