bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Freshwater requirements of large-scale bioenergy plantations for limiting global warming to 1.5 °C
Authors: Stenzel Fabian , Gerten Dieter , Werner Constanze , Jägermeyr Jonas
Published: June 2019

Limiting mean global warming to well below 2 °C will probably require substantial negative emissions (NEs) within the 21st century. To achieve these, bioenergy plantations with subsequent carbon capture and storage (BECCS) may have to be implemented at a large scale. Irrigation of these plantations might be necessary to increase the yield, which is likely to put further pressure on already stressed freshwater systems. Conversely, the potential of bioenergy plantations (BPs) dedicated to achieving NEs through CO2 assimilation may be limited in regions with low freshwater availability. This paper provides a first-order quantification of the biophysical potentials of BECCS as a negative emission technology contribution to reaching the 1.5 °C warming target, as constrained by associated water availabilities and requirements. Using a global biosphere model, we analyze the availability of freshwater for irrigation of BPs designed to meet the projected NEs to fulfill the 1.5 °C target, spatially explicitly on areas not reserved for ecosystem conservation or agriculture. We take account of the simultaneous water demands for agriculture, industries, and households and also account for environmental flow requirements (EFRs) needed to safeguard aquatic ecosystems. Furthermore, we assess to what extent different forms of improved water management on the suggested BPs and on cropland may help to reduce the freshwater abstractions. Results indicate that global water withdrawals for irrigation of BPs range between ∼400 and ∼3000 km3 yr−1, depending on the scenario and the conversion efficiency of the carbon capture and storage process. Consideration of EFRs reduces the NE potential significantly, but can partly be compensated for by improved on-field water management.
The importance of municipal and agricultural demands in future water shortages in the United States
Authors: Warziniack Travis , Brown Thomas C
Published: June 2019

We examine how future changes in water yield and demand will affect the likelihood of water shortages and the efficacy of some of the most common methods for dealing with water shortages and meeting municipal demands, including improvements in water use efficiency and transfers of water between sectors of the economy. We find that more than 45.8 million people, primarily in the Southwest, central Great Plains, and southern California, would already be experiencing regular water shortages in the absence of groundwater mining. By 2060, that number would grow to over 136.2 million people. Among the reasons we find for increased likelihood of water shortages, reduced water yield is the most prevalent, affecting 80% of water basins in the US In the American West, nearly half of the water basins are projected to see an increase in shortages. We estimate future water withdrawals in the industrial and commercial and thermoelectric sectors will remain fairly steady, but withdrawals in the domestic and public sector are expected to rise. The Colorado River and Rio Grande regions see the largest percentage increases in projected domestic and public water use as well as the greatest percentage decreases in projected water yield. To cover new municipal demands, transfers from agriculture may be needed, in which case, significant impacts to agriculture will occur in northern New Mexico, parts of Utah, Nevada, and Washington where municipal demands are projected to grow to 25%–50% of agricultural water use. The situation is more extreme in northern Arizona and eastern Texas, where additional municipal demands are projected to be six times the amount used by agriculture.
Burden of Alcohol Disorders on Emergency Department Attendances and Hospital Admissions in England
Authors: Phillips Thomas , Coulton Simon , Drummond Colin
Published: June 2019

We provide analysis from a national routine dataset that quantifies the disproportionate burden of alcohol disorders on ED workload. Our analysis identifies 13 specific presentations predictive of alcohol disorders in ED with excess burden on hospital admission, total bed days and overall costs related to chronic alcohol disorders.
The makings of higher-order polyploids. A commentary on: ‘The story of promiscuous crucifers: origin and genome evolution of an invasive species, Cardamine occulta (Brassicaceae), and its relatives’
Authors: Chester Michael
Published: June 2019

This article comments on:

Terezie Mandáková, Judita Zozomová-Lihová, Hiroshi Kudoh, Yunpeng Zhao, Martin A. Lysak, and Karol Marhold. 2019. The story of promiscuous crucifers: origin and genome evolution of an invasive species, Cardamine occulta (Brassicaceae), and its relatives. Annals of Botany 124(2): 209–220.
A metabolic perspective on CSF-mediated neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Wentling Maureen , Lopez-Gomez Carlos , Park Hye-Jin , Amatruda Mario , Ntranos Achilles , Aramini James , Petracca Maria , Rusielewicz Tom , Chen Emily , Tolstikov Vladimir , Kiebish Michael , Fossati Valentina , Inglese Matilde , Quinzii Catarina M. , Katz Sand Ilana , Casaccia Patrizia
Published: June 2019

