bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Macaques and the Ritual Production of Sacredness among Balinese Transmigrants in South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Authors: Peterson Jeffrey V. , Riley Erin P. , Putu Oka Ngakan 
Published: January 2015

ABSTRACTLong‐tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) at temple sites in Bali may be considered sacred because of the presence of monkeys in Hindu texts or through their association with sacred temple spaces. Using an ethnoprimatological approach, our research goal was to further explain how primates become sacred by exploring differences in perceptions of primate sacredness between Balinese Hindus living in Bali and those living in transmigrant communities in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Structured face‐to‐face interviews were conducted with 100 individuals from three transmigrant communities regarding their relationship with local booted macaques (Macaca ochreata). We found that the majority of transmigrants did not consider booted macaques sacred. Reasons given for this lack of sacredness included the absence of macaques in and around transmigrant temple sites, as well as generally unhabituated and destructive behavior. Our research also helps explain perceptions of macaque sacredness in Bali. We demonstrate how macaque sacredness cannot be viewed through a singular lens; rather, it is multifaceted, deriving from the convergence of multiple factors and contexts. The presence of long‐tailed macaques in temple sites during rituals, their habituated (i.e., peaceful) behavior during those rituals, and a landscape of social engagement between humans and macaques in Bali contribute to their perceived sacredness.
Maya Codex Book Production and the Politics of Expertise: Archaeology of a Classic Period Household at Xultun, Guatemala
Authors: Rossi Franco D. , Saturno William A. , Hurst Heather 
Published: January 2015

ABSTRACTThe discovery of mural paintings at the Classic Maya site of Xultun, Guatemala, provides an important context for the study of ancient literacy and writing in practice. The mural chamber was a place of writing where the hands of multiple scribes recorded events and astronomical tabulations on walls that were also painted with portraits of ritual specialists and the reigning king. We present evidence suggesting that creation and inscription of indigenous Maya books, called codices, also took place onsite by a specific cohort of ritual specialists called taaj. In this article, we seek to archaeologically “situate” these codex‐like inscriptions in the mural room—revealing a crucial and distinctly Precolumbian window (as opposed to colonial Spanish view) into Maya bookmaking, its practitioners, and the physical contexts in which it was carried out. Together, the images, texts, and archaeological materials found in and around the chamber enable us to contextualize acts of writing and their authorship as well as engage larger questions regarding the social and political structures shaping literacy in Maya society during the eighth century.
Changes in hearing threshold between 28 and 42 weeks of age in babies born at under 30 weeks of gestation
Authors: Jiang Ze D. , Yin Rong , Wilkinson Andrew R. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractAimThis study aimed to describe changes in hearing thresholds in babies born below 30 weeks of gestation at 28–42 weeks of postconceptional age, detect differences between gestational ages and explore the prevalence of hearing impairment.MethodsThe threshold of brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) was obtained longitudinally at 28–42 weeks of postconceptional age in 71 babies born at 23–29 weeks of gestation.ResultsThe BAER threshold was 28 decibels above normal hearing level (dB nHL) at 28 weeks of postconceptional age and decreased to 13 dB nHL at 39–42 weeks. The threshold was slightly higher in babies born at 23–26 weeks of gestation than in those born at 27–29 weeks at most postconceptional ages studied. From 28 to 36 weeks, the threshold decreased at 0.98 dB/week. At term, BAER threshold elevation (>20 dB nHL) occurred in 12 (16.9%) of the 71 babies.ConclusionThe hearing threshold of babies born at 23–29 weeks of gestation decreased from 28 dB at 28 weeks of postconceptional age to 13 dB at 42 weeks. There were no major differences between gestational ages. During the preterm period, the threshold changed at around 1 dB/week. At term, one in six babies had hearing impairment.
MPTP‐induced changes in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory are prevented by memantine through the BDNF‐TrkB pathway
Authors: Zhu Guoqi , Li Junyao , He Ling , Wang Xuncui , Hong Xiaoqi 
Published: January 2015

