bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genetic analysis of anthracnose resistance in ‘Pitanga’ dry bean cultivar
Authors: Gonçalves‐Vidigal Maria C. , Meirelles Ana C. , Poletine Juliana P. , De Sousa Lorenna L. , Cruz Anelise S. , Nunes Maria P. , Lacanallo Giselly F. , Vidigal Filho Pedro S.
Published: March 2012

With 3 tables

Anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, is a major disease of dry bean and results great yield losses. The objective of this work was to characterize the anthracnose resistance gene present in the Andean cultivar ‘Pitanga’. This cultivar was crossed with the cultivars Michelite, Michigan Dark Red Kidney, Cornell 49‐242, Mexico 222, PI 207262, TU, AB 136, G 2333, BAT 93, SEL 1308, H1 line, Ouro Negro, Jalo Vermelho and Jalo Listras Pretas to obtain F1 and F2 populations. These populations were then inoculated with races 23, 64, 65, 73 and 2047 of C. lindemuthianum. The segregation ratio was 3 resistant : 1 susceptible, which shows that resistance inheritance is controlled by a single dominant gene. The results from allelism tests in fourteen F2 populations fit a 15 resistant : 1 susceptible ratio, which indicates that the resistance present in the ‘Pitanga’ cultivar is dominant and independent from genes and alleles already characterized: Co‐1, Co‐2, Co‐3, Co‐42, Co‐5, Co‐6, Co‐7, Co‐9, Co‐10, Co‐11, Co‐12 and Co‐13. The authors suggest the symbol Co‐14 to represent the gene present in the ‘Pitanga’ cultivar.
Comparison of responses to drought stress of 100 wheat accessions and landraces to identify opportunities for improving wheat drought resistance*
Authors: Dodig Dejan , Zorić Miroslav , Kandić Vesna , Perović Dragan , Šurlan‐Momirović Gordana
Published: March 2012

With 5 figures and 5 tables

Landraces of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), collected from the Western Balkans, were considered as a potential genetic resource of drought resistance for wheat breeding. A group of 20 landraces with 80 wheat accessions of worldwide origin were tested in 4‐year field trials under two watering regimes: fully irrigated and under a rain‐out plot shelter. Fourteen agronomic traits were evaluated for their responses to drought stress, and four selection indices were calculated: mean productivity (MP), stress tolerance (TOL), stress susceptibility index (SSI) and stress tolerance index (STI). The average yield of landraces was significantly lower than that of accessions under both regimes, and there was no evidence that yield stability of landraces was better than that of accessions. However, TOL was better in landraces than in accessions, and several traits related to yield were shown to suffer less under water deficit (i.e. kernels per spike). Amongst landraces, relatively wide diversity (CV 10.2–18.9%) was found for most of the traits that can be exploited for improving drought tolerance of new varieties for the variable rainfed conditions of south‐eastern Europe.
Meiotic stability in two valuable interspecific hybrids ofBrachiaria(Poaceae)
Authors: Felismino Mariana F. , Pagliarini Maria S. , Do Valle Cacilda B. , Resende Rosângela. M. S.
Published: March 2012

With 2 figures and 2 tables

In an attempt to increase genetic variability in the genusBrachiaria, crosses were made between sexual tetraploidized accessions ofB. ruziziensisand apomictic tetraploid accessions ofB. brizantha(2n = 4x = 36). Among the F1progenies, two hybrids (Hb331, apomictic; and Hb336, sexual) displayed several agronomically desirable traits. These hybrids were evaluated for several years, and the apomictic one is now being tested under grazing to be released as a new cultivar, whereas the sexual one is in a reciprocal recurrent selection programme. The possibility of gene exchange through recombination of genitors and their meiotic behaviour was investigated. Both hybrids were evaluated for meiotic stability during three consecutive years. Analyses of meiocytes at diakinesis revealed multivalent chromosome associations among the parental genomes, indicating that their gene pools are interchangeable. Irregular chromosome segregation, chromosome stickiness and a putative meiotic mutation were recorded. The frequency of abnormalities varied among years and also between the hybrids. The sexual hybrid Hb336 had a more stable meiotic behaviour, but pollen fertility was higher in apomictic Hb331, ensuring more viable seed formation.
Cardiovascular and autonomic responses to sexual activity in the rabbit
Authors: McBryde Fiona D , Guild Sarah‐Jane , Malpas Simon C , Barrett Carolyn J
Published: March 2012

Sexual intercourse is associated with an increased risk of death from arrhythmia development, myocardial infarction or stroke. It is unclear whether this increased risk is due to physical exertion alone or whether it is an inherent aspect of sexual activity itself.

Using a telemetric approach, we show that sexual activity is associated with transient (8–14 s) but profound increases in renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA; up to 22‐fold that of baseline) in both male and female rabbits. This increase was significantly greater than that observed during physical exertion (three‐ to sixfold increase in RSNA).