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune demyelinating disorder of the CNS, characterized by inflammatory lesions and an underlying neurodegenerative process, which is more prominent in patients with progressive disease course. It has been proposed that mitochondrial dysfunction underlies neuronal damage, the precise mechanism by which this occurs remains uncertain. To investigate potential mechanisms of neurodegeneration, we conducted a functional screening of mitochondria in neurons exposed to the CSF of multiple sclerosis patients with a relapsing remitting (n = 15) or a progressive (secondary, n = 15 or primary, n = 14) disease course. Live-imaging of CSF-treated neurons, using a fluorescent mitochondrial tracer, identified mitochondrial elongation as a unique effect induced by the CSF from progressive patients. These morphological changes were associated with decreased activity of mitochondrial complexes I, III and IV and correlated with axonal damage. The effect of CSF treatment on the morphology of mitochondria was characterized by phosphorylation of serine 637 on the dynamin-related protein DRP1, a post-translational modification responsible for unopposed mitochondrial fusion in response to low glucose conditions. The effect of neuronal treatment with CSF from progressive patients was heat stable, thereby prompting us to conduct an unbiased exploratory lipidomic study that identified specific ceramide species as differentially abundant in the CSF of progressive patients compared to relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. Treatment of neurons with medium supplemented with ceramides, induced a time-dependent increase of the transcripts levels of specific glucose and lactate transporters, which functionally resulted in progressively increased glucose uptake from the medium. Thus ceramide levels in the CSF of patients with progressive multiple sclerosis not only impaired mitochondrial respiration but also decreased the bioavailability of glucose by increasing its uptake. Importantly the neurotoxic effect of CSF treatment could be rescued by exogenous supplementation with glucose or lactate, presumably to compensate the inefficient fuel utilization. Together these data suggest a condition of ‘virtual hypoglycosis’ induced by the CSF of progressive patients in cultured neurons and suggest a critical temporal window of intervention for the rescue of the metabolic impairment of neuronal bioenergetics underlying neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis patients.
Organoid-based ex vivo reconstitution of Kras-driven pancreatic ductal carcinogenesis
Authors: Matsuura Tetsuya , Maru Yoshiaki , Izumiya Masashi , Hoshi Daisuke , Kato Shingo , Ochiai Masako , Hori Mika , Yamamoto Shogo , Tatsuno Kenji , Imai Toshio , Aburatani Hiroyuki , Nakajima Atsushi , Hippo Yoshitaka
Published: June 2019

The organoid culture technique has been recently applied to modeling carcinogenesis in several organs. To further explore its potential and gain novel insights into tumorigenesis, we here investigated whether pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) could be generated as subcutaneous tumors in immunocompromised nude mice, by genetic engineering of normal organoids. As expected, acute induction of KrasG12Din vitro occasionally led to development of tiny nodules compatible with early lesions known as pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN). KrasG12D-expressing cells were enriched after inoculation in the subcutis, yet proved rather declined during culture, suggesting that its advantage might depend on surrounding environments. Depletion of growth factors or concurrent Trp53 deletion resulted in its robust enrichment, invariably leading to development of PanIN or large high-grade adenocarcinoma, respectively, consistent with in vivo mouse studies for the same genotype. Progression from PanIN was also recapitulated by subsequent knockdown of common tumor suppressors, whereas the impact of Tgfbr2 deletion was only partially recapitulated, illustrating genotype-dependent requirement of the pancreatic niche for tumorigenesis. Intriguingly, analysis of tumor-derived organoids revealed that KrasG12D-expressing cells with spontaneous deletion of wild-type Kras were positively selected and exhibited an aging-related mutation signature in nude mice, mirroring the pathogenesis of human PDA, and that the sphere-forming potential and orthotopic tumorigenicity in syngenic mice were significantly augmented. These observations highlighted the relevance of the subcutis of nude mice in promoting PDA development despite its ectopic nature. Taken together, pancreatic carcinogenesis could be considerably recapitulated with organoids, which would probably serve as a novel disease model.
A Novel, High-sensitivity, Bacteriophage-based Assay Identifies Low-level Mycobacterium tuberculosis Bacteremia in Immunocompetent Patients With Active and Incipient Tuberculosis
Authors: Verma Raman , Swift Benjamin M C , Handley-Hartill Wade , Lee Joanne K , Woltmann Gerrit , Rees Catherine E D , Haldar Pranabashis
Published: June 2019

The haematogenous dissemination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is critical to the pathogenesis of progressive tuberculous infections in animal models. Using a novel, phage-based blood assay, we report the first concordant evidence in well-characterized, immunocompetent human cohorts, demonstrating associations of Mtb bacteremia with progressive phenotypes of latent infection and active pulmonary tuberculosis.
Species Richness and Community Composition of Ants and Beetles in Bt and non-Bt Maize Fields
Authors: Fernandes Marcos Gino , Costa Eduardo Neves , Dutra Carla Cristina , Raizer Josué
Published: June 2019

Insect-resistant genetically modified (GM) plants have been cultivated in several countries on a large scale. These plants express the Cry toxins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bacillales: Bacillaceae) (Bt), which confers target-pest resistance to plants. Studies on the effects of GM plants on nontarget organisms are important to assess the technology’s impact on biodiversity. The objective of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the species richness and composition of ants and ground beetles in Bt maize (four different toxins: Cry1Ab, Cry1F, and Cry1A.105/Cry2Ab2) and conventional isoline (non-Bt) fields, in the first (summer) and second (winter) cropping seasons in 13 localities of Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, over a 2-yr period (2009–2011). The assessment of Coleoptera and Formicidae species was performed using pitfall traps placed in fields throughout the period of vegetative growth and maturation of plants. Data were analyzed using faunistic indices of species richness, ordination by nonmetric multidimensional scaling, and multivariate analysis of variance. No statistically significant difference was found in the species richness of ant and ground beetle communities when comparing sites of Bt with those of non-Bt maize. Overall, Bt technology did not affect the composition of ant and ground beetles; however, municipality and cropping season exerted influence on the beetle composition. Some species were only observed in the first crop, whereas others were only observed in the second crop. This research suggests that Bt maize does not affect ant and ground beetle populations differently from its isoline.
Origins and Mechanisms of Social Influences in Couples: The Case of Retirement Decisions
Authors: Eismann Maria , Henkens Kène , Kalmijn Matthijs
Published: June 2019

