bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tripartite motif-containing 14 (TRIM14) promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition via ZEB2 in glioblastoma cells
Authors: Feng Shuang , Cai Xiaomin , Li Yangyang , Jian Xiaoguang , Zhang Linxin , Li Bin
Published: February 2019

Background

Several members of the tripartite motif-containing (TRIM) protein family have been reported to serve as vital regulators of tumorigenesis. Recent studies have demonstrated an oncogenic role of TRIM 14 in multiple human cancers; however, the importance of this protein in glioblastoma remains to be elucidated.

Methods

The expression levels of TRIM14 were analyzed in a series of database and were examined in a variety of glioblastoma cell lines. Two independent TRIM14 shRNA were transfected into LN229 and U251 cells, and the effect of TRIM14 depletion was confirmed. Transwell assay and wound healing assay assay were carried out to assess the effect of TRIM14 depletion on glioblastoma cell invasion and migration. Western blotting was performed to screen the downstream gene of TRIM14. The stability analysis and Ubiquitylation assays and Orthotopic xenograft studies were also performed to investigate the role of TRIM14 and the relationship with downstream gene. Human glioblastoma tissues were obtained and immunohistochemical staining were carried out to confirm the clinical significance of TRIM14.

Results

In this study, we showed that TRIM14 was upregulated in human glioblastoma specimens and cell lines, and correlated with glioblastoma progression and shorter patient survival times. Functional experiments showed that decreased TRIM14 expression reduced glioblastoma cell invasion and migration. Furthermore, we identified that zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 2 (ZEB2), a transcription factor involved in epithelial–mesenchymal transition, is a downstream target of TRIM14. Further investigation revealed that TRIM14 inactivation significantly facilitated ZEB2 ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation, which led to aggressive invasion and migration. Our findings provide insight into the specific biological role of TRIM14 in tumor invasion.

Conclusions

Our findings provide insight into the specific biological role of TRIM14 in tumor invasion, and suggest that targeting the TRIM14/ZEB2 axis might be a novel therapeutic approach for blocking glioblastoma.
Relapse Risk and Loss of Lifetime After Modern Combined Modality Treatment of Young Patients With Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Nordic Lymphoma Epidemiology Group Study
Authors: Biccler Jorne Lionel , Glimelius Ingrid , Eloranta Sandra , Smeland Knut B. , Brown Peter de Nully , Jakobsen Lasse Hjort , Frederiksen Henrik , Jerkeman Mats , Fosså Alexander , Andersson Therese M.L. , Holte Harald , Bøgsted Martin , El-Galaly Tarec Christoffer , Smedby Karin E.
Published: February 2019

PURPOSE

Estimates of short- and long-term survival for young patients with classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) are of considerable interest. We investigated cHL prognosis in the era of contemporary treatment at different milestones during the follow-up.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

On the basis of a Nordic cohort of 2,582 patients diagnosed at ages 18 to 49 years between 2000 and 2013, 5-year relapse risks and 5-year restricted losses in expectation of lifetime were estimated for all patients and for patients who achieved event-free survival (EFS) for 12 (EFS12), 24 (EFS24), 36 (EFS36) or 60 (EFS60) months. The median follow-up time was 9 years (range, 2.9 to 16.8 years).

RESULTS

The 5-year overall survival was 95% (95% CI, 94% to 96%). The 5-year risk of relapse was 13.4% (95% CI, 12.1% to 14.8%) overall but decreased to 4.2% (95% CI, 3.8% to 4.6%) given that patients reached EFS24. Relapse risk for patients treated with six to eight courses of bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (BEACOPP) was comparable to that of patients treated with six to eight courses of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) despite more adverse risk criteria among patients treated with BEACOPP. Both from diagnosis and if EFS24 was reached, the losses in expectation of lifetime during the following 5 years were small (from diagnosis, 45 days [95% CI, 35 to 54 days] and for patients who reached EFS24, 13 days [95% CI, 7 to 20 days]). In stage-stratified analyses of 5-year restricted loss in expectation of lifetime, patients with stages I to IIA disease had no noteworthy excess risk of death after they reached EFS24, whereas risk remained measurable for patients with stages IIB to IV cHL.

CONCLUSION

Real-world data on young patients with cHL from the Nordic countries show excellent outcomes. The outlook is particularly favorable for patients who reach EFS24, which supports limited relapse-oriented clinical follow-up.
Verticality and Vertigo: Spatial Effects in Tayeb Salih’sSeason of Migration to the North
Authors: Samatar Sofia
Published: February 2019

This essay examines spatial effects in Tayeb Salih’s novel Season of Migration to the North, drawing on the work of eleventh-century theorist Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani and two twentieth-century theorists, Joseph Frank and Julia Kristeva. Attending to formal patterns that create a sense of synchronicity, repetition, or rupture, the essay shows how such effects serve to disrupt the representation of linear time, introduce intertextuality by quotation or allusion, and situate the novel’s setting, a small Sudanese village, in a global network of power. This reading uncovers shared ground between al-Jurjani’s theory of nazm, or construction, Frank’s concept of spatial form, and Kristeva’s “spatialization” of the word in the practice of intertextual reading and demonstrates the centrality of spatial concerns to the novel’s critical commentary on the experience of modernity.
El caso Bohigas: Reacciones al secuestro infantil en el México de los años cuarenta
Authors: Sosenski Susana
Published: February 2019

