bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Layer-specific sensory processing impairment in the primary somatosensory cortex after motor cortex infarction
Authors: Fukui Atsushi , Osaki Hironobu , Ueta Yoshifumi , Muragaki Yoshihiro , Kawamata Takakazu , Miyata Mariko 
Published: September 2019

AbstractPrimary motor cortex (M1) infarction occasionally causes sensory impairment. Because sensory signal plays an important role in motor control, sensory impairment compromises recovery and rehabilitation from motor disability. Despite the importance of sensory-motor integration for rehabilitation after M1 infarction, the neural mechanism of the sensory impairment is poorly understood. We show that the sensory processing in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) was impaired in the acute phase of M1 infarction and recovered in a layer-specific manner in the subacute phase. This layer dependent recovery process and the anatomical connection pattern from M1 to S1 suggested the functional connectivity from M1 to S1 plays a key role in the impairment of sensory processing in S1. The simulation study demonstrated that the loss of inhibition from M1 to S1 in the acute phase of M1 infarction could cause the sensory processing impairment in S1, and the complementation of inhibition could recover the temporal coding. Taken together, we revealed how focal stroke of M1 alters cortical network activity of sensory processing, in which inhibitory input from M1 to S1 may be involved.
Triceps surae torque-length relationships relevant for walking activity levels with and without an ankle exoskeleton
Authors: Hessel Anthony L. , Raiteri Brent J. , Marsh Michael J. , Hahn Daniel 
Published: September 2019

AbstractAnkle exoskeletons have been developed to assist walking by offloading the plantar flexors work requirements, which reduces muscle activity level. However, reduced muscle activity alters plantar flexor muscle-tendon unit dynamics in a way that is poorly understood. We therefore evaluated torque-fascicle length properties of the soleus and lateral gastrocnemius during voluntary contractions at simulated activity levels typical during late stance with and without an ankle exoskeleton. Soleus activity levels (100, 30, and 22% maximal voluntary activity) were produced by participants via visual electromyography feedback at ankle angles ranging from −10° plantar flexion to 35° dorsiflexion. Using dynamometry and ultrasound imaging, torque-fascicle length data of the soleus and lateral gastrocnemius were produced. The results indicate that muscle activity reductions observed with an exoskeleton shift the torque-angle and torque-fascicle length curves to more dorsiflexed ankle angles and longer fascicle lengths where no descending limb is physiologically possible. This shift is in line with previous simulations that predicted a similar increase in the operating fascicle range when wearing an exoskeleton. These data suggest that a small reduction in muscle activity causes changes to torque-fascicle length properties, which has implications for the design and testing of future ankle exoskeletons for assisted walking.Significance StatementAssistive lower-limb exoskeletons reduce the metabolic cost of walking by reducing the positive work requirements of the plantar flexor muscles. However, if the exoskeleton reduces plantar flexor muscle activity too much, then the metabolic benefit is lost. The biological reasons for this are unclear and hinder further exoskeleton development. This research study is the first to directly evaluate if a reduction in plantar flexor muscle activity similar to that caused by wearing an exoskeleton affects muscle function. We found that reduced muscle activity changes the torque-length properties of two plantar flexors, which could explain why reducing muscle activity too much can increase metabolic cost.
Noncoding microdeletion in mouseHgfdisrupts neural crest migration into the stria vascularis, reduces the endocochlear potential and suggests the neuropathology for human nonsyndromic deafness DFNB39
Authors: Morell Robert J. , Olszewski Rafal , Tona Risa , Leitess Samuel , Schultz Julie M. , Thomason Elizabeth J. , Whitley Brittany N. , Hill Connor , Saunders Thomas , Starost Matthew F. , Fitzgerald Tracy , Wilson Elizabeth , Ohyama Takahiro , Friedman Thomas B. , Hoa Michael 
Published: September 2019

AbstractHepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a multifunctional protein that signals through the MET receptor. HGF stimulates cell proliferation, cell dispersion, neuronal survival and wound healing. In the inner ear, levels of HGF must be fine-tuned for normal hearing. In mouse, a deficiency of HGF expression limited to the auditory system, or over-expression of HGF, cause neurosensory deafness. In human, noncoding variants inHGFare associated with nonsyndromic deafnessDFNB39. However, the mechanism by which these noncoding variants causes deafness was unknown. Here, we reveal the cause of this deafness using a mouse model engineered with a noncoding intronic 10bp deletion (del10) inHgf, which is located in the 3’UTR of a conserved short isoform (Hgf/NK0.5). Mice homozygous for del10 exhibit moderate-to-profound hearing loss at four weeks of age as measured by pure-tone auditory brainstem responses (ABRs). The wild type +80 millivolt endocochlear potential (EP) was significantly reduced in homozygous del10 mice compared to wild type littermates. In normal cochlea, EPs are dependent on ion homeostasis mediated by the stria vascularis (SV). Previous studies showed that developmental incorporation of neural crest cells into the SV depends on signaling from HGF/MET. We show by immunohistochemistry that in del10 homozygotes, neural crest cells fail to infiltrate the developing SV intermediate layer. Phenotyping and RNAseq analyses reveal no other significant abnormalities in other tissues. We conclude that, in the inner ear, the noncoding del10 mutation inHgfleads to dysfunctional ion homeostasis in the SV and a loss of EP, recapitulating human DFNB39 deafness.Significance StatementHereditary deafness is a common, clinically and genetically heterogeneous neurosensory disorder. Previously we reported that human deafness DFNB39 is associated with noncoding variants in the 3’UTR of a short isoform ofHGFencoding hepatocyte growth factor. For normal hearing, HGF levels must be fined-tuned as an excess or deficiency of HGF cause deafness in mouse. Using aHgfmutant mouse with a small 10 base pair deletion recapitulating a human DFNB39 noncoding variant, we demonstrate that neural crest cells fail to migrate into the stria vascularis intermediate layer, resulting in a significantly reduced endocochlear potential, the driving force for sound transduction by inner ear hair cells. HGF-associated deafness is a neurocristopathy but, unlike many other neurocristopathies, it is not syndromic.
Amyloid duration is associated with preclinical cognitive decline and tau PET
Authors: Koscik Rebecca L. , Betthauser Tobey J. , Jonaitis Erin M. , Allison Samantha L. , Clark Lindsay R. , Hermann Bruce P. , Cody Karly A. , Engle Jonathan W. , Barnhart Todd E. , Stone Charles K. , Chin Nathaniel A. , Carlsson Cynthia M. , Asthana Sanjay , Christian Bradley T. , Johnson Sterling C. 
Published: September 2019

ABSTRACTINTRODUCTIONThis study applies a novel algorithm to longitudinal amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to identify age-heterogeneous amyloid trajectory groups, estimate the age and duration (chronicity) of amyloid positivity, and investigate chronicity in relation to cognitive decline and tau burden.METHODSCognitively unimpaired participants (n=257) underwent 1-4 amyloid PET scans. Group-based trajectory modeling was applied to participants with longitudinal scans (n=171) to identify and model amyloid trajectory groups, which were combined with Bayes’ theorem to estimate age and chronicity of amyloid positivity. Relationships between chronicity, cognition, clinical progression and tau PET (MK-6240) were investigated using regression models.RESULTSChronicity explained more heterogeneity in amyloid binding than age and binary amyloid status. Chronicity was associated with faster cognitive decline, increased risk of abnormal cognition, and higher entorhinal tau.DISCUSSIONAmyloid chronicity provides unique information about cognitive decline and neurofibrillary tangle development and may be useful to investigate preclinical AD.
SAMPL: The Spreading Activation and Memory PLasticity Model
Authors: Sievers Beau , Momennejad Ida 
Published: September 2019

AbstractWe present the Spreading Activation and Memory PLasticity Model (SAMPL), a computational model of how memory retrieval changes memories. SAMPL restructures memory networks as a function of spreading activation and plasticity. Memory networks are represented as graphs of items in which edge weights capture the strength of association between items. When an item is retrieved, activation spreads across nodes depending on edge weights and the strength of initial activation. A non-monotonic plasticity rule, in turn, updates edge weights following activation. SAMPL simulates human memory phenomena across a number of experiments including retrieval induced forgetting, context-based memory enhancement, and memory synchronization in conversational networks. Our results have implications for theorizing memory disorders such as PTSD and designing computationally assisted conversational therapy.
Listing candidate diagnostic markers and transcriptomic exploration of the molecular basis of a type of male infertility (Non-Obstructive Azoospermia), via next generation sequencing methods
Authors: Govindkumar Balagannavar , Kavyashree Basavaraju , Bajpai Akhilesh Kumar , Davuluri Sravanthi , Shruthi Kannan , Vasan SS , Madhusudhan M , Chandrasekhar Darshan S , Neelima Chitturi , Vashishtkumar Balagannavar , Sailaja Oguru , Acharya Kshitish K 
Published: September 2019

