bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
At Home on the Range? Lay Interpretations of Numerical Uncertainty Ranges
Authors: Dieckmann Nathan F. , Peters Ellen , Gregory Robin
Published: March 2015

Numerical uncertainty ranges are often used to convey the precision of a forecast. In three studies, we examined how users perceive the distribution underlying numerical ranges and test specific hypotheses about the display characteristics that affect these perceptions. We discuss five primary conclusions from these studies: (1) substantial variation exists in how people perceive the distribution underlying numerical ranges; (2) distributional perceptions appear similar whether the uncertain variable is a probability or an outcome; (3) the variation in distributional perceptions is due in part to individual differences in numeracy, with more numerate individuals more likely to perceive the distribution as roughly normal; (4) the variation is also due in part to the presence versus absence of common cues used to convey the correct interpretation (e.g., including a best estimate increases perceptions that the distribution is roughly normal); and (5) simple graphical representations can decrease the variance in distributional perceptions. These results point toward significant opportunities to improve uncertainty communication in climate change and other domains.
Aggradation and carbonate accumulation of Holocene Norwegian cold‐water coral reefs
Authors: Titschack Jürgen , Baum Daniel , De Pol‐Holz Ricardo , López Correa Matthias , Forster Nina , Flögel Sascha , Hebbeln Dierk , Freiwald André
Published: March 2015

Cold‐water coral ecosystems present common carbonate factories along the Atlantic continental margins, where they can form large reef structures. There is increasing knowledge on their ecology, molecular genetics, environmental controls and threats available. However, information on their carbo‐nate production and accumulation is still very limited, even though this information is essential for their evaluation as carbonate sinks. The aim of this study is to provide high‐resolution reef aggradation and carbonate accumulation rates for Norwegian cold‐water coral reefs from various settings (sunds, inner shelf and shelf margin). Furthermore, it introduces a new approach for the evaluation of the cold‐water coral preservation within cold‐water coral deposits by computed tomography analysis. This approach allows the differentiation of various kinds of cold‐water coral deposits by their macrofossil clast size and orientation signature. The obtained results suggest that preservation of cold‐water coral frameworks in living position is favoured by high reef aggradation rates, while preservation of coral rubble prevails by moderate aggradation rates. A high degree of macrofossil fragmentation indicates condensed intervals or unconformities. The observed aggradation rates with up to 1500 cm kyr−1 exhibit the highest rates from cold‐water coral reefs so far. Reef aggradation within the studied cores was restricted to the Early and Late Holocene. Available datings of Norwegian cold‐water corals support this age pattern for other fjords while, on the shelf, cold‐water coral ages are reported additionally from the early Middle Holocene. The obtained mean carbonate accumulation rates of up to 103 g cm−2 kyr−1 exceed previous estimates of cold‐water coral reefs by a factor of two to three and by almost one order of magnitude to adjacent sedimentary environments (shelf, slope and deep sea). Only fjord basins locally exhibit carbonate accumulation rates in the range of the cold‐water coral reefs. Furthermore, cold‐water coral reef carbonate accumulation rates are in the range of tropical reef carbonate accumulation rates. These results clearly suggest the importance of cold‐water coral reefs as local, maybe regional to global, carbonate sinks.
Residential Segregation and Immigrants’ Satisfaction with the Neighborhood in Germany*
Authors: Dill Verena , Jirjahn Uwe , Tsertsvadze Georgi
Published: March 2015

Objective

We aim to examine the relationship between immigrant residential segregation and immigrants’ satisfaction with the neighborhood.

Methods

We use individual‐level data from the German Socio‐Economic Panel for the years 1986 and 1994. In a first step, we use the data as a pooled cross‐section including an extensive set of household and individual characteristics such as household income and quality of the dwelling. In a second step we use a fixed effects model to account for unobserved time‐invariant influences.

Results

Both the cross‐sectional and the fixed effects estimates show that immigrants living in ethnically segregated areas are less satisfied with the neighborhood. This is consistent with the hypothesis that housing discrimination rather than self‐selection plays an important role in immigrant residential segregation.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that rental market discrimination rather than self‐selection is the reason for immigrants living in segregated areas. This has important policy implications since ethnic residential segregation may hamper immigrants’ integration and may in turn trigger negative attitudes toward immigrants by Germans.
Critical taper behaviour and out‐of‐sequence thrusting on orogenic wedges – an example of the Eastern Alpine Molasse Basin
Authors: Schuller Volker , Frisch Wolfgang , Herzog Ulrich
Published: March 2015

We demonstrate that increasing erosion during the kinematic evolution of a thrust wedge will lead to out‐of‐sequence thrusting as a result of backwards critical taper movement. In‐sequence thrusting in the Subalpine German Molasse Basin built a critical‐tapered foreland Coulomb thrust wedge. Later, out‐of‐sequence thrusts dissected all but the frontal duplex stacks. The footwall/hangingwall relation visible on seismic data proves the out‐of‐sequence nature of the latest thrusting stage. Establishing a stable drainage system leads to increased erosion in elevated areas of the thrust wedge, resulting in flattening of the critical wedge. In order to keep its predefined angle, the critical wedge repositions and the tip of the taper moves towards the hinterland. Thus, thrusting will also reposition and move towards the hinterland.
Evaluation of new automated hematopoietic progenitor cell analysis in the clinical management of peripheral blood stem cell collections
Authors: Peerschke Ellinor I. , Moung Christine , Pessin Melissa S. , Maslak Peter
Published: March 2015

BACKGROUND

Successful peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) depends on the collection and infusion of adequate numbers of peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPCs). Several predictors of PBPC yield are used currently, including white blood cell (WBC) count and CD34 analysis. This study evaluated the utility of the new automated hematopoietic progenitor cell count available on Sysmex XN hematology analyzers (XN‐HPCs) in PBSCT.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

The performance characteristics of XN‐HPC, CD34+, and WBC analysis were compared using 107 matched peripheral blood and apheresis samples.

