bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Developmental changes in connectivity between the amygdala subnuclei and occipitotemporal cortex
Authors: Hansen Heather A. , Saygin Zeynep M. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThe amygdala, a subcortical structure known for social and emotional processing, can be subdivided into multiple nuclei with unique functions and connectivity patterns. Tracer studies in adult macaques have shown that the lateral and basal amygdala subnuclei decrease in connectivity to visual cortical areas moving from anterior to posterior, and that infants have similar adult-like projections plus additional connections that are refined with development. Can we delineate the connectivity between the amygdala subnuclei and occipitotemporal cortex in humans, and will it show similar developmental differences as macaques? If so, what functional regions may be contributing to this pattern of connectivity? To address these questions, we anatomically defined the lateral and basal amygdala subnuclei in 20 adult subjects, 27 kids (aged 7-8), and 15 neonates. We then defined the occipitotemporal region in each individual’s native anatomy, and split this entire region into five equal sections from anterior to posterior. We also defined visual functional parcellations in the occipitotemporal cortex (e.g. FFA, PPA) and anatomically defined primary visual cortex (i.e., V1). Using Diffusion Weighted Imaging data, we ran probabilistic tractography with FSL between the amygdala subnuclei as seeds and the occipitotemporal cortical parcellations as targets. Results showed that like macaques, the mean connectivity across subjects to the occipitotemporal cortex significantly decreased on a gradient from anterior to posterior, and that connectivity in kids and neonates was adult-like but became more refined across development. Further, refinement of connectivity to mid and posterior occipitotemporal cortex was largely driven by anterior PPA, LO, and V1, with connectivity to higher order visual areas increasing with age. The functional maturation of these regions may contribute to the continued refinement of these connections, in line with Interactive Specialization hypotheses of brain development.
Visual self-motion feedback affects the sense of self in virtual reality
Authors: Schettler Aubrieann , Holstead Ian , Turri John , Barnett-Cowan Michael 
Published: May 2019

AbstractWe assessed how self-motion affects the visual representation of the self. We constructed a novel virtual reality experiment that systematically varied an avatar’s motion and also biological sex. Participants were presented with pairs of avatars that visually represented the participant (“self avatar”), or another person (“opposite avatar”). Avatar motion either corresponded with the participant’s motion, or was decoupled from the participant’s motion. The results show that participants identified with i) “self avatars” over “opposite avatars”, ii) avatars moving congruently with self-motion over incongruent motion, and importantly iii) identification with the “opposite avatar” over the “self avatar” when the opposite avatar’s motion was congruent with self-motion. Our results suggest that both self-motion and biological sex are relevant to the body schema and body image and that congruent bottom-up visual feedback of self-motion is particularly important for the sense of self and capable of overriding top-down self-identification factors such as biological sex.
The Salt-Inducible Kinase inhibitor YKL-05-099 suppresses MEF2C function and acute myeloid leukemia progressionin vivo
Authors: Tarumoto Yusuke , Lin Shan , Wang Jinhua , Milazzo Joseph P. , Xu Yali , Gray Nathanael S. , Stegmaier Kimberly , Vakoc Christopher R. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractLineage-defining transcription factors (TFs) are compelling targets for leukemia therapy, yet they are among the most challenging proteins to modulate directly with small molecules. We previously used CRISPR screening to identify a Salt-Inducible Kinase 3 (SIK3) requirement for the growth of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines that overexpress the lineage TF MEF2C. In this context, SIK3 maintains MEF2C function by directly phosphorylating histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4), a repressive cofactor of MEF2C. Here, we evaluated whether inhibition of SIK3 with the tool compound YKL-05-099 can suppress MEF2C function and attenuate disease progression in animal models of AML. Genetic targeting of SIK3 or MEF2C selectively suppressed the growth of transformed hematopoietic cells underin vitroandin vivoconditions. Similar phenotypes were obtained when exposing cells to YKL-05-099, which caused cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in MEF2C-expressing AML cell lines. An epigenomic analysis revealed that YKL-05-099 rapidly suppressed MEF2C function by altering the phosphorylation state and nuclear localization of HDAC4. Using a gatekeeper allele ofSIK3, we found that the anti-proliferative effects of YKL-05-099 occurred through on-target inhibition of SIK3 kinase activity. Based on these findings, we treated two different mouse models of MLL-AF9 AML with YKL-05-099, which attenuated disease progressionin vivoand extended animal survival at well-tolerated doses. These findings validate SIK3 as a therapeutic target in MEF2C-positive AML and provide a rationale for developing drug-like inhibitors of SIK3 for definitive pre-clinical investigation and for studies in human patients with leukemia.Key PointsAML cells are uniquely sensitive to genetic or chemical inhibition of Salt-Inducible Kinase 3in vitroandin vivo.A SIK inhibitor YKL-05-099 suppresses MEF2C function and AMLin vivo.
Functional analysis of OCTN2 and ATB0,+ in normal human airway epithelial cells
Authors: Rotoli Bianca Maria , Visigalli Rossana , Barilli Amelia , Ferrari Francesca , Bianchi Massimiliano G. , Di Lascia Maria , Riccardi Benedetta , Puccini Paola , Dall’Asta Valeria 
Published: May 2019

