bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A combined biomarker and clinical panel for chronic graft versus host disease diagnosis
Authors: Pidala Joseph , Sigdel Tara K , Wang Anyou , Hsieh Sue , Inamoto Yoshi , Martin Paul J , Flowers Mary ED , Hansen John A , Lee Stephanie J , Sarwal Minnie M 
Published: September 2016

AbstractWhilst many chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) biomarkers have been previously reported, few have been verified in an independent cGVHD cohort. We aimed to verify the diagnostic accuracy of previously reported markers of cGVHD in a multi‐centre Chronic GVHD Consortium. A total of 42 RNA and 18 protein candidate biomarkers were assessed amongst 59 cGVHD cases and 33 matched non‐GVHD controls. Total RNA was isolated from PBMC, and RNA markers were quantified using PCR. Serum protein markers were quantified using ELISA. A combined 3 RNA biomarker (IRS2, PLEKHF1 and IL1R2) and 2 clinical variables (recipient CMV serostatus and conditioning regimen intensity) panel accurately (AUC 0.81) segregated cGVHD cases from controls. Other studied RNA and protein markers were not confirmed as accurate cGVHD diagnostic biomarkers. The studied markers failed to segregate higher risk cGVHD (per overall NIH 0‐3 score, and overlap versus classic cGVHD status). These data support the need for multiple independent verification studies for the ultimate clinical application of cGVHD diagnostic biomarkers.
Not all that glitters is gold: A guide to critical appraisal of animal drug trials in epilepsy
Authors: Galanopoulou Aristea S. , Mowrey Wenzhu B. 
Published: September 2016

SummaryPreclinical studies have produced numerous drugs with antiseizure properties that currently are the standard of care. One third of the human population with epilepsy still continues to have seizures despite the ongoing discoveries. The recognized clinical gaps of care that need to be addressed are the identification of antiepileptogenic and disease‐modifying treatments, and treatments for refractory seizures or for seizures and epilepsies with limited or unsatisfactory treatments, such as early life epileptic encephalopathies. In this invited review, we provide a historical summary of the international efforts to reevaluate the strategies adopted in preclinical epilepsy therapy discovery studies. We discuss issues that may affect the quality, interpretation, and validation of preclinical studies and their translation to successful therapies for humans affected with epilepsy. These include the selection of animal models and the study design; research practices that affect rigor (such as appropriate use of statistics and reporting of study methods and results, their validation across models, labs, and preclinical‐clinical studies); the need to harmonize research methods and outcome assessment; and the importance of improving translation to clinically appropriate situations. The epilepsy research community is incrementally adopting collaborative research, including consortia or multicenter studies to meet these needs. Improving the infrastructure that can support these efforts will be instrumental in future success.
Responses of juvenile southern flounder exposed to Deepwater Horizon oil-contaminated sediments
Authors: Brown-Peterson Nancy J. , Krasnec Michelle O. , Lay Claire R. , Morris Jeffrey M. , Griffitt Robert J. 
Published: September 2016

Abstract

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill released millions of barrels of crude oil into the northern Gulf of Mexico, much of which remains associated with sediments and can have continuing impacts on biota. Juvenile southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) were exposed for 28 d in the laboratory under controlled conditions to reference and Deepwater Horizon oil-contaminated sediments collected from coastal Louisiana to assess the impacts on an ecologically and commercially important benthic fish. The measured polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in the sediments ranged from 0.25 mg/kg to 3940 mg/kg suite of 50 PAH analytes (tPAH50). Mortality increased with both concentration and duration of exposure. Exposed flounder length and weight was lower compared to controls after 28 d of exposure to the sediments with the highest PAH concentration, but condition factor was significantly higher in these fish compared with all other treatments. Histopathological analyses showed increased occurrence of gill abnormalities, including telangiectasis, epithelial proliferation, and fused lamellae in flounder exposed to sediments with the highest tPAH50 concentrations. In addition, hepatic vascular congestion and macrovesicular vacuolation were observed in flounder exposed to the more contaminated sediments. These data suggest that chronic exposure to field collected oil-contaminated sediments results in a variety of sublethal impacts to a benthic fish, with implications for long-term recovery from oil spills. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1067–1076. © 2016 SETAC
Effective inter‐symbol interference mitigation with a limited amount of enzymes in molecular communications
Authors: Cho Yae Jee , Yilmaz H. Birkan , Guo Weisi , Chae Chan‐Byoung 
Published: September 2016

