bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
MicroRNA-939 restricts Hepatitis B virus by targeting Jmjd3-mediated and C/EBPα-coordinated chromatin remodeling
Authors: Chen Cuncun , Wu Min , Zhang Wen , Lu Wei , Zhang Min , Zhang Zhanqing , Zhang Xiaonan , Yuan Zhenghong 
Published: October 2016

AbstractMulti-layered mechanisms of virus host interaction exist for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, which have been typically manifested at the microRNA level. Our previous study suggested that miRNA-939 (miR-939) may play a potential role in regulating HBV replication. Here we further investigated the mechanism by which miR-939 regulates HBV life cycle. We found that miR-939 inhibited the abundance of viral RNAs without direct miRNA-mRNA base pairing, but via host factors. Expression profiling and functional validation identified Jmjd3 as a target responsible for miR-939 induced anti-HBV effect. Jmjd3 appeared to enhance the transcription efficiency of HBV enhancer II/core promoter (En II) in a C/EBPα-dependent manner. However, the demethylase activity of Jmjd3 was not required in this process. Rather, Jmjd3’s transactivation activity depended on its interaction with C/EBPα. This coordinated action further recruited the Brm containing SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex which promoted the transcription of HBV RNAs. Taken together, we propose that the miR-939-Jmjd3 axis perturbs the accessibility of En II promoter to essential nuclear factors (C/EBPα and SWI/SNF complex) therefore leading to compromised viral RNA synthesis and hence restricted viral multiplication.
Synchronization in slowly switching networks of coupled oscillators
Authors: Zhou Jie , Zou Yong , Guan Shuguang , Liu Zonghua , Boccaletti S. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractNetworks whose structure of connections evolves in time constitute a big challenge in the study of synchronization, in particular when the time scales for the evolution of the graph topology are comparable with (or even longer than) those pertinent to the units’ dynamics. We here focus on networks with a slow-switching structure, and show that the necessary conditions for synchronization, i.e. the conditions for which synchronization is locally stable, are determined by the time average of the largest Lyapunov exponents of transverse modes of the switching topologies. Comparison between fast- and slow-switching networks allows elucidating that slow-switching processes prompt synchronization in the cases where the Master Stability Function is concave, whereas fast-switching schemes facilitate synchronization for convex curves. Moreover, the condition of slow-switching enables the introduction of a control strategy for inducing synchronization in networks with arbitrary structure and coupling strength, which is of evident relevance for broad applications in real world systems.
Red blood cell thickness is evolutionarily constrained by slow, hemoglobin-restricted diffusion in cytoplasm
Authors: Richardson Sarah L. , Swietach Pawel 
Published: October 2016

AbstractDuring capillary transit, red blood cells (RBCs) must exchange large quantities of CO2 and O2 in typically less than one second, but the degree to which this is rate-limited by diffusion through cytoplasm is not known. Gas diffusivity is intuitively assumed to be fast and this would imply that the intracellular path-length, defined by RBC shape, is not a factor that could meaningfully compromise physiology. Here, we evaluated CO2 diffusivity (DCO2) in RBCs and related our results to cell shape. DCO2 inside RBCs was determined by fluorescence imaging of [H+] dynamics in cells under superfusion. This method is based on the principle that H+ diffusion is facilitated by CO2/HCO3− buffer and thus provides a read-out of DCO2. By imaging the spread of H+ ions from a photochemically-activated source (6-nitroveratraldehyde), DCO2 in human RBCs was calculated to be only 5% of the rate in water. Measurements on RBCs containing different hemoglobin concentrations demonstrated a halving of DCO2 with every 75 g/L increase in mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC). Thus, to compensate for highly-restricted cytoplasmic diffusion, RBC thickness must be reduced as appropriate for its MCHC. This can explain the inverse relationship between MCHC and RBC thickness determined from >250 animal species.
Microparticles in the blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): phenotypic characterization and clinical associations
Authors: Mobarrez Fariborz , Vikerfors Anna , Gustafsson Johanna T. , Gunnarsson Iva , Zickert Agneta , Larsson Anders , Pisetsky David S. , Wallén Håkan , Svenungsson Elisabet 
Published: October 2016

AbstractSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypic autoimmune disease characterized by circulating autoantibodies and the formation of immune complexes. In these responses, the selecting self-antigens likely derive from the remains of dead and dying cells, as well as from disturbances in clearance. During cell death/activation, microparticles (MPs) can be released to the circulation. Previous MP studies in SLE have been limited in size and differ regarding numbers and phenotypes. Therefore, to characterize MPs more completely, we investigated 280 SLE patients and 280 individually matched controls. MPs were measured with flow cytometry and phenotyped according to phosphatidylserine expression (PS+/PS−), cellular origin and inflammatory markers. MPs, regardless of phenotype, are 2–10 times more abundant in SLE blood compared to controls. PS− MPs predominated in SLE, but not in controls (66% vs. 42%). Selectively in SLE, PS− MPs were more numerous in females and smokers. MP numbers decreased with declining renal function, but no clear association with disease activity was observed. The striking abundance of MPs, especially PS− MPs, suggests a generalized disturbance in SLE. MPs may be regarded as “liquid biopsies” to assess the production and clearance of dead, dying and activated cells, i.e. pivotal events for SLE pathogenesis.
Emergence of social behavior deficit, blunted corticolimbic activity and adult depression-like behavior in a rodent model of maternal maltreatment
Authors: Rincón-Cortés M , Sullivan R M 
Published: October 2016

AbstractDisrupted social behavior is a core symptom of multiple psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. Many of these disorders are exacerbated by adverse infant experiences, including maltreatment and abuse, which negatively affect amygdala development. Although a link between impaired social behavior, abnormal amygdala function and depressive-like behavior following early adversity has been demonstrated in humans and animal models, the developmental emergence of maltreatment-related social deficits and associated amygdala neural activity are unknown. We used a naturalistic rodent model of maternal maltreatment during a sensitive period, postnatal days 8–12 (PN8–12), which produces social behavior deficits that precede adolescent depressive-like behavior and amygdala dysfunction, to examine social behavior in infancy, periweaning and adolescence. Neural activity in response to the social behavior test was assessed via c-Fos immunohistochemistry at these ages. A separate group of animals was tested for adult depressive-like behavior in the forced swim test. Maltreatment spared infant (PN16–18) social behavior but disrupted periweaning (PN20–22) and adolescent (PN42–48) social behavior. Maltreated rats exhibited blunted neural activation in the amygdala and other areas implicated in social functioning, including the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens, at these ages and increased adult depressive-like behavior. These findings may suggest corticolimbic involvement in the emergence of maltreatment-induced social deficits that are linked to adult depressive-like behavior, thereby highlighting potential targets for therapeutic intervention. Understanding how infant experiences influence social behavior and age-specific expression across development may provide insights into basic neural mechanisms of social behaviors and disease-relevant social dysfunction exacerbated by early-life stress.
The Impact of Dysphonic Voices on Healthy Listeners: Listener Reaction Times, Speech Intelligibility, and Listener Comprehension
Authors: Evitts Paul M. , Starmer Heather , Teets Kristine , Montgomery Christen , Calhoun Lauren , Schulze Allison , MacKenzie Jenna , Adams Lauren 
Published: October 2016

Purpose
There is currently minimal information on the impact of dysphonia secondary to phonotrauma on listeners. Considering the high incidence of voice disorders with professional voice users, it is important to understand the impact of a dysphonic voice on their audiences.

Methods
Ninety-one healthy listeners (39 men, 52 women; mean age = 23.62 years) were presented with speech stimuli from 5 healthy speakers and 5 speakers diagnosed with dysphonia secondary to phonotrauma. Dependent variables included processing speed (reaction time [RT] ratio), speech intelligibility, and listener comprehension. Voice quality ratings were also obtained for all speakers by 3 expert listeners.

Results
Statistical results showed significant differences between RT ratio and number of speech intelligibility errors between healthy and dysphonic voices. There was not a significant difference in listener comprehension errors. Multiple regression analyses showed that voice quality ratings from the Consensus Assessment Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (Kempster, Gerratt, Verdolini Abbott, Barkmeier-Kraemer, & Hillman, 2009) were able to predict RT ratio and speech intelligibility but not listener comprehension.