ABSTRACTStudying the molecular basis of Non-Obstructive Azoospermia (NOA), a type of male infertility with failed spermatogenesis at various stages, can also help in exploring molecular basis of human spermatogenesis and possibly pave way to identify new targets for male contraceptive development. Hence, we initiated a functional genomics study by applying RNA-seq. Testicular biopsies collected from donors with Non-Obstructive Azoospermia (NOA), Obstructive Azoospermia (OA), Congenital Bilateral Absence of the Vas Deferens (CBAVD), and Varicocele (VA) conditions. Strong association of 100+ genes with human spermatogenesis and NOA has been detected via NGS-based transcriptomic analysis. In addition, 20 RNA molecules have been short-listed for potential diagnostic applications (non-obstructive azoospermia vs. obstructive azoospermia, varicocele or normal). A hierarchical list of several genes and alternatively spliced mRNAs, transcribed differentially in NOA, is reported - based on a ‘strength of association’. Such association with NOA, spermatogenesis or both is a new finding for many genes as revealed by a comparison with a newly prepared comprehensive list of genes having such association with human spermatogenesis/NOA. Many top-ranking genes involved in viral gene expression were up-regulated in testes from NOA-patients, while those associated with an antiviral mechanism were down-regulated. A tangential finding: while most well-established control mRNAs did not qualify, two new ones worked best in RT-qPCR experiments. Needle-aspiration of testicular biopsies, followed by the use of short-listed promising candidate biomarkers (i.e., 16 mRNA & 4 chimeric transcripts) and control mRNAs in RT-qPCR-based diagnostic assays, may help to avoid open surgeries in future.
Prediction error signaling explains neuronal mismatch responses in the medial prefrontal cortex
Authors: Casado-Román Lorena , Carbajal Guillermo V. , Pérez-González David , Malmierca Manuel S. 
Published: September 2019

AbstractThe mismatch negativity (MMN) is a key biomarker of automatic deviance detection thought to emerge from two cortical sources. First, the auditory cortex (AC) encodes spectral regularities and reports frequency-specific deviances. Then, more abstract representations in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) allow to detect contextual changes of potential behavioral relevance. However, the precise location and time asynchronies between neuronal correlates underlying this fronto-temporal network remain unclear and elusive. Our study presented auditory oddball paradigms along with ‘no-repetition’ controls to record mismatch responses in neuronal spiking activity and local field potentials at the rat medial PFC. Whereas mismatch responses in the auditory system are mainly induced by stimulus-dependent effects, we found that auditory responsiveness in the PFC was driven by unpredictability, yielding context-dependent, comparatively delayed, more robust and longer-lasting mismatch responses mostly comprised of prediction error signaling activity. This characteristically different composition discarded that mismatch responses in the PFC could be simply inherited or amplified downstream from the auditory system. Conversely, it is more plausible for the PFC to exert top-down influences on the AC, since the PFC exhibited flexible and potent predictive processing, capable of suppressing redundant input more efficiently than the AC. Remarkably, the time course of the mismatch responses we observed in the spiking activity and local field potentials of the AC and the PFC combined coincided with the time course of the large-scale MMN-like signals reported in the rat brain, thereby linking the microscopic, mesoscopic and macroscopic levels of automatic deviance detection.
White matter microstructure predicts focal and broad functional brain dedifferentiation in normal aging
Authors: Rieck Jenny R. , Rodrigue Karen M. , Park Denise C. , Kennedy Kristen M. 
Published: September 2019

AbstractVentral visual cortex exhibits highly organized and selective patterns of functional activity associated with visual processing. However, this specialization decreases in normal aging, with functional responses to different visual stimuli becoming more similar with age, a phenomenon termed “dedifferentiation”. The current study tested the hypothesis that age-related degradation of the inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), a white matter pathway involved in visual perception, could account for dedifferentiation of both localized and distributed brain activity in ventral visual cortex. Participants included 281 adults, ages 20-89, from the Dallas Lifespan Brain Study who underwent diffusion-weighted imaging to measure white matter diffusivity, as well as functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure functional selectivity to viewing photographs from different categories (e.g., faces, houses). In general, decreased ILF anisotropy significantly predicted both focal and broad functional dedifferentiation. Specifically, there was a localized effect of structure on function, such that decreased anisotropy in a smaller mid-fusiform region of ILF predicted less selective (i.e., more dedifferentiated) response to viewing faces in a proximal face-responsive region of fusiform. On the other hand, the whole ILF predicted less selective response across broader ventral visual cortex for viewing animate (e.g., human faces, animals) versus inanimate (e.g., houses, chairs) images. This structure-function relationship became weaker with age and was no longer significant after age 70. These findings indicate that decreased white matter anisotropy is associated with maladaptive differences in proximal brain function and is an important variable to consider when interpreting age differences in functional selectivity.
The structure of behavioral variation within a genotype
Authors: Werkhoven Zach , Bravin Alyssa , Skutt-Kakaria Kyobi , Reimers Pablo , Pallares Luisa F. , Ayroles Julien , Bivort Benjamin de 
Published: September 2019

