bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The fungal cultivar of leaf‐cutter ants produces specific enzymes in response to different plant substrates
Authors: Khadempour Lily , Burnum‐Johnson Kristin E. , Baker Erin S. , Nicora Carrie D. , Webb‐Robertson Bobbie‐Jo M. , White Richard A. , Monroe Matthew E. , Huang Eric L. , Smith Richard D. , Currie Cameron R. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractHerbivores use symbiotic microbes to help derive energy and nutrients from plant material. Leaf‐cutter ants are a paradigmatic example, cultivating their mutualistic fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus on plant biomass that workers forage from a diverse collection of plant species. Here, we investigate the metabolic flexibility of the ants’ fungal cultivar for utilizing different plant biomass. Using feeding experiments and a novel approach in metaproteomics, we examine the enzymatic response of L. gongylophorus to leaves, flowers, oats or a mixture of all three. Across all treatments, our analysis identified and quantified 1766 different fungal proteins, including 161 putative biomass‐degrading enzymes. We found significant differences in the protein profiles in the fungus gardens of subcolonies fed different plant substrates. When provided with leaves or flowers, which contain the majority of their energy as recalcitrant plant polymers, the fungus gardens produced more proteins predicted to break down cellulose: endoglucanase, exoglucanase and β‐glucosidase. Further, the complete metaproteomes for the leaves and flowers treatments were very similar, while the mixed substrate treatment closely resembled the treatment with oats alone. This indicates that when provided a mixture of plant substrates, fungus gardens preferentially break down the simpler, more digestible substrates. This flexible, substrate‐specific enzymatic response of the fungal cultivar allows leaf‐cutter ants to derive energy from a wide range of substrates, which likely contributes to their ability to be dominant generalist herbivores.
The Paracoccus denitrificansNarK‐like nitrate and nitrite transporters—probing nitrate uptake and nitrate/nitrite exchange mechanisms
Authors: Goddard Alan D. , Bali Shilpa , Mavridou Despoina A.I. , Luque‐Almagro Victor M. , Gates Andrew J. , Dolores Roldán M. , Newstead Simon , Richardson David J. , Ferguson Stuart J. 
Published: October 2016

SummaryNitrate and nitrite transport across biological membranes is often facilitated by protein transporters that are members of the major facilitator superfamily. Paracoccus denitrificans contains an unusual arrangement whereby two of these transporters, NarK1 and NarK2, are fused into a single protein, NarK, which delivers nitrate to the respiratory nitrate reductase and transfers the product, nitrite, to the periplasm. Our complementation studies, using a mutant lacking the nitrate/proton symporter NasA from the assimilatory nitrate reductase pathway, support that NarK1 functions as a nitrate/proton symporter while NarK2 is a nitrate/nitrite antiporter. Through the same experimental system, we find that Escherichia coli NarK and NarU can complement deletions in both narK and nasA in P. denitrificans, suggesting that, while these proteins are most likely nitrate/nitrite antiporters, they can also act in the net uptake of nitrate. Finally, we argue that primary sequence analysis and structural modelling do not readily explain why NasA, NarK1 and NarK2, as well as other transporters from this protein family, have such different functions, ranging from net nitrate uptake to nitrate/nitrite exchange.
The changing definition of China in middle school history textbooks
Authors: Lu Zhaojin 
Published: October 2016

AbstractInspired by the dichotomous understanding of nationhood contributed by Brubaker (1992), this paper explores how Chinese nationhood is constituted by particular symbols in middle school historiography since the 1950s. In response to the analysis on the high school textbooks done by Baranovitch (2000), this study finds that the narratives in the middle school history textbooks have a similar transition from equating China to Han to defining China as a multi‐ethnic nation. However, the analysis also demonstrates that the transition of the middle school history textbooks is not as complete and absolute as that of their high school counterparts. A textbook may follow different principles in nationhood configuration simultaneously. In the textbook narratives before the change, the jus sanguinis logic was dominant over the jus soli logic; in those in the textbooks after the change, Chinese nationhood was constituted by the jus soli principle and the jus sanguinis principle complementarily. This study questions the perception that a nation only consistently follows one philosophy in the symbolic consolidation of nationhood, and casts doubt on the understanding that jus sanguinis or jus soli logic is deeply rooted in the historical development of a nation and cannot change.
Effects of increasing root carbon investment on the mortality and resprouting of Haloxylon ammodendron seedlings under drought
Authors: Zhang Y. , Xie J.‐B. , Li Y. 
Published: October 2016

Abstract

Tree mortality induced by drought is one of the most complex processes in ecology. Although two mechanisms associated with water and carbon balance are proposed to explain tree mortality, outstanding problems still exist.

