bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Structural brain alterations in primary open angle glaucoma: a 3T MRI study
Authors: Wang Jieqiong , Li Ting , Sabel Bernhard A. , Chen Zhiqiang , Wen Hongwei , Li Jianhong , Xie Xiaobin , Yang Diya , Chen Weiwei , Wang Ningli , Xian Junfang , He Huiguang 
Published: January 2016

AbstractGlaucoma is not only an eye disease but is also associated with degeneration of brain structures. We now investigated the pattern of visual and non-visual brain structural changes in 25 primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) patients and 25 age-gender-matched normal controls using T1-weighted imaging. MRI images were subjected to volume-based analysis (VBA) and surface-based analysis (SBA) in the whole brain as well as ROI-based analysis of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), visual cortex (V1/2), amygdala and hippocampus. While VBA showed no significant differences in the gray matter volumes of patients, SBA revealed significantly reduced cortical thickness in the right frontal pole and ROI-based analysis volume shrinkage in LGN bilaterally, right V1 and left amygdala. Structural abnormalities were correlated with clinical parameters in a subset of the patients revealing that the left LGN volume was negatively correlated with bilateral cup-to-disk ratio (CDR), the right LGN volume was positively correlated with the mean deviation of the right visual hemifield and the right V1 cortical thickness was negatively correlated with the right CDR in glaucoma. These results demonstrate that POAG affects both vision-related structures and non-visual cortical regions. Moreover, alterations of the brain visual structures reflect the clinical severity of glaucoma.
Comparative transcriptomic analysis uncovers the complex genetic network for resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in Brassica napus
Authors: Wu Jian , Zhao Qing , Yang Qingyong , Liu Han , Li Qingyuan , Yi Xinqi , Cheng Yan , Guo Liang , Fan Chuchuan , Zhou Yongming 
Published: January 2016

AbstractSclerotinia stem rot caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is one of the most devastating diseases in many important crops including Brassica napus worldwide. Quantitative resistance is the only source for genetic improvement of Sclerotinia-resistance in B. napus, but the molecular basis for such a resistance is largely unknown. Here, we performed dynamic transcriptomic analyses to understand the differential defense response to S. sclerotiorum in a resistant line (R-line) and a susceptible line (S-line) of B. napus at 24, 48 and 96 h post-inoculation. Both the numbers of and fold changes in differentially expressed genes in the R-line were larger than those in the S-line. We identified 9001 relative differentially expressed genes in the R-line compared with the S-line. The differences between susceptibility and resistance were associated with the magnitude of expression changes in a set of genes involved in pathogen recognition, MAPK signaling cascade, WRKY transcription regulation, jasmonic acid/ethylene signaling pathways and biosynthesis of defense-related protein and indolic glucosinolate. The results were supported by quantitation of defense-related enzyme activity and glucosinolate contents. Our results provide insights into the complex molecular mechanism of the defense response to S. sclerotiorum in B. napus and for development of effective strategies in Sclerotinia-resistance breeding.
Evidence for genetic regulation of mRNA expression of the dosage-sensitive gene retinoic acid induced-1 (RAI1) in human brain
Authors: Chen Li , Tao Yu , Song Fan , Yuan Xi , Wang Jian , Saffen David 
Published: January 2016

AbstractRAI1 (retinoic acid induced-1) is a dosage-sensitive gene that causes Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS) when mutated or deleted and Potocki-Lupski Syndrome (PTLS) when duplicated, with psychiatric features commonly observed in both syndromes. How common genetic variants regulate this gene, however, is unknown. In this study, we found that RAI1 mRNA expression in Chinese prefrontal and temporal cortex correlate with genotypes of common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in the RAI1 5′-upstream region. Using genotype imputation, “R2-Δ2” analysis and data from the RegulomeDB database, we identified SNPs rs4925102 and rs9907986 as possible regulatory variants, accounting for approximately 30–40% of the variance in RAI1 mRNA expression in both brain regions. Specifically, rs4925102 and rs9907986 are predicted to disrupt the binding of retinoic acid RXR-RAR receptors and the transcription factor DEAF1 (Deformed epidermal autoregulatory factor-1), respectively. Consistent with these predictions, we observed binding of RXRα and RARα to the predicted RAI1 target in chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Retinoic acid is crucial for early development of the central neural system and DEAF1 is associated with intellectual disability. The observation that a significant portion of RAI1 mRNA expression is genetically controlled raises the possibility that common RAI1 5′-region regulatory variants contribute more generally to psychiatric disorders.
Route towards Localization for Quantum Anomalous Hall Systems with Chern Number 2
Authors: Song Zhi-Gang , Zhang Yan-Yang , Song Jun-Tao , Li Shu-Shen 
Published: January 2016

