bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Equivocal Responses of Feeding Parents to Experimental Brood Sizes in a Hawk–Cuckoo Host: Brood Size as a Reference for Parental Provisioning Decisions?
Authors: Tanaka Keita D. , Morimoto Gen , Ueda Keisuke 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThe number of offspring surviving until independence is the fundamental drive in the evolution of parental care. Because of the related costs, parental investment must be balanced with essential resources for parents themselves, among the resources available in the environment under the current parental condition. It is advantageous for parents to adjust their level of investment to the number of offspring; however, there is little evidence that parents employ numerical competence in adjusting their investment level. We investigated how parents respond to experimentally manipulated brood sizes in a passerine species, known as a host of a brood parasitic cuckoo whose chicks presumably deceive their hosts numerically. Parents reduced their provisioning to broods of reduced sizes, whereas parents did not increase provisioning to enlarged broods compared to that in the control condition. These parental responses can be attributed to the response of chicks to the experimental treatments compared to that in the control: chicks lowered begging intensity in the reduced condition, while they did not intensify being in the enlarged condition. Further analyses revealed that eagerness of parents to respond to chick begging intensity differed between the experimental treatments: strong parental response was detected toward begging chicks only in the reduced condition. We propose that the detected equivocality of parental responses might be related to the difference in the number of chicks between the unmanipulated and experimentally manipulated broods, the former reflecting the initial parental decision on the amount of resources to allocate to the brood.
Spatial pattern of invasion and the evolutionary responses of native plant species
Authors: Stotz Gisela C. , Gianoli Ernesto , Cahill James F. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractInvasive plant species can have a strong negative impact on the resident native species, likely imposing new selective pressures on them. Altered selective pressures may result in evolutionary changes in some native species, reducing competitive exclusion and allowing for coexistence with the invader. Native genotypes that are able to coexist with strong invaders may represent a valuable resource for management efforts. A better understanding of the conditions under which native species are more, or less, likely to adapt to an invader is necessary to incorporate these eco‐evolutionary dynamics into management strategies. We propose that the spatial structure of invasion, in particular the size and isolation of invaded patches, is one factor which can influence the evolutionary responses of native species through modifying gene flow and the strength of selection. We present a conceptual model in which large, dense, and well‐connected patches result in a greater likelihood of native species adaptation. We also identify characteristics of the interacting species that may influence the evolutionary response of native species to invasion and outline potential management implications. Identifying areas of rapid evolutionary change may offer one additional tool to managers in their effort to conserve biodiversity in the face of invasion.
Health care privatization processes in Europe: Theoretical justifications and empirical classification
Authors: André Christine , Batifoulier Philippe , Jansen‐Ferreira Mariana 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThis article analyses the health care system reform process in Europe based on the concept of privatization. This notion is understood from two perspectives. First, privatization may concern the health care financing or the provision of health services. Second, privatization can be “imposed” on individuals or be “internalized” and then introduced by individuals (patients and doctors). So we emphasize the diversity that privatization can assume. We classify privatization mechanisms used by different countries and identify which of the perspectives presented are more common in 14 European Union countries since the 1980s. The article shows that even if privatization processes are widespread, they assume different patterns in each country.
Health economic burden that different wound types impose on the UK's National Health Service
Authors: Guest Julian F , Ayoub Nadia , McIlwraith Tracey , Uchegbu Ijeoma , Gerrish Alyson , Weidlich Diana , Vowden Kathryn , Vowden Peter 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThe aim of this study was to estimate the patterns of care and annual levels of health care resource use attributable to the management of different wound types by the UK's National Health Service (NHS) in 2012/2013 and the annual costs incurred by the NHS in managing them. This was a retrospective cohort analysis of the records of 2000 patients in The Health Improvement Network (THIN) Database. Patients' characteristics, wound‐related health outcomes and all health care resource use were quantified, and the total NHS cost of patient management was estimated at 2013/2014 prices. The NHS managed an estimated 2·2 million patients with a wound during 2012/2013. Patients were predominantly managed in the community by general practitioners (GPs) and nurses. The annual NHS cost varied between £1·94 billion for managing 731 000 leg ulcers and £89·6 million for managing 87 000 burns, and associated comorbidities. Sixty‐one percent of all wounds were shown to heal in an average year. Resource use associated with managing the unhealed wounds was substantially greater than that of managing the healed wounds (e.g. 20% more practice nurse visits, 104% more community nurse visits). Consequently, the annual cost of managing wounds that healed in the study period was estimated to be £2·1 billion compared with £3·2 billion for the 39% of wounds that did not heal within the study year. Within the study period, the cost per healed wound ranged from £698 to £3998 per patient and that of an unhealed wound ranged from £1719 to £5976 per patient. Hence, the patient care cost of an unhealed wound was a mean 135% more than that of a healed wound. Real‐world evidence highlights the substantial burden that wounds impose on the NHS in an average year. Clinical and economic benefits to both patients and the NHS could accrue from strategies that focus on (a) wound prevention, (b) accurate diagnosis and (c) improving wound‐healing rates.
A meta‐analysis of reflectance confocal microscopy for the diagnosis of malignant skin tumours
Authors: Xiong Y.D. , Ma S. , Li X. , Zhong X. , Duan C. , Chen Q. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractEarly diagnosis is extremely important for treatment and prognosis of skin cancer. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a recently developed technique used to diagnose skin cancer. This meta‐analysis was carried out to assess the accuracy of RCM for the diagnosis of malignant skin tumours. We conducted a systematic literature search of EMBASE, PubMed, the Cochrane Library and Web of Science database for relevant articles in English published up to 24 December 2015. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the QUADAS‐2 tool. Statistical analyses were conducted using the software Meta‐Disc version 1.4 and STATA version 12.0. A total of 21 studies involving 3108 patients with a total of 3602 lesions were included in the per‐lesion analysis. The corresponding pooled results for sensitivity and specificity were 93.6% (95% CI: 0.92–0.95) and 82.7% (95% CI: 0.81–0.84) respectively. Positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio were 5.84 (95% CI: 4.27–7.98) and 0.08 (95% CI: 0.07–0.10) respectively. Subgroup analysis showed that RCM had a sensitivity of 92.7% (95% CI: 0.90–0.95) and a specificity of 78.3% (95% CI: 0.76–0.81) for detecting melanoma. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of RCM for detecting basal cell carcinoma were 91.7% (95% CI: 0.87–0.95) and 91.3% (95% CI: 0.94–0.96) respectively. RCM is a valid method of identifying malignant skin tumours accurately.
Effects of maternal folic acid supplementation on gene methylation and being small for gestational age
Authors: Qian Y.‐Y. , Huang X.‐L. , Liang H. , Zhang Z.‐F. , Xu J.‐H. , Chen J.‐P. , Yuan W. , He L. , Wang L. , Miao M.‐H. , Du J. , Li D.‐K. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractBackgroundBeing small for gestational age (SGA), a foetal growth abnormality, has a long‐lasting impact on childhood health. Its aetiology and underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Underlying epigenetic changes of imprinted genes have emerged as a potential pathological pathway because they may be associated with growth, including SGA. As a common methyl donor, folic acid (FA) is essential for DNA methylation, synthesis and repair, and FA supplementation is widely recommended for women planning pregnancy. The present study aimed to investigate the inter‐relationships among methylation levels of two imprinted genes [H19 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and MEST DMRs], maternal FA supplementation and SGA.MethodsWe conducted a case–control study. Umbilical cord blood was taken from 39 SGA infants and 49 controls whose birth weights are appropriate for gestational age (AGA). DNA methylation levels of H19 and MEST DMRs were determined by an analysis of mass array quantitative methylation.ResultsStatistically significantly higher methylation levels were observed at sites 7.8, 9 and 17.18 of H19 (P = 0.030, 0.016 and 0.050, respectively) in the SGA infants compared to the AGA group. In addition, the association was stronger in male births where the mothers took FA around conception at six H19 sites (P = 0.004, 0.005, 0.048, 0.002, 0.021 and 0.005, respectively).ConclusionsMethylation levels at H19 DMRs were higher in SGA infants compared to AGA controls. It appears that the association may be influenced by maternal peri‐conception FA supplementation and also be sex‐specific.
A systematic literature review of the physical and psychosocial correlates of Special Olympics participation among individuals with intellectual disability
Authors: Tint A. , Thomson K. , Weiss J.A. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractBackgroundSpecial Olympics (SO) is commonly cited to play an important role in the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). The purpose of the current review was to (a) synthesise key findings regarding the physical, psychological/emotional, social and/or intellectual/cognitive correlates of SO participation for individuals with ID and (b) highlight limitations in the extant research as well as directions for future research.MethodA systematic review of electronic databases was undertaken. A total of 46 articles were confirmed to meet study criteria. Quality assessments of included studies were conducted using checklists from the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network methodology checklists (SIGN 50; SIGN 2008).ResultsThere was a larger amount of support for physical, psychological/emotional and social outcomes as compared with cognitive/intellectual outcomes; however, many studies were confounded by measurement difficulties, sampling procedures and a lack of replicable methods, which hinder generalisation of results.ConclusionsThis review highlights the need for a continued critical focus on SO programme evaluation research with more rigorous and replicable methods.
Ultrastructural features of dentinoenamel junction revealed by focused gallium ion beam milling
Authors: BAKHSH TURKI A. 
Published: May 2016

