bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Potency of Bacterial Associating Endemic Plants of The Java Coastal Area in Inducing Salt Tolerant in Agricultural Crops
Authors: Sulastri  , Wiyono S , Sopandie D , Santosa D A 
Published: November 2018

Abstract
Recent studies indicate that many plant species have ability to adapt to environmental stress because of their association with microbes. The aim of the research is to explore and to characterize bacterial endophyte and rhizoplane from endemic plants of the Java coastal area that induced salt tolerance in agricultural crops. Among the 1358 isolates of salt tolerant bacteria that have been isolated from 218 of different costal plants showed that 108 isolates of bacterial rhizoplane, 87 isolates of bacterial root endophytes and 35 isolates of bacterial leaf endophyte have the ability to promote rice seedling growth. An amount of 33 isolates with vigor index (VI) value more than 1200 were tested at different levels of NaCl concentration (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mM). Fifteen bacterial isolates significantly increased VI value of rice seedling by up to 50% over uninoculated control at NaCl concentration more than 100 mM. Characterization of these 33 isolates revealed 32 isolates degraded pectin, 26 isolates produced indole acetic acid (IAA), 18 isolates solubilized phosphate, 15 isolates showed 1aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity, 11 isolates produced hidrogene cyanide (HCN).
The Ant Mosaic Distribution of Oecophylla smaragdina and Dominant Ant Species: Effects on Ants Communities in Agroforestry in Tarakan Island
Authors: Rahim A , Ohkawara K 
Published: November 2018

AbstractAgroforestry system enhanced ant biodiversity. Ant structure in the ecosystem has been driven by many factors, e.g., competition and predation among species. Dominant species and predator may give impact to species diversity in the ecosystem. We had field research to examine the interactions among dominant ant species, predatorOecophylla smaragdina, and other ants in Tarakan, North Kalimantan. In agroforestry system as the study site, ants and other insects on 66 crop trees were collected by sweeping and beating. The obtained number of two speciesTapinoma melanocephalumandOecophylla smaragdinaoccupied more than 60% of all collected ants. Two dominant ants tended to be separately distributed. The community structure may be ant mosaic pattern. Furthermore, the densities of the two dominant ants were higher, but their diversities in the tree were lower than dominant species and predator absence. Probably, the tendency seems to be active on the distribution of other ants.
Inadequate Perioperative Prophylaxis and Postsurgical Complications After Graft Implantation Are Important Risk Factors for Subsequent Vascular Graft Infections: Prospective Results From the Vascular Graft Infection Cohort Study
Authors: Anagnostopoulos Alexia , Ledergerber Bruno , Kuster Stefan P , Scherrer Alexandra U , Näf Bettina , Greiner Michael A , Rancic Zoran , Kobe Adrian , Bettex Dominique , Hasse Barbara ,   VASGRA Cohort Study, Anagnostopoulos A , Bloemberg G , Eberhard N , Hasse B , Husman L , Keller P , Ledergerber B , Mayer D , Rancic Z , Scherrer A , Weber A , Weber R , Zbinden R , Zinkernagel A 
Published: November 2018

AbstractBackgroundReconstructive vascular surgery has become increasingly common. Vascular graft infections (VGIs) are serious complications, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. Previously described risk factors for VGIs include groin incisions, wound infections, and comorbidities. We aimed to identify modifiable predictors for VGIs as targets for infection prevention strategies.MethodsParticipants of the prospective Vascular Graft Infection Cohort (VASGRA) with surgery between 2013 and 2017 were included. The observation time was calculated from surgery until a confirmed VGI or the last follow-up. Variables were assessed by infection status, using non-parametric tests. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression models, adjusted for demographic factors, were applied to assess risk factors for a VGI.ResultsA total of 438 predominantly male (83.1%) patients with a median age of 71 years (interquartile range [IQR] 63 – 76) contributed to 554 person years of follow-up. Thereof, 39 (8.9%) developed a VGI, amounting to an incidence rate of 7.0/100 person years. We found incisional surgical site infections (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 10.09, 95% CI 2.88 – 35.34); hemorrhage (aHR 4.92, 1.28–18.94); renal insufficiency (aHR 4.85, 1.20 – 19.61); inadequate perioperative prophylaxis in patients with an established antibiotic treatment, compared to the additional application of perioperative prophylaxis (aHR 2.87, 95% CI 1.17 – 7.05); and procedure time increases of 1-hour intervals (aHR 1.22, 95% CI 1.08 – 1.39) to be risk factors for VGIs.ConclusionsWe identified procedure time; inadequate perioperative prophylaxis, especially among patients with an established antibiotic treatment; and several postsurgical infectious and non-infectious complications as modifiable, predictive factors for VGIs and, therefore, as keys to improved surveillance programs and prevention strategies.Clinical Trials RegistrationNCT01821664
Complex sex-biased antibody responses: estrogen receptors bind estrogen response elements centered within immunoglobulin heavy chain gene enhancers
Authors: Jones Bart G , Sealy Robert E , Penkert Rhiannon R , Surman Sherri L , Maul Robert W , Neale Geoff , Xu Beisi , Gearhart Patricia J , Hurwitz Julia L 
Published: November 2018

