bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Of Microbes and Mange: Consistent changes in the skin microbiome of three canid species infected with sarcoptic mange
Authors: DeCandia Alexandra L. , Leverett Kennedy N. , vonHoldt Bridgett M. 
Published: July 2019

ABSTRACTSarcoptic mange is a highly contagious skin disease caused by the ectoparasitic mite, Sarcoptes scabiei. Although it afflicts over 100 mammal species worldwide, sarcoptic mange remains a disease obscured by variability at the individual, population, and species levels. Amid this variability, it is critical to identify consistent drivers of morbidity, particularly at the skin barrier. We characterized the skin microbiome of three species of North American canids: coyotes (Canis latrans), red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), and gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus). Comparing mange-infected and uninfected individuals, we found remarkably consistent signatures of microbial dysbiosis associated with mange infection. Across genera, mange-infected canids exhibited reduced microbial diversity, altered community composition, and increased abundance of opportunistic pathogens. The primary bacteria comprising these secondary infections were Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, previously associated with canid ear and skin infections, and Corynebacterium spp, previously found among the gut flora of S. scabiei mites and hematophagous arthropods. Considered together, this evidence suggests that mange infection consistently alters the canid skin microbiome and facilitates secondary bacterial infection. These results provide valuable insights into the pathogenesis of mange at the skin barrier of North American canids and can inspire novel treatment strategies. By further adopting a “One Health” framework that considers mites, microbes, and the potential for interspecies transmission, we can better elucidate the patterns and processes underlying this ubiquitous and enigmatic disease.
Using the Concepts of Time-delayed Feedback Control in Biofeedback Systems in Children with ADD: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Baghdadi Golnaz , Soroush Ateyeh , Towhidkhah Farzad , Rostami Reza 
Published: July 2019

AbstractThe reported efficacy of biofeedback is not consistent across studies. One issue that has not been addressed in previous studies is the effect of the reference signal in a biofeedback system.We compared the effects of two different reference signals using a computational model and human experiments. One reference signal was fixed, and the other was variable and was designed based on time-delayed feedback control concepts. The computational model consists of a plant and a controller. Groups of typically developing and children with attention deficit disorder (ADD) participated in our experiments.The computational model showed that time-delayed reference feedback control could have more positive effects on the performance than using a fixed reference signal. The model prediction was consistent with the results obtained from the experiments performed on children with ADD. However, in typically developing children, using time-delayed reference feedback control had a negative effect. Our preliminary results, which need to be investigated on more subjects, indicate the importance of selecting the reference signal in biofeedback systems according to the characteristics of each participant. The results remind the importance of “single-case methodology” in neurocognitive rehabilitation systems. Using computational concepts, some other predictions have also been provided, which need more investigations.
Retroactive Interference Model of Forgetting
Authors: Georgiou Antonios , Katkov Mikhail , Tsodyks Misha 
Published: July 2019

AbstractMemory and forgetting constitute two sides of the same coin, and although the first has been rigorously investigated, the latter is often overlooked. A number of experiments under the realm of psychology and experimental neuroscience have described the properties of forgetting in humans and animals, showing that forgetting exhibits a power-law relationship with time. These results indicate a counter-intuitive property of forgetting, namely that old memories are more stable than younger ones. We have devised a phenomenological model that is based on the principle of retroactive interference, such that stronger memories acquired after weaker ones erase the latter. The model has only one free integer parameter and can be solved analytically. Recognition experiments with long streams of words were performed, resulting in a good match to a five-dimensional version of the model.
Deep Multi-State Dynamic Recurrent Neural Networks Operating on Wavelet Based Neural Features for Robust Brain Machine Interfaces
Authors: Haghi Benyamin , Kellis Spencer , Shah Sahil , Ashok Maitreyi , Bashford Luke , Kramer Daniel , Lee Brian , Liu Charles , Andersen Richard A. , Emami Azita 
Published: July 2019

AbstractWe present a new deep multi-state Dynamic Recurrent Neural Network (DRNN) architecture for Brain Machine Interface (BMI) applications. Our DRNN is used to predict Cartesian representation of a computer cursor movement kinematics from open-loop neural data recorded from the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) of a human subject in a BMI system. We design the algorithm to achieve a reasonable trade-off between performance and robustness, and we constrain memory usage in favor of future hardware implementation. We feed the predictions of the network back to the input to improve prediction performance and robustness. We apply a scheduled sampling approach to the model in order to solve a statistical distribution mismatch between the ground truth and predictions. Additionally, we configure a small DRNN to operate with a short history of input, reducing the required buffering of input data and number of memory accesses. This configuration lowers the expected power consumption in a neural network accelerator. Operating on wavelet-based neural features, we show that the average performance of DRNN surpasses other state-of-the-art methods in the literature on both single- and multi-day data recorded over 43 days. Results show that multi-state DRNN has the potential to model the nonlinear relationships between the neural data and kinematics for robust BMIs.
Large-scale GWAS in sorghum reveals common genetic control of grain size among cereals
Authors: Tao Yongfu , Zhao Xianrong , Wang Xuemin , Hathorn Adrian , Hunt Colleen , Cruickshank Alan W. , van Oosterom Erik J. , Godwin Ian D. , Mace Emma S. , Jordan David R. 
Published: July 2019

