bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Disseminated histoplasmosis in pediatric kidney transplant recipients—A report of six cases and review of the literature
Authors: Ferguson‐Paul Kenice , Park Catherine , Childress Sandra , Arnold Sandra , Ault Bettina , Bagga Bindiya 
Published: August 2018

AbstractBackgroundWe report a case series of histoplasmosis in KTx patients in a children's hospital in an endemic area.MethodsAll KTx cases from January 1, 2002, to August 31, 2016, were reviewed to identify those with disseminated histoplasmosis.ResultsThe attack rate of histoplasmosis among our KTx patients was 6.9 per 100 cases. The median age at the time of diagnosis was 16 years (11‐18). Comorbidities included glomerulosclerosis (3), medullary cystic disease (1), and obstructive uropathy (2) and HIV (1). There were 5 deceased and 1 living‐related donor transplants, and no patient had a history of rejection prior to histoplasmosis. Median time from transplant to histoplasmosis was 14.8 months (IQR 2.2‐38.3) and 33% occurred in the first year after transplant. Urine and/or serum antigens were positive in all patients. They were either treated with amphotericin B and transitioned to an azole or received azole monotherapy. Most (83%) received chronic suppression with itraconazole. No patients died and relapse occurred in 1 patient after repeat transplant.ConclusionsKTx patients in endemic areas are at risk for disseminated histoplasmosis. Further study is needed to determine which factors portend the need for fungal prophylaxis in this subset of patients.
Morphological and functional seed traits of the wild medicinal plant Dioscorea strydomiana, the most threatened yam in the world
Authors: Mattana E. , Gomez‐Barreiro P. , Lötter M. , Hankey A. J. , Froneman W. , Mamatsharaga A. , Wilkin P. , Ulian T. 
Published: August 2018

Abstract

Morphological and functional seed traits have important roles in characterising the species regeneration niche and help to understand the reproductive biology of rare and threatened plants, which can thus support appropriate plant conservation measures.

Seed morphometric and dispersal kinetics of the critically endangered Dioscorea strydomiana were measured and compared with those of four other Dioscorea species, and seed germination response under constant temperatures (5–35 °C) was compared with that of the congeneric and widespread D. sylvatica.

Seed mass of D. strydomiana (ca. 14 mg) was twice that of D. sylvatica, but similar to or smaller than the other species examined. Seeds of D. strydomiana have the lowest speed of descent and lowest variability in most of the morphological traits considered, suggesting lower phenotypic plasticity but higher variance in the wing‐loading value. Seeds of D. strydomiana reached maximum germination at 15 °C (ca. 47%), which decreased slightly to ca. 37% at 25 °C and was completely inhibited at 35 °C. D. sylvatica seeds started to germinate at 10 °C (ca. 3%), reached 75–80% germination at 15–20 °C and maximum (ca. 90%) at 25–30 °C. Base temperatures for germination (Tb) were 9.3 and 5.7 °C, for D. strydomiana and D. sylvatica, respectively. Due to the higher germination percentages of D. sylvatica, ceiling and optimum temperatures could also be modelled for this species, suggesting higher sensitivity to high temperature for seeds of D. strydomiana.

The detected poor seed lot quality of D. strydomiana suggests difficulties in reproduction from seed, highlighting the need for further investigation and conservation actions for this threatened yam species.
On the alleged normative significance of a platitude
Authors: Gaultier Benoit 
Published: August 2018