Background and PurposeMild cognitive deficit in early Parkinson's disease (PD) has been widely studied. Here we have examined the effects of memantine in preventing memory deficit in experimental PD models and elucidated some of the underlying mechanisms.Experimental ApproachesI.p. injection of 1‐methyl‐4‐ phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydro pyridine (MPTP) in C57BL/6 mice was used to produce models of PD. We used behavioural tasks to test memory. In vitro, we used slices of hippocampus, with electrophysiological, Western blotting, real time PCR, elisa and immunochemical techniques.Key ResultsFollowing MPTP injection, long‐term memory was impaired and these changes were prevented by pre‐treatment with memantine. In hippocampal slices from MPTP treated mice, long‐term potentiation (LTP) –induced by θ burst stimulation (10 bursts, 4 pulses) was decreased, while long‐term depression (LTD) induced by low‐frequency stimulation (1 Hz, 900 pulses) was enhanced, compared with control values. A single dose of memantine (i.p., 10 mg·kg−1) reversed the decreased LTP and the increased LTD in this PD model. Activity‐dependent changes in tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB), ERK and brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression were decreased in slices from mice after MPTP treatment. These effects were reversed by pretreatment with memantine. Incubation of slices in vitro with 1‐methyl‐4‐phenylpyridinium (MPP+) decreased depolarization‐induced expression of BDNF. This effect was prevented by pretreatment of slices with memantine or with calpain inhibitor III, suggesting the involvement of an overactivated calcium signalling pathway.Conclusions and ImplicationsMemantine should be useful in preventing loss of memory and hippocampal synaptic plasticity in PD models.
Quality of life measures for myasthenia gravis and evaluation of non‐motor symptoms
Authors: Jones Sarah M. , Gwathmey Kelly G. , Burns Ted M. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractHealth‐related quality of life measures have become an important tool in measuring clinical outcomes. Disease‐specific health‐related quality of life scales, particularly in diseases that might fluctuate, can draw attention to non‐motor symptoms and guide symptom management. The following review provides an overview of quality of life (QOL) with a focus of disease‐specific QOL measures for myasthenia gravis. We also review the current understanding of non‐motor symptoms in myasthenia gravis and suggest that QOL measures might be a useful way of accounting for these symptoms. After reading the review, the reader will have a better understanding of QOL measures and how they can be used for patient care and clinical research.
Assessment of two e‐learning methods teaching undergraduate students cephalometry in orthodontics
Authors: Ludwig B. , Bister D. , Schott T. C. , Lisson J. A. , Hourfar J. 
Published: January 2015

AbstractAimCephalometry is important for orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning and is part of the core curriculum for training dentists. Training involves identifying anatomical landmarks. The aim of this investigation was to assess whether e‐learning improves learning efficiency; a programme specifically designed for this purpose was compared to commercially available software.MethodsThirty undergraduate students underwent traditional training of cephalometry consisting of lectures and tutorials. Tracing skills were tested immediately afterwards (T0). The students were then randomly allocated to three groups: 10 students served as control (CF); they were asked to improve their skills using the material provided so far. Ten students were given a program specifically designed for this study that was based on a power point presentation (PPT). The last group was given a commercially available program that included teaching elements (SW). The groups were tested at the end the six week training (T1). The test consisted of tracing 30 points on two radiographs and a point score improvement was calculated. The students were interviewed after the second test.ResultsBoth e‐learning groups improved more than the traditional group. Improvement scores were four for CF; 8.6 for PPT and 2.8 for SW. For PPT all participants improved and the student feedback was the best compared to the other groups. For the other groups some candidates worsened.ConclusionsBlended learning produced better learning outcomes compared to using a traditional teaching method alone. The easy to use Power Point based custom software produced better results than the commercially available software.
The Way We Do Europe: Subsidiarity and the Substantive Democratic Deficit
Authors: Bartl Marija 
Published: January 2015

