bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Nitrogen fertilization, not water addition, alters plant phylogenetic community structure in a semi‐arid steppe
Authors: Yang Xian , Yang Zhongling , Tan Jiaqi , Li Guoyong , Wan Shiqiang , Jiang Lin 
Published: October 2017

Abstract

Anthropogenic environmental changes, such as nitrogen (N) enrichment and alteration in precipitation regimes, significantly influence ecosystems world‐wide. However, we know little about whether and how these changes alter the phylogenetic properties of ecological communities.

Based on a 7‐year field experiment in the temperate semi‐arid steppe of Inner Mongolia, China, we investigated the influence of increased N and precipitation on plant phylogenetic structure and phylogenetic patterns of species colonization and extinction.

Our study demonstrated that N and water addition influenced different aspects of plant community structure. Water addition increased plant species richness by preventing species extinction and facilitating species colonization, without altering community phylogenetic structure. In contrast, N addition did not alter species richness, but promoted the colonization of species distantly related to the residents, changing community phylogenetic structure from being neutral to overdispersion. We also found evidence for abundance‐based extinction where rarer species were at greater risk of extinction, and functional trait‐based species extinction where shorter statured plants and shallower rooted plants were at greater risk of extinction.

Synthesis. Our study provides the first experimental evidence that plant phylogenetic community structure responds differently to different aspects of global changes. Importantly, the colonization of non‐resident species, rather than the extinction of resident species, contributed predominantly to changes in plant community phylogenetic structure in response to N amendment. Our findings highlight the importance of considering species phylogenetic relationships for a more complete understanding of anthropogenic influences on ecological communities.
Recent attempted and actual weight change in relation to pregnancy loss: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Radin RG , Mumford SL , Sjaarda LA , Silver RM , Wactawski‐Wende J , Lynch AM , Perkins NJ , Lesher LL , Wilcox BD , Hinkle SN , Plowden TC , Kim K , Schisterman EF 
Published: October 2017

ObjectiveTo assess weight change and attempted weight loss during the 12–18 months before spontaneous conception in relation to the risk of pregnancy loss.DesignProspective cohort study.SettingUnited States, 2007–2011.MethodsWomen (n= 629) who were attempting pregnancy reported at baseline any weight loss attempts over the past 12 months, and their minimum and maximum weights during that time. Follow up lasted one to six menstrual cycles and throughout pregnancy. Using bodyweight measured at 4 weeks’ gestation, participants were categorised as having weight loss ≥5%, weight gain ≥5%, both, or neither, over the previous 12–18 months. Log‐binomial models adjusted for potential confounders.Main outcome measuresRisk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of pregnancy loss.ResultsAttempted weight loss was reported by 44% of women and actual weight loss by 11%, but neither was consistently associated with pregnancy loss. TheRRfor recent weight gain ≥5% was 1.65 (CI1.09, 2.49).ConclusionsWeight gain over the period spanning 12–18 months pre‐conception to 4 weeks’ gestation may increase the risk of pregnancy loss among fertile women with prior pregnancy losses. Attempted and actual weight loss were not associated with pregnancy loss; however, replication is needed from larger studies with data on particular weight‐loss methods.Tweetable AbstractRecent weight gain before and around the time of conception may increase the risk of pregnancy loss.
Sirt2‐BubR1 acetylation pathway mediates the effects of advanced maternal age on oocyte quality
Authors: Qiu Danhong , Hou Xiaojing , Han Longsen , Li Xiaoyan , Ge Juan , Wang Qiang 
Published: October 2017

SummaryThe level of Sirt2 protein is reduced in oocytes from aged mice, while exogenous expression of Sirt2 could ameliorate the maternal age‐associated meiotic defects. To date, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we confirmed that specific depletion of Sirt2 disrupts maturational progression and spindle/chromosome organization in mouse oocytes, with compromised kinetochore–microtubule attachments. Candidate screening revealed that acetylation state of lysine 243 on BubR1 (BubR1‐K243, an integral part of the spindle assembly checkpoint complex) functions during oocyte meiosis, and acetylation‐mimetic mutant BubR1‐K243Q results in the very similar phenotypes as Sirt2‐knockdown oocytes. Furthermore, we found that nonacetylatable‐mimetic mutant BubR1‐K243R partly prevents the meiotic deficits in oocytes depleted of Sirt2. Importantly, BubR1‐K243R overexpression in oocytes derived from aged mice markedly suppresses spindle/chromosome anomalies and thereupon lowers the incidence of aneuploid eggs. In sum, our data suggest that Sirt2‐dependent BubR1 deacetylation involves in the regulation of meiotic apparatus in normal oocytes and mediates the effects of advanced maternal age on oocyte quality.
EMG‐Based Estimation of Limb Movement Using Deep Learning With Recurrent Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Xia Peng , Hu Jie , Peng Yinghong 
Published: October 2017

