bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cerebral and Spinal Modulation of Pain by Emotions
Authors: Roy Mathieu , Piche Mathieu , Chen Jen-I , Peretz Isabelle , Rainville Pierre 
Published: July 2019

AbstractEmotions have powerful effects on pain perception. However, the brain mechanisms underlying these effects remain largely unknown. In this study, we combined functional cerebral imaging with psychophysiological methods to explore the neural mechanisms implicated in the emotional modulation of spinal nociceptive responses (RIII-reflex) and pain perception in healthy participants. Emotions induced by pleasant or unpleasant pictures modulated the responses to painful electrical stimulations in the right insula, paracentral lobule, parahippocampal gyrii, thalamus and amygdala. Right insula activation covaried with the modulation of pain perception, consistent with a role of this structure in the integration of pain signals with the ongoing emotion. In contrast, activity in the thalamus and amygdala was associated with the modulation of spinal reflex responses. Connectivity analyses further supported a segregation of networks involved in cerebral and cerebro-spinal modulation, highlighting the multiplicity of emotion-related processes affecting pain.
Ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction enhances AAV mediated gene transfection: human RPE cells in vitro and the rat retina in vivo
Authors: Li Hongli , Zheng Xiaozhi , Wang Huiping , Li Fan , Wu Ying , Du Lianfang 
Published: July 2019

AbstractThe present study was performed to investigate the efficacy and safety of Ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) mediated rAAV2-EGFP to cultured human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells in vitro and the rat retina in vivo. In vitro study, cultured human RPE cells were exposed to US under different conditions with or without microbubbles. Furthermore, the effect of UTMD to rAAV2-EGFP itself and the cells were evaluated. In vivo study, gene transfer was examined by injecting rAAV2-EGFP into the subretinal space of the rats with or without microbubbles and then exposed to US. We investigated EGFP expression in vivo via stereomicroscopy and performed quantitative analysis by Axiovision 3.1 software. HE staining and frozen sections were used to observe tissue damage and location of EGFP gene expression. In vitro study, the transfection efficiency of rAAV2-EGFP increased 74.85% under the optimal UTMD conditions. Furthermore, there was almost no cytotoxicity to the cells and rAAV2-EGFP itself. In vivo study, UTMD could be used safely to enhance and accelerate transgene expression of the retina. Fluorescence expression was mainly located in the layer of retina. UTMD is a promising method for gene delivery to the retina.
Phylogeny of conserved adenines in linkers of Group-I introns
Authors: Ganesan Natarajan , Kesavan Chandrasekhar 
Published: July 2019

AbstractWe have analyzed the linkers in group-I introns, a characteristic region that is crucial to the folding and splicing process of the folded RNA, in seventy sequences spreading across r-RNA, t-RNA and organelle genes from various organisms including algae, fungi and protozoa. The study revealed a high degree of consensus of specific adenine residues in J3/4, J6/7 and J8/7 stems of the linker regions that were required to stabilize the local orientation, either as single residue or by forming unusual base pairs along with divalent metal ions. Conservation of these residues in the Group-I intron linkers suggests their significant contribution to the folded structure whose bonding and geometry recruit metal ions to interact in stabilizing the folded nature of RNA.
Glacial cycles promote greater dispersal, which can help explain larger clutch sizes, in north temperate birds
Authors: Winkler David , Greenberg Russell , Martin Thomas , Adler Frederick , Flaxman Samuel 
Published: July 2019

AbstractEarth’s glacial history and patterns in the life history traits of the planet’s avifauna suggest the following interpretations of how recent geological history has affected these key characteristics of the biota: 1) Increased colonizing ability has been an important advantage of increased dispersal, and life history strategies are better categorized by dispersive colonizing ability than by their intrinsic growth rates; 2) Birds of the North Temperate Zone show a greater tendency to disperse, and they disperse farther, than tropical or south temperate birds; 3) Habitat changes associated with glacial advance and retreat selected for high dispersal ability, particularly in the North; and 4) Selection for greater dispersal throughout the unstable Pleistocene has also resulted in other well-recognized life history contrasts, especially larger clutch sizes in birds of North Temperate areas.
Temporal dynamics of travelling theta wave activity in infants responding to visual looming
Authors: van der Weel Ruud , van der Meer Audrey 
Published: July 2019

