bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of air, SF6 and C3F8 on immortalized human corneal endothelial cells
Authors: Hesse Marina , Kuerten David , Walter Peter , Plange Niklas , Johnen Sandra , Fuest Matthias
Published: September 2016

Purpose

While anterior chamber air bubbles aid attachment during posterior lamellar surgery only for few days, these periods can be prolonged with gases in non‐expanding concentrations. To test the effects of different gas compositions on immortalized human corneal endothelial cells (HCEC‐12), we utilized Transwell inserts with semipermeable membranes as an artificial anterior chamber model.

Methods

Human corneal endothelial cells (HCEC‐12) were cultured on Transwell inserts for 24 hr, then flipped, burdened and sunk with titanium rings in medium (M1), as well as filled with 2 ml of air (A), 20% sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) (S), or 12% C3F8 (C). After gas exposition for 24, 48 and 120 hr, cells were evaluated by live/dead staining, cell viability assay and Ki67 immunohistochemistry.

Results

Proliferation was significantly reduced (Ki67‐positive fraction; M1, 14.8 ± 2.0%; A, 7.9 ± 1.4%; S, 8.1 ± 1.3%; C, 9.9 ± 2.3%; p‐values; A, S, C versus M1 < 0.01), the total cell number decreased and the percentage of dead cells increased under gas exposition, independently of the type of gas (120 hr cell count/2.25 cm2: M1 = 660.8 ± 57.0 cells; A = 125.5 ± 17.4 cells, S = 123.5 ± 17.0 cells, C = 118.8 ± 16.6 cells; p‐value: M versus A/S/C < 0.001; 120 hr dead cells: M = 2.6 ± 1.0%, A = 8.4 ± 2.7%, S = 9.5 ± 3.2%, C = 11.3 ± 3.1%; p‐value: M1 versus A/S/C < 0.01). Medium (M1)‐control also proved significantly higher cell viability values in comparison with the gases, which did not differ significantly among them (120 hr luminescence: M1 = 1752.2 ± 91.4, A = 433.0 ± 30.3, S = 507.8 ± 23.3, C = 523.8 ± 20.3; p‐value: M1 versus A/S/C < 0.01).

Conclusions

Gas exposition led to a reduction in proliferation and an increase in cell death in HCEC‐12, independently of the gas composition.
Habitat specificity analyses reveal the importance of grazing refugia for plant diversity conservation in a warm‐temperate grassy ecosystem
Authors: Schultz Nick L. , Reid Nick , Lodge Greg , Hunter John T.
Published: September 2016

Aims

The effects of pastoralism on grassy vegetation are predicted to vary across spatial scales. However, local‐scale effects have generally been better considered than large‐scale effects that may be pertinent for plant diversity conservation. We examined variation in plant diversity in an agricultural region by comparing patterns observed at large and local scales for different land uses. We tested whether habitat specificity (which relates to how specific different species are to particular land uses) can indicate the importance of land uses to plant diversity conservation.

Location

Northwest Slopes of New South Wales, Australia.

Methods

We surveyed 127 quadrats of grassy vegetation across four land uses: previously cultivated and never‐cultivated native pastures, grazed woodland and ungrazed woodlands (grazing refugia). We assessed (1) species density at the quadrat scale, (2) correlations among explanatory variables and species composition using ordination techniques, and (3) habitat specificity at the regional scale using the γ‐diversity contribution index.

Results

At the quadrat scale, differences in species density among land uses were not pronounced. In contrast, habitat specificity was highest in ungrazed, unfertilized woodlands. Land uses that were grazed, cleared of trees and fertilized were generally species dense at the quadrat scale (>40 species 400 m−2), but were comprised of a limited suite of native and exotic grasses and forbs, with relatively homogeneous composition across the region.

Conclusions

In the region studied, grazing refugia with no tree clearing or history of fertilizer application were valuable for conserving a large number of native species, and so should be protected. Such land uses are currently rare in the region. Simple measures of native or total species density were insufficient for evaluating conservation value, as they did not distinguish habitats with large numbers of common, generalist native species from those with species that were rare or restricted in the region. Analyses of habitat specificity may potentially overcome the pitfalls of basing conservation management decisions on local‐scale measures. Our results also highlighted a need to understand the processes associated with management practices that serve to reduce species diversity at landscape and regional scales.
Residual-Based Model Diagnosis Methods for Mixture Cure Models
Authors: Peng Yingwei , Taylor Jeremy M. G.
Published: September 2016

Model diagnosis, an important issue in statistical modeling, has not yet been addressed adequately for cure models. We focus on mixture cure models in this work and propose some residual-based methods to examine the fit of the mixture cure model, particularly the fit of the latency part of the mixture cure model. The new methods extend the classical residual-based methods to the mixture cure model. Numerical work shows that the proposed methods are capable of detecting lack-of-fit of a mixture cure model, particularly in the latency part, such as outliers, improper covariate functional form, or nonproportionality in hazards if the proportional hazards assumption is employed in the latency part. The methods are illustrated with two real data sets that were previously analyzed with mixture cure models.
Four decades of stem cell transplantation for Fanconi anaemia in the Netherlands
Authors: Smetsers Stephanie E. , Smiers Frans J. , Bresters Dorine , Sonnevelt Martine C. , Bierings Marc B.
Published: September 2016

