bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards a Religious History of the Black Atlantic: Charles H. Long's Significations and New World Slavery
Authors: Floyd‐thomas Juan M.
Published: December 2016

Historian of religion Charles H. Long's landmark text, Significations: Signs, Symbols, and Images in the Interpretation of Religion (1986), has served as a lynchpin for the interdisciplinary study of black religion and culture since its original publication more than a quarter of a century ago. This article focuses on how Long's masterwork has stimulated innovative theories and methods utilised in analysing the origins and varieties of black religious experience in the wake of New World slavery that often have been subsumed under the heavy‐laden concept of “Black religion.” Additionally, this article contextualises the influential nature of Long's work upon the history of black religions in the modern world as modalities of both orientation and meaning‐making by emphasising the book's powerful descriptions and critical analyses of black religious phenomenology. Through a historiography of New World slavery, religion, and culture within the context of the Black Atlantic, this article identifies a cluster of major theoretical paradigms illustrated by recent, far‐ranging studies of race, religion, and culture at the height of the African enslavement in the circum‐Atlantic world.
Preterm prelabour rupture of membranes: a retrospective cohort study of association with adverse outcome in subsequent pregnancy
Authors: Aris IM , Logan S , Lim C , Choolani M , Biswas A , Bhattacharya S
Published: December 2016

Objective

To assess the association of first pregnancy preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM) with adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in the next pregnancy.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Grampian, Scotland, UK.

Population

Women with first deliveries recorded in the Aberdeen Maternity Neonatal Databank, 1986–2005.

Methods

Women identified from the AMND database (n = 37 776) were classified into exposed (PPROM in first pregnancy; n = 1979) and unexposed (no PPROM in first pregnancy; n = 35 797) cohorts. Each cohort (exposed n = 1174; unexposed n = 20 860) was followed up until December 2012 for next singleton pregnancy.

Main outcome measures

Second pregnancy, miscarriage, pregnancy‐induced hypertension (PIH), pre‐eclampsia (PE), antepartum haemorrhage (APH) and postpartum haemorrhage, repeat PPROM, type of labour, mode of delivery, preterm delivery, low birth weight (LBW), admission to neonatal unit, neonatal infections and death.

Results

PPROM in the first singleton pregnancy was associated with an equal likelihood of second pregnancy but with a significantly increased risk of adverse outcomes in the next singleton pregnancy: PPROM [odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)): 6.6 (5.4–7.9)], PE [2.4 (1.7–3.5)], instrumental [2.2 (1.7–2.8)] and caesarean delivery [1.8 (1.5–2.3)], PIH [1.5 (1.2–1.9)] and APH [1.3 (1.1–1.6)] in the mother, and neonatal infection [5.4 (1.4–20.3)], death [2.6 (1.0–6.7)], admission to neonatal unit [2.4 (2.0–2.9)], preterm delivery [2.3 (1.8–2.9)] and LBW [1.44 (1.1–1.9)]. Even in women without a recurrent PPROM, there was still a significant increase in PIH [1.4 (1.1–1.8)], PE [2.3 (1.6–3.5)], instrumental [2.2 (1.7–2.9)] and caesarean delivery [1.9 (1.5–2.4)], and neonatal unit admission [1.6 (1.3–2.0)].

Conclusions

PPROM in the first pregnancy is associated with significant adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in the next pregnancy, but not reduced likelihood of second pregnancy.

Tweetable abstract

PPROM in the first singleton pregnancy increases risk of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in the next singleton pregnancy.
The antepartum stillbirth syndrome: risk factors and pregnancy conditions identified from the INTERGROWTH‐21st Project
Authors: Hirst JE , Villar J , Victora CG , Papageorghiou AT , Finkton D , Barros FC , Gravett MG , Giuliani F , Purwar M , Frederick IO , Pang R , Cheikh Ismail L , Lambert A , Stones W , Jaffer YA , Altman DG , Noble JA , Ohuma EO , Kennedy SH , Bhutta ZA ,   the International Fetal and Newborn Growth Consortium for the 21 Century (INTERGROWTH‐21)
Published: December 2016

Objectives

To identify risk factors for antepartum stillbirth, including fetal growth restriction, among women with well‐dated pregnancies and access to antenatal care.

Design

Population‐based, prospective, observational study.

Setting

Eight international urban populations.

Population

Pregnant women and their babies enrolled in the Newborn Cross‐Sectional Study of the INTERGROWTH‐21st Project.

Methods

Cox proportional hazard models were used to compare risks among antepartum stillborn and liveborn babies.

Main outcome measures

Antepartum stillbirth was defined as any fetal death after 16 weeks’ gestation before the onset of labour.

