bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Phenology of hibernation and reproduction in ground squirrels: integration of environmental cues with endogenous programming
Authors: Williams C. T. , Barnes B. M. , Kenagy G. J. , Buck C. L. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractMammalian hibernation is characterized by prolonged dormancy consisting of pronounced depression of metabolism and body temperature. Though hibernation occurs in at least seven mammalian orders and several families of the order Rodentia, the ecology and physiology of hibernation in rodents has been most extensively studied in the family Sciuridae, particularly in the so‐called ground squirrels, that is, the tribeMarmotini. Early studies of these rodents demonstrated the important role of an endogenous circannual clock in the persistence of annual timing and phasing of key seasonal events, including weight gain, hibernation and reproduction. Here, we review the causes and consequences of intraspecific variation in the timing of hibernation and reproduction in these sciurids and examine the physiological mechanisms that contribute to phenotypic plasticity in seasonal timing. Although the duration, annual phasing and predictability of seasonal change in environmental conditions likely promoted the evolution of endogeneity, precision and brevity of breeding seasons in the annual cycles of sciurids, substantial intraspecific variation in hibernation and reproductive phenology exists along latitudinal and altitudinal clines, as well as among locally varying environmental micro‐conditions. We suggest that much of this variation is a function of plasticity in the physiological mechanisms controlling annual cycles. While studies of captive animals have been instrumental in establishing the role of an endogenous rhythm, a greater emphasis on experimental field manipulations is needed to better understand the function, causes and consequences of phenological shifts in wild populations. Ultimately, the capacity of hibernators to adjust their timing in response to changing environmental conditions, either through phenotypic plasticity or microevolution, will be an important determinant of the resilience of sciurid species to changing climate.
Un‐nesting DNA Russian dolls – the potential for constructing food webs using residual DNA in empty aphid mummies
Authors: Varennes Y.‐D. , Boyer S. , Wratten S. D. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractConstructing food‐web assemblages comprising parasitoid wasps involves large field collections of hosts followed by labour‐intensive rearing of the insects to evaluate the rates of parasitism along with morphological or molecular identification of the parasitoid species. This article presents research towards a new molecular method for the practical and accurate construction of aphid‐based food webs. We hypothesize that parasitoid and hyperparasitoid DNA left inside aphid mummies after emergence of these third and fourth trophic‐level guilds can be simultaneously detected using universal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers for nonspecific DNA amplification in combination with single‐stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Such a protocol theoretically allows food‐web construction to be performed with no a priori knowledge of the species present. Moreover, the use of empty mummies circumvents rearing and minimizes labour and time in the field and laboratory. To test our hypothesis, we conducted DNA analyses on laboratory‐produced parasitized aphids (mummies) from Myzus persicae and Brevicoryne brassicae (two important aphid pest species) after exposure to the parasitoid Diaeretiella rapae and the hyperparasitoid Asaphes vulgaris. DNA is amplifiable in empty aphid mummies for as long as 3 weeks after parasitoid emergence. However, the simultaneous identification of several species in a single mummy sample was rare, which hinders the accurate inference of trophic links. DNA quality and relative quantity, together with preferential amplification, are potential explanations of current results. Technical refinements are needed to ensure full reliability and detection of complex trophic links. The use of PCR‐SSCP for food‐web construction is novel, and its potential to include an important number of different species is yet to be fully explored.
Overweight dynamics in Chinese children and adults
Authors: Gordon‐Larsen P. , Wang H. , Popkin B. M. 
Published: December 2013

