bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characterization of tabanid flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) in South Africa and Zambia and detection of protozoan parasites they are harbouring
Authors: TAIOE MOETI O. , MOTLOANG MAKHOSAZANA Y. , NAMANGALA BONIFACE , CHOTA AMOS , MOLEFE NTHATISI I. , MUSINGUZI SIMON P. , SUGANUMA KEISUKE , HAYES POLLY , TSILO TOI J. , CHAINEY JOHN , INOUE NOBORU , THEKISOE ORIEL M. M. 
Published: May 2017

SUMMARYTabanids are haematophagous flies feeding on livestock and wildlife. In the absence of information on the relationship of tabanid flies and protozoan parasites in South Africa and Zambia, the current study was aimed at characterizing tabanid flies collected in these two countries as well as detecting protozoan parasites they are harbouring. A total of 527 tabanid flies were collected whereby 70·2% were from South Africa and 29·8% were from Zambia. Morphological analysis revealed a total of five different genera collected from the sampled areas namely:Ancala, Atylotus, Haematopota, PhilolicheandTabanus. DNA extracted from South AfricanTabanus parandTabanus taeniolatested positive for the presence ofTrypanosoma congolense(Savannah) andTrypanosoma theileriwhilst one member fromT. parwas positive forTrypanosoma bruceispecies. DNA extracted from Zambian tabanid flies tested positive for the presence ofBesnoitiaspecies at 1·27% (2/157),Babesia bigemina5·73% (9/157),Theileria parva30·11% (30/157) and 9·82% (14/157) forTrypanosoma evansi. This study is the first to report on relationship ofBabesiaandTheileriaparasites with tabanid flies. Further investigations are required to determine the role of tabanids in transmission of the detected protozoan parasites in livestock and wildlife in South Africa and Zambia.
Psychological autopsy study comparing suicide decedents, suicide ideators, and propensity score matched controls: results from the study to assess risk and resilience in service members (Army STARRS)
Authors: Nock M. K. , Dempsey C. L. , Aliaga P. A. , Brent D. A. , Heeringa S. G. , Kessler R. C. , Stein M. B. , Ursano R. J. , Benedek D. 
Published: May 2017

BackgroundThe suicide rate has increased significantly among US Army soldiers over the past decade. Here we report the first results from a large psychological autopsy study using two control groups designed to reveal risk factors for suicide death among soldiers beyond known sociodemographic factors and the presence of suicide ideation.MethodsInformants were next-of-kin and Army supervisors for: 135 suicide cases, 137 control soldiers propensity-score-matched on known sociodemographic risk factors for suicide and Army history variables, and 118 control soldiers who reported suicide ideation in the past year.ResultsResults revealed that most (79.3%) soldiers who died by suicide have a prior mental disorder; mental disorders in the prior 30-days were especially strong risk factors for suicide death. Approximately half of suicide decedents tell someone that they are considering suicide. Virtually all of the risk factors identified in this study differed between suicide cases and propensity-score-matched controls, but did not significantly differ between suicide cases and suicide ideators. The most striking difference between suicides and ideators was the presence in the former of an internalizing disorder (especially depression) and multi-morbidity (i.e. 3+ disorders) in the past 30 days.ConclusionsMost soldiers who die by suicide have identifiable mental disorders shortly before their death and tell others about their suicidal thinking, suggesting that there are opportunities for prevention and intervention. However, few risk factors distinguish between suicide ideators and decedents, pointing to an important direction for future research.
Before the vote: UK foreign policy discourse on Syria 2011–13
Authors: Ralph Jason , Holland Jack , Zhekova Kalina 
Published: May 2017

AbstractThe literature of recent UK policy toward Syria focuses on the 2013 chemical weapons crisis. We examine policy discourses leading up to that. The government supported the removal of Assad but faced the challenge of explaining how that would be realised. Given its unwillingness and inability to mobilise support for military intervention, or to tailor policy goals to match available means, government strategy arguably lacked credibility. Our purpose is to examine how the government tried to close this ends means gap and how, having failed to do that, its ‘discursive strategy’ legitimised its approach. We argue the resources for the government’s discursive strategy on Syria can be found in the earlier articulation of ‘liberal conservatism’. A policy that from an ideal-liberal or ideal-conservative position might have been criticised as half-baked was maintained by a strategy that gave consideration to, but did not completely follow through on, either archetype. Drawing on an analysis of 2,152 sources and supplemented by elite interviews, we illustrate how this strategy managed the interplay of two basic discourses: a liberal insistence that the UK should support ‘the Arab Spring’ and a conservative insistence that military intervention was imprudent because ‘Syria was not Libya’.
Validating the Power of Bilingual Schooling: Thirty-Two Years of Large-Scale, Longitudinal Research
Authors: Collier Virginia P. , Thomas Wayne P. 
Published: May 2017

