bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Distinct Roles of Vaccinia Virus NF-κB Inhibitor Proteins A52, B15, and K7 in the Immune Response
Authors: Di Pilato Mauro , Mejías-Pérez Ernesto , Sorzano Carlos Oscar S. , Esteban Mariano
Published: April 2017

Poxviruses use a complex strategy to escape immune control, by expressing immunomodulatory proteins that could limit their use as vaccine vectors. To test the role of poxvirus NF-κB pathway inhibitors A52, B15, and K7 in immunity, we deleted their genes in an NYVAC (New York vaccinia virus) strain that expresses HIV-1 clade C antigens. After infection of mice, ablation of the
A52R
,
B15R
, and
K7R
genes increased dendritic cell, natural killer cell, and neutrophil migration as well as chemokine/cytokine expression. Revertant viruses with these genes confirmed their role in inhibiting the innate immune system. To different extents, enhanced innate immune responses correlated with increased HIV Pol- and Gag-specific polyfunctional CD8 T cell and HIV Env-specific IgG responses induced by single-, double-, and triple-deletion mutants. These poxvirus proteins thus influence innate and adaptive cell-mediated and humoral immunity, and their ablation offers alternatives for design of vaccine vectors that regulate immune responses distinctly.

IMPORTANCE
Poxvirus vectors are used in clinical trials as candidate vaccines for several pathogens, yet how these vectors influence the immune system is unknown. We developed distinct poxvirus vectors that express heterologous antigens but lack different inhibitors of the central host-cell signaling pathway. Using mice, we studied the capacity of these viruses to induce innate and adaptive immune responses and showed that these vectors can distinctly regulate the magnitude and quality of these responses. These findings provide important insights into the mechanism of poxvirus-induced immune response and alternative strategies for vaccine vector design.
Increased alloimmunisation and transfusion reaction reporting in patients with solid-phase panreactivity
Authors: Olofson Andrea M , Chandler Rachael M , Marx-Wood Cynthia R , Babcock Craig A , Dunbar Nancy M
Published: April 2017

Background

Automated solid-phase antibody screening uses red blood cell (RBC) membranes immobilised on polystyrene test wells to detect RBC specific antibodies. Despite its time-saving and labour-saving benefits, this method produces a higher rate of nonspecific reactivity compared with manual screening. Solid-phase panreactivity (SPP) is characterised by panreactivity (ie, all test cells reacting) in solid-phase testing accompanied by a negative autocontrol and a lack of reactivity when the same screening cells are tested in tube. The mechanisms underlying SPP and its clinical significance remain unclear. The goals of this study were to describe the prevalence of SPP at our institution and determine the alloimmunisation and transfusion reaction rates within this population.

Methods

Data were collected on all patients undergoing type and screen testing over a 6-year period. Study patients undergoing subsequent transfusion were evaluated for reported transfusion reactions and development of new alloantibodies.

Results

Of the 76 051 patients studied, 0.7% demonstrated SPP of which 11% developed new alloantibodies. The transfusion reaction reporting rate among patients with SPP was 2%.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that patients with SPP have higher rates of reported transfusion reactions and alloantibody development compared with those without SPP.
Infection dynamics of Mycoplasma hyorhinis in three commercial pig populations
Authors: Clavijo M. J , Murray D. , Oliveira S. , Rovira A.
Published: April 2017

Mycoplasma hyorhinis is one of the causative agents of polyserositis and arthritis in postweaning pigs. Knowledge regarding colonisation frequency and age distribution in modern pig production is lacking. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of M hyorhinis colonisation in different age groups across three commercial pig populations. Nasal swabs were collected from sows, piglets and nursery pigs of different ages. Oral fluids were collected from nursery pigs. Necropsies were performed to assess the presence of M hyorhinis‐associated disease. M hyorhinis was detected in 5/60 sows in herd A, 3/60 in herd B and none in herd C. In herd A and B, the prevalence was low in preweaning piglets (∼8 per cent) and high in postweaning pigs (∼98 per cent). A total of 7/8 oral fluids tested PCR positive in herds A and B, while 1/8 tested positive in herd C. In herd C, the preweaning and postweaning prevalence was low. In herds A and B, necropsied pigs had polyserositis lesions where M hyorhinis was detected by PCR. This study showed that prevalence of M hyorhinis colonisation varies with pig age and across farms. Information generated will aid in the design and implementation of control and prevention strategies.
Noncommutative wormhole solutions in F(T, T𝒢) gravity
Authors: Sharif M. , Nazir Kanwal
Published: April 2017

This paper is devoted to the study of static spherically symmetric wormhole solutions along with noncommutative geometry in the background of F(T, T[Formula: see text]) gravity. We assume a nonzero redshift function as well as two well-known models of this gravity and discuss the behavior of null/weak energy conditions graphically. We conclude that there does not exist any physically acceptable wormhole solution for the first model, but there is a chance to develop physically acceptable wormhole solution in a particular region for the second model.
Gabor time–frequency representation for transient signals using multiwindow discrete Gabor transform
Authors: Gao Xian-He , Tao Liang
Published: April 2017

