bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding landowner intentions to create early successional forest habitat in the northeastern United States
Authors: Dayer Ashley A. , Stedman Richard C. , Allred Shorna B. , Rosenberg Kenneth V. , Fuller Angela K.
Published: December 2015

Early successional forest habitat (ESH) and associated wildlife species in the northeastern United States are in decline. One way to help create early successional forest conditions is engaging private forest landowners in even‐aged forest management because their limited participation may have contributed to declines in ESH for wildlife species of high conservation concern. We applied the reasoned action approach from social psychology to predict intentions of landowners in the 13‐county Southern Tier of New York State, USA, to conduct patch‐cuts, which is a type of even‐aged forest management. We tested the predictive ability of the model using data from a mail survey of landowners conducted from November 2010 to January 2011. Landowner intention to conduct patch‐cuts was high (55% of respondents), with attitude being the strongest direct predictor of behavioral intention. Our results suggest that patch‐cutting intentions are most likely expressed by landowners who think the behavior is good for their land and wildlife, believe in positive outcomes of land and wildlife management, belong to a game wildlife organization, and have conducted patch‐cuts in the past. Strategies to engage more landowners in ESH management will have the highest likelihood of success if outreach efforts focus on influencing behavioral beliefs and subsequently attitudes, possibly working with game wildlife organizations to communicate a unified message for habitat conservation, including the importance of maintaining and creating ESH. Our results demonstrate the importance of social science research to increase the likelihood that conservation targets for declining wildlife species are met. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Die chirurgische Therapie der sekundären Peritonitis
Authors: van Ruler O. , Boermeester M.A.
Published: December 2015

Hintergrund

Die sekundäre Peritonitis ist bis heute durch unverändert hohe Morbiditäts- und Mortalitätsraten gekennzeichnet und bleibt auch in Zeiten moderner medizinischer Versorgung therapeutisch eine Herausforderung. Die chirurgische Intervention zur Fokuskontrolle bleibt neben einer adäquaten antimikrobiellen Therapie und, wenn notwendig, intensivmedizinischen Maßnahmen zentrales Element in der Therapie der sekundären Peritonitis. Die Relaparotomie „on demand“ (ROD) nach initialer chirurgischer Versorgung stellt sich nach den Ergebnissen einer randomisierten klinischen Studie als das bevorzugte therapeutische Vorgehen unabhängig von der Schwere der Peritonitis dar.

Ergebnisse und Diskussion

Für ein effektives und sicheres Vorgehen unter ROD bedarf es eines intensiven Monitorings des Patienten mit verschiedenen diagnostischen Testmethoden und klaren Entscheidungsprozessen für eine Relaparotomie, beides ist über 24 h am Tag vorzuhalten. Mangelndes Wissen um eine frühzeitige und adäquate Patientenselektion sowie fehlender Einsatz durchaus einfacher diagnostischer Verfahren scheinen die Umsetzung des Konzeptes und Entscheidung zur ROD im Einzelfall eher zu erschweren. Dabei zeigt sich die prädiktive Genauigkeit bei Anwendung eines überprüften Entscheidungsprogramms für eine Relaparotomie als angemessen zur Vorhersage einer sich ausbildenden Peritonitis und notwendigen Patientenselektion für eine sich ableitende computertomographische (CT-)Diagnostik. Die Wertigkeit einer CT-Diagnostik in der frühen postoperativen Phase bleibt bislang unklar. Zukünftige Studien und innovative Technologien sollten die Bedeutung einer additiven CT-Diagnostik nach chirurgischer Therapie bei sekundärer Peritonitis aufgreifen. Das beinhaltet aber auch weiter optimierte bettseitige Entscheidungshilfen, um Patienten adäquat in einem multidisziplinären Umfeld für einzelne Interventionen auswählen zu können.
Fish consumption and frying of fish in relation to type 2 diabetes incidence: a prospective cohort study of Swedish men
Authors: Wallin Alice , Di Giuseppe Daniela , Orsini Nicola , Åkesson Agneta , Forouhi Nita G. , Wolk Alicja
Published: December 2015

Purpose

Epidemiological evidence on the association between fish consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes is heterogeneous across geographical regions. Differences related to fish consumption pattern could possibly help explain the discrepancy between the findings. We therefore aimed to investigate the association between fish consumption (total, fried, specific fish items) and type 2 diabetes incidence, taking exposure to contaminants present in fish (polychlorinated biphenyls and methyl mercury) into consideration.

Methods

The population-based Cohort of Swedish Men, including 35,583 men aged 45–79 years, was followed from 1998 to 2012. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) using Cox proportional hazards models.

Results

During 15 years of follow-up, 3624 incident cases were identified. Total fish consumption (≥4 servings/week vs. <1 serving/week) was not associated with type 2 diabetes in multivariable-adjusted analysis (HR 1.00; 95 % CI 0.85–1.18); however, a statistically non-significant inverse association was observed after adjustment for dietary contaminant exposures (HR 0.79; 95 % CI 0.60–1.04). Fried fish (≥6 servings/month vs. ≤1 servings/month) and shellfish consumption (≥1 serving/week vs. never/seldom) were associated with HRs of 1.14 (95 % CI 1.03–1.31) and 1.21 (95 % CI 1.07–1.36), respectively.

