bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Circular RNA hsa_circ_001895 serves as a sponge of microRNA‐296‐5p to promote clear cell renal cell carcinoma progression by regulating SOX12
Authors: Chen Zhuangfei , Xiao Kanghua , Chen Shijun , Huang Zehai , Ye Yunlin , Chen Tong
Published: November 2019

There is an urgent need to find novel potential therapeutic targets for the diagnosis and treatment of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) due to its highly invasive ability as a common urological malignant tumor. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been indicated as potentially critical mediators in various types of tumor progression. We first used qRT‐PCR analysis to find dysregulated circRNAs in ccRCC. A novel circRNA, hsa_circ_001895, was upregulated in ccRCC specimens and associated with metastatic properties of ccRCC. However, the tumorigenic mechanism of hsa_circ_001895 on ccRCC is yet to be found. We first indicated that hsa_circ_001895 predicted a poor prognosis in ccRCC patients. Additionally, overexpression of hsa_circ_001895 not only promoted cell proliferation, invasion and migration of ccRCC, but also inhibited cell apoptosis, whereas hsa_circ_001895 knockdown reversed the effect on ccRCC progression. In vivo s.c. xenotransplanted tumor model also showed that silencing hsa_circ_001895 could suppress in vivo ccRCC growth. Mechanistically, hsa_circ_001895 directly binds with microRNA (miR)‐296‐5p and inhibits its expression. Moreover, sex determining region Y (SRY)‐box 12 (SOX12) was identified as a target of miR‐296‐5p, the expression of which was suppressed by miR‐296‐5p. Notably, the inhibitory effect of hsa_circ_001895 on ccRCC progression was reversed by miR‐296‐5p inhibitor. In general, our findings indicated that hsa_circ_001895 may sponge miR‐296‐5p and promote SOX12 expression, which is the underlying mechanism of hsa_circ_001895‐induced ccRCC progression.
Synthesizing Character Animation with Smoothly Decomposed Motion Layers
Authors: Eom Haegwang , Choi Byungkuk , Cho Kyungmin , Jung Sunjin , Hong Seokpyo , Noh Junyong
Published: November 2019

The processing of captured motion is an essential task for undertaking the synthesis of high‐quality character animation. The motion decomposition techniques investigated in prior work extract meaningful motion primitives that help to facilitate this process. Carefully selected motion primitives can play a major role in various motion‐synthesis tasks, such as interpolation, blending, warping, editing or the generation of new motions. Unfortunately, for a complex character motion, finding generic motion primitives by decomposition is an intractable problem due to the compound nature of the behaviours of such characters. Additionally, decomposed motion primitives tend to be too limited for the chosen model to cover a broad range of motion‐synthesis tasks. To address these challenges, we propose a generative motion decomposition framework in which the decomposed motion primitives are applicable to a wide range of motion‐synthesis tasks. Technically, the input motion is smoothly decomposed into three motion layers. These are base‐level motion, a layer with controllable motion displacements and a layer with high‐frequency residuals. The final motion can easily be synthesized simply by changing a single user parameter that is linked to the layer of controllable motion displacements or by imposing suitable temporal correspondences to the decomposition framework. Our experiments show that this decomposition provides a great deal of flexibility in several motion synthesis scenarios: denoising, style modulation, upsampling and time warping.
Aspirations and Setbacks of Working Children in Addis Ababa: Can They Realise Their Futures?
Authors: Mulugeta Emebet , Eriksen Sissel H.
Published: November 2019

Based on interviews with 45 children, this article looks at the life situations and aspirations of working children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, including their hopes, efforts and struggles to make their dreams come true. Pushed by the need for survival, the children work and nearly half go to school. They demonstrate agency, taking care of themselves, supporting families and aspiring to change their lives. However, they also face challenges that make achieving their aspirations difficult. The authors argue that agency alone is not sufficient to help them realise their aspirations unless buffered by supportive structures and systems.
When all life counts in conservation
Authors: Wallach Arian D. , Lundgren Erick , Batavia Chelsea , Nelson Michael Paul , Yanco Esty , Linklater Wayne L. , Carroll Scott P. , Celermajer Danielle , Brandis Kate J. , Steer Jamie , Ramp Daniel
Published: November 2019

Conservation science involves the collection and analysis of data. These scientific practices emerge from values that shape who and what is counted. Currently, conservation data are filtered through a value system that considers native life the only appropriate subject of conservation concern. We examined how trends in species richness, distribution, and threats change when all wildlife count by adding so‐called non‐native and feral populations to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List and local species richness assessments. We focused on vertebrate populations with founding members taken into and out of Australia by humans (i.e., migrants). We identified 87 immigrant and 47 emigrant vertebrate species. Formal conservation accounts underestimated global ranges by an average of 30% for immigrants and 7% for emigrants; immigrations surpassed extinctions in Australia by 52 species; migrants were disproportionately threatened (33% of immigrants and 29% of emigrants were threatened or decreasing in their native ranges); and incorporating migrant populations into risk assessments reduced global threat statuses for 15 of 18 species. Australian policies defined most immigrants as pests (76%), and conservation was the most commonly stated motivation for targeting these species in killing programs (37% of immigrants). Inclusive biodiversity data open space for dialogue on the ethical and empirical assumptions underlying conservation science.
SHP2 deficiency promotes Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia following influenza infection
Authors: Ouyang Wei , Liu Chao , Pan Ying , Han Yu , Yang Liping , Xia Jingyan , Xu Feng
Published: November 2019

