bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Older people as assets in disaster preparedness, response and recovery: lessons from regional Australia
Authors: HOWARD AMANDA , BLAKEMORE TAMARA , BEVIS MIRIAM 
Published: December 2015

ABSTRACTThis article reports on findings from a qualitative research study on natural disaster preparedness in ‘at risk’ population groups in regional Australia, and in particular on findings highlighting the key, and often unrecognised, role played by many older people in developing and maintaining local informal networks, activated repeatedly before, during and after natural disasters. The article outlines major themes in recent literature on community resilience and social capital in disaster preparedness, response and recovery, the design and implementation of the current study in which, 17 focus groups were held with ‘at risk’ groups across three communities and findings in relation to the role of older people. The implications from these findings are discussed in the context of community-based disaster preparedness strategies. Findings point to older people as critical, community assets in local neighbourhoods, contributing both their experience and relationship-building capacity to prepare themselves for natural disasters. In addition, there was clear evidence of older people sharing resources and experience in support of others of all ages in responding to and recovering from natural disasters. Older people in the research were found both to generate and mobilise social capital at a local level in disaster preparedness, response and recovery.
Barriers to the retention of older participants in political organisations: evidence from Spain
Authors: SERRAT RODRIGO , PETRIWSKYJ ANDREA , VILLAR FELICIANO , WARBURTON JENI 
Published: December 2015

ABSTRACTIt has been argued that older people's civic engagement has benefits for both individuals themselves and the community more broadly. Removing barriers to participation is, therefore, essential. However, the multi-dimensional nature of civic participation, as well as the different issues raised by recruitment and retention, complicate this. This study explores the barriers to retention of Spanish older people in political organisations, as one important type of participation that has received little attention in the literature to date. A total of 192 people aged 65 and over and actively engaged in three kinds of political organisation participated in this study. Participants answered an open-ended question regarding perceived barriers to continued involvement. Results show a range of reasons for potential future disengagement from political organisations. These barriers fit into three overarching categories related to changes in means, motives or the opportunity context for participation. Means-related barriers were by far the most frequently identified type of barrier. Both the type of organisation and some socio-demographic and participatory characteristics have an impact on the reasons respondents indicated they may potentially stop participating in future. Results suggest the necessity of a more nuanced and multi-faceted approach to understanding barriers to participation. Particularly, the development of retention strategies by political organisations should take into account the specific characteristics of the individuals and organisations they are targeting.
Drought and salinity alter endogenous hormonal profiles at the seed germination phase
Authors: Llanes Analía , Andrade Andrea , Masciarelli Oscar , Alemano Sergio , Luna Virginia 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe most critical phase in plant life is seed germination, which is influenced by environmental factors. Drought and salinity are key environmental factors that affect seed germination. Reduction or alterations of germination when seeds are exposed to these factors have been shown to be due to either the adverse effects of water limitation and/or specific ion toxicity on metabolism. Phytohormones are chemical messengers produced within the plant that control its growth and development in response to environmental cues; small fluctuations of phytohormone levels alter the cellular dynamics and, hence, play a central role in regulating plant growth responses to these environmental factors. To integrate current knowledge, the present review focuses on the involvement of endogenous phytohormones in plant adaptative responses to drought and salinity at one of the plant's developmental phases.
Assessment of genetic diversity within and among sage (Salvia) species using SRAP markers
Authors: Aghaei Zahra , Talebi Majid , Rahimmalek Mehdi 
Published: December 2015

