bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surgical Site Infections After Liver Transplantation: Prospective Surveillance and Evaluation of 250 Transplant Recipients in Canada
Authors: Natori Yoichiro , Kassar Rawan , Iaboni Aled , Hosseini-Moghaddam Seyed M. , Vu James , Husain Shahid , Renner Eberhard L. , Grant David , Rotstein Coleman
Published: July 2017

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the incidence of surgical-site infections (SSIs) in a cohort of liver transplant recipients and to assess risk factors predisposing patients to these infections.

DESIGN

Prospective observational cohort study.

SETTING

Single transplant center in Canada.

PATIENTS

Patients who underwent liver transplantation between February 2011 and August 2014.

METHODS

Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors for SSIs in liver transplant patients.

RESULTS

We enrolled 250 liver transplant recipients. The recipients’ median age at the time of transplantation was 56 years (range, 19–70 years), and 166 patients (66.4%) were male. Moreover, 47 SSIs were documented in 43 patients (17.2%). Organ-space, superficial, and deep SSIs were noted in 29, 7, and 3 patients, respectively. In addition, 2 patients developed superficial and organ-space SSIs, and another 2 patients were found to have deep as well as organ-space infections. In total, we identified 33 organ-space SSIs (70.2%), 9 superficial SSIs (19.1%), and 5 deep SSIs (10.6%). Factors predictive of SSIs by multivariate analysis were duct-to-duct anastomosis (odds ratio [OR], 3.88; 95% CI, 1.85–8.13; P<.001) and dialysis (OR, 3.57; 95% CI, 1.02–12.50; P=.046). Of the 66 organisms isolated in both deep and organ-space SSIs, 55 (83%) were resistant to cefazolin.

CONCLUSIONS

Organ-space SSIs are a common complication after liver transplantation. Duct-to-duct anastomosis and dialysis were independent risk factors associated with SSIs. Appropriate perioperative prophylaxis targeting patients with duct-to-duct anastomosis and dialysis while simultaneously providing optimum coverage for the potential pathogens causing SSIs is warranted.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1084–1090
Epidemiologic Review of Veterans Health Administration Patients with Isolation of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria after Cardiopulmonary Bypass Procedures
Authors: Oda Gina , Ryono Russell , Lucero-Obusan Cynthia , Schirmer Patricia , Shanawani Hasan , Jacobs Katrina , Holodniy Mark
Published: July 2017

We evaluated the isolation of postoperative nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) associated with heater-cooler devices (HCDs) used during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) surgery in the Veterans Health Administration from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2016. In more than 38,000 CPB procedures, NTM was isolated in 111 patients; 1 Mycobacterium chimaera mediastinitis case and 1 respiratory isolate were found.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1103–1106
Does Democratic Consolidation Lead to a Decline in Voter Turnout? Global Evidence Since 1939
Authors: KOSTELKA FILIP
Published: July 2017

This article challenges the conventional wisdom that democratic consolidation depresses voter turnout. Studying democratic legislative elections held worldwide between 1939 and 2015, it explains why voting rates in new democracies decrease when they do, how much they decrease, and how this phenomenon relates to the voter decline observed in established democracies. The article identifies three main sources of decline. The first and most important is the democratization context. When democratizations are opposition-driven or occur in electorally mobilized dictatorships, voter turnout is strongly boosted in the founding democratic elections. As time passes and the mobilizing democratization context loses salience, voting rates return to normal, which translates into turnout declines. The second source is the democratic consolidation context, which seems to depress voter turnout only in post-Communist democracies. Finally, new democracies mirror established democracies in that their voting rates have been declining since the 1970s, irrespective of the two previous mechanisms.
Interests, Norms and Support for the Provision of Global Public Goods: The Case of Climate Co-operation
Authors: Bechtel Michael M. , Genovese Federica , Scheve Kenneth F.
Published: July 2017

Mitigating climate change requires countries to provide a global public good. This means that the domestic cleavages underlying mass attitudes toward international climate policy are a central determinant of its provision. We argue that the industry-specific costs of emission abatement and internalized social norms help explain support for climate policy. To evaluate our predictions we develop novel measures of industry-specific interests by cross-referencing individuals’ sectors of employment and objective industry-level pollution data and employing quasi-behavioral measures of social norms in combination with both correlational and conjoint-experimental data. We find that individuals working in pollutive industries are 7 percentage points less likely to support climate co-operation than individuals employed in cleaner sectors. Our results also suggest that reciprocal and altruistic individuals are about 10 percentage points more supportive of global climate policy. These findings indicate that both interests and norms function as complementary explanations that improve our understanding of individual policy preferences.
Gene cloning and difference analysis of vitellogenin in Neoseiulus barkeri (Hughes)
Authors: Ding L. , Chen F. , Luo R. , Pan Q. , Wang C. , Yu S. , Cong L. , Liu H. , Li H. , Ran C.
Published: July 2017