Objectives

Secondary bacterial pneumonia is common following influenza infection. However, it remains unclear about the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Materials and methods

We established a mouse model of post‐influenza S aureus pneumonia using conditional Shp2 knockout mice (LysMCre/+:Shp2flox/flox). The survival, bacterial clearance, pulmonary histology, phenotype of macrophages, and expression of type I interferons and chemokines were assessed between SHP2 deletion and control mice (Shp2flox/flox). We infused additional KC and MIP‐2 to examine the reconstitution of antibacterial immune response in LysMCre/+:Shp2flox/flox mice. The effect of SHP2 on signal molecules including MAPKs (JNK, p38 and Erk1/2), NF‐κB p65 and IRF3 was further detected.

Results

LysMCre/+:Shp2flox/flox mice displayed impaired antibacterial immunity and high mortality compared with control mice in post‐influenza S aureus pneumonia. The attenuated antibacterial ability was associated with the induction of type I interferon and suppression of chemo‐attractants KC and MIP‐2, which reduced the infiltration of neutrophils into the lung upon secondary bacterial invasion. In additional, Shp2 knockout mice displayed enhanced polarization to alternatively activated macrophages (M2 phenotype). Further in vitro analyses consistently demonstrated that SHP2‐deficient macrophages were skewed towards an M2 phenotype and had a decreased antibacterial capacity. Moreover, SHP2 modulated the inflammatory response to secondary bacterial infection via interfering with NF‐κB and IRF3 signalling in macrophages.

Conclusions

Our findings reveal that the SHP2 expression enhances the host immune response and prompts bacterial clearance in post‐influenza S aureus pneumonia.
Conservation decisions under pressure: Lessons from an exercise in rapid response to wildlife disease
Authors: Canessa Stefano , Spitzen‐van der Sluijs Annemarieke , Stark Tariq , Allen Bryony E. , Bishop Phillip J. , Bletz Molly , Briggs Cheryl J. , Daversa David R. , Gray Matthew J. , Griffiths Richard A. , Harris Reid N. , Harrison Xavier A. , Hoverman Jason T. , Jervis Phillip , Muths Erin , Olson Deanna H. , Price Stephen J. , Richards‐Zawacki Corinne L. , Robert Jacques , Rosa Gonçalo M. , Scheele Ben C. , Schmidt Benedikt R. , Garner Trenton W. J.
Published: November 2019

Novel outbreaks of emerging pathogens require rapid responses to enable successful mitigation. We simulated a 1‐day emergency meeting where experts were engaged to recommend mitigation strategies for a new outbreak of the amphibian fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans. Despite the inevitable uncertainty, experts suggested and discussed several possible strategies. However, their recommendations were undermined by imperfect initial definitions of the objectives and scope of management. This problem is likely to arise in most real‐world emergency situations. The exercise thus highlighted the importance of clearly defining the context, objectives, and spatial–temporal scale of mitigation decisions. Managers are commonly under pressure to act immediately. However, an iterative process in which experts and managers cooperate to clarify objectives and uncertainties, while collecting more information and devising mitigation strategies, may be slightly more time consuming but ultimately lead to better outcomes.
Maternal almondex, a neurogenic gene, is required for proper subcellular Notch distribution in early Drosophila embryogenesis
Authors: Das Puspa , Salazar Jose L. , Li‐Kroeger David , Yamamoto Shinya , Nakamura Mitsutoshi , Sasamura Takeshi , Inaki Mikiko , Masuda Wataru , Kitagawa Motoo , Yamakawa Tomoko , Matsuno Kenji
Published: November 2019

Notch signaling plays crucial roles in the control of cell fate and physiology through local cell–cell interactions. The core processes of Notch signal transduction are well established, but the mechanisms that fine‐tune the pathway in various developmental and post‐developmental contexts are less clear. Drosophila almondex, which encodes an evolutionarily conserved double‐pass transmembrane protein, was identified in the 1970s as a maternal‐effect gene that regulates Notch signaling in certain contexts, but its mechanistic function remains obscure. In this study, we examined the role of almondex in Notch signaling during early Drosophila embryogenesis. We found that in addition to being required for lateral inhibition in the neuroectoderm, almondex is also partially required for Notch signaling‐dependent single‐minded expression in the mesectoderm. Furthermore, we found that almondex is required for proper subcellular Notch receptor distribution in the neuroectoderm, specifically during mid‐stage 5 development. The absence of maternal almondex during this critical window of time caused Notch to accumulate abnormally in cells in a mesh‐like pattern. This phenotype did not include any obvious change in subcellular Delta ligand distribution, suggesting that it does not result from a general vesicular‐trafficking defect. Considering that dynamic Notch trafficking regulates signal output to fit the specific context, we speculate that almondex may facilitate Notch activation by regulating intracellular Notch receptor distribution during early embryogenesis.
Anxious to see you: Neuroendocrine mechanisms of social vigilance and anxiety during adolescence
Authors: Wright Emily C. , Hostinar Camelia E. , Trainor Brian C.
Published: November 2019

