bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Bioenergetic theory predicts infection dynamics of human schistosomes in intermediate host snails across ecological gradients
Authors: Civitello David J. , Fatima Hiba , Johnson Leah R. , Nisbet Roger M. , Rohr Jason R. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractEpidemiological dynamics depend on the traits of hosts and parasites, but hosts and parasites are heterogeneous entities that exist in dynamic environments. Resource availability is a particularly dynamic and potent environmental driver of within‐host infection dynamics (temporal patterns of growth, reproduction, parasite production and survival). We developed, parameterised and validated a model for resource‐explicit infection dynamics by incorporating a parasitism module into dynamic energy budget theory. The model mechanistically explained the dynamic multivariate responses of the human parasite Schistosoma mansoni and its intermediate host snail to variation in resources and host density. At the population level, feedbacks mediated by resource competition could create a unimodal relationship between snail density and human risk of exposure to schistosomes. Consequently, weak snail control could backfire if reductions in snail density release remaining hosts from resource competition. If resource competition is strong and relevant to schistosome production in nature, it could inform control strategies.
Low cytomegalovirus seroprevalence in early multiple sclerosis: a case for the ‘hygiene hypothesis’?
Authors: Alari‐Pahissa E. , Moreira A. , Zabalza A. , Alvarez‐Lafuente R. , Munteis E. , Vera A. , Arroyo R. , Alvarez‐Cermeño J. C. , Villar L. M. , López‐Botet M. , Martínez‐Rodríguez J. E. 
Published: March 2018

Background and purposeCytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has recently been associated with a lower multiple sclerosis (MS) susceptibility, although it remains controversial whether it has a protective role or is merely an epiphenomenon related to westernization and early‐life viral infections. We aimed to evaluate whether CMV serostatus may differ in patients with early MS as compared with patients with non‐early MS, analyzing the putative association of this virus with MS clinical course and humoral immune responses against other herpesviruses.MethodsMulticentric analysis was undertaken of 310 patients with MS (early MS, disease duration ≤5 years, n = 127) and controls (n = 155), evaluating specific humoral responses to CMV, Epstein–Barr virus and human herpesvirus‐6, as well as T‐cell and natural killer (NK)‐cell immunophenotypes.ResultsCytomegalovirus seroprevalence in early MS was lower than in non‐early MS or controls (P < 0.01), being independently associated with disease duration (odds ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.01–1.08, P < 0.05). CMV+ patients with MS displayed increased proportions of differentiated T‐cells (CD27−CD28−, CD57+, LILRB1+) and NKG2C+ NK‐cells, which were associated with a lower disability in early MS (P < 0.05). CMV+ patients with early MS had an age‐related decline in serum anti‐EBNA‐1 antibodies (P < 0.01), but no CMV‐related differences in anti‐human herpesvirus‐6 humoral responses.ConclusionsLow CMV seroprevalence was observed in patients with early MS. Modification of MS risk attributed to CMV might be related to the induction of differentiated T‐cell and NK‐cell subsets and/or modulation of Epstein–Barr virus‐specific immune responses at early stages of the disease.
Effect of non‐uniform reactor cooling on fracture and constraint of a reactor pressure vessel
Authors: Qian Guian , Niffenegger Markus , Sharabi Medhat , Lafferty Nathan 
Published: March 2018

