bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Auditory modulation of spiking activity and local field potentials in area MT does not appear to underlie an audiovisual temporal illusion
Authors: Kafaligonul Hulusi , Albright Thomas D. , Stoner Gene R. 
Published: June 2018

The timing of brief stationary sounds has been shown to alter the perceived speed of visual apparent motion (AM), presumably by altering the perceived timing of the individual frames of the AM stimuli and/or the duration of the interstimulus intervals (ISIs) between those frames. To investigate the neural correlates of this “temporal ventriloquism” illusion, we recorded spiking and local field potential (LFP) activity from the middle temporal area (area MT) in awake, fixating macaques. We found that the spiking activity of most MT neurons (but not the LFP) was tuned for the ISI/speed (these parameters covaried) of our AM stimuli but that auditory timing had no effect on that tuning. We next asked whether the predicted changes in perceived timing were reflected in the timing of neuronal responses to the individual frames of the AM stimuli. Although spiking dynamics were significantly, if weakly, affected by auditory timing in a minority of neurons, the timing of spike responses did not systematically mirror the predicted perception of stimuli. Conversely, the duration of LFP responses in β- and γ-frequency bands was qualitatively consistent with human perceptual reports. We discovered, however, that LFP responses to auditory stimuli presented alone were robust and that responses to audiovisual stimuli were predicted by the linear sum of responses to auditory and visual stimuli presented individually. In conclusion, we find evidence of auditory input into area MT but not of the nonlinear audiovisual interactions we had hypothesized to underlie the illusion. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We utilized a set of audiovisual stimuli that elicit an illusion demonstrating “temporal ventriloquism” in visual motion and that have spatiotemporal intervals for which neurons within the middle temporal area are selective. We found evidence of auditory input into the middle temporal area but not of the nonlinear audiovisual interactions underlying this illusion. Our findings suggest that either the illusion was absent in our nonhuman primate subjects or the neuronal correlates of this illusion lie within other areas.
STK25 Regulates Cardiovascular Disease Progression in a Mouse Model of Hypercholesterolemia
Authors: Cansby Emmelie , Magnusson Elin , Nuñez-Durán Esther , Amrutkar Manoj , Pedrelli Matteo , Parini Paolo , Hoffmann Jenny , Ståhlman Marcus , Howell Brian W. , Marschall Hanns-Ulrich , Borén Jan , Mahlapuu Margit 
Published: June 2018

Objective—
Recent cohort studies have shown that nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and especially nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), associate with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, independently of conventional cardiometabolic risk factors. However, the mechanisms underlying the pathophysiological link between NAFLD/NASH and cardiovascular disease still remain unclear. Our previous studies have identified STK25 (serine/threonine protein kinase 25) as a critical determinant in ectopic lipid storage, meta-inflammation, and progression of NAFLD/NASH. The aim of this study was to assess whether STK25 is also one of the mediators in the complex molecular network controlling the cardiovascular disease risk.

Approach and Results—

Atherosclerosis was induced in
Stk25
knockout and transgenic mice, and their wild-type littermates, by gene transfer of gain-of-function mutant of PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9), which induces the downregulation of hepatic LDLR (low-density lipoprotein receptor), combined with an atherogenic western-type diet. We found that
Stk25
−/−
mice displayed reduced atherosclerosis lesion area as well as decreased lipid accumulation, macrophage infiltration, collagen formation, and oxidative stress in aortic lesions compared with wild-type littermates, independently from alterations in dyslipidemia. Reciprocally,
Stk25
transgenic mice presented aggravated plaque formation and maturation compared with wild-type littermates despite similar levels of fasting plasma cholesterol. We also found that STK25 protein was expressed in all layers of the aorta, suggesting a possible direct role in cardiovascular disease.