Social vigilance is a behavioral strategy commonly used in adverse or changing social environments. In animals, a combination of avoidance and vigilance allows an individual to evade potentially dangerous confrontations while monitoring the social environment to identify favorable changes. However, prolonged use of this behavioral strategy in humans is associated with increased risk of anxiety disorders, a major burden for human health. Elucidating the mechanisms of social vigilance in animals could provide important clues for new treatment strategies for social anxiety. Importantly, during adolescence the prevalence of social anxiety increases significantly. We hypothesize that many of the actions typically characterized as anxiety behaviors begin to emerge during this time as strategies for navigating more complex social structures. Here, we consider how the social environment and the pubertal transition shape neural circuits that modulate social vigilance, focusing on the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and prefrontal cortex. The emergence of gonadal hormone secretion during adolescence has important effects on the function and structure of these circuits, and may play a role in the emergence of a notable sex difference in anxiety rates across adolescence. However, the significance of these changes in the context of anxiety is still uncertain, as not enough studies are sufficiently powered to evaluate sex as a biological variable. We conclude that greater integration between human and animal models will aid the development of more effective strategies for treating social anxiety.
Parent Socialization of Coping and Child Emotion Regulation Abilities: A Longitudinal Examination
Authors: Peisch Virginia , Dale Chelsea , Parent Justin , Burt Keith
Published: November 2019

This study examined the hypothesis that parent socialization of coping (SOC) would have a longitudinal relation with child emotion regulation abilities. Participants included a sample of 256 parents of 5‐ to 12‐year‐old children (child M age = 8.36, SD = 2.03, 54.7% male; parent M age = 34.49, SD = 6.20, 59% female). Data on demographic information, parenting behaviors, and child emotion regulation abilities were collected via online questionnaires at baseline and 12 months. Results from longitudinal structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses suggested that parent SOC, measured at baseline, predicted child adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation, measured 12 months later. More specifically, parental engagement coping suggestions predicted child's adaptive emotion regulation, whereas parental disengagement coping suggestions predicted child's maladaptive emotion regulation. Further, child gender emerged as a moderator in the longitudinal association between socialization of engagement coping and child adaptive emotion regulation: Whereas this association was small and marginally significant for girls, it was large and statistically significant for boys. Results highlight the importance of parent SOC as potentially contributing to emotion regulation abilities of 5‐ to 12‐year‐olds.
Characterization of an intermolecular quaternary interaction between discrete segments of the Streptococcus mutans adhesin P1 by NMR spectroscopy
Authors: Rivière Gwladys , Peng Emily‐Qingqing , Brotgandel Albert , Andring Jacob T. , Lakshmanan Renuk V. , Agbandje‐McKenna Mavis , McKenna Robert , Brady L. Jeannine , Long Joanna R.
Published: November 2019

Cell surface‐localized P1 adhesin (aka Antigen I/II or PAc) of the cariogenic bacterium Streptococcus mutans mediates sucrose‐independent adhesion to tooth surfaces. Previous studies showed that P1’s C‐terminal segment (C123, AgII) is also liberated as a separate polypeptide, contributes to cellular adhesion, interacts specifically with intact P1 on the cell surface, and forms amyloid fibrils. Identifying how C123 specifically interacts with P1 at the atomic level is essential for understanding related virulence properties of S. mutans. However, with sizes of ~ 51 and ~ 185 kDa, respectively, C123 and full‐length P1 are too large to achieve high‐resolution data for full structural analysis by NMR. Here, we report on biologically relevant interactions of the individual C3 domain with A3VP1, a polypeptide that represents the apical head of P1 as it is projected on the cell surface. Also evaluated are C3’s interaction with C12 and the adhesion‐inhibiting monoclonal antibody (MAb) 6‐8C. NMR titration experiments with 15N‐enriched C3 demonstrate its specific binding to A3VP1. Based on resolved C3 assignments, two binding sites, proximal and distal, are identified. Complementary NMR titration of A3VP1 with a C3/C12 complex suggests that binding of A3VP1 occurs on the distal C3 binding site, while the proximal site is occupied by C12. The MAb 6‐8C binding interface to C3 overlaps with that of A3VP1 at the distal site. Together, these results identify a specific C3‐A3VP1 interaction that serves as a foundation for understanding the interaction of C123 with P1 on the bacterial surface and the related biological processes that stem from this interaction.

