bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Food, Foodways, and Subsistence
Authors: Küster Hansjörg
Published: March 2018

In the first millennium BC, three major subsistence ‘belts’ can be distinguished in Europe: one around the Mediterranean, a second in temperate Europe, and the third in the north. Shifting colonization was still practised in places, but cereal farming was well developed across most of the continent, with less amenable soils now brought into cultivation. Farmers relied on at least two cereal crops, sometimes with millet cultivated as a third cereal, possibly for fodder. Cultivated legumes included beans, peas, and lentils, while linseed was the predominant oil plant, and was also used for textiles, along with hemp. Rare finds of exotica, such as walnuts, figs, vines, and spices were imports from the Mediterranean zone. Woodland exploitation is also considered. During the Roman Iron Age, new crops and agricultural innovations are seen in areas beyond the limes. Along with iron technology, these laid the foundations for the early medieval farming system.
Horses, Wagons, and Chariots
Authors: Rebay-Salisbury Katharina
Published: March 2018

It is hard to imagine the Iron Age without horses, as they played an important part in identity formation and status expression of Iron Age elites. This article illustrates their role as riding, pack, and draught animals in peace and war, as useful companions for hunting and partners in sport, as aids in agriculture, providers of milk and, in the end, meat and hides. Four-wheeled ceremonial wagons and two-wheeled chariots were status symbols in funerary and ritual contexts, and some Iron Age communities in central and eastern Europe even buried horses. Images of horses and their riders, and of gods and goddesses connected with horses further demonstrate their role in Iron Age religion across the continent. This chapter describes some of the regional patterns of how humans engaged with horses in Iron Age Europe.
Writing, Writers, and Iron Age Europe
Authors: Briggs Daphne Nash
Published: March 2018

This chapter has two parts. The first describes the origins, types, and uses of alphabetic and semi-syllabic writing systems in Iron Age Europe from the eighth century BC to c.AD 1000, and their spread through three main networks of long-range contact and exchange. It illustrates the typical progression from short labels naming craftsmen, owners, and the dead, to practical records of contracts and law codes, then canonical versions of elite oral tradition, and the ultimate generalized literacy of the urban civilizations. Inscribed coinage provides well-dated evidence in many otherwise non-literate places. The second part reviews first-hand accounts by travellers, historians, and geographers, from Hecataeus (c.550–476 BC) to Ahmad Ibn Fadlan and Adam of Bremen (tenth to eleventh centuries AD), tracking incremental changes over time in the range of what was known, and in motives for writing about foreign peoples.
Development of Sexual Relationships and Substance Use
Authors: Norman Sonya B. , Harrop Erin , Wilkins Kendall C. , Pedersen Eric R. , Myers Ursula S. , Chabot Aimee , Rodgers Carie
Published: March 2018

Sexual relationship development in adolescence can be affected by substance use. Substance use and risky sexual behavior frequently co-occur, and their co-occurrence is associated with short- and long-term negative consequences. The relationship appears to be bidirectional in nature, with substance use acting as a risk factor for risky sexual behavior and risky sexual behavior acting as a risk factor for substance use. Proposed mechanisms to explain this relationship include personality traits such as impulsivity or sensation-seeking tendencies, expectancies about how substances will affect sexual experiences, and effects of media messages that normalize substance use and sexual behavior for adolescents. Peer influence, family factors, and a constellation of problem behaviors that reinforce one another can also play a role. However, there are no integrative models to explain the relationship between substance use and sexual relationship development.
History of Neuropsychology in Germany
Authors: Eling Paul
Published: March 2018

German neuroscientists played a crucial role in the foundation of neuropsychology. In the 19th century, Gall formulated new assumptions with respect to the nature and localization of mental functions in the brain. Wernicke popularized an approach in which mental functions were represented as networks of centers of more elementary functions. His followers, like Kussmaul, Lissauer and Liepmann, using this approach, created influential theories of aphasia, agnosia, and apraxia. In the 20th century, Goldstein and others opposed to this approach, arguing in favor of a more holistic view of the behavior of brain-injured patients. Many neuropsychological tests originate from assessment and rehabilitation procedures developed in German clinics for brain-injured soldiers. Because of the Nazi regime, individuals like Goldstein, Quadfasel, and Teuber emigrated to the United States and there contributed significantly to the rise of modern neuropsychology. From the 1960s, Poeck played a significant role in the “resurrection” of neuropsychology in Germany.
The Art and Archaeology of the Giza Plateau
Authors: Flentye Laurel
Published: March 2018

The pyramid complexes of kings Khufu, Khafra, and Menkaura of the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom period with their surrounding cemeteries at the Giza Necropolis contribute to our understanding of the development of a royal necropolis. Although there is evidence for pre-Fourth Dynasty settlement and burial, Khufu’s pyramid complex of the early Fourth Dynasty included a decorative program with reliefs and presumably statuary; while the decoration of the mastabas ranges from slab stelae and reserve heads to fully decorated chapels. Khafra’s and Menkaura’s pyramid complexes of the mid to late Fourth Dynasty probably focused more on statuary reflecting an evolving ideology of kingship. The quarrying of local limestone provided the necessary core blocks for the pyramids and mastabas, creating areas for the Sphinx and rock-cut tombs of the late Fourth Dynasty into the Fifth. The Heit el-Ghurab settlement (HeG), a center of production, and the tombs of the pyramid builders also contribute to our understanding of the necropolis’ functioning and its hierarchical structure. Giza continued to be used for burial through the Late Period.
Detection and Characterization of QoI-Resistant Phytophthora capsici Causing Pepper Phytophthora Blight in China
Authors: Ma Dicheng , Jiang Jiangong , He Leiming , Cui Kaidi , Mu Wei , Liu Feng
Published: March 2018