Conclusions—
This study provides the first evidence that STK25 plays a critical role in regulation of cardiovascular disease risk and suggests that pharmacological inhibition of STK25 function may provide new possibilities for prevention/treatment of atherosclerosis.
Electrocardiograms in Healthy North American Children in the Digital Age
Authors: Saarel Elizabeth V. , Granger Suzanne , Kaltman Jonathan R. , Minich L. LuAnn , Tristani-Firouzi Martin , Kim Jeffrey J. , Ash Kathleen , Tsao Sabrina S. , Berul Charles I. , Stephenson Elizabeth A. , Gamboa David G. , Trachtenberg Felicia , Fischbach Peter , Vetter Victoria L. , Czosek Richard J. , Johnson Tiffanie R. , Salerno Jack C. , Cain Nicole B. , Pass Robert H. , Zeltser Ilana , Silver Eric S. , Kovach Joshua R. , Alexander Mark E. ,   for the Pediatric Heart Network Investigators*
Published: June 2018

Background:
Interpretation of pediatric ECGs is limited by lack of accurate sex- and race-specific normal reference values obtained with modern technology for all ages. We sought to obtain contemporary digital ECG measurements in healthy children from North America, to evaluate the effects of sex and race, and to compare our results to commonly used published datasets.

Methods:
Digital ECGs (12-lead) were retrospectively collected for children ≤18 years old with normal echocardiograms at 19 centers in the Pediatric Heart Network. Patients were classified into 36 groups: 6 age, 2 sex, and 3 race (white, black, and other/mixed) categories. Standard intervals and amplitudes were measured; mean±SD and 2nd/98th percentiles were determined by age group, sex, and race. For each parameter, multivariable analysis, stratified by age, was conducted using sex and race as predictors. Parameters were compared with 2 large pediatric ECG data sets.

Results:

Among ECGs from 2400 children, significant differences were found by sex and race categories. The corrected QT interval in lead II was greater for girls compared with boys for age groups ≥3 years (
P
≤0.03) and for whites compared with blacks for age groups ≥12 years (
P
<0.05). The R wave amplitude in V6 was greater for boys compared with girls for age groups ≥12 years (
P
<0.001), for blacks compared with white or other race categories for age groups ≥3 years (
P
≤0.006), and greater compared with a commonly used public data set for age groups ≥12 years (
P
<0.0001).

Conclusions:
In this large, diverse cohort of healthy children, most ECG intervals and amplitudes varied by sex and race. These differences have important implications for interpreting pediatric ECGs in the modern era when used for diagnosis or screening, including thresholds for left ventricular hypertrophy.
Nocturnal Blood Pressure Is Reduced by a Mandibular Advancement Device for Sleep Apnea in Women: Findings From Secondary Analyses of a Randomized Trial
Authors: Rietz Helene , Franklin Karl A. , Carlberg Bo , Sahlin Carin , Marklund Marie 
Published: June 2018

Background
Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with high blood pressure. The magnitude of blood pressure effects from sleep apnea treatment is unclear. We aimed to determine the effect of mandibular advancement device therapy on ambulatory nighttime and daytime blood pressure in women and men with daytime sleepiness and snoring or mild to moderate sleep apnea (apnea‐hypopnea index, <30).

Methods and Results

In this 4‐month, double‐blind, randomized controlled trial comprising 96 untreated patients, 27 women and 58 men, aged 31 to 70 years, completed the study. The active group received individually made adjustable mandibular advancement devices, and the control group was given individually made sham devices, to be used during sleep. Polysomnographic sleep recordings and ambulatory 24‐hour blood pressure measurements were performed at baseline and at follow‐up. In women with mandibular advancement devices, the mean nighttime systolic blood pressure was 10.8 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, 4.0–17.7 mm Hg;
P
=0.004) lower than in the women in the sham group, adjusted for baseline blood pressure, age, body mass index, and the apnea‐hypopnea index. The mean nighttime adjusted diastolic blood pressure was 6.6 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, 2.7–10.4 mm Hg;
P
=0.002) lower in the mandibular advancement device group. In men, there were no significant differences in blood pressure at night or during the daytime between the intervention groups.