Multiwindow discrete Gabor transform (M-DGT) is applied to present the Gabor time–frequency representation for transient signals (exponentially damped sinusoidal signals) with high time–frequency resolution. Due to the limitation of the constrained time–frequency localization governed by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, using a wider analysis window in time domain will lead to the Gabor time–frequency spectrum (or representation) with higher frequency resolution but poor time resolution for the transient signals, and using a narrower analysis window in time domain will result in the Gabor time–frequency spectrum (or representation) with higher time resolution but poor frequency resolution for the transient signals. To obtain the Gabor time–frequency representation with both higher frequency resolution and higher time resolution, the above two spectra can be combined by geometric average. The experimental results show that the combined Gabor time–frequency representation for the transient signals has higher time–frequency resolution than that obtained when only the single analysis window is used in the traditional discrete Gabor transform.
THE RELATIONSHIP AMONG STRATEGIC ORIENTATIONS, ORGANIZATIONAL INNOVATIVENESS, AND BUSINESS PERFORMANCE
Authors: ACAR A. ZAFER , ÖZŞAHIN MEHTAP
Published: April 2017

Today’s complex and competitive business environment restricts the managers to plan their futures strategically. Thus, strategic orientation approach is taking the place of traditional approach to strategic management by spreading strategic thinking to the employees like a corporate culture. The aims of this study are to explore the mutual relationships among market orientation, technology orientation, and organizational innovativeness, and to examine the joint effects of those key drivers on firm performance, and to advance the understanding of the role of the strategic orientations of the firms. Due to the general structure of the research model, a questionnaire survey on 161 manufacturing firms has been concluded. According to analysed data a strong relationship between strategic orientations and the firm performance is indicated. Foremost, the results show that product innovation can significantly assist a competitor-oriented firm in improving its financial performance, while a technology-oriented firm improving its growth and market performance.
The Greenland–Iceland–Faroe Ridge Complex
Authors: Hjartarson Árni , Erlendsson Ögmundur , Blischke Anett
Published: April 2017

The Greenland–Iceland–Faroe Ridge Complex (GIFRC) has been forming since the opening of the NE Atlantic (<55 Ma), standing out as a prominent feature on all geoscientific datasets. Our interpretations have revealed several new potential abandoned rift centres, mapped as syncline and anticline structures. The synclines are suggested to be manifestations of former rift axes that were abandoned by rift jumps. These appear to be more common inside the GIFRC region than in the adjacent ocean basins, and can be confirmed by observations of cumulative crustal accretion data through time. A major post-40 Ma unconformity is proposed across the East Iceland Shelf, forming a distinct 16–20 myr-long hiatus that is covered by a thick, younger sedimentary section.

Several seamounts were identified on multibeam datasets at around 1200 m water depth in the Vesturdjúp Basin, just south of the Greenland–Iceland Ridge. These seamounts appear to be younger in formation time than the surrounding ocean floor, possibly indicating a still active intraplate volcanic zone. Young tectonic features, such as faults, graben and transverse ridges, characterize the area and present a good example of the complexity of the GIFRC in comparison to the adjacent abyssal plain.
Toward Human-Scale Brain Computing Using 3D Wafer Scale Integration
Authors: Kumar Arvind , Wan Zhe , Wilcke Winfried W. , Iyer Subramanian S.
Published: April 2017

The Von Neumann architecture, defined by strict and hierarchical separation of memory and processor, has been a hallmark of conventional computer design since the 1940s. It is becoming increasingly unsuitable for cognitive applications, which require massive parallel processing of highly interdependent data. Inspired by the brain, we propose a significantly different architecture characterized by a large number of highly interconnected simple processors intertwined with very large amounts of low-latency memory. We contend that this memory-centric architecture can be realized using 3D wafer scale integration for which the technology is nearing readiness, combined with current CMOS device technologies. The natural fault tolerance and lower power requirements of neuromorphic processing make 3D wafer stacking particularly attractive. In order to assess the performance of this architecture, we propose a specific embodiment of a neuronal system using 3D wafer scale integration; formulate a simple model of brain connectivity including short- and long-range connections; and estimate the memory, bandwidth, latency, and power requirements of the system using the connectivity model. We find that 3D wafer scale integration, combined with technologies nearing readiness, offers the potential for scaleup to a primate-scale brain, while further scaleup to a human-scale brain would require significant additional innovations.
Synthesizing Sum and Difference Patterns with Low Complexity Feeding Network by Sharing Element Excitations
Authors: Mohammed Jafar Ramadhan
Published: April 2017

In monopulse radar antennas, the synthesizing process of the sum and difference patterns must be fast enough to achieve good tracking of the targets. At the same time, the feed networks of such antennas must be as simple as possible for efficient implementation. To achieve these two goals, an iterative fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm is used to synthesize sum and difference patterns with the main focus on obtaining a maximum allowable sharing percentage in the element excitations. The synthesizing process involves iterative calculations of FFT and its inverse transformations; that is, starting from an initial excitation, the successive improved radiation pattern and its corresponding modified element excitations can be found repeatedly until the required radiation pattern is reached. Here, the constraints are incorporated in both the array factor domain and the element excitation domain. By enforcing some constraints on the element excitations during the synthesizing process, the described method provides a significant reduction in the complexity of the feeding network while achieving the required sum and difference patterns. Unlike the standard optimization approaches such as genetic algorithm (GA), the described algorithm performs repeatedly deterministic transformations on the initial field until the prescribed requirements are satisfied. This property makes the proposed synthesizing method converge much faster than GA.
The Effect of Chunghyul‐Dan on Hyperventilation‐Induced Carbon Dioxide Reactivity of the Middle Cerebral Artery in Normal Subjects: A Dose‐Dependent Study
Authors: Jin Chul , Moon Sang-Kwan , Cho Seung-Yeon , Park Seong-Uk , Jung Woo-Sang , Park Jung-Mi , Ko Chang-Nam , Cho Ki-Ho , Kwon Seungwon
Published: April 2017

