bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Changing the Blood Test: Accurate Determination of Mercury(II) in One Microliter of Blood Using Oriented ZnO Nanobelt Array Film Solution‐Gated Transistor Chips
Authors: Li Yi‐Xiang , Yang Meng , Li Pei‐Hua , Chen Shi‐Hua , Li Yong‐Yu , Guo Zheng , Li Shan‐Shan , Jiang Min , Lin Chu‐Hong , Huang Xing‐Jiu
Published: July 2019

The measurement of ultralow concentrations of heavy metal ions (HMIs) in blood is challenging. A new strategy for the determination of mercury ions (Hg2+) based on an oriented ZnO nanobelt (ZnO‐NB) film solution‐gated field‐effect transistor (FET) chip is adopted. The FET chips are fabricated with ZnO‐NB film channels with different orientations utilizing the Langmuir–Blodgett (L–B) assembly technique. The combined simulation and I–V behavior results show that the nanodevice with ZnO‐NBs parallel to the channel has exceptional performance. The sensing capability of the oriented ZnO‐NB film FET chips corresponds to an ultralow minimum detectable level (MDL) of 100 × 10−12 m in deionized water due to the change in the electrical double layer (EDL) arising from the synergism of the field‐induced effect and the specific binding of Hg2+ to the thiol groups (‐SH) on the film surface. Moreover, the prepared FET chips present excellent selectivity toward Hg2+, excellent repeatability, and a rapid response time (less than 1 s) for various Hg2+ concentrations. The sensing performance corresponds to a low MDL of 10 × 10−9 m in real samples of a drop of blood.
A systematic mapping study on crowdsourced requirements engineering using user feedback
Authors: Wang Chong , Daneva Maya , van Sinderen Marten , Liang Peng
Published: July 2019

Crowdsourcing is an appealing concept for achieving good enough requirements and just‐in‐time requirements engineering (RE). A promising form of crowdsourcing in RE is the use of feedback on software systems, generated through a large network of anonymous users of these systems over a period of time. Prior research indicated implicit and explicit user feedback as key to RE‐practitioners to discover new and changed requirements and decide on software features to add, enhance, or abandon. However, a structured account on the types and characteristics of user feedback useful for RE purposes is still lacking. This research fills the gap by providing a mapping study of literature on crowdsourced user feedback employed for RE purposes. On the basis of the analysis of 44 selected papers, we found nine pieces of metadata that characterized crowdsourced user feedback and that were employed in seven specific RE activities. We also found that the published research has a strong focus on crowd‐generated comments (explicit feedback) to be used for RE purposes, rather than employing application logs or usage‐generated data (implicit feedback). Our findings suggest a need to broaden the scope of research effort in order to leverage the benefits of both explicit and implicit feedback in RE.
Kommunale Akteure verstehen: Vorgeschichte der Arbeit in Kommunen beachten
Authors: Eckart Jochen , Häußler Elke , Erl Thorsten , Gonser Monika , Riel Jan
Published: July 2019

Eine Akteursanalyse liefert wertvolle Grundlagen für die Gestaltung der Partizipation in einem Reallabor. Bleiben dabei relevante Besonderheiten unbeachtet, entstehen ‚blinde Flecken‘. Der Kurz-Beitrag erörtert den ‚blinden Flecken‘, der entsteht, wenn ausgeblendet wird, dass es in einer Kommune höchstwahrscheinlich Erfahrungen aus anderen Projekten und Aktivitäten gibt, die für die (Zusammen-)Arbeit im Projekt von Bedeutung sind. Der Beitrag zeigt, welche Aspekte der Vorgeschichte kommunaler Akteure zu erkunden sind und weshalb es wichtig ist, sich mit dieser Vorgeschichte auseinanderzusetzen. Die weiteren ‚blinden Flecken‘, die im Buch beleuchtet werden, sind die, die durch einen verkürzten Blick auf die Entscheidungswege bzw. auf die Verteilung der Wissensbestände in Kommunen entstehen.
Local Social Inequality, Economic Inequality, and Disparities in Child Height in India
Authors: Coffey Diane , Deshpande Ashwini , Hammer Jeffrey , Spears Dean
Published: July 2019

This study investigates disparities in child height—an important marker of population-level health—among population groups in rural India. India is an informative context in which to study processes of health disparities because of wide heterogeneity in the degree of local segregation or integration among caste groups. Building on a literature that identifies discrimination by quantifying whether differences in socioeconomic status (SES) can account for differences in health, we decompose height differences between rural children from higher castes and rural children from three disadvantaged groups. We find that socioeconomic differences can explain the height gap for children from Scheduled Tribes (STs), who tend to live in geographically isolated places. However, SES does not fully explain height gaps for children from the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Among SC and OBC children, local processes of discrimination also matter: the fraction of households in a child’s locality that outrank her household in the caste hierarchy predicts her height. SC and OBC children who are surrounded by other lower-caste households are no shorter than higher-caste children of the same SES. Our results contrast with studies from other populations where segregation or apartheid are negatively associated with health.
Evolutionary Economics
Authors: Hodgson Geoffrey M.
Published: July 2019

