bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surveying in highly-modified landscapes to document the occurrence of threatened species: a study of the giant armadilloPriodontes maximusin central Brazil
Authors: Lemos Frederico G. , Costa Alan N. , Azevedo Fernanda C. , Fragoso Carlos E. , Freitas-Junior Mozart C. , Rocha Ednaldo C.
Published: August 2018

Studies on threatened species in highly modified and unprotected landscapes are necessary for the development of appropriate conservation policies. This is particularly important for species with large home ranges, such as the giant armadilloPriodontes maximus, whose occurrence in anthropogenic landscapes is poorly known despite its categorization as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. We searched and surveyed for the giant armadillo within human-modified areas in central Brazil using direct and indirect methods across a wide region dominated by diverse farming environments and scattered remnants of natural vegetation. During a 14-year period (2003–2016), we located 54 records of the species, including three road-kills and two instances of poaching. Most of the occurrence points (83%) were in native vegetation, with 17% in anthropogenic environments (pastures and roads). We confirmed the presence of the giant armadillo within a wide, intensely human-altered region. These findings indicate that Cerrado and Atlantic Forest remnants in modified landscapes in central Brazil play an important role as refuges for this armadillo species. In addition to habitat loss, road-kills and poaching persist as threats to the giant armadillo. Conservation actions are necessary to minimize human impacts and facilitate the persistence of the giant armadillo in this region. Policies that both deter illegal deforestation and strengthen incentives for the protection of natural vegetation remnants and restoration of biological corridors such as gallery forests would aid conservation of the giant armadillo in this area.
The latest FAD – Faecal antibody detection in cattle. Protocol and results from three UK beef farms naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes
Authors: Cooke A. S. , Watt K. A. , Morgan E. R. , Dungait J. A. J.
Published: August 2018

Antibodies at gastrointestinal mucosal membranes play a vital role in immunological protection against a range of pathogens, including helminths. Gastrointestinal health is central to efficient livestock production, and such infections cause significant losses. Fecal samples were taken from 114 cattle, across three beef farms, with matched blood samples taken from 22 of those animals. To achieve fecal antibody detection, a novel fecal supernatant was extracted. Fecal supernatant and serum samples were then analysed, using adapted enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay protocols, for levels of total immunoglobulin (Ig)A, IgG, IgM, andTeladorsagia circumcincta-specific IgA, IgG, IgM and IgE (in the absence of reagents for cattle-specific nematode species). Fecal nematode egg counts were conducted on all fecal samples. Assays performed successfully and showed that IgA was the predominant antibody in fecal samples, whereas IgG was predominant in serum. Total IgA in feces and serum correlated within individuals (0.581,P= 0.005), but other Ig types did not. Results support the hypothesis that the tested protocols are an effective method for the non-invasive assessment of cattle immunology. The method could be used as part of animal health assessments, although further work is required to interpret the relationship between results and levels of infection and immunity.
Occurrence ofSchistosoma bovison Pemba Island, Zanzibar: implications for urogenital schistosomiasis transmission monitoring
Authors: Pennance Tom , Ame Shaali M. , Amour Armour Khamis , Suleiman Khamis Rashid , Allan Fiona , Rollinson David , Webster Bonnie L.
Published: August 2018

The causative agent of urogenital schistosomiasis,Schistosoma haematobium, was thought to be the only schistosome species transmitted throughBulinussnails on Unguja and Pemba Island (Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania). For insights into the environmental risk ofS. haematobiumtransmission on Pemba Island, malacological surveys collectingBulinus globosusandB. nasutus, two closely related potential intermediate hosts ofS. haematobiumwere conducted across the island in November 2016. Of 1317B. globosus/B. nasutuscollected, sevenB. globosus, identified through sequencing a DNA region of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (cox1), were observed with patent infections assumed to beS. haematobium. However, when the collected cercariae were identified through sequencing a region of thecox1 and the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS1 + 2), schistosomes from five of theseB. globosuscollected from a single locality were in factS. bovis. The identified presence ofS. bovisraises concerns for animal health on Pemba, and complicates future transmission monitoring ofS. haematobium. These results show the pertinence for not only sensitive, but also species-specific markers to be used when identifying cercariae during transmission monitoring, and also provide the first molecular confirmation forB. globosustransmittingS. bovisin East Africa.
Parasitological study of mountain viscacha fecal pellets from patagonia over the last 1200 years (‘Cueva Peligro’, Chubut province, Argentina)
Authors: Beltrame María Ornela , Cañal Victoria , Tietze Eleonor , De Tommaso Daniela
Published: August 2018

The aim of the present study was to examine the parasite fauna present in mountain viscachaLagidium viscacia(Caviomorpha, Chinchillidae) fecal pellets collected from ‘Cueva Peligro’, a cave located in Chubut province, Patagonia, Argentina, throughout the last 1200 years. A total of 84 samples were examined for parasites. Each pellet was whole processed: rehydrated, homogenized, sediment and examined using light microscopy. The samples and eggs of parasites present were described, measured and photographed. Thirty-eight samples tested positive for the nematodesHeteroxynema(Cavioxyura)viscaciaeSutton & Hugot, 1989,Helminthoxys effilatusSchuurmans-Stekhoven, 1951 (Oxyurida: Oxyuridae),Trichurissp. Roederer, 1761 (Trichinellida: Trichuridae) and one anoplocephalid species (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae). This is the first time thatH. effilatusis reported from ancient times. Significant differences of parasite occurrences through this temporal period were recorded. Parasitic life cycles and their presence along the studied period are so discussed.
Passive and active rehabilitation control of human upper-limb exoskeleton robot with dynamic uncertainties
Authors: Brahmi Brahim , Saad Maarouf , Luna Cristobal Ochoa , Archambault Philippe S. , Rahman Mohammad H.
Published: August 2018