Salvia (sage) is the most important and largest genus of the Lamiaceae family. High similarities among species in this genus lead to difficulty in its systematic identification. Despite its economic importance, limited molecular studies have been conducted to evaluate the genetic diversity among and within Salvia species. In this study, SRAP (sequence-related amplified polymorphism) markers, which targeted ORFs (open reading frames) as functional regions in the genome, were used to detect the genetic diversity of five Salvia species (S. virgata Jacq., S. nemorosa L., S. officinalis L., S. cereal L. and S. sclarea L.). Fourteen primer combinations (PCs) were amplified by 265 fragments on 54 genotypes, in which 255 (96%) were polymorphic. The average polymorphism information content (PIC) value was 0.308 over all PCs. The genetic distance among species ranged from 0.126 (between S. virgata Jacq. and S. nemorosa L.) to 0.568 (between S. nemorosa L. and S. sclarea L.). Based on Jaccard's similarity coefficient and UPGMA algorithm, cluster analysis separated different species (r= 0.920). The results showed high genetic differentiation (Fst= 0.337) and negligible gene flow (Nm= 0.750) among species. Owing to the high genetic variation among and within Salvia species, it serves as a rich source of germplasm with potential for use in breeding programmes.
Stable kinetochore–microtubule attachment is sufficient to silence the spindle assembly checkpoint in human cells
Authors: Tauchman Eric C. , Boehm Frederick J. , DeLuca Jennifer G. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractDuring mitosis, duplicated sister chromatids attach to microtubules emanating from opposing sides of the bipolar spindle through large protein complexes called kinetochores. In the absence of stable kinetochore–microtubule attachments, a cell surveillance mechanism known as the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) produces an inhibitory signal that prevents anaphase onset. Precisely how the inhibitory SAC signal is extinguished in response to microtubule attachment remains unresolved. To address this, we induced formation of hyper-stable kinetochore–microtubule attachments in human cells using a non-phosphorylatable version of the protein Hec1, a core component of the attachment machinery. We find that stable attachments are sufficient to silence the SAC in the absence of sister kinetochore bi-orientation and strikingly in the absence of detectable microtubule pulling forces or tension. Furthermore, we find that SAC satisfaction occurs despite the absence of large changes in intra-kinetochore distance, suggesting that substantial kinetochore stretching is not required for quenching the SAC signal.
Past experience shapes ongoing neural patterns for language
Authors: Pierce Lara J. , Chen Jen-Kai , Delcenserie Audrey , Genesee Fred , Klein Denise 
Published: December 2015

AbstractEarly experiences may establish a foundation for later learning, however, influences of early language experience on later neural processing are unknown. We investigated whether maintenance of neural templates from early language experience influences subsequent language processing. Using fMRI, we scanned the following three groups performing a French phonological working memory (PWM) task: (1) monolingual French children; (2) children adopted from China before age 3 who discontinued Chinese and spoke only French; (3) Chinese-speaking children who learned French as a second language but maintained Chinese. Although all groups perform this task equally well, brain activation differs. French monolinguals activate typical PWM brain regions, while both Chinese-exposed groups also activate regions implicated in cognitive control, even the adoptees who were monolingual French speakers at testing. Early exposure to a language, and/or delayed exposure to a subsequent language, continues to influence the neural processing of subsequently learned language sounds years later even in highly proficient, early-exposed users.
Kinetochore–microtubule attachment is sufficient to satisfy the human spindle assembly checkpoint
Authors: Etemad Banafsheh , Kuijt Timo E. F. , Kops Geert J. P. L. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) is a genome surveillance mechanism that protects against aneuploidization. Despite profound progress on understanding mechanisms of its activation, it remains unknown what aspect of chromosome–spindle interactions is monitored by the SAC: kinetochore–microtubule attachment or the force generated by dynamic microtubules that signals stable biorientation of chromosomes? To answer this, we uncoupled these two processes by expressing a non-phosphorylatable version of the main microtubule-binding protein at kinetochores (HEC1-9A), causing stabilization of incorrect kinetochore–microtubule attachments despite persistent activity of the error-correction machinery. The SAC is fully functional in HEC1-9A-expressing cells, yet cells in which chromosomes cannot biorient but are stably attached to microtubules satisfy the SAC and exit mitosis. SAC satisfaction requires neither intra-kinetochore stretching nor dynamic microtubules. Our findings support the hypothesis that in human cells the end-on interactions of microtubules with kinetochores are sufficient to satisfy the SAC without the need for microtubule-based pulling forces.
Molecular mechanisms of Tetranychus urticae chemical adaptation in hop fields
Authors: Piraneo Tara G. , Bull Jon , Morales Mariany A. , Lavine Laura C. , Walsh Douglas B. , Zhu Fang 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe two-spotted spider mite,Tetranychus urticaeKoch is a major pest that feeds on >1,100 plant species. Many perennial crops including hop (Humulus lupulus) are routinely plagued byT. urticaeinfestations. Hop is a specialty crop in Pacific Northwest states, where 99% of all U.S. hops are produced. To suppressT. urticae, growers often apply various acaricides. UnfortunatelyT. urticaehas been documented to quickly develop resistance to these acaricides which directly cause control failures. Here, we investigated resistance ratios and distribution of multiple resistance-associated mutations in field collectedT. urticaesamples compared with a susceptible population. Our research revealed that a mutation in the cytochrome b gene (G126S) in 35% testedT. urticaepopulations and a mutation in the voltage-gated sodium channel gene (F1538I) in 66.7% populations may contribute resistance to bifenazate and bifenthrin, respectively. No mutations were detected in Glutamate-gated chloride channel subunits tested, suggesting target site insensitivity may not be important in our hopT. urticaeresistance to abamectin. However, P450-mediated detoxification was observed and is a putative mechanism for abamectin resistance. Molecular mechanisms ofT. urticaechemical adaptation in hopyards is imperative new information that will help growers develop effective and sustainable management strategies.
The reconstruction of complex networks with community structure
Authors: Zhang Peng , Wang Futian , Wang Xiang , Zeng An , Xiao Jinghua 
Published: December 2015

