bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Direct evidence for positive selection of skin, hair, and eye pigmentation in Europeans during the last 5,000 y
Authors: Wilde Sandra , Timpson Adrian , Kirsanow Karola , Kaiser Elke , Kayser Manfred , Unterländer Martina , Hollfelder Nina , Potekhina Inna D. , Schier Wolfram , Thomas Mark G. , Burger Joachim 
Published: March 2014

Significance
Eye, hair, and skin pigmentation are highly variable in humans, particularly in western Eurasian populations. This diversity may be explained by population history, the relaxation of selection pressures, or positive selection. To investigate whether positive natural selection is responsible for depigmentation within Europe, we estimated the strength of selection acting on three genes known to have significant effects on human pigmentation. In a direct approach, these estimates were made using ancient DNA from prehistoric Europeans and computer simulations. This allowed us to determine selection coefficients for a precisely bounded period in the deep past. Our results indicate that strong selection has been operating on pigmentation-related genes within western Eurasia for the past 5,000 y.
Photic memory for executive brain responses
Authors: Chellappa Sarah Laxhmi , Ly Julien Q. M. , Meyer Christelle , Balteau Evelyne , Degueldre Christian , Luxen André , Phillips Christophe , Cooper Howard M. , Vandewalle Gilles 
Published: March 2014

Significance
Light is a powerful stimulant for human alertness and cognition that can be easily administered to improve performance or counteract the negative impact of sleepiness, even during the day. Here, we show that prior exposure to longer wavelength light (orange), relative to shorter wavelength (blue), enhances the subsequent impact of light on executive brain responses. These findings emphasize the importance of light for human cognitive brain function and constitute compelling evidence in favor of a cognitive role for melanopsin. This recently discovered photopigment may therefore provide a unique form of “photic memory” for human cognition and play a broader role than previously apprehended. Ultimately, these findings support the idea that the integration of light exposure over long periods of time can help optimize cognitive brain function.
Complete replication of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus in a newly developed hepatoma cell line
Authors: Yang Darong , Zuo Chaohui , Wang Xiaohong , Meng Xianghe , Xue Binbin , Liu Nianli , Yu Rong , Qin Yuwen , Gao Yimin , Wang Qiuping , Hu Jun , Wang Ling , Zhou Zebin , Liu Bing , Tan Deming , Guan Yang , Zhu Haizhen 
Published: March 2014

Significance
More than 500 million people are persistently infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and/or hepatitis C virus (HCV) and are at a risk of developing chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. The absence of robust cell culture systems for both viral infections limits the understanding of the virus lifecycle and pathogenesis required for the development of vaccine and antivirals. We have established a novel human hepatoma cell line termed “HLCZ01” that supports the entire lifecycle of both HBV and HCV produced both in cell culture and clinically. This cell line provides a powerful tool for addressing the virus lifecycle and the development of antivirals and vaccines.
Geothermal activity helps life survive glacial cycles
Authors: Fraser Ceridwen I. , Terauds Aleks , Smellie John , Convey Peter , Chown Steven L. 
Published: March 2014

Significance
The evolution and maintenance of diversity through cycles of past climate change have hinged largely on the availability of refugia. Geothermal refugia may have been particularly important for survival through past glaciations. Our spatial modeling of Antarctic biodiversity indicates that some terrestrial groups likely survived throughout intense glacial cycles on ice-free land or in sub-ice caves associated with areas of geothermal activity, from which recolonization of the rest of the continent took place. These results provide unexpected insights into the responses of various species to past climate change and the importance of geothermal regions in promoting biodiversity. Furthermore, they indicate the likely locations of biodiversity “hotspots” in Antarctica, suggesting a critical focus for future conservation efforts.
Elephants can determine ethnicity, gender, and age from acoustic cues in human voices
Authors: McComb Karen , Shannon Graeme , Sayialel Katito N. , Moss Cynthia 
Published: March 2014

