bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prognostic value of histone H3 serine 10 phosphorylation and histone H4 lysine 12 acetylation in oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Campos‐Fernández Esther , Matsuo Flavia S , Andrade Marília F , Servato João P S , Loyola Adriano M , Cardoso Sérgio V , Siva Sindeval J , Moraes Alberto da S , de Faria Paulo R
Published: July 2018

Aims

Studies on epigenetics in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are rare. Histone modifications comprise epigenetic mechanisms that perform a key role in gene transcription and may regulate tumour development. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine whether two post‐translational histone modifications, i.e. phosphorylation of serine 10 in histone H3 and acetylation of lysine 12 in histone H4, have prognostic value for OSCC patients.

Methods and results

Paraffin‐embedded tissue samples of 90 patients diagnosed with OSCC were obtained and subjected to immunohistochemical staining with antibodies against histone H3 with phosphorylation of serine 10 (H3S10ph) and histone H4 with acetylation of lysine 12 (H4K12ac). The associations of H3S10ph and H4K12ac expression levels with clinicopathological factors were determined. Five‐year survival analysis and univariate and multivariate analyses were also performed. Both H3S10ph and H4K12ac were expressed in the nuclei of tumour cells. A low median of H3S10ph expression was significantly associated with cervical lymph node metastasis. Tumours with high H4K12ac expression were significantly associated with gender, alcohol consumption, and cervical lymph node metastasis. H4K12ac was also shown to have independent prognostic value in the multivariate analysis. Tumours with high H3S10ph expression, size >40 mm, an advanced stage and the presence of cervical lymph node metastases were associated with a better 5‐year survival rate. Tumours with low H4K12ac expression, size >40 mm, an advanced stage and cervical lymph node metastasis were associated with a better 5‐year survival rate.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that H3S10ph, and mainly H4K12ac, may play a role in OSCC progression and the occurrence of cervical lymph node metastasis. Also, the expression level of H4K12ac could be an independent prognostic factor for OSCC patients.
A morphological and molecular study of proposed early forms of traditional serrated adenoma
Authors: Bettington Mark , Rosty Christophe , Whitehall Vicki , Leggett Barbara , McKeone Diane , Pearson Sally‐Ann , Walker Neal
Published: July 2018

Aims

Traditional serrated adenoma (TSA) is the least common subtype of serrated colorectal polyp. Large protuberant lesions are easily recognised; however, the origins of TSAs are not known, and early forms have not been described. Some large TSAs present with a flat ‘shoulder’ component surrounding the central protuberant component. We hypothesised that small polyps with the same histology as these shoulder regions may represent early TSAs. Thus the primary aim of the study is to describe the histology of these presumptive early TSAs.

Methods and results

We collected 70 small (<10 mm) polyps that may represent early TSAs on the basis of typical TSA cytology covering the luminal surface. We also identified 12 large TSAs with a shoulder component resembling these small polyps. The study polyp patients had a mean age of 58 years, and 54% were female; the polyps had a mean diameter of 4.1 mm and were predominantly distal (71%). Morphologically, slit‐like serrations were present in 81%, ectopic crypt formations were present in 67%, and a villous component was present in 47%. These histological features were similar to those of the 12 shoulder lesions. Immunohistochemical stains showed an absence of β‐catenin nuclear expression in 96% of the small polyps, retained expression of MLH1 in 100%, and Ki67 positivity restricted to the crypt bases and ectopic crypt formations. BRAF and KRAS mutations were identified in 47% and 31% of the polyps, respectively. BRAF‐mutated polyps were more likely than KRAS‐mutated polyps to arise in a precursor polyp (82% versus 18%, P < 0.001), and were more likely to have slit‐like serrations (100% versus 73%, P = 0.003).

Conclusions

These morphological, immunohistochemical and molecular findings are similar to what has been reported in large TSAs, and support the hypothesis that these polyps represent early forms of TSA.
Effect of hot oven and microwave roasting on garden cress (Lepidium sativum) seed flour quality and fatty acid composition, thermal and dielectric properties of extracted oil
Authors: Mulla Mehrajfatema , Ahmed Jasim , Al‐Sharrah Tahani
Published: July 2018

The effect of roasting (microwave and oven) on functional properties of garden cress (GC) (Lepidium sativum) seed flour, oil yield and fatty acid composition, colour, melting and crystallisation of oil were investigated. The obtained results revealed that roasting significantly influenced the physicochemical properties of the flour, and doubled the oil yield. The GC oil was rich in α‐linolenic acid (31.05%) and oleic acid (22.1%) along with the presence of other fatty acids including linoleic acid, erucic, stearic and arachidic acid. No significant difference in MUFA content and the U/S fatty acid ratio of GC oil was observed due to roasting. The oil sample exhibited two distinct endothermic melting transitions (≈ −35 °C and −19 °C) and one crystallisation peak (≈ −54 °C), those peaks were unaffected by the roasting. These observations were confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. Therefore, roasting pretreatment is a promising technique to improve GC oil yield while preserving oil quality.
Accurate light microscopic diagnosis of South‐East Asian ovalocytosis
Authors: Nixon Christian P. , Satyagraha Ari W. , Baird Grayson L. , Harahap Alida R. , Panggalo Lydia V. , Ekawati Lenny L. , Sutanto Inge , Syafruddin Din , Kevin Baird J.
Published: July 2018

Introduction

South‐East Asian ovalocytosis (SAO) is a common inherited red blood cell polymorphism in South‐East Asian and Melanesian populations, coinciding with areas of malaria endemicity. Validation of light microscopy as a diagnostic alternative to molecular genotyping may allow for its cost‐effective use either prospectively or retrospectively by analysis of archived blood smears.

