bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genome Sequence of
Rhodococcus
sp. Strain RD6.2 DSM 46800, a Methanesulfonate-Degrading Strain
Authors: Henriques Ana C. , De Marco Paolo
Published: July 2015

The complete genome sequence of a methanesulfonate-degrading strain,
Rhodococcus
sp. strain RD6.2 DSM 46800, which was isolated from a brackish marsh sediment sample, is described here. This is the first reported genome of a nonproteobacterial strain using methanesulfonate (MSA) as a sole source of carbon and energy, which does not possess the conventional MSA-monooxygenase (MSAMO).
Complete Genome Sequence of “
Candidatus
Liberibacter africanus,” a Bacterium Associated with Citrus Huanglongbing
Authors: Lin Hong , Pietersen Gerhard , Han Cliff , Read David Alan , Lou Binghai , Gupta Goutam , Civerolo Edwin L.
Published: July 2015

We report here the complete genome sequence of “
Candidatus
Liberibacter africanus” strain PTSAPSY. The 1,192,232-bp genome with 34.5% G+C content comprises 1,017 open reading frames, 44 tRNAs, and three complete rRNAs in a circular chromosome.
Draft Genome Sequence of a Taxonomically Unique
Neisseria
Strain Isolated from a Greater White-Fronted Goose (
Anser albifrons
) Egg on the North Slope of Alaska
Authors: Hansen Cristina M. , Choi Sang Chul , Parker Jayme , Hueffer Karsten , Chen Jack
Published: July 2015

We report here the draft genome sequence of a unique
Neisseria
strain that was isolated from a greater white-fronted goose (
Anser albifrons
) egg. The sequencing was performed with an Illumina MiSeq system, and the sequence consists of 275 contigs. The total genome is 2,397,978 bp long and has a G+C content of 46.4%.
Genome Sequence of Paenibacillus wulumuqiensis sp. nov., a Bioflocculant-Producing Species
Authors: Wu Qian , Zhu Liying , Jiang Ling , Xu Xian , Xu Qing , Zhang Zhidong , Huang He
Published: July 2015

Paenibacillus wulumuqiensis
sp. nov. is a novel strain that can produce bioflocculants. Here, we report 5.37-Mb assembly of its genome sequence and other useful information, including the coding sequences (CDSs) responsible for the biosynthesis of polysaccharide-based bioflocculants, cold-shock protein, and vitamin production.
Complete Genome Sequence of Noninvasive Streptococcus pyogenes M/
emm28
Strain STAB10015, Isolated from a Child with Perianal Dermatitis in French Brittany
Authors: de Andrade Barboza Suzane , Meygret Alexandra , Vincent Pascal , Moullec Séverine , Soriano Nicolas , Lagente Vincent , Minet Jacques , Kayal Samer , Faili Ahmad
Published: July 2015

We report here the complete genome sequence of a noninvasive strain of
Streptococcus pyogenes
M/
emm28
, isolated from perianal dermatitis in a child. The genome is composed of 1,950,454 bp, with a G+C content of 38.2%, and it has 1,925 identified coding sequences and harbors two intact prophages and a new integrating conjugative element (ICE).
Draft Genome Sequence of Pseudomonas frederiksbergensis SI8, a Psychrotrophic Aromatic-Degrading Bacterium
Authors: Ruiz Oscar N. , Brown Lisa M. , Striebich Richard C. , Mueller Susan S. , Gunasekera Thusitha S.
Published: July 2015

Pseudomonas frederiksbergensis
strain SI8 is a psychrotrophic bacterium capable of efficient aerobic degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons. The draft genome of
P. frederiksbergensis
SI8 is 6.57 Mb in size, with 5,904 coding sequences and 60.5% G+C content. The isopropylbenzene (cumene) degradation pathway is predicted to be present in
P. frederiksbergensis
SI8.
Assessing the effect of Michigan's smoke-free law on air quality inside restaurants and casinos: a before-and-after observational study
Authors: Shamo Farid , Wilson Teri , Kiley Janet , Repace James
Published: July 2015

Objectives

To assess the effect of Michigan's smoke-free air (SFA) law on the air quality inside selected restaurants and casinos. The hypothesis of the study: if the SFA law is effectively implemented in restaurants and casinos, there will be a significant reduction in the particulate matter PM2.5measured in the same establishments after the law is implemented.

Setting

Prelaw and postlaw design study.

Participants

78 restaurants in 14 Michigan cities from six major regions of the state, and three Detroit casinos.

Methods

We monitored the real-time PM2.5in 78 restaurants and three Detroit casinos before the SFA law, and again monitored the same restaurants and casinos after implementation of the law, which was enacted on 1 May 2010.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Concentration measurements of secondhand smoke (SHS) fine particles (PM2.5) were compared in each restaurant in the prelaw period to measurements of PM2.5in the same restaurants during the postlaw period. A second comparison was made for PM2.5levels in three Detroit casinos prelaw and postlaw; these casinos were exempted from the SFA law.

Results

Prelaw data indicated that 85% of the restaurants had poor to hazardous air quality, with the average venue having ‘unhealthy’ air according to Michigan's Air Quality Index for PM2.5. Postlaw, air quality in 93% of the restaurants improved to ‘good’. The differences were statistically significant (p<0.0001). By comparison, the three casinos measured had ‘unhealthy’ air both before and after the law.