The interdependence between partners raises considerable interest in the sociology of life course, work, and families. Partner influences play a particularly important role in the work domain, because each partner’s work decisions have profound effects on the couple as a whole. In contrast to previous research, this article pays detailed attention to the role a partner plays in workers’ labour market decisions by analysing the case of early retirement decisions. We hypothesized that partners’ preferences for older workers’ retirement originate from altruism and self-interest. Moreover, we expected that partners influence older workers’ early retirement behaviour via persuasion and pressure. To adequately estimate partners’ and workers’ preferences for the worker’s retirement, we used an instrumental variable approach. This was possible because we collected multi-actor longitudinal data from a large representative sample of older workers and their partners in the Netherlands. The results support that spousal preferences originate in altruism and self-interest and that partners influence workers through persuasion and pressure. Gender differences in origins and mechanisms of partner influence are also discussed.
Demographic differences in Canadian medical students’ motivation and confidence to promote physical activity
Authors: McFadden Taylor , Fortier Michelle , McGinn Ryan , Levac Brendan M , Sweet Shane N , Tomasone Jennifer R
Published: June 2019

Background

Physical activity (PA) remains under prescribed by physicians. Motivation and confidence are clear drivers of frequency of promoting PA. Research shows demographic differences in physicians’ preventive practices, yet none have included medical students who form habits during training.

Objectives

Study objectives were to (i) examine how Canadian medical students’ motivation to recommend PA to future patients differs according to six demographic variables (i.e. gender, ethnicity, year of study, university, proposed specialty and academic background) and (ii) examine how Canadian medical students’ confidence to recommend PA to future patients differs according to these same demographic variables.

Methods

A cross-sectional design was used. First to fourth year medical students from three medical schools responded to an online survey (N = 221).

Results

Female participants were more motivated to counsel patients on PA and refer to an exercise specialist compared to males (P < 0.01). Second year students were more motivated to assess a patients’ level of PA compared to third and fourth year students (P < 0.01). Students pursuing family medicine were more confident to assess and counsel compared to students pursuing paediatrics (P < 0.01).

Conclusion

Given that motivation and confidence have a positive influence on frequency-promoting PA, these results suggest where future efforts should focus, to improve PA promotion in medical practice. Physical inactivity continues to be a major issue worldwide, and medical students as future physicians have a unique opportunity to enhance PA amongst the population.
Occurrence and ecological determinants of the contamination of floodplain wetlands with Klebsiella pneumoniae and pathogenic or antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli.
Authors: Henriot Charles P , Martak Daniel , Cuenot Quentin , Loup Christophe , Masclaux Hélène , Gillet François , Bertrand Xavier , Hocquet Didier , Bornette Gudrun
Published: June 2019

The survival and multiplication of human pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in ecosystems is of increasing concern but has been little explored. Wetlands can be contaminated by water fluxes from rivers and may present environmental conditions leading to bacterial survival and multiplication. To test this hypothesis, we sampled 16 wetlands located along three rivers of the Jura Massif, France. The bacterial contamination of the wetland and river waters was measured monthly over a one-year cycle together with the water physico-chemical characteristics. We assessed the abundance of three pathogenic species: Escherichia coli,Klebsiella pneumoniaeand Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The concentrations of E. coli producing extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL E. coli) or belonging to the phylogenetic group B2 (E. coli B2–more pathogenic) were also measured. We found that rivers carried total E. coli, ESBL E. coli, and K. pneumoniae to wetlands. ESBL E. coli poorly survived in wetlands, whereas total E. coli and K. pneumoniae possibly met favourable physico-chemical conditions for survival and multiplication in these habitats. K. pneumoniae peaked in summer in warm and shallow wetlands. Total E. coli and E. coli B2 potentially reached wetlands through sources other than rivers (hillslope groundwater or leaching from contaminated fields).
Associations of perinatal characteristics with endometriosis: a nationwide birth cohort study
Authors: Gao Menghan , Scott Kirk , Koupil Ilona
Published: June 2019

Background

Perinatal characteristics are associated with subsequent risk of several chronic diseases. Previous studies regarding endometriosis were based on small samples and retrospective data and were limited by unmeasured confounding bias, leading to conflicting and inconclusive findings. We investigated the associations of maternal and birth characteristics with risk of endometriosis among Swedish women of reproductive age.

Methods

This total-population register-based cohort study consisted of 628 312 singleton women born in Sweden between 1973 and 1987, who were followed for diagnosed endometriosis from age 15 years until the end of 2012. Multivariable Cox regression was applied to examine associations with perinatal characteristics. Residual unmeasured confounding was assessed through within-family and E-value analyses.

