bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Utility of Needs Analysis for Nondomain Expert Instructors in Designing Task‐Based Spanish for the Professions Curricula
Authors: Serafini Ellen J. , Torres Julio
Published: August 2015

The demand for Spanish for specific purposes (SSP) university courses in the United States has prompted widespread curricular change in language departments over the last two decades (Klee, 2015; Sánchez‐López, 2013). However, many instructors lack the tools and training needed to design SSP curricula that meet learners’ communicative needs in such contexts. Moreover, little SSP research to date has taken a task‐based approach to identifying learners’ specialized needs (Long, 2015), which can provide much‐needed support to instructors who are nonexperts in the particular domain of interest. The current study reports on a small‐scale, multiphase needs analysis carried out to design a university business Spanish course. In Phase 1, a small sample of business graduates and professionals generated a list of 40 target tasks in the domains of reading, writing, listening, and speaking that were relevant to their particular work. In Phase 2, 54 university business majors rated the frequency and difficulty of each task on a 40‐item Likert‐type questionnaire. During Phase 3, the researchers analyzed and grouped target tasks identified in the needs assessment to create five major target task types that informed course objectives and classroom tasks.
Using ecophysiological traits to predict climatic and activity niches: lethal temperature and water loss inMediterranean ants
Authors: Arnan Xavier , Blüthgen Nico
Published: August 2015

Aim

Unravelling the constraints acting on the distribution and abundance of species is a major goal in ecology. Climatic niche models have become an important but controversial tool for predicting the consequences of global warming for species distributions. However, to date, classical ecophysiological traits such as thermal tolerance and water loss have rarely been accounted for in species distribution models. Here we meet the challenge of linking ecophysiological measures with climatic niche descriptions at two different spatial scales across ant species in a comparative modelling framework.

Location

Western Europe.

Methods

Two ecophysiological traits (lethal temperature and water loss) were characterized for 17 sympatric Mediterranean ant species under controlled laboratory conditions. These data, along with two eco‐behavioural traits (timing of activity and habitat specialization) were then used in models examining the species climatic and activity niches, i.e. at the biogeographical and local scales. Climatic niches were built using species distribution maps, while activity niches were built using activity data gathered in the field.

Results

Physiological traits characterized in the laboratory (particularly lethal temperatures) explained 50% of the interspecific variation in climatic envelopes, especially the maximum temperatures experienced by species in their geographical ranges. Habitat specialization also made an important contribution; other traits such as water loss did not appear to be important. Physiological lethal temperatures also helped define activity niches at the local scale, especially in the case of behaviourally dominant species.

Main conclusions

Relatively simple physiological traits alone, especially thermal tolerance, combined with some behavioural and natural history traits, can be important predictors of species biogeographical climatic niches. Thermal constraints and behaviour may thus be promising directions for studies seeking to predict species distributions in the face of climatic change.
Traditional serrated adenoma with BRAF mutation is associated with synchronous/metachronous BRAF‐mutated serrated lesions
Authors: Tsai Jia‐Huei , Cheng Chien‐Hsuan , Chen Chien‐Chuan , Lin Yu‐Lin , Lin Liang‐In , Chen Mei‐Ling , Liau Jau‐Yu
Published: August 2015

Aims

To determine whether traditional serrated adenoma (TSA) results in an increased risk of developing subsequent serrated polyps or colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods and results

We recruited 111 patients with an index TSA, and analysed the pathological and molecular features of their synchronous/metachronous serrated lesions. Fifty hyperplastic polyps, 14 sessile serrated adenomas, an additional 27 TSAs and 17 CRCs were identified from 46 patients. Twenty‐seven percent of TSAs showed a precursor serrated polyp in the periphery and were strongly correlated with BRAF mutation (P < 0.001). Serrated polyps occurred more commonly in patients with BRAF‐mutated index TSAs than in patients with KRAS‐mutated index TSAs. BRAF‐mutated index TSAs were strongly associated with a right‐sided location and BRAF mutation of synchronous/metachronous serrated polyps (P = 0.013 and P = 0.005, respectively). The 17 CRCs occurred more frequently in women, and were characterized by a high BRAF mutation rate (59%), a positive CpG island methylator phenotype (59%), and stable or low levels of microsatellite instability (77%).

Conclusions

BRAF‐mutated TSA is distinct from KRAS‐mutated TSA in predisposing to the acquisition of subsequent serrated neoplasia. This indicates the presence of an intestinal field defect in the tumour microenvironment that results in tumour initiation and malignant progression.
Validity Stability Across Entering College Cohorts: Exploring the temporal generalizability of local validity estimates
Authors: Huber Christopher R. , Kuncel Nathan R. , Sackett Paul R. , Beatty Adam S.
Published: August 2015

Local validity studies rely on the assumption that validity estimates from one incumbent sample approximate validity for future applicant pools. We test this assumption using SAT scores and high school grades as predictors of first year college grade point average across multiple college applicant pools for over 100 schools. We present evidence for substantial absolute and rank order consistency in validity estimates. However, this consistency is far less than perfect, resulting in potentially meaningful utility differences over time. In addition, observed fluctuations are not fully explained by sampling error alone.
Novel insight for midline cyst formation in prostate: The involvement of decreased prenatal testosterone suggested by second‐to‐fourth digit ratio study
Authors: Furuya Seiji , Hisasue Shin‐ichi , Kato Haruaki , Shimamura Shogo
Published: August 2015

Objectives

To clarify the relationship between midline cyst formation and second to fourth finger length ratio.

