bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Implementation of latent tuberculosis screening in HIV care centres: evaluation in a low tuberculosis incidence setting
Authors: WYNDHAM-THOMAS C. , SCHEPERS K. , DIRIX V. , MASCART F. , VAN VOOREN J.-P. , GOFFARD J.-C. 
Published: July 2015

SUMMARYThe screening and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) to prevent active tuberculosis (TB) is recommended by the WHO in all HIV-infected patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate its implementation within Belgium's HIV care. A multiple-choice questionnaire was sent to 55 physicians working in the country's AIDS reference centres. Response rate reached 62%. Only 20% screened all their HIV-infected patients for LTBI. Screening methods used and their interpretation vary from one physician to another. The main barriers to the implementation of LTBI screening and treatment, as perceived by the participants, are lack of sensitivity of screening tools, risks associated with polypharmacy and toxicity of treatment. The poor coverage of LTBI screening reported here and the inconsistency in methods used raises concern. However, this was not unexpected as, in low-TB incidence countries, who, when and how to screen for LTBI remains unclear and published guidelines show important disparities. Recently, a targeted approach in which only HIV-infected patients at highest risk of TB are screened has been suggested. Such a strategy would limit unnecessary exposure to LTBI treatment. This methodology was approved by 80% of the participants and could therefore achieve greater coverage. Its clinical validation is still pending.
Genetic, molecular and physiological basis of variation in Drosophila gut immunocompetence
Authors: Bou Sleiman Maroun S. , Osman Dani , Massouras Andreas , Hoffmann Ary A. , Lemaitre Bruno , Deplancke Bart 
Published: July 2015

AbstractGut immunocompetence involves immune, stress and regenerative processes. To investigate the determinants underlying inter-individual variation in gut immunocompetence, we perform enteric infection of 140 Drosophila lines with the entomopathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas entomophila and observe extensive variation in survival. Using genome-wide association analysis, we identify several novel immune modulators. Transcriptional profiling further shows that the intestinal molecular state differs between resistant and susceptible lines, already before infection, with one transcriptional module involving genes linked to reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism contributing to this difference. This genetic and molecular variation is physiologically manifested in lower ROS activity, lower susceptibility to ROS-inducing agent, faster pathogen clearance and higher stem cell activity in resistant versus susceptible lines. This study provides novel insights into the determinants underlying population-level variability in gut immunocompetence, revealing how relatively minor, but systematic genetic and transcriptional variation can mediate overt physiological differences that determine enteric infection susceptibility.
MitoRCA-seq reveals unbalanced cytocine to thymine transition in Polg mutant mice
Authors: Ni Ting , Wei Gang , Shen Ting , Han Miao , Lian Yaru , Fu Haihui , Luo Yan , Yang Yanqin , Liu Jie , Wakabayashi Yoshi , Li Zheng , Finkel Toren , Xu Hong , Zhu Jun 
Published: July 2015

AbstractMutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can lead to a wide range of human diseases. We have developed a deep sequencing strategy, mitoRCA-seq, to detect low-frequency mtDNA point mutations starting with as little as 1 ng of total DNA. It employs rolling circle amplification, which enriches the full-length circular mtDNA by either custom mtDNA-specific primers or a commercial kit and minimizes the contamination of nuclear encoded mitochondrial DNA (Numts). By analyzing the mutation profiles of wild-type and Polg (mitochondrial DNA polymerase γ) mutant mice, we found that mice with the proofreading deficient mtDNA polymerase have a significantly higher mutation load by expanding the number of mutation sites and to a lesser extent by elevating the mutation frequency at existing sites even before the premature aging phenotypes appear. Strikingly, cytocine (C) to thymine (T) transitions are found to be overrepresented in the mtDNA of Polg mutated mice. The C → T transition, compared to other types of mutations, tends to increase the hydrophobicity of the underlying amino acids and may contribute to the impaired protein function of the Polg mutant mice. Taken together, our findings may provide clues to further investigate the molecular mechanism underlying premature aging phenotype in Polg mutant mice.
Towards highest peak intensities for ultra-short MeV-range ion bunches
Authors: Busold Simon , Schumacher Dennis , Brabetz Christian , Jahn Diana , Kroll Florian , Deppert Oliver , Schramm Ulrich , Cowan Thomas E. , Blažević Abel , Bagnoud Vincent , Roth Markus 
Published: July 2015