This paper investigates the passive and active control strategies to provide a physical assistance and rehabilitation by a 7-DOF exoskeleton robot with nonlinear uncertain dynamics and unknown bounded external disturbances due to the robot user's physiological characteristics. An Integral backstepping controller incorporated with Time Delay Estimation (BITDE) is used, which permits the exoskeleton robot to achieve the desired performance of working under the mentioned uncertainties constraints. Time Delay Estimation (TDE) is employed to estimate the nonlinear uncertain dynamics of the robot and the unknown disturbances. To overcome the limitation of the time delay error inherent of the TDE approach, a recursive algorithm is used to further reduce its effect. The integral action is employed to decrease the impact of the unmodeled dynamics. Besides, the Damped Least Square method is introduced to estimate the desired movement intention of the subject with the objective to provide active rehabilitation. The controller scheme is to ensure that the robot system performs passive and active rehabilitation exercises with a high level of tracking accuracy and robustness, despite the unknown dynamics of the exoskeleton robot and the presence of unknown bounded disturbances. The design, stability, and convergence analysis are formulated and proven based on the Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional theory. Experimental results with healthy subjects, using a virtual environment, show the feasibility, and ease of implementation of the control scheme. Its robustness and flexibility to deal with parameter variations due to the unknown external disturbances are also shown.
The Long Resistance
Authors: Brown-Nagin Tomiko
Published: August 2018

We are living in an age of political turbulence, social division, and resistance. The resistance that formed in reaction to the election of Donald Trump styles itself a force to defend constitutional rights, democratic norms, and the rule of law in the United States. Perhaps theNew Republicbest explained its advent: the Resistance had been born of partisan—that is, Democratic—fury after “liberalism had been dealt its most stunning and consequential defeat in American history.” “For the first time in decades, liberalism has been infused with a sense of energy and purpose,” with millions of people devoted to a singular cause: resisting Trump.
“An Honest But Fearless Fighter”: The Adversarial Ideal of Public Defenders in 1930s and 1940s Los Angeles
Authors: Mayeux Sara
Published: August 2018

Early one Sunday in 1948, Frederic Vercoe set out from his home in San Marino, California, for a speaking engagement in downtown Los Angeles. Perhaps he took the Arroyo Seco Parkway, which had opened for drivers 8 years before, linking the city more tightly with its “vast agglomerate of suburbs.” Although the roads may have changed, Vercoe had been making some version of this commute for decades. He had recently retired after a long career with the Los Angeles County Public Defender—13 years as a deputy, followed by 19 years as head of the office—and now maintained a small private law practice downtown. Many mornings, Vercoe would have had business at the Hall of Justice, the ten-story box of “gray California granite” that housed the jails and courtrooms. On this particular morning, he was headed instead to Clifton's Cafeteria at Seventh Street and Broadway. Perhaps, as he drove the dozen miles west into the city, he admired the “geraniums, cosmos, sweet peas, asters and marigolds” that lined the “gardens, parkways, and driveways,” or perhaps he was used to the foliage by now. Vercoe had lived in California for more than 30 years, making him, by West Coast standards, a real “old-timer.”
A Lost Theory of American Emergency Constitutionalism
Authors: Witt John Fabian
Published: August 2018

In the wake of the Civil War, Columbia Law School professor Francis Lieber, architect of some of the Lincoln administration's most important legal strategies, set out to write a definitive text on martial law and the emergency power. Lieber's text would have summed up his view of the legal lessons of the Civil War. Lieber died in 1872, leaving an unfinished manuscript to his son, Guido Norman Lieber, soon to become the Judge Advocate General of the Union Army. Norman Lieber worked on the manuscript but never finished it. Hidden deep in the younger Lieber's papers in the National Archives, the manuscript summarizes a strand of thinking about constitutional emergencies that first emerged in the controversies over slavery, then animated Emancipation and the broader legal strategy of the Lincoln White House, before running headlong into the post-war backlash signaled by the Supreme Court's 1866 decision inEx Parte Milligan. Building on debates over martial law in Anglo-American empire, the Liebers’ thinking embraced a forceful but constrained approach that made a cabined form of necessity the central principle of emergency governance in the modern state.
(e) in Normandy: The sociolinguistics, phonology and phonetics of theLoi de Position
Authors: HALL DAMIEN
Published: August 2018

This article uses the pronunciation of stressed Intonational Phrase-final /ε/ and /e/ in two communities in Normandy, France, to illustrate the convergence of two sociolinguistic processes on the same phonological result: increasing application of theLoi de Position. In both communities (one rural and further from Paris, one urban and closer to Paris), there is now no consistent community-wide phonetic distinction between the two phonemes in that environment. It is suggested that theLoi de Positionis already widely applied in the rural site, but speakers are still conscious of the formal norm whereby it is not applied; for the urban site, apparent-time changes for this variable reflect changes in Parisian speech. The theoretical implications of the study concerning speakers’ organisation of their vowel-space, and concerning the increasing application of theLoi de Positionin the French of France, are examined. These conclusions are reached by per-speaker analysis of F1 and F2 separately from each other (rare in French linguistics). As a measure of community cohesion, the article introduces to linguistics the coefficient of variation (more common in biology and medicine).
Recognizable languages of arrows and cospans
Authors: BRUGGINK H. J. SANDER , KÖNIG BARBARA
Published: August 2018

In this article, we generalize Courcelle's recognizable graph languages and results on monadic second-order logic to more general structures.

