bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rickettsia parkeri (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) in the Sky Islands of West Texas
Authors: Paddock Christopher D , Hecht Joy A , Green Amy N , Waldrup Kenneth A , Teel Pete D , Karpathy Sandor E , Johnson Tammi L 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Rickettsia parkeri, a tick-borne pathogen distributed throughout several countries of the Americas, causes a mild to moderately severe, eschar-associated spotted fever rickettsiosis. Although most U.S. cases of R. parkeri rickettsiosis are reported from southeastern states, some have been reported recently from remote regions of southern Arizona. These cases are linked to R. parkeri-infected ticks of the Amblyomma maculatum (Acari: Ixodidae) group found in several isolated mountain ranges of southern Arizona and New Mexico, referred to as ‘sky islands’. Archival records also document ticks of the A. maculatum group collected from domestic and wild animals in West Texas. We surveyed sites in two sky island chains of Jeff Davis and Brewster counties to document the off-host occurrence of these ticks and identify the presence of R. parkeri in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas. During August 2019, 43 adult A. maculatum group ticks were flagged from vegetation or removed from a road-killed, female mule deer. Of 39 samples evaluated by PCR, eight contained a partial sca0 sequence with complete identity to R. parkeri and two with complete identity to ‘Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae’, a species of undetermined pathogenicity. Four isolates of R. parkeri were obtained using cell culture. Persons at risk for R. parkeri rickettsiosis include those who work or recreate in these mountains, such as hikers, backpackers, research scientists, foresters, and border enforcement personnel. Additional investigations are needed to define the distribution of these medically important arthropods in other parts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
The Vitality of Mortality: Being-Toward-Death and Long-Term Cancer Survivorship
Authors: Knox Jeanette Bresson Ladegaard 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Long-term cancer survivorship is an emerging field that focuses on physical late-effects and psychosocial implications for the inflicted. This study wishes to cast light on the underlying ontological aspect of long-term survivorship by philosophically exploring how being in life post cancer is perceived by survivors. Sixteen in-depth interviews with 14 Danish cancer survivors were conducted by the author. Having faced a life-threatening disease but no longer being in imminent danger of dying, survivors still considered death a defining yet dynamic component in their approach to life as a moving toward the end, sparking a sense of vitality in mortality. In order to unfold the interviewees’ renewed existential understanding post cancer, this study employs Martin Heidegger’s ontological analysis of death. In survivorship, my participants can thus be understood as being left with the perpetual choice between living in inauthenticity or in authenticity. The difference between the two modes of existence exhibits two diverging ways of relating to death, self, and being-in-the-world. At the same time, the role of death in long-term survivorship reflects back on the magnitude of the initial existential and moral upheaval triggered by the cancer diagnosis. Understanding the role of death in long-term survivorship can positively inform the field of cancer rehabilitation and long-term survivor care.
Detection of tidal tails around the open cluster M 67 using principal component analysis
Authors: Gao Xinhua 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
In this paper we present an investigation of tidal tails around the old open cluster M 67 using Gaia-DR2. We identify likely extra-tidal stars around M 67 using principal component analysis (PCA) and a Gaussian mixture model (GMM). We find 1618 stars closely related to M 67, 85 of which are likely extra-tidal stars. We find clear evidence for the existence of two well-defined tidal tails emerging from M 67. The tidal tails extend out to projected distances of at least ${2{^{\circ}_{.}}5}$ (∼39 pc), which is more than twice as large as the tidal radius of the cluster. Based on LAMOST-DR5 data, we confirm that 13 extra-tidal stars have radial velocities and metallicities similar to those of the cluster. Furthermore, we also confirm that the extra-tidal stars cover a wide mass range of 0.2–1.1 M⊙, and nearly half the extra-tidal stars are less than 0.57 M⊙. The total mass of the extra-tidal stars is determined to be about 55 M⊙. We estimate a mass-loss rate of ∼2.8 M⊙ Myr−1 for M 67. Possible origins of these extra-tidal stars are discussed.
The spectra of evolved stars at 20–25 GHz: Tracing circumstellar chemistry during the asymptotic giant branch to planetary nebula transition
Authors: Zhang Yong , Chau Wayne , Nakashima Jun-ichi , Kwok Sun 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
We report an unbiased radio line survey towards the circumstellar envelopes of evolved stars at the frequency range from 20 to 25 GHz, aiming to obtain a more complete unbiased picture of the chemical evolution in the final stages of stellar evolution. The observation sample includes the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star IRC +10216, the proto-planetary nebulae (PPNs) CRL 2688 and CRL 618, and the young planetary nebula (PN) NGC 7027, representing an evolutionary sequence spanning about 10000 years. Rotational transitions from cyanopolyyne chains and inversion lines from ammonia are detected in the AGB star and PPNs, while the PN displays several recombination lines. The different spectral behaviors of these evolved stars clearly reflect the evolution of circumstellar chemistry during the AGB–PPN–PN transitions.
Transformative Police Reform in Trinidad and Tobago: Prospects and Challenges
Authors: Pino Nathan W 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
The country of Trinidad and Tobago presents an interesting case for analysing policing and police reform through the lens of transformative justice. Informed by a review of the relevant literature, including the author’s independent research, this article details how the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service faces numerous challenges even after multiple evaluations and efforts at reform. Local civil society groups have been largely left out of police reform processes in spite of their local knowledge and social capital. Police reforms rooted in transformative justice will be difficult to achieve and sustain given current conditions in the country, but it is possible if there is a long-term and serious commitment to reform, led by local actors that initiate local solutions democratically while ensuring the genuine involvement of civil society groups, women, and other traditionally marginalized groups.
Effects of Age‐dependent Changes in Cell Size on Endothelial Cell Growth through YAP1
Authors: Mammoto Akiko , Mammoto Tadanori 
Published: April 2020