Methods

We assessed light microscopic diagnosis of SAO compared to standard PCR genotyping. Three trained microscopists each assessed the same 971 Giemsa‐stained thin blood films for which SAO genotypic confirmation was available by PCR. Generalized mixed modeling was used to estimate the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of light microscopy vs “gold standard” PCR.

Results

Among red cell morphologic parameters evaluated, knizocytes, rather than ovalocytic morphology, proved the strongest predictor of SAO status (odds ratio [OR] = 19.2; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 14.6‐25.3; P ≤ 0.0001). The diagnostic performance of a knizocyte‐centric microscopic approach was microscopist dependent: two microscopists applied this approach with a sensitivity of 0.89 and a specificity of 0.93. Inter‐rater reliability among the microscopists (κ = 0.20) as well as between gold standard and microscopist (κ = 0.36) underperformed due to misclassification of stomatocytes as knizocytes by one microscopist, but improved substantially when excluding the error‐prone reader (κ = 0.65 and 0.74, respectively).

Conclusion

Light microscopic diagnosis of SAO by knizocyte visual cue performed comparable to time‐consuming and costlier molecular methods, but requires specific training that includes successful differentiation of knizocytes from stomatocytes.
Insights into the ternary eutectic microstructure formed in intercolony regions in Al2O3–ZrO2(Y2O3) system
Authors: Fu Lian‐sheng , Chen Guo‐qing , Fu Xue‐song , Zhou Wen‐long
Published: July 2018

Al2O3/ZrO2(Y2O3) pseudo‐binary eutectic melt may solidify in the dendritic form at the low G/v ratio (thermal gradient G divided by growth rate v) associated with the Y2O3 microsegregation along the monovariant line. Especially, in the system with high Y2O3 content (≥4.5 mol%), an Al2O3/ZrO2/YAG ternary eutectic in situ microstructure growing with a “plane front” will appear at the boundaries of dendritic structures. The volume fraction of the ternary eutectic increases with the increase in Y2O3 content. It was found that the amount of ternary eutectic can be well predicted by the Scheil equation (or nonequilibrium lever rule).
A male's seminal fluid increases later competitors’ productivity
Authors: Nguyen Trinh T. X. , Moehring Amanda J.
Published: July 2018

Polyandrous females allow for sexual selection to persist after mating. In the event that females successfully mate with more than one male, sperm competition can occur. Seminal fluid proteins can indirectly affect a male's success in sperm competition through reducing the remating behaviour of females and can directly influence sperm competition through directly displacing competitor sperm or inducing females to eject it. These direct effects on competitor sperm are thought to contribute to the ‘second male advantage’, whereby the second male to mate sires the majority of offspring. Here, we show an additional mechanism where seminal proteins already present within a mated female appear to enhance offspring production of later competitor males, and contribute to second male advantage. Counter to expectation, increased offspring production was not due to a priming effect of greater early female productivity, nor was it through a general and consistent increase in offspring production. Instead, enhanced productivity was solely through lengthening the time that offspring are sired by the second male, indicating that seminal proteins from the first male to mate may enhance second male advantage through a presumably unintended protective effect on subsequent competitor sperm.
Negative regulation of resistance protein‐mediated immunity by master transcription factors SARD1 and CBP60g
Authors: Sun Tongjun , Liang Wanwan , Zhang Yuelin , Li Xin
Published: July 2018

Salicylic acid (SA) is an essential defence hormone in plants. Upon pathogen infection, induced biosynthesis of SA is mediated by Isochorismate synthase 1 (ICS1), whose gene transcription is controlled mainly through two redundant transcription factors, SAR Deficient 1 (SARD1) and Calmodulin‐binding protein 60‐like g (CBP60g). Although these master transcription factors regulate not only positive, but also negative regulators of immunity, how they control signaling events downstream of different immune receptors is unclear. Using autoimmune mutants activating immunity mediated by different receptors we show that, although the sard1 cbp60g double mutant almost fully suppresses the activation of defence mediated by suppressor of npr1‐1, constitutive 2 (snc2), it strikingly enhances snc1, which carries a gain‐of‐function mutation in an intracellular nucleotide‐binding leucine‐rich repeat (NLR) immune receptor. This negative regulation of immunity is achieved through the transcriptional regulation of negative regulators, such as Nudix hydrolase homolog 6 (NUDT6). Our study highlights the diverse roles, especially the negative ones, in the regulation of plant immunity by the two master immune transcription factors SARD1 and CBP60g.
Patient Safety Culture Associated With Patient Safety Competencies Among Registered Nurses
Authors: Cho Seon Mi , Choi JiSun
Published: July 2018

Purpose

To investigate the relationships between registered nurses’ (RNs’) perceptions of the culture of patient safety in their workplace and their patient safety competency—attitudes, skills, and knowledge.

