bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Measurement ofKlebsiellaIntestinal Colonization Density to Assess Infection Risk
Authors: Sun Yuang , Patel Alieysa , SantaLucia John , Roberts Emily , Zhao Lili , Kaye Keith S. , Rao Krishna , Bachman Michael A. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBackgroundKlebsiella pneumoniaeand closely related speciesK. variicolaandK. quasipneumoniaeare common causes of healthcare-associated infections, and patients frequently become infected with their intestinal colonizing strain. To assess the association betweenKlebsiellacolonization density and subsequent infections, a case-control study was performed.MethodsA multiplex qPCR assay was developed and validated to quantifyKlebsiella (K. pneumoniae, K. variicola, and K. quasipneumoniaecombined) relative to total bacterial DNA copies in rectal swabs. Cases ofKlebsiellainfection were identified based on clinical definitions and having a clinical culture isolate and preceding or co-incident colonization isolate with the samewzicapsular sequence type. Controls were colonized patients without subsequent infection and were matched 2:1 to cases based on age, sex, and rectal swab collection date. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) from rectal swab samples was used to measure the association between relative abundance (RA) ofKlebsiellaand subsequent infections.ResultsKlebsiellaRA by qPCR highly correlated with 16S sequencing (ρ=0.79;P<.001). The medianKlebsiellaRA in the study group was 2.6% (interquartile range (IQR) 0.1-22.5, n=238), and was higher in cases (15.7%, IQR 0.93-52.6%, n=83) than controls (1.01%, IQR 0.02-12.8%; n=155;P<0.0001). After adjusting for multiple clinical covariates using inverse probability of treatment weighting, subjects with aKlebsiellaRA > 22% had a 2.87-fold (1.64-5.03,P=0.0003) increased odds of infection compared to those with lower colonization density levels.ConclusionsMeasurement of colonization density by qPCR could represent a novel approach to identify hospitalized patients at risk forKlebsiellainfection.ImportanceColonization by bacterial pathogens often precedes infection, and offers a window of opportunity to prevent these infections.Klebsiellacolonization is significantly and reproducibly associated with subsequent infection, however factors that enhance or mitigate this risk in individual patients are unclear. This study developed an assay to measure the density ofKlebsiellacolonization, relative to total fecal bacteria, in rectal swabs from hospitalized patients. Applying this assay to 238 colonized patients, highKlebsielladensity defined as >22% of total bacteria, was significantly associated with subsequent infection. Based on widely available polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology, this type of assay could be deployed in clinical laboratories to identify patients at increased risk ofKlebsiellainfections. As novel therapeutics are developed to eliminate pathogens from the gut microbiome, a rapidKlebsiellacolonization density assay could identify patients who would benefit from this type of infection prevention interventions.
Tdrd3 regulates the progression of meiosis II through translational control ofEmi2mRNA in mouse oocytes
Authors: Takei Natsumi , Sato Keisuke , Takada Yuki , Iyyappan Rajan , Susor Andrej , Yamamoto Takehiro , Kotani Tomoya 
Published: February 2021

ABSTRACTAfter completion of meiosis I, the oocyte immediately enters meiosis II and forms a metaphase II (MII) spindle without an interphase, which is fundamental for generating a haploid gamete. Here, we identify tudor domain-containing protein 3 (Tdrd3) as a novel regulator of oocyte meiosis. Although early mitotic inhibitor 2 (Emi2) protein has been shown to ensure the meiosis I to II transition and the subsequent MII spindle formation by inhibiting the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), how it accumulates after meiosis I has remained unresolved. We isolated Tdrd3 as a protein directly binding toEmi2mRNA. In GV-stage mouse oocytes,Emi2mRNA assembled into RNA granules containing Tdrd3, while cyclin B1 mRNA, which was translated in early meiosis I, formed different granules. Knockdown of Tdrd3 attenuated Emi2 synthesis in meiosis II without affecting cyclin B1 synthesis in meiosis I. Moreover, Tdrd3-deficient oocytes entered interphase and failed to form an MII spindle after completion of meiosis I. Taken together, our results indicate the importance of Tdrd3-mediated translational control ofEmi2mRNA, which promotes Emi2 synthesis in meiosis II, for the progression of meiosis.
