bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of land‐use changes on ecosystem services: decrease in ant predation in human‐dominated landscapes in central Brazil
Authors: Pacheco Renata , Camacho Gabriela P. , Frizzo Tiago L.M. , Vasconcelos Heraldo L.
Published: February 2017

Anthropogenic disturbances often affect the abundance and diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) but relatively few studies have explored the implications of such changes on the ecosystem services mediated by these insects. Here, we evaluated how the transformation of Cerrado savanna habitats into crop plantations affects the abundance, diversity, and the predatory activity of ants. A survey of the ant faunas foraging above‐ and belowground was performed in six crop and six non‐crop (i.e., native vegetation) sites. Above‐ and belowground rates of ant predation were estimated at these same sites using mealworms, Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), as baits, simulating crop herbivores. Belowground predation rates were significantly greater in the non‐crop sites, despite the lack of difference in overall abundance and species richness of ants foraging belowground between the crop vs. non‐crop sites. In contrast, we did not detect any significant difference in aboveground predation rates between crop vs. non‐crop sites even though there were significantly more species of ants foraging aboveground in the non‐crop sites. Army ants (subfamily Dorylinae) were the main predatory species belowground, and their abundance was significantly greater in non‐crop sites. In contrast, the main predators aboveground were omnivore ants of the genera Pheidole and Solenopsis, which had similar abundances in the crop and non‐crop sites. Overall, our results indicate that transformation of native Cerrado habitats into crop plantations reduces the abundance of some important predatory species, notably those that forage belowground, and this may negatively affect the potential for ants to provide pest control services in agroecosystems.
Effect of silane pretreatment on the immediate bonding of universal adhesives to computer‐aided design/computer‐aided manufacturing lithium disilicate glass ceramics
Authors: Yao Chenmin , Zhou Liqun , Yang Hongye , Wang Yake , Sun Hualing , Guo Jingmei , Huang Cui
Published: February 2017

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of silane pretreatment on the universal adhesive bonding between lithium disilicate glass ceramic and composite resin. IPS e.max ceramic blocks etched with hydrofluoric acid were randomly assigned to one of eight groups treated with one of four universal adhesives (two silane‐free adhesives and two silane‐containing adhesives), each with or without silane pretreatment. Bonded specimens were stored in water for 24 h. The shear bond strength (SBS) of the ceramic‐resin interface was measured to evaluate bond strength, and the debonded interface after the SBS test was analysed using field‐emission scanning electron microscopy to determine failure mode. Light microscopy was performed to analyse microleakage and marginal sealing ability. Silane pretreatment significantly and positively influenced SBS and marginal sealing ability. For all the universal adhesive groups, SBS increased and the percentage of microleakage decreased after the pretreatment. Without the pretreatment, SBS and the percentage of microleakage were not significantly different between the silane‐containing universal adhesive groups and the silane‐free groups. Cohesive failure was the main fracture pattern. The results suggest that additional silane pretreatment can effectively improve the bonding strength and marginal sealing of adhesives to lithium disilicate glass ceramics. The bonding performance of silane‐containing universal adhesives without pretreatment is similar to that of silane‐free adhesives.
Escalating dosimetry of UVA‐1 in the treatment of alopecia areata
Authors: Herz‐Ruelas Maira E. , Gomez‐Flores Minerva , Miranda‐Maldonado Ivett , Welsh Esperanza , Ocampo‐Candiani Jorge , Welsh Oliverio
Published: February 2017

Background

Phototherapy can be an option in unresponsive alopecia areata (AA); however, variable results have been reported with its use. We could not find literature of treatment with UVA‐1 in AA. A study was designed to evaluate progressive dosimetry to determine the initial dose and its increments.

Methods

Patients with unresponsive AA were recruited. Twenty‐five sessions of 30 J/cm2 were administered. If hair regrowth was <75%, the dose was escalated to 60 J/cm2. If hair improvement remained <75%, an additional 25 sessions at 120 J/cm2 were indicated. If total hair regrowth occurred before 75 sessions, a final visit was performed for biopsies and severity of alopecia tool (SALT) evaluation. Clinical and histopathological assessments were performed blindly. Adverse effects were recorded.

Results

Nine men and 13 women were included; 16 were initially S1, one S3, and five S4. Median age was 32 years and median evolution 10 months. Nine patients achieved an S0, eight S1, and five S4 (P = 0.005). The most notable improvement was with 60 J/cm2 (P = 0.02). Biopsies exhibited an absence of inflammation in five patients and mild persistence in 17. An increase of 43.75% in anagen hairs (P ≤ 0.001) was achieved, telogen hairs decreased 16.3% (P = 0.06), and catagen hairs were reduced 22.7% (P = 0.005). Pearson's correlation was −0.82 and P ≤ 0.001, when correlating anagen hairs with final SALT. Improvement has continued for 6 months post treatment. Mild xerosis was observed in all patients, and six (28.6%) developed transient mild hyperpigmentation.

Conclusions

This study provides a basis for UVA‐1 dosimetry evaluating its therapeutic value in AA.
The future of Turkish nursing 2050: perceptions of nurses and nurse educators
Authors: Bodur G. , Kaya H.
Published: February 2017

Aim

To explore the perceptions of nurses and nurse educators regarding the future of nursing by the year 2050 in Turkey.