Design

A cross‐sectional study design was used. Data were collected by using a self‐reported survey from 343 RNs working in a university hospital in Seoul, South Korea.

Methods

Patient safety culture was measured using the Korean version of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (Hospital SOPSTM). Patient safety competency was measured using the Patient Safety Competency Self‐Evaluation tool. Multiple regression analysis was performed using Stata version 14 to examine the relationships between patient safety culture and RNs’ patient safety competency, while adjusting for the RNs nested in their units.

Findings

Of the 10 specific aspects of patient safety culture, only teamwork within units was significantly related to overall safety competency. In relation to each of the three patient safety competencies, teamwork within and across units and supervisor or manager expectations were significantly related to attitudes, while teamwork within units and learning were significantly related to skills. Only organizational learning was significantly related to knowledge.

Conclusions

Although teamwork, leadership, and continuous learning in the nursing unit were major factors influencing RNs’ safety competency, the relationships of these factors to patient safety attitudes, skills, and knowledge among RNs were varied.

Clinical Relevance

Creating a unit‐specific patient safety culture that is tailored to the competencies of the unit's RNs in patient safety practice would be essential to enhance and maintain high levels of patient safety attitudes, skills, and knowledge among the unit's RNs, which would ultimately affect patient safety.
Severe vision loss caused by cosmetic filler augmentation: Case series with review of cause and therapy
Authors: Thanasarnaksorn Wilai , Cotofana Sebastian , Rudolph Christina , Kraisak Patcharahatai , Chanasumon Nongsak , Suwanchinda Atchima
Published: July 2018

Hyaluronic acid (HA) injection is a popular nonsurgical, facial rejuvenating procedure. Due to the rapidly expanding use of HA injections, significant potential complications have also increased in frequency. Among these complications, the rare but most devastating one is arterial occlusion, which can result in skin necrosis or blindness. To describe the mechanisms behind vision loss secondary to hyaluronic acid injection and the efficacy of treatments to restore vision and associated ocular functionality. We reviewed six cases of patients from October 2011 to December 2017 who experienced vision loss after receiving facial HA injections and the subsequent treatments undertaken to attempt to reverse the vision loss and additional eye complications. Of the six patients, four received nose, one received forehead, and another one received temple injections. All six patients developed vision loss secondary to hyaluronic acid embolization in retinal or ophthalmic arteries. Additional complications included severe periorbital pain, ptosis, impairment of extraocular muscle functionality. Recovery of vision was dependent on the type, frequency, and duration of subsequent treatment. Vision loss is a rare but catastrophic complication caused by hyaluronic injection that occurs secondary to hyaluronic acid embolization in retinal or ophthalmic arteries due to retrograde flow from facial vascular anastomoses. We suggest the early supratrochlear/supraorbital hyaluronidase injection, ocular massage, and re‐breathing into a plastic bag as safe, uncomplicated and effective methods to restore the retinal circulation and reverse vision loss.
Let’s Talk about Language: A Review of Language‐Sensitive Research in International Management
Authors: Karhunen Päivi , Kankaanranta Anne , Louhiala‐Salminen Leena , Piekkari Rebecca
Published: July 2018

This paper explores the assumptions underlying the core concept of language used in the growing field of language‐sensitive research in international management. We reviewed 92 articles on the topic of language(s) in multinational corporations published during the period 1997‐2015, and applied a linguistic lens to uncover how these articles ‘talk about language’. The assumptions found in these articles can be grouped into three complementary categories that take a structural, functional or social practice view of language. We go beyond the review by also reflecting on the consequences that these underlying assumptions have for the study of language in multinationals. We consider the social practice view the most promising one, and propose a future research agenda for advancing it and thereby contributing to theorizing about the multinational corporation more broadly.
Stock Return or Sales Growth? Multiple Performance Feedback and Strategic Investments Under Securities Analysts’ Earnings Pressure
Authors: Zhang Yu , Gong Yan
Published: July 2018

Pressure to meet or beat earnings forecasts from securities analysts leads managers of publicly traded firms to improve short‐term earnings by cutting strategic investments at the expense of long‐term competitiveness. Drawing on the behavioral theory of the firm, we explore how different dimensions of performance feedback moderate managerial responses to this pressure. We find that the negative impact of earnings pressure on a firm’s strategic investments is strengthened when it receives performance feedback from lower stock returns but is weakened when the firm receives performance feedback from lower sales growth. When both dimensions of performance feedback are present, we find that sales growth has a stronger moderating effect. Our paper contributes to the developing literature on multiple dimensions of performance feedback by demonstrating how stock price and sales growth differentially influence managerial responses to earnings pressure. From a management standpoint, we highlight the possibility that performance feedback influences managerial responses to earnings pressures in ways that managers may not fully consider.
Growing Followers: Exploring the Effects of Leader Humility on Follower Self‐Expansion, Self‐Efficacy, and Performance
Authors: Mao Jianghua , Chiu Chia‐Yen (Chad) , Owens Bradley P. , Brown Jacob A. , Liao Jianqiao
Published: July 2018

