bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Consequences of climate-induced vegetation changes exceed those of human disturbance for wild impala in the Serengeti ecosystem
Authors: Hunninck L , May R , Jackson C R , Palme R , Røskaft E , Sheriff M J 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
In East Africa, climate change is predicted to reduce vegetation quality, and pervasive human disturbance has already resulted in significant declines in biodiversity. We studied the combined effects of reduced forage quality and human disturbance on faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations. We predicted that decreasing nutritional quality and increasing human disturbance would have an additive positive effect on FGM levels in wild impala (Aepyceros melampus). Employing a space-for-time approach, we used normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) as a measure of forage quality, combined with spatially explicit proxies of human disturbance across areas of different protection management strategies in the Serengeti ecosystem. We collected 639 faecal samples, spread over 4 years, including both wet and dry seasons. Impala FGM levels increased significantly with declining NDVI and, to a lesser extent, with increasing proxies for human disturbance. However, we found no interaction between the two, such that impala had elevated FGM levels with low NDVI and low FGM levels with high NDVI regardless of human disturbance levels. This implies that impala will have high FGM levels if forage quality is poor, even with significant protection and reduced human disturbance. Understanding how animals respond to and cope with changes in forage quality and human land use across different protected areas is important for conservationists and managers to better protect species at risk and predict population viability.
Viral Hepatitis and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Testing and Linkage to Care for Individuals Enrolled in an Opioid Treatment Program
Authors: Rowan Sarah E , Kamis Kevin F , Beum Robert , Bryan Kimberly , Gawenus Lisa , Colon Sanchez Dayan , Hurley Hermione 
Published: January 2020

Abstract

Background
In the United States, many opioid treatment programs (OTPs) do not offer viral hepatitis (VH) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing despite high prevalence among OTP clients. We initiated an opt-out VH and HIV testing and linkage-to-care program within our OTP.

Methods
All OTP intakes are screened for VH and HIV and evaluated for rescreening annually. A patient navigator reviews laboratory results and provides counseling in the OTP clinic. The medical record is queried to identify individuals with previously diagnosed, untreated VH or HIV. Navigation support is provided for linkage or relinkage to VH or HIV care.

Results
Between March 2018 and Februrary 2019, 532 individuals were screened for hepatitis C virus (HCV), 180 tested HCV antibody positive (34%), and 108 were HCV-ribonucleic acid (RNA) positive (20%). Sixty individuals were identified with previously diagnosed, untreated HCV. Of all HCV RNA+, 49% reported current injection drug use (82 of 168). Ninety-five individuals were seen by an HCV specialist (57% of HCV RNA+), 72 started treatment (43%), and 69 (41%) completed treatment. Individuals with primary care providers were most likely to start treatment. Four individuals were diagnosed with hepatitis B; 0 were diagnosed with HIV.

Conclusions
The implementation of an OTP-based screening and navigation protocol has enabled significant gains in the identification and treatment of VH in this high prevalence setting.
Absorbed-Dose Specification in Nuclear Medicine: Abstract
Authors: Adelstein S. J. , Green A. J. , Howell R. W. , Humm J. L. , Leichner P. K. , O'Donoghue J. A. , Strand S.-E. , Wessels B. W. 
Published: January 2020