Results

During follow-up, 8262 women received an endometriosis diagnosis. There were clear dose−response/linear associations of endometriosis with lower maternal education, endometriosis in the mother [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 2.24, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.04–2.46], maternal smoking during pregnancy (aHR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.04–1.33 for moderate smoker and aHR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.18–1.57 for heavy smoker vs non-smoker), lower birthweight, and lower birthweight-for-gestational age (aHR: 0.93 per standard deviation increase, 95% CI: 0.91–0.95). Within-family and E-value analyses suggested that these perinatal characteristics are robust predictors of the incidence of endometriosis. We also found that an estimated 26% of the association between maternal smoking and early-onset endometriosis could be explained by birthweight-for-gestational age.

Conclusion

This study finds support for fetal origins of endometriosis, in that exposure to adverse environment or restricted development during the perinatal period may increase the risk. Further research is needed to provide an understanding of the underlying mechanisms.
Corrigendum and Addendum to “Polarized Parallel Transport and Uniruled Divisors on Generalized Kummer Varieties”
Authors: Mongardi Giovanni , Pacienza Gianluca
Published: June 2019

We correct the statement of the main result of [9] and provide some further precisions.
Digging deeper in Shanghai: towards a ‘mechanism-rich’ epidemiology
Authors: Li Jie , Manning Nick , Mechelli Andrea
Published: June 2019

Background

There are very few close-up sociological or anthropological data informing epidemiological and psychiatric research design and/or contributing to our understanding of the relationship between mental health and specific forms of urban life. Furthermore, research on the relationships between urbanicity and mental disorder has paid little attention to the global diversity of urban experience, such as in cities in China, India and Brazil.

Methods

Two innovative methods can be employed to unveil the diversified urban experience of migrants in China, i.e. an ethnography-informed sociological deep surveying instrument and an ecological momentary assessment with a smartphone app. This article introduces the design and pilot survey of these new instruments towards a ‘mechanism-rich’ epidemiology.

Results

The ethnography-informed survey instrument enabled us to include some of the issues from the ethnography and successfully ‘dig deeper’ into respondents’ social experience. The pilot of the smartphone app serves as ‘proof of principle’ that we can recruit respondents in Shanghai, and that we can receive and use the data.

Conclusions

Both of these pilots have demonstrated good feasibility for studying mobility, urban life and mental health. Our next steps will be to extend the Shanghai sample, to use the app in Sao Paulo and Toronto and then hopefully in India and Africa.
Impact of TeamSTEPPS on patient safety culture in a Swiss maternity ward
Authors: Staines Anthony , Lécureux Estelle , Rubin Pascal , Baralon Christian , Farin Alexandre
Published: June 2019

Objective

To assess the impact of implementation of the TeamSTEPPS teamwork improvement concept on patient safety culture.

Design

Pre-post culture assessment using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture, at baseline and one year after implementation of TeamSTEPPS.

Setting

Two maternity wards within the same 480-bed multisite teaching hospital.

Intervention

Implementation of the TeamSTEPPS teamwork improvement concept.

Main Outcome Measures

Analysis of variation of the percentage of positive responses (score) in both wards (intervention and control) was conducted.

Results

There was a significant increase in scores in three dimensions of patient safety culture in the intervention ward: Supervisor/Manager Expectations and Actions Promoting Safety increased from 48.7% in 2015 to 70.8% in 2016 (P < 0.005); Teamwork Within Units increased from 35.5% in 2015 to 54.5% in 2016 (P < 0.005); Nonpunitive Response to Errors increased from 16.7% in 2015 to 32.3% in 2016 (P < 0.005). Other dimensions showed no significant changes. In the control ward, there was a significant decrease in scores in one dimension. A secondary analysis of differences in differences still shows significant improvement in one dimension (Supervisor/Manager Expectations and Actions Promoting Safety P < 0.005).

Conclusion

After implementing the TeamSTEPPS teamwork concept, patient safety culture significantly improved for three of twelve dimensions in the intervention group. When controlling for differences in baseline scores between implementation and control wards, a significant improvement remains in one dimension. This suggests that TeamSTEPPS could be considered when seeking to enhance patient safety culture, especially in high-risk environments such as maternity wards.
Comparison of antimicrobial resistance patterns in Streptococcus pneumoniae from respiratory and blood cultures in Canadian hospitals from 2007–16
Authors: Golden Alyssa R , Baxter Melanie R , Davidson Ross J , Martin Irene , Demczuk Walter , Mulvey Michael R , Karlowsky James A , Hoban Daryl J , Zhanel George G , Adam Heather J ,   Canadian Antimicrobial Resistance Alliance (CARA) and CANWARD, Zhanel George G , Hoban Daryl J , Adam Heather J , Baxter Melanie R , Nichol Kimberly A , Lagacé-Wiens Philippe R S , Walkty Andrew , Karlowsky James A , Blondeau J , Slinger R , Davidson R , Zhanel G , Hoban D , Delport J , Ellis C , Laverdière M , Loo V , Poutanen S , Fuller J , Roscoe D , Desjardins M , Matukas L , Goyette M , Lee C , Carignan A , Bergevin M , Pelletier R
Published: June 2019

Objectives

To compare the epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Streptococcus pneumoniae collected from respiratory and blood culture samples in Canada between 2007 and 2016.

