bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How China Navigated the Dilemma of Trade Liberalization and Government Revenues
Authors: Guo Yung‐Hsing
Published: July 2013

Many economists believe that in the long run, the aggregate performance of open economies is better than that of closed ones, and that open policies contribute significantly to economic development. At the same time, many political scientists and policy makers fear that, in the short run, one of the steps towards openness — trade liberalization — may harm government revenues. However, in the 1990s, China successfully navigated the dilemma of trade liberalization and government revenues. In this period, China decreased tariff and non‐tariff barriers for WTO accession, but has achieved dramatically increased tariff revenues since 1999. This study explores how China implemented trade liberalization and simultaneously increased tariff revenues in the 1990s. It demonstrates that a series of institutional arrangements, including a reform of Criminal Law, rigorous anti‐smuggling activities and a de facto tax imposed on the export sector, successfully curbed smuggling activities through the processing trade, and made foreign‐invested manufacturing enterprises the major contributors to the stability of customs revenue. China's case shows that a prosperous, export‐oriented and foreign‐invested manufacturing sector could potentially provide a developing country with a source of customs revenue.
Prevalence of Type 2 diabetes and pre‐diabetes among overweight or obese children in Tianjin, China
Authors: Zhu H. , Zhang X. , Li M.‐Z. , Xie J. , Yang X.‐L.
Published: July 2013

Aims

To determine the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes and pre‐diabetes and their risk factors among overweight or obese school children aged 7–18 years in Tianjin, China.

Methods

A cross‐sectional survey in a representative sample of overweight/obese children or adolescents in Tianjin was conducted from May to August 2010 using a stratified cluster sampling method. A two‐step screening, which was conducted to identify Type 2 diabetes and pre‐diabetes in these children, consisted of a fasting capillary glucose test and a standard 2‐h oral glucose tolerance test. Subjects who had fasting capillary glucose ≥ 5.6 mmol/l were invited for an oral glucose tolerance test. The study used Chinese criteria for classification of obesity/overweight and World Health Organization criteria for diabetes/pre‐diabetes.

Results

A total of 3173 children participated in the survey, with a response rate of 99.0%. Of the children, 13.0% (n = 413) were overweight and 15.4% (n = 490) were obese. Among these 903 children, 727 (80.5%) agreed to and underwent the diabetes screening and two (0.28%) were diagnosed as having Type 2 diabetes, six (0.83%) to have impaired fasting glucose, 16 (2.20%) to have impaired glucose tolerance and two (0.28%) to have both. The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes and pre‐diabetes was 0.28% (95% CI 0.08–1.00%) and 3.30% (95% CI 2.23–4.87%), respectively. Abdominal obesity and motorized commuting were associated with Type 2 diabetes or pre‐diabetes among overweight or obese boys, while high birthweight was associated with Type 2 diabetes or pre‐diabetes among girls.

Conclusions

Type 2 diabetes among school‐aged children was still low in Tianjin, China. However, Type 2 diabetes‐related factors were very common, especially overweight and obesity.
Insulin oedema and treatment‐induced neuropathy occurring in a 20‐year‐old patient with Type 1 diabetes commenced on an insulin pump
Authors: Rothacker K. M. , Kaye J.
Published: July 2013

Background

Oedema may occur following initiation or intensification of insulin therapy in patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Mild oedema is thought to be not uncommon, but under‐reported, whilst generalized oedema with involvement of serous cavities has rarely been described. Multiple pathogenic mechanisms have been proposed, including insulin‐induced sodium and water retention. Patients at greater risk for insulin oedema include those with poor glycaemic control. Dramatic improvement in glycaemic control is also associated with sensory and autonomic neuropathy.

Case report

We describe a case of generalized oedema occurring in a 20‐year‐old, low body weight patient with Type 1 diabetes with poor glycaemic control 3 days following commencement of an insulin pump; blood sugars had dramatically improved with this treatment. Alternative causes for oedema were excluded. Oedema slowly improved with insulin dose reduction with higher blood sugar targets plus frusemide treatment. Subsequent to oedema resolution, the patient unfortunately developed generalized neuropathic pain, thought to be another manifestation of rapid improvement in glycaemic control.

Conclusion

Caution should be taken when a patient with diabetes that is poorly controlled has an escalation in therapy that may dramatically improve their blood sugar levels; this includes the initiation of an insulin pump. Clinicians and patients should be aware of the potential risk of insulin oedema, treatment‐induced neuropathy and worsening of diabetic retinopathy in the setting of rapid improvement in glycaemic control.
Developmental expression and evolution of muscle‐specific microRNAs conserved in vertebrates
Authors: Tani Saori , Kuraku Shigehiro , Sakamoto Hiroshi , Inoue Kunio , Kusakabe Rie
Published: July 2013