Conclusions

The significant air quality improvement in the Michigan restaurants after implementation of the SFA law indicates that the law was very effective in reducing exposure to SHS. Since the Detroit casinos were exempted from the law, the air quality was unchanged, and remained unhealthy in both prelaw and postlaw periods.
Association between secondhand smoke exposure and blood lead and cadmium concentration in community dwelling women: the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010–2012)
Authors: Jung Se Young , Kim Suyeon , Lee Kiheon , Kim Ju Young , Bae Woo Kyung , Lee Keehyuck , Han Jong-Soo , Kim Sarah
Published: July 2015

Objectives

To assess the association between secondhand smoke exposure and blood lead and cadmium concentration in women in South Korea.

Design

Population-based cross-sectional study.

Setting

South Korea (Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey V).

Participants

1490 non-smoking women who took part in the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010–2012), in which blood levels of lead and cadmium were measured.

Primary outcome measures

The primary outcome was blood levels of lead and cadmium in accordance with the duration of secondhand smoke exposure.

Results

The adjusted mean level of blood cadmium in women who were never exposed to secondhand smoke was 1.21 (0.02) µg/L. Among women who were exposed less than 1 h/day, the mean cadmium level was 1.13 (0.03) µg/L, and for those exposed for more than 1 h, the mean level was 1.46 (0.06) µg/L. In particular, there was a significant association between duration of secondhand smoke exposure at the workplace and blood cadmium concentration. The adjusted mean level of blood cadmium concentration in the never exposed women's group was less than that in the 1 h and more exposed group, and the 1 h and more at workplace exposed group: 1.20, 1.24 and 1.50 µg/L, respectively. We could not find any association between lead concentration in the blood and secondhand smoke exposure status.

Conclusions

This study showed that exposure to secondhand smoke and blood cadmium levels are associated. Especially, there was a significant association at the workplace. Therefore, social and political efforts for reducing the exposure to secondhand smoke at the workplace are needed in order to promote a healthier working environment for women.
Decreasing educational differences in mortality over 40 years: evidence from the Turin Longitudinal Study (Italy)
Authors: Stringhini Silvia , Spadea Teresa , Stroscia Morena , Onorati Roberta , Demaria Moreno , Zengarini Nicolás , Costa Giuseppe
Published: July 2015

Background

Recent studies suggest that inequalities in premature mortality have continued to rise over the last decade in most European countries, but not in southern European countries.

Methods

In this study, we assess long-term trends (1971–2011) in absolute and relative educational inequalities in all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the Turin Longitudinal Study (Turin, Italy), a record-linkage study including all individuals resident in Turin in the 1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001 censuses, and aged 30–99 years (more than 2 million people). We examined mortality for all causes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), all cancers and specific cancers (lung, breast), as well as smoking and alcohol-related mortality.

Results

Overall mortality substantially decreased in all educational groups over the study period, although cancer rates only slightly declined. Absolute inequalities decreased for both genders (SII=962/694 in men/women in 1972–1976 and SII=531/259 in 2007–2011, p<0.01). Among men, absolute inequalities for CVD and alcohol-related causes declined (p<0.05), while remaining stable for other causes of death. Among women, declines in absolute inequalities were observed for CVD, smoking and alcohol-related causes and lung cancer (p<0.05). Relative inequalities in all-cause mortality remained stable for men and decreased for women (RII=1.92/2.03 in men/women in 1972–1976 and RII=2.15/1.32 in 2007–2011). Among men, relative inequalities increased for smoking-related causes, while among women they decreased for all cancers, CVD, smoking-related causes and lung cancer (p<0.05).

Conclusions

Absolute inequalities in mortality strongly declined over the study period in both genders. Relative educational inequalities in mortality were generally stable among men; while they tended to narrow among women. In general, this study supports the hypothesis that educational inequalities in mortality have decreased in southern European countries.
Mercury concentrations in multiple tissues of Arctic Iceland Gulls (Larus glaucoides) wintering in Newfoundland
Authors: Bond Alexander L. , Robertson Gregory J.
Published: July 2015

Anthropogenic mercury (Hg) emissions are increasing and are potentially of concern for Arctic-nesting seabirds, particularly those that spend part of their year near dense human habitation. Iceland Gulls (Larus glaucoides B. Meyer, 1822) breed in the eastern Canadian Arctic and spend the majority of winter in towns and cities in eastern Newfoundland. We measured Hg in breast feathers, blood plasma, and red blood cells of Iceland Gulls wintering in and around St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, from 2011 to 2014. Mercury in blood plasma comprised <10% of the total blood Hg. We found no difference in red blood cell Hg between first-winter and adult birds, which likely reflects their similar feeding habits. Feather Hg in adults was significantly greater than that in first-winter birds because adults had accumulated a greater body Hg burden to excrete (up to a year, compared with a few months' accumulation in first-winter birds). Overall, concentrations were among the lowest found for Larus spp. and Arctic gulls, suggesting that Hg does not pose a risk to Iceland Gulls at the present.
Application of alternative methods for determination of rock quality designation (RQD) index: a case study from the Rožná I uranium mine, Strážek Moldanubicum, Bohemian Massif, Czech Republic
Authors: Vavro M. , Souček K. , Staš L. , Waclawik P. , Vavro L. , Konicek P. , Ptáček J.
Published: July 2015