Phytophthora capsici is a highly destructive plant pathogen that has spread worldwide. To date, the quinone outside inhibitor (QoI) azoxystrobin has been the choice of farmers for managing this oomycete. In this study, the sensitivity of 90 P. capsici isolates collected from Yunnan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Guangdong in southern China to azoxystrobin was assessed based on mycelial growth, sporangia formation, and zoospore discharge. Furthermore, the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene from azoxystrobin-sensitive and -resistant P. capsici isolates was compared to investigate the mechanism of QoI resistance. The high values for effective concentration to inhibit 50% of mycelial growth and large variation factor obtained provide strong support for the existence of azoxystrobin-resistant subpopulations in wild populations. The resistance frequency of P. capsici to azoxystrobin was greater than 40%. Sensitive P. capsici isolates were strongly suppressed on V8 medium plates containing azoxystrobin supplemented with salicylhydroxamic acid at 50 µg ml−1, whereas resistant isolates grew well under these conditions. Multiple alignment analysis revealed a missense mutation in the cytb gene that alters codon 137 (GGA to AGA), causing an amino acid substitution of glycine to arginine (G137R). The fitness of the azoxystrobin-sensitive isolate is similar to that of the G137R mutant. Additionally, the P. capsici isolates used in this study exhibited decreased sensitivity to two other QoI fungicides (pyraclostrobin and famoxadone). Necessary measures should be taken to control this trend of resistance to QoI that has developed in P. capsici in southern China.
Optimized Yellow Dwarf Virus Multiplex PCR Assay Reveals a Common Occurrence of Barley yellow dwarf virus-PAS in Kansas Winter Wheat
Authors: Laney Alma G. , Acosta-Leal Rodolfo , Rotenberg Dorith
Published: March 2018

Barley yellow dwarf is an aphid-transmitted virus disease caused by yellow dwarf virus (YDV) species in the family Luteoviridae. Previous partial sequencing efforts conducted in Kansas revealed that Barley yellow dwarf virus-PAS (PAS) occurs in winter wheat fields, and currently available YDV multiplex reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) assays do not detect this species. To enable precise determination of YDV species for research, disease diagnostic, and plant breeding programs, this study enhanced and validated the utility of a multiplex RT-PCR protocol to discriminate six YDV species, including PAS, in archived and fresh field samples. From a representative subset of samples collected from commercial and variety trial locations across nine wheat growing regions of Kansas, PAS and Barley yellow dwarf virus-PAV (PAV) were equally prevalent in single or mixed infections, and other YDVs occurred in mixed infections with PAS and/or PAV in low numbers. The optimized multiplex assay provided robust and specific detection of YDVs and showed promise as a diagnostic tool for determining species occurrence and composition of YDVs in an intensive wheat cropping region of the United States.
Incidence, Risk Factors, and Definition for Nonunion in Pediatric Lateral Condyle Fractures
Authors: Pace J. Lee , Arkader Alexandre , Sousa Ted , Broom Alexander M. , Shabtai Lior
Published: March 2018

Introduction:

Lateral condyle fractures are a common pediatric elbow injury. Nonunion is a known complication of this injury but its incidence and causative risk factors are unknown. Further, a clear and consistent definition of nonunion for pediatric lateral condyle fractures does not exist. The purpose of this study is to determine the rate of nonunion, the risk factors associated with it and to provide a clear definition.

Methods:

A retrospective chart review of all pediatric lateral condyle fractures treated at an urban, tertiary pediatric care center between 2001 and 2014. Data collected included demographics, Weiss classification, type of treatment, follow-up, time from injury to surgery and complications. For patients with nonunions, additional treatments and final range of motion were also recorded. A nonunion was defined as lack of callus with fragment migration by 8 weeks after initiation of treatment.

Results:

A total of 530 patients were identified of which 500 were available for review. There were 7/500 (1.4%) nonunions in the cohort. Nonunion occurred in 1.4% (2/140) of type I fractures, 0% (0 /178) of type II fractures, and 3% (5/168) of type III fractures. The only significant risk factor for nonunion was the presence of a type III fracture (P=0.05). Five patients with nonunion underwent revision surgery with a partially threaded cannulated cancellous screw. All of these patients went on to union. Four of the 5 patients had their screws removed after union.

Conclusion:

Nonunion after pediatric lateral condyle fracture is rare and is defined by lack of any callus with fragment migration at 8 weeks. The only significant risk factor for nonunion development was the presence of a type III fracture. Revision surgery with a partially threaded screw achieved union in all cases.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV—retrospective case review.
Childhood Obesity is Associated With Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Knee, Ankle, and Elbow in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Kessler Jeffrey I. , Jacobs John C. , Cannamela Peter C. , Shea Kevin G. , Weiss Jennifer M.
Published: March 2018

Background:

Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a joint disorder of the subchondral bone and articular cartilage whose association with obesity in children is not clearly known. The purpose of this study was to assess the magnitude of the association between childhood obesity and the occurrence of OCD of the knee, ankle, and elbow in children.