This article presents the haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) results of the complete Dutch Fanconi anaemia (FA) patient cohort. Sixty‐eight Dutch FA patients have been transplanted since 1972. In total, 63 (93%) patients engrafted, 54 after first SCT and 9 after second SCT. Fludarabine (FLU)‐based conditioning was associated with decreased graft failure (odds ratio 0·21, P = 0·01), decreased early mortality (hazard ratio 0·25, P = 0·01) and improved 5‐year overall survival (FLU 87·8% [standard error (SE) 5·1%] versus non‐FLU 59·3% [SE 9·5%], P = 0·01). Late mortality was mainly caused by squamous cell carcinoma. Twenty‐two patients were treated with the current Dutch FA conditioning regimen (FLU 150 mg/m2 and cyclophosphamide 30 mg/kg ± anti‐thymocyte globulin ‐ no irradiation). Stem cell donors were matched related (n = 8) or alternative donors (n = 14). Stable engraftment after first SCT was achieved in 19 (86%) patients. At a median follow‐up of 3·9 years 20 (91%) patients are alive. Our study provides a unique overview of a nation‐wide SCT cohort illustrating the major improvements in treatment regimen and patient outcome in recent years. It shows that a non‐irradiation and busulfan‐free conditioning regimen can be used successfully, also in alternative donor SCT. Furthermore, it underlines the importance of late cancer screening and comprehensive care for this complex disorder.
DYVERSO: A Versatile Multi‐Phase Position‐Based Fluids Solution for VFX
Authors: Alduán Iván , Tena Angel , Otaduy Miguel A.
Published: September 2016

Many impressive fluid simulation methods have been presented in research papers before. These papers typically focus on demonstrating particular innovative features, but they do not meet in a comprehensive manner the production demands of actual VFX pipelines. VFX artists seek methods that are flexible, efficient, robust and scalable, and these goals often conflict with each other. In this paper, we present a multi‐phase particle‐based fluid simulation framework, based on the well‐known Position‐Based Fluids (PBF) method, designed to address VFX production demands. Our simulation framework handles multi‐phase interactions robustly thanks to a modified constraint formulation for density contrast PBF. And, it also supports the interaction of fluids sampled at different resolutions. We put special care on data structure design and implementation details. Our framework highlights cache‐efficient GPU‐friendly data structures, an improved spatial voxelization technique based on Z‐index sorting, tuned‐up simulation algorithms and two‐way‐coupled collision handling based on VDB fields. Altogether, our fluid simulation framework empowers artists with the efficiency, scalability and versatility needed for simulating very diverse scenes and effects.
Effects of low‐frequency ultrasound treatment of titanium surface roughness on osteoblast phenotype and maturation
Authors: Sedlaczek Janina , Lohmann Christoph H. , Lotz Ethan M. , Hyzy Sharon L. , Boyan Barbara D. , Schwartz Zvi
Published: September 2016

Objective

Low‐frequency ultrasound is widely used in the treatment of chronically infected wounds. To investigate its feasibility as a method for in situ restoration of metal implant surfaces in cases of peri‐implantitis, we evaluated how low‐frequency ultrasound affected surface properties of and response of human osteoblast‐like MG63 cells to titanium (Ti).

Material and Methods

Three Ti surfaces [hydrophobic/smooth (pretreatment, PT); hydrophobic/rough (sandblasted/acid‐etched, SLA); and hydrophilic/rough (SLA processed and stored hydrophilicity, mSLA)] were subjected to 25 kHz ultrasound for 10 min/cm2. Substrate roughness, chemical composition, and wettability were analyzed before and after ultrasound application. Osteoblastic maturation of cells on sonicated disks was compared to cells on untreated disks.

Results

Ultrasound treatment altered the topography of all surfaces. Contact angles were reduced, and chemical compositions were altered by ultrasound on PT and SLA surfaces. Cell response to sonicated PT was comparable to untreated PT. Alkaline phosphatase was increased on sonicated SLA compared to untreated SLA, whereas DNA, osteocalcin, BMP2, osteoprotegerin, and VEGF‐A were unchanged. Cells produced less osteocalcin and BMP2 on sonicated mSLA than on untreated mSLA, but no other parameters were affected.

Conclusions

These results show that low‐frequency ultrasound altered Ti surface properties. Osteoblasts were sensitive to the changes induced by ultrasound treatment. The data suggest that the effect is to delay differentiation, but it is unclear whether this delay will prevent osseointegration. These results suggest that low‐frequency ultrasound may be useful for treating implant surfaces in situ leading to successful re‐osseointegration of implants affected by peri‐implantitis.
Time efficiency, difficulty, and operator's preference comparing digital and conventional implant impressions: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Joda Tim , Lenherr Patrik , Dedem Philipp , Kovaltschuk Irina , Bragger Urs , Zitzmann Nicola U.
Published: September 2016

Objectives

The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to analyze implant impression techniques applying intraoral scanning (IOS) and the conventional method according to time efficiency, difficulty, and operator's preference.