Methods

The present study included 95 benign prostatic hyperplasia patients and 61 healthy male college students. All midline cysts were identified by transrectal ultrasonography. In the benign prostatic hyperplasia group, 45 midline cyst (+) men (Mage = 67.2 years) and age‐matched 50 midline cyst (−) men (Mage = 67.1 years) were included. In the university student group, 12 midline cyst (+) men (Mage = 21.7 years) and age‐matched 49 midline cyst (−) men (Mage = 21.1 years) were included. We took photocopies of the participants' bilateral hands, and measured the second and fourth finger length was measured by one examiner in a blind manner.

Results

Second to fourth finger length ratios in the benign prostatic hyperplasia group (right/left mean ± SD) were higher bilaterally in midline cyst (+) (0.95 ± 0.03/0.95 ± 0.03) than those in midline cyst (−) (0.92 ± 0.03/0.92 ± 0.03; P < 0.0001/P = 0.0010). Second to fourth finger length ratios in students were higher only in the right hand in midline cyst (+) (0.96 ± 0.03/0.94 ± 0.03) than those in midline cyst (−) (0.93 ± 0.03/0.94 ± 0.03; P = 0.0018/P = 0.9968). The second to fourth finger length ratio of midline cyst (+) men was significantly higher than that in midline cyst (−) men.

Conclusions

The second to fourth finger length ratio is higher in subjects with midline cyst of the prostate. It can be speculated that the prostatic utricle dilates in cases less exposed to male hormones during fetal development.
Interferon‐γ enhances both the anti‐bacterial and the pro‐inflammatory response of human mast cells to Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Swindle Emily J. , Brown Jared M. , Rådinger Madeleine , DeLeo Frank R. , Metcalfe Dean D.
Published: August 2015

Human mast cells (huMCs) are involved in both innate and adaptive immune responses where they release mediators including amines, reactive oxygen species (ROS), eicosanoids and cytokines. We have reported that interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) enhances FcγR‐dependent ROS production. The aim of this study was to extend these observations by investigating the effect of IFN‐γ on the biological responses of huMCs to Staphylococcus aureus. We found that exposure of huMCs to S. aureus generated intracellular and extracellular ROS, which were enhanced in the presence of IFN‐γ. IFN‐γ also promoted bacteria killing, β‐hexosaminidase release and eicosanoid production. Interferon‐γ similarly increased expression of mRNAs encoding CCL1 to CCL4, granulocyte–macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF), tumour necrosis factor‐α and CXCL8 in S. aureus‐stimulated huMCs. The ability of IFN‐γ to increase CXCL8 and GM‐CSF protein levels was confirmed by ELISA. Fibronectin or a β1 integrin blocking antibody completely abrogated IFN‐γ‐dependent S. aureus binding and reduced S. aureus‐dependent CXCL8 secretion. These data demonstrate that IFN‐γ primes huMCs for enhanced anti‐bacterial and pro‐inflammatory responses to S. aureus, partially mediated by β1 integrin.
Post‐pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 virus infection in pregnant women in Ceará, Brazil
Authors: Perdigão Anne C. B. , Araújo Fernanda M. C. , Melo Maria E. L. , Lemos Daniele R. Q. , Cavalcanti Luciano P. , Ramalho Izabel L. C. , Araújo Lia C. , Sousa Deborah M. , Siqueira Marilda M. , Guedes Maria I. F.
Published: August 2015

Objective

The aim of this study was to present results of the post‐pandemic phase of A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection in pregnant women in Ceará, Brazil, during the January–June 2012 influenza season.

Results

One hundred and fifty‐four nasopharyngeal swab samples were collected from pregnant women admitted to hospitals with suspected severe acute respiratory infection (SARI). Fifty‐three (34·4%) had laboratory‐confirmed A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection with 15 (28·3%) outpatients and 38 (71·7%) hospitalized. Five (9·4%) women were in the first trimester of pregnancy, 20 (37·7%) in the second trimester of pregnancy, and 24 (45·2%) in the third trimester of pregnancy. Three had no information about the time of pregnancy. Six samples from newborns were also analyzed, of which three were nasopharyngeal swab positive for A(H1N1)pdm09. These swabs were collected immediately after birth, with the exception of one that was collected on the day after birth.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that transplacental transfer of influenza viruses could occur as a result of severe illness in pregnancy. It is therefore important to encourage women to be vaccinated against influenza in order to avoid pregnancy complications.
The Comparative Effectiveness of Angiotensin‐Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers in Patients With Diabetes
Authors: Padwal Raj , Lin Mu , Eurich Dean T.
Published: August 2015