microRNAs (miRs) are small non‐coding RNA molecules expressed in a tissue‐specific manner in numerous organisms. Among them, miR‐1, miR‐206, and miR‐133, which are encoded as bicistronic gene clusters in the genome, play major roles in the control of vertebrate myogenesis. To address how the gene organization and function of these miRs evolved, we identified their homologues in the cyclostomes, the chondrichthyans and the teleosts, and examined their patterns of expression during development. It was suggested that the chondrichthyans and the cyclostome lampreys possess fewer miR‐1/miR‐133 genes than the medaka. The medaka additionally possessed the miR‐206 gene which was not found in the genomes of chondrichthyans and lampreys. In contrast, the number and genomic organization of medaka miR‐1(206)/miR‐133 were similar to those found in mammals. In the lamprey, shark and medaka, miR‐1 and miR‐133 were expressed in both skeletal and cardiac muscle cells in adults, a developmental feature traced back to chordate invertebrates such as ascidians. We further examined the expression of these miRs in different muscle tissues in medaka embryos. miR‐206 was expressed in both the tail and pectoral fin muscles, whereas miR‐1, which shares the similar nucleotide sequence with miR‐206, was not detectable in the embryonic pectoral fins. Comparison of the relative positions with the neighboring protein‐coding genes showed high conservation of synteny between the miR‐1(206)/miR‐133 clusters in a single species, as well as across the vertebrate taxa. Our results suggest that, after the gene duplications, these muscle‐specific miRs acquired differential regulatory functions and have contributed to the establishment of diverse and complex musculature of vertebrates.
Downstream migration dynamics of female and male silver eels (Anguilla anguilla L.) in the regulated German lowland Warnow River
Authors: Reckordt Melanie , Ubl Claus , Wagner Carola , Frankowski Jens , Dorow Malte
Published: July 2013

In the light of the European wide efforts to increase the spawning biomass of the European eel, a reliable measurement of the escapement of mature silver eel is necessary to prove the effectiveness of the conservation management measures. The seaward migration of mature eel is commonly viewed as a seasonal phenomenon with concentrated migration peaks occurring in spring and autumn. To verify the assumed seasonal silver eel migration events for regulated lowland rivers, a stow‐net system was installed in the Warnow River located in north‐eastern Germany. Between 2008 and 2011, the stow‐net system was operated from March to December each year. The eel harvest was documented on a weekly base including the documentation of weight and length, the silvering stage and the tissue sampling for the molecular identification of the eel species. During the 4 year monitoring period, a continuous downstream migration of female and male silver eels was observed. Additionally, single migration peaks were recorded in each year occurring between April and December. Moreover, female and male silver eels showed varying downstream migration dynamics. Based on a Chi‐squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) tree analysis, it was shown that during periods of a daily minimum air temperature over 10.4 °C, increased discharge levels and increased wind speeds, higher weekly migration rates of silver eels were likely. Furthermore, the results indicated that both sexes differed in their responses to migration triggering environmental factors. The presented results might be helpful to design more efficient eel conservation management strategies in regulated lowland rivers.
Evolution of dispersal and life history interact to drive accelerating spread of an invasive species
Authors: Alex Perkins T. , Phillips Benjamin L. , Baskett Marissa L. , Hastings Alan
Published: July 2013

Populations on the edge of an expanding range are subject to unique evolutionary pressures acting on their life‐history and dispersal traits. Empirical evidence and theory suggest that traits there can evolve rapidly enough to interact with ecological dynamics, potentially giving rise to accelerating spread. Nevertheless, which of several evolutionary mechanisms drive this interaction between evolution and spread remains an open question. We propose an integrated theoretical framework for partitioning the contributions of different evolutionary mechanisms to accelerating spread, and we apply this model to invasive cane toads in northern Australia. In doing so, we identify a previously unrecognised evolutionary process that involves an interaction between life‐history and dispersal evolution during range shift. In roughly equal parts, life‐history evolution, dispersal evolution and their interaction led to a doubling of distance spread by cane toads in our model, highlighting the potential importance of multiple evolutionary processes in the dynamics of range expansion.
Diversification under sexual selection: the relative roles of mate preference strength and the degree of divergence in mate preferences
Authors: Rodríguez Rafael L. , Boughman Janette W. , Gray David A. , Hebets Eileen A. , Höbel Gerlinde , Symes Laurel B.
Published: July 2013

The contribution of sexual selection to diversification remains poorly understood after decades of research. This may be in part because studies have focused predominantly on the strength of sexual selection, which offers an incomplete view of selection regimes. By contrast, students of natural selection focus on environmental differences that help compare selection regimes across populations. To ask how this disparity in focus may affect the conclusions of evolutionary research, we relate the amount of diversification in mating displays to quantitative descriptions of the strength and the amount of divergence in mate preferences across a diverse set of case studies of mate choice. We find that display diversification is better explained by preference divergence rather than preference strength; the effect of the latter is more subtle, and is best revealed as an interaction with the former. Our findings cast the action of sexual selection (and selection in general) in a novel light: the strength of selection influences the rate of evolution, and how divergent selection is determines how much diversification can occur. Adopting this view will enhance tests of the relative role of natural and sexual selection in processes such as speciation.
Increased resting functional connectivity in spike‐wave epilepsy in WAG/Rij rats
Authors: Mishra Asht M. , Bai Xiaoxiao , Motelow Joshua E. , DeSalvo Matthew N. , Danielson Nathan , Sanganahalli Basavaraju G. , Hyder Fahmeed , Blumenfeld Hal
Published: July 2013

Purpose

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)–based resting functional connectivity is well suited for measuring slow correlated activity throughout brain networks. Epilepsy involves chronic changes in normal brain networks, and recent work demonstrated enhanced resting fMRI connectivity between the hemispheres in childhood absence epilepsy. An animal model of this phenomenon would be valuable for investigating fundamental mechanisms and testing therapeutic interventions.

