bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Transcriptomic analysis reveals differences in the regulation of amino acid metabolism in asexual and sexual planarians
Authors: Sekii Kiyono , Yorimoto Shunta , Okamoto Hikaru , Nagao Nanna , Maezawa Takanobu , Matsui Yasuhisa , Yamaguchi Katsushi , Furukawa Ryohei , Shigenobu Shuji , Kobayashi Kazuya 
Published: April 2019

AbstractMany flatworms can alternate between asexual and sexual reproduction. This is a powerful reproductive strategy enabling them to benefit from the features of the two reproductive modes, namely, rapid multiplication and genetic shuffling. The two reproductive modes are enabled by the presence of pluripotent adult stem cells (neoblasts), by generating any type of tissue in the asexual mode, and producing and maintaining germ cells in the sexual mode. In the current study, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to compare the transcriptomes of two phenotypes of the planarian Dugesia ryukyuensis: an asexual OH strain and an experimentally sexualized OH strain. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed striking differences in amino acid metabolism in the two worm types. Further, the analysis identified serotonin as a new bioactive substance that induced the planarian ovary de novo in a postembryonic manner. These findings suggest that different metabolic states and physiological conditions evoked by sex-inducing substances likely modulate stem cell behavior, depending on their different function in the asexual and sexual reproductive modes. The combination of RNA-seq and a feeding assay in D. ryukyuensis is a powerful tool for studying the alternation of reproductive modes, disentangling the relationship between gene expression and chemical signaling molecules.
Antimicrobial agent susceptibilities of Legionella pneumophila MLVA-8 genotypes
Authors: Sharaby Yehonatan , Nitzan Orna , Brettar Ingrid , Höfle Manfred G. , Peretz Avi , Halpern Malka 
Published: April 2019

AbstractLegionella pneumophila causes human lung infections resulting in severe pneumonia. High-resolution genotyping of L. pneumophila isolates can be achieved by multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA-8). Legionella infections in humans occur as a result of inhalation of bacteria-containing aerosols, thus, our aim was to study the antimicrobial susceptibilities of different MLVA-8 genotypes to ten commonly used antimicrobial agents in legionellosis therapy. Epidemiological cut-off values were determined for all antibiotics. Significant differences were found between the antimicrobial agents’ susceptibilities of the three studied environmental genotypes (Gt4, Gt6, and Gt15). Each genotype exhibited a significantly different susceptibility profile, with Gt4 strains (Sequence Type 1) significantly more resistant towards most studied antimicrobial agents. In contrast, Gt6 strains (also Sequence Type 1) were more susceptible to six of the ten studied antimicrobial agents compared to the other genotypes. Our findings show that environmental strains isolated from adjacent points of the same water system, exhibit distinct antimicrobial resistance profiles. These differences highlight the importance of susceptibility testing of Legionella strains. In Israel, the most extensively used macrolide for pneumonia is azithromycin. Our results point at the fact that clarithromycin (another macrolide) and trimethoprim with sulfamethoxazole (SXT) were the most effective antimicrobial agents towards L. pneumophila strains. Moreover, legionellosis can be caused by multiple L. pneumophila genotypes, thus, the treatment approach should be the use of combined antibiotic therapy. Further studies are needed to evaluate specific antimicrobial combinations for legionellosis therapy.
Timing and periodicity of Phanerozoic marine biodiversity and environmental change
Authors: Roberts Gareth G. , Mannion Philip D. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractWe examine how the history of Phanerozoic marine biodiversity relates to environmental change. Our focus is on North America, which has a relatively densely sampled history. By transforming time series into the time-frequency domain using wavelets, histories of biodiversity are shown to be similar to sea level, temperature and oceanic chemistry at multiple timescales. Fluctuations in sea level play an important role in driving Phanerozoic biodiversity at timescales >50 Myr, and during finite intervals at shorter periods. Subsampled and transformed marine genera time series reinforce the idea that Permian-Triassic, Triassic-Jurassic, and Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinctions were geologically rapid, whereas the Ordovician-Silurian and Late Devonian ‘events’ were longer lived. High cross wavelet power indicates that biodiversity is most similar to environmental variables (sea level, plate fragmentation, δ18O, δ13C, δ34S and 87Sr/86Sr) at periods >200 Myr, when they are broadly in phase (i.e. no time lag). They are also similar at shorter periods for finite durations of time (e.g. during some mass extinctions). These results suggest that long timescale processes (e.g. plate kinematics) are the primary drivers of biodiversity, whilst processes with significant variability at shorter periods (e.g. glacio-eustasy, continental uplift and erosion, volcanism, asteroid impact) play a moderating role. Wavelet transforms are a useful approach for isolating information about times and frequencies of biological activity and commonalities with environmental variables.
Extending r/K selection with a maternal risk-management model that classifies animal species into divergent natural selection categories
Authors: Cassill Deby L. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractReproduction is a defining process of biological systems. Every generation, across all species, breeding females repopulate ecosystems with offspring. r/K selection was the first theory to classify animal species by linking the rates with which breeding females repopulated ecosystems, to the stability of ecosystems. Here, I introduce a species classification scheme that extends the reach of r-K selection and CSR selection by linking breeder investments in offspring quantity, quality, and diversity to specific natural selection pressures. The species classification scheme is predicated on the assumption that high rates of predation favor breeders that invest more in offspring quantity than quality; and that spatiotemporal scarcity favors breeders that investment more in offspring quality than quantity. I present equations that convert the species classification scheme into a maternal risk-management model. Thereafter, using the equations, I classify eighty-seven animal species into the model’s natural selection categories. Species of reptiles, fish, and marine invertebrates clustered in the predation selection category. Species of birds and mammals clustered in the scarcity selection category. Several species of apex predators clustered in the weak selection category. Several species of social insects and social mammals clustered in the convergent selection category. In summary, by acknowledging breeding females as the individuals upon which natural selection acts to repopulate ecosystems with offspring, the proposed maternal risk-management model offers a testable, theoretical framework for the field of ecology.
Network properties of salmonella epidemics
Authors: Cliff Oliver M. , Sintchenko Vitali , Sorrell Tania C. , Vadlamudi Kiranmayi , McLean Natalia , Prokopenko Mikhail 
Published: April 2019

