bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is laterality adaptive? Pitfalls in disentangling the laterality–performance relationship
Authors: Paszulewicz Jakub , Wolski Piotr , Gajdek Marek
Published: July 2019

Unlike non-human animal studies that have progressively demonstrated the advantages of being asymmetrical at an individual, group and population level, human studies show a quite inconsistent picture. Specifically, it is hardly clear if and how the strength of lateralization that an individual is equipped with relates to their cognitive performance. While some of these inconsistencies can be attributed to procedural and conceptual differences, the issue is aggravated by the fact that the intrinsic mathematical interdependence of the measures of laterality and performance produces spurious correlations that can be mistaken for evidence of an adaptive advantage of asymmetry. Leask and Crow [Leask, S. J., & Crow, T. J. (1997), How far does the brain lateralize?: an unbiased method for determining the optimum degree of hemispheric specialization. Neuropsychologia, 35(10), 1381–1387] devised a method of overcoming this problem that has been subsequently used in several large-sample studies investigating the asymmetry–performance relationship. In our paper we show that the original Leask and Crow method and its later variants fall victim to inherent nonlinear dependencies and produce artifacts. By applying the Leask and Crow method to random data and with mathematical analysis, we demonstrate that what has been believed to describe the true asymmetry–performance relation in fact only reflects the idiosyncrasies of the method itself. We think that the approach taken by Leask in his later paper [Leask, S. (2003), Principal curve analysis avoids assumptions of dependence between measures of hand skill. Laterality, 8(4), 307–316. doi:10.1080/13576500342000004] might be preferable.
Assessing auditory processing endophenotypes associated with Schizophrenia in individuals with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome
Authors: Francisco Ana A. , Foxe John J. , Horsthuis Douwe J. , DeMaio Danielle , Molholm Sophie
Published: July 2019

Background

22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS) is the strongest known molecular risk factor for schizophrenia. Brain responses to auditory stimuli have been studied extensively in schizophrenia and described as potential biomarkers of vulnerability to psychosis. We sought to understand whether these responses might aid in differentiating individuals with 22q11.2DS as a function of psychotic symptoms, and ultimately serve as signals of risk for schizophrenia.

Methods

A duration oddball paradigm and high-density electrophysiology were used to test auditory processing in 26 individuals with 22q11.2DS (13-35 years old, 17 females) with varying degrees of psychotic symptomatology and in 26 age- and sex-matched neurotypical controls (NT). Presentation rate varied across three levels, to examine the effect of increasing demands on memory and the integrity of sensory adaptation. We tested whether N1 and mismatch negativity (MMN), typically reduced in schizophrenia, related to clinical/cognitive measures, and how they were affected by presentation rate.

Results

N1 adaptation effects interacted with psychotic symptomatology: Compared to an NT group, individuals with 22q11.2DS but no psychotic symptomatology presented larger adaptation effects, whereas those with psychotic symptomatology presented smaller effects. In contrast, individuals with 22q11.2DS showed increased effects of presentation rate on MMN amplitude, regardless of the presence of symptoms. While IQ and working memory were lower in the 22q11.2DS group, these measures did not correlate with the electrophysiological data.

Conclusions

These findings suggest the presence of two distinct mechanisms: One intrinsic to 22q11.2DS resulting in increased N1 and MMN responses; another related to psychosis leading to a decreased N1 response.
Multiple Binding Configurations of Fis Protein Pairs on DNA: Facilitated Dissociation versus Cooperative Dissociation
Authors: Tsai Min-Yeh , Zheng Weihua , Chen Mingchen , Wolynes Peter G.
Published: July 2019

As a master transcription regulator, Fis protein influences over two hundred genes of E-coli. Fis protein’s non-specific binding to DNA is widely acknowledged, and its kinetics of dissociation from DNA is strongly influenced by its surroundings: the dissociation rate increases as the concentration of Fis protein in the solution-phase increases. In this study, we use computational methods to explore the global binding energy landscape of the Fis1:Fis2:DNA ternary complex. The complex contains a binary-Fis molecular dyad whose formation relies on complex structural rearrangements. The simulations allow us to distinguish several different pathways for the dissociation of the protein from DNA with different functional outcomes, and involving different protein stoichiometries: 1. Simple exchange of proteins and 2. Cooperative unbinding of two Fis proteins to yield bare DNA. In the case of exchange, the protein on the DNA is replaced by solution-phase protein through competition for DNA binding sites. This process seen in fluorescence imaging experiments has been called facilitated dissociation. In the latter case of cooperative unbinding of pairs, two neighboring Fis proteins on DNA form a unique binary-Fis configuration via protein-protein interactions, which in turn leads to the co-dissociation of both molecules simultaneously, a process akin to the “molecular stripping” seen in the NFκB/IκB genetic broadcasting system. This simulation shows that the existence of multiple binding configurations of transcription factors can have a significant impact on the kinetics and outcome of transcription factor dissociation from DNA, with important implications for the systems biology of gene regulation by Fis.
Interaction of a sarcolipin pentamer and monomer with the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium pump, SERCA
Authors: Glaves J. P. , Primeau J. O. , Gorski P. A. , Espinoza-Fonseca L. M. , Lemieux M. J. , Young H. S.
Published: July 2019