This Element examines the historical emergence of evolutionary economics, its development into a strong research theme after 1980, and how it has hosted a diverse set of approaches. Its focus on complexity, economic dynamics and bounded rationality is underlined. Its core ideas are compared with those of mainstream economics. But while evolutionary economics has inspired research in a number of areas in business studies and social science, these have become specialized and fragmented. Evolutionary economics lacks a sufficiently-developed core theory that might promote greater conversation across these fields. A possible unifying framework is generalized Darwinism. Stronger links could also be made with other areas of evolutionary research, such as with evolutionary anthropology and evolutionary psychology. As evolutionary economics has migrated from departments of economics to business schools, institutes of innovation studies and elsewhere, it also needs to address the problem of its lack of a single disciplinary location within academia.
Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale for EMS Redirection of Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke
Authors: Nehme Ahmad , Deschaintre Yan , Labrie Marilyn , Daneault Nicole , Odier Céline , Poppe Alexandre Y. , Ross Dave , Stapf Christian , Jacquin Grégory , Gioia Laura C.
Published: July 2019

Introduction:

Prehospital identification of large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke may expedite treatment by direct transport to comprehensive stroke centers (CSCs) with endovascular capabilities. The Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale (CPSS) is commonly used for prehospital stroke detection. We aimed to assess whether (1) a high CPSS score can identify LVO and (2) an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) redirection protocol based on high CPSS accelerated endovascular treatment (EVT).

Methods:

A retrospective comparison of patients transported by EMSs for suspected stroke to a high-volume CSC over a 16-month period, before and after implementation of an EMS redirection protocol based on high CPSS score (3/3). Charts were reviewed to determine the presence of LVO. Time to EVT and 3-month outcomes were compared before and after implementation.

Results:

A prehospital CPSS 3/3 score was found in 223 (59%) patients, demonstrating positive and negative predictive values for LVO of 29% and 94%, respectively. CPSS-based EMS redirection increased the proportion of EVT performed after direct transport to CSC [before: 21 (36%), after: 45 (63%), p < 0.01] and decreased median first door-to-groin puncture time by 28 minutes [109 (interquartile range (IQR) 64–116) versus 81 (IQR 56–130), p = 0.03]. At 3 months, the proportion of patients achieving functional independence (modified Rankin score 0–2) went from 20/57 (35%) to 29/68 (43%) (p = 0.39) following implementation.

Conclusions:

CPSS-based EMS redirection accelerated identification of LVO strokes in the out-of-hospital setting and decreased time to EVT. Nevertheless, this protocol was also associated with high rates of non-LVO stroke. Impact on clinical outcomes should be evaluated in a larger cohort.
Linear stability of inviscid vortex rings to axisymmetric perturbations
Authors: Protas Bartosz
Published: July 2019

We consider the linear stability to axisymmetric perturbations of the family of inviscid vortex rings discovered by Norbury (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 57, 1973, pp. 417–431). Since these vortex rings are obtained as solutions to a free-boundary problem, their stability analysis is performed using recently developed methods of shape differentiation applied to the contour-dynamics formulation of the problem in the three-dimensional axisymmetric geometry. This approach allows us to systematically account for the effects of boundary deformations on the linearized evolution of the vortex ring. We investigate the instantaneous amplification of perturbations assumed to have the same the circulation as the vortex rings in their equilibrium configuration. These stability properties are then determined by the spectrum of a singular integro-differential operator defined on the vortex boundary in the meridional plane. The resulting generalized eigenvalue problem is solved numerically with a spectrally accurate discretization. Our results reveal that while thin vortex rings remain neutrally stable to axisymmetric perturbations, they become linearly unstable to such perturbations when they are sufficiently ‘fat’. Analysis of the structure of the eigenmodes demonstrates that they approach the corresponding eigenmodes of Rankine’s vortex and Hill’s vortex in the thin-vortex and fat-vortex limit, respectively. This study is a stepping stone on the way towards a complete stability analysis of inviscid vortex rings with respect to general perturbations.
Inviscid instability of a unidirectional flow sheared in two transverse directions
Authors: Deguchi Kengo
Published: July 2019

Linear inviscid stability of general unidirectional flows sheared in one transverse direction has long been investigated by numerous researchers using the Rayleigh equation. However, unlike the simple shear flow considered in this equation, most physically relevant unidirectional flows vary in two transverse directions. Here the inviscid instability of such flows is studied by the large-Reynolds-number limit asymptotic analysis. We derive an a priori necessary condition for the existence of a limiting neutral mode, and develop a new numerical method to accurately capture singular neutral modes.
The BNSR-invariants of the Houghton groups, concluded
Authors: Zaremsky Matthew C. B.
Published: July 2019

We give a complete computation of the Bieri–Neumann–Strebel–Renz invariants Σm(Hn) of the Houghton groups Hn. Partial results were previously obtained by the author, with a conjecture about the full picture, which we now confirm. The proof involves covering relevant subcomplexes of an associated CAT (0) cube complex by their intersections with certain locally convex subcomplexes, and then applying a strong form of the Nerve Lemma. A consequence of the full computation is that for each 1 ≤ m ≤ n − 1, Hn admits a map onto ℤ whose kernel is of type Fm−1 but not Fm; moreover, no such kernel is ever of type Fn−1.
Two-dimensional surface waves in magnetohydrodynamics
Authors: Hunt Matthew
Published: July 2019