AbstractIt seems to be a platitude that the belief thatpis correct iff it is true thatp. And the claim that truth is the correct‐making feature of belief seems to be just another way of expressing this platitude. It is often thought that this indicates that truth constitutes anormativestandard or criterion of correctness for belief because it seems to follow from this platitude that having afalsebelief is believingwrongly, and having atruebelief is believingrightlyorcorrectly. In this paper, I aim to show that when we judge the platitude in question to be indisputably true, we do not endorse that truth is normative for belief but merely the triviality that the belief thatpis true iff it is true thatp.
Grain‐size variability within a mega‐scale point‐bar system, False River, Louisiana
Authors: Clift Peter D. , Olson Elizabeth D. , Lechnowskyj Alexandra , Moran Mary Grace , Barbato Allison , Lorenzo Juan M. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractPoint bars formed by meandering river systems are an important class of sedimentary deposit and are of significant economic interest as hydrocarbon reservoirs. Standard point‐bar models of how the internal sedimentology varies are based on the structure of small‐scale systems with little information about the largest complexes and how these might differ. Here a very large point bar (>25·0 m thick and 7·5 × 13·0 km across) on the Mississippi River (USA) was examined. The lithology and grain‐size characteristics at different parts of the point bar were determined by using a combination of coring and electrical conductivity logging. The data confirm that there is a general fining up‐section along most parts of the point bar, with a well‐defined transition from massive medium‐grained sands below about 9 to 11 m depth up into interbedded silts and fine–medium sand sediment (inclined heterolithic strata). There is also a poorly defined increase in sorting quality at the transition level. Massive medium sands are especially common in the region of the channel bend apex and regions upstream of that point. Downstream of the meander apex, there is much less evidence for fining up‐section. Finer sediment accumulated more readily after the establishment of a compound bar in the later stages of construction, at the terminal apex and in the bar tail. This work implies that the best reservoir sands are likely to be located in the centre of the point bar, deposited in a simple bar system. Reservoir quality decreases towards the bar edge. The early‐stage channel plug is largely composed of coarsening‐upward cycles of silt to clay and is dominated by clay and clayey silt material with poor reservoir characteristics.
Public Goods and Minimum Provision Levels: Does the Institutional Formation Affect Cooperation?*
Authors: Martinsson Peter , Persson Emil 
Published: August 2018

AbstractWe investigate experimentally the role of institutional formation on the implementation of a binding minimum contribution level to a public good. Groups either face the minimum level exogenously imposed by a central authority, or are allowed to decide for themselves by means of a group vote whether a minimum level should be implemented. We find that a binding minimum contribution level has a positive and substantially significant effect on cooperation. Interestingly, we do not find an additional positive effect of democracy in the context of our experiment; the minimum‐level intervention is as effective when exogenously implemented as when endogenously chosen.
Testing for similarity in area‐based spatial patterns: Alternative methods to Andresen's spatial point pattern test
Authors: Wheeler Andrew Palmer , Steenbeek Wouter , Andresen Martin A. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractAndresen's spatial point pattern test (SPPT) compares two spatial point patterns on defined areal units; it identifies areas where the spatial point patterns diverge and aggregates these local (dis)similarities to one global measure. We discuss the limitations of the SPPT and provide two alternative methods to calculate differences in the point patterns. In the first approach we use differences in proportions tests corrected for multiple comparisons. We show how the size of differences matters, as with large point patterns many areas will be identified by SPPT as statistically different, even if those differences are substantively trivial. The second approach uses multinomial logistic regression, which can be extended to identify differences in proportions over continuous time. We demonstrate these methods by identifying areas where pedestrian stops by the New York City Police Department are different from violent crimes for 2006–2016.
A treatment‐support intervention evaluated in South African paediatric populations with HIV infection or tuberculous meningitis
Authors: van Elsland Sabine L. , Peters Remco P.H. , Kok Maarten O. , van Toorn Ronald , Springer Priscilla , Cotton Mark F. , Grobbelaar Cornelis J. , Aarnoutse Rob , van Furth A. Marceline 
Published: August 2018