A comparison of rock quality designation (RQD) parameters obtained by drill core analysis and the RQD determined using alternative methods is presented using metamorphic rocks such as migmatized gneisses, migmatites, and amphibolites. Methods of borehole–wall imaging using high-resolution acoustic logging, optical televiewer, and simple video inspection as well as the structural analysis of exploration drift walls oriented subparallel to the analysed boreholes are used for alternatively evaluated RQD values. Results show that, in most cases, the RQD index measured directly on a drill core section reaches lower values (about 10%–30%) than the RQD evaluated by alternative methods. Significant differences in determination of the rock mass failure degree using classical and alternative methods may occur, especially in sections with higher frequency of the metamorphic foliation planes created by biotite-rich bands or by dark-coloured melanosome layers. The nature of biotite itself is favourable for the creation of pre-disposed jointing planes, in which the increased drill core disintegration caused by drilling technology or core handling can occur. Results show it is highly appropriate to make these comparisons on a larger scale and thus verify whether the observed differences affect the qualitative classification of the rock mass.
MeTA
Authors: Antonelli Dario , Baralis Elena , Bruno Giulia , Cagliero Luca , Cerquitelli Tania , Chiusano Silvia , Garza Paolo , Mahoto Naeem A.
Published: July 2015

Physicians and health care organizations always collect large amounts of data during patient care. These large and high-dimensional datasets are usually characterized by an inherent sparseness. Hence, analyzing these datasets to figure out interesting and hidden knowledge is a challenging task. This article proposes a new data mining framework based on generalized association rules to discover multiple-level correlations among patient data. Specifically, correlations among prescribed examinations, drugs, and patient profiles are discovered and analyzed at different abstraction levels. The rule extraction process is driven by a taxonomy to generalize examinations and drugs into their corresponding categories. To ease the manual inspection of the result, a worthwhile subset of rules (i.e., nonredundant generalized rules) is considered. Furthermore, rules are classified according to the involved data features (medical treatments or patient profiles) and then explored in a top-down fashion: from the small subset of high-level rules, a drill-down is performed to target more specific rules. The experiments, performed on a real diabetic patient dataset, demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in discovering interesting rule groups at different abstraction levels.
Peacock
Authors: Wang Yi , Zhao Xuemin , Sun Zhenlong , Yan Hao , Wang Lifeng , Jin Zhihui , Wang Liubin , Gao Yang , Law Ching , Zeng Jia
Published: July 2015

Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) is a popular topic modeling technique in academia but less so in industry, especially in large-scale applications involving search engine and online advertising systems. A main underlying reason is that the topic models used have been too small in scale to be useful; for example, some of the largest LDA models reported in literature have up to 10
3
topics, which difficultly cover the long-tail semantic word sets. In this article, we show that the number of topics is a key factor that can significantly boost the utility of topic-modeling systems. In particular, we show that a “big” LDA model with at least 10
5
topics inferred from 10
9
search queries can achieve a significant improvement on industrial search engine and online advertising systems, both of which serve hundreds of millions of users. We develop a novel distributed system called
Peacock
to learn big LDA models from big data. The main features of Peacock include hierarchical distributed architecture, real-time prediction, and topic de-duplication. We empirically demonstrate that the Peacock system is capable of providing significant benefits via highly scalable LDA topic models for several industrial applications.
Hazy Image Restoration by Bi-Histogram Modification
Authors: Chen Bo-Hao , Huang Shih-Chia , Ye Jian Hui
Published: July 2015

Visibility restoration techniques are widely used for information recovery of hazy images in many computer vision applications. Estimation of haze density is an essential task of visibility restoration techniques. However, conventional visibility restoration techniques often suffer from either the generation of serious artifacts or the loss of object information in the restored images due to uneven haze density, which usually means that the images contain heavy haze formation within their background regions and little haze formation within their foreground regions. This frequently occurs when the images feature real-world scenes with a deep depth of field. How to effectively and accurately estimate the haze density in the transmission map for these images is the most challenging aspect of the traditional state-of-the-art techniques. In response to this problem, this work proposes a novel visibility restoration approach that is based on Bi-Histogram modification, and which integrates a haze density estimation module and a haze formation removal module for effective and accurate estimation of haze density in the transmission map. As our experimental results demonstrate, the proposed approach achieves superior visibility restoration efficacy in comparison with the other state-of-the-art approaches based on both qualitative and quantitative evaluations. The proposed approach proves effective and accurate in terms of both background and foreground restoration of various hazy scenarios.
Deep Dependency Substructure-Based Learning for Multidocument Summarization
Authors: Yan Su , Wan Xiaojun
Published: July 2015

Most extractive style topic-focused multidocument summarization systems generate a summary by ranking textual units in multiple documents and extracting a proper subset of sentences biased to the given topic. Usually, the textual units are simply represented as sentences or n-grams, which do not carry deep syntactic and semantic information. This article presents a novel extractive topic-focused multidocument summarization framework. The framework proposes a new kind of more meaningful and informative units named frequent Deep Dependency Sub-Structure (DDSS) and a topic-sensitive Multi-Task Learning (MTL) model for frequent DDSS ranking. Given a document set, first, we parse all the sentences into deep dependency structures with a Head-driven Phrase Structure Grammar (HPSG) parser and mine the frequent DDSSs after semantic normalization. Then we employ a topic-sensitive MTL model to learn the importance of these frequent DDSSs. Finally, we exploit an Integer Linear Programming (ILP) formulation and use the frequent DDSSs as the essentials for summary extraction. Experimental results on two DUC datasets demonstrate that our proposed approach can achieve state-of-the-art performance. Both the DDSS information and the topic-sensitive MTL model are validated to be very helpful for topic-focused multidocument summarization.
Cooperative group provisioning with latency guarantees in multi-cloud deployments
Authors: Yaw Sean , Howard Eben , Mumey Brendan , Wittie Mike P.
Published: July 2015

