bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Patient autonomy and participation in end-of-life decision-making: An interpretive-systemic focus group study on perspectives of Asian healthcare professionals
Authors: Dutta Oindrila , Lall Priya , Patinadan Paul Victor , Car Josip , Low Chan Kee , Tan Woan Shin , Ho Andy Hau Yan 
Published: November 2019

AbstractObjectivesAsia's first national advance care planning (ACP) program was established in Singapore in 2011 to enhance patient autonomy and self-determination in end-of-life (EoL) care decision-making. However, no known study has examined the extent to which ACP in Singapore successfully met its aims. The purpose of the current study was to examine the attitudes of local healthcare professionals on patients’ autonomy in decision-making at the EoL since they strongly influence the extent to which patient and family wishes are fulfilled.MethodsGuided by the Interpretive-Systemic Framework and Proctor's conceptual taxonomy of implementation research outcomes, an interview guide was developed. Inquiries focused on healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards ACP, their clinical experiences working with patients and families, and their views on program effectiveness. Sixty-three physicians, nurses, medical social workers, and designated ACP coordinators who were actively engaged in ACP facilitation were recruited from seven major hospitals and specialist centers in Singapore through purposive sampling. Twelve interpretive-systemic focus groups were conducted, recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a thematic analysis.ResultsThe extent to which patients in Singapore can exert autonomy in EoL care decision-making is influenced by five themes: (i) collusion over truth-telling to patient, (ii) deferment of autonomy by patients, (iii) negotiating patient self-determination, (iv) relational autonomy as the gold standard and (v) barriers to realization of patient choices.Significance of resultsHealthcare practitioners in Asian communities must align themselves with the values and needs of patients and their family and jointly make decisions that are consistent and congruent with the values of patients and their families. Sensitivity towards such cross-cultural practices is key to enhancing ACP awareness, discourse, and acceptability in Asian communities.
An examination of Latino-advanced cancer patients' and their informal caregivers' preferences for communication about advance care planning: A qualitative study
Authors: Shen Megan Johnson , Gonzalez Cyndi , Leach Benjamin , Maciejewski Paul K. , Kozlov Elissa , Prigerson Holly G. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractObjectivesLatino-advanced cancer patients engage in advance care planning (ACP) at lower rates than non-Latino patients. The goal of the present study was to understand patients' and caregivers' preferred methods of communicating about ACP.MethodsPatients and caregivers were interviewed about cultural, religious, and familial beliefs that influence engagement in ACP and preferences for ACP communication.ResultsFindings highlighted that Latino patients respect doctors' medical advice, prefer the involvement of family members in ACP discussions with doctors, hold optimistic religious beliefs (e.g., belief in miracles) that hinder ACP discussions, and prefer culturally competent approaches, such as using their native language, for learning how to discuss end-of-life (EoL) care preferences.Significance of resultsKey cultural, religious, and familial beliefs and dynamics influence Latino engagement in ACP. Patients prefer a family-centered, physician informed approach to discussing ACP with consideration and incorporation of their religious medical beliefs about EoL care. Promising targets for improving the communication of and engagement in ACP include integrating cultural and religious beliefs in ACP discussions, providing information about ACP from the physician, involving family members in ACP discussions and decision-making, and giving instructions on how to engage in ACP discussions.
