bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecular and physiological manifestations and measurement of aging in humans
Authors: Khan Sadiya S. , Singer Benjamin D. , Vaughan Douglas E.
Published: May 2017

Biological aging is associated with a reduction in the reparative and regenerative potential in tissues and organs. This reduction manifests as a decreased physiological reserve in response to stress (termed homeostenosis) and a time‐dependent failure of complex molecular mechanisms that cumulatively create disorder. Aging inevitably occurs with time in all organisms and emerges on a molecular, cellular, organ, and organismal level with genetic, epigenetic, and environmental modulators. Individuals with the same chronological age exhibit differential trajectories of age‐related decline, and it follows that we should assess biological age distinctly from chronological age. In this review, we outline mechanisms of aging with attention to well‐described molecular and cellular hallmarks and discuss physiological changes of aging at the organ‐system level. We suggest methods to measure aging with attention to both molecular biology (e.g., telomere length and epigenetic marks) and physiological function (e.g., lung function and echocardiographic measurements). Finally, we propose a framework to integrate these molecular and physiological data into a composite score that measures biological aging in humans. Understanding the molecular and physiological phenomena that drive the complex and multifactorial processes underlying the variable pace of biological aging in humans will inform how researchers assess and investigate health and disease over the life course. This composite biological age score could be of use to researchers seeking to characterize normal, accelerated, and exceptionally successful aging as well as to assess the effect of interventions aimed at modulating human aging.
The diverging trajectories of cannabis and tobacco policies in the United States: reasons and possible implications
Authors: Hall Wayne , Kozlowski Lynn T.
Published: May 2017

Aim

To examine briefly the (i) rationales for two policy proposals in the United States to make it mandatory for cigarettes to contain very low levels of nicotine and to legalize cannabis for recreational use by adults; and (ii) possible lessons that participants in each policy debate may learn from each other.

Method

We briefly describe the diverging policies towards cannabis and tobacco in the United States, explain and critically analyse their rationales and discuss possible policy lessons.

Results

Advocates of cannabis legalization have argued that prohibition has been an ineffective and expensive policy that penalizes ethnic minority users unjustly of a drug that is far less harmful than alcohol. The prohibition of traditional tobacco cigarettes has been advocated as a way to eliminate cigarette smoking. These proposals embody very different attitudes towards the harms of recreational adult drug use. Advocates of nicotine prohibition demand that alternative methods of nicotine delivery must be shown to be completely safe before adults are allowed to use them. Advocates of tobacco prohibition ignore evidence that smokers may not use these products and the likelihood of expanding the illicit tobacco market. Advocates of legalizing and regulating recreational cannabis ignore the need to tax and regulate sales in order to minimize the harms of heavy use.

Conclusions

It is not clear that the prohibition of adult use has a useful role to play in the regulation of either cannabis or tobacco. If both products remain legal, the goals of regulating tobacco and cannabis products should be to restrict youth access, promote the use of the least harmful products, provide users with evidence‐based information on both absolute and differential product risks of use and use differential taxes and marketing controls to promote ways of using these products that cause the least harm to their users.
Global Sensitivity Analysis for Repeated Measures Studies with Informative Drop-out: A Semi-parametric Approach
Authors: Scharfstein Daniel , McDermott Aidan , Díaz Iván , Carone Marco , Lunardon Nicola , Turkoz Ibrahim
Published: May 2017

In practice, both testable and untestable assumptions are generally required to draw inference about the mean outcome measured at the final scheduled visit in a repeated measures study with drop-out. Scharfstein et al. (2014) proposed a sensitivity analysis methodology to determine the robustness of conclusions within a class of untestable assumptions. In their approach, the untestable and testable assumptions were guaranteed to be compatible; their testable assumptions were based on a fully parametric model for the distribution of the observable data. While convenient, these parametric assumptions have proven especially restrictive in empirical research. Here, we relax their distributional assumptions and provide a more flexible, semi-parametric approach. We illustrate our proposal in the context of a randomized trial for evaluating a treatment of schizoaffective disorder.
Positive autobiographical memory deficits in youth with depression histories and their never‐depressed siblings
Authors: Begovic Ena , Panaite Vanessa , Bylsma Lauren M. , George Charles , Kovacs Maria , Yaroslavsky Ilya , Baji Ildikó , Benák István , Dochnal Roberta , Kiss Enikő , Vetró Ágnes , Kapornai Krisztina , Rottenberg Jonathan
Published: May 2017

Objectives

Impaired positive autobiographical memory (AM) is closely linked to emotional disorders. AM impairments are often found in depressed adults and may be related to the difficulties such persons have in regulating their dysphoric mood. By contrast, less is known about AM disturbances among adolescents, or about the functional relationship of AM disturbances to early‐onset depression.

Design

A high‐risk family design served to compare four groups of youth who differed in depression histories and familial depression risk.

Methods

Thirty‐one currently depressed probands, 185 remitted probands, 204 never‐depressed siblings of probands, and 180 healthy control youth were induced into a negative mood prior to recalling positive AMs via a novel memory elicitation procedure. Several positive AM characteristics were assessed.

