bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
High pressure mass spectrometry of volatile organic compounds with ambient air buffer gas
Authors: Blakeman Kenion H. , Cavanaugh Craig A. , Gilliland William M. , Ramsey J. Michael 
Published: October 2016

RationaleThere are many chemical measurement scenarios that would benefit from hand portable mass spectrometry tools including forensics, environmental monitoring, and safety and security. High pressure mass spectrometry (HPMS) facilitates miniaturization by significantly reducing vacuum system requirements. Previous work demonstrated HPMS using helium buffer gas, but HPMS conducted using ambient air would further reduce the size and weight of a portable instrument while also reducing logistical demands by eliminating the need for a helium supply.MethodsMass spectrometry was performed at pressures exceeding 1 Torr with ambient air as the buffer gas. A glow discharge electron ionization source and a miniature cylindrical ion trap mass analyzer with a radius of 0.5 mm were used. Mass analysis was possible at these pressures with increased radiofrequency (RF) drive frequencies (10 MHz) compared with commercial ion traps (~1 MHz). A differentially pumped chamber was used so that mass spectrometry could be performed at high pressures and detection performed at low pressures with an electron multiplier.ResultsHPMS with air buffer gas was demonstrated using a suite of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The glow discharge ionization source was optimized for operation using air. Mass spectral peak widths increased a factor of 8 compared with helium, as expected, but useful chemical information was still acquired. A mixture of VOCs was detected with ambient air as the buffer gas, showing that valuable mass information can be gained using HPMS without the requirement of an onboard buffer gas source.ConclusionsHPMS significantly reduces the pumping requirements required for miniature mass spectrometers and the use of ambient air buffer gas further reduces size, weight, and logistics requirements. Mass analysis at high pressures of ambient air is another important step for the development of hand portable mass spectrometers. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Developmental regulation of RNA processing by Rbfox proteins
Authors: Conboy John G. 
Published: October 2016

The Rbfox genes encode an ancient family of sequence‐specific RNA binding proteins (RBPs) that are critical developmental regulators in multiple tissues including skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and brain. The hallmark of Rbfox proteins is a single high‐affinity RRM domain, highly conserved from insects to humans, that binds preferentially to UGCAUG motifs at diverse regulatory sites in pre‐mRNA introns, mRNA 3’UTRs, and pre‐miRNAs hairpin structures. Versatile regulatory circuits operate on Rbfox pre‐mRNA and mRNA to ensure proper expression of Rbfox1 protein isoforms, which then act on the broader transcriptome to regulate alternative splicing networks, mRNA stability and translation, and microRNA processing. Complex Rbfox expression is encoded in large genes encompassing multiple promoters and alternative splicing options that govern spatiotemporal expression of structurally distinct and tissue‐specific protein isoforms with different classes of RNA targets. Nuclear Rbfox1 is a candidate master regulator that binds intronic UGCAUG elements to impact splicing efficiency of target alternative exons, many in transcripts for other splicing regulators. Tissue‐specificity of Rbfox‐mediated alternative splicing is executed by combinatorial regulation through the integrated activity of Rbfox proteins and synergistic or antagonistic splicing factors. Studies in animal models show that Rbfox1‐related genes are critical for diverse developmental processes including germ cell differentiation and memory in Drosophila, neuronal migration and function in mouse brain, myoblast fusion and skeletal muscle function, and normal heart function. Finally, genetic and biochemical evidence suggest that aberrations in Rbfox‐regulated circuitry are risk factors for multiple human disorders, especially neurodevelopmental disorders including epilepsy and autism, and cardiac hypertrophy. WIREs RNA 2017, 8:e1398. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1398This article is categorized under:

RNA Processing > Splicing Regulation/Alternative Splicing
Dietary Arachidonic Acid Has a Time‐Dependent Differential Impact on Adipogenesis Modulated via COX and LOX Pathways in Grass CarpCtenopharyngodon idellus
Authors: Tian Jing‐jing , Lei Cai‐xia , Ji Hong , Chen Li‐Qiao , Du Zhen‐Yu 
Published: October 2016