AbstractNuclear hormone receptors including the estrogen receptor (ERα) and the retinoic acid receptor regulate a plethora of biological functions including reproduction, circulation and immunity. To understand how estrogen and other nuclear hormones influence antibody production, we characterized total serum antibody isotypes in female and male mice of C57BL/6J, BALB/cJ and C3H/HeJ mouse strains. Antibody levels were higher in females compared to males in all strains and there was a female preference for IgG2b production. Sex-biased patterns were influenced by vitamin levels, and by antigen specificity toward influenza virus or pneumococcus antigens. To help explain sex biases, we examined the direct effects of estrogen on immunoglobulin heavy chain sterile transcript production among purified, lipopolysaccharide-stimulated B cells. Supplemental estrogen in B-cell cultures significantly increased immunoglobulin heavy chain sterile transcripts. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses of activated B cells identified significant ERα binding to estrogen response elements (EREs) centered within enhancer elements of the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus, including the Eµ enhancer and hypersensitive site 1,2 (HS1,2) in the 3′ regulatory region. The ERE in HS1,2 was conserved across animal species, and in humans marked a site of polymorphism associated with the estrogen-augmented autoimmune disease, lupus. Taken together, the results highlight: (i) the important targets of ERα in regulatory regions of the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus that influence antibody production, and (ii) the complexity of mechanisms by which estrogen instructs sex-biased antibody production profiles.
Analysis of a lectin microarray identifies altered sialylation of mouse serum glycoproteins induced by whole-body radiation exposure
Authors: Iizuka Daisuke , Izumi Shunsuke , Suzuki Fumio , Kamiya Kenji 
Published: November 2018

AbstractMicroarrays containing 45 different lectins were analyzed to identify global changes in the glycosylation of serum glycoproteins from mice exposed to whole-body γ-radiation. The results showed that radiation exposure increased and decreased the relative amounts of α-2,3- and α-2,6-sialic acids, respectively. The expression of α-2,3- and α-2,6-sialyltransferase genes in the liver was analyzed to determine whether changes in their expression were responsible for the sialic acid changes. The increase in α-2,3-sialic acid correlated with St3gal5 upregulation after radiation exposure; however, a decrease in St6gal1 expression was not observed. Analysis of a PCR array of genes expressed in irradiated mouse livers revealed that irradiation did not alter the expression of most of the included genes. These results suggest that glycomic screening of serum glycoproteins using lectin microarrays can be a powerful tool for identifying radiation-induced changes in the post-translational addition of sugar moieties to proteins. In addition, the results indicate that altered sialylation of glycoproteins may be an initial response to acute radiation exposure.
Great Expectations and Dickens’s Spelling Book Predicament
Authors: Zhang Liwen 
Published: November 2018

Abstract
In Great Expectations (1860–61), Pip and Herbert’s formal introduction to each other in London is a rare occasion on which Pip discloses his first name to someone else, and even more unexpectedly, accepts a blacksmith-related nickname with alacrity. Herbert asks Pip to address him on a first-name basis, and Pip, in return, reveals his first name Philip. Herbert dislikes this name, for ‘it sounds like a moral boy out of a spelling book’. Instead, he proposes a familiar name ‘Handel’, namesake of the famous composer. While previous scholarship has extensively explored the various possible connotations of ‘Pip’ and ‘Handel’, it has not adequately examined the connection between ‘Handel’ and Dickens’s passing comment on spelling books. This paper examines the complex intertextuality between Dickens’s novels and spelling books. For Dickens, the spelling book not only represents an unpleasant type of elementary schoolbook or an undesirable method of teaching; it stands for the arbitrary blend of literacy training and moral cultivation. Although Dickens welcomed both of these undertakings, he objected to the common pedagogical practice of learning to read by memorizing moral tales. As he implies in Great Expectations, a good moral tale should be morally ambivalent and narratively sophisticated. Instead of being memorized and taken for granted like a spelling-book text, it should elicit empathy and encourage idiosyncratic interpretation. The spelling-book mentality is a predicament for a novel writer, and a hurdle in the way of sympathetic reading of a novel. A novel may be moralistic, but it belongs first and foremost to the realm of knowledge and experience, rather than the vacuum of innocence.
Cryoglobulinemia as a Possible Primer for TRALI: Report of a Case
Authors: Beech Cameron , Kumar Deepika , Hendrickson Jeanne , Perincheri Sudhir , Tormey Christopher , Bahar Burak 
Published: November 2018

AbstractWaldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) is a form of lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma that can cause hyperviscosity syndrome due to unchecked monoclonal antibody production. Some patients are also found to have associated cryoglobulinemia, which can cause systemic complications including vasculitis, renal disease, and pulmonary complications. Cryoglobulins can also serve as a source of interference with various laboratory assays. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is one of the recommended treatment modalities to manage hyperviscosity.Herein, we present the case of an 84-year-old female patient with Waldenström macroglobulinemia who presented with hyperviscosity syndrome and discrepant laboratory findings, and who then developed transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) during TPE. This case is one of many in the emerging possible linkages observed between cryoglobulinemia and TRALI.
Identification of multiple species and subpopulations among Australian clinical Sporothrix isolates using whole genome sequencing
Authors: New David , Beukers Alicia G , Kidd Sarah E , Merritt Adam J , Weeks Kerry , van Hal Sebastiaan J , Arthur Ian 
Published: November 2018

AbstractWhole genome sequencing (WGS) was used to demonstrate the wide genetic variability within Sporothrix schenckii sensu lato and establish that there are two main species of Sporothrix within Australian clinical isolates—S. schenckii sensu stricto and Sporothrix globosa. We also demonstrated southwest Western Australia contained genetically similar S. schenckii ss strains that are distinct from strains isolated in the eastern and northern states of Australia. Some genetic clustering by region was also noted for northern NSW, Queensland, and Northern Territory. Phylogenetic analysis of WGS data provided greater phylogenetic resolution compared to analysis of the calmodulin gene alone.
Predictive Value of Preoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings for Survival and Local Recurrence in Patients Undergoing En Bloc Resection of Sacral Chordomas
Authors: Zuckerman Scott L , Amini Behrang , Lee Sun-Ho , Rao Ganesh , Tatsui Claudio E , Rhines Laurence D 
Published: November 2018

AbstractBACKGROUNDFew studies have assessed the prognostic importance of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan findings in patients undergoing en bloc resection of sacral chordomas.OBJECTIVETo (1) report in-depth imaging characteristics of sacral chordomas, (2) describe the patterns of local and distant recurrence, and (3) determine imaging predictors of overall survival (OS) and local recurrence (LR).METHODSThis retrospective case series was obtained from a prospectively maintained spine database from 1995 to 2016. All patients underwent en bloc resection of sacral chordomas. Detailed demographic, outcome, and MRI data were collected. A survival analysis was completed with multivariable cox regression to assess the impact of MRI findings on OS and LR.RESULTSA total of 41 patients underwent en bloc resection of sacral chordoma with preoperative MRI scans. Tumor characteristics included lobulated: (93%) and soft tissue tail (54%). The following areas had tumor invasion lobulated: sacroiliac (SI) joint (15%), ilium (5%), piriformis (61%), gluteus (46%), subcutaneous fat (32%), and lumbosacral venous plexus (22%). After multivariable analysis, only subcutaneous fat extension was an independent predictor of decreased OS (hazard ratio 5.30, 95% confidence interval 1.47-19.19,P = .011). Though not significant after multivariable analysis, the following factors were significant predictors of LR after univariate logrank testing: above the L5/S1 disc space (P = .004), SI joint invasion (P = .036), and piriformis extension (P = .022).CONCLUSIONThe presence of subcutaneous fat extension was an independent predictor of decreased OS. Other MRI findings with potential for future evaluation include size, presence of soft tissue tail, extension above L5/S1, and SI joint and piriformis invasion.
Magnitude and Chronicity of Environmental Smoke Exposure Across Infancy and Early Childhood in a Sample of Low-Income Children
Authors: Gatzke-Kopp Lisa M , Willoughby Michael T , Warkentien Siri M , O’Connor Thomas , Granger Douglas A , Blair Clancy 
Published: November 2018

