bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of extracellular ATP on local and systemic responses of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L) leaves to wounding
Authors: Wang Qing-Wen , Jia Lin-Yun , Shi Dai-Long , Wang Rong-fang , Lu Li-Na , Xie Jia-Jia , Sun Kun , Feng Han-Qing , Li Xin
Published: November 2018

Wounding increased the extracellular Adenosine 5ʹ-triphosphate (eATP) level of kidney bean leaves. Treatment with wounding or exogenous ATP increased the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content, activities of catalase and polyphenol oxidase, and malondialdehyde content in both the treated and systemic leaves. Pre-treatment with ATP-degrading enzyme, apyrase, to the wounded leaves reduced the wound-induced local and systemic increases in H2O2 content, activities of catalase and polyphenol oxidase, and malondialdehyde content. Application of dimethylthiourea (DMTU) and diphenylene iodonium (DPI) to the wounded and ATP-treated leaves, respectively, reduced the wound- and ATP-induced local and systemic increases in H2O2 content, activities of catalase and polyphenol oxidase, and malondialdehyde content. Moreover, the wound- and ATP-induced systemic increases of these physiological parameters were suppressed when DMTU or DPI applied to leaf petiole of the wounded and ATP-treated leaves. These results suggest that eATP at wounded sites could mediate the wound-induced local and systemic responses by H2O2-dependent signal transduction.
Fast Geographically Weighted Regression (FastGWR): a scalable algorithm to investigate spatial process heterogeneity in millions of observations
Authors: Li  , Fotheringham  , Li  , Oshan
Published: November 2018

Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) is a widely used tool for exploring spatial heterogeneity of processes over geographic space. GWR computes location-specific parameter estimates, which makes its calibration process computationally intensive. The maximum number of data points
that can be handled by current open-source GWR software is approximately 15,000 observations on a standard desktop. In the era of big data, this places a severe limitation on the use of GWR. To overcome this limitation, we propose a highly scalable, open-source FastGWR implementation
based on Python and the Message Passing Interface (MPI) that scales to the order of millions of observations. FastGWR optimizes memory usage along with parallelization to boost performance significantly. To illustrate the performance of FastGWR, a hedonic house price model is
calibrated on approximately 1.3 million single-family residential properties from a Zillow dataset for the city of Los Angeles, which is the first effort to apply GWR to a dataset of this size. The results show that FastGWR scales linearly as the number of cores within the High-Performance
Computing (HPC) environment increases. It also outperforms currently available open-sourced GWR software packages with drastic speed reductions – up to thousands of times faster – on a standard desktop.
Computational prediction and analysis of species-specific fungi phosphorylation via feature optimization strategy
Authors: Cao Man , Chen Guodong , Yu Jialin , Shi Shaoping
Published: November 2018

Protein phosphorylation is a reversible and ubiquitous post-translational modification that primarily occurs at serine, threonine and tyrosine residues and regulates a variety of biological processes. In this paper, we first briefly summarized the current progresses in computational prediction of eukaryotic protein phosphorylation sites, which mainly focused on animals and plants, especially on human, with a less extent on fungi. Since the number of identified fungi phosphorylation sites has greatly increased in a wide variety of organisms and their roles in pathological physiology still remain largely unknown, more attention has been paid on the identification of fungi-specific phosphorylation. Here, experimental fungi phosphorylation sites data were collected and most of the sites were classified into different types to be encoded with various features and trained via a two-step feature optimization method. A novel method for prediction of species-specific fungi phosphorylation-PreSSFP was developed, which can identify fungi phosphorylation in seven species for specific serine, threonine and tyrosine residues (http://computbiol.ncu.edu.cn/PreSSFP). Meanwhile, we critically evaluated the performance of PreSSFP and compared it with other existing tools. The satisfying results showed that PreSSFP is a robust predictor. Feature analyses exhibited that there have some significant differences among seven species. The species-specific prediction via two-step feature optimization method to mine important features for training could considerably improve the prediction performance. We anticipate that our study provides a new lead for future computational analysis of fungi phosphorylation.
Work-Family Conflict and Work Exit in Later Career Stage
Authors: Xue Baowen , Fleischmann Maria , Head Jenny , McMunn Anne , Stafford Mai
Published: November 2018

Objectives

This study investigated relationships between work–family conflict and routes of later-life work exit.

Methods

We used a cohort of British civil servants (5,157 men; 2,027 women) who participated in the Whitehall II study. Work interference with family (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW) were measured up to three times over 10 years. Cause-specific Cox models were used to assess the influence of WIF/FIW on particular routes (“retirement,” “health-related exit,” “unemployment,” or “homemaker/other”) of work exit in later career stage and all routes combined.

