bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
First profiling of lysine crotonylation of myofilament proteins and ribosomal proteins in zebrafish embryos
Authors: Kwon Oh Kwang , Kim Sun Joo , Lee Sangkyu
Published: February 2018

Zebrafish embryos are translucent and develop rapidly in individual eggs ex utero; they are widely used as models for embryogenesis and organ development for human diseases and drug discovery. Lysine crotonylation (Kcr) is a type of histone post-translational modifications discovered in 2011. Kcr dynamics are involved in gene expression regulation and acute kidney injury; however, little is known about the effects of Kcr on non-histone proteins. In the present study, we conducted the first proteome-wide profiling of Kcr in zebrafish larvae and identified 557 Kcr sites on 218 proteins, representing the Kcr event in zebrafish. We identified two types of Kcr motifs containing hydrophobic (Leu, Ile, Val) and acidic (Asp and Glu) amino acids near the modified lysine residues. Our results show that both crotonylated proteins and sites of crotonylation were evolutionarily conserved between zebrafish embryos and humans. Specifically, Kcr on ribosomal proteins and myofilament proteins, including myosin, tropomyosin and troponin, were widely enriched. Interestingly, 55 lysine crotonylation sites on myosin were distributed throughout coiled coil regions. Therefore, Kcr may regulate muscle contraction and protein synthesis. Our results provide a foundation for future studies on the effects of lysine crotonylation on aging and heart failure.
Signatures of human impact on self-organized vegetation in the Horn of Africa
Authors: Gowda Karna , Iams Sarah , Silber Mary
Published: February 2018

In many dryland environments, vegetation self-organizes into bands that can be clearly identified in remotely-sensed imagery. The status of individual bands can be tracked over time, allowing for a detailed remote analysis of how human populations affect the vital balance of dryland ecosystems. In this study, we characterize vegetation change in areas of the Horn of Africa where imagery taken in the early 1950s is available. We find that substantial change is associated with steep increases in human activity, which we infer primarily through the extent of road and dirt track development. A seemingly paradoxical signature of human impact appears as an increase in the widths of the vegetation bands, which effectively increases the extent of vegetation cover in many areas. We show that this widening occurs due to altered rates of vegetation colonization and mortality at the edges of the bands, and conjecture that such changes are driven by human-induced shifts in plant species composition. Our findings suggest signatures of human impact that may aid in identifying and monitoring vulnerable drylands in the Horn of Africa.
A small molecule inhibitor of Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase for the treatment of metabolic disorders
Authors: Kannt Aimo , Rajagopal Sridharan , Kadnur Sanjay Venkatachalapathi , Suresh Juluri , Bhamidipati Ravi Kanth , Swaminathan Srinivasan , Hallur Mahanandeesha Siddappa , Kristam Rajendra , Elvert Ralf , Czech Jörg , Pfenninger Anja , Rudolph Christine , Schreuder Herman , Chandrasekar Devaraj Venkatapura , Mane Vishal Subhash , Birudukota Swarnakumari , Shaik Shama , Zope Bharat Ravindra , Burri Raghunadha Reddy , Anand Niranjan Naranapura , Thakur Manish Kumar , Singh Manvi , Parveen Reejuana , Kandan Saravanan , Mullangi Ramesh , Yura Takeshi , Gosu Ramachandraiah , Ruf Sven , Dhakshinamoorthy Saravanakumar
Published: February 2018

Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) is a cytosolic enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group from the co-factor S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) onto the substrate, nicotinamide (NA) to form 1-methyl-nicotinamide (MNA). Higher NNMT expression and MNA concentrations have been associated with obesity and type-2 diabetes. Here we report a small molecule analog of NA, JBSNF-000088, that inhibits NNMT activity, reduces MNA levels and drives insulin sensitization, glucose modulation and body weight reduction in animal models of metabolic disease. In mice with high fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity, JBSNF-000088 treatment caused a reduction in body weight, improved insulin sensitivity and normalized glucose tolerance to the level of lean control mice. These effects were not seen in NNMT knockout mice on HFD, confirming specificity of JBSNF-000088. The compound also improved glucose handling in ob/ob and db/db mice albeit to a lesser extent and in the absence of weight loss. Co-crystal structure analysis revealed the presence of the N-methylated product of JBSNF-000088 bound to the NNMT protein. The N-methylated product was also detected in the plasma of mice treated with JBSNF-000088. Hence, JBSNF-000088 may act as a slow-turnover substrate analog, driving the observed metabolic benefits.
Nanobody-Displaying Flagellar Nanotubes
Authors: Klein Ágnes , Kovács Mátyás , Muskotál Adél , Jankovics Hajnalka , Tóth Balázs , Pósfai Mihály , Vonderviszt Ferenc
Published: February 2018

In this work we addressed the problem how to fabricate self-assembling tubular nanostructures displaying target recognition functionalities. Bacterial flagellar filaments, composed of thousands of flagellin subunits, were used as scaffolds to display single-domain antibodies (nanobodies) on their surface. As a representative example, an anti-GFP nanobody was successfully inserted into the middle part of flagellin replacing the hypervariable surface-exposed D3 domain. A novel procedure was developed to select appropriate linkers required for functional internal insertion. Linkers of various lengths and conformational properties were chosen from a linker database and they were randomly attached to both ends of an anti-GFP nanobody to facilitate insertion. Functional fusion constructs capable of forming filaments on the surface of flagellin-deficient host cells were selected by magnetic microparticles covered by target GFP molecules and appropriate linkers were identified. TEM studies revealed that short filaments of 2–900 nm were formed on the cell surface. ITC and fluorescent measurements demonstrated that the fusion protein exhibited high binding affinity towards GFP. Our approach allows the development of functionalized flagellar nanotubes against a variety of important target molecules offering potential applications in biosensorics and bio-nanotechnology.
Intramembranous ossification and endochondral ossification are impaired differently between glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis and estrogen deficiency-induced osteoporosis
Authors: Zhang Hongyang , Shi Xiaojuan , Wang Long , Li Xiaojie , Zheng Chao , Gao Bo , Xu Xiaolong , Lin Xisheng , Wang Jinpeng , Lin Yangjing , Shi Jun , Huang Qiang , Luo Zhuojing , Yang Liu
Published: February 2018

