bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Relational use of an electronic quality of life and practice support system in hospital palliative consult care: A pilot study
Authors: Krawczyk Marian , Sawatzky Richard 
Published: March 2018

AbstractObjectivesThis study is part of an overarching research initiative on the development and integration of an electronic Quality of Life and Practice Support System (QPSS) that uses patient-reported outcome and experience measures in clinical practice. The current study focused on palliative nurse consultants trialing the QPSS with older hospitalized adults receiving acute care. The primary aim of the study was to better understand consultants’ and patients’ experiences and perspectives of use.MethodThe project involved two nurse specialists within a larger palliative outreach consult team (POCT) and consenting older adult patients (age 55+) in a large tertiary acute care hospital in western Canada. User-centered design of the QPSS was informed by three focus groups with the entire POCT team, and implementation was evaluated by direct observation as well as interviews with the POCT nurses and three patients. Thematic analysis of interviews and field notes was informed by theoretical perspectives from social sciences.ResultOver 9 weeks, the POCT nurses used the QPSS at least once with 20 patients, for a total of 47 administrations. The nurses most often assisted patients in using the QPSS. Participants referenced three primary benefits of relational use: enhanced communication, strengthened therapeutic relations, and cocreation of new insights about quality of life and care experiences. The nurses also reported increased visibility of quality of life concerns and positive development as relational care providers.Significance of resultsParticipants expressed that QPSS use positively influenced relations of care and enhanced practices consistent with person-centered care. Results also indicate that electronic assessment systems may, in some instances, function as actor-objects enabling new knowledge and relations of care rather than merely as a neutral technological platform. This is the first study to examine hospital palliative consult clinicians’ use of a tablet-based system for routine collection of patient-reported outcome and experience measures.
Strange Bedfellows? Attitudes toward Minority and Majority Religious Symbols in the Public Sphere
Authors: Bilodeau Antoine , Turgeon Luc , White Stephen , Henderson Ailsa 
Published: March 2018

