bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The adult guardianship dilemma in Hong Kong
Authors: Lee Rebecca 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Today, there is worldwide consensus that ageing has become an issue of global concern. The frail elderly, together with other vulnerable sections of the community, may turn to adult guardianship, a mechanism for planning for and the protection of individuals with cognitive impairment. There is, however, an inherent tension at the heart of the legal institution of adult guardianship: although it protects individuals with cognitive impairment from potential abuse and exploitation, that protection is often provided by subjecting individuals to the plenary authority of their guardians. Against this backdrop, this article critically examines the struggle with the tension within the adult guardianship regime in Hong Kong and, drawing on reforms in major jurisdictions with long-standing experience of guardianship experimentation, explores the features of a guardianship system that tackles this dilemma.
Modulation of the metabolic response using dexamethasone in beef steers vaccinated with a multivalent respiratory vaccine1
Authors: Burdick Sanchez Nicole C , Carroll Jeffery A , May Nathan D , Hughes Heather D , Roberts Shelby L , Broadway Paul R , Ballou Michael A , Richeson John T 
Published: October 2019

AbstractAvailable energy plays a critical role in the initiation and maintenance of an immune response to a pathogen, a process that is further altered by activation of the stress system. This study was designed to determine the effect of an acute vs chronic stress model on the metabolic response to vaccination in naïve beef steers. Steers (n = 32; 209 ± 8 kg) were blocked by body weight (BW) and randomly assigned to one of three treatments: 1) Chronic stress (CHR), 0.5 mg/kg BW dexamethasone (DEX) administered i.v. at 1000 h on day 3 to day 0; 2) Acute stress (ACU), 0.5 mg/kg BW DEX administered i.v. at 1000 h on day 0 only; or 3) Control (CON), no DEX. On day −4, steers were fitted with jugular vein catheters and moved into individual bleeding stalls in an environmentally-controlled facility. Blood samples were collected at −74, −50, and −26 h, at 0.5-h intervals from −4 to 6 h, and at 12, 24, 36, 48, and 72 h relative to vaccination with a combination vaccine (Pyramid 5 + Presponse SQ, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA, Duluth, GA) at 1200 h on day 0. Data were analyzed by the MIXED procedure of SAS specific for repeated measures. There was a treatment × time interaction (P &lt; 0.001) for serum glucose concentrations. Specifically, glucose concentrations increased at −50 h in CHR steers and at 1200 h in ACU steers and remained elevated through 72 h postvaccination period in these two treatments compared to CON steers. The change in nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations relative to baseline values was affected by treatment and time (P &lt; 0.001) such that the change in NEFA was greater in CHR (0.06 ± 0.01 mmol/L), followed by CON (−0.01 ± 0.01 mmol/L) and ACU steers (−0.04 ± 0.01 mmol/L). There was a tendency (P = 0.08) for a treatment × time interaction for change in serum NEFA concentrations. Serum urea nitrogen (SUN) was affected by treatment and time (P &lt; 0.001) such that SUN concentrations were greatest in CHR (12.0 ± 0.1 mg/dL) followed by ACU (10.4 ± 0.1 mg/dL) and CON steers (9.6 ± 0.1 mg/dL); however, the treatment × time interaction was not significant (P = 0.12). These data demonstrate that activation of the stress and immune axes using an acute or chronic stress model can increase energy mobilization prior to and following vaccination in naïve steers, potentially affecting available energy needed to mount an adequate antibody response to vaccination.