Here, in order to test how the root system benefits survival and resprouting of Haloxylon ammodendron seedlings, we examined the various water‐ and carbon‐related physiological indicators (shoot water potential, photosynthesis, dark respiration, hydraulic conductance and non‐structural carbohydrates [NSC]) of H. ammodendron seedlings, which were grown in drought and control conditions throughout a grow season in greenhouse.

The survival time of the seedling root system (died 70 days after drought) doubled the survival time of the shoot (died at 35 days). Difference in survival time between shoot and root resulted from sustained root respiration supported by increased NSC in roots under drought. Furthermore, investment into the root contributed to resprouting following drought. Based on these results, a death criterion is proposed for this species. The time sequence of major events indicated that drought shifted carbon allocation between shoot and root and altered the flux among different sinks (growth, respiration or storage). The interaction of water and carbon processes determined death or survival of droughted H. ammodendron seedlings.

These findings revealed that the ‘root protection’ strategy is critical in determining survival and resprouting of this species, and provided insights into the effects of carbon and water dynamics on tree mortality.
Creativity and Meaning in Life
Authors: Matheson David 
Published: October 2016

AbstractTo forestall scepticism about meaning in life as a distinct final value, I sketch a preliminary characterization of meaning as superlative final value in life. I then make the case that this characterization helps us better appreciate a neglected substantive account of meaning, namely, Richard Taylor's creativity account. After laying out the creativity account, I argue that it is not just very compelling, but more compelling under the superlativeness characterization than the most prominent of the recent substantive accounts.
Optimizing seed mixture diversity and seeding rates for grassland restoration
Authors: Barr Stephanie , Jonas Jayne L. , Paschke Mark W. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractRevegetation by seeding is an important tool in restoration. Seeding practices for restoration often rely on standard prescriptions for seed mix diversity and seeding rates. Seed mix diversity and rates are generally low within restoration projects and these practices are typically not informed by research. The objective of this study was to explore a new method for determining an optimal seed mix diversity and seeding rate for restoration of a semiarid grassland. We examined restoration success associated with differing seed mix diversity levels (5–50 species) and seeding rates (400–1,600 pure live seeds [PLS]/m2) using a response surface regression (RSR) experimental design at 12 disturbed sites in northeastern Colorado. Overall restoration success was evaluated based on optimizing desirability across nine individual responses: biomass and diversity of seeded, volunteer native, noxious, non‐native species, and the density of seeded species. Greatest restoration success after four growing seasons occurred at a seed mix diversity of 35 species and a seeding rate of 1,366PLS/m2.RSRexperimental design and analysis has seldom been used to answer ecological questions. This novel approach to address a pressing restoration challenge provided unique insight into how seed mix diversity and seeding rate, singly or in combination, influence the first 4 years of plant community development and overall restoration success. These results suggest that including more native species and seeding at higher rates than current practice could lead to greater restoration success in grasslands.
Detection of Adaptive Shifts on Phylogenies by using Shifted Stochastic Processes on a Tree
Authors: Bastide Paul , Mariadassou Mahendra , Robin Stéphane 
Published: October 2016

