bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Model selection with estimated factors and idiosyncratic components
Authors: Fosten Jack 
Published: April 2017

SummaryThis paper provides consistent information criteria for the selection of forecasting models that use a subset of both the idiosyncratic and common factor components of a big dataset. This hybrid model approach has been explored by recent empirical studies to relax the strictness of pure factor‐augmented model approximations, but no formal model selection procedures have been developed. The main difference to previous factor‐augmented model selection procedures is that we must account for estimation error in the idiosyncratic component as well as the factors. Our main contribution is to show the conditions required for selection consistency of a class of information criteria that reflect this additional source of estimation error. We show that existing factor‐augmented model selection criteria are inconsistent in circumstances where N is of larger order than
, where N and T are the cross‐section and time series dimensions of the dataset respectively, and that the standard Bayesian information criterion is inconsistent regardless of the relationship between N and T. We therefore propose a new set of information criteria that guarantee selection consistency in the presence of estimated idiosyncratic components. The properties of these new criteria are explored through a Monte Carlo simulation study. The paper concludes with an empirical application to long‐horizon exchange rate forecasting using a recently proposed model with country‐specific idiosyncratic components from a panel of global exchange rates.
Recurrent Hyperparathyroidism Due to a Novel CDC73 Splice Mutation
Authors: Hattangady Namita Ganesh , Wilson Tremika Le-Shan , Miller Barbra Sue , Lerario Antonio Marcondes , Giordano Thomas James , Choksi Palak , Else Tobias 
Published: April 2017

ABSTRACT

The recognition of hereditary causes of primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) is important because clinical care and surveillance differ significantly between sporadic and hereditary pHPT. In addition, the increasing number of genetic tests poses a challenge to classify mutations as benign or pathogenic. Functional work-up of variants remains a mainstay to provide evidence for pathogenicity. We describe a 52-year-old male patient with recurrent pHPT since age 35 years. Despite several neck surgeries with complete parathyroidectomy, he experienced persistent pHPT, necessitating repeated surgery for a forearm autotransplant, which finally resulted in unmeasurable parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. Genetic testing revealed a new CDC73 variant (c.238-8G&gt;A [IVS2-8G&gt;A]), initially classified as a variant of uncertain significance. Parathyroid tissue from the initial surgeries showed loss of heterozygosity. Using an RT-PCR approach, we show that the mutation leads to the use of a cryptic splice site in peripheral mononuclear cells. In addition, a minigene approach confirms the use of the cryptic splice site in a heterologous cell system. The novel c.238-8G&gt;A CDC73 variant activates a cryptic splice site, and the functional data provided justify the classification as a likely pathogenic variant. Our results underscore the importance of functional work-up for variant classification in the absence of other available data, such as presence in disease-specific databases, other syndromic clinical findings, or family history. In addition, the presented case exemplifies the importance to consider a hereditary condition in young patients with pHPT, particularly those with multi-gland involvement. © 2017 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Resistin polymorphims, plasma resistin levels and obesity in Tunisian volunteers
Authors: Zayani Nesrine , Hamdouni Haithem , Boumaiza Imen , Achour Ons , Neffati Fadoua , Omezzine Asma , Najjar Mohamed Fadhel , Bouslama Ali 
Published: April 2017

BackgroundAdipose tissue is an important endocrine organ that secretes a number of adipokines, like Resistin (RETN); it's an adipocytes‐secreted cytokine and has been proposed as a link between obesity and diabetes. Many resistin gene polymorphisms were described and their implication in obesity was controversial. This study was to investigate the prevalence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) inRETNgene 420C/G; 44G/A; 62G/A; 394C/G and 299 G/A and their association with Resistin level and obesity in Tunisian volunteers.MethodsWe recruited 169 nonobese (mean age=42.16‐14.26 years; mean body mass index [BMI]=24.51‐3.69 kg/m2) and 160 obese (mean age=47.86‐11.17 years; meanBMI=36‐4.78 kg/m2). Genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism. Anthropometric parameters, lipid levels, Glycemia and insulinemia were measured,BMIwas calculated and insulinresistance was evaluated with the homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR) and resistin level was measured byELISA. Statistical analyses were performed bySPSS19.0.ResultsAfter adjustment for confounding parameters; the Odds Ratio (OR) of obesity associated with mutated genotypes at 420C/G compared with normal genotype was as:OR=2.17; 95%CI[1.28‐3.68],P=.004. The serum Resistin levels present no significant association with allRETNpolymorphisms and it was significantly associated withBMI(P=.047). In our haplotype analysis, one haplotype seems to be protective and one other seems to be the highest risk to obesity.ConclusionThe 420 C/G Polymorphism were associated with obesity and Leptin concentration in our population.
Creating an Instrument to Measure Student Response to Instructional Practices
Authors: DeMonbrun Matt , Finelli Cynthia J. , Prince Michael , Borrego Maura , Shekhar Prateek , Henderson Charles , Waters Cindy 
Published: April 2017