Methods

S. pneumoniae strains were obtained from Canadian hospitals as part of the ongoing national surveillance study, CANWARD. Isolates were serotyped using the Quellung method. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the CLSI broth microdilution method. MDR and XDR were defined as resistance to three or more and five or more classes of antimicrobials, respectively.

Results

Of the 2581 S. pneumoniae isolates collected, 1685 (65.3%) and 896 (34.7%) were obtained from respiratory and blood samples, respectively. Respiratory isolates demonstrated lower rates of antimicrobial susceptibility than blood isolates to penicillin, ceftriaxone, clarithromycin, clindamycin, doxycycline and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (P ≤ 0.03). From 2007 to 2016, invasive isolates demonstrated trends towards increasing penicillin susceptibility and decreasing clarithromycin susceptibility. MDR was significantly higher in respiratory S. pneumoniae compared with blood (9.1% versus 4.5%, P < 0.0001). Serotypes 11A, 16F, 19F, 23A/B/F, 34, 35B and non-typeable strains were more commonly isolated from respiratory specimens, while 4, 5, 7F, 8, 12F, 14 and 19A were more commonly invasive serotypes. Numerous serotypes, including 3 and 22F, were isolated frequently from both specimen sources.

Conclusions

S. pneumoniae from respiratory samples demonstrated lower antimicrobial susceptibilities and higher MDR in a greater diversity of serotypes than isolates obtained from blood. Many serotypes were associated with one specific specimen source, while others were associated with both; genetic characterization is necessary to elucidate the specific factors influencing the ability of these serotypes to commonly cause both invasive and non-invasive disease.
Satellite images and machine learning can identify remote communities to facilitate access to health services
Authors: Bruzelius Emilie , Le Matthew , Kenny Avi , Downey Jordan , Danieletto Matteo , Baum Aaron , Doupe Patrick , Silva Bruno , Landrigan Philip J , Singh Prabhjot
Published: June 2019

Objective

Community health systems operating in remote areas require accurate information about where people live to efficiently provide services across large regions. We sought to determine whether a machine learning analyses of satellite imagery can be used to map remote communities to facilitate service delivery and planning.

Materials and Methods

We developed a method for mapping communities using a deep learning approach that excels at detecting objects within images. We trained an algorithm to detect individual buildings, then examined building clusters to identify groupings suggestive of communities. The approach was validated in southeastern Liberia, by comparing algorithmically generated results with community location data collected manually by enumerators and community health workers.

Results

The deep learning approach achieved 86.47% positive predictive value and 79.49% sensitivity with respect to individual building detection. The approach identified 75.67% (n = 451) of communities registered through the community enumeration process, and identified an additional 167 potential communities not previously registered. Several instances of false positives and false negatives were identified.

Discussion

Analysis of satellite images is a promising solution for mapping remote communities rapidly, and with relatively low costs. Further research is needed to determine whether the communities identified algorithmically, but not registered in the manual enumeration process, are currently inhabited.

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this study represents the first effort to apply image recognition algorithms to rural healthcare delivery. Results suggest that these methods have the potential to enhance community health worker scale-up efforts in underserved remote communities.
Multifunctional transcriptional coactivator PC4 is a global co-regulator of p53-dependent stress response and gene regulation
Authors: Mondal Priya , Saleem Suraiya , Sikder Sweta , Kundu Tapas K , Biswas Subhas Chandra , Roy Siddhartha
Published: June 2019

Human positive coactivator 4 (PC4), a multifunctional chromatin-associated protein, is known to directly interact with p53 and modulate expressions of a few p53-dependent genes. However, the role of PC4 in p53's myriad of other regulatory functions is not known. The p53–PC4 interaction was selectively perturbed by a small peptide which led to abrogation of genotoxic stress-induced up-regulation of many p53-dependent genes and reduction of apoptosis in A549 cells. Over-expression of a PC4 point mutant, incapable of binding p53, recapitulated many of the effects of the peptide. Global gene expression profiling in A549 cells, upon peptide treatment, revealed PC4's involvement in the regulation of many p53-dependent pathways, including the Hippo pathway. Introduction of the peptide in neuronal cells significantly reduced its amyloid-β-induced death. Thus, PC4 emerges as a global co-regulator of p53 and a therapeutic target against pathogeneses where the p53-dependent cell death process plays a crucial role.
Effects of Trap Color and Shape on the Capture of Eucryptorrhynchus scrobiculatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Authors: Wang Xu , Ji Ying-Chao , Wen Chao , Zhang Gan-Yu , Wen Jun-Bao
Published: June 2019