A fracture is the most dangerous complication of osteoporosis in patients because the associated disability and mortality rates are high. Osteoporosis impairs fracture healing and prognosis, but how intramembranous ossification (IO) or endochondral ossification (EO) during fracture healing are affected and whether these two kinds of ossification are different between glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) and estrogen deficiency-induced osteoporosis (EDOP) are poorly understood. In this study, we established two bone repair models that exhibited repair via IO or EO and compared the pathological progress of each under GIOP and EDOP. In the cortical drill-hole model, which is repaired through IO, osteogenic differentiation was more seriously impaired in EDOP at the early stage than in GIOP. In the periosteum scratch model, in which EO is replicated, chondrocyte hypertrophy progression was delayed in both GIOP and EDOP. The in vitro results were consistent with the in vivo results. Our study is the first to establish bone repair models in which IO and EO occur separately, and the results strongly describe the differences in bone repair between GIOP and EDOP.
Tolerance of chronic HDACi treatment for neurological, visceral and lung Niemann-Pick Type C disease in mice
Authors: Alam Md. Suhail , Cooper Bruce , Farris Joseph D. , Haldar Kasturi
Published: February 2018

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are of significant interest as drugs. However, their use to treat neurological disorders has raised concern because HDACs are required for brain function. We have previously shown that a triple combination formulation (TCF) of the pan HDACi vorinostat (Vo), 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPBCD) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) 400 improves pharmacokinetic exposure and entry of Vo into the brain. TCF treatment significantly delayed both neurodegeneration and death in theNpc1nmf164murine model of Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) disease. The TCF induces no metabolic toxicity, but its risk to normal brain functions and potential utility in treating lung disease, a major NPC clinical complication, remain unknown. Here we report that TCF administered in healthy mice for 8–10 months was not detrimental to the brain or neuromuscular functions based on quantitative analyses of Purkinje neurons, neuroinflammation, neurocognitive/muscular disease symptom progression, cerebellar/hippocampal nerve fiber-staining, andHdacgene-expression. The TCF also improved delivery of Vo to lungs and reduced accumulation of foamy macrophages inNpc1nmf164mice, with no injury. Together, these data support feasibility of tolerable, chronic administration of an HDACi formulation that treats murine NPC neurological disease and lung pathology, a frequent cause of death in this and possibly additional disorders.
Optical properties of dense lithium in electride phases by first-principles calculations
Authors: Yu Zheng , Geng Hua Y. , Sun Y. , Chen Y.
Published: February 2018

The metal-semiconductor-metal transition in dense lithium is considered as an archetype of interplay between interstitial electron localization and delocalization induced by compression, which leads to exotic electride phases. In this work, the dynamic dielectric response and optical properties of the high-pressure electride phases of cI16, oC40 and oC24 in lithium spanning a wide pressure range from 40 to 200 GPa by first-principles calculations are reported. Both interband and intraband contribution to the dielectric function are deliberately treated with the linear response theory. One intraband and two interband plasmons in cI16 at 70 GPa induced by a structural distortion at 2.1, 4.1, and 7.7 eV are discovered, which make the reflectivity of this weak metallic phase abnormally lower than the insulating phase oC40 at the corresponding frequencies. More strikingly, oC24 as a reentrant metallic phase with higher conductivity becomes more transparent than oC40 in infrared and visible light range due to its unique electronic structure around Fermi surface. An intriguing reflectivity anisotropy in both oC40 and oC24 is predicted, with the former being strong enough for experimental detection within the spectrum up to 10 eV. The important role of interstitial localized electrons is highlighted, revealing diversity and rich physics in electrides.
A preliminary study on efficacy of rupatadine for the treatment of acute dengue infection
Authors: Malavige Gathsaurie Neelika , Wijewickrama Ananda , Fernando Samitha , Jeewandara Chandima , Ginneliya Anushka , Samarasekara Supun , Madushanka Praveen , Punchihewa Chameera , Paranavitane Shiran , Idampitiya Damayanthi , Wanigatunga Chandanie , Dissanayake Harsha , Prathapan Shamini , Gomes Laksiri , Aman Siti A. B. , John Ashley St. , Ogg Graham S.
Published: February 2018

Currently there are no specific treatments available for acute dengue infection. We considered that rupatadine, a platelet-activating factor receptor inhibitor, might modulate dengue-associated vascular leak. The effects of rupatadine were assessed in vitro, and in a dengue model, which showed that rupatadine significantly reduced endothelial permeability by dengue sera in vitro, and significantly inhibited the increased haematocrit in dengue-infected mice with dose-dependency. We conducted a randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 183 adult patients in Sri Lanka with acute dengue, which showed that rupatadine up to 40 mg daily appeared safe and well-tolerated with similar proportions of adverse events with rupatadine and placebo. Although the primary end-point of a significant reduction in fluid leakage (development of pleural effusions or ascites) was not met, post-hoc analyses revealed small but significant differences in several parameters on individual illness days - higher platelet counts and lower aspartate-aminotransferase levels on day 7 in the rupatadine group compared to the placebo group, and smaller effusions on day 8 in the subgroup of patients with pleural effusions. However, due to the small sample size and range of recruitment time, the potential beneficial effects of rupatadine require further evaluation in large studies focused on recruitment during the early febrile phase.
Current state of bioanalytical chromatography in clinical analysis
Authors: Kočová Vlčková H. , Pilařová V. , Svobodová P. , Plíšek J. , Švec F. , Nováková L.
Published: February 2018