Background

Social changes, rapid population growth, globalization and worldwide environmental problems will cause greater changes in the field of health and health care in the near future than they have in the past. Undoubtedly, these changes will directly affect nursing. It is important that nurses and nurse educators forecast and direct the future and nursing to benefit from the effects of the changes that will occur in the future.

Design

A qualitative descriptive study which employed the use of individual in‐depth interviews.

Methods

The study's sample participants were 21 hospital nurses and 16 nurse educators from universities in Istanbul, Turkey. They undertook individual in‐depth interviews during July 2013–July 2014. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data.

Findings

The study revealed that the participants’ perceptions were based on the ideas that the future of nursing will be shaped in accordance with changes in humanity, environment and healthcare system, as well as worldwide future trends. Results indicated that participants were aware of the factors that will affect future of nursing and nursing education.

Conclusion and Implications for Nursing Policy

Research showed that participants had focused on the near future; they were not forecasting distance future. Also research found that not only future scenarios are needed for nurses, but also three kinds of scenarios are required related to factor such as humanity, environment and healthcare system those effect nurses. Futurists, health policymakers and nurse educators should work collaboratively with each other.
Discrepancies in the hardness data and the role of grinding‐induced surface effects for a porous zirconate ceramic
Authors: Kumar Rishu , Kumar Kundan , Chowdhury Anirban
Published: February 2017

The conventionally sintered La2Zr2O7 (LZ) ceramic surfaces illustrated notable structural and microstructural changes post grinding and polishing operations. X‐ray diffraction studies confirmed presence of in‐plane compressive strain on polished surfaces; no phase segregation/separation was noted at surface or bulk level. The scanning electron micrographs revealed that the LZ ceramic grains on the polished top surfaces accommodated this strain by changing their size distribution from unimodal (observed for fractured and unpolished LZ surfaces with average size of 1.2 ± 0.5 μm) to a bimodal (with two modes occurring at 270 nm and 840 nm, respectively) distribution. Possibly, this grain size refinement led the pathway for obtaining surprising high hardness when probed via nanoindentation (13.8 GPa at 4 mN load). This hardness data made this 85% dense LZ sample comparable to its high density (>98%) counterpart (13.8 GPa). The hardness values were noted to have a strong dependence on the penetration depth (hmax). For hmax values beyond 500 nm (and loads≥30 mN), the hardness values depicted a significant decline (by one order of magnitude) and lowered down to 1.8 GPa for 30 mN load. The strain‐induced microstructural changes and the strong dependence of the hardness data (with hmax) paves the path for an in‐depth understanding of the mechanism by which the grinding‐induced strain is modifying the grain structures; especially for the smaller (mode I) grains on the polished LZ surface.
The Perfect Marriage? – Language and Art Criticism in the Hong Kong Public Examination Context
Authors: Lau Chung‐yim , Tam Cheung‐on
Published: February 2017

Art education in Hong Kong has undergone various changes in response to educational reform. In art assessment, a major change in the Hong Kong New Senior Secondary (NSS) Curriculum is the inclusion of art criticism as a compulsory component of the new public examination. Assessing students’ abilities to interpret art in an art criticism public examination context is a critical issue in Hong Kong because the new senior secondary curriculum and assessment has brought attention to the role of written language in the art examination paper. This means the examination assesses not only students’ abilities to interpret art, but also their language abilities required to respond to art in written form. Since this new mode of assessment of art criticism has been published a number of issues have appeared. Recent studies show that teachers and students perceive this development negatively and they believe that the written format will assess students’ written language abilities rather than their critical abilities. These findings challenge the justification of the new art assessment policy and raise questions about the role of written language in responding to art. This article aims to raise the issue of the marriage between language and art criticism in the Hong Kong public examination context. It argues and examines the relationship of language to art interpretation, reasoning in the assessment, and issues in the public art criticism examination context. The issues addressed in this article provide opportunities for researchers and policy makers to reconsider and refine the new form of examination.
Age‐dependent trajectories differ between within‐pair and extra‐pair paternity success
Authors: Hsu Y.‐H. , Simons M. J. P. , Schroeder J. , Girndt A. , Winney I. S. , Burke T. , Nakagawa S.
Published: February 2017

Reproductive success is associated with age in many taxa, increasing in early life followed by reproductive senescence. In socially monogamous but genetically polygamous species, this generates the interesting possibility of differential trajectories of within‐pair and extra‐pair siring success with age in males. We investigate these relationships simultaneously using within‐individual analyses with 13 years of data from an insular house sparrow (Passer domesticus) population. As expected, we found that both within‐ and extra‐pair paternity success increased with age, followed by a senescence‐like decline. However, the age trajectories of within‐ and extra‐pair paternity successes differed significantly, with the extra‐pair paternity success increasing faster, although not significantly, in early life, and showing a delayed decline by 1.5 years on average later in life compared to within‐pair paternity success. These different trajectories indicate that the two alternative mating tactics should have age‐dependent pay‐offs. Males may partition their reproductive effort between within‐ and extra‐pair matings depending on their current age to reap the maximal combined benefit from both strategies. The interplay between these mating strategies and age‐specific mortality may explain the variation in rates of extra‐pair paternity observed within and between species.
Transient pseudohypoaldosteronism in infancy secondary to urinary tract infection
Authors: Abraham Mary B , Larkins Nicholas , Choong Catherine S , Shetty Vinutha B
Published: February 2017

