bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Auxotrophic Mutations Reduce Tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to Very High Levels of Ethanol Stress
Authors: Swinnen Steve , Goovaerts Annelies , Schaerlaekens Kristien , Dumortier Françoise , Verdyck Pieter , Souvereyns Kris , Van Zeebroeck Griet , Foulquié-Moreno María R. , Thevelein Johan M. 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACT

Very high ethanol tolerance is a distinctive trait of the yeast
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
with notable ecological and industrial importance. Although many genes have been shown to be required for moderate ethanol tolerance (i.e., 6 to 12%) in laboratory strains, little is known of the much higher ethanol tolerance (i.e., 16 to 20%) in natural and industrial strains. We have analyzed the genetic basis of very high ethanol tolerance in a Brazilian bioethanol production strain by genetic mapping with laboratory strains containing artificially inserted oligonucleotide markers. The first locus contained the
ura3
Δ
0
mutation of the laboratory strain as the causative mutation. Analysis of other auxotrophies also revealed significant linkage for
LYS2
,
LEU2
,
HIS3
, and
MET15
. Tolerance to only very high ethanol concentrations was reduced by auxotrophies, while the effect was reversed at lower concentrations. Evaluation of other stress conditions showed that the link with auxotrophy is dependent on the type of stress and the type of auxotrophy. When the concentration of the auxotrophic nutrient is close to that limiting growth, more stress factors can inhibit growth of an auxotrophic strain. We show that very high ethanol concentrations inhibit the uptake of leucine more than that of uracil, but the 500-fold-lower uracil uptake activity may explain the strong linkage between uracil auxotrophy and ethanol sensitivity compared to leucine auxotrophy. Since very high concentrations of ethanol inhibit the uptake of auxotrophic nutrients, the active uptake of scarce nutrients may be a major limiting factor for growth under conditions of ethanol stress.
Programmed Genome Rearrangements in the Ciliate
Oxytricha
Authors: Yerlici V. Talya , Landweber Laura F. 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACT

The ciliate
Oxytricha
is a microbial eukaryote with two genomes, one of which experiences extensive genome remodeling during development. Each round of conjugation initiates a cascade of events that construct a transcriptionally active somatic genome from a scrambled germline genome, with considerable help from both long and small noncoding RNAs. This process of genome remodeling entails massive DNA deletion and reshuffling of remaining DNA segments to form functional genes from their interrupted and scrambled germline precursors. The use of
Oxytricha
as a model system provides an opportunity to study an exaggerated form of programmed genome rearrangement. Furthermore, studying the mechanisms that maintain nuclear dimorphism and mediate genome rearrangement has demonstrated a surprising plasticity and diversity of noncoding RNA pathways, with new roles that go beyond conventional gene silencing. Another aspect of ciliate genetics is their unorthodox patterns of RNA-mediated, epigenetic inheritance that rival Mendelian inheritance. This review takes the reader through the key experiments in a model eukaryote that led to fundamental discoveries in RNA biology and pushes the biological limits of DNA processing.
Diversity-generating Retroelements in Phage and Bacterial Genomes
Authors: Guo Huatao , Arambula Diego , Ghosh Partho , Miller Jeff F. 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACT

Diversity-generating retroelements (DGRs) are DNA diversification machines found in diverse bacterial and bacteriophage genomes that accelerate the evolution of ligand–receptor interactions. Diversification results from a unidirectional transfer of sequence information from an invariant template repeat (TR) to a variable repeat (VR) located in a protein-encoding gene. Information transfer is coupled to site-specific mutagenesis in a process called mutagenic homing, which occurs through an RNA intermediate and is catalyzed by a unique, DGR-encoded reverse transcriptase that converts adenine residues in the TR into random nucleotides in the VR. In the prototype DGR found in the
Bordetella
bacteriophage BPP-1, the variable protein Mtd is responsible for phage receptor recognition. VR diversification enables progeny phage to switch tropism, accelerating their adaptation to changes in sequence or availability of host cell-surface molecules for infection. Since their discovery, hundreds of DGRs have been identified, and their functions are just beginning to be understood. VR-encoded residues of many DGR-diversified proteins are displayed in the context of a C-type lectin fold, although other scaffolds, including the immunoglobulin fold, may also be used. DGR homing is postulated to occur through a specialized target DNA-primed reverse transcription mechanism that allows repeated rounds of diversification and selection, and the ability to engineer DGRs to target heterologous genes suggests applications for bioengineering. This chapter provides a comprehensive review of our current understanding of this newly discovered family of beneficial retroelements.
hAT
Transposable Elements
Authors: Atkinson Peter W. 
Published: June 2015