AbstractIn the lifetime prediction and extension of a nuclear power plant, a reactor pressure vessel (RPV) has to demonstrate the exclusion of brittle fracture. This paper aims to apply fracture mechanics to analyse the non‐uniform cooling effect in case of a loss‐of‐coolant accident on the RPV integrity.A comprehensive framework coupling reactor system, fluid dynamics, fracture mechanics, and probabilistic analyses for the RPVs integrity analysis is proposed. The safety margin of the allowed RTNDT is increased by more than 16°C if a probabilistic method is applied. Considering the non‐uniform plume cooling effect increases KI more than 30%, increases the failure frequency by more than 1 order of magnitude, and increases the crack tip constraint due to the resulting higher stress. Thus, in order to be more realistic and not to be nonconservative, 3D computational fluid dynamics may be required to provide input for the fracture mechanics analysis of the RPV.
The “Dirty Ice” of the McMurdo Ice Shelf: Analogues for biological oases during the Cryogenian
Authors: Hawes I. , Jungblut A. D. , Matys E. D. , Summons R. E. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe Cryogenian (~717–636 Ma) is characterized by widespread glaciation and dramatic fluctuations in biogeochemical cycling during the Sturtian and Marinoan glaciations. The Snowball Earth hypothesis posits that during this period, ice‐covered oceans of more or less global extent shut down or greatly diminished photosynthesis in the marine realm. However, rather than suffering a catastrophic loss of biodiversity, fossil evidence suggests that major eukaryotic lineages survived and, indeed, the end of the Cryogenian marks the onset of a rapid diversification of eukaryotic life. Persistence of diverse life forms through glaciations is thought to have occurred in supraglacial refugia although the exact nature and full extent of such habitats remain uncertain. We present further evidence for the diversity and characteristics of supraglacial ecosystems on the McMurdo Ice Shelf in Antarctica and suggest that refugia analogous to “dirty ice,” that is debris‐covered ice shelf ecosystems, potentially provided nutrient‐rich and long‐lasting biological Cryogenian oases. We also discuss how features of the McMurdo Ice Shelf indicate that mechanisms exist whereby material can be exchanged between the shallow sea floor and the surfaces of ice shelves along continental margins, providing vectors whereby ice shelf ecosystems can nourish underlying seafloor communities and vice versa.
‘EVERYBODY GETS FRAGEBOGENED SOONER OR LATER’: THE DENAZIFICATION QUESTIONNAIRE AS CULTURAL TEXT*
Authors: Sollors Werner 
Published: March 2018

ABSTRACTDisseminated in millions of copies to post‐war Germans, the Allied denazification questionnaire, in its best‐known version, asked 131 questions not only about membership of the NSDAP, SS, SA, and fifty other affiliated associations, but also about individuals’ pre‐Nazi voting record, implicated relatives, and such data as weight, height, and foreign‐language expertise. Erich Kästner and Ina Seidel filled in such a questionnaire in 1945. While its massive circulation made it a site of German cultural memory, it also became a bureaucratic nightmare for those who had to evaluate the piles of these forms in the Allied armies and the German ‘Spruchkammern’. The ʻFragebogenʼ provoked writers on both sides of the Atlantic to represent it in fiction and non‐fiction. Just Scheu composed a song about it, and Wolfgang Borchert, Margret Boveri, Stig Dagerman, David Davidson, Alan Marcus, John Dos Passos, Zelda Popkin, and Ernst von Salomon commented on it in prose, often critically, calling it a merciless catechism of 131 questions or an ideological equivalent of tax returns. Though often perceived as an embodiment of American culture, it had emerged with the help of Franz Neumann and Herbert Marcuse, German Marxist intellectuals in exile, who hoped that denazification would bring about revolutionary change in Germany.
Atomic force microscopy analysis of SasA‐KaiC complex formation involved in information transfer from the KaiABC clock machinery to the output pathway in cyanobacteria
Authors: Murakami Reiko , Hokonohara Hitomi , Che Dock‐Chil , Kawai Tomoji , Matsumoto Takuya , Ishiura Masahiro 
Published: March 2018

The cyanobacterial clock oscillator is composed of three clock proteins: KaiA, KaiB and KaiC. SasA, a KaiC‐binding EnvZ‐like orthodox histidine kinase involved in the main clock output pathway, exists mainly as a trimer (SasA3mer) and occasionally as a hexamer (SasA6mer) in vitro. Previously, the molecular mass of the SasA‐KaiCDD complex, where KaiCDD is a mutant KaiC with two Asp substitutions at the two phosphorylation sites, has been estimated by gel‐filtration chromatography to be larger than 670 kDa. This value disagrees with the theoretical estimation of 480 kDa for a SasA3mer‐KaiC hexamer (KaiC6mer) complex with a 1:1 molecular ratio. To clarify the structure of the SasA‐KaiC complex, we analyzed KaiCDD with 0.1 mmol/L ATP and 5 mmol/L MgCl2 (Mg‐ATP), SasA and a mixture containing SasA and KaiCDD6mer with Mg‐ATP by atomic force microscopy (AFM). KaiCDD images were classified into two types with height distribution corresponding to KaiCDD monomer (KaiCDD1mer) and KaiCDD6mer, respectively. SasA images were classified into two types with height corresponding to SasA3mer and SasA6mer, respectively. The AFM images of the SasA‐KaiCDD mixture indicated not only KaiCDD1mer, KaiCDD6mer, SasA3mer and SasA6mer, but also wider area “islands,” suggesting the presence of a polymerized form of the SasA‐KaiCDD complex.
Mechanical and thermal conductive properties of fiber‐reinforced silica‐alumina aerogels
Authors: Yu Yuxi , Peng Kunhuang , Fang Jiyu , Zhang Ruiqian , Wang Guanchun , Peng Xiaoming 
Published: March 2018