Abstract

Introduction
Infants and young children may be at an increased risk for second- and thirdhand exposure to tobacco smoke because of increased respiration rate and exposure to surface residue. However, relatively fewer studies have examined biomarkers of exposure (cotinine) in children under age 4 years. This study examines the magnitude and chronicity of exposure across early childhood among children from low-income families in order to better characterize contextual risk factors associated with exposure.

Methods
A total of 1292 families were recruited in six nonurban counties of Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Cotinine was assayed from infant saliva at 6, 15, 24, and 48 months of age (N = 1218), and categorized as low (≤0.45 ng/mL), moderate (0.46–12 ng/mL), or high (≥12 ng/mL) at each time point. Categories were highly correlated across time. Latent class analysis was used to summarize patterns of exposure categories across time.

Results
Magnitude of exposure in this sample was high, with approximately 12% of infants registering cotinine values at least 12 ng/mL, consistent with active smoking in adults. Greater exposure was associated with lower income, less education, more residential instability, and more instability in adult occupants in the home, whereas time spent in center-based day care was associated with lower exposure.

Conclusions
Young children from low-income, nonurban communities appear to bear a higher burden of secondhand smoke exposure than previous studies have reported. Results contribute to understanding populations at greater risk, as well as specific, potentially malleable, environmental factors that may be examined as direct contributors to exposure.

Implications
Results suggest that infants from low-income, nonurban families have higher risk for environmental smoke exposure than data from nationally representative samples. Predictors of exposure offer insights into specific factors that may be targeted for risk reduction efforts, specifically conditions of children’s physical space. In addition to considering the increases in risk when an adult smoker lives in a child’s home, families should also attend to the possible risk embedded within the home itself, such as residual smoke from previous occupants. For high-risk children, day care appears to mitigate the magnitude of exposure by providing extended time in a smoke-free environment.
Epidemiology of Campylobacter Gastroenteritis in New Zealand Children and the Effect of The Campylobacter Strategy
Authors: Jeffs Emma , Williman Jonathan , Martin Natalie , Brunton Cheryl , Walls Tony 
Published: November 2018

Background:

Campylobacter species are a common cause of gastroenteritis in New Zealand (NZ) as well as worldwide. This study aimed to describe epidemiologic trends in disease notifications and hospital admissions because of Campylobacter gastroenteritis in NZ children from 1997 to 2016.

Methods:
In this population-based descriptive study, age-specific and age-standardized notification and hospitalization rates were analyzed for Campylobacter infections in children <15 years of age. Variations in disease by time, sex, age, ethnicity and geography were described.

Results:
During the 20-year period considered, there were 39,970 notifications (59.1% male) and 1458 hospitalizations (61.8% male) because of Campylobacter gastroenteritis in NZ children. Before 2006, notification rates increased by 3.4% annually [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.7%–6.2%], with a peak of 340 notifications per 100,000 children in 2003. The average percentage change (APC) in hospitalizations was 7.4% (95% CI: 4.0%–10.9%) in the same period. From 2006 to 2008, notification and hospitalization rates fell by 25% and 30%, respectively. Since 2008, age-standardized incidence rates have been stable at 161 notifications (APC: −3.1; 95% CI: 0.82 to −6.9) and 6.73 hospitalizations (APC: 2.2; 95% CI: −2.0 to 6.5) per 100,000 children per year. Notification rates were highest in children 1–4 years of age. Hospitalizations rates were highest in children <1 year of age.

