bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Intraspecific trait variation across scales: implications for understanding global change responses
Authors: Moran Emily V. , Hartig Florian , Bell David M. 
Published: June 2015

AbstractRecognition of the importance of intraspecific variation in ecological processes has been growing, but empirical studies and models of global change have only begun to address this issue in detail. This review discusses sources and patterns of intraspecific trait variation and their consequences for understanding how ecological processes and patterns will respond to global change. We examine how current ecological models and theories incorporate intraspecific variation, review existing data sources that could help parameterize models that account for intraspecific variation in global change predictions, and discuss new data that may be needed. We provide guidelines on when it is most important to consider intraspecific variation, such as when trait variation is heritable or when nonlinear relationships are involved. We also highlight benefits and limitations of different model types and argue that many common modeling approaches such as matrix population models or global dynamic vegetation models can allow a stronger consideration of intraspecific trait variation if the necessary data are available. We recommend that existing data need to be made more accessible, though in some cases, new experiments are needed to disentangle causes of variation.
Dynamic regulation of CD24 expression and release of CD24‐containing microvesicles in immature B cells in response to CD24 engagement
Authors: Ayre D. Craig , Elstner Marcus , Smith Nicole C. , Moores Emily S. , Hogan Andrew M. , Christian Sherri L. 
Published: June 2015

SummaryThe glycophosphatidylinositol‐anchored cell surface receptor CD24 (also called heat‐stable antigen) promotes the apoptosis of progenitor and precursor B‐lymphocytes. However, the immediate proximal events that occur after engagement of CD24 in B cells are not precisely understood. Using a bioinformatics analysis of mouse (Mus musculus) gene expression data from the Immunological Genome Project, we found that known vesicle trafficking and cellular organization genes have similar expression patterns to CD24 during B‐cell development in the bone marrow. We therefore hypothesized that CD24 regulates vesicle trafficking. We first validated that antibody‐mediated engagement of CD24 induces apoptosis in the mouse WEHI‐231 cell line and mouse primary bone marrow‐derived B cells. We next found that CD24 surface protein expression is rapidly and dynamically regulated in both WEHI‐231 cells and primary immature B cells in response to engagement of CD24. The change in surface expression was not mediated by classical endocytosis or exocytosis. However, we found that CD24‐bearing plasma membrane‐derived extracellular microvesicles were released in response to CD24 engagement. Furthermore, in response to CD24 engagement we observed a clear exchange of CD24 between different populations of B cells. Hence, we show that engagement of CD24 in immature B cells results in a dynamic regulation of surface CD24 protein and a redistribution of CD24 within the population.
Diffusion Dynamics and Creative Destruction in a Simple Classical Model
Authors: Haas David 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACTThe article explores the impact of the diffusion of new methods of production on output and employment growth and income distribution within a Classical one‐sector framework. Disequilibrium paths are studied analytically and in terms of simulations. Diffusion by differential growth affects aggregate dynamics through several channels. The analysis reveals the non‐steady nature of economic change and shows that the adaptation pattern depends both on the innovation's factor‐saving bias and on the extent of the bias, which determines the strength of the selection pressure on non‐innovators. The typology of different cases developed shows various aspects of Schumpeter's concept of creative destruction.
Growth on glucose decreases cAMP‐CRP activity while paradoxically increasing intracellular cAMP in the light‐organ symbiont Vibrio fischeri
Authors: Colton Deanna M. , Stoudenmire Julie L. , Stabb Eric V. 
Published: June 2015