SummaryGrain size is a key yield component of cereal crops and a major quality attribute. It is determined by a genotype’s genetic potential and its capacity to fill the grains.This study aims to dissect the genetic architecture of grain size in sorghum via an integrated genome wide association study (GWAS) using a diversity panel of 837 individuals and a BC-NAM population of 1,421 individuals.In order to isolate genetic effects associated with grain size, rather than the genotype’s capacity to fill grain, a field treatment of removing half of the panicle during flowering was imposed. Extensive variation in grain size with high heritability was observed in both populations across 5 field trials. Subsequent GWAS analyses uncovered 92 grain size QTL, which were significantly enriched for orthologues of known grain size genes in rice and maize. Significant overlap between the 92 QTL and grain size QTL in rice and maize was also found, supporting common genetic control of this trait among cereals. Further analysis found grain size genes with opposite effect on grain number were less likely to overlap with the grain size QTL from this study, indicating the treatment facilitated identification of genetic regions related to the genetic potential of grain size rather than the capacity to fill the grain.These results enhance understanding of the genetic architecture of grain size in cereal, and pave the way for exploration of underlying molecular mechanisms in cereal crops and manipulation of this trait in breeding practices.
Caffeine consumption during pregnancy accelerates the development of cognitive deficits in offspring in a model of tauopathy
Authors: Zappettini Stefania , Faivre Emilie , Ghestem Antoine , Carrier Sébastien , Buée Luc , Blum David , Esclapez Monique , Bernard Christophe 
Published: July 2019

AbstractPsychoactive drugs used during pregnancy can affect the development of the brain of offspring, directly triggering neurological disorders or increasing the risk for their occurrence. Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive drug, including during pregnancy. In Wild type mice, early life exposure to caffeine renders offspring more susceptible to seizures. Here, we tested the long-term consequences of early life exposure to caffeine in THY-Tau22 transgenic mice, a model of Alzheimer’s disease-like Tau pathology. Caffeine exposed mutant offspring developed cognitive earlier than water treated mutants. Electrophysiological recordings of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells in vitro revealed that early life exposure to caffeine changed the way the glutamatergic and GABAergic drives were modified by the Tau pathology. We conclude that early-life exposure to caffeine affects the Tau phenotype and we suggest that caffeine exposure during pregnancy may constitute a risk-factor for early onset of Alzheimer’s disease-like pathology.
The plasmid diversity ofAcinetobacter bereziniaeHPC229 provides clues on the ability of the species to thrive on both clinical and environmental habitats
Authors: Brovedan Marco , Repizo Guillermo D. , Marchiaro Patricia , Viale Alejandro M. , Limansky Adriana 
Published: July 2019

AbstractAcinetobacter bereziniaeis an environmental microorganism with increasing clinical incidence, and may thus provide a model for a bacterial species bridging the gap between the environment and the clinical setting.A. bereziniaeplasmids have been poorly studied, and their characterization could offer clues on the causes underlying the leap between these two radically different habitats. Here we characterized the whole plasmid content ofA. bereziniaeHPC229, a clinical strain previously reported to harbor a 44-kbp plasmid, pNDM229, conferring carbapenem and aminoglycoside resistance. We identified five extra plasmids in HPC229 ranging from 114 to 1.3 kbp, including pAbe229-114 (114 kbp) encoding a MOBP111relaxase and carrying heavy metal resistance, a bacteriophage defense BREX system and four different toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems. Two other replicons, pAbe229-15 (15.4 kbp) and pAbe229-9 (9.1 kbp), both encoding MOBQ1relaxases and also carrying TA systems, were found. The three latter plasmids containedAcinetobacterRep_3 superfamily replication initiator protein genes. HPC229 also harbors two smaller plasmids, pAbe229-4 (4.4 kbp) and pAbe229-1 (1.3 kbp), the former bearing a ColE1-type replicon and a TA system, and the latter lacking known replication functions. Comparative sequence analyses against depositedAcinetobactergenomes indicated that the above five HPC229 plasmids were unique, although some regions were also present in other of these genomes. The transfer, replication, and adaptive modules in pAbe229-15, and the stability module in pAbe229-9, were bordered by sites potentially recognized by XerC/XerD site-specific tyrosine recombinases, thus suggesting a potential mechanism for their acquisition. The presence of Rep_3 and ColE1-based replication modules, differentmobgenes, distinct adaptive functions including resistance to heavy metal and other environmental stressors, as well as antimicrobial resistance genes, and a high content of XerC/XerD sites among HPC229 plasmids provide evidence of substantial links with bacterial species derived from both environmental and clinical habitats.
Effects of melatonin on germination and amino acid content in different wheat varieties seeds under polyethylene glycol stress
Authors: Li Dongxiao , Zhang Di , Wang Hongguang , Li Haoran , Song Shijia , Li Hongye , Li Ruiqi 
Published: July 2019

