bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cross‐sectional association between physical strength, obesity, periodontitis and number of teeth in a general population
Authors: Eremenko Michael , Pink Christiane , Biffar Reiner , Schmidt Carsten O. , Ittermann Till , Kocher Thomas , Meisel Peter 
Published: February 2016

AbstractAimMuscle strength declines and gums recede with increasing age across the life course. Possible associations exist between handgrip strength as an indicator of physical fitness and periodontitis and number of teeth.Material and MethodsHandgrip strength (GS), anthropometric measures, clinical attachment loss, number of teeth, C‐reactive protein and glycated haemoglobin were assessed in 2089 participants of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP‐2). Linear regression including interaction with age was used to estimate the association between clinical attachment level, number of teeth and GS.ResultsIn multiple regression adjusted for age, body mass index (BMI) and waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR) each mm of diminished periodontal attachment was associated with reduction in GS by 1.47 kg (95% CI −2.29 to −0.65) and 0.38 kg (−0.89 to 0.14) in men and women respectively. Correspondingly, each additional remaining tooth was significantly associated with higher GS. Using handgrip strength relative to BMI as outcome, these relationships become even more apparent. Indicators of obesity such as BMI and WHR associated with both GS and periodontitis modulate the relationship between GS and periodontitis with a different impact between the sexes.ConclusionPeriodontitis is associated with GS modified mainly by anthropometric measures related to adiposity and inflammation. Putative mechanisms encompass interactions of factors declining with increasing age.
Lipids implicated in the journey of a secretory granule: from biogenesis to fusion
Authors: Tanguy Emeline , Carmon Ophélie , Wang Qili , Jeandel Lydie , Chasserot‐Golaz Sylvette , Montero‐Hadjadje Maité , Vitale Nicolas 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe regulated secretory pathway begins with the formation of secretory granules by budding from the Golgi apparatus and ends by their fusion with the plasma membrane leading to the release of their content into the extracellular space, generally following a rise in cytosolic calcium. Generation of these membrane‐bound transport carriers can be classified into three steps: (i) cargo sorting that segregates the cargo from resident proteins of the Golgi apparatus, (ii) membrane budding that encloses the cargo and depends on the creation of appropriate membrane curvature, and (iii) membrane fission events allowing the nascent carrier to separate from the donor membrane. These secretory vesicles then mature as they are actively transported along microtubules toward the cortical actin network at the cell periphery. The final stage known as regulated exocytosis involves the docking and the priming of the mature granules, necessary for merging of vesicular and plasma membranes, and the subsequent partial or total release of the secretory vesicle content. Here, we review the latest evidence detailing the functional roles played by lipids during secretory granule biogenesis, recruitment, and exocytosis steps.
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In this review, we highlight evidence supporting the notion that lipids play important functions in secretory vesicle biogenesis, maturation, recruitment, and membrane fusion steps. These effects include regulating various protein distribution and activity, but also directly modulating membrane topology. The challenges ahead to understand the pleiotropic functions of lipids in a secretory granule's journey are also discussed.
This article is part of a mini review series on Chromaffin cells (ISCCB Meeting, 2015)
Direct interaction of the resistance to inhibitors of cholinesterase type 3 protein with the serotonin receptor type 3A intracellular domain
Authors: Nishtala Sita Nirupama , Mnatsakanyan Nelli , Pandhare Akash , Leung Chun , Jansen Michaela 
Published: February 2016

