bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Bundle sheath lignification mediates the linkage of leaf hydraulics and venation
Authors: Ohtsuka Akihiro , Sack Lawren , Taneda Haruhiko 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThe lignification of the leaf vein bundle sheath (BS) has been observed in many species and would reduce conductance from xylem to mesophyll. We hypothesized that lignification of the BS in lower‐order veins would provide benefits for water delivery through the vein hierarchy but that the lignification of higher‐order veins would limit transport capacity from xylem to mesophyll and leaf hydraulic conductance (Kleaf). We further hypothesized that BS lignification would mediate the relationship of Kleaf to vein length per area. We analysed the dependence of Kleaf, and its light response, on the lignification of the BS across vein orders for 11 angiosperm tree species. Eight of 11 species had lignin deposits in the BS of the midrib, and two species additionally only in their secondary veins, and for six species up to their minor veins. Species with lignification of minor veins had a lower hydraulic conductance of xylem and outside‐xylem pathways and lower Kleaf. Kleaf could be strongly predicted by vein length per area and highest lignified vein order (R2 = .69). The light‐response of Kleaf was statistically independent of BS lignification. The lignification of the BS is an important determinant of species variation in leaf and thus whole plant water transport.
Competency assessment form to improve feedback
Authors: Hauer Karen E , Nishimura Holly , Dubon Diego , Teherani Arianne , Boscardin Christy 
Published: October 2017

SummaryBackgroundIn‐training evaluation reports are a commonly used assessment method for clinical learners that can characterise the development of competence in essential domains of practice. Strategies to increase the usefulness and specificity of written narrative comments about learner performance in these reports are needed to guide their learning. Soliciting narrative comments by competency domain from supervising doctors on in‐training evaluation reports could improve the quality of written feedback to students.MethodsThis is a pre–post study examining narrative comments derived from assessments of core clerkship students by faculty members and resident supervisors in seven clerkships using two assessment forms in academic years 2013/14 (pre; two comments fields – summative, constructive) and 2014/15 (post; seven comments fields – six competency domains, constructive comments). Using a purposive sample of 60 students based on overall clerkship performance, we conducted content analysis of written comments to compare comment quality based on word count, competencies addressed and reinforcing or constructive content. Differences between the two forms across these three components of quality were compared using Student's t‐tests.ResultsThe revised form elicited more narrative comments in all seven clerkships, with more competencies addressed. The revised form led to a decrease in the proportion of constructive comments about the students’ performances.In‐training evaluation reports are a commonly used assessment method for clinical learnersDiscussionStructural changes to a medical student assessment form to elicit narrative comments by competency improved some measures of the quality of narrative comments provided by faculty members and residents. Additional study is needed to determine how learners use this information to improve their clinical practice.
On the degree correlation of urban road networks
Authors: Tian Jing , Fang Huaqiang , Wang Yiheng , Ren Chang 
Published: October 2017

AbstractRecent advances in network science and the development of volunteered geographic information (VGI) have created new research opportunities in the topological analysis of road networks. The degree correlation of road networks is rarely studied. This study applied four measures, including the average degree of nearest neighbor, correlation profile, Newman's assortativity coefficient, and Litvak–Hofstad's assortativity coefficient, to measure the degree correlations of road networks represented as dual graphs of strokes, axial lines, and named roads. After investigating 100 road networks worldwide obtained from OpenStreetMap, it has been found that road networks are mostly disassortative or uncorrelated in stroke and named road representations, but assortative when represented as axial lines. Inconsistency in different measures persists regardless of method of representation; therefore, qualitative dichotomy or trichotomy is insufficient to describe the actual connection pattern in road networks. A taxonomy of road network assortativity is proposed. Two of the proposed disassortative types are associated with the absence of a grid pattern and are less robust than the typical disassortative type.
Immune Regulation of
Plasmodium
Is
Anopheles
Species Specific and Infection Intensity Dependent
Authors: Simões Maria L. , Mlambo Godfree , Tripathi Abhai , Dong Yuemei , Dimopoulos George 
Published: October 2017

