bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Nomological consistency: A comprehensive test of the equivalence of different trait indicators for the same constructs
Authors: Thielmann Isabel , Hilbig Benjamin E. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractObjectiveAcross all subfields of psychology, it is common practice to use different indicators of allegedly the same personality constructs, resting upon the (often implicit) assumption that the indicators measure equivalent constructs. However, there is a lack of approaches allowing for a strict and comprehensive test of the equivalence assumption. We propose investigating nomological consistency to test the equivalence assumption across inventories allegedly measuring the same set of constructs. Nomological consistency refers to the degree to which different indicators of constructs in a theoretical or structural model (such as the Big Five) show similar (non‐)associations with a set of external criteria, thus testing the consistency of the nomological net spanned by different indicators.MethodIn a large‐scale study based on a convenience sample (N = 2,846; 64.9% female), we provide an empirical demonstration of nomological consistency across three commonly used Big Five inventories by comparing the pattern of associations of the Big Five constructs across inventories with five external criteria using a multifaceted analytic approach.ResultsAlthough results showed some level of consistency across the Big Five inventories under scrutiny, there was also a relevant extent of nomological inconsistency.ConclusionsTesting nomological consistency allows for a more conclusive judgment on the equivalence of different indicators across inventories.
Paediatric electroencephalograph: The benefits of guidelines
Authors: Thompson (nee Milner) Brooke E , Newsom David , White Andrew 
Published: September 2018

AimThe electroencephalogram (EEG) is an important but often over‐relied upon investigation in evaluating paroxysmal events of childhood. The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for epilepsy help clinicians decide which children should/should not have an EEG. Would introduction of these guidelines in our hospital change the ordering practices of our hospital clinicians? Would introduction reduce unnecessary tests and improve rapidity of obtaining an EEG?MethodsPaediatric EEG requests, results and, where possible, the patient hospital chart were reviewed before and after introduction of an EEG request form (Appendix I) which provided ordering advice as per the NICE epilepsy guideline. Patient age, sex, distance from hospital and ethnicity were reviewed. Also evaluated was clinical indication and time from ordering to performing the EEG.ResultsPrior to the new EEG form, 56% of the EEG requests fulfilled the NICE criteria; after its introduction, this increased to 83%. EEGs ordered within the NICE guidelines were abnormal on 61% of occasions, but when ordered outside of the guidelines they were abnormal only 4% of the time (P < 0.0001). After its introduction there was poor use of the new form in practice (only 29% of requests). However, the EEGs were more likely to meet ordering criteria and fewer tests were required, leading to more rapid turn‐around times.ConclusionThis study demonstrates the value of using guidelines to improve timeliness and reduce over‐utilisation of EEGs in general paediatric practice.
Albuminuria and low bone mineral density in paediatric patients with type 1 diabetes
Authors: Souza Karla S Costa de , Gomes Iago de Souza , Oliveira Yonara M da Costa , Loureiro Melina Bezerra , Silva Heglayne Pereira Vital da , Melo Thamara Rodrigues de , Santos Marcos Gonzaga dos , Bortolin Raul Hernandes , Maciel Neto José J , Arrais Ricardo F , Almeida Maria das G , Ururahy Marcela Abbott Galvão , Rezende Adriana A de 
Published: September 2018