Results

Relative to control youth, unaffected siblings and probands exhibited consistently impaired positive AMs. Moreover, we also found some evidence that probands were more impaired than siblings, who were in turn more impaired than controls, consistent with a gradient effect.

Conclusions

Positive AM disturbances may not only precede the onset of depression in vulnerable youth, but also continue to persist after remission of a depressive episode. Clinical and basic research implications of the findings are discussed.

Practitioner points

Positive AM impairments may be trait‐like, persist in the euthymic phase of depression, and may serve as a risk marker for early‐onset depression among vulnerable adolescents.

Disturbances in positive AM may negatively impact the mood‐regulatory functions of positive memory recall and contribute to persistent sadness and anhedonia, which are core features of depression.

Our sample of currently depressed youth was relatively small, tempering our conclusions.

Although we collected data on some important covariates (e.g., socioeconomic status), we lacked information on other relevant variables such as youths’ executive functioning or IQ.
Preventing relapse after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute leukaemia: the role of post‐transplantation minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring andMRD‐directed intervention
Authors: Mo Xiao‐Dong , Lv Meng , Huang Xiao‐Jun
Published: May 2017

Relapse is the main cause of treatment failure after allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT) for acute leukaemia (AL). Post‐transplantation minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring enables risk stratification and identifiesALpatients at higher risk of relapse.MRDassessment primarily involves the determination of leukaemia‐associated immunophenotypic patterns using multiparameter flow cytometry, and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐based evaluation of expression levels of leukaemia‐related genes (specific reciprocal gene rearrangements and other mutation types). In addition, next generation sequencing and digitalPCRmay further enrich currentMRDdetection. SeveralMRD‐directed interventions have demonstrated the ability to reduce the risk of relapse with acceptable treatment‐related toxicities. Donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) is the most important intervention forMRD‐positive patients, while several modified strategies, such as granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor–mobilized peripheral blood cells followed by short term immune suppression and escalating dose regimen, further improve the safety and efficacy ofDLI. Interferon therapy, targeted drugs, and hypomethylating agents have also been introduced forMRD‐directed interventions. Referring to the issues of whether and who would benefit from pre‐emptive intervention according toMRD, in this review, we summarized this rapidly evolving area ofMRDmonitoring andMRD‐directed interventions inALpatients after allo‐HSCT.
Pyrimidine containing epidermal growth factor receptor kinase inhibitors: Synthesis and biological evaluation
Authors: Joshi Gaurav , Nayyar Himanshu , Kalra Sourav , Sharma Praveen , Munshi Anjana , Singh Sandeep , Kumar Raj
Published: May 2017

Structure‐based design and synthesis of pyrimidine containing reversible epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors 1a–d are reported. The compounds (1a–d) inhibited the EGFR kinase activity in vitro with IC50 range 740 nm to 3 μm. mRNA expression of EGFR downstream target genes, that is twist, c‐fos and aurora were found to be altered upon treatment with compounds 1a–d. The compounds 1a–d exhibited excellent anticancer activity at low micromolar level (3.2–9 μm) in lung, colon and breast cancer cell lines. Furthermore, compounds induced the alteration in mitochondrial membrane potential and reactive oxygen species level and. Selected compound 1b was found to increase sub‐G1 population indicative of cell death, the mode of cell death was apoptotic as evident from Annexin V verses propidium iodide assay. Molecular modelling further helped to investigate the binding recognition pattern of the compounds in ATP binding EGFR domain similar to erlotinib and dissimilar to WZ4002.
Approximating Planar Conformal Maps Using Regular Polygonal Meshes
Authors: Chen Renjie , Gotsman Craig
Published: May 2017

Continuous conformal maps are typically approximated numerically using a triangle mesh which discretizes the plane. Computing a conformal map subject to user‐provided constraints then reduces to a sparse linear system, minimizing a quadratic ‘conformal energy’. We address the more general case of non‐triangular elements, and provide a complete analysis of the case where the plane is discretized using a mesh of regular polygons, e.g. equilateral triangles, squares and hexagons, whose interiors are mapped using barycentric coordinate functions. We demonstrate experimentally that faster convergence to continuous conformal maps may be obtained this way. We provide a formulation of the problem and its solution using complex number algebra, significantly simplifying the notation. We examine a number of common barycentric coordinate functions and demonstrate that superior approximation to harmonic coordinates of a polygon are achieved by the Moving Least Squares coordinates. We also provide a simple iterative algorithm to invert barycentric maps of regular polygon meshes, allowing to apply them in practical applications, e.g. for texture mapping.
Anterior single implants with different neck designs: 5 Year results of a randomized clinical trial
Authors: den Hartog Laurens , Meijer Henny J. A. , Vissink Arjan , Raghoebar Gerry M.
Published: May 2017

Background

The design of the implant neck might be significant for preservation of marginal bone.

Purpose

To compare the 5‐year radiographic and clinical outcome of single anterior implants provided with a smooth neck, a rough neck or a scalloped rough neck.

