bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Secreted Frizzled-related protein 3 (sFRP3)-mediated suppression of interleukin-6 receptor release by A disintegrin and metalloprotease 17 (ADAM17) is abrogated in the osteoarthritis-associated rare double variant of sFRP3
Authors: Oldefest Mirja , Düsterhöft Stefan , Desel Christine , Thysen Sarah , Fink Christine , Rabe Björn , Lories Rik , Grötzinger Joachim , Lorenzen Inken 
Published: April 2015

To avoid malformation and disease, tissue development and homoeostasis are co-ordinated precisely in time and space. Secreted Frizzled-related protein 3 (sFRP3), encoded by the Frizzled-related protein gene (FRZB), acts as an antagonist of Wnt signalling in bone development by delaying the maturation of proliferative chondrocytes into hypertrophic chondrocytes. A disintegrin and metalloprotease 17 (ADAM17) is a transmembrane protease that is essential for developmental processes and promotes cartilage maturation into bone. sFRP3 is chondroprotective and is expressed in chondrocytes of healthy articular cartilage. Upon damage to cartilage, sFRP3 is down-regulated. Rare variants of sFRP3 are associated with osteoarthritis. The present study demonstrates a novel function of sFRP3 in suppression of the enzymatic activity of ADAM17 which results in the inhibition of ADAM17-meditated interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R) shedding. By contrast, the rare double variant of sFRP3 failed to suppress ADAM17. The shed soluble IL-6R (sIL-6R) is linked to inflammation, cartilage degeneration and osteolysis. Accordingly, enhanced activity of ADAM17 in cartilage, caused by the expression of the rare double sFRP3 variant, provides an explanation for the genetic effect of sFRP3 variants in joint disease. The finding that sFRP3 interacts with the ADAM17 substrate IL-6R also suggests a new regulatory mechanism by which the substrate is protected against shedding.
Short-term dietary salt supplementation blunts telmisartan induced increases in plasma renin activity in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Chen Angela X. , Jerums George , Baqar Sara , Lambert Elisabeth , Somarajah Goji , Thomas Georgina , O’Callaghan Christopher , MacIsaac Richard J. , Ekinci Elif I. 
Published: April 2015

Current guidelines recommend low dietary salt intake (LDS) in patients with diabetes to reduce blood pressure (BP). However, low salt intake has been associated with higher mortality rates in people with diabetes. Our aim is to examine the effect of angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB), telmisartan, with and without dietary sodium chloride (NaCl) supplementation, on BP [mean arterial pressure (MAP)], plasma renin activity (PRA), serum aldosterone level and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (RCT), 28 patients with type 2 diabetes, treated with telmisartan (40 mg daily), received 2 weeks of placebo or NaCl capsules (100 mmol/24 h). Following a 6-week washout, the protocol was repeated in reverse. Twenty-four-hour urinary sodium excretion (24hUNa), ambulatory BP (ABP) monitoring and blood tests were performed before and after each study phase. The telmisartan-associated increase in PRA was blunted by approximately 50% during salt supplementation compared with placebo; median PRA was 2.3 μg/l/h with placebo compared with 1.7 μg/l/h with salt (P&lt;0.001). A trend towards blunting of ARB induced increases in serum aldosterone was also demonstrated. Salt supplementation significantly reduced the MAP lowering effects of telmisartan (P&lt;0.05). The present study demonstrates that salt supplementation blunts the telmisartan induced increase in PRA in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Meeting the Hearing Health Care Needs of the Oldest Older Adult
Authors: Weinstein Barbara E. 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the auditory needs of and approaches to management of the oldest older adult.

Method
This article is an overview of principles of geriatric care and implications of untreated hearing loss for function, management, and care of the oldest older adult.