Methods:

A retrospective chart review of an integrated health system was performed on OCD patients aged 2 to 19 from 2007 to 2011, with over 1 million patients in this cohort. Lesion location, laterality, and all patient demographics were recorded. The body mass index (BMI) for each patient in the cohort was used to stratify patients into 5 weight classes (underweight, normal weight, overweight, moderately obese, and extremely obese) based on BMI-for-age. The associations between the 5 weight classes and OCD of the ankle, knee, and elbow were assessed using multiple logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals using multivariate analysis to adjust for patient demographic variables.

Results:

In total, 269 patients fit the inclusion criteria. Mean BMI, both absolute and percentile, was significantly higher for patients with OCD of the knee, elbow, and ankle than patients without OCD. In the multivariate analysis, extremely obese patients were found to have an increased OR of OCD for all patients, with an 86% increased risk of any OCD compared with normal weight patients. In addition, assessment by different types of OCD revealed that extremely obese patients had an increased OR of OCD of the elbow and ankle individually, with a 3.1 times increased OCD elbow risk and 3.0 times increased risk of ankle OCD in extremely obese patients. Although extremely obese patients did not have a statistically significant increased risk of knee OCD, moderately obese patients did have a 1.8 times increased risk of knee OCD as compared with normal weight children. There were no significantly different risks of any type of OCD seen in overweight or underweight patients as compared with normal weight patients.

Conclusions:

In this population-based cohort study, extreme obesity is strongly associated with an increased risk of OCD overall and OCD of the elbow and ankle specifically. In addition, moderate obesity is associated with an increased risk of knee OCD. All types of OCD were also found to have a significantly greater average BMI when compared with patients without OCD.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV—descriptive epidemiology study.
Body mass index and prostate cancer risk in the Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial
Authors: Bonn Stephanie E. , Barnett Matt J. , Thornquist Mark , Goodman Gary , Neuhouser Marian L.
Published: March 2018

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between BMI (kg/m2) and prostate cancer risk. BMI is a modifiable lifestyle factor and may provide a unique opportunity for primary prevention of prostate cancer if a causal association exists. Data from 11 886 men from the Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial (CARET, 1985–1996 with active follow-up through 2005) comprising current and former heavy smokers were analyzed. CARET was a multicenter randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled chemoprevention trial testing daily supplementation of 30 mg β-carotene+25 000 IU retinyl palmitate for primary prevention of lung cancer. Prostate cancer was a secondary outcome. Nonaggressive disease was defined as Gleason less than 7 and stage I/II. Aggressive disease was primarily defined as at least Gleason 7 or stage III/IV, and secondarily by excluding Gleason 3+4 from the first definition. BMI was calculated from measured weight and height. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for cancer incidence between BMI categories. During follow-up, 883 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer. In the analysis of aggressive disease when Gleason 3+4 was excluded, men with a BMI of at least 35 kg/m2 had an increased rate of prostate cancer (HR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.04–3.11, P
trend=0.04) compared with men with BMI 18–24.9 kg/m2. No other differences were seen in risk estimates for overall, nonaggressive or aggressive prostate cancer including all Gleason 7 cases, between BMI categories. Our results show an association between having a BMI of at least 35 kg/m2 and an increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer (not including Gleason 3+4 tumors), but do not support an association between BMI and risk of overall, aggressive disease including all Gleason 7, or nonaggressive prostate cancer within a population of current and former heavy smokers.
Overall Survival Results of the Feasibility Study of Adjuvant Chemotherapy With Docetaxel Plus Cisplatin Followed by Long-term Single-agent Administration of S-1 in Patients With Completely Resected Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Niho Seiji , Ikeda Norihiko , Michimae Hiroshi , Suzuki Kenji , Sakai Hiroshi , Kaburagi Takayuki , Yoshiya Katsuo , Minato Koichi , Kato Terufumi , Okamoto Hiroaki , Seto Takashi , Hosomi Yukio , Shimizu Kimihiro , Saito Haruhiro , Tsuchida Masanori , Kunitoh Hideo , Tsuboi Masahiro , Takeuchi Masahiro , Watanabe Koshiro
Published: March 2018

Objectives:

The TORG0809 study was a multicenter feasibility study of long-term single-agent therapy with S-1 after docetaxel plus cisplatin therapy in patients with completely resected stage II or stage IIIA non–small cell lung cancer. We report the results of the final overall survival (OS) analysis.

Patients and Methods:

A total of 129 eligible patients received 3 cycles of docetaxel (60 mg/m2, day 1) plus cisplatin (80 mg/m2, day 1), followed by S-1 at 40 mg/m2 twice daily for 14 consecutive days, for >6 months (maximum, 1 y).