SummaryTo take full advantage of focused ion beam (FIB) in preparation of ultrathin sections of biological tissues, we have used a cryo‐milling process. In this study, extracted human teeth were scanned by optical coherence tomography to inspect the samples for intactness and to determine the area of interest. Then, the selected area of interest was cross‐sectioned for examination under a confocal laser scanning microscope to determine the target location of the dentinoenamel junction (DEJ) that was later milled by cryo‐FIB at preset parameters, followed by transmission electron microscope examination of the final sliced specimens for ultrastructural characterization. The proposed technique was able to outline the DEJ and to identify the different tooth layers in a single section, without artefacts or tissue damage. The DEJ was outlined as fine longitudinal projections intermingling between the solid electron‐dense enamel and intricate electron‐lucent hollow dentin. In conclusion, this study has shown the great potential of cryo‐FIB in handling different biological tissues having different physical properties, with great precision and accuracy and minimum artefacts.
Screening for SH3TC2 gene mutations in a series of demyelinating recessive Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth disease (CMT4)
Authors: Piscosquito Giuseppe , Saveri Paola , Magri Stefania , Ciano Claudia , Gandioli Claudia , Morbin Michela , Bella Daniela D. , Moroni Isabella , Taroni Franco , Pareyson Davide 
Published: May 2016