AbstractIn molecular communication via diffusion (MCvD), the inter‐symbol interference (ISI) is a well‐known severe problem that deteriorates both data‐rate and link reliability. ISI mainly occurs because of the slow and highly random propagation of the messenger molecules, which causes the emitted molecules from the previous symbols to interfere with molecules from the current symbol. An effective way to mitigate the ISI is using enzymes to degrade undesired molecules. Prior work on ISI mitigation by enzymes has assumed an infinite amount of enzymes randomly distributed around the molecular channel. Taking a different approach, this paper assumes an MCvD channel with a limited amount of enzymes. The main question this paper addresses is how to deploy these enzymes in an effective structure so that ISI mitigation is maximized. To find an effective MCvD channel environment, this study considers optimization of the shape of the transmitter node, the deployment location and structure, the size of the enzyme deployed area, and the half‐lives of the enzymes. It also analyzes the dependence of the optimum size of the enzyme area on the distance and half‐life. Lastly, the paper yields interesting results regarding the actual shape of the enzyme region itself.
Validity of using ad hoc methods to analyze secondary traits in case‐control association studies
Authors: Yung Godwin , Lin Xihong 
Published: September 2016

ABSTRACTCase‐control association studies often collect from their subjects information on secondary phenotypes. Reusing the data and studying the association between genes and secondary phenotypes provide an attractive and cost‐effective approach that can lead to discovery of new genetic associations. A number of approaches have been proposed, including simple and computationally efficient ad hoc methods that ignore ascertainment or stratify on case‐control status. Justification for these approaches relies on the assumption of no covariates and the correct specification of the primary disease model as a logistic model. Both might not be true in practice, for example, in the presence of population stratification or the primary disease model following a probit model. In this paper, we investigate the validity of ad hoc methods in the presence of covariates and possible disease model misspecification. We show that in taking an ad hoc approach, it may be desirable to include covariates that affect the primary disease in the secondary phenotype model, even though these covariates are not necessarily associated with the secondary phenotype. We also show that when the disease is rare, ad hoc methods can lead to severely biased estimation and inference if the true disease model follows a probit model instead of a logistic model. Our results are justified theoretically and via simulations. Applied to real data analysis of genetic associations with cigarette smoking, ad hoc methods collectively identified as highly significant () single nucleotide polymorphisms from over 10 genes, genes that were identified in previous studies of smoking cessation.
Cationic Main‐Chain Polyelectrolytes with Pyridinium‐Based p‐Phenylenevinylene Units and Their Aggregation‐Induced Gelation
Authors: Samanta Suman Kalyan , Scherf Ullrich 
Published: September 2016

Cationic polyelectrolytes find potential applications in electronic device fabrication, biosensing as well as in biological fields. Herein, a series of cationic main‐chain polyelectrolytes with pyridinium‐based p‐phenylenevinylene units that are connected via alkylene spacers of varying lengths are synthesized by a base‐catalyzed aldol‐type coupling reaction. Their mean average molecular weights range from 15 000 to 32 000 g mol‐1, corresponding to about 16–33 repeat units. Due to the presence of alkyl side‐chains and alkylene spacers as well as cationic hard‐charges the polymers are endowed with amphiphilic character and hence, aggregation of these polyelectrolytes at high concentration leads to thermoreversible physical gel formation in dimethyl sulfoxide accompanied by interchain interactions. Morphological analysis shows spherical aggregates in case of C16‐Poly‐S12 in dimethyl sulfoxide. Dependence of gelation behavior on the length of alkyl side‐chains and alkylene spacers of the polyelectrolytes are addressed.
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Influence of the Polymeric Matrix and Thermal Treatment on the Properties of Polyolefin‐Graphite Nanosheets Nanocomposites
Authors: González Darío M. , Quijada Raúl , Yazdani‐Pedram Mehrdad , Benavente Rosario , Galland Griselda B. , Milani Marcéo A. 
Published: September 2016