AbstractWe examine non-typhoidal Salmonella (S. Typhimurium or STM) epidemics as complex systems, driven by evolution and interactions of diverse microbial strains, and focus on emergence of successful strains. Our findings challenge the established view that seasonal epidemics are associated with random sets of co-circulating STM genotypes. We use high-resolution molecular genotyping data comprising 17,107 STM isolates representing nine consecutive seasonal epidemics in Australia, genotyped by multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeats analysis (MLVA). From these data, we infer weighted undirected networks based on distances between the MLVA profiles, depicting epidemics as networks of individual bacterial strains. The network analysis demonstrated dichotomy in STM populations which split into two distinct genetic branches, with markedly different prevalences. This distinction revealed the emergence of dominant STM strains defined by their local network topological properties, such as centrality, while correlating the development of new epidemics with global network features, such as small-world propensity.
Size distributions of droplets produced by ultrasonic nebulizers
Authors: Kooij Stefan , Astefanei Alina , Corthals Garry L. , Bonn Daniel 
Published: April 2019

AbstractIn many applications where small, similar-sized droplets are needed, ultrasonic nebulizers are employed. Little is known about the mechanism of nebulization, for example about what determines the median droplet size. Even less understood, is the droplet size distribution, which is often simply fitted with a log-normal distribution or assumed to be very narrow. We perform the first systematic study of droplet size distributions for different nebulizer technologies, showing that these distributions can be very well fitted with distributions found for sprays, where the size distribution is completely determined by the corrugation of ligaments and the distribution of ligament sizes. In our case, breakup is believed to be due to pinch-off of Faraday instabilities. The droplet size distribution is then set by the distribution of wavelengths of the standing capillary waves and the roughness of the pinch-off ligaments. We show that different nebulizer technologies produce different size distributions, which we relate to (variation in) wavelengths of the waves that contribute to the droplet formation. We further show that the median droplet size scales with the capillary wavelength, with a proportionality constant that depends only slightly on the type of nebulizer, despite order-of-magnitude differences in other parameters.
CteG is a Chlamydia trachomatis effector protein that associates with the Golgi complex of infected host cells
Authors: Pais Sara V. , Key Charlotte E. , Borges Vítor , Pereira Inês S. , Gomes João Paulo , Fisher Derek J. , Mota Luís Jaime 
Published: April 2019

