bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Discrimination of empty and filled intervals marked by auditory signals with different durations and directions of intensity change
Authors: Chen Lihan 
Published: January 2019

AbstractA time interval marked by two short sounds (“empty interval”) is perceived to be longer when one or more short sounds are inserted within this time interval (“filled interval”). This illusion is known as the filled‐duration illusion (FDI), which has been mainly observed above 500 ms. Previous evidence has mostly shown, however, that the FDI within 500 ms is not robust due to individual differences. FDI in this short range has been less influenced by the properties of sound markers (such as amplitude, time duration, and sound energy distribution). I questioned whether the mixed evidence in the short range could be due to the methods and time ranges adopted. Here, I asked whether and how the perceived duration of both the empty interval and the filled interval (a continuous beep) was modulated by markers with different yet short durations, and by markers with intensity changes (ascending vs. descending). The results showed that the longer markers led to more expansion of the perceived time interval than did the short markers. The empty interval (300 ms) was perceived as shorter in the rising intensity (first tone marker)–decreasing intensity (second tone marker) condition, but as longer in the decreasing–decreasing condition. However, the filled interval (300 ms) bounded in the decreasing–decreasing condition was perceived as shorter. Therefore, perception of short empty and filled intervals (enclosed by auditory marks) could be modulated by the temporal properties of the markers. Those findings could be accounted for by the Gestalt perceptual groupings between the auditory markers and the to‐be‐timed gap/stimulus intervals in an adaptive way.
Application of the NZ‐1 Fab as a crystallization chaperone for PA tag‐inserted target proteins
Authors: Tamura Risako , Oi Rika , Akashi Satoko , Kaneko Mika K. , Kato Yukinari , Nogi Terukazu 
Published: January 2019

AbstractAn antibody fragment that recognizes the tertiary structure of a target protein with high affinity can be utilized as a crystallization chaperone. Difficulties in establishing conformation‐specific antibodies, however, limit the applicability of antibody fragment‐assisted crystallization. Here, we attempted to establish an alternative method to promote the crystallization of target proteins using an already established anti‐tag antibody. The monoclonal antibody NZ‐1 recognizes the PA tag with an extremely high affinity. It was also established that the PA tag is accommodated in the antigen‐binding pocket in a bent conformation, compatible with an insertion into loop regions on the target. We, therefore, explored the application of NZ‐1 Fab as a crystallization chaperone that complexes with a target protein displaying a PA tag. Specifically, we inserted the PA tag into the β‐hairpins of the PDZ tandem fragment of a bacterial Site‐2 protease. We crystallized the PA‐inserted PDZ tandem mutants with the NZ‐1 Fab and solved the co‐crystal structure to analyze their interaction modes. Although the initial insertion designs produced only moderate‐resolution structures, eliminating the solvent‐accessible space between the NZ‐1 Fab and target PDZ tandem improved the diffraction qualities remarkably. Our results demonstrate that the NZ‐1‐PA system efficiently promotes crystallization of the target protein. The present work also suggests that β‐hairpins are suitable sites for the PA insertion because the PA tag contains a Pro‐Gly sequence with a propensity for a β‐turn conformation.
Prescribed performance adaptive neural output control for a class of switched nonstrict‐feedback nonlinear time‐delay systems: State‐dependent switching law approach
Authors: Kamali Sara , Tabatabaei Seyyed Mostafa , Arefi Mohammad Mehdi , Jahed‐Motlagh Mohammad Reza 
Published: January 2019

SummaryThis paper investigates the tracking problem for a class of uncertain switched nonlinear delayed systems with nonstrict‐feedback form. To address this problem, by introducing a new common Lyapunov function (CLF), an adaptive neural network dynamic surface control is proposed. The state‐dependent switching rule is designed to orchestrate which subsystem is active at each time instance. In order to compensate unknown delay terms, an appropriate Lyapunov‐Krasovskii functional is considered in the constructing of the CLF. In addition, a novel switched neural network–based observer is constructed to estimate system states through the output signal. To maintain the tracking error performance within a predefined bound, a prescribed performance bound approach is employed. It is proved that by the proposed output‐feedback control, all the signals of the closed‐loop system are bounded under the switching law. Moreover, the transient and steady‐state tracking performance is guaranteed by the prescribed performance bound. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated by two numerical and practical examples.
Clinical Utility of Longitudinal Measurement of Motor Threshold in Wilson’s Disease
Authors: Stezin Albert , Kamble Nitish , Jhunjhunwala Ketan , Prasad Shweta , Pal Pramod Kumar 
Published: January 2019