Although the effectiveness of leader humility has been well documented, our understanding of how leader humility influences followers psychologically is limited. Surpassing a mere leader‐centric understanding of the leader influence process by more fully understanding how leadership behavior shapes followers psychologically has been identified as a critical need by leadership scholars. Drawing on self‐expansion theory, we argue that leader humility triggers followers’ self‐expansion and that this psychological change enhances followers’ self‐efficacy, which in turn contributes to followers’ task performance. We also argue that the relationship between leader humility and followers’ self‐expansion is strengthened when leaders and followers are similar in age and gender. Using a time‐lagged research design with responses from 256 leader–follower dyads, we found support for our proposed model. We discuss the theoretical implications for our findings and suggest areas for future research.
Self‐presentational motives and public self‐consciousness: Why do people dress a certain way?
Authors: Nezlek John B. , Mochort Emilia , Cypryańska Marzena
Published: July 2018

Objective

This study examines the self‐presentational motives underlying people’s selection of their daily dress and relationships between these motives and public self‐consciousness.

Method

Participants in this study, 61 working adults, described their motives for choosing what they wore each day for 2 weeks. They also provided trait‐level measures of self‐consciousness, social anxiety, and self‐monitoring.

Results

Multilevel modeling analyses found positive relationships between public self‐consciousness and the strength of various self‐presentational motives for why people chose the clothes they wore each day. In contrast, there were few relationships between the strength of these motives and private self‐consciousness, social anxiety, and self‐monitoring. Participants felt better about themselves when they received compliments from others about their attire and when they were more (vs. less) satisfied with how they had dressed each day.

Conclusions

The results suggest that dispositional public self‐consciousness manifests itself in daily life in the form of motives for choosing daily attire, specifically for motives that involve self‐presentation.
Direct and indirect caecotrophy behaviour in paca (Cuniculus paca)
Authors: Guerra Aldrigui Leticia , Nogueira‐Filho Sergio L. G. , Altino Vanessa Souza , Mendes Alcester , Clauss Marcus , Nogueira Selene S. d. C.
Published: July 2018

The colonic separation mechanism in lagomorphs and some rodents, associated with caecotrophy, serves to retain microbial protein. As tropical fruits have low protein concentrations, caecotrophy could be an important microbial protein source in frugivorous rodents such as the paca (Cuniculus paca). Due to conflicting reports on the occurrence of caecotrophy in this species, we obtained digestive tracts of three adult animals and observed the behaviour of four specimens maintained on a diet of a pelleted feed (P) and a supplemental mix of fruits and sweet potato (S, a source of structural fibre). In a Latin square design, P and S were both offered either in the morning (M) or in the afternoon (A), or with one item in the morning and the other in the afternoon (SP or PS). The paca's proximal colon is characterized by a distinct furrow typical for the colonic separation mechanism of hystricomorph rodents. Caecotrophy, both “direct” (from the anus) and “indirect” (from a pile of defecated faeces), was a regular component of the paca's behavioural repertoire, and caecotrophs contained more nitrogen and less fibre than hard faeces. Higher food intake led to less overall caecotrophy. With afternoon feeding of S, the onset of caecotrophy was delayed and the proportion of indirect caecotrophy increased, with hard faeces and caecotrophs often defecated together. No indirect caecotrophy occurred on treatment M. The results suggest that the time available after ingestion of structural fibre determines the efficiency of the colonic mechanism for the separation of hard faeces and caecotrophs.
Weight loss improves arterial blood gases and respiratory parameters in obese dogs
Authors: Pereira‐Neto Gláucia B. , Brunetto Márcio A. , Oba Patrícia M. , Champion Tatiana , Villaverde Cecilia , Vendramini Thiago H. A. , Balieiro Julio C. C. , Carciofi Aulus C. , Camacho Aparecido A.
Published: July 2018

Canine obesity is a common medical disorder and a known risk factor for associated diseases; it can seriously influence various physiological functions, thereby limiting the longevity of the animal. In this study, we evaluated potential respiratory alterations in obese dogs before and after being subjected to caloric restriction to decrease their body weight by 20%, and compared those dogs with control dogs with ideal body condition score. The animals were divided into three experimental groups:GI(obese dogs;n = 11);GII(obese dogs after weight loss, same animals as inGI);GIII(control dogs;n = 11). We evaluated lung function by spirometry and arterial blood gases. Statistical analysis included paired or non‐paired Student'sttest. Compared with dogs within an ideal body condition score (GIII), obese dogs (GI) had a low arterial partial pressure of oxygen (p < 0.05); decreased tidal volume (p < 0.005), inspiratory time and expiratory time (p < 0.05); and an increased respiratory rate (p < 0.005). After losing weight (GII), no differences with control dogs (GIII) were verified. The results suggested that obese dogs have an improvement in respiratory function with weight loss, but further investigations in a larger group of dogs are advised to confirm these findings.
Exploring the generic delimitation of Phyllagathis and Bredia (Melastomataceae): A combined nuclear and chloroplast DNA analysis
Authors: Zhou Qiu‐Jie , Lin Che‐Wei , Dai Jin‐Hong , Zhou Ren‐Chao , Liu Ying
Published: July 2018

