bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Contrasting effects of climate change in continental vs. oceanic environments on population persistence and microevolution of Atlantic salmon
Authors: Piou Cyril , Prévost Etienne 
Published: November 2012

AbstractFacing climate change (CC), species are prone to multiple modifications in their environment that can lead to extinction, migration or adaptation. Identifying the role and interplay of different potential stressors becomes a key question. Anadromous fishes will be exposed to both river and oceanic habitat changes. For Atlantic salmon, the river water temperature, river flow and oceanic growth conditions appear as three main stressing factors. They could act on population dynamics or as selective forces on life‐history pathways. Using an individual‐based demo‐genetic model, we assessed the effects of these factors (1) to compare risks of extinction resulting from CC in river and ocean, and (2) to assess CC effects on life‐history pathways including the evolution of underlying genetic control of phenotypic plasticity. We focused on Atlantic salmon populations from Southern Europe for a time horizon of three decades. We showed that CC in river alone should not lead to extinction of Southern European salmon populations. In contrast, the reduced oceanic growth appeared as a significant threat for population persistence. An increase in river flow amplitude increased the risk of local extinction in synergy with the oceanic effects, but river temperature rise reduced this risk. In terms of life‐history modifications, the reduced oceanic growth increased the age of return of individuals through plastic and genetic responses. The river temperature rise increased the proportion of sexually mature parr, but the genetic evolution of the maturation threshold lowered the maturation rate of male parr. This was identified as a case of environmentally driven plastic response that masked an underlying evolutionary response of plasticity going in the opposite direction. We concluded that to counteract oceanic effects, river flow management represented the sole potential force to reduce the extinction probability of Atlantic salmon populations in Southern Europe, although this might not impede changes in migration life history.
Self‐transcendence and nurse–patient interaction in cognitively intact nursing home patients
Authors: Haugan Gørill , Rannestad Toril , Hanssen Brith , Espnes Geir A 
Published: November 2012

Aims and objectives.  The aim of this study was to test whether nurse–patient interaction affects cognitively intact nursing home patients’ interpersonal and intrapersonal self‐transcendence, as well as testing the psychometric properties of the Nurse–Patient Interaction Scale (NPIS).Background.  Self‐transcendence is considered a spiritual developmental process of maturity in adulthood, and a vital resource of well‐being at the end of life. The concept of self‐transcendence has previously been explored in various populations, yet the nurse–patient interactions’ potential influence on self‐transcendence in nursing home patients has not been published previously.Design and methods.  A cross‐sectional design employing the Self‐Transcendence Scale and the NPIS was adopted. A sample of 202 cognitively well‐functioning nursing home patients in Norway was selected. The statistical analyses were carried out using lisrel 8.8 and structural equation modelling.Results.  Structural equation modelling‐analysis indicates statistical significant effect of nurse–patient interaction on the patients’ self‐transcendence. Direct influence on the intrapersonal and indirect influence on the interpersonal self‐transcendence aspects was disclosed.Conclusion.  Nurse–patient interaction significantly affected both interpersonal and intrapersonal self‐transcendence among cognitively intact nursing home patients. Hence, facilitating caring interventions can be significantly beneficial to older patients’ self‐transcendence and thereby well‐being, both emotional and physical.Relevance to clinical practice.  Caring behaviour signifies the vital and ultimate qualitative nursing behaviour, which promotes self‐transcendence and thereby well‐being. These findings are important for clinical nursing that intends to increase patients’ well‐being.
Evaluation of an individual sleep intervention programme in people undergoing peritoneal dialysis treatment
Authors: Yngman‐Uhlin Pia , Fernström Anders , Börjeson Sussanne , Edéll‐Gustafsson Ulla 
Published: November 2012

