bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Abstract inference of unchosen option values
Authors: Cox Karin M. , Fiez Julie A. 
Published: September 2019

AbstractReinforcement learning research has pursued a persistent question: Does reward feedback prompt inferences that transcend simple associations? Reversal learning data suggest an affirmative answer: When the positive stimulus (S+) becomes the negative stimulus (S−), trained humans rapidly switch to choosing the former S−. The operations supporting such inferences remain ambiguous. Do participants identify transitions between stimulus‐specific contexts (i.e., A+B− and A−B+), or deduce values by learning the abstract contingency structure? Across two experiments, we probed humans’ use of abstract rules to infer the values of unchosen alternatives. In Experiment 1, 37 participants attempted a task that originally demonstrated monkeys’ difficulty with this form of inference. We presented modified discrimination problems in which the initially chosen stimulus (abstract inference group) or unchosen stimulus (control group) was replaced with a novel stimulus of identical status on Trial 2. In the abstract inference condition, accurate performance can be achieved by applying the consistent contingency structure (but not memory of stimulus‐specific reward associations) to infer to the unchosen stimulus’ value. The abstract inference group learned to make accurate choices, but only after committing substantially more errors than were observed among control participants—suggesting that unchosen value inferences are infrequently drawn in standard discrimination scenarios. In Experiment 2, 17 participants completed abstract inference problems that had been modified to be suitable for fMRI investigations. Behavioral results both corroborated the Experiment 1 trends and further revealed marked individual differences in explicit awareness of the novel stimulus values.
The importance of neutral over niche processes in structuring Ediacaran early animal communities
Authors: Mitchell Emily G. , Harris Simon , Kenchington Charlotte G. , Vixseboxse Philip , Roberts Lucy , Clark Catherine , Dennis Alexandra , Liu Alexander G. , Wilby Philip R. 
Published: September 2019

AbstractThe relative influence of niche vs. neutral processes in ecosystem dynamics is an on‐going debate, but the extent to which they structured the earliest animal communities is unknown. Some of the oldest known metazoan‐dominated paleocommunities occur in Ediacaran age (~ 565 million years old) strata in Newfoundland, Canada and Charnwood Forest, UK. These comprise large and diverse populations of sessile organisms that are amenable to spatial point process analyses, enabling inference of the most likely underlying niche or neutral processes governing community structure. We mapped seven Ediacaran paleocommunities using LiDAR, photogrammetry and a laser line probe. We found that neutral processes dominate these paleocommunities, with niche processes exerting limited influence, in contrast with the niche‐dominated dynamics of modern marine ecosystems. The dominance of neutral processes suggests that early metazoan diversification may not have been driven by systematic adaptations to the local environment, but instead may have resulted from stochastic demographic differences.
Cooler temperatures slow the repair of DNA damage in tadpoles exposed to ultraviolet radiation: Implications for amphibian declines at high altitude
Authors: Morison Samuel A. , Cramp Rebecca L. , Alton Lesley A. , Franklin Craig E. 
Published: September 2019

AbstractUltraviolet B radiation (UVBR) damages the DNA of exposed cells, causing dimers to form between adjacent pyrimidine nucleotides. These dimers block DNA replication, causing mutations and apoptosis. Most organisms utilize biochemical or biophysical DNA repair strategies to restore DNA structure; however, as with most biological reactions, these processes are likely to be thermally sensitive. Tadpoles exposed to elevated UVBR at low environmental temperatures have significantly higher rates of mortality and developmental deformities compared with tadpoles exposed to the same levels of UVBR at higher environmental temperatures. We hypothesized that low environmental temperatures impair the primary enzymatic (photolyase) DNA repair pathway in amphibians, leading to the accumulation of DNA damage. To test this hypothesis, we compared DNA repair rates and photolyase gene expression patterns in Limnodynastes peronii. Tadpoles were acutely exposed to UVBR for 1 hr at either 20 or 30°C, and we measured DNA damage and photolyase expression levels at intervals following this exposure. Temperature had a significant effect on the rate of DNA repair, with repair at 30°C occurring twice as fast as repair at 20°C. Photolyase gene expression (6‐4 PP and CPD) was significantly upregulated by UVBR exposure, with expression levels increasing within 6 hr of UVBR exposure. CPD expression levels were not significantly affected by temperature, but 6‐4 PP expression was significantly higher in tadpoles in the 30°C treatment within 12 hr of UVBR exposure. These data support the hypothesis that DNA repair rates are thermally sensitive in tadpoles and may explain why enigmatic amphibian declines are higher in montane regions where UVBR levels are naturally elevated and environmental temperatures are lower.
‘IRGENDWIE WIRD ES GEHEN’: TRAUMA, SURVIVAL, AND CREATIVITY IN SAŠA STANIŠIĆ’S VOR DEM FEST
Authors: Osborne Dora 
Published: September 2019