Conclusions

We observed no overall association between total fish consumption and type 2 diabetes. The results indicated that dietary contaminants in fish may influence the relationship. Fried fish and shellfish consumption were associated with higher type 2 diabetes incidence. These findings suggest that more specific advice on fish species sub-types (varying in contamination) and preparation methods may be warranted.
Genetic map construction and QTL analysis of nitrogen use efficiency in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)
Authors: Chan-Navarrete Rafael , Dolstra Oene , van Kaauwen Martijn , Lammerts van Bueren Edith T. , van der Linden C. Gerard
Published: December 2015

Cultivation of spinach requires high amounts of nitrogen (N), which puts a strain on the environment. A sustainable solution to this problem is to breed for crops with higher N use efficiency (NUE). The aim of this study was to provide tools for molecular breeding and to elucidate the genetic variation of factors contributing to NUE in spinach. A cross was made between two F1 hybrid cultivars contrasting in NUE. Several F1 progeny were self-pollinated and based on evaluation of the F2 generation, a mapping F2 population (335 individuals) of a single F1 was selected. SNP markers for the genetic map were discovered by RNA sequencing of the two parent cultivars, and 283 SNP markers were used to produce a genetic map comprising of six linkage groups (P01–P06), ranging in size from 46 to 116 cM. NUE related traits were determined for a set of F2:3 families grown under low and high N conditions in a hydroponics system under an Ingestad N-addition model. Interval mapping analysis detected 39 trait-specific QTLs, with several QTLs accumulating on P01 and P02 of the linkage map. The QTLs and in particular the P01 and P02 regions provide potential targets for the improvement of NUE in spinach.
The effects of vegetation types and microhabitats on carabid beetle community composition in cool temperate Japan
Authors: Ogai Takahiro , Kenta Tanaka
Published: December 2015

The effects of vegetation types and environmental factors on carabid beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) communities were studied. Carabid beetles were collected using pitfall traps (total 2844 trapping days) and seven microenvironmental factors were measured in four vegetation types: grassland, natural evergreen coniferous forest (Pinus densiflora), deciduous broad‐leaved natural forest (Quercus crispula, Betula platyphylla, Alnus japonica, or Fagus crenata), and deciduous coniferous plantation (Larix kaempferi) in cool temperate Japan. These four vegetation types provided a novel comparison between natural forests and plantations because the vast majority of related studies have investigated only deciduous broad‐leaved natural forests and evergreen coniferous plantations. PERMANOVA indicated that vegetation types affected carabid community composition. Ordination plots showed that community composition differed greatly between grassland and forest vegetation types, but that community composition in the plantation forest overlapped with that of natural forest types. Characteristics differentiating the grassland included a high proportion of winged species and a low mean carabid body weight. Among the examined environmental factors, litter depth, soil water content, and depth of the soil A‐horizon had large effects on carabid communities. These results suggest that the effect of afforestation on carabid communities in cool temperate Japan might be insignificant compared with the effects of cover types (deciduous vs. evergreen) and microenvironmental factors.
The Silk Road: A Political Marketing Concept for World Dominance
Authors: Fasslabend Werner
Published: December 2015

One Belt, One Road–-the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road–-was presented in autumn 2013 and has become the central foreign policy project of Chinese President Xi Jinping. It is a result of the ‘Chinese Dream’ and provides a China-led framework for economic and political cooperation that is based on a huge intercontinental infrastructural network. The New Silk Road would connect large parts of Asia, Europe and Africa. It is being propagated by China's leadership and academic elite so as to have the greatest public relations impact possible. It is accompanied by new financing institutions and is being realised by political agreements on international infrastructural projects of strategic importance. The main global players–-the US, Russia, India and the EU–-have not yet found clear responses to China's world power ambitions. Clashes of interests are foreseeable.
Jejunal diverticulitis as a cause of acute abdomen
Authors: Cantão Cássio Alfred Brattig , Feitosa Marley Ribeiro , Godinho Maurício , Scarpelini Sandro , Féres Omar , da Rocha José Joaquim Ribeiro
Published: December 2015

Jejunoileal diverticulosis is an uncommon and underdiagnosed condition. Most patients are asymptomatic and require no specific treatment. A few patients, however, present life-threatening complications that may require surgical intervention. The purpose of this report is to illustrate a case of jejunoileal diverticulosis manifested as an acute abdomen.
Neoadjuvant radiotherapy in stage I cancer of the lower rectum
Authors: dos Reis Neto José Alfredo , dos Reis Junior José Alfredo , Kagohara Odorino Hideyoshi , Neto Joaquim Simões , Banci Sergio Oliva , Oliveira Luciane Hiane , Espinoza Gustavo Alejandro Gutierrez , Alves Júnior Antonio José Tiburcio
Published: December 2015

Introduction The mortality rate in low rectal cancer is related to pelvic and distant recurrence. For stage I tumors, local excision has being used increasingly, but recent studies show the need for caution with the use of this technique, as they do not consider the possibility of a positive node in stage I rectal tumors. Therefore, preoperative radiotherapy should be considered for early tumors, as an attempt to prevent recurrence.

