bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Looking at the Functional State of Proteins Inside Cells
Authors: Carmichael Stephen W 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
Many intracellular proteins are catalysts that regulate cellular functions. These catalysts can be assayed to determine their functional state, but untii now it was not possible to simultaneously obtain a functional analysis and spatial data. Tony Ng, Anthony Squire, and others, working in the laboratories of Phillippe Bastiaens and Peter Parker, have combined Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM) with Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) to spatially resolve the activation of a protein catalyst within living cells. Their technique was also applied to fixed cells.
A Quick Note on Preparing Bacteria for SEM
Authors: Oshel Philip 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
Questions have appeared on the microscopy listserver about how to prepare bacteria for SEM. This is an easy problem to solve, the greatest difficulty being preserving flagellae or pili. There are several references in basic EM texts, but briefly the bacteria can be treated as if they are small tissue samples, or negative staining samples for TEM. Details like of time in solutions, transition series, etc. will depend on the particular bacteria under study, and some trial and error will likely be needed. The procedures given here should give a reasonable starting point.
The Case For film
Authors: McAuliffe Geoff 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
Recording images from the TEM with photographic film has a number of advantages over digital imaging. The first advantage is cost. Most institutions, whether academic or industrial, already have a darkroom so there is little or no start up cost. Even if a new darkroom must be equipped, a professional quality enlarger, lens, timer, paper cutter, paper safe, easel and safelight are easily under $2500 total. Trays and chemicals are inexpensive while an automatic print processor, which speeds up work significantly, while reducing exposure to chemicals, is about $2500. Additional lenses, so the same enlarger can be used for other film formats (35 mm), are about $200 each.
The Case For Digital Imaging
Authors: Bode Michael 
Published: March 2018

Abstract
Geoff eloquently makes a case for film as opposed to digital image acquisition and processing. And while I agree with many of his points, I also have a slightly different point of view on several aspects.
Let's start with the darkroom. While Geoff is correct in saying that many institutions already have a darkroom or have access to one at no cost, this only tends to hide the cost. Somebody has to build the darkroom and somebody has to pay for building maintainingand equipping the darkroom. If this is paid out of some overhead and not paid for directly, then the cost is hidden in that overhead, which would be less without the darkroom.
Reputations count: why benchmarking performance is improving health care across the world
Authors: Bevan Gwyn , Evans Alice , Nuti Sabina 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThis paper explores what motivates improved health care performance. Previously, many have thought that performance would either improve via choice and competition or by relying on trust and altruism. But neither assumption is supported by available evidence. So instead we explore a third approach of reciprocal altruism with sanctions for unacceptably poor performance and rewards for high performance. These rewards and sanctions, however, are not monetary, but in the form of reputational effects through public reporting of benchmarking of performance. Drawing on natural experiments in Italy and the United Kingdom, we illustrate how public benchmarking can improve poor performance at the national level through ‘naming and shaming’ and enhance good performance at the sub-national level through ‘competitive benchmarking’ and peer learning. Ethnographic research in Zambia also showed how reputations count. Policy-makers could use these effects in different ways to improve public services.
The National Health Service (NHS) at 70: some comparative reflections
Authors: Tuohy Carolyn H. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractAs the National Health Service (NHS) turns 70, it bears comparison with another universal system celebrating an anniversary this year: Canada’s 50-year-old medicare model. Each system is iconically popular, and each revolves around a profession-state accommodation. Both the popularity and the central axis of each system have been tested by external shocks in the form of periodic fiscal cycles of investment and austerity, and internal stresses generating organizational cycles of centralization and decentralization. In addition, the English NHS has undergone periodic bursts of major policy change, which have arguably moved the system closer to the Canadian single-payer model.
A genomics approach reveals insights into the importance of gene losses for mammalian adaptations
Authors: Sharma Virag , Hecker Nikolai , Roscito Juliana G. , Foerster Leo , Langer Bjoern E. , Hiller Michael 
Published: March 2018

