bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Maternal and child health nurses' self‐perceived confidence in dealing with child behaviour problems
Authors: Sarkadi A. , Gulenc A. , Hiscock H. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractBackgroundAddressing behaviour problems in children is increasingly becoming part of routine care. The question therefore arises as to which workforce members are best suited to deliver structured interventions and what skill sets they might need apart from knowledge of the specific parenting programme offered.ObjectivesTo assess maternal and child health (MCH) nurses' self‐perceived confidence in dealing with child behaviour problems.DesignCross‐sectional questionnaire study. Data collection occurred prior to cluster randomization in the Families in Mind trial.SettingMCH clinics in nine local government areas in greater Melbourne, in 2010.ParticipantsAll MCH nurses in the nine areas were invited to participate, 153 (79%) completed the survey.Main outcomes measuresNurses' comfort, competency, attitudes and perceived difficulties in dealing with child behaviour problems.ResultsThe majority of nurses (63%) viewed it as their role to deal with, rather than refer, child behaviour problems and felt that the task was rewarding (86%). They believed that parenting advice should be offered universally, rather than only to families with severe problems (94%). Nurses felt rather comfortable and competent to broach and discuss child behaviour problems without need for prior parental request, but somewhat less comfortable and competent to manage child behaviour problems or to make a difference. Experienced nurses (>10 years in practice) felt more comfortable and competent. Nurses described that the major challenge in their dealing with child behaviour problems was parental denial or resistance (60%).ConclusionsMCH nurses are at the frontline of preventive medical services for families with young children where behaviour problems are a common concern. Because managing young children's behaviour problems primarily occurs through adult behaviour change, techniques addressing parent denial and non‐compliance, such as motivational interviewing and empowerment should be a part of MCH nurses' skill sets.
Associations between early alcohol and tobacco use and prolonged time to puberty in boys
Authors: Davis E. M. , Peck J. D. , Peck B. M. , Kaplan H. B. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractBackgroundPrevious research has demonstrated a relationship between prepubertal alcohol and tobacco use and delayed pubertal characteristics in girls. Although, laboratory research indicates that alcohol and tobacco use inhibits sexual maturation in male rats, human research in this area is lacking. To address this question among boys, we conducted a study to explore the association between early use of alcohol and tobacco and time to development of secondary sexual characteristics.MethodsThe study population included 3199 boys interviewed between the ages of 11 and 21. Participants reported the ages at which they first experienced body hair growth, deepening of the voice and facial hair growth. Early alcohol and tobacco use were defined as first use preceding the age of pubertal development among those reporting regular consumption patterns. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using Cox proportional hazard models.ResultsEarly alcohol use was associated with longer time to body hair growth (HR 0.77; 95% CI 0.69–0.87), voice changes (HR 0.72; 95% CI 0.64–0.82) and facial hair growth (HR 0.77; 95% CI 0.68–0.86), after adjusting for tobacco use and age at interview. Tobacco use was not independently associated with the puberty indicators after controlling for alcohol use and age at interview.ConclusionsOur findings are consistent with the hypothesis that alcohol may inhibit puberty onset in boys, an association that has been previously observed among young girls. Thus, alcohol may be an exposure deserving more scrutiny as a disruptor to normal pubertal development.
Internal bacterial colonization of implants: association with peri‐implant bone loss
Authors: Jervøe‐Storm Pia‐Merete , Jepsen Søren , Jöhren Peter , Mericske‐Stern Regina , Enkling Norbert 
Published: May 2014

AbstractObjectivesThe aim of the present longitudinal study was to investigate bacterial colonization of the internal implant cavity and to evaluate a possible association with peri‐implant bone loss.MethodsA total of 264 paper point samples were harvested from the intra‐implant cavity of 66 implants in 26 patients immediately following implant insertion and after 3, 4, and 12 months. Samples were evaluated for Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia as well as total bacterial counts by real‐time PCR. Bone loss was evaluated on standardized radiographs up to 25 months after implant insertion. For the statistical analysis of the data, mixed effects models were fitted.ResultsThere was an increase in the frequency of detection as well as in the mean counts of the selected bacteria over time. The evaluation of the target bacteria revealed a significant association of Pr. intermedia at 4 and 12 months with peri‐implant bone loss at 25 months (4 months: P = 0.009; 12 months: P = 0.021).ConclusionsThe present study could demonstrate a progressive colonization by periodontopathogenic bacteria in the internal cavities of two‐piece implants. The results suggest that internal colonization with Pr. intermedia was associated with peri‐implant bone loss.
