bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Le pari de l’universel
Authors: Lemieux Cyril
Published: March 2018

Constatant que l’on a assisté en sciences sociales, ces trente dernières années, au « reflux des épistémologies naturalistes » et à la montée en puissance corrélative d’un « cadre épistémologique néo-wébérien », Jean-Louis Fabiani se demande, une fois refermé mon ouvrage, si entreprendre désormais de sortir de ce cadre n’implique pas un « coût spécifique » et s’il est raisonnable de le payer. Il est vrai que leDevoir et la grâceest un livre qui, sous les auspices d’Émile Durkheim, entend réhabiliter, en sciences sociales, une démarche classificatoire capable de prétendre à la validité universelle. Un tel projet renoue donc indéniablement avec une certaine forme de faillibilisme et pourra être reçu à cet égard comme unerégressionvers l’épistémologie naturaliste. Ce sera le cas, surtout, si le lecteur n’est pas convaincu par la manière dont, à travers ses formulations, l’ouvrage s’efforce d’anticiper les critiques les plus définitives qui furent adressées au naturalisme en sciences sociales. J.-L. Fabiani semble attentif à ces efforts et avoir pour eux de la sympathie, raison pour laquelle il décrit à mon sens fort bien la voie étroite que l’ouvrage cherche à frayer. Mais il n’en demeure pas moins inquiet face à ce qui lui paraît constituer le risque majeur de l’entreprise: celui de tourner trop vite le dos à la tradition wébérienne et de délaisser, en particulier, deux de ses composantes essentielles. D’une part, se demande-t-il, l’analyse grammaticale de l’action, telle que l’ouvrage la promeut, ne conduit-elle pas à méconnaître la centralité dans la vie sociale des rapports de domination et de la violence physique, que Max Weber, pour sa part, avait parfaitement identifiée? D’autre part, n’oblige-t-elle pas à faire le sacrifice de « l’historicisation générale des énoncés » qui s’avère, dit encore J.-L. Fabiani, « une des propriétés les plus fécondes des sciences sociales »? La réponse que je me propose d’apporter à cette double question rendra peut-être plus claires celles qu’ensuite je tenterai de formuler vis-à-vis des remarques et des objections que m’adressent de leur côté, avec tout autant de pertinence, Christian Jouhaud et Louis Quéré.
Exercice des mémoires possibles et littérature « à-présent » La transcription de l’histoire dans le roman contemporain
Authors: Bouju Emmanuel
Published: March 2018

Cet article propose d’explorer les enjeux d’une écriture romanesque contemporaine définie comme douleur fantôme de l’histoire et exercice de ses mémoires possibles: deux séries complémentaires d’exemples – liées pour l’une à la réinvention d’une mémoire du bourreau par un narrateur « sosie » de l’historien (Manuel Vázquez Montalbán et Jonathan Littell), et pour l’autre à la saisie de l’historicité des temps présents sous l’angle conjoint de la mélancolie et de l’ironie (David Albahari, Aleksandar Hemon et Dubravka Ugrešić) – permettent d’éclairer l’ambition romanesque de transcription de l’histoire dans l’exercice « àprésent » (ou « au temps-maintenant », selon l’expression de Walter Benjamin) de ses mémoires possibles. En courant le risque d’une rivalité ou d’une confusion trompeuse entre les statuts du discours historiographique et du récit romanesque, et en s’exposant à la récusation par le lecteur de sa légitimité en la matière, le roman contemporain choisit de s’établir dans les plis du savoir historien et ainsi d’engager ses moyens propres dans l’entreprise d’une écriture en palimpseste du texte virtuel, ou idéal, de l’expérience historique.
Travail, mobilité et légitimité Suppliques au roi dans une société d’Ancien Régime (Turin, XVIIIesiècle)
Authors: Cerutti Simona
Published: March 2018

Aux travailleurs salariés est réservée une position marginale dans la classification sociale des villes d’Ancien Régime, qui est justifiée moins par le caractère « vil » du travail matériel que par leur prétendue extranéité à la vie urbaine. Cet article interroge les fondements de cette classification, en s’appuyant sur une source particulière: des centaines de suppliques que des artisans de l’État savoyard adressèrent au roi, pendant le XVIIIesiècle, pour lui demander le privilège d’exercer leur métier sans pour autant présenter les réquisits nécessaires. Les informations contenues dans la source ouvrent la voie à une recherche plus vaste, faisant ressortir notamment une des principales fonctions remplies par les corps de métier, à savoir la recherche, pour ses propres membres, d’une « bonne mesure » de la mobilité qui permette à la fois des formes de coordination sociale et de sauvegarde d’espace de mouvement individuel. Après la reconstitution de ce contexte de la mobilité, l’article revient aux textes, pour analyser sous un jour nouveau les thèmes apparemment figés de la « forme supplique ». Cette analyse permet d’interroger à nouveaux frais les contenus de la communication entre sujets et autorité politique, et de questionner la pertinence des catégories de « clientélisme » et de « paternalisme ».
Le travail intellectuel: travail et philosophie, XVIIe-XIXesiècle
Authors: Ribard Dinah
Published: March 2018

