bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hydrography shapes community composition and diversity of amoA‐containing Thaumarchaeota in the coastal waters off central Chile
Authors: Bertagnolli Anthony D. , Ulloa Osvaldo 
Published: August 2017

SummaryThaumarchaea are often abundant in low oxygen marine environments, and recent kinetic studies indicate a capacity for aerobic ammonia oxidation at vanishingly low oxygen levels (nM). However, molecular diversity surveys targeting this group to high sequencing coverage are limited, and how these populations are coupled to changes in dissolved oxygen remains unknown. In this study, the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) gene was sequenced from samples collected in the Chilean coast (36.5 °S), a system prone to recurrent seasonal hypoxia and anoxia, at several depths over one year, to read depths that saturated coverage statistics. Temperature, salinity and depth displayed a stronger impact on community composition than chemical and biological variables, such as dissolved oxygen. The Nitrosopumilus water‐column A clade (WCA) displayed high proportional representation in all samples (42%–100% of all amoA OTUs). The two dominant WCA OTUs displayed differences in their distributions that were inversely correlated with one another, providing the first evidence for intra‐subgroup specific differences in the distributions among closely related WCA Thaumarcheota. Nitrosopumilus water‐column B (WCB) representatives displayed increased proportional abundances (42%) at deeper depths during the spring and summer, were highly coupled to decreased dissolved oxygen conditions and were non‐detectable during the austral winter. The depth of sequencing also enabled observation of lower abundance taxa that are typically not observed in marine environments, such as members of the genus Nitrosotalea amid austral winter surface waters. This study highlights a strong coupling between Thaumarchaeal community diversity and hydrographic variables, is the first to highlight intra‐subclade depth specific shifts in community diversity amongst members of the WCA clade, and links the WCB clade to upwelling conditions associated with seasonal oxygen depletion.
Prospective Validation of Clinical Score for Males Presenting With an Acute Scrotum
Authors: Frohlich Lillian C. , Paydar‐Darian Niloufar , Cilento Bartley G. , Lee Lois K. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractObjectiveThe objective was to validate the Testicular Workup for Ischemia and Suspected Torsion (TWIST) score among pediatric emergency medicine providers for the evaluation of pediatric males presenting with testicular pain and swelling (acute scrotum).MethodsWe conducted a prospective cohort study of males 3 months to 18 years old presenting with an acute scrotum. History and physical examination findings, including components of the TWIST score (hard testicle, absent cremasteric reflex, nausea/vomiting, and high riding testicle) as well as diagnostic results (ultrasound, urine, sexually transmitted infection testing) were recorded. Testicular torsion was confirmed by surgical exploration. Frequencies of patient characteristics, TWIST components, and tests were calculated. We performed the kappa statistic for inter‐rater reliability and calculated the test characteristics and receiver operator characteristics curves for the TWIST score (range = 0–7).ResultsDuring the study period 258 males were enrolled in the study; 19 (7.4%) had testicular torsion. The mean (±SD) age was 9.8 (±0.3) years. The high‐risk TWIST score of 7 had 100% specificity (95% confidence interval [CI] = 98%–100%) with 100% positive predictive value (95% CI = 40%–100%) for testicular torsion. The area under the curve was 0.82. The kappa statistic for the overall TWIST score was fair at 0.39.ConclusionsIn this prospective validation of the TWIST score among pediatric emergency providers, the high‐risk score demonstrated strong test characteristics for testicular torsion. The TWIST score could be used as part of a standardized approach for evaluation of the pediatric acute scrotum to provide more efficient and effective care.
Water depletion drives plant succession in farm ponds and overrides a legacy of continuous anthropogenic disturbance
Authors: Toyama Fumiya , Akasaka Munemitsu 
Published: August 2017