Este artículo analiza el secuestro de Fernando Bohigas ocurrido en la ciudad de México en 1945. Este caso desató una serie de preocupaciones sobre la seguridad de los niños y sirvió a los medios de comunicación para difundir ideas xenofóbas, alentar al público mexicano a colaborar con la policía, reforzar las ideas tradicionales sobre la maternidad y producir nuevas ansiedades en torno al cuidado de los niños. Todo esto terminó restringiendo la posición social de niños y niñas en la dinámica urbana, su derecho a la autonomía y a la ciudad. En el contexto de acelerada urbanización de la ciudad de México, el peligro se materializó en un grupo heterogéneo de sujetos riesgosos: los robachicos, imposibles de identificar a simple vista, pero depositarios de una serie de estereotipos vinculados al peligro, la otredad y la extranjería.
There and back again: natal homing by magnetic navigation in sea turtles and salmon
Authors: Lohmann Kenneth J. , Lohmann Catherine M. F.
Published: February 2019

Diverse marine animals migrate across vast expanses of seemingly featureless ocean before returning as adults to reproduce in the area where they originated. How animals accomplish such feats of natal homing is an enduring mystery. Growing evidence suggests, however, that sea turtles and salmon imprint on the magnetic field of their home area when young and then use this information to return as adults. Both turtles and salmon have the sensory abilities needed to detect the unique ‘magnetic signature’ of a coastal area. Analyses have revealed that, for both groups of animals, subtle changes in the geomagnetic field of the home region are correlated with changes in natal homing behavior. In turtles, a relationship between population genetic structure and the magnetic fields that exist at nesting beaches has also been detected, consistent with the hypothesis that turtles recognize their natal areas on the basis of magnetic cues. Salmon likely use a biphasic navigational strategy in which magnetic cues guide fish through the open sea and into the proximity of the home river where chemical cues allow completion of the spawning migration. Similarly, turtles may also exploit local cues to help pinpoint nesting areas once they have arrived in the vicinity. Throughout most of the natal homing migration, however, magnetic navigation appears to be the primary mode of long-distance guidance in both sea turtles and salmon.
Celestial navigation inDrosophila
Authors: Warren Timothy L. , Giraldo Ysabel M. , Dickinson Michael H.
Published: February 2019

Many casual observers typecast Drosophila melanogaster as a stationary pest that lurks around fruit and wine. However, the omnipresent fruit fly, which thrives even in desert habitats, likely established and maintained its cosmopolitan status via migration over large spatial scales. To perform long-distance dispersal, flies must actively maintain a straight compass heading through the use of external orientation cues, such as those derived from the sky. In this Review, we address how D. melanogaster accomplishes long-distance navigation using celestial cues. We focus on behavioral and physiological studies indicating that fruit flies can navigate both to a pattern of linearly polarized light and to the position of the sun – the same cues utilized by more heralded insect navigators such as monarch butterflies and desert ants. In both cases, fruit flies perform menotaxis, selecting seemingly arbitrary headings that they then maintain over time. We discuss how the fly's nervous system detects and processes this sensory information to direct the steering maneuvers that underlie navigation. In particular, we highlight recent findings that compass neurons in the central complex, a set of midline neuropils, are essential for navigation. Taken together, these results suggest that fruit flies share an ancient, latent capacity for celestial navigation with other insects. Furthermore, they illustrate the potential of D. melanogaster to help us to elucidate both the cellular basis of navigation and mechanisms of directed dispersal on a landscape scale.
The navigational nose: a new hypothesis for the function of the human external pyramid
Authors: Jacobs Lucia F.
Published: February 2019

One of the outstanding questions in evolution is why Homo erectus became the first primate species to evolve the external pyramid, i.e. an external nose. The accepted hypothesis for this trait has been its role in respiration, to warm and humidify air as it is inspired. However, new studies testing the key assumptions of the conditioning hypothesis, such as the importance of turbulence to enhance heat and moisture exchange, have called this hypothesis into question. The human nose has two functions, however, respiration and olfaction. It is thus also possible that the external nose evolved in response to selection for olfaction. The genus Homo had many adaptations for long-distance locomotion, which allowed Homo erectus to greatly expand its species range, from Africa to Asia. Long-distance navigation in birds and other species is often accomplished by orientation to environmental odors. Such olfactory navigation, in turn, is enhanced by stereo olfaction, made possible by the separation of the olfactory sensors. By these principles, the human external nose could have evolved to separate olfactory inputs to enhance stereo olfaction. This could also explain why nose shape later became so variable: as humans became more sedentary in the Neolithic, a decreasing need for long-distance movements could have been replaced by selection for other olfactory functions, such as detecting disease, that would have been critical to survival in newly dense human settlements.
Non-Euclidean navigation
Authors: Warren William H.
Published: February 2019

