bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Methodological considerations in the use of audio diaries in work psychology: Adding to the qualitative toolkit
Authors: Crozier Sarah E. , Cassell Catherine M. 
Published: July 2015

The use of longitudinal methodology as a means of capturing the intricacies in complex organizational phenomena is well documented, and many different research strategies for longitudinal designs have been put forward from both a qualitative and quantitative stance. This study explores a specific emergent qualitative methodology, audio diaries, and assesses their utility for work psychology research drawing on the findings from a four‐stage study addressing transient working patterns and stress inUKtemporary workers. Specifically, we explore some important methodological, analytical and technical issues for practitioners and researchers who seek to use these methods and explain how this type of methodology has much to offer when studying stress and affective experiences at work. We provide support for the need to implement pluralistic and complementary methodological approaches in unearthing the depth in sense‐making and assert their capacity to further illuminate the process orientation of stress.Practitioner pointsThis study illustrates the importance of verbalization in documenting stress and affective experience as a mechanism for accessing cognitive processes in making sense of such experience.This study compares audio diaries with more traditional qualitative methods to assess applicability to different research contexts.This study provides practical guidance and a methodological framework for the design of audio diary research and design, taking into account challenges and solutions for researchers and practitioners.
Evidence‐practice gap for in‐office fluoride application in a dental practice‐based research network
Authors: Yokoyama Yoko , Kakudate Naoki , Sumida Futoshi , Matsumoto Yuki , Gilbert Gregg H. , Gordan Valeria V. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractObjectiveThe aims of this study were to examine dentists' recommendations for in‐office fluoride to patients and identify dentists' characteristics associated with these recommendations.Study Design and SettingThe study was conducted using a cross‐sectional questionnaire survey in Japan. The survey queried dentists (n = 282) in outpatient dental practices affiliated with the Dental Practice‐based Research Network Japan (JDPBRN). This network aims to assist dentists in investigating research questions and sharing their experience and expertise.ResultsThe responses were obtained by 189 dentists (67 percent). Among valid response, 54 percent of dentists (n = 98) recommend in‐office fluoride to more than 50 percent of their patients aged 6‐18 years and 15 percent (n = 29) recommended this care to more than 50 percent of their patients aged over 18 years. Multiple logistic regression analysis suggested that factors associated with the percentage of patients who are recommended in‐office fluoride included patient's interest in caries prevention and dentist's belief in the effectiveness of caries risk assessment.ConclusionsDentist practice patterns for recommending in‐office fluoride vary widely. Recommendation was significantly related to having a higher percentage of patients interested in caries prevention and to the dentist's belief about the effectiveness of caries risk assessment.(Clinicaltrials.gov registration number NCT01680848).
Phenotypic plasticity and biogeographic variation in physiology of habitat‐forming seaweed: response to temperature and nitrate
Authors: Flukes Emma B. , Wright Jeffrey T. , Johnson Craig R. 
Published: July 2015

Southeastern Australian waters are warming at nearly four times the global average rate (~0.7°C · century−1) driven by strengthening incursions of the warm oligotrophic East Australian Current. The growth rate hypothesis (GRH) predicts that nutrient depletion will impact more severely on seaweeds at high latitudes with compressed growth seasons. This study investigates the effects of temperature and nutrients on the ecophysiology of the habitat‐forming seaweed Phyllospora comosa in a laboratory experiment using temperature (12°C, 17°C, 22°C) and nutrient (0.5, 1.0, 3.0 μM NO3−) scenarios representative of observed variation among geographic regions. Changes in growth, photosynthetic characteristics (via chlorophyll fluorescence), pigment content, tissue chemistry (δ13C, % C, % N, C:N) and nucleic acid characteristics (absolute RNA and DNA, RNA:DNA ratios) were determined in seaweeds derived from cool, high‐latitude and warm, low‐latitude portions of the species’ range. Performance of P. comosa was unaffected by nitrate availability but was strongly temperature‐dependent, with photosynthetic efficiency, growth, and survival significantly impaired at 22°C. While some physiological processes (photosynthesis, nucleic acid, and accessory pigment synthesis) responded rapidly to temperature, others (C/N dynamics, carbon concentrating processes) were largely invariant and biogeographic variation in these characteristics may only occur through genetic adaptation. No link was detected between nutrient availability, RNA synthesis and growth, and the GRH was not supported in this species. While P. comosa at high latitudes may be less susceptible to oligotrophy than predicted by the GRH, warming water temperatures will have deleterious effects on this species across its range unless rapid adaptation is possible.
Chlamydia‐infected cells shed Gp96 to prevent chlamydial re‐infection
Authors: Karunakaran Karthika , Subbarayal Prema , Vollmuth Nadine , Rudel Thomas 
Published: July 2015

SummaryChlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular human pathogen with a biphasic developmental life cycle. The infectious elementary bodies (EBs) enter a host cell where they transform into reticulate bodies (RBs) that use cellular metabolites to multiply. Re‐infection of an infected cell during the replicative phase of chlamydial development may prevent formation of infectious EBs, interrupting the infectious cycle. Here, we report that Glucose Regulated Protein 96 (Gp96), a chaperone for cell surface receptors, binds to and facilitates adherence and entry of C. trachomatis. Gp96 expression was increased early in infection in a MAP kinase‐dependent way, thereby increasing chlamydial adherence and invasion. Gp96 co‐precipitated with Protein Disulphide Isomerase (PDI), known to be involved in chlamydial host cell entry. During the replicative phase, Gp96 was depleted from infected cells and shed into the supernatant by activation of metalloproteinase TACE (ADAM17). Loss of Gp96 also reduced the activity of PDI on the cell surface. Reduced surface display of Gp96 prevented chlamydial re‐infection in a TACE‐dependent manner in cell lines but also in primary cells derived from human fimbriae, the natural site of chlamydial infection. Our data suggest a role of infection‐induced Gp96 shedding in the protection of the chlamydial replicative niche.
Examining the neighbourhood‐level predictors of fear of crime in Christchurch, New Zealand
Authors: Breetzke Gregory , Pearson Amber L. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractThe fear of crime can significantly reduce the quality of life of individuals, yet little is known about what neighbourhood‐level factors drive feelings of vulnerability in New Zealand. Even less is known about the impact that recorded crime has on individuals' fear in the country. In this study, we examined the neighbourhood‐level factors related to fear of crime in Christchurch, focusing specifically on whether recorded crime in neighbourhoods influences fear. The fear of crime in Christchurch was found to be the greatest in more affluent, ethnically homogenous and residentially stable neighbourhoods, while recorded crime levels were found to be relatively lower in these neighbourhoods.
PdEPF1 regulates water‐use efficiency and drought tolerance by modulating stomatal density in poplar
Authors: Wang Congpeng , Liu Sha , Dong Yan , Zhao Ying , Geng Anke , Xia Xinli , Yin Weilun 
Published: July 2015

SummaryWater deficiency is a critical environmental condition that is seriously reducing global plant production. Improved water‐use efficiency (WUE) and drought tolerance are effective strategies to address this problem. In this study, PdEPF1, a member of the EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR (EPF) family, was isolated from the fast‐growing poplar clone NE‐19 [Populus nigra × (Populus deltoides × Populus nigra)]. Significantly, higher PdEPF1 levels were detected after induction by dehydration and abscisic acid. To explore the biological functions of PdEPF1, transgenic triploid white poplars (Populus tomentosa ‘YiXianCiZhu B385’) overexpressing PdEPF1 were constructed. PdEPF1 overexpression resulted in increased water deficit tolerance and greater WUE. We confirmed that the transgenic lines with greater instantaneous WUE had approximately 30% lower transpiration but equivalent CO2 assimilation. Lower transpiration was associated with a 28% reduction in abaxial stomatal density. PdEPF1 overexpression not only strongly enhanced WUE, but also greatly improved drought tolerance, as measured by the leaf relative water content and water potential, under limited water conditions. In addition, the growth of these oxPdEPF1 plants was less adversely affected by reduced water availability than plants with a higher stomatal density, indicating that plants with a low stomatal density may be well suited to grow in water‐scarce environments. Taken together, our data suggest that PdEPF1 improves WUE and confers drought tolerance in poplar; thus, it could be used to breed drought‐tolerant plants with increased production under conditions of water deficiency.
The Arabidopsis vacuolar sugar transporter SWEET2 limits carbon sequestration from roots and restricts Pythium infection
Authors: Chen Hsin‐Yi , Huh Jung‐Hyun , Yu Ya‐Chi , Ho Li‐Hsuan , Chen Li‐Qing , Tholl Dorothea , Frommer Wolf B. , Guo Woei‐Jiun 
Published: July 2015