Homo and copolymers of metallocenic poly(propylene) with 1‐hexene and 1‐octadecene are used to prepare nanocomposites via melt mixing by using graphite nanosheets (GNSs) as filler. Different amounts of GNSs are used in order to study the influence of the filler on the thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties of nanocomposites. Significant changes have been observed in the crystallization temperature (Tc) of the nanocomposites. Thermogravimetric analysis shows improvement in thermal stability. Young's modulus and elongation at break of the nanocomposites are depended on the type of the matrix and the amount of GNSs. Materials with high flexibility are obtained in the cases of matrices based on copolymers even at high filler loading. Nanocomposites have become a semiconductor material reaching conductivity of 10−4 S cm−1. Two different thermal treatments have been applied in the preparation of the films by compression molding. X‐ray diffraction analysis shows the existence of polymorphism according to the thermal treatment applied.image
Linear, Star, and Comb Oxidation‐Responsive Polymers: Effect of Branching Degree and Topology on Aggregation and Responsiveness
Authors: d'Arcy Richard , Gennari Arianna , Donno Roberto , Tirelli Nicola 
Published: September 2016

Families of amphiphilic oxidation‐responsive polymers (poly(ethylene glycol)‐polysulfides) with different architectures (linear, 4, 6, and 8‐armed stars and 10, 15, and 20‐armed combs) and compositions (variable ethylene sulfide/propylene sulfide ratio) are prepared. In water, all the polymers assemble in spherical micelles, with critical micellar concentrations <0.01 mg mL−1 for all the branched polymers. Triple‐detection gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and asymmetric field flow fractionation (AFFF) with dynamic and static light scattering detection, respectively, show an increasing compaction of the polymeric coil and a strong reduction of the aggregation number with increasing degree of branching. The key finding of this study is that the kinetics of the oxidative response sharply depend on the branching; in particular, it is highlighted that the degree of branching influences the lag time before a response can be observed rather than the speed of the response itself, a phenomenon that is attributed to a branching‐dependent solubility of the oxidant in the polysulfide matrix.image
Evaluation of renal oxygenation change under the influence of carbogen breathing using a dynamic R2, R2′ and R2* quantification approach
Authors: Wang Chengyan , Zhao Kai , Zhang Rui , Jiang Li , Wang Rui , Zhang Xiaodong , Wang He , Jin Lixin , Zhang Jue , Wang Xiaoying , Fang Jing 
Published: September 2016

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of dynamic renal R2/R2′/R2* measurements based on a method, denoted psMASE‐ME, in which a periodic 180° pulse‐shifting multi‐echo asymmetric spin echo (psMASE) sequence, combined with a moving estimation (ME) strategy, is adopted. Following approval by the institutional animal care and use committee, a block design of respiratory challenge with interleaved air and carbogen (97% O2, 3% CO2) breathing was employed in nine rabbits. Parametrical R2/R2′/R2* maps were computed and average R2/R2′/R2* values were measured in regions of interest in the renal medulla and cortex. Bland–Altman plots showed good agreement between the proposed method and reference standards of multi‐echo spin echo and multi‐echo gradient echo sequences. Renal R2, R2′ and R2* decreased significantly from 16.2 ± 4.4 s−1, 9.8 ± 5.2 s−1 and 25.9 ± 5.0 s−1 to 14.9 ± 4.4 s−1 (p < 0.05), 8.5 ± 4.1 s−1 (p < 0.05) and 23.4 ± 4.8 s−1 (p < 0.05) in the cortex when switching the gas mixture from room air to carbogen. In the renal medulla, R2, R2′ and R2* also decreased significantly from 12.9 ± 4.7 s−1, 15.1 ± 5.8 s−1 and 27.9 ± 5.3 s−1 to 11.8 ± 4.5 s−1 (p < 0.05), 14.2 ± 4.2 s−1 (p < 0.05) and 25.8 ± 5.1 s−1 (p < 0.05). No statistically significant differences in relative R2, R2′ and R2* changes were observed between the cortex and medulla (p = 0.72 for R2, p = 0.39 for R2′ and p = 0.61 for R2*). The psMASE‐ME method for dynamic renal R2/R2′/R2* measurements, together with the respiratory challenge, has potential use in the evaluation of renal oxygenation in many renal diseases
Measuring child personality when child personality was not measured: Application of a thin‐slice approach
Authors: Tackett Jennifer L. , Smack Avanté J. , Herzhoff Kathrin , Reardon Kathleen W. , Daoud Stephanie , Granic Isabela 
Published: September 2016