Results

WIF was not associated with any route of work exit in men or women, after adjusting for confounders. For perceived higher FIW, men were less likely to exit work through retirement, homemaker/other, or all routes combined. This was not attenuated by adding family factors or working conditions. Women with higher FIW were more likely to exit through the homemaker route. This was no longer significant after adjusting for family factors. Neither FIW nor WIF was associated with health-related exit or unemployment.

Discussion

FIW makes women more likely to become a homemaker at later career stage but reduces the risk of leaving work for men, which may reinforce gender inequality in work participation.
Stock collapse or stock recovery? Contrasting perceptions of a depleted cod stock
Authors: Cook R M
Published: November 2018

ICES assessments of cod (Gadus morhua) in the west of Scotland (ICES Division 6a) suggest the biomass has collapsed and that fishing mortality rate (F) has remained high. In contrast, other stocks in the same fishery, and adjacent cod stocks all show marked declines in fishing mortality and some recovery of the biomass. The perception of the status of 6a cod appears to be dependent on the assumption that the fishery exploitation pattern is flat topped. An assessment that allows the exploitation to take a domed shape produces results that suggest a marked decline in fishing mortality rate and that the spawning stock biomass has recovered to the minimum biomass reference point, Blim. The reduction in F is consistent with substantial reductions in fishing effort and shows a similar pattern to stocks taken within the same fishery. The management implications arising from the two assessments differ substantially. The analysis indicates that benchmark assessments need to test assessment model conditioning assumptions more widely and that management advice needs to consider a more comprehensive range of information about the stock and fishery.
The Legacy of ‘ Ariadne’ and the Melodramatic Sublime
Authors: Glatthorn Austin
Published: November 2018

Georg Benda’s Ariadne auf Naxos (1775) was an immediate success. By the end of the century, not only was it in the repertory of nearly every German theatre, but it was also one of the few German-language pieces translated for performances across Europe. Central to this melodrama—traditionally defined as an alternation of emotional declamation and pantomime with instrumental music—is its evocation of the sublime. Though scholars have posited Ariadne and its defining aesthetics as a model employed in subsequent Romantic opera, such teleological readings overlook reform melodramas that embraced vocal music and localized sublime moments. I argue that these works, rather than Ariadne, pushed melodrama’s generic boundaries to the verge of opera and in the process provided instrumental music with the power to express the sublime without the aid of text. This exploration offers fresh insight into melodrama’s music–text relations, generic hybridity, and aesthetic entanglements with opera and symphonic music.
Thoracic Discectomy Through a Unilateral Transpedicular or Costotransversectomy Approach With Intraoperative Ultrasound Guidance
Authors: Wessell Aaron , Mushlin Harry , Fleming Charles , Lewis Evan , Sansur Charles
Published: November 2018

BACKGROUND

The disc location, extent of calcification, limited visualization of the ventral cord, and tenuous blood supply to the thoracic spinal cord pose unique technical challenges when surgically treating thoracic disc herniation.

OBJECTIVE

To report our initial experience with a series of cases in which intraoperative ultrasound image guidance was used for thoracic discectomy through a unilateral transpedicular or costotransversectomy approach.

METHODS

Five patients (n = 5) underwent a transpedicular approach and five (n = 5) underwent costotransversectomy for thoracic discectomy. Pre- and postoperative clinical records, operative reports, disc location/calcification, and complications were reviewed.

RESULTS

There were 6 (n = 6) males and 4 (n = 4) females with an average age of 54 yr (range: 33-74). All patients had symptoms attributable to a single-level of thoracic disc herniation. Discs were classified as central (n = 5) and paracentral (n = 5). Preoperative CT and/or intraoperative visualization demonstrated calcified disc material in 6 (n = 6) patients. Final outcomes data at last follow-up was available for 9 of 10 patients. Eight of these nine patients experienced a return to normal baseline functional status. Postoperative imaging confirmed that no wrong-level surgeries were performed. The mean length of follow-up was 20.4 wk (range 4-48).

CONCLUSION

Thoracic discectomy with ultrasound visualization via a unilateral transpedicular or costotransversectomy approach is safe and effective for treatment of central and paracentral calcified disc herniations. This tool improves the safety profile of thoracic discectomy and allows for treatment of thoracic discs through less invasive approaches.
Surgical Resection of a Cavernous Malformation of the Anterior Perforated Substance: 2-Dimensional Operative Video
Authors: Enriquez-Marulanda Alejandro , Alturki Abdulrahman Y , Ascanio Luis C , Thomas Ajith J , Ogilvy Christopher S
Published: November 2018