AbstractA laser-driven, multi-MeV-range ion beamline has been installed at the GSI Helmholtz center for heavy ion research. The high-power laser PHELIX drives the very short (picosecond) ion acceleration on μm scale, with energies ranging up to 28.4 MeV for protons in a continuous spectrum. The necessary beam shaping behind the source is accomplished by applying magnetic ion lenses like solenoids and quadrupoles and a radiofrequency cavity. Based on the unique beam properties from the laser-driven source, high-current single bunches could be produced and characterized in a recent experiment: At a central energy of 7.8 MeV, up to 5 × 108 protons could be re-focused in time to a FWHM bunch length of τ = (462 ± 40) ps via phase focusing. The bunches show a moderate energy spread between 10% and 15% (ΔE/E0 at FWHM) and are available at 6 m distance to the source und thus separated from the harsh laser-matter interaction environment. These successful experiments represent the basis for developing novel laser-driven ion beamlines and accessing highest peak intensities for ultra-short MeV-range ion bunches.
In vitro analysis of phosphorothioate modification of DNA reveals substrate recognition by a multiprotein complex
Authors: Cao Bo , Zheng Xiaoqing , Cheng Qiuxiang , Yao Fen , Zheng Tao , Ramesh Babu I. , Zhou Huchen , Dedon Peter , You Delin 
Published: July 2015

AbstractA wide variety of prokaryotes possess DNA modifications consisting of sequence-specific phosphorothioates (PT) inserted by members of a five-gene cluster. Recent genome mapping studies revealed two unusual features of PT modifications: short consensus sequences and partial modification of a specific genomic site in a population of bacteria. To better understand the mechanism of target selection of PT modifications that underlies these features, we characterized the substrate recognition of the PT-modifying enzymes termed DptC, D and E in a cell extract system from Salmonella. The results revealed that double-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides underwent de novo PT modification in vitro, with the same modification pattern as in vivo, i. e., GpsAAC/GpsTTC motif. Unexpectedly, in these in vitro analyses we observed no significant effect on PT modification by sequences flanking GAAC/GTTC motif, while PT also occurred in the GAAC/GTTC motif that could not be modified in vivo. Hemi-PT DNA also served as substrate of the PT-modifying enzymes, but not single-stranded DNA. The PT-modifying enzymes were then found to function as a large protein complex, with all of three subunits in tetrameric conformations. This study provided the first demonstration of in vitro DNA PT modification by PT-modifying enzymes that function as a large protein complex.
Hydrogen sulfide enhances salt tolerance through nitric oxide-mediated maintenance of ion homeostasis in barley seedling roots
Authors: Chen Juan , Wang Wen-Hua , Wu Fei-Hua , He En-Ming , Liu Xiang , Shangguan Zhou-Ping , Zheng Hai-Lei 
Published: July 2015

AbstractHydrogen sulfide (H2S) and nitric oxide (NO) are emerging as messenger molecules involved in the modulation of plant physiological processes. Here, we investigated a signalling network involving H2S and NO in salt tolerance pathway of barley. NaHS, a donor of H2S, at a low concentration of either 50 or 100 μM, had significant rescue effects on the 150 mM NaCl-induced inhibition of plant growth and modulated the K+/Na+ balance by decreasing the net K+ efflux and increasing the gene expression of an inward-rectifying potassium channel (HvAKT1) and a high-affinity K+ uptake system (HvHAK4). H2S and NO maintained the lower Na+ content in the cytoplast by increasing the amount of PM H+-ATPase, the transcriptional levels of PM H+-ATPase (HvHA1) and Na+/H+ antiporter (HvSOS1). H2S and NO modulated Na+ compartmentation into the vacuoles with up-regulation of the transcriptional levels of vacuolar Na+/H+ antiporter (HvVNHX2) and H+-ATPase subunit β (HvVHA-β) and increased in the protein expression of vacuolar Na+/H+ antiporter (NHE1). H2S mimicked the effect of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) by increasing NO production, whereas the function was quenched with the addition of NO scavenger. These results indicated that H2S increased salt tolerance by maintaining ion homeostasis, which were mediated by the NO signal.
Global-change vulnerability of a key plant resource, the African palms
Authors: Blach-Overgaard Anne , Balslev Henrik , Dransfield John , Normand Signe , Svenning Jens-Christian 
Published: July 2015

AbstractPalms are keystone species in tropical ecosystems and provide essential ecosystem services to rural people worldwide. However, many palm species are threatened by habitat loss and over-exploitation. Furthermore, palms are sensitive to climate and thus vulnerable to future climate changes. Here, we provide a first quantitative assessment of the future risks to the African palm flora, finding that African palm species on average may experience a decline in climatic suitability in >70% of their current ranges by 2080. This suitability loss may, however, be almost halved if migration to nearby climatically suitable sites succeeds. Worryingly, 42% of the areas with 80–100% of species losing climate suitability are also characterized by high human population density (HPD). By 2080, >90% of all African palm species’ ranges will likely occur at HPDs leading to increased risks of habitat loss and overexploitation. Additionally, up to 87% of all species are predicted to lose climatic suitability within current protected areas (PAs) by 2080. In summary, a major plant component of tropical ecosystems and provider of ecosystem services to rural populations will face strongly increased pressures from climate change and human populations in the near future.
FRET sensor-based quantification of intracellular trehalose in mammalian cells
Authors: Kikuta Shingo , Hou Bi-Huei , Sato Ryoichi , Frommer Wolf B , Kikawada Takahiro 
Published: July 2015

