bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Immunoregulation of multiple sclerosis by gut environmental factors
Authors: Croxford J. Ludovic , Miyake Sachiko 
Published: October 2015

AbstractMicrobiota exist symbiotically in the human gut to aid the digestion of nutrients. However, gut microbiota also have immunoregulatory properties. The hygiene hypothesis describes the idea that environmental factors, such as diet, pollution, antibiotic use, vitamin D insufficiency and increased sanitation/hygiene, can alter the natural development of the immune system, thus making individuals more susceptible to allergy or autoimmune disease. Therefore, factors that are more prevalent in the current environment and living a “modern” lifestyle have depleted important microbiota in the gut that “shape” the development of our immune system. Studies in animal models of disease have shown that alterations in gut microbiota can affect autoimmune diseases, such as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, and that specific bacterial species are involved in pathogenic (pro‐T helper 17 cells) or regulatory (Foxp3+ regulatory T cells) pathways. Recent multiple sclerosis studies have also reported changes in gut microbiota between multiple sclerosis patients and healthy individuals. The role of these microbiota in disease, as well as which specific microbial products mediate their effects, will be important for the development of probiotic therapies. The present review provides an overview of the evidence regarding gut microbiota, how it relates to the immune system, and recent evidence in animal models and human disease with a focus on the central nervous system demyelinating disease, multiple sclerosis.
Patterns of Wnt signaling in the life cycle of Podocoryna carnea and its implications for medusae evolution in Hydrozoa (Cnidaria)
Authors: Sanders Steven M. , Cartwright Paulyn 
Published: October 2015

SUMMARYHydrozoans are known for their complex life cycles, alternating between benthic, asexually reproducing polyps and pelagic, sexually reproducing medusae. Although patterning in hydrozoan polyps has been well studied, little is known about the signaling mechanisms governing medusa development. In order to investigate the role of Wnt signaling in medusa development, we use RNA‐Seq data collected from three discrete life cycle stages of Podocoryna carnea to assemble, annotate, and assess enrichment and differential expression (DE) of Wnt pathway elements in P. carnea's transcriptome. Enrichment analyses revealed a statistically significant enrichment of DE Wnt signaling transcripts in the transcriptome of P. carnea, of which, the vast majority of these were significantly up‐regulated in developing and adult medusae stages. Whole mount in situ hybridization (ISH) reveals co‐expression of the Wnt ligand, Wnt3, and a membrane bound Wnt receptor, frizzled3, at the distal and oral ends of the developmental axes of medusae and polyps in P. carnea. DE and ISH results presented here reveal expression of Wnt signaling components consistent with it playing a role in medusa development. Specifically, Wnt ligand expression in the oral region suggests that the Wnt pathway may play a role in medusa patterning, similar to that of polyps. Previous Wnt expression studies in hydrozoan taxa with reduced medusa have failed to detect co‐expression of Wnt3 and a frizzled receptor at their truncated developmental axes, suggesting that down regulation of Wnt pathway elements may play a key role in the loss of the medusa life cycle stage in hydrozoan evolution.
The Common Elements of treatment engagement for clinically high‐risk youth and youth with first‐episode psychosis
Authors: Becker Kimberly D. , Buckingham Sara L. , Rith‐Najarian Leslie , Kline Emily R. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractAimWithout treatment, clinically high‐risk (CHR) youth or youth with first‐episode psychosis (FEP) have increased risk for significant complications from their illness; yet, treatment engagement among these youth is critically low. The purpose of this study was to examine engagement efforts with CHR/FEP youth to stimulate new ideas that might facilitate participation in services for this population.MethodsA literature review using distillation methods identified engagement practices reported in two bodies of literature. The first body of literature (i.e. ‘CHR/FEP engagement’) included 13 studies employing qualitative designs to explore consumer perspectives about treatment engagement practices in samples of CHR/FEP youth and their families. The second body of research (i.e. ‘CHR/FEP RCTs’) included 18 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing treatments for CHR/FEP youth and their families. Engagement practice frequencies were compared with the frequency of these practices within effective engagement interventions, as tested in 40 RCTs within the broader child and adolescent mental health literature (i.e. ‘CAMH engagement’).ResultsTreatment attrition and attendance were the most frequent engagement outcomes measured in the CHR/FEP RCTs. There were notable efforts described in the CHR/FEP RCTs towards engaging youth and families, yet CHR/FEP RCTs reportedly included only a small proportion of engagement practices described in either the CHR/FEP or CAMH engagement literatures.ConclusionResults suggest there might be practices available to complement current efforts at engaging CHR/FEP youth in treatment, and that increased attention to the measurement of engagement outcomes could provide important information regarding engagement in a population with low treatment engagement rates.