ABSTRACT

Malaria parasite ookinetes must traverse the vector mosquito midgut epithelium to transform into sporozoite-producing oocysts. The
Anopheles
innate immune system is a key regulator of this process, thereby determining vector competence and disease transmission. The role of
Anopheles
innate immunity factors as agonists or antagonists of malaria parasite infection has been previously determined using specific single
Anopheles
-
Plasmodium
species combinations. Here we show that the two C-type lectins CTL4 and CTLMA2 exert differential agonistic and antagonistic regulation of parasite killing in African and South American
Anopheles
species. The C-type lectins regulate both parasite melanization and lysis through independent mechanisms, and their implication in parasite melanization is dependent on infection intensity rather than mosquito-parasite species combination. We show that the leucine-rich repeat protein LRIM1 acts as an antagonist on the development of
Plasmodium
ookinetes and as a regulator of oocyst size and sporozoite production in the South American mosquito
Anopheles albimanus
. Our findings explain the rare observation of human
Plasmodium falciparum
melanization and define a key factor mediating the poor vector competence of
Anopheles albimanus
for
Plasmodium berghei
and
Plasmodium falciparum
.

IMPORTANCE
Malaria, one of the world’s deadliest diseases, is caused by
Plasmodium
parasites that are vectored to humans by the bite of
Anopheles
mosquitoes. The mosquito’s innate immune system is actively engaged in suppressing
Plasmodium
infection. Studies on mosquito immunity revealed multiple factors that act as either facilitators or inhibitors of
Plasmodium
infection, but these findings were mostly based on single
Anopheles
-
Plasmodium
species combinations, not taking into account the diversity of mosquito and parasite species. We show that the functions of CTL4 and CTLMA2 have diverged in different vector species and can be both agonistic and antagonistic for
Plasmodium
infection. Their protection against parasite melanization in
Anopheles gambiae
is dependent on infection intensity, rather than the mosquito-parasite combination. Importantly, we describe for the first time how LRIM1 plays an essential role in
Plasmodium
infection of
Anopheles albimanus
, suggesting it is a key regulator of the poor vector competence of this species.
Unintended Laboratory-Driven Evolution Reveals Genetic Requirements for Biofilm Formation by
Desulfovibrio vulgaris
Hildenborough
Authors: De León Kara B. , Zane Grant M. , Trotter Valentine V. , Krantz Gregory P. , Arkin Adam P. , Butland Gareth P. , Walian Peter J. , Fields Matthew W. , Wall Judy D. 
Published: October 2017

ABSTRACT

Biofilms of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are of particular interest as members of this group are culprits in corrosion of industrial metal and concrete pipelines as well as being key players in subsurface metal cycling. Yet the mechanism of biofilm formation by these bacteria has not been determined. Here we show that two supposedly identical wild-type cultures of the SRB
Desulfovibrio vulgaris
Hildenborough maintained in different laboratories have diverged in biofilm formation. From genome resequencing and subsequent mutant analyses, we discovered that a single nucleotide change within DVU1017, the ABC transporter of a type I secretion system (T1SS), was sufficient to eliminate biofilm formation in
D. vulgaris
Hildenborough. Two T1SS cargo proteins were identified as likely biofilm structural proteins, and the presence of at least one (with either being sufficient) was shown to be required for biofilm formation. Antibodies specific to these biofilm structural proteins confirmed that DVU1017, and thus the T1SS, is essential for localization of these adhesion proteins on the cell surface. We propose that DVU1017 is a member of the
lapB
category of microbial surface proteins because of its phenotypic similarity to the adhesin export system described for biofilm formation in the environmental pseudomonads. These findings have led to the identification of two functions required for biofilm formation in
D. vulgaris
Hildenborough and focus attention on the importance of monitoring laboratory-driven evolution, as phenotypes as fundamental as biofilm formation can be altered.

