bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Structure–activity relationship study of angiotensin II analogs in terms of β‐arrestin‐dependent signaling to aldosterone production
Authors: Valero Thairy Reyes , Sturchler Emmanuel , Jafferjee Malika , Rengo Giuseppe , Magafa Vassiliki , Cordopatis Paul , McDonald Patricia , Koch Walter J. , Lymperopoulos Anastasios 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe known angiotensin II (AngII) physiological effect of aldosterone synthesis and secretion induction, a steroid hormone that contributes to the pathology of postmyocardial infarction (MI) heart failure (HF), is mediated by both Gq/11 proteins and β‐arrestins, both of which couple to the AngII type 1 receptors (AT1Rs) of adrenocortical zona glomerulosa (AZG) cells. Over the past several years, AngII analogs with increased selectivity (“bias”) toward β‐arrestin‐dependent signaling at the AT1R have been designed and described, starting with SII, the gold‐standard β‐arrestin‐”biased” AngII analog. In this study, we examined the relative potencies of an extensive series of AngII peptide analogs at relative activation of G proteins versus β‐arrestins by the AT1R. The major structural difference of these peptides from SII was their varied substitutions at position 5, rather than position 4 of native AngII. Three of them were found biased for β‐arrestin activation and extremely potent at stimulating aldosterone secretion in AZG cells in vitro, much more potent than SII in that regard. Finally, the most potent of these three ([Sar1, Cys(Et)5, Leu8]‐AngII, CORET) was further examined in post‐MI rats progressing to HF and overexpressing adrenal β‐arrestin1 in vivo. Consistent with the in vitro studies, CORET was found to exacerbate the post‐MI hyperaldosteronism, and, consequently, cardiac function of the post‐MI animals in vivo. Finally, our data suggest that increasing the size of position 5 of the AngII peptide sequence results in directly proportional increases in AT1R‐dependent β‐arrestin activation. These findings provide important insights for AT1R pharmacology and future AngII‐targeted drug development.
Cell-autonomous programming of rat adipose tissue insulin signalling proteins by maternal nutrition
Authors: Martin-Gronert Malgorzata S. , Fernandez-Twinn Denise S. , Bushell Martin , Siddle Kenneth , Ozanne Susan E. 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Aims/hypothesis
Individuals with a low birthweight have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus in adulthood. This is associated with peripheral insulin resistance. Here, we aimed to determine whether changes in insulin signalling proteins in white adipose tissue (WAT) can be detected prior to the onset of impaired glucose tolerance, determine whether these changes are cell-autonomous and identify the underlying mechanisms involved.

Methods
Fourteen-month-old male rat offspring born to dams fed a standard protein (20%) diet or a low (8%) protein diet throughout gestation and lactation were studied. Fat distribution and adipocyte size were determined. Protein content and mRNA expression of key insulin signalling molecules were analysed in epididymal WAT and in pre-adipocytes that had undergone in vitro differentiation.

Results
The offspring of low protein fed dams (LP offspring) had reduced visceral WAT mass, altered fat distribution and a higher percentage of small adipocytes in epididymal WAT. This was associated with reduced levels of IRS1, PI3K p110β, Akt1 and PKCζ proteins and of phospho-Akt Ser473. Corresponding mRNA transcript levels were unchanged. Similarly, in vitro differentiated adipocytes from LP offspring showed reduced protein levels of IRβ, IRS1, PI3K p85α and p110β subunits, and Akt1. Levels of Akt Ser473 and IRS1 Tyr612 phosphorylation were reduced, while IRS1 Ser307 phosphorylation was increased.