AbstractBackgroundCalls for the reform of education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have inspired many instructional innovations, some research based. Yet adoption of such instruction has been slow. Research has suggested that students' response may significantly affect an instructor's willingness to adopt different types of instruction.PurposeWe created the Student Response to Instructional Practices (StRIP) instrument to measure the effects of several variables on student response to instructional practices. We discuss the step‐by‐step process for creating this instrument.Design/MethodThe development process had six steps: item generation and construct development, validity testing, implementation, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and instrument modification and replication. We discuss pilot testing of the initial instrument, construct development, and validation using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.ResultsThis process produced 47 items measuring three parts of our framework. Types of instruction separated into four factors (interactive, constructive, active, and passive); strategies for using in‐class activities into two factors (explanation and facilitation); and student responses to instruction into five factors (value, positivity, participation, distraction, and evaluation).ConclusionsWe describe the design process and final results for our instrument, a useful tool for understanding the relationship between type of instruction and students' response.
Study of the CPML for the Three‐Dimensional Five‐Step LOD‐FDTD method
Authors: Feng Xuejian , Yang Lixia 
Published: April 2017

AbstractIn this paper, the convolution perfectly matched layer (CPML) absorbing boundary conditions (ABC) in five‐step locally one‐dimensional finite‐difference time‐domain (LOD5‐FDTD) method are deduced. The formulation of the LOD5‐FDTD is derived and numerical results are demonstrated for different Courant Friedrich Levy numbers (CFL) in the simulation domain in the test. Then, using a sinusoidal source, the field phase distribution surrounded by the CPML‐ABC is calculated. The results of these simulation experiments illustrate that the CPML‐ABC can be used efficiently in the LOD5‐FDTD method.
Large‐scale ocean‐atmospheric processes and seasonal rainfall variability in South Australia: accounting for non‐linearity and establishing the hierarchy of influence
Authors: Tozer C. R. , Kiem A. S. 
Published: April 2017

ABSTRACTAn important step in developing climate forecasts is the identification of an appropriate set of predictors. Seasonal rainfall forecasts for South Australia (SA) currently have low predictive skill. It is hypothesised that this is because the large‐scale climate processes influencing SA's rainfall variability have yet to be completely identified and therefore are not adequately represented in forecast models. Here, relationships between large‐scale climate influences and rainfall in SA are assessed with a focus on methods that account for non‐linearities inherent in the climate system. A threshold method and also a novel method for climate predictor selection, Partial Mutual Information, are used to establish the hierarchy of importance of the key influences. From a large suite of potential predictors, variability in the Subtropical Ridge intensity, blocking and the gradient of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the tropical central and eastern Indian Ocean are found to be key indicators of seasonal rainfall variability in SA. Interactions between processes are shown to increase the amount of variability accounted for and therefore need to be better considered when producing seasonal forecasts. Notably, the view of which climate process(es) is(are) important changes depending on the input variables used, suggesting that it is not wise to make a priori assumptions about what is or is not important. Furthermore, even a perfect forecast of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), the focus of forecasting efforts in Australia, will not necessarily lead to an improvement to forecast skill in SA given that these processes are not key for the region. The results of this analysis can inform the development of existing and new statistical and dynamical seasonal forecasting systems for SA, and for other regions where the impacts of climate variability are significant but not necessarily dominated by ENSO and IOD.
Climatology and trends of air and soil surface temperatures in the temperate steppe region of North China
Authors: Liu Binhui , Henderson Mark , Wang Lei , Shen Xiangjin , Zhou Daowei , Chen Xiangwei 
Published: April 2017

ABSTRACTWe analysed observations of daily maximum and minimum air and soil surface temperatures collected between 1965 and 2007 in the temperate steppe region of North China to understand the climatology and trends of the diurnal temperature range. Sunshine duration and precipitation records were also analysed for their relationships with the changes in temperatures. In general, the daily maximum soil surface temperatures (SSTmax) are generally much higher than the daily maximum air temperature (Tmax), and the daily minimum soil surface temperature (SSTmin) are slightly lower than the daily minimum air temperature (Tmin) throughout the year. Consequently, the soil surface diurnal temperature range (SSDTR) is much higher than diurnal temperature range of air temperatures (DTR). As with air temperatures, soil surface temperatures have warmed significantly over the study period at most stations, increasing by 0.62 °C per decade for SSTmax and 0.64 °C per decade for SSTmin for the region overall. Annual and seasonal SSTmax and SSTmin have increased faster than Tmax and Tmin, except for SSTmax in winter. Declines in air DTR have been commonly observed, but in our study SSDTR decreases only in winter, driven by a steep decline after 2000, mostly resulting from strong increases in SSTmin and slight decreases in SSTmax. Both annual and seasonal calculations indicate that the decline in air DTR mainly coincided with a period of rapid decrease in sunshine duration before 1990. Total cloud amount decreased during this period, so the changes in total cloud amount could not be the cause for decrease in sunshine duration and DTR before 1990. SSDTR shows a different pattern: the rapid decrease of SSDTR in winter season since the end of 1990 coincides with a decrease in sunshine duration and an increase in total cloud amount, which may have contributed to the decrease in winter SSDTR in the new millennium.
The effect of realistic geometries on the susceptibility‐weighted MR signal in white matter
Authors: Xu Tianyou , Foxley Sean , Kleinnijenhuis Michiel , Chen Way Cherng , Miller Karla L. 
Published: April 2017