Cavernous malformations (CMs) are intracranial vascular anomalies of the brain blood vessels which are usually asymptomatic but sometimes may cause headache, seizures, or focal neurologic symptoms.
1
The latter may be attributed to either hemorrhage of the lesion or due to associated mass effect.
2
Here, we describe the case of a 27-yr-old woman who had an acute onset of headache and occasional left sided peripheral visual disturbances. A brain computed tomography scan revealed intraparenchymal hemorrhage near the right hypothalamus and a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was consistent with an anterior perforated substance CM. Medical management was pursued but severe headache persisted for several weeks to the point of interfering with normal daily function. Given the evidence of past hemorrhage and the persistence of symptoms, a microsurgical resection was indicated. She was scheduled for an elective resection through a right frontotemporal craniotomy. The lesion was found in the right anterior perforated substance, just above the optic tract and was resected without complications. The patient was neurologically stable at discharge. At 4-mo follow-up, the patient had a significantly decreased intensity of headache and an adequate resection cavity on MRI. Otherwise, she was neurologically intact. Cavernous malformations of deep brain structures, such as the anterior perforated substance can be surgically treated but carry a challenging procedure with a risk of visual deficits. In the following video illustration, we narrate this operative case and highlight the nuances of this approach. Patient consent was obtained for the submission of the video to this journal.
Modeling the short-term dynamics of in vivo excitatory spike transmission
Authors: Ghanbari Abed , Ren Naixin , Keine Christian , Stoelzel Carl , Englitz Bernhard , Swadlow Harvey A. , Stevenson Ian H.
Published: November 2018

Information transmission in neural networks is influenced by both short-term synaptic plasticity (STP) as well as non-synaptic factors, such as after-hyperpolarization currents and changes in excitability. Although these effects have been widely characterized in vitro using intracellular recordings, how they interact in vivo is unclear. Here we develop a statistical model of the short-term dynamics of spike transmission that aims to disentangle the contributions of synaptic and non-synaptic effects based only on observed pre- and postsynaptic spiking. The model includes a dynamic functional connection with short-term plasticity as well as effects due to the recent history of postsynaptic spiking and slow changes in postsynaptic excitability. Using paired spike recordings, we find that the model accurately describes the short-term dynamics of in vivo spike transmission at a diverse set of identified and putative excitatory synapses, including a thalamothalamic connection in mouse, a thalamocortical connection in a female rabbit, and an auditory brainstem synapse in a female gerbil. We illustrate the utility of this modeling approach by showing how the spike transmission patterns captured by the model may be sufficient to account for stimulus-dependent differences in spike transmission in the auditory brainstem (endbulb of Held). Finally, we apply this model to large-scale multi-electrode recordings to illustrate how such an approach has the potential to reveal cell-type specific differences in spike transmission in vivo. Although short-term synaptic plasticity parameters estimated from ongoing pre- and postsynaptic spiking are highly uncertain, our results are partially consistent with previous intracellular observations in these synapses.

Significance Statement

Although synaptic dynamics have been extensively studied and modeled using intracellular recordings of post-synaptic currents and potentials, inferring synaptic effects from extracellular spiking is challenging. Whether or not a synaptic current contributes to postsynaptic spiking depends not only on the amplitude of the current, but also on many other factors, including the activity of other, typically unobserved, synapses, the overall excitability of the postsynaptic neuron, and how recently the postsynaptic neuron has spiked. Here we developed a model that, using only observations of pre- and postsynaptic spiking, aims to describe the dynamics of in vivo spike transmission by modeling both short-term synaptic plasticity and non-synaptic effects. This approach may provide a novel description of fast, structured changes in spike transmission.
Towards multi-drug adaptive therapy
Authors: West Jeffrey , You Li , Zhang Jingsong , Gatenby Robert A. , Brown Joel , Newton Paul K. , Anderson Alexander R. A.
Published: November 2018

A new ecologically inspired paradigm in cancer treatment known as “adaptive therapy” capitalizes on competitive interactions between drug-sensitive and drug-resistant subclones. The goal of adaptive therapy is to maintain a controllable stable tumor burden by allowing a significant population of treatment sensitive cells to survive. These, in turn, suppress proliferation of the less fit resistant populations. However, there remain several open challenges in designing adaptive therapies, particularly in extending these therapeutic concepts to multiple treatments. We present a cancer treatment case study (metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer) as a point of departure to illustrate three novel concepts to aid the design of multi-drug adaptive therapies. First, frequency-dependent “cycles” of tumor evolution can trap tumor evolution in a periodic, controllable loop. Second, the availability and selection of treatments may limit the evolutionary “absorbing region” reachable by the tumor. Third, the velocity of evolution significantly influences the optimal timing of drug sequences.
A general method to quantify ligand-driven oligomerization using single- or two-photon excitation microscopy
Authors: Stoneman Michael R. , Biener Gabriel , Ward Richard J. , Pediani John D. , Badu Dammar , Popa Ionel V. , Milligan Graeme , Raicu Valerică
Published: November 2018