Metagenome-derived virus-microbe ratios across ecosystems
Authors: López-García Purificación , Gutiérrez-Preciado Ana , Krupovic Mart , Ciobanu Maria , Deschamps Philippe , Jardillier Ludwig , López-Pérez Mario , Rodríguez-Valera Francisco , Moreira David 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIt is generally assumed that viruses outnumber cells on Earth by at least tenfold. Virus-to-microbe ratios (VMR) are largely based on counts of fluorescently labelled virus-like particles. However, these exclude intracellular viruses and potentially include false positives (DNA-containing vesicles, gene-transfer agents, unspecifically stained inert particles). Here, we develop a metagenome-based VMR estimate (mVRM) that accounts for DNA viruses across all stages of their replication cycles (virion, intracellular lytic and lysogenic) by using normalised RPKM (reads per kilobase of gene sequence per million of mapped metagenome reads) counts of the major capsid protein (MCP) genes and cellular universal single-copy genes (USCGs) as proxies for virus and cell counts, respectively. After benchmarking this strategy using mock metagenomes with increasing VMR, we inferred mVMR across different biomes. To properly estimate mVMR in aquatic ecosystems, we generated metagenomes from co-occurring cellular and viral fractions (>50 kDa-200 µm size-range) in freshwater, seawater and solar saltern ponds (10 metagenomes, 2 control metaviromes). Viruses outnumbered cells in freshwater by ∼13 fold and in plankton from marine and saline waters by ∼2-4 fold. However, across an additional set of 121 diverse non-aquatic metagenomes including microbial mats, microbialites, soils, freshwater and marine sediments and metazoan-associated microbiomes, viruses, on average, outnumbered cells by barely two-fold. Although viruses likely are the most diverse biological entities on Earth, their global numbers might be closer to those of cells than previously estimated.
Cerebellar modulation of fear behaviour and memory encoding in the PAG
Authors: Lawrenson CL , Paci E , Pickford J , Drake RAR , Lumb BM , Apps R 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe pivotal role of the periaqueductal grey (PAG) in fear learning is reinforced by the identification of neurons in rat ventral PAG (vPAG) that encode fear memory through signalling the onset and offset of an auditory conditioned stimulus during presentation of the unreinforced conditioned tone during retrieval. Some units only display CS+ onset or offset responses and the two signals differ in extinction sensitivity, suggesting they are independent of each other. In addition, understanding cerebellar contributions to survival circuits is advanced by the discovery that: (i) reversible inactivation of the medial cerebellar nucleus (MCN) during fear consolidation leads in subsequent retrieval to: (a) disruption of the temporal precision of vPAG offset, but not onset responses to the unreinforced conditioned tone, and (b) an increase in duration of freezing behaviour. And (ii) chemogenetic manipulation of the MCN-vPAG projection during fear acquisition: (a) reduces the occurrence of fear- related ultrasonic vocalisations and (b) during subsequent retrieval, slows the extinction rate of fear- related freezing. These findings show that the cerebellum is part of the survival network that regulates fear memory processes at multiple timescales and in multiple ways; raising the possibility that dysfunctional interactions in the cerebellar-survival network may underlie fear-related disorders and comorbidities.Impact StatementCerebellar-periaqueductal grey interactions contribute to fear conditioned processes and, as such, provide a novel target for treating psychological conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder.
