bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
GABA-A receptor differences in schizophrenia: a positron emission tomography study using [11C]Ro154513
Authors: Marques Tiago Reis , Ashok Abhishekh H. , Angelescu Ilinca , Borgan Faith , Myers Jim , Lingford-Hughes Anne , Nutt David J. , Veronese Mattia , Turkheimer Federico E. , Howes Oliver D. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractA loss of GABA signaling is a prevailing hypothesis for the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Preclinical studies indicate that blockade of the α5 subtype of the GABA receptor (α5-GABAARs) leads to behavioral phenotypes associated with schizophrenia, and postmortem evidence indicates lower hippocampal α5-GABAARs protein and mRNA levels in schizophrenia. However, it is unclear if α5-GABAARs are altered in vivo or related to symptoms. We investigated α5-GABAARs availability in antipsychotic-free schizophrenia patients and antipsychotic-medicated schizophrenia patients using [11C]Ro15-4513 PET imaging in a cross-sectional, case–control study design. Thirty-one schizophrenia patients (n = 10 antipsychotic free) and twenty-nine matched healthy controls underwent a [11C]Ro15-4513 PET scan and MRI. The α5 subtype GABA-A receptor availability was indexed using [11C]Ro15-4513 PET imaging. Dynamic PET data were analyzed using the two-tissue compartment model with an arterial plasma input function and total volume of distribution (VT) as the outcome measure. Symptom severity was assessed using the PANSS scale. There was significantly lower [11C]Ro15-4513 VT in the hippocampus of antipsychotic-free patients, but not in medicated patients (p = 0.64), relative to healthy controls (p < 0.05; effect size = 1.4). There was also a significant positive correlation between [11C]Ro15-4513 VT and total PANSS score in antipsychotic-free patients (r = 0.72; p = 0.044). The results suggest that antipsychotic-free patients with schizophrenia have lower α5-GABAARs levels in the hippocampus, consistent with the hypothesis that GABA hypofunction underlies the pathophysiology of the disorder.
Reinventing quantitative genetics for plant breeding: something old, something new, something borrowed, something BLUE
Authors: Bernardo Rex 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe goals of quantitative genetics differ according to its field of application. In plant breeding, the main focus of quantitative genetics is on identifying candidates with the best genotypic value for a target population of environments. Keeping quantitative genetics current requires keeping old concepts that remain useful, letting go of what has become archaic, and introducing new concepts and methods that support contemporary breeding. The core concept of continuous variation being due to multiple Mendelian loci remains unchanged. Because the entirety of germplasm available in a breeding program is not in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, classical concepts that assume random mating, such as the average effect of an allele and additive variance, need to be retired in plant breeding. Doing so is feasible because with molecular markers, mixed-model approaches that require minimal genetic assumptions can be used for best linear unbiased estimation (BLUE) and prediction. Plant breeding would benefit from borrowing approaches found useful in other disciplines. Examples include reliability as a new measure of the influence of genetic versus nongenetic effects, and operations research and simulation approaches for designing breeding programs. The genetic entities in such simulations should not be generic but should be represented by the pedigrees, marker data, and phenotypic data for the actual germplasm in a breeding program. Over the years, quantitative genetics in plant breeding has become increasingly empirical and computational and less grounded in theory. This trend will continue as the amount and types of data available in a breeding program increase.
Water-mediated crystallohydrate–polymer composite as a phase-change electrolyte
Authors: Tai Ziyang , Wei Junjie , Zhou Jie , Liao Yue , Wu Chu , Shang Yinghui , Wang Baofeng , Wang Qigang 
Published: April 2020