Methods

We used fMRI‐based resting functional connectivity for studying brain networks involved in absence epilepsy. Wistar Albino Glaxo rats from Rijswijk (WAG/Rij) exhibit spontaneous episodes of staring and unresponsiveness accompanied by spike‐wave discharges (SWDs) resembling human absence seizures in behavior and electroencephalography (EEG). Simultaneous EEG‐fMRI data in epileptic WAG/Rij rats in comparison to nonepileptic Wistar controls were acquired at 9.4 T. Regions showing cortical fMRI increases during SWDs were used to define reference regions for connectivity analysis to investigate whether chronic seizure activity is associated with changes in network resting functional connectivity.

Key Findings

We observed high degrees of cortical–cortical correlations in all WAG/Rij rats at rest (when no SWDs were present), but not in nonepileptic controls. Strongest connectivity was seen between regions most intensely involved in seizures, mainly in the bilateral somatosensory and adjacent cortices. Group statistics revealed that resting interhemispheric cortical–cortical correlations were significantly higher in WAG/Rij rats compared to nonepileptic controls.

Significance

These findings suggest that activity‐dependent plasticity may lead to long‐term changes in epileptic networks even at rest. The results show a marked difference between the epileptic and nonepileptic animals in cortical–cortical connectivity, indicating that this may be a useful interictal biomarker associated with the epileptic state.
Contrast‐enhanced computed tomographic evaluation of the deep digital flexor tendon in the equine foot compared to macroscopic and histological findings in 23 limbs
Authors: van Hamel S. E. , Bergman H. J. , Puchalski S. M. , de Groot M. W. , van Weeren P. R.
Published: July 2013

Reasons for performing the study

Distal deep digital flexor tendinopathy is an important cause of foot lameness in horses that is difficult to diagnose with radiography and ultrasonography. Magnetic resonance imaging is a well‐accepted and validated technique for the identification of deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) lesions, but has some practical and financial drawbacks. Contrast‐enhanced computed tomography (CECT) has been proposed as a suitable alternative, but validation studies are currently lacking.

Objective

To assess the accuracy of CECT for the identification and characterisation of deep digital flexor tendinopathy.

Study design

Descriptive study of CT, macroscopic and histological findings of the DDFT.

Methods

Plain and CECT scans were acquired of 23 limbs of 16 horses with clinical lameness localised to the foot. All horses had lesions of the DDFT that were identified and characterised with CT and CECT with respect to their anatomic location and extent. All horses underwent post mortem examination and gross abnormalities were described. Samples of the DDFT were taken at specific sites (lesion and nonlesion) for histological evaluation. Macroscopic and histological outcomes were compared with CECT findings.

Results

Of 67 sites in 23 DDFTs that were evaluated, 42 sites in 18 tendons had lesions on CECT images. These 42 sites also had lesions on macroscopic evaluation. There were 3 false negative and 3 false positive results identified on CECT. The sensitivity of CECT for diagnosing lesions of the DDFT in the equine foot was 93%.

Conclusion

CECT is an effective adjunct to the more commonly used diagnostic techniques in equine foot pain.
Temporal trends in in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of bacteria isolated from foals with sepsis: 1979–2010
Authors: Theelen M. J. P. , Wilson W. D. , Edman J. M. , Magdesian K. G. , Kass P. H.
Published: July 2013

Reasons for performing the study

Monitoring the development of antimicrobial resistance is important for the rational selection of appropriate antimicrobial drugs to initiate treatment of foals with sepsis.

Objectives

To identify temporal trends in antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of bacteria isolated from foals with sepsis.

Study design

Retrospective review of medical records.

Methods

Foals aged <30 days with a diagnosis of sepsis, confirmed by culture of bacteria, were included. Susceptibility data, expressed as minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) (MIC50, MIC90, MIC range) and percent of isolates that were susceptible to a particular antimicrobial drug, were compared for bacteria isolated from foals during 3 different time periods: 1979–1990, 1991–1997 and 1998–2010. The Cochran‐Armitage trend test and the Jonckheere‐Terpstra test were used for statistical analysis.