ABSTRACTThis chapter summarizes the findings of 32 years of research from all of our longitudinal studies to date, conducted in 36 school districts in 16 U.S. states, more than 7.5 million student records analyzed, following English learners (of all language backgrounds) as far as Grades K–12. These studies are very generalizable to all regions and contexts of the United States and have been replicated in other countries, answering questions regarding program effectiveness for policymakers in education. We have shown that English-only and transitional bilingual programs of short duration only close about half of the achievement gap between English learners and native English speakers, while high-quality, long-term bilingual programs close all of the gap after 5–6 years of schooling through the students’ first and second languages (L1 and L2). In addition, our studies answer the linguistic question of how long it takes student groups to reach grade-level achievement in their L2, and we have developed and refined our theoretical Prism model by collecting and analyzing program effectiveness data, basing the Prism model on our empirical findings.
Review of Child Second Language Acquisition (SLA): Examining Theories and Research
Authors: Oliver Rhonda , Azkarai Agurtzane 
Published: May 2017

ABSTRACTWithin the field of second language acquisition (SLA), there has been much less research undertaken with children than with adults, yet the two cohorts are quite distinct in characteristics and in their learning processes. This article provides a review of child SLA research, particularly the research with a pedagogical focus. We describe a series of studies, including those informed by different theoretical perspectives (interactionist and sociocultural), in different instructional settings (i.e., second language, foreign language, immersion, and content and language integrated learning [CLIL] contexts) and using different research methodologies (longitudinal, case study, experimental, and naturalistic). We begin by highlighting the importance of age as a factor in SLA research, presenting studies that have focused on the differences existing between younger and older learners. We also consider interventions that can support language learning—including form-focused instruction and the use of tasks. We finish by presenting a proposed change in the way that research with children is conducted.
The first study on opportunistic intestinal microsporidiosis in IBD patients receiving immunosuppressive medications in Iran
Authors: HASANI Z. , AGHDAEI H. ASADZADEH , BALAII H. , AZIMIRAD M. , MIRSAMADI E. S. , MIRJALALI H. , ZALI M.R. 
Published: May 2017

SUMMARYMicrosporida are known as opportunistic unicellular organisms and have recently been reclassified as fungi that have been frequently reported from patients with congenital and acquired immunity failure disorders, worldwide. However, use of immunosuppressive medications in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients significantly decreases overall immunity, and increases their susceptibility to opportunistic infections. Totally, 71 stool samples were collected from IBD patients consisted of 69 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients and two Crohn's disease (CD) patients. All patients had taken immunosuppressive and/or immunomodulator drugs for at least 3 weeks. DNA was extracted from all stool samples and Nested PCR was performed using genus-specific primers based on small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene. Fisher's Exact Test was applied to evaluate statistical association between microsporidia infection and sex, age and types of IBD. Mean of age ± s.d., women and men percentage of the attended patients were 36·17 ± 11·93, 60·6%, and 39·4%, respectively. A 440-bp fragment of SSU rRNA gene attributed to Enterocytozoon bieneusi was amplified from 12·7% of IBD patients. No Encephalitozoon DNA was detected in the samples. No microsporidia-positive sample was found in CD patients. Fisher's Exact Test showed that there was no statistically significant correlation between intestinal microsporidiosis and age, sex, and IBD types with P values: 0·389, 1·00, and 1·00, respectively. This study has shown IBD patients undergoing immunosuppressive/immunomodulators medications, which may be susceptible to intestinal microsporida infection. E. bieneusi is the commonest intestinal microsporidan reported from IBD patients.
Evidence and molecular characterization ofBartonellaspp. and hemoplasmas in neotropical bats in Brazil
Authors: IKEDA P. , SEKI M. C. , CARRASCO A. O. T. , RUDIAK L. V. , MIRANDA J. M. D. , GONÇALVES S. M. M. , HOPPE E. G. L. , ALBUQUERQUE A. C. A. , TEIXEIRA M. M. G. , PASSOS C. E. , WERTHER K. , MACHADO R. Z. , ANDRÉ M. R. 
Published: May 2017