Database

BMRB submission code: 27935.
Model parameterization to represent processes at unresolved scales and changing properties of evolving systems
Authors: Luo Yiqi , Schuur Edward A. G.
Published: November 2019

Modeling has become an indispensable tool for scientific research. However, models generate great uncertainty when they are used to predict or forecast ecosystem responses to global change. This uncertainty is partly due to parameterization, which is an essential procedure for model specification via defining parameter values for a model. The classic doctrine of parameterization is that a parameter is constant. However, it is commonly known from modeling practice that a model that is well calibrated for its parameters at one site may not simulate well at another site unless its parameters are tuned again. This common practice implies that parameter values have to vary with sites. Indeed, parameter values that are estimated using a statistically rigorous approach, that is, data assimilation, vary with time, space, and treatments in global change experiments. This paper illustrates that varying parameters is to account for both processes at unresolved scales and changing properties of evolving systems. A model, no matter how complex it is, could not represent all the processes of one system at resolved scales. Interactions of processes at unresolved scales with those at resolved scales should be reflected in model parameters. Meanwhile, it is pervasively observed that properties of ecosystems change over time, space, and environmental conditions. Parameters, which represent properties of a system under study, should change as well. Tuning has been practiced for many decades to change parameter values. Yet this activity, unfortunately, did not contribute to our knowledge on model parameterization at all. Data assimilation makes it possible to rigorously estimate parameter values and, consequently, offers an approach to understand which, how, how much, and why parameters vary. To fully understand those issues, extensive research is required. Nonetheless, it is clear that changes in parameter values lead to different model predictions even if the model structure is the same.
The overlooked spatial dimension of climate‐smart agriculture
Authors: Prestele Reinhard , Verburg Peter H.
Published: November 2019

Climate‐smart agriculture (CSA) and sustainable intensification (SI) are widely claimed to be high‐potential solutions to address the interlinked challenges of food security and climate change. Operationalization of these promising concepts is still lacking and potential trade‐offs are often not considered in the current continental‐ to global‐scale assessments. Here we discuss the effect of spatial variability in the context of the implementation of climate‐smart practices on two central indicators, namely yield development and carbon sequestration, considering biophysical limitations of suggested benefits, socioeconomic and institutional barriers to adoption, and feedback mechanisms across scales. We substantiate our arguments by an illustrative analysis using the example of a hypothetical large‐scale adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) in sub‐Saharan Africa. We argue that, up to now, large‐scale assessments widely neglect the spatially variable effects of climate‐smart practices, leading to inflated statements about co‐benefits of agricultural production and climate change mitigation potentials. There is an urgent need to account for spatial variability in assessments of climate‐smart practices and target those locations where synergies in land functions can be maximized in order to meet the global targets. Therefore, we call for more attention toward spatial planning and landscape optimization approaches in the operationalization of CSA and SI to navigate potential trade‐offs.
Groundwater Depth Forecasting Using Configurational Entropy Spectral Analyses with the Optimal Input
Authors: Guo Tianli , Song Songbai , Shi Jihai , Li Jun
Published: November 2019

Accurate groundwater depth forecasting is particularly important for human life and sustainable groundwater management in arid and semi‐arid areas. To improve the groundwater forecasting accuracy, in this paper, a hybrid groundwater depth forecasting model using configurational entropy spectral analyses (CESA) with the optimal input is constructed. An original groundwater depth series is decomposed into subseries of different frequencies using the variational mode decomposition (VMD) method. Cross‐correlation analysis and Shannon entropy methods are applied to select the optimal input series for the model. The ultimate forecasted values of the groundwater depth can be obtained from the various forecasted values of the selected series with the CESA model. The applicability of the hybrid model is verified using the groundwater depth data from four monitoring wells in the Xi'an of Northwest China. The forecasting accuracy of the models was evaluated based on the average relative error (RE), root mean square error (RMSE), correlation coefficient (R) and Nash‐Sutcliffe coefficient (NSE). The results indicated that comparing with the CESA and autoregressive model, the hybrid model has higher prediction performance.
Management Consulting: Towards an Integrative Framework of Knowledge, Identity, and Power
Authors: Mosonyi Szilvia , Empson Laura , Gond Jean‐Pascal
Published: November 2019

This paper reviews the past 28 years of scholarship on management consulting to synthesize the field and establish more broadly its contribution to management research. Through a systematic review of 219 articles, we identify three core conceptual themes – knowledge, identity, and power – that have dominated the literature to date. Through a thematic inductive analysis of a subsection of articles, we then investigate how these themes have been defined, used, and linked. This allows us to uncover and problematize the relationships between these themes. In making explicit underlying theoretical assumptions and relationships between knowledge, identity, and power, we induce a unique framework that can guide and support future studies, instigate metaparadigmatic dialogue, and thus help consolidate the field.
Dissecting pharmacological effects of chloroquine in cancer treatment: interference with inflammatory signaling pathways
Authors: Varisli Lokman , Cen Osman , Vlahopoulos Spiros
Published: November 2019

Chloroquines are 4‐aminoquinoline‐based drugs mainly used to treat malaria. At pharmacological concentrations, they have significant effects on tissue homeostasis, targeting diverse signaling pathways in mammalian cells. A key target pathway is autophagy, which regulates macromolecule turnover in the cell. In addition to affecting cellular metabolism and bioenergetic flow equilibrium, autophagy plays a pivotal role at the interface between inflammation and cancer progression. Chloroquines consequently have critical effects in tissue metabolic activity and importantly, in key functions of the immune system. In this article, we will review the work addressing the role of chloroquines in the homeostasis of mammalian tissue, and the potential strengths and weaknesses concerning their use in cancer therapy.
A Selective Overview and Comparison of Robust Mixture Regression Estimators
Authors: Yu Chun , Yao Weixin , Yang Guangren
Published: November 2019

