bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Early Brain Imaging can Predict Autism: Application of Machine Learning to a Clinical Imaging Archive
Authors: Katuwal Gajendra J. , Baum Stefi A. , Michael Andrew M. 
Published: November 2018

AbstractA comprehensive investigation of early brain alterations in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is critical for understanding the neuroanatomical underpinnings of autism and its early diagnosis. Most previous brain imaging studies in ASD, however, are based on children older than 6 years – well after the average age of ASD diagnosis (~46 months). In this study, we use brain magnetic resonance images that were collected as part of clinical routine from patients who were later diagnosed with ASD. Using 15 ASD subjects of age three to four years and 18 age-matched non-ASD subjects as controls, we perform comprehensive comparison of different brain morphometric features and ASD vs. non-ASD classification by Random Forest machine learning method. We find that, although total intracranial volume (TIV) of ASD was 5.5 % larger than in non-ASD, brain volumes of many other brain areas (as a percentage of TIV) were smaller in ASD and can be partly attributed to larger (>10 %) ventricles in ASD. The larger TIV in ASD was correlated to larger surface area and increased amount of cortical folding but not to cortical thickness. The white matter regions in ASD had less image intensity (predominantly in the frontal and temporal regions) suggesting myelination deficit. We achieved 95 % area under the ROC curve (AUC) for ASD vs. non-ASD classification using all brain features. When classification was performed separately for each feature type, image intensity yielded the highest predictive power (95 % AUC), followed by cortical folding index (69 %), cortical and subcortical volume (69 %), and surface area (68 %). The most important feature for classification was white matter intensity surrounding the rostral middle frontal gyrus and was lower in ASD (d = 0.77, p = 0.04). The high degree of classification success indicates that the application of machine learning methods on brain features holds promise for earlier identification of ASD. To our knowledge this is the first study to leverage a clinical imaging archive to investigate early brain markers in ASD.
Genetic control of gene expression and splicing in the developing human brain
Authors: Walker Rebecca L. , Ramaswami Gokul , Hartl Christopher , Mancuso Nicholas , Gandal Michael J. , de la Torre-Ubieta Luis , Pasaniuc Bogdan , Stein Jason L. , Geschwind Daniel H. 
Published: November 2018

SummaryMost genetic risk for human diseases lies within non-coding regions of the genome, which is predicted to regulate gene expression, often in a tissue and stage specific manner. This has motivated building of extensive eQTL resources to understand how human allelic variation affects gene expression and splicing throughout the body, focusing primarily on adult tissue. Given the importance of regulatory pathways during brain development, we characterize the genetic control of the developing human cerebral cortical transcriptome, including expression and splicing, in 201 mid-gestational human brains, to understand how common allelic variation affects gene regulation during development. We leverage expression and splice quantitative trait loci to identify genes and isoforms relevant to neuropsychiatric disorders and brain volume. These findings demonstrate genetic mechanisms by which early developmental events have a striking and widespread influence on adult anatomical and behavioral phenotypes, as well as the evolution of the human cerebral cortex.HighlightsGenome wide map of human fetal brain eQTLs and sQTLs provides a new view of genetic control of expression and splicing.There is substantial contrast between genetic control of transcript regulation in mature versus developing brain.We identify novel regulatory regions specific to fetal brain development.Integration of eQTLs and GWAS reveals specific relationships between expression and disease risk for neuropsychiatric diseases and relevant human brain phenotypes.
Representation of music genres based on the spectro-temporal modulation responses of the human brain
Authors: Nakai Tomoya , Koide-Majima Naoko , Nishimoto Shinji 
Published: November 2018

AbstractMusic genre is an essential category for understanding human musical preferences and is provided based on the abstract categorization upon complex auditory stimuli. Previous neuroimaging studies have reported the involvement of the superior temporal gyrus (STG) in response to general music-related features. However, it remains largely unclear how abstract categories of music genre are represented in the brain and what acoustic features are more suited for explaining such representations. Here we examined comprehensive cortical representations and functional organization of music genres using 540 music clips. We applied a voxel-wise modeling approach to music-evoked brain activity measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We observed distinct cortical organizations for different music genres in the bilateral STG, which revealed the representational relationship between various music genres, e.g., classical and hip-hop music showed opposite representations. Representations of music genres were largely explained by spectro-temporal modulation, which was modeled by a biologically plausible spectro-temporal modulation-transfer function (MTF) model. Our results elucidate the quantitative representation of music genres in the human cortex and indicate the possibility of modeling our abstract categorization of complex auditory stimuli based on the brain activity.Significance statementMusic genre is an essential category for understanding human preferences of music. However, it is largely unknown how abstract categories of music genre are represented in the brain. Here, we examined comprehensive cortical representations of music genres by building voxel-wise models of fMRI data collected while human subjects listened to 540 music clips. We found distinct cortical organizations for various music genres in the bilateral STG. Such genre-specific cortical organization was explained by the biologically plausible MTF model. The current study elucidates the quantitative representation of music genres in the human cortex for the first time and indicates the possibility of modeling our abstract categorization of complex auditory stimuli based on the brain activity.
Common garden experiment reveals altered nutritional values and DNA methylation profiles in micropropagated three elite Ghanaian sweet potato genotypes
Authors: Akomeah Belinda , Quain Marian D. , Ramesh Sunita A. , Rodríguez López Carlos M. 
Published: November 2018

