bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Functional properties of spontaneous excitatory currents and encoding of light/dark transitions in horizontal cells of the mouse retina
Authors: Feigenspan Andreas , Babai Norbert 
Published: July 2015

AbstractAs all visual information is represented in the spatio‐temporal dynamics of transmitter release from photoreceptors and the combined postsynaptic responses of second‐order neurons, appropriate synaptic transfer functions are fundamental for a meaningful perception of the visual world. The functional contribution of horizontal cells to gain control and organization of bipolar and ganglion cell receptive fields can only be evaluated with an in‐depth understanding of signal processing in horizontal cells. Therefore, a horizontal slice preparation of the mouse retina was established to record from horizontal cell bodies with their dendritic fields intact and receiving functional synaptic input from cone photoreceptors. Horizontal cell bodies showed spontaneous excitatory currents (spEPSCs) of monophasic and more complex multi‐peak waveforms. spEPSCs were induced by quantal release of glutamate from presynaptic cones with a unitary amplitude of 3 pA. Non‐stationary noise analysis revealed that spEPSCs with a monoexponential decay were mediated by 7–8 glutamate receptors with a single‐channel amplitude of 1.55 pA. Responses to photopic full‐field illumination were characterized by reduction of a tonic inward current or hyperpolarization, inhibition of spEPSCs, followed by a fast and transient inward current at light offset. The response to periodic dark/light transitions of different frequencies was dependent on the adaptational status of the cell with a limiting frequency of 10 Hz. Both on and off components of the light response were mediated by AMPA and kainate receptors. Detailed analysis of horizontal cell synaptic physiology is a prerequisite for understanding signal coding and processing at the photoreceptor ribbon synapse.
Releasing ‘brakes’ to nerve regeneration: intrinsic molecular targets
Authors: Krishnan Anand , Duraikannu Arul , Zochodne Douglas W. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractRestoring critical neuronal architecture after peripheral nerve injury is challenging. Although immediate regenerative responses to peripheral axon injury involve the synthesis of regeneration‐associated proteins in neurons and Schwann cells, an unfavorable balance between growth facilitatory and growth inhibitory signaling impairs the growth continuum of injured peripheral nerves. Molecules involved with the signaling network of tumor suppressors play crucial roles in shifting the balance between growth and restraint during axon regeneration. An understanding of the molecular framework of tumor suppressor molecules in injured neurons and its impact on stage‐specific regeneration events may expose therapeutic intervention points. In this review we discuss how signaling networks of the specific tumor suppressors PTEN, Rb1, p53, p27 and p21 are altered in injured peripheral nerves and how this impacts peripheral nerve regeneration. Insights into the roles and importance of these pathways may open new avenues for improving the neurological deficits associated with nerve injury.
Context‐dependent coding and gain control in the auditory system of crickets
Authors: Clemens Jan , Rau Florian , Hennig R. Matthias , Hildebrandt K. Jannis 
Published: July 2015

AbstractSensory systems process stimuli that greatly vary in intensity and complexity. To maintain efficient information transmission, neural systems need to adjust their properties to these different sensory contexts, yielding adaptive or stimulus‐dependent codes. Here, we demonstrated adaptive spectrotemporal tuning in a small neural network, i.e. the peripheral auditory system of the cricket. We found that tuning of cricket auditory neurons was sharper for complex multi‐band than for simple single‐band stimuli. Information theoretical considerations revealed that this sharpening improved information transmission by separating the neural representations of individual stimulus components. A network model inspired by the structure of the cricket auditory system suggested two putative mechanisms underlying this adaptive tuning: a saturating peripheral nonlinearity could change the spectral tuning, whereas broad feed‐forward inhibition was able to reproduce the observed adaptive sharpening of temporal tuning. Our study revealed a surprisingly dynamic code usually found in more complex nervous systems and suggested that stimulus‐dependent codes could be implemented using common neural computations.
Disease status in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy: inter‐centre comparative analysis and correlates
Authors: Rajabally Y. A. , Cassereau J. , Robbe A. , Nicolas G. 
Published: July 2015