AbstractIn this study, we explored the function of arachidonic acid (ARA) in adipogenesis in the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) usingin vivoandin vitromodels. An 8‐week feeding trial was performed using three isonitrogenous and isoenergetic purified diets: ARA‐free, ARA, and ARA + acetylsalicylic acid [ASA, a cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor]. Fish were sampled after 4 and 8 weeks of feeding. Results showed that ARA‐fed fish had a significantly lower intraperitoneal fat index (IPFI) and smaller adipocytes; these decreases were reversed by ASA after 8 weeks of feeding. Nevertheless, at week 4, the IPFI and adipocyte size were higher in the ARA group, and they were comparable to those of fish fed ARA + ASA. To further investigate the influence of ARA on adipocyte differentiation, confluent pre‐adipocytes of grass carp were incubated with ARA for 3 days. Thisin vitroexperiment demonstrated that ARA promoted adipogenesis in a dose‐dependent manner. Pre‐treatment with the lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibitor nordihydroguaiaretic acid attenuated the pro‐adipogenic function of ARA. However, after treatment with ARA for 8 days, adipocytes had a lower lipid content than cells treated with oleic acid, and ASA could suppress this effect. We thus revealed the dual function of ARA in adipogenesis in grass carp. The LOX pathway may play a key role in pro‐adipogenesis after short‐term treatment with ARA, whereas the COX pathway is possibly responsible for the inhibition of adipogenesis after long‐term treatment.
Self-thinning in four pine species: an evaluation of potential climate impacts
Authors: Brunet-Navarro Pau , Sterck Frank J. , Vayreda Jordi , Martinez-Vilalta Jordi , Mohren Godefridus M.J. 
Published: October 2016

Abstract

Key message

Self-thinning lines are species- and climate-specific, and they should be used when assessing the capacity of different forest stands to increase biomass/carbon storage.

Context
The capacity of forests to store carbon can help to mitigate the effects of atmospheric CO2 rise and climate change. The self-thinning relationship (average size measure ∼ stand density) has been used to identify the potential capacity of biomass storage at a given density and to evaluate the effect of stand management on stored carbon. Here, a study that shows how the self-thinning line varies with species and climate is presented.

Aims
Our main objective is thus testing whether species identity and climate affect the self-thinning line and therefore the potential amount of carbon stored in living biomass.

Methods
The Ecological and Forest Inventory of Catalonia was used to calculate the self-thinning lines of four common coniferous species in Catalonia, NE Iberian Peninsula (Pinus halepensis, Pinus nigra, Pinus sylvestris and Pinus uncinata). Quadratic mean diameter at breast height was chosen as the average size measure. The self-thinning lines were used to predict the potential diameter at a given density and study the effect of environmental variability.

Results
Species-specific self-thinning lines were obtained. The self-thinning exponent was consistent with the predicted values of −3/2 and −4/3 for mass-based scaling for all species except P. sylvestris. Species identity and climatic variability within species affected self-thinning line parameters.

Conclusion
Self-thinning lines are species-specific and are affected by climatic conditions. These relationships can be used to refine predictions of the capacity of different forest stands to increase biomass/carbon storage.
Alzheimer's disease severity, objectively determined and measured
Authors: Gross Alden L. , Mungas Dan M. , Leoutsakos Jeannie‐Marie S. , Albert Marilyn S. , Jones Richard N. ,   Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: October 2016

AbstractIntroductionWith expansion of clinical trials to individuals across the spectrum of Alzheimer disease (AD) from preclinical to symptomatic phases, it is increasingly important to quantify AD severity using methods that capture underlying pathophysiology.MethodsWe derived an AD severity measure based on biomarkers from brain imaging, neuropathology, and cognitive testing using latent variable modeling. We used data from ADNI‐1 (N = 822) and applied findings to BIOCARD study (N = 349). We evaluated criterion validity for distinguishing diagnostic groups and construct validity by evaluating rates of change in AD severity.ResultsThe AD severity factor cross‐sectionally distinguishes cognitively normal participants from MCI (AUC = 0.87) and AD dementia (AUC = 0.94). Among ADNI MCI subjects, worsening scores predict faster progression to AD dementia (HR = 1.17; 95% CI, 1.13–1.22). In ADNI and BIOCARD, the pace of change in AD severity is steepest among progressors, with persisting differences by baseline diagnosis.DiscussionOur content‐valid latent variable measurement model is a reasonable approach for grading AD severity across a broad spectrum beginning at preclinical stages of AD.
Strengthening accountability for improved maternal and newborn health: A mapping of studies in Sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Martin Hilber Adriane , Blake Carolyn , Bohle Leah F. , Bandali Sarah , Agbon Esther , Hulton Louise 
Published: October 2016