Objective Show the effectiveness of neoadjuvant radiotherapy in stage I cancer of the lower rectum of a cohort population.

Material and method A cohort study in a prospective database was made with a total of 538 patients, of which were considered 75 patients with stage I lower rectal cancer. Preoperative radiotherapy was performed and patients were followed up for a minimum period of five years.

Results Stage I/TI group had 27 patients. All of them presented complete response to the treatment and did not need to be operated. During the follow up time of five years, this group showed no recurrence rate. The stage I/TII group had 48 patients. During the follow up, 8 patients had to be operated due to suspicious lesion or scar. They were submitted to full total local excision. After evaluating the pathological specimen, none of them proved to be adenocarcinoma.

Conclusion Preoperative radiation, not only reduced the local recurrence and mortality rate in lower rectal cancer, but also reduced the need for surgery in patients with stage I cancer.
Adaptation of community health worker-delivered behavioral activation for torture survivors in Kurdistan, Iraq
Authors: Magidson J. F. , Lejuez C. W. , Kamal T. , Blevins E. J. , Murray L. K. , Bass J. K. , Bolton P. , Pagoto S.
Published: December 2015

Background.

Growing evidence supports the use of Western therapies for the treatment of depression, trauma, and stress delivered by community health workers (CHWs) in conflict-affected, resource-limited countries. A recent randomized controlled trial (Bolton et al. 2014a) supported the efficacy of two CHW-delivered interventions, cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and brief behavioral activation treatment for depression (BATD), for reducing depressive symptoms and functional impairment among torture survivors in the Kurdish region of Iraq.

Methods.

This study describes the adaptation of the CHW-delivered BATD approach delivered in this trial (Bolton et al. 2014a), informed by the Assessment–Decision–Administration-Production–Topical experts–Integration–Training–Testing (ADAPT–ITT) framework for intervention adaptation (Wingood & DiClemente, 2008). Cultural modifications, adaptations for low-literacy, and tailored training and supervision for non-specialist CHWs are presented, along with two clinical case examples to illustrate delivery of the adapted intervention in this setting.

Results.

Eleven CHWs, a study psychiatrist, and the CHW clinical supervisor were trained in BATD. The adaptation process followed the ADAPT–ITT framework and was iterative with significant input from the on-site supervisor and CHWs. Modifications were made to fit Kurdish culture, including culturally relevant analogies, use of stickers for behavior monitoring, cultural modifications to behavioral contracts, and including telephone-delivered sessions to enhance feasibility.

Conclusions.

BATD was delivered by CHWs in a resource-poor, conflict-affected area in Kurdistan, Iraq, with some important modifications, including low-literacy adaptations, increased cultural relevancy of clinical materials, and tailored training and supervision for CHWs. Barriers to implementation, lessons learned, and recommendations for future efforts to adapt behavioral therapies for resource-limited, conflict-affected areas are discussed.
Eating disorder services for young people in Ireland: perspectives of service providers, service users and the general adolescent population
Authors: McNicholas F. , O’Connor C. , McNamara N. , O’Hara L.
Published: December 2015

Objectives

This paper illuminates how national eating disorder (ED) policy translates into day-to-day practice by exploring how ED services are experienced by those who deliver and use them.

Methods

A mixed-methods approach was used, which combined qualitative and quantitative techniques. The paper collates data from three studies: (i) an interview study exploring the lived experiences of young people with EDs (n=8), their parents (n=5) and their healthcare professionals (n=3); (ii) a national survey of health professionals’ perspectives on existing ED services (n=171); (iii) a nationwide survey of secondary-school students’ eating concerns and patterns of help-seeking (n=290).

Results

The qualitative interviews with young people and their parents revealed feelings of isolation and helplessness. Young people expressed interest in patient support groups, while parents desired greater support for the family unit. Parents were highly critical of available services, particularly in relation to access. These criticisms were echoed in the survey of healthcare professionals, who reported many barriers to delivering effective care. Clinicians were almost unanimous in calling for care pathways to be clarified via a standardised treatment protocol. The survey of adolescents indicated widespread reluctance to seek help regarding eating concerns: over one-third expressed concern about their own eating habits, but half of these had not divulged their concerns to anyone. Participants’ preferred pathways of help-seeking revolved around family and friends, and adolescents were unsure about routes of access to professional support.

Conclusions

The research demonstrates that many aspects of national ED policy have not been implemented in practice. The paper highlights specific gaps and suggests ways they can be redressed.
Dynamic Stress Intensity Factors of Three Collinear Cracks in an Orthotropic Plate Subjected to Time-Harmonic Disturbance
Authors: Itou S.
Published: December 2015

Abstract-The dynamic stresses around three collinear cracks in an infinite orthotropic plate are solved. In this configuration, two equal cracks are situated symmetrically on either side of a central crack, and time-harmonic elastic waves impinge perpendicularly to the cracks. The problem is solved by superimposing two types of solutions. One solution is that for a crack in an infinite orthotropic plate, and the other is for two collinear cracks. The unknown coefficients in the superimposed solution are determined by applying the boundary conditions at the surfaces of the three cracks using the Schmidt method. The dynamic stress intensity factors are calculated numerically for an orthotropic plate that corresponds to the elastic properties of a boron-epoxy composite.
Numerical Simulation of Separation of Circulating Tumor Cells from Blood Stream in Deterministic Lateral Displacement (DLD) Microfluidic Channel
Authors: Khodaee F. , Movahed S. , Fatouraee N. , Daneshmand F.
Published: December 2015