Conclusions
Results of the study suggest that although listeners require more time to process and have more intelligibility errors when presented with speech stimuli from speakers with dysphonia secondary to phonotrauma, listener comprehension may not be affected.
A Usability Study of Internet-Based Therapy for Naming Deficits in Aphasia
Authors: Simic Tijana , Leonard Carol , Laird Laura , Cupit Jennifer , Höbler Fiona , Rochon Elizabeth 
Published: October 2016

Purpose
This study aimed to evaluate the usability of delivering the Phonological Components Analysis treatment for anomia (Leonard, Rochon, & Laird, 2008) remotely via the Internet to individuals with chronic poststroke aphasia. A secondary aim was to probe the experiences and satisfaction of clinicians in administering treatment at a distance.

Method
Six individuals with mild–moderate aphasia and 2 trained clinicians participated in this usability study. Participants and clinicians underwent approximately 6 hr of treatment under observation by an independent observer. The usability characteristics of effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction were assessed.

Results
Individuals with aphasia used the Internet-based Phonological Components Analysis therapy successfully, demonstrating independence and very few errors in completing online tasks. Overall, participant satisfaction was high, despite occasional difficulties with technical aspects of the system. Clinicians found the application easy to use but raised concerns about the participant–clinician interaction, perceiving rapport-building and communicating to be more difficult online than face-to-face.

Conclusions
It is important to consider usability and the clinician's perspective in developing telepractice applications in speech-language pathology. Future directions include assessing the efficacy of remote treatment and collecting a larger sample of clinician data.
The Language Exposure Assessment Tool: Quantifying Language Exposure in Infants and Children
Authors: DeAnda Stephanie , Bosch Laura , Poulin-Dubois Diane , Zesiger Pascal , Friend Margaret 
Published: October 2016

Purpose
The aim of this study was to develop the Language Exposure Assessment Tool (LEAT) and to examine its cross-linguistic validity, reliability, and utility. The LEAT is a computerized interview-style assessment that requests parents to estimate language exposure. The LEAT yields an automatic calculation of relative language exposure and captures qualitative aspects of early language experience.

Method
Relative language exposure as reported on the LEAT and vocabulary size at 17 months of age were measured in a group of bilingual language learners with varying levels of exposure to French and English or Spanish and English.

Results
The LEAT demonstrates high internal consistency and criterion validity. In addition, the LEAT's calculation of relative language exposure explains variability in vocabulary size above a single overall parent estimate.

Conclusions
The LEAT is a valid and efficient tool for characterizing early language experience across cultural settings and levels of language exposure. The LEAT could be a useful tool in clinical contexts to aid in determining whether assessment and intervention should be conducted in one or more languages.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14963934
Single VCO chipless RFID near‐field reader
Authors: Buchanan N.B. , Fusco V. 
Published: October 2016

An extremely simple, low‐cost, chipless RFID reader is demonstrated. The reader consists of only a single voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) as the detector front end. The information from the chipless RFID tag appears as a low‐frequency variation on the VCO DC bias supply which is readily detected and demodulated. Experimental results are shown for successful detection of a 10‐bit RFID tag, operating over the frequency range 2.4–3.4 GHz. The results when compared with those taken from a vector network analyser (VNA) prove that the VCO detector can provide a similar level of performance to the more sophisticated VNA arrangement. The proposed solution provides a significant simplification of the chipless RFID reader.
The Effect of a Surgical Skills Course on Confidence Levels of Rural General Practitioners: An Observational Study
Authors: Byrd Pippa , Ward Olga , Hamdorf Jeffrey 
Published: October 2016

