bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Spatiotemporal characteristics of the pharyngeal event‐related potential in healthy subjects and older patients with oropharyngeal dysfunction
Authors: Rofes L. , Ortega O. , Vilardell N. , Mundet L. , Clavé P. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractBackgroundOropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) is a highly prevalent symptom in older people. Appropriate oropharyngeal sensory feedback is essential for safe and efficient swallowing. However, pharyngeal sensitivity decreases with advancing age and could play a fundamental role in the physiopathology of swallowing dysfunction associated with aging. We aimed to characterize pharyngeal sensitivity and cortical response to a pharyngeal electrical stimulus in healthy volunteers (HV) and older patients with and without OD.MethodsEight young HV, eight older HV without OD, and 14 older patients with OD were studied by electroencephalography through 32 scalp electrodes. Pharyngeal event‐related potentials (ERP) were assessed following electrical stimulation of the pharynx. Sensory and tolerance thresholds to the electrical stimulus and latency, amplitude, and scalp current density of each ERP component were analyzed and compared. An ERP source localization study was also performed using the sLORETA software.Key ResultsOlder participants (with and without OD) presented an increased sensory threshold to pharyngeal electrical stimulation (10.2 ± 1.7 mA and 11.5 ± 1.9 mA respectively), compared with young HV (6.0 ± 1.2 mA). The cortical activation of older HV in response to pharyngeal electrical stimulus was reduced compared with young HV (N2 amplitude: 0.22 ± 0.79 vs −3.10 ± 0.59, P<.05). Older patients with OD also presented disturbances to the pharyngo‐cortical connection together with disrupted pattern of cortical activation.Conclusions and InferencesOlder people present a decline in pharyngeal sensory function, more severe in older patients with OD. This sensory impairment might be a critical pathophysiological element and a potential target for treatment of swallowing dysfunction in older patients.
The genetic architecture of freezing tolerance varies across the range of Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Horton Matthew W. , Willems Glenda , Sasaki Eriko , Koornneef Maarten , Nordborg Magnus 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThe capacity to tolerate freezing temperatures limits the geographical distribution of many plants, including several species of agricultural importance. However, the genes involved in freezing tolerance remain largely unknown. Here, we describe the variation in constitutive freezing tolerance that occurs among worldwide accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana. We found that although plants from high latitudes tend to be more freezing tolerant than plants from low latitudes, the environmental factors that shape cold adaptation differ across the species range. Consistent with this, we found that the genetic architecture of freezing tolerance also differs across its range. Conventional genome‐wide association studies helped identify a priori and other promising candidate genes. However, simultaneously modelling climate variables and freezing tolerance together pinpointed other excellent a priori candidate genes. This suggests that if the selective factor underlying phenotypic variation is known, multi‐trait mixed models may aid in identifying the genes that underlie adaptation.
Non‐native fruit trees facilitate colonization of native forest on abandoned farmland
Authors: Jacob Aerin L. , Lechowicz Martin J. , Chapman Colin A. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractEcological restoration of abandoned, formerly forested farmland can improve the delivery of ecosystem services and benefit biodiversity conservation. Restoration programs can involve removing isolated, non‐native trees planted by farmers for fruit or wood. As such “legacy” trees can attract seed dispersers and create microclimates that help native seedlings to establish, removing them may actually slow forest recovery. Working on abandoned farmland in Kibale National Park, Uganda, we evaluated the effect of legacy trees on forest recovery by measuring the number, diversity, and biomass of native seedlings and saplings regenerating in plots centered on avocado (Persea americana), mango (Mangifera indica), and Eucalyptus legacy trees compared with adjacent plots without legacy trees. The assemblages of native, forest‐dependent tree species in plots around avocado and mango trees were distinct from each other and from those around eucalyptus and all the near‐legacy plots. In particular, avocado plots had higher stem density and species richness of forest‐dependent species than near‐avocado plots, particularly large‐seeded, shade‐tolerant, and animal‐dispersed species—key targets of many restoration plans. Furthermore, many of the species found in high numbers were among those failing to establish in ongoing large‐scale forest restoration in Kibale. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the legacy trees facilitate the dispersal and establishment of native tree species. Retaining the existing legacy trees for a number of years could usefully complement existing management strategies to restore more biodiverse native forest in degraded lands. However, careful monitoring is needed to ensure that the legacy trees do not themselves establish.
Exports and Job Training
Authors: Bastos Paulo , Silva Joana , Proença Rafael 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThis paper examines whether export participation matters for job training, drawing on longitudinal worker–firm data for Brazilian manufacturing linked with detailed records on training activity from the main provider. Using industry‐specific exchange‐rate movements to generate exogenous variation in export status at the firm level, we find that export participation tends to increase the share of workers who receive technical upgrading. We also provide evidence that technical upgrading has positive returns to trainees within exporting firms. These results support the hypothesis that exporting requires skill upgrading, and suggest that this is partially achieved by training firms’ existing workforce.
Psychological variables underlying political orientations in an old and a new democracy: A comparative study between Sweden and Latvia
Authors: Dimdins Girts , Sandgren Maria , Montgomery Henry 
Published: August 2016