The study of nonlinear waves in water has a long history beginning with the seminal paper by Korteweg & de Vries (Phil. Mag., vol. 39, 1895, p. 240) and more recently for magnetohydrodynamics Danov & Ruderman (Fluid Dyn., vol. 18, 1983, pp. 751–756). The appearance of a Hilbert transform in the nonlinear equation for magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) distinguishes it from the water wave model description. In this paper, we are interested in examining weakly nonlinear interfacial waves in

$2+1$

dimensions. First, we determine the wave solution in the linear case. Next, we derive the corresponding generalisation for the Kadomtsev–Petviashvili (KP) equation with the inclusion of an equilibrium magnetic field. The derived governing equation is a generalisation of the Benjamin–Ono (BO) equation called the Benjamin equation first derived in Benjamin (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 245, 1992, pp. 401–411) and in the higher-dimensional context in Kim & Akylas (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 557, 2006, pp. 237–256).
Partial inhibition of the main energetic pathways and its metabolic consequences after in vivo treatment with benzimidazole derivatives in experimental neurocysticercosis
Authors: Picanço Guaraciara de Andrade , de Lima Nayana Ferreira , Gomes Taynara Cristina , Fraga Carolina Miguel , Alves Daniella de Sousa Moreira Mendes , Castillo Rafael , da Costa Tatiane Luiza , Lino-Junior Ruy de Souza , Ambrosio Javier , Vinaud Marina Clare
Published: July 2019

Benzimidazole derivatives such as albendazole (ABZ) and mebendazole are important molecules used in helminthic treatment. Neurocysticercosis is the main cause of acquired epilepsy throughout the world and is currently treated with ABZ. New molecules have been studied in order to aid in the treatment of this neglected tropical disease, among them RCB15 and RCB20. The aim of this study was to evaluate the metabolic impact of RCB15 and RCB20 on Taenia crassiceps cysticerci intracranially inoculated in Balb/c mice. Thirty days after the inoculation the mice were treated with 50 mg kg−1 of RCB15, RCB20, ABZ or NaCl 0.9%. The euthanasia and cysticerci removal were performed 24 h after the treatment. The cysticerci were analysed through high performance liquid chromatography. After the treatments, there was an impairment in the main energetic pathways such as glycolytic pathway, homolactic fermentation or in mitochondrion energy production detected through the decrease in pyruvate, lactate, oxaloacetate, malate and fumarate concentrations. This induced the parasite to resort to alternative energetic pathways such as proteins catabolism, propionate fermentation and fatty acids oxidation. Therefore, benzimidazole derivatives are a promising alternative to ABZ use as they also reach the brain tissue and induce a metabolic stress in the cysticerci.
Stress and microbiota: Between biology and psychology
Authors: Birk Rasmus Hoffmann
Published: July 2019

This comment expands on Hooks et al.’s criticism of the problematic and overly general uses of “stress” within the microbiota-gut-brain field. The comment concludes that, for the microbiota-gut-brain field (as for other fields drawing on “stress”), much work is yet to be done in terms of how we explore and understand biology vis-à-vis psychology.
Scientific claims are constitutive of common sense about health
Authors: Gligorov Nada
Published: July 2019

Endorsing the view that commonsense conceptions are shaped by scientific claims provides an explanation for why microbiota-gut-brain (MGB) research might become incorporated into commonsense notions of health. But scientific claims also shape notions of personal identity, which accounts for why they can become entrenched in common sense even after they have been refuted by science.
Putting microbiota-gut-brain research in a systemic developmental context: Focus on breast milk
Authors: Howell Brittany , Tramacere Antonella
Published: July 2019

The microbiota-gut-brain (MGB) field holds huge potential for understanding behavioral development and informing effective early interventions for psychological health. To realize this potential, factors that shape the MGB axis in infancy (i.e., breast milk) must be integrated into a systemic framework that considers salient behavioral outcomes. This is best accomplished applying network analyses in large prospective, longitudinal investigations in humans.
Combining integrated systems-biology approaches with intervention-based experimental design provides a higher-resolution path forward for microbiome research
Authors: Blakeley-Ruiz J. Alfredo , McClintock Carlee S. , Lydic Ralph , Baghdoyan Helen A. , Choo James J. , Hettich Robert L.
Published: July 2019

The Hooks et al. review of microbiota-gut-brain (MGB) literature provides a constructive criticism of the general approaches encompassing MGB research. This commentary extends their review by: (a) highlighting capabilities of advanced systems-biology “-omics” techniques for microbiome research and (b) recommending that combining these high-resolution techniques with intervention-based experimental design may be the path forward for future MGB research.
Free access to the concert hall: widening university students’ participation in extracurricular activity?
Authors: Peiser Gillian , Stanley Grant
Published: July 2019