First, we give a category-theoretical characterization of recognizability. A recognizable subset of arrows in a category is defined via a functor into the category of relations on finite sets. This can be seen as a straightforward generalization of finite automata. We show that our notion corresponds to recognizable graph languages if we apply the theory to the category of cospans of graphs.

In the second part of the paper, we introduce a simple logic that allows to quantify over the subobjects of a categorical object. Again, we show that, for the category of graphs, this logic is equally expressive as monadic second-order graph logic (msogl). Furthermore, we show that in the more general setting of hereditary pushout categories, a class of categories closely related to adhesive categories, we can recover Courcelle's result that everymsogl-expressible property is recognizable. This is done by giving an inductive translation of formulas of our logic into automaton functors.
Lamotrigine-induced obsessive-compulsive disorder in patients with bipolar disorder
Authors: Sharma Verinder , Doobay Minakshi
Published: August 2018

Introduction

Lamotrigine is a commonly used drug in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Although there are reports of its effectiveness in the management of bipolar disorder and comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), lamotrigine has also been associated with obsessionality in patients with bipolar disorder.

Methods

Charts of 8 patients with bipolar disorder who had de novo onset of obsessions and compulsions after the use of lamotrigine were reviewed. The Naranjo scale was used to assess the likelihood of patients developing OCD due to lamotrigine use.

Results

Two to 8 months after the initiation of lamotrigine, patients with no such prior history developed obsessions and compulsions meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria for medication-induced OCD. In all except 1 patient, the symptoms resolved within a month of lamotrigine discontinuation.

Conclusions

Some patients with bipolar disorder may develop OCD after initiation of lamotrigine. Due to the inherent limitations of a case series, the findings should be interpreted with caution.
A SIMULATION STUDY OF TEXAS HOLD ’EM POKER: WHAT TAYLOR SWIFT UNDERSTANDS AND JAMES BOND DOESN’T
Authors: FALLETTA J. , WOODCOCK S.
Published: August 2018

Recent years have seen a large increase in the popularity of Texas hold ’em poker. It is now the most commonly played variant of the game, both in casinos and through online platforms. In this paper, we present a simulation study for games of Texas hold ’em with between two and 23 players. From these simulations, we estimate the probabilities of each player having been dealt the winning hand. These probabilities are calculated conditional on both partial information (that is, the player only having knowledge of his/her cards) and also on fuller information (that is, the true probabilities of each player winning given knowledge of the cards dealt to each player). Where possible, our estimates are compared to exact analytic results and are shown to have converged to three significant figures.

With these results, we assess the poker strategies described in two recent pieces of popular culture. In comparing the ideas expressed in Taylor Swift’s song, New Romantics, and the betting patterns employed by James Bond in the 2006 film, Casino Royale, we conclude that Ms Swift demonstrates a greater understanding of the true probabilities of winning a game of Texas hold ’em poker.
Nurses’ Intention to Leave the Organization: A Mediation Study of Professional Burnout and Engagement
Authors: Marques-Pinto Alexandra , Jesus Élvio Henriques , Mendes Aida Maria Oliveira Cruz , Fronteira Inês , Roberto Magda Sofia
Published: August 2018

The nature of the turnover process calls for the study of more complex relationships among variables beyond simple bivariate or multiple associations between predictors and turnover intentions. The present article aims to examine the predictive value of job demands and resources in the explanation of nurses’ intention to leave the organization and to test the mediating roles of professional burnout and engagement in these relationships, within a Portuguese nursing population. The research models were tested within the scope of the Registered Nurse Forecasting project. Data included the self-report questionnaires of 2,235 Portuguese nurses from 31 hospitals, collected through stratified random sampling procedures. The statistical analyses of the structural models showed that nurses’ participation in hospital affairs, a job resource at the work organization level, was the only significant predictor of nurses´ intention to leave the organization (β=–.45,p< .001). Analyses of the mediation models revealed that the emotional exhaustion symptoms of burnout (β= –.11,p< .001) and job engagement feelings (β= –.15,p< .001) were both significant mediators between nurses’ decisional involvement and their intentions to leave the organization. Results suggest that including nurses in decision-making processes regarding their professional practice policy and environment, and improving nurses’ professional well-being are two crucial strategies to reduce nurses’ turnover intentions.
Perceptual-Motor Maturity in Adolescence and the Tanner Stages: A Study with Bender-Gradual Scoring System
Authors: de Freitas Keppeke Livia , Schoen Teresa Helena
Published: August 2018