Mixture regression models have been widely used in business, marketing and social sciences to model mixed regression relationships arising from a clustered and thus heterogeneous population. The unknown mixture regression parameters are usually estimated by maximum likelihood estimators using the expectation–maximisation algorithm based on the normality assumption of component error density. However, it is well known that the normality‐based maximum likelihood estimation is very sensitive to outliers or heavy‐tailed error distributions. This paper aims to give a selective overview of the recently proposed robust mixture regression methods and compare their performance using simulation studies.
Selective debridement of burn wounds using hydrosurgery system
Authors: Yuan Mingzhou , Yin Meifang , Zhang Lijun , Feng Jinghao , Zhu Junyou , Zhou Ziheng , Shu Bin , Zhou Fei , Zhang Fangyingnan , Yin Hanxiao , Wang Xiaoyan , Qi Shaohai , Wu Jun
Published: November 2019

In recent years, hydrosurgery is a technology that has been applied more and more in debridement procedures. However, the selectivity of hydrosurgery to cutaneous necrotic tissues has not been proved. This study was designed to investigate the possible tissue selectivity of hydrosurgery in the debridement in burn wounds. Deep partial‐thickness burns were produced on the back of porcine, and 48 hours later, both burn wounds and normal skin were debrided using the hydrosurgery system. Then tissue samples were taken, and histological staining was performed and observed under microscope. Burn wound resection rates and the normal skin damaged rates were measured. Our result indicated that the burn wounds were significantly more sensitive than the normal skin when the water pressure produced by the hydrosurgery system was set between 3000 and 5000 psi (pounds per square inch), that is, the necrotic tissue portions were debrided more easily than the normal skin tissue. Based on these data, we suggest that 3000 to 5000 psi of water pressure in the hydrosurgery system has a skin tissue selectivity in burn wounds.
Modeling batch melting: Roles of heat transfer and reaction kinetics
Authors: Pokorný Richard , Hrma Pavel , Lee Seungmin , Klouzek Jaroslav , Choudhary Manoj K. , Kruger Albert A.
Published: November 2019

Development of mathematical models of heat and mass transfer in glass‐melting furnaces began in the 1970s and progressed rapidly with advances in sophisticated experimental/numerical techniques and increasing computational power. Today, practically all newly built or rebuilt furnaces are optimized with these models to meet stringent quality requirements, reduce the unit costs of manufacturing, or control emissions. One remaining hurdle is to model the batch‐to‐glass conversion accurately enough to reliably assess the glass production rate. This article summarizes two key aspects of the batch‐conversion modeling—the heat transfer and the kinetics of conversion—and reviews the current state‐of‐the‐art approaches to simulating them. We critically examine the advantages of the commonly used heat transfer approach, but also explain that its predictive capabilities are significantly restricted by the dependence of batch thermal properties on the time‐temperature history. We argue that kinetic approaches to the batch‐conversion modeling would offer a significant improvement when coupled with the heat transfer approach. Finally, we summarize key areas requiring further research on the way toward a realistic model of the batch blanket.
Can consumer complaints reduce product reliability? Should we worry?
Authors: Coleff Joaquín
Published: November 2019

We analyze a monopolist's pricing and product reliability decision in a model where consumers are entitled to product replacement if the product fails, but have heterogeneous costs of exercising this right. Our main result shows that, under some conditions, a decrease in consumers expected to claim cost leads to a decrease in product reliability but an increase in profit and welfare. This result is robust to a number of extensions. Our results are in line with anecdotal evidence suggesting that changes in consumers’ claiming cost can be induced by both third parties (governments, consumers’ organizations, private enterprises, etc.) and firms. More precisely, since, under some conditions, profit and welfare align, public initiatives oriented to lower consumers’ claiming cost will be ultimately joined by firms that benefit from further increases in complaints.
Bait and ditch: Consumer naïveté and salesforce incentives
Authors: Herweg Fabian , Rosato Antonio
Published: November 2019

We analyze a model of price competition between a transparent retailer and a deceptive one in a market where a fraction of consumers is naïve. The transparent retailer is an independent shop managed by its owner. The deceptive retailer belongs to a chain and is operated by a manager. The two retailers sell an identical base product, but the deceptive one also offers an add‐on. Rational consumers never consider buying the add‐on while naïve ones can be “talked” into buying it. By offering the manager a contract that pushes him to never sell the base good without the add‐on, the chain can induce an equilibrium in which both retailers obtain more‐than‐competitive profits. The equilibrium features price dispersion and market segmentation, with the deceptive retailer targeting only naïve consumers whereas the transparent retailer serves only rational ones.
Discerning the dietary habits of the smooth butterfly ray Gymnura lessae using two distinct methods, otolith identification and metagenetics
Authors: Jargowsky Matthew B. , Cooper Pearce T. , Ajemian Matthew J. , Colvin Michael E. , Drymon J. Marcus
Published: November 2019