AbstractIn this study, we contend that distinguishing individuals who support bans onminorityreligious symbols from those who want to banallreligious symbols improves our understanding of the roots of opposition to minority religious symbols in the public sphere. We hypothesize that both groups are likely driven by markedly different motivations and that opposition to the presence of minority religious symbols in the public sphere may be the result of an alliance between “strange bedfellows,” clusters of individuals whose political outlooks usually bring them to opposite sides of political debates. Drawing on a survey conducted in the province of Quebec (Canada), we find that while holding liberal values and low religiosity are key characteristics of those who would ban all religious symbols, feelings of cultural threat and generalized prejudice are central characteristics of those who would only restrict minority religious symbols. Negative attitudes specifically toward Muslims, however, also appear to motivate both groups.
Differences in Growth Reading Patterns for at-Risk Spanish-Monolingual Children as a Function of a Tier 2 Intervention
Authors: Crespo Patricia , Jiménez Juan E. , Rodríguez Cristina , Baker Doris , Park Yonghan 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe present study compares the patterns of growth of beginning reading skills (i.e., phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension) of Spanish speaking monolingual students who received a Tier 2 reading intervention with students who did not receive the intervention. All the students in grades K-2 were screened at the beginning of the year to confirm their risk status. A quasi-experimental longitudinal design was used: the treatment group received a supplemental program in small groups of 3 to 5 students, for 30 minutes daily from November to June. The control group did not receive it. All students were assessed three times during the academic year. A hierarchical linear growth modeling was conducted and differences on growth rate were found in vocabulary in kindergarten (p< .001; variance explained = 77.0%), phonemic awareness in kindergarten (p< .001; variance explained = 43.7%) and first grade (p< .01; variance explained = 15.2%), and finally we also find significant growth differences for second grade in oral reading fluency (p< .05; variance explained = 15.1%) and retell task (p< .05; variance explained = 14.5%). Children at risk for reading disabilities in Spanish can improve their skills when they receive explicit instruction in the context of Response to Intervention (RtI). Findings are discussed for each skill in the context of implementing a Tier 2 small group intervention within an RtI approach. Implications for practice in the Spanish educational context are also discussed for children who are struggling with reading.
Intracellular Desmoglein-2 cleavage sensitizes epithelial cells to apoptosis in response to pro-inflammatory cytokines
Authors: Yulis Mark , Quiros Miguel , Hilgarth Roland , Parkos Charles A. , Nusrat Asma 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
Desmosomal cadherins mediate intercellular adhesion and have also been shown to regulate homeostatic signaling in epithelial cells. We have previously reported that select pro-inflammatory cytokines induce Dsg2 ectodomain cleavage and shedding from intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). Dsg2 extracellular cleaved fragments (Dsg2 ECF) function to induce paracrine pro-proliferative signaling in epithelial cells. In this study, we show that exposure of IECs to pro-inflammatory cytokines interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) resulted in Dsg2 intracellular cleavage and generation of a ~55 kDa fragment (Dsg2 ICF). Dsg2 intracellular cleavage is mediated by caspase-8 and occurs prior to Dsg2 extracellular cleavage and the execution of apoptosis. Expression of exogenous Dsg2 ICF in model IECs resulted in increased sensitivity to apoptotic stimuli and apoptosis execution. Additionally, expression of the Dsg2 ICF repressed the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member proteins Bcl-XL and Mcl1. Taken together, our findings identify a novel mechanism by which pro-inflammatory mediators induce modification of Dsg2 to activate apoptosis and eliminate damaged cells, while also promoting release of Dsg2 ECF that promotes proliferation of neighboring cells and epithelial barrier recovery.
Amplification of heat extremes by plant CO2 physiological forcing
Authors: Skinner Christopher B. , Poulsen Christopher J. , Mankin Justin S. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractPlants influence extreme heat events by regulating land-atmosphere water and energy exchanges. The contribution of plants to changes in future heat extremes will depend on the responses of vegetation growth and physiology to the direct and indirect effects of elevated CO2. Here we use a suite of earth system models to disentangle the radiative versus vegetation effects of elevated CO2 on heat wave characteristics. Vegetation responses to a quadrupling of CO2 increase summer heat wave occurrence by 20 days or more—30–50% of the radiative response alone—across tropical and mid-to-high latitude forests. These increases are caused by CO2 physiological forcing, which diminishes transpiration and its associated cooling effect, and reduces clouds and precipitation. In contrast to recent suggestions, our results indicate CO2-driven vegetation changes enhance future heat wave frequency and intensity in most vegetated regions despite transpiration-driven soil moisture savings and increases in aboveground biomass from CO2 fertilization.
How RNA transcripts coordinate DNA recombination and repair
Authors: McDevitt Shane , Rusanov Timur , Kent Tatiana , Chandramouly Gurushankar , Pomerantz Richard T. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractGenetic studies in yeast indicate that RNA transcripts facilitate homology-directed DNA repair in a manner that is dependent on RAD52. The molecular basis for so-called RNA−DNA repair, however, remains unknown. Using reconstitution assays, we demonstrate that RAD52 directly cooperates with RNA as a sequence-directed ribonucleoprotein complex to promote two related modes of RNA−DNA repair. In a RNA-bridging mechanism, RAD52 assembles recombinant RNA−DNA hybrids that coordinate synapsis and ligation of homologous DNA breaks. In an RNA-templated mechanism, RAD52-mediated RNA−DNA hybrids enable reverse transcription-dependent RNA-to-DNA sequence transfer at DNA breaks that licenses subsequent DNA recombination. Notably, we show that both mechanisms of RNA−DNA repair are promoted by transcription of a homologous DNA template in trans. In summary, these data elucidate how RNA transcripts cooperate with RAD52 to coordinate homology-directed DNA recombination and repair in the absence of a DNA donor, and demonstrate a direct role for transcription in RNA−DNA repair.
Light-triggered enzymatic reactions in nested vesicle reactors
Authors: Hindley James W. , Elani Yuval , McGilvery Catriona M. , Ali Simak , Bevan Charlotte L. , Law Robert V. , Ces Oscar 
Published: March 2018