SummaryProteobacteria often co‐ordinate responses to carbon sources using CRP and the second messenger cyclic 3′, 5′‐AMP (cAMP), which combine to control transcription of genes during growth on non‐glucose substrates as part of the catabolite‐repression response. Here we show that cAMP‐CRP is active and important in Vibrio fischeri during colonization of its host squid Euprymna scolopes. Moreover, consistent with a classical role in catabolite repression, a cAMP‐CRP‐dependent reporter showed lower activity in cells grown in media amended with glucose rather than glycerol. Surprisingly though, intracellular cAMP levels were higher in glucose‐grown cells. Mutant analyses were consistent with predictions that CyaA was responsible for cAMP generation, that the EIIAGlc component of glucose transport could enhance cAMP production and that the phophodiesterases CpdA and CpdP consumed intracellular and extracellular cAMP respectively. However, the observation of lower cAMP levels in glycerol‐grown cells seemed best explained by changes in cAMP export, via an unknown mechanism. Our data also indicated that cAMP‐CRP activity decreased during growth on glucose independently of crp's native transcriptional regulation or cAMP levels. We speculate that some unknown mechanism, perhaps carbon‐source‐dependent post‐translational modulation of CRP, may help control cAMP‐CRP activity in V. fischeri.
Molecular mechanisms underlying the emergence of bacterial pathogens: an ecological perspective
Authors: Bartoli Claudia , Roux Fabrice , Lamichhane Jay Ram 
Published: June 2015

SummaryThe rapid emergence of new bacterial diseases negatively affects both human health and agricultural productivity. Although the molecular mechanisms underlying these disease emergences are shared between human‐ and plant‐pathogenic bacteria, not much effort has been made to date to understand disease emergences caused by plant‐pathogenic bacteria. In particular, there is a paucity of information in the literature on the role of environmental habitats in which plant‐pathogenic bacteria evolve and on the stress factors to which these microbes are unceasingly exposed. In this microreview, we focus on three molecular mechanisms underlying pathogenicity in bacteria, namely mutations, genomic rearrangements and the acquisition of new DNA sequences through horizontal gene transfer (HGT). We briefly discuss the role of these mechanisms in bacterial disease emergence and elucidate how the environment can influence the occurrence and regulation of these molecular mechanisms by directly impacting disease emergence. The understanding of such molecular evolutionary mechanisms and their environmental drivers will represent an important step towards predicting bacterial disease emergence and developing sustainable management strategies for crops.
A population‐based study of animal component sensitization, asthma, and rhinitis in schoolchildren
Authors: Bjerg Anders , Winberg Anna , Berthold Malin , Mattsson Lars , Borres Magnus P. , Rönmark Eva 
Published: June 2015

AbstractBackgroundAnimal sensitization is a major determinant of asthma in children. Component‐resolved studies of unselected pediatric populations are lacking. The aim was to describe sensitization to animal components and the association with asthma and rhinitis in animal‐sensitized schoolchildren.MethodsA random sample of 696 children (11–12 years) from a Swedish population‐based cohort was tested for sensitization to cat, dog, and horse dander using ImmunoCAP. Sera from animal‐sensitized children were further analyzed by microarray including three allergen components from cat, four from dog, and two from horse. The parents completed an expanded ISAAC questionnaire.ResultsOf 259 animal‐sensitized children (≥0.1 kUA/l), 51% were sensitized to all three, 23% to two, and 25% to one species. Current asthma and asthma symptoms following contact with cats were associated with co‐sensitization to Fel d 1 and Fel d 4. This association was seen already at moderate‐level sensitization (1–15 ISU) to Fel d 4, at which level most children were sensitized to Fel d 1, as well. In dog‐sensitized children, the majority was sensitized to more than one dog component, and co‐sensitization to Can f 5 and Can f 1/f 2 conferred the greatest risk for asthma. Sensitization to the highly cross‐reactive serum albumins was uncommon and not associated with asthma.ConclusionsAmong schoolchildren in northern Sweden, where mite allergy is uncommon, furry animals were the primary perennial sensitizers. Asthma was associated with higher levels of component sensitization, and sensitization to more than one component from the same animal conferred the greatest risk.
Jurassic artematopodid beetles and their implications for the early evolution of Artematopodidae (Coleoptera)
Authors: CAI CHEN‐YANG , LAWRENCE JOHN F. , ŚLIPIŃSKI ADAM , HUANG DI‐YING 
Published: June 2015

