bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Detection of bacteria and analyses of Chlamydia trachomatis viability in patients with postvenereal reactive arthritis
Authors: Strelić N. , Bojović J. , Pavlica L. , Cikota‐Aleksić B. , Miličić B. , Magić Z. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractPostvenereal reactive arthritis is an inflammatory form of arthritis that commonly develops after urogenital infection, predominantly in human leucocyte antigen‐B27‐positive men in the third decade of life. In our hospital, patients underwent synovectomy before a 4‐month course of antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and roxithromicin). The clinical remission was achieved in approximately 70% patients. At molecular level, the remission was associated with the negative polymerase chain reaction findings of bacteria.
Advances in endovascular treatment of acute ischaemic stroke
Authors: Asadi H. , Dowling R. , Yan B. , Wong S. , Mitchell P. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractOver the past decade, there have been rapid advancements in ischaemic stroke reperfusion treatments. However, clear clinical benefit is yet to be shown in large clinical trials. In this review, the major studies in different types of endovascular treatments including intra‐arterial thrombolysis, aspiration devices, mechanical clot retrievers and the new stent retrievers are discussed. First‐generation mechanical thrombectomy devices such as the MERCI Retriever (Stryker, Kalamazoo, MI, USA) and Penumbra aspiration device (Penumbra Inc., Alameda, CA, USA) demonstrated safety and higher rates of recanalisation in the MERCI and Penumbra Pivotal Stroke Trial; however, there was no significant improvement in clinical outcome. Second‐generation endovascular stent retrieval devices Solitaire (ev3 Neurovascular, Irvine, CA, USA) and Trevo (Stryker) have shown promising results. In preliminary trials, SOLITAIRE with the Intention for Thrombectomy (SWIFT) and Thrombectomy Revascularization of Large Vessel Occlusions (TREVO), both showed rates of recanalisation close to 90% and significantly improved clinical outcomes compared with the MERCI study, but the recent landmark studies for endovascular treatment (Interventional Management of Stroke (IMS III), Mechanical Retrieval and Recanalisation of Stroke Clots Using Embolectomy (MR‐RESCUE) and SYNTHESIS) did not show any clinical benefit from endovascular treatment compared with standard intravenous therapy. However, moving forward, the recent Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischaemic Stroke in the Netherlands (MR‐CLEAN) study results have shown marked improvements in recanalisation, reperfusion and functional outcome in patients receiving endovascular treatment (97% using stent retrievers) within 6 h in addition to standard medical care. Overall, although evidence regarding the efficacy of endovascular treatment in acute stroke has been equivocal, recent publications of large multicentre randomised controlled trials indicate benefit of intra‐arterial stent retriever reperfusion in patients selected by appropriate imaging and treated early by experienced operators, and it will likely remain an important adjunct to established medical treatment with intravenous tPA.
Checkpoint immunotherapy for cancer: superior survival, unaccustomed toxicities
Authors: Gedye C. , van der Westhuizen A. , John T. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractNovel cancer immunotherapy antibodies are moving from clinical trials into routine practice, delivering sustained benefits and prolonged survival to patients with melanoma, lung, kidney and other cancers. These immunostimulatory antibodies non‐specifically activate the patient's own immune system by inhibiting immune system checkpoint proteins. This mechanism of action is entirely different to traditional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy. While there are virtually no immediate toxicities, serious life‐threatening autoimmune side‐effects such as colitis, dermatitis, hypophysitis, pneumonitis and hepatitis can occur, sometimes starting long after the treatment has been given. Recognition, referral and prompt treatment with immunosuppressive drugs like corticosteroids can control these immune‐related side‐effects without compromising efficacy. This exciting new class of drugs is defining a new paradigm in cancer therapy.
A Groaning Demographic
Authors: Zelterman Daniel 
Published: December 2014

Abstract
What if zombies were real? And what if, rather than wiping out humanity, we found a way to coexist, to manage the problem? We would need data, of course information about the undead horde – to help develop an appropriate civil response. And we would need people like Daniel Zelterman, professor of biostatistics at Yale University, to compile and analyse that data. In this extract from the new book, Mathematical Modelling of Zombies – billed as a maths-based survival guide – Zelterman explores the distribution of the US zombie population in the days, weeks and months that followed the night of the living dead
Regional metacommunities in two coastal systems: spatial structure and drivers of plant assemblages
Authors: Jiménez‐Alfaro Borja , Marcenò Corrado , Guarino Riccardo , Chytrý Milan 
Published: December 2014