Flaxseed and evening primrose oil slightly affect systolic and diastolic function of isolated heart in male but not in female rats
Authors: Andjic Marijana , Draginic Nevena , Radoman Kristina , Jeremic Jovana , Turnic Tamara Nikolic , Srejovic Ivan , Zivkovic Vladimir , Kovacevic Marija , Bolevich Sergey , Jakovljevic Vladimir 
Published: November 2019

Abstract. Considering that sex related differences in cardiac response to flaxseed (FSO) and evening primrose oil (EPO) are insufficiently known present investigation assessed the effect of these two oils, on the cardiac function of isolated rat hearts and the possible role of sex in this. The present study was carried out on 60 adult male Wistar albino rats randomly divided into 6 groups: male rats treated with EPO, dose of 10 mg/kg/day; female rats treated with EPO, dose of 10 mg/kg/day; male rats treated with FSO, dose of 300 mg/kg/day; female rats treated with FSO, dose of 300 mg/kg/day; control group of female rats treated with regular laboratory diet for animals; control group of male rats treated with regular laboratory diet for animals. Using the Langendorff technique, markers of the heart function were evaluated: the maximum and minimum rates of pressure development in the left ventricle (LV; dP/dtmax, dP/dtmin), systolic and diastolic left ventricular pressure (SLVP, DLVP, respectively), heart rate (HR) and coronary flow (CF). Male rats treated with EPO had significantly higher (p = 0.016) mean values of dP/dtmax, dP/dtmin, SLVP and DLVP (average increase for all CPPs 20%, 25%, 30% and 110%, respectively), compared to the group of male rats treated with FSO (p = 0.914). Our study results indicate that both types of PUFA oils only slightly changed the function of the isolated rat heart in male but not in female rats. Nevertheless, the difference between oil treatments was found in male rats who had stronger cardiac response after supplementation with EPO.
Export Flux, Biogeochemical Effects, and the Fate of a Terrestrial Carbonate System: From Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary to the East China Sea
Authors: Xiong Tian‐qi , Liu Peng‐fei , Zhai Wei‐dong , Bai Yan , Liu Dong , Qi Di , Zheng Nan , Liu Jin‐wen , Guo Xiang‐hui , Cheng Tian‐yu , Zhang Hai‐xia , Wang Song‐yin , He Xian‐qiang , Chen Jian‐fang , Li Ru 
Published: November 2019

AbstractSeasonal variations in the transports of total alkalinity (TAlk) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) from the Lower Changjiang (Yangtze) River/Estuary to the East China Sea were investigated based on a series of field surveys in 2015–2017, including monthly samplings at Datong Station and seasonal mapping cruises in the Changjiang Estuary and the adjacent northwestern East China Sea. In comparison with historical data sets, the Changjiang TAlk flux varied around a nearly stable average over the past 55 years. This is much different from some American rivers, where TAlk export fluxes increased for a century long. To assess effects of riverine carbonate inputs on coastal carbonate chemistry, we compared several cases showing freshwater‐dilution‐induced decline in coastal aragonite saturation state (Ωarag), including rainwater dilution and riverine water dilution. Without riverine carbonate inputs, the effect of a unit of salinity decrease (due to rainwater dilution) on Ωarag was expected to be counteracted by a DIC removal of 10 μmol/kg relative to the baseline value along relevant conservative mixing line, when coastal Ωarag was close to a critical value of 1.5. Considering terrestrial carbonate inputs from Changjiang, however, the freshwater‐dilution‐induced coastal Ωarag suppression decreased by 12%. Our data also showed that more than 10% of wet‐season DIC flux discharged from the Changjiang Estuary was sequestered by biological activities in nearshore areas, while the TAlk flux was rarely affected. This biological alteration effectively transformed the terrestrial carbonate system from a feature of DIC:TAlk >1.0 to the usual seawater feature of DIC:TAlk <0.9.
Retrieval of Aerosol Optical Depth Over North China From Polarized Satellite Observations Using Re‐derived Surface Properties
Authors: Wang Han , Zhao Meiru , Yang Leiku , Liu Pei , Du Weibing , Sun Xiaobing 
Published: November 2019

Key Points

We re‐derived the spectral relationships of surface polarized reflectance over north China
Aerosol optical depths over north China were retrieved from polarized satellite observations using the new relationships
The seasonal variation of vegetable surface is the main disturbance in aerosol retrieval
Investigation on the Distinct Nocturnal Secondary Sodium Layer Behavior Above 95 km in Winter and Summer Over Logan, UT (41.7°N, 112°W) and Arecibo Observatory, PR (18.3°N, 67°W)
Authors: Cai Xuguang , Yuan Tao , Eccles J. Vincent , Raizada Shika 
Published: November 2019

AbstractRecent studies reveal that the Secondary sodium layer (SeSL) occurs more frequently in summer than in winter at midlatitudes. However, the physical mechanism underlying such seasonal difference is still a mystery due to the complexity of the process that involves both chemistry and neutral dynamics. In this paper, we undertake a statistical study based on seven‐year Na lidar observations at Utah State University in Logan, Utah (41.7°N, 112°W), and 12‐year Na lidar observations at Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico (18.3°N, 67°W), along with a two‐dimensional numerical model simulations, to investigate the mechanism that drives such summer‐winter difference of the SeSL occurrence rate in the middle latitude. The numerical simulations reveal that the Na number density, width of the mesospheric Na main layer, and the behavior of Na+ all strongly influence the winter‐summer occurrence of the nocturnal SeSL at Utah State University. And this mechanism is also able to explain the winter‐summer SeSL difference over other midlatitude locations in China, and that observed in the mid‐low‐latitude station at Arecibo Observatory.