Two different methods, metagenetics and free‐otolith identification, were used to identify prey in the stomach contents of 531 Gymnura lessae captured by trawling in Mobile Bay, Alabama 2016–2018. Both methods were found to produce analogous results and were therefore combined into a single complete dataset. All prey were teleosts; the families Sciaenidae and Engraulidae were the most important prey (prey specie index of relative importance 89.3% IPSRI). Multivariate analyses indicated that the diet of G. lessae varied with sex and seasonality. Specifically, variability was probably due to morphologically larger females consuming larger teleost prey species compared with males, whereas seasonal variability was probably due to changes in the available prey community composition. The findings indicate that both metagenetics and free otolith identification, used independently or complementarily, offer robust means of characterising dietary habits for teleost‐specialised species such as G. lessae, which may play an important role in the structure and maintenance of coastal food webs such as those in Mobile Bay.
Microbiological evidences for gastric cardiac microflora dysbiosis inducing the progression of inflammation
Authors: Yan Ruijing , Guo Yi , Gong Qingyun , Chen Man , Guo Yuanning , Yang Peng , Huang Hao , Huang Haihua , Huang Wen , Ma Zikai , Zheng Zhijian , Tian Dongping , Su Min
Published: November 2019

Background and Aim

Nowadays, anti‐inflammation treatment is a promising approach for preventing tumorigenesis, and human microflora is closely related to inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the gastric cardiac microbiome and identify inflammation‐related microorganisms for gastric cardiac inflammation.

Methods

We performed 16S rRNA sequencing on a total of 11 healthy individuals and 89 individuals with different degree of gastric cardiac inflammation. Immunohistochemistry was used for verifying candidate bacteria. Phylogenetic reconstruction of unobserved states (picrust) was used for predicting the pathways involved by cardiac microflora.

Results

The resident phyla in normal were Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroides, and Actinobacteria, and the dominant genus in normal were Halomonas, shewanella, and Comamonas. In the progression of gastric cardiac inflammation, the diversity of cardiac microflora did not change (P > 0.05). However, the composition structure of cardiac microflora varied between healthy and inflamed tissues (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, there were 64 species parallel increased with inflammation degree, especially Helicobacter pylori, Lactobacillus spp. Additionally, inflammation‐related species were detected (P < 0.05), including H. pylori, Acinetobacter ursingii, and Streptococcus agalactiae. Higher H. pylori colonization was positively related to the progression of cardiac inflammation (γ coefficient = 0.678, P < 0.001), and it also influenced the cardiac microbial community structure. Cardiac microflora also participated in DNA repair pathways and is affected by the relative abundance of H. pylori (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

Cardiac microflora dysbiosis, especially the increasing of the relevant abundance of H. pylori, promotes the progression of cardiac inflammation.
Should Australia tax sugar‐sweetened beverages?
Authors: Allen William M K , Allen Katrina J
Published: November 2019

The implementation of a sugar tax in Australia has been discussed extensively as a way to combat rising rates of obesity and diabetes. We aim to review international efforts by governments to implement sugar tax initiatives. We summarise the different initiatives and investigate their pros and cons, evidence of impact and what the possibilities are for introducing a sugar tax in the Australian context. We conclude that government‐imposed sugar taxes on production reduce sugar consumption in the general population. It remains unclear whether the reduction in sugar has generally led to a reduction in population obesity. Nonetheless, the fact that commercial actors have themselves begun to reduce sugar in their products indicates that they are aware of the benefits of reduced sugar consumption in the community, if only by way of changing consumer preferences.
Early life microbial exposure, child neurocognition and behaviour at 2 years of age: A birth cohort study
Authors: Senn Elizabeth , Symeonides Christos , Vuillermin Peter , Ponsonby Anne‐Louise ,   the Barwon Infant Study Investigator Group
Published: November 2019

Aim

To investigate the relationship between factors which influence external microbial exposures (FEMEs), previously identified to be protective or to increase the risk of the development of allergic disease, and cognition and behaviour in infants 2 years of age in an Australian population.

Method

The Barwon Infant Study is a birth cohort (n = 1074) in Victoria, Australia. Comprehensive questionnaire, clinical and biological measures were collected at multiple time oints. Multiple linear regression was used to evaluate the associations between 56 FEMEs and 3 outcomes; cognition (Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BAYLEY‐III)) (n = 667, mean (standard deviation) age = 2.45 (0.14) years), internalising and externalising behaviour (Child Behavior Checklist) (n = 666, mean (standard deviation) age = 2.45 (0.14) years).

Results

Overall, there were no consistent patterns or dose response found within an outcome nor across all three outcomes, although there was some evidence for individual associations. Breastfeeding and child care were associated with higher cognitive scores (adjusted mean difference (95% confidence interval) = 3.20 (0.23–6.17) and 0.68 (0.12–1.24), respectively), and increasing sibling number was associated with lower internalising behaviour (adjusted mean difference (95% confidence interval) = −4.13 (−6.34, −1.91)).

