bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Role of Munc13-4 as a Ca2+-dependent tether during platelet secretion
Authors: Chicka Michael C. , Ren Qiansheng , Richards David , Hellman Lance M. , Zhang Jinchao , Fried Michael G. , Whiteheart Sidney W. 
Published: December 2015

The Munc13 family of exocytosis regulators has multiple Ca2+-binding, C2 domains. Here, we probed the mechanism by which Munc13-4 regulates in vitro membrane fusion and platelet exocytosis. We show that Munc13-4 enhances in vitro soluble NSF attachment protein receptor (SNARE)-dependent, proteoliposome fusion in a Ca2+- and phosphatidylserine (PS)-dependent manner that was independent of SNARE concentrations. Munc13-4–SNARE interactions, under the conditions used, were minimal in the absence or presence of Ca2+. However, Munc13-4 was able to bind and cluster liposomes harbouring PS in response to Ca2+. Interestingly, Ca2+-dependent liposome binding/clustering and enhancement of proteoliposome fusion required both Munc13-4 C2 domains, but only the Ca2+-liganding aspartate residues of the C2B domain. Analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) measurements indicated that, in solution, Munc13-4 was a monomeric prolate ellipsoid with dimensions consistent with a molecule that could bridge two fusing membranes. To address the potential role of Munc13-4 as a tethering protein in platelets, we examined mepacrine-stained, dense granule mobility and secretion in platelets from wild-type and Munc13-4 null (Unc13dJinx) mice. In the absence of Munc13-4, dense granules were highly mobile in both resting and stimulated platelets, and stimulation-dependent granule release was absent. These observations suggest that dense granules are stably docked in resting platelets awaiting stimulation and that Munc13-4 plays a vesicle-stabilizing or tethering role in resting platelets and also in activated platelets in response to Ca2+. In summary, we show that Munc13-4 conveys Ca2+ sensitivity to platelet SNARE-mediated membrane fusion and reveal a potential mechanism by which Munc13-4 bridges and stabilizes apposing membranes destined for fusion.
The evolving perception of controversial movies
Authors: Amendola Luca , Marra Valerio , Quartin Miguel 
Published: December 2015

AbstractPolarization of opinion is an important feature of public debate on political, social and cultural topics. The availability of large internet databases of users’ ratings has permitted quantitative analysis of polarization trends—for instance, previous studies have included analyses of controversial topics on Wikipedia, as well as the relationship between online reviews and a product’s perceived quality. Here, we study the dynamics of polarization in the movie ratings collected by the Internet Movie database (IMDb) website in relation to films produced over the period 1915–2015. We define two statistical indexes, dubbed hard and soft controversiality, which quantify polarized and uniform rating distributions, respectively. We find that controversy decreases with popularity and that hard controversy is relatively rare. Our findings also suggest that more recent movies are more controversial than older ones and we detect a trend of “convergence to the mainstream” with a time scale of roughly 40–50 years. This phenomenon appears qualitatively different from trends observed in both online reviews of commercial products and in political debate, and we speculate that it may be connected with the absence of long-lived “echo chambers” in the cultural domain. This hypothesis can and should be tested by extending our analysis to other forms of cultural expression and/or to databases with different demographic user bases.
Avoidance of stochastic RNA interactions can be harnessed to control protein expression levels in bacteria and archaea
Authors: Umu Sinan Uğur , Poole Anthony M. , Dobson Renwick C. J. , Gardner Paul P. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractA critical assumption of gene expression analysis is that mRNA abundances broadly correlate with protein abundance, but these two are often imperfectly correlated. Some of the discrepancy can be accounted for by two important mRNA features: codon usage and mRNA secondary structure. We present a new global factor, called mRNA:ncRNA avoidance, and provide evidence that avoidance increases translational efficiency. We also demonstrate a strong selection for avoidance of stochastic mRNA:ncRNA interactions across prokaryotes, and that these have a greater impact on protein abundance than mRNA structure or codon usage. By generating synonymously variant green fluorescent protein (GFP) mRNAs with different potential for mRNA:ncRNA interactions, we demonstrate that GFP levels correlate well with interaction avoidance. Therefore, taking stochastic mRNA:ncRNA interactions into account enables precise modulation of protein abundance.
Actors and avatars: why learners prefer digital agents
Authors: Donovan Paul 
Published: December 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this study is to compare learner experiences of recorded instructional videos (DVDs) with Machinima.

Design/methodology/approach
– In this exploratory study, sets of learning sequences in management skills training were delivered to 32 learners using both methods, and learner reactions were gathered using post-event interviews.

Findings
– Analysis of learner responses showed that participants prefer Machinima as a learning delivery mechanism. Participants also reported being better able to concentrate on the message of the Machinima learning sequences.