AbstractIn this research, the effects of melatonin on germination and amino acid content in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seeds under polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) stress were investigated. The results revealed that 10 μM melatonin could aggravate the adverse effects of drought stress on germination percentage, germination index, and germination potential of two wheat varieties (JM22 and HG35). However, 300 μM melatonin could obviously alleviate the negative effect of water stress on germination and increase radicle length, radicle number and plumule length of germinated seeds. Principal component analysis showed that amino acid content apparently changed in germination and the variation amplitude was different due to melatonin concentrations and wheat varieties. Lys content in wheat seed under 300 μM melatonin plus PEG treatment increased compared with that under PEG. Meanwhile, Lys content was significantly and positively correlated with germination percentage, germination index, germination potential, radicle length, and plumule length, respectively. Our results suggested Lys play an important role in the regulation of melatonin on drought resistance of wheat seed during germination. This may be of value for saving water resources in North China Plain.
The Burden of Poor Household Drinking-Water Quality on HIV/AIDS Infected Individuals in Rural Communities of Ugu District Municipality, Kwazulu-Natal Province, South Africa
Authors: Khabo-Mmekoa C.M.N , Momba M.N.B 
Published: July 2019

ABSTRACTThis aim of this study was to ascertain whether household container-stored drinking water might play a role in the diarrhoeic conditions of HIV/AIDS patients and non-HIV-infected individuals of the rural communities who attended the Ugu District Municipal hospitals. Water samples were collected from the standpipes and household containers, and stool specimens were obtained from HIV/AIDS-positive and non-HIV/AIDS patients with diarrhoea. Significant correlations were established between the incidence of potentially pathogenic bacteria isolated from chlorinated household-stored water, and in stool specimens of HIV-positive patients with diarrhoea (r = P < 0.05). A combination of molecular analysis targeting the 16S rRNA gene and the restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequence analysis of the amplified gene for differentiating between species and strains of the bacterial pathogens was also applied to isolates obtained from stored-water samples and stool specimens. Similar sequences of Klebsiella spp., K. pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, E. coli O55: H7, Proteus mirabilis, and Shigella boydii were identified in both stored water and stools of HIV/AIDS-positive patients with diarrhoea. With the exception of Proteus mirabilis, none of these pathogens were identified in stool specimens of non-HIV-infected individuals with diarrhoea.
Seroprevalence of viral and vector-borne bacterial pathogens in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) in northern Botswana
Authors: Thompson Riley E. , Adams Hayley , Odoi Agricola , Kennedy Melissa A. 
Published: July 2019

AbstractBackgroundDomestic dogs (Canis familiaris) have the potential to act as disease reservoirs for wildlife and are important sentinels for common circulating pathogens. Therefore, the infectious disease seroprevalence among domestic dogs in northern Botswana may be indicative of pathogen exposure of various wildlife species. The objective of this study was to assess the seroprevalence of Ehrlichia spp., Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma spp., Dirofilaria immitis, canine adenovirus, canine parvovirus, and canine distemper virus in domestic dogs as proxies of disease prevalence in the local wildlife in the Okavango Delta region of Botswana. Statistical analysis assessed crude and factor-specific seroprevalence proportions and assessed the factors age, sex, and geographical location as predictors of seropositivity. Logistic regression was used to identify adjusted predictors of seropositivity for each of the pathogens of interest.ResultsSamples from 233 dogs in a total of 7 locations in Maun, Botswana, and surrounding villages were collected and serologically analyzed. No dogs were seropositive for B. burgdorferi, while low seroprevalence proportions were observed for Anaplasma spp. (2.2%) and D. immitis (0.9%). Higher seroprevalence proportions were observed for the tick-borne pathogen, Ehrlichia spp. (21.0%), and 19.7% were seropositive for canine adenovirus (hepatitis). The highest seroprevalence proportions were for canine parvovirus (70.0%) and canine distemper virus (44.8%). The predictors of seropositivity revealed that adults were more likely to be seropositive for canine adenovirus, canine distemper virus, and canine parvovirus than juveniles, and location was a risk factor for canine adenovirus, canine distemper virus, canine parvovirus, and Ehrlichia spp.ConclusionsResults indicate that increasing tick control and vaccination campaigns for domestic dogs may improve the health of domestic animals, and potentially wildlife and humans in the Okavango Delta since viral and vector-borne bacterial pathogens can be transmitted between them.
Temporal microstructure of dyadic social behavior during relationship formation in mice
Authors: Lee Won , Fu Jiayi , Bouwman Neal , Farago Pam , Curley James P. 
Published: July 2019

