bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of the Parnes particle repositioning manoeuvre for posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
Authors: Kinne B L , Leafman J S
Published: October 2015

Background:

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is a common vestibular disorder that negatively affects an individual's health-related quality of life. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of the Parnes particle repositioning manoeuvre as an intervention for individuals with posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Methods:

The de-identified records of 155 individuals treated with the Parnes manoeuvre were examined. Descriptive statistics were calculated, including the frequency and valid per cent of participants whose nystagmus was resolved with the Parnes manoeuvre.

Results:

In all, nystagmus was resolved with the Parnes manoeuvre in 145 participants (93.5 per cent). The mean number of manoeuvres needed to resolve the nystagmus was 1.3.

Conclusion:

The Parnes manoeuvre proved to be as effective as the Epley canalith repositioning manoeuvre, currently the most common intervention, in treating individuals with posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.
The effect of OK-432 (Picibanil) injection on the histopathology of nasal turbinate
Authors: Sengul S , Kaygusuz İ , Akin M M , Yalcin Ş , Karlidag T , Keles E , Arslan İ
Published: October 2015

Objective:

This study aimed to assess the histopathological effect of OK-432 (Picibanil) on rabbit nasal turbinates.

Methods:

A total of 21 rabbits were divided into 3 treatment groups and various parts of both nasal turbinates were injected with 0.5 ml OK-432, 0.2 ml OK-432 or 0.6 ml saline (control). Bilateral nasal turbinates were later excised and studied under light microscopy to assess any histopathological changes.

Results:

Animals in the 0.2 ml and 0.5 ml OK-432 groups exhibited mild ciliary loss, goblet cell loss and epithelial damage, and a marked increase in inflammatory cell infiltration, submucosal vascularisation and fibrosis. There was a significant difference in histopathological changes between the two OK-432 treated groups. In addition, each OK-432 treated group had significantly more inflammatory cell infiltration, increased submucosal vascularisation and fibrosis compared with controls.

Conclusion:

The marked fibrosis observed in OK-432-injected turbinates may be responsible for a reduction in turbinate size.
Effect of toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes on fast particle confinement in the spherical tokamak Globus-M
Authors: Petrov Yu. V. , Bakharev N. N. , Gusev V. K. , Minaev V. B. , Kornev V. A. , Kurskiev G. S. , Patrov M. I. , Sakharov N. V. , Tolstyakov S. Yu. , Shchegolev P. B.
Published: October 2015

In experiments with neutral beam injection at the early stage of a Globus-M discharge, instabilities were observed that were excited by fast ions in the frequency range of 50–200 kHz, which were identified as toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes (TAE) (Petrov et al., Plasma Phys. Rep., vol. 37, 2011, pp. 1001–1005). In contradiction with the NSTX and MAST tokamaks, a regime of TAE generation was realized with strongly developed single modes. Magnetic measurements with fast Mirnov probes have shown that most of the modes have toroidal number $n=1$. The influence of the modes on the fast particle confinement was recorded by means of a tangentially directed neutral particle analyser (NPA) and neutron detector. Hydrogen and deuterium were used as target plasma and injected beam for study of the isotopic effect. At deuterium injection into the deuterium plasma, TAE led to the neutron rate dropping by 25 %, whereas NPA fluxes of high energy dropped by 75 %. At hydrogen injection, the drop in the measured NPA fluxes did not exceed 25 %.
Maternal depression and anxiety predicts the pattern of offspring symptoms during their transition to adulthood
Authors: Gonçalves H. , Pearson R. M. , Horta B. L. , González-Chica D. A. , Castilho E. , Damiani M. , Lima R. C. , Gigante D. P. , Barros F. C. , Stein A. , Victora C. G.
Published: October 2015

Background

Episodes of depression and anxiety (D&A) during the transition from late adolescence to adulthood, particularly when persistent, are predictive of long-term disorders and associated public health burden. Understanding risk factors at this time is important to guide intervention. The current objective was to investigate the associations between maternal symptoms of D&A with offspring symptoms during their transition to adulthood.

Method

Data from a large population-based birth cohort study, in South Brazil, were used. Prospective associations between maternal D&A and offspring risk of these symptoms during the transition to adulthood (18/19, 24 and 30 years) were estimated.

Results

Maternal D&A in adolescence was associated with offspring symptoms across the transition to adulthood, associations were consistently stronger for females than for males. Daughters whose mothers reported D&A were 4.6 times (95% confidence interval 2.71–7.84) as likely to report D&A at all three time-points, than daughters of symptom-free mothers.

Conclusions

Maternal D&A is associated with persistent D&A during the daughter's transition to adulthood. Intervention strategies should consider the mother's mental health.
Default mode network abnormalities during state switching in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Authors: Sidlauskaite J. , Sonuga-Barke E. , Roeyers H. , Wiersema J. R.
Published: October 2015

Background

Individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) display excess levels of default mode network (DMN) activity during goal-directed tasks, which are associated with attentional disturbances and performance decrements. One hypothesis is that this is due to attenuated down-regulation of this network during rest-to-task switching. A second related hypothesis is that it may be associated with right anterior insula (rAI) dysfunction – a region thought to control the actual state-switching process.

Method

These hypotheses were tested in the current fMRI study in which 19 adults with ADHD and 21 typically developing controls undertook a novel state-to-state switching paradigm. Advance cues signalled upcoming switches between rest and task periods and switch-related anticipatory modulation of DMN and rAI was measured. To examine whether rest-to-task switching impairments may be a specific example of a more general state regulation deficit, activity upon task-to-rest cues was also analysed.