Results

Of 60 121 babies, 553 were stillborn (9.2 per 1000 births), of which 445 were antepartum deaths (7.4 per 1000 births). After adjustment for site, risk factors were low socio‐economic status, hazard ratio (HR): 1.6 (95% CI, 1.2–2.1); single marital status, HR 2.0 (95% CI, 1.4–2.8); age ≥40 years, HR 2.2 (95% CI, 1.4–3.7); essential hypertension, HR 4.0 (95% CI, 2.7–5.9); HIV/AIDS, HR 4.3 (95% CI, 2.0–9.1); pre‐eclampsia, HR 1.6 (95% CI, 1.1–3.8); multiple pregnancy, HR 3.3 (95% CI, 2.0–5.6); and antepartum haemorrhage, HR 3.3 (95% CI, 2.5–4.5). Birth weight <3rd centile was associated with antepartum stillbirth [HR, 4.6 (95% CI, 3.4–6.2)]. The greatest risk was seen in babies not suspected to have been growth restricted antenatally, with an HR of 5.0 (95% CI, 3.6–7.0). The population‐attributable risk of antepartum death associated with small‐for‐gestational‐age neonates diagnosed at birth was 11%.

Conclusions

Antepartum stillbirth is a complex syndrome associated with several risk factors. Although small babies are at higher risk, current growth restriction detection strategies only modestly reduced the rate of stillbirth.

Tweetable abstract

International stillbirth study finds individual risks poor predictors of death but combinations promising.
Forty Years of Price Transmission Research in the Food Industry: Insights, Challenges and Prospects
Authors: Lloyd Tim
Published: December 2016

Price transmission refers to a process via which information is transmitted between participants in a market. Focusing on vertical markets such as the food chain, this Address considers developments in theory, methods and data that help economists understand how information is conveyed between food consumers and agricultural producers. Central to this understanding is the increasingly important role played by the food industry (retailing, manufacturing and processing) in price transmission. Not only is the food industry a major source of the price changes that producers and consumers face but it also mediates price signals originating in other parts of the food chain in increasingly nuanced ways, as revealed by highly detailed retail (‘scanner’) data that is becoming progressively available to researchers. While the speed, magnitude and asymmetry of price transmission are valuable descriptors of price adjustment in vertical markets, we should be wary of inferring too much about the competitive setting on the basis of prices alone. Theory‐consistent empirical models are a step in the right direction and represent a useful complement to the approaches developed in the New Empirical Industrial Organisation literature which address the issue of market power directly. Being the mechanism underlying food inflation, price transmission also has an important macro‐economic dimension, and concerns about competition surface here too. Given the rapidly changing nature of the food industry in many countries, the need to understand the forces shaping price transmission is as cogent as ever.
Fatal Intoxication with α‐PVP, a Synthetic Cathinone Derivative
Authors: Potocka‐Banaś Barbara , Janus Tomasz , Majdanik Sławomir , Banaś Tomasz , Dembińska Teresa , Borowiak Krzysztof
Published: December 2016

This study presents the fatal case of a young man who was admitted to the ICAU due to sudden cardiac arrest. An interview revealed that the patient had taken some unspecified crystals. From the moment of admission, his condition deteriorated dramatically as a result of increasing circulatory insufficiency. After a few hours, sudden cardiac arrest occurred again and the patient was pronounced dead. In the course of a medicolegal autopsy, samples of biological material were preserved for toxicology tests and histopathological examination. The analysis of samples using the LC‐MS/MS technique revealed the presence of α‐PVP in the following concentrations: blood—174 ng/mL, urine—401 ng/mL, brain—292 ng/g, liver—190 ng/g, kidney—122 ng/g, gastric contents—606 ng/g. The study also presents findings from the parallel histopathological examination. Based on these findings, cardiac arrest secondary to intoxication with alpha‐PVP was determined as the direct cause of the patient's death.
Meeting the challenge of DNA barcoding Neotropical amphibians: polymerase chain reaction optimization and new COI primers
Authors: Lyra Mariana L. , Haddad Célio F. B. , de Azeredo‐Espin Ana Maria L.
Published: December 2016

Amphibians are one of the most threatened vertebrate classes, yet at the same time new species are being described every year, demonstrating that the number of existing species is grossly underestimated. In groups such as amphibians, with high extinction rates and poorly known species boundaries, DNA barcoding is a tool that can rapidly assess genetic diversity and estimate species richness for prioritizing conservation decisions. However, reliable recovery of the 5′ region of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene is critical for the ongoing effort to gather DNA barcodes for all amphibian species. Here, we provide new PCR conditions and tested new primers that increase the efficiency of barcode recovery in amphibians. We found that a low extension temperature for PCR cycles significantly improves the efficiency of amplification for all combinations of primers. Combining low PCR extension temperature and primers AnF1 + AnR1, we were able to recover COI sequences for 100% of the species analysed (N = 161), encompassing ~15% of the species known from Brazil (representing 77 genera and 23 families), which is an important improvement over previous studies. The preliminary assessment of species diversity suggested that number of species might be underestimated by about 25%. We conclude that DNA barcoding is an efficient, simple, and standardized protocol for identifying cryptic diversity in amphibians and advocate for its use in biodiversity inventories and across widespread populations within known species.
The computer program structure for assigning individuals to populations: easy to use but easier to misuse
Authors: Wang Jinliang
Published: December 2016

