bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
191 Canine Mesenchymal Stem Cells as Therapeutic Agents in Spinal Cord Injured Dog
Authors: Choe Y.-H. , Lee H.-J. , Lee S.-L. , Lee J.-H. , Park B.-W. , Rho G.-J.
Published: November 2018

In the recent era of veterinary research, stem cells have gained special attention due to their efficiency and use in clinical applications. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have been extensively studied over decades, and their prospect for clinical application is recognised in human medicine. Despite numerous reports in veterinary clinical trials of stem cells, few studies have been presented regarding the in vitro characterisation of canine mesenchymal stem cells (cMSC). Therefore, their efficacy as therapeutic agents in vitro has not been much elucidated. Canine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (cAMSC) were characterised as per International Society for Cellular Therapy guidelines. Culturing cells showed spindle-like morphology and high proliferation rate. They displayed positive expression of mesenchymal markers CD44, CD90, and CD105, and lacked expression of CD34 and CD45. They were also positive for expression of pluripotency-related transcription factors (Oct3/4, Nanog, and Sox2) and showed differentiation potential towards mesodermal lineages. The cAMSC were further analysed for the neuronal trans-differentiation potential. Under appropriate differentiation conditions, cAMSC displayed distinctive dendritic morphology along with axon projections. Neuronal specific genes including Nestin, β-tubulin, neurofilament protein (NF-M, NF-H), and nerve growth factor (NGF) were also positively expressed. Nevertheless, functional analysis of neuronal differentiated cAMSC displayed voltage dependence and kinetics for transient K+ and Na+ currents (Ito). Both K+ and Na+ currents were recorded in differentiated MSC by voltage steps (between −120 and +60 mV for K+ currents, −40 and +50 mV for Na+ currents), whereas control undifferentiated MSC lacked the currents. Taken together, we concluded that the cAMSC have potential to differentiate into neuron-like cells. Based on these findings, we transplanted cAMSC into the spinal cord injured dogs to evaluate their clinical efficiency under approved medical guidelines set by Gyeongsang National University Animal Medical Center (Korea). Neurological examination showed that the injured dog had undergone hind limb paralysis and lost deep pain sensation due to an L2 spinal cord lesion, as detected by CT and MRI. The dog was diagnosed with traumatic L2 intradural spinal cord contusion, and decompression surgery was performed, but deep pain sensation did not recover. Therefore, each cAMSC (diluted in 0.5 mL of saline) was transplanted into spinal cord segment (L2~L3) 5 times at 1-week intervals. The dog showed mild recovery of deep pain sensation by neurological examinations and exhibited gradual improvement in hind limb function. Finally, we concluded that transplantation of cAMSC has a beneficial therapeutic effect on spinal cord injury. This study also provides a significant advantage in understanding the potential of MSC-based products in veterinary clinical applications.
38 Improved Cloning Efficiency and Developmental Potential in Bovine Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer with the New Technology
Authors: Xu L. , Joo M.-D. , Mesalam A. , Song S.-H. , Zhang S. , Kong I.-K.
Published: November 2018

Bovine somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos can develop to the blastocyst stage at a rate similar to that of embryos produced by IVF; however, its efficiency remains low. In this study, we examined the effects of cytoplasm restoration of enucleated oocyte, by injecting ~30% of the cytoplasm of a donor oocyte to restore the enucleated oocyte cytoplasm volume to normal, on the developmental competence and quality of bovine cloned embryos during pre-implantation using the TUNEL assay, quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) and immunocytochemistry. The experiment was conducted in 6 replicates. The differences in embryo development and expression levels of the various genes between experimental groups were analysed by one-way ANOVA. The level of statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. The percentages of embryos that underwent cleavage and formed a blastocyst were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the cytoplasmic injected group than in the traditional SCNT group (61.5 ± 1.3% v. 39.7 ± 2.1% and 28.9 ± 0.8% v. 20.2 ± 1.3%, respectively). Furthermore, the beneficial effects of cytoplasmic injection on the cloned embryos were associated with a significantly increased (P < 0.05) total cell number in Day 8 blastocysts compared with the traditional SCNT group (176.2 ± 6.5 v. 119.3 ± 7.7; P < 0.05); however, there was no difference (P > 0.05) between the number of apoptotic cells per blastocyst in the cytoplasmic injected group and in the traditional SCNT group (3.5 ± 1.1 v. 4.1 ± 0.8). Moreover, cytoplasm restoration of enucleated oocyte significantly increased (P < 0.05) mitochondrial activity, as identified by MitoTracker Green (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). Reverse transcription-qPCR showed that the mRNA levels of DNA methyl-transferase 1 and DNA methyl-transferase 3a were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in cytoplasmic injected group compared with the traditional SCNT group, but did not significantly differ (P > 0.05) between the cytoplasmic injected and IVF groups. Taken together, these data suggest that cytoplasm restoration of enucleated oocyte improves in vitro developmental competence and quality of bovine cloned embryos, as evidenced by increased total cell numbers, reprogramming efficiency, and mitochondria activity.
This work was partly supported by grant from the Next-Generation BioGreen21 (No. PJ01107703), IPET (No. 315017-5 and 117029-3), Allergy free cat (Co. Felix Pets) and BK21plus.
43 Cryopreservation of Bovine Sperm Using Antifreeze Polyamino-Acid
Authors: Fujikawa T. , Imamura S. , Tokumaru M. , Ando T. , Gen Y. , Hyon S.-H. , Kubota C.
Published: November 2018

