bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Temporal quantification of mating system parameters in a coastal Douglas-fir seed orchard under manipulated pollination environment
Authors: Song Jiayin , Ratcliffe Blaise , Kess Tony , Lai Ben S. , Korecký Jiří , El-Kassaby Yousry A.
Published: July 2018

Seed orchards main function is delivering breeding programs’ gains in the form of genetically improved seedlings. They are unique experimental populations, perfectly suited for studying various pollination environments (natural or otherwise), affecting their mating system parameters. Here, under different pollination environment (natural and intrusive (pollen augmentation and/or bloom-delay)), the mating system of a second generation, wind-pollinated, coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) seed orchard was evaluated over four years. Using DNA microsatellite markers and bulk seed samples, we conducted pedigree reconstruction to assign each seed’s male and female parents, followed by determining the extent of pollen contamination (external gene flow), selfing rate, and, parental gametic contribution for each year. Overall, external pollen contamination rates ranged between 10 and 28%, selfing rate varied between 12 and 17%, and 80% of the seed crops were produced by 37–64% of the orchard’s parents. Pollination environment and seed crop size substantially influenced the observed results, particularly for small crops as pollen contamination was high in natural (28%) vs. intrusive pollination (10%). Generally, irrespective of the crop size, seed produced under natural pollination had higher pollen contamination, confirming the role of pollination environment manipulation in improving seed crops’ genetic quality.
Postpartum depression among women in Nagoya indirectly exposed to the Great East Japan Earthquake
Authors: Kubota Chika , Okada Takashi , Morikawa Mako , Nakamura Yukako , Yamauchi Aya , Ando Masahiko , Shiino Tomoko , Ohara Masako , Murase Satomi , Goto Setsuko , Kanai Atsuko , Masuda Tomoko , Aleksic Branko , Ozaki Norio
Published: July 2018

This study aimed to assess the situation of postpartum depression and maternal bonding in Nagoya, a city distant from the epicenter of the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011. Among the participants at 1 month after childbirth between March 11, 2010 and March 10, 2013 (n = 188), 152 fully responded to the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Mother–Infant Bonding Questionnaire (MIBQ). They were divided into pre-quake (n = 58), and 0–6, 6–12, 12–18, and 18–24 months after the earthquake groups (n = 20, 26, 29, and 19, respectively). The rate of mothers who scored above the cutoff point for the EPDS increased from 12.1% in the pre-quake to 35.0% in the 0–6 months group (p = 0.022). The EPDS total and anxiety subscale scores (mean ± standard error) were also significantly different between the pre-quake and 0–6 months after the earthquake groups (4.45 ± 0.50 vs. 7.95 ± 1.47, p = 0.024; 2.16 ± 0.26 vs. 3.65 ± 0.57, p = 0.021, respectively). The EPDS total and anxiety scores were the highest for the 0–6 months group, followed by the 6–12, 12–18, 18–24 months groups (p = 0.019, p = 0.022). MIBQ scores did not differ between the pre-quake and 0–6 months groups. Depressive symptoms, mainly explained by anxiety, increased after the earthquake with no changes in maternal bonding.
Conservation of oncofetal antigens on human embryonic stem cells enables discovery of monoclonal antibodies against cancer
Authors: Tan Heng Liang , Yong Charlene , Tan Bao Zhu , Fong Wey Jia , Padmanabhan Jayanthi , Chin Angela , Ding Vanessa , Lau Ally , Zheng Lu , Bi Xuezhi , Yang Yuansheng , Choo Andre
Published: July 2018

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are used as targeted therapies against cancers. These mAbs kill cancer cells via various mechanisms of actions. In this study, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) was used as the immunogen to generate a panel of antibodies. From this panel of mAbs, A19 was found to bind both hESC and various cancer cell lines. The antigen target of A19 was identified as Erbb-2 and glycan analysis showed that A19 binds to a N-glycan epitope on the antigen. A19 was elucidated to internalize into cancer cells following binding to Erbb-2 and hence developed as an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC). Using ADC as the mechanism of action, A19 was able to kill cancer cells in vitro and delayed the onset of tumour formation in mice xenograft model. When compared to Herceptin, A19 binds to different isoforms of Erbb-2 and does not compete with Herceptin for the same epitope. Hence, A19 has the potential to be developed as an alternative targeted therapeutic agent for cancers expressing Erbb-2.
Growth arrested live-attenuated Leishmania infantum KHARON1 null mutants display cytokinesis defect and protective immunity in mice
Authors: Santi Ana Maria Murta , Lanza Juliane Sousa , Tunes Luiza Guimarães , Fiuza Jacqueline Araújo , Roy Gaétan , Orfanó Alessandra da Silva , de Carvalho Andréa Teixeira , Frézard Frédéric , Barros André Luís Branco de , Murta Silvane Maria Fonseca , do Monte-Neto Rubens Lima
Published: July 2018