Results

Against our hypotheses, we found that the process of down-regulating the DMN when preparing to switch from rest to task was unimpaired in ADHD and that there was no switch-specific deficit in rAI modulation. However, individuals with ADHD showed difficulties up-regulating the DMN when switching from task to rest.

Conclusions

Rest-to-task DMN attenuation seems to be intact in adults with ADHD and thus appears unrelated to excess DMN activity observed during tasks. Instead, individuals with ADHD exhibit attenuated up-regulation of the DMN, hence suggesting disturbed re-initiation of a rest state.
The shared experience of caring: a study of care-workers' motivations and identifications at work
Authors: BJERREGAARD KIRSTIEN , HASLAM S. ALEXANDER , MEWSE AVRIL , MORTON THOMAS
Published: October 2015

This article presents an analysis of long-term care-workers' work motivation that examines the way this is shaped by the social contexts in which they operate. We conducted a thematic analysis of 19 in-depth interviews with care-workers. Three core themes were identified as underpinning their motivation: those of ‘fulfilment’, ‘belonging’ and ‘valuing’, and together these contributed to a central theme of ‘pride’. We also found an overarching theme of ‘shared experience’ to be integral to the way in which care-workers made sense of their motivation and work experience. We draw on the social identity approach to provide a conceptual framework through which to understand how this shared experience shapes care-workers' motivation and the quality of care they deliver. In particular, we note the importance that care-workers' attach to their relationships with clients/patients and highlight the way in which this relational identification shapes their collective identification with their occupation and organisation and, through this, their motivation.
INCIDENTAL ACQUISITION OF GRAMMATICAL FEATURES DURING READING IN L1 AND L2
Authors: Bordag Denisa , Kirschenbaum Amit , Opitz Andreas , Rogahn Maria , Tschirner Erwin
Published: October 2015

The present study explores the initial stages of incidental acquisition of two grammatical properties of verbs (subcategorization and [ir]regularity) during reading in first language (L1) and second language (L2) German using an adjusted self-paced reading paradigm. The results indicate that L1 speakers are superior to L2 speakers in the incidental acquisition of grammatical knowledge (experiments on subcategorization), except when the new knowledge interferes with previously acquired knowledge and mechanisms (experiments on [ir]regularity): Although both populations performed equally well regarding the acquisition of the subcategorization of verbs from the input (i.e., whether the verbs are transitive or intransitive), they differed with respect to the regularity status of new verbs. L1 speakers (in contrast to L2 learners) seem to disprefer irregularly conjugated verb forms in general, irrespective of their conjugation in the previous input. The results further show that the syntactic complexity of the context and morphological markedness positively affect the incidental acquisition of new words in the L2, triggering learners’ shift of attention from the text level to the word level.
The Newton tree: geometric interpretation and applications to the motivic zeta function and the log canonical threshold
Authors: CASSOU-NOGUÈS PIERRETTE , VEYS WILLEM
Published: October 2015

Let${\mathcal I}$be an arbitrary ideal in${\mathbb C}$[[x,y]]. We use the Newton algorithm to compute by induction the motivic zeta function of the ideal, yielding only few poles, associated to the faces of the successive Newton polygons. We associate a minimal Newton tree to${\mathcal I}$, related to using good coordinates in the Newton algorithm, and show that it has a conceptual geometric interpretation in terms of the log canonical model of${\mathcal I}$. We also compute the log canonical threshold from a Newton polygon and strengthen Corti's inequalities.
Micromeasure distributions and applications for conformally generated fractals
Authors: FRASER JONATHAN M. , POLLICOTT MARK
Published: October 2015

We study the scaling scenery of Gibbs measures for subshifts of finite type on self-conformal fractals and applications to Falconer's distance set problem and dimensions of projections. Our analysis includes hyperbolic Julia sets, limit sets of Schottky groups and graph-directed self-similar sets.
Real zeros of Hurwitz–Lerch zeta and Hurwitz–Lerch type of Euler–Zagier double zeta functions
Authors: NAKAMURA TAKASHI
Published: October 2015

Let 0 < a ⩽ 1, s, z ∈ ${\mathbb{C}}$ and 0 < |z| ⩽ 1. Then the Hurwitz–Lerch zeta function is defined by Φ(s, a, z) ≔ ∑∞n = 0zn(n + a)− s when σ ≔ ℜ(s) > 1. In this paper, we show that the Hurwitz zeta function ζ(σ, a) ≔ Φ(σ, a, 1) does not vanish for all 0 < σ < 1 if and only if a ⩾ 1/2. Moreover, we prove that Φ(σ, a, z) ≠ 0 for all 0 < σ < 1 and 0 < a ⩽ 1 when z ≠ 1. Real zeros of Hurwitz–Lerch type of Euler–Zagier double zeta functions are studied as well.
Evaluation of a structured expert elicitation estimating the proportion of illness acquired by foodborne transmission for nine enteric pathogens in Australia
Authors: VALLY H. , GLASS K. , FORD L. , HALL G. , KIRK M. D. , SHADBOLT C. , VEITCH M. G. K. , FULLERTON K. E. , MUSTO J. , BECKER N.
Published: October 2015