AbstractIdentifying the genomic changes that underlie phenotypic adaptations is a key challenge in evolutionary biology and genomics. Loss of protein-coding genes is one type of genomic change with the potential to affect phenotypic evolution. Here, we develop a genomics approach to accurately detect gene losses and investigate their importance for adaptive evolution in mammals. We discover a number of gene losses that likely contributed to morphological, physiological, and metabolic adaptations in aquatic and flying mammals. These gene losses shed light on possible molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie these adaptive phenotypes. In addition, we show that gene loss events that occur as a consequence of relaxed selection following adaptation provide novel insights into species’ biology. Our results suggest that gene loss is an evolutionary mechanism for adaptation that may be more widespread than previously anticipated. Hence, investigating gene losses has great potential to reveal the genomic basis underlying macroevolutionary changes.
DNA methylation mediates neural processing after odor learning in the honeybee
Authors: Biergans Stephanie D. , Claudianos Charles , Reinhard Judith , Galizia C. Giovanni 
Published: March 2018

AbstractDNA methyltransferases (Dnmts) - epigenetic writers catalyzing the transfer of methyl-groups to cytosine (DNA methylation) – regulate different aspects of memory formation in many animal species. In honeybees, Dnmt activity is required to adjust the specificity of olfactory reward memories and bees’ relearning capability. The physiological relevance of Dnmt-mediated DNA methylation in neural networks, however, remains unknown. Here, we investigated how Dnmt activity impacts neuroplasticity in the bees’ primary olfactory center, the antennal lobe (AL) an equivalent of the vertebrate olfactory bulb. The AL is crucial for odor discrimination, an indispensable process in forming specific odor memories. Using pharmacological inhibition, we demonstrate that Dnmt activity influences neural network properties during memory formation in vivo. We show that Dnmt activity promotes fast odor pattern separation in trained bees. Furthermore, Dnmt activity during memory formation increases both the number of responding glomeruli and the response magnitude to a novel odor. These data suggest that Dnmt activity is necessary for a form of homoeostatic network control which might involve inhibitory interneurons in the AL network.
Precharge free dynamic content addressable memory
Authors: Mahendra T.V. , Hussain S.W. , Mishra S. , Dandapat A. 
Published: March 2018

A precharge free dynamic content addressable memory (DCAM) is introduced for low‐power and high‐speed search applications. Elimination of precharge prior to search allows hardware engine to perform more number of searches within the stipulated time. The proposed DCAM cell not only removes precharge of matchline (ML) but also utilises decoupling of bitline and searchline so that unwanted capacitive couplings are minimised at charge storage nodes. A 512 bit of the proposed scheme is implemented using 45 nm CMOS technology and its efficacy is verified and proved through rigorous variations with 1000‐point Monte‐Carlo sampling of ML voltage as well as multi‐search dissipation analysis.
Lithium abundance patterns of late-F stars: an in-depth analysis of the lithium desert
Authors: Aguilera-Gómez Claudia , Ramírez Iván , Chanamé Julio 
Published: March 2018

Aims. We address the existence and origin of the lithium (Li) desert, a region in the Li–Teff plane sparsely populated by stars. Here we analyze some of the explanations that have been suggested for this region, including mixing in the late main sequence, a Li dip origin for stars with low Li abundances in the region, and a possible relation with the presence of planets.
Methods. To study the Li desert, we measured the atmospheric parameters and Li abundance of 227 late-F dwarfs and subgiants, chosen to be in the Teff range of the desert and without previous Li abundance measurements. Subsequently, we complemented those with literature data to obtain a homogeneous catalog of 2318 stars, for which we compute masses and ages. We characterize stars surrounding the region of the Li desert.
Results. We conclude that stars with low Li abundances below the desert are more massive and more evolved than stars above the desert. Given the unexpected presence of low Li abundance stars in this effective temperature range, we concentrate on finding their origin. We conclude that these stars with low Li abundance do not evolve from stars above the desert: at a given mass, stars with low Li (i.e., below the desert) are more metal-poor.
Conclusions. Instead, we suggest that stars below the Li desert are consistent with having evolved from the Li dip, discarding the need to invoke additional mixing to explain this feature. Thus, stars below the Li desert are not peculiar and are only distinguished from other subgiants evolved from the Li dip in that their combination of atmospheric parameters locates them in a range of effective temperatures where otherwise only high Li abundance stars would be found (i.e., stars above the desert).
Conservation Agriculture to buffer and alleviate the impact of climatic variations in Madagascar: farmers’ perception
Authors: Penot Eric , Fevre Valentin , Flodrops Patricia , Razafimahatratra Hanitriniaina Mamy 
Published: March 2018