There is no safe and efficacious vaccine against human leishmaniasis available and live attenuated vaccines have been used as a prophylactic alternative against the disease. In order to obtain an attenuatedLeishmaniaparasite for vaccine purposes, we generatedL. infantum KHARON1(KH1) null mutants (ΔLikh1). This gene was previously associated with growth defects inL. mexicana. ΔLikh1was obtained and confirmed by PCR, qPCR andSouthern blot. We also generate aKH1complemented line with the introduction of episomal copies ofKH1. Although ΔLikh1promastigote forms exhibited a growth pattern similar to the wild-type line, they differ in morphology without affecting parasite viability.L. infantumKH1-deficient amastigotes were unable to sustain experimental infection in macrophages, forming multinucleate cells which was confirmed byin vivoattenuation phenotype. The cell cycle analysis of ΔLikh1amastigotes showed arrested cells at G2/M phase. ΔLikh1-immunized mice presented reduced parasite burden upon challenging with virulentL. infantum, when compared to naïve mice. An effect associated with increasedLiSLA-specific IgG serum levels and IL-17 production. Thus, ΔLikh1parasites present an infective-attenuated phenotype due to a cytokinesis defect, whereas it induces immunity against visceral leishmaniasis in mouse model, being a candidate for antileishmanial vaccine purposes.
A Novel Semi-Analytical Model for Multi-branched Fractures in Naturally Fractured-Vuggy Reservoirs
Authors: Wang Lei , Chen Xiaoxia , Xia Zunyi
Published: July 2018

In the past few decades, scholars have made great breakthroughs in the study of well test analysis of carbonate rock. The previous studies are based on horizontal wells, straight wells, fractured wells, and inclined wells. With the development of fracturing technology, acid fracturing technology is considered to be the most effective measure to develop carbonate reservoirs. As the carbonate rock is easily dissolved in carbonic acid, multi-branched fractures will be produced near a vertical well. This article presented a semi-analytical model for multi-branched fractures in naturally fractured-vuggy reservoirs for the first time, which laid a theoretical foundation for solving well test analysis for finite conductivity multi-branched fractures. The model can quantify the wellbore flow pressure and applied to obtain more parameters reflecting comprehensive flow characteristics through using history matching procedure. The results were compared with numerical simulation and the existing analytical solutions of a single fracture model. Then in this paper, flow characteristics are recognized and there are five flow regimes found in the type curves, e.g. bi-linear flow region, linear flow region, inter-porosity flow region between vugs and fractures, inter-porosity region between matrix and fractures, and radial flow region. Finally, the influence factors analysis shows fracture number will mainly affect flow behavior of bi-linear flow and linear flow. The angle analysis showed that as the fractures were closer, their interaction became stronger. The conductivity would seriously affect the flow behavior in the early time. Linear flow cannot be observed when the conductivity is less than 1 and bi-linear flow cannot be observed when the conductivity is more than 20. And the effect of fracture length on flow behavior occurs in the early time. Bi-linear flow and linear flow characteristics cannot be observed when the fracture length is reduced.
Utility of targeted deep sequencing for detecting circulating tumor DNA in pancreatic cancer patients
Authors: Park Gahee , Park Joo Kyung , Son Dae-Soon , Shin Seung-Ho , Kim Yeon Jeong , Jeon Hyo-Jeong , Lee Jae , Park Woong-Yang , Lee Kwang Hyuck , Park Donghyun
Published: July 2018

Targeted deep sequencing across broad genomic regions has been used to detect circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients. However, since most PDACs harbor a mutation in KRAS, sequencing of broad regions needs to be systemically compared to analyzing only KRAS mutations for PDAC. Using capture-based targeted deep sequencing, we detected somatic tumor mutations in 17 fine needle aspiration biopsy and 69 longitudinal cell-free DNA (cfDNA) samples from 17 PDAC patients. KRAS mutations were detected in 10 out of 17 pretreatment patient plasma samples. Next, interrogation of genetic alterations in matched primary tumor samples detected ctDNA in 12 of 17 pretreatment plasma samples and cfDNA sequencing across the 83 target genes identified ctDNA in 15 of 17 cases (88.2% sensitivity). This improved sensitivity of ctDNA detection resulted in enhanced tumor burden monitoring when we analyzed longitudinal plasma samples. We found that cfDNA sequencing detected the lowest mutant allelic fractions and number of variants when complete response or partial response to chemotherapy was achieved. We demonstrated that ctDNA levels measured by targeted deep sequencing sensitively indicate the presence of cancer and correlate well with clinical responses to therapy and disease progression in PDAC patients.
Magnetoelectric and magnetodielectric coupling and microwave resonator characteristics of Ba0.5Sr0.5Nb2O6/CoCr0.4Fe1.6O4 multiferroic composite
Authors: Tiwari Shivangi , Vitta Satish
Published: July 2018

A multiferroic composite consisting of single phases of 30 vol.% magnetostrictive ferrite and 70 vol.% relaxor ferroelectric has been synthesized. The ferrite exhibits a diffuse dielectric phase transition (DPT)with the transition temperature varying from 450 K to 600 K and an activation energy of 0.29 eV. Magnetically, it has a soft behavior with 70 emug−1 saturation magnetization and a Curie transition at ~620 K. The relaxor ferroelectric phase on the other hand exhibits two clear DPTs at 390 K–400 K and 150 K–300 K. The composite of these two shows a soft ferromagnetic behavior reminiscent of the ferrite along with 3 DPTs. There is strong coupling between the two orders – magnetostrictive and piezoelectric in the composite. The capacitance decreases by 45% in the presence of magnetic field corresponding to a sensitivity of 0.9% kOe−1, an extremely large value. The magnetoelectric coupling constant is found to be 20.6 mVcm−1Oe−1, a large value for a bulk composite. Microwave band stop filters of different thicknesses made from the composite have resonant frequencies which upshift in the presence of magnetic field indicating a multiferroic behavior with possibility for electric field tuning of resonant frequency.
Contrasting confocal XRF with micro-SORS: a deep view within micrometric painted stratigraphy
Authors: Conti Claudia , Botteon Alessandra , Colombo Chiara , Realini Marco , Matousek Pavel , Vandenabeele Peter , Laforce Brecht , Vekemans Bart , Vincze Laszlo
Published: July 2018