SummaryChina has experienced a transition from a history of undernutrition to a rapid increase in obesity. The China Health and Nutrition Survey, an ongoing longitudinal, household‐based survey of urban and rural residents of nine provinces, documents these changes using measured height and weight across 53,298 observations from 18,059 participants collected from 1991 to 2011. Adult overweight (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 25 kg/m2) prevalence nearly tripled from 1991 (11.7%) to 2009 (29.2%), with significant cohort and age‐related effects (stronger in males). Among youth, quantile regression reveals changes across the BMI distribution. By 2009, approximately 12% of children and adolescents were overweight, and 3% of 7–11–year‐olds and 1% of 12–17‐year‐olds were obese (International Obesity Taskforce BMI 25 and 30 kg/m2 equivalents, respectively). In 1991–2000, urbanicity was strongly and positively associated with BMI, but in 2000–2011, trends were similar across rural and urban areas. Among women, the burden has shifted to lower educated women (the reverse is true for males, as overweight was higher in men of higher education). Our findings highlight the importance of preventive measures early in the life cycle to reduce weight gain.
Opioids for pain after oral surgery
Authors: Patel N. , Bailey E. , Coulthard P. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractAimTo describe the role of opioids in the management of pain after oral surgery.Materials and methodsA review of the literature describing the pharmacokinetics, benefits and harms of opioids in terms of systematic review evidence, interactions, use in children, pregnancy and breastfeeding.ResultsA 10‐mg intramuscular dose of morphine is recognised as a very effective analgesic for post‐operative pain with a number needed to treat (NNT) of 2.9. Codeine 60 mg has an NNT of 16.7 suggesting poor analgesic effectiveness, but in combination with 1 g paracetamol is an effective analgesic for the management of post‐operative pain with an NNT of 2.2.ConclusionsMorphine is effective for severe pain experienced by inpatients undergoing oral surgery, ideally administered intravenously or alternatively by intramuscular injection. Codeine is very effective when combined with paracetamol and is suitable for day‐case and outpatient oral surgery experiencing moderate to severe pain.
Pediatric Dermatology Training Survey of United States Dermatology Residency Programs
Authors: Nijhawan Rajiv I. , Mazza Joni M. , Silverberg Nanette B. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractVariability exists in pediatric dermatology education for dermatology residents. We sought to formally assess the pediatric dermatology curriculum and experience in a dermatology residency program. Three unique surveys were developed for dermatology residents, residency program directors, and pediatric dermatology fellowship program directors. The surveys consisted of questions pertaining to residency program characteristics. Sixty‐three graduating third‐year residents, 51 residency program directors, and 18 pediatric dermatology fellowship program directors responded. Residents in programs with one or more full‐time pediatric dermatologist were more likely to feel very competent treating children and were more likely to be somewhat or extremely satisfied with their pediatric curriculums than residents in programs with no full‐time pediatric dermatologist (50.0% vs 5.9%, p = 0.002, and 85.3% vs 52.9%, p < 0.001, respectively). Residents in programs with no full‐time pediatric dermatologist were the only residents who were somewhat or extremely dissatisfied with their pediatric training. Residency program directors were more satisfied with their curriculums when there was one or more pediatric dermatologist on staff (p < 0.01). Residents in programs with pediatric dermatology fellowships were much more likely to report being extremely satisfied than residents in programs without a pediatric dermatology fellowship (83.3% vs 21.2%; p < 0.001). The results of this survey support the need for dermatology residency programs to continue to strengthen their pediatric dermatology curriculums, especially through the recruitment of full‐time pediatric dermatologists.
On the Epidemic of Financial Crises
Authors: Demiris Nikolaos , Kypraios Theodore , Vanessa Smith L. 
Published: December 2013

SummaryThe paper proposes a framework for modelling financial contagion that is based on susceptible–infected–recovered transmission models from epidemic theory. This class of models addresses two important features of contagion modelling, which are a common shortcoming of most existing empirical approaches, namely the direct modelling of the inherent dependences that are involved in the transmission mechanism, and an associated canonical measure of crisis severity. The methodology proposed naturally implies a control mechanism, which is required when evaluating prospective immunization policies that intend to mitigate the effect of a crisis. It can be implemented not only as a way of learning from past experiences, but also at the onset of a contagious financial crisis. The approach is illustrated on a number of currency crisis episodes, using both historical final outcome and temporal data. The latter require the introduction of a novel hierarchical model that we call the hidden epidemic model and which embeds the stochastic financial epidemic as a latent process. The empirical results suggest, among others, an increasing trend for global transmission of currency crises over time.
Deliberating and Learning Contentious Issues: How Divided Societies Represent Conflict in History Textbooks
Authors: Drake Anna , McCulloch Allison 
Published: December 2013