AnHB40-Jungbrunnen1-GA 2-OXIDASEregulatory module for gibberellin homeostasis in Arabidopsis
Authors: Dong Shuchao , Tarkowska Danuse , Sedaghatmehr Mastoureh , Molochko Maryna , Gupta Saurabh , Mueller-Roeber Bernd , Balazadeh Salma 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe phytohormones gibberellins (GAs) play fundamental roles in almost every aspect of plant growth and development. Although there is good knowledge about GA biosynthetic and signaling pathways, factors contributing to the mechanisms homeostatically controlling GA levels remain largely unclear. Here, we demonstrate that homeobox transcription factor HB40 of the HD-Zip family inArabidopsis thalianaregulates GA content at two additive control levels. We show thatHB40expression is induced by GA and in turn reduces the levels of endogenous bioactive GAs by a simultaneous reduction of GA biosynthesis and increased GA deactivation. Hence,HB40overexpression leads to typical GA-deficiency traits, such as small rosettes, reduced plant height, delayed flowering, and male sterility. In contrast, a loss-of-functionhb40mutation enhances GA-controlled growth. Genome-wide RNA-sequencing combined with molecular-genetic analyses revealed that HB40 directly activates transcription ofJUNGBRUNNEN1(JUB1), a key TF repressing growth by suppressing GA biosynthesis and signaling. HB40 also represses genes encoding GA 2-oxidases (GA2oxs) which are major GA catabolic enzymes. The effect of HB40 is ultimately mediated through induction of nuclear growth-repressing DELLA proteins. Our results thus uncover an important role of the HB40/JUB1/GA2ox/DELLA network in controlling GA homeostasis during plant growth.
Optimization of cloud load balancing using fitness function and duopoly theory
Authors: Resma KS , Sharvani GS , Somula Ramasubbareddy 
Published: February 2021

PurposeCurrent industrial scenario is largely dependent on cloud computing paradigms. On-demand services provided by cloud data centre are paid as per use. Hence, it is very important to make use of the allocated resources to the maximum. The resource utilization is highly dependent on the allocation of resources to the incoming request. The allocation of requests is done with respect to the physical machines present in the datacenter. While allocating the tasks to these physical machines, it needs to be allocated in such a way that no physical machine is underutilized or over loaded. To make sure of this, optimal load balancing is very important.Design/methodology/approachThe paper proposes an algorithm which makes use of the fitness functions and duopoly game theory to allocate the tasks to the physical machines which can handle the resource requirement of the incoming tasks. The major focus of the proposed work is to optimize the load balancing in a datacenter. When optimization happens, none of the physical machine is neither overloaded nor under-utilized, hence resulting in efficient utilization of the resources.FindingsThe performance of the proposed algorithm is compared with different existing load balancing algorithms such as round-robin load (RR) ant colony optimization (ACO), artificial bee colony (ABC) with respect to the selected parameters response time, virtual machine migrations, host shut down and energy consumption. All the four parameters gave a positive result when the algorithm is simulated.Originality/valueThe contribution of this paper is towards the domain of cloud load balancing. The paper is proposing a novel approach to optimize the cloud load balancing process. The results obtained show that response time, virtual machine migrations, host shut down and energy consumption are reduced in comparison to few of the existing algorithms selected for the study. The proposed algorithm based on the duopoly function and fitness function brings in an optimized performance compared to the four algorithms analysed.
The impostor syndrome: language barriers in organizational ethnography
Authors: Rosales Virginia 
Published: February 2021

PurposeThe use of organizational ethnography has grown significantly during the past decades. While language is an important component of ethnographic research, the challenges associated with language barriers are rarely discussed in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to open up a discussion on language barriers in organizational ethnography.Design/methodology/approachThe author draws on her experience as a PhD student doing an organizational ethnography of an emergency department in a country where she initially did not speak the local language.FindingsThe paper examines the author's research process, from access negotiation to presentation of findings, illustrating the language barriers encountered doing an ethnography in parallel to learning the local language in Sweden.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper calls for awareness of the influence of the ethnographer's language skills and shows the importance of discussing this in relation to how we teach and learn ethnography, research practice and diversity in academia.Originality/valueThe paper makes three contributions to organizational ethnography. First, it contributes to the insider/outsider debate by nuancing the ethnographer's experience. Second, it answers calls for transparency by presenting a personal ethnographic account. Third, it contributes to developing the methodology by offering tips to deal with language barriers in doing ethnography abroad.
