bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
FBN30 in wild Anopheles
gambiae functions as a pathogen recognition molecule against clinically circulating Plasmodium
falciparum in malaria endemic areas in Kenya
Authors: Niu Guodong , Zhang Genwei , Franca Caio , Cui Yingjun , Munga Stephen , Afrane Yaw , Li Jun 
Published: August 2017

AbstractMalaria is a worldwide health problem that affects two-thirds of the world population. Plasmodium invasion of anopheline mosquitoes is an obligatory step for malaria transmission. However, mosquito-malaria molecular interactions in nature are not clear. A genetic variation within mosquito fibrinogen related-protein 30 (FBN30) was previously identified to be associated with Plasmodium falciparum infection in natural Anopheles gambiae populations at malaria endemic areas in Kenya, and reducing FBN30 expression by RNAi makes mosquitoes more susceptible to P. berghei. New results show that FBN30 is a secreted octamer that binds to both P. berghei and clinically circulating P. falciparum from malaria endemic areas in Kenya, but not laboratory P. falciparum strain NF54. Moreover, the natural genetic mutation (T to C) within FBN30 signal peptide, which changes the position 10 amino acid from phenylalanine to leucine, reduces protein expression by approximately half. This change is consistent to more susceptible An. gambiae to P. falciparum infection in the field. FBN30 in natural An. gambiae is proposed to work as a pathogen recognition molecule in inhibiting P. falciparum transmission in malaria endemic areas.
A multielectrode array microchannel platform reveals both transient and slow changes in axonal conduction velocity
Authors: Habibey Rouhollah , Latifi Shahrzad , Mousavi Hossein , Pesce Mattia , Arab-Tehrany Elmira , Blau Axel 
Published: August 2017

AbstractDue to their small dimensions, electrophysiology on thin and intricate axonal branches in support of understanding their role in normal and diseased brain function poses experimental challenges. To reduce experimental complexity, we coupled microelectrode arrays (MEAs) to bi-level microchannel devices for the long-term in vitro tracking of axonal morphology and activity with high spatiotemporal resolution. Our model allowed the long-term multisite recording from pure axonal branches in a microscopy-compatible environment. Compartmentalizing the network structure into interconnected subpopulations simplified access to the locations of interest. Electrophysiological data over 95 days in vitro (DIV) showed an age-dependent increase of axonal conduction velocity, which was positively correlated with, but independent of evolving burst activity over time. Conduction velocity remained constant at chemically increased network activity levels. In contrast, low frequency (1 Hz, 180 repetitions) electrical stimulation of axons or network subpopulations evoked amplitude-dependent direct (5–35 ms peri-stimulus) and polysynaptic (35–1,000 ms peri-stimulus) activity with temporarily (<35 ms) elevated propagation velocities along the perisomatic branches. Furthermore, effective stimulation amplitudes were found to be significantly lower (>250 mV) in microchannels when compared with those reported for unconfined cultures (>800 mV). The experimental paradigm may lead to new insights into stimulation-induced axonal plasticity.
Quantifying the free energy landscape between polymers and minerals
Authors: Sand K. K. , Friddle R. W. , DeYoreo J. J. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractHigher organisms as well as medical and technological materials exploit mineral-polymer interactions, however, mechanistic understanding of these interactions is poorly constrained. Dynamic force spectroscopy can probe the free energy landscape of interacting bonds, but interpretations are challenged by the complex mechanical behavior of polymers. Here we restate the difficulties inherent to applying DFS to polymer-linked adhesion and present an approach to gain quantitative insight into polymer-mineral binding.
Treatment Associated Changes of Functional Connectivity of Midbrain/Brainstem Nuclei in Major Depressive Disorder
Authors: Wagner Gerd , de la Cruz Feliberto , Köhler Stefanie , Bär Karl-Jürgen 
Published: August 2017