Carboxylated poly-l-lysine (CPLL), an ampholytic polymer compound, is reported to have a cryoprotective property similar to that of antifreeze proteins. We previously reported the effectiveness of CPLL as cryoprotective material for bovine sperm (43rd Annual Conference of International Embryo Technology Society, Austin, TX, USA; http://www.iets.org/2017/IETS_2017_Program_Book_FINAL.pdf). In this research, we investigated additional aspects of CPLL for bovine sperm. The conventional cryopreservation medium used for Control group consisted of 6.5% (v/v) glycerin, and the cryopreservation medium used for the CPLL group consisted of 3.25% (v/v) glycerin and 0.5% CPLL (w/v). In experiment 1, sperm motility was measured 1, 3, and 6 h after thawing. The post-thaw motility was assessed by using Sperm Motility Analysis System (DITECT Corp., Tokyo, Japan). The CPLL treatment yielded better motility rate at 6 h (Control v. CPLL; 23.7% v. 38.5%; P < 0.01), average path velocity (μm s−1) at 1 and 3 h (Control v. CPLL; 49.8 v. 57.7, 35.8 v. 42.8; P < 0.01), straight-line velocity (μm s−1) at 1 h (Control v. CPLL; 35.2 v. 45.7; P < 0.01), and curvilinear velocity (μm/s) at 1 and 3 h (Control v. CPLL; 93.7 v. 106.2, 59.9 v. 68.4; P < 0.01) than the Control. In experiment 2, sperm membrane integrity was assessed by using the LIVE/DEAD Sperm Viability Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific K.K., Kanagawa, Japan). The CPLL group yielded greater sperm membrane integrity rate than control (Control v. CPLL; 49.6% v. 60.6%; P < 0.01). In experiment 3, AI was carried out on 111 cows (Control v. CPLL; 49 v. 62) and the conception rate of the CPLL group was significantly higher than that of the control group (53.1% v. 79.0%; P < 0.01). Previously, we reported the effectiveness of CPLL for bovine sperm. In this study, we clarified how CPLL works to improve the conception rate of AI: CPLL maintains post-thaw motility and protects the sperm membrane. These results suggest that CPLL has potential as a new cryoprotective material for bovine sperm.
53 Cryopreservation of Sheep Ovarian Tissue Using Different Cryoprotectants
Authors: Akerke S. , Yerzhan T.
Published: November 2018

Biological diversity is the key to maintaining life. The global trend in industrialization of agriculture bears in itself a set of risks. One of them is a reduction of a national genetic resource or gene pools of animals. Today, new methods of auxiliary reproductive technology permit using them for preserving not only the reproductive potential of the person, but also the biodiversity of wild and endangered species of farm animals. The art of cryobiology involves the addition of one or more cryoprotectants and change of time and temperature of exposition with tissue, and cooling speed. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to identify an optimum method of cryopreserving ovarian tissue of sheep using various cryoprotectants. Ovarian tissue from 8 indigenous Chuyi breed was transported to the laboratory at 36°C, divided into smaller pieces (5 × 3 × 1.0 mm) in the holding medium (Dulbecco’s PBS + 10% FCS), and randomly distributed into 8 groups. The pieces were equilibrated sequentially in freezing medium containing 0.25, 0.75 (5 min each), and 0.5 M sucrose with 1.5 M cryoprotectants (10 min) and placed in a cryo straw. The ovarian tissue was frozen in vapors of liquid nitrogen at a distance of 4 or 6 cm from the surface within 20 min with use of various cryoprotectants: 1.5 M dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), 1.5 M propylene glycol (PROH), 1.5 M ethylene glycol (EG), and 1.5 M glycerol (GL). After that, straws were plunged in liquid nitrogen. For thawing, straws were warmed in air at room temperature for 30 s and then immersed in a water bath at 37°C for 40 s. Then, ovarian pieces were transferred into the solution 0.75 M sucrose + 10% FCS + Dulbecco’s PBS (10 min, 37°C), then 0.3 M sucrose + Dulbecco’s PBS + 10% FCS (15 min, twice), and the holding medium (15 min). After thawing, the effects of cooling methods with different cryoprotectants on ovarian tissue morphology were evaluated by light microscopy after hematoxylin and eosin staining of tissue sections. The number of viable and damaged preantral follicles was counted. Data obtained in the experiments were analysed using Student’s t-test. Data are given as mean values ± standard errors. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. In groups that were frozen at 6 cm using 1.5 M DMSO, 54.6 ± 4.8% of follicles were morphologically normal. In groups that were frozen at 4 cm using 1.5 M GL and 1.5 M DMSO, 69 ± 3.0% and 58.4 ± 3.7% of follicles, respectively, were morphologically normal. Using 1.5 M PROH and 1.5 M EG did not yield good results. Differences were statistically significant compared with fresh control (99 ± 2.4%). The analysis of comparative histology showed that use of 1.5 M DMSO for freezing at distance of 6 cm or 1.5 M GL at 4 cm were more effective in terms of viability of ovarian follicles compared with other cryoprotectants.
67 Influence of Metabolic Status and Genetic Merit for Fertility on Proteomic Composition of Bovine Uterine Luminal Fluid
Authors: Gegenfurtner K. , Fröhlich T. , Kösters M. , Riedel E. O. , Fritz S. , Salvetti P. , Forde N. , Lonergan P. , Wolf E. , Arnold G. J.
Published: November 2018