Abstract:This study describes the longitudinal changes of resting motor threshold (RMT) and central motor conduction time (CMCT) in 18 patients with Wilson’s disease (WD). The RMT, CMCT, and Global Assessment Scale for Wilson Disease (GAS-WD) were measured at baseline and at follow-up after 12.94 ± 7.23 months. There was a significant decrease in the RMT (72.11 ± 18.62 vs. 63.7 ± 15.52%;p-value = 0.002) and GAS-WD scores (14.38 ± 5.35 vs. 9.77 ± 6.47 ms;p-value = 0.04). CMCT did not improve despite chelation therapy. Hence, RMT may serve as a marker of chelation efficacy in WD.
Three-dimensional quasi-geostrophic vortex equilibria with -fold symmetry
Authors: Reinaud Jean N. 
Published: January 2019

We investigate arrays of $m$ three-dimensional, unit-Burger-number, quasi-geostrophic vortices in mutual equilibrium whose centroids lie on a horizontal circular ring; or$m+1$ vortices where the additional vortex lies on the vertical ‘central’ axis passing through the centre of the array. We first analyse the linear stability of circular point vortex arrays. Three distinct categories of vortex arrays are considered. In the first category, the $m$ identical point vortices are equally spaced on a circular ring and no vortex is located on the vertical central axis. In the other two categories, a ‘central’ vortex is added. The latter two categories differ by the sign of the central vortex. We next turn our attention to finite-volume vortices for the same three categories. The vortices consist of finite volumes of uniform potential vorticity, and the equilibrium vortex arrays have an (imposed) $m$-fold symmetry. For simplicity, all vortices have the same volume and the same potential vorticity, in absolute value. For such finite-volume vortex arrays, we determine families of equilibria which are spanned by the ratio of a distance separating the vortices and the array centre to the vortices’ mean radius. We determine numerically the shape of the equilibria for $m=2$ up to $m=7$, for each three categories, and we address their linear stability. For the $m$-vortex circular arrays, all configurations with $m\geqslant 6$ are unstable. Point vortex arrays are linearly stable for $m<6$. Finite-volume vortices may, however, be sensitive to instabilities deforming the vortices for $m<6$ if the ratio of the distance separating the vortices to their mean radius is smaller than a threshold depending on $m$. Adding a vortex on the central axis modifies the overall stability properties of the vortex arrays. For $m=2$, a central vortex tends to destabilise the vortex array unless the central vortex has opposite sign and is intense. For $m>2$, the unstable regime can be obtained if the strength of the central vortex is larger in magnitude than a threshold depending on the number of vortices. This is true whether the central vortex has the same sign as or the opposite sign to the peripheral vortices. A moderate-strength like-signed central vortex tends, however, to stabilise the vortex array when located near the plane containing the array. On the contrary, most of the vortex arrays with an opposite-signed central vortex are unstable.
The Illiberalism of Behavioural Conditionality: A Critique of Australia’s ‘No Jab, No Pay’ Policy
Authors: CURCHIN KATHERINE 
Published: January 2019