Results:

At the cutoff date of April 13, 2016, the median follow-up time was 6.0 years. Of the 129 patients, 43 had died, and 74 patients developed disease recurrence or died. The median OS had not been reached. The 5-year OS rate was 71% [95% confidence interval (CI), 62-78]. The 5-year OS rates in the patients with stage II and stage IIIA were 76% and 68%, respectively. The median recurrence-free survival (RFS) duration was 3.4 years (95% CI, 2.3-5.7). The 5-year RFS rate was 44% (95% CI, 36-53). The 5-year RFS rates in patients with stage II and stage IIIA disease were 57% and 38%, respectively. Disease recurrence occurred in 68 patients, and 62 of these patients received second-line chemotherapy. The most common sites of recurrence were the brain (n=22) and mediastinal lymph nodes (n=22).

Conclusion:

The survival data obtained from this study are promising and comparable to those reported from a previous study conducted in Japan.
Keratoprosthesis Decentration and Tilt Results in Degradation in Image Quality
Authors: Helms Richard W. , Zhao Xiaowei , Sayegh Rony R.
Published: March 2018

Purpose:

To study the effect of decentration and tilt of the type I Boston keratoprosthesis (KPro) on image quality in both aphakic and pseudophakic eyes.

Methods:

An optical ray-tracing program was used to simulate the image projected onto the retina in an eye with a perfectly centered KPro, and in eyes with varying degrees of KPro decentration and tilt. Decentration was modeled along a typical white-to-white distance of 12.0 mm, and the corresponding tilt was calculated assuming a radius of curvature of 8.0 mm, the radius of curvature of the backplate of the KPro. Both aphakic and pseudophakic eyes were simulated, and the corresponding modulation transfer function curves, point spread functions, and astigmatism were analyzed.

Results:

The perfectly centered KPro produced a high-quality image with no induced astigmatism. Increasing decentration beyond approximately 0.5 mm resulted in poorer image quality with a more pronounced effect in the presence of an intraocular lens. Using models of the normal eye as a threshold, image degradation due to decentration becomes clinically significant at approximately 1.4 mm and 0.9 mm for the aphakic and pseudophakic cases, respectively. Astigmatism introduced by decentration is approximately 0.25 D cylinders at those thresholds.

Conclusions:

Decentration of up to 0.5 mm had no significant impact on image quality and an attempt at good intraoperative centration of the KPro within this range is important. Conversely, decentration of 0.9 mm or more during surgical implantation can result in significant degradation in retinal image quality including astigmatism. The effect is greater in the pseudophakic eye.
Scleral Shape and Its Correlations With Corneal Astigmatism
Authors: Consejo Alejandra , Rozema Jos J.
Published: March 2018

Purpose:

To assess the correlation between the scleral shape and corneal astigmatism.

Methods:

Twenty-two participants (11 nonastigmatic and 11 astigmatic) aged from 19 to 36 years and with no previous ocular surgeries were included in this study. Three-dimensional (3D) corneoscleral maps from both eyes (44 eyes) were acquired using a corneoscleral topographer (Eye Surface Profiler). Each 3D map was split into 13 concentric annuli, each 0.5-mm wide, starting at 1.0-mm radius from the corneal apex to the scleral periphery at 7.5 mm from the apex. Each ring was fitted to a quadratic function of the radial distance to the apex, to calculate the elevation difference between the raw data and the fitting surface ring. For each ring, the resulting elevation difference between the original and fit data profile was fit to a sum of sine function. Decentration and astigmatic terms obtained from the sinusoidal fit were analyzed and compared between nonastigmatic and astigmatic groups.

Results:

In astigmatic eyes, corneal and scleral asymmetry are highly correlated, but both appear independent of each other in nonastigmatic eyes. No significant difference between astigmatic and nonastigmatic eyes was found for the decentration term [P > 0.05/N (Bonferroni)], whereas for the astigmatic component, the differences were statistically significant [P < 0.05/N (Bonferroni)].

Conclusions:

Corneal and scleral shapes are correlated in astigmatic eyes, which suggests that astigmatism is not restricted to the cornea but should rather be considered a property of the entire eye globe.
Large Balloon Dilatation Versus Mechanical Lithotripsy After Endoscopic Sphincterotomy in the Management of Large Common Bile Duct Stones in Cirrhotic Patients
Authors: Radwan Mohamed I. , Emara Mohamed H. , Ibrahim Ibrahim M. , Moursy Mahmoud E.
Published: March 2018

Background and Study Aim:

Removal of large common bile duct (CBD) stones is one of the challenges faced during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, and it seems more difficult in cirrhotic patients because of suspected higher rates of adverse events, especially bleeding diathesis. This study aimed at comparing the success rate and complications between mechanical lithotripsy (ML) and large balloon dilation (LBD) after endoscopic sphincterotomy in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Patients and Methods:

Ninety-eight cirrhotic patients with calcular obstructive jaundice were included and randomly divided into 2 groups: group A comprising 49 patients treated by LBD and group B comprising 49 patients treated by ML. All patients underwent sphincterotomy initially. All patients were subjected to thorough history taking and complete clinical examination. Pancreatic enzyme concentrations were measured 4 hours before and 24 hours after the procedure, and complete blood cell count and liver function tests were performed before and the morning after the procedure. Before and during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, stone size and number were verified.