Chromatographic methods have become popular in clinical analysis in both routine and research laboratories.
Electron induced surface reactions of (η5-C5H5)Fe(CO)2Mn(CO)5, a potential heterobimetallic precursor for focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID)
Authors: Unlu Ilyas , Spencer Julie A. , Johnson Kelsea R. , Thorman Rachel M. , Ingólfsson Oddur , McElwee-White Lisa , Fairbrother D. Howard
Published: February 2018

Electron-induced surface reactions of (η5-C5H5)Fe(CO)2Mn(CO)5were exploredin situunder ultra-high vacuum conditions using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.
Probing different spin states in xylyl radicals and ions
Authors: Steglich Mathias , Bodi Andras , Maier John P. , Hemberger Patrick
Published: February 2018

Resonant one-color two-photon ionization spectroscopy and mass-selected threshold photoelectron spectroscopy were applied to study the electronic doublet states of the three xylyl (methyl-benzyl) radicals above 3.9 eV as well as the singlet and triplet states of the cations up to 10.5 eV.
The kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of reduced phosphovanadomolybdates by molecular oxygen: theory and experiment in concert
Authors: Khenkin Alexander M. , Efremenko Irena , Martin Jan M. L. , Neumann Ronny
Published: February 2018

The reaction of molecular oxygen with a polyoxometalate catalyst used for electron transfer–oxygen transfer reactions shows an inner sphere process.
Lithium manganese oxyfluoride as a new cathode material exhibiting oxygen redox
Authors: House Robert A. , Jin Liyu , Maitra Urmimala , Tsuruta Kazuki , Somerville James W. , Förstermann Dominic P. , Massel Felix , Duda Laurent , Roberts Matthew R. , Bruce Peter G.
Published: February 2018

A new high performance cathode material for Li-ion batteries with a disordered rocksalt structure powered by manganese and oxygen redox.
The deposition of metal nanoparticles on carbon surfaces: the role of specific functional groups
Authors: Bowden B. , Davies M. , Davies P. R. , Guan S. , Morgan D. J. , Roberts V. , Wotton D.
Published: February 2018

The influence of hydroxyl and carbonyl groups on the deposition of gold from solution onto graphite surfaces was explored: OH gives Au0 whereas CO results in Au3+.
Intra-electron transfer induced by protonation in copper-containing nitrite reductase
Authors: Lintuluoto Masami , Lintuluoto Juha Mikael
Published: February 2018

Electron transfer between two Cu sites in the enzyme induced by protonation of remote catalytic residues.
Synthesis and evaluation of properties of N,N-bis(perfluorooctyl)imine acetate sodium as a gas-wetting alteration agent
Authors: Wang Yanling , Li Yongfei , Wang Qian , Li Qiang , Zhang Yue , Yuan Lin
Published: February 2018

A gas-wetting alteration agent, N,N-bis(perfluorooctyl)imine acetate sodium, was synthesized and characterized by different methods and the wettability of a rock surface was evaluated.
Saturation and beating of acoustic phonon oscillations excited near the exciton resonance of strained polar ZnO/Zn0.8Mg0.2O multiple quantum wells
Authors: Liu Wei-Rein , Lin Ja-Hon , Chen Jyun-Sian , Cheng Hsin-Ming , Li Sheng-Jie , Chen Hou-Ren , Hsu Chia-Hung , Hsieh Wen-Feng
Published: February 2018

Coherent acoustic phonons and carrier dynamics in ZnO/Zn0.8Mg0.2O multiple quantum wells from the perturbation of the built-in electric field are investigated using a degenerate pump–probe measurement technique near the exciton resonance.
A silk fibroin based green nano-filter for air filtration
Authors: Gao Xiaochao , Gou Jing , Zhang Ling , Duan Shasha , Li Chunzhong
Published: February 2018

This paper reports the fabrication of a silk fibroin nanofiber air filter via a green electrospinning method.
Improved performance of a CoTe//AC asymmetric supercapacitor using a redox additive aqueous electrolyte
Authors: Ye Beirong , Gong Chao , Huang Miaoliang , Tu Yongguang , Zheng Xuanqing , Fan Leqing , Lin Jianming , Wu Jihuai
Published: February 2018

The performance of an ASC with CoTe as the positive electrode can be enhanced by introducing redox additive K4Fe(CN)6 into the alkaline electrolyte.
Inhibitory effects of garcinone E on fatty acid synthase
Authors: Liang Yan , Luo Di , Gao Xuan , Wu Hao
Published: February 2018

Garcinone E exhibits both fast-binding reversible and time-dependent irreversible inhibition on the activity of fatty acid synthase.
Molecular dynamics simulation of the viscoelasticity of polymer nanocomposites under oscillatory shear: effect of interfacial chemical coupling
Authors: Li Ziwei , Liu Jun , Zhang Zhiyu , Gao Yangyang , Liu Li , Zhang Liqun , Yuan Binbin
Published: February 2018