The role of extracurricular activity in higher education is receiving increasing international attention as a means for developing social and cultural resources for steering social and employment networks. The focus of this paper is on a post-1992 English university partnership with an orchestra, enabling students to attend free concerts. The initiative aspired to extend the student experience, break down barriers, and encourage students to try a new musical experience. This study explores students’ experiences and contrasts these with the aspirations of the vice chancellor. In view of studies establishing relationships between extracurricular activity and inequality of opportunity, this paper also investigates whether financial subsidies widen participation.
Detecting light verb constructions across languages
Authors: Nagy T. István , Rácz Anita , Vincze Veronika
Published: July 2019

Light verb constructions (LVCs) are verb and noun combinations in which the verb has lost its meaning to some degree and the noun is used in one of its original senses, typically denoting an event or an action. They exhibit special linguistic features, especially when regarded in a multilingual context. In this paper, we focus on the automatic detection of LVCs in raw text in four different languages, namely, English, German, Spanish, and Hungarian. First, we analyze the characteristics of LVCs from a linguistic point of view based on parallel corpus data. Then, we provide a standardized (i.e., language-independent) representation of LVCs that can be used in machine learning experiments. After, we experiment on identifying LVCs in different languages: we exploit language adaptation techniques which demonstrate that data from an additional language can be successfully employed in improving the performance of supervised LVC detection for a given language. As there are several annotated corpora from several domains in the case of English and Hungarian, we also investigate the effect of simple domain adaptation techniques to reduce the gap between domains. Furthermore, we combine domain adaptation techniques with language adaptation techniques for these two languages. Our results show that both out-domain and additional language data can improve performance. We believe that our language adaptation method may have practical implications in several fields of natural language processing, especially in machine translation.
Validation predicting premature drop-out from treatment provided in training clinics
Authors: Howard Kristen P. , Altenburger Erin M. , Cheavens Jennifer S.
Published: July 2019

Background:

Therapist validation in treatment is theorized to be related to positive outcomes (Linehan, 1993), including keeping patients in therapy longer.

Aims:

We sought to evaluate the role of therapist validation from both therapists’ and clients’ perspectives as a predictor of drop-out from psychotherapy in three cognitive behavioural training clinics.

Method:

Clients in psychotherapy (n = 50; 80% female; 82% Caucasian) and their trainee therapists (n = 22; 68% female; 86% Caucasian) rated validation by the therapist at each of four early sessions of therapy.

Results:

After accounting for symptom severity, clients who reported greater therapist validation were less likely to drop out of treatment. Therapist ratings of their own validating behaviours were unrelated to client drop-out. Therapist experience moderated the relation between client-rated validation and drop-out, such that validation was unrelated to drop-out for more experienced therapists.

Conclusions:

Assessing and attending to client perceptions of validation by the therapist early in treatment, with brief self-report inventories, can alert therapists to clients at greater risk of drop-out.
Validation of recursive partitioning analysis, graded prognostic assessment and basic score for brain metastases as prognostic indices among patients with brain metastases treated with radiotherapy in Indonesia
Authors: Gondhowiardjo Soehartati A. , Aman Renindra A. , Setyawan Arry , Handoko  , Ramli Irwan
Published: July 2019

Introduction:

Metastatic brain disease is still a major contributor to cancer treatment failure. Various treatments have improved in the recent decades, which allow for better control of brain metastatic lesions. Various prognostic scoring tools have been developed and used worldwide to stratify patients with brain metastases to determine who will benefit most from aggressive treatment. The three most commonly used prognostic scoring tools are recursive partitioning analysis (RPA), basic score for brain metastases (BSBM) and graded prognostic assessment (GPA). The aim of this study is to validate these scoring tools using an Indonesian cancer patient population.

Method:

A retrospective analysis of all patients presenting with brain metastases from January 2012 until December 2014, through using hospital medical records, was conducted. All patients receiving whole brain radiotherapy during this period were included in this study. A follow-up with a telephone call was carried out to determine the patient’s health and survival status. Uncontactable patients were excluded from the analysis. Survival analysis was carried out by stratifying patients based on the three prognostic scoring systems.

Result:

A total of 80 patients were eligible to be included in the study, with 18 excluded due to being uncontactable. The remaining 62 patients’ data were analysed and stratified with all three scoring systems. The RPA was found to confer better stratification than BSBM and GPA in our study population.

Conclusion:

GPA was non-prognostic in our study population and BSBM was less prognostic, especially in the middle group, class 1 and class 2. Those BSBM class 1 and class 2 did not provide good prognostic stratification in our study population, whereas RPA was proven to be the best in stratifying patients’ prognosis with brain metastases in our study population.
Magnesium intake and lung cancer risk: A systematic review and	meta-analysis
Authors: Dana Nasim , Karimi Raheleh , Mansourian Marjan , Javanmard Shaghayegh Haghjooy , Laher Ismail , Vaseghi Golnaz
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Magnesium may reduce the risk of lung cancer by affecting cell proliferation, inflammation and by preserving lung function; however, the results of epidemiological studies on the potential benefits of magnesium in lung pathology are inconclusive. We conducted this meta-analysis to investigate the association between magnesium intake and the risk of lung cancer. A total of 5 studies were extracted from PubMed, SCOPUS, and the Cochrane Review (to May 2018). These studies involved 58,5821 participants with 8,977 lung cancer cases. The pooled relative risk (RR) indicated a significant association between lung cancer incidence and magnesium intake (RR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.79 to 0.98; p = 0.018). To investigate the cause of heterogeneity of these studies (I2 = 75.8%, p < 0.001), we performed a subgroup analysis which was affected by the mean dose of magnesium intake, where doses of magnesium intake lower than 300 mg/d significantly decreased lung cancer risk (RR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.70 to 0.99; p = 0.034). Increasing magnesium intake doses to over 300 mg/d did not reduce the incidence of lung cancer (RR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.78 to 1.01; p = 0.076). Our meta-analysis suggests that magnesium intake of less than 300 mg/d may have protective effects in lung cancer.
Error Structure of Metastatistical and Generalized Extreme Value Distributions for Modeling Extreme Rainfall in Austria
Authors: Schellander Harald , Lieb Alexander , Hell Tobias
Published: July 2019

