bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fastorum libri sex
Authors: Ovid
Published: June 2015

Sir James Frazer (1854–1941) is best remembered today for The Golden Bough, widely considered to be one of the most important early texts in the fields of psychology and anthropology. Originally a classical scholar, Frazer also published this five-volume edition of Ovid's Fasti in 1929. It contains the text and a parallel English translation, with commentary on the six books, indexes, illustrations, and plans. Frazer's interest in Ovid's unfinished final poem arose from his wide-ranging studies of ancient literature and the origins of myth. The work describes the origins of the Roman calendar with its sacred days, and ranges from the deeds of major gods and heroes to the strange rites involved in placating the goddess of mildew. Volume 5 contains indexes to the translation and commentary, 88 plates, and maps of Rome. Other works by Frazer are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.
Driven by Demand
Authors: Jia Jimmy Y. , Crabtree Jason
Published: June 2015

Energy plays a central role in shaping our society and infrastructure, making it increasingly important for today's leaders to understand the impact of energy decisions. Discussions about energy often neglect important historical lessons about previous energy transformations and provide inadequate consideration of context - Driven by Demand takes a fresh approach by exploring the emergence of energy systems, outcomes and priorities. It outlines select historical and current events, challenges, and developing energy trends using a range of case studies. Readers will gain foundational knowledge about energy flows and end-uses, helping them to become more conversant about energy outcomes and priorities. This accessible book paves the way for broader discussions about societal resilience, privacy, and security concerns associated with the move towards 'smart' infrastructure. This is a must-read for business executives, policymakers and students working in energy policy, energy management and sustainable business.
State Building in Latin America
Authors: Soifer Hillel David
Published: June 2015

State Building in Latin America diverges from existing scholarship in developing explanations both for why state-building efforts in the region emerged and for their success or failure. First, Latin American state leaders chose to attempt concerted state-building only where they saw it as the means to political order and economic development. Fragmented regionalism led to the adoption of more laissez-faire ideas and the rejection of state-building. With dominant urban centers, developmentalist ideas and state-building efforts took hold, but not all state-building projects succeeded. The second plank of the book's argument centers on strategies of bureaucratic appointment to explain this variation. Filling administrative ranks with local elites caused even concerted state-building efforts to flounder, while appointing outsiders to serve as administrators underpinned success. Relying on extensive archival evidence, the book traces how these factors shaped the differential development of education, taxation, and conscription in Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru.
An International Initiative for Science in the Critical Zone
Authors: Brantley Susan , Dietrich William , Banwart Steve
Published: June 2015

December CZ Science International Workshop; San Francisco, California, 13–14 December 2014
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Two Syntactic Treatment Procedures With Cantonese-Speaking, School-Age Children With Language Disorders
Authors: To Carol K. S. , Lui Hoi Ming , Li Xin Xin , Lam Gary Y. H.
Published: June 2015

Purpose

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of sentence-combining (SC) and narrative-based (NAR) intervention approaches to syntax intervention using a randomized-controlled-trial design.

Method

Fifty-two Cantonese-speaking, school-age children with language impairment were assigned randomly to either the SC or the NAR treatment arm. Seven children did not receive treatment as assigned. Intervention in both arms targeted the same complex syntactical structures. The SC group focused on sentence combination training, whereas the NAR group made use of narratives in which the target structures were embedded. Pretest and posttest performances measured using a standardized language assessment were subjected to analyses of covariance mixed-effect-model analyses of variance.

Results

Children in both treatment arms demonstrated significant growth after 4 months of intervention. The main effect between treatment arms and time was not significant after controlling the pretest performance, suggesting that both treatment approaches showed similar effects. The main effect of time was significant.

Conclusions

This study provided evidence to support language intervention in the school years in Cantonese-speaking children. However, neither approach was shown to be more efficacious than the other. Future researchers could examine the effects of a longer treatment period and include functional outcome measures.
Transgenic songbirds with suppressed or enhanced activity of CREB transcription factor
Authors: Abe Kentaro , Matsui Sumiko , Watanabe Dai
Published: June 2015

Significance

In highly socialized animals such as humans or songbirds, individuals postnatally develop their skills to communicate with conspecifics under the social influence. Both genetic and environmental influences play a crucial role in the development of such abilities, but dissection of the influences has been difficult, because genetic manipulation of avian species is still a challenging issue. In this study, we applied transgenic technology to songbirds along with an experimental song-training paradigm to separately manipulate both genes and social environment, and found that appropriate activity of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) is necessary for the postnatal song learning in songbirds.
Reevaluating carbon fluxes in subduction zones, what goes down, mostly comes up
Authors: Kelemen Peter B. , Manning Craig E.
Published: June 2015

Significance

This paper reviews carbon fluxes into and out of subduction zones, using compiled data, calculations of carbon solubility in aqueous fluids, and estimates of carbon flux in metasedimentary diapirs. Upper-bound estimates suggest that most subducting carbon is transported into the mantle lithosphere and crust, whereas previous reviews suggested that about half is recycled into the convecting mantle. If upper-bound estimates are correct, and observed output from volcanoes and diffuse outgassing is smaller, then the mantle lithosphere is an important reservoir for carbon. If the subduction carbon cycle remains in balance, then outgassing from ridges and ocean islands is not balanced, so that the carbon content of the lithosphere + ocean + atmosphere has increased over Earth history.
Using Model-Based Inference to Select a Predictive Growth Curve for Farmed Tilapia
Authors: Ansah Yaw B , Frimpong Emmanuel A
Published: June 2015