AbstractLink prediction is a fundamental problem with applications in many fields ranging from biology to computer science. In the literature, most effort has been devoted to estimate the likelihood of the existence of a link between two nodes, based on observed links and nodes’ attributes in a network. In this paper, we apply several representative link prediction methods to reconstruct the network, namely to add the missing links with high likelihood of existence back to the network. We find that all these existing methods fail to identify the links connecting different communities, resulting in a poor reproduction of the topological and dynamical properties of the true network. To solve this problem, we propose a community-based link prediction method. We find that our method has high prediction accuracy and is very effective in reconstructing the inter-community links.
Neurodegenerative disease-associated mutants of a human mitochondrial aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase present individual molecular signatures
Authors: Sauter Claude , Lorber Bernard , Gaudry Agnès , Karim Loukmane , Schwenzer Hagen , Wien Frank , Roblin Pierre , Florentz Catherine , Sissler Marie 
Published: December 2015

AbstractMutations in human mitochondrial aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are associated with a variety of neurodegenerative disorders. The effects of these mutations on the structure and function of the enzymes remain to be established. Here, we investigate six mutants of the aspartyl-tRNA synthetase correlated with leukoencephalopathies. Our integrated strategy, combining an ensemble of biochemical and biophysical approaches, reveals that mutants are diversely affected with respect to their solubility in cellular extracts and stability in solution, but not in architecture. Mutations with mild effects on solubility occur in patients as allelic combinations whereas those with strong effects on solubility or on aminoacylation are necessarily associated with a partially functional allele. The fact that all mutations show individual molecular and cellular signatures and affect amino acids only conserved in mammals, points towards an alternative function besides aminoacylation.
Interfacial Engineering of Semiconductor–Superconductor Junctions for High Performance Micro-Coolers
Authors: Gunnarsson D. , Richardson-Bullock J. S. , Prest M. J. , Nguyen H. Q. , Timofeev A. V. , Shah V. A. , Whall T. E. , Parker E. H. C. , Leadley D. R. , Myronov M. , Prunnila M. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe control of electronic and thermal transport through material interfaces is crucial for numerous micro and nanoelectronics applications and quantum devices. Here we report on the engineering of the electro-thermal properties of semiconductor-superconductor (Sm-S) electronic cooler junctions by a nanoscale insulating tunnel barrier introduced between the Sm and S electrodes. Unexpectedly, such an interface barrier does not increase the junction resistance but strongly reduces the detrimental sub-gap leakage current. These features are key to achieving high cooling power tunnel junction refrigerators and we demonstrate unparalleled performance in silicon-based Sm-S electron cooler devices with orders of magnitudes improvement in the cooling power in comparison to previous works. By adapting the junctions in strain-engineered silicon coolers we also demonstrate efficient electron temperature reduction from 300 mK to below 100 mK. Investigations on junctions with different interface quality indicate that the previously unexplained sub-gap leakage current is strongly influenced by the Sm-S interface states. These states often dictate the junction electrical resistance through the well-known Fermi level pinning effect and, therefore, superconductivity could be generally used to probe and optimize metal-semiconductor contact behaviour.
Cardiotrophin-1 is inversely associated with obesity in non-diabetic individuals
Authors: Hung Hao-Chang , Lu Feng-Hwa , Wu Hung-Tsung , Ou Horng-Yih , Yang Yi-Ching , Wu Jin-Shang , Chang Chih-Jen 
Published: December 2015