Deterministic Lateral Displacement (DLD) microfluidic devices provide a reliable label-free separation method for detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood samples based on their biophysical properties. In this paper, we proposed an effective design of the DLD microfluidic device for the CTC separation in the blood stream. A typical DLD array is designed and numerical simulations are performed to separate the CTC and leukocyte (white blood cells) in different fluid flow conditions. Fluid-Solid Interaction method is used to investigate the behaviour of these deformable cells in fluid flow. In this study, the effects of critical parameters affecting cell separation in the DLD microfluidic devices (e.g.flow condition, cell deformability, and stress) have been investigated. The obtained results show that unlike leukocytes, the CTC’s motion is independent of the flow condition and is laterally displaced even in higher Reynolds number. Larger cells (CTCs) cannot intercept the low-velocity fluid near the wall of the posts; thus, they move faster and become separated from leukocytes. To reduce the cellular stress during separation process, which causes increase of cell viability and more effective design of microfluidic device, the results obtained here may be used as a significant design parameter for the DLD fabrication.
Estimating Intra-Party Preferences: Comparing Speeches to Votes
Authors: Schwarz Daniel , Traber Denise , Benoit Kenneth
Published: December 2015

Well-established methods exist for measuring party positions, but reliable means for estimating intra-party preferences remain underdeveloped. While most efforts focus on estimating the ideal points of individual legislators based on inductive scaling of roll call votes, this data suffers from two problems: selection bias due to unrecorded votes and strong party discipline, which tends to make voting a strategic rather than a sincere indication of preferences. By contrast, legislative speeches are relatively unconstrained, as party leaders are less likely to punish MPs for speaking freely as long as they vote with the party line. Yet, the differences between roll call estimations and text scalings remain essentially unexplored, despite the growing application of statistical analysis of textual data to measure policy preferences. Our paper addresses this lacuna by exploiting a rich feature of the Swiss legislature: on most bills, legislators both vote and speak many times. Using this data, we compare text-based scaling of ideal points to vote-based scaling from a crucial piece of energy legislation. Our findings confirm that text scalings reveal larger intra-party differences than roll calls. Using regression models, we further explain the differences between roll call and text scalings by attributing differences to constituency-level preferences for energy policy.
Risk factors for post-thyroidectomy haematoma
Authors: Perera M , Anabell L , Page D , Harding T , Gnaneswaran N , Chan S
Published: December 2015

Background:

There has been increasing emphasis on performing ‘same-day’ or ‘out-patient’ thyroidectomy to reduce associated costs. However, acceptance has been limited by the risk of potentially life-threatening post-operative bleeding. This study aimed to review current rates of post-operative bleeding in a metropolitan teaching hospital and identify risk factors.

Method:

Medical records of patients undergoing thyroidectomy between January 2007 and March 2012 were reviewed retrospectively. Pre-operative, operative and pathological data, and post-operative complication data, were examined.

Results:

The study comprised 205 thyroidectomy cases. Mean age was 51.6 years (standard deviation = 14.74), with 80 per cent females. Unilateral thyroidectomy was performed in 81 cases (39.5 per cent) and total thyroidectomy was performed in 74 cases (36.1 per cent; 5.3 per cent with concomitant lymph node dissection). Nine patients (4.4 per cent) suffered post-operative bleeding, of which six required re-operation. Analysis showed that post-operative systolic blood pressure of 180 mmHg or greater was associated with post-operative bleeding (p = 0.003, chi-square test).

Conclusion:

Rates of significant post-operative bleeding are consistent with recent literature. Post-operative hypertension, diabetes and high post-operative drain output were identified as independent risk factors on multivariate analysis; when identified, these may be caveats to same-day discharge of thyroidectomy patients.
A comparative analysis of canyon and non-canyon populations of the deep-sea scavenging amphipod Paralicella caperesca
Authors: Duffy Grant A. , Gutteridge Zoe R.S. , Thurston Michael H. , Horton Tammy
Published: December 2015

Existing population studies of deep-sea amphipods have focused on species that inhabit deep-sea vent or trench environments but few cosmopolitan species have been studied. Here we provide new insight into the life history and population ecology of the pan-oceanic scavenging amphipod Paralicella caperesca and discuss the influence of nutrient-rich submarine canyon environments on the growth and reproduction of this species. Data were collected through the dissection and measurement of 2997 P. caperesca from 14 samples taken from abyssal plains, continental slopes and submarine canyons in the North-East Atlantic. Sexual dimorphism was less pronounced than observed for other scavenging amphipod species but females were significantly larger and had shorter antennae than males. The size of oostegites in female P. caperesca varied considerably within size classes, ovaries contained a relatively large number of oocytes, and no empty ovaries were observed. These factors, in combination with absence of mature females, suggest that P. caperesca practices semelparity, a reproductive strategy that complements the feeding strategy of this obligate necrophage. Five male and seven female size-grouped cohorts were identified for P. caperesca. Cohorts from deep-sea submarine canyon populations showed consistently larger mean total body lengths than non-canyon cohorts. Individuals from canyon samples also expressed sexual characteristics at smaller sizes than non-canyon individuals. We hypothesize that these trends are indicative of nutrient-mediated growth, maturation, and reproduction in P. caperesca. The species is able to grow and reproduce relatively quickly in response to increased nutrient input in canyon environments and therefore dominates scavenging amphipod assemblages.
THE RUNNING MAXIMUM OF A LEVEL-DEPENDENT QUASI-BIRTH-DEATH PROCESS
Authors: Mandjes Michel , Taylor Peter
Published: December 2015

