bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Topological phase transitions in functional brain networks
Authors: Santos Fernando A. N. , Raposo Ernesto P. , Coutinho-Filho Maurício D. , Copelli Mauro , Stam Cornelis J. , Douw Linda 
Published: November 2018

AbstractFunctional brain networks are often constructed by quantifying correlations among brain regions. Their topological structure includes nodes, edges, triangles and even higher-dimensional objects. Topological data analysis (TDA) is the emerging framework to process datasets under this perspective. In parallel, topology has proven essential for understanding fundamental questions in physics. Here we report the discovery of topological phase transitions in functional brain networks by merging concepts from TDA, topology, geometry, physics, and network theory. We show that topological phase transitions occur when the Euler entropy has a singularity, which remarkably coincides with the emergence of multidimensional topological holes in the brain network. Our results suggest that a major alteration in the pattern of brain correlations can modify the signature of such transitions, and may point to suboptimal brain functioning. Due to the universal character of phase transitions and noise robustness of TDA, our findings open perspectives towards establishing reliable topological and geometrical biomarkers of individual and group differences in functional brain network organization.
Neural envelope tracking as a measure of speech understanding in cochlear implant users
Authors: Verschueren Eline , Somers Ben , Francart Tom 
Published: November 2018

ABSTRACTThe speech envelope is essential for speech understanding and can be reconstructed from the electroencephalogram (EEG) recorded while listening to running speech. This so-called neural envelope tracking has been shown to relate to speech understanding in normal hearing listeners, but has barely been investigated in persons wearing cochlear implants (CI). We investigated the relation between speech understanding and neural envelope tracking in CI users.EEG was recorded in 8 CI users while they listened to a story. Speech understanding was varied by changing the intensity of the presented speech. The speech envelope was reconstructed from the EEG using a linear decoder and then correlated with the envelope of the speech stimulus as a measure of neural envelope tracking which was compared to actual speech understanding.This study showed that neural envelope tracking increased with increasing speech understanding in every participant. Furthermore behaviorally measured speech understanding was correlated with participant specific neural envelope tracking results indicating the potential of neural envelope tracking as an objective measure of speech understanding in CI users. This could enable objective and automatic fitting of CIs and pave the way towards closed-loop CIs that adjust continuously and automatically to individual CI users.
Association of brain age with smoking, alcohol consumption, and genetic variants
Authors: Ning Kaida , Zhao Lu , Matloff Will , Sun Fengzhu , Toga Arthur W. 
Published: November 2018

AbstractThe association of the degree of aging based on the whole-brain anatomical characteristics, or brain age, with smoking, alcohol consumption, and individual genetic variants is unclear. Here, we investigated these associations through analyzing data collected for UK Biobank subjects with an age range of 45 to 79 years old. We first trained a statistical model for obtaining relative brain age (RBA), a metric describing a subject’s brain age relative to peers, based on a randomly selected training set subjects (n=2,679). We then applied this model to the evaluation set subjects (n=6,252) and further tested the association of RBA with tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, and 529,098 genetic variants. We found that daily or almost daily consumption of smoking or alcohol was significantly associated with increased RBA (P<0.05). Interestingly, there was no significant difference of RBA among subjects who smoked occasionally, only tried once or twice, or abstained from smoking. Further, there was no significant difference of RBA among subjects who consumed alcohol 1 to 3 times a month, at special occasions only, or abstained from alcohol consumption. Among the subjects who smoked on most or all days and did not abstain from alcohol drinking, RBA increased by 0.021 years for each addition pack-year of smoking (P<0.05) and by 0.014 years for each additional gram of alcohol consumed (P<0.05). We did not identify individual genetic variation significantly associate with RBA. Further exploration of genetic variation-brain aging association is warranted, where our current genetic association statistics may serve as prior knowledge.
Emotion Schemas are Embedded in the Human Visual System
Authors: Kragel Philip A. , Reddan Marianne , LaBar Kevin S. , Wager Tor D. 
Published: November 2018

AbstractTheorists have suggested that emotions are canonical responses to situations ancestrally linked to survival. If so, then emotions may be afforded by features of the sensory environment. However, few computationally explicit models describe how combinations of stimulus features evoke different emotions. Here we develop a convolutional neural network that accurately decodes images into 11 distinct emotion categories. We validate the model using over 25,000 images and movies and show that image content is sufficient to predict the category and valence of human emotion ratings. In two fMRI studies, we demonstrate that patterns of human visual cortex activity encode emotion category-related model output and can decode multiple categories of emotional experience. These results suggest that rich, category-specific emotion representations are embedded within the human visual system.
Mechanism of Mycolactone Toxin Membrane Permeation: Atomistic vs Coarse-Grained MARTINI Simulations
Authors: Aydin F. , Sun R. , Swanson J. M. J. 
Published: November 2018