Visual-motor skill forms an important psycho diagnostic component and is associated with psycho-neurological aspects. The Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test, widely used for the evaluation of this area, is meant for children up to 11 years. In adolescence, the changes associated with puberty generate nonlinear anthropometric development resulting in mild and temporary incoordination. This study investigated the relation between visual-motor development measured by the Bender test and pubertal changes according to the Tanner scale. In all 134 adolescents of both sexes, aged from 10 to 15, who kept routine medical appointments, participated. We used the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test, Raven’s Progressive Matrices Test, and medical chart data. The techniques were applied individually. Pubertal changes were associated with the Bender test results showing higher scores at the G3 stage, the period corresponding to a growth spurt, compared to the G5 stage (p= .007, ES = .187), the post-growth spurt period in boys. Age and gender did not influence the Bender test scores. According to the Raven test, thegintelligence factor, interfered significantly in the visual-motor performance (r =–57%,p< .001). Schooling, repetition of a school year, and developmental problems (p= .002, ES = .156;p= .002, ES = .623;p< .001, ES = .880, respectively) obtained similar results. The Bender Test was sensitive to schooling and maturational problems during adolescence. There was an association between visual-motor development and sexual maturity in male adolescents. Our results indicate the usefulness of the Bender Test at older ages than those used in the test standardization.
Facebook: Risks and Opportunities in Brazilian and Portuguese Youths with Different Levels of Psychosocial Adjustment
Authors: Marques Teresa Paula , Marques-Pinto Alexandra , Alvarez Maria-João , Pereira Cícero Roberto
Published: August 2018

This study aimed to assess the risks and opportunities associated with Facebook usage and to explore the moderating role of psychosocial (mal)adjustment, nationality and age in these relationships. This correlational study involved a sample of 452 Brazilian and 500 Portuguese youths, aged between 14 and 20 years. Results showed that these youths spent a daily average of 61-120 minutes on Facebook, three to four times per week, displaying a positive attitude towards its use. These characteristics were most notable in the Brazilian youths [t(950) = 5.64, p < .001; t(950) = –5.07, p < .001; and t(950) = – 6.85, p < .001, respectively]. The Portuguese youths ran more risks than the Brazilians [t(950) = 6.36, p < .001], but both youths equally enjoyed the opportunities. In the case of the Portuguese youths, the risks and opportunities were moderated by the frequency of use, in other words “the higher the usage, the more risks and opportunities” (β = –.235 p < .001and β = –.167, p < .001, respectively). The psychosocial adjustment indicators did not moderate the effects of Facebook usage habits in risks and opportunities. The less psychosocially adjusted youths were those who ran more risks and also made the most of the opportunities. The results are discussed in light of the role of psychological, socio-cultural and developmental factors.
Statistical Analysis of the Phase Velocity Distribution of Mesospheric and Ionospheric Waves Observed in Airglow Images Over a 16‐Year Period: Comparison Between Rikubetsu and Shigaraki, Japan
Authors: Tsuchiya Satoshi , Shiokawa Kazuo , Fujinami Hatsuki , Otsuka Yuichi , Nakamura Takuji , Yamamoto Mamoru
Published: August 2018

Atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs) in the mesopause region and medium‐scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) in the thermosphere from 1999 through 2014 were studied by applying a three‐dimensional spectral analysis technique to airglow images at wavelengths of 557.7 (emission altitudes: 90–100 km) and 630.0 nm (emission altitudes: 200–300 km) obtained at Rikubetsu (43.5°N, 143.8°E) and Shigaraki (34.8°N, 136.1°E), Japan. To our knowledge, such a long‐term multipoint analysis of AGWs and MSTIDs using airglow images has not been reported previously. The propagation direction of mesospheric AGWs seen in 557.7‐nm airglow images at both stations was northeastward in summer and southwestward in winter, probably due to wind filtering of these waves by the mesospheric jet. In winter, the propagation direction of AGWs shifted from southwestward to northwestward as time progressed from evening to morning at both stations, which can also be explained by the wind filtering effect. The propagation direction of AGWs changed from southwestward to northeastward at Rikubetsu during a zonal wind reversal at 60°N at 10 hPa, caused by stratospheric sudden warming (SSW). No such a SSW‐associated change was identified at Shigaraki, indicating that the effect of SSW wind reversal reached only the Rikubetsu latitudes. For MSTIDs, the major propagation direction was southwestward with a minor northeastward peak for all seasons at both stations. A negative correlation was found between the yearly variation in power spectral density and solar F10.7 flux. This negative correlation can be explained by considering the linear growth rate of the Perkins instability.
Serotonin transporter promoter methylation in peripheral cells and neural responses to negative stimuli: A study of adolescent monozygotic twins
Authors: Ismaylova Elmira , Lévesque Melissa L. , Pomares Florence B. , Szyf Moshe , Nemoda Zsofia , Fahim Cherine , Vitaro Frank , Brendgen Mara , Dionne Ginette , Boivin Michel , Tremblay Richard E. , Booij Linda
Published: August 2018