Results

A total of 1091 bacterial isolates were cultured from 588 foals. Enterobacteriaceae, Actinobacillus spp. and β‐haemolytic Streptococcus spp. showed a decrease in percent of isolates susceptible to gentamicin over time. Enterobacteriaceae, Actinobacillus spp. and β‐haemolytic Streptococcus spp. showed an increase in MIC values for amikacin. Enterobacteriaceae showed a decrease in percent of isolates susceptible to ceftiofur. Enterococcus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. showed increased MIC values to ceftiofur. Enterobacteriaceae showed increased MIC values to ceftizoxime. Enterococcus spp. became more resistant to imipenem and showed increased MIC values to ticarcillin/clavulanic acid. In contrast, several trends in increased susceptibility were also seen.

Conclusions

Based on these in vitro results, the combination of amikacin and ampicillin remains an appropriate choice for initiating treatment of sepsis in foals while awaiting culture and susceptibility test results, although increasing development of resistance to amikacin was demonstrated. The decrease in in vitro activity of ceftiofur against Enterobacteriaceae is of concern. Similarly, the development of resistance of Enterococcus spp. to imipenem is an important finding that warrants monitoring in the future. Judicious use of antimicrobials is therefore crucial.
The Design and Use of Management Accounting Systems in Process Oriented Health Care – An Explorative Study
Authors: Kastberg Gustaf , Siverbo Sven
Published: July 2013

Process orientation has made its entrance in Health Care Organizations (HCOs). The purpose is to improve patients’ journeys through the health care system. One factor that potentially affects process orientation is the design and use of Management Accounting Systems (MAS). In the literature there are worries that process orientation often is not supported by a well designed and used MAS but, on the contrary, is counteracted by a MAS designed for other purposes than supporting processes. This study contributes to the existing knowledge in that it shows how the introduction of process orientation within health care is accompanied by the development of horizontally oriented MAS (HMAS) which is used in different ways and by different actors. Generally, the use of HMAS for diagnostic control is limited. The main use of HMAS is for the purpose of mastering the events and interactive control, and the main users are the persons connected to the processes. The observation in earlier research that the existence of vertically oriented MAS may be a threat to process orientation is to some extent corroborated in the paper.
Auditee Perceptions of External Evaluations of the Use of Resources by Local Authorities
Authors: Abu Hasan Haslida , Frecknall‐Hughes Jane , Heald David , Hodges Ron
Published: July 2013

The research reported in this paper takes up Michael Power's challenge that accounting researchers should pay more attention to the perceptions of auditees and how they respond to audit regimes. The setting of the study is the intense performance assessment regime imposed on local authorities in England from 2002 to 2009, one part of which – the Use of Resources (UoR) assessment – rated the financial management capability and performance of each English local authority. The perceptions of senior local authority finance officers within the Yorkshire and the Humber region are reported, using a written questionnaire and an interview to explore the reasoning behind the chosen responses. The results are more nuanced than suggested by either the official rhetoric justifying the UoR system or by those critics who view such systems as dysfunctional. Respondents portray themselves as intelligent actors, not as passive recipients. Most learned to use the UoR process to drive performance improvement, though there is some ambiguity as to whether the improvements were genuine or solely a product of the scoring system. Though adding to workload, UoR was regarded as one of the external pressures to be managed and its requirements largely represented professional views of best practice. Three of the types of control that characterise ‘regulation inside government’ (Hood et al., 1999) – oversight, competition and contrived randomness – are seen through the perceptions of the auditees. There is some evidence of the fourth style, mutuality – working through professional networks to help local authorities improve their actual and reported performance.
Information Processing and the Challenges Facing Lean Healthcare
Authors: Kinder Tony , Burgoyne Trelawney
Published: July 2013

Radnor and Walley (2008) and others have identified a high failure rate in NHS lean rapid improvement events. This paper explores one reason why these failures occur: from the perspective of information processing (Galbraith, 1974), it explores the difficulties facing lean healthcare projects. Using qualitative method (pre‐understanding and interviews) with analysis triangulating between data, general theory and sense‐making we investigate two lean projects currently running at a Scottish hospital to identity how the absence of adequate information affects the projects. We find that the projects are critically hampered by the absence of project‐level, inter‐unit level and organisational level information. The practical implications of our research are to suggest that before embarking upon lean projects, hospital leaderships should explore the adequacy and integratedness of their information systems, decision‐taking structures and inter‐unit coordination mechanisms.
The Marketisation of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Australia: A Structured Response
Authors: Newberry Susan , Brennan Deborah
Published: July 2013

The marketisation of early childhood education and care (ECEC) offers opportunities to test assumptions about the benefits of a market framework. In Australia, where marketisation included reshaping, extending, and increasing government subsidies, one major listed company (ABC Learning Limited) emerged to dominate child care. Child care prices increased rapidly to become an election issue, and government subsidies increased. ABC acknowledged its economic dependence on government policy and subsidies. Until its collapse in 2008, ABC was the world's largest listed child care operator, and operating internationally. ABC's structured business model separated child care properties (propco) from child care operations (opco). ABC was the opco and leased the child care properties from propcos. As ABC grew and replicated its structured model to other forms of property including intangible assets, the rising child care prices and government subsidies supported a growing array of other enterprises all seeking profitable operations. This paper explains the structured opco‐propco model, identifies its interaction with accounting and lessons to be learned from marketisation.
Downregulated adaptor protein p66Shc mitigates autophagy process by low nutrient and enhances apoptotic resistance in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells
Authors: Zheng Zhichao , Yang Jie , Zhao Dan , Gao Dan , Yan Xiaojie , Yao Zhi , Liu Zhe , Ma Zhenyi
Published: July 2013