AbstractWe report the formation of Al2O3‐SiO2 fiber‐reinforced Al2O3‐SiO2 aerogels with the content of fibers in the range from 40 wt% to 55 wt% by sol‐gel reaction, followed by supercritical drying. The structure and physical properties of fiber‐reinforced Al2O3‐SiO2 aerogels are studied. We find that the fiber‐reinforced Al2O3‐SiO2 aerogels can be resistant to the temperature of 1200°C. The integration of fibers significantly improves the mechanical properties of Al2O3‐SiO2 aerogels. We find that the bending strength of fiber‐reinforced Al2O3‐SiO2 aerogels increases 0.431 MPa to 0.755 MPa and the elastic modulus increases from 0.679 MPa to 1.153 MPa, when the content of fibers increases from 40 wt% to 50 wt%. The thermal conductivity of the fiber‐reinforced Al2O3‐SiO2 aerogels is in the range from 0.0403 W/mK to 0.0545 W/mK, depending on the content of fibers.
Thioester‐containing proteins in the tsetse fly (Glossina) and their response to trypanosome infection
Authors: Matetovici I. , Van Den Abbeele J. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThioester‐containing proteins (TEPs) are conserved proteins with a role in innate immune immunity. In the current study, we characterized the TEP family in the genome of six tsetse fly species (Glossina spp.). Tsetse flies are the biological vectors of several African trypanosomes, which cause sleeping sickness in humans or nagana in livestock. The analysis of the tsetse TEP sequences revealed information about their structure, evolutionary relationships and expression profiles under both normal and trypanosome infection conditions. Phylogenetic analysis of the family showed that tsetse flies harbour a genomic expansion of specific TEPs that are not found in other dipterans. We found a general expression of all TEP genes in the alimentary tract, mouthparts and salivary glands. Glossina morsitans and Glossina palpalis TEP genes display a tissue‐specific expression pattern with some that are markedly up‐regulated when the fly is infected with the trypanosome parasite. A different TEP response was observed to infection with Trypanosoma brucei compared to Trypanosoma congolense, indicating that the tsetse TEP response is trypanosome‐specific. These findings are suggestive for the involvement of the TEP family in tsetse innate immunity, with a possible role in the control of the trypanosome parasite.
Spoils from the Spoiled: Strategies for Entering Stigmatized Markets
Authors: Slade Shantz Angelique , Fischer Eileen , Liu Aurora , Lévesque Moren 
Published: March 2018

AbstractStigmatized markets are those where either the products/services, or the consumers, or both, have been collectively, negatively stereotyped and devalued by one or more stakeholder audiences in ways that discredit the overall market. Many stigmatized markets exist, and many flourish, yet little systematic attention has focused on entry into such markets. Our article addresses this gap by conceptualizing various strategies for entering stigmatized markets. We further present propositions regarding the market‐level factors that can influence which of these strategies firms will choose to employ. The contributions include: conceptually clarifying the nature of stigmatized markets; identifying additional types of entry strategies relevant for entering stigmatized markets; theorizing the conditions under which firms would choose one entry strategy over another; and opening up for consideration the effects that market entry may have on stigmatized actors in targeted markets.
Impact of food retailer branding on expectation generation and liking
Authors: Morris Cecile , Beresford Paul , Hirst Craig 
Published: March 2018

