bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Antenatal classes as a form of preparation for parenthood: analysis of benefits of participating in prenatal education
Authors: Krysa Justyna , Iwanowicz-Palus Grażyna J. , Bień Agnieszka M. , Rzońca Ewa , Zarajczyk Marta 
Published: January 2017

Abstract
Prenatal education in the form of antenatal classes, referred to as School of Birth in Poland, aims at preparing both pregnant women and their partners for parenthood, on theoretical and practical basis. This is achieved by providing women with information on safe pregnancy, labor and puerperium, developing healthy behaviors and preparing parents to look after the newborn/infant. The course program covers all psychophysical issues related to pregnancy, labor, puerperium and early stages of the child’s life. The objective is to strengthen the health of mothers and children, alleviate pregnancy-related anxiety and fear, decrease the number of premature births and reduce the perinatal mortality rate. However, the scope of potential advantages of Schools of Birth depends not only on individual traits of the participants, but also on the engagement of professionals who teach the courses and the type of the school.
Designing a Fiscal Framework for a Prospective Commodity-producer: Options for Lebanon
Authors: Jarmuzek Mariusz , Mesa Puyo Diego , Nakhle Najla 
Published: January 2017

AbstractLebanon is expected to have gas resources in its Mediterranean basin, and these could turn the country into a natural gas producer over the next decade. Lebanon’s economy and institutions will thus need to adapt to the challenges and opportunities that such change will bring. In this paper, we address how Lebanon’s fiscal framework will need to be reformulated to take into account potential resource revenue. Designing a fiscal regime appropriately is an absolute prerequisite to make sure that the government can receive a fair share of the resources while investors face appropriate incentives to invest and develop the sector. This step should be followed by setting macro-fiscal anchors and supporting institutions. The prospective framework should be focused on ensuring fiscal sustainability and intergenerational equity, given the estimated relatively short horizon of Lebanon’s gas resources. Strong institutional arrangements also need to underpin the prospective framework, to ensure that the pace of resource wealth’s use is set in line with Lebanon’s capacity constraints.
Partial purification, characterization and wheat bran degradation studies of a new phytase from the Bacillus megaterium EBD 9-1 strain
Authors: Demirkan Elif , Sevgi Tuba , Akcakoca Dilara , Ersoy Figen 
Published: January 2017

Abstract

Objective
The present study was designed to report the bacterial identification and characterization of a new phytase enzyme from a Bacillus sp. strain isolated from soil.

Methods

Bacillus sp. strain was identified based on 16S rRNA analysis. The phytase was partially purified through ammonium sulfate precipitation and Sephadex G100 gel filtration steps, and characterized for its activity and stability.

Results
The new isolate EBD 9-1 showed 100% sequence identity with Bacillus megaterium. The partially purified enzyme had the maximum activity at pH 7.0 and 60°C. The activity of the enzyme was stimulated in the presence of Ca+2, Vmax and Km for enzyme were found to be 333 U/mL and 2 mM, respectively. The estimated molecular weight of enzyme was 45 kDa. The storage stability of phytase was 93% of the initial activity after 6 months at 4°C and −20°C. This study represents the partial purification, characterization and wheat bran degradation studies for B. megaterium phytase.

Conclusion
Consequently, due to the characteristics such as significant stability at higher temperatures, alkaline pH and storage of the novel phytase enzyme produced by B. megaterium EBD 9-1, the enzyme may be suitable for supplementing animal feeds to improve the availability of phosphorus from phytates.
Cortactin Is a Regulator of Activity-Dependent Synaptic Plasticity Controlled by Wingless
Authors: Alicea Daniel , Perez Marizabeth , Maldonado Carolina , Dominicci-Cotto Carihann , Marie Bruno 
Published: January 2017

