julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Expansion of Full-Day Childcare and Subjective Well-Being of Mothers: Interdependencies with Culture and Resources
2016-02-26

This study investigates whether an expansion of state-subsidized full-day childcare may improve the subjective well-being of mothers of children under school age by acting as a boundary-spanning resource to facilitate the combination of employment and childcare responsibilities. It extends previous studies that showed contradictory results by demonstrating that the relationship with parental subjective well-being may vary by local work-care culture and family resources. To this effect, we compare mothers in East and West Germany and mothers with and without a partner in the household, respectively. The empirical analysis links individual-level data from the Socio-Economic Panel for 2007 to 2012 and from the ‘Families in Germany’ Study for 2010 to 2012 with administrative records on day-care provision at the county level. We apply fixed-effects panel models to samples of 3,203 families with a youngest child under school age. Our results show that greater provision of full-day care is modestly positively associated with satisfaction with family life and with life overall among partnered mothers in East Germany but not in West Germany. The level of full-day care availability in a county and take-up of full-day childcare, however, moderate the relationship of maternal transitions to long part-time or full-time employment with satisfaction with family life in West Germany. In both East and West Germany, switching to full-day care for the youngest child is more positively associated with satisfaction with family life for lone mothers than for partnered mothers.
Muscle and liver-specific alterations in lipid and acylcarnitine metabolism after a single bout of exercise in mice
2016-02-26

Abstract Intracellular lipid pools are highly dynamic and tissue-specific. Physical exercise is a strong physiologic modulator of lipid metabolism, but most studies focus on changes induced by long-term training. To assess the acute effects of endurance exercise, mice were subjected to one hour of treadmill running, and 13 C 16 -palmitate was applied to trace fatty acid incorporation in soleus and gastrocnemius muscle and liver. The amounts of carnitine, FFA, lysophospholipids and diacylglycerol and the post-exercise increase in acetylcarnitine were pronouncedly higher in soleus than in gastrocnemius. In the liver, exercise increased the content of lysophospholipids, plasmalogens and carnitine as well as transcript levels of the carnitine transporter. 13 C 16 -palmitate was detectable in several lipid and acylcarnitine species, with pronounced levels of tracer-derived palmitoylcarnitine in both muscles and a strikingly high incorporation into triacylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine in the liver. These data illustrate the high lipid storing activity of the liver immediately after exercise whereas in muscle, fatty acids are directed towards oxidation. The observed muscle-specific differences accentuate the need for single-muscle analyses as well as careful consideration of the particular muscle employed when studying lipid metabolism in mice. In addition, our results reveal that lysophospholipids and plasmalogens, potential lipid signalling molecules, are acutely regulated by physical exercise.
Parallel-transmit-accelerated 2D Selective RF Excitation MR of the Temporal Bone
2016-02-26

At 3 T parallel transmission using the zoomed SPACE sequences improves the delineation of small anatomical structures within the temporal bone significantly. It is especially helpful in depicting cochlear and internal auditory canal anatomy and can therefore improve imaging in patients with temporal bone pathologies.
Regulation by the quorum sensor from Vibrio indicates a receptor function for the membrane anchors of adenylate cyclases
2016-02-27

Adenylate cyclases convert intra- and extracellular stimuli into a second messenger cAMP signal. Many bacterial and most eukaryotic ACs possess membrane anchors with six transmembrane spans. We replaced the anchor of the AC Rv1625c by the quorum-sensing receptor from Vibrio harveyi which has an identical 6TM design and obtained an active, membrane-anchored AC. We show that a canonical class III AC is ligand-regulated in vitro and in vivo. At 10 μM, the cholera-autoinducer CAI-1 stimulates activity 4.8-fold. A sequence based clustering of membrane domains of class III ACs and quorum-sensing receptors established six groups of potential structural and functional similarities. The data support the notion that 6TM AC membrane domains may operate as receptors which directly regulate AC activity as opposed and in addition to the indirect regulation by GPCRs in eukaryotic congeners. This adds a completely novel dimension of potential AC regulation in bacteria and vertebrates.
Determining threshold values for barcoding fungi: lessons fromCortinarius(Basidiomycota), a highly diverse and widespread ectomycorrhizal genus
2016-02-28