AbstractThe new institutional framework of subsidiarity is expected to lower the EU democratic deficit. In contrast to this optimistic scenario, I argue that the success of subsidiarity depends on its capacity to unravel the EU's ‘substantive’ democratic deficit. Linked to the Union's functionalist institutional design, this dimension of the democratic deficit has developed due to two limitations of EU‐level politics. First, the EU functionalist design has narrowed the range of topics open to democratic debate (horizontal substantive democratic deficit). Second, the proportion of the debate which we could genuinely describe as being political is declining as a result of the de‐politicisation of EU goals, underpinned by a massive accumulation of allegedly apolitical expert knowledge (vertical substantive democratic deficit). Against this background, I contend that by involving actors relatively alien to the EU functionalist thinking, subsidiarity could offer an opportune ground for the re‐politicisation of democratic ‘blind spots’ in EU policy making.
Fractalkine promotes chemotaxis of bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells towards ischemic brain lesions through Jak2 signaling and cytoskeletal reorganization
Authors: Zhang Yuan , Zheng Jian , Zhou Zhujuan , Zhou Huadong , Wang Yanjiang , Gong Zili , Zhu Jie 
Published: January 2015

The fractalkine (FKN)–CX3CR1 (FKN receptor) axis reportedly plays an important role in the progression of many neural pathologies. However, its role in the recruitment of bone marrow‐derived progenitor cells for neurogenesis remains elusive. The chemokine‐based mechanism underlying the migration of bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) was investigated in a double‐chamber transmigration model with recombinant FKN and endogenous FKN extract, and the results confirmed the involvement of FKN in migration. This chemotactic response was CX3CR1‐dependent and FKN‐sensitive. Western blotting, immunoprecipitation and transmigration assays revealed that the Janus kinase (Jak)2–signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat)5α–extracellular signal‐related kinase (ERK)1/2 pathway was activated by FKN. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to demonstrate cytoskeletal reorganization caused by remodeling of the surface receptor integrin α5β1, intracellular phosphorylation of Fak and Pax, and upregulation of intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 during BMSC migration. Moreover, significant inhibition of signaling and migration was detected after treatment of cells with Jak2‐interfering RNA or the antagonist AG490. In addition, the results of a fluorescence immunohistochemical analysis of an in vivo chemotactic model, developed via transplantation of BMSCs into transient middle cerebral artery‐occluded rats, were consistent with the in vitro results. These findings suggest that FKN activates Jak2–Stat5α–ERK1/2 signaling through CX3CR1, thereby triggering integrin‐dependent machinery reorganization to allow chemotactic migration of BMSCs towards an ischemic cerebral lesion.
Crisis, What Crisis? Regulation and the Academic Orthodoxy
Authors: Tombs Steve 
Published: January 2015

AbstractWhat can criminology or socio‐legal studies tell us about the causes of the financial crisis – a failure of regulation, at the very least – or ways in which further such crises might be prevented, mitigated, responded to? The article begins by setting out the emergence and dimensions of the academic orthodoxy on regulation – a series of shared assumptions regarding feasible and desirable forms of regulation. Then it undertakes a quantitative and qualitative content analysis of work on regulation and the crisis to assess the extent to which this orthodoxy has been reassessed in the light of events since 2007.
An Overview of the Strengthening of Glass Fibers by Surface Stress Relaxation
Authors: Lezzi Peter J. , Tomozawa Minoru 
Published: January 2015

Pristine glass fiber is well known to become mechanically weaker when heat‐treated in the presence of water vapor. However, recently, the same fiber was found to become stronger if heat‐treated while held under a subcritical tensile stress at a temperature below the glass transition temperature. The added strength was attributed to the formation of a surface compressive layer on the glass created by a surface stress relaxation process that occurred while being held under the tensile stress in air. Silica glass fibers with strengths estimated to be ~7–8 GPa were produced, exceeding the ~5.5 GPa strength of fresh optical fiber commonly reported at room temperature in air. Similar degrees of strengthening, a 20–30% improvement, have been observed previously for E‐glass and is reported here for the first time for soda‐lime silicate glasses. This process is a new glass strenthening method that may be applied to all oxide glasses and is not subject to the same constraints as currently available methods.
Exploring antecedents of healthy food choices: an Indian experience
Authors: Dharni Khushdeep , Gupta Ketki 
Published: January 2015