AbstractCharcot‐Marie‐Tooth disease type 4C (CMT4C) is an autosomal recessive (AR) demyelinating neuropathy associated to SH3TC2 mutations, characterized by early onset, spine deformities, and cranial nerve involvement. We screened 43 CMT4 patients (36 index cases) with AR inheritance, demyelinating nerve conductions, and negative testing for PMP22 duplication, GJB1 and MPZ mutations, for SH3TC2 mutations. Twelve patients (11 index cases) had CMT4C as they carried homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in SH3TC2. We found six mutations: three nonsense (p.R1109*, p.R954*, p.Q892*), one splice site (c.805+2T>C), one synonymous variant (p.K93K) predicting altered splicing, and one frameshift (p.F491Lfs*32) mutation. The splice site and the frameshift mutations are novel. Mean onset age was 7 years (range: 1–14). Neuropathy was moderate‐to‐severe. Scoliosis was present in 11 patients (severe in 4), and cranial nerve deficits in 9 (hearing loss in 7). Scoliosis and cranial nerve involvement are frequent features of this CMT4 subtype, and their presence should prompt the clinician to look for SH3TC2 gene mutations. In our series of undiagnosed CMT4 patients, SH3TC2 mutation frequency is 30%, confirming that CMT4C may be the most common AR‐CMT type.
Workplace bullying among Nurses in South Taiwan
Authors: Fang Li , Huang Su‐Hui , Fang Shu‐Hui 
Published: May 2016

