bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Structural connections in the brain in relation to gender identity and sexual orientation
Authors: Burke Sarah M. , Manzouri Amir H. , Savic Ivanka 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBoth transgenderism and homosexuality are facets of human biology, believed to derive from different sexual differentiation of the brain. The two phenomena are, however, fundamentally unalike, despite an increased prevalence of homosexuality among transgender populations. Transgenderism is associated with strong feelings of incongruence between one’s physical sex and experienced gender, not reported in homosexual persons. The present study searches to find neural correlates for the respective conditions, using fractional anisotropy (FA) as a measure of white matter connections that has consistently shown sex differences. We compared FA in 40 transgender men (female birth-assigned sex) and 27 transgender women (male birth-assigned sex), with both homosexual (29 male, 30 female) and heterosexual (40 male, 40 female) cisgender controls. Previously reported sex differences in FA were reproduced in cis-heterosexual groups, but were not found among the cis-homosexual groups. After controlling for sexual orientation, the transgender groups showed sex-typical FA-values. The only exception was the right inferior fronto-occipital tract, connecting parietal and frontal brain areas that mediate own body perception. Our findings suggest that the neuroanatomical signature of transgenderism is related to brain areas processing the perception of self and body ownership, whereas homosexuality seems to be associated with less cerebral sexual differentiation.
Structure and function of the microbial consortia of activated sludge in typical municipal wastewater treatment plants in winter
Authors: Zhang Bo , Xu Xiangyang , Zhu Liang 
Published: December 2017

AbstractTo better understand the relationship between the environmental variables and microbial communities of activated sludge, we took winter samples from different biological treatment units (anaerobic, oxic, etc) from the WWTP’s of a number of Chinese cities. Differences in influent organic components and activated sludge microbial communities were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-throughput sequencing technology, respectively. Liquid nitrogen grinding pretreatment of samples was found to aid in the obtaining of a more bio-diversified sample. Influent type and dissolved oxygen concentration influenced the activated sludge microbial community structure. Nitrospira, Caldilineaceae and Anaerolineaceae were highly related to domestic wastewater treatment systems, whereas Thauera was the most abundant putative refractory aromatic hydrocarbon decomposer found in industrial wastewater treatment systems. Within the influent composition, we speculate that Thauera, Macellibacteroides and Desulfomicrobium are the key functional genera of the anaerobic environment of the textile dyeing industry wastewater treatment systems, whilst Thauera and Thiobacillus are key functional microbes in fine chemical wastewater treatment systems.
Subtalar Joint Pronation and Energy Absorption Requirements During Walking are Related to Tibialis Posterior Tendinous Tissue Strain
Authors: Maharaj Jayishni N. , Cresswell Andrew G. , Lichtwark Glen A. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractDuring human walking, the tibialis posterior (TP) tendon absorbs energy in early stance as the subtalar joint (STJ) pronates. However, it remains unclear whether an increase in energy absorption between individuals, possibly a result of larger STJ pronation displacement, is fulfilled by greater magnitudes of TP tendon or muscle fascicle strain. By collecting direct measurements of muscle fascicle length (ultrasound), MTU length (3D motion capture and musculoskeletal modelling), and TP muscle activation (intramuscular electromyography) we endeavoured to illustrate that the TP tendinous tissue fulfils the requirements for energy absorption at the STJ as a result of an increase in muscle force production. While a significant relationship between TP tendon strain, energy absorption at the STJ (R2 = 0.53, P = < 0.01) and STJ pronation (R2 = 0.53, P = < 0.01) was evident, we failed to find any significant associations between tendon strain and surrogate measure of TP muscle force (TP muscle activation together with ankle and subtalar joint moments). These results suggest that TP tendon compliance may explain the variance in pronation and energy absorption at the STJ. Therefore, as the tendinous tissue of the TP is accountable for the absorption of energy at the STJ it may be predisposed to strain-induced injury.