Aquaculture presents a unique challenge to the modeling of fish growth, because the main objective is to accelerate growth for profit. Growth patterns of captive fish in well-fed conditions will diverge from that found in wild fish. For a fish-farming enterprise, overestimating growth will lead to expectations for revenue and profit that will not be realized. Underestimating growth will lead to planning for later harvest than is optimal and the unnecessary additional cost of feeding. We evaluated the performance of four candidate models—Gompertz, logistic, quadratic, and von Bertalanffy—in predicting the growth of Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. Each model was fitted to 20 weight-at-age data sets collected from five demonstration farms in Ghana over a 5-month period. We used the Akaike information criterion adjusted for small sample size and model weights to assess model fit. We also assessed predictive performance by comparing predicted to actual growth observed over the last month of the experiment. The logistic growth model performed best for both model fitting and prediction. For a 1-month period approximately between day 121 and day 152 all but the logistic model overpredicted growth with corresponding SEs as follows: Gompertz (14.9 ± 3.8 g, mean ± SE), von Bertalanffy (21.0 ± 3.9 g), and quadratic (34.0 ± 3.6 g). The logistic model (–0.5±3.8) did not significantly over- or underpredict growth, and is recommended for predicting future growth of Nile Tilapia under pond culture conditions in applications such as the construction of enterprise budgets to assess profitability of tilapia farms. The default fitting of the von Bertalanffy growth model to farmed tilapia data is not supported by this study.
CCLasso: correlation inference for compositional data through Lasso
Authors: Fang Huaying , Huang Chengcheng , Zhao Hongyu , Deng Minghua
Published: June 2015

Motivation: Direct analysis of microbial communities in the environment and human body has become more convenient and reliable owing to the advancements of high-throughput sequencing techniques for 16S rRNA gene profiling. Inferring the correlation relationship among members of microbial communities is of fundamental importance for genomic survey study. Traditional Pearson correlation analysis treating the observed data as absolute abundances of the microbes may lead to spurious results because the data only represent relative abundances. Special care and appropriate methods are required prior to correlation analysis for these compositional data.

Results: In this article, we first discuss the correlation definition of latent variables for compositional data. We then propose a novel method called CCLasso based on least squares with ℓ1 penalty to infer the correlation network for latent variables of compositional data from metagenomic data. An effective alternating direction algorithm from augmented Lagrangian method is used to solve the optimization problem. The simulation results show that CCLasso outperforms existing methods, e.g. SparCC, in edge recovery for compositional data. It also compares well with SparCC in estimating correlation network of microbe species from the Human Microbiome Project.

Availability and implementation: CCLasso is open source and freely available from https://github.com/huayingfang/CCLasso under GNU LGPL v3.

Contact:  dengmh@pku.edu.cn

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Kocuria dechangensis sp. nov., an actinobacterium isolated from saline and alkaline soils
Authors: Wang Kaibiao , Zhang Lei , Liu Yanshuang , Pan Yuanyuan , Meng Lin , Xu Tong , Zhang Cheng , Liu Henan , Hong Shan , Huang Haipeng , Jiang Juquan
Published: June 2015

A Gram-stain positive, strictly aerobic, non-motile and coccus-shaped actinobacterium, designated strain NEAU-ST5-33T, was isolated from saline and alkaline soils in Dechang Township, Zhaodong City, PR China. It formed beige-yellow colonies and grew at NaCl concentrations of 0–5 % (w/v) (optimum 0 %), at pH 6.0–9.0 (optimum pH 7.0) and over a temperature range of 4–50 °C (optimum 35 °C). Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain NEAU-ST5-33T was phylogenetically closely related to the type strains of species of the genus Kocuria, Kocuria polaris CMS 76orT, Kocuria rosea DSM 20447T, Kocuria turfanensis HO-9042T, Kocuria aegyptia YIM 70003T, Kocuria himachalensis K07-05T and Kocuria flava HO-9041T, with respective sequence similarities of 98.8 %, 98.8 %, 98.3 %, 98.1 %, 98.1 % and 97.9 %. DNA–DNA hybridization relatedness values of strain NEAU-ST5-33T with type strains of the closely related species ranged from 54 ± 1 % to 34 ± 1 %. The DNA G+C content was 61.2 mol%. The major fatty acids (>5 %) were C15 : 0 anteiso, C15 : 0 iso and C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c. The major menaquinone detected was MK-8 (H2), and the polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, one unknown aminolipid and one unknown lipid. On the basis of the genotypic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic data, we propose that strain NEAU-ST5-33T represents a novel species of the genus Kocuria, with the name Kocuria dechangensis sp. nov. The type strain is NEAU-ST5-33T ( = CGMCC 1.12187T = DSM 25872T).
The evolution, diversity and host associations of rhabdoviruses
Authors: Longdon Ben , Murray Gemma GR , Palmer William J , Day Jonathan P , Parker Darren J , Welch John J , Obbard Darren J , Jiggins Francis M
Published: June 2015