Functional connectivity in prenatally stressed rats with and without maternal treatment with ladostigil, a brain‐selective monoamine oxidase inhibitor
Authors: Goelman G. , Ilinca R. , Zohar I. , Weinstock M. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractStress during pregnancy in humans is known to be a risk factor for neuropsychiatric disorders in the offspring. Prenatal stress in rats caused depressive‐like behavior that was restored to that of controls by maternal treatment with ladostigil (8.5 mg/kg per day), a brain‐selective monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor that prevented increased anxiety‐like behavior in stressed mothers. Ladostigil inhibited maternal striatal MAO‐A and ‐B by 45–50% at the time the pups were weaned. Using resting state‐functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging on rat male offspring of control mothers, and mothers stressed during gestation with and without ladostigil treatment, we identified neuronal connections that differed between these groups. The percentage of significant connections within a predefined predominantly limbic network in control rats was 23.3 within the right and 22.0 within the left hemisphere. Prenatal stress disturbed hemispheric symmetry, resulting in 30.2 and 21.6%, significant connections in the right and left hemispheres, respectively, but this was fully restored in the maternal ladostigil group to 24.6% in both hemispheres. All connections that were modified in prenatally stressed rats and restored by maternal drug treatment were associated with the dopaminergic system. Specifically, we observed that restoration of the connections of the right nucleus accumbens shell with frontal areas, the cingulate, septum and motor and sensory cortices, and those of the right globus pallidus with the infra‐limbic and the dentate gyrus, were most important for prevention of depressive‐like behavior.
The skin microbiome of caspase‐14‐deficient mice shows mild dysbiosis
Authors: Kubica Malgorzata , Hildebrand Falk , Brinkman Brigitta M. , Goossens Dirk , Del Favero Jurgen , Vercammen Ken , Cornelis Pierre , Schröder Jens‐Michael , Vandenabeele Peter , Raes Jeroen , Declercq Wim 
Published: May 2014

AbstractCaspase‐14, an important proteinase involved in filaggrin catabolism, is mainly active in terminally differentiating keratinocytes, where it is required for the generation of skin natural moisturizing factors (NMFs). Consequently, caspase‐14 deficient epidermis is characterized by reduced levels of NMFs such as urocanic acid and 2‐pyrrolidone‐5‐carboxylic acid. Patients suffering from filaggrin deficiency are prone to develop atopic dermatitis, which is accompanied with increased microbial burden. Among several reasons, this effect could be due to a decrease in filaggrin breakdown products. In this study, we found that caspase‐14−/− mice show enhanced antibacterial response compared to wild‐type mice when challenged with bacteria. Therefore, we compared the microbial communities between wild‐type and caspase‐14−/− mice by sequencing of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA genes. We observed that caspase‐14 ablation leads to an increase in bacterial richness and diversity during steady‐state conditions. Although both wild‐type and caspase‐14−/− skin were dominated by the Firmicutes phylum, the Staphylococcaceae family was reduced in caspase‐14−/− mice. Altogether, our data demonstrated that caspase‐14 deficiency causes the imbalance of the skin‐resident bacterial communities.
Resveratrol attenuates bone cancer pain through the inhibition of spinal glial activation and CX3CR1 upregulation
Authors: Cheng Wei , Zhao Yu , Liu He , Fan Qin , Lu Fei‐Fei , Li Jing , Yin Qin , Yan Chang‐Dong 
Published: May 2014

AbstractThe present study examined the effects of intrathecal use of resveratrol on pain hypersensitivities, spinal glia activation, and CX3CR1 expression in the model of bone cancer pain (BCP). The BCP model was established through intrathecally injecting Walker 256 mammary gland carcinoma cells to Sprague‐Dawley rats. We found that spinal CX3CR1 expression and glial activation aggravated after inoculation. Resveratrol (i.t.) attenuated bone cancer‐induced pain hypersensitivities, decreased CX3CR1 expression and glial activation in the spine in a BCP model. Resveratrol (i.t.) also attenuated mechanical allodynia resulting from intrathecally injecting fractalkine in rats. Inhibition of spinal glial activation and CX3CR1 upregulation may involve in resveratrol's analgesic effects. These findings demonstrated that resveratrol attenuated pain facilitation through inhibiting spinal glial activation and CX3CR1 upregulation in a BCP model.