Research limitations/implications
– The sample was not representative, being a convenience sample derived by open invitation from cohorts of two master’s degree programmes conducted at the School of Business, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare. The age range of the participants was significantly skewed toward a younger age grouping. No learning test was given to assess the teaching efficacy of the methods. Implications for practice include using Machinima to model desirable behaviours to trainees. Future research should extend the research to other settings.

Practical implications
– Research should be considered into the potential for Machinima to be considered as a replacement for DVD in management training. Sufficient encouragement arises from this study to suggest that Machinima contains none of the distractions of DVD that are recorded in this study. In addition, many organisations seek to utilise training materials with diverse audiences.

Originality/value
– Originality of the study stems from the potential replacement of DVD with Machinima in learning.
Raiders of the lost jewel (in the Crown)
Authors: Mavroidis Petros C. 
Published: December 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to offer an overview of papers in the WTO @ 20 collection.Design/methodology/approach– An overview of the papers in the WTO @ 20 collection, complete with a personal perspective on the continuing relevance of the organization.Findings– This paper adds further support to the notion that the compliance rate with the WTO dispute settlement system and the “quality” of judgments handed down require greater study and less impressionistic reporting.Originality/value– This paper positions the papers in the WTO @ 20 collection in their appropriate context.
Regulatory convergence and dispute settlement in the WTO
Authors: Meagher Niall 
Published: December 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to examine the issues faced by the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement system in disputes involving questions of regulatory convergence. The traditional focus of the WTO has been on increasing market access and eliminating discrimination in trade. Now, as tariffs have been all but eliminated and Members rarely impose obviously discriminatory trade barriers, attention increasingly turns to questions of regulatory convergence. Leaving aside questions as to the overall benefits of regulatory convergence between markets, these developments pose a significant challenge to the organs of the WTO dispute settlement – and it is here that this paper focuses.

Design/methodology/approach
– While General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)/WTO law has fairly well-developed tools for identifying discrimination in trade, the tools necessary for assessing whether regulatory measures maintain the requisite balance or proportionality between sovereign/domestic concerns and trade concerns are less clear. The paper discusses this latter point.

Findings
– The WTO agreements are frequently not clear on where or how this balance between sovereign/domestic concerns and trade concerns is to be determined. To date, WTO panels and the Appellate Body have preferred to focus on whether they can identify any discriminatory aspects of a measure. However, they will increasingly be called to pronounce on non-discriminatory regulatory policy choices of Members.

Originality/value
– This paper contributes to the literature on the Appellate Body, and argues that Members will need to develop a credible and consistent balance between policy space and trade restrictiveness.
Macro stress test for credit risk
Authors: Kanno Masayasu 
Published: December 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this study is to analyze the benchmark model and offer a practical implementation of the macro stress test. The emergence of complicated instruments such as securitized products has rendered the risk management methodologies used in non-crisis periods insufficient. The macro stress test has become prominent as both an internal risk management tool for financial institutions and a way for supervisory authorities to maintain financial stability. However, no practical model is available for transforming macro stress scenarios into the risk parameters of an institution’s internal model.Design/methodology/approach– This study presents a model for assessing a company’s default risk through a multi-level regression based on simultaneous estimates of the impacts of company-specific, macroeconomic and sector-specific risk factors using panel and time series data.Findings– Equity capital, EBITDA, the current ratio and the fixed assets to fixed liability ratio are selected as the company-specific factors, while the CPI core rate, overall unemployment rate, overnight call rate and JGB yield to subscribers are selected as the macroeconomic factors. The correlation coefficients among the latent sector factors are significant at 5 per cent. In addition, the accuracy ratio values prove that the presented model has more default prediction power than do models without them.Originality/value– This study is the first to provide a benchmark model for incorporating macroeconomic variables into a credit risk model for use in a bottom-up macro stress test.
Antioxidant Properties of Caffeic acid Phenethyl Ester and 4‐Vinylcatechol in Stripped Soybean Oil
Authors: Jia Cai‐Hua , Wang Xiang‐Yu , Qi Jin‐Feng , Hong Soon‐Taek , Lee Ki‐Teak 
Published: December 2015

