bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Attenuation of epigenetic regulator SMARCA4 and ERK-ETS signaling suppresses aging-related dopaminergic degeneration
Authors: Sun Ling , Zhang Jie , Chen Wenfeng , Chen Yun , Zhang Xiaohui , Yang Mingjuan , Xiao Min , Ma Fujun , Yao Yizhou , Ye Meina , Zhang Zhenkun , Chen Kai , Chen Fei , Ren Yujun , Ni Shiwei , Zhang Xi , Yan Zhangming , Sun Zhi-Rong , Zhou Hai-Meng , Yang Hongqin , Xie Shusen , Haque M Emdadul , Huang Kun , Yang Yufeng
Published: November 2019

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex disease with high heterogeneity. How complex interactions of genetic, environmental factors and aging jointly contribute to dopaminergic degeneration in PD is largely unclear. Here, we applied frequent gene co-expression analysis on human patient substantia nigra-specific microarray datasets to identify potential novel disease-related genes. In vivo Drosophila studies validated two of 32 candidate genes, a chromatin remodeling factor SMARCA4 and a biliverdin reductase BLVRA. Inhibition of SMARCA4 was able to prevent dopaminergic degeneration not only caused by overexpression of BLVRA but also in four most common Drosophila PD models. Mechanistically, aberrant SMARCA4 and BLVRA converged on elevated ERK-ETS activity, attenuation of which by either genetic or pharmacological manipulation effectively suppressed dopaminergic degeneration in vivo. Drug inhibition of MEK/ERK also mitigated mitochondrial defects in PD gene-deficient human cells. Our findings underscore the important role of epigenetic regulators and implicate a common signaling axis for therapeutic intervention in a broad range of aging-related disorders including PD.
Maximum likelihood estimation of natural selection and allele age from time series data of allele frequencies
Authors: He Zhangyi , Dai Xiaoyang , Beaumont Mark , Yu Feng
Published: November 2019

Temporally spaced genetic data allow for more accurate inference of population genetic parameters and hypothesis testing on the recent action of natural selection. In this work, we develop a novel likelihood-based method for jointly estimating selection coefficient and allele age from time series data of allele frequencies. Our approach is based on a hidden Markov model where the underlying process is a Wright-Fisher diffusion conditioned to survive until the time of the most recent sample. This formulation circumvents the assumption required in existing methods that the allele is created by mutation at a certain low frequency. We calculate the likelihood by numerically solving the resulting Kolmogorov backward equation backwards in time while re-weighting the solution with the emission probabilities of the observation at each sampling time point. This procedure reduces the two-dimensional numerical search for the maximum of the likelihood surface for both the selection coefficient and the allele age to a one-dimensional search over the selection coefficient only. We illustrate through extensive simulations that our method can produce accurate estimates of the selection coefficient and the allele age under both constant and non-constant demographic histories. We apply our approach to re-analyse ancient DNA data associated with horse base coat colours. We find that ignoring demographic histories or grouping raw samples can significantly bias the inference results.
Feasibility analysis of semiconductor voltage nanosensors for neuronal membrane potential sensing
Authors: Ludwig Anastasia , Serna Pablo , Morgenstein Lion , Yang Gaoling , Bar-Elli Omri , Ortiz Gloria , Miller Evan , Oron Dan , Grupi Asaf , Weiss Shimon , Triller Antoine
Published: November 2019

In the last decade, optical imaging methods have significantly improved our understanding of the information processing principles in the brain. Although many promising tools have been designed, sensors of membrane potential are lagging behind the rest. Semiconductor nanoparticles are an attractive alternative to classical voltage indicators, such as voltage-sensitive dyes and proteins. Such nanoparticles exhibit high sensitivity to external electric fields via the quantum-confined Stark effect. Here we report the development of lipid-coated semiconductor voltage-sensitive nanorods (vsNRs) that self-insert into the neuronal membrane. We describe a workflow to detect and process the photoluminescent signal of vsNRs after wide-field time-lapse recordings. We also present data indicating that vsNRs are feasible for sensing membrane potential in neurons at a single-particle level. This shows the potential of vsNRs for detection of neuronal activity with unprecedentedly high spatial and temporal resolution.
Long-term warming effects on the microbiome and nitrogen fixation of a common moss species in sub-Arctic tundra
Authors: Klarenberg Ingeborg J. , Keuschnig Christoph , Colmenares Ana J. Russi , Warshan Denis , Jungblut Anne D. , Jónsdóttir Ingibjörg S. , Vilhelmsson Oddur
Published: November 2019

Bacterial communities form the basis of biogeochemical processes and determine plant growth and health. Mosses, an abundant plant group in Arctic ecosystems, harbour diverse bacterial communities that are involved in nitrogen fixation and carbon cycling. Global climate change is causing changes in aboveground plant biomass and shifting species composition in the Arctic, but little is known about the response of moss microbiomes.

