bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adjunctive memantine in clozapine-treated refractory schizophrenia: an open-label 1-year extension study
Authors: Veerman S. R. T. , Schulte P. F. J. , Deijen J. B. , de Haan L.
Published: October 2016

Background

In a recent placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover trial (n = 52), significant beneficial effects on memory (d = 0.30) and negative symptoms (d = 0.29) were found after 12 weeks of memantine augmentation in patients with clozapine-refractory schizophrenia. In this open-label 1-year extension study we report the long-term effects and tolerability of memantine add-on therapy to clozapine.

Method

Completers of the first trial who experienced beneficial effects during 12 weeks of memantine treatment received memantine for 1 year. Primary endpoints were memory and executive function using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and the Clinical Global Impression Severity Scale (CGI-S).

Results

Of 31 randomized controlled trial completers who experienced beneficial effects from memantine, 24 received memantine for 1 year. The small improvement in memory found in the memantine condition in the placebo-controlled trial remained stable in the extension study. Executive function did not improve. After 26 weeks of memantine add-on therapy to clozapine, PANSS negative symptoms (r = 0.53), PANSS positive symptoms (r = 0.50) and PANSS total symptoms (r = 0.54) significantly improved. Even further significant improvement in all these measures was observed between 26 weeks and 52 weeks of memantine, with effect sizes varying from 0.39 to 0.51. CGI-S showed a non-significant moderate improvement at 26 weeks (r = 0.36) and 52 weeks (r = 0.34). Memantine was well tolerated without serious adverse effects.

Conclusions

In the 1-year extension phase the favourable effect of adjunctive memantine on memory was sustained and we observed further improvement of negative, positive and overall symptoms in patients with clozapine-treated refractory schizophrenia.
Clinical anxiety promotes excessive response inhibition
Authors: Grillon C. , Robinson O. J. , O'Connell K. , Davis A. , Alvarez G. , Pine D. S. , Ernst M.
Published: October 2016

Background

Laboratory tasks to delineate anxiety disorder features are used to refine classification and inform our understanding of etiological mechanisms. The present study examines laboratory measures of response inhibition, specifically the inhibition of a pre-potent motor response, in clinical anxiety. Data on associations between anxiety and response inhibition remain inconsistent, perhaps because of dissociable effects of clinical anxiety and experimentally manipulated state anxiety. Few studies directly assess the independent and interacting effects of these two anxiety types (state v. disorder) on response inhibition. The current study accomplished this goal, by manipulating state anxiety in healthy and clinically anxious individuals while they complete a response inhibition task.

Method

The study employs the threat-of-shock paradigm, one of the best-established manipulations for robustly increasing state anxiety. Participants included 82 adults (41 healthy; 41 patients with an anxiety disorder). A go/nogo task with highly frequent go trials was administered during alternating periods of safety and shock threat. Signal detection theory was used to quantify response bias and signal-detection sensitivity.

Results

There were independent effects of anxiety and clinical anxiety on response inhibition. In both groups, heightened anxiety facilitated response inhibition, leading to reduced nogo commission errors. Compared with the healthy group, clinical anxiety was associated with excessive response inhibition and increased go omission errors in both the safe and threat conditions.

Conclusions

Response inhibition and its impact on go omission errors appear to be a promising behavioral marker of clinical anxiety. These results have implications for a dimensional view of clinical anxiety.
Overwhelming post-splenectomy sepsis in patients with asplenia and hyposplenia: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: CHONG J. , JONES P. , SPELMAN D. , LEDER K. , CHENG A. C.
Published: October 2016

Overwhelming post-splenectomy infection (OPSI) is a serious complication of asplenia and is associated with encapsulated organisms, most commonlyStreptococcus pneumoniae,but alsoHaemophilus influenzaeandNeisseria meningitidis.We aimed to estimate the risk of infection in this patient group. We reviewed data collected by the Victorian Spleen Registry in Australia. On registration, all patients are asked about significant infections requiring admission to hospital for intravenous antibiotics; those requiring admission to ICU were defined as OPSI. In the 3274 asplenic patients registered 492 patients reported at least one episode of infection. There were 47 episodes of OPSI requiring intensive care (incidence rate 1·11/1000 patient-years). The risk of OPSI was highest in older patients, and there were no statistically significant differences in incidence by reason for splenectomy except for a higher rate in patients with medical hyposplenia. This study reinforces that post-splenectomy infection is a clinically significant but uncommon complication, and that fulminant infection requiring intensive care is a minority of all infections.
More than Skin Deep: Reconsidering Isolated Remains of ‘Fur-Bearing Species’ in the British and European Mesolithic
Authors: Overton Nick J.
Published: October 2016

Traditional accounts of animals in Mesolithic Northwest Europe have ultimately been economic in character, with a particular focus of the larger ungulate species that formed the dietary mainstay. Smaller mammalian species, regularly grouped as ‘fur-bearing’ species, also play a role in such accounts, as the source of important non-nutritional materials, namely their fur. However, how has placing these species in this broad category impacted archaeology's interpretation of their remains in the Mesolithic? This paper argues economic categorization of these species has led to an automatic interpretation of their remains, which may overlook evidence for other uses and treatments. This research proposes that the remains of ‘fur-bearing’ species were not just waste products from fur extraction, but were also wrapped up in complex and meaningful human-nonhuman relationships, which impacted how these remains were treated, and ultimately shaped the archaeological record.
Reconfiguring Hunting Magic: Southern Bushman (San) Perspectives on Taming and Their Implications for Understanding Rock Art
Authors: McGranaghan Mark , Challis Sam
Published: October 2016

