bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Economics of ageing: research area and perspectives
Authors: Meiners Norbert 
Published: May 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the latest findings on the economic potential of ageing and compare them primarily from a consumables perspective. The relevant question relating to this research was: What are the economic consequences of the demographic development in relation to consumer demand for products and services in old age?Design/methodology/approach– Narrative systematic publications were thoroughly reviewed and collated. A systematic search was carried out in journals, books, databases, the internet as well as within the scientific community from November 2012 to May 2013.Findings– A total of 115 relevant scientific publications were identified in this review (from 1964 to 2013). In order to gain an actual overview of the relevant literature, the results show the most recent publications from 2000 to 2013.Research limitations/implications– There are three limitations within this paper: First, the search process used only four databases. Second, this review only took into account publications in English and German. Therefore, the review may fail to encompass all published literature. Finally, this study did not endeavour to evaluate the methodological quality of each scientific publication. Study findings were taken as reported.Originality/value– This paper aims at analysing the economic potentials of ageing primarily from the perspective of consumption. The focus of this economics of ageing investigation is on the “demography-related” consequences in terms of the demand behaviour of the older consumers (the elderly as potential buyers). The paper deals with all the “silver economy” as a cross-sector campaign and research area for economics of ageing – a still fairly young discipline, both in science and in practical applications.
Parasites exert conflicting selection pressures to affect reproductive asynchrony of their host plant in an obligate pollination mutualism
Authors: Krishnan Anusha , Borges Renee M. 
Published: May 2014

Summary

Plant reproductive phenology is generally viewed as an individual's strategy to maximize gamete exchange and propagule dispersal and is often considered largely dependent on patterns of floral initiation. Reproductive phenology, however, can be affected by proximate responses to pollinators, parasites and herbivores which could influence floral longevity or fruit development time.

We examined the influence of insect interactants on within‐plant reproductive phenology in the fig–fig wasp nursery pollination mutualism in Ficus racemosa (Moraceae). Most figs support a wasp community comprised of a mutualistic pollinator, with several host‐plant‐specific non‐pollinating herbivorous gallers and parasitoids. These wasps reproduce within enclosed inflorescences called syconia, which develop into fruit after pollination. While different wasp species oviposit into syconia at varying times during its ontogeny, all wasp progeny are constrained to exit syconia simultaneously just prior to fruit ripening. Developing larvae of early‐ovipositing wasps may hasten syconium ontogeny through formation of earlier and larger nutrient sinks, whereas larvae of late‐arriving parasites may lengthen syconium ontogeny to complete their development successfully. Seeds are also important nutrient sinks. The number of seeds and the type and number of developing wasps may therefore be expected to influence syconium development times, thereby affecting the reproductive synchrony of syconia on a plant.

Observations on naturally pollinated and parasitized syconia indicated that their seed and wasp content affected syconium development time. Experimental manipulations of syconia to produce only seeds or various combinations of wasps confirmed this finding. Early‐ovipositing galler progeny reduced syconium development times, while gallers ovipositing concurrently with pollinators had no effect on syconium development. Late‐ovipositing parasitoid progeny, the presence of only seeds within the syconium, or delayed pollination increased syconium development time. The differential development of syconia, which was influenced by mutualistic or parasitic progeny, accordingly contributed to within‐tree reproductive asynchrony.

Synthesis. Individual reproductive units in fig trees called syconia, which also function as brood sites for pollinating and parasitic fig wasps, have plastic development durations dependent on pollination timing and species of wasps developing within them. Syconium development times are a likely compromise between conflicting demands from developing seeds and different wasp species.
Evidence‐based vegetation management: prospects and challenges
Authors: Milberg Per 
Published: May 2014

AbstractThe effect of applied vegetation science on society has the potential to increase by adopting an evidence‐based approach. However, this would require a shift in focus towards effect size and results suitable for meta‐analyses, a focus on practitioners as potential readers, more emphasis on practical problems rather than mechanism, and an acceptance of all well‐executed experimental studies, even if confirmatory. Thus, the prevailing editorial policies need to be reconsidered, as well as the methods of analysing, reporting and evaluating research, for our research efforts to be of better use within society.
Discussion of combining biomarkers to optimize patient treatment recommendations
Authors: Zhao Ying‐Qi , Kosorok Michael R. 
Published: May 2014

SummaryKang, Janes and Huang propose an interesting boosting method to combine biomarkers for treatment selection. The method requires modeling the treatment effects using markers. We discuss an alternative method, outcome weighted learning. This method sidesteps the need for modeling the outcomes, and thus can be more robust to model misspecification.
Association between dental caries and obesity evaluated by air displacement plethysmography in 18‐year‐old adolescents in Pelotas, Brazil
Authors: Justo Fabiano de Castro , Fontanella Vania Regina Camargo , Feldens Carlos Alberto , Silva Alexandre Emidio Ribeiro , Gonçalves Helen , Assunção Maria Cecília , Menezes Ana Maria Baptista 
Published: May 2014