AbstractPrevious functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies demonstrated an abnormally coordinated network functioning in Major Depression Disorder (MDD) during rest. The main monoamine-producing nuclei within midbrain/brainstem are functionally integrated within these specific networks. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) of these nuclei in 45 MDD patients and differences between patients receiving two different classes of antidepressant drugs. Patients showed reduced RSFC from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and stronger RSFC to the left amygdala and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Patients treated with antidepressants influencing noradrenergic and serotonergic neurotransmission showed different RSFC from locus coeruleus to DLPFC compared to patients treated with antidepressants influencing serotonergic neurotransmission only. In the opposite contrast patients showed stronger RSFC from dorsal raphe to posterior brain regions. Enhanced VTA-RSFC to amygdala as a central region of the salience network may indicate an over‐attribution of the affective salience to internally-oriented processes. Significant correlation between decreased VTA-dACC functional connectivity and the BDI-II somatic symptoms indicates an association with diminished volition and behavioral activation in MDD. The observed differences in the FC of the midbrain/brainstem nuclei between two classes of antidepressants suggest differential neural effects of SSRIs and SNRIs.
Discovering Condition-Specific Gene Co-Expression Patterns Using Gaussian Mixture Models: A Cancer Case Study
Authors: Ficklin Stephen P. , Dunwoodie Leland J. , Poehlman William L. , Watson Christopher , Roche Kimberly E. , Feltus F. Alex 
Published: August 2017

AbstractA gene co-expression network (GCN) describes associations between genes and points to genetic coordination of biochemical pathways. However, genetic correlations in a GCN are only detectable if they are present in the sampled conditions. With the increasing quantity of gene expression samples available in public repositories, there is greater potential for discovery of genetic correlations from a variety of biologically interesting conditions. However, even if gene correlations are present, their discovery can be masked by noise. Noise is introduced from natural variation (intrinsic and extrinsic), systematic variation (caused by sample measurement protocols and instruments), and algorithmic and statistical variation created by selection of data processing tools. A variety of published studies, approaches and methods attempt to address each of these contributions of variation to reduce noise. Here we describe an approach using Gaussian Mixture Models (GMMs) to address natural extrinsic (condition-specific) variation during network construction from mixed input conditions. To demonstrate utility, we build and analyze a condition-annotated GCN from a compendium of 2,016 mixed gene expression data sets from five tumor subtypes obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Our results show that GMMs help discover tumor subtype specific gene co-expression patterns (modules) that are significantly enriched for clinical attributes.
Ribosomal transcription is regulated by PGC-1alpha and disturbed in Huntington’s disease
Authors: Jesse Sarah , Bayer Hanna , Alupei Marius C. , Zügel Martina , Mulaw Medhanie , Tuorto Francesca , Malmsheimer Silke , Singh Karmveer , Steinacker Jürgen , Schumann Uwe , Ludolph Albert C. , Scharffetter-Kochanek Karin , Witting Anke , Weydt Patrick , Iben Sebastian 
Published: August 2017

AbstractPGC-1α is a versatile inducer of mitochondrial biogenesis and responsive to the changing energy demands of the cell. As mitochondrial ATP production requires proteins that derive from translation products of cytosolic ribosomes, we asked whether PGC-1α directly takes part in ribosomal biogenesis. Here, we show that a fraction of cellular PGC-1α localizes to the nucleolus, the site of ribosomal transcription by RNA polymerase I. Upon activation PGC-1α associates with the ribosomal DNA and boosts recruitment of RNA polymerase I and UBF to the rDNA promoter. This induces RNA polymerase I transcription under different stress conditions in cell culture and mouse models as well as in healthy humans and is impaired already in early stages of human Huntington’s disease. This novel molecular link between ribosomal and mitochondrial biogenesis helps to explain sarcopenia and cachexia in diseases of neurodegenerative origin.
Self-shedding and sweeping of condensate on composite nano-surface under external force field: enhancement mechanism for dropwise and filmwise condensation modes
Authors: Sun Jie , Wang Hua Sheng 
Published: August 2017

