bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characterization of mitochondrion-targeted GTPases in Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Gupta Kirti , Gupta Ankit , Haider Afreen , Habib Saman 
Published: April 2018

AbstractRibosome assembly is critical for translation and regulating the response to cellular events and requires a complex interplay of ribosomal RNA and proteins with assembly factors. We investigated putative participants in the biogenesis of the reduced organellar ribosomes of Plasmodium falciparum and identified homologues of two assembly GTPases – EngA and Obg that were found in mitochondria. Both are indispensable in bacteria and P. berghei EngA is among the ‘essential’ parasite blood stage proteins identified recently. PfEngA and PfObg1 interacted with parasite mitoribosomes in vivo. GTP stimulated PfEngA interaction with the 50S subunit of Escherichia coli surrogate ribosomes. Although PfObg1–ribosome interaction was independent of nucleotide binding, GTP hydrolysis by PfObg1 was enhanced upon ribosomal association. An additional function for PfObg1 in mitochondrial DNA transactions was suggested by its specific interaction with the parasite mitochondrial genome in vivo. Deletion analysis revealed that the positively-charged OBG (spoOB-associated GTP-binding protein) domain mediates DNA-binding. A role for PfEngA in mitochondrial genotoxic stress response was indicated by its over-expression upon methyl methanesulfonate-induced DNA damage. PfEngA had lower sensitivity to an E. coli EngA inhibitor suggesting differences with bacterial counterparts. Our results show the involvement of two important GTPases in P. falciparum mitochondrial function, with the first confirmed localization of an EngA homologue in eukaryotic mitochondria.
Ethics Abroad: Fieldwork in Fragile and Violent Contexts
Authors: Cronin-Furman Kate , Lake Milli 
Published: April 2018

ABSTRACTThe diversity of political spaces, availability of cheap labor, ease of access to powerful figures, and safety net of a foreign passport attract researchers to the developing world. However, environments of extreme state weakness and ongoing conflict permit research behavior that would be frowned on in the global north. We suggest that weak regulatory authority in conflict-affected states offers foreign academics opportunities that are not available when states have greater reach or capacity. Qualitative researchers may find requests to interview victims or perpetrators of wartime violence granted with ease. Experimenters can coerce under-resourced NGOs to pursue interventions at odds with their organizational mandates. We posit that conflict contexts can constitute permissive environments in which researchers can engage in conduct that would be considered deeply problematic at home. Because studying political violence can require firsthand research on aspects of political life not easily observed elsewhere, this article offers a set of guidelines to foster more ethical and responsible research practices.
Strengthening primary health care through primary care and public health collaboration: the influence of intrapersonal and interpersonal factors
Authors: Valaitis Ruta K. , O’Mara Linda , Wong Sabrina T. , MacDonald Marjorie , Murray Nancy , Martin-Misener Ruth , Meagher-Stewart Donna 
Published: April 2018