L’histoire du travail, y compris lorsqu’elle s’intéresse aux élaborations écrites des travailleurs sur leur expérience ou lorsqu’elle réfléchit à la production du concept de travail, et l’histoire des professions intellectuelles, des savoirs ou des disciplines, qui tend à être une histoire du travail intellectuel, ne se rencontrent guère. Le propos de cet article est de réduire cet écart entre deux usages historiens du même terme – travail – en faisant jouer ensemble des sources sur la mise en œuvre politique et réglementaire du travail intellectuel comme travail, sur la transformation de la pensée du travail vécu comme travail intellectuel, et sur la production de formes de travail intellectuel qui se donnent pour objet le travail des autres, voulu le plus simple possible. Des tailleurs qui produisent dans les années 1830 une « science des tailleurs » bien plus strictement professionnelle que celle que propose le plus ancien livre de patrons encore lu par eux (1670), l’association dans les années 1770 d’un marchand de vernis et d’un avocat auteur d’un projet de mont-de-piété dans un même travail intellectuel sur le travail des autres, des règlements royaux et des recueils commentés de documents issus des mondes artisans datant du XVIIIesiècle: ces sources, prises ensemble, montrent la socialisation des processus de structuration par le travail de la société française entre fin de l’Ancien Régime et début du XIXesiècle.
Des arts à la théorie de l'action: Le travail sociologique de Pierre-Michel Menger
Authors: Fabiani Jean-Louis
Published: March 2018

Cet article tente de montrer l’originalité du travail sociologique de Pierre-Michel Menger à travers l’étude de sa trajectoire théorique. Le point de départ peut être trouvé dans le croisement fécond entre l’analyse des professions et la justification des politiques publiques ; la musique contemporaine est tributaire du financement public alors que la demande publique n’est pas encore advenue. Les acteurs doivent prendre des décisions dans un monde incertain : ce thème constitue le fil conducteur de l’entreprise de P.-M. Menger, particulièrement dans son ouvrage majeur, Le travail créateur. Comment la sociologie doit-elle traiter l’incertitude qui règle les ajustements interindividuels ? Telle est la tâche assignée à une science sociale innovante. P.-M. Menger n’importe pas le raisonnement économique en sociologie, mais il confronte les approches de manière critique en les maintenant en tension, une position qui le distingue des partisans de la théorie du choix rationnel. Son programme de recherche est ambitieux, mais deux questions demeurent : qu’en est-il de l’histoire dans le modelé en construction ? Comment avoir une vision plus claire du concept de talent, lequel est encore souvent une boîte noire ?
Molecular link between glucose and glutamine consumption in cancer cells mediated by CtBP and SIRT4
Authors: Wang Li , Li Jing-jing , Guo Li-yu , Li Peipei , Zhao Zhiqiang , Zhou Haisheng , Di Li-jun
Published: March 2018

Glucose and Glutamine are two essential ingredients for cell growth. However, it remains open for investigation whether there is a general mechanism that coordinates the consumption of glucose and glutamine in cancer cells. Glutamine is mainly metabolized through the glutaminolysis pathway and our previous report indicated that CtBP increases GDH activity and promotes glutaminolysis through repressing the expression of SIRT4, a well-known mitochondrion-located factor that inhibits glutaminolysis pathway. CtBP is known to be a sensor of intracellular metabolic status; we thus hypothesized that a consensus CtBP-SIRT4-GDH axis may mediate the crosstalk between glycolysis and glutaminolysis. Herein, supporting this hypothesis, we observed the coordinated consumption of glucose and glutamine across different cell lines. This coordination was found to be related to CtBP repression activity on SIRT4 expression under high level of glucose but not low glucose level. Low level of glucose supply was found to decrease GDH activity via blocking CtBP dimerization. Mechanically, low glucose also abolished CtBP binding to SIRT4 promoter and the repression of SIRT4 expression. Consistently, the CtBP dimerization inhibitor MTOB mimicked low glucose effects on SIRT4 expression, and GDH activity suggest that CtBP requires high glucose supply to act as a suppressor of SIRT4 gene. In conclusion, we propose that a general molecular pathway composed by CtBP-SIRT4-GDH coordinating the metabolism of glucose and glutamine in cancer cells.
An examination of multiple classes of rare variants in extended families with bipolar disorder
Authors: Toma Claudio , Shaw Alex D. , Allcock Richard J. N. , Heath Anna , Pierce Kerrie D. , Mitchell Philip B. , Schofield Peter R. , Fullerton Janice M.
Published: March 2018

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a complex psychiatric condition with high heritability, the genetic architecture of which likely comprises both common variants of small effect and rare variants of higher penetrance, the latter of which are largely unknown. Extended families with high density of illness provide an opportunity to map novel risk genes or consolidate evidence for existing candidates, by identifying genes carrying pathogenic rare variants. We performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) in 15 BD families (117 subjects, of whom 72 were affected), augmented with copy number variant (CNV) microarray data, to examine contributions of multiple classes of rare genetic variants within a familial context. Linkage analysis and haplotype reconstruction using WES-derived genotypes enabled exclusion of false-positive single-nucleotide variants (SNVs), CNV inheritance estimation, de novo variant identification and candidate gene prioritization. We found that rare predicted pathogenic variants shared among ≥3 affected relatives were overrepresented in postsynaptic density (PSD) genes (P = 0.002), with no enrichment in unaffected relatives. Genome-wide burden of likely gene-disruptive variants was no different in affected vs. unaffected relatives (P = 0.24), but correlated significantly with age of onset (P = 0.017), suggesting that a high disruptive variant burden may expedite symptom onset. The number of de novo variants was no different in affected vs. unaffected offspring (P = 0.89). We observed heterogeneity within and between families, with the most likely genetic model involving alleles of modest effect and reduced penetrance: a possible exception being a truncating X-linked mutation inIRS4within a family-specific linkage peak. Genetic approaches combining WES, CNV and linkage analyses in extended families are promising strategies for gene discovery.
Scalable total synthesis and comprehensive structure–activity relationship studies of the phytotoxin coronatine
Authors: Littleson Mairi M. , Baker Christopher M. , Dalençon Anne J. , Frye Elizabeth C. , Jamieson Craig , Kennedy Alan R. , Ling Kenneth B. , McLachlan Matthew M. , Montgomery Mark G. , Russell Claire J. , Watson Allan J. B.
Published: March 2018