In addition, we observed rapid transitions in male rabbits from tachycardia (422 ± 21 b.p.m.; P < 0.01) to bradycardia (186 ± 28 b.p.m.; P < 0.05) during and immediately following coitus. This suggests simultaneous activation of both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

The present study provides the first real‐time insight into the extreme variation in neural and cardiovascular function occurring during sexual activity in normal healthy rabbits. Little is known about how the physiological responses to sexual activity may change under disease or drug‐treatment states, and these findings may prove of use to these areas in future.
Intraoperative lactate levels and postoperative complications of pediatric cardiac surgery
Authors: Alves Rodrigo Leal , Aragão e Silva André Luiz , Kraychete Nadja Cecília de Castro , Campos Guilherme Oliveira , Martins Marcelo de Jesus , Módolo Norma Sueli Pinheiro
Published: March 2012

Objectives:  Correlate arterial lactate levels during the intraoperative period of children undergoing cardiac surgery and the occurrence of complications in the postoperative period.

Aim:  Arterial lactate levels can indicate hypoperfusion states, serving as prognostic markers of morbidity and mortality in this population.

Background:  Anesthesia for cardiac pediatric surgery is frequently performed on patients with serious abnormal physiological conditions. During the intraoperative period, there are significant variations of blood volume, body temperature, plasma composition, and tissue blood flow, as well as the activation of inflammation, with important pathophysiological consequences.

Methods/Materials:  Chart data relating to the procedures and perioperative conditions of the patients were collected on a standardized form. Comparisons of arterial lactate values at the end of the intraoperative period of the patients that presented, or not, with postoperative complications and frequencies related to perioperative conditions were established by odds ratio and nonparametric univariate analysis.

Results:  After surgeries without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), higher levels of arterial lactate upon ICU admission were observed in patients who had renal complications (2.96 vs 1.31 mm) and those who died (2.93 vs 1.40 mm). For surgeries with CPB, the same association was observed for cardiovascular (2.90 mm × 2.06 mm), renal (3.34 vs 2.33 mm), respiratory (2.98 vs 2.12 mm) and hematological complications (2.99 vs 1.95 mm), and death (3.38 vs 2.40 mm).

Conclusion:  Elevated intraoperative arterial lactate levels are associated with a higher morbidity and mortality in low‐ and medium‐risk procedures, with or without CPB, in pediatric cardiac surgery.
Host phylogeny and specialisation in parasitoids
Authors: Desneux Nicolas , Blahnik Roger , Delebecque Camille J. , Heimpel George E.
Published: March 2012

Ecology Letters(2012)15: 453–460

The host range of insect parasitoids and herbivores is influenced by both preference‐related traits which mediate host choice behaviour, and performance‐related traits which mediate the physiological suitability of the consumer‐resource interaction. In a previous study, we characterised the influence of preference‐ and performance‐related traits on the host range of the aphid parasitoidBinodoxys communis(Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and herein we build upon those data sets by mapping a series of these traits onto the phylogeny of the (aphid) host species. We found a strong effect of host phylogeny on overall parasitoid reproduction on the 20 host species tested, but no effect of the phylogeny of host plants of the aphids. We found an effect of aphid phylogeny on host acceptance and sting rates (related to preference) from behavioural observations and for pupal survivorship (related to performance), showing that both classes of traits show phylogenetic conservatism with respect to host species.
Morphology and phylogeny of a new woodruffiid ciliate, Etoschophrya inornata sp. n. (Ciliophora, Colpodea, Platyophryida), with an account on evolution of platyophryids
Authors: Bourland William A. , Hampikian Greg , Vďačný Peter
Published: March 2012

Bourland, W. A., Hampikian, G. & Vďačný, P. (2012). Morphology and phylogeny of a new woodruffiid ciliate, Etoschophrya inornata sp. n. (Ciliophora, Colpodea, Platyophryida), with an account on evolution of platyophryids. —Zoologica Scripta, 41, 400–416.

We studied the morphology, morphometry, resting cysts and molecular phylogeny of a new woodruffiid ciliate, Etoschophrya inornata, from ephemeral puddles and two lacustrine habitats in Idaho, North‐west USA. Up to now, the genus Etoschophrya has included a single species, Etoschophrya oscillatoriophaga, from which our new form is distinguished by (i) the absence of interkinetal cortical granules and, consequently, the absence of extrusible red material in methyl green‐pyronin stains, (ii) usually ≥5 adoral membranelles vs. usually four, (iii) greater length and length/width ratio, (iv) prominent cortical furrows vs. inconspicuous and (v) adaptation to non‐saline semi‐terrestrial and lacustrine habitats in the Nearctic vs. highly saline alkaline Afrotropic soil habitats. Resting cysts have two distinct membranes and a thick hyaline mucous pericyst layer. However, only one membrane persists in older cysts. Like its congener, Etoschophrya inornata feeds exclusively on filamentous cyanobacteria. The 18S rRNA gene sequence places this species in a strongly supported clade with Kuklikophrya ougandae basal to the other platyophryids. We include a morphologic cladistic analysis of platyophryid ciliates and present a hypothetical scenario for the evolution of the platyophryid oral structures.
Impact of surgeon experience on complication rates and functional outcomes of 484 deceased donor renal transplants: a single‐centre retrospective study
Authors: Cash Hannes , Slowinski Torsten , Buechler Anette , Grimm Annaeva , Friedersdorff Frank , Schmidt Danilo , Miller Kurt , Giessing Markus , Fuller T. Florian
Published: March 2012

Study Type – Therapy (outcomes)

Level of Evidence 2c

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Although renal transplantation represents a well established surgical procedure, the learning curve for this procedure has not been studied so far. The published data on surgical complications do not discriminate between surgeons and their stage of expertise.

