bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Derivation and measurement consistency of a novel biofluid dynamics measure of deglutitive bolus‐driving function—pharyngeal swallowing power
Authors: Sia Isaac , Crary Michael A. , Kairalla John , Carnaby Giselle D. , Sheplak Mark , McCulloch Timothy 
Published: September 2018

AbstractBackgroundThe primary function of the pharyngeal swallowing mechanism is to drive ingested materials into the esophagus. Currently, a definitive measure of pharyngeal bolus‐driving function that accounts for bolus movement remains lacking. The primary objectives of this study were to describe the derivation of a novel biofluid dynamics measure of deglutition—that is, pharyngeal swallowing power (PSP)—and to demonstrate the consistency of PSP in normal swallowing.MethodsThe pharyngeal swallowing mechanism was conceptualized as a hydraulic power system with the upper esophageal sphincter (UES) as a conduit. PSP was calculated as the product of bolus pressure and flow across the UES. Thirty‐four young healthy subjects swallowed materials consisting of two bolus volumes (10, 20 mL) and four bolus viscosities (thin liquid, nectar‐thick liquid, honey‐thick liquid, pudding). High‐resolution impedance manometry was used for data collection. The consistency of PSP across specific bolus conditions was evaluated using standardized Cronbach's coefficient alpha.Key ResultsStandardized Cronbach's coefficient alphas in specific bolus conditions ranged between 0.85 and 0.93. Fisher weighted mean Cronbach's coefficient alphas for swallow trials across bolus volumes and across bolus viscosities ranged from 0.86 to 0.90. Fisher weighted mean Cronbach's coefficient alpha for overall consistency of PSP across all swallow trials was 0.88.Conclusions and InferencesPSP estimates the output power of the pharyngeal bolus‐driving mechanism during deglutition. PSP's high consistency indicates that it can be a useful biofluid dynamics measure of pharyngeal bolus‐driving function. Current results also demonstrate that consistency in pharyngeal bolus propulsion is an important physiological target for the pharyngeal swallowing mechanism.
Rat enteric glial cells express novel isoforms of Interleukine‐7 regulated during inflammation
Authors: Kermarrec Laetitia , Durand Tony , Gonzales Jacques , Pabois Julie , Hulin Philippe , Neunlist Michel , Neveu Isabelle , Naveilhan Philippe 
Published: September 2018

AbstractBackgroundNeuroimmune interactions are essential to maintain gut homeostasis and prevent intestinal disorders but so far, the impact of enteric glial cells (EGC) on immune cells remains a relatively unexplored area of research. As a dysregulation of critical cytokines such as interleukine‐7 (IL‐7) was suggested to exacerbate gut chronic inflammation, we investigated whether EGC could be a source of IL‐7 in the gastrointestinal tract.MethodsExpression of IL‐7 in the rat enteric nervous system was analyzed by immunochemistry and Q‐PCR. IL‐7 variants were cloned and specific antibodies against rat IL‐7 isoforms were raised to characterize their expression in the submucosal plexus. IL‐7 isoforms were produced in vitro to analyze their impact on T‐cell survival.Key ResultsNeurons and glial cells of the rat enteric nervous system expressed IL‐7 at both mRNA and protein levels. Novel rat IL‐7 isoforms with distinct C‐terminal parts were detected. Three of these isoforms were found in EGC or in both enteric neurons and EGC. Exposure of EGC to pro‐inflammatory cytokines (IL‐1β and/or TNFα) induced an upregulation of all IL‐7 isoforms. Interestingly, time‐course and intensity of the upregulation varied according to the presence or absence of exon 5a in IL‐7 variants. Functional analysis on T lymphocytes revealed that only canonical IL‐7 protects T cells from cell death.Conclusions and InferencesIL‐7 and its variants are expressed by neurons and glial cells in the enteric nervous system. Their distinct expression and upregulation in inflammatory conditions suggest a role in gut homeostasis which could be critical in case of chronic inflammatory diseases.
Anatomical defences against bark beetles relate to degree of historical exposure between species and are allocated independently of chemical defences within trees
Authors: Mason Charles J. , Keefover‐Ring Ken , Villari Caterina , Klutsch Jennifer G. , Cook Stephen , Bonello Pierluigi , Erbilgin Nadir , Raffa Kenneth F. , Townsend Philip A. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractConifers possess chemical and anatomical defences against tree‐killing bark beetles that feed in their phloem. Resins accumulating at attack sites can delay and entomb beetles while toxins reach lethal levels. Trees with high concentrations of metabolites active against bark beetle‐microbial complexes, and more extensive resin ducts, achieve greater survival. It is unknown if and how conifers integrate chemical and anatomical components of defence or how these capabilities vary with historical exposure. We compared linkages between phloem chemistry and tree ring anatomy of two mountain pine beetle hosts. Lodgepole pine, a mid‐elevation species, has had extensive, continual contact with this herbivore, whereas high‐elevation whitebark pines have historically had intermittent exposure that is increasing with warming climate. Lodgepole pine had more and larger resin ducts. In both species, anatomical defences were positively related to tree growth and nutrients. Within‐tree constitutive and induced concentrations of compounds bioactive against bark beetles and symbionts were largely unrelated to resin duct abundance and size. Fewer anatomical defences in the semi‐naïve compared with the continually exposed host concurs with directional differences in chemical defences. Partially uncoupling chemical and morphological antiherbivore traits may enable trees to confront beetles with more diverse defence permutations that interact to resist attack.
Role of Ser65, His148 and Thr203 in the Organic Solvent‐dependent Spectral Shift in Green Fluorescent Protein
Authors: Kaur Jasvir , Yadav Neetu Singh , Singh Moirangthem Kiran , Khan Mohd Jahir , Sen Sobhan , Dixit Aparna , Choudhury Devapriya 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe photophysics of green fluorescent protein (GFP) is remarkable because of its exceptional property of excited state proton transfer (ESPT) and the presence of a functional proton wire. Another interesting property of wild‐type GFP is that its absorption and fluorescence excitation spectra are sensitive to the presence of polar organic solvents even at very low concentrations. Here, we use a combination of methodologies including site‐specific mutagenesis, absorption spectroscopy, steady‐state and time‐resolved fluorescence measurements and all‐atom molecular dynamics simulations in explicit solvent, to uncover the mechanism behind the unique spectral sensitivity of GFP toward organic solvents. Based on the evidences provided herein, we suggest that organic solvent‐induced changes in the proton wire prevent ground state movement of a proton through the wire and thus bring about the spectral changes observed. The present study can not only help to understand the mechanism of proton transfer by further dissecting the intricate steps in GFP photophysics but also encourages to develop GFP‐based organic solvent biosensors.
Effects of pre‐freezeNigella sativaoil supplementation on cryosurvival of ovine spermatozoa
Authors: Miah Abdul G. , Bathgate Roslyn , Hamano Koh‐ichi , Salma Ummay 
Published: September 2018