Results:

The success rate for CBD clearance was 98% and 93.8% for LBD and ML, respectively. The rate of adverse events in this study was 10.2% (10/98), and bleeding was the commonest reported complication (5/10). Group B developed more (16.3%) adverse events than group A (4.1%), and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.04).

Conclusion:

Endoscopic sphincterotomy followed by LBD is a safe and effective treatment for large CBD stones in cirrhotic patients in comparison with sphincterotomy followed by ML.
Carbon Dioxide Insufflation Increases Colonoscopic Adenoma Detection Rate Compared With Air Insufflation
Authors: Mills Christopher D. , McCamley Chere , Swan Michael P.
Published: March 2018

Goals:

To determine the effect of carbon dioxide insufflation on the most important outcome measure of colonoscopic quality: adenoma detection rate (ADR).

Background:

Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in males and females in Australia. Carbon dioxide has in recent times become the insufflation methodology of choice for screening colonoscopy for bowel cancer, as this has been shown to have significant advantages when compared with traditional air insufflation.

Study:

Endoscopies performed over a period of 9 months immediately before and after the implementation of carbon dioxide insufflation at endoscopy centers were eligible for inclusion.

Results:

The difference in ADR between the carbon dioxide and air insufflation methods was statistically significant, with an increased ADR in the carbon dioxide group. The superiority of carbon dioxide insufflation was sustained with a logistic regression model, which showed ADR was significantly impacted by insufflation method.

Conclusions:

Carbon dioxide insufflation is known to reduce abdominal pain, postprocedural duration of abdominal pain, abdominal distension, and analgesic requirements. This study represents for the first time the beneficial effect of carbon dioxide insufflation upon the key quality colonoscopy indicator of ADR.
Lacrimal Drainage Obstruction and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Authors: Rim Tyler Hyungtaek , Ko JaeSang , Kim Sung Soo , Yoon Jin Sook
Published: March 2018

Goals:

This study aimed to evaluate the association between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and development of lacrimal drainage obstruction (LDO).

Background:

It has been hypothesized that GERD may contribute toward the development of LDO.

Study:

This was a retrospective study of Koreans aged 40 to 79 years registered in the Korean National Health Screening Cohort from 2002 to 2013. Incident cases of LDO were identified according to the Korean Classification of Disease. We compared hazard ratios (HRs) for LDO between 22,570 patients with GERD and 112,850 patients without GERD by 1:5 propensity score-matched analysis.

Results:

A total of 135,420 patients, representing 1,237,909 person-years, were evaluated. LDO developed in 1998 (8.9%) patients with GERD and 8565 (7.6%) patients without GERD (P<0.001). The incidence of LDO per 1000 person-years in patients with GERD was 9.7 and 8.3 in those without GERD; the age-adjusted and sex-adjusted HR was 1.17 (95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.23). This association between GERD and LDO was more pronounced among younger individuals (HR, 1.20 for patients 40 to 59-y old; HR, 1.12 for patients 60 to 79-y old) and among men (HR, 1.20 for men; HR, 1.14 for women). Patients with GERD had a higher risk of LDO than those without GERD, irrespective of history of proton-pump inhibitor use. In the sensitivity analysis, GERD patients with esophagitis had a higher risk of LDO than those without esophagitis.

Conclusions:

Our findings suggest that GERD is associated with an increased risk of subsequent LDO and that this effect is more pronounced among adults aged 40 to 59-years old and men.
A Review of Public Health Training Needs Assessment Approaches: Opportunities to Move Forward
Authors: Joly Brenda M. , Coronado Fátima , Bickford Brittany C. , Leider Jonathon P. , Alford Aaron , McKeever Jennifer , Harper Elizabeth
Published: March 2018

Context:

Assessing training needs of the public health workforce is crucial for creating professional development opportunities to improve knowledge, competence, and effectiveness of this workforce.

Dissemination:

Regional Public Health Training Centers (RPHTCs) assess workforce training needs and deliver training based on identified needs. To determine training priorities, several needs assessment surveys have been administered by RPHTCs and national public health member organizations.

Evaluation:

This study identified the types of training questions being asked to public health practitioners in the various assessment surveys implemented by RPHTCs and national membership organizations. Although the surveys measured similar overarching constructs, multiple approaches with limited consistency were used to measure training needs.

Discussion:

Although successful in responding to the needs of their targeted constituents, the limited consistency among survey types makes generalization of findings difficult. Disseminating common metrics and aggregate survey findings would increase efficiency in determining workforce training needs and developing targeted training.
67Ga Scintigraphy for Assessment of Disease Severity and Treatment Response in Patients With Paracoccidioidomycosis
Authors: Yamaga Lilian Yuri Itaya , Benard Gil , Watanabe Tomoco , Funari Marcelo Buarque de Gusmão , Hironaka Fausto Haruki , Buchpighel Carlos Alberto , Shikanai-Yasuda Maria Aparecida
Published: March 2018

Objective

The evaluation of therapy response of patients with deep mycosis is a major challenge. The aim of this study was to assess the severity of disease at admission and evaluate treatment response of patients with paracoccidioidomycosis using 67Ga scintigraphy.