The study presents the application of combined micro-Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (micro-SORS) and confocal X-ray fluorescence (confocal XRF) to the non-destructive investigation of micrometer scale stratified painted systems.
Nonmonotonic strain dependence of lattice thermal conductivity in monolayer SiC: a first-principles study
Authors: Guo San-Dong , Dong Jun , Liu Jiang-Tao
Published: July 2018

The lattice thermal conductivities (200, 250, 300 and 400 K) of a SiC monolayer versus strain, showing nonmonotonic strain dependence.
Hydrogen bonding from a valence bond theory perspective: the role of covalency
Authors: Nemes Coleen T. , Laconsay Croix J. , Galbraith John Morrison
Published: July 2018

Valence bond structures that explicitly include charge transfer account for more than 50% of hydrogen bond energy.
A physiochemical processing kinetics model for the vapor phase infiltration of polymers: measuring the energetics of precursor-polymer sorption, diffusion, and reaction
Authors: Leng Collen Z. , Losego Mark D.
Published: July 2018

We develop and apply a kinetics model for vapor phase infiltration to precisely control polymer transformation by metalorganic precursors.
Lead and zinc concentrations in household dust and toenails of the residents (Estarreja, Portugal): a source-pathway-fate model
Authors: Marinho Reis A. Paula , Cave M. , Sousa A. J. , Wragg J. , Rangel M. J. , Oliveira A. R. , Patinha C. , Rocha F. , Orsiere T. , Noack Y.
Published: July 2018

This paper describes a methodology developed to assess and apportion probable indoor and outdoor sources of potentially toxic elements while identifying chemical signatures in the household dust collected from private homes in an industrial city (Estarreja, central Portugal).
Green synthesis and biotransformation of amorphous Se nanospheres to trigonal 1D Se nanostructures: impact on Se mobility within the concept of radioactive waste disposal
Authors: Ruiz Fresneda Miguel A. , Delgado Martín Josemaría , Gómez Bolívar Jaime , Fernández Cantos María V. , Bosch-Estévez Germán , Martínez Moreno Marcos F. , Merroun Mohamed L.
Published: July 2018

A green method for the synthesis of one-dimensional (1D) trigonal selenium (t-Se) nanostructures is presented.
A surface plasmon-enhanced nanozyme-based fenton process for visible-light-driven aqueous ammonia oxidation
Authors: Zhang Qi , Chen Shuo , Wang Hua
Published: July 2018

Surface plasmon-enhanced nanozyme-based Fenton process under visible light irradiation.
Identification accuracy improvement for steel species using a least squares support vector machine and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
Authors: Lin Jingjun , Lin Xiaomei , Guo Lianbo , Guo Yangmin , Tang Yun , Chu Yanwu , Tang Shisong , Che Changjin
Published: July 2018

Two typical classification methods, partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and a support vector machine (SVM), were used to study the classification of steels with similar constituents.
Growth of 2 cm metallic porous TiN single crystals
Authors: Lin Guoming , Xi Shaobo , Pan Changchang , Lin Wenlie , Xie Kui
Published: July 2018

Metallic porous single crystals would significantly provide enhanced functionalities owing to their structural coherence that reduces the electronic and photonic scattering effects.
Combination therapy with vitamin C and DMSA for arsenic–fluoride co-exposure in rats
Authors: Mittal Megha , Chatterjee Sreemoyee , Flora S. J. S.
Published: July 2018

Arsenic and fluoride are recognized globally as the most serious inorganic contaminants in drinking water.
Avoiding irreversible 5-fluorocytosine hydration via supramolecular synthesis of pharmaceutical cocrystals
Authors: Souza Matheus S. , Diniz Luan F. , Vogt Lautaro , Carvalho Paulo S. , D’vries Richard F. , Ellena Javier
Published: July 2018

Supramolecular reaction of 5-FC with caffeine, p-aminobenzoic and caprylic acid gave rise to solid forms physically stable in humid environments.
New opportunities for efficient N2 fixation by nanosheet photocatalysts
Authors: Li Hao , Mao Chengliang , Shang Huan , Yang Zhiping , Ai Zhihui , Zhang Lizhi
Published: July 2018

Catalytic ammonia synthesis from dinitrogen (N2) under mild conditions has been considered to be the “holy grail” of N2 fixation, which is one of the most important chemical processes in the agriculture, biological and industrial fields.
A twin-tailed tadpole-shaped amphiphilic copolymer of poly(ethylene glycol) and cyclic poly(ε-caprolactone): synthesis, self-assembly and biomedical applications
Authors: Zhou Yanyan , Li Lei , Chen Wei , Li Dian , Zhou Nianchen , He Jinlin , Ni Peihong , Zhang Zhengbiao , Zhu Xiulin
Published: July 2018

A tadpole-shaped amphiphilic copolymer containing cyclic PCL and two PEG tails, PEG-b-(c-PCL)-b-PEG, was rationally designed and synthesized.
High-performance electrofluorochromic devices based on aromatic polyamides with AIE-active tetraphenylethene and electro-active triphenylamine moieties
Authors: Cheng Shun-Wen , Han Ting , Huang Teng-Yung , Tang Ben-Zhong , Liou Guey-Sheng
Published: July 2018