Aims and objectivesThis study aimed to evaluate effects of a non‐pharmacological intervention on sleep, activity and fatigue in patients receiving peritoneal dialysis by the use of both actigraphy registration and self‐assessed questionnaires.BackgroundInsomnia is estimated to affect up to 60% of haemo‐ and peritoneal dialysis patients. It is associated with two common uremic symptoms, pruritus and restless legs syndrome. To our knowledge, no interventions have been evaluated by actigraphy.DesignA prospective multiple baseline single‐case experimental design.MethodsTwo women and seven men with sleep problems, 48–77 years, treated with PD participated in a 17‐week study from January 2009 to February 2011. Two interventions were separately implemented. First, a pressure‐relieving mattress and second, a four week individual sleep hygiene and sleep scheduling intervention. The two interventions were evaluated both objectively by actigraphy and subjectively by questionnaires.ResultsA total of 315 sleep–wake cycles from nine individuals were evaluated. Three patients improved clinically significantly in five or more of the nine outcomes, i.e. sleep onset latency, nocturnal sleep duration, numbers and duration of napping, movement and fragmentation index, number of steps, metabolic equivalent unit, sleep efficiency and fatigue. The other six patients also showed improvements but to a lesser degree. Physical activity advice was the intervention that yielded most sleep improvements.ConclusionsThis study illuminates the need for regular assessment of sleep and tiredness. It also demonstrates how a non‐pharmacological treatment and self‐management can be applied with renal supportive care to improve sleep quality.Relevance to clinical practiceThis study is a clinical example of a non‐pharmacological intervention with supportive care and self‐management. This model can improve health and reduce the pharmacological burden because hypnotics can be replaced by sleep hygiene self‐care activities.
An automated template‐based adaptive threshold approach for measuring ventricular volume enlargement in mouse brain MR microscopy
Authors: LIN LAN , WU SHUICAI 
Published: November 2012

SummaryMouse models for human diseases play an important role in developing therapeutic measures and understanding disease development and mechanisms. Ventricular enlargement is an objective and sensitive biomarker of neuropathological change associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thus, imaging based volumetric measures of mouse brain ventricle can be used as a biomarker for detecting and monitoring pathology. However, till now most mouse ventricular segmentation is still based on manual tracing, and current region of interests (ROIs) labelling approaches on mouse brain don't work well on small brain structure like ventricle. In this paper, an automated template‐based method was developed to evaluate for the identification of a ventricular ROIs in mouse brain imaging studies. Monte Carlo simulation was applied to evaluate the efficiency of this approach in detecting computer‐simulated ventricle in laboratory mice. The method demonstrated a satisfactory performance with consistent high correlations between the detected and simulated volume changes. This approach can be used to investigate the ventricular volume changing in transgenic mice and other putative animal models of AD.
Direct observation of the spatial distribution of charges on a polypropylene fiber via Electrostatic Force Microscopy
Authors: BONILLA R. , ÁVILA A. , MONTENEGRO C. , HINESTROZA J. 
Published: November 2012

SummaryThe spatial distribution of electrical charges along the longitudinal axes of a polypropylene electret fiber was determined using Electrostatic Force Microscopy (EFM). EFM mapping on highly curved surfaces, such as those of polymeric fibers, is a challenging endeavour and most work reported in the scientific literature has been limited to single line‐scan analysis or flat specimens. Charged polymeric fibers, electrets, are extensively used in high performance filtration applications and methods to determine the amount and magnitude of the charges on these fibers remain elusive. Electrical charge maps of individual fibers were obtained by biasing the tip to –10 V and maintaining a constant tip‐sample distance of 100 nm. Spatially dependant EFM phase and magnitude gradients were determined and the developed technique may provide a unique understanding into the heterogeneous charge distribution on electrets fibers. Direct mapping of the charge distribution in electrets fibers can offer new insights in the development of antistatic additives, new means to facilitate electrostatic self‐assembly of nano‐moieties on the surface of fibrous materials and a quantitative metrics capable of determining discharge dynamics and predicting the shelf‐life of filtration media.
Puzzling Agency in Centre-Local Relations: Regulatory Governance and Accounts of Change under New Labour
Authors: Griggs Steven , Sullivan Helen 
Published: November 2012