Neoseiulus barkeri (HUGHES) is the natural enemy of spider mites, whiteflies and thrips. Screening for chemically-resistant predatory mites is a practical way to balance the contradiction between the pesticide using and biological control. In this study, the number of eggs laid by fenpropathrin-susceptible and resistant strains of N. barkeri was compared. Additionally, we cloned three N. barkeri vitellogenin (Vg) genes and used quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction to quantify Vg expression in susceptible and resistant strains. The total number of eggs significantly increased in the fenpropathrin-resistant strain. The full-length cDNA cloning of three N. barkeri Vg genes (NbVg1, NbVg2 and NbVg3) revealed that the open reading frames of NbVg1, NbVg2 and NbVg3 were 5571, 5532 and 4728 bp, encoding 1856, 1843 and 1575 amino acids, respectively. The three N. barkeri Vg possessed the Vitellogenin-N domain (or lipoprotein N-terminal domain (LPD_N)), von Willebrand factor type D domain (VWD) and the domain with unknown function 1943 (DUF1943). The NbVg1 and NbVg2 expression levels were significantly higher in the resistant strain than in the susceptible strain, while the NbVg3 expression level was lower in the resistant strain. Thus, we speculate that the increased number of eggs laid by the fenpropathrin-resistant strain of N. barkeri may be a consequence of changes in Vg gene expression.
Wissen und Lomdus: Idealism, Modernity, and History in some Nineteenth-Century Rabbinic and Philosophical Responses to theWissenschaft des Judentums
Authors: Nahme Paul E.
Published: July 2017

The study of Judaism within the modern university would not be possible without the legacy as well as the methodological approach of the small group of young scholars and students in Berlin who founded theVerein für Cultur und Wissenschaft der Judenin 1819. Although outside the walls of the German university, these scholars endeavored to make inroads within the discipline ofOrientalistikwhile standing firm in their hope that the Hegelian spirit of the day might give Judaism its determinate recognition in the light of Absolute Spirit and give the Jews their citizenship.
Two new species of Annulotrema (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) from Hydrocynus vittatus (Characiformes: Alestidae) in Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe
Authors: Kičinjaová M.L. , Barson M. , Gelnar M. , Řehulková E.
Published: July 2017

Two new and one known species of Annulotrema Paperna & Thurston, 1969 are reported from the gills of the tigerfish Hydrocynus vittatus Castelnau, 1861, collected in Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. The new species, Annulotrema pseudonili n. sp. and A. bracteatum n. sp., are described and distinguished mainly on the basis of features of the male copulatory organ (MCO). Annulotrema pseudonili n. sp. most closely resembles A. nili Paperna, 1973, but differs from it by possessing a more delicate MCO with a thin-walled base without a fibrous distal part. Annulotrema bracteatum n. sp. is most similar to Annulotrema ruahae Paperna, 1973, from which it differs by having an MCO composed of a longer copulatory tube and a leaf-shaped accessory piece enveloping the distal part of the tube. The presence of Annulotrema pikoides Guégan, Lambert & Birgi, 1988 on H. vittatus in Zimbabwe represents a new locality record for this parasite.
Bacterial strain changes during chronic otitis media surgery
Authors: Kim G J , Yoo S , Han S , Bu J , Hong Y , Kim D-K
Published: July 2017

Objective:

Cultures obtained from pre-operative middle-ear swabs from patients with chronic otitis media have traditionally been used to guide antibiotic selection. This study investigated changes in the bacterial strains of the middle ear during chronic otitis media surgery.

Methods:

Pre-operative bacterial cultures of otorrhoea, and peri-operative cultures of the granulation tissue in either the middle ear or mastoid cavity, were obtained. Post-operative cultures were selectively obtained when otorrhoea developed after surgery.

Results:

Bacterial growth was observed in 45.5 per cent of pre-operative cultures, 13.5 per cent of peri-operative cultures and 4.5 per cent of post-operative cultures. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was identified as the most common bacteria in all pre-operative (32.4 per cent), peri-operative (52.4 per cent) and post-operative (71.4 per cent) tests, and the percentage of Methicillin-resistant S aureus increased from the pre- to the post-operative period.

Conclusion:

The bacterial culture results for post-operative otorrhoea showed low agreement with those for pre-operative or peri-operative culture, and strain re-identification was required.
Do past stressful life events and personal control beliefs predict subjective wellbeing in old age? Evidence from a Spanish nationwide representative sample
Authors: RUBIO LAURA , DUMITRACHE CRISTINA G. , CORDÓN-POZO EULOGIO
Published: July 2017

It has been widely corroborated that recent stressful life events could impact wellbeing; nevertheless, it is not clear whether stressful situations experienced in the past and the individual resources used to deal with them influence older adults’ wellbeing. This study aims to analyse the influence of stressful past events and personal control beliefs, or the extent to which people believe they can control or influence their environment in order to achieve desired outcomes, on negative affect and domain-specific life satisfaction in a cross-sectional sample of 1,177 Spanish people age 50 years and older. For this purpose, the measurement of ten stressful past events, perceived control beliefs, negative affect and life satisfaction were obtained. Preliminary analyses showed that domain-specific life satisfaction grouped into two factors: internal and external life satisfaction. The results of the partial least squares structural equation model indicated that stressful events and control beliefs have an impact on both negative affect and life satisfaction in old age. Stressful past events had a negative effect on life satisfaction, while control beliefs were positively associated with negative affect. The model was able to predict the variance of internal life satisfaction at 37.5 per cent.
The revolution in local government: mayors in Portugal before and after 1974
Authors: ALMEIDA MARIA ANTÓNIA PIRES DE
Published: July 2017