AimThe aim of this paper is to examine Canadian key informants’ perceptions of intrapersonal (within an individual) and interpersonal (among individuals) factors that influence successful primary care and public health collaboration.BackgroundPrimary health care systems can be strengthened by building stronger collaborations between primary care and public health. Although there is literature that explores interpersonal factors that can influence successful inter-organizational collaborations, a few of them have specifically explored primary care and public health collaboration. Furthermore, no papers were found that considered factors at the intrapersonal level. This paper aims to explore these gaps in a Canadian context.MethodsThis interpretative descriptive study involved key informants (service providers, managers, directors, and policy makers) who participated in one h telephone interviews to explore their perceptions of influences on successful primary care and public health collaboration. Transcripts were analyzed using NVivo 9.FindingsA total of 74 participants [from the provinces of British Columbia (n=20); Ontario (n=19); Nova Scotia (n=21), and representatives from other provinces or national organizations (n=14)] participated. Five interpersonal factors were found that influenced public health and primary care collaborations including: (1) trusting and inclusive relationships; (2) shared values, beliefs and attitudes; (3) role clarity; (4) effective communication; and (5) decision processes. There were two influencing factors found at the intrapersonal level: (1) personal qualities, skills and knowledge; and (2) personal values, beliefs, and attitudes. A few differences were found across the three core provinces involved. There were several complex interactions identified among all inter and intra personal influencing factors: One key factor – effective communication – interacted with all of them. Results support and extend our understanding of what influences successful primary care and public health collaboration at these levels and are important considerations in building and sustaining primary care and public health collaborations.
Knowledge politics in participatory climate change adaptation research on agroecology in Malawi
Authors: Bezner Kerr Rachel , Nyantakyi-Frimpong Hanson , Dakishoni Laifolo , Lupafya Esther , Shumba Lizzie , Luginaah Isaac , Snapp Sieglinde S. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractClimate change is projected to have severe implications for smallholder agriculture in Africa, with increased temperatures, increased drought and flooding occurrence, and increased rainfall variability. Given these projections, there is a need to identify effective strategies to help rural communities adapt to climatic risks. Yet, relatively little research has examined the politics and social dynamics around knowledge and sources of information about climate-change adaptation with smallholder farming communities. This paper uses a political ecology approach to historically situate rural people's experiences with a changing climate. Using the concept of the co-production of knowledge, we examine how Malawian smallholder farmers learn, perceive, share and apply knowledge about a changing climate, and what sources they draw on for agroecological methods in this context. As well, we pay particular attention to agricultural knowledge flows within and between households. We ask two main questions: Whose knowledge counts in relation to climate-change adaptation? What are the political, social and environmental implications of these knowledge dynamics? We draw upon a long-term action research project on climate-change adaptation that involved focus groups, interviews, observations, surveys, and participatory agroecology experiments with 425 farmers. Our findings are consistent with other studies, which found that agricultural knowledge sources were shaped by gender and other social inequalities, with women more reliant on informal networks than men. Farmers initially ranked extension services as important sources of knowledge about farming and climate change. After farmers carried out participatory agroecological research, they ranked their own observation and informal farmer networks as more important sources of knowledge. Contradictory ideas about climate-change adaptation, linked to various positions of power, gaps of knowledge and social inequalities make it challenging for farmers to know how to act despite observing changes in rainfall. Participatory agroecological approaches influenced adaptation strategies used by smallholder farmers in Malawi, but most still maintained the dominant narrative about climate-change causes, which focused on local deforestation by rural communities. Smallholder farmers in Malawi are responsible for <1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet our results show that the farmers often blame their own rural communities for changes in deforestation and rainfall patterns. Researchers need to consider differences knowledge and power between scientists and farmers and the contradictory narratives at work in communities to foster long-term change.
Postnatal undernutrition in mice causes cardiac arrhythmogenesis which is exacerbated when pharmacologically stressed
Authors: Visker J. R. , Ferguson D. P. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractGrowth restriction caused by postnatal undernutrition increases risk for cardiovascular disease in adulthood with the potential to induce arrhythmogenesis. Thus, the purpose was to determine if undernutrition during development produced arrhythmias at rest and when stressed with dobutamine in adulthood. Mouse dams were fed (CON: 20% protein), or low-protein (LP: 8%) diet before mating. A cross-fostering model was used where pups nursed by dams fed LP diet in early [EUN; postnatal day (PN) 1–10], late (LUN; PN11–21) and whole (PUN; 1–21) phases of postnatal life. Weaned pups were switched to CON diets for the remainder of the study (PN80). At PN80, body composition (magnetic resonance imaging), and quantitative electrocardiogram (ECG) measurements were obtained under 1% isoflurane anesthesia. After baseline ECG, an IP injection (1.5 µg/g body weight) of dobutamine was administered and ECG repeated. Undernutrition significantly (P<0.05) reduced body weight in LUN (22.68±0.88 g) and PUN (19.96±0.32 g) but not in CON (25.05±0.96 g) and EUN (25.28±0.9207 g). Fat mass decreased in all groups compared with controls (CON: 8.00±1.2 g, EUN: 6.32±0.65 g, LUN: 5.11±1.1 g, PUN: 3.90±0.25 g). Lean mass was only significantly reduced in PUN (CON: 17.99±0.26 g, EUN: 17.78±0.39 g, LUN: 17.34±0.33 g, PUN: 15.85±0.28 g). Absolute heart weights were significantly less from CON, with PUN having the smallest. ECG showed LUN had occurrences of atrial fibrillation; EUN had increases of 1st degree atrioventricular block upon stimulation, and PUN had increased risk for ventricular depolarization arrhythmias. CON did not display arrhythmias. Undernutrition in early life resulted in ventricular arrhythmias under stressed conditions, but undernutrition occurring in later postnatal life there is an increased incidence of atrial arrhythmias.
Multistage Rock‐Slope Failures Revealed in Lake Sediments in a Seismically Active Alpine Region (Lake Oeschinen, Switzerland)
Authors: Knapp Sibylle , Gilli Adrian , Anselmetti Flavio S. , Krautblatter Michael , Hajdas Irka 
Published: April 2018