Several studies have examined associations between peripheral DNA methylation patterns of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) promoter and symptoms of depression and anxiety. The SLC6A4 promoter methylation has also been associated with frontal-limbic brain responses to negative stimuli. However, it is unclear how much of this association is confounded by DNA sequence variations. We utilized a monozygotic-twin within-pair discordance design, to test whether DNA methylation at specific CpG sites in the SLC6A4 promoter of peripheral cells is associated with greater frontal-limbic brain responses to negative stimuli (sadness and fear), independently of DNA sequence effects. In total 48 pairs of healthy 15-year-old monozygotic twins from the Quebec Newborn Twin Study, followed regularly since birth, underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while conducting an emotion-processing task. The SLC6A4 promoter methylation level was assessed in saliva samples using pyrosequencing. Relative to the co-twins with lower SLC6A4 promoter methylation levels, twins with higher peripheral SLC6A4 methylation levels showed greater orbitofrontal cortical (OFC) activity and left amygdala-anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and left amygdala-right OFC connectivity in response to sadness as well as greater ACC-left amygdala and ACC-left insula connectivity in response to fearful stimuli. By utilising a monozygotic-twin design, we provided evidence that associations between peripheral SLC6A4 promoter methylation and frontal-limbic brain responses to negative stimuli are, in part, independent of DNA sequence variations. Although causality cannot be determined here, SLC6A4 promoter methylation may be one of the mechanisms underlying how environmental factors influence the serotonin system, potentially affecting emotional processing through frontal-limbic areas.
Investigating the genetic architecture of general and specific psychopathology in adolescence
Authors: Jones Hannah J. , Heron Jon , Hammerton Gemma , Stochl Jan , Jones Peter B. , Cannon Mary , Smith George Davey , Holmans Peter , Lewis Glyn , Linden David E. J. , O’Donovan Michael C. , Owen Michael J. , Walters James , Zammit Stanley ,   the 23 and Me Research Team
Published: August 2018

Whilst associations between polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for schizophrenia and various phenotypic outcomes have been reported, an understanding of developmental pathways can only be gained by modelling comorbidity across psychopathology. We examine how genetic risk for schizophrenia relates to adolescent psychosis-related and internalizing psychopathology using a latent modelling approach, and compare this to genetic risk for other psychiatric disorders, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the developmental pathways at this age. PRSs for schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, neuroticism and bipolar disorder were generated for individuals in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) birth cohort. Multivariate linear regression was used to examine the relationships of these PRSs with psychopathology factors modelled within (i) a correlated factors structure and (ii) a bifactor structure. The schizophrenia PRS was associated with an increase in factors describing psychotic experiences, negative dimension, depression and anxiety, but, when modelling a general psychopathology factor based on these measures, specific effects above this persisted only for the negative dimension. Similar factor relationships were observed for the neuroticism PRS, with a (weak) specific effect only for anxiety once modelling general psychopathology. Psychopathology during adolescence can be described by a general psychopathology construct that captures common variance as well as by specific constructs capturing remaining non-shared variance. Schizophrenia risk genetic variants identified through genome-wide association studies mainly index negative rather than positive symptom psychopathology during adolescence. This has potentially important implications both for research and risk prediction in high-risk samples.
Flux-dependent graphs for metabolic networks
Authors: Beguerisse-Díaz Mariano , Bosque Gabriel , Oyarzún Diego , Picó Jesús , Barahona Mauricio
Published: August 2018

Cells adapt their metabolic fluxes in response to changes in the environment. We present a framework for the systematic construction of flux-based graphs derived from organism-wide metabolic networks. Our graphs encode the directionality of metabolic flows via edges that represent the flow of metabolites from source to target reactions. The methodology can be applied in the absence of a specific biological context by modelling fluxes probabilistically, or can be tailored to different environmental conditions by incorporating flux distributions computed through constraint-based approaches such as Flux Balance Analysis. We illustrate our approach on the central carbon metabolism of Escherichia coli and on a metabolic model of human hepatocytes. The flux-dependent graphs under various environmental conditions and genetic perturbations exhibit systemic changes in their topological and community structure, which capture the re-routing of metabolic flows and the varying importance of specific reactions and pathways. By integrating constraint-based models and tools from network science, our framework allows the study of context-specific metabolic responses at a system level beyond standard pathway descriptions.
REST overexpression in mice causes deficits in spontaneous locomotion
Authors: Lu Li , Marisetty Anantha , Liu Bin , Kamal Mohamed Mostafa , Gumin Joy , Veo Bethany , Cai YouQing , Kassem Dina Hamada , Weng Connie , Maynard Mark E. , Hood Kimberly N. , Fuller Gregory N. , Pan Zhizhong Z. , Cykowski Matthew D. , Dash Pramod K. , Majumder Sadhan
Published: August 2018

Overexpression of REST has been implicated in brain tumors, ischemic insults, epilepsy, and movement disorders such as Huntington’s disease. However, owing to the lack of a conditional REST overexpression animal model, the mechanism of action of REST overexpression in these disorders has not been established in vivo. We created a REST overexpression mouse model using the human REST (hREST) gene. Our results using these mice confirm that hREST expression parallels endogenous REST expression in embryonic mouse brains. Further analyses indicate that REST represses the dopamine receptor 2 (Drd2) gene, which encodes a critical nigrostriatal receptor involved in regulating movement, in vivo. Overexpression of REST using Drd2-Cre in adult mice results in increased REST and decreased DRD2 expression in the striatum, a major site of DRD2 expression, and phenocopies the spontaneous locomotion deficits seen upon global DRD2 deletion or specific DRD2 deletion from indirect-pathway medium spiny neurons. Thus, our studies using this mouse model not only reveal a new function of REST in regulating spontaneous locomotion but also suggest that REST overexpression in DRD2-expressing cells results in spontaneous locomotion deficits.
Mid-and long-term efficacy of endovascular-based procedures for Cockett syndrome
Authors: Xu Jiasheng , Liu Yujun , Zhou Weimin
Published: August 2018