AbstractCaffeic acid was used to synthesize 4‐vinylcatechol (4‐VC) by thermal decarboxylation and to prepare caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) by esterification reaction. The identities of synthesized products were confirmed by 1H NMR. Antioxidative activities of 4‐VC and CAPE were compared with α‐tocopherol and BHT in stripped soybean oil at 60 °C under the dark. To evaluate the degrees of oxidation at different concentrations and combinations, peroxide value (PV) and 1H NMR were performed. From the results of PV, the formation of primary oxidation products (i.e., hydroperoxides) in stripped soybean oil containing 200 ppm CAPE was the slowest. The relative oxidation degree of 200 ppm CAPE (9.5%) was lower than other samples on 9 d. Similar results were obtained by 1H NMR analysis. After 15 d of storage, levels of conjugated diene forms and aldehydes of 200 ppm CAPE sample (57.3 and 0.9 mmol/mol oil) were also lower than other treatments. In addition, 4‐VC and α‐tocopherol were found to have a synergistic antioxidant effect.
Vaspin prevents elevation of blood pressure through inhibition of peripheral vascular remodelling in spontaneously hypertensive rats
Authors: Kameshima S. , Sakamoto Y. , Okada M. , Yamawaki H. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractAimVisceral adipose tissue‐derived serine protease inhibitor (vaspin) is a relatively novel adipocytokine with protective effects on metabolic diseases including obesity and type II diabetes. We have previously demonstrated that vaspin exerts anti‐inflammatory and antimigratory roles through antioxidative effects in vascular smooth muscle cells. As inflammatory responses and migration of smooth muscle in peripheral vascular wall are key mechanisms for the pathogenesis of hypertension, we hypothesized that vaspin could prevent the development of hypertension in in vivo hypertensive animal model.MethodsVaspin (1 μg kg−1 day−1) was administered intraperitoneally to 5‐week‐old male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) for 4 weeks. Superior mesenteric artery was isolated and used for measurement of isometric contraction and histological analysis.ResultsLong‐term vaspin treatment significantly prevented an elevation of systolic blood pressure (SBP) at 8 weeks of age. Vaspin had no effect on reactivity of isolated mesenteric artery from SHR. In contrast, vaspin significantly inhibited mesenteric arterial wall hypertrophy in SHR. Moreover, vaspin significantly inhibited an increase of tumour necrosis factor‐α expression and a production of reactive oxygen species in isolated mesenteric artery from SHR.ConclusionThis study for the first time demonstrates that vaspin prevents the increase of SBP in SHR through inhibiting peripheral vascular hypertrophy possibly via antioxidative and anti‐inflammatory mechanisms.
Validating space‐for‐time substitution in a new‐growth coastal dune forest
Authors: Rolo Victor , Olivier Pieter I. , Guldemond Robert A.R. , van Aarde Rudolph J. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractQuestionsCan trends derived from chronosequences (space) be compared with those derived from repeated surveys (time) to validate the use of space‐for‐time substitution? Can this approach provide insight into the dynamics of vegetation in rehabilitating forests?LocationRehabilitating coastal dune forest in KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa.MethodsWe surveyed sapling and adult trees in seven study sites with similar abiotic conditions that were rehabilitated after mining. Sites ranged in age from 1 to 24 yr in 2001 and we repeated the surveys in 2005 and 2010. We related patterns of change in community attributes (e.g. species composition, turnover, taxonomic and functional diversity) to site age. We compared functional diversity indices (e.g. functional dispersion and evenness) with a random community to infer the ecological processes that structure the tree community during forest development. We focused on the magnitude and direction of change predicted by the 2001 chronosequence with the values returned from subsequent surveys.ResultsSpecies composition changed during forest development. Species richness increased and species turnover decreased. Null models indicated that early stages of forest development had lower functional diversity than expected from a random community, indicating convergence in reproductive traits in early succession. Late stages of forest development showed higher functional diversity. Apart from species composition, the rest of the community attributes recorded from repeated surveys confirmed the predictions made by the chronosequence.ConclusionsThe trajectory of plant community succession observed in space across a chronosequence was supported by the site‐specific findings derived from long‐term monitoring. In the case of our study system (rehabilitating dune forests), space‐for‐time substitution works. The main drivers of species co‐existence changed from environmental filtering and/or dispersal limitation to niche complementarity as these forests developed.
The persistence of maternal vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency during pregnancy and lactation irrespective of season and supplementation
Authors: Kramer Caroline K. , Ye Chang , Swaminathan Balakumar , Hanley Anthony J. , Connelly Philip W. , Sermer Mathew , Zinman Bernard , Retnakaran Ravi 
Published: December 2015

