bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
In vivo clonal analysis reveals spatiotemporal regulation of thalamic nucleogenesis
Authors: Wong Samuel Z.H. , Scott Earl Parker , Mu Wenhui , Guo Xize , Borgenheimer Ella , Freeman Madeline , Ming Guo-li , Wu Qing-Feng , Song Hongjun , Nakagawa Yasushi 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACTThe thalamus, a crucial regulator of cortical functions, is composed of many nuclei arranged in a spatially complex pattern. Thalamic neurogenesis occurs over a short period during mammalian embryonic development. These features have hampered the effort to understand how regionalization, cell divisions and fate specification are coordinated and produce a wide array of nuclei that exhibit distinct patterns of gene expression and functions. Here, we performed in vivo clonal analysis to track the divisions of individual progenitor cells and spatial allocation of their progeny in the developing mouse thalamus. Quantitative analysis of clone compositions revealed evidence for sequential generation of distinct sets of thalamic nuclei based on the location of the founder progenitor cells. Furthermore, we identified intermediate progenitor cells that produced neurons populating more than one thalamic nuclei, indicating a prolonged specification of nuclear fate. Our study reveals an organizational principle that governs the spatial and temporal progression of cell divisions and fate specification, and provides a framework for studying cellular heterogeneity and connectivity in the mammalian thalamus.
Paradigm Shift in Sensorimotor Control Research and Brain Machine Interface Control: The Influence of Context on Sensorimotor representations
Authors: Zhao Yao , Hessburg John P. , Asok Kumar Jaganth Nivas , Francis Joseph Thachil 
Published: December 2017

AbstractNeural activity in the primary motor cortex (M1) is known to correlate with movement related variables including kinematics and dynamics. Our recent work, which we believe will lead to a paradigm shift in sensorimotor research, has shown that in addition to these movement related variables, activity in M1, and the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), are also modulated by context, such as value, during both active movement and movement observation. Here we expand on the investigation of reward modulation in M1, showing that reward level changes the neural tuning function of M1 units to both kinematic as well as dynamic related variables. In addition, we show that this reward-modulated activity is present during brain machine interface (BMI) control. We suggest that by taking into account these context dependencies of M1 modulation, we can produce more robust BMIs. Toward this goal, we demonstrate that we can classify reward expectation from M1 on a movement-by-movement basis under BMI control and use this to gate multiple linear BMI decoders toward improved offline performance. These findings demonstrate that it is possible and meaningful to design a more accurate BMI decoder that takes reward and context into consideration. Our next step in this development will be to incorporate this gating system, or a continuous variant of it, into online BMI performance
Comparing the differentiation potential ofBrachyury+mesodermal cells generated from 3-D and 2-D culture systems
Authors: Zhou Jing , Plagge Antonius , Murray Patricia 
Published: December 2017

AbstractMesodermal populations can be generatedin vitrofrom mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) using three-dimensional (3-D) aggregates called embryoid bodies or two-dimensional (2-D) monolayer culture systems. Here, we investigated whetherBrachyury-expressing mesodermal cells generated using 3-D or 2-D culture systems are equivalent, or instead, have different properties. Using aBrachyury-GFP/E2-Crimson reporter mESC line, we isolatedBrachyury-GFP+mesoderm cells using flow-activated cell sorting and compared their gene expression profiles andex vivodifferentiation patterns. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed significant up-regulation ofCdx2,Foxf1andHoxb1in theBrachyury-GFP+cells isolated from the 3-D system compared with those isolated from the 2-D system. Furthermore, using an ex vivomouse kidney rudiment assay, we found that irrespective of their source,Brachyury-GFP+cells failed to integrate into developing nephrons, which are derived from the intermediate mesoderm. However,Brachyury-GFP+cells isolated under 3-D conditions appeared to differentiate into endothelial-like cells within the kidney rudiments, whereas theBrachyury-GFP+isolated from the 2-D conditions only did so to a limited degree. The high expression ofFoxf1in the 3-DBrachyury-GFP+cells combined with their tendency to differentiate into endothelial-like cells suggests these mesodermal cells may represent lateral plate mesoderm.