Conclusions/interpretation
Maternal protein restriction during gestation and lactation changes the distribution and morphology of WAT and reduces the levels of key insulin signalling proteins in the male offspring. This phenotype is retained in in vitro differentiated adipocytes, suggesting that programming occurs via cell-autonomous mechanism(s).
Study of biological communities subject to imperfect detection: bias and precision of communityN‐mixture abundance models in small‐sample situations
Authors: Yamaura Yuichi , Kéry Marc , Andrew Royle J. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractCommunityN‐mixture abundance models for replicated counts provide a powerful and novel framework for drawing inferences related to species abundance within communities subject to imperfect detection. To assess the performance of these models, and to compare them to related community occupancy models in situations with marginal information, we used simulation to examine the effects of mean abundance: 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5), detection probability: 0.1, 0.2, 0.5), and number of sampling sites (nsite: 10, 20, 40) and visits (nvisit: 2, 3, 4) on the bias and precision of species‐level parameters (mean abundance and covariate effect) and a community‐level parameter (species richness). Bias and imprecision of estimates decreased when any of the four variables,,nsite,nvisit) increased. Detection probabilitywas most important for the estimates of mean abundance, whilewas most influential for covariate effect and species richness estimates. For all parameters, increasingnsitewas more beneficial than increasingnvisit. Minimal conditions for obtaining adequate performance of community abundance models werensite≥ 20,≥ 0.2, and≥ 0.5. At lower abundance, the performance of community abundance and community occupancy models as species richness estimators were comparable. We then used additive partitioning analysis to reveal that raw species counts can overestimate β diversity both of species richness and the Shannon index, while community abundance models yielded better estimates. CommunityN‐mixture abundance models thus have great potential for use with community ecology or conservation applications provided that replicated counts are available.
Neighbourhood abundance and small‐tree survival in a lowland Bornean rainforest
Authors: Newbery D. M. , Ridsdale C. E. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractConspecific effects of neighbours on small‐tree survival may have a role in tree population dynamics and community composition of tropical forests. This notion was tested with data from two 4‐ha plots in lowland forest at Danum, Sabah (Borneo), for a 21‐year interval (censuses at 1986, 1996, 2001, 2007). Species with ≥45 focal trees 10 to <100 cm stem girth per plot in 1986 were selected. Logistic regressions fitted mean focal tree size and mean inverse‐distance‐weighted basal area abundance of neighbours (within 20 m), for the periods over which each focus tree was alive. Coefficients of variation of neighbourhood basal area abundance, both spatially and temporally, quantified the changing environment of each focus tree. Fits were critically and individually evaluated, with corrections for spatial autocorrelation. Conspecific effects at Danum was generally very weak or non‐existent: species’ mortality rates varied also across plots. The main reasons appear to be that (1) species were not dense enough to interact despite frequent although weak spatial aggregation, and their neighbourhoods were highly differing in species composition; and (2) these neighbourhoods were highly variable temporally, meaning that focus trees experienced stochastically fluctuating neighbourhood environments. Only one species, Dimorphocalyx muricatus, showed strong conspecific effects (varying between plots) which can be explained by its distinct ecology. This understorey species is highly aggregated on ridges and is drought‐tolerant. That this functionally and habitat‐specialized species, has implied intraspecific density‐dependent feedback in its dynamics is a remarkable indication of the overall processes maintaining stability of the Danum forest.
Time-Machine Magic
Authors: Gavin Carney E.S. 
Published: March 2016

The Harvard Semitic Museum’s FOCUS Project and the quest to preserve the earliest accurate images of the most swiftly changing part of today’s world.“Sunlight and shadow are the same.” Quoting Emerson’s paradox, the late Ethel Roosevelt Derby opened a photographic laboratory she had established in the basement of the Harvard Semitic Museum in memory of her daughter, who had died young a few months before. That paradox succinctly summarizes the physical basis for photography and epitomizes as well something unique about culture and the human spirit: adversity often brings blessings “in disguise.”
Palestinian Islamic Court Records: A Source for Socioeconomic History
Authors: Doumani Beshara B. 
Published: March 2016

The Major Lacuna in Palestinian historiography is the lack of social and economic histories, especially for the Ottoman period.Sijillāt al-maḥākim airshar‘īya(records of the Islamic religious courts), preserved in the major cities and towns of historic Palestine, are local Palestinian archives which can go a long way towards filling this gap. These records, some of which date from the first decades of the Ottoman occupation to the present, are akin to a people’s history. Literally hundreds of volumes illustrate in a concrete and detailed manner nearly every aspect of daily human interaction – be it in the personal, social, economic, religious, or administrative fields.
The DANTES Survey of Courses in Contemporary Middle East Studies
Authors: Salem Lori Anne 
Published: March 2016

In Fall 1990, the Defense Department mailed an eight-page questionnaire to more than a thousand college and university professors who teach courses in contemporary Middle East Studies. Fifteen percent, 184 professors, responded, which is an impressive rate for such an endeavor. The survey asked, among other things, how often courses meet, how course materials are organized, which specific topics are covered, which texts are used and requested a copy of the professor’s course syllabus. I heard about the survey from one of those solicited and called the director of the project to learn the results.The information sought in this survey is not classified. Specifics about a Middle East Studies course are available to anyone who signs up; and most professors are more than willing to discuss their selection and organization of material. But the survey was conducted without identifying the surveyors or their purpose. Neither the questionnaire nor its cover letter indicated a connection to the Department of Defense.
The Qur’ān Recited
Authors: Ayoub Mahmoud 
Published: March 2016