Conclusions:
NZ has previously had high rates of Campylobacter gastroenteritis in children. Implementation of a national strategy to reduce foodborne Campylobacter infection appears to have contributed to an observed reduction in rates between 2006 and 2008. The burden of Campylobacter disease is highest in the community health setting, with only a small proportion of cases needing hospitalization.
Cerebrovascular Physiology During Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Multicenter Study Using Transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography*
Authors: O’Brien Nicole F. , Buttram Sandra D.W. , Maa Tensing , Lovett Marlina E. , Reuter-Rice Karin , LaRovere Kerri L. 
Published: November 2018

Objectives:
To explore changes to expected, age-related transcranial Doppler ultrasound variables during pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Design:
Prospective, observational, multicenter study.

Setting:
Tertiary care PICUs.

Patients:
Children 1 day to 18 years old requiring veno arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Methods:
Participants underwent daily transcranial Doppler ultrasound measurement of bilateral middle cerebral artery flow velocities. Acute neurologic injury was diagnosed if seizures, cerebral hemorrhage, or diffuse cerebral ischemia was detected.

Measurements and Main Results:
Fifty-two children were enrolled and analyzed. In the 44 children without acute neurologic injury, there was a significant reduction in systolic flow velocity and mean flow velocity compared with predicted values over time (F [8, 434] = 60.44; p ≤ 0.0001, and F [8, 434] = 17.61; p ≤ 0.0001). Middle cerebral artery systolic flow velocity was lower than predicted on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation days 1–5, and mean flow velocity was lower than predicted on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation days 1–3. In the six infants less than 90 days old suffering diffuse cerebral ischemia, middle cerebral artery systolic flow velocity, mean flow velocity, and diastolic flow velocity from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation days 1–9 were not significantly different when compared with children of similar age in the cohort that did not suffer acute neurologic injury (systolic flow velocity F [8, 52] = 0.6659; p = 0.07 and diastolic flow velocity F [8, 52] = 1.4; p = 0.21 and mean flow velocity F [8, 52] = 1.93; p = 0.07). Pulsatility index was higher in these infants over time than children of similar age in the cohort on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation that did not suffer acute neurologic injury (F [8, 52] = 3.1; p = 0.006). No patient in the study experienced cerebral hemorrhage.

Conclusions:
Flow velocities in the middle cerebral arteries of children requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation are significantly lower than published normative values for critically ill, mechanically ventilated, sedated children. Significant differences in measured systolic flow velocity, diastolic flow velocity, and mean flow velocity were not identified in children suffering ischemic injury compared with those who did not. However, increased pulsatility index may be a marker for ischemic injury in young infants on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
EEG functional connectivity metrics wPLI and wSMI account for d distinct types of brain functional interactions
Authors: Imperatori Laura Sophie , Betta Monica , Cecchetti Luca , Johnson André Canales , Ricciardi Emiliano , Siclari Francesca , Pietrini Pietro , Chennu Srivas , Bernardi Giulio 
Published: November 2018

AbstractFunctional connectivity (FC) estimation methods are extensively used in neuroimaging to measure brain inter-regional interactions. The weighted Phase Lag Index (wPLI) and the weighted Symbolic Mutual Information (wSMI) represent relatively robust exemplars of spectral (wPLI) and information-theoretic (wSMI) connectivity measures that recently gained increased popularity due to their relative immunity to volume conduction. wPLI and wSMI are posited to have different sensitivity to linear and nonlinear relationships between neural sources, but their performance has never been directly compared. Here, using simulated high-density (hd-)EEG data, we evaluated the accuracy of these two metrics for detecting distinct types of regional interdependencies characterised by different combinations of linear and nonlinear components. Our results demonstrate that while wPLI performs generally better at detecting functional couplings presenting a mixture of linear and nonlinear interdependencies, only wSMI is able to detect exclusively nonlinear interaction dynamics. To evaluate the potential impact of these differences on real experimental data, we computed wPLI and wSMI connectivity in hd-EEG recordings of 12 healthy adults obtained in wakefulness and deep (N3-)sleep. While both wPLI and wSMI revealed a relative decrease in alpha-connectivity during sleep relative to wakefulness, only wSMI identified a relative increase in theta-connectivity, while wPLI detected an increase in delta-connectivity, likely reflecting the occurrence of traveling slow waves. Overall, our findings indicate that wPLI and wSMI provide distinct but complementary information about functional brain connectivity, and that their combined use could advance our knowledge of neural interactions underlying different behavioural states.