Improving the monitoring of crop productivity using spaceborne solar‐induced fluorescence
Authors: Guan Kaiyu , Berry Joseph A. , Zhang Yongguang , Joiner Joanna , Guanter Luis , Badgley Grayson , Lobell David B. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractLarge‐scale monitoring of crop growth and yield has important value for forecasting food production and prices and ensuring regional food security. A newly emerging satellite retrieval, solar‐induced fluorescence (SIF) of chlorophyll, provides for the first time a direct measurement related to plant photosynthetic activity (i.e. electron transport rate). Here, we provide a framework to link SIF retrievals and crop yield, accounting for stoichiometry, photosynthetic pathways, and respiration losses. We apply this framework to estimate United States crop productivity for 2007–2012, where we use the spaceborne SIF retrievals from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment‐2 satellite, benchmarked with county‐level crop yield statistics, and compare it with various traditional crop monitoring approaches. We find that a SIF‐based approach accounting for photosynthetic pathways (i.e. C3 and C4 crops) provides the best measure of crop productivity among these approaches, despite the fact that SIF sensors are not yet optimized for terrestrial applications. We further show that SIF provides the ability to infer the impacts of environmental stresses on autotrophic respiration and carbon‐use‐efficiency, with a substantial sensitivity of both to high temperatures. These results indicate new opportunities for improved mechanistic understanding of crop yield responses to climate variability and change.
Micrometeorological measurements over 3 years reveal differences in N2O emissions between annual and perennial crops
Authors: Abalos Diego , Brown Shannon E. , Vanderzaag Andrew C. , Gordon Robert J. , Dunfield Kari E. , Wagner‐Riddle Claudia 
Published: October 2015

AbstractPerennial crops can deliver a wide range of ecosystem services compared to annual crops. Some of these benefits are achieved by lengthening the growing season, which increases the period of crop water and nutrient uptake, pointing to a potential role for perennial systems to mitigate soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Employing a micrometeorological method, we tested this hypothesis in a 3‐year field experiment with a perennial grass‐legume mixture and an annual corn monoculture. Given that N2O emissions are strongly dependent on the method of fertilizer application, two manure application options commonly used by farmers for each crop were studied: injection vs. broadcast application for the perennial; fall vs. spring application for the annual. Across the 3 years, lower N2O emissions (P < 0.001) were measured for the perennial compared to the annual crop, even though annual N2O emissions increased tenfold for the perennial after ploughing. The percentage of N2O lost per unit of fertilizer applied was 3.7, 3.1 and 1.3 times higher for the annual for each consecutive year. Differences in soil organic matter due to the contrasting root systems of these crops are probably a major factor behind the N2O reduction. We found that a specific manure management practice can lead to increases or reductions in annual N2O emissions depending on environmental variables. The number of freeze‐thaw cycles during winter and the amount of rainfall after fertilization in spring were key factors. Therefore, general manure management recommendations should be avoided because interannual weather variability has the potential to determine if a specific practice is beneficial or detrimental. The lower N2O emissions of perennial crops deserve further research attention and must be considered in future land‐use decisions. Increasing the proportion of perennial crops in agricultural landscapes may provide an overlooked opportunity to regulate N2O emissions.