Background. This study was conducted to show the prompt effect of chunghyul‐dan (CHD) on cerebral hemodynamics in order to provide evidence for its use in stroke prevention. Methods. Hyperventilation‐induced CO2 reactivity of the middle cerebral artery was measured in 12 healthy male volunteers (mean age: 26.3 ± 1.1 years) using transcranial Doppler sonography. All subjects were examined before and for 3 hours after administration, with an interval of 1 week between measurements. Results. Compared to baseline, the CO2 reactivity of the middle cerebral artery increased significantly at 2 and 3 hours after the administration of CHD (600 mg and 1200 mg). The mean blood pressure and heart rate did not vary from the baseline values in all groups. Conclusion. These data suggest that CHD administration (especially 600 mg) immediately improves cerebral blood flow.
Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine Product, QiangGuYin, on Bone Mineral Density and Bone Turnover in Chinese Postmenopausal Osteoporosis
Authors: Shi Zhen-Yu , Zhang Xin-Gen , Li Chun-Wen , Liu Kang , Liang Bo-Cheng , Shi Xiao-Lin
Published: April 2017

Introduction. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of herbal formula QiangGuYin (QGY) in postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods. A total of 240 participants from six clinical centers were randomly to receive alendronate 70 mg/week, QGY granules 20 g/day, and placebo. Primary end points were BMD changes over 6 and 12 months; secondary end points were bone turnover markers changes at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Safety was monitored by clinical adverse events reported during the follow‐up. Results. Of 240 women recruited, 218 completed the study. Significant BMD increases from baseline were observed over 6 and 12 months at each observed part both in QGY and alendronate compared with placebo (p < 0.01). Alendronate‐treated subjects had significant decreases in β‐CTX compared to QGY‐treated subjects at each time point assessed (p < 0.01). Reduction in t‐P1NP was only observed in the QGY group at 3 and 6 months (−23.81% and −3.07%, resp.). No significant difference was observed in the overall incidence of clinical adverse events among the alendronate group and the QGY group (5.0% versus 7.5%, p = 0.513). Conclusion. 1‐Year treatment with QGY demonstrated a safe statistical increase in BMD and new balance may be rebuilt after 9 months. This trail is registered with ChiCTR-POC-16008026.
PIK3CA Mutations Contribute to Acquired Cetuximab Resistance in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Xu Jian-Ming , Wang Yan , Wang You-Liang , Wang Yan , Liu Tao , Ni Ming , Li Man-Sheng , Lin Li , Ge Fei-Jiao , Gong Chun , Gu Jun-Yan , Jia Ru , Wang He-Fei , Chen Yu-Ling , Liu Rong-Rui , Zhao Chuan-Hua , Tan Zhao-Li , Jin Yang , Zhu Yun-Ping , Ogino Shuji , Qian Zhi-Rong
Published: April 2017

Purpose: Mutations in KRAS are considered to be the main drivers of acquired resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) blockade in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, the potential role of other genes downstream of the EGFR signaling pathway in conferring acquired resistance has not been extensively investigated.

Experimental Design: Using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from patients with mCRC and with acquired cetuximab resistance, we developed a targeted amplicon ultra-deep sequencing method to screen for low-abundance somatic mutations in a panel of genes that encode components of the EGFR signaling pathway. Mutations with significantly increased variant frequencies upon disease progression were selected by using quartile analysis. The functional consequences of the identified mutations were validated in cultured cells.

Results: We analyzed 32 patients with acquired cetuximab resistance in a development cohort. Of them, seven (22%) carried five novel PIK3CA mutations, whereas eight (25%) carried previously reported KRAS mutations. Functional studies showed that novel PIK3CA mutations (all in exon 19; p.K944N, p.F930S, p.V955G, p.V955I, and p.K966E) promote cell viability in the presence of cetuximab. Only one novel PIK3CA mutation (p.K944N) was verified in one of the 27 patients with acquired resistance in a validation cohort, simultaneous KRAS and PIK3CA hotspot mutations were detected in two patients. Among the above 59 acquired resistance patients, those with PIK3CA or RAS mutations detected in ctDNA showed a pronounced decrease in progression-free survival than patients with no mutation.

Conclusions: The PIK3CA mutations may potentially contribute to acquired cetuximab resistance in patients with mCRC. Clin Cancer Res; 23(16); 4602–16. ©2017 AACR.
Growing Skull Fracture and the Orbitocranial Variant: Nuances of Surgical Management
Authors: Singh Vikram , Sasidharan Gopalakrishnan M. , Bhat Dhananjaya Ishwar , Devi Bhagavatula Indira
Published: April 2017

