bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Parent Identity and Family-School Partnerships: Animating Diverse Enactments for (Special) Education Decision Making
Authors: Miller Amanda L. , Love Hailey R. , Kurth Jennifer A. , Zagona Alison L.
Published: May 2019

Family-school partnerships between family members and school personnel can be successful as well as unproductive for parents who have children and youth with developmental disabilities (DD). This qualitative study sought to capture parents' identities as they negotiated family-school partnerships when making inclusive education decisions and discussing special education service-delivery options for their children and youth with DD. Seventeen participants shared their personal narratives in interviews and focus groups. Data were thematically analyzed after an initial round of open-coding generated broad themes. Findings revealed that the experiences parents have in partnering with schools span an identity spectrum, including (a) victim, (b) advocate, (c) perseverer, (d) educator, (e) broker and negotiator, and (f) surrenderer. Implications for policy, practice, and research focus on parent identity and family-school partnerships.
MicroRNA Biogenesis Machinery Is Dysregulated in the Endometrium of Infertile Women Suggesting a Role in Receptivity and Infertility
Authors: Loke Hannah , Rainczuk Kate , Dimitriadis Evdokia
Published: May 2019

MicroRNAs (miRs) regulate endometrial function and their dysregulation could underlie unexplained infertility in women. Ribonucleases including DICER and DROSHA, and the proteins, ARGONAUTE 1 (AGO 1) and 2 (AGO 2) regulate the biogenesis/maturation of miRs. We aimed to elucidate the expression and localization of miR biogenesis machinery components during the human menstrual cycle and compare their levels in endometrium from women with normal fertility and primary unexplained infertility. miR biogenesis components were measured by quantitative-RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. In the endometrium of women with normal fertility, DROSHA immunolocalized maximally to the epithelium during the early and mid-secretory phases compared with the proliferative and late-secretory phases. Stromal DICER immunostaining intensity was higher in the late-secretory phase compared with all other phases in fertile women. DROSHA mRNA was reduced in the mid-secretory-infertile whole endometrial tissue (has all cells of the tissue), and primary epithelial and stromal cells while no differences were found in DICER, AGO1, and AGO2 mRNA. In the luminal epithelium, DROSHA staining intensity was reduced in early and mid-secretory-infertile while DICER staining was reduced in the early secretory-infertile compared with their respective fertile groups. DICER and DROSHA were dynamically regulated across the menstrual cycle and reduced levels during receptivity phase could underlie implantation failure/infertility.
Docking Studies of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase and HIV-1 Integrase with Phytocompounds of Carissa Carandas L.
Authors: Singh Reetika , Nath Abhigyan , Sharma Bechan
Published: May 2019

Background
Carissa carandas L. is a well-known wild fruit plant distributed through-out the India and also present in other countries. The fruits are rich in nutrients and minerals. A number of medicinally important phytochemicals such as carrisone, carindone, carandinol, lupeol, scopoletin, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, myo-inositol, β-amyrin, Des-n-methylnoracronycine etc. have been reported from the extract of this plant. Being safe and cost effective molecules, the activity of phytochemicals against HIV-1 enzymes needs to be screened.

Objective
The aim of this study was to screen the potent phytocompound of C. carandas against human immunodeficiency virus-1 using docking method.

Methods
Total nine compounds viz. carandinol, caridone, carrisone, lupeol, p-coumaric acid, gallic acid, rutin, scopoletin and ursolic acid were used for in-silico study towards drug development against human immunodeficiency virus-1 reverse transcriptase (HIV-1RT; PDB ID: 1REV) and human immunodeficiency virus-1 protease (PDB ID:1EBY) using Autodock software.

Results
The qualitative characterization of the extracts showed the presence of a number of phytochemicals such as phenolics, flavonoids, alkaloids, terepnoids, terpenes, steroids, glycosides etc. Carandinol was observed as most effective anti-HIV-1 molecule having lowest binding energy and small inhibition coefficient. Another compound, p-coumaric acid, showed least effectiveness against human immunodeficiency virus- 1 reverse transcriptase or human immunodeficiency virus-1 protease showing highest binding energy and inhibition coefficients among all the evaluated phytocompounds.

Conclusion
The in-silico study demonstrated that some phytoconstituents of C. carandas exhibit potential anti-human immunodeficiency virus -1 activity and hence can be optimized to develop as a drug candidate in future.
Phytochemical Analysis and Thin Layer Chromatography Profiling of Crude Extracts from Senna Occidentalis(Leaves)
Authors: A.M Lawal , R Abdullahi , M.S Ibrahim , M.Y Kurfi , A Khalid , M Nuhu
Published: May 2019