AbstractHistory education can either exacerbate polarization and division or it can have conciliatory potential. Looking at a number of divided societies, we identify trends in curriculum portrayals of inter‐group conflict. Noting the power of re‐telling the past, we argue for a conciliatory approach to textbook design that entails the inclusion of multiple narratives. We detail why groups need to set out their own account of events and discuss the importance of the way that groups develop their accounts. We recommend an institutional, process‐based approach to textbook design grounded in the values of deliberative consociationalism and argue that the conciliatory approach is best pursued in a two‐stage model of deliberations. We develop this model and focus on how deliberations might occur and with what restrictions, taking seriously concerns about the applicability of deliberation in divided societies.
Mapuche Demands during Educational Reform, the Penguin Revolution and the Chilean Winter of Discontent
Authors: Webb Andrew , Radcliffe Sarah 
Published: December 2013

AbstractEnduring inequalities in Chile's education system are both a socio‐economic and ethno‐national problem. Student protests in 2006 and 2011 are representative of growing public concerns over the neoliberal socio‐economic model adopted by respective governments since the military regime ended in 1990. Education has also become a contested space in which the recognition of indigenous rights – and cultural and linguistic diversity in particular – have been negotiated. This article presents an analysis of the history of Mapuche struggles over education, in light of recent neoliberal reforms and political protests. Reforms to address large achievement differentials among indigenous populations have come through proposals for Intercultural Bilingual Education (IBE) in Chile and these, we suggest, have challenged the hegemonic education system and its assimilatory mechanisms. Its current administration, however, reflects minimal commitments to indigenous rights and only the thinnest recognition of cultural difference. Instead, the status quo of mono‐cultural and mono‐linguistic Chilean nationalism continues to be transmitted via the national curriculum.
Integrated Schooling in Divided Cyprus: Impossible or Indispensible?
Authors: Zembylas Michalinos 
Published: December 2013

AbstractThis article reflects on the absence of integrated schooling in Cyprus, trying to make sense of why this educational model seems impossible at the moment, interpret the shared education initiatives or policies that have been attempted in the recent past, and consider the potential for integrated schooling and shared education in the future. The article takes the following route. It begins by offering a brief background on the Cypriot conflict and its connections with education. This is followed by an overview of the findings of a large ethnographic study I conducted between 2008 and 2010 in two schools in which some sort of shared educational experiences had taken place. Finally, the article concludes by analysing the tensions and challenges of shared education in these schools and identifying the future prospects of integrated schooling in Cyprus.
Advancing Peace Culture in the Basque Autonomous Community: The Basque Education Plan for Peace and Human Rights (2008–2011)
Authors: Durkin Stuart A. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractApproved in December 2007, the Basque Education Plan for Peace and Human Rights (2008–2011) represents the most sophisticated policy development of its kind in over thirty years of autonomous governments. While by no means a panacea for ethno‐nationalist conflict in this context, the policy is nevertheless a significant development and carries the potential to make a substantial contribution to the cause of sustainable peacebuilding and reconciliation. By way of both an exposition of its principal aims and objectives, as well as an analysis of the political furore that accompanied its development, the article exposes the policy's principal limitation – its tendency towards indirectness. The article argues, however, that in structural terms peace education is advanced through the creation of a coordinating forum between the Basque government and organized Basque civil society. Moreover, despite this tendency towards indirectness, the policy initiates the necessary task of approaching issues hitherto largely avoided.
Mass Media and Ethnic Politics in Nigeria: An Overview
Authors: Ojo Emmanuel O. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractThe mass media are no doubt a political resource. In a plural and deeply divided society like Nigeria, its role is even more imperative in achieving national cohesion, integration, and stability. The snag however in Nigeria is that the mass media – both publicly and privately owned – are more or less ethnic jingoist. This research note takes a cursory look at the mass media and ethnicity in Nigerian politics, and infers that in the interest of the polity, media practitioners need to imbibe the ethics of their profession.
Scaling dermatosis in three dogs associated with abnormal sebaceous gland differentiation
Authors: Peters‐Kennedy Jeanine , Scott Danny W. , Loft Klaus E. , Miller William H. 
Published: December 2013