Significance
Recognizing predators and judging the level of threat that they pose is a crucial skill for many wild animals. Human predators present a particularly interesting challenge, as different groups of humans can represent dramatically different levels of danger to animals living around them. We used playbacks of human voice stimuli to show that elephants can make subtle distinctions between language and voice characteristics to correctly identify the most threatening individuals on the basis of their ethnicity, gender, and age. Our study provides the first detailed assessment of human voice discrimination in a wild population of large-brained, long-lived mammals, and highlights the potential benefits of sophisticated mechanisms for distinguishing different subcategories within a single predator species.
Structural dynamics of troponin during activation of skeletal muscle
Authors: Fusi Luca , Brunello Elisabetta , Sevrieva Ivanka R. , Sun Yin-Biao , Irving Malcolm 
Published: March 2014

Significance
Muscle contraction is controlled by structural changes in the thin filament of the muscle sarcomere triggered by calcium binding to troponin. It has long been suspected that myosin binding has an additional effect in switching on the thin filament, but the biological function of this effect was unknown. We have elucidated the in situ sequence of calcium-induced structural changes of troponin and identified a kinetic component tracking myosin binding to the thin filament. We propose a model of muscle regulation with kinetics determined by coordinated changes in the structures of both thick and thin filaments in response to mechanical conditions rather than, as in the conventional view, solely by the calcium transient and structural changes in the thin filament.
Partial loss of TDP-43 function causes phenotypes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Yang Chunxing , Wang Hongyan , Qiao Tao , Yang Bin , Aliaga Leonardo , Qiu Linghua , Tan Weijia , Salameh Johnny , McKenna-Yasek Diane M. , Smith Thomas , Peng Lingtao , Moore Melissa J. , Brown Robert H. , Cai Huaibin , Xu Zuoshang 
Published: March 2014

SignificanceAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable neurodegenerative disease that causes paralysis and death. TDP-43 is a protein that regulates gene expression. TDP-43 aggregation and depletion from cell nucleus are found in ALS. Therefore, TDP-43 may cause neurodegeneration by generating toxicity from its aggregation or by a loss of its function. Our experiments test the consequence of a partial loss of TDP-43 function in mice. The results demonstrate that a partial loss of TDP-43 function is sufficient to cause neurodegeneration and ALS symptoms. In addition, we have found evidence for TDP-43 dysfunction in human ALS. Therefore, we propose that TDP-43 dysfunction causes neurodegeneration in the human disease, and future therapy should aim to restore the normal function of TDP-43.
Charting Brachyury-mediated developmental pathways during early mouse embryogenesis
Authors: Lolas Macarena , Valenzuela Pablo D. T. , Tjian Robert , Liu Zhe 
Published: March 2014

Significance
The gene-regulatory mechanisms for finely balanced cell-fate determination and morphogenesis during early animal development remain largely elusive. Here, we combine genomic, single-cell imaging and biochemical approaches to chart the molecular pathways mediated by a key developmental regulator—Brachyury. Our results shed light on mechanistic insights into the ultrafine organization of Brachyury-bound enhancers and link Brachyury function to cellular differentiation and housekeeping processes critical for coordinating early mouse embryogenesis.
Microvesicles containing miRNAs promote muscle cell death in cancer cachexia viaTLR7
Authors: He Wei A. , Calore Federica , Londhe Priya , Canella Alessandro , Guttridge Denis C. , Croce Carlo M. 
Published: March 2014

SignificanceMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNAs regulating gene expression. The aberrant expression of miRNAs is commonly associated with cancer. miRNAs can be packaged in exosomes/microvesicles secreted by the cells and involved in cell-to-cell signaling and communication; tumor-secreted miRNAs promote tumor spread and growth in the surrounding microenvironment. Apoptosis is reported to take place in wasting muscle in cancer cachexia, a debilitating syndrome associated with multiple types of cancer, although the mechanism remains elusive. This study shows that tumor-secreted microvesicles contain an elevated expression of miR-21 and induce myoblast apoptosis in cancer cachexia via a Toll-like receptor 7-c-Jun N-terminal kinase-dependent pathway.
Maternal depression, antidepressant prescriptions, and congenital anomaly risk in offspring: a population‐based cohort study
Authors: Ban L , Gibson JE , West J , Fiaschi L , Sokal R , Smeeth L , Doyle P , Hubbard RB , Tata LJ 
Published: March 2014

