bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interaction between task characteristics and technology affordances
Authors: Fu Jindi , Shang Rong-An , Jeyaraj Anand , Sun Yuan , Hu Feng
Published: October 2019

Purpose

Enterprise social media (ESM) usage has gained considerable momentum within organizations. The purpose of this paper is to seek a better understanding of ESM usage based on the task environments and the technology affordances of ESM.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on a survey consisting of 556 usable responses. Regression methods are applied to analyze the data.

Findings

This study finds strong support for the positive impact of task-technology fit on ESM usage. Considering separately, task equivocality had no impact; task interdependence had a negative effect on ESM usage; bridging social capital had a positive effect; and bonding social capital had a marginal impact on ESM usage.

Research limitations/implications

This research incorporated social capital into discussions of task-technology fit. A 2×2 matrix based on task equivocality and task interdependence was developed, which may be extended to other contexts or technologies.

Practical implications

ESM implementation should account for both task environments and the appropriate technology affordances. Individuals access bridging social capital to a greater extent than bonding social capital using ESM, and they do not use ESM when the task environments alone are considered.

Originality/value

This is an original study that considers task environments and technology affordances in the context of ESM usage. The findings offer valuable and timely contributions to both scholars and practitioners.
Analyzing person‐exposure patterns in lone‐actor terrorism
Authors: Clemmow Caitlin , Bouhana Noémie , Gill Paul
Published: October 2019

Research Summary

The lone‐actor terrorist population can be extremely heterogeneous and difficult to detect. Intelligence is vital to countering this threat. We devise a typology of person–exposure patterns (PEPs) that could serve as a framework for intelligence gathering and threat assessment. We use cluster analysis and a risk analysis framework (RAF) to identify relations among three components: propensity, situation, and network. The results of the analysis reveal four PEPs: solitary, susceptible, situational, and selection. The solitary PEP lacks common indicators of a propensity to pursue terrorist action. The susceptible PEP reveals cognitive susceptibility, manifesting as mental illness, to be a key factor in the emergence of a terrorist propensity. The situational PEP demonstrates how situational stressors may act as warnings of acceleration toward violent action. Lastly, the selection PEP demonstrates higher frequencies of leakage and antecedent violent behaviors.

Policy Implications

Our findings have two key policy implications. First, given the multifinality of terrorism risk indicators, we suggest a move toward a structured‐professional judgement approach to the risk analysis of lone‐actor terrorists. Second, we present the PEP typology as a framework for intelligence gathering. Existing frameworks are predominantly focused on mobilization indicators. We suggest expanding data collection to include propensity and situational indicators, as operationalized here, and using the PEP typology to inform decisions about the emergence of the motivation to commit an attack. To do so, it is necessary to pursue a multiagency approach to intelligence gathering.
Calcific tendinosis of rotator cuff with intraosseous extension
Authors: Jain Tarun Pankaj , Damiani Maurizio
Published: October 2019

Calcific tendinosis is characterized by macroscopic deposits of hydroxyapatite within the tendon. Commonest location is rotator cuff of shoulder. Cortical erosion with intraosseous migration of calcium deposits is rare complication of this condition. It may be confused with neoplasm or infection, resulting in unnecessary biopsies or interventions. The knowledge of this uncommon complication and its appearance should enable its detection by imaging and lead to specific treatment.
APIS: An auto‐adaptive parentage inference software that tolerates missing parents
Authors: Griot Ronan , Allal François , Brard‐Fudulea Sophie , Morvezen Romain , Haffray Pierrick , Phocas Florence , Vandeputte Marc
Published: October 2019

In the context of parentage assignment using genomic markers, key issues are genotyping errors and an absence of parent genotypes because of sampling, traceability or genotyping problems. Most likelihood‐based parentage assignment software programs require a priori estimates of genotyping errors and the proportion of missing parents to set up meaningful assignment decision rules. We present here the R package APIS, which can assign offspring to their parents without any prior information other than the offspring and parental genotypes, and a user‐defined, acceptable error rate among assigned offspring. Assignment decision rules use the distributions of average Mendelian transmission probabilities, which enable estimates of the proportion of offspring with missing parental genotypes. APIS has been compared to other software (CERVUS, VITASSIGN), on a real European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) single nucleotide polymorphism data set. The type I error rate (false positives) was lower with APIS than with other software, especially when parental genotypes were missing, but the true positive rate was also lower, except when the theoretical exclusion power reached 0.99999. In general, APIS provided assignments that satisfied the user‐set acceptable error rate of 1% or 5%, even when tested on simulated data with high genotyping error rates (1% or 3%) and up to 50% missing sires. Because it uses the observed distribution of Mendelian transmission probabilities, APIS is best suited to assigning parentage when numerous offspring (>200) are genotyped. We have demonstrated that APIS is an easy‐to‐use and reliable software for parentage assignment, even when up to 50% of sires are missing.
Cultivating Clients: Reputation, Responsiveness, and Ethnic Indifference in India's Slums
Authors: Michael Auerbach Adam , Thachil Tariq
Published: October 2019