AbstractAimBiogeographical patterns in metacommunities are still poorly understood, and different processes are expected to occur in different habitats. We analysed the regional plant metacommunities of coastal habitats to test whether (1) the influence of space and climate differs between two habitats differentiated along the seashore–inland gradient, and (2) regional variation in species composition of these habitats can be ascribed to different metacommunity paradigms.LocationThe entire coast of the Iberian Peninsula, south‐western Europe.MethodsWe collected data on the plant species composition of coastal sites on sand dunes across 3000 km of coastline. The sites were classified into two habitats corresponding to shifting and stable sand dunes, and divided into three distinct geographical regions: Cantabrian, Atlantic and Mediterranean. We assessed the geographical structure of the species composition using ordination, estimates of species turnover and spatial autocorrelation. We then used multivariate models and variation partitioning to test the influence of climatic and spatial effects. Analyses were conducted for the whole data set and the geographical subsets.ResultsMetacommunities from shifting and stable dunes showed similar spatial patterns, with the highest species turnover occurring in the Mediterranean region. Similarities between communities that were nearer each other (typically < 100 km) were weaker in shifting than in stable dunes, although the distance decay for sites that were further apart was similar in both habitats. Variation in species composition in shifting dunes was mainly explained by distance and climate, while in stable dunes the effect of climate was clearly dominant. The observed differences were relatively consistent across geographical regions.Main conclusionsDistinct processes structure the metacommunities in two dune habitats differentiated along the seashore–inland gradient. Communities of shifting dunes seem to be structured by an interplay of neutral or patch‐dynamic processes and to a lesser degree by species sorting. In contrast, communities of stable dunes are mainly governed by species sorting in response to climatic gradients. These results highlight the importance of differentiating habitats according to local ecological factors when analysing regional patterns in metacommunities.
Pre‐synaptic localization of the γ‐secretase‐inhibiting protein p24α2 in the mammalian brain
Authors: Liu Lei , Fujino Kazunori , Nishimura Masaki 
Published: December 2014

AbstractDysregulated metabolism and consequent extracellular accumulation of amyloid‐β (Aβ) peptides in the brain underlie the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Extracellular Aβ in the brain parenchyma is mainly secreted from the pre‐synaptic terminals of neuronal cells in a synaptic activity‐dependent manner. The p24 family member p24α2 reportedly attenuates Aβ generation by inhibiting γ‐secretase processing of amyloid precursor protein; however, the pattern of expression and localization of p24α2 in the brain remains unknown. We performed immunohistochemical staining and subcellular fractionation for p24α2 in the mouse brain. Immunostaining showed that p24α2 is broadly distributed in the gray matter of the central nervous system and is predominantly localized to synapses. Subcellular fractionation revealed prominent localization of p24α2 in the pre‐synaptic terminals. Immunoisolation of synaptic vesicles (SV) indicated that p24α2 is condensed at active zone‐docked SV. During development, p24α2 expression is highest in the post‐natal period and gradually decreases with age. We also confirmed that amyloid precursor protein and γ‐secretase components are localized at active zone‐docked SV. Our results suggest a novel functional role for p24α2 in the regulation of synaptic transmission and synaptogenesis, and provide evidence for the participation of p24α2 in the regulation of Aβ generation and secretion in the brain.
image
The p24 family member p24α2 attenuates amyloid‐β (Aβ) generation by inhibiting the γ‐secretase processing. We report that p24α2 is condensed at active zone‐docked synaptic vesicles in the brain. p24α2 expression is highest in the post‐natal period and gradually decreases with age. Our results suggest a novel function for p24α2 at the synapse, including the regulation of brain Aβ generation.
Reconstructing the demographic history of orang‐utans using Approximate Bayesian Computation
Authors: Nater Alexander , Greminger Maja P. , Arora Natasha , van Schaik Carel P. , Goossens Benoit , Singleton Ian , Verschoor Ernst J. , Warren Kristin S. , Krützen Michael 
Published: December 2014