Intensive selection strategies focusing on increased milk yield over several decades has been associated with a decline in fertility in dairy cows. To study the effect of the genetic merit for fertility and the metabolic status of the female on the oocyte, early embryo and the maternal environment, 2 animal models were established. The genetic merit model involved Holstein heifers with a low (LFH) and high fertility (HFH) index and heifers from the Montbéliarde breed (MBD), known to have good reproductive performance. The metabolic model comprised samples from maiden heifers (MH), postpartum lactating cows (Lact), and non-lactating cows (dried off immediately after calving; Dry). A common pool of Day 7 embryos recovered from superovulated and artificially inseminated Holstein heifers were transferred into synchronised recipients (1/recipient) of the above-mentioned animal models and uterine lumen fluid (ULF) of confirmed pregnant animals was recovered on Day 19 post-oestrus. As communication between the conceptus and the uterine environment is crucial for the successful establishment of pregnancy, we analysed uterine luminal fluid of pregnant cows from both models using a holistic proteomic approach. Using nano-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis combined with a label-free quantification approach, we analysed the uterine luminal fluid from the uterine horn ipsilateral to the corpus luteum (where the conceptus was located in all cases). A total of 2127 proteins were quantified in all samples of both models. Among this set of proteins, 458 were found to differ significantly (P-value < 0.05) in abundance between the groups of the genetic model, and 141 were altered in abundance in the metabolic model. The majority of proteome differences in ULF samples was found comparing HFH to the LFH group (358) and between Dry and Lact cows (70) in the metabolic model. Evaluation of this dataset using bioinformatic tools comprising DAVID GO and gene set enrichment analysis revealed that the affected proteins were predominantly assigned to the terms “translation”, “monosaccharide metabolic process”, “enzyme inhibitor activity”, “lipid binding”, and “response to oxidative stress”. Our study revealed that metabolic status and genetic merit for fertility lead to quantitative molecular differences at the level of proteins in uterine fluid of pregnant animals, thus altering the microenvironment for the early conceptus.
This research was funded by European Union Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013 under grant agreement no. 312097 (‘FECUND’).
79 Effect of Polydatin on Development and Cryotolerance of In Vitro-Produced Bovine Embryos
Authors: Owen C. M. , Barceló-Fimbres M. , Altermatt J. L. , Campos-Chillon L. F.
Published: November 2018

In vitro-produced (IVP) cattle embryos have high reactive oxygen species levels resulting in poor development and cryotolerance. Polydatin, a naturally occurring antioxidant, improves embryonic metabolism when added to maturation media; however, it has not been evaluated at other stages of embryo production. We hypothesised that embryos cultured with polydatin during maturation and fertilization would have increased development and cryotolerance. Therefore, IVP embryos were produced in 8 treatment groups supplemented with 1 µM polydatin during in vitro maturation, fertilization, and culture, or a combination of the different production stages, and each assigned a letter (Table 1). Embryos were produced in 7 replicates by oocytes (n = 3320) aspirated from abattoir ovaries, matured for 23 h in TCM-199 plus 10% fetal bovine serum and gonadotropins, fertilized with semen from 1 of 3 bulls, and cultured in SCF1 (SOF for Conventional Freezing 1; Owen et al. 2017 Reprod. Fertil. Dev. 29, 129-130) in 38.5°C in 5% O2, 5% CO2, and 90% N2. Stage 7 blastocysts were stained with 1 µg mL−1 Nile Red for lipid content or 300 nM Mitotracker Red CMX-Rosamine (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) for mitochondrial activity. Ten images per embryo were acquired using confocal microscopy at 5 µM step size at 40× magnification, and fluorescence was measured by Image Pro software (Media Cybernetics, Rockville, MD, USA). Remaining blastocysts were slow frozen following a 20-min equilibration in conventional freezing medium (1.5 M ethylene glycol and 0.5 M sucrose in holding medium) with 1 mm l-ascorbic acid. Embryos were thawed and assessed for re-expansion at 48 h. Blastocyst rate, Nile Red, Mitotracker, and re-expansion data were analysed by one-way ANOVA and means separated by least significant difference. Results indicate that treatment B had a higher blastocyst rate than treatment H (P < 0.01), lower lipid content than all other treatment groups (P < 0.01 or 0.05), and higher level of mitochondrial polarity than treatments A, D, E, and G (P < 0.01 or 0.05), suggesting enhanced metabolic activity. Additionally, this treatment enhanced cryotolerance compared with treatment H (P < 0.01). These results suggest that adding polydatin to maturation media has the most effect on embryo developmental competence and cryotolerance.