Studies of clientelism overwhelmingly focus on how brokers target voters with top‐down benefits during elections. Yet brokers also receive requests from voters for assistance between elections, initiating the processes through which they cultivate clients. Why are brokers responsive to the requests of some voters and not others? We provide the first study of broker preferences when evaluating client appeals. Theories emphasizing brokers as vote monitors anticipate they will prefer co‐partisans and coethnics, whose reciprocity they can best verify. Theories emphasizing brokers as vote mobilizers anticipate they will prefer residents who will maximize their reputations for efficacy. We test these expectations through a conjoint experiment with 629 Indian slum leaders, ethnographic fieldwork, and a survey of 2,199 slum residents. We find evidence of reputational considerations shaping broker responsiveness. We find mixed support for monitoring concerns, highlighted by an absence of the strong ethnic favoritism assumed to dominate distributive politics in many developing countries.
JTE‐013 supplementation improves erectile dysfunction in rats with streptozotocin‐induced type Ⅰ diabetes through the inhibition of the rho‐kinase pathway, fibrosis, and apoptosis
Authors: Liu K. , Cui K. , Feng H. , Li R. , Lin H. , Chen Y. , Zhang Y. , Chen Z. , Yuan H. , Li M. , Wang T. , Lan R. , Liu J. , Rao K. , Wen B.
Published: October 2019

Background

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common complication in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) that severely affects the patients' quality of life. However, the effectiveness of oral phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors in these patients is poor. Sphingosine‐1‐phosphate (S1P) and S1P receptor 2 (S1PR2) are important factors regulating the Rho‑kinase pathway, and understanding these factors may provide ideas for new therapeutic strategies for ED.

Objectives

To investigate whether the S1PR2 receptor antagonist JTE‐013 could improve DM‐induced ED (DMED) in rats and to explore the potential mechanisms.

Materials and methods

We used 50 male Sprague Dawley rats (8 weeks old) for this experiment. Type Ⅰ DM was induced in forty‐two rats via streptozotocin administration; the rest of the rats served as controls. Eight weeks after DM induction, rats with ED were selected via an apomorphine test. Eight of them were injected intraperitoneally with JTE‐013 each day for 4 weeks. The rest were fed under the same conditions for 4 weeks. Erectile function was measured by cavernous nerve electrostimulation. The expression levels of related signaling pathways were evaluated using Western blotting, real‐time PCR, and immunohistochemistry.

Results

Erectile function was significantly impaired in the DMED group compared with the control group and was partially improved in the DMED + JTE‐013 group. The expression of S1PR2 and the activity of the RhoA/ROCK/phospho‐myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (p‐MYPT1) pathway proteins were higher in the DMED group than in the other two groups, and JTE‐013 treatment significantly reduced the expression/activity of these proteins. Furthermore, the DMED group showed severe corporal fibrosis, a higher apoptotic index and increased activity in the TGF‐β1/LIMK2/Cofilin pathway compared with the control group. JTE‐013 supplementation significantly ameliorated these pathological changes.

Discussion and conclusion

JTE‐013 supplementation partially improved erectile function in rats with DMED, likely by inhibiting smooth muscle contraction, corporal fibrosis, and apoptosis.
Importance of lead aVR on predicting adverse cardiac events in patients with noncompaction cardiomyopathy
Authors: Ekizler Firdevs Aysenur , Cay Serkan , Ulvan Nedret , Tekin Tak Bahar , Cetin Elif Hande Ozcan , Kafes Habibe , Ozeke Ozcan , Ozcan Firat , Topaloglu Serkan , Tufekcioglu Omac , Aras Dursun
Published: October 2019

Background

Noncompaction cardiomyopathy (NCCM) is a relatively rare cardiac abnormality with high rates of mortality and morbidity. T‐wave amplitudes during ventricular repolarization in lead aVR (TaVR) have been reported to be associated with the prognosis of various cardiovascular diseases. This study sought to investigate the prevalence and prognostic role of positive TaVR in patients with NCCM.

Methods

We evaluated consecutive 161 patients with NCCM (65.8% men, mean age 42.5 ± 15.2 years old). Presentation electrocardiogram was assessed regarding classical parameters as well as T‐wave amplitudes in lead aVR. The primary endpoint was defined as composite lethal arrhythmic events, including sudden cardiac death, ventricular fibrillation, or sustained ventricular tachycardia or appropriate implantable cardioverter–defibrillator shock. Heart failure requiring hospitalization, cardiovascular death, and all‐cause mortality were also investigated as secondary endpoints.

Results

Patients with positive TaVR showed higher rates for arrhythmic events, hospitalization for heart failure, and death compared with patients without it. In multivariate Cox model, after adjusting for other known clinical and electrocardiographic risk factors, the positive TaVR was found to be a strong independent predictor of primary endpoint (HR: 4.8, 95% CI: 1.2–19.3; p = .025) and all‐cause death (HR: 3.5, 95% CI: 1.0–12.1; p = .045).

Conclusion

Our findings revealed that positive TaVR is significantly and independently associated with adverse outcomes in NCCM patients. This unique ECG criterion in the often ignored lead provides incremental information beyond what is available with other traditional risk factors.
Conservation and restoration of Nardus grasslands in the Swiss northern Alps
Authors: Kurtogullari Yasemin , Rieder Nora Simone , Arlettaz Raphaël , Humbert Jean‐Yves
Published: October 2019

Aim: Species‐rich Nardus grasslands are high nature‐value habitats. In Switzerland, many of these grasslands are degraded even though they have been under protection since the 1980s. Degradation shows two divergent trends: Nardus grasslands are either dominated by Nardus stricta or by eutrophic plants, both trends leading to the disappearance of typical Nardus grassland species. With this study, we aim to identify the factors that could be adjusted to conserve the integrity of this habitat.