Plants used for medicinal practices which were discovered since prehistoric stone ages are termed Medicinal plants, which are also referred to as medicinal herbs, since plants produces bioactive chemical compounds (phytochemicals), this research however, is concerned with the extraction using Soxhlet extraction technique, phytochemical screening using various test methods, which reveals the presence of anthraquinones (free anthraquinones and combined anthraquinones), carbohydrates, cardiac glycosides, glycosides, flavonoids, saponins, steroids/ terpenes, phenolic compounds and tannins, and absence of alkaloids for extracts of senna occidentalis and also, thin layer chromatography profiling which gives probable foundation for further structural elucidation amongst others. This research shows the presence of potent secondary metabolites present in the leaves of senna occidentalis (leaves).
The Effects of Technology-Mediated TBLT on Enhancing the Speaking Abilities of University Students in a Collaborative EFL Learning Environment
Authors: Chen Kate Tzu-Ching
Published: May 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of technology-mediated TBLT (Task based language teaching) tasks where students must collaborate within an English as Foreign Language (EFL) course created to develop their English speaking abilities. A total of 25 students participated in this study and were assigned to groups of 4 to 6. Each group was asked to create seven five-minute video productions in English using their cell phone camera about topics assigned to them by the teacher over the course of one semester. The results of the pre-test and post-test indicated that the tasks were effective in improving students’ English speaking abilities. Class observations and students’ Facebook posts showed predominately positive perceptions towards the task of video making with their respective groups using technology tools. The bi-weekly video productions and the end-of-term survey revealed that the participants believe that technology-mediated TBLT in a collaborative learning environment was beneficial in increasing their English speaking abilities, which highlights the need to shift from teacher-centered activities to learner-centered activities within a collaborative learning environment.
Risk and Discrimination
Authors: Ederington Josh , Minier Jenny , Jill Stowe C.
Published: May 2019

In the traditional Becker model of employer discrimination, discriminatory behavior arises from a utility-maximizing owner who balances firm profits against the disutility of hiring workers from the disadvantaged demographic group. However, in the modern firm, many human resource decisions are made by agents of the owner (managers) whose actions may not reflect the preferences of even profit-maximizing owners. We present a principal-agent model of discrimination with a profit-maximizing owner and a gender-discriminating manager and show that managerial discrimination is increasing with the degree of risk in the firm’s revenue stream. Empirical tests using a Colombian plant-level dataset support a prediction of our model that female workers should be under-represented in more revenue volatile firms and industries.
Impact of total automation consolidating first-line laboratory tests on diagnostic blood loss
Authors: Pasqualetti Sara , Aloisio Elena , Birindelli Sarah , Dolci Alberto , Panteghini Mauro
Published: May 2019

Background

Blood loss for laboratory testing may contribute to hospital-acquired anemia. When implementing the core laboratory (core-lab) section, we consolidated first-line tests decreasing the number of tubes previously dispatched to different sites. Here, hypothesized benefits of the amount of blood volume drawn were explored.

Methods

We retrieved, using a laboratory information system (LIS), the number of tubes received by laboratories interested in the change from all clinical wards in a year-based period, i.e. 2013 for pre-core-lab and 2015 for core-lab system, respectively. Data were expressed as the overall number of tubes sent to laboratories, the corresponding blood volume, and the number of laboratory tests performed, normalized for the number of inpatients.

Results

After consolidation, the average number of blood tubes per inpatient significantly decreased (12.6 vs. 10.7, p < 0.001). However, intensive care units (ICUs) did not reduce the number of tubes per patient, according to the needs of daily monitoring of their clinical status. The average blood volume sent to laboratories did not vary significantly because serum tubes for core-lab required higher volumes for testing up to 55 analytes in the same transaction. Finally, the number of requested tests per patient during the new osystem slightly decreased (−2.6%).

Conclusions

Total laboratory automation does not automatically mean reducing iatrogenic blood loss. The new system affected the procedure of blood drawing in clinical wards by significantly reducing the number of handled tubes, producing a benefit in terms of costs, labor and time consumption. Except in ICUs, this also slightly promoted some blood saving. ICUs which engage in phlebotomizing patients daily, did not take advantage from the test consolidation.
Survey on real forms of the complex A2(2)-Toda equation and surface theory
Authors: Dorfmeister Josef F. , Freyn Walter , Kobayashi Shimpei , Wang Erxiao
Published: May 2019

The classical result of describing harmonic maps from surfaces into symmetric spaces of reductive Lie groups [9] states that the Maurer-Cartan form with an additional parameter, the so-called loop parameter, is integrable for all values of the loop parameter. As a matter of fact, the same result holds for k-symmetric spaces over reductive Lie groups, [8].

In this survey we will show that to each of the five different types of real forms for a loop group of A2(2) there exists a surface class, for which some frame is integrable for all values of the loop parameter if and only if it belongs to one of the surface classes, that is, minimal Lagrangian surfaces in ℂℙ2, minimal Lagrangian surfaces in ℂℍ2, timelike minimal Lagrangian surfaces in ℂℍ12, proper definite affine spheres in ℝ3 and proper indefinite affine spheres in ℝ3, respectively.
The effect of curcumin with piperine supplementation on pro-oxidant and antioxidant balance in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Authors: Mirhafez Seyed Reza , Farimani Azam Rezaei , Gholami Ali , Hooshmand Elham , Tavallaie Shima , Nobakht M. Gh B. Fatemeh
Published: May 2019

Background

The main causes of the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are enhanced levels of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation products. Therefore, the usage of antioxidant agents for the prevention and remedy of this disorder was recommended. Curcumin is proposed to treat NAFLD due to its high antioxidative activity. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of curcumin with piperine supplementation on oxidative stress in subjects with NAFLD.

Methods

In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 55 subjects were randomly divided into two groups (curcumin with piperine and placebo). The participants received administrations of curcumin (500 mg) in combination with piperine (5 mg) and placebo daily for 8 weeks. Oxidative stress was assessed by measuring serum pro-oxidant and antioxidant balance (PAB) assay before and after the intervention.