AbstractFossil Artematopodidae are rarely collected and previously confined to middle Eocene Baltic amber. Here we report the first definitive artematopodid, Sinobrevipogon jurassicus gen. et sp.n., from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou beds (c. 165 Ma) in Inner Mongolia, northeastern China. It exhibits a number of defining features of Artematopodidae, including paired carinae on prosternum and an internal apical interlocking tongue on the ventral side of each elytron. However, it differs from any modern Artematopodidae by having the mesocoxal cavitiy closed by the mesepimeron and the anterolateral edge of metanepisternum. The discovery of this new genus represents the earliest fossil record for Artematopodidae, highlighting the antiquity of the family. The systematic positions of Forticatinius Tan & Ren and Tarsomegamerus Zhang are discussed, and the latter is formally transferred to Artematopodidae. Phylogenetic relationships within Artematopodidae were investigated to elucidate the relationships between the two Jurassic genera and Recent genera. Eleven in‐group taxa and two out‐groups were included in a cladistic analysis based on 30 adult characters; the resulting tree recovered the family Artematopodidae in three clades: (i) Electribius authority, (ii) Ctesibius authority + Brevipogon authority + Sinobrevipogon + Tarsomegamerus and (iii) the remaining Recent genera, including Allopogonia authority.
Lactobacillus rhamnosus bacteremia in a kidney transplant recipient
Authors: Falci D.R. , Rigatto M.H. , Cantarelli V.V. , Zavascki A.P. 
Published: June 2015

AbstractLactobacillus rhamnosus is a rare clinical pathogen. A case of bacteremia caused by L. rhamnosus in a kidney transplant recipient is described. Once considered only as a contaminant or a low‐virulence organism, L. rhamnosus might be an opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised patients. To our knowledge, this is the first report of primary bloodstream infection caused by L. rhamnosus in a kidney transplant recipient.
Meta Planning Approach to Train Scheduling
Authors: Vilela Plínio , Brocchetto Sérgio , Dias Rafael , Chiba Elaine , Vieira Anderson , Christofoletti Luciano 
Published: June 2015

Computing the circulation plan for trains in a railroad is a hard problem. The number of variables considered, size of the search space and limitations on processing time define rigid limits to the solutions considered for any practical use.
Our approach to train circulation planning [1] implements a simulation of discrete events that performs really well. Nevertheless, the approach is known to have some shortsightedness, specially when a global analysis is considered.
To reduce the impact of such shortsightedness, a couple of solutions have been developed, including a second layer of intelligence on top of the core algorithm. This layer is called Adaptive Engine (AE), and is able to execute pre-processing and post-processing rules to fine tune the core engine’s output. The solution that is presented in this paper, called Meta Planning Engine (MPE), tackles another limitation of the tool, no matter how adjusted the implemented heuristics are, the core engine is computing only one output for any given input. With the MPE, multiple versions of the core engine execute in parallel and compute several outputs for any given input. We can even leverage the benefits of having different approaches running at the same time, without compromising the performance of the whole system.
Preliminary results have shown it is possible to increase the solution quality by 7 to 10% while still maintaining the same range in terms of processing time.
Exploitation of temporal redundancy in compressed sensing reconstruction of fMRI studies with a prior‐based algorithm (PICCS)
Authors: Chavarrías C. , Abascal J. F. P. J. , Montesinos P. , Desco M. 
Published: June 2015

Purpose:Compressed sensing is a technique used to accelerate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquisition without compromising image quality. While it has proven particularly useful in dynamic imaging procedures such as cardiac cine, very few authors have applied it to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The purpose of the present study was to check whether the prior image constrained compressed sensing (PICCS) algorithm, which is based on an available prior image, can improve the statistical maps in fMRI better than other strategies that also exploit temporal redundancy.Methods:PICCS was compared to spatiotemporal total variation (TTV) and k‐t FASTER, since they have already demonstrated high performance and robustness in other MRI applications, such as cardiac cine MRI and resting state fMRI, respectively. The prior image for PICCS was the average of all undersampled data. Both PICCS and TTV were solved using the split Bregman formulation. K‐t FASTER algorithm relies on matrix completion to reconstruct the undersampled k‐spaces. The three algorithms were evaluated using two datasets with high and low signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR)—BOLD contrast—acquired in a 7 T preclinical MRI scanner and retrospectively undersampled at various rates (i.e., acceleration factors). The authors evaluated their performance in terms of the sensitivity/specificity of BOLD detection through receiver operating characteristic curves and by visual inspection of the statistical maps.Results:With high SNR studies, PICCS performed similarly to the state‐of‐the‐art algorithms TTV and k‐t FASTER and provided consistent BOLD signal at the ROI. In scenarios with low SNR and high acceleration factors, PICCS still provided consistent maps and higher sensitivity/specificity than TTV, whereas k‐t FASTER failed to provide significant maps.Conclusions:The authors performed a comparison between three reconstructions (PICCS, TTV, and k‐t FASTER) that exploit temporal redundancy in fMRI. The prior‐based algorithm, PICCS, preserved BOLD activation and sensitivity/specificity better than TTV and k‐t FASTER in noisy scenarios. The PICCS algorithm can potentially reach an acceleration factor of ×8 and still provide BOLD contrast in the ROI with an area under the curve over 0.99.
Multiatlas whole heart segmentation of CT data using conditional entropy for atlas ranking and selection
Authors: Zhuang Xiahai , Bai Wenjia , Song Jingjing , Zhan Songhua , Qian Xiaohua , Shi Wenzhe , Lian Yanyun , Rueckert Daniel 
Published: June 2015