ABSTRACTIn human, OCTN2 (SLC22A5) and ATB0,+ (SLC6A14) transporters mediate the uptake of L-carnitine, essential for the transport of fatty acids into mitochondria and the subsequent degradation by β-oxidation. Aim of the present study is to characterize L-carnitine transport in EpiAirway™, a 3D organotypic in vitro model of primary human tracheal-bronchial epithelial cells that form a fully differentiated, pseudostratified columnar epithelium at air-liquid interface (ALI) condition. In parallel, Calu-3 monolayers grown at ALI were used as comparison. In EpiAirway™, ATB0,+ was highly expressed and functional on the apical side while OCTN2 transporter was active on the basolateral side. Calu-3 cells showed a different pattern of expression and activity for ATB0,+: indeed, L-carnitine uptake on apical side was evident in Calu-3 at 8 days of culture but not in fully differentiated 21d ALI culture. As both ATB0,+ and OCTN2, beyond transporting L-carnitine, have a significant potential as delivery systems for drugs, the identification of these transporters in EpiAirway™ can open new fields of investigation in the studies of drug inhalation and pulmonary delivery.
Adult neurogenesis promotes efficient, nonspecific search strategies in a spatial alternation water maze task
Authors: Yu Ru Qi , Cooke Matthew , Zhao Jiaying , Snyder Jason S. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractGoal-directed navigation requires learning strategies that are efficient and minimize costs. In some cases it may be desirable to flexibly adjust behavioral responses depending on the cues that vary from one episode to the next. In others, successful navigation might be achieved with inflexible, habit-like responses that reduce cognitive load. Adult neurogenesis is believed to contribute to the spatial processing functions of the hippocampus, particularly when behavioral flexibility is required. However, little is known about the role of neurogenesis in spatial navigation when goals are unpredictable or change according to certain rules. We hypothesized that neurogenesis is necessary in a spatial navigation task that involves different patterns of reinforcement. Intact and neurogenesis-deficient rats were trained to escape to one of two possible platform locations in a spatial water maze. The platform either repeated in the same location for all trials in a day, alternated between two locations across trials, or randomly moved between the two locations. Neurogenesis selectively enhanced escape performance in the alternating condition, but not by improving platform choice accuracy. Instead, neurogenesis-intact rats made fewer search errors and developed an efficient habit-like strategy where they consistently swam to a preferred location. If the platform was not present, they proceeded to the other possible location. In contrast, neurogenesis-deficient rats were indecisive and navigationally less-efficient. Thus, in conditions where goals follow a predictable spatiotemporal pattern, adult neurogenesis promotes the adoption of navigation strategies that are spatially nonspecific but, nonetheless, accurate and efficient.
The Paraventricular Thalamus is a Critical Mediator of Top-down Control of Cue-motivated Behavior in Rats
Authors: Campus Paolo , Covelo Ignacio R. , Kim Youngsoo , Parsegian Aram , Kuhn Brittany N. , Lopez Sofia A. , Neumaier John F. , Ferguson Susan M. , Woods Leah C. Solberg , Sarter Martin , Flagel Shelly B. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractCues in the environment can elicit complex emotional states, and thereby maladaptive behavior, as a function of their ascribed value. Here we capture individual variation in the propensity to attribute motivational value to reward-cues using the sign-tracker/goal-tracker animal model. Goal-trackers attribute predictive value to reward-cues, and sign-trackers attribute both predictive and incentive value. Using chemogenetics and microdialysis, we show that, in sign-trackers, stimulation of the neuronal pathway from the prelimbic cortex (PrL) to the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) decreases the incentive value of a reward-cue. In contrast, in goal-trackers, inhibition of the PrL-PVT pathway increases both the incentive value and dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens shell. The PrL-PVT pathway, therefore, exerts top-down control over the dopamine-dependent process of incentive salience attribution. These results highlight PrL-PVT pathway as a potential target for treating psychopathologies associated with the attribution of excessive incentive value to reward-cues, including addiction.
Retinal outputs depend on behavioural state
Authors: Schröder Sylvia , Steinmetz Nicholas A. , Krumin Michael , Pachitariu Marius , Rizzi Matteo , Lagnado Leon , Harris Kenneth D , Carandini Matteo 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThe operating mode of the visual system depends on behavioural states such as arousal1,2. This dependence is seen both in primary visual cortex3–7 (V1) and in subcortical brain structures receiving direct retinal input4,8. Here we show that this effect arises as early as in the output of the retina. We first measured activity in a region that receives retinal projections9, the superficial superior colliculus (sSC), and found that this activity strongly depended on behavioural state. This modulation was not mediated by feedback inputs from V1 as it was immune to V1 inactivation. We then used Neuropixels probes10 to record activity in the optic tract, and we found some retinal axons whose activity significantly varied with arousal, even in darkness. To characterize these effects on a larger sample of retinal outputs, we imaged the activity of retinal boutons11,12 in sSC during behaviour using a calcium indicator. The activity of these boutons correlated with arousal as strongly as that of sSC neurons, and this correlation persisted also during darkness. These results reveal a novel property of retinal function in mice, which could be observed only during behaviour: retinal outputs are modulated by behavioural state before they reach the rest of the brain.
Isolation and Diversity of Sediment Bacteria in the Hypersaline Aiding Lake, China
Authors: Guan Tong-Wei , Lin Yi-Jin , Ou Meng-Ying , Chen Ke-Bao 
Published: May 2019