Results

The serum PAB values did not significantly change between the treatment group vs. age and gender-matched placebo group after 8 weeks of supplementation. Also, curcumin in combination with piperine did not show a significant decrease (p = 0.06) in PAB levels compared to baseline.

Conclusions

The present study demonstrated that a dose of curcumin, co-supplied with piperine might be less than a dose in which curcumin can significantly decrease PAB values in these patients.
On obstacle problem for mean curvature flow with driving force
Authors: Giga Yoshikazu , Tran Hung V. , Zhang Longjie
Published: May 2019

In this paper, we study an obstacle problem associated with the mean curvature flow with constant driving force. Our first main result concerns interior and boundary regularity of the solution. We then study in details the large time behavior of the solution and obtain the convergence result. In particular, we give full characterization of the limiting profiles in the radially symmetric setting.
On the syntax/pragmatics interface: Expressing surprise and disapproval
Authors: Giorgi Alessandra , Farra Chiara Dal
Published: May 2019

In this work we consider Italian special questions expressing surprise and question-exclamatives expressing surprise-disapproval. Both sentence types are introduced by the adversative particlema. In order to better understand the role of prosody and gesture in these structures with respect to syntax, we run some experiments of sentence production and sentence elicitation. The results point to an integrated model of the three components: syntax prosody and gestures. We will show in fact that the appropriate prosody and gesture are triggered by a dedicated projection in the syntactic structure, which is read off at the interface with the sensorimotor component.
Implementing Disaster Policy: Exploring Scale and Measurement Schemes for Disaster Resilience
Authors: Cutter Susan L. , Derakhshan Sahar
Published: May 2019

Resilience measurement continues to be a meeting ground between policy makers and academics. However, there are inherent limitations in measuring disaster resilience. For example, resilience indicators produced by FEMA and one produced by an independent academic group (BRIC) measure community resilience by defining and quantifying community resilience at a national level, but they each have a different conceptual model of the resilience concept. The FEMA approach focuses on measuring resilience capacity based on preparedness capabilities embodied in the National Preparedness Goals at state and county scales. BRIC examines community (spatially defined as county) components (or capitals) that influence resilience and provides a baseline of pre-existing resilience in places to enable periodic updates to measure resilience improvements. Using these two approaches as examples, this paper examines the differences and similarities in these two approaches in terms of the conceptual framing, data resolution, and representation and the resultant statistical and spatial differences in outcomes. Users of resilience measurement tools need to be keenly aware of the conceptual framing, input data, and geographic scale of any schema before implementation as these parameters can and do make a difference in the outcome even when they claim to be measuring the same concept.
Integrating Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics Education
Authors: Pucker Boas , Schilbert Hanna Marie , Schumacher Sina Franziska
Published: May 2019

Combined awareness about the power and limitations of bioinformatics and molecular biology enables advanced research based on high-throughput data. Despite an increasing demand of scientists with a combined background in both fields, the education of dry and wet lab subjects are often still separated. This work describes an example of integrated education with a focus on genomics and transcriptomics. Participants learned computational and molecular biology methods in the same practical course. Peer-review was applied as a teaching method to foster cooperative learning of students with heterogeneous backgrounds. The positive evaluation results indicate that this approach was accepted by the participants and would likely be suitable for wider scale application.
Focalization of Heat Waves in an Inhomogeneous System
Authors: Sellitto Antonio , Amendola Ada , Jou David
Published: May 2019

Curved interfaces between material media with different characteristic speed for heat waves may be the basis for thermal lenses, concentrating the energy carried by parallel thermal rays on a focal point. This may be of practical use for the amplification of thermal signals and for the development of sensitive thermal sensors. When dissipative attenuation effects are taken into account, it turns out that these lenses could be of special interest in miniaturized probes, or in micro/nanosystems, and the optimization of the thermal lens for signal amplification may be calculated.
Unverdiente Privilegien? Zur Kritik atheistischer Überlegenheitsansprüche und deren Legitimierung durch den Evidentialismus
Authors: Grube Dirk-Martin
Published: May 2019

Im ersten Teil dieses Aufsatzes werden einige der Strategien, mit deren Hilfe Atheisten unverdiente Privilegien für ihre Position reklamieren, analysiert. Insbesondere wird dabei auf den Zusammenhang zwischen dem Evidentialismus und der Vorstellung eingegangen, dass der Atheismus die natürliche Ausgangsposition ist („presumption of atheism“, Anthony Flew). Zudem wird untersucht, inwiefern die Ausschaltung des Agnostizismus als dritte Option zwischen Theismus und Atheismus zur diskursiven Privilegierung des Atheismus beiträgt (bei Paul Cliteur). Im zweiten Teil wird der Evidentialismus als kontextabhängige Begründungstheorie rekonstruiert und das (A)theismusproblem im Handlungs- statt im Erkenntniskontext situiert. Dadurch werden einseitige Verteilungen der Begründunglast vermieden, vor allem der atheistische Versuch, der Theistin die volle Begründungslast aufzubürden und gleichzeitig den Atheisten von allen Begründungslasten zu befreien. Dadurch kann der Diskurs um das (A)theismusproblem ohne die Zuschreibung unverdienter Privilegien rekonstruiert werden.
St. Augustine and China: A Reflection on Augustinian Studies in Mainland China
Authors: Yuan Gao
Published: May 2019