Research Highlights and Abstract The article seeks to make a contribution in the following areas: It seeks to establish a new research agenda in centre-local relations, which builds on explanations of local practice and the political and affective dimensions of the work of officers and politicians. In so doing, it suggests that we should further dissolve the often over-determined boundaries between the centre and the local. In recasting centre-local relations, it draws particular attention to the capacity of local agency and the role of regulatory intermediaries; it explores such agency through an original case study of the take-up and use of the Power of Well Being. It offers a critical assessment of existing accounts of regulatory governance under New Labour. The UK Coalition's espoused commitment to Localism has re-ignited debates about the state and nature of centre-local relations in England. This article explores this contested space through the practice of regulatory governance under the New Labour government. It identifies two dominant interpretations of centre-local relations under New Labour, which it characterises as state-centric dirigisme and disciplined pluralism. This analysis draws attention to the capacity of local agency to shape the potential and limitations of regulatory governance. This capacity is explored empirically through an examination of the take-up and use of the Local Government Well Being Power introduced in 2000. The article suggests that centre-local relations should be recast to examine critically local practices and the political and affective dimensions of what local officers and politicians actually ‘do’ and it sets out an agenda for future research.
Young smokers’ narratives: public health, disadvantage and structural violence
Authors: Lewis Sue , Russell Andrew 
Published: November 2012

AbstractThis research article on youth smoking in disadvantaged communities is the product of a qualitative study to understand the issues faced by young smokers – and those trying not to be smokers – in such communities. Environmental factors and peer influence are widely recognised influences on adolescents’ take‐up and continuation of smoking but less is known about whether, what, how and why circumstances in disadvantaged communities affect young people’s pathways towards and away from smoking. Focusing on a youth club in a disadvantaged neighbourhood in the North East of England, narratives about young people’s relationships with tobacco provide an ethnographically rich, thick description of the experiences of a group that is too often easily ignored. We argue that young people are caught between competing domains that together exert a form of structural violence. These are, first, the economic and political structures that have overseen de‐industrialisation; second, the media structures that create desire for what they cannot afford; third the structures of international organised crime that conspire to provide them with the means to consume from which ‘legitimate’ structures effectively exclude them. Rather than expecting young people to comply with the health imperative, interventions need to bridge issues of agency and critical consciousness, which structural violence otherwise insidiously erodes.
Impact of Pulsatile Perfusion on Clinical Outcomes of Neonates and Infants With Complex Pathologies Undergoing Cardiopulmonary Bypass Procedures
Authors: Alkan‐Bozkaya Tijen , Akçevin Atıf , Türkoğlu Halil , Ündar Akif 
Published: November 2012

AbstractThe aim of this clinical trial was to evaluate the pulsatile perfusion mode in pediatric patients who had complex cardiac pathologies according to Jenkins stratifications (category 4) undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass procedures (CPB). Patients with transposition of great arteries (TGA) and ventricular septal defect (VSD) were included in this clinical study. Eighty‐nine consecutive pediatric patients undergoing open heart surgery for repair of TGA‐VSD were prospectively entered into the study and were randomly assigned to either the pulsatile perfusion group (Group P, n = 58) or the nonpulsatile perfusion group (Group NP, n = 31). There were no differences between groups in terms of demographical and intraoperative parameters. The pulsatile group needed significantly less inotropic support (P < 0.05) and had lower lactate levels (P < 0.001), higher urine output (P < 0.01), and higher albumin levels (P < 0.05). In addition, the pulsatile group had less ICU (P < 0.01) and hospital stays (P < 0.001). We conclude that the use of pulsatile flow is a better option and should be considered for repair of the complex congenital heart defects.
Selective testing for Trypanosoma cruzi: the first year after implementation at Canadian Blood Services
Authors: O'Brien Sheila F. , Scalia Vito , Goldman Mindy , Fan Wenli , Yi Qi‐Long , Dines Irene R. , Huang Mary , Ndao Momar , Fearon Margaret A. 
Published: November 2012

