bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Seroprevalence and factors associated with seropositivity to equine arteritis virus in Spanish Purebred horses in Spain
Authors: Cruz F. , Fores P. , Mughini‐Gras L. , Ireland J. , Moreno M. A. , Newton R. 
Published: August 2015

SummaryReasons for performing studyEquine viral arteritis (EVA), a disease caused by infection with the equine arteritis virus (EAV), is present in many European countries. In Spain, the last confirmed outbreak was reported in 1992 and there is a paucity of seroprevalence studies. The disease has a major impact on the equine breeding industry, which is mainly represented by Spanish Purebred (SP) horses in Spain.ObjectivesTo estimate the seroprevalence ofEAVin the breedingSPhorse population in central Spain and identify potential horse and studfarm level factors associated with seropositivity toEAV.Study designCross‐sectional study.MethodsIndividual serum samples from 555SPhorses, collected between September 2011 and November 2013 at 35 studfarms, were tested using a commercially availableEAVantibodyELISAand seroneutralisation as the World Organisation for Animal Health reference confirmation test for samples with positive and equivocal results. Data on factors putatively associated with seropositivity toEAVwere collected via a questionnaire and examined using random effects logistic regression for analysis of clustered data.ResultsEquine arteritis virus seroprevalence in theSPbreeding population in central Spain standardised for the sex distribution of the reference horse population, was estimated to be 16.8% (95% confidence interval 5.2–28.5%). Increasing numbers of breeding mares on the studfarm and increasing percentage of mares with reproductive problems during the last 12 months were identified as being positively associated withEAVseropositivity. Mares vaccinated against Equine herpesvirus‐1 (EHV‐1) and/or ‐4 (EHV‐4) were also positively associated withEAVseropositivity.ConclusionsThese findings are of importance to ensure appropriate biosecurity measures for studfarms are carried out and may help facilitate the development of anEVAsurveillance programme in theSPbreeding horse population.
A new member of MocR/GabR‐type PLP‐binding regulator of d‐alanyl‐d‐alanine ligase in Brevibacillus brevis
Authors: Takenaka Takashi , Ito Tomokazu , Miyahara Ikuko , Hemmi Hisashi , Yoshimura Tohru 
Published: August 2015

The Brevibacillus brevis BBR47_28440 gene (referred to as ddlR) encodes an MocR/GabR family transcriptional regulator consisting of an N‐terminal helix‐turn‐helix DNA binding domain and a C‐terminal aminotransferase‐like domain. The ddlR gene is located just upstream of the d‐alanyl‐d‐alanine ligase gene (ddl) in the B. brevis genome, and these two genes form an operon. Gel‐shift assays indicated that purified DdlR binds specifically to the DNA region that includes putative −35 and −10 regions of the ddlR promoter. A 6‐bp inverted repeat that overlaps the −10 region of the ddlR promoter was found to be important for the binding. In vivo reporter assays confirmed that DdlR is an activator of the ddlR‐ddl operon. Spectroscopic analyses indicated that purified DdlR is a pyridoxal 5′‐phosphate binding transcriptional regulator that has dipeptide binding ability for d‐alanyl‐d‐alanine, the enzymatic product of Ddl, and glycylglycine. DdlR is capable of forming a dipeptide‐pyridoxal 5′‐phosphate external aldimine, but it lacks aminotransferase activity. Bioinformatic analyses suggest that DdlR‐mediated transcriptional regulation of ddlR and ddl may occur in multiple bacterial systems such as Actinobacteria and Bacillus species.