In this work by adopting coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation, we focus attention on investigating the effect of the chemical coupling between polymer and nanoparticles (NPs) on the viscoelastic properties of polymer nanocomposites (PNCs).
One-step synthesis of ultra-long silver nanowires of over 100 μm and their application in flexible transparent conductive films
Authors: Li Yuxiu , Guo Shuailong , Yang Hongwei , Chao Yunxiu , Jiang Shaozhuang , Wang Chuan
Published: February 2018

Ultra-long silver nanowires (100–160 μm) were applied in flexible transparent conductive films showing low sheet resistance and high optical transmittance.
Lanthanide doping induced electrochemical enhancement of Na2Ti3O7 anodes for sodium-ion batteries
Authors: Xia Jiale , Zhao Hongyang , Pang Wei Kong , Yin Zongyou , Zhou Bo , He Gang , Guo Zaiping , Du Yaping
Published: February 2018

Lanthanide doped Na2Ti3O7 enabled remarkably higher capacity for sodium ion batteries due to the enhanced conductivity by introducing oxygen vacancies.
Phosphate–phosphate oligomerization drives higher order co-assemblies with stacks of cyanostar macrocycles
Authors: Fatila Elisabeth M. , Pink Maren , Twum Eric B. , Karty Jonathan A. , Flood Amar H.
Published: February 2018

Phosphate–phosphate oligomerization is shown to drive its recognition properties as revealed in co-assemblies with stackable macrocyclic hosts.
Wetting, meniscus structure, and capillary interactions of microspheres bound to a cylindrical liquid interface
Authors: Kim Paul Y. , Dinsmore Anthony D. , Hoagland David A. , Russell Thomas P.
Published: February 2018

Wetting, meniscus structure, and capillary interactions for polystyrene microspheres deposited on constant curvature cylindrical liquid interfaces, constructed from nonvolatile ionic or oligomeric liquids, were studied by optical interferometry and optical microscopy.
Anti-perovskite cathodes for lithium batteries
Authors: Lu Ziheng , Ciucci Francesco
Published: February 2018

The metastable anti-perovskite type cathode Li2FeSO is a fast ionic conductor.
Catalytic combustion of diesel soot over Fe and Ag-doped manganese oxides: role of heteroatoms in the catalytic performances
Authors: Kuwahara Yasutaka , Fujibayashi Akihiro , Uehara Hiroki , Mori Kohsuke , Yamashita Hiromi
Published: February 2018

Fe/Ag-doped manganese oxides show promising catalytic activities in diesel soot combustion, which occurviamechanisms involving activated surface/lattice oxygen species.
Structural behaviour of copper chloride catalysts during the chlorination of CO to phosgene
Authors: Guan Shaoliang , Davies Philip R. , Gibson Emma K. , Lennon David , Rossi Giovanni E. , Winfield John M. , Callison June , Wells Peter P. , Willock David J.
Published: February 2018

An attapulgite-supported Cu(ii)Cl2 catalyst has been studied with XANES and DFT approaches to follow the chlorination reaction of CO to phosgene.
Evaluation of the intrinsic catalytic activity of nanoparticles without prior knowledge of the mass loading
Authors: Löffler Tobias , Wilde Patrick , Öhl Denis , Chen Yen-Ting , Tschulik Kristina , Schuhmann Wolfgang
Published: February 2018

We propose a method enabling the evaluation of intrinsic catalytic activity of nanoparticles based on the diffusion-limited steady-state current.
Quantum calculations of At-mediated halogen bonds: on the influence of relativistic effects
Authors: Galland N. , Montavon G. , Le Questel J.-Y. , Graton J.
Published: February 2018

If astatine is generally a stronger halogen-bond donor than iodine, an inversion is sometimes observed owing to the spin–orbit coupling.
The graphene/n-Ge(110) interface: structure, doping, and electronic properties
Authors: Tesch Julia , Paschke Fabian , Fonin Mikhail , Wietstruk Marko , Böttcher Stefan , Koch Roland J. , Bostwick Aaron , Jozwiak Chris , Rotenberg Eli , Makarova Anna , Paulus Beate , Voloshina Elena , Dedkov Yuriy
Published: February 2018

Synthesis temperature and substrate doping are key factors which determine the properties of graphene on semiconducting Ge(110).
Phase-controlled synthesis of molybdenum oxide nanoparticles for surface enhanced Raman scattering and photothermal therapy
Authors: Zhan Yan , Liu Yingliang , Zu Hongru , Guo Yanxian , Wu Shuangshuang , Yang Haiyao , Liu Zhiming , Lei Bingfu , Zhuang Jianle , Zhang Xuejie , Huang Di , Hu Chaofan
Published: February 2018

Phase-controlled synthesis of plasmonic molybdenum oxide nanoparticles via a one-pot solvothermal strategy for use as a SERS substrate and PTT agent.
The shape effect on polymer nanoparticle transport in a blood vessel
Authors: Uhl C. G. , Gao Y. , Zhou S. , Liu Y.
Published: February 2018

Microfluidic platform analysis of therapeutic carrier delivery to cancerous sites for optimization of drug delivery efficiency over time-course treatment plans.
Correction: A proton conductor electrolyte based on molten CsH5(PO4)2 for intermediate-temperature fuel cells
Authors: Chen Xiaojing , Zhang Yichong , Ribeirinha Paulo , Li Haibin , Kong Xiangyang , Boaventura Marta
Published: February 2018