The ethnographic decipherment of the Bushman (San) rock art of southern Africa instigated a revolution in our understanding of hunter-gatherer rock arts worldwide, even in regions widely separated from the original context of the model. Crucial to this decipherment were the narratives of the Bushman Qing, an inhabitant of the nineteenth-century Maloti-Drakensberg. This article returns to Qing's testimony to investigate why it is that a putative ‘hunter-gatherer’ of the Maloti-Drakensberg should have chosen to express the relationship between ritual specialists (‘shamans’) and non-human entities (game animals and the rain) through taming idioms. It discusses the wider context of ‘taming’ and ‘wildness’ in Southern Bushman thought, responding to calls to consider these communities and their visual arts in light of the perspectives of the ‘new animisms’. It explores how these idioms help us to understand particular visual tropes in the rock art of the Maloti-Drakensberg and highlights the integrated nature of ‘ritual’ and hunting specialists in Southern Bushman life.
Hierarchical Organization in the Acheulean to Middle Palaeolithic Transition at Bhimbetka, India
Authors: Shipton C.
Published: October 2016

The transition from the Acheulean to the Middle Palaeolithic represents a critical threshold in human evolution when archaic behaviour patterns gave way to the Levallois stone tool technology that characterizes later Pleistocene hominins including Homo neanderthalensis and early Homo sapiens. This article examines that transition through a comparative perspective on handaxes and cleavers (collectively referred to here as bifaces) from the site of Bhimbetka in central India. The Bhimbetka bifaces are compared to those from Patpara, another transitional assemblage in central India, as well as non-transitional Indian Acheulean assemblages. Bhimbetka and Patpara share unusually refined bifaces. While this refinement is attributed to invasive flaking at Patpara, at Bhimbetka it appears to be related to the ability to strike large thin flake blanks. These both have consequences for biface symmetry, with Patpara handaxes being particularly symmetrical in profile, while Bhimbetka cleavers are particularly symmetrical in section. Unlike Patpara, most of the Bhimbetka bifaces have not undergone resharpening. However, cleavers from the two sites do share unusually high rates of damage on their bits and the occasional use of cleavers as notches. It is argued that, while the transition at the two sites occurred independently, it was underpinned by the same cognitive pattern: an increased capacity for hierarchical organization.
From Chaîne Opératoire to Observational Analysis: A Pilot Study of a New Methodology for Analysing Changes in Cognitive Task-Structuring Strategies Across Different Hominin Tool-Making Events
Authors: Fairlie Joanna E. , Barham Lawrence S.
Published: October 2016

The chaîne opératoire (CO) approach is a well-established method for the analysis of tool creation, use and discard, and associated cognitive processes. Its effectiveness in respect of cognition, however, is occasionally challenged. We briefly review key critiques of its epistemological and methodological limitations and consider alternative options. We suggest a new epistemological position and methodology which can link CO with alternative cognitive models and with the true complexity inherent in the stone tool archaeological record. Perception-action and embodied cognition theory are the proposed foundations of a new epistemology that allows us to reject the concept of thought processes underlying tool-making sequences as static entities selected from memory. Instead, they are described as arising, changing and flowing with and through bodily activity, or as the products of constant interaction between body, mind and environment. They are better understood as ongoing processes of situated task-structuring rather than as objectified concepts or symbols. The new methodology is designed to analyse individual tool-making processes rather than their products. We use a pilot study to explore how it can highlight variations in the gestural processes that structure different technologies and thus indicate potential differences in the associated cognitive strategies of the various tool-makers concerned.
GENERAL INDEX TO VOLUME 73 (2016)
Authors: Editor Journal
Published: October 2016

Note: main entries are emboldened; *signifies the page range of keywords; pages with illustrations (Fig.), maps, reviews (Rev.) and appendices (App.) are indicated, tables are not annotated separately.
Formulaicity as a determinant of processing efficiency: investigating clause ordering in complex sentences
Authors: WIECHMANN DANIEL , KERZ ELMA
Published: October 2016

Prior research has identified a large number of processing-related factors that affect language users’ choices between two (or more) competing linguistic variants. However, one factor that up until now has not been taken into account is the reliance on formulaic language. This is surprising given a growing body of evidence demonstrating that recurrent multiword units – formulaic sequences and low-scope constructional patterns – play a key role in language learning and processing. Building on insights from research on formulaic language and usage-based constructionist models of language, we take a first step towards determining whether and to what extent formulaicity affects choices language users make in encoding the preverbal message. Focusing on clause ordering in English complex sentences with adverbial clauses (ACs), we investigate whether the choice between a preposed and a postposed AC is affected by the degree of formulaicity of the clause, as measured by (1) the amount of formulaic sequences in the AC and (2) the degree of entrenchment of an AC when treated as a low-scope pattern. Based on a reanalysis of the data in Diessel (2008), we found that the likelihood of an AC being produced in the cognitively more demanding sentence-initial position increased with higher degrees of formulaicity for both measures investigated. We conclude that reliance on formulaic language can be conceived of as a ‘support strategy’ compensating for increased processing effort.
Determination of the Effective Detector Area of an Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometer at the Scanning Electron Microscope Using Experimental and Theoretical X-Ray Emission Yields
Authors: Procop Mathias , Hodoroaba Vasile-Dan , Terborg Ralf , Berger Dirk
Published: October 2016