Macroautophagy or autophagy is a lysosome‐dependent process in which enzymatic degradation and recycling of cytosolic components occur in stressful contexts. The mechanisms underlying the signaling from starvation to the regulation of autophagy are not fully understood. We previously showed that the Src family member p66Shc (focal adhesion‐associated 66 kDa isoform of the Src homology and collagen) promotes anoikis and suppresses tumor metastasis via k‐Ras‐dependent control of proliferation and survival. However, the role of p66Shc in low‐nutrient‐induced autophagy‐related pathways remains elusive. In this work, human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells were used to further investigate the biological effects of p66Shc on autophagy and apoptotic resistance. Here, we show that deficiency of p66Shc mitigates the low‐nutrient‐induced autophagy process in the levels of microtubule‐associated protein 1A light chain protein 3B (LC3B) conversion, in the number of autophagic vacuoles and in p62/sequestosome 1 protein degradation. However, autophagy‐related protein Beclin 1 was not significantly changed during low‐nutrient treatment. Furthermore, we found that prolonged phosphorylation of extracellular signaling‐regulated kinase (Erk)1/2, but not phosphorylation of Akt is significantly sustained when p66Shc expression is inhibited by shRNA. In addition, cleavage of caspase 7 and poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase, but not caspase 6 and 9 are retarded with this effect compared to the shRNA control cells. Together, these findings suggest the possibility that p66Shc plays a pivotal role in coordinately regulating autophagy process and apoptotic resistance in A549 cells under nutrient‐limited conditions.
miR‐144 downregulation increases bladder cancer cell proliferation by targeting EZH2 and regulating Wnt signaling
Authors: Guo Yuwen , Ying Liang , Tian Ye , Yang Peiqian , Zhu Yichen , Wang Zhipeng , Qiu Feng , Lin Jun
Published: July 2013

microRNAs (miRNAs) have been proposed to be key regulators of diverse biological processes such as transcriptional regulation, cell growth and tumorigenesis. Wnt signaling plays an important role in the regulation of tumorigenesis and cancer progression. However, little is known about whether miR‐144 regulates bladder cancer cell proliferation by controlling Wnt signaling. In this study, we found that the miR‐144 expression level is significantly decreased in bladder cancer cell lines as well as in clinical cancer tissues. miR‐144 inhibitor blocks the expression of endogenous miR‐144 and promotes cancer cell proliferation, whereas miR‐144 overexpression is sufficient to inhibit cell proliferation. We further demonstrated that enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is a target gene of miR‐144. miR‐144 downregulation relieves miR‐144‐mediated repression of EZH2, which results in activation of Wnt/β‐catenin signaling and subsequent cell proliferation. These data suggest miR‐144 is an essential mediator of bladder cancer cell proliferation, thus offering a new target for the development of therapeutic agents against bladder cancer.
Changes in biocrust cover drive carbon cycle responses to climate change in drylands
Authors: Maestre Fernando T. , Escolar Cristina , de Guevara Mónica Ladrón , Quero José L. , Lázaro Roberto , Delgado‐Baquerizo Manuel , Ochoa Victoria , Berdugo Miguel , Gozalo Beatriz , Gallardo Antonio
Published: July 2013

Dryland ecosystems account for ca. 27% of global soil organic carbon (C) reserves, yet it is largely unknown how climate change will impact C cycling and storage in these areas. In drylands, soil C concentrates at the surface, making it particularly sensitive to the activity of organisms inhabiting the soil uppermost levels, such as communities dominated by lichens, mosses, bacteria and fungi (biocrusts). We conducted a full factorial warming and rainfall exclusion experiment at two semiarid sites in Spain to show how an average increase of air temperature of 2–3 °C promoted a drastic reduction in biocrust cover (ca. 44% in 4 years). Warming significantly increased soil CO2 efflux, and reduced soil net CO2 uptake, in biocrust‐dominated microsites. Losses of biocrust cover with warming through time were paralleled by increases in recalcitrant C sources, such as aromatic compounds, and in the abundance of fungi relative to bacteria. The dramatic reduction in biocrust cover with warming will lessen the capacity of drylands to sequester atmospheric CO2. This decrease may act synergistically with other warming‐induced effects, such as the increase in soil CO2 efflux and the changes in microbial communities to alter C cycling in drylands, and to reduce soil C stocks in the mid to long term.
Larval carry‐over effects from ocean acidification persist in the natural environment
Authors: Hettinger Annaliese , Sanford Eric , Hill Tessa M. , Lenz Elizabeth A. , Russell Ann D. , Gaylord Brian
Published: July 2013