Effect of a postoperative exercise program on arteriovenous fistula maturation: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Fontseré Néstor , Mestres Gaspar , Yugueros Xavier , López Teresa , Yuguero Anna , Bermudez Patricia , Gomez Fernando , Riambau Vicenç , Maduell Francisco , Campistol Josep M. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractExercises after arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation may help to improve maturation; however, their usefulness has only been examined in indirect, non‐comparative studies or small trials. Between June 2013 and November 2014, we included all ambulatory patients with stages 5‐5D chronic kidney disease who were candidates for the creation of a native AVF in our center. After surgery, all patients were randomized to an exercise group or a control group with single‐blind control. At 1 month postoperatively, clinical maturation (expert nurse inspection) and ultrasonographic maturation (flow >500 mL/min, venous diameter >5 mm and depth <6 mm) were assessed in all patients. A total of 72 patients were randomized, 3 were lost to follow‐up, and 69 were finally analyzed. The mean age was 66.8 years (standard deviation 13.8), 70.0% were men, and 65.2% were in pre‐dialysis. After surgery (42.0% had distal AVF), the patients were randomized (31 controls, 38 exercise group). At 1 month after surgery, global clinical and ultrasonographic maturation was assessed in 88.4% and 78.3% of AVF, respectively (kappa = 0.539). Non‐significant differences in clinical or ultrasonographic maturation were seen between exercise and control group (94.7% vs. 80.6%, P = 0.069; 81.6% vs. 74.2%, P = 0.459). A stepwise logistic regression was performed to control previously analyzed asymmetrically distributed confounding factors (AVF localization), revealing that the exercise group showed greater clinical, but not ultrasonographic, maturation (odds ratio [OR] 5.861, 95% confidence interval: 1.006–34.146 and OR 2.403, 0.66–8.754). A postoperative controlled exercise program after AVF creation seems to increase 1‐month clinical AVF maturation in distal accesses. Furthermore, exercise programs should be taken into account, especially in distal accesses.
Clinical course of hepatitis B surface antigen positive subjects following screening: A retrospective observational study from April 2008 to January 2013
Authors: E. Furukawa Naoko , Yamashita Shu‐ichi , Maeyama Keishiro , Oeda Satoshi , Iwane Shinji , Hirai Kenji , Ozaki Iwata , Eguchi Yuichiro 
Published: October 2015

AimDetermination of the percentage of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive participants who undergo screening and treatment may reduce the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. This study assessed the percentages of HBsAg positive participants detected by free screening at medical institutions in Saga Prefecture who underwent detailed examinations and antiviral treatment.MethodsParticipants were screened for HBsAg positivity at medical institutions in Saga Prefecture from April 2008 to January 2013, with some visiting physicians for detailed examinations and applying for reimbursement. Participants in the database of the Health Promotion Division of Saga Prefecture and results of detailed examinations were analyzed retrospectively.ResultsScreening revealed 193 eligible participants, 105 men (54%) and 88 women (46%), of a mean age of 55.5 ± 14.9 years. Of these 193 participants, 147 (76%) visited physicians for detailed examinations, 24 (16%) were regarded as needing treatment and seven (3.6%) were reimbursed for antiviral treatments. The 46 participants who did not undergo detailed examinations were significantly younger than the 147 examined participants (50.9 ± 13.2 vs 56.9 ± 15.2 years, P = 0.018). Of the 110 participants thought to require observation, 68 (62%) were assigned to this group without determination of alanine aminotransferase or hepatitis B virus DNA concentration, and 15 (14%) had indications for antiviral treatment according to the 2014 guidelines of the Japanese Society of Hepatology.ConclusionThe proportion of HBsAg positive participants receiving antiviral treatment was lower than that of participants undergoing detailed examinations.