Use of barley or corn silage when fed with barley, corn, or a blend of barley and corn on growth performance, nutrient utilization, and carcass characteristics of finishing beef cattle
Authors: Johnson Jordan A , Sutherland Brittney D , McKinnon John J , McAllister Tim A , Penner Gregory B 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the source of silage, cereal grain, and their interaction on growth performance, digestibility, and carcass characteristics of finishing beef cattle. Using a completely randomized design within an 89-d finishing study, 288 steers were randomly assigned to 1 of 24 pens (12 steers/pen) with average steer body weight (BW) within a pen of 464 kg ± 1.7 kg (mean ± SD). Diets were arranged in a 2 × 3 factorial with corn silage (CS) or barley silage (BS) included at 8% (dry matter [DM] basis). Within each silage source, diets contained dry-rolled barley grain (BG; 86% of DM), dry-rolled corn grain (CG; 85% of DM), or an equal blend of BG and CG (BCG; 85% of DM). Total tract digestibility of nutrients was estimated from fecal samples using near-infrared spectroscopy. Data were analyzed with pen as the experimental unit using the Mixed Model of SAS with the fixed effects of silage, grain, and the two-way interaction. Carcass and fecal kernel data were analyzed using GLIMMIX utilizing the same model. There were no interactions detected between silage and grain source. Feeding CG increased (P &lt; 0.01) DM intake by 0.8 and 0.6 kg/d relative to BG and BCG, respectively. Gain-to-feed ratio was greater (P = 0.04) for BG (0.172 kg/kg) than CG (0.162 kg/kg) but did not differ from BCG (0.165 kg/kg). Furthermore, average daily gain (2.07 kg/d) and final body weight did not differ among treatments (P ≥ 0.25). Hot carcass weight (HCW) was 6.2 kg greater (372.2 vs. 366.0 kg; P &lt; 0.01) and dressing percentage was 0.57 percentage units greater (59.53 vs. 58.96 %; P = 0.04) for steers fed CS than BS, respectively. There was no effect of dietary treatment on the severity of liver abscesses (P ≥ 0.20) with 72.0% of carcasses having clear livers, 24.4% with minor liver abscesses, and 3.6% with severe liver abscesses. Digestibility of DM, organic matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, and starch were greater for BG (P &lt; 0.01) than CG or BCG. As expected, grain source affected the appearance of grain kernels in the feces (P ≤ 0.04). Feeding CS silage increased the appearance of fractured corn kernels (P = 0.04), while feeding BS increased fiber appearance in the feces (P = 0.02). Current results indicate that when dry rolled, feeding BG resulted in improved performance and digestibility compared with CG and BCG. Even at low inclusion levels (8% of DM), CS resulted in improved carcass characteristics relative to BS.
Examining the association between religiosity and medical mistrust among churchgoing Latinos in Long Beach, CA
Authors: López-Cevallos Daniel F , Flórez Karen R , Derose Kathryn P 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Medical mistrust among racial/ethnic minorities has been associated with decreases in health care utilization, whereas religiosity has been separately linked with increases in this behavior. However, very few studies have examined the relationship between religiosity and medical mistrust among Latinos, a group with strong religious connections and potentially high mistrust. In-person, self-administered surveys were collected among 767 adult Latinos attending three Latino churches (one Catholic and two Pentecostal) in Long Beach, CA. Measures included a previously validated 12-item medical mistrust scale, religiosity (religious denomination, length and frequency of attendance, and number of groups or ministries involved in), health care access, and sociodemographic factors. Medical mistrust score was 2.47 (standard deviation [SD] = 0.77; range 1–5). Almost two-thirds of participants (62%) attended religious services frequently (once a week or more), and the majority attended a Catholic church (80%). About half of the participants had attended their church for ≥5 years (50%) and participated in one to two church groups or ministries (53%). Multivariable analyses show that Pentecostal church congregation and those identifying as Mexican/Chicano were negatively associated with medical mistrust. On the contrary, participating in church groups or ministries and having an immigrant parent were positively associated with medical mistrust. Our findings suggest that church-based health initiatives should consider church denomination, length of attendance, participation in groups or ministries, and ethnic differences to address medical mistrust issues among Latino congregants.
Booms, Busts, and Household Enterprise: Evidence from Coffee Farmers in Tanzania
Authors: Adhvaryu Achyuta , Kala Namrata , Nyshadham Anant 
Published: October 2019

AbstractSmallholder agricultural commodity suppliers in developing countries are often vulnerable to global commodity price fluctuations. Using panel data on farmers from an area of Tanzania where most farmers grow coffee, this study finds that global coffee prices matter for household outcomes, through their effects on farmgate prices, coffee sales and revenues, and household expenditures. The article documents that households cope with coffee price busts by increasing enterprise ownership, an effect that is greater for households without access to other means of coping. Comparisons of mean outcomes of enterprises operated by coper households (which operated an enterprise only in periods of low coffee price) with those of stayer households (which operated an enterprise throughout the sample period) indicate that the former are less likely to be profitable or to hire workers.