RESULTS

Good correlation was observed between XN‐HPC and CD34+ cell counts in peripheral blood (r = 0.88; slope, 0.81) and apheresis collections (r = 0.91; slope, 0.89). Moreover, peripheral blood XN‐HPC and CD34 analysis showed comparable ability to predict successful PBPC harvests (≥2 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg). At a cutoff of 20 × 106 progenitor cells/L, peripheral blood XN‐ HPC and CD34 analysis both showed negative predictive values (NPVs) of 100% and positive predictive values (PPVs) of 55.4 and 63%, respectively. Using an optimized cutoff of 38 × 106 progenitor cells/L, derived from receiver operating characteristic analysis, the PPV for XN‐HPC and CD34 analysis increased to 71.4 and 78.9%, respectively, with relatively unchanged NPVs (XN‐HPC 97.7%, CD34+ 98.0%). In contrast, the correlation between peripheral blood WBC and CD34 analysis was poor (r = 0.48; slope, 669.85), and the peripheral blood WBC count (cutoff, 10 × 109/L) was a poor predictor of PBPC harvest (NPV 60%, PPV 43.1%).

CONCLUSION

XN‐HPC compares favorably with CD34 analysis and may be a surrogate for CD34 analysis to predict optimal timing of PBPC collections.
The heritability of blood donation: a population‐based nationwide twin study
Authors: Pedersen Ole Birger , Axel Skytthe , Rostgaard Klaus , Erikstrup Christian , Edgren Gustaf , Nielsen Kaspar René , Ullum Henrik , Kyvik Kirsten Ohm , Hjalgrim Henrik
Published: March 2015

BACKGROUND

Voluntary blood donation is believed to be mostly motivated by altruism. Because studies have suggested that altruistic personality is determined by both genetic and environmental factors, we speculated that willingness to donate blood could also be governed by constitutional factors. This hypothesis was tested in a study among Danish twins.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

The nationwide Danish Twin Register, which is virtually complete for all twins born since 1968, was linked with Danish portion of the Scandinavian Donation and Transfusion (SCANDAT) Database, which includes information on all active Danish blood donors from 2002 to 2012, to establish blood donor status for Danish twins, who at age 17 years became eligible for donation in 2002 or later. Casewise concordance in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins were presented and heritability was estimated in Mx by variance component analysis in a liability threshold model.

RESULTS

A total of 274 MZ and 484 same‐sex DZ twins age 17 to 27 years were identified as donors in SCANDAT. There was no difference between MZ and DZ twins with regard to age at first donation or number of donations. Casewise concordance rates were 0.61 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56‐0.67) and 0.41 (95% CI, 0.36‐0.47) in MZ and DZ twin pairs, respectively. Heritability analysis using the ACE model found that additive genetic and shared environmental effects accounted for 0.53 (95% CI, 0.33‐0.73) and 0.28 (95% CI, 0.10‐0.45) of the variance in the motivation to donate blood, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Becoming a volunteer blood donor is determined by both genetic and environmental factors shared within families.
Nonpharmacological Therapy for the Management of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease: Linking Evidence to Practice
Authors: Staedtler Amber V. , Nunez Diane
Published: March 2015

Background

Behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of dementia affect up to 90% of all patients at some point during their dementing illness. Today, many of these symptoms are treated with pharmacological therapy alone, incongruent with clinical recommendations. Barriers to the use of nonpharmacological interventions with dementia include a lack of education among caregivers on available options, shortage of time for implementation, lack of education on effects of nonpharmacological therapy, poor staff to resident ratios, and unmodifiable physical environments.

Aims

The purpose of this paper is to explore current literature regarding the implementation of nonpharmacological therapy as an adjunct treatment to manage agitation in dementia, to identify practice discrepancies seen commonly among formal and informal caregivers, and to make recommendations for implementing evidence into practice.

Methods

A systematic review of the literature published between 2009 and 2014 was conducted. Four databases were searched including CINAHL, Pubmed, the Cochrane Library, and PsycInfo.

Findings

The most prevalent and substantial conclusion among the 10 studies evaluated is that nonpharmacological therapy is safe and effective. Although not every study was able to show statistically significant outcomes when compared to controls, all studies demonstrated a positive trend toward decreasing agitation without any adverse side effects.