Material and Methods

One hundred participants (n = 100) with diverse levels of dental experience were included and randomly assigned to Group A performing digital scanning (TRIOS Pod) first or Group B conducting conventional impression (open tray with elastomer) first, while the second method was performed consecutively. A customized maxillary model with a bone‐level‐type implant in the right canine position (FDI‐position 13) was mounted on a phantom training unit realizing a standardized situation for all participants. Outcome parameter was time efficiency, and potential influence of clinical experience, operator's perception of level of difficulty, applicability of each method, and subjective preferences were analyzed with Wilcoxon –Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests.

Results

Mean total work time varied between 5.01 ± 1.56 min (students) and 4.53 ± 1.34 min (dentists) for IOS, and between 12.03 ± 2.00 min (students) and 10.09 ± 1.15 min (dentists) for conventional impressions with significant differences between the two methods. Neither assignment to Group A or B, nor gender nor number of impression‐taking procedures did influence working time. Difficulty and applicability of IOS was perceived more favorable compared to conventional impressions, and effectiveness of IOS was rated better by the majority of students (88%) and dentists (64%). While 76% of the students preferred IOS, 48% of the dentists were favoring conventional impressions, and 26% each IOS and either technique.

Conclusions

For single‐implant sites, the quadrant‐like intraoral scanning (IOS) was more time efficient than the conventional full‐arch impression technique in a phantom head simulating standardized optimal conditions. A high level of acceptance for IOS was observed among students and dentists.
Sodium‐glucose co‐transporter 2 inhibitors in addition to insulin therapy for management of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Tang Huilin , Cui Wei , Li Dandan , Wang Tiansheng , Zhang Jingjing , Zhai Suodi , Song Yiqing
Published: September 2016

Given inconsistent trial results of sodium‐glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors in addition to insulin therapy for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a meta‐analysis was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this combination for T2DM by searching available randomized trials from PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL and ClinicalTrials.gov. Our meta‐analysis included seven eligible placebo‐controlled trials involving 4235 patients. Compared with placebo, SGLT2 inhibitor treatment was significantly associated with a mean reduction in HbA1c of −0.56%, fasting plasma glucose of −0.95 mmol/L, body weight of −2.63 kg and insulin dose of −8.79 IU, but an increased risk of drug‐related adverse events by 36%, urinary tract infections by 29% and genital infections by 357%. No significant increase was observed in risk of overall adverse events [risk ratio (RR), 1.00], serious adverse events (RR, 0.90), adverse events leading to discontinuation (RR, 1.16), hypoglycaemia events (RR, 1.07) and severe hypoglycaemia events (RR, 1.24). No diabetic ketoacidosis events were reported. Further studies are needed to establish optimal combination type and dose.
High‐risk plaque in patients with near normal coronary angiograms
Authors: Turner Michael C.
Published: September 2016

The increased use of cardiac computed tomography angiography in the emergency room to triage patients who present with chest pain syndrome has led to the identification of individuals with coronary plaques with high‐risk characteristics in the absence of significant stenoses. Anecdotal observations have suggested that the presence of coronary high‐risk plaque results in an increased risk of acute coronary syndrome over time. This case presentation represents an example of this subgroup of patients. Intuitively, it would seem that high‐dose statin therapy would be the treatment of choice, with percutaneous intervention reserved for the development of flow‐limiting lesions; however, a prospective trial to determine outcomes to our knowledge has not been performed.
Using fish guilds to assess community responses to temperature and flow regimes in unregulated and regulated Canadian rivers
Authors: Macnaughton Camille J. , Senay Caroline , Dolinsek Ivan , Bourque Guillaume , Maheu Audrey , Lanthier Gabriel , Harvey‐Lavoie Simonne , Asselin Joanie , Legendre Pierre , Boisclair Daniel
Published: September 2016

Hydropower currently accounts for 63% of Canada's total electricity generation and is bound to increase with the energy demands of a growing population. With damming and flow regulation known as major threats to aquatic biodiversity and river and floodplain habitats, an improved understanding of the specific impacts of river regulation is needed for the proper management of these systems.

Although interactions among river flow and thermal regimes have been described in the literature, their concurrent influence on fish guild responses has yet to be analysed for temperate rivers. Such an analysis may be used to identify the ecological traits linked with the flow and thermal variables reflecting river regulation.

Extensive field surveys were conducted across 25 unregulated and regulated rivers to estimate fish species density and biomass. Fish guild models were developed to characterise morphologic, trophic, reproductive, habitat preferences and behavioural traits, as well as phylogenetic associations. To characterise ecologically relevant components of the flow and thermal regimes of rivers, we calculated indices based on the magnitude, frequency, duration, timing and rate of change in each driver. Model relationships between fish biomass and density estimates were then run using redundancy analyses (RDA) on each type of guild and dominant patterns of flow and thermal variability.

Variables representing the magnitude of summer temperatures and intra‐annual flow variability were consistently selected as independent drivers of fish guild responses (>86% of RDA models), clearly showing the importance of integrating thermal regimes in current river hydro‐ecological studies.

Fish guild density and biomass were significantly explained (R2Adj = 25–44%) and predicted (R2CV = 35–76%) by flow and thermal variables characterising regimes across unregulated and regulated rivers, whereas total fish density and biomass were not. Fish guild models based on trait–environmental relationships performed better than those based on phylogeny. Our results also showed that the models describing habitat and trophic guilds had the greatest explanatory power (R2Adj = 0.44 and R2Adj = 0.41 respectively).