SummaryPlant roots secrete a significant portion of their assimilated carbon into the rhizosphere. The putative sugar transporter SWEET2 is highly expressed in Arabidopsis roots. Expression patterns of SWEET2–β‐glucuronidase fusions confirmed that SWEET2 accumulates highly in root cells and thus may contribute to sugar secretion, specifically from epidermal cells of the root apex. SWEET2–green fluorescent protein fusions localized to the tonoplast, which engulfs the major sugar storage compartment. Functional analysis of SWEET2 activity in yeast showed low uptake activity for the glucose analog 2‐deoxyglucose, consistent with a role in the transport of glucose across the tonoplast. Loss‐of‐function sweet2 mutants showed reduced tolerance to excess glucose, lower glucose accumulation in leaves, and 15–25% higher glucose‐derived carbon efflux from roots, suggesting that SWEET2 has a role in preventing the loss of sugar from root tissue. SWEET2 root expression was induced more than 10‐fold during Pythium infection. Importantly, sweet2 mutants were more susceptible to the oomycete, showing impaired growth after infection. We propose that root‐expressed vacuolar SWEET2 modulates sugar secretion, possibly by reducing the availability of glucose sequestered in the vacuole, thereby limiting carbon loss to the rhizosphere. Moreover, the reduced availability of sugar in the rhizosphere due to SWEET2 activity contributes to resistance to Pythium.
Assessment of tumor response to radiation and vascular targeting therapy in mice using quantitative ultrasound spectroscopy
Authors: El Kaffas Ahmed , Sadeghi‐Naini Ali , Falou Omar , Tran William Tyler , Zhou Stephanie , Hashim Amr , Fernandes Jason , Giles Anoja , Czarnota Gregory J. 
Published: July 2015

Purpose:It is now recognized that the tumor vasculature is in part responsible for regulating tumor responses to radiation therapy. However, the extent to which radiation‐based vascular damage contributes to tumor cell death remains unknown. In this work, quantitative ultrasound spectroscopy (QUS) methods were used to investigate the acute responses of tumors to radiation‐based vascular treatments.Methods:Tumor xenografts (MDA‐MB‐231) were treated with single radiation doses of 2 or 8 Gy alone, or in combination with pharmacological agents that modulate vascular radiosensitivity. The midband fit, the slope, and the 0‐MHz intercept QUS parameters were obtained from a linear‐regression fit to the averaged power spectrum of frequency‐dependent ultrasound backscatter and were used to quantify acute tumor responses following treatment administration. Power spectrums were extracted from raw volumetric radio‐frequency ultrasound data obtained before and 24 h following treatment administration. These parameters have previously been correlated to tumor cell death. Staining using in situ end labeling, carbonic anhydrase 9 and cluster of differentiation 31 of tumor sections were used to assess cell death, oxygenation, and vasculature distributions, respectively.Results:Results indicate a significant midband fit QUS parameter increases of 3.2 ± 0.3 dBr and 5.4 ± 0.5 dBr for tumors treated with 2 and 8 Gy radiation combined with the antiangiogenic agent Sunitinib, respectively. In contrast, tumors treated with radiation alone demonstrated a significant midband fit increase of 4.4 ± 0.3 dBr at 8 Gy only. Preadministration of basic fibroblast growth factor, an endothelial radioprotector, acted to minimize tumor response following single large doses of radiation. Immunohistochemical analysis was in general agreement with QUS findings; an R2 of 0.9 was observed when quantified cell death was correlated with changes in midband fit.Conclusions:Results from QUS analysis presented in this study confirm that acute tumor response is linked to a vascular effect following high doses of radiation therapy. Overall, this is in agreement with previous reports suggesting that acute tumor radiation response is regulated by a vascular‐driven response. Data also suggest that Sunitinib may enhance tumor radiosensitivity through a vascular remodeling process, and that QUS may be sensitive to changes in tissue properties associated with vascular remodeling. Finally, the work also demonstrates the ability of QUS methods to monitor response to radiation‐based vascular strategies.
Generation of brain pseudo‐CTs using an undersampled, single‐acquisition UTE‐mDixon pulse sequence and unsupervised clustering
Authors: Su Kuan‐Hao , Hu Lingzhi , Stehning Christian , Helle Michael , Qian Pengjiang , Thompson Cheryl L. , Pereira Gisele C. , Jordan David W. , Herrmann Karin A. , Traughber Melanie , Muzic Raymond F. , Traughber Bryan J. 
Published: July 2015