Natural phytotoxins are valuable starting points for agrochemical design. Acting as a jasmonate agonist, coronatine represents an attractive herbicidal lead with novel mode of action, and has been an important synthetic target for agrochemical development. However, both restricted access to quantities of coronatine and a lack of a suitably scalable and flexible synthetic approach to its constituent natural product components, coronafacic and coronamic acids, has frustrated development of this target. Here, we report gram-scale production of coronafacic acid that allows a comprehensive structure–activity relationship study of this target. Biological assessment of a >120 member library combined with computational studies have revealed the key determinants of potency, rationalising hypotheses held for decades, and allowing future rational design of new herbicidal leads based on this template.
Chemical evidence of inter-hemispheric air mass intrusion into the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes
Authors: Li S. , Park S. , Lee J.-Y. , Ha K.-J. , Park M.-K. , Jo C. O. , Oh H. , Mühle J. , Kim K.-R. , Montzka S. A. , O’Doherty S. , Krummel P. B. , Atlas E. , Miller B. R. , Moore F. , Weiss R. F. , Wofsy S. C.
Published: March 2018

The East Asian Summer Monsoon driven by temperature and moisture gradients between the Asian continent and the Pacific Ocean, leads to approximately 50% of the annual rainfall in the region across 20–40°N. Due to its increasing scientific and social importance, there have been several previous studies on identification of moisture sources for summer monsoon rainfall over East Asia mainly using Lagrangian or Eulerian atmospheric water vapor models. The major source regions for EASM previously proposed include the North Indian Ocean, South China Sea and North western Pacific. Based on high-precision and high-frequency 6-year measurement records of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), here we report a direct evidence of rapid intrusion of warm and moist tropical air mass from the Southern Hemisphere (SH) reaching within a couple of days up to 33°N into East Asia. We further suggest that the combination of direct chemical tracer record and a back-trajectory model with physical meteorological variables helps pave the way to identify moisture sources for monsoon rainfall. A case study for Gosan station (33.25°N, 126.19°E) indicates that the meridional transport of precipitable water from the SH accompanying the southerly/southwesterly flow contributes most significantly to its summer rainfall.
QM/MM study of the reaction mechanism of sulfite oxidase
Authors: Caldararu Octav , Feldt Milica , Cioloboc Daniela , van Severen Marie-Céline , Starke Kerstin , Mata Ricardo A. , Nordlander Ebbe , Ryde Ulf
Published: March 2018

Sulfite oxidase is a mononuclear molybdenum enzyme that oxidises sulfite to sulfate in many organisms, including man. Three different reaction mechanisms have been suggested, based on experimental and computational studies. Here, we study all three with combined quantum mechanical (QM) and molecular mechanical (QM/MM) methods, including calculations with large basis sets, very large QM regions (803 atoms) and QM/MM free-energy perturbations. Our results show that the enzyme is set up to follow a mechanism in which the sulfur atom of the sulfite substrate reacts directly with the equatorial oxo ligand of the Mo ion, forming a Mo-bound sulfate product, which dissociates in the second step. The first step is rate limiting, with a barrier of 39–49 kJ/mol. The low barrier is obtained by an intricate hydrogen-bond network around the substrate, which is preserved during the reaction. This network favours the deprotonated substrate and disfavours the other two reaction mechanisms. We have studied the reaction with both an oxidised and a reduced form of the molybdopterin ligand and quantum-refinement calculations indicate that it is in the normal reduced tetrahydro form in this protein.
Targeted metabolomic profiling in rat tissues reveals sex differences
Authors: Ruoppolo Margherita , Caterino Marianna , Albano Lucia , Pecce Rita , Di Girolamo Maria Grazia , Crisci Daniela , Costanzo Michele , Milella Luigi , Franconi Flavia , Campesi Ilaria
Published: March 2018

Sex differences affect several diseases and are organ-and parameter-specific. In humans and animals, sex differences also influence the metabolism and homeostasis of amino acids and fatty acids, which are linked to the onset of diseases. Thus, the use of targeted metabolite profiles in tissues represents a powerful approach to examine the intermediary metabolism and evidence for any sex differences. To clarify the sex-specific activities of liver, heart and kidney tissues, we used targeted metabolomics, linear discriminant analysis (LDA), principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis and linear correlation models to evaluate sex and organ-specific differences in amino acids, free carnitine and acylcarnitine levels in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Several intra-sex differences affect tissues, indicating that metabolite profiles in rat hearts, livers and kidneys are organ-dependent. Amino acids and carnitine levels in rat hearts, livers and kidneys are affected by sex: male and female hearts show the greatest sexual dimorphism, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Finally, multivariate analysis confirmed the influence of sex on the metabolomics profiling. Our data demonstrate that the metabolomics approach together with a multivariate approach can capture the dynamics of physiological and pathological states, which are essential for explaining the basis of the sex differences observed in physiological and pathological conditions.
Using unique surface patterns of injection moulded plastic components as an image based Physical Unclonable Function for secure component identification
Authors: Wigger Benedikt , Meissner Thomas , Förste Alexander , Jetter Volker , Zimmermann André
Published: March 2018