The present study highlights the importance of a structurized programme in urological sub‐speciality training. Renal transplanation represents a standardized procedure with a low learning‐curve for uncompliciated cases. When comparing experienced urological transplant surgeons with inexperienced surgeons, the postoperative complications and functional outcome were similar. One exception is seen in ureteroneocystostomy, which should be considered in clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE

To determine how postoperative and functional outcomes after deceased donor renal transplantation (DDRT) are related to surgeon experience.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The outcomes of 484 adult DDRT performed by 13 urological surgeons were retrospectively reviewed.

After completion of a staged renal transplant training programme under supervision of an attending urological transplant surgeon, the 13 surgeons were either assigned to the inexperienced group (n= 8) or the experienced group (n= 5).

Surgeons in the experienced group had performed more than 30 unsupervised DDRT in a standard fashion with routine ureteric stenting.

Between 1988 and 2005, inexperienced surgeons performed 152 DDRT, whereas experienced surgeons performed 332 DDRT.

RESULTS

Patient and graft survival at 2 hyears were 98% and 94.7%, respectively.

Early graft loss in five recipients was unrelated to surgeon experience.

Delayed graft function occurred in 29% of cases and median 1‐year serum‐creatinine was 1.48 mg/dL, with no difference between surgeon groups.

Postoperative bleeding and lymphocele formation were the most frequent surgical complications, with an equal distribution between groups.

Ureteric complications had a significantly higher incidence among inexperienced surgeons (6.6% versus 2.7%; P= 0.04).

CONCLUSION

We conclude that DDRT as performed by inexperienced urological renal transplant surgeons has both acceptable short‐ and long‐term outcomes.
The relationship between alcohol consumption, gambling behaviour and problem gambling during a single visit to a gambling venue
Authors: MARKHAM FRANCIS , YOUNG MARTIN , DORAN BRUCE
Published: March 2012

Introduction and Aims. Despite the well‐documented comorbidity between disordered alcohol use and problem gambling, little is known about the co‐occurrence of drinking and gambling in gambling venues. This paper appears to be the first to investigate the association between drinking and gambling behaviour among a large sample of gamblers during a specific, non‐laboratory gambling episode.

Design and Methods. We conducted a mail survey of all available households in the Northern Territory of Australia, including questions on drinking and gambling behaviour on the last visit to a gambling venue. We estimate the effect of moderate (1–4 standard drinks) and risky (>4 standard drinks) alcohol consumption on gambling participation and gambling duration for both problem and non‐problem gamblers using regression analysis of 7044 survey responses.

Results. The probability of participating in electronic gaming machine (EGM) gambling decreased with alcohol consumption for non‐problem gamblers, while the probability of participating in TAB (Totalisator Agency Board, off‐course totalisator) gambling increased with risky alcohol consumption for all gamblers. Alcohol consumption was not associated with EGM gambling participation for problem gamblers. Moderate alcohol consumption was negatively associated with EGM gambling duration, with a stronger effect observed for problem gamblers.

Discussion and Conclusions. Moderate alcohol consumption is inversely correlated with both the duration of play and probability of participation for EGM gambling. Current laboratory studies do not predict the drinking–gambling behaviour of the general population in non‐laboratory settings. Future research on alcohol and gambling co‐occurrence must explicitly consider the drinking and gambling environment in order to produce policy‐relevant findings.[Markham F, Young M, Doran B. The relationship between alcohol consumption, gambling behaviour and problem gambling during a single visit to a gambling venue. Drug Alcohol Rev 2012;31:770–777]
Nursing intuition: a valid form of knowledge
Authors: Green Catherine
Published: March 2012

An understanding of the nature and development of nursing intuition can help nurse educators foster it in young nurses and give clinicians more confidence in this aspect of their knowledge, allowing them to respond with greater assurance to their intuitions. In this paper, accounts from philosophy and neurophysiology are used to argue that intuition, specifically nursing intuition, is a valid form of knowledge. The paper argues that nursing intuition, a kind of practical intuition, is composed of four distinct aspects that include: (1) embodied knowledge rather like that knowledge we have when we have learned to ride a bicycle; (2) well‐trained sensory perceptions attentive to subtle details of complex, often rapidly changing situations; (3) a significant store of pertinent conceptual knowledge; and (4) a history of habitual actions intentionally directed towards achieving the best outcomes for our patients. Contemporary neurophysiology research strongly suggests that human persons experience other persons such that they directly understand the meaning of a variety of different human actions, intentions, emotions, and sensations in immediate, non‐reflective, and non‐conceptual perceptions. This research is supported by the philosophical theories of Jacques Maritain and Yves R. Simon found in their accounts of practical knowledge. Together, these accounts offer us a rich view of the reality of nursing intuition that helps us understand why we find intuitive actions in some but not all nurses and gives us some specific information about how to develop intuition in young nurses. Finally, this research shows us a path for further research.
Why you don’t get published: an editor’s view
Authors: Bradbury Michael E.
Published: March 2012