Objective To investigate the effect of a short surgical skills course on general practitioners' confidence levels to perform procedural skills.
Design Prospective observational study.
Setting The Clinical Evaluation and Training Centre, a practical skills-based educational facility, at The University of Western Australia.
Participants Medical practitioners who participated in these courses. Nurses, physiotherapists, and medical students were excluded. The response rate was 61% with 61 participants providing 788 responses for pre- and postcourse confidence levels regarding various surgical skills.
Intervention One- to two-day surgical skills courses consisting of presentations, demonstrations, and practical stations, facilitated by specialists.
Main Outcome Measures A two-page precourse and postcourse questionnaire was administered to medical practitioners on the day. Participants rated their confidence levels to perform skills addressed during the course on a 4-point Likert scale.
Results Of the 788 responses regarding confidence levels, 621 were rated as improved postcourse, 163 were rated as no change, and 4 were rated as lower postcourse. Seven of the courses showed a 25% median increase in confidence levels, and one course demonstrated a 50% median increase. All courses showed statistically significant results (p < 0.001).
Conclusion A short surgical skills course resulted in a statistically significant improvement in the confidence levels of rural general practitioners to perform these skills.
Linking freshwater fishery management to global food security and biodiversity conservation
Authors: McIntyre Peter B. , Reidy Liermann Catherine A. , Revenga Carmen 
Published: October 2016

Significance
Freshwaters rarely factor into global prioritization of fishery resources, partly because available spatial data on inland fisheries are coarse. Here, we develop a map of the world’s riverine fisheries and compare catches to fish diversity, ecosystem threats, and nutritional dependence. Fish species richness and ecoregional catches are positively but not causally correlated. Intensive harvests from the most biodiverse rivers raise conservation concerns, and numerous other stressors also threaten high-yield river fisheries. In human terms, poor nations depend far more on freshwater fisheries than aquaculture or marine sources. This intersection of poverty, food insecurity, biodiversity, and ecosystem threats suggests an urgent need to improve fishery management for the benefit of both humans and fishes.
Perceptual training profoundly alters binocular rivalry through both sensory and attentional enhancements
Authors: Dieter Kevin C. , Melnick Michael D. , Tadin Duje 
Published: October 2016

Significance
Attention can exert a strong influence over perception, especially when multiple stimuli compete for processing resources. However, attention has relatively modest effects on binocular rivalry. Competitive interactions between the two eyes/stimuli unfold largely automatically, with observers unable to strongly bias perception toward either stimulus. Here, we demonstrate that this limitation can be overcome following prolonged perceptual training. Trained observers exhibited substantial changes in rivalry dynamics, with individual percepts occasionally stabilizing for tens of seconds. These large changes were mediated through both eye-specific changes in visual processing and enhanced attention to task-relevant features in the trained eye. Evidently, strong modulation of binocular rivalry can be achieved through training-induced plasticity of bottom-up sensory and top-down attentional mechanisms in low-level vision.
Nucleosomal arrangement affects single-molecule transcription dynamics
Authors: Fitz Veronika , Shin Jaeoh , Ehrlich Christoph , Farnung Lucas , Cramer Patrick , Zaburdaev Vasily , Grill Stephan W. 
Published: October 2016

Significance
Transcription is the first step toward protein production. During transcription, a polymerase enzyme moves along DNA and copies it to RNA. In the cell, DNA is highly compacted: roughly 150 bp of DNA is wrapped around histone proteins to form a nucleosome. However, little is known about how closely spaced nucleosomes impact polymerase transcription. We performed single-molecule optical tweezers transcription experiments on dinucleosomal DNA templates. We show that the effect of the second nucleosome on polymerase transcription efficiency through the first one depends on the internucleosomal spacing and the rotational arrangement of the nucleosomes on the helical DNA template. Our findings provide insights into how DNA compaction affects transcription in vitro.
Climatic and evolutionary drivers of phase shifts in the plague epidemics of colonial India
Authors: Lewnard Joseph A. , Townsend Jeffrey P. 
Published: October 2016

Significance
Whereas pathogens are a well-known selective pressure on host immunity, few empirical examples illustrate the coupled dynamics of transmission and evolution. After the arrival of plague in colonial India, a plague-resistant rat phenotype was reported to have become prevalent in the subcontinent’s hardest hit cities. Capitalizing on archival data from these investigations, we identify the evolution of resistance in rats as a driver of observed shifts of seasonal outbreaks in concert with the flea lifecycle and its climatic determinants. Disentangling climatic and evolutionary forcing, our findings—based on century-old observations and experiments by the Indian Plague Commission—substantiate the rapid emergence of host heterogeneity and show how evolutionary responses can buffer host populations against environmentally forced disease dynamics.
Primate-specific miR-515 family members inhibit key genes in human trophoblast differentiation and are upregulated in preeclampsia
Authors: Zhang Ming , Muralimanoharan Sribalasubashini , Wortman Alison C. , Mendelson Carole R. 
Published: October 2016