Metagenomic studies are leading to the discovery of a hidden diversity of RNA viruses. These new viruses are poorly characterised and new approaches are needed predict the host species these viruses pose a risk to. The rhabdoviruses are a diverse family of RNA viruses that includes important pathogens of humans, animals and plants. We have discovered 32 new rhabdoviruses through a combination of our own RNA sequencing of insects and searching public sequence databases. Combining these with previously known sequences we reconstructed the phylogeny of 195 rhabdovirus sequences, and produced the most in depth analysis of the family to date. In most cases we know nothing about the biology of the viruses beyond the host they were identified from, but our dataset provides a powerful phylogenetic approach to predict which are vector-borne viruses and which are specific to vertebrates or arthropods. By reconstructing ancestral and present host states we found that switches between major groups of hosts have occurred rarely during rhabdovirus evolution. This allowed us to propose 76 new likely vector-borne vertebrate viruses among viruses identified from vertebrates or biting insects. Based on currently available data, our analysis suggests it is likely there was a single origin of the known plant viruses and arthropod-borne vertebrate viruses, while vertebrate-specific and arthropod-specific viruses arose at least twice. There are also few transitions between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Viruses also cluster together at a finer scale, with closely related viruses tending to be found in closely related hosts. Our data therefore suggest that throughout their evolution, rhabdoviruses have occasionally jumped between distantly related host species before spreading through related hosts in the same environment. This approach offers a way to predict the most probable biology and key traits of newly discovered viruses.
Response to Comment on “Two types of asynchronous activity in networks of excitatory and inhibitory spiking neurons”
Authors: Ostojic Srdjan
Published: June 2015

Networks of excitatory and inhibitory neurons form the basic computational units in the mammalian cortex. Within the dominant paradigm, neurons in such networks encode and process information by asynchronously emitting action potentials. In a recent publication, I argued that unstructured, sparsely connected networks of integrate-and-fire neurons display a transition between two qualitatively different types of asynchronous activity as the synaptic coupling is increased. A comment by Engelken et al (bioRxiv doi: 10.1101/017798) disputes this finding. Here I provide additional evidence for a transition between two qualitatively different types of asynchronous activity and address the criticism raised in the comment. The claims that the original paper is ”factually incorrect” and ”conceptually misleading” are unsubstantiated and inappropriate.
Limits of aerobic metabolism in cancer cells
Authors: Vazquez Alexei
Published: June 2015

Cancer cells exhibit high rates of aerobic glycolysis and glutaminolysis. Aerobic glycolysis can provide energy and glutaminolysis can provide carbon for anaplerosis and reductive carboxylation to citrate. However, all these metabolic requirements could be in principle satisfied from glucose. Energy can be generated from oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) of glucose, anaplerosis can be accomplished using pyruvate carboxylate and citrate can be derived from glucose. Here we investigate why cancer cells do not satisfy their metabolic demands using aerobic biosynthesis from glucose. Based on the typical composition of a mammalian cell we quantify the energy demand and the OxPhos burden of cell biosynthesis from glucose. Our calculation demonstrates that aerobic growth from glucose is feasible up to a minimum doubling time that is proportional to the OxPhos burden and inversely proportional to the mitochondria OxPhos capacity. To grow faster cancer cells must activate aerobic glycolysis for energy generation and uncouple NADH generation from biosynthesis. To uncouple biosynthesis from NADH generation cancer cells can synthesize lipids from carbon sources that do not produce NADH in their catabolism, including acetate and the amino acids glutamate, glutamine, phenylalanine and tyrosine. Finally, we show that cancer cell lines commonly used in cancer research have an OxPhos capacity that is insufficient to support aerobic biosynthesis from glucose. We conclude that selection for high rate of biosynthesis implies a selection for aerobic glycolysis and uncoupling biosynthesis from NADH generation. Any defect or perturbation reducing the OxPhos capacity will exacerbate this selection.
Are Genetic Interactions Influencing Gene Expression Evidence for Biological Epistasis or Statistical Artifacts?
Authors: Fish Alexandra E. , Capra John A. , Bush William S.
Published: June 2015

The importance of epistasis – or statistical interactions between genetic variants – to the development of complex disease in humans has long been controversial. Genome-wide association studies of statistical interactions influencing human traits have recently become computationally feasible and have identified many putative interactions. However, several factors that are difficult to address confound the statistical models used to detect interactions and make it unclear whether statistical interactions are evidence for true molecular epistasis. In this study, we investigate whether there is evidence for epistasis regulating gene expression after accounting for technical, statistical, and biological confounding factors that affect interaction studies. We identified 1,119 (FDR=5%) interactions withincis-regulatory regions that regulate gene expression in human lymphoblastoid cell lines, a tightly controlled, largely genetically determined phenotype. Approximately half of these interactions replicated in an independent dataset (363 of 803 tested). We then performed an exhaustive analysis of both known and novel confounders, including ceiling/floor effects, missing genotype combinations, haplotype effects, single variants tagged through linkage disequilibrium, and population stratification. Every replicated interaction could be explained by at least one of these confounders, and replication in independent datasets did not protect against this issue. Assuming the confounding factors provide a more parsimonious explanation for each interaction, we find it unlikely thatcis-regulatory interactions contribute strongly to human gene expression. As this calls into question the relevance of interactions for other human phenotypes, the analytic framework used here will be useful for protecting future studies of epistasis against confounding.
Single Cells ofPseudomonas aeruginosaExhibit Electrotaxis and Durotaxis Behaviours
Authors: Preiss Lee , Neethirajan Suresh
Published: June 2015