The sequential rise and fall of cytosolic calcium underlies the contraction-relaxation cycle of muscle cells. While contraction is initiated by the release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, muscle relaxation involves the active transport of calcium back into the sarcoplasmic reticulum. This re-uptake of calcium is catalysed by the sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA), which plays a lead role in muscle contractility. The activity of SERCA is regulated by small membrane protein subunits, most well-known being phospholamban (PLN) and sarcolipin (SLN). SLN physically interacts with SERCA and differentially regulates contractility in skeletal and atrial muscle. SLN has also been implicated in skeletal muscle thermogenesis. Despite these important roles, the structural mechanisms by which SLN modulates SERCA-dependent contractility and thermogenesis remain unclear. Here, we functionally characterized wild-type SLN and a pair of mutants, Asn4-Ala and Thr5-Ala, which yielded gain-of-function behavior comparable to what has been found for PLN. Next, we analyzed twodimensional crystals of SERCA in the presence of wild-type SLN by electron cryo-microscopy. The fundamental units of the crystals are anti-parallel dimer ribbons of SERCA, known for decades as an assembly of calcium-free SERCA molecules induced by the addition of decavanadate. A projection map of the SERCA-SLN complex was determined to a resolution of 8.5 Å, which allowed the direct visualization of a SLN pentamer. The SLN pentamer was found to interact with transmembrane segment M3 of SERCA, though the interaction appeared to be indirect and mediated by an additional density consistent with a SLN monomer. This SERCA-SLN complex correlated with the ability of SLN to decrease the maximal activity of SERCA, which is distinct from the ability of PLN to increase the maximal activity of SLN. Protein-protein docking and molecular dynamics simulations provided models for the SLN pentamer and the novel interaction between SERCA and a SLN monomer.

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

This research article describes a novel complex of the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium pump SERCA and its regulatory subunit sarcolipin. Given the potential role of sarcolipin in skeletal muscle non-shivering thermogenesis, the interactions between SERCA and sarcolipin are of critical importance. Using complementary approaches of functional analysis, electron crystallography, and molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrate an inherent interaction between SERCA, a sarcolipin monomer, and a sarcolipin pentamer. The interaction involves transmembrane segment M3 of SERCA, which allows sarcolipin to decrease the maximal activity or turnover rate of SERCA. Protein-protein docking and molecular dynamics simulations provided models for the SLN pentamer and the novel interaction between SERCA and a SLN monomer.
GCA: An R package for genetic connectedness analysis using pedigree and genomic data
Authors: Yu Haipeng , Morota Gota
Published: July 2019

Background

Genetic connectedness is a critical component of genetic evaluation as it assesses the comparability of predicted genetic values across units. Genetic connectedness also plays an essential role in quantifying the linkage between reference and validation sets in whole-genome prediction. Despite its importance, there is no user-friendly software tool available to calculate connectedness statistics.

Results

We developed the GCA R package to perform genetic connectedness analysis for pedigree and genomic data. The software implements a large collection of various connectedness statistics as a function of prediction error variance or variance of unit effect estimates. The GCA R package is available at GitHub and the source code is provided as open source.

Conclusions

The GCA R package allows users to easily assess the connectedness of their data. It is also useful to determine the potential risk of comparing predicted genetic values of individuals across units or measure the connectedness level between training and testing sets in genomic prediction.
ProTECT – Prediction of T-cell Epitopes for Cancer Therapy
Authors: Rao Arjun A. , Madejska Ada A. , Pfeil Jacob , Paten Benedict , Salama Sofie R. , Haussler David
Published: July 2019

Somatic mutations in cancers affecting protein coding genes can give rise to potentially therapeutic neoepitopes. These neoepitopes can guide Adoptive Cell Therapies (ACTs) and Peptide Vaccines (PVs) to selectively target tumor cells using autologous patient cytotoxic T-cells. Currently, researchers have to independently align their data, call somatic mutations and haplotype the patient’s HLA to use existing neoepitope prediction tools. We present ProTECT, a fully automated, reproducible, scalable, and efficient end-to-end analysis pipeline to identify and rank therapeutically relevant tumor neoepitopes in terms of immunogenicity starting directly from raw patient sequencing data, or from pre-processed data. The ProTECT pipeline encompasses alignment, HLA haplotyping, mutation calling (single nucleotide variants, short insertions and deletions, and gene fusions), peptide:MHC (pMHC) binding prediction, and ranking of final candidates. We demonstrate ProTECT on 326 samples from the TCGA Prostate Adenocarcinoma cohort, and compare it with published tools. ProTECT can be run on a standalone computer, a local cluster, or on a compute cloud using a Mesos backend. ProTECT is highly scalable and can process TCGA data in under 30 minutes per sample when run in large batches. ProTECT is freely available athttps://www.github.com/BD2KGenomics/protect.
Repurposing approach identifies phenylpentanol derivatives as potent azole chemosensitizing agents effective against azole-resistant Candida species
Authors: Eldesouky Hassan E. , Salama Ehab A. , Li Xiaoyan , Hazbun Tony R. , Mayhoub Abdelrahman S. , Seleem Mohamed N.
Published: July 2019