SummaryComparative and evolutive ecologists are interested in the distribution of quantitative traits between related species. The classical framework for these distributions consists of a random process running along the branches of a phylogenetic tree relating the species. We consider shifts in the process parameters, which reveal fast adaptation to changes of ecological niches. We show that models with shifts are not identifiable in general. Constraining the models to be parsimonious in the number of shifts partially alleviates the problem but several evolutionary scenarios can still provide the same joint distribution for the extant species. We provide a recursive algorithm to enumerate all the equivalent scenarios and to count the number of effectively different scenarios. We introduce an incomplete-data framework and develop a maximum likelihood estimation procedure based on the expectation–maximization algorithm. Finally, we propose a model selection procedure, based on the cardinal of effective scenarios, to estimate the number of shifts and for which we prove an oracle inequality.
Second Thoughts About Decision Reversibility: An Empirical Overview
Authors: Bullens Lottie , van Harreveld Frenk 
Published: October 2016

AbstractPeople generally expect that having the opportunity to reverse a decision contributes to the quality of decision‐making. However, previous research has unequivocally shown that reversible decisions actually yield lower levels of post‐choice satisfaction and higher levels of regret than irreversible decisions. Only recently, research has begun to investigate the underlying processes explaining these counterintuitive and detrimental consequences of decision reversibility. In the present paper, we will review and integrate this research and distinguish a number of important cognitive and motivational consequences of decision (ir)reversibility. With this paper, we aim to inspire future research into the discrepancy between people's wish for reversibility on the one hand and their need for irreversibility on the other.
Emphatic Topicalization and the Structure of the Left Periphery: Evidence from German and Bangla
Authors: Bayer Josef , Dasgupta Probal 
Published: October 2016

AbstractThe goal of this article is to explore the structure of the clausal “left periphery” with respect to a phenomenon that has so far only rarely been identified as a root‐clause phenomenon: emphatic topicalization (ET). It is a form of movement by which a phrase (not necessarily awh‐phrase) targets the specifier of a complementizer. This movement prevents theCPcomplement from remaining in its embedded position. For convergence, the entireCPin whichEThas applied must move to the left periphery of the clause that immediately dominates it. It is argued that this latter move is necessary becauseETinduces a feature that is only interpretable in the domain of illocutionary force, illocutionary force being a property of the utterance (i.e., typically of the root clause). The data come from the Bavarian dialect of German (Germanic) and from Bangla (Indo‐Aryan). In spite of the differences between these languages, the similarity of the constraints that are revealed by this study cannot be accidental. For Bangla, a typicalwh‐in‐situ language, it is shown that the syntax ofETscope is to a large extent parallel to the syntax ofwh‐scope. Thus, the syntax ofwh‐scope can be argued to follow from general properties of the parametric choices made in Bangla (and perhaps in closely related languages).
A literature review of reports of the stability and storage of common injectable chemotherapy agents used in veterinary patients
Authors: Chan C. M. , Frimberger A. E. , Moore A. S. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractMany chemotherapy drugs used in human patients are discarded after single use or within 24 h of reconstitution, as per the manufacturer's product label recommendations. This can be wasteful and costly to veterinary clients. This report reviews the published stability and storage data for 19 injectable chemotherapy drugs commonly used in veterinary medicine. Based on these data, storage procedures are presented, assuming aseptic technique and a closed system drug transfer device (CSDTD) are used for drug preparation and handling. Further studies on the risk of microbiological contamination of chemotherapeutics using aCSDTD, and validated high quality drug assays such as stability‐indicating high‐performance liquid chromatography, are required. The authors' intent is not to supersede product label recommendations, but to suggest that longer storage without significant loss of drug efficacy may be possible, thus reducing the costs of chemotherapeutics to some veterinary clients.
Reconstruction of a Nearly Complete
Pseudomonas
Draft Genome Sequence from a Coalbed Methane-Produced Water Metagenome
Authors: Ross Daniel E. , Gulliver Djuna 
Published: October 2016

ABSTRACT

The draft genome sequence of
Pseudomonas stutzeri
strain K35 was separated from a metagenome derived from a produced water microbial community of a coalbed methane well. The genome encodes a complete nitrogen fixation pathway and the upper and lower naphthalene degradation pathways.
Complete Genome Sequences of Four Different
Bordetella
sp. Isolates Causing Human Respiratory Infections
Authors: Weigand Michael R. , Peng Yanhui , Loparev Vladimir , Batra Dhwani , Bowden Katherine E. , Cassiday Pamela K. , Davis Jamie K. , Johnson Taccara , Juieng Phalasy , Miner Christine E. , Rowe Lori , Sheth Mili , Tondella M. Lucia , Williams Margaret M. 
Published: October 2016

