bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Adaptation to warmer climates by parallel functional evolution of CBF genes in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Monroe J. Grey , McGovern Cullen , Lasky Jesse R. , Grogan Kelsi , Beck James , McKay John K. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThe evolutionary processes and genetics underlying local adaptation at a specieswide level are largely unknown. Recent work has indicated that a frameshift mutation in a member of a family of transcription factors, C‐repeat binding factors or CBFs, underlies local adaptation and freezing tolerance divergence between two European populations of Arabidopsis thaliana. To ask whether the specieswide evolution of CBF genes in Arabidopsis is consistent with local adaptation, we surveyed CBF variation from 477 wild accessions collected across the species’ range. We found that CBF sequence variation is strongly associated with winter temperature variables. Looking specifically at the minimum temperature experienced during the coldest month, we found that Arabidopsis from warmer climates exhibit a significant excess of nonsynonymous polymorphisms in CBF genes and revealed a CBF haplotype network whose structure points to multiple independent transitions to warmer climates. We also identified a number of newly described mutations of significant functional effect in CBF genes, similar to the frameshift mutation previously indicated to be locally adaptive in Italy, and find that they are significantly associated with warm winters. Lastly, we uncover relationships between climate and the position of significant functional effect mutations between and within CBF paralogs, suggesting variation in adaptive function of different mutations. Cumulatively, these findings support the hypothesis that disruption of CBF gene function is adaptive in warmer climates, and illustrate how parallel evolution in a transcription factor can underlie adaptation to climate.
Impact of end‐stage renal disease on hospital outcomes among patients admitted to intensive care units: A retrospective matched‐pair cohort study
Authors: Iwagami Masao , Yasunaga Hideo , Matsui Hiroki , Horiguchi Hiromasa , Fushimi Kiyohide , Noiri Eisei , Nangaku Masaomi , Doi Kent 
Published: June 2016

AbstractAimWe aimed to estimate the burden of end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) among patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs), by comparing hospital outcomes between patients with and without ESRD.MethodsUsing the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, we identified patients aged 20 years or older who were admitted to ICUs for ≥3 days (2 nights) in 2011. We created a matched cohort of patients with and without ESRD for hospital, age, sex, main diagnosis category, and ICU admission type (medical or surgical) at a maximum ratio of 1:3. For these matched patients, we compared patient characteristics, treatment regimens at ICU admission, and hospital outcomes. We also performed a multivariable logistic regression analysis for the associations between ESRD and 28‐day (counting from ICU admission) and in‐hospital mortality.ResultsAmong the 164 423 eligible patients, 7998 (4.9%) had ESRD, from which 5228 ESRD and 12 274 non‐ESRD patients were matched for the aforementioned factors. Compared to non‐ESRD patients, ESRD patients were on more intensive treatment regimens, including mechanical ventilation, vasoactive drugs, and blood transfusion. Patients with ESRD showed significantly higher ICU, 28‐day, and in‐hospital mortality and longer lengths of stay in the ICU and hospital (28‐day mortality: 11.7% vs. 8.3%; P < 0.001, in‐hospital mortality: 21.1% vs. 12.0%; P < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, ESRD was independently associated with 28‐day mortality (adjusted odds ratio: 1.36, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22–1.52) and in‐hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.69–2.02).ConclusionThis study involving the Japanese national inpatient database, with a matched‐pair cohort design, suggested that ESRD is an important burden in the critical care setting.
Deception and self‐deception in health care
Authors: de Vries Jan M. A. , Timmins Fiona 
Published: June 2016

AbstractDeception is part of the natural repertoire of adaptive behaviours in many organisms. In humans we see it in all domains of human activity including health care. Within health care, deception can be a matter of concern, but it is also used to protect patients, for instance against overwhelming and negative diagnostics. This paper demonstrates that deception and self‐deception are closely interlinked and that self‐deception facilitates deception. Furthermore, self‐deception tends to be used to reduce the discomfort we feel when we are dishonest (cognitive dissonance). The paper includes references to core psychological mechanisms and ethical aspects.
Femoral arterial cannulation performed by residents: a comparison between ultrasound‐guided and palpation technique in infants and children undergoing cardiac surgery
Authors: Siddik‐Sayyid Sahar M. , Aouad Marie T. , Ibrahim Muhammad H. , Taha Samar K. , Nawfal Maud F. , Tfaili Youssef J. , Kaddoum Roland N. 
Published: June 2016