AbstractBranding can influence sensory evaluation, however, the impact of food retailers from different tiers (premium, everyday, and discount) remains undocumented. The aim of this project was to test whether food retailers generated different quality expectations and establish whether these impacted on sensory evaluation. Expected liking of four chocolate samples (private brand, premium, everyday, and discount food retailer brands) was measured using a survey (n = 199) and hedonic ratings (n = 152) were obtained in blind and informed conditions. Seventy‐one of the 152 panelists were required to rate their expected liking prior to the informed hedonic test to assess whether stating expectations could influence subsequent liking. The premium food retailer and private brand generated similarly high quality expectations which resulted in significant disconfirmation although a significant response shift was only observed for the private brand when expectations were measured. In contrast, the everyday and discount food retailers generated lower expectations which aligned well with the sensory experience.Practical applicationsAlthough established private brands are still perceived as the gold standard; premium food retailers can also generate high expectations and there is a clear hierarchy of expectations between food retailers' tiers. In spite of this, branding had a modest impact on sensory evaluation compared to actual product quality with partial assimilation observed only for the private brand. Food retailers should continue to develop their product quality to carry on improving their brand image. Asking panelists to state their expectations just prior to the informed hedonic testing could result in self‐induced suggestion error. It is recommended that expectations and informed liking are captured sufficiently far apart when using the same panelists.
Molecular Cloning, Expression, and In Situ Hybridization Analysis of Forkhead Box Protein L2 during Development in Macrobrachium nipponense
Authors: Jin Shubo , Fu Hongtuo , Jiang Sufei , Xiong Yiwei , Sun Shengming , Qiao Hui , Zhang Wenyi , Gong Yongsheng , Wu Yan 
Published: March 2018

AbstractForkhead box protein L2 (Foxl2) has dramatic effects on early differentiation and development of the female gonad in mammals and fish through the repression of SOX9 expression. In this study, we aimed to isolate a full‐length cDNA sequence encoding Foxl2 from the Macrobrachium nipponense (Mn‐Foxl2) and investigated its gene function. The full‐length cDNA sequence of Mn‐Foxl2 was 2097 bp with an open reading frame of 1740 bp, encoding 579 amino acids. Phylogenetic analysis revealed considerable evolutionary divergence between Mn‐Foxl2 and Foxl2 from fish. Mn‐Foxl2 may be involved in gonadal sex differentiation, based on its dramatically high expression during the sex‐differentiation sensitive period. Tissue distributions indicated that Mn‐Foxl2 mRNA expression was higher in the testis than that in the ovary and higher in males than in females in the same tissues, implying that Foxl2 may promote both male and female sexual development in M. nipponense. In situ hybridization analysis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis in the gonad during the reproductive cycle further confirmed the important roles of Foxl2 in early gonad development in M. nipponense. This study advances our understanding of the role of Foxl2 in M. nipponense and provides the basis for further studies of Foxl2 in crustaceans.
Efficacy of a Live‐attenuated Edwardsiella ictaluri Oral Vaccine in Channel and Hybrid Catfish
Authors: Chatakondi Nagaraj , Peterson Brian C. , Greenway Terrence E. , Byars Todd S. , Wise David J. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThis study evaluated the efficacy of an oral live‐attenuated Edwardsiella ictaluri vaccine against enteric septicemia of catfish (ESC) in channel and hybrid catfish. The vaccine was delivered one time orally by feeding fish a diet coated with an attenuated E. ictaluri isolate at four doses to deliver between 4 × 106 to 3.2 × 107 viable vaccine cells/g wet feed. Thirty‐five days postvaccination, control and vaccinated fish were challenged with virulent E. ictaluri and mortality was examined for 30 d postchallenge. Mortality of nonvaccinated hybrids (85%) and nonvaccinated channel catfish (73%) was similar but significantly greater than all groups of vaccinated fish. In channel catfish, a trend toward increasing mortality with decreasing dose was observed. Mortality of channel catfish vaccinated with the lowest dose (26.6%) was significantly higher than fish vaccinated with the highest dose (14.1%) but similar to fish vaccinated at the intermediate doses (17.5 and 19.4%). In contrast, mortality of four doses of vaccinated hybrid catfish was similar and ranged between 10.4 and 14.0%. The data demonstrate that the attenuated E. ictaluri vaccine at all four doses tested is effective at reducing ESC‐related mortalities in hybrid and channel catfish.
Mesozooplankton spatial distribution and community structure in the South Adriatic Sea during two winters (2015, 2016)
Authors: Hure Marijana , Mihanović Hrvoje , Lučić Davor , Ljubešić Zrinka , Kružić Petar 
Published: March 2018