Table 1.Effect of polydatin addition during in vitro maturation (IVM), fertilization (IVF), and culture (IVC) on blastocyst rate, lipid content, Mitotracker, and cryotolerance (± SEM)
Quantifying total and labile pools of soil organic carbon in cultivated and uncultivated soils in eastern India
Authors: Priyanka Kumari , Anshumali
Published: November 2018

Loss of labile carbon (C) fractions yields information about the impact of land-use changes on sources of C inputs, pathways of C losses and mechanisms of soil C sequestration. This study dealt with the total organic C (TOC) and labile C pools in 40 surface soil samples (0–15 cm) collected from four land-use practices: uncultivated sites and rice–wheat, maize–wheat and sugarcane agro-ecosystems. Uncultivated soils had a higher total C pool than croplands. The soil inorganic C concentrations were in the range of 0.7–1.4 g kg–1 under different land-use practices. Strong correlations were found between TOC and all organic C pools, except water-extractable organic C and mineralisable C. The sensitivity index indicated that soil organic C pools were susceptible to changes in land-use practices. Discriminant function analysis showed that the nine soil variables could distinguish the maize–wheat and rice–wheat systems from uncultivated and sugarcane systems. Finally, we recommend crop rotation practices whereby planting sugarcane replenishes TOC content in soils.
The source and distribution of cadmium in soils on a regularly fertilised hill-country farm
Authors: Zanders J. M. , Palmer A. S. , Lee J. , Hedley M. J. , Tillman R. W.
Published: November 2018

Cadmium (Cd) accumulation in New Zealand pastoral soils is often attributed to
application of Cd-containing phosphatic fertiliser. Other sources may,
however, contribute to the Cd load of the topsoil, e.g. atmospheric deposition
and residues from the clearing and burning of native bush prior to the
establishment of pasture. A study was conducted to evaluate the source of Cd
to pastoral soils by comparing Cd loads to a 30 cm depth in 2 soil types at 2
pedologically matched sites: one fertilised and the other unfertilised.
The Cd load in the fertilised soils (420 and 482 g/ha) was markedly
greater than in their unfertilised counterparts (16 and 189 g/ha). A
review of local pollution sources discounted atmospheric deposition as a
potential source of this additional Cd. Estimates of Cd concentrations in the
above-ground biomass of the native bush indicated a Cd store of probably
<10 g/ha. Cadmium stores in the native bush and additions of Cd to the
topsoil following clearing and burning of native bush were unlikely to account
for differences in Cd load between the fertilised and unfertilised sites.
Estimates of Cd additions from phosphatic fertiliser comfortably accounted for
the difference, and indicated that fertiliser was the main Cd source for these
soils.
A North American regional reanalysis climatology of the Haines Index
Authors: Lu Wei , Charney Joseph J. , Zhong Sharon , Bian Xindi , Liu Shuhua
Published: November 2018

A warm-season (May through October) Haines Index climatology is derived using 32-km regional reanalysis temperature and humidity data from 1980 to 2007. We compute lapse rates, dewpoint depressions, Haines Index factors A and B, and values for each of the low-, mid- and high-elevation variants of the Haines Index. Statistical techniques are used to investigate the spatial and temporal variability of the index across North America. The new climatology is compared with a previous climatology derived from 2.5° (~280 km) global reanalysis data. Maps from the two climatologies are found to be very similar for most of North America. The largest differences appear along the eastern coastline and in regions of large elevation gradients, where the orography in the 32-km climatology is better resolved than that of the 2.5° climatology. In coastal areas of eastern North America and where there is steeply sloping terrain, the new climatology can augment the information from the 2.5° climatology to help analyse the performance and interpret the results of the Haines Index in these regions. A linear trend analysis of the total number of high-Haines Index days occurring in each warm season reveals no significant linear trends over the 28-year data period.
Does season affect fire behaviour in the Cerrado?
Authors: Rissi Mariana Ninno , Baeza M. Jaime , Gorgone-Barbosa Elizabeth , Zupo Talita , Fidelis Alessandra
Published: November 2018

Fire has played an important role in the plant dynamics and diversity of the Cerrado for millions of years. We evaluated fire behaviour in different fire seasons in areas of an open savanna, providing information for fire management plans. It has been hypothesised that early fires (May – end of the rainy season) will be less intense than those conducted in the middle and end of the dry season (July and October) owing to the amount of dead biomass accumulated. Therefore, we compared fire behaviour in early, mid- and late dry season, evaluating the main fire and environmental variables. Fire intensity was mainly influenced by the combination of dead fuel percentage and fuel load. Even though this combination was the best model to explain fire intensity variability, fire parameters (including fire intensity) did not differ between fire seasons. Flame height was best explained by dead fuel percentage + fuel moisture content, dead fuel percentage + fuel load and also by dead fuel percentage. Our study showed that, in areas with fire exclusion for 2 years, fire season did not influence fire parameters and fire behaviour and the main factors influencing fire intensity were the proportion of dead biomass and total fuel load.
4. Listening in time
Authors: Margulis Elizabeth Hellmuth
Published: November 2018