ABSTRACTThis article argues that Vor dem Fest, Saša Stanišić’s second novel, represents a continuation of the author's attempt, begun in his 2006 debut, Wie der Soldat das Grammofon repariert, to write about ‘sad things, positively’. Set in Germany, however, it also engages critically with the particular ethical and cultural‐political challenges that writing about traumatic pasts has posed in this context. Through his protagonists, many of whom are engaged in different forms of creative practice, Stanišić shows how cultural memory is produced in response to trauma but threatens to overwrite violence with fabricated narratives. Nevertheless, creativity, practised in response to, and as a means of, survival, retains the potential – for both the author and his characters – to bear witness to the past while producing something that ensures the continuity of the community. Drawing on theories of melancholy and the archive, and of trauma and survival, this article shows how Stanišić develops a mode of narrative that is both critical and productive in its response to legacies of violence and loss.
FROM THE ‘POSTTRAUMATIC’ TO THE ‘TRANSTESTIMONIAL’: DORON RABINOVICI'S DIE LETZTEN ZEUGEN (2013) AS A CORPOREAL TOPOGRAPHY OF DISCURSIVE AND EMOTIVE HOLOCAUST MEMORY
Authors: Stegmaier Sanna 
Published: September 2019

ABSTRACTThis article explores the theatrical witness project Die letzten Zeugen (2013) by the Austrian writer Doron Rabinovici as an example of a methodological transition in Testimony Studies, one which shifts the focus from psychoanalytic engagement with the survivors’ experiences towards a collective approach to testimony at the end of the so‐called ‘era of witnesses’. Rabinovici's theatrical witness project cultivates a novel form of simultaneously discursive and emotive engagements with testimony. The article scrutinises the extent to which the physical presence of Holocaust survivors on stage serves as a ‘corporeal topography’, an exploration of the liminal quality of contemporary engagements with testimony in the impending absence of survivors. In so doing, it develops the concept of ‘transtestimony’, a liminal engagement with testimony as both an epistemic and a performative practice.
FERTILITY IN THE CAMPS: AN EXPLORATION OF FEMALE FERTILITY AS REPORTED IN CONCENTRATION CAMP MEMOIRS
Authors: Bath Elise 
Published: September 2019

ABSTRACTThis article carries out a comparative analysis of three Holocaust memoirs written by women who survived incarceration in the concentration camp system. It identifies and analyses female‐specific experiences, with a particular focus on experiences directly related to female fertility. Analysis of Elli: Coming of Age in the Holocaust by Livia Bitton‐Jackson, The Musicians of Auschwitz by Fania Fénelon, and Olga Lengyel's Five Chimneys shows that issues such as menstruation, amenorrhea, abortion, neonaticide, and motherhood were particular sources of danger and risk for concentration camp inmates. By revealing aspects of the concentrationary experience specific to women and demonstrating the impact of such issues on the memoirists, the validity of gender as a lens through which to analyse the Holocaust is confirmed. Moreover, the range of reactions which the authors cite demonstrates that gender is not an automatic unifier. Rather, scholarly attention must be paid to those aspects of female‐specific experiences, and the breadth of reactions to them, which have hitherto been marginalised.
Controlling bureaucracies in weak institutional contexts: The politics of police autonomy
Authors: Flom Hernán 
Published: September 2019

AbstractThis article argues that political competition determines how and when elected politicians can reduce police autonomy. While bureaucratic autonomy is generally lauded in developed democracies, it can result in serious malfeasance in contexts of institutional weakness. Political incumbents may reduce police autonomy through different means and for various purposes. While some politicians seek to professionalize police forces and align them with the rule of law, others aspire to politicize police to appropriate its rents from corruption. This article shows that lack of rotation in office (low political turnover) increases politicians' control of police, while under low turnover, fragmentation in cabinets and the legislature influences whether politicians seek to professionalize or politicize the force. The article illustrates this theory with a subnational comparison of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Santa Fe (Argentina), relying on 80 interviews with police and politicians.
An agonistic anti‐Toll‐like receptor 4 monoclonal antibody as an effective adjuvant for cancer immunotherapy
Authors: Tsukamoto Hiroki , Kubota Kanae , Shichiku Ayumi , Maekawa Masamitsu , Mano Nariyasu , Yagita Hideo , Ohta Shoichiro , Tomioka Yoshihisa 
Published: September 2019