This paper uses content analysis to examine 66 reviews on 33 manuscripts submitted to Accounting and Finance. Selected extracts from reviews are provided to illustrate the issues considered important to reviewers. The main message is that papers need to be work‐shopped and more care taken over editorial matters. A checklist for prospective authors is provided.
BEYOND SUN, SAND, AND STITCHES: ASSIGNING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE HARMS OF MEDICAL TOURISM
Authors: SNYDER JEREMY , CROOKS VALORIE , JOHNSTON RORY , KINGSBURY PAUL
Published: March 2012

Medical tourism (MT) can be conceptualized as the intentional pursuit of non‐emergency surgical interventions by patients outside their nation of residence. Despite increasing popular interest in MT, the ethical issues associated with the practice have thus far been under‐examined. MT has been associated with a range of both positive and negative effects for medical tourists' home and host countries, and for the medical tourists themselves. Absent from previous explorations of MT is a clear argument of how responsibility for the harms of this practice should be assigned. This paper addresses this gap by describing both backward looking liability and forward looking political responsibility for stakeholders in MT. We use a political responsibility model to develop a decision‐making process for individual medical tourists and conclude that more information on the effects of MT must be developed to help patients engage in ethical MT.
How Effective is the New EU Timber Regulation in the Fight against Illegal Logging?
Authors: Levashova Yulia
Published: March 2012

On 20 October 2010, a new European Union Regulation was adopted detailing the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market. This landmark legislation aims to eliminate illegal timber from the European markets by introducing ‘due diligence’ requirements and prohibition requirement to place illegal timber on the market. Despite its far‐reaching objectives, the decision‐making process within the EU has led to significant compromises that could, in the future, hinder the Regulation's effectiveness. This article analyzes controversial provisions of the Regulation, such as the ‘simple prohibition requirement’ and the penalty system, as well as their history. The Regulation is also compared to the Lacey Act in the United States, and differences between these two pieces of legislation and their significance are explained. The author draws preliminary conclusions and poses questions to be taken into account by the Member States before the Regulation enters into force in 2013.
Theology and Interpretation: The Case of Aquinas and Calvin on Romans
Authors: RAITH II CHARLES
Published: March 2012

This article explores how Aquinas's and Calvin's theology of justification, the law and the nature of human works integrate with their interpretations of Romans by analyzing their commentaries on 1:16b–17, focusing on the iustitia Dei, and 2:13, which addresses the relationship between works and justification. Aquinas's interpretation unfolds by emphasizing the work of Christ in and through sinners, while Calvin's interpretation emphasizes the work of Christ for and to sinners. I also demonstrate how the theological judgements embedded in these sections inform their reading of Romans as a whole.
Increased CCL18 expression in patients with cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma: association with disease severity and prognosis
Authors: Miyagaki T. , Sugaya M. , Suga H. , Ohmatsu H. , Fujita H. , Asano Y. , Tada Y. , Kadono T. , Sato S.
Published: March 2012

Background  CC chemokine ligand (CCL) 18 is expressed by monocytes and dendritic cells (DCs), and has potent chemotactic activity for T cells, B cells and DCs. CCL18 expression is up‐regulated in lesional skin of atopic dermatitis and bullous pemphigoid, suggesting its important roles in the development of these skin diseases.

Objective  To investigate roles of CCL18 in cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma (CTCL).

Methods  The CCL18 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in CTCL skin (n = 21) and in normal skin (n = 7) was examined by quantitative RT‐PCR. CCL18 expression was also examined by immunohistochemistry. Serum CCL18 levels were measured in 38 patients with CTCL and 20 healthy controls by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. We also analysed correlation between serum CCL18 levels and other clinical and laboratory data.

Results  The CTCL lesional skin contained higher levels of CCL18 mRNA than normal skin. CCL18 was expressed by dermal macrophages and DCs in CTCL skin. Serum CCL18 levels in patients with CTCL were significantly higher than those of healthy controls and correlated with types of skin lesions. They also significantly correlated with modified severity‐weighted assessment scores, serum sIL‐2R, LDH, IL‐4, IL‐10, IL‐31, CCL17 and CCL26 levels. Patients with high serum levels of CCL18 showed significantly poor prognosis compared with those with low CCL18 levels.

Conclusion  CCL18 mRNA is up‐regulated in CTCL lesional skin, and serum CCL18 levels are significantly increased and correlated with the severity of CTCL. These results suggest that CCL18 may be associated with the development of CTCL.
Academic skills in children with early‐onset type 1 diabetes: the effects of diabetes‐related risk factors
Authors: HANNONEN RIITTA , KOMULAINEN JORMA , RIIKONEN RAILI , AHONEN TIMO , EKLUND KENNETH , TOLVANEN ASKO , KESKINEN PÄIVI , NUUJA ANJA ,   On behalf of the study group
Published: March 2012

Aim  The study aimed to assess the effects of diabetes‐related risk factors, especially severe hypoglycaemia, on the academic skills of children with early‐onset type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).