IMPORTANCE
The growth of bacteria attached to a surface (i.e., biofilm), specifically biofilms of sulfate-reducing bacteria, has a profound impact on the economy of developed nations due to steel and concrete corrosion in industrial pipelines and processing facilities. Furthermore, the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria in oil wells causes oil souring from sulfide production, resulting in product loss, a health hazard to workers, and ultimately abandonment of wells. Identification of the required genes is a critical step for determining the mechanism of biofilm formation by sulfate reducers. Here, the transporter by which putative biofilm structural proteins are exported from sulfate-reducing
Desulfovibrio vulgaris
Hildenborough cells was discovered, and a single nucleotide change within the gene coding for this transporter was found to be sufficient to completely stop formation of biofilm.
Social health insurance coverage and financial protection among rural-to-urban internal migrants in China: evidence from a nationally representative cross-sectional study
Authors: Chen Wen , Zhang Qi , Renzaho Andre M N , Zhou Fangjing , Zhang Hui , Ling Li 
Published: October 2017

IntroductionMigrants are a vulnerable population and could experience various challenges and barriers to accessing health insurance. Health insurance coverage protects migrants from financial loss related to illness and death. We assessed social health insurance (SHI) coverage and its financial protection effect among rural-to-urban internal migrants (IMs) in China.MethodsData from the ‘2014 National Internal Migrant Dynamic Monitoring Survey’ were used. We categorised 170 904 rural-to-urban IMs according to their SHI status, namely uninsured by SHI, insured by the rural SHI scheme (new rural cooperative medical scheme (NCMS)) or the urban SHI schemes (urban employee-based basic medical insurance (UEBMI)/urban resident-based basic medical insurance (URBMI)), and doubly insured (enrolled in both rural and urban schemes). Financial protection was defined as ‘the percentage of out-of-pocket (OOP) payments for the latest inpatient service during the past 12 months in the total household expenditure’.ResultsThe uninsured rate of SHI and the NCMS, UEBMI/URBMI and double insurance coverage in rural-to-urban IMs was 17.3% (95% CI 16.9% to 17.7%), 66.6% (66.0% to 67.1%), 22.6% (22.2% to 23.0%) and 5.5% (5.3% to 5.7%), respectively. On average, financial protection indicator among uninsured, only NCMS insured, only URBMI/UEBMI insured and doubly insured participants was 13.3%, 9.2%, 6.2% and 5.8%, respectively (p=0.004). After controlling for confounding factors and adjusting the protection effect of private health insurance, compared with no SHI, the UEBMI/URBMI, the NCMS and double insurance could reduce the average percentage share of OOP payments by 33.9% (95% CI 25.5% to 41.4%), 14.1% (6.6% to 20.9%) and 26.8% (11.0% to 39.7%), respectively.ConclusionAlthough rural-to-urban IMs face barriers to accessing SHI schemes, our findings confirm the positive financial protection effect of SHI. Improving availability and portability of health insurance would promote financial protection for IMs, and further facilitate achieving universal health coverage in China and other countries that face migration-related obstacles to achieve universal coverage.
Adsorption properties of chloroform molecule on graphene: Experimental and first-principles calculations
Authors: Tian Y. L. , Hua H. L. , Yue W. W. , Chen M. N. , Hu G. C. , Ren J. F. , Yuan X. B. 
Published: October 2017

Adsorption properties of chloroform molecule (CHCl3) on graphene surface are studied experimentally and theoretically. Based on the density functional theory (DFT) calculations, effects of different adsorption configurations and different adsorption distances on the system’s conductivity properties are discussed, and the comparisons with the experimental results are made. It is found that band gap appears when the adsorption distance is 1.0 Å, which is about 0.32 eV near the Fermi level. However, the band gap is nearly zero when the adsorption distance is increased to 1.5 Å, so the conductivity of the system will be increased with the increasing of the adsorption distances. The density of states, the adsorption energy and the effective masses are also calculated and the analyses are consistent with the experimental results. Our results reveal that graphene could be used to build sensors or as a catalyst for molecular adsorption.
The fate of nonselected activity in saccadic decisions: distinct goal-related and history-related modulation
Authors: Mégardon Geoffrey , Sumner Petroc 
Published: October 2017