Correction for ‘A proton conductor electrolyte based on molten CsH5(PO4)2 for intermediate-temperature fuel cells’ by Xiaojing Chen et al., RSC Adv., 2018, 8, 5225–5232.
A highly integrated DNA nanomachine operating in living cells powered by an endogenous stimulus
Authors: Ma Pei-Qiang , Liang Cheng-Pin , Zhang He-Hua , Yin Bin-Cheng , Ye Bang-Ce
Published: February 2018

An elegant, highly integrated DNA nanomachine powered by endogenous ATP molecules was developed for specific microRNA imaging in living cells.
Inhibition of miR-155 attenuates abdominal aortic aneurysm in mice by regulating macrophage-mediated inflammation
Authors: Zhang Zhidong , Liang Kai , Zou Gangqiang , Chen Xiaosan , Shi Shuaitao , Wang Guoquan , Zhang Kewei , Li Kun , Zhai Shuiting
Published: February 2018

The aim of the present study was to identify abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA)-associated miR-155 contributing to AAA pathology by regulating macrophage-mediated inflammation. Angiotensin II (AngII)–infused apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice and THP-1 cells model of miR-155 overexpression and deficiency were used in the experiments. The expression of miR-155 was detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cytokines were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA). Western blotting was used to measure the levels of MMP-2, MMP-9, iNOS, and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 proteins. Immunostaining and transwell were used to determine CD68, elastic collagen, proliferation, and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). The results showed that miR-155 and cytokines were up-regulated in AAA patients or ApoE-/- mice. Overexpression of miR-155 enhanced MMP-2, MMP-9, iNOS, and MCP-1 levels, and stimulated the proliferation and migration of VSMCs. Meanwhile, inhibition of miR-155 had the opposite effect. In addition, histology demonstrated accumulation of CD68 and elastic collagen-positive areas significantly decreased in miR-155 antagomir injection group. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggest that inhibiting miR-155 is crucial to prevent the development of AAA by regulating macrophage inflammation.
Associations between LPL gene polymorphisms and coronary artery disease: evidence based on an updated and cumulative meta-analysis
Authors: Ma Wen-Qi , Wang Ying , Han Xi-Qiong , Zhu Yi , Liu Nai-Feng
Published: February 2018

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is widely linked to lipid and lipoprotein metabolism, but its effects on coronary artery disease (CAD) are not clearly elucidated. The aim of the present study was to clarify the association between LPL gene polymorphisms and CAD susceptibility. The pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to estimate the strength of the relationship between LPL gene polymorphisms and CAD risk. Comprehensive electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, were systematically searched. A total of 45 records containing 80 eligible studies were analyzed. The results indicated an increased risk between the LPL D9N polymorphism and susceptibility to CAD in the dominant genetic model (AA + GA vs. GG: OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.14–1.87), whereas the LPL HindIII polymorphism showed a protective effect against CAD under all tested models (GG + GT vs. TT: OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.75–0.97; GG vs. TT + TG: OR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.47–0.83; G vs. T: OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.71–0.92). No significant association was identified for the LPL N291S and PvuII polymorphisms. Stratification analysis by ethnicity suggested a significant correlation between the LPL S447X polymorphism and CAD susceptibility in Caucasians under the dominant and allele genetic models. In summary, our meta-analysis indicated that the LPL D9N polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of CAD, whereas the S447X and HindIII polymorphisms showed protective effects. There was no association observed between the N291S and PvuII polymorphisms and CAD risk.
Cross-Linguistic Cognate Production in Spanish–English Bilingual Children With and Without Specific Language Impairment
Authors: Grasso Stephanie M. , Peña Elizabeth D. , Bedore Lisa M. , Hixon J. Gregory , Griffin Zenzi M.
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Bilinguals tend to produce cognates (e.g.,
telephone
in English and
teléfono
in Spanish) more accurately than they produce noncognates (
table
/
mesa
). We tested whether the same holds for bilingual children with specific language impairment (SLI).

Method

Participants included Spanish–English bilingual children (aged 5;0 to 9;11 [years;months]), 25 with SLI and 92 without, who had comparable language experience. Cognate and noncognate items were taken from English and Spanish versions of the Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (Brownell, 2000, 2001).

Results

Although bilingual children with language impairment named fewer items correctly overall, they accurately named cognates more often than noncognates, as did typically developing children. Independent of language ability, accurate naming of a cognate in one language strongly predicted accurate naming in the other language.

Conclusion

Language impairment appears unrelated to the mechanism that produces a cognate advantage in naming accuracy. Given that correct performance for a difficult word in one language is associated with knowing its cognate in another, cognates may be particularly viable targets for language intervention in bilingual children with SLI.
Volumeter: 3D human body parameters measurement with a single Kinect
Authors: He Qinzhu , Ji Yijun , Zeng Dan , Zhang Zhijiang
Published: February 2018

3D human body parameters measurement is a challenging task due to two main reasons: (i) it is diﬃcult to reconstruct 3D human model due to flexible deformation of non‐rigid body during images capturing process and (ii) there lies a gap between 3D model and body parameters. To address these two issues, a 3D human body parameters measurement system is represented. With the object freely spinning in front of a Kinect, body parameters are calculated. To reduce registration errors caused by body deformation while rotating, a piecewise tracking and mapping algorithm based on KinectFusion framework is proposed. Then model–model iterative closest point and non‐rigid constraints are introduced to optimise alignments and disambiguate different surfaces caused by aliasing in the piecewise strategy. Finally, a novel method is presented to measure the volume and perimeter of human body with the truncated signed distance function values of voxels. Extensive experimental results show that the proposed method achieves comparable accuracy to the state of the arts, and the error of volume and perimeter measurements are 2.0 and 5.8%, respectively.
Magnetic circuit designing and structural optimisation for a three degree‐of‐freedom hybrid magnetic bearing
Authors: Xu Zhang , Xu Liu , Bangcheng Han , Xiangyang Ye
Published: February 2018