The limited number of systemic antifungals and the emergence of azole-resistant Candida species constitute a growing challenge to human medicine. Combinatorial drug therapy represents an appealing approach to enhance the activity of, or restore the susceptibility to current antifungals. Here, we evaluated the fluconazole chemosensitization activity of the Pharmakon 1600 drug library against azole-resistant Candida albicans. We identified 33 non-antifungal drugs that were able to restore susceptibility to fluconazole in an azole-resistant C. albicans. Structural investigation of identified hits revealed phenylpentanol scaffold as a valuable pharmacophore for re-sensitizing azole-resistant Candida species to the effect of current azole antifungal drugs. All phenylpentanol derivatives displayed potent fluconazole chemosensitizing activities (ΣFICI 0.13-0.28) and were able to reduce fluconazole’s MIC by 15-31 fold against the tested strain. Particularly pitavastatin displayed the most potent fluconazole chemosensitizing activity (ΣFICI 0.06-0.50). The pitavastatin-fluconazole combination displayed a broad-spectrum synergistic relationship against 90% of the tested strains, including strains of C. albicans, C. glabrata, and C. auris. Moreover, pitavastatin restored the susceptibility of the multidrug-resistant C. auris to the antifungal activities of itraconazole and voriconazole. Additionally, the pitavastatin-fluconazole combination significantly reduced the biofilm-forming abilities of the tested Candida species and successfully reduced the fungal burdens in a Caenorhabditis elegans infection model. Both pitavastatin and the plain phenylpentanol scaffold were able to interfere significantly with Candida’s efflux activities as demonstrated by Nile Red efflux assays and flow cytometry. This study presents phenylpentanol derivatives as potent azole chemosensitizers that warrant further investigation.
A framework for spatial normalization and voxelwise analysis of diffusion propagators in multiple MAP-MRI data sets
Authors: Avram Alexandru V. , Bernstein Adam S. , Irfanoglu M. Okan , Weinkauf Craig C. , Cota Martin , Gai Neville , Simmons Amber , Moses Anita , Turtzo L. Christine , Jikaria Neekita , Latour Lawrence , Pham Dzung L. , Butman John A. , Basser Peter J.
Published: July 2019

We describe a pipeline for constructing a study-specific template of diffusion propagators measured with mean apparent propagator (MAP) MRI that supports direct voxelwise analysis of differences between propagators across multiple data sets. The pipeline leverages the fact that MAP-MRI is a generalization of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and combines simple and robust processing steps from existing tensor-based image registration methods. First, we compute a DTI study template which provides the reference frame and scaling parameters needed to construct a standardized set of MAP-MRI basis functions at each voxel in template space. Next, we transform each subjects diffusion data, including diffusion weighted images (DWIs) and gradient directions, from native to template space using the corresponding tensor-based deformation fields. Finally, we fit MAP coefficients in template space to the transformed DWIs of each subject using the standardized template of MAP basis functions. The consistency of MAP basis functions across all data sets in template space allows us to: 1. compute a template of propagators by directly averaging MAP coefficients and 2. quantify voxelwise differences between co-registered propagators using the angular dissimilarity, or a probability distance metric, such as the Jensen-Shannon Divergence. We illustrate the application of this method by generating a template of MAP propagators for a cohort of healthy volunteers and show a proof-of-principle example of how this pipeline may be used to detect subtle differences between propagators in a single-subject longitudinal clinical data set. The ability to standardize and analyze multiple clinical MAP-MRI data sets could improve assessments in cross-sectional and single-subject longitudinal clinical studies seeking to detect subtle microstructural changes, such as those occurring in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), or during the early stages of neurodegenerative diseases, or cancer.
Coordination polymers of CdII and PbII derived from bipyridine–glycoluril: influence of metal-ion size and counter-ions
Authors: Tayade Sakharam B. , Markad Datta , Kumbhar Avinash S. , Erxleben Andrea , Chakravarty Debamitra
Published: July 2019

Two new one-dimensional (1D) coordination polymers (CPs), namely catena-poly[[[aquacadmium(II)]-bis(μ-4b,5,7,7a-tetrahydro-4b,7a-epiminomethanoimino-6H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline-6,13-dione)] bis(perchlorate) dihydrate], {[Cd(C14H10N6O2)2(H2O)](ClO4)2·2H2O}
n
or {[Cd(BPG)2(H2O)](ClO4)2·2H2O}
n
, 1, and catena-poly[[lead(II)-bis(μ-4b,5,7,7a-tetrahydro-4b,7a-epiminomethanoimino-6H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline-6,13-dione)] bis(perchlorate) dihydrate], {[Pb(C14H10N6O2)2](ClO4)2·2H2O}
n
or {[Pb(BPG)2](ClO4)2·2H2O}
n
, 2, have been synthesized using bipyridine–glycoluril (BPG; systematic name: 4b,5,7,7a-tetrahydro-4b,7a-epiminomethanoimino-6H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline-6,13-dione), a urea-fused tecton, in a mixed-solvent system. The CdII ion in 1 is heptacoordinated and the PbII ion in 2 is hexacoordinated, with the CdII ion adopting a pentagonal bipyramidal geometry and the PbII ion adopting a distorted octahedral geometry. Both CPs form infinite linear chain structures which are hydrogen bonded to each other leading to the formation of three-dimensional supramolecular network structures. Topological analysis of CPs 1 and 2 reveals that the structures exhibit 1D chain-like arrangements in an AB–AB sequence and shows platonic uniform 2-connected uninodal topologies. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of a series of structures based on the BPG ligand indicates that the size of the metal ion and the types of counter-ions used have a great influence on the resulting frameworks and properties.
Crystal structure of 2-(methylamino)tropone
Authors: Jansen van Vuuren Leandri , Visser Hendrik G. , Schutte-Smith Marietjie
Published: July 2019