The objective of this note is to study the distribution of the running maximum of the level in a level-dependent quasi-birth-death process. By considering this running maximum at an exponentially distributed “killing epoch” T, we devise a technique to accomplish this, relying on elementary arguments only; importantly, it yields the distribution of the running maximum jointly with the level and phase at the killing epoch. We also point out how our procedure can be adapted to facilitate the computation of the distribution of the running maximum at a deterministic (rather than an exponential) epoch.
Crime, punishment, and evolution in an adversarial game
Authors: MCBRIDE MICHAEL , KENDALL RYAN , D'ORSOGNA MARIA R. , SHORT MARTIN B.
Published: December 2015

We examine the game theoretic properties of a model of crime first introduced by Shortet al.(2010Phys. Rev. E82, 066114) as the SBD Adversarial Game. We identify the rationalizable strategies and one-shot equilibria under multiple equilibrium refinements. We further show that SBD's main result about the effectiveness of defecting-punishers (“Informants”) in driving the system to evolve to the cooperative equilibrium under an imitation dynamic generalizes to a best response dynamic, though only under certain parameter regimes. The nature of this strategy's role, however, differs significantly between the two dynamics: in the SBD imitation dynamic, Informants are sufficient but not necessary to achieve the cooperative equilibrium, while under the best response dynamic, Informants are necessary but not sufficient for convergence to cooperation. Since a policy of simply converting citizens to Informants will not guarantee success under best response dynamics, we identify alternative strategies that may help the system reach cooperation in this case, e.g., the use of moderate but not too severe punishments on criminals.
A Strong Validation of the Crosswise Model Using	Experimentally-Induced Cheating Behavior
Authors: Hoffmann Adrian , Diedenhofen Birk , Verschuere Bruno , Musch Jochen
Published: December 2015

Abstract. We constructed an online cheating paradigm that could be used to validate the Crosswise Model ( Yu, Tian, & Tang, 2008 ), a promising indirect questioning technique designed to control for socially desirable responding on sensitive questions. Participants qualified for a reward only if they could identify the target words from three anagrams, one of which was virtually unsolvable as shown on a pretest. Of the 664 participants, 15.5% overreported their performance and were categorized as cheaters. When participants were asked to report whether they had cheated, a conventional direct question resulted in a substantial underestimate (5.1%) of the known prevalence of cheaters. Using a CWM question resulted in a more accurate estimate (13.0%). This result shows that the CWM can be used to control for socially desirable responding and provides estimates that are much closer to the known prevalence of a sensitive personal attribute than those obtained using a direct question.
Hierarchical Navigation of Visual Attention
Authors: Yeari Menahem , Goldsmith Morris
Published: December 2015

Abstract. This study explored the dynamics of attentional navigation between two hierarchically structured objects. Three experiments examined a Hierarchical Attentional Navigation (HAN) hypothesis, by which attentional navigation between two visual stimuli is constrained to follow the path linking the two stimuli in a hierarchical object-based representation. Presented with two adjacent compound-letter objects on each trial, participants successively identified the letter(s) at the specified hierarchical level (global or local) of the origin and destination object, respectively: local-local (Experiment 1), global-local (Experiment 2a), or local-global (Experiment 2b). The organizational complexity of the objects (2-level structure vs. 3-level structure) and their global size (large vs. small) were orthogonally manipulated. Results were generally consistent with the HAN hypothesis: overall response latency was positively related to the number of intervening levels of hierarchical object structure linking the two target levels. Hierarchical navigation was also suggested by the pattern of global size effects. The usefulness of the HAN framework for interpreting these and related findings in attention research is discussed.
Self-Prioritization Beyond Perception
Authors: Schäfer Sarah , Wentura Dirk , Frings Christian
Published: December 2015

Abstract. Recently, Sui, He, and Humphreys (2012) introduced a new paradigm to measure perceptual self-prioritization processes. It seems that arbitrarily tagging shapes to self-relevant words (I, my, me, and so on) leads to speeded verification times when matching self-relevant word shape pairings (e.g., me – triangle) as compared to non-self-relevant word shape pairings (e.g., stranger – circle). In order to analyze the level at which self-prioritization takes place we analyzed whether the self-prioritization effect is due to a tagging of the self-relevant label and the particular associated shape or due to a tagging of the self with an abstract concept. In two experiments participants showed standard self-prioritization effects with varying stimulus features or different exemplars of a particular stimulus-category suggesting that self-prioritization also works at a conceptual level.
The Six1 oncoprotein downregulates p53 via concomitant regulation of RPL26 and microRNA-27a-3p
Authors: Towers Christina G. , Guarnieri Anna L. , Micalizzi Doug S. , Harrell J. Chuck , Gillen Austin E. , Kim Jihye , Wang Chu-An , Oliphant Michael U.J. , Drasin David J. , Guney Michelle A. , Kabos Peter , Sartorius Carol A. , Tan Aik-Choon , Perou Charles M. , Espinosa Joaquin M. , Ford Heide L.
Published: December 2015