Augustine of Hippo was one of the most influential church father in Western Christianity. However, little attention has been paid Augustine’s significance for China in the early history of Sino-Western theological and cultural dialogue. This article aims to fill this gap by providing a historical and documentary study of the reception of Augustine in China, with particular focus on the issue of how the story of Augustine was introduced into China and how Augustinian studies was developed as an independent discipline at the present stage of Chinese theological studies. Examining the newly discovered Chinese biographies of Augustine, the first section explores the early introduction of the story of Augustine during the Ming and Qing Empires, identifying the Catholic and the Protestant approaches to the translation of Augustine’s biography. The second section addresses Augustinian studies in the Minguo period (1912–1949) and analyses various approaches to the study of St. Augustine. The third section proceeds to the stage of the establishment of the new China (PRC), with a careful survey of Augustinian studies after the Cultural Revolution (1976–present). In particular, the new exploration by Chinese Augustinian scholars over the last five years will be highlighted. Based on the above observations, the article concludes with the evaluation that the biography of St. Augustine was adopted by the early Jesuits as an additional advantage for propagating the Christian faith in the Chinese context, in which the policy of cultural accommodation (initiated by Michele Ruggieri and Matteo Ricci) had proved a useful approach for theological contextualization and would continue to serve as a resourceful strategy in the Chinese approach to Augustinian theology as well as an effective method for deepening the Sino-Western theological dialogue.
Was will Russland mit den vielen Mittelstreckenwaffen?
Authors: Brauß Heinrich , Krause Joachim
Published: May 2019

Der Aufsatz befasst sich mit der Frage, was Russland dazu veranlasst hat, nach langer Pause erneut in nuklearfähige Mittelstreckenwaffen zu investieren, die vornehmlich gegen Ziele in Europa gerichtet sind. Die Autoren gelangen zu dem Ergebnis, dass die russische Rüstung nicht mit dem Aktions-Gegenreaktions-Theorem erklärt werden kann, sondern sich aus dem spezifisch russischen Militäransatz ergibt. Russland verspricht sich offenkundig entscheidende strategische Vorteile im Sinne einer Eskalationsdominanz gegenüber den USA und der NATO für den Fall eines regionalen Krieges in Europa – eines Krieges, der aller Voraussicht nach nur von Russland ausgehen würde. Die westliche Allianz sollte auf die Politik Moskaus vor allem mit einer Verbesserung der Fähigkeit zur konventionellen Verteidigung der baltischen Staaten und Polens reagieren, denn die russische Mittelstreckenrüstung macht nur Sinn im Rahmen eines regionalen Kriegsszenarios. Allerdings wird die NATO nicht umhinkommen, das eigene Nukleardispositiv entsprechend anzupassen.
Die Religionspädagogik und das Grundgesetz. Sondierungen zu einem dynamisch-geistreichen Wechselverhältnis
Authors: Schlag Thomas
Published: May 2019

By taking recourse to the conditions surrounding the origin of the specific content of Germany’s federal Constitution which is relevant for matters of religion, the essential constitutional foundations of the responsibility to offer religious education also come into view. At the same time, such an historical orientation allows to define more closely, in accordance with the “spirit” of the Constitution, what the current challenges for religious education are and to do it in such a way as to inform current and future discussions of it. The stipulations of the Constitution and of fundamental rights which are relevant for the topic of religion are, in the truest sense of the term, not carved in stone. They require, rather, an ongoing transformation which is appropriate to the current situation and which results in concrete processes of education which are oriented towards democracy and human rights.
The uninterrupted life is not worth living: On religious education and the public sphere
Authors: Biesta Gert , Hannam Patricia
Published: May 2019

In this paper we explore the relationship between religious education and the public sphere, suggesting that religious education, if it takes its educational remit seriously, has to be orientated towards the public sphere where human beings exist together in and with the world. Rather than seeing religion as propositional belief, we argue for an existential approach that focuses on the question as to what it means to exist religiously. We offer educational and theological arguments for our position and, along both lines, seek to (re)connect religion and religious education to the idea of democracy.
“Stepping in and stepping out”: Enabling creative third spaces through transdisciplinary partnerships
Authors: Kligyte Giedre , Baumber Alex , Van der Bijl-Brouwer Mieke , Dowd Cameron , Hazell Nick , Le Hunte Bem , Newton Marcus , Roebuck Dominica , Pratt Susanne
Published: May 2019

This article explores how transformative higher education approaches can be fostered through an integration of the concepts of third space, Students as Partners (SaP), and transdisciplinarity in practical contexts. We describe a collaborative enquiry that engaged staff and students in a reflexive dialogue centred on the concepts of mutual learning, liminality, emergence, and creativity as enacted in the curriculum of a transdisciplinary undergraduate degree, the Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation (BCII) at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia. The key insights that emerged through this enquiry were: third spaces in curriculum can be enabled but not constructed, all parties need to embrace uncertainty and a mutual learning mindset, and that “stepping in and out” of such fluid liminal spaces can stimulate creativity. Based on our experience and exploration, we offer some practical recommendations to those seeking to create similar enabling conditions for third spaces in their own undergraduate programs.
Concrete Performance of Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3) Compared with Conventional Cements
Authors: Avet François , Sofia Lionel , Scrivener Karen
Published: May 2019