In 1974, Portugal's Carnation Revolution, initiated by the military, received huge popular support. Army officers, mostly of the rank of captain, started the Revolution, but then the politicians took over. While it was largely a ‘top down’ revolution, at the local government level ordinary people assumed control. In this article we consider those who made up the local elites before the Revolution, during the transition period that followed, and thereafter. We compare the local elites in Portugal during Salazar's dictatorship with those under the Democratic regime, using a database of 6,000 entries containing details of 3,102 mayors and deputy mayors and 402 civil governors who held office between 1936 and 2013. Our main conclusions are that during the transition period the elite who had ruled under Salazar were almost completely replaced. A new group, from different professions and social backgrounds, took up the reins of local government. The Revolution produced a population willing to participate in the new order and take on roles within local government, but they did not always retain their seats after the first democratic elections.
A novel SINS/CNS Integrated Navigation Method Using Model Constraints for Ballistic Vehicle Applications
Authors: Wang Dingjie , Lv Hanfeng , Wu Jie
Published: July 2017

The major challenge of current Strapdown Inertial Naviagtion System/Celestial Navigation System (SINS/CNS) integrated systems is navigation accuracy degradation due to the failure to accurately estimate the accelerometer bias even when using stellar refraction information (e.g. the number of refraction stars is less than three). To solve this problem, this paper presents a new method for improving the accuracy of the traditional inertial-based integrated systems installed on ballistic vehicles. In an analogy with nonholonomic constraints in land navigation, this algorithm exploits the constraints that govern the motion of a ballistic vehicle in the free flight phase to obtain accelerometer bias observations. Improvements in dynamic equations are used to reduce the propagation of navigation errors, and high-rate virtual constraints are used to reduce the impact of bias errors. An information filter is devised to fuse the multi-rate observations from multiple sources, i.e. SINS, CNS and model constraints. The proposed method is also evaluated by long-range ballistic vehicle navigation simulations. The results indicate that the proposed constrained algorithm can address the degradation problem with remarkable accuracy improvements without adding extra sensors, enhancing the SINS-based navigation performance for ballistic applications.
Gender and Relationship Status Interaction and Likelihood of Return to Work Post-Retirement
Authors: Settels Jason , McMullin Julie
Published: July 2017

Le vieillissement de la population est un phénomène dont l’importance croît à travers les pays industrialisés. Les inquiétudes liées à la pénurie de main-d’œuvre ont encouragé le développement de politiques pour le prolongement de la vie active. En rapport avec ces développements, le contexte contemporain est marqué par une grande variabilité dans la participation de la main-d’œuvre plus âgée. Cette étude, basée sur les données de l’Enquête sociale générale de l’an 2007, était centrée sur des facteurs associés au travail rémunéré après la retraite, et en particulier sur l’interaction entre le sexe et le statut relationnel chez des Canadiens de 50 à 74 ans qui avaient pris leur retraites autrefois. Nous avons observé que, pour les hommes, le fait d’être dans une relation était associé à une plus forte probabilité de travail rémunéré après le départ à la retraite, comparativement aux femmes, chez qui l’inverse a été observé. Nos résultats suggèrent que l’influence du sexe sur l’association entre le statut relationnel et le travail après la retraite est en partie due à l’influence du sexe sur l’association entre le statut relationnel et la motivation des individus à apprendre, à s’engager dans leur communauté, à orienter leur carrière, et à leur sentiment d’indépendance. Une influence du sexe sur le statut relationnel peut donc être mise en lumière par une analyse du travail rémunéré suivant la prise de la retraite.
TRADE BALANCE AND INFLATION FLUCTUATIONS IN THE EURO AREA
Authors: Barthélemy Jean , Cléaud Guillaume
Published: July 2017

We estimate a medium-scale dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model for the euro area in an open-economy framework. The model includes structural trends on all variables, allowing us to estimate on gross data. First, we provide a theoretical balanced growth path consistent with permanent productivity shocks, inflation target changes, and permanent shocks to the openness of the economies. We then define the cycle as the gap between this sustainable trajectory and the gross data. Hence, we can properly deal with persistent deviations of the trade balance. Finally, we find persistent and strong effects from the asymmetric increase of euro-area imports during the last 10 years on domestic inflation. From 2000Q1 to 2008Q4, we estimate the contribution of the imbalanced development of international trade on euro-area inflation to an average of −0.7%, and on nominal interest rate, to an average of −1.4%.
HEALTH INVESTMENT OVER THE LIFE-CYCLE
Authors: Halliday Timothy J. , He Hui , Ning Lei , Zhang Hao
Published: July 2017

We quantify what drives the rise in medical expenditures over the life-cycle using a stochastic dynamic overlapping generations model of health investment. Three motives for health investment are considered. First, health delivers a flow of utility each period (the consumption motive). Second, better health enables people to allocate more time to productive or pleasurable activities (the investment motive). Third, better health improves survival prospects (the survival motive). We find that, overall, the consumption motive plays a dominant role, whereas the investment motive is more important than the consumption and survival motives until the forties. The survival motive is quantitatively less important when compared to the other two motives. We also conduct a series of counter-factual policy experiments to investigate how government policies impacting health insurance coverage, Social Security, and health care technological progress affect the behavior of medical expenditures, and social welfare.
CHAINS OF CONNECTION: RETHINKING THE BOURGEOISIE
Authors: KODITSCHEK THEODORE
Published: July 2017