AbstractInternationally the payment of welfare benefits is increasingly being made conditional on recipients’ behaviour. Behavioural conditions and the payments to which they apply are diversifying. This article aims to contribute to the debate among scholars and policymakers over the ethics of welfare conditionality. While other assessments of the ethics of welfare conditionality have focused on the potential harm caused to vulnerable welfare recipients, this paper develops the argument that welfare conditionality is illiberal. Drawing on findings from behavioural science, it argues that relying on extrinsic motivation in the form of financial incentives is a less desirable approach to behavioural change than bolstering intrinsic motivation. The argument is illustrated with the case of the Australian ‘No Jab, No Pay’ policy, under which family payments and childcare subsidies are denied to parents whose children are not fully immunised. As behavioural conditions and the payments to which they are applied diversify, the cumulative effects of these conditions pose an underappreciated threat to citizens’ autonomy.
Correlates of perceived death competence: What role does meaning-in-life and quality-of-life play?
Authors: Miller-Lewis Lauren , Tieman Jennifer , Rawlings Deb , Sanderson Christine , Parker Deborah 
Published: January 2019

AbstractObjectiveUnderstanding factors that are associated with more adaptive death attitudes and competencies can inspire future health-promoting palliative care strategies and inform approaches to training and development for health professionals. The potential importance of meaning, purpose, quality, and values in life for promoting adaptive death attitudes has been highlighted, but there is limited research in this area, particularly in relation to death competence. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to develop an understanding of demographic and life-related factors associated with perceived death competence, such as meaning in life and quality of life.MethodDuring the course enrollment period of a Massive-Online-Open-Course about death and dying, 277 participants completed questionnaires on death competence, meaning in life, quality of life, and sociodemographic background.ResultFindings indicated that greater presence of meaning in life, quality of life, age, death experience, and carer experience were each statistically significant unique predictors of death competence scores. Life-related variables were more strongly associated with death competence than demographic variables. Bereavement experience and experience caring for the dying was associated with greater death competence, but there were no differences on death competence between health professionals and the general community. Above all other factors, the presence of meaning in life was the strongest predictor of higher perceived competence in coping with death.Significance of resultsThe findings demonstrate important interconnections between our attitudes about life and death. Knowledge of factors associated with poorer death competence may help identify those at risk of greater distress when facing death, and might prove useful additions to bereavement risk assessments. Understanding factors associated with greater death competence in health professionals and volunteers may help predict or prevent burnout and compassion fatigue, and help identify who would benefit from additional training and support. Future longitudinal studies including both health professionals and the general community are needed to determine the effect adaptive attitudes toward meaning in life can potentially have on bolstering subsequent adaptive coping and competence regarding death and dying.
Geological Evidence of Planet‐Wide Groundwater System on Mars
Authors: Salese Francesco , Pondrelli Monica , Neeseman Alicia , Schmidt Gene , Ori Gian Gabriele 
Published: January 2019

AbstractThe scale of groundwater upwelling on Mars, as well as its relation to sedimentary systems, remains an ongoing debate. Several deep craters (basins) in the northern equatorial regions show compelling signs that large amounts of water once existed on Mars at a planet‐wide scale. The presence of water‐formed features, including fluvial Gilbert and sapping deltas fed by sapping valleys, constitute strong evidence of groundwater upwelling resulting in long term standing bodies of water inside the basins. Terrestrial field evidence shows that sapping valleys can occur in basalt bedrock and not only in unconsolidated sediments. A hypothesis that considers the elevation differences between the observed morphologies and the assumed basal groundwater level is presented and described as the “dike‐confined water” model, already present on Earth and introduced for the first time in the Martian geological literature. Only the deepest basins considered in this study, those with bases deeper than −4000 m in elevation below the Mars datum, intercepted the water‐saturated zone and exhibit evidence of groundwater fluctuations. The discovery of these groundwater discharge sites on a planet‐wide scale strongly suggests a link between the putative Martian ocean and various configurations of sedimentary deposits that were formed as a result of groundwater fluctuations during the Hesperian period. This newly recognized evidence of water‐formed features significantly increases the chance that biosignatures could be buried in the sediment. These deep basins (groundwater‐fed lakes) will be of interest to future exploration missions as they might provide evidence of geological conditions suitable for life.
Circular RNA hsa_circ_001783 regulates breast cancer progression via sponging miR-200c-3p
Authors: Liu Zihao , Zhou You , Liang Gehao , Ling Yun , Tan Weige , Tan Luyuan , Andrews Robert , Zhong Wenjing , Zhang Xuanxuan , Song Erwei , Gong Chang 
Published: January 2019