Materials and Methods

93 Patients with a missing anterior tooth in the maxilla were included. At random, patients received an implant with a 1.5 mm smooth neck (“smooth group”), a rough neck with grooves (“rough group”) or a scalloped rough neck with grooves (“scalloped group”). Implants were installed in healed sites. Follow‐up visits were conducted after final crown delivery and 1 year and 5 years later.

Results

Scalloped implants showed significantly more initial marginal bone resorption. The total amount of bone loss was 1.26 ± 0.90 mm in the smooth group, 1.20 ± 1.1 mm in the rough group and 2.28 ± 0.97 mm in the scalloped group (P < .05). Survival rates were 96.2% for the smooth and scalloped group and 100% for the rough group. Scalloped implants showed deeper pocket depths, more bleeding and more technical complications. There were no differences in esthetic outcome nor in patient satisfaction.

Conclusions

For anterior single tooth replacements, scalloped implants show less favorable radiographic and clinical outcome compared to regular implants with a smooth neck or rough neck.
Development of a clinical trials version of the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life‐Lite questionnaire (IWQOL‐Lite Clinical Trials Version): results from two qualitative studies
Authors: Kolotkin R. L. , Ervin C. M. , Meincke H. H. , Højbjerre L. , Fehnel S. E.
Published: May 2017

Existing measures of health‐related quality of life and patient functioning in obesity, such as the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life‐Lite (IWQOL‐Lite) questionnaire, lack the developmental rigour required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to support product labelling. Two iterative qualitative studies informed development of a version of the IWQOL‐Lite questionnaire optimized for use in obesity clinical trials: the IWQOL‐Lite Clinical Trials Version. Study 1 included 42 patients with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg m−2 (obesity); and Study 2 included 29 patients with type 2 diabetes and BMI ≥ 27 kg m−2 (overweight). Candidate items were selected and/or modified from the IWQOL‐Lite or developed de novo based on concept elicitation and cognitive debriefing interviews, as well as input from clinical experts and the FDA. Participants consistently reported that excess weight limited physical activity and comfort, energy/stamina and self‐confidence/self‐esteem. Impacts on emotional, social and sexual functioning, as well as productivity and overall health, were also reported. Each concept addressed in the 22‐item pilot IWQOL‐Lite Clinical Trials Version was consistently reported as salient and likely to change with 10% weight loss. Data from ongoing and planned clinical trials will be used to finalize and conduct psychometric evaluations of the pilot measure in several patient populations.
Development co‐operation: New perspectives from developing countries – Introduction for special issue of Development Policy Review
Authors: Pickering Jonathan , Davies Robin , Prizzon Annalisa
Published: May 2017

The nature of development co‐operation has changed rapidly in recent years. Developing countries have access to a more diverse range of financing sources, including non‐traditional providers of bilateral development co‐operation, new or emerging multilateral and regional institutions, philanthropic organizations and private investors. These changes raise pressing questions about how the policies and practices of external providers of development finance must evolve, both to meet changing development priorities and to ensure that the overall development assistance effort from all providers is optimal. This article introduces a special issue of Development Policy Review that presents new perspectives from developing countries on the roles that development finance should play. This introduction highlights commonalities and differences among the articles contained in the special issue, and concludes with next steps for research and policy.
Incidence, characteristics, and outcome of solitary plasmacytoma and plasma cell leukemia. Population‐based data from the Swedish Myeloma Register
Authors: Nahi Hareth , Genell Anna , Wålinder Göran , Uttervall Katarina , Juliusson Gunnar , Karin Forsberg , Hansson Markus , Svensson Ronald , Linder Olle , Carlson Kristina , Björkstrand Bo , Kristinsson Sigurdur Y. , Mellqvist Ulf Henrik , Blimark Cecilie , Turesson Ingemar
Published: May 2017

Solitary plasmacytoma (SP) and plasma cell leukemia (PCL) are uncommon (3‐6%) types of plasma cell disease. The risk of progression to symptomatic multiple myeloma (MM) is probably important for the outcome of SP. PCL is rare and has a dismal outcome. In this study, we report on incidence and survival in PCL/SP, and progression to MM in SP, using the prospective observational Swedish Multiple Myeloma Register designed to document all newly diagnosed plasma cell diseases in Sweden since 2008. Both solitary bone plasmacytoma (SBP) (n=124) and extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) (n=67) have better overall survival (OS) than MM (n=3549). Progression to MM was higher in SBP than in EMP (35% and 7% at 2 years, respectively), but this did not translate into better survival in EMP. In spite of treatment developments, the OS of primary PCL is still dismal (median of 11 months, 0% at 5 years). Hence, there is a great need for diagnostic and treatment guidelines as well as prospective studies addressing the role for alternative treatment options, such as allogeneic stem cell transplantation and monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of PCL.
The EFSA quantitative approach to pest risk assessment – methodological aspects and case studies
Authors: Gilioli G. , Schrader G. , Grégoire J.‐C. , MacLeod A. , Mosbach‐Schulz O. , Rafoss T. , Rossi V. , Urek G. , van der Werf W.
Published: May 2017