New recognition of the natural history and growth pattern of hepatic hemangioma in adults
Authors: Jing Li , Liang Huang , Caifeng Liu , Jianjun Yan , Feng Xu , Mengchao Wu , Yiqun Yan 
Published: October 2015

AimSurgical indications for hepatic hemangiomas are still not clearly defined due to limited data on their natural history. This study aimed to investigate the natural history and growth pattern of hepatic hemangiomas in adults.MethodsFrom April 2010 to March 2013, adult patients with hepatic hemangioma who had no prior treatment were enrolled. A routine follow up was performed to observe the natural history of the lesions and their tendency to cause complications.ResultsA total of 236 patients were enrolled in the study. The median size of hemangiomas was 4.5 cm (range, 0.6–19.2). During a median follow‐up period of 48 months (range, 3–266), 61.0% patients had hemangiomas that increased in size, 23.7% patients had stable lesions and 8.5% patients had hemangiomas that decreased in size. The peak growth period of hemangiomas was in patients of less than 30 years of age (0.46 ± 0.41 cm/year) and the growth rate decreased significantly after 50 years of age (0.21 ± 0.40 cm/year). Hemangiomas of less than 2 cm had the lowest growth rate (0.16 ± 0.42 cm/year). The peak growth rate of hemangioma size was 8–10 cm (0.80 ± 0.62 cm/year), then decreased rapidly to 0.47 ± 0.91 cm/year while the hemangiomas were of more than 10 cm. Only nine patients had severe symptoms caused by hemangioma. No patients presented with hemangioma‐related complications.ConclusionThe majority of hepatic hemangiomas have the tendency to increase in size but rarely cause complications. All the hemangiomas can be safely managed by observation, and surgery is only considered for patients with severe complications.
Monastic ‘Governmentality’: Revisiting ‘Community’ and ‘Communalism’ in South Asia
Authors: Chatterjee Indrani 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThis essay extends and revises the Foucauldian concept of ‘governmentality’ in order to root theories about the ‘political community’ in the historical evidence available from the Indian subcontinent. It uses this revised understanding as a frame for rethinking issues of violence between identical communities relevant to understanding the violence of 1947‐1971. Such violence, the essay argues, was not tied to the inherent nature of any one community. Nor was it related in any direct way to violence of the 17th and 18th century. Instead, it suggests that historians need to reconceive the distinct strands that made up a political community in terms of lay and monastic households and investigate the shifting relationships between these strands in order to understand the moment at which both diplomacy and sociality failed.
The Dramatic Middle East: Performance as History in Egypt and Beyond
Authors: Gitre Carmen M. K. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThis article highlights a limited but rich literature focusing on the history of theatrical performance in Egypt and surrounding countries. In the 19th and 20th centuries, people throughout the Middle East consciously wrestled with the incoming flow of Western technologies and ideas in relation to their local contexts, experiences, and desires. Performative spaces offer unique vantage points to more carefully examine the changing worldviews of everyday people. I demonstrate here that theatrical texts, performative spaces, and audience responses all provide insight into the imaginings, hopes, and sufferings of diverse people in the region. Theatrical performance offers a unique lens into the process of identity formation not least because it incorporates a broad array of the population as agents in the process. I argue that the subfield of drama in the Middle East is underdeveloped but full of potential for unearthing histories of individuals, ideas, and artistic production largely unheralded by extant studies.
Managerial Talent and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): How Do Talented Managers View Corporate Social Responsibility?
Authors: Chatjuthamard Pattanaporn , Jiraporn Pornsit , Tong Shenghui , Singh Manohar 
Published: October 2015

AbstractMotivated by the ongoing debate on the costs and benefits of corporate social responsibility (CSR), we explore how talented managers view CSR investments. Based on nearly 20,000 observations across 17 years, our evidence reveals a nonmonotonic effect of managerial talent on CSR. Exploiting a novel measure of managerial ability, we find that talented managers view CSR investments favorably. However, only those with especially strong talent are in favor of CSR investments. For executives ranked above the 75th percentile in terms of managerial talent, an increase in managerial ability leads to more CSR investments, suggesting that these strongly talented managers perceive CSR as enhancing firm performance. In contrast, for those with weaker talent, CSR investments are negatively associated with managerial ability, implying that these weakly talented managers view CSR as a wasteful deployment of resources. Further evidence shows that our conclusion is unlikely confounded by endogeneity.