A 23bp Indel Polymorphism in TLR2 Gene Enhances Inflammation and Disease Severity in Dengue
Authors: Patro A. Raj Kumar , Mohanty Sriprasad , Panda Aditya K. , Prusty Birendra K. , Singh Diwakar K. , Gaikwad Sagar , Saswat Tanuja , Chattopadhyay Soma , Tripathy Rina , Das Bidyut , Ravindran Balachandran 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBackgroundDengue is the most rapidly spreading viral disease transmitted by the bite of infectedAedesmosquitos. Pathogenesis of dengue is still unclear; although host genetic factors, immune responses and virus serotypes have been proposed to contribute to disease severity. The development of high-throughput methods have allowed to scale up capabilities of identifying the key markers of inflammation. Since NS1 protein of dengue virus has been reported to activate immune cells towards enhanced inflammation through TLR2, we examined the role of a polymorphism, a 23bp deletion in 5’UTR region of TLR2 gene in patients with dengue (with and without warning signs) and correlated with plasma levels of inflammatory mediators with disease severity and viral serotypes.MethodsEighty nine patients classified as per WHO 2009 criteria during dengue outbreak in Odisha, India in 2016 were included in the current study. Presence of dengue virus (DENV) was demonstrated by detecting NS1 antigen, IgM capture ELISA and serotypes in circulation were discriminated by type-specific RT-PCR and/or sequencing. Sixty-one confirmed dengue cases were typed for TLR2 indel polymorphism and compared with 485 disease free controls. Plasma samples were assayed for 41-plex cytokine/ chemokines using Luminex bead based immunoassay.ResultsPresence of 23bp deletion allele of TLR2 gene was significantly more in patients with severe dengue in comparison to dengue fever cases (p= 0.03; Odds ratio 4.05) although the frequency of insertion (Ins) allele of TLR2 was comparable in healthy controls and dengue cases (82.4 and 87.9 % respectively). Seventy-three (82%) samples were found to be positive by NS1/IgM capture ELISA/ RT-PCR. DENV-2 was predominant (58%) during the outbreak. Among the host inflammatory biomarkers 9 molecules were significantly altered in dengue patients when compared to healthy controls. The increased levels of IFN-γ, GM-CSF, IL-10, IL-1Rα and MIP-1β correlated significantly with severe dengue.ConclusionsThe frequency of 23bp Indel mutation of TLR2 was comparable between healthy controls and dengue fever (with and without warning signs), suggesting that this indel mutation does not contribute significantly to susceptibility/ resistance to dengue; however, del allele of TLR2 gene was significantly more associated in patients with severe dengue symptoms when compared to dengue fever cases.
Optimal planning of eye movements
Authors: David Hoppe , Rothkopf Constantin A. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe capability of directing gaze to relevant parts in the environment is crucial for our survival. Computational models based on ideal-observer theory have provided quantitative accounts of human gaze selection in a range of visual search tasks. According to these models, gaze is directed to the position in a visual scene, at which uncertainty about task relevant properties will be reduced maximally with the next look. However, in tasks going beyond a single action, delayed rewards can play a crucial role thereby necessitating planning. Here we investigate whether humans are capable of planning more than the next single eye movement. We found evidence that our subjects’ behavior was better explained by an ideal planner compared to the ideal observer. In particular, the location of the first fixation differed depending on the stimulus and the time available for the search. Overall, our results are the first evidence that our visual system is capable of planning.