Aims: Growing skull fracture (GSF) is a rare complication resulting from diastatic enlargement of a pediatric skull fracture. Orbitocranial GSF is a distinct variant with more complex management issues due to the displacement of the globe. This study aims to discuss surgical considerations in the management of GSF, with particular reference to orbitocranial variants. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 7 children operated for GSFs at our institute from 2008 to 2015. Results: Four boys and 3 girls were operated during this period. The mean age at initial trauma was 2 years, and most of them sustained falls. The most frequent symptoms of GSF were progressive scalp swelling and proptosis. The most common location was the orbitofrontal region. Duraplasty with cranioplasty was performed in 5 patients, while duraplasty alone was only required in 2 patients. A postoperative complication was noted in 1 patient and managed successfully. Good cosmetic results were obtained in all of the cases. Conclusions: Duraplasty is essential in the repair of GSF and should be followed by cranioplasty to prevent recurrent leptomeningeal herniation. We recommend the use of autologous bone from the surgical site for cranioplasty. Orbital roof repair is advisable for good visual and cosmetic outcome in orbitocranial variants of GSF.
O papel da atenção básica no cuidado ao usuário de crack: opinião de usuários, trabalhadores e gestores do sistema
Authors: Pinho Leandro Barbosa de , Siniak Débora Schlotefeldt
Published: April 2017

Objetivou-se conhecer a opinião de usuários do sistema, trabalhadores e gestores sobre o papel da atenção básica no cuidado ao usuário de crack. Recorte de estudo avaliativo, desenvolvido em Viamão-RS, com usuários, familiares, trabalhadores de saúde mental e gestores. Utilizou o referencial teórico e metodológico da Avaliação de Quarta Geração. Foram realizadas entrevistas com a aplicação do Círculo Hermenêutico e Dialético. O método de análise foi o Método Comparativo Constante. Apontou-se a dificuldade de articulação dos serviços especializados com a rede básica, prejudicando acesso e continuidade do cuidado. Destacou-se a escassez de profissionais capacitados para trabalhar com o fenômeno das drogas, limitando o potencial inventivo da rede. Ressalta-se a relevância de investir no matriciamento como mecanismo de integração e educação permanente em saúde mental
Uma “impressão histórico-bibliográfica” sobre Comenius: da cultura à cultura impressa na obra comeniana
Authors: Silva Roge Cavalcante da , Saldanha Gustavo Silva
Published: April 2017

Este estudo, orientado para a filosofia do livro e seu impacto no pensamento pedagógico de Comenius, integra o projeto “Epistemologia histórica do pensamento biblioteconômico-informacional: a trama da linguagem entre instituições, conceitos, artefatos e intersujeitos”, desenvolvido no contexto da Escola de Biblioteconomia da Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. O recorte de pesquisa se aproxima dos debates sobre a fundamentação do campo informacional, porém explorando não apenas suas demandas filosóficas, mas incluindo dois eixos co-centrais: a) uma epistemologia histórica, interessada em um olhar sobre os modos como as ideias se estabelecem no tempo-espaço em mutação, e b) uma filosofia da cultura, orientada para o posicionamento dos objetos de estudo, abarcando os conceitos, com integrantes de dimensões construídas e disputadas dentro das dinâmicas culturais. O referencial teórico estabelece-se a partir de fontes oriundas da Biblioteconomia & Ciência da Informação, Educação e História (mais especificamente, os estudos do domínio de História do Livro). Como caracterização metodológica, realiza-se estudo histórico-bibliográfico, com foco no pensamento bibliológico, com vistas à compreensão das margens de influência da cultura impressa no pensamento pedagógico de Johann Amós Comenius (1592-1670). Parte do resultado de um estudo mais amplo, de natureza dupla (histórica e empírico-conceitual), o enfoque geral do estudo procurou demarcar os indícios manifestos da cultura impressa na elaboração de conceitos da Filosofia da Educação presentes na obra maior de Comenius, a Didactica Magna (1657). As diretivas conclusivas procuram comprovar os modos teóricos de influência de uma filosofia do livro transformada por impactos socioculturais.
Mitochondrial genome of Abraxas suspecta (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) and comparative analysis with other Lepidopterans
Authors: SUN YU , ZHANG JIAWEI , LI QINGQING , LIANG DAN , ABBAS MUHAMMAD NADEEM , QIAN CEN , WANG LEI , WEI GUOQING , ZHU BAO-JIAN , LIU CHAO-LIANG
Published: April 2017

In this study, a complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequence of Abraxas suspecta (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) is isolated and characterized. The complete DNA is 15,547 bp length and contains 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 23 putative transfer RNA (tRNA) genes including an extra tRNAAsn (AUU), 13 protein-coding genes and an adenine (A) + thymine (T)-rich region. The nucleotide composition and gene organization are identical to those of other lepidopteran, except for the presence of an extra copy of trnN (AUU). Of the 38 genes, twenty-five genes (9 PCGs and 16 tRNAs) are encoded by heavy strand (H-strand), while thirteen are encoded by light strand (L-strand). Among the 13 PCGs, 12 PCGs employ ATN as initiation codon, while cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) utilizes CGA as initiation codon. Four of the 13 PCGs have the incomplete termination codon T, while the remainder terminated with the canonical stop codon. All tRNA genes are folded into the typical clover-leaf structure of mitochondrial tRNAs, except for the tRNASer (AGN) gene, in which the DHU arm fails to form a stable stem-loop structure. The A+T-rich region is 532 bp long, and contains some conserved regions, including ‘ATAGA’ motif followed by a 17bp poly-T stretch, a microsatellite-like element (AT)8(AAT)3 and also a poly-A element. A short Phylogenetic analysis based on 13 PCGs using maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) revealed that A. suspecta resides in the Geometridae family. We present the method and approach to use moths as model organisms for further genetic and evolutionary biology studies.
Quantitative fluorescence techniques for investigating hydrocarbon charge history in carbonate reservoir
Authors: Liu Nian , Qiu Nansheng , Chang Jian , Shen Fangyu , Ma Xuefeng , Liu Chunli , Feng Qianqian
Published: April 2017