ObjectiveTo estimate risks of major congenital anomaly (MCA) among children of mothers prescribed antidepressants during early pregnancy or diagnosed with depression but without antidepressant prescriptions.DesignPopulation‐based cohort study.SettingLinked UK maternal–child primary care records.PopulationA total of 349 127 singletons liveborn between 1990 and 2009.MethodsOdds ratios adjusted for maternal sociodemographics and comorbidities (aORs) were calculated for MCAs, comparing women with first‐trimester selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and women with diagnosed but unmedicated depression, or women without diagnosed depression.Main outcome measuresFourteen system‐specific MCA groups classified according to the European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies and five specific heart anomaly groups.ResultsAbsolute risks of MCA were 2.7% (95% confidence interval, 95% CI, 2.6–2.8%) in children of mothers without diagnosed depression, 2.8% (95% CI 2.5–3.2%) in children of mothers with unmedicated depression, and 2.7% (95% CI 2.2–3.2%) and 3.1% (95% CI 2.2–4.1%) in children of mothers with SSRIs or TCAs, respectively. Compared with women without depression, MCA overall was not associated with unmedicated depression (aOR 1.07, 95% CI 0.96–1.18), SSRIs (aOR 1.01, 95% CI 0.88–1.17), or TCAs (aOR 1.09, 95% CI 0.87–1.38). Paroxetine was associated with increased heart anomalies (absolute risk 1.4% in the exposed group compared with 0.8% in women without depression; aOR 1.78, 95% CI 1.09–2.88), which decreased marginally when compared with women with diagnosed but unmedicated depression (aOR 1.67, 95% CI 1.00–2.80).ConclusionsOverall MCA risk did not increase with maternal depression or with antidepressant prescriptions. Paroxetine was associated with increases of heart anomalies, although this could represent a chance finding from a large number of comparisons undertaken.
Regions with regionalism? The rescaling of interest groups in sixEuropean states
Authors: Keating Michael , Wilson Alex 
Published: March 2014

AbstractIn manyEuropean countries a regional or meso level of government has emerged, with significant policy responsibilities. It has been suggested that the representation of social and economic interests has not followed, so that policy communities remain state‐wide, giving ‘regions without regionalism’. This study of interest groups in sixEuropean states examines their adaptation to devolution, focusing on organisation, cognitive change and relationships. It finds there has been a regionalisation of interest representation, but it is uneven, depending on the strength of regional government, territorial identities and the interests of social actors. Business, trades unions, farmer organisations and environmental groups are all cross‐pressured on the regional question. The region is emerging in some cases as a site of interest intermediation. Territorial policy communities are emerging in some regions, but in most cases these supplement, rather than replace, state‐wide policy communities.
Genetic variation amongst biotypes of Dactylopius tomentosus
Authors: Mathenge Catherine W. , Riegler Markus , Beattie G. Andrew C. , Spooner‐Hart Robert N. , Holford Paul 
Published: March 2014

AbstractThe tomentose cochineal scale insect, Dactylopius tomentosus (Lamarck) (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae), is an important biological control agent against invasive species of Cylindropuntia (Caryophyllales: Cactaceae). Recent studies have demonstrated that this scale is composed of host‐affiliated biotypes with differential host specificity and fitness on particular host species. We investigated genetic variation and phylogenetic relationships among D. tomentosus biotypes and provenances to examine the possibility that genetic diversity may be related to their host‐use pattern, and whether their phylogenetic relationships would give insights into taxonomic relatedness of their host plants. Nucleotide sequence comparison was accomplished using sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene. Sequences of individuals from the same host plant within a region were identical and characterized by a unique haplotype. Individuals belonging to the same biotype but from different regions had similar haplotypes. However, haplotypes were not shared between different biotypes. Phylogenetic analysis grouped the monophyletic D. tomentosus into 3 well‐resolved clades of biotypes. The phylogenetic relationships and clustering of biotypes corresponded with known taxonomic relatedness of their hosts. Two biotypes, Fulgida and Mamillata, tested positive for Wolbachia (α‐Proteobacteria), a common endosymbiont of insects. The Wolbachia sequences were serendipitously detected by using insect‐specific COI DNA barcoding primers and are most similar to Wolbachia Supergroup F strains. This study is the first molecular characterization of cochineal biotypes that, together with Wolbachia sequences, contribute to the better identification of the biotypes of cochineal insects and to the biological control of cacti using host‐specific biotypes of the scale.
The Effect and Implications of Sex Offender Residence Restrictions
Authors: Huebner Beth M. , Kras Kimberly R. , Rydberg Jason , Bynum Timothy S. , Grommon Eric , Pleggenkuhle Breanne 
Published: March 2014