Machine Learning for Nuclear Mechano-Morphometric Biomarkers in Cancer Diagnosis
Authors: Radhakrishnan Adityanarayanan , Damodaran Karthik , Soylemezoglu Ali C. , Uhler Caroline , Shivashankar G. V. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractCurrent cancer diagnosis employs various nuclear morphometric measures. While these have allowed accurate late-stage prognosis, early diagnosis is still a major challenge. Recent evidence highlights the importance of alterations in mechanical properties of single cells and their nuclei as critical drivers for the onset of cancer. We here present a method to detect subtle changes in nuclear morphometrics at single-cell resolution by combining fluorescence imaging and deep learning. This assay includes a convolutional neural net pipeline and allows us to discriminate between normal and human breast cancer cell lines (fibrocystic and metastatic states) as well as normal and cancer cells in tissue slices with high accuracy. Further, we establish the sensitivity of our pipeline by detecting subtle alterations in normal cells when subjected to small mechano-chemical perturbations that mimic tumor microenvironments. In addition, our assay provides interpretable features that could aid pathological inspections. This pipeline opens new avenues for early disease diagnostics and drug discovery.
Inhaled bronchodilators and acute myocardial infarction: a nested case-control study
Authors: Lee Chang-Hoon , Choi Seongmi , Jang Eun Jin , Yang Han-Mo , Il Yoon Ho , Kim Yun Jung , Kim Jimin , Yim Jae-Joon , Kim Deog Kyeom 
Published: December 2017

AbstractWe investigated the association between the use of inhaled bronchodilators and the risk of AMI. A nested case-control study using the nationwide insurance claims database was conducted. Overall, 11,054 AMI cases and 47,815 matched (up to 1:5) controls were identified from 1,036,119 subjects without acute major cardiovascular events in the past year. Long-acting and short-acting β-agonists (LABAs and SABAs) were associated with increase in the risk of AMI, although an inhaled corticosteroid combined with a long-acting β-agonist was not. Long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMAs) in a dry powder inhaler (DPI) were significantly associated with reduced risk of AMI, while LAMAs in a soft mist inhaler (SMI) didn’t decrease the risk of it. In hypertensive or diabetic patients, LAMAs in a DPI were associated with reduced risk of AMI, but LABAs were associated with increased risk. Among the β-blocker users, the reduction of AMI risk by LAMAs was the most significant. In conclusions, inhaled β-agonists were associated with increase in the risk of AMI, while LABAs accompanied by ICSs were not associated with increase in the risk of AMI. LAMAs in a DPI use were associated with lower risk of AMI.
Enhancing security of incoherent optical cryptosystem by a simple position-multiplexing technique and ultra-broadband illumination
Authors: Sahoo Sujit Kumar , Tang Dongliang , Dang Cuong 
Published: December 2017

AbstractA position-multiplexing technique with ultra-broadband illumination is proposed to enhance the information security of an incoherent optical cryptosystem. This simplified optical encryption system only contains one diffuser acting as the random phase mask (RPM). Incoherent light coming from a plaintext passes through this nature RPM and generates the corresponding ciphertext on a camera. The proposed system effectively reduces problems of critical alignment sensitivity and coherent noise that are found in the coherent illumination. Here, the use of ultra-broadband illumination has the advantage of reducing the speckle contrast that makes the ciphertext more complex. Reduction of the ciphertext size further increases the strength of the ciphering. Using the spatial decorrelation of the speckle pattern we have demonstrated a position multiplexed based cryptosystem, where the ciphertext is the superposition of uniquely encrypted texts from various spatial positions. These unique spatial keys are utilized to decrypt the plaintext located at different spatial positions, and a complete decrypted text can be concatenated with high fidelity. Benefiting from position-multiplexing, the information of interest is scrambled together by a truly random method in a smaller ciphertext. A high performance security for an optical cryptosystem has been achieved in a simple setup with a ground glass diffuser as a nature RPM, the broadband incoherent illumination and small position-multiplexed ciphertext.