Phyllagathis Blume and Bredia Blume (Sonerileae s.l., Melastomataceae) are two closely related Asian genera with similar morphology and overlapping geographical range. Their generic circumscription and phylogenetic relationships are far from fully understood. We present here a molecular phylogenetic investigation for the two genera using nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer and chloroplast (trnV‐trnM) sequence data. Seventeen genera of Sonerileae s.l. were included in the analyses, with Phyllagathis and Bredia densely sampled to cover their geographical range and morphological diversity. We identified 14 well supported species clusters within Sonerileae s.l.–Medinilla. Phylogenetic analyses together with reconstruction of morphological characters clearly indicated the taxonomic mess in generic delimitation of Sonerileae s.l. Many of the characters traditionally used in generic delimitation were highly homoplasious. Bredia and Phyllagathis, as well as Allomorphia, Anerincleistus, Fordiophyton, and Oxyspora, were revealed to be non‐monophyletic. Bredia, as currently defined, contains two groups of species with different phylogenetic affiliations. Bredia should be recircumscribed to exclude the Bredia–Phyllagathis clade I and accommodate the Bredia–Phyllagathis clade II as the type of the genus is included in the latter clade. Most species sampled in Phyllagathis spread across eight well supported clades throughout the phylogenetic tree. The type of Phyllagathis showed no close affiliation with other members of Phyllagathis nor its putative relatives. Phyllagathis, as presently circumscribed, is heterogeneous, encompassing multiple evolutionary lineages. As sequence data of nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer and chloroplast trnV‐trnM failed to resolve the phylogenetic relationships among these lineages, the formal taxonomic adjustment of Phyllagathis is postponed until further evidence can be gathered.
A Boolean Networks Approach to Modeling and Resilience Analysis of Interdependent Critical Infrastructures
Authors: Galbusera Luca , Giannopoulos Georgios , Argyroudis Sotiris , Kakderi Kalliopi
Published: July 2018

In this article, we propose a dynamic Boolean network‐type mathematical representation of networked critical infrastructures under stress. Our formulation is obtained as a threshold‐based approximation of a discrete‐time switched system meant to describe failure and recovery phases that may span considerably different time periods. The formalism can incorporate mitigating factors, resource constraints, and allocation strategies affecting the response of the system and the unfolding of restoration processes. As such, the tool may inform both contingency planning and consequence assessment. We also discuss an illustrative case study concerning the recovery process of selected infrastructures of the Thessaloniki Port in an earthquake scenario. Simulations are performed for assigned parameter distributions associated with the different operational modes. Finally, a performance loss indicator is computed to assess the overall service perturbation affecting the system. For the needs of this analysis, fragility curves have been selected from the literature, whereas restoration curves, recovery priorities, classification of components, and other modeling variables have been defined in collaboration with the local Port Authority.
Massive up‐regulation of LBD transcription factors and EXPANSINs highlights the regulatory programs of rhizomania disease
Authors: Fernando Gil Jose , Liebe Sebastian , Thiel Heike , Lennefors Britt‐Louise , Kraft Thomas , Gilmer David , Maiss Edgar , Varrelmann Mark , Savenkov Eugene I.
Published: July 2018

Rhizomania of sugar beet, caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV), is characterized by excessive lateral root (LR) formation leading to dramatic reduction of taproot weight and massive yield losses. LR formation represents a developmental process tightly controlled by auxin signaling through AUX/IAA‐ARF responsive module and LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN (LBD) transcriptional network. Several LBD transcription factors play central roles in auxin‐regulated LR development and act upstream of EXPANSINS (EXPs), cell wall (CW)‐loosening proteins involved in plant development via disruption of the extracellular matrix for CW relaxation and expansion. Here, we present evidence that BNYVV hijacks these auxin‐regulated pathways resulting in formation LR and root hairs (RH). We identified an AUX/IAA protein (BvAUX28) as interacting with P25, a viral virulence factor. Mutational analysis indicated that P25 interacts with domains I and II of BvAUX28. Subcellular localization of co‐expressed P25 and BvAUX28 showed that P25 inhibits BvAUX28 nuclear localization. Moreover, root‐specific LBDs and EXPs were greatly upregulated during rhizomania development. Based on these data, we present a model in which BNYVV P25 protein mimics action of auxin by removing BvAUX28 transcriptional repressor, leading to activation of LBDs and EXPs. Thus, the evidence highlights two pathways operating in parallel and leading to uncontrolled formation of LRs and RHs, the main manifestation of the rhizomania syndrome.
Why Maximize Expected Choice‐Worthiness?1
Authors: MacAskill William , Ord Toby
Published: July 2018