Here, we studied the total and potentially active bacterial community associated withRacomitrium lanuginosum, in response to 20-yearin situwarming in an Icelandic heathland. We evaluated the effect of warming and warming-induced shrub expansion on the moss bacterial community composition and diversity,nifHgene abundance and nitrogen-fixation rates.

Warming changed both the total and the potentially active bacterial community structure, while litter abundance only affected the total bacterial community structure. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria increased, while the relative abundance of Cyanobacteria and Acidobacteria decreased.NifHgene abundance and nitrogen-fixation rates were negatively affected by litter andBetula nanaabundance, respectively. We also found shifts in the potentially nitrogen-fixing community, withNostocdecreasing and non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs increasing in relative abundance. Our data suggests that the moss microbial community including the potentially nitrogen-fixing taxa is sensitive to future warming.

Synthesis.Long-term warming led to a shift in moss-associated bacterial community composition, while the abundance of nitrogen-fixing bacteria and nitrogen-fixation rates were negatively affected by increased litter andBetula nanaabundance respectively. Warming and increased shrub abundance as a result of warming can affect moss-associated bacterial communities and nitrogen fixation rates in tundra ecosystems.
Robust Moiety Model Selection Using Mass Spectrometry Measured Isotopologues
Authors: Jin Huan , Moseley Hunter N.B.
Published: November 2019

Stable isotope resolved metabolomics (SIRM) experiments uses stable isotope tracers to provide superior mass spectroscopy (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics datasets for metabolic flux analysis and metabolic modeling. Several software packages exist for metabolic flux analysis when provided a metabolic model and appropriate isotopomer and/or isotopologue datasets, mostly from 13C tracer time series experiments. However, assumptions of model correctness can seriously compromise interpretation of metabolic flux results generated from these packages. Therefore, we have developed a metabolic modeling software package specifically designed for moiety model comparison and selection based on the metabolomics data provided. This moiety modeling framework facilitates analysis of time-series SIRM MS isotopologue profiles using a set of plausible moiety models and data in a JSONized representation. The moiety_modeling Python package is available on GitHub and the Python Package Index and provides facilities for model parameter optimization, analysis of optimization results, and model selection. Furthermore, this package is capable of analyzing multi-tracer datasets. Here, we tested the effectiveness of this moiety modeling framework in model selection with two sets of time-series MS isotopologue datasets for uridine diphosphate N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) generated from different MS platforms: direct infusion nanoelectrospray Fourier transform MS and liquid chromatography MS. Results generated from the analyses of these datasets demonstrate the robustness of our model selection methods by the successful selection of the optimal model from over 40 models provided. Also, the effects of specific optimization methods, degree of optimization, selection criteria, and specific objective functions on model selection are illustrated. Furthermore, different types of error can exist in the datasets, and proper selection of the objective function can help reduce the optimization side effects caused by the specific types of uncertainty in these datasets. Overall, these results indicate that over-optimization can lead to failure in model selection, but combining multiple datasets can help prevent this overfitting effect. The implication is that SIRM datasets in public repositories of reasonable quality can be combined with newly acquired datasets to improve model selection. Furthermore, curation efforts of public metabolomics repositories to maintain high data quality could have huge impacts on future metabolic modeling efforts.
Defining Essential Enhancer for Pluripotent stem cells using Features Oriented CRISPR-Cas9 Screen
Authors: Wang Hao Fei , Warrier Tushar , Farran Chadi EL , Zihao Zheng , Xing Qiao Rui , Fullwood Melissa J , Zhang Li-Feng , Li Hu , Xu Jian , Lim Tit-Meng , Loh Yuin-Han
Published: November 2019

Cis Regulatory Elements (CREs) regulate the expression of the genes in their genomic neighborhoods and influence cellular processes such as cell-fate maintenance and differentiation. To date, there remain major gaps in the functional characterization of CREs and the identification of its target genes in the cellular native environment. In this study, we performed a Features Oriented CRISPR Utilized Systematic (FOCUS) screen of OCT4-bound CREs using CRISPR/Cas9 to identify functional enhancers important for pluripotency maintenance in mouse ES cells. From the initial 235 candidates tested, 16 CREs were identified to be essential stem cell enhancers. Using RNA-seq and genomic 4C-seq, we further uncovered a complex network of candidate CREs and their downstream target genes, which supports the growth and self-renewal of mESCs. Notably, an essential enhancer, CRE111, and its target, Lrrc31, form the important switch to modulate the LIF-JAK1-STAT3 signaling pathway.
Characterization of GRK5 as a novel regulator of rhabdomyosarcoma tumor cell growth and self-renewal
Authors: Pham Thao , Robinson Kristin , Vleeshouwer-Neumann Terra , Annis James E. , Chen Eleanor Y.
Published: November 2019

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft-tissue pediatric sarcoma. Treatment options remain limited, presenting an urgent need for novel therapeutic targets. Using a high-throughput siRNA screen against the human kinome, we identified GRK5, a G-protein receptor kinase, as a novel regulator of RMS tumor cell growth and self-renewal. Through functional assays in vitro and in vivo, we show that GRK5 regulates cell cycling in a kinase-independent manner to promote RMS tumor cell growth. GRK5 interacts with NFAT to facilitate autoregulation of NFAT1 expression in a kinase independent manner, and loss of NFAT1 phenocopies GRK5 loss-of-function effects on cell cycle arrest. Self-renewal of RMS, required for recapitulation of tumor heterogeneity, is significantly reduced with loss of GRK5 due to increased cell death. Treatment of human RMS xenografts in mice with CCG-215022, a GRK5-selective inhibitor, reduces tumor growth of RMS. GRK5 represents a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of RMS.