AbstractQuestionsAbandonment of anthropogenic ecosystems threatens biodiversity in rural areas globally. Successional responses in anthropogenic ecosystems have been shown to differ from those in natural ecosystems because of the legacy of continuous management activities. However, few studies have focused on successional changes in anthropogenic freshwater ecosystems following abandonment. Focusing on two drivers (water depletion and cessation of anthropogenic disturbance), we tested whether water depletion plays a larger role than years since abandonment in determining the both plant functional diversity and composition in farm ponds.LocationAwaji Island, western Japan.MethodsWe investigated flora at 200 farm ponds, which had experienced long‐term continuous anthropogenic disturbance. We interviewed 100 managers of the surveyed ponds and local farmers to identify the ponds’ management status. To capture community processes during succession, we focused on functional richness and functional trait composition. We assessed the relative contribution of the two successional drivers in determining functional richness by adopting a linear model. We classified the survey ponds into five groups based on the two successional drivers and performed PERMANOVA to test differences in functional composition among the groups.ResultsWater depletion played a larger role than elapsed time since cessation of anthropogenic disturbance in determining functional richness. Functional composition of water‐depleted ponds significantly differed from that of managed ponds, regardless of years since abandonment.ConclusionsOur results indicate that water depletion has a larger effect on successional changes in ponds than cessation of anthropogenic disturbance; that is, water depletion drives succession and overrides the legacy of continuous anthropogenic disturbance. The results suggest that, in freshwater ecosystems, the functional change in a community is greater in the transition from macrophytes to terrestrial plants than it is in the transition from stress‐tolerant species to competitive species.
Phenotypic differentiation analysis: A case study in hybridizing Çoruh trout (Salmo coruhensis), Rize trout (Salmo rizeensis) and brown trout (Salmo trutta fario)
Authors: Kocabaş Mehmet , Kutluyer Filiz , Başçinar Nadir 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe aim of this study was to determine and compare the phenotypic variation in Çoruh trout (Salmo coruhensis), Rize trout (Salmo rizeensis), brown trout (Salmo trutta fario) and their native hybrids (S. rizeensis × S. t. fario;S. t. fario × S. coruhensis;S. rizeensis × S. coruhensis). The numbers and diameters of red and black spots were determined on operculum, fins and above and below the lateral line. The results from this study indicate that there were differences in spotting pattern, colour pattern or fin pigmentation traits betweenS. rizeensis,S. t. fario,S. coruhensisand their hybrids. Consequently, nativeS. rizeensis,S. t. farioandS. coruhensiswere affected by interaction and phenotypic plastic aspects of traits inS. rizeensiswere dominant in their hybrids (S. rizeensis × S. t. fario;S. rizeensis × S. coruhensis).
Assessment of Appropriateness of an Initial Dosing Regimen of Vancomycin and Development of a New Dosing Nomogram
Authors: Yoon Seonghae , Park Kyoung Ryun , Lee SeungHwan , Song Sang‐Hoon , Park Wan Beom , Jang In‐Jin , Yu Kyung‐Sang 
Published: August 2017

AbstractVancomycin is a glycopeptide antibiotic used to treat Gram‐positive infections including methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The objectives of this study were to evaluate the appropriateness of the initial dosing regimen of vancomycin, identify factors to be considered in regimen selection and develop a new dosing nomogram. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) data of vancomycin obtained from Seoul National University Hospital from 2011 to 2013 were included in this analysis. The vancomycin trough concentrations at steady‐state were estimated using Abbott's PKS software program and then categorized into three levels: subtherapeutic, therapeutic and toxic. The newly developed nomograms were evaluated by analysing the percentage of patients with target vancomycin trough concentration using the data of 2,570 patients of the first TDM cases. Therapeutic level was achieved only in approximately one‐fifth of the cases, while 56.0% and 23.8% of the TDMs were considered subtherapeutic and toxic, respectively. As body‐weight and creatinine clearance (CrCL) increased, the proportion of patients with a subtherapeutic level increased. Using the newly developed nomogram increased the proportion of patients who achieved therapeutic levels from 23.1% to 45.0% or 13.8% to 36.2% (target, 10–15 and 15–20 mg/L, respectively). These results suggest that the vancomycin concentrations fail to reach the therapeutic level or exceed the safe upper margin of the therapeutic level depending on age, body‐weight and CrCL. Considering these factors, the new nomograms provide a strategy to achieve target concentrations of vancomycin more rapidly than existing regimens.
Evaluation of Post‐Mortem Effects on Global Brain DNA Methylation and Hydroxymethylation
Authors: Sjöholm Louise K. , Ransome Yusuf , Ekström Tomas J. , Karlsson Oskar 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe number of epigenetic studies on brain functions and diseases are dramatically increasing, but little is known about the impact of post‐mortem intervals and post‐sampling effects on DNA modifications such as 5‐methylcytosine (5mC) and 5‐hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). Here, we examined post‐mortem‐induced changes in global brain 5mC and 5hmC levels at post‐mortem intervals up to 540 min., and studied effects of tissue heat stabilization, using LUMA and ELISA. The global 5mC and 5hmC levels were generally higher in the cerebellum of adult rats than neonates. When measured by ELISA, the global 5mC content in adults, but not neonates, decreased with the post‐mortem interval reaching a significantly lower level in cerebellum tissue at the post‐mortem interval 540 min. (2.9 ± 0.7%; mean ± S.E.M.) compared to control (3.7 ± 0.6%). The global 5hmC levels increased with post‐mortem interval reaching a significantly higher level at 540 min. (0.29 ± 0.06%) compared to control (0.19 ± 0.03%). This suggests that the post‐mortem interval may confound 5mC and 5hmC analysis in human brain tissues as the post‐mortem handling could vary substantially. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in cerebellum also increased over time, in particular in adults, and may be part of the mechanism that causes the observed post‐mortem changes in 5mC and 5hmC. The global 5mC and 5hmC states were unaffected by heat stabilization, allowing analysis of tissues that are stabilized to preserve more labile analytes. Further studies in human samples are needed to confirm post‐mortem effects on DNA methylation/hydroxymethylation and elucidate details of the underlying mechanisms.
Biochemical and genetic predictors and correlates of response to lamotrigine and folic acid in bipolar depression: Analysis of the CEQUEL clinical trial
Authors: Tunbridge EM , Attenburrow MJ , Gardiner A , Rendell JM , Hinds C , Goodwin GM , Harrison PJ , Geddes JR 
Published: August 2017