The title compound, 2-(methylamino)cyclohepta-2,4,6-trien-1-one, C8H9NO, crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c, with three independent molecules in the asymmetric unit. The planarity of the molecules is indicated by planes fitted through the seven ring carbon atoms. Small deviations from the planes, with an extremal r.m.s. deviation of 0.0345 Å, are present. In complexes of transition metals with similar ligands, the large planar seven-membered aromatic rings have shown to improve the stability of the complex. Two types of hydrogen-bonding interactions, C—H...O and N—H...O, are observed, as well as bifurcation of these interactions. The N—H...O interactions link molecules to form infinite chains. The packing of molecules in the unit cell shows a pattern of overlapping aromatic rings, forming column-like formations. π–π interactions are observed between the overlapping aromatic rings at 3.4462 (19) Å from each other.
N-Methyl-N-propyltryptamine (MPT)
Authors: Chadeayne Andrew R. , Golen James A. , Manke David R.
Published: July 2019

The title compound {systematic name: [2-(1H-indol-3-yl)ethyl](methyl)propylamine}, C14H20N2, has a single molecule in the asymmetric unit. The molecules in the unit cell are held together in infinite one-dimensional chains along [010] through N—H...N hydrogen bonds between indole H atoms and trialkylamine N atoms.
Vocal information and the navigation of social decisions in bats: Is social complexity linked to vocal complexity?
Authors: Knörnschild Mirjam , Fernandez Ahana Aurora , Nagy Martina
Published: July 2019

To make adaptive behavioural decisions, animals must acquire and process information from their natural and social environment. Reducing uncertainty regarding the actions and goals of conspecifics is especially important for group‐living animals.

Bats are often highly gregarious and use versatile social vocalizations to mediate social interactions. These social vocalizations encode a substantial amount of ecologically relevant information, such as individual identity, sex and kin. Decoding this information enables receivers to make informed decisions on resource allocation, mate choice, territorial defence and cooperation. Erroneous decisions on such crucial aspects of bats’ social behaviour can be costly due to reduced reproductive success or survival.

Increasingly complex social interactions require social vocalizations encoding more information which, in turn, could facilitate the evolution of even more complex social interactions. Evidence for the positive correlation of social and vocal complexity is available for several taxa but is currently very limited for bats.

We conducted a phylogenetic comparative analysis to link the information content encoded in bats’ social vocalizations to the complexity of their social lives, that is the level of uncertainty associated with assessing individual identity. We focused on three different vocalization types encoding individual signatures (pup isolation calls, adult contact calls and male‐specific vocalizations). Information content in bit (i.e. the number of binary decisions necessary to discriminate among N individuals) was used as an estimate of vocal complexity; relevant social group size (i.e. the number of conspecifics whose identity a receiver could confuse) was used as an estimate of social complexity.

Our phylogenetic comparative analysis detected a positive relationship between the information content of vocalizations and the respective relevant social group size. This relationship suggests a positive feedback loop between social and vocal complexity for bat vocalizations and highlights the importance of vocal information for negotiating fitness‐relevant social decisions of bats.

In conclusion, our work suggests that social complexity drives vocal complexity in bats. Future studies on other hitherto understudied taxa are necessary to establish a comprehensive theory on the multi‐faceted co‐evolution of sociality and communication in the animal kingdom.

A freePlain Language Summarycan be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Defence versus defence: Are crucian carp trading off immune function against predator‐induced morphology?
Authors: Vinterstare Jerker , Hegemann Arne , Nilsson Per. Anders , Hulthén Kaj , Brönmark Christer
Published: July 2019

Numerous species adopt inducible defence strategies; that is, they have phenotypically plastic traits that decrease the risk of capture and consumption by potential predators. The benefits of expressing alternative phenotypes in high‐ vs. low‐risk environments are well documented. However, inducible anti‐predator traits are also expected to incur costs, as they are not expressed when predators are absent, yet empirical evidence of such costs remains scarce.

Virtually, all animals in nature are simultaneously under strong selection to evade both capture by predators and infection by parasites or pathogens and, hence, display a diverse arsenal of defences to combat these threats, raising the possibility of trade‐offs between defences. A classic example of a predator‐induced morphological defence is the deep‐bodied shape of crucian carp that reduces risk of predation from gape‐size‐limited predators. The goal of this study was to examine whether predator exposure affects also immune function in crucian carp, and whether the degree of expressed morphological defence is traded off against immune function in individuals.

Following exposure to manipulations of perceived risk (predator presence/absence) in a long‐term experiment (8 months), key aspects of innate immune function and individual differences in the expression of inducible morphological defence were quantified.