AbstractObjectivesTo investigate the association between dental caries and obesity, evaluated by air displacement plethysmography, among 18‐year‐old adolescents from a birth cohort in the city of Pelotas, Brazil.MethodsA cross‐sectional study nested in a birth cohort study was conducted in Pelotas, Brazil. A random sample of 986 18‐year‐old adolescents was selected. The outcome variable was the occurrence of dental caries (DMFT ≥1) according to clinical examination by a trained and calibrated dentist. For the exposure variable (obesity), body fat percentage was measured using air displacement plethysmography and classified as normal weight (<P85), overweight (P85–P95), and obesity (>P95). Sociodemographic and behavior variables were collected using a questionnaire. We performed multivariable Poisson regression analyses with robust variance to examine the association between dental caries and obesity.ResultsDMFT ranged from 0 to 19; mean (SD) was 2 (2.3), and median (P25–P75) was 1 (0–3). Body fat percentage ranged from 0.9 to 57.6%; mean (SD) percentage was 24.4% (11.6%), and median (P25–P75) was 25.1% (14.0–32.9%). The prevalence of dental caries was 66.5% (95% CI 63.6–69.5%), being significantly higher in female adolescents with lower maternal education, lower education, and sugar intake more than once a day. There were no differences in the probability of dental caries among individuals with normal weight, overweight, or obesity in the unadjusted model (P = 0.846) or after adjustment for sociodemographic (P = 0.864) variables.ConclusionsOverweight and obesity were not associated with the occurrence of dental caries in 18‐year‐old adolescents.
A Systematic Review of Observational Studies Evaluating Implant Placement in the Maxillary Jaws of Medically Compromised Patients
Authors: Kotsakis Georgios A. , Ioannou Andreas L. , Hinrichs James E. , Romanos Georgios E. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractBackgroundEven though the efficacy of implant treatment and the excellent success rates that modern implant surfaces yield remain unchallenged, there is limited information available on implant success rates in medically compromised patients.PurposeThe aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the survival of implants placed in the maxillary jaws of medically compromised patients.Materials and MethodsTwo reviewers using predefined selection criteria performed an electronic search complemented by a manual search, independently and in duplicate.ResultsAfter the final selection, 11 studies reporting on four distinct medical conditions were included out of 405 potentially eligible titles. In detail, three studies reported on implants placed in diabetic patients, six on implants placed in patients with a history of oral cancer, one on implants in patients with a history of epilepsy, and one on implants in patients with autoimmune rheumatoid arthritis.ConclusionsPlacement of maxillary implants in medically compromised patients seems to yield acceptable survival rates. Implant survival in well‐controlled diabetic patients, patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and patients treated for severe epilepsy is comparable to that in healthy patients. Implants placed in the maxillae of patients treated for oral cancer may attain osseointegration less predictably than in the mandible.
Making Tenofovir Accessible In The Brazilian Public Health System: Patent Conflicts And Generic Production
Authors: Veras Juliana 
Published: May 2014

AbstractIn May 2011, the Brazilian Ministry of Health announced the distribution of the first batch of locally produced generic tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) to support its program of universal and free access for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. The inclusion of TDF in the public health program illustrates what has been considered the ‘Brazilian model’ of HIV/AIDS response, as it illustrates the current phase of the Brazilian pharmaceutical economy. Brazil is known for having managed to control the expansion of HIV/AIDS through a unique initiative combining the public health and the industrial production of generics. But, if at first local manufacturers could freely copy ARVs and produce cheaper generic versions that were delivered to the Ministry of Health, since the country started to grant patents on drugs in 1996, the sustainability of this policy has been challenged by the high cost of patented second‐line HIV/AIDS treatments. In order to assure continuity of the local production of ARVs, and keep the program of public health alive, Brazilians are now forced to deal with conflicts of drugs' intellectual property rights in order to open the path to generic production. This article aims to describe the experiences surrounding TDF in Brazil and the unprecedented conflicts and challenges it has brought for our different interviewees. Blurring the frontier between the public and the private, the TDF case was driven at the same time by an ethic of drug access and regulation of drug quality, which has inspired Brazilians to intervene and transform the world they live in.
First record of an apparently rare fig wasp feeding strategy: obligate seed predation
Authors: WANG RONG , MATTHEWS ASHLEY , RATCLIFFE JOANNE , BARWELL LOUISE J. , PENG YAN‐QIONG , CHOU LIEN‐SIANG , YU HUI , YANG HUI‐WEN , COMPTON STEPHEN G. 
Published: May 2014