A method is proposed to determine the effective detector area for energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometers (EDS). Nowadays, detectors are available for a wide range of nominal areas ranging from 10 up to 150 mm2. However, it remains in most cases unknown whether this nominal area coincides with the “net active sensor area” that should be given according to the related standard ISO 15632, or with any other area of the detector device. Moreover, the specific geometry of EDS installation may further reduce a given detector area. The proposed method can be applied to most scanning electron microscope/EDS configurations. The basic idea consists in a comparison of the measured count rate with the count rate resulting from known X-ray yields of copper, titanium, or silicon. The method was successfully tested on three detectors with known effective area and applied further to seven spectrometers from different manufacturers. In most cases the method gave an effective area smaller than the area given in the detector description.
HURRICANES, CROPS, AND CAPITAL: THE METEOROLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF AMERICAN EMPIRE IN THE WEST INDIES
Authors: Pietruska Jamie L.
Published: October 2016

This article examines the mutually reinforcing imperatives of government science, capitalism, and American empire through a history of the U.S. Weather Bureau's West Indian weather service at the turn of the twentieth century. The original impetus for expanding American meteorological infrastructure into the Caribbean in 1898 was to protect naval vessels from hurricanes, but what began as a measure of military security became, within a year, an instrument of economic expansion that extracted climatological data and produced agricultural reports for American investors. This article argues that the West Indian weather service was a project of imperial meteorology that sought to impose a rational scientific and bureaucratic order on a region that American officials considered racially and culturally inferior, yet relied on the labor of local observers and Cuban meteorological experts in order to do so. Weather reporting networks are examined as a material and symbolic extension of American technoscientific power into the Caribbean and as a knowledge infrastructure that linked the production of agricultural commodities in Cuba and Puerto Rico to the world of commodity exchange in the United States.
AGU Should Sever Its Ties with ExxonMobil
Authors: Mann Michael , Oreskes Naomi , Emanuel Kerry
Published: October 2016

AGU and its funders should be held to the same standards of evidence-based scrutiny that it expects of the scientists who publish in its own journals.
Diversity and oceanic distribution of prasinophytes clade VII, the dominant group of green algae in oceanic waters
Authors: Lopes dos Santos Adriana , Gourvil Priscillia , Tragin Margot , Noël Mary-Hélène , Decelle Johan , Romac Sarah , Vaulot Daniel
Published: October 2016

Prasinophytes clade VII is a group of pico/nano-planktonic green algae (division Chlorophyta) for which numerous ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences have been retrieved from the marine environment in the last 15 years. A large number of strains have also been isolated but have not yet received a formal taxonomic description. A phylogenetic analysis of available strains using both the nuclear 18S and plastidial 16S rRNA genes demonstrates that this group composes at least 10 different clades: A1–A7 and B1–B3. Analysis of sequences from the variable V9 region of the 18S rRNA gene collected during the Tara Oceans expedition and in the frame of the Ocean Sampling Day consortium reveal that clade VII is the dominant Chlorophyta group in oceanic waters, replacing Mamiellophyceae, which have this role in coastal waters. At some location, prasinophytes clade VII can even be the dominant photosynthetic eukaryote representing up to 80% of photosynthetic metabarcodes overall. B1 and A4 are the overall dominant clades and different clades seem to occupy distinct niches, for example, A6 is dominant in surface Mediterranean Sea waters, whereas A4 extend to high temperate latitudes. Our work demonstrates that prasinophytes clade VII constitute a highly diversified group, which is a key component of phytoplankton in open oceanic waters but has been neglected in the conceptualization of marine microbial diversity and carbon cycle.
Microtubule organization is determined by the shape of epithelial cells
Authors: Gomez Juan Manuel , Chumakova Lyubov , Bulgakova Natalia A. , Brown Nicholas H.
Published: October 2016

Interphase microtubule organization is critical for cell function and tissue architecture. In general, physical mechanisms are sufficient to drive microtubule organization in single cells, whereas cells within tissues are thought to utilize signalling mechanisms. By improving the imaging and quantitation of microtubule alignment within developing Drosophila embryos, here we demonstrate that microtubule alignment underneath the apical surface of epithelial cells follows cell shape. During development, epidermal cell elongation and microtubule alignment occur simultaneously, but by perturbing cell shape, we discover that microtubule organization responds to cell shape, rather than the converse. A simple set of microtubule behaviour rules is sufficient for a computer model to mimic the observed responses to changes in cell surface geometry. Moreover, we show that microtubules colliding with cell boundaries zip-up or depolymerize in an angle-dependent manner, as predicted by the model. Finally, we show microtubule alignment responds to cell shape in diverse epithelia.
Non-targeted transcriptomic effects upon thyroid irradiation: similarity between in-field and out-of-field responses varies with tissue type
Authors: Langen Britta , Rudqvist Nils , Spetz Johan , Swanpalmer John , Helou Khalil , Forssell-Aronsson Eva
Published: October 2016