The computer program Structure implements a Bayesian method, based on a population genetics model, to assign individuals to their source populations using genetic marker data. It is widely applied in the fields of ecology, evolutionary biology, human genetics and conservation biology for detecting hidden genetic structures, inferring the most likely number of populations (K), assigning individuals to source populations and estimating admixture and migration rates. Recently, several simulation studies repeatedly concluded that the program yields erroneous inferences when samples from different populations are highly unbalanced in size. Analysing both simulated and empirical data sets, this study confirms that Structure indeed yields poor individual assignments to source populations and gives frequently incorrect estimates of K when sampling is unbalanced. However, this poor performance is mainly caused by the adoption of the default ancestry prior, which assumes all source populations contribute equally to the pooled sample of individuals. When the alternative ancestry prior, which allows for unequal representations of the source populations by the sample, is adopted, accurate individual assignments could be obtained even if sampling is highly unbalanced. The alternative prior also improves the inference of K by two estimators, albeit the improvement is not as much as that in individual assignments to populations. For the difficult case of many populations and unbalanced sampling, a rarely used parameter combination of the alternative ancestry prior, an initial ALPHA value much smaller than the default and the uncorrelated allele frequency model is required for Structure to yield accurate inferences. I conclude that Structure is easy to use but is easier to misuse because of its complicated genetic model and many parameter (prior) options which may not be obvious to choose, and suggest using multiple plausible models (parameters) and K estimators in conducting comparative and exploratory Structure analysis.
Individual chambers for controlling crosses in wind‐pollinated plants
Authors: McGoey Brechann V. , Janik Rafal , Stinchcombe John R.
Published: December 2016

Controlled plant crosses can be an important component of studies ranging from applied artificial selection research to evolutionary investigations of heritability. Controlling pollen flow is especially challenging for wind‐pollinated species.

We developed a system capable of housing hundreds of ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) plants simultaneously in individual chambers through the reproductive portion of their life cycles.

We confirmed that our chambers allowed us to control pollen movement and paternity of offspring using unpollinated isolated plants and microsatellite markers for parents and their putative offspring. Our system had per plant costs and efficacy superior to pollen bags used in past studies of wind‐pollinated plants.

Our chamber system is flexible, affordable and widely applicable to other wind‐pollinated plants, or applications in which the distribution of highly mobile species, individuals, spores or gametes must be controlled.
Neural responses to negative outcomes predict success in community‐based substance use treatment
Authors: Forster Sarah E. , Finn Peter R. , Brown Joshua W.
Published: December 2016

Background and aims

Patterns of brain activation have demonstrated promise as prognostic indicators in substance dependent individuals (SDIs) but have not yet been explored in SDIs typical of community‐based treatment settings.

Design

Prospective clinical outcome design, evaluating baseline functional magnetic resonance imaging data from the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) as a predictor of 3‐month substance use treatment outcomes.

Setting

Community‐based substance use programs in Bloomington, Indiana, USA.

Participants

Twenty‐three SDIs (17 male, aged 18–43 years) in an intensive outpatient or residential treatment program; abstinent 1–4 weeks at baseline.

Measurements

Event‐related brain response, BART performance and self‐report scores at treatment onset, substance use outcome measure (based on days of use).

Findings

Using voxel‐level predictive modeling and leave‐one‐out cross‐validation, an elevated response to unexpected negative feedback in bilateral amygdala and anterior hippocampus (Amyg/aHipp) at baseline successfully predicted greater substance use during the 3‐month study interval (P ≤ 0.006, cluster‐corrected). This effect was robust to inclusion of significant non‐brain‐based covariates. A larger response to negative feedback in bilateral Amyg/aHipp was also associated with faster reward‐seeking responses after negative feedback (r(23) = −0.544, P = 0.007; r(23) = −0.588, P = 0.003). A model including Amyg/aHipp activation, faster reward‐seeking after negative feedback and significant self‐report scores accounted for 45% of the variance in substance use outcomes in our sample.

Conclusions

An elevated response to unexpected negative feedback in bilateral amygdala and anterior hippocampus (Amyg/aHipp) appears to predict relapse to substance use in people attending community‐based treatment.
Apatinib in gastric carcinoma: A case report of partial response for first‐line treatment in advanced disease
Authors: Wang Yaping , Bi Minghong , Zhang Haoran , Gao Zhenyuan , Zhou Hairong , Chang Shu
Published: December 2016

Gastric cancer (GC) is the most common gastrointestinal malignant tumor, with a gradual increasing incidence throughout the world. Mostly GC is diagnosed in its late stage. To date, there is no usable standardized treatment regimen for patients with advanced GC. Apatinib mesylate, small‐molecule vascular endothelial growth factor receptor‐2 (VEGFR‐2) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), has been approved as third‐line treatment for patients with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma in China, October, 2014. Till now, there is no case report about apatinib as first‐line treatment for patients with advanced GC in literature. We present an 83‐year‐old Chinese man with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma, who received apatinib as first‐line option and obtained clinical benefit within 2 weeks. The lung metastases disappeared completely and the liver metastases shrank significantly. The patient's progression‐free survival was 163 days and overall survival was 201 days. This paper reviews and discusses apatinib as a new targeted drug for patients with advanced GC by comparison with other effective molecular‐targeted therapy.
Diagnosing eosinophilic asthma using a multivariate prediction model based on blood granulocyte responsiveness
Authors: Hilvering B. , Vijverberg S. J. H. , Jansen J. , Houben L. , Schweizer R. C. , Go S. , Xue L. , Pavord I. D. , Lammers J.‐W. J. , Koenderman L.
Published: December 2016