Music unfolds dynamically, note by note, moment by moment. A performance cannot be taken in all at once; listeners must orient to each passing musical moment using memory systems to reconstruct events that have passed, perceptual systems to take in events that are presently sounding, and predictive mechanisms to anticipate what might happen next. All of these systems affect the experience of when individual events occur and the capacity of successive whens to cohere into distinct temporal perceptions, such as a beat, a rhythm, a beginning, or an ending. “Listening in time” considers the perception of meter and rhythm, the temporal emergence of melody and voices, and action and perception in music listening.
6. Human musicality
Authors: Margulis Elizabeth Hellmuth
Published: November 2018

What does it mean to be musical? What kind of musicality are people born with, and how does it develop in such diverse ways? The fact that the ability to perform and appreciate music varies so substantially from person to person raises questions about the nature of musical capacity and its acquisition. “Human musicality” first considers one of its central aspects—pitch perception—and outlines the difference between relative and absolute pitch. It then examines the stages of development across which people acquire musical skills and the effects of musical training. It also discusses individual differences in musical abilities and behaviors, including musical savants, amusia, and musical anhedonia.
8. The future
Authors: Margulis Elizabeth Hellmuth
Published: November 2018

From its disparate roots in diverse fields, the psychology of music has coalesced since the 1980s into a cohesive research area. Yet some of music’s most compelling mysteries remain elusive. “The future” explores how the psychology of music occupies an intriguing nexus among the arts, the humanities, and the sciences. This capacity for interplay and flexible thinking seems ever more critical to the broad challenges of the twenty-first century. Current and future areas of research include corpus studies using digital tools to identify patterns in large repertoires of music, harnessing the increasing power of neuroscience to understand the circuitry that underlies musical memory in greater detail, and more sophisticated cross-cultural approaches.
5. Light and air
Authors: Sharr Adam
Published: November 2018

The development of air-conditioning and fluorescent tubes meant that decent lighting and ventilation could be provided artificially rather than naturally. Accommodation could then be placed further from windows, enabling buildings to become deeper in plan. This made buildings cheaper, because the amount of external wall—the most expensive part—could be reduced in relation to the overall floor area. ‘Light and air’ explains how General Motor’s research and design campus in Michigan, designed by Eero Saarinen, was an early example of their integration. It also highlights the work of inventor, author, and ‘futurologist’ Richard Buckminster Fuller, and his designs for prefabricated houses and geodesic domes.
2. Biometrics: where should I start?
Authors: Fairhurst Michael
Published: November 2018

‘Biometrics: where should I start?’ considers what constitutes a practical biometric system. It looks at the principles on which such a system operates, builds up a picture of the components needed to construct such a system, and takes the first steps towards understanding how to implement a biometric system. It also looks at how, when, and why errors can arise and how the performance of a biometric system can be evaluated, both qualitatively and quantitatively, to understand more clearly the nature of the interaction between the user and the system itself, and to determine helpful ways of describing both basic system factors and user characteristics, which will ultimately influence system performance.
4. Enhancing biometric processing
Authors: Fairhurst Michael
Published: November 2018

‘Enhancing biometric processing’ explores how the field of biometrics is developing, and the main ideas promoting the improvement of the accuracy, reliability, and effectiveness of biometric systems. It is unlikely that any individual biometric modality operating alone will completely meet all the desirable criteria for a given task, especially when the variety of issues that are needed are considered in any practical situation. To improve system performance different systems can be used such as adding extra power using a multiclassifier configuration, increasing flexibility using multimodal systems, and using soft biometrics as additional identity evidence. Resistance to ‘spoofing’ attacks, biometric data integrity, and extending the application domains for biometrics-based processing are also considered.
2. Practical letters
Authors: Luna Paul
Published: November 2018

Written communication cannot rely on only one style of letter to function. A single alphabet might suffice if we were looking at Roman inscriptions, but in any kind of modern publication, we see a variety of letterforms coexist. The great strength of the Latin alphabet is its ability to be modulated typographically—the basic design can be varied by slope, weight, compression, and even by the addition of decoration. ‘Practical letters’ considers typographic terminology, the development of typefaces, the numerical systems used to describe the relationships between letter sizes, complex text typography, the mechanization of type, and how letters sit side by side to make words and lines of type.
5. Picture language
Authors: Luna Paul
Published: November 2018

For centuries, images were regarded as inferior to language and seen as an embellishment or decoration, despite their undoubted power to transmit information. This held back the development of graphical presentations of data, because numbers in tables were seen as more trustworthy. The presentation of statistics in charts only began at the end of the eighteenth century. ‘Picture language’ concentrates on a component shared by data visualization and wider graphic communication—the symbol—a graphic object used to represent a concept, action, instruction, or object. It considers how we recognize symbols and how they are used: in symbol sets and to present data.
8. Positive typography
Authors: Luna Paul
Published: November 2018

What should we keep in mind while designing, and what are the benefits of designing in a multimedia, global era? ‘Positive typography’ explains that the designer needs to listen to, and act for, the reader. It is also essential to recognize that design is always a team activity and it is important that there is communication of design priorities within a team. Typography’s function of organizing our world of incessant information through visual form is as important as it ever was, and fortunately it is much more widely taught, understood, and appreciated now that the tools of typographic production and reproduction are in so many hands.
MMP13 inhibition rescues cognitive decline in Alzheimer transgenic mice via BACE1 regulation
Authors: Zhu Bing-Lin , Long Yan , Luo Wei , Yan Zhen , Lai Yu-Jie , Zhao Li-Ge , Zhou Wei-Hui , Wang Yan-Jiang , Shen Lin-Lin , Liu Lu , Deng Xiao-Juan , Wang Xue-Feng , Sun Fei , Chen Guo-Jun
Published: November 2018

