bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A biomimetic fly photoreceptor model elucidates how stochastic adaptive quantal sampling provides a large dynamic range
Authors: Song Zhuoyi , Juusola Mikko 
Published: March 2017

AbstractLight intensities (photons s–1 μm–2) in a natural scene vary over several orders of magnitude from shady woods to direct sunlight. A major challenge facing the visual system is how to map such a large dynamic input range into its limited output range, so that a signal is neither buried in noise in darkness nor saturated in brightness. A fly photoreceptor has achieved such a large dynamic range; it can encode intensity changes from single to billions of photons, outperforming man‐made light sensors. This performance requires powerful light adaptation, the neural implementation of which has only become clear recently. A computational fly photoreceptor model, which mimics the real phototransduction processes, has elucidated how light adaptation happens dynamically through stochastic adaptive quantal information sampling. A Drosophila R1–R6 photoreceptor's light sensor, the rhabdomere, has 30,000 microvilli, each of which stochastically samples incoming photons. Each microvillus employs a full G‐protein‐coupled receptor signalling pathway to adaptively transduce photons into quantum bumps (QBs, or samples). QBs then sum the macroscopic photoreceptor responses, governed by four quantal sampling factors (limitations): (i) the number of photon sampling units in the cell structure (microvilli), (ii) sample size (QB waveform), (iii) latency distribution (time delay between photon arrival and emergence of a QB), and (iv) refractory period distribution (time for a microvillus to recover after a QB). Here, we review how these factors jointly orchestrate light adaptation over a large dynamic range.
image
RNA Sequencing Identifies New RNase III Cleavage Sites in
Escherichia coli
and Reveals Increased Regulation of mRNA
Authors: Gordon Gina C. , Cameron Jeffrey C. , Pfleger Brian F. 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACT

Ribonucleases facilitate rapid turnover of RNA, providing cells with another mechanism to adjust transcript and protein levels in response to environmental conditions. While many examples have been documented, a comprehensive list of RNase targets is not available. To address this knowledge gap, we compared levels of RNA sequencing coverage of
Escherichia coli
and a corresponding RNase III mutant to expand the list of known RNase III targets. RNase III is a widespread endoribonuclease that binds and cleaves double-stranded RNA in many critical transcripts. RNase III cleavage at novel sites found in
aceEF
,
proP
,
tnaC
,
dctA
,
pheM
,
sdhC
,
yhhQ
,
glpT
,
aceK
, and
gluQ
accelerated RNA decay, consistent with previously described targets wherein RNase III cleavage initiates rapid degradation of secondary messages by other RNases. In contrast, cleavage at three novel sites in the
ahpF
,
pflB
, and
yajQ
transcripts led to stabilized secondary transcripts. Two other novel sites in
hisL
and
pheM
overlapped with transcriptional attenuators that likely serve to ensure turnover of these highly structured RNAs. Many of the new RNase III target sites are located on transcripts encoding metabolic enzymes. For instance, two novel RNase III sites are located within transcripts encoding enzymes near a key metabolic node connecting glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Pyruvate dehydrogenase activity was increased in an
rnc
deletion mutant compared to the wild-type (WT) strain in early stationary phase, confirming the novel link between RNA turnover and regulation of pathway activity. Identification of these novel sites suggests that mRNA turnover may be an underappreciated mode of regulating metabolism.

IMPORTANCE
The concerted action and overlapping functions of endoribonucleases, exoribonucleases, and RNA processing enzymes complicate the study of global RNA turnover and recycling of specific transcripts. More information about RNase specificity and activity is needed to make predictions of transcript half-life and to design synthetic transcripts with optimal stability. RNase III does not have a conserved target sequence but instead recognizes RNA secondary structure. Prior to this study, only a few RNase III target sites in
E. coli
were known, so we used RNA sequencing to provide a more comprehensive list of cleavage sites and to examine the impact of RNase III on transcript degradation. With this added information on how RNase III participates in transcript regulation and recycling, a more complete picture of RNA turnover can be developed for
E. coli
. Similar approaches could be used to augment our understanding of RNA turnover in other bacteria.
Nurses' decision-making in ethically relevant clinical situations using the example of breathlessness: study protocol of a reflexive grounded theory integrating Goffman's framework analysis
Authors: Dunger Christine , Schnell Martin W , Bausewein Claudia 
Published: March 2017