AbstractPentameric ligand‐gated ion channels (pLGIC) are expressed in both excitable and non‐excitable cells that are targeted by numerous clinically used drugs. Assembly from five identical or homologous subunits yields homo‐ or heteromeric pentamers, respectively. The protein known as Resistance to Inhibitors of Cholinesterase (RIC‐3) was identified to interfere with assembly and functional maturation of pLGICs. We have shown previously for serotonin type 3A homopentamers (5‐HT3A) that the interaction with RIC‐3 requires the intracellular domain (ICD) of this pLGIC. After expression in Xenopus laevis oocytes RIC‐3 attenuated serotonin‐induced currents in 5‐HT3A wild‐type channels, but not in functional 5‐HT3AglvM3M4 channels that have the 115‐amino acid ICD replaced by a heptapeptide. In complementary experiments we have shown that engineering the Gloeobacter violaceus ligand‐gated ion channel (GLIC) to contain the 5‐HT3A‐ICD confers sensitivity to RIC‐3 in oocytes to otherwise insensitive GLIC. In this study, we identify endogenous RIC‐3 protein expression in X. laevis oocytes. We purified RIC‐3 to homogeneity after expression in Echericia coli. By using heterologously over‐expressed and purified RIC‐3 and the chimera consisting of the 5‐HT3A‐ICD and the extracellular and transmembrane domains of GLIC in pull‐down experiments, we demonstrate a direct and specific interaction between the two proteins. This result further underlines that the domain within 5‐HT3AR that mediates the interaction with RIC‐3 is the ICD. Importantly, this is the first experimental evidence that the interaction between 5‐HT3AR‐ICD and RIC‐3 does not require other proteins. In addition, we demonstrate that the pentameric assembly of the GLIC‐5‐HT3A‐ICD chimera interacts with RIC‐3.
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We hypothesized that pentameric ligand‐gated ion channels (pLGICs) associate directly with the chaperone protein RIC‐3 (resistance to inhibitors of cholinesterase type 3), and that the interaction does not require other protein factors. We found that the two proteins indeed interact directly, that the pLGIC intracellular domain is required for the effect, and that pLGICs in their pentameric form associate with RIC‐3. These results provide the basis for future studies aimed at investigating which motifs provide the interaction surfaces, and at delineating the mechanism(s) of RIC‐3 modulation of functional pLGIC surface expression.
Nursing home nurses’ experiences of resident transfers to the emergency department: no empathy for our work environment difficulties
Authors: Tsai Hsiu‐Hsin , Tsai Yun‐Fang , Huang Hsiu‐Li 
Published: February 2016

Aims and objectivesTo explore the experiences of nursing home nurses when they transfer residents from nursing homes to the emergency department in Taiwan.BackgroundThe transfer of residents between nursing homes and emergency departments challenges continuity of care. Understanding nursing home nurses’ experiences during these transfers may help to improve residents’ continuity of care. However, few empirical data are available on these nurses’ transfer experiences worldwide, and none could be found in Asian countries.DesignQualitative descriptive study.MethodsData were collected from August 2012–June 2013 in audiotaped, individual, in‐depth interviews with 25 nurses at five nursing homes in Taiwan. Interview transcripts were analysed by constant comparative analysis.ResultsAnalysis of interview transcripts revealed that the core theme of nursing home nurses’ transfer experience was discontinuity in nursing home to emergency department transitions. This core theme comprised three themes: discontinuity in family involvement, discontinuity in medical resources and expectations, and discontinuity in nurses’ professional role.ConclusionsNursing home nurses need a working environment that is better connected to residents’ family members and more immediate and/or easier access to acute care for residents. Communication between nurses and residents’ family could be improved by using text messages or social media by mobile phones, which are widely used in Taiwan and worldwide. To improve access to acute care, we suggest developing a real‐time telehealth transfer system tailored to the medical culture and policies of each country. This system should facilitate communication among nursing home staff, family members and hospital staff.Relevance to clinical practiceOur findings on nurses’ experiences during transfer of nursing home residents to the emergency department can be used to design more effective transfer policies such as telemedicine systems in Taiwan and other Asian countries or in those with large populations of Chinese immigrants.
Tracking the elusive history of diversification in plant–herbivorous insect–parasitoid food webs: insights from figs and fig wasps
Authors: Kjellberg Finn , Proffit Magali 
Published: February 2016