Major signaling molecules initially characterized as key early developmental regulators are also essential for the plasticity of the nervous system. Previously, the Wingless (Wg)/Wnt pathway was shown to underlie the structural and electrophysiological changes during activity-dependent synaptic plasticity at theDrosophilaneuromuscular junction. A challenge remains to understand how this signal mediates the cellular changes underlying this plasticity. Here, we focus on the actin regulator Cortactin, a major organizer of protrusion, membrane mobility, and invasiveness, and define its new role in synaptic plasticity. We show that Cortactin is present presynaptically and postsynaptically at theDrosophilaNMJ and that it is a presynaptic regulator of rapid activity-dependent modifications in synaptic structure. Furthermore, animals lacking presynaptic Cortactin show a decrease in spontaneous release frequency, and presynaptic Cortactin is necessary for the rapid potentiation of spontaneous release frequency that takes place during activity-dependent plasticity. Most interestingly, Cortactin levels increase at stimulated synaptic terminals and this increase requires neuronal activity,de novotranscription and depends on Wg/Wnt expression. Because it is not simply the presence of Cortactin in the presynaptic terminal but its increase that is necessary for the full range of activity-dependent plasticity, we conclude that it probably plays a direct and important role in the regulation of this process.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTIn the nervous system, changes in activity that lead to modifications in synaptic structure and function are referred to as synaptic plasticity and are thought to be the basis of learning and memory. The secreted Wingless/Wnt molecule is a potent regulator of synaptic plasticity in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie these plastic changes is a major gap in our knowledge. Here, we identify a presynaptic effector molecule of the Wingless/Wnt signal, Cortactin. We show that this molecule is a potent regulator of modifications in synaptic structure and is necessary for the electrophysiological changes taking place during synaptic plasticity.
Zika Virus Targeting in the Developing Brain
Authors: van den Pol Anthony N. , Mao Guochao , Yang Yang , Ornaghi Sara , Davis John N. 
Published: January 2017

Zika virus (ZIKV), a positive-sense RNA flavivirus, has attracted considerable attention recently for its potential to cause serious neurological problems, including microcephaly, cortical thinning, and blindness during early development. Recent findings suggest that ZIKV infection of the brain can occur not only during very early stages of development, but also in later fetal/early neonatal stages of maturation. Surprisingly, after peripheral inoculation of immunocompetent mice on the day of birth, the first cells targeted throughout the brain were isolated astrocytes. At later stages, more neurons showed ZIKV immunoreactivity, in part potentially due to ZIKV release from infected astrocytes. In all developing mice studied, we detected infection of retinal neurons; in many mice, this was also associated with infection of the lateral geniculate, suprachiasmatic nuclei, and superior colliculus, suggesting a commonality for the virus to infect cells of the visual system. Interestingly, in mature mice lacking a Type 1 interferon response (IFNR−/−), after inoculation of the eye, the initial majority of infected cells in the visual system were glial cells along the optic tract. ZIKV microinjection into the somatosensory cortex on one side of the normal mouse brain resulted in mirror infection restricted to the contralateral somatosensory cortex without any infection of midline brain regions, indicating the virus can move by axonal transport to synaptically coupled brain loci. These data support the view that ZIKV shows considerable complexity in targeting the CNS and may target different cells at different stages of brain development.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTZika virus (ZIKV) can cause substantial damage to the developing human brain. Here we examine a developmental mouse model of ZIKV infection in the newborn mouse in which the brain is developmentally similar to a second-trimester human fetus. After peripheral inoculation, the virus entered the CNS in all mice tested and initially targeted astrocytes throughout the brain. Infections of the retina were detected in all mice, and infection of CNS visual system nuclei in the brain was common. We find that ZIKV can be transported axonally, thereby enhancing virus spread within the brain. These data suggest that ZIKV infects multiple cell types within the brain and that astrocyte infection may play a more important role in initial infection than previously appreciated.
Linkage Mapping and Comparative Genomics of Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) Using Next-Generation Sequencing
Authors: Hollenbeck Christopher M , Portnoy David S , Wetzel Dana , Sherwood Tracy A , Samollow Paul B , Gold John R 
Published: January 2017