The aging population is rapidly growing. Aging is associated with impaired angiogenesis –the growth of new blood capillaries‐ and contributes to the increased susceptibility to various diseases. Thus, in order to develop more efficient therapies for aging‐associated diseases, we need to understand the mechanisms by which aging impairs angiogenesis. In addition to soluble angiogenic factors, biophysical factors such as changes in cell size and geometry control endothelial cell (EC) growth and differentiation. Here we have found that pulmonary artery ECs in aged mice are significantly larger than those in young mice. Aged human adipose tissue ECs are also larger than those in young adults. A major focal adhesion protein, paxillin, distributes at the distal ends of actin stress fibers in young mouse ECs, while paxillin is localized along the actin fibers in the cytoplasm in aged ECs. A Hippo signaling transducer, Yes‐associated protein (YAP1), acts as a mechanosensitive transcriptional co‐activator and controls organ development and regeneration. YAP1 also regulates angiogenesis. The levels of YAP1 decrease and EC proliferation is inhibited in ECs isolated from aged mouse lungs. To analyze whether age‐related changes in EC size control YAP1 activity, we cultured ECs on the microcontact‐printed substrates consisting of square fibronectin‐coated single‐cell sized islands. When we culture aged lung ECs on large islands of size comparable to aged mouse lung EC, YAP1 is excluded from the nucleus and EC proliferation is attenuated. Reduction of the aged EC size by culturing on smaller islands restores YAP1 nuclear localization and EC proliferation. These results suggest that age‐dependent increases in EC size impair aged EC proliferation through YAP1 signaling. Modulation of aged EC size and subsequent stimulation of YAP1 activity could restore the age‐related decline in angiogenesis and would be a promising strategy for aging‐associated diseases.Support or Funding InformationNIHR21AG054830, AHA18TPA34170129, MCW Research Affair Committee New Investigator AwardThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
LXR agonism and Sorafenib treatment as novel combination therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Preziosi Morgan E. , Zahm Adam M. , Kaestner Klaus H. , Wangensteen Kirk J. 
Published: April 2020

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Sorafenib is the only first‐line pharmaceutical approved for the treatment of HCC, and has limited efficacy. In order to identify new therapeutic options for HCC, we sought to elucidate novel druggable targets that may work in combination with sorafenib. We previously performed a genetic screen of 44 candidate genes known to contribute to hepatic regeneration or tumorigenesis. We used a mouse model of hereditary tyrosinemia as a clinically‐relevant model of liver injury and repopulation in order to sensitize mice to develop HCC. After hydrodynamic injection of 44 unique transposon plasmids, we observed HCC development with plasmid enrichment for MYC, TGFa, FOXA3, and Liver X Receptor (LXR). When mice were treated with sorafenib, tumor burden was unsurprisingly decreased. Upon analysis of sorafenib‐treated tumors, we observed all tumors contained MYC plasmids, and a majority had TGFα plasmids. However, none of the sorafenib‐resistant tumors contained LXR‐expressing plasmids, suggesting that expression of this gene may block tumorigenesis in the context of sorafenib treatment. Indeed, addition of an LXR agonist and sorafenib to various HCC cell lines decreased cell proliferation in vitro, and transcriptomic analyses identified several genes differentially expressed by combination treatment. Ongoing in vivo studies are confirming the efficacy of combinatorial therapy for potential future clinical use. Overall, our innovative paradigm allows for prospective testing of genetic combinations to determine interactions of oncogenes and tumor suppressors during carcinogenesis. We successfully employed this approach to identify LXR agonism and sorafenib as a novel combination therapy for HCCThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
A Study in Blue: Does Increasing Contrast of Brain Slices Improve Neuroanatomy Learning?
Authors: Bishop Esai , Leclair Rebecca , Cheung Beata , Nguyen Angela , Saraco Anthony , Fenesi Barbara , Ball Alexander K , Wainman Bruce 
Published: April 2020