AbstractWhereas the data on mesozooplankton in the epipelagic offshore Mediterranean Sea are extensive, less information is available about plankton in the deeper layers. The present study aims to describe the vertical and horizontal structure and distribution of mesozooplankton species and their associations down to 1,200 m in the water of the Southern Adriatic Sea. Zooplankton were sampled using a Nansen net of 200‐μm mesh size during two cruises in the winters of 2015 and 2016, extending from the coast to the open sea. In total, 203 zooplankton taxa were identified. The community was dominated by copepods, representing between 67% and 91% of the total abundance. The highest total densities were recorded in the upper layers where a high proportion (up to 36%) of appendicularians was also observed in the first sampled year. Five groups of samples were determined based on their community structure. In 2015 communities were distinct between the 0 and 50 m layer and the underlying one (50–100 m), whereas in 2016 epipelagic waters were inhabited by a more uniform mesozooplankton community. The mesopelagic and deep‐water fauna, especially copepods, showed a relatively stable composition in both sampling years Overall, our study confirms the oligotrophic character of the Southern Adriatic, with occasional density outbreaks of appendicularians under favourable conditions.
Ethylene signaling induces gelatinous layers with typical features of tension wood in hybrid aspen
Authors: Felten Judith , Vahala Jorma , Love Jonathan , Gorzsás András , Rüggeberg Markus , Delhomme Nicolas , Leśniewska Joanna , Kangasjärvi Jaakko , Hvidsten Torgeir R. , Mellerowicz Ewa J. , Sundberg Björn 
Published: March 2018

SummaryThe phytohormone ethylene impacts secondary stem growth in plants by stimulating cambial activity, xylem development and fiber over vessel formation. We report the effect of ethylene on secondary cell wall formation and the molecular connection between ethylene signaling and wood formation.We applied exogenous ethylene or its precursor 1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylic acid (ACC) to wild‐type and ethylene‐insensitive hybrid aspen trees (Populus tremula × tremuloides) and studied secondary cell wall anatomy, chemistry and ultrastructure. We furthermore analyzed the transcriptome (RNASeq) afterACCapplication to wild‐type and ethylene‐insensitive trees.We demonstrate thatACCand ethylene induce gelatinous layers (G‐layers) and alter the fiber cell wall cellulose microfibril angle. G‐layers are tertiary wall layers rich in cellulose, typically found in tension wood of aspen trees. A vast majority of transcripts affected byACCare downstream of ethylene perception and include a large number of transcription factors (TFs). Motif‐analyses reveal potential connections between ethyleneTFs (Ethylene Response Factors (ERFs),ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE3/ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE3‐LIKE1 (EIN3/EIL1)) and wood formation.G‐layer formation upon ethylene application suggests that the increase in ethylene biosynthesis observed during tension wood formation is important for its formation. Ethylene‐regulatedTFs of theERFandEIN3/EIL1 type could transmit the ethylene signal.
Finding a needle in a haystack: Bacteroides fragilis polysaccharide A as the archetypical symbiosis factor
Authors: Erturk‐Hasdemir Deniz , Kasper Dennis L. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractStarting from birth, all animals develop a symbiotic relationship with their resident microorganisms that benefits both the microbe and the host. Recent advances in technology have substantially improved our ability to direct research toward the identification of important microbial species that affect host physiology. The identification of specific commensal molecules from these microbes and their mechanisms of action is still in its early stages. Polysaccharide A (PSA) of Bacteroides fragilis is the archetypical example of a commensal molecule that can modulate the host immune system in health and disease. This zwitterionic polysaccharide has a critical impact on the development of the mammalian immune system and also on the stimulation of interleukin 10–producing CD4+ T cells; consequently, PSA confers benefits to the host with regard to experimental autoimmune, inflammatory, and infectious diseases. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the immunomodulatory effects of B. fragilis PSA and discuss these effects as a novel immunological paradigm. In particular, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of the unique functional mechanisms of this molecule and its therapeutic potential, and we review the recent literature in the field of microbiome research aimed at discovering new commensal products and their immunomodulatory potential.