Eucryptorrhynchus scrobiculatus (Coleoptera:Curculionidae) is an important pest in China that specifically damages Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle (Sapindales: Simaroubaceae). Trembler grid lamps and food attractant traps frequently were used to monitor and control E. scrobiculatus; however, the effect of these methods is poor in actual application. The purpose of this study was to develop a new monitoring method. Traps of seven colors and two shapes were compared with respect to the attraction of E. scrobiculatus adults, and a field trapping test was performed. We found that E. scrobiculatus adults were most sensitive to red (16.11 ± 7.72) and black traps (14.44 ± 8.07) and to tall vertical black shapes in the laboratory. In the field, red (70.50 ± 5.74) and black traps (60.75 ± 8.22) were most effective at catching E. scrobiculatus, and traps with color and attractant still were more attractive to E. scrobiculatus than traps with colors only. These results provide a reference for monitoring E. scrobiculatus adults.
Efficacy and safety of pemetrexed plus cisplatin as first-line chemotherapy in advanced malignant peritoneal mesothelioma
Authors: Nagata Yusuke , Sawada Ryoichi , Takashima Atsuo , Shoji Hirokazu , Honma Yoshitaka , Iwasa Satoru , Amano Katsushi , Kato Ken , Hamaguchi Tetsuya , Shimada Yasuhiro , Saruta Masayuki , Boku Narikazu
Published: June 2019

Background

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPeM) is a rare cancer for which no standard systemic chemotherapy has been established. While cisplatin plus pemetrexed, the standard treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPlM), is usually used for MPeM, its efficacy remains unclear.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of MPeM patients who had received cisplatin plus pemetrexed as first-line chemotherapy between January 2001 and July 2016 at the National Cancer Center Hospital. Patients received cisplatin 75 mg/m2 and pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 on day1, repeated every 3 weeks until progressive disease, unacceptable toxicities or patient’s refusal to continue.

Results

A total of 29 MPeM patients received cisplatin plus pemetrexed. Median progression-free survival and overall survival were 7.1 months (95% CI: 4.8–9.3) and 15.4 months (95% CI: 9.5–21.2), respectively. Among 16 patients with measurable lesions, the response rate was 38%. Incidences of grade 3/4 leukopenia, neutropenia, anemia and thrombocytopenia were 21%, 17%, 14% and 3%, respectively. Non-hematological toxicities were mild, and there were no treatment-related deaths.

Conclusions

Cisplatin plus pemetrexed, showing consistent efficacy with MPlM, can be recommended as first-line treatment for unresectable MPeM patients.
Reduction of Reproductive Capacity in Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Hot, Dry Summer
Authors: Alam Md Shah , Tuno Nobuko
Published: June 2019

The summer of 2018 was very hot and dry with little rain nationwide in Japan. Particularly in July, temperature was 3°C higher in comparison with the normal year. We collected adults, pupae, third or fourth instar larvae of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) in Sendai city, Niigata city, and Kanazawa city in late July and early August 2018. Wild-collected adults were examined for reproductive capacity. On the other hand, wild-collected larvae and pupae were raised to adults in the laboratory and then examined for reproductive capacity. They did not lay eggs after single blood feeding. When they were supplied with bloodmeals twice or three times, they laid a small number of eggs, but these eggs did not hatch. When these adult individuals were maintained at 25°C for 3 wk and then fed with blood, they laid healthy eggs which developed to embryos. It is thought that extreme heat and/or extreme low humidity due to low precipitation reduced female reproductive capacity even if they could take bloodmeals.
Elucidating Under-Studied Aspects of the Link Between Obesity and Multiple Myeloma: Weight Pattern, Body Shape Trajectory, and Body Fat Distribution
Authors: Marinac Catherine R , Suppan Catherine A , Giovannucci Edward , Song Mingyang , Kværner Ane S , Townsend Mary K , Rosner Bernard A , Rebbeck Timothy R , Colditz Graham A , Birmann Brenda M
Published: June 2019

Background

Although obesity is an established modifiable risk factor for multiple myeloma (MM), several nuanced aspects of its relation to MM remain unelucidated, limiting public health and prevention messages.

Methods

We analyzed prospective data from the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study to examine MM risk associated with 20-year weight patterns in adulthood, body shape trajectory from ages 5 to 60 years, and body fat distribution. For each aforementioned risk factor, we report hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for incident MM from multivariable Cox proportional-hazards models.

Results

We documented 582 incident MM cases during 4 280 712 person-years of follow-up. Persons who exhibited extreme weight cycling, for example, those with net weight gain and one or more episodes of intentional loss of at least 20 pounds or whose cumulative intentional weight loss exceeded net weight loss with at least one episode of intentional loss of 20 pounds or more had an increased MM risk compared with individuals who maintained their weight (HR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.05 to 2.80); the association was statistically nonsignificant after adjustment for body mass index. We identified four body shape trajectories: lean-stable, lean-increase, medium-stable, and medium-increase. MM risk was higher in the medium-increase group than in the lean-stable group (HR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.22 to 2.14). Additionally, MM risk increased with increasing hip circumference (HR per 1-inch increase: 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.06) but was not associated with other body fat distribution measures.

