bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Perioperative Blood Transfusion is Associated with an Increased Mortality in Older Surgical Patients
Authors: Roque‐Castellano Cristina , Marchena‐Gómez Joaquín , Fariña‐Castro Roberto , Acosta‐Mérida María Asunción , Armas‐Ojeda María Desirée , Sánchez‐Guédez María Isabel 
Published: May 2016

AbstractBackgroundMore surgical interventions are being performed on octogenarian patients. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with operative mortality and to determine if perioperative transfusions could affect mortality outcomes in a nonselected series of octogenarian patients undergoing surgery.MethodsA descriptive cross‐sectional study was performed on a population of 413 consecutive patients over 80 years old, treated surgically, and divided into two groups: transfused and nontransfused patients. The following variables were recorded: sociodemographic characteristics, main diagnoses, surgical procedure and its characteristics, ASA score, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance (NNIS) index, transfusion requirements, the Clavien‐Dindo classification of surgical complications, and operative mortality.ResultsThe mean age of the patients was 84.5 years (SD + 3.6). Transfused (25.2 %) and nontransfused patients had similar characteristics; except for neoplasia (P <0.001), NNIS (P = 0.008), operative mortality (P = 0.004), and complications according to Clavien‐Dindo score (P <0.001). Operative mortality was 20.1 % (83 patients). The predictive variables associated with operative mortality were ASA score (P <0.001), emergency surgery (P <0.001), and blood transfusion (P = 0.004). After adjusting for the variables age, ASA class, NNIS, emergency surgery, and neoplasia, the multivariate analysis showed that the perioperative transfusion in octogenarian patients continued to be significantly associated with operative mortality (P = 0.019; OR 1.97, 95 % CI 1.12–3.47).ConclusionPerioperative transfusion is an independent predictor of postoperative mortality in surgical octogenarian patients.
Process of Pancreas Head as a Risk Factor for Postoperative Pancreatic Fistula in Laparoscopic Gastric Cancer Surgery
Authors: Kobayashi Nao , Shinohara Hisashi , Haruta Shusuke , Ohkura Yu , Mizuno Aya , Ueno Masaki , Udagawa Harushi , Sakai Yoshiharu 
Published: May 2016

AbstractBackgroundPostoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF)—often caused by pancreatic injury during dissection of the peripancreatic lymph nodes—is a serious complication after gastric cancer surgery. We defined protruding pancreatic tissue on the anterior side of the pancreas head as “process of the pancreas head” (PPH) and investigated whether PPH is a predictable risk factor for POPF after laparoscopic gastrectomy.MethodsWe reviewed 255 patients who underwent laparoscopic total or distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer. The perioperative outcomes of 142 patients operated in the study’s early phase were investigated to evaluate the risk factors for POPF. To evaluate whether preoperative identification of PPH by computed tomography (CT) and intraoperative prediction of pancreas head outline could reduce the risk of POPF, the outcomes of 113 patients operated in the late phase were assessed.ResultsOf the 142 early‐phase patients, PPH was identified intraoperatively in 38 patients (26.8 %). A total of 13 patients (9.1 %) developed POPF > grade 2. PPH was identified as a risk factor for POPF (P < 0.01). In early‐phase patients with PPH, the POPF rate was 21.0 %; in the late phase, it decreased to 4.3 %. Further, the POPF rate in early‐phase patients with BMI > 25 and PPH was 42.6 %, decreasing to 0 % in the late‐phase patients.ConclusionsThe presence of PPH is a risk factor for POPF after laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Identifying PPH using preoperative CT images and predicting the shape of the pancreas head during infrapyloric lymph node dissection are valuable in preventing POPF following laparoscopic gastric cancer surgery.
The effect of phenotypic variation on metapopulation persistence
Authors: Gibert Jean P. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractDemographic stochasticity (due to the probabilistic nature of the birth–death process) and demographic heterogeneity (between‐individual differences in demographic parameters) have long been seen as factors affecting extinction risk. While demographic stochasticity can be independent of underlying species traits, demographic heterogeneity may strongly depend on phenotypic variation. However, how phenotypic variation can affect extinction risk is largely unknown. Here, I develop a stochastic metapopulation model that takes into account the effects of demographic stochasticity and phenotypic variation in the traits controlling colonization rates to assess what the effect of phenotypic variation may be on the persistence of the metapopulation. Although phenotypic variation can lead to a decrease in metapopulation persistence under some conditions, it also may lead to an increase in persistence whenever phenotypic mismatch—or the distance between the optimal trait value and the population mean—is large. This mismatch can in turn arise from a variety of ecological and evolutionary reasons, including weak selection or a recent history of invasion. Last, the effect of phenotypic variation has a deterministic component on colonization rates, and a stochastic component on persistence through colonization rates, but both are important to understand the overall effect. These results have important implications for the conservation of threatened species and management practices that may historically have overlooked phenotypic variation as unimportant noise around mean values of interest.
Engineering of an L-arabinose metabolic pathway in Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 for biofuel production
Authors: Xiong Xiaochao , Wang Xi , Chen Shulin 
Published: May 2016

