bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Embodied Conceivability: How to Keep the Phenomenal Concept Strategy Grounded
Authors: Dove Guy , Elpidorou Andreas 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe Phenomenal Concept Strategy (PCS) offers the physicalist perhaps the most promising means of explaining why the connection between mental facts and physical facts appears to be contingent even though it is not. In this article, we show that the large body of evidence suggesting that our concepts are often embodied and grounded in sensorimotor systems speaks against standard forms of thePCS. We argue, nevertheless, that it is possible to formulate a novel version of thePCSthat is thoroughly in keeping with embodied cognition, focuses on features of physical concepts, and succeeds in explaining the appearance of contingency.
Effect of Significant Weight Change on Inappropriate Implantable Cardioverter‐Defibrillator Therapy
Authors: DAIMEE USAMA A. , BITON YITSCHAK , AKTAS MEHMET K. , ZANNAD FAIEZ , KLEIN HELMUT , SZEPIETOWSKA BARBARA , MCNITT SCOTT , POLONSKY BRONISLAVA , WANG PAUL J. , ZAREBA WOJCIECH , MOSS ARTHUR J. , KUTYIFA VALENTINA 
Published: November 2016

BackgroundWeight loss has been associated with adverse outcomes among heart failure (HF) patients, including those receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator (CRT‐D). The effect of significant weight change on inappropriate implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD) therapy among CRT‐D patients is not well understood.MethodsWe evaluated the impact of significant weight change at 1 year on subsequent inappropriate ICD therapy during follow‐up among 993 CRT‐D patients enrolled in the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial‐Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy. Patients were divided into three subgroups based on weight change at 1 year after enrollment: weight loss (weight loss ≥ 5%), weight gain (weight gain ≥ 5%), and stable weight (weight loss and weight gain < 5%). The primary end point was inappropriate ICD therapy. Secondary end point included inappropriate ICD therapy related to supraventricular arrhythmias (SVAs).ResultsThere were 102 (10.3%) patients who experienced weight loss, 689 (69.4%) whose weight was stable, and 202 (20.3%) who gained weight at 1 year. Patients with weight loss had increased risk of subsequent inappropriate ICD therapy relative to patients with stable weight (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.35, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.39–3.98, P = 0.001) or weight gain (HR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.18–4.38, P = 0.014). Furthermore, patients losing weight were at greater risk of subsequent inappropriate ICD therapy related to SVAs when compared to patients with stable weight (HR = 2.16, 95% CI: 1.18–3.95, P = 0.013) or weight gain (HR = 2.02, 95% CI: 0.95–4.29, P = 0.068).ConclusionIn mild HF patients receiving CRT‐D, significant weight loss at 1 year is associated with increased risk of subsequent inappropriate ICD therapy, including risk related to SVAs.
Extensive homoeologous genome exchanges in allopolyploid crops revealed by mRNAseq‐based visualization
Authors: He Zhesi , Wang Lihong , Harper Andrea L. , Havlickova Lenka , Pradhan Akshay K. , Parkin Isobel A. P. , Bancroft Ian 
Published: November 2016

SummaryPolyploidy, the possession of multiple sets of chromosomes, has been a predominant factor in the evolution and success of the angiosperms. Although artificially formed allopolyploids show a high rate of genome rearrangement, the genomes of cultivars and germplasm used for crop breeding were assumed stable and genome structural variation under the artificial selection process of commercial breeding has remained little studied. Here, we show, using a repurposed visualization method based on transcriptome sequence data, that genome structural rearrangement occurs frequently in varieties of three polyploid crops (oilseed rape, mustard rape and bread wheat), meaning that the extent of genome structural variation present in commercial crops is much higher than expected. Exchanges were found to occur most frequently where homoeologous chromosome segments are collinear to telomeres and in material produced as doubled haploids. The new insights into genome structural evolution enable us to reinterpret the results of recent studies and implicate homoeologous exchanges, not deletions, as being responsible for variation controlling important seed quality traits in rapeseed. Having begun to identify the extent of genome structural variation in polyploid crops, we can envisage new strategies for the global challenge of broadening crop genetic diversity and accelerating adaptation, such as the molecular identification and selection of genome deletions or duplications encompassing genes with trait‐controlling dosage effects.
Stable production of cyanophycinase in Nicotiana benthamiana and its functionality to hydrolyse cyanophycin in the murine intestine
Authors: Ponndorf Daniel , Ehmke Sven , Walliser Benjamin , Thoss Kerstin , Unger Christoph , Görs Solvig , Daş Gürbüz , Metges Cornelia C. , Broer Inge , Nausch Henrik 
Published: November 2016