ABSTRACTMycolactone, a cytotoxic and immunosuppressive macrolide produced by Mycobacterium ulcerans, is the central virulent factor in the skin disease Buruli ulcer. This multifunctional cytotoxin affects fundamental cellular processes such as cell adhesion, immune response and cell death by targeting various cellular structures. Developing effective diagnostics that target mycolactone has been challenging, potentially due to suspected interactions with lipophilic architectures, including membranes. To better understand the pathogenesis of Buruli ulcer disease, aid in the development of diagnostics, and learn how amphiphiles in general use lipid trafficking to navigate the host environment, we seek to understand the nature of mycolactone-membrane interactions. Herein we characterize how the two dominant isomers of mycolactone (A and B) interact with and permeate DPPC membranes with all-atom molecular dynamics simulations employing transition tempered metadynamics, and compare these results with those obtained by MARTINI coarse-grained simulations. Our all-atom simulations reveal that both isomers have a strong preference to associate with the membrane, although their mechanisms and energetics of membrane permeation differ slightly. Water molecules are found to play an important role in the permeation process. Although the MARTINI coarse-grained simulations give the correct free energy of membrane association, they fail to capture the mechanism of permeation and role of water during permeation as seen in all-atom simulations.
Nanoscale decompaction of nucleosomal DNA revealed through multi-color super-resolution microscopy
Authors: Otterstrom Jason , Garcia Alvaro Castells , Vicario Chiara , Cosma Maria Pia , Lakadamyali Melike 
Published: November 2018

AbstractChromatin organization plays an important role in regulating gene expression. Previously, we showed that chromatin is organized in the form of nucleosome groups or clutches. The size and nucleosome packing density of clutches decreased in hyperacetylated cells having more open chromatin. While hyperacetylation is thought to disrupt histone-DNA and inter-nucleosome interactions, its impact on higher order DNA compaction by groups of nucleosomes in vivo is not clear. To elucidate this question, we carried out two-color super-resolution imaging of histones and DNA in cells treated with the Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor Trichostatin A (TSA). We showed that a lower percentage of DNA was associated to clutches in hyperacetylated cells, suggesting a decrease in nucleosome occupancy. We further identified the presence of “clutch” DNA within a nanoscale distance around the clutches. Upon histone hyperacetylation, the radius of the clutch DNA decreased leading to DNA release from the clutches, consistent with disruption of DNA-histone interactions. Finally, the most dramatic decompaction was observed for groups of clutches in close spatial proximity, suggesting that neighboring clutches influence each other’s DNA compaction.SummarySuper-resolution imaging of histones and DNA reveals that DNA is compacted by groups of nucleosomes – clutches – at the nanoscale level and clutch compaction of DNA is affected by histone tail acetylation especially in highly folded regions containing several nearby clutches.
Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Hepatitis B Prevention and Immunization of Pregnant Women and Mothers in Viet Nam
Authors: Hang Pham Thi T. , Nguyen Thuy X. , Nguyen Dong T. , Luu Chau M. , Truong Bac D. , Tran Phu D. , So Samuel 
Published: November 2018

ABSTRACTBackground and AimVietnam’s high burden of liver cancer is largely attributable to the high prevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus infection (HBV). Infection at birth due to mother-to-child (MTC) transmission is the most common cause of chronic HBV in Vietnam and increases the risk of liver cancer later in life. This study was undertaken to examine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pregnant women and mothers in Vietnam concerning HBV prevention and immunization.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in Quang Ninh and Hoa Binh provinces in 2017. A pre-designed questionnaire was administered to women when they received care at primary and tertiary maternal health clinics. Correct responses were summarized as knowledge scores. Data was analyzed using a multivariable regression model across participant demographics.ResultsAmong the 404 women surveyed, 57.6% were pregnant and 42.4% were postpartum. Despite 73.5% of participants reporting having received information about HBV during their pregnancy, gaps in knowledge and misconceptions are evident. Overall, only 10.6% provided correct answers to all questions regarding HBV transmission routes and prevention measures. Around half of the participants incorrectly believed that HBV is transmitted through sneezing, contaminated water or sharing foods with chronic HBV patients. Although 96.4% of participants believed that HBV vaccination is necessary for infants, only 69.1% were willing to have their own child vaccinated within 24 hours. More than a third of participants expressed concern about having casual contacts or sharing foods with chronic HBV patients. In multivariable analysis, having received information about HBV during their pregnancy were consistently associated with better knowledge score for transmission, prevention and immunization. However, knowledge of women who received information about HBV during their pregnancy was still suboptimal.ConclusionsThe results highlight the need to prioritize educating pregnant women and mothers in future public health campaigns in order to increase knowledge, reduce misperception, and improve HBV vaccine coverage in Vietnam.
Relationship between epicardial and perivascular fatty tissue and adipokine-cytokine level in coronary artery disease patients
Authors: Gruzdeva Olga , Uchasova Evgenya , Dyleva Yulia , Borodkina Daria , Akbasheva Olga , Karetnikova Viktoria , Brel Natalia , Alexander Kokov , Barbarash Olga 
Published: November 2018