Biomes, geology and past climate drive speciation of laminate-toothed rats on South African mountains (Murinae: Otomys)
Authors: Taylor Peter John , Kearney Teresa , Dalton Desire Lee , Chakona Gamuchirai , Kelly Christopher M R , Barker Nigel P 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Mitochondrial DNA sequences (1137 bp) of the cytochrome b gene and craniodental and craniometric data were used to investigate the evolutionary relationships of six putative rodent taxa of Otomys (family Muridae: subfamily Murinae: tribe Otomyini) co-occurring in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. Phylogenetic analysis of 20 new sequences together with craniodental and craniometric characters of 94 adult skulls reveal the existence of a unique lineage of Otomys cf. karoensis (named herein Otomys willani sp. nov.) from the Sneeuberg Centre of Floristic Endemism in the southern Drakensberg Mountain Range. Craniometric analysis distinguished O. karoensis from O. willani and identified a further four localities in the range of the latter species. We document southern range extensions of both Sloggett’s ice rat, Otomys sloggetti, and the vlei rat Otomys auratus to the Sneeuberg Mountain Range, in addition to appreciable genetic divergence between Sneeuberg and southern and central Drakensberg populations of O. sloggetti. Our results demonstrate parallel patterns of cryptic speciation in two co-occurring species complexes (Otomys irroratus s.l. and O. karoensis s.l.) associated closely with the boundaries of biomes (fynbos vs. grassland biomes) and geological formations (Cape Fold Belt vs. Great Escarpment).
The weakest link: uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of extinction probability estimates for tsetse (Glossina spp) populations
Authors: Are Elisha B. , Hargrove John W. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractBackgroundA relatively simple life history allows us to derive an expression for the extinction probability of populations of tsetse, vectors of African sleeping sickness. We present the uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of extinction probability for tsetse population, to offer key insights into parameters in the control/eradication of tsetse populations.MethodsWe represent tsetse population growth as a branching process, and derive closed form estimates of population extinction from that model. Statistical and mathematical techniques are used to analyse the uncertainties in estimating extinction probability, and the sensitivity of the extinction probability to changes in input parameters representing the natural life history and vital dynamics of tsetse populations.ResultsFor fixed values of input parameters, the sensitivity of extinction probability depends on the baseline parameter values. For example, extinction probability is more sensitive to the probability that a female is inseminated by a fertile male when daily pupal mortality is low, whereas the extinction probability is more sensitive to daily mortality rate for adult females when daily pupal mortality, and extinction probabilities, are high. Global uncertainty and sensitivity analysis showed that daily mortality rate for adult females has the highest impact on the extinction probability.ConclusionsThe strong correlation between extinction probability and daily female adult mortality gives a strong argument that control techniques to increase daily female adult mortality may be the single most effective means of ensuring eradication of tsetse population.Author summaryTsetse flies (Glossina spp) are vectors of Trypanosomiasis, a deadly disease commonly called sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in livestock. The relatively simple life history of tsetse enabled us to model its population growth as a stochastic branching process. We derived a closed-form expression for the probability that a population of tsetse goes extinct, as a function of death, birth, development and insemination rates in female tsetse. We analyzed the sensitivity of the extinction probability to the different input parameters, in a bid to identify parameters with the highest impact on extinction probability. This information can, potentially, inform policy direction for tsetse control/elimination. In all the scenarios we considered, the daily mortality rate for adult females has the greatest impact on the magnitude of extinction probability. Our findings suggest that the mortality rate in the adult females is the weakest link in tsetse life history, and this fact should be exploited in achieving tsetse population control, or even elimination.