SummaryFood supplementation with the conditionally essential amino acid arginine (Arg) has been shown to have nutritional benefits. Degradation of cyanophycin (CGP), a peptide polymer used for nitrogen storage by cyanobacteria, requires cyanophycinase (CGPase) and results in the release of β‐aspartic acid (Asp)‐Arg dipeptides. The simultaneous production of CGP and CGPase in plants could be a convenient source of Arg dipeptides. Different variants of the cphB coding region from Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP‐1 were transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. Translation and enzyme stability were optimized to produce high amounts of active CGPase. Protein stability was increased by the translational fusion of CGPase to the green fluorescent protein (GFP) or to the transit peptide of the small subunit of RuBisCO for peptide production in the chloroplasts. Studies in mice showed that plant‐expressed CGP fed in combination with plant‐made CGPase was hydrolysed in the intestine, and high levels of ß‐Asp‐Arg dipeptides were found in plasma, demonstrating dipeptide absorption. However, the lack of an increase in Asp and Arg or its metabolite ornithine in plasma suggests that Arg from CGP was not bioavailable in this mouse group. Intestinal degradation of CGP by CGPase led to low intestinal CGP content 4 h after consumption, but after ingestion of CGP alone, high CGP concentrations remained in the large intestine; this indicated that intact CGP was transported from the small to the large intestine and that CGP was resistant to colonic microbes.
Epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and genetic etiology of neonatal diabetes in Japan
Authors: Nagashima Kazuaki , Tanaka Daisuke , Inagaki Nobuya 
Published: November 2016

AbstractNeonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM) is a rare but potentially devastating metabolic disorder, with a reported incidence of one per 300 000–500 000 births generally, and hyperglycemia develops within the first 6 months of life. NDM is classified into two categories clinically. One is transient NDM (TNDM), in which insulin secretion is spontaneously recovered by several months of age, but sometimes recurs later, and the other is permanent NDM (PNDM), requiring lifelong medication. Recent molecular analysis of NDM identified at least 12 genetic abnormalities: chromosome 6q24, KCNJ11, ABCC8, INS, FOXP3, GCK, IPF1, PTF1A, EIF2AK3, GLUT2, HNF1β, and GLIS3. Of these, imprinting defects on chromosome 6q24 and the KCNJ11 mutation have been recognized as the major causes of TNDM and PNDM, respectively, in Caucasian subjects. Although the pathogenesis and epidemiology of NDM in Japan seem to be clinically distinct, they are still unclear. In this review, we summarize the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and genetic etiology in Japanese patients with NDM compared with the data on Caucasian patients.
Perceptions of Survivorship Care among Latina Women with Breast Cancer in Los Angeles County
Authors: Tisnado Diana M. , Mendez‐Luck Carolyn , Metz Jenifer , Peirce Katelynn , Montaño Brian 
Published: November 2016

