bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Heteranthery as a solution to the demand for pollen as food and for pollination – Legitimate flower visitors reject flowers without feeding anthers
Authors: Mesquita‐Neto J. N. , Costa B. K. P. , Schlindwein C. 
Published: August 2017

Abstract

Heteranthery, the presence of feeding and pollinating anthers in the same flower, seems to mediate the evolutionary dilemma for plants to protect their gametes and yet provide food for pollinators. This study aims to elucidate the role of heteranthery in the buzz‐pollinated Senna reniformis.

The fecundity of pollen from long‐, medium‐ and short‐sized anthers was determined by hand cross‐pollination experiments, and the quantity, size, ornamentation and viability of pollen of different anthers were compared. Rates of flower rejection by bees were measured in anther removal experiments to assess the preferences of flower visitors for feeding or pollinating anthers.

Large bees, which were the effective pollinators of self‐incompatible S. reniformis, avoided flowers without short feeding anthers, but not those without medium or long anthers. Illegitimate small and medium‐sized bees were unresponsive to anther exclusion experiments. Long anthers deposited pollen on the back and short anthers on the venter of large bees. Pollen from long anthers had higher in vitro viability and higher fruit and seed set after cross‐pollination than pollen from other sized anthers.

Short anthers produce feeding pollen to effective pollinators and long anthers are related to pollination of S. reniformis. Bee behaviour and size was found to directly influence the role of anthers in the ‘division of labour’. Only large bee pollinators that carry the pollinating pollen from long anthers in ‘safe sites’ associated short anthers with the presence of food. In the absence of these larger bee pollinators, the role of heteranthery in S. reniformis would be strongly compromised and its function would be lost.
Dissecting seed dormancy and germination in Aquilegia barbaricina, through thermal kinetics of embryo growth
Authors: Porceddu M. , Mattana E. , Pritchard H. W. , Bacchetta G. 
Published: August 2017

Abstract

Threshold‐based thermal time models provide insight into the physiological switch from the dormant to the non‐dormant germinating seed.

This approach was used to quantify the different growth responses of the embryo of seeds purported to have morphophysiological dormancy (MPD) through the complex phases of dormancy release and germination. Aquilegia barbaricina seeds were incubated at constant temperatures (10–25 °C) and 25/10 °C, without pre‐treatment, after warm+cold stratification (W+C) and GA3 treatment. Embryo growth was assessed and the time of testa and endosperm rupture scored. Base temperatures (Tb) and thermal times for 50% (θ50) of embryo growth and seed germination were calculated.

W+C enabled slow embryo growth. W+C and GA3 promoted rapid embryo growth and subsequent radicle emergence. The embryo internal growth base temperature (Tbe) was ca. 5 °C for W+C and GA3‐treated seeds. GA3 treatment also resulted in similar Tb estimates for radicle emergence. The thermal times for embryo growth (θe50) and germination (θg50) were four‐ to six‐fold longer in the presence of GA3 compared to W+C.

A. barbaricina is characterised by a multi‐step seed germination. The slow embryo growth during W+C reflects continuation of the maternal programme of development, whilst the thermal kinetics of both embryo and radicle growth after the removal of physiological dormancy are distinctly different. The effects of W+C on the multiphasic germination response in MPD seeds are only partially mimicked by 250 mg·l−1 GA3. The thermal time approach could be a valid tool to model thermal kinetics of embryo growth and radicle protrusion.
Affordability of Fertility Treatments and Multiple Births in the United States
Authors: Kulkarni Aniket D. , Adashi Eli Y. , Jamieson Denise J. , Crawford Sara B. , Sunderam Saswati , Kissin Dmitry M. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractBackgroundAffordability plays an important role in the utilisation of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and non‐IVF fertility treatments. Fertility treatments are associated with increased risk of multiple births. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between the affordability of fertility treatments across US states and the percentage of multiple births due to natural conception, non‐IVF treatments, and IVF, and the association between these percentages and state‐specific multiple birth rates.MethodsState‐specific per capita disposable personal income and state‐specific infertility insurance mandates were used as measures of affordability. Maternal age‐adjusted percentages of multiple births due to natural conception, non‐IVF treatments, and IVF were estimated for each state using birth certificate and IVF data. Scatter plots and regression analysis were used to explore associations between state‐level measures of affordability, the percentage of multiple births due to natural conception and fertility treatments, and state‐specific multiple birth rates.ResultsIn 2013, age‐adjusted contributions of natural conception, non‐IVF fertility treatments, and IVF to multiple births in US were 58.2, 22.8, and 19.0% respectively. States with greater affordability of fertility treatments had higher percentages of multiples due to IVF and lower percentages due to natural conception. Higher percentages of multiples due to IVF and lower percentages due to natural conception were associated with higher state‐specific multiple birth rates.ConclusionIncreasing affordability of fertility treatments may increase state‐specific multiple birth rates. Policies and treatment practices encouraging single‐gestation pregnancies may help reduce multiple births resulting from these treatments.
Reinventing the Wheel? Public Sector Innovation in the Age of Governance
Authors: Demircioglu Mehmet A. 
Published: August 2017