This study aims to demonstrate the robustness of concrete made of limestone calcined clay cement (LC3). Two campaigns were carried out using 375 kg.m−3 and 500 kg.m−3 of binder and targeting plastic and self-placing workability, respectively. The concrete performance of LC3 was compared with plain portland cement (PC), slag cement, and a blend containing silica fume. The density of concrete was found very similar between the different types of binders. The amount of superplasticizer required to reach the workability criteria was higher for the blend with silica fume compared with LC3. Moreover, the increase of workability required the same increment of superplasticizer, independent on the type of binder. In terms of strength, 57.2 MPa and 72.3 MPa were reached at 28 days for LC3 for the first and for the second campaign. Similar strength to PC is obtained for LC3 for all ages for the first campaign, outperforming slag concrete. For the second campaign, similar strength to PC is reached at 7 days. Very low absorption and resistance to freeze–thaw with deicing salt were measured. The air permeability was found lower for LC3 than PC. CO2 emissions per unit strength are significantly reduced for LC3 compared with PC, and with other blends for the first campaign.
New Welding Joint Geometries Manufactured by Powder Bed Fusion from 316L
Authors: Schwarz Alexander , Gebhardt Andreas , Schleser Markus , Popoola Patricia
Published: May 2019

In metal additive manufacturing, an increasing demand for large size parts occurs. However, because of the economics of size, the manufacturing costs for parts do not increase linearly with their volumes. It is often economically unreasonable to directly produce large size components. Instead of directly building parts, technologies like hybrid building are used. To avoid extensive clamping devices for welding, additive manufacturing can be used to design new gap geometries. With these new geometries, the positions of the parts can be defined and the deformations that are due to thermal influences by the welding process can be reduced. Nevertheless, the powder bed fusion process leads to a different microstructure that needs to be taken into account for the welding process. The new microstructure leads to an extensive shrinkage during welding that exceeds the shrinkage of conventionally produced parts. To avoid the shrinkage, the weld gap design not only has to fulfill the requirements of conventional welding but it also needs to avoid the shrinkage of the parts. The resulting shrinkage of the parts is, in one way, a disadvantage, but it can also be used as an advantage for subsequent laser welding processes. If additively manufactured parts should be laser welded to get a smooth weld surface, normally post-processing must be performed to fulfill the necessary gap distance. This can be avoided by combining different welding processes. If the backside of a part is first welded by conventional welding, the resulting shrinkage will close the gap on the structured surface. If laser welding is then applied to a structured surface, it is nearly impossible to see the weld. This article will present new designs for welding joints and show how the different welding behavior can be used to improve the additively manufactured parts for hybrid welding processes.
Attitudes About the Use of Geosocial Networking Applications for HIV/STD Partner Notification: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Contesse Marielle Goyette , Fredericksen Rob J. , Wohlfeiler Dan , Hecht Jen , Kachur Rachel , Strona F. V. , Katz David A.
Published: May 2019

Meeting sex partners through geosocial networking (GSN) apps is common among men who have sex with men (MSM). MSM may choose not to exchange contact information with partners met through GSN apps, limiting their own and health departments' ability to notify partners of HIV/STD exposure through standard notification methods. Using online focus groups (four groups; N = 28), we explored the perspectives of U.S. MSM regarding offer of partner notification features through GSN apps. Most participants were comfortable with HIV/STD partner notification delivered via GSN apps, either by partner services staff using a health department profile or through an in-app anonymous messaging system. While most participants expressed a responsibility to notify partners on their own, app-based partner notification methods may be preferred for casual or hard-to-reach partners. However, participants indicated that health departments will need to build trust with MSM app users to ensure acceptable and effective app-based delivery of partner notification.
Reciprocal Inhibitory Glomerular Circuits Contribute to Excitation–Inhibition Balance in the Mouse Olfactory Bulb
Authors: Shao Zuoyi , Liu Shaolin , Zhou Fuwen , Puche Adam C. , Shipley Michael T.
Published: May 2019

The major inhibitory interneurons in olfactory bulb (OB) glomeruli are periglomerular cells (PGCs) and short axon cells (SACs). PGCs and SACs provide feedforward inhibition to all classes of projection neurons, but inhibition between PGCs and SACs is not well understood. We crossed Cre and GFP transgenic mice and used virally-delivered optogenetic constructs to selectively activate either SACs or GAD65cre-ChR2-positive PGCs while recording from identified GAD65cre-ChR2-positive PGCs or SACs, respectively, to investigate inhibitory interactions between these two interneuron types. We show that GAD65cre-ChR2-positive PGCs robustly inhibit SACs and SACs strongly inhibit PGCs. SACs form the interglomerular circuit, which inhibits PGCs in distant glomeruli. Activation of GAD65cre-ChR2-positive PGCs monosynaptically inhibit mitral cells (MCs), which complements recent findings that SACs directly inhibit MCs. Thus, both classes of glomerular inhibitory neurons inhibit each other, as well as OB output neurons. We further show that olfactory nerve input to one glomerulus engages the interglomerular circuit and inhibits PGCs in distant glomeruli. Sensory activation of the interglomerular circuit directly inhibits output neurons in other glomeruli and by inhibiting intraglomerular PGCs, may potentially disinhibit output neurons in other glomeruli. The nature and context of odorant stimuli may determine whether inhibition or excitation prevails so that odors are represented in part by patterns of active and inactive glomeruli.
Estrogen-Dominant Ovarian Cycle Stages Are Associated with Neural Network Dysfunction and Cognitive and Behavioral Deficits in the hAPP-J20 Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Carney Rosalind S.E.
Published: May 2019