AbstractObjectivesCancer “survivorship” is a distinct and important aspect of the cancer experience. More research is needed about survivorship care in underserved populations such as Latinas. This study examined issues of breast cancer survivorship care among Latinas to understand their experiences and needs, to inform the design of future programs.Design and SampleSix English‐ and six Spanish‐language focus groups were conducted, with a nonprobability sample. About 74 Latinas who varied in terms of characteristics including stage, time since diagnosis, and English proficiency were recruited through support groups, health fairs, and promotoras.MeasuresA semi‐structured question guide was used to examine experiences with follow‐up care, barriers, and meaning associated with breast cancer survivorship.ResultsResults indicate numerous gaps and unmet needs in Latinas' survivorship care experiences, including problems with finances, continuity of care, unmet needs for information, and symptom management. Participants identified sources of support including patient navigators, and assigned both positive and negative meanings to survivorship.ConclusionsThis research lays a foundation for future work to develop interventions addressing Latina breast cancer survivors' unmet needs. Recommendations include enhancing peer and professional support services for patients, family, and caregivers. Further work is also needed to promote the implementation of survivorship care plans.
On the presence and immunoregulatory functions of extracellular microRNAs in the trematode Fasciola hepatica
Authors: Fromm B. , Ovchinnikov V. , Høye E. , Bernal D. , Hackenberg M. , Marcilla A. 
Published: November 2016

SummaryLiver flukes represent a paraphyletic group of endoparasitic flatworms that significantly affect man either indirectly due to economic damage on livestock or directly as pathogens. A range of studies have focussed on how these macroscopic organisms can evade the immune system and live inside a hostile environment such as the mammalian liver and bile ducts. Recently, microRNAs, a class of short noncoding gene regulators, have been proposed as likely candidates to play roles in this scenario. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key players in development and pathogenicity and are highly conserved between metazoans: identical miRNAs can be found in flatworms and mammalians. Interestingly, miRNAs are enriched in extracellular vesicles (EVs) which are secreted by most cells. EVs constitute an important mode of parasite/host interaction, and recent data illustrate that miRNAs play a vital part. We have demonstrated the presence of miRNAs in the EVs of the trematode species Dicrocoelium dendriticum and Fasciola hepatica (Fhe) and identified potential immune‐regulatory miRNAs with targets in the host. After our initial identification of miRNAs expressed by F. hepatica, an assembled genome and additional miRNA data became available. This has enabled us to update the known complement of miRNAs in EVs and speculate on potential immune‐regulatory functions that we review here.
Canine reproductive ultrasound examination for predicting future sperm quality
Authors: England GCW , Bright L , Pritchard B , Bowen IM , de Souza MB , Silva LDM , Moxon R 
Published: November 2016

ContentsThe reproductive potential of male animals is commonly evaluated using a breeding soundness examination incorporating B‐mode ultrasound examination of the testes and recently Doppler ultrasound examination of the testicular arteries. These techniques may detect testicular normality or pathology, and while some measured parameters are associated with semen quality at the time of ultrasound examination, few studies have investigated the relationship with future semen quality. We hypothesized that B‐mode and Doppler ultrasound measurements would correlate with future semen quality. Within two studies, we investigated the relationship between ultrasound measured testicular volume, testicular echogenicity, testicular homogeneity, subjective assessment of the testicular parenchyma, testicular artery resistance index, and pulsatility index with subsequent semen quality. Fifty‐five normal fertile dogs of which 29 had stable semen quality and 26 had a subsequent decline in semen quality were examined during a 6‐month period commencing 62 days after the ultrasound examination. Statistical analysis showed that no ultrasound parameters were predictive of future total sperm output or percentage live normal sperm. However, mean testicular echogenicity was positively related to future sperm motility (t = 2.202, p = .039). We conclude that quantitative ultrasound assessment of the appearance of the testicular parenchyma has potential for the evaluation of future semen quality in dogs.
Viability and growth of feline preantral follicles in vitro cultured with insulin growth factor and epidermal growth factor supplemented medium
Authors: Alves AE , Padilha‐Nakaghi LC , Pires‐Butler EA , Apparicio M , Silva NAM , Motheo TF , Vicente WRR , Luvoni GC 
Published: November 2016