To investigate the mid- and long-term results of endovascular-based procedures for Cockett syndrome. The clinical data of 412 patients with Cockett syndrome treated between January 2003 and September 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. In these patients, 231 cases were acute left iliac femoral vein thrombosis (group A), and 181 cases were chronic venous insufficiency (group B), and different endovascular procedures and/or hybrid procedures were performed. In group A, the technique success rate was 100% (231/231); the left iliac vein in 5 patients showed no stenosis or occlusion, and the incidence of pathological changes in the left iliac vein was 97.8% (226/231); a total of 182 stents were implanted. In group B, the technique success rate was 99.4% (180/181); the average pressure difference between the proximal and distal portion of the pathological left iliac veins decreased from preoperative (18 ± 4.45) cmH2O to postoperative (4 ± 3.02) cmH2O (P < 0.01); 89 patients, complicated with valvular incompetence in the left superficial femoral vein, underwent a second-stage femoral valve repair. Follow-up ranged from 3 months to 8 years, with an average of 35.6 months, and intrastent thrombosis occurred in 15 cases of group A and in 2 cases of group B. Endovascular-based procedures offer favorable mid- and long-term results in treatment of Cockett syndrome, which in combination with Fogarty catheter thrombectomy or catheter-directed thrombolysis is a beneficial complementary treatment for patients with acute iliac femoral vein thrombosis.
Gene Ontology Enrichment Improves Performances of Functional Similarity of Genes
Authors: Liu Wenting , Liu Jianjun , Rajapakse Jagath C.
Published: August 2018

There exists a plethora of measures to evaluate functional similarity (FS) between genes, which is a widely used in many bioinformatics applications including detecting molecular pathways, identifying co-expressed genes, predicting protein-protein interactions, and prioritization of disease genes. Measures of FS between genes are mostly derived from Information Contents (IC) of Gene Ontology (GO) terms annotating the genes. However, existing measures evaluating IC of terms based either on the representations of terms in the annotating corpus or on the knowledge embedded in the GO hierarchy do not consider the enrichment of GO terms by the querying pair of genes. The enrichment of a GO term by a pair of gene is dependent on whether the term is annotated by one gene (i.e., partial annotation) or by both genes (i.e. complete annotation) in the pair. In this paper, we propose a method that incorporate enrichment of GO terms by a gene pair in computing their FS and show that GO enrichment improves the performances of 46 existing FS measures in the prediction of sequence homologies, gene expression correlations, protein-protein interactions, and disease associated genes.
Revelation of early detection of co-seismic ionospheric perturbations in GPS-TEC from realistic modelling approach: Case study
Authors: Thomas Dhanya , Bagiya Mala S. , Sunil Poikayil Sukumaran , Rolland Lucie , Sunil Anakuzhikkal Sudarsanan , Mikesell T. Dylan , Nayak Srinivas , Mangalampalli Subrahmanyam , Ramesh Durbha Sai
Published: August 2018

GPS-derived Total Electron Content (TEC) is an integrated quantity; hence it is difficult to relate the detection of ionospheric perturbations in TEC to a precise altitude. As TEC is weighted by the maximum ionospheric density, the corresponding altitude (hmF2) is, generally, assumed as the perturbation detection altitude. To investigate the validity of this assumption in detail, we conduct an accurate analysis of the GPS-TEC measured early ionospheric signatures related to the vertical surface displacement of the Mw 7.4 Sanriku-Oki earthquake (Sanriku-Oki Tohoku foreshock). Using 3D acoustic ray tracing model to describe the evolution of the propagating seismo-acoustic wave in space and time, we demonstrate how to infer the detection altitude of these early signatures in TEC. We determine that the signatures can be detected at altitudes up to ~130 km below the hmF2. This peculiar behaviour is attributed to the satellite line of sight (LOS) geometry and station location with respect to the source, which allows one to sound the co-seismic ionospheric signatures directly above the rupture area. We show that the early onset times correspond to crossing of the LOS with the acoustic wavefront at lower ionospheric altitudes. To support the proposed approach, we further reconstruct the seismo-acoustic induced ionospheric signatures for a moving satellite in the presence of a geomagnetic field. Both the 3D acoustic ray tracing model and the synthetic waveforms from the 3D coupled model substantiate the observed onset time of the ionospheric signatures. Moreover, our simple 3D acoustic ray tracing approach allows one to extend this analysis to azimuths different than that of the station-source line.
An experimentally-achieved information-driven Brownian motor shows maximum power at the relaxation time
Authors: Lee Dong Yun , Um Jaegon , Paneru Govind , Pak Hyuk Kyu
Published: August 2018