The quantitative grain fluorescence and quantitative grain fluorescence on extract have become effective approaches in the analysis of hydrocarbon evolution in clastic reservoirs recently. The cutoff threshold for differentiating current/paleo-oil and water zones is crucial to reconstruct accurately hydrocarbon accumulation history. However, the absence of theoretical study on the cutoff threshold in the carbonate reservoir has precluded their application and development. In this paper, we attempted to investigate the cutoff threshold by analyzing the quantitative grain fluorescence and quantitative grain fluorescence on extract parameters and spectra of the cores and natural carbonate outcrop samples in known current/paleo-oil and water zones revealed by the frequency of oil inclusions, formation test, logging analysis, etc. Based on this, the hydrocarbon charging history of the Suqiao Buried-hill Zone, Bohai Bay Basin, eastern China was reconstructed using the gotten threshold. Results show that the carbonate minerals fluorescing will lead to a higher cutoff threshold of quantitative grain fluorescence index value in the carbonate reservoir, while the threshold of quantitative grain fluorescence on extract intensity value is coincident with the corresponding value in the clastic reservoir. The quantitative grain fluorescence and quantitative grain fluorescence on extract data have unraveled a complicated hydrocarbon accumulation history in Suqiao Buried-hill Zone including oil charging before gas and paleo-oil loss due to the tectonism. The ascertained cutoff threshold in this study is of great significance for reconstructing accurately and effectively the complicated hydrocarbon charging history in the carbonate reservoir, which provides significant models for future petroleum exploration.
Tolerance analysis of mechanical assemblies based on the product of exponentials formula
Authors: Yu Jue , Zhao Yong , Wang Hao , Lai Xinmin
Published: April 2017

Many existing tolerancing models deal with the tolerance analysis of mechanical assemblies using linear stack-up function, which will cause truncation errors for nonlinear assembly problem. This article proposes a new method for describing the variation propagation based on the product of exponentials formula. Both the length deviations and the angle deviations are uniformly represented by twist coordinates. Accordingly, the nonlinear stack-up functions relating the assembly functional requirements to the manufacturing variations can be derived, and no truncation errors generated. A three-dimensional assembly case is studied exploiting the proposed method and the direct linearization method, respectively. It appears that the product of exponentials formula can bring consistent tolerance analysis results with the exact geometric solutions, whereas there are some small errors in the analysis results of direct linearization method. The precision of tolerance estimation via the product of exponentials formula is improved by 0.52% at the most compared with that by the direct linearization method. Due to the elimination of local datum reference frames, the product of exponentials formula can also lead to a more concise description of tolerance accumulation than the direct linearization method.
Suppression of B-cell development genes is key to glucocorticoid efficacy in treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Kruth Karina A. , Fang Mimi , Shelton Dawne N. , Abu-Halawa Ossama , Mahling Ryan , Yang Hongxing , Weissman Jonathan S. , Loh Mignon L. , Müschen Markus , Tasian Sarah K. , Bassik Michael C. , Kampmann Martin , Pufall Miles A.
Published: April 2017

Key Points

Next-generation functional genomics identifies B-cell development genes, pathways, and feedback loops that affect dex activity in B-ALL. Suppression of lymphoid-restricted PI3Kδ synergizes with dex in B-ALL by enhancing or restoring regulation of cell-death genes.
Species, Nature, and the Politics of the Common: From Virno to Simondon
Authors: Tola Miriam
Published: April 2017

This essay discusses Paolo Virno's anchoring of the common in the linguistic faculties of Homo sapiens. It explores how Virno's figure of the anthropos intersects the hegemonic model of Man that largely underwrites the Anthropocene concept. In particular, it suggests that Virno engages species thinking without sufficiently addressing how it emerged in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries within global circuits of exploitation that shaped the categories of human and nonhuman in exclusionary ways. In order to further complicate Virno's anchoring of the common in properly human capacities, the essay discusses his use of Gilbert Simondon's philosophy of individuation. Building on Simondon's concept of preindividual, it reworks the common as a formation that requires the interplay of many kinds of beings, not all of which are human. At stake is not just the introduction of difference within human nature but a reflection on organizational forms capable of making present the geological and ecological forces that provide the conditions for the making of the common.
“A Future to Look Forward to?”: Extinction and Evolution in Jane Austen's Persuasion
Authors: Murphy Olivia
Published: April 2017

Charles Darwin's profound interest in Austen's novels—Persuasion (1817) in particular—is well known. This article offers a new interpretation of Persuasion as a pre-Darwinian novel, concerned with the processes of natural selection and evolution in human societies. Many of the discoveries and theories that Darwin drew on in developing his work on evolution came about in the late eighteenth century. We are accustomed to reading Victorian literature in a Darwinian context, but research into the impact of geological and paleontological discoveries on the literature of the romantic period is scant, despite explicit references in, for example, Shelley's Prometheus Unbound (1820) and Charlotte Smith's Beachy Head (1807). In Persuasion, Austen offers examples of successful evolution, and also of the failure of some individuals to survive in their environments. Sir Walter Elliot, Austen writes, “had not had principle or sense enough to maintain himself in the situation in which Providence had placed him.” The romantics' newly formed understanding of the process of extinction, led by a growth in the study of fossils, forms the background to this novel in which Austen radically questions the desirability of the very existence of the British landowning classes, concluding: “They were gone who deserved not to stay.” Austen's ultimate ambivalence about the survival of her culture's values and even its members takes on new significance when read in light of novels that import romantic tropes of exile in the face of ecological cataclysm.
Mroh1, a lysosomal regulator localized by WASH-generated actin
Authors: Thomason Peter A. , King Jason S. , Insall Robert H.
Published: April 2017