Conclusions
Person-centered care is at the heart of health care delivery to the oldest older adult, who typically suffers from multimorbidity. Given the high prevalence of moderate to severe hearing loss in this cohort and the functional limitations of untreated hearing loss, audiologists must become proactive in educating stakeholders on the importance of identifying and referring the oldest older adult for management of hearing health care needs. Audiologists have an integral role to play in collaborating with health care professionals in optimizing health care for the oldest older adult.
Cadherin flexibility provides a key difference between desmosomes and adherens junctions
Authors: Tariq Humera , Bella Jordi , Jowitt Thomas A. , Holmes David F. , Rouhi Mansour , Nie Zhuxiang , Baldock Clair , Garrod David , Tabernero Lydia 
Published: April 2015

Significance
We present here an entirely novel concept in the field of cell–cell adhesion, whereby the flexibility of the extracellular domains of cadherin molecules determines the characteristics and behavior of intercellular junctions. The structure of the ectodomain of the desmosomal cadherin desmoglein 2 shows it is flexible in its calcium-bound form. This flexibility of the desmosomal cadherin ectodomains may be key in facilitating a unique property of desmosomes: the ability to switch from strong calcium-independent hyperadhesion in adult tissues to weaker calcium-dependent adhesion in wounds.
Using Electrofishing Catch Rates to Estimate the Density of Largemouth Bass
Authors: Schoenebeck Casey W. , Lundgren Seth A. , Koupal Keith D. 
Published: April 2015

Abstract
Catch rates are commonly used to indirectly index population density, e.g., nighttime electrofishing to survey Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides populations. However, the relationship between catch rate and population density must be known in order for catch rate to serve as an accurate index. We sought to determine if Largemouth Bass electrofishing catch rate was linearly or nonlinearly correlated to population density in high density populations using measurement-error models and Monte Carlo simulations. Previous studies of the relationship between Largemouth Bass electrofishing catch rate and density have occurred in low-density populations (&lt;50/ha). We hypothesized that high-density Largemouth Bass populations may result in gear saturation during electrofishing sampling, i.e., too many fish for dipnetters to capture resulting in missed captures. This would therefore underrepresent the population's density. The nighttime electrofishing catch rate of 66–294 Largemouth Bass/h was linearly related to their population density (77–152/ha) over 15 experimental events. The linear relationship suggests electrofishing catch rate is an appropriate index of population density in similar high-density Largemouth Bass populations.
Received August 11, 2014; accepted December 3, 2014
Identification of a quorum sensing pheromone posttranslationally farnesylated at the internal tryptophan residue from Bacillus subtilis subsp. natto
Authors: Hayashi Shunsuke , Usami Syohei , Nakamura Yuta , Ozaki Koki , Okada Masahiro 
Published: April 2015

Abstract
Bacillus subtilis subsp. natto produces poly-γ-glutamic acid under the control of quorum sensing. We identified ComXnatto pheromone as the quorum-sensing pheromone with an amino acid sequence of Lys-Trp-Pro-Pro-Ile-Glu and the tryptophan residue posttranslationally modified by a farnesyl group. ComXnatto pheromone is unique in the sense that the 5th tryptophan residue from the C-terminal is farnesylated.
Big Constraints or Small Returns? Explaining Nonadoption of Hybrid Maize in Tanzania
Authors: Kathage Jonas , Kassie Menale , Shiferaw Bekele , Qaim Matin 
Published: April 2015

AbstractNew technologies are often not widely adopted by farmers in Africa. Several adoption constraints have been discussed in the literature, including limited access to information. Using data from maize farmers in Tanzania, we challenge the hypothesis that limited information is an important constraint for hybrid seed adoption. While we find an adoption gap from lack of hybrid awareness, this gap is sizeable only in regions where productivity gains of hybrids are small. Hence, awareness of a new technology may be a function of expected returns. Other constraints related to assets and credit are not significant. We conclude that not adopting a technology is not always a sign of constraints but may also indicate low benefits from its use.
A study on the mid-infrared sources that dramatically brightened
Authors: Onozato Hiroki , Ita Yoshifusa , Ono Kenji , Fukagawa Misato , Yanagisawa Kenshi , Izumiura Hideyuki , Nakada Yoshikazu , Matsunaga Noriyuki 
Published: April 2015