AbstractMicronutrient deficiency is the cause of multiple diseases in developing countries. Staple crop biofortification is an efficient means to combat such deficiencies in the diets of local consumers. Biofortified lines of sweet potato (Ipomoea batata L. Lam) with enhanced beta-carotene content have been developed in Ghana to alleviate Vitamin A Deficiency. These genotypes are propagated using meristem micropropagation to ensure the generation of virus-free propagules. In vitro culture exposes micropropagated plants to conditions that can lead to the accumulation of somaclonal variation with the potential to generate unwanted aberrant phenotypes. However, the effect of micropropagation induced somaclonal variation on the production of key nutrients by field-grown plants has not been previously studied. Here we assessed the extent of in vitro culture induced somaclonal variation, at a phenotypic, compositional and genetic/epigenetic level, by comparing field-maintained and micropropagated lines of three elite Ghanaian sweet potato genotypes grown in a common garden. Although micropropagated plants presented no observable morphological abnormalities compared to field maintained lines, they presented significantly lower levels of iron, total protein, zinc, and glucose. Methylation Sensitive Amplification Polymorphism analysis showed a high level of in vitro culture induced molecular variation in micropropagated plants. Epigenetic, rather than genetic variation, accounts for most of the observed molecular variability. Taken collectively, our results highlight the importance of ensuring the clonal fidelity of the micropropagated biofortified lines in order to reduce potential losses in the nutritional value prior to their commercial release.
Sleepless and Desynchronized: Impaired Inter Trial Phase Coherence of Steady-State Potentials Following Sleep Deprivation
Authors: Eidelman-Rothman M , Ben-Simon E , Freche D , Keil A , Hendler T , Levit-Binnun N 
Published: November 2018

1.AbstractSleep loss has detrimental effects on cognitive and emotional functioning. These impairments have been associated with alterations in EEG measures of power spectrum and event-related potentials, however the impact of sleep loss on inter trial phase coherence (ITPC), a measure of phase consistency over experimental trials, remains mostly unknown. ITPC is thought to reflect the ability of the neural response to temporally synchronize with relevant events, thus optimizing information processing.In the current study we investigated the effects of sleep deprivation on information processing by evaluating the phase consistency of steady-state visual evoked potentials (ssVEPs) as well as amplitude-based measures of ssVEP, obtained from a group of 18 healthy individuals following 24 hours of total sleep deprivation and after a night of habitual sleep. An ssVEP task was utilized, which included the presentation of dots flickering at 7.5 Hz, along with a cognitive-emotional task. Our results show that ITPC is significantly reduced under sleep deprivation relative to habitual sleep. Interestingly, decreased ITPC under sleep deprivation was associated with decreased behavioral performance in the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT), a validate measure of reduced vigilance following lack of sleep.The results suggest that the capability of the brain to synchronize with rhythmic stimuli is disrupted without sleep. Thus, decreased ITPC may represent an objective and mechanistic measure of sleep loss, allowing future work to study the relation between brain-world synchrony and the specific functional impairments associated with sleep deprivation.
Single-molecule kinetics of pore assembly by the membrane attack complex
Authors: Parsons Edward S. , Stanley George J. , Pyne Alice L. B. , Hodel Adrian W. , Nievergelt Adrian P. , Menny Anaïs , Yon Alexander R. , Rowley Ashlea , Richter Ralf P. , Fantner Georg E. , Bubeck Doryen , Hoogenboom Bart W. 
Published: November 2018