AimTo evaluate glycaemic control and its influence on albuminuria and bone mineral density (BMD) in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D).MethodsWe collectively assessed 84 T1D children/adolescents (T1D group), aged between 6 and 17 years, and then divided them into two groups according to their glycaemic profile (T1D with good glycaemic control (T1DG group) and T1D with poor glycaemic control (T1DP group)). Serum glucose, glycated haemoglobin, serum urea, serum creatinine, urinary albumin‐to‐creatinine ratio (ACR), estimated glomerular filtration rate and BMD levels were assessed.ResultsOf the patients studied, 77% presented with poor glycaemic control. Patients with T1DP showed an increased ACR (P < 0.001) and a low BMD (P = 0.025) when compared to the T1DG group. In addition, five patients in the T1DP group presented with concomitant albuminuria and a low BMD for their chronological age. Significant negative correlations were identified between the ACR and glycated haemoglobin (r = 0.655, P < 0.001), BMD and glycated haemoglobin (r = −0.262, P = 0.047) and BMD and the ACR (r = −0.631, P = <0.001). In linear regression analysis, the ACR showed a negative effect on BMD (P = 0.044) in the T1D patient group.ConclusionPoor glycaemic control was correlated with albuminuria, suggestive of a negative effect on bone tissue, leading to a low BMD in children and adolescents with T1D.
Pratylenchus zeae and P. brachyurus reproduction in green manure maize/soybean consortium systems
Authors: Santana‐Gomes Simone de Melo , Dias‐Arieira Claudia Regina , Cardoso Michelly Ragazzi , Puerari Heriksen Higashi , Schwengber Raiane Pereira , Baldisera Sephora Serrano 
Published: September 2018

AbstractRoot lesion nematodes are pathogens that have been causing relevant losses in crops; therefore, assertive management procedures to control them must be put in practice. Thus, the aim of the present study is to assess Pratylenchus zeae and P. brachyurus reproduction in green manure maize/soybean consortium and in single management systems. Initially, maize was cultivated for 60 days in naturally infested soil to enable nematode multiplication. Next, soil and roots in the pots were homogenized and the initial population was determined. The sampled soil was placed in pots containing green manure. Stizolobium aterrimum, Cajanus cajan, Canavalia ensiformis, Crotalaria spectabilis and C. juncea were sown alone or in maize/soybean consortium. Only one crop was used as control. The experiment was repeated in two different periods. Overall, the single and the consortium treatments reduced the nematode population per root gram, as well as the total population in the root system in experiments with P. zeae. The consortium treatments did not reduce the nematode population in treatments with P. brachyurus. On the other hand, the single crop treatments were efficient in controlling both nematode phytoparasites.
Effect of prespecified therapy escalation on plasma NT‐proBNP concentrations in dogs with stable congestive heart failure due to myxomatous mitral valve disease
Authors: Hezzell Melanie J. , Block Chloë L. , Laughlin Danielle S. , Oyama Mark A. 
Published: September 2018

BackgroundTreatment targeted to achieve reduction in N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) improves outcomes in human congestive heart failure (CHF) patients.HypothesisA pre‐specified therapeutic algorithm that increased diuretic or pimobendan usage will reduce plasma NT‐proBNP concentrations in dogs with CHF secondary to myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD).AnimalsTwenty‐six dogs with clinically stable CHF secondary to MMVD.MethodsProspective, controlled before‐and‐after study. Dogs were examined up to 3 times over 21 days. Treatment was prescribed based on NT‐proBNP as follows: <1500 pmol/L at baseline, no treatment adjustment at any point during the study (group 1); ≥1500 pmol/L and creatinine ≤3.0 mg/dL at baseline or SC visits, treatment escalated according to the algorithm (group 2); ≥1500 pmol/L at baseline, no treatment adjustment (group 3).ResultsN‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide decreased significantly in group 2 (mean change = −1736 pmol/L (95% CI, −804 to −2668),P < .001) but not in groups 1 or 3 (623 pmol/L [–631 to 1877 pmol/L],P = .14 and 685 pmol/L [–304 to 1068 pmol/L],P = .46, respectively). Serum BUN and creatinine did not change significantly between visit 0 and visit 2 in group 1 (median = 23 mg/dL [range 13‐32] versus 19 mg/dL [12‐38],P = .72 and 1.15 mg/dL [0.70‐1.40] versus 0.95 mg/dL [0.70‐1.10],P = .10, respectively) or group 2 (28 mg/dL [18‐87] versus 43.5 mg/dL [21‐160],P = .092 and 1.10 mg/dL [0.90‐2.50] versus 1.55 mg/dL [0.90‐3.30],P = .062, respectively).Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceUse of this treatment escalation algorithm allows effective targeting of treatment for CHF in dogs against an objective criterion.
Echocardiographic evaluation of the right ventricular dimension and systolic function in dogs with pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Vezzosi Tommaso , Domenech Oriol , Costa Giulia , Marchesotti Federica , Venco Luigi , Zini Eric , del Palacio Maria Josefa Fernández , Tognetti Rosalba 
Published: September 2018