IntroductionDecision-making (DM) in healthcare can be understood as an interactive process addressing decision makers' reasoning as well as their visible behaviour after the decision is made. Other key elements of DM are ethical aspects and the role as well as the treatment options of the examined professions. Nurses' DM to choose interventions in situations of severe breathlessness is such interactions. They are also ethically relevant regarding the vulnerability of affected patients and possible restrictions or treatment options. The study aims to explore which factors influence nurses' DM to use nursing interventions in situations where patients suffer from severe breathlessness.Methods and analysisQualitative study including nurses in German hospital wards and hospices. A triangulation of different methods of data collection—participant observation and qualitative expert interviews—and analysis merge in a reflexive grounded theory approach which integrates Goffman's framework analysis. It allows an analysis of nurses' self-statements about DM, their behaviour in relevant clinical situations and its influences. Data collection and analysis will be examined simultaneously.Ethics and disseminationInformed consent will be gained from all participants and the institutional stakeholders. Ongoing consent has to be ensured since observations will take place in healthcare institutions and many patients will be highly vulnerable. The study has been evaluated and approved by the Witten/Herdecke University Ethics Committee, Witten, Germany. Results of the study will be published at congresses and in journal papers.
Is the effect of person-organisation fit on turnover intention mediated by job satisfaction? A survey of community health workers in China
Authors: Zhang Mingji , Yan Fei , Wang Wei , Li Guohong 
Published: March 2017

ObjectivesPerson-organisation fit (P-O fit) is a predictor of work attitude. However, in the area of human resource for health, the literature of P-O fit is quite limited. It is unclear whether P-O fit directly or indirectly affects turnover intention. This study aims to examine the mediation effect of job satisfaction on the relationship between P-O fit and turnover intention based on data from China.Design and methodsThis is a cross-sectional survey of community health workers (CHWs) in China in 2013. A questionnaire of P-O fit, job satisfaction and turnover intention was developed, and its validity and reliability were assessed. Multiple regression and structural equation modelling were used to examine the relationship among P-O fit, job satisfaction and turnover intention.Setting and participantsMultistage sampling was applied. In total, 656 valid questionnaire responses were collected from CHWs in four provincial regions in China, namely Shanghai, Shaanxi, Shandong and Anhui.ResultsP-O fit was directly related to job satisfaction (standardised β 0.246) and inversely related to turnover intention (standardised β −0.186). In the mediation model, the total effect of P-O fit on turnover intention was −0.186 (p<0.001); the direct effect of P-O fit on turnover intention was −0.094 (p<0.01); the indirect effect of job satisfaction on the relationship between P-O fit and turnover intention was −0.092 (p<0.001).ConclusionsThe effect of P-O fit on turnover intention was partially mediated through job satisfaction. It is suggested that more work attitude variables and different dimensions of P-O fit be taken into account to examine the complete mechanism of person-organisation interaction. Indirect measures of P-O fit should be encouraged in practice to enhance work attitudes of health workers.
Task-dependent vestibular feedback responses in reaching
Authors: Keyser Johannes , Medendorp W. Pieter , Selen Luc P. J. 
Published: March 2017