A new method for pest risk assessment and the identification and evaluation of risk‐reducing options is currently under development by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Plant Health Panel. The draft method has been tested on pests of concern to the European Union (EU). The method is adaptable and can focus either on all the steps and sub‐steps of the assessment process or on specific parts if necessary. It is based on assessing changes in pest population abundance as the major driver of the impact on cultivated plants and on the environment. Like other pest risk assessment systems the method asks questions about the likelihood and magnitude of factors that contribute to risk. Responses can be based on data or expert judgment. Crucially, the approach is quantitative, and it captures uncertainty through the provision by risk assessors of quantile estimates of the probability distributions for the assessed variables and parameters. The assessment is based on comparisons between different scenarios, and the method integrates risk‐reducing options where they apply to a scenario, for example current regulation against a scenario where risk‐reducing options are not applied. A strategy has been developed to communicate the results of the risk assessment in a clear, comparable and transparent way, with the aim of providing the requestor of the risk assessment with a useful answer to the question(s) posed to the EFSA Plant Health Panel. The method has been applied to four case studies, two fungi, Ceratocystis platani and Cryphonectria parasitica, the nematode Ditylenchus destructor and the Grapevine flavescence dorée phytoplasma. Selected results from these case studies illustrate the types of output that the method can deliver.
Decision‐tree‐based methods for differential diagnosis of β‐thalassemia trait from iron deficiency anemia
Authors: Jahangiri Mina , Khodadi Elahe , Rahim Fakher , Saki Najmaldin , Saki Malehi Amal
Published: May 2017

Several discrimination indices have been proposed to distinct between β‐thalassemia trait (βTT) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA). This study is the first application of tree‐based methods for differential diagnosis of βTT from IDA. One hundred forty‐four patients with hypochromic microcytic anemia aged 18–40 years old from Ayat Hospital of Tehran were recruited. Classification and Regression tree, CHi‐squared Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID), Exhaustive CHi‐squared Automatic Interaction Detector (E‐CHAID), Quick, Unbiased, Efficient Statistical Tree (QUEST), Classification Rule with Unbiased Interaction Selection and Estimation (CRUISE), and Generalized, Unbiased, Interaction Detection and Estimation (GUIDE) have been used to discriminate the diagnosis. Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) was found as the main predictor in discrimination. All the mentioned tree‐based methods showed acceptable sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, Youden's index, false positive and negative rate, positive and negative predictive values and AUC in differential diagnosis of βTT from IDA. However, Classification Rule with Unbiased Interaction Selection and Estimation revealed more precise classification with an area under the curve value of 0.99. Decision‐tree‐based methods can be used to develop sensitive and accurate diagnostic methods for differentiating βTT from IDA.
Petty commodities, serious business: the governance of fashion jewellery chains between China and Ghana
Authors: HAUGEN HEIDI ØSTBØ
Published: May 2017

In many parts of the world, people access consumer goods mainly via informal economic networks. In this article, I analyse the governance of petty commodity chains through a case study of Chinese fashion jewellery produced for the Ghanaian market. ‘Petty commodity chains’ denotes a particular type of global value chain, where production, trade, and distribution are carried out by small, unregistered businesses, between which personalized relationships and informal infrastructure enable transactions. These chains are neither controlled by lead firms at the production or distribution ends, nor made up of pure market linkages. Weak formal institutions and an intensely competitive commercial environment encourage business actors to establish enduring relationships. Credit relations run through long stretches of the chain and create mutual dependencies. The concept of ‘beholden value chains’ is introduced to describe the co‐dependency between business actors and the coordination of activities in petty commodity chains.
Governance and upgrading in South–South value chains: evidence from the cashew industries in India and Ivory Coast
Authors: TESSMANN JANNES
Published: May 2017

India, the world's largest processor of cashew kernels, depends heavily on imports of raw cashew nuts (RCNs), primarily sourced from Ivory Coast. While the Ivorian processing industry is still in its infancy, in the last decade domestic cashew factories have rapidly increased their capacity. This study is an exploration of how the cashew value chain is organized and what this implies for upgrading prospects in the Ivorian cashew sector. Its findings suggest that the cashew value chain is characterized by a bipolar governance structure comprising a trader‐driven segment between Ivorian farms and Indian processors, and a buyer‐driven segment that links processors to Northern end markets. The results are consistent with studies that describe South–South value chains as being less tightly controlled, with a decreased significance of quality related standards and lower entry barriers than those chains feeding into Northern end markets. Inter‐firm linkages in the Indo–Ivorian RCN channel provide few opportunities for product and functional upgrading of RCN suppliers. Considerable institutional support is needed to overcome the barriers to Ivorian firms' direct participation in the North–South value chain for processed kernels.
Scenario Evaluator for Electrical Resistivity Survey Pre‐modeling Tool
Authors: Terry Neil , Day‐Lewis Frederick D. , Robinson Judith L. , Slater Lee D. , Halford Keith , Binley Andrew , Lane John W. , Werkema Dale
Published: May 2017