A number of reasons have led to a reappraisal of dose specification for nuclear medicine. These include an appreciation of non-uniformities in the distribution of radioactivity in the body, at all levels, for even the most common diagnostic and therapeutic agents; an increasing need to deal with the complexities of varying dose rates; the imperative to provide individual rather than standardised dose estimates as targeted radionuclide therapy becomes more sophisticated; as well as improvements in technology. This Report deals first with biological considerations that inform the rational use of radionuclide dosimetry. Radiobiological factors in the selection of radionuclides and tumour and normal-tissue dose-responses are discussed. Then, the MIRD (medical internal radiation dose) approach to nuclear medical dosimetry, a robust method that has proven its clinical utility, is described. Following on is an elaboration of non-uniform distributions of radioactivity and of varying dose rates. Lastly, the Report deals with techniques and procedures for measuring time variant activity distributions, image fusion, patient specific dose computations, smallscale dosimetry, and the comparison of calculated and measured doses.
Unique bacterial assembly, composition, and interactions in a parasitic plant and its host
Authors: Fitzpatrick Connor R , Schneider Adam C 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
How plant-associated microbiota are shaped by, and potentially contribute to, the unique ecology and heterotrophic life history of parasitic plants is relatively unknown. Here, we investigate the leaf and root bacterial communities of the root holoparasite Orobanche hederae and its host Hedera spp. from natural populations. Root bacteria inhabiting Orobanche were less diverse, had fewer co-associations, and displayed increased compositional similarity to leaf bacteria relative to Hedera. Overall, Orobanche bacteria exhibited significant congruency with Hedera root bacteria across sites, but not the surrounding soil. Infection had localized and systemic effects on Hedera bacteria, which included effects on the abundance of individual taxa and root network properties. Collectively, our results indicate that the parasitic plant microbiome is derived but distinct from the host plant microbiota, exhibits increased homogenization between shoot and root tissues, and displays far fewer co-associations among individual bacterial members. Host plant infection is accompanied by modest changes of associated microbiota at both local and systemic scales compared with uninfected individuals. Our results are a first step towards extending the growing insight into the assembly and function of the plant microbiome to include the ecologically unique but often overlooked guild of heterotrophic plants.
The Correlative Strength of Objective Physical Assessment Against the ECOG Performance Status Assessment in Individuals Diagnosed With Cancer
Authors: Quinn Sarah E , Crandell Catherine E , Blake Morgan E , Bontrager Amy M , Dempsey Alexandra G , Lewis Derek J , Hamm John T , Flynn Joseph M , Smith Grant S , Wingard Christopher J 
Published: January 2020

Abstract

Background
Individuals with cancer experience loss of function and disability due to disease and cancer-related treatments. Physical fitness and frailty influence treatment plans and may predict cancer outcomes. Outcome measures currently used may not provide sufficiently comprehensive assessment of physical performance.

Objective
The objectives of this study are to: (1) describe the development of a functional measure, the Bellarmine Norton Assessment Tool (BNAT), for individuals with cancer; and (2) assess the relationship between the BNAT and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status, a commonly used classification system by oncologists.

Design
This was a prospective cohort correlation study.

Methods
The BNAT encompasses 1 self-reported physical activity question and 4 objective tests: 2-Minute Step Test, 30-Second Sit to Stand, Timed Arm Curl, and Timed Up and Go. The BNAT score and its components were compared with ECOG Performance Status scores assigned by oncologists and analyzed for correlation and agreement.

Results
A total of 103 male and female individuals (ages 33–87 years) with various cancer diagnoses participated. The mean (SD) ECOG Performance Status score was 0.95 (0.87), range 0 to 3, and the mean BNAT score was 14.9 (4.3), range 5 to 24. Spearman agreement association of BNAT and ECOG Performance Status scores revealed a significant moderate negative relationship (r = −0.568).

Limitations
The BNAT was compared with the ECOG Performance Status, a commonly used but subjective measure. Additionally, a common data set was used for both deriving and evaluating the BNAT performance scale.