The food webs consisting of plants, herbivorous insects and their insect parasitoids are a major component of terrestrial biodiversity. They play a central role in the functioning of all terrestrial ecosystems, and the number of species involved is mind‐blowing (Nyman et al. ). Nevertheless, our understanding of the evolutionary and ecological determinants of their diversity is still in its infancy. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Sutton et al. () open a window into the comparative analysis of spatial genetic structuring in a set of comparable multitrophic models, involving highly species‐specific interactions: figs and fig wasps. This is the first study to compare genetic structure using population genetics tools in a fig‐pollinating wasp (Pleistodontes imperialis sp1) and its main parasitoid (Sycoscapter sp.A). The fig‐pollinating wasp has a discontinuous spatial distribution that correlates with genetic differentiation, while the parasitoid bridges the discontinuity by parasitizing other pollinator species on the same host fig tree and presents basically no spatial genetic structure. The full implications of these results for our general understanding of plant–herbivorous insect–insect parasitoids diversification become apparent when envisioned within the framework of recent advances in fig and fig wasp biology.
Disentangling visual and olfactory signals in mushroom‐mimicking Dracula orchids using realistic three‐dimensional printed flowers
Authors: Policha Tobias , Davis Aleah , Barnadas Melinda , Dentinger Bryn T. M. , Raguso Robert A. , Roy Bitty A. 
Published: February 2016

Summary

Flowers use olfactory and visual signals to communicate with pollinators. Disentangling the relative contributions and potential synergies between signals remains a challenge. Understanding the perceptual biases exploited by floral mimicry illuminates the evolution of these signals. Here, we disentangle the olfactory and visual components of Dracula lafleurii, which mimics mushrooms in size, shape, color and scent, and is pollinated by mushroom‐associated flies.

To decouple signals, we used three‐dimensional printing to produce realistic artificial flower molds that were color matched and cast using scent‐free surgical silicone, to which we could add scent. We used GC‐MS to measure scents in co‐occurring mushrooms, and related orchids, and used these scents in field experiments.

By combining silicone flower parts with real floral organs, we created chimeras that identified the mushroom‐like labellum as a source of volatile attraction. In addition, we showed remarkable overlap in the volatile chemistry between D. lafleurii and co‐occurring mushrooms.

The characters defining the genus Dracula – a mushroom‐like, ‘gilled’ labellum and a showy, patterned calyx – enhance pollinator attraction by exploiting the visual and chemosensory perceptual biases of drosophilid flies. Our techniques for the manipulation of complex traits in a nonmodel system not conducive to gene silencing or selective breeding are useful for other systems.
Neuroethology as a translational neuroscience strategy in the era of the NIMH Research Domain Criteria
Authors: Krystal John H. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe article by Latzman et al. in the current special issue utilizes a novel dataset consisting of behavioral, brain, and genomic data from a sample of 76 captive chimpanzees to make the case that negative affective expression is influenced by variation in the gene coding for arginine vasopressin receptor 1A (AVPR1A), in a sex‐linked manner. A novel feature of this study is the ethological approach employed by the authors, i.e., the use of scratching as a behavioral indicator of negative affective state. I comment on conceptual and methodological aspects of this work, and consider how it interfaces with the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework as described by Kozak and Cuthbert in their article for this issue.
Psychoneurometric operationalization of threat sensitivity: Relations with clinical symptom and physiological response criteria
Authors: Yancey James R. , Venables Noah C. , Patrick Christopher J. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe National Institute of Mental Health's Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative calls for the incorporation of neurobiological approaches and findings into conceptions of mental health problems through a focus on biobehavioral constructs investigated across multiple domains of measurement (units of analysis). Although the constructs in the RDoC system are characterized in “process terms” (i.e., as functional concepts with brain and behavioral referents), these constructs can also be framed as dispositions (i.e., as dimensions of variation in biobehavioral functioning across individuals). Focusing on one key RDoC construct, acute threat or “fear,” the current article illustrates a construct‐oriented psychoneurometric strategy for operationalizing this construct in individual difference terms—as threat sensitivity (THT+). Utilizing data from 454 adult participants, we demonstrate empirically that (a) a scale measure of THT+ designed to tap general fear/fearlessness predicts effectively to relevant clinical problems (i.e., fear disorder symptoms), (b) this scale measure shows reliable associations with physiological indices of acute reactivity to aversive visual stimuli, and (c) a cross‐domain factor reflecting the intersection of scale and physiological indicators of THT+ predicts effectively to both clinical and neurophysiological criterion measures. Results illustrate how the psychoneurometric approach can be used to create a dimensional index of a biobehavioral trait construct, in this case THT+, which can serve as a bridge between phenomena in domains of psychopathology and neurobiology. Implications and future directions are discussed with reference to the RDoC initiative and existing report‐based conceptions of psychological traits.
Perioperative blood ordering optimization process using information from an anesthesia information management system
Authors: Rinehart Joseph B. , Lee Tiffany C. , Kaneshiro Kayleigh , Tran Minh‐Ha , Sun Coral , Kain Zeev N. 
Published: February 2016