AbstractLabel information on food items is seen as a tool to facilitate better choices. Merely, provision of label information may not lead to the desired outcome. Comprehension and processing of label information during consumer decision making is crucial for better food choices. Based on the primary data obtained from 150 consumers of pre‐packaged food items, the research proposes a conceptual model for healthier food choices. Previously, a number studies related to consumer decision making have employed ‘label reading’ and ‘label use’ interchangeably. Present research advocates that label reading does not amount to label use. Findings from ordered probit model and path analysis suggest that comprehension of label information leads to increase in its perceived usefulness. Further, increased perceived usefulness facilitates better food choice. Instances of better food choices can be maximized by enhancing perceived usefulness and comprehension of label information through educational and awareness campaigns, especially in context of developing countries such as India.
Linking electronic health records with community‐level data to understand childhood obesity risk
Authors: Tomayko E. J. , Flood T. L. , Tandias A. , Hanrahan L. P. 
Published: January 2015

SummaryBackgroundEnvironmental and socioeconomic factors should be considered along with individual characteristics when determining risk for childhood obesity.ObjectivesTo assess relationships and interactions among the economic hardship index (EHI) and race/ethnicity, age and sex in regard to childhood obesity rates in Wisconsin children using an electronic health record dataset.MethodsData were collected using the University of Wisconsin (UW) Public Health Information Exchange database, which links electronic health records with census‐derived community‐level data. Records from 53 775 children seen at UW clinics from 2007 to 2012 were included. Mixed‐effects modelling was used to determine obesity rates and the interaction of EHI with covariates (race/ethnicity, age, sex). When significant interactions were determined, linear regression analyses were performed for each subgroup (e.g. by age groups).ResultsThe overall obesity rate was 11.7% and significant racial/ethnic disparities were detected. Childhood obesity was significantly associated with EHI at the community level (r = 0.62, P < 0.0001). A significant interaction was determined between EHI and both race/ethnicity and age on obesity rates.ConclusionsReducing economic disparities and improving environmental conditions may influence childhood obesity risk in some, but not all, races and ethnicities. Furthermore, the impact of EHI on obesity may be compounded over time. Our findings demonstrate the utility of linking electronic health information with census data to rapidly identify community‐specific risk factors in a cost‐effective manner.
Reduced retinal nerve fibre layer thickness in children with severe obesity
Authors: Pacheco‐Cervera J. , Codoñer‐Franch P. , Simó‐Jordá R. , Pons‐Vázquez S. , Galbis‐Estrada C. , Pinazo‐Durán M. D. 
Published: January 2015

SummaryBackgroundSome optic nerve diseases are silent and insidious. Recently, reduced thickness of retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) has been associated with increasing body mass index in adults.ObjectivesTo investigate the association of childhood obesity with RNFL measured by optical coherence tomography imaging.MethodsNinety‐seven children aged 5–14 years classified according to standard deviation score of body mass index (SDS‐BMI) were included. Parameters of metabolic risk, adipocytokines (leptin, adiponectin) and interleukin‐6 were analyzed. All subjects underwent a comprehensive ophthalmologic examination with direct ophthalmoscopy. Evaluation of RNFL with optical coherence tomography of the head of the nerve was performed.ResultsRNFL thickness on the average and inferior, superior and nasal quadrants were decreased in severely obese children (SDS‐BMI > 4) with respect to the other groups. However, no statistically significant association was found between the different groups of children and RNFL thickness in the temporal quadrant. There was a significant inverse correlation of RNFL thickness with adiposity indices (P = 0.016), leptin (P = 0.029) and interleukin‐6 (P = 0.030) in overweight and obese children.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that adiposity and obesity‐related inflammatory factors may be associated with the loss of retinal ganglion cells in children.
Fasting gut hormone levels change with modest weight loss in obese adolescents
Authors: Jensen D. E. , Nguo K. , Baxter K. A. , Cardinal J. W. , King N. A. , Ware R. S. , Truby H. , Batch J. A. 
Published: January 2015