Since his first year in graduate school, Jerrold Seigel has puzzled over the relationship between modernity and the bourgeoisie. Willing to acknowledge the salience of this class in the making of the modern, he grew increasingly troubled by the failure of every effort to give a clear account of its distinctive historical role. To define the bourgeoisie as simply the group(s) in the middle, “all those who are neither peasants nor workers on the one side, nor aristocrats by birth on the other,” might be empirically accurate, he reasoned, but this provided no analytical insight into the processes of history. The Marxist alternative avoids this vacuity, but only by creating a mythology of the ascendant bourgeoisie—a class that by mere dint of its privileged relation to capital is deemed to be capable of entirely transforming the realms of culture, politics, and the material world. Dissatisfied with these conventional approaches, Seigel introduced a fundamentally new way of thinking in his seminal synthesisModernity and Bourgeois Life, which sought to replace the “traditional nominative formulation [of the bourgeoisie's role] with ones that are more adjectival and historical.” Considering “‘bourgeois’, not in terms of the rise of a class,” he has reconceptualized this term to denote “the emergence and elaboration of a certain ‘form of life’.” It is in connection with this project that Seigel developed the two key concepts that will be considered in this essay, “chains of connection” and “networks of means” (MBL, ix, 6, 25).
Effects of cover crop presence, cover crop species selection and fungicide seed treatment on corn seedling growth
Authors: Schenck Lara A. , Bakker Matthew G. , Moorman Thomas B. , Kaspar Thomas C.
Published: July 2017

Cover crops can offer erosion protection as well as soil and environmental quality benefits. Cereal rye (Secale cerealeL.) is the most commonly used winter cover crop in corn–soybean rotations in the upper Midwest of the USA because of its superior winter hardiness and growth at cool temperatures. Cereal rye cover crops, however, can occasionally have negative impacts on the yield of a following corn crop, which discourages broader adoption and introduces substantial risk for corn farmers employing cover crops. We hypothesized that because cereal rye shares some pathogens with corn, it may be causing increased disease in corn seedlings planted soon after cereal rye termination. To test this, we performed a series of experiments in a controlled environment chamber to assess the response of corn seedlings with and without a commercial fungicide seed treatment to the presence of cereal rye or other species of cover crops that were terminated with herbicide prior to corn planting. Our results indicate that under cool and wet conditions, cereal rye reduces corn seedling growth performance and increases incidence of corn seedling root disease. Fungicide seed treatment had limited efficacy in preventing these effects, perhaps because environmental conditions were set to be very conducive for disease development. However, hairy vetch (Vicia villosaRoth) and winter canola (Brassica napusL.) cover crops had fewer negative impacts on corn seedlings compared with cereal rye. Thus, to expand the practice of cover cropping before corn, it should become a research priority to develop alternative management practices to reduce the risk of corn seedling root infection following cereal rye cover crops. Over the longer term, testing, selection and breeding efforts should identify potential cover crop species or genotypes that are able to match the winter hardiness, growth at cool temperatures and the conservation and environmental quality benefits of cereal rye, while avoiding the potential for negative impacts on corn seedlings when environmental conditions are suitable for disease development.
TAK1 inhibition attenuates both inflammation and fibrosis in experimental pneumoconiosis
Authors: Li Jie , Liang Chao , Zhang Zong-Kang , Pan Xiaohua , Peng Songlin , Lee Wing-Sze , Lu Aiping , Lin Zhixiu , Zhang Ge , Leung Wing-Nang , Zhang Bao-Ting
Published: July 2017

Pneumoconiosis, caused by inhalation of mineral dusts, is a major occupational disease worldwide. Currently, there are no effective drugs owing to a lack of potential therapeutic targets during either the inflammation or fibrosis molecular events in pneumoconiosis. Here, we performed microarrays to identify aberrantly expressed genes in the above molecular events in vitro and found a hub gene transforming growth factor-β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), which was highly expressed and activated in pneumoconiosis patients as well as silica-exposed rats with experimental pneumoconiosis. Genetic modulation of TAK1 by CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas9, RNA interference and overexpression indicated the important role of TAK1 in both inflammation and fibrosis in experimental pneumoconiosis. To achieve pharmacological TAK1 inhibition, we virtually screened out a natural product resveratrol, which targeted TAK1 at both N161 and A107 residues, and significantly inhibited TAK1 activation to attenuate inflammation and fibrosis in vitro. Consistently, in vivo prevention and intervention studies showed that resveratrol could inhibit pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis in silica-exposed rats.
A volumetric three-dimensional digital light photoactivatable dye display
Authors: Patel Shreya K. , Cao Jian , Lippert Alexander R.
Published: July 2017

Volumetric three-dimensional displays offer spatially accurate representations of images with a 360° view, but have been difficult to implement due to complex fabrication requirements. Herein, a chemically enabled volumetric 3D digital light photoactivatable dye display (3D Light PAD) is reported. The operating principle relies on photoactivatable dyes that become reversibly fluorescent upon illumination with ultraviolet light. Proper tuning of kinetics and emission wavelengths enables the generation of a spatial pattern of fluorescent emission at the intersection of two structured light beams. A first-generation 3D Light PAD was fabricated using the photoactivatable dye N-phenyl spirolactam rhodamine B, a commercial picoprojector, an ultraviolet projector and a custom quartz imaging chamber. The system displays a minimum voxel size of 0.68 mm3, 200 μm resolution and good stability over repeated ‘on-off’ cycles. A range of high-resolution 3D images and animations can be projected, setting the foundation for widely accessible volumetric 3D displays.
Somatic chromosomal engineering identifies BCAN-NTRK1 as a potent glioma driver and therapeutic target
Authors: Cook Peter J. , Thomas Rozario , Kannan Ram , de Leon Esther Sanchez , Drilon Alexander , Rosenblum Marc K. , Scaltriti Maurizio , Benezra Robert , Ventura Andrea
Published: July 2017