Non-targeted effects can induce responses in tissues that have not been exposed to ionizing radiation. Despite their relevance for risk assessment, few studies have investigated these effectsin vivo. In particular, these effects have not been studied in context with thyroid exposure, which can occur e.g. during irradiation of head and neck tumors. To determine the similarity between in-field and out-of-field responses in normal tissue, we used a partial body irradiation setup with female mice where the thyroid region, the thorax and abdomen, or all three regions were irradiated. After 24 h, transcriptional regulation in the kidney cortex, kidney medulla, liver, lungs, spleen, and thyroid was analyzed using microarray technology. Thyroid irradiation resulted in transcriptional regulation in the kidney medulla and liver that resembled regulation upon direct exposure of these tissues regarding both strength of response and associated biological function. The kidney cortex showed fewer similarities between the setups, while the lungs and spleen showed little similarity between in-field and out-of-field responses. Interestingly, effects were generally not found to be additive. Future studies are needed to identify the molecular mechanisms that mediate these systemic effects, so that they may be used as targets to minimize detrimental side effects in radiotherapy.
NtKRP, a kinesin-12 protein, regulates embryo/seed size and seed germination via involving in cell cycle progression at the G2/M transition
Authors: Tian Shujuan , Wu Jingjing , Li Fen , Zou Jianwei , Liu Yuwen , Zhou Bing , Bai Yang , Sun Meng-Xiang
Published: October 2016

Kinesins comprise a superfamily of microtubule-based motor proteins involved in essential processes in plant development, but few kinesins have been functionally identified during seed development. Especially, few kinesins that regulate cell division during embryogenesis have been identified. Here we report the functional characterization of NtKRP, a motor protein of the kinesin-12 family. NtKRP is predominantly expressed in embryos and embryonic roots. NtKRP RNAi lines displayed reductions in cell numbers in the meristematic zone, in embryonic root length, and in mature embryo and seed sizes. Furthermore, we also show that CDKA;1 binds to NtKRP at the consensus phosphorylation sites and that the decreased cell numbers in NtKRP-silenced embryos are due to a delay in cell division cycle at the G2/M transition. In addition, binding between the cargo-binding tail domain of NtKRP and CDKA; 1 was also determined. Our results reveal a novel molecular pathway that regulates embryo/seed development and critical role of kinesin in temporal and spatial regulation of a specific issue of embryo developmental.
tDCS over left M1 or DLPFC does not improve learning of a bimanual coordination task
Authors: Vancleef Kathleen , Meesen Raf , Swinnen Stephan P. , Fujiyama Hakuei
Published: October 2016

Previously, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the primary motor cortex (M1) has resulted in improved performance in simple motor tasks. For a complex bimanual movement, studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation indicated the involvement of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) as well as left M1. Here we investigated the relative effect of up-regulating the cortical function in left DLPFC and left M1 with tDCS. Participants practised a complex bimanual task over four days while receiving either of five stimulation protocols: anodal tDCS applied over M1, anodal tDCS over DLPFC, sham tDCS over M1, sham tDCS over DLPFC, or no stimulation. Performance was measured at the start and end of each training day to make a distinction between acquisition and consolidation. Although task performance improved over days, no significant difference between stimulation protocols was observed, suggesting that anodal tDCS had little effect on learning the bimanual task regardless of the stimulation sites and learning phase (acquisition or consolidation). Interestingly, cognitive performance as well as corticomotor excitability did not change following stimulation. Accordingly, we found no evidence for behavioural or neurophysiological changes following tDCS over left M1 or left DLPFC in learning a complex bimanual task.
Spatial and temporal movements in Pyrenean bearded vultures (Gypaetus barbatus): Integrating movement ecology into conservation practice
Authors: Margalida Antoni , Pérez-García Juan Manuel , Afonso Ivan , Moreno-Opo Rubén
Published: October 2016

Understanding the movement of threatened species is important if we are to optimize management and conservation actions. Here, we describe the age and sex specific spatial and temporal ranging patterns of 19 bearded vulturesGypaetus barbatustracked with GPS technology. Our findings suggest that spatial asymmetries are a consequence of breeding status and age-classes. Territorial individuals exploited home ranges of about 50 km2, while non-territorial birds used areas of around 10 000 km2(with no seasonal differences). Mean daily movements differed between territorial (23.8 km) and non-territorial birds (46.1 km), and differences were also found between sexes in non-territorial birds. Daily maximum distances travelled per day also differed between territorial (8.2 km) and non-territorial individuals (26.5 km). Territorial females moved greater distances (12 km) than males (6.6 km). Taking into account high-use core areas (K20), Supplementary Feeding Sites (SFS) do not seem to play an important role in the use of space by bearded vultures. For non-territorial and territorial individuals, 54% and 46% of their home ranges (K90), respectively, were outside protected areas. Our findings will help develop guidelines for establishing priority areas based on spatial use, and also optimize management and conservation actions for this threatened species.
Involvement of voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) in dengue infection
Authors: Jitobaom Kunlakanya , Tongluan Natthida , Smith Duncan R.
Published: October 2016