Background

The identification of inflammatory asthma phenotypes, using sputum analysis, has proven its value in diagnosis and disease monitoring. However due to technical limitations of sputum analysis, there is a strong need for fast and noninvasive diagnostics. This study included the activation state of eosinophils and neutrophils in peripheral blood to phenotype and monitor asthma.

Objectives

To (i) construct a multivariable model using the activation state of blood granulocytes, (ii) compare its diagnostic value with sputum eosinophilia as gold standard and (iii) validate the model in an independent patient cohort.

Methods

Clinical parameters, activation of blood granulocytes and sputum characteristics were assessed in 115 adult patients with asthma (training cohort/Utrecht) and 34 patients (validation cohort/Oxford).

Results

The combination of blood eosinophil count, fractional exhaled nitric oxide, Asthma Control Questionnaire, medication use, nasal polyposis, aspirin sensitivity and neutrophil/eosinophil responsiveness upon stimulation with formyl‐methionyl‐leucyl phenylalanine was found to identify sputum eosinophilia with 90.5% sensitivity and 91.5% specificity in the training cohort and with 77% sensitivity and 71% specificity in the validation cohort (relatively high percentage on oral corticosteroids [OCS]).

Conclusions

The proposed prediction model identifies eosinophilic asthma without the need for sputum induction. The model forms a noninvasive and externally validated test to assess eosinophilic asthma in patients not on OCS.
Long‐term childhood outcomes of breech presentation by intended mode of delivery: a population record linkage study
Authors: Bin Yu Sun , Ford Jane B. , Nicholl Michael C. , Roberts Christine L.
Published: December 2016

Introduction

There is a lack of information on long‐term outcomes by mode of delivery for term breech presentation. We aimed to compare childhood mortality, cerebral palsy, hospitalizations, developmental, and educational outcomes associated with intended vaginal breech birth (VBB) with planned cesarean section.

Material and methods

Population birth and hospital records from New South Wales, Australia, were used to identify women with non‐anomalous pregnancies eligible for VBB during 2001–2012. Intended mode of delivery was inferred from labor onset and management. Death, hospital, and education records were used for follow up until 2014. Cox proportional hazards regression and modified Poisson regression were used for analysis.

Results

Of 15 281 women considered eligible for VBB, 7.7% intended VBB, 74.2% planned cesarean section, and intention was uncertain for 18.1%. Intended VBB did not differ from planned cesarean section on infant mortality (Fisher's exact p = 0.55), childhood mortality (Fisher's exact p = 0.50), cerebral palsy (Fisher's exact p = 1.00), hospitalization in the first year of life [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.04; 95% CI 0.90–1.20], hospitalization between the first and sixth birthdays (HR 0.92; 95% CI 0.82–1.04), being developmentally vulnerable [adjusted relative risk (RR) 1.22; 95% CI 0.48–1.69] or having special needs status (RR 0.95; 95% CI 0.48–1.88) when aged 4–6, or scoring more than 1 standard deviation below the mean on tests of reading (RR 1.10; 95% CI 0.87–1.40) and numeracy (RR 1.04; 95% CI 0.81–1.34) when aged 7–9.

Conclusions

Planned VBB confers no additional risks for child health, development or educational achievement compared with planned cesarean section.
Novel application for electrochemotherapy: Immersion of nasal cavity in dog
Authors: Suzuki Daniela O.H. , Berkenbrock José A. , de Oliveira Krishna D. , Freytag Jennifer O. , Rangel Marcelo M.M.
Published: December 2016

Electrochemotherapy is a new modality of local cancer treatment that increases the delivery of chemotherapy drugs into tumor cells by applying intense electric fields. This novel electrochemotherapy application was applied as an adjuvant to surgery and eliminated intranasal tumors in dog. The treatment challenges are the surgery limitations due to anatomy and residual tumor in the bone cavity. Most of the tumoral mass on nasal cavity was surgically removed. The internal nasal cavity was immersed in liquid and bleomycin before applying electric field. The solution was necessary to increase the superficial contact between plate electrodes and residual tumor. The numerical study demonstrated electrochemotherapy efficiency in different clinical situations. The proximity between electrodes and bone (<3 mm) and bone irregularities affect the electric field distribution on tumoral tissue. The tumoral tissue around bone protuberances tends to be eliminated. Electrochemotherapy with plate electrodes inside the cavity might not be effective. Different values of electric conductivity solution were studied; the ideal value was 0.5 S/m. The numerical and experimental results confirm the successful application of electrochemotherapy on dog nasal cavity.
Case–control study demonstrates that surfactant without intubation delayed mechanical ventilation in preterm infants
Authors: Vik Sigrid Dannheim , Vik Torstein , Lydersen Stian , Støen Ragnhild
Published: December 2016

Aim

This Norwegian study explored whether administering surfactant without intubation (SWI) delayed the need for early mechanical ventilation and reduced respiratory and nonrespiratory complications in infants born before 32 weeks of gestational age.