AbstractCardiotrophin-1 is known to be a key regulator of energy homeostasis, as well as glucose and lipid metabolism in vivo. However, there are inconsistent results of the association between cardiotrophin-1 and obesity in humans, possibly confounded by hyperglycemia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationships among cardiotrophin-1 levels, overweight and obese individuals without diabetes in a Chinese population. The median (inter-quarter range) serum cardiotrophin-1 levels were 447.9 (230.9, 913.9), 350.6 (201.1, 666.5) and 288.1 (162.3, 572.4) pg/ml in non-diabetic subjects who were of normal weight (n = 522), overweight (n = 203) and obese (n = 93), respectively (trend test p < 0.001). Subjects who were overweight and obese had significantly lower cardiotrophin-1 levels than those with normal weight. The multivariate linear regression analyses showed that overweight (beta = −338.718, 95% CI = −552.786 ~ −124.651, p < 0.01), obese (beta = −530.275, 95% CI = −832.967 ~ −227.583, p < 0.01) and smoking (beta = −377.375, 95% CI = −654.353 ~ −100.397, p < 0.01) were negatively related to cardiotrophin-1 after adjusting for age, gender, HOMA-IR, hypertension, total cholesterol, HDL, triglyceride, eGFR, ALT and alcohol drinking. The results of this study provided epidemiological evidence that non-diabetic subjects who were overweight or obesity had significantly lower cardiotrophin-1 concentrations than those with normal weight and both obesity and being overweight were inversely associated with cardiotrophin-1 levels.
The impact of Anastrazole and Letrozole on the metabolic profile in an experimental animal model
Authors: Boutas Ioannis , Pergialiotis Vasilios , Salakos Nicolaos , Agrogiannis George , Konstantopoulos Panagiotis , Korou Laskarina-Maria , Kalampokas Theodoros , Gregoriou Odysseas , Creatsas George , Perrea Despina 
Published: December 2015

AbstractAnastrazole and Letrozole are used as endocrine therapy for breast cancer patients. Previous studies suggested a possible association with metabolic and liver adverse effects. Their results are conflicting. Fifty-five 4-week-old female Wistar rats were allocated in 4 groups 1) ovariectomy control (OC), 2) ovariectomy-Anastrazole (OA) 3) ovariectomy -Letrozole (OL), 4) control. Serum glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-c and LDL-c were measured at baseline, 2 and 4 months. At the end, the animals‘ liver were dissected for pathology. At 4 months, total cholesterol differed among the OC and OL groups (p = 0.15) and the control and OL groups (p = 0.12). LDL-C differed between the control and OC groups (p = 0.015) as well as between the control and OA (p =0 .015) and OL groups (p = 0.002). OC group triglycerides, differed from those of the OL group (p =0 .002) and the control group (p = 0.007). The OA also significantly differed from the OL (p = 0.50). Liver pathology analysis revealed differences among groups with favored mild steatosis and ballooning. Anastrazole and Letrozole seem to negatively influence the lipid profile in our experimental model. This information should be taken in caution by medical oncologists when addressing patients with altered lipid metabolism.
Regional Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy improves the Pathological Response rate for advanced gastric cancer with Short-term Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy
Authors: Wu Zhen-Feng , Cao Qin-Hong , Wu Xiao-Yu , Chen Che , Xu Zhe , Li Wei-Su , Yao Xue-Quan , Liu Fu-Kun 
Published: December 2015