Linking Evidence to Action

A multicomponent caregiver education program focused on evidence‐based nonpharmacological strategies for addressing agitation in persons with Alzheimer's disease has the potential to decrease agitation, improve patient outcomes, and increase caregiver satisfaction.
The regulation of neuronal mitochondrial metabolism by calcium
Authors: Llorente‐Folch I. , Rueda C. B. , Pardo B. , Szabadkai G. , Duchen M. R. , Satrustegui J.
Published: March 2015

Calcium signalling is fundamental to the function of the nervous system, in association with changes in ionic gradients across the membrane. Although restoring ionic gradients is energetically costly, a rise in intracellular Ca2+ acts through multiple pathways to increase ATP synthesis, matching energy supply to demand. Increasing cytosolic Ca2+ stimulates metabolite transfer across the inner mitochondrial membrane through activation of Ca2+‐regulated mitochondrial carriers, whereas an increase in matrix Ca2+ stimulates the citric acid cycle and ATP synthase. The aspartate–glutamate exchanger Aralar/AGC1 (Slc25a12), a component of the malate–aspartate shuttle (MAS), is stimulated by modest increases in cytosolic Ca2+ and upregulates respiration in cortical neurons by enhancing pyruvate supply into mitochondria. Failure to increase respiration in response to small (carbachol) and moderate (K+‐depolarization) workloads and blunted stimulation of respiration in response to high workloads (veratridine) in Aralar/AGC1 knockout neurons reflect impaired MAS activity and limited mitochondrial pyruvate supply. In response to large workloads (veratridine), acute stimulation of respiration occurs in the absence of MAS through Ca2+ influx through the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) and a rise in matrix [Ca2+]. Although the physiological importance of the MCU complex in work‐induced stimulation of respiration of CNS neurons is not yet clarified, abnormal mitochondrial Ca2+ signalling causes pathology. Indeed, loss of function mutations in MICU1, a regulator of MCU complex, are associated with neuromuscular disease. In patient‐derived MICU1 deficient fibroblasts, resting matrix Ca2+ is increased and mitochondria fragmented. Thus, the fine tuning of Ca2+ signals plays a key role in shaping mitochondrial bioenergetics.
Control of ion energy and angular distributions in dual-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas through power ratios and phase: Consequences on etch profiles
Authors: Zhang Yiting , Kushner Mark J. , Sriraman Saravanapriyan , Marakhtanov Alexei , Holland John , Paterson Alex
Published: March 2015

Anisotropic etching, enabled by energetic ion bombardment, is one of the primary roles of plasma–assisted materials processing for microelectronics fabrication. One challenge in plasma etching is being able to control the ion energy-angular distributions (IEADs) from the presheath to the surface of the wafer which is necessary for maintaining the critical dimension of features. Dual frequency capacitive coupled plasmas (DF-CCPs) potentially provide flexible control of IEADs, providing high selectivity while etching different materials and improved uniformity across the wafer. In this paper, the authors present a computational investigation of customizing and controlling IEADs in a DF-CCP resembling those industrially employed with both biases applied to the substrate holding the wafer. The authors found that the ratio of the low-frequency to high-frequency power can be used to control the plasma density, provide extra control for the angular width and energy of the IEADs, and to optimize etch profiles. If the phases between the low frequency and its higher harmonics are changed, the sheath dynamics are modulated, which in turn produces modulation in the ion energy distribution. With these trends, continuously varying the phases between the dual-frequencies can smooth the high frequency modulation in the time averaged IEADs. For validation, results from the simulation are compared with Langmuir probe measurements of ion saturation current densities in a DF-CCP.
Model-based auralizations of violin sound trends accompanying plate-bridge tuning or holding
Authors: Bissinger George , Mores Robert
Published: March 2015

To expose systematic trends in violin sound accompanying “tuning” only the plates or only the bridge, the first structural acoustics-based model auralizations of violin sound were created by passing a bowed-string driving force measured at the bridge of a solid body violin through the dynamic filter (DF) model radiativity profile “filter” RDF(f) (frequency-dependent pressure per unit driving force, free-free suspension, anechoic chamber). DF model auralizations for the more realistic case of a violin held/played in a reverberant auditorium reveal that holding the violin greatly diminishes its low frequency response, an effect only weakly compensated for by auditorium reverberation.
Site-specific methylation of Notch1 controls the amplitude and duration of the Notch1 response
Authors: Hein Kerstin , Mittler Gerhard , Cizelsky Wiebke , Kühl Michael , Ferrante Francesca , Liefke Robert , Berger Ina M. , Just Steffen , Sträng J. Eric , Kestler Hans A. , Oswald Franz , Borggrefe Tilman
Published: March 2015

Methylation of the active Notch cleavage product promotes its degradation to produce short periods of Notch signaling necessary for proper development.
Bound by a lncRNA
Authors: Gough Nancy R.
Published: March 2015

The interaction of a lncRNA with the complex of NF-κB and its inhibitor IκB prevents phosphorylation-mediated release and activation of NF-κB.
CARB-17 Family of β-Lactamases Mediates Intrinsic Resistance to Penicillins in Vibrio parahaemolyticus
Authors: Chiou Jiachi , Li Ruichao , Chen Sheng
Published: March 2015

Vibrio parahaemolyticus
is commonly resistant to ampicillin, yet the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are not clear. In this study, a novel class A carbenicillin-hydrolyzing β-lactamase (CARB) family of β-lactamases,
bla
CARB-17
, was identified and found to be responsible for the intrinsic penicillin resistance in
V. parahaemolyticus
. Importantly,
bla
CARB-17
-like genes were present in all 293
V. parahaemolyticus
genome sequences available in GenBank and detectable in all 91
V. parahaemolyticus
food isolates, further confirming the intrinsic nature of this gene.
ClpP-Independent Function of ClpX Interferes with Telithromycin Resistance Conferred by Msr(A) in Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Vimberg Vladimir , Lenart Jakub , Janata Jiri , Balikova Novotna Gabriela
Published: March 2015