Statement of Significance

GRK5 promotes growth and self-renewal of RMS, thereby representing a novel therapeutic target for improving survival outcomes of RMS patients. GRK5 regulates RMS tumor cell growth in a kinase-independent manner through direct interaction with NFAT1. This finding promises novel drug design, targeting non-kinase domains of GRK5.
OpenSim Moco: Musculoskeletal optimal control
Authors: Dembia Christopher L. , Bianco Nicholas A. , Falisse Antoine , Hicks Jennifer L. , Delp Scott L.
Published: November 2019

Musculoskeletal simulations of movement can provide insights needed to help humans regain mobility after injuries and design robots that interact with humans. Here, we introduce Open-Sim Moco, a software toolkit for optimizing the motion and control of musculoskeletal models built in the OpenSim modeling and simulation package. OpenSim Moco uses the direct collocation method, which is often faster and can handle more diverse problems than other methods for musculoskeletal simulation but requires extensive technical expertise to implement. Moco frees researchers from implementing direct collocation themselves, allowing them to focus on their scientific questions. The software can handle the wide range of problems that interest biomechanists, including motion tracking, motion prediction, parameter optimization, model fitting, electromyography-driven simulation, and device design. Moco is the first musculoskeletal direct collocation tool to handle kinematic constraints, which are common in musculoskeletal models. To show Moco’s abilities, we first solve for muscle activity that produces an observed walking motion while minimizing muscle excitations and knee joint loading. Then, we predict a squat-to-stand motion and optimize the stiffness of a passive assistive knee device. We designed Moco to be easy to use, customizable, and extensible, thereby accelerating the use of simulations to understand human and animal movement.
Spatiotemporal dynamics and modelling support the case for area-wide management of citrus greasy spot in a Brazilian smallholder farming region
Authors: Laranjeira F.F. , Silva S.X.B. , Murray-Watson R.E. , Soares A.C.F. , Santos-Filho H.P. , Cunniffe N.J.
Published: November 2019

Citrus greasy spot (CGS), caused byZasmidium citri, induces premature defoliation and yield loss inCitrusspp. CGS epidemiology is well understood in areas of high humidity such as Florida (USA), but remains unaddressed in Brazil, despite differing climatic conditions and disease management practices. We characterize the spatiotemporal dynamics of CGS in the Recôncavo of Bahia, Brazil, focusing on four hierarchical levels (quadrant, plant, grove and region). A survey conducted in 19 municipalities showed that disease is found throughout the entire region with a prevalence (i.e. proportion of affected sampling units) of 100% in groves and plants, and never lower than 70% on leaves. Index of dispersion (D) values suggest the spatial pattern of symptomatic units lies somewhere between random and regular. This was confirmed by the parameters of the binary power law for plants and their quadrants (log(A)<0 andb<1). Variability in disease severity at different plant heights (0.7 m, 1.3 m and 2.0 m) was tested, but no consistent differences were observed. We introduce a simple compartmental model synthesising the epidemiology of the disease, in order to motivate and guide further research. The data we have collected allow such a model to be parameterised, albeit with some ambiguity over the proportion of new infections that result from inoculum produced within the grovevs.external sources of infection. By extending our model to include two populations of growers – those who control and those who do not – coupled by the spread of airborne inoculum, we investigate likely performance of the type of cultural controls that would be accessible to citrus growers in Northeastern Brazil. Our model shows that control via removal of the key source of inoculum – i.e. fallen leaves – can be very effective. However, successful control is likely to require area-wide strategies, in which a large proportion of growers actively manage disease.
Cross-modal temporal biases emerge during early sensitive periods
Authors: Badde Stephanie , Ley Pia , Rajendran Siddhart S , Shareef Idris , Kekunnaya Ramesh , Röder Brigitte
Published: November 2019