Estimates of the proportion of illness transmitted by food for different enteric pathogens are essential for foodborne burden-of-disease studies. Owing to insufficient scientific data, a formal synthesis of expert opinion, an expert elicitation, is commonly used to produce such estimates. Eleven experts participated in an elicitation to estimate the proportion of illnesses due to food in Australia for nine pathogens over three rounds: first, based on their own knowledge alone; second, after being provided with systematic reviews of the literature and Australian data; and finally, at a workshop where experts reflected on the evidence. Estimates changed significantly across the three rounds (P= 0·002) as measured by analysis of variance. Following the workshop in round 3, estimates showed smoother distributions with significantly less variation for several pathogens. When estimates were combined to provide combined distributions for each pathogen, the width of these combined distributions reflected experts’ perceptions of the availability of evidence, with narrower intervals for pathogens for which evidence was judged to be strongest. Our findings show that the choice of expert elicitation process can significantly influence final estimates. Our structured process – and the workshop in particular – produced robust estimates and distributions appropriate for inclusion in burden-of-disease studies.
Nurse and parent perceptions associated with the Parent Education Discharge Instruction Programme in southern India
Authors: Staveski Sandra L. , Parveen V. P , Madathil Sai B. , Kools Susan , Franck Linda S.
Published: October 2015

Introduction

Parents of children with CHD require home care knowledge in order to ensure their child’s health and safety, but there has been no research on how to achieve this in a resource-constrained environment. The aim of this investigation was to compare parent and nurse perceptions of parent readiness for discharge after a structured nurse-led parent discharge teaching programme in India.

Materials and methods

A pre-post design was used to compare parent and nurse perceptions of parental uncertainty and readiness for hospital discharge before and after introduction of the parent education discharge instruction programme in a paediatric cardiac surgery unit.

Results

Parents (n=68) and nurses (n=63) participated in this study. After the discharge programme implementation, parents had less uncertainty (M=93.3 SD=10.7 versus M=83.6 SD=4.9, p=0.001) and ambiguity (M=40.8 SD=6.8 versus M=33.4 SD=3.7, p=0.001) about their child’s illness; however, they rated themselves as being less able to cope with the transition to home (M=24.3 SD=4.1 versus 23.1 SD=2.2, p=0.001) and as having less support at home than that required (M=31.5 SD=9.9 versus 30.9 SD=3.2, p=0.001). Parents’ and nurses’ perception of parental readiness for hospital discharge were more closely aligned after implementation of a nurse-led discharge programme (r=0.81, p=0.001).

Conclusion

The results of this study suggest that the discharge programme had positive and negative effects on parental perceptions of uncertainty and readiness for discharge. Further examination is warranted to delineate these influences and to design methods for supporting parents during the transition to home care.
The positioning of palliative care in acute care: A multiperspective qualitative study in the context of metastatic melanoma
Authors: Fox Jennifer , Windsor Carol , Connell Shirley , Yates Patsy
Published: October 2015

Objective:

The positioning and meaning of palliative care within the healthcare system lacks clarity which adds a level of complexity to the process of transition to palliative care. This study explores the transition to the palliative care process in the acute care context of metastatic melanoma.

Method:

A theoretical framework drawing on interpretive and critical traditions informs this research. The pragmatism of symbolic interactionism and the critical theory of Habermas brought a broad orientation to the research. Integration of the theoretical framework and grounded-theory methods facilitated data generation and analysis of 29 interviews with patients, family carers, and healthcare professionals.

Results:

The key analytical findings depict a scope of palliative care that was uncertain for users of the system and for those working within the system. Becoming “palliative” is not a defined event; nor is there unanimity around referral to a palliative care service. As such, ambiguity and tension contribute to the difficulties involved in negotiating the transition to palliative care.

Significance of Results:

Our findings point to uncertainty around the scopes of practice in the transition to palliative care. The challenge in the transition process lies in achieving greater coherency of care within an increasingly specialized healthcare system. The findings may not only inform those within a metastatic melanoma context but may contribute more broadly to palliative practices within the acute care setting.
CPW-fed circular-shaped fractal antenna with three iterations for UWB applications
Authors: Singhal Sarthak , Pandey Ankit , Singh Amit Kumar
Published: October 2015

A coplanar waveguide (CPW)-fed circular-shaped fractal antenna with third iterative orthogonal elliptical slot for ultra-wideband applications is presented. The bandwidth is enhanced by using successive iterations of radiating patch, CPW feedline, and tapered ground plane. An impedance bandwidth of 2.9–20.6 GHz is achieved. The designed antenna has omnidirectional radiation patterns along with average peak realized gain of 3.5 dB over the entire frequency range of operation. A good agreement is observed between the simulated and experimental results. This antenna structure has the advantages of miniaturized size and wide bandwidth in comparison to previously reported fractal structures.
Psychometric Properties of the Formal Characteristics of Behavior-Temperament Inventory in Chinese Samples
Authors: Liu Wen , Chen Liang , Yang Ying , Zhang Shuai
Published: October 2015

This paper presents a Chinese adaption of the Formal Characteristics of the Behavior-Temperament Inventory (FCB-TI), a self-report instrument that evaluates six temperamental scales, based on Strelau’s concept of temperament. A first sample of 626 undergraduates completed the Chinese version of the Regulative Theory of Temperament Questionnaire (RTTQ), which is an initial pool of 381 items. Internal consistency suggests adequate reliability (.66 to .82), and an exploratory factor analysis revealed a six-factor solution consistent with the original instrument. A follow-up confirmatory factor analysis revealed good support for the temperament structure with a second sample of students (N = 2.980). Internal consistency and factorial structure were re-examined (Cronbach’s alpha ranged .64 to .85), and test-retest correlations over a two-week period ranged from .82 to .96 with a third sample of adults (N = 2.265). Convergent and discriminant validity was explored in relation to the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revision Short Scale for Chinese (EPQ-RSC) model dimensions. Results indicate that the Chinese version of the FCB-TI has similar psychometric properties and generally satisfactory reliability and validity.
Losing Hurts: The Happiness Impact of Partisan Electoral Loss
Authors: Pierce Lamar , Rogers Todd , Snyder Jason A.
Published: October 2015