Methods

We compared 262 infants admitted to a level‐three neonatal intensive care unit: 134 born before the introduction of SWI on 1 December 2011 were in the control group and 128 infants born after this date were in the study group.

Results

The proportion of infants treated with surfactant did not differ between the groups, but mechanical ventilation before 72 hours of life was lower in the study group than the control group, with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.58 and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.35–0.96. Fewer study group infants needed supplemental oxygen at 28 days of life. One study infant and nine control infants had intraventricular haemorrhage grades 3–4 and, or, cystic periventricular leukomalacia (OR 0.10, 95% CI 0.01–0.83). These results were strengthened in analyses restricted to surfactant‐treated infants and the proportion needing supplemental oxygen at 36 weeks was reduced.

Conclusion

Surfactant without intubation reduced the need for early mechanical ventilation and major brain injuries in infants born at <32 weeks of gestation.
Leucocyte protein Trojan, a possible regulator of apoptosis
Authors: Petrov Petar , Syrjänen Riikka , Uchida Tatsuya , Vainio Olli
Published: December 2016

Trojan is a leucocyte‐specific protein, cloned from chicken embryonic thymocyte cDNA library. The molecule is a type I transmembrane protein with an extracellular CCP domain, followed by two FN3 domains. Its cytoplasmic tail is predicted to possess a MAPK docking and a PKA phosphorylation sites. Trojan has been proposed to have an anti‐apoptotic role based on its differential expression on developing thymocyte subpopulations. Using a chicken cell line, our in vitro studies showed that upon apoptosis induction, Trojan expression rises dramatically on the surface of surviving cells and gradually decreases towards its normal levels as cells recover. When sorted based on their expression levels of Trojan, cells with high expression appeared less susceptible to apoptotic induction than those bearing no or low levels of Trojan on their surface. The mechanism by which the molecule exerts its function is yet to be discovered. We found that cells overexpressing Trojan from a cDNA plasmid show elevated steady‐state levels of intracellular calcium, suggesting the molecule is able to transmit cytoplasmic signals. The mechanistic nature of Trojan‐induced signalling is a target of future investigation. In this article, we conducted a series of experiments that suggest Trojan as an anti‐apoptotic regulator.
Behavior of sheep fed babassu cake (Orbygnia speciosa) as a substitution for elephant grass silage
Authors: Neta Ernestina Ribeiro dos Santos , Alves Kaliandra Souza , Mezzomo Rafael , Gomes Daiany Íris , Oliveira Luis Rennan Sampaio , Carvalho Francisco Fernando Ramos de , Luz Janaina Barros , Lacerda Natália Gomes , Bourdon Venucia de Diniella dos Santos
Published: December 2016

This study aimed to evaluate the behavior of sheep fed babassu cake as a substitution for elephant grass silage. The experiment was conducted at the Federal Rural University of Amazonia (Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia ‐ UFRA), Brazil, using 45 sheep housed in individual stalls, with unlimited access to feed and distributed in a completely randomized design with five treatments (0, 12.5, 25, 37.5 and 50% inclusion of babassu cake) and nine replications. All of the treatments contained a roughage‐to‐concentrate ratio of 40:60. No differences were observed in the time spent feeding (P > 0.05), regardless of the source of roughage used. However, there was a reduction in the time spent in rumination (P < 0.05) and an increase in time spent idling (P < 0.05) when babassu cake was included in the diet. Although there was a reduction in the time spent chewing the ruminal bolus (P < 0.05), the total daily chewing time was the same for all animals (P > 0.05). However, the sheep fed babassu cake showed higher feeding and rumination efficiency (P < 0.05). Therefore, the substitution of elephant grass silage with babassu cake can be performed at up to 50% without compromising the total time spent eating and chewing, which allows increased feeding and rumination efficiency.
The Past Is Present: Representations of Parents, Friends, and Romantic Partners Predict Subsequent Romantic Representations
Authors: Furman Wyndol , Collibee Charlene
Published: December 2016

This study examined how representations of parent–child relationships, friendships, and past romantic relationships are related to subsequent romantic representations. Two‐hundred 10th graders (100 female; Mage = 15.87 years) from diverse neighborhoods in a Western U.S. city were administered questionnaires and were interviewed to assess avoidant and anxious representations of their relationships with parents, friends, and romantic partners. Participants then completed similar questionnaires and interviews about their romantic representations six more times over the next 7.5 years. Growth curve analyses revealed that representations of relationships with parents, friends, and romantic partners each uniquely predicted subsequent romantic representations across development. Consistent with attachment and behavioral systems theory, representations of romantic relationships are revised by representations and experiences in other relationships.
Incidence and predictors of edentulism among south Brazilian older adults
Authors: Marques Fernanda Pasquetti , Tôrres Luísa Helena do Nascimento , Bidinotto Augusto Bacelo , Hilgert Juliana Balbinot , Hugo Fernando Neves , De Marchi Renato José
Published: December 2016

Objective

To identify socioeconomic, demographic, behavioural and clinical predictors of the 8‐year incidence of edentulism in south Brazilian older adults.