AbstractChlamydia trachomatis is a bacterial pathogen causing ocular and genital infections in humans. C. trachomatis multiplies exclusively inside host cells within a characteristic vacuole, from where it manipulates host cells by injecting them with type III secretion effector proteins. Here, we identified CteG as the first C. trachomatiseffector associated with the Golgi. For this, C. trachomatis strains expressing candidate effectors fused to a double hemagglutinin (2HA) tag were constructed. Then, among these strains, immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that CteG-2HA was delivered into the cytoplasm of infected cells. Between 16–20 h post-infection, CteG-2HA mostly associated with the Golgi; however, CteG-2HA also appeared at the host cell plasma membrane, and at 30 or 40 h post-infection this was its predominant localization. This change in the main localization of CteG-2HA was independent of intact microfilaments or microtubules. Ectopic expression of different regions of CteG (656 amino acid residues) in uninfected cells revealed that its first 100 residues contain a Golgi targeting region. Although a C. trachomatis cteG mutant did not display a defect in intracellular multiplication, CteG induced a vacuolar protein sorting defect when expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This suggested that CteG might function by subverting host cell vesicular transport.
Comprehensive comparison of antioxidant properties of tinctures
Authors: Polak Justyna , Bartoszek Mariola , Bernat Roksana 
Published: April 2019

AbstractHomemade tinctures, traditional Polish alcoholic beverages called “nalewkas” (similar to alcohol herbal tinctures), which antioxidant capacity have never been studied before, were characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and ultraviolet visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. The antioxidant properties of nalewkas made according to homemade recipes were compared to commercially produced nalewkas. The impact of aging on antioxidant properties of nalewkas was investigated. The results showed that all of examined nalewkas exhibited strong antioxidant properties (antioxidant capacity TEACDPPH 466 μmol TE/100 mL – 11890 μmol TE/100 mL). It was found that the value of the antioxidant capacity corresponds to the total phenolic and aromatic proton content. The impact of the production method and the type of fruit used on the TEACDPPH value was also noted. The unripe walnuts with green husks has the highest value of the antioxidant capacity TEACDPPH (11890 µM/100 mL) not only for alcoholic beverages, but also among food products.
Kostenübernahmen beim Lipödem – was ist zu
beachten?
Authors: Motamedi Melodi , Herold Christian , Allert Sixtus 
Published: April 2019

ZusammenfassungDas Lipödem war bis vor einigen Jahren ein eher unbekanntes Erkrankungsbild. In
den letzten 5 Jahren gewann die Lipödemerkrankung immer mehr Bekanntheit,
insbesondere durch die mediale Aufmerksamkeit. Neben der konservativen
Behandlung durch eine komplex-konservative Entstauungstherapie gibt es immer
mehr Studien, die das Potenzial eines Liposuktionsverfahrens zur erfolgreichen
Therapie des Lipödems nahelegen. Infolgedessen werden Betroffene dieser
Erkrankung zunehmend bei Plastischen Chirurgen vorstellig mit dem Wunsch nach
Korrektur und Schmerzlinderung. Da die Liposuktion in Deutschland allerdings
seitens des gemeinsamen Bundesausschusses (G-BA) noch nicht als
Behandlungsalternative zur Therapie von Lipödemerkrankten positiv bewertet
worden ist, ist eine Leistungserbringung zu Lasten der GKV immer noch eine
Einzelfallentscheidung, welche gesondert von den Patientinnen in Zusammenarbeit
mit dem behandelnden Plastischen Chirurgen beantragt werden muss. Im
vorliegenden Übersichtsartikel legen wir die aktuelle Rechtslage dar und geben
Hilfestellung bei der Beantragung von Kostenübernahmen.
Auditive Verarbeitung und Wahrnehmungsstörungen:
Erfahrungen mit Fragebogeninstrumenten
Authors: Koch Thomas , Bergmann Corinna , Ptok Martin 
Published: April 2019