ObjectivesCEQUEL (Comparative Evaluation of QUEtiapine plus Lamotrigine combination versus quetiapine monotherapy [and folic acid versus placebo] in bipolar depression) was a double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled, parallel group, 2×2 factorial trial that examined the effect of adding lamotrigine and/or folic acid (FA) to quetiapine in bipolar depression. Lamotrigine improved depression, but its effectiveness was reduced by FA. We investigated the baseline predictors and correlates of clinical response, and the possible basis of the interaction.MethodsThe main outcome was change in depressive symptoms at 12 weeks, measured using the Quick Inventory for Depressive Symptoms—self report version 16 (QIDS‐SR16). We examined the relationship between symptoms and lamotrigine levels, and biochemical measures of one‐carbon metabolism and functional polymorphisms in catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT), methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and folate hydrolase 1 (FOLH1).ResultsLamotrigine levels were unaffected by FA and did not differ between those participants who achieved remission and those with persisting symptoms. When participants with subtherapeutic serum levels were excluded, there was a main effect of lamotrigine on the main outcome, although this remained limited to those randomized to FA placebo. None of the biochemical measures correlated with clinical outcome. The negative impact of FA on lamotrigine response was limited to COMT Met carriers. FOLH1 and MTHFR had no effect.ConclusionsOur results clarify that FA's inhibition of lamotrigine's efficacy is not a pharmacokinetic effect, and that low serum lamotrigine levels contributed to lamotrigine's lack of a main effect at 12 weeks. We were unable to explain the lamotrigine−FA interaction, but our finding that it is modulated by the COMT genotype provides a starting point for follow‐on neurobiological investigations. More broadly, our results highlight the value of including biochemical and genetic indices in randomized clinical trials.
An 810‐year history of cold season temperature variability for northern Poland
Authors: Balanzategui Daniel , Knorr Antje , Heussner Karl‐Uwe , Wazny Tomasz , Beck Wolfgang , Słowiński Michał , Helle Gerhard , Buras Allan , Wilmking Martin , Van Der Maaten Ernst , Scharnweber Tobias , Dorado‐Liñán Isabel , Heinrich Ingo 
Published: August 2017

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is a widely used tree species in European dendroclimatology studies due to its common distribution across much of the continent. Almost all studies find radial growth strongly related to summer temperature, a result reflecting site selection at high elevation/latitude environments where trees grow at their ecophysiological limits. Due to the amount of attention spent on these sites there is a geographical and seasonal bias in temperature reconstructions based upon tree‐ring proxies in Europe. To overcome the limited availability of tree‐ring data in temperate lowlands, we present a northern Poland ring‐width chronology developed from living and historic Scots pine material with a strong common growth signal going back to AD 1200. Investigations into climate‐growth relationships found year‐to‐year ring‐width variability to be more strongly correlated to cold season temperature (November to April) prior to the growing season than summer temperatures during tree‐ring formation. Based on this relationship it was possible to reconstruct cold season temperature conditions for the last 810 years. Spatial field correlations with gridded instrumental records indicated that the reconstruction provides relevant cold season temperature information across the land regions bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea, lowlands and uplands of western and central Europe, and the eastern and central interior of Russia. Despite an unsuccessful attempt to find a stationary relationship with the North Atlantic Oscillation, comparisons with several cold season temperature reconstructions confirmed the long‐term connection between our reconstructed temperature series for northern Poland and the wider area.
Late Quaternary glaciation of the northern Urals: a review and new observations
Authors: Astakhov Valery I. 
Published: August 2017