The evidence examining the effect of angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) on mortality in high‐risk patients is conflicting. To further examine this controversy, the authors compared outcomes between ACE inhibitors and ARBs in a large clinical diabetes registry. A retrospective cohort of 87,472 incident users followed for 105,702 patient‐years was analyzed. Average age was 53.1±10.1 years, 54.2% were men, and 14.4% had cardiovascular disease. All‐cause hospitalization or all‐cause mortality, the composite primary endpoint, occurred in 10,943 (12.5%) patients. Compared with ACE inhibitors, the adjusted hazard for ARBs was 0.90 (95% confidence interval, 0.87–0.94) for all‐cause hospitalization or mortality; 0.95 (0.65–1.40) for mortality; 0.90 (0.87–0.94) for all‐cause hospitalization; and 0.81 (0.74–0.89) for cardiovascular admission. ARB use was associated with a reduced, not increased, risk of hospitalization/mortality relative to ACE inhibition. This was driven by lower hospitalization, with a null mortality result.
Renal Fibromuscular Dysplasia: A Not So Common Entity of Secondary Hypertension
Authors: Sanidas Elias A. , Seferou Maria , Papadopoulos Dimitris P. , Makris Anastasios , Viniou Nora A. , Chantziara Vasiliki , Cennimata Vasiliki , Papademetriou Vasilios
Published: August 2015

Fibromuscular dysplasia is a rare noninflammatory vascular disease characterized by nonatheroslerotic stenosis predominantly seen in young women, whereas the majority of cases involve the renal arteries causing secondary hypertension. Most noninvasive screening tests are not quite sensitive or reproducible to rule out renal artery stenosis, but renal angiography usually confirms the diagnosis. Percutaneous renal artery angioplasty is the treatment of choice; however, it may not result in normalization of blood pressure if diagnosis is delayed. Continued follow‐up is necessary since stenosis reoccurs.
Up‐regulated TLR4 in cardiomyocytes exacerbates heart failure after long‐term myocardial infarction
Authors: Liu Li , Wang Yin , Cao Zhi‐Yong , Wang Meng‐Meng , Liu Xue‐Mei , Gao Ting , Hu Qi‐Kuan , Yuan Wen‐Jun , Lin Li
Published: August 2015

It remains unclear whether and how cardiomyocytes contribute to the inflammation in chronic heart failure (CHF). We recently reviewed the capacity of cardiomyocytes to initiate inflammation, by means of expressing certain immune receptors such as toll‐like receptors (TLRs) that respond to pathogen‐ and damage‐associated molecular patterns (PAMP and DAMP). Previous studies observed TLR4‐mediated inflammation within days of myocardial infarction (MI). This study examined TLR4 expression and function in cardiomyocytes of failing hearts after 4 weeks of MI in rats. The increases of TLR4 mRNA and proteins, as well as inflammatory cytokine production, were observed in both the infarct and remote myocardium. Enhanced immunostaining for TLR4 was observed in cardiomyocytes but not infiltrating leucocytes. The injection of lentivirus shRNA against TLR4 into the infarcted heart decreased inflammatory cytokine production and improved heart function in vivo. Accordingly, in cardiomyocytes isolated from CHF hearts, increases of TLR4 mRNA and proteins were detected. More robust binding of TLR4 with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a PAMP ligand for TLR4, and heat shock protein 60 (HSP60), a DAMP ligand for TLR4, was observed in CHF cardiomyocytes under a confocal microscope. The maximum binding capacity (Bmax) of TLR4 was increased for LPS and HSP60, whereas the binding affinity (Kd) was not significantly changed. Furthermore, both LPS and HSP60 induced more robust production of inflammatory cytokines in CHF cardiomyocytes, which was reduced by TLR4‐blocking antibodies. We conclude that the expression, ligand‐binding capacity and pro‐inflammatory function of cardiomyocyte TLR4 are up‐regulated after long‐term MI, which promote inflammation and exacerbate heart failure.
High Serum Uric Acid Levels Are Associated with All‐Cause and Cardiovascular, but Not Cancer, Mortality in Elderly Adults
Authors: Wu Chen‐Yi , Hu Hsiao‐Yun , Chou Yiing‐Jenq , Huang Nicole , Chou Yi‐Chang , Lee Meng‐Sui , Li Chung‐Pin
Published: August 2015

Objectives

To estimate the all‐cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality risks associated with serum uric acid levels in elderly adults.

Design

Cohort study.

Setting

The Annual Geriatric Health Examination Program database from 2006 to 2010.

Paticipants

Community‐dwelling Taipei citizens aged 65 and older (N = 77,541).

Measurements

Stratified according to sex, serum uric acid levels were analyzed in quartiles and as normal versus high categories. Mortality was determined by matching cohort identifications with national death files.

Results

Men had significantly higher uric acid levels than women (P < .001), and mean levels increased with age (P < .001). Serum uric acid levels (normal vs high) were an independent risk factor for all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality in men and women, with the strongest association found for cardiovascular mortality. The association between serum uric acid levels and cardiovascular mortality was independent of other cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and glomerular filtration rate levels. When levels were analyzed as quartiles, men with levels in the second quartile had the lowest hazard ratios for all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality.