MMP13 (matrix metallopeptidase 13) plays a key role in bone metabolism and cancer development, but has no known functions in Alzheimer’s disease. In this study, we used high-throughput small molecule screening in SH-SY5Y cells that stably expressed a luciferase reporter gene driven by the BACE1 (β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1) promoter, which included a portion of the 5′ untranslated region (5′UTR). We identified that CL82198, a selective inhibitor of MMP13, decreased BACE1 protein levels in cultured neuronal cells. This effect was dependent on PI3K (phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase) signalling, and was unrelated to BACE1 gene transcription and protein degradation. Further, we found that eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4B (eIF4B) played a key role, as the mutation of eIF4B at serine 422 (S422R) or deletion of the BACE1 5′UTR attenuated MMP13-mediated BACE1 regulation. In APPswe/PS1E9 mice, an animal model of Alzheimer’s disease, hippocampal Mmp13 knockdown or intraperitoneal CL82198 administration reduced BACE1 protein levels and the related amyloid-β precursor protein processing, amyloid-β load and eIF4B phosphorylation, whereas spatial and associative learning and memory performances were improved. Collectively, MMP13 inhibition/CL82198 treatment exhibited therapeutic potential for Alzheimer’s disease, via the translational regulation of BACE1.
A Novel Collaborate Neural Dynamic System Model for Solving a Class of Min–Max Optimization Problems with an Application in Portfolio Management
Authors: Nazemi Alireza , Mortezaee Marziyeh
Published: November 2018

In this paper, we describe a new neural network model for solving a class of non-smooth optimization problems with min–max objective function. The basic idea is to replace the min–max function by a smooth one using an entropy function. With this smoothing technique, the non-smooth problem is converted into an equivalent differentiable convex programming problem. A neural network model is then constructed based on Karush–Kuhn–Tucker optimality conditions. It is investigated that the proposed neural network is stable in the sense of Lyapunov and can converge to an exact optimal solution of the original problem. As an application in economics, we use the proposed scheme to a min–max portfolio optimization problems. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated by several numerical simulations.
Twitter Analysis for Intelligent Transportation
Authors: Alhumoud Sarah
Published: November 2018

The amount of data available online has grown enormously over the last decade as a result of the rapid growth of smartphone users and the availability of communication applications. Due to the anonymity and instantaneous nature of social media broadcasting compared to conventional attitudinal survey methods, social media mining is becoming popular for complementing traditional traffic detection methods due to its accessibility in reaching a large population and the opportunities for reflecting the true and immediate behaviour of participants for free. This study presents a framework for Arabic Twitter content analysis to gain transportation insight. The study is done with a dataset of more than 1 million tweets collected within 3 months. The proposed model comprises three main components: data acquisition, data analysis and the reverse geotagging scheme (RGS). The RGS tackles the problem of lack of location information in the tweets. Results show that 13% of the dataset reports traffic-related incidents with an overall precision of 55% and 87% for incidents identification prediction without and with reverse geotagging, respectively. This proves the efficiency of the developed analyser in identifying tweets on transportation and the potential of the RGS in defining the location of tweets with no registered location information.
Trial and error mathematics: Dialectical systems and completions of theories
Authors: Amidei Jacopo , Andrews Uri , Pianigiani Duccio , San Mauro Luca , Sorbi Andrea
Published: November 2018

This paper is part of a project that is based on the notion of a dialectical system, introduced by Magari as a way of capturing trial and error mathematics. In Amidei et al. (2016, Rev. Symb. Logic, 9, 1–26) and Amidei et al. (2016, Rev. Symb. Logic, 9, 299–324), we investigated the expressive and computational power of dialectical systems, and we compared them to a new class of systems, that of quasi-dialectical systems, that enrich Magari’s systems with a natural mechanism of revision. In the present paper we consider a third class of systems, that of $p$-dialectical systems, that naturally combine features coming from the two other cases. We prove several results about $p$-dialectical systems and the sets that they represent. Then we focus on the completions of first-order theories. In doing so, we consider systems with connectives, i.e. systems that encode the rules of classical logic. We show that any consistent system with connectives represents the completion of a given theory. We prove that dialectical and $q$-dialectical systems coincide with respect to the completions that they can represent. Yet, $p$-dialectical systems are more powerful; we exhibit a $p$-dialectical system representing a completion of Peano Arithmetic that is neither dialectical nor $q$-dialectical.
Molecular detection of Blastomyces in an air sample from an outbreak associated residence
Authors: Anderson Jennifer L , Meece Jennifer K
Published: November 2018