Aim

Hyponatraemia with hyperkalaemia in infancy is a typical presentation of congenital adrenal hyperplasia. In the presence of pyelonephritis, the same biochemical picture can occur with transient type 1 pseudohypoaldosteronism (PHA‐1) also termed type 4 renal tubular acidosis. Recognition of PHA‐1 enables appropriate management thus avoiding unnecessary investigations and treatment. To improve awareness of this condition, we present a case series to highlight the clinical and biochemical features of PHA‐1.

Methods

A retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with transient PHA‐1 at a tertiary children's hospital in Western Australia was conducted.

Results

Five male infants (32 days to 6 months) with transient PHA‐1 were identified. Failure to thrive was the most common symptom with hyponatraemia on presentation. Two infants had antenatally diagnosed bilateral hydronephrosis and urinary tract infection (UTI) on admission. Two infants were treated for congenital adrenal hyperplasia and received hydrocortisone. All infants had UTI and required parenteral antibiotics. The condition was transient and hyponatraemia corrected by day 4 in all infants. There was no correlation between plasma sodium and aldosterone levels. The severity of PHA‐1 was independent of the underlying renal anomaly. Four infants had hydronephrosis and vesicoureteric reflux. Surgical intervention was required in two infants.

Conclusions

PHA‐1 may be precipitated by UTI or urinary tract anomalies in early infancy. Urine analysis should be performed in infants with hyponatraemia. Diagnosis of PHA‐1 facilitates appropriate renal investigations to reduce long‐term morbidity.
The Effect of Mental Simulation (Process‐ Versus Outcome‐Focus) on Extension Evaluation:A Bipolarized Fit Perception
Authors: Kim Yeung‐Jo , Song Sie‐Yeoun
Published: February 2017

The present research investigates perceived fit effects according to the focus that consumers place when evaluating brand extensions. Process‐focus encourages consumers to focus their thoughts on the process of reaching an outcome, thereby affecting extension evaluations on the basis of the process similarity between the original brand and its extensions. Conversely, outcome‐focus encourages consumers to focus their thoughts on the final outcome, thereby affecting extension evaluations on the basis of the final outcome similarity between the original brand and its extensions. With this conceptual framework, the present research demonstrated that for the process‐focus condition, the extension was evaluated more favorably when the similarity between the process of the original brand and the process of its extension was present (Study 1). By contrast, for the outcome‐focus condition, the extension was evaluated more favorably when the similarity between the final outcome of the original brand and the final outcome of its extension was present (Study 2).
Changes in apolipoprotein B and oxidized low‐density lipoprotein levels in gingival crevicular fluids as a result of periodontal tissue conditions
Authors: Ishizuka M. , Kato R. , Moriya Y. , Noguchi E. , Koide Y. , Inoue S. , Itabe H. , Yamamoto M.
Published: February 2017

Background and Objective

Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by bacterial infection that can lead to tooth loss. Gingival crevicular fluid can be collected easily and noninvasively. We previously discovered the presence of apolipoprotein B (apoB), the main constituent of low‐density lipoprotein, and oxidized low‐density lipoprotein (oxLDL) in the gingival crevicular fluid of healthy subjects. In this study, we investigated whether periodontal conditions affect the levels of apoB and oxLDL in gingival crevicular fluid.

Material and Methods

The study population comprised 11 patients with chronic periodontitis. A pair of gingival crevicular fluid samples was collected from each patient at a healthy site and at a site with periodontitis (baseline samples). Thereafter, gingival crevicular fluid samples were collected from the same patients again at 4 and 8 wk after scaling and root planing (SRP). The levels of apoB, oxLDL, protein and cytokines in gingival crevicular fluid, in addition to gingival crevicular fluid volume, were measured.

Results

At baseline, the levels of apoB and oxLDL in gingival crevicular fluid were higher at the sites with periodontitis than at the healthy sites. The levels of apoB and oxLDL at periodontal sites decreased after SRP. The level of oxLDL in gingival crevicular fluid correlated well with the probing pocket depth. The oxLDL : apoB ratio in gingival crevicular fluid was significantly higher than that in plasma.