AbstractWith the world’s focus on wearable electronics, the scientific community has anticipated the plasticine-like processability of electrolytes and electrodes. A bioinspired composite of polymer and phase-changing salt with the similar bonding structure to that of natural bones is a suitable electrolyte candidate. Here, we report a water-mediated composite electrolyte by simple thermal mixing of crystallohydrate and polymer. The processable phase-change composites have significantly high mechanical strength and high ionic mobility. The wide operating voltage range and high faradic capacity of the composite both contribute to the maximum energy density. The convenient assembly and high thermal-shock resistance of our device are due to the mechanical interlocking and endothermic phase-change effect. As of now, no other non-liquid electrolytes, including those made from ceramics, polymers, or hydrogels, possess all of these features. Our work provides a universal strategy to fabricate various thermally manageable devices via phase-change electrolytes.
Hydrogen migration at restructuring palladium–silver oxide boundaries dramatically enhances reduction rate of silver oxide
Authors: O’Connor Christopher R. , van Spronsen Matthijs A. , Egle Tobias , Xu Fang , Kersell Heath R. , Oliver-Meseguer Judit , Karatok Mustafa , Salmeron Miquel , Madix Robert J. , Friend Cynthia M. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractHeterogeneous catalysts are complex materials with multiple interfaces. A critical proposition in exploiting bifunctionality in alloy catalysts is to achieve surface migration across interfaces separating functionally dissimilar regions. Herein, we demonstrate the enhancement of more than 104 in the rate of molecular hydrogen reduction of a silver surface oxide in the presence of palladium oxide compared to pure silver oxide resulting from the transfer of atomic hydrogen from palladium oxide islands onto the surrounding surface formed from oxidation of a palladium–silver alloy. The palladium–silver interface also dynamically restructures during reduction, resulting in silver–palladium intermixing. This study clearly demonstrates the migration of reaction intermediates and catalyst material across surface interfacial boundaries in alloys with a significant effect on surface reactivity, having broad implications for the catalytic function of bimetallic materials.
Manipulating dehydrogenation kinetics through dual-doping Co3N electrode enables highly efficient hydrazine oxidation assisting self-powered H2 production
Authors: Liu Yi , Zhang Jihua , Li Yapeng , Qian Qizhu , Li Ziyun , Zhu Yin , Zhang Genqiang 
Published: April 2020

AbstractReplacing sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) to produce hydrogen has been considered as a more energy-efficient strategy than water splitting. However, the relatively high cell voltage in two-electrode system and the required external electric power hinder its scalable applications, especially in mobile devices. Herein, we report a bifunctional P, W co-doped Co3N nanowire array electrode with remarkable catalytic activity towards both HzOR (−55 mV at 10 mA cm−2) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER, −41 mV at 10 mA cm−2). Inspiringly, a record low cell voltage of 28 mV is required to achieve 10 mA cm−2 in two-electrode system. DFT calculations decipher that the doping optimized H* adsorption/desorption and dehydrogenation kinetics could be the underlying mechanism. Importantly, a self-powered H2 production system by integrating a direct hydrazine fuel cell with a hydrazine splitting electrolyzer can achieve a decent rate of 1.25 mmol h−1 at room temperature.
Unusual KIE and dynamics effects in the Fe-catalyzed hetero-Diels-Alder reaction of unactivated aldehydes and dienes
Authors: Yang Yuhong , Zhang Xiaoyong , Zhong Li-Ping , Lan Jialing , Li Xin , Li Chuang-Chuang , Chung Lung Wa 
Published: April 2020

AbstractHetero-Diels-Alder (HDA) reaction is an important synthetic method for many natural products. An iron(III) catalyst was developed to catalyze the challenging HDA reaction of unactivated aldehydes and dienes with high selectivity. Here we report extensive density-functional theory (DFT) calculations and molecular dynamics simulations that show effects of iron (including its coordinate mode and/or spin state) on the dynamics of this reaction: considerably enhancing dynamically stepwise process, broadening entrance channel and narrowing exit channel from concerted asynchronous transition states. Also, our combined computational and experimental secondary KIE studies reveal unexpectedly large KIE values for the five-coordinate pathway even with considerable C–C bond forming, due to equilibrium isotope effect from the change in the metal coordination. Moreover, steric and electronic effects are computationally shown to dictate the C=O chemoselectivity for an α,β-unsaturated aldehyde, which is verified experimentally. Our mechanistic study may help design homogeneous, heterogeneous and biological catalysts for this challenging reaction.
Quantitative prediction of grain boundary thermal conductivities from local atomic environments
Authors: Fujii Susumu , Yokoi Tatsuya , Fisher Craig A. J. , Moriwake Hiroki , Yoshiya Masato 
Published: April 2020