Method  The study comprised 63 children with T1DM (31 females, 32 males; mean age 9y 11mo, SD 4mo) and 92 comparison children without diabetes (40 females, 52 males; mean age 9y 9mo, SD 3mo). Children were included if T1DM had been diagnosed before the age of 5 years and if they were aged between 9 and 10 years at the time of study. Children were not included if their native language was not Finnish and if they had a diagnosed neurological disorder that affected their cognitive development. Among the T1DM group, 37 had and 26 had not experienced severe hypoglycaemia and 26 had avoided severe hypoglycaemia. Severe hypoglycaemia, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and glycaemic control were used as T1DM‐related factors. Task performance in reading, spelling, and mathematics was compared among the three groups, and the effects of the T1DM‐related factors were analysed with general linear models.

Results  The groups with (p<0.001) and without (p=0.001) severe hypoglycaemia demonstrated a poorer performance than the comparison group in spelling, and the group without severe hypoglycaemia showed a poorer performance than the comparison group in mathematics (p=0.003). Severe hypoglycaemia, DKA, and recent glycaemic control were not associated with poorer skills, but poorer first‐year glycaemic control was associated with poorer spelling (p=0.013).

Interpretation  An early onset of T1DM can increase the risk of learning problems, independently of the history of severe hypoglycaemia or DKA. Poorer glycaemic control after the first year of T1DM is associated with a poorer acquisition of academic skills indicating the effect of the timing of metabolic aberrations on cognitive development.
Contextualizing the global nursing care chain: international migration and the status of nursing in Kerala, India
Authors: WALTON‐ROBERTS MARGARET
Published: March 2012

In this article I explore the issue of nursing status in Kerala, India and how over time a colonial discourse of caste‐based pollution has given way to a discourse of sexual pollution under expanding migratory opportunities. Based on survey and qualitative research findings, I caution that the improving occupational status of nursing in India is not directly mapped onto social status, and this is particularly evident in the matrimonial market. In the light of these findings I argue that global nursing care chain (GNCC) analysis must assess more than just workplace contexts in order to conceptualize how global care chains (GCCs) interlock, and how they are differentiated from each other.
Caring for the elderly: the embodied labour of migrant care workers in Singapore
Authors: HUANG SHIRLENA , YEOH BRENDA S. A. , TOYOTA MIKA
Published: March 2012

Research on transnational care work has tended to focus on the migration of women for either domestic work or nursing, and the two bodies of work have remained largely separate. In developed countries such as Singapore, however, the high level of female labour force participation alongside a rapidly ageing population has led to the deployment of both groups of migrant care workers to alleviate the impending eldercare crisis. Migrant domestic workers are employed to look after the elderly in private domiciles while foreign healthcare workers provide eldercare in institutions such as nursing homes. Recognizing that the transnational labour migrations of women as domestic and healthcare workers are integrally linked in the care chain, we attempt to bring the two together in this article. We first examine how state policy differentially regulates the entry of these two groups to work in two very different spaces: the domestic space of the home, and the institutional space of nursing homes. Drawing on interviews with employers, we go on to argue that while the institutional mechanisms differ for the groups of care workers employed in these two spaces, Singapore's solution to its eldercare predicament is predicated on ‘othering’ the care worker's body along discourses of gender, nationality and notions of elderly care work as dirty, demanding and demeaning.
CHARACTERIZATION OF LATE CHALCOLITHIC MICRO‐BEADS FROM ÇAMLIBEL TARLASI, NORTH‐CENTRAL ANATOLIA
Authors: PICKARD C. , SCHOOP U.‐D.
Published: March 2012

Micro‐bead manufacture is geographically widespread from the fifth millennium bc. Previous studies of comparable micro‐beads from sites in the Indus Valley region and the Near East suggest that many of these beads were formed from synthetic enstatite. Characterization of micro‐beads from the Late Chalcolithic site of Çamlıbel Tarlası was carried out by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and microanalysis with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X‐ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The chemical composition of the micro‐beads analysed indicated that they were made from three distinctive materials; namely, bulk talc (i.e., synthetic enstatite precursor), apatite and mineral‐rich clay pastes.
New information on a juvenile sauropod specimen from the Morrison Formation and the reassessment of its systematic position
Authors: CARBALLIDO JOSÉ L. , MARPMANN JEAN S. , SCHWARZ‐WINGS DANIELA , PABST BEN
Published: March 2012

Abstract:  Morphological changes in the ontogeny of sauropods are poorly known, making difficult to establish the systematic affinities of very young individuals. New information on an almost complete juvenile sauropod (SMA 0009) with an estimated total length of about 2 m is here presented. The specimen was described as a diplodocid owing to the presence of some putative synapomorphies of this group. However, recent further preparation revealed the absence of diplodocid characters and the presence of macronarian derived characters. To test the affinities of this specimen, a phylogenetic analysis was conducted. The strict consensus tree recovers the specimen as a basal titanosauriform, in an unresolved relation with Brachiosaurus and Giraffatitan. Nevertheless, a brachiosaurid assignment is here suggested in base of the widely accepted monophyly of this group (only recovered when SMA 0009 is placed within this group). Although the existence of a new taxon cannot be completely ruled out, the combination of derived and plesiomorphic characters in the specimen suggests its assignment to Brachiosaurus. Sixteen extra steps are needed to place this specimen within Diplodocidae. The high cost to place this specimen within this group is owing to the fact that several diplodocid characters are absent in SMA 0009, such as the absence of divided centroprezygapophyseal lamina in cervical vertebrae, procoelous anterior caudal centra, composed lateral lamina in anterior caudal vertebrae, elongated middle caudal vertebrae, short cervical ribs and caudolateral projection of distal condyle of metatarsal I. Finally, the systematic position reveals few major ontogenetic transformations. These affect the pneumatic structures (e.g. change from simple pleurocoels in the cervical vertebrae to complex pleurocoels and the development of lateral excavations in the dorsal vertebrae) but also include unrecorded transformations of the neural spine (e.g. the development of the spinodiapophyseal lamina, the widening of the neural spines in the dorsal vertebrae) and allometric growth in some limb bones.
Constant challenges and evolution of US military transfusion medicine and blood operations in combat
Authors: Spinella Philip C. , Dunne James , Beilman Greg J. , O'Connell Robert J. , Borgman Matthew A. , Cap Andrew P. , Rentas Francisco
Published: March 2012