Diotic and dichotic frequency discrimination thresholds in musicians and non-musicians: relationships between perception, musical ability and self-evaluated competence
Authors: Musacchia Gabriella , Inabinet Devin , De La Cruz Jan , Cha Justin , Ng Kevin 
Published: October 2019

AbstractPitch perception provides important information for musical and vocal communication. Numerous studies have shown that musical training and expertise are associated with better pitch processing, however, it is unclear what types of pitch percepts are plastic with music training. The current study addresses this issue by measuring discrimination thresholds of Musicians (n=20) and Non-musicians (n=18) to diotic (same sound to both ears) and dichotic (different sounds to each ear) stimuli created from four types of acoustic computations:1) pure sinusoidal tones, PT; 2) four-harmonic complex tones, CT; 3) iterated rippled noise, IRN; and 4) interaurally correlated broadband noise, called “Huggins” or “dichotic” pitch sounds, DP. Frequency Difference Limens (DLF) in each condition were obtained via a 3-alternative-forced-choice adaptive task requiring selection of the interval with the highest pitch, yielding the smallest perceptible fundamental frequency (F0) distance (in Hz) between two sounds. Music skill was measured by an online test of musical Pitch, Melody and Timing (International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research, https://www.brams.org/en/onlinetest/). Musicianship, length of music experience and self-evaluation of musical skill were assessed by questionnaire. Results showed musicians had smaller DLFs in all four conditions and that thresholds were related to subjective and objective musical ability. In addition, self-report of musical ability was shown to be a significant variable in group classification, suggesting that the neurobehavioral profile of musicians includes self-evaluation of musical competence.
A Complex Regulatory Landscape Involved In The Development Of External Genitals
Authors: Amândio Ana Rita , Lopez-Delisle Lucille , Bolt Christopher Chase , Mascrez Bénédicte , Duboule Denis 
Published: October 2019

ABSTRACTIn vertebrates, developmental genes are often controlled by large regulatory landscapes matching the dimensions of topologically associating domains (TADs). In various ontogenic contexts, the associated constitutive chromatin backbone is modified by fine-tuned specific variations in enhancer-enhancer and enhancer-promoter interaction profiles. In this work, we take one of the TADs flanking theHoxDgene cluster as a paradigm to address the question of how these complex regulatory architectures are formed and how they are de-constructed once their function has been achieved. We suggest that this TAD can be considered as a coherent functional unit in itself, with several regulatory sequences acting together to elicit a transcriptional response. With one notable exception, the deletion of each of these sequences in isolation did not produce any substantial modification in the global transcriptional outcome of the system, a result at odds with a conventional view of long-range enhancer function. Likewise, both the deletion and inversion of a supposedly critical CTCF site located in a region rich in such sequences did not affect transcription of the target gene. In the latter case, however, slight modifications were observed in interaction profilesin vivoin agreement with the loop extrusion model, despite no apparent functional consequences. We discuss these unexpected results by considering both conventional explanations and an alternative possibility whereby a rather unspecific accumulation of particular factors within the TAD backbone may have a global impact upon transcription.
Integrative Modeling of a Sin3/HDAC Complex Sub-structure
Authors: Banks Charles A. S. , Zhang Ying , Miah Sayem , Hao Yan , Adams Mark K. , Wen Zhihui , Thornton Janet L. , Florens Laurence , Washburn Michael P. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractSin3/HDAC complexes function by deacetylating histones, which makes chromatin more compact and modulates gene expression. Although components used to build these complexes have been well defined, we still have only a limited understanding of the structure of the Sin3/HDAC subunits as they are assembled around the scaffolding protein SIN3A. To characterize the spatial arrangement of Sin3 subunits, we combined Halo affinity capture, chemical cross-linking and high-resolution mass spectrometry (XL-MS) to determine intersubunit distance constraints, identifying 66 high-confidence interprotein and 63 high-confidence self cross-links for 13 Sin3 subunits. To validate our XL-MS data, we first mapped self cross-links onto existing structures to verify that cross-link distances were consistent with cross-linker length and subsequently deleted crosslink hotspot regions within the SIN3A scaffolding protein which then failed to capture crosslinked partners. Having assessed cross-link authenticity, we next used distance restraints from interprotein cross-links to guide assembly of a Sin3 complex substructure. We identified the relative positions of subunits SAP30L, HDAC1, SUDS3, HDAC2, and ING1 around the SIN3A scaffold. The architecture of this subassembly suggests that multiple factors have space to assemble to collectively influence the behavior of the catalytic subunit HDAC1.