ABSTRACT

hAT
transposons are ancient in their origin and they are widespread across eukaryote kingdoms. They can be present in large numbers in many genomes. However, only a few active forms of these elements have so far been discovered indicating that, like all transposable elements, there is selective pressure to inactivate them. Nonetheless, there have been sufficient numbers of active
hAT
elements and their transposases characterized that permit an analysis of their structure and function. This review analyzes these and provides a comparison with the several domesticated
hAT
genes discovered in eukaryote genomes. Active
hAT
transposons have also been developed as genetic tools and understanding how these may be optimally utilized in new hosts will depend, in part, on understanding the basis of their function in genomes.
HOW COMPLAINING CUSTOMERS MAKE COMPANIES LISTEN AND INFLUENCE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Authors: CHRISTIANSEN JOHN K. , GASPARIN MARTA , VARNES CLAUS , AUGUSTIN INA 
Published: June 2015

The analysis in this paper shows how complaining customers can make companies listen to them by spurring the mobilisation of various actors into a hybrid collective strong enough to influence companies’ product development. Customers as sources of innovation have been analysed previously in the literature, whereas the process of how complaining users mobilise support to influence companies has received less attention and is not well understood.This study uncovers the processes that made it possible for a 17-year-old Norwegian to become pivotal in constructing a problematisation, which emerged to become so strong as to alter the Norwegian Coca-Cola Company’s earlier decision to cease production of a product in a certain size. The analysis uses constructs from actor–network theory (ANT) and shows how a single dissatisfied individual was able to become a spokesperson who, through different processes, mobilised a heterogeneous group of consumers into a loosely connected hybrid collective. The spokesperson acted on behalf of the hybrid collective and put growing pressure on a multinational company, influencing its decision making. In this case, the complaining customer did not exit, nor did he become a lead user, but rather became a hybrid customer who actively tried to mobile others in his desire for a product.The study reports on a process analysis of the means by which the company was induced to reinstate a discontinued product. The analysis is divided into three episodes, each marking a critical phase for the collective. This opens up the way for an examination of the processes of mobilisation, interessement, enrolment and mobilisation, revealing the margins of manoeuvre and how these are negotiated and delimited in the process.
Kellwasser horizons, sea-level changes and brachiopod–coral crises during the late Frasnian in the Namur–Dinant Basin (southern Belgium): a synopsis
Authors: Mottequin Bernard , Poty Edouard 
Published: June 2015

Abstract

In Belgium, the Lower Kellwasser Event (LKW) corresponds to the relative sea-level maximum of the first (‘Aisemont sequence’ (AS)) of the two late Frasnian third-order sequences that are recognized here, but the Upper Kellwasser Event (UKW) may have been triggered by a series of tsunamites. The end of the middle Frasnian carbonate platform and reefs is caused by the sea-level drop and emersion of the last middle Frasnian third-order sequence (‘Lion sequence’) in the Lower
rhenana
Zone. The end of the ‘Petit-Mont’ mudmound growth during the transgressive (TST) and highstand (HST) systems tracts of the AS was caused by sea-level fall and emersion at the top of this sequence. The coral and brachiopod extinction in the Upper
rhenana
Zone, during the second late Frasnian third-order sequence (‘Lambermont sequence’ (LS)), is progressive and due to the widespread development of the dysoxic and anoxic facies, before the UKW. Only the LS TST has been identified. No sea-level fall has been recognized in relation to the UKW or near the Frasnian–Famennian boundary. The late Frasnian extinctions are more likely to be related to the decrease in the atmospheric oxygen rate and its impact on marine environments and, to complete, the UKW.
A carbonate carbon isotope record for the late Givetian (Middle Devonian) Global Taghanic Biocrisis in the type region (northern Appalachian Basin)
Authors: Zambito James J. , Joachimski Michael M. , Brett Carlton E. , Baird Gordon C. , Sarah Aboussalam Z. 
Published: June 2015