Conclusions

The levels of apoB and oxLDL in gingival crevicular fluid change according to the periodontal tissue conditions.
The implications of dialogicality for ‘giving voice’ in social representations research
Authors: Zadeh Sophie
Published: February 2017

Social representations research is often undertaken by scholars who seek to ‘give voice’ to knowledge(s) that are held by socially disenfranchised individuals and groups. However, this endeavour poses a number of problems in practice, not least because it assumes that the ‘voices’ voiced by individuals and/or groups in social research will be unambiguous and uniform, and unchanged by the research encounter. Despite the growth of attention to the critical potential of social representations theory, there remains a lack of scholarship on the relationship between the theory's emphasis on the relational, or dialogical, nature of social life (the Ego‐Alter‐Object relation) and the implications of this for critical research. In this article, I argue that the dialogical epistemology from which social representations research must depart incites reflection upon (i) the design of empirical studies, which must equally attend to both ‘Ego’ and ‘Alter’, and (ii) the researcher‐researched relationship, which may itself be best viewed as an Ego‐Alter interaction. I make the case for adopting dialogical epistemology in critical social psychology, and argue that this is essential to undertaking ethical social research. I conclude by suggesting that claims to ‘giving voice’ have little place in critical social psychology in general, and social representations scholarship in particular.
Gossip, defamation and sodomy in the early modern Southern Netherlands
Authors: Roelens Jonas
Published: February 2017

The article discusses the role played by rumour and gossip in denouncing the act of sodomy and in trying to prosecute sodomites in the early modern Southern Low Countries. Although sodomy was considered an ‘unmentionable vice' in the early modern period, this article argues that sodomy was a popular subject among urban slanderers in the region. Consequently, denunciation was a common way of identifying sodomites, and early modern authorities were often forced to take action because of local gossip. Using trial records and bailiff accounts dating from 1400 to 1700, this article analyses the different ways in which rumours about sodomy were disseminated in early modern urban society. In doing so, this essay aims to nuance the idea that the political elites were the main engine behind the persecution of sodomites and reveals the important role urban gossip and sexual slander played in early modern sodomy trials.
Nutritional status‐dependent endocannabinoid signalling regulates the integration of rat visceral information
Authors: Khlaifia Abdessattar , Matias Isabelle , Cota Daniela , Tell Fabien
Published: February 2017

Key points

Vagal sensory inputs transmit information from the viscera to brainstem neurones located in the nucleus tractus solitarii to set physiological parameters. These excitatory synapses exhibit a CB1 endocannabinoid‐induced long‐term depression (LTD) triggered by vagal fibre stimulation.

We investigated the impact of nutritional status on long‐term changes in this long‐term synaptic plasticity.

Food deprivation prevents LTD induction by disrupting CB1 receptor signalling. Short‐term refeeding restores the capacity of vagal synapses to express LTD.

Ghrelin and cholecystokinin, respectively released during fasting and refeeding, play a key role in the control of LTD via the activation of energy sensing pathways such as AMPK and the mTOR and ERK pathways.

Communication form the viscera to the brain is essential to set physiological homoeostatic parameters but also to drive more complex behaviours such as mood, memory and emotional states. Here we investigated the impact of the nutritional status on long‐term changes in excitatory synaptic transmission in the nucleus tractus solitarii, a neural hub integrating visceral signals. These excitatory synapses exhibit a CB1 endocannabinoid (eCB)‐induced long‐term depression (LTD) triggered by vagal fibre stimulation. Since eCB signalling is known to be an important component of homoeostatic regulation of the body and is regulated during various stressful conditions, we tested the hypothesis that food deprivation alters eCB signalling in central visceral afferent fibres. Food deprivation prevents eCB‐LTD induction due to the absence of eCB signalling. This loss was reversed by blockade of ghrelin receptors. Activation of the cellular fuel sensor AMP‐activated protein kinase or inhibition of the mechanistic target of rapamycin pathway abolished eCB‐LTD in free‐fed rats. Signals associated with energy surfeit, such as short‐term refeeding, restore eCB‐LTD induction, which in turn requires activation of cholecystokinin receptors and the extracellular signal‐regulated kinase pathway. These data suggest a tight link between eCB‐LTD in the NTS and nutritional status and shed light on the key role of eCB in the integration of visceral information.
Complete Genome Sequences of Six Copper-Resistant
Xanthomonas
Strains Causing Bacterial Spot of Solaneous Plants, Belonging to
X. gardneri
,
X. euvesicatoria
, and
X. vesicatoria
, Using Long-Read Technology
Authors: Richard Damien , Boyer Claudine , Lefeuvre Pierre , Canteros Blanca I. , Beni-Madhu Shyam , Portier Perrine , Pruvost Olivier
Published: February 2017

Xanthomonas vesicatoria
,
Xanthomonas euvesicatoria
, and
Xanthomonas gardneri
cause bacterial spot disease. Copper has been applied since the 1920s as part of integrated management programs. The first copper-resistant strains were reported some decades later. Here, we fully sequenced six
Xanthomonas
strains pathogenic to tomato and/or pepper and having a copper-resistant phenotype.
Endocrine and Metabolic Aspects of Tuberculosis
Authors: Vinnard Christopher , Blumberg Emily A.
Published: February 2017

Endocrine and metabolic derangements are infrequent in patients with tuberculosis, but they are important when they occur. The basis for these abnormalities is complex. WhileMycobacterium tuberculosishas been described to infect virtually every endocrine gland, the incidence of gland involvement is low, especially in the era of effective antituberculosis therapy. Furthermore, endocrine and metabolic abnormalities do not always reflect direct infection of the gland but may result from physiological response or as a consequence of therapy. Metabolic disease may also predispose patients to the development of active tuberculosis, particularly in the case of diabetes mellitus. While hormonal therapy may be necessary in some instances, frequently these endocrine complications do not require specific interventions other than antituberculous therapy itself. With the exception of diabetes mellitus, which will be covered elsewhere, this chapter reviews the endocrinologic and metabolic issues related to tuberculosis.
Racial differences in crossing major growth percentiles in infancy
Authors: Hawkins Summer Sherburne , Rifas-Shiman Sheryl L , Gillman Matthew W , Taveras Elsie M
Published: February 2017

Background/aims

We examined associations of ever crossing upwards ≥2 (vs <2) major weight-for-length (WFL) percentiles in the first 24 months with obesity at 5 years among white and black children.