This paper argues in favor of a particular account of decision‐making under normative uncertainty: that, when it is possible to do so, one shouldmaximize expected choice‐worthiness. Though this position has been often suggested in the literature and is often taken to be the ‘default’ view, it has so far received little in the way of positive argument in its favor. After dealing with some preliminaries and giving the basic motivation for taking normative uncertainty into account in our decision‐making, we consider and provide new arguments against two rival accounts that have been offered—the accounts that we call ‘My Favorite Theory’ and ‘My Favorite Option’. We then give a novel argument forcomparativism—the view that, under normative uncertainty, one should take into account both probabilities of different theories and magnitudes of choice‐worthiness. Finally, we further argue in favor of maximizing expected choice‐worthiness and consider and respond to five objections.
Bounded set of economic uncertainty and robust viability: An illustration from farming systems
Authors: Bates Samuel , Angeon Valérie , Désilles Anna , Saint‐Pierre Patrick
Published: July 2018

Uncertainty occupies a major place in the literature, both when it is being defined and when it is being measured. The mathematical viability theory framework provides useful concepts to go beyond the probabilistic views of uncertainty that are not able to capture all forms of uncertainty, particularly in the absence of statistical regularities. Bounded‐set uncertainty can help to analyze changes in the evolutionary conditions that affect ecological and social systems with probabilistic or nonprobabilistic distributions. This paper introduces uncertainty into a viability model by associating stochastic and bounded‐set uncertainty related to sales price as a driver of economic uncertainty. Based on an illustration of agroecosystems, the model identifies decision rules that guarantee viability. The larger the initial crop portfolio for sequential diversification is, the lower the costs to belong to the viability kernels will be, regardless of economic and environmental constraints. The diversification of farming systems transforms their complexity into an advantage against uncertainty, which opens up numerous viability trajectories.

Recommedations for Resource Managers

Considering the relevance of a bounded set of economic uncertainty, restoring soil quality and choosing diversification guarantee viability and allow a single generation of farmers to relax both their environmental and economic constraints.

When the time available to conform to both their environmental and economic constraints decreases, sequential diversification can be used as a tool to relax the economic constraint of self‐financing soil restoration.

Sequential diversification is an asset, especially for low‐quality soil. Even under uncertainty and very low soil quality, diversification drastically reduces the value‐at‐risk for viable farming investment.

Eligibility for agricultural subsidies should be conditional on soil quality to motivate practices of soil restoration that provide a sort of insurance against economic uncertainty.
Early life adversity and health‐risk behaviors: proposed psychological and neural mechanisms
Authors: Duffy Korrina A. , McLaughlin Katie A. , Green Paige A.
Published: July 2018

Early life adversity (ELA) is associated with poorer health in adulthood, an association explained, at least in part, by increased engagement in health‐risk behaviors (HRBs). In this review, we make the case that ELA influences brain development in ways that increase the likelihood of engaging in HRBs. We argue that ELA alters neural circuitry underpinning cognitive control as well as emotional processing, including networks involved in processing threat and reward. These neural changes are associated psychologically and behaviorally with heightened emotional reactivity, blunted reward responsivity, poorer emotion regulation, and greater delay discounting. We then demonstrate that these adaptations to ELA are associated with an increased risk of smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and eating high‐fat, high‐sugar foods. Furthermore, we explore how HRBs affect the brain in ways that reinforce addiction and further explain clustering of HRBs.
Relationship of MR imaging of submandibular glands to hyposalivation in Sjögren's syndrome
Authors: Kojima Ikuho , Sakamoto Maya , Iikubo Masahiro , Shimada Yusuke , Nishioka Takashi , Sasano Takashi
Published: July 2018

Objective

We analysed the correlation between magnetic resonance images of the parotid and submandibular glands and the salivary flow rate in patients with Sjögren's syndrome.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed magnetic resonance images (heterogeneous signal‐intensity distribution and gland volume on T1‐ and fat‐suppressed T2‐weighted images, and multiple high‐signal‐intensity spots on magnetic resonance sialograms in the parotid and submandibular glands) obtained from 66 patients who were diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome. We evaluated the relationship between these imaging features and their salivary flow rates in stimulated and unstimulated conditions.

Results

We found that as the disease progressed, both the heterogeneous signal‐intensity distribution and the volumes of the parotid and the submandibular glands were significantly related to the stimulated and the unstimulated salivary flow rate. These imaging features were more highly correlated in assessments of the submandibular gland than in those of the parotid gland for both stimulated and unstimulated salivary flow rates.

Conclusions

Magnetic resonance image features of heterogeneity and smaller volume in the submandibular gland are reliable for predicting hyposalivation related to the progression of Sjögren's syndrome.
Porphyromonas gingivalis inhibits M2 activation of macrophages by suppressing α‐ketoglutarate production in mice
Authors: Yu S. , Ding L. , Liang D. , Luo L.
Published: July 2018