Uniportal versus three‐port video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery for non‐small cell lung cancer: A retrospective study
Authors: Li Tian , Xia Lin , Wang Jun , Xu Shibin , Sun Xiaohui , Xu Meiqing , Xie Mingran 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBackgroundTo investigate the uniportal video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) technique and safety of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with uniportal and three‐port VATS.MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated 146 consecutive patients with NSCLC who underwent VATS lobectomy between January 2018 and May 2018. The general clinical date, perioperative data and life quality were individually compared and analyzed between the two groups.ResultsIntraoperative blood loss was significantly lower in the uniportal than in the three‐port group (p = 0.035), and significantly shorter chest tube drainage and postoperative hospital stay durations were found in the uniportal than in the three‐port group (p = 0.022 and p = 0.008). The postoperative 24 and 72 h numerical rating scale (NRS) scores were significantly lower in the uniportal group than in the three‐port group (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the number or stations of total lymph node dissected (p = 0.222 and p = 0.159). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the postoperative total or respiratory complications (p = 0.917 and p = 0.930).ConclusionsUniportal VATS is a safe and effective alternative for patients with NSCLC. It is a preferable option for appropriate cases as it is conducive to patients’ postoperative recovery and quality of life.
Phosphatidylethanol as Blood Biomarker of Alcohol Consumption in Early Pregnancy: An Observational Study in 4,067 Pregnant Women
Authors: Finanger Trine , Spigset Olav , Gråwe Rolf W. , Andreassen Trine N. , Løkken Trine N. , Aamo Trond O. , Bratt Guro E. , Tømmervik Kristin , Langaas Vibeke S. , Finserås Kristin , Salvesen Kjell Å.B. , Skråstad Ragnhild B. 
Published: February 2021

BackgroundThe teratogenic effects of alcohol are well documented, but there is a lack of screening methods to detect alcohol use during pregnancy. Phosphatidylethanol 16:0/18:1 (PEth) is a specific and sensitive biomarker reflecting alcohol intake up to several weeks after consumption. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of positive PEth values as an indicator of early prenatal alcohol exposure in a general population of pregnant women.MethodsRhesus typing is routinely performed in Norway in all pregnancies around gestational week 12. Rhesus‐negative women have an additional test taken around week 24. Blood samples submitted to St. Olav University Hospital in Trøndelag, Norway, for Rhesus typing during the period September 2017 to October 2018 were collected. A total of 4,533 whole blood samples from 4,067 women were analyzed for PEth (limit of quantification of 0.003 µM).ResultsFifty‐eight women had a positive PEth sample. Of these, 50 women were positive around gestational week 12, 3 women were positive around week 24, and in 5 cases, the timing was unknown. There were no significant differences in proportions of women with positive PEth values related to age, or rural versus urban residency.ConclusionIn an unselected pregnant population in Norway, 1.4% had a positive PEth sample around gestational week 12, whereas 0.4% had a positive sample around week 24. The use of PEth as an alcohol biomarker should be further investigated as a diagnostic tool in the antenatal setting.
Forest patch characteristics affect reptile occurrence in north‐western Madagascar
Authors: Evans Alexandra M. , Marshal Jason P. , Alexander Graham J. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractCharacterising species–landscape associations is relevant for conservation planning and management in response to environmental transformation. The occurrence of reptiles is linked to landscape structure that allows for thermoregulation, shelter and feeding, but the relative importance of these factors is unknown for many tropical and subtropical species. We used community‐level occupancy modelling and remote sensing to investigate the effects of vegetation structure and anthropogenic development on reptile occurrence in a Malagasy dry forest during the dry season (June and July). The occupancy estimates for some species revealed that species occupancy increased for more densely vegetated sites situated closer to the forest edge. The proximity of anthropogenic transformation did not significantly affect the occurrence of species except for Uroplatus guentheri which showed preference for sites away from settlements. Because most species and those most sensitive to habitat transformation were associated with edges of intact forest patches with denser green vegetation, these areas should form the focus of efforts to conserve reptiles in tropical dry forests. We also demonstrate how setting and scale can affect how habitat‐use patterns are interpreted and the importance of local, species‐specific studies.