Responses of wheat and rice to factorial combinations of ambient and elevated CO2 and temperature in FACE experiments
Authors: Cai Chuang , Yin Xinyou , He Shuaiqi , Jiang Wenyu , Si Chuanfei , Struik Paul C. , Luo Weihong , Li Gang , Xie Yingtian , Xiong Yan , Pan Genxing 
Published: August 2015

AbstractElevated CO2 and temperature strongly affect crop production, but understanding of the crop response to combined CO2 and temperature increases under field conditions is still limited while data are scarce. We grew wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and rice (Oryza sativa L.) under two levels of CO2 (ambient and enriched up to 500 μmol mol−1) and two levels of canopy temperature (ambient and increased by 1.5–2.0 °C) in free‐air CO2 enrichment (FACE) systems and carried out a detailed growth and yield component analysis during two growing seasons for both crops. An increase in CO2 resulted in higher grain yield, whereas an increase in temperature reduced grain yield, in both crops. An increase in CO2 was unable to compensate for the negative impact of an increase in temperature on biomass and yield of wheat and rice. Yields of wheat and rice were decreased by 10–12% and 17–35%, respectively, under the combination of elevated CO2 and temperature. The number of filled grains per unit area was the most important yield component accounting for the effects of elevated CO2 and temperature in wheat and rice. Our data showed complex treatment effects on the interplay between preheading duration, nitrogen uptake, tillering, leaf area index, and radiation‐use efficiency, and thus on yield components and yield. Nitrogen uptake before heading was crucial in minimizing yield loss due to climate change in both crops. For rice, however, a breeding strategy to increase grain number per m2 and % filled grains (or to reduce spikelet sterility) at high temperature is also required to prevent yield reduction under conditions of global change.
The Multiple Temporalities of Informal Spaces
Authors: Hudson Joanne 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThis paper explores the various temporalities of wastelands and derelict spaces and how these influence their production, (re)production and use. Commonly conceived as voids within a city's fabric, it highlights with reference to two case studies, how these contested zones, far from being voids, represent sites of action where “multiple temporalities collide” (Crang, 2001: 189). As a consequence of temporal ‘gaps’ within spatial planning and redevelopment processes, as solid future visions ‘melt into air’ (Berman, 1982), other temporal rhythms occur as individuals appropriate these territories and “reclaim time as well as space” (Kivell and Hatfield, 1999: 123). The paper also considers the potential of such spaces and actions to act as a standpoint from which critical perspectives towards urban planning, and the distorted timescales that underpin it, can be generated.
Tracing the Water–Energy–Food Nexus: Description, Theory and Practice
Authors: Leck Hayley , Conway Declan , Bradshaw Michael , Rees Judith 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe ‘nexus’ between water, energy and food (WEF) has gained increasing attention globally in research, business and policy spheres. We review the premise of recent initiatives framed around the nexus, examine the challenge of achieving the type of disciplinary boundary crossing promoted by the nexus agenda and consider how to operationalise what has to date been a largely paper exercise. The WEF nexus has been promoted through international meetings and calls for new research agendas. It is clear from the literature that many aims of nexus approaches pre‐date the recent nexus agenda; these have encountered significant barriers to progress, including challenges to cross‐disciplinary collaboration, complexity, political economy (often perceived to be under‐represented in nexus research) and incompatibility of current institutional structures. Indeed, the ambitious aims of the nexus—the desire to capture multiple interdependencies across three major sectors, across disciplines and across scales—could become its downfall. However, greater recognition of interdependencies across state and non‐state actors, more sophisticated modelling systems to assess and quantify WEF linkages and the sheer scale of WEF resource use globally, could create enough momentum to overcome historical barriers and establish nexus approaches as part of a wider repertoire of responses to global environmental change.
Postcolonial Approaches to Migration in Asia: Reflections and Projections
Authors: Koh Sin Yee 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThis article argues that postcolonial approaches to migration in Asia are relevant and useful in this age of unprecedented migration for two important reasons. Firstly, such approaches enable the interrogation of fundamental migration‐related concepts such as citizenship, race and ethnicity, diaspora, indigeneity and development. This critically questions the need for these categories of difference which have been augmented and exacerbated by migration, the nation‐state and its bordering strategies. Secondly, such approaches shed light on fundamental issues of inequality, through which migration occurs as a response to differential access to opportunities and resources. By tracing how and why migration occurs in specific locations through a postcolonial lens, we can then map out the underlying power inequalities and discover possibilities for agency and social change.