AbstractAims and objectivesThis study was to investigate bullying among hospital nurses and its correlates.BackgroundChinese people were unlikely to express their opinions or pursue individual rights. Workplace bullying took place more easily among the educated people within Chinese culture. However, studies related to workplace bullying among hospital nurses in Taiwan were still limited.DesignA cross‐sectional design.MethodsTwo hundred and eighty‐five nurses who worked in the regional teaching hospital in south Taiwan were recruited. The significant predictors of workplace bullying were identified by using linear regression analysis.ResultsThe mean of overall bullying was 1·47, showing that the frequency of the nurses having experienced workplace bullying was between ‘never’ and ‘now and then’. The most frequent bullying item was ‘being yelled at or being the target of anger’, followed by ‘being the objects of untruthful criticism’ and ‘having views ignored’. Hospital nurses working in the Emergency room would gain 10·888 points more in the overall bullying scale compared with those who worked in operation rooms or haemodialysis rooms. They were more likely to be bullied. Hospital nurses with one year increase in nursing experience were 0·207 points less likely to be bullied.ConclusionsReducing workplace bullying among hospital nurses was an essential method to provide quality assurance to health care. Nurse managers should build up zero tolerance policy to decrease nurses’ exposure to workplace bullying.Relevance to clinical practiceTraining programmes related to bullying prevention are suggested to avoid workplace bullying. The contents of the educational training programmes or workshops should incorporate the characteristics and consequences of the workplace bullying, and the strategies to deal with bullying.
The potential role of in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy for evaluating oral cavity lesions: a systematic review
Authors: Lucchese Alberta , Gentile Enrica , Romano Antonio , Maio Claudio , Laino Luigi , Serpico Rosario 
Published: May 2016

BackgroundSince the early 2000s, several studies have examined the application of reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) to the oral cavity. This review gives an overview of the literature on reflectance confocal microscopy analysis of the oral cavity in vivo and identifies flaws in the studies, providing guidance to improve reflectance confocal microscopy applications and inform the design of future studies.MethodsThe PubMed, ISI, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for publications on RCM using the terms ‘reflectance confocal microscopy’ in combination with ‘mouth’ and other terms related to the topic of interest.ResultsThe search gave 617 results. Seventeen studies were included in our final analysis. We decided to organize the selected articles according to four topics: healthy mucosa, autoimmune diseases, cancer and precancerous lesions, and hard dental tissues.ConclusionAlthough reflectance confocal microscopy is promising for diagnosing and monitoring oral pathology, it has shortcomings and there are still too few publications on this topic. Further studies are needed to increase the quantity and quality of the results, to translate research into clinical practice.
Optimal Subsidization of Business Start‐Ups
Authors: YAZICI HAKKI 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThis paper studies efficient allocation of resources in an economy in which agents are initially heterogeneous with regard to their wealth levels and whether they have productive ideas or not. An agent with an idea can start a business that generates random returns. Agents have private information about (1) their initial types, (2) how they allocate their resources between consumption and investment, and (3) the realized returns. I show that, under informational frictions, a society that targets productive efficiency should subsidize poor agents with ideas, and choose the amount and timing of subsidies carefully in order to ensure that other agents do not mimic poor agents with ideas and receive subsidies. Then, I provide an implementation of the start‐up subsidies in a market framework that resembles the U.S. Small Business Administration's Business Loan Program.
EXTRA SPINDLE POLES (Separase) controls anisotropic cell expansion in Norway spruce (Picea abies) embryos independently of its role in anaphase progression
Authors: Moschou Panagiotis N. , Savenkov Eugene I. , Minina Elena A. , Fukada Kazutake , Reza Salim Hossain , Gutierrez‐Beltran Emilio , Sanchez‐Vera Victoria , Suarez Maria F. , Hussey Patrick J. , Smertenko Andrei P. , Bozhkov Peter V. 
Published: May 2016

Summary

The caspase‐related protease separase (EXTRA SPINDLE POLES, ESP) plays a major role in chromatid disjunction and cell expansion in Arabidopsis thaliana. Whether the expansion phenotypes are linked to defects in cell division in Arabidopsis ESP mutants remains elusive.