Geophysical tools have much to offer users in environmental, water resource, and geotechnical fields; however, techniques such as electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) are often oversold and/or overinterpreted due to a lack of understanding of the limitations of the techniques, such as the appropriate depth intervals or resolution of the methods. The relationship between ERI data and resistivity is nonlinear; therefore, these limitations depend on site conditions and survey design and are best assessed through forward and inverse modeling exercises prior to field investigations. In this approach, proposed field surveys are first numerically simulated given the expected electrical properties of the site, and the resulting hypothetical data are then analyzed using inverse models. Performing ERI forward/inverse modeling, however, requires substantial expertise and can take many hours to implement. We present a new spreadsheet‐based tool, the Scenario Evaluator for Electrical Resistivity (SEER), which features a graphical user interface that allows users to manipulate a resistivity model and instantly view how that model would likely be interpreted by an ERI survey. The SEER tool is intended for use by those who wish to determine the value of including ERI to achieve project goals, and is designed to have broad utility in industry, teaching, and research.
Heuristic and exact algorithms for product configuration in software product lines
Authors: Pereira Juliana Alves , Maciel Lucas , Noronha Thiago F. , Figueiredo Eduardo
Published: May 2017

Software product line (SPL) is a set of software applications that share a common set of features satisfying the specific needs of a particular market segment. SPL engineering is a paradigm to develop software applications that commonly use a feature model to capture and document common and variable features, and their relationships. A big challenge is to derive one product among all possible products in the SPL, which satisfies the business and customer requirements. This task is known as product configuration. Although product configuration has been extensively investigated in the literature, customer's preferences are frequently neglected. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to configure a product that considers both qualitative and quantitative feature properties. We model the product configuration task as a combinatorial optimization problem, and heuristic and exact algorithms are proposed. As far as we are concerned, this proposal is the first work in the literature that considers feature properties in both leaf and nonleaf features. Computational experiments showed that the best of our heuristics found optimal solutions for all instances where those are known. For the instances where optimal solutions are not known, our heuristic outperformed the best solution obtained by a one‐hour run of the exact algorithm by up to 67.89%.
Good deal indices in asset pricing: actuarial and financial implications
Authors: Balbás Alejandro , Garrido José , Okhrati Ramin
Published: May 2017

We integrate into a single optimization problem a risk measure, beyond the variance, and either arbitrage‐free real market quotations or financial pricing rules generated by an arbitrage‐free stochastic pricing model. A sequence of investment strategies such that the couple (expected return, risk) diverges to will be called a good deal (GD). The existence of such a sequence is equivalent to the existence of an alternative sequence of strategies such that the couple (risk, price) diverges to . Moreover, by appropriately adding the riskless asset, every GD may generate a new one only composed of strategies priced at one. We will see that GDs often exist in practice, and the main objective of this paper will be to measure the GD size. The provided GD indices will equal an optimal ratio between both risk and price, and there will exist alternative interpretations of these indices. They also provide the minimum relative (per dollar) price modification that prevents the existence of GDs. Moreover, they will be a crucial instrument to detect those securities or marketed claims that are over‐ or underpriced. Many classical actuarial and financial optimization problems may generate wrong solutions if the used market quotations or stochastic pricing models do not prevent the existence of GDs. This fact is illustrated in the paper, and we point out how the provided GD indices may be useful to overcome this caveat. Numerical experiments are also included.
Flash sintering of highly insulating nanostructured phase‐pure BiFeO3
Authors: Perez‐Maqueda Luis A. , Gil‐Gonzalez Eva , Perejon Antonio , Lebrun Jean‐Marie , Sanchez‐Jimenez Pedro E. , Raj Rishi
Published: May 2017

We show that BiFeO3, that is electrically homogeneous, is a good insulator, and has a low dielectric constant (the properties desired in its applications), can be produced by flash sintering, which is nominally difficult to achieve by conventional and spark plasma sintering processes. The flash‐sintered specimens had a uniform microstructure with a nanometric grain size of ~20 nm.
Organic binder‐free cathode using FeS2‐MWCNTs composite for thermal batteries
Authors: Ko Jaehwan , Kim In Yea , Cheong Haewon , Yoon Young Soo
Published: May 2017

FeS2‐MWCNTs (Multi‐Walled Carbon NanoTubes) composite without using an organic binder was used as a thin cathode for thermal batteries. A thin cathode with FeS2‐MWCNTs composite exhibited good mechanical strength without an organic binder. A discharge evaluation of the thin cathode with FeS2‐MWCNTs composite revealed a discharge capacity 2.3 times that of the pellet type cathode and 1.13 times that of a thin cathode with an organic binder. In addition, the single battery applying a thin cathode with FeS2‐MWCNTs composite showed a lower total polarization than when applying an organic binder. These results showed that FeS2‐MWCNTs composite is suitable as a thin cathode for thermal batteries.
Carex sect. Rhynchocystis (Cyperaceae): a Miocene subtropical relict in the Western Palaearctic showing a dispersal‐derived Rand Flora pattern
Authors: Míguez Mónica , Gehrke Berit , Maguilla Enrique , Jiménez‐Mejías Pedro , Martín‐Bravo Santiago
Published: May 2017

Aim

To evaluate how Cenozoic climate changes shaped the evolution and distribution of Carex section Rhynchocystis.