Reprograming of metabolic pathways is critical in governing the polarization of macrophages into classical proinflammatory M1 or alternative anti‐inflammatory M2 phenotypes in metabolic diseases, such as diabetes. Porphyromonas gingivalis, a keystone pathogen of periodontitis, causes an imbalance in M1/M2 activation, resulting in a hyperinflammatory environment that promotes the pathogenesis of periodontitis. However, whether P. gingivalis infection modulates metabolic pathways to alter macrophage polarization remains unclear. Bone‐marrow‐derived macrophages (BMDMs) were collected from 6‐week‐old female C57BL/6 mice and stimulated with P. gingivalis, P. gingivalis‐derived LPS or IL‐4. Relative gene expression and protein production were measured by quantitative real‐time PCR, RNA sequencing and western blotting. Colorimetric assays were also performed to assess the amounts of α‐ketoglutarate (α‐KG) and succinate. P. gingivalis or P. gingivalis‐derived LPS‐induced inflammatory responses enhanced M1 macrophages and suppressed M2 macrophages, even in the presence of IL‐4. P. gingivalis inhibited Idh1/2 and Gpt1/2 mRNA expression, and increased Akgdh mRNA expression, thus decreasing the ratio of α‐KG/succinate. Supplementation of cell‐permeable dimethyl‐α‐KG dramatically restored M2 activation during P. gingivalis infection. Our study suggests that P. gingivalis maintains a hyperinflammatory state by suppressing the production of α‐KG by M2 macrophages.
The mosasaur fossil record through the lens of fossil completeness
Authors: Driscoll Daniel A. , Dunhill Alexander M. , Stubbs Thomas L. , Benton Michael J.
Published: July 2018

The quality of the fossil record affects our understanding of macroevolutionary patterns. Palaeodiversity is filtered through geological and human processes; efforts to correct for these biases are part of a debate concerning the role of sampling proxies and standardization in biodiversity models. We analyse the fossil record of mosasaurs in terms of fossil completeness as a measure of fossil quality, using three novel, correlating metrics of fossil completeness and 4083 specimens. A new qualitative measure of character completeness (QCM) correlates with the phylogenetic character completeness metric. Mean completeness by species decreases with specimen count; average completeness by substage varies significantly. Mean specimen completeness is higher for species‐named fossils than those identified to genus and family. We consider the effect of tooth‐only specimens. Importantly, we find that completeness of species does not correlate with completeness of specimens. Completeness varies by palaeogeography: North American specimens show higher completeness than those from Eurasia and Gondwana. These metrics can be used to identify exceptional preservation; specimen completeness varies significantly by both formation and lithology. The Belgian Ciply Formation displays the highest completeness; clay lithologies show higher completeness values. Neither species diversity nor sea level correlates significantly with fossil completeness. A generalized least squares (GLS) analysis using multiple variables agrees with this result, but reveals two variables with significant predictive value for modelling averaged diversity: sea level, and mosasaur and plesiosaur‐bearing formations (the latter is redundant with diversity). Mosasaur completeness is not driven by sea level, nor does completeness limit the mosasaur diversity signal.
Regional impacts of global climate change: a local humid phase in central Iberia in a late Miocene drying world
Authors: De Miguel Daniel , Azanza Beatriz , Morales Jorge
Published: July 2018

The end of the Miocene was an eventful period of changes in climate and geography, and a restructuring of terrestrial plant and mammals. The tendency towards global aridification has attracted much recent interest, making the late Miocene a striking case‐study for testing current and near‐future scenarios involving global warming. Little is known about the consequences of global changes in temperature and precipitation at regional or local scales. Given its geographical position and extraordinary fossil record, the Iberian Peninsula offers many insights into short‐ and long‐term shifts in climate, and the local response. Here, we explore the diet and ecology of large‐mammals through tooth‐wear patterns, and examine changes in local climate and habitat conditions in central Spain in a period (9.1–6.3 Ma) for which there exists a dearth of palaeoenvironmental information. Relatively dry climates and open‐woodland landscapes evolved locally during the late Vallesian and early Turolian (9.0–7.7 Ma). Unexpectedly, we detect a period of high precipitation and a peak of humidity at the end of the Turolian (7.0 Ma) that prompted the development of wetter, more forested habitats, suggesting that the traditional view of the late Miocene as a steppe landscape is a misconception. We also find a period of relatively drier and warmer conditions from the early Ventian onwards. Overall, our finding that a local episode of increased humidity in central Spain was synchronous with a global warming trend in Europe provides evidence that the greatest climatic changes may have an opposite impact at regional and local scales.
Scalable individual tree delineation in 3D point clouds
Authors: Wang Jinhu , Lindenbergh Roderik , Menenti Massimo
Published: July 2018

Manually monitoring and documenting trees is labour intensive. Lidar provides a possible solution for automatic tree‐inventory generation. Existing approaches for segmenting trees from original point cloud data lack scalable and efficient methods that separate individual trees sampled by different laser‐scanning systems with sufficient quality under all circumstances. In this study a new algorithm for efficient individual tree delineation from lidar point clouds is presented and validated. The proposed algorithm first resamples the points using cuboid (modified voxel) cells. Consecutively connected cells are accumulated by vertically traversing cell layers. Trees in close proximity are identified, based on a novel cell‐adjacency analysis. The scalable performance of this algorithm is validated on airborne, mobile and terrestrial laser‐scanning point clouds. Validation against ground truth demonstrates an improvement from 89% to 94% relative to a state‐of‐the‐art method while computation time is similar.
Comparative physiological analysis in the tolerance to salinity and drought individual and combination in two cotton genotypes with contrasting salt tolerance
Authors: Ibrahim Wasim , Qiu Cheng‐Wei , Zhang Can , Cao Fangbin , Shuijin Zhu , Wu Feibo
Published: July 2018