AbstractObjectivesTo evaluate a paediatric treatment‐support intervention for home‐based treatment of HIV infection or tuberculous meningitis (TBM).MethodsA randomised‐controlled study comparing local standard care (controls) with standard care plus intervention (combining adherence education, reinforcement and monitoring) in children aged 0–14 years. We recorded adherence measures (self‐report, pill‐count, drug‐assays for isoniazid and rifampicin in urine and pyrazinamide in saliva), difficulties administering medication and PedsQL™questionnaires for health‐related quality‐of‐life (HRQoL) and family impact.ResultsIn the HIV group (6‐months follow‐up, n = 195), more children had above‐median HRQoL‐scores in the intervention group than in the control group (P = 0.009). Problems reported administering medication declined between baseline and follow‐up for controls (P = 0.043). Disclosure of HIV status to the child increased between baseline and follow‐up in both groups (intervention P < 0.001; control P = 0.031). In the TBM group (3‐months follow‐up, n = 43), all adherence measures remained high for both intervention and controls, except for rifampicin which declined between baseline and follow‐up in the intervention group (P = 0.031). The intervention group maintained above median HRQoL‐scores between baseline and follow‐up, when the number of children with above‐median HRQoL‐scores decreased in the controls (P = 0.063). More children in the intervention group had above‐median family impact‐scores than controls (P = 0.040).ConclusionsThe low‐cost, culturally friendly treatment‐support intervention had beneficial effects on health‐related quality of life, family impact, caregiver disclosure of HIV status to the child, increased caregiver reporting of medication non‐adherence and caregiver reporting of difficulties administering medication. Treatment adherence was not significantly affected in either HIV or TBM group.
Reduction of ATPase activity in the rice kinesin protein Stemless Dwarf 1 inhibits cell division and organ development
Authors: Fang Jingjing , Yuan Shoujiang , Li Chenchen , Jiang Dan , Zhao Linlin , Peng Lixiang , Zhao Jinfeng , Zhang Wenhui , Li Xueyong 
Published: August 2018

SummarySeveral kinesins, the ATP‐driven microtubule (MT)‐based motor proteins, have been reported to be involved in many basic processes of plant development; however, little is known about the biological relevance of their ATPase activity. Here, we characterized the Oryza sativa (rice) stemless dwarf 1 (std1) mutant, showing a severely dwarfed phenotype, with no differentiation of the node and internode structure, abnormal cell shapes, a shortened leaf division zone and a reduced cell division rate. Further analysis revealed that a substantial subset of cells was arrested in the S and G2/M phases, and multinucleate cells were present in the std1 mutant. Map‐based cloning revealed that STD1 encodes a phragmoplast‐associated kinesin‐related protein, a homolog of the Arabidopsis thaliana PAKRP2, and is mainly expressed in the actively dividing tissues. The STD1 protein is localized specifically to the phragmoplast midzone during telophase and cytokinesis. In the std1 mutant, the substitution of Val‐40‐Glu in the motor domain of STD1 significantly reduced its MT‐dependent ATPase activity. Accordingly, the lateral expansion of phragmoplast, a key step in cell plate formation, was arrested during cytokinesis. Therefore, these results indicate that the MT‐dependent ATPase activity is indispensible for STD1 in regulating normal cell division and organ development.
Cover Image, Volume 16, Issue 3
Authors: Sakai K. , Maeda S. , Yamada Y. , Chambers J. K. , Uchida K. , Nakayama H. , Yonezawa T. , Matsuki N. 
Published: August 2018

The cover image, by K. Sakai et al., is based on the Original Article Association of tumour‐infiltrating regulatory T cells with adverse outcomes in dogs with malignant tumours, DOI: 10.1111/vco.12383.
image
Ear canal microbiota – a comparison between healthy dogs and atopic dogs without clinical signs of otitis externa
Authors: Ngo Jerome , Taminiau Bernard , Fall Papa Aboulaye , Daube Georges , Fontaine Jacques 
Published: August 2018