Human perception features stable biases, such as perceiving visual events as later than synchronous auditory events. The origin of such perceptual biases is unknown, they could be innate or shaped by sensory experience during a sensitive period. To investigate the role of sensory experience, we tested whether a congenital, transient loss of vision, caused by bilateral dense cataracts, has sustained effects on the ability to order events spatio-temporally within and across sensory modalities. Most strikingly, individuals with reversed congenital cataracts showed a bias towards perceiving visual stimuli as occurring earlier than auditory (Exp. 1) and tactile (Exp. 2) stimuli. In contrast, both normally sighted controls and individuals who could see at birth but developed cataracts during childhood reported the typical bias of perceiving vision as delayed compared to audition. Thus, we provide strong evidence that cross-modal temporal perceptual biases depend on sensory experience and emerge during an early sensitive period.
Lysyl oxidase promotes neuronal ferroptosis exacerbating seizure-induced hippocampal damage
Authors: Mao Xiao-Yuan , Jin Ming-Zhu , Li Qin , Jia Ji-Ning , Sun Qian-Yi , Zhou Hong-Hao , Liu Zhao-Qian , Jin Wei-Lin
Published: November 2019

Epilepsy is a serious neurological disorder and characterized by recurrent and unprovoked seizures. A critical pathological factor in the seizure genesis is neuronal loss. However, mechanisms which lead to neuronal death remain elusive. Our present investigation depicted that ferroptosis, a recently discovered iron- and lipid peroxidation-dependent cell death, probably served as a mechanism in murine models of kainic acid (KA)-induced seizures. And treatment with ferroptosis inhibitors ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1), liproxstatin-1 (Lipo-1) or deferoxamine (DFO) significantly suppressed seizure severity and frequency. Using gene expression profiling in HT22 cells after glutamate exposure (a validated ferroptotic cell death model), we identified lysyl oxidase (Lox) as a novel inducer of ferroptosis. Mechanistically, Lox promoted ferroptosis via activation of extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK)-dependent 5-lipoxygenase (Alox5) phosphorylation at serine 663 residue signaling, subsequent leading to lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. In a murine model of KA-induced seizure, we illustrated that administration of β-aminopropionitrile (BAPN), a specific Lox inhibitor, remarkably prevented seizure generation. Overall, these findings highlight Lox, a novel identified ferroptotic regulator in neurons, serves as a potential target for seizure-related disease including epilepsy.
Effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on microbial community structure of phenanthrene and pyrene contaminated soils using Illumina HiSeq sequencing
Authors: Li Wen-bin , Li Wei , Xing Li-jun , Guo Shao-xia
Published: November 2019

In order to determine the influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF, Glomus versiforme) and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR, Pseudomonas fluorescens, PS2-6) on degradation of phenanthrene (PHE) and pyrene (PYR) and the change of microbial community structure in soils planted with tall fescue (Festuca elata), four treatments were set up in phenanthrene (PHE) and pyrene (PYR) contamined soil: i.e., tall fescue (CK), AMF + tall fescue (GV), PGPR + tall fescue (PS) and AMF + PGPR + tall fescue (GVPS), PHE and PYR dissipation in the soil and accumulated in the tall fescue were investigated. Our results showed that highest removal percentage of PHE and PYR in contaminated soil as well as biomass of tall fescue were observed in GVPS. PHE and PYR accumulation by tall fescue roots were higher than shoots, the mycorrhizal status was best manifested in the roots of tall fescue inoculated with GVPS, and GVPS significantly increased the number of PGPR colonization in tall fescue rhizosphere soil. And paired-end Illumina HiSeq analysis of 16S rRNA and Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) gene amplicons were also employed to study change of bacterial and fungal communities structure in four treatments. GVPS positively affected the speices and abundance of bacteria and fungi in PHE and PYR contaminated soil, an average of 71,144 high quality bacterial 16S rDNA tags and 102,455 ITS tags were obtained in GVPS, and all of them were assigned to 6,327 and 825 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at a 97% similarity, respectively. Sequence analysis revealed that Proteobacteria was the dominant bacterial phylum, Ascomycota was the dominant fungal phylum in all treatments, whereas Proteobacteria and Glomeromycota were the most prevalent bacterial and fungal phyla in GVPS, respectively. And in the generic level, Planctomyces is the richest bacterial genus, and Meyerozyma is the richest fungal genus in all treatments, whereas Sphingomona was the dominant bacterial genus, while the dominant fungi was Fusarium in GVPS. Overall, our findings revealed that application of AMF and PGPR had an effective role in improving the growth characteristics, root colonization of F. elata and soil microbial community structure in PHE and PYR contaminated soils, but no obvious in degradation efficiencies of PAHs as compared to the control.
Live Cell Imaging of Single RNA Molecules with Fluorogenic Mango II Arrays
Authors: Cawte Adam D. , Unrau Peter J. , Rueda David S.
Published: November 2019