AbstractIn this work, we propose the concept to use the hydrophilic or neutral surface for condensation heat transfer and to use the superhydrophobic surface for enhancement by self-shedding and sweeping of condensate. Molecular dynamics simulation results show that no matter the vapor condenses on the solid surface in dropwise or filmwise mode, the grown-up condensate self-sheds and falls off the superhydrophobic surface, sweeping the growing condensate on the condensing surface downstream. We characterize the dynamics of condensate that the continuous self-shedding and sweeping effectively remove the droplets from the solid surface in dropwise mode or thin the condensate film on the solid surface in filmwise mode, which significantly enhances the condensation heat transfer. We reveal that the mechanism for self-shedding is two-fold: (1) that the external force on condensate bulk defeats the adhesive force between the condensate and the solid surface triggers the self-shedding; (2) the release of the surface free energy of condensate promotes the self-shedding. We also reveal that the mechanism of heat transfer enhancement is essentially due to the timely suppression over the growing condensate bulk on the condensing surface through the self-shedding and sweeping. Finally, we discuss the possible applications.
Amalaki rasayana, a traditional Indian drug enhances cardiac mitochondrial and contractile functions and improves cardiac function in rats with hypertrophy
Authors: Kumar Vikas , Aneesh kumar A. , Kshemada K. , Ajith Kumar G. S. , Binil Raj S. S. , Deora Neha , Sanjay G. , Jaleel A. , Muraleedharan T. S. , Anandan E. M. , Mony R. S , Valiathan M. S. , Santhosh Kumar T. R. , Kartha C. C 
Published: August 2017

AbstractWe evaluated the cardioprotective effect of Amalaki Rasayana (AR), a rejuvenating Ayurvedic drug prepared from Phyllanthusemblica fruits in the reversal of remodeling changes in pressure overload left ventricular cardiac hypertrophy (LVH) and age-associated cardiac dysfunction in male Wistar rats. Six groups (aging groups) of 3 months old animals were given either AR or ghee and honey (GH) orally; seventh group was untreated. Ascending aorta was constricted using titanium clips in 3 months old rats (N = 24; AC groups) and after 6 months, AR or GH was given for further 12 months to two groups; one group was untreated. Histology, gene and protein expression analysis were done in heart tissues. Chemical composition of AR was analyzed by HPLC, HPTLC and LC-MS. AR intake improved (P < 0.05) cardiac function in aging rats and decreased LVH (P < 0.05) in AC rats as well as increased (P < 0.05) fatigue time in treadmill exercise in both groups. In heart tissues of AR administered rats of both the groups, SERCA2, CaM, Myh11, antioxidant, autophagy, oxidative phosphorylation and TCA cycle proteins were up regulated. ADRB1/2 and pCREB expression were increased; pAMPK, NF-kB were decreased. AR has thus a beneficial effect on myocardial energetics, muscle contractile function and exercise tolerance capacity.
Inter-brain network underlying turn-based cooperation and competition: A hyperscanning study using near-infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Liu Tao , Saito Godai , Lin Chenhui , Saito Hirofumi 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe present study examined neural substrates underlying turn-based cooperation and competition in a real two-person situation. We simultaneously measured pairs of participants’ activations in their bilateral frontal, temporal, and parietal regions using a 96-channel near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) system, when participants played a turn-taking disk-game on a computer. NIRS data demonstrated significant inter-brain neural synchronization (INS) across participant pairs’ right posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) in both the cooperation and competition conditions, and the competition condition also involved significant INS in the right inferior parietal lobule (IPL). In addition, competitive dyads’ INS in the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) may play as a role of mediation in relationship between their empathy score and disk-manipulation latency, but cooperative dyads’ INS did not. These results suggest that first the right pSTS may be commonly involved in both cooperation and competition due to task demands of joint attention and intention understanding, while the right IPL may be more important for competition due to additional requirements of mentalizing resources in competing contexts. Second, participants’ empathy may promote INS in the bilateral IFG across competitors, and in turn affect their competitive performance.
In vivo regulation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β activity in neurons and brains
Authors: Krishnankutty Ambika , Kimura Taeko , Saito Taro , Aoyagi Kyota , Asada Akiko , Takahashi Shin-Ichiro , Ando Kanae , Ohara-Imaizumi Mica , Ishiguro Koichi , Hisanaga Shin-ichi 
Published: August 2017

AbstractGlycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) is a multifunctional protein kinase involved in many cellular activities including development, differentiation and diseases. GSK3β is thought to be constitutively activated by autophosphorylation at Tyr216 and inactivated by phosphorylation at Ser9. The GSK3β activity has previously been evaluated by inhibitory Ser9 phosphorylation, but it does not necessarily indicate the kinase activity itself. Here, we applied the Phos-tag SDS-PAGE technique to the analysis of GSK3β phosphoisotypes in cells and brains. There were three phosphoisotypes of GSK3β; double phosphorylation at Ser9 and Tyr216, single phosphorylation at Tyr216 and the nonphosphorylated isotype. Active GSK3β with phosphorylation at Tyr216 represented half or more of the total GSK3β in cultured cells. Although levels of phospho-Ser9 were increased by insulin treatment, Ser9 phosphorylation occurred only in a minor fraction of GSK3β. In mouse brains, GSK3β was principally in the active form with little Ser9 phosphorylation, and the phosphoisotypes of GSK3β changed depending on the regions of the brain, age, sex and disease conditions. These results indicate that the Phos-tag SDS-PAGE method provides a simple and appropriate measurement of active GSK3β in vivo, and the activity is regulated by the mechanism other than phosphorylation on Ser9.
Majority of human traits do not show evidence for sex-specific genetic and environmental effects
Authors: Stringer Sven , Polderman Tinca J. C. , Posthuma Danielle 
Published: August 2017

AbstractSex differences in the etiology of human trait variation are a major topic of interest in the social and medical sciences given its far-reaching implications. For example, in genetic research, the presence of sex-specific effects would require sex-stratified analysis, and in clinical practice sex-specific treatments would be warranted. Here, we present a study of 2,335,920 twin pairs, in which we tested sex differences in genetic and environmental contributions to variation in 2,608 reported human traits, clustered in 50 trait categories. Monozygotic and dizygotic male and female twin correlations were used to test whether the amount of genetic and environmental influences was equal between the sexes. By comparing dizygotic opposite sex twin correlations with dizygotic same sex twin correlations we could also test whether sex-specific genetic or environmental factors were involved. We observed for only 3% of all trait categories sex differences in the amount of etiological influences. Sex-specific genetic factors were observed for 25% of trait categories, often involving obviously sex-dependent trait categories such as puberty-related disorders. Our findings show that for most traits the number of sex-specific genetic variants will be small. For those traits where we do report sexual dimorphism, sex-specific approaches may aid in future gene-finding efforts.
CRISPR/Cas9 editing reveals novel mechanisms of clustered microRNA regulation and function
Authors: Lataniotis Lazaros , Albrecht Andreas , Kok Fatma O. , Monfries Clinton A. L. , Benedetti Lorena , Lawson Nathan D. , Hughes Simon M. , Steinhofel Kathleen , Mayr Manuel , Zampetaki Anna 
Published: August 2017

AbstractMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of diverse physiological and pathophysiological processes. MiRNA families and clusters are two key features in miRNA biology. Here we explore the use of CRISPR/Cas9 as a powerful tool to delineate the function and regulation of miRNA families and clusters. We focused on four miRNA clusters composed of miRNA members of the same family, homo-clusters or different families, hetero-clusters. Our results highlight different regulatory mechanisms in miRNA cluster expression. In the case of the miR-497~195 cluster, editing of miR-195 led to a significant decrease in the expression of the other miRNA in the cluster, miR-497a. Although no gene editing was detected in the miR-497a genomic locus, computational simulation revealed alteration in the three dimensional structure of the pri-miR-497~195 that may affect its processing. In cluster miR-143~145 our results imply a feed-forward regulation, although structural changes cannot be ruled out. Furthermore, in the miR-17~92 and miR-106~25 clusters no interdependency in miRNA expression was observed. Our findings suggest that CRISPR/Cas9 is a powerful gene editing tool that can uncover novel mechanisms of clustered miRNA regulation and function.
Dysphagia and Speech-Language Pathology Involvement Following Chemical Ingestion Injury: A Review of 44 Cases Admitted to a Quaternary Australian Hospital (2008–2012)
Authors: Rumbach Anna F. , Cremer Rebecca 
Published: August 2017

Purpose
This study aimed to explore the clinical characteristics of an adult chemical ingestion population and examine the course of return to oral intake post injury and speech-language pathologist (SLP) involvement during the initial acute-care admission.