A basic set of navigation strategies supports navigational tasks ranging from homing to novel detours and shortcuts. To perform these last two tasks, it is generally thought that humans, mammals and perhaps some insects possess Euclidean cognitive maps, constructed on the basis of input from the path integration system. In this article, I review the rationale and behavioral evidence for this metric cognitive map hypothesis, and find it unpersuasive: in practice, there is little evidence for truly novel shortcuts in animals, and human performance is highly unreliable and biased by environmental features. I develop the alternative hypothesis that spatial knowledge is better characterized as a labeled graph: a network of paths between places augmented with local metric information. What distinguishes such a cognitive graph from a metric cognitive map is that this local information is not embedded in a global coordinate system, so spatial knowledge is often geometrically inconsistent. Human path integration appears to be better suited to piecewise measurements of path lengths and turn angles than to building a consistent map. In a series of experiments in immersive virtual reality, we tested human navigation in non-Euclidean environments and found that shortcuts manifest large violations of the metric postulates. The results are contrary to the Euclidean map hypothesis and support the cognitive graph hypothesis. Apparently Euclidean behavior, such as taking novel detours and approximate shortcuts, can be explained by the adaptive use of non-Euclidean strategies.
The insect central complex and the neural basis of navigational strategies
Authors: Honkanen Anna , Adden Andrea , da Silva Freitas Josiane , Heinze Stanley
Published: February 2019

Oriented behaviour is present in almost all animals, indicating that it is an ancient feature that has emerged from animal brains hundreds of millions of years ago. Although many complex navigation strategies have been described, each strategy can be broken down into a series of elementary navigational decisions. In each moment in time, an animal has to compare its current heading with its desired direction and compensate for any mismatch by producing a steering response either to the right or to the left. Different from reflex-driven movements, target-directed navigation is not only initiated in response to sensory input, but also takes into account previous experience and motivational state. Once a series of elementary decisions are chained together to form one of many coherent navigation strategies, the animal can pursue a navigational target, e.g. a food source, a nest entrance or a constant flight direction during migrations. Insects show a great variety of complex navigation behaviours and, owing to their small brains, the pursuit of the neural circuits controlling navigation has made substantial progress over the last years. A brain region as ancient as insects themselves, called the central complex, has emerged as the likely navigation centre of the brain. Research across many species has shown that the central complex contains the circuitry that might comprise the neural substrate of elementary navigational decisions. Although this region is also involved in a wide range of other functions, we hypothesize in this Review that its role in mediating the animal's next move during target-directed behaviour is its ancestral function, around which other functions have been layered over the course of evolution.
The genetics and epigenetics of animal migration and orientation: birds, butterflies and beyond
Authors: Merlin Christine , Liedvogel Miriam
Published: February 2019

Migration is a complex behavioural adaptation for survival that has evolved across the animal kingdom from invertebrates to mammals. In some taxa, closely related migratory species, or even populations of the same species, exhibit different migratory phenotypes, including timing and orientation of migration. In these species, a significant proportion of the phenotypic variance in migratory traits is genetic. In others, the migratory phenotype and direction is triggered by seasonal changes in the environment, suggesting an epigenetic control of their migration. The genes and epigenetic changes underpinning migratory behaviour remain largely unknown. The revolution in (epi)genomics and functional genomic tools holds great promise to rapidly move the field of migration genetics forward. Here, we review our current understanding of the genetic and epigenetic architecture of migratory traits, focusing on two emerging models: the European blackcap and the North American monarch butterfly. We also outline a vision of how technical advances and integrative approaches could be employed to identify and functionally validate candidate genes and cis-regulatory elements on these and other migratory species across both small and broad phylogenetic scales to significantly advance the field of genetics of animal migration.
Echo-acoustic and optic flow interact in bats
Authors: Kugler Kathrin , Luksch Harald , Peremans Herbert , Vanderelst Dieter , Wiegrebe Lutz , Firzlaff Uwe
Published: February 2019

Echolocating bats are known to fly and forage in complete darkness using the echoes of their actively emitted calls to navigate and to detect prey. However, under dim light conditions many bats can also rely on vision. Many flying animals have been shown to navigate by optic flow information, and recently, bats were shown to exploit echo-acoustic flow to navigate through dark habitats. Here we show for the bat Phyllostomus discolor that in lighted habitats where self-motion induced optic flow is strong, optic and echo-acoustic flow interact in their efficiency to guide navigation. Echo-acoustic flow showed a surprisingly strong effect compared to optic flow. We thus demonstrate multimodal interaction between two far-ranging spatial senses, vision and echolocation, available in this combination almost exclusively for bats and toothed whales. Our results highlight the importance of merging information from different sensory systems in a sensory-specialist animal to successfully navigate and hunt under difficult conditions.
Magnetic body alignment in migratory songbirds: A computer vision approach
Authors: Bianco Giuseppe , Köhler Robin Clemens , Ilieva Mihaela , Åkesson Susanne
Published: February 2019