Abstract
We present results of near-infrared (NIR) photometric and spectroscopic observations of mid-infrared (MIR) sources that brightened dramatically. Using Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), AKARI, and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) point source catalogs, we found that four sources (IRAS 19574+4941, V2494 Cyg, IRAS 22343+7501, and V583 Cas) significantly brightened at MIR wavelengths over a period of 20–30 yr, depending on an interval between two different observation epoch. Little is known about these sources except V2494 Cyg, which is considered as an FU Orionis star. Our observation clearly resolves IRAS 22343+7501 into four stars (2MASS  J22352345+7517076, 2MASS  J22352442+7517037, [RD95] C, and 2MASS  J22352497+7517113) and the first JHKs photometric data for all four sources are obtained. Two of these stars (2MASS  J22352442+7517037 and 2MASS  J22352497+7517113) are known as T Tau stars. Our spectroscopic observation reveals that IRAS 19574+4941 is an M-type evolved star and V583 Cas a carbon star. 2MASS  J22352345+7517076 is probably a young stellar object, judging from our observation showing that it has a featureless NIR spectrum and also showed dramatic brightening in NIR (about 4 mag in the Ks band). Likely reasons for dramatic brightening in MIR are discussed in this paper.
MORF-RELATED GENE702, a Reader Protein of Trimethylated Histone H3 Lysine 4 and Histone H3 Lysine 36, Is Involved in Brassinosteroid-Regulated Growth and Flowering Time Control in Rice
Authors: Jin Jing , Shi Jinlei , Liu Bing , Liu Yanchao , Huang Ying , Yu Yu , Dong Aiwu 
Published: April 2015

Abstract
The methylation of histone H3 lysine 36 (H3K36) plays critical roles in brassinosteroid (BR)-related processes and is involved in controlling flowering time in rice (Oryza sativa). Although enzymes that catalyze this methylation reaction have been described, little is known about the recognition mechanisms to decipher H3K36 methylation information in rice. In this study, biochemical characterizations showed that MORF-RELATED GENE702 (MRG702) binds to trimethylated H3K4 and H3K36 (H3K4me3 and H3K36me3) in vitro. Similar to the loss-of-function mutants of the rice H3K36 methyltransferase gene SET DOMAIN GROUP725 (SDG725), the MRG702 knockdown mutants displayed typical BR-deficient mutant and late-flowering phenotypes. Gene transcription analyses showed that MRG702 knockdown resulted in the down-regulation of BR-related genes, including DWARF11, BRASSINOSTEROD INSENSITIVE1, and BRASSINOSTEROID UPREGULATED1, and several flowering genes, including Early heading date1 (Ehd1), Ehd2, Ehd3, OsMADS50, Heading date 3a, and RICE FLOWERING LOCUS T1. A binding analysis showed that MRG702 directly binds to the chromatin at target gene loci. This binding is dependent on the level of trimethylated H3K36, which is mediated by SDG725. Together, our results demonstrate that MRG702 acts as a reader protein of H3K4me3 and H3K36me3 and deciphers the H3K36 methylation information set by SDG725. Therefore, the role of MRG702 in the BR pathway and in controlling flowering time in rice is to function as a reader protein to decipher methylation information.
Global citizenship education and Hong Kong’s secondary school curriculum guidelines
Authors: Chong Eric K. M. 
Published: April 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the major development of global citizenship education (GCE) as part of Hong Kong’s secondary school curriculum guidelines, which reveals how it has developed from, first, asking students to understand their responsibilities as citizens to now challenging injustice and inequality in the world. Hong Kong’s curriculum guidelines started to teach GCE as a result of the last civic education guideline issued just before the return of sovereignty to China in 1997. Through documentary analysis, this paper examines how GCE has developed against the backdrop of globalization in Hong Kong’s various secondary school curriculum guidelines.Design/methodology/approach– This study used documentary analysis to examine the developments in the teaching of GCE via Hong Kong’s official secondary school curriculum guidelines. It has studied the aims, knowledge and concepts that are related to GCE by coding the GCE literature and categorizing the findings from the curriculum guidelines.Findings– From the coding and categorizing processes employed, it has been found that GCE in Hong Kong’s official curriculum guidelines has evolved from learning about rights and responsibilities in the 1990s to challenging injustice, discrimination, exclusion and inequality since the late 1990s. Indeed, understanding the world and especially globalization, in terms of comprehending the processes and phenomena through which people around the globe become more connected, has presented challenges for the teaching of civic education. For example, categories of GCE have developed from the simpler expression of concerns about the world to encompass moral obligations and taking action. Similarly, the concerns for the maintenance of peace that were studied initially have since grown and now include work about challenging inequalities and taking action on human rights violations.Originality/value– This study would have implications for the understanding of GCE in Hong Kong as well as other fast-changing societies in this age of globalization, as civic education curricula need to respond to the impacts of globalization. GCE is an under-researched area, but topics concerning world/international/global affairs have been covered in Hong Kong secondary school curriculum guidelines for several decades.
Applying lean production principles to facilities design of ramp-up factories
Authors: Low Sui Pheng , Gao Shang , Tiong Kai Lin 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– This study aims to examine how lean production principles (LPP) can be incorporated in the context of ramp-up factories to improve future ramp-up factory designs. The application of LPP to the facilities design of ramp-up factories can help to reduce waste and achieve higher-quality products. However, the traditional design philosophy of “design follows function” has not considered the application of LPP during the early design development stage to more effectively meet tenants’ operational needs at the occupation stage.