Conclusions
There was a moderate negative linear relationship of BNAT to ECOG Performance Status scores across all participants. Utilization of the BNAT may reflect overall physical performance and provide comprehensive and meaningful detail to influence therapeutic decisions.
MV v DSL & GV: arbitration, governing law and jurisdiction clauses
Authors: Simms Brian , Turnquest Marco 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Two judgments, delivered by the Bahamian Supreme Court on 27 November 2018 and 7 August 2019 in ongoing litigation brought by MV against DSL and GV, provide useful guidance on changing a governing law and the efficacy of arbitration clauses. Courts are ready to construe arbitration clauses in deeds and statutes liberally to achieve their purposes. Sometimes, the best they can do is to highlight any statutory lacuna so that the law can be changed eg by Rules of Court.
Multifaced regulator: RNA binding proteins and their roles in hematopoiesis
Authors: Ren Yue , Huo Yue , Li Weiqian , Wang Fang , Yu Jia 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Despite the conventional definition of RNA binding proteins (RBPs) as controlling the metabolism of their bound RNAs, more and more RBPs are found to function via distinct ways in complex biological processes. With the recent discovery of transcriptional regulation activity of some RBPs, a hypothesis that RBPs could be multilayered regulators orchestrating gene expression has emerged. Hematopoiesis is a stepwise process that needs to be fine-tuned to keep the subtle balance between hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) stemness maintenance and downstream lineage commitment. Although the classic RBPs account for the posttranscriptional regulation in hematopoiesis, the importance and multiple regulatory capacities of RBPs have not been well-characterized. In this review, we summarize the recent findings of large-scale screening of novel RBPs and their novel transcriptional regulation potentials. In hematopoietic system, this kind of multifaced regulators account for nearly a half of functional RBPs. Therefore, further studies on identifying this new kind of multifaced RBPs and clarifying their regulatory mechanisms would help us better understand the precise and complex regulatory networks of gene expression in hematopoiesis.
Tissue-resident macrophages: from zebrafish to mouse
Authors: Lin Xi , Wen Zilong , Xu Jin 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Tissue-resident macrophages (TRMs), generally found in tissues under normal physiological conditions, play crucial roles not only in immunity but also in tissue development and homeostasis. Because of their diverse functions, dysregulation of their development and function has been implicated in many human disorders. In the past decade, a great deal of extensive studies have been conducted in various model organisms with cutting-edge technologies to explore the origin and function of TRMs. In this review, we summarize the recent findings on TRMs in mouse and zebrafish and compare the similarity/differences between these two species.
A chemotaxis model to explain WHIM neutrophil accumulation in the bone marrow of WHIM mouse model
Authors: Yip Ai Kia , Balachander Akhila , Tan Leonard D.L. , Liong Ka Hang , Tan Rui Zhen , Balabanian Karl , Bachelerie Francoise , Ng Lai Guan , Chiam Keng-Hwee 
Published: January 2020