Location: Bernese Alps, Switzerland.

Methods: In 2016, we investigated the underlying causes of this degradation process by assessing vegetation composition in 48 Nardus grasslands located in the Swiss northern Alps of canton Bern and linking it to soil, management and environmental variables. To explore the effect of the degradation on higher trophic levels, orthopteran species richness and densities were assessed.

Results: Results show that Nardus meadows (mown) are rarely degraded compared to Nardus pastures (grazed). Within pastures, eutrophic plants are most abundant on small pastures with low soil carbon/nitrogen ratio, indicating high nutrient availability. Nardus stricta dominance is most problematic on north‐exposed slopes and in summer pastures. A plausible driver of both degradation trends is the grazing management regime: within small pastures at low elevation where the grazing periods are short but intense, soil carbon/nitrogen ratio is low because of high dung deposition, thus the eutrophic species become dominant. Contrastingly, on large summer pastures with low‐intensity and long‐term grazing, N. stricta becomes dominant due to selective grazing. Both degradation trends show a negative impact on the orthopteran density.

Conclusion: Species‐rich Nardus grasslands are a precious alpine habitat for specialised plant species and orthopterans. With an extensive mowing regime or a more controlled grazing regime that homogenises intensity in time and space, species‐rich Nardus grasslands can be conserved in Switzerland.
Optimal teicoplanin loading regimen to rapidly achieve target trough plasma concentration in critically ill patients
Authors: Li Hao , Gao Lan , Zhou Linjing , Wang Yang , Li Qi , Wang Jin , Chen Tianjun , Zhang Yongjian , Wang Taotao , Shi Qindong
Published: October 2019

Teicoplanin is used for the treatment of Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection. It has been demonstrated that conventional loading regimen was insufficient for teicoplanin to achieve target trough plasma concentration (Cmin > 10 mg/L). Therefore, a Chinese expert group recommended an optimal loading dose regimen of teicoplanin to treat severe Gram‐positive infection. However, there was no report about the teicoplanin concentration, and the safety and efficacy of teicoplanin therapy in Chinese patients since the consensus was published. The objective of this study was to compare the teicoplanin Cmin and clinical response in critically ill Chinese patients after the administration of conventional or optimal loading regimen, and to reveal the potential factors that may affect teicoplanin Cmin in addition to loading regimen. Fifty‐five patients were retrospectively divided into two groups based on teicoplanin loading regimen: (a) CD group (conventional loading dose group, n = 18, loading dose was 400 mg); (b) OD group (optimal loading dose group, n = 37, loading dose was 800 mg). Initially, three loading doses were administered every 12 hours, while the fourth loading dose was injected 24 hours after the third dose. The maintenance dose was 400 mg (CD group) or 800 mg (OD group), respectively. The mean teicoplanin Cmin on day 2 and day 4 in the OD group was significantly higher than those in the CD group, which were 14.75 ± 5.93 mg/L vs 8.26 ± 4.87 mg/L (P < .001) and 14.90 ± 5.20 mg/L vs 9.13 ± 4.75 mg/L (P = .019), respectively. The percentages of patients in the OD group achieving the target teicoplanin Cmin on day 2 and day 4 were also significantly higher than those in the CD group, which were 83.7% vs 33.3% (P < .001) and 82.4% vs 28.6% (P = .0013), respectively. Furthermore, multivariate linear regression analysis showed that body‐weight exerted significant effect on teicoplanin Cmin in the OD group. The percentage of favourable clinical response in the OD group was significantly higher than that in the CD group (83.8% vs 55.6%, P = .025). There was no difference between teicoplanin adverse effects in the two groups. The study demonstrated that the optimal loading dose regimen of teicoplanin can rapidly reach target Cmin, and result in a good clinical efficacy and low adverse effect in critically ill Chinese patients.
Retroviral sero‐reactivity in LGL leukaemia patients and family members
Authors: Nyland Susan B. , Feith David J. , Poss Mary , Olson Thomas L. , Krissinger Daniel J. , Poiesz Bernard J. , Ruscetti Francis W. , Loughran Thomas P.
Published: October 2019

T‐cell large granular lymphocyte (T‐LGL) leukaemia is characterized by a clonal proliferation of cytotoxic T cells and is frequently associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Sera from some LGL leukaemia patients react to a portion of the human T‐cell leukaemia virus (HTLV‐1/2) transmembrane envelope protein, BA21, although HTLV‐1/2 infection is rare in LGL leukaemia patients. Here we show that family members, including spouses, of an LGL leukaemia patient had elevated LGL counts, BA21 reactivity and, additionally, recognition of HIV‐1 gp41. Thus, both LGL leukaemia patients and clinically normal contacts sharing the same environment have evidence of exposure to a retrovirus.
Communicative roots of complex sociality and cognition
Authors: Roberts Anna I. , Roberts Sam G. B.
Published: October 2019