Conclusions
A mandibular advancement device for obstructive sleep apnea reduces nocturnal blood pressure in women.

Clinical Trial Registration

URL
:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier:
NCT
00477009.
Urban Factionalism in Late Ottoman Gaza, c. 1875-1914: Local Politics and Spatial Divisions
Authors: Ben-Bassat Yuval , Büssow Johann 
Published: June 2018

AbstractDuring the late Ottoman period the city of Gaza was caught up in internal political strife. The city’s elite families tended to operate within rival factions while trying to draw Istanbul into its internal conflicts. In this context, they formed complex relationships with the elite of Jerusalem that dominated Palestine’s politics, as well as with peasants and Bedouins in Gaza’s hinterland. The article presents the first systematic account of factional strife in Gaza during the period. In addition, it examines what caused the internal divisions in Gaza to be so severe and considers whether factionalism also played out in the urban space. It is argued that (1) the severity of this factionalism derived from the rising stakes resulting from imperial politics and economic benefits, and (2) factionalism and urban development interacted with each other, leading to a particular type of ‘spatialized factionalism’. We suggest that this perspective can lead to a better understanding of both urban politics and urban development in other towns and cities in the Ottoman Empire’s Arab provinces.
Black Pepper Consumption in the Roman Empire
Authors: Cobb Matthew 
Published: June 2018

AbstractDuring the Roman Imperial period huge quantities of black pepper arrived into the Empire from southern India and were employed in a range of contexts, from the culinary and medicinal, to the religious. This article seeks to examine the popularity of black pepper in the Roman Empire and test the theory that its consumption was not simply restricted to elite circles, but reached a wider spectrum of the population. In particular, price and wage data from theEdict of Maximum Pricesis examined to see how feasible it was for those lower down the socio-economic spectrum to make such purchases.
Neoliberal Ideology and the Centrality of Trust
Authors: Salerno Roger A. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractWhile trust has become an important symbol of social health, this essay proposes that critical mistrust is essential to social progress and personal well-being. Trust is examined here as a foundational element of liberal and neoliberal ideology that has taken the place of religious faith in the unseen. However, its commodification is responsible for its scarcity and inflated value. While trust is a tool that commands allegiance to the powerful, those with power have little trust in the vast majority. Expenditures on systems of security appear to correlate with ever-declining rates of trust in social institutions, just as they decline with the increasing disparities between rich and poor around the world.
Negotiating 21st Century Rules on Energy: What Is at Stake for the European Union, the United States and the BRICS?
Authors: Espa Ilaria , Holzer Kateryna 
Published: June 2018

Abstract
In the context of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the European Union (EU) has taken the lead in promoting the inclusion of a specific chapter on energy trade and investment in order to enhance energy security and promote renewable energy. Irrespective of the success of the TTIP negotiations, the EU proposal can contribute to developing multilateral rules on energy trade and investment. This is especially important given the increased number of energy disputes filed by the EU and the United States against other leading energy market players, including the BRICS. This article provides a normative analysis of the new rules proposed by the EU and reflects on potential responses of BRICS energy regulators. It argues that, while these rules are unlikely to immediately affect BRICS energy practices, they may eventually be ‘imported’ in BRICS domestic jurisdictions in order to promote renewable energy and attract investment in energy infrastructure.
The BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement: A Subversive Power Against the IMF’s Conditionality?
Authors: Würdemann Aike I. 
Published: June 2018