Soil salinity and drought are the two most common and frequently co‐occurring abiotic stresses limiting cotton growth and productivity. However, physiological mechanisms of tolerance to such condition remain elusive. Greenhouse pot experiments were performed to study genotypic differences in response to single drought (4% soil moisture; D) and salinity (200 mM NaCl; S) stress and combined stresses (D + S) using two cotton genotypes Zhongmian 23 (salt‐tolerant) and Zhongmian 41 (salt‐sensitive). Our results showed that drought and salinity stresses, alone or in combination, caused significant reduction in plant growth, chlorophyll content and photosynthesis in the two cotton genotypes, with the largest impact visible under combined stress. Interestingly, Zhongmian 23 was more tolerant than Zhongmian 41 under the three stresses and displayed higher plant dry weight, photosynthesis and antioxidant enzymes activities such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities compared to control, while those parameters were significantly decreased in salt‐stresses Zhongmian 41 compared to control. Moreover, Na+/K+‐ATPase activity was more enhanced in Zhongmian 23 than in Zhongmian 41 under salinity stress. However, under single drought stress and D + S stress no significant differences were observed between the two genotypes. No significant differences were detected in Ca2+/Mg2+‐ATPase activity in Zhongmian 41, while in Zhongmian 23 it was increased under salinity stress. Furthermore, Zhongmian 23 accumulated more soluble sugar, glycine‐betaine and K+, but less Na+ under the three stresses compared with Zhongmian 41. Obvious changes in leaf and root tips cell ultrastructure was observed in the two cotton genotypes. However, Zhongmian 23 was less affected than Zhongmian 41 especially under salinity stress. These results give a novel insight into the mechanisms of single and combined effects of drought and salinity stresses on cotton genotypes.
The value of cooperative extension for involving society in restoration and conservation
Authors: Gornish Elise S. , Roche Leslie M.
Published: July 2018

Stakeholder input for restoration and conservation efforts is critical for project success and societal buy‐in. A lack of experience or training, however, might limit the ability of managers to develop the partnerships needed for effective integration of stakeholders in project design and deployment. Cooperative extension (CE), a boundary‐spanning organization associated with U.S. land‐grant institutions, can help address this limitation because it has a long history of success with identifying, reaching out to, and connecting stakeholders in management projects. Organizations both within and external to the United States can enhance stakeholder contributions in restoration and conservation by leveraging expertise in CE. This can occur both by learning from and partnering with CE.
Model-Based County Level Crop Estimates Incorporating Auxiliary Sources of Information
Authors: Erciulescu Andreea L. , Cruze Nathan B. , Nandram Balgobin
Published: July 2018

In 2011, the US Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service started the complete implementation of the County Agricultural Production Survey (CAPS). The CAPS is an annual survey to provide accurate county level acreage and production estimates of approved federal and state crop commodities. The current top down method of producing official county level estimates that satisfy the county–district–state benchmarking constraint is an expert assessment incorporating multiple sources of information. We propose a model-based method that combines the CAPS acreage data with auxiliary data and improves county level survey estimation, while providing measures of uncertainty for the county level acreage estimates. Auxiliary sources of information include remote sensing data, weather data and planted acreage administrative data from other US agencies. A hierarchical Bayesian subarea level model is proposed and implemented, with an additional hierarchical level for the sampling variances. County level, model-based acreage estimates have lower coefficients of variation than the corresponding county level survey acreage estimates. Top down benchmarking methods are investigated and the final acreage estimates satisfy the county–district–state benchmarking constraint.
Giant sawflies and their kin: morphological phylogeny of Cimbicidae (Hymenoptera)
Authors: Vilhelmsen Lars
Published: July 2018

The Cimbicidae is a small family including the largest extant true sawflies (Tenthredinoidea). It comprises four subfamilies, three of which have a northern hemisphere distribution (Abiinae, Cimbicinae – Holarctic/Oriental; Corynidinae – Palaearctic), whereas the Pachylostictinae are restricted to South America. No previous attempts have been made to evaluate the subfamily classification in a cladistic context. In the present paper, 144 morphological characters from the adult anatomy for a total of 95 species of Cimbicidae and 26 outgroup taxa are scored. All subfamilies and all genera of Cimbicidae except one are represented; all families of Tenthredinoidea are represented in the outgroup. Equal weights (EW) and implied weights (IW) analyses are conducted in tnt. The results largely corroborate the existing subfamily classification, except for Pachylostictinae which are paraphyletic in IW analyses with low K‐values. Abiinae + Cimbicinae is always retrieved and strongly supported; Corynidinae + Pachylostictinae is retrieved in most analyses but weakly supported. Revised diagnoses of the subfamilies are provided. Several genera are retrieved as monophyletic, notable exceptions being Praia and Trichiosoma, which are polyphyletic. The evolution of large body size in Cimbicidae is briefly discussed; possible related phenomena are intrasexual competition and mimicry, i.e. resemblance to large apids or vespids.