AbstractInvestigating how different evolutionary forces have shaped patterns of DNA variation within and among species requires detailed knowledge of their demographic history. Orang‐utans, whose distribution is currently restricted to the South‐East Asian islands of Borneo (Pongo pygmaeus) and Sumatra (Pongo abelii), have likely experienced a complex demographic history, influenced by recurrent changes in climate and sea levels, volcanic activities and anthropogenic pressures. Using the most extensive sample set of wild orang‐utans to date, we employed an Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) approach to test the fit of 12 different demographic scenarios to the observed patterns of variation in autosomal, X‐chromosomal, mitochondrial and Y‐chromosomal markers. In the best‐fitting model, Sumatran orang‐utans exhibit a deep split of populations north and south of Lake Toba, probably caused by multiple eruptions of the Toba volcano. In addition, we found signals for a strong decline in all Sumatran populations ~24 ka, probably associated with hunting by human colonizers. In contrast, Bornean orang‐utans experienced a severe bottleneck ~135 ka, followed by a population expansion and substructuring starting ~82 ka, which we link to an expansion from a glacial refugium. We showed that orang‐utans went through drastic changes in population size and connectedness, caused by recurrent contraction and expansion of rainforest habitat during Pleistocene glaciations and probably hunting by early humans. Our findings emphasize the fact that important aspects of the evolutionary past of species with complex demographic histories might remain obscured when applying overly simplified models.
Norm Bounds and A Homographic Approximation for the Wage–Profit Curve
Authors: Mariolis Theodore 
Published: December 2014

AbstractThis paper provides lower and upper norm bounds for the wage–profit curve in linear single‐product systems. Thus, it also constructs an algebraically simple (i.e. homographic) and empirically powerful approximation to that curve. The results finally suggest that actual economies tend to behave as ‘corn‐tractor’ systems with respect to the shape of the wage–profit curve and, at the same time, behave as three‐industry systems with respect to the shape of the production price–profit rate curves.
POLITICAL CONTROL, BUREAUCRATIC DISCRETION, AND PUBLIC COMMENTING ON AGENCY REGULATIONS
Authors: BALLA STEVEN J. 
Published: December 2014

In recent years, the accessibility and transparency of administrative procedures have attracted the attention of researchers and policymakers in the United States. This article investigates the accessibility and transparency of a particularly important administrative procedure, the notice and comment process. The article presents a theoretical account of the operation of political control and bureaucratic discretion in two aspects of the notice and comment process – the duration of comment periods and timeliness of the circulation of comments. The results of the analysis of original data demonstrate that both external constraints and agency need for policy information affect the duration of comment periods and circulation of comments. These results, which are unexpected from the perspective that the notice and comment process is procedurally neutral, imply that normative values such as accessibility and transparency cannot be meaningfully separated from the politics of political control and bureaucratic discretion.
The stability and nuclear localization of the transcription factor RAP2.12 are dynamically regulated by oxygen concentration
Authors: KOSMACZ MONIKA , PARLANTI SANDRO , SCHWARZLÄNDER MARKUS , KRAGLER FRIEDRICH , LICAUSI FRANCESCO , VAN DONGEN JOOST T. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractPlants often experience low oxygen conditions as the consequence of reduced oxygen availability in their environment or due to a high activity of respiratory metabolism. Recently, an oxygen sensing pathway was described in Arabidopsis thaliana which involves the migration of an ERF transcription factor (RAP2.12) from the plasma membrane to the nucleus upon hypoxia. Moreover, RAP2.12 protein level is controlled through an oxygen‐dependent branch of the N‐end rule pathway for proteasomal degradation. Inside the nucleus, RAP2.12 induces the expression of genes involved in the adaptation to reduced oxygen availability. In the present study, we describe the oxygen concentration and time‐resolved characterization of RAP2.12 activity. A reduction of the oxygen availability to half the concentration in normal air is sufficient to trigger RAP2.12 relocalization into the nucleus, while nuclear accumulation correlates with the first induction of the molecular response to hypoxia. Nuclear presence of RAP2.12 may not only depend on relocalization of existing protein, but involves de novo synthesis of the transcription factor as well. After re‐oxygenation of the tissue, degradation of RAP2.12 in the nucleus was observed within 3 h, concomitant with reduction in hypoxia responsive gene transcripts to normoxic levels.
Risk factors for cisplatin‐induced long‐term nephrotoxicity in pediatric cancer survivors
Authors: Arga Mustafa , Oguz Aynur , Pinarli Faruk Guclu , Karadeniz Ceyda , Citak Elvan Caglar , Emeksiz Hamdi Cihan , Akdeniz Duran Esra , Soylemezoglu Oguz 
Published: December 2014