BackgroundThe canine skin microbiota has been evaluated using relatively new microbiological techniques; studies have shown a difference in the composition of bacterial populations between healthy dogs and those with canine atopic dermatitis (cAD). However, little has been reported concerning the ear canal microbiota despite the fact that otitis externa is a common problem in dogs with cAD.Hypothesis/objectivesThe study evaluated the ear canal microbiota of healthy dogs and atopic dogs without clinical signs of otitis.AnimalsNine healthy privately owned dogs and 11 dogs with a diagnosis of cAD.Methods and materialsEar swabs from the two groups were used for global bacterial DNA extraction. V1–V3 hypervariable 16S rDNA amplicon libraries were prepared for each sample and sequenced with MiSeq Illumina sequence (V3 kit). Taxonomical assignment and clustering were performed with Mothur using SILVA database.ResultsThe ear canal microbiota showed changes in diversity similar to those reported for canine skin and seemed to be stable during the period of the study (28 days). Evidence of dysbiosis was observed in the atopic dogs, with increased abundance of Staphylococcus spp. and Ralstonia spp. (P < 0.05). Escherichia spp. also were found to be more abundant in healthy dogs.Conclusions and clinical importanceThis study demonstrated a shift in bacterial populations between allergic and healthy dogs. The observed results in the ear canal are similar to those reported on the skin and could explain the propensity of allergic dogs to develop bacterial otitis.
Incidence and risk factors for neurological signs after attenuation of single congenital portosystemic shunts in 253 dogs
Authors: Strickland Rhiannon , Tivers Michael S. , Adamantos Sophie E. , Harcourt‐Brown Tom R. , Fowkes Robert C. , Lipscomb Victoria J. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractObjectiveTo determine the incidence, outcome, and risk factors for postattenuation neurological signs (PANS) and seizures after attenuation of single congenital portosystemic shunts (CPSS) in dogs.Study designRetrospective cohort study.Sample populationDogs (N = 253) with single CPSS.MethodsMedical records of dogs treated by surgical attenuation of a single CPSS between February 2000 and July 2015 were reviewed for signalment and preoperative and postoperative clinical outcomes, including the occurrence of PANS. Univariable and multivariable binary logistic regression was used to assess risk factors for PANS and for seizures.ResultsTwenty‐eight (11.1%) dogs developed PANS, including 12 (4.7%) dogs with seizures. Five (17.9%) dogs with PANS did not survive to discharge. Risk factors for PANS included the presence of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) immediately preoperatively (P = .038, odds ratio [OR] 2.704, CI 1.057‐6.922) and increasing age (P < .001, OR 1.476, CI 1.223‐1.780). Risk factors for seizures included the presence of HE immediately preoperatively (P = .048, OR 3.538, CI 1.013‐12.363) and increasing age (P = .009, OR 1.364, CI 1.082‐1.720). No association was found between the location of portosystemic shunts (extrahepatic and intrahepatic) and post‐operative PANS (P = .532) or seizures (P = .620). Similarly, preemptive administration of levetiracetam did not influence the risk of PANS (P = .991) or seizures (P = .752).ConclusionPreoperative HE and older age in dogs with a CPSS increased the odds of developing PANS and seizures in our population. Preemptive administration of levetiracetam did not protect dogs against the development of PANS or seizures.Clinical significanceSurgical attenuation of a single CPSS should not be excessively delayed, and surgeons should stabilize the clinical signs of HE before surgery to prevent postoperative PANS and seizures.
A simple decision to move in response to touch reveals basic sensory memory and mechanisms for variable response times
Authors: Koutsikou Stella , Merrison‐Hort Robert , Buhl Edgar , Ferrario Andrea , Li Wen‐Chang , Borisyuk Roman , Soffe Stephen R. , Roberts Alan 
Published: August 2018

Key points
Short‐term working memory and decision‐making are usually studied in the cerebral cortex; in many models of simple decision making, sensory signals build slowly and noisily to threshold to initiate a motor response after long, variable delays.
When touched, hatchling frog tadpoles decide whether to swim; we define the long and variable delays to swimming and use whole‐cell recordings to uncover the neurons and processes responsible.
Firing in sensory and sensory pathway neurons is short latency, and too brief and invariant to explain these delays, while recordings from hindbrain reticulospinal neurons controlling swimming reveal a prolonged and variable build‐up of synaptic excitation which can reach firing threshold and initiate swimming.
We propose this excitation provides a sensory memory of the stimulus and may be generated by small reverberatory hindbrain networks.
Our results uncover fundamental network mechanisms that allow animals to remember brief sensory stimuli and delay simple motor decisions.
AbstractMany motor responses to sensory input, like locomotion or eye movements, are much slower than reflexes. Can simpler animals provide fundamental answers about the cellular mechanisms for motor decisions? Can we observe the ‘accumulation’ of excitation to threshold proposed to underlie decision making elsewhere? We explore how somatosensory touch stimulation leads to the decision to swim in hatchling Xenopus tadpoles. Delays measured to swimming in behaving and immobilised tadpoles are long and variable. Activity in their extensively studied sensory and sensory pathway neurons is too short‐lived to explain these response delays. Instead, whole‐cell recordings from the hindbrain reticulospinal neurons that drive swimming show that these receive prolonged, variable synaptic excitation lasting for nearly a second following a brief stimulus. They fire and initiate swimming when this excitation reaches threshold. Analysis of the summation of excitation requires us to propose extended firing in currently undefined presynaptic hindbrain neurons. Simple models show that a small excitatory recurrent‐network inserted in the sensory pathway can mimic this process. We suggest that such a network may generate slow, variable summation of excitation to threshold. This excitation provides a simple memory of the sensory stimulus. It allows temporal and spatial integration of sensory inputs and explains the long, variable delays to swimming. The process resembles the ‘accumulation’ of excitation proposed for cortical circuits in mammals. We conclude that fundamental elements of sensory memory and decision making are present in the brainstem at a surprisingly early stage in development.
Small-Molecule-Binding Riboswitches
Authors: Lotz Thea S. , Suess Beatrix 
Published: August 2018