Zusammenfassung
Hintergrund Beeinträchtigungen der Lautdiskrimination, des
Sprachverständnisses im Störlärm, der Merkfähigkeit u. s. w. können im Rahmen
einer Diagnostik bezüglich einer auditiven Verarbeitungs- und
Wahrnehmungsstörung (AVWS) strukturiert mit dem von der Deutschen Gesellschaft
für Phoniatrie und Pädaudiologie erstellten Fragebogen (DGPP-AVWS-FB) erfasst
werden. Hier soll über Erfahrungen bei Verwendung dieses Fragebogens in einer
phoniatrisch-pädaudiologischen Praxis berichtet werden. Insbesondere sollte
ermittelt werden, ob Angaben der Eltern zum auditiven Verhalten ihrer Kinder
ähnlich oder different zu Angaben von Erzieherinnen und Erziehern im
Kindergarten (KGK) respektive von Lehrkräften in der Schule (LK) sind.
Methodik In einem neunmonatigen Zeitraum wurde allen Eltern, die ihre
Kinder zur Abklärung einer eventuellen AVWS vorstellten, der DGPP-AVWS-FB zum
Ausfüllen durch sie sowie durch KGK/LK ausgehändigt. Zum Vergleich der
Übereinstimmung der Beurteilungen wurden auch jeweils zwei Fragebögen zur
Aufmerksamkeit und Konzentration bzw. zu exekutiven Funktionen (DISYPS II, BRIEF
oder BRIEF-P) mitgegeben. Daten von Kindern mit peripherer Hörstörung oder
kognitiver Entwicklungsstörung wurden nicht verwendet. Dann wurde für die
jeweiligen Items, Skalen und Indices der Korrelationskoeffizient berechnet.
Ergebnisse Ausgefüllte Fragebögen lagen zum Schluss des
Untersuchungszeitraums von insgesamt 20 Grundschulkindern sowie 7
Kindergartenkindern vor. Bei letztgenannten erfolgte die Vorstellung
ausschließlich auf Veranlassung der KGK, bei einem Schulkind wurde eine AVWS
durch die Eltern, nicht aber durch LK, bei drei Schulkindern sowohl durch die
Eltern wie durch LK und bei 16 Schulkindern nur durch LK vermutet. Die
Auswertung der DGPP-AVWS-FB spiegelte letztlich diese unterschiedliche
Einschätzung der Symptomatik wieder: die Angaben der Eltern zeigten, mit
Ausnahme der Angaben bei Kindern, bei denen sowohl Eltern wie LK eine AVWS
vermuteten, nur eine geringe Übereinstimmung zu den Angaben der KGK/LK. Im
Vergleich dazu waren die Antworten zu den beiden anderen Fragebögen ebenfalls
unterschiedlich, die Angaben zur Aufmerksamkeit und Hyperaktivität bei
Kindergartenkindern tendenziell aber ähnlicher.
Diskussion Die hier aus der phoniatrisch-pädaudiologischen Praxis
vorgestellten Daten könnten mit einem unterschiedlichen Verhalten der Kinder im
häuslichen Umfeld respektive im Kindergarten/in der Schule zu erklären sein. Es
könnte auch sein, dass dasgleiche Verhalten unterschiedlich bewertet wird. Für
Fragebögen-Instrumente zur Aufmerksamkeitsdefizit-/Hyperaktivitätsstörung und zu
exekutiven Funktionen sind niedrige Korrelationen bereits bekannt. Für die
klinische Routine empfiehlt sich, die berichteten Symptome standardisiert mit
dem DGPP-AVWS-FB zu dokumentieren und insbesondere auch festzustellen, ob ein
auffälliges auditives Verhalten nur in einer oder in zwei bzw. mehreren
Umgebungen auffällt.
Blood Flow Restriction Therapy after Closed Treatment of Distal Radius Fractures
Authors: Cancio Jill M. , Sgromolo Nicole M. , Rhee Peter C. 
Published: April 2019