Based on epidemiologic data during a blastomycosis outbreak, exposure within the home was suspected for two case patients that resided together. Soil and air samples were collected from the basement of their residence. Samples were tested for Blastomyces by culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to compare with an available clinical isolate. An air sample from the basement of the residence was PCR positive for Blastomyces. Sequence data from the air sample and the outbreak clinical isolate were identified as different Blastomyces spp. Despite this, our findings suggest that the basement was suitable for the growth of Blastomyces and airborne organism was circulating.
Urinary mitochondrial DNA associates with delayed graft function following renal transplantation
Authors: Jansen Marcel P B , Pulskens Wilco P C , Uil Melissa , Claessen Nike , Nieuwenhuizen Gerrie , Standaar Dorien , Hau Chi M , Nieuwland Rienk , Florquin Sandrine , Bemelman Frederike J , Leemans Jaklien C , Roelofs Joris J T H
Published: November 2018

Background

Ischaemia-reperfusion (IR) injury is an important determinant of delayed graft function (DGF) affecting allograft function. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is released upon cell death and platelet activation into the extracellular environment and has been suggested to be a biomarker in several diseases. Whether extracellular mtDNA accumulates in plasma and/or urine upon renal IR and predisposes DGF is unknown.

Methods

C57BL/6J wild-type mice were subjected to renal IR. In addition, an observational case–control study was set up enrolling 43 patients who underwent kidney transplantation. One day post-IR in mice and a few days following renal transplantation in human, blood and urine were collected. Patients were stratified into DGF and non-DGF groups.

Results

mtDNA-encoded genes accumulate in urine and plasma in both mice subjected to renal IR injury and in humans following renal transplantation. In human renal transplant recipients, cold ischaemia time and renal function correlate with urinary mtDNA levels. Urinary mtDNA levels but not urinary nuclear DNA levels were significantly higher in the DGF group compared with the non-DGF group. Multiple receiver operating characteristic curves revealed significant diagnostic performance for mtDNA-encoded genes cytochrome c oxidase III (COXIII); nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide hydrogen subunit 1 (NADH-deh); mitochondrially encoded, mitochondrially encoded nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase 2 (MT-ND2) with an area under the curve of, respectively, 0.71 [P = 0.03; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.54–0.89], 0.75 (P = 0.01; 95% CI 0.58–0.91) and 0.74 (P = 0.02; 95% CI 0.58–0.89).

Conclusions

These data suggest that renal ischaemia time determines the level of mtDNA accumulation in urine, which associates with renal allograft function and the diagnosis of DGF following renal transplantation.
An exciting time for genome editing: an interview with David R. Liu
Authors: Zhao Weijie , Zhao Kevin T
Published: November 2018

In 1987, several Osaka University researchers discovered a special kind of clustered DNA repeats in bacteria. Within a few years, two other groups independently discovered the same phenomenon but no one knew its function at the time. Only a small handful of scientists studied this property from its discovery in 1987 to 2005. It was then that the function of these DNA repeats, which were named Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR), was finally elucidated. Researchers found that CRISPR, when combined with its CRISPR-associated partner (Cas), is crucial for the functioning of the bacterial adaptive immune system against viral phage infection. CRISPR sequences can be transcribed into targeting RNA molecules, and Cas enzymes are guided by these RNAs to cut specific viral DNA loci, rendering resistance against the viral infection.

Scientists realized that this natural bacterial immune response system could be engineered to become a powerful genome editing tool. Prior to CRISPR, existing genome editing tools such as Zinc Finger Nucleases (ZFNs) and Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases (TALENs) relied solely upon protein–DNA interactions to target an enzyme to specific DNA sequences. The design, engineering and evolution of proteins for various DNA sequences is difficult and time-consuming. In contrast, the CRISPR-Cas system uses Watson–Crick base pairing between a guide RNA and the target DNA to localize the complex to specific DNA sequences. This feature enables users to simply change an RNA sequence to match a DNA target to reposition the whole complex.

Since then, numerous talented scientists have headed into this field. Within a single decade, they have developed the CRISPR-Cas system into a powerful genome editing tool and applied it to the editing of microorganisms, plants, animals and even human embryos. David R. Liu, Professor of Harvard University and the Broad Institute, and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, is one of them. One of his major contributions to the field is the development of ‘base editing’. His group engineered the CRISPR system to transform it from being DNA scissors that cut DNA into specific DNA base pair rewriters that directly convert one base pair to a different base pair. This development opens the door to precision genome editing, raising the possibility of treating thousands of genetic diseases that are caused by single point mutations in the human genome. Here, David talks about this exciting time for genome editing.
2017 Infectious Diseases Society of America Physician Compensation Survey: Results and Analysis
Authors: Trotman Robin , Kim Alice I , MacIntyre Ann T , Ritter Jethro Trees , Malani Anurag N
Published: November 2018

Analyzing health care reimbursement is a dynamic process. Infectious Diseases (ID) physicians have careers in diverse practice models. With current compensation models focusing on value and quality metrics, ID physicians are poised to be at the forefront of these delivery models. Monitoring and disseminating the current status of ID physician compensation are priorities of the Infectious Diseases Society (IDSA). In 2015, the IDSA conducted the largest ID physician compensation survey to date. The data were analyzed and disseminated, and the society subsequently responded with a plan to continue to develop and collect the most comprehensive and accurate data on ID physician compensation. Therefore, from May to June 2017, the IDSA conducted a follow-up compensation survey of its members. This survey resulted in the largest number of respondents of any ID compensation survey. It revealed that compensation across the different practice demographics had increased since the 2015 survey and is generally higher than salaries published in other comparable surveys. These data and the subsequent analyses focus on physicians who report patient care as their primary responsibility; they are presented by members of the IDSA’s Clinical Affairs Committee.
Settlement and Competition in Iron Age I Canaan
Authors: Matthews Victor H.
Published: November 2018