SummaryImmune‐checkpoint blockade antibodies have been approved for the treatment of cancer. However, poorly immunogenic tumours are less responsive to such therapies. Agonistic anti‐Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) activate only cell‐surface TLR4; in contrast, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activates both TLR4 and intracellular inflammatory caspases. In this study, we investigated the adjuvant activity of an anti‐TLR4 mAb in T‐cell‐mediated antitumour immunity. The anti‐TLR4 mAb induced the activation of antigen‐specific T‐cells in adoptive transfer studies. The growth of ovalbumin (OVA)‐expressing tumours was significantly suppressed by administration of OVA and the anti‐TLR4 mAb in combination, but not individually. The antitumour effect of anti‐PD‐1 mAb was enhanced in mice administered with OVA plus the anti‐TLR4 mAb. The OVA‐specific IFN‐γ‐producing CD8 T‐cells were induced by administration of OVA and the anti‐TLR4 mAb. The suppression of tumour growth was diminished by depletion of CD8, but not CD4, T‐cells. The inflammatory response to the anti‐TLR4 mAb was of significantly lesser magnitude than that to LPS, as assessed by NF‐κB activation and production of TNF‐α, IL‐6 and IL‐1β. Administration of LPS (at a dose that elicited levels of proinflammatory cytokines comparable to those by the anti‐TLR4 mAb) plus OVA induced no or less‐marked activation of OVA‐specific T‐cells and failed to suppress tumour growth in mice. In conclusion, the agonistic anti‐TLR4 mAb induces potent CD8 T‐cell‐dependent antitumour immunity and an inflammatory response of lesser magnitude than does LPS. The agonistic anti‐TLR4 mAb has potential as an adjuvant for use in vaccines against cancer.
Sophisticated specificity in the innate immune response
Authors: Milling Simon 
Published: September 2019

SummaryImmunologists are sometimes guilty of describing the innate immune response as ‘non‐specific’. What we really mean is that the pattern recognition receptors of innate immune cells are not able to recombine and mutate to bind the spectacular range of molecular patterns that can be recognised by B and T cells. So, while it may be accurate to describe the innate immune response as less specific than adaptive immunity, even this belies the emerging complexity of the receptors and receptor complexes that control inflammatory responses. This complexity is necessary to recognise danger, and therefore successfully initiate proportionate inflammatory responses to cellular damage or against potential pathogens.
Measuring executive personality using machine‐learning algorithms: A new approach and audit fee‐based validation tests
Authors: Hrazdil Karel , Novak Jiri , Rogo Rafael , Wiedman Christine , Zhang Ray 
Published: September 2019

AbstractWe present a novel approach for measuring executive personality traits. Relying on recent developments in machine learning and artificial intelligence, we utilize the IBM Watson Personality Insights service to measure executive personalities based on CEOs’ and CFOs’ responses to questions raised by analysts during conference calls. We obtain the Big Five personality traits – openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism – based on which we estimate risk tolerance. To validate these traits, we first demonstrate that our risk‐tolerance measure varies with existing inherent and behavioural‐based measures (gender, age, sensitivity of executive compensation to stock return volatility, and executive unexercised‐vested options) in predictable ways. Second, we show that variation in firm‐year level personality trait measures, including risk tolerance, is largely explained by manager characteristics, as opposed to firm characteristics and firm performance. Finally, we find that executive inherent risk tolerance helps explain the positive relationship between client risk and audit fees documented in the prior literature. Specifically, the effect of CEO risk‐tolerance – as an innate personality trait – on audit fees is incremental to the effect of increased risk appetite from equity risk‐taking incentives (Vega). Measuring executive personality using machine‐learning algorithms will thus allow researchers to pursue studies that were previously difficult to conduct.
Genome‐wide association study for age at puberty in young Nelore bulls
Authors: Stafuzza Nedenia Bonvino , Costa e Silva Eliane Vianna da , Silva Rafael Medeiros de Oliveira , Costa Filho Luiz Carlos Cesar da , Barbosa Fernanda Battistotti , Macedo Gustavo Guerino , Lobo Raysildo B. , Baldi Fernando 
Published: September 2019