Methods

Cohort of a representative sample of older persons in Carlos Barbosa, a south Brazil city. A cohort study was conducted using a simple random sample of 392 older people evaluated in 2004, with follow‐ups in 2008 and 2012, when 199 participants were evaluated. Interviews and oral examinations were conducted. The baseline assessment was carried out in 2004, with follow‐ups in 2008 and 2012. To evaluate the predictors of edentulism, Poisson regression models with robust variance were carried out. The outcome was modelled through the use of a hierarchical approach based on the conceptual framework proposed by Andersen and Davidson.

Results

Some 11.5% of the participants had become edentulous after 8 years. Higher income, use of partial removable dentures and low salivary flow were associated with the incidence of edentulism.

Conclusions

Maintaining a good salivary function may be essential for the prevention of the incidence of edentulism in this age group. Furthermore, our findings suggest that rehabilitations with partial removable dentures may be detrimental to long‐term oral health.
Should we be offering fertility preservation by surgical sperm retrieval to men with Klinefelter syndrome?
Authors: McEleny Kevin , Cheetham Tim , Quinton Richard
Published: December 2016

Advances in surgical sperm retrieval have greatly increased the chances of men with Klinefelter syndrome achieving biological paternity. Despite this, the vast majority of attempts to achieve fertility by using extracted gametes to fertilize eggs in vitro do not result in viable pregnancies. A powerful obstacle to success lies with the natural history of seminiferous tubule and germ cell function in Klinefelter syndrome, which typically peak (and thereafter steeply decline) up to a decade before most individuals would be contemplating paternity. Herein we discuss, in relation to a real clinical case, both the exciting technical advances surgical sperm retrieval and the logistic and ethical factors that, in practice, may act to limit their successful application.
Pulmonary actinomycosis: a rare case diagnosed on bronchoalveolar lavage cytology
Authors: Sharma S. , Dey P. , Poddar R.
Published: December 2016

In this paper we have described a very rare case of actinomycosis in bronchoalveolar lavage.
Determinants of richness patterns differ between rare and common species: implications for Gesneriaceae conservation in China
Authors: Liu Yunpeng , Shen Zehao , Wang Qinggang , Su Xiangyan , Zhang Wanjun , Shrestha Nawal , Xu Xiaoting , Wang Zhiheng
Published: December 2016

Aim

Whether richness patterns and determinants are consistent between common and rare species remains controversial, and the answer is fundamental for the conservation of species in vulnerable habitats. Although effects of climate and geological history on species richness have been widely explored, their relative contribution among common and rare species is poorly understood. Here, using a valuable ornamental plant family Gesneriaceae, we evaluated how contemporary climate, habitat heterogeneity and long‐term climate change affect the distribution of rare and common species. Additionally, we identified hotspots of Gesneriaceae diversity and evaluated its protection gap in China.

Location

China.

Methods

Distribution of Gesneriaceae was compiled at a spatial resolution of 50 × 50 km. Species were grouped as rare and common based on the number of grid cells they occupied, and their richness patterns and hotspots were estimated separately. Generalized linear models and Random Forest were used to compare effects of different factors on species richness.

Results

Richness of Gesneriaceae peaked in south‐western China. The Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau and Hengduan Mountains were identified as hotspots for overall and common species, while only the former was hotspot for rare species. Temperature seasonality, winter coldness and temperature change since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) dominated species richness patterns, but their relative effects differed between species range size. Temperature seasonality had strongest effects on richness of common species, whereas temperature change since the LGM was strongest for rare species. Neither current nor past precipitation affects richness patterns significantly.

Main conclusions

Gesneriaceae species richness is strongly influenced by temperature changes. Specifically, rare and common species are primarily dominated by long‐ and short‐term temperature changes, respectively. These findings suggest that most Gesneriaceae species may face high risk under future climate changes, and hence, more conservation efforts are urgently needed, especially in Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, which is hotspot of rare species.
Effect modification in the association between glycated haemoglobin and cardiovascular disease and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: van Munster Sanne N. , van der Graaf Yolanda , de Valk Harold W. , Visseren Frank L. J. , Westerink Jan ,   on behalf of the SMART Study Group
Published: December 2016

Aim

To identify patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) who may benefit from lower or higher glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) targets, based on readily available patient characteristics.

Materials and methods

Patients with T2D were included in the present study from the Second Manifestations of ARTerial disease (SMART) cohort. Several patient characteristics were evaluated for effect modification in the relationship between HbA1c and cardiovascular disease and all‐cause mortality, using multiplicative interaction analyses and stratified Cox proportional hazard analyses. Combinations of patient characteristics, as used in existing treatment algorithms, were similarly evaluated.