The three degree‐of‐freedom (3‐DOF) hybrid magnetic bearing (HMB) sets radial, axial at one entirety, which can effectively save the bearing installation space. Here, a 3‐DOF HMB is designed, optimised, and tested for a 30 kW 60,000 r/min high‐speed motor system. The radial and axial bearing capacity is analysed by equivalent magnetic circuit method and three dimensional finite element model (FEM) of initial model of 3‐DOF HMB is established. Then, the radial bearing capacity, axial bearing capacity, current‐stiffness, and displacement‐stiffness are selected as the optimised design target by using chaos particle swarm optimisation algorithm. Meanwhile, the axial length, eddy‐current loss, and air‐gap flux density are selected as constraints of optimization. The optimal results showed that the axial length is decreased, the eddy‐current loss is reduced, and the harmonics in the air gap is lower while the bearing capacity is improved. Furthermore, a 30 kW 60,000 r/min high‐speed motor with proposed 3‐DOF HMB is manufactured, and the experiments of the radial/axial static bearing capacity test, dynamic performance of high‐speed motor with no load in 60,000 r/min and with load in 55,000 r/min are carried out. Experiment results show that the optimised 3‐DOF HMB has good force performance and dynamic performance.
The GAPS programme with HARPS-N at TNG
Authors: Mancini L. , Esposito M. , Covino E. , Southworth J. , Biazzo K. , Bruni I. , Ciceri S. , Evans D. , Lanza A. F. , Poretti E. , Sarkis P. , Smith A. M. S. , Brogi M. , Affer L. , Benatti S. , Bignamini A. , Boccato C. , Bonomo A. S. , Borsa F. , Carleo I. , Claudi R. , Cosentino R. , Damasso M. , Desidera S. , Giacobbe P. , González-Álvarez E. , Gratton R. , Harutyunyan A. , Leto G. , Maggio A. , Malavolta L. , Maldonado J. , Martinez-Fiorenzano A. , Masiero S. , Micela G. , Molinari E. , Nascimbeni V. , Pagano I. , Pedani M. , Piotto G. , Rainer M. , Scandariato G. , Smareglia R. , Sozzetti A. , Andreuzzi G. , Henning Th.
Published: February 2018

Context. The measurement of the orbital obliquity of hot Jupiters with different physical characteristics can provide clues to the mechanisms of migration and orbital evolution of this particular class of giant exoplanets.

Aims. We aim to derive the degree of alignment between planetary orbit and stellar spin angular momentum vectors and look for possible links with other orbital and fundamental physical parameters of the star-planet system. We focus on the characterisation of five transiting planetary systems (HAT-P-3, HAT-P-12, HAT-P-22, WASP-39, and WASP-60) and the determination of their sky-projected planet orbital obliquity through the measurement of the Rossiter–McLaughlin effect.

Methods. We used HARPS-N high-precision radial velocity measurements, gathered during transit events, to measure the Rossiter–McLaughlin effect in the target systems and determine the sky-projected angle between the planetary orbital plane and stellar equator. The characterisation of stellar atmospheric parameters was performed by exploiting the HARPS-N spectra, using line equivalent width ratios and spectral synthesis methods. Photometric parameters of the five transiting exoplanets were re-analysed through 17 new light curves, obtained with an array of medium-class telescopes, and other light curves from the literature. Survey-time-series photometric data were analysed for determining the rotation periods of the five stars and their spin inclination.

Results. From the analysis of the Rossiter–McLaughlin effect we derived a sky-projected obliquity of λ = 21.2° ± 8.7°, λ = −54°−13°+41°, λ = −2.1° ± 3.0°, λ = 0° ± 11°, and λ = −129° ± 17° for HAT-P-3 b, HAT-P-12 b, HAT-P-22 b, WASP-39 b, and WASP-60 b, respectively. The latter value indicates that WASP-60 b is moving on a retrograde orbit. These values represent the first measurements of λ for the five exoplanetary systems under study. The stellar activity of HAT-P-22 indicates a rotation period of 28.7 ± 0.4 days, which allowed us to estimate the true misalignment angle of HAT-P-22 b, ψ = 24° ± 18°. The revision of the physical parameters of the five exoplanetary systems returned values that are fully compatible with those existing in the literature. The exception to this is the WASP-60 system, for which, based on higher quality spectroscopic and photometric data, we found a more massive and younger star and a larger and hotter planet.
A probabilistic procedure for estimating an optimal echo-integration threshold using the Expectation-Maximisation algorithm
Authors: López-Serrano Antonio , Villalobos Héctor , Nevárez-Martínez Manuel O.
Published: February 2018