Related Content: Balfour (PAR September/October 2017)Related Content: Agranoff (PAR September/October 2017)Related Content: Larson (PAR September/October 2017)Related Content: Mullendore (PAR September/October 2017)Related Content: Choi and Hoffman (PAR September/October 2017)Related Content: Khan (PAR September/October 2017)
Algorithmic regulation: A critical interrogation
Authors: Yeung Karen 
Published: August 2017

AbstractInnovations in networked digital communications technologies, including the rise of “Big Data,” ubiquitous computing, and cloud storage systems, may be giving rise to a new system of social ordering known as algorithmic regulation. Algorithmic regulation refers to decisionmaking systems that regulate a domain of activity in order to manage risk or alter behavior through continualcomputationalgeneration of knowledge by systematically collecting data (in real time on a continuous basis) emitted directly from numerous dynamic components pertaining to the regulated environment in order to identify and, if necessary, automatically refine (or prompt refinement of) the system's operations to attain a pre‐specified goal. This study provides a descriptive analysis of algorithmic regulation, classifying these decisionmaking systems as either reactive or pre‐emptive, and offers a taxonomy that identifies eight different forms of algorithmic regulation based on their configuration at each of the three stages of the cybernetic process: notably, at the level of standard setting (adaptive vs. fixed behavioral standards), information‐gathering and monitoring (historic data vs. predictions based on inferred data), and at the level of sanction and behavioral change (automatic execution vs. recommender systems). It maps the contours of several emerging debates surrounding algorithmic regulation, drawing upon insights from regulatory governance studies, legal critiques, surveillance studies, and critical data studies to highlight various concerns about the legitimacy of algorithmic regulation.
A multi‐label cellular automata model for land change simulation
Authors: Charif Omar , Omrani Hichem , Abdallah Fahed , Pijanowski Bryan 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe use of cellular automata (CA) has for some time been considered among the most appropriate approaches for modeling land‐use changes. Each cell in a traditional CA model has a state that evolves according to transition rules, taking into consideration its own and its neighbors’ states and characteristics. Here, we present a multi‐label CA model in which a cell may simultaneously have more than one state. The model uses a multi‐label learning method—a multi‐label support vector machine, Rank‐SVM—to define the transition rules. The model was used with a multi‐label land‐use dataset for Luxembourg, built from vector‐based land‐use data using a method presented here. The proposed multi‐label CA model showed promising performance in terms of its ability to capture and model the details and complexities of changes in land‐use patterns. Applied to historical land use data, the proposed model estimated the land use change with an accuracy of 87.2% exact matching and 98.84% when including cells with a misclassification of a single label, which is comparably better than a classical multi‐class model that achieved 83.6%. The multi‐label cellular automata outperformed a model combining CA and artificial neural networks. All model goodness‐of‐fit comparisons were quantified using various performance metrics for predictive models.
North‐South foreign direct investment and bilateral investment treaties
Authors: Falvey Rod , Foster‐McGregor Neil 
Published: August 2017