AbstractBackgroundThe aim of this study was to compare the nephrotoxicity risk of cisplatin (CPL) and ifosfamide (IFO) combination treatment (CT) with that of CPL alone and to evaluate the prevalence of CPL‐induced long‐term nephrotoxicity in pediatric cancer survivors (CS).MethodsA total of 33 patients with pediatric solid tumors who have been cured of their disease were included in the study. They were divided into two groups based on the type of chemotherapeutics, either CPL (n = 21) or CT (n = 12), given during cancer treatment and were evaluated for glomerular and tubular function using the Skinner grading system.ResultsNephrotoxicity was found in 15 CS (45.4%): seven (21.3%) of those had moderate, six (18.2%) had mild, and two (6.1%) had severe nephrotoxicity. Neither the rates of overall nephrotoxicity, glomerular toxicity and tubular toxicity, nor the mean overall, glomerular and tubular toxicity scores differed significantly among the CPL and CT groups (P > 0.05 for all parameters). Cumulative IFO dose and age at treatment were found to be independent risk factors for both development and severity of CPL‐induced nephrotoxicity (P = 0.025 and P = 0.036 for development of nephrotoxicity; P = 0.004 and P = 0.050 for severity of nephrotoxicity, respectively).ConclusionsAlthough CPL‐induced long‐term nephrotoxicity was found in half of the pediatric CS of solid tumors, clinically significant nephrotoxicity was detected only in a minority of them. Both higher cumulative IFO dose and younger age at treatment were found to be independent risk factors for both development and severity of CPL‐induced nephrotoxicity.
The Role of the Right Posterior Parietal Cortex in Letter Migration between Words
Authors: Cazzoli Dario , Müri René M. , Kennard Christopher , Rosenthal Clive R. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractWhen briefly presented with pairs of words, skilled readers can sometimes report words with migrated letters (e.g., they report hunt when presented with the words hint and hurt). This and other letter migration phenomena have been often used to investigate factors that influence reading such as letter position coding. However, the neural basis of letter migration is poorly understood. Previous evidence has implicated the right posterior parietal cortex (PPC) in processing visuospatial attributes and lexical properties during word reading. The aim of this study was to assess this putative role by combining an inhibitory TMS protocol with a letter migration paradigm, which was designed to examine the contributions of visuospatial attributes and lexical factors. Temporary interference with the right PPC led to three specific effects on letter migration. First, the number of letter migrations was significantly increased only in the group with active stimulation (vs. a sham stimulation group or a control group without stimulation), and there was no significant effect on other error types. Second, this effect occurred only when letter migration could result in a meaningful word (migration vs. control context). Third, the effect of active stimulation on the number of letter migrations was lateralized to target words presented on the left. Our study thus demonstrates that the right PPC plays a specific and causal role in the phenomenon of letter migration. The nature of this role cannot be explained solely in terms of visuospatial attention, rather it involves an interplay between visuospatial attentional and word reading-specific factors.
Bias for the Left Visual Field in Rapid Serial Visual Presentation: Effects of Additional Salient Cues Suggest a Critical Role of Attention
Authors: Śmigasiewicz Kamila , Asanowicz Dariusz , Westphal Nicole , Verleger Rolf 
Published: December 2014