Research SummaryWe evaluated the efficacy of sex offender residence restrictions in Michigan and Missouri using a quasi‐experimental design with propensity score matching. First, we examined the implementation of the laws and found that sex offenders in both states were less likely to live in restricted areas after the implementation of the laws than the prerestriction sample, but the differences were not statistically significant. In our outcome analysis, we find little evidence that residence restrictions changed the prevalence of recidivism substantially for sex offenders in the postrelease period. In Michigan, trends indicate that the implementation of the laws led to a slight increase in recidivism among the sex offender groups, whereas in Missouri, this effect resulted in a slight decrease in recidivism. Technical violations also declined for both groups in Missouri. The small effect sizes, inconsistent results across states, and the null results between sex offender and non–sex offender models cast doubt on the potential usefulness of the laws to influence individual patterns of recidivism broadly.Policy ImplicationsThe results caution against the widespread, homogenous implementation of residence restrictions. Instead, we advocate individualization in sex offender programming and call for the development of risk‐centered models of residence restrictions that draw on the established literature. In addition, the research highlights the practical challenges in defining restricted areas, enforcing restrictions, and promoting successful returns to the community. Furthermore, a call for reframing the focus of sex offender reentry to include collaborative treatment groups and enhanced communication and services between key stakeholders is made. Finally, we close with a discussion of several best practice models that provide alternative housing sources for individuals sentenced under residence restrictions without a suitable home plan.
Sequence capture using PCR‐generated probes: a cost‐effective method of targeted high‐throughput sequencing for nonmodel organisms
Authors: Peñalba Joshua V. , Smith Lydia L. , Tonione Maria A. , Sass Chodon , Hykin Sarah M. , Skipwith Phillip L. , McGuire Jimmy A. , Bowie Rauri C. K. , Moritz Craig 
Published: March 2014

AbstractRecent advances in high‐throughput sequencing library preparation and subgenomic enrichment methods have opened new avenues for population genetics and phylogenetics of nonmodel organisms. To multiplex large numbers of indexed samples while sequencing predominantly orthologous, targeted regions of the genome, we propose modifications to an existing, in‐solution capture that utilizes PCR products as target probes to enrich library pools for the genomic subset of interest. The sequence capture using PCR‐generated probes (SCPP) protocol requires no specialized equipment, is highly flexible and significantly reduces experimental costs for projects where a modest scale of genetic data is optimal (25–100 genomic loci). Our alterations enable application of this method across a wider phylogenetic range of taxa and result in higher capture efficiencies and coverage at each locus. Efficient and consistent capture over multiple SCPP experiments and at various phylogenetic distances is demonstrated, extending the utility of this method to both phylogeographic and phylogenomic studies.
Unexpected adverse childhood experiences and subsequent drug use disorder: a Swedish population study (1995–2011)
Authors: Giordano Giuseppe N. , Ohlsson Henrik , Kendler Kenneth S. , Sundquist Kristina , Sundquist Jan 
Published: March 2014