Subjects and Methods

Seventy-three patients with fully active disease were enrolled. A scoring system based on clinicoradiological and serological evaluation and 67Ga scan was devised. Pretherapy 67Ga score of 73 patients was compared with clinicoradiological and serological scores. A subgroup of 23 patients was followed up during treatment, and the rates of improvement of their clinicoradiological, serological, and 67Ga scores during treatment were compared at 3 time points (fully active phase, after clinical improvement, and clinically inactive disease).

Results

The correlations between scores before therapy were statistically significant. 67Ga score correlated with clinical score (r = 0.47, P < 0.001). Serological score correlated with both 67Ga and clinical scores (r = 0.32, P = 0.006, and r = 0.25, P = 0.034, respectively). Concerning evaluation of therapy response, clinicoradiological, serological, and 67Ga scores decreased significantly after therapy (P < 0.001). Notably, 67Ga score was the single one to become negative in most patients at the end of treatment (20 of 23 patients compared with 7 on clinicoradiological evaluation and 10 on serology, P = 0.003).

Conclusions

In patients with paracoccidioidomycosis, pretherapy 67Ga scintigraphy correlates with disease severity. Serial 67Ga scans seem to be helpful in evaluating the response to therapy.
99mTc-Methionine Hybrid SPECT/CT for Detection of Recurrent Glioma
Authors: Arora Geetanjali , Sharma Punit , Sharma Anshul , Mishra Anil Kumar , Hazari Puja Panwar , Biswas Ahitagni , Garg Ajay , Aheer Deepak , Kumar Rakesh
Published: March 2018

Objectives

Posttherapy changes in treated glioma patients cannot be reliably differentiated from tumor recurrence. We evaluated the role of 99mTc-methionine SPECT/CT for the detection of recurrent glioma and compared the same with 18F-FDG PET/CT and contrast-enhanced MRI (CeMRI).

Methods

Forty-four patients with histologically proven, previously treated glioma and clinical suspicion of recurrence were prospectively enrolled in the study. Of these 44 patients, 39 (28 male and 11 female subjects; age, 38.05 ± 9.7 years) underwent 99mTc-methionine SPECT/CT, 18F-FDG PET/CT, and CeMRI of the brain and were included for final analysis. Combination of repeat imaging, biopsy, and/or clinical follow-up (6–36 months) was taken as reference standard. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were calculated. Diagnostic values among modalities were compared.

Results

Positive predictive value and negative predictive value for 99mTc-methionine SPECT/CT, 18F-FDG PET/CT, and CeMRI were 95.6% and 56.2%, 92.3% and 61.5%, and 79.4% and 42.9%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity for the 3 modalities were 75.9% and 90%, 82.8% and 80%, and 87.1% and 30%. Specificity of 99mTc-methionine SPECT/CT was significantly higher than that of CeMRI (P < 0.0001) but not of 18F-FDG PET/CT (P = 0.36). No significant difference was seen between the modalities for sensitivity and accuracy.

Conclusions

99mTc-methionine is a promising tracer for detection of recurrent glioma. Diagnostic values of 99mTc-methionine SPECT/CT are similar to 18F-FDG, although it is more specific than CeMRI. So it may be used as a cost-effective alternative and also where PET/CT is not available.
Iodine/FDG “Flip-Flop” Phenomenon Inside a Large Metastatic Thyroid Cancer Lesion Better Characterized on SPECT/CT and PET/CT Studies
Authors: Duarte Paulo Schiavom , Marin José Flávio Gomes , de Carvalho José Willegaignon de Amorim , Sapienza Marcelo Tatit , Buchpiguel Carlos Alberto
Published: March 2018

Iodine/FDG “flip-flop” phenomenon inside large metastatic thyroid cancer lesions has been rarely described. We present a case of this phenomenon better characterized using SPECT/CT and PET/CT studies.
Intravitreal Triamcinolone Acetonide Injection in a Rodent Model of Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy
Authors: Pereira Luciano S. , Ávila Marcos P. , Salustiano Luciana X. , Paula Alcio C. , Arnhold Emmanuel , McCulley Timothy J.
Published: March 2018

Introduction:

The management of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy centers around prevention of second eye involvement, without a uniformly accepted therapy for the involved eye. Several researchers have assessed the benefit of steroids with conflicting results. This experimental study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a single intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide injection (IVTA) in preserving retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in a rodent model of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (rAION).

Methods:

The rAION was induced in female Wistar rats. Animals were randomized into 3 groups: 1) untreated, 2) treated with 56 μg IVTA, and 3) intravitreal saline (placebo). Procedures were performed in the left eye, with the right eye serving as control. After 30 days, animals were sacrificed and eyes were assessed histologically for RGC number.

Results:

The average number of RGC was significantly lower in rAION subgroups when compared with the control group (P < 0.001). No significant difference was seen between rAION eyes treated with IVTA, placebo, and untreated eyes (P > 0.05%).