During infection, dengue virus (DENV) proteins interact with host cellular constituents promoting the remodeling of the cell to facilitate virus production. While a number of interacting proteins have been identified for DENV non-structural proteins, far fewer interacting partners have been identified for the DENV structural proteins. One protein that has been identified as a DENV E protein interacting protein is the cellular chaperone GRP78. GRP78 has been shown to have a number of cellular interacting partners including the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC). In this study we confirmed the interactions between GRP78 and DENV E protein and between GRP78 and VDAC. VDAC was shown to be re-localized during DENV infection, with no change in levels of protein expression. VDAC is predominantly located on the outer membrane of mitochondria and our result is consistent with movement of the mitochondria towards the ER during DENV infection. Down regulation of VDAC through siRNA significantly reduced DENV protein expression, as well as the percentage infection and output virus titer. Our results suggest that VDAC plays an important role in DENV infection.
A role for intestinal TLR4-driven inflammatory response during activity-based anorexia
Authors: Belmonte Liliana , Achamrah Najate , Nobis Séverine , Guérin Charlène , Riou Gaëtan , Bôle-Feysot Christine , Boyer Olivier , Richard Vincent , Rego Jean Claude Do , Déchelotte Pierre , Goichon Alexis , Coëffier Moïse
Published: October 2016

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with low-grade systemic inflammation and altered gut microbiota. However, the molecular origin of the inflammation remains unknown. Toll-like receptors are key regulators of innate immune response and their activation seems also to be involved in the control of food intake. We used activity-based anorexia (ABA) model to investigate the role of TLR4 and its contribution in anorexia-associated low-grade inflammation. Here, we found that ABA affected early the intestinal inflammatory status and the hypothalamic response. Indeed, TLR4 was upregulated both on colonic epithelial cells and intestinal macrophages, leading to elevated downstream mucosal cytokine production. These mucosal changes occurred earlier than hypothalamic changes driving to increased levels of IL-1β and IL-1R1 as well as increased levels of plasma corticosterone. Paradoxically, TLR4-deficient mice exhibited greater vulnerability to ABA with increased mortality rate, suggesting a major contribution of TLR4-mediated responses during ABA-induced weight loss.
Establishment of a translational endothelial cell model using directed differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells from Cynomolgus monkey
Authors: Thoma Eva C. , Heckel Tobias , Keller David , Giroud Nicolas , Leonard Brian , Christensen Klaus , Roth Adrian , Bertinetti-Lapatki Cristina , Graf Martin , Patsch Christoph
Published: October 2016

Due to their broad differentiation potential, pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) offer a promising approach for generating relevant cellular models for various applications. While human PSC-based cellular models are already advanced, similar systems for non-human primates (NHPs) are still lacking. However, as NHPs are the most appropriate animals for evaluating the safety of many novel pharmaceuticals, the availability of in vitro systems would be extremely useful to bridge the gap between cellular and animal models. Here, we present a NHP in vitro endothelial cell system using induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) from Cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis). Based on an adapted protocol for human IPSCs, we directly differentiated macaque IPSCs into endothelial cells under chemically defined conditions. The resulting endothelial cells can be enriched using immuno-magnetic cell sorting and display endothelial marker expression and function. RNA sequencing revealed that the differentiation process closely resembled vasculogenesis. Moreover, we showed that endothelial cells derived from macaque and human IPSCs are highly similar with respect to gene expression patterns and key endothelial functions, such as inflammatory responses. These data demonstrate the power of IPSC differentiation technology to generate defined cell types for use as translational in vitro models to compare cell type-specific responses across species.
Brain responses to facial attractiveness induced by facial proportions: evidence from an fMRI study
Authors: Shen Hui , Chau Desmond K. P. , Su Jianpo , Zeng Ling-Li , Jiang Weixiong , He Jufang , Fan Jintu , Hu Dewen
Published: October 2016

Brain responses to facial attractiveness induced by facial proportions are investigated by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), in 41 young adults (22 males and 19 females). The subjects underwent fMRI while they were presented with computer-generated, yet realistic face images, which had varying facial proportions, but the same neutral facial expression, baldhead and skin tone, as stimuli. Statistical parametric mapping with parametric modulation was used to explore the brain regions with the response modulated by facial attractiveness ratings (ARs). The results showed significant linear effects of the ARs in the caudate nucleus and the orbitofrontal cortex for all of the subjects, and a non-linear response profile in the right amygdala for only the male subjects. Furthermore, canonical correlation analysis was used to learn the most relevant facial ratios that were best correlated with facial attractiveness. A regression model on the fMRI-derived facial ratio components demonstrated a strong linear relationship between the visually assessed mean ARs and the predictive ARs. Overall, this study provided, for the first time, direct neurophysiologic evidence of the effects of facial ratios on facial attractiveness and suggested that there are notable gender differences in perceiving facial attractiveness as induced by facial proportions.
The use of targeted genomic capture and massively parallel sequencing in diagnosis of Chinese Leukoencephalopathies
Authors: Wang Xiaole , He Fang , Yin Fei , Chen Chao , Wu Liwen , Yang Lifen , Peng Jing
Published: October 2016