Several invertebrate and vertebrate species have been shown to align their body relative to the geomagnetic field. Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain the adaptive significance of magnetic body alignment outside the context of navigation. However, experimental evidence to investigate alternative hypotheses is still limited. We present a new setup to track the preferential body alignment relative to the geomagnetic field in captive animals using computer vision. We tested our method on three species of migratory songbirds and provide evidence that they align their body with the geomagnetic field. We suggest that this behaviour may be involved in the underlying mechanism for compass orientation and calibration, which may occur near to sunrise and sunset periods. Our method could be easily extended to other species and used to test a large set of hypotheses to explain the mechanisms behind the magnetic body alignment and the magnetic sense in general.
Effect of High-Intensity Exercise on Multiple Sclerosis Function and Phosphorous Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Outcomes
Authors: ORBAN ANNA , GARG BHARTI , SAMMI MANOJ K. , BOURDETTE DENNIS N. , ROONEY WILLIAM D. , KUEHL KERRY , SPAIN REBECCA I.
Published: February 2019

Purpose

We determined if a high-intensity aerobic exercise program would be safe, improve expected fitness and clinical outcomes, and alter exploratory phosphorous magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P MRS) outcomes in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS).

Methods

This open-label prospective pilot study compared two cohorts of ambulatory PwMS matched for age, sex and V˙O2max. Cohorts underwent 8 wk of high-intensity aerobic exercise (MS-Ex, n = 10) or guided stretching (MS-Ctr, n = 7). Aerobic exercise consisted of four 30-min sessions per week while maintaining ≥70% maximal HR. Changes in cardiorespiratory fitness, clinical outcomes, and 31P MRS of tibialis anterior (TA) muscle and brain were compared. Cross-sectional 31P MRS comparisons were made between all MS participants and a separate matched healthy control population.

Results

The MS-Ex cohort achieved target increases in V˙O2max (mean, +12.7%; P = <0.001, between-group improvement, P = 0.03). One participant was withdrawn for exercise-induced syncope. The MS-Ex cohort had within-group improvements in fat mass (−5.8%; P = 0.04), lean muscle mass (+2.6%; P = 0.02), Symbol Digit Modalities Test (+15.1%; P = 0.04), and cognitive subscore of the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (−26%; P = 0.03), whereas only the physical subscore of the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale improved in MS-Ctr (−16.1%; P = 0.007). 31P MRS revealed significant within-group increases in MS-Ex participants in TA rate constant of phosphocreatine (PCr) recovery (+31.5%; P = 0.03) and adenosine triphosphate/PCr (+3.2%; P = 0.01), and near significant between-group increases in TA PCr recovery rate constant (P = 0.05) but no significant changes in brain 31P MRS after exercise. Cross-sectional differences existed between MS and healthy control brain PCr/inorganic phosphate (4.61 ± 0.44, 3.93 ± 0.19; P = 0.0019).

Conclusions

High-intensity aerobic exercise in PwMS improved expected cardiorespiratory and clinical outcomes but provoked one serious adverse event. The 31P MRS may serve to explore underlying mechanisms by which aerobic exercise exerts cerebral benefits.
Association of polymorphisms in the CSN2, CSN3, LGB and LALBA genes with milk production traits in Holstein cows raised in Turkey
Authors: SOYUDAL B. , ARDICLI S. , SAMLI H. , DINCEL D. , BALCI F.
Published: February 2019

A polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) test was performed on DNA samples extracted from blood samples of 189 Holstein Friesian cows to detect genotypic distribution of polymorphic markers in the bovine beta-casein (CSN2), kappa-casein (CSN3), beta-lactoglobulin (LGB) and alfa-lactalbumin (LALBA) genes responsible for milk production traits. Statistical analysis was carried out using least square methods of the general linear model (GLM) procedure. CSN2 locus was significantly associated with the following traits: 305-day milk yield, days before peak milk production, fat percentage and protein yield. There was no significant effect of CSN3, LGB and LALBA markers on the traits analysed. These results suggested that CSN2 marker may be evaluated in selection programmes regarding not only milk content but also milk production.
Aflatoxin M1 occurrence in Serbian milk and its impact on legislative
Authors: Jajić I. , Glamočić D. , Krstović S. , Polovinski Horvatović M.
Published: February 2019

Serbia is a country which has repeatedly changed aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) legislation in milk. As a country that clearly has aspiration toward the EU membership, Serbia implemented the EU legislation for this mycotoxin at level of 0.050 μg/kg. However, due to high occurrence of AFM1 in milk, legislation has been changed several times in the past few years as an effort to preserve domestic milk production. This paper presents the results of four years monitoring of different milk types taken from Serbian market and from Serbian farmers. The samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography on ODS Hypersil column with fluorescence detector (FLD), after cleanup on immunoaffinity column. Limit of quantification was 0.005 μg/kg, while obtained mean value for trueness was 95.1%, respectively. Average AFM1 levels in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 were 0.205, 0.127, 0.238. and 0.269 μg/kg, respectively. Overall occurrence of AFM1 was 80.9%, with the average content of 0.216 μg/kg (ranged from 0.005 to 5.078 μg/kg). According to this, 49.1% of samples were above the EU regulation. In years to come, Serbia will have a challenge to produce the milk that is in compliance with the permitted level of AFM1. Especially, when it is known that in not so distant future, an increase in temperature as a result of the certain climate changes is expected.
Comparative effects of addition of superoxide dismutase and reduced glutathione on cryopreservation of Sahiwal bull semen
Authors: Murtaza A. , Ahmad M. , Zubair M. , Umar S. , Mushtaq A. , Gul A.H.S.T. , Khan A. U.
Published: February 2019