TP53 is mutated in 50% of all cancers, and its function is often compromised in cancers where it is not mutated. Here we demonstrate that the pro-tumorigenic/metastatic Six1 homeoprotein decreases p53 levels through a mechanism that does not involve the negative regulator of p53, MDM2. Instead, Six1 regulates p53 via a dual mechanism involving upregulation of microRNA-27a and downregulation of ribosomal protein L26 (RPL26). Mutation analysis confirms that RPL26 inhibits miR-27a binding and prevents microRNA-mediated downregulation of p53. The clinical relevance of this interaction is underscored by the finding that Six1 expression strongly correlates with decreased RPL26 across numerous tumour types. Importantly, we find that Six1 expression leads to marked resistance to therapies targeting the p53–MDM2 interaction. Thus, we identify a competitive mechanism of p53 regulation, which may have consequences for drugs aimed at reinstating p53 function in tumours.
Inhibition of inflammasome activation by Coxiella burnetii type IV secretion system effector IcaA
Authors: Cunha Larissa D. , Ribeiro Juliana M. , Fernandes Talita D. , Massis Liliana M. , Khoo Chen Ai , Moffatt Jennifer H. , Newton Hayley J. , Roy Craig R. , Zamboni Dario S.
Published: December 2015

Coxiella burnetii is a highly infectious bacterium that promotes its own replication in macrophages by inhibiting several host cell responses. Here, we show that C. burnetii inhibits caspase-1 activation in primary mouse macrophages. By using co-infection experiments, we determine that the infection of macrophages with C. burnetii inhibits the caspase-11-mediated non-canonical activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome induced by subsequent infection with Escherichia coli or Legionella pneumophila. Genetic screening using flagellin mutants of L. pneumophila as a surrogate host, reveals a novel C. burnetii gene (IcaA) involved in the inhibition of caspase activation. Expression of IcaA in L. pneumophila inhibited the caspase-11 activation in macrophages. Moreover, icaA- mutants of C. burnetii failed to suppress the caspase-11-mediated inflammasome activation induced by L. pneumophila. Our data reveal IcaA as a novel C. burnetii effector protein that is secreted by the Dot/Icm type IV secretion system and interferes with the caspase-11-induced, non-canonical activation of the inflammasome.
H19 lncRNA alters DNA methylation genome wide by regulating S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase
Authors: Zhou Jichun , Yang Lihua , Zhong Tianyu , Mueller Martin , Men Yi , Zhang Na , Xie Juanke , Giang Karolyn , Chung Hunter , Sun Xueguang , Lu Lingeng , Carmichael Gordon G , Taylor Hugh S , Huang Yingqun
Published: December 2015

DNA methylation is essential for mammalian development and physiology. Here we report that the developmentally regulated H19 lncRNA binds to and inhibits S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (SAHH), the only mammalian enzyme capable of hydrolysing S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH). SAH is a potent feedback inhibitor of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM)-dependent methyltransferases that methylate diverse cellular components, including DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids and neurotransmitters. We show that H19 knockdown activates SAHH, leading to increased DNMT3B-mediated methylation of an lncRNA-encoding gene Nctc1 within the Igf2-H19-Nctc1 locus. Genome-wide methylation profiling reveals methylation changes at numerous gene loci consistent with SAHH modulation by H19. Our results uncover an unanticipated regulatory circuit involving broad epigenetic alterations by a single abundantly expressed lncRNA that may underlie gene methylation dynamics of development and diseases and suggest that this mode of regulation may extend to other cellular components.
Control of switching between metastable superconducting states in δ-MoN nanowires
Authors: Buh Jože , Kabanov Viktor , Baranov Vladimir , Mrzel Aleš , Kovič Andrej , Mihailovic Dragan
Published: December 2015

The superconducting state in one-dimensional nanosystems is very delicate. While fluctuations of the phase of the superconducting wave function lead to the spontaneous decay of persistent supercurrents in thin superconducting wires and nanocircuits, discrete phase-slip fluctuations can also lead to more exotic phenomena, such as the appearance of metastable superconducting states in current-bearing wires. Here we show that switching between different metastable superconducting states in δ-MoN nanowires can be very effectively manipulated by introducing small amplitude electrical noise. Furthermore, we show that deterministic switching between metastable superconducting states with different numbers of phase-slip centres can be achieved in both directions with small electrical current pulse perturbations of appropriate polarity. The observed current-controlled bi-stability is in remarkable agreement with theoretically predicted trajectories of the system switching between different limit cycle solutions of a model one-dimensional superconductor.
Effect of phosphorus supplementation on weight gain and waist circumference of overweight/obese adults: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Ayoub J J , Samra M J A , Hlais S A , Bassil M S , Obeid O A
Published: December 2015

Background:

Phosphorus status is inversely correlated with body weight; however, the effect of phosphorus supplementation on body weight in a controlled design has not been studied.