BackgroundAbnormal sebaceous gland differentiation, so‐called ‘sebaceous gland dysplasia’, is a rare condition described in the dog and the cat. Although little is known about this condition, it is thought that a genetic defect causes abnormal sebaceous gland development. Clinically, this condition occurs in young cats and dogs and is characterized by variable degrees of adherent scale, hair casts, poor coat quality and hypotrichosis.Hypothesis/ObjectiveHere, we describe the clinical presentation and treatment of three adult dogs with abnormal sebaceous gland differentiation.AnimalsThree adult dogs presented with a keratinization defect characterized by progressive scaling, hair casts, dull, dry, brittle hair coat and hypotrichosis beginning in puppyhood to early adulthood.MethodsMultiple 6 mm punch skin biopsy samples were obtained from each dog. Treatments included various topical keratomodulatory agents, oral essential fatty acids and oral vitamin A.ResultsHistologically, all sebaceous glands were small and composed of a mixture of irregularly clustered basal reserve cells and mature sebocytes. With therapy, two of the dogs showed moderate to marked clinical improvement in scaling, hair casts and hair coat quality.Conclusions and clinical importanceAlthough rare, ‘sebaceous gland dysplasia’ should be considered in cases where a primary keratinization defect is suspected. Given that abnormal sebaceous differentiation is a structural defect of the skin, treatment must be maintained and is aimed at ameliorating the clinical signs rather than curing the disease.
Effective connectivity of the subthalamic nucleus–globus pallidus network during Parkinsonian oscillations
Authors: Nevado‐Holgado Alejo J. , Mallet Nicolas , Magill Peter J. , Bogacz Rafal 
Published: December 2013

Key points
The firing of subthalamic nucleus (STN) neurons and two types of external globus pallidus (GP) neuron becomes excessively and rhythmically synchronised in Parkinsonism, but the substrates for this are unknown.
We recorded abnormal oscillatory firing of STN and GP neurons in vivo after chronic dopamine loss, and then used computational models to explore the underlying effective connections and physiological parameters.
The best candidate model accurately reproduced our electrophysiological data and predicted that the input and output connections of the two types of GP neuron are quantitatively different, including inhibitory connections from striatum and excitatory connections from thalamus and STN.
The two types of GP neuron were also predicted to have different intrinsic physiological properties, reflected in distinct autonomous firing rates.
Our results elucidate potential substrates of GP functional dichotomy, and suggest that rhythmic inputs from striatum, thalamus and cortex orchestrate STN–GP network activity during Parkinsonian oscillations.
AbstractIn Parkinsonism, subthalamic nucleus (STN) neurons and two types of external globus pallidus (GP) neuron inappropriately synchronise their firing in time with slow (∼1 Hz) or beta (13–30 Hz) oscillations in cortex. We recorded the activities of STN, Type‐I GP (GP‐TI) and Type‐A GP (GP‐TA) neurons in anaesthetised Parkinsonian rats during such oscillations to constrain a series of computational models that systematically explored the effective connections and physiological parameters underlying neuronal rhythmic firing and phase preferences in vivo. The best candidate model, identified with a genetic algorithm optimising accuracy/complexity measures, faithfully reproduced experimental data and predicted that the effective connections of GP‐TI and GP‐TA neurons are quantitatively different. Estimated inhibitory connections from striatum were much stronger to GP‐TI neurons than to GP‐TA neurons, whereas excitatory connections from thalamus were much stronger to GP‐TA and STN neurons than to GP‐TI neurons. Reciprocal connections between GP‐TI and STN neurons were matched in weight, but those between GP‐TA and STN neurons were not; only GP‐TI neurons sent substantial connections back to STN. Different connection weights between and within the two types of GP neuron were also evident. Adding to connection differences, GP‐TA and GP‐TI neurons were predicted to have disparate intrinsic physiological properties, reflected in distinct autonomous firing rates. Our results elucidate potential substrates of GP functional dichotomy, and emphasise that rhythmic inputs from striatum, thalamus and cortex are important for setting activity in the STN–GP network during Parkinsonian beta oscillations, suggesting they arise from interactions between most nodes of basal ganglia–thalamocortical circuits.
Phase 2, Randomized, Double-Blind Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Two Dose Regimens of Eravacycline versus Ertapenem for Adult Community-Acquired Complicated Intra-Abdominal Infections
Authors: Solomkin Joseph S. , Ramesh Mayakonda Krishnamurthy , Cesnauskas Gintaras , Novikovs Nikolajs , Stefanova Penka , Sutcliffe Joyce A. , Walpole Susannah M. , Horn Patrick T. 
Published: December 2013