Conclusions

Maintaining a lean and stable weight throughout life may provide the strongest benefit in terms of MM prevention.
A multiomics approach reveals the pivotal role of subcellular reallocation in determining rapeseed resistance to cadmium toxicity
Authors: Zhang Zhen-Hua , Zhou Ting , Tang Tian-Jiao , Song Hai-Xing , Guan Chun-Yun , Huang Jin-Yong , Hua Ying-Peng
Published: June 2019

A multiomics approach encompassing morphophysiology, ionomic profiling, whole-genome resequencing, transcriptomics, and high-resolution metabolomics reveals that differences in cadmium resistance between two rapeseed cultivars is determined by subcellular reallocation.
Heat stress effects on source–sink relationships and metabolome dynamics in wheat
Authors: Abdelrahman Mostafa , Burritt David J , Gupta Aarti , Tsujimoto Hisashi , Tran Lam-Son Phan
Published: June 2019

Crops such as wheat (Triticum spp.) are predicted to face more frequent exposures to heat stress as a result of climate change. Increasing the yield and sustainability of yield under such stressful conditions has long been a major target of wheat breeding, and this goal is becoming increasingly urgent as the global population increases. Exposure of wheat plants in their reproductive or grain-filling stage to high temperature affects the duration and rate of grain filling, and hence has a negative impact on wheat productivity. Therefore, understanding the plasticity of the response to heat stress that exists between wheat genotypes, especially in source–sink relationships at the reproductive and grain-filling stages, is critical for the selection of germplasm that can maintain high yields under heat stress. A broad understanding of metabolic dynamics and the relationships between metabolism and heat tolerance is required in order to achieve this goal. Here, we review the current literature concerning the effects of heat stress on sink–source relationships in a wide range of wheat genotypes, and highlight the current metabolomic approaches that are used to investigate high temperature responses in wheat.
bZIP edgetic mutations: at the frontier of plant metabolism, development and stress trade-off
Authors: Lorenzo Oscar
Published: June 2019

This article comments on:

Garg A, Kirchler T, Fillinger S, Wanke F, Stadelhofer B, Stahl M, Chaban C. 2019. Targeted manipulation of bZIP53 DNA-binding properties influences Arabidopsis metabolism and growth. Journal of Experimental Botany 70, 5659–5671.
CEPR2 phosphorylates and accelerates the degradation of PYR/PYLs in Arabidopsis
Authors: Yu Zipeng , Zhang Di , Xu Yang , Jin Songsong , Zhang Lei , Zhang Shizhong , Yang Guodong , Huang Jinguang , Yan Kang , Wu Changai , Zheng Chengchao
Published: June 2019

CEPR2 interacts with some PYLs to promote their phosphorylation and degradation, whereas ABA inhibits this process. Thus, CEPR2 balances the growth regulation and stress response in Arabidopsis.
A Case of Chronic Thrombocytopenia in a 17-Year-Old Female
Authors: Riley Roger , Khan Asad , Pai Shella , Warmke Laura , Winkler Marcus , Gunning William
Published: June 2019

Storage pool deficiency (SPD) is a group of rare platelet disorders that result from deficiencies in α-granules, δ-granules, or both. One type of α-SPD is gray platelet syndrome (GPS), caused by mutations in the neurobeachin-like 2 (NBEAL2) gene that results in a bleeding diathesis, thrombocytopenia, splenomegaly, and progressive myelofibrosis. Due to the lack of α-granules, platelets have a gray and degranulated appearance by light microscopy. However, definitive diagnosis of GPS requires confirmation of α-granule deficiency by electron microscopy. Treatment is nonspecific, with the conservative utilization of platelet transfusions being the most important form of therapy. We present a case of a 17-year-old female with a past medical history of thrombocytopenia, first identified at the age of five. Her clinical symptomatology included chronic fatigue, gingival bleeding, bruising, menorrhagia, and leg pain. This report will discuss both the clinical and the pathophysiologic aspects of this rare platelet disorder.
Characterizing dynamical stages of open clusters located in the Sagittarius spiral arm
Authors: Angelo M S , Piatti A E , Dias W S , Maia F F S
Published: June 2019

The study of dynamical properties of Galactic open clusters (OCs) is a fundamental prerequisite for the comprehension of their dissolution processes. In this work, we characterized 12 OCs, namely: Collinder 258, NGC 6756, Czernik 37, NGC 5381, Ruprecht 111, Ruprecht 102, NGC 6249, Basel 5, Ruprecht 97, Trumpler 25, ESO 129−SC32, and BH 150, projected against dense stellar fields. In order to do that, we employed Washington CT1 photometry and Gaia DR2 astrometry, combined with a decontamination algorithm applied to the three-dimensional astrometric space of proper motions and parallaxes. From the derived membership likelihoods, we built decontaminated colour–magnitude diagrams, while structural parameters were obtained from King profiles fitting. Our analysis revealed that they are relatively young OCs (log(t  yr−1) ∼7.3–8.6), placed along the Sagittarius spiral arm, and at different internal dynamical stages. We found that the half-light radius to Jacobi radius ratio, the concentration parameter and the age to relaxation time ratio describe satisfactorily their different stages of dynamical evolution. Those relative more dynamically evolved OCs have apparently experienced more important low-mass star loss.
Modelling baryonic physics in future weak lensing surveys
Authors: Huang Hung-Jin , Eifler Tim , Mandelbaum Rachel , Dodelson Scott
Published: June 2019