The ABCF family protein Msr(A) confers high resistance to macrolides but only low resistance to ketolides in staphylococci. Mutations in conserved functional regions of ClpX as well as deletion of
clpX
significantly increased Msr(A)-mediated resistance to the ketolide antibiotic telithromycin. ClpX is the chaperone component of the ClpXP two-component proteolytic system. Nevertheless, no changes in resistance were observed in a
clpP
knockout strain expressing
msr
(A), demonstrating that ClpX affects Msr(A) independently of ClpP.
Arbekacin Activity against Contemporary Clinical Bacteria Isolated from Patients Hospitalized with Pneumonia
Authors: Sader Helio S. , Rhomberg Paul R. , Farrell David J. , Jones Ronald N.
Published: March 2015

Arbekacin is a broad-spectrum aminoglycoside licensed for systemic use in Japan and under clinical development as an inhalation solution in the United States. We evaluated the occurrence of organisms isolated from pneumonias in U.S. hospitalized patients (PHP), including ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), and the
in vitro
activity of arbekacin. Organism frequency was evaluated from a collection of 2,203 bacterial isolates (339 from VAP) consecutively collected from 25 medical centers in 2012 through the SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program. Arbekacin activity was tested against 904 isolates from PHP collected in 2012 from 62 U.S. medical centers and 303 multidrug-resistant (MDR) organisms collected worldwide in 2009 and 2010 from various infection types. Susceptibility to arbekacin and comparator agents was evaluated by the reference broth microdilution method. The four most common organisms from PHP were
Staphylococcus aureus
,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
,
Klebsiella
spp., and
Enterobacter
spp. The highest arbekacin MIC among
S. aureus
isolates from PHP (43% methicillin-resistant
S. aureus
[MRSA]) was 4 μg/ml. Among
P. aeruginosa
isolates from PHP, only one had an arbekacin MIC of >16 μg/ml (MIC
50
and MIC
90
, 1 and 4 μg/ml), and susceptibility rates for gentamicin, tobramycin, and amikacin were 88.0, 90.0, and 98.0%, respectively. Arbekacin (MIC
50
, 2 μg/ml) and tobramycin (MIC
50
, 4 μg/ml) were the most potent aminoglycosides tested against
Acinetobacter baumannii
. Against
Enterobacteriaceae
from PHP, arbekacin and gentamicin (MIC
50
and MIC
90
, 0.25 to 1 and 1 to 8 μg/ml for both compounds) were generally more potent than tobramycin (MIC
50
and MIC
90
, 0.25 to 2 and 1 to 32 μg/ml) and amikacin (MIC
50
and MIC
90
, 1 to 2 and 2 to 32 μg/ml). Arbekacin also demonstrated potent
in vitro
activity against a worldwide collection of well-characterized MDR Gram-negative and MRSA strains.
In Vivo
Antimalarial Activity and Mechanisms of Action of 4-Nerolidylcatechol Derivatives
Authors: Rocha e Silva Luiz Francisco , Nogueira Karla Lagos , Pinto Ana Cristina da Silva , Katzin Alejandro Miguel , Sussmann Rodrigo A. C. , Muniz Magno Perêa , Neto Valter Ferreira de Andrade , Chaves Francisco Célio Maia , Coutinho Julia Penna , Lima Emerson Silva , Krettli Antoniana Ursine , Tadei Wanderli Pedro , Pohlit Adrian Martin
Published: March 2015

4-Nerolidylcatechol (
1
) is an abundant antiplasmodial metabolite that is isolated from
Piper peltatum
roots.
O
-Acylation or
O
-alkylation of compound
1
provides derivatives exhibiting improved stability and significant
in vitro
antiplasmodial activity. The aim of this work was to study the
in vitro
inhibition of hemozoin formation, inhibition of isoprenoid biosynthesis in
Plasmodium falciparum
cultures, and
in vivo
antimalarial activity of several 4-nerolidylcatechol derivatives. 1,2-
O
,
O
-Diacetyl-4-nerolidylcatechol (
2
) inhibited
in vitro
hemozoin formation by up to 50%. In metabolic labeling studies using [1-(
n
)-
3
H]geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate, diester
2
significantly inhibited the biosynthesis of isoprenoid metabolites ubiquinone
8
, menaquinone
4
, and dolichol
12
in cultures of
P. falciparum
3D7. Similarly, 2-
O
-benzyl-4-nerolidylcatechol (
3
) significantly inhibited the biosynthesis of dolichol
12
.
P. falciparum
in vitro
protein synthesis was not affected by compounds
2
or
3
. At oral doses of 50 mg per kg of body weight per day, compound
2
suppressed
Plasmodium berghei
NK65 in infected BALB/c mice by 44%. This
in vivo
result for derivative
2
represents marked improvement over that obtained previously for natural product
1
. Compound
2
was not detected in mouse blood 1 h after oral ingestion or in mixtures with mouse blood/blood plasma
in vitro
. However, it was detected after
in vitro
contact with human blood or blood plasma. Derivatives of 4-nerolidylcatechol exhibit parasite-specific modes of action, such as inhibition of isoprenoid biosynthesis and inhibition of hemozoin formation, and they therefore merit further investigation for their antimalarial potential.
Rapid Induction of High-Level Carbapenem Resistance in Heteroresistant KPC-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae
Authors: Adams-Sapper Sheila , Nolen Shantell , Donzelli Grace Fox , Lal Mallika , Chen Kunihiko , Justo da Silva Livia Helena , Moreira Beatriz M. , Riley Lee W.
Published: March 2015