This study examines in detail the psychological variables underlying ideological political orientation, and structure and contents of this orientation, in Sweden and Latvia. Individual political orientation is conceptualized on two dimensions: acceptance vs. rejection of social change and acceptance vs. rejection of inequality. Swedish (N = 320) and Latvian (N = 264) participants completed measures of political orientation, Social Dominance Orientation (SDO), Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA), self vs. other orientation, tolerance for ambiguity, humanism and normativism, core political values, system justification, as well as moral foundations questionnaire and portrait values questionnaire. The results showed that the relation among the measured variables was similar in both samples. Swedish participants showed stronger endorsement of egalitarian attitudes and social values, whereas we found more self‐enhancing and socially conservative values and attitudes among the Latvian participants.
In vivo strain in the deep and superficial regions of the human patellar tendon
Authors: Lee D. , Barrett R. , Ryan M. , Saxby D. J. , Newsham‐West R. , Obst S. J. 
Published: August 2016

This study investigated strain differences within the patellar tendon (PT) mid‐region using an ultrasound‐based digital image correlation (DIC) method. Six healthy young participants performed six knee extensions to 60% of maximal voluntary isometric contraction on 2 days. Sagittal ultrasound videos recorded during each contraction were analyzed using the DIC method to determine the strain–torque relationships of the superficial, deep, and whole PT mid‐regions. Significantly greater strain was observed in the deep vs superficial layer of the PT mid‐region for all contraction intensities, with peak strains of 5.8% (SD 1.7) and 4.5% (SD 1.5), respectively. DIC‐based measures of peak tendon strain were repeatable within [intraclass coefficients (ICC) >0.97] and between sessions (ICCs >0.83) and agreed well with the conventional point‐to‐point method. This study confirmed that significant differences exist between deep and superficial layers of PT mid‐region during ramped isometric extensions. These findings support the use of DIC to examine regional strain patterns within the PT mid‐region that may be important in the context of tendon injury and adaptation.
Social Class and Political Engagement in the United States
Authors: Laurison Daniel 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThe relationship between class and political engagement in the United States is well‐established: people with lower incomes, who have less education, or who work outside the professional and managerial occupations do less of all forms of political engagement. They vote less than better‐off people, are less likely to give money to candidates, pay less attention to politics, and contact their representatives less often than those with more resources. They are also less likely to believe they can influence political decisions or to feel entitled to participate in politics. This article reviews the dominant (individualist and institutionalist) approaches to explaining inequalities in political participation and highlights recent “relational” work that offers a more integrated perspective on political engagement and class position.
Experiments and Constitutive Model for Deep and Superficial Fascia. Digital Image Correlation and Finite Element Validation
Authors: Ruiz‐Alejos D. , Peña J. A. , Pérez M. M. , Peña E. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractFascia is a highly organized collagenous tissue that is intimately connected with muscles. The mechanical properties of fascia strongly affect muscular actions and development of pathologies. The objective of this paper is to determine the mechanical properties of the deep and superficial fascia by uniaxial and pure shear tests and to propose and address the feasibility of a material hyperelastic constitutive model using combined Digital Image Correlation strain measurements and Finite Element (FE) computations. Experiments on deep and superficial fascia samples from the hindlimbs of six adult sheep along or perpendicular to collagen fibres and FE simulations of each experiment were compared. An anisotropic strain energy function was proposed to reproduce the mechanical behaviour of deep and superficial fascia and the material parameters were fitted using an optimization method and included in the FE simulations.The mechanical response of the deep and superficial fascia shows typical behaviour of soft connective tissues. It is shown that the samples in longitudinal direction are stiffer than the samples in transversal direction for both kinds of tissues. When considering the deep and superficial samples, it is evident a greater stiffness of deep samples for both longitudinal and transversal directions with respect to superficial samples. Overall good predictions were obtained with the model proposed which present relatively low ε values, ε = 0.1189 and ε = 0.0722 for deep and superficial fascia respectively. The experimental and FE results were compared. The simulated curves slightly underestimated or overestimated the load for uniaxial and pure shear tests, respectively, but very accurately captured the stiffness and the overall response. These results demonstrate that the proposed model and the fitted material properties applied have a good capability of reproducing the experimental conditions.
Brincidofovir treatment of acyclovir‐resistant disseminated varicella zoster virus infection in an immunocompromised host
Authors: Mullane K.M. , Nuss C. , Ridgeway J. , Prichard M.N. , Hartline C.B. , Theusch J. , Mommeja‐Marin H. , Larson R.A. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractBrincidofovir (BCV) is a broad‐spectrum antiviral agent active in vitro against double‐stranded DNA viruses including herpesviruses, adenoviruses, polyomaviruses, and poxviruses. We report successful BCV use in management of disseminated acyclovir‐ and cidofovir‐resistant varicella zoster virus in an immunocompromised hematopoietic stem cell transplant patient with chronic graft‐versus‐host disease who was intolerant to foscarnet.
The DAU cluster: a comparative analysis of 18 RHD alleles, some forming partial D antigens
Authors: Srivastava Kshitij , Polin Helene , Sheldon Sherry Lynne , Wagner Franz Friedrich , Grabmer Christoph , Gabriel Christian , Denomme Gregory Andrew , Flegel Willy Albert 
Published: August 2016