Background and PurposeChronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) may have variable evolution profiles, which have not been compared between cohorts. The relationship of disease status with motor strength, function and electrophysiology is uncertain.MethodsDisease status was studied with a simplified proposed scale in two patient cohorts totalling 72 subjects from Leicester, UK, and Angers, France. Clinical and electrophysiological records were analysed.ResultsIndependent ascertainment of disease status in each cohort revealed similar rates of remission (P = 0.23), stable/improving disease (P = 0.34) and unstable/active disease (P = 1). No correlation was ascertained with strength or function. Median nerve compound muscle action potential was the only independent electrophysiological predictor of disease status ascertained (P = 0.046).ConclusionsDisease status distribution may represent an important comparative indicator for management of CIDP cohorts and could be useful for benchmarking service and treatment provision. Degree of upper limb motor axonal loss may represent a useful electrophysiological marker of disease status in CIDP.
Nest Defence Behaviour and Testosterone Levels in Female Pied Flycatchers
Authors: Cantarero Alejandro , Laaksonen Toni , Järvistö Pauliina E. , Gil Diego , López‐Arrabé Jimena , Redondo Alberto J. , Moreno Juan 
Published: July 2015

AbstractNesting holes are a scarce resource for obligated cavity‐nesting birds and an important selective force for the evolution of aggressive female behaviours, which may be mediated by testosterone (T) levels. It is known that during periods of intense intrasexual competition such as initial breeding stages, females are highly aggressive towards intruding females. Here, we studied the implications of T levels for female–female competition by comparing levels of aggressiveness towards simulated female intruders (decoys) in two populations of the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) with a marked difference in breeding density. To this end, we exposed free‐living females to simulated territorial intrusions during 30 min when nest construction was almost complete. T levels of females were measured at the beginning of incubation under the assumption that they are positively associated with T levels during nest building. We also related aggressiveness to T levels in both populations. Furthermore, we aimed at detecting whether variation of T levels may explain female incubation attendance. Females showed higher T levels in the populations where pied flycatchers were exposed to a higher likelihood of conspecific interactions (high breeding density) than in the population with low breeding density. Female territorial presence, vigilance at the nest box and proximity to decoys were negatively related to circulating T levels in the high‐density population, but not in the low‐density population. Differences in T levels between populations did not result in differences in female incubation attendance, but T levels were negatively related to the incubation attendance in females from the population showing high T levels. In our populations, T levels in females prior to laying reflect the need to defend nesting cavities which is higher at high breeding density and in subdominant females. High T levels are costly in terms of incubation attendance.
Wooing during Day or Night is not the Same: an Experimental Study in the Wolf Spider Schizocosa malitiosa
Authors: Bardier Gustavo , Aisenberg Anita , Toscano‐Gadea Carlos A. , Costa Fernando G. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractDiurnal and nocturnal activity patterns shown by different species will strongly determine the characteristics of signals as well as the sensory channels used during sexual interactions. Despite this, few studies have experimentally tested the effects of lighting and time of day on courtship characteristics in arthropods. Previous studies have shown that the wolf spider Schizocosa malitiosa can be active during the day or at night. We tested whether the period of the day affects the sexual behavior of S. malitiosa, by pairing males and females under diurnal or nocturnal conditions. We carried out mating trials in diurnal and nocturnal conditions in arenas containing female refuges. In diurnal conditions, male leg shaking behavior occurred at higher rates and consisted of greater leg raising angles relatively to nocturnal conditions. We did not find differences in mounts and mount latency between both experimental groups. In nocturnal conditions, female attacks and emergence from refuges were higher. Also, although mount occurrence did not differ between the two treatments, mounts inside the refuge were more frequent in diurnal conditions. Results suggest behavioral flexibility in male courtship and female receptivity responses relative to the time of the day.
Indirect evolutionary rescue: prey adapts, predator avoids extinction
Authors: Yamamichi Masato , Miner Brooks E. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractRecent studies have increasingly recognized evolutionary rescue (adaptive evolution that prevents extinction following environmental change) as an important process in evolutionary biology and conservation science. Researchers have concentrated on single species living in isolation, but populations in nature exist within communities of interacting species, so evolutionary rescue should also be investigated in a multispecies context. We argue that the persistence or extinction of a focal species can be determined solely by evolutionary change in an interacting species. We demonstrate that prey adaptive evolution can prevent predator extinction in two‐species predator–prey models, and we derive the conditions under which this indirect evolutionary interaction is essential to prevent extinction following environmental change. A nonevolving predator can be rescued from extinction by adaptive evolution of its prey due to a trade‐off for the prey between defense against predation and population growth rate. As prey typically have larger populations and shorter generations than their predators, prey evolution can be rapid and have profound effects on predator population dynamics. We suggest that this process, which we term ‘indirect evolutionary rescue’, has the potential to be critically important to the ecological and evolutionary responses of populations and communities to dramatic environmental change.
Relationships between equine airway reactivity measured by flowmetric plethysmography and specific indicators of airway inflammation in horses with suspected inflammatory airway disease
Authors: Wichtel M. , Gomez D. , Burton S. , Wichtel J. , Hoffman A. 
Published: July 2015