ABSTRACT

RNA is a versatile biomolecule capable of transferring information, taking on distinct three-dimensional shapes, and reacting to ambient conditions. RNA molecules utilize a wide range of mechanisms to control gene expression. An example of such regulation is riboswitches. Consisting exclusively of RNA, they are able to control important metabolic processes, thus providing an elegant and efficient RNA-only regulation system. Existing across all domains of life, riboswitches appear to represent one of the most highly conserved mechanisms for the regulation of a broad range of biochemical pathways. Through binding of a wide range of small-molecule ligands to their so-called aptamer domain, riboswitches undergo a conformational change in their downstream “expression platform.” In consequence, the pattern of gene expression changes, which in turn results in increased or decreased protein production. Riboswitches unite the sensing and transduction of a signal that can directly be coupled to the metabolism of the cell; thus they constitute a very potent regulatory mechanism for many organisms. Highly specific RNA-binding domains not only occur
in vivo
but can also be evolved by means of the SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) method, which allows
in vitro
selection of aptamers against almost any ligand. Coupling of these aptamers with an expression platform has led to the development of synthetic riboswitches, a highly active research field of great relevance and immense potential. The aim of this review is to summarize developments in the riboswitch field over the last decade and address key questions of recent research.
DNA damage response in workers exposed to low-dose ionising radiation
Authors: Gaetani Simona , Monaco Federica , Bracci Massimo , Ciarapica Veronica , Impollonia Giulia , Valentino Matteo , Tomasetti Marco , Santarelli Lory , Amati Monica 
Published: August 2018

ObjectiveMedical personnel using radiation for diagnosis and therapeutic purposes are potentially at risk of cancer development. In this study, the effect of ionising radiation (IR) exposure was evaluated as DNA damage response (DDR) in the circulating cells of occupationally exposed subjects.MethodsThe study population consisted of IR-exposed workers included both in group B (effective dose ranging between 0.04 and 6 mSv/year) and group A (probable effective dose exceeding 6 mSv/year), and the control group consisted of healthy individuals who had never been occupationally exposed to IR or other known carcinogenic agents. DNA damage (single-strand breaks, oxidised purine and pyrimidine bases) and DNA repair (t1/2, half time to repair DNA damage, amount of repaired DNA and DNA repair activity) were measured in lymphocytes using the comet assay. To evaluate the influence of IR doses and genetic predisposition to cancer, the enrolled population was stratified according to IR exposure level and family history of cancer.ResultsIncreased DNA repair activity was found in IR-exposed group, and only subjects highly exposed to IR doses accumulated DNA damage in their circulating cells, thus supporting the hypothesis of ‘radiation hormesis’. A significant increase in DNA damage accumulation and a reduced 8-oxoguanine glycosylase 1-dependent DNA repair activity were found in IR-exposed subjects with cancer cases across their family.ConclusionOur results indicate that chronic exposure to a low dose of IR in occupational settings induces DDR in exposed subjects and may be mutagenic in workers with family history of cancer, suggesting that periodic surveillance might be advisable, along with exposure monitoring.