Pseudomonas aeruginosais frequently associated with nosocomial infections, including polymicrobial wound infections and the complex biofilm communities that reside within the cystic fibrosis lung.P. aeruginosautilizes flagellum-mediated motility to approach, attach to, and spread across a surface using a combination of swimming, swarming and twitching (type IV pili extension and retraction) motility. We report an innovative approach to study the motility of singleP. aeruginosacells in microfluidic channels possessing different structural geometry, all with the flexibility of being able to manipulate stiffness gradients and electric fields to investigate changes in motility in response to specific stimuli.P. aeruginosacells exhibit restricted motility in reduced microchannel spaces, with preferential migration toward a stiffer region in a rigidness gradient of substrate medium and preferential migration toward a positive electrode in presence of a pulsed or successive electric field. This single-cue environmental study using microfluidic technology lays the groundwork for multi-cue experimentation to more faithfully mimic conditionsin vivo, demonstrating just some of the advantages of this technique. This study is designed to examine the interplay between surface rigidity, mechanical, and electrical cues to pave the way for improvements in the design of anti-fouling surfaces for biomedical applications and to identify new ways to inhibit bacterial biofilm growth through motility restriction.
High-throughput gene targeting and phenotyping in zebrafish using CRISPR/Cas9
Authors: Varshney Gaurav K. , Pei Wuhong , LaFave Matthew C. , Idol Jennifer , Xu Lisha , Gallardo Viviana , Carrington Blake , Bishop Kevin , Jones MaryPat , Li Mingyu , Harper Ursula , Huang Sunny C. , Prakash Anupam , Chen Wenbiao , Sood Raman , Ledin Johan , Burgess Shawn M.
Published: June 2015

The use of CRISPR/Cas9 as a genome-editing tool in various model organisms has radically changed targeted mutagenesis. Here, we present a high-throughput targeted mutagenesis pipeline using CRISPR/Cas9 technology in zebrafish that will make possible both saturation mutagenesis of the genome and large-scale phenotyping efforts. We describe a cloning-free single-guide RNA (sgRNA) synthesis, coupled with streamlined mutant identification methods utilizing fluorescent PCR and multiplexed, high-throughput sequencing. We report germline transmission data from 162 loci targeting 83 genes in the zebrafish genome, in which we obtained a 99% success rate for generating mutations and an average germline transmission rate of 28%. We verified 678 unique alleles from 58 genes by high-throughput sequencing. We demonstrate that our method can be used for efficient multiplexed gene targeting. We also demonstrate that phenotyping can be done in the F1 generation by inbreeding two injected founder fish, significantly reducing animal husbandry and time. This study compares germline transmission data from CRISPR/Cas9 with those of TALENs and ZFNs and shows that efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 is sixfold more efficient than other techniques. We show that the majority of published “rules” for efficient sgRNA design do not effectively predict germline transmission rates in zebrafish, with the exception of a GG or GA dinucleotide genomic match at the 5′ end of the sgRNA. Finally, we show that predicted off-target mutagenesis is of low concern for in vivo genetic studies.
Regulation of the ESC transcriptome by nuclear long noncoding RNAs
Authors: Bergmann Jan H. , Li Jingjing , Eckersley-Maslin Mélanie A. , Rigo Frank , Freier Susan M. , Spector David L.
Published: June 2015

Long noncoding (lnc)RNAs have recently emerged as key regulators of gene expression. Here, we performed high-depth poly(A)+ RNA sequencing across multiple clonal populations of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and neural progenitor cells (NPCs) to comprehensively identify differentially regulated lncRNAs. We establish a biologically robust profile of lncRNA expression in these two cell types and further confirm that the majority of these lncRNAs are enriched in the nucleus. Applying weighted gene coexpression network analysis, we define a group of lncRNAs that are tightly associated with the pluripotent state of ESCs. Among these, we show that acute depletion of Platr14 using antisense oligonucleotides impacts the differentiation- and development-associated gene expression program of ESCs. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Firre, a lncRNA highly enriched in the nucleoplasm and previously reported to mediate chromosomal contacts in ESCs, controls a network of genes related to RNA processing. Together, we provide a comprehensive, up-to-date, and high resolution compilation of lncRNA expression in ESCs and NPCs and show that nuclear lncRNAs are tightly integrated into the regulation of ESC gene expression.
Incidence of and risk factors for difficult ventilation via a supraglottic airway device in a population of 14 480 patients from South‐East Asia
Authors: Saito T. , Liu W. , Chew S. T. H. , Ti L. K.
Published: June 2015

Difficult airway practice guidelines include the use of a supraglottic airway device as part of the armamentarium to provide and maintain ventilation and oxygenation. We retrospectively reviewed 14 480 patients aged ≥ 18 years who underwent general anaesthesia. We identified 74 (0.5%) patients whose lungs were identified as having been difficult to ventilate via a supraglottic airway device, and 29 (0.2%) patients in whom device placement failed. Multivariate analysis identified four risk factors for difficult ventilation via a supraglottic airway device: male sex (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.07–2.86, p = 0.02); age > 45 years (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.01–2.86, p = 0.04); short thyromental distance (OR 4.35, 95% CI 2.31–8.17, p < 0.001); and limited neck movement (OR 2.75, 95% CI 1.02–7.44, p = 0.04). Adverse respiratory events including oxygen desaturation, hypercapnoea, laryngospasm, and bronchospasm occurred in 17 patients (22%). The incidence of difficult ventilation via a supraglottic airway device was 0.5% in a large cohort of South‐East Asian patients.
Diet‐induced obesity alters anabolic signalling in mice at the onset of skeletal muscle regeneration
Authors: Brown L. A. , Lee D. E. , Patton J. F. , Perry R. A. , Brown J. L. , Baum J. I. , Smith‐Blair N. , Greene N. P. , Washington T. A.
Published: June 2015