AbstractQuantifying the dependence of thermal conductivity on grain boundary (GB) structure is critical for controlling nanoscale thermal transport in many technologically important materials. A major obstacle to determining such a relationship is the lack of a robust and physically intuitive structure descriptor capable of distinguishing between disparate GB structures. We demonstrate that a microscopic structure metric, the local distortion factor, correlates well with atomically decomposed thermal conductivities obtained from perturbed molecular dynamics for a wide variety of MgO GBs. Based on this correlation, a model for accurately predicting thermal conductivity of GBs is constructed using machine learning techniques. The model reveals that small distortions to local atomic environments are sufficient to reduce overall thermal conductivity dramatically. The method developed should enable more precise design of next-generation thermal materials as it allows GB structures exhibiting the desired thermal transport behaviour to be identified with small computational overhead.
A delay in sampling information from temporally autocorrelated visual stimuli
Authors: Callahan-Flintoft Chloe , Holcombe Alex O. , Wyble Brad 
Published: April 2020

AbstractMuch of our world changes smoothly in time, yet the allocation of attention is typically studied with sudden changes – transients. A sizeable lag in selecting feature information is seen when stimuli change smoothly. Yet this lag is not seen with temporally uncorrelated rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) stimuli. This suggests that temporal autocorrelation of a feature paradoxically increases the latency at which information is sampled. To test this, participants are asked to report the color of a disk when a cue was presented. There is an increase in selection latency when the disk’s color changed smoothly compared to randomly. This increase is due to the smooth color change presented after the cue rather than extrapolated predictions based on the color changes presented before. These results support an attentional drag theory, whereby attentional engagement is prolonged when features change smoothly. A computational model provides insights into the potential underlying neural mechanisms.
A processive phosphorylation circuit with multiple kinase inputs and mutually diversional routes controls G1/S decision
Authors: Venta Rainis , Valk Ervin , Örd Mihkel , Košik Oleg , Pääbo Kaur , Maljavin Artemi , Kivi Rait , Faustova Ilona , Shtaida Nastassia , Lepiku Martin , Möll Kaidi , Doncic Andreas , Kõivomägi Mardo , Loog Mart 
Published: April 2020

AbstractStudies on multisite phosphorylation networks of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) targets have opened a new level of signaling complexity by revealing signal processing routes encoded into disordered proteins. A model target, the CDK inhibitor Sic1, contains linear phosphorylation motifs, docking sites, and phosphodegrons to empower an N-to-C terminally directed phosphorylation process. Here, we uncover a signal processing mechanism involving multi-step competition between mutually diversional phosphorylation routes within the S-CDK-Sic1 inhibitory complex. Intracomplex phosphorylation plays a direct role in controlling Sic1 degradation, and provides a mechanism to sequentially integrate both the G1- and S-CDK activities while keeping S-CDK inhibited towards other targets. The competing phosphorylation routes prevent premature Sic1 degradation and demonstrate how integration of MAPK from the pheromone pathway allows one to tune the competition of alternative phosphorylation paths. The mutually diversional phosphorylation circuits may be a general way for processing multiple kinase signals to coordinate cellular decisions in eukaryotes.
Measuring and forecasting progress towards the education-related SDG targets
Authors: Friedman Joseph , York Hunter , Graetz Nicholas , Woyczynski Lauren , Whisnant Joanna , Hay Simon I. , Gakidou Emmanuela 
Published: April 2020