Soybean oil containing ginseng saponins as adjuvants promotes production of cytokines and enhances immune responses to foot‐and‐mouth disease vaccine
Authors: Zhang Cenrong , Xu Wei , Chen Jian , Guan Ran , Bi Shicheng , Jin Haibo , Cui Xuemei , Shi Fushan , Hu Songhua 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACTIn the present study, the adjuvant effect of soybean oil containing ginseng root saponins (SO‐GS‐R) on the immune response to foot‐and‐mouth disease vaccine (FMDV) in mice was investigated. When immunized with FMDV antigen emulsified in an SO‐GS‐R formulation, mice generated remarkably higher serum antibody and cytokine responses than mice immunized with FMDV antigen alone. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying the adjuvant effect of SO‐GS‐R, we measured cytokines in serum and muscle tissue after intramuscular injection of SO‐GS‐R. The results showed that injection of SO‐GS‐R significantly increased the levels of IL‐1β, IL‐5, IL‐6, G‐CSF, KC, MCP‐1, MIP‐1α, and MIP‐1β in both serum and muscle. These results suggested that SO‐GS‐R recruits neutrophils, eosinophils, T cells and macrophages, causing immune cell recruitment at the injection site, driving antigen‐presenting cells to actively participate in the onset of immunity, and amplifying the immune responses. Considering its adjuvant activity and plant‐derived properties, SO‐GS‐R should be further studied for its adjuvant effect on vaccines used in food animals.
Quantifying the Road Influence Zone on Socio‐economic Developments in Rural Tigray, Ethiopia
Authors: Tegebu Fredu Nega , Seid Edris Hussein 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe road influence zone has been used to analyze the influence of roads on ecological and environmental effects but not on socio‐economic conditions. In a first study of its kind, we measured the extent and type of relationship underlying the road influence zone of rural roads on socio‐economic outcomes. Four indicators — namely, trip per capita, use of fertilizers, motorized transport and commercial activities — and three indicators — namely, road dust, flooding and erosion — have been used to analyze the positive and negative effects of roads respectively. Four rural roads and 529 households from four tabias were surveyed and we used piecewise and linear regressions to determine delineation of road influence zones. Except for trips per capita and erosion, threshold effects were observed for the rest of the outcome variables. The road influence zone ranges from 240 meters on both sides of the road in the case of road dust to about 2.6 kilometers in the case of motorized transport. The study results suggest that socio‐economic impacts of roads differ not only on socio‐economic and wealth differences of households but also on distance to road.
Croissance économique et dégradation de l'environnement au Cameroun
Authors: Noubissi Domguia Edmond , Njangang Ndieupa Henri 
Published: December 2017

RésuméCe papier a pour objectif d'examiner les effets de la croissance économique sur les émissions de dioxyde de carbone (CO2) et sur l’évolution de la température au Cameroun sur la période 1972–2010. Le test de cointégration par les retards échelonnés ou Auto Regressive Distributed Lags (ARDL) indique l'existence d'une relation de long terme sous forme de « N inversé » entre la croissance économique et les indicateurs de dégradation environnementale (émissions de CO2et évolution de la température) retenus dans cette étude. Ensuite, on constate que la consommation d’énergie et les activités industrielles accroissent les émissions de CO2mais pas l’évolution des températures au Cameroun. Par contre, l'ouverture commerciale entraine une baisse du niveau de CO2mais pas de la température. Ce résultat laisse entrevoir que le Cameroun exporte ou transmet sa pollution vers l'extérieur ou vers d'autres pays.
Inequity in Maternal and Child Health Care Utilization in Nigeria
Authors: Nghargbu Rifkatu , Olaniyan Olanrewaju 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe study assesses the degree and patterns of horizontal inequity in maternal and child health care utilization in Nigeria. Horizontal inequity was estimated using concentration curves and a standardized concentration index, which was decomposed into need and non‐need variables to capture the major drivers of inequity in utilization. Maternal and child health care utilization was measured by antenatal visits, skilled delivery and immunization utilization. Four rounds of Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data (1999, 2003, 2008, 2013) were used. The results show a positive horizontal inequity index from 1999 to 2013; which indicates that there is pro‐rich inequity in utilization of antenatal, skilled delivery and immunization, respectively. The study concludes that there is higher and increasing inequity in maternal health care while inequity in utilization of child health care decreased over time with wealth status and education as the major non‐need drivers of inequity in utilization. Interventions to enhance women's wealth status and education could significantly improve equity in skilled delivery and antenatal care utilization. Hence wealth creation, women empowerment and education should be given more attention to improve the deteriorating equity in maternal health care utilization.