Conservation Agriculture (CA) has been promoted during the last 15 years in Madagascar to develop a sustainable rainfed agriculture in order to cope with low fertility upland soils, soil erosion, low productivity and erratic rainfall. If CA does provide a better sustainability with adapted cropping patterns when adopted, a question is, whether CA is able to alleviate the impact of climatic variations thanks to the mulching effect and to which extent. We took the example of medium altitude zones in the Lake Alaotra area to illustrate farmers’ perceptions. If climate change is not proven in these areas, climatic variations are very high and erratic rainfall patterns at the beginning of the rainy season induce serious risks of crop failure. Two surveys were implemented in 2013: (i) on CA changing practices of 92 farmers (during the 10 years project duration) and (ii) on the evolution of behavior among 28 farmers who have recently adopted CA (less than 5 years). In CA systems, the mulch contributes to better cropping systems resilience and helps alleviating the effect of climatic variations. If a limited number of farmers have effectively adopted CA practices, in the long run, most farmers have developed innovative cropping systems between conventional agriculture and CA, to address their own constraints, leading to a widespread range of agro-ecological practices. A typology of behavior is presented to identify farmers’ strategies regarding risks in a context characterized by multiple uncertainties.
Analyse de la dégradation thermique du Poly(éther imide)
Authors: Courvoisier Emilie , Bicaba Yoann , Colin Xavier 
Published: March 2018

La dégradation thermique du PEI a été étudiée dans de larges intervalles de température (entre 180 et 250 °C) et de pression partielle d’oxygène (entre 0,21 et 50 bars). Tout d’abord, les mécanismes de vieillissement thermique ont été analysés et élucidés par spectroscopie IRTF et par calorimétrie différentielle (DSC) sur des films de PEI suffisamment minces (entre 10 et 60 μm d’épaisseur) pour s’affranchir totalement des effets de la diffusion d’oxygène. Comme attendu, et par analogie avec d’autres polymères aromatiques de structure chimique similaire, l’oxydation se produit préférentiellement sur les groupes méthyle de l’unité isopropylidène du motif bisphenol A, causant la disparition de leur bande d’absorption IR caractéristique à 2970 cm−1et la croissance d’une nouvelle bande d’absorption IR centrée à 3350 cm−1et attribuée aux groupes alcool. De plus, l’oxydation conduit successivement à une prédominance relative des coupures de chaîne (diminution de Tg) et de la réticulation (augmentation de Tg). Enfin, les conséquences de l’oxydation sur les propriétés élastiques ont été analysées et élucidées par micro-indentation sur des sections droites préalablement polies de plaquettes de PEI de 3 mm d’épaisseur. Cependant, l’augmentation du module d’Young dans la couche superficielle oxydée est principalement due à un vieillissement physique.
Mindestmengen unterschreiten, Ausnahmetatbestände und ihre Konsequenzen ab 2018. Komplexe Eingriffe am Ösophagus und Pankreas in deutschen Krankenhäusern im Zeitverlauf von 2006 bis 2014
Authors: de Cruppé Werner , Geraedts Max 
Published: March 2018