This study identified differences in guild trait–environment relationships across rivers and the guilds most susceptible to changes in flow and temperature conditions resulting from river regulation. In particular, more constant summer temperatures and lower flow variability favoured habitat and trophic guilds over morphologic, reproductive and behavioural guilds.

Our results showed that maintaining particular aspects of the flow and thermal regime may be important for ensuring the presence of certain guilds in temperate rivers.
Current and projected global distribution of Phytophthora cinnamomi, one of the world's worst plant pathogens
Authors: Burgess Treena I. , Scott John K. , Mcdougall Keith L. , Stukely Michael J. C. , Crane Colin , Dunstan William A. , Brigg Frances , Andjic Vera , White Diane , Rudman Tim , Arentz Frans , Ota Noboru , Hardy Giles E. St. J.
Published: September 2016

Globally, Phytophthora cinnamomi is listed as one of the 100 worst invasive alien species and active management is required to reduce impact and prevent spread in both horticulture and natural ecosystems. Conversely, there are regions thought to be suitable for the pathogen where no disease is observed. We developed a climex model for the global distribution of P. cinnamomi based on the pathogen's response to temperature and moisture and by incorporating extensive empirical evidence on the presence and absence of the pathogen. The climex model captured areas of climatic suitability where P. cinnamomi occurs that is congruent with all available records. The model was validated by the collection of soil samples from asymptomatic vegetation in areas projected to be suitable by the model for which there were few records. DNA was extracted, and the presence or absence of P. cinnamomi was determined by high‐throughput sequencing (HTS). While not detected using traditional isolation methods, HTS detected P. cinnamomi at higher elevations in eastern Australia and central Tasmania as projected by the climex model. Further support for the climex model was obtained using the large data set from south‐west Australia where the proportion of positive records in an area is related to the Ecoclimatic Index value for the same area. We provide for the first time a comprehensive global map of the current P. cinnamomi distribution, an improved climex model of the distribution, and a projection to 2080 of the distribution with predicted climate change. This information provides the basis for more detailed regional‐scale modelling and supports risk assessment for governments to plan management of this important soil‐borne plant pathogen.
A Practical Approach for Collecting Large‐n Detrital Zircon U‐Pb Data sets by Quadrupole LA‐ICP‐MS
Authors: Matthews William A. , Guest Bernard
Published: September 2016

A measurement procedure for the rapid acquisition of U‐Pb dates for detrital zircons by quadrupole LA‐ICP‐MS was developed. The procedure achieves a threefold increase in measurement efficiency compared with the most commonly used methods. Utilising reduced background counting times and a shortened ablation period, a throughput of ~ 130 measurements/h can be achieved. The measurement procedure was characterised and validated using data from thirty‐nine sessions acquired over a twelve‐month period. Systematic measurement error in 206Pb/238U dates for reference materials used for quality control with ages between 28.2 and 2672 Ma was < 1.5%. Average measurement uncertainty, including both random and systematic components, was 1–4% (2s). Interrogation of time‐resolved calculated dates and signal intensities for each measurement allows for the detection and elimination of portions of measurements exhibiting age heterogeneities, zoning, lead loss and contamination by common lead. The measurement procedure diminishes the need to acquire cathodoluminescence imagery for routine detrital zircon applications further increasing throughput and reducing cost. The utility of the measurement procedure is demonstrated by the measurement of samples previously characterised by LA‐MC‐ICP‐MS.
Phenytoin overdose treated with hemodialysis using a high cut‐off dialyzer
Authors: Cormier Monique J. , Desmeules Simon , St‐Onge Maude , Ghannoum Marc
Published: September 2016

We describe the case of a 52‐year‐old man who presented after having ingested an unknown quantity of phenytoin. Peak phenytoin concentration was 51.2 mg/L (therapeutic range 10–20 mg/L). Five days after admission, the patient became comatose and was intubated. Because of persistent toxic phenytoin levels and unchanged clinical status for 12 days, hemodialysis (HD) was prescribed to enhance elimination of phenytoin. HD was performed using a Gambro TheraliteTM filter (Baxter International Inc., Deerfield, USA), a high cut‐off filter that allows the removal of molecules of up to 45 kDa. Phenytoin concentration readily decreased during the 8‐hour HD treatment from 38.9 mg/L to 27.8 mg/L (28.5% decrease); during HD, phenytoin half‐life was 18.5h (compared to 1109.8h before HD and 56.3h after HD), phentyoin clearance averaged 80.1 mL/min and a total of 1.1 g of phenytoin was removed. Albumin removal from the Theralite filter was most important at the beginning of HD. The high clearance of phenytoin obtained with this filter was likely due to its high surface area rather than its capacity to remove the albumin‐phenytoin complex.
Childhood and Colonialism in Canadian History
Authors: Alexander Kristine
Published: September 2016