An extensive body of work suggests that altered marine carbonate chemistry can negatively influence marine invertebrates, but few studies have examined how effects are moderated and persist in the natural environment. A particularly important question is whether impacts initiated in early life might be exacerbated or attenuated over time in the presence or absence of other stressors in the field. We reared Olympia oyster (Ostrea lurida) larvae in laboratory cultures under control and elevated seawater pCO2 concentrations, quantified settlement success and size at metamorphosis, then outplanted juveniles to Tomales Bay, California, in the mid intertidal zone where emersion and temperature stress were higher, and in the low intertidal zone where conditions were more benign. We tracked survival and growth of outplanted juveniles for 4 months, halfway to reproductive age. Survival to metamorphosis in the laboratory was strongly affected by larval exposure to elevated pCO2 conditions. Survival of juvenile outplants was reduced dramatically at mid shore compared to low shore levels regardless of the pCO2 level that oysters experienced as larvae. However, juveniles that were exposed to elevated pCO2 as larvae grew less than control individuals, representing a larval carry‐over effect. Although juveniles grew less at mid shore than low shore levels, there was no evidence of an interaction between the larval carry‐over effect and shore level, suggesting little modulation of acidification impacts by emersion or temperature stress. Importantly, the carry‐over effects of larval exposure to ocean acidification remained unabated 4 months later with no evidence of compensatory growth, even under benign conditions. This latter result points to the potential for extended consequences of brief exposures to altered seawater chemistry with potential consequences for population dynamics.
Responses of aquatic macrophyte cover and productivity to flooding variability on the Amazon floodplain
Authors: Silva Thiago S. F. , Melack John M. , Novo Evlyn M. L. M.
Published: July 2013

Macrophyte net primary productivity (NPP) is a significant but understudied component of the carbon budget in large Amazonian floodplains. AnnualNPPis determined by the interaction between stem elongation (vertical growth) and plant cover changes (horizontal expansion), each affected differently by flood duration and amplitude. Therefore, hydrological changes as predicted for the Amazon basin could result in significant changes in annual macrophyteNPP. This study investigates the responses of macrophyte horizontal expansion and vertical growth to flooding variability, and its possible effects on the contribution of macrophytes to the carbon budget of Amazonian floodplains. Monthly macrophyte cover was estimated using satellite imagery for the 2003–2004 and 2004–2005 hydrological years, and biomass was measuredin situbetween 2003 and 2004. Regression models between macrophyte variables and river‐stage data were used to build a semiempirical model of macrophyteNPPas a function of water level. Historical river‐stage records (1970–2011) were used to simulate variations inNPP, as a function of annual flooding. Vertical growth varied by a factor of ca. 2 over the simulated years, whereas minimum and maximum annual cover varied by ca. 3.5 and 1.5, respectively. Results suggest that these processes act in opposite directions to determine macrophyteNPP, with larger sensitivity to changes in vertical growth, and thus maximum flooding levels. Years with uncommonly large flooding amplitude resulted in the highestNPPvalues, as both horizontal expansion and vertical growth were enhanced under these conditions. Over the simulated period, annualNPPvaried by ca. 1.5 (1.06–1.63 TgC yr−1). A small increasing trend in flooding amplitude, and by extensionNPP, was observed for the studied period. Variability in growth rates caused by local biotic and abiotic factors, and the lack of knowledge on macrophyte physiological responses to extreme hydrological conditions remain the major sources of uncertainty.
Profile of elderly with multiple physician visits: Advocacy for tailored comprehensive geriatric assessment use in clinics
Authors: Kuo Mei‐Chen , Jeng Chii , Chen Ching‐Min , Jian Wen‐Shan
Published: July 2013

Aim

The rapid growth of the elderly population has given rise to the need for better geriatric care. The present study explored the common conditions of elderly outpatients with multiple physician visits in order to develop feasible clinical indicators that can be rapidly administered for the evaluation of geriatric syndromes in outpatient settings.

Methods

The National Health Insurance Research Database (2008) was analyzed. Claims for elderly outpatients with more than two physician visits in the same day were retrieved. The primary diagnoses, types of prescriptions and comorbidities were cross‐examined.

Results

The overall prevalence rate for elderly patients with multiple physician visits ranged from 28.41% to 39.40%, and which increased steadily with age. A maximum of seven physician visits in a single day was observed. The most common multiple physician visit was two visits per day, with a prevalence rate of 30.97%. The two most common accompanying conditions were hypertension (3.79%) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (3.68%). There was a greater relative increase in the prevalence of senile dementia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in older age groups. The three overall leading specialties were cardiology, internal medicine, and ophthalmology; however, rehabilitation medicine was the most common female‐specific specialty. The most commonly prescribed medications were antihypertension drugs. The most prevalent comorbidity was type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension.