Abstract
Trehalose acts as a stress protectant and an autophagy inducer in mammalian cells. The molecular mechanisms of action remain obscure because intracellular trehalose at micromolar level is difficult to quantitate. Here, we show a novel trehalose monitoring technology based on FRET. FLIPsuc90μ∆1Venus sensor expressed in mammalian cells enables to quickly and non-destructively detect an infinitesimal amount of intracellular trehalose.
Organizational meetings: management and benefits
Authors: Bagire Vincent , Byarugaba Jolly , Kyogabiirwe Janet 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the management and benefits of meetings so as to draw conclusions on their effectiveness in organizations given the increasing discontent about their set up.

Design/methodology/approach
– The study was a cross-sectional survey, data were collected from 325 respondents in 22 service organizations in Kampala, using a questionnaire and participant observations; the instrument was tested for reliability and analysis done using descriptive and statistical techniques.

Findings
– The key finding was that policy regarding meetings and reasons for convening them jointly account for 57 percent variations in the benefits organizations have. The way meetings are conducted was found to have no significant effect, contrary to anecdotal evidences. The internal and external contextual factors did not affect the effectiveness of meetings. In general meetings have benefited organizations but the discontent on how they are managed is still high.

Research limitations/implications
– The lack of analytical and local literature on the study variables limited this study. There were also methodological challenges especially operationalization of variables, sampling and choice of respondents.

Practical implications
– The study underpins policy as a key factor for effectiveness of meetings; the literature supported this account. For governance boards there is need to review policy on meetings; and for managers, the paper emphasizes the need for improving how meetings are convened, conducted and the follow up action. The study has provided rich ground for scholars; the authors have extended the debate on meetings, brought into view an African context and made it possible for further studies.

Social implications
– Meetings involve many people in the organization and affect entire operations. There are critical personal factors that are pertinent in the outcome of meetings. The finding that personal factors do not have a significant relationship with effectiveness of meetings should not be applauded till further investigations and conceptualization is done in similar contexts. There are social implications on if meetings are not managed well as the authors have established like time wastage, employee motivation and poor management among others.

Originality/value
– Many papers that the authors accessed on meetings were on organizational experiences from western countries, the authors have made an original focus on Uganda and underpinned the debate on management development in Africa. The authors have also examined and provided an empirical basis for understanding effectiveness of meetings using key factors of policy, preparation, conduct and contextual factors.
The role of methotrexate and low‐dose prednisolone on adiponectine levels and insulin resistance in patients with rheumatoid arthritis naïve to disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs
Authors: Yaşar Bilge Nazife Şule , Kaşifoğlu Nilgün , Kaşifoğlu Timuçin , Şahin Fezan , Gönüllü Emel , Korkmaz Cengiz 
Published: July 2015

AbstractAimInsulin resistance (IR) plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular events in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Adiponectin influences insulin sensitivity but its impact on IR in RA patients remains unclear. The present study aims to investigate the role of methotrexate (MTX) and low doses of prednisolone (LDP) on IR and adiponectin levels in RA patients who are naïve to disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), as well as determining the relationship between disease activity, acute phase response, IR and adiponectin levels in patients with RA.MethodsSixty‐five RA patients naïve to DMARDs and prednisolone were involved in this study. The medication for RA patients was standardized for MTX and prednisolone. Body mass index, acute phase response reactants, 28‐joint‐count disease activity score, fasting blood glucose, serum cholesterol levels, insulin levels and adiponectin levels were measured in all RA patients both at the baseline and 3 months after the onset of the study.ResultsAdiponectin levels in the third month of the therapy with MTX and LDP were significantly increased in patients with RA (P = 0.03). Insulin resistance tended to decrease in the third month of the treatment, which achieved no statistical significance.ConclusionIncreased levels of adiponectin due to MTX and LDP could be related to the decrease in homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR) in RA patients. This, in turn, could prove advantageous for cardiovascular conditions in RA.
Extracting Microfacet‐based BRDF Parameters from Arbitrary Materials with Power Iterations
Authors: Dupuy Jonathan , Heitz Eric , Iehl Jean‐Claude , Poulin Pierre , Ostromoukhov Victor 
Published: July 2015