1. Fig trees require host‐specific agaonid fig wasps for pollination, but their figs also support numerous non‐pollinating fig wasps (NPFW) that gall fig tissues or develop as parasitoids.2. Ficus microcarpa L. is widely naturalised outside its native range and the most invasive fig tree species. Seed predators are widely used for the biological control of invasive plants, but no obligate seed predatory (as opposed to ovule or fig wall galling) NPFW have been recorded previously from any fig trees.3. Philotrypesis NPFW are usually regarded as parasitoids or ‘inquilines’ (parasitoids that also eat plant material) of pollinator fig wasps, but the present study provides evidence that Philotrypesis taiwanensis, a NPFW associated with F. microcarpa, is an obligate seed predator: (i) adults emerge from seeds of typical appearance, with a surrounding elaiosome; (ii) it shows no preference for figs occupied by fig wasp species, other than the pollinator; (iii) it only develops in figs that contain pollinated ovules, avoiding figs occupied by an agaonid that fails to pollinate; (iv) larvae are distributed in layers where seeds are concentrated and (v) it has a negative impact on seed but not pollinator offspring numbers.4. Philotrypesis is a large genus, and further species are likely to be seed predators.
Pregnancy in beta‐thalassemia intermedia: 20‐year experience of a Greek thalassemia center
Authors: Voskaridou Ersi , Balassopoulou Angeliki , Boutou Effrossyni , Komninaka Veroniki , Christoulas Dimitrios , Dimopoulou Maria , Delaki Evangelia‐Eleni , Loukopoulos Dimitris , Terpos Evangelos 
Published: May 2014

AbstractObjectiveProgress in the management of patients with thalassemia intermedia (TI) enabled increasing rates of pregnancies among TI women worldwide. Nevertheless, information regarding TI pregnancy management and outcome is quite limited in the literature. The aim of this study was to report our experience regarding the maternal and fetal outcome of TI patients, as well as to depict the complexity of the disease and the need for multidisciplinary and personalized management as shown by the description of two interesting pregnancy cases.MethodsWe analyzed our data recorded from 60 pregnancies in 34 women over a 20‐yr period.ResultsForty‐nine patients achieved full‐term pregnancies (mean maternal age ± SD: 27.4 ± 6.5 yr) within 37 ± 3 gestation weeks. Their mean hemoglobin value was 8.33 ± 1.22 g/dL; 26.5% of patients were not transfused at all or they had been transfused only once during gestation. There were 11 abortions (18.3%). The spontaneous abortions (5/11) were related to high HbF levels. Six patients had more than two normal deliveries. Nineteen newborns (38.8%), which weighed 2–3 kg, required hospitalization to an intensive neonatal care unit for 1–3 wk. One patient presented with life‐threatening complications (hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and enlargement of spleen) and another with spastic paraparesis due to extramedullary paravertebral masses.ConclusionsAlthough several complications can occur during a pregnancy in TI women, the careful and frequent monitoring by both hamatologists and obstetricians can lead to successful deliveries.
The MDM2 polymorphism SNP309 is associated with clinical characteristics and outcome in diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma
Authors: Hedström Gustav , Thunberg Ulf , Amini Rose‐Marie , Zainuddin Norafiza , Enblad Gunilla , Berglund Mattias 
Published: May 2014

AbstractIntroductionThe murine double minute 2 (MDM2) gene encodes a regulatory protein of the p53 pathway. A single nucleotide polymorphism (T to G change) at position 309 (SNP309) in the promotor region of MDM2 affects the transcription activity of MDM2 and has been found to be a negative prognostic marker in several cancers.Patients and methodsIn this study, the MDM2 SNP309 polymorphism was analysed in 201 patients with diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma and analysed in relation to clinical characteristics and prognosis.ResultsPatients homozygous for SNP309T had a significantly longer overall survival, lymphoma‐specific survival and disease‐free survival (P = 0.002; 0.004 and 0.006 respectively) compared to patients carrying a G allele. The longer overall survival was seen in the subgroup of patients not treated with Rituximab, however, not for Rituximab‐treated patients (P = 0.01 and 0.2 respectively). The group homozygous for the T allele also had lower age at diagnosis, a tendency towards lower aaIPI and a significantly lower proportion of patients with p53 aberrations compared to the group including at least one G allele. However, the survival differences persisted even after removal of cases with known p53 aberrations from the analysis.ConclusionPolymorphism in MDM2 SNP309 could be correlated to some clinical characteristics and for patients not treated with immunotherapy, a G allele was correlated to poor survival, whereas no survival differences were found for patients treated with Rituximab. Herewith, we provide additional information about Diffuse large B‐cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) biology and highlight the importance of evaluation of molecular markers in relation to treatment.
Spoken Spanish Language Development at the High School Level: A Mixed‐Methods Study
Authors: Moeller Aleidine J. , Theiler Janine 
Published: May 2014