AbstractThe membrane attack complex (MAC) is a hetero-oligomeric protein assembly that kills pathogens by perforating their cell envelopes. The MAC is formed by sequential assembly of soluble complement proteins C5b, C6, C7, C8 and C9, but little is known about the rate-limiting steps in this process. Here, we use rapid atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging to show that MAC proteins oligomerize within the membrane, unlike structurally homologous bacterial pore-forming toxins. C5b6 interacts with the lipid bilayer prior to recruiting C7 and C8. We discover that incorporation of the first C9 is the kinetic bottleneck of MAC formation, after which rapid C9 oligomerization completes the pore. This defines the kinetic basis for MAC assembly and provides insight into how human cells are protected from bystander damage by the cell surface receptor CD59, which is offered a maximum temporal window to halt the assembly at the point of C9 insertion.
Exploratory study of factors associated with human brucellosis in mainland China based on time-series-cross-section data from 2005 to 2016
Authors: Lin Yun , Zhang Tao , Zhang Xingyu 
Published: November 2018

AbstractObjectiveMany studies focused on reasons behind the increasing incidence and the spread of human brucellosis in mainland China, yet most of them lacked comprehensive consideration with quantitative evidence. Hence, this study aimed to further investigate the epidemic mechanism and associated factors of human brucellosis in China so as to provide suggestions on more effective countermeasures.MethodsData of human brucellosis incidence and some associated factors in economy, animal husbandry, transportation and health were collected at provincial level from 2005-2016. Time series plot and cluster analysis were first used to visualize incidence levels and categorize provinces based on their incidence level and epidemic trend of human brucellosis. Furthermore, according to the characteristics of data, the dynamic panel data model in combination with supervised principal component analysis was proposed to explore the effects of associated factors on human brucellosis.Results① The incidence rate of human brucellosis has increased threefold (from 1.41 in 2005 to 4.22 in 2016) in mainland China. Incidence rates in the north have always been higher than those in the south, but the latter also experienced an upward trend especially in the recent five years. ② The 31 provinces of mainland China were categorized into three clusters, and each cluster had its own characteristics of incidence level and epidemic trend. ③ Public health expenditure and rural medical expenditure proportion were potential protective factors of human brucellosis, with attribute risks of −0.74 and −1.04 respectively. Other factors (such as amount of sheep, total length of highways, etc.) exhibited relatively trivial effects.ConclusionsThe epidemic status of human brucellosis has changed in both spatial and temporal dimensions in recent years. Apart from those traditional control measures, more attention should be paid to the improvement of medical healthcare especially in rural areas in order to strengthen the control effect.
“Not so globalised”: contrasting media discourses on education and competitiveness in four countries
Authors: Davis Edward Rock , Wilson Rachel 
Published: November 2018

PurposeThis paper aims to analyse contrasting discourses on education and competitiveness from four countries to show the different national values that are a key driver in economic development.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses content analysis to compare and contrast the newspaper discourse surrounding the OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in four countries with above OECD average performance: Japan and South Korea (improving performance) and Australia and Finland (declining performance). PISA has attracted much government and public attention because it reflects education and the economic value of that education.FindingsThere are key contrasts in the discourses of the four countries. Despite shifts to globalised perspectives on education, strong national and cultural differences remain. Educational competitiveness and economic competitiveness are strong discourses in Japan and South Korea, while in Australia and Finland, the focus is on educational competitiveness. The media in Finland has few references to economic competitiveness and it does not feature in Australia. The discourse themes on PISA from 2001 to 2015 are presented with trends in educational attainment and shifting national perspectives on education.Research limitations/implicationsAnalysis is limited to the top two circulation newspapers in English language in each country over 2001 to 2015. These newspapers in Finland, Japan and South Korea include translated content from local language papers.Originality/valueThe paper provides longitudinal perspectives to understand the contrasting societal values placed on education and how these relate to perspectives on competitiveness. This media evidence on national discourses can inform education policy orientations in the four countries examined.
The measuring and monitoring of human trafficking
Authors: Saner Raymond , Yiu Lichia , Rush Laurel 
Published: November 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the difficulty of measuring and monitoring of human trafficking within the context of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The challenges that come with monitoring an invisible crime such as human trafficking within the SDG context are due to the fact that the indicators pertaining to human trafficking fall into the category of “difficult to define and collect” type of data. This paper sheds light on these measuring difficulties and makes recommendations how to overcome them.

Design/methodology/approach
The methodology used is a policy analysis drawing on secondary literature and surveys and interviews with victims of human trafficking reported in publicly available documents. Comparative analysis also draws on laws and institutional agreements and treaties on human trafficking developed by governments, international organizations and regional organizations.

Findings
The different ways that have been proposed to collect and analyze data on trafficking victims highlight the complications of monitoring trafficking in both national and global contexts in situations where human rights violation and crime are situated at the nexus of the poverty, injustice, development and weak institutions. The paper brings to the attention of the international community that the current SDG indicators are inadequate for measuring human trafficking and need to be urgently improved.