The widespread application of high-throughput sequencing methods is resulting in the identification of a rapidly growing number of novel gene fusions caused by tumour-specific chromosomal rearrangements, whose oncogenic potential remains unknown. Here we describe a strategy that builds upon recent advances in genome editing and combines ex vivo and in vivo chromosomal engineering to rapidly and effectively interrogate the oncogenic potential of genomic rearrangements identified in human brain cancers. We show that one such rearrangement, an microdeletion resulting in a fusion between Brevican (BCAN) and Neurotrophic Receptor Tyrosine Kinase 1 (NTRK1), is a potent oncogenic driver of high-grade gliomas and confers sensitivity to the experimental TRK inhibitor entrectinib. This work demonstrates that BCAN-NTRK1 is a bona fide human glioma driver and describes a general strategy to define the oncogenic potential of novel glioma-associated genomic rearrangements and to generate accurate preclinical models of this lethal human cancer.
Erratum: ACF7 regulates inflammatory colitis and intestinal wound response by orchestrating tight junction dynamics
Authors: Ma Yanlei , Yue Jiping , Zhang Yao , Shi Chenzhang , Odenwald Matt , Liang Wenguang G. , Wei Qing , Goel Ajay , Gou Xuewen , Zhang Jamie , Chen Shao-Yu , Tang Wei-Jen , Turner Jerrold R. , Yang Feng , Liang Hong , Qin Huanlong , Wu Xiaoyang
Published: July 2017

Nature Communications 8: Article number: 15375 (2017); Published: 25 May 2017; Updated: 11 July 2017 The affiliation details for Yanlei Ma and Yao Zhang are incorrect in this Article. The correct affiliation details for these authors are given below: Yanlei Ma: Department of GI surgery, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital Affiliated with Tongji University, 301 Yanchang Road, Shanghai 200072, China.
Needle-free delivery of measles virus vaccine to the lower respiratory tract of non-human primates elicits optimal immunity and protection
Authors: de Swart Rik L. , de Vries Rory D. , Rennick Linda J. , van Amerongen Geert , McQuaid Stephen , Verburgh R. Joyce , Yüksel Selma , de Jong Alwin , Lemon Ken , Nguyen D. Tien , Ludlow Martin , Osterhaus Albert D. M. E. , Duprex W. Paul
Published: July 2017

Needle-free measles virus vaccination by aerosol inhalation has many potential benefits. The current standard route of vaccination is subcutaneous injection, whereas measles virus is an airborne pathogen. However, the target cells that support replication of live-attenuated measles virus vaccines in the respiratory tract are largely unknown. The aims of this study were to assess the in vivo tropism of live-attenuated measles virus and determine whether respiratory measles virus vaccination should target the upper or lower respiratory tract. Four groups of twelve cynomolgus macaques were immunized with 104 TCID50 of recombinant measles virus vaccine strain Edmonston-Zagreb expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein. The vaccine virus was grown in MRC-5 cells and formulated with identical stabilizers and excipients as used in the commercial MVEZ vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India. Animals were immunized by hypodermic injection, intra-tracheal inoculation, intra-nasal instillation, or aerosol inhalation. In each group six animals were euthanized at early time points post-vaccination, whereas the other six were followed for 14 months to assess immunogenicity and protection from challenge infection with wild-type measles virus. At early time-points, enhanced green fluorescent protein-positive measles virus-infected cells were detected locally in the muscle, nasal tissues, lungs, and draining lymph nodes. Systemic vaccine virus replication and viremia were virtually absent. Infected macrophages, dendritic cells and tissue-resident lymphocytes predominated. Exclusive delivery of vaccine virus to the lower respiratory tract resulted in highest immunogenicity and protection. This study sheds light on the tropism of a live-attenuated measles virus vaccine and identifies the alveolar spaces as the optimal site for respiratory delivery of measles virus vaccine.
Genetic Polymorphisms and Platinum-based Chemotherapy Treatment Outcomes in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Genetic Epidemiology Study Based Meta-analysis
Authors: Tan Li-Ming , Qiu Cheng-Feng , Zhu Tao , Jin Yuan-Xiang , Li Xi , Yin Ji-Ye , Zhang Wei , Zhou Hong-Hao , Liu Zhao-Qian
Published: July 2017