Modifications of the matter power spectrum due to baryonic physics are one of the major theoretical uncertainties in cosmological weak lensing measurements. Developing robust mitigation schemes for this source of systematic uncertainty increases the robustness of cosmological constraints, and may increase their precision if they enable the use of information from smaller scales. Here we explore the performance of two mitigation schemes for baryonic effects in weak lensing cosmic shear: the principal component analysis (PCA) method and the halo-model approach in hmcode. We construct mock tomographic shear power spectra from four hydrodynamical simulations, and run simulated likelihood analyses with cosmolike assuming LSST-like survey statistics. With an angular scale cut of ℓmax < 2000, both methods successfully remove the biases in cosmological parameters due to the various baryonic physics scenarios, with the PCA method causing less degradation in the parameter constraints than hmcode. For a more aggressive ℓmax = 5000, the PCA method performs well for all but one baryonic physics scenario, requiring additional training simulations to account for the extreme baryonic physics scenario of Illustris; hmcode exhibits tensions in the 2D posterior distributions of cosmological parameters due to lack of freedom in describing the power spectrum for $k \gt 10\ h^{-1}\, \mathrm{Mpc}$. We investigate variants of the PCA method and improve the bias mitigation through PCA by accounting for the noise properties in the data via Cholesky decomposition of the covariance matrix. Our improved PCA method allows us to retain more statistical constraining power while effectively mitigating baryonic uncertainties even for a broad range of baryonic physics scenarios.
Simulating the effect of photoheating feedback during reionization
Authors: Wu Xiaohan , Kannan Rahul , Marinacci Federico , Vogelsberger Mark , Hernquist Lars
Published: June 2019

We present self-consistent radiation hydrodynamic simulations of hydrogen reionization performed with arepo-rt complemented by a state-of-the-art galaxy formation model. We examine how photoheating feedback, due to reionization, shapes the galaxies properties. Our fiducial model completes reionization by z ≈ 6 and matches observations of the Ly α forest, the cosmic microwave background electron scattering optical depth, the high-redshift ultraviolet (UV) luminosity function, and stellar mass function. Contrary to previous works, photoheating suppresses star formation rates by more than $50{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ only in haloes less massive than ∼108.4 M⊙ (∼108.8 M⊙) at z = 6 (z = 5), suggesting inefficient photoheating feedback from photons within galaxies. The use of a uniform UV background that heats up the gas at z ≈ 10.7 generates an earlier onset of suppression of star formation compared to our fiducial model. This discrepancy can be mitigated by adopting a UV background model with a more realistic reionization history. In the absence of stellar feedback, photoheating alone is only able to quench haloes less massive than ∼109 M⊙ at z ≳ 5, implying that photoheating feedback is sub-dominant in regulating star formation. In addition, stellar feedback, implemented as a non-local galactic wind scheme in the simulations, weakens the strength of photoheating feedback by reducing the amount of stellar sources. Most importantly, photoheating does not leave observable imprints in the UV luminosity function, stellar mass function, or the cosmic star formation rate density. The feasibility of using these observables to detect imprints of reionization therefore requires further investigation.
An X-ray reverberation mass measurement of Cygnus X-1
Authors: Mastroserio Guglielmo , Ingram Adam , van der Klis Michiel
Published: June 2019

We present the first X-ray reverberation mass measurement of a stellar-mass black hole. Accreting stellar-mass and supermassive black holes display characteristic spectral features resulting from reprocessing of hard X-rays by the accretion disc, such as an Fe Kα line and a Compton hump. This emission probes the innermost region of the accretion disc through general relativistic distortions to the line profile. However, these spectral distortions are insensitive to black hole mass, since they depend on disc geometry in units of gravitational radii. Measuring the reverberation lag resulting from the difference in path-length between direct and reflected emission calibrates the absolute length of the gravitational radius. We use a relativistic model able to reproduce the behaviour of the lags as a function of energy for a wide range of variability time-scales, addressing both the reverberation lags on short time-scales and the intrinsic hard lags on longer time-scales. We jointly fit the time-averaged spectrum and the real and imaginary parts of the cross-spectrum as a function of energy for a range of Fourier frequencies to Rossi X-ray Timing Exporer data from the X-ray binary Cygnus X-1. We also show that introducing a self-consistently calculated radial ionisation profile in the disc improves the fit, but requires us to impose an upper limit on ionization profile peak to allow a plausible value of the accretion disc density. This limit leads to a mass value more consistent with the existing dynamical measurement.
Horizontal Transfer of Bacterial Cytolethal Distending Toxin B Genes to Insects
Authors: Verster Kirsten I , Wisecaver Jennifer H , Karageorgi Marianthi , Duncan Rebecca P , Gloss Andrew D , Armstrong Ellie E , Price Donald K , Menon Aruna R , Ali Zainab M , Whiteman Noah K
Published: June 2019

Horizontal gene transfer events have played a major role in the evolution of microbial species, but their importance in animals is less clear. Here, we report horizontal gene transfer of cytolethal distending toxin B (cdtB), prokaryotic genes encoding eukaryote-targeting DNase I toxins, into the genomes of vinegar flies (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae). We found insect-encoded cdtB genes are most closely related to orthologs from bacteriophage that infect Candidatus Hamiltonella defensa, a bacterial mutualistic symbiont of aphids that confers resistance to parasitoid wasps. In drosophilids, cdtB orthologs are highly expressed during the parasitoid-prone larval stage and encode a protein with ancestral DNase activity. We show that cdtB has been domesticated by diverse insects and hypothesize that it functions in defense against their natural enemies.