bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Understanding diversity patterns in bacterioplankton communities from a sub‐Antarctic peatland
Authors: Quiroga María Victoria , Valverde Angel , Mataloni Gabriela , Cowan Don 
Published: March 2015

SummaryBacterioplankton communities inhabiting peatlands have the potential to influence local ecosystem functions. However, most microbial ecology research in such wetlands has been done in ecosystems (mostly peat soils) of the Northern Hemisphere, and very little is known of the factors that drive bacterial community assembly in other regions of the world. In this study, we used high‐throughput sequencing to analyse the structure of the bacterial communities in five pools located in a sub‐Antarctic peat bog (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina), and tested for relationships between bacterial communities and environmental conditions. Bacterioplankton communities in peat bog pools were diverse and dominated by members of the Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia. Community structure was largely explained by differences in hydrological connectivity, pH and nutrient status (ombrotrophic versus minerotrophic pools). Bacterioplankton communities in ombrotrophic pools showed phylogenetic clustering, suggesting a dominant role of deterministic processes in shaping these assemblages. These correlations between habitat characteristics and bacterial diversity patterns provide new insights into the factors regulating microbial populations in peatland ecosystems.
Cognitive testing with the Post‐Operative Quality of Recovery Scale in pre‐surgery cancer patients – a controlled study
Authors: LINDQVIST M. , GRANSTROM A. , SCHENING A. , BJORNE H. , JAKOBSSON J. G. 
Published: February 2015

BackgroundPost‐Operative Quality of Recovery Scale (PQRS) has been revised to allow for the normal variation in cognitive performance seen in healthy volunteers. This modification could result in exclusion of test subjects because of poor baseline performance. Our aim was to investigate the impact of severe disease and waiting for cancer surgery on PQRS baseline cognitive performance and exclusion rate, and also on variation in cognitive performance at test re‐test.MethodsSixty‐one subjects, 31 women diagnosed with breast cancer and waiting for surgery and 30 healthy women, performed the PQRS cognitive, nociceptive and emotional domains three times in 48 h. Exclusion rate, change in score and the proportion fulfilling ‘recovery’ criteria at re‐tests were assessed.ResultsNine out of 31 patients (29%) and two out of 30 controls (7%) had too low baseline score to be further assessed (P = 0.043). The change in score at re‐tests was similar between the groups. Sixty‐four per cent and 83% at 20 h and 79% and 86% at 48 h in the patient and control groups respectively fulfilled the ‘recovery’ criteria (P = 0.45). The ‘recovery’ for nociceptive and emotional distress was similar between the groups, but anxiety and sadness absolute scores were significantly higher in the patient group.ConclusionWomen with breast cancer waiting for surgery expressed a higher level of emotional distress, performed lower at baseline but showed no difference in test re‐test variability in cognitive performance according to the PQRS when compared with controls. The considerable exclusion rate among patients waiting for cancer surgery should be acknowledged.
Milrinone and esmolol decrease cardiac damage after resuscitation from prolonged cardiac arrest
Authors: ZOERNER F. , LENNMYR F. , WIKLUND L. , MARTIJN C. , SEMENAS E. 
Published: February 2015

BackgroundLong‐term survival after cardiac arrest (CA) due to shock‐refractory ventricular fibrillation (VF) is low. Clearly, there is a need for new pharmacological interventions in the setting of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to improve outcome. Here, hemodynamic parameters and cardiac damage are compared between the treatment group (milrinone, esmolol and vasopressin) and controls (vasopressin only) during resuscitation from prolonged CA in piglets.MethodsA total of 26 immature male piglets were subjected to 12‐min VF followed by 8‐min CPR. The treatment group (n = 13) received i.v. (intravenous) boluses vasopressin 0.4 U/kg, esmolol 250 μg/kg and milrinone 25 μg/kg after 13 min, followed by i.v. boluses esmolol 375 μg/kg and milrinone 25 μg/kg after 18 min and continuous esmolol 15 μg/kg/h infusion during 180 min reperfusion, whereas controls (n = 13) received equal amounts of vasopressin and saline. A 200 J monophasic counter‐shock was delivered to achieve resumption of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after 8 min CPR. If ROSC was not achieved, another 200 J defibrillation and bolus vasopressin 0.4 U/kg would be administered in both groups. Direct current shocks at 360 J were applied as one shot per minute over maximally 5 min. Hemodynamic variables and troponin I as a marker of cardiac injury were recorded.ResultsTroponin I levels after 180 min reperfusion were lower in the treatment group than in controls (P < 0.05). The treatment group received less norepinephrine (P < 0.01) and had greater diuresis (P < 0.01). There was no difference in survival between groups.ConclusionThe combination of milrinone, esmolol and vasopressin decreased cardiac injury compared with vasopressin alone.
Paul of Aegina's surgical instruments: a complete surgical instrumentarium in the seventh century AD
Authors: Papadakis Marios , de Bree Eelco , Trompoukis Constantinos , Manios Andreas 
Published: March 2015