AbstractLate Glacial and Holocene rock‐slope failures occur often as multistage failures where paraglacial adjustment and stress adaptation are hypothesized to control phases of detachment. However, only limited data sets are available to decipher large multistage rock‐slope failures in detail. Here we apply sedimentology, radiocarbon dating, and geophysics to reconstruct multistage rock‐slope failure recorded in lake sediments. We present a unique inventory from Lake Oeschinen (Bernese Alps, Switzerland) covering ~2.5 kyr of rock‐slope failure history. The lake sediments have been investigated using sediment‐core analysis, radiocarbon dating, and seismic‐to‐core and core‐to‐core correlations, which were linked to (pre‐) historic and meteorological records. The results imply that the lake in its present extent is significantly younger than the ~9.5‐kyr‐old Kandersteg rock avalanche in the close vicinity. Up to eleven rock‐slope failure events could be identified and related to specific detachment scarps, which provided information for energy considerations. Four events likely coincided with (pre‐) historic earthquakes. At least six events detached from the same area, potentially initiated by prehistoric seismicity and later from stress‐relaxation processes. The data imply unexpected high recurrence rates (~1/300 years) and also help to understand the generation of a historical lake‐outburst flood. Here we show how polymethodical analysis of lake sediments can help to decipher massive multistage rock‐slope failures, which are often camouflaged in subaerial settings.
Accumulation of Carbonates Contributes to Coastal Vegetated Ecosystems Keeping Pace With Sea Level Rise in an Arid Region (Arabian Peninsula)
Authors: Saderne Vincent , Cusack Michael , Almahasheer Hanan , Serrano Oscar , Masqué Pere , Arias‐Ortiz Ariane , Krishnakumar Periyadan Kadinjappalli , Rabaoui Lotfi , Qurban Mohammad Ali , Duarte Carlos Manuel 
Published: April 2018

AbstractAnthropogenic sea level rise (SLR) presents one of the greatest risks to human lives and infrastructures. Coastal vegetated ecosystems, that is, tidal marshes, seagrass meadows, and mangrove forests, elevate the seabed through soil accretion, providing a natural coastline protection against SLR. The soil accretion of these ecosystems has never been assessed in hot desert climate regions, where water runoff is negligible. However, tropical marine ecosystems are areas of intense calcification that may constitute an important source of sediment supporting seabed elevation, compensating for the lack of terrestrial inputs. We estimated the long‐term (14C‐centennial) and short‐term (210Pb‐20th century) soil accretion rates (SARs) and inorganic carbon (Cinorg) burial in coastal vegetated ecosystems of the Saudi coasts of the central Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf. Short‐term SARs (±SE) in mangroves of the Red Sea (0.27 ± 0.22 cm/year) were twofold the SLR for that region since 1925 (0.13 cm/year). In the Arabian Gulf, only mangrove forest SAR is equivalent to local SLR estimates for the period 1979–2007 (0.21 ± 0.09 compared to 0.22 ± 0.05 cm/year, respectively). Long‐term SARs are comparable or higher than the global estimates of SLR for the late Holocene (0.01 cm/year). In all habitats of the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf, SARs are supported by high carbonate accretion rates, comprising 40% to 60% of the soil volume. Further studies on the role of carbonates in coastal vegetated ecosystems are required to understand their role in adaptation to SLR.
Dependence of Thermal and Moisture Sensitivity of Soil Organic Carbon Decomposition on Manure Composition in an Inceptisol Under a 5‐Year‐Old Maize‐Wheat Cropping System
Authors: Biswas Dipak Ranjan , Ghosh Avijit , Ramachandran S. , Basak Biraj Bandhu , Moharana Pravash Chandra 
Published: April 2018