PurposeTo investigate the effect of realistic microstructural geometry on the susceptibility‐weighted MR signal in white matter (WM), with application to demyelination.MethodsPrevious work has modeled susceptibility‐weighted signals under the assumption that axons are cylindrical. In this study, we explored the implications of this assumption by considering the effect of more realistic geometries. A three‐compartment WM model incorporating relevant properties based on the literature was used to predict the MR signal. Myelinated axons were modeled with several cross‐sectional geometries of increasing realism: nested circles, warped/elliptical circles, and measured axonal geometries from electron micrographs. Signal simulations from the different microstructural geometries were compared with measured signals from a cuprizone mouse model with varying degrees of demyelination.ResultsSimulation results suggest that axonal geometry affects the MR signal. Predictions with realistic models were significantly different compared with circular models under the same microstructural tissue properties, for simulations with and without diffusion.ConclusionThe geometry of axons affects the MR signal significantly. Literature estimates of myelin susceptibility, which are based on fitting biophysical models to the MR signal, are likely to be biased by the assumed geometry, as will any derived microstructural properties. Magn Reson Med 79:489–500, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
SIRT1 and AMPK pathways are essential for the proliferation and survival of primary effusion lymphoma cells
Authors: He Meilan , Tan Brandon , Vasan Karthik , Yuan Hongfeng , Cheng Fan , Ramos da Silva Suzane , Lu Chun , Gao Shou‐Jiang 
Published: April 2017

AbstractPrimary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a rare and aggressive B‐cell lymphoma with a dismal prognosis caused by infection of Kaposi's sarcoma‐associated herpesvirus. Despite the findings that numerous viral genes and cellular pathways are essential for the proliferation and survival of PEL cells, there is currently no effective therapeutic treatment for PEL. Here, we report that the metabolic sensor SIRT1 is functionally required for sustaining the proliferation and survival of PEL cells. Knockdown of SIRT1 with specific shRNAs or inhibition of SIRT1 with an inhibitor (tenovin‐6) induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in PEL cells. We detected high levels of AMPK activation in PEL cells, reflected in AMPKα1 phosphorylation at T174. Knockdown or inhibition of SIRT1 reduced AMPK activation, indicating that SIRT1 was required for AMPK activation. Interestingly, knockdown of AMPK with specific shRNAs or inhibition of AMPK with the inhibitor compound C recapitulated the phenotype of SIRT1, and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, whereas overexpression of a constitutively active AMPK construct rescued the cytotoxic effect of SIRT1 knockdown. Remarkably, treatment with tenovin‐6 effectively inhibited the initiation and progression of PEL, and significantly extended the survival of mice in a murine PEL model. Taken together, these results illustrate that the SIRT1–AMPK axis is essential for maintaining the proliferation and survival of PEL and identify SIRT1 and AMPK as potential therapeutic targets, and tenovin‐6 as a candidate therapeutic agent for PEL patients. Copyright © 2017 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Barrier and thermal properties of polyimide derived from a diamine monomer containing a rigid planar moiety
Authors: Liu Yiwu , Huang Jie , Tan Jinghua , Zeng Yi , Ding Qian , Zhang Hailiang , Liu Yuejun , Xiang Xianwei 
Published: April 2017

AbstractAn aromatic polyimide (3,6‐CPI) was prepared by the polymerization of pyromellitic dianhydride and diamine (3,6‐CDA) containing a rigid planar carbazole moiety. The synthesized polyimide shows outstanding barrier properties with oxygen permeation rate and water vapor permeation rate low at 7.9 cm3 m−2 day−1 and 9.8 g m−2 day−1, respectively. Wide angle X‐ray diffraction, positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the excellent barrier properties of 3,6‐CPI are mainly due to the crystallinity and low free volume of the polymer, which result from the rigid planar backbone structure and strong interchain hydrogen bonding. In addition, the polyimide exhibits excellent thermal stability and favorable mechanical properties with a 5 wt% weight‐loss temperature of 559 °C in nitrogen, a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 397 °C and a tensile strength of 115.4 MPa. The as‐synthesized polyimide shows potential packaging applications in the field of flexible electronics and displays, flexible and thin film photovoltaics, and light‐emitting diodes. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
State and irrigation: archeological and textual evidence of water management in late Bronze Age China
Authors: Zhuang Yijie 
Published: April 2017