Zusammenfassung
Ziel der Studie Die seit dem Jahr 2004 geltenden Mindestmengenregelungen für Krankenhäuser in Deutschland sehen 4 Ausnahmetatbestände vor, bei deren Vorliegen Krankenhäuser Eingriffe auch unterhalb der Mindestmengenvorgabe durchführen können. Die Studie untersucht Umfang und Bedeutung dieser Ausnahmegründe für komplexe Eingriffe am Ösophagus und Pankreas im Hinblick auf alle die Mindestmenge nicht einhaltenden Krankenhäuser und in Bezug auf die vom Gemeinsamen Bundesausschuss überarbeiteten Mindestmengenregelungen, gültig ab Anfang des Jahres 2018.
Methodik Längsschnittliche, deskriptive Auswertung der Daten zu Mindestmengen und Ausnahmetatbeständen der Krankenhäuser bei Ösophagus- und Pankreaseingriffen aus den Qualitätsberichten der Krankenhäuser aus den Berichtsjahren von 2006 bis 2014.
Ergebnisse Jährlich unterschreiten bei beiden Eingriffsarten etwa 120 Krankenhäuser die Mindestmengenvorgabe, die im Jahr rund 500 Fälle operieren. Davon gibt ein Drittel keine Ausnahmetatbestände an (mit 180 operierten Patienten), ein Drittel Notfälle (110) und ein Drittel krankenhausinterne Veränderungsprozesse (210). Die Sicherstellung der flächendeckenden Versorgung ist kein relevanter Ausnahmetatbestand. Nach der 3-jährigen Karenzzeit beim Ausnahmetatbestand „Aufbau neuer Leistungsbereich“ erfüllen 20 – 30% die Mindestmengenvorgaben, beim Ausnahmetatbestand „personelle Neuausrichtung“ mit 2-jähriger Karenzzeit sind es 40 – 50%.
Schlussfolgerung Die Ausnahmetatbestände erklären nicht vollumfänglich die operierten Fälle in Krankenhäusern unterhalb der Mindestmengenvorgabe. Die in den überarbeiteten Mindestmengenregelungen erfolgte Neugliederung der Ausnahmetatbestände auf Notfälle und „erstmalige oder erneute Erbringung einer Leistung“ mit 24 Monaten Karenzzeit passt zu den hier vorgelegten empirischen Ergebnissen.
Peripheral Facial Palsy and Communicating Hydrocephalus as a Clinical Presentation of Hemorrhagic Vestibular Schwannoma: Case Report
Authors: Silva João , Gomes Mário , Carvalho Ernesto 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe vestibular schwannoma is the most common extra-axial tumor of the posterior fossa. Hemorrhage associated with vestibular schwannomas has been described in less than 1% of the cases. The etiology remains unknown; however, some risk factors have been suggested, such as tumor size and tumor growth rate, the vascularity and histopathology of the tumor or even previous treatment with radiosurgery. The present case is of a 74-year-old female patient, who presented to our clinic in December of 2015 after a mild traumatic brain injury. In that context, she did a brain computed tomography (CT) scan and was diagnosed with a vestibular schwannoma— an incidentaloma. It was decided at that time to treat the patient conservatively because of her comorbidities and the presentation of the disease. In March of 2017, the patient presented again to our clinic with a right peripheral facial paralysis (House-Brackmann [HB] grade IV-VI) and confusion. The CT scan revealed that bleeding around the vestibular schwannoma had caused the clinical presentation. We decided to treat the hydrocephalus with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. At the time of her last follow-up visit, the confusion symptoms had resolved, and her right-sided facial function had improved to a HB grade II-VI.
Pilomyxoid Astrocytoma: Case Report
Authors: Pignatari Renato , Teixeira Manoel , Figueiredo Eberval 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe pilomyxoid astrocytoma (PMA) is a rare glioma recently described as a separate entity, which is generally located on the hypothalamic area. The PMA was previously described as pilocytic astrocytoma (PA) due to similarities shared between them. Recent studies provided a deeper understanding of PMA, setting it as a separate entity, though PMA is still considered by many authors a variant of PA. The PMA is considered to be more aggressive than PA; however, further studies are necessary for a better comprehension of its behavior and, hence, for neurosurgeons and neurologists to get to a consensus about its management.This study presents a 16-year-old female patient who looked for medical assistance complaining of headaches of over 6 months and vomiting for 2 weeks prior to the visit to the doctor. She presented no other symptoms. The physical examination displayed only bilateral papilledema. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans showed an intraventricular and thalamic lesion composed of solid and cystic material associated with peritumoral edema. The patient underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt and subtotal resection of the lesion. The histological and immunohistochemical studies showed typical features of PMA. The patient started adjuvant therapy with chemotherapy and radiosurgery. She has been asymptomatic for 9 months and has shown no signs of progression of the disease on the follow-up scans.
Maternal–Fetal Medicine Workforce Survey: Are We Ready for Regionalized Levels of Maternal Care?
Authors: D'Alton Mary , O'Keefe Daniel , Wenstrom Katharine 
Published: March 2018