Highlighted Research Paper:Ovarian Cycle Stages Modulate Alzheimer-Related Cognitive and Brain Network Alterations in Female Mice, by Lauren Broestl, Kurtresha Worden, Arturo J. Moreno, Emily J. Davis, Dan Wang, Bayardo Garay, Tanya Singh, Laure Verret, Jorge J. Palop, and Dena B. Dubal
The evolution of light and vertical mixing across a phytoplankton ice-edge bloom
Authors: Randelhoff Achim , Oziel Laurent , Massicotte Philippe , Bécu Guislain , Galí Martí , Lacour Léo , Dumont Dany , Vladoiu Anda , Marec Claudie , Bruyant Flavienne , Houssais Marie-Noëlle , Tremblay Jean-Éric , Deslongchamps Gabrièle , Babin Marcel
Published: May 2019

During summer, phytoplankton can bloom in the Arctic Ocean, both in open water and under ice, often strongly linked to the retreating ice edge. There, the surface ocean responds to steep lateral gradients in ice melt, mixing, and light input, shaping the Arctic ecosystem in unique ways not found in other regions of the world ocean. In 2016, we sampled a high-resolution grid of 135 hydrographic stations in Baffin Bay as part of the Green Edge project to study the ice-edge bloom, including turbulent vertical mixing, the under-ice light field, concentrations of inorganic nutrients, and phytoplankton biomass. We found pronounced differences between an Atlantic sector dominated by the warm West Greenland Current and an Arctic sector with surface waters originating from the Canadian archipelago. Winter overturning and thus nutrient replenishment was hampered by strong haline stratification in the Arctic domain, whereas close to the West Greenland shelf, weak stratification permitted winter mixing with high-nitrate Atlantic-derived waters. Using a space-for-time approach, we linked upper ocean dynamics to the phytoplankton bloom trailing the retreating ice edge. In a band of 60 km (or 15 days) around the ice edge, the upper ocean was especially affected by a freshened surface layer. Light climate, as evidenced by deep 0.415 mol m–2 d–1 isolumes, and vertical mixing, as quantified by shallow mixing layer depths, should have permitted significant net phytoplankton growth more than 100 km into the pack ice at ice concentrations close to 100%. Yet, under-ice biomass was relatively low at 20 mg chlorophyll-a m–2 and depth-integrated total chlorophyll-a (0–80 m) peaked at an average value of 75 mg chlorophyll-a m–2 only around 10 days after ice retreat. This phenological peak may hence have been the delayed result of much earlier bloom initiation and demonstrates the importance of temporal dynamics for constraints of Arctic marine primary production.
Infrastructure as a wicked complex process
Authors: Chester Mikhail V. , Allenby Braden
Published: May 2019

Changing complexity in the increasingly integrated human, natural, and built systems within which our infrastructures are designed and operated make it necessary to examine how the role of engineering requires new competencies for satisficing. Several long-term trends appear to be shifting our infrastructures further away from the complicated domain where optimization and efficiency were the core approaches, to the domain of complexity, where rapidly changing environments and fragmentation of goals require fundamentally new approaches. While complexity in infrastructure has always existed in some form, making infrastructures agile and flexible for the Anthropocene will require us to acknowledge and work with the fact that infrastructure change now appears to be a wicked and complex process. Wicked complexity is the result of three competing forces that are inimical to rapid and sustained change of infrastructures in a future marked by acceleration and uncertainty: wicked problems, technical complexity including lock-in, and social complexity. The combination of these factors raises serious questions about whether rapidly changing demands, technologies, and perturbations (such as climate change, or cyber attacks) will affect our infrastructure’s capacity to provide services. What infrastructure managers need to do today is very different than in the past. Increased presence and polarization of viewpoints is becoming more common, where solutions are dictated not by technical performance measures but instead by “acceptable enough” to all parties. Adaptive management practices and associated competencies that have proven successful in managing complex socio-ecological systems may provide some guidance for how to manage infrastructure change. These competencies are i) promoting a shared understanding of what infrastructures can do, ii) managing infrastructures as systems with changing demands, iii) emphasizing experimentation over conventional approaches, and, iv) restructuring education and training for a complexity mindset that emphasizes what can be over what is, and relies on satisficing, not optimization.
Peripheral location and infiltrative margin predict invasive features of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma
Authors: Lee Woo Kyung , Lee Jandee , Kim Hyunji , Lee Seul Gi , Choi Sun Hyung , Jeong Seonhyang , Kwon Hyeong Ju , Jung Sang Geun , Jo Young Suk
Published: May 2019

Objective

Tumor location in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) might determine tumor outgrowth from the thyroid gland. However, the clinical implications of tumor location and minimal extrathyroid extension (mETE) have not been well elucidated. We aimed to investigate the relationship between tumor location and mETE to predict the aggressiveness of PTMC.