Predator‐exposed individuals showed lower haptoglobin levels and complement activity, but higher natural antibody titres than fish from predator‐free conditions. When experimentally challenged with a mimicked bacterial infection (LPS injection), fish reared in the presence of a natural predator showed a weaker immune response. Moreover, among predator‐exposed individuals, the magnitude of morphological defence expression correlated with both baseline immune function and the ability to mount an immune response. However, these relationships were not consistently supportive of a general trade‐off among defences.

Our results suggest that fish exposed to predators on average reduce investment in immune function, and, further, the observed relationships among defences in predator‐exposed individuals can best be explained from individual fitness and pace‐of‐life perspectives.
Microbial communities across nearshore to offshore coastal transects are primarily shaped by distance and temperature
Authors: Wang Zhao , Juarez Doris L. , Pan Jin‐Fen , Blinebry Sara K. , Gronniger Jessica , Clark James S. , Johnson Zackary I. , Hunt Dana E.
Published: July 2019

Recent studies have focused on linking marine microbial communities with environmental factors, yet, relatively little is known about the drivers of microbial community patterns across the complex gradients from the nearshore to open ocean. Here, we examine microbial dynamics in 15 five‐station transects beginning at the estuarine Piver's Island Coastal Observatory (PICO) time‐series site and continuing 87 km across the continental shelf to the oligotrophic waters of the Sargasso Sea. 16S rRNA gene libraries reveal strong clustering by sampling site with distinct nearshore, continental shelf and offshore oceanic communities. Water temperature and distance from shore (which serves as a proxy for gradients in factors such as productivity, terrestrial input and nutrients) both most influence community composition. However, at the phylotype level, modelling shows the distribution of some taxa is linked to temperature, others to distance from shore and some by both factors, highlighting that taxa with distinct environmental preferences underlie apparent clustering by station. Thus, continental margins contain microbial communities that are distinct from those of either the nearshore or the offshore environments and contain mixtures of phylotypes with nearshore or offshore preferences rather than those unique to the shelf environment.
A panel of recombinant proteins for the serodiagnosis of caseous lymphadenitis in goats and sheep
Authors: Barral Thiago Doria , Mariutti Ricardo Barros , Arni Raghuvir Krishnaswamy , Santos Anderson Jesus , Loureiro Dan , Sokolonski Ana Rita , Azevedo Vasco , Borsuk Sibele , Meyer Roberto , Portela Ricardo Dias
Published: July 2019

Caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) is a small ruminant disease characterized by the development of granulomatous lesions in superficial and internal lymph nodes, as well as in some organs, and causes significant economic losses worldwide. The aetiological agent of CLA is the bacterium Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis; however, the commercially available diagnostic tools present problems with regard to specificity, which can lead to false‐negative results. This study aimed to develop an indirect enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of specific immunoglobulins in goats and sheep using recombinant C. pseudotuberculosis PLD, CP40, PknG, DtxR and Grx proteins. For validation of the ELISAs, 130 goat serum samples and 160 sheep serum samples were used. The best ELISA for goats was developed using a combination of PLD and CP40 as antigens at a 1:1 ratio, which presented 96.9% sensitivity and 98.4% specificity. The most effective ELISA for sheep presented 91% sensitivity and 98.7% specificity when recombinant PLD alone was used as the antigen. These ELISAs can be used as highly accurate tools in epidemiological surveys and for the serodiagnosis of C. pseudotuberculosis infection in goats and sheep.
Continuous time resource selection analysis for moving animals
Authors: Wang Yi‐Shan , Blackwell Paul G. , Merkle Jerod A. , Potts Jonathan R.
Published: July 2019

Resource selection analysis (RSA) seeks to understand how spatial abundance covaries with environmental features. By combining RSA with movement, step selection analysis (SSA) has helped uncover the mechanisms behind animal relocations, thereby giving insight into the movement decisions underlying spatial patterns. However, SSA typically assumes that at each observed location, an animal makes a ‘selection’ of the next observed location. This conflates observation with behavioural mechanism and does not account for decisions occurring at any other time along the animal’s path.

To address this, we introduce a continuous time framework for resource selection. It is based on a switching Ornstein–Uhlenbeck (OU) model, parameterized by Bayesian Monte Carlo techniques. Such OU models have been used successfully to identify switches in movement behaviour, but hitherto not combined with resource selection. We test our inference procedure on simulated paths, representing both migratory movement (where landscape quality varies according to season) and foraging with depletion and renewal of resources (where the variation is due to past locations of the animals). We apply our framework to location data of migrating mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) to shed light on the drivers of migratory decisions.

In a wide variety of simulated situations, our inference procedure returns reliable estimations of the parameter values, including the extent to which animals trade‐off resource quality and travel distance (within 95% posterior intervals for the vast majority of cases). When applied to the mule deer data, our model reveals some individual variation in parameter values. Nevertheless, the migratory decisions of most individuals are well‐described by a model that accounts for the cost of moving and the difference between instantaneous change of vegetation quality at source and target patches.