This article examines the ways in which settler colonialism has shaped the scholarly literature on the history of childhood in post‐Confederation Canada. The first wave of scholarship on the history of young people in Canada, shaped by the disavowal and “social forgetting” of settler colonialism, focused on issues like the welfare state and child migration. Using the frameworks and methods of social history, these works ignored Indigenous childhoods and failed to consider non‐Indigenous Canadians as settlers. This approach became untenable after the publication of a number of studies of Indigenous children's experiences in day, industrial, and residential schools, and the remainder of the article considers the still uneven ways in which historians of childhood in Canada have discussed Indigenous and settler childhoods and engaged with the concepts of whiteness and settler colonialism.
As the Tsunami of Histories of Atlantic and Liberal Revolutions Wash up in Upper Canada: Worries from a Colonial Shore – Part Two
Authors: McNairn Jeffrey L.
Published: September 2016

This article (begun in the previously published part) reviews the unusually large number of books about Upper Canada (1791–1841), the British colony that became the province of Ontario, published since 2010. Non‐national approaches, especially Atlantic world but borderlands and British imperial as well, are prevalent. In particular, Atlantic history's interest in the age of revolution has dovetailed with Ian McKay's call to adopt a liberal order framework. Yet many of these works struggle to incorporate Upper Canada in ways that do not cast it as an anomalous or anachronistic space defined by its awkward relationship to a master narrative or that do not re‐inscribe older national narratives by which Upper Canada masquerades as the nascent nation. At the same time, claims to have adopted a novel perspective have tended to divert attention from existing scholarship on closely related themes, especially work on the colony's legal history. Interest in Atlantic and liberal revolutions has brought renewed attention to Upper Canada but not always in helpful ways.
A Childhood Cut Short: Child Deaths in Penal Custody and the Pains of Child Imprisonment
Authors: GOOCH KATE
Published: September 2016

The death of a child in penal custody is an infrequent, but particularly tragic, event. In seeking to explain such events, the tendency has been to focus on individual pathology or vulnerability. This article begins from the premise that in order to better understand child deaths in penal custody, it is necessary to move beyond such explanations and consider the wider systematic, cultural, operational, and policy issues. It contributes to the debate by exploring the specific ‘pains of child imprisonment’ as narrated by teenage boys (aged 15–17 years) in an English young offender institution (YOI). It is argued that, trapped in ‘kidulthood’, the dual status of child prisoners poses experiential, conceptual, and practical complexities, but it also produces pains, losses, and burdens that are unique to childhood.
Women Serving Life without the Possibility of Parole: The Different Meanings of Death as Punishment
Authors: VANNIER MARION
Published: September 2016

This article draws on the written accounts of a self‐selected group of 48 women serving life without parole (LWOP) in California. In their testimonies, death takes on a symbolic form illustrated by the passing of time and the ‘mortification’ of the self (Goffman 1959, 1961). Their letters emphasise an embodied construction of death, provoked by ageing, illnesses, and medical neglect, as well as through the removal of motherhood and mothering. Through exploring the different, and nuanced, meanings ascribed to death by women serving LWOP, the article combats the cultural invisibility of this punishment and those who endure it.
Sites of Crossing and Death in Punishment: The Parallel Lives, Trade‐offs and Equivalencies of the Death Penalty and Life without Parole in the US
Authors: GIRLING EVI
Published: September 2016

This article explores continuities and discontinuities between two kinds of death in punishment: of death as punishment and of death as the specified detritus of punishment, life without parole (LWOP). It traces the parallel lives and equivalencies between life and death in penal policy and practice in the US, and attendant narratives of harshness/mildness, and compromises and covenants with pasts and futures. The discourse of death that has sustained the survival of the death penalty in the US has found a home in LWOP. It argues that spectacles and memorialisations of injustice, error and pain circumscribed in the judicial and popular discourse of death as different provide spaces for reflection on dignity and cruelty, spaces in which the loss of life and liberty can be grieved, a subversive politics of mourning (Butler 2004) for those whom punishment had deemed dispensable. As the death penalty is exchanged for LWOP, reform strategies need to reimagine and recapture these spaces for grieving, and understanding the death work of LWOP in US penal politics is crucial to this endeavour.
Effects of Difference in Ionic Radii on Chemical Ordering in Mixed‐Cation Silicate Glasses: Insights from Solid‐State 17O and 7Li NMR of Li–Ba Silicate Glasses
Authors: Park Sun Young , Lee Sung Keun
Published: September 2016

Understanding of the extent of cation disorder and its effect on the properties in glasses and melts is among the fundamental puzzles in glass sciences, materials sciences, physical chemistry, and geochemistry. Particularly, the nature of chemical ordering in mixed‐cation silicate glasses is not fully understood. The Li–Ba silicate glass with significant difference in the ionic radii of network‐modifying cations (~0.59 Å) is an ideal system for revealing unknown details of the effect of network modifiers on the extent of mixing and their contribution to the cation mobility. These glasses also find potential application as energy and battery materials. Here, we report the detailed atomic environments and the extent of cation mixing in Li–Ba silicate glasses with varying XBaO [BaO/(Li2O + BaO)] using high‐resolution solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The first 17O MAS and 3QMAS NMR spectra for Li–Ba silicate glasses reveal the well‐resolved peaks due to bridging oxygen (Si–O–Si) and those of the nonbridging oxygens including Li–O–Si and mixed {Li, Ba}–O–Si. The fraction of Li–O–Si decreases with an increase in XBaO and is less than that predicted by a random Li–Ba distribution. The result demonstrates a nonrandom distribution of Li+ and Ba+ around NBOs characterized by a prevalence of the dissimilar Li–Ba pair. Considering the previously reported experimental results on chemical ordering in other mixed‐cation silicate glasses, the current results reveal a hierarchy in the degree of chemical order that increases with an increase in difference in ionic radius of the cation in the glasses [e.g., K–Mg (~0.66 Å) ≈Ba–Mg (~0.63 Å) ≈Li–Ba (~0.59 Å) > Na–Ba (~0.33 Å) > Na–Ca (~0.02 Å)]. The 7Li MAS NMR spectra of the Li–Ba silicate glasses show that the peak maximum increases with increasing XBaO, suggesting that the average Li coordination number and thus Li–O distance decrease slightly with increasing XBaO, potentially leading to an increased activation energy barrier for Li diffusion. Current experimental results confirm that the degree of chemical ordering due to a large difference in ionic radii controls the transport properties of the mixed‐cation silicate glasses.
Effectiveness and safety of daclatasvir plus asunaprevir for hepatitis C virus genotype 1b: Systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Wang Hui‐Lian , Lu Xi , Yang Xudong , Xu Nan
Published: September 2016