Abstract
The oleaginous bacterium, Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 has attracted considerable attention due to its capability to accumulate significant levels of triacylglycerol as renewable hydrocarbon. To enable the strain to utilize arabinose derived from lignocellulosic biomass, the metabolic pathway of L-arabinose utilization was introduced into R. jostii RHA1 by heterogenous expression of the operon, araBAD from Escherichia coli. The results showed that recombinant bearing araBAD could grow on L-arabinose as the sole carbon source, and additional expression of araFGH encoding the arabinose transporter from E. coli could improve the cell biomass yield from high contents of arabinose. We further increased the content of lipid produced from arabinose in the recombinants from 47.9 to 56.8 % of the cell dry weight (CDW) by overexpression of a gene, atf1 encoding a diglyceride acyltransferase from R. opacus PD630. This work demonstrated the feasibility of producing lipid from arabinose by genetic modification of the rhodococci strain.
ISOMORPHISM ON HYP
Authors: FRIEDMAN SY-DAVID 
Published: May 2016

AbstractWe show that isomorphism is not a complete ${\rm{\Sigma }}_1^1$ equivalence relation even when restricted to the hyperarithmetic reals: If E1 denotes the ${\rm{\Sigma }}_1^1$ (even ${\rm{\Delta }}_1^1$) equivalence relation of [4] then for no Hyp function f do we have xEy iff f(x) is isomorphic to f(y) for all Hyp reals x,y. As a corollary to the proof we provide for each computable limit ordinal α a hyperarithmetic reduction of ${ \equiv _\alpha }$ (elementary-equivalence for sentences of quantifier-rank less than α) on arbitrary countable structures to isomorphism on countable structures of Scott rank at most α.
Elaborating time in space: the structure and function of space–motion metaphors of time
Authors: MOORE KEVIN EZRA 
Published: May 2016

abstractThis paper studies the principles according to which spatial and motion concepts metaphorically structure temporal concepts in some languages. There are two types of space–motion metaphor of time, distinguished by whether or not the metaphor is structured by a person’s perspective. “Christmas isapproaching” and “We areapproachingChristmas” are perspectival. “New Year’sfollowsChristmas” is not. This contrast in deixis and frame of reference is linguistically relevant whether the contrast has to do with imagination or external reality. Study of experiential motivations and analysis into primary metaphors helps reveal the particular ways spatial and motion concepts function in each type of metaphor. One focus is accounting for the contrasting temporal meanings that words forin-frontandbehindcan have. For example, “Aheadof us” islaterthan Now, while “aheadof Christmas” isearlierthan Christmas. We find that the temporal ‘directions’ expressed in the contrasting frames of reference are not opposites. Rather, they are motivated by different kinds of temporal experience. This project investigates the fundamental spatial relations that structure temporal concepts; for example co-location vs. separation. But since motion involves time, purely spatial structure is limited. Conceptual blending analysis reveals that the source and target frames of the perspectival metaphors share an aspectual – i.e., temporal – generic structure. Thus a dichotomy between ‘space’ and ‘time’ is of limited utility in describing space–motion metaphors of time. Instead, the analysis has to deal with the specific spatial and temporal concepts that function in each metaphor.
Spatial memory impairment in Morris water maze after electroconvulsive seizures
Authors: Svensson Maria , Hallin Thord , Broms Jonas , Ekstrand Joakim , Tingström Anders 
Published: May 2016

ObjectiveElectroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the most efficient treatments for severe major depression, but some patients suffer from retrograde memory loss after treatment. Electroconvulsive seizures (ECS), an animal model of ECT, have repeatedly been shown to increase hippocampal neurogenesis, and multiple ECS treatments cause retrograde amnesia in hippocampus-dependent memory tasks. Since recent studies propose that addition of newborn hippocampal neurons might degrade existing memories, we investigated whether the memory impairment after multiple ECS treatments is a cumulative effect of repeated treatments, or if it is the result of a delayed effect after a single ECS.MethodsWe used the hippocampus-dependent memory task Morris water maze (MWM) to evaluate spatial memory. Rats were exposed to an 8-day training paradigm before receiving either a single ECS or sham treatment and tested in the MWM 24 h, 72 h, or 7 days after this treatment, or multiple (four) ECS or sham treatments and tested 7 days after the first treatment.ResultsA single ECS treatment was not sufficient to cause retrograde amnesia whereas multiple ECS treatments strongly disrupted spatial memory in the MWM.ConclusionThe retrograde amnesia after multiple ECS is a cumulative effect of repeated treatments rather than a delayed effect after a single ECS.
CORRUPTION, TRANSPARENCY, AND REPUTATION: THE ROLE OF PUBLICITY IN REGULATING POLITICAL DONATIONS
Authors: Rowbottom Jacob 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThis article looks at the public disclosure of political donations as a case study to examine the role of transparency in addressing concerns about undue influence and corruption. The article will explore three issues. The first is to understand what it means to say that a political donation is corrupt. There is considerable disagreement on the ethics of political fundraising and this article will show how public opinion has a role in setting the standards expected of politicians. The second issue is what role the public disclosure of political donations plays in deterring and detecting corruption. While the disclosure requirements were introduced to promote greater trust in politics, it will be argued that increases in transparency have fed a growing culture of mistrust. The logic of the transparency requirements also requires the free public discussion of particular political donations and related ethical issues. The third issue is how that process of free discussion can come into tension with rights to privacy and reputation. The article will explore how the attempts to reconcile the different areas of law both reflect and shape the political culture.
SIXTY YEARS OF BREEDING IN CAMEROON IMPROVED FIBRE BUT NOT SEED COTTON YIELD
Authors: LOISON ROMAIN , AUDEBERT ALAIN , CHOPART JEAN-LOUIS , DEBAEKE PHILIPPE , DESSAUW DOMINIQUE , GOURLOT JEAN-PAUL , GOZÉ ERIC , JEAN JANINE , GÉRARDEAUX EDWARD 
Published: May 2016

SUMMARYSeed cotton yield in Northern Cameroon has been declining since the 80s despite breeding efforts. In order to evaluate the impact of genetic improvement on this decline, we conducted field experiments in two locations with 10 widely grown cotton cultivars released in Cameroon between 1950 and 2009. The rate of genetic gain (GG) was estimated with a linear regression of the cultivar mean on its year of release (YR). Contrasts between rates of GG observed with different planting dates were estimated and tested. Our results revealed a rate of GG on fibre yield of 3.3 kg ha−1year−1due to increased ginning out-turn (3.9% and 6.2% in 60 years in Garoua and Maroua, respectively). There was no GG on leaf area index (LAI), radiation use efficiency (RUE), aerial biomass, harvest index and on seed cotton yield. We concluded that cotton breeding efforts in Cameroon have successfully improved cotton fibre yield but there is still some room for seed cotton yield improvement.
The extensive geographical range of several species ofTeloschistaceae: evidence from Russia
Authors: VONDRÁK Jan , FROLOV Ivan , DAVYDOV Evgeny A. , URBANAVICHENE Irina , CHESNOKOV Sergey , ZHDANOV Ilya , MUCHNIK Evgenia , KONOREVA Ludmila , HIMELBRANT Dimitry , TCHABANENKO Svetlana 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThe current view of the geographical ranges of lichens is often distorted by overly narrow or overly broad applications of names and by insufficient survey of most regions of the world. Here we present several cases where species ofTeloschistaceaeformerly thought to be limited to rather small territories in the western or eastern parts of Eurasia are in fact widespread in northern Eurasia. We support our findings with ITS nrDNA data in several new trees showing relationships in the generaAthallia,Calogaya,Caloplaca,FlavoplacaandGyalolechia. The widespread species have little in common, except that most of them reproduce both sexually and asexually, and we discuss the possible influence of the combined reproduction on geographical range.Calogaya bryochrysion,Calogaya saxicola,Gyalolechia epiphytaandGyalolechia ussuriensisare new combinations.Calogaya alaskensisis a younger synonym forC. bryochrysion. The generally arctic-alpineCalogaya bryochrysionalso occurs on the bark of solitary trees in dry parts of the Altai Mountains. The AustralianFlavoplaca cranfieldiiis a younger synonym ofF. flavocitrina.Gyalolechia epiphytahas been described numerous times, from different regions and substrata, asCaloplaca juniperi,C. laricina,C. tarani,Gyalolechia arizonicaandG. juniperina. The nameGyalolechia xanthostigmoideahas recently been used forG. epiphyta, but it represents a distinct taxon.Gyalolechia ussuriensisis closely related to and morphologically indistinguishable fromG. persimilis, but they have a different ecology and distribution and we regard them as distinct species.Caloplaca juniperinaTomin is lectotypified.
On deformation spaces of nonuniform hyperbolic lattices
Authors: KIM SUNGWOON , KIM INKANG 
Published: May 2016