Different distance-based threshold selection approaches were used to assess and compare use of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region to distinguish among 901 Cortinarius species represented by >3000 collections. Sources of error associated with genetic markers and selection approaches were explored and evaluated using MOTUs from genus and lineage based-alignments. Our study indicates that 1%-2% more species can be distinguished by using the full-length ITS barcode as compared to either the ITS1 or ITS2 regions alone. Optimal threshold values for different picking approaches and genetic marker lengths inferred from a subset of species containing major lineages ranged from 97.0% to 99.5% sequence similarity using clustering optimization and UNITE SH, and from 1% to 2% sequence dissimilarity with CROP. Errors for the optimal cutoff ranged from 0% to 70%, and these can be reduced to a maximum of 22% when excluding species lacking a barcode gap. A threshold value of 99% is suitable for distinguishing species in the majority of lineages in the genus using the entire ITS region but only 90% of the species could be identified using just the ITS1 or ITS2 region. Prior identification of species, lacking barcode gaps and their subsequent separate analyses, maximized the accuracy of threshold approaches.
Ongoing Transmission of Onchocerca volvulus after 25 Years of Annual Ivermectin Mass Treatments in the Vina du Nord River Valley, in North Cameroon
2016-02-29

The high cattle livestock density in conjunction with the high transmission rates of the bovine filaria O. ochengi prevents the transmission of O. volvulus on the Adamawa plateau, whereas transmission in a former hyperendemic focus was markedly reduced, but not completely interrupted after 25 years of ivermectin control. This study may be helpful to gauge the impact of the presence of animal-filariae for O. volvulus transmission in terms of the growing human and livestock populations in sub-Saharan countries.
Genetic differentiation within multiple common grassland plants supports seed transfer zones for ecological restoration
2016-02-29

Summary Ecological restoration of grasslands is increasingly based on regional seeds derived from predefined seed transfer zones. However, the degree and spatial pattern of genetic differentiation among provenances of different seed transfer zones is largely unknown. We assessed the genetic differentiation among eight out of 22 German seed transfer zones for seven common grassland species ( Arrhenatherum elatius, Centaurea jacea, Daucus carota, Galium album, Hypochaeris radicata, Knautia arvensis and Lychnis flos‐cuculi ) using AFLP markers. We analysed genetic population structure with AMOVA and Bayesian cluster analysis and tested for isolation by distance and isolation by environment. In all of the investigated species, almost all pairs of provenances were genetically differentiated. Bayesian cluster analysis revealed species‐specific numbers and spatial patterns of gene pools, with between two ( Arrhenatherum ) and eight clusters ( Lychnis ). Most investigated seed transfer zones represented a unique gene pool in the majority of the species. We found isolation by distance in four species, isolation by environment, driven by climatic seasonality, in three species, and a lack of both in three species. Thus, the observed genetic differentiation appears to be caused by both neutral and adaptive processes. Synthesis and applications . Our study shows that grassland plants are indeed strongly genetically differentiated across Germany supporting the strategy of seed transfer zones for ecological restoration. Although the predefined seed transfer zones are unlikely to match the exact genetic structure of many species, they serve their purpose by capturing a substantial amount of intraspecific genetic variation across species.
Signal transduction and regulation of IbpreproHypSys in sweet potato
2016-02-29