Conclusion

We conclude that our data represent crucial information for the design of concise assessment metrics for application to the most chronic conditions in an effort to implement better geriatric healthcare. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2014; 14: 372–380.
Frailty among community‐dwelling elderly Mexican people: Prevalence and association with sociodemographic characteristics, health state and the use of health services
Authors: Sánchez‐García Sergio , Sánchez‐Arenas Rosalinda , García‐Peña Carmen , Rosas‐Carrasco Oscar , Ávila‐Funes José Alberto , Ruiz‐Arregui Liliana , Juárez‐Cedillo Teresa
Published: July 2013

Aim

To estimate the prevalence of frailty phenotypes and their association with the sociodemographic characteristics, health state and the use of health services in the last 6 months among community‐dwelling elderly in Mexico City.

Methods

The present study included 1933 elderly individuals from Mexico City. We estimated the prevalence of the frailty phenotype based on Fried and Walston. Household interviews were carried out to collect information on sociodemographics (sex, age, education, marital status, live alone, paid job), health state (activities of daily living, cognitive function, depression, comorbidity, nutritional status) and the use of health services in the last 6 months.

Results

The estimated prevalence of frailty was 15.7%, pre‐frailty at 33.3% and non‐frailty at 51.0%. The statistically relevant associations in the pre‐frail elderly were female (OR 0.83), older age (OR 2.48), single (OR 1.03), living alone (OR 1.23), no paid work (OR 0.82), limitations in the basic activities of daily living (OR 2.11) and instrumental activities of daily living (OR 2.10), cognitive impairment (OR 1.49), depression symptoms (OR 3.82), underweight/malnourished (OR 1.89), overweight/obesity (OR 0.80), moderate comorbidity (OR 2.05), and use of health services (OR 1.04) using the non‐frail phenotype as the comparison category. Frailly is associated with female (OR 1.05), older age (OR 10.32), less educated (OR 2.51), single OR 1.39), living alone (OR 0.86), no paid work (OR 1.16), limitations in the basic activities of daily living (OR 7.66) and instrumental activities of daily living (OR 8.42), cognitive impairment (OR 3.02), depression symptoms (OR 11.23), underweight/malnourished (OR 1.49), overweight/obesity (OR 0.49), moderate comorbidity (OR 3.55), and use of health services (OR 1.99) using the non‐frail phenotype as the comparison category.

Conclusions

The results suggest that older age, disability, comorbidity, cognitive impairment and depression could have an influence role in frailty. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2014; 14: 395–402.
Surgical Correction of Deformities on Upper Oral Lips and Lower Eyelids
Authors: HARAHAP MARWALI
Published: July 2013

Two cases of deformities on upper lips, one from a neurofibroma and another from spontaneous regression of a hemangioma, and two cases of ectropion caused by scars resulting from infection in one and radiodermatitis in the other were corrected surgically. The methods of correction are described and illustrated.
Incorporating Longevity Risk and Medical Information Into Life Settlement Pricing
Authors: Brockett Patrick L. , Chuang Shuo‐li , Deng Yinglu , MacMinn Richard D.
Published: July 2013

ABSTRACT

A life settlement is a financial transaction in which the owner of a life insurance policy sells his or her policy to a third party. We present an overview of the life settlement market, exhibit its susceptibility to longevity risk, and discuss it as part of a new asset class of longevity‐related securities. We discuss pricing where the investor has updated information concerning the expected life expectancy of the insured as well as perhaps other medical information obtained from a medical underwriter. We show how to incorporate this information into the investor's valuation in a rigorous and statistically justified manner. To incorporate medical information, we apply statistical information theory to adjust an appropriate prespecified standard mortality table so as to obtain a new mortality table that exactly reflects the known medical information. We illustrate using several mortality tables including a new extension of the Lee–Carter model that allows for jumps in mortality and longevity over time. The information theoretically adjusted mortality table has a distribution consistent with the underwriter's projected life expectancy or other medical underwriter information and is as indistinguishable as possible from the prespecified mortality model. An analysis using several different potential standard tables and medical information sets illustrates the robustness and versatility of the method.
Informed Intermediation of Longevity Exposures
Authors: Biffis Enrico , Blake David
Published: July 2013

ABSTRACT

We examine pension buyout transactions and longevity risk securitization in a common framework, emphasizing the role played by asymmetries in capital requirements and mortality forecasting technology. The results are used to develop a coherent model of intermediation of longevity exposures, between defined benefit pension plans and capital market investors, through insurers operating in the pension buyout market. We derive several predictions consistent with the recent empirical evidence on pension buyouts and offer insights on the role of buyout firms and regulation in the emerging market for longevity‐linked securities. A multiperiod version of the model is used to explore the effects of longevity risk securitization on the capacity of the pension buyout market.
Starting over: experimental effects of breeding delay on reproductive success in early‐arriving male American redstarts
Authors: McKellar Ann E. , Marra Peter P. , Ratcliffe Laurene M.
Published: July 2013