AbstractLet Γ be a nonuniform lattice acting on the real hyperbolicn-space. We show that in dimension greater than or equal to 4, the volume of a representation is constant on each connected component of the representation variety of Γ in SO(n, 1). Furthermore, in dimensions 2 and 3, there is a semialgebraic subset of the representation variety such that the volume of a representation is constant on connected components of the semialgebraic subset. Combining our approach with the main result of [2] gives a new proof of the local rigidity theorem for nonuniform hyperbolic lattices and the analogue of Soma's theorem, which shows that the number of orientable hyperbolic manifolds dominated by a closed, connected, orientable 3-manifold is finite, for noncompact 3-manifolds.
Modification of membrane cholesterol and its impact on frozen–thawed chicken sperm characteristics
Authors: Partyka Agnieszka , Bonarska-Kujawa Dorota , Sporniak Marta , Strojecki Maciej , Niżański Wojciech 
Published: May 2016

SummaryThis study was conducted to determine the changes in chicken sperm plasma membranes fluidity and polarity as lipid packing arrangement induced by cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrin (CLC) and 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HBCD) and how sperm cryopreservation outcomes are improved by these changes. Treatment with 2 mg HBCD supported the highest (P< 0.01) percentage of viable spermatozoa compared with the control and CLCs groups after cryopreservation. The percentage of post-thaw progressive and rapid sperm motility was highest in 2 mg HBCD (P< 0.01). After thawing, sperm treated with 1 or 2 mg CLC showed the highest anisotropy at 5, 21, 25 and 40°C (P< 0.01). At 25°C, the lowest anisotropy was observed in the thawed semen from the control group. The highest value (P< 0.01) of generalized polarization (GP) (0.5) at 5°C was observed in the 1 mg CLC treated sample. After 2 h of incubation, the highest percentage of viable spermatozoa was observed in the HBCD group in relation to the other treatments (P< 0.01). Exposure to 1 mg or 2 mg of CLC significantly decreased the percentage of live spermatozoa after thawing (P< 0.01). In conclusion, HBCD appears to play a role in the modification of sperm membranes, increasing their fluidity and preventing them against membrane phase transition to gel, thus minimizing freezing-thaw sperm damage. HBCD treatment enhances chicken sperm viability and motility after cryopreservation and subsequent storage. This novel procedure may be useful for improving the technology for cryopreservation of fowl spermatozoa.
Loss of Bmal1 decreases oocyte fertilization, early embryo development and implantation potential in female mice
Authors: Xu Jian , Li Yan , Wang Yizi , Xu Yanwen , Zhou Canquan 
Published: May 2016