AbstractObjectiveTo describe the types of maternal and newborn health program accountability mechanisms implemented and evaluated in recent years in Sub‐Saharan Africa, how these have been implemented, their effectiveness, and future prospects to improve governance and MNH outcomes.MethodA structured review selected 38 peer‐reviewed papers between 2006 and 2016 in Sub‐Saharan Africa to include in the analysis.ResultsPerformance accountability in MNH through maternal and perinatal death surveillance was the most common accountability mechanism used. Political and democratic accountability through advocacy, human rights, and global tracking of progress on indicators achieved greatest results when multiple stakeholders were involved. Financial accountability can be effective but depend on external support. Overall, this review shows that accountability is more effective when clear expectations are backed by social and political advocacy and multistakeholder engagement, and supported by incentives for positive action.ConclusionThere are few accountability mechanisms in MNH in Sub‐Saharan Africa between decision‐makers and those affected by those decisions with both the power and the will to enforce answerability. Increasing accountability depends not only on how mechanisms are enforced but also, on how providers and managers understand accountability.
Prevention of tau increase in cerebrospinal fluid of APP transgenic mice suggests downstream effect of BACE1 inhibition
Authors: Schelle Juliane , Häsler Lisa M. , Göpfert Jens C. , Joos Thomas O. , Vanderstichele Hugo , Stoops Erik , Mandelkow Eva‐Maria , Neumann Ulf , Shimshek Derya R. , Staufenbiel Matthias , Jucker Mathias , Kaeser Stephan A. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractIntroductionThe inhibition of the β‐site amyloid precursor protein‐cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is a main therapeutic approach for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We previously reported an age‐related increase of tau protein in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of amyloid β (Aβ) precursor protein (APP) transgenic mice.MethodsAPP transgenic mice were treated with a potent BACE1 inhibitor. CSF tau and CSF Aβ levels were assessed. A novel high‐sensitivity tau sandwich immunoassay was developed.ResultsWe demonstrate that long‐term BACE1 inhibition prevents CSF tau increase both in early‐depositing APP transgenic mice and APP transgenic mice with moderate Aβ pathology.DiscussionOur results demonstrate that BACE1 inhibition not only reduces Aβ generation but also downstream AD pathophysiology. The tight correlation between Aβ aggregation in brain and CSF tau levels renders CSF tau a valuable marker to predict the effectiveness of BACE1 inhibitors in current clinical trials.
A cohort study on 10‐year survival of sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma with somatic RET mutation
Authors: Chuang Li‐Lun , Hwang Daw‐Yang , Tsai Kun‐Bow , Chan Hon‐Man , Chiang Feng‐Yu , Hsiao Pi‐Jung 
Published: October 2016

AbstractSomatic rearranged during transfection (RET) mutations are reported in 40–50% of sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma (sMTC) patients with prognostic significance. As there is a lack of somatic RET mutations reported previously for the Taiwanese population, we tried to assess the presence of somatic RET mutations and evaluate the potential outcome predictors for our sMTC patients. We collected data from seven sMTC patients from the years 1997 to 2005 and analyzed their clinic‐pathological features up to 2015. All patients were still alive to follow up for 11∼18 years. Tumor DNAs were extracted to assess exons 10–11 and 13–16, and the intron‐exon boundaries of the RET gene. Six cases (86%) were screened positive of somatic RET gene mutations in hotspot regions, one at M918T, one at C620R, and three at C634S, with another two rare mutations at L629Q and V642I. Comparing the current tumor, node, metastases staging system, the 10‐year survival outcomes for our sMTC patients was not predicted by serum calcitonin and/or carcinoembryonic antigen, surgical extent, and presence of the somatic RET gene mutations. The small cohort demonstrated a relatively good outcome of sMTC patients to survive >10 years. In addition, intensive treatment with total thyroidectomy with extensive neck lymph node dissection seemed to be the critical determinant of better survival outcome for sMTC patients.
Dynamics of global financial governance: Constraints, opportunities, and capacities in Asia
Authors: Woo J J , Ramesh M , Howlett Michael , Coban Mehmet Kerem 
Published: October 2016