AbstractThe quantum anomalous Hall system with Chern number 2 can be destroyed by sufficiently strong disorder. During its process towards localization, it was found that the electronic states will be directly localized to an Anderson insulator (with Chern number 0), without an intermediate Hall plateau with Chern number 1. Here we investigate the topological origin of this phenomenon, by calculating the band structures and Chern numbers for disordered supercells. We find that on the route towards localization, there exists a hidden state with Chern number 1, but it is too short and too fluctuating to be practically observable. This intermediate state cannot be stabilized even after some “smart design” of the model and this should be a universal phenomena for insulators with high Chern numbers. By performing numerical scaling of conductances, we also plot the renormalization group flows for this transition, with Chern number 1 state as an unstable fixed point. This is distinct from known results and can be tested by experiments and further theoretical analysis.
Remarkably high mobility ultra-thin-film metal-oxide transistor with strongly overlapped orbitals
Authors: Wei Shih Chen , Chin Albert , Fu Lu Chun , Fang Su Wei 
Published: January 2016

AbstractHigh mobility channel thin-film-transistor (TFT) is crucial for both display and future generation integrated circuit. We report a new metal-oxide TFT that has an ultra-thin 4.5 nm SnO2 thickness for both active channel and source-drain regions, very high 147 cm2/Vs field-effect mobility, high ION/IOFF of 2.3 × 107, small 110 mV/dec sub-threshold slope and a low VD of 2.5 V for low power operation. This mobility is already better than chemical-vapor-deposition grown multi-layers MoS2 TFT. From first principle quantum-mechanical calculation, the high mobility TFT is due to strongly overlapped orbitals.
Genome-wide association study identifies three key loci for high mesocarp oil content in perennial crop oil palm
Authors: Teh Chee-Keng , Ong Ai-Ling , Kwong Qi-Bin , Apparow Sukganah , Chew Fook-Tim , Mayes Sean , Mohamed Mohaimi , Appleton David , Kulaveerasingam Harikrishna 
Published: January 2016

AbstractGWAS in out-crossing perennial crops is typically limited by insufficient marker density to account for population diversity and effects of population structure resulting in high false positive rates. The perennial crop oil palm is the most productive oil crop. We performed GWAS for oil-to-dry-mesocarp content (O/DM) on 2,045 genotyped tenera palms using 200K SNPs that were selected based on the short-range linkage disequilibrium distance, which is inherent with long breeding cycles and heterogeneous breeding populations. Eighty loci were significantly associated with O/DM (p ≤ 10−4) and three key signals were found. We then evaluated the progeny of a Deli x AVROS breeding trial and a 4% higher O/DM was observed amongst those having the beneficial genotypes at two of the three key loci (p < 0.05). We have initiated MAS and large-scale planting of elite dura and pisifera parents to generate the new commercial tenera palms with higher O/DM potential.
Associations of gut-flora-dependent metabolite trimethylamine-N-oxide, betaine and choline with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in adults
Authors: Chen Yu-ming , Liu Yan , Zhou Rui-fen , Chen Xiao-ling , Wang Cheng , Tan Xu-ying , Wang Li-jun , Zheng Rui-dan , Zhang Hong-wei , Ling Wen-hua , Zhu Hui-lian 
Published: January 2016