BACKGROUNDThe Rh system is the most complex and polymorphic blood group system in humans with more than 460 alleles known for the RHD gene. The DAU cluster of RHD alleles is characterized by the single‐nucleotide change producing the p.Thr379Met amino acid substitution. It is called the DAU‐0 allele and has been postulated to be the primordial allele, from which all other alleles of the DAU cluster have eventually evolved.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODSFor two novel DAU alleles, the nucleotide sequences of all 10 exons as well as adjacent intronic regions, including the 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions (UTR), were determined for the RHD and RHCE genes. A phylogenetic tree for all DAU alleles was established using the neighbor‐joining method with Pan troglodytes as root. Standard hemagglutination and flow cytometry tests were performed.RESULTSWe characterized two DAU alleles, DAU‐11 and DAU‐5.1, closely related to DAU‐3 and DAU‐5, respectively. A phylogenetic analysis of the 18 known DAU alleles indicated point mutations and interallelic recombination contributing to diversification of the DAU cluster.CONCLUSIONSThe DAU alleles encode a group of RhD protein variants, some forming partial D antigens known to permit anti‐D in carriers; all are expected to cause anti‐D alloimmunization in recipients of red blood cell transfusions. The DAU alleles evolved through genomic point mutations and recombination. These results suggest that the cluster of DAU alleles represent a clade, which is concordant with our previous postulate that they derived from the primordial DAU‐0 allele.
Use of a 2‐tier histologic grading system for canine cutaneous mast cell tumors on cytology specimens
Authors: Hergt Franziska , von Bomhard Wolf , Kent Michael S. , Hirschberger Johannes 
Published: August 2016

AbstractBackgroundMast cell tumors (MCT) represent the most common malignant skin tumor in the dog. Diagnosis of an MCT can be achieved through cytologic examination of a fine‐needle aspirate. However, the grade of the tumor is an important prognostic marker and currently requires histologic assessment. Recently a 2‐tier histologic grading system based on nuclear features including number of mitoses, multinucleated cells, bizarre nuclei, and karyomegaly was proposed.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to assess if the cytomorphologic criteria proposed in the 2‐tier histologic grading system are applicable to cytology specimens.MethodsA total of 141 MCT specimens reported as grade I, II, or III according to the Patnaik system with both histologic specimens and fine‐needle aspirates available were histologically and cytologically reevaluated in a retrospective study.ResultsAccording to the 2‐tier grading system, 38 cases were diagnosed histologically as high‐grade and 103 as low‐grade MCT. Cytologic grading resulted in 36 high‐grade and 105 low‐grade tumors. Agreement between histologic and cytologic grading based on the 2‐tier grading system was achieved in 133 cases (sensitivity 86.8%, specificity 97.1%, kappa value 0.853), but 5 high‐grade tumors on histology were classified as low‐grade on cytology.ConclusionCytologic grading of MCT in the dog is helpful for initial assessment. However, the reliability of cytology using the 2‐tier grading system is considered inadequate at this point. Prospective studies including clinical outcome should be pursued to further determine diagnostic accuracy of cytologic mast cell grading.
Heteroresistance to Fluconazole Is a Continuously Distributed Phenotype among Candida glabrata Clinical Strains Associated with
In Vivo
Persistence
Authors: Ben-Ami Ronen , Zimmerman Offer , Finn Talya , Amit Sharon , Novikov Anna , Wertheimer Noa , Lurie-Weinberger Mor , Berman Judith 
Published: August 2016