AbstractUnderstanding the temporal dynamics of how unfamiliar animals establish dominant-subordinate relationships and learn to modify their behavior in response to their social partner in context-appropriate manners is critical in biomedical research concerning social competence. Here we observe and analyze the microstructure of social and non-social behaviors as 21 pairs of outbred CD-1 male mice (Mus Musculus) establish dominant-subordinate relationships during daily 20-minute interaction for five consecutive days. Using Kleinberg burst detection algorithm, we demonstrate aggressive and subordinate interactions occur in bursting patterns followed by quiescence period rather than in uniformly distributed across social interactions. Further, we identify three phases of dominant-subordinate relationship development (pre-, middle-, and post-resolution) by combining phi-coefficient and difference methods used to determine at which bursting event mice resolve dominant-subordinate relationships. Using First Order Markov Chains within individuals we show dominant and subordinate animals establish significantly different behavioral repertoire once they resolve the relationships. In both dominant and subordinate mice, the transitions between investigative and agonistic behavior states are not common. Lastly, we introduce Forward Spike Time Tiling Coefficient, the strength of association between the given behavior of one individual with the target behavior of the other individual within a specified time window. With this method, we describe the likelihood of a mouse responding to a behavior with another behavior differ in pre- and post-resolution phases. The data suggest that subordinate mice learn to exhibit subordinate behavior in response to dominant partner’s behaviors while dominant mice become less likely to show subordinate behaviors in response to their partners’ action. Overall, with the tool we present in this study, the data suggest CD-1 male mice are able to establish dominance relationships and modify their behaviors even to the same social cues under different social contexts competently.
Effects of complex boundary conditions on natural convection of a viscoplastic fluid
Authors: Rafiei Behnam , Masoumi Hamed , Aghighi Mohammad Saeid , Ammar Amine 
Published: July 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of complex boundary conditions on natural convection of a yield stress fluid in a square enclosure heated from below (uniformly and non-uniformly) and symmetrically cooled from the sides.

Design/methodology/approach
The governing equations are solved numerically subject to continuous and discontinuous Dirichlet boundary conditions by Galerkin’s weighted residuals scheme of finite element method and using a non-uniform unstructured triangular grid.

Findings
Results show that the overall heat transfer from the heated wall decreases in the case of non-uniform heating for both Newtonian and yield stress fluids. It is found that the effect of yield stress on heat transfer is almost similar in both uniform and non-uniform heating cases. The yield stress has a stabilizing effect, reducing the convection intensity in both cases. Above a certain value of yield number Y, heat transfer is only due to conduction. It is found that a transition of different modes of stability may occur as Rayleigh number changes; this fact gives rise to a discontinuity in the variation of critical yield number.

Originality/value
Besides the new numerical method based on the finite element and using a non-uniform unstructured grid for analyzing natural convection of viscoplastic materials with complex boundary conditions, the originality of the present work concerns the treatment of the yield stress fluids under the influence of complex boundary conditions.
Stratified flow of sutterby fluid with homogeneous-heterogeneous reactions and Cattaneo-Christov heat flux
Authors: Khan Muhammad Ijaz , Qayyum Sumaira , Hayat Tasawar , Alsaedi Ahmed 
Published: July 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the Sutterby fluid flow by a rotating disk with homogeneous-heterogeneous reactions. Inspection of heat transfer is through Cattaneo–Christov model. Stratification effect is also considered.

Design/methodology/approach
Nonlinear equations are solved by the homotopy technique.

Findings
Sutterby fluid flow by rotating disk is not considered yet. Here the authors intend to analyze it with Cattaneo–Christov heat flux and homogeneous-heterogeneous reactions. Thermal stratification is also taken into consideration.

Originality/value
No such work is yet done in the literature.