BACKGROUND: Blood operations are constrained by many limitations in combat settings. As a result there are many challenges that require innovative solutions.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This is a descriptive overview of blood product usage and transfusion medicine adaptations that have been employed by the US military to support combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan between November 2001 and December 2010.

RESULTS: Transfusion medicine challenges have included the need for rapid transport of large quantities of blood products from the United States to Iraq and Afghanistan, risks and appropriate countermeasures associated with blood products collected in the theater of operations, availability of fresh‐frozen plasma at forward surgical facilities, need for platelets (PLTs) in combat, and the need to support constant and evolving changes in transfusion and resuscitation protocols. A decrease in the storage age of red blood cells (RBCs) transfused to combat casualties has been achieved. There has been an increase in the ratio of plasma and PLTs to RBCs transfused, increased availability of plasma and apheresis PLTs to facilitate this approach, and a continuous effort to improve the safety of using fresh whole blood and apheresis PLTs collected in combat. A number of clinical practice guidelines are in place to address these processes.

CONCLUSION: This multidisciplinary approach has successfully addressed many complicated and challenging issues regarding blood operations and transfusion practices for combat casualties.
Public Administration Scholarship and the Politics of Coproducing Academic–Practitioner Research
Authors: Orr Kevin , Bennett Mike
Published: March 2012

Developing greater cooperation between researchers and practitioners is a long‐standing concern in social science. Academics and practitioners working together to coproduce research offers a number of potential gains for public administration scholarship, but it also raises some dilemmas. The benefits include bringing local knowledge to bear on the field, making better informed policy, and putting research to better use. However, coproduction of research also involves managing ambiguous loyalties, reconciling different interests, and negotiating competing goals. The authors reflect on their experience of coproducing a research project in the United Kingdom and discuss the challenges that coproducers of research confront. They situate the discussion within a consideration of traditions of public administration scholarship and debates about the role of the academy to understand better the politics of their joint practice. Thinking about the politics of coproduction is timely and enables the authors to become more attuned to the benefits and constraints of this mode of research..
A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Public Administration Research Universe: Surviving Conversations on Methodologies and Methods
Authors: Haverland Markus , Yanow Dvora
Published: March 2012

Scientific conversations can be riddled with confusion when contributions to the discussion are based on notions about ways of knowing that remain implicit. Researchers often mix different methodological positions in their research designs because they lack an awareness of the distinctions between different ways of knowing and their associated methods. The authors engage and reflect on these differences, with particular attention to four areas: research question formulations, the character and role of concepts and theories, hypotheses versus puzzles, and case study research. They call on all researchers, both academics and practitioners, to be aware of the ways in which scientific terms serve, in research debates, as signifiers of different logics of inquiry. Awareness of these differences is important for the sake of productive scientific discussions and for the logical consistency of research, as both of the ways of knowing discussed here are legitimate scientific endeavors, albeit invoking different evaluative criteria.
Multimodality Imaging of Aortic Dimensions: Comparison of Transthoracic Echocardiography with Multidetector Row Computed Tomography
Authors: Tsang James F. , Lytwyn Matthew , Farag Ashraf , Zeglinski Matthew , Wallace Kerrett , daSilva Megan , Bohonis Sheena , Walker Jonathan R. , Tam James W. , Strzelczyk Jacek , Jassal Davinder S.
Published: March 2012