To obtain reliable fish biomass estimates by acoustic methods, it is essential to filter out the signals from unwanted scatterers (e.g. zooplankton). When acoustic data are collected at more than one frequency, methods that exploit the differences in reflectivity of scatterers can be used to achieve the separation of targets. These methods cannot be applied with historical data nor recent data collected on board fishing vessels employed as scientific platforms, where only one transducer is available. Instead, a volume backscattering strength (Sv) threshold is set to separate fish from plankton, both for echogram visualisation or, more importantly, during echo-integration. While empirical methods exist for selecting a threshold, it often depends on the subjective decision of the user. A−47 dB threshold was empirically established in 2008 at the beginning of a series of surveys conducted by Mexico's National Fisheries Institute to assess the biomass of Pacific sardine in the Gulf of California. Until 2012, when a 120 kHz transducer was installed, only data collected at 38 kHz are available. Here, we propose a probabilistic procedure to estimate an optimalSvthreshold using the Expectation-Maximisation algorithm for fitting a mixture of Gaussian distributions toSvdata sampled from schools associated with small pelagic fish and their surrounding echoes. The optimal threshold is given by the Bayes decision function for classifying anSvvalue in one of the two groups. The procedure was implemented in the R language environment. The optimal threshold found for 38 kHz data was −59.4 dB, more than 12 dB lower than the currently used value. This difference prompts the need to revise the acoustic biomass estimates of small pelagics in the Gulf of California.
Comment les acteurs publics contribuent à l’impact de la recherche dans les pays en développement
Authors: Dabat Marie-Hélène , Grandjean Aurélie
Published: February 2018

Les acteurs publics impliqués dans les politiques publiques, situés à plusieurs échelles territoriales, occupent une place non négligeable dans les mécanismes d’innovation. Le cadre d’analyse « chemin de l’impact » aide à caractériser la participation de ces acteurs publics, au côté, en amont ou en aval des chercheurs et d’autres acteurs dans les processus d’impact de la recherche. Ce cadre a été complété par une revue de littérature sur l’impact de la recherche sur les politiques publiques. L’étude transversale d’un panel de cas de recherches agricoles à l’aide d’une même démarche analytique a permis de mieux cerner les rôles de ces acteurs dans la recherche dans les pays en développement. Par des moyens très diversifiés, dans plusieurs cas, les acteurs publics contribuent à rendre possible l’impact de la recherche pour le développement. En symétrie, dans quelques cas, les chercheurs améliorent les capacités des acteurs publics ou les aident à prendre des décisions mieux éclairées et influencent ainsi les politiques publiques. Il convient donc d’encourager les acteurs publics à être plus réceptifs à la recherche et les chercheurs à développer leurs interactions avec les acteurs des politiques publiques. Les connaissances sur le lien recherche–politique doivent être approfondies car elles peuvent aider la recherche à avoir plus d’impact pour le développement.
Erratum to: Development of Risk-Realiability Based Underwater Inspection for Fixed Offshore Platforms in Indonesia
Authors: Tawekal Ricky L. , Purnawarman Faisal D. , Muliati Yati
Published: February 2018

The title of the article should be replaced by the following text: Development of Risk-Reliability Based Underwater Inspection for Fixed Offshore Platforms in Indonesia
RetComm 1.0: Real Time Condition Monitoring of Rotating Machinery Failure
Authors: Hong Lee Chun , Mahamad Abd Kadir , Saon Sharifah
Published: February 2018

The breakdown of motor proves to be very expensive as it increases downtime on the machines. Development of cost-effective and reliable condition monitoring system for the protection of motors to avoid unexpected breakdowns is necessary. Therefore, RetComm 1.0 is developed as assistant tool for bearing condition diagnosis system. The smartphone accelerometer is used to collect the vibration signal data and send it to computer by using the Android application named Matlab Mobile. The Matlab software is used to implement a program which is the RetComm 1.0 system to analyse the vibration signal and monitor the condition of the bearing. The algorithm used to observe the condition of bearing is trained by using Artificial Neural Network (ANN). In this project, the ANN is trained by using Matlab software. This proposed method is implemented for early diagnosis purposes. The diagnosis process can be done by just attached the smartphone onto the bearing for data collection. In conclusion, the bearing condition can be identified with this system. The bearing condition are shown in text to let the user know the bearing conditions. The raw data and power spectrum graph plotting are to let the user more further to understand the health condition of the bearing.
Size-dependent separation of polydisperse samples in a tapered microfluidic device
Authors: Ahmad Ida Laila , Ahmad Mohd Ridzuan
Published: February 2018

In this paper we introduce the use of tapered microfluidic device for size-based separation of polydisperse samples using passive platform. The separation mechanism works based on hydrodynamic principle which is further amplified by sedimentation effect. The tapered structure allows for generation of gradient pressure as a result from velocity distribution. From this device, we achieved 98% purity of the samples collected from the outlets with low complexity design. Furthermore, the simulation and experimental results are in agreement whereby suggesting that different sized particles were collected at different outlets. The presented microfluidic system is useful and versatile due to its simplicity and ease of operation.
Digital Board Game: Is there a need for it in language learning among tertiary level students?
Authors: Ali Zuraina , Mohamad Ghazali Mohd Amir Izzudin , Ismail Rosnani , Muhammad Nurul Nadia , Zainal Abidin Noor Azlinda , Abdul Malek Nabila
Published: February 2018

The concept of learning while playing to learn language is a pedagogy that can enhance students’ learning interest. In this digital era, the use of board games, for instance, has provided a solution to learning a language. A considerable literature has grown up around the theme of digital board in language learning. Therefore, this paper aims at finding the significance of developing a digital board game for the purpose of vocabulary learning. Fifty-seven (57) students from Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) were selected as samples using purposive random sampling to collect data for the current study. A questionnaire was employed to explore their needs of a digital board game to learn vocabulary. The findings revealed that digital board game has significant needs among students to learn vocabulary, and further support the idea of using digital board game in language classroom. Majority of them believed that digital board game may provide a significant impact on vocabulary learning. Overall, the current study proves to be particularly valuable to language teachers to incorporate digital board game into their instructional activity. Also, these findings suggest a role for interactive learning in motivating language learner to enrich their vocabulary size.
Circulating CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells paralleled with level of viremia in patients chronically infected with hepatitis B virus
Authors: Abdellatif Hussein
Published: February 2018

Introduction: Liver regeneration is a heterogeneous process involving proliferation of different cell types in response to injury. Bone marrow derived stem cells may be involved in this process, by making contribution to parenchymal restoration and cellular replacement. We aimed to investigate the correlation between level of circulating mobilized CD34+ hematopoietic stem progenitor cells (HSPCs) and viremia level in patients chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV).