Abstract
Developments in next-generation sequencing allow genotyping of thousands of genetic markers across hundreds of individuals in a cost-effective manner. Because of this, it is now possible to rapidly produce dense genetic linkage maps for nonmodel species. Here, we report a dense genetic linkage map for red drum, a marine fish species of considerable economic importance in the southeastern United States and elsewhere. We used a prior microsatellite-based linkage map as a framework and incorporated 1794 haplotyped contigs derived from high-throughput, reduced representation DNA sequencing to produce a linkage map containing 1794 haplotyped restriction-site associated DNA (RAD) contigs, 437 anonymous microsatellites, and 44 expressed sequence-tag-linked microsatellites (EST-SSRs). A total of 274 candidate genes, identified from transcripts from a preliminary hydrocarbon exposure study, were localized to specific chromosomes, using a shared synteny approach. The linkage map will be a useful resource for red drum commercial and restoration aquaculture, and for better understanding and managing populations of red drum in the wild.
Single-Step BLUP with Varying Genotyping Effort in Open-Pollinated Picea glauca
Authors: Ratcliffe Blaise , El-Dien Omnia Gamal , Cappa Eduardo P , Porth Ilga , Klápště Jaroslav , Chen Charles , El-Kassaby Yousry A 
Published: January 2017

Abstract
Maximization of genetic gain in forest tree breeding programs is contingent on the accuracy of the predicted breeding values and precision of the estimated genetic parameters. We investigated the effect of the combined use of contemporary pedigree information and genomic relatedness estimates on the accuracy of predicted breeding values and precision of estimated genetic parameters, as well as rankings of selection candidates, using single-step genomic evaluation (HBLUP). In this study, two traits with diverse heritabilities [tree height (HT) and wood density (WD)] were assessed at various levels of family genotyping efforts (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%) from a population of white spruce (Picea glauca) consisting of 1694 trees from 214 open-pollinated families, representing 43 provenances in Québec, Canada. The results revealed that HBLUP bivariate analysis is effective in reducing the known bias in heritability estimates of open-pollinated populations, as it exposes hidden relatedness, potential pedigree errors, and inbreeding. The addition of genomic information in the analysis considerably improved the accuracy in breeding value estimates by accounting for both Mendelian sampling and historical coancestry that were not captured by the contemporary pedigree alone. Increasing family genotyping efforts were associated with continuous improvement in model fit, precision of genetic parameters, and breeding value accuracy. Yet, improvements were observed even at minimal genotyping effort, indicating that even modest genotyping effort is effective in improving genetic evaluation. The combined utilization of both pedigree and genomic information may be a cost-effective approach to increase the accuracy of breeding values in forest tree breeding programs where shallow pedigrees and large testing populations are the norm.
Functional Analysis of Kinases and Transcription Factors in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Using an Integrated Overexpression Library
Authors: Youn Ji-Young , Friesen Helena , Nguyen Ba Alex N , Liang Wendy , Messier Vincent , Cox Mike J , Moses Alan M , Andrews Brenda 
Published: January 2017

Abstract
Kinases and transcription factors (TFs) are key modulators of important signaling pathways and their activities underlie the proper function of many basic cellular processes such as cell division, differentiation, and development. Changes in kinase and TF dosage are often associated with disease, yet a systematic assessment of the cellular phenotypes caused by the combined perturbation of kinases and TFs has not been undertaken. We used a reverse-genetics approach to study the phenotypic consequences of kinase and TF overexpression (OE) in the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We constructed a collection of strains expressing stably integrated inducible alleles of kinases and TFs and used a variety of assays to characterize the phenotypes caused by TF and kinase OE. We used the Synthetic Genetic Array (SGA) method to examine dosage-dependent genetic interactions (GIs) between 239 gain-of-function (OE) alleles of TFs and six loss-of-function (LOF) and seven OE kinase alleles, the former identifying Synthetic Dosage Lethal (SDL) interactions and the latter testing a GI we call Double Dosage Lethality (DDL). We identified and confirmed 94 GIs between 65 OE alleles of TFs and 9 kinase alleles. Follow-up experiments validated regulatory relationships between genetically interacting pairs (Cdc28–Stb1 and Pho85–Pdr1), suggesting that GI studies involving OE alleles of regulatory proteins will be a rich source of new functional information.
Reproduction and In-Depth Evaluation of Genome-Wide Association Studies and Genome-Wide Meta-analyses Using Summary Statistics
Authors: Niu Yao-Fang , Ye Chengyin , He Ji , Han Fang , Guo Long-Biao , Zheng Hou-Feng , Chen Guo-Bo 
Published: January 2017