Partisan identity shapes social, mental, economic, and physical life. Using a novel dataset, we study the consequences of partisan identity by examining the immediate impact of electoral loss and victory on happiness and sadness. Employing a quasi-experimental regression discontinuity model we present two primary findings. First, elections strongly affect the immediate happiness/sadness of partisan losers, but minimally impact partisan winners. This effect is consistent with psychological research on the good-bad hedonic asymmetry, but appears to dissipate within a week after the election. Second, the immediate happiness consequences to partisan losers are relatively strong. To illustrate, we show that partisans are affected two times more by their party losing the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election than both respondents with children were to the Newtown shootings and respondents living in Boston were to the Boston Marathon bombings. We discuss implications regarding the centrality of partisan identity to the self and its well-being.
Ape parasite origins of human malaria virulence genes
Authors: Larremore Daniel B. , Sundararaman Sesh A. , Liu Weimin , Proto William R. , Clauset Aaron , Loy Dorothy E. , Speede Sheri , Plenderleith Lindsey J. , Sharp Paul M. , Hahn Beatrice H. , Rayner Julian C. , Buckee Caroline O.
Published: October 2015

Antigens encoded by the var gene family are major virulence factors of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, exhibiting enormous intra- and interstrain diversity. Here we use network analysis to show that var architecture and mosaicism are conserved at multiple levels across the Laverania subgenus, based on var-like sequences from eight single-species and three multi-species Plasmodium infections of wild-living or sanctuary African apes. Using select whole-genome amplification, we also find evidence of multi-domain var structure and synteny in Plasmodium gaboni, one of the ape Laverania species most distantly related to P. falciparum, as well as a new class of Duffy-binding-like domains. These findings indicate that the modular genetic architecture and sequence diversity underlying var-mediated host-parasite interactions evolved before the radiation of the Laverania subgenus, long before the emergence of P. falciparum.
The thiostrepton A tryptophan methyltransferase TsrM catalyses a cob(II)alamin-dependent methyl transfer reaction
Authors: Benjdia Alhosna , Pierre Stéphane , Gherasim Carmen , Guillot Alain , Carmona Manon , Amara Patricia , Banerjee Ruma , Berteau Olivier
Published: October 2015

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a novel class of natural products including several antibiotics and bacterial toxins. In countless RiPP biosynthetic pathways, cobalamin-dependent radical SAM (B12/rSAM) enzymes play a pivotal role. In the biosynthetic pathway of the antibiotic and anti-cancer agent thiostrepton A, TsrM, a B12/rSAM enzyme, catalyses the transfer of a methyl group to an electrophilic carbon atom of tryptophan. Here we show that methylcob(III)alamin is the probable physiological enzyme cofactor, and cob(II)alamin rather than cob(I)alamin is a key reaction intermediate. Furthermore, we establish that TsrM and a triple-alanine mutant alkylate cob(II)alamin efficiently leading to the synthesis of MeCbl. Exploiting TsrM substrate ambiguity, we demonstrate that TsrM does not catalyse substrate H-atom abstraction like most radical SAM enzymes. Based on these data, we propose an unprecedented radical-based C-methylation mechanism, which further expands the chemical versatility of rSAM enzymes.
Nano-guided cell networks as conveyors of molecular communication
Authors: Terrell Jessica L. , Wu Hsuan-Chen , Tsao Chen-Yu , Barber Nathan B. , Servinsky Matthew D. , Payne Gregory F. , Bentley William E.
Published: October 2015

Advances in nanotechnology have provided unprecedented physical means to sample molecular space. Living cells provide additional capability in that they identify molecules within complex environments and actuate function. We have merged cells with nanotechnology for an integrated molecular processing network. Here we show that an engineered cell consortium autonomously generates feedback to chemical cues. Moreover, abiotic components are readily assembled onto cells, enabling amplified and ‘binned’ responses. Specifically, engineered cell populations are triggered by a quorum sensing (QS) signal molecule, autoinducer-2, to express surface-displayed fusions consisting of a fluorescent marker and an affinity peptide. The latter provides means for attaching magnetic nanoparticles to fluorescently activated subpopulations for coalescence into colour-indexed output. The resultant nano-guided cell network assesses QS activity and conveys molecular information as a ‘bio-litmus’ in a manner read by simple optical means.
Theta oscillations regulate the speed of locomotion via a hippocampus to lateral septum pathway
Authors: Bender Franziska , Gorbati Maria , Cadavieco Marta Carus , Denisova Natalia , Gao Xiaojie , Holman Constance , Korotkova Tatiana , Ponomarenko Alexey
Published: October 2015