This chapter examines the forces (environmental, economic, and political) that contributed to the nearly complete transformation of the eastern Levant at the end of the Late Bronze Age, including the super-power struggles between the Egyptians and the Hittite empire for control of Syria-Palestine that consumed much of their energy during the twelfth century BCE. Of equal importance is the invasion of the region by the people collectively known as the Sea Peoples. The ripple effect of that invasion, which resulted in the establishment of Philistine city-states along the Coastal Plain, transforms Canaan and provides the opportunities for new peoples, including the Proto-Israelites, to settle in the Central Highlands. Focus here will be on the challenges faced by these new peoples as they adapt to their environmental conditions with attention given to the stories in the Book of Judges. Subsequent economic and military rivalries between the Philistine city-states and the highland peoples set the stage for the development of the Israelite monarchy.
Transition from Iron I to Iron II
Authors: Matthews Victor H.
Published: November 2018

The principal issue in this chapter is a discussion of whether or not a united monarchy existed during the tenth century BCE. That requires an analysis of current archaeological data, extrabiblical records, and the biblical narratives associated with the reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon. In addition, these data are coupled with an examination of the social, economic, and political forces that were at work during this period. These include an examination of the necessary steps that would need to be take to shift from a multi-polity, decentralized social organization to a chiefdom and ultimately to a centralized monarchy. As part of this discussion, legal precedents, the iconic importance of monumental architecture, the role of the ark of the covenant, the importance of Jerusalem as a political and religious capital city, and interaction with the Philistines and other political rivals are reviewed.
The Household and Its Members
Authors: Maier Harry O.
Published: November 2018

The chapter describes the Greco-Roman and Jewish household, including its members, customs, domestic rituals, and gender roles, along with their intersections with New Testament and other early Christian writings. It presents nomenclature used to describe what we today call “family” and its differences from modern usage. The architectural forms of ancient households (domus, oikos, insula, taberna) are described. The chapter discusses the respective domestic roles of males and females as husbands, wives, and slaves. Children, the practices of infant exposure and adoption as slaves, domestic obligations, education, household economic contribution, laws of inheritance, and rituals associated with birth and maturity are considered. The discussion also contrasts laws of slavery and manumission in the western and eastern Mediterranean. It considers the economic power of slaves and freedpersons, the typical costs of slaves, and freedperson-master obligations. It presents rituals and beliefs surrounding the deceased. Finally, it treats the role of fictive kinship language and how it patterned relationships of Christians with God and one another.
Communities that Care
Authors: Fagan Abigail A. , Hawkins J. David , Farrington David P. , Catalano Richard F.
Published: November 2018

Evidence-based, prevention-oriented, and community-driven approaches are advocated to improve public health and reduce youth behavior problems, but there are few effective models for doing so. This book advances knowledge about this topic by describing the conditions and actions necessary for effective community-based prevention. The chapters review the ways in which communities can promote readiness to engage in prevention among local stakeholders; build and maintain diverse, well-functioning prevention coalitions; conduct local needs and resource assessments; collectively decide on prevention priorities; select evidence-based interventions that are a good fit with prioritized community needs, resources, and context; and implement evidence-based interventions (EBIs) with fidelity and sustain them over time. The Communities That Care (CTC) prevention system is described in detail to illustrate effective community-based prevention. CTC is a coalition-based prevention system shown to promote healthy youth development and reduce youth behavior problems community wide. It does so by assisting communities to: (1) increase awareness of and support for EBIs; (2) encourage positive interactions between community residents and youth; (3) conduct local needs assessments and collectively decide on priorities to target with EBIs; (4) implement EBIs that are matched to prioritized needs; and (5) ensure that EBIs are coordinated across community organizations, implemented with fidelity, widely disseminated, and evaluated. The book describes the development and evaluation of the CTC system, including how its developers used community-based participatory research to ensure that CTC could be feasibly implemented and employed rigorous research methods to assess the degree to which use of the system reduced adolescent behavior problems.
The Development and Evaluation of CTC
Authors: Fagan Abigail A. , Hawkins J. David , Catalano Richard F. , Farrington David P.
Published: November 2018

The chapter reviews how EBIs are typically evaluated. Evaluation usually begins with small pilot studies that examine implementation processes and feasibility and gather input from community members on training and implementation needs. The next stages involve efficacy trials, such as randomized experiments to evaluate intervention impact and larger scale effectiveness and dissemination trials to understand how EBIs can be implemented at scale. This chapter describes how CTC has been evaluated following these stages. Early pilot studies examined its implementation procedures and feasibility, feedback from communities was used to improve the CTC system, and larger scale studies evaluated its impact on community rates of youth behavioral health problems. The research used to create valid and reliable measures of community processes is described, including the methods used to create the CTC Youth Survey that measures a comprehensive set of risk and protective factors and behavioral health problems across youth in a community.