Purpose:Cardiac computed tomography (CT) is widely used in clinical diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. Whole heart segmentation (WHS) plays a vital role in developing new clinical applications of cardiac CT. However, the shape and appearance of the heart can vary greatly across different scans, making the automatic segmentation particularly challenging. The objective of this work is to develop and evaluate a multiatlas segmentation (MAS) scheme using a new atlas ranking and selection algorithm for automatic WHS of CT data. Research on different MAS strategies and their influence on WHS performance are limited. This work provides a detailed comparison study evaluating the impacts of label fusion, atlas ranking, and sizes of the atlas database on the segmentation performance.Methods:Atlases in a database were registered to the target image using a hierarchical registration scheme specifically designed for cardiac images. A subset of the atlases were selected for label fusion, according to the authors’ proposed atlas ranking criterion which evaluated the performance of each atlas by computing the conditional entropy of the target image given the propagated atlas labeling. Joint label fusion was used to combine multiple label estimates to obtain the final segmentation. The authors used 30 clinical cardiac CT angiography (CTA) images to evaluate the proposed MAS scheme and to investigate different segmentation strategies.Results:The mean WHS Dice score of the proposed MAS method was 0.918 ± 0.021, and the mean runtime for one case was 13.2 min on a workstation. This MAS scheme using joint label fusion generated significantly better Dice scores than the other label fusion strategies, including majority voting (0.901 ± 0.276, p < 0.01), locally weighted voting (0.905 ± 0.0247, p < 0.01), and probabilistic patch‐based fusion (0.909 ± 0.0249, p < 0.01). In the atlas ranking study, the proposed criterion based on conditional entropy yielded a performance curve with higher WHS Dice scores compared to the conventional schemes (p < 0.03). In the atlas database study, the authors showed that the MAS using larger atlas databases generated better performance curves than the MAS using smaller ones, indicating larger atlas databases could produce more accurate segmentation.Conclusions:The authors have developed a new MAS framework for automatic WHS of CTA and investigated alternative implementations of MAS. With the proposed atlas ranking algorithm and joint label fusion, the MAS scheme is able to generate accurate segmentation within practically acceptable computation time. This method can be useful for the development of new clinical applications of cardiac CT.
Dosimetric results in treatments of neuroblastoma and neuroendocrine tumors with 131I‐metaiodobenzylguanidine with implications for the activity to administer
Authors: Mínguez Pablo , Flux Glenn , Genollá José , Guayambuco Sonía , Delgado Alejandro , Fombellida José Cruz , Sjögreen Gleisner Katarina 
Published: June 2015