Given a set of datacenters and groups of application clients, well-connected datacenters can be rented as traffic proxies to reduce client latency. Rental costs must be minimized while meeting the application specific latency needs. Here, we formally define the Cooperative Group Provisioning problem and show it is NP-hard to approximate within a constant factor. We introduce a novel greedy approach and demonstrate its promise through extensive simulation using real cloud network topology measurements and realistic client churn. We find that multi-cloud deployments dramatically increase the likelihood of meeting group latency thresholds with minimal cost increase compared to single-cloud deployments.
The Roles of mTOR Complexes in Lipid Metabolism
Authors: Caron Alexandre , Richard Denis , Laplante Mathieu
Published: July 2015

The synthesis of lipids in response to food intake represents a key advantage that allows organisms to survive when energy availability is limited. In mammals, circulating levels of insulin and nutrients, which fluctuate between fasting and feeding, dictate whether lipids are synthesized or catabolized by tissues. The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), a kinase that is activated by anabolic signals, plays fundamental roles in regulating lipid biosynthesis and metabolism in response to nutrition. The mTOR kinase nucleates two large protein complexes named mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) and mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2). Following their activation, these complexes facilitate the accumulation of triglycerides by promoting adipogenesis and lipogenesis and by shutting down catabolic processes such as lipolysis and β-oxidation. Here, we review and discuss the roles of mTOR complexes in various aspects of lipid metabolism in mammals. We also use this opportunity to discuss the implication of these relations to the maintenance of systemic lipid homeostasis.
Saturated Fats Versus Polyunsaturated Fats Versus Carbohydrates for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Treatment
Authors: Siri-Tarino Patty W. , Chiu Sally , Bergeron Nathalie , Krauss Ronald M.
Published: July 2015

The effects of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk are modulated by the nutrients that replace them and their food matrices. Replacement of SFAs with polyunsaturated fatty acids has been associated with reduced CVD risk, although there is heterogeneity in both fatty acid categories. In contrast, replacement of SFAs with carbohydrates, particularly sugar, has been associated with no improvement or even a worsening of CVD risk, at least in part through effects on atherogenic dyslipidemia, a cluster of traits including small, dense low-density lipoprotein particles. The effects of dietary SFAs on insulin sensitivity, inflammation, vascular function, and thrombosis are less clear. There is growing evidence that SFAs in the context of dairy foods, particularly fermented dairy products, have neutral or inverse associations with CVD. Overall dietary patterns emphasizing vegetables, fish, nuts, and whole versus processed grains form the basis of heart-healthy eating and should supersede a focus on macronutrient composition.
Oral antioxidants improve leg blood flow during exercise in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Rossman Matthew J. , Trinity Joel D. , Garten Ryan S. , Ives Stephen J. , Conklin Jamie D. , Barrett-O'Keefe Zachary , Witman Melissa A. H. , Bledsoe Amber D. , Morgan David E. , Runnels Sean , Reese Van R. , Zhao Jia , Amann Markus , Wray D. Walter , Richardson Russell S.
Published: July 2015

The consequence of elevated oxidative stress on exercising skeletal muscle blood flow as well as the transport and utilization of O2 in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is not well understood. The present study examined the impact of an oral antioxidant cocktail (AOC) on leg blood flow (LBF) and O2 consumption during dynamic exercise in 16 patients with COPD and 16 healthy subjects. Subjects performed submaximal (3, 6, and 9 W) single-leg knee extensor exercise while LBF (Doppler ultrasound), mean arterial blood pressure, leg vascular conductance, arterial O2 saturation, leg arterial-venous O2 difference, and leg O2 consumption (direct Fick) were evaluated under control conditions and after AOC administration. AOC administration increased LBF (3 W: 1,604 ± 100 vs. 1,798 ± 128 ml/min, 6 W: 1,832 ± 109 vs. 1,992 ± 120 ml/min, and 9W: 2,035 ± 114 vs. 2,187 ± 136 ml/min, P < 0.05, control vs. AOC, respectively), leg vascular conductance, and leg O2 consumption (3 W: 173 ± 12 vs. 210 ± 15 ml O2/min, 6 W: 217 ± 14 vs. 237 ± 15 ml O2/min, and 9 W: 244 ± 16 vs 260 ± 18 ml O2/min, P < 0.05, control vs. AOC, respectively) during exercise in COPD, whereas no effect was observed in healthy subjects. In addition, the AOC afforded a small, but significant, improvement in arterial O2 saturation only in patients with COPD. Thus, these data demonstrate a novel beneficial role of AOC administration on exercising LBF, O2 consumption, and arterial O2 saturation in patients with COPD, implicating oxidative stress as a potential therapeutic target for impaired exercise capacity in this population.
A mouse model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction due to chronic infusion of a low subpressor dose of angiotensin II
Authors: Regan Jessica A. , Mauro Adolfo Gabriele , Carbone Salvatore , Marchetti Carlo , Gill Rabia , Mezzaroma Eleonora , Valle Raleigh Juan , Salloum Fadi N. , Van Tassell Benjamin W. , Abbate Antonio , Toldo Stefano
Published: July 2015

Heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a clinical syndrome of HF symptoms associated with impaired diastolic function. Although it represents ∼50% of patients with HF, the mechanisms of disease are poorly understood, and therapies are generally ineffective in reducing HF progression. Animal models of HFpEF not due to pressure or volume overload are lacking, therefore limiting in-depth understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms and the development of novel therapies. We hypothesize that a continuous infusion of low-dose angiotensin II (ATII) is sufficient to induce left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction and HFpEF, without increasing blood pressure or inducing LV hypertrophy or dilatation. Osmotic pumps were implanted subcutaneously in 8-wk-old male mice assigned to the ATII (0.2 mg·kg−1·day−1) or volume-matched vehicle ( N = 8/group) for 4 wk. We measured systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressures through a tail-cuff transducer, LV dimensions and ejection fraction through echocardiography, and LV relaxation through pulsed-wave Doppler and LV catheterization. Myocardial fibrosis and cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area were measured. ATII infusion had no effects on systemic arterial blood pressure. ATII induced significant impairment in LV diastolic function, as measured by an increase (worsening) in LV isovolumetric relaxation time, myocardial performance index, isovolumetric relaxation time constant, and LV end-diastolic pressure without altering LV dimensions, mass, or ejection fraction. Chronic infusion of low-dose ATII recapitulates the HFpEF phenotype in the mouse, without increasing systemic arterial blood pressure. This mouse model may provide insight into the mechanisms of HFpEF.
Time of day affects the frequency and duration of breathing events and the critical closing pressure during NREM sleep in participants with sleep apnea
Authors: El-Chami Mohamad , Shaheen David , Ivers Blake , Syed Ziauddin , Badr M. Safwan , Lin Ho-Sheng , Mateika Jason H.
Published: July 2015

We investigated if the number and duration of breathing events coupled to upper airway collapsibility were affected by the time of day. Male participants with obstructive sleep apnea completed a constant routine protocol that consisted of sleep sessions in the evening (10 PM to 1 AM), morning (6 AM to 9 AM), and afternoon (2 PM to 5 PM). On one occasion the number and duration of breathing events was ascertained for each sleep session. On a second occasion the critical closing pressure that demarcated upper airway collapsibility was determined. The duration of breathing events was consistently greater in the morning compared with the evening and afternoon during N1 and N2, while an increase in event frequency was evident during N1. The critical closing pressure was increased in the morning (2.68 ± 0.98 cmH2O) compared with the evening (1.29 ± 0.91 cmH2O; P ≤ 0.02) and afternoon (1.25 ± 0.79; P ≤ 0.01). The increase in the critical closing pressure was correlated to the decrease in the baseline partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the morning compared with the afternoon and evening ( r = −0.73, P ≤ 0.005). Our findings indicate that time of day affects the duration and frequency of events, coupled with alterations in upper airway collapsibility. We propose that increases in airway collapsibility in the morning may be linked to an endogenous modulation of baseline carbon dioxide levels and chemoreflex sensitivity (12), which are independent of the consequences of sleep apnea.
Effect of endurance and/or strength training on muscle fiber size, oxidative capacity, and capillarity in hemodialysis patients
Authors: Lewis Michael I. , Fournier Mario , Wang Huiyuan , Storer Thomas W. , Casaburi Richard , Kopple Joel D.
Published: July 2015

We previously reported reduced limb muscle fiber succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity and capillarity density and increased cross-sectional areas (CSAs) of all fiber types in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients compared with matched controls that may contribute to their effort intolerance and muscle weakness. This study evaluated whether endurance training (ET), strength training (ST), or their combination (EST) alters these metabolic and morphometric aberrations as a mechanism for functional improvement. Five groups were evaluated: 1) controls; 2) MHD/no training; 3) MHD/ET; 4) MHD/ST; and 5) MHD/EST. Training duration was 21.5 ± 0.7 wk. Vastus lateralis muscle biopsies were obtained after HD at baseline and at study end. Muscle fibers were classified immunohistochemically, and fiber CSAs were computed. Individual fiber SDH activity was determined by a microdensitometric assay. Capillaries were identified using antibodies against endothelial cells. Type I and IIA fiber CSAs decreased significantly (10%) with EST. In the ET group, SDH activity increased 16.3% in type IIA and 19.6% in type IIX fibers. Capillary density increased significantly by 28% in the EST group and 14.3% with ET. The number of capillaries surrounding individual fiber type increased significantly in EST and ET groups. Capillary-to-fiber ratio increased significantly by 11 and 9.6% in EST and ET groups, respectively. We conclude that increments in capillarity and possibly SDH activity in part underlie improvements in endurance of MHD patients posttraining. We speculate that improved specific force and/or neural adaptations to exercise underlie improvements in limb muscle strength of MHD patients.
Multiplex Genome-Edited T-cell Manufacturing Platform for “Off-the-Shelf” Adoptive T-cell Immunotherapies
Authors: Poirot Laurent , Philip Brian , Schiffer-Mannioui Cécile , Le Clerre Diane , Chion-Sotinel Isabelle , Derniame Sophie , Potrel Pierrick , Bas Cécile , Lemaire Laetitia , Galetto Roman , Lebuhotel Céline , Eyquem Justin , Cheung Gordon Weng-Kit , Duclert Aymeric , Gouble Agnès , Arnould Sylvain , Peggs Karl , Pule Martin , Scharenberg Andrew M. , Smith Julianne
Published: July 2015