AbstractMany studies suggest that trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), a gut-flora-dependent metabolite of choline, contributes to the risk of cardiovascular diseases, but little is known for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We examined the association of circulating TMAO, choline and betaine with the presence and severity of NAFLD in Chinese adults. We performed a hospital-based case-control study (CCS) and a cross-sectional study (CSS). In the CCS, we recruited 60 biopsy-proven NAFLD cases and 35 controls (18–60 years) and determined serum concentrations of TMAO, choline and betaine by HPLC-MS/MS. For the CSS, 1,628 community-based adults (40-75 years) completed the blood tests and ultrasonographic NAFLD evaluation. In the CCS, analyses of covariance showed adverse associations of ln-transformed serum levels of TMAO, choline and betaine/choline ratio with the scores of steatosis and total NAFLD activity (NAS) (all P-trend <0.05). The CSS revealed that a greater severity of NAFLD was independently correlated with higher TMAO but lower betaine and betaine/choline ratio (all P-trend <0.05). No significant choline-NAFLD association was observed. Our findings showed adverse associations between the circulating TMAO level and the presence and severity of NAFLD in hospital- and community-based Chinese adults and a favorable betaine-NAFLD relationship in the community-based participants.
Maternal immune activation produces neonatal excitability defects in offspring hippocampal neurons from pregnant rats treated with poly I:C
Authors: Patrich Eti , Piontkewitz Yael , Peretz Asher , Weiner Ina , Attali Bernard 
Published: January 2016

AbstractMaternal immune activation (MIA) resulting from prenatal exposure to infectious pathogens or inflammatory stimuli is increasingly recognized to play an important etiological role in neuropsychiatric disorders with neurodevelopmental features. MIA in pregnant rodents induced by injection of the synthetic double-stranded RNA, Poly I:C, a mimic of viral infection, leads to a wide spectrum of behavioral abnormalities as well as structural and functional defects in the brain. Previous MIA studies using poly I:C prenatal treatment suggested that neurophysiological alterations occur in the hippocampus. However, these investigations used only juvenile or adult animals. We postulated that MIA-induced alterations could occur earlier at neonatal/early postnatal stages. Here we examined the neurophysiological properties of cultured pyramidal-like hippocampal neurons prepared from neonatal (P0-P2) offspring of pregnant rats injected with poly I:C. Offspring neurons from poly I:C-treated mothers exhibited significantly lower intrinsic excitability and stronger spike frequency adaptation, compared to saline. A similar lower intrinsic excitability was observed in CA1 pyramidal neurons from hippocampal slices of two weeks-old poly I:C offspring. Cultured hippocampal neurons also displayed lower frequency of spontaneous firing, higher charge transfer of IPSCs and larger amplitude of miniature IPSCs. Thus, maternal immune activation leads to strikingly early neurophysiological abnormalities in hippocampal neurons.
Enhanced engraftment, proliferation and therapeutic potential in heart using optimized human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes
Authors: Funakoshi Shunsuke , Miki Kenji , Takaki Tadashi , Okubo Chikako , Hatani Takeshi , Chonabayashi Kazuhisa , Nishikawa Misato , Takei Ikue , Oishi Akiko , Narita Megumi , Hoshijima Masahiko , Kimura Takeshi , Yamanaka Shinya , Yoshida Yoshinori 
Published: January 2016

AbstractHuman pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs) are a promising tool for cardiac cell therapy. Although transplantation of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived CMs have been reported in several animal models, the treatment effect was limited, probably due to poor optimization of the injected cells. To optimize graft cells for cardiac reconstruction, we compared the engraftment efficiency of intramyocardially-injected undifferentiated-iPSCs, day4 mesodermal cells and day8, day20 and day30 purified iPSC-CMs after initial differentiation by tracing the engraftment ratio (ER) using in vivo bioluminescence imaging. This analysis revealed the ER of day20 CMs was significantly higher compared to other cells. Transplantation of day20 CMs into the infarcted hearts of immunodeficient mice showed good engraftment and echocardiography showed significant functional improvement by cell therapy. Moreover, the imaging signal and ratio of Ki67-positive CMs at 3 months post injection indicated engrafted CMs proliferated in the host heart. Although this graft growth reached a plateau at 3 months, histological analysis confirmed progressive maturation from 3 to 6 months. These results suggested that day20 CMs had very high engraftment, proliferation and therapeutic potential in host mouse hearts. They also demonstrate this model can be used to track the fate of transplanted cells over a long time.
Development of a self-administered web-based test for longitudinal cognitive assessment
Authors: Ruano Luis , Sousa Andreia , Severo Milton , Alves Ivânia , Colunas Márcio , Barreto Rui , Mateus Cátia , Moreira Sandra , Conde Eduardo , Bento Virgílio , Lunet Nuno , Pais Joana , Tedim Cruz Vítor 
Published: January 2016