Abstract Hydroxyproline‐rich glycopeptides (HypSys) are small signalling peptides containing 18–20 amino acids. The expression of IbpreproHypSys , encoding the precursor of Ib HypSys, was induced in sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas cv. Tainung 57) through wounding and Ib HypSys treatments by using jasmonate and H 2 O 2 . Transgenic sweet potatoes overexpressing (OE) and silencing [RNA interference (RNAi)] IbpreproHypSys were created. The expression of the wound‐inducible gene for ipomoelin ( IPO ) in the local and systemic leaves of OE plants was stronger than the expression in wild‐type (WT) and RNAi plants after wounding. Furthermore, grafting experiments indicated that IPO expression was considerably higher in WT stocks receiving wounding signals from OE than from RNAi scions. However, wounding WT scions highly induced IPO expression in OE stocks. These results indicated that IbpreproHypSys expression contributed towards sending and receiving the systemic signals that induced IPO expression. Analysing the genes involved in the phenylpropanoid pathway demonstrated that lignin biosynthesis was activated after synthetic Ib HypSys treatment. IbpreproHypSys expression in sweet potato suppressed Spodoptera litura growth . In conclusion, wounding induced the expression of IbpreproHypSys , whose protein product was processed into Ib HypSys. Ib HypSys stimulated IbpreproHypSys and IPO expression and enhanced lignin biosynthesis, thus protecting plants from insects.
THE GOODNESS OF SIMULTANEOUS FITS IN ISIS
2016-02-29

In a previous work, we introduced a tool for analyzing multiple datasets simultaneously, which has been implemented into ISIS. This tool was used to fit many spectra of X-ray binaries. However, the large number of degrees of freedom and individual datasets raise an issue about a good measure for a simultaneous fit quality. We present three ways to check the goodness of these fits: we investigate the goodness of each fit in all datasets, we define a combined goodness exploiting the logical structure of a simultaneous fit, and we stack the fit residuals of all datasets to detect weak features. These tools are applied to all RXTE-spectra from GRO 1008−57, revealing calibration features that are not detected significantly in any single spectrum. Stacking the residuals from the best-fit model for the Vela X-1 and XTE J1859+083 data evidences fluorescent emission lines that would have gone undetected otherwise.
Adsorption Behavior of Nonplanar Phthalocyanines: Competition of Different Adsorption Conformations
2016-02-29

Using density functional theory augmented with state-of-the-art van der Waals corrections, we studied the geometric and electronic properties of nonplanar chlorogallium-phthalocyanine GaClPc molecules adsorbed on Cu(111). Comparing these results with published experimental data for adsorption heights, we found indications for breaking of the metal-halogen bond when the molecule is heated during or after the deposition process. Interestingly, the work-function change induced by this dissociated geometry is the same as that computed for an intact adsorbate layer in the "Cl-down" configuration, with both agreeing well with the experimental photoemission data. This is unexpected, as the chemical natures of the adsorbates and the adsorption distances are markedly different in the two cases. The observation is explained as a consequence of Fermi-level pinning due to fractional charge transfer at the interface. Our results show that rationalizing the adsorption configurations on the basis of electronic interface properties alone can be ambiguous and that additional insight from dispersion-corrected DFT simulations is desirable.
Clinical Characteristics, Surgical Management and Adjuvant Therapy of Patients with Uterine Carcinosarcoma: A Retrospective Case Series
2016-02-29

<b>Purpose:</b> To review a single-center experience over a 27-year period of managing uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS), focusing on surgical practice, adjuvant therapy and clinical outcome. <b>Material and Methods:</b> This was a retrospective study of women with histologically proven UCS treated at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tübingen, Germany, between 1983 and 2010. Inpatient and outpatient records were reviewed; follow-up and survival data were ascertained. <b>Results:</b> The study population comprised 18 patients with UCS. Primary surgical treatment consisted of total abdominal hysterectomy in 12 patients (67 %) and laparoscopic total hysterectomy in 4 patients (22 %). Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed in 94 % of patients (17/18). Lymph nodes were evaluated in 15 patients (83 %). Positive pelvic lymph nodes were present in 2 patients (11 %). A total of 17 patients (94 %) received adjuvant therapy. Disease recurred in 7 (39 %) patients of our study group, with no recurrence noted in the 4 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgical staging. Median disease-free survival (DFS) was 48.7 months (95 % CI: 0.0-157.3) and median overall survival (OS) was 49.9 months (95 % CI: 0.0-108.2). The 5-year survival rate was 40 %. <b>Conclusion:</b> UCS is a rare and aggressive uterine neoplasm with high recurrence rates and metastatic potential. Surgical staging consisting of total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and systematic lymphadenectomy is the most important treatment for patients with UCS. Adjuvant radiation therapy appears to decrease pelvic recurrence, but there is a high incidence of distant recurrence, indicating the need for additional systemic treatment.
Bacterial Outer Membrane Vesicles Induce Plant Immune Responses
2016-03-01