AbstractBackgroundAlthough current progress in surgical instruments is oriented towards stapler devices, minimally invasive instrumentation and advanced cautery tools, it definitely seems intriguing to determine what instruments were used in antiquity and to appraise their use. Most adequate information can be retrieved from manuscripts of early medical authors, of whom Paul of Aegina (AD 625–690), also being a most important surgeon, is the most recent. The aim of this study is to present surgical instruments used in his practice.MethodsSurgical instruments mentioned in the original Greek text of his monumental work named Epitome of Medicine were sought using computer software. Further, similar research was performed on other significant manuscripts of earlier Greek medical writers to determine whether some of the instruments were exclusively mentioned by Paul of Aegina.ResultsIn total, 121 different surgical instruments were identified and described in detail in the Epitome of Medicine. Thirty‐three instruments (27%) were exclusively reported by Paul of Aegina.ConclusionsIn antiquity a large number of surgical instruments were already being used. Paul of Aegina described in detail a large variety of fine, as well as a substantial number of, original surgical instruments, which he himself used in a wide spectrum of surgical operations.
Omission bias and perceived intention in children and adults
Authors: Hayashi Hajimu 
Published: February 2015

Omission bias refers to the tendency to judge acts of commission as morally worse than equivalent acts of omission. Children aged 7–8 and 11–12 years, as well as adults, made moral judgements about acts of commission and omission in two conditions in which the protagonist obtained a self‐directed benefit. In the antisocial condition, the other person was harmed; in the selfish condition, the other person was not harmed. The results showed that adults and both age groups of children judged that the agent who did something (act of commission) was morally worse than the agent who did nothing (omission) for both antisocial and selfish conditions, although this judgement tendency was clearer in the selfish condition than in the antisocial condition. Agent intention was held constant across commission and omission, but most participants rated the intention of the agent who did something as stronger than that of the agent who did nothing. These results suggest that omission bias occurs regardless of differences in age and situation. In addition, perceived intention appears to change in conjunction with omission bias.
Community economic development and the rise of ethno‐cultural entrepreneurialism in francophone Manitoba
Authors: Picton Roger M. , Skinner Mark W. 
Published: March 2015

This article examines the evolving concept and practice of “cultural entrepreneurialism.” Drawing on interviews with community‐based organizations in francophone Manitoba, it extends research on “social entrepreneurialism” by investigating the increasing role played by ethno‐cultural organizations in community economic development. A thematic analysis reveals how community economic development has been adapted to historically—and geographically—grounded cultural and institutional legacies. The findings show how Franco‐Manitoban community organizations formulated a particular mix of social entrepreneurialism infused with cultural practice and upheld an expansive view of community economic development. Scholars need to consider how everyday cultural practices and ethno‐cultural territory influence how community‐based organizations engage in local economic development.Le développement économique communautaire et l'essor de l'entrepreneuriat ethnoculturel au Manitoba françaisCet article s'intéresse au concept et à la pratique en évolution de « l'entrepreneuriat culturel ». Se fondant sur des entrevues menées auprès d'organismes communautaires du Manitoba français, l'article s'inscrit dans le prolongement des travaux de recherche en cours sur « l'entrepreneuriat social » en explorant le rôle grandissant joué par les organisations ethnoculturelles dans le développement économique communautaire. Une analyse par thème laisse entrevoir comment le développement économique communautaire a fait l'objet d'aménagements établis sur les bases historiques et géographiques du patrimoine culturel et institutionnel. Il en ressort que les organisations communautaires francophones du Manitoba ont pu mettre au point leur propre vision qui conjugue l'entrepreneuriat social à la pratique culturelle et ainsi défendre une perspective plus étendue du développement économique communautaire. Une des questions que les chercheurs doivent se poser est celle de l'influence que peuvent exercer les pratiques culturelles quotidiennes et le territoire ethnoculturel sur la manière dont les organisations communautaires se lancent dans le développement économique local.
Long-term kinetics of AA amyloidosis and effects of inflammatory restimulation after disappearance of amyloid depositions in mice
Authors: Muhammad N , Murakami T , Inoshima Y , Ishiguro N 
Published: March 2015