Mammals living in more complex social groups typically have large brains for their body size and many researchers have proposed that the primary driver of the increase in brain size through primate and hominin evolution was the selection pressures associated with sociality. Many mammals, and especially primates, use flexible signals that show a high degree of voluntary control and these signals may play an important role in forming and maintaining social relationships between group members. However, the specific role that cognitive skills play in this complex communication, and how in turn this relates to sociality, is still unclear. The hypothesis for the communicative roots of complex sociality and cognition posits that cognitive demands behind the communication needed to form and maintain bonded social relationships in complex social settings drives the link between brain size and sociality. We review the evidence in support of this hypothesis and why key features of cognitively complex communication such as intentionality and referentiality should be more effective in forming and maintaining bonded relationships as compared with less cognitively complex communication. Exploring the link between cognition, communication and sociality provides insights into how increasing flexibility in communication can facilitate the emergence of social systems characterised by bonded social relationships, such as those found in non‐human primates and humans. To move the field forward and carry out both within‐ and among‐species comparisons, we advocate the use of social network analysis, which provides a novel way to describe and compare social structure. Using this approach can lead to a new, systematic way of examining social and communicative complexity across species, something that is lacking in current comparative studies of social structure.
Phase II study of nab‐paclitaxel + carboplatin for patients with non‐small‐cell lung cancer and interstitial lung disease
Authors: Kenmotsu Hirotsugu , Yoh Kiyotaka , Mori Keita , Ono Akira , Baba Tomohisa , Fujiwara Yutaka , Yamaguchi Ou , Ko Ryo , Okamoto Hiroaki , Yamamoto Nobuyuki , Ninomiya Takashi , Ogura Takashi , Kato Terufumi
Published: October 2019

The prognosis of non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) is poor, and 5%‐20% of those receiving chemotherapy experience ILD exacerbation. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of nab‐paclitaxel plus carboplatin for NSCLC patients with ILD, we undertook a multicenter phase II study. Chemotherapy‐naïve patients with advanced NSCLC and mild or moderate ILD received nab‐paclitaxel (100 mg/m2, days 1, 8, and 15) plus carboplatin (area under the curve = 6, day 1) every 3 weeks for 4 cycles (maximum, 6 cycles). Interstitial lung diseases were diagnosed based on criteria for fibrosing interstitial pneumonia. The primary endpoint was the prevalence of exacerbation‐free ILD 28 days after completion of protocol treatment. Secondary endpoints were response rate, progression‐free survival, overall survival, prevalence of exacerbation‐free ILD, and toxicity. Ninety‐four patients were enrolled, and 92 patients received any protocol treatment. Median age was 70 years, and 58% had nonsquamous histology. In the primary analysis, the prevalence of exacerbation‐free ILD 28 days after protocol treatment was 95.7% (88/92; 90% confidence interval, 90.3‐98.5), which met the primary endpoint. Response rate was 51% (95% confidence interval, 40%‐62%). At the time of data cut‐off, median progression‐free survival was 6.2 months, and median overall survival was 15.4 months. The most common grade 3/4 adverse events were neutropenia (75%), leukopenia (53%), anemia (48%), and thrombocytopenia (20%). Two treatment‐related deaths (1 each of pulmonary infection and ILD exacerbation) were observed. This study showed that a combination of nab‐paclitaxel with carboplatin was tolerable in NSCLC patients with mild or moderate ILD in terms of safety. This study is registered at the University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) Clinical Trial Registry (UMIN 000012989).
What Can We Learn About Aggression From What Adolescents Consider Important in Life? The Contribution of Values Theory to Aggression Research
Authors: Benish‐Weisman Maya
Published: October 2019

Values are abstract goals that serve as guiding principles in people’s lives. Schwartz’s theory (1992) offers a comprehensive framework to understand what motivates human behavior. It classifies people’s broad motivations into a system of values organized in a circumplex structure. In this article, I explain how recent findings from studies of values can add to our knowledge of what motivates adolescents to behave aggressively. For example, during adolescence, values emphasizing caring for others and maintaining social norms relate negatively to aggression, whereas values promoting self‐focus and pursuing new experiences and stimulation relate to aggressive acts. I also discuss the potentially protective role of some values, the mechanisms mediating the relations between values and aggression, and the relations between values and aggression over time. Finally, I suggest new directions for research and discuss the importance of including values in interventions to prevent aggression.
Casual analysis and short‐sighted inferences: A response to Majgaonkar et al. 2019
Authors: Shrotriya Shivam , Chatterjee Nilanjan , Habib Bilal
Published: October 2019

The increased interface of humans and large carnivores in human‐modified landscapes requires mechanisms to reduce conflict and allow co‐existence. The recent article by Majgaonkar et al. examining land‐sharing potential of the Western Ghats overlooks some important points in their analyses and inferences. Poorly designed occupancy survey with improper replicates has produced results that can have a misguided bearing on large‐carnivore conservation and management in the region. Inaccurate results do not help in prioritization of conservation areas and sketchy conclusions create a perception that carnivore conservation is possible without addressing the pressing issues of development and land‐use modifications. We urge future studies to rigorously evaluate their methodologies and ensure better practices for science‐based conservation.
Childhood obesity and leucocyte telomere length
Authors: Lamprokostopoulou Agaristi , Moschonis George , Manios Yannis , Critselis Elena , Nicolaides Nicolas C. , Stefa Alketa , Koniari Eleni , Gagos Sarantis , Charmandari Evangelia
Published: October 2019

Background

Obesity in adulthood is associated with decreased leucocyte telomere length (LTL), which is associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus type 2. The aim of our study was to investigate whether increased body mass index (BMI) is associated with decreased LTL in children and adolescents, and to identify other risk factors of shorter LTL in this population.