BackgroundRight ventricular (RV) enlargement and dysfunction are associated with prognosis in humans with pulmonary hypertension (PH).Hypothesis/ObjectivesTo assess RV size and systolic function in dogs with PH and to determine if they are associated with disease severity and right‐sided congestive heart failure (R‐CHF).Animals89 dogs with PH and 74 healthy dogs.MethodsProspective observational study. PH was classified according to the tricuspid regurgitation pressure gradient. RV end‐diastolic area (RVEDA) index was calculated as RVEDA divided by body surface area. RV systolic function was assessed with the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and the RV fractional area change (FAC) normalized for body weight (TAPSEn and FACn, respectively).ResultsRVEDA index was higher in dogs with moderate PH (10.8 cm2/m2; range, 6.2‐14.4 cm2/m2) and severe PH (12.4 cm2/m2; range, 7.7‐21.4 cm2/m2) than in those with mild PH (8.4 cm2/m2; range, 4.8‐11.6 cm2/m2) and control dogs (8.5 cm2/m2; range, 2.8‐11.6 cm2/m2; P < .001). RVEDA index was significantly higher in dogs with R‐CHF (13.7 cm2/m2; range, 11.0‐21.4 cm2/m2) than in dogs without R‐CHF (9.4 cm2/m2; range, 4.8‐17.1 cm2/m2; P < .001). The severity of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) was the only independent predictor of the RVEDA index (P < .001). TAPSEn and FACn were not significantly different among varying degrees of PH severity and between dogs with and without R‐CHF.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceThe RVEDA index can be used to evaluate RV size in dogs. It can provide additional information in dogs with PH and predict R‐CHF. Severity of TR is the main determinant of RV enlargement in dogs with PH.
Evaluation of the ability of colistin, amoxicillin (components of Potencil®), and fluoroquinolones to attenuate bacterial endotoxin‐ and Shiga exotoxin‐mediated cytotoxicity—In vitro studies
Authors: Szuster‐Ciesielska Agnieszka , Urban‐Chmiel Renata , Wernicki Andrzej , Mascaron Laurent , Wasak Marek , Bousquet Eric 
Published: September 2018

AbstractEscherichia coli is one of the major pathogens in humans and animals causing localized and systemic infections, which often lead to acute inflammation, watery diarrhea, and hemorrhagic colitis. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and Shiga exotoxins (Stx) are mostly responsible for such clinical signs. Therefore, highly effective treatment of E. coli infections should include both eradication of bacteria and neutralization of their toxins. Here, for the first time, we compared the in vitro ability of common antibiotics to decrease LPS‐ and Stx‐mediated cytotoxicity: colistin, amoxicillin (used separately or combined), enrofloxacin, and its metabolite ciprofloxacin. Three experimental scenarios were realized as follows: (a) the direct effect of antibiotics on endotoxin, (b) the effect of antibiotic treatment on LPS‐mediated cytotoxicity in an experiment mimicking “natural infection,” (c) the effect of antibiotics to decrease Stx2e‐mediated cytotoxicity. Two cell lines, A549 and Vero cells, were used to perform cytotoxic assays with the methyl tetrazolium (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase leakage (LDH) methods, respectively. Colistin and amoxicillin, especially used in combination, were able to attenuate LPS toxic effect, which was reflected by increase in A549 cell viability. In comparison with other antibiotics, the combination of colistin and amoxicillin exhibited the highest boster or additive effect in protecting cells against LPS‐ and Stx2e‐induced toxicity. In summary, in comparison with fluoroquinolones, the combination of colistin and amoxicillin at concentrations similar to those achieved in plasma of treated animals exhibited the highest ability to attenuate LPS‐ and Stx2e‐mediated cytotoxicity.
The assembly of a plant network in alpine vegetation
Authors: Losapio Gianalberto , de la Cruz Marcelino , Escudero Adrián , Schmid Bernhard , Schöb Christian 
Published: September 2018