Quantifying the Effects of Nutrient Enrichment and Freshwater Mixing on Coastal Ocean Acidification
Authors: Rheuban Jennie E. , Doney Scott C. , McCorkle Daniel C. , Jakuba Rachel W. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThe U.S. Northeast is vulnerable to ocean and coastal acidification because of low alkalinity freshwater discharge that naturally acidifies the region, and high anthropogenic nutrient loads that lead to eutrophication in many estuaries. This study describes a combined nutrient and carbonate chemistry monitoring program in five embayments of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts to quantify the effects of nutrient loading and freshwater discharge on aragonite saturation state (Ω). Monitoring occurred monthly from June 2015 to September 2017 with higher frequency at two embayments (Quissett and West Falmouth Harbors) and across nitrogen loading and freshwater discharge gradients. The more eutrophic stations experienced seasonal aragonite undersaturation, and at one site, nearly every measurement collected was undersaturated. We present an analytical framework to decompose variability in aragonite Ω into components driven by temperature, salinity, freshwater endmember mixing, and biogeochemical processes. We observed strong correlations between apparent oxygen utilization and the portion of aragonite Ω variation that we attribute to biogeochemistry. The regression slopes were consistent with Redfield ratios of dissolved inorganic carbon and total alkalinity to dissolved oxygen. Total nitrogen and the contribution of biogeochemical processes to aragonite Ω were highly correlated, and this relationship was used to estimate the likely effects of nitrogen loading improvements on aragonite Ω. Under nitrogen loading reduction scenarios, aragonite Ω in the most eutrophic estuaries could be raised by nearly 0.6 units, potentially increasing several stations above the critical threshold of 1. This analysis provides a quantitative framework for incorporating ocean and coastal acidification impacts into regulatory and management discussions.
Comparison of Estimation Methods for a Nonstationary Index‐Flood Model in Flood Frequency Analysis Using Peaks Over Threshold
Authors: Durocher Martin , Burn Donald H. , Ashkar Fahim 
Published: November 2019

AbstractAccurate estimation of flood frequency is crucial for designing safe infrastructures. To reduce model uncertainty, threshold modeling techniques are often useful in bringing more valuable flood information into the analysis than traditional models based on annual maximum discharges. Due to climatic or anthropogenic causes, changes in flood magnitudes in many parts of the world have been observed and are expected to continue in the future. To characterize such changes, nonstationary models have focused on the modeling of stations with long records, but in practice such models may be needed to improve the evaluation of flood risk for stations having shorter records. In this study, a nonstationary index‐flood model for peaks over threshold is investigated to reduce model uncertainty. The assumption of an index‐flood model is used to define a probability structure that is stable in time. This allows to extend existing (stationary) procedures to automatically calibrate the proposed model in an at‐site and regional context. As part of this procedure, four estimators are investigated in a simulation study to determine which perform best in different situations. Two methods are based on the combination of regression techniques and L‐moments, while the other two methods employ likelihood‐based techniques. A case study of 425 stations in Canada is considered to verify if a nonstationary index‐flood model using pooling groups that combine stationary and nonstationary stations can reduce the uncertainty of design levels associated with a finite reference period.