IntroductionNeurophobia is the fear many students experience when faced with the task of learning neuroanatomy. This problem may partly result from the large number of poorly defined structures observed in unstained brain slices. There is little discussion in educational literature regarding the most effective way to learn neuroanatomy. In particular, the effect of increasing the contrast between gray and white matter on student learning has not been examined. We hypothesized that some neurophobia, particularly among those with low working memory, might be mitigated with our recently developed brain slice staining method.AimTo determine if increasing the contrast between gray and white matter on human brain slices would improve students' ability to learn neuroanatomy, and if the intervention especially helped students with a lower working memory capacity.MethodsParticipants were recruited from an introductory psych course at McMaster University and were required to not have any previous neuroanatomical education. Participants learned and were tested on 12 neuroanatomical structures each from two sets of brain slices (transverse stained and coronal unstained, or coronal stained and transverse unstained) on day 1, participated in a restudy period 24 hours later on day 2, and were tested again 48 hours later on day 3. In addition, all participants completed the Automated Operation Span Task (OSPAN) working memory test and a survey on learning methods.ResultsWhile data collection is still ongoing, interim analysis has been completed. A 2×2 repeated measures ANOVA revealed that there was no difference in test performance between stained and unstained slices on day 1 or day 3 in general (p=0.785). A linear regression analysis for both the stained and unstained groups revealed that working memory capacity was a significant predictor of performance in the unstained condition (p=0.001). However, working memory was not a predictor of performance in the stained condition (p=0.123). Students with low working memory performed 11.4% worse on unstained brain slices than on stained slices, while students with high working memory showed no significant difference.Discussion and ConclusionWhile data collection continues, the preliminary results reveal interesting possibilities. Initially, staining did not appear to facilitate neuroanatomy learning. However, students with low working memory showed a significant improvement when learning from stained brain slices compared to unstained. Therefore, the use of stained brain slices in the teaching of neuroanatomy may partially mitigate neurophobia, improve teaching, and particularly aid those students already struggling with the subject.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Learning Progressions as a Pedagogical Tool for Instructors
Authors: Reed Charlotte R. , Wolfson Adele J. 
Published: April 2020

Learning Progressions (LPs) present a potential tool to guide students towards deeper understanding of core concepts as they move through a curriculum. In addition to providing a theoretical scheme for education researchers, learning progressions can be a powerful framework for instructors and students in organizing curricula. We have developed the outline of a learning progression on acid/base chemistry from general chemistry through biochemistry. Through semi‐structured interviews, we examined the utility of this learning progression for instructors. We interviewed both peer instructors and faculty to determine how different instruction models could use LPs. The interviews suggest that students may struggle to get the most value out of LPs because they misunderstand them as topics lists rather than progressions, and may interpret them as exhaustive rather than as guides. Therefore, LPs would likely need to be carefully presented to students and woven into the curriculum to provide students with the most value. Additionally, instructors recognize the cyclical nature of learning, mentioning that students often do not understand concepts until they have seen them in multiple circumstances. LPs could allow instructors to design curriculum so that concepts are revisited with more complexity rather than simply repeated.Support or Funding InformationNational Science Foundation award #1503980This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Identification of Deferentially Expressed Proteins in Milk during Experimental Bovine Mastitis using Difference Gel Electrophoresis
Authors: Thomas Funmilola Clara , Scott Alan , Tassi Ricardo , Solomon Ajibola Eyitayo , Zadoks Ruth , Burchmore Richard , Eckersall Peter David 
Published: April 2020

In order to identify and understand key changes in protein profile of milk during mastitis as a guide to detecting markers for prompt management of the disease, milk from cows in which clinical mastitis were experimentally induced were subjected to a difference gel electrophoresis (DiGE) analysis. Pooled samples from 6 udders (from 6 cows) of three selected time points; 0, 81 and 312 hours post‐challenge of S. uberis mastitis were analysed. These corresponded to samples from pre‐infection, peak and resolution phase of the mastitis challenge. After preliminary sample preparation, concentration and pooling steps, samples were labeled with CyDyes® (CyDye 2, 3 and 5) after which isoelectric focusing and gel electrophoresis were carried out respectively. DiGE gels were subsequently scanned and ImageQuant, ImageJ and DeCyder™ 2D (version 7.0) software were used to crop, obtain Jpeg images and carry out 2‐D differential analysis and processing of the images respectively. Biological Variation Analysis (BVA) software (GE Healthcare life sciences, Buckinghamshire, UK) was also used to evaluate the gels and create a gel to gel matching of spots (qualitatively and quantitatively) within the three gels produced. Overall, a total of 521 proteins spots were identified as changing significantly across the period of intramammary infection (qualitatively or quantitatively) in milk. This demonstrates the large repertoire of protein biomarker candidates available for potential employment and indicators of this disease. Some of these spots were excised for further protein identification by LC‐MS/MS analysis. Further studies are required to elucidate the merits and demerits of these changing proteins in order to identify the most suitable for clinical application in mastitis diagnosis.Support or Funding InformationZoetis, UK and TETFUND, Nigeria are acknowledged for PhD studentship fundingThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Proteomic and Functional Characterization of STARD9
Authors: Clutario Kevin M , Torres Jorge Z 
Published: April 2020