We have introduced a technique for inferring the resource‐driven decisions behind animal movement that accounts for the fact that these decisions may take place at any point along a path, not just when the animal’s location is known. This removes an oft‐acknowledged but hitherto little‐addressed shortcoming of stepwise movement models. Our work is of key importance in understanding how environmental features drive movement decisions and, as a consequence, space use patterns.
Use of social media for communicating about critical care topics: A Norwegian cross‐sectional survey
Authors: Petosic Antonija , Sunde Kjetil , Beeckman Dimitri , Flaatten Hans K. , Wøien Hilde
Published: July 2019

Background

Social media (SoMe) might be an alternative platform for communicating critical care topics to implement evidence‐based practice in the intensive care unit (ICU). This survey aims to describe ICU nurses’ and physicians’ use of SoMe in general, and their perception of using closed Facebook‐groups for receiving content on critical care topics.

Methods

A cross‐sectional, web‐based, anonymous survey was distributed to ICU physicians and nurses in four ICUs in autumn 2017 via an email‐campaign. Descriptive statistics with rates, percentages and median numeric rating scale (NRS) scores, interquartile ranges are presented.

Results

The response‐rate was 64% (253/ 394) including 210 nurses and 43 physicians. Overall, 93% had a SoMe‐profile, and 77% had a profile on more than one network site. Facebook was the most used social network site, with 87% having a profile. Totally, 68% were daily users, but more nurses used Facebook daily vs physicians (81% vs 60%, respectively, P = 0.006). Nurses were also more positive toward being members of closed Facebook‐groups aimed to exchange content on critical care topics (median NRS 9 (6‐10) vs 6 (3‐9), respectively, P = 0.014).

Conclusion

The majority of ICU nurses and physicians were active SoMe users, mainly for personal purposes, and Facebook was the most popular SoMe. Nurses used Facebook daily more frequent and were more positive toward content on critical care topics on Facebook than physicians. These findings might be relevant to customize future communication about critical care topics via SoMe.
Salpingectomy at the time of hysterectomy for benign gynaecological disease: A comparison of surgical approaches
Authors: Obermair Helena M. , Borg Emma J.
Published: July 2019

Given that a significant percentage of high‐grade serous cancers develop in the fallopian tube, it has been suggested that salpingectomy may prevent some of these malignancies. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists guidelines recommend prophylactic salpingectomy to be discussed with or offered to patients undergoing hysterectomy for benign indications. This study compares rates of salpingectomy at the time of hysterectomy for benign indications across different surgical approaches among Australian and New Zealand gynaecologists. Data were collected via SurgicalPerformance, a web‐based surgical outcomes review and feedback software used by independent gynaecologic surgeons. Of 11 477 hysterectomy records available, 6608 were eligible for analysis. Rates of salpingectomy at vaginal hysterectomy (13%) were significantly lower (P < 0.001) compared to open abdominal (65%), laparoscopic (70%), laparoscopic‐assisted vaginal (78%), or robotic hysterectomies (73%) and also lower than in hysterectomies converted to an open abdominal approach (73%).
Accurate identification of the pastry contained in a ceramic pot excavated from Jurou Li's grave from the Jin dynasty (1115–1234 ce) in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
Authors: Zhu Z. , Yu C. , Luo W. , Miao Y. , Lu Z. , Liu L. , Yang J.
Published: July 2019

In order to identify accurately the circular object contained in the ceramic pot excavated from Jurou Li's grave of the Jin dynasty (1115–1234 ce) in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China, mass spectrometry was applied to determine the amino acid sequences of the residual proteins extracted from the sample, after preliminary starch grain analysis. The sequences were searched against a standard protein sequence database. The proteins extracted were identified as originating from domesticated barley (Hordeum vulgare), soybean (Glycine max), and fermentative microorganisms (Kluyveromyces lactis, Lipomyces starkeyi, Wickerhamomyces ciferrii, Nadsonia fulvescens and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii). These findings indicate that the extremely degraded object in the ceramic pot was made from barley by fermentation with the addition of soy sauce, providing direct evidence of culinary culture in the Jin dynasty.
Evaluation of parameters obtained from two systems of gait analysis
Authors: Assaf ND , Rahal SC , Mesquita LR , Kano WT , Abibe RB
Published: July 2019

Background

The technical difficulties in utilising the force platform have stimulated the use and development of other gait systems. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the values of gait parameters obtained from a pressure‐sensitive walkway and from a treadmill in healthy dogs during walking.

Methods

Twelve healthy, privately owned, Labrador retriever dogs were used. During each trial, each dog was led across the pressure‐sensitive walkway utilising a loose leash to the right of the handler. The velocity was restricted to the range of 0.9 to 1.1 m/s and the acceleration between −0.15 and 0.15 m/s2. For the treadmill, each dog also walked with leash loose on the treadmill. The treadmill speed was maintained at 0.9m/s. The temporospatial variables, and percentage of body weight distribution/percentage of pressure were evaluated between the two gait systems.

Results

For both forelimbs and hind limbs, significant differences were found between stance percentage, which was higher on treadmill, and swing percentage and stride length/stance distance, which were higher on the pressure‐sensitive walkway. The duty factor value was 0.57 for the pressure‐sensitive walkway and 0.60 for treadmill.