Data regarding genetic polymorphisms and platinum-based chemotherapy (PBC) treatment outcomes in patients with NSCLC are published at a growing pace, but the results are inconsistent. This meta-analysis integrated eligible candidate genes to better evaluate the pharmacogenetics of PBC in NSCLC patients. Relevant studies were retrieved from PubMed, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure and WANFANG databases. A total of 111 articles comprising 18,196 subjects were included for this study. The associations of genetic polymorphisms with treatment outcomes of PBC including overall response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were determined by analyzing the relative risk (RR), hazard ration (HR), corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). Eleven polymorphisms in 9 genes, including ERCC1 rs11615 (OS), rs3212986 (ORR), XPA rs1800975 (ORR), XPD rs1052555 (OS, PFS), rs13181 (OS, PFS), XPG rs2296147 (OS), XRCC1 rs1799782 (ORR), XRCC3 rs861539 (ORR), GSTP1 rs1695 (ORR), MTHFR rs1801133 (ORR) and MDR1 rs1045642 (ORR), were found significantly associated with PBC treatment outcomes. These variants were mainly involved in DNA repair (EXCC1, XPA, XPD, XPG, XRCC1 and XRCC3), drug influx and efflux (MDR1), metabolism and detoxification (GSTP1) and DNA synthesis (MTHFR), and might be considered as potential prognostic biomarkers for assessing objective response and progression risk in NSCLC patients receiving platinum-based regimens.
Discovery of Novel Human Gene Regulatory Modules from Gene Co-expression and Promoter Motif Analysis
Authors: Ma Shisong , Snyder Michael , Dinesh-Kumar Savithramma P.
Published: July 2017

Deciphering gene regulatory networks requires identification of gene expression modules. We describe a novel bottom-up approach to identify gene modules regulated by cis-regulatory motifs from a human gene co-expression network. Target genes of a cis-regulatory motif were identified from the network via the motif’s enrichment or biased distribution towards transcription start sites in the promoters of co-expressed genes. A gene sub-network containing the target genes was extracted and used to derive gene modules. The analysis revealed known and novel gene modules regulated by the NF-Y motif. The binding of NF-Y proteins to these modules’ gene promoters were verified using ENCODE ChIP-Seq data. The analyses also identified 8,048 Sp1 motif target genes, interestingly many of which were not detected by ENCODE ChIP-Seq. These target genes assemble into house-keeping, tissues-specific developmental, and immune response modules. Integration of Sp1 modules with genomic and epigenomic data indicates epigenetic control of Sp1 targets’ expression in a cell/tissue specific manner. Finally, known and novel target genes and modules regulated by the YY1, RFX1, IRF1, and 34 other motifs were also identified. The study described here provides a valuable resource to understand transcriptional regulation of various human developmental, disease, or immunity pathways.
Overstepping the upper refractive index limit to form ultra-narrow photonic nanojets
Authors: Gu Guoqiang , Song Jun , Liang Hongda , Zhao Mengjie , Chen Yue , Qu Junle
Published: July 2017

In general, photonic nanojets (PNJs) occur only when the refractive index (Ri) difference between the microparticle and background media is less than 2. The minimum full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the PNJ is ~130 nm (approximately one-third of the illumination wavelength λ = 400 nm) formed within the evanescent field region. This paper proposes and studies a method to overstep the Ri upper bound and generate ultra-narrow PNJs. Finite element method based numerical investigations and ray-optics theoretical analyses have realized ultra-narrow PNJs with FWHM as small as 114.7 nm (0.287 λ) obtained from an edge-cut, length-reduced and parabolic-profiled microparticle with Ri = 2.5 beyond evanescent decay length. Using simple strain or compression operations, sub-diffraction-limited PNJs can be flexibly tuned on the order of several wavelengths. Such ultra-narrow PNJs offer great prospects for optical nonlinearity enhancements of greater enhancing effect, optical nanoscopy of higher spatial resolution, optical microprobes of smaller measurement accuracy, nano/micro-sized sample detections of higher sensing sensitivity, nanoscale objects of more accurate control, advanced manufactures of smaller processing size, optical-disk storage of larger data capacity and all-optical switching of lower energy consumption.
The essential genomic landscape of the commensal Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003
Authors: Ruiz Lorena , Bottacini Francesca , Boinett Christine J. , Cain Amy K. , O’Connell-Motherway Mary , Lawley Trevor D. , van Sinderen Douwe
Published: July 2017

Bifidobacteria are common gut commensals with purported health-promoting effects. This has encouraged scientific research into bifidobacteria, though recalcitrance to genetic manipulation and scarcity of molecular tools has hampered our knowledge on the precise molecular determinants of their health-promoting attributes and gut adaptation. To overcome this problem and facilitate functional genomic analyses in bifidobacteria, we created a large Tn5 transposon mutant library of the commensal Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 that was further characterized by means of a Transposon Directed Insertion Sequencing (TraDIS) approach. Statistical analysis of transposon insertion distribution revealed a set of 453 genes that are essential for or markedly contribute to growth of this strain under laboratory conditions. These essential genes encode functions involved in the so-called bifid-shunt, most enzymes related to nucleotide biosynthesis and a range of housekeeping functions. Comparison to the Bifidobacterium and B. breve core genomes highlights a high degree of conservation of essential genes at the species and genus level, while comparison to essential gene datasets from other gut bacteria identified essential genes that appear specific to bifidobacteria. This work establishes a useful molecular tool for scientific discovery of bifidobacteria and identifies targets for further studies aimed at characterizing essential functions not previously examined in bifidobacteria.
Targeting Cellular Calcium Homeostasis to Prevent Cytokine-Mediated Beta Cell Death
Authors: Clark Amy L. , Kanekura Kohsuke , Lavagnino Zeno , Spears Larry D. , Abreu Damien , Mahadevan Jana , Yagi Takuya , Semenkovich Clay F. , Piston David W. , Urano Fumihiko
Published: July 2017