SummaryBackgroundGut hormones change with weight loss in adults but are not well studied in obese youth.ObjectiveThe primary aim was to evaluate how gut hormones and subjective appetite measure change with dietary weight loss in obese adolescents.MethodsParticipants were a subset of those taking part in the ‘Eat Smart Study’. They were aged 10–17 years with body mass index (BMI) > 90th centile and were randomized to one of three groups: wait‐listed control, structured reduced carbohydrate or structured low‐fat dietary intervention for 12 weeks. Outcomes were fasting glucose, insulin, leptin, adiponectin, total amylin, acylated ghrelin, active glucagon‐like peptide‐1, glucose‐dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), pancreatic polypeptide (PP) and total peptide tyrosine‐tyrosine. Pre‐ and postprandial subjective sensations of appetite were assessed using visual analogue scales.ResultsOf 87 ‘Eat Smart’ participants, 74 participated in this sub‐study. The mean (standard deviation) BMI z‐score was 2.1 (0.4) in the intervention groups at week 12 compared with 2.2 (0.4) in the control group. Fasting insulin (P = 0.05) and leptin (P = 0.03) levels decreased, while adiponectin levels increased (P = 0.05) in the intervention groups compared with control. The intervention groups were not significantly different from each other. A decrease in BMI z‐score at week 12 was associated with decreased fasting insulin (P < 0.001), homeostatic model of assessment‐insulin resistance (P < 0.001), leptin (P < 0.001), total amylin (P = 0.03), GIP (P = 0.01), PP (P = 0.02) and increased adiponectin (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in appetite sensations.ConclusionsModest weight loss in obese adolescents leads to changes in some adipokines and gut hormones that may favour weight regain.
Zanamivir versus trivalent split virus influenza vaccine: a pilot randomized trial
Authors: Coleman Brenda L. , Fadel Shaza A. , Drews Steven J. , Hatchette Todd F. , McGeer Allison J. 
Published: January 2015

BackgroundHealthcare workers may be exposed to people with respiratory viral infections more often than other working adults. Understanding the risk and the effectiveness of different preventive measures is of great importance.ObjectivesTo estimate adherence to prophylactic antiviral medication for a full influenza season, to the compare efficacy of antiviral prophylaxis to that of the seasonal influenza vaccine and to identify exposures that increase risk of acute respiratory illnesses (ARI) in healthy adults.MethodsParticipants were randomized 1:2 to receive the 2008–2009 influenza vaccine or daily prophylaxis with 10 mg of zanamivir during the season. Web‐based questionnaires collected information on demographics, symptoms, exposures, medication use and side effects.ResultsSixty‐four healthy adults were recruited in November 2008. Three of 40 active participants discontinued zanamivir due to side effects; the remaining 37 took >85% of scheduled doses for a median of 121 days. Symptomatic, laboratory‐confirmed influenza was detected in one person randomized to zanamivir (2·5%) and 2/20 (10%) who received the vaccine (P = 0·25). Forty‐seven participants reported 109 episodes of ARI. Factors associated with an ARI were exposure to a spouse (OR 7·2), child (OR 2·4) or patient (OR 2·0) with symptoms of an ARI in the previous 7 days.ConclusionsBreakthrough influenza infection occurred in both vaccinated participants and those receiving antiviral prophylaxis. Most adults were willing and able to comply with season‐long prophylaxis. Report of recent exposure to family members and patients with an ARI increased the risk of developing an ARI in healthy adults.