Materials and methods

A cross‐sectional study was conducted among 919 Greek children aged 9‐13 years (The Healthy Growth Study). Participants were classified as obese (n = 124), overweight (n = 276) or of normal BMI (n = 519). LTL was determined by monochrome multiplex quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Univariate and multivariable linear regression analyses were applied to determine the predictive factors of LTL.

Results

Both overweight and obese children had significantly shorter LTL than their normal‐BMI counterparts. Following adjustment for age, sex, total daily energy intake and average weekly physical activity (average total steps per day), increasing weight category was inversely associated with LTL in children and adolescents (β: −0.110 ± 0.035; P = .002).

Conclusion

Overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence are associated with shorter LTL, even following adjustment for potential confounding effects. Therefore, the increased BMI in childhood and adolescence may be associated with accelerated biological ageing and may have an adverse impact on future health in adulthood.
The Invariance Paradox: Using Optimal Test Design to Minimize Bias
Authors: Jones Andrew T. , Kopp Jason P. , Ong Thai Q.
Published: October 2019

Studies investigating invariance have often been limited to measurement or prediction invariance. Selection invariance, wherein the use of test scores for classification results in equivalent classification accuracy between groups, has received comparatively little attention in the psychometric literature. Previous research suggests that some form of selection bias (lack of selection invariance) will exist in most testing contexts, where classification decisions are made, even when meeting the conditions of measurement invariance. We define this conflict between measurement and selection invariance as the invariance paradox. Previous research has found test reliability to be an important factor in minimizing selection bias. This study demonstrates that the location of maximum test information may be a more important factor than overall test reliability in minimizing decision errors between groups.
Genetic and functional diversity of the multiple lungfish myoglobins
Authors: Lüdemann Julia , Fago Angela , Falke Sven , Wisniewsky Michelle , Schneider Igor , Fabrizius Andrej , Burmester Thorsten
Published: October 2019

It is known that the West African lungfish (Protopterus annectens) harbours multiple myoglobin (Mb) genes that are differentially expressed in various tissues and that the Mbs differ in their abilities to confer tolerance towards hypoxia. Here, we show that other lungfish species (Protopterus dolloi, Protopterus aethiopicus and Lepidosiren paradoxa) display a similar diversity of Mb genes and have orthologous Mb genes. To investigate the functional diversification of these genes, we studied the structures, O2 binding properties and nitrite reductase enzymatic activities of recombinantly expressed P. annectens Mbs (PanMbs). CD spectroscopy and small‐angle X‐ray scattering revealed the typical globin‐fold in all investigated recombinant Mbs, indicating a conserved structure. The highest O2 affinity was measured for PanMb2 (P50 = 0.88 Torr at 20 °C), which is mainly expressed in the brain, whereas the muscle‐specific PanMb1 has the lowest O2 affinity (P50 = 3.78 Torr at 20 °C), suggesting that tissue‐specific O2 requirements have resulted in the emergence of distinct Mb types. Two of the mainly neuronally expressed Mbs (PanMb3 and PanMb4b) have the highest nitrite reductase rates. These data show different O2 binding and enzymatic properties of lungfish Mbs, reflecting multiple subfunctionalisation and neofunctionalisation events that occurred early in the evolution of lungfish. Some Mbs may have also taken over the functions of neuroglobin and cytoglobin, which are widely expressed in vertebrates but appear to be missing in lungfish.
Assessing the relative importance of temperature, discharge, and day length on the reproduction of an anadromous fish (Alosa alosa)
Authors: Paumier Alexis , Drouineau Hilaire , Boutry Sebastien , Sillero Neftalí , Lambert Patrick
Published: October 2019

Climate change threatens anadromous fishes such as the allis shad (Alosa alosa) populations of which have declined since the 20th century in Europe. Sensitivity to climate change could be quantified by determining the fish’s spawning behaviour, defined as the timing of reproduction (i.e. spawning events) as a function of temporally variable environmental factors. The cues that fish use to time reproduction could determine their response to climate change.

A machine learning technique (boosted regression tree) was calibrated using a 14‐year dataset composed of daily measures of environmental factors and fish occurrences during reproduction. The boosted regression tree provides complete insight into the complex relationship between the spawning probability, i.e. the probability for a fish to reproduce, and environmental factors that might evolve with climate change.

The spawning probability was positively related to day length (44.6%) and water temperature (34.7%) and negatively related to river discharge (20.7%). Optimal reproductive conditions corresponded to a difference in day length between 0 and 0.04 hr, a water temperature between 15 and 26°C and a river discharge between 55 and 665 m3/s; these conditions are currently being utilised by allis shad populations in the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, France.