Hippocampal theta oscillations support encoding of an animal’s position during spatial navigation, yet longstanding questions about their impact on locomotion remain unanswered. Combining optogenetic control of hippocampal theta oscillations with electrophysiological recordings in mice, we show that hippocampal theta oscillations regulate locomotion. In particular, we demonstrate that their regularity underlies more stable and slower running speeds during exploration. More regular theta oscillations are accompanied by more regular theta-rhythmic spiking output of pyramidal cells. Theta oscillations are coordinated between the hippocampus and its main subcortical output, the lateral septum (LS). Chemo- or optogenetic inhibition of this pathway reveals its necessity for the hippocampal regulation of running speed. Moreover, theta-rhythmic stimulation of LS projections to the lateral hypothalamus replicates the reduction of running speed induced by more regular hippocampal theta oscillations. These results suggest that changes in hippocampal theta synchronization are translated into rapid adjustment of running speed via the LS.
Probing molecular dynamics at the nanoscale via an individual paramagnetic centre
Authors: Staudacher T. , Raatz N. , Pezzagna S. , Meijer J. , Reinhard F. , Meriles C. A. , Wrachtrup J.
Published: October 2015

We demonstrate a protocol using individual nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond to observe the time evolution of proton spins from organic molecules located a few nanometres from the diamond surface. The protocol records temporal correlations among the interacting protons, and thus is sensitive to the local dynamics via its impact on the nuclear spin relaxation and interaction with the nitrogen vacancy. We gather information on the nanoscale rotational and translational diffusion dynamics by analysing the time dependence of the nuclear magnetic resonance signal. Applying this technique to liquid and solid samples, we find evidence that liquid samples form a semi-solid layer of 1.5-nm thickness on the surface of diamond, where translational diffusion is suppressed while rotational diffusion remains present. Extensions of the present technique could be exploited to highlight the chemical composition of molecules tethered to the diamond surface or to investigate thermally or chemically activated dynamical processes such as molecular folding.
Replication stress caused by low MCM expression limits fetal erythropoiesis and hematopoietic stem cell functionality
Authors: Alvarez Silvia , Díaz Marcos , Flach Johanna , Rodriguez-Acebes Sara , López-Contreras Andrés J. , Martínez Dolores , Cañamero Marta , Fernández-Capetillo Oscar , Isern Joan , Passegué Emmanuelle , Méndez Juan
Published: October 2015

Replicative stress during embryonic development influences ageing and predisposition to disease in adults. A protective mechanism against replicative stress is provided by the licensing of thousands of origins in G1 that are not necessarily activated in the subsequent S-phase. These ‘dormant’ origins provide a backup in the presence of stalled forks and may confer flexibility to the replication program in specific cell types during differentiation, a role that has remained unexplored. Here we show, using a mouse strain with hypomorphic expression of the origin licensing factor mini-chromosome maintenance (MCM)3 that limiting origin licensing in vivo affects the functionality of hematopoietic stem cells and the differentiation of rapidly-dividing erythrocyte precursors. Mcm3-deficient erythroblasts display aberrant DNA replication patterns and fail to complete maturation, causing lethal anemia. Our results indicate that hematopoietic progenitors are particularly sensitive to replication stress, and full origin licensing ensures their correct differentiation and functionality.
Bayesian integration of genetics and epigenetics detects causal regulatory SNPs underlying expression variability
Authors: Das Avinash , Morley Michael , Moravec Christine S. , Tang W. H. W. , Hakonarson Hakon ,   MAGNet Consortium, Ashley Euan A. , Brandimarto Jeffrey , Hu Ray , Li Mingyao , Li Hongzhe , Liu Yichuan , Qu Liming , Sanchez Pablo , Margulies Kenneth B. , Cappola Thomas P. , Jensen Shane , Hannenhalli Sridhar
Published: October 2015

The standard expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) detects polymorphisms associated with gene expression without revealing causality. We introduce a coupled Bayesian regression approach—eQTeL, which leverages epigenetic data to estimate regulatory and gene interaction potential, and identifies combination of regulatory single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that explain the gene expression variance. On human heart data, eQTeL not only explains a significantly greater proportion of expression variance but also predicts gene expression more accurately than other methods. Based on realistic simulated data, we demonstrate that eQTeL accurately detects causal regulatory SNPs, including those with small effect sizes. Using various functional data, we show that SNPs detected by eQTeL are enriched for allele-specific protein binding and histone modifications, which potentially disrupt binding of core cardiac transcription factors and are spatially proximal to their target. eQTeL SNPs capture a substantial proportion of genetic determinants of expression variance and we estimate that 58% of these SNPs are putatively causal.
FR171456 is a specific inhibitor of mammalian NSDHL and yeast Erg26p
Authors: Helliwell Stephen B. , Karkare Shantanu , Bergdoll Marc , Rahier Alain , Leighton-Davis Juliet R. , Fioretto Celine , Aust Thomas , Filipuzzi Ireos , Frederiksen Mathias , Gounarides John , Hoepfner Dominic , Hofmann Andreas , Imbert Pierre-Eloi , Jeker Rolf , Knochenmuss Richard , Krastel Philipp , Margerit Anais , Memmert Klaus , Miault Charlotte V. , Rao Movva N. , Muller Alban , Naegeli Hans-Ulrich , Oberer Lukas , Prindle Vivian , Riedl Ralph , Schuierer Sven , Sexton Jessica A. , Tao Jianshi , Wagner Trixie , Yin Hong , Zhang Juan , Roggo Silvio , Reinker Stefan , Parker Christian N.
Published: October 2015