A Physical Unclonable Function uses random and inherent properties of a physical entity and can be used to uniquely identify components e.g., for anti-counterfeiting purposes. In this work we demonstrate that the surface patterns of injection moulded plastic components themselves are inherently unique and hence can be used as a PUF for reliable and secure identification. We further demonstrate that these unique surface patterns are easily accessible since they can be photographed with a simple camera set-up. This is exemplarily demonstrated for two different plastic materials on an overall of 200 injection moulded components. A set of brief experiments further examines the PUF’s robustness towards real life conditions. This approach might be useful for secure identification and authentication of components or a label-free tracking.
Bat-mouse bone marrow chimera: a novel animal model for dissecting the uniqueness of the bat immune system
Authors: Yong Kylie Su Mei , Ng Justin Han Jia , Her Zhisheng , Hey Ying Ying , Tan Sue Yee , Tan Wilson Wei Sheng , Irac Sergio Erdal , Liu Min , Chan Xue Ying , Gunawan Merry , Foo Randy Jee Hiang , Low Dolyce Hong Wen , Mendenhall Ian Hewitt , Chionh Yok Teng , Dutertre Charles-Antoine , Chen Qingfeng , Wang Lin-Fa
Published: March 2018

Bats are an important animal model with long lifespans, low incidences of tumorigenesis and an ability to asymptomatically harbour pathogens. Currently,in vivostudies of bats are hampered due to their low reproduction rates. To overcome this, we transplanted bat cells from bone marrow (BM) and spleen into an immunodeficient mouse strain NOD-scid IL-2R−/−(NSG), and have successfully established stable, long-term reconstitution of bat immune cells in mice (bat-mice). Immune functionality of our bat-mouse model was demonstrated through generation of antigen-specific antibody response by bat cells following immunization. Post-engraftment of total bat BM cells and splenocytes, bat immune cells survived, expanded and repopulated the mouse without any observable clinical abnormalities. Utilizing bat’s remarkable immunological functions, this novel model has a potential to be transformed into a powerful platform for basic and translational research.
Impact of human-associated Escherichia coli clonal groups in Antarctic pinnipeds: presence of ST73, ST95, ST141 and ST131
Authors: Mora Azucena , García-Peña Francisco Javier , Alonso María Pilar , Pedraza-Diaz Susana , Ortega-Mora Luis Miguel , Garcia-Parraga Daniel , López Cecilia , Viso Susana , Dahbi Ghizlane , Marzoa Juan , Sergeant Martin J. , García Vanesa , Blanco Jorge
Published: March 2018

There is growing concern about the spreading of human microorganisms in relatively untouched ecosystems such as the Antarctic region. For this reason, three pinniped species (Leptonychotes weddellii, Mirounga leonina and Arctocephalus gazella) from the west coast of the Antartic Peninsula were analysed for the presence of Escherichia spp. with the recovery of 158 E. coli and three E. albertii isolates. From those, 23 harboured different eae variants (α1, β1, β2, ε1, θ1, κ, ο), including a bfpA-positive isolate (O49:H10-A-ST206, eae-k) classified as typical enteropathogenic E. coli. Noteworthy, 62 of the 158 E. coli isolates (39.2%) exhibited the ExPEC status and 27 (17.1%) belonged to sequence types (ST) frequently occurring among urinary/bacteremia ExPEC clones: ST12, ST73, ST95, ST131 and ST141. We found similarities >85% within the PFGE-macrorrestriction profiles of pinniped and human clinic O2:H6-B2-ST141 and O16:H5/O25b:H4-B2-ST131 isolates. The in silico analysis of ST131 Cplx genomes from the three pinnipeds (five O25:H4-ST131/PST43-fimH22-virotype D; one O16:H5-ST131/PST506-fimH41; one O25:H4-ST6252/PST9-fimH22-virotype D1) identified IncF and IncI1 plasmids and revealed high core-genome similarities between pinniped and human isolates (H22 and H41 subclones). This is the first study to demonstrate the worrisome presence of human-associated E. coli clonal groups, including ST131, in Antarctic pinnipeds.
Induced clustering of Escherichia coli by acoustic fields
Authors: Gutiérrez-Ramos Salomé , Hoyos Mauricio , Ruiz-Suárez J. C.
Published: March 2018

Brownian or self-propelled particles in aqueous suspensions can be trapped by acoustic fields generated by piezoelectric transducers usually at frequencies in the megahertz. The obtained confinement allows the study of rich collective behaviours like clustering or spreading dynamics in microgravity-like conditions. The acoustic field induces the levitation of self-propelled particles and provides secondary lateral forces to capture them at nodal planes. Here, we give a step forward in the field of confined active matter, reporting levitation experiments of bacterial suspensions of Escherichia coli. Clustering of living bacteria is monitored as a function of time, where different behaviours are clearly distinguished. Upon the removal of the acoustic signal, bacteria rapidly spread, impelled by their own swimming. Nevertheless, long periods of confinement result in irreversible bacteria entanglements that could act as seeds for levitating bacterial aggregates.
The epicardium obscures interpretations on endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition in the mouse atrioventricular canal explant assay
Authors: Criem Nathan , Zwijsen An
Published: March 2018

Atrioventricular septal defects often result from impaired endocardial cushion development. Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) is a critical event in endocardial cushion development that initiates in the atrioventricular canal (AVC). In ex vivo EndoMT studies, mouse AVCs are flat-mounted on a collagen gel. In the explant outgrowths, the ratio of elongated spindle-like mesenchymal cells over cobblestone-shaped cells, generally considered as endothelial cells, reflects EndoMT. Using this method, several key signalling pathways have been attributed important functions during EndoMT. Using genetic lineage tracing and cell-type-specific markers, we show that monolayers of cobblestone-shaped cells are predominantly of epicardial rather than endothelial origin. Furthermore, this epicardium is competent to undergo mesenchymal transition. Contamination by epicardium is common and inherent as this tissue progressively attaches to AVC myocardium. Inhibition of TGFβ signalling, previously shown to blunt EndoMT, caused an enrichment in epicardial monolayers. The presence of epicardium thus confounds interpretations of EndoMT signalling pathways in this assay. We advocate to systematically use lineage tracers and cell-type-specific markers on stage-matched AVC explants. Furthermore, a careful reconsideration of earlier studies on EndoMT using this explant assay may identify unanticipated epicardial effects and/or the presence of epicardial-to-mesenchymal transition (EpiMT), which would alter the interpretation of results on endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
Corneal nerve fiber size adds utility to the diagnosis and assessment of therapeutic response in patients with small fiber neuropathy
Authors: Brines Michael , Culver Daniel A. , Ferdousi Maryam , Tannemaat Martijn R. , van Velzen Monique , Dahan Albert , Malik Rayaz A.
Published: March 2018