Incorrect estimation of extreme values of daily precipitation can have severe consequences in hydrological and engineering applications. Recent advances in the study of extreme precipitation have shown that the Metastatistical Extreme Value Distribution (MEV) is superior to the Generalized Extreme Value Distribution (GEV) whenever the length of the available record is small compared to the average recurrence time. This paper provides a detailed examination of the relative performance of MEV and GEV for both point estimates and spatial modeling. An analysis for a large number of sample years and return periods for daily precipitation in Austria shows that the MEV exceeds the GEV if the number of sample years is smaller, and the estimated return period is larger than 35 years. This advantage disappears almost entirely if the MEV is used for spatially smooth extreme value modeling instead of the GEV. However, the computational effort is drastically reduced in comparison to spatial modeling with the GEV if a simplified version of the MEV is used.
Earthquake Swarms Triggered by Groundwater Extraction Near the Dead Sea Fault
Authors: Wetzler Nadav , Shalev Eyal , Göbel Thomas , Amelung Falk , Kurzon Ittai , Lyakhovsky Vladimir , Brodsky Emily E.
Published: July 2019

In 2013 and 2018, earthquake swarms with a maximum moment magnitude of 4.5 occurred ~5 km from the northern section of the Dead Sea Transform Fault. Here we show that aquifer pressure data, interferometric synthetic aperture radar surface deformation time series, and seismic monitoring suggest that groundwater withdrawal triggered these earthquakes. Continuous groundwater extraction from several wells located ~10 km west of the swarms has accelerated since 2010 and resulted in a total decrease of ~50 m of the groundwater level at the time of the 2018 earthquake swarm. The withdrawal also corresponds to surface subsidence of ~10 mm/year based on repeat interferometric synthetic aperture radar measurements. The temporal correlation, extensive subsidence, anomalous swarm characteristics, and normal faulting orientation suggest a connection between the groundwater withdrawal and recent earthquakes. Poroelastic modeling demonstrates that pumping‐induced pore pressure decrease west of the earthquake could have caused significant dilatational stresses that led to normal faulting events outside the aquifer.
The Storm Time Development of Source Electrons and Chorus Wave Activity During CME‐ and CIR‐Driven Storms
Authors: Bingham S. T. , Mouikis C. G. , Kistler L. M. , Paulson K. W. , Farrugia C. J. , Huang C. L. , Spence H. E. , Reeves G. D. , Kletzing C.
Published: July 2019

Whistler mode chorus waves influence the dynamics of the Earth's radiation belts and the inner magnetosphere through gyroresonant wave particle interactions. Chorus waves are generated by anisotropic hot electrons from a few to tens of keV, called source electrons, which have increased access from the nightside plasma sheet to the inner magnetosphere during geomagnetic storms. The primary drivers of geomagnetic storms are coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and corotating interaction regions (CIRs). Through differences in their characteristic physical parameters, they can each impact the nightside plasma sheet differently. Using Van Allen Probes observations, we have conducted a superposed epoch analysis of chorus wave activity and source electron development across all local times between L = 2–6 during 25 CME‐ and 35 CIR‐driven storms. The superposed epoch analysis shows that chorus wave power follows the storm phase‐dependent access of the source electron population. Chorus waves and source electrons are observed on the dawnside during the main phase, when open drift path access via eastward convective drift from the plasma sheet is enhanced. During the recovery phase, chorus waves and source electrons are observed at all magnetic local times with low intensities, exemplifying the formation of a weak symmetric, trapped electron population. A linear theory approximation for wave growth from source electron observations shows that increased wave growth follows the enhanced source electrons during each storm phase. CME and CIR storms display similar behavior and levels of average wave power; however, chorus wave activity reaches lower L‐shells during CME storms on average.
Solar Response and Long‐Term Trend of Midlatitude Mesopause Region Temperature Based on 28 Years (1990–2017) of Na Lidar Observations
Authors: She Chiao‐Yao , Berger U. , Yan Zhao‐Ai , Yuan Tao , Lübken F.‐J. , Krueger David A. , Hu Xiong
Published: July 2019