RNA molecules play vital roles in many cellular processes. Visualising their dynamics in live cells at single-molecule resolution is essential to elucidate their role in RNA metabolism. RNA aptamers, such as Spinach and Mango, have recently emerged as a powerful background-free technology for live-cell RNA imaging due to their fluorogenic properties upon ligand binding. Here, we report a novel array of Mango II aptamers for RNA imaging in live and fixed cells with high contrast and single-molecule sensitivity. Direct comparison of Mango II and MS2-tdMCP-mCherry dual-labelled mRNAs show marked improvements in signal to noise ratio using the fluorogenic Mango aptamers. Using both coding (β-actin mRNA) and long non-coding (NEAT1) RNAs, we show that the Mango array does not affect cellular localisation. Additionally, we can track single mRNAs for extended time periods, likely due to fluorophore exchange. This property makes the arrays readily compatible with structured illumination super-resolution microscopy.
Pre-Innervated Tissue Engineered Muscle Promotes a Pro-Regenerative Microenvironment Following Volumetric Muscle Loss
Authors: Das Suradip , Browne Kevin D. , Laimo Franco A. , Maggiore Joseph C. , Kaisaier Halimulati , Aguilar Carlos A. , Ali Zarina S. , Mourkioti Foteini , Cullen D. Kacy
Published: November 2019

Volumetric Muscle Loss (VML) is defined as traumatic or surgical loss of skeletal muscle tissue beyond the inherent regenerative capacity of the body, generally leading to a severe functional deficit. Autologous muscle grafts remain the prevalent method of treatment whereas recent muscle repair techniques using biomaterials and tissue engineering are still at a nascent stage and have multiple challenges to address to ensure functional recovery of the injured muscle. Indeed, appropriate somato-motor innervations remain one of the biggest challenges for both autologous muscle grafts as well as tissue engineered muscle constructs. We aim to address this challenge by developing Pre-Innervated Tissue Engineered Muscle comprised of long aligned networks of spinal motor neurons and skeletal myocytes. Here, we developed methodology to biofabricate long fibrils of pre-innervated tissue engineered muscle using a co-culture of myocytes and motor neurons on aligned nanofibrous scaffolds. Motor neurons lead to enhanced differentiation and maturation of skeletal myocytes in vitro. These pre-innervated tissue engineered muscle constructs when implanted in vivo in a rat VML model significantly increase satellite cell migration, micro-vessel formation, and neuromuscular junction density in the host muscle near the injury area at an acute time point as compared to non-pre-innervated myocyte constructs and nanofiber scaffolds alone. These pro-regenerative effects can potentially lead to enhanced functional neuromuscular regeneration following VML, thereby improving the levels of functional recovery following these devastating injuries.
A demographic approach to understanding the effects of climate on population growth
Authors: Caruso Nicholas M. , Staudhammer Christina L. , Rissler Leslie J.
Published: November 2019

Amphibian life history traits are affected by temperature and precipitation. Yet, connecting these relationships to population growth, especially for multiple populations within a species, is lacking and precludes our understanding of how amphibians are distributed. Therefore, we constructed Integral Projection Models (IPM) for five populations along an elevational gradient to determine how climate and season affects population growth of a terrestrial salamanderPlethodon montanusand the importance of demographic vital rates to population growth under varying climate scenarios. We found that population growth was typically higher at the highest elevation compared to the lower elevations whereas varying inactive season conditions, represented by the late fall, winter and early spring, produced a greater variation in population growth than varying active season conditions (late spring, summer, and early fall). Furthermore, survival and growth was consistently more important, as measured by elasticity, compared to fecundity and large females had the greatest elasticity compared to all other sizes. Our results suggest that changing inactive season conditions, especially those that would affect the survival of large individuals, may have the greatest impact on population growth. Therefore, we recommend experimental studies focused on the inactive season to determine the mechanism by which these conditions can affect survival.
Synaptogenic activity of the axon guidance molecule Robo2 is critical for hippocampal circuit function
Authors: Blockus Heike , Rolotti Sebastian V. , Szoboszlay Miklos , Ming Tiffany , Schroeder Anna , Vennekens Kristel M. , Katsamba Phinikoula , Bahna Fabiana , Mannepalli Seetha , Ahlsen Goran , Honig Barry , Shapiro Lawrence , de Wit Joris , Losonczy Attila , Polleux Franck
Published: November 2019

The developmental transition between axon guidance and synapse formation is critical for circuit assembly but still poorly understood at the molecular level. We hypothesized that this key transition could be regulated by axon guidance cues switching their function to regulate synaptogenesis with subcellular specificity. Here, we report evidence for such a functional switch, describing a novel role for the axon guidance molecule Robo2 in excitatory synapse formation onto dendrites of CA1 pyramidal neurons (PNs) in the mouse hippocampus. Cell-autonomous deletion of Robo2 from CA1 PNs leads to a drastic reduction of the number of excitatory synapses specifically in proximal dendritic compartments. At the molecular level, we show that this novel postsynaptic function of Robo2 depends on both its canonical ligand Slit and a novel interaction with presynaptic Neurexins. Biophysical analysis reveals that Robo2 binds directly to Neurexins via its Ig4-5 domains. In vivo 2-photon Ca2+ imaging of CA1 PNs during spatial navigation in mice shows that sparse deletion of Robo2 during development drastically reduces the likelihood of place cell emergence and alters spatial coding properties of the remaining place cells. Our results identify Robo2 as a novel molecular effector linking synaptic specificity to the acquisition of spatial coding properties characterizing hippocampal circuits.
Olfactory Response as a Marker for Alzheimer's Disease: Evidence from Perceptual and Frontal Oscillation Coherence Deficit
Authors: Sedghizadeh Mohammad Javad , Hojjati Hadi , Ezzatdoost Kiana , Aghajan Hamid , Vahabi Zahra , Tarighatnia Heliya
Published: November 2019