Methods: Blood samples were prospectively collected for assessing percentage and absolute counts of circulating CD34+ HSPCs and viral load level using flow cytometry and RT-PCR respectively. Patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) (n = 30), Entecavir (ETV) treated subjects (n = 30) and 20 age and gender matched healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Results were expressed as mean ± SD.

Results and discussion: A significant increase in circulating CD34+ HSPCs level was observed in CHB patients (5 ± 3.1, 324 ± 195 × 103/ml) as compared to ETV treated subjects (0.57 ± 0.27,1022 ± 325) and healthy controls (0.53 ± 0.37, 694 ± 254, P < 0.001) in regards to percentage and absolute counts respectively. Levels of CD34+ HSPCs strongly and positively correlated with HBV DNA viral load levels in CHB patients (r2 = 0.8417, 0.649, P < 0.001).Thus, in chronic liver disorders (CHB), when reduced regenerative capacity of hepatocytes is reached, BMSCs mobilization occurs and their level increases in peripheral blood. The level of circulating CD34+ cells in peripheral blood of CHB patients paralleled with the hepatitis B viral load.
Accuracy assessment of Precise Point Positioning with multi-constellation GNSS data under ionospheric scintillation effects
Authors: Marques Haroldo Antonio , Marques Heloísa Alves Silva , Aquino Marcio , Veettil Sreeja Vadakke , Monico João Francisco Galera
Published: February 2018

GPS and GLONASS are currently the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) with full operational capacity. The integration of GPS, GLONASS and future GNSS constellations can provide better accuracy and more reliability in geodetic positioning, in particular for kinematic Precise Point Positioning (PPP), where the satellite geometry is considered a limiting factor to achieve centimeter accuracy. The satellite geometry can change suddenly in kinematic positioning in urban areas or under conditions of strong atmospheric effects such as for instance ionospheric scintillation that may degrade satellite signal quality, causing cycle slips and even loss of lock. Scintillation is caused by small scale irregularities in the ionosphere and is characterized by rapid changes in amplitude and phase of the signal, which are more severe in equatorial and high latitudes geomagnetic regions. In this work, geodetic positioning through the PPP method was evaluated with integrated GPS and GLONASS data collected in the equatorial region under varied scintillation conditions. The GNSS data were processed in kinematic PPP mode and the analyses show accuracy improvements of up to 60% under conditions of strong scintillation when using multi-constellation data instead of GPS data alone. The concepts and analyses related to the ionospheric scintillation effects, the mathematical model involved in PPP with GPS and GLONASS data integration as well as accuracy assessment with data collected under ionospheric scintillation effects are presented.
Convenient and Inexpensive Route to Sulfonylated Pyridines via SNAr Reaction of Electron-Rich Pyridines by Iron Catalysis
Authors: Forgione Pat , Chen Fei , Chacón-Huete Franklin , El-Husseini Hassan
Published: February 2018

Sulfonylated pyridines were synthesized in moderate to excellent yields, with a wide scope of substituted pyridines and sulfinate salts as starting materials, by an iron-catalyzed SNAr reaction. This new methodology exhibits advantages for the synthesis of these useful substrates, such as the use of a readily available, inexpensive catalyst, prevention of the disproportionation of the sulfinate salts, and, more importantly, providing access to electron-rich pyridine substrates.
Computer-Aided Surgical Simulation in Head and Neck Reconstruction: A Cost Comparison among Traditional, In-House, and Commercial Options
Authors: Li Sean , Copeland-Halperin Libby , Kaminsky Alexander , Li Jihui , Lodhi Fahad , Miraliakbari Reza
Published: February 2018

Background Computer-aided surgical simulation (CASS) has redefined surgery, improved precision and reduced the reliance on intraoperative trial-and-error manipulations. CASS is provided by third-party services; however, it may be cost-effective for some hospitals to develop in-house programs. This study provides the first cost analysis comparison among traditional (no CASS), commercial CASS, and in-house CASS for head and neck reconstruction.

Methods The costs of three-dimensional (3D) pre-operative planning for mandibular and maxillary reconstructions were obtained from an in-house CASS program at our large tertiary care hospital in Northern Virginia, as well as a commercial provider (Synthes, Paoli, PA). A cost comparison was performed among these modalities and extrapolated in-house CASS costs were derived. The calculations were based on estimated CASS use with cost structures similar to our institution and sunk costs were amortized over 10 years.

Results Average operating room time was estimated at 10 hours, with an average of 2 hours saved with CASS. The hourly cost to the hospital for the operating room (including anesthesia and other ancillary costs) was estimated at $4,614/hour. Per case, traditional cases were $46,140, commercial CASS cases were $40,951, and in-house CASS cases were $38,212. Annual in-house CASS costs were $39,590.

Conclusions CASS reduced operating room time, likely due to improved efficiency and accuracy. Our data demonstrate that hospitals with similar cost structure as ours, performing greater than 27 cases of 3D head and neck reconstructions per year can see a financial benefit from developing an in-house CASS program.