Abstract

During the Global Taghanic Biocrisis (
c.
385 Ma), Middle Devonian faunas worldwide underwent extinction. In the biocrisis type region, the northern Appalachian Basin, biodiversity changes occurred through three bioevents that ultimately resulted in the loss of numerous endemic taxa. Carbon isotope excursions during this biocrisis have been documented in various stratigraphic successions, but never in the type region. Herein, we reconstruct changes in δ
13
C
carb
from the biocrisis type region and compare these changes to local faunal transitions. An approximately 1.5‰ negative excursion corresponds to the first bioevent, a time of inferred global warming and replacement of most endemic taxa of the mid-palaeolatitude Appalachian Basin by invasive palaeoequatorial taxa. An approximately 2‰ positive excursion is associated with the second bioevent, recognized as a return of the endemic fauna and the loss of invasive taxa. This positive excursion occurs near the
Polygnathus ansatus–Ozarkodina semialternans
zonal boundary and is recognized elsewhere. Faunal cosmopolitanism associated with the third bioevent corresponds with an inflection in the carbon isotope record from negative to positive trending values, which agrees with a positive carbon record excursion seen elsewhere at the
semialternans
–
Schmidtognathus hermanni
zonal boundary. This new carbon isotope record provides an important reference for recognizing this biocrisis in other areas and facies.

Supplementary material:

The δ
13
C and δ
18
O dataset collected for this study is available at
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18840
.
Stapedectomy Effects on Tinnitus
Authors: Dewyer Nicholas A. , Kiringoda Ruwan , Kram Yoseph A. , Chang Jolie L. , Chang C.Y. Joseph , Cheung Steven W. 
Published: June 2015

ObjectiveTo relate poststapedectomy change in tinnitus loudness to change in tinnitus severity.Study DesignProspective, within‐subjects.SettingA single otology and neurotology subspecialty referral practice.Subjects and MethodsForty‐nine subjects undergoing stapedectomy completed the study between January 2012 and October 2013. Tinnitus instruments, audiometric data, and demographic information were collected prior to and 1 and 6 months after surgery. Tinnitus loudness was assessed using an 11‐point (0 = none; 5 = conversation level; 10 = jet engine) visual analog scale, and severity was measured using the validated Tinnitus Functional Index. The relationship between change in tinnitus loudness and change in tinnitus severity was evaluated using linear regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses.ResultsA linear regression model of change in tinnitus loudness averaged for both ears on a visual analog scale (ΔVASavg) versus change in Tinnitus Functional Index score (ΔTFI) showed a strong correlation (ΔTFI = 9.35 ×ΔVASavg; R = 0.64; P <. 001). An ROC analysis identified ΔVASavg between 1.5 and 2.0 as the optimal threshold for predicting a clinically significant change in tinnitus severity (ΔTFI ≥ 13), with sensitivity and specificity of approximately 0.62 and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.64.ConclusionFor poststapedectomy patients, a VAS loudness change by 1.5 to 2.0 points averaged for both ears in bilateral tinnitus or ~3 points in unilateral tinnitus has a PPV ~0.64 for a clinically significant change in tinnitus severity.
Changes in cuff pressure and position of cylindrical-cuff and tapered-cuff tracheal tubes during laparoscopic abdominal surgery
Authors: Shin Hye Won , Kim Dong Hwan , Yoo Hae Seun , Lee Dong Kyu , Yoo Young Dong , Lim Choon Hak 
Published: June 2015