BACKGROUNDAs part of ongoing perioperative surgical home implantation process, we applied a previously published algorithm for creation of a maximum surgical blood order schedule (MSBOS) to our operating rooms. We hypothesized that using the MSBOS we could show a reduction in unnecessary preoperative blood testing and associated costs.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODSData regarding all surgical cases done at UC Irvine Health's operating rooms from January 1, 2011, to January 1, 2014 were extracted from the anesthesia information management systems (AIMS). After the data were organized into surgical specialties and operative sites, blood order recommendations were generated based on five specific case characteristics of the group. Next, we assessed current ordering practices in comparison to actual blood utilization to identify potential areas of wastage and performed a cost analysis comparing the annual hospital costs from preoperative blood orders if the blood order schedule were to be followed to historical practices.RESULTSOf the 19,138 patients who were categorized by the MSBOS as needing no blood sample, 2694 (14.0%) had a type and screen (T/S) ordered and 1116 (5.8%) had a type and crossmatch ordered. Of the 6073 procedures where MSBOS recommended only a T/S, 2355 (38.8%) had blood crossmatched. The cost analysis demonstrated an annual reduction in actual hospital costs of $57,335 with the MSBOS compared to historical blood ordering practices.CONCLUSIONWe showed that the algorithm for development of a multispecialty blood order schedule is transferable and yielded reductions in preoperative blood product screening at our institution.
Efficacy of Schwann cell transplantation for spinal cord repair is improved with combinatorial strategies
Authors: Bunge Mary Bartlett 
Published: February 2016

AbstractWhen cells (including Schwann cells; SCs) of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) could be purified and expanded in number in tissue culture, Richard Bunge in 1975 envisioned that the SCs could be introduced to repair the central nervous system (CNS), as SCs enable axons to regenerate after PNS injury. Importantly, autologous human SCs could be transplanted into injured human spinal cord. Availability of the new culture systems to study interactions between sensory neurons, SCs and fibroblasts increased our knowledge of SC biology in the 1970s and ’80s. Joining the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis in 1989 brought the opportunity to use this knowledge to initiate spinal cord repair studies. Development of a rat complete spinal cord transection/SC bridge model allowed the demonstration that axons regenerate into the SC bridge. Together with study of contused rat spinal cord, it was concluded that implanted SCs reduce cavitation, protect tissue around the lesion, support axon regeneration and form myelin. SC transplantation efficacy was improved when combined with neurotrophins, elevation of cyclic AMP levels, olfactory ensheathing cells, a steroid or chondroitinase. Increased efficacy meant higher numbers of axons, particularly from the brainstem, and more SC‐myelinated axons in the implants and improvement in hindlimb movements. Human SCs support axon regeneration as do rat SCs. Astrocytes at the SC bridge–host spinal cord interfaces play a key role in determining whether axons enter the SC milieu. The SC work described here contributed to gaining approval from the FDA for an initial autologous human SC clinical trial (at the Miami Project) that has been completed and found to be safe.
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Reliability and Performance Analysis of Architecture-Based Software Implementing Restarts and Retries Subject to Correlated Component Failures
Authors: Li Xiao-Dan , Yin Yong-Feng , Fiondella Lance 
Published: February 2016