AbstractAimsExposure to extraordinary traumatic experience is one acknowledged risk factor for drug use. We aim to analyse the influence of potentially life‐changing childhood stressors, experienced second‐hand, on later drug use disorder in a national population of Swedish adolescent and young adults (aged 15–26 years).DesignWe performed Cox proportional hazard regression analyses, complemented with co‐relative pair comparisons.SettingSweden.ParticipantsAll individuals in the Swedish population born 1984–95, who were registered in Sweden at the end of the calendar year that they turned 14 years of age. Our follow‐up time (mean 6.2 years; range 11 years) started at the year they turned 15 and continued to December 2011 (n = 1 409 218).MeasurementsOur outcome variable was drug use disorder, identified from medical, legal and pharmacy registry records. Childhood stressors, as per DSM‐IV stressor criteria, include death of an immediate family member and second‐hand experience of diagnoses of malignant cancer, serious accidental injury and victim of assault. Other covariates include parental divorce, familial psychological wellbeing and familial drug and alcohol use disorders.FindingsAfter adjustment for all considered confounders, individuals exposed to childhood stressors ‘parental death’ or ‘parental assault’ had more than twice the risk of drug use disorder than those who were not [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.63 (2.23–3.09) and 2.39 (2.06–2.79), respectively].ConclusionsChildren aged under 15 years who experience second‐hand an extraordinary traumatic event (such as a parent or sibling being assaulted, diagnosed with cancer or dying) appear to have approximately twice the risk of developing a drug use disorder than those who do not.
Sweet's syndrome following surgery: Cutaneous trauma as a possible aetiological co‐factor in neutrophilic dermatoses
Authors: Minocha Rashi , Sebaratnam Deshan F , Choi James YJ 
Published: March 2014

AbstractA 47‐year‐old man presented with an acute, cutaneous eruption of exquisitely painful papules at the operative site 4 weeks after a right tibial osteotomy. Initially this was managed as a postoperative wound infection; however the exacerbation and spread of the cutaneous eruption prompted further investigation. Histopathology and clinical findings were consistent with the development of Sweet's syndrome and resolution was obtained after the initiation of dapsone. We propose that surgery may produce an acute inflammatory response in a similar manner to pathergy reactions, which play an aetiological role in other neutrophilic dermatoses, such as pyoderma gangrenosum. We conclude that there may be greater overlap between these neutrophilic dermatoses than previously appreciated.
High‐intensity interval training alters ATP pathway flux during maximal muscle contractions in humans
Authors: Larsen R. G. , Maynard L. , Kent J. A. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractAimHigh‐intensity interval training (HIT) results in potent metabolic adaptations in skeletal muscle; however, little is known about the influence of these adaptations on energetics in vivo. We used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to examine the effects of HIT on ATP synthesis from net PCr breakdown (ATPCK), oxidative phosphorylation (ATPOX) and non‐oxidative glycolysis (ATPGLY) in vivo in vastus lateralis during a 24‐s maximal voluntary contraction (MVC).MethodsEight young men performed 6 sessions of repeated, 30‐s ‘all‐out’ sprints on a cycle ergometer; measures of muscle energetics were obtained at baseline and after the first and sixth sessions.ResultsTraining increased peak oxygen consumption (35.8 ± 1.4 to 39.3 ± 1.6 mL min−1 kg−1, P = 0.01) and exercise capacity (217.0 ± 11.0 to 230.5 ± 11.7 W, P = 0.04) on the ergometer, with no effects on total ATP production or force–time integral during the MVC. While ATP production by each pathway was unchanged after the first session, 6 sessions increased the relative contribution of ATPOX (from 31 ± 2 to 39 ± 2% of total ATP turnover, P < 0.001) and lowered the relative contribution from both ATPCK (49 ± 2 to 44 ± 1%, P = 0.004) and ATPGLY (20 ± 2 to 17 ± 1%, P = 0.03).ConclusionThese alterations to muscle ATP production in vivo indicate that brief, maximal contractions are performed with increased support of oxidative ATP synthesis and relatively less contribution from anaerobic ATP production following training. These results extend previous reports of molecular and cellular adaptations to HIT and show that 6 training sessions are sufficient to alter in vivo muscle energetics, which likely contributes to increased exercise capacity after short‐term HIT.