p53 and cyclin G cooperate in mediating genome stability in somatic cells of Drosophila
Authors: Bayer Fabienne E. , Zimmermann Mirjam , Fischer Patrick , Gromoll Christian , Preiss Anette , Nagel Anja C. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractOne of the key players in genome surveillance is the tumour suppressor p53 mediating the adaptive response to a multitude of stress signals. Here we identify Cyclin G (CycG) as co-factor of p53-mediated genome stability. CycG has been shown before to be involved in double-strand break repair during meiosis. Moreover, it is also important for mediating DNA damage response in somatic tissue. Here we find it in protein complexes together with p53, and show that the two proteins interact physically in vitro and in vivo in response to ionizing irradiation. In contrast to mammals, Drosophila Cyclin G is no transcriptional target of p53. Genetic interaction data reveal that p53 activity during DNA damage response requires the presence of CycG. Morphological defects caused by overexpression of p53 are ameliorated in cycG null mutants. Moreover, using a p53 biosensor we show that p53 activity is impeded in cycG mutants. As both p53 and CycG are likewise required for DNA damage repair and longevity we propose that CycG plays a positive role in mediating p53 function in genome surveillance of Drosophila.
RON4L1 is a new member of the moving junction complex in Toxoplasma gondii
Authors: Guérin Amandine , El Hajj Hiba , Penarete-Vargas Diana , Besteiro Sébastien , Lebrun Maryse 
Published: December 2017

AbstractApicomplexa parasites, including Toxoplasma and Plasmodium species, possess a unique invasion mechanism that involves a tight apposition between the parasite and the host plasma membranes, called “moving junction” (MJ). The MJ is formed by the assembly of the microneme protein AMA1, exposed at the surface of the parasite, and the parasite rhoptry neck (RON) protein RON2, exposed at the surface of the host cell. In the host cell, RON2 is associated with three additional parasite RON proteins, RON4, RON5 and RON8. Here we describe RON4L1, an additional member of the MJ complex in Toxoplasma. RON4L1 displays some sequence similarity with RON4 and is cleaved at the C-terminal end before reaching the rhoptry neck. Upon secretion during invasion, RON4L1 is associated with MJ and targeted to the cytosolic face of the host membrane. We generated a RON4
L1
knock-out cell line and showed that it is not essential for the lytic cycle in vitro, although mutant parasites kill mice less efficiently. Similarly to RON8, RON4L1 is a coccidian-specific protein and its traffic to the MJ is not affected in absence of RON2, RON4 and RON5, suggesting the co-existence of independent MJ complexes in tachyzoite of Toxoplasma.
Heartbeat Complexity Modulation in Bipolar Disorder during Daytime and Nighttime
Authors: Nardelli Mimma , Lanata Antonio , Bertschy Gilles , Scilingo Enzo Pasquale , Valenza Gaetano 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis study reports on the complexity modulation of heartbeat dynamics in patients affected by bipolar disorder. In particular, a multiscale entropy analysis was applied to the R-R interval series, that were derived from electrocardiographic (ECG) signals for a group of nineteen subjects comprised of eight patients and eleven healthy control subjects. They were monitored using a textile-based sensorized t-shirt during the day and overnight for a total of 47 diurnal and 27 nocturnal recordings. Patients showed three different mood states: depression, hypomania and euthymia. Results show a clear loss of complexity during depressive and hypomanic states as compared to euthymic and healthy control states. In addition, we observed that a more significant complexity modulation among healthy and pathological mood states occurs during the night. These findings suggest that bipolar disorder is associated with an enhanced sleep-related dysregulation of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) activity, and that heartbeat complex dynamics may serve as a viable marker of pathological conditions in mental health.
Stroboscopic vision and sustained attention during coincidence-anticipation
Authors: Ballester Rafael , Huertas Florentino , Uji Makoto , Bennett Simon J. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractWe compared coincidence-anticipation performance in normal vision and stroboscopic vision as a function of time-on-task. Participants estimated the arrival time of a real object that moved with constant acceleration (−0.7, 0, +0.7 m/s2) in a pseudo-randomised order across 4 blocks of 30 trials in both vision conditions, received in a counter-balanced order. Participants (n = 20) became more errorful (accuracy and variability) in the normal vision condition as a function of time-on-task, whereas performance was maintained in the stroboscopic vision condition. We interpret these data as showing that participants failed to maintain coincidence-anticipation performance in the normal vision condition due to monotony and attentional underload. In contrast, the stroboscopic vision condition placed a greater demand on visual-spatial memory for motion extrapolation, and thus participants did not experience the typical vigilance decrement in performance. While short-term adaptation effects from practicing in stroboscopic vision are promising, future work needs to consider for how long participants can maintain effortful processing, and whether there are negative carry-over effects from cognitive fatigue when transferring to normal vision.