ContentsIn vitro culture of ovarian preantral follicles has emerged as a reproductive technology aimed at obtaining large amount of oocytes for in vitro embryo production. The addition of growth factors (GF) in the in vitro culture of preantral follicles of different species has provided superior results of follicular development, antrum formation and proliferation of granulosa cells. However, there are only few reports regarding the use of these factors on feline preantral follicle in vitro culture. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a combination of IGF‐1 and EGF on in vitro viability and growth of preantral follicles and enclosed oocytes collected from domestic cats. A total of 64 follicles characterized by multilayer granulosa cells were isolated and individually cultured for 6 days (T6) in minimum essential medium supplemented with IGF‐1+ EGF (100 ng/ml each) or without (control). A higher percentage of follicles were viable after culture with GF than without, and an increase in size when IGF‐1+ EGF were added to the medium (170 ± 32.4 μm (T0) vs. 201 ± 22.3 μm (T6); p < .05) was observed. An increase in the diameter was also observed in follicles cultured without GF, but this increase was only 8.3% compared to 15.4% of those cultured with GF (p < .05). No differences were found in the diameter of oocytes contained in follicles cultured in the non‐supplemented or supplemented media (107.9 ± 11.8 μm (T0) vs. 113.2 ± 15.6 μm (T6); p > .05). These data suggest that the addition of IGF‐1 and EGF to the culture medium promotes the in vitro development of preantral follicles of cats.
Retained fertilizing capability in cryopreserved feline spermatozoa
Authors: Chatdarong K 
Published: November 2016

ContentsSperm cryopreservation offers a long‐term preservation of male genetic materials for future assisted reproductive technologies. However, dramatic changes in temperature during freezing and thawing injure sperm cells. While motility is essential for AI and membrane integrity is crucial for in vitro fertilization (IVF), sperm DNA integrity is a common index of fertilizing capability required for AI, IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). In endangered felids died unexpectedly, attempts have been made to recover as many DNA intact spermatozoa as possible from epididymis and testis to increase the opportunity to produce offspring in future. Although sperm from caudal epididymis has shown retained fertilizing capability after freezing and thawing (27.3% conception rate after unilateral intrauterine insemination), sperm recovery from the corpus epididymis has been suggested as an alternative to increase the amount of preserved genetic materials. To improve epididymal sperm quality, pre‐treatment with single‐layer centrifugation resulted in selection of sperm cells with intact DNA while post‐thaw treatment with extracellular ATP incubation promoted the blastocyst rate. Cold storage of domestic cat testis for 7 days at 4°C demonstrated <1% of sperm cells with fragmented DNA. Moreover, isolated testicular sperm cells, stored for 7 days at 4°C, produced after ICSI poorer percentages of cleavage, morula and blastocyst than the fresh control. In wild felids, a death‐to‐necropsy time of 2 hr after a jungle cat (Felis chaus) aged 10 years died during anaesthesia plus another necropsy‐to‐sperm recovery time of 25 hr has been reported to yield the post‐thawed testicular sperm with 22.2% intact DNA. In summary, the chromatin structure of feline ejaculated and epididymal sperm seems to be tolerated to cold storage and cryopreservation; thus, fertilizing capability is well protected. In contrast, the cat testicular sperm DNA is generally damaged through the cryopreservation.
Flexible Labor Regulations and Informality in Egypt
Authors: Wahba Jackline , Assaad Ragui 
Published: November 2016

AbstractDo more flexible labor market regulations reduce informal employment in formal firms? This paper examines the effects of changes in labor regulations on the incidence of formal employment. Using the case of Egypt, we study the effects of the introduction of more flexible labor regulations in 2003 on the probability that non‐contractual workers will be granted a formal employment contract. To identify the effect of the law and control for potential confounding factors, we use a difference‐in‐difference estimator that measures the difference in the pre‐ and post‐law probability of obtaining a formal contract across a treatment group of non‐contractual workers initially employed in formal firms and a comparison group of non‐contractual workers initially employed in informal firms. The latter serve as a useful comparison group since informal firms are unlikely to formalize as a result of the law, so that the only way their workers can become formal is to move to another firm. Our findings show that the passage of the new labor law did in fact increase the probability of transitioning to formal employment for non‐contractual workers employed in formal firms by about 3–3.5 percentage points, or the equivalent of at least a fifth of informal workers in formal firms.
Maximum Likelihood Estimation for Linear Gaussian Covariance Models
Authors: Zwiernik Piotr , Uhler Caroline , Richards Donald 
Published: November 2016