SUMMARYThe order Chiroptera is considered the second largest group of mammals in the world, hosting important zoonotic virus and bacteria.Bartonellaand hemotropic mycoplasmas are bacteria that parasite different mammals’ species, including humans, causing different clinical manifestations. The present work aimed investigating the occurrence and assessing the phylogenetic positioning ofBartonellaspp. andMycoplasmaspp. in neotropical bats sampled from Brazil. Between December 2015 and April 2016, 325 blood and/or tissues samples were collected from 162 bats comprising 19 different species sampled in five states of Brazil. Out of 322 bat samples collected, while 17 (5·28%) were positive to quantitative PCR forBartonellaspp. based onnuoGgene, 45 samples (13·97%) were positive to cPCR assays for hemoplasmas based on 16S rRNA gene. While seven sequences were obtained forBartonella(nuoG) (n= 3),gltA(n= 2),rpoB(n= 1),ftsZ(n= 1), five 16S rRNA sequences were obtained for hemoplasmas. In the phylogenetic analysis, theBartonellasequences clustered withBartonellagenotypes detected in bats sampled in Latin America countries. All five hemoplasmas sequences clustered together as a monophyletic group by Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference analyses. The present work showed the first evidence of circulation ofBartonellaspp. and hemoplasmas among bats in Brazil.
Comparison of two-dimensional and three-dimensional echocardiographic strain in children with CHD
Authors: Wisotzkey Bethany L. , Soriano Brian D. , Buddhe Sujatha 
Published: May 2017

AbstractBackgroundIn CHD, three-dimensional strain analysis may overcome limitations of Doppler and two-dimensional strain of the left ventricle. The aims of this study were to evaluate feasibility and reproducibility of three-dimensional longitudinal, circumferential, and radial systolic strain by three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography compared with two-dimensional echocardiography.MethodsPatients with CHD, biventricular circulation with a systemic left ventricle, and who had two- and three-dimensional imaging performed on the same day from 2010 to 2014 were included. Quantitative two- and three-dimensional strain analyses were performed (two-dimensional cardiac performance analysis version 1.2 and four-dimensional left ventricular analysis version 3.1). Intra- and inter-observer variabilities were calculated on 25 studies.ResultsA total of 30 patients, including 19 (61%) males, with a median age of 3.6 years (0.1–22 years) were included. The mean fractional shortening was 34.6±5.3%, and the mean ejection fraction was 62.0±6.4%. Measurement of two- and three-dimensional strain was feasible in >95% of segments. Good correlation was observed between longitudinal and circumferential strain (r=0.92, p⩽0.001 and r=0.87, p⩽0.001), but not radial strain (r=0.29, p=0.2). Intra- and inter-observer agreements were better for three-dimensional compared with two-dimensional strain, and better for both two- and three-dimensional longitudinal and circumferential strains compared with radial strain.ConclusionLeft ventricular three-dimensional strain analysis is feasible in children with CHD. The reproducibility of longitudinal and circumferential strain by three-dimensional analyses is better. Further longitudinal studies are warranted for the potential clinical application of this new technology.
Insecure attachment predicts depression and death anxiety in advanced cancer patients
Authors: Scheffold Katharina , Philipp Rebecca , Koranyi Susan , Engelmann Dorit , Schulz-Kindermann Frank , Härter Martin , Mehnert Anja 
Published: May 2017