Location

Western Palaearctic and Afrotropical regions (Rand Flora pattern).

Methods

DNA regions ITS, ETS (nuclear), matK and rpl32‐trnLUAG (plastid) were amplified for 86 samples of species from section Rhynchocystis. Phylogenetic and phylogeographical relationships were inferred using maximum parsimony, Bayesian inference and coalescent‐based species tree approaches. Divergence times and ancestral areas were also inferred.

Results

Carex section Rhynchocystis is a clade that diversified during the middle Miocene in Europe. Most cladogenesis events date to the middle and late Miocene. The Afrotropical group seems to have originated from a colonization event from Europe that occurred in the late Miocene.

Main conclusions

Species of the section Rhynchocystis in the Western Palaearctic are Miocene relicts. Late Miocene‐Pliocene aridification of the Mediterranean rather than the more commonly reported Pleistocene glaciations seems to have shaped the phylogeography of the group. Putative Miocene‐Pliocene refugia were probably located in the Mediterranean peninsulas and islands, as well as in the eastern shores of the ancient Paratethys Sea. The colonization of Africa could have been facilitated by Miocene‐Pliocene global cooling.
Homotypic and heterotypic continuity of symptoms of psychiatric disorders from age 4 to 10 years: a dynamic panel model
Authors: Wichstrøm Lars , Belsky Jay , Steinsbekk Silje
Published: May 2017

Background

Childhood psychiatric disorders and their symptoms evince both within‐disorder (homotypic) and between‐disorder (heterotypic) continuities. These continuities may be due to earlier symptoms causing later symptoms or, alternatively, that the same (unknown) causes (e.g., genetics) are operating across time. Applying a novel data analytic approach, we disentangle these two explanations.

Methods

Participants in a Norwegian community study were assessed biennially from 4 to 10 years of age with clinical interviews (n = 1,042). Prospective reciprocal relations between symptoms of disorders were analyzed with a dynamic panel model within a structural equation framework, adjusting for all unmeasured time‐invariant confounders and time‐varying negative life‐events.

Results

Homotypic continuities in symptoms characterized all disorders; strongest for attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (r = .32–.62), moderate for behavioral disorders (r = .31–.48) and for anxiety and depression (r = .15–.40), and stronger between 8 and 10 than between 4 and 6 years. Heterotypic continuity also characterized all disorders. A dynamic panel model showed that most continuities were due to unmeasured time‐invariant factors rather than effects of earlier symptoms on later symptoms, although symptoms of behavioral disorders, which evinced two‐year homotypic continuity (B = .14, 95% CI: .04, .25), did influence later symptoms of ADHD (B = .13, CI: .03, .23), and earlier ADHD symptoms influenced later anxiety disorder symptoms (B = .07, CI: .01, .12).

Conclusions

Homotypic and heterotypic continuities of symptoms of childhood psychiatric disorders are mostly due to unobserved time‐invariant factors. Nonetheless, symptoms of earlier behavioral disorders may affect later symptoms of such disorders and of ADHD, and ADHD may increase the risk of later anxiety. Thus, even if interventions do not alter basic etiological factors, symptom reduction may itself cause later symptom reduction.
Chronic sleep restriction disrupts interendothelial junctions in the hippocampus and increases blood–brain barrier permeability
Authors: HURTADO‐ALVARADO G. , VELÁZQUEZ‐MOCTEZUMA J. , GÓMEZ‐GONZÁLEZ B.
Published: May 2017

Chronic sleep loss in the rat increases blood–brain barrier permeability to Evans blue and FITC‐dextrans in almost the whole brain and sleep recovery during short periods restores normal blood–brain barrier permeability. Sleep loss increases vesicle density in hippocampal endothelial cells and decreases tight junction protein expression. However, at the ultrastructural level the effect of chronic sleep loss on interendothelial junctions is unknown. In this study we characterised the ultrastructure of interendothelial junctions in the hippocampus, the expression of tight junction proteins, and quantified blood–brain barrier permeability to fluorescein‐sodium after chronic sleep restriction. Male Wistar rats were sleep restricted using the modified multiple platform method during 10 days, with a daily schedule of 20‐h sleep deprivation plus 4‐h sleep recovery at their home‐cages. At the 10th day hippocampal samples were obtained immediately at the end of the 20‐h sleep deprivation period, and after 40 and 120 min of sleep recovery. Samples were processed for transmission electron microscopy and western blot. Chronic sleep restriction increased blood–brain barrier permeability to fluorescein‐sodium, and decreased interendothelial junction complexity by increasing the frequency of less mature end‐to‐end and simply overlap junctions, even after sleep recovery, as compared to intact controls. Chronic sleep loss also induced the formation of clefts between narrow zones of adjacent endothelial cell membranes in the hippocampus. The expression of claudin‐5 and actin decreased after chronic sleep loss as compared to intact animals. Therefore, it seems that chronic sleep loss disrupts interendothelial junctions that leads to blood–brain barrier hyperpermeability in the hippocampus.
Combination of kinematic analyses and diffusion tensor tractrography to evaluate the residual motor functions in spinal cord‐hemisected monkeys
Authors: Zhao Can , Song Wei , Rao Jia‐Sheng , Zhao Wen , Wei Rui‐Han , Zhou Xia , Tian Peng‐Yu , Yang Zhao‐Yang , Li Xiao‐Guang
Published: May 2017