Current technologies for probing membrane protein association and stability in cells are either very laborious or lack the bandwidth needed for fully quantitative analysis. Here we introduce a platform, termedone-ortwo-dimensional fluorescence intensity fluctuation spectrometry, for determining the identity, abundance, and stability of oligomers of differing sizes. The sensitivity of this approach is demonstrated by using monomers and oligomers of known sizes in both solutions and cell membranes. The analysis was extended to uncover the oligomeric states and their stability for both the epidermal growth factor receptor, a receptor tyrosine kinase, and the G protein-coupled secretin receptor. In both cases, agonist ligand binding shifted the equilibrium from monomers or dimers to rather large oligomers. Our method can be used in conjunction with a variety of light-based microscopy techniques, is several orders of magnitude faster than current approaches, and is scalable for high-throughput analyses.
Reconcilingin vitroandin vivoactivities of engineered, LacI-based repressor proteins: Contributions of DNA looping and operator sequence variation
Authors: Tungtur Sudheer , Schwingen Kristen M. , Riepe Joshua J. , Weeramange Chamitha J. , Swint-Kruse Liskin
Published: November 2018

One way to create new components for synthetic transcription circuits is to re-purpose naturally occurring transcription factor proteins and their cognate DNA operators. For the proteins, re-engineering can be accomplished via domain recombination (to create chimeric regulators) and/or amino acid substitutions. The resulting activities of new protein regulators are often assessedin vitrousing a representative operator. However, when functioningin vivo, transcription factors can interact with multiple operators. We comparedin vivoandin vitroresults for two LacI-based transcription repressor proteins, their mutational variants, and four operator sequences. The two sets of repressor variants differed in their overallin vivorepression, even though theirin vitrobinding affinities for the primary operator spanned the same range. Here, we show that the offset can be explained by different abilities to simultaneously bind and “loop” two DNA operators. Furtherin vitrostudies of the looping-competent repressors were carried out to measure binding to a secondary operator sequence. Surprisingly, binding to this operator was largely insensitive to amino acid changes in the repressor protein.In vitroexperiments with additional operators and analyses of published data indicates that amino acid changes in these repressor proteins leads to complicated changes in ligand specificity. These results raise new considerations for engineering components of synthetic transcription circuits and – more broadly – illustrate difficulties encountered when trying to extrapolate information about specificity determinant positions among protein homologs.
Towards understanding biology of leydiogioma. G protein-coupled receptor and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor crosstalk regulates lipid metabolism and steroidogenesis in Leydig cell tumors
Authors: Kotula-Balak Malgorzata , Gorowska-Wojtowicz Ewelina , Milon Agnieszka , Pawlicki Piotr , Kaminska Alicja , Pardyak Laura , Tworzydlo Waclaw , Płachno Bartosz J. , Hejmej Anna , Wolski Jan K.
Published: November 2018

Leydig cell tumors (LCT) are the most common type of testicular sex cord-stromal tumor. In this report, we implicate the G-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) and peroxisome proliferator receptor (PPAR) in regulation of lipid homeostasis and the expression of steroidogenesis-controlling molecules in clinical specimens of LCTs and cell line (mouse tumor Leydig cells; MA-10). We also show the general structure and morphology of human LCTs with the use of scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy, respectively. In LCTs, protein immunoblotting and immunohistochemical analysis revealed increased expression of GPER and decreased expression of PPARα, β and γ. Concomitantly, changes in expression pattern of the lutropin receptor (LHR), protein kinase A (PKA), perilipin (PLIN), hormone sensitive lipase (HSL), steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), translocator protein (TSPO), HMG-CoA synthase (HMGCA), and HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR) were observed.

Using MA-10 cells treated with GPER and PPAR antagonists (alone and in combination), we demonstrated there is a GPER-PPAR mediated control of cholesterol concentration. In addition, GPER-PPARα regulated estradiol secretion, while GPER-PPARγ affected cGMP concentration. It is assumed that GPER and PPAR can be altered in LCT, resulting in a perturbed lipid balance and steroidogenesis. In LCTs, the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway was disturbed. Thus, PI3K-Akt-mTOR, together with cGMP, can play a role in LCT proliferation, growth, and metastasis as well as lipid balance control.

In conclusion, we discuss the implications of GPER-PPAR interaction with lipid metabolism and steroidogenesis controlling-molecules in LCT biology that can be used in future studies as potential targets of diagnostic and therapeutic implementations.
Integrating vital rates explains optimal worker size for resource return by bumblebee workers
Authors: Kerr Natalie Z. , Crone Elizabeth E. , Williams Neal M.
Published: November 2018

Size‐number trade‐offs in reproduction are commonly observed in nature. Bumblebee (Bombus spp.) colonies produce workers that vary considerably in size. This variation suggests that colonies face potential size‐number trade‐offs when producing workers.