Small fiber neuropathy (SFN) is a common feature of many inflammatory diseases, often presenting with pain and disability. SFN is diagnosed using symptoms, thermal threshold testing, and intra-epidermal nerve fiber quantification. Corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) is an ophthalmic imaging technique which non-invasively quantifies corneal nerve fiber (CNF) density, branch density and length, and has comparable diagnostic and superior ability to identify nerve regeneration compared to skin biopsy. CNF size (width and area) depends upon the number of fibers within each nerve, as well as pathology (e.g., swelling), and may provide additional sensitivity to diagnose SFN and identify nerve repair. We have compared the utility of the standard CCM variables employed to CNF size in patients with diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy or sarcoidosis-associated SFN, and in patients with SFN following cibinetide administration, an agent which promotes nerve repair. The results show that: 1) CNF width distribution and area depend upon neuropathy severity; 2) CNF area, density, branch density and length possess comparable discriminatory power for diagnosing neuropathy; 3) CNF area is related to length by a quadratic function which is predictive for both healthy subjects and those with SFN; 4) CNF area is a useful variable for quantifying change in CNF morphology.
A novel synthetic peptide microarray assay detects Chlamydia species-specific antibodies in animal and human sera
Authors: Sachse Konrad , Rahman Kh. Shamsur , Schnee Christiane , Müller Elke , Peisker Madlen , Schumacher Thomas , Schubert Evelyn , Ruettger Anke , Kaltenboeck Bernhard , Ehricht Ralf
Published: March 2018

Serological analysis ofChlamydia (C.)spp. infections is still mainly based on micro-immunofluorescence and ELISA. To overcome the limitations of conventional serology, we have designed a novel microarray carrying 52 synthetic peptides representing B-cell epitopes from immunodominant proteins of all 11 chlamydial species. The new assay has been validated using monospecific mouse hyperimmune sera. Subsequently, serum samples from cattle, sheep and humans with a known history of chlamydial infection were examined. For instance, the specific humoral response of sheep to treatment with aC. abortusvaccine has been visualized against a background ofC. pecorumcarriership. In samples from humans, dual infection withC. trachomatisandC. pneumoniaecould be demonstrated. The experiments revealed that the peptide microarray assay was capable of simultaneously identifying specific antibodies to eachChlamydiaspp. The actual assay represents an open platform test that can be complemented through future advances inChlamydiaproteome research. The concept of the highly parallel multi-antigen microarray proven in this study has the potential to enhance our understanding of antibody responses by defining not only a single quantitative response, but also the pattern of this response. The added value of using peptide antigens will consist in unprecedented serodiagnostic specificity.
Non-invasive coronary physiology based on computational analysis of intracoronary transluminal attenuation gradient
Authors: Bae Yong Gyun , Hwang Seung Tae , Han Huan , Kim Sung Mok , Kim Hyung-Yoon , Park Il , Lee Joo Myung , Moon Young-June , Choi Jin-Ho
Published: March 2018

Invasive procedure is a prerequisite for studying coronary physiology. We established the measurement of non-invasive physiological parameters including coronary blood flow (CBF), flow velocity, and microvascular resistance using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). Vessel-specific CBF was derived from transluminal attenuation flow encoding (TAFE) and then tested using three separate datasets consisted of computational simulation, human perfusion CT, and human CCTA. TAFE-derived CBF correlated well with measured vessel-specific myocardial blood flow and CBF. TAFE-derived CBF per myocardial mass consistently decreased with the progressive severity of stenosis, and it was found to better to detect significant stenosis than transluminal attenuation gradient (TAG). With the addition of vessel anatomy, TAFE-derived CBF could calculate flow velocity and microvascular resistance. The results of non-invasively acquired parameters according to the severity of stenosis were similar to those obtained through invasive physiology studies. Our study demonstrated that non-invasive comprehensive coronary physiology parameters can be derived from CCTA without any pre-specified condition or performing complex heavy computational processes. Our findings are expected to expand the clinical coverage of CCTA and coronary physiology.
Shenfu Injection attenuates rat myocardial hypertrophy by up-regulating miR-19a-3p expression
Authors: Mao Zhu-Jun , Zhang Quan-Long , Shang Jia , Gao Ting , Yuan Wen-Jun , Qin Lu-Ping
Published: March 2018

Shenfu Injection (SFI) is a classical Chinese medicine used to treat heart failure. Our previous study demonstrated that miRNAs underwent changes in rats with myocardial hypertrophy induced by abdominal aortic constriction. Interestingly, there was a significant change in miR-19a-3p, whose target gene is known to be associated with MEF2 signaling. However, whether and how SFI regulates miR-19a-3p in the treatment of myocardial hypertrophy has not been investigated. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the regulatory effect of SFI on miR-19a-3p in MEF2 signaling in the rat hypertrophic myocardium. We found that the miR-19a-3p expression level was significantly decreased in the hypertrophic myocardium, and MEF2A was the target gene of miR-19a-3p. The protein expressions of MEF2A, β-MHC, BNP and TRPC1 were significantly increased in hypertrophic cardiomyocytes. MiR-19a-3p was up-regulated after SFI treatment, and the protein expressions of these genes were significantly decreased. In addition, miR-19a-3p over-expression in hypertrophic cardiomyocytes could decrease MEF2A mRNA and protein expressions, and anti-miR-19a-3p showed the opposite result. Our study provided substantial evidence that miR-19a-3p played a functional role in MEF2 signaling in myocardial hypertrophy. SFI attenuated cardiomyocyte hypertrophy probably through up-regulating or maintaining the miR-19a-3p levels and regulating the MEF2 signaling pathway.
An ANOVA approach for statistical comparisons of brain networks
Authors: Fraiman Daniel , Fraiman Ricardo
Published: March 2018