When reaching for an earth-fixed object during self-rotation, the motor system should appropriately integrate vestibular signals and sensory predictions to compensate for the intervening motion and its induced inertial forces. While it is well established that this integration occurs rapidly, it is unknown whether vestibular feedback is specifically processed dependent on the behavioral goal. Here, we studied whether vestibular signals evoke fixed responses with the aim to preserve the hand trajectory in space or are processed more flexibly, correcting trajectories only in task-relevant spatial dimensions. We used galvanic vestibular stimulation to perturb reaching movements toward a narrow or a wide target. Results show that the same vestibular stimulation led to smaller trajectory corrections to the wide than the narrow target. We interpret this reduced compensation as a task-dependent modulation of vestibular feedback responses, tuned to minimally intervene with the task-irrelevant dimension of the reach. These task-dependent vestibular feedback corrections are in accordance with a central prediction of optimal feedback control theory and mirror the sophistication seen in feedback responses to mechanical and visual perturbations of the upper limb. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Correcting limb movements for external perturbations is a hallmark of flexible sensorimotor behavior. While visual and mechanical perturbations are corrected in a task-dependent manner, it is unclear whether a vestibular perturbation, naturally arising when the body moves, is selectively processed in reach control. We show, using galvanic vestibular stimulation, that reach corrections to vestibular perturbations are task dependent, consistent with a prediction of optimal feedback control theory.
Hyperprogressors after Immunotherapy: Analysis of Genomic Alterations Associated with Accelerated Growth Rate
Authors: Kato Shumei , Goodman Aaron , Walavalkar Vighnesh , Barkauskas Donald A. , Sharabi Andrew , Kurzrock Razelle 
Published: March 2017

AbstractPurpose: Checkpoint inhibitors demonstrate salutary anticancer effects, including long-term remissions. PD-L1 expression/amplification, high mutational burden, and mismatch repair deficiency correlate with response. We have, however, observed a subset of patients who appear to be “hyperprogressors,” with a greatly accelerated rate of tumor growth and clinical deterioration compared with pretherapy, which was also recently reported by Institut Gustave Roussy. The current study investigated potential genomic markers associated with “hyperprogression” after immunotherapy.Experimental Design: Consecutive stage IV cancer patients who received immunotherapies (CTLA-4, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors or other [investigational] agents) and had their tumor evaluated by next-generation sequencing were analyzed (N = 155). We defined hyperprogression as time-to-treatment failure (TTF) &lt;2 months, &gt;50% increase in tumor burden compared with preimmunotherapy imaging, and &gt;2-fold increase in progression pace.Results: Amongst 155 patients, TTF &lt;2 months was seen in all six individuals with MDM2/MDM4 amplification. After anti-PD1/PDL1 monotherapy, four of these patients showed remarkable increases in existing tumor size (55% to 258%), new large masses, and significantly accelerated progression pace (2.3-, 7.1-, 7.2- and 42.3-fold compared with the 2 months before immunotherapy). In multivariate analysis, MDM2/MDM4 and EGFR alterations correlated with TTF &lt;2 months. Two of 10 patients with EGFR alterations were also hyperprogressors (53.6% and 125% increase in tumor size; 35.7- and 41.7-fold increase).Conclusions: Some patients with MDM2 family amplification or EGFR aberrations had poor clinical outcome and significantly increased rate of tumor growth after single-agent checkpoint (PD-1/PD-L1) inhibitors. Genomic profiles may help to identify patients at risk for hyperprogression on immunotherapy. Further investigation is urgently needed. Clin Cancer Res; 23(15); 4242–50. ©2017 AACR.
Targeting CD47 and Autophagy Elicited Enhanced Antitumor Effects in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Zhang Xuyao , Fan Jiajun , Wang Shaofei , Li Yubin , Wang Yichen , Li Song , Luan Jingyun , Wang Ziyu , Song Ping , Chen Qicheng , Tian Wenzhi , Ju Dianwen 
Published: March 2017