AbstractTo identify clinicopathologic and treatment variables that could predict pathologic tumor response to short-term neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for patients with locally advanced gastric cancer. A retrospective analysis was conducted of 178 patients who underwent short-term NAC with EOX regimen followed by surgery from January 2008 to December 2010. Neoadjuvant treatment response was evaluated using tumor regression grade. Relationships between pathologic tumor response and clinicopathological factors were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. The benefits of regional arterial infusion chemotherapy were investigated separately. The postoperative pathological response rate was 46.1% (82/178) and 4 patients (2.2%) had complete pathological remission. Pathological response was significantly associated with tumor differentiation (P = 0.008), abnormal a-fetoprotein levels (P = 0.01) and administration approach to chemotherapy (intravenous versus regional arterial infusion chemotherapy) (P = 0.018). Most bone marrow toxicities, vomiting, nausea, alopecia and fatigue were acceptable. Grade 3/4 toxicities were not commonly observed. The 3-year overall survival (OS) and recurrence free survival (RFS) were 67.0% and 53.0%, respectively. Regional arterial infusion NAC group had significantly better median RFS (48.0 versus 34.0 months) than the intravenous NAC group (P = 0.049). In conclusion, regional arterial infusion NAC can improve the pathological response rate of advanced gastric cancer treated with EOX regimen.
Large genomic fragment deletion and functional gene cassette knock-in via Cas9 protein mediated genome editing in one-cell rodent embryos
Authors: Wang Liren , Shao Yanjiao , Guan Yuting , Li Liang , Wu Lijuan , Chen Fangrui , Liu Meizhen , Chen Huaqing , Ma Yanlin , Ma Xueyun , Liu Mingyao , Li Dali 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe CRISPR-Cas RNA-guided system has versatile uses in many organisms and allows modification of multiple target sites simultaneously. Generating novel genetically modified mouse and rat models is one valuable application of this system. Through the injection of Cas9 protein instead of mRNA into embryos, we observed fewer off-target effects of Cas9 and increased point mutation knock-in efficiency. Large genomic DNA fragment (up to 95 kb) deletion mice were generated for in vivo study of lncRNAs and gene clusters. Site-specific insertion of a 2.7 kb CreERT2 cassette into the mouse Nfatc1 locus allowed labeling and tracing of hair follicle stem cells. In addition, we combined the Cre-Loxp system with a gene-trap strategy to insert a GFP reporter in the reverse orientation into the rat Lgr5 locus, which was later inverted by Cre-mediated recombination, yielding a conditional knockout/reporter strategy suitable for mosaic mutation analysis.
Tunable Magnetization Dynamics in Interfacially Modified Ni81Fe19/Pt Bilayer Thin Film Microstructures
Authors: Ganguly Arnab , Azzawi Sinan , Saha Susmita , King J. A. , Rowan-Robinson R. M. , Hindmarch A. T. , Sinha Jaivardhan , Atkinson Del , Barman Anjan 
Published: December 2015

AbstractInterface modification for control of ultrafast magnetic properties using low-dose focused ion beam irradiation is demonstrated for bilayers of two technologically important materials: Ni81Fe19 and Pt. Magnetization dynamics were studied using an all-optical time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr microscopy method. Magnetization relaxation, precession, damping and the spatial coherence of magnetization dynamics were studied. Magnetization precession was fitted with a single-mode damped sinusoid to extract the Gilbert damping parameter. A systematic study of the damping parameter and frequency as a function of irradiation dose varying from 0 to 3.3 pC/μm2 shows a complex dependence upon ion beam dose. This is interpreted in terms of both intrinsic effects and extrinsic two-magnon scattering effects resulting from the expansion of the interfacial region and the creation of a compositionally graded alloy. The results suggest a new direction for the control of precessional magnetization dynamics and open the opportunity to optimize high-speed magnetic devices.