The present study aimed to investigate effects of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione (GSH) on the quality of frozen-thawed semen of Sahiwal bulls. Semen was collected twice a week for 8 weeks by artificial vagina from six Sahiwal bulls, kept at the Semen Production Unit Qadirabad, Sahiwal-Pakistan. After gross and microscopic evaluation, qualifying semen ejaculates were divided into 10 equal aliquots and diluted in extenders enriched with no antioxidants (control); or supplemented with either SOD (50, 100 and 200 IU/mL), or GSH (0.5, 1 and 2 mM) or their combinations (50 IU/mL SOD and 0.5 mM GSH, 100 IU/mL SOD and 1 mM GSH and 200 IU/mL SOD and 2 mM GSH). Samples were then frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen at -196°C for 24 h. The following parameters were evaluated for semen quality: post-thawed sperm motility, viability, acrosome and membrane integrity. According to the results, sperm motility, viability, acrosome and membrane integrity were significantly (P<0.05) higher in samples treated either with 100 IU/mL of SOD; 1 mM and 2 mM of GSH or 50 IU/mL of SOD plus 0.5 mM of GSH. In conclusion, semen quality might be improved by supplementing semen extenders with 100 IU/mL of SOD; 0.5 and 1 mM of GSH and combination of 50 IU/mL and 0.5 mM of SOD and GSH, respectively.
Prevalence and distribuion of staphylococcal enterotoxin genes among Staphylococcus aureus isolates from chicken and turkey carcasses in Algeria
Authors: Mebkhout F. , Mezali L. , Hamdi T. M. , Cantekin Z. , Ergun Y. , Ramdani-Bouguessa N. , Butaye P.
Published: February 2019

This study is aimed to determine the prevalence of staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) by biochemical tests in poultry carcasses. It is also intend to detect the distribution of genes for classical staphylococcal enterotoxins A, B, C, D and E (sea, seb, sec, sed and see) and for gene femA, specific for S.aureus species, using multiplex PCR. A total of 385 samples of neck skins from fresh poultry carcasses were collected during the period 2012-2013 from 16 different slaughterhouses located in the region of Algiers, Algeria. The overall prevalence of S.aureus in freshly slaughtered poultry carcasses was 41.56%, with an individual prevalence of 40.63% and 45.71% for chicken and turkey respectively. From the 95 strains of S.aureus identified by biochemical tests, 82 (86.32%) isolates were femA positive using multiplex PCR. The investigation has also revealed the presence of both enterotoxins B and D, with a predominance of seb (13.33%) followed by sed (1.67%), in the chicken carcasses while in turkey only sed was detected (4.55%) It has been found that strains of S.aureus of poultry origin can be enterotoxigenic with the predominance of genes encoding for enterotoxins seb in chicken and sed in turkey. As enterotoxins can be produced in adequate amounts to induce foodborne illnesses, these potential dangers must be considered in terms of a real risk to public health.
Thymoma associated exfoliative dermatitis in a rabbit with hepatic cirrhosis
Authors: Komnenou A. , Androulakis-Kess J. , Farmaki R. , Psalla D. , Psychas V.
Published: February 2019

A 6.5-year-old, male, non-castrated pet rabbit was presented with generalized exfoliative dermatitis, depression and anorexia. Skin laboratory examinations were negative for ectoparasites, bacteria and fungi whereas thoracic radiography revealed a large mediastinal mass. Complete blood and biochemical examinations did not show anything abnormal. Thymoma was suspected and therapeutic options were discussed but the owner declined. Supportive and symptomatic therapy was of no avail and severe deterioration of systemic symptoms necessitated euthanasia. Necropsy revealed a whitish-gray mass on the anterior and lower part of the mediastinum and pale voluminous liver. Histopathology confirmed the presence of thymoma and the hypothesis of thymoma-associated exfoliative dermatitis along with hepatic cirrhosis.
Epilithic diatom communities from areas of invasive Caulerpa species (Caulerpa taxifolia and Caulerpa cylindracea) in the Adriatic Sea, NE Mediterranean
Authors: CAR ANA , WITKOWSKI ANDRZEJ , JASPRICA NENAD , LJUBIMIR STIJEPO , ČALIĆ MARIJETA , DOBOSZ SŁAWOMIR , DUPČIĆ RADIĆ IRIS , HRUSTIĆ ENIS
Published: February 2019