Abstract
Neutrophils are essential immune cells that defend the host against pathogenic microbial agents. Neutrophils are produced in the bone marrow and are retained there through CXCR4–CXCL12 signaling. However, patients with the Warts, Hypogammaglobulinemia, Infections, and Myelokathexis (WHIM) syndrome are prone to infections due to increased accumulation of neutrophils in the bone marrow leading to low numbers of circulating neutrophils. How neutrophils accumulate in the bone marrow in this condition is poorly understood. To better understand factors involved in neutrophil accumulation in the bone marrow, neutrophils from wildtype and WHIM mouse models were characterized in their response to CXCL12 stimulation. WHIM neutrophils were found to exert stronger traction forces, formed significantly more lamellipodia-type protrusions and migrated with increased speed and displacement upon CXCL12 stimulation as compared to wildtype cells. Migration speed of WHIM neutrophils showed a larger initial increase upon CXCL12 stimulation, which decayed over a longer time period as compared to wildtype cells. We proposed a computational model based on the chemotactic behavior of neutrophils that indicated increased CXCL12 sensitivity and prolonged CXCR4 internalization adaptation time in WHIM neutrophils as being responsible for increased accumulation in the bone marrow. These findings provide a mechanistic understanding of bone marrow neutrophil accumulation in WHIM condition and novel insights into restoring neutrophil regulation in WHIM patients.
Use of mobile health apps in low-income populations: a prospective study of facilitators and barriers
Authors: Liu Patrick , Astudillo Katia , Velez Damaris , Kelley Lauren , Cobbs-Lomax Darcey , Spatz Erica S. 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACTBackgroundMobile applications (apps) are increasingly popular in healthcare. For low-income populations, barriers exist, yet limited data are available about the challenges and catalysts for adoption.Methods and ResultsWe partnered with a primary care center and a community organization and recruited patients to use a health app. A community health worker (CHW) consented participants, downloaded the app and instructed on its use, and provided ongoing technical support. Bi-weekly surveys for three months were sent via email/text to assess participant experiences and perceptions.The majority (81 of 108 [75.0%] English language-preferred and 50 of 52 [96.2%] Spanish language-preferred) of patients approached were enrolled. Common reasons for declining were: did not own a smartphone (13.8%), did not have email (20.7%), and not interested (58.6%). Enrollment challenges included: insufficient storage, unfamiliarity with downloading apps, forgotten passwords to email accounts, and slow/absent WiFi connection – which the CHW and the app company were able to address. Most participants, English and Spanish language-preferred respectively, were interested in monitoring their health through an app (74.4%; 70.4%), connecting devices such as FitBits© and blood pressure cuffs (78.9%; 50.0%), and being the owner of their health records (83.6%; 95.6%). There were concerns about sharing health information with research teams (66.7%; 51.9%), and data being sold (83.0%; 70.4%). However, many (58.6%; 87.2%) reported being likely to share health data with a trusted research team. Compared with before the study, most felt more comfortable using health apps (67.4%; 82.1%) and more likely to participate in research using apps (76.2%; 72.4%).ConclusionsThe assistance of a CHW facilitated the enrollment of low-income individuals in a mobile health app by fostering trust and sustained engagement. Participants were interested in having several app features. Despite concerns about data privacy, they demonstrated greater interest in mobile health app use and research participation at study conclusion.
Simulation of closed-loop deep brain stimulation control schemes for suppression of pathological beta oscillations in Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Fleming John E. , Dunn Eleanor , Lowery Madeleine M. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThis study presents a computational model of closed-loop control of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson’s disease (PD) to investigate clinically-viable control schemes for suppressing pathological beta-band activity. Closed-loop DBS for PD has shown promising results in preliminary clinical studies and offers the potential to achieve better control of patient symptoms and side effects with lower power consumption than conventional open-loop DBS. However, extensive testing of algorithms in patients is difficult. The model presented provides a means to explore a range of control algorithmsin silicoand optimize control parameters before preclinical testing. The model incorporates (i) the extracellular DBS electric field, (ii) antidromic and orthodromic activation of STN afferent fibers, (iii) the LFP detected at non-stimulating contacts on the DBS electrode and (iv) temporal variation of network beta-band activity within the thalamo-cortico-basal ganglia loop. The performance of on-off and dual-threshold controllers for suppressing beta-band activity by modulating the DBS amplitude were first verified, showing levels of beta suppression and reductions in power consumption comparable with previous clinical studies. Proportional (P) and proportional-integral (PI) closed-loop controllers for amplitude and frequency modulation were then investigated. A simple tuning rule was derived for selecting effective PI controller parameters to target long duration beta bursts while respecting clinical constraints that limit the rate of change of stimulation parameters. Of the controllers tested, PI controllers displayed superior performance for regulating network beta-band activity whilst accounting for clinical considerations. Proportional controllers resulted in undesirable rapid fluctuations of the DBS parameters which may exceed clinically tolerable rate limits. Overall, the PI controller for modulating DBS frequency performed best, reducing the mean error by 83% compared to DBS off and the mean power consumed to 25% of that utilized by open-loop DBS. The network model presented captures sufficient physiological detail to act as a surrogate for preclinical testing of closed-loop DBS algorithms using a clinically accessible biomarker, providing a first step for deriving and testing novel, clinically-suitable closed-loop DBS controllers.
Neurophysiological Correlates of the Dunning-Kruger Effect
Authors: Muller Alana , Sirianni Lindsey A. , Addante Richard J. 
Published: December 2019