AbstractSelection for bulls that would reach puberty early reduces the generation interval and increases fertility and herd productivity. Despite its economic importance, there are few QTL associated with age at puberty described in the literature. In this study, a weighted single‐step genome‐wide association study was performed to detect genomic regions and putative candidate genes related to age at puberty in young Nelore bulls. Several protein‐coding genes related to spermatogenesis functions were identified within the genomic regions that explain more than 0.5% of the additive genetic variance for age at puberty in Nelore bulls, such as ADAM11, BRCA1, CSNK2A, CREBBP, MEIOC, NDRG2, NECTIN3, PARP2, PARP9, PRSS21, RAD51C, RNASE4, SLX4, SPA17, TEX14, TIMP2 and TRIP13 gene. Enrichment analysis by DAVID also revealed several GO terms related to spermatogenesis such as DNA replication (GO:0006260), male meiosis I (GO:0007141), double‐strand break repair (GO:0006302), base excision repair (GO:0006284), apoptotic process (GO:0006915), cell–cell adhesion (GO: 0098609) and focal adhesion (GO:0005925). The heritability for age at puberty shows that this trait can be improved based on traditional EBV selection. Adding genomic information to the system helps to elucidate genes and molecular mechanisms controlling the sexual precocity and could help to predict sexual precocity in Nelore bulls with greater accuracy at younger age, which would speed up the breeding programme for this breed.
EGR1 interacts with DNMT3L to inhibit the transcription of miR‐195 and plays an anti‐apoptotic role in the development of gastric cancer
Authors: Yang Yang , Wu Fei , Zhang Jing , Sun Ruifang , Li Fang , Li Yulong , Chang Su’e , Wang Lumin , Wang Xiaofei , Liu Liying , Huang Chen 
Published: September 2019

AbstractEGR1 regulates the expression of its downstream target genes and may exert different biological effects in different tumours. We found that the expression of EGR1 was increased in gastric cancer (GC), and silencing the expression of EGR1 promoted the apoptosis of GC cells. Moreover, overexpression of EGR1 repressed the apoptosis of GC cells. Bioinformatics analysis showed that EGR1 had binding sites at the upstream promoter region of miR‐195; ChIP assays were applied to determine EGR1 occupancy of the miR‐195 promoter. The RT‐PCR results showed that EGR1 suppressed the expression of miR‐195. The mechanism by which EGR1 acts as a transcriptional repressor is still unclear. Bioinformatics analysis showed that EGR1 may interact with DNMT3L. We confirmed that EGR1 and DNMT3L formed a complex, and EGR1 was an important player in the transcriptional control of miR‐195. Overexpression of miR‐195 inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis in GC cells. We found a well‐matched miR‐195 binding site at the AKT3 3′‐UTR. Double luciferase reporter assays showed that AKT3 was a target of miR‐195, and silencing AKT3 repressed cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis. Our results indicated EGR1 may interact with DNMT3L to inhibit the miR‐195‐AKT3 axis and regulate the GC cell apoptosis.
FOXC1 up‐regulates the expression of toll‐like receptors in myocardial ischaemia
Authors: Zhang Shao‐Ping , Yang Ruo‐Han , Shang Jia , Gao Ting , Wang Rui , Peng Xiao‐Dong , Miao Xiao , Pan Lei , Yuan Wen‐Jun , Lin Li , Hu Qi‐Kuan 
Published: September 2019

AbstractMyocardial ischaemia (MI) remains a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Accumulating evidence suggests a significant role for innate immunity, in which the family of toll‐like receptors (TLRs) acts as an essential player. We previously reported and reviewed the changes of Tlr expression in models of MI. However, the underlying mechanisms regulating Tlr expression in MI remain unclear. The present study first screened transcription factors (TFs) that potentially regulate Tlr gene transcription based on in silico analyses followed by experimental verification, using both in vivo and in vitro models. Forkhead box C1 (FOXC1) was identified as a putative TF, which was highly responsive to MI. Next, by focusing on two representative TLR subtypes, an intracellular subtype TLR3 and a cell‐surface subtype TLR4, the regulation of FOXC1 on Tlr expression was investigated. The overexpression or knockdown of FoxC1 was observed to up‐ or down‐regulate Tlr3/4 mRNA and protein levels, respectively. A dual‐luciferase assay showed that FOXC1 trans‐activated Tlr3/4 promoter, and a ChIP assay showed direct binding of FOXC1 to Tlr3/4 promoter. Last, a functional study of FOXC1 was performed, which revealed the pro‐inflammatory effects of FOXC1 and its destructive effects on infarct size and heart function in a mouse model of MI. The present study for the first time identified FOXC1 as a novel regulator of Tlr expression and described its function in MI.
Augmentation of keratinized tissue at tooth and implant sites by using autogenous grafts and collagen‐based soft‐tissue substitutes
Authors: Thoma Daniel S. , Lim Hyun‐Chang , Paeng Kyeong‐Won , Kim Myong Ji , Jung Ronald E. , Hämmerle Christoph H. F. , Jung Ui‐Won 
Published: September 2019