Epilithic diatom community structures are compared among three locations of the eastern Adriatic Sea coast (Croatia), in the presence of two different invasive Caulerpa species, C. taxifolia and C. cylindracea, which have spread rapidly in the Mediterranean in the last decades. Forty samples were taken seasonally at three sites (island of Hvar, island of Mljet, and Dubrovnik) between November 2008 and October 2010. Light and electron microscopy examinations were used for qualitative analysis. Altogether 310 epilithic taxa belonging to 65 genera were identified. The highest number of these taxa belonged to Mastogloia (48) and Amphora (32), followed by Diploneis (24), Nitzschia (23), Navicula (22), and Cocconeis (19). A similar seasonal shift in growth form structure was observed for epilithic communities at the three sampling sites, where the number of erect group diatoms doubled (Hvar, Mljet) and tripled (Dubrovnik) in spring. Apart from erect forms, Dubrovnik and Mljet were characterised by adnate forms, while Hvar was characterised by tube-dwelling forms. The highest values of the Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index were recorded in autumn and ranged from 5.26 to 5.34. ANOSIM tests performed on species relative abundance data confirmed that the diatom communities differed significantly between the sampling sites, and that the differences were correlated with the presence of the two species of invasive macroalgae (Hvar – area of C. taxifolia; Mljet and Dubrovnik – areas of C. cylindracea). As revealed by SIMPER analyses, the group of taxa contributing the most to variance between diatom assemblages from sites of different invasive alga included Cocconeis scutellum var. scutellum, Rhopalodia pacifica, Navicula ramosissima, and Berkeleya rutilans. Although the spatial variation in communities may also reflect the effects of unmeasured environmental variables, the results suggest the possible influence of invasive seaweeds of the genus Caulerpa which may affect the habitat by competing with autochthonous algae. This study contributes to the knowledge of diatom diversity both at regional and at broader scales in these challenged environments.
Using spatial indicators to investigate fish spawning strategies from ichthyoplankton surveys: A case study on co-occurring pelagic species in the NE Aegean Sea
Authors: TSOUKALI STAVROULA , GIANNOULAKI MARIANNA , SIAPATIS APOSTOLOS , SCHISMENOU EUDOXIA , SOMARAKIS STYLIANOS
Published: February 2019

Multispecies ichthyoplankton associations are believed to be adaptive and their objective definition can be useful in designating species with similar or contrasting spawning strategies. In this case study, a suite of indicators, recently developed to characterize the spatial patterns of animal populations, are applied on egg abundance data of summer-spawning European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), round sardinella (Sardinella aurita) and chub mackerel (Scomber colias), in an effort to identify common or contrasting spawning patterns in the North-East Aegean Sea (NEA) and their relation to the major oceanographic features of the area. A considerable increase in abundance and area of presence was observed between the early (May) and advanced (July) phase of the 2010 spawning period. The definition of major spatial patches revealed a persistent multispecies spawning location associated with the outflow of Black Sea water (BSW). A second major patch was defined for anchovy and chub mackerel in July, clearly associated with the Samothraki gyre (SG). In contrast, round sardinella spawned in coastal waters outside the SG. Surprisingly, in May 2010, the spawning intensity of anchovy was very low in the SG which was attributed to unfavorable conditions caused by the bloom of mucilage-producing phytoplankton cells. The levels of aggregation and occupation of space seemed to be adequately described by the indices of Positive, Equivalent and Spreading Area. Conclusively, many of the spatial indicators applied in this study have the potential to become important tools for studying egg distributions and the changing priorities of adult fish in selecting spawning sites.
Coralligenous formations dominated by Eunicella cavolini (Koch, 1887) in the NE Mediterranean: biodiversity and structure
Authors: SINI MARIA , GARRABOU JOAQUIM , TRYGONIS VASILIS , KOUTSOUBAS DROSOS
Published: February 2019

Coralligenous formations are biogenic structures typical of the underwater Mediterranean seascape. Their intricate, multi-layered species assemblages are composed of perennial, long-lived organisms, particularly vulnerable to natural or human-induced disturbances. Despite their high ecological role and conservation value, few studies have addressed the assemblages outside the NW Mediterranean. This is the first quantitative assessment of coralligenous in the N Aegean Sea (NE Mediterranean), specifically focusing at the upper bathymetric limit of assemblages that are dominated by the yellow gorgonian Eunicella cavolini. The number and percent cover of macrobenthic species were studied at depths of 18 to 35 m, using a photoquadrat method. A total of 99 benthic taxa were identified, out of which 89 perennial ones were used to investigate spatial patterns in assemblage structure, composition, and biodiversity. A mean number of 47 perennial taxa were recorded per site, with encrusting coralline algae and sponges being the dominant groups in percent cover and species number, respectively. Across the studied localities, structural complexity and community composition were overall similar, but assemblages presented distinctive differences at the level of sites highlighting the role of local abiotic and anthropogenic factors in the shaping of the coralligenous. Compared to the rest of the Mediterranean, assemblages hosted a similar number of taxa. However, the number and percent cover of erect bryozoans were generally low, while, apart from E. cavolini, other erect anthozoan species were absent. This work provides an important baseline for comparisons and monitoring at a local or Mediterranean scale level.
Anti-Mullerian hormone levels in female cancer patients of reproductive age in Indonesia: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Harzif Achmad Kemal , Wiweko Budi , Addina Putri , Iswaranti Kartika , Silvia Melisa , Mariana Ana , Mutia Kresna , Sumapraja Kanadi , Muharam R , Pratama Gita
Published: February 2019