AbstractQuestionsPositive and negative associations among species influence the structure of plant communities. Yet how these plant associations are assembled at the community level is poorly understood. We propose a new approach that combines spatial ecology, network theory and trait‐based ecology to examine the assembly of plant–plant associations at the community level.LocationGemmipass, Swiss Alps.MethodsWe fully mapped an alpine plant community at the individual plant level, recording both plant coordinates and functional traits for each individual. We identified non‐random species associations using spatial point‐pattern analysis and partialled out the effect of abiotic heterogeneity. We then analysed the plant network structure and used plant traits to predict species associations.ResultsWe identified 36 significant spatial associations between plant species, 34 positive and two negatives. Dominant, stress‐tolerant species such as Dryas octopetala, Linaria alpina and Leontodon montanus were highly connected in the network, whereas rare, water‐ and nutrient‐demanding species such as Saxifraga aizoides, Galium anisophyllon and Thymus praecox were less connected compared to random expectation. The plant network was clustered, meaning that species were overall more connected among each other than expected by chance.ConclusionsPositive associations among species characterized the studied plant community. Besides the primary effect of associations of the “foundation” species D. octopetala with other species, these “subordinate” plants were also associated with each other. Our study reveals the assembly of plant communities as driven by positive associations among stress‐tolerant pioneer species, highlighting their role in supporting the cohesiveness of alpine plant communities.
Victorian roots and branches: “The statistical century” as foundation to the digital humanities
Authors: Babb Genie 
Published: September 2018

AbstractVictorian Studies and the Digital Humanities (DH) are a natural fit; Victorian texts are in the public domain and thus available for full digitization and subjection to all kinds of applications. This essay focuses on arguably the most controversial: the use of statistical methodologies to analyze literary texts. Often aimed at the “distant reading” practices of Franco Moretti, the pros and cons of these methods have been widely debated among literary scholars, but with little reference to their historical roots. Historical accounts of DH have instead focused on technological developments, citing the massive, computerized concordance of the works of Thomas Aquinas, envisioned in 1949 by Father Roberto Busa and realized by IBM over the next 20 years, as the moment DH was born. Such accounts, as useful as they are, neglect important connections between the computational methodologies of DH and the emergence of modern statistical methodology during the nineteenth century. The advantage of seeing DH as part of the history of statistics is that it helps us understand and evaluate statistically based DH methodologies in their own terms and not simply as methodologies associated with particular neoliberal institutions in the present. This essay argues that understanding the history of statistics as well as examining current practice helps address the criticisms leveled at computational methodologies and the question of compatibility with traditional humanistic methodologies such as close reading. It begins with a brief history of the emergence of modern statistics in the nineteenth century and the impact on Victorian literature and popular culture and then examines recent DH scholarship that utilizes statistical methodologies to analyze Victorian texts.
Beyond Shakespeare's land of ire: Revisiting Ireland in English Renaissance drama
Authors: O'Neill Stephen 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThere has been much critical work on the symbolic centrality of Ireland to English Renaissance literature and drama. To focus on the latter, Shakespeare's histories have been read topically in terms of the contemporaneous Irish wars and also more historically, in terms of English colonialism in Ireland. Topical readings have been followed by allegorical approaches with, for instance, attention to Othello's “ghostly Irish subtext” (Hadfield, ) or Troilus and Cressida's memories of Elizabethan conflict in Ireland (Parker, ). Such interpretations suggest scholarly imaginativeness, the discovery of surprising meaning about a text we thought we knew, albeit within a Shakespeare‐centric frame. They further suggest the capacity of Ireland to enter a play's imaginary—as problem, as image, as other world. At stake here, then, are interrelated questions about what Ireland is doing in English Renaissance drama, where and when we expect to find it, and how we read it. This essay re‐examines the question of why and how Ireland features in plays by Shakespeare and other early modern dramatists. This deceptively simple question is intended to revisit some assumptions that underpin current critical understandings. Why Ireland features in plays has been largely understood as a function of historical contexts and processes: critics and scholars have turned to these as an important site of explanation, with the early modern colonialist discourse on Ireland given special prominence as a determinant of meaning. However, this focus has sidelined other considerations. This article argues for a broadening of context, beyond a focus on topical resonance, to allow for a consideration of dramatic genre and form, the imitative nature of dramatic writing, and the theatre companies themselves, as important factors that shaped how a text and context like Ireland and the Irish found its way into a play. This approach treats representations as a series of reciprocal markings, intertextual echoes, and foregrounds the capacity of a play to make meaning within its own frame. The objective here is less about discounting the political and ideological work of Renaissance plays than about exploring their possibilities to (re)imagine the early modern “land of ire.”
Sexual conflict and the maintenance of genetic variation in natural populations
Authors: Meisel Richard P. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractUnderstanding the factors that maintain genetic variation in natural populations is a foundational goal of evolutionary biology. To this end, population geneticists have developed a variety of models that can produce stable polymorphisms. In one of the earliest models, Owen () demonstrated that differences in selection pressures acting on males and females could maintain multiple alleles of a gene at a stable equilibrium. If the selection pressures act in opposite directions in males and females, we refer to this as (inter‐) sexual conflict or sexual antagonism (Arnqvist & Rowe, ). Testing if sexual conflict maintains genetic variation in natural populations is a tremendous challenge—it requires both identifying loci that harbor sexually antagonistic alleles and determining whether those alleles are maintained as stable polymorphisms (Mank, ). Doing so genome‐wide is even harder because it is not tractable to identify sexually antagonistic alleles and test for stable polymorphisms at all loci. Dutoit et al. () confront this challenge in a paper published in this issue of Molecular Ecology. Using gene expression and population genomic data from the collared flycatcher, Dutoit et al. () identify associations and correlations between genomic signatures of balanced polymorphisms and sexual conflict.
A case of Marfan syndrome with ischemic stroke due to middle cerebral artery dissection
Authors: Ozawa Tadashi , Toyohara Akihiro , Kim Younhee , Mashiko Takafumi , Koide Reiji , Shimazaki Haruo , Higaki Ayuho , Namba Katsunari , Fujimoto Shigeru 
Published: September 2018