Enterobacteriaceae
strains producing the
Klebsiella pneumoniae
carbapenemase (KPC) have disseminated worldwide, causing an urgent threat to public health. KPC-producing strains often exhibit low-level carbapenem resistance, which may be missed by automated clinical detection systems. In this study, eight
Klebsiella pneumoniae
strains with heterogeneous resistance to imipenem were used to elucidate the factors leading from imipenem susceptibility to high-level resistance as defined by clinical laboratory testing standards. Time-kill analysis with an inoculum as low as 3 × 10
6
CFU/ml and concentrations of imipenem 8- and 16-fold higher than the MIC resulted in the initial killing of 99.9% of the population. However, full recovery of the population occurred by 20 h of incubation in the same drug concentrations. Population profiles showed that recovery was mediated by a heteroresistant subpopulation at a frequency of 2 × 10
−7
to 3 × 10
−6
. Samples selected 2 h after exposure to imipenem were as susceptible as the unexposed parental strain and produced the major outer membrane porin OmpK36. However, between 4 to 8 h after exposure, OmpK36 became absent, and the imipenem MIC increased at least 32-fold. Individual colonies isolated from cultures after 20 h of exposure revealed both susceptible and resistant subpopulations. Once induced, however, the high-level imipenem resistance was maintained, and OmpK36 remained unexpressed even without continued carbapenem exposure. This study demonstrates the essential coordination between
bla
KPC
and
ompK36
expression mediating high-level imipenem resistance from a population of bacteria that initially exhibits a carbapenem-susceptibility phenotype.
Inducible Expression of a Resistance-Nodulation-Division-Type Efflux Pump in Staphylococcus aureus Provides Resistance to Linoleic and Arachidonic Acids
Authors: Alnaseri Heba , Arsic Benjamin , Schneider James E. T. , Kaiser Julienne C. , Scinocca Zachariah C. , Heinrichs David E. , McGavin Martin J.
Published: March 2015

Although
Staphylococcus aureus
is exposed to antimicrobial fatty acids on the skin, in nasal secretions, and in abscesses, a specific mechanism of inducible resistance to this important facet of innate immunity has not been identified. Here, we have sequenced the genome of
S. aureus
USA300 variants selected for their ability to grow at an elevated concentration of linoleic acid. The fatty acid-resistant clone FAR7 had a single nucleotide polymorphism resulting in an H
121
Y substitution in an uncharacterized transcriptional regulator belonging to the AcrR family, which was divergently transcribed from a gene encoding a member of the resistance-nodulation-division superfamily of multidrug efflux pumps. We named these genes
farR
and
farE
, for
r
egulator and
e
ffector of
f
atty
a
cid
r
esistance, respectively. Several lines of evidence indicated that FarE promotes efflux of antimicrobial fatty acids and is regulated by FarR. First, expression of
farE
was strongly induced by arachidonic and linoleic acids in an
farR
-dependent manner. Second, an H
121
Y substitution in FarR resulted in increased expression of
farE
and was alone sufficient to promote increased resistance of
S. aureus
to linoleic acid. Third, inactivation of
farE
resulted in a significant reduction in the inducible resistance of
S. aureus
to the bactericidal activity of 100 μM linoleic acid, increased accumulation of [
14
C]linoleic acid by growing cells, and severely impaired growth in the presence of nonbactericidal concentrations of linoleic acid. Cumulatively, these findings represent the first description of a specific mechanism of inducible resistance to antimicrobial fatty acids in a Gram-positive pathogen.

IMPORTANCE
Staphylococcus aureus
colonizes approximately 25% of humans and is a leading cause of human infectious morbidity and mortality. To persist on human hosts,
S. aureus
must have intrinsic defense mechanisms to cope with antimicrobial fatty acids, which comprise an important component of human innate defense mechanisms. We have identified a novel pair of genes,
farR
and
farE
, that constitute a dedicated regulator and effector of
S. aureus
resistance to linoleic and arachidonic acids, which are major fatty acids in human membrane phospholipid. Expression of
farE
, which encodes an efflux pump, is induced in an
farR
-dependent mechanism, in response to these antimicrobial fatty acids that would be encountered in a tissue abscess.
Trends in mortality following mechanical thrombectomy for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke in the USA
Authors: Villwock Mark R , Padalino David J , Deshaies Eric M
Published: March 2015

Background and purpose

Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke has been growing in popularity while the therapeutic benefit of MT has been increasingly debated. Our objective was to examine national trends in mortality following MT.

Methods

We analyzed the National Inpatient Sample (2012) and the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2008–2011) for patients with a primary diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke that received MT. Temporal trends in mortality were examined using Spearman's rank correlation. To account for confounding factors, mortality was further analyzed in binary logistic regression.

Results

Hospitals performing MT comprised 8% of all hospitals treating ischemic stroke. The percentage of stroke cases treated with MT increased from 0.6% of cases in 2008 to 1.1% in 2012, totaling 16 307 MT cases in a 5 year period. Inhospital mortality decreased over the study period from 25.4% in 2008 to 16.1% in 2012 (r=−0.081, p<0.001). This finding was supported by regression analysis as each incremental year reduced the odds of mortality by 20% (OR=0.832, p<0.001). Administration of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator was associated with a decrease in the odds of mortality (OR=0.805, p<0.001).