Convergent microevolution of Cryptococcus neoformans hypervirulence in the laboratory and the clinic
Authors: Arras Samantha D. M. , Ormerod Kate L. , Erpf Paige E. , Espinosa Monica I. , Carpenter Alex C. , Blundell Ross D. , Stowasser Samantha R. , Schulz Benjamin L. , Tanurdzic Milos , Fraser James A. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractReference strains are a key component of laboratory research, providing a common background allowing for comparisons across a community of researchers. However, laboratory passage of these strains has been shown to lead to reduced fitness and the attenuation of virulence in some species. In this study we show the opposite in the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, with analysis of a collection of type strain H99 subcultures revealing that the most commonly used laboratory subcultures belong to a mutant lineage of the type strain that is hypervirulent. The pleiotropic mutant phenotypes in this H99L (for “Laboratory”) lineage are the result of a deletion in the gene encoding the SAGA Associated Factor Sgf29, a mutation that is also present in the widely-used H99L-derived KN99a/α congenic pair. At a molecular level, loss of this gene results in a reduction in histone H3K9 acetylation. Remarkably, analysis of clinical isolates identified loss of function SGF29 mutations in C. neoformans strains infecting two of fourteen patients, demonstrating not only the first example of hypervirulence in clinical C. neoformans samples, but also parallels between in vitro and in vivo microevolution for hypervirulence in this important pathogen.
Atomic structural details of a protein grafted onto gold nanoparticles
Authors: Giuntini Stefano , Cerofolini Linda , Ravera Enrico , Fragai Marco , Luchinat Claudio 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe development of a methodology for the structural characterization at atomic detail of proteins conjugated to nanoparticles would be a breakthrough in nanotechnology. Solution and solid-state NMR spectroscopies are currently used to investigate molecules and peptides grafted onto nanoparticles, but the strategies used so far fall short in the application to proteins, which represent a thrilling development in theranostics. We here demonstrate the feasibility of highly-resolved multidimensional heteronuclear spectra of a large protein assembly conjugated to PEGylated gold nanoparticles. The spectra have been obtained by direct proton detection under fast MAS and allow for both a fast fingerprinting for the assessment of the preservation of the native fold and for resonance assignment. We thus demonstrate that the structural characterization and the application of the structure-based methodologies to proteins bound to gold nanoparticles is feasible and potentially extensible to other hybrid protein-nanomaterials.
Single-cell-based evaluation of sperm progressive motility via fluorescent assessment of mitochondria membrane potential
Authors: Moscatelli Natalina , Spagnolo Barbara , Pisanello Marco , Lemma Enrico Domenico , De Vittorio Massimo , Zara Vincenzo , Pisanello Ferruccio , Ferramosca Alessandra 
Published: December 2017

AbstractSperm cells progressive motility is the most important parameter involved in the fertilization process. Sperm middle piece contains mitochondria, which play a critical role in energy production and whose proper operation ensures the reproductive success. Notably, sperm progressive motility is strictly related to mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and consequently to mitochondrial functionality. Although previous studies presented an evaluation of mitochondrial function through MMP assessment in entire sperm cells samples, a quantitative approach at single-cell level could provide more insights in the analysis of semen quality. Here we combine laser scanning confocal microscopy and functional fluorescent staining of mitochondrial membrane to assess MMP distribution among isolated spermatozoa. We found that the sperm fluorescence value increases as a function of growing progressive motility and that such fluorescence is influenced by MMP disruptors, potentially allowing for the discrimination of different quality classes of sperm cells in heterogeneous populations.