Conclusion

In contrast to allergic disease, there was an absence of epidemiological evidence to support the association between these FEMEs and cognition and behaviour. Direct investigations into the relationship between exposures which influence gut‐microbial composition and cognition and behaviour are now needed.
Arguments for the cognitive social sciences
Authors: Kaidesoja Tuukka , Sarkia Matti , Hyyryläinen Mikko
Published: November 2019

This article analyses the arguments for the integration between the cognitive and social sciences. We understand interdisciplinary integration as an umbrella term that includes different ways of bringing scientific disciplines together. Our focus is on four arguments based on different ideas about how the cognitive sciences should be integrated with the social sciences: explanatory grounding, theoretical unification, constraint and complementarity. These arguments not only provide different reasons why the cognitive social sciences—i.e. disciplines and research programs that aim to integrate the social sciences with the cognitive sciences—are needed but also subscribe to different visions as to how these sciences might look like. We discuss each argument in three stages: First, we provide a concrete example of the argument. Second, we reconstruct the argument by specifying its premises, inferential structure and conclusion. Third, we evaluate the argument by analyzing its presuppositions, the plausibility of its premises, the soundness of its inferences and potential conceptual ambiguities. In the final discussion, we compare these arguments and identify the most compelling reasons why the cognitive social sciences are needed.
Unravelling virus community ecology in bats through the integration of metagenomics and community ecology
Authors: Wille Michelle
Published: November 2019

The spillover of viruses from wildlife into agricultural animals or humans has profound socioeconomic and public health impact. Vampire bats, found throughout South America, feed directly on humans and other animals and are an important reservoir for zoonotic viruses, including rabies virus. This has resulted in considerable effort in understanding both the ecology of bat‐borne viruses and the composition and associated correlates of the structure of entire virus communities in wildlife, particularly in the context of disease control interventions. In a From the Cover article in this issue of Molecular Ecology, Bergner et al. (2019) set out to reveal virus community dynamics in vampire bats by interrogating factors that affect the structure, diversity and richness of these communities. Due to the linkage of metagenomic sequence data with community ecology, this study represents an important advance in the field of virus ecology.
Post‐occlusive reactive hyperemic response of skin microcirculation among extremely obese patients in the short and long term after bariatric surgery
Authors: Gryglewska Barbara , Głuszewska Anna , Zarzycki Bartosz , Dzieża‐ Grudnik Anna , Fedyk‐Łukasik Małgorzata , Major Piotr , Budzyński Andrzej , Gąsowski Jerzy , Grodzicki Tomasz
Published: November 2019

Objective

To assess changes of post‐occlusive reactive hyperemic response in skin microcirculation among extremely obese patients 10 days and 6 months after bariatric surgery for patients with and without hypertension.

Methods

Skin blood flow was measured using PeriFlux laser Doppler fluxmetry. Data were analyzed in the entire group and two subgroups: with and without hypertension.

Results

Data from 88 patients (mean age 42.1 ± 11.2 years, 40.5% men) were analyzed. Six months after bariatric surgery, the time to reach peak flows had been shortened (2.4 ± 1.7 vs 2.1 ± 1.0 seconds, P < .05) and the area of hyperemia had increased (1027 ± 791 vs 1386 ± 699 AU*s, P < .05). The total power of post‐occlusive reactive hyperemic after occlusion had been augmented mainly with power intensification of endothelial and myogenic origin. Post‐occlusive reactive hyperemic parameters had changed mainly in the subgroup with hypertension. Variations of anthropometric parameters, metabolic characteristic, and adipokines mainly influenced on studied hyperemic flow parameters variations after the intervention in multiple regression analysis.

Conclusion

Cutaneous post‐occlusive reactive hyperemic reactivity in time and frequency domains improved 6 months after bariatric surgery, and improvements in microvascular function were observed mainly in patients with hypertension. Variations of anthropometric parameters, metabolic characteristics, and adipokines had influence on hyperemic flow reactivity.
The chaperone MeHSP90 recruits MeWRKY20 and MeCatalase1 to regulate drought stress resistance in cassava
Authors: Wei Yunxie , Liu Wen , Hu Wei , Yan Yu , Shi Haitao
Published: November 2019

The 90 kDa heat shock protein (HSP90) is widely involved in various developmental processes and stress responses in plants. However, the molecular chaperone HSP90‐constructed protein complex and its function in cassava remain elusive.

In this study, we report that HSP90 is essential for drought stress resistance in cassava by regulating abscisic acid (ABA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) using two specific protein inhibitors of HSP90 (geldanamycin (GDA) and radicicol (RAD)). Among 10 MeHSP90s, the transcript of MeHSP90.9 is largely induced during drought stress. Further investigation identifies MeWRKY20 and MeCatalase1 as MeHSP90.9‐interacting proteins. MeHSP90.9‐, MeWRKY20‐, or MeCatalase1‐silenced plants through virus‐induced gene silencing display drought sensitivity in cassava, indicating that they are important to drought stress response.

MeHSP90.9 can promote the direct transcriptional activation of MeWRKY20 on the W‐box element of MeNCED5 promoter, encoding a key enzyme in ABA biosynthesis. Moreover, MeHSP90.9 positively regulates the activity of MeCatalase1, and MeHSP90.9‐silenced cassava leaves accumulate more H2O2 under drought stress.