Mitotic spindle assembly is a critical step for cell division that happens once per cell cycle. The centrosome is a structural organelle that is important in spindle assembly as centrosomes act as the microtubule organizing centers at the spindle poles during mitosis. Deviation from normal spindle assembly can lead to activation of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). Some of the most successful antimitotic drugs activate the SAC in order to arrest cancer cells in mitosis to induce subsequent apoptosis. Recently, kinesins and kinases implicated in spindle assembly have gained attention as possible therapeutic targets, as their functions rely on their ability to hydrolyze ATP. Our labs previous proteomic and genetic studies identified steroidogenic acute regulatory protein‐related lipid transfer domain containing 9 (STARD9) as a kinesin involved in spindle assembly. Its depletion invokes multipolar spindles in dividing cancer cells and most surprisingly, STARD9‐depleted cancer cells display increased Taxol sensitivity. STARD9 plays a functional role in the stabilization of pericentriolar material (PCM) during centriole maturation, but its mechanism of action and its regulation are not yet fully understood. To elucidate these mechanisms we have used multiple proteomic approaches to study each of STARD9's major domains. These approaches have identified putative interacting proteins that may play regulatory roles in PCM stabilization and we have validated some of these associations in vitro. We are currently focused on determining the importance of these STARD9 interactions for PCM stabilization. Our work looks to further the knowledge of STARD9's function within centrosome assembly and more broadly cancer cell division.Support or Funding InformationUCLA Tumor Cell Biology Training Program (USHHS Ruth L. Kirschstein Institutional National Research Service Award # T32 CA009056)This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Sub‐neurodegenerative Levels of Binge Alcohol Reduce Calcium‐independent Phospholipase A2 (iPLA2) Levels in Rat Brain: An Unrecognized Initial Sign of Neuroinflammation
Authors: Schreiber Jennifer Ann , Tajuddin Nuzhath , Kouzoukas Dimitrios , Kim Hee‐Yong , Collins Michael 
Published: April 2020

Selective degeneration of dentate granule cells in hippocampus (HC), pyramidal cells in entorhinal cortex (EC), and olfactory bulb neurons occurs in adult male rats subjected to severe alcohol (ethanol) binges over 4 days that generate maximal blood alcohol levels of 350–450 mg/dl. Concurrent with brain damage specifically in these brain regions, significant alterations are elicited by alcohol in the levels of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) enzymes, i.e., (1) increases in Ca2+‐dependent cytosolic cPLA2 and secreted sPLA2, two membrane phospholipid‐metabolizing enzymes causing neuroinflammation via mobilization of omega‐6 arachidonic acid, a largely pro‐oxidative neurocellular mediator; and (2) reductions in Ca2+‐independent iPLA2, known to selectively regulate membrane release and turnover of anti‐inflammatory, anti‐oxidative omega‐3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Furthermore, these neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory changes are replicated in vitro, along with a loss in DHA content itself, in rat organotypic adult‐age HC‐EC slice cultures binge‐treated with 100 mM (~460 mg/dl) alcohol. Importantly, DHA pre‐supplementation of the slices prevents the neurodegeneration and PLA2 changes caused by alcohol (Tajuddin et al. 2014). The objective of this study was to determine if phospholipid‐mediated neuroinflammatory changes exist from alcohol in the absence of neurodegeneration. Here we report that rats subjected to less severe binges ‐ and thus lower blood alcohol levels of ~200 mg/dl, which are insufficient to cause detectable brain damage and/or neuroinflammatory cPLA2 and sPLA2 elevations ‐nevertheless cause significantly reduced iPLA2 levels that are largely reversed by DHA supplementation. The results imply that iPLA2 depletion and, we suspect, loss of cellular/membrane DHA (that iPLA2 regulates), are critical, previously unappreciated first indicators or markers of brain neuroinflammation due to binge alcohol. Similar changes in iPLA2, potentially due to its sensitivity, may have a bearing on other forms of brain insults causing neuroinflammation and ultimately neurodamage.Support or Funding InformationResearch support: NIH U01 AA018279 (MAC and HYK) and NIH T32 AA013527 (Loyola Medical Center Alcohol Research Program)This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.