Amphetamine disrupts haemodynamic correlates of prediction errors in nucleus accumbens and orbitofrontal cortex
Authors: Werlen Emilie , Shin Soon-Lim , Gastambide Francois , Francois Jennifer , Tricklebank Mark D. , Marston Hugh M. , Huxter John R. , Gilmour Gary , Walton Mark E. 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
In an uncertain world, the ability to predict and update the relationships between environmental cues and outcomes is a fundamental element of adaptive behaviour. This type of learning is typically thought to depend on prediction error, the difference between expected and experienced events and in the reward domain that has been closely linked to mesolimbic dopamine. There is also increasing behavioural and neuroimaging evidence that disruption to this process may be a cross-diagnostic feature of several neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders in which dopamine is dysregulated. However, the precise relationship between haemodynamic measures, dopamine and reward-guided learning remains unclear. To help address this issue, we used a translational technique, oxygen amperometry, to record haemodynamic signals in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), while freely moving rats performed a probabilistic Pavlovian learning task. Using a model-based analysis approach to account for individual variations in learning, we found that the oxygen signal in the NAc correlated with a reward prediction error, whereas in the OFC it correlated with an unsigned prediction error or salience signal. Furthermore, an acute dose of amphetamine, creating a hyperdopaminergic state, disrupted rats’ ability to discriminate between cues associated with either a high or a low probability of reward and concomitantly corrupted prediction error signalling. These results demonstrate parallel but distinct prediction error signals in NAc and OFC during learning, both of which are affected by psychostimulant administration. Furthermore, they establish the viability of tracking and manipulating haemodynamic signatures of reward-guided learning observed in human fMRI studies by using a proxy signal for BOLD in a freely behaving rodent.
Bioactuators based on stimulus-responsive hydrogels and their emerging biomedical applications
Authors: Shi Qiang , Liu Hao , Tang Deding , Li Yuhui , Li XiuJun , Xu Feng 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThe increasingly intimate bond connecting soft actuation devices and emerging biomedical applications is triggering the development of novel materials with superb biocompatibility and a sensitive actuation capability that can reliably function as bio-use-oriented actuators in a human-friendly manner. Stimulus-responsive hydrogels are biocompatible with human tissues/organs, have sufficient water content, are similar to extracellular matrices in structure and chemophysical properties, and are responsive to external environmental stimuli, and these materials have recently attracted massive research interest for fabricating bioactuators. The great potential of employing such hydrogels that respond to various stimuli (e.g., pH, temperature, light, electricity, and magnetic fields) for actuation purposes has been revealed by their performances in real-time biosensing systems, targeted drug delivery, artificial muscle reconstruction, and cell microenvironment engineering. In this review, the material selection of hydrogels with multiple stimulus-responsive mechanisms for actuator fabrication is first introduced, followed by a detailed introduction to and discussion of the most recent progress in emerging biomedical applications of hydrogel-based bioactuators. Final conclusions, existing challenges, and upcoming development prospects are noted in light of the status quo of bioactuators based on stimulus-responsive hydrogels.
Low temperature upregulates cwp expression and modifies alternative splicing patterns, increasing the severity of cwp-induced tomato fruit cuticular microfissures
Authors: Chechanovsky Noam , Hovav Ran , Frenkel Rina , Faigenboim Adi , Eselson Yelena , Petreikov Marina , Moy Michal , Shen Shmuel , Schaffer Arthur A. 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
The cwp (cuticular water permeability) gene controls the development of cuticular microfissuring and subsequent fruit dehydration in tomato. The gene underwent silencing in the evolution of the fleshy cultivated tomato but is expressed in the primitive wild tomato relatives. The introgression of the expressed allele from the wild S. habrochaites (cwph) into the cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leads to the phenotype of fruit water loss during and following ripening. In this report, we show that low temperature impacts on the severity of the cuticular microfissure phenotype via a combination of effects on both expression and alternative splicing of cwph. The cwp gene, comprising four exons and three introns, undergoes post-transcriptional alternative splicing processes, leading to seven alternative transcripts that differ in reading-frame lengths. Transgenic plants expressing each of the alternative transcripts identified the longest reading frame (VAR1) as the functional splice variant. Low temperature led to a strong upregulation of cwph expression, compounded by an increase in the relative proportion of the functional VAR1 transcript, leading to increased severity of microfissuring of the cuticle. In summary, we demonstrate the molecular mechanism behind the horticultural phenomenon of the low-temperature effect on cuticular microfissures in the dehydrating tomato.