BackgroundVarious testing strategies may reduce the risk of Chagas disease transmission in nonendemic, low‐prevalence countries. Results of the first year of selective testing of at‐risk donors at Canadian Blood Services are reported.Study Design and MethodsSince February 2009, platelets were not produced from at‐risk donors. Since May 2010, at‐risk donors were tested for Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies. Donors testing positive were interviewed about risk factors, and lookback studies were initiated.ResultsThere were 7255 at‐risk donors of 421,979 donors screened (1.72%). Risk factors were born in Latin America (50.6%), mother or maternal grandmother born in Latin America (28%), and 6 months or more travel history or residence in Latin America (19%). Sixteen (16) at‐risk donors had T. cruzi repeat‐reactive test results of whom 13 confirmed positive. Eleven of 13 were born in Latin America (nine in Paraguay and two in Argentina), and the other two were born in Canada but had short‐term travel history and mothers who had been born in Latin America. Ten of the donors spoke German as their first language (all of those born in Paraguay and one born in Canada). There were 148 previous donations (176 components transfused) evaluated by lookback, of which 28% of recipients could be tested. None were positive.ConclusionSelective testing has mitigated a small risk to the blood supply with very few false‐positive results. Most positive donors were born in a risk country, with a concentration of German‐speaking immigrants from Paraguay. Residency or travel alone were not clear risk factors.
Clinical trials evaluating pathogen‐reduced platelet products: methodologic issues and recommendations
Authors: Cook Richard J. , Heddle Nancy M. 
Published: November 2012

BackgroundSeveral randomized trials of platelet (PLT) products have been conducted with different study designs, endpoints, and analyses. The purpose of this article is to discuss methodologic issues in the design and analysis of PLT transfusion trials evaluating pathogen reduction technology and make recommendations for the conduct of future trials.Study Design and MethodsSix randomized clinical trials of pathogen‐inactivated PLT products are reviewed and associated methodologic issues are discussed.ResultsThe variation in the trial designs, outcomes, and methods of analysis suggest the need to harmonize the way trials of pathogen‐reduced PLT products are conducted to facilitate comparisons between studies and the synthesis of results. Recommendations are made with this goal in mind and to increase the rigor and relevance of findings from future trials.ConclusionsFuture randomized trials of pathogen‐reduced PLT products should be based on a clearly stated hypothesis driven by an important research question, a design that is optimal for the research question, outcomes that relate to the research question, clearly defined observation periods, and statistical analyses that lead to valid tests of these hypotheses and associated estimates of treatment effect.
Is the closed‐crown boreal forest resilient after successive stand disturbances? A quantitative demonstration from a case study
Authors: Côté Damien , Girard François , Hébert François , Bouchard Sylvie , Gagnon Réjean , Lord Daniel 
Published: November 2012

AbstractQuestionRecent studies revealed by indirect evidence that lichen–spruce woodlands in the closed‐crown boreal forest are an alternative stable state of black spruce–feathermoss stands. This paper aims to demonstrate and quantify black spruce forest cover regression following successive wildfire events in the closed‐crown forest zone during the 20th century. A case study in north‐easternNorthAmerican closed‐crown forest zone is presented.LocationThe study area is at the centre of the closed‐crown boreal forest zone of easternCanada (49°59′ N, 71°59′ W).MethodsA burned area of 25 ha was selected in which three tree cohorts were visible. The first cohort contains partly buried trunks and stumps of a stand destroyed by a forest fire in 1920, the second contains standing dead trees from a 1995 forest fire and the third contains seedlings established after the 1995 fire. Fires were dated by scar analyses of living trees at the edge of the site. An array of sample plots was established in autumn 1997 to evaluate each cohort in terms of stocking and tree density.ResultsBlack spruce stocking decreased significantly between cohorts, from 43.5% inCohort 1 (all coniferous trees) to 25.6% inCohort 2 and 11.5% inCohort 3 (2011). Jack pine showed an inverse tendency, from 0% inCohort 1 (not determined) to 0% inCohort 2 and 3.8% inCohort 3. Black spruce stems per hectare also dropped significantly from a minimum of 1322 inCohort 1 to 1088 inCohort 2 and 976 inCohort 3.ConclusionsThis study is the first quantitative demonstration that lichen–spruce woodlands in the closed‐crown boreal forest zone are an alternative stable state of black spruce–feathermoss stands. Stocking levels and densities markedly declined after each of the two fires (1920 and 1995) that both occurred after spruce budworm outbreaks (1910 and 1980) and are most likely responsible for the shift from a closed‐crown to an open woodland.
Loss of genetic variability in social spiders: genetic and phylogenetic consequences of population subdivision and inbreeding
Authors: Agnarsson I. , Avilés L. , Maddison W. P. 
Published: November 2012