Purpose:MR‐based pseudo‐CT has an important role in MR‐based radiation therapy planning and PET attenuation correction. The purpose of this study is to establish a clinically feasible approach, including image acquisition, correction, and CT formation, for pseudo‐CT generation of the brain using a single‐acquisition, undersampled ultrashort echo time (UTE)‐mDixon pulse sequence.Methods:Nine patients were recruited for this study. For each patient, a 190‐s, undersampled, single acquisition UTE‐mDixon sequence of the brain was acquired (TE = 0.1, 1.5, and 2.8 ms). A novel method of retrospective trajectory correction of the free induction decay (FID) signal was performed based on point‐spread functions of three external MR markers. Two‐point Dixon images were reconstructed using the first and second echo data (TE = 1.5 and 2.8 ms). R2∗ images (1/T2∗) were then estimated and were used to provide bone information. Three image features, i.e., Dixon‐fat, Dixon‐water, and R2∗, were used for unsupervised clustering. Five tissue clusters, i.e., air, brain, fat, fluid, and bone, were estimated using the fuzzy c‐means (FCM) algorithm. A two‐step, automatic tissue‐assignment approach was proposed and designed according to the prior information of the given feature space. Pseudo‐CTs were generated by a voxelwise linear combination of the membership functions of the FCM. A low‐dose CT was acquired for each patient and was used as the gold standard for comparison.Results:The contrast and sharpness of the FID images were improved after trajectory correction was applied. The mean of the estimated trajectory delay was 0.774 μs (max: 1.350 μs; min: 0.180 μs). The FCM‐estimated centroids of different tissue types showed a distinguishable pattern for different tissues, and significant differences were found between the centroid locations of different tissue types. Pseudo‐CT can provide additional skull detail and has low bias and absolute error of estimated CT numbers of voxels (−22 ± 29 HU and 130 ± 16 HU) when compared to low‐dose CT.Conclusions:The MR features generated by the proposed acquisition, correction, and processing methods may provide representative clustering information and could thus be used for clinical pseudo‐CT generation.
Complete Genome Sequence of the Type Strain Corynebacterium testudinoris DSM 44614, Recovered from Necrotic Lesions in the Mouth of a Tortoise
Authors: Rückert Christian , Kriete Martin , Jaenicke Sebastian , Winkler Anika , Tauch Andreas 
Published: July 2015

ABSTRACT

The complete genome sequence of the type strain
Corynebacterium testudinoris
DSM 44614 from the mouth of a tortoise comprises 2,721,226 bp with a mean G+C content of 63.14%. The automatic annotation of the genome sequence revealed 4 rRNA operons, 51 tRNA genes, 7 other RNA genes, and 2,561 protein-coding regions.
Draft Genome Sequences of Five Clinical Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates and a Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis Isolate
Authors: Biswas Rajesh Kumar , Kock Marleen M. , Adelowotan Toyin , Strasheim Wilhelmina , Mahomed Tanweer Goolam , Salawu Adeola , Ehlers Marthie M. 
Published: July 2015

ABSTRACT

We report the complete draft genome sequences of five individually isolated strains of methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) and a
Staphylococcus epidermidis
strain. These clinically important isolates have staphylococcal cassette chromosome
mec
type A, while Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) toxin coding genes were present in MRSA isolates only.
Termination geometries and reservoir properties of the Forties Sandstone pinch-out, East Central Graben, UK North Sea
Authors: Nagatomo Akio , Archer Stuart 
Published: July 2015