Abstract
Policy design, or the deliberate governmental effort to attain desired policy objectives, is an integral part of micro and macro-level fiscal and financial regulation. This paper seeks to address the role of regime coherence and policy capacity in contributing to effective financial policy design. Drawing on the cases of the Global Financial Crisis and Asian Financial Crisis and focusing on Asian states, we assess regime capacity at both international and domestic levels. We argue that it is the integration of analytical, operational and political capacities that have contributed to the overall ability of a government regime to address and respond to crises.
Impact of process improvements on measures of emergency department efficiency
Authors: Leung Alexander K. , Whatley Shawn D. , Gao Dechang , Duic Marko 
Published: October 2016

AbstractObjectiveTo study the operational impact of process improvements on emergency department (ED) patient flow. The changes did not require any increase in resources or expenditures.MethodsThis was a 36-month pre- and post-intervention study to evaluate the effect of implementing process improvements at a community ED from January 2010 to December 2012. The intervention comprised streamlining triage by having patients accepted into internal waiting areas immediately after triage. Within the ED, parallel processes unfolded, and there was no restriction on when registration occurred or which health care provider a patient saw first. Flexible nursing ratios allowed nursing staff to redeploy and move to areas of highest demand. Last, demand-based physician scheduling was implemented. The main outcome was length of stay (LOS). Secondary outcomes included time to physician initial assessment (PIA), left-without-being-seen (LWBS) rates, and left-against-medical-advice (LAMA) rates. Segmented regression of interrupted time series analysis was performed to quantify the impact of the intervention, and whether it was sustained.ResultsPatients totalling 251,899 attended the ED during the study period. Daily patient volumes increased 17.3% during the post-intervention period. Post-intervention, mean LOS decreased by 0.64 hours (p<0.005). LOS for non-admitted Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale 2 (-0.58 hours, p<0.005), 3 (-0.75 hours, p<0.005), and 4 (-0.32 hours, p<0.005) patients also decreased. There were reductions in PIA (43.81 minutes, p<0.005), LWBS (35.2%, p<0.005), and LAMA (61.9%, p<0.005).ConclusionA combination of process improvements in the ED was associated with clinically significant reductions in LOS, PIA, LWBS, and LAMA for non-resuscitative patients.
Feasibility of emergency department point-of-care ultrasound for rib fracture diagnosis in minor thoracic injury
Authors: Lalande Élizabeth , Guimont Chantal , Émond Marcel , Parent Marc Charles , Topping Claude , Kuimi Brice Lionel Batomen , Boucher Valérie , Le Sage Natalie 
Published: October 2016

ABSTRACTObjectivesThe main objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of emergency department (ED) point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) for rib fracture diagnosis in patients with minor thoracic injury (mTI). Secondary objectives were to 1) evaluate patients’ pain during the PoCUS procedure, 2) identify the limitations of the use of PoCUS technique, and 3) compare the diagnosis obtained with PoCUS to radiography results.MethodsAdult patients who presented with clinical suspicion of rib fractures after mTI were included. All patients underwent PoCUS performed by emergency physicians (EPs) prior to a rib view X-ray. A visual analogue scale (VAS) ranging from 0 to 100 was used to ascertain feasibility, patients’ pain and clinicians’ degree of certitude. Feasibility was defined as a score of more than 50 on the VAS. We documented the radiologists’ interpretation of rib view X-ray. Radiologists were blinded to the PoCUS results.ResultsNinety-six patients were included. A majority (65%) of EPs concluded that the PoCUS technique to diagnose rib fracture was feasible (VAS score > 50). Median score for feasibility was 63. Median score was 31 (Interquartile range [IQR] 5–57) for patients’ pain related to the PoCUS. The main limiting factor of the PoCUS technique was pain during patient examination (15%).ConclusionPoCUS examination appears to be a feasible technique for a rib fracture diagnosis in the ED.
Adorno’s Wrong Life Claim and the Concept of Despair
Authors: Whyman Tom 
Published: October 2016