Results

Of 1753 patients, 323 experienced a vascular event during a median of 6.6 years of follow‐up and 375 patients died. For the association between HbA1c and cardiovascular events, no effect modifiers were found. Body mass index (BMI) and weight showed significant interaction for the association between HbA1c and mortality (
P
= .04). Analyses, stratified for 25 kg/m2 or 30 or 35 kg/m2, showed quite dissimilar hazard ratios without reaching statistical significance. Combinations of patient characteristics used in existing treatment algorithms, did not influence the relationship between HbA1c and cardiovascular disease or mortality (
P
= .46 to
P
= .92).

Conclusions

Using easily obtainable patient characteristics, whether alone or in combinations used in existing treatment algorithms, it was not possible, except for BMI or weight, considered continuously, to identify patients with T2D who had a differential association between HbA1c and cardiovascular events or all‐cause mortality in our cohort.
The Value of Skills – Raising the Socioeconomic Status of Rural Women in India
Authors: Jie Chen Yvonne , Chindarkar Namrata
Published: December 2016

Using primary survey data collected in two sub‐districts of Gujarat, India, on a unique programme that trains rural women with low human capital to repair village water handpumps, we examine the effect of skills training on their socioeconomic outcomes. We find that participating in the training programme significantly increases the probability of being employed outside household farms and women's contribution to household income in the lean season. Further, we find that programme participants spend more on female‐favoured consumption goods and have a greater say in household spending decisions, though only from the women's perspective and not husbands’ or adult sons’ perspective. Consequently, providing skills training, even for part‐time employment, can have positive effects on rural women's overall socioeconomic status.
Stress and gender effects on prefrontal cortex oxygenation levels assessed during single and dual‐task walking conditions
Authors: Holtzer Roee , Schoen Chelsea , Demetriou Eleni , Mahoney Jeannette R. , Izzetoglu Meltem , Wang Cuiling , Verghese Joe
Published: December 2016

The ability to walk is critical for functional independence and wellbeing. The pre‐frontal cortex (PFC) plays a key role in cognitive control of locomotion, notably under attention‐demanding conditions. Factors that influence brain responses to cognitive demands of locomotion, however, are poorly understood. Herein, we evaluated the individual and combined effects of gender and perceived stress on stride velocity and PFC Oxygenated Hemoglobin (HbO2) assessed during single and dual‐task walking conditions. The experimental paradigm included Normal Walk (NW); Cognitive Interference (Alpha); and Walk‐While‐Talk (WWT) tasks. An instrumented walkway was used to assess stride velocity in NW and WWT conditions. Functional Near‐Infrared‐Spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to quantify PFC HbO2 levels during NW, Alpha and WWT. Perceived task‐related stress was evaluated with a single 11‐point scale item. Participants were community residing older adults (age = 76.8 ± 6.7 years; %female = 56). Results revealed that higher perceived stress was associated with greater decline in stride velocity from single to dual‐task conditions among men. Three‐way interactions revealed that gender moderated the effect of perceived stress on changes in HbO2 levels comparing WWT to NW and Alpha. Attenuation in the increase in HbO2 levels, in high compared to low perceived stress levels, from the two single task conditions to WWT was observed only in men. Thus, older men may be more vulnerable to the effect of perceived stress on the change in PFC oxygenation levels across walking conditions that vary in terms of cognitive demands. These findings confer important implications for assessment and treatment of individuals at risk of mobility impairments.
Behavioural and Hormonal Stress Responses to Social Separation in Ravens, Corvus corax
Authors: Munteanu Alexandru M. , Stocker Martina , Stöwe Mareike , Massen Jorg J. M. , Bugnyar Thomas
Published: December 2016

Social life is profitable, but it facilitates conflicts over resources and creates interdependence between individuals. Separating highly social animals triggers intense reactions aimed at re‐establishing lost connections. Less is known, however, about behavioural and physiological responses to separation in socially facultative species, where individuals temporarily form groups and may subsequently leave them. Non‐breeding common ravens (Corvus corax) gather in large numbers at feeding and roosting sites, but otherwise spend time seemingly solitary or in small subgroups. We here studied how ravens cope with being socially isolated, and investigated the life characteristics that might explain potential individual differences. For this, we individually separated captive subadult ravens (n = 25) and housed them in physical and visual isolation from their group members across 4 d. During the separation period, we collected behavioural data and measured the amount of immunoreactive corticosterone metabolites from bird droppings to assess the ravens’ physiological stress response. We found behavioural indicators of stress at the start of the separation, when ravens showed higher levels of tension than of comfort – a pattern that reversed at the end of the separation. Furthermore, we found that the upbringing of ravens affected their behaviour during separation. Hand‐raised birds produced more vocalisations in the beginning of the separation, and were less active at the end, while the reverse pattern occurred with parent‐raised ravens. Contrary to our predictions, we did not find differences in hormonal responses between the beginning and end of the separation period or any link between hormonal responses and behaviours. Ravens’ behavioural responses to social separation stress seem to be dependent on their arousal states, although possible links with hormonal reactions remain unclear. Our results show that behavioural reactions are not always linked with hormonal responses to stress, and further emphasise the importance of investigating effects of early‐life experiences.
Hidden diversity and phylogeographic history provide conservation insights for the edible seaweed Sargassum fusiforme in the Northwest Pacific
Authors: Hu Zi‐Min , Li Jing‐Jing , Sun Zhong‐Min , Gao Xu , Yao Jian‐Ting , Choi Han‐Gil , Endo Hikaru , Duan De‐Lin
Published: December 2016