Conclusion

High serum uric acid levels are associated with greater risk of all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality but not cancer mortality in elderly adults. Further studies are warranted to investigate the prognostic implications and potential utility in the monitoring of therapy.
Delivery of a Vitamin D Intervention in Homebound Older Adults Using a Meals‐on‐Wheels Program: A Pilot Study
Authors: Houston Denise K. , Tooze Janet A. , Demons Jamehl L. , Davis Brooke L. , Shertzer‐Skinner Rachel , Kearsley Linda B. , Kritchevsky Stephen B. , Williamson Jeff D.
Published: August 2015

Objectives

To assess the feasibility of a vitamin D intervention delivered through a Meals‐on‐Wheels (MOW) program to improve 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations and reduce falls in homebound older adults.

Design

Single‐blind, cluster randomized trial.

Setting

MOW, Forsyth County, North Carolina.

Participants

Community‐dwelling homebound adults aged 65 to 102 (N = 68).

Intervention

MOW clients were randomized to vitamin D3 (100,000 IU/month; n = 38) or active placebo (400 IU vitamin E/month; n = 30) according to MOW delivery route.

Measurements

Serum 25(OH)D was assessed at baseline and 5‐month follow‐up; proportions of participants in 25(OH)D categories were compared using Fisher exact test. Falls were assessed using monthly fall calendars, and rate of falls was estimated using negative binomial generalized estimating equation models.

Results

Mean ± standard deviation 25(OH)D concentrations were 20.9 ± 11.5 ng/mL at baseline, with 57% having 25(OH)D concentrations less than 20 ng/mL. Retention and adherence were high (>90%). After the 5‐month intervention, only one of 34 participants randomized to vitamin D3 had 25(OH)D concentrations less than 20 ng/mL, compared with 18 of 25 participants randomized to placebo (P < .001). In unadjusted analyses, the rate of falls over 5 months was not significantly different according to intervention group (risk ratio (RR) = 0.48, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.19–1.19), but after adjustment for sex, race, season of year, baseline 25(OH)D status, and history of falls, participants randomized to vitamin D3 had a lower rate of falling than those randomized to placebo (RR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.21–0.87).

Conclusion

A vitamin D intervention delivered through MOW was feasible, resulting in improvements in 25(OH)D concentrations and a lower rate of falls in adjusted analyses. Further research is needed to validate the reduction in falls from this type of intervention.
Class and Social Policy: the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in Karnataka, India
Authors: Pattenden Jonathan
Published: August 2015

The literature on India's National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) has tended to focus on institutional and technical issues more than on the social relations of production. This paper argues for a class‐relational approach to NREGS and, by extension, to social policy more generally. By locating NREGS in a broader context of antagonistic class relations, it becomes clearer why, where, when and how it either contributes to pro‐labouring‐class change or to reproducing the position of the dominant class. This is particularly important in the South Indian state of Karnataka, where (i) national sample survey data indicates that NREGS has performed relatively badly and (ii) the recent rate of decline of poverty has been amongst the slowest in the country. Based on longitudinal fieldwork in villages in two North Karnataka districts, this paper's class‐relational approach explains significant differences in NREGS outcomes across time and place – primarily with regard to intra‐ and inter‐class relations, which are interlinked with caste and gender relations. In one fieldwork district, high levels of implementation have declined due to increased (but uneven) dominant class control over the scheme. In the other, initial subversion of the scheme has been partially challenged by collective labouring‐class action.
Recent developments in the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary embolism
Authors: van der Hulle T. , Dronkers C. E. A. , Klok F. A. , Huisman M. V.
Published: August 2015

Due to the nonspecific symptoms of the condition, a diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is frequently considered. However, PE will only be confirmed in 10–20% of patients. Because the imaging test of choice, computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA), is costly and associated with radiation exposure and other complications, a validated diagnostic algorithm consisting of a clinical decision rule and D‐dimer test should be used to safely exclude PE in 20–30% of patients without the need for CTPA. Recently, the age‐adjusted D‐dimer threshold has been validated, and this has increased the proportion of patients at older age in whom PE can be excluded without CTPA. Initial therapeutic management of PE depends on the risk of short‐term PE‐related mortality. Haemodynamically unstable patients should be closely monitored and receive thrombolytic therapy unless contraindicated because of an unacceptably high bleeding risk, whereas patients with low‐risk PE may be safely discharged early from hospital or receive only outpatient treatment. The PESI score and Hestia decision rule are available to select patients in whom early discharge or outpatient treatment will be safe, although the safety of these strategies should be confirmed in additional studies. Standard PE therapy consists of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) followed by vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). Recently, several nonvitamin K‐dependent oral anticoagulants have been shown to be as effective as LMWH/VKAs, and maybe safer. Determining the optimal duration of treatment for a first unprovoked PE remains a challenge, although clinical prediction rules for estimating the risk of recurrence of venous thromboembolism and anticoagulation‐associated haemorrhage are under investigation. Using these prediction rules may lead to both more standardized and more individualized long‐term treatment of PE.
Sensory Profile of Portuguese White Wines Using Long‐Term Memory: A Novel Nationwide Approach
Authors: Jose‐Coutinho Anibal , Avila Patricia , Ricardo‐Da‐Silva Jorge M.
Published: August 2015

White wine sensory profiling of all 12 Protected Geographical Indications (PGIs) of mainland Portugal was achieved through completion of extended sensory questionnaires by 20 professional wine experts. No samples were assessed; the experiment was based on memory alone. Three macro‐zonings were found and typicality differences were statistically validated and sensory described. PGI MINHO was found the most typical of all PGIs, with several extreme rates on Color, Aroma and Taste. SOUTHERN cluster of the four meridional PGIs presented several extreme, therefore typical, sensory assessments, mostly opposite to the profile of PGI Minho. Color tonality, alcohol and acidity were mutually related and respective variations were correlated with published findings and expressed as key factors for regional macro‐zoning differentiation. Moreover, with the proposed methodology it was possible to achieve a novel nationwide sensory characterization of PGIs, overcoming ongoing macroscaling and sample representativeness limitations and envisaging new nation‐sized sensory studies.