Abstract
In 2014, the BRICS countries established the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) purportedly to compensate for the BRICS’ frustration over the non-materialization of reforms in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that had long been promised but blocked by the United States until late 2015. A contractual analysis of the CRA reveals that though all BRICS countries enjoy equality for strategic decisions, the CRA strongly resembles the IMF’s quota-based voting distribution where operational decisions are taken. It nevertheless provides a more balanced voting system, as it does not provide one single party with a veto position. The CRA further lacks legal personality and other fundamental features such as its own staff or macroeconomic research facilities. Financing approvals are thus linked to IMF on-track arrangements, which undermines the CRA’s significance. The CRA nonetheless holds the potential to be developed into a viable BRICS alternative to the IMF in the long term.
A Phenomenological Paradigm for Midtropospheric Cyclogenesis in the Indian Summer Monsoon
Authors: Choudhury Ayantika Dey , Krishnan R. , Ramarao M. V. S. , Vellore R. , Singh M. , Mapes B. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractMidtropospheric cyclones (MTCs) are a distinct class of synoptic disturbances, characterized by quasi-stationary cyclonic circulation in midtropospheric levels, which often produce heavy rainfall and floods over western India during the summer monsoon. This study presents a composite and diagnostic process study of long-lived (&gt;5 days) midtropospheric cyclonic circulation events identified by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Reanalysis data confirm earlier studies in revealing that the MTC composite has its strongest circulation in the midtroposphere. Lagged composites show that these events co-occur with broader-scale monsoon evolution, including larger synoptic-scale low pressure systems over the Bay of Bengal (BoB) and east coast, and the active phase of regional-scale poleward-propagating intraseasonal rain belts, with associated drying ahead (north) of the convectively active area. Diabatic heating composites, in particular the TRMM latent heating and Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2)-derived radiative cooling in the dry inland areas of southwest Asia north of the rain belt, are used to drive a nonlinear multilayer dynamical model in a forced-damped reconstruction of the global circulation. Results show that the midlevel circulation is largely attributable to top-heavy latent heating, indicative of the prevalence of stratiform-type precipitation in mesoscale convective systems in these moist, active larger-scale settings. Both the west coast and BoB latent heating are important, while the radiative cooling over southwest Asia plays a modest role in sharpening some of the simulated features. A conceptual model encapsulates the paradigm based on this composite and diagnostic modeling, a diabatic update of early theoretical studies that emphasized hydrodynamic flow instabilities.
Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound enhances antibiotic release of gentamicin-loaded, self-setting calcium phosphate cement
Authors: Shi Mingmin , Chen Lei , Wang Yangxin , Yan Shigui 
Published: June 2018

Objective This study aimed to investigate the effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound on antibiotic release from gentamicin-loaded, self-setting calcium phosphate cement. Methods A gentamicin-loaded calcium phosphate cement cylinder was eluted in stimulated body fluid. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (46.5 kHz, 200 mW/cm2) was used to produce a sinusoidal wave in the experimental group. Non-gentamicin calcium phosphate cement was used in the control group. Results The transient concentration and cumulatively released percentage of gentamicin in the ultrasound group were higher than those in control group at every time point. The duration of gentamicin concentrations over the level of the minimum inhibitory concentration was significantly prolonged in the ultrasound group compared with the control group. Antibacterial efﬁcacy of gentamicin in the ultrasound group was significantly better than that in the control group with the same concentration of gentamicin. Conclusion Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound enhances antibiotic release, providing sustained antibiotic release at high concentrations. This increases the antibacterial effect of gentamicin.
Modulating Glucose Metabolism and Lactate Synthesis in Injured Mouse Tendons: Treatment With Dichloroacetate, a Lactate Synthesis Inhibitor, Improves Tendon Healing
Authors: Zhang Kairui , Hast Michael W. , Izumi Soutarou , Usami Yu , Shetye Snehal , Akabudike Ngozi , Philp Nancy J. , Iwamoto Masahiro , Nissim Itzhak , Soslowsky Louis J. , Enomoto-Iwamoto Motomi 
Published: June 2018