Gram-negative bacteria continuously pinch off portions of their outer membrane, releasing membrane vesicles. These outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are involved in multiple processes including cell-to-cell communication, biofilm formation, stress tolerance, horizontal gene transfer, and virulence. OMVs are also known modulators of the mammalian immune response. Despite the well-documented role of OMVs in mammalian-bacterial communication, their interaction with plants is not well studied. To examine whether OMVs of plant pathogens modulate the plant immune response, we purified OMVs from four different plant pathogens and used them to treat Arabidopsis thaliana. OMVs rapidly induced a reactive oxygen species burst, medium alkalinization, and defense gene expression in A. thaliana leaf discs, cell cultures, and seedlings, respectively. Western blot analysis revealed that EF-Tu is present in OMVs and that it serves as an elicitor of the plant immune response in this form. Our results further show that the immune coreceptors BAK1 and SOBIR1 mediate OMV perception and response. Taken together, our results demonstrate that plants can detect and respond to OMV-associated molecules by activation of their immune system, revealing a new facet of plant-bacterial interactions.
The Relationship Between Invasive NontyphoidalSalmonellaDisease, Other Bacterial Bloodstream Infections, and Malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa
2016-03-01

A positive correlation between iNTS disease and malaria endemicity, and the association between Plasmodium parasite positivity and iNTS disease across sub-Saharan Africa, indicates the necessity to consider iNTS as a major cause of febrile illness in malaria-holoendemic areas. Prevention of iNTS disease through iNTS vaccines for areas of high malaria endemicity, targeting high-risk groups for Plasmodium parasitic infection, should be considered.
Beneficial impact of high-field intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging on the efficacy of pediatric low-grade glioma surgery
2016-03-01

OBJECTIVE Intraoperative MRI (iMRI) is assumed to safely improve the extent of resection (EOR) in patients with gliomas. This study focuses on advantages of this imaging technology in elective low-grade glioma (LGG) surgery in pediatric patients. METHODS The surgical results of conventional and 1.5-T iMRI-guided elective LGG surgery in pediatric patients were retrospectively compared. Tumor volumes, general clinical data, EOR according to reference radiology assessment, and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed. RESULTS Sixty-five patients were included in the study, of whom 34 had undergone conventional surgery before the iMRI unit opened (pre-iMRI period) and 31 had undergone surgery with iMRI guidance (iMRI period). Perioperative data were comparable between the 2 cohorts, apart from larger preoperative tumor volumes in the pre-iMRI period, a difference without statistical significance, and (as expected) significantly longer surgeries in the iMRI group. According to 3-month postoperative MRI studies, an intended complete resection (CR) was achieved in 41% (12 of 29) of the patients in the pre-iMRI period and in 71% (17 of 24) of those in the iMRI period (p = 0.05). Of those cases in which the surgeon was postoperatively convinced that he had successfully achieved CR, this proved to be true in only 50% of cases in the pre-iMRI period but in 81% of cases in the iMRI period (p = 0.055). Residual tumor volumes on 3-month postoperative MRI were significantly smaller in the iMRI cohort (p &lt; 0.03). By continuing the resection of residual tumor after the intraoperative scan (when the surgeon assumed that he had achieved CR), the rate of CR was increased from 30% at the time of the scan to 85% at the 3-month postoperative MRI. The mean follow-up for the entire study cohort was 36.9 months (3–79 months). Progression-free survival after surgery was noticeably better for the entire iMRI cohort and in iMRI patients with postoperatively assumed CR, but did not quite reach statistical significance. Moreover, PFS was highly significantly better in patients with CRs than in those with incomplete resections (p &lt; 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Significantly better surgical results (CR) and PFS were achieved after using iMRI in patients in whom total resections were intended. Therefore, the use of high-field iMRI is strongly recommended for electively planned LGG resections in pediatric patients.
Comparative study of antitumor effects of bromelain and papain in human cholangiocarcinoma cell lines
2016-03-01