Until recently, the Qur’ān has been treated in the curricula of Western universities and colleges as a historical and literary document. Little attention was paid to the Qur’ān as a sacred scripture and the vital role it continues to play in the spiritual, social and cultural lives of millions of men and women around the world. Even scantier attention was paid to the place of the Qur’ān in the development of the art of music.As interest is growing in the impact of the Qur’ān on the devotional and cultural life of the Muslim community, greater attention is given to the various sciences of the Qur’ān, including the highly developed art of Qur’ān recitation. This brief essay introduces students of Islamic and religious studies to four well-known modern representatives of this art whose recitations are readily available on audio cassettes, disks or compact disks. A few introductory remarks on the development of this art may provide a useful background for the discussion.
The Inclusion Imperative (1996 MESA Presidential Address)
Authors: Kazemi Farhad 
Published: March 2016

A puzzling issue for those of us who study the modern Middle East is the slow—and in some instances nonexistent—progress toward more open and inclusive political systems. Why does authoritarianism persist in the Middle East? Why have regimes in many parts of the world, from East Europe to Latin America and elsewhere, made successful transitions from authoritarianism while the Middle East has lagged behind? Is the Middle Eastern exceptionalism likely to endure?What makes these questions more paradoxical is the presence of a number of democrats and reformers in the Middle East, as well as human rights organizations and civic groups, that attempt to provide a check on abuses of power and try to promote political reform. Moreover, there are regimes such as Israel and Turkey where democratic political systems, with limitations, exist and function reasonably successfully. Although in a few other polities (Lebanon, Iran, Egypt, Kuwait, and so on) semi-regular competitive elections for high offices are held, exclusionary tactics are used routinely to keep some individuals and groups from becoming active players in the political arena.
A Bibliography of Middle Eastern Statistical Documents (1945+)
Authors: Gibbons Virginia H. 
Published: March 2016

Dates in parentheses at the end of each statement represent the combined holdings of the Stanford University-Hoover Institution libraries and are meant to serve as a guide to the publication history of the documents.The bibliography is arranged by country and then by issuing agency. The Arabic form of the agency has been used when available.This bibliography is not a comprehensive listing, but rather serves as an introduction to the wealth of material buried in the confusing array of publications of statistical agencies in the Middle East.
REVIEWING TRANSFERABILITY IN ECONOMIC EVALUATIONS ORIGINATING FROM EASTERN EUROPE
Authors: Mandrik Olena , Knies Saskia , Kalo Zoltan , Severens Johan L. 
Published: March 2016

Objectives:The aim of this study is to analyze the quality and transferability issues reported in published peer-reviewed English-language economic evaluations based in healthcare settings of the Central and Eastern European (CEE) and former Soviet countries.Methods:A systematic search of economic evaluations of healthcare interventions was performed for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Romania, the Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovenia, and Ukraine. The included studies were assessed according to their characteristics, quality (using Drummond's checklist), use of local data, and the transferability of inputs and results, if addressed.Results:Most of the thirty-four economic evaluations identified were conducted from a healthcare or payer perspective (74 percent), with 47 percent of studies focusing on infectious diseases. The least frequently and transparently addressed parameters were the items’ stated perspectives, relevant costs included, accurately measured costs in appropriate units, outcomes and costs credibly valued, and uncertainties addressed. Local data were often used to assess unit costs, baseline risk, and resource usage, while jurisdiction-specific utilities were included in only one study. Only 32 percent of relevant studies discussed the limitations of using foreign data, and 36 percent of studies discussed the transferability of their own study results to other jurisdictions.Conclusions:Transferability of the results is not sufficiently discussed in published economic evaluations. To simplify the transferability of studies to other jurisdictions, the following should be comprehensively addressed: uncertainty, impact of influential parameters, and data transferability. The transparency of reporting should be improved.
The role of a multidisciplinary student team in the community management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Clarke Herchel , Voss Miranda 
Published: March 2016

ObjectiveTo determine whether a community-based, multidisciplinary team consisting of home-based caregivers and supervised students could improve the functional status and quality of life of patients living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a low-income, peri-urban setting in South Africa.MethodsThis was a quasi-experimental study conducted over three months. Attention was paid to health literacy, inhaler technique, respiratory conditioning and nutrition.ResultsHealth literacy was poor and most patients were not using their inhalers correctly. Five of 12 patients found exercising challenging and withdrew from the study early. In the remaining seven patients, statistically significant improvements in FEV1%, and quality of life scores were seen at three months. Improvements in exercise tolerance and BODE prognostic index did not reach statistical significance.ConclusionA home-based multidisciplinary student team can improve the functional status and the quality of life in patients living with COPD in a low-income setting. This approach offers a suitable model for community-based service learning.
Tracing the domestication of the Andean root crop arracacha (Arracacia xanthorrhizaBancr.): a molecular survey confirms the selection of a wild form apt to asexual reproduction
Authors: Morillo Eduardo , Sécond Gérard 
Published: March 2016