AbstractIncreasing evidence suggests circular RNAs (circRNAs) exert critical functions in tumor progression via sponging miRNAs (microRNAs). However, the role of circRNAs in breast cancer remains unclear. Here we systematically analyzed the circular RNAs in breast cancer based on their characteristic in sponging disease-specific miRNAs and identified hsa_circ_001783 as a top ranked circRNA in our computation and verified its high expression in both breast cancer cells and cancer tissue. A higher level of hsa_circ_001783 was significantly correlated with heavier tumor burden and poorer prognosis of patients with breast cancer. Knockdown of this circRNA remarkably inhibited the proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells. Importantly, hsa_circ_001783 promoted progression of breast cancer cells via sponging miR-200c-3p. Taken together, hsa_circ_001783 may serve as a novel prognostic and therapeutic target for breast cancer.
Transcriptome profiling of caspase-2 deficient EμMyc and Th-MYCN mouse tumors identifies distinct putative roles for caspase-2 in neuronal differentiation and immune signaling
Authors: Dorstyn Loretta , Hackett-Jones Emily , Nikolic Andrej , Norris Murray D. , Lim Yoon , Toubia John , Haber Michelle , Kumar Sharad 
Published: January 2019

AbstractCaspase-2 is a highly conserved cysteine protease with roles in apoptosis and tumor suppression. Our recent findings have also demonstrated that the tumor suppression function of caspase-2 is context specific. In particular, while caspase-2 deficiency augments lymphoma development in the EμMyc mouse model, it leads to delayed neuroblastoma development in Th-MYCN mice. However, it is unclear how caspase-2 mediates these differential outcomes. Here we utilized RNA sequencing to define the transcriptomic changes caused by caspase-2 (Casp2−/−) deficiency in tumors from EμMyc and Th-MYCN mice. We describe key changes in both lymphoma and neuroblastoma-associated genes and identified differential expression of the EGF-like domain-containing gene, Megf6, in the two tumor types that may contribute to tumor outcome following loss of Casp2. We identified a panel of genes with altered expression in Th-MYCN/Casp2−/− tumors that are strongly associated with neuroblastoma outcome, with roles in melanogenesis, Wnt and Hippo pathway signaling, that also contribute to neuronal differentiation. In contrast, we found that key changes in gene expression in the EμMyc/Casp2−/− tumors, are associated with increased immune signaling and T-cell infiltration previously associated with more aggressive lymphoma progression. In addition, Rap1 signaling pathway was uniquely enriched in Casp2 deficient EμMyc tumors. Our findings suggest that Casp2 deficiency augments immune signaling pathways that may be in turn, enhance lymphomagenesis. Overall, our study has identified new genes and pathways that contribute to the caspase-2 tumor suppressor function and highlight distinct roles for caspase-2 in different tissues.
Septin filament coalignment with microtubules depends on SEPT9_i1 and tubulin polyglutamylation, and is an early feature of acquired cell resistance to paclitaxel
Authors: Targa Benjamin , Klipfel Laurence , Cantaloube Isabelle , Salameh Joëlle , Benoit Béatrice , Poüs Christian , Baillet Anita 
Published: January 2019