SummaryBiological clock genes expressed in reproductive tissues play important roles in maintaining the normal functions of reproductive system. However, disruption of female circadian rhythm on oocyte fertilization, preimplantation embryo development and blastocyst implantation potential is still unclear. In this study, ovulation, in vivo and in vitro oocyte fertilization, embryo development, implantation and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in ovary and oviduct were studied in female Bmal1+/+ and Bmal1−/− mice. The number of naturally ovulated oocyte in Bmal1−/− mice decreased (5.2 ± 0.8 vs 7.8 ± 0.8, P < 0.001), with an increasing abnormal oocyte ratio (20.4 ± 3.5 vs 11.7 ± 2.0%, P = 0.001) after superovulation. Significantly lower fertilization rate and obtained blastocyst number were observed in Bmal1−/− female mice either mated with wild-type in vivo or fertilized by sperm from wild-type male mice in vitro (all P < 0.05). Interestingly, in vitro fertilization rate of oocytes derived from Bmal1−/− increased significantly compared with in vivo study (P < 0.01). After transferring blastocysts derived from Bmal1+/+ and Bmal1−/− female mice to pseudopregnant mice, the implantation sites of the latter decreased 5 days later (8.0 ± 0.8 vs 5.3 ± 1.0, P = 0.005). The intracellular ROS levels in the ovary on proestrus day and in the oviduct on metestrus day increased significantly in Bmal1−/− mice compared with that of Bmal1+/+ mice. Deletion of the core biological clock gene Bmal1 significantly decreases oocyte fertilization rate, early embryo development and implantation potential in female mice, and these may be possibly caused by excess ROS levels generated in ovary and oviduct.
Clinical utility of the list sign as a predictor of non-demyelinating disorders in a multiple sclerosis (MS) practice
Authors: Anbarasan Deepti , Campion Gabriel , Campion Paul , Howard Jonathan 
Published: May 2016

ObjectivesNot all patients referred for evaluation of multiple sclerosis (MS) meet criteria required for MS or related entities. Identification of markers to exclude demyelinating disease may help detect patients whose presenting symptoms are inconsistent with MS. In this study, we evaluate whether patients who present a self-prepared list of symptoms during an initial visit are less likely to have demyelinating disease and whether this action, which we term the “list sign,” may help exclude demyelinating disease.MethodsUsing chart review, 300 consecutive new patients who presented for evaluation to a neurologist at a tertiary MS referral center were identified retrospectively. Patients were defined as having demyelinating disease if diagnosed with MS or a related demyelinating condition.ResultsOf the 233 enrolled subjects, 157 were diagnosed with demyelinating disease and 74 did not meet criteria for demyelinating disease. Fifteen (8.4%) subjects had a positive list sign, of which 1 patient had demyelinating disease. The 15 subjects described a mean of 12.07 symptoms, and 8 of these patients met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria for somatic symptom disorder. The specificity and positive predictive value of the list sign for non-demyelinating disease were 0.99 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.96–0.99) and 0.93 (95% CI 0.66–0.99), respectively.ConclusionA positive list sign may be useful to exclude demyelinating disease and to guide diagnostic evaluations for other conditions. Patients with a positive list sign also have a high incidence of somatic symptom disorder.
The Edinburgh Biruni Manuscript: a mirror of its time?
Authors: HILLENBRAND ROBERT 
Published: May 2016

AbstractTheChronology of Ancient Nationsmirrors both al-Biruni the polymath and Mongol Iran in its wide calendrical, geographical and historical horizons. The pictorial programme highlights multi-ethnicity, Iranian national sentiment and religion: orthodox and heretical Islam, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism and Christianity (Annunciation and Baptism).1
The Effect of Electron Beam Irradiation in Environmental Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy of Whole Cells in Liquid
Authors: Hermannsdörfer Justus , Tinnemann Verena , Peckys Diana B. , de Jonge Niels 
Published: May 2016

AbstractWhole cells can be studied in their native liquid environment using electron microscopy, and unique information about the locations and stoichiometry of individual membrane proteins can be obtained from many cells thus taking cell heterogeneity into account. Of key importance for the further development of this microscopy technology is knowledge about the effect of electron beam radiation on the samples under investigation. We used environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) detection to examine the effect of radiation for whole fixed COS7 fibroblasts in liquid. The main observation was the localization of nanoparticle labels attached to epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs). It was found that the relative distances between the labels remained mostly unchanged (<1.5%) for electron doses ranging from the undamaged native state at 10 e−/Å2 toward 103 e−/Å2. This dose range was sufficient to determine the EGFR locations with nanometer resolution and to distinguish between monomers and dimers. Various different forms of radiation damage became visible at higher doses, including severe dislocation, and the dissolution of labels.