Precipitation and winter temperature predict long‐term range‐scale abundance changes in Western North American birds
Authors: Illán Javier Gutiérrez , Thomas Chris D. , Jones Julia A. , Wong Weng‐Keen , Shirley Susan M. , Betts Matthew G. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractPredicting biodiversity responses to climate change remains a difficult challenge, especially in climatically complex regions where precipitation is a limiting factor. Though statistical climatic envelope models are frequently used to project future scenarios for species distributions under climate change, these models are rarely tested using empirical data. We used long‐term data on bird distributions and abundance covering five states in the westernUSand in the Canadian province of British Columbia to test the capacity of statistical models to predict temporal changes in bird populations over a 32‐year period. Using boosted regression trees, we built presence‐absence and abundance models that related the presence and abundance of 132 bird species to spatial variation in climatic conditions. Presence/absence models built using 1970–1974 data forecast the distributions of the majority of species in the later time period, 1998–2002 (meanAUC = 0.79 ± 0.01). Hindcast models performed equivalently (meanAUC = 0.82 ± 0.01). Correlations between observed and predicted abundances were also statistically significant for most species (forecast mean Spearman′sρ = 0.34 ± 0.02, hindcast = 0.39 ± 0.02). The most stringent test is to test predicted changes in geographic patterns through time. Observed changes in abundance patterns were significantly positively correlated with those predicted for 59% of species (mean Spearman′sρ = 0.28 ± 0.02, across all species). Three precipitation variables (for the wettest month, breeding season, and driest month) and minimum temperature of the coldest month were the most important predictors of bird distributions and abundances in this region, and hence of abundance changes through time. Our results suggest that models describing associations between climatic variables and abundance patterns can predict changes through time for some species, and that changes in precipitation and winter temperature appear to have already driven shifts in the geographic patterns of abundance of bird populations in western North America.
Can trait‐based analyses of changes in species distribution be transferred to new geographic areas?
Authors: Powney Gary D. , Preston Christopher D. , Purvis Andy , Van Landuyt Wouter , Roy David B. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractAimAnthropogenic environmental change is having a major impact on biodiversity. By identifying traits that correlate with changes in species range, comparative studies can shed light on the mechanisms driving this change; but such studies will be more useful for conservation if they have true predictive power, i.e. if their trait‐based models can be transferred to new regions. We aim to examine the ability of trait‐based models to predict changes in plant distribution across seven geographic regions that varied in terms of land cover and species composition.LocationBritain and Flanders (Belgium).MethodsWe estimated distribution change for more than 1000 species for over 70 years of data (1930s to 2004), using data from published plant atlases. We identified regional trait‐based models of plant distribution change. Traits included morphological characteristics, Ellenberg values and distribution‐based traits. The trait models were then used to predict change in all other regions, with the level of linear correlation between predicted and observed changes in range used as a measure of transferability. We then related transferability to land cover and species similarity between regions.ResultsWe found that trait correlates of range change varied regionally, highlighting the regional variation in the drivers of range change in plants. These trait models also varied in the amount of variation explained, with r2 values ranging from 0.05 to 0.17. A key cross‐regional difference was the variation in the relationship between soil nutrient association (Ellenberg N) and distribution change, which was strongly positive in Flanders and southern England but significantly negative in northern Scotland. We found that transferability between regions was significantly correlated with the level of similarity in land cover.Main conclusionsWe conclude that trait‐based models can predict broad‐scale changes in species distributions in regions that share similar land‐cover composition; however, predictions between regions with differing land‐cover cover tend to be poor.
On the measurement of dimensionality of biodiversity
Authors: Stevens Richard D. , Tello J. Sebastián 
Published: May 2014

AbstractAimTo characterize relationships among indices of taxonomic, phylogenetic, functional and phenetic diversity (TPFP diversity) for Neotropical bats and examine if dimensionality is different from null model expectations after controlling for sampling effects owing to underlying variation in species richness.LocationNeotropics.MethodsBat distributions were estimated using geographic range maps. By overlaying range maps on a gridded map of the New World, the species composition of each cell was determined. Then, species richness and three indices each of phylogenetic, functional and phenetic diversity were calculated. A principal components analysis (PCA) determined the dimensionality of the entire multivariate data set. This was followed by two additional PCAs that examined the dimensionality of spatial and non‐spatial fractions of the original data. Spearman rank correlations determined pair‐wise association among indices. Correlations and dimensionality were compared with two different null models that account for species richness gradients.ResultsTen measures characterizing TPFP diversity exhibited much spatial structure across the New World. Pair‐wise correlations between indices were typically different from null model expectations. While patterns of multivariate covariation were similar across spatial and non‐spatial data sets, the dimensionality of biodiversity was low and either lower than or no different from null model expectations.Main conclusionsMost measures of biodiversity exhibit at least some level of quantitative redundancy, and this redundancy is often higher than expected given sampling effects owing to species richness gradients. Considerations of uniqueness should be made when examining conceptually different dimensions of biodiversity.