The study of brain networks has developed extensively over the last couple of decades. By contrast, techniques for the statistical analysis of these networks are less developed. In this paper, we focus on the statistical comparison of brain networks in a nonparametric framework and discuss the associated detection and identification problems. We tested network differences between groups with an analysis of variance (ANOVA) test we developed specifically for networks. We also propose and analyse the behaviour of a new statistical procedure designed to identify different subnetworks. As an example, we show the application of this tool in resting-state fMRI data obtained from the Human Connectome Project. We identify, among other variables, that the amount of sleep the days before the scan is a relevant variable that must be controlled. Finally, we discuss the potential bias in neuroimaging findings that is generated by some behavioural and brain structure variables. Our method can also be applied to other kind of networks such as protein interaction networks, gene networks or social networks.
Altitudinal, temporal and trophic partitioning of flower-visitors in Alpine communities
Authors: Lefebvre Vincent , Villemant Claire , Fontaine Colin , Daugeron Christophe
Published: March 2018

The cross-pollination of most alpine plants depends on insects, whose altitudinal distribution is limited by temperature. However, although global warming is causing shifts in temporal and spatial species distribution, we are still largely unaware of how plant-pollinator interactions change with elevation and time along altitudinal gradients. This makes the detection of endangered interactions and species challenging. In this study, we aimed at providing such a reference, and tested if and how the major flower-visiting insect orders and families segregated by altitude, phenology and foraging preferences along an elevational gradient from 970 m to 2700 m in the Alps. Flies were the main potential pollinators from 1500 m, as bees and beetles decreased rapidly above that limit. Diptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera differed significantly in the angiosperm assemblages visited. Within Diptera, the predominant group, major families segregated by both phenology and foraging preferences along the gradient. Empidids, muscids and anthomyiids, whose role in pollination has never been investigated, dominated the upper part of the gradient. Our results thus suggest that flies and the peculiar plants they visit might be particularly at risk under global warming, and highlight the blatant lack of studies about critical components of these rich, yet fragile mountain ecosystems.
Trends and Economic Impact of Hip and Knee Arthroplasty in Central Europe: Findings from the Austrian National Database
Authors: Leitner Lukas , Türk Silvia , Heidinger Martin , Stöckl Bernd , Posch Florian , Maurer-Ertl Werner , Leithner Andreas , Sadoghi Patrick
Published: March 2018

Arthroplasty registers were originally established in Scandinavia to receive clinically relevant information from pooled data, to improve quality and reduce revision surgeries, with socioeconomic benefit. In Austria, where the highest rate of total knee arthroplasties (TKA) per inhabitant of all OECD countries was reached in 2014, arthroplasties are centrally reported since 2009. Study purpose was to perform the first analysis of the Austrian database, aiming to obtain data on trends in arthroplasty in Austria over time in relation to demographic development. Between 2009 and 2015 an almost continuous increase of total hip arthroplasties (THA; 18.052) by 14% and TKA (17.324) by 13% were observed, representing 210 THA and 202 TKA per 100k inhabitants in 2015. A similar increase was found for revision surgeries, with 1.290 re-implanted THA (7.1% of all THA) and 919 re-implanted TKA (5.3% of all TKA) in 2015. Implantation of mega or tumor prosthesis for the knee and hip joint remained constant and was mainly performed in two university hospitals. Patellar resurfacing decreased by 31.6%. Demographic development will further increase the number of primary and revision surgeries. Inclusion of more detailed information on used and revised components was established and will improve efficacy in quality control.
Static and dynamic properties of a semiflexible polymer in a crowded environment with randomly distributed immobile nanoparticles
Authors: Tsehay Dessalegne A. , Luo Mengbo
Published: March 2018

The dimensions, diffusivity, and relaxation of a polymer are dependent on the attraction strength and concentration of nanoparticles.
Chemical synthesis of two-dimensional atomic crystals, heterostructures and superlattices
Authors: Chen Peng , Zhang Zhengwei , Duan Xidong , Duan Xiangfeng
Published: March 2018

We present an overview of the recent advances, challenges and future perspectives on the chemical synthesis of two-dimensional atomic crystals, heterostructures and superlattices.
Microfluidic approaches for probing amyloid assembly and behaviour
Authors: Herling Therese W. , Levin Aviad , Saar Kadi L. , Dobson Christopher M. , Knowles Tuomas P. J.
Published: March 2018

Microfluidic approaches can be used to study aspects of amyloid structures assembly and behaviour that are challenging to probe under bulk solution conditions. Developments in chip-based technology now allow researchers to explore the physicochemical parameters at the heart of the amyloid phenomenon.
Fluorescent organic nanoparticles with enhanced fluorescence by self-aggregation and their application for detection of Fe3+ ions
Authors: Azadbakht Reza , Hakimi Mohammad , Khanabadi Javad
Published: March 2018

The chemosensor L has a detection limit of 5.57 nM for Fe3+ in a DMF/H2O (9 : 1, v/v) mixture.
Half-sandwich type rhodium(iii)–aminohydroxamate complexes: the role of the position of the amino group in metal ion binding
Authors: Parajdi-Losonczi Péter László , Buglyó Péter , Skakalova Hana , Kasparkova Jana , Lihi Norbert , Farkas Etelka
Published: March 2018