Abstract
As hydrocarbon-prone basins mature through time, stratigraphic traps become increasingly important as hosts for yet-to-find reserves. Explorationists strive to reduce the uncertainty in reservoir distribution and quality, but considerable complications exist in the evaluation of stratigraphic traps owing to the inextricable links between stratigraphy, trap definition and their subsequent risking. This study quantifies the relationships that exist between reservoir geometries and the rates of reservoir property degradation in a turbidite sandstone pinch-out zone. The investigation focuses on the Paleocene Forties Sandstone Member of the Everest and Arran fields of the East Central Graben of the UK North Sea. We utilized standard seismic interpretation techniques and integrated stratigraphic and petrophysical analysis of wireline log data to map deep-water turbidite sandstone terminations and develop a predictive model for reservoir property changes close to the feather edge. The Forties Sandstone Member thins systematically up on to a palaeoramp on the eastern basin margin of the Central Graben. Results reveal that the net reservoir sandstones pinch out after the turbidite flows had traversed 5 km across the palaeoramp. The gross interval is predicted to completely terminate 6.4 km up the palaeoramp. The reservoir properties decrease in concert with the thinning trend in the wedge zone as a function of the interaction of palaeotopography and the hydraulics of the decelerating flows. The inclination of the counter-regional slope is considered to be a key controlling factor that determines the rate of thinning and thus the termination position of the sandstones and their concomitant reservoir property decline. The results of this study demonstrate that characterization of pinch-outs into distinct zones based on a palaeotopographic template can be of utility in stratigraphic and combination trap definition. This work also has wider implications for prospect risking, volumetric analysis, the population of properties and geological modelling of stratigraphic traps.
MAGFLOW: a physics-based model for the dynamics of lava-flow emplacement
Authors: Cappello Annalisa , Hérault Alexis , Bilotta Giuseppe , Ganci Gaetana , Del Negro Ciro 
Published: July 2015

Abstract
The MAGFLOW model for lava-flow simulations is based on the cellular automaton (CA) approach, and uses a physical model for the thermal and rheological evolution of the flowing lava. We discuss the potential of MAGFLOW to improve our understanding of the dynamics of lava-flow emplacement and our ability to assess lava-flow hazards. Sensitivity analysis of the input parameters controlling the evolution function of the automaton demonstrates that water content and solidus temperatures are the parameters to which MAGFLOW is most sensitive. Additional tests also indicate that temporal changes in effusion rate strongly influence the accuracy of the predictive modelling of lava-flow paths. The parallel implementation of MAGFLOW on graphic processing units (GPUs) can achieve speed-ups of two orders of magnitude relative to the corresponding serial implementation, providing a lava-flow simulation spanning several days of eruption in just a few minutes. We describe and demonstrate the operation of MAGFLOW using two case studies from Mt Etna: one is a reconstruction of the detailed chronology of the lava-flow emplacement during the 2006 flank eruption; and the other is the production of the lava-flow hazard map of the persistent eruptive activity at the summit craters.
The MEK1/2 Inhibitor Pimasertib Enhances Gemcitabine Efficacy in Pancreatic Cancer Models by Altering Ribonucleotide Reductase Subunit-1 (RRM1)
Authors: Vena Francesca , Li Causi Eleonora , Rodriguez-Justo Manuel , Goodstal Samantha , Hagemann Thorsten , Hartley John A. , Hochhauser Daniel 
Published: July 2015

Abstract
Purpose: Gemcitabine, a nucleoside analogue, is an important treatment for locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) but provides only modest survival benefit. Targeting downstream effectors of the RAS/ERK signaling pathway by direct inhibition of MEK1/2 proteins is a promising therapeutic strategy, as aberrant activation of this pathway occurs frequently in PDAC. In this study, the ability of pimasertib, a selective allosteric MEK1/2 inhibitor, to enhance gemcitabine efficacy was tested and the molecular mechanism of their interaction was investigated.
Experimental Design: Cell survival and apoptosis were assessed by MTT and Caspase 3/7 Glo assays in human pancreatic cancer cell lines. Protein expression was detected by immunoblotting. The in vivo sensitivity of gemcitabine with pimasertib was evaluated in an orthotopic model of pancreatic tumor.
Results: Synergistic activity was observed when gemcitabine was combined sequentially with pimasertib, in human pancreatic cancer cells. In particular, pimasertib reduced ribonucleotide reductase subunit 1 (RRM1) protein, and this was associated with sensitivity to gemcitabine. Pretreatment with MG132 impaired reduction of RRM1 protein induced by pimasertib, suggesting that RRM1 is degraded posttranslationally. Immunoprecipitation indicated enhanced MDM2-mediated polyubiquitination of RRM1 through Lys-48–mediated linkage following pimasertib treatment, an effect mediated, in part, by AKT. Finally, the combination treatment with pimasertib and gemcitabine caused significant tumor growth delays in an orthotopic pancreatic cancer model, with RRM1 downregulation in pimasertib-treated mice.
Conclusions: These results confirm an important role of RRM1 in gemcitabine response and indicate MEK as a potential target to sensitize gemcitabine therapy for PDAC. Clin Cancer Res; 21(24); 5563–77. ©2015 AACR.