Liquid-like and rigid-body motions in molecular-dynamics simulations of a crystalline protein
Authors: Wych David C. , Fraser James S. , Mobley David L. , Wall Michael E. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractTo gain insight into crystalline protein dynamics, we performed molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations of a periodic 2×2×2 supercell of staphylococcal nuclease. We used the resulting MD trajectories to simulate X-ray diffraction and to study collective motions. The agreement of simulated X-ray diffraction with the data is comparable to previous MD simulation studies. We studied collective motions by analyzing statistically the covariance of alpha-carbon position displacements. The covariance decreases exponentially with the distance between atoms, which is consistent with a liquid-like motions (LLM) model, in which the protein behaves like a soft material. To gain finer insight into the collective motions, we examined the covariance behavior within a protein molecule (intra-protein) and between different protein molecules (inter-protein). The inter-protein atom pairs, which dominate the overall statistics, exhibit LLM behavior; however, the intra-protein pairs exhibit behavior that is consistent with a superposition of LLM and rigid-body motions (RBM). Our results indicate that LLM behavior of global dynamics is present in MD simulations of a protein crystal. They also show that RBM behavior is detectable in the simulations but that it is subsumed by the LLM behavior. Finally the results provide clues about how correlated motions of atom pairs both within and across proteins might manifest in diffraction data. Overall our findings increase our understanding of the connection between molecular motions and diffraction data, and therefore advance efforts to extract information about functionally important motions from crystallography experiments.
Interactions of encoding and decoding problems to understand motor control
Authors: Wen Shixian , Yin Allen , Zheng Li , Itti Laurent 
Published: October 2019

AbstractLearning a map from movement to neural data (Encoding Problem) and vice versa (Decoding Problem) are crucial to understanding motor control. A principled encoding model that understands underlying neural dynamics can help better solve the decoding problem. Here, we develop a new generative encoding model leveraging deep learning that autonomously captures neural dynamics. After training, the model can synthesize spike trains given any observed kinematics, under the guidance of the learned neural dynamics. When neural data from other sessions or subjects are limited, synthesized spike trains can improve cross-session and cross-subject decoding performance of a Brain Computer Interface decoder. For cross-subject, even with ample data for both subjects, neural dynamics learned from a previous subject can transfer useful knowledge that improves the best achievable decoding performance for the new subject. The approach is general and fully data-driven, and hence could apply to neuroscience encoding and decoding problems beyond motor control.
Cleavage, down-regulation and aggregation of serum amyloid A
Authors: Wang Wenhua , Khatua Prabir , Hansmann Ulrich H.E. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractVarious diseases cause over-expression of the serum amyloid A protein (SAA), which leads in some, but not all, cases to amyloidosis as a secondary disease. The response to the over-expression involves dissociation of SAA hexamer and subsequent cleavage of the released monomers, most commonly yielding fragments SAA1−76 of the full-sized SAA1−104. We report results from molecular dynamic simulations that probe the role of this cleavage for down-regulating activity and the concentration of SAA. We propose a mechanism that relies on two elements. First, the probability to assemble into hexamers is lower for the fragments than it is for the full-sized protein. Second, unlike other fragments SAA1−76 can switch between two distinct configurations. The first kind is easy to proteolyze (allowing a fast reduction of SAA concentration) but prone to aggregation, while the situation is opposite for the second kind. If the time scale for amyloid formation is longer than the one for proteolysis, the aggregation-prone species dominates. However, if environmental conditions such as low pH increase the risk of amyloid formation, the ensemble shifts toward the more protected form. We speculate that SAA amyloidosis is a failure of the switching mechanism leading to accumulation of the aggregation-prone species and subsequent amyloid formation.