ContentsThe study was designed with three experiments to evaluate the effects of pre‐freeze supplementation ofNigella sativaoil (NSO) and thymoquinone (TQ) on total motility, progressive motility, biokinetic characteristics, acrosomal integrity and DNA integrity of cryopreserved ovine spermatozoa. Semen samples collected from three proven fertile Merino rams were diluted with a Tris‐based cryomedia containing different levels of NSO (Experiment I: 0, 10, 100 and 1,000 g/ml), TQ (Experiment II: 0, 1, 10 and 20 g/ml) and their optimum levels (Experiment III: 100 g/ml of NSO, 10 g/ml of TQ and 1 mM of α‐tocopherol and cryopreserved as a pellet (200 µL) and subsequently evaluated at different post‐thaw incubation periods (0, 2 and 4 hr). The results revealed that the percentage of total motility, progressive motility and biokinetic characteristics such as average path velocity, curvilinear velocity and straight‐line velocity were higher (p < 0.05) in the sperm aliquots cryopreserved with 100 g/ml NSO or 10 g/ml TQ than in the sperm aliquots cryopreserved without supplementation just after thawing and 2 hr of post‐thaw incubation. Among the supplements, NSO (100 g/ml) showed higher values of the total motility, progressive motility, biokinetic characteristics especially, average path velocity, curvilinear velocity and straight‐line velocity, acrosome integrity and DNA integrity compared with the spermatozoa frozen without supplementation. Therefore, the results suggest that NSO may be added to the cryomedium to improve the cryosurvival of ovine spermatozoa.
Workforce/Population, Economy, Infrastructure, Geography, Hierarchy, and Time (WEIGHT): Reflections on the Plural Dimensions of Disaster Resilience
Authors: Santos Joost , Yip Christian , Thekdi Shital , Pagsuyoin Sheree 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe concept of resilience and its relevance to disaster risk management has increasingly gained attention in recent years. It is common for risk and resilience studies to model system recovery by analyzing a single or aggregated measure of performance, such as economic output or system functionality. However, the history of past disasters and recent risk literature suggest that a single‐dimension view of relevant systems is not only insufficient, but can compromise the ability to manage risk for these systems. In this article, we explore how multiple dimensions influence the ability for complex systems to function and effectively recover after a disaster. In particular, we compile evidence from the many competing resilience perspectives to identify the most critical resilience dimensions across several academic disciplines, applications, and disaster events. The findings demonstrate the need for a conceptual framework that decomposes resilience into six primary dimensions: workforce/population, economy, infrastructure, geography, hierarchy, and time (WEIGHT). These dimensions are not typically addressed holistically in the literature; often they are either modeled independently or in piecemeal combinations. The current research is the first to provide a comprehensive discussion of each resilience dimension and discuss how these dimensions can be integrated into a cohesive framework, suggesting that no single dimension is sufficient for a holistic analysis of a disaster risk management. Through this article, we also aim to spark discussions among researchers and policymakers to develop a multicriteria decision framework for evaluating the efficacy of resilience strategies. Furthermore, the WEIGHT dimensions may also be used to motivate the generation of new approaches for data analytics of resilience‐related knowledge bases.
sCARy! Risk Perceptions in Autonomous Driving: The Influence of Experience on Perceived Benefits and Barriers
Authors: Brell Teresa , Philipsen Ralf , Ziefle Martina 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe increasing development of autonomous vehicles (AVs) influences the future of transportation. Beyond the potential benefits in terms of safety, efficiency, and comfort, also potential risks of novel driving technologies need to be addressed. In this article, we explore risk perceptions toward connected and autonomous driving in comparison to conventional driving. In order to gain a deeper understanding of individual risk perceptions, we adopted a two‐step empirical procedure. First, focus groups () were carried out to identify relevant risk factors for autonomous and connected driving. Further, a questionnaire was developed, which was answered by 516 German participants. In the questionnaire, three driving technologies (connected, autonomous, conventional) were evaluated via semantic differential (rating scale to identify connotative meaning of technologies). Second, participants rated perceived risk levels (for data, traffic environment, vehicle, and passenger) and perceived benefits and barriers of connected/autonomous driving. Since previous experience with automated functions of driver assistance systems can have an impact on the evaluation, three experience groups have been formed. The effect of experience on benefits and barrier perceptions was also analyzed. Risk perceptions were significantly smaller for conventional driving compared to connected/autonomous driving. With increasing experience, risk perception decreases for novel driving technologies with one exception: the perceived risk in handling data is not influenced by experience. The findings contribute to an understanding of risk perception in autonomous driving, which helps to foster a successful implementation of AVs on the market and to develop public information strategies.
Cultural Values, Trust, and Benefit‐Risk Perceptions of Hydraulic Fracturing: A Comparative Analysis of Policy Elites and the General Public
Authors: Tumlison Creed , Song Geoboo 
Published: September 2018

AbstractHydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) has recently become a very intensely debated process for extracting oil and gas. Supporters argue that fracking provides positive economic benefits and energy security and offers a decreased reliance on coal‐based electricity generation. Detractors claim that the fracking process may harm the environment as well as place a strain on local communities that experience new fracking operations. This study utilizes a recently conducted survey distributed to a sample of policy elites and the general public in Arkansas and Oregon to examine the role of cultural value predispositions and trust in shaping the perceptions of risks and benefits associated with fracking. Findings indicate that cultural values influence both trust and benefit‐risk perceptions of fracking for both policy elites and the general public. More specifically, we found that trust in information from various sources is derived from the intrinsic values held by an individual, which in turn impacts perceptions of related benefits and risks. We also found that while the overall pattern of relationships is similar, trust plays a larger role in the formulation of attitudes for policy elites than for the general public. We discuss the implications of the mediating role of trust in understanding value‐driven benefit‐risk perceptions, as well as the disparate role of trust between policy elites and the general public in the context of the policy‐making process for both theory and practice.
Learning to sell in new markets: A preliminary analysis of market entry by a multinational firm
Authors: Horstmann Ignatius J. , Markusen James R. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractWe consider the multinational firm's decision on whether to enter a new market immediately via direct investment or to contract initially with a local agent and (possibly) invest later. Use of a local agent allows the multinational to avoid costly mistakes by finding out if the market is large enough to support direct investment. However, the agent is able to extract information rents from the multinational due to being better informed about market characteristics. We derive the optimal sequence of agent contracts and discuss situations in which the multinational contracts initially with a local agent and then converts subsequently to an owned sales operation.
Observing Discrimination: Implications for Group‐Based Respect and Organizational Morality
Authors: Jaurique Alexandria , Ryan Desiree A. , Smith Heather J. , Paolucci‐Callahan Matthew 
Published: September 2018