AbstractA novel model based on deep learning is proposed to estimate kinematic information for myoelectric control from multi‐channel electromyogram (EMG) signals. The neural information of limb movement is embedded in EMG signals that are influenced by all kinds of factors. In order to overcome the negative effects of variability in signals, the proposed model employs the deep architecture combining convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and recurrent neural networks (RNNs). The EMG signals are transformed to time‐frequency frames as the input to the model. The limb movement is estimated by the model that is trained with the gradient descent and backpropagation procedure. We tested the model for simultaneous and proportional estimation of limb movement in eight healthy subjects and compared it with support vector regression (SVR) and CNNs on the same data set. The experimental studies show that the proposed model has higher estimation accuracy and better robustness with respect to time. The combination of CNNs and RNNs can improve the model performance compared with using CNNs alone. The model of deep architecture is promising in EMG decoding and optimization of network structures can increase the accuracy and robustness.
Parenteral bilirubin in healthy volunteers: a reintroduction in translational research
Authors: Dekker Douwe , Dorresteijn Mirrin J. , Welzen Marieke E. B. , Timman Simone , Pickkers Peter , Burger David M. , Smits Paul , Wagener Frank A. D. T. G. , Russel Frans G. M. 
Published: October 2017

AimsPreclinical results suggest therapeutic potential of mild hyperbilirubinemia in T2DM and cardiovascular disease. Translational data are limited, because an appropriate bilirubin formulation for parenteral human use is lacking. Considering its use in both clinical practice and medical research in the past, we explored the feasibility to reintroduce parenteral bilirubin for translational experiments.MethodsWe developed a preparation method in accordance with good manufacturing practice and evaluated the parenteral applicability in healthy volunteers (n = 8). Explorative pharmacokinetic and safety data were compared to the results from a literature study on the former parenteral use of bilirubin. Bilirubin was administered intra‐arterially to raise the local plasma concentration in the forearm vascular bed (n = 4) and intravenously to raise the systemic plasma concentration (n = 4). Finally, pharmacokinetic characteristics were studied following a single bolus infusion (n = 3).ResultsDuring parenteral application, no side effects occurred. Adverse events mentioned during the two‐week observation period were in general mild and self‐limiting. Three more significant adverse events (appendicitis, asymptomatic cardiac arrhythmia and atopic eczema) were judged unrelated by independent physicians.A dose–concentration relationship appeared sufficiently predictable for both intra‐arterial and intravenous administration. In line with existing knowledge, bilirubin pharmacokinetics could be described best according to a two‐compartment model with a volume of distribution of 9.9 (±2.0) l and a total plasma clearance of 36 (±16) ml per minute.ConclusionsSupported by previous reports, our data suggest that it is both feasible and safe to perform translational experiments with parenteral albumin bound bilirubin.
Developments in the field of allergy in 2016 through the eyes of Clinical and Experimental Allergy
Authors: Roberts G. , Boyle R. , Crane J. , Hogan S. P. , Saglani S. , Wickman M. , Woodfolk J. A. 
Published: October 2017

SummaryIn this article, we described the development in the field of allergy as described by Clinical and Experimental Allergy in 2016. Experimental models of allergic disease, basic mechanisms, clinical mechanisms, allergens, asthma and rhinitis, and clinical allergy are all covered.
Double trouble: Co‐occurrence of testosterone deficiency and body fatness associated with all‐cause mortality in US men
Authors: Lopez D.S. , Qiu X. , Advani S. , Tsilidis K.K. , Khera M. , Kim J. , Morgentaler A. , Wang R. , Canfield S. 
Published: October 2017