Here, we estimated size‐based vital rates of Bombus vosnesenskii workers using colonies reared from wild‐caught queens. We conducted a mark–recapture study to estimate worker survival as a function of body size. We also collected data on pollen and nectar loads as well as foraging trips using a radiofrequency identification system to estimate daily resource return as a function of body size. We integrated survival and daily resource return to estimate lifetime resource collection and offset these estimates by the size‐based worker production costs.

We found size‐based trade‐offs among workers of different sizes. Smaller workers had higher survival, but larger workers returned with more resources per day. The largest workers made slightly fewer foraging trips per day.

Overall, larger workers made the greatest lifetime contribution to both nectar and pollen collection. However, once the benefits of larger workers are offset by their higher production costs, intermediate‐sized workers were the optimal for net resource contribution according to our models. Many previous studies have found that larger workers outperformed smaller workers with foraging and in‐nest tasks, yet these studies have not integrated multiple fitness components or worker production costs to quantify net resource contribution towards colony growth.

Accounting for trade‐offs between costs and performance changed our conclusions about optimal body size from being large to being near the observed average.  Similar approaches of integrating multiple vital rates may resolve apparently suboptimal life histories in other taxa.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
The relative strengths of rapid and delayed density dependence acting on a terrestrial herbivore change along a pollution gradient
Authors: Hunter Mark D. , Kozlov Mikhail V.
Published: November 2018

Animal populations vary in response to a combination of density‐dependent and density‐independent forces, which interact to drive their population dynamics. Understanding how abiotic forces mediate the form and strength of density‐dependent processes remains a central goal of ecology, and is of increasing urgency in a rapidly changing world.

Here, we report for the first time that industrial pollution determines the relative strength of rapid and delayed density dependence operating on an animal population. We explored the impacts of pollution and climate on the population dynamics of an eruptive leafmining moth, Phyllonorycter strigulatella, around a coal‐fired power plant near Apatity, north‐western Russia. Populations were monitored at 14 sites over 26 years.

The relative strengths of rapid and delayed density dependence varied with distance from the power plant. Specifically, the strength of rapid density dependence increased while the strength of delayed density dependence decreased with increasing distance from the pollution source. Paralleling the increasing strength of rapid density dependence, we observed declines in the densities of P. strigulatella, increases in predation pressure from birds and ants, and declines in an unknown source of mortality (perhaps plant antibiosis) with increasing distance from the power plant.

In contrast to the associations with pollution, associations between climate change and leafminer population densities were negligible.

Our results may help to explain the outbreaks of insect herbivores that are frequently observed in polluted environments. We show that they can result from the weakening of rapid (stabilizing) density dependence relative to the effects of destabilizing delayed density dependence. Moreover, our results may explain some of the variation reported in published studies of animal populations in polluted habitats. Variable results may emerge in part because of the location of the study sites on different parts of pollution gradients. Finally, in a rapidly changing world, effects of anthropogenic pollution may be as, or more, important than are effects of climate change on the future dynamics of animal populations.
Association of intrauterine exposure to aspirin and blood pressure at 7 years of age: a secondary analysis
Authors: Chen Y , Zhao D , Wang B , Zhu J , Zhang J , Zhang Y
Published: November 2018

Objective

To examine whether maternal aspirin use during pregnancy is associated with childhood blood pressure.

Design/Setting

A secondary analysis of the Collaborative Perinatal Project, a prospective cohort study including 12 US academic medical centres between 1959 and 1976.

Population

Singleton births among women with detailed medication information.

Methods

We carried out linear and multivariate logistic regression analysis to assess the associations between maternal aspirin exposure and childhood blood pressure at age 7 years.

Main outcome measures

Offspring blood pressure at age 7 years.

Results

A total of 15 793 women were exposed to aspirin 4 weeks before the last menstrual period or during pregnancy. In utero aspirin exposure may be associated with an 11% (95% CI 0.85– 0.93) and a 20% (95% CI 0.76–0.84) reduced risk of having high systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at 7 years of age, and a mean decrease of 0.62 mmHg for SBP and 1.04 mmHg for DBP at 7 years of age. Compared with children born to mothers without aspirin exposure, those whose mothers were exposed to aspirin for at least 7 days during pregnancy had approximately 10% and 27% reduced risk of high SBP and DBP, respectively, and a mean reduction of 0.61 and 1.27 mmHg in SBP and DBP at 7 years of age. The earlier the aspirin exposure occurred during pregnancy, the lower the risk of childhood high blood pressure.

Conclusion

In utero exposure to aspirin may have long‐term benefits for childhood blood pressure.