AbstractThe aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the thickness of EAT and PVAT and the adipokine-cytokine profile of patients with coronary heart disease, which can be of significant importance for predicting the course of CVD. 84 patients with CVD, were assessed and divided into two groups based on the presence of visceral obesity (VO). In VO patients, the thickness of the epicardial deposits of the left and right ventricles were 1.75 and 1.43 times greater, respectively, than in patients without VO. For patients with VO, the prevalence of the volume of the left anterior descending artery was 10% higher, and the middle third of the envelope artery was 28% higher, when compared to patients without VO. When evaluating inflammatory status, it was established that the concentration of TNF-α and IL-1β, leptin in the blood serum of patients with VO exceeded the values of patients without VO. Level of proinflammatory IL-10 was 2-times lower in patients with VO. The findings of this study show that the increase of EAT and PVAT are independent risk factors of CVD, as well as a possible model for the assessment of drug effectiveness for CVD.
FlexiBAC: a versatile, open-source baculovirus vector system for protein expression, secretion, and proteolytic processing
Authors: Lemaitre Régis P. , Bogdanova Aliona , Borgonovo Barbara , Woodruff Jeffrey B. , Drechsel David N. 
Published: November 2018

ABSTRACTBaculovirus-mediated expression in insect cells is a powerful approach for protein production. However, many existing methods are time consuming, offer limited options for protein tagging, and are unsuitable for secreted proteins requiring proteolytic maturation, such as TGF-β family growth factors. To overcome these limitations, we engineered “FlexiBAC”, a system that simplifies baculovirus production and permits furin-driven proteolytic maturation of targets. This system allows recombinant baculovirus formation inside insect cells and reduces the time between initial cloning and protein production to 13 days. FlexiBAC includes 146 shuttle vectors that append combinations of purification tags, fluorescent markers, proteolytic cleavage sites, trafficking signals, and chemical conjugation tags to the termini of the target protein. We demonstrate that this system can be used to produce high levels of mature, active forms of TGF-β family growth factors, such as Activin A, as well as other proteins that are typically difficult to reconstitute, such as proteins rich in coiled-coil, low complexity, and disordered domains.
Poverty index vs richness index: a new way to analyze the determinants of poverty
Authors: Kacem Rami B.H. 
Published: November 2018

Purpose
The analysis of poverty is fundamentally focused on examining the well-being condition of the poor. We usually neglect the information provided by the rich. Nevertheless, perhaps the non-considered information indicating the determinants of non-poverty is also useful for fighting against poverty. The purpose of this paper is to analyze poverty under a new angle i.e. focusing on the information provided by the non-poor instead of the poor. For that a richness index is calculated in order to estimate econometric models regressing both indices i.e. poverty and richness indices on same selected characteristics. Thus, the comparison of the determinants of poverty and non-poverty for Tunisian case have allowed the classification of the selected explanatory variables with significant effect into four categories: the variables having significant effect on both sides (permanent effect), the variables having significant effect on the poor but not on the non-poor (transitory effect), the variables having significant effect on the non-poor but not on the poor (insurance effect) and the variables without any effect on both cases (neutral effect). This procedure is thus important given that it provides additional information and new way to enhance the targeting efficiency of the poor and fighting against poverty.

Design/methodology/approach
Using Tunisian data, an original procedure is proposed for calculating a richness index, defined based on the common formula of calculating the poverty index. Next econometric models are estimated regressing both the indices i.e. poverty and richness index on same selected characteristics.

Findings
The comparison of the determinants of poverty and non-poverty have allowed the classification of the selected explanatory variables with significant effect into four categories: the variables having significant effect on both sides (permanent effect), the variables having significant effect on the poor but not on the non-poor (transitory effect), the variables having significant effect on the non-poor but not on the poor (insurance effect) and the variables without any effect on both cases (neutral effect).