Leukoencephalopathies are diseases with high clinical heterogeneity. In clinical work, it’s difficult for doctors to make a definite etiological diagnosis. Here, we designed a custom probe library which contains the known pathogenic genes reported to be associated with Leukoencephalopathies, and performed targeted gene capture and massively parallel sequencing (MPS) among 49 Chinese patients who has white matter damage as the main imaging changes, and made the validation by Sanger sequencing for the probands’ parents. As result, a total of 40.8% (20/49) of the patients identified pathogenic mutations, including four associated with metachromatic leukodystrophy, three associated with vanishing white matter leukoencephalopathy, three associated with mitochondrial complex I deficiency, one associated with Globoid cell leukodystrophy (or Krabbe diseases), three associated with megalencephalic leukoencephalopathy with subcortical cysts, two associated with Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, two associated with X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy, one associated with Zellweger syndrome and one associated with Alexander disease. Targeted capture and MPS enables to identify mutations of all classes causing leukoencephalopathy. Our study combines targeted capture and MPS technology with clinical and genetic diagnosis and highlights its usefulness for rapid and comprehensive genetic testing in the clinical setting. This method will also expand our knowledge of the genetic and clinical spectra of leukoencephalopathy.
MicroRNA-939 restricts Hepatitis B virus by targeting Jmjd3-mediated and C/EBPα-coordinated chromatin remodeling
Authors: Chen Cuncun , Wu Min , Zhang Wen , Lu Wei , Zhang Min , Zhang Zhanqing , Zhang Xiaonan , Yuan Zhenghong
Published: October 2016

Multi-layered mechanisms of virus host interaction exist for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, which have been typically manifested at the microRNA level. Our previous study suggested that miRNA-939 (miR-939) may play a potential role in regulating HBV replication. Here we further investigated the mechanism by which miR-939 regulates HBV life cycle. We found that miR-939 inhibited the abundance of viral RNAs without direct miRNA-mRNA base pairing, but via host factors. Expression profiling and functional validation identified Jmjd3 as a target responsible for miR-939 induced anti-HBV effect. Jmjd3 appeared to enhance the transcription efficiency of HBV enhancer II/core promoter (En II) in a C/EBPα-dependent manner. However, the demethylase activity of Jmjd3 was not required in this process. Rather, Jmjd3’s transactivation activity depended on its interaction with C/EBPα. This coordinated action further recruited the Brm containing SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex which promoted the transcription of HBV RNAs. Taken together, we propose that the miR-939-Jmjd3 axis perturbs the accessibility of En II promoter to essential nuclear factors (C/EBPα and SWI/SNF complex) therefore leading to compromised viral RNA synthesis and hence restricted viral multiplication.
Synchronization in slowly switching networks of coupled oscillators
Authors: Zhou Jie , Zou Yong , Guan Shuguang , Liu Zonghua , Boccaletti S.
Published: October 2016

Networks whose structure of connections evolves in time constitute a big challenge in the study of synchronization, in particular when the time scales for the evolution of the graph topology are comparable with (or even longer than) those pertinent to the units’ dynamics. We here focus on networks with a slow-switching structure, and show that the necessary conditions for synchronization, i.e. the conditions for which synchronization is locally stable, are determined by the time average of the largest Lyapunov exponents of transverse modes of the switching topologies. Comparison between fast- and slow-switching networks allows elucidating that slow-switching processes prompt synchronization in the cases where the Master Stability Function is concave, whereas fast-switching schemes facilitate synchronization for convex curves. Moreover, the condition of slow-switching enables the introduction of a control strategy for inducing synchronization in networks with arbitrary structure and coupling strength, which is of evident relevance for broad applications in real world systems.
Red blood cell thickness is evolutionarily constrained by slow, hemoglobin-restricted diffusion in cytoplasm
Authors: Richardson Sarah L. , Swietach Pawel
Published: October 2016

During capillary transit, red blood cells (RBCs) must exchange large quantities of CO2 and O2 in typically less than one second, but the degree to which this is rate-limited by diffusion through cytoplasm is not known. Gas diffusivity is intuitively assumed to be fast and this would imply that the intracellular path-length, defined by RBC shape, is not a factor that could meaningfully compromise physiology. Here, we evaluated CO2 diffusivity (DCO2) in RBCs and related our results to cell shape. DCO2 inside RBCs was determined by fluorescence imaging of [H+] dynamics in cells under superfusion. This method is based on the principle that H+ diffusion is facilitated by CO2/HCO3− buffer and thus provides a read-out of DCO2. By imaging the spread of H+ ions from a photochemically-activated source (6-nitroveratraldehyde), DCO2 in human RBCs was calculated to be only 5% of the rate in water. Measurements on RBCs containing different hemoglobin concentrations demonstrated a halving of DCO2 with every 75 g/L increase in mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC). Thus, to compensate for highly-restricted cytoplasmic diffusion, RBC thickness must be reduced as appropriate for its MCHC. This can explain the inverse relationship between MCHC and RBC thickness determined from >250 animal species.
Microparticles in the blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): phenotypic characterization and clinical associations
Authors: Mobarrez Fariborz , Vikerfors Anna , Gustafsson Johanna T. , Gunnarsson Iva , Zickert Agneta , Larsson Anders , Pisetsky David S. , Wallén Håkan , Svenungsson Elisabet
Published: October 2016