Methods

A total of 858 patients with PTMC were grouped according to tumor location on ultrasonography: central (cPTMC) and peripheral PTMC (pPTMC). PTMC without mETE (PTMC-mETE(−)) was divided further according to margin shape: encapsulated (E−) or infiltrative (I−). To understand the molecular biologic characteristics of PTMC presenting with an I-margin and mETE, transcriptome data from TCGA-THCA were analyzed using Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA).

Results

pPTMC (n = 807, 94.1%) accounted for the majority of cases; mETE was identified only in pPTMC (403/807; 49.9%). pPTMC-mETE(+) showed aggressive clinical characteristics that increased the odds ratio (OR) for lymph node metastasis (LNM). Interestingly, subgroup analysis of PTMC-mETE(−) revealed that the I-margin also increased the OR for LNM, independent of other clinical factors. GSEA of TCGA-THCA data suggested coordinated upregulation of genes related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in PTC with mETE. Immunohistochemical staining for laminin subunit gamma 2 (LAMC2), CD59, E-cadherin and vimentin showed that these markers of EMT were associated with progressive changes in E-margin PTMC-mETE(−), I-margin PTMC-mETE(−) and pPTMC-mETE(+).

Conclusion

mETE related to peripheral location of PTMC is an important predictor of tumor invasiveness, as is the I-margin, which presents with EMT features similar to mETE. I-margin PTMC-mETE(−) and pPTMC-mETE(+) might reflect the pattern of invasive PTMC.
Role of polygenic risk in susceptibility to accelerated pubertal onset following chronic stress exposure
Authors: Sun Ying , Fang Jiao , Wan Yuhui , Su Puyu , Tao Fangbiao
Published: May 2019

Objective

Previous finding suggests that children growing up under chronic stress tend to experience earlier sexual maturity. The present study aims to examine polygenic risk by experience interaction in predicting pubertal timing, as well as provide insight regarding the relevance of two G × E paradigms.

Design and methods

Data were analyzed from a 3-year prospective puberty cohort in Anhui Province, China. Breast Tanner stage and testicular volume (TV) of 997 children were annually assessed. The polygenic risk score (PRS) was computed based on 17 SNPs for early pubertal timing. Hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) were assessed in the first 3 cm hair segment as a biological marker of chronic stress.

Results

Comparing with participants under moderate levels of stress as measured by HCC, the puberty-accelerating effects of chronic stress were only observed among girls with moderate (1.7 months earlier, P = 0.007) and low genetic susceptibility (2.2 months earlier, P < 0.001) and among boys with high genetic susceptibility (2.0 months earlier, P = 0.005). Polygenic differences (PRSs) in age at thelarche was most prominent in those with low levels of stress by HCC (9.06, 9.36 and 9.53 years for high, moderate and low PRS, respectively; F = 105.06, P < 0.0001), while polygenic differences in age at TV ≥4 mL was strongest in those under chronic stress (10.91, 11.06 and 11.17 years for high, moderate and low PRS, respectively; F = 100.48, P < 0.0001).

Conclusion

Chronic stress predicts earlier age at pubertal onset in a sex-specific and genetic background-dependent manner. The bioecological G × E model for girls and diathesis stress model for boys in pubertal timing warrants further investigation.
Protein Kinase D Is Dispensable for Development and Survival ofDrosophila melanogaster
Authors: Maier Dieter , Nagel Anja C , Kelp Alexandra , Preiss Anette
Published: May 2019

Members of the Protein Kinase D (PKD) family are involved in numerous cellular processes in mammals, including cell survival after oxidative stress, polarized transport of Golgi vesicles, as well as cell migration and invasion. PKD proteins belong to the PKC/CAMK class of serine/threonine kinases, and transmit diacylglycerol-regulated signals. Whereas three PKD isoforms are known in mammals, Drosophila melanogaster contains a single PKD homolog. Previous analyses using overexpression and RNAi studies indicated likewise multi-facetted roles for Drosophila PKD, including the regulation of secretory transport and actin-cytoskeletal dynamics. Recently, involvement in growth regulation has been proposed based on the hypomorphic dPKDH allele. We have generated PKD null alleles that are homozygous viable without apparent phenotype. They largely match control flies regarding fertility, developmental timing and weight. Males, but not females, are slightly shorter lived and starvation sensitive. Furthermore, migration of pole cells in embryos and border cells in oocytes appears normal. PKD mutants tolerate heat, cold and osmotic stress like the control but are sensitive to oxidative stress, conforming to the described role for mammalian PKDs. A candidate screen to identify functionally redundant kinases uncovered genetic interactions of PKD with Pkcδ, sqa and Drak mutants, further supporting the role of PKD in oxidative stress response, and suggesting its involvement in starvation induced autophagy and regulation of cytoskeletal dynamics. Overall, PKD appears dispensable for fly development and survival presumably due to redundancy, but influences environmental responses.
Role of the Cell Asymmetry Apparatus and Ribosome-Associated Chaperones in the Destabilization of aSaccharomyces cerevisiaePrion by Heat Shock
Authors: Howie Rebecca L , Jay-Garcia Lina Manuela , Kiktev Denis A , Faber Quincy L , Murphy Margaret , Rees Katherine A , Sachwani Numera , Chernoff Yury O
Published: May 2019

Self-perpetuating protein aggregates (prions) cause diseases in mammals. Yeast prions are heritable in cell divisions. Howie et al. demonstrate that the cellular apparatus responsible for the asymmetry of cell division controls destabilization of a yeast prion...