SummaryBackgroundPercutaneous cannulation of the femoral artery in the pediatric age group can be technically challenging, especially when performed by residents in training.ObjectiveWe examined whether the use of real‐time ultrasound guidance is superior to a palpation landmark technique for femoral artery catheterization in children undergoing heart surgery.MethodsPatients were prospectively randomized into two groups. In the palpation group, the femoral artery was cannulated using the traditional landmark method of palpation of arterial pulse. In the ultrasound group, cannulation was guided by real‐time scanning with an ultrasound probe. Ten minutes were set as time limit for the resident's trials during which the time taken for attempted cannulation (primary outcome), number of attempts, number of successful cannulations on first attempt, and success rate were compared between the two groups. Adverse events were monitored on postoperative days 1 and 3.ResultsA total of 106 patients were included in the study. The time taken for attempted femoral artery cannulation was shorter (301 ± 234 vs 420 ± 248 s; difference in mean: 119; 95% confidence interval (CI) of difference: 26–212; P = 0.012) and the number of attempts was lower [1 (1–10) vs 2 (1–5); difference in median: 1, 95% CI of difference: 0.28–1.72; P = 0.003] in the ultrasound group compared with the palpation group. The number of successful cannulations on first attempt was higher in the ultrasound group compared with palpation group [24/53 (45%) vs 13/53 (25%); odds ratio (OR): 2.54, 95% CI: 1.11–5.82; P = 0.025]. The number of patients who had successful cannulation was 31 of 55 (58%) in the palpation group and 40 of 53 (75%) in the ultrasound group (OR: 2.18, 95% CI: 0.95–5.01; P = 0.06). None of the patients had adverse events at days 1 and 3.ConclusionsUltrasound‐guided femoral arterial cannulation in children when performed by anesthesia residents is superior to the palpation technique based on the reduction of the time taken for attempted cannulation and the number of attempts, and improvement in first attempt success.
Mindfulness‐of‐breathing exercise modulates EEG alpha activity during cognitive performance
Authors: Bing‐Canar Hanaan , Pizzuto Jacquelyne , Compton Rebecca J. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThe present study investigated whether engaging in a mindful breathing exercise would affect EEG oscillatory activity associated with self‐monitoring processes, based on the notion that mindfulness enhances attentional awareness. Participants were assigned to either an audio exercise in mindful breathing or an audio control condition, and then completed a Stroop task while EEG was recorded. The primary EEG measure of interest was error‐related alpha suppression (ERAS), an index of self‐monitoring in which alpha power is reduced, suggesting mental engagement, following errors compared to correct responses. Participants in the mindful‐breathing condition showed increased alpha power during the listening exercise and enhanced ERAS during the subsequent Stroop task. These results indicate enhanced error‐monitoring among those in the mindful‐breathing group.
Conservation of native fauna in highly invaded systems: managing mammalian predators in New Zealand
Authors: Pech Roger , Maitland Matt 
Published: June 2016

AbstractPrograms to conserve native fauna in invaded ecosystems often aim to reduce the impacts of alien predators. This approach can lead to unexpected outcomes in the native and the remaining invasive components of restored ecosystems. In New Zealand, suppression and eradication of invasive mammalian predators are well‐established conservation strategies, particularly on offshore islands and in mainland ecosanctuaries. Predator control has achieved important conservation gains over increasingly large areas but these can be offset by the ecological release of other uncontrolled pest species. In addition, novel ecosystems created by selective predator control and reintroductions of locally extinct or depleted native species may have unexpected trajectories as they evolve. Effective conservation requires new techniques for controlling entire suites of invasive predators over large areas, routine monitoring of the conservation outcomes of predator control, and better understanding of how modified, and in some cases reconstructed, seminatural ecosystems change when invasive predators are removed.
Die Zusammensetzung des Schweizerischen Bundesrates nach Partei, Region, Sprache und Religion, 1848–2015
Authors: Giudici Anja , Stojanović Nenad 
Published: June 2016