The steps leading to constitutive exocytosis are poorly understood. In Dictyostelium WASH complex mutants, exocytosis is blocked, so cells that take up fluorescent dextran from the medium retain it and remain fluorescent. Here, we establish a FACS-based method to select cells that retain fluorescent dextran, allowing identification of mutants with disrupted exocytosis. Screening a pool of random mutants identified members of the WASH complex, as expected, and multiple mutants in the conserved HEAT-repeat-containing protein Mroh1. In mroh1 mutants, endosomes develop normally until the stage where lysosomes neutralize to postlysosomes, but thereafter the WASH complex is recycled inefficiently, and subsequent exocytosis is substantially delayed. Mroh1 protein localizes to lysosomes in mammalian and Dictyostelium cells. In Dictyostelium, it accumulates on lysosomes as they mature and is removed, together with the WASH complex, shortly before the postlysosomes are exocytosed. WASH-generated F-actin is required for correct subcellular localization; in WASH complex mutants, and immediately after latrunculin treatment, Mroh1 relocalizes from the cytoplasm to small vesicles. Thus, Mroh1 is involved in a late and hitherto undefined actin-dependent step in exocytosis.
Assessment of coastal fish assemblages before the establishment of a new marine protected area in central Mediterranean: its role in formulating zoning proposal
Authors: LA MESA G. , SALVATI E. , AGNESI S. , TUNESI L.
Published: April 2017

The fish assemblages of the coastal area of the promontory of Cape Milazzo (Italy, Central Mediterranean), which has been recently designated by the Italian Law to become a national marine protected area (MPA), were characterized by visual censuses carried out over different habitats (rocky algal reef, Posidonia oceanica meadow and soft bottom) and depth ranges (0-3, 4-7, 12-16 and 24-30 m) to identify areas of major concern for the MPA zoning. The study area was divided into 6 sectors to assess spatial-related differences in the assemblage parameters, such as species composition and richness, and the size structure of species of recreational (e.g. SCUBA diving) interest. Fifty-eight taxa (56 species and 2 genera) and 20 families of fishes were totally recorded. Species composition was significantly affected by habitat and depth, whereas no significant changes were detected among sectors. Conversely, species richness and total density of fish showed no significant differences among sectors, habitat types and depth ranges. The majority of species of recreational value was recorded only off the northwestern part of the promontory. The implementation of fishing ban in such an area, characterized by the presence of a rocky bank, would contribute to the recovery of populations of some emblematic species (e.g. groupers and other large predator) and to the enhancement of environmentally sustainable activities such as scuba diving. Throughout the investigated area and, especially, in the eastern and southwestern coasts of the promontory, several species were almost exclusively represented by small and medium sized individuals, a likely consequence of an intense fishing pressure.
First record of an exotic hippolytid shrimp in the eastern Mediterranean Sea
Authors: FROGLIA C. , DEVAL M.C.
Published: April 2017

The alien hippolytid shrimp Lysmatakempi Chace, 1997 (= Hippolysmatadentata Kemp, 1914) , never recorded after its original description fromthe Eastern Indian Ocean, is reported for the first time in the easternMediterranean Sea (Gulf of Antalya), with remarks on its taxonomy.
First record of the Northern brown shrimp, Farfantepenaeus aztecus (Ives, 1891) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Penaeidae) in the South Adriatic Sea, Montenegro
Authors: MARKOVIĆ O. , GÖKOĞLU M. , PETOVIĆ S. , MANDIĆ M.
Published: April 2017

A single adult female specimen of the Northern brown shrimp, Farfantepenaeus aztecus, a species native to the western Atlantic coasts, was caught in Boka kotorska bay (southern Adriatic Sea) on 19 September 2013. This is the first record of this alien species in the Adriatic Sea.
New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (April, 2014)
Authors: KAPIRIS K. , APOSTOLIDIS C. , BALDACCONI R. , BAŞUSTA N. , BILECENOGLU M. , BITAR G. , BOBORI D.C. , BOYACI Y.Ö , DIMITRIADIS C. , DJUROVIĆ M. , DULČIĆ J. , DURUCAN F. , GEROVASILEIOU V. , GÖKOĞLU M. , KOUTSOUBAS D. , LEFKADITOU E. , LIPEJ L. , MARKOVIĆ O. , MAVRIČ B. , ÖZVAROL Y. , PESIC V. , PETRIKI O. , SIAPATIS A. , SINI M. , TIBULLO D. , TIRALONGO F.
Published: April 2017