Objectives To evaluate changes in cuff pressure and position of tapered-cuff and cylindrical-cuff tracheal tubes (TTs) during laparoscopic cholecystectomy; to compare the frequency of endobronchial intubation and airway complaints with the two types of TT. Methods Patients were randomly assigned to intubation with a TT with a cylindrical cuff (group C) or a tapered cuff (group T). Anaesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane, O2 and N2O after intubation. TT cuffs were inflated to 20 cm H2O; changes in cuff pressure and volume were measured up to 30 min after the start of N2O use. Distance between the TT tip and the carina was measured before and after pneumoperitoneum and position change. Frequency of sore throat, dysphagia and hoarseness in the two groups was recorded. Results Cuff volume and pressure were significantly lower in group T than in group C ( n = 32 per group). Cuff pressure and volume significantly increased 30 min after start of N2O use in both groups. Distance from the TT tip to the carina decreased during surgery in both groups. There were no cases of endobronchial intubation, and there were no between-group differences in the frequency of airway complaints. Conclusions The tapered cuff was associated with a smaller change in cuff pressure during laparoscopic cholecystectomy than the cylindrical cuff, and therefore may be associated with increased preservation of tracheal mucosal perfusion.
Migraine as a predictor of mortality: The HUNT study
Authors: Åsberg Anders Nikolai , Stovner Lars Jacob , Zwart John-Anker , Winsvold Bendik Slagsvold , Heuch Ingrid , Hagen Knut 
Published: June 2015

Background There is conflicting evidence for the association between migraine and increased mortality risk. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between migraine and non-migrainous headache, and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality. Methods In this prospective population-based cohort study from Norway, we used baseline data from the second Nord-Trøndelag Health Survey (HUNT2), performed between 1995 and 1997 in the County of Nord-Trøndelag. These data were linked with a comprehensive mortality database with follow-up through the year 2011. A total of 51,853 (56% of invited) people were categorized based on their answers to the headache questions in HUNT2 (headache free, migraine or non-migrainous headache). Hazard ratios (HRs) of mortality during a mean of 14.1 years of follow-up were estimated using Cox regression. Results During the follow-up period 9408 died, 4321 of these from cardiovascular causes. There was no difference in all-cause mortality between individuals with migraine and non-migrainous headache compared to those without headache or between headache status and mortality by cardiovascular disease. There was, however, among men with migraine without aura a reduced risk of death by cardiovascular diseases (HR 0.72, 95% confidence interval 0.56–0.93). This relationship was not evident in women. Conclusion In this large, prospective cohort study there was no evidence for a higher all-cause mortality or cardiovascular mortality among individuals with migraine.
Determination of Acidity in Donor Milk
Authors: Escuder-Vieco Diana , Vázquez-Román Sara , Sánchez-Pallás Juan , Ureta-Velasco Noelia , Mosqueda-Peña Rocío , Pallás-Alonso Carmen Rosa 
Published: June 2015

Background: There is no uniformity among milk banks on milk acceptance criteria. The acidity obtained by the Dornic titration technique is a widely used quality control in donor milk. However, there are no comparative data with other acidity-measuring techniques, such as the pH meter. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the correlation between the Dornic technique and the pH measure to determine the pH cutoff corresponding to the Dornic degree limit value used as a reference for donor milk quality control. Methods: Fifty-two human milk samples were obtained from 48 donors. Acidity was measured using the Dornic method and pH meter in triplicate. Statistical data analysis to estimate significant correlations between variables was carried out. The Dornic acidity value that led to rejecting donor milk was ≥ 8 Dornic degrees (°D). Results: In the evaluated sample size, Dornic acidity measure and pH values showed a statistically significant negative correlation (τ = −0.780; P = .000). A pH value of 6.57 corresponds to 8°D and of 7.12 to 4°D. Conclusion: Donor milk with a pH over 6.57 may be accepted for subsequent processing in the milk bank. Moreover, the pH measurement seems to be more useful due to certain advantages over the Dornic method, such as objectivity, accuracy, standardization, the lack of chemical reagents required, and the fact that it does not destroy the milk sample.
Complaints filed against nursing professionals
Authors: da Silva Adaiele Lucia Nogueira Vieira , da Silva Candido Mariluci Camargo Ferreira , Duarte Sebastião Junior Henrique , dos Santos Regina Maria 
Published: June 2015