Abstract
CD47-specific antibodies and fusion proteins that block CD47–SIRPα signaling are employed as antitumor agents for several cancers. Here, we investigated the synergistic antitumor effect of simultaneously targeting CD47 and autophagy in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). SIRPαD1-Fc, a novel CD47-targeting fusion protein, was generated and was found to increase the phagocytic and cytotoxic activities of macrophages against NSCLC cells. During this process, autophagy was markedly triggered, which was characterized by the three main stages of autophagic flux, including formation and accumulation of autophagosomes, fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes, and degradation of autophagosomes in lysosomes. Meanwhile, reactive oxygen species and inactivation of mTOR were shown to be involved in autophagy initiation in SIRPαD1-Fc–treated cells, indicating a probable mechanism for autophagy activation after targeting CD47 by SIRPαD1-Fc. Inhibition of autophagy enhanced macrophage-mediated phagocytosis and cytotoxicity against SIRPαD1-Fc–treated NSCLC cells. In addition, simultaneously targeting both CD47 and autophagy in NSCLC xenograft models elicited enhanced antitumor effects, with recruitment of macrophages, activated caspase-3, and overproduction of ROS at the tumor site. Our data elucidated the cytoprotective role of autophagy in CD47-targeted therapy and highlighted the potential approach for NSCLC treatment by simultaneously targeting CD47 and autophagy. Cancer Immunol Res; 5(5); 363–75. ©2017 AACR.
See related Spotlight by Kaufman, p. 355.
<b>First record of tapeworm <I>Moniezia</I> (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) infections in Leopards: Coprological survey of gastrointestinal parasites of wild and captive cats in Sri Lanka</b>
Authors: Kobbekaduwa Vishvapali , Fillieux Caroline , Thududgala Ashan , Rajapakse R.P.V. Jayantha , Rajakaruna Rupika Subashini 
Published: March 2017

Sri Lanka is home to four species of wildcats: Leopard, Fishing Cat, Rusty-spotted Cat and Jungle Cat. All four, except the Jungle Cat, are listed threatened. A coprological survey was carried out in 2014 to determine the gastrointestinal (GI) parasites of wild and captive cats in Sri Lanka. Parasite eggs and cysts were isolated and morphologically identified using iodine smears and a modified salt flotation. The intensity of infection was quantified using a McMaster counting technique. A total of 45 fecal samples were analyzed. Except for the six captive Rusty-spotted Cats, all cats were infected with one or more GI parasites. The presence of Moniezia sp. in Leopards in the Horton Plains National Park with an intensity of 150–1850 EPG (eggs per gram of feces) was unexpected. Moniezia is a common GI parasite of ruminants and before our study it had never been recorded in Leopards. Cross species infection with Moniezia could be possible due to accidental ingestion of cysticercoid infected oribatid mites, the intermediate host which could have been picked up in the pasture while feeding on carcasses. Among the other parasitic infections in Leopards Toxocara was most common (61.9%) followed by strongyle infections (15.4%). Of the fecal samples collected from wild Leopards 80.0% were infected with GI parasites while no GI parasites were found in the captive Leopard samples. The Jungle Cats and the Rusty-spotted Cats sampled were in captivity and only the Jungle Cats were infected with strongyles. Toxocara was recorded in Leopards and Fishing Cat both in captivity and in the wild. It is a common GI infection of cats causing morbidity in all age groups and mortality in young animals. Although parasitic infections of cats may not be a direct reason for a species’ decline, parasitic infections spreading within a small fragmented population could reduce the vitality and numbers and threaten the population further. This is the first report of GI parasites of wildcats of Sri Lanka and the first record of Moniezia infections in Leopards.
Size-mediated, density-dependent cannibalism in the signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus (Dana, 1852) (Decapoda, Astacidea), an invasive crayfish in Britain
Authors: Houghton R. J. , Wood C. , Lambin X. 
Published: March 2017

The role of cannibalism in crayfish populations is not well understood, despite being a potentially key density-dependent process underpinning population dynamics. We studied the incidence of cannibalism in an introduced signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus population in a Scottish lowland river in September 2014. Animals were sampled using six different sampling techniques simultaneously, revealing variable densities and size distributions across the site. Cannibalism prevalence was estimated by analysing the gut contents of crayfish >20 mm CL for the presence of crayfish fragments, which was found to be 20% of dissected individuals. When seeking evidence of relationships between the sizes of cannibals and ‘prey’, the density of conspecifics <56% the size of a dissected individual yielded the best fit. The relationship between cannibalism probability and crayfish size and density was equally well described by three different metrics of crayfish density. Cannibalism increased with crayfish size and density but did not vary according to sex. These results suggest that large P. leniusculus frequently cannibalize smaller (prey) conspecifics, and that the probability of cannibalism is dependent upon the relative size of cannibal-to-prey and the density of the smaller crayfish. We suggest that removing large individuals, as targeted by many traditional removal techniques, may lead to reduced cannibalism and therefore a compensatory increase in juvenile survival.
Rain, Riches, and Empire: The Relationship between Nations Ruling Distant Lands, Nations of Great Wealth, and Regions of Regular Moderate Atmospheric Precipitation
Authors: Railsback L. Bruce 
Published: March 2017