AbstractAdorno’s critical theory is distinguished by his affirming what I call the ‘Wrong Life Claim’ (WLC), the claim that everything in existence exhibits wrongness or badness. This claim is notoriously hard to justify. The WLC, as I describe it, appears to rest on two things: the first is a form of Hegelian social holism; the second is some experience of or fundamental orientation towards reality which can motivate an ‘inversion’ of said holism. In this paper, I will leave aside questions of whether Hegelian holism is itself justified, and instead focus my efforts on convincing already-convinced Hegelians of the plausibility of the WLC. My argument is that we can formulate a version of the WLC that stands a chance of convincing ‘the Hegelian’ by focusing on the Kierkegaardian heritage of Adorno’s ideas: specifically, by understanding Adornian ‘wrongness’ to be analogous to ‘despair’, a concept which Kierkegaard explores at length in The Sickness Unto Death.
Living in Suspicion: Priests and Female Servants in Late Medieval England
Authors: Werner Janelle 
Published: October 2016

AbstractThis article examines ordinary priests in late medieval England who, despite clear guidelines to the contrary, employed and lived with female servants. Ecclesiastical legislation frequently and firmly warned priests against living with women, including servants, because of the potential for sexual temptation, scandal, or both. Historians have long assumed that most clerical households were homosocial, but looking closely at the living arrangements of ordinary parish priests reveals a different story. Evidence from the dioceses of Hereford and Lincoln suggests that elite clerical expectations were often ill-suited to the social and economic realities of parish life, and priests’ living arrangements reflect this incompatibility. Distrust of female clerical servants was heightened during periods of church reform, when these women bore the brunt of both reforming rhetoric and action.
Written in the Skies: Advertising, Technology, and Modernity in Britain since 1885
Authors: Taylor James 
Published: October 2016

AbstractNew technologies significantly increased the reach of advertising from the late nineteenth century. Some aspects of this phenomenon, such as advances in printing methods, are well known. Others, in particular its controversial leap into the sky, have received far less attention. Though no longer seen as the home of divine portents, the sky did not become “empty space” in the modern era: it was still freighted with significance. This meant that the various attempts made by entrepreneurs from the 1880s to bring advertising to the skies were often met with hostility, even panic. In exploring these responses, this article resists depicting opponents of aerial advertising as oversensitive aesthetes or technophobes. Rather, it explores the ways in which urbanization and commercial development imbued the sky with new meanings. The sky was imagined as man's most valuable connection to nature in an urban society, a precious but endangered part of the nation's heritage, and an essential counterweight to consumer society. Aerial advertising therefore represented an unjustifiable commercialization of a priceless public space. The rejection of this form of advertising did not involve denying modernity, but achieving an accommodation with it.
SOWING METHODS AND WATER LEVELS INFLUENCE APPLE SNAIL DAMAGE TO RICE AND ITS YIELD IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA
Authors: ARFAN A. G. , MUHAMAD R. , OMAR D. , NOR AZWADY A. A. , MANJERI G. 
Published: October 2016

SUMMARYRice productivity is limited by many pests, especially Pomacea spp. in Southeast Asia. Pomacea spp. damage to rice depends on sowing methods, flooded conditions, and snail densities in the field. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effect of different sowing methods, water levels, and snail density (1, 2, and 3 snails per plot) on the damage potential of Pomacea maculata and Pomacea canaliculata to rice and its yield. Both species caused complete loss of crop in direct seeding and 14 days old transplanted rice. The least damage by both species was recorded in 21 and 28 days old transplanted rice with no further damage after week five. Irrigation and snail density also influenced damage whereby highest damage was recorded in rice grown with 5 cm water level in comparison to 2 cm. At 2 cm water level, damage by various snail densities was trivial. However, in 5 cm water level, damage increased with the increasing snail density and the highest damage was observed at three snails per plot of either species. No difference in inflicted damage to various treatments was observed between two species, suggesting their equal damage potential on rice. Meanwhile, rice yields in 2 cm water level treatments were compatible with 5 cm control treatment. The least yield was recorded in treatments with three snails per plot of either species at 5 cm water level. Understanding the effect of sowing method and suitable water level is important as it can be further incorporated into rice cultivation practices to reduce damage of apple snails and ensure a high yield during harvest.