Abstract
In line with open-source genetics, we report a novel linear regression technique for genome-wide association studies (GWAS), called Open GWAS algoriTHm (OATH). When individual-level data are not available, OATH can not only completely reproduce reported results from an experimental model, but also recover underreported results from other alternative models with a different combination of nuisance parameters using naïve summary statistics (NSS). OATH can also reliably evaluate all reported results in-depth (e.g., p-value variance analysis), as demonstrated for 42 Arabidopsis phenotypes under three magnesium (Mg) conditions. In addition, OATH can be used for consortium-driven genome-wide association meta-analyses (GWAMA), and can greatly improve the flexibility of GWAMA. A prototype of OATH is available in the Genetic Analysis Repository (https://github.com/gc5k/GEAR).
The Relation of Childhood BMI to Adult Adiposity: The Bogalusa Heart Study
Authors: Freedman David S. , Khan Laura Kettel , Serdula Mary K. , Dietz William H. , Srinivasan Sathanur R. , Berenson Gerald S. 
Published: January 2017

Objective. Although many studies have found that childhood levels of body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) are associated with adult levels, it has been reported that childhood BMI is not associated with adult adiposity. We further examined these longitudinal associations.
Design. Cohort study based on examinations between 1973 and 1996.
Setting. Bogalusa, Louisiana.
Participants. Children (2610; ages 2-17 years old) who were followed to ages 18 to 37 years; the mean follow-up was 17.6 years.
Main Outcome Measures. BMI-for-age and triceps skinfold thickness (SF) were measured in childhood. Subscapular and triceps SFs were measured among adults, and the mean SF was used as an adiposity index. Adult obesity was defined as a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 and adult overfat as a mean SF in the upper (gender-specific) quartile.
Results. Childhood levels of both BMI and triceps SF were associated with adult levels of BMI and adiposity. The magnitude of these longitudinal associations increased with childhood age, but the BMI levels of even the youngest (ages 2-5 years) children were moderately associated (r = 0.33-0.41) with adult adiposity. Overweight (BMI-for-age ≥ 95th centile) 2- to 5-year-olds were &gt;4 times as likely to become overfat adults (15 of 23 [65%]), as were children with a BMI &lt; 50th centile (30 of 201 [15%]). Even after accounting for the triceps SF of children, BMI-for-age provided additional information on adult adiposity.
Conclusions. Childhood BMI is associated with adult adiposity, but it is possible that the magnitude of this association depends on the relative fatness of children.
Trends in Operative Management of Pediatric Splenic Injury in a Regional Trauma System
Authors: Davis Daniela H. , Localio A. Russell , Stafford Perry W. , Helfaer Mark A. , Durbin Dennis R. 
Published: January 2017