AbstractIndividual animals vary in their behaviors. This is true even when they share the same genotype and were reared in the same environment. Clusters of covarying behaviors constitute behavioral syndromes, and an individual’s position along such axes of covariation is a representation of their personality. Despite these conceptual frameworks, the structure of behavioral covariation within a genotype is essentially uncharacterized and its mechanistic origins unknown. Passing hundreds of inbredDrosophilaindividuals through an experimental pipeline that captured hundreds of behavioral measures, we found correlations only between sparse pairs of behaviors. Thus, the space of behavioral variation has many independent dimensions. Manipulating the physiology of the brain, and specific neural populations, altered specific correlations. We also observed that variation in gene expression can predict an individual’s position on some behavior axes. This work represents the first steps in understanding the biological mechanisms determining the structure of behavioral variation within a genotype.
Contingencies of self-worth in adolescents with ASD and their correlation with subjective adjustment to school
Authors: Ogawa Shuhei , Kojima Michio 
Published: September 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to validate the Contingencies of Self-Worth Scale (CSWS) for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing individuals and, second, examine the association between contingencies of self-worth and subjective adjustment to school.

Design/methodology/approach
A self-report was used to examine both contingencies of self-worth and subjective adjustment to school in adolescents with ASD and typically developing individuals.

Findings
First, the validity and reliability of the CSWS was verified. Second, the scale was not significant correlation with subjective adjustment to school and contingencies of self-worth in adolescents with ASD. As the reason for this, it has been suggested that there are adaptive aspects and maladaptive aspects in contingencies of self-worth.

Originality/value
This is an original research designed to examine contingencies of self-worth in adolescents with ASD.
Changing socio-spatial systems of urban living in twentieth century Iraq
Authors: Al-Thahab Ali Aumran , Abdelmonem Mohamed Gamal 
Published: September 2019

Purpose
Traditional architecture and urban form is a harmonious and interrelated blend of social relations, cultural beliefs and religious principles forming coherent spatial organisation living in harmony despite diversity of religious beliefs, social class or cultural practices of different communities. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the theoretical background of social cohesion and solidarity in the everyday life of the Mahalla with reference to its religious background in Islam.

Design/methodology/approach
The study of Beit Hadawi and Beit Hammadi el-Hassan as distinct evidences of prominent families within the boundaries of Mahallat El Mahdia in Old Hilla offers an empirical investigation on how values of the past informed and, to some extent, governed the very organic organisation of interlocking residential units in Iraq.

Findings
It investigates the architecture of home and the spatial organisation of Mahalla’s social activities through highlighting the effect of previous factors in creating a responsive environment that sustained its operational mechanism and fluidity over centuries.

Originality/value
This paper examines how previous values, traditions and rituals are behind the organic tissue of traditional quarters and thus providing an effective criterion to be considered when discussing sustainable development or creating a responsive environment in societies with exceptional privacy.
Asylum: A Place of Refuge
Authors: Osama Marwah 
Published: September 2019

Purpose
Mental health disorders, namely, anxiety and depression, have reached an unprecedented peak; recent research demonstrates that these disorders have increased by 70 per cent over the last 25 years. Additionally, developments in the field of environmental psychology have elicited that the built environment is a crucial factor affecting mental health. It is, therefore, necessary for architects to address the issue when designing, thereby using a holistic approach to promote general well-being. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach
The project, Asylum: A Place of Refuge, seeks to create a reinterpretation of the eighteenth century asylum, through which the intervention of nature – vast pastures and bucolic settings – believed it had the power to cure the human psyche while, simultaneously, offering redemption. This paper examines the project in relation to multiple books and readings conducted prior and while designing. These references, many of which are considered staples in the field, refer to the important role and impact architecture and landscape have on mental health. Additionally, it discusses the ways architects can consciously design to promote physiological well-being and ensure positive psychological experience through adoption of a comprehensive approach that bridges the gap between the body and mind. Finding sources related to environmental psychology was also crucial as the research conducted in this field provides scientific reasoning to support design decisions.

Findings
By employing strategies from the readings as well as creating a stimulating space that challenges the conception of architecture, the project: Asylum: A Place of Refuge, was born. The use of a powerful, specific and emotive language inherent to the setting as well as a constant relationship between nature and the built environment creates a safe haven for people to resort to, away from the pressures and stresses of everyday life amplified by bustling cities. The ethos of the project is essentially inspired upon Ebenezer Howard’s concept introduced in his book, Garden Cities of Tomorrow, where he states that “human society and the beauty of nature are meant to be enjoyed together. The two must be made one” (Howard, p. 48).

Research limitations/implications
The application and the validity of the project are limited to a conceptual proposal leading to speculative results. Although the research paper is based on architecture-related readings and research conducted in the field of environmental psychology, to verify how this project would function in a real-world setting, it is essential to build it.

Social implications
Applying these findings and this approach to architecture can enhance the quality of life. These ideas can be applied to many different building types including, but not limited to, living spaces, workplaces and recreational spaces.

Originality/value
This paper is based on an architecture project that was created by the author as part of their undergraduate thesis. As a result, this paper and proposal is fully original.