AbstractHydrothermal sensitivity of soil organic carbon decomposition in relation to global climatic changes is of great importance for C cycle in an agro‐ecosystem. To assess the sensitivities of SOC as affected by different organic sources and mineral fertilizer in Inceptisol, soil samples from a 5‐year‐old field experiment were collected from unfertilized control, 100% NPK, vermicompost, compost, and farmyard manure (FM) treated plots and analyzed for total organic C, labile C fractions and C mineralization kinetics by incubating soils at 25 and 35°C temperatures, and 0.33 and 1.0 bar soil moisture for 90 days. Compost and FM‐treated plots had ~23 and 22% higher total organic C than 100% NPK plots, respectively. Plots under vermicompost had similar C management index to FM but ~12% higher than compost. At 25°C temperature and 1.0 bar moisture, CO2evolutions from vermicompost‐ and FM‐treated plots were ~29 and 11% higher than compost, respectively. Carbon decay rate was invariably higher in control and 100% NPK than organically amended plots. Temperature sensitivity of C was similar at 0.33 bar but different at 1.0 bar among the treatments. Moisture sensitivity of C in organic amended plots was similar at 35°C but different at 25°C, but their moisture sensitivity values were always higher than NPK. It could be concluded that manures with low C/N ratio and high N and P content would reduce C decay rate. Hence, to enhance C sequestration and reduce CO2emissions in changing climatic situation, organic manure like vermicompost could be recommended.
Observations of Surface Wave Dispersion in the Marginal Ice Zone
Authors: Collins Clarence , Doble Martin , Lund Björn , Smith Madison 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThis study presents the most comprehensive set of in situ and remote sensing measurements of wave number, and hence the dispersion relation, in ice to date. A number of surface‐following buoys were deployed in sea ice from the R/V Sikuliaq, which also hosted an X‐band marine radar, during the ONR Arctic Sea State field experiment. The heave‐slope‐correlation method was used to estimate the root‐mean‐square wave number from the buoys. The method was highly sensitive to noise, and extensive quality control measures were developed to isolate real signals in the estimated wave number. The buoy measurements were complemented by shipboard marine X‐band radar dispersion measurements, which are limited to lower frequencies (<0.32 Hz). Overall, deviation from the linear open water dispersion relation was not significant, and matched the open water relation nearly exactly for the range 0.10–0.30 Hz. Isolating a subset of data during the strongest wave event showed evidence of increased wave numbers at frequencies greater than 0.30 Hz. The ice conditions and deviation from linear open water dispersion were qualitatively consistent with predictions from the mass loading model. However, the dispersion curves did not exactly follow the contours of the mass loading model, suggesting either measurement error or other processes at play.
BRI1 and BAK1 interact with G proteins and regulate sugar-responsive growth and development in Arabidopsis
Authors: Peng Yuancheng , Chen Liangliang , Li Shengjun , Zhang Yueying , Xu Ran , Liu Zupei , Liu Wuxia , Kong Jingjing , Huang Xiahe , Wang Yingchun , Cheng Beijiu , Zheng Leiying , Li Yunhai 
Published: April 2018

AbstractSugars function as signal molecules to regulate growth, development, and gene expression in plants, yeasts, and animals. A coordination of sugar availability with phytohormone signals is crucial for plant growth and development. The molecular link between sugar availability and hormone-dependent plant growth are largely unknown. Here we report that BRI1 and BAK1 are involved in sugar-responsive growth and development. Glucose influences the physical interactions and phosphorylations of BRI1 and BAK1 in a concentration-dependent manner. BRI1 and BAK1 physically interact with G proteins that are essential for mediating sugar signaling. Biochemical data show that BRI1 can phosphorylate G protein β subunit and γ subunits, and BAK1 can phosphorylate G protein γ subunits. Genetic analyses suggest that BRI1 and BAK1 function in a common pathway with G-protein subunits to regulate sugar responses. Thus, our findings reveal an important genetic and molecular mechanism by which BR receptors associate with G proteins to regulate sugar-responsive growth and development.
Cathelicidins prime platelets to mediate arterial thrombosis and tissue inflammation
Authors: Pircher Joachim , Czermak Thomas , Ehrlich Andreas , Eberle Clemens , Gaitzsch Erik , Margraf Andreas , Grommes Jochen , Saha Prakash , Titova Anna , Ishikawa-Ankerhold Hellen , Stark Konstantin , Petzold Tobias , Stocker Thomas , Weckbach Ludwig T , Novotny Julia , Sperandio Markus , Nieswandt Bernhard , Smith Alberto , Mannell Hanna , Walzog Barbara , Horst David , Soehnlein Oliver , Massberg Steffen , Schulz Christian 
Published: April 2018