Tweetable abstract

Maternal aspirin exposure might decrease the risk of childhood blood pressure.
The Sydney Triage to Admission Risk Tool (START2) using machine learning techniques to support disposition decision‐making
Authors: Rendell Kathryn , Koprinska Irena , Kyme Andre , Ebker‐White Anja A , Dinh Michael M
Published: November 2018

Objective

To further develop and refine an Emergency Department (ED) in‐patient admission prediction model using machine learning techniques.

Methods

This was a retrospective analysis of state‐wide ED data from New South Wales, Australia. Six classification algorithms (Bayesian networks, decision trees, logistic regression, naïve Bayes, neural networks and nearest neighbour) and five feature selection techniques (none, manual, correlation‐based, information gain and wrapper) were examined. Presenting problem was categorised using broad (n = 20) and specific (n = 100) representations. Models were evaluated based on Area Under the Curve (AUC) and accuracy. The results were compared with the Sydney Triage to Admission Risk Tool (START), which uses logistic regression and six manually selected features.

Results

Sixty admission prediction models were trained and validated using data from 1 721 294 patients. Under the broad representation of presenting problem, the nearest neighbour algorithm with manual feature selection had the best AUC of 0.8206 (95% CI ±0.0006), while the decision tree with no feature selection had the best accuracy of 74.83% (95% CI ±0.065). Under the specific representation, almost all models improved; the nearest neighbour with information gain feature selection had the best AUC of 0.8267 (95% CI ±0.0006), while the decision tree with wrapper or no feature selection had the best accuracy of 75.24% (95% CI ±0.064). Eleven of the machine learning models had slightly better AUC than the START model.

Conclusion

Machine learning methods demonstrate similar performance to logistic regression for ED disposition prediction models using basic triage information. This should be investigated further, especially for larger data sets with more complex clinical information.
Sublimating an Apocalypse: An Exploration of Anxiety, Authorship, and Feminist Theory in Mary Shelley’s The Last Man
Authors: Zolciak Olivia
Published: November 2018

Mary Shelley was an early feminist writer, but she has not been recognized as such because of profound misinterpretation of her final novel, The Last Man. Set in the years 2090–2100, the novel is about a plague that obliterates humanity aside from the protagonist, Lionel Verney. As his family and friends perish, Verney journeys alone, and begins to experience psychological and literary anxiety. The novel failed within the conventions of female romance novels of the early 19th century, a category in which it is still often pigeon‐holed. But as the first modern work of apocalyptic fiction, which created a genre now dominated by Stephen King, it was a huge success, for which Mary Shelley is seldom credited. By critically analyzing the novel’s treatment of anxiety of illness and authorship in terms of psychoanalytic theory and juxtaposing these concepts with a long‐standing feminist approach, this article suggests that Mary Shelley’s literary innovations will remain influential in the continuously growing genre of post‐apocalyptic literature in the 20th and 21st centuries. Thematically, the novel also presents a new feminist vision of history, a millennial conflict that requires us to look forward and backward simultaneously. It is also about new ways of recognizing the authority of the female voice in that history, which is normally displaced by the insistence on male authority that comes from historical lineage. The Last Man contests that lineage by showing how apocalyptic narratives can reframe our sense of time and authority.
Turning Daily Time Pressure into a Creative Day: The Interactionist Roles of Employee Neuroticism and Time Pressure Dispersion
Authors: Bormann Kai C.
Published: November 2018

The purpose of this study was to explore under which circumstances daily time pressure is positively related to daily creativity. Building on resource allocation and uncertainty theory, it is argued that highly neurotic individuals’ creativity, relative to their emotionally stable counterparts, is more strongly enhanced by daily time pressure. This effect, however, should only emerge in instances of highly consistent daily time pressure over time. To test this model, a diary study was conducted spanning over five subsequent working days. The sample consisted of 250 individuals with 1,156 daily measurement points. As expected, neuroticism and dispersion of time pressure over time jointly moderated the relationship between daily time pressure and daily creativity. The relationship was positive and significant only when individuals ranked high in neuroticism and dispersion of time pressure was low. The results of this study suggest that under certain circumstances, neurotic individuals are able to realise more gains from increased time pressure compared to their emotionally stable counterparts.
Reduced lateral orbitofrontal cortex volume and suicide behavior in youth with bipolar disorder
Authors: Huber Rebekah S , Subramaniam Punitha , Kondo Douglas G , Shi Xianfeng , Renshaw Perry F , Yurgelun‐Todd Deborah A
Published: November 2018

Objectives

Structural abnormalities in cortical and subcortical regions, including the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), are altered during brain development in adolescents with bipolar disorder (BD), which may increase risk for suicide. Few studies have examined the neural substrates of suicidal behavior in BD youth. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between suicide behavior and the OFC in youth with BD.