Ambiguous biogeographical patterns mask a more complete understanding of the Ordovician to Devonian evolution of Japan
Authors: Williams Mark , Wallis Simon , Oji Tatsuo , Lane Philip D. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractFossil assemblages of the Ordovician to Devonian successions of Japan suggest complex temporal, environmental and geographical controls on their biogeographical signature. Thus, limited similarity at the species‐level between the trilobite, brachiopod and ostracod faunas of the South Kitakami, Hida‐Gaien and Kurosegawa terranes in part reflects the sporadic stratigraphic distribution of shelly fauna within these terranes. As a result, and with the exception of corals and pan‐tropical radiolarians, species‐level similarities are greater with other regions of East Asia and Australia than amongst the Japanese terranes. The Silurian faunas of the South Kitakami Terrane have affinities with North America, Europe, Central Asia and Australia, but there is no overriding signature to support proximity either to South China or Gondwana. Notably, brachiopod and trilobite faunas of the Middle Devonian suggest strong connections with North China. Trilobite, coral and ostracod faunas of the Hida‐Gaien Terrane show affinity, including at species level, with Siluro‐Devonian faunas from westerly‐situated palaeocontinents, especially those of Central Asian and European affinity, suggesting a continuation of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, or of its associated lithofacies. Greater diversity of groups such as ostracods and trilobites in this terrane may signal closer links with continental shelf faunas of East Asia. The dominant biogeographical signature of the Kurosegawa Terrane is from corals and trilobites, suggesting links with the Siluro‐Devonian of Central Asia, Australia and South China. The variable biogeographic signal of the Japanese faunas may reflect the lifestyles of organisms with different physiologies and larval dispersal mechanisms, as well as the relative incompleteness of the Japanese fossil record. The present state of knowledge of the faunas cautions against placing Japan in relative proximity to the North or South China plates, or of presenting the Japanese terranes as a unified island arc to the north of the South China Plate during the Early Palaeozoic.
Chemically Strengthened Low Crystallinity Black Glass‐Ceramics with High Liquidus Viscosities
Authors: Dejneka Matthew , Dutta Indrajit , Smith Charlene 
Published: May 2014

Strong, black materials are needed for electronic device backs and appliance facings. While glass‐ceramics have good strength and toughness, their liquidus viscosity is too low to enable economical forming of these devices by the fusion or slot draw methods. Thus, we invented a new class of low crystallinity glass‐ceramics with 10–20 nm crystallites in the Fe2O3‐TiO2‐MgO system. These materials were formed into transparent glasses and then heat treated to make black opaque glass‐ceramics containing magnetite, pseudobrookite, and/or ε‐Fe2O3. The ε‐Fe2O3 phase exhibited extensive solid solution (ss) between Fe2O3 and MgTiO3. The blackness and opacity of the ε‐Fe2O3 glass‐ceramics peaked at a ceram temperature of 750°C where the Fe2+ in the crystallites was maximized, resulting in peak Fe2+‐Ti4+ charge transfer absorption. The liquidus viscosity was increased to more than 100 kPa*s by optimizing the base glass composition and minimizing the amount of crystallinity, thereby enabling fusion formability. These fusion formable glass‐ceramics had strengths exceeding the best commercially available glasses after ion exchange. This work provides a new class of low crystallinity fusion formable glass‐ceramics with high strength.
Knockdown of mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling in the midgut of Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes using antisense morpholinos
Authors: Pietri J. E. , Cheung K. W. , Luckhart S. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractArthropod‐borne infectious diseases are responsible for nearly 1.5 million deaths annually across the globe, with malaria responsible for >50% of these deaths. Recent efforts to enhance malaria control have focused on developing genetically modified Anopheles mosquitoes that are resistant to malaria parasite infection by manipulating proteins that are essential to the immune response. Although this approach has shown promise, the lack of efficient genetic tools in the mosquito makes it difficult to investigate innate immunity using reverse genetics. Current gene knockdown strategies based on small interfering RNA are typically labourious, inefficient, and require extensive training. In the present study, we describe the use of morpholino antisense oligomers to knockdown MEK‐ERK signalling in the midgut of Anopheles stephensi through a simple feeding protocol. Anti‐MEK morpholino provided in a saline meal was readily ingested by female mosquitoes with minimal toxicity and resulted in knockdown of total MEK protein levels 3–4 days after morpholino feeding. Further, anti‐MEK morpholino feeding attenuated inducible phosphorylation of the downstream kinase ERK and, as predicted by previous work, reduced parasite burden in mosquitoes infected with Plasmodium falciparum. To our knowledge, this is the first example of morpholino use for target protein knockdown via feeding in an insect vector. Our results suggest this method is not only efficient for studies of individual proteins, but also for studies of phenotypic control by complex cell signalling networks. As such, our protocol is an effective alternative to current methods for gene knockdown in arthropods.