Here we present the identification, cloning and characterization of the gymnosperm Norway spruce (Picea abies, Pa) ESP. We used the P. abies somatic embryo system and a combination of reverse genetics and microscopy to explore the roles of Pa ESP during embryogenesis.

Pa ESP was expressed in the proliferating embryonal mass, while it was absent in the suspensor cells. Pa ESP associated with kinetochore microtubules in metaphase and then with anaphase spindle midzone. During cytokinesis, it localized on the phragmoplast microtubules and on the cell plate. Pa ESP deficiency perturbed anisotropic expansion and reduced mitotic divisions in cotyledonary embryos. Furthermore, whilst Pa ESP can rescue the chromatid nondisjunction phenotype of Arabidopsis ESP mutants, it cannot rescue anisotropic cell expansion.

Our data demonstrate that the roles of ESP in daughter chromatid separation and cell expansion are conserved between gymnosperms and angiosperms. However, the mechanisms of ESP‐mediated regulation of cell expansion seem to be lineage‐specific.
Immune cellular profile of bisphosphonate‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw
Authors: de Barros Silva PG , de Oliveira CC , Brizeno LAC , Wong DVT , Lima Júnior RCP , Gonçalves RP , Sousa FB , Mota MRL , de Albuquerque Ribeiro R , Alves APNN 
Published: May 2016

ObjectivesCharacterize the cell profile and immunostaining of proinflammatory markers in an experimental model of bisphosphonate‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ).Materials and MethodsMale Wistar rats (n = 6–7) were treated chronically with saline solution or zoledronic acid (ZA) at 0.04, 0.20, and 1.00 mg kg−1 (1.4 × 10−7, 6.9 × 10−6, and 3.4 × 10−5 mol kg−1), and subsequently, the first left inferior molar was extracted. Were performed counting of viable and empty osteocyte lacunae, viable and apoptotic osteoclasts, polymorphonuclear neutrophil, mast cells (toluidine blue), and the positive presence cells for CD68, tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α), IL (interleukin)‐1β, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐kB) and IL‐18 binding protein (IL‐18 bp).ResultsBRONJ was showed in ZA treated with 0.20 and 1.00 mg kg−1. There is a dose dependent increase in percentage of empty osteocyte lacunae (P < 0.001) and apoptotic osteoclasts (P < 0.001), counting of total osteoclasts (P = 0.003), polymorphonuclear neutrophil cells (P = 0.009), cytoplasmic‐positive cells of CD68 (P < 0.001), TNF‐α (P = 0.001), IL‐1β (P = 0.001), iNOS (P < 0.001), NF‐kB (P = 0.006), and nuclear‐positive cells of NF‐kB (P = 0.011). Consequently, there is no difference in mast cells (P = 0.957), and IL‐18 bp immunostaining decreases dose dependently (P = 0.005).ConclusionsBRONJ is characterized by increases in immunostaining for proinflammatory markers and NF‐kB and inversely associated with cells exhibiting IL‐18 bp.
Pericarditis and Pericardial Effusions in End‐Stage Renal Disease
Authors: Dad Taimur , Sarnak Mark J. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractPericarditis and pericardial effusions are not uncommon in patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD). Etiologies include those found in the general population along with two entities unique to patients with kidney disease, namely uremic and dialysis‐associated pericarditis. Uremic pericarditis has been arbitrarily defined as pericarditis that develops before or within 8 weeks of initiation of dialysis, while dialysis‐associated pericarditis is used to define pericarditis in patients on dialysis for more than 8 weeks. Retention of uremic toxins is likely a major contributor to uremic and dialysis‐associated pericarditis although their exact cause is not known. Indeed, whether they are actually distinct entities is uncertain. Symptoms and signs of pericarditis differ in patients with ESRD compared to the non‐ESRD population. Management has not been well studied and ranges from initiation and intensification of dialysis to percutaneous or open drainage for large effusions. This review covers the literature on this topic but emphasizes that most of the data are old and of relatively poor quality, and therefore additional research is needed.