SummaryBackgroundTestosterone deficiency (TD, total testosterone ≤350 ng/dL [12.15 nmol L−1]) and obesity epidemic are growing in parallel in the United States. Yet, the sequelae of TD and obesity on the risk of mortality remain unclear.ObjectiveTo investigate whether the co‐occurrence of TD and overall obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2), and abdominal obesity (waist circumference ≥102 cm), is associated with a risk of all‐cause mortality in American men.DesignThe data were obtained from the NHANES 1999‐2004 and the Linked Mortality File (December 31, 2011). A total of 948 participants aged ≥20 years old with endogenous sex hormones and adiposity measurements data were included in this study.ResultsOver a median of 9.5 years of follow‐up, 142 men died of any cause in this cohort. Multivariable analysis showed a 2.60 fold increased risk of death among men with TD compared with men without TD (Hazard Ratio [HR] = 2.60; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.20‐5.80). No evidence for interaction between TD and overall or abdominal obesity with risk of death (Pinteraction ≥ .80). However, only after comparing men with TD and abdominal obesity with men without TD and no abdominal obesity, we found a 3.30 fold increased risk of death (HR = 3.30, 95% CI = 1.21‐8.71).ConclusionMen with co‐occurrence of TD and abdominal obesity have a higher risk of mortality. The effect of co‐occurrence of TD and abdominal obesity should be further explored with a larger and longer follow‐up time study.
Estimating the extinction date of the thylacine with mixed certainty data
Authors: Carlson Colin J. , Bond Alexander L. , Burgio Kevin R. 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThe thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), one of Australia's most characteristic megafauna, was the largest marsupial carnivore until hunting, and potentially disease, drove it to extinction in 1936. Although thylacines were restricted to Tasmania for 2 millennia prior to their extinction, recent so‐called plausible sightings on the Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland have emerged, leading some to speculate the species may have persisted undetected. We compiled a data set that included physical evidence, expert‐validated sightings, and unconfirmed sightings up to the present day and implemented a range of extinction models (focusing on a Bayesian approach that incorporates all 3 types of data by modeling valid and invalid sightings as independent processes) to evaluate the likelihood of the thylacine's persistence. Although the last captive individual died in September 1936, our results suggested that the most likely extinction date would be 1940. Our other extinction models estimated the thylacine's extinction date between 1936 and 1943, and the most optimistic scenario indicated that the species did not persist beyond 1956. The search for the thylacine, much like similar efforts to rediscover other recently extinct charismatic taxa, is likely to be fruitless, especially given that persistence on Tasmania would have been no guarantee the species could reappear in regions that had been unoccupied for millennia. The search for the thylacine may become a rallying point for conservation and wildlife biology and could indirectly help fund and support critical research in understudied areas such as Cape York. However, our results suggest that attempts to rediscover the thylacine will be unsuccessful and that the continued survival of the thylacine is entirely implausible based on most current mathematical theories of extinction.
Preliminary study of the application of transthoracic echocardiography‐guided three‐dimensional printing for the assessment of structural heart disease
Authors: Zhu Yanbo , Liu Jianshi , Wang Lianqun , Guan Xin , Luo Yongjuan , Geng Jie , Geng Qingguo , Lin Yunjia , Zhang Lixia , Li Xixue , Lu Yaping 
Published: October 2017

ObjectiveTo investigate the feasibility and diagnostic value of a preoperative transthoracic echocardiography‐guided three‐dimensional printed model (TTE‐guided 3DPM) for the assessment of structural heart disease (SHD).MethodsFourty‐four patients underwent cardiac surgery at Tianjin Chest Hospital. The patients were preoperatively assessed using TTE‐guided 3DPM, which was compared to conventional three‐dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (3DTTE) along with direct intraoperative findings, which were considered the “gold standard.” Twelve patients had SHD, including four with mitral prolapse, two with partial endocardial cushion defects, two with secondary atrial septal defects, two with rheumatic mitral stenosis, one with tetralogy of Fallot, and one with a ventricular septal defect (VSD). Thirty‐two patients who did not have SHDs were designated as the negative control group.ResultsThe sensitivity and specificity of the TTE‐guided 3DPM were greater than or equal to those of the 3DTTE. The P‐value of the McNemar test of 3DTTE was >.05, which indicates that the difference was not statistically significant (Kappa = 0.745, P < .001). The P‐value of the McNemar test of TTE‐guided 3DPM was >.05, which indicates that the difference was not statistically significant (Kappa = 0.955, P < .001). A comparison of 3DTTE and TTE‐guided 3DPM resulted in a P‐value >.05, which indicates that the difference was not statistically significant (Kappa = 0.879, P < .001). TTE‐guided 3DPM displayed the 3D structure of SHDs and cardiac lesions clearly and was consistent with the intra‐operative findings.ConclusionTransthoracic echocardiography‐guided three‐dimensional printed model (TTE‐guided 3DPM) provides essential information for preoperative evaluation and decision making for patients with SHDs.
Nothing to hide: Commitment to, compliance with, and impact of the special data dissemination standard
Authors: Vadlamannati Krishna Chaitanya , Cooray Arusha , Brazys Samuel 
Published: October 2017

AbstractUnderstanding why states voluntarily cede power to international institutions, and if those institutions fulfill their stated goals, remain a pressing question in international relations. In order to evaluate the material and normative logics that may drive this type of behavior, this paper considers state commitment to and compliance with the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) initiative launched by the IMF in 1996. This effort seeks to enhance the availability of comprehensive economic data based on best dissemination practices to facilitate pursuing sound macroeconomic policies. Using panel data on 120 countries during the 1996–2011 period, we find that commitment to the SDDS occurs when costs for states are low, and that compliance with the SDDS initiative is associated with increased data transparency after controlling for self‐section bias. Our results are robust to controlling for endogeneity, alternative sample, and estimation methods.
Kinematic cross‐correlation induces sensory integration across separate objects
Authors: Debats Nienke B. , Ernst Marc O. , Heuer Herbert 
Published: October 2017