This study highlights the relative influence of environmental factors on the observed spawning period as well as the evolution of habitat suitability during the 14‐year period. The novelty of this study stems from assessing population process data, i.e. the occurrence of fish reproduction, rather than mere occurrence data in an ecological niche model study. Climate change may lead to a shift in spawning phenology, as the water temperature and river discharge will also change. Therefore, conservation plans need to integrate these effects on spawning grounds.
The cost and benefit of quorum sensing‐controlled bacteriocin production in Lactobacillus plantarum
Authors: Maldonado‐Barragán Antonio , West Stuart A.
Published: October 2019

Bacteria eliminate competitors via ‘chemical warfare’ with bacteriocins. Some species appear to adjust bacteriocin production conditionally in response to the social environment. We tested whether variation in the cost and benefit of producing bacteriocins could explain such conditional behaviour, in the bacteria Lactobacillus plantarum. We found that: (a) bacterial bacteriocin production could be upregulated by either the addition of a synthetic autoinducer peptide (PLNC8IF; signalling molecule), or by a plasmid which constitutively encodes for the production of this peptide; (b) bacteriocin production is costly, leading to reduced growth when grown in poor and, to a lesser extent, in rich media; (c) bacteriocin production provides a fitness advantage, when grown in competition with sensitive strains; and (d) the fitness benefits provided by bacteriocin production are greater at higher cell densities. These results show how the costs and benefits of upregulating bacteriocin production can depend upon abiotic and biotic conditions.
Risk factors of de novo hepatitis B virus infection in pediatric hepatitis B core antibody positive liver graft recipients under prophylactic therapy
Authors: Dong Chong , Song Zhuolun , Chen Jing , Ma Nan , Meng Xingchu , Sun Chao , Duan Keran , Bi Bowen , Wang Kai , Qin Hong , Han Chao , Yang Yang , Zhang Fubo , Zheng Weiping , Gao Wei
Published: October 2019

Background and Aim

We aim to investigate the risk factors of de novo hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in pediatric liver transplantation recipients receiving hepatitis B core antibody positive grafts and to evaluate the efficacy of our prophylactic strategies.

Methods

One hundred thirty‐nine pediatric recipients receiving hepatitis B core antibody positive grafts operated from September 2016 to September 2018 were retrospectively enrolled, and all the patients received prophylactic treatment to prevent de novo HBV infection. Donor and recipient features, operative information along with graft, and recipient outcomes were compared between recipients with or without de novo HBV infection. Univariate and multivariate analyses were applied to identify the risk factors of de novo HBV infection.

Results

The mean follow‐up time was 23.5 ± 15.7 months, and the overall incidence of de novo HBV infection was 3.6%. Recipients with de novo HBV infection showed equal graft and recipient outcome compared with the recipients without de novo HBV infection during the follow‐up time. Recipient preoperative hepatitis B surface antibody titer of < 1000 IU/L (odds ratio [OR] = 9.652, P = 0.024), graft HBV DNA of > 1000 copies (OR = 9.050, P = 0.032), and intraoperative fresh‐frozen plasma transfusion of > 400 mL (OR = 10.462, P = 0.023) were identified as independent risk factors for de novo HBV infection.

Conclusion

Hepatitis B core antibody positive grafts can safely be used in pediatric liver transplantation under rational prophylactic therapy.
Real‐world experience of 12‐week direct‐acting antiviral regimen of glecaprevir and pibrentasvir in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection
Authors: Toyoda Hidenori , Atsukawa Masanori , Watanabe Tsunamasa , Nakamuta Makoto , Uojima Haruki , Nozaki Akito , Takaguchi Koichi , Fujioka Shinichi , Iio Etsuko , Shima Toshihide , Akahane Takehiro , Fukunishi Shinya , Asano Toru , Michitaka Kojiro , Tsuji Kunihiko , Abe Hiroshi , Mikami Shigeru , Okubo Hironao , Okubo Tomomi , Shimada Noritomo , Ishikawa Toru , Moriya Akio , Tani Joji , Morishita Asahiro , Ogawa Chikara , Tachi Yoshihiko , Ikeda Hiroki , Yamashita Naoki , Yasuda Satoshi , Chuma Makoto , Tsutsui Akemi , Hiraoka Atsushi , Ikegami Tadashi , Genda Takuya , Tsubota Akihito , Masaki Tsutomu , Tanaka Yasuhito , Iwakiri Katsuhiko , Kumada Takashi
Published: October 2019

Background

In clinical trials, a pangenotype direct‐acting antiviral (DAA) regimen consisting of glecaprevir (GLE) and pibrentasvir (PIB) exhibited high virologic efficacy and tolerability in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This study sought to confirm these findings in real‐world settings, focusing on patients with cirrhosis, history of DAA failure, or HCV genotype 3 who were treated with a 12‐week regimen in a large multicenter study from Japan.

Methods

In a nationwide multicenter prospective cohort study, we analyzed background characteristics, tolerability, and treatment outcome of patients who underwent a 12‐week GLE/PIB regimen.

Results

Of 1190 patients, 509 (42.8%) underwent the 12‐week regimen, and the remaining patients underwent an 8‐week regimen. The rate of sustained virologic response (SVR) of patients treated with the 12‐week regimen was 99.0%, comparable with that of patients treated with the 8‐week regimen. The adverse events were observed in 29.1% of patients. The main adverse event was pruritus, which was observed in 14.7%. Ten patients (2.0%) discontinued therapy during treatment period.