Abstract
Everyday experience suggests that people are equally aware of stimuli in both hemifields. However, when two streams of stimuli are rapidly presented left and right, the second target (T2) is better identified in the left hemifield than in the right hemifield. This left visual field (LVF) advantage may result from differences between hemifields in attracting attention. Therefore, we introduced a visual cue shortly before T2 onset to draw attention to one stream. Thus, to identify T2, attention was correctly positioned with valid cues but had to be redirected to the other stream with invalid ones. If the LVF advantage is caused by differences between hemifields in attracting attention, invalid cues should increase, and valid cues should reduce the LVF advantage as compared with neutral cues. This prediction was confirmed. ERP analysis revealed that cues evoked an early posterior negativity, confirming that attention was attracted by the cue. This negativity was earlier with cues in the LVF, which suggests that responses to salient events are faster in the right hemisphere than in the left hemisphere. Valid cues speeded up, and invalid cues delayed T2-evoked N2pc; in addition, valid cues enlarged T2-evoked P3. After N2pc, right-side T2 evoked more sustained contralateral negativity than left T2, least long-lasting after valid cues. Difficulties in identifying invalidly cued right T2 were reflected in prematurely ending P3 waveforms. Overall, these data provide evidence that the LVF advantage is because of different abilities of the hemispheres in shifting attention to relevant events in their contralateral hemifield.
Decadal Relationship between European Blocking and the North Atlantic Oscillation during 1978–2011. Part II: A Theoretical Model Study
Authors: Luo Dehai , Yao Yao , Dai Aiguo 
Published: December 2014

Abstract
In Part I of this study, it is revealed that decadal variations of European blocking, in its intensity, duration, and position, during 1978–2011 are modulated by decadal changes in the frequency of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) events associated with background Atlantic conditions. In Part II, reanalysis data are analyzed to first show that a T-bone-type structure of the climatological-mean blocking frequency in the Euro-Atlantic sector roughly results from a combination of the blocking frequency distributions along the southeast–northwest (SE–NW) direction associated with negative-phase NAO (NAO−) events and along the southwest–northeast (SW–NE) direction associated with positive-phase NAO (NAO+) events.
A nonlinear multiscale interaction (NMI) model is then used to examine the physical processes behind the blocking frequency distributions. This model shows that the combination of eastward- and westward-displaced blocking frequency patterns along the SW–NE and SE–NW directions associated with NAO+ and NAO− events leads to a T-bone-type frequency distribution, as seen in reanalysis data. Moreover, it is found that the westward migration of intense, long-lived blocking anomalies over Europe following NAO+ events is favored (suppressed) when the Atlantic mean zonal wind is relatively weak (strong). This result is held for the strong (weak) western Atlantic storm track. This helps explain the findings in Part I. In particular, long-lived blocking events with double peaks can form over Europe because of reintensification during the NAO+ decay phase, when the mean zonal wind weakens. But the double-peak structure disappears and becomes a strong single-peak structure as the mean zonal wind strengthens.
Detecting Long-Term Trends in Precipitable Water over the Tibetan Plateau by Synthesis of Station and MODIS Observations*
Authors: Lu Ning , Trenberth Kevin E. , Qin Jun , Yang Kun , Yao Ling 
Published: December 2014

Abstract
Long-term trends in precipitable water (PW) are an important component of climate change assessments for the Tibetan Plateau (TP). PW products from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) are able to provide good spatial coverage of PW over the TP but limited in time coverage, while the meteorological stations in the TP can estimate long-term PW but unevenly distributed. To detect the decadal trend in PW over the TP, Bayesian inference theory is used to construct long-term and spatially continuous PW data for the TP based on the station and MODIS observations. The prior information on the monthly-mean PW from MODIS and the 63 stations over the TP for 2000–06 is used to get the posterior probability knowledge that is utilized to build a Bayesian estimation model. This model is then operated to estimate continuous monthly-mean PW for 1970–2011 and its performance is evaluated using the monthly MODIS PW anomalies (2007–11) and annual GPS PW anomalies (1995–2011), with RMSEs below 0.65 mm, to demonstrate that the model estimation can reproduce the PW variability over the TP in both space and time. Annual PW series show a significant increasing trend of 0.19 mm decade−1 for the TP during the 42 years. The most significant PW increase of 0.47 mm decade−1 occurs for 1986–99 and an insignificant decrease occurs for 2000–11. From the comparison of the PW data from JRA-55, ERA-40, ERA-Interim, MERRA, NCEP-2, and ISCCP, it is found that none of them are able to show the actual long-term trends and variability in PW for the TP as the Bayesian estimation.