Practical Applications

This innovative nationwide study on white wine typicality, namely on sensory profiles of PGI (and PDO) certified wines, may contribute to the debate of scale factors that result in significant gains in areas such as wine certification (3–5 certification boards instead of existent 12), admission of transregional wine certification for high volume brands and a better and clearer communication and marketing that would reach a larger group of consumers with condensed information on typicality. Moreover, to develop a method that bypass the sampling problem of wines that would be representative of a given PGI or, in general, a nation‐sized area may be considered useful and widely applicable to sensory studies.
Initial dissolution kinetics of cocrystal of carbamazepine with nicotinamide
Authors: Hattori Yusuke , Sato Maiko , Otsuka Makoto
Published: August 2015

Objectives

Objectives of this study are investigating the initial dissolution kinetics of the cocrystal of carbamazepine (CBZ) with nicotinamide (NIC) and understanding its initial dissolution process.

Methods

Cocrystal solids of CBZ with NIC were prepared by co-milling and solvent evaporation methods. The formation of cocrystal solid was verified via X-ray diffraction measurement. Dissolution tests of the solids were performed using an original flow cell and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopic detector. The spectra monitored in situ were analyzed to determine the dissolved compounds separately using the classical least squares regression method. The initial dissolution profiles were interpreted using simultaneous model of dissolution and phase changes.

Key findings

In the initial dissolution, CBZ in the cocrystal structure dissolved in water and it was suggested that CBZ reached a metastable intermediate state simultaneously with dissolution. The cocrystal solid prepared by solvent evaporation provided a higher rate constant of the phase change than that prepared by co-milling. Our results thus support the use of evaporation as the method of choice to produce ordered cocrystal structures.

Conclusion

We suggest that CBZ forms dihydrate during the dissolution process; however, during the initial phase of dissolution, CBZ changes to a metastable intermediate phase.
Does dispersal influence the strength of intraspecific competition in a stream salamander?
Authors: Davenport J. M. , Lowe W. H.
Published: August 2015

Metacommunity ecology emphasizes the role of dispersal in linking local processes across space. Competition is one such local process that can be affected by dispersal. Dispersal can influence intraspecific trait variation, thereby affecting the strength of intraspecific competition and, consequently, the relative importance of intra‐ versus interspecific interactions. Prior research has shown that spring salamanders, Gyrinophilus porphyriticus, self‐organize within streams by a common trait (body condition) and that dispersal and gene flow along streams vary with slope. Building on this prior work, we tested how dispersal influences the strength of intraspecific competition via one of two spatial mechanisms: (1) spatial sorting of individuals by traits that affect competitive performance or (2) variation in gene flow resulting in evolutionary divergence of traits affecting competitive performance. To test these alternative mechanisms, we conducted a mesocosm experiment with spring salamanders from downstream and upstream sites of streams with low and high rates of dispersal and gene flow. Spatial patterns of intraspecific competitive performance differed significantly in the low‐ and high‐dispersal streams. In the low‐dispersal stream, downstream individuals were better intraspecific competitors than upstream individuals, whereas the opposite was true in the high‐dispersal stream. These differences support the spatial sorting mechanism, reinforcing direct dispersal data showing that high‐performance individuals are more likely to move upstream in the high‐dispersal stream and to remain downstream in the low‐dispersal stream. To our knowledge, this is the first time that spatial sorting has been explicitly identified as contributing to the strength of intraspecific interactions. Our study underscores the importance of integrating natural rates of dispersal into mechanistic experiments to understand spatial variability in the strength of intra‐ and interspecific species interactions.
Detecting recent selective sweeps while controlling for mutation rate and background selection
Authors: Huber Christian D. , DeGiorgio Michael , Hellmann Ines , Nielsen Rasmus
Published: August 2015

A composite likelihood ratio test implemented in the program sweepfinder is a commonly used method for scanning a genome for recent selective sweeps. sweepfinder uses information on the spatial pattern (along the chromosome) of the site frequency spectrum around the selected locus. To avoid confounding effects of background selection and variation in the mutation process along the genome, the method is typically applied only to sites that are variable within species. However, the power to detect and localize selective sweeps can be greatly improved if invariable sites are also included in the analysis. In the spirit of a Hudson–Kreitman–Aguadé test, we suggest adding fixed differences relative to an out‐group to account for variation in mutation rate, thereby facilitating more robust and powerful analyses. We also develop a method for including background selection, modelled as a local reduction in the effective population size. Using simulations, we show that these advances lead to a gain in power while maintaining robustness to mutation rate variation. Furthermore, the new method also provides more precise localization of the causative mutation than methods using the spatial pattern of segregating sites alone.
Understanding the 7‐Cys module amplification of C. neoformans metallothioneins: how high capacity Cu‐binding polypeptides are built to neutralize host nutritional immunity
Authors: Espart Anna , Gil‐Moreno Selene , Palacios Òscar , Capdevila Mercè , Atrian Sílvia
Published: August 2015