Design/methodology/approach
– Based on a review of past literature, a set of LPP-driven facilities design features is presented, which seek to integrate traditional design principles and LPP. A survey was subsequently carried out with tenants operating in ramp-up factories to determine the relevance of the proposed LPP-driven facilities design features from their perspectives.

Findings
– It is found that generally most of the proposed LPP-driven facilities design features can help to improve tenants’ operational needs after the building is occupied. The study found that the significant LPP-driven facilities design features for ramp-up factories include: large span, clear floor-to-ceiling height, rectangular bay, wide frontage area, mezzanine floor system, evenly distributed lighting, white or light colour surfaces, private parking spaces, private loading/unloading bay, clearly defined car park entrance, wide vehicular ramp, wide driveway, sheltered loading/unloading bay and multi-storey car park embedded in the complex. The reasons for their significance are explained in the study.

Practical implications
– The LPP design model for ramp-up factories provides a useful checklist of important tenants’ requirements for the designers of ramp-up factories. This research also suggests that it is desirable to apply LPP in the design stage to improve the facilities design of ramp-up factories that is beneficial to tenants at the occupation stage.

Originality/value
– This research formulated a design model integrated with LPP for ramp-up factories. It extends the traditional design approach of “design follows function” to encompass LPP to transform the approach to a new LPP-driven facilities design philosophy. This new approach serves to better meet tenants’ requirements at the occupation stage. It is recommended that architecture schools incorporate the LPP-driven facilities design approach as one of their educational outcomes.
Roles of dominant understory Sasa bamboo in carbon and nitrogen dynamics following canopy tree removal in a cool‐temperate forest in northern Japan
Authors: Fukuzawa Karibu , Shibata Hideaki , Takagi Kentaro , Satoh Fuyuki , Koike Takayoshi , Sasa Kaichiro 
Published: April 2015

AbstractTo clarify the role of dense understory vegetation in the stand structure, and in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics of forest ecosystems with various conditions of overstory trees, we: (i) quantified the above‐ and below‐ground biomasses of understory dwarf bamboo (Sasa senanensis) at the old canopy‐gap area and the closed‐canopy area and compared the stand‐level biomasses of S. senanensis with that of overstory trees; (ii) determined the N leaching, soil respiration rates, fine‐root dynamics, plant area index (PAI) of S. senanensis, and soil temperature and moisture at the tree‐cut patches (cut) and the intact closed‐canopy patches (control). The biomass of S. senanensis in the canopy‐gap area was twice that at the closed‐canopy area. It equated to 12% of total biomass above ground but 41% below ground in the stand. The concentrations of NO3− and NH4+ in the soil solution and soil respiration rates did not significantly change between cut and control plots, indicating that gap creation did not affect the C or N dynamics in the soil. Root‐length density and PAI of S. senanensis were significantly greater at the cut plots, suggesting the promotion of S. senanensis growth following tree cutting. The levels of soil temperature and soil moisture were not changed following tree cutting. These results show that S. senanensis is a key component species in this cool‐temperate forest ecosystem and plays significant roles in mitigating the loss of N and C from the soil following tree cutting by increasing its leaf and root biomass and stabilizing the soil environment.
The two‐component system CpxAR is essential for virulence in the phytopathogen bacteria Dickeya dadantii EC3937
Authors: Bontemps‐Gallo Sébastien , Madec Edwige , Lacroix Jean‐Marie 
Published: April 2015