AbstractA fundamental property of most animals is the ability to see whether an object is approaching on a direct collision course and, if so, when it will collide. Using high-density electroencephalography in 5- to 11-month-old infants and a looming stimulus approaching under three different accelerations, we investigated how the young human nervous system extracts and processes information for impending collision. Here we show that infants&apos; looming related brain activity is characterized by theta oscillations. Source analyses reveal clear localised activity in the visual cortex. Analysing the temporal dynamics of the source waveform, we provide evidence that the temporal structure of different looming stimuli is sustained during processing in the more mature infant brain, providing infants with increasingly veridical time-to-collision information about looming danger as they grow older and become mobile.
Golden sections of inter-atomic distances as exact ionic radii of atoms
Authors: Heyrovska Raji 
Published: July 2019

AbstractThe Golden ratio which appears in the geometry of a variety of creations in Nature is found to arise right in the Bohr radius of the hydrogen atom due to the opposite charges of the electron and proton. The bond length of the hydrogen molecule is the diagonal of a square on the Bohr radius and hence also has two Golden sections, which form the cationic and anionic radii of hydrogen. It is shown here that these radii account quantitatively for the bond lengths of many hydrides when added to the atomic and Golden ratio based ionic radii of many other atoms.
The circadian system alters thermoregulation depending on the time of day and feeding condition
Authors: Nagashima Kei , Tokizawa Ken , Uchida Yuki 
Published: July 2019

AbstractThe circadian rhythm of body temperature (Tb) is a well-known phenomenon. However, it is unknown how the circadian system affects thermoregulation. Food deprivation in mice induces a greater reduction of Tb particularly in the light phase. We examined the role of the clock gene and the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) during induced hypothermia. At 20C with fasting, mice increased their metabolic heat production in the dark phase and maintained T~b~, whereas in the light phase, heat production was less, resulting in hypothermia. Under these conditions, neuronal activity in the SCN, assessed by cFos expression, increased only in the light phase. The differences between the phases in Clock mutant mice were less marked. The neural network between the SCN and paraventricular nucleus appeared to be important in hypothermia. These findings suggest that the circadian system per se is influenced by both the feeding condition and environmental temperature and that it modulates thermoregulation.
Neurogenesis and astrogenesis contribute to vestibular compensation in the neurectomized adult cat: cellular and behavioral evidence
Authors: Dutheil Sophie , Brezun Jean Michel , Leonard Jacques , Lacour Michel , Tighilet Brahim 
Published: July 2019

AbstractNeurogenesis occurs in some regions of the adult mammalian brain and gives rise to neurons integrated into functional networks. In pathological or postlesional conditions, neurogenesis and astrogenesis can also occur, as demonstrated in the deafferented vestibular nuclei after unilateral vestibular neurectomy in the adult cat. Here we report that in cats infused with an antimitotic drug, cytosine-[beta]-D arabinofuranoside (AraC), the number of GAD67 and GFAP immunoreactive cells is increased, despite the total mitotic activity blockade observed in the deafferented vestibular nuclei after unilateral vestibular neurectomy. At the behavioral level, recovery of posturo-locomotor function was drastically delayed, and no alteration of the horizontal spontaneous nystagmus was observed. These cellular and behavioral results suggest that reactive neurogenesis and astrogenesis might contribute highly to vestibular compensation in the adult cat, probably by accelerating the recovery of vestibular functions.
Circadian Preference and Sexual Selection: A Novel Evolutionary Approach
Authors: Piffer Davide 
Published: July 2019

AbstractHuman sleep patterns differ across age groups and between males and females, and their association with age and gender suggest that they might have been the target of sexual selection during human evolutionary history. In this study, I will test the hypothesis that a phase-delayed circadian phase is a sexually selected trait in humans. A short version of the Horne and Ostberg questionnaire and a questionnaire on sexual behaviour were administered to 134 males and 140 females. A significant negative relationship was found between the MEQ score and the number of sexual partners among males, with evening types reporting more sexual partners than morning types. No significant relationship between females MEQ and number of sexual partners was found. Findings support the hypothesis that evening preference in males is a sexually selected trait.
Evaluation of effective parameters on fabrication of BSA nanoparticles
Authors: Rahimnejad Mostafa , Najafpour Ghasem , Jahanshahi Mohsen 
Published: July 2019