Method
A retrospective chart review of adults admitted to a quaternary hospital for the treatment of an acute chemical ingestion injury between 2008 and 2012 was conducted.

Results

Forty-four adults (23 men, 21 women) were identified as receiving treatment for ingestion injury, of whom 18 (40.91%) required altered oral intake. Of those requiring altered oral intake, 50% were referred to SLPs. Individuals requiring altered oral intake were significantly (
p
< .05) older, more likely to be men, and present with more severe injuries requiring longer ICU and hospital admissions following intentional chemical ingestions than those who were able to commence a normal oral diet without any alteration or nonoral supplementation. By discharge, 15.91% (
n
= 7) of the total cohort had not resumed normal oral intake.

Conclusions
Return to oral intake post chemical ingestion injury can be protracted and complex. Referrals to SLPs were limited. These data may aid prognostic insight as well as provide (a) collateral information to assist discharge planning and follow-up and (b) background for evaluating the potential for SLP involvement.
The Effect of Dynamic Pitch on Speech Recognition in Temporally Modulated Noise
Authors: Shen Jing , Souza Pamela E. 
Published: August 2017

PurposeThis study investigated the effect of dynamic pitch in target speech on older and younger listeners' speech recognition in temporally modulated noise. First, we examined whether the benefit from dynamic-pitch cues depends on the temporal modulation of noise. Second, we tested whether older listeners can benefit from dynamic-pitch cues for speech recognition in noise. Last, we explored the individual factors that predict the amount of dynamic-pitch benefit for speech recognition in noise.MethodYounger listeners with normal hearing and older listeners with varying levels of hearing sensitivity participated in the study, in which speech reception thresholds were measured with sentences in nonspeech noise.ResultsThe younger listeners benefited more from dynamic pitch for speech recognition in temporally modulated noise than unmodulated noise. Older listeners were able to benefit from the dynamic-pitch cues but received less benefit from noise modulation than the younger listeners. For those older listeners with hearing loss, the amount of hearing loss strongly predicted the dynamic-pitch benefit for speech recognition in noise.ConclusionsDynamic-pitch cues aid speech recognition in noise, particularly when noise has temporal modulation. Hearing loss negatively affects the dynamic-pitch benefit to older listeners with significant hearing loss.
Reduced‐switch SCALDO: an extra low‐frequency DC–DC converter technique for VRM applications
Authors: Wickramasinghe Thilini , Kularatna Nihal , Steyn‐Ross Alistair 
Published: August 2017

State‐of‐the‐art microprocessors require very low DC‐voltages at sub‐1 V levels. Many processors draw high‐current at low voltages and require low‐noise DC‐power rails. Switched‐mode power supply (SMPS) topologies are the common approach to design voltage regulator modules (VRMs). Fast operations of switches in SMPSs allow the use of smaller inductors but ultimately result in radio frequency and electromagnetic interference issues. Compared to SMPSs, linear regulators have lower noise, high quality DC output, and faster response to the load high‐current slew rates; however, with the serious disadvantage of low efficiency. Supercapacitor assisted low‐dropout (SCALDO) regulator is a technique to achieve high end‐to‐end efficiency (ETEE) for linear regulator‐based converters. Though, the switch‐operation frequency is extremely low, number of switches required for SCALDO configuration is three times larger than that of supercapacitors. Reduced‐switch SCALDO (RS‐SCALDO) is a topological variation of SCALDO that requires fewer switches. By designing an alternately operated high‐current LDO pair, RS‐SCALDO can handle high load currents, allowing development of a linear VRM. This study presents a proof of concept prototype of 3.5‐to‐1.5 V RS‐SCALDO for a maximum 5 A load with digitally adjustable output voltages. The prototype achieved an ETEE better than 80%, and required half the switch count of an equivalent SCALDO circuit.