This is a synthesis of the glacial history of the northern Urals undertaken using published works and the results of geological surveys as well as recent geochronometric and remote sensing data. The conclusions differ from the classical model that considers the Urals as an important source of glacial ice and partly from the modern reconstructions. The principal supporting evidence for the conventional model – Uralian erratics found on the adjacent plains – is ambiguous because Uralian clasts were also delivered by a thick external ice sheet overriding the mountains during the Middle Pleistocene. Alternative evidence presented in this paper indicates that in the late Quaternary the Ural mountains produced only valley glaciers that partly coalesced in the western piedmont to form large piedmont lobes. The last maximum glaciation occurred in the Early Valdaian time at c. 70–90 ka when glacial ice from the Kara shelf invaded the lowlands and some montane valleys but an icecap over the mountains was not formed. The moraines of the alpine glaciation are preserved only beyond the limits of the Kara ice sheet and therefore cannot be younger than MIS 4. More limited glaciation during MIS 2 generated small alpine moraines around the cirques of the western Urals (Mangerud et al. 2008: Quaternary Science Reviews 27, 1047). The largest moraines of Transuralia were probably produced by the outlet glaciers of a Middle Pleistocene ice sheet that formed on the western plains and discharged across the Polar Urals. The resultant scheme of limited mountain glaciation is possibly also applicable as a model for older glacial cycles.
Hyperhomocysteinaemia and vascular injury: advances in mechanisms and drug targets
Authors: Fu Yi , Wang Xian , Kong Wei 
Published: August 2017

Homocysteine is a sulphur‐containing non‐proteinogenic amino acid. Hyperhomocysteinaemia (HHcy), the pathogenic elevation of plasma homocysteine as a result of an imbalance of its metabolism, is an independent risk factor for various vascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, vascular calcification and aneurysm. Treatments aimed at lowering plasma homocysteine via dietary supplementation with folic acids and vitamin B are more effective in preventing vascular disease where the population has a normally low folate consumption than in areas with higher dietary folate. To date, the mechanisms of HHcy‐induced vascular injury are not fully understood. HHcy increases oxidative stress and its downstream signalling pathways, resulting in vascular inflammation. HHcy also causes vascular injury via endoplasmic reticulum stress. Moreover, HHcy up‐regulates pathogenic genes and down‐regulates protective genes via DNA demethylation and methylation respectively. Homocysteinylation of proteins induced by homocysteine also contributes to vascular injury by modulating intracellular redox state and altering protein function. Furthermore, HHcy‐induced vascular injury leads to neuronal damage and disease. Also, an HHcy‐activated sympathetic system and HHcy‐injured adipose tissue also cause vascular injury, thus demonstrating the interactions between the organs injured by HHcy. Here, we have summarized the recent developments in the mechanisms of HHcy‐induced vascular injury, which are further considered as potential therapeutic targets in this condition.Linked ArticlesThis article is part of a themed section on Spotlight on Small Molecules in Cardiovascular Diseases. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v175.8/issuetoc
Exploring the feasibility and acceptability of a school‐based self‐referral intervention for emotional difficulties in older adolescents: qualitative perspectives from students and school staff
Authors: McKeague Lynn , Morant Nicola , Blackshaw Emily , Brown June S. L. 
Published: August 2017

BackgroundAdolescents with emotional difficulties need accessible, acceptable and evidence‐based mental health interventions. Self‐referral workshops (DISCOVER workshops) were offered to stressed 16‐ to 19‐year olds in 10 Inner London schools.MethodSemistructured interviews were conducted with three groups of participants: students who attended a 1‐day workshop (n = 15); students who initially showed interest in the DISCOVER workshop programme, but decided not to take part (n = 9); and school staff who helped organise the programme in their schools (n = 10). Students were purposively sampled to ensure that those from Black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds were represented. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsThe accounts generally indicate that the delivery and evaluation of this intervention is perceived as feasible and acceptable. Students, including those from BME backgrounds, described the setting as suitable and reported that the workshop helped them develop new understandings of stress and how to handle it. They expressed a preference for engaging and interactive activities, and valued a personalised approach to workshop provision. School staff felt that the workshop was in line with school values. They described some logistical barriers to providing the workshops in school settings, and expressed a desire for more information about the workshop in order to provide follow‐up support. The main reason students gave for nonparticipation was limited time.ConclusionsFindings are discussed in relation to increasing the feasibility of implementing school‐based psychological interventions and the value of providing access to mental health support in schools.
Young Children's Self‐Concepts Include Representations of Abstract Traits and the Global Self
Authors: Cimpian Andrei , Hammond Matthew D. , Mazza Giulia , Corry Grace 
Published: August 2017

There is debate about the abstractness of young children's self‐concepts—specifically, whether they include representations of (a) general traits and abilities and (b) the global self. Four studies (N = 176 children aged 4–7) suggested these representations are indeed part of early self‐concepts. Studies 1 and 2 reexamined prior evidence that young children cannot represent traits and abilities. The results suggested that children's seemingly immature judgments in previous studies were due to peculiarities of the task context not the inadequacy of children's self‐concepts. Similarly, Studies 3 and 4 revealed that, contrary to claims of immaturity in reasoning about the global self, young children update their global self‐evaluations in flexible, context‐sensitive ways. This evidence suggests continuity in the structure of self‐concepts across childhood.