Cryptococcus neoformans metallothioneins (MTs), CnMT1 and CnMT2, have been identified as essential infectivity and virulence factors of this pathogen. Both MTs are unusually long Cu‐thioneins, exhibiting protein architecture and metal‐binding abilities compatible with the hypothesis of resulting from three and five tandem repetitions of 7‐Cys motives, respectively, each of them folding into Cu5‐clusters. Through the study of the Zn(II)‐ and Cu(I)‐binding capabilities of several CnMT1 truncated mutants, we show that a 7‐Cys segment of CnMT1 folds into Cu5‐species, of additive capacity when joined in tandem. All the obtained Cu‐complexes share practically similar architectural features, if judging by their almost equivalent CD fingerprints, and they also share their capacity to restore copper tolerance in MT‐devoid yeast cells. Besides the analysis of the modular composition of these long fungal MTs, we evaluate the features of the Cys‐rich stretch spacer and flanking sequences that allow the construction of stable metal clusters by adjacent union of binding modules. Overall, our data support a mechanism by which some microbial MTs may have evolved to enlarge their original metal co‐ordination capacity under the specific selective pressure of counteracting the Cu‐based immunity mechanisms evolved by the infected hosts.
Modification of starch metabolism in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana increases plant biomass and triples oilseed production
Authors: Liu Fushan , Zhao Qianru , Mano Noel , Ahmed Zaheer , Nitschke Felix , Cai Yinqqi , Chapman Kent D. , Steup Martin , Tetlow Ian J. , Emes Michael J.
Published: August 2015

We have identified a novel means to achieve substantially increased vegetative biomass and oilseed production in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Endogenous isoforms of starch branching enzyme (SBE) were substituted by either one of the endosperm‐expressed maize (Zea mays L.) branching isozymes, ZmSBEI or ZmSBEIIb. Transformants were compared with the starch‐free background and with the wild‐type plants. Each of the maize‐derived SBEs restored starch biosynthesis but both morphology and structure of starch particles were altered. Altered starch metabolism in the transformants is associated with enhanced biomass formation and more‐than‐trebled oilseed production while maintaining seed oil quality. Enhanced oilseed production is primarily due to an increased number of siliques per plant whereas oil content and seed number per silique are essentially unchanged or even modestly decreased. Introduction of cereal starch branching isozymes into oilseed plants represents a potentially useful strategy to increase biomass and oilseed production in related crops and manipulate the structure and properties of leaf starch.
The mechanism of Rubisco‐catalysed oxygenation
Authors: Tcherkez Guillaume
Published: August 2015

Ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) is the cornerstone of photosynthetic carbon assimilation because it catalyses the fixation of CO2 onto ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate (RuBP). The enzyme also catalyses RuBP oxygenation, thereby evolving phosphoglycolate which is recycled along the photorespiratory pathway. Oxygenation is quantitatively important, because under ordinary gaseous conditions, more than one third of RuBP molecules are oxygenated rather than carboxylated. However, contrary to carboxylation, the chemical mechanism of oxygenation is not well known, and little progress has been made since the early 80s. Here, I review recent experimental data that provide some new insights into the reaction mechanism, and carry out simple calculations of kinetic parameters. Isotope effects suggest that oxygenation is less likely initiated by a redox phenomenon (such as superoxide production) and more likely involves concerted chemical events that imply interactions with protons. A possible energy profile of the reaction is drawn which suggests that the generation of the oxygenated reaction intermediate (peroxide) is irreversible. Possible changes in oxygenation‐associated rate constants between Rubisco forms are discussed.
Is there a relationship between low vitamin D and rotaviral diarrhea?
Authors: Bucak Ibrahim Hakan , Ozturk Agah Bahadır , Almis Habip , Cevik Muhammer Özgür , Tekin Mehmet , Konca Çapan , Turgut Mehmet , Bulbul Mehmet
Published: August 2015

Background

For children under 5 years of age, 1700 000 000 episodes of diarrhea are seen worldwide, and death occurs in 700 000 of these cases due to diarrhea. Rotavirus is an important cause of diarrhea in this age group, and many studies have shown that vitamin D plays a pivotal role in the immune system, as well as in antimicrobial peptide gene expression. In addition, lower vitamin D has been correlated with higher rates of infectious diseases such as respiratory tract infection, tuberculosis, and viral infection.

Methods

Seventy patients with rotaviral diarrhea and 67 healthy patients were enrolled in this study. Serum 25‐hydroxy vitamin D3 (25(OH)D3), parathormone, calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase, complete blood count parameters, and C‐reactive protein were compared between pre‐school children hospitalized due to rotaviral diarrhea and healthy children. Additionally, birthweight, feeding habits in the first 6 months of life, vitamin D and multivitamin supplements, and rotaviral vaccinations were also evaluated in each group.