The global effect (GE) traditionally refers to the tendency of effectors (e.g., hand, eyes) to first land in between two nearby stimuli, forming a unimodal distribution. By measuring a shift of this distribution, recent studies used the GE to assess the presence of decision-related inputs on the motor map for eye movements. However, this method cannot distinguish whether one stimulus is inhibited or the other is facilitated and could not detect situations where both stimuli are inhibited or facilitated. Here, we detect deviations in the bimodal distribution of landing positions for remote stimuli and find that this bimodal GE reveals the presence, location, and polarity (facilitation or inhibition) of history-related and goal-related modulation of the nonselected activity (e.g., the distractor activity in correct trials, and the target activity in error trials). We tested, for different interstimulus distances, the effect of the rarity of double-stimulus trials and the difference between performing a discrimination task compared with free choice. Our work shows that the effect of rarity is symmetric and decreases with interstimulus distances, while the effect of goal-directed discrimination is asymmetric — occurring only when the distractor is selected for the saccade — and maintained across interstimulus distances. These results suggest that the former effect changes the response property of the motor map, while the latter specifically facilitates the target location. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Deviations in landing positions for saccades to targets and distractors reveal the presence, location and polarity of history-related or goal-related signals. Goal-directed discrimination appears to facilitate the target location, rather than inhibiting the distractor location, Rare occurrence of a choice appears to indiscriminately increase the neural response for both locations.
Intrinsic physiology of inhibitory neurons changes over auditory development
Authors: Carroll Briana J. , Bertram Richard , Hyson Richard L. 
Published: October 2017

During auditory development, changes in membrane properties promote the ability of excitatory neurons in the brain stem to code aspects of sound, including the level and timing of a stimulus. Some of these changes coincide with hearing onset, suggesting that sound-driven neural activity produces developmental plasticity of ion channel expression. While it is known that the coding properties of excitatory neurons are modulated by inhibition in the mature system, it is unknown whether there are also developmental changes in the membrane properties of brain stem inhibitory neurons. We investigated the primary source of inhibition in the avian auditory brain stem, the superior olivary nucleus (SON). The present studies test the hypothesis that, as in excitatory neurons, the membrane properties of these inhibitory neurons change after hearing onset. We examined SON neurons at different stages of auditory development: embryonic days 14–16 (E14–E16), a time at which cochlear ganglion neurons are just beginning to respond to sound; later embryonic stages (E18–E19); and after hatching (P0–P2). We used in vitro whole cell patch electrophysiology to explore physiological changes in SON. Age-related changes were observed at the level of a single spike and in multispiking behavior. In particular, tonic behavior, measured as a neuron’s ability to sustain tonic firing over a range of current steps, became more common later in development. Voltage-clamp recordings and biophysical models were employed to examine how age-related increases in ion currents enhance excitability in SON. Our findings suggest that concurrent increases in sodium and potassium currents underlie the emergence of tonic behavior. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This article is the first to examine heterogeneity of neuronal physiology in the inhibitory nucleus of the avian auditory system and demonstrate that tonic firing here emerges over development. By pairing computer simulations with physiological data, we show that increases in both sodium and potassium channels over development are necessary for the emergence of tonic firing.
Spatiotemporal characteristics of retinal response to network-mediated photovoltaic stimulation
Authors: Ho Elton , Smith Richard , Goetz Georges , Lei Xin , Galambos Ludwig , Kamins Theodore I. , Harris James , Mathieson Keith , Palanker Daniel , Sher Alexander 
Published: October 2017