We present midlatitude solar response and linear trend from Colorado State University/Utah State University Na lidar nocturnal temperature observations between 1990 and 2017. Along with the nightly mean temperatures (_Ngt), we also use the corresponding 2‐hr means centered at midnight (_2MN), resulting in vertical trend profiles similar in shapes as those previously published. The 28‐year trend from _Ngt (_2MN) data set starts from a small warming at 85 km, to cooling at 87 (88) km, reaching a maximum of 1.85 ± 0.53 (1.09 ± 0.74) at 92 (93) km and turns positive again at 102 (100) km. The 6‐month winter trend is much cooler than the 4‐month summer trend with comparable solar response varying around 5 ± 1 K/100 SFU throughout the profile (85–105 km) with higher summer values. We explore the observed summer/winter trend difference in terms of observed gravity wave heat flux heating rate at a nearby station and the long‐term trend of gravity wave variance at a midlatitude. Between 89 and 100 km, the lidar trends are within the error bars of the Leibniz Middle Atmosphere (LIMA) summer trends (1979–2013), which are nearly identical to the lidar‐Ngt trend. We address the need of long data set for reliable analysis on trend, the extent of trend uncertainty due to possible tidal bias, the effect of a Pinatubo/episodic function, and the impact of stratospheric ozone recovery.
PIM1-dependent phosphorylation of Histone H3 at Serine 10 is required for MYC-dependent transcriptional activation and oncogenic transformation.
Authors: Oliviero Salvatore , Zippo Alessio , De Robertis Alessandra , Serafini Riccardo
Published: July 2019

The serine/threonine kinase PIM1, cooperates with MYC in cell cycle progression and tumorigenesis. However, the nature of this cooperation remains elusive. Here we show that PIM1 contributes to the transcriptional activation of MYC-target genes by phosphorylating the histone H3 nucleosome at Serine 10 (H3S10). Recombinant PIM1 directly phosphorylates H3S10 on the nucleosome in vitro. Following growth factor stimulation, PIM1 accumulates in the nucleus where it forms a complex with the MYC/MAX dimer via the MYC BoxII domain (MBII). Immunofluorescence analysis coupled with in vivo run-on shows a high degree of PIM1 and MYC co-localization in the nucleus at sites of active transcription. Expression profile analysis revealed that PIM1 contributes to the regulation of 20% of the MYC-regulated genes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis in MYC silenced cells demonstrates that MYC recruits PIM1 to the E boxes of the MYC-target genes FOSL1 (FRA1) and ID2. PIM1 knockdown as well as the over-expression of the kinase inactive mutant demonstrate that PIM1 is required for H3S10 phosphorylation at FOSL1 and ID2 MYC-binding sites and for their transcriptional activation. Moreover, we show that PIM1-dependent H3S10 phosphorylation contributes to MYC transforming capacity. These results establish a new function for PIM1 as a MYC cofactor that phosphorylates the chromatin at MYC-target loci and suggest that nucleosome phosphorylation, at E boxes, contributes to MYC-dependent transcriptional activation and cellular transformation.
On The Dangers Of Aligning RNA Sequences Using “Conserved” Motifs
Authors: Page Roderic
Published: July 2019

Aligning RNA sequences can be a challenging task. Automatic sequence alignment programs typically align sequences only with respect to primary sequence, and as a result may yield spurious alignments. Incorporating information on RNA secondary structure can improve the alignment, but this must usually be done by hand. One approach to aligning RNA sequences uses "conserved motifs", however relying on these motifs may lead to gross errors of alignment if, in fact, those motifs are not conserved.
Diagnostic robustness of DNA microarrays in the classification of acute leukemia
Authors: Loh Marie , Mondry Adrian
Published: July 2019

Countless statistical methods have been described for the analysis of DNA microarrays, and each yields distinct results. This raises the question whether DNA microarrays are robust diagnostic tools.In order to address this issue, we compared five formally similar statistical tests for gene selection on a single data set derived from acute leukemia patients. Inter-test agreement of gene selection, of sample classification and with standard clinical diagnosis was calculated using Cohen’s κ-score.The inter-test agreement scores were 0.15 < κ < 0.68 for gene selection, and 0.60 < κ < 0.89 for sample classification. Comparison to the clinical diagnosis showed agreement scores of 0.58< κ < 0.88. ’Marginal imbalance’ explains the low κ-scores at the level of gene selection. At the levels of sample classification and agreement with clinical diagnosis, κ-scores can be considered "substantial" to "excellent".For diagnostic purposes, the inter-test agreement of DNA microarrays is equivalent to that of experienced clinicians, as reported in the literature. The technique can thus be considered a useful and robust addendum to the available diagnostic tools.
Stomatin-like Protein 2 Links Mitochondria to T-Cell Receptor Signalosomes at the Immunological Synapse and Enhances T-Cell Activation
Authors: Kirchhof Mark , Chau Luan , Lemke Caitlin , Vardhana Santosh , Darlington Peter , Marquez Maria , Taylor Roy , Rizkalla Kamilia , Blaca Isaac , Dustin Michael , Madrenas Joaquin
Published: July 2019