Background

Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes loss of locomotor functions. Nowadays, the relationship between the residual locomotion after SCI and the diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) results still remains unclear.

Methods

Four rhesus monkeys were suffered thoracic cord hemisection. Kinematic evaluation and DTT were performed prior‐ and post‐SCI (6 and 12 weeks). The longitudinal changes of gait parameters and the DTT parameters were analyzed for the injury‐contralateral hindlimb. The correlations between gaits and DTT parameters were also investigated.

Results

Almost gait parameters significantly changed after SCI, meanwhile, the caudal‐rostral connection rate of DTT showed negative correlation with all gait parameters, demonstrating that the locomotor changes of the injury‐contralateral hindlimb were associated with the ratio of residual fibers.

Conclusions

The combinatory use of gait analysis and DTT has been demonstrated to be sensitive to locomotion changes after SCI, and may therefore have potential applications in the pre‐clinical studies of SCI.
Regulation of Controlled Substance Prescribing: An Overview for Certified Nurse‐Midwives and Certified Midwives
Authors: Osborne Kathryn
Published: May 2017

In addition to the regulation of prescriptive authority and prescribing practices conducted by individual states, the prescription of controlled substances is also regulated at the federal level by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). While there are variations in state laws relative to controlled substance prescribing, federal law is uniform across states as established by the Controlled Substances Act (21 United States Code § 801‐890) and the DEA Regulations (Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations). The only controlled substance for which states have authorized use that is outside the regulations set forth in the Controlled Substances Act is marijuana for the treatment of certain medical conditions. A review of statutes and administrative rules for all 50 states and the District of Columbia revealed that certified midwives (CMs) are authorized to prescribe controlled substances only in the state of New York, and there are variations across states in the regulation of controlled substance prescribing by certified nurse‐midwives (CNMs). The purpose of this article is to examine the federal regulation of controlled substance prescribing by the US DEA and common variations in state regulations relative to controlled substance prescribing.
What Drives the Cross‐Section of Credit Spreads?: A Variance Decomposition Approach
Authors: NOZAWA YOSHIO
Published: May 2017

I decompose the variation of credit spreads for corporate bonds into changing expected returns and changing expectation of credit losses. Using a log‐linearized pricing identity and a vector autoregression applied to microlevel data from 1973 to 2011, I find that expected returns contribute to the cross‐sectional variance of credit spreads nearly as much as expected credit loss does. However, most of the time‐series variation in credit spreads for the market portfolio corresponds to risk premiums.
Influence of different wild-garlic (Allium ursinum) extracts on the gastrointestinal system: spasmolytic, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties
Authors: Pavlović Dragana R , Veljković Milica , Stojanović Nikola M , Gočmanac-Ignjatović Marija , Mihailov-Krstev Tatjana , Branković Suzana , Sokolović Dušan , Marčetić Mirjana , Radulović Niko , Radenković Mirjana
Published: May 2017

Objectives

As there are no previous studies of the European wild-garlic (Allium ursinum) effects on the gastrointestinal system, despite its traditional applications in gastrointestinal disorders' treatment and regular use in the human diet, we have quantified and compared spasmolytic, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of its different leaf extracts.

Methods

Wild-garlic extracts were tested for spasmolytic activity on isolated rat ileum, antimicrobial activity on selected Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi by microdilution method and antioxidant capacity by DPPH radical-scavenging assay.

Key findings

Wild-garlic extracts were found to decrease ileal basal tone. As the relaxation of K+-induced contractions was similar to one caused by papaverin, the observed spasmolytic effect was most likely mediated through Ca2+-channel inhibition. Ethanolic extract (with the highest phenolic and high alk(en)yl cysteine sulphoxides’ levels) produced the strongest spasmolytic activity. In case of acetylcholine-induced contractions, only hydromethanolic extract showed no statistical difference in comparison with positive control. All samples exhibited certain antioxidant potential and strong antimicrobial activity against tested enteropathogenic strains (Salmonella enteritidis was the most sensitive, followed by Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Enterococcus faecalis).

Conclusion

Besides other already established health-promoting effects, wild garlic could be useful in treatment of mild gastrointestinal disturbances.
3D-quantitative structure–activity relationship and docking studies of coumarin derivatives as tissue kallikrein 7 inhibitors
Authors: Zheng Xin , He Mengxi , Tan Xiao , Zheng Jun , Wang Fangyu , Liu Sen
Published: May 2017

Objectives

Kallikrein 7 (KLK7) is a secreted serine protease that plays important roles in skin desquamation and tumour progression, which makes it an attracting drug target. To guide the design of KLK7 inhibitors, a series of coumarin-based inhibitors were used to perform 3D-quantitative structure–activity relationship analysis.