AbstractThe consequences of population subdivision and inbreeding have been studied in many organisms, particularly in plants. However, most studies focus on the short‐term consequences, such as inbreeding depression. To investigate the consequences of both population fragmentation and inbreeding for genetic variability in the longer term, we here make use of a natural inbreeding experiment in spiders, where sociality and accompanying population subdivision and inbreeding have evolved repeatedly. We use mitochondrial and nuclear data to infer phylogenetic relationships among 170 individuals of Anelosimus spiders representing 23 species. We then compare relative mitochondrial and nuclear genetic variability of the inbred social species and their outbred relatives. We focus on four independently derived social species and four subsocial species, including two outbred–inbred sister species pairs. We find that social species have 50% reduced mitochondrial sequence divergence. As inbreeding is not expected to reduce genetic variability in the maternally inherited mitochondrial genome, this suggests the loss of variation due to strong population subdivision, founder effects, small effective population sizes (colonies as individuals) and lineage turnover. Social species have < 10% of the nuclear genetic variability of the outbred species, also suggesting the loss of genetic variability through founder effects and/or inbreeding. Inbred sociality hence may result in reduction in variability through various processes. Sociality in most Anelosimus species probably arose relatively recently (0.1–2 mya), with even the oldest social lineages having failed to diversify. This is consistent with the hypothesis that inbred spider sociality represents an evolutionary dead end. Heterosis underlies a species potential to respond to environmental change and/or disease. Inbreeding and loss of genetic variability may thus limit diversification in social Anelosimus lineages and similarly pose a threat to many wild populations subject to habitat fragmentation or reduced population sizes.
Dysregulation of REST‐regulated coding and non‐coding RNAs in a cellular model of Huntington's disease
Authors: Soldati Chiara , Bithell Angela , Johnston Caroline , Wong Kee‐Yew , Stanton Lawrence W. , Buckley Noel J. 
Published: November 2012

AbstractHuntingtin (Htt) protein interacts with many transcriptional regulators, with widespread disruption to the transcriptome in Huntington's disease (HD) brought about by altered interactions with the mutant Htt (muHtt) protein. Repressor Element‐1 Silencing Transcription Factor (REST) is a repressor whose association with Htt in the cytoplasm is disrupted in HD, leading to increased nuclear REST and concomitant repression of several neuronal‐specific genes, including brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf). Here, we explored a wide set of HD dysregulated genes to identify direct REST targets whose expression is altered in a cellular model of HD but that can be rescued by knock‐down of REST activity. We found many direct REST target genes encoding proteins important for nervous system development, including a cohort involved in synaptic transmission, at least two of which can be rescued at the protein level by REST knock‐down. We also identified several microRNAs (miRNAs) whose aberrant repression is directly mediated by REST, including miR‐137, which has not previously been shown to be a direct REST target in mouse. These data provide evidence of the contribution of inappropriate REST‐mediated transcriptional repression to the widespread changes in coding and non‐coding gene expression in a cellular model of HD that may affect normal neuronal function and survival.