Cholangiocarcinoma (CC) worldwide is the most common biliary malignancy with poor prognostic value and new systemic treatments are desirable. Plant extracts like bromelain and papain, which are cysteine proteases from the fruit pineapple and papaya, are known to have antitumor activities. Therefore, in this study for the first time we investigated the anticancer effect of bromelain and papain in intra- and extrahepatic human CC cell lines. The effect of bromelain and papain on human CC cell growth, migration, invasion and epithelial plasticity was analyzed using cell proliferation, wound healing, invasion and apoptosis assay, as well as western blotting. Bromelain and papain lead to a decrease in the proliferation, invasion and migration of CC cells. Both plant extracts inhibited NFκB/AMPK signalling as well as their downstream signalling proteins such as p-AKT, p-ERK, p-Stat3. Additionally, MMP9 and other epithelial-mesenchymal-transition markers were partially found to be downregulated. Apoptosis was induced after bromelain and papain treatment. Interestingly, bromelain showed an overall more effective inhibition of CC as compared to papain. siRNA mediated silencing of NFκB on CC cells indicated that bromelain and papain have cytotoxic effects on human CC cell lines and bromelain and partially papain in comparison impair tumor growth by NFκB/AMPK signalling. Especially bromelain can evolve as promising, potential therapeutic option that might open new insights for the treatment of human CC.
Association of Plasminuria with Overhydration in Patients with CKD
2016-03-01

Background and objectives Hypervolemia is a common feature of patients with CKD and associated with hypertension. Recent work has shown stimulation of sodium retention by urinary plasmin during nephrotic syndrome. However, it is unclear whether plasminuria plays a role in patients with stable CKD and non-nephrotic proteinuria. Design, setting, participants, &amp; measurements In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed the fluid status of 171 patients with CKD consecutively presenting to our outpatient clinic from 2012 to 2013 using bioimpedance spectroscopy (Body Composition Monitor [BCM]; Fresenius Medical Care, Germany) and its associations to the urinary excretion of plasminogen and plasmin from a spot urine sample. Two–electrode voltage clamp measurements were performed in Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing human epithelial sodium channel to investigate whether plasmin in concentrations found in urine can activate the channel. Results Overhydration &gt;5% and overhydration &gt;10% of the extracellular volume were found in 29% and 17% of the patients, respectively, and overhydration was associated with edema, hypertension, higher stages of CKD, and proteinuria. Proteinuria was the strongest independent predictor for overhydration (+0.58 L/1.73 m 2 per 10-fold increase; P &lt;0.001). Urinary excretion of plasmin(ogen) quantified by ELISA correlated strongly with proteinuria ( r =0.87) and overhydration ( r =0.47). Using a chromogenic substrate, active plasmin was found in 44% of patients and correlated with proteinuria and overhydration. Estimated urinary plasmin concentrations were in a range sufficient to activate epithelial sodium channel currents in vitro . In multivariable analysis, urinary excretion of plasmin(ogen) was associated with overhydration similar to proteinuria. Conclusions Hypervolemia in patients with CKD is strongly associated with proteinuria, even in the non-nephrotic range. Protein-rich urine contains high amounts of plasminogen and active plasmin, rendering plasminuria as a possible link between proteinuria and hypervolemia.
Occurrence of ADHD in parents of ADHD children in&nbsp;a clinical sample
2016-03-01

As nearly half of the parents suffered from ADHD, these results are a matter of concern in families with ADHD children. Besides parent-child interactions, parental ADHD symptoms might influence parental education style and also effects parent training as well as the child's therapy outcome. In the future, parents should be screened for ADHD symptoms if they or their child receive treatment and to adjust processes and design of treatment to the symptoms.