Aim

Obesity is classified as a metabolic disorder that is associated with delayed muscle regeneration following damage. For optimal skeletal muscle regeneration, inflammation along with extracellular matrix remodelling and muscle growth must be tightly regulated. Moreover, the regenerative process is dependent on the activation of myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) for myoblast proliferation and differentiation. The purpose of this study was to determine how obesity alters inflammatory and protein synthetic signalling and MRF expression at the onset of muscle regeneration in mice.

Methods

Forty‐eight male C57BL/6J mice (3 weeks old) were randomly assigned to either a high‐fat diet (HFD, 60% fat) or a lean diet (10% fat) for 12 weeks. At 15 weeks, bupivacaine was injected into the tibialis anterior (TA) of the injured group (n = 5–8/group) and PBS was injected into the control (n = 5–6). The TA was excised 3 or 28 days after injection.

Results

We demonstrated impaired muscle regeneration in obese mice. The obese mice had reduced IL‐6, MyoD and IGF‐1 mRNA abundance compared to the lean mice (P < 0.05). Three days following muscle damage, TNF‐α mRNA and protein levels of P‐STAT3 and P‐Akt were 14‐fold, fourfold and fivefold greater in the lean mice respectively. However, there were no differences observed in the obese injured group compared to the uninjured group. Moreover, p70S6K1 was threefold greater in lean injured mice compared to uninjured but was reduced by 28% in the obese injured mice.

Conclusion

Obese mice have impaired inflammatory and protein synthetic signalling that may negatively influence muscle regeneration.
Activation of angiotensin II type 1 receptors and contractile activity in human sigmoid colon in vitro
Authors: Mastropaolo M. , Zizzo M. G. , Auteri M. , Caldara G. , Liotta R. , Mulè F. , Serio R.
Published: June 2015

Aim

To analyse the effects of angiotensin II (Ang II) on the contractility of human sigmoid colon, and to characterize the subtype(s) of receptor(s) involved and the related action mechanism.

Methods

The contractility of sigmoid colon circular muscle strips was recorded isometrically. RT‐PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to reveal the eventual existence of a local renin–angiotensin system (RAS) and the distribution of Ang II receptors.

Results

Transcripts encoding for the Ang II type 1 (AT1) and the Ang II type 2 (AT2) receptor subtypes and for the angiotensin‐converting enzyme in the whole‐thickness muscular wall were observed. Ang II caused a concentration‐dependent contractile response, which is antagonized by losartan, AT1 receptor antagonist, but not by PD123319, AT2 receptor antagonist. The joint application of losartan and PD123319 did not produce any additive effect. The contractile response to Ang II was partially reduced by tetrodotoxin, Na+ voltage‐gated neural channel blocker, and to some extent by SR48968, tachykinin NK2 receptor antagonist. However, hexamethonium, nicotinic receptor antagonist, atropine, cholinergic muscarinic receptor antagonist and SR140333, tachykinin NK1 receptor antagonist, were ineffective. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that AT1 receptors were expressed on the smooth muscle layers and myenteric plexus.

Conclusion

Ang II positively modulates the spontaneous contractile activity of human sigmoid colon via activation of post‐junctional and pre‐junctional AT1 receptors, the latter located on the enteric nerves that modulate the release of tachykinins. The presence of the components of RAS in the human colon suggests that Ang II can be also locally generated to control colonic motility.
Long‐term response to renal ischaemia in the human kidney after partial nephrectomy: results from a prospective clinical trial
Authors: Kallingal George J.S. , Weinberg Joel M. , Reis Isildinha M. , Nehra Avinash , Venkatachalam Manjeri A. , Parekh Dipen J.
Published: June 2015

Objective

To assess the 1‐year renal functional changes in patients undergoing partial nephrectomy with intra‐operative renal biopsies.

Patients and Methods

A total of 40 patients with a single renal mass deemed fit for a partial nephrectomy were recruited prospectively between January 2009 and October 2010. We performed renal biopsies of normal renal parenchyma and collected serum markers before, during and after surgically induced renal clamp ischaemia during the partial nephrectomy. We then followed patients clinically with interval serum creatinine and physical examination.

Results

Peri‐operative data from 40 patients showed a transient increase in creatinine levels which did not correlate with ischaemia time. Renal ultrastructural changes were generally mild and included mitochondrial swelling, which resolved at the post‐perfusion biopsy. A total of 37 patients had 1‐year follow‐up data. Creatinine at 1 year increased by 0.121 mg/dL, which represents a 12.99% decrease in renal function from baseline (preoperative creatinine 0.823 mg/dL, estimated glomerular filtration rate = 93.9 mL/min/1.73 m2). The only factors predicting creatinine change on multivariate analysis were patient age, race and ischaemia type, with cold ischaemia being associated with higher creatinine level. Importantly, the duration of ischaemia did not show any significant correlation with renal function change, either as a continuous variable (P = 0.452) or as a categorical variable (P = 0.792).