AbstractAimTo investigate the effect of three treatment modalities on the gain of keratinized tissue (KT) at tooth and implant sites in dogs.Materials and MethodsIn five dogs, the distal roots of the mandibular second, third and fourth premolars were extracted, while the mesial roots were maintained. After 2 months of healing, implants were placed with KT excision. After another 2 months of healing, free gingival grafts, collagen‐based matrices and apically positioned flap only were applied. The height of KT was measured during implant placement, immediately before soft‐tissue grafting and after 10, 30 and 60 days.ResultsTwo months after KT excision, spontaneous KT regrowth was greater at tooth sites than at implant sites (median, 2.0 mm vs. 1.1 mm). The outcomes of soft‐tissue grafting at implant sites favoured the free gingival graft treatment, with a greater final median height (5.0–5.5 mm) and increase in KT (4.0–4.2 mm). Locations of the recipient sites significantly influenced KT regeneration at both tooth and implant sites.ConclusionsAt implant sites, the free gingival graft treatment led to higher KT regeneration. At tooth sites, however, the differences between the three treatment modalities seemed clinically irrelevant.
Periodontal tissue regeneration after low‐intensity pulsed ultrasound stimulation with or without intra‐marrow perforation in two‐wall intra‐bony defects—A pilot study in dogs
Authors: Shirakata Yoshinori , Imafuji Takatomo , Sena Kotaro , Shinohara Yukiya , Nakamura Toshiaki , Noguchi Kazuyuki 
Published: September 2019

AbstractAimTo evaluate the effects of low‐intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) with/without intra‐marrow perforation (IMP) on periodontal healing in two‐wall intra‐bony defects in dogs.Materials and MethodsTwo‐wall intra‐bony defects (5 mm wide, 5 mm deep) were created at the distal and mesial aspects of mandibular premolars in four beagle dogs (four defects per dog). The 16 defects were divided into four treatment groups: IMP, LIPUS, IMP + LIPUS (IMP/LIPUS) and control (open flap debridement). The LIPUS and IMP/LIPUS sites received daily LIPUS exposure for 3 weeks starting 1 week after surgery. The animals were euthanized 4 weeks after surgery for histologic evaluation.ResultsThere was significantly greater new bone formation at LIPUS (2.93 ± 0.74 mm) and IMP/LIPUS (3.18 ± 0.52 mm) sites than at control sites (1.65 ± 0.46 mm). New bone area at LIPUS (6.36 ± 2.28 mm2) and IMP/LIPUS (6.13 ± 1.25 mm2) sites was significantly greater than that at control sites (2.15 ± 1.75 mm2). New cementum length at LIPUS sites (4.09 ± 0.75 mm) was significantly greater than that at control (2.29 ± 1.02 mm) and IMP (2.41 ± 0.41 mm) sites. No significant difference was observed between LIPUS and IMP/LIPUS sites in any histomorphometric parameter.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that LIPUS effectively promotes periodontal regeneration in two‐wall intra‐bony defects in dogs.
IRT Approaches to Modeling Scores on Mixed‐Format Tests
Authors: Lee Won‐Chan , Kim Stella Y. , Choi Jiwon , Kang Yujin 
Published: September 2019

AbstractThis article considers psychometric properties of composite raw scores and transformed scale scores on mixed‐format tests that consist of a mixture of multiple‐choice and free‐response items. Test scores on several mixed‐format tests are evaluated with respect to conditional and overall standard errors of measurement, score reliability, and classification consistency and accuracy under three item response theory (IRT) frameworks: unidimensional IRT (UIRT), simple structure multidimensional IRT (SS‐MIRT), and bifactor multidimensional IRT (BF‐MIRT) models. Illustrative examples are presented using data from three mixed‐format exams with various levels of format effects. In general, the two MIRT models produced similar results, while the UIRT model resulted in consistently lower estimates of reliability and classification consistency/accuracy indices compared to the MIRT models.