AbstractCoacervation technique was implemented in fabrication of BSA nanoparticle for the purpose of drug delivery system. Nanoparticle was purified with 48,800 g centrifuge, and then followed by dialysis, micro and ultra filtration. The fabricated nanoparticles were subjected to physical, morphological and biochemical characterization. The analyzed samples by SEM and AFM proved the semi-spherically shape of the particles whilst the size distribution was measured by photon correlation spectroscopy. Fourier transforms infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) spectrum indicated that the fabricated nanoparticles were pure. The impact of various parameters upon the particle size was extensively investigated. The concentration of glutaraldehyde at fixed temperature had absolutely no significant effect on the size of particles. The affecting parameter was modeled to predict the size of nanoparticle. At low temperature (4{degree sign}C), the nanoparticle size of 89.3nm was fabricated with pure BSA concentration of 20 mg.ml-1.
Evolvability of Chaperonin Substrate Proteins
Authors: Raineri Emanuele , Ribeca Paolo , Serrano Luis , Maier Tobias 
Published: July 2019

AbstractMolecular chaperones ensure that their substrate proteins reach the functional native state, and prevent their aggregation. Recently, an additional function was proposed for molecular chaperones: they serve as buffers (capacitors) for evolution by permitting their substrate proteins to mutate and at the same time still allowing them to fold productively.Using pairwise alignments of E. coli genes with genes from other gamma-proteobacteria, we showed that the described buffering effect cannot be observed among substrate proteins of GroEL, an essential chaperone in E. coli. Instead, we find that GroEL substrate proteins evolve less than other soluble E. coli proteins. We analyzed several specific structural and biophysical properties of proteins to assess their influence on protein evolution and to find out why specifically GroEL substrates do not show the expected higher divergence from their orthologs.Our results culminate in four main findings: *1.* We find little evidence that GroEL in E. coli acts as a capacitor for evolution in vivo. *2.* GroEL substrates evolved less than other E. coli proteins. *3.* Predominantly structural features appear to be a strong determinant of evolutionary rate. *4.* Besides size, hydrophobicity is a criterion for exclusion for a protein as a chaperonin substrate.
Novel determinants describe chaperonin substrate proteins
Authors: Raineri Emanuele , Ribeca Paolo , Serrano Luis , Maier Tobias 
Published: July 2019

AbstractMolecular chaperones ensure that their substrate proteins reach the functional native state and prevent their aggregation. The bacterial GroEL/ES chaperonin system is understood in great detail on a structural, mechanistic and functional level. Its substrate proteins in E. coli have been identified and characterized. However, a long standing and yet unresolved question in the field is: what makes a protein a chaperone substrate?Here we demonstrate with a bioinformatics-based approach that a simple set of criteria is sufficient to describe the GroEL substrate proteome to unprecedented accuracy. We define two novel parameters differentiating GroEL substrates from other cellular proteins: evolutionary rate and hydrophobicity. We demonstrate their conjunct applicability and explain why they are suitable descriptors. Combining them with other specific features of proteins, such as structure and size, we manage to identify the subset of GroEL substrate proteins with high confidence. We verify the applicability of our findings by correctly predicting a number of known heterologous GroEL substrate proteins.Furthermore, our results show that in vivo, the proposed buffering capacity of chaperones does not appear to be a dominant effect. Instead, the observed lower evolutionary rates among substrate proteins could be explained by their energetically unfavorable folding pathways not allowing for additional destabilizing mutations to occur.We show that a combination of simple parameters is sufficient to accurately describe the GroEL substrate proteome and to successfully predict known heterologous substrates. Our approach can potentially be used to predict chaperonin usage for any given polypeptide chain. Observed low evolutionary rates of GroEL substrates suggest that constraints in the folding pathways of the respective proteins do not allow for the accumulation of mutations.
Seasonal patterns of presentation in primary malignant brain tumors and metastases based on a retrospective neuropathologic database
Authors: Ehsani Sepehr , Croul Sidney , Knight Keith , Kiehl Tim-Rasmus 
Published: July 2019