Results

There were no differences between the groups with regard to gender and age, but 25(OH)D3 was significantly different: 14.6 ± 8.7 ng/mL in the rotaviral diarrhea patients versus 29.06 ± 6.51 ng/mL in the health controls (P < 0.001), and serum 25(OH)D3 <20 ng/mL (OR, 6.3; 95%CI: 3.638–10.909; P < 0.001) was associated with rotaviral diarrhea.

Conclusions

Low vitamin D is associated with rotaviral diarrhea. This is the first study in the literature to show this, and this result needs to be repeated in larger controlled clinical studies.
Photodynamic Diagnosis Using 5‐Aminolevulinic Acid in 41 Biopsies for Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma
Authors: Yamamoto Tetsuya , Ishikawa Eiichi , Miki Shunichiro , Sakamoto Noriaki , Zaboronok Alexander , Matsuda Masahide , Akutsu Hiroyoshi , Nakai Kei , Tsuruta Wataro , Matsumura Akira
Published: August 2015

We evaluated the feasibility of 5‐aminolevulinic acid (5‐ALA)‐mediated photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) in the biopsy for primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). 5‐ALA (20 mg kg−1) was administered orally 4 hours preoperatively. Forty‐one biopsies obtained under PDD in 47 consecutive biopsies (46 patients) that were finally pathologically diagnosed as PCNSL were evaluated. Positive fluorescence was observed in 34 of those 41 biopsies (82.9%). An intraoperative pathological diagnosis (IOD) of suspected PCNSL was made in 21 of the biopsies with positive fluorescence (61.8%). However, the eight IODs in the remaining 13 biopsies (23.5%) were not correct (atypical cell, 4; high‐grade glioma, 1; gliosis, 1; unremarkable, 2). In those 8 biopsies, PCNSL was confirmed by the final pathological diagnosis. There was no difference in the mean Mib‐1 labeling index between the biopsies with positive fluorescence (86.5%) and those without positive fluorescence (90.0%). IOD was not performed in 6 biopsies; however, 5 of those biopsies (83.3%) showed positive fluorescence and were finally pathologically diagnosed as PCNSL. Use of PDD in biopsies for patients with suspected PCNSL is a reliable way of obtaining specimens of adequate quality for the final pathological diagnosis and may lead to improved diagnostic yield in the biopsy of PCNSL.
Thermal Effects and Structural Changes of Photosynthetic Reaction Centers Characterized by Wide Frequency Band Hydrophone: Effects of Carotenoids and Terbutryn
Authors: Nagy László , Kiss Vladimir , Brumfeld Vlad , Osvay Károly , Börzsönyi Ádám , Magyar Melinda , Szabó Tibor , Dorogi Márta , Malkin Shmuel
Published: August 2015

Photothermal characteristics and light‐induced structural (volume) changes of carotenoid‐containing and noncontaining photosynthetic reaction centers (RCs) were investigated by wide frequency band hydrophone. We found that the presence of carotenoid either does not play considerable role in the light‐induced conformational movements, or these rearrangements are too slow for inducing a photoacoustic (PA) signal. The kinetic component with a few tens of microseconds, exhibited by the carotenoid‐less RCs, appears to be similar to that of triplet state lifetimes, identified by other methods. The binding of terbutryn to the acceptor side is shown to affect the dynamics of the RC. Our results do not confirm large displacements or volume changes induced by the charge movements and by the charge relaxation processes in the RCs in few hundreds of microseconds time scale that accompanies the electron transfer between the primary and secondary electron acceptor quinones.
Rethinking the Concepts of Fluence (UV Dose) and Fluence Rate: The Importance of Photon‐based Units – A Systemic Review
Authors: Bolton James R. , Mayor‐Smith Ian , Linden Karl G.
Published: August 2015

After a critical review of the fundamental equations describing photobiological and photochemical processes occurring in a medium exposed to a quasi‐collimated monochromatic UV light beam, the analysis in this review is extended to analogous processes driven by polychromatic UV light, such as that emitted by medium pressure mercury‐vapor arc lamps. The analysis is based on the Second Law of Photochemistry, namely that all photochemical events must be independent, and the rate of such events must be proportional to the rate of photon absorption. A consistent application of the Second Law of Photochemistry leads to a concept change; hence it is proposed herein to use photon fluence and photon fluence rate, rather than fluence (UV dose) and fluence rate, respectively, in the analysis and interpretation of photobiological and photochemical processes. As a consequence, many equations that have been used in the past must be revised, and some experimental information (e.g. action spectra) needs to be re‐analyzed.
High‐resolution three‐dimensional digital imaging of the human renal microcirculation: An aid to evaluating microvascular alterations in chronic kidney disease in humans
Authors: Uesugi Noriko , Shimazu Yoshihito , Aoba Takaaki , Kikuchi Kazunori , Nagata Michio
Published: August 2015