Novel electrochromic (EC) and aggregation-enhanced emission (AEE)-active triphenylamine (TPA)-based polyamides were prepared and fabricated into electrofluorochromic (EFC) devices.
Visible-light-mediated radical arylthiodifluoromethylation of isocyanides with fluorinated 2-pyridyl sulfones
Authors: Wei Jun , Gu Dongyan , Wang Shengdan , Hu Jinbo , Dong Xiaowu , Sheng Rong
Published: July 2018

2-PySO2CF2SAr were developed as powerful arylthiodifluoromethylation reagents, and the Stern–Volmer luminescence studies demonstrated that the mechanism might operate via a photoredox cycle consisting of a reductive quenching with Na2CO3.
Spherical covalent organic frameworks as advanced adsorbents for preconcentration and separation of phenolic endocrine disruptors, followed by high performance liquid chromatography
Authors: Liu Jing-Min , Hao Jia-Li , Yuan Xin-Yue , Liu Hui-Lin , Fang Guo-Zhen , Wang Shuo
Published: July 2018

Spherical COFs as efficient adsorbents for preconcentration and separation of phenolic endocrine disruptors, followed by high performance liquid chromatography.
Viscoelastic and self-healing behavior of silica filled ionically modified poly(isobutylene-co-isoprene) rubber
Authors: Sallat Aladdin , Das Amit , Schaber Jana , Scheler Ulrich , Bhagavatheswaran Eshwaran S. , Stöckelhuber Klaus W. , Heinrich Gert , Voit Brigitte , Böhme Frank
Published: July 2018

A self-healing rubber/silica composite with superior mechanical performance was obtained by tuning specific noncovalent filler–matrix interactions.
Decoration of an inorganic layer with nickel (hydr)oxide via green plasma electrolysis
Authors: Fatimah Siti , Khoerunnisa Fitri , Ko Young Gun
Published: July 2018

Nickel (hydr)oxide decorating MgO matrix via green plasma electrolysis exhibited high solar absorbance but low infrared emissivity.
A green approach for the synthesis of novel Ag3PO4/SnO2/porcine bone and its exploitation as a catalyst in the photodegradation of lignosulfonate into alkyl acids
Authors: Chen Kai , Cao Mengdie , Ding Cong , Zheng Xinsheng
Published: July 2018

A novel Ag3PO4/SnO2/porcine bone photocatalyst was synthesized for mild depolymerization of lignosulfonate, providing a green approach to utilize lignin derivatives.
Copper-catalyzed C–S direct cross-coupling of thiols with 5-arylpenta-2,4-dienoic acid ethyl ester
Authors: Cai Rongrong , Zhou Zhuoda , Chai Qianqian , Zhu Yueer , Xu Runsheng
Published: July 2018

A selective copper (Cu)-catalyzed C–S bond direct cross-coupling of thiols with 5-arylpenta-2,4-dienoic acid ethyl ester was developed.
Direct evidence for heme-assisted solid-state electronic conduction in multi-hemec-type cytochromes
Authors: Garg Kavita , Ghosh Mihir , Eliash Tamar , van Wonderen Jessica H. , Butt Julea N. , Shi Liang , Jiang Xiuyun , Zdenek Futera , Blumberger Jochen , Pecht Israel , Sheves Mordechai , Cahen David
Published: July 2018

We study solvent-free electron transport across two multi-heme cytochrome c-type proteins, MtrF and STC, and find that they are better at conducting than non- or mono heme proteins.
pH/hypoxia programmable triggered cancer photo-chemotherapy based on a semiconducting polymer dot hybridized mesoporous silica framework
Authors: Zhang Da , Cai Zhixiong , Liao Naishun , Lan Shanyou , Wu Ming , Sun Haiyan , Wei Zuwu , Li Juan , Liu Xiaolong
Published: July 2018

We have integrated the pH/hypoxia-triggered Fe(iii)-banoxantrone (AQ4N) prodrug and semiconducting polymer dots (SPs) for programmable triggered cancer photothermal-chemotherapy.
Hierarchical tandem assembly of planar [3×3] building units into {3×[3×3]} oligomers: mixed-valency, electrical conductivity and magnetism
Authors: Yu Fei , Kurmoo Mohamedally , Zhuang Gui-Lin , Zuo Jing-Lin
Published: July 2018

Electrical conductors are made from flat grid clusters of copper using mixed-valency and supramolecular interactions between the enveloping organic ligands.
Effective Hamiltonian of topologically stabilized polymer states
Authors: Polovnikov K. , Nechaev S. , Tamm M. V.
Published: July 2018

Topologically stabilized polymer conformations in melts of nonconcatenated polymer rings and crumpled globules are considered to be a good candidate for the description of the spatial structure of mitotic chromosomes.
Entropically driven controlled release of paclitaxel from poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) coated maghemite nanostructures for magnetically guided cancer therapy
Authors: Kumar Nitesh , Tyeb Suhela , Manzar Nishat , Behera Laxmidhar , Ateeq Bushra , Verma Vivek
Published: July 2018

Theranostic nanostructures serve a dual purpose of therapy and diagnosis.
Effects of trivalent dopants on phase stability and catalytic activity of YBaCo4O7-based cathodes in solid oxide fuel cells
Authors: Lai Ke-Yu , Manthiram Arumugam
Published: July 2018