Conclusions

Our data suggest that limited ischaemia is generally well tolerated in the setting of partial nephrectomy and does not directly correspond to long‐term renal functional decline. For surgeons performing partial nephrectomy, the kidney can be safely clamped to ensure optimum oncological outcomes.
Provenance and tectonic implications of Orán Group foreland basin sediments, Río Iruya canyon, NW Argentina (23° S)
Authors: Amidon William H. , Luna Lisa V. , Fisher G. Burch , Burbank Douglas W. , Kylander‐Clark Andrew R. C. , Alonso Ricardo
Published: June 2015

Foreland basins are important recorders of tectonic and climatic processes in evolving mountain ranges. The Río Iruya canyon of NW Argentina (23° S) exposes ca. 7500 m of Orán Group foreland basin sediments, spanning over 8 Myr of near continuous deposition in the Central Andes. This study presents a record of sedimentary provenance for the Iruya Section in the context of a revised stratigraphic chronology. We use U‐Pb zircon ages from six interbedded ash layers and new magnetostratigraphy to constrain depositional ages in the section between 1.94 and 6.49 Ma, giving an average sedimentation rate of 0.93 ± 0.02 (2σ) km Myr−1. We then pair U‐Pb detrital zircon dating with quartz trace‐element analysis to track changes in sedimentary provenance from ca. 7.6 to 1.8 Ma. Results suggest that from ca. 7.6 to ca. 6.3 Ma, the Iruya watershed did not tap the Salta Group or Neogene volcanics that are currently exposed in the eastern Cordillera and Puna margin. One explanation is that a long‐lived topographic barrier separated the eastern Puna from the foreland for much of the mid‐late Miocene, and that the arrival of Jurassic‐Neogene zircons records regional tectonic reactivation at ca. 6.3 Ma. A second major provenance shift at ca. 4 Ma is marked by changes in the zircon and quartz populations, which appear to be derived from a restricted source region in Proterozoic‐Ordovician meta‐sediments. Considered in conjunction with the onset of coarse conglomerate deposition, we attribute this shift to accelerated uplift of the Santa Victoria range, which currently defines the catchment's western limit. A third shift at ca. 2.3 Ma records an apparent disconnection of the Iruya with the eastern Puna, perhaps due to defeat of the proto Rio‐Iruya by the rising Santa Victoria range. This study is one of the first applications of quartz trace‐element provenance analysis, which we show to be an effective complement to U‐Pb detrital zircon dating when appropriate statistical methods are applied.
Exosomes in development, metastasis and drug resistance of breast cancer
Authors: Yu Dan‐dan , Wu Ying , Shen Hong‐yu , Lv Meng‐meng , Chen Wei‐xian , Zhang Xiao‐hui , Zhong Shan‐liang , Tang Jin‐hai , Zhao Jian‐hua
Published: June 2015

Transport through the cell membrane can be divided into active, passive and vesicular types (exosomes). Exosomes are nano‐sized vesicles released by a variety of cells. Emerging evidence shows that exosomes play a critical role in cancers. Exosomes mediate communication between stroma and cancer cells through the transfer of nucleic acid and proteins. It is demonstrated that the contents and the quantity of exosomes will change after occurrence of cancers. Over the last decade, growing attention has been paid to the role of exosomes in the development of breast cancer, the most life‐threatening cancer in women. Breast cancer could induce salivary glands to secret specific exosomes, which could be used as biomarkers in the diagnosis of early breast cancer. Exosome‐delivered nucleic acid and proteins partly facilitate the tumorigenesis, metastasis and resistance of breast cancer. Exosomes could also transmit anti‐cancer drugs outside breast cancer cells, therefore leading to drug resistance. However, exosomes are effective tools for transportation of anti‐cancer drugs with lower immunogenicity and toxicity. This is a promising way to establish a drug delivery system.
Characterization of the molecular genetic pathology in patients with 11β‐hydroxylase deficiency
Authors: Mooij Christiaan F. , Parajes Silvia , Rose Ian T. , Taylor Angela E. , Bayraktaroglu Taner , Wass John A.H. , Connell John M.C. , Ray David W. , Arlt Wiebke , Krone Nils
Published: June 2015

Objective

Steroid 11β‐hydroxylase (CYP11B1) deficiency (11OHD) is the second most common form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Nonclassic or mild 11OHD appears to be a rare condition. Our study assessed the residual CYP11B1 function of detected mutations, adding to the spectrum of mild 11OHD, and illustrates the variability of the clinical presentation of 11OHD.

Patients and methods

Five patients presented with mild to moderate 11OHD. Two women presented with mild hirsutism and in one case with secondary amenorrhoea. Two men presented with precocious pseudopuberty, gynaecomastia and elevated blood pressure. One 46,XX female patient was diagnosed with virilization of the external genitalia 2 years after birth. Direct DNA sequencing was carried out to perform CYP11B1 mutation analysis. The CYP11B1 mutations were functionally characterized using an in vitro expression system.