SummaryBackgroundPregnancy and lactation comprise a critical window spanning all seasons during which maternal vitamin D status potentially may influence the long‐term health of the newborn. Women typically receive calcium/vitamin D supplementation through antenatal vitamins, but there has been limited serial evaluation of maternal vitamin D status across this critical window.Design/Patients/MeasurementsIn this prospective observational cohort study, 467 women in Toronto, Canada, underwent measurement of serum 25‐hydroxy vitamin D (25‐OH‐D) at mean 29·7 ± 2·9 weeks' gestation, 3 months postpartum and 12 months postpartum, enabling serial assessment across 3 seasons. At each assessment, vitamin D status was classified as deficiency (25‐OH‐D<50 nmol/l), insufficiency (25‐OH‐D≥50 nmol/l and <75 nmol/l) or sufficiency (25‐OH‐D≥75 nmol/l).ResultsThe prevalence rates of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were 31·5% and 35·1% in pregnancy, 33·4% and 35·3% at 3 months, and 35·6% and 33·8% at 12 months postpartum, respectively. These high rates remained stable over time (P = 0·49) despite declining usage of antenatal calcium/vitamin D supplementation from pregnancy to 3 months to 12 months postpartum (P < 0·001). Indeed, on mixed model analyses, vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in pregnancy were independently associated with decrements in average 25‐OH‐D over time of 49·6 nmol/l and 26·4 nmol/l, respectively (both P < 0·001). In contrast, season of baseline assessment and use of calcium/vitamin D supplements were independently associated with changes in 25‐OH‐D in the range of 3–5 nmol/l (both P < 0·008).ConclusionsThe persistence of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency during pregnancy and lactation, irrespective of season and supplementation, supports the emerging concept that current vitamin D supplementation in antenatal care is likely inadequate.
Correlates of family involvement before and during medical visits among older adults with high‐risk diabetes
Authors: Janevic M. R. , Piette J. D. , Ratz D. P. , Kim H. M. , Rosland A.‐M. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractAimsTo examine the characteristics of patients with diabetes who regularly receive help from a supporter in preparing for and attending medical visits, and the association between this help and clinical risk factors for diabetes complications.MethodsWe linked survey data about family involvement for patients in the Veterans Health Administration system with poorly controlled Type 2 diabetes (n = 588; mean 67 years; 97% male) with health record data on blood pressure, glycaemic control and prescription‐fill gaps. We used multivariable regression to assess whether supporter presence and, among patients with supporters, supporter role (visit preparation, accompaniment to medical visit or no involvement) were associated with concurrent trends in clinical risk factors over 2 years, adjusting for sociodemographic and health characteristics.ResultsMost patients (78%) had a main health supporter; of these, more had regular support for preparing for appointments (69%) than were regularly accompanied to them (45%). Patients with preparation help only were younger and more educated than accompanied patients. Support presence and type was not significantly associated with clinical risk factors.ConclusionsFamily help preparing for appointments was common among these patients with high‐risk diabetes. In its current form, family support for medical visits may not affect clinical factors in the short term. Supporters helping patients engage in medical visits may need training and assistance to have an impact on the clinical trajectory of patients with diabetes.
Assessment of endothelin and copeptin as biomarkers for vasovagal syncope
Authors: Rash Arjun , McRae Maureen , Fatehi Jaleh , Richie Deborah , Solbiati Monica , Pillay Neelan , Ulke‐Lemée Annegret , MacDonald Justin , Sheldon Robert 
Published: December 2015

AbstractBackgroundThe diagnosis of vasovagal syncope continues to be difficult despite the use of accurate histories, tilt testing and implantable loop recorders. A circulating biomarker might be useful to facilitate diagnoses. Both endothelin‐1 and vasopressin are increased during positive tilt tests resulting in syncope. Copeptin is a stable cleavage product of vasopressin formation. We conducted a pilot study to assess the utility of endothelin‐1 and copeptin as circulating biomarkers of vasovagal syncope.MethodsThree populations were studied: syncope patients, epilepsy patients and controls. Vasovagal syncope diagnosis was ascertained with the Calgary Syncope Score and epilepsy diagnosis was confirmed with EEG. Plasma levels of endothelin‐1 were measured using by ELISA and copeptin levels were determined using an EIA kit.ResultsAsymptomatic control subjects had mean age 35 ± 11 years (7/22 male); epileptic subjects had mean age 32 ± 7 years (4/15 male); and syncope subjects had mean age 33 ± 16 years (4 of 21 male). Circulating plasma levels of endothelin‐1 and copeptin were no different among the three groups. Mean concentrations of endothelin‐1 were as follows: syncope, 23 ± 32 pg/mL; controls, 21 ± 17 pg/mL; and epileptics, 18 ± 12 pg/mL. Mean concentrations of copeptin were as follows: syncope, 1·29 ± 0·79 ng/mL; controls, 1·25 ± 0·79 ng/mL; and seizures, 1·23 ± 0·45 ng/mL. There were no significant correlations between syncope frequency and copeptin or endothelin‐1 levels.ConclusionCirculating plasma endothelin‐1 and copeptin levels are not significantly different among populations of controls, syncope patients and seizure patients.