Methods:

This is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 63 adults aged 18–45 years with a body mass index (BMI) of ⩾25 kg m−2 and normal kidney function at the American University of Beirut. Participants were randomly assigned to the placebo or phosphorus group where daily placebo or phosphorus supplements were ingested with three main meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) for a period of 12 weeks. Primary outcomes were changes in anthropometric measures, blood metabolites (including lipid profile, glucose and insulin) and subjective appetite scores. The trial is registered with Clinical Trial.gov, NCT02329990.

Results:

Body weight was significantly lower in the phosphorus group when compared with the placebo group (−0.65 kg (95% confidence interval (CI) −1.69 to 0.40) vs 1.13 kg (95% CI 0.19 to 2.06), P=0.01). Similarly, BMI and waist circumference were significantly lower in the phosphorus group when compared with the placebo group (−0.24 kg m−2 (95% CI −0.59 to 0.12) vs 0.42 kg m−2 (95% CI 0.05 to 0.78), P=0.01; −3.62 cm (95% CI−4.90 to −2.33) vs 0.38 cm ( 95% CI−0.44 to 1.20), P<0.001; respectively). Several parameters of subjective appetite scores were decreased in the phosphorus-supplemented group.

Conclusions:

Phosphorus supplementation for 12 weeks significantly decreases body weight, BMI, waist circumference and subjective appetite scores. These findings support a promising role of the mineral phosphorus in the prevention and management of obesity, especially abdominal adiposity. The exact mechanisms of action and longer-term effects still need to be elucidated.
Water-induced thermogenesis and fat oxidation: a reassessment
Authors: Charrière N , Miles-Chan J L , Montani J-P , Dulloo A G
Published: December 2015

Background/Objectives:

Drinking large amounts of water is often recommended for weight control. Whether water intake stimulates energy and fat metabolism is, however, controversial with some studies reporting that drinking half a litre or more of water increases resting energy expenditure (REE) by 10–30% and decreases respiratory quotient (RQ), whereas others report no significant changes in REE or RQ. The aim here was to reassess the concept of water-induced thermogenesis and fat oxidation in humans, with particular focus on interindividual variability in REE and RQ responses, comparison with a time-control Sham drink, and on the potential impact of gender, body composition and abdominal adiposity.

Subjects/Methods:

REE and RQ were measured in healthy young adults (n=27; body mass index range: 18.5–33.9 kg m−2), by ventilated hood indirect calorimetry for at least 30 min before and 130 min after ingesting 500 ml of purified (distilled) water at 21–22 °C or after Sham drinking, in a randomized cross-over design. Body composition and abdominal fat were assessed by bioimpedance techniques.

Results:

Drinking 500 ml of distilled water led to marginal increases in REE (<3% above baseline), independently of gender, but which were not significantly different from Sham drinking. RQ was found to fall after the water drink, independently of gender, but it also diminished to a similar extent in response to sham drinking. Interindividual variability in REE and RQ responses was not associated with body fatness, central adiposity or fat-free mass.

Conclusions:

This study conducted in young men and women varying widely in adiposity, comparing the ingestion of distilled water to Sham drinking, suggests that ingestion of purified water per se does not result in the stimulation of thermogenesis or fat oxidation.
Dirty deeds and dirty bodies: Embodiment of the Macbeth effect is mapped topographically onto the somatosensory cortex
Authors: Schaefer Michael , Rotte Michael , Heinze Hans-Jochen , Denke Claudia
Published: December 2015

The theory of embodied cognition claims that knowledge is represented in modal systems derived from perception. Recent behavioral studies found evidence for this hypothesis, for example, by linking moral purity with physical cleansing (the Macbeth effect). Neurophysiological approaches provided further support by showing an involvement of sensorimotor cortices for embodied metaphors. However, the exact role of this brain region for embodied cognitions remains to be cleared. Here we demonstrate that the involvement of the sensorimotor cortex for the embodied metaphor of moral-purity is somatotopically organized. Participants enacted in scenarios where they had to perform immoral or moral acts either with their mouths or their hands. Results showed that mouthwash products were particularly desirable after lying in a voice mail and hand wash products were particularly desirable after writing a lie, thus demonstrating that the moral-purity metaphor is specific to the sensorimotor modality involved in earlier immoral behavior. FMRI results of this interaction showed activation in sensorimotor cortices during the evaluation phase that was somatotopically organized with respect to preceding lying in a voice mail (mouth-area) or in a written note (hand-area). Thus, the results provide evidence for a central role of the sensorimotor cortices for embodied metaphors.
Eastern South African hydroclimate over the past 270,000 years
Authors: Simon Margit H. , Ziegler Martin , Bosmans Joyce , Barker Stephen , Reason Chris J.C. , Hall Ian R.
Published: December 2015