Results

CYP11B1‐inactivating mutations were detected in all patients. Two novel missense mutations (p.P42L and p.A297V) and the previously characterized p.R143W mutation had residual CYP11B1 activities between 10% and 27%. A novel p.L382R and the previously uncharacterized p.G444D mutation both caused complete loss of CYP11B1 enzymatic activity.

Conclusion

Mutations causing partial impairment of 11β‐hydroxylase activity (residual activity of 10% or above) are associated with a less severe clinical presentation of 11OHD, which can be classified as a nonclassic form. Our data demonstrate that patients with nonclassic 11OHD can present with androgen excess, precocious pseudopuberty and increased blood pressure. Timely diagnosis of nonclassic 11OHD and consequently initiation of personalized treatment is essential to prevent co‐morbidities caused by androgen excess and hypertension.
Endoscopic polypectomy in the clinic: a pilot cost‐effectiveness analysis
Authors: Rudmik L. , Smith K.A. , Kilty S.
Published: June 2015

Objective

The purpose of thispiloteconomic evaluation was to assess the cost‐effectiveness of the endoscopic polypectomy in the clinic (EPIC) procedure compared to formal endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) for the treatment of select chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients with nasal polyposis.

Design

Cost‐effectiveness analysis using aMarkov decision tree model with a 30‐year time horizon. The two comparative treatment groups were as follows: (i)EPICand (ii)ESS. Costs and effects were discounted at a rate of 3.5%. A probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed.

Setting

Economic perspective of theCanadian government third‐party payer.

Participants

CRSpatients with nasal polyposis who have predominantly isolated symptoms of nasal obstruction with or without olfactory loss.

Main outcome measures

Incremental cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY).

Results

Over a time period of 30 years, the reference case demonstrated that theESSstrategy cost a total of $21 345 and produced 13.17QALYs while theEPICstrategy cost a total of $5591 and produced 12.93QALYs. TheESSversusEPICincremental cost‐effectiveness ratio was $65 641/QALY. The probability thatEPICis cost‐effective compared toESSat a maximum willingness‐to‐pay threshold of $30 000 and $50 000/QALYis 66% and 60%, respectively.

Conclusions

Outcomes from this study have demonstrated that theEPICprocedure may be a cost‐effective treatment strategy for ‘select’ patients with nasal polyposis. Data from this study were obtained from a small pilot trial, and we feel the results warrant a future randomised controlled trial to strengthen the outcomes.
Utility of Isovolumic Contraction Peak Velocity for Evaluation of Adult Patient Status after Transcatheter Closure of Atrial Septal Defect
Authors: Sawa Takuma , Tanaka Hidekazu , Motoji Yoshiki , Hiraishi Mana , Mochizuki Yasuhide , Ryo Keiko , Matsumoto Kensuke , Otake Hiromasa , Shinke Toshiro , Hirata Ken‐ichi
Published: June 2015

Background

Transcatheter closure is a well‐established treatment for patients with atrial septal defect (ASD), but long‐term outcome prognostic factors for adults have not been fully identified yet.

Methods

Forty‐nine consecutive patients (age 57 ± 17 years, 59% female), who underwent transcatheter closure of ASD, were the subjects of this study. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed before and midterm after the procedure (6 ± 1 months). Isovolumic contraction peak velocity (IVV) was measured at the lateral site of the tricuspid annulus using spectral tissue Doppler imaging, and ΔIVV was determined as the absolute change at midterm follow‐up. Long‐term unfavorable outcome events, tracked for 19 ± 9 months, were prespecified as primary end points comprising newly developed atrial fibrillation, cerebral infarction, and heart failure.

Results

Symptomatic improvement, defined as an improvement in New York Heart Association functional class by one grade or more at midterm after the procedure, was observed in 24 patients (49%), and the remaining 25 (51%) were classified as not symptomatically improved. ΔIVV was significantly larger for patients with symptomatic improvement than for those without (from 11.5 ± 4.3 cm/s to 14.2 ± 3.7 cm/s vs. from 11.8 ± 4.1 cm/s to 12.5 ± 2.9 cm/s; P = 0.045). An important finding of the multivariate Cox proportional‐hazards analysis was that only ΔIVV was independently associated with cardiovascular events (HR: 0.701; 95% CI 0.537–0.916; P = 0.01). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that more patients with enhanced ΔIVV presented with favorable long‐term outcome than those with diminished ΔIVV (log‐rank P = 0.0001).

Conclusions

IVV, which is a less volume‐sensitive parameter, can be useful for comprehensive evaluation of ASD patients referred for transcatheter closure.
A New Method for Direct Three‐Dimensional Measurement of Left Atrial Appendage Dimensions during Transesophageal Echocardiography
Authors: Yosefy Chaim , Laish‐Farkash Avishag , Azhibekov Yulia , Khalameizer Vladimir , Brodkin Boris , Katz Amos
Published: June 2015

Aims

Currently, two‐dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (2DTEE) at a cut‐plane angulation of 135° is the recommended method to size maximal left atrial appendage (LAA) orifice diameter before introducing a percutaneous LAA closure device. We compared real time three‐dimensional TEE (RT3DTEE) and 2DTEE for measuring LAA dimensions versus computed tomography (CT) as gold standard.