Summary
Amyloid A (AA) amyloidosis is characterized by extracellular pathogenic deposition of insoluble fibril protein in various body organs. Deposited amyloid generally remains in a variety of organs for long periods, but its disappearance has been reported after the precursor protein is diminished. The kinetics of AA deposition are not completely understood and, in particular, the roles of cells and cytokines in the deposition and clearance of amyloid remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the disappearance of amyloid depositions in mice over a 1-year period. AA amyloidosis was induced experimentally in mice by injecting amyloid-enhancing factor (AEF) and silver nitrate. Mice were killed at different time-points to examine the occurrence and disappearance of amyloid depositions. Maximum levels of amyloid depositions were observed at 20 days after inoculation. Clearance of amyloid depositions was observed from the 40th day onwards, with only minute traces of amyloid present by 240 days. A second inflammatory stimulus consisting of AEF and silver nitrate was given at 330 or 430 days, after amyloid depositions had disappeared almost completely. After that, serum amyloid A was overproduced and redeposition of amyloid was observed, indicating that all mice were primed for aggressive amyloid depositions. After administration of the inflammatory stimuli, the proinflammatory environment was found to have increased levels of interleukin (IL)-6, while anti-inflammatory conditions were established by IL-10 as regression of amyloid deposition occurred. These results suggest that the proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory status have key roles in both amyloid deposition and clearance.
Are bile acid malabsorption and bile acid diarrhoea important causes of loose stool complicating cancer therapy?
Authors: Phillips F. , Muls A. C. G. , Lalji A. , Andreyev H. J. N. 
Published: February 2015

AbstractAimGastrointestinal (GI) symptoms during and after cancer therapy can significantly affect quality of life and interfere with treatment. This study assessed whether bile acid malabsorption (BAM) or bile acid diarrhoea (BAD) are important causes of diarrhoea associated with cancer treatment.MethodA retrospective analysis was carried out of consecutive patients assessed for BAM using (75Se) Selenium homocholic acid taurocholate (SeHCAT) scanning, after reporting any episodes of loose stool, attending a gastroenterology clinic in a cancer centre.ResultsBetween 2009 and 2013, 506 consecutive patients (54.5% male; age range: 20–91 years), were scanned. BAM/BAD was diagnosed in 215 (42.5%). It was mild in 25.6%, moderate in 29.3% and severe in 45.1%. Pelvic chemoradiation had induced BAM in > 50% of patients. BAM was also frequent after treatment for conditions not previously associated with BAM, such as anal and colorectal cancer, and was present in > 75% of patients referred after pancreatic surgery. It was also unexpectedly frequent in patients who were treated for malignancy outside the GI tract, such as breast cancer and haematological malignancy.ConclusionBAM/BAD are very common and under‐appreciated causes of GI symptoms after cancer treatment. Health professionals should have a low threshold in suspecting this condition, as diagnosis and treatment can significantly improve quality of life.
Corporate Ownership Structure and Top Executives’ Prosocial Preferences: The Role Of Relational and External Blockholders
Authors: Zeitoun Hossam , Pamini Paolo 
Published: March 2015