AbstractEducation is a key dimension of well-being and a crucial indicator of development1–4. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) prioritize progress in education, with a new focus on inequality5–7. Here we model the within-country distribution of years of schooling, and use this model to explore educational inequality since 1970 and to forecast progress towards the education-related 2030 SDG targets. We show that although the world is largely on track to achieve near-universal primary education by 2030, substantial challenges remain in the completion rates for secondary and tertiary education. Globally, the gender gap in schooling had nearly closed by 2018 but gender disparities remained acute in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and North Africa and the Middle East. It is predicted that, by 2030, females will have achieved significantly higher educational attainment than males in 18 countries. Inequality in education reached a peak globally in 2017 and is projected to decrease steadily up to 2030. The distributions and inequality metrics presented here represent a framework that can be used to track the progress of each country towards the SDG targets and the level of inequality over time. Reducing educational inequality is one way to promote a fairer distribution of human capital and the development of more equitable human societies.
Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) selectively attracts and enhances the performance of Cotesia vestalis, a parasitoid of Plutella xylostella
Authors: Chen Yanting , Mao Jun , Reynolds Olivia L. , Chen Wenbin , He Weiyi , You Minsheng , Gurr Geoff M. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe use of nectar-providing plants to nourish natural enemies of pest species has become a widely-used approach in conservation biological control to reduce pest damage without the indiscriminate use of insecticides. Choice of plant species is crucial to maximize benefits, but suitable species are yet to be identified for many important crop-pest systems. Here we explored the suitability of three candidate nectar plants for use in brassica vegetables to suppress the globally significant pest, Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), using the widely-distributed parasitoid, Cotesia vestalis (Haliday) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Volatiles of alyssum (Lobularia maritima (L.) Desv) (Brassicaceae) were attractive to the parasitoid and access to flowering shoots increased adult longevity and realized fecundity of C. vestalis. Moreover, adult diamondback moth derived no benefit from this flower. In contrast, buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) (Polygonaceae), a species widely used in conservation biological control in other systems, increased the longevity and fecundity of both pest and parasitoid, rendering it less suitable. A third plant, heronsbill (Portulaca grandiflora Hook.) (Portulacaceae) denied benefit to the pest and promoted longevity of the parasitoid under no-choice conditions but did not improve fecundity and was repellent to female parasitoids under choice conditions. The contrasting effects of this set of plants illustrate the need to test multiple response variables and effects on both pest and natural enemy when seeking optimal nectar plants for use in a novel conservation biological control system.
Application of Ground-Based LiDAR for Analysing Oil Palm Canopy Properties on the Occurrence of Basal Stem Rot (BSR) Disease
Authors: Husin Nur A. , Khairunniza-Bejo Siti , Abdullah Ahmad F. , Kassim Muhamad S. M. , Ahmad Desa , Azmi Aiman N. N. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractGround-based LiDAR also known as Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) technology is an active remote sensing imaging method said to be one of the latest advances and innovations for plant phenotyping. Basal Stem Rot (BSR) is the most destructive disease of oil palm in Malaysia that is caused by white-rot fungus Ganoderma boninense, the symptoms of which include flattening and hanging-down of the canopy, shorter leaves, wilting green fronds and smaller crown size. Therefore, until now there is no critical investigation on the characterisation of canopy architecture related to this disease using TLS method was carried out. This study proposed a novel technique of BSR classification at the oil palm canopy analysis using the point clouds data taken from the TLS. A total of 40 samples of oil palm trees at the age of nine-years-old were selected and 10 trees for each health level were randomly taken from the same plot. The trees were categorised into four health levels - T0, T1, T2 and T3, which represents the healthy, mildly infected, moderately infected and severely infected, respectively. The TLS scanner was mounted at a height of 1 m and each palm was scanned at four scan positions around the tree to get a full 3D image. Five parameters were analysed: S200 (canopy strata at 200 cm from the top), S850 (canopy strata at 850 cm from the top), crown pixel (number of pixels inside the crown), frond angle (degree of angle between fronds) and frond number. The results taken from statistical analysis revealed that frond number was the best single parameter to detect BSR disease as early as T1. In classification models, a linear model with a combination of parameters, ABD – A (frond number), B (frond angle) and D (S200), delivered the highest average accuracy for classification of healthy-unhealthy trees with an accuracy of 86.67 per cent. It also can classify the four severity levels of infection with an accuracy of 80 per cent. This model performed better when compared to the severity classification using frond number. The novelty of this research is therefore on the development of new approach to detect and classify BSR using point clouds data of TLS.
Circulating RNA Transcriptome of Pregnant Women with TSH Just Above the Trimester-Specific Reference and its Correlation with the Hypertensive Phenotype
Authors: Hirata Andréa Harumy de Lima , Rocha Luiz Antônio de Jesus , da Silva Valdelena Alessandra , de Almeida Robson José , Bacigalupo Lucas dos Santos , Varela Patrícia , Martins Leonardo , Pesquero João Bosco , Dellê Humberto , Camacho Cleber Pinto 
Published: April 2020