We present an experimental realization of an information-driven Brownian motor by periodically cooling a Brownian particle trapped in a harmonic potential connected to a single heat bath, where cooling is carried out by the information process consisting of measurement and feedback control. We show that the random motion of the particle is rectified by symmetry-broken feedback cooling where the particle is cooled only when it resides on the specific side of the potential center at the instant of measurement. Studying how the motor thermodynamics depends on cycle period τ relative to the relaxation time τB of the Brownian particle, we find that the ratcheting of thermal noise produces the maximum work extraction when τ ≥ 5τB, while the extracted power is maximum near τ = τB, implying the optimal operating time for the ratcheting process. In addition, we find that the average transport velocity is monotonically decreased as τ increases and present the upper bound for the velocity.
Author Correction: Recovery of Degraded-Beyond-Recognition 19th Century Daguerreotypes with Rapid High Dynamic Range Elemental X-ray Fluorescence Imaging of Mercury L Emission
Authors: Kozachuk Madalena S. , Sham Tsun-Kong , Martin Ronald R. , Nelson Andrew J. , Coulthard Ian , McElhone John P.
Published: August 2018

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.
Tributyltin Inhibits Neural Induction of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Authors: Yamada Shigeru , Kubo Yusuke , Yamazaki Daiju , Sekino Yuko , Nomura Yoko , Yoshida Sachiko , Kanda Yasunari
Published: August 2018

Tributyltin (TBT), one of the organotin compounds, is a well-known environmental pollutant. In our recent study, we reported that TBT induces mitochondrial dysfunction, in human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) through the degradation of mitofusin1 (Mfn1), which is a mitochondrial fusion factor. However, the effect of TBT toxicity on the developmental process of iPSCs was not clear. The present study examined the effect of TBT on the differentiation of iPSCs into the ectodermal, mesodermal, and endodermal germ layers. We found that exposure to nanomolar concentration of TBT (50 nM) selectively inhibited the induction of iPSCs into the ectoderm, which is the first step in neurogenesis. We further assessed the effect of TBT on neural differentiation and found that it reduced the expression of several neural differentiation marker genes, which were also downregulated by Mfn1 knockdown in iPSCs. Taken together, these results indicate that TBT induces developmental neurotoxicity via Mfn1-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction in iPSCs.
Hairs in old books isotopically reconstruct the eating habits of early modern Japan
Authors: Maruyama Atsushi , Takemura Jun’ichiro , Sawada Hayato , Kaneko Takaaki , Kohmatsu Yukihiro , Iriguchi Atsushi
Published: August 2018

To complement literature-based historical knowledge of the eating habits of 17th- and 18th-century Japan, we analysed carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ13C andδ15N, respectively) of human hairs embedded in cover paper of Japanese books printed during 1690s–1890s, taking regional and temporal variations into consideration. We purchased 24 book sets from second-hand book markets. Twenty-three sets contained enough human hairs, which were non-destructively extracted from the thick, recycled paper of the book covers and used to measure theδ13C andδ15N values, found to be identical within each book set. Relatively lowδ13C values and highδ15N values suggested that people depended on rice, C3vegetables, and fish, more exclusively than contemporary Japanese people. The relatively highδ13C values found in Edo (Tokyo) might be associated with the preference for C4millets by Edo people as a measure against beriberi (locally recognised as the Edo affliction). Theδ15N values gradually increased over 200 years, indicating an increase in the contribution of marine fish both as food and fertiliser for rice fields as suggested by literature-based studies. Further collection of hairs from books will enable a thorough examination of regional and temporal variations to better understand the pre-globalised food culture.
PyMT-1099, a versatile murine cell model for EMT in breast cancer
Authors: Saxena Meera , Kalathur Ravi Kiran Reddy , Neutzner Melanie , Christofori Gerhard
Published: August 2018

An epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been implicated in cancer metastasis, drug resistance, and in conferring stem cell-like traits to cancer cells. Most studies investigating EMT in cancer have either utilized immortalized or cancer cell lines that are already primed to undergo an EMT and do not adequately represent a fully differentiated epithelial state in the absence of an EMT induction. Hence, model systems are required which recapitulate all stages of EMT in cancer cells. Here, we report the derivation and characterization of epithelial PyMT-1099 cancer cells from the MMTV-PyMT mouse model of breast cancer. We demonstrate that PyMT-1099 cells undergo an EMT upon TGFβ treatment, while upon TGFβ withdrawal they go through a mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET), as assessed by changes in cell morphology and marker expression and comparable to normal murine mammary gland NMuMG cells. However, in contrast to NMuMG cells, PyMT-1099 cells show an increase in cell migration and are highly tumorigenic and metastatic when transplanted into immunocompromised mice. Finally, we report cancer cell-specific changes in gene expression during EMT of PyMT-1099 cells not found in non-transformed NMuMG cells. Thus, PyMT-1099 cells are a versatile tool to study breast cancer-associated EMT and MET in vitro and in vivo.
Author Correction: Androgen receptor is a potential novel prognostic marker and oncogenic target in osteosarcoma with dependence on CDK11
Authors: Liao Yunfei , Sassi Slim , Halvorsen Stefan , Feng Yong , Shen Jacson , Gao Yan , Cote Gregory , Choy Edwin , Harmon David , Mankin Henry , Hornicek Francis , Duan Zhenfeng
Published: August 2018

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.
In vitro performances of novel co-spray-dried azithromycin/rifampicin microparticles for Rhodococcus equi disease treatment
Authors: Rampacci Elisa , Marenzoni Maria Luisa , Chiaradia Elisabetta , Passamonti Fabrizio , Ricci Maurizio , Pepe Marco , Coletti Mauro , Giovagnoli Stefano
Published: August 2018