Methods

We included 10 979 white and 1245 black children from the Linked CENTURY Study with percentile crossing data in all four 6-month periods in the first 24 months and obesity (age-specific and sex-specific body mass index ≥95th percentile) at 5 years. We used adjusted logistic regression models and stratified by race.

Results

64% of children crossed upwards ≥2 major WFL percentiles in the first 2 years. Among white children, 12% were obese vs 7% for <2 crossings, while among black children the frequencies were 23% vs 9%. Black children (adjusted OR 2.94, 2.04 to 4.23) who had ever crossed upwards ≥2 major WFL percentiles had a higher odds of obesity at age 5 than white children (adjusted OR 1.89, 1.64 to 2.18) (interaction p=0.02).

Conclusions

Our results suggest that rapid weight gain in infancy is more deleterious among black than white children for later obesity.
Ten‐minute chat
Authors: Hastie Peter , Murray Jo‐Anne
Published: February 2017

Peter Hastie and Jo‐Anne Murray have developed an app called ‘Be a vet’ to help anyone who is considering a career in veterinary medicine to decide whether it is right for them.
Is treating anal furunculosis with 5 mg/kg ciclosporin once daily the optimal dosing schedule?
Authors: Phypers Cherry , Reyher Kristen , Place Emma , Barnard Natalie , Foster Aiden
Published: February 2017

Critically Appraised Topics (CATs) are a standardised, succinct summary of research evidence organised around a clinical question, and a form of evidence synthesis used in the practice of evidence‐based medicine (EBM) and evidence‐based veterinary medicine (EBVM). Access to CATs enables clinicians to incorporate evidence from the scientific literature into clinical practice and they have been used to teach EBVM at the University of Bristol's School of Veterinary Sciences since 2011. CATs from Bristol university will be regularly published in the Clinical Decision Making section of Veterinary Record. The first CAT was published in VR, January 30, 2016, vol 178, pp 118‐119.
Estimating the Constant Elasticity of Variance Model with Data-Driven Markov Chain Monte Carlo Methods
Authors: Xiao Shuang , Li Guo , Jia Yunjing
Published: February 2017

The constant elasticity of variance (CEV) model is widely studied and applied for volatility forecasting and optimal decision making in both areas of financial engineering and operational management, especially in option pricing, due to its good fitting effect for the volatility process of various assets such as stocks and commodities. However, it is extremely difficult to conduct parameter estimation for the CEV model in practice since the precise likelihood function cannot be derived. Motivated by the gap between theory and practice, this paper initiatively applies the Markov Chain-Monte Carlo (MCMC) method into parameter estimation for the CEV model. We first construct a theoretical structure on how to implement the MCMC method into the CEV model, and then execute an empirical analysis with big data of CSI 300 index collected from the Chinese stock market. The final empirical results reveal insights on two aspects: On one aspect, the simulated results of the convergence test are convergent, which demonstrates that the MCMC estimation method for the CEV model is effective; On the other aspect, by a comparison with other two most frequently used estimation methods, the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) and the generalized moment estimation (GMM), our method is proved to be of high accuracy and has a simpler implementation and wider application.
Risk Factor Assessment Improvement for China’s Cloud Computing Auditing Using a New Hybrid MADM Model
Authors: Hu Kuang-Hua , Jianguo Wei , Tzeng Gwo-Hshiung
Published: February 2017

With the rapid growth of modern technology in all facets of trade and industry, traditional auditing systems can no longer meet today’s ever-increasing technological requirements; contemporary auditing is in urgent need of straightforward and quick cloud computing services to meet the needs of auditors. In keeping with current trends, auditors must be provided with the means of using data and auditing information stored in cloud systems for more efficient and elastic auditing. However, the risks involved in cloud computing auditing are widespread and complex. Dimensions should be established, a mutually influential relationship used to delineate the influence weights of the dimensions and criteria should be determined. To this end, a Multiple Attribute Decision Making (MADM) model can precisely solve multi-criteria problems simultaneously. Therefore, the main focus of this study is to determine how to assess and establish the best improvement strategies to achieve the aspiration level for cloud auditing risk factors, by using the opinions and practical experience of China’s accounting experts, applied with a Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) technique, DEMATEL-based ANP (DANP) and modified VIKOR method. The results provide cloud auditing risks with a knowledge-based understanding of the problem sources in order to establish the best improvement strategies for reducing risk-auditing performance gaps and attaining the aspiration levels. Based on the degree of impact of the dimensions/criteria on an Influence Network Relation Map (INRM), improvements should be prioritized as follows: system operations, technology risks, identity and access management and data protection.
Key travertine tectofacies for neotectonics and palaeoseismicity reconstruction: effects of hydrothermal overpressured fluid injection
Authors: Brogi Andrea , Capezzuoli Enrico , Kele Sándor , Baykara Mehmet Oruç , Shen Chuan-Chou
Published: February 2017