Conclusions

Utilization of MT represents a small percentage of stroke cases, although the trend is increasing. Mortality following MT has been showing a steady decline over the past 5 years. This may be a result of a learning curve, improved patient selection, and/or device improvements. Randomized trials remain essential to evaluate the potential benefit of endovascular devices and identify the most appropriate patients.
Influence of ageing and essential amino acids on quantitative patterns of troponin T alternative splicing in human skeletal muscle
Authors: Coble Joel , Schilder Rudolf J. , Berg Arthur , Drummond Micah J. , Rasmussen Blake B. , Kimball Scot R.
Published: March 2015

Ageing is associated with a loss of skeletal muscle performance, a condition referred to as sarcopenia. In part, the age-related reduction in performance is due to a selective loss of muscle fiber mass, but mass-independent effects have also been demonstrated. An important mass-independent determinant of muscle performance is the pattern of expression of isoforms of proteins that participate in muscle contraction (e.g., the troponins). In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that ageing impairs alternative splicing of the pre-mRNA encoding fast skeletal muscle troponin T (TNNT3) in human vastus lateralis muscle. Furthermore, we hypothesized that resistance exercise alone or in combination with consumption of essential amino acids would attenuate age-associated effects on TNNT3 alternative splicing. Our results indicate that ageing negatively affects the pattern of TNNT3 alternative splicing in a manner that correlates quantitatively with age-associated reductions in muscle performance. Interestingly, whereas vastus lateralis TNNT3 alternative splicing was unaffected by a bout of resistance exercise 24 h prior to muscle biopsy, ingestion of a mixture of essential amino acids after resistance exercise resulted in a significant shift in the pattern of TNNT3 splice form expression in both age groups to one predicted to promote greater muscle performance. We conclude that essential amino acid supplementation after resistance exercise may provide a means to reduce impairments in skeletal muscle quality during ageing in humans.
Reply to the comment by Malfait on “Spectroscopic studies of oxygen speciation in potassium silicate glasses and melts”
Authors: Nesbitt H.W. , Bancroft G.M. , Thibault Y. , Sawyer R. , Secco R.A.
Published: March 2015

Malfait challenges our XPS results by arguing that the XPS spectroscopic technique cannot be used to determine small amounts of O2– in potassium silicate glasses. Instead, he claims that there is no free oxide (O2–) in potassium silicate glasses based primarily on his 29Si MAS NMR spectroscopic results. In this rebuttal, we demonstrate that O1s XPS and well-resolved 2D 29Si MAF NMR spectral results of potassium disilicate (K2Si2O5) glass are consistent with each other and that both techniques indicate the presence of a few mol% of O2– in the glass. Neither of these techniques, however, supports the interpretation of the 29Si MAS NMR results presented in the comments of Malfait. The major difficulty relates to the low resolution of the 29Si MAS NMR spectra, which does not reveal the Q4 signal beneath a strong Q3 peak in these spectra. The proof is provided by the 2D 29Si MAF NMR spectrum of potassium disilicate glass in which both Q3 and Q4 peaks are revealed; the 2D 29Si MAF NMR results for potassium disilicate glass are far more informative than 29Si MAS NMR spectra. It demonstrates that the potassium disilicate glass (K2Si2O5) contains greater Q4 intensity, is more polymerized than previously considered, and that O2– is present at ∼2 (±1) mol% in the potassic glass. This O2– value confirms our O1s XPS results. Specific points raised by Malfait are rebutted in Appendix A .
Genetic resistance to western gall rust in jack pine and its relationship with tree height growth
Authors: Weng Y.H. , Lu P. , Meng Q.F. , Krasowski M.
Published: March 2015

Developing resistance to western gall rust (WGR) is important for maintaining healthy and productive jack pine plantations. In this study, we estimated genetic parameters of resistance to WGR and its relationship with tree height growth, based on data collected from three second-generation full-sib progeny testing series of jack pine planted in New Brunswick, Canada. Results indicated that (i) resistance to WGR in jack pine was controlled by both additive and dominance gene effects, with the latter playing a greater role; (ii) narrow-sense heritability estimates for resistance to WGR were low (mean = 0.05; series range = 0.00∼0.09), and broad-sense heritability estimates were moderate on an individual-tree basis (mean = 0.53) and considerably higher on the full-sib family mean basis (mean = 0.87); (iii) additive genetic correlation between tree height growth and WGR incidence was low (≤0.06) in two series and only slightly higher and favorable (–0.19) in one series, suggesting that selection on growth traits would not negatively affect WGR resistance; and (iv) mid-parental additive genetic and dominance effects on WGR were empirically correlated (>0.65), indicating that incorporating breeding for WGR resistance into current jack pine tree improvement programs with a seed orchard approach could partly capture the benefit from dominance effects. Although genetic gains in WGR resistance could be realized through various breeding and deployment schemes, it appeared that rapid improvement could be achieved through backward selection on full-sib family means.
Functional microbial diversity dynamics in common effluent treatment plants of South Gujarat and hydrocarbon degradation
Authors: Zaveri Purvi , Munshi Nasreen , Vaidya Alok , Jha Sanjay , Kumar G. Naresh
Published: March 2015

Common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) of South Gujarat region, India, process wastewater generated by more than 2500 industries because of the nonfeasibility of processing at the individual industrial unit. This study assessed functional microbial diversity in wastewater samples of CETPs over a geological belt using Ecoplate®, isolation of the most abundant bacteria, and screening for hydrocarbon degradation. The high evenness (EPielou) values (0.9) in almost all samples indicated a highly even community structure. Principal component analysis of carbon source utilization showed a cluster of all inlet samples except E1 and another cluster of all outlet samples; aeration tank community samples were dispersed. In spite of the high richness found in microbial communities, 60 morphologically similar organisms were observed and isolated; 46 out of them were subjected to amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis with MboI, HaeIII, and TaqI enzyme, followed by UPGMA clustering. In screening the most abundant bacteria from each cluster, one of the cultures showed a high potential for hydrocarbon degradation and was identified as Pseudomonas citronellolis by 16S rDNA sequencing. Because of its highly adapted inherent nature, this bacterium may help augment the conventional procedure in wastewater treatment and efficiently decrease the organic load.
On negative mass in inflating universes
Authors: Belletête Jonathan , Mbarek Saoussen , Paranjape M.B.
Published: March 2015