AbstractManuscript TypeEmpiricalResearch Question/IssueThe relationships between corporations and their stakeholders are often based on incomplete contracts, which are difficult to enforce in courts. Corporate managers play a key role in safeguarding incomplete contracts with stakeholders. This role requires a strong prosocial motivational orientation. Although the managers’ motivational orientation is invisible, stakeholders can make inferences about it from managers’ choices and behavior. Based on these ideas, this paper asks whether managers’ motivational orientations vary according to firms’ ownership structures, i.e., ownership by relational and external blockholders.Research Findings/InsightResults show that ownership by relational blockholders is associated with more prosocially oriented managers, whereas ownership by external blockholders is related to more self‐interested managers. This study adopts an unobtrusive measure to infer the managers’ motivational orientation. This measure reflects the managers’ willingness to pay taxes and can be assessed systematically in the Swiss empirical context. The results are corroborated using multivariate regression analysis and profile deviation analysis.Theoretical/Academic ImplicationsThis paper joins incomplete contract theory and behavioral economics to analyze how the shareholder primacy model and the stakeholder model fit with different types of managers. Based on the idea of profile deviation, we suggest that corporate ownership structure is an important factor influencing the degree to which firms approximate these two corporate governance models, and thereby their fit with the respective manager type.Practitioner/Policy ImplicationsThe theoretical arguments and the empirical evidence suggest that the fit between corporate ownership structure and managerial motivation merits consideration. When selecting managers, boards need to pay attention not only to their skills and competencies, but also to their motivational orientation in order to capitalize on the strengths of alternative corporate governance models.
Clinical validation of a gene expression signature that differentiates benign nevi from malignant melanoma
Authors: Clarke Loren E. , Warf M.B. , Flake Darl D. , Hartman Anne‐Renee , Tahan Steven , Shea Christopher R. , Gerami Pedram , Messina Jane , Florell Scott R. , Wenstrup Richard J. , Rushton Kristen , Roundy Kirstin M. , Rock Colleen , Roa Benjamin , Kolquist Kathryn A. , Gutin Alexander , Billings Steven , Leachman Sancy 
Published: March 2015

BackgroundHistopathologic examination is sometimes inadequate for accurate and reproducible diagnosis of certain melanocytic neoplasms. As a result, more sophisticated and objective methods have been sought. The goal of this study was to identify a gene expression signature that reliably differentiated benign and malignant melanocytic lesions and evaluate its potential clinical applicability. Herein, we describe the development of a gene expression signature and its clinical validation using multiple independent cohorts of melanocytic lesions representing a broad spectrum of histopathologic subtypes.MethodsUsing quantitative reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on a selected set of 23 differentially expressed genes, and by applying a threshold value and weighting algorithm, we developed a gene expression signature that produced a score that differentiated benign nevi from malignant melanomas.ResultsThe gene expression signature classified melanocytic lesions as benign or malignant with a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 93% in a training cohort of 464 samples. The signature was validated in an independent clinical cohort of 437 samples, with a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 91%.ConclusionsThe performance, objectivity, reliability and minimal tissue requirements of this test suggest that it could have clinical application as an adjunct to histopathology in the diagnosis of melanocytic neoplasms.
Randomized controlled trial of web‐based multimodal therapy for unilateral cerebral palsy to improve occupational performance
Authors: James Sarah , Ziviani Jenny , Ware Robert S , Boyd Roslyn N 
Published: February 2015

AimThe study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a web‐based therapy programme, ‘Move it to improve it’ (Mitii™), in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP) on occupational performance, upper limb function, and visual perception.MethodParticipants (n=102) were matched in pairs and randomized to intervention (Mitii for 20wks; 26 males, mean age 11y 8mo [2y 4mo], Manual Ability Classification System level I=11, II=39, III=1) or control (standard care; 25 males, mean age 11y 10mo [2y 5mo], Manual Ability Classification System level I=13, II=37). Outcomes were the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS), Assisting Hand Assessment, Jebsen–Taylor Test of Hand Function (JTTHF), Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function (MUUL), Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), and Test of Visual Perceptual Skills (TVPS‐3).ResultsParticipants completed on average 32.4 hours of Mitii (range 3.7–74.7h). The Mitii group demonstrated significantly greater post‐intervention scores than the comparison group on the AMPS, JTTHF dominant upper limb, COPM, and TVPS‐3. The differences between groups were not clinically significant. There were no differences between groups on measures of impaired upper limb function.InterpretationMitii delivers individualized, web‐based therapy at home and has potential to increase therapy dose. Mitii can be considered as an option to enhance occupational performance and visual perception for children with UCP.
Value of Resting Echocardiographic Findings and Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography for Diagnosing Myocardial Ischemia in Patients with Suspected Angina Pectoris
Authors: Utsunomiya Hiroto , Hidaka Takayuki , Masada Kenji , Shimonaga Takashi , Higaki Tadanao , Iwasaki Toshitaka , Mitsuba Naoya , Ishibashi Ken , Kurisu Satoshi , Kihara Yasuki 
Published: February 2015