Abstract.The Dunning-Kruger Effect (DKE) is a metacognitive phenomenon of illusory superiority in which individuals who perform poorly on a task believe they performed better than others, yet individuals who performed very well believe they under-performed compared to others. This phenomenon has yet to be directly explored in episodic memory, nor explored for reaction times or physiological correlates. We designed a novel method to elicit the DKE via a test of item recognition while electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. Throughout the task, participants were asked to estimate the percentile in which they performed compared to others. Results revealed participants in the bottom 25th percentile overestimated their percentile, while participants in the top 75th percentile underestimated their percentile, exhibiting the classic DKE. Reaction time measures revealed a condition x group interaction whereby over-estimators responded faster than under-estimators when estimating being in the top percentile and responded slower when estimating being in the bottom percentile.Between-group EEG differences were evident between over-estimators and under-estimators during Dunning-Kruger responses, which revealed FN400-like effects of familiarity supporting differences for over-estimators from 400-600 ms, whereas ‘old-new’ memory ERP effects revealed a late parietal component (LPC) associated with recollection-based processing from 600-900 ms for under-estimators that was not evident for over-estimators. Findings suggest over- and under-estimators use differing cognitive processes when assessing their performance, such that under-estimators rely on recollection during memory and over-estimators draw upon excess familiarity when over-estimating their performance. Episodic memory thus appears to play a contributory role in metacognitive judgments of illusory superiority and inferiority.Graphical AbstractEvent-related potentials (ERPS) were recorded for the Dunning-Kruger Effect as subjects made metacognitive judgments about performance on a memory task. Over- and Under-estimators exhibited a crossover interaction in response times when believing they did best and worst, respectively. A crossover pattern was also observed for ERPs: LPC signals of recollection were found for under-estimators, whereas familiarity-based FN400 effects were evident for over-estimators and correlated with estimates.
Game Theory Applications in Host-Microbe Interactions:Mycobacterium tuberculosisinfection as an example
Authors: Sharebiani H , Hajimiri S , Abbasnia S , Soleimanpour S , Asnaashari H , Valizadeh N , Derakhshan M , Pilpa R , Firouzeh A , Ghazvini K , Amel Jamehdar S , Rezaee SAR 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe game theory describes the interactions between two players and the pay-off from wining, losing or compromising.Mycobacterium tuberculosis(Mtb)-host interactions were used as an example for the application of the game theory to describe and predict the possibilities of victory for any players. The gene expression for eight main markers of host response and threeMtbvirulence factors were assessed in broncho-alveolar lavage of TB+and TB−patients. The game theory showed that a variety of paths exist that players can use, in response to the behaviour of the counterpart. Briefly, according to the “Nash equilibrium”, Ag85B is the main virulence factor forMtbin active phase, however it is the most immunogenic factor if the host can respond by high expression of T-bet and iNOS. In this situation,Mtbcan express high levels of ESAT-6 and CFP10 and change the game to the latency, in which host responses by medium expression of T-bet and iNOS and medium level of TGF-β and IDO. Consistently, The IDO expression was 134-times higher in TB+s than the TB−s, and the T-bet expression, ~200-times higher in the TB−s than the TB+s. Furthermore,Mtb-Ag85B had a strong positive association with CCR2, T-bet and iNOS, but had a negative correlation with IDO.
Spontaneous and automatic processing of magnitude and parity information of Arabic digits: A frequency-tagging EEG study
Authors: Guillaume Mathieu , Poncin Alexandre , Schiltz Christine , Van Rinsveld Amandine 
Published: December 2019

AbstractArabic digits (1-9) are everywhere in our daily lives. These symbols convey various semantic information, and numerate adults can easily extract from them several numerical features such as magnitude and parity. Nonetheless, since most studies used active processing tasks to assess these properties, it remains unclear whether and to what degree the access to magnitude and especially to parity is automatic. Here we investigated with EEG whether spontaneous processing of magnitude or parity can be recorded in a frequency-tagging approach, in which participants are passively stimulated by fast visual sequences of Arabic digits. We assessed automatic magnitude processing by presenting a stream of frequentsmalldigit numbers mixed with deviantlargedigits (and the reverse) with a sinusoidal contrast modulation at the frequency of 10 Hz. We used the same paradigm to investigate numerical parity processing, contrastingodddigits toevendigits. We found significant brain responses at the frequency of the fluctuating change and its harmonics, recorded on electrodes encompassing right occipitoparietal regions, in both conditions. Our findings indicate that both magnitude and parity are spontaneously and unintentionally extracted from Arabic digits, which supports that they are salient semantic features deeply associated to digit symbols in long-term memory.