Background: Tendon injuries are common problems among athletes. Complete recovery of the mechanical structure and function of ruptured tendons is challenging. It has been demonstrated that upregulation of glycolysis and lactate production occurs in wounds, inflammation sites, and cancerous tumors, and these metabolic changes also control growth and differentiation of stem and progenitor cells. Similar metabolic changes have been reported in human healing tendons. In addition, lactate production has increased in progenitors isolated from injured tendons after treatment with IL-1β. It is thought that the metabolic changes play a role in tendon healing after injury. Hypothesis: Glucose metabolism is altered during tendon injury and healing, and modulation of this altered metabolism improves tendon repair. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: The authors used the tendon injury model involving a complete incision of the Achilles tendon in C57BL/6J female mice and studied alterations of glucose metabolism in injured tendons with [U-13C]glucose and metabolomics analysis 1 and 4 weeks after surgery. They also examined the effects of dichloroacetate (DCA; an indirect lactate synthesis inhibitor) treatment on the recovery of structure and mechanical properties of injured tendons 4 weeks after surgery in the same mouse model. Results: Significant changes in glucose metabolism in tendons after injury surgery were detected. 13C enrichment of metabolites and intermediates, flux through glycolysis, and lactate synthesis, as well as tricarboxylic acid cycle activity, were acutely increased 1 week after injury. Increased glycolysis and lactate generation were also found 4 weeks after injury. DCA-treated injured tendons showed decreased cross-sectional area and higher values of modulus, maximum stress, and maximum force when compared with vehicle-treated injured tendons. Improved alignment of the collagen fibers was also observed in the DCA group. Furthermore, DCA treatment reduced mucoid accumulation and ectopic calcification in injured tendons. Conclusion: The findings indicate that injured tendons acutely increase glycolysis and lactate synthesis after injury and that the inhibition of lactate synthesis by DCA is beneficial for tendon healing. Clinical Relevance: Changing metabolism in injured tendons may be a therapeutic target for tendon repair.
Suicide in early China and the current West
Authors: Pridmore Saxby , Pridmore William 
Published: June 2018

Objectives: To characterize suicide in early China, as a means of extending knowledge of this behaviour. Methods: We examined Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and collated and considered relevant details. Results: In early China, loss of authority/status, loved ones and fortune were triggers for suicide. The expression of the intention to suicide, either by word or action, was observed and elicited a placating response. Less frequent, but nevertheless clearly recorded, were accounts of suicide completed to satisfy the wishes of others. Conclusions: The suicide and related behaviour of early China shares many features with late Western societies, but one form (to satisfy the wishes of others) is currently undetected.
Serious Illness and End-of-Life Quality for US Foster Children: A National Study
Authors: Lindley Lisa C. , Slayter Elspeth M. 
Published: June 2018

Background: Of the nearly 500 000 children in foster care, several hundred children die each year. Their quality of life at end of life is a matter of their foster care experience. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether serious illness was associated with foster care placement outcomes. Methods: US foster care data from 2005 to 2015 were used. Children who were younger than 18 years with residence in the United States were included. Serious illness (ie, physical health, mental/behavioral health, developmental disabilities) was measured via the foster care files. Two foster care placement outcomes were created (ie, type of placement, placement instability). Using multinomial and logistic regressions, the influence of serious illness on placement outcomes was evaluated while controlling for demographic, geographic, prior trauma, and foster care support characteristics. Results: Fifty-seven percent of the children were placed with nonrelatives, 27% in group homes/institutions, and 17% with relatives. Twenty-eight percent experienced placement instability. Serious illness was significantly associated with nonrelative (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 1.97; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.58-2.45) and group home/institution placement (RRR = 2.67; 95% CI = 2.09-3.40). Serious illness was not significantly related to placement instability. Children with serious illness were no more likely than their peers to experience multiple foster care placements. Conclusions: Foster care youth at end of life were more likely to be placed with nonrelatives or in group homes/institutions. They also did not experience the disruption and stress of being moved to multiple foster homes while seriously ill.