Background: Efforts in reproductive preservation for cancer patients have become one of the important aspects of cancer management. In fact, decline in reproductive function is known to occur after exposure to anti-cancer treatments. Measuring anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels is known to be the best parameter in predicting ovarian reserves, which indicates reproductive function. In total, 68% of cancer survivors of reproductive age who underwent anti-cancer treatments suffer from infertility. Meanwhile, ovarian reserves also decrease with increasing age. There is ongoing debate on whether the ovarian reserves of cancer patients could be reduced long before exposure to anti-cancer therapy. Therefore, it is important to know whether ovarian reserves in cancer patients decrease before or after anti-cancer therapy. This can help predict the reproductive function in such cases and the effectiveness of ovarian preservation efforts.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, comparing the AMH levels of 44 female cancer patients of reproductive age before cancer therapy, to 44 non-cancer patients of reproductive age (age matched). The biological ages from both groups were adjusted using the Indonesian Kalkulator of Oocytes.

Results: The median age in both groups was 28 years old. The AMH levels in the cancer group were found to be significantly lower in contrast to those in the non-cancer group (1.11 [0.08-4.65] ng/ml vs. 3.99 [1.19- 8.7]; p- value <0.001). Therefore, the biological age in the cancer group was 10 years older than that of the non-cancer group, indicating that ovarian aging occurs earlier in cancer patients.

Conclusions: AMH levels of cancer patients of reproductive age were already reduced before cancer therapy, given an older biological age, in contrast to that of the non-cancer patients. Proper counseling and implementation of fertility-preserving methods is highly recommended in this group of patients.
Sensory-specific predictive models in the human anterior insula
Authors: Sharvit Gil , Vuilleumier Patrik , Corradi-Dell'Acqua Corrado
Published: February 2019

Expectations affect the subjective experience of pain by increasing sensitivity to noxious events, an effect underlain by brain regions such as the insula. However, it has been debated whether these neural processes operate on pain-specific information or on more general signals encoding expectation of unpleasant events. To dissociate these possibilities, two independent studies (Sharvit et al., 2018, Pain; Fazeli and Büchel, 2018, J. Neurosci) implemented a cross-modal expectancy paradigm, testing whether responses to pain could also be modulated by the expectation of similarly unpleasant, but painless, events. Despite their differences, the two studies report remarkably convergent (and in some cases complementary) findings. First, the middle-anterior insula response to noxious stimuli is modulated only by expectancy of pain but not of painless adverse events, suggesting coding of pain-specific information. Second, sub-portions of the middle-anterior insula mediate different aspects of pain predictive coding, related to expectancy and prediction error. Third, complementary expectancy effects are also observed for other negative experiences (i.e., disgust), suggesting that the insular cortex holds prospective models of a wide range of events concerning their sensory-specific features. Taken together, these studies have strong theoretical implications on the functional properties of the insular cortex.
Understanding the impact of a collective leadership intervention on team working and safety culture in healthcare teams: a realist evaluation protocol
Authors: De Brun Aoife , Rogers Lisa , O'Shea Marie , McAuliffe Eilish
Published: February 2019

There is accumulating evidence for the value of collective and shared approaches to leadership across sectors and settings. However, relatively little research has explored collective leadership in healthcare and thus, there is little understanding of what works for healthcare teams, why, how and to what extent. This study describes the approach that will be adopted to the realist evaluation of a collective leadership intervention with four heterogenous healthcare teams in four different settings. A realist evaluation will be conducted. Realist evaluation is a theory-based approach to evaluation. It enables the use of mixed-methods to explore the research question of interest. Development of an initial programme theory (IPT) constitutes the first phase of the approach. This IPT will be informed by interviews with members of teams identified as working collectively, an examination of extant literature using realist synthesis, and will be refined through consultation with an expert panel. A multiple case study design will be adopted to explore the impact of the intervention, including quantitative scales on teamworking, leadership and safety culture, realist interviews with key informants and observations of teams during intervention sessions. Analysis of data will be guided by the IPT to refine the theory and context-mechanism-outcome configurations. Findings from the cases will be compared to identify patterns or demi-regularities and to explore if the intervention operates differently in different contexts. This analysis and synthesis of findings across the teams will inform the development of a middle range theory that will not only add to our understanding of how collective leadership influences teamwork and patient safety, but also provide guidance for future collective leadership interventions.  Favourable ethical opinion has been received from the University College Dublin Ethics Committee. Results will be disseminated via publication in peer-review journals, national and international conferences and to stakeholders/interest groups.
Using statistical shape modelling of DXA images to quantify the shape of the proximal femur at ages 14 and 18 years in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children
Authors: Frysz Monika , Gregory Jenny S. , Aspden Richard M. , Paternoster Lavinia , Tobias Jonathan H.
Published: February 2019