Pro-inflammatory cytokines are important mediators of islet inflammation, leading to beta cell death in type 1 diabetes. Although alterations in both endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and cytosolic free calcium levels are known to play a role in cytokine-mediated beta cell death, there are currently no treatments targeting cellular calcium homeostasis to combat type 1 diabetes. Here we show that modulation of cellular calcium homeostasis can mitigate cytokine- and ER stress-mediated beta cell death. The calcium modulating compounds, dantrolene and sitagliptin, both prevent cytokine and ER stress-induced activation of the pro-apoptotic calcium-dependent enzyme, calpain, and partly suppress beta cell death in INS1E cells and human primary islets. These agents are also able to restore cytokine-mediated suppression of functional ER calcium release. In addition, sitagliptin preserves function of the ER calcium pump, sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA), and decreases levels of the pro-apoptotic protein thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP). Supporting the role of TXNIP in cytokine-mediated cell death, knock down of TXNIP in INS1-E cells prevents cytokine-mediated beta cell death. Our findings demonstrate that modulation of dynamic cellular calcium homeostasis and TXNIP suppression present viable pharmacologic targets to prevent cytokine-mediated beta cell loss in diabetes.
What drives sound symbolism? Different acoustic cues underlie sound-size and sound-shape mappings
Authors: Knoeferle Klemens , Li Jixing , Maggioni Emanuela , Spence Charles
Published: July 2017

Sound symbolism refers to the non-arbitrary mappings that exist between phonetic properties of speech sounds and their meaning. Despite there being an extensive literature on the topic, the acoustic features and psychological mechanisms that give rise to sound symbolism are not, as yet, altogether clear. The present study was designed to investigate whether different sets of acoustic cues predict size and shape symbolism, respectively. In two experiments, participants judged whether a given consonant-vowel speech sound was large or small, round or angular, using a size or shape scale. Visual size judgments were predicted by vowel formant F1 in combination with F2, and by vowel duration. Visual shape judgments were, however, predicted by formants F2 and F3. Size and shape symbolism were thus not induced by a common mechanism, but rather were distinctly affected by acoustic properties of speech sounds. These findings portray sound symbolism as a process that is not based merely on broad categorical contrasts, such as round/unround and front/back vowels. Rather, individuals seem to base their sound-symbolic judgments on specific sets of acoustic cues, extracted from speech sounds, which vary across judgment dimensions.
Origin and dispersal of early domestic pigs in northern China
Authors: Xiang Hai , Gao Jianqiang , Cai Dawei , Luo Yunbing , Yu Baoquan , Liu Langqing , Liu Ranran , Zhou Hui , Chen Xiaoyong , Dun Weitao , Wang Xi , Hofreiter Michael , Zhao Xingbo
Published: July 2017

It is widely accepted that modern pigs were domesticated independently at least twice, and Chinese native pigs are deemed as direct descendants of the first domesticated pigs in the corresponding domestication centers. By analyzing mitochondrial DNA sequences of an extensive sample set spanning 10,000 years, we find that the earliest pigs from the middle Yellow River region already carried the maternal lineages that are dominant in both younger archaeological populations and modern Chinese pigs. Our data set also supports early Neolithic pig utilization and a long-term in situ origin for northeastern Chinese pigs during 8,000–3,500 BP, suggesting a possibly independent domestication in northeast China. Additionally, we observe a genetic replacement in ancient northeast Chinese pigs since 3,500 BP. The results not only provide increasing evidence for pig origin in the middle Yellow River region but also depict an outline for the process of early pig domestication in northeast China.
An imaging dataset of cervical cells using scanning near-field optical microscopy coupled to an infrared free electron laser
Authors: Halliwell Diane E. , Morais Camilo L.M. , Lima Kássio M.G. , Trevisan Júlio , Siggel-King Michele R.F. , Craig Tim , Ingham James , Martin David S. , Heys Kelly , Kyrgiou Maria , Mitra Anita , Paraskevaidis Evangelos , Theophilou Georgios , Martin-Hirsch Pierre L. , Cricenti Antonio , Luce Marco , Weightman Peter , Martin Francis L.
Published: July 2017

Using a scanning near-field optical microscope coupled to an infrared free electron laser (SNOM-IR-FEL) in low-resolution transmission mode, we collected chemical data from whole cervical cells obtained from 5 pre-menopausal, non-pregnant women of reproductive age, and cytologically classified as normal or with different grades of cervical cell dyskaryosis. Imaging data are complemented by demography. All samples were collected before any treatment. Spectra were also collected using attenuated total reflection, Fourier-transform (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, to investigate the differences between the two techniques. Results of this pilot study suggests SNOM-IR-FEL may be able to distinguish cervical abnormalities based upon changes in the chemical profiles for each grade of dyskaryosis at designated wavelengths associated with DNA, Amide I/II, and lipids. The novel data sets are the first collected using SNOM-IR-FEL in transmission mode at the ALICE facility (UK), and obtained using whole cells as opposed to tissue sections, thus providing an ‘intact’ chemical profile. These data sets are suited to complementing future work on image analysis, and/or applying the newly developed algorithm to other datasets collected using the SNOM-IR-FEL approach.
Correction: Corrigendum: Synthesis of Sr2Si5N8: Ce3+ phosphors for white LEDs via efficient chemical vapor deposition
Authors: Yang Che-Yuan , Som Sudipta , Das Subrata , Lu Chung-Hsin
Published: July 2017