Subretinal prostheses aim at restoring sight to patients blinded by photoreceptor degeneration using electrical activation of the surviving inner retinal neurons. Today, such implants deliver visual information with low-frequency stimulation, resulting in discontinuous visual percepts. We measured retinal responses to complex visual stimuli delivered at video rate via a photovoltaic subretinal implant and by visible light. Using a multielectrode array to record from retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in the healthy and degenerated rat retina ex vivo, we estimated their spatiotemporal properties from the spike-triggered average responses to photovoltaic binary white noise stimulus with 70-μm pixel size at 20-Hz frame rate. The average photovoltaic receptive field size was 194 ± 3 μm (mean ± SE), similar to that of visual responses (221 ± 4 μm), but response latency was significantly shorter with photovoltaic stimulation. Both visual and photovoltaic receptive fields had an opposing center-surround structure. In the healthy retina, ON RGCs had photovoltaic OFF responses, and vice versa. This reversal is consistent with depolarization of photoreceptors by electrical pulses, as opposed to their hyperpolarization under increasing light, although alternative mechanisms cannot be excluded. In degenerate retina, both ON and OFF photovoltaic responses were observed, but in the absence of visual responses, it is not clear what functional RGC types they correspond to. Degenerate retina maintained the antagonistic center-surround organization of receptive fields. These fast and spatially localized network-mediated ON and OFF responses to subretinal stimulation via photovoltaic pixels with local return electrodes raise confidence in the possibility of providing more functional prosthetic vision. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Retinal prostheses currently in clinical use have struggled to deliver visual information at naturalistic frequencies, resulting in discontinuous percepts. We demonstrate modulation of the retinal ganglion cells (RGC) activity using complex spatiotemporal stimuli delivered via subretinal photovoltaic implant at 20 Hz in healthy and in degenerate retina. RGCs exhibit fast and localized ON and OFF network-mediated responses, with antagonistic center-surround organization of their receptive fields.
Path perturbation detection tasks reduce MSTd neuronal self-movement heading responses
Authors: Page William K. , Duffy Charles J. 
Published: October 2017

We presented optic flow and real movement heading stimuli while recording MSTd neuronal activity. Monkeys were alternately engaged in three tasks: visual detection of optic flow heading perturbations, vestibular detection of real movement heading perturbations, and auditory detection of brief tones. Push-button RTs were fastest for tones and slower for visual and vestibular heading perturbations, suggesting that the tone detection task was easier. Neuronal heading selectivity was strongest during the tone detection task, and weaker during the visual and vestibular heading perturbation detection tasks. Heading selectivity was weaker during visual and vestibular path perturbation detection, despite our presented heading cues only in the visual and vestibular modalities. We conclude that focusing on the self-movement transients of path perturbation distracted the monkeys from their heading and reduced neuronal responsiveness to heading direction. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Heading analysis is critical for steering and navigation. We recorded the activity of monkey cortical heading neurons during naturalistic self-movement. When the monkeys were required to respond to transient changes in their path, neuronal responses to heading direction were diminished. This suggests that the need to respond to momentary path perturbations reduces your ability to process your heading direction.
Restoration of Natural Killer Cell Antimetastatic Activity by IL12 and Checkpoint Blockade
Authors: Ohs Isabel , Ducimetière Laura , Marinho Joana , Kulig Paulina , Becher Burkhard , Tugues Sonia 
Published: October 2017

Abstract
Immune checkpoint therapies target tumor antigen-specific T cells, but less is known about their effects on natural killer (NK) cells, which help control metastasis. In studying the development of lung metastases, we found that NK cells lose their cytotoxic capacity and acquire a molecular signature defined by the expression of coinhibitory receptors. In an effort to overcome this suppressive mechanism, we evaluated NK cell responses to the immunostimulatory cytokine IL12. Exposure to IL12 rescued the cytotoxicity of NK cells but also led to the emergence of an immature NK cell population that expressed high levels of the coinhibitory molecules PD-1, Lag-3, and TIGIT, thereby limiting NK cell–mediated control of pulmonary metastases. Notably, checkpoint blockade therapy synergized with IL12 to fully enable tumor control by NK cells, demonstrating that checkpoint blockers are not only applicable to enhance T cell–mediated immunotherapy, but also to restore the tumor-suppressive capacity of NK cells. Cancer Res; 77(24); 7059–71. ©2017 AACR.