AbstractCell-sized vesicles have tremendous potential both as miniaturised pL reaction vessels and in bottom-up synthetic biology as chassis for artificial cells. In both these areas the introduction of light-responsive modules affords increased functionality, for example, to initiate enzymatic reactions in the vesicle interior with spatiotemporal control. Here we report a system composed of nested vesicles where the inner compartments act as phototransducers, responding to ultraviolet irradiation through diacetylene polymerisation-induced pore formation to initiate enzymatic reactions. The controlled release and hydrolysis of a fluorogenic β-galactosidase substrate in the external compartment is demonstrated, where the rate of reaction can be modulated by varying ultraviolet exposure time. Such cell-like nested microreactor structures could be utilised in fields from biocatalysis through to drug delivery.
Apolipoprotein AI prevents regulatory to follicular helper T cell switching during atherosclerosis
Authors: Gaddis Dalia E. , Padgett Lindsey E. , Wu Runpei , McSkimming Chantel , Romines Veronica , Taylor Angela M. , McNamara Coleen A. , Kronenberg Mitchell , Crotty Shane , Thomas Michael J. , Sorci-Thomas Mary G. , Hedrick Catherine C. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractRegulatory T (Treg) cells contribute to the anti-inflammatory response during atherogenesis. Here we show that during atherogenesis Treg cells lose Foxp3 expression and their immunosuppressive function, leading to the conversion of a fraction of these cells into T follicular helper (Tfh) cells. We show that Tfh cells are pro-atherogenic and that their depletion reduces atherosclerosis. Mechanistically, the conversion of Treg cells to Tfh cells correlates with reduced expression of IL-2Rα and pSTAT5 levels and increased expression of IL-6Rα. In vitro, incubation of naive T cells with oxLDL prevents their differentiation into Treg cells. Furthermore, injection of lipid-free Apolipoprotein AI (ApoAI) into ApoE−/− mice reduces intracellular cholesterol levels in Treg cells and prevents their conversion into Tfh cells. Together our results suggest that ApoAI, the main protein in high-density lipoprotein particles, modulates the cellular fate of Treg cells and thus influences the immune response during atherosclerosis.
Increase in hepatic and decrease in peripheral insulin clearance characterize abnormal temporal patterns of serum insulin in diabetic subjects
Authors: Ohashi Kaoru , Fujii Masashi , Uda Shinsuke , Kubota Hiroyuki , Komada Hisako , Sakaguchi Kazuhiko , Ogawa Wataru , Kuroda Shinya 
Published: March 2018

AbstractInsulin plays a central role in glucose homeostasis, and impairment of insulin action causes glucose intolerance and leads to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A decrease in the transient peak and sustained increase of circulating insulin following an infusion of glucose accompany T2DM pathogenesis. However, the mechanism underlying this abnormal temporal pattern of circulating insulin concentration remains unknown. Here we show that changes in opposite direction of hepatic and peripheral insulin clearance characterize this abnormal temporal pattern of circulating insulin concentration observed in T2DM. We developed a mathematical model using a hyperglycemic and hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp in 111 subjects, including healthy normoglycemic and diabetic subjects. The hepatic and peripheral insulin clearance significantly increase and decrease, respectively, from healthy to borderline type and T2DM. The increased hepatic insulin clearance reduces the amplitude of circulating insulin concentration, whereas the decreased peripheral insulin clearance changes the temporal patterns of circulating insulin concentration from transient to sustained. These results provide further insight into the pathogenesis of T2DM, and thus may contribute to develop better treatment of this condition.
Physiological and biochemical changes during drought and recovery periods at tillering and jointing stages in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
Authors: Abid Muhammad , Ali Shafaqat , Qi Lei Kang , Zahoor Rizwan , Tian Zhongwei , Jiang Dong , Snider John L. , Dai Tingbo 
Published: March 2018