This work was aimed at providing clues on the in vitro performances of novel azithromycin/rifampicin combinations, in the form of co-spray-dried microparticles (AZM/RIF MP), against Rhodococcus equi, an animal and emerging human pathogen found responsible for worrying zoonosis. Various AZM/RIF combinations were spray-dried and characterized for their morphology and size. Susceptibility studies included determination of MIC, MBC, Fractional Inhibitory/Bactericidal Concentration Indexes and intracellular activity in R. equi-infected THP-1 cells. Cytotoxicity was tested on BEAS-2B cells through MTT assay and combination index assessment for drug interaction. Spray-dried MP were collapsed and 3–10 times smaller than commercial powders. Drug combinations showed an enhancement of in vitro antibacterial activity with a remarkable synergistic bactericidal effect. Azithromycin MP and AZM/RIF MP 2:1 led to a CFU reduction of >90% up to 4 days after treatment at all tested concentrations (p = 0.001) but AZM/RIF MP 2:1 were at least four-fold more potent than AZM MP alone. IC50 values of >100 mg/L supported low cytotoxicity of drug combinations and the combination index suggested an antagonistic toxic effect. Co-spray-drying enhanced powder dispersibility and solubility, which may improve bioavailability as well as provide administration alternatives. The novel AZM/RIF MP combinations could result a valid platform to develop new treatment strategies against R. equi infections in animals and humans.
Polyelectrolyte multilayer-like films from layer-by-layer processing of protected polyampholytic block copolymers
Authors: Park Jong Keun , Zhang Jieqian , Roy Raghunath , Ge Shouren , Hustad Phillip D.
Published: August 2018

Polyelectrolyte multilayer films are prepared from a block copolymer with H-bond acceptor and protected H-donor blocks as a masked polyampholyte.
Integrated production of bio-jet fuel containing lignin-derived arenes via lipid deoxygenation
Authors: Lu Yijian , Ma Bing , Zhao Chen
Published: August 2018

We report an integrated production of bio-jet fuel, from dehydrogenation of lignin-derived cycloalkanes and deoxygenation of lipid over PtIr/γ-Al2O3 at 400 °C in the absence of hydrogen.
Self-catalyzed VLS growth of PbSe wires with significant suppression of the VS process
Authors: Fan Chao , Xu Xing , Zhang Yushuang , Chen Tianren , Wang Songyang , Zhang Chi , Zhang Qinglin
Published: August 2018

Controllable growth of high-quality PbSe wires with strong mid-infrared emission was achieved with significant suppression of the vapor–solid-grown cubes.
Mechanistic insights into peptide and ligand binding of the ATAD2-bromodomain via atomistic simulations disclosing a role of induced fit and conformational selection
Authors: Zhou Yang , Hussain Muzammal , Kuang Guanglin , Zhang Jiancun , Tu Yaoquan
Published: August 2018

Atomistic simulations of the ATAD2-bromodomain disclose a role of induced fit and conformational selection upon ligand and peptide binding.
Non-Gaussianity, population heterogeneity, and transient superdiffusion in the spreading dynamics of amoeboid cells
Authors: Cherstvy Andrey G. , Nagel Oliver , Beta Carsten , Metzler Ralf
Published: August 2018

What is the underlying diffusion process governing the spreading dynamics and search strategies employed by amoeboid cells?
Lithium ions solvated in helium
Authors: Rastogi Monisha , Leidlmair Christian , An der Lan Lukas , Ortiz de Zárate Josu , Pérez de Tudela Ricardo , Bartolomei Massimiliano , Hernández Marta I. , Campos-Martínez José , González-Lezana Tomás , Hernández-Rojas Javier , Bretón José , Scheier Paul , Gatchell Michael
Published: August 2018

We report on a combined experimental and theoretical study of Li+ ions solvated by up to 50 He atoms.
The slow magnetic relaxation regulated by the coordination, configuration and intermolecular dipolar field in two mononuclear DyIII single-molecule magnets (SMMs)
Authors: Zhang Sheng , Mo Wenjiao , Yin Bing , Zhang Gaini , Yang Desuo , Lü Xingqiang , Chen Sanping
Published: August 2018

Tuning the magnetic dynamics of single-molecule magnets (SMMs) is a crucial challenge for chemists.
PAHs in fine particles over Xi'an, a typical northwestern city in China: sources, distribution, and controlling factors
Authors: Zeng Yaling , Shen Zhenxing , Lei Yali , Zhang Tian , Zhang Qian , Xu Hongmei , Wang Qiyuan , Cao Junji , Liu Yang
Published: August 2018

Levels of particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are affected by emission as well as multiple factors.
Synthesis of 2-substituted 3-chlorobenzofurans via TMSCl-mediated nucleophilic annulation of isatin-derived propargylic alcohols
Authors: Sun Zhou , Xiang Kuirong , Tao Hua , Guo Liqun , Li Ying
Published: August 2018

A TMSCl-mediated cascade annulation of isatin-derived propargylic alcohols has been developed for the facile synthesis of 2-substituted 3-chlorobenzofurans.
The mechanism of the excited-state multiple proton transfer reaction for 3-Me-2,6-diazaindole in aqueous solution
Authors: Huang Jin-Dou , Ma Huipeng
Published: August 2018

The potential energy curves show that(2,6-aza)Indin aqueous solution undergoes a quadruple-proton transfer reaction with the assistance of three water molecules.