AbstractIn a basic cursor‐control task, the perceived positions of the hand and the cursor are biased towards each other. We recently found that this phenomenon conforms to the reliability‐based weighting mechanism of optimal multisensory integration. This indicates that optimal integration is not restricted to sensory signals originating from a single source, as is the prevailing view, but that it also applies to separate objects that are connected by a kinematic relation (i.e. hand and cursor). In the current study, we examined which aspects of the kinematic relation are crucial for eliciting the sensory integration: (i) the cross‐correlation between kinematic variables of the hand and cursor trajectories, and/or (ii) an internal model of the hand‐cursor kinematic transformation. Participants made out‐and‐back movements from the centre of a semicircular workspace to its boundary, after which they judged the position where either their hand or the cursor hit the boundary. We analysed the position biases and found that the integration was strong in a condition with high kinematic correlations (a straight hand trajectory was mapped to a straight cursor trajectory), that it was significantly reduced for reduced kinematic correlations (a straight hand trajectory was transformed into a curved cursor trajectory) and that it was not affected by the inability to acquire an internal model of the kinematic transformation (i.e. by the trial‐to‐trial variability of the cursor curvature). These findings support the idea that correlations play a crucial role in multisensory integration irrespective of the number of sensory sources involved.
A review of genome‐wide transcriptomics studies in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Borrageiro Genevie , Haylett William , Seedat Soraya , Kuivaniemi Helena , Bardien Soraya 
Published: October 2017

AbstractParkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive and incurable neurodegenerative disorder. Although numerous genetic and environmental factors have been linked to the aetiology of PD the underlying pathobiology remains poorly understood, hampering the development of improved therapies. Transcriptomics has the potential to reveal significant insights into disease processes. In this review, we focused on published transcriptomics studies on PD with the aim of summarizing studies and identifying common biological pathways. A total of 96 articles were identified as follows: 12 meta‐analyses, 21 re‐analyses of existing data and 63 original studies. Of the 63 original studies, 33 were performed on brain tissue, 26 on blood, three on cerebrospinal fluid and one on skin. In the brain studies, altered pathways identified included those involved in dopamine metabolism, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, protein degradation, neuroinflammation, vesicular transport and synaptic transmission. Studies on blood samples revealed alterations in pathways involved in immune function, inflammation, RNA processing, protein chaperones, mitochondrial function and programmed cell death. Limitations of these studies include small sample sizes (generally <40 cases/40 controls) and the application of widely varying statistical analysis and parameters. Only eight studies used the RNA‐Seq technique. This review highlights the need for harmonization of transcriptomic approaches and the statistical analyses, and for the data to be deposited into publicly available databases in a standardized format for meta‐analyses. Notably, the concordance of several pathways such as mitochondrial function, protein degradation and inflammation, identified in both blood and brain tissues, suggests that the disease process is systemic and not restricted to neurological tissues.
Dynamical response properties of neocortical neurons to conductance‐driven time‐varying inputs
Authors: Linaro Daniele , Biró István , Giugliano Michele 
Published: October 2017

AbstractEnsembles of cortical neurons can track fast‐varying inputs and relay them in their spike trains, far beyond the cut‐off imposed by membrane passive electrical properties and mean firing rates. Initially explored in silico and later demonstrated experimentally, investigating how neurons respond to sinusoidally modulated stimuli provides a deeper insight into spike initiation mechanisms and information processing than conventional F–I curve methodologies. Besides net membrane currents, physiological synaptic inputs can also induce a stimulus‐dependent modulation of the total membrane conductance, which is not reproduced by standard current‐clamp protocols. Here, we investigated whether rat cortical neurons can track fast temporal modulations over a noisy conductance background. We also determined input–output transfer properties over a range of conditions, including: distinct presynaptic activation rates, postsynaptic firing rates and variability and type of temporal modulations. We found a very broad signal transfer bandwidth across all conditions, similar large cut‐off frequencies and power‐law attenuations of fast‐varying inputs. At slow and intermediate input modulations, the response gain decreased for increasing output mean firing rates. The gain also decreased significantly for increasing intensities of background synaptic activity, thus generalising earlier studies on F‐I curves. We also found a direct correlation between the action potentials' onset rapidness and the neuronal bandwidth. Our novel results extend previous investigations of dynamical response properties to non‐stationary and conductance‐driven conditions, and provide computational neuroscientists with a novel set of observations that models must capture when aiming to replicate cortical cellular excitability.