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypic autoimmune disease characterized by circulating autoantibodies and the formation of immune complexes. In these responses, the selecting self-antigens likely derive from the remains of dead and dying cells, as well as from disturbances in clearance. During cell death/activation, microparticles (MPs) can be released to the circulation. Previous MP studies in SLE have been limited in size and differ regarding numbers and phenotypes. Therefore, to characterize MPs more completely, we investigated 280 SLE patients and 280 individually matched controls. MPs were measured with flow cytometry and phenotyped according to phosphatidylserine expression (PS+/PS−), cellular origin and inflammatory markers. MPs, regardless of phenotype, are 2–10 times more abundant in SLE blood compared to controls. PS− MPs predominated in SLE, but not in controls (66% vs. 42%). Selectively in SLE, PS− MPs were more numerous in females and smokers. MP numbers decreased with declining renal function, but no clear association with disease activity was observed. The striking abundance of MPs, especially PS− MPs, suggests a generalized disturbance in SLE. MPs may be regarded as “liquid biopsies” to assess the production and clearance of dead, dying and activated cells, i.e. pivotal events for SLE pathogenesis.
Emergence of social behavior deficit, blunted corticolimbic activity and adult depression-like behavior in a rodent model of maternal maltreatment
Authors: Rincón-Cortés M , Sullivan R M
Published: October 2016

Disrupted social behavior is a core symptom of multiple psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. Many of these disorders are exacerbated by adverse infant experiences, including maltreatment and abuse, which negatively affect amygdala development. Although a link between impaired social behavior, abnormal amygdala function and depressive-like behavior following early adversity has been demonstrated in humans and animal models, the developmental emergence of maltreatment-related social deficits and associated amygdala neural activity are unknown. We used a naturalistic rodent model of maternal maltreatment during a sensitive period, postnatal days 8–12 (PN8–12), which produces social behavior deficits that precede adolescent depressive-like behavior and amygdala dysfunction, to examine social behavior in infancy, periweaning and adolescence. Neural activity in response to the social behavior test was assessed via c-Fos immunohistochemistry at these ages. A separate group of animals was tested for adult depressive-like behavior in the forced swim test. Maltreatment spared infant (PN16–18) social behavior but disrupted periweaning (PN20–22) and adolescent (PN42–48) social behavior. Maltreated rats exhibited blunted neural activation in the amygdala and other areas implicated in social functioning, including the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens, at these ages and increased adult depressive-like behavior. These findings may suggest corticolimbic involvement in the emergence of maltreatment-induced social deficits that are linked to adult depressive-like behavior, thereby highlighting potential targets for therapeutic intervention. Understanding how infant experiences influence social behavior and age-specific expression across development may provide insights into basic neural mechanisms of social behaviors and disease-relevant social dysfunction exacerbated by early-life stress.
Glucose-bearing biodegradable poly(amino acid) and poly(amino acid)-poly(ester) conjugates for controlled payload release
Authors: Khuphe Mthulisi , Mahon Clare S. , Thornton Paul D.
Published: October 2016

The glucoseamine-initiated ring-opening polymerisation of amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides and O-carboxanhydrides to yield amphiphilic block copolymers that are capable of self-assembly in aqueous solution to form well-defined, glucose-presenting, particles is reported.
Pyrrolic molecular rotors acting as viscosity sensors with high fluorescence contrast
Authors: Lee Seung-Chul , Heo Jeongyun , Ryu Jong-Wan , Lee Chang-Lyoul , Kim Sehoon , Tae Joon-Sung , Rhee Byung-Ohk , Kim Sang-Wook , Kwon O-Pil
Published: October 2016

Pyrrolic viscosity sensors exhibit one order of magnitude higher fluorescence contrast compared to that of the conventional phenolic analogues due to the viscosity-sensitive rotation of the rotational pyrrole group.
Stability of organic compounds on the oxygen-evolving center of photosystem II and manganese oxide water oxidation catalysts
Authors: Hayashi Toru , Yamaguchi Akira , Hashimoto Kazuhito , Nakamura Ryuhei
Published: October 2016

Carboxyl groups, abundant residues around the Mn4cluster of photosystem II, stably facilitated electrochemical water oxidation by Mn oxides.
Hierarchical construction of SHG-active polar crystals by using multi-component crystals
Authors: Miyano Tetsuya , Sakai Tatsuya , Hisaki Ichiro , Ichida Hideki , Kanematsu Yasuo , Tohnai Norimitsu
Published: October 2016

Organic salts composed of chiral amines and sulfonic acid with high hyperpolarizability allowed the construction of polar crystals with incorporated guest molecules.
High-efficiency new visible light-driven Ag2MoO4–Ag3PO4 composite photocatalyst towards degradation of industrial dyes
Authors: Dhanabal Rengasamy , Velmathi Sivan , Bose Arumugam Chandra
Published: October 2016

High-efficiency new visible light-driven Ag2MoO4–Ag3PO4 composite photocatalysts with different weight ratios were successfully synthesized by a facile solution based in situ preparation method and characterized using XRD, XPS, SEM, FTIR, UV-vis DRS, PL, and zeta potential measurement.
A data-driven strategy for predicting greenness scores, rationally comparing synthetic routes and benchmarking PMI outcomes for the synthesis of molecules in the pharmaceutical industry
Authors: Li Jun , Simmons Eric M. , Eastgate Martin D.
Published: October 2016