Background: With recent advances in multimodality cardiac imaging, a number of methods exist for the noninvasive assessment of aortic disease. Although multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT) remains the gold standard for aortic measurements, there are a number of limitations including radiation and contrast‐induced nephropathy. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is an alternative to MDCT for providing accurate anatomic assessment of aortic root and ascending aorta dimensions. Objectives and Methods: To determine the accuracy of two‐dimensional (2D) TTE for determining aortic measurements in comparison to MDCT, a retrospective study of individuals with varying aortic root and ascending aorta dimensions was performed. Results: There were 116 patients (77 males, mean age 49 ± 12 years) in total. The maximum aortic diameters by 2D TTE were 26.1 ± 4.3 mm (annulus), 32.4 ± 5.6 mm (sinuses), 30.1 ± 5.9 mm (sinotubular [ST] junction), and 33.4 ± 7.3 mm (ascending aorta). The maximum aortic diameters by MDCT were 30.1 ± 4.1 mm (annulus), 35.8 ± 5.8 mm (sinuses), 33.2 ± 5.9 mm (ST junction), and 37.4 ± 7.6 mm (ascending aorta). There was good to excellent correlation between 2D TTE and MDCT at all four levels of the aorta (annulus: r = 0.84; sinuses: r = 0.93; ST junction: r = 0.93; ascending aorta: r = 0.88). There was a consistent underestimation of aortic measurements obtained by 2D TTE when compared to MDCT. Conclusion: 2DTTE is a feasible, accurate, and reproducible method for the noninvasive assessment of thoracic aortic diameters as compared to MDCT. (Echocardiography 2012;29:735‐741)
Coronary Flow Reserve in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus and Prediabetes
Authors: Atar Asli I. , Altuner Tugba Kayhan , Bozbas Huseyin , Korkmaz Mehmet E.
Published: March 2012

Background: Abnormalities of coronary microcirculation have been reported in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) even in the presence of normal coronary arteries. It is unknown when the microvascular effects on coronary arteries begin to appear in the DM disease course. Coronary flow reserve (CFR), determined by pharmacological stress transthoracic Doppler echocardiography, is a reliable indicator of coronary microvascular function. We sought to determine the coronary microvascular function of prediabetic patients compared to DM patients and normal population. Methods: Seventy‐four subjects with normal coronary arteries were enrolled. DM and prediabetes were diagnosed according to American Diabetes Association criteria. All subjects had Doppler recordings of the left anterior descending artery with adenosine infusion at a rate of 0.014 mg/kg per minute. Results: The demographical characteristics and laboratory findings of the three groups were similar (DM group: n = 25, mean age 62 ± 7 years, 19 females; prediabetic group: n = 25, mean age 64 ± 12 years, 21 females; control group: n = 24, mean age 63 ± 7 years, 15 females) except fasting glucose levels. CFR values of the three groups were significantly different (DM group: CFR = 1.75 ± 0.50; prediabetic group: CFR = 2.24 ± 0.43; control group: CFR = 2.38 ± 0.32, P < 0.001). CFR values of DM group were lower than those of prediabetic and control groups (DM vs. prediabetic: P < 0.001, DM vs. control: P < 0.001). However, CFR levels of prediabetic group were not different from those of the control group (P = 0.481). DM was an independent factor predictive of CFR < 2 (OR, 22.69; 95% CI, 6.47–79.51; P < 0.001). Conclusion: Coronary microvascular function seems to be normal in the prediabetic state, but dysfunction appears after DM becomes overt. (Echocardiography 2012;29:634‐640)
Incremental Role of Three‐Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiography in the Assessment of Mitral‐Aortic Intervalvular Fibrosa Abscess
Authors: Sadat Kamel , Joshi Deepak , Sudhakar Selvin , Bicer Elif Ijlal , Ibrahim Hisham , Nanda Navin C , Bhagatwala Kunal , Karia Nidhi , Pandey Abhilasha
Published: March 2012

We report a case of an elderly patient in whom live/real time three‐dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3DTEE) provided definitive diagnosis of mitral‐aortic intervalvular fibrosa abscess. This could not be done by two‐dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (2DTTE) and two‐dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (2DTEE). 3DTEE was also helpful in ruling out associated mitral valve endocarditis, which was initially suspected by 2DTEE leading to a mitral valve sparing surgery. Thus, 3DTEE provided incremental information over 2DTTE and 2DTEE in this patient. (Echocardiography 2012;29:742‐744)
Introduction to the Special Focus Section
Authors: Messinger Seth D.
Published: March 2012

The three articles presented in this special section of Medical Anthropology Quarterly are devoted to the ways that military servicemembers’ bodies are figured, deployed, symbolized, and represented. These articles illustrate two issues that confront the members of many contemporary militaries exemplified here by examples from the United States and Turkey (Ben Ari 2001; Bickford 2011; Pengelly and Irwin 2010; Weiss 1998). The first is that they are embedded in a set of ethical relations with the state that deploys them to conflicts. Military service confers a level of prestige and status, but it also entangles those who serve in complex social dilemmas. They are refigured as celebrated heroes in their communities but may also, as illustrated in Aciksoz's and Wool and Messinger's articles (this issue), find themselves dependent on their families and loved ones, as well as on military and state institutions. Servicemembers are also placed in new and complex relationships with their own bodies, and they come to experience vulnerability, mortality, and morality in novel and distinct ways.
Armor and Anesthesia: Exposure, Feeling, and the Soldier's Body
Authors: MacLeish Kenneth T.
Published: March 2012