High-frequency oscillations of the frontal cortex are involved in functions of the brain that fuse processed data from different sensory modules or bind them with elements stored in the memory. These oscillations also provide inhibitory connections to neural circuits that perform lower-level processes. Deficit in the performance of these oscillations has been examined as a marker for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Additionally, the neurodegenerative processes associated with AD, such as the deposition of amyloid-beta plaques, do not occur in a spatially homogeneous fashion and progress more prominently in the medial temporal lobe in the early stages of the disease. This region of the brain contains neural circuitry involved in olfactory perception. Several studies have suggested that olfactory deficit can be used as a marker for early diagnosis of AD. A quantitative assessment of the performance of the olfactory system can hence serve as a potential biomarker for Alzheimer's disease, offering a relatively convenient and inexpensive diagnosis method. This study examines the decline in the perception of olfactory stimuli and the deficit in the performance of high-frequency frontal oscillations in response to olfactory stimulation as markers for AD. Two measurement modalities are employed for assessing the olfactory performance: 1) An interactive smell identification test is used to sample the response to a sizable variety of odorants, and 2) Electrophysiological data are collected in an olfactory perception task with a pair of selected odorants in order to assess the connectivity of frontal cortex regions. Statistical analysis methods are used to assess the significance of selected features extracted from the recorded modalities as Alzheimer's biomarkers. Olfactory decline regressed to age in both healthy and Mild AD groups are evaluated, and single- and multi-modal classifiers are also developed. The novel aspects of this study include: 1) Combining EEG response to olfactory stimulation with behavioral assessment of olfactory perception as a marker of AD, 2) Identification of odorants most significantly affected in Mild AD patients, 3) Identification of odorants which are still adequately perceived by Mild AD patients, 4) Analysis of the decline in the spatial coherence of different oscillatory bands in response to olfactory stimulation, and 5) Being the first study to quantitatively assess the performance of olfactory decline due to aging and AD in the Iranian population.
FIMBRIAE AND FLAGELLA MEDIATED SURFACE MOTILITY AND THE EFFECT OF GLUCOSE ON NONPATHOGENIC AND UROPATHOGENICESCHERICHIA COLI
Authors: Ambagaspitiye Sankalya , Sudarshan Sushmita , Hogins Jacob , McDill Parker , De Nisco Nicole J. , Zimmern Philippe E. , Reitzer Larry
Published: November 2019

We characterized the surface motility of nonpathogenic and pathogenicE. colistrains with respect to the appendage requirement, flagella versus fimbriae, and the glucose requirement. Nonpathogenic lab strains exhibited either slow or fast surface movement. The slow strains required type 1 fimbriae for movement, while the fast strains required flagella and had an insertion in theflhDCpromoter region. Surface movement of three uropathogenicE. coli(UPEC) strains was fast and required flagella, but these strains did not have an insertion in theflhDCpromoter region. We assessed swimming motility as an indicator of flagella synthesis and found that glucose inhibited swimming of the slow nonpathogenic strains but not of the fast nonpathogenic or pathogenic strains. Fimbriae-based surface motility requires glucose, which inhibits cyclic-AMP (cAMP) and flagella synthesis; therefore, we examined whether surface motility required cAMP. The surface motility of a slow, fimbriae-dominant, nonpathogenic strain did not require cAMP, which was expected because fimbriae synthesis does not require cAMP. In contrast, the surface motility of a faster, flagella-dominant, UPEC strain required cAMP, which was unexpected because swarming was unaffected by the presence of glucose. Electron microscopy verified the presence or absence of fimbriae or flagella. In summary, surface motilities of the nonpathogenic and uropathogenicE. colistrains of this study differed in the appendage used and the effects of glucose on flagella synthesis.

IMPORTANCE

UropathogenicEscherichia colistrains cause 80-90% of community-acquired urinary tract infections, and recurrent urinary tract infections, which can last for years, and often become antibiotic resistant. Urinary tract infections can be associated with intra-vesical lesions extending from localized trigonitis/cystitis to widely distributed pancystitis: motility may be a factor that distinguishes between these infection patterns. Nonpathogenic and uropathogenicE. coliwere shown to exhibit fimbriae- and flagella-dependent surface motility, respectively, and the difference was attributed to altered control of flagella synthesis by glucose. UropathogenicE. colistrains grow more rapidly in urine than nonpathogenic strains, which implies differences in metabolism. Understanding the basis for glucose-insensitive control of flagella-dependent motility could provide insight into uropathogenicE. colimetabolism and virulence.
Exploring the feasibility of blockchain technology as an infrastructure for improving built asset sustainability
Authors: Shojaei Alireza , Wang Jun , Fenner Andriel
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show the feasibility of blockchain technology to perform as an infrastructure for improving built asset sustainability by providing all the necessary information for better decision making at all the stages of its life cycle.