AbstractBilateral investment treaties (BITs) have become increasingly popular as a means of encouraging foreign direct investment (FDI) from developed to developing countries. We adopt a difference‐in‐difference analysis to deal with the problem of self‐selection when estimating the effects ofBITs onFDIflows from a sample ofOECDcountries to a broader sample of lesser developed countries. Our results indicate that forming aBITwith a developed country significantly increasesFDIinflows to developing countries. We further find that the development of newFDIflows and the reinvigoration of deterioratingFDIrelationships accounts for the majority of the increase inFDIflows due toBITformation.
INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF MOLECULAR INTERACTIONS IN POLYMORPHISM OF MEFENAMIC ACID IN ETHYL ACETATE SOLUTION
Authors: Abdul Mudalip Siti Kholijah , Abu Bakar Mohd. Rushdi , Adam Fatmawati , Jamal Parveen , Md. Alam Zahangir 
Published: August 2017

Mefenamic acid, a widely used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory and analgesic agent, is one of the active pharmaceutical ingredients that exhibit polymorphisms. This study reports a combined experimental and molecular dynamics simulation study of mefenamic acid crystallization in ethyl acetate. The solid-state characterization of the polymorph produced using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray powder diffractometer (XPRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis show the characteristic of Form I, which were N-H stretching at 3313cm-1, two endothermic peaks, and significant XPRD peaks at 6.3°, 13.8°, 15.9°, 21.3°, and 26.3°. The molecular dynamics simulations were performed using COMPASS force field available in the Material Studio 5.5 simulation package. The simulations were run for equilibration with a time step of 1 fs for a period of 250 ps and 2000 ps simulation in NVE (constant number of atoms, volume and energy) and NPT (constant number of atoms, pressure and temperature) thermodynamic ensemble, respectively. The trajectory files from the simulation were analyzed for radial distribution function (RDF) to investigate the intermolecular interactions. The simulation results showed strong solute-solute and solute-solvent interactions, which were O1MA•••H15MA and O1EA•••H15MA. These findings revealed the presence of hydrogen bonds that contributes to the solvation and formation of hydrogen motif in polymorphic Form I of mefenamic acid during crystallization with ethyl acetate as a solvent.
ASSESSING THE FORWARD OSMOSIS PERFORMANCES USING CTA MEMBRANE: EFFECT OF SOLUTION VOLUME RATIO AND TYPE OF DRAW SOLUTE
Authors: Yih Law Jeng , Mohammad Abdul Wahab 
Published: August 2017

Osmotically-driven forward osmosis (FO) has gained significant attention in the last decade due to its potential application in various disciplines. Draw solution serves as the driving force in FO process for inducing water transport across the membrane. FO technology can be used to reject or concentrate high valuable products in the chemical and bioprocess industries which often encounter great challenge in terms of dilute product formation. In this study, commercial cellulose triacetate (CTA) flat sheet FO membrane was investigated using several types of inorganic draw solute. Pure water fluxes ranged from 5.20 to 6.30 L.m-2.h-1 were achieved for selected draw solutes. The reverse solute leakage was shown by the increment of conductivity in the feed solution. Among the draw solutes, NaCl demonstrated highest reverse solute leakage (72.45 µS cm-1) attributed to its relatively smaller molecular size. The water fluxes at feed to draw solution volume ratios of 1:2 and 1:3 were found to be slightly lower than that to the volume ratios of 1:0.6 and 1:1. With respect to sodium succinate feed solution, MgCl2 was capable of generating higher osmotic pressure and thus higher water flux was observed compared to NaCl draw solute. Overall, the selected inorganic draw solutes demonstrated encouraging FO performances and could be used for concentrating sodium succinate solution.
The link between exercise and titin passive stiffness
Authors: Lalande Sophie , Mueller Patrick J. , Chung Charles S. 
Published: August 2017

New Findings
What is the topic of this review?
This review focuses on how in vivo and molecular measurements of cardiac passive stiffness can predict exercise tolerance and how exercise training can reduce cardiac passive stiffness.

What advances does it highlight?
This review highlights advances in understanding the relationship between molecular (titin‐based) and in vivo (left ventricular) passive stiffness, how passive stiffness modifies exercise tolerance, and how exercise training may be therapeutic for cardiac diseases with increased passive stiffness.