AbstractMarfan syndrome is known to cause aneurysm and dissection of the aorta and cerebral artery. Although there are many reports of dissection of the aorta, there are few of intracranial artery dissection. We report a 32‐year‐old man with Marfan syndrome. He was presented to our hospital with sudden left hemiparesis and dysarthria. The initial diffusion‐weighted image revealed high‐intensity lesions in the right corona radiata. Magnetic resonance angiography revealed the disruption of the blood flow signal in the proximal M1 portion of the right middle cerebral artery. The clinical course of acute occlusion and gradual recanalization was confirmed, and we diagnosed the dissection of the right middle cerebral artery. Anticoagulant therapy was started, and the neurological symptoms disappeared about 1 week after the onset. In Marfan syndrome, dissection of the intracranial cerebral artery is rare, so further investigation is required.
Spontaneous epimutations in plants
Authors: Johannes Frank , Schmitz Robert J. 
Published: September 2018

Contents

Summary
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I.
Introduction
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II.
What is the rate and molecular spectrum of spontaneous epimutations?
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III.
Do spontaneous epimutations have phenotypic consequences?
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IV.
Conclusion and discussion
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Acknowledgements
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References
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SummaryHeritable gains or losses of cytosine methylation can arise stochastically in plant genomes independently of DNA sequence changes. These so‐called ‘spontaneous epimutations’ appear to be a byproduct of imperfect DNA methylation maintenance and epigenome reinforcement events that occur in specialized cell types. There is continued interest in the plant epigenetics community in trying to understand the broader implications of these stochastic events, as some have been shown to induce heritable gene expression changes, shape patterns of methylation diversity within and among plant populations, and appear to be responsive to multi‐generational environmental stressors. In this paper we synthesized our current knowledge of the molecular basis and functional consequences of spontaneous epimutations in plants, discuss technical and conceptual challenges, and highlight emerging research directions.