AbstractAndean arracacha (Arracacia xanthorrhizaBancr.) is a valuable but poorly known vegetatively reproduced root crop whose origin is still unresolved. Wild tuberous forms are present in the presumed areas of domestication and have a perennial or monocarpic life history. To elucidate the origin of the cultivated form, we surveyed a molecular analysis with amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) in a representative sample of this crop and its wild relatives from Ecuador and Peru, the presumed areas of domestication. Wild species with tuberous and non-tuberous roots were included, as well as the perennial and monocarpic forms of the presumed wild ancestor. While the two wild varieties ofA. xanthorrhizawere closest to the cultivars, they were distinguished by AFLPs. Unexpectedly, two clearly distinct groups were formed among the cultivars, one of which was significantly closer to the monocarpic wild form. However, the chloroplast DNA survey revealed greater similarity between all of the cultivars and the wild perennialA. xanthorrhiza. These results combined with the morphological and life history features, confirms the hypothesis that arracacha domestication started from the wild perennial form. We suggest this scenario of domestication followed by an unsuspected introgression in the cultivation, resulting in two cryptic genetic groups, well distinguished at the molecular level. This is an important revelation with implications in genetic resource conservation and breeding standpoints in this promissory crop.
Gene and pathway level analyses of germline DNA-repair gene variants and prostate cancer susceptibility using the iCOGS-genotyping array
Authors:   The UK Genetic Prostate Cancer Study Collaborators, Saunders Edward J ,   The UK ProtecT Study Collaborators,   The PRACTICAL Consortium Australian Prostate Cancer BioResource, Dadaev Tokhir , Leongamornlert Daniel A , Olama Ali Amin Al , Benlloch Sara , Giles Graham G , Wiklund Fredrik , Grönberg Henrik , Haiman Christopher A , Schleutker Johanna , Nordestgaard Børge G , Travis Ruth C , Neal David , Pasayan Nora , Khaw Kay-Tee , Stanford Janet L , Blot William J , Thibodeau Stephen N , Maier Christiane , Kibel Adam S , Cybulski Cezary , Cannon-Albright Lisa , Brenner Hermann , Park Jong Y , Kaneva Radka , Batra Jyotsna , Teixeira Manuel R , Pandha Hardev , Govindasami Koveela , Muir Ken , Easton Douglas F , Eeles Rosalind A , Kote-Jarai Zsofia 
Published: March 2016

Abstract

Background:
Germline mutations within DNA-repair genes are implicated in susceptibility to multiple forms of cancer. For prostate cancer (PrCa), rare mutations in BRCA2 and BRCA1 give rise to moderately elevated risk, whereas two of ∼100 common, low-penetrance PrCa susceptibility variants identified so far by genome-wide association studies implicate RAD51B and RAD23B.

Methods:
Genotype data from the iCOGS array were imputed to the 1000 genomes phase 3 reference panel for 21 780 PrCa cases and 21 727 controls from the Prostate Cancer Association Group to Investigate Cancer Associated Alterations in the Genome (PRACTICAL) consortium. We subsequently performed single variant, gene and pathway-level analyses using 81 303 SNPs within 20 Kb of a panel of 179 DNA-repair genes.

Results:
Single SNP analyses identified only the previously reported association with RAD51B. Gene-level analyses using the SKAT-C test from the SNP-set (Sequence) Kernel Association Test (SKAT) identified a significant association with PrCa for MSH5. Pathway-level analyses suggested a possible role for the translesion synthesis pathway in PrCa risk and Homologous recombination/Fanconi Anaemia pathway for PrCa aggressiveness, even though after adjustment for multiple testing these did not remain significant.

Conclusions:

MSH5 is a novel candidate gene warranting additional follow-up as a prospective PrCa-risk locus. MSH5 has previously been reported as a pleiotropic susceptibility locus for lung, colorectal and serous ovarian cancers.
A long non-coding RNA interacts with Gfra1 and maintains survival of mouse spermatogonial stem cells
Authors: Li L , Wang M , Wang M , Wu X , Geng L , Xue Y , Wei X , Jia Y , Wu X 
Published: March 2016

AbstractSpermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are unique male germline stem cells that support spermatogenesis and male fertility. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) have been identified as key regulators of stem cell fate; however, their role in SSCs has not been explored. Here, we report that a novel spermatogonia-specific lncRNA (lncRNA033862) is essential for the survival of murine SSCs. LncRNA033862 is expressed in early spermatogonia including SSC and was among 805 lncRNAs identified by global expression profiling as responsive to glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), a growth factor required for SSC self-renewal and survival. LncRNA033862 is an antisense transcript of the GDNF receptor alpha1 (Gfra1) that lacks protein coding potential and regulates Gfra1 expression levels by interacting with Gfra1 chromatin. Importantly, lncRNA033862 knockdown severely impairs SSC survival and their capacity to repopulate recipient testes in a transplantation assay. Collectively, our data provide the first evidence that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate SSC fate.