Adoptive immunotherapy using autologous T cells endowed with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) has emerged as a powerful means of treating cancer. However, a limitation of this approach is that autologous CAR T cells must be generated on a custom-made basis. Here we show that electroporation of transcription activator–like effector nuclease (TALEN) mRNA allows highly efficient multiplex gene editing in primary human T cells. We use this TALEN-mediated editing approach to develop a process for the large-scale manufacturing of T cells deficient in expression of both their αβ T-cell receptor (TCR) and CD52, a protein targeted by alemtuzumab, a chemotherapeutic agent. Functionally, T cells manufactured with this process do not mediate graft-versus-host reactions and are rendered resistant to destruction by alemtuzumab. These characteristics enable the administration of alemtuzumab concurrently or prior to engineered T cells, supporting their engraftment. Furthermore, endowing the TALEN-engineered cells with a CD19 CAR led to efficient destruction of CD19+ tumor targets even in the presence of the chemotherapeutic agent. These results demonstrate the applicability of TALEN-mediated genome editing to a scalable process, which enables the manufacturing of third-party CAR T-cell immunotherapies against arbitrary targets. As such, CAR T-cell immunotherapies can therefore be used in an “off-the-shelf” manner akin to other biologic immunopharmaceuticals. Cancer Res; 75(18); 3853–64. ©2015 AACR.
Tristetraprolin Limits Inflammatory Cytokine Production in Tumor-Associated Macrophages in an mRNA Decay–Independent Manner
Authors: Kratochvill Franz , Gratz Nina , Qualls Joseph E. , Van De Velde Lee-Ann , Chi Hongbo , Kovarik Pavel , Murray Peter J.
Published: July 2015

Tristetraprolin (TTP) is an inducible zinc finger AU-rich RNA-binding protein essential for enforcing degradation of mRNAs encoding inflammatory chemokines and cytokines. Most studies on TTP center on the connection between mRNA half-life and inflammatory output, because loss of TTP amplifies inflammation by increasing the stability of AU-rich mRNAs. Here, we focused on how TTP controls cytokine and chemokine production in the nonresolving inflammation of cancer using tissue-specific approaches. In contrast with model in vitro macrophage systems, we found constitutive TTP expression in late-stage tumor-associated macrophages (TAM). However, TTP's effects on AU-rich mRNA stability were negligible and limited by constitutive p38α MAPK activity, which was the main driver of proinflammatory cytokine production in TAMs at the posttranscriptional level. Instead, elimination of TTP caused excessive protein production of inflammatory mediators, suggesting TTP-dependent translational suppression of AU-rich mRNAs. Manipulation of the p38α–TTP axis in macrophages has significant effects on the growth of tumors and therefore represents a means to manipulate inflammation in the tumor microenvironment. Cancer Res; 75(15); 3054–64. ©2015 AACR.
Severe Onychodystrophy due to Allergic Contact Dermatitis from Acrylic Nails
Authors: Mattos Simoes Mendonca Marcela , LaSenna Charlotte , Tosti Antonella
Published: July 2015

Acrylic nails, including sculptured nails and the new ultraviolet-curable gel polish lacquers, have been associated with allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). We report 2 cases of ACD to acrylic nails with severe onychodystrophy and psoriasiform changes including onycholysis and subungual hyperkeratosis. In both cases, the patients did not realize the association between the use of acrylate-based manicures and nail changes. One patient had been previously misdiagnosed and treated unsuccessfully for nail psoriasis. The informed clinician should elicit a history of acrylic manicure in patients with these nail changes, especially in cases of suspected nail psoriasis refractory to treatment. Patch testing is a useful tool in confirming diagnosis.
The Effect of Silibinin on the Pharmacokinetics of Ivabradine and N-Desmethylivabradine in Rats
Authors: Chen Xing-Peng , Zheng Hai-Tao , Cai Wei-Wei , Li Meng-Ke , Zhang Jian-Wei , Hu Jie
Published: July 2015

The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of orally administered silibinin on the pharmacokinetics of ivabradine and its active metabolite N-desmethylivabradine in rats. Twelve healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: the control group (received oral 1.0 mg/kg ivabradine alone) and the combination group (1.0 mg/kg ivabradine orally coadministered with 30 mg/kg silibinin). The plasma concentration of ivabradine and N-desmethylivabradine were estimated by ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) and different pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using the DAS 2.0 software. The pharmacokinetic parameters of t1/2, Cmax, AUC(0-t) and AUC(0-∞) of ivabradine in the combination group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p < 0.01). However, silibinin has no effect on the pharmacokinetics of N-desmethylivabradine. This study demonstrates that silibinin increase plasma concentration of ivabradine. Henceforth, the pharmacodynamic influence of this interaction should be taken into consideration while prescribing ivabradine to patients already taking silibinin.
Mixed Adenoneuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Stomach
Authors: Kwok Ching-Ming
Published: July 2015

Mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma is a rare condition comprising at least 30% of each component of exocrine and endocrine tumors. The denominations were defined in the 2000 WHO classification of endocrine tumors. We report an 83-year-old male with a polypoid gastric tumor in the gastric high body who received total gastrectomy and died 8 months after the diagnosis from local recurrence and distal metastases. A review of the literature for this infrequent condition is presented.
Erythema Dyschromicum Perstans: Identical to Ashy Dermatosis or Not
Authors: Numata Takafumi , Harada Kazutoshi , Tsuboi Ryoji , Mitsuhashi Yoshihiko
Published: July 2015

Erythema dyschromicum perstans (EDP) and ashy dermatosis (AD) are pigmentary disorders of unknown etiology. EDP is usually considered to be identical to AD; however, a new clinical classification for EDP was proposed in the recent literature. Herein, we report a typical case of EDP observed in an African-American man. Interestingly, the late skin lesions in this case fit the criteria of AD as well. While there appear to be a few clinical cases that can be diagnosed as both EDP and AD based on the clinical course, the preponderance of the evidence in the published reports of EDP and AD and the clinical findings reported here strongly suggest that they are two distinct entities in terms of the extent of the inflammation, albeit on the same spectrum of pigment disorders.
Efficacy and Safety of Exercise Training in Chronic Pulmonary Hypertension
Authors: Pandey Ambarish , Garg Sushil , Khunger Monica , Garg Sonia , Kumbhani Dharam J. , Chin Kelly M. , Berry Jarett D.
Published: July 2015

Background—

Exercise training has been shown to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, physical capacity, and quality of life in patients with cardiopulmonary conditions, such as heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, its role in management of pulmonary hypertension is not well defined. In this study, we aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of exercise training in patients with pulmonary hypertension.

Methods and Results—

We included all prospective intervention studies that evaluated the efficacy and safety of exercise training in patients with pulmonary hypertension. Primary outcome of this meta-analysis was a change in 6-minute walk distance. We also assessed the effect of exercise on peak oxygen uptake, resting pulmonary arterial systolic pressure, peak exercise heart rate, and quality of life. A total of 469 exercise-training participants enrolled in 16 separate training studies were included. In the pooled analysis, exercise training was associated with significant improvement in 6-minute walk distance (weighted mean difference, 53.3 m; 95% confidence interval, 39.5–67.2), peak oxygen uptake (weighted mean difference, 1.8 mL/kg per minute; 95% confidence interval, 1.4–2.3), pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (weighted mean difference, −3.7 mm Hg; 95% confidence interval, −5.4 to −1.9), peak exercise heart rate (weighted mean difference, 10 beats per min; 95% confidence interval, 6–15), and quality of life as measured on SF-36 questionnaire subscale scores. Furthermore, exercise training was well tolerated with a low dropout rate, and no major adverse events were related to exercise training.

Conclusions—

Exercise training in patients with pulmonary hypertension appears safe and is associated with a significant improvement in exercise capacity, pulmonary arterial pressure, and quality of life.
Cycadophila, a new genus (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) inhabiting Cycas debaoensis (Cycadaceae) in Asia
Authors: XU GUANG , TANG WILLIAM , SKELLEY PAUL , LIU NIAN , RICH STEPHEN
Published: July 2015

Asian species assigned to Pharaxonotha Reitter formed a separate clade from New World species of the genus and are distinguished on the basis of morphology and analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences. Cycadophila, new genus, is described based on a consideration of four Asian species in comparison with New World Pharaxonotha. This new genus includes two new species (Cycadophila debaonica new species and Cycadophila fupingensis new species) and two previously described species (Cycadophila nigra (Gorham) new combination and Cycadophila yunnanensis (Grouvelle) new combination). These latter two may represent species complexes. Lectotypes are designated for Thallis nigra Gorham and Pharaxonotha yunnanensis Grouvelle. Larvae of C. debaonica and C. fupingensis are described based on individuals collected on the cones of Cycas debaoensis Y. C. Zhong & C. J. Chen (Cycadaceae), a cycad native to Guangxi and Yunnan provinces, China.
Morphological and molecular review of the Gekko diversity of Laos with descriptions of three new species
Authors: LUU VINH QUANG , CALAME THOMAS , Nguyen Truong QUang , LE MINH DUC , ZIEGLER THOMAS
Published: July 2015

A review of the taxonomy, phylogeny, zoogeography, and ecology of the genus Gekko in Laos is provided based on morphological and molecular datasets. Three new species, which are both morphologically distinctive and molecularly divergent from described congeners, are described from Khammouane Province, central Laos: two members of the G. japonicus group, Gekko bonkowskii sp. nov. and Gekko sengchanthavongi sp. nov., and another member of the G. petricolus group, Gekko boehmei sp. nov. Gekko bonkowskii sp. nov. is closely related to the recently described G. thakekensis, which also occurs in Khammouane Province. Gekko sengchanthavongi sp. nov. is supported as a sister taxon to G. scientiadventura and Gekko boehmei sp. nov. is recovered as a sister species to G. petricolus. In addition, a key to the currently recognized members of the genus Gekko from Laos is provided.
Dialog between a Lexicographer and a Translator
Authors: Kit Mark , Koseska-Toszewa Violetta
Published: July 2015