AbstractA total of 343 bacteria from sediment samples of Aiding Lake, China, were isolated using nine different media with 5% or 15% (w/v) NaCl. The number of species and genera of bacteria recovered from the different media significantly varied, indicating the need to optimize the isolation conditions. The results showed an unexpected level of bacterial diversity, with four phyla (Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Rhodothermaeota), fourteen orders (Actinopolysporales, Alteromonadales, Bacillales, Balneolales, Chromatiales, Glycomycetales, Jiangellales, Micrococcales, Micromonosporales, Oceanospirillales, Pseudonocardiales, Rhizobiales, Streptomycetales, and Streptosporangiales), including 17 families, 41 genera, and 71 species. In this study, the predominant phyla included Firmicutes and Actinobacteria and the predominant genus includedHalomonas,Gracilibacillus,Streptomyces, andActinopolyspora. To our knowledge, this is the first time that members of phylum Rhodothermaeota were identified in sediment samples from a salt lake. This study has identified at least four novel isolates.
Comparison of the predictive values of diagnostic tests subject to a case-control sampling with application to the diagnosis of Human African Trypanosomiasis
Authors: Roldán-Nofuentes José Antonio , Sidaty-Regad Saad Bouh 
Published: May 2019

AbstractCase-control sampling to compare the accuracy of two binary diagnostic tests is frequent in clinical practice. This type of sampling consists of applying the two diagnostic tests to all of the individuals in a sample of those who have the disease and in another sample of those who do not have the disease. In this sampling, the sensitivities are compared from the case sample applying the McNemar’s test, and the specificities from the control sample. Other parameters of binary tests are the positive and negative predictive values. The predictive values of a diagnostic test represent the clinical accuracy of a binary diagnostic test when it is applied to the individuals in a population with a determined disease prevalence. This article studies the comparison of the predictive values of two diagnostic tests subject to a case-control sampling. A global hypothesis test, based on the chi-square distribution, is proposed to compare the predictive values simultaneously. The comparison of the predictive values is also studied individually. The hypothesis tests studied require knowledge of the disease prevalence. Simulation experiments were carried out to study the type I errors and the powers of the hypothesis tests proposed, as well as to study the effect of a misspecification of the prevalence on the asymptotic behavior of the hypothesis tests and on the estimators of the predictive values. The results obtained were applied to a real example on the diagnosis of the Human African Trypanosomiasis. The model proposed was extended to the situation in which there are more than two diagnostic tests.
Refinement of the FCF motive for stock repurchases
Authors: Liu Nan 
Published: May 2019

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate factors that influence the free cash flow (FCF) motive for stock repurchases. Specifically, it examines whether the positive association between FCF and open-market repurchases is partially driven by abnormal cash flows, and whether external analyst monitor and financial crisis influence the association.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs a tobit regression model to test the hypotheses.FindingsFirst, the results suggest that the positive association between FCF and stock repurchases is partially driven by abnormal cash flows. Second, the association between pre-managed FCF and stock repurchases is strengthened as more analyst following the firms. Third, firms repurchase less when they report more negative abnormal cash flows, and that tendency is more pronounced during the 2008 financial crisis period. Further analysis shows that during the crisis period, the effect of negative abnormal cash flows on operating performance gets stronger.Originality/valueThe study makes several contributions to the literature. This paper is the first to show that managers use abnormal cash flows to fulfill the share buy-backs. In addition, it shows that analysts provide effective external monitoring by strengthening the association between pre-managed FCF and repurchases. Furthermore, it finds that firms adjust their strategy in times of financial crisis period in response to the increased risk. Finally, it contributes to the earnings management literature by showing the differential effects of accruals management and cash flow management on earnings performance.
Overcoming today’s digital talent gap in organizations worldwide
Authors: Nair Kiran 
Published: May 2019

Purpose
This paper aims to determine why organizations struggle in implementing digital transformation to obtain a faster return on investment and how human resource management can help organizations overcome this challenge.