Immune tolerance induction in patients with haemophilia a and inhibitors: effectiveness and cost analysis in an European Cohort (The ITER Study)
Authors: Rocino A. , Cortesi P. A. , Scalone L. , Mantovani L. G. , Crea R. , Gringeri A. ,   the European Haemophilia Therapy Strategy Board (EHTSB)
Published: August 2015

IntroductionAlthough immune tolerance induction (ITI) is considered the first choice treatment to eradicate inhibitors in haemophilia A patients, little is known about outcomes determinants and cost magnitude.Aim and MethodsA retrospective, multicentre study was conducted to assess the relationship between ITI outcome, clinical and treatment characteristics and cost of ITI treatment in haemophilia A patients. Data from 12 months before inhibitor diagnosis to 12 months after ITI completion were collected. Treatment cost was calculated in the third‐party perspective and expressed as mean € per patient‐month. Cox regression models were used to identify predictors of better outcome and the time taken to achieve tolerance.ResultsSeventy‐one patients, aged 0.4–41 years (median: 3.8 years) at ITI start, were enrolled. Undetectable inhibitor was achieved in 84.5% of patients and inhibitor eradication with normal factor VIII (FVIII) pharmacokinetics in 74.2%. Median time to successful tolerance was 10.7 months (range 2.0–90.0 months). Peak inhibitor level on ITI was a significant predictor of ITI success. Breakthrough bleeding event incidence during ITI was associated with time to success. The mean cost of treatment for the time period between inhibitor diagnosis and ITI start was €3188 per patient‐month (92.1% for bypassing agents), and €60 078 during ITI (76.8% for FVIII use in ITI).ConclusionImmune tolerance induction in this patient cohort was successful in 84.5% of patients with a mean cost of €60 000 per patient‐month. This high cost is dwarfed by comparison with the prospect of lifelong care of an inhibitor patient, in addition to gains in life expectancy and health‐related quality of life.
A European curriculum for nurses working in haemophilia
Authors:   the EAHAD Nurses Committee, Harrington C. , Bedford M. , Andritschke K. , Barrie A. , Elfvinge P. , Grønhaug S. , Mueller‐Kagi E. , Leenders B. , Schrijvers L. H. 
Published: August 2015

IntroductionCurrently, there is no consensus on education required to develop haemophilia nursing. The aim was to develop a curriculum for haemophilia nurses that could be used as a resource in Europe. This could form a basis for continuous professional development and used in the preparation of specialized educational programmes.MethodsThe EAHAD nurses working group set out to describe the skills and knowledge needed for a nurse to work in this specialty. This was considered at two levels: basic requirements and at a more advanced level. The working group acted as a focus group for this project drawing on existing specialist training, national role definitions, competencies and results of the EAHAD Nurses survey (2012). A template was populated with the knowledge base and the skills required.ResultsThemes were analysed and information generated organized into domains: content of curriculum; learning outcomes, defined in terms of knowledge, skills, behaviour and attitudes; and suggestions for teaching methods. For curriculum content the following domains were identified: Applied biological science; treatment and management of haemophilia and associated disorders; genetic practice; care management of affected carriers and women; the impact of living with bleeding disorders; evidence base and applied research in haemophilia practice; and, the specialist role of the haemophilia nurse. Examples are given for teaching and learning process.ConclusionThis curriculum is intended for use as a strategic resource to outline education for the haemophilia nurse and contribute to the standardization and benchmarking of haemophilia nursing care and thus to improvement in the quality of patient care.
Place of family in recovery models for those with a mental illness
Authors: Reupert Andrea , Maybery Darryl , Cox Merrilee , Scott Stokes Eileen 
Published: August 2015

AbstractWithin the context of mental illness, there is an acknowledgement that the social environment is critical to recovery. Nonetheless, how family roles and interactions are presented in recovery frameworks is unclear. This systematic review sought to: (i) identify how family is defined in recovery models, and (ii) synthesize how family relationships and roles are incorporated into recovery models for those with a mental illness. A systematic search of electronic databases was conducted for peer reviewed, English language papers published between 1980 to April 2013, from Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Proquest, CINAHL plus and Web of Knowledge. Studies were included if they presented a recovery framework and include primary data from people with a mental illness where family was incorporated. A narrative thematic analysis was conducted on the eligible 31 studies, using inductive, open coding techniques. Eight studies did not define what was meant by ‘family’ while 10 studies focused exclusively on an individual's relationships with parents; six papers collected parenting demographics. Family roles included being a (adult) child, parent, spouse and being part of a ‘family’. Family interactions involved being passive recipients of family support, caring for elderly parents and children and reciprocal, give and take relationships. Family interactions and roles offer the opportunity to both facilitate and impede recovery.