ABSTRACT

Eravacycline is a novel fluorocycline, highly active against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens
in vitro
, including those with tetracycline and multidrug resistance. This phase 2, randomized, double-blind study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of two dose regimens of eravacycline compared with ertapenem in adult hospitalized patients with complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAIs). Patients with confirmed cIAI requiring surgical or percutaneous intervention and antibacterial therapy were randomized (2:2:1) to receive eravacycline at 1.5 mg/kg of body weight every 24 h (q24h), eravacycline at 1.0 mg/kg every 12 h (q12h), or ertapenem at 1 g (q24h) for a minimum of 4 days and a maximum of 14 days. The primary efficacy endpoint was the clinical response in microbiologically evaluable (ME) patients at the test-of-cure (TOC) visit 10 to 14 days after the last dose of study drug therapy. Overall, 53 patients received eravacycline at 1.5 mg/kg q24h, 56 received eravacycline at 1.0 mg/kg q12h, and 30 received ertapenem. For the ME population, the clinical success rate at the TOC visit was 92.9% (39/42) in the group receiving eravacycline at 1.5 mg/kg q24h, 100% (41/41) in the group receiving eravacycline at 1.0 mg/kg q12h, and 92.3% (24/26) in the ertapenem group. The incidences of treatment-emergent adverse events were 35.8%, 28.6%, and 26.7%, respectively. Incidence rates of nausea and vomiting were low in both eravacycline groups. Both dose regimens of eravacycline were as efficacious as the comparator, ertapenem, in patients with cIAI and were well tolerated. These results support the continued development of eravacycline for the treatment of serious infections, including those caused by drug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT01265784.)
Antibiotic Streptolydigin Requires Noncatalytic Mg
2+
for Binding to RNA Polymerase
Authors: Zorov Savva , Yuzenkova Yulia , Nikiforov Vadim , Severinov Konstantin , Zenkin Nikolay 
Published: December 2013

ABSTRACT
Multisubunit RNA polymerase, an enzyme that accomplishes transcription in all living organisms, is a potent target for antibiotics. The antibiotic streptolydigin inhibits RNA polymerase by sequestering the active center in a catalytically inactive conformation. Here, we show that binding of streptolydigin to RNA polymerase strictly depends on a noncatalytic magnesium ion which is likely chelated by the aspartate of the bridge helix of the active center. Substitutions of this aspartate may explain different sensitivities of bacterial RNA polymerases to streptolydigin. These results provide the first evidence for the role of noncatalytic magnesium ions in the functioning of RNA polymerase and suggest new routes for the modification of existing and the design of new inhibitors of transcription.