Conclusions:

In this rodent model for AION, no therapeutic benefit of intravitreal steroid injection was identified.
Gyroscopic stabilization minimizes drag on
Ruellia ciliatiflora
seeds
Authors: Cooper Eric S. , Mosher Molly A. , Cross Carolyn M. , Whitaker Dwight L.
Published: March 2018

Fruits of
Ruellia ciliatiflora
(Acanthaceae) explosively launch small (2.5 mm diameter × 0.46 mm thick), disc-shaped seeds at velocities over 15 m s
−1
, reaching distances of up to 7 m. Through high-speed video analysis, we observe that seeds fly with extraordinary backspin of up to 1660 Hz. By modelling the seeds as spinning discs, we show that flying with backspin is stable against gyroscopic precession. This stable backspin orientation minimizes the frontal area during flight, decreasing drag force on the seeds and thus increasing dispersal distance. From high-speed video of the seeds' flight, we experimentally determine drag forces that are 40% less than those calculated for a sphere of the same volume and density. This reduces the energy costs for seed dispersal by up to a factor of five.
Switches induced by quorum sensing in a model of enzyme-loaded microparticles
Authors: Bánsági Tamás , Taylor Annette F.
Published: March 2018

Quorum sensing refers to the ability of bacteria and other single-celled organisms to respond to changes in cell density or number with population-wide changes in behaviour. Here, simulations were performed to investigate quorum sensing in groups of diffusively coupled enzyme microparticles using a well-characterized autocatalytic reaction which raises the pH of the medium: hydrolysis of urea by urease. The enzyme urease is found in both plants and microorganisms, and has been widely exploited in engineering processes. We demonstrate how increases in group size can be used to achieve a sigmoidal switch in pH at high enzyme loading, oscillations in pH at intermediate enzyme loading and a bistable, hysteretic switch at low enzyme loading. Thus, quorum sensing can be exploited to obtain different types of response in the same system, depending on the enzyme concentration. The implications for microorganisms in colonies are discussed, and the results could help in the design of synthetic quorum sensing for biotechnology applications such as drug delivery.
A framework for estimating the determinants of spatial and temporal variation in vital rates and inferring the occurrence of unobserved extreme events
Authors: Vincenzi Simone , Jesenšek Dušan , Crivelli Alain J.
Published: March 2018

We develop a general framework that combines long-term tag–recapture data and powerful statistical and modelling techniques to investigate how population, environmental and climate factors determine variation in vital rates and population dynamics in an animal species, using as a case study the population of brown trout living in Upper Volaja (Western Slovenia). This population has been monitored since 2004. Upper Volaja is a sink, receiving individuals from a source population living above a waterfall. We estimate the numerical contribution of the source population on the sink population and test the effects of temperature, population density and extreme events on variation in vital rates among 2647 individually tagged brown trout. We found that individuals dispersing downstream from the source population help maintain high population densities in the sink population despite poor recruitment. The best model of survival for individuals older than juveniles includes additive effects of birth cohort and sampling occasion. Fast growth of older cohorts and higher population densities in 2004–2005 suggest very low population densities in the late 1990s, which we hypothesize were caused by a flash flood that strongly reduced population size and created the habitat conditions for faster individual growth and transient higher population densities after the extreme event.
Comparing spatial diversification and meta-population models in the Indo-Australian Archipelago
Authors: Chalmandrier Loïc , Albouy Camille , Descombes Patrice , Sandel Brody , Faurby Soren , Svenning Jens-Christian , Zimmermann Niklaus E. , Pellissier Loïc
Published: March 2018

Reconstructing the processes that have shaped the emergence of biodiversity gradients is critical to understand the dynamics of diversification of life on Earth. Islands have traditionally been used as model systems to unravel the processes shaping biological diversity. MacArthur and Wilson's island biogeographic model predicts diversity to be based on dynamic interactions between colonization and extinction rates, while treating islands themselves as geologically static entities. The current spatial configuration of islands should influence meta-population dynamics, but long-term geological changes within archipelagos are also expected to have shaped island biodiversity, in part by driving diversification. Here, we compare two mechanistic models providing inferences on species richness at a biogeographic scale: a mechanistic spatial-temporal model of species diversification and a spatial meta-population model. While the meta-population model operates over a static landscape, the diversification model is driven by changes in the size and spatial configuration of islands through time. We compare the inferences of both models to floristic diversity patterns among land patches of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Simulation results from the diversification model better matched observed diversity than a meta-population model constrained only by the contemporary landscape. The diversification model suggests that the dynamic re-positioning of islands promoting land disconnection and reconnection induced an accumulation of particularly high species diversity on Borneo, which is central within the island network. By contrast, the meta-population model predicts a higher diversity on the mainlands, which is less compatible with empirical data. Our analyses highlight that, by comparing models with contrasting assumptions, we can pinpoint the processes that are most compatible with extant biodiversity patterns.
Research on preparation of phosphate-modified animal glue binder for foundry use
Authors: Wang Tian-Shu , Liu Wei-Hua , Li Ying-Min
Published: March 2018

In this paper, three phosphates were used as modifiers to modify animal glue binder. The structural characteristics and thermal properties of animal glue binder treated with phosphates were studied by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography and derivative thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed that the modified animal glue binder had better sand tensile strength and lower viscosity than untreated animal glue binder. The best modification process was as follows: the optimal amount of sodium carbonate was 4 wt% to animal glue; the optimal weight ratio of the modifiers was sodium pyrophosphate : sodium tripolyphosphate : sodium hexametaphosphate : animal glue = 3 : 3 : 4 : 100, and the optimal reaction should be performed at 80°C for a reaction time of 120 min. A final tensile strength of approximately 3.20 MPa was achieved and the viscosity value was approximately 880 mPa s.
Post-buckling of a pressured biopolymer spherical shell with the mode interaction
Authors: Zhang Lei , Ru C. Q.
Published: March 2018