Effective genome editing and identification of a regiospecific gallic acid 4-O-glycosyltransferase in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)
Authors: Chang Lijing , Wu Sheng , Tian Li 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) trees are woody perennials that bear colorful and nutritious fruits rich in phenolic metabolites, e.g., hydrolyzable tannins (HTs) and flavonoids. We here report genome editing and gene discovery in pomegranate hairy roots using Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) (CRISPR/Cas9), coupled with transcriptome and biochemical analyses. Single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) were designed to target two UDP-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs), PgUGT84A23 and PgUGT84A24, which possess overlapping activities in β-glucogallin (a galloylglucose ester; biosynthetic precursor of HTs) biosynthesis. A unique accumulation of gallic acid 3-O- and 4-O-glucosides (galloylglucose ethers) was observed in the PgUGT84A23 and PgUGT84A24 dual CRISPR/Cas9-edited lines (i.e., ugt84a23 ugt84a24) but not the control (empty vector) or PgUGT84A23/PgUGT84A24 single edited lines (ugt84a23 or ugt84a24). Transcriptome and real-time qPCR analyses identified 11 UGTs with increased expression in the ugt84a23 ugt84a24 hairy roots compared to the controls. Of the 11 candidate UGTs, only PgUGT72BD1 used gallic acid as substrate and produced a regiospecific product gallic acid 4-O-glucoside. This work demonstrates that the CRISPR/Cas9 method can facilitate functional genomics studies in pomegranate and shows promise for capitalizing on the metabolic potential of pomegranate for germplasm improvement.
Early anthropoid femora reveal divergent adaptive trajectories in catarrhine hind-limb evolution
Authors: Almécija Sergio , Tallman Melissa , Sallam Hesham M. , Fleagle John G. , Hammond Ashley S. , Seiffert Erik R. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThe divergence of crown catarrhines—i.e., the split of cercopithecoids (Old World monkeys) from hominoids (apes and humans)—is a poorly understood phase in our shared evolutionary history with other primates. The two groups differ in the anatomy of the hip joint, a pattern that has been linked to their locomotor strategies: relatively restricted motion in cercopithecoids vs. more eclectic movements in hominoids. Here we take advantage of the first well-preserved proximal femur of the early Oligocene stem catarrhine Aegyptopithecus to investigate the evolution of this anatomical region using 3D morphometric and phylogenetically-informed evolutionary analyses. Our analyses reveal that cercopithecoids and hominoids have undergone divergent evolutionary transformations of the proximal femur from a similar ancestral morphology that is not seen in any living anthropoid, but is preserved in Aegyptopithecus, stem platyrrhines, and stem cercopithecoids. These results highlight the relevance of fossil evidence for illuminating key adaptive shifts in primate evolution.
Expanding the limits of the second genetic code with ribozymes
Authors: Lee Joongoo , Schwieter Kenneth E. , Watkins Andrew M. , Kim Do Soon , Yu Hao , Schwarz Kevin J. , Lim Jongdoo , Coronado Jaime , Byrom Michelle , Anslyn Eric V. , Ellington Andrew D. , Moore Jeffrey S. , Jewett Michael C. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThe site-specific incorporation of noncanonical monomers into polypeptides through genetic code reprogramming permits synthesis of bio-based products that extend beyond natural limits. To better enable such efforts, flexizymes (transfer RNA (tRNA) synthetase-like ribozymes that recognize synthetic leaving groups) have been used to expand the scope of chemical substrates for ribosome-directed polymerization. The development of design rules for flexizyme-catalyzed acylation should allow scalable and rational expansion of genetic code reprogramming. Here we report the systematic synthesis of 37 substrates based on 4 chemically diverse scaffolds (phenylalanine, benzoic acid, heteroaromatic, and aliphatic monomers) with different electronic and steric factors. Of these substrates, 32 were acylated onto tRNA and incorporated into peptides by in vitro translation. Based on the design rules derived from this expanded alphabet, we successfully predicted the acylation of 6 additional monomers that could uniquely be incorporated into peptides and direct N-terminal incorporation of an aldehyde group for orthogonal bioconjugation reactions.