T cell activation through the antigen receptor (TCR) requires sustained signalling from microclusters in the peripheral region of the immunological synapse (IS). The bioenergetics of such prolonged signaling have been linked to the redistribution of mitochondria to the IS. Here, we report that stomatin-like protein-2 (SLP-2) plays an important role in this process by bridging polarized mitochondria to these signaling TCR microclusters or signalosomes in the IS in a polymerized actin-dependent manner. In this way, SLP-2 helps to sustain TCR-dependent signalling and enhances T cell activation.
Selective loss of GABAB receptors in orexin/hypocretin-producing neurons results in disrupted sleep/wakefulness architecture
Authors: Sakurai Takeshi , Matsuki Taizo , Takahira Hitomi , Hirashima Noriko , Kilduff Thomas , Kunita Satoshi , Takahashi Satoru , Yagami Ken-ichi , Bettler Bernard , Yanagisawa Masashi , Nomiyama Mika
Published: July 2019

We generated mice with a selective loss of GABAB receptors in orexin neurons. Orexin neurons in these GABAB1-/-(orexin) mice showed reduced responsiveness to GABAA receptor agonists due to a compensatory increase in GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition. This increased GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition of orexin neurons is due to orexin-1 receptor-mediated activation of local GABAergic interneurons. Surprisingly, orexin neurons were also less responsive to glutamate, apparently because the augmented GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition increases the membrane conductance and shunts excitatory currents. These observations indicate that absence of GABAB receptors decreases the sensitivity of orexin neurons to both excitatory and inhibitory inputs. GABAB1-/-(orexin)mice exhibited severe fragmentation of sleep/wake states during both the light and dark periods without affecting total sleep time or inducing cataplexy, indicating that GABAB receptors are crucial regulators of orexin neurons and that "fine tuning" of orexin neurons by inhibitory and excitatory inputs is important for the stability of sleep/waking states.
ACAT1, Cav-1, and PrP expression in brains and skin fibroblasts from Sarda breed sheep with scrapie-resistant and scrapie-susceptible genotype.
Authors: Pani Alessandra , Putzolu Marirosa , Mulas Claudia , Orrù Cristina D. , Abete Claudia , Norfo Claudia , Cannas M. Dolores , Laconi Sergio , La Colla Paolo , Dessì Sandra
Published: July 2019

Scrapie is an infective ovine neurodegenerative disease; the only identified component of the infectious agent being an aberrant isoform (PrPSc) of the cellular prion protein (PrPC). So far, no means for ante-mortem diagnosis are available for Scrapie as well as for any other mammal Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopaties. We recently found a strong relationship between cell susceptibility to scrapie-infection and intracellular cholesterol homeostasis alterations. In brain tissues as well as in ex vivo cultures of skin fibroblasts and PBMCs from healthy and scrapie-affected sheep carrying a scrapie-susceptible (ARQ/ARQ) genotype, the levels of cholesterol esters were consistently higher than in tissues and cultures derived from animals with a scrapie-resistant (ARR/ARR) genotype. Moreover, both uninfected and scrapie-affected ARQ/ARQ sheep showed abnormally low levels of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) in their plasma, as compared to ARR/ARR animals. We now show that intracellular accumulation of cholesterol esters in fibroblasts derived from scrapie-susceptible sheep was accompanied by parallel alterations in the expression level of genes and gene products (ACAT1 and Cav-1) that are involved in the pathways leading to intracellular cholesterol esterification and trafficking. Comparative analysis of PrPc mRNA, showed an higher expression level in cells from animals carrying susceptible genotype, with or without Scrapie. Preliminary experiments also revealed the presence of PK-resistant PrP isoforms in the latter cultures. The data reported in the present paper suggest that accumulation of cholesterol esters in peripheral cells, together with the altered expression of some proteins implicated in intracellular cholesterol homeostasis, might serve to identify a distinctive lipid metabolic profile associated with increased susceptibility to develop prion disease following infection.
Internal ribosomal entry site lacks secondary structure
Authors: Xia Xuhua
Published: July 2019

The search for mechanisms of translational regulation has yielded many experimentally identified internal ribosome entry sites (IRES). Because of the lack of sequence similarity among the experimentally IRESs, it is widely assumed that IRESs posses stable secondary structure allowing them to interact with the components of the translation machinery. Contrary to this view, here we show that IRES activity in nine yeast IRESs, mapped to 60 nt immediately upstream of the initiation AUG, is strongly associated with the lack of secondary structure of IRESs. Furthermore, the reverse complements of these IRESs, with their secondary structure more stable than those of the IRESs, exhibit little IRES activity. The generality of this association is exemplified by the observation that, in the natural vpu-env bicistronic mRNA in HIV-1, the mRNA segment (60 nt) immediately upstream of the initiation AUG of env has the weakest secondary structure among all dominant HIV-1 mRNA species. These results suggest a unified model of alternative translation initiation.
Discovery of transcription factor binding sites through integration of generic motif finders
Authors: Wijaya Edward , Yiu Siu-Ming , Ngo Thanh Son , Kanagasabai Rajaraman , Sung Wing-Kin
Published: July 2019