SummaryReasons for performing studyAgreement between airway reactivity measured by flowmetric plethysmography and histamine bronchoprovocation, and lower airway inflammation measured by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cytology, has not been studied in horses with suspected inflammatory airway disease (IAD).ObjectivesWe tested the hypothesis that airway reactivity is associated withBALcytology in horses presenting for unexplained poor performance and/or chronic cough.Study designProspective clinical study.MethodsForty‐five horses, predominantly young Standardbred racehorses, presenting for unexplained poor performance or chronic cough, underwent endoscopic evaluation, tracheal wash, flowmetric plethysmography with histamine bronchoprovocation andBAL. Histamine response was measured by calculatingPC35, the concentration of nebulised histamine eliciting an increase in Δflowof 35%.ResultsIn this population, there was no significant correlation between histamine response and cell populations inBALcytology. When airway hyperreactivity (AHR) was defined as ≥35% increase in Δflowat a histamine concentration of <6 mg/ml, 24 of the 45 horses (53%) were determined to haveAHR. Thirty‐three (73%) had either abnormalBALcytology orAHR, and were diagnosed withIADon this basis. Of horses diagnosed withIAD, 9 (27%) had an abnormalBAL, 11 (33%) hadAHRand 13 (39%) had both.ConclusionsAirway reactivity andBALcytology did not show concordance in this population of horses presenting for unexplained poor performance and/or chronic cough. Failure to include tests of airway reactivity may lead to underdiagnosis ofIADin young Standardbred racehorses that present with clinical signs suggestive ofIAD.
7‐Hydroxydehydronuciferine induces human melanoma death via triggering autophagy and apoptosis
Authors: Wu Pei‐Fang , Chiu Chien‐Chih , Chen Chung‐Yi , Wang Hui‐Min David 
Published: July 2015

AbstractMelanoma is the deadliest cancer. We identified 7‐hydroxydehydronuciferine (7‐HDNF) isolated from the leaves of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn cv. Rosa‐plena to be a bio‐active agent that antagonizes melanoma tumor growth in mice xenograft model in vivo. Cell proliferation assay demonstrated strong anticancer effects of 7‐HDNF to exhibit a dose‐dependent behaviour and displayed minor cytotoxicities on normal human skin cells, including epidermal keratinocytes and melanocytes, and dermal fibroblasts. With acridine orange (AO) staining and flow analysis, we found 7‐HDNF induced the formation of intracellular vacuoles and the augmentation of acidic vesicular organelles (AVO). The apoptotic cell death ratio was measured via two‐dimensional flow cytometry by annexin V‐fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)/propidium iodide (PI) double stained to confirm the cellular membrane asymmetry lost. One‐dimensional flow cytometric analysis showed 7‐HDNF increased the cellular arrest in cell cycle at the G2/M phase. Through Western blot examinations, protein expressions were discovered to verify autophagy and apoptosis response mechanisms sharing the associated pathways. Finally, 7‐HDNF presented a high‐quality antimigratory activity in wound‐healing assay. Overall, 7‐HDNF presented high‐quality anticancer bio‐functions and inhibited melanoma tumor growth in vivo and in vitro.
Relationship Education for Incarcerated Adults
Authors: Harcourt Kate Taylor , Adler‐Baeder Francesca , Rauer Amy , Pettit Gregory S. , Erath Stephen 
Published: July 2015