Chemical and physical factors of desensitizing and/or anti-erosive toothpastes associated with lower erosive tooth wear
Authors: João-Souza Samira Helena , Lussi Adrian , Baumann Tommy , Scaramucci Taís , Aranha Ana Cecília Corrêa , Carvalho Thiago Saads 
Published: December 2017

AbstractToothpastes have a complex formulation and their different chemical and physical factors will influence their effectiveness against erosive tooth wear (ETW). We, therefore, investigated the effect of different desensitizing and/or anti-erosive toothpastes on initial enamel erosion and abrasion, and analysed how the interplay of their chemical and physical factors influences ETW. Human enamel specimens were submitted to 5 erosion-abrasion cycles using 9 different toothpastes and an artificial saliva group, and enamel surface loss (SL) was calculated. Chemical and physical factors (pH; presence of tin; calcium, phosphate and fluoride concentrations; % weight of solid particles; wettability; and particle size) of the toothpaste slurries were then analysed and associated with the amount of SL in a multivariate model. We observed that all desensitizing and/or anti-erosive toothpastes presented different degrees of SL. Besides pH and fluoride, all other chemical and physical factors were associated with SL. The results of this experiment indicate that enamel SL occurs independent of whether the toothpastes have a desensitizing or anti-erosive claim, and that lower SL is associated with the presence of tin, higher concentration of calcium and phosphate, higher % weight of solid particles, smaller particle size, and lower wettability.
Three classes of ligands each bind to distinct sites on the orphan G protein-coupled receptor GPR84
Authors: Mahmud Zobaer Al , Jenkins Laura , Ulven Trond , Labéguère Frédéric , Gosmini Romain , De Vos Steve , Hudson Brian D. , Tikhonova Irina G. , Milligan Graeme 
Published: December 2017

AbstractMedium chain fatty acids can activate the pro-inflammatory receptor GPR84 but so also can molecules related to 3,3′-diindolylmethane. 3,3′-Diindolylmethane and decanoic acid acted as strong positive allosteric modulators of the function of each other and analysis showed the affinity of 3,3′-diindolylmethane to be at least 100 fold higher. Methyl decanoate was not an agonist at GPR84. This implies a key role in binding for the carboxylic acid of the fatty acid. Via homology modelling we predicted and confirmed an integral role of arginine172, located in the 2nd extracellular loop, in the action of decanoic acid but not of 3,3′-diindolylmethane. Exemplars from a patented series of GPR84 antagonists were able to block agonist actions of both decanoic acid and 3,3′-diindolylmethane at GPR84. However, although a radiolabelled form of a related antagonist, [3H]G9543, was able to bind with high affinity to GPR84, this was not competed for by increasing concentrations of either decanoic acid or 3,3′-diindolylmethane and was not affected adversely by mutation of arginine172. These studies identify three separable ligand binding sites within GPR84 and suggest that if medium chain fatty acids are true endogenous regulators then co-binding with a positive allosteric modulator would greatly enhance their function in physiological settings.
Peptide aptamer-modified single-walled carbon nanotube-based transistors for high-performance biosensors
Authors: Tung Nguyen Thanh , Tue Phan Trong , Thi Ngoc Lien Truong , Ohno Yasuhide , Maehashi Kenzo , Matsumoto Kazuhiko , Nishigaki Koichi , Biyani Manish , Takamura Yuzuru 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBiosensors employing single-walled carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (SWCNT FETs) offer ultimate sensitivity. However, besides the sensitivity, a high selectivity is critically important to distinguish the true signal from interference signals in a non-controlled environment. This work presents the first demonstration of the successful integration of a novel peptide aptamer with a liquid-gated SWCNT FET to achieve highly sensitive and specific detection of Cathepsin E (CatE), a useful prognostic biomarker for cancer diagnosis. Novel peptide aptamers that specifically recognize CatE are engineered by systemic in vitro evolution. The SWCNTs were firstly grown using the thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method and then were employed as a channel to fabricate a SWCNT FET device. Next, the SWCNTs were functionalized by noncovalent immobilization of the peptide aptamer using 1-pyrenebutanoic acid succinimidyl ester (PBASE) linker. The resulting FET sensors exhibited a high selectivity (no response to bovine serum albumin and cathepsin K) and label-free detection of CatE at unprecedentedly low concentrations in both phosphate-buffered saline (2.3 pM) and human serum (0.23 nM). Our results highlight the use of peptide aptamer-modified SWCNT FET sensors as a promising platform for near-patient testing and point-of-care testing applications.