For many civilians, the high‐tech weapons, armor, and military medicine with which U.S. soldiers are equipped present an image of lethal capacity and physical invulnerability. But, as this article explores, soldiers themselves just as often associate the life‐sustaining technology of modern warfare with feelings that range from a pragmatic ambivalence about exposure to harm all the way to profoundly unsettling vulnerability. This article, based on fieldwork among soldiers and military families at the U.S. Army's Ft. Hood, examines sensory and affective dimensions of soldiers’ intimate bodily relationships with the technologies that alternately or even simultaneously keep them alive and expose them to harm. I argue that modern military discipline and technology conspire to cultivate soldiers as highly durable, capable, unfeeling, interchangeable bodies, or what might be called, after Susan Buck‐Morss (1992), anesthetic subjects. But for soldiers themselves, their training, combat environment, protective gear, and weapons are a rich font of both emotional and bodily feeling that exists in complex tension with the also deeply felt military imperative to carry on in the face of extreme discomfort and danger.[Iraq War, U.S. military, armor, biopolitics, embodiment, the senses]
Asthma Episodes: Stigma, Children, and Hollywood Films
Authors: Clark Cindy Dell
Published: March 2012

Asthma has been systematically stigmatized in Hollywood feature films, including films seen by children. Through content analysis of 66 movies containing one or more scenes showing asthma, and through informant interviews with a dozen U.S. children about representative scenes, the study explores how stigmatizing portrayals are interpreted, accepted, or resisted. Children suffering from asthma actively counterargued with incriminating excerpts, but in some respects their healthy friends were less critical. Overall, children viewed stigmatizing scenes in terms of the social interaction and the social ethics entailed. They did not scrutinize the characters for damaged selfhood, per se, but dwelled on the social processes out of which stigma is erected.[asthma, stigma, children, media, movies]
Radiographic Comparison of a Fractured Clavicle Exhibiting a Pseudo‐Arthrosis*
Authors: Rhode Matthew P. , Goodhue William W. , Stephan Carl N.
Published: March 2012

Abstract: Bone remodeling is a natural process that is potentially problematic for radiographic comparisons because it can occur after antemortem (AM) imaging, thus interfering with the comparability of AM and postmortem (PM) radiographs from the same individual. While the effects of age‐related remodeling have been studied, limited attention has been given to trauma‐related remodeling with respect to radiographic comparisons. This report adds to the latter topic by presenting a case of AM clavicle fracture that developed into a pseudo‐arthrosis over a 12‐month period prior to the individual’s death. Even though remodeling was discernable along the fracture margins, adjacent skeletal features on the PM radiograph remained unaltered and constituted compelling evidence for the identification. This case illustrates the potential of using both normal and pathological anatomy concurrently to maximize the surety of findings from radiographic comparisons.
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis for HLA typing in a case of X‐linked chronic granulomatous disease
Authors: DEGN BIRTE , HINDKJÆR JOHNNY , CHRISTENSEN METTE WULFF , MORTENSEN TANJA ØSTERLUND , INGERSLEV HANS JAKOB
Published: March 2012

Bone marrow transplantation may be life saving in cases of hematopoietic disease, severe congenital immunodeficiency or malignancy. An HLA‐matching sibling often gives the best success, but this may not be an option, nor may an HLA‐matching unrelated donor be found. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis with HLA‐matching embryos may then be a solution. We report the first Danish child born after such diagnosis with identification of healthy embryos and HLA matching for a sibling with chronic granulomatous disease. Our patient had 13 in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles; 286 oocytes were collected and 74 embryos analysed. Sixteen of these (22%) were either healthy or carriers. Five embryos were transferred in four stimulated fresh IVF cycles. Four embryos were frozen, and two were later transferred. Two successive clinical pregnancies ensued. In the first, prenatal diagnosis revealed trisomy 21, and the fetus was aborted. In the second pregnancy, chorionic villus sampling revealed a normal karyotype, the diagnosis was confirmed, and the pregnancy was normal. At delivery, 82 mL of cord blood was collected for later transplantation to the diseased sibling.
Clinical and economic impact of adhesiolysis during repeat cesarean delivery
Authors: SIKIRICA VANJA , BRODER MICHAEL S. , CHANG EUNICE , HINOUL PIET , ROBINSON DAVID , WILSON MALCOLM
Published: March 2012

Objective. To estimate adhesiolysis rates at cesarean delivery (CD) and to estimate costs and clinical implications of performing adhesiolysis at repeat CD. Design. Retrospective cohort using secondary data. Setting. Over 500 acute care hospitals in the USA. Population. Women ≥15 years old with a medical claim for CD between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2008 who were treated in a hospital that contributed data to the Premier Perspective™ database. Methods. Using data from hospital discharge records, rates of adhesiolysis at the time of CD were calculated. Among patients with repeat CD, a propensity score was used to create matched cohorts with and without adhesiolysis. Unadjusted rates and means were compared between these cohorts. Main outcome measures. Cost, length of stay and selected clinical complications between repeat CD patients with and without adhesiolysis. Results. Adhesiolysis was performed in 0.5% of primary and 6.1% of repeat CD patients. Using propensity scores, 10 261 women who experienced repeat CD with adhesiolysis were matched to 10 261 control women. Hospital cost ($5739 vs. $5448), length of stay (2.97 vs. 2.88 days) and operative time (84.0 vs. 74.2 min) were significantly greater in the adhesiolysis than in the non‐adhesiolysis group (p < 0.01 for all comparisons), as was the overall complication rate (6.3 vs. 3.5%). Conclusions. Adhesiolysis rates were higher in repeat compared with primary CD. Among repeat CD patients, costs and complications were higher in the adhesiolysis group. Reducing adhesion formation after primary CD could reduce cost and complications at the time of repeat CD.