We consider negative mass solutions in inflating universes. These universes correspond to asymptotically de Sitter space–times. We show that negative mass makes perfect physical sense and could be of relevance in the early universe.
Anti-Fibrotic Effects of Neferine on Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Hepatic Fibrosis in Mice
Authors: Chen Mo-Si , Zhang Jia-Hua , Wang Jia-Ling , Gao Lu , Chen Xiao-Xu , Xiao Jun-Hua
Published: March 2015

The effects of neferine, a bisbenzylisoquinline alkaloid extracted from the seed embryo of the Chinese traditional medicine Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn, on carbon tetrachloride ( CCl 4)-induced hepatic fibrosis in mice were evaluated. Adult male Kunming mice were administered with CCl 4 1 ml/kg via intraperitoneal injection twice a week for 8 weeks. At the beginning of the 9th week, mice were treated with normal saline, colchicine (0.1 mg/kg), and neferine (5, 10, 20 mg/kg) via intraperitoneal injection once a day for 2 weeks. The liver index and histological examination, plasma ALT/AST levels, hydroxyproline and TGF-β1 content of liver tissue were examined. In the model group, the liver index, the hydroxyproline content of liver tissue and plasma ALT/AST levels were increased, and a high expression of TGF-β1 was observed. The abnormal changes could be improved by neferine in a dose-dependent manner. Our data showed that neferine had an antifibrosis effect on CCl 4-induced hepatic fibrosis in mice, possibly partly due to the decreased expression of TGF-β1 in the liver.
Analysis of opinion spreading in signed social networks under the impact of structural balance
Authors: Li Pei , Zhang Yini , He Su , Wang Hui
Published: March 2015

Social networks have attracted remarkable attention and it is of great importance to understand the process of opinion spreading in popular social networks. However, most research on diffusion cannot be applied directly to investigate social networks, where relationships are heterogeneous and structural balance is a common phenomenon. In this paper, we propose models to characterize the process of opinion spreading in signed social networks under the impact of structural balance. We classify users into different types according to the numbers of their positive links, and define the term user influence to represent the average number of times that users are influenced, which is incurred by a user spreading an opinion. We then propose an approach to analyze the user influence theoretically and the analysis accuracy is verified by simulations. We observe that the user influence increases with user type and also increases with the fraction of negative links in the network if this fraction value exceeds some point. That's to say, negative relationships may enhance opinion spreading if we consider the impact of structural balance, which is an interesting result.
Equations of state for fluids based on hard sphere repulsion
Authors: Shan Minhui , Tian Jianxiang
Published: March 2015

As is well-known, the structures and thermodynamic properties of fluids are determined by the complex interactions, i.e., the repulsive one and the attractive one, among particles. The simplest equation-of-state (EOS) model maybe the one of hard sphere repulsion plus or multiplying some attraction. Followed by the rapid promotion of the accuracy of hard sphere EOS in the past dozens of years, one question rises as whether more accurate hard sphere repulsion derives better prediction of the structures and properties of fluids with a special attraction. In this work, we used two repulsions with clearly different accuracy and some attractions to construct series equations of state (EOSs) for real fluids, and then we discussed the saturated properties at liquid–gas equilibrium. We found that the answer to the question aforementioned is not definitely standing.
Recap of the 22nd Annual Conference on Pacific Basin Finance, Economics, Accounting and Management
Authors: Lee Cheng-Few , Hoshino Yasuo , Sam Mohd Fazli Mohd
Published: March 2015

This is the 22nd Annual Conference on Pacific Basin Finance, Economics, Accounting, and Management which was held in Aichi University, Nagoya, Japan on September 4 to September 5, 2014. The first conference was held at Rutgers University in 1993. Since then, the conference has been held in Hong Kong (1994, 1998), Taipei (1995, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2011), Bangkok (2000, 2004, 2009), Rutgers (1996, 2001, 2005, 2012), Singapore (1997, 2002), Vietnam (2007), Australia (2008, 2013) and China (2010). The program co-directors of the conference was Cheng-Few Lee, Rutgers University, USA, Yasuo Hoshino, Aichi University and the University of Tsukuba, Japan and Mohd Fazli Mohd Sam, Aichi University, Japan and University of Technical Malaysia, Melaka, Malaysia.
Application of an All-Speed Implicit Finite-Volume Algorithm to Rayleigh–Taylor Instability
Authors: Yilmaz Ilyas , Edis Firat Oguz , Saygin Hasan
Published: March 2015

We present a three-dimensional Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) study of Rayleigh–Taylor Instability (RTI) using an all-speed, fully implicit, nondissipative and discrete kinetic energy conserving algorithm. In order to perform this study, an in-house, fully parallel, finite-volume, DNS solver, iDNS, which solves the set of time-dependent, compressible Navier–Stokes equations with gravity was developed based on the present algorithm and the PETSc parallel library. It is shown that the algorithm is able to capture the correct physics of the baroclinic instability and turbulent mixing. Compressibility (i.e., high Mach number) has been found more effective on the development of the flow after the diffusive growth phase passed. An increase in bubble growth rate together with a decrease in turbulent mixing was also observed at Mach number 1.1.
Voronovskaya Type Asymptotic Expansions for Perturbed Neural Network Operators
Authors: Anastassiou George A.
Published: March 2015