AbstractCommunicative approaches to teaching language have emphasized the centrality of oral proficiency in the language acquisition process, but research investigating oral proficiency has been surprisingly limited, yielding an incomplete understanding of spoken language development. This study investigated the development of spoken language at the high school level over five consecutive years, involving more than 1,500 students representing 23 school districts. Quantitative Standards‐Based Measure of Proficiency speaking scores and student‐produced qualitative spoken samples (n > 6,000 samples) contributed to an understanding of the development of spoken language. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) revealed a consistent growth trajectory of spoken language development, and results indicated that 18–30% of the variance in student outcomes may be attributed to the teacher variable.
Climate sensitivity across marine domains of life: limits to evolutionary adaptation shape species interactions
Authors: Storch Daniela , Menzel Lena , Frickenhaus Stephan , Pörtner Hans‐O. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractOrganisms in all domains, Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya will respond to climate change with differential vulnerabilities resulting in shifts in species distribution, coexistence, and interactions. The identification of unifying principles of organism functioning across all domains would facilitate a cause and effect understanding of such changes and their implications for ecosystem shifts. For example, the functional specialization of all organisms in limited temperature ranges leads us to ask for unifying functional reasons. Organisms also specialize in either anoxic or various oxygen ranges, with animals and plants depending on high oxygen levels. Here, we identify thermal ranges, heat limits of growth, and critically low (hypoxic) oxygen concentrations as proxies of tolerance in a meta‐analysis of data available for marine organisms, with special reference to domain‐specific limits. For an explanation of the patterns and differences observed, we define and quantify a proxy for organismic complexity across species from all domains. Rising complexity causes heat (and hypoxia) tolerances to decrease from Archaea to Bacteria to uni‐ and then multicellular Eukarya. Within and across domains, taxon‐specific tolerance limits likely reflect ultimate evolutionary limits of its species to acclimatization and adaptation. We hypothesize that rising taxon‐specific complexities in structure and function constrain organisms to narrower environmental ranges. Low complexity as in Archaea and some Bacteria provide life options in extreme environments. In the warmest oceans, temperature maxima reach and will surpass the permanent limits to the existence of multicellular animals, plants and unicellular phytoplankter. Smaller, less complex unicellular Eukarya, Bacteria, and Archaea will thus benefit and predominate even more in a future, warmer, and hypoxic ocean.
Progressive loss of myogenic differentiation in leiomyosarcoma has prognostic value
Authors: Demicco Elizabeth G , Boland Genevieve M , Brewer Savannah Kari J , Lusby Kristelle , Young Eric D , Ingram Davis , Watson Kelsey L , Bailey Marshall , Guo Xiangqian , Hornick Jason L , van de Rijn Matt , Wang Wei‐Lien , Torres Keila E , Lev Dina , Lazar Alexander J 
Published: May 2014

AimsWell‐differentiated leiomyosarcomas show morphologically recognizable smooth muscle differentiation, whereas poorly differentiated tumours may form a spectrum with a subset of undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas. The expression of certain muscle markers has been reported to have prognostic impact. We investigated the correlation between the morphological spectrum and the muscle marker expression profile of leiomyosarcoma, and the impact of these factors on patient outcomes.Methods and resultsTissue microarrays including 202 non‐uterine and 181 uterine leiomyosarcomas with a spectrum of tumour morphologies were evaluated for expression of immunohistochemical markers of muscle differentiation. Poorly differentiated tumours frequently lost one or more conventional smooth muscle markers [smooth muscle actin, desmin, h‐caldesmon, and smooth muscle myosin (P < 0.0001)], as well as the more recently described markers SLMAP, MYLK, and ACTG2 (P < 0.0001). In primary tumours, both desmin and CFL2 expression predicted improved overall survival in multivariate analyses (P = 0.0111 and P = 0.043, respectively). Patients with muscle marker‐enriched tumours (expressing all four conventional markers or any three of ACTG2, CFL2, CASQ2, MYLK, and SLMAP) had improved overall survival (P < 0.05) in univariate analyses.ConclusionsMorphologically and immunohistochemically, poorly differentiated leiomyosarcomas can masquerade as undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas with progressive loss of muscle markers. The expression of muscle markers has prognostic significance in primary leiomyosarcomas independently of tumour morphology.