AbstractLeukocyte-released antimicrobial peptides contribute to pathogen elimination and activation of the immune system. Their role in thrombosis is incompletely understood. Here we show that the cathelicidin LL-37 is abundant in thrombi from patients with acute myocardial infarction. Its mouse homologue, CRAMP, is present in mouse arterial thrombi following vascular injury, and derives mainly from circulating neutrophils. Absence of hematopoietic CRAMP in bone marrow chimeric mice reduces platelet recruitment and thrombus formation. Both LL-37 and CRAMP induce platelet activation in vitro by involving glycoprotein VI receptor with downstream signaling through protein tyrosine kinases Src/Syk and phospholipase C. In addition to acute thrombosis, LL-37/CRAMP-dependent platelet activation fosters platelet–neutrophil interactions in other inflammatory conditions by modulating the recruitment and extravasation of neutrophils into tissues. Absence of CRAMP abrogates acid-induced lung injury, a mouse pneumonia model that is dependent on platelet–neutrophil interactions. We suggest that LL-37/CRAMP represents an important mediator of platelet activation and thrombo-inflammation.
Nanomanufacturing of silicon surface with a single atomic layer precision via mechanochemical reactions
Authors: Chen Lei , Wen Jialin , Zhang Peng , Yu Bingjun , Chen Cheng , Ma Tianbao , Lu Xinchun , Kim Seong H. , Qian Linmao 
Published: April 2018

AbstractTopographic nanomanufacturing with a depth precision down to atomic dimension is of importance for advancement of nanoelectronics with new functionalities. Here we demonstrate a mask-less and chemical-free nanolithography process for regio-specific removal of atomic layers on a single crystalline silicon surface via shear-induced mechanochemical reactions. Since chemical reactions involve only the topmost atomic layer exposed at the interface, the removal of a single atomic layer is possible and the crystalline lattice beneath the processed area remains intact without subsurface structural damages. Molecular dynamics simulations depict the atom-by-atom removal process, where the first atomic layer is removed preferentially through the formation and dissociation of interfacial bridge bonds. Based on the parametric thresholds needed for single atomic layer removal, the critical energy barrier for water-assisted mechanochemical dissociation of Si–Si bonds was determined. The mechanochemical nanolithography method demonstrated here could be extended to nanofabrication of other crystalline materials.
Viral proteins as a potential driver of histone depletion in dinoflagellates
Authors: Irwin Nicholas A. T. , Martin Benjamin J. E. , Young Barry P. , Browne Martin J. G. , Flaus Andrew , Loewen Christopher J. R. , Keeling Patrick J. , Howe LeAnn J. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractWithin canonical eukaryotic nuclei, DNA is packaged with highly conserved histone proteins into nucleosomes, which facilitate DNA condensation and contribute to genomic regulation. Yet the dinoflagellates, a group of unicellular algae, are a striking exception to this otherwise universal feature as they have largely abandoned histones and acquired apparently viral-derived substitutes termed DVNPs (dinoflagellate-viral-nucleoproteins). Despite the magnitude of this transition, its evolutionary drivers remain unknown. Here, using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model, we show that DVNP impairs growth and antagonizes chromatin by localizing to histone binding sites, displacing nucleosomes, and impairing transcription. Furthermore, DVNP toxicity can be relieved through histone depletion and cells diminish their histones in response to DVNP expression suggesting that histone reduction could have been an adaptive response to these viral proteins. These findings provide insights into eukaryotic chromatin evolution and highlight the potential for horizontal gene transfer to drive the divergence of cellular systems.