Design/methodology/approach

Blockchain technology can be used as a tool to build a reliable and secure decentralized information system to capture and disseminate all the data required for different sustainability assessment models. A model is designed and tested through a synthetic scenario to substantiate the research objective with empirical work.

Findings

It is shown that blockchain can revolutionize the current state of knowledge for long-term sustainability thinking and provide necessary information in different stages of the life cycle of a built asset. With the proposed decentralized, transparent and comprehensive database using blockchain, the life cycle assessment methods can become much more inclusive and reliable. The new holistic analysis of the built asset sustainability enables better decision making in design, build, operation and demolition of each asset.

Originality/value

This paper proposes and tests a model for using blockchain as an infrastructure to support built asset sustainability. Practitioners from different backgrounds at different stages of a built asset life cycle can use such a network to make better decisions and better assess the sustainability of their built assets.
Digital information resources: use and perceptions of deaf and hearing students
Authors: Kaba Abdoulaye , Ellala Ziyad K.
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of the internet among deaf and hearing students. The study also explores the perceptions of students toward the internet, online databases and digital libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a survey questionnaire to collect data from the sample. The sample consists of 59 hearing and 53 deaf students studying at Al Ain University of Science and Technology Al Ain University (AAU). Descriptive statistics and t-tests are used to analyze data.

Findings

Findings of the study show that at least 90 per cent of participants are using the internet for intellectual activities and social communications. In addition, the majority of deaf and hearing students have positive perceptions toward digital information resources. For gender differences, the study found no significant difference between men and women in the use of internet or in their perceptions toward the importance of online databases and digital libraries. However, results of the study confirmed significant difference between deaf and hearing students in relation to internet use, perception toward the importance of online databases and digital libraries.

Research limitations/implications

The sample of the study are students studying at AAU. Future studies may expend this study by including deaf participants from various institutions in UAE.

Originality/value

The results of the study could be used in planning and providing digital information resources and services for deaf students.
Good human functioning, health and the promotion of health
Authors: Markham Wolfgang A.
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to extend a theory of health promoting schools (Markham and Aveyard, 2003) that draws heavily upon Nussbaum’s Aristotelian interpretation of good human functioning (Nussbaum, 1990). This theory of health promoting schools proposed that health is grounded in the meeting of identified fundamental human needs and the realisation of identified essential human capacities (Markham and Aveyard, 2003).

Design/methodology/approach

The extension of this theory is achieved through the application of influential social theories with practical tenets to Nussbaum’s insights (Nussbaum, 1990). This extension includes additional essential human capacities, a description and definition of how good human functioning may be recognised, potential limitations of the capabilities approaches and a discussion of major factors inhibiting good human functioning.

Findings

The potential contribution of the outlined framework to discussions of health and health promotion is highlighted in two ways. First, this paper considers how the outlined framework may contribute to discussions of quality of life, morbidity/premature mortality and health-related behaviours. Second, this paper briefly considers how the outlined framework may contribute to discussions of public health policy, and the planning, delivery and evaluation of health promotion initiatives. Basic exemplar pre- and post-questionnaires for a hypothetical health promoting community development programme are offered.

Originality/value

This paper attempts to contribute to discussions of the application of Nussbaum’s Aristotelean interpretation of good human functioning to both public health and health promotion.
An investigation into the construction industry’s view on fire prevention in high-rise buildings post Grenfell
Authors: Mohamed Iman Farah , Edwards David John , Mateo-Garcia Monica , Costin Glenn , Thwala Wellington Didibhuku Didibhuku
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore contemporary attitudes amongst UK construction professionals regards fire safety post the Grenfell Tower disaster. Specifically, the research examines practitioner’s perceptions of fire safety design, material specification, construction and maintenance of high-rise blocks throughout a building’s whole life cycle.

Design/methodology/approach

A multi-methodology approach was adopted that utilises a mix of research methods. Extant literature and media content is used as a secondary data source, providing a more insightful interpretivist analysis – the results of which guided the development of the survey’s main question set. Primary survey data are sourced from structured interviews and questionnaires completed by participating industry professionals and built environment undergraduate students using non-representative sampling methods. In addition, a Grenfell Tower special advisory panel member was interviewed to add further validity to the overall findings.

Findings

The quantitative findings present evidence to suggest that the Grenfell disaster (and media storm that has surrounded this event) has raised the general level of fire safety knowledge and competency amongst construction professionals. However, qualitative feedback from the special advisory panel member suggests specific fire prevention knowledge remains elusive within both industry and taught programmes at Higher Education Institutes. As a consequence, changes in the taught curriculum are proposed together with an extension of the role of facilities managers in practice to cover fire safety in greater depth.