Conclusion

The 12‐week GLE/PIB regimen was well‐tolerated with high virologic efficacy in patients with cirrhosis, experience of DAA, or HCV genotype 3; tolerability and SVR rate were comparable with those of DAA‐naïve, non‐cirrhotic, non‐genotype 3 patients who underwent 8‐week regimen.
Recurrence of post‐partum hemorrhage in women with a history of uterine artery embolization
Authors: Imafuku Hitomi , Yamada Hideto , Morizane Mayumi , Tanimura Kenji
Published: October 2019

Aim

To evaluate pregnancy outcome and complications in subsequent pregnancies after severe post‐partum hemorrhage (PPH) between women with and without a history of uterine artery embolization (UAE).

Methods

Women who had a history of severe PPH, and delivered newborns at ≥22 gestational weeks in subsequent pregnancies were enrolled. Severe PPH was defined as blood loss volume of more than 2000 mL.

Results

The blood loss volume (median 1581 mL) in women with UAE (n = 14) was significantly more than that in women without UAE (median 1021 mL, n = 32, P < 0.01), and the recurrence rate of severe PPH in women with UAE (n = 5, 35.7%) was significantly higher than that in women without UAE (n = 3, 9.4%, P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in frequencies of premature delivery, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, fetal growth restriction, or placenta previa/low lying placenta. Of 14 women with UAE, 7 (50.0%) had abnormally invasive placenta, whereas of 32 women without UAE, none had abnormally invasive placenta.

Conclusion

Subsequent pregnancies after UAE for severe PPH had high risks for recurrence of severe PPH.
Arteriovenous uterine malformation developed from an interstitial pregnancy on residual tubal stump: A critical managment in a fertile woman
Authors: Parisi Silvia , Garofalo Anna , Alemanno Maria Grazia , Chiado Fiorio Tin Michela , Petruzzelli Paolo , Viora Elsa
Published: October 2019

Uterine arteriovenous malformations are rare conditions with diverse clinical presentation that range from asymptomatic patients to different degrees of menorrhagia, commonly associated with previous pregnancy or uterine trauma. This case report describes a 36‐year‐old woman who presented with ultrasound diagnosis of interstitial pregnancy on residual right tube stump 4 months after a laparoscopic salpingectomy for extrauterine pregnancy. She started treatment with methotrexate; afterwards serum human chorionic gonadotropin levels and ultrasound follow‐ups were scheduled. While serum human chorionic gonadotropin levels were progressively reducing, transvaginal ultrasound follow‐ups showed a persistent anechoic mass on right rube stump, with increased peripheral high flow vascularity: highly suspicious for a uterine arteriovenous malformation. A laparoscopy was performed with a tumorectomy of the mass. The histopathological exam of the specimen confirmed uterine arteriovenous malformation. Patient successfully became pregnant 2 years later, with an eventless pregnancy and a vaginal delivery without complications.
Turbinaria ornata (Phaeophyceae) varies size and strength to maintain environmental safety factor across flow regimes
Authors: Sirison Nannaphat , Burnett Nicholas P.
Published: October 2019

Water motion in coastal areas can produce hydrodynamic forces that damage or dislodge benthic macroalgae if the tissues of macroalgae are not sufficiently strong. Some macroalgae vary their morphology and strength in response to ambient water motion, but little is known of how morphology and strength of macroalgae change relative to one another across flow regimes. Here, we use Turbinaria ornata, an ecologically important macroalga, to study how both the morphology and strength of macroalgae vary with ambient water motion. Typically, T. ornata exhibits weakening of its stipe when sexually mature, leading to breakage from the substratum and dispersal, which is beneficial for reproduction. Across three flow regimes, adult T. ornata increased its size but decreased its strength as water motion decreased. However, the strength of T. ornata relative to the maximum hydrodynamic forces it is expected to encounter (the environmental safety factor) did not differ between flow regimes. Our results showed that T. ornata can conform to its local flow habitat by varying both size and strength, similar to other macroalgae. Varying multiple traits between flow regimes suggested that T. ornata is capable of surviving a wide range of flow conditions, which may permit more control over the timing of its weakening, breakage from the substratum, and dispersal, even with future increases in flow velocities (e.g., large waves from storms) that are expected to occur frequently with climate change.
Specificity of cobamide remodeling, uptake and utilization in Vibrio cholerae
Authors: Ma Amy T. , Tyrell Breanna , Beld Joris
Published: October 2019

Cobamides are a group of compounds including vitamin B12 that can vary at the lower base position of the nucleotide loop. They are synthesized de novo by only a subset of prokaryotes, but some organisms encode partial biosynthesis pathways for converting one variant to another (remodeling) or completing biosynthesis from an intermediate (corrinoid salvaging). Here, we explore the cobamide specificity in Vibrio cholerae through examination of three natural variants representing major cobamide groups: commercially available cobalamin, and isolated pseudocobalamin and p‐cresolylcobamide. We show that BtuB, the outer membrane corrinoid transporter, mediates the uptake of all three variants and the intermediate cobinamide. Our previous work suggested that V. cholerae could convert pseudocobalamin produced by cyanobacteria into cobalamin. In this work, cobamide specificity in V. cholerae is demonstrated by remodeling of pseudocobalamin and salvaging of cobinamide to produce cobalamin. Cobamide remodeling in V. cholerae is distinct from the canonical pathway requiring amidohydrolase CbiZ, and heterologous expression of V. cholerae CobS was sufficient for remodeling. Furthermore, function of V. cholerae cobamide‐dependent methionine synthase MetH was robustly supported by cobalamin and p‐cresolylcobamide, but not pseudocobalamin. Notably, the inability of V. cholerae to produce and utilize pseudocobalamin contrasts with enteric bacteria like Salmonella.
Hirschsprung disease: Insights on genes, penetrance, and prenatal diagnosis
Authors: Wang Xiao Jing , Camilleri Michael
Published: October 2019