Hip shape is an important determinant of hip osteoarthritis and osteoporotic hip fracture; however, little is known about its development in childhood and adolescence. While previous studies largely focused on individual geometrical indices of hip geometry such as neck-shaft angle or femoral neck width, statistical shape modelling offers the means to quantify the entire contour of the proximal femur, including lesser trochanter and acetabular eyebrow. We describe the derivation of independent modes of variation (hip shape mode scores) to characterise variation in hip shape from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) images in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) offspring, using statistical shape modelling. ALSPAC is a rich source of phenotypic and genotypic data which provides a unique opportunity to investigate the environmental and genetic influences on hip shape in adolescence, as well as comparison with adult hip shape.
Ayurvedic medicine- Not always a safe bet
Authors: Paudyal Buddhi , Thapa Astha , Sigdel Keshav Raj , Adhikari Sudeep , Basnyat Buddha
Published: February 2019

Ayurvedic medicine, a traditional system of medicine practiced in the Indian subcontinent is considered to be devoid of adverse effects. We report three cases which highlight the possibility of adverse events with the use of ayurvedic products. A 35 years old woman with hepatitis took ayurvedic powders and had her liver injury worsen, possibly due to alkaloids, and developed nephrotic syndrome, possibly due to gold salt. A 57 years old hypertensive man was taking ayurvedic medicine containing reserpine which had long been withdrawn from the allopathic system of medicine due to wide range of side effects. A 47 years old woman with rheumatoid arthritis was taking an unknown tablet containing a steroid as an adulterant for 2 years and developed side effects typical of steroid excess. We like to highlight the fact that ayurvedic medicines do have propensity to cause adverse effects due to adulterations or inherent constituents like alkaloids, and hence are not completely safe.
Communication and Relations: Reason for Discussion
Authors: Гойхман Оскар , Goykhman Oskar
Published: February 2019

The article, which has a debatable orientation, considers one of the main problems of understanding of communicative science as a new field of scientific knowledge: the formation of its terminological apparatus. A comparison of scientific specialties-linguistics and communication studies. Given the interpretation of scholars about the relationship between linguistics and communication studies about the understanding of speech and communication acts. It is concluded that without a comprehensive systematization of methodological and methodical content it is impossible to understand and further develop the science of «Communication studies».
Connotation as a Communicative Lacuna
Authors: Кислицына Н. , Kislicyna N.
Published: February 2019

The anthropocentric character of connotation and its dependence on sociocultural factors cause the universal and specific characteristics of this phenomenon which, on the one hand, make the cross-cultural communication possible, and on the other hand, can create communicative noises. Such noises or «gaps» in the process of communication when the recipient is unable to participate adequately in the process of communication because he/she is unaware of connotative meaning of a language unit we define as a connotative lacuna. It is supposed that viewing connotation within the theory of lacunology as an element of meaning which is inherent to a certain language unit in a source language and is absent within the meaning structure of its translation equivalent in the target language, thus provoking a communicative dissonance, is significant for the theory of cross-cultural communication as well as for such disciplines as theory and practice of translation, comparative and contrastive linguistics. The study of connotation within a lacunology as a system of knowledge on national and cultural specifics of a linguistic society provides an opportunity to view it holistically as it is known that such fuzzy entities remain on the periphery of researchers` interest, representing a risky zone for scientific adventures.
Efficiency of Intercultural Communication in University Teaching
Authors: Колесникова Л. , Kolesnikova L.
Published: February 2019

Topical problems of the effectiveness of the intercultural communication interaction of the university teacher with the audience, rhetorical and axiological rules of behavior, problems of their observance and problems of teaching Russian speech etiquette, speech culture.
Assessment of the Level of Mastering by Students of Primary Grade of Cognitive Universal Educational Activities
Authors: Астрецова Н. , Astrecova N.
Published: February 2019

The article deals with the actual problem of organizing the process of assessing the degree of formation in primary schoolchildren of universal educational activities in the context of the implementation of the Federal State Educational Standard of Secondary General Secondary Education. The technology of estimation is presented, methods, forms and means are disclosed that allow to concretize and streamline the assessment procedure; include younger students in assessment activities; provide information that is necessary for the effective management of the education system.
A Hidden Markov Model to Detect On-Shelf Out-of-Stocks Using Point-of-Sale Data
Authors: Montoya Ricardo , Gonzalez Carlos
Published: February 2019

We propose a hidden Markov model (HMM) approach to identifying on-shelf out-of-stock (OOS) by detecting changes in sales patterns resulting from unobserved states of the shelf. We calibrate our model using point-of-sale (POS) data from a big-box retailer. We validate our approach using visual inspections that monitor the state of the shelf and compare them to the HMM’s predictions. We test the proposed approach on 14 products and 10 stores. We specify our model using a hierarchical Bayes approach and use a Monte Carlo–Markov chain methodology to estimate the model parameters. We identify three latent states in which one of them characterizes an OOS state. The results show that the proposed approach performs well in predicting out-of-stocks, combining high detection power (63.48%) and low false alerts (15.52%). Interestingly, the highest power of detection is obtained for medium-incidence products (77.42%), whereas the lowest false alarm rate is obtained for lower-incidence products (7.32%). Our HMM approach outperforms several benchmarks, particularly for lower-incidence products, which are not typically monitored using visual inspections. Using only POS data, our method uncovers useful information that provides actionable metrics that managers can use to evaluate the quality of demand forecasting and product replenishment at the store–product level.