As relationship education (RE) programs become more widely implemented, it is important to measure and document the changes associated with RE for diverse audiences. Also, researchers have been challenged to examine the impact of RE with more disadvantaged groups. While we are seeing an increase in this area, only three studies have examined RE with an incarcerated sample. These previous studies examined only those currently in a relationship and focused primarily on couple functioning. The aim of this study was to expand the existing literature by examining RE with a broader sample of incarcerated adults, regardless of current relationship status, and to expand our understanding of its association with outcomes beyond the couple domain by also including measures of individual and parental functioning. In addition, we examined whether change from pre‐ to posttest was moderated by individual characteristics. Using a sample of incarcerated adults (N = 122), the study found positive change in three domains of functioning (couple, individual, and parental). Specifically, results indicated change on five of the eight outcome variables examined. Overall, we found both similarities and differences among program participants on changes from pre‐ to posttest. For the majority of outcomes, the positive change from pre‐ to posttest emerged regardless of individual characteristics.
Role of the microRNA, miR‐206, and its target PIK3C2α in endothelial progenitor cell function – potential link with coronary artery disease
Authors: Tang Yong , Zhang Yachen , Chen Yu , Xiang Yin , Xie Yuquan 
Published: July 2015

Coronary artery disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Impaired endothelial function and integrity are major contributory factors to coronary artery disease. MicroRNAs have been proposed to play an important role in coronary artery disease pathogenesis. In the present study, the expression of miR‐206 was found to be significantly upregulated in peripheral blood endothelial progenitor cells from patients with coronary artery disease compared to healthy donors. MiR‐206 was found to regulate endothelial progenitor cell activities by targeting the protein kinase PIK3C2α, which showed decreased expression in coronary artery disease endothelial progenitor cells. Knockdown of miR‐206 in coronary artery disease endothelial progenitor cells rescued their angiogenic and vasculogenic abilities both in vitro and in vivo in a mouse ischemic hindlimb model. Furthermore, knockdown of miR‐206 activated not only PIK3C2α, but also the angiogenic signal modulators Akt and endothelial nitric oxide synthase. It is therefore proposed that repression of the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase/Akt/endothelial nitric oxide synthase signal transduction pathway by miR‐206 downregulates angiogenesis contributing to the pathophysiology of coronary artery disease.
After more than a decade of soil moisture deficit, tropical rainforest trees maintain photosynthetic capacity, despite increased leaf respiration
Authors: Rowland Lucy , Lobo‐do‐Vale Raquel L. , Christoffersen Bradley O. , Melém Eliane A. , Kruijt Bart , Vasconcelos Steel S. , Domingues Tomas , Binks Oliver J. , Oliveira Alex A. R. , Metcalfe Daniel , da Costa Antonio C. L. , Mencuccini Maurizio , Meir Patrick 
Published: July 2015