Background and Aim

Daclatasvir plus asunaprevir (DCV + ASV) has demonstrated potent antiviral activity in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1b infection. A definite conclusion about efficacy and safety of DCV + ASV in patients with HCV genotype 1b is not available. A meta‐analysis was conducted to evaluate outcomes of all‐oral treatment with DCV + ASV in terms of sustained virological response at 12 (SVR12) and 24 (SVR24) weeks and adverse effects after the end of treatment.

Methods

PUBMED, MEDLINE, and EMBASE databases were searched in May 2016. The data were analyzed with Review Manager 5.3.

Results

Nine trials (n = 1690) met entry criteria. SVR12 was achieved by 89.9% of treatment‐naïve patients, 84.7% of interferon‐ineligible/intolerant patients, and 81.9% of nonresponder patients. Moreover, 89.0% of interferon‐ineligible/intolerant patients and 83.1% of nonresponder patients achieved SVR24. Baseline characteristics, including gender, race, advanced age, non‐CC IL28B genotype, and cirrhosis, did not appear to impact SVR rates. However, the rate of SVR12 in all patients with viral load < 8 × 105 was higher than that of all those with viral load ≥ 8 × 105 (151/162 vs 625/753). Moreover, pre‐existing nonstructural protein 5A resistance‐associated variants (RAVs) were associated with virological failure during DCV + ASV therapy, resulting in the emergence of multiple RAVs. Treatment with DCV + ASV was well tolerated, with low incidences of serious adverse effects, discontinuations, and grade 3 or 4 laboratory abnormalities in all patients.

Conclusions

Daclatasvir plus asunaprevir provides a highly effective and well‐tolerated treatment option for patients with HCV genotype 1b. However, patients with nonstructural protein 5A RAVs at baseline should be assessed to optimize more potent direct antiviral agent therapies.
3D reconstruction of elastin fibres in coronary adventitia
Authors: LUO T. , CHEN H. , KASSAB G.S.
Published: September 2016

A 3D reconstruction of individual fibres in vascular tissue is necessary to understand the microstructure properties of the vessel wall.  The objective of this study is to determine the 3D microstructure of elastin fibres in the adventitia of coronary arteries.  Quantification of fibre geometry is challenging due to the complex interwoven structure of the fibres.  In particular, accurate linking of gaps remains a significant challenge, and complex features such as long gaps and interwoven fibres have not been adequately addressed by current fibre reconstruction algorithms.  We use a novel line Laplacian deformation method, which better deals with fibre shape uncertainty to reconstruct elastin fibres in the coronary adventitia of five swine. A cost function, based on entropy and Euler Spiral, was used in the shortest path search. We find that mean diameter of elastin fibres is 1.67 ± 1.42 m and fibre orientation is clustered around two major angles of 8.9˚ and 81.8˚.  Comparing with CT‐FIRE, we find that our method gives more accurate estimation of fibre width.  To our knowledge, the measurements obtained using our algorithm represent the first investigation focused on the reconstruction of full elastin fibre length.  Our data provide a foundation for a 3D microstructural model of the coronary adventitia to elucidate the structure–function relationship of elastin fibres.
Periocular discoloration after using a prostaglandin analog for eyelash enhancement: evaluation with reflectance confocal microscopy
Authors: N Horváth Orsolya , Letulé Valerie , Ruzicka Thomas , Herzinger Thomas , Goldscheider Ilana , von Braunmühl Tanja
Published: September 2016

A 32‐year‐old Caucasian woman was admitted to our outpatient department with periocular discoloration. She applied a serum with the active ingredient isopropyl cloprostenate for enhancing the growth of the eyelashes. The discoloration appeared for the first time when the patient had used the serum and gradually remitted after the discontinuation of use. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed small white spots in the perifollicular dermis and in the surrounding dilated vessels, which was reported earlier as a side effect of prostaglandin analogs.
A computational model of perceptual expectation effect based on neural coding principles
Authors: Yanagisawa Hideyoshi
Published: September 2016

Prior expectation affects posterior perceptual experience. This contextual bias is called expectation effect. Previous studies have observed two different patterns of expectation effect: contrast and assimilation. Contrast magnifies the perceived incongruity, and assimilation diminishes the incongruity. This study proposes a computational model that explains the conditions of contrast and assimilation based on neural coding principles. This model proposed that prediction error, uncertainty, and external noise affected the expectation effect. Computer simulations with the model show that the pattern of expectation effect shifted from assimilation to contrast as the prediction error increased, uncertainty decreased the extent of the expectation effect, and external noise increased the assimilation. We conducted an experiment on the size–weight illusion (SWI) as a case of the cross‐modal expectation effect and discussed correspondence with the simulation. We discovered conditions where the participants perceived bigger object to be heavier than smaller one, which contradicts to conventional SWI.