In order to understand the doping and co-doping effects of trivalent cations (Al3+, Ga3+, and Fe3+) in the swedenborgite oxide YBaCo4O7 as a cathode in intermediate-temperature SOFCs, four series of YBaCo4O7-based materials, including YBaCo4−xAlxO7+δ, YBaCo4−x−yGaxAlyO7+δ, YBaCo3.2Ga0.8−xFexO7+δ, and YBaCo3.5−xAl0.5FexO7+δ, have been synthesized and investigated.
Simultaneous in situ reduction and embedment of Cu nanoparticles into TiO2 for the design of exceptionally active and stable photocatalysts
Authors: Ng Serene Wen Ling , Gao Minmin , Ong Wei Li , Lim Kane Jian Hong , Peh Connor Kang Nuo , Ho Ghim Wei
Published: July 2018

A facile approach for achieving homogenous Cu embedment in TiO2 for an exceptionally high and stable H2 production rate.
Bioinspired foam with large 3D macropores for efficient solar steam generation
Authors: Zhang Wentao , Zhu Wenxin , Shi Shuo , Hu Na , Suo Yourui , Wang Jianlong
Published: July 2018

A bioinspired “nano-fixation” strategy is proposed to prepare functional foams with large 3D macropores, showing enhanced performance for solar steam generation. Besides, the novel nano-fixation principle shows good universality in guiding the preparation of other functional foams and would find a variety of applications.
Tuning ZnSe/CoSe in MOF-derived N-doped porous carbon/CNTs for high-performance lithium storage
Authors: Jin Jun , Zheng Yun , Kong Ling Bing , Srikanth Narasimalu , Yan Qingyu , Zhou Kun
Published: July 2018

Binary metal selenides (ZnSe/CoSe) encapsulated in N-doped carbon polyhedra interconnected with carbon nanotubes (ZCS@NC/CNTs) are prepared through a simple solution method, involving subsequent in situ pyrolysis and selenization of the metal–organic framework (MOF) precursor.
PEDOT:PSS monolayers to enhance the hole extraction and stability of perovskite solar cells
Authors: Hu Lijun , Li Meng , Yang Ke , Xiong Zhuang , Yang Bo , Wang Ming , Tang Xiaosheng , Zang Zhigang , Liu Xixia , Li Bichen , Xiao Zeyun , Lu Shirong , Gong Hao , Ouyang Jianyong , Sun Kuan
Published: July 2018

A possible high efficiency working model of a monolayer PEDOT:PSS film and a brief fabrication process.
Effects of fused-ring regiochemistry on the properties and photovoltaic performance of n-type organic semiconductor acceptors
Authors: Li Xiaojun , Huang He , Peng Zhengxing , Sun Chenkai , Yang Dengchen , Zhou Jiadong , Liebman-Pelaez Alex , Zhu Chenhui , Zhang Zhi-Guo , Zhang Zhanjun , Xie Zengqi , Ade Harald , Li Yongfang
Published: July 2018

The effects of fused-ring regiochemistry on the physicochemical and photovoltaic properties of n-type organic semiconductor (n-OS) acceptors are investigated.
AS1411-decorated niosomes as effective nanocarriers for Ru(iii)-based drugs in anticancer strategies
Authors: Riccardi Claudia , Fàbrega Carme , Grijalvo Santiago , Vitiello Giuseppe , D’Errico Gerardino , Eritja Ramon , Montesarchio Daniela
Published: July 2018

A schematic representation of AS1411/niosome_HoThyRu formulations and of the thin film hydration method, which was used for their preparation accompanied by the chemical structures of all the nanosystem components.
Acene-based organic semiconductors for organic light-emitting diodes and perovskite solar cells
Authors: Pham Hong Duc , Hu Hongwei , Wong Fu-Lung , Lee Chun-Sing , Chen Wen-Cheng , Feron Krishna , Manzhos Sergei , Wang Hongxia , Motta Nunzio , Lam Yeng Ming , Sonar Prashant
Published: July 2018

A series of strong electron-rich small molecules based on acenes were designed and synthesized for application in green/blue organic light-emitting diodes and perovskite solar cells.
20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid antagonist attenuates the development of malignant hypertension and reverses it once established: a study in Cyp1a1-Ren-2 transgenic rats
Authors: Sedláková Lenka , Kikerlová Soňa , Husková Zuzana , Červenková Lenka , Chábová Věra Čertíková , Zicha Josef , Falck John R. , Imig John D. , Kompanowska-Jezierska Elzbieta , Sadowski Janusz , Krátký Vojtěch , Červenka Luděk , Kopkan Libor
Published: July 2018