Self-perpetuating transmissible protein aggregates, termed prions, are implicated in mammalian diseases and control phenotypically detectable traits in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast stress-inducible chaperone proteins, including Hsp104 and Hsp70-Ssa that counteract cytotoxic protein aggregation, also control prion propagation. Stress-damaged proteins that are not disaggregated by chaperones are cleared from daughter cells via mother-specific asymmetric segregation in cell divisions following heat shock. Short-term mild heat stress destabilizes [PSI+], a prion isoform of the yeast translation termination factor Sup35. This destabilization is linked to the induction of the Hsp104 chaperone. Here, we show that the region of Hsp104 known to be required for curing by artificially overproduced Hsp104 is also required for heat-shock-mediated [PSI+] destabilization. Moreover, deletion of the SIR2 gene, coding for a deacetylase crucial for asymmetric segregation of heat-damaged proteins, also counteracts heat-shock-mediated destabilization of [PSI+], and Sup35 aggregates are colocalized with aggregates of heat-damaged proteins marked by Hsp104-GFP. These results support the role of asymmetric segregation in prion destabilization. Finally, we show that depletion of the heat-shock noninducible ribosome-associated chaperone Hsp70-Ssb decreases heat-shock-mediated destabilization of [PSI+], while disruption of a cochaperone complex mediating the binding of Hsp70-Ssb to the ribosome increases prion loss. Our data indicate that Hsp70-Ssb relocates from the ribosome to the cytosol during heat stress. Cytosolic Hsp70-Ssb has been shown to antagonize the function of Hsp70-Ssa in prion propagation, which explains the Hsp70-Ssb effect on prion destabilization by heat shock. This result uncovers the stress-related role of a stress noninducible chaperone.
Role of the Srs2–Rad51 Interaction Domain in Crossover Control in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Jenkins Shirin S , Gore Steven , Guo Xiaoge , Liu Jie , Ede Christopher , Veaute Xavier , Jinks-Robertson Sue , Kowalczykowski Stephen C , Heyer Wolf-Dietrich
Published: May 2019

Saccharomyces cerevisiae  Srs2, in addition to its well-documented antirecombination activity, has been proposed to play a role in promoting synthesis-dependent strand annealing (SDSA). Here we report the identification and characterization of an SRS2 mutant with a single amino acid substitution (srs2-F891A) that specifically affects the Srs2 pro-SDSA function. This residue is located within the Srs2–Rad51 interaction domain and embedded within a protein sequence resembling a BRC repeat motif. The srs2-F891A mutation leads to a complete loss of interaction with Rad51 as measured through yeast two-hybrid analysis and a partial loss of interaction as determined through protein pull-down assays with purified Srs2, Srs2-F891A, and Rad51 proteins. Even though previous work has shown that internal deletions of the Srs2–Rad51 interaction domain block Srs2 antirecombination activity in vitro, the Srs2-F891A mutant protein, despite its weakened interaction with Rad51, exhibits no measurable defect in antirecombination activity in vitro or in vivo. Surprisingly, srs2-F891A shows a robust shift from noncrossover to crossover repair products in a plasmid-based gap repair assay, but not in an ectopic physical recombination assay. Our findings suggest that the Srs2 C-terminal Rad51 interaction domain is more complex than previously thought, containing multiple interaction sites with unique effects on Srs2 activity.
The Reading House: A Children’s Book for Emergent Literacy Screening During Well-Child Visits
Authors: Hutton John S. , Justice Laura , Huang Guixia , Kerr Amy , DeWitt Thomas , Ittenbach Richard F.
Published: May 2019

BACKGROUND:

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends literacy promotion and developmental assessment during well-child visits. Emergent literacy skills are well defined, and the use of early screening has the potential to identify children at risk for reading difficulties and guide intervention before kindergarten.

METHODS:

The Reading House (TRH) is a children’s book designed to screen emergent literacy skills. These are assessed by sharing the book with the child and using a 9-item, scripted scoring form. Get Ready to Read! (GRTR) is a validated measure shown to predict reading outcomes. TRH and GRTR were administered in random order to 278 children (mean: 43.1 ± 5.6 months; 125 boys, 153 girls) during well-child visits at 7 primary care sites. Parent, child, and provider impressions of TRH were also assessed. Analyses included Rasch methods, Spearman-ρ correlations, and logistic regression, including covariates age, sex, and clinic type.

RESULTS:

Psychometric properties were strong, including item difficulty and reliability. Internal consistency was good for new measures (rCo-α = 0.68). The mean TRH score was 4.2 (±2.9; range: 0–14), and mean GRTR was 11.1 (±4.4; range: 1–25). TRH scores were positively correlated with GRTR scores (rs = 0.66; high), female sex, private practice, and child age (P < .001). The relationship remained significant controlling for these covariates (P < .05). The mean TRH administration time was 5:25 minutes (±0:55; range: 3:34–8:32). Parent, child, and provider impressions of TRH were favorable.

CONCLUSIONS:

TRH is a feasible, valid, and enjoyable means by which emergent literacy skills in 3- and 4-year-old children can be directly assessed during primary care.