AbstractSequential testing with brief cognitive tools has been recommended to improve cognitive screening and monitoring, however the few available tools still depend on an external evaluator and periodic visits. We developed a self-administered computerized test intended for longitudinal cognitive testing (Brain on Track). The test can be performed from a home computer and is composed of several subtests, expected to evaluate different cognitive domains, all including random elements to minimize learning effects. An initial (A) and a refined version of the test (B) were applied to patients with mild cognitive impairment or early dementia (n = 88) and age and education-matched controls. A subsample of a population-based cohort (n = 113) performed the test at home every three months to evaluate test-retest reliability. The test’s final version Cronbach’s alpha was 0.90, test scores were significantly different between patients and controls (p = 0.001), the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.75 and the smallest real difference (43.04) was lower than the clinical relevant difference (56.82). In the test-retest reliability analysis 9/10 subtests showed two-way mixed single intraclass consistency correlation coefficient >0.70. These results imply good internal consistency, discriminative ability and reliability when performed at home, encouraging further longitudinal clinical and population-based studies.
Elevated CO2 impacts bell pepper growth with consequences to Myzus persicae life history, feeding behaviour and virus transmission ability
Authors: Dáder Beatriz , Fereres Alberto , Moreno Aránzazu , Trębicki Piotr 
Published: January 2016

AbstractIncreasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) impacts plant growth and metabolism. Indirectly, the performance and feeding of insects is affected by plant nutritional quality and resistance traits. Life history and feeding behaviour of Myzus persicae were studied on pepper plants under ambient (aCO2, 400 ppm) or elevated CO2 (eCO2, 650 ppm), as well as the direct impact on plant growth and leaf chemistry. Plant parameters were significantly altered by eCO2 with a negative impact on aphid’s life history. Their pre-reproductive period was 11% longer and fecundity decreased by 37%. Peppers fixed significantly less nitrogen, which explains the poor aphid performance. Plants were taller and had higher biomass and canopy temperature. There was decreased aphid salivation into sieve elements, but no differences in phloem ingestion, indicating that the diminished fitness could be due to poorer tissue quality and unfavourable C:N balance and that eCO2 was not a factor impeding feeding. Aphid ability to transmit Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) was studied by exposing source and receptor plants to ambient (427 ppm) or elevated (612 ppm) CO2 before or after virus inoculation. A two-fold decrease on transmission was observed when receptor plants were exposed to eCO2 before aphid inoculation when compared to aCO2.
Epigenetic regulation of cyclooxygenase-2 by methylation of c8orf4 in pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: Evans Iona C. , Barnes Josephine L. , Garner Ian M. , Pearce David R. , Maher Toby M. , Shiwen Xu , Renzoni Elisabetta A. , Wells Athol U. , Denton Christopher P. , Laurent Geoffrey J. , Abraham David J. , McAnulty Robin J. 
Published: January 2016

Fibroblasts derived from the lungs of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) produce low levels of prostaglandin (PG) E2, due to a limited capacity to up-regulate cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). This deficiency contributes functionally to the fibroproliferative state, however the mechanisms responsible are incompletely understood. In the present study, we examined whether the reduced level of COX-2 mRNA expression observed in fibrotic lung fibroblasts is regulated epigenetically. The DNA methylation inhibitor, 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5AZA) restored COX-2 mRNA expression by fibrotic lung fibroblasts dose dependently. Functionally, this resulted in normalization of fibroblast phenotype in terms of PGE2 production, collagen mRNA expression and sensitivity to apoptosis. COX-2 methylation assessed by bisulfite sequencing and methylation microarrays was not different in fibrotic fibroblasts compared with controls. However, further analysis of the methylation array data identified a transcriptional regulator, chromosome 8 open reading frame 4 (thyroid cancer protein 1, TC-1) (c8orf4), which is hypermethylated and down-regulated in fibrotic fibroblasts compared with controls. siRNA knockdown of c8orf4 in control fibroblasts down-regulated COX-2 and PGE2 production generating a phenotype similar to that observed in fibrotic lung fibroblasts. Chromatin immunoprecipitation demonstrated that c8orf4 regulates COX-2 expression in lung fibroblasts through binding of the proximal promoter. We conclude that the decreased capacity of fibrotic lung fibroblasts to up-regulate COX-2 expression and COX-2-derived PGE2 synthesis is due to an indirect epigenetic mechanism involving hypermethylation of the transcriptional regulator, c8orf4.
Das stimmliche Selbstkonzept (FESS) bei Studierenden der Medizin
Authors: Lehnert B. 
Published: January 2016