Methods

3D conformations of 37 inhibitors were generated and used to construct CoMFA and CoMSIA models. Then a complex model between the inhibitors and KLK7 was built with molecular docking.

Key findings

With the training set, the CoMFA and CoMSIA models achieved q2 values of 0.521 and 0.498, and r2 values of 0.942 and 0.983, respectively. With the testing set, the predicted r2 values were 0.663 and 0.669, respectively, for CoMFA and CoMSIA. 3D contour maps from these two models identified steric and hydrophobic interactions as the most important molecular features of these inhibitors. Furthermore, molecular docking study was performed to understand the binding modes between these compounds and KLK7, in which the critical steric and hydrophobic interactions between the inhibitors and KLK7 were confirmed.

Conclusions

Steric and hydrophobic interactions are critical in the efficient binding of KLK7 inhibitors. Our analysis would provide a meaningful guideline for the rational design of novel KLK7 inhibitors.
Century‐long tree population dynamics in a deciduous forest stand in central Sweden
Authors: Hytteborn Håkan , Svensson Brita M. , Kempe Kerstin , Press Andreas , Rydin Håkan
Published: May 2017

Question

We quantify tree dynamics over a century of free development in a small broad‐leaved forest dominated by Fraxinus excelsior and Ulmus glabra. What are the internal and external factors driving the changes, and how predictable are they? What were the time scale and effects of the spread of Dutch elm disease (DED)?

Location

Vårdsätra, eastern central Sweden.

Methods

The survival, growth and recruitment of all trees (≥12 cm girth) were monitored in 1912, 1967, 1988 and 2013 (more often for a part of the forest). Woody species in the field and shrub layers were surveyed in permanent plots in 1976 and 2012. We used transition matrix models to project changes in population sizes and species composition within the century and for 2050.

Results

The results indicate that the forest was in a successional development during the first period. The species composition had stabilized by 1967, except for an expansion of Acer platanoides and the drastic effect of DED that struck the forest around 2000. It took only a decade to kill virtually all large elms in the forest, leading to strong decrease in stem density and basal area. The evidence for effects of DED is still weak, but there has been an increase in saplings, notably of Fraxinus, Prunus padus, Ulmus, and of shoots of Corylus avellana. Several species that are abundant in the vicinity and as seeds fail to establish (Picea abies, Betula spp., Quercus robur, Populus tremula). Projections for 2050 based on the third period (1988–2013) are probably unrealistic since Fraxinus may also disappear because of the recent arrival of ash dieback.

Conclusions

Slow dynamics in forests that could follow from climate change will locally probably be overruled by unforeseen catastrophes, such as invasions of forest pathogens. These initiate changes with long lag phases that are difficult to quantify. Still, a dense deciduous forest can resist invasion of colonist species and of regionally dominant conifers; the reason being unfavourable conditions for establishment rather than dispersal limitation.
Does functional soil microbial diversity contribute to explain within‐site plant β‐diversity in an alpine grassland and a dehesa meadow in Spain?
Authors: Araya Yoseph N. , Bartelheimer Maik , Valle Cipriano J. , Crujeiras Rosa M. , García‐Baquero Gonzalo
Published: May 2017

Questions

Once effects of hydrological and chemical soil properties have been accounted for, does soil microbial diversity contribute to explain change in plant community structure (i.e. within‐site β‐diversity)? If so, at what spatial scale does microbial diversity operate?

Location

La Mina in Moscosa Farm, Salamanca, western Spain (dehesa community) and Laguna Larga in the Urbión Peaks, Soria, central‐northern Spain (alpine grassland).

Methods

The abundance of vascular plant species, soil Gram‐negative microbial functional types and soil chemical properties (pH, available P, extractable cations) were sampled at both sites, for which hydrological models were available. RDA was used to partition variation in plant community structure into hydrological, chemical and microbial components. Spatial filters, arranged in scalograms, were used to test for the spatial scales at which plant community structure changes.

Results

In the case of the dehesa the diversity of soil Gram‐negative microbes, weakly driven by soil pH, contributed to a small extent (adj‐R2 = 2%) and at a relative medium spatial scale to explain change in plant community structure. The abundance of a few dehesa species, both annual (Trifolium dubium, Vulpia bromoides) and perennial (Poa bulbosa, Festuca ampla), was associated with either increasing or decreasing soil microbial diversity. In the alpine meadow the contribution was negligible.

Conclusions

Microbial diversity can drive community structure, although in the hierarchy of environmental factors structuring communities it appears to rank lower than other soil factors. Still, microbial diversity appears to promote or restrain individual plant species. This paper aims to encourage future studies to use more comprehensive and insightful techniques to assess microbial diversity and to combine this with statistical approaches such as that used here.