AbstractCancer cell resistance to taxanes is a complex, multifactorial process, which results from the combination of several molecular and cellular changes. In breast cancer cells adapted to long-term paclitaxel treatment, we previously identified a new adaptive mechanism that contributes to resistance and involves high levels of tubulin tyrosination and long-chain polyglutamylation coupled with high levels of septin expression, especially that of SEPT9_i1. This in turn led to higher CLIP-170 and MCAK recruitment to microtubules to enhance microtubule dynamics and therefore counteract the stabilizing effects of taxanes. Here, we explored to which extent this new mechanism alone could trigger taxane resistance. We show that coupling septins (including SEPT9_i1) overexpression together with long-chain tubulin polyglutamylation induce significant paclitaxel resistance in several naive (taxane-sensitive) cell lines and accordingly stimulate the binding of CLIP-170 and MCAK to microtubules. Strikingly, such resistance was paralleled by a systematic relocalization of septin filaments from actin fibers to microtubules. We further show that this relocalization resulted from the overexpression of septins in a context of enhanced tubulin polyglutamylation and reveal that it could also be promoted by an acute treatment with paclitaxel of sensitve cell displaying a high basal level of SEPT9_i1. These findings point out the functional importance and the complex cellular dynamics of septins in the onset of cell resistance to death caused by microtubule-targeting antimitotic drugs of the taxane family.
Coherent population trapping by dark state formation in a carbon nanotube quantum dot
Authors: Donarini Andrea , Niklas Michael , Schafberger Michael , Paradiso Nicola , Strunk Christoph , Grifoni Milena 
Published: January 2019

AbstractIllumination of atoms by resonant lasers can pump electrons into a coherent superposition of hyperfine levels which can no longer absorb the light. Such superposition is known as a dark state, because fluorescent light emission is then suppressed. Here we report an all-electric analogue of this destructive interference effect in a carbon nanotube quantum dot. The dark states are a coherent superposition of valley (angular momentum) states which are decoupled from either the drain or the source leads. Their emergence is visible in asymmetric current−voltage characteristics, with missing current steps and current suppression which depend on the polarity of the applied source-drain bias. Our results demonstrate coherent-population trapping by all-electric means in an artificial atom.
A recurrent cancer-associated substitution in DNA polymerase ε produces a hyperactive enzyme
Authors: Xing Xuanxuan , Kane Daniel P. , Bulock Chelsea R. , Moore Elizabeth A. , Sharma Sushma , Chabes Andrei , Shcherbakova Polina V. 
Published: January 2019

AbstractAlterations in the exonuclease domain of DNA polymerase ε (Polε) cause ultramutated tumors. Severe mutator effects of the most common variant, Polε-P286R, modeled in yeast suggested that its pathogenicity involves yet unknown mechanisms beyond simple proofreading deficiency. We show that, despite producing a catastrophic amount of replication errors in vivo, the yeast Polε-P286R analog retains partial exonuclease activity and is more accurate than exonuclease-dead Polε. The major consequence of the arginine substitution is a dramatically increased DNA polymerase activity. This is manifested as a superior ability to copy synthetic and natural templates, extend mismatched primer termini, and bypass secondary DNA structures. We discuss a model wherein the cancer-associated substitution limits access of the 3’-terminus to the exonuclease site and promotes binding at the polymerase site, thus stimulating polymerization. We propose that the ultramutator effect results from increased polymerase activity amplifying the contribution of Polε errors to the genomic mutation rate.
The circadian clock components BMAL1 and REV-ERBα regulate flavivirus replication
Authors: Zhuang Xiaodong , Magri Andrea , Hill Michelle , Lai Alvina G. , Kumar Abhinav , Rambhatla Srinivasa Bhargav , Donald Claire L. , Lopez-Clavijo Andrea F. , Rudge Simon , Pinnick Katherine , Chang Wai Hoong , Wing Peter A. C. , Brown Ryan , Qin Ximing , Simmonds Peter , Baumert Thomas F. , Ray David , Loudon Andrew , Balfe Peter , Wakelam Michael , Butterworth Sam , Kohl Alain , Jopling Catherine L. , Zitzmann Nicole , McKeating Jane A. 
Published: January 2019

AbstractThe circadian clock regulates immune responses to microbes and affects pathogen replication, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. Here we demonstrate that the circadian components BMAL1 and REV-ERBα influence several steps in the hepatitis C virus (HCV) life cycle, including particle entry into hepatocytes and RNA genome replication. Genetic knock out of Bmal1 and over-expression or activation of REV-ERB with synthetic agonists inhibits the replication of HCV and the related flaviruses dengue and Zika via perturbation of lipid signaling pathways. This study highlights a role for the circadian clock component REV-ERBα in regulating flavivirus replication.