FR171456 is a natural product with cholesterol-lowering properties in animal models, but its molecular target is unknown, which hinders further drug development. Here we show that FR171456 specifically targets the sterol-4-alpha-carboxylate-3-dehydrogenase (Saccharomyces cerevisiae—Erg26p, Homo sapiens—NSDHL (NAD(P) dependent steroid dehydrogenase-like)), an essential enzyme in the ergosterol/cholesterol biosynthesis pathway. FR171456 significantly alters the levels of cholesterol pathway intermediates in human and yeast cells. Genome-wide yeast haploinsufficiency profiling experiments highlight the erg26/ERG26 strain, and multiple mutations in ERG26 confer resistance to FR171456 in growth and enzyme assays. Some of these ERG26 mutations likely alter Erg26 binding to FR171456, based on a model of Erg26. Finally, we show that FR171456 inhibits an artificial Hepatitis C viral replicon, and has broad antifungal activity, suggesting potential additional utility as an anti-infective. The discovery of the target and binding site of FR171456 within the target will aid further development of this compound.
Reversible amorphization and the catalytically active state of crystalline Co3O4 during oxygen evolution
Authors: Bergmann Arno , Martinez-Moreno Elias , Teschner Detre , Chernev Petko , Gliech Manuel , de Araújo Jorge Ferreira , Reier Tobias , Dau Holger , Strasser Peter
Published: October 2015

Water splitting catalysed by earth-abundant materials is pivotal for global-scale production of non-fossil fuels, yet our understanding of the active catalyst structure and reactivity is still insufficient. Here we report on the structurally reversible evolution of crystalline Co3O4 electrocatalysts during oxygen evolution reaction identified using advanced in situ X-ray techniques. At electrode potentials facilitating oxygen evolution, a sub-nanometre shell of the Co3O4 is transformed into an X-ray amorphous CoOx(OH)y which comprises di-μ-oxo-bridged Co3+/4+ ions. Unlike irreversible amorphizations, here, the formation of the catalytically-active layer is reversed by re-crystallization upon return to non-catalytic electrode conditions. The Co3O4 material thus combines the stability advantages of a controlled, stable crystalline material with high catalytic activity, thanks to the structural flexibility of its active amorphous oxides. We propose that crystalline oxides may be tailored for generating reactive amorphous surface layers at catalytic potentials, just to return to their stable crystalline state under rest conditions.
Cobalt-centred boron molecular drums with the highest coordination number in the CoB16− cluster
Authors: Popov Ivan A. , Jian Tian , Lopez Gary V. , Boldyrev Alexander I. , Wang Lai-Sheng
Published: October 2015

The electron deficiency and strong bonding capacity of boron have led to a vast variety of molecular structures in chemistry and materials science. Here we report the observation of highly symmetric cobalt-centered boron drum-like structures of CoB16−, characterized by photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. The photoelectron spectra display a relatively simple spectral pattern, suggesting a high symmetry structure. Two nearly degenerate isomers with D8d (I) and C4v (II) symmetries are found computationally to compete for the global minimum. These drum-like structures consist of two B8 rings sandwiching a cobalt atom, which has the highest coordination number known heretofore in chemistry. We show that doping of boron clusters with a transition metal atom induces an earlier two-dimensional to three-dimensional structural transition. The CoB16− cluster is tested as a building block in a triple-decker sandwich, suggesting a promising route for its realization in the solid state.
Adiposity and immune-muscle crosstalk in South Asians & Europeans: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Samaan M.Constantine , Anand Sonia S. , Sharma Arya M. , Bonner Ashley , Beyene Joseph , Samjoo Imtiaz , Tarnopolsky Mark A.
Published: October 2015

South Asians (SA) are at higher risk of cardiometabolic disorders than Europeans (EU), yet the potential determinants of this risk are poorly understood. We tested the hypotheses that 1) South Asians (SA) have greater muscle inflammation compared to Europeans (EU) at similar fat mass 2) differential regional adiposity in SA compared to EU is associated with enhanced muscle inflammation in SA. This cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary academic center in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The study included 29 EU and 26 SA. Quantitative real-time PCR and western blot were used to measure muscle inflammation. Statistical analysis was done using a General Linear Model. Despite having similar macrophage content to EU, SA muscle had lower levels of chemokine CCL2 compared to EU at gene expression (β -1.099, SE β 0.521, p-value 0.04) and protein (0.84 ± 0.69 versus 1.10 ± 0.60, p-value 0.052) levels. SA had more pronounced abdominal and hepatic adiposity, with smaller Intramyocellular lipid particles compared to EU (0.26 ± 0.12 μm2 versus 0.15 ± 0.06 μm2, p-value 0.02). In conclusion, CCL2 downregulation in SA may be an attempt to protect muscle against macrophage infiltration and defects in fatty acid partitioning to muscle may lead to the disproportionate adiposity and adverse cardiometabolic profile in SA.
Audiovisual temporal recalibration occurs independently at two different time scales
Authors: Van der Burg Erik , Alais David , Cass John
Published: October 2015