Understanding the evolutionary processes that have created diversity and the genetic potential of species to adapt to environmental change is an important premise for biodiversity conservation. Herein, we used mitochondrial trnW‐L and cox3 and plastid rbcL‐S data sets to analyze population genetic variation and phylogeographic history of the brown alga Sargassum fusiforme, whose natural resource has been largely exterminated in the Asia–Northwest Pacific in the past decades. Phylogenetic trees and network analysis consistently revealed three major haplotype groups (A, B, and C) in S. fusiforme, with A and B distributed in the Japan‐Pacific coast. Group C consisted of three subgroups (C1, C2, and C3) which were distributed in the Sea of Japan, the Yellow–Bohai Sea, and East China Sea, respectively. Isolation‐with‐migration (IMa) analysis revealed that the three groups diverged approximately during the mid‐Pleistocene (c. 756–1,224 ka). Extended Bayesian skyline plots (EBSP) showed that groups A and B underwent relatively long‐term stable population size despite a subsequent rapid demographic expansion, while subgroups C2 and C3 underwent a sudden expansion at c. 260 ka. FST and AMOVA detected low population‐level genetic variation and high degrees of divergence between groups. The cryptic diversity and phylogeographic patterns found in S. fusiforme not only are essential to understand how environmental shifts and evolutionary processes shaped diversity and distribution of coastal seaweeds but also provide additional insights for conserving and managing seaweed resources and facilitate predictions of their responses to future climate change and habitat loss.
High community turnover and dispersal limitation relative to rapid climate change
Authors: Lewthwaite Jayme M. M. , Debinski Diane M. , Kerr Jeremy T.
Published: December 2016

Aim Many competing hypotheses seek to identify the mechanisms behind species richness gradients. Yet, the determinants of species turnover over broad scales are uncertain. We test whether environmental dissimilarity predicts biotic turnover spatially and temporally across an array of environmental variables and spatial scales using recently observed climate changes as a pseudo‐experimental opportunity.

Location Canada.

Methods We used an extensive database of observation records of 282 Canadian butterfly species collected between 1900 and 2010 to characterize spatial and temporal turnover based on Jaccard indices. We compare relationships between spatial turnover and differences in an array of relevant environmental conditions, including aspects of temperature, precipitation, elevation, primary productivity and land cover. Measurements were taken within 100‐, 200‐ and 400‐km grid cells, respectively. We tested the relative importance of each variable in predicting spatial turnover using bootstrap analysis. Finally, we tested for effects of temperature and precipitation change on temporal turnover, including distinctly accounting for turnover under individual species’ potential dispersal limitations.

Results Temperature differences between areas correlate with spatial turnover in butterfly assemblages, independently of distance, sampling differences or the spatial resolution of the analysis. Increasing temperatures are positively related to biotic turnover within quadrats through time. Limitations on species dispersal may cause observed biotic turnover to be lower than expected given the magnitude of temperature changes through time.

Main conclusions Temperature differences can account for spatial trends in biotic dissimilarity and turnover through time in areas where climate is changing. Butterfly communities are changing quickly in some areas, probably reflecting the dispersal capacities of individual species. However, turnover is lower through time than expected in many areas, suggesting that further work is needed to understand the factors that limit dispersal across broad regions. Our results illustrate the large‐scale effects of climate change on biodiversity in areas with strong environmental gradients.
Scale matters: fire–vegetation feedbacks are needed to explain tropical tree cover at the local scale
Authors: Pausas Juli G. , Dantas Vinícius de L.
Published: December 2016

At a broad (regional to global) spatial scale, tropical vegetation is controlled by climate; at the local scale, it is believed to be determined by interactions between disturbance, vegetation and local conditions (soil and topography) through feedback processes. It has recently been suggested that strong fire–vegetation feedback processes may not be needed to explain tree‐cover patterns in tropical ecosystems and that climate–fire determinism is an alternative possibility. This conclusion was based on the fact that it is possible to reproduce observed patterns in tropical regions (e.g. a trimodal frequency distribution of tree cover) using a simple model that does not explicitly incorporate fire–vegetation feedback processes. We argue that these two mechanisms (feedbacks versus fire–climate control) operate at different spatial and temporal scales; it is not possible to evaluate the role of a process acting at fine scales (e.g. fire–vegetation feedbacks) using a model designed to reproduce regional‐scale pattern (scale mismatch). While the distributions of forest and savannas are partially determined by climate, many studies are providing evidence that the most parsimonious explanation for their environmental overlaps is the existence of feedback processes. Climate is unlikely to be an alternative to feedback processes; rather, climate and fire–vegetation feedbacks are complementary processes at different spatial and temporal scales.