SummaryWe study parameter estimation in linear Gaussian covariance models, which are p-dimensional Gaussian models with linear constraints on the covariance matrix. Maximum likelihood estimation for this class of models leads to a non-convex optimization problem which typically has many local maxima. Using recent results on the asymptotic distribution of extreme eigenvalues of the Wishart distribution, we provide sufficient conditions for any hill climbing method to converge to the global maximum. Although we are primarily interested in the case in which n ≫ p, the proofs of our results utilize large sample asymptotic theory under the scheme n/p → γ &gt; 1. Remarkably, our numerical simulations indicate that our results remain valid for p as small as 2. An important consequence of this analysis is that, for sample sizes n≃14p, maximum likelihood estimation for linear Gaussian covariance models behaves as if it were a convex optimization problem.
Do Debit Cards Decrease Cash Demand?: Causal Inference and Sensitivity Analysis Using Principal Stratification
Authors: Mercatanti Andrea , Li Fan 
Published: November 2016

SummaryIt has been argued that the use of debit cards may modify cash holding behaviour, as debit card holders may either withdraw cash from automated teller machines or purchase items by using point-of-sale devices at retailers. Within the Rubin causal model, we investigate the causal effects of the use of debit cards on the cash inventories held by households by using data from the Italy Survey of Household Income and Wealth. We adopt the principal stratification approach to incorporate the share of debit card holders who do not use this payment instrument. We use a regression model with the propensity score as the single predictor to adjust for the imbalance in observed covariates. We further develop a sensitivity analysis approach to assess the sensitivity of the proposed model to violation of the key unconfoundedness assumption. Our empirical results suggest statistically significant negative effects of debit cards on the household cash level in Italy.
‘Contested State‐craft’ on the Frontiers of the Indian Nation: ‘Hills–Valley Divide’ and the Genealogy of Kuki Ethnic Nationalism in Manipur
Authors: Kipgen Ngamjahao , Roy Chowdhury Arnab 
Published: November 2016

AbstractDrawing on scholars like Scott and Suan, it can be argued that a ‘hills–valley divide’ has prevailed in Manipur from the colonial period. The Kuki tribes who inhabit Manipur's hilly regions are underdeveloped compared to the politically and economically powerful Meiteis who inhabit its valleys. The postcolonial central and state government policies have failed to respond to local problems, which have created a regional imbalance and have sharpened the hills–valley divide. The Kukis have undergone many resulting economic hardships and have become further alienated and marginalized. To highlight uneven development and Kuki tribal minority marginalization, we refer to key ‘development’ indicators – administration, employment, poverty, health, and infrastructure – and analyse the Kuki quest for tribal identity and demand for an ethnic homeland in postcolonial India, by tracing the genealogy of their identity formation from archives, extant historiography, and ethnographic fieldwork.
The power of prospection: mental contrasting and behavior change
Authors: Oettingen Gabriele , Reininger Klaus Michael 
Published: November 2016

AbstractPeople often immerse themselves in dreams and fantasies about a desired future. Though such future fantasies are pleasant, they do not necessarily lead to the effort required to attain the desired future. Indeed, the more positively people fantasize about their desired futures, the less effort they invest and the less successful they are in realizing these futures. However, when fantasies about a desired future are complemented with a clear sense of reality, people find the direction and energy needed to realize their fantasies. We review Fantasy Realization Theory, which explicates these ideas and led to the discovery of mental contrasting future and reality, a self‐regulation strategy of behavior change. Mental contrasting helps people figure out what they really want and wisely select, commit to, and actively pursue prioritized wishes while constructively dealing with setbacks. It helps them live a rewarding life through work, play, health, and relationships.