Scientific Reports 7: Article number: 45832; published online: 31 March 2017; updated: 11 July 2017. The original version of this Article contained typographical errors in the title, where: “Synthesis of Sr2Si5N8: Ce3+ phosphors for white LEDs via an efficient chemical deposition”. now reads: “Synthesis of Sr2Si5N8: Ce3+ phosphors for white LEDs via efficient chemical vapor deposition”.
Cross-talk between 10-gingerol and its anti-cancerous potential: a recent update
Authors: Zhang Fang , Thakur Kiran , Hu Fei , Zhang Jian-Guo , Wei Zhao-Jun
Published: July 2017

10-gingerol displays potential as food and medicine due to its considerable benefits in anti-cancerous, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-microbial and others.
Fabricating chiroptical starfruit-like Au nanoparticles via interface modulation of chiral thiols
Authors: Yan Jiao , Chen Yuandong , Hou Shuai , Chen Jiaqi , Meng Dejing , Zhang Hui , Fan Huizhen , Ji Yinglu , Wu Xiaochun
Published: July 2017

With the help of chiral cysteine, starfruit-like gold nanoparticles are obtainedviaAu overgrowth on gold nanorods and show strong plasmonic circular dichroism response. Chiral thiol-initiated interface regulation is effective in fabricating discrete chiroptical nanostructures.
Reductive amination catalyzed by iridium complexes using carbon monoxide as a reducing agent
Authors: Moskovets Alexey P. , Usanov Dmitry L. , Afanasyev Oleg I. , Fastovskiy Vasilii A. , Molotkov Alexander P. , Muratov Karim M. , Denisov Gleb L. , Zlotskii Semen S. , Smol'yakov Alexander F. , Loginov Dmitry A. , Chusov Denis
Published: July 2017

N-benzyl, dioxalane, halo-, cyclopropanes tolerates.
An expeditious method to synthesize difluoroboron complexes of β-keto amides from β-keto nitriles and BF3·OEt2
Authors: Xu Chuangchuang , Xu Jiaxi
Published: July 2017

An expeditious and convenient method has been developed to synthesize difluoroboron complexes of β-keto amides from β-keto nitriles and BF3·OEt2.
A visible-light-induced photoelectrochemical water-splitting system featuring an organo-photocathode along with a tungsten oxide photoanode
Authors: Kawai Yuto , Nagai Keiji , Abe Toshiyuki
Published: July 2017

An extremely low-biased water-splitting reaction occurred in a system containing a WO3 photoanode and organo-photocathode.
A simple, fast, and sensitive colorimetric assay for visual detection of berberine in human plasma by NaHSO4-optimized gold nanoparticles
Authors: Hu Ziwei , Xie Mingshan , Yang Danting , Chen Dong , Jian Jingyi , Li Haibin , Yuan Kaisong , Jiang Zhengjin , Zhou Haibo
Published: July 2017

Herein, we report a simple, fast and sensitive colorimetric visualization of berberine in human plasma using NaHSO4-optimized gold nanoparticles. The LOD in human plasma is 0.24 μg mL−1by the naked eye and 0.06 μg mL−1by UV-vis spectroscopy.
Update to expression of concern: Filled and peptide-modified single-walled carbon nanotubes: synthesis, characterization, and in vitro test for cancer cell targeting
Authors: Shore Andrew
Published: July 2017

Update to expression of concern for ‘Filled and peptide-modified single-walled carbon nanotubes: synthesis, characterization, and in vitro test for cancer cell targeting’ by Zhiyuan Hu et al., RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 16792–16800.
Origins of mtDNA mutations in ageing
Authors: Szczepanowska Karolina , Trifunovic Aleksandra
Published: July 2017

MtDNA mutations are one of the hallmarks of ageing and age-related diseases. It is well established that somatic point mutations accumulate in mtDNA of multiple organs and tissues with increasing age and heteroplasmy is universal in mammals. However, the origin of these mutations remains controversial. The long-lasting hypothesis stating that mtDNA mutations emanate from oxidative damage via a self-perpetuating mechanism has been extensively challenged in recent years. Contrary to this initial ascertainment, mtDNA appears to be well protected from action of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through robust protein coating and endomitochondrial microcompartmentalization. Extensive development of scrupulous high-throughput DNA sequencing methods suggests that an imperfect replication process, rather than oxidative lesions are the main sources of mtDNA point mutations, indicating that mtDNA polymerase γ (POLG) might be responsible for the majority of mtDNA mutagenic events. Here, we summarize the recent knowledge in prevention and defence of mtDNA oxidative lesions and discuss the plausible mechanisms of mtDNA point mutation generation and fixation.
Robust Hermite decomposition algorithm for classification of sleep apnea EEG signals
Authors: Taran S. , Bajaj V. , Sharma D.
Published: July 2017

Sleep apnea (SA) event occurs due to restraint in normal respiration. It requires accurate diagnosis, because of neurotic and cardiac disorders. In this work, particle swarm optimisation (PSO)‐based Hermite decomposition algorithm is proposed, for identification of SA event using electroencephalogram (EEG) signals with parameterised classifier. The information from randomly varying complex EEG signals is extracted in terms of PSO optimised Hermite functions (HFs), with constraint of minimum error function. The Hermite coefficients computed from HFs‐based statistical features are applied as input to PSO parameterised least square support vector machine classifier. The proposed decomposition for EEG signals provides negligible mean value of error function and obtain best results for identification of apnea event compared to existing methods.