Processes that control the hydrological balance in eastern South Africa on orbital to millennial timescales remain poorly understood because proxy records documenting its variability at high resolution are scarce. In this work, we present a detailed 270,000 year-long record of terrestrial climate variability in the KwaZulu-Natal province based on elemental ratios of Fe/K from the southwest Indian Ocean, derived from X-ray fluorescence core scanning. Eastern South African climate variability on these time scales reflects both the long-term effect of regional insolation changes driven by orbital precession and the effects associated with high-latitude abrupt climate forcing over the past two glacial-interglacial cycles, including millennial-scale events not previously identified. Rapid changes towards more humid conditions in eastern South Africa as the Northern Hemisphere entered phases of extreme cooling were potentially driven by a combination of warming in the Agulhas Current and shifts of the subtropical anticyclones. These climate oscillations appear coherent with other Southern Hemisphere records but are anti-phased with respect to the East Asian Monsoon. Numerical modelling results reveal that higher precipitation in the KwaZulu-Natal province during precession maxima is driven by a combination of increased local evaporation and elevated moisture transport into eastern South Africa from the coast of Mozambique.
Spatially modulated structural colour in bird feathers
Authors: Parnell Andrew J. , Washington Adam L. , Mykhaylyk Oleksandr O. , Hill Christopher J. , Bianco Antonino , Burg Stephanie L. , Dennison Andrew J. C. , Snape Mary , Cadby Ashley J. , Smith Andrew , Prevost Sylvain , Whittaker David M. , Jones Richard A. L. , Fairclough J. Patrick. A. , Parker Andrew R.
Published: December 2015

Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius) feathers display periodic variations in the reflected colour from white through light blue, dark blue and black. We find the structures responsible for the colour are continuous in their size and spatially controlled by the degree of spinodal phase separation in the corresponding region of the feather barb. Blue structures have a well-defined broadband ultra-violet (UV) to blue wavelength distribution; the corresponding nanostructure has characteristic spinodal morphology with a lengthscale of order 150 nm. White regions have a larger 200 nm nanostructure, consistent with a spinodal process that has coarsened further, yielding broader wavelength white reflectance. Our analysis shows that nanostructure in single bird feather barbs can be varied continuously by controlling the time the keratin network is allowed to phase separate before mobility in the system is arrested. Dynamic scaling analysis of the single barb scattering data implies that the phase separation arrest mechanism is rapid and also distinct from the spinodal phase separation mechanism i.e. it is not gelation or intermolecular re-association. Any growing lengthscale using this spinodal phase separation approach must first traverse the UV and blue wavelength regions, growing the structure by coarsening, resulting in a broad distribution of domain sizes.
Alcohol intake and cardiovascular risk factors: A Mendelian randomisation study
Authors: Cho Yoonsu , Shin So-Youn , Won Sungho , Relton Caroline L , Davey Smith George , Shin Min-Jeong
Published: December 2015

Mendelian randomisation studies from Asia suggest detrimental influences of alcohol on cardiovascular risk factors, but such associations are observed mainly in men. The absence of associations of genetic variants (e.g. rs671 in ALDH2) with such risk factors in women – who drank little in these populations – provides evidence that the observations are not due to genetic pleiotropy. Here, we present a Mendelian randomisation study in a South Korean population (3,365 men and 3,787 women) that 1) provides robust evidence that alcohol consumption adversely affects several cardiovascular disease risk factors, including blood pressure, waist to hip ratio, fasting blood glucose and triglyceride levels. Alcohol also increases HDL cholesterol and lowers LDL cholesterol. Our study also 2) replicates sex differences in associations which suggests pleiotropy does not underlie the associations, 3) provides further evidence that association is not due to pleiotropy by showing null effects in male non-drinkers and 4) illustrates a way to measure population-level association where alcohol intake is stratified by sex. In conclusion, population-level instrumental variable estimation (utilizing interaction of rs671 in ALDH2 and sex as an instrument) strengthens causal inference regarding the largely adverse influence of alcohol intake on cardiovascular health in an Asian population.
An ancestral host defence peptide within human β-defensin 3 recapitulates the antibacterial and antiviral activity of the full-length molecule
Authors: Nigro Ersilia , Colavita Irene , Sarnataro Daniela , Scudiero Olga , Zambrano Gerardo , Granata Vincenzo , Daniele Aurora , Carotenuto Alfonso , Galdiero Stefania , Folliero Veronica , Galdiero Massimiliano , Urbanowicz Richard A. , Ball Jonathan K. , Salvatore Francesco , Pessi Antonello
Published: December 2015

Host defence peptides (HDPs) are critical components of innate immunity. Despite their diversity, they share common features including a structural signature, designated “γ-core motif”. We reasoned that for each HDPs evolved from an ancestral γ-core, the latter should be the evolutionary starting point of the molecule, i.e. it should represent a structural scaffold for the modular construction of the full-length molecule and possess biological properties. We explored the γ-core of human β-defensin 3 (HBD3) and found that it: (a) is the folding nucleus of HBD3; (b) folds rapidly and is stable in human serum; (c) displays antibacterial activity; (d) binds to CD98, which mediates HBD3 internalization in eukaryotic cells; (e) exerts antiviral activity against human immunodeficiency virus and herpes simplex virus; and (f) is not toxic to human cells. These results demonstrate that the γ-core within HBD3 is the ancestral core of the full-length molecule and is a viable HDP per se, since it is endowed with the most important biological features of HBD3. Notably, the small, stable scaffold of the HBD3 γ-core can be exploited to design disease-specific antimicrobial agents.