Objective. Selective nonoperative management of pediatric blunt splenic injury became the standard of care in the late 1980s. The extent to which this practice has been adopted in both trauma centers and nontrauma hospitals has been investigated sporadically. Several studies have demonstrated significant variations in practice patterns; however, most published studies capture only a selective population over a relatively short time interval, often without simultaneous adjustment for confounding variables. The objective of this study was to characterize the variation in operative versus nonoperative management of blunt splenic injury in children in nontrauma hospitals and in trauma centers with varying resources for pediatric care within a regionalized trauma system in the past decade.Methods. The study population included all children who were younger than 19 years and had a diagnosis of blunt injury to the spleen (International Classification of Diseases code 865.00–865.09) and were admitted to each of the 175 acute care hospitals in Pennsylvania between 1991 and 2000. The proportion of patients who were treated operatively was stratified by trauma-level certification and adjusted for age and splenic injury severity. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to generate probabilities of splenectomy by age, injury severity, and hospital type.Results. From 1991 through 2000 in Pennsylvania, 3245 children sustained blunt splenic injury that required hospitalization; 752 (23.2%) were treated operatively. Generally, as age and splenic injury severity increased, the proportion of patients who were treated operatively increased. Compared with pediatric trauma centers, the relative risk (with associated 95% confidence interval) of splenectomy was 4.4 (3.0–6.3) for level 1 trauma centers with additional qualifications in pediatrics; 6.2 (4.4–8.7) for level 1 trauma centers, 6.3 (5.3–7.4) for level 2 trauma centers, and 5.0 (4.2–5.9) for nontrauma centers. Significant variation in practice pattern was seen among hospital types and over time even after adjustment for age and injury severity.Conclusions. The operative management of splenic injury in children varied significantly by hospital trauma status and over time during the past decade in Pennsylvania. Given the relative benefits of nonoperative treatment for children with blunt splenic injury, these results highlight the need for more widespread and standardized adoption of this treatment, particularly in hospitals without a large volume of pediatric trauma patients.
Utility of Bedside Bladder Ultrasound Before Urethral Catheterization in Young Children
Authors: Chen Lei , Hsiao Allen L. , Moore Christopher L. , Dziura James D. , Santucci Karen A. 
Published: January 2017

Background. Urethral catheterization is the method of choice for obtaining samples for urine culture and urine analysis in infants. Before the procedure, there is little certainty of the presence or amount of urine in the bladder. Consequently, this relatively invasive and uncomfortable procedure often needs to be repeated. The newly available technology of portable ultrasound may be useful in reducing the number of unsuccessful procedures.
Objective. To investigate the utility of bedside ultrasound of the bladder performed by pediatric emergency medicine physicians before catheterization in reducing the number of unsuccessful attempts.
Methods. A prospective, 2-phase study was performed in the setting of an urban pediatric emergency department from August 2003 to February 2004. Children who were between the ages of 0 and 24 months were enrolled. During the observation phase, the amount of urine obtained during the first catheterization was recorded for each patient. During the intervention period, a rapid bedside ultrasound of the bladder was performed by a pediatric emergency medicine physician immediately before urethral catheterization. When a sufficient amount of urine was seen, catheterization was conducted as usual. Otherwise, catheterization was deferred and repeated ultrasound was performed at 30-minute intervals until sufficient urine was identified. The amount of urine obtained was recorded.
Results. During the observation phase, 136 infants underwent urethral catheterization. Overall, the rate of success during the first attempt, defined as obtaining &gt;2 mL of urine, sufficient for culture and other routine studies, was 72% (95% confidence interval: 66%–78%). A total of 112 subjects were enrolled during the intervention phase. Sufficient urine was identified on the first ultrasound in 76% (n = 85) of the patients. Among these, 98% (n = 83) underwent successful urethral catheterization during the first attempt. Among those in whom insufficient urine was identified initially (n = 27; 24%), subsequent ultrasound revealed sufficient amount in all patients within 90 minutes. Among these, 93% (n = 25) underwent successful urethral catheterization during the first attempt. Overall rate of success of initial urethral catheterization during the intervention phase was 96% (95% confidence interval: 93%–99%). Compared with the success rate during the observation phase, the differences were statistically significant. The results were consistent after being adjusted for gender.
Conclusion. A rapid bedside ultrasound of the bladder performed by pediatric emergency physicians led to an increased success rate of urethral catheterization in children who were younger than 2 years. We were able to avoid repeated invasive testing with a simple noninvasive procedure.