Hypertension Control and Its Correlates Among Adults Attending a Hypertension Clinic in Tanzania
Authors: Maginga John , Guerrero Mariana , Koh Eileen , Holm Hansen Christian , Shedafa Rehema , Kalokola Fredrick , Smart Luke R. , Peck Robert N. 
Published: August 2015

Hypertension control rates are low in sub‐Saharan Africa. Population‐specific determinants of blood pressure (BP) control have not been adequately described. The authors measured BP and conducted interviews to determine factors associated with BP control among adults attending a hypertension clinic in Tanzania. Three hundred adults were enrolled. BP was controlled in 47.7% of patients at the study visit but only 28.3% over three consecutive visits. Demographic and socioeconomic factors were not associated with control. Obesity and higher medication cost were associated with decreased control. Their effect was mediated through adherence. Good knowledge of (odds ratio [OR], 2.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0–6.1; P=.047), attitudes towards (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.0–7.1; P=.04), and practices concerning (OR, 5.4; 95% CI, 2.3–13.0; P<.001) hypertension were independently associated with increased control, even after adjusting for mediation through adherence. Good adherence had the strongest association with control (OR, 14.6; 95% CI, 5.8–37.0; P<.001). Strategies to reduce hypertension‐related morbidity and mortality in sub‐Saharan Africa should target these factors. Interventional studies of such strategies are needed.
Little evidence for morphological change in a resilient endemic species following the introduction of a novel predator
Authors: Sharpe D. M. T. , Langerhans R. B. , Low‐Décarie E. , Chapman L. J. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractHuman activities, such as species introductions, are dramatically and rapidly altering natural ecological processes and often result in novel selection regimes. To date, we still have a limited understanding of the extent to which such anthropogenic selection may be driving contemporary phenotypic change in natural populations. Here, we test whether the introduction of the piscivorous Nile perch, Lates niloticus, into East Africa's Lake Victoria and nearby lakes coincided with morphological change in one resilient native prey species, the cyprinid fish Rastrineobola argentea. Drawing on prior ecomorphological research, we predicted that this novel predator would select for increased allocation to the caudal region in R. argentea to enhance burst‐swimming performance and hence escape ability. To test this prediction, we compared body morphology of R. argentea across space (nine Ugandan lakes differing in Nile perch invasion history) and through time (before and after establishment of Nile perch in Lake Victoria). Spatial comparisons of contemporary populations only partially supported our predictions, with R. argentea from some invaded lakes having larger caudal regions and smaller heads compared to R. argentea from uninvaded lakes. There was no clear evidence of predator‐associated change in body shape over time in Lake Victoria. We conclude that R. argentea have not responded to the presence of Nile perch with consistent morphological changes and that other factors are driving observed patterns of body shape variation in R. argentea.
Patients' ‘thingification’, unexplained symptoms and response‐ability in the clinical context: in response to ‘Patients' substantialization of disease, the hybrid symptom and the metaphysical care’, by Alexandra Parvan
Authors: Eriksen Thor Eirik , Kirkengen Anna Luise 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe types of diseases, or categories of suffering, referred to as medically unexplained symptoms or syndromes (MUS) are the focus for the following commentary. Such cases seem to invite reflection. The very nature of such complex patterns of disease and suffering raises a number of fundamental epistemological and ontological issues. Furthermore, such health challenges can serve as the basis for an exploration of how the suffering person as well as the medical caretaker comes to grip with disease, incapacitation or suffering. We have structured our comments into two parts: first, we will describe medically unexplained health problems as the background for an inquiry into a process wherein patients reify their suffering in order to meet their doctors on equal terms, which carries a potential for alienation. Second, we will reflect on Alexandra Parvan's text as regards patients' ‘substantialization’ of their disease, the resulting ‘hybrid symptom’ and a proposed model for care and healing.