Zusammenfassung
Einführung: Der 2015 publizierte Fragebogen zur Erfassung des Stimmlichen Selbstkonzepts (FESS) von Nusseck et al. erfasst mit 17 Items die 3 Skalen „Beziehung zur eigenen Stimme“, „Bewusstheit im Umgang mit der eigenen Stimme“ und „Stimme und Emotion“. Die vorliegende Arbeit soll ein Bild von der normalen Verteilung dieser Skalenwerte an jungen Erwachsenen erfassen.
Material und Methoden: 96 FESS-Fragebögen wurden von Studierenden der Medizin ausgefüllt, zusätzlich um ein weiteres Item „Es fällt mir leicht, diesen Bogen auszufüllen“ erweitert. Es wird eine Verteilung der Skalenwerte in Form von Perzentilen angegeben.
Ergebnisse: In allen 3 Skalen fanden sich keine signifikanten Geschlechtsunterschiede, so dass die Auswertung gemeinsam erfolgt. Die Verteilungen zeigen eine breite Streuung und keine relevanten Probleme mit Boden- oder Deckeneffekten. Das Item „Es fällt mir leicht, diesen Bogen auszufüllen“ erfuhr überwiegend zustimmende Skalenwerte, tendenziell umso höhere, je höher auch die ersten beiden Selbstkonzeptskalen ausfielen.
Diskussion: Die Ergebnisse ermutigen zur Verwendung des Fragebogens, da die angegebenen Werte gut streuen und keine Boden- oder Deckeneffekte auftreten. Für die Anwendung bei Stimmpatienten muss sicher beobachtet werden, welche klinische Bedeutung darin liegt, dass Menschen mit niedrigeren Skalenwerten das Ausfüllen des Bogens nicht immer leicht fällt. Die vorgelegten Prozentränge beziehen sich auf Studierende der Medizin im 4. Klinischen Semester. Bis zum Vorliegen größerer und vielseitigerer Normierungsstudien werden wir sie auch für andere junge Erwachsene einsetzen.
Influence of Didymosphenia geminata Blooms on Prey Composition and Associated Diet and Growth of Brown Trout
Authors: James Daniel A. , Chipps Steven R. 
Published: January 2016

AbstractWe compared diet, stomach fullness, condition, and growth of Brown Trout Salmo trutta among streams with or without blooms of the benthic diatom Didymosphenia geminata in the Black Hills, South Dakota. In Rapid Creek, where D. geminata blooms covered ∼30% of the stream bottom, Brown Trout consumed fewer ephemeropterans (6–8% by weight) than individuals from two stream sections that have not had D. geminata blooms (Castle and Spearfish creeks; 13–39% by weight). In contrast, dipterans (primarily Chironomidae) represented a larger percentage of Brown Trout diets from Rapid Creek (D. geminata blooms present; 16–28% dry weight) compared with diets of trout from streams without D. geminata blooms (6–19% dry weight). Diets of small Brown Trout (100–199 mm TL) reflected the invertebrate species composition in benthic stream samples; in Rapid Creek, ephemeropterans were less abundant whereas dipterans were more abundant than in streams without D. geminata blooms. Stomach fullness and condition of Brown Trout from Rapid Creek were generally greater than those of Brown Trout from other populations. Linkages among invertebrate availability, diet composition, and condition of Brown Trout support the hypothesis that changes in invertebrate assemblages associated with D. geminata (i.e., more Chironomidae) could be contributing to high recruitment success for small Brown Trout in Rapid Creek.
Action as a form of temporal unity: on Anscombe’s Intention
Authors: Lavin Douglas 
Published: January 2016

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to display an alternative to the familiar decompositional approach in action theory, one that resists the demand for an explanation of action in non-agential terms, while not simply treating the notion of intentional agency as an unexplained primitive. On this Anscombean alternative, action is not a worldly event with certain psychological causes, but a distinctive form of material process, one that is not simply caused by an exercise of reason but is itself a productive exercise of reason. I argue that to comprehend the proposed alternative requires an account of the temporality of events in general. An event does not simply have a position in time, but is itself temporally structured. With the inner temporality of events in view, the Anscombean conception of action as a specifically self-conscious form of temporal unity is made available for critical reflection.