Background Blood flow restriction (BFR) therapy is an innovative rehabilitative program that enables patients to increase strength at a fraction of the weight typically necessary in endurance exercises. Therefore, we conducted a pilot study evaluating patient outcomes with a BFR therapy program for closed management after a distal radius fracture compared to a traditional rehabilitation protocol.
Literature review A randomized-controlled study was conducted comparing a standardized hand therapy rehabilitation protocol alone to a combined protocol with the use of BFR therapy in patients who were initially treated with closed reduction and short arm cast immobilization for a displaced distal radius fracture between May 1, 2015 and August 1, 2016. BFR therapy was performed with a restrictive tourniquet applied to the upper brachium, performing the same strengthening exercises as the control group but with the restrictive tourniquet in place. Clinical assessment was conducted at 6, 10, and 14 weeks from the date of initial cast immobilization. Outcome measures collected included wrist range of motion; grip strength; pinch strength; visual analogue scale for pain with activity and at rest; patient-rated wrist evaluation (PRWE) scores; and disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand scores.
Results Thirteen patients were enrolled and randomized between the BFR (n = 6) and control (n = 7) groups. The BFR group noted significantly greater reduction in pain with activity compared to the control group after 8 weeks of therapy (Δ −4.0 vs. −2.3, p = 0.03). Similarly, patients in the BFR group displayed greater reduction in PRWE scores compared to the control group after 8 weeks of BFR therapy (Δ −57.9 vs. 30.8, p = 0.01). The two groups did not demonstrate any significant difference in radiographic outcomes at any time point or throughout the course of the study. All patients tolerated the BFR therapy program and there were no complications.
Clinical relevance The addition of BFR therapy to the rehabilitative program after closed management of a distal radius fracture is safe, well tolerated by patients, without any deleterious effects on radiographic outcomes. This pilot study noted that BFR therapy in patients with nonoperative distal radius fractures may result in a larger reduction in pain with activity and greater improvement in overall self-perceived function.
Acetazolamide-Induced Aseptic Meningitis in a Female Adolescent with Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: A Case Report
Authors: Gupta Rekha , Barton Chris , Puri Vinay 
Published: April 2019

AbstractDrug-induced aseptic meningitis (DIAM) has been documented for many years and is considered a diagnostic and patient management challenge. Associated medications include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, and monoclonal antibodies, but no cases associated with acetazolamide have been reported. We briefly review a case of a 15-year-old female patient with history of idiopathic intracranial hypertension whose symptoms of aseptic meningitis associated with the use and increase of acetazolamide. DIAM should be considered a possibility in any patient with meningeal symptoms, pleocytosis, and negative cerebrospinal fluid culture. This is the first known case linking acetazolamide to DIAM.
Pain and spatial inclusion: evidence from Mandarin
Authors: Liu Michelle , Klein Colin 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe surface grammar of reports such as ‘I have a pain in my leg’ suggests that pains are objects which are spatially located in parts of the body. We show that the parallel construction is not available in Mandarin. Further, four philosophically important grammatical features of such reports cannot be reproduced. This suggests that arguments and puzzles surrounding such reports may be tracking artefacts of English, rather than philosophically significant features of the world.
Reflection on modern methods: calculating a sample size for a repeatability sub-study to correct for measurement error in a single continuous exposure
Authors: Morgan Katy E , Cook Sarah , Leon David A , Frost Chris 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
Using a continuous exposure variable that is measured with random error in a univariable linear regression model leads to regression dilution bias: the observed association between the exposure and outcome is smaller than it would be if the true value of the exposure could be used. A repeatability sub-study, where a sample of study participants have their data measured again, can be used to correct for this bias. It is important to perform a sample size calculation for such a sub-study, to ensure that correction factors can be estimated with sufficient precision. We describe how a previously published method can be used to calculate the sample size from the anticipated size of the correction factor and its desired precision, and demonstrate this approach using the example of the cross-sectional studies conducted as part of the International Project on Cardiovascular Disease in Russia study. We also provide correction factors calculated from repeat data from the UK Biobank study, which can be used to help plan future repeatability studies.
Semantics for first-order superposition logic
Authors: Tzouvaras Athanassios 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
We investigate how the sentence choice semantics (SCS) for propositional superposition logic (PLS) developed in Tzouvaras (2018, Logic Journal of the IGPL, 26, 149–190) could be extended so as to successfully apply to first-order superposition logic (FOLS). There are two options for such an extension. The apparently more natural one is the formula choice semantics (FCS) based on choice functions for pairs of arbitrary formulas of the basis language. It is proved however that the universal instantiation scheme of first-order logic, $(\forall v)\varphi (v)\rightarrow \varphi (t)$, is false, as a scheme of tautologies, with respect to FCS. This causes the total failure of FCS as a candidate semantics. Then we turn to the other option, which is a variant of SCS, since it uses again choice functions for pairs of sentences only. This semantics however presupposes that the applicability of the connective | is restricted to quantifier-free sentences, and thus the class of well-formed formulas and sentences of the language is restricted too. Granted these syntactic restrictions, the usual axiomatizations of FOLS turn out to be sound and conditionally complete with respect to this second semantics, just like the corresponding systems of PLS.