Methods

Thirty‐seven participants with BD and 26 non‐psychiatric controls, ages 13‐21 years, completed a diagnostic interview and mood rating scales. Lifetime symptoms of suicide ideation and behavior were examined using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging on a 3T Siemens Verio scanner. Morphometric analysis of brain images was performed using FreeSurfer.

Results

Eighteen participants with BD had a history of suicide attempt (SA). Bipolar youth with a history of SA showed reduced left lateral OFC volumes compared to controls, but there was no difference between BD attempters and non‐attempters. Controls and BD non‐attempters had significantly greater OFC cortical thickness than BD attempters. Additionally, there was a significant negative correlation between OFC volumes and suicide lethality, demonstrating that as suicide lethality increased, OFC volume in BD youth was reduced.

Conclusions

The OFC is involved in decision‐making, impulsivity, and reward circuitry which have shown to be impaired in BD. Reduced OFC volume and its association with lethality of suicide suggest that suicide behavior in BD may be related to the emerging neuroanatomical substrates of the disorder, particularly abnormalities of the OFC.
Women's stereotype threat‐based performance motivation and prepotent inhibitory ability
Authors: Hutter Russell R. C. , Davies Lucy C. , Sedikides Constantine , Conner Mark
Published: November 2018

According to the mere effort account of performance, stereotype threat motivates disproval of the negative performance stereotype, which in turn potentiates the overproduction of prepotent responses. In mathematics (maths), prepotent responding facilitates solve type question (e.g., equations) performance, but reduces comparison type question (e.g., estimations) performance. Problematically, the mere effort account indexes performance motivation as task performance. Also, this account posits that performance reduction on non‐prepotent tasks derives from the overproduction of prepotent responses, as opposed to failed inhibition of prepotent responses associated with the alternative, namely, the working memory interference perspective. We investigated motivational and prepotent responding as applied to stereotype threat. In Experiment 1, a maths question selection task indexed motivation (independently of performance). Stereotype threat led female test takers to select more solve than comparison maths questions, in accord with the mere effort account. In Experiment 2, higher inhibitory ability protected overall maths performance following stereotype threat, but it did not protect non‐prepotentiated comparison question performance (inconsistent with the working memory interference perspective). The results support the mere effort account.
Amyloid precursor protein‐mediated mitochondrial regulation and Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Lopez Sanchez M Isabel G , van Wijngaarden Peter , Trounce Ian A
Published: November 2018

Despite clear evidence of a neuroprotective physiological role of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and its non‐amyloidogenic processing products, APP has been investigated mainly in animal and cellular models of amyloid pathology in the context of Alzheimer's disease. The rare familial mutations in APP and presenilin‐1/2, which sometimes drive increased amyloid β (Aβ) production, may have unduly influenced Alzheimer's disease research. APP and its cleavage products play important roles in cellular and mitochondrial metabolism, but many studies focus solely on Aβ. Mitochondrial bioenergetic metabolism is essential for neuronal function, maintenance and survival, and multiple reports indicate mitochondrial abnormalities in patients with Alzheimer's disease. In this review, we focus on mitochondrial abnormalities reported in sporadic Alzheimer's disease patients and the role of full‐length APP and its non‐amyloidogenic fragments, particularly soluble APPα, on mitochondrial bioenergetic metabolism. We do not review the plethora of animal and in vitro studies using mutant APP/presenilin constructs or experiments using exogenous Aβ. In doing so, we aim to invigorate research and discussion around non‐amyloidogenic APP processing products and the mechanisms linking mitochondria and complex neurodegenerative disorders such as sporadic Alzheimer's disease.

Linked Articles

This article is part of a themed section on Therapeutics for Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease: New Directions for Precision Medicine. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v176.18/issuetoc
Perspectives on shared reading among a sample of Latino parents
Authors: Jimenez Manuel E. , Hudson Shawna V. , Lima Daniel , Mendelsohn Alan L. , Pellerano Maria , Crabtree Benjamin F.
Published: November 2018

Background

Paediatric professionals promote shared reading to facilitate school readiness, yet relatively few studies examine how parents from underserved communities consider this issue in their daily lives. We sought to understand shared reading within the broader context of parenting among Latino parents.

Methods

We conducted in‐depth interviews, purposively sampling Spanish‐speaking, Latina mothers of children aged ≤3 years from an urban Federally Qualified Health Center. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed iteratively. We allowed themes to emerge from data rather than impose an a priori framework. We sought disconfirming evidence within interviews and collected additional data to ensure no new themes were identified (saturation).

Results

We achieved saturation after 12 interviews. The median child age was 1.4 years. We identified four major themes: (a) All participants reported engaging in literacy promoting activities such as conversations, storytelling, play, and singing even if they did not read to their children daily. (b) Parents' attitudes regarding early learning and development influenced the extent to which parents engaged in shared reading with their child. (c) Participants described feelings that they ought to read daily with their children but were not and cited a variety of barriers. (d) Parents who engaged in frequent shared reading described it as a joyful and relaxed experience; parents who did not engage in shared reading described reading as instructing children or engaging in drills (e.g., teaching letters).