We hypothesized that vascular actions of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), the product of cytochrome P450 (CYP450)-dependent ω-hydroxylase, potentiate prohypertensive actions of angiotensin II (ANG II) in Cyp1a1-Ren-2 transgenic rats, a model of ANG II-dependent malignant hypertension. Therefore, we evaluated the antihypertensive effectiveness of 20-HETE receptor antagonist (AAA) in this model. Malignant hypertension was induced in Cyp1a1-Ren-2 transgenic rats by activation of the renin gene using indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a natural xenobiotic. Treatment with AAA was started either simultaneously with induction of hypertension or 10 days later, during established hypertension. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was monitored by radiotelemetry, indices of renal and cardiac injury, and kidney ANG II levels were determined. In I3C-induced hypertensive rats, early AAA treatment reduced SBP elevation (to 161 ± 3 compared with 199 ± 3 mmHg in untreated I3C-induced rats), reduced albuminuria, glomerulosclerosis index, and cardiac hypertrophy (P<0.05 in all cases). Untreated I3C-induced rats showed augmented kidney ANG II (405 ± 14 compared with 52 ± 3 fmol/g in non-induced rats, P<0.05) which was markedly lowered by AAA treatment (72 ± 6 fmol/g). Remarkably, in TGR with established hypertension, AAA also decreased SBP (from 187 ± 4 to 158 ± 4 mmHg, P<0.05) and exhibited organoprotective effects in addition to marked suppression of kidney ANG II levels. In conclusion, 20-HETE antagonist attenuated the development and largely reversed the established ANG II-dependent malignant hypertension, likely via suppression of intrarenal ANG II levels. This suggests that intrarenal ANG II activation by 20-HETE is important in the pathophysiology of this hypertension form.
The role of polymorphic ERAP1 in autoinflammatory disease
Authors: Reeves Emma , James Edward
Published: July 2018

Autoimmune and autoinflammatory conditions represent a group of disorders characterized by self-directed tissue damage due to aberrant changes in innate and adaptive immune responses. These disorders possess widely varying clinical phenotypes and etiology; however, they share a number of similarities in genetic associations and environmental influences. Whilst the pathogenic mechanisms of disease remain poorly understood, genome wide association studies (GWAS) have implicated a number of genetic loci that are shared between several autoimmune and autoinflammatory conditions. Association of particular HLA alleles with disease susceptibility represents one of the strongest genetic associations. Furthermore, recent GWAS findings reveal strong associations with single nucleotide polymorphisms in the endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) gene and susceptibility to a number of these HLA-associated conditions. ERAP1 plays a major role in regulating the repertoire of peptides presented on HLA class I alleles at the cell surface, with the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms in ERAP1 having a significant impact on peptide processing function and the repertoire of peptides presented. The impact of this dysfunctional peptide generation on CD8+ T-cell responses has been proposed as a mechanism of pathogenesis diseases where HLA and ERAP1 are associated. More recently, studies have highlighted a role for ERAP1 in innate immune-mediated pathways involved in inflammatory responses. Here, we discuss the role of polymorphic ERAP1 in various immune cell functions, and in the context of autoimmune and autoinflammatory disease pathogenesis.
High LINC01605 expression predicts poor prognosis and promotes tumor progression via up-regulation of MMP9 in bladder cancer
Authors: Qin Zhiqiang , Wang Yi , Tang Jingyuan , Zhang Lei , Li Ran , Xue Jianxin , Han Peng , Wang Wei , Qin Chao , Xing Qianwei , Yang Jie , Zhang Wei
Published: July 2018

The advent of high-throughput sequencing methods has facilitated identification of novel long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which have been demonstrated to play an important role in multiple tumors. Moreover, with the assistance of bioinformatics analysis, LINC01605 has been found to be up-regulated in bladder cancer (BC) tissues compared with normal tissues. Hence, the present study was to explore its specific biological role and related mechanism in BC. The relative expression level of LINC01605 was measured in a cohort of BC tissues with matched normal tissues as well as human BC cell lines by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Survival analysis was performed to explore the relationship between LINC01605 expression and the prognosis of BC patients. The biological function of LINC01605 was studied in vitroand in vivo, by means of CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, transwell assay, and tumor xenografts mice model. LINC01605 was found to be frequently highly expressed in both human BC cells and tissues. Survival analysis indicated that high LINC01605 expression was associated with higher histological grade and clinical stages. In addition, down-regulated LINC01605 in BC cells could significantly inhibit the abilities of proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and knockdown of LINC01605 in subcutaneous xenograft tumor model could impede tumorigenesis in vivo. Mechanistically, LINC01605 could activate epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) signaling pathway and promote the expression of matrix metallopeptidase (MMP) 9 (MMP9). In summary, our results shed light on that LINC01605, as a new prognostic biomarker, could promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion of BC cells via activating EMT signaling pathway and up-regulating MMP9 expression.
The exostosin family of glycosyltransferases: mRNA expression profiles and heparan sulphate structure in human breast carcinoma cell lines
Authors: Sembajwe Lawrence F. , Katta Kirankumar , Grønning Mona , Kusche-Gullberg Marion
Published: July 2018

Breast cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in women. In recent years, regulation of genes involved in heparan sulphate (HS) biosynthesis have received increased interest as regulators of breast cancer cell adhesion and invasion. The exostosin (EXT) proteins are glycosyltransferases involved in elongation of HS, a regulator of intracellular signaling, cell–cell interactions, and tissue morphogenesis. The EXT family contains five members: EXT1, EXT2, and three EXT-like (EXTL) members: EXTL1, EXTL2, and EXTL3. While the expression levels of these enzymes change in tumor cells, little is known how this changes the structure and function of HS. In the present study, we investigated gene expression profiles of the EXT family members, their glycosyltransferase activities and HS structure in the estrogen receptor (ER), and progesterone receptor (PR) positive MCF7 cells, and the ER, PR, and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) negative MDA-MB-231 and HCC38 epithelial breast carcinoma cell lines. The gene expression profiles for MDA-MB-231 and HCC38 cells were very similar. In both cell lines EXTL2 was found to be up-regulated whereas EXT2 was down-regulated. Interestingly, despite having similar expression of HS elongation enzymes the two cell lines synthesized HS chains of significantly different lengths. Furthermore, both MDA-MB-231 and HCC38 exhibited markedly decreased levels of HS 6-O-sulphated disaccharides. Although the gene expression profiles of the elongation enzymes did not correlate with the length of HS chains, our results indicated specific differences in EXT enzyme levels and HS fine structure characteristic of the carcinogenic properties of the breast carcinoma cells.
Comprehension of Single Versus Combined Modality Information by People With Aphasia
Authors: Brown Jessica A. , Wallace Sarah E. , Knollman-Porter Kelly , Hux Karen
Published: July 2018