AbstractDuring gestation, a woman’s body undergoes physiological changes that alter thyroid function. Pregnant women with hypothyroidism may exhibit gestational complications, including hypertension and preeclampsia. We investigated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in circulating RNAs from pregnant women with TSH levels just above the normal range to determine the impact of a mild elevation of TSH in pregnancy. We selected three women with healthy thyroid pregnancy (HTP), three pregnant women with gestational hypothyroidism (GHT), and three nonpregnant women (NPG) to construct transcriptome libraries. We also compared our results with data from the GEO dataset and DisGeNET. We identified 1500 DEG in GHT and 1656 DEG in HTP. From GEO dataset, we recognized 453 DEGs in trimester-specific plasma RNA, 1263 DEGs in placental tissues from healthy women, 1031 DEGs from preeclamptic uteroplacental tissues and 1657 DEGs from placental tissues from severely preeclamptic women. In this scenario, 12.26% and 12.86% genes were shared between these datasets in GHT and HTP, respectively. We stablished 62 genes in GHT DEGs related to hypertensive phenotype hallmarks. In conclusion, even in women with a mild TSH increment, we were able to detect some DEGs that could be associated with a hypertensive phenotype.
Susceptibility to cellular stress in PS1 mutant N2a cells is associated with mitochondrial defects and altered calcium homeostasis
Authors: Rojas-Charry Liliana , Calero-Martinez Sergio , Morganti Claudia , Morciano Giampaolo , Park Kyungeun , Hagel Christian , Marciniak Stefan J. , Glatzel Markus , Pinton Paolo , Sepulveda-Falla Diego 
Published: April 2020

AbstractPresenilin 1 (PS1) mutations are the most common cause of familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD). PS1 also plays a role in cellular processes such as calcium homeostasis and autophagy. We hypothesized that mutant presenilins increase cellular vulnerability to stress. We stably expressed human PS1, mutant PS1E280A and mutant PS1Δ9 in mouse neuroblastoma N2a cells. We examined early signs of stress in different conditions: endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, calcium overload, oxidative stress, and Aβ 1–42 oligomers toxicity. Additionally, we induced autophagy via serum starvation. PS1 mutations did not have an effect in ER stress but PS1E280A mutation affected autophagy. PS1 overexpression influenced calcium homeostasis and generated mitochondrial calcium overload modifying mitochondrial function. However, the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) was affected in PS1 mutants, being accelerated in PS1E280A and inhibited in PS1Δ9 cells. Altered autophagy in PS1E280A cells was neither modified by inhibition of γ-secretase, nor by ER calcium retention. MPTP opening was directly regulated by γ-secretase inhibitors independent on organelle calcium modulation, suggesting a novel direct role for PS1 and γ-secretase in mitochondrial stress. We identified intrinsic cellular vulnerability to stress in PS1 mutants associated simultaneously with both, autophagic and mitochondrial function, independent of Aβ pathology.