Conclusion

Urban, Latina mothers who did not read regularly with their children nonetheless recognized its importance suggesting that existing programmes have raised awareness even among underserved families. Refinement of messaging may be needed to move past raising awareness to facilitating shared reading for some parents.
Identifying key needs for the integration of social–ecological outcomes in arctic wildlife monitoring
Authors: Wheeler Helen C. , Berteaux Dominique , Furgal Chris , Cazelles Kevin , Yoccoz Nigel G. , Grémillet David
Published: November 2018

For effective monitoring in social–ecological systems to meet needs for biodiversity, science, and humans, desired outcomes must be clearly defined and routes from direct to derived outcomes understood. The Arctic is undergoing rapid climatic, ecological, social, and economic changes and requires effective wildlife monitoring to meet diverse stakeholder needs. To identify stakeholder priorities concerning desired outcomes of arctic wildlife monitoring, we conducted in‐depth interviews with 29 arctic scientists, policy and decision makers, and representatives of indigenous organizations and nongovernmental organizations. Using qualitative content analysis, we identified and defined desired outcomes and documented links between outcomes. Using network analysis, we investigated the structure of perceived links between desired outcomes. We identified 18 desired outcomes from monitoring and classified them as either driven by monitoring information, monitoring process, or a combination of both. Highly cited outcomes were make decisions, conserve, detect change, disseminate, and secure food. These reflect key foci of arctic monitoring. Infrequently cited outcomes (e.g., govern) were emerging themes. Three modules comprised our outcome network. The modularity highlighted the low strength of perceived links between outcomes that were primarily information driven or more derived (e.g., detect change, make decisions, conserve, or secure food) and outcomes that were primarily process driven or more derived (e.g., cooperate, learn, educate). The outcomes expand monitoring community and disseminate created connections between these modules. Key desired outcomes are widely applicable to social–ecological systems within and outside the Arctic, particularly those with wildlife subsistence economies. Attributes and motivations associated with outcomes can guide development of integrated monitoring goals for biodiversity conservation and human needs. Our results demonstrated the disconnect between information‐ and process‐driven goals and how expansion of the monitoring community and improved integration of monitoring stakeholders will help connect information‐ and process‐derived outcomes for effective ecosystem stewardship.
Decoding Gestural Iconicity
Authors: Hassemer Julius , Winter Bodo
Published: November 2018

Speakers frequently perform representational gestures to depict concepts in an iconic fashion. For example, a speaker may hold her index finger and thumb apart to indicate the size of a matchstick. However, the process by which a physical handshape is mentally transformed into abstract spatial information is not well understood. We present a series of experiments that investigate how people decode the physical form of an articulator to derive imaginary geometrical constructs, which we call “gesture form.” We provide quantitative evidence for several key properties that play a role in this process. First, “profiling,” the ability to focus on a structural subunit within the complex form of the physical hand. Second, “perspective,” for which we show that one and the same handshape seen from different perspectives can lead to different spatial interpretations. Third, “selectivity,” the fact that gestures focus on specific spatial features at the expense of others. Our results provide a first step toward mapping out the process of how representational gestures make the communication of spatial information possible.
Offline consolidation supersedes prior knowledge benefits in children's (but not adults’) word learning
Authors: James Emma , Gaskell M. Gareth , Henderson Lisa M.
Published: November 2018

Prior linguistic knowledge is proposed to support the acquisition and consolidation of new words. Adults typically have larger vocabularies to support word learning than children, but the developing brain shows enhanced neural processes that are associated with offline memory consolidation. This study investigated contributions of prior knowledge to initial word acquisition and consolidation at different points in development, by teaching children and adults novel words (e.g., ballow) that varied in the number of English word‐form “neighbours” (e.g., wallow, bellow). Memory for the novel word‐forms was tested immediately after training, the next day and 1 week later, to assess the time‐course of prior knowledge contributions. Children aged 7–9 years (Experiments 1, 3) and adults (Experiment 2) recalled words with neighbours better than words without neighbours when tested immediately after training. However, a period of offline consolidation improved overall recall and reduced the influence of word‐form neighbours on longer term memory. These offline consolidation benefits were larger in children than adults, supporting theories that children have a greater propensity for consolidating phonologically distinctive language information. Local knowledge of just a single word‐form neighbour was enough to enhance learning, and this led to the individual differences in word recall that were related to adults’ global vocabulary ability. The results support the proposal that the relative contributions of different learning mechanisms change across the lifespan, and highlight the importance of testing theoretical models of word learning in the context of development.