AbstractDefining the metabolic strategies used by wheat to tolerate and recover from drought events will be important for ensuring yield stability in the future, but studies addressing this critical research topic are limited. To this end, the current study quantified the physiological, biochemical, and agronomic responses of a drought tolerant and drought sensitive cultivar to periods of water deficit and recovery. Drought stress caused a reversible decline in leaf water relations, membrane stability, and photosynthetic activity, leading to increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, lipid peroxidation and membrane injury. Plants exhibited osmotic adjustment through the accumulation of soluble sugars, proline, and free amino acids and increased enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activities. After re-watering, leaf water potential, membrane stability, photosynthetic processes, ROS generation, anti-oxidative activities, lipid peroxidation, and osmotic potential completely recovered for moderately stressed plants and did not fully recover in severely stressed plants. Higher photosynthetic rates during drought and rapid recovery after re-watering produced less-pronounced yield declines in the tolerant cultivar than the sensitive cultivar. These results suggested that the plant’s ability to maintain functions during drought and to rapidly recover after re-watering during vegetative periods are important for determining final productivity in wheat.
Estimating the probability of dengue virus introduction and secondary autochthonous cases in Europe
Authors: Massad Eduardo , Amaku Marcos , Coutinho Francisco Antonio Bezerra , Struchiner Claudio José , Burattini Marcelo Nascimento , Khan Kamran , Liu-Helmersson Jing , Rocklöv Joacim , Kraemer Moritz U. G. , Wilder-Smith Annelies 
Published: March 2018

AbstractGiven the speed of air travel, diseases even with a short viremia such as dengue can be easily exported to dengue naïve areas within 24 hours. We set out to estimate the risk of dengue virus introductions via travelers into Europe and number of secondary autochthonous cases as a result of the introduction. We applied mathematical modeling to estimate the number of dengue-viremic air passengers from 16 dengue-endemic countries to 27 European countries, taking into account the incidence of dengue in the exporting countries, travel volume and the probability of being viremic at the time of travel. Our models estimate a range from zero to 167 air passengers who are dengue-viremic at the time of travel from dengue endemic countries to each of the 27 receiving countries in one year. Germany receives the highest number of imported dengue-viremic air passengers followed by France and the United Kingdom. Our findings estimate 10 autochthonous secondary asymptomatic and symptomatic dengue infections, caused by the expected 124 infected travelers who arrived in Italy in 2012. The risk of onward transmission in Europe is reassuringly low, except where Aedes aegypti is present.
Evolution of Cooperation with Heterogeneous Conditional Cooperators
Authors: Battu Balaraju , Pammi V. S. Chandrasekhar , Srinivasan Narayanan 
Published: March 2018

AbstractConditional cooperation declines over time if heterogeneous ideal conditional agents are involved in repeated interactions. With strict assumptions of rationality and a population consisting of ideal conditional agents who strictly follow a decision rule, cooperation is not expected. However, cooperation is commonly observed in human societies. Hence, we propose a novel evolutionary agent-based model where agents rely on social information. Each agent interacts only once either as a donor or as a receiver. In our model, the population consists of either non-ideal or ideal heterogeneous conditional agents. Their donation decisions are stochastically based on the comparison between the number of donations in the group and their conditional cooperative criterion value. Non-ideal agents occasionally cooperate even if the conditional rule of the agent is not satisfied. The stochastic decision and selection rules are controlled with decision intensity and selection intensity, respectively. The simulations show that high levels of cooperation (more than 90%) are established in the population with non-ideal agents for a particular range of parameter values. The emergence of cooperation needs non-ideal agents and a heterogeneous population. The current model differs from existing models by relying on social information and not on individual agent’s prior history of cooperation.
Cryptosporidium oocyst persistence in agricultural streams –a mobile-immobile model framework assessment
Authors: Drummond J. D. , Boano F. , Atwill E. R. , Li X. , Harter T. , Packman A. I. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractRivers are a means of rapid and long-distance transmission of pathogenic microorganisms from upstream terrestrial sources. Pathogens enter streams and rivers via overland flow, shallow groundwater discharge, and direct inputs. Of concern is the protozoal parasite,Cryptosporidium, which can remain infective for weeks to months under cool and moist conditions, with the infectious stage (oocysts) largely resistant to chlorination. We applied a mobile-immobile model framework to assessCryptosporidiumtransport and retention in streams, that also accounts for inactivation. The model is applied to California’s Central Valley whereCryptosporidiumexposure can be at higher risk due to agricultural and wildlife nonpoint sources. The results demonstrate that hyporheic exchange is an important process to include in models characterizing pathogen dynamics in streams, delaying downstream transmission and allowing for immobilization processes, such as reversible filtration in the sediments, to occur. Although in-stream concentrations decrease relatively quickly (within hours), pathogen accumulation of up to 66% of the inputs due to immobilization processes in the sediments and slower moving surface water could result in long retention times (months to years). The model appropriately estimates baseflow pathogen accumulation and can help predict the potential loads of resuspended pathogens in response to a storm event.
Zinc knuckle of TAF1 is a DNA binding module critical for TFIID promoter occupancy
Authors: Curran Elizabeth C. , Wang Hui , Hinds Thomas R. , Zheng Ning , Wang Edith H. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe general transcription factor IID (TFIID) is the first component of the preinitiation complex (PIC) to bind the core promoter of RNA polymerase II transcribed genes. Despite its critical role in protein-encoded gene expression, how TFIID engages promoter DNA remains elusive. We have previously revealed a winged-helix DNA-binding domain in the N-terminal region of the largest TFIID subunit, TAF1. Here, we report the identification of a second DNA-binding module in the C-terminal half of human TAF1, which is encoded by a previously uncharacterized conserved zinc knuckle domain. We show that the TAF1 zinc knuckle aids in the recruit of TFIID to endogenous promoters vital for cellular proliferation. Mutation of the TAF1 zinc knuckle with defects in DNA binding compromises promoter occupancy of TFIID, which leads to a decrease in transcription and cell viability. Together, our studies provide a foundation to understand how TAF1 plays a central role in TFIID promoter binding and regulation of transcription initiation.
Precise Doppler shift compensation in the hipposiderid bat, Hipposideros armiger
Authors: Schoeppler Diana , Schnitzler Hans-Ulrich , Denzinger Annette 
Published: March 2018