Travertine deposits have long been considered as powerful tools for investigating neotectonics and reconstructing palaeoseismic events. We document, for the first time, the effects of overpressured hydrothermal fluids injected within travertine deposits. We also describe tectofacies interpreted as a consequence of coseismic events. Calcite veins, banded or massive, associated with hydrofracture and fluid-escape features, promoted hydrothermal eruptions and lithoclast formation in latest Quaternary travertine exposed in two quarries near Rapolano Terme (Northern Apennines, Italy). The isotopic composition of the calcite veins confirms the hydrothermal origin of the parent fluids and their rapid ascent, as indicated by the estimated palaeo-temperatures (43–50°C). Integration of U–Th ages obtained for the calcite veins with palaeoseismic evidence from a local archaeological site built at the top of one of the analysed travertine deposits suggests that hydrofracture and fluid-escape structures were associated with five main seismic events that occurred from the latest Pleistocene to the fourth century AD. In sum, the travertine tectofacies have a key role in better constraining the seismotectonic setting of a region and thus offer a powerful tool for the evaluation of seismic hazard for areas characterized by low seismicity and travertine deposition.
Active shortening protects against stretch-induced force deficits in human skeletal muscle
Authors: Saripalli Anjali L. , Sugg Kristoffer B. , Mendias Christopher L. , Brooks Susan V. , Claflin Dennis R.
Published: February 2017

Skeletal muscle contraction results from molecular interactions of myosin “crossbridges” with adjacent actin filament binding sites. The binding of myosin to actin can be “weak” or “strong,” and only strong binding states contribute to force production. During active shortening, the number of strongly bound crossbridges declines with increasing shortening velocity. Forcibly stretching a muscle that is actively shortening at high velocity results in no apparent negative consequences, whereas stretch of an isometrically (fixed-length) contracting muscle causes ultrastructural damage and a decline in force-generating capability. Our working hypothesis is that stretch-induced damage is uniquely attributable to the population of crossbridges that are strongly bound. We tested the hypothesis that stretch-induced force deficits decline as the prevailing shortening velocity is increased. Experiments were performed on permeabilized segments of individual skeletal muscle fibers obtained from human subjects. Fibers were maximally activated and allowed either to generate maximum isometric force (Fo), or to shorten at velocities that resulted in force maintenance of ≈50% Fo or ≈2% Fo. For each test condition, a rapid stretch equivalent to 0.1 × optimal fiber length was applied. Relative to prestretch Fo, force deficits resulting from stretches applied during force maintenance of 100, ≈50, and ≈2% Fo were 23.2 ± 8.6, 7.8 ± 4.2, and 0.3 ± 3.3%, respectively (means ± SD, n = 20). We conclude that stretch-induced damage declines with increasing shortening velocity, consistent with the working hypothesis that the fraction of strongly bound crossbridges is a causative factor in the susceptibility of skeletal muscle to stretch-induced damage.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Force deficits caused by stretch of contracting muscle are most severe when the stretch is applied during an isometric contraction, but prevented if the muscle is shortening at high velocity when the stretch occurs. This study indicates that velocity-controlled modulation of the number of strongly bound crossbridges is the basis for the observed relationship between stretch-induced muscle damage and prevailing shortening velocity.
Long-Term Excessive Body Weight and Adult Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Are Linked Through Later-Life Body Size and Blood Pressure
Authors: Zhang Huijie , Zhang Tao , Li Shengxu , Guo Yajun , Shen Wei , Fernandez Camilo , Harville Emily , Bazzano Lydia A. , Urbina Elaine M. , He Jiang , Chen Wei
Published: February 2017

Rationale:

Childhood adiposity is associated with cardiac structure in later life, but little is known regarding to what extent childhood body weight affects adult left ventricular geometric patterns through adult body size and blood pressure (BP).

Objective:

Determine quantitatively the mediation effect of adult body weight and BP on the association of childhood body mass index (BMI) with adult left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy.

Methods and Results:

This longitudinal study consisted of 710 adults, aged 26 to 48 years, who had been examined for BMI and BP measured ≥4× during childhood and ≥2× during adulthood, with a mean follow-up period of 28.0 years. After adjusting for age, race, and sex, adult BMI had a significant mediation effect (76.4%;
P
<0.01) on the childhood BMI–adult LV mass index association. The mediation effects of adult systolic BP (15.2%), long-term burden (12.1%), and increasing trends of systolic BP (7.9%) were all significant (
P
<0.01). Furthermore, these mediators also had significant mediation effects on the association of childhood BMI with adult LV hypertrophy, eccentric hypertrophy, and concentric hypertrophy. Importantly, the mediation effects of adult BMI were all significantly stronger than those of adult systolic BP on LV mass index, LV hypertrophy, and LV remodeling patterns (
P
<0.01). Additionally, the mediation effect of systolic BP on concentric hypertrophy was significantly stronger than that on eccentric hypertrophy (
P
<0.01).