Background: In their daily practice, Brazilian nurses have been met with complaints from co-workers and patients, as well as bioethical dilemmas intrinsic to the profession, particularly in the context of care delivery. Complaints against nursing professionals have been in the media spotlight. Objective: To examine complaints filed with the Regional Board of Nursing of Mato Grosso do Sul (COREN-MS) in Midwest Brazil. Method: Retrospective, analytical desk research of 111 complaints received by COREN-MS in 2003–2013 was carried out. Characterizations of complainant, professionals investigated, and complaints were the variables investigated. Ethical consideration: The project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul. To ensure confidentiality and anonymity, all documents retrieved were examined in situ and subjects were assigned numbered codes. Results: Most complainants were nursing professionals (40). Most causes of complaint originated in the hospital setting (65). Most allegations were made against nursing technicians and licensed practical nurses (82). Complaints involving interprofessional relationships (85), iatrogenic events (36), and professional liability (20) predominated. Discussion: Bioethical principles were breached, translating to poor-quality nursing care, detrimental to the professional image of nurses among users and nursing professionals alike. Conclusion: The findings can serve as input to guide nursing schools and boards of nursing in developing policies to raise awareness among nursing professionals, sensitizing them to the responsible provision of care in the light of bioethical and legal principles.
Feline non-regenerative immune-mediated anaemia: features and outcome in 15 cases
Authors: Black Victoria , Adamantos Sophie , Barfield Dominic , Tasker Séverine 
Published: June 2015

Objectives Pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) and non-regenerative immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia (NRIMHA) are uncommon causes of non-regenerative anaemia affecting the bone marrow in the cat. This retrospective study aimed to describe the clinical features, treatment and outcome (remission and survival) of cats with these disorders. Methods Cases of PRCA and NRIMHA presenting between 2009 and 2013 were retrieved. Clinical features including signalment, history, clinical signs and diagnostic investigations were recorded, as well as treatment(s) used and outcome (remission and survival). Outcome was compared for PRCA and NRIMHA. Results Fifteen cats met inclusion criteria: seven with PRCA and eight with NRIMHA. The majority (12/15) were younger than 3 years of age. Volume overload was common (8/11). Treatment with whole blood transfusions with or without Oxyglobin was necessary in most cats (14/15) and resulted in congestive heart failure in one cat. Most cats (11/15) achieved remission 12–42 days after starting immunosuppressive treatment. Treatment protocols associated with remission were glucocorticoids alone (remission in 6/7 cats), glucocorticoids and chlorambucil (remission in 3/6 treated cats), glucocorticoids and ciclosporin (one cat only) and ciclosporin alone (one cat only). Relapse was observed in 3/11 cats, and 8/11 cats were still receiving treatment at the time of follow-up. Outcome (remission and survival) did not differ between PRCA and NRIMHA. Conclusions and relevance PRCA and NRIMHA are uncommon causes of anaemia in predominantly young cats. The prognosis is reasonable, with a mortality rate of 27%, and it can take at least 6 weeks before remission is observed. Following clinical remission, gradual withdrawal of immunosuppressive treatments should be attempted, with close monitoring for relapse; some cats may require long-term treatment. This study is the first to report the use of chlorambucil as an adjunctive immunosuppressant in these cases. Outcome did not differ for PRCA and NRIMHA.