Practical applications

Expectation effect in sensory perception represents a perceptual bias caused by prior expectation, such as illusions and cross‐modality. The computational model proposed in this study guides researchers and practitioners who investigate this bias in sensory studies to set a hypothesis with appropriate experimental factors. For example, the model suggests that prediction error can be used as a main factor to identify a condition at which assimilation switches over to contrast. The model provided how expectation uncertainty and noise of stimulus affect the switchover point of prediction error and extent of expectation effect. Uncertainty, which may differ from person to person, can be used as a factor to explain personal differences in the extent of expectation effect.
Pharmacokinetics of meloxicam after intravenous, intramuscular and oral administration of a single dose to African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus)
Authors: Montesinos A. , Ardiaca M. , Gilabert J. A. , Bonvehí C. , Oros J. , Encinas T.
Published: September 2016

Meloxicam is a nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug commonly used in avian species. In this study, the pharmacokinetic parameters for meloxicam were determined following single intravenous (i.v.), intramuscular (i.m.) and oral (p.o.) administrations of the drug (1 mg/kg·b.w.) in adult African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus; n = 6). Serial plasma samples were collected and meloxicam concentrations were determined using a validated high‐performance liquid chromatography assay. A noncompartmental pharmacokinetic analysis was performed. No undesirable side effects were observed during the study. After i.v. administration, the volume of distribution, clearance and elimination half‐life were 90.6 ± 4.1 mL/kg, 2.18 ± 0.25 mL/h/kg and 31.4 ± 4.6 h, respectively. The peak mean ± SD plasma concentration was 8.32 ± 0.95 μg/mL at 30 min after i.m. administration. Oral administration resulted in a slower absorption (tmax = 13.2 ± 3.5 h; Cmax = 4.69 ± 0.75 μg/mL) and a lower bioavailability (38.1 ± 3.6%) than for i.m. (78.4 ± 5.5%) route. At 24 h, concentrations were 5.90 ± 0.28 μg/mL for i.v., 4.59 ± 0.36 μg/mL for i.m. and 3.21 ± 0.34 μg/mL for p.o. administrations and were higher than those published for Hispaniolan Amazon parrots at 12 h with predicted analgesic effects.
Changes in dispersal and light capturing traits explain post‐abandonment community change in semi‐natural grasslands
Authors: Neuenkamp Lena , Lewis Rob John , Koorem Kadri , Zobel Kristjan , Zobel Martin
Published: September 2016

Question

Does the role of dispersal and light limitation for community assembly change in temperate semi‐natural dry grasslands (SNDGs) post‐abandonment?

Location

Temperate calcareous semi‐natural dry grasslands, western Estonia (58.642 N, 23.516 E).

Methods

We compared taxonomic and functional community structure of semi‐natural dry grasslands in Estonia at two time periods: first in 1975 when traditional grazing prevailed, and again in 2013 when management had ceased for at least 30 yr. In order to assess functional community structure, we used community‐weighted mean trait values and mean pair‐wise distance as metrics of functional diversity for traits related to plant dispersal and adaptations to reduced light availability. Successional shifts in functional community structure were examined using regression and multivariate analysis.

Results

Changes in community assembly of SNDGs post‐abandonment were largely driven by more closed vegetation structure and subsequently reduced light availability, as well as altered availability of dispersal vectors. Importance of long‐distance dispersal via grazing animals decreased while importance of bird dispersal increased under abandonment. At the same time, the importance of competition for light increased under abandonment. Results indicate that typical SNDG species are especially susceptible to abandonment because they are light‐demanding and depend on dispersal by wind or epizoochory (i.e. on the fur of animals), and their decline likely leads to reduced small‐scale species richness.

Conclusions

Vegetation changes in abandoned SNDGs show that regular management, by creating characteristic light and dispersal conditions, is highly important for maintaining both taxonomic and functional diversity. In particular, typical grassland species might be prone to local extinction as taller vegetation develops post‐abandonment. The importance of dispersal processes for community assembly observed in grazed SNDGs thus highlights that successful grassland conservation should include maintenance of dispersal conditions. Grassland conservation should aim to preserve the whole ecosystem and account for the multiple ecosystem processes (e.g. light availability, dispersal), which simultaneously structure plant community composition.
Weak link between dispersal and parasite community differentiation or immunogenetic divergence in two sympatric cichlid fishes
Authors: Hablützel P. I. , Grégoir A. F. , Vanhove M. P. M. , Volckaert F. A. M. , Raeymaekers J. A. M.
Published: September 2016