The skill premium effect of technological change: New evidence from United States manufacturing
Authors: MALLICK Sushanta K. , SOUSA Ricardo M. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractUsing the NBER‐CES Manufacturing Industry Database, the authors identify a positive relationship between total factor productivity and the skilled‐to‐unskilled labour and wage ratios. Highlighting the skill premium for skilled workers, they find that technology has become more favourable to skilled labour since the 1980s. The productivity differentials between skilled and unskilled labour increase relative demand for the former when they are imperfect substitutes. The authors show that the relationships between technology and both ratios are positive in science‐based and production‐intensive industries, and negative in supplier‐dominated industries, suggesting industry heterogeneity in technological knowledge. From a policy perspective, governments should promote science‐based innovation.
Topical management of striae distensae (stretch marks): prevention and therapy of striae rubrae and albae
Authors: Ud‐Din S. , McGeorge D. , Bayat A. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractStriae distensae (SD) are common dermal lesions, with significant physical and psychological impact. Many therapeutic modalities are available but none can completely eradicate SD. The most common therapy is the application of topicals used both therapeutically and prophylactically. Even though there are many commercially available topical products, not all have sufficient level of evidence to support their continued use in SD. The aim here was to assess the evidence for the use of topicals in SD and to propose a structured approach in managing SD. A systematic search of published literature and manufacturer website information for topicals in SD was carried out. The results showed that there are few studies (n = 11) which investigate the efficacy of topicals in management of SD. Trofolastin and Alphastria creams demonstrated level‐2 evidence of positive results for their prophylactic use in SD. Additionally, tretinoin used therapeutically showed varying results whilst cocoa butter and olive oil did not demonstrate any effect. Overall, there is a distinct lack of evidence for each topical formulation. The majority of topicals failed to mention their effect on early vs. later stages of SD (striae rubrae compared to striae albae) and their role in both prevention and treatment. In conclusion, there is no topical formulation, which is shown to be most effective in eradicating or improving SD. A structured approach in identification and targeted management of symptoms and signs with the appropriate topical is required. Randomized controlled trials are necessary to assess the efficacy of topical products for treatment and prevention of different stages of SD.
The influence of landscape configuration and environment on population genetic structure in a sedentary passerine: insights from loci located in different genomic regions
Authors: Ferrer E. S. , García‐Navas V. , Bueno‐Enciso J. , Barrientos R. , Serrano‐Davies E. , Cáliz‐Campal C. , Sanz J. J. , Ortego J. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe study of the factors structuring genetic variation can help to infer the neutral and adaptive processes shaping the demographic and evolutionary trajectories of natural populations. Here, we analyse the role of isolation by distance (IBD), isolation by resistance (IBR, defined by landscape composition) and isolation by environment (IBE, estimated as habitat and elevation dissimilarity) in structuring genetic variation in 25 blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) populations. We typed 1385 individuals at 26 microsatellite loci classified into two groups by considering whether they are located into genomic regions that are actively (TL; 12 loci) or not (NTL; 14 loci) transcribed toRNA. Population genetic differentiation was mostly detected using the panel ofNTL. Landscape genetic analyses showed a pattern ofIBDfor all loci and the panel ofNTL, but genetic differentiation estimated atTLwas only explained byIBRmodels considering high resistance for natural vegetation and low resistance for agricultural lands. Finally, the absence forIBEsuggests a lack of divergent selection pressures associated with differences in habitat and elevation. Overall, our study shows that markers located in different genomic regions can yield contrasting inferences on landscape‐level patterns of realized gene flow in natural populations.