Semi‐parametric Regression‐based Decomposition Methods: Evidence from Regional Inequality in Tunisia
Authors: Jmaii Amal , Rousselière Damien , Daniel Christophe 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis paper examines urban‐rural welfare inequality in Tunisia. Founded on the recentred influence function and quantile regression based counterfactual decomposition, we dissect the gap between the two areas. Results of the present study suggest that the difference between rural poor households and urban poor households is due essentially to characteristic effects; while for wealthier households both characteristic and returns to these characteristic effects (for example, efficiency of educational system) are responsible for this gap. Additionally, the results demonstrate that this is an issue of value, and, more specifically, an economic development fairness conflict. It is suggested that policymakers should address a positive discrimination programme in favour of the marginalized region.
Analyse des effets de la qualité des institutions sur la volatilité des Investissements Directs Etrangers en Afrique
Authors: Ongo Nkoa Bruno Emmanuel , Song Jacques Simon 
Published: December 2017

RésuméCet article analyse les effets de la qualité des institutions sur la volatilité des Investissements Directs Etrangers (IDE) en Afrique. Nous utilisons un modèle estimé en données de panel par les méthodes des moments généralisés en système et des doubles moindres carrés sur la période 1996–2014. Les résultats montrent que la qualité des institutions accroit la volatilité des entrées d'IDE. L'Afrique en général et les sous‐régions Afrique Centrale et Afrique Australe en particulier doivent reformer leurs institutions.
‘You're there because you are unprofessional’: patient and public involvement as liminal knowledge spaces
Authors: Maguire Kath , Britten Nicky 
Published: December 2017

AbstractPatient and public involvement in health research and care has been repeatedly theorised using the metaphor of spaces, knowledge spaces and participatory citizenship spaces. Drawing on data from a three year qualitative study of people involved in health research with organisations across England, this article explores where these spaces fit in a wider social, political and historical landscape. It outlines a theme recurring frequently in the study data: a unified public/patient/service‐user perspective in opposition to a professional/clinical/academic view. This is discussed in relation to Habermas's division between the lifeworld and system. Patient and public involvement is mapped as spaces between these spheres, therefore between the social norms pertaining to them. In this way, involvement spaces are seen as liminal, in‐between or threshold spaces; this concept provides us with new insights on both the opportunities and the conflicts that are integral in the ambiguous, complex interactions which take place in these spaces.
Smells like politics: planning and the inconvenient politics of intensive peri‐urban agriculture
Authors: Butt Andrew , Taylor Elizabeth 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIntensive farming is an increasing part of Australian agriculture, including in the multi‐functional landscapes at the edges of Australian cities. The example of intensive “broiler” poultry production reveals the tensions that arise when sites of hyper‐productivity conflict with social change in rural areas. Planning processes for intensive farming in the Australian state of Victoria are predicated on stability and consensus: on assumed static and uncontroversial ideas of agriculture, its place, and the primacy of agricultural productivity. Yet concerns about the industrialisation of agriculture are live political issues at the local level, especially in dynamic peri‐urban locations. This paper explores the emergence of a politics of place outside the bounds of planning consensus through an analysis of planning appeals and associated media relating to planning permits for intensive poultry developments in Victoria over 2011–2016. We highlight tensions that exist in relation to technical planning assessments and categorisations used to assert farming as the orthodox use of rural land, especially when new forms of farming look and feel demonstrably different. Using Mouffe's problematising of the negation of antagonism and Rancière's notion of the risks of a false consensus democracy, we argue that planning processes for intensive farming illustrate critical issues in participatory planning. While ostensibly post‐political decision‐making narrows the politics of place and food systems to decisions about policing the boundaries and buffer distances placed around intensive poultry developments, alternative representations of rural life persist. The certainty offered by code‐based planning does not negate the ongoing (if inconvenient) politics of intensive peri‐urban agriculture.