According to reports, the following 16 species have extended their distribution to other Mediterranean areas or have made a new appearance in other regions. The first category includes the following organisms: The rare and common Indo-Pacific seaweed Codium arabicum (Lebanese coasts), the acari Thalassarachna affinis (Marmara Sea), and the non-indigenous nudibranch Flabellina rubrolineata, which has also been found in many other areas of the Aegean Sea. In addition, the rare sea slug Thecacera pennigera (Piccolo of Taranto), the fangtooth moray Enchelycore anatina (National Marine Park of Zakynthos, Ionian Sea), the carangid Seriola fasciata (Gulf of Antalya), Lagocephalus sceleratus (SE. Ionian Sea), the reticulated leatherjacket Stephanolepis diaspros (Slovenia, N. Adriatic Sea), the marbled stingray, Dasyatis marmorata (NE Levantine), the starry smooth-hound Mustelus asterias (Iskenderun Bay, NE Mediterranean), the cephalopod Ommastrephes bartramii (Ionian Sea) have also been reported. The Atlantic crab Dyspanopeus sayi has expanded to many Italian areas and the blue crab Callinectes sapidus to a lake in N. Greece and in the S. Adriatic Sea. Finally, Farfantepenaeus aztecus has been found in the Ionian Sea, thus showing its wide expansion in the Mediterranean. The larval stages of Faccionella oxyrhyncha have been found, after many years, in the Aegean Sea and the first report of an existence on intersexual acari Litarachna duboscqi in Split(Adriatic Sea) was reported.
Technique of the Accounting for Results of Pedagogical Workers Evaluation by the Graduates of Previous Years During the Forming and Realization of System of Teacher’s Growth
Authors: Малеванов  , Malevanov E. , Калашникова  , Kalashnikova N. , Болотина  , Bolotina Tatyana , Жаркова  , Zharkova E.
Published: April 2017

One of strategic tasks of schools is stimulation of pedagogical workers to professional development on the basis of strengthening of objectivity, openness and transparency of evaluation of their work. Article considers new approaches to estimated procedures in system of teacher’s growth on the basis of the accounting school graduates evaluation system of teacher growth. Authors presented the material prepared within realization of actions of Federal target program of development of education (FTPDE), a task “Development of modern mechanisms and technologies of the general education”. The article described step by step the technique of the use of technology accounting teaching staff evaluation of the graduates of last years in the general education organizations. The technology allows you to build public ratings of school teachers on the basis of estimates of graduates of last years, to make reasonable decisions on stimulation, the direction on training (professional development according to the specific program providing elimination of the revealed professional deficiencies), and program planning individual professional development of teachers.
The Place of Robotechnics Course in School Subjects «Handicraft» and «Informatics»
Authors: Цветкова  , Tsvetkova Marina , Кирюхин  , Kiryuhin V.
Published: April 2017

In the article the analysis of robotics course place is presented in school courses Technology and Informatics in accordance with the Federal state educational standard of basic school education and Strategy of scientifically-technological development of Russian Federation, and also directions of teachers training are certain for educating to robotics in the school courses of technology and informatics.
Plasma Urate, Cancer Incidence, and All-Cause Mortality: A Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Kobylecki Camilla J , Afzal Shoaib , Nordestgaard Børge G
Published: April 2017

BACKGROUND

Observationally, high plasma urate is associated with high risk of cancer. We used a Mendelian randomization design to test the hypothesis that high concentrations of plasma urate are associated with high cancer incidence and all-cause mortality observationally and genetically.

METHODS

We performed observational and genetic analyses using plasma urate and the urate solute carrier family 2 member 9 (SLC2A9) rs7442295 genotype in 86210 individuals from the Copenhagen General Population Study. Cancer and mortality end points were from national cancer and death registries. Incidences and risk of cancer and all-cause mortality were calculated using Cox regression, Fine and Gray competing-risks regression, and instrumental variable analyses.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up time of 3.9 years for cancer and 4.9 years for all-cause mortality, 3243 individuals received a diagnosis of cancer and 3978 died. Observationally, 50% higher plasma urate was associated with multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios of 1.11 (95% CI, 1.05–1.18) for cancer incidence and 1.07 (1.01–1.13) for all-cause mortality. Each A-allele of the SLC2A9 rs7442295 was associated with 9% higher plasma urate and hazard ratios of 1.07 (1.01–1.14) for cancer incidence and 1.07 (1.02–1.13) for all-cause mortality. In instrumental variable analyses, the odds ratios for a genetically determined 50% higher plasma urate was 1.22 (1.02–1.47) for cancer incidence and 1.49 (1.13–1.93) for all-cause mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

High plasma urate was both observationally and genetically associated with high cancer incidence and high all-cause mortality, suggesting causal relationships.
Syndromes of Global Change: The First Panoramic View
Authors: Lüdeke Matthias K. B. , Petschel-Held Gerhard , Schellnhuber Hans-Joachim
Published: April 2017

Ecological and environmental sciences need new approaches to meet a two-fold challenge: first, analysing the tightly coupled system of human civilisation and its natural environment and, secondly, generating action-oriented knowledge in order to deal with global change. The syndrome approach meets this challenge by formulating a set of typical problematic man-environment interaction patterns. After shortly reviewing the basic concepts of the approach, this paper presents the global distribution of seven syndromes that were present around 1990 based on 56 indicators. Besides large regions dominated by just one problematic pattern, typical "pairs" of syndromes occur, indicating mutual reinforcement mechanisms. A discussion follows covering the implication of these multiple-syndrome situations and the need for actions to mitigate global change and its negative effects.
Mecaster batnensis (Coquand, 1862), a late Cenomanian echinoid from New Mexico, with a compilation of Late Cretaceous echinoid records in the Western Interior of the United States and Canada
Authors: Hook Stephen C. , Cobban William A.
Published: April 2017