SummaryThe CpxAR two‐component system is present in many Proteobacteria. It controls expression of genes required to maintain envelope integrity in response to environmental injury. Consequently, this two‐component system was shown to be required for virulence of several zoo‐pathogens, but it has never been investigated in phyto‐pathogens. In this paper, we investigate the role of the CpxAR two‐component system in vitro and in vivo in Dickeya dadantii, an enterobacterial phytopathogen that causes soft‐rot disease in a large variety of plant species. cpxA null mutant displays a constitutively phosphorylated CpxR phenotype as shown by direct analysis of phosphorylation of CpxR by a Phos‐Tag retardation gel approach. Virulence in plants is completely abolished in cpxA or cpxR mutants of D. dadantii. In planta, CpxAR is only activated at an early stage of the infection process as shown by Phos‐Tag and gene fusion analyses. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the timing of CpxAR phosphorelay activation has been investigated during the infection process by direct monitoring of response regulator phosphorylation.
Intrauterine device use and the risk of pre‐eclampsia: a case–control study
Authors: Parker SE , Jick SS , Werler MM 
Published: April 2015

ObjectiveTo determine the association between intrauterine device (IUD) use, timing of removal prior to pregnancy, and the risk of pre‐eclampsia.DesignA case–control study within the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, UK.SettingMedical record database in the UK.SampleCases of pre‐eclampsia (n = 2744) were identified among pregnancies resulting in singleton deliveries from 1993 to 2010. Four controls, or pregnancies unaffected by pre‐eclampsia, were matched to each case on maternal age, general practice, and year of delivery.MethodsData on IUD use were obtained from patient records. The odds ratios (ORs) for the association between IUD and pre‐eclampsia were adjusted for covariates identified a priori, and analyses were stratified by BMI and number of prior deliveries.Main outcome measuresOdds ratios (95% confidence intervals, 95% CIs) of pre‐eclampsia in pregnancies among women with a history of IUD use, compared with women without a history of IUD use.ResultsPrior IUD use was associated with a reduced risk of pre‐eclampsia (OR 0.76; 95% CI 0.58–0.98). The timing of removal in relation to the start of pregnancy showed an inverse association, with shorter intervals associated with a larger decrease in risk of pre‐eclampsia. IUD removal within a year prior to pregnancy had an OR of 0.68 (95% CI 0.46–1.00). Among women with a prior delivery, the association between IUD use and pre‐eclampsia was null.ConclusionsIntrauterine device use is associated with a small decreased risk of pre‐eclampsia, specifically if removed within the year prior to conception.Tweetable abstractA case–control study of pregnancies in the UK suggests a reduced risk of pre‐eclampsia for former IUD users.
Accelerating Improvement and Narrowing Gaps: Trends in Patients' Experiences with Hospital Care Reflected in HCAHPS Public Reporting
Authors: Elliott Marc N. , Cohea Christopher W. , Lehrman William G. , Goldstein Elizabeth H. , Cleary Paul D. , Giordano Laura A. , Beckett Megan K. , Zaslavsky Alan M. 
Published: April 2015

ObjectiveMeasure HCAHPS improvement in hospitals participating in the second and fifth years of HCAHPS public reporting; determine whether change is greater for some hospital types.DataSurveys from 4,822,960 adult inpatients discharged July 2007–June 2008 or July 2010–June 2011 from 3,541 U.S. hospitals.Study DesignLinear mixed‐effect regression models with fixed effects for time, patient mix, and hospital characteristics (bedsize, ownership, Census division, teaching status, Critical Access status); random effects for hospitals and hospital‐time interactions; fixed‐effect interactions of hospital characteristics and patient characteristics (gender, health, education) with time predicted HCAHPS measures correcting for regression‐to‐the‐mean biases.Data Collection MethodsNational probability sample of adult inpatients in any of four approved survey modes.Principal FindingsHCAHPS scores increased by 2.8 percentage points from 2008 to 2011 in the most positive response category. Among the middle 95 percent of hospitals, changes ranged from a 5.1 percent decrease to a 10.2 percent gain overall. The greatest improvement was in for‐profit and larger (200 or more beds) hospitals.ConclusionsFive years after HCAHPS public reporting began, meaningful improvement of patients' hospital care experiences continues, especially among initially low‐scoring hospitals, reducing some gaps among hospitals.