Geographical isolation, habitat variation and trophic specialization have contributed to a large extent to the astonishing diversity of cichlid fishes in the Great East African lakes. Because parasite communities often vary across space and environments, parasites can accompany and potentially enhance cichlid species diversification. However, host dispersal may reduce opportunities for parasite‐driven evolution by homogenizing parasite communities and allele frequencies of immunity genes. To test for the relationships between parasite community variation, host dispersal and parasite‐induced host evolution, we studied two sympatric cichlid species with contrasting dispersal capacities along the shores of southern Lake Tanganyika. Whereas the philopatricTropheus mooriievolved into several genetically differentiated colour morphs,Simochromis diagrammais phenotypically rather uniform across its distribution range and shows only weak population structure. Populations of both species were infected with divergent parasite communities and harbour differentiated variant pools of an important set of immune genes, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). The overall extent of geographical variation of parasites andMHCgenes was similar between host species. This indicates that immunogenetic divergence among populations of Lake Tanganyika cichlids can occur even in species that are strongly dispersing. However, because this also includes species that are phenotypically uniform, parasite‐induced evolution may not represent a key factor underlying species diversification in this system.
Trace Ethnography, Affect, and Institutional Ecologies in the Distributed Records of a Plaster Model
Authors: Marsh Diana E.
Published: September 2016

This article investigates the classification and record‐keeping history of a medicine man model in the Wellcome Library archives and the Science Museum archives in London, and the multifarious ways that information is constructed or lost in the history of a museum collection. First, attending to the affective turn in information scholarship, I argue that people's relationships and idiosyncratic preoccupations are formative in the histories of records and yet obscured in them. Second, I argue that broader “epistemic cultures” and “ecologies of standards”—belief systems, histories of disciplinary thought, and institutional histories—are formative in the legacy of information systems. A “trace ethnographic” approach to the history of one ethnographic piece illuminated the formation of authoritative knowledge as it played out in the acquisition and classification of the object and its institutionalized records.
Affective Presence: The Metonymical Catalogue
Authors: Krmpotich Cara , Somerville Alexander
Published: September 2016

Drawing on exploratory research of online ethnographic records for particular types of Aboriginal bags in North America, we confront the absence of affective knowledge in museum catalogues and documentation. Although curatorial, ethnographic, and Aboriginal understandings of these items teem with affect, we find affect to be almost wholly lacking from available online records. We ask what the effects of this absence are for descendent Aboriginal communities, for museum publics, and for affect theory. We also look at an example where affect has a presence in online records, the Glenbow Museum, and consider the ways this creates opportunities for comparative and historic affective study.
Delegation and supervision of healthcare assistants’ work in the daily management of uncertainty and the unexpected in clinical practice: invisible learning among newly qualified nurses
Authors: Allan Helen T. , Magnusson Carin , Evans Karen , Ball Elaine , Westwood Sue , Curtis Kathy , Horton Khim , Johnson Martin
Published: September 2016

The invisibility of nursing work has been discussed in the international literature but not in relation to learning clinical skills. Evans and Guile's (Practice‐based education: Perspectives and strategies, Rotterdam: Sense, 2012) theory of recontextualisation is used to explore the ways in which invisible or unplanned and unrecognised learning takes place as newly qualified nurses learn to delegate to and supervise the work of the healthcare assistant. In the British context, delegation and supervision are thought of as skills which are learnt “on the job.” We suggest that learning “on‐the‐job” is the invisible construction of knowledge in clinical practice and that delegation is a particularly telling area of nursing practice which illustrates invisible learning. Using an ethnographic case study approach in three hospital sites in England from 2011 to 2014, we undertook participant observation, interviews with newly qualified nurses, ward managers and healthcare assistants. We discuss the invisible ways newly qualified nurses learn in the practice environment and present the invisible steps to learning which encompass the embodied, affective and social, as much as the cognitive components to learning. We argue that there is a need for greater understanding of the “invisible learning” which occurs as newly qualified nurses learn to delegate and supervise.
Genome‐wide association study reveals putative regulators of bioenergy traits in Populus deltoides
Authors: Fahrenkrog Annette M. , Neves Leandro G. , Resende Márcio F. R. , Vazquez Ana I. , de los Campos Gustavo , Dervinis Christopher , Sykes Robert , Davis Mark , Davenport Ruth , Barbazuk William B. , Kirst Matias
Published: September 2016

Genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) have been used extensively to dissect the genetic regulation of complex traits in plants. These studies have focused largely on the analysis of common genetic variants despite the abundance of rare polymorphisms in several species, and their potential role in trait variation. Here, we conducted the first GWAS in Populus deltoides, a genetically diverse keystone forest species in North America and an important short rotation woody crop for the bioenergy industry.

We searched for associations between eight growth and wood composition traits, and common and low‐frequency single‐nucleotide polymorphisms detected by targeted resequencing of 18 153 genes in a population of 391 unrelated individuals. To increase power to detect associations with low‐frequency variants, multiple‐marker association tests were used in combination with single‐marker association tests.

Significant associations were discovered for all phenotypes and are indicative that low‐frequency polymorphisms contribute to phenotypic variance of several bioenergy traits.

Our results suggest that both common and low‐frequency variants need to be considered for a comprehensive understanding of the genetic regulation of complex traits, particularly in species that carry large numbers of rare polymorphisms. These polymorphisms may be critical for the development of specialized plant feedstocks for bioenergy.