BackgroundWe evaluated the diagnostic value of resting echocardiographic findings including total heart calcification (THC) score in combination with dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) for detection of myocardial ischemia.MethodsAltogether, 110 patients with suspected angina pectoris underwent resting echocardiography and DSE. On the basis of resting echocardiography, we determined the THC score, left anterior descending artery diastole‐to‐systole velocity ratio (LAD‐DSVR), and positive myocardial velocity during isovolumic relaxation phase (VIVR) detected by color‐coded tissue Doppler imaging. Myocardial ischemia was diagnosed by a 25% or greater reduction in the internal diameter of major coronary vessels with impaired fractional flow reserve (FFR ≤0.80).ResultsDSE had excellent specificity (89%) but modest sensitivity (52%) for wall‐motion abnormality (WMA) analysis. Multivariate analysis showed that THC score ≥2 (odds ratio and 95% confidence interval: 4.49 [2.29–10.6]; P = 0.018), LAD‐DSVR ≤1.5 (6.43 [1.39–20.3], P = 0.019), and duration of positive VIVR ≥71 msec (7.93 [3.72–12.1]; P < 0.001) were independent predictors of ischemia. The combination of inducible WMA and THC score yielded significantly higher sensitivity for ischemia detection than the inducible WMA alone (80% vs. 52%, P = 0.0008). Using receiver operating characteristics analyses, adding all three resting echocardiographic findings to clinical variables plus inducible WMA further improved prediction of ischemia (P = 0.028).ConclusionsIntegration of DSE and resting echocardiographic findings describing degree of heart calcification, impaired LAD flow, and extent of delayed ejection motion of the myocardium improves detection of coronary angiogram‐based FFR‐guided ischemia.
Towards an understanding of how phloem amino acid composition shapes elevated CO2‐induced changes in aphid population dynamics
Authors: RYAN GERALDINE D. , SYLVESTER EMMA V. A. , SHELP BARRY J. , NEWMAN JONATHAN A. 
Published: March 2015

1. The performance of foliage feeders tends to decrease under elevated CO2, but the responses of phloem‐feeding insects have been much more equivocal. As phloem tissues are less accessible than whole‐plant tissues, much less is known about how phloem composition is altered under elevated CO2 and the mechanisms driving changes in aphid performance.2. In this study, the plant mechanisms underlying the performance of Rhopalosiphum padi aphids on Hordeum vulgare (barley) grown under ambient (390 ppm) and elevated (700 ppm) CO2 were examined. We used aphid stylectomy to sample pure phloem from plants in CO2‐controlled conditions and high‐performance liquid chromatography to analyse phloem samples for amino acid concentrations.3. Aphid abundance significantly increased by 127% under elevated CO2. Consequently, plant biomass decreased under elevated CO2 in trials with herbivores present, possibly due to the increased herbivore load, but increased when aphids were absent. The intrinsic rate of population increase (rm) was significantly higher under elevated CO2; however, there were no statistically significant effects on aphid fecundity or development time. The concentration of individual amino acids tended to increase, although these increases were statistically significant in only a few cases. A principal components analysis revealed that the relative abundance (mol %) of those amino acids considered essential for aphids tended to increase under elevated CO2.4. These results indicate that CO2 may affect nutrient translocation in plants in ways that are contrary to predictions about nitrogen metabolite responses to CO2. Such plant biochemical responses may underlie observations of improved phloem feeder performance under elevated CO2.