Clinical relevance

Each gait system has limitations, but also advantages that must be considered depending upon the variable and animal to be evaluated. The gait parameters obtained from the Tekscan pressure‐sensitive walkway and Gait4Dog treadmill revealed differences in the temporospatial parameters between systems, but similarity in body‐weight distribution/pressure percentage.
Image‐Based Tree Variations
Authors: Argudo Oscar , Andújar Carlos , Chica Antoni
Published: July 2019

The automatic generation of realistic vegetation closely reproducing the appearance of specific plant species is still a challenging topic in computer graphics. In this paper, we present a new approach to generate new tree models from a small collection of frontal RGBA images of trees. The new models are represented either as single billboards (suitable for still image generation in areas such as architecture rendering) or as billboard clouds (providing parallax effects in interactive applications). Key ingredients of our method include the synthesis of new contours through convex combinations of exemplar countours, the automatic segmentation into crown/trunk classes and the transfer of RGBA colour from the exemplar images to the synthetic target. We also describe a fully automatic approach to convert a single tree image into a billboard cloud by extracting superpixels and distributing them inside a silhouette‐defined 3D volume. Our algorithm allows for the automatic generation of an arbitrary number of tree variations from minimal input, and thus provides a fast solution to add vegetation variety in outdoor scenes.
Variable loss of CD30 expression by immunohistochemistry in recurrent cutaneous CD30+ lymphoid neoplasms treated with brentuximab vedotin
Authors: Goyal Amrita , Patel Sanjay , Goyal Kavita , Morgan Elizabeth A. , Foreman Ruth K.
Published: July 2019

Aims

Brentuximab vedotin is a monoclonal anti‐CD30 antibody‐drug conjugate that has been used to treat a variety of CD30+ neoplasms. The phenomenon of antigen loss has been observed in patients treated with the anti‐CD20 antibody rituximab. This study seeks to assess for antigen loss in the setting of recurrent CD30+ neoplasms treated with brentuximab vedotin.

Methods

We report nine cases of persistent/recurrent cutaneous CD30+ lymphoid neoplasms that demonstrated variable CD30 expression after treatment with brentuximab vedotin. Cases include MF (n = 6), cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (n = 1), and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), both primary (n = 1) and systemic (n = 1).

Results

Immunohistochemical staining revealed decreased CD30 expression following brentuximab vedotin therapy in seven of nine cases. In these seven cases, the pre‐treatment percent of tumor cells staining for CD30 ranged from 10% to 100% (mean 50.0%, SD 27.8%), compared to 5% to 50% (mean 14.5%, SD 14.8%, P = 0.003) at recurrence.

Conclusions

This case series highlights the finding that CD30 positivity can be variable in recurrences after treatment with anti‐CD30 antibodies. This serves to raise awareness of the phenomenon of antigen loss after treatment with brentuximab vedotin and underscores the utility of performing multiple biopsies and/or employing molecular diagnostic techniques in patients with recurrent/persistent disease.
Impacts of 21st‐century climate change on montane habitat in the Madrean Sky Island Archipelago
Authors: Yanahan Alan D. , Moore Wendy
Published: July 2019

Aim

The Madrean Sky Island Archipelago is a North American biodiversity hotspot composed of ~60 isolated mountains that span the Cordilleran Gap between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Madre Occidental. Characterized by discrete patches of high‐elevation montane habitat, these “sky islands” serve as stepping stones across a “sea” of desert scrub/grassland. Over this coming century, the region is expected to shift towards a warmer and drier climate. We used species distribution modelling to predict how the spatial distribution of montane habitat will be affected by climate change.

Location

Madrean Sky Island Archipelago, south‐west United States and north‐west Mexico (latitude, 29–34°N; longitude, 107–112°W).

Methods

To approximate the current distribution of montane habitat, we built species distribution models for five high‐elevation species (Ceanothus fendleri, Pinus strobiformis, Quercus gambelii, Sciurus aberti, and Synuchus dubius). The resulting models were projected under multiple climate change scenarios—four greenhouse gas concentration trajectories (RCP 2.6, 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5) for each of three climate models (CCSM4, MPI‐ESM‐LR, and NorESM1‐M)—to generate predicted distributions for the years 2050 and 2070. We performed chi‐squared tests to detect any future changes to total montane habitat area, and Conover–Iman tests to evaluate isolation among the discrete montane habitat patches.

Results

While the climate models differ with respect to their predictions as to how severe the effects of future climate change will be, they all agree that by as early as year 2050, there will be significant montane habitat loss and increased montane habitat patch isolation across the Madrean Archipelago region under a worst‐case climate change scenario (RCP 8.5).