AbstractWe introduce a novel fitting procedure that takes as input an arbitrary material, possibly anisotropic, and automatically converts it to a microfacet BRDF. Our algorithm is based on the property that the distribution of microfacets may be retrieved by solving an eigenvector problem that is built solely from backscattering samples. We show that the eigenvector associated to the largest eigenvalue is always the only solution to this problem, and compute it using the power iteration method. This approach is straightforward to implement, much faster to compute, and considerably more robust than solutions based on nonlinear optimizations. In addition, we provide simple conversion procedures of our fits into both Beckmann and GGX roughness parameters, and discuss the advantages of microfacet slope space to make our fits editable. We apply our method to measured materials from two large databases that include anisotropic materials, and demonstrate the benefits of spatially varying roughness on texture mapped geometric models.
Illumination‐driven Mesh Reduction for Accelerating Light Transport Simulations
Authors: Reich Andreas , Günther Tobias , Grosch Thorsten 
Published: July 2015

AbstractProgressive light transport simulations aspire a physically‐based, consistent rendering to obtain visually appealing illumination effects, depth and realism. Thereby, the handling of large scenes is a difficult problem, as in typical scene subdivision approaches the parallel processing requires frequent synchronization due to the bouncing of light throughout the scene. In practice, however, only few object parts noticeably contribute to the radiance observable in the image, whereas large areas play only a minor role. In fact, a mesh simplification of the latter can go unnoticed by the human eye. This particular importance to the visible radiance in the image calls for an output‐sensitive mesh reduction that allows to render originally out‐of‐core scenes on a single machine without swapping of memory. Thus, in this paper, we present a preprocessing step that reduces the scene size under the constraint of radiance preservation with focus on high‐frequency effects such as caustics. For this, we perform a small number of preliminary light transport simulation iterations. Thereby, we identify mesh parts that contribute significantly to the visible radiance in the scene, and which we thus preserve during mesh reduction.
Neurodevelopmental outcome after neonatal perforator stroke
Authors: Ecury‐Goossen Ginette M , van der Haer Marit , Smit Liesbeth S , Feijen‐Roon Monique , Lequin Maarten , de Jonge Rogier C J , Govaert Paul , Dudink Jeroen 
Published: July 2015

AimTo assess outcome after neonatal perforator stroke in the largest cohort to date.MethodSurvivors from a cohort of children diagnosed with neonatal perforator stroke using cranial ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging were eligible for inclusion. Recovery and Recurrence Questionnaire score, presence of cerebral palsy (CP), and crude outcome were assessed, specifically (1) the ability to walk independently, (2) participation in regular education, and (3) the presence of epilepsy.ResultsThirty‐seven patients (20 males, 17 females) aged 3 to 14 years (mean age 8y) were included in the study: 14 with isolated single perforator stroke, four with multiple isolated perforator strokes, and 19 with additional brain injury. Out of 18 children with isolated perforator stroke(s), four hadCP, one could not walk independently, and one developed epilepsy. The posterior limb of the internal capsule was involved in four out of 18 patients; three of these patients hadCP. Of 19 children with additional brain injury, 11 hadCPand three were not able to walk independently. Three out of nine children with concomitant cortical middle cerebral artery stroke developed epilepsy.InterpretationPerforator stroke patterns can be of use in predicting long‐term outcome and for guiding counselling and surveillance. Motor outcome was favourable in children with isolated perforator stroke(s), except when the posterior limb of the internal capsule was involved.
Life history strategy and adult and larval behavior of Macrodiplosis selenis (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), a species that induces leaf‐margin fold galls on deciduous Quercus (Fagaceae)
Authors: Kim Wanggyu , Matsunaga Kiyoko , Gyoutoku Naohisa , Matsuo Kazunori , Minami Tsuneo , Yukawa Junichi 
Published: July 2015

AbstractLife historical, behavioral and ecological traits of Macrodiplosis selenis, which induces leaf‐margin fold galls on Quercus serrata, Q. mongolica and Q. dentata (Fagaceae) in Japan and South Korea, were studied. Daily activity and larval development indicate that M. selenis is a diurnal and univoltine gall midge. In April, females lay their eggs both on upper and under surfaces of fresh leaves. The duration of the egg stage varies from 5 to 9 days, depending on daily temperatures. Hatched larvae crawl to the upper surface of the leaf margin, where they start to induce galls. Larvae become full‐grown in October, drop to the ground in November and overwinter in cocoons on the ground, while larvae of congeners mature in May and drop to the ground in June. A relatively long period of the second larval stadium from July to October on the host trees seems to be effective for M. selenis in avoiding summer mortalities caused by predation and aridity on the ground and by ectoparasitoids that attack mature larvae or pupae on the host leaves. The spatial distribution pattern of M. selenis leaf galls is contagious and the mean gall density per leaf is significantly correlated with the mean crowding. This study adds new insights of life history strategy and adult and larval behavioral pattern to the ecological knowledge of gall midges, and these kinds of information are essential for further studies of M. selenis population dynamics and interactions with other Quercus‐associated herbivores.