Originality/value
The analysis and the classification of the determinants of poverty according to the determinants of non-poverty is never made before in the litterature. This procedure is important given that it provides additional information and a new way to enhance the efficiency of targeting the poor and fighting against poverty.
Modeling of core loss for non-oriented electrical steel
Authors: Dems Maria , Komeza Krzysztof , Szulakowski Jacek , Kubiak Witold 
Published: November 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the application of the loss approximation method for non-oriented electrical steel developed by the authors. A new model of a toroidal sample with dimensions ensuring high uniformity of the field was presented.

Design/methodology/approach
A critical analysis of the methods used was carried out. Based on these considerations, the authors proposed their own loss approximation method, which allows obtaining high accuracy in a wide range of induction and frequency. The proposed method is based on the assumption that for a certain frequency range losses can be describe by two terms formula. For a fixed value of the peak flux density Bm, the graph of specific loss divided by the frequency should have the form of a straight line. Then, the obtained coefficients for different Bm are the basis for approximation with the power function.

Findings
The comparison of measurement and approximation results shows that the method allows to obtain very good accuracy in a wide range of induction and frequency.

Research limitations/implications
More detailed studies on the impact of cutting on a larger number of samples with different geometrical dimensions are needed.

Practical implications
Application of the new method provides a better approximation of the curve of the loss and thus a more accurate calculation of the core loss in the electrical machines.

Originality/value
The paper presents the application of the loss approximation method for non-oriented electrical steel developed by the authors. A new model of a toroidal sample with dimensions ensuring high uniformity of the field was presented. It is shown that the approximation introduced allows for high accuracy in a wide range of frequency and magnetic flux density.
Bats and grammar: developing critical language awareness in the context of school reform
Authors: Gebhard Meg , Graham Holly 
Published: November 2018

PurposeThis paper aims to analyze how middle schoolers developed a critical awareness of language while participating in a curricular unit informed by systemic functional linguistics (SFL). This unit was developed to understanding and taking action to protect a local bat population in the context of school reforms shaping teaching and learning in the USA. It was designed to support a heterogeneous class of seventh graders in learning to read scientific explanations, write letters to government officials and develop a functional metalanguage to support them in analyzing how language simultaneously constructs ideas, enacts power dynamics and manages the flow of information in disciplinary texts. The questions guiding this study are: How do students use SFL metalanguage in text production and interpretation practices? Do their uses of SFL metalanguage support critical language awareness and reflection? And, if so, in what ways?Design/methodology/approachThis study uses ethnographic methods to conduct teacher action research. Data include classroom transcripts, student writing samples and interviews.FindingsThe findings illustrate how students engaged with SFL, often playfully, to create their own student-generated functional metalanguage in highly productive ways.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to a growing body of scholarship that suggests SFL metalanguage can provide teachers and students with a powerful semiotic toolkit that enables them to navigate the demands of teaching and learning in the context of the Standardization and Accountability movement.Practical implicationsThis study has implications teachers’ professional development and students’ disciplinary literacy development in the context of school reform.Originality/valueTo date, few studies have explored how students take up and transform SFL metalanguage into a tool for critical reflection, especially adolescents.
Partnership in action: forging a new approach
Authors: Roxby Sarah 
Published: November 2018

Purpose
Professional partnerships between housing and health are not impossible, but they take time, commitment and dedicated strategic leadership. The language and culture of the two sectors are sometimes complex and do not always match. There can be issues understanding each other’s motivation, ethics and terminology which can cause a barrier when working together. The purpose of this paper is to share the journey of how Wakefield District Housing (WDH) is working with the care and health sector to create sustainable partnerships that benefit both parties, getting to a stage where they could successfully integrate with healthcare providers in the Wakefield district.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper offers the reader an overview of how WDH’s membership of the Wakefield Health and Wellbeing Board enabled improved partnership working with NHS and other members, including the establishment of a Housing, Health and Social Care Partnership, the employment of dedicated senior staff, co-located multi-disciplinary teams and joint design of new services.

Findings
WDH has demonstrated that the organisation understands the challenges facing NHS colleagues, has acknowledged the complexities of the system that their partners work in and looked for solutions alongside them. The opportunities within partnership working are boundless and, if successful, the outcomes for tenants and the wider Wakefield population could be in excess of those envisaged in planning the project. Partnerships will almost inevitably encounter challenges along the way but if all partners keep their own and shared visions in mind, further success is within reach and all parties will get there faster by not going alone.

Practical implications
The paper offers useful guidance and ideas for other housing organisations aiming to improve their contribution to local integrated healthcare.

Originality/value
This paper provides an original perspective from inside the programme, offering practical, comprehensive and deliverable initiatives to improve health outcomes for local communities.