ABSTRACTObjective:The prevalence of depression as well as adjustment and anxiety disorders is high in advanced cancer patients, and research exploring intraindividual factors leading to high psychological distress is underrepresented. Cancer patients' feelings about security and trust in their healthcare providers have a significant influence on how they deal with their disease. The perception of social support is affected by patients' attachment styles and influences their reactions to feelings of dependency and loss of control. We therefore aimed to explore attachment and its association with psychological distress in patients with advanced cancer.Method:We obtained data from the baseline measurements of a randomized controlled trial in advanced cancer patients. Patients were sampled from the university medical centers of Hamburg and Leipzig, Germany. The main outcome measures included the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Death and Dying Distress Scale, the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale, and the Experience in Close Relationships Scale for assessing attachment insecurity.Results:A total of 162 patients were included. We found that 64% of patients were insecurely attached (fearful-avoidant 31%, dismissing 17%, and preoccupied 16%). A dismissing attachment style was associated with more physical symptoms but did not predict psychological distress. A fearful-avoidant attachment style significantly predicted higher death anxiety and depression, whereas preoccupied attachment predicted higher death anxiety only. Overall, insecure attachment contributed to the prediction of depression (10%) and death anxiety (14%).Significance of results:The concept of attachment plays a relevant role in advanced cancer patients' mental health. Healthcare providers can benefit from knowledge of advanced cancer patients' attachment styles and how they relate to specific mental distress. Developing a better understanding of patients' reactions to feelings of dependency and distressing emotions can help us to develop individually tailored advanced cancer care programs and psychotherapeutic interventions.
Changes in barley (Hordeum vulgareL. subsp.vulgare) genetic diversity and structure in Jordan over a period of 31 years
Authors: Thormann I. , Reeves P. , Thumm S. , Reilley A. , Engels J. M. M. , Biradar C. M. , Lohwasser U. , Börner A. , Pillen K. , Richards C. M. 
Published: May 2017

AbstractIn many regions of the world, the cultivation of landraces is still common, in particular in centres of crop diversity. Significant effort has been put intoex situconservation of landraces but limited data exist on the changes in genetic diversity that occur over time in farmers’ fields. We assessed temporal changes in barley landrace diversity in Jordan using seed samples collected in 1981 and 2012 from the same locations. We did not observe significant changes in the amount of genetic diversity, but samples collected in 2012 were more homogenous and less locally distinct. In two sites, we observed replacement of the old material. We observed a change in phenotype, and phenotypes were found to be more homogeneous among sites in 2012. Climate changed significantly over the study period, becoming hotter and dryer, but we did not identify any correlation between the changes in climate and genetic and phenotypic variations. While the amount of genetic diversity in terms of allelic richness and number of multi-locus genotypes has been maintained, local distinctiveness among landrace barley populations in Jordan was reduced.
Adverse childhood experiences, exposure to a natural disaster and posttraumatic stress disorder among survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami
Authors: Inoue Y. , Stickley A. , Yazawa A. , Aida J. , Kawachi I. , Kondo K. , Fujiwara T. 
Published: May 2017

Aims.To investigate whether adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) modify the impact of exposure to a natural disaster (the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami) on the occurrence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among older people.Methods.Data were collected as part of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES), which is an on-going epidemiological survey investigating social determinants of health among older people across Japan. Information on PTSD symptoms based on the Screening Questionnaire for Disaster Mental Health, traumatic exposure to the earthquake (i.e., house damage and loss of relatives/friends during the earthquake/tsunami) and ACEs was obtained from 580 participants aged 65 or older living in Iwanuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, which suffered severe damage as a result of the earthquake and the subsequent tsunami in March 2011. Associations were examined using Poisson regression analysis with a robust variance estimator after adjusting for covariates.Results.The prevalence of PTSD was 9.7% in this population; compared to those with no traumatic experience, the prevalence of PTSD was approximately two times higher among those who experienced the loss of close friends/relatives (PR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.11–3.03,p= 0.018), or whose house was damaged (PR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.07–4.34,p= 0.032). ACE was not significantly associated with PTSD. Stratified analyses by the presence of ACE showed that damage due to the earthquake/tsunami was associated with PTSD only among those without ACEs; more specifically, among non-ACE respondents the PR of PTSD associated with house damage was 6.67 (95% CI = 1.66–26.80), while for the loss of a relative or a close friend it was 3.56 (95% CI = 1.18–10.75). In contrast, no statistically significant associations were observed among those with ACEs.Conclusion.Following the Great East Japan earthquake/tsunami in 2011 a higher risk of developing PTSD symptoms was observed in 2013 especially among older individuals without ACEs. This suggests that ACEs might affect how individuals respond to subsequent traumatic events later in life.
Observation of the universal magnetoelectric effect in a 3D topological insulator
Authors: Dziom V. , Shuvaev A. , Pimenov A. , Astakhov G. V. , Ames C. , Bendias K. , Böttcher J. , Tkachov G. , Hankiewicz E. M. , Brüne C. , Buhmann H. , Molenkamp L. W. 
Published: May 2017