AbstractTwo of the great questions of human history and economics are why some nations held far-flung empires and why some presently enjoy great wealth. One factor that should be included in the inevitably multifactorial answer to these questions is regular moderate precipitation (precipitation with an average rate between 30 and 120 mm for each month). Only a small proportion of Earth’s surface has regular moderate precipitation, and most of that area is in Europe and eastern North America. Strikingly, of the 13 nations that held geographically discontinuous multicontinental transoceanic empires, 12 overlap with regions of regular moderate precipitation. Similarly, of the 20 nations with the greatest per capita GDP in 2015, 16 coincide with regions of regular moderate precipitation. These relationships are presumably rooted in the greater success, or lesser inhibition, of human construction of infrastructure, husbandry of livestock, and cultivation of crops, some combination of which likely allowed industrialization, projection of geopolitical power, and accumulation of wealth. One instructive example is that of China, which has a climate superficially like that of Europe and eastern North America but no regions of regular moderate rainfall, and which neither developed an overseas empire nor is among the world’s nations with greatest per capita GDP. Furthermore, concentration of nations holding empires and wealth in the Northern Hemisphere and their absence from the south can be linked to the coincidence that the Southern Hemisphere’s latitudinal zone of regular moderate rainfall is over the Southern Ocean, where there is little land on which human societies could have enjoyed the benefits of that supportive climate.
Everyday ethics of participation: a case study of a CBPR in Nunavik
Authors: Fraser Sarah , Vrakas Georgia , Laliberté Arlene , Mickpegak Raymond 
Published: March 2017

Introduction: Multiple reports highlight the need for community-based family-oriented prevention services for Aboriginal peoples in order to address important health and social inequalities. Participatory, empowerment-based approaches are generally favoured for these means. Faced with important social issues, in a context of colonisation and complex power dynamics, we question how community members experience participation, as well as the everyday dynamics that take place when attempting to create community-level change. Context: The initial steps of this community-based participatory research (CBPR) took place over a two-year period in a community of Nunavik, a large northern region of the province of Quebec. The objective of the CBPR was to develop a community-driven project aimed at supporting families to be able to keep children within their homes or communities, rather than having to be placed under child welfare services. Method: We participated in, and documented, various group meetings, community workshops, informal reflexive discussions, and formal interviews with community partners to explore their everyday experiences of participation in community-based change. Results: We describe some of the initial actions taken in this project. We describe how certain social and power dynamics infiltrated into the process of participation leading to various tensions, personal and interpersonal experiences and needs. Discussion: We discuss how these experiences led to everyday ethical dilemmas regarding participation. We conclude that although participatory approaches towards community change may be effective, they are also ethically challenging and at times disempowering for those who participate. We describe some of the approaches used to work with these ethical challenges.
Porcelain shards from Portuguese wrecks: Raman spectroscopic analysis of marine archaeological ceramics
Authors: Carter Elizabeth A. , Wood Michelle L. , de Waal Danita , Edwards Howell G. M. 
Published: March 2017

Abstract
Raman spectroscopic analysis of shards recovered from two Portuguese shipwrecks, the Santo Espirito (1608) and the Santa Maria Madre de Deus (1643), believed to be carrying porcelains of the Ming period have revealed some interesting and novel results that inform historical ideas of porcelain production. The porcelain body of two of the four shards from the Santa Maria Madre de Deus were found to contain anatase, a low temperature polymorph of titanium dioxide, and β-wollastonite a mineral characteristic of soft-paste porcelains that are made at medium-temperature firing conditions. Previously, β-wollastonite has been found in a range of sixteenth to nineteenth century European porcelains but this is the first report of its detection in porcelain believed to be from the Ming period. These same shards exhibited unusual spectral features that were attributed to the resonance enhancement of rare earth elements that resulted from excitation using a near-infrared source.