Methods and Results

We prospectively studied 30 consecutive patients who underwent a routine TEE examination, using QLAB 10.0 Application on EPIQ7 iE33 3D echo machine between December 2012 and December 2013. All patients underwent 64‐slice CT before pulmonary vein isolation or for workup of pulmonary embolism. LAA measurements were compared between 135 2DTEE and RT3DTEE. Results were compared with CT measurements. Using RT3DTEE, larger LAA diameters were measured versus 2DTEE (23.5 ± 3.9 vs. 24.5 ± 4.7 mm). In seven patients (23.3%), the measurements in 135° 2DTEE were smaller than the cut‐plane angulation with maximal orifice diameter. RT3DTEE measurements of LAA were not different from CT regarding number of lobes, area of orifice, and maximal diameter. LAA volume could not be measured directly using RT3DTEE. No difference was found between LAA depth using RT3DTEE (19.5 ± 2.3 mm) vs. CT (19.6 ± 2.3, P = NS) and 2DTEE (19.4 ± 2.2 mm) vs. CT (P = NS). However, RT3DTEE (24.5 ± 4.7 mm) vs. CT (24.6 ± 5, P = NS) was more accurate in measuring maximal LAA diameter compared to 2DTEE (23.5 ± 3.9 mm) vs. CT (P < 0.01).

Conclusion

RT3DTEE method is more accurate than 2DTEE for assessment of maximal LAA orifice diameter. Bedsides, RT3DTEE LAA measurements are not statistically different from CT. Thus, RT3DTEE may facilitate LAA closure procedure by choosing the appropriate device size.
Functional responses in habitat selection are density dependent in a large herbivore
Authors: van Beest Floris M. , McLoughlin Philip D. , Mysterud Atle , Brook Ryan K.
Published: June 2015

Habitat selection is complex due to density dependence and functional responses, defined as variation in relative habitat use depending on availability. In this study we unite these concepts by empirically testing for density‐dependent functional responses in habitat selection using a large herbivore, elk Cervus canadensis manitobensis, as a model species. Theory on density‐dependent habitat selection predicts specialised behaviour when densities are low with a gradual switch to generalist behaviour (more even selection of habitat) as competition intensifies. This suggests that functional responses in habitat selection should be positive when competition is low, but that density may have a negative effect on the functional response due to constraining effects of competition on habitat use and availability. We tested this prediction using data from Global Positioning System (GPS) collared elk (n = 33) and empirical data on spatiotemporal variation in local density during winter in Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba, Canada (2002–2011). As local density increased, winter home range size decreased and the proportion of mixed forest (providing shelter and forage to elk) used and available within the home range also decreased. Our resource selection function (RSF) revealed clear density‐dependent effects in selection, being strongest (or weakest) for high quality (or low quality) habitat types at lowest observed density leading to more even selection as densities increased. The functional response in mixed forest selection was negatively affected by local density. Increasing availability of mixed forest in the home range was associated with higher selection at low density (positive functional response); no effect of availability on selection at moderate density (no functional response); and lower selection as availability increased at high density (negative functional response). Our study demonstrates that this process is largely driven by the negative effect of density on home range size as it constrains use and availability of habitat.
Première observation de Thrips tabaci et de Frankliniella occidentalis sur les cultures sous serre en Algérie
Authors: Laamari M. , Houamel S.
Published: June 2015

L’étude menée dans la région de Biskra (Sud algérien) durant la campagne agricole 2010/2011 a permis de mentionner pour la première fois la présence de Thrips tabaci et de Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) sur les cultures sous serre en Algérie. La tomate est relativement plus infestée par rapport au piment et au poivron. Les populations de T. tabaci sont plus importantes sur les trois cultures comparativement à celles de F. occidentalis.
Ceratitis capitata: une nouvelle menace pour le pommier en Algérie
Authors: Laamari M. , Talbi Y. , Mahmoudi R.
Published: June 2015

En Algérie, la mouche méditerranéenne des fruits, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824) (Diptera: Tephritidae), a été tout le temps associée à l'arboriculture fruitière dans les régions côtières à climat doux. Vers l'intérieur, sous l'influence d'un climat continental, elle est pratiquement inconnue. Avec le changement climatique, notamment la saison automnale qui est devenue sensiblement aussi chaude et sèche que la saison estivale, cette mouche a pu gagner de l'espace. En plus des abricots, des figues et des grenades, des pertes très importantes sont notées sur les pommes de la variété Golden Delicious, cultivées essentiellement dans les zones montagneuses de Batna et Khenchela (massif des Aurès, Nord‐est algérien). Les premières galeries s'observent après quelques semaines de stockage des pommes.
Perception of Multisensory Gender Coherence in 6‐ and 9‐Month‐Old Infants
Authors: Hillairet de Boisferon Anne , Dupierrix Eve , Quinn Paul C. , Lœvenbruck Hélène , Lewkowicz David J. , Lee Kang , Pascalis Olivier
Published: June 2015

One of the most salient social categories conveyed by human faces and voices is gender. We investigated the developmental emergence of the ability to perceive the coherence of auditory and visual attributes of gender in 6‐ and 9‐month‐old infants. Infants viewed two side‐by‐side video clips of a man and a woman singing a nursery rhyme and heard a synchronous male or female sound track. Results showed that 6‐month‐old infants did not match the audible and visible attributes of gender, and 9‐month‐old infants matched only female faces and voices. These findings indicate that the ability to perceive the multisensory coherence of gender emerges relatively late in infancy and that it reflects the greater experience that most infants have with female faces and voices.