We have developed a new virtual microscopy method, with two‐ and three‐dimensional (2D, 3D) synchronization, that enables visualization of the human renal microvasculature. The method was used to evaluate 120–150 serially cut sections of paraffin‐embedded human renal tissue from nephrectomized samples. Virtual microscopy images of sections double‐immunostained with antibodies against CD34 (an endothelium marker) and smooth muscle actin (an arterial media marker) and stained with periodic acid‐Schiff were processed using digital imaging analysis software. Image registration was conducted to generate 3D displays with red–green–blue color segmentation. The reconstructed images of the microvasculature, including the interlobular arteries and the glomeruli, allowed visualization of 3D structures and direct glomerular connections. Synchronizing these 3D images with the corresponding 2D images revealed the relationships between arteriosclerotic lesions and downstream glomeruli. Thus, interlobular arteries with moderate intimal thickening and afferent arterioles with segmental hyalinosis/sclerosis, as seen on the 2D images, exhibited wall irregularities on the corresponding 3D images. However, these lesions were not directly influenced by lesions in downstream glomeruli, such as sclerotic lesions. Our virtual‐slide method based on 2D and 3D image synchronization provides a comprehensive view of the renal microcirculation and therefore novel insights into the pathogenesis of vascular‐associated renal diseases.
Food–Nonfood Discrimination in Ancestral Vertebrates: Gamete Cannibalism and the Origin of the Adaptive Immune System
Authors: Corcos D.
Published: August 2015

Adaptive immunity is a complex system that appeared twice in vertebrates (in gnathostomes and in jawless fish) although it is not required for invertebrate defence. The adaptive immune system is tightly associated with self–non‐self discrimination, and it is now clear that this interplay is not limited to the prevention of autoreactivity. Micro‐organisms are usually considered for their pathogenicity or symbiotic ability, but, for most small metazoans, they mainly constitute food. Vertebrates are characterized by feeding by predation on larger preys, when compared to their ancestors who were filter feeders and ate micro‐organisms. Predation gives a strong selective advantage, not only due to the availability of new food resources but also by the ability to eliminate competitors for environmental resources (intraguild predation (IGP)). Unlike size‐structured IGP, intraspecific predation of juveniles, zygotes or gametes can be detrimental for species fitness in some circumstances. The ability of individuals to recognize highly polymorphic molecules on the surface of gametes present in the plankton and so distinguish self versus non‐self gametes might have constituted a strong selective advantage in intraspecific competition. Here, I propose the theory that the capacity to rearrange receptors has been selected in ancestral vertebrates as a consequence of this strong need for discriminating between hetero‐cannibalism versus filial cannibalism. This evolutionary origin sheds light on presently unexplained features of the immune system, including the existence of regulatory T cells and of non‐pathogenic natural autoimmunity.
Nationalism in a Russian Multicultural Region*
Authors: Oskolova T. , Cherepanov M. , Shisheliakina A.
Published: August 2015

Objective

This article describes the functional mechanisms and evolution of ethnic nationalism in the Tyumen provincial Russian region at the turn of 21st century. The study focuses on analysis of changes in social policies and characteristics of ethno‐political movements that claim to represent the Russian and Tatar ethnic groups.

Methods

Analytical instruments applied in this research are the concepts of constructivism and Bourdieu's genetic structuralism. The empirical base for this research includes political documents from regional public authorities, public organizations and public figures of the region, press materials, interviews with ethnic leaders, focus groups with representatives of youth organizations, observations made at public events, and photographic materials of graffiti in the cities of the Tyumen Region.

Results and Conclusions

We suggest that the main elements of these movements are, on the one hand, associations included in official public institutions that legitimize policy of public authorities and, on the other hand, a few associations seeking to meet the hierarchic social interests of the regional population from the standpoint of an ethnic division of society.
Lateral extrusion along the Altyn Tagh Fault, Qilian Shan (NE Tibet): insight from a 3D crustal budget
Authors: Cheng Feng , Jolivet Marc , Dupont‐Nivet Guillaume , Wang Lin , Yu Xiangjiang , Guo Zhaojie
Published: August 2015

The lithospheric strike‐slip Altyn Tagh Fault has accommodated hundreds of kilometres of displacement between the Qaidam and Tarim blocks since its Eocene reactivation. However, the way the deformation is accommodated in the Qilian Shan and further east remains uncertain. Based on 360 km of north‐eastward migration of the relatively rigid Qaidam block along the Altyn Tagh Fault and 3D isovolumetric balancing of the crustal deformation within the Altyn Tagh Fault–Qilian Shan system, we demonstrate that 250 ± 28 km (43.8–49.4%) of N20E directed crustal shortening and an additional ~250–370 km of eastward motion of the Qilian Shan crust must be accounted for by strike‐slip faulting in the Qilian Shan and crustal thickening in the Qinling area, as well as by extension in the adjoining North China block graben systems.
For the deep biosphere, the present is not always the key to the past: what we can learn from the geological record
Authors: Meister Patrick
Published: August 2015

Microbial life below the Earth's surface (the deep biosphere) has probably varied significantly since the Archaean. Reconstructing changes in deep biosphere activity over geological timescales is necessary to understand its role in biogeochemical cycling. Even for the last few million years, such changes are often not captured by studying the distribution of present activity. However, several studies using samples from scientific drilling have revealed mineralogical, geochemical, isotopic and fossil organic molecule imprints in the sedimentary record that document rather different past deep biosphere conditions. Changing deep biosphere conditions can also be simulated using geochemical models. While some processes occurring in the past can be understood by comparing them with the present deep biosphere, others lack any modern analogue – they are defined as non‐actualistic. A non‐actualistic consideration of the deep biosphere is therefore essential for a better understanding of how Earth and life co‐evolved through time.