Imperfection sensitivity is essential for mechanical behaviour of biopolymer shells characterized by high geometric heterogeneity. The present work studies initial post-buckling and imperfection sensitivity of a pressured biopolymer spherical shell based on non-axisymmetric buckling modes and associated mode interaction. Our results indicate that for biopolymer spherical shells with moderate radius-to-thickness ratio (say, less than 30) and smaller effective bending thickness (say, less than 0.2 times average shell thickness), the imperfection sensitivity predicted based on the axisymmetric mode without the mode interaction is close to the present results based on non-axisymmetric modes with the mode interaction with a small (typically, less than 10%) relative errors. However, for biopolymer spherical shells with larger effective bending thickness, the maximum load an imperfect shell can sustain predicted by the present non-axisymmetric analysis can be significantly (typically, around 30%) lower than those predicted based on the axisymmetric mode without the mode interaction. In such cases, a more accurate non-axisymmetric analysis with the mode interaction, as given in the present work, is required for imperfection sensitivity of pressured buckling of biopolymer spherical shells. Finally, the implications of the present study to two specific types of biopolymer spherical shells (viral capsids and ultrasound contrast agents) are discussed.
Morphologically cryptic Amazonian bird species pairs exhibit strong postzygotic reproductive isolation
Authors: Pulido-Santacruz Paola , Aleixo Alexandre , Weir Jason T.
Published: March 2018

We possess limited understanding of how speciation unfolds in the most species-rich region of the planet—the Amazon basin. Hybrid zones provide valuable information on the evolution of reproductive isolation, but few studies of Amazonian vertebrate hybrid zones have rigorously examined the genome-wide underpinnings of reproductive isolation. We used genome-wide genetic datasets to show that two deeply diverged, but morphologically cryptic sister species of forest understorey birds show little evidence for prezygotic reproductive isolation, but substantial postzygotic isolation. Patterns of heterozygosity and hybrid index revealed that hybrid classes with heavily recombined genomes are rare and closely match simulations with high levels of selection against hybrids. Genomic and geographical clines exhibit a remarkable similarity across loci in cline centres, and have exceptionally narrow cline widths, suggesting that postzygotic isolation is driven by genetic incompatibilities at many loci, rather than a few loci of strong effect. We propose Amazonian understorey forest birds speciate slowly via gradual accumulation of postzygotic genetic incompatibilities, with prezygotic barriers playing a less important role. Our results suggest old, cryptic Amazonian taxa classified as subspecies could have substantial postzygotic isolation deserving species recognition and that species richness is likely to be substantially underestimated in Amazonia.
Ecological opportunity and predator–prey interactions: linking eco-evolutionary processes and diversification in adaptive radiations
Authors: Pontarp Mikael , Petchey Owen L.
Published: March 2018

Much of life's diversity has arisen through ecological opportunity and adaptive radiations, but the mechanistic underpinning of such diversification is not fully understood. Competition and predation can affect adaptive radiations, but contrasting theoretical and empirical results show that they can both promote and interrupt diversification. A mechanistic understanding of the link between microevolutionary processes and macroevolutionary patterns is thus needed, especially in trophic communities. Here, we use a trait-based eco-evolutionary model to investigate the mechanisms linking competition, predation and adaptive radiations. By combining available micro-evolutionary theory and simulations of adaptive radiations we show that intraspecific competition is crucial for diversification as it induces disruptive selection, in particular in early phases of radiation. The diversification rate is however decreased in later phases owing to interspecific competition as niche availability, and population sizes are decreased. We provide new insight into how predation tends to have a negative effect on prey diversification through decreased population sizes, decreased disruptive selection and through the exclusion of prey from parts of niche space. The seemingly disparate effects of competition and predation on adaptive radiations, listed in the literature, may thus be acting and interacting in the same adaptive radiation at different relative strength as the radiation progresses.
Temperature and competition interact to structure Himalayan bird communities
Authors: Srinivasan Umesh , Elsen Paul R. , Tingley Morgan W. , Wilcove David S.
Published: March 2018

Longstanding theory predicts that competitive interactions set species' range limits in relatively aseasonal, species-rich regions, while temperature limits distributions in more seasonal, species-poor areas. More recent theory holds that species evolve narrow physiological tolerances in aseasonal regions, with temperature being an important determining factor in such zones. We tested how abiotic (temperature) and biotic (competition) factors set range limits and structure bird communities along strong, opposing, temperature-seasonality and species-richness gradients in the Himalayas, in two regions separated by 1500 km. By examining the degree to which seasonal elevational migration conserves year-round thermal niches across species, we show that species in the relatively aseasonal and speciose east are more constrained by temperature compared with species in the highly seasonal west. We further show that seasonality has a profound effect on the strength of competition between congeneric species. Competition appears to be stronger in winter, a period of resource scarcity in the Himalayas, in both the east and the west, with similarly sized eastern species more likely to segregate in thermal niche space in winter. Our results indicate that rather than acting in isolation, abiotic and biotic factors mediate each other to structure ecological communities.