AbstractSeasonal variation in the occurrence of several classes of cancer has been observed in the past. However, evidence for such trends in adult central nervous system tumors is scant. We have analyzed the monthly occurrence rates of glioblastomas as well as carcinomas metastatic to the brain in 6,154 neurosurgical patients in Toronto selected from the University Health Network neuropathologic database over a seven-year period (July 2001 to June 2008). The electronic repository was representative of the patient population in southern Ontario, and the case accession dates in the database reflected the onset patterns of the selected tumor groups. A modification to Nam's alternative method to the Roger test was developed to statistically quantify the differences. The results demonstrated significant cyclical occurrence rates of glioblastomas with seasonal peaks in March, June, September and December. Moreover, significant increases in the rates of carcinomas metastatic to the brain were found for January, April and August. Surprisingly, the monthly frequency for the two tumor groups resembled each other in peak/trough topology. Semiquantitative comparison of major histologic features between glioblastomas from a peak (March) and trough (November) month in the seven-year period was performed, revealing differences in the amount of perivascular lymphocytic inflammation. This novel observation may have profound implications for the understanding of the biology of adult central nervous system tumors.
Pyrolysis of asphaltenes and biomarkers for the fingerprinting of the Amoco Cadiz oil spill after 23 years
Authors: Oudot Jean , Chaillan Frédéric 
Published: July 2019

AbstractThe chemical composition of the petroleum products accidently or deliberately released in the environment varies considerably with time under the action of biological (biodegradation) and physico-chemical (photo-oxidation) processes. It becomes more and more difficult to trace the origin of the oil spilled. A technique widely used for monitoring ancient oil pollutions is the study of oil biomarkers like terpanes and steranes^1,2^. Here we show that the geochemical technique of asphaltenes pyrolysis can be successfully applied to environmental samples. This method allows the reconstitution of the original oil from the asphaltenes fraction of severely degraded oil residues. We applied the two techniques: biomarkers analysis and pyrolysis of asphaltenes to the long-term characterisation of the Amoco Cadiz oil 23 years after the spill in the salt marshes of Ile Grande, Northern Brittany, France. The results show that the oil reached the ultimate degradation stage. The total biodegradation rate was 60% relatively to initial oil. The asphaltenes pyrolysis generated a gas-chromatographic profile very similar to the original Amoco Cadiz oil. In the biomarkers fraction, gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) analyses demonstrated that terpanes were conserved whereas steranes were partly degraded. We also showed that the class of seco-hopanes biomarkers are conserved and can be used in the long term monitoring of oil pollutions.
The beauty of the mammalian vascular system
Authors: Gil Julio , Lahoz-Beltra Rafael , Gimeno Miguel , Laborda Jesús , Nubiala Javier 
Published: July 2019

AbstractBeauty is a characteristic of objects that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure. In nature, aesthetic appreciation thereof has given rise to the mathematical search for good series (e.g. the Fibonacci series) and proportions (e.g. the Golden proportion) as important elements of beauty. In 1928 the mathematician George David Birkhoff introduced a formula for aesthetic measurement of an object. Birkhoff equation defines the aesthetic value as the amount of order divided by the complexity of the product. These two features can be measured easily in poetry, music, painting, architecture, etc. In the fine arts, it is the artist who manipulates both these features, but how does nature manage order and complexity in living organisms or their parts? Here we show how Birkhoff equation, applied to the mammalian vascular system of eight representative animals, results in new insights into the organization of the animal vascular system. We found that order and complexity are highly correlated in the mammalian vascular system (R^2^=0.9511). Accordingly, in nature both features are not independently managed in the manner of artists. We found significant differences among the Birkhoff aesthetic values in the mammalian arterial system, whereas no such differences exist in the venous system. We anticipate our approach to be useful in the study of morphogenesis and evolution of tree-like structures, employing the Birkhoff aesthetic value as a simple tool for conducting such studies.
Examining the PM6 semiempirical method for pKa prediction across a wide range of oxyacids
Authors: Rayne Sierra , Forest Kaya , Friesen Ken 
Published: July 2019