A predictive analytics approach to understanding process mass intensity (PMI) is described. This method leverages real-world data to predict probable PMI outcomes for a potential synthetic route and to compare PMI outcomes to the summation of prior experience.
Increasing H2SO4 contents in disulfates cresting in the new hydrogenium-bis-hydrogendisulfate anion [H(HS2O7)2]−: Li2[S2O7]·H2SO4, Li[HS2O7], and Li[H(HS2O7)2]
Authors: Schindler Lisa Verena , Wickleder Mathias S.
Published: October 2016

In mixtures of H2SO4 and SO3 or even in neat SO3 a number of acidic disulfates could be prepared displaying unique hydrogen bond systems.
Thermodynamic properties of trans-tetrachlorodi-μ-carboxylate dirhenium(iii) complexes
Authors: Iziumskyi Maksym , Baskevich Alexander , Melnyk Stanislav , Shtemenko Alexander
Published: October 2016

In order to obtain unknown thermodynamic properties, such as enthalpy of formation, of trans-tetrachlorodi-μ-carboxylate dirhenium(iii) (trans-[Re2Cl4(RCOO)2] (R = C2H5; C3H7; (CH3)2CH; (CH3)3C)), exothermic reactions of burning in oxygen were investigated.
Poly(thioacrylate)s: expanding the monomer toolbox of functional polymers
Authors: Aksakal Suzan , Remzi Becer C.
Published: October 2016

A facile method for synthesizing thioacrylate monomers and their RAFT polymerization have been demonstrated for the first time.
Impact of LaF3 and silica shell formation on the crystal, optical and photo-luminescence properties of LaF3:Ce/Tb nanoparticles
Authors: Ansari Anees A. , Rai Monika , Rai S. B.
Published: October 2016

A new LaF3:Ce/Tb nanoparticle designed via a polyol process shows high dispersibility in aqueous solvents with enhanced photoluminescence. The epitaxial growth of an inert LaF3 shell and further amorphous silica, respectively, enhanced their optical and luminescence properties, which is highly usable in luminescence biolabeling, optical bio-probes, etc.
Advanced nitrogen removal from the biological secondary effluent of dyeing wastewater via a biological–ferric–carbon nitrification and denitrification process
Authors: Chen Hong , Xue Gang , Jiang Mengran , Cheng Yuying
Published: October 2016

The nitrification was easily initiated in Fe–C system; extra carbon source and Fe3+ in nitrification liquid were beneficial for denitrification. Good performance of N and COD removal made the technology a good choice for advanced nitrogen removal.
Physiological response of Microcystis aeruginosa to the extracellular substances from an Aeromonas sp.
Authors: Zhang Xing , Song Tao , Ma Hao , Li Li
Published: October 2016

Physiological responses of M. aeruginosa to different amounts of the extracellular substances from Aeromonas sp. were studied, including the changes of extracellular polysaccharides content, enzyme activity and malondialdehyde content.
Glucose induced variation of water structure from temperature dependent near infrared spectra
Authors: Cui Xiaoyu , Cai Wensheng , Shao Xueguang
Published: October 2016

The different effects of glucose on water species provide evidence to explain the bioprotective function of carbohydrates in aqueous solutions.
Adsorption and degradation of Congo red on a jarosite-type compound
Authors: Dong Yu , Wang Ziting , Yang Xin , Zhu Meiying , Chen Rufen , Lu Bin , Liu Hui
Published: October 2016

Natrojarosite particles were prepared by forced hydrolysis. X-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the resulting products.
Controlled growth of organic–inorganic hybrid CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite thin films from phase-controlled crystalline powders
Authors: Chan Choi Yong , Lee Se Won , Jo Hyo Jeong , Kim Dae-Hwan , Sung Shi-Joon
Published: October 2016

High-performance MAPbI3 perovskite solar cells with 16% efficiency are fabricated from phase-controlled crystalline powders.
Solubility enhancement of morin and epicatechin through encapsulation in an albumin based nanoparticulate system and their anticancer activity against the MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cell line
Authors: Ghosh Pooja , Bag Sudipta , Singha Roy Atanu , Subramani Elavarasan , Chaudhury Koel , Dasgupta Swagata
Published: October 2016

Mor-HSA-NPs and EC-HSA-NPs are effective on MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cell lines.
Degradation of the active species in the catalytic system Pd(OAc)2/NEt3
Authors: Sanmartín-Matalobos Jesús , González-Bello Concepcion , Briones-Miguéns Lucía , Fondo Matilde , García-Deibe Ana M.
Published: October 2016

The degradation under ambient humidity and room temperature of Pd(OAc)2(NEt3), which is an efficient catalyst for the aerobic oxidation of alcohols, to diethylamine and acetaldehyde derivatives is disclosed.
Chiral separation by nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis using l-sorbose–boric acid complexes as chiral ion-pair selectors
Authors: Lv Lili , Wang Lijuan , Zou Yanan , Chen Rui , Yu Jiaojiao
Published: October 2016

A chiral nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) method using l-sorbose–boric acid complexes as the chiral ion-pair selectors was developed for enantioseparation of nineteen chiral analytes.