Exercise can help alleviate the negative effects of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular co‐morbidities associated with sedentary behaviour; this may be especially true in diseases that are associated with increased left ventricular passive stiffness. In this review, we discuss the inverse relationship between exercise tolerance and cardiac passive stiffness. Passive stiffness is the physical property of cardiac muscle to produce a resistive force when stretched, which, in vivo, is measured using the left ventricular end diastolic pressure–volume relationship or is estimated using echocardiography. The giant elastic protein titin is the major contributor to passive stiffness at physiological muscle (sarcomere) lengths. Passive stiffness can be modified by altering titin isoform size or by post‐translational modifications. In both human and animal models, increased left ventricular passive stiffness is associated with reduced exercise tolerance due to impaired diastolic filling, suggesting that increased passive stiffness predicts reduced exercise tolerance. At the same time, exercise training itself may induce both short‐ and long‐term changes in titin‐based passive stiffness, suggesting that exercise may be a treatment for diseases associated with increased passive stiffness. Direct modification of passive stiffness to improve exercise tolerance is a potential therapeutic approach. Titin passive stiffness itself may be a treatment target based on the recent discovery of RNA binding motif 20, which modifies titin isoform size and passive stiffness. Translating these discoveries that link exercise and left ventricular passive stiffness may provide new methods to enhance exercise tolerance and treat patients with cardiovascular disease.
Tools for the Individualized Therapy of Teicoplanin for Neonates and Children
Authors: Ramos-Martín V. , Neely M. N. , Padmore K. , Peak M. , Beresford M. W. , Turner M. A. , Paulus S. , López-Herce J. , Hope W. W. 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to develop a population pharmacokinetic (PK) model for teicoplanin across childhood age ranges to be used as Bayesian prior information in the software constructed for individualized therapy. We developed a nonparametric population model fitted to PK data from neonates, infants, and older children. We then implemented this model in the BestDose multiple-model Bayesian adaptive control algorithm to show its clinical utility. It was used to predict the dosages required to achieve optimal teicoplanin predose targets (15 mg/liter) from day 3 of therapy. We performed individual simulations for an infant and a child from the original population, who provided early first dosing interval concentration-time data. An allometric model that used weight as a measure of size and that also incorporated renal function using the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), or the ratio of postnatal age (PNA) to serum creatinine concentration (SCr) for infants <3 months old, best described the data. The median population PK parameters were as follows: elimination rate constant (Ke) = 0.03 · (wt/70)
−0.25
· Renal (h
−1
);
V
= 19.5 · (wt/70) (liters); Renal = eGFR
0.07
(ml/min/1.73 m
2
), or Renal = PNA/SCr (μmol/liter). Increased teicoplanin dosages and alternative administration techniques (extended infusions and fractionated multiple dosing) were required in order to achieve the targets safely by day 3 in simulated cases. The software was able to predict individual measured concentrations and the dosages and administration techniques required to achieve the desired target concentrations early in therapy. Prospective evaluation is now needed in order to ensure that this individualized teicoplanin therapy approach is applicable in the clinical setting. (This study has been registered in the European Union Clinical Trials Register under EudraCT no. 2012-005738-12.)
Mycobacterium abscessus
l
,
d
-Transpeptidases Are Susceptible to Inactivation by Carbapenems and Cephalosporins but Not Penicillins
Authors: Kumar Pankaj , Chauhan Varsha , Silva José Rogério A. , Lameira Jerônimo , d'Andrea Felipe B. , Li Shao-Gang , Ginell Stephan L. , Freundlich Joel S. , Alves Cláudio Nahum , Bailey Scott , Cohen Keira A. , Lamichhane Gyanu 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACT

As a growing number of clinical isolates of
Mycobacterium abscessus
are resistant to most antibiotics, new treatment options that are effective against these drug-resistant strains are desperately needed. The majority of the linkages in the cell wall peptidoglycan of
M. abscessus
are synthesized by nonclassical transpeptidases, namely, the
l
,
d
-transpeptidases. Emerging evidence suggests that these enzymes represent a new molecular vulnerability in this pathogen. Recent studies have demonstrated that inhibition of these enzymes by the carbapenem class of β-lactams determines their activity against
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
. Here, we studied the interactions of β-lactams with two
l
,
d
-transpeptidases in
M. abscessus
, namely, Ldt
Mab1
and Ldt
Mab2
, and found that both the carbapenem and cephalosporin, but not penicillin, subclasses of β-lactams inhibit these enzymes. Contrary to the commonly held belief that combination therapy with β-lactams is redundant, doripenem and cefdinir exhibit synergy against both pansusceptible
M. abscessus
and clinical isolates that are resistant to most antibiotics, which suggests that dual-β-lactam therapy has potential for the treatment of
M. abscessus
. Finally, we solved the first crystal structure of an
M. abscessus
l
,
d
-transpeptidase, Ldt
Mab2
, and using substitutions of critical amino acids in the catalytic site and computational simulations, we describe the key molecular interactions between this enzyme and β-lactams, which provide an insight into the molecular basis for the relative efficacy of different β-lactams against
M. abscessus
.
Influence of β-Lactam Infusion Strategy on Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Cotner Sarah E. , Rutter W. Cliff , Burgess Donna R. , Wallace Katie L. , Martin Craig A. , Burgess David S. 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACT

Limited literature is available assessing nephrotoxicity with prolonged β-lactam infusions. This study compared the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) associated with a prolonged β-lactam infusion or an intermittent infusion. This was a retrospective, matched-cohort study at an academic medical center from July 2006 to September 2015. Adult patients who received piperacillin-tazobactam (TZP), cefepime (FEP), or meropenem (MEM) for at least 48 h were evaluated. Patients were excluded for preexisting renal dysfunction or pregnancy. The primary outcome was difference in incidence of AKI evaluated using the RIFLE (risk, injury, failure, loss, and end-stage) criteria. Patients in the intermittent group were matched 3:1 to patients in the prolonged-infusion group based on the following: β-lactam agent, age, gender, Charlson comorbidity index, baseline creatinine clearance, hypotension, receipt of vancomycin, and treatment in an intensive care unit. A total of 2,390 patients were included in the matched analysis, with 1,700 receiving intermittent infusions and 690 receiving prolonged infusion. The incidence of AKI was similar in the prolonged-infusion group to that in the intermittent-infusion group (21.6% versus 18.6%;
P
= 0.1). After multivariate regression, prolonged infusion was not associated with increased odds of AKI (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.83 to 1.39). Independent predictors of AKI included TZP therapy, concomitant nephrotoxins, hypotension, and heart failure. Although AKIs were numerically more common in patients receiving prolonged β-lactam infusions than those receiving intermittent infusions, prolonged infusion was not an independent risk factor for AKI.
A 2-Hydroxyisoquinoline-1,3-Dione Active-Site RNase H Inhibitor Binds in Multiple Modes to HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase
Authors: Kirby Karen A. , Myshakina Nataliya A. , Christen Martin T. , Chen Yue-Lei , Schmidt Hilary A. , Huber Andrew D. , Xi Zhaoyong , Kim Seongmi , Rao Rohit K. , Kramer Skyler T. , Yang Qiongying , Singh Kamalendra , Parniak Michael A. , Wang Zhengqiang , Ishima Rieko , Sarafianos Stefan G. 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACT

The RNase H (RNH) function of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) plays an essential part in the viral life cycle. We report the characterization of YLC2-155, a 2-hydroxyisoquinoline-1,3-dione (HID)-based active-site RNH inhibitor. YLC2-155 inhibits both polymerase (50% inhibitory concentration [IC
50
] = 2.6 μM) and RNH functions (IC
50
= 0.65 μM) of RT but is more effective against RNH. X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis, and molecular modeling were used to show that YLC2-155 binds at the RNH-active site in multiple conformations.
Caspase-11 Plays a Protective Role in Pulmonary Acinetobacter baumannii Infection
Authors: Wang Wei , Shao Yue , Li Shengjun , Xin Na , Ma Tingxian , Zhao Chenghai , Song Min 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACT

Activation of caspase-11 by some Gram-negative bacteria triggers the caspase-1/interleukin 1β (IL-1β) pathway, independent of canonical inflammasomes.
Acinetobacter baumannii
is a Gram-negative, conditionally pathogenic bacterium that can cause severe pulmonary infection in hospitalized patients.
A. baumannii
was revealed to activate canonical and noncanonical inflammasome pathways in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). Pulmonary infection of caspase-11
−/−
mice with
A. baumannii
showed that caspase-11 deficiency impaired
A. baumannii
clearance, exacerbated pulmonary pathological changes, and enhanced susceptibility to
A. baumannii
. These data indicate that the caspase-11-mediated innate immune response plays a crucial role in defending against
A. baumannii
.