Conclusions:

These findings suggest that increased childhood BMI has long-term adverse impact on subclinical changes in adult cardiac structure, and early life excessive body weight and adult LV hypertrophy are linked through later life excessive body weight and elevated BP.
Timing of Incident Stroke Risk After Cervical Artery Dissection Presenting Without Ischemia
Authors: Morris Nicholas A. , Merkler Alexander E. , Gialdini Gino , Kamel Hooman
Published: February 2017

Background and Purpose—

Cervical artery dissection is a common cause of stroke in young people. The temporal profile of stroke risk after cervical artery dissection presenting without ischemia remains uncertain.

Methods—

We performed a crossover cohort study using administrative claims data on all emergency department visits and acute care hospitalizations from 2005 to 2011 in CA, 2006 to 2013 in NY, and 2005 to 2013 in FL. Using previously validated
International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification
codes, we identified patients with a cervical artery dissection and no previous or concurrent stroke or transient ischemic attack diagnosis. We compared the risk of stroke in successive 2-week periods during the 12 weeks after dissection versus the corresponding 2-week period 1 year later. Absolute risk increases were calculated using McNemar test for matched data. In a sensitivity analysis, we limited our population to patients presenting with typical symptoms of cervical artery dissection.

Results—

We identified 2791 patients with dissection without ischemia. The absolute increase in stroke risk was 1.25% (95% confidence interval, 0.84–1.67%) in the first 2 weeks after dissection compared with the same time period 1 year later. The absolute risk increase was 0.18% (95% confidence interval, 0.02–0.34%) during weeks 3 to 4 and was no longer significant during the remainder of the 12-week postdissection period. Our findings were similar in a sensitivity analysis identifying patients who presented with typical symptoms of acute dissection.

Conclusions—

The risk of stroke after cervical artery dissection unaccompanied by ischemia at time of diagnosis seems to be limited to the first 2 weeks.
MicroRNA-17–92 Cluster in Exosomes Enhance Neuroplasticity and Functional Recovery After Stroke in Rats
Authors: Xin Hongqi , Katakowski Mark , Wang Fengjie , Qian Jian-Yong , Liu Xian Shuang , Ali Meser M. , Buller Benjamin , Zhang Zheng Gang , Chopp Michael
Published: February 2017

Background and Purpose—

Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) harvested exosomes are hypothesized as the major paracrine effectors of MSCs. In vitro, the miR-17–92 cluster promotes oligodendrogenesis, neurogenesis, and axonal outgrowth. We, therefore, investigated whether the miR-17–92 cluster–enriched exosomes harvested from MSCs transfected with an miR-17–92 cluster plasmid enhance neurological recovery compared with control MSC-derived exosomes.

Methods—

Rats subjected to 2 hours of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion were intravenously administered miR-17–92 cluster–enriched exosomes, control MSC exosomes, or liposomes and were euthanized 28 days post–middle cerebral artery occlusion. Histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, and Golgi–Cox staining were used to assess dendritic, axonal, synaptic, and myelin remodeling. Expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog and activation of its downstream proteins, protein kinase B, mechanistic target of rapamycin, and glycogen synthase kinase 3β in the peri-infarct region were measured by means of Western blots.

Results—

Compared with the liposome treatment, both exosome treatment groups exhibited significant improvement of functional recovery, but miR-17–92 cluster–enriched exosome treatment had significantly more robust effects on improvement of neurological function and enhancements of oligodendrogenesis, neurogenesis, and neurite remodeling/neuronal dendrite plasticity in the ischemic boundary zone (IBZ) than the control MSC exosome treatment. Moreover, miR-17–92 cluster–enriched exosome treatment substantially inhibited phosphatase and tensin homolog, a validated miR-17–92 cluster target gene, and subsequently increased the phosphorylation of phosphatase and tensin homolog downstream proteins, protein kinase B, mechanistic target of rapamycin, and glycogen synthase kinase 3β compared with control MSC exosome treatment.

Conclusions—

Our data suggest that treatment of stroke with tailored exosomes enriched with the miR-17–92 cluster increases neural plasticity and functional recovery after stroke, possibly via targeting phosphatase and tensin homolog to activate the PI3K/protein kinase B/mechanistic target of rapamycin/glycogen synthase kinase 3β signaling pathway.
I Am Nora, Hear Me Roar: The Rehabilitation of the Shrew in Modern Chinese Theater
Authors: Yang Shu
Published: February 2017

This article analyzes how the “new woman plays” written by the modern dramatist Ouyang Yuqian (1889-1962) in the 1920s weave together the old trope of the shrew with his constructions of the Chinese Nora promoted by May Fourth ideology. Of particular interest is how Ouyang reworked the traditional Pan Jinlian story in his eponymous play to rehabilitate the most notorious shrew from late imperial literature into a modern Nora. The article goes on to examine the performances of Nora by Lan Ping, later known as Jiang Qing (1914-91), in the 1930s. It analyzes the public reception of Lan Ping’s deployment of old and new female types when she played a forceful Nora on and off the stage. This study claims that cultural interest in the traditional shrew did not die with the collapse of imperial China. Rather, modern cultural figures redeemed formerly denounced shrew attributes and revived the shrew as a positive model for female empowerment in their constructions of the “new woman.”
Beauties at Work: Sexual Politics in a Chinese Professional Organization
Authors: Liu Jieyu
Published: February 2017