ABSTRACT

Species of the genus
Bordetella
associate with various animal hosts, frequently causing respiratory disease.
Bordetella pertussis
is the primary agent of whooping cough and other
Bordetella
species can cause similar cough illness. Here, we report four complete genome sequences from isolates of different
Bordetella
species recovered from human respiratory infections.
Effect of Acupuncture ‘dose— on Modulation of the Default Mode Network of the Brain
Authors: Lin Yii-Jeng , Kung Yen-Ying , Kuo Wen-Jui , Niddam David M , Chou Chih-Che , Cheng Chou-Ming , Yeh Tzu-Chen , Hsieh Jen-Chuen , Chiu Jen-Hwey 
Published: October 2016

Objective Recent functional MRI (fMRI) studies show that brain activity, including the default mode network (DMN), can be modulated by acupuncture. Conventional means to enhance the neurophysiological ‘dose’ of acupuncture, including an increased number of needles and manual needle manipulation, are expected to enhance its physiological effects. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of both methods on brain activity. Methods 58 healthy volunteers were randomly assigned into four groups that received single needle acupuncture (SNA, n=15) or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS, n=13) as active controls, or enhanced acupuncture by way of three needle acupuncture (TNA, n=17) or SNA plus manual stimulation (SNA+MS, n=13). Treatment-associated sensations were evaluated using a visual analogue scale. Central responses were recorded before, during, and after treatment at LI4 on the left hand using resting state fMRI. Results TNA and SNA+MS induced DMN-insula activity and extensive DMN activity compared to SNA, despite comparable levels of de qi sensation. The TNA and SNA+MS groups exhibited a delayed and enhanced modulation of the DMN, which was not observed followed SNA and TENS. Furthermore, TNA increased precuneus activity and increased the DMN-related activity of the cuneus and left insula, while SNA+MS increased activity in the right insula. Conclusions The results showed that conventional methods to enhance the acupuncture dose induce different DMN modulatory effects. TNA induces the most extensive DMN modulation, compared with other methods. Conventional methods of enhancing the acupuncture dose could potentially be applied as a means of modulating brain activity.
Infant's sex, birth control policy and postpartum well-being: a prospective cohort study in Shanghai, China
Authors: Hua Jing , Zhu Liping , Du Wenchong , Du Li , Luo Ting , Wu Zhuochun 
Published: October 2016

ObjectivesThe majority of Chinese families were under either one-child or two-child birth control policy status from 2001 to 2015. We explore the association between an infant's sex and the mother's postpartum well-being, which may be moderated by birth control policy status in China.Setting and participantsWe conducted a prospective cohort study in Shanghai City, one of the largest cities in China. A total number of 1730 childbearing women from eight obstetric hospitals across Shanghai were included in the study at baseline, with 1503 women completing the survey 7 days postpartum in 2013.MeasuresThe General Well-Being Schedule (GWBS) was used to assess maternal well-being at baseline and follow-up investigation in the study. The women's demographic, clinical characteristics, and well-being were measured at baseline. Maternal satisfaction and postpartum well-being were assessed in the follow-up survey.ResultsMultivariable linear regression analyses showed that women who gave birth to male infants were positively associated with the total score of maternal well-being, when the participating hospitals, maternal well-being at baseline, sociodemographic characteristics, and maternal and infant health outcomes were added to the adjustments (β=1.462, p<0.05). The association disappeared when the two-child policy status was added to the adjustments (p>0.05). The results of a multiple logistic regression model showed that having a male infant was a risk factor of ‘severe distress’ (OR=1.607, p<0.05), which was moderated by the two-child policy status (p>0.05).ConclusionsOur results emphasise the importance of conducting interventions to increase maternal general well-being, especially for those with a female infant in a society such as China where preference is for a son, and enhance the necessity of sustainability of a newly relaxed two-child policy which allows more couples to have a second child in China.
Not an ‘iron pipeline’, but many capillaries: regulating passive transactions in Los Angeles' secondary, illegal gun market
Authors: Chesnut Kelsie Y , Barragan Melissa , Gravel Jason , Pifer Natalie A , Reiter Keramet , Sherman Nicole , Tita George E 
Published: October 2016