AbstractVerschiedene Kriterien sind für die Wahl in den Bundesrat bedeutend. Seit 1999 muss die Bundesversammlung darauf Rücksicht nehmen, dass verschiedene Sprachen und Regionen der Schweiz im Bundesrat angemessen vertreten sind (Art. 175 Ab. 4 BV). Zusätzlich achtet das Parlament darauf, dass ein gewisser Parteiproporz und die Präsenz beider Geschlechter in der Regierung gesichert werden. Früher war auch die konfessionelle Zugehörigkeit der Bundesratsmitglieder ein Thema und bis 1999 durfte maximal eine Person pro Kanton amtieren. Mittels einer Vollerhebung relevanter Merkmale aller Mitglieder des Bundesrates seit 1848 und einer, verglichen mit bisherigen Studien, differenzierteren Auswertungsmethode legen wir einen präzisen Überblick über die Vertretung der Parteien, Regionen, Sprachen und Religionen in der Regierung vor. Ein Anwendungsbeispiel – der potentielle Einfluss des Übergangs vom Majorz‐ aufs Proporz‐Wahlsystem für die Wahl des Nationalrates im Jahr 1919 – illustriert, wie diese Daten für wissenschaftliche Zwecke genutzt werden können.
Shintani descent for algebraic groups and almost characters of unipotent groups
Authors: Deshpande Tanmay 
Published: June 2016

In this paper, we extend the notion of Shintani descent to general (possibly disconnected) algebraic groups defined over a finite field $\mathbb{F}_{q}$. For this, it is essential to treat all the pure inner $\mathbb{F}_{q}$-rational forms of the algebraic group at the same time. We prove that the notion of almost characters (introduced by Shoji using Shintani descent) is well defined for any neutrally unipotent algebraic group, i.e. an algebraic group whose neutral connected component is a unipotent group. We also prove that these almost characters coincide with the ‘trace of Frobenius’ functions associated with Frobenius-stable character sheaves on neutrally unipotent groups. In the course of the proof, we also prove that the modular categories that arise from Boyarchenko and Drinfeld’s theory of character sheaves on neutrally unipotent groups are in fact positive integral, confirming a conjecture due to Drinfeld.
The Association Between Internal and External Measures of Training Load in Batsmen and Medium-Fast Bowlers During Net-Based Cricket Training
Authors: Vickery Will , Dascombe Ben , Duffield Rob 
Published: June 2016

Purpose:To examine the relationship between session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) and measures of internal and external training load (TL) in cricket batsmen and medium-fast bowlers during net-based training sessions.Methods:The internal (heart rate), external (movement demands, PlayerLoad), and technical (cricket-specific skills) loads of 30 male cricket players (age 21.2 ± 3.8 y, height 1.82 ± 0.07 m, body mass 79.0 ± 8.7 kg) were determined from net-based cricket-training sessions (n = 118). The relationships between sRPE and measures of TL were quantified using Pearson product–moment correlations respective to playing position. Stepwise multiple-regression techniques provided key internal- and external-load determinants of sRPE in cricket players.Results:Significant correlations were evident (r = -.34 to .87, P < .05) between internal and external measures of TL and sRPE, with the strongest correlations (r ≥ .62) for GPS-derived measures for both playing positions. In batsmen, stepwise multiple-regression analysis revealed that 67.8% of the adjusted variance in sRPE could be explained by PlayerLoad and high-intensity distance (y = 27.43 + 0.81 PlayerLoad + 0.29 high-intensity distance). For medium-fast bowlers, 76.3% of the adjusted variance could be explained by total distance and mean heart rate (y = 101.82 + total distance 0.05 + HRmean – 0.48).Conclusion:These results suggest that sRPE is a valid method of reporting TL among cricket batsmen and medium-fast bowlers. Position-specific responses are evident and should be considered when monitoring the TL of cricket players.
Risk of Neurological Insult in Competitive Deep Breath-Hold Diving
Authors: Tetzlaff Kay , Schöppenthau Holger , Schipke Jochen D. 
Published: June 2016