AbstractThe electrodynamics of topological insulators (TIs) is described by modified Maxwell’s equations, which contain additional terms that couple an electric field to a magnetization and a magnetic field to a polarization of the medium, such that the coupling coefficient is quantized in odd multiples of α/4π per surface. Here we report on the observation of this so-called topological magnetoelectric effect. We use monochromatic terahertz (THz) spectroscopy of TI structures equipped with a semitransparent gate to selectively address surface states. In high external magnetic fields, we observe a universal Faraday rotation angle equal to the fine structure constant α=e2/2"Equation missing"hc (in SI units) when a linearly polarized THz radiation of a certain frequency passes through the two surfaces of a strained HgTe 3D TI. These experiments give insight into axion electrodynamics of TIs and may potentially be used for a metrological definition of the three basic physical constants.
Legionella effector Lpg1137 shuts down ER-mitochondria communication through cleavage of syntaxin 17
Authors: Arasaki Kohei , Mikami Yumi , Shames Stephanie R. , Inoue Hiroki , Wakana Yuichi , Tagaya Mitsuo 
Published: May 2017

AbstractDuring infection of macrophages, the pathogenic bacterium Legionella pneumophila secretes effector proteins that induce the conversion of the plasma membrane-derived vacuole into an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-like replicative vacuole. These ER-like vacuoles are ultimately fused with the ER, where the pathogen replicates. Here we show that the L. pneumophila effector Lpg1137 is a serine protease that targets the mitochondria and their associated membranes. Lpg1137 binds to and cleaves syntaxin 17, a soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) protein that is known to participate in the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics through interaction with the mitochondrial fission factor Drp1 in fed cells and in autophagy through interaction with Atg14L and other SNAREs in starved cells. Cleavage of syntaxin 17 inhibits not only autophagy but also staurosporine-induced apoptosis occurring in a Bax, Drp1-dependent manner. Thus, L. pneumophila can shut down ER–mitochondria communication through cleavage of syntaxin 17.
The prohibitin-repressive interaction with E2F1 is rapidly inhibited by androgen signalling in prostate cancer cells
Authors: Koushyar S , Economides G , Zaat S , Jiang W , Bevan C L , Dart D A 
Published: May 2017

AbstractProhibitin (PHB) is a tumour suppressor molecule with pleiotropic activities across several cellular compartments including mitochondria, cell membrane and the nucleus. PHB and the steroid-activated androgen receptor (AR) have an interplay where AR downregulates PHB, and PHB represses AR. Additionally, their cellular locations and chromatin interactions are in dynamic opposition. We investigated the mechanisms of cell cycle inhibition by PHB and how this is modulated by AR in prostate cancer. Using a prostate cancer cell line overexpressing PHB, we analysed the gene expression changes associated with PHB-mediated cell cycle arrest. Over 1000 gene expression changes were found to be significant and gene ontology analysis confirmed PHB-mediated repression of genes essential for DNA replication and synthesis, for example, MCMs and TK1, via an E2F1 regulated pathway—agreeing with its G1/S cell cycle arrest activity. PHB is known to inhibit E2F1-mediated transcription, and the PHB:E2F1 interaction was seen in LNCaP nuclear extracts, which was then reduced by androgen treatment. Upon two-dimensional western blot analysis, the PHB protein itself showed androgen-mediated charge differentiation (only in AR-positive cells), indicating a potential dephosphorylation event. Kinexus phosphoprotein array analysis indicated that Src kinase was the main interacting intracellular signalling hub in androgen-treated LNCaP cells, and that Src inhibition could reduce this AR-mediated charge differentiation. PHB charge change may be associated with rapid dissociation from chromatin and E2F1, allowing the cell cycle to proceed. The AR and androgens may deactivate the repressive functions of PHB upon E2F1 leading to cell cycle progression, and indicates a role for AR in DNA replication licensing.