High reliability and performance are essential attributes of software systems designed for critical real-time applications. To improve the reliability and performance of software, many systems incorporate some form of fault recovery mechanism. However, contemporary models of software reliability and performance rarely consider these fault recovery mechanisms. Another notable shortcoming of many software models is that they make the simplifying assumption that component failures are statistically independent, which disagrees with several experimental studies that have shown that the failures of software components can exhibit correlation. This paper presents an architecture-based model of software reliability and performance that explicitly considers a two-stage fault recovery mechanism implementing component restarts and application-level retries. The application architecture is characterized by a Discrete Time Markov Chain (DTMC) to represent the dynamic branching behavior of control between the components of the application. Correlations between the component failures are computed with an efficient numerical algorithm for a multivariate Bernoulli (MVB) distribution. We illustrate the utility of the model through a case study of an embedded software application. The results suggest that the model can be used to quantify the impact of software fault recovery and correlated component failures on application reliability and performance.
Comparison of Hybrid Four-Dimensional Data Assimilation Methods with and without the Tangent Linear and Adjoint Models for Predicting the Life Cycle of Hurricane Karl (2010)
Authors: Poterjoy Jonathan , Zhang Fuqing 
Published: February 2016

AbstractTwo four-dimensional hybrid data assimilation systems based on the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model are applied over the life cycle of Hurricane Karl (2010). One method uses a mix of ensemble- and climate-based background error covariance in a four-dimensional variational data assimilation (4DVar) system that uses an adjoint model to assimilate observations over a time window (denoted E4DVar). The second method approximates the function of linearized models in 4DVar with perturbations generated from an ensemble forecast using the full nonlinear model (denoted 4DEnVar). Ensemble perturbations in 4DEnVar provide a four-dimensional covariance, which is combined with a static climate-based covariance for performing the data assimilation. In cycling data assimilation experiments, analyses produced by both methods provide more accurate intensity forecasts than E3DVar, owing mostly to a better representation of moisture near the developing storm. Despite providing a computationally efficient alternative to E4DVar, predictions made from 4DEnVar analyses are less accurate than E4DVar for the tested case study. Numerical experiments using identical background error statistics in both schemes reveal differences in the mesoscale structure of the developing storm, which are suspected to be responsible for this result. In particular, 4DEnVar analyses contain a less intense inner-core circulation and lower column relative humidity than E4DVar at analysis times closest to Karl’s genesis, which lead to a persistent slow bias in intensifying the storm. These results suggest errors introduced in the linearization of the model for E4DVar may be less severe than errors introduced by the localization of time covariances. This study provides the first comparison of hybrid E4DVar and 4DEnVar for a tropical cyclone application.
The Influence of Weather on Interest in a “Sun, Sea, and Sand” Tourist Destination: The Case of Majorca
Authors: Rosselló Jaume , Waqas Aon 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
Last-minute decisions to take vacations overseas have become popular in recent years. Because of the reduction of the time between the booking and the trip (lead time), and because climate conditions are acknowledged to be key factors in tourism decisions, this study aims to investigate whether weather anomalies are becoming a new key determinant in tourism destination interest. Using data from Google Trends, different time series models are estimated analyzing whether potential tourists’ interest in Majorca, a popular Mediterranean “sun, sea, and sand” destination, is determined by previous and contemporaneous weather conditions both at the destination and in two main tourist countries of origin, Germany and the United Kingdom. Results show how favorable weather conditions at the destination but also adverse weather conditions at the origin are significantly related to a higher interest in Majorca.