Originality/value
This paper makes new contributions to the study of human trafficking in the context of the SDGs and proposes seven points of future action in order to create intersectoral linkages and better data collection in order to gain a fuller picture on human trafficking.
Accounting of the Soul: Enumeration, Affect, and Soul Searching among American Jewry
Authors: Kravel‐Tovi Michal 
Published: November 2018

ABSTRACTThis ethnographic article complicates the common wisdom that the American Jewish elite cares “obsessively” about its constituents’ numbers. The article shows the ways in which population numbers matter to American Jewish leaders but also how they matter differently to various sectors of the community. Alongside those who are eager speakers of the language of quantification, there are those who feel unease with what, they feel, creates a reductive and irrelevant conversation about Jewish life in the United States. The article argues that by using the language of numbers and debating affectively over its value, American Jews debate who they are as a collective and struggle to define what counts for the future of the community as a highly diverse, shifting, and assimilating minority group. Building on the metaphor of “accounting of the soul”—one prevalent in religious and public discourses calling to Jews to look at their inner‐soul workings—the article suggests that numbers serve as an effective and affective proxy for divergent communal calculations and reflections. American Jewry presents a compelling case study with which to think through the affective attitudes toward quantification, the cultural value of numbers, and the polyvalent work that they do for collectives. [quantification, numbers, statistics, demography, affect, American Jewry]
Moral standards in managerial decisions: In search of a comprehensive theoretical framework
Authors: Procópio Marcos Luís 
Published: November 2018

AbstractAlthough ethical decision‐making theory has evolved over the years, within the field of management, research still revolves around James Rest’s (1986) four‐step framework, dominated by a positivist epistemology and a quantitative methodology. Given that currently there is a call for a theoretical, epistemological, and methodological renovation for the enlargement and enrichment of knowledge about how decisions are morally made in organizations, this paper has a double aim. First, by showing the models’ main flaws and limitations, it critically assesses the prominent theoretical models of Rest, Trevino, and Jones. Then, for decision making in organizations, the paper aims to posit a fresh moral theory that addresses the phenomenon from a comprehensive epistemological perspective. To do so, it steps back from those prominent models in order to review John Dewey’s “theory of moral life.” At the core of the proposed comprehensive theoretical framework are Dewey’s concepts of a “moral standard” and “valuation.” Finally, the paper shows how the Dewey‐based framework can both overcome the flaws and limitations that are identified in those prominent models and can enrich empirical research, therefore contributing to developing as a whole the ethical decision‐making field.
Antibiotics suppress colon tumorigenesis through inhibition of aberrant DNA methylation in an azoxymethane and dextran sulfate sodium colitis model
Authors: Hattori Naoko , Niwa Tohru , Ishida Tatsuya , Kobayashi Kyosuke , Imai Toshio , Mori Akiko , Kimura Kana , Mori Takeshi , Asami Yukio , Ushijima Toshikazu 
Published: November 2018

Chronic inflammation is involved in the development of colon cancer by inducing mutations and aberrant DNA methylation in colon epithelial cells. Furthermore, there is growing evidence that colonic microbiota modulates the inflammation response in the host and influences colon tumorigenesis. However, the influence of colonic microbiota on aberrant DNA methylation remains unknown. Here, we show the effect of colonic microbes on DNA methylation and tumorigenicity using a mouse model of human ulcerative colitis. Mice treated with azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) showed an increase in degree of colitis, as estimated by body weight, occult blood, and stool consistency/diarrhea at 2 weeks after treatment, but treatment with antibiotics markedly reduced the severity of the colitis. Although mucosal hyperplasia and increased inflammation‐related genes were observed in the colonic epithelial cells of the AOM/DSS‐treated mice, treatment with antibiotics abrogated these changes. In addition, treatment with antibiotics significantly decreased the number of mucosal nodules from 5.9 ± 5.3 to 0.2 ± 0.6 (P < .01) and area of occupancy from 50.1 ± 57.4 to 0.5 ± 1.4 mm2 (P < .01). Aberrant DNA methylation of three marker CpG islands (Cbln4, Fosb, and Msx1) was induced by AOM/DSS treatment in colonic mucosae, but this increase was suppressed by 50%‐92% (P < .05) with antibiotic treatment. Microbiome analysis showed that this change was associated with a decrease of the Clostridium leptum subgroup. These data indicate that antibiotics suppressed tumorigenesis through inhibition of aberrant DNA methylation induced by chronic inflammation.