ObjectivesCalifornia has strict firearm-related laws and is exceptional in its regulation of firearms retailers. Though evidence suggests that these laws can reduce illegal access to guns, high levels of gun violence persist in Los Angeles (LA), California. This research seeks to describe the sources of guns accessed by active offenders in LA, California and reports offenders' motivations for obtaining guns.SettingLos Angeles County Jail (LACJ) system (four facilities).MethodsRandom sampling from a screened pool of eligible participants was used to conduct qualitative semistructured interviews with 140 incarcerated gun offenders in one of four (LACJ) facilities. Researchers collected data on firearm acquisition, experiences related to gun violence, and other topics, using a validated survey instrument. Grounded theory guided the collection and analysis of data.ResultsRespondents reported possession of 77 specific guns (79.2% handguns) collectively. Social networks facilitate access to illegal guns; the majority of interviewees acquired their illegal guns through a social connection (85.7%) versus an outside broker/unregulated retailer (8.5%). Most guns were obtained through illegal purchase (n=51) or gift (n=15). A quarter of gun purchasers report engaging in apassivetransaction, or one initiated by another party. Passive gun buyers were motivated by concerns for personal safety and/or economic opportunity.ConclusionsIn LA's illegal gun market, where existing social relationships facilitate access to guns across a diffuse network, individuals, influenced by both fear and economic opportunity, have frequent opportunities to illegally possess firearms through passive transactions. Gun policies should better target and minimise these transactions.
Exosomes Promote Ovarian Cancer Cell Invasion through Transfer of CD44 to Peritoneal Mesothelial Cells
Authors: Nakamura Koji , Sawada Kenjiro , Kinose Yasuto , Yoshimura Akihiko , Toda Aska , Nakatsuka Erika , Hashimoto Kae , Mabuchi Seiji , Morishige Ken-ichirou , Kurachi Hirohisa , Lengyel Ernst , Kimura Tadashi 
Published: October 2016

Abstract
Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cells metastasize within the peritoneal cavity and directly encounter human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMC) as the initial step of metastasis. The contact between ovarian cancer cells and the single layer of mesothelial cells involves direct communications that modulate cancer progression but the mechanisms are unclear. One candidate mediating cell–cell communications is exosomes, 30–100 nm membrane vesicles of endocytic origin, through the cell–cell transfer of proteins, mRNAs, or microRNAs. Therefore, the goal was to mechanistically characterize how EOC-derived exosomes modulate metastasis. Exosomes from ovarian cancer cells were fluorescently labeled and cocultured with HPMCs which internalized the exosomes. Upon exosome uptake, HPMCs underwent a change in cellular morphology to a mesenchymal, spindle phenotype. CD44, a cell surface glycoprotein, was found to be enriched in the cancer cell–derived exosomes, transferred, and internalized to HPMCs, leading to high levels of CD44 in HPMCs. This increased CD44 expression in HPMCs promoted cancer invasion by inducing the HPMCs to secrete MMP9 and by cleaning the mesothelial barrier for improved cancer cell invasion. When CD44 expression was knocked down in cancer cells, exosomes had fewer effects on HPMCs. The inhibition of exosome release from cancer cells blocked CD44 internalization in HPMCs and suppressed ovarian cancer invasion. In ovarian cancer omental metastasis, positive CD44 expression was observed in those mesothelial cells that directly interacted with cancer cells, whereas CD44 expression was negative in the mesothelial cells remote from the invading edge. This study indicates that ovarian cancer–derived exosomes transfer CD44 to HPMCs, facilitating cancer invasion.
Implications: Mechanistic insight from the current study suggests that therapeutic targeting of exosomes may be beneficial in treating ovarian cancer. Mol Cancer Res; 15(1); 78–92. ©2016 AACR.