Design/methodology/approach
To examine recent research and opinions of industry experts on digital transformation by organizations and the major challenges they face, this study applies an inductive qualitative research approach and uses a descriptive statistics method to analyze the responses.

Findings
This paper reveals the various challenges organizations face today in implementing digital transformation because of gaps in digital talent in the current workforce.

Practical implications
This paper provides recommendations to HR practitioners and leadership teams in organizations on how to narrow the gap in current digital talent to successfully implement digital transformation and increase productivity.

Social implications
This study highlights the need for the current workforce to acquire the necessary digital talent sought by organizations and how improving their digital capabilities can improve their productivity in today’s digital scenario.

Originality/value
This study focuses on current problems organizations worldwide face in implementing digital transformation. The digital talent gap is increasing daily with the development of new AI, Big Data and other digital technologies. Hence, it is important for human resource departments and leaders to quickly address and resolve digital talent gaps to realize the advantages of digital transformation and a return on their heavy investment.
Creating a knowledge-sharing culture: six top tips on building and sustaining it
Authors: Bran Livia 
Published: May 2019

Purpose
This paper aims to talk about the importance of building and sustaining an organizational culture that supports knowledge sharing between all members of the organization.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper provides four tips for managers who want to build such a culture within their company, as well as two further tips on how to sustain one that is already built.

Findings
Building and sustaining a knowledge-sharing culture in a business organization may take a lot of time and effort on the part of management and employees alike, but it is definitely worth it, as companies can experience low employee-turnover rates and increased profits based on it.

Originality/value
This viewpoint is based on the author’s personal experience within various organizations.
Controversial heritage: the Valley of the Fallen
Authors: de-Miguel-Molina María , Barrera-Gabaldón José Luis 
Published: May 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyse the concept of dark tourism and apply it to the Valley of the Fallen in Spain, a controversial monument that is a symbol of the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent dictatorship.

Design/methodology/approach
First, the authors carried out a literature review to get an insight into the concept of “dark tourism”, the types of existing dark tourism and the methods that are applied to the main cases around the world. Then, the authors analysed the case through a content analysis of press articles and interviews.

Findings
The authors propose a way to change the current symbolism and connotations of the Valley of the Fallen towards a new symbolism engaging all the stakeholders involved, from a dark tourism point of view.

Research limitations/implications
Applying this new symbolism requires attaining a difficult consensus that Spain has not yet been able to put into practice.

Originality/value
The dark tourism framework is an opportunity to link both economic and educational objectives, co-working on a model of consensus, but there is a gap in the literature on dark tourism in terms of Spain’s history. This strategy could be also applied to other controversial heritage with similar characteristics, according to different positioning classifications.
Kaizen in university teaching: continuous course improvement
Authors: Kregel Ingo 
Published: May 2019

PurposeThe current evaluation standards in German higher education institutions (HEIs) do not often lead to measurable quality improvement. The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate whether Kaizen can improve the quality of teaching. The presented concept illustrates the evaluation of each course unit to continuously encourage quality feedback from the learners and intensify the exchange with lecturers.Design/methodology/approachAction research is used to combine the continuous improvement philosophy of Kaizen with student course evaluations. A pilot study of the concept provides data from four course cycles to analyze learnings and setbacks.FindingsLearners in the pilot courses welcomed the intense participation and allowed improvements to elements such as course concept, course material, presentation style and content or detail selection. The participation rate declined during each term and was highly influenced by triggers like exam and grade relevance. Kaizen could successfully improve course quality, especially in the first two years of newly developed courses.Research limitations/implicationsThe presented results have been collected from one course over four years in one institution. The next stage of research would be the application of the approach in other institutions to validate results and make potential adjustments to the concept, for example, toward continuous learning.Originality/valueAlthough course evaluation has become standard in German HEIs, most institutions only implement it once per term or year. This paper discusses a new approach to expedite the evaluation of teaching quality at the point of action (Gemba) to facilitate the short-term reactions of lecturers.