Context:It has been widely believed that tissue nitrogen uptake from the lungs during breath-hold diving would be insufficient to cause decompression stress in humans. With competitive free diving, however, diving depths have been ever increasing over the past decades.Methods:A case is presented of a competitive free-diving athlete who suffered stroke-like symptoms after surfacing from his last dive of a series of 3 deep breath-hold dives. A literature and Web search was performed to screen for similar cases of subjects with serious neurological symptoms after deep breath-hold dives.Case Details:A previously healthy 31-y-old athlete experienced right-sided motor weakness and difficulty speaking immediately after surfacing from a breathhold dive to a depth of 100 m. He had performed 2 preceding breath-hold dives to that depth with surface intervals of only 15 min. The presentation of symptoms and neuroimaging findings supported a clinical diagnosis of stroke. Three more cases of neurological insults were retrieved by literature and Web search; in all cases the athletes presented with stroke-like symptoms after single breath-hold dives of depths exceeding 100 m. Two of these cases only had a short delay to recompression treatment and completely recovered from the insult.Conclusions:This report highlights the possibility of neurological insult, eg, stroke, due to cerebral arterial gas embolism as a consequence of decompression stress after deep breath-hold dives. Thus, stroke as a clinical presentation of cerebral arterial gas embolism should be considered another risk of extreme breath-hold diving.
Improvement of Long-Jump Performance During Competition Using a Plyometric Exercise
Authors: Bogdanis Gregory C. , Tsoukos Athanasios , Veligekas Panagiotis 
Published: June 2016

Purpose:To examine the acute effects of a conditioning plyometric exercise on long-jump performance during a simulated long-jump competition.Methods:Eight national-level track and field decathletes performed 6 long-jump attempts with a full approach run separated by 10-min recoveries. In the experimental condition subjects performed 3 rebound vertical jumps with maximal effort 3 min before the last 5 attempts, while the 1st attempt served as baseline. In the control condition the participants performed 6 long jumps without executing the conditioning exercise.Results:Compared with baseline, long-jump performance progressively increased only in the experimental condition, from 3.0%, or 17.5 cm, in the 3rd attempt (P = .046, d = 0.56), to 4.8%, or 28.2 cm, in the 6th attempt (P = .0001, d = 0.84). The improvement in long-jump performance was due to a gradual increase in vertical takeoff velocity from the 3rd (by 8.7%, P = .0001, d = 1.82) to the 6th jump (by 17.7%, P = .0001, d = 4.38). Horizontal-approach velocity, takeoff duration, and horizontal velocity at takeoff were similar at all long-jump attempts in both conditions (P = .80, P = .36, and P = .15, respectively).Conclusions:Long-jump performance progressively improved during a simulated competition when a plyometric conditioning exercise was executed 3 min before each attempt. This improvement was due to a progressive increase in vertical velocity of takeoff, while there was no effect on the horizontal velocity.
Repurposing of Aspirin and Ibuprofen as Candidate Anti-Cryptococcus Drugs
Authors: Ogundeji Adepemi O. , Pohl Carolina H. , Sebolai Olihile M. 
Published: June 2016