Combining signals across the senses improves precision and speed of perception, although this multisensory benefit declines for asynchronous signals. Multisensory events may produce synchronized stimuli at source but asynchronies inevitably arise due to distance, intensity, attention and neural latencies. Temporal recalibration is an adaptive phenomenon that serves to perceptually realign physically asynchronous signals. Recently, it was discovered that temporal recalibration occurs far more rapidly than previously thought and does not require minutes of adaptation. Using a classical audiovisual simultaneity task and a series of brief flashes and tones varying in onset asynchrony, perceived simultaneity on a given trial was found to shift in the direction of the preceding trial’s asynchrony. Here we examine whether this inter-trial recalibration reflects the same process as prolonged adaptation by combining both paradigms: participants adapted to a fixed temporal lag for several minutes followed by a rapid series of test trials requiring a synchrony judgment. Interestingly, we find evidence of recalibration from prolonged adaptation and inter-trial recalibration within a single experiment. We show a dissociation in which sustained adaptation produces a large but decaying recalibration effect whilst inter-trial recalibration produces large transient effects whose sign matches that of the previous trial.
A Stable Dual-wavelength Thulium-doped Fiber Laser at 1.9 μm Using Photonic Crystal Fiber
Authors: Soltanian M. R. K. , Ahmad H. , Khodaie A. , Amiri I. S. , Ismail M. F. , Harun S. W.
Published: October 2015

A stable dual-wavelength thulium-doped fiber laser operating at 1.9 μm using a short length of photonic crystal fiber (PCF) has been proposed and demonstrated. The photonics crystal fiber was 10 cm in length and effectively acted as a Mach-Zehnder interferometry element with a free spectral range of 0.2 nm. This dual-wavelength thulium-doped fiber laser operated steadily at room temperature with a 45 dB optical signal-to-noise-ratio.
A calmodulin like EF hand protein positively regulates oxalate decarboxylase expression by interacting with E-box elements of the promoter
Authors: Kamthan Ayushi , Kamthan Mohan , Kumar Avinash , Sharma Pratima , Ansari Sekhu , Thakur Sarjeet Singh , Chaudhuri Abira , Datta Asis
Published: October 2015

Oxalate decarboxylase (OXDC) enzyme has immense biotechnological applications due to its ability to decompose anti-nutrient oxalic acid. Flammulina velutipes, an edible wood rotting fungus responds to oxalic acid by induction of OXDC to maintain steady levels of pH and oxalate anions outside the fungal hyphae. Here, we report that upon oxalic acid induction, a calmodulin (CaM) like protein-FvCaMLP, interacts with the OXDC promoter to regulate its expression. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that FvCamlp specifically binds to two non-canonical E-box elements (AACGTG) in the OXDC promoter. Moreover, substitutions of amino acids in the EF hand motifs resulted in loss of DNA binding ability of FvCamlp. F. velutipes mycelia treated with synthetic siRNAs designed against FvCaMLP showed significant reduction in FvCaMLP as well as OXDC transcript pointing towards positive nature of the regulation. FvCaMLP is different from other known EF hand proteins. It shows sequence similarity to both CaMs and myosin regulatory light chain (Cdc4), but has properties typical of a calmodulin, like binding of 45Ca2+, heat stability and Ca2+ dependent electrophoretic shift. Hence, FvCaMLP can be considered a new addition to the category of unconventional Ca2+ binding transcriptional regulators.
Designed synthesis of double-stage two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks
Authors: Chen Xiong , Addicoat Matthew , Jin Enquan , Xu Hong , Hayashi Taku , Xu Fei , Huang Ning , Irle Stephan , Jiang Donglin
Published: October 2015

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emerging class of crystalline porous polymers in which organic building blocks are covalently and topologically linked to form extended crystalline polygon structures, constituting a new platform for designing π-electronic porous materials. However, COFs are currently synthesised by a few chemical reactions, limiting the access to and exploration of new structures and properties. The development of new reaction systems that avoid such limitations to expand structural diversity is highly desired. Here we report that COFs can be synthesised via a double-stage connection that polymerises various different building blocks into crystalline polygon architectures, leading to the development of a new type of COFs with enhanced structural complexity and diversity. We show that the double-stage approach not only controls the sequence of building blocks but also allows fine engineering of pore size and shape. This strategy is widely applicable to different polymerisation systems to yield hexagonal, tetragonal and rhombus COFs with predesigned pores and π-arrays.
Ring finger protein 166 potentiates RNA virus-induced interferon-β production via enhancing the ubiquitination of TRAF3 and TRAF6
Authors: Chen Hai-Wei , Yang Yong-Kang , Xu Hao , Yang Wei-Wei , Zhai Zhong-He , Chen Dan-Ying
Published: October 2015

Host cells orchestrate the production of IFN-β upon detecting invading viral pathogens. Here, we report that Ring finger protein 166 (RNF166) potentiates RNA virus-triggered IFN-β production. Overexpression of RNF166 rather than its homologous proteins RNF114, RNF125 and RNF138, enhanced Sendai virus (SeV)-induced activation of the IFN-β promoter. Knockdown of endogenous RNF166, but not other RNFs, inhibited the IFN-β production induced by SeV and encephalomyocarditis virus. RNF166 interacted with TRAF3 and TRAF6. SeV-induced ubiquitination of TRAF3 and TRAF6 was suppressed when endogenous RNF166 rather than RNF114/138 was knocked down. These findings suggest that RNF166 positively regulates RNA virus-triggered IFN-β production by enhancing the ubiquitination of TRAF3 and TRAF6.
Structure, dynamics and stability of water/scCO2/mineral interfaces from ab initio molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Lee Mal-Soon , Peter McGrail B. , Rousseau Roger , Glezakou Vassiliki-Alexandra
Published: October 2015