Birds that arrive and breed early often have higher reproductive success than late individuals, either as a consequence of timing‐specific advantages (the timing hypothesis) or because these individuals and/or their resources are of higher quality (the quality hypothesis). In this study, we examined the potential influence of several factors affecting reproductive success by experimentally delaying breeding of early‐arriving male American redstarts Setophaga ruticilla, a species for which early male arrival is strongly related to increased reproductive success. Our manipulation involved the capture, holding, and release of males following pairing and territory establishment, resulting in the majority of subjects (67%) losing their initial mate (47%) or mate and territory (20%) and forcing them to start over approximately 12 d after their initial arrival. Males forced to start over (i.e. those losing their first territory and/or mate) did not experience any decrease in body condition, nor did their reproductive behaviour differ from that of early‐arriving control males. We found that naturally early‐arriving but experimentally manipulated males suffered reduced fledging success in comparison to early‐arriving males that bred early or late, but equivalent success in comparison to males that arrived and bred late. Based on our results, we propose that the relationship between early arrival and higher reproductive success in this species is mediated not simply by individual male quality or absolute arrival timing alone, but rather some other aspect of resource quality is likely important. We discuss and present evidence for two alternative explanations under the quality hypothesis: female quality and territory quality. To our knowledge, our study is the first to investigate the effects of experimentally delaying male breeding time, strengthening previous correlational evidence for resource quality as a potentially important selective agent driving early arrival in migratory birds.
Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction for Parents of Young Children with Developmental Delays: Implications for Parental Mental Health and Child Behavior Problems
Authors: Neece Cameron L.
Published: July 2013

Background

Parents of children with developmental delays (DD) typically report elevated levels of parental stress compared with parents of typically developing children. Children withDDare also at high risk for exhibiting significant behaviour problems. Parental stress has been shown to impact the development of these behaviour problems; however, it is rarely addressed in interventions aimed at reducing child behaviour problems. The current study examined the efficacy of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) for parents of children withDDby investigating whether this intervention is effective in reducing parenting stress and whether decreases in parenting stress lead to reductions in behaviour problems among children withDD.

Materials and methods

Forty six parents of children withDDwere randomly assigned to an immediate treatment or wait list‐control group. Participants completed questionnaires assessing parental stress and child behaviour problems at intake and at a second assessment, which took place after only the immediate treatment group had received theMBSR.

Results

Parents who participated inMBSRreported significantly less stress and depression as well as greater life satisfaction compared with wait list‐control parents. Regarding child outcomes, children whose parents participated inMBSRwere reported to have fewer behaviour problems following the intervention, specifically in the areas of attention problems andADHDsymptomatology.

Discussion

Results indicated thatMBSRmay be an effective intervention for ameliorating parental stress and mental health problems among parents of children withDD. Additionally, these benefits may ‘spill over’ and improve behaviour challenges among these children.
Easy‐to‐read Texts for Students with Intellectual Disability: Linguistic Factors Affecting Comprehension
Authors: Fajardo Inmaculada , Ávila Vicenta , Ferrer Antonio , Tavares Gema , Gómez Marcos , Hernández Ana
Published: July 2013

Background

The use of ‘easy‐to‐read’ materials for people with intellectual disabilities has become very widespread but their effectiveness has scarcely been evaluated. In this study, the framework provided by Kintsch's Construction–Integration Model (1988) is used to examine (i) the reading comprehension levels of different passages of the Spanish text that have been designed following easy‐to‐read guidelines and (ii) the relationships between reading comprehension (literal and inferential) and various linguistic features of these texts.

Method

Sixteen students with mild intellectual disability and low levels of reading skills were asked to read easy‐to‐read texts and then complete a reading comprehension test. The corpus of texts was composed of a set of forty‐eight pieces of news selected from www.noticiasfacil.es, a Spanish digital newspaper that publishes daily journalistic texts following international guidelines for the design of easy‐to‐read documents (IFLA, Tronbacke B. (1997) Guidelines for Easy‐to‐read Materials. IFLA, The Hague).

Results

Participants correctly answered 80% of the comprehension questions, showing significantly higher scores for literal questions than for inferential questions. The analyses of the texts' linguistic features revealed that the number of coreferences was the variable that best predicted literal comprehension, but contrary to what the previous literature seemed to indicate, the relationship between the two variables was inverse. In the case of inferential comprehension, the number of sentences was a significant negative predictor; that is, the higher the sentence density, the lower the ability of these students to find relationships between them. The effects of the rest of linguistic variables, such as word frequency and word length, on comprehension were null.

Conclusions

These results provide preliminary empirical support for the use of easy‐to‐read texts but bring into question the validity of some popular design guidelines (e.g. augmenting word frequency) to optimally match texts and reading levels of students with intellectual disability. Two factors are suggested as contributing to the effect of sentence density on inferential comprehension: (i) long texts present higher conceptual density, so there are more ideas to store, retrieve and integrate, which increases the demand on inferential reasoning and (ii) long texts are perceived as difficult, which affects reading motivation and, consequently, induces passive reading strategies. The need for further research to elucidate the origin of our main findings with a larger and more heterogeneous sample of students with intellectual disability is highlighted.