Purpose

Every adult with aphasia displays a unique constellation of language comprehension skills and varies in the benefit derived from different content presentation formats. For many, multiple modality presentation enhances comprehension. This study's purpose was to determine the comprehension benefits for people with mild, moderate, and severe aphasia when hearing, reading, or simultaneously hearing and reading single sentences.

Method

Twenty-seven adults with aphasia performed a repeated-measures experiment across 3 conditions. Participants read and/or listened to sentence stimuli and selected from 4 images the 1 matching the sentence. Participants also indicated condition preference.

Results

Participants demonstrated significantly greatest accuracy during simultaneous written and auditory stimulus presentation. Performance patterns varied within aphasia severity groups. Individuals with mild and moderate aphasia demonstrated minimal performance differences across conditions, and people with severe aphasia were significantly more accurate in the combined modality than the written-only modality. Overall, participants required the longest response time in the written-only condition; however, participants were most efficient with auditory content. Condition preferences did not always mirror accuracy; however, the majority reported a preference for combined content presentation.

Conclusions

Results suggest some people with aphasia may benefit from combined auditory and written modalities to enhance comprehension efforts.
Effect Size Benchmarks for Response Elaboration Training: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Bunker Lisa D. , Nessler Christina , Wambaugh Julie L.
Published: July 2018

Purpose

With a number of single-case experimental design studies reporting the effects of treatment for response (and modified response) elaboration training (RET/M-RET), it is important to consolidate data over multiple participants to allow comparison within/between individuals and across similar treatments. The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis of single-case experimental design studies of RET/M-RET and to determine effect size (ES) benchmarks to allow comparison to “group” data.

Method

Database and bibliographical searches identified 20 investigations of RET/M-RET. Nine studies had sufficient experimental quality, compliance with the essential components of the RET protocol, and consistency in the dependent variable (i.e., accurate content production in response to picture stimuli) to be retained for the meta-analysis. Probe data for a total of 26 persons with aphasia (PWA) were extracted from published graphs (if raw data were not available) to calculate weighted ESs at the end of treatment and at follow-up for both treated and untreated stimuli. The first, second, and third quartiles of the distributions were used to serve at benchmarks for small, medium, and large effects.

Results

Nearly all participants demonstrated positive effects as a result of RET/M-RET, indicating an association with positive changes in content production for PWA. Small, medium, and large benchmarks are reported for treated items after treatment and at follow-up, as well as for untreated items after treatment and at follow-up.

Conclusions

With a larger sample of 26 participants, this analysis indicates that RET/M-RET are associated with positive changes in content production for PWA. ES benchmarks allow clinicians/researchers to compare an individual's performance across multiple applications of treatment to performance of other PWA and to other treatments with similar outcomes.
Interactive Storybook Reading Instruction for Preschoolers Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing: A Multiple Probe Across Behaviors Analysis
Authors: Trussell Jessica W. , Hasko Janna , Kane Joy , Amari Brittany , Brusehaber Alison
Published: July 2018

Purpose

Interactive storybook reading (ISR) improves the picture labeling vocabulary of children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH). Vocabulary knowledge consistently predicts the later reading achievement of children who are DHH. In this study, ISR was modified to include teaching word meanings along with the vocabulary picture label.

Method

A multiple probe across behaviors single-case experimental design was implemented to determine the effects of ISR with word meaning instruction on picture labeling and word meaning knowledge of 6 preschoolers who are DHH and use spoken English. The student and teacher participants engaged in ISR for 15–20 min a day, 4 days a week for 3 weeks.

Results

A functional relation was established between ISR and the increase in the preschoolers' word labeling and meaning knowledge. The preschoolers' word knowledge was generalized and was maintained over time.

Conclusions

ISR may be an effective vocabulary labeling and word meaning instructional strategy for young children who are DHH and use spoken English. Teachers and related service providers who work with this population may want to implement ISR with word meaning in 1-to-1 or small groups to individualize the target vocabulary and maximize the benefit. Future researchers should replicate this to expand its generalizability to other subpopulations of children who are DHH.
High variation removal for background subtraction in traffic surveillance systems
Authors: Viet‐Uyen Ha Synh , Nguyen‐Ngoc Tran Duong , Nguyen Tien Phuoc , Vu‐Truong Dao Son
Published: July 2018