ABSTRACT

The usage of fluconazole and amphotericin B in clinical settings is often limited by, among other things, drug resistance development and undesired side effects. Thus, there is a constant need to find new drugs to better manage fungal infections. Toward this end, the study described in this paper considered the repurposing of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) and ibuprofen as alternative drugs to control the growth of cryptococcal cells.
In vitro
susceptibility tests, including a checkerboard assay, were performed to assess the response of
Cryptococcus neoformans
and
Cryptococcus gattii
to the above-mentioned anti-inflammatory drugs. Next, the capacity of these two drugs to induce stress as well as their mode of action in the killing of cryptococcal cells was determined. The studied fungal strains revealed a response to both aspirin and ibuprofen that was dose dependent, with ibuprofen exerting greater antimicrobial action. More importantly, the MICs of these drugs did not negatively (i) affect growth or (ii) impair the functioning of macrophages; rather, they enhanced the ability of these immune cells to phagocytose cryptococcal cells. Ibuprofen was also shown to act in synergy with fluconazole and amphotericin B. The treatment of cryptococcal cells with aspirin or ibuprofen led to stress induction via activation of the high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) pathway, and cell death was eventually achieved through reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated membrane damage. The presented data highlight the potential clinical application of aspirin and ibuprofen as candidate anti-
Cryptococcus
drugs.
Dimethyl Sulfoxide Protects Escherichia coli from Rapid Antimicrobial-Mediated Killing
Authors: Mi Hongfei , Wang Dai , Xue Yunxin , Zhang Zhi , Niu Jianjun , Hong Yuzhi , Drlica Karl , Zhao Xilin 
Published: June 2016

ABSTRACTThe contribution of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to antimicrobial lethality was examined by treatingEscherichia coliwith dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), an antioxidant solvent frequently used in antimicrobial studies. DMSO inhibited killing by ampicillin, kanamycin, and two quinolones and had little effect on MICs. DMSO-mediated protection correlated with decreased ROS accumulation and provided evidence for ROS-mediated programmed cell death. These data support the contribution of ROS to antimicrobial lethality and suggest caution when using DMSO-dissolved antimicrobials for short-time killing assays.
Characterization of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae Iron and Fur Regulatory Network
Authors: Yu Chunxiao , McClure Ryan , Nudel Kathleen , Daou Nadine , Genco Caroline Attardo 
Published: June 2016

ABSTRACT

The
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
f
erric
u
ptake
r
egulator (Fur) protein controls expression of iron homeostasis genes in response to intracellular iron levels. In this study, using transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of an
N. gonorrhoeae
fur
strain, we defined the gonococcal Fur and iron regulons and characterized Fur-controlled expression of an ArsR-like DNA binding protein. We observed that 158 genes (8% of the genome) showed differential expression in response to iron in an
N. gonorrhoeae
wild-type or
fur
strain, while 54 genes exhibited differential expression in response to Fur. The Fur regulon was extended to additional regulators, including NrrF and 13 other small RNAs (sRNAs), and two transcriptional factors. One transcriptional factor, coding for an ArsR-like regulator (ArsR), exhibited increased expression under iron-replete conditions in the wild-type strain but showed decreased expression across iron conditions in the
fur
strain, an effect that was reversed in a
fur
-complemented strain. Fur was shown to bind to the promoter region of the
arsR
gene downstream of a predicted σ
70
promoter region. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) analysis confirmed binding of the ArsR protein to the
norB
promoter region, and sequence analysis identified two additional putative targets, NGO1411 and NGO1646. A gonococcal
arsR
strain demonstrated decreased survival in human endocervical epithelial cells compared to that of the wild-type and
arsR
-complemented strains, suggesting that the ArsR regulon includes genes required for survival in host cells. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the
N. gonorrhoeae
Fur functions as a global regulatory protein to repress or activate expression of a large repertoire of genes, including additional transcriptional regulatory proteins.

IMPORTANCE
Gene regulation in bacteria in response to environmental stimuli, including iron, is of paramount importance to both bacterial replication and, in the case of pathogenic bacteria, successful infection. Bacterial DNA binding proteins are a common mechanism utilized by pathogens to control gene expression under various environmental conditions. Here, we show that the DNA binding protein Fur, expressed by the human pathogen
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
, controls the expression of a large repertoire of genes and extends this regulon by controlling expression of additional DNA binding proteins. One of these proteins, an ArsR-like regulator, was required for
N. gonorrhoeae
survival within host cells. These results show that the Fur regulon extends to additional regulatory proteins, which together contribute to gonococcal mechanisms of pathogenesis.