AbstractDetermining climate change feedbacks from tropical rainforests requires an understanding of how carbon gain through photosynthesis and loss through respiration will be altered. One of the key changes that tropical rainforests may experience under future climate change scenarios is reduced soil moisture availability. In this study we examine if and how both leaf photosynthesis and leaf dark respiration acclimate following more than 12 years of experimental soil moisture deficit, via a through‐fall exclusion experiment (TFE) in an eastern Amazonian rainforest. We find that experimentally drought‐stressed trees and taxa maintain the same maximum leaf photosynthetic capacity as trees in corresponding control forest, independent of their susceptibility to drought‐induced mortality. We hypothesize that photosynthetic capacity is maintained across all treatments and taxa to take advantage of short‐lived periods of high moisture availability, when stomatal conductance (gs) and photosynthesis can increase rapidly, potentially compensating for reduced assimilate supply at other times. Average leaf dark respiration (Rd) was elevated in the TFE‐treated forest trees relative to the control by 28.2 ± 2.8% (mean ± one standard error). This mean Rd value was dominated by a 48.5 ± 3.6% increase in the Rd of drought‐sensitive taxa, and likely reflects the need for additional metabolic support required for stress‐related repair, and hydraulic or osmotic maintenance processes. Following soil moisture deficit that is maintained for several years, our data suggest that changes in respiration drive greater shifts in the canopy carbon balance, than changes in photosynthetic capacity.
Contribution of N from green harvest residues for sugarcane nutrition in Brazil
Authors: Ferreira Danilo A. , Franco Henrique C. J. , Otto Rafael , Vitti André C. , Fortes Caio , Faroni Carlos E. , Garside Alan L. , Trivelin Paulo C. O. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractBrazil is recognized as a prominent renewable energy producer due to the production of ethanol from sugarcane. However, in order for this source of energy to be considered truly sustainable, conservation management practices, such as harvesting the cane green (without burning) and retaining the trash in the field, need to be adopted. This management practice affects mostly the nitrogen (N) cycle through the effect of trash on immobilization–mineralization of N by soil microorganisms. The aim of the experiments reported here was to evaluate N recovery from trash (trash‐N) by sugarcane during three ratoon crop seasons: 2007, 2008 and 2009. Two field experiments were carried out, one in Jaboticabal and the other in Pradopolis, in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The experiments were set up in a randomized block design with four replications. Within each plot, microplots were installed where the original trash was replaced by trash labelled with 15N, and maintained up to the fourth crop cycle. Trash‐N recovery was higher in the Jaboticabal site, the most productive one, than in the Pradópolis site. The average trash‐N recovery across the two sites after three crop cycles was 7.6 kg ha−1 (or 16.2% of the initial N content in trash), with the remaining trash‐N being incorporated into soil organic matter reserves. While these results indicate that the value of trash for sugarcane nutrition is limited in the short term, maintaining trash on the field will serve as a long‐term source of N and C for the soil.
Late Cenozoic climate and the phylogenetic structure of regional conifer floras world‐wide
Authors: Eiserhardt Wolf L. , Borchsenius Finn , Sandel Brody , Kissling W. Daniel , Svenning Jens‐Christian 
Published: July 2015

AbstractAimUsing conifers as a model system, we aim to test four hypotheses. H1: the processes that shape the phylogenetic structure of regional species assemblages depend on climate. H2: apparent effects of current climate can be equally well explained by past climate. H3: strong Quaternary climate oscillations have led to phylogenetically non‐random assemblages, either with few closely related species because isolated populations do not persist long enough to become new species or with many close relatives due to increased allopatric speciation. H4: strong late Cenozoic aridification has led to assemblages with many close relatives due to extinction and adaptive radiation.LocationGlobal.MethodsWe used boosted regression trees to relate the net relatedness index (NRI) of regional conifer assemblages to current climate, past climate (0.021, 3 and 7.3–11.6 Ma), and gradual and cyclic late Cenozoic climate change while simultaneously accounting for habitat and biogeographic covariates.ResultsClimate was the most important predictor of NRI, supporting H1. Current and past climate showed similar relationships with NRI, supporting H2. Conifer NRI was further related to Quaternary climate oscillations and gradual late Cenozoic climate trends, but the shape of the relationships supported neither H3 nor H4.Main conclusionsThe climate–NRI relationships suggest that late Cenozoic climate consistently influenced the dynamics of conifer speciation, extinction and dispersal, leading to global patterns of phylogenetic assemblage structure. We deduce from the phylogenetic structure that diversification has been highest in warm or dry climates over the last ≥11.6 Myr. The fact that phylogenetic structure is related to climate trends and oscillations indicates that climate change plays an important role in addition to climate per se, but the exact underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Our results suggest that past climate needs to be taken into account when aiming to explain the phylogenetic structure of regional assemblages and other related aspects of biodiversity.