Ancient China remains an important case to investigate the relationship between statecraft development and ‘total power.’ While important economic and social developments were achieved in the late Neolithic, it was not until the late Bronze Age (first millennium BC) that state‐run irrigation systems began to be built. Construction of large‐scale irrigation projects, along with walls and defensive facilities, became vital to regional states who were frequently involved in chaotic warfare and desperate to increase food production to feed the growing population. Some of the irrigation infrastructures were brought into light by recent archeological surveys. We scrutinize fast accumulating archeological evidence and review rich historical accounts on late Bronze Age irrigation systems. While the credibility of historical documents is often questioned, with a robust integration with archeological data, they provide important information to understand functions and maintenance of the irrigation projects. We investigate structure and organization of large‐scale irrigation systems built and run by states and their importance to understanding dynamic trajectories to social power in late Bronze Age China. Cleverly designed based on local environmental and hydrological conditions, these projects fundamentally changed water management and farming patterns, with dramatic ecological consequences in different states. Special bureaucratic divisions were created and laws were made to further enhance the functioning of these large‐scale irrigation systems. We argue that they significantly increased productivity by converting previously unoccupied land into fertile ground and pushed population threshold to a new level. A hypothesis should be tested in further archeological research. WIREs Water 2017, 4:e1217. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1217This article is categorized under:

Water and Life > Stresses and Pressures on Ecosystems
Science of Water > Water and Environmental Change
Human Water > Water Governance
3D modeling of chromatin structure: is there a way to integrate and reconcile single cell and population experimental data?
Authors: Le Dily François , Serra François , Marti‐Renom Marc A. 
Published: April 2017

The genome is organized in a hierarchical fashion within the nucleus in interphase. This nonrandom folding of the chromatin fiber is thought to play important roles in the processing of the genetic information. Therefore, a better knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the three‐dimensional structure of the genome appears essential to fully understand the nuclear processes including transcription and replication. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and molecular biology methods deriving from the Chromosome Conformation Capture technique are the methods of choice to study genome 3D organization at different levels. Although these single cell and population methods allowed to highlight similar chromatin structures, they also show frequent discrepancies which might be better understood by improving the capacity to generate actual 3D models of organization based on the different types of data available. This review aims at giving an overview of the principles, advantages, and limits of microscopy and molecular biology methods of analysis of genome structure and at discussing the different approaches of modeling of chromatin classically used and the improvements that are necessary to reach a better understanding on the links between chromatin structure and its spatial organization. WIREs Comput Mol Sci 2017, 7:e1308. doi: 10.1002/wcms.1308This article is categorized under:

Structure and Mechanism > Molecular Structures
Molecular and Statistical Mechanics > Molecular Interactions
Software > Molecular Modeling
Gut microbiota of mice putatively modifies amino acid metabolism in the host brain
Authors: Kawase Takahiro , Nagasawa Mao , Ikeda Hiromi , Yasuo Shinobu , Koga Yasuhiro , Furuse Mitsuhiro 
Published: April 2017

AbstractRecently, it has been found that the gut microbiota influences functions of the host brain by affecting monoamine metabolism. The present study focused on the relationship between the gut microbiota and the brain amino acids. Specific pathogen-free (SPF) and germ-free (GF) mice were used as experimental models. Plasma and brain regions were sampled from mice at 7 and 16 weeks of age, and analysed for freed- andl-amino acids, which are believed to affect many physiological functions. At 7 weeks of age, plasma concentrations ofd-aspartic acid (d-Asp),l-alanine (l-Ala),l-glutamine (l-Gln) and taurine were higher in SPF mice than in GF mice, but no differences were found at 16 weeks of age. Similar patterns were observed for the concentrations ofl-Asp in striatum, cerebral cortex and hippocampus, andl-arginine (l-Arg),l-Ala andl-valine (l-Val) in striatum. In addition, the concentrations ofl-Asp,d-Ala,l-histidine,l-isoleucine (l-Ile),l-leucine (l-Leu),l-phenylalanine andl-Val were significantly higher in plasma of SPF mice when compared with those of GF mice. The concentrations ofl-Arg,l-Gln,l-Ile andl-Leu were significantly higher in SPF than in GF mice, but those ofd-Asp,d-serine andl-serine were higher in some brain regions of GF mice than in those of SPF mice. In conclusion, the concentration of amino acids in the host brain seems to be dependent on presence of the gut microbiota. Amino acid metabolism in the host brain may be modified by manipulating microbiota communities.