Dialog between a Lexicographer and a TranslatorThe discussion between the authors of the paper concerns the most pressing issues encountered in natural language semantics, as well as in corpus linguistics and computational linguistics. A broad range of knowledge, allowing linguists and information scientists to work together, is required in these areas. The paper describes some primary problems of human and machine translation caused by gaps between different fields of knowledge. The authors suggest that interdisciplinary approach is required when it comes to contrastive studies in linguistics.
The Dictionary Writing System Lexit and Its Application in Bilingual Lexicography
Authors: Koeva Svetla , Blagoeva Diana
Published: July 2015

The Dictionary Writing System Lexit and Its Application in Bilingual LexicographyThe paper presents LexIt  – a web-based Dictionary Writing System designed for the creation and enlargement of dictionaries. A wide range of dictionaries – monolingual, specialised, multilingual, thesauri, can be configured with the system, as it enables users to model, copy, and save templates describing the structure of any dictionary. The paper describes a model for a bilingual dictionary containing phonetic, grammatical, stylistic, semantic, and collocational information and its configuration within LexIt. A bilingual dictionary is chosen for a demonstration, as its entries have a complex structure that includes various elements reflecting the correspondences between source and target languages.
Experimental Polish-Lithuanian Corpus with the Semantic Annotation Elements
Authors: Roszko Danuta , Roszko Roman
Published: July 2015

Experimental Polish-Lithuanian Corpus with the Semantic Annotation ElementsIn the article the authors present the experimental Polish-Lithuanian corpus (ECorpPL-LT) formed for the idea of Polish-Lithuanian theoretical contrastive studies, a Polish-Lithuanian electronic dictionary, and as help for a sworn translator. The semantic annotation being brought into ECorpPL-LT is extremely useful in Polish-Lithuanian contrastive studies, and also proves helpful in translation work.
Automatic Prompt System in the Process of Mapping plWordNet on Princeton WordNet
Authors: Kędzia Paweł , Piasecki Maciej , Rudnicka Ewa , Przybycień Konrad
Published: July 2015

Automatic Prompt System in the Process of Mapping plWordNet on Princeton WordNetThe paper offers a critical evaluation of the power and usefulness of an automatic prompt system based on the extended Relaxation Labelling algorithm in the process of (manual) mapping plWordNet on Princeton WordNet. To this end the results of manual mapping – that is inter-lingual relations between plWN and PWN synsets – are juxtaposed with the automatic prompts that were generated for the source language synsets to be mapped. We check the number and type of inter-lingual relations introduced on the basis of automatic prompts and the distance of the respective prompt synsets from the actual target language synsets.
Contemporary Contrastive Studies of Polish, Bulgarian and Russian Neologisms versus Language Corpora
Authors: Satoła-Staśkowiak Joanna
Published: July 2015

Contemporary Contrastive Studies of Polish, Bulgarian and Russian Neologisms versus Language CorporaIn the field of Slavonic linguistics contrastive studies of neologisms occupy little place, the newest words are insufficiently described and classified. The aim of this article is to draw attention to the need for contrastive description of the newest lexis and checking exclusively one of many possibilities of obtaining Polish, Bulgarian and Russian neologisms. Language corpora, as this possibility is in question, are not the only source from which the author obtains her research material, yet a growing interest in corpora has inspired her to also use this method. The author wants to show the reader to what degree language corpora can help in building the thesaurus of Polish, Bulgarian and Russian neologisms. Making an attempt to confront a collection of neologisms of contemporary Polish, Bulgarian and Russian language, the author points out the need to standardize the description (identical for each of the analysed languages), which she intends to propose in another publications on neologisms in Polish, Bulgarian and Russian language. The application of contrastive method to three different but related languages from the Slavonic group will help, in her opinion, to discover more mechanisms of new words coming into existence and examine the newest derivative processes and their productivity.
Bulgarian-Polish Language Resources (Current State and Future Development)
Authors: Dimitrova Ludmila , Koseska-Toszewa Violetta
Published: July 2015

Bulgarian-Polish Language Resources (Current State and Future Development)The paper briefly reviews the first Bulgarian-Polish digital bilingual resources: corpora and dictionaries, which are currently developed under bilateral collaboration between IMI-BAS and ISS-PAS: joint research project “Semantics and contrastive linguistics with a focus on a bilingual electronic dictionary”, coordinated by L. Dimitrova (IMI-BAS) and V. Koseska (ISS-PAS).
Building Parallel Treebanks for Underresourced Languages: a Georgian-Ukrainian Treebank Proposal
Authors: Kapanadze Oleg , Mishchenko Alla
Published: July 2015

Building Parallel Treebanks for Underresourced Languages: a Georgian-Ukrainian Treebank ProposalWe present outcomes of an undertaking on building a parallel Treebank for the Georgian and the Ukrainian languages, which is a “side product” of the GRUG multilingual Treebank project. The GRUG acronym stands for the German- Russian-Ukrainian-Georgian Treebank intended for contrastive studies and translation memory systems. The monolingual Ukrainian and Georgian parallel sentences were syntactically annotated manually using the Synpathy tool. Tagsets for both languages follow an adapted version of the German TIGER guidelines with necessary changes relevant for the Georgian and the Ukrainian grammar formal description. An output of the monolingual syntactic annotation is in the TIGER-XML format.  Alignment of monolingual resources into a bilingual Georgian-Ukrainian Treebank was done by the Stockholm TreeAligner software.