Background subtraction has been a fundamental task in video analytics and smart surveillance applications. In the field of background subtraction, Gaussian mixture model is a canonical model for many other methods. However, the unconscious learning of this model often leads to erroneous motion detection under high variation scenes. This article proposes a new method that incorporates entropy estimation and a removal framework into the Gaussian mixture model to improve the performance of background subtraction. Firstly, entropy information is computed for each pixel of a frame to classify frames into silent or high variation categories. Secondly, the removal framework is used to determine which frames from the background subtraction process are updated. The proposed method produces precise results with fast execution time, which are two critical factors in surveillance systems for more advanced tasks. The authors used two publicly available test sequences from the 2014 Change Detection and Scene background modelling data sets and internally collected data sets of scenes with dense traffic.
Automatic multi‐circle detection on images using the teaching learning based optimisation algorithm
Authors: López Alan , Cuevas Francisco J.
Published: July 2018

Circle detection has numerous applications towards industry, robotics, and science in general. Therefore, a significant effort has been made in order to develop an accurate and fast method for circle extraction. Commonly, different techniques such as the ones based on the Hough transform have been widely used because of their robustness. However, these techniques usually demand a considerable computational load and large storage, and therefore meta‐heuristic approaches such as evolutionary and swarm‐based algorithms have been studied as an alternative. This study introduces a circle‐detection method based on a recently proposed meta‐heuristic technique: the teaching learning based optimisation algorithm, which is a population‐based technique that is inspired by the teaching and learning processes. The algorithm uses the encoding of three points as candidate circles over the edge image. To evaluate if such candidate circles are actually present within the edge map, an objective function is used to guide the search. To validate the efficacy of the proposed approach, several tests using noisy and complex images as input were carried out, and the results were compared with different approaches for circle detection.
Multi‐layer fusion techniques using a CNN for multispectral pedestrian detection
Authors: Chen Yunfan , Xie Han , Shin Hyunchul
Published: July 2018

In this study, a novel multi‐layer fused convolution neural network (MLF‐CNN) is proposed for detecting pedestrians under adverse illumination conditions. Currently, most existing pedestrian detectors are very likely to be stuck under adverse illumination circumstances such as shadows, overexposure, or nighttime. To detect pedestrians under such conditions, the authors apply deep learning for effective fusion of the visible and thermal information in multispectral images. The MLF‐CNN consists of a proposal generation stage and a detection stage. In the first stage, they design an MLF region proposal network and propose to use summation fusion method for integration of the two convolutional layers. This combination can detect pedestrians in different scales, even in adverse illumination. Furthermore, instead of extracting features from a single layer, they extract features from three feature maps and match the scale using the fused ROI pooling layers. This new multiple‐layer fusion technique can significantly reduce the detection miss rate. Extensive evaluations of several challenging datasets well demonstrate that their approach achieves state‐of‐the‐art performance. For example, their method performs 28.62% better than the baseline method and 11.35% better than the well‐known faster R‐CNN halfway fusion method in detection accuracy on KAIST multispectral pedestrian dataset.
On fast prototyping LoRaWAN: a cheap and open platform for daily experiments
Authors: Pulpito Mariano , Fornarelli Paolo , Pomo Claudio , Boccadoro Pietro , Grieco Luigi Alfredo
Published: July 2018

Low‐power wide area networks (LPWANs) are gaining momentum within Internet of Things circles, thanks to their inherent capabilities to simplify network topologies and increase coverage in low‐rate and low‐power communications. This study focuses on a specific LPWAN technology, namely Long Range Wireless Area Network (LoRaWAN), which is being widely investigated by the research community worldwide. LoRaWAN offers many noticeable features, including wide coverage areas, security by design, power consumption and bandwidth optimisation, and a high degree of flexibility and reconfigurability. Unfortunately, in spite of these valuable characteristics, LoRaWAN appliances are often closed source and proprietary. To bridge the gap, this study proposes a prototype, which has been designed and set up using open low‐cost experimental boards and programming tools, only. Moreover, an experimental campaign has been carried out in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed platform.
Deciphering the oscillation spectrum of γ Doradus and SPB stars
Authors: Christophe S. , Ballot J. , Ouazzani R.-M. , Antoci V. , Salmon S. J. A. J.
Published: July 2018

Context. The space-based Kepler mission provided four years of highly precise and almost uninterrupted photometry for hundreds of γ Doradus stars and tens of slowly pulsating B-type (SPB) stars, finally allowing us to apply asteroseismology to these gravity mode pulsators. Without rotation, gravity modes are equally spaced in period. This simple structure does not hold in rotating stars for which rotation needs to be taken into account to accurately interpret the oscillation spectrum.

Aims. We aim to develop a stellar-model-independent method to analyse and interpret the oscillation spectrum of γ Dor and SPB stars.

Methods. Within the traditional approximation of rotation, we highlight the possibility of recovering the equidistance of period spacings by stretching the pulsation periods. The stretching function depends on the degree and azimuthal order of gravity modes and the rotation rate of the star. In this new stretched space, the pulsation modes are regularly spaced by the stellar buoyancy radius.

Results. On the basis of this property, we implemented a method to search for these new regularities and simultaneously infer the rotation frequency and buoyancy radius. Tests on synthetic spectra computed with a non-perturbative approach show that we can retrieve these two parameters with reasonable accuracy along with the mode identification. In uniformly rotating models of a typical γ Dor star, and for the most observed prograde dipole modes, we show that the accuracy on the derived parameters is better than 5% on both the internal rotation rate and the buoyancy radius. Finally, we apply the method to two stars of the Kepler field, a γ Dor and an SPB, and compare our results with those of other existing methods.

Conclusions. We provide a stellar-model-independent method to obtain the near-core rotation rate, the buoyancy radius, and the mode identification from gravity-mode spectra of γ Dor and SPB stars.