AbstractThe pK~a~ estimation ability of the semiempirical PM6 method was evaluated across a broad range of oxyacids and compared to results obtained using the SPARC software program. Compound classes under consideration included acetic acids, alicyclic and aromatic heterocyclic acids, benzoic acids, boronic acids, hydroxamic acids, oximes, peroxides, peroxyacids, phenols, α-saturated acids, α-saturated alcohols, sulfinic acids, α-unsaturated acids, and α-unsaturated alcohols. PM6 accurately predicts the acidity of acetic and benzoic acids and their derivatives, but is less reliable for alicyclic and aromatic heterocyclic acids and phenols. α-Saturated acids are reliably modeled by PM6 except for polyacid derivatives with α-alcohol moieties. α-Saturated alcohols only appear to yield reliable PM6 results where an α-hydroxy or α-alkoxy moiety is absent. Carboxylic acids with simple α-alkene unsaturation are well approximated by PM6 except where alkyne α-unsaturation or α-carboxylation are also present. The PM6 and SPARC methods exhibit approximately equal pKa prediction performance for the acetic, alicyclic, and benzoic acids. SPARC outperforms PM6 on the peroxides, peroxyacids, phenols, and α-saturated acids and α-saturated alcohols. pKa values for boron, nitrogen, and sulfur oxyacids do not appear to be reliably estimated by either the PM6 or SPARC methods. The findings will help guide the potential appropriateness of results from the PM6 pK~a~ estimation method for waste treatment and environmental fate investigations.
Protective vaccination in the horse against Streptococcus equi with recombinant antigens
Authors: Guss Bengt , Flock Margareta , Frykberg Lars , Waller Andrew , Robinson Carl , Smith Ken , Flock Jan-Ingmar 
Published: July 2019

AbstractStreptococcus equi subspecies equi (S. equi) is a clonal, equine host-adapted pathogen of global importance that causes a highly contagious suppurative lymphodendopathy of the head and neck, more commonly known as Strangles. The disease is highly prevalent, can be severe and spread easily by visibly infected animals or by carrier animals that show no clinical signs of disease. Antibiotic treatment is usually ineffective. However, the majority of horses develop immunity to re-infection, suggesting that vaccination should be a feasible way to prevent the infection. Live attenuated vaccine strains of S. equi are available but adverse reactions have been reported and they suffer from a short duration of immunity. Thus, a safe and effective vaccine against S. equi is highly desirable. In this report, Welsh mountain ponies vaccinated with a combination of seven recombinant S. equi proteins, were significantly protected from experimental infection by S. equi, resembling the spontaneous disease. The protective antigens consisted of five surface localized proteins and two IgG endopeptidases. The results from a second vaccination trial indicate that the endopeptidases were important for good protection. The similarity of S. equi to other pyogenic streptococci suggests that our findings have broader implications for the prevention of streptococcal infections.
Study on the effect of toxicity under highly arsenic prone zone in Nadia district of West Bengal in India
Authors: Rana Tanmoy , Sarkar Samar , Mandal Tapan , Batabyal Subhasis , Datta Bakul , De Sumanta , Sikdar Sourav 
Published: July 2019

AbstractThe present study was carried out on the basis of status of arsenic in soil, drinking water and plants, blood, urine and faeces of animals at arsenic prone zone. Within the ambit with the environment, the examination of animals was taken into consideration. They were screened and categorised on the degree of As toxicity. For field works animals were randomly selected from arsenic prone zone. The external manifestation indicated a complex syndrome and characteristic signs such as increased heart rate and respiratory rate, red urine, congested mucous membrane, anorexia, absence of ruminal motility, diarrhoea with blood, polyuria and unusual weight loss. The haematobiochemical changes such as low Hb level, decreased level of TEC, TLC and increased level ALT, AST, BUN and creatinine. Increased level of arsenic in urine, blood and faeces than the value of control animals could be the confirmatory indication of arsenic toxicity.