This article explores new forms of inequality experienced by young white-collar professional women in post-Mao China. Drawing upon ethnographic data collected during a six-month stay in a Chinese company in eastern China, I explore how sexuality is played out in its organizational culture. Through an analysis of management attitudes, everyday office encounters and organizational activities, I illustrate that the workplace culture can be eroticized. Masculine domination pervades company organization, with women controlled through the process of objectification, which intensifies vertical segregation by gender. Despite gendered and sexualized control in the white-collar workplace, I caution against misinterpreting Chinese women’s responses by viewing them through the lens of inappropriate assumptions. I indicate how women’s agency may be enacted, and reveal layers of response and resistance in the face of masculine domination at work.
G. I. Gurdjieff’s Piano Music and Its Application in and outside “The Work”
Authors: Petsche Johanna J. M.
Published: February 2017

Gurdjieff (c. 1866–1949) wrote a diverse collection of piano pieces at his “Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man” at the Chateau du Prieuré d’ Avon at Fontainebleau near Paris in a unique collaboration with pupil Thomas de Hartmann, a Ukrainian composer. This music was composed most intensely between the years 1925 and 1927, after Gurdjieff’s near-fatal car accident of 1924 when all work on his “Movements” or “sacred dances” had ceased. Thus this music was not written for the Movements but for other spiritual purposes. Gurdjieff would whistle, sing, and tap Eastern-sounding melodies and rhythms, and de Hartmann was required to immediately transform these indications into written Western notation, adding suitable harmonies. Like Gurdjieff’s teaching overall, the piano music is best described as a blending of Eastern and Western elements. In Gurdjieff’s lifetime this music was not published or recorded, and was mostly performed within his circle of pupils, as is appropriate within an initiatory and personally transmitted spiritual teaching. This article explores the Gurdjieff—de Hartmann music and its relationship to Gurdjieff’s overall esoteric teachings. There will also be an examination of how Gurdjieff groups and musicians continue to keep alive this music today, and it will be shown that the large number of recordings released represent its greatest cultural penetration into wider society. Currently hundreds of these recordings are available though, interestingly, most “Work” members are critical of them, arguing that the music only has value when experienced live and in a Work context.
“Should We Try to Self Remember While Playing Snakes and Ladders?”
Authors: O’Rawe Ricki
Published: February 2017

Emerging from the Paris surrealist group, the English-born writer and painter Leonora Carrington (England, 1917—Mexico, 2011) was perpetually suspicious of orthodoxy. She often pokes fun at, parodies, and ultimately upsets traditional hierarchies of power. In her work animals impart wisdom, Goddesses loom large, and domestic spaces become sites of occult power. In this article, I investigate Carrington’s suspicion of gurus with claims to esoteric truth. Carrington participated in Fourth Way groups run by students of G. I. Gurdjieff (Christopher Fremantle) and P. D. Ouspensky (Rodney Collin). However, while she had a deep interest in the teachings, Carrington remained suspicious of the group practices of the Fourth Way, as can be seen in Elena Poniatowska’s fictionalized biography Leonora (2015). This article explores Carrington’s contact with the ‘Work’ in order to shed light on the character of Dr. Gambit in her 1950 novel, The Hearing Trumpet, commonly thought to be a parody of Gurdjieff. In doing so, it will investigate Carrington’s feminist objections to the role of the guru, while also contributing to a discussion of the unease some felt toward the praxis of the Fourth Way, despite their attraction to the philosophy.
Two new species and three morphospecies of Ficophagus Davies & Bartholomaeus, 2015 (Nematoda: Aphelenchoididae) from Ficus subgenus Pharmacosycea (Moraceae) in Central America
Authors: Davies Kerrie A. , Ye Weimin , Center Barbara , Kanzaki Natsumi , Bartholomaeus Faerlie , Herre E. Allen , Esquivel Alejandro , Giblin-Davis Robin M.
Published: February 2017

Aphelenchoidid nematodes were collected from the sycones ofFicussubgenusPharmacosyceafrom Central America. Two new species ofFicophaguswere recovered, and are described herein asF. maximasp. n. andF. yoponensissp. n. fromFicus maximaandF. yoponensis, respectively. They are differentiated from other species of the genus by a combination of morphological characters including having C-shaped females and spiral males, EP opening close to the lips, a short to long post-uterine sac, spicule characters, three pairs of subventral caudal papillae, DNA sequence data, biogeographical range, and host wasp andFicusspecies affiliation. The new species are differentiated from each other by spicule characters, length of the post-uterine sac, spermatheca shape, and female tail shape. In addition, three morphospecies were collected from sycones ofFicus glabrata,F. insipidaandF. tonduzii, respectively. Their morphological descriptions are presented but these taxa are not formally named as they currently lack molecular data.