Here are studied further perturbed normalized neural network operators of Cardaliaguet–Euvrard type. We derive univariate and multivariate Voronovskaya type asymptotic expansions for the error of approximation of these operators to the unit operator.
Percolation effects in dc degradation ofZnOvaristors
Authors: Tonkoshkur A. S. , Glot A. B. , Ivanchenko A. V.
Published: March 2015

For quantitative estimation of the degree of electrical disorder (electrical inhomogeneity) in ZnO varistor ceramics caused by a variation in the barrier height at different grain boundaries in a sample, the comparison of threshold electric fields (onsets of highly nonlinear current–voltage characteristics) in ceramics and single grain boundary (GB) is suggested and approved. At dc degradation similar behavior of the current–voltage characteristics of ZnO varistor ceramics and single GB is observed. The percolation model of Shklovskii–De Gennes is applicable for the description of a disorder in ZnO varistor ceramics. The degree of the disorder in ZnO varistor ceramics is not dependent on the duration of dc degradation at least at degradation time below 60 h. At voltages close to the onset of a highly nonlinear region of current–voltage characteristic the correlation radius of infinite cluster is ∼ 5 times greater than the average grain size.
Magnetic susceptibility and facies relationship in Bajocian–Bathonian carbonates from the Azé caves, southeastern Paris Basin, France
Authors: Dechamps S. , Da Silva A. C. , Boulvain F.
Published: March 2015

This study focuses on three Bajocian and Bathonian carbonate sections from the southeastern part of the Paris Basin (Mâconnais area, in the east of France). The main goals of the study are to propose a palaeoenvironmental model, to get insight into vertical and lateral facies evolution, to improve correlations and to better understand the origin of the magnetic susceptibility (MS) signal in these deposits. The sedimentological setting corresponds to a ramp, with two types of geometries: (1) a homoclinal carbonate ramp with oolitic shoals; and (2) a multiple-slopes carbonate ramp with reef complexes. The MS signal appears to be influenced by facies and ramp geometry. The evolution of MS seems to be mainly related to changes in carbonate productivity and water agitation: oolitic facies and reef complexes, with high carbonate production show the lowest signal, while storm deposits are characterized by higher values.
In addition, the MS signal from proximal tempestites have higher values than distal ones.
MS appears to be a useful complementary proxy for palaeoenvironmental interpretations, correlations and
sequential stratigraphy. The facies evolution, supported by MS curves, shows at least nine successive
depositional sequences, which were inserted into the regional sequential canvas.
The Fate of Repository Gases (FORGE) project
Authors: Shaw R. P.
Published: March 2015

Understanding the behaviour of gases in the context of radioactive waste disposal is a fundamental requirement and was the focus of the FORGE (
F
ate
O
f
R
epository
G
as
E
s) project. Of particular importance is the long-term performance of the bentonite buffers and the cement-based backfill materials that may be used to encapsulate and surround the waste in a repository for the geological disposal of radioactive waste and plastic clays, indurated mudrocks, and the crystalline formations that may be the host rocks of a repository. FORGE did not study salt host rocks or salt based backfill materials. FORGE has provided new insights into the processes and mechanisms governing gas generation and migration, with the aim of reducing uncertainty relating to the quantitative treatment of gas in performance assessment. This has been achieved by the acquisition of new experimental data coupled with modelling through a series of laboratory and field-scale experiments (performed at a number of underground research laboratories throughout Europe), and modelling. New methods were developed for upscaling from laboratory to field conditions, allowing the optimization of disposal concepts through detailed scenario analysis. Understanding a repository system to an adequate level of detail is required to demonstrate confidence in the assessment of site performance, recognizing that a robust treatment of uncertainty is desirable throughout this process.
Visualizing Block IO Workloads
Authors: Rodeh Ohad , Helman Haim , Chambliss David
Published: March 2015

Massive block IO systems are the workhorses powering many of today’s largest applications. Databases, health care systems, and virtual machine images are examples for block storage applications. The massive scale of these workloads, and the complexity of the underlying storage systems, makes it difficult to pinpoint problems when they occur. This work attempts to shed light on workload patterns through visualization, aiding our intuition.

We describe our experience in the last 3 years of analyzing and visualizing customer traces from XIV, an IBM enterprise block storage system. We also present results from applying the same visualization technology to Linux filesystems.

We show how visualization aids our understanding of workloads and how it assists in resolving customer performance problems.
How Amazon web services uses formal methods
Authors: Newcombe Chris , Rath Tim , Zhang Fan , Munteanu Bogdan , Brooker Marc , Deardeuff Michael
Published: March 2015

Engineers use TLA+ to prevent serious but subtle bugs from reaching production.
Rebuttal to “Beyond MTTDL: A Closed-Form RAID-6 Reliability Equation”
Authors: Iliadis Ilias , Venkatesan Vinodh
Published: March 2015

A recent article on the reliability of RAID-6 storage systems overlooks certain relevant prior work published in the past 20 years and concludes that the widely used mean time to data loss (MTTDL) metric does not provide accurate results. In this note, we refute this position by invoking uncited relevant prior work and demonstrating that the MTTDL remains a useful metric.