Echinoids are rare in the Upper Cretaceous of the Western Interior, where fewer than 60 unique occurrences are known to date, most of these represented by only a few tests or isolated spines. A notable exception is the Carthage coal field (Socorro County, New Mexico), where more than 200 specimens of Mecaster batnensis, previously referred to as Hemiaster jacksoni Maury, 1925, have been collected from the basal Bridge Creek Limestone Beds of the Tokay Tongue of the Mancos Shale. Prolific occurrences from the same beds are known from elsewhere in west-central and southwest New Mexico. Recorded originally from the Upper Cretaceous of Algeria, M. batnensis is a small- to medium-sized, irregular echinoid that is confined to the upper Cenomanian Euomphaloceras septemseriatum Zone in New Mexico. Measurements on 169 well-preserved specimens from two localities in New Mexico document a species that is, on average, 21.0 mm long, 19.8 mm wide, and 15.1 mm tall, yielding a width/length ratio of 0.94 and a height/length ratio of 0.72. Graphs plotting width against length and height against length are strongly linear.

The Western Interior echinoid record spans the entire Late Cretaceous, although there are no records from rocks of Santonian age. Localities are spread from New Mexico on the south to Alberta on the north. Preservation ranges from coarse internal molds in high-energy sandstones to original tests in low-energy limestones.
Mosasauroid predation on an ammonite – Pseudaspidoceras – from the Early Turonian of south-eastern Morocco
Authors: Gale Andrew S. , Kennedy William James , Martill David
Published: April 2017

A juvenile specimen of the ammonite Pseudaspidoceras from the Early Turonian of the Goulmima area in the Province of Er-Rachida in south-eastern Morocco shows clear evidence of predation by a tooth-bearing vertebrate. Most of the body chamber is missing, as a result of post-burial compactional crushing. The adapertural part of the shell on the left flank of the surviving fragment of body chamber bears six circular punctuations; the right flank four. These are interpreted as the product of a single bite by a mosasauroid, probably a Tethysaurus.

The taxonomy of the Goulmima Pseudaspidoceras is discuused in an appendix.
Description of the lower jaws of Baculites from the Upper Cretaceous U.S. Western Interior
Authors: Larson Neal L. , Landman Neil H.
Published: April 2017

We report the discovery of lower jaws of Baculites (Ammonoidea) from the Upper Cretaceous U.S. Western Interior. In the lower Campanian Smoky Hill Chalk Member of the Niobrara Chalk of Kansas, most of the jaws occur as isolated elements. Based on their age, they probably belong to Baculites sp. (smooth). They conform to the description of rugaptychus, and are ornamented with coarse rugae on their ventral side. One specimen is preserved inside a small fecal pellet that was probably produced by a fish. Another specimen occurs inside in a crushed body chamber near the aperture and is probably in situ. Three small structures are present immediately behind the jaw and may represent the remains of the gills. In the lower Maastrichtian Pierre Shale of Wyoming, two specimens of Baculites grandis contain lower jaws inside their body chambers, and are probably in situ. In both specimens, the jaws are oriented at an acute angle to the long axis of the shell, with their anterior ends pointing toward the dorsum. One of the jaws is folded into a U-shape, which probably approximates the shape of the jaw during life. Based on the measurements of the jaws and the shape of the shell, the jaws could not have touched the sides of the shell even if they were splayed out, implying that they could not have effectively served as opercula. Instead, in combination with the upper jaws and radula, they constituted the buccal apparatus that collected and conveyed food to the esophagus.
Facies changes in the Cenomanian (Cretaceous) of the northwestern Elbe Valley near Dresden (Saxony, Germany)
Authors: Tröger Karl-Armin
Published: April 2017

The Upper Cretaceous of the Elbe Valley in Saxony and the erosion outliers west of it mark an Upper Cretaceous NW-SE-running strait between the Westsudetic Island in the NE and the Mid-European Island to the west. This street connected the NW-German-Polish Basin in the north and the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin (and adjacent regions of the Tethys) in the south. However, post-Cretaceous erosion north of Meißen removed any Upper Cretaceous deposits but erosion outliers at Siebenlehn and especially north of the Forest of Tharandt proof the presence of a marly through silty belt in this area. Three transgressions (base of uppermost Lower to Middle Cenomanian, base of Upper Cenomanian and base of the geslinianum Zone in the mid-Upper Cenomanian) have taken place. The sedimentation was influenced by the topography of the mentioned islands and by movements at structural lines in the Proterozoic and Palaeozoic basement. During the early Late Cenomanian, a marly-silty sedimentation (Mobschatz Formation) in the north existed besides sandy sedimentation in the south (Oberhäslich Formation). The transgression at the base of the geslinianum Zone caused the final submergence of island chains between Meißen, Dresden and Pirna, and a litho- and biofacies bound to cliffs and submarine swells formed. A silty-marly lithofacies, a mixed sandy-silty lithofacies (Dölzschen Formation) and a sandy lithofacies in the south (Sächsisches Elbsandsteingebirge) co-existed during the latest Cenomanian. The first mentioned biofacies yields a rich fauna mainly consisting of oysters, pectinids, rudists, and near-shore gastropods accompanied by echinids and, in some cliffs, teeth of sharks. The Pennrich fauna (Häntzschel 1933; Uhlig 1941) especially consists of the very common serpulids Pyrgopolon (P.) septemsulcata and Glomerula lombricus (formerly Hepteris septemsulcata and G. gordialis).