Relative order of the pH-dependent conditional stability of the hydroxamate type (O,O) and (Namino,Nhydroxamato) chelates determines the coordination modes in the various mono- and dinuclear complexes of [(η5-Cp*)RhIII(H2O)3]2+ with α-, β- and γ-aminohydroxamic acids.
Grafting of glutathione to magnetic graphene oxide and application for the determination of As(iii)/(v) in food samplesviaa zeta potential analyzer
Authors: Saçmacı Şerife , Saçmacı Mustafa , Kök Cansu
Published: March 2018

A new selective method based on magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction (MDSPE) and a zetasizer system is proposed for the determination of As(iii)/As(v) species in some water and food samples.
Self-assembly of a nano hydrogel colloidal array for the sensing of humidity
Authors: Wang Zhe , Xue Min , Zhang Herong , Meng Zihui , Shea Kenneth J. , Qiu Lili , Ji Tiantian , Xie Tengsheng
Published: March 2018

A simple and low-cost humidity sensor based on self-assembled three dimensional nanohydrogel colloidal array was prepared for humidity sensing.
A review on organic–inorganic hybrid nanocomposite membranes: a versatile tool to overcome the barriers of forward osmosis
Authors: Sun Wanying , Shi Jie , Chen Cheng , Li Nan , Xu Zhiwei , Li Jing , Lv Hanming , Qian Xiaoming , Zhao Lihuan
Published: March 2018

Nanocomposite forward osmosis (FO) membranes have attracted increasing attentions recently and showed great comprehensive performance. Various modification methods have been employed to incorporate inorganic nanomaterials to FO membranes.
β-Carotene: a natural osteogen to fabricate osteoinductive electrospun scaffolds
Authors: Dabouian Atiyeh , Bakhshi Hadi , Irani Shiva , Pezeshki-Modaress Mohamad
Published: March 2018

Electrospun PCL scaffolds containing β-carotene as a natural osteogenic material can differentiate MSCs to osteoblasts without using external differential agents.
Establishment of a highly efficient flame-retardant system for rigid polyurethane foams based on bi-phase flame-retardant actions
Authors: Shi Xingxing , Jiang Saihua , Zhu Jingyi , Li Guohui , Peng Xiangfang
Published: March 2018

The combination of EG and HQ has been found to endow a PU matrix with excellent gas–solid bi-phase flame retardancy.
Copper- and chloride-mediated synthesis and optoelectronic trapping of ultra-high aspect ratio palladium nanowires
Authors: Lim Matthew B. , Hanson Jennifer L. , Vandsburger Leron , Roder Paden B. , Zhou Xuezhe , Smith Bennett E. , Ohuchi Fumio S. , Pauzauskie Peter J.
Published: March 2018

In hydrothermal synthesis of Pd, Cu(ii) and NaCl enhance yield of 1D nanostructures, which can be optically manipulated in water.
The functionalization of natural polymer-coated gold nanoparticles to carry bFGF to promote tissue regeneration
Authors: Ferreira Helena , Martins Albino , Alves da Silva Marta L. , Amorim Sara , Faria Susana , Pires Ricardo A. , Reis Rui L. , Neves Nuno M.
Published: March 2018

A schematic of the preparation of natural polymer-coated AuNPs for monitoring tissue regeneration stimulated by bFGF.
An efficient and weak efficiency-roll-off near-infrared (NIR) polymer light-emitting diode (PLED) based on a PVK-supported Zn2+–Yb3+-containing metallopolymer
Authors: Fu Guorui , Guan Jiaqing , Li Baoning , Liu Lin , He Yani , Yu Chao , Zhang Zhao , Lü Xingqiang
Published: March 2018

Based on the Zn2+–Yb3+-containing metallopolymer Poly(NVK-co-3) (75 : 1), PLEDs I–II with or without TPBI exhibit a record-renewed performance (80.14–85.63 μW cm−2, 0.05–0.058%, and weaker efficiency-roll-off) relative to Yb3+-doped PLEDs.
Low resistivity HfNx grown by plasma-assisted ALD with external rf substrate biasing
Authors: Karwal S. , Verheijen M. A. , Williams B. L. , Faraz T. , Kessels W. M. M. , Creatore M.
Published: March 2018

Application of an external rf substrate bias during the H2 plasma half cycle leads to a significant decrease in film resistivity resulting from a major reduction of O content and an increase in the Hf3+ oxidation state fraction in HfNx thin films
α-Lipoic acid stabilized DTX/IR780 micelles for photoacoustic/fluorescence imaging guided photothermal therapy/chemotherapy of breast cancer
Authors: Li WenTing , Peng JinRong , Yang Qian , Chen LiJuan , Zhang Lan , Chen XiaoXin , Qian ZhiYong
Published: March 2018

α-LA stabilized IR780/DTX co-loaded MPEG-PCL micelles are promising candidates for fluorescence/photoacoustic dual modal imaging guided PTT/chemotherapy co-therapy of breast cancer.
Room-temperature optic-electric duple bistabilities induced by plastic transition
Authors: Xu Wei-Jian , Zeng Ying , Yuan Wei , Qiu Rong-Guan , Zhang Wei-Xiong , Chen Xiao-Ming
Published: March 2018

A plastic crystal simultaneously exhibits room-temperature bistabilities in two physical channels: dielectric and nonlinear optics.
Synthesis of indolines via a palladium/norbornene-catalyzed reaction of aziridines with aryl iodides
Authors: Liu Ce , Liang Yujie , Zheng Nian , Zhang Bo-Sheng , Feng Yuan , Bi Siwei , Liang Yong-Min
Published: March 2018