Drying Kinetics, Microstructure and Antioxidant Properties of Basil Treated by Ultrasound
Authors: Sledz Magdalena , Wiktor Artur , Nowacka Malgorzata , Witrowa‐Rajchert Dorota 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe current study is one of the first provided data on both the quality changes and the drying kinetics of herbal material affected by ultrasound (US). The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of US prior to microwave–convective drying on the drying kinetics, water diffusivity, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity and microstructure of basil leaves. The US pretreatment was applied at different frequencies (21, 35 kHz) for variable time (20, 30 min). Application of US significantly reduced the drying time up to 20% and decreased the total specific energy consumption maximally by 26.2% in the case of 35 kHz 20 min US‐treated basil. Sonication modified the microstructure of basil, which was manifested in larger and elongated cellular spaces. Nonetheless, US did not alter the antioxidant activity and resulted in even significantly higher phenolic content in leaves treated by US at 21 kHz 20 min and at 35 kHz 30 min, compared with untreated sample. Drying coefficients of the model proposed to describe the dehydration kinetics indicated the process intensity due to the significant correlation between the drying rate and effective water diffusivity.Practical ApplicationsBasil is a seasoning herb widely cultivated and distributed in a dried form to nearly every part of the world. Nowadays, the dried leaves are produced for consumption purpose and are intended for pharmaceutical industry, especially due to an antioxidative potential of basil. Ultrasound (US) is a nonthermal, emerging technology which intensifies the highly energy‐consuming drying process and reduces its cost. The current study is one of the first that provided data on both the quality changes and the drying kinetics of herbal material, affected by US treatment. This paper revealed the possibility of industrial utilization of US prior to the drying of herbs. Application of the recommended herein US treatment parameters results in a significant reduction of drying expenditures and improvement of the quality of herbs. It should be emphasized that both investment and operating costs of US pretreatment are negligible compared with benefits associated with decrease of drying energy consumption.
Comprehensive Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant and Antifungal Activities of Inula viscosa Aiton Leaves
Authors: Mahmoudi Hela , Hosni Karim , Zaouali Wafa , Amri Ismail , Zargouni Hanene , Hamida Nesrine Ben , Kaddour Rym , Hamrouni Lamia , Nasri Mouhiba Ben , Ouerghi Zeineb 
Published: August 2015

AbstractIn this study, a detailed phytochemical analysis of the medicinal herb Inula viscosa leaves was performed. Furthermore, in vitro antioxidant and antifungal properties of its methanolic extract were evaluated and compared with the corresponding phenolic profile obtained by high‐performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Data obtained underscore the high amount of total lipids (6.14%) in leaves. Chromatographic analysis revealed its high content of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) with the essential ones α‐linolenic and linoleic acids being the main compounds. It also showed good nutritional quality because of its high UFA/saturated fatty acid ratio and the lower values of atherogenic and thrombogenic indices. The volatile oil analyzed by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry showed the abundance of nonterpenic compounds, namely aliphatic alkanes. The total phenol content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were higher in I. viscosa leaves (103 mg GAE/g dw and 99 mg CE/g dw for TPC and TFC, respectively). The use of HPLC‐PDA‐ESI‐MS/MS allowed the identification of 17 components with hydroxycinnamic acids, namely mono‐ and dicaffeoylquinic acids being the most prominent components. The presence of these phenolic compound conferred strong free radical scavenging and antifungal properties to the methanol extract. Therefore, I. viscosa leaves could be considered as an excellent source of food functional ingredients with high nutritional value and health benefits.Practical ApplicationsThe outcome of this study shows that Inula viscosa leaves can be considered as a consolidated source of essential fatty acids, mainly α‐linolenic and linoleic acids. Moreover, they contain appreciable amounts of phenolic compounds with phenolic acids, recognized for their high biological activities, being the most abundant. In addition to its strong antioxidant activity, there is convincing evidence that I. viscosa extracts exhibit antifungal activity. On the light of this evidence, it is anticipated that this species may had greater potential as food additives and preservatives.