Significance
Preeclampsia, a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy and leading cause of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality, is associated with defective placental implantation and vascularization. Herein, we characterized regulation and function of miR-515-5p, which belongs to the primate- and placenta-specific chromosome 19 miRNA cluster, one of the largest miRNA clusters in humans. We observed that miR-515-5p was markedly downregulated during human syncytiotrophoblast differentiation and upregulated in placentas from preeclamptic women. miR-515-5p overexpression inhibited syncytiotrophoblast differentiation. Important miR-515-5p targets were identified, including hCYP19A1/aromatase, transcription factor glial cells missing 1 and WNT receptor, frizzled 5, which share critical roles in trophoblast differentiation. Thus, miR-515-5p may serve a key role in human trophoblast differentiation and provide a marker and therapeutic target for preeclampsia.
FASN regulates cellular response to genotoxic treatments by increasing PARP-1 expression and DNA repair activity via NF-κB and SP1
Authors: Wu Xi , Dong Zizheng , Wang Chao J. , Barlow Lincoln James , Fako Valerie , Serrano Moises A. , Zou Yue , Liu Jing-Yuan , Zhang Jian-Ting 
Published: October 2016

Significance
The findings of this study have revealed a potential molecular pathway for how fatty acid synthase (FASN) overexpression causes drug and radiation resistance and contributes to poor clinical prognosis of cancer diseases. FASN is the sole cytosolic enzyme responsible for de novo lipid synthesis, required for cancer cell survival but not for most normal nonadipose tissues. The finding that FASN regulates DNA repair by regulating specificity protein 1 and NF-κB in cancer cell responses to anticancer treatments will have a profound impact on designing future treatment strategies. It will also help establish FASN as a target for therapeutic discovery to sensitize drug and radiation resistance.
Daptomycin inhibits cell envelope synthesis by interfering with fluid membrane microdomains
Authors: Müller Anna , Wenzel Michaela , Strahl Henrik , Grein Fabian , Saaki Terrens N. V. , Kohl Bastian , Siersma Tjalling , Bandow Julia E. , Sahl Hans-Georg , Schneider Tanja , Hamoen Leendert W. 
Published: October 2016

Significance
To date, simple membrane pore formation resulting in cytoplasmic leakage is the prevailing model for how membrane-active antibiotics kill bacteria and also is one of the main explanations for the activity of the membrane-binding antibiotic daptomycin. However, such models, typically derived from model membrane studies, often depict membranes as homogenous lipid bilayers. They do not take into account the complex architecture of biological membranes, with their many different membrane proteins, or the presence of microdomains with different fluidity properties. Here we report that daptomycin perturbs fluid microdomains in bacterial cell membranes, thereby interfering with membrane-bound cell wall and lipid synthesis processes. Our results add a different perspective as to how membrane-active antibiotics can kill bacteria.
Calcium transport into the cells of the sea urchin larva in relation to spicule formation
Authors: Vidavsky Netta , Addadi Sefi , Schertel Andreas , Ben-Ezra David , Shpigel Muki , Addadi Lia , Weiner Steve 
Published: October 2016

Significance
A major challenge in biomineralization is to determine the pathways by which calcium is transferred from external sources to the mineralization site. Using the membrane-impermeable calcium-binding dye calcein and fluorescent dextran, in conjunction or not with a calcium channel blocker, we show that both molecules readily enter the body cavity of sea urchin larvae and the cells responsible for skeleton formation. The documented existence of vesicles in these cells that form openings to the body cavity supports the notion that a major calcium uptake pathway involves direct incorporation of sea water into the cells by endocytosis. This pathway, if proven to be widespread among organisms of other phyla, would radically change our understanding of calcium transport in biomineralization.