Originality/value

This paper provides thoughtful insights into the contemporary discourse on fire safety within the UK construction industry. The research also provides critical suggestions to both industry and policy makers which seek to prevent a repeat tragedy occurring again.
Problematising technology and teaching reforms: Australian and Singapore perspectives
Authors: McLay Katherine Frances , Chua Reyes Jr Vicente
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare and problematise technology and teaching reform initiatives in Australia and Singapore, demonstrating the importance of adopting a critical stance towards technology-rich education reform. In the Australian context, the tensions and challenges of the Digital Education Revolution and the Teaching Teachers for the Future programme are illustrated. In the Singapore context, the implications of the ways in which teachers exercise their agency over technological imperatives are examined.

Design/methodology/approach

The first section of the paper draws on interview and observational data generated during a microethnographic investigation into secondary school students’ use of iPads as a learning tool in an independent school in South-East Queensland. Data “snapshots” illustrate the lingering challenges of reform designed to achieve technology-rich learning environments. The second section of the paper draws on a retrospective study of current ICT initiatives in Singapore through case studies of two schools that are heavily involved in ongoing ICT integration programmes.

Findings

While reforms are usually borne out of careful studies among policy makers and politicians to develop solutions to problems, the final version often reflects compromise between various stakeholders championing their respective agendas. As such, problematisation is imperative to develop critical and nuanced understandings. In both Australia and Singapore, it is suggested that failing to account for such ontological matters as teacher and learner identity and agency prevents meaningful change.

Originality/value

Global reform to achieve technology-rich teaching and learning environments reflects the ubiquity of such initiatives across geographical and cultural boundaries. Such reforms have been driven and supported by a substantial body of research, much of which has uncritically accepted the view that technology-rich reform is inherently “good” or necessary. Learning technology research has thus tended to focus on epistemological matters such as learning design at the expense of ontology. This paper engages with emerging research into technology as an identity issue for learners and teachers to explore the implications of technology-driven education reform on educational institutions, policies and practices.
Fabrication of electric heating garment with plasma-assisted metal coating (PAC) technology
Authors: Mo Songying , Mo Manni , Ho Kai-Chiu
Published: November 2019

Purpose

Under extremely cold weather, traditional winter clothing may not be adequate to keep warm in the harsh environment. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

Wearable heat-generating (electric heating) clothing which covers the thermal sensitive zone of the human body can protect the human body from hypothermia. Existing heatable jacket in the market using carbon fiber is relatively expensive, complicated and require a lengthy manufacturing time.

Findings

Through experimental evaluation, the textile treated by plasma-assisted metal coating (PAC) has demonstrated excellent stability in temperature during the heating process.

Originality/value

This paper introduces an innovative, low-cost PAC technology using optimized plasma-assisted metallic deposition that is able to preserve the physical properties of the textile.
Minimizing losses at red meat supply chain with circular and central slaughterhouse model
Authors: Kayikci Yasanur , Ozbiltekin Melisa , Kazancoglu Yigit
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to find solutions to improve the red meat sector in an emerging economy, Turkey, from the circular economy point of view, and taking sustainability approach. The need for circular management within the red meat sector in Turkey is emphasized by using Grey method. As theoretical contribution of this study, the investigation of the causes of losses at the slaughter stages of the red meat supply chain leads to proposals for sustainable and circular solutions.

Design/methodology/approach

Grey method is used to predict the number of slaughtered cattle and the amount of bone and blood waste in the slaughtering process between 2018 and 2020.

Findings

It is revealed that according to Grey prediction calculations, although the amount of slaughtered cattle, bone and blood waste seem have decreased between 2018 and 2020, there are still significant losses in Turkish red meat sector. For bone waste, this is expected to be 56,581,200 kg in 2018, 48,235,840 kg in 2019 and 41,121,380 kg in 2020. For blood waste, it is expected to be 24,754,275 kg in 2018, 21,103,180 kg in 2019 and 17,990,604 kg in 2020.

Social implications

The proposed model in the study will contribute on sector revitalization, increase in product safety, quality and hygiene, development in the management of training and education centers for farmers/labors and increase in employment.

Originality/value

This paper represents policymakers with a proposal for triple bottom line (TBL) based circular and central slaughterhouse model, based on TBL, which brings social, economic and environmental benefits for the red meat sector in Turkey.
Pungent parks: smell’s growing relevance in park tourism
Authors: Rice William L. , Hamilton Garrett C. , Newman Peter
Published: November 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the growing relevance of natural smells – both pleasant and unpleasant – to park and protected area tourism and the need for more consideration of their role in the visitor experience.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents four observations – selected via an informal review of the tourism literature – relevant to the future of smellscapes research concerning tourism in parks and protected areas.

Findings

An emerging body of literature is indicating natural smells are central to the sensory experience of parks and protected areas. The iconic nature of park smellscapes underscores their role in the tourism experience.

Originality/value

This paper extracts the current trends in smellscapes research relevant to park and protected area tourism. It therefore provides value to both tourism practitioners and researchers, alike, through its attempt to compile significant trends.