AbstractRecent efforts have demonstrated that thin‐slice (TS) assessment—or assessment of individual characteristics after only brief exposure to that individual's behaviour—can produce reliable and valid measurements of child personality traits. The extent to which this approach can be generalized to archival data not designed to measure personality, and whether it can be used to measure personality pathology traits in youth, is not yet known. Archival video data of a parent–child interaction task was collected as part of a clinical intervention trial for aggressive children (N = 177). Unacquainted observers independently watched the clips and rated children on normal‐range (neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience) and pathological (callous–unemotional) personality traits. TS ratings of child personality showed strong internal consistency, valid associations with measures of externalizing problems and temperament, and revealed differentiated subgroups of children based on severity. As such, these findings demonstrate an ecologically valid application of TS methodology and illustrate how researchers and clinicians can extend their existing data by measuring child personality using TS methodology, even in cases where child personality was not originally measured. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Crystal structure of nonphosphorylated receiver domain of the stress response regulator RcsB from Escherichia coli
Authors: Filippova Ekaterina V. , Wawrzak Zdzislaw , Ruan Jiapeng , Pshenychnyi Sergii , Schultz Richard M. , Wolfe Alan J. , Anderson Wayne F. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractRcsB, the transcription‐associated response regulator of the Rcs phosphorelay two‐component signal transduction system, activates cell stress responses associated with desiccation, cell wall biosynthesis, cell division, virulence, biofilm formation, and antibiotic resistance in enteric bacterial pathogens. RcsB belongs to the FixJ/NarL family of transcriptional regulators, which are characterized by a highly conserved C‐terminal DNA‐binding domain. The N‐terminal domain of RcsB belongs to the family of two‐component receiver domains. This receiver domain contains the phosphoacceptor site and participates in RcsB dimer formation; it also contributes to dimer formation with other transcription factor partners. Here, we describe the crystal structure of the Escherichia coli RcsB receiver domain in its nonphosphorylated state. The structure reveals important molecular details of phosphorylation‐independent dimerization of RcsB and has implication for the formation of heterodimers.
Efficacy and safety evaluation of claudin‐4‐targeted antitumor therapy using a human and mouse cross‐reactive monoclonal antibody
Authors: Hashimoto Yosuke , Kawahigashi Yumi , Hata Tomoyuki , Li Xiangru , Watari Akihiro , Tada Minoru , Ishii‐Watabe Akiko , Okada Yoshiaki , Doi Takefumi , Fukasawa Masayoshi , Kuniyasu Hiroki , Yagi Kiyohito , Kondoh Masuo 
Published: September 2016

AbstractClaudin‐4 (CLDN‐4), a tight‐junction protein, is overexpressed in various malignant tumors, including gastric, colorectal, pancreatic, and breast cancers. However, CLDN‐4 is also expressed in normal tissues, including the liver, pancreas, kidney, and small intestine. Whether CLDN‐4 is an effective and safe target for cancer therapy has been unclear owing to the lack of a binder with both CLDN‐4 specificity and cross‐reactivity to human and murine cells. In this study, we successfully generated a rat anti‐CLDN‐4 monoclonal antibody (5D12) that was specific to, and cross‐reactive with, human and mouse CLDN‐4. 5D12 recognized the second extracellular domain of human CLDN‐4 in a conformation‐dependent manner. A human–rat chimeric IgG1 of 5D12 (xi‐5D12) activated the FcγIIIa receptor, indicating the activation of antibody‐dependent cellular cytotoxicity in CLDN‐4‐expressing cells. Moreover, xi‐5D12 significantly suppressed tumor growth in mice bearing human colorectal and gastric tumors without apparent adverse effects, such as weight loss or liver and kidney damage. These results suggest that CLDN‐4 is a potent target for cancer therapy and that an anti‐CLDN‐4 antibody is a promising candidate anticancer agent.
Value-creating organizational leadership
Authors: Kollenscher Eldad , Popper Micha , Ronen Boaz 
Published: September 2016