Purpose:The aim was to investigate whole‐body and red marrow absorbed doses in treatments of neuroblastoma (NB) and adult neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) with 131I‐metaiodobenzylguanidine and to propose a simple method for determining the activity to administer when dosimetric data for the individual patient are not available.Methods:Nine NB patients and six NET patients were included, giving in total 19 treatments as four patients were treated twice. Whole‐body absorbed doses were determined from dose‐rate measurements and planar gamma‐camera imaging. For six NB and five NET treatments, red marrow absorbed doses were also determined using the blood‐based method.Results:Dosimetric data from repeated administrations in the same patient were consistent. In groups of NB and NET patients, similar whole‐body residence times were obtained, implying that whole‐body absorbed dose per unit of administered activity could be reasonably well described as a power function of the patient mass. For NB, this functional form was found to be consistent with dosimetric data from previously published studies. The whole‐body to red marrow absorbed dose ratio was similar among patients, with values of 1.4 ± 0.6–1.7 ± 0.7 (1 standard deviation) in NB treatments and between 1.5 ± 0.6 and 1.7 ± 0.7 (1 standard deviation) in NET treatments.Conclusions:The consistency of dosimetric results between administrations for the same patient supports prescription of the activity based on dosimetry performed in pretreatment studies, or during the first administration in a fractionated schedule. The expressions obtained for whole‐body absorbed doses per unit of administered activity as a function of patient mass for NB and NET treatments are believed to be a useful tool to estimate the activity to administer at the stage when the individual patient biokinetics has not yet been measured.
Effectiveness of Corticosteroid Injections in the Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis
Authors: Karls Shanna L. , Snyder Kelli R. , Neibert Peter J. 
Published: June 2015

Clinical Scenario:For active individuals, plantar fasciitis (PF) is one of the most clinically diagnosed causes of heel pain. When conservative treatment fails, one of the next most commonly used treatments includes corticosteroid injections. Although PF has been identified as a degenerative condition, rather than inflammatory, corticosteroid injection is still commonly prescribed. However, the literature has not been examined to determine the effect of corticosteroid injection on PF.Focused Clinical Question:Are corticosteroid injections more effective than other interventions (placebo, platelet-rich plasma, and tenoxicam injections) in the short- and long-term treatment of PF?Summary of Key Findings:Corticosteroid injections are not more effective in the long-term treatment of PF pain than other treatments (platelet-rich plasma, tenoxicam).Clinical Bottom Line:The level 2 and 3 evidence shows that corticosteroids are more effective than placebo injections but are no more effective than tenoxicam injections and perhaps less effective than platelet-rich plasma treatment.Strength of Recommendation:Level 2 and 3 evidence suggests that corticosteroid injections are not more effective in the long-term treatment of PF than platelet-rich plasma or tenoxicam.
In Contrast to Chlamydia trachomatis, Waddlia chondrophila Grows in Human Cells without Inhibiting Apoptosis, Fragmenting the Golgi Apparatus, or Diverting Post-Golgi Sphingomyelin Transport
Authors: Dille Stephanie , Kleinschnitz Eva-Maria , Kontchou Collins Waguia , Nölke Thilo , Häcker Georg 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACT

The
Chlamydiales
are an order of obligate intracellular bacteria sharing a developmental cycle inside a cytosolic vacuole, with very diverse natural hosts, from amoebae to mammals. The clinically most important species is
Chlamydia trachomatis
. Many uncertainties remain as to how
Chlamydia
organizes its intracellular development and replication. The discovery of new
Chlamydiales
species from other families permits the comparative analysis of cell-biological events and may indicate events that are common to all or peculiar to some species and more or less tightly linked to “chlamydial” development. We used this approach in the infection of human cells with
Waddlia chondrophila
, a species from the family
Waddliaceae
whose natural host is uncertain. Compared to
C. trachomatis
,
W. chondrophila
had slightly different growth characteristics, including faster cytotoxicity. The embedding in cytoskeletal structures was not as pronounced as for the
C. trachomatis
inclusion.
C. trachomatis
infection generates proteolytic activity by the protease
Chlamydia
protease-like activity factor (CPAF), which degrades host substrates upon extraction; these substrates were not cleaved in the case of
W. chondrophila
. Unlike
Chlamydia
,
W. chondrophila
did not protect against staurosporine-induced apoptosis.
C. trachomatis
infection causes Golgi apparatus fragmentation and redirects post-Golgi sphingomyelin transport to the inclusion; both were absent from
W. chondrophila
-infected cells. When host cells were infected with both species, growth of both species was reduced. This study highlights differences between bacterial species that both depend on obligate intracellular replication inside an inclusion. Some features seem principally dispensable for intracellular development of
Chlamydiales
in vitro
but may be linked to host adaptation of
Chlamydia
and the higher virulence of
C. trachomatis
.