AbstractWhen organizational authorities or representatives discriminate, it not only impacts the discrimination target; it also affects those who witness it. In this article, we argue that discrimination within workplace and educational contexts implicates the larger organization in which it occurs in two ways. First, it communicates to targets the extent to which the representatives of an organization respect their group. Second, discrimination implicates the morality of the larger group or organization in which it occurs. This second threat to the organization's morality affects all observers, even those who do not share a social category with the target. We argue that both forms of threat can decrease organization identification, well‐being, and increase withdrawal. For all observers, whether one is a member of the targeted group or not, to witness an organizational authority clearly discriminate against another organizational member is distressing and leads to withdrawal. We offer recommendations for policy and decision‐making procedures aimed at (1) adopting organizational decision‐making structures that minimize the opportunity for personal acts of bias (to prevent discrimination before it occurs), and (2) offering those who witness (or experience) discrimination clear avenues for addressing it (to minimize its destructive consequences). If organization members, especially organizational authorities, confront discrimination, it offsets the negative consequences of a single organizational representative's biased behavior.
Lawlor Laid Out: Between Space and Emotion
Authors: Casey Edward S. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThis essay explores two topics in Leonard Lawlor’s work: the role of space and the place of emotion. Lawlor’s early and middle works offer a complex and subtle discussion of time, with occasional adversions to space. I attempt to draw out what he says, or should say, about space and place in an effort for it to be given its due in the face of the temporocentrism that is endemic in continental philosophy since Bergson. From there I explore the role of affect and emotion in Lawlor’s more recent writing, arguing for its centrality in his promising and productive idea of “speaking out.”
Referendums Are Never Merely Referendums: On the Need to Make Popular Vote Processes More Deliberative
Authors: Landemore Hélène 
Published: September 2018

AbstractWhile there is much to command about Cheneval and el‐Wakil's () proposal in favor of a nuanced and fine‐grained approach to popular vote processes as well as their specific defense of optional, bottom‐up, and binding referendums as democratic supplements to our existing representative institutions, I argue that their approach does not pay sufficient attention to the pre‐voting phase of the process that has to do with the laundering of raw preferences into generalized and informed ones, namely deliberation. I offer two suggestions to render the voting occuring in referenda more deliberative, namely the pre‐voting use of what I call “open mini‐publics” and that of Citizens’ Initiative Review. I also defend the use of top‐down and mandatory referenda in the context of a more open and technologically empowered deliberative democracy.
Designing Popular Vote Processes to Enhance Democratic Systems
Authors: el‐Wakil Alice , Cheneval Francis 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe main aim of this final essay is to draw on the insights gathered in the Debate “Do Referendums Enhance or Threaten Democracy” to inform future normative and empirical discussions about the design of popular vote processes. We first offer some clarifications regarding three of the concerns raised by respondents about our introductory essay. We then propose a systematic classification of the lines of variation along which the design of popular vote processes usually varies. More precisely, we highlight nine lines of variation: trigger, origin of the text, legal basis, scope, trigger requirements, time, ballot, information, and decision rule. We conclude by emphasizing the relevance and necessity of debating the formal institutional design of popular vote processes.
Referendums Are True Democratic Devices
Authors: Chollet Antoine 
Published: September 2018

AbstractHere democracy will simply mean power of the people, one of the important tasks of democratic theorists being to understand how this particular power can be enacted. Referendums will be considered as one of the mechanisms enacting that power by allowing the people to ratify laws. We will not ask here if referendums can be democratic, but how to make it as democratic as possible, and will suggest some reforms pursuing this goal, such as a strong monitoring of campaign budgets, mandatory vote, constructive referendums, etc. The criticisms made in this debate fall under two broad figures: first a maximalist objection to direct democracy, criticizing these institutions for not being perfectly democratic, and then a form of de‐politicization of direct democracy. We argue on the contrary that direct democracy must be compared to actual regimes, and that it emerges from and is grounded on conflicts.
Accumulation of endogenous peptides triggers a pathogen stress response in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Kmiec Beata , Branca Rui M.M. , Berkowitz Oliver , Li Lu , Wang Yan , Murcha Monika W. , Whelan James , Lehtiö Janne , Glaser Elzbieta , Teixeira Pedro F. 
Published: September 2018

SummaryThe stepwise degradation of peptides to amino acids in plant mitochondria and chloroplasts is catalyzed by a network of oligopeptidases (presequence protease PreP, organellar oligopeptidase OOP) and aminopeptidases. In the present report, we show that the lack of oligopeptidase activity in Arabidopsis thaliana results in the accumulation of endogenous free peptides, mostly of chloroplastic origin (targeting peptides and degradation products). Using mRNA sequencing and deep coverage proteomics, allowing for the identification of 17 000 transcripts and 11 000 proteins, respectively, we uncover a peptide‐stress response occurring in plants lacking PreP and OOP oligopeptidase activity. The peptide‐stress response results in the activation of the classical plant defense pathways in the absence of pathogenic challenge. The constitutive activation of the pathogen‐defense pathways imposes a strong growth penalty and a reduction of the plants reproductive fitness. Our results indicate that the absence of organellar oligopeptidases PreP1/2 and OOP results in the accumulation of peptides that are perceived as pathogenic effectors and activate the signaling pathways of plant‐defense response.