ABSTRACT

Candida glabrata
causes persistent infections in patients treated with fluconazole and often acquires resistance following exposure to the drug. Here we found that clinical strains of
C. glabrata
exhibit cell-to-cell variation in drug response (heteroresistance). We used population analysis profiling (PAP) to assess fluconazole heteroresistance (FLC
HR
) and to ask if it is a binary trait or a continuous phenotype. Thirty (57.6%) of 52 fluconazole-sensitive clinical
C. glabrata
isolates met accepted dichotomous criteria for FLC
HR
. However, quantitative grading of FLC
HR
by using the area under the PAP curve (AUC) revealed a continuous distribution across a wide range of values, suggesting that all isolates exhibit some degree of heteroresistance. The AUC correlated with rhodamine 6G efflux and was associated with upregulation of the
CDR1
and
PDH1
genes, encoding ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transmembrane transporters, implying that HetR populations exhibit higher levels of drug efflux. Highly FLC
HR
C. glabrata
was recovered more frequently than nonheteroresistant
C. glabrata
from hematogenously infected immunocompetent mice following treatment with high-dose fluconazole (45.8% versus 15%,
P
= 0.029). Phylogenetic analysis revealed some phenotypic clustering but also variations in FLC
HR
within clonal groups, suggesting both genetic and epigenetic determinants of heteroresistance. Collectively, these results establish heteroresistance to fluconazole as a graded phenotype associated with ABC transporter upregulation and fluconazole efflux. Heteroresistance may explain the propensity of
C. glabrata
for persistent infection and the emergence of breakthrough resistance to fluconazole.

IMPORTANCE
Heteroresistance refers to variability in the response to a drug within a clonal cell population. This phenomenon may have crucial importance for the way we look at antimicrobial resistance, as heteroresistant strains are not detected by standard laboratory susceptibility testing and may be associated with failure of antimicrobial therapy. We describe for the first time heteroresistance to fluconazole in
C. glabrata
, a finding that may explain the propensity of this pathogen to acquire resistance following exposure to fluconazole and to persist despite treatment. We found that, rather than being a binary all-or-none trait, heteroresistance was a continuously distributed phenotype associated with increased expression of genes that encode energy-dependent drug efflux transporters. Moreover, we show that heteroresistance is associated with failure of fluconazole to clear infection with
C. glabrata
. Together, these findings provide an empirical framework for determining and quantifying heteroresistance in
C. glabrata
.
Ablation of STAT3 in the B Cell Compartment Restricts Gammaherpesvirus LatencyIn Vivo
Authors: Reddy Sandeep Steven , Foreman Hui-Chen Chang , Sioux Thubten Ozula , Park Gee Ho , Poli Valeria , Reich Nancy C. , Krug Laurie T. 
Published: August 2016

ABSTRACTA challenging property of gammaherpesviruses is their ability to establish lifelong persistence. The establishment of latency in B cells is thought to involve active virus engagement of host signaling pathways. Pathogenic effects of these viruses during latency or following reactivation can be devastating to the host. Many cancers, including those associated with members of the gammaherpesvirus family, Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus and Epstein-Barr virus, express elevated levels of active host signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3). STAT3 is activated by tyrosine phosphorylation in response to many cytokines and can orchestrate effector responses that include proliferation, inflammation, metastasis, and developmental programming. However, the contribution of STAT3 to gammaherpesvirus pathogenesis remains to be completely understood. This is the first study to have identified STAT3 as a critical host determinant of the ability of gammaherpesvirus to establish long-term latency in an animal model of disease. Following an acute infection, murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68) established latency in resident B cells, but establishment of latency was dramatically reduced in animals with a B cell-specific STAT3 deletion. The lack of STAT3 in B cells did not impair germinal center responses for immunoglobulin (Ig) class switching in the spleen and did not reduce either total or virus-specific IgG titers. Although ablation of STAT3 in B cells did not have a global effect on these assays of B cell function, it had long-term consequences for the viral load of the host, since virus latency was reduced at 6 to 8 weeks postinfection. Our findings establish host STAT3 as a mediator of gammaherpesvirus persistence.IMPORTANCEThe insidious ability of gammaherpesviruses to establish latent infections can have detrimental consequences for the host. Identification of host factors that promote viral latency is essential for understanding latency mechanisms and for therapeutic interventions. We provide the first evidence that STAT3 expression is needed for murine gammaherpesvirus 68 to establish latency in primary B cells during an active immune response to infection. STAT3 deletion in B cells does not impair adaptive immune control of the virus, but loss of STAT3 in B cells has a long-lasting impact on viral persistence. These results indicate a potential therapeutic benefit of STAT3 inhibitors for combating gammaherpesvirus latency and, thereby, associated pathologies.