Taken together, we demonstrate that the MeHSP90.9 chaperone complex is a regulator of drought stress resistance in cassava.
Periodontal pathogens and clinical parameters in chronic periodontitis
Authors: Boyer Emile , Martin Bénédicte , Le Gall‐David Sandrine , Fong Shao B. , Deugnier Yves , Bonnaure‐Mallet Martine , Meuric Vincent
Published: November 2019

The use of next generation sequencing and bioinformatics has revealed the complexity and richness of the human oral microbiota. While some species are well known for their periodontal pathogenicity, the molecular‐based approaches for bacterial identification have raised awareness about new putative periodontal pathogens. Although they are found increased in case of periodontitis, there is currently a lack of data on their interrelationship with the periodontal measures. We processed the sequencing data of the subgingival microbiota of 75 patients with hemochromatosis and chronic periodontitis in order to characterize the well‐described and newly identified subgingival periodontal pathogens. We used correlation tests and statistical models to assess the association between the periodontal pathogens and mean pocket depth, and to determine the most relevant bacterial biomarkers of periodontitis severity. Based on correlation test results, nine taxa were selected and included in the statistical models. The multiple linear regression models adjusted for systemic and periodontal clinical variables showed that mean pocket depth was negatively associated with Aggregatibacter and Rothia, and positively associated with Porphyromonas. Furthermore, a bacterial ratio that was previously described as a signature of dysbiosis in periodontitis (%Porphyromonas+%Treponema+%Tannerella)/(%Rothia+%Corynebacterium) was the most significant predictor. In this specific population, we found that the best model in predicting the mean pocket depth was microbial dysbiosis using the dysbiosis ratio taxa formula. While further studies are needed to assess the validity of these results on the general population, such a dysbiosis ratio could be used in the future to monitor the subgingival microbiota.
Pre‐zygotic reproductive isolation between two synchronopatric Opuntia (Cactaceae) species in the Brazilian Chaco
Authors: Fachardo A. L. S. , Sigrist M. R.
Published: November 2019

Opuntia (Cactaceae) is known for high rates of hybridization and ploidisation, resulting in the formation of new species. The occurrence of two sympatric and closely related species of Opuntia, O. elata and O. retrorsa, in Brazilian Chaco enabled us to test the hypothesis that pre‐zygotic reproductive isolation mechanisms operate in both species.

We monitored the flowering period, as well as floral biology, and compared the morphological variation of floral structures through measurements, performed intra‐ and interspecific cross‐pollination tests, and recorded the guild of floral visitors and pollinators.

Flowering was seasonal and highly synchronous. Floral biology exhibits similar strategies, and although floral morphology differs significantly in many of the compared structures, such morphological variation does not result in the selection of exclusive pollinators. Floral visitors and pollinators are oligolectic bees shared by both species. Opuntia elata and O. retrorsa are self‐compatible. While interspecific cross‐pollination (bidirectional) resulted in germination, the pollen tube did not penetrate the stigma.

Opuntia elata and O. retrorsa are closely related; however, they are isolated and do not hybridise in Brazilian Chaco. We found that both have weak pre‐pollination barriers, but that they are strongly isolated by pollen–pistil incompatibility, i.e. post‐pollination barrier.
Who Does It Better? Comparing Immigration Detention Facility Performance in an Intergovernmental and Intersectoral Context
Authors: Bauer Zachary , Johnston Jocelyn M.
Published: November 2019

Contracting for prison services has been a topic of discussion for decades. Absent from this discussion is the relationship between contracting for immigration detention and confinement quality, a topic that has gained relevance as the detained immigrant population recently surpassed 440,000 per year. Detaining immigrants presents unique challenges because of detainee characteristics, the performance standards governing facilities, and the intersectoral and intergovernmental arrangements used to manage detention facilities. This research conducts the first‐known large‐N study that evaluates the confinement quality of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detention facilities to determine the effect, if any, of contracting on performance. The findings suggest that all detention facilities have deficiencies that threaten the well‐being of detained immigrants, but, broadly, privately contracted detention facility environments are less safe and secure than their public counterparts. The authors use contracting theory to explain why this performance disparity might exist and conclude with a discussion of the practical implications of this research.
Retrospective study evaluating the performance of risk factors for invasive mold infections in liver transplantation
Authors: Neyra Karyna M. , Brizendine Kyle D.
Published: November 2019

Background

Mold infections in liver transplant are associated with high mortality. Guidelines recommend prophylaxis targeted against mold based upon risk factors of fulminant hepatic failure, retransplantation, reoperation, and renal replacement therapy post‐transplant. It is not known if these factors identify risk of mold infection at every center.

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted of adult liver transplant recipients at a single center from 2010 to 2014. The association between risk factors and invasive mold infection and effect of antifungal prophylaxis were determined.

Results

Five hundred thirty‐four liver transplant recipients were identified. The overall incidence of invasive mold infection was 0.9% (N = 5). The incidence in patients with (N = 128) and without (N = 406) risk factors was 0.78% and 0.98%, respectively. Antifungal prophylaxis with mold activity was administered to 23/128 (18%) with risk factors, and none developed infection. No mold‐active prophylaxis was given to 105/128 (82%) with risk factors, and incidence of mold infection was 0.95% (N = 1). Number needed to treat was 105.

Conclusions

Traditional risk factors for mold infection in liver transplant performed poorly. These results underscore the importance of transplant center‐specific data to inform adoption of an antifungal prophylactic strategy. Studies are needed to determine alternative risk factors to facilitate appropriate targeting of antifungals.