Bacillus subtilis, the model Gram‐positive bacterium: 20 years of annotation refinement
Authors: Borriss Rainer , Danchin Antoine , Harwood Colin R. , Médigue Claudine , Rocha Eduardo P.C. , Sekowska Agnieszka , Vallenet David 
Published: December 2017

SummaryGenome annotation is, nowadays, performed via automatic pipelines that cannot discriminate between right and wrong annotations. Given their importance in increasing the accuracy of the genome annotations of other organisms, it is critical that the annotations of model organisms reflect the current annotation gold standard. The genome of Bacillus subtilis strain 168 was sequenced twenty years ago. Using a combination of inductive, deductive and abductive reasoning, we present a unique, manually curated annotation, essentially based on experimental data. This reveals how this bacterium lives in a plant niche, while carrying a paleome operating system common to Firmicutes and Tenericutes. Dozens of new genomic objects and an extensive literature survey have been included for the sequence available at the INSDC (AccNum AL009126.3). We also propose an extension to Demerec's nomenclature rules that will help investigators connect to this type of curated annotation via the use of common gene names.
Urban rural disparity in female breast cancer incidence rate in China and the increasing trend in parallel with socioeconomic development and urbanization in a rural setting
Authors: Wen Denggui , Wen Xiaoduo , Yang Yi , Chen Yuetong , Wei Lizhen , He Yutong , Shan Baoen 
Published: December 2017

BackgroundWorldwide breast cancer incidence correlates with socioeconomic status and increases in parallel with westernization, however urban–rural disparity and trends have not been adequately investigated in China.MethodsThe age standardized rate (ASR) of female breast cancer by population‐based cancer registration was compared between urban Shijiazhuang city and rural Shexian County in relation to socioeconomic status. The increasing trend of breast cancer in Shexian County from 2000–2015 was examined using Joinpoint analysis and the correlation with gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was analyzed.ResultsIn 2012, the ASR of female breast cancer in Shijiazhuang was more than three times higher than in Shexian County (45.5/1 00 000 vs.13.8/1 00 000; P < 0.01) when the GDP per capita was 2.6 times higher (US$6964.80 vs. US$2700). In parallel with rapid socioeconomic development and urbanization, the biennial ASR of female breast cancer in Shexian county has increased significantly from 2.8/1 00 000 in 2000–2001 to 17.3/1 00 000 in 2014–2015, with an average biennial percent change of +10.2% (P < 0.01). The Pearson correlation between ASR and GDP was significantly positive (r = 0.94, P < 0.01).ConclusionThe incidence of breast cancer in women in China is increasing along with lifestyle westernization and changing reproductive patterns associated with socioeconomic development and urbanization. Urgent prevention measures, including the development of a healthy diet, giving birth at a younger age, an increase in breastfeeding, limiting menopause estrogen therapy, and control of alcohol consumption, are required.
Responses of radish (Raphanus sativus) to drought stress
Authors: Stagnari F. , Galieni A. , D'Egidio S. , Pagnani G. , Pisante M. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractWith this study the effects of water deficit on radish growth, dry mass production and partitioning, source–sink relations, physiological responses and accumulation of secondary metabolites in storage roots and leaves have been investigated. Three water stress treatments were applied: (Control) 100% of water holding capacity (WHC), (WS50) 50% of WHC, (WS30) 30% of WHC. Water stress was effectively acquired starting from 287 growing degree days (GDD) as demonstrated by the lower values of relative water content (RWC), higher leaf temperature and NIR‐based water indices values in water stressed conditions. Water stress reduced storage root dry weight by 27% at WS50 and 53% at WS30 as well as leaf dry matter accumulation (by 23% and 31% in WS50 and WS30, respectively), expansion (by 28% and 45% in WS50 and WS30, respectively) and specific leaf area (by 7% and 20% in WS50 and WS30, respectively) at 403 GDD. The increasing of leaf‐to‐root mass (L/R) and leaf area‐to‐root mass (LA/R) ratios indicated less dry matter allocation into storage organs under water stress conditions. Besides, water shortage increased leaf greenness as estimated by the higher soil–plant analysis development (SPAD) values (+14% and +20% on average for WS50 and WS30, respectively); other reflectance indices only partially confirmed SPAD readings. Substantially, water limitation did not significantly influence total anthocyanin content, ABTS‐radical scavenging activity and total free phenolic compounds in storage roots, as well as the total free phenolic compounds in leaves. Radish showed a strong plasticity in its adaptation to drought thanks to avoidance mechanisms such as constrained leaf development, increased leaf thickness and adjusted source–sink relationships.