The objective of this mini‐review is to provide insights on the advances in the understanding of the genetic variants associated with different manifestations of Hirschsprung disease, which may present with a range of denervation from a short segment of colon to total colonic and small bowel or extensive aganglionosis. A recent article in this journal documented potential gene variants involved in long‐segment Hirschsprung disease in 23 patients. Gene variants were identified using a 31‐gene panel of genes related to Hirschsprung disease or enteric neural crest cell development, as previously reported in the literature. The study identified potentially harmful variants in eight genes across 13 patients, with a detection rate of 56.5% (13/23 patients). Five patients had pathologic variants in RET, NRG1, and L1CAM, and the remainder were considered variants of unknown significance. The authors attempted prenatal diagnosis of Hirschsprung disease utilizing an amniocentesis sample obtained for advanced maternal age in a family with a known deleterious RET mutation, manifested in the father (long‐segment Hirschsprung disease) and older daughter (total colonic aganglionosis). The fetus had the same RET variant but, after several years of follow‐up, has not developed any symptoms of Hirschsprung disease, supporting the conclusion that this RET mutation is an autosomal dominant gene with incomplete penetrance. This experience suggests that genetic counseling is appropriate to carefully assess the justification of prenatal testing, especially, when the phenotype of long‐segment Hirschsprung disease is so variable and the disease is potentially curable with surgery.
Genomic landscape of the global oak phylogeny
Authors: Hipp Andrew L. , Manos Paul S. , Hahn Marlene , Avishai Michael , Bodénès Cathérine , Cavender‐Bares Jeannine , Crowl Andrew A. , Deng Min , Denk Thomas , Fitz‐Gibbon Sorel , Gailing Oliver , González‐Elizondo M. Socorro , González‐Rodríguez Antonio , Grimm Guido W. , Jiang Xiao‐Long , Kremer Antoine , Lesur Isabelle , McVay John D. , Plomion Christophe , Rodríguez‐Correa Hernando , Schulze Ernst‐Detlef , Simeone Marco C. , Sork Victoria L. , Valencia‐Avalos Susana
Published: October 2019

The tree of life is highly reticulate, with the history of population divergence emerging from populations of gene phylogenies that reflect histories of introgression, lineage sorting and divergence. In this study, we investigate global patterns of oak diversity and test the hypothesis that there are regions of the oak genome that are broadly informative about phylogeny.

We utilize fossil data and restriction‐site associatedDNAsequencing (RAD‐seq) for 632 individuals representing nearly 250Quercusspecies to infer a time‐calibrated phylogeny of the world's oaks. We use a reversible‐jump Markov chain Monte Carlo method to reconstruct shifts in lineage diversification rates, accounting for among‐clade sampling biases. We then map the > 20 000RAD‐seq loci back to an annotated oak genome and investigate genomic distribution of introgression and phylogenetic support across the phylogeny.

Oak lineages have diversified among geographic regions, followed by ecological divergence within regions, in the Americas and Eurasia. Roughly 60% of oak diversity traces back to four clades that experienced increases in net diversification, probably in response to climatic transitions or ecological opportunity.

The strong support for the phylogeny contrasts with high genomic heterogeneity in phylogenetic signal and introgression. Oaks are phylogenomic mosaics, and their diversity may in fact depend on the gene flow that shapes the oak genome.
Distinct fine‐root responses to precipitation changes in herbaceous and woody plants: a meta‐analysis
Authors: Wang Peng , Huang Kailing , Hu Shuijin
Published: October 2019

Precipitation is one of the most important factors that determine productivity of terrestrial ecosystems. Precipitation across the globe is predicted to change more intensively under future climate change scenarios, but the resulting impact on plant roots remains unclear.

Based on 154 observations from experiments in which precipitation was manipulated in the field and root biomass was measured, we investigated responses in fine‐root biomass of herbaceous and woody plants to alterations in precipitation.

We found that root biomass of herbaceous and woody plants responded differently to precipitation change. In particular, precipitation increase consistently enhanced fine‐root biomass of woody plants but had variable effects on herb roots in arid and semi‐arid ecosystems. In contrast, precipitation decrease reduced root biomass of herbaceous plants but not woody plants. In addition, with precipitation alteration, the magnitude of root responses was greater in dry areas than in wet areas.

Together, these results indicate that herbaceous and woody plants have different rooting strategies to cope with altered precipitation regimes, particularly in water‐limited ecosystems. These findings suggest that root responses to precipitation change may critically influence root productivity and soil carbon dynamics under future climate change scenarios.