Locating transcription factor binding sites is a key step in understanding gene regulation. Due to its importance, many de novo motif-finding methods have been proposed. Individually, these motif finders perform unimpressively overall based on Tompa's benchmark datasets. Moreover, these motif finders vary in their definitions of what constitute a motif, and in their methods for finding statistically overrepresented motifs. There is no clear way for biologists to choose the motif finder that is most suitable for their task. The purpose of this work is to describe a method called MotifVoter to identify transcription factor binding sites by integrating the results found by motif finders of different models. Validation of our method on Tompa's benchmark, real metazoan and E. coli datasets show that it can improve the sensitivity significantly without sacrificing the precision. Our approach offers a practical alternative for biologists to study novel transcription factors.The MotifVoter software is available for public use at: http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~bioinfo/MotifVoter
Novel role of substance-p as a systemic wound messenger to mobilize mesenchymal stem cell from bone marrow and be engaged in the wound healing epithelial layer
Authors: Hong Hyun Sook , Lee Jung Sun , Kwon Young Sam , Lee Eun Kyung , Ahn Woosung , Kim Jae Chan , Son Youngsook
Published: July 2019

Tissue injury may bring up the systemic participation of bone marrow stem cells in the repair. In this study, we report that substance-p is a systemically acting messenger to mobilize mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) probably from the bone marrow and be engaged in the wound healing process. This was supported by the injury-inducible substance-p detection in the tissue and the peripheral blood and subsequent MSC mobilization in the alkali-burn rabbit eye model, whose kinetics were dependent on the wound size. Furthermore, i.v. injection of exogenous substance-p stimulated MSC mobilization in the uninjured rabbits and those mobilized cells showed multipotent differentiation capacity. We demonstrated that earlier substance-p elevation in the circulation by substance-p injection or transfusion of autologous PKH-labeled MSC mobilized by substance-p strongly accelerated the wound healing of the alkali-burned rabbit eye and the transfused MSCs were engrafted to the epithelial and stromal layer of the injured tissue, suggesting their epithelial transdifferentiation in the regenerating tissue. Finally, we showed that substance-p stimulated transmigration of human MSC with concomitant induction of MMPs and inhibition of their inhibitors, cell proliferation, ERK1/2 activation, and nuclear translocation of [beta]-catenin in vitro. In conclusion, substance-p plays a role as a systemic wound-messenger to promote the MSC mobilization from the marrow and their participation in the wound healing possibly through its stimulant effect on MSC repopulation as well.
A Case For Killing Humpback Whales?
Authors: Gales Nicholas , Clapham Phillip , Baker C. Scott
Published: July 2019

During the austral summer of 2007/08, hunting of Southern Hemisphere (SH) humpback whales will recommence after almost half a century of protection. The stated rationale for this hunt, by the Government of Japan (GoJ), is to gather important scientific information for use in management. If the scientific need were defensible, and the proponents had accommodated reasonable conservation concerns, then criticisms of the hunt would be limited to philosophical issues. This is not the case. The program’s research objectives are unlikely to be achieved by lethal methods and do not address the principal research needs for SH humpback whales identified by the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
The Earliest Perfect Flower
Authors: Wang Xin , Zheng Shaolin
Published: July 2019

Despite of angiosperms in the Yixian Formation (>125 Ma, early Cretaceous), there is no perfect flower typical of angiosperms to date. Here we report Euanthus dilaensis gen. et sp. nov as the earliest perfect flower known to date. The flower includes tepals, androecium and gynoecium. The anthers are globose in form, with bristles atop and in situ round-triangular pollen grains. The gynoecium is composed of probably two carpels with plumose stigmas and a carpel-enclosing receptacle. The discovery of Euanthus increases the diversity of early angiosperms, and indicates that perfect flowers occurred as early as 125 Ma ago.
Body-specific representations of action word meanings in right and left handers
Authors: Casasanto Daniel
Published: July 2019

If understanding action words involves mentally simulating our own actions, then the neurocognitive representation of word meanings must differ for people with different kinds of bodies, who perform actions in systematically different ways. In a test of the Body-Specificity Hypothesis, right- and left-handers were compared on two motor-meaning congruity tasks. Double dissociations in both action execution and recognition memory results showed that right and left handers form body-specific representations of words for manual actions.
Bioluminescence emission of the firefly
Authors: Gohain Barua Anurup , Hazarika Simanta , Saikia Nayanmoni , Baruah Gaurangadhar
Published: July 2019

We have recorded in vivo emission and time-resolved spectra of the firefly species Pyrophorus noctilucus. The emission spectrum shows the FWHM value for this particular species to be 55 nm, which is significantly smaller than the half widths reported till now. The time-resolved spectrum reveals that a flash, of duration about a hundred milliseconds, is in fact composed of a number of microsecond pulses. This result suggests that the speed of the enzyme-catalyzed chemiluminescence reaction in the firefly for the emission of light is much greater than is believed to be.
A visual sense of number
Authors: Burr David , Ross John
Published: July 2019

Evidence exists for a non-verbal capacity to apprehend number, in humans^1^ (including infants^2,3^) and in other primates^4-6^. Here we show that perceived numerosity is susceptible to adaptation, along with primary visual properties of a scene like colour, contrast, size and speed. Apparent numerosity was decreased by adapting to large numbers of dots and increased by adapting to small numbers, the effect depended entirely on the numerosity of the adapter, not on contrast, size, orientation or pixel density, and occurred with very low adapter contrasts. We suggest that numerosity is also an independent primary visual property, not reducible to others like spatial frequency or density of texture^7^.