Objective To conduct a survey of the members of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) to determine the practice patterns of maternal–fetal medicine (MFM) subspecialists in the United States and to estimate the likelihood that our work force is sufficient to support the proposed MFM staffing requirements for level III and IV maternity centers.
Study Design All regular SMFM members in the United States were invited to answer a 26 question survey by email. The survey queried demographic characteristics, practice type, night call arrangements, and whether the respondent's hospital was currently equipped with the services and personnel described in the requirements for level III or IV centers.
Results Of the MFM specialists working full time in what would be considered a level III or IV maternity center, only 47.5% took in-house call. Of those taking only call from home or back-up call, the majority reported that during call hours, MFM antepartum and laboring patients are cared for by generalist obstetrician gynecologists; only 6.4% work with MFM hospitalists. Respondents from level III or IV centers also reported that many of their centers did not meet the criteria for nursing support, anesthesia support, or intensive care services.
Conclusion These data, if confirmed, indicate that work needs to be done to upgrade services and achieve appropriate staffing to meet the proposed level III and IV criteria for maternity care.
Gliomas in Children
Authors: Sturm Dominik , Filbin Mariella 
Published: March 2018

AbstractGliomas are the most common primary central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms in children and adolescents and are thought to arise from their glial progenitors or stem cells. Although the exact cells of origin for most pediatric gliomas remain to be identified, our current understanding is that specific cell populations during CNS development are susceptible to particular oncogenic events during certain time windows and thus give rise to pediatric gliomas with distinct histological, molecular, and clinical features. These may be roughly segregated into low-grade gliomas (WHO grades I or II; including most mixed glial–neuronal tumors) and high-grade gliomas (WHO grades III or IV) according to their clinical course when untreated, even though this is not yet entirely clear for some of the recently emerging groups. The genetic and epigenetic characterization of pediatric gliomas across ages and histologies has facilitated the delineation of biologically relevant subgroups and have revealed potentially targetable alterations in some of them. This review outlines diagnostic features and molecular alterations in pediatric low- and high-grade gliomas and how the latter might be exploited with future targeted therapeutic strategies.
Grading of Diffuse Astrocytic Gliomas: A Review of Studies Before and After the Advent of IDH Testing
Authors: Ono Takahiro , Shirahata Mitsuaki , Louis David , von Deimling Andreas 
Published: March 2018

AbstractEstimating the malignancy level of tumors is key to management, and has been part of oncology practice for the past ∼100 years. A central aspect of assessing malignancy level is based on histological “grading”—a process in which a pathologist evaluates microscopic features of a tumor and interprets those findings in light of large prognostic studies. For the diffuse astrocytic gliomas, there have been many such studies over the past century and these have proven useful in estimating prognosis for patients. With the advent of molecular genetics, molecular diagnostic testing has been added to histological evaluation in the armamentarium of the pathologist, and the recent World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System encourages testing for isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) gene status in the classification of diffuse astrocytic gliomas. The present review catalogues a large series of diffuse astrocytic glioma grading studies over the past few decades, and compares the prognostic value of such grading schema before and after the emergence of IDH testing. The review concludes that novel approaches to diffuse astrocytic tumor grading are required in the era of IDH testing.