AbstractDespite their many contributions, each of the most prevalent approaches to leadership – the micro interpersonal leadership models such as transformational theory, trait theory and charismatic leadership, and the macro strategic management – has notable ‘blind spots’ and relies on biased or partial assumptions. Furthermore, the macro–micro polarization of major leadership theories overlooks important meso perspective processes, such as structuring, which leaders can use to attain a more compounded and sustained effect on organizational outcomes. The goal of this paper is to propose an integrative theoretical framework – value-creating leadership – which provides what is missing from the theory of organizational leadership. Value-creating leadership combines micro and macro perspectives regarding management and leadership along with a meso perspective to create a unified model of corporate leadership.
Non-Strongyloides rhabditida identified in fecal samples – two case reports: lessons learned from morphological and molecular diagnostic approaches
Authors: STACHURSKA-HAGEN TERESA , JOHNSEN OLE HARALD , ROBERTSON LUCY J. 
Published: September 2016

SUMMARYNematodes in the order Rhabditida, including species ofStrongyloidesandPelodera, may be parasites of domestic animals. In this paper, we describe two apparent cases of rhabditid infections, one in a dog and one in a litter of piglets. The dog infection was originally considered likely to be an infection withStrongyloides, based on superficial morphological examination and PCR results without sequencing. However, more careful morphological analysis and inclusion of several molecular analyses, including sequencing, revealed that an infection withPeloderasp. was more likely, probablyPelodera pseudoteres. Treatment with fenbendazole and selamectin was apparently successful. Similarly, based on both morphological and molecular analyses the apparent piglet infections were considered most likely to be withRhabditisspp., possiblyRhabditis axei. The detection of larvae of nematodes in the order Rhabditida in fecal samples, particularly from dogs, may easily be considered as being indicative ofStrongyloidesinfection. Given the zoonotic potential of canineStrongyloides, correct diagnosis is important. However, as illustrated by these two cases, careful morphological examination and measurement, supported by full molecular investigations, including sequencing, are essential in order to avoid this misdiagnosis.
The Ruralist Paradigm: Social Work Bureaucrats in Colonial Korea and Japan's Assimilationism in the Interwar Period
Authors: Chatani Sayaka 
Published: September 2016

AbstractHow did the Japanese Empire, while adamantly adhering to assimilationism, manage the politics of colonial difference in the interwar years? How should we situate the seemingly exceptional conduct of Japanese colonial rule from a comparative perspective? To examine these questions, this article analyzes the mindsets of mid-level colonial bureaucrats who specialized in social work. Social work became a major field of political contestation in the post-World War I period around the globe. Policies on social work tested colonial officials regarding their assumptions about state-society relationships and Japan's assimilationist goals. Their debates on social work reveal that by the end of the 1920s colonial officials in Korea had reached a tacit consensus to use a particular analytical lens and ideological goal that I call “ruralism.” In the ruralist paradigm, these officials viewed Korean society as consisting of “rural peasants” and understood Korean social problems as primarily “rural problems.” Ruralism was a product of many overlapping factors, including pressures to integrate colonial society into the imperial system, the empire-wide popularity of agrarian nationalism, global discourses that increasingly dichotomized the “rural” and the “industrial,” and the rivalry between the colonial government and the metropole. How social work officials re-conceptualized the colonial masses and attempted to engage with social problems under the rhetoric of assimilationism showed a similar dynamic to the “developmental colonialism” that prevailed in the French and British empires after World War II.
New species in Bryoria (Parmeliaceae, Lecanoromycetes) from north-west North America
Authors: MYLLYS Leena , VELMALA Saara , PINO-BODAS Raquel , GOWARD Trevor 
Published: September 2016

AbstractTwo new species of Bryoria are described based on morphology, chemistry and molecular phylogeny (ITS and Mcm7). Both species belong in section Bryoria, which was resolved as a polyphyletic group in the ITS+Mcm7 phylogeny. Bryoria alaskana belongs to a clade restricted to South-East Asia and north-west North America, and is so far known from south-east Alaska and the Sino-Himalayan Mountains. This highly variable species is most reliably recognized by its pendent, esorediate thallus, its production of fumarprotocetraric acid, and the combination of isotomic branching, abundant, whitish, predominantly fusiform pseudocyphellae, and sparse, short perpendicular side branches. Black emorient patches are lacking. Bryoria irwinii is endemic to north-west North America and is closely related to B. araucana from South America, B. poeltii from South-East Asia, as well as B. nadvornikiana and B. trichodes, both widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. It is a subpendent, esorediate species recognized by its predominantly anisotomic branching, olivaceous hue, black emorient patches, conspicuous pale brownish, fusiform pseudocyphellae, and numerous perpendicular, more or less basally constricted, side branches.