A Pd- and norbornene-catalyzed domino procedure has been developed to synthesize indoline compounds.
Room-temperature synthesis, controllable morphology and optical characteristics of narrow-band red phosphor K2LiGaF6:Mn4+
Authors: Cheng Haiming , Song Yan , Hong Feng , Liu Guixia , Li Dan , Ma Qianli , Dong Xiangting , Wang Jinxian , Yu Wensheng
Published: March 2018

The white light-emitting diodes fabricated by mixing GaN chips with yellow phosphor (Y3Al5O12:Ce3+) and red phosphors (K2LiGaF6:Mn4+) exhibit good performance with lower color temperature and higher color rendering index.
π-Choreography in aromatic ammonium formate solids
Authors: Oberle Carl D. , Bequette Dylan G. , Brewer Taylor K. , Terry Traviona R. R. , Beatty Alicia M.
Published: March 2018

Eight novel benzylammonium formate complexes are combed for evidence suggesting “π-stacking” interactions, and are compared with similar published lamellar structures.
Structural and dielectric properties of cobaltacarborane composite polybenzimidazole membranes as solid polymer electrolytes at high temperature
Authors: Fuentes Isabel , Andrio Andreu , García-Bernabé Abel , Escorihuela Jorge , Viñas Clara , Teixidor Francesc , Compañ Vicente
Published: March 2018

The conductivity of a series of composite membranes based on PBI containing the metallacarborane salts M[COSANE] and M[TPB] has been investigated.
Connectivity-driven bi-thermoelectricity in heteroatom-substituted molecular junctions
Authors: Sangtarash Sara , Sadeghi Hatef , Lambert Colin J.
Published: March 2018

To improve the thermoelectric performance of molecular junctions formed by polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) cores, we present a new strategy for enhancing their Seebeck coefficient by utilizing connectivities with destructive quantum interference combined with heteroatom substitution.
Characterization of the micelle structure of oleic acid-based gemini surfactants: effect of stereochemistry
Authors: Sugahara Tadashi , Takamatsu Yuichiro , Bhadani Avinash , Akamatsu Masaaki , Sakai Kenichi , Abe Masahiko , Sakai Hideki
Published: March 2018

In this study, we synthesize a novel oleic acid-based gemini surfactant with carboxylate headgroups, and study the effect of stereochemistry (anti- vs. syn-) on self-aggregation properties in water.
Desorption dynamics of RbHe exciplexes off He nanodroplets induced by spin-relaxation
Authors: Coppens François , von Vangerow Johannes , Barranco Manuel , Halberstadt Nadine , Stienkemeier Frank , Pi Martí , Mudrich Marcel
Published: March 2018

Doped He nanodroplets are ideal model systems to study elementary photophysical processes in hetero-nanostructures. Here we study the formation of free RbHe exciplexes from laser-excited Rb-doped He nanodroplets.
Interactions between similar and dissimilar charged interfaces in the presence of multivalent anions
Authors: Moazzami-Gudarzi Mohsen , Adam Pavel , Smith Alexander M. , Trefalt Gregor , Szilágyi István , Maroni Plinio , Borkovec Michal
Published: March 2018

With direct force measurements, we identify a short-ranged attraction, which acts not only between similar interfaces, but also between dissimilar ones.
Design of iron atom modified thiophene-linked metalloporphyrin 2D conjugated microporous polymer as CO2 reduction photocatalyst
Authors: Chen Chongyang , Tang Chao , Xu Weiwei , Li Youyong , Xu Lai
Published: March 2018

We designed a series of 2D CMPs and found that the Fe-CMPs possess the highest catalytic activity toward CO2 photoreduction.
Highly-oriented one-dimensional MOF-semiconductor nanoarrays for efficient photodegradation of antibiotics
Authors: He Xiang , Nguyen Vu , Jiang Zhang , Wang Dawei , Zhu Zan , Wang Wei-Ning
Published: March 2018

Highly-oriented one-dimensional MOF-semiconductor nanoarrays were developed for the efficient photodegradation of antibiotics.
Quantifying photothermal heating at plasmonic nanoparticles by scanning electrochemical microscopy
Authors: Yu Yun , Williams Jeffrey D. , Willets Katherine A.
Published: March 2018

Here we present a methodology for probing the surface temperature at a plasmonic nanoparticle substrate using scanning electrochemical microscopy.
Mechanochemistry and cocrystallization of 3-iodoethynylbenzoic acid with nitrogen-containing heterocycles: concurrent halogen and hydrogen bonding
Authors: Szell Patrick M. J. , Dragon Julien , Zablotny Scott , Harrigan Stephen R. , Gabidullin Bulat , Bryce David L.
Published: March 2018

Halogen-bonded and hydrogen-bonded cocrystals of 3-iodoethynylbenzoic acid and several nitrogen-containing heterocycles are formed using mechanochemical and solvent-based slow evaporation methods.
Structural diversity in the products formed by the reactions of 2-arylselanyl pyridine derivatives and dihalogens
Authors: Montis Riccardo , Arca Massimiliano , Aragoni M. Carla , Blake Alexander J. , Castellano Carlo , Demartin Francesco , Isaia Francesco , Lippolis Vito , Pintus Anna , Lenardão Eder J. , Perin Gelson , O'Connor Alice E. , Thurow Samuel
Published: March 2018

The presence of competing donor sites in L1–L4 influences their reactivity towards dihalogens and interhalogens.
NiCo2O4nanosheets grown on interconnected honeycomb-like porous biomass carbon for high performance asymmetric supercapacitors
Authors: Guo Dongxuan , Zhang Li , Song Xiumei , Tan Lichao , Ma Huiyuan , Jiao Jia , Zhu Di , Li Fengbo
Published: March 2018

An interconnected honeycomb-like structure of the HLPBC/NiCo2O4composite was successfully prepared by carbonization combined with a facile hydrothermal process.