Main conclusions

Our results suggest that under 21st‐century climate change, the Madrean Sky Islands will become increasingly isolated due to montane habitat loss. This may affect their ability to serve as stepping stones and have negative implications for the region's biodiversity.
Surviving cardiac arrest from mitral annular disjunction: A case report
Authors: Bennett Sadie , Phan Thanh , Patwala Ashish , Thamman Ritu , Kwok Chun Shing
Published: July 2019

A 38‐year‐old man with no previous medical history presented to hospital after having an out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest. He was found to have a ventricular fibrillation and was successfully resuscitated after receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation and three shocks. Extensive investigations were performed which included an electrocardiogram that showed no significant abnormality, coronary angiogram which showed unobstructed arteries, and a flecainide challenge test which was negative for Brugada syndrome. A resting echocardiogram showed a myxomatous mitral valve with mild bi‐leaflet bowing, trivial mitral regurgitation, normal left ventricular systolic function, and no other structural abnormalities. A cardiac magnetic resonance imaging showed no significant late gadolinium enhancement to suggest infarct or myocardial scarring. He was subsequently diagnosed with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation and treated with a subcutaneous internal cardioverter‐defibrillator for secondary prevention. A follow‐up echocardiogram was performed which revealed the presence of mitral annular disjunction which has been recently shown to be associated with significant life‐threatening arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. This case highlights the importance of improving awareness of mitral annular disjunction which is not often considered as a cause for adverse patient outcomes.
Massive obliterative right heart thrombus presenting with near‐syncope
Authors: Torres Christian , Doukky Rami
Published: July 2019

Intracardiac thrombi are commonly encountered as a complication of a recent myocardial infarction, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, or intracardiac devices. The prevalence of atrial thrombi in the absence of these risk factors is not well‐described, but seems to be low. We present a case of a 51‐year‐old man with a massive mobile thrombus in the right heart extending through the tricuspid valve, diagnosed on echocardiography after presenting with a presyncopal episode.
Extreme heat events and the vulnerability of endemic montane fishes to climate change
Authors: Troia Matthew J. , Giam Xingli
Published: July 2019

Identifying how close species live to their physiological thermal maxima is essential to understand historical warm‐edge elevational limits of montane faunas and forecast upslope shifts caused by future climate change. We used laboratory experiments to quantify the thermal tolerance and acclimation potential of four fishes (Notropis leuciodus, N. rubricroceus, Etheostoma rufilineatum, E. chlorobranchium) that are endemic to the southern Appalachian Mountains (USA), exhibit different historical elevational limits, and represent the two most species‐rich families in the region. All‐subsets selection of linear regression models using AICc indicated that species, acclimation temperature, collection location and month, and the interaction between species and acclimation temperature were important predictors of thermal maxima (Tmax), which ranged from 28.5 to 37.2°C. Next, we implemented water temperature models and stochastic weather generation to characterize the magnitude and frequency of extreme heat events (Textreme) under historical and future climate scenarios across 25 379 stream reaches in the upper Tennessee River system. Lastly, we used environmental niche models to compare warming tolerances (acclimation‐corrected Tmax minus Textreme) between historically occupied versus unoccupied reaches. Historical warming tolerances, ranging from +2.2 to +10.9°C, increased from low to high elevation and were positive for all species, suggesting that Tmax does not drive warm‐edge (low elevation) range limits. Future warming tolerances were lower (−1.2 to +9.3°C) but remained positive for all species under the direst warming scenario except for a small proportion of reaches historically occupied by E. rufilineatum, indicating that Tmax and acclimation potentials of southern Appalachian minnows and darters are adequate to survive future heat waves. We caution concluding that these species are invulnerable to 21st century warming because sublethal thermal physiology remains poorly understood. Integrating physiological sensitivity and warming exposure demonstrates a general and fine‐grained approach to assess climate change vulnerability for freshwater organisms across physiographically diverse riverscapes.
Multiattribute decision making based on power operators for linguistic intuitionistic fuzzy set using set pair analysis
Authors: Garg Harish , Kumar Kamal
Published: July 2019

The aim of the presented paper is to give a multiattribute decision making (MADM) method under the linguistic intuitionistic fuzzy (LIF) environment using the set pair analysis (SPA) theory. LIF set can express the qualitative information in terms of linguistic variables, whereas the connection number (CN) based on the “identity,” “discrepancy,” and “contrary” degrees of the SPA theory handles the uncertainties and certainties systems. On the basis of these features, we develop some series of linguistic CN (LCN) power weighted and ordered weighted geometric aggregation operator to aggregate the different LCNs. Several properties of the operators are also studied. Afterward, we present a novel MADM method to solve decision‐making problems under LIF set environment and illustrate with several examples to validate it. A comparative analysis is also presented to show the results.
C‐type lectin domain group 14 proteins in vascular biology, cancer and inflammation
Authors: Khan Kabir A. , McMurray Jack L. , Mohammed Fiyaz , Bicknell Roy
Published: July 2019

The C‐type lectin domain (CTLD) group 14 family of transmembrane glycoproteins consist of thrombomodulin, CD93, CLEC14A and CD248 (endosialin or tumour endothelial marker‐1). These cell surface proteins exhibit similar ectodomain architecture and yet mediate a diverse range of cellular functions, including but not restricted to angiogenesis, inflammation and cell adhesion. Thrombomodulin, CD93 and CLEC14A can be expressed by endothelial cells, whereas CD248 is expressed by vasculature associated pericytes, activated fibroblasts and tumour cells among other cell types. In this article, we review the current literature of these family members including their expression profiles, interacting partners, as well as established and speculated functions. We focus primarily on their roles in the vasculature and inflammation as well as their contributions to tumour immunology. The CTLD group 14 family shares several characteristic features including their ability to be proteolytically cleaved and engagement of some shared extracellular matrix ligands. Each family member has strong links to tumour development and in particular CD93, CLEC14A and CD248 have been proposed as attractive candidate targets for cancer therapy.