Treatment of steroid‐refractory chronic graft‐versus‐host disease with imatinib: Real‐life experience of the Spanish group of hematopoietic transplantation (GETH)
Authors: Parra Salinas Ingrid , Bermudez Aranzazu , López Corral Lucia , Lopez Godino Oriana , Móles‐Poveda Paula , Martín Guillermo , Costilla Barriga Lissette , Ferrá Coll Christelle , Márquez‐Malaver Francisco , Ortí Guillermo , Zudaire Ripa Maria Teresa , Rifon Jose , Martinez Carmen ,   the Spanish Group of Hematopoietic Transplantation (GETH)
Published: February 2021

AbstractTreatment of steroid‐refractory chronic graft‐versus‐host disease (cGVHD) is a challenge. Here, we describe a retrospective analysis of 66 patients with steroid‐refractory cGVHD treated with imatinib (starting dose of 100 mg in 70% of patients; maximum dose of 100‐200 mg in 74%). Most patients had multi‐organ involvement (≥2 organs, 83%), with the most affected being skin (85%), oral mucosa (55%), eyes (42%), and lungs (33%). The overall response rate was 41% (21 partial and three complete responses). The organ with the best response rate was the skin (46%), followed by gastrointestinal tract (43%), liver (41%), the oral mucosa (36%), eyes (29%), and lungs (18%). Imatinib led to steroid tapering in 17/38 patients. Twenty‐five (38%) patients experienced imatinib‐related adverse events, comprising extra‐hematologic toxicity (n = 24, 36%) and hematologic toxicity (n = 6, 9%). No cases of grade 4‐5 toxicity were reported. The main causes of imatinib discontinuation were treatment failure (52%) and toxicity (9%). After a median follow‐up of 41 months, the 3‐year overall survival was 81%, with no difference between imatinib responders and non‐responders. These real‐life results show that imatinib is safe and has moderate efficacy in patients with heavily pre‐treated cutaneous sclerotic cGVHD; however, activity against lung cGVHD is very limited.
How beliefs influence behaviour: Confucianism and innovation in China
Authors: Feng Xunan , Jin Zhi , Johansson Anders C. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractPrevious studies have analysed how religious beliefs may affect economic activity. We extend this literature by examining how Confucianism is linked to innovation activity at the firm level in China. We analyse the relationship between Confucianism and several proxies for input and outputs of innovation activities. Our results show that Confucianism is significantly related to lower levels of innovation activity regardless of which measure for firm‐level innovation we use. We also find that the nature of ultimate ownership influences this relationship, with innovation among state‐controlled firms being significantly more affected by Confucianism. This study thus adds to the understanding of how traditional belief systems influence behaviour among economic actors.
School teachers’ knowledge and experience about emergency management of traumatic dental injuries: A questionnaire‐based online cross‐sectional survey
Authors: Ivanda Stipe , Gavic Lidia , Galic Tea , Tadin Antonija 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBackground/AimDental trauma is one of the critical oral health problems in childhood and adolescence that can affect an individual's quality of life. Teachers may witness a dental injury on many occasions, and they are likely to be involved at the site of an accident. Hence, they should be capable of managing prompt and correct emergency treatment at the accident site. The aim of this cross‐sectional study was to assess the level of knowledge and experience of Croatian elementary and high school teachers concerning dental trauma.Materials and MethodsA questionnaire‐based cross‐sectional online survey was conducted to determine knowledge and experience about traumatic dental injuries among 803 full‐time working elementary and high school teachers. The inclusion criteria were full‐time employment at the time of data collection with at least 1 year of teaching experience. Retirement (teachers aged ≥65 years) and unwillingness to participate in the survey were the exclusion criteria. The Student t test or one‐way ANOVA, with Tukey's post hoc was used to evaluate the obtained data. The level of significance was set at p ≤ .05.ResultsThe overall mean level of teachers’ knowledge regarding emergency management of dental trauma was 6.6 ± 2.5 points, out of a maximum possible score of 14. There were no significant differences in knowledge among teachers from lower elementary, upper elementary, and high school education (6.9 ± 2.5, 6.5 ± 2.4 vs 6.4 ± 2.6 points, respectively; p = .140). Teachers who had personally experienced dental trauma showed better knowledge (7.2 ± 2.6 vs 6.4 ± 2.5 points; p ≤ .001).ConclusionThe knowledge of emergency management of dental trauma among elementary and high school teachers in Croatia is low. Since most of the participants expressed willingness for future education regarding this subject, educational programs are recommended.