The boundary layer at solid-liquid interfaces is a unique reaction environment that poses significant scientific challenges to characterize and understand by experimentation alone. Using ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) methods, we report on the structure and dynamics of boundary layer formation, cation mobilization and carbonation under geologic carbon sequestration scenarios (T = 323 K and P = 90 bar) on a prototypical anorthite (001) surface. At low coverage, water film formation is enthalpically favored, but entropically hindered. Simulated adsorption isotherms show that a water monolayer will form even at the low water concentrations of water-saturated scCO2. Carbonation reactions readily occur at electron-rich terminal Oxygen sites adjacent to cation vacancies that readily form in the presence of a water monolayer. These results point to a carbonation mechanism that does not require prior carbonic acid formation in the bulk liquid. This work also highlights the modern capabilities of theoretical methods to address structure and reactivity at interfaces of high chemical complexity.
Super-radiant mode in InAs—monolayer–based Bragg structures
Authors: Pozina G. , Kaliteevski M. A. , Nikitina E. V. , Denisov D. V. , Polyakov N. K. , Pirogov E. V. , Goray L. I. , Gubaydullin A. R. , Ivanov K. A. , Kaliteevskaya N. A. , Egorov A. Yu. , Clark S. J.
Published: October 2015

We report direct experimental evidence of the collective super-radiant mode in Bragg structure containing 60 InAs monolayer-based quantum wells (QWs) periodically arranged in GaAs matrix. Time-resolved photoluminescence measurements reveal an appearance of the additional super-radiant mode, originated from coherent collective interaction of QWs. This mode demonstrates a super-linear dependence of the intensity and radiative decay rate on the excitation power. The super-radiant mode is not manifested in the case if only a small number of QWs is excited.
Modification of the association between maternal smoke exposure and congenital heart defects by polymorphisms in glutathione S-transferase genes
Authors: Li Xiaohong , Liu Zhen , Deng Ying , Li Shengli , Mu Dezhi , Tian Xiaoxian , Lin Yuan , Yang Jiaxiang , Li Jun , Li Nana , Wang Yanping , Chen Xinlin , Deng Kui , Zhu Jun
Published: October 2015

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) arise through various combinations of genetic and environmental factors. Our study explores how polymorphisms in the glutathione S-transferase (GST) genes affect the association between cigarette smoke exposure and CHDs. We analysed 299 mothers of children with CHDs and 284 mothers of children without any abnormalities who were recruited from six hospitals. The hair nicotine concentration (HNC) was used to quantify maternal smoke exposure and the maternal GSTT1 and GSTM1 and GSTP1 genes were sequenced. We found a trend of higher adjusted odds ratios with higher maternal HNC levels, suggesting a dose-response relationship between maternal smoke exposure and CHDs. The lowest HNC range associated with an increased risk of CHDs was 0.213–0.319 ng/mg among the mothers with functional deletions of GSTM1 or GSTT1and 0.319–0.573 ng/mg among the mothers with normal copies of GSTM1 and GSTT1. In addition, the adjusted odds ratio for an HNC of >0.573 ng/mg was 38.53 among the mothers with the GSTP1 AG or GG genotype, which was 7.76 (χ2 = 6.702, p = 0.010) times greater than the AOR in the mothers with GSTP1 AA genotype. Our study suggests that polymorphisms of maternal GST genes may modify the association of maternal smoke exposure with CHDs.
Migraine and possible etiologic heterogeneity for hormone-receptor-negative breast cancer
Authors: Shi Min , DeRoo Lisa A. , Sandler Dale P. , Weinberg Clarice R.
Published: October 2015

Migraine headache is often timed with the menstrual cycle. Some studies have reported reduced risk of breast cancer in migraineurs but most of those did not distinguish menstrually-related from non-menstrually-related migraine. To examine the possible associations between breast cancer and migraine overall and between cancer subcategories and the two migraine subtypes, we used a cohort study of 50,884 women whose sister had breast cancer and a sister-matched case-control study including 1,418 young-onset (<50 years) breast cancer cases. We analyzed the two studies individually and also in tandem via a hybrid Cox model, examining subcategories of breast cancer in relation to menstrually-related and non-menstrually-related migraine. History of migraine was not associated with breast cancer overall. Migraine showed an inverse association with ductal carcinoma in situ (HR = 0.77; 95% CI (0.62,0.96)). Also, women with non-menstrually-related migraine had increased risk (HR = 1.30, 95% CI (0.93,1.81)) while women with menstrually-related migraine had decreased risk (HR = 0.63, 95% CI (0.42,0.96)) of hormone-receptor-negative (ER−/PR−) cancer, with a significant contrast in estimated effects (P = 0.005). While replication of these subset-based findings will be needed, effect specificity could suggest that while migraine has little overall association with breast cancer, menstrual migraine may be associated with reduced risk of ER−/PR− breast cancer.
Lithium Sulfur Primary Battery with Super High Energy Density: Based on the Cauliflower-like Structured C/S Cathode
Authors: Ma Yiwen , Zhang Hongzhang , Wu Baoshan , Wang Meiri , Li Xianfeng , Zhang Huamin
Published: October 2015

The lithium-sulfur primary batteries, as seldom reported in the previous literatures, were developed in this work. In order to maximize its practical energy density, a novel cauliflower-like hierarchical porous C/S cathode was designed, for facilitating the lithium-ions transport and sulfur accommodation. This kind of cathode could release about 1300 mAh g−1 (S) capacity at sulfur loading of 6 ~ 14 mg cm−2 and showed excellent shelf stability during a month test at room temperature. As a result, the assembled Li-S soft package battery achieved an energy density of 504 Wh kg−1 (654 Wh L−1), which was the highest value ever reported to the best of our knowledge. This work might arouse the interests on developing primary Li-S batteries, with great potential for practical application.