AbstractBats of the Rhinolophidae and Hipposideridae families, and Pteronotus parnellii, compensate for Doppler shifts generated by their own flight movement. They adjust their call frequency such that the frequency of echoes coming from ahead fall in a specialized frequency range of the hearing system, the auditory fovea, to evaluate amplitude and frequency modulations in echoes from fluttering prey. Some studies in hipposiderids have suggested a less sophisticated or incomplete Doppler shift compensation. To investigate the precision of Doppler shift compensation in Hipposideros armiger, we recorded the echolocation and flight behaviour of bats flying to a grid, reconstructed the flight path, measured the flight speed, calculated the echo frequency, and compared it with the resting frequency prior to each flight. Within each flight, the average echo frequency was kept constant with a standard deviation of 110 Hz, independent of the flight speed. The resting and reference frequency were coupled with an offset of 80 Hz; however, they varied slightly from flight to flight. The precision of Doppler shift compensation and the offset were similar to that seen in Rhinolophidae and P. parnellii. The described frequency variations may explain why it has been assumed that Doppler shift compensation in hipposiderids is incomplete.
Value of Preoperative Modified Body Mass Index in Predicting Postoperative 1-Year Mortality
Authors: Oh Tak Kyu , Lee Jaebong , Hwang Jung-Won , Do Sang-Hwan , Jeon Young-Tae , Kim Jin Hee , Kim Kooknam , Song In-Ae 
Published: March 2018

AbstractSerum albumin and conventional BMI (cBMI) are commonly used indices of malnutrition status. Because cBMI does not reflect fluid accumulation, modified body mass index (mBMI, serum albumin × cBMI) is a more accurate measure of malnutrition status. This study investigated the association between preoperative mBMI and postoperative 1-year mortality, in comparison with serum albumin and cBMI. Medical records of 80,969 adult patients who underwent surgical procedures in a tertiary care hospital between 1 January, 2011 and 31 December, 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Postoperative 1-year mortality increased with reduction in cBMI, mBMI, and albumin separately (P < 0.001). When considering interaction between cBMI and albumin, albumin was the only significant factor of postoperative 1-year mortality [odds ratio: 0.377, 95% confidence interval (0.245–0.579), P < 0.001], while cBMI or interaction (cBMI * albumin) was not significant (P > 0.05). Adjusted area under the curve (AUC) was highest (0.885) in the overall model (cBMI + albumin + cBMI * albumin); adjusted AUC between mBMI and albumin did not differ significantly (P = 0.558). Low albumin is the strongest independent predictor of postoperative 1-year mortality among the three variables (albumin, cBMI, mBMI). Adding cBMI to albumin does not increase the validity of the AUC of albumin.