bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving post-operative communication between primary and secondary care: the wound closure information card
Authors: Dash Isabella , Pickering Greg T.
Published: June 2016

Aim

To assess and improve the quality of Secondary to Primary Care communication on discharge with a focus on post-surgical wound care.

Background

Hospital discharge summaries are the principle means of relaying accurate information back to primary care healthcare providers regarding a patient’s hospital attendance and any ongoing care that is required. The quality of these summaries can be quiet varied both nationally and local to our Trust. Subsequently the Surgical Directorate were seeing an increased level of additional emergency communication from Primary Care providers especially in relation to post-operative wound care.

Methods

A survey was distributed to local Primary Care practitioners to assess satisfaction with the General Surgical Department wound care information located on the discharge summary. Using these results, a wound closure information document was developed and distributed to general practice surgeries, and a patient-held ‘wound care’ card was piloted for two months. The survey was then repeated to determine the success of the intervention.

Findings

Post discharge communication was on the whole felt to be of poor quality and lacked a large amount of essential and desirable information. There was a particular absence of relevant information regarding surgical wound closure techniques utilised and their ongoing management. Many Primary Care practitioners acknowledge that their knowledge on this subject can be low. A Trust specific information leaflet combined with a dedicated patient held discharge information card can solve a number of these issues improving Primary and Secondary Care satisfaction and reducing the use of emergency resources and appointments.
Doubting Witchcraft: Theologians, Jurists, Inquisitors during the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries
Authors: Duni Matteo
Published: June 2016

The theory of diabolical witchcraft attracted serious doubts from its first formulation early in the fifteenth century. This essay focuses on the writings of a few lay jurists and lawyers who rejected the witch-hunters’ claim that witchcraft was made possible by the Devil's ability to operate physically in the world, and argued instead that such acts as consorting sexually with demons, or being carried through the air to the Sabbat, were visions and dreams produced by the Devil. In this heated debate, both doubters and believers frequently crossed their respective disciplinary boundaries as they sought to prove their point. The essay analyses the works of lawyers who confuted the witch-hunters’ interpretation of key biblical passages, using them to demonstrate that witchcraft was physically impossible, and that believing otherwise was unsound from both a legal and a religious point of view. It argues that their specific contribution was notable both for its content, as a particularly radical attack on demonological theories, and in itself, as an explicit challenge to ecclesiastical hegemony in the discourse on metaphysics. It concludes that their doubts had a significant, if belated, impact on the Roman Inquisition's policy vis-à-vis witchcraft.
‘Dowting of ye Cupp’: Disbelief about the Eucharist and a Catholic Miracle in Reformation England
Authors: Walsham Alexandra
Published: June 2016

This essay is inspired by an intriguing late sixteenth-century Catholic liturgical object, the Bosworth Hall burse. It commemorates a vision of the crucified Christ seen by the missionary priest (and later martyr) John Payne in Douai in 1575, which apparently dispelled a moment of doubt about the real presence in the consecrated eucharist. The incident is situated in the context of the heated Catholic and Protestant controversies about the doctrine of transubstantiation in post-Reformation England and against the backdrop of similar medieval miracles designed to counter disbelief, including the Mass of St Gregory and the miracle of Bolsena of 1263. The essay illuminates the persistence and transformation of anxieties about the sacred in the sixteenth century, considers the part they played in private and public crises of faith, and explores the mechanisms by which they were resolved. It also investigates how the memory of Payne's miraculous vision was crystallized in a material object.
Proving Stigmata: Antonio Daza, Saint Francis of Assisi and Juana de la Cruz
Authors: Warr Cordelia
Published: June 2016

The Franciscan Antonio Daza, a native of Valladolid, published his Historia de las llagas de nuestro seráfico padre San Francesco in 1617. He intended to demonstrate that the stigmata of Francis of Assisi were miraculous and unique. Daza referred to Juana de la Cruz (d. 1534), a Poor Clare, whom he identified as providing evidence of the veracity of Francis's stigmata in her sermons, which had been collected by one of the nuns in her convent in a manuscript known as El Conhorte. Juana's sermons were defended as divinely inspired and thus her defence of the miracle of Francis's stigmata was regarded as based on information received directly from God. Yet Juana herself had, according to another work by Daza, the Historia, vida y milagros, éxtasis y revelaciones de la bienaventurada virgen Santa Iuana de la Cruz (first published in 1610) received painful marks on her hands and feet in 1524. This paper will consider the tensions evidenced in Daza's work and his tactics in attempting to demonstrate the unique nature of the stigmata of Francis of Assisi whilst at the same time apparently acknowledging a similar miracle experienced by Juana de la Cruz.
Doubt, Anxiety and Protestant Epistolary Counselling: The Letter-Book of Nehemiah Wallington
Authors: Busfield Lucy
Published: June 2016

This essay focuses on a surprisingly underexplored manuscript of the London puritan woodturner, Nehemiah Wallington. His ‘Coppies of profitable and comfortable letters’ anthologizes printed correspondence of martyrs and Reformed clergy alongside Wallington's own pious exchanges with ministers, neighbours and friends. Since Wallington's agonies of doubt about his religious estate are well known to early modern historians, his piety provides a particularly valuable lens through which to explore how clergymen and laypeople attempted to address the pastoral obstacle of religious uncertainty. This remarkable manuscript provides insights into clerical status within puritan spirituality, shedding light on the role of Protestant ministers as physicians of the soul, who conceived of themselves as indispensable experts in the diagnosis and cure of the spiritual afflictions of their lay devotees. Wallington and others, seeking resolutions for their doubts and scruples, affirmed the particular authority of these clergy as pastoral specialists. This essay presents evidence of sustained clericalism within Protestant piety, a tendency which acted in tension with a concurrent trend of spiritual individualism. Furthermore, it advances an argument for the significant role which epistolary counselling played in Protestant pastoral ministry to those afflicted by religious doubt.
Polemicist as Pastor: Daniel Featley's Anti-Catholic Polemic and Countering Lay Doubt in England during the early 1620s
Authors: Salazar Greg
Published: June 2016

In the months immediately before the collapse of the Spanish Match in 1623, an important debate took place between the Protestant controversialist Daniel Featley and John Percy (alias Fisher), the notorious Jesuit polemicist. The accounts of the debate alleged that the meeting was originally intended to be a small, informal, private conference to provide satisfaction to Humphrey Lynde's ageing cousin, Edward Buggs, concerning some doubts he was having about the legitimacy of the Protestant faith. Nevertheless, it is argued that Protestants used this conference to showcase a strong stance against Rome at a crucial moment when Catholicism was beginning to intrude further into England, and deliberately subverted royal policy by engaging Catholics in debate and publishing anti-Catholic polemical works. This was done to increase other Protestants’ confidence that their Church was the true Church and Catholicism was a counterfeit version of Christianity. Ultimately, this episode demonstrates how Protestants’ pastoral concerns about lay conversion could go hand in hand with their polemical activities and gives us a window into the particular mechanisms that Protestants employed as they struggled against the tide of political and ecclesiastical circumstances which threatened to diminish their influence in the 1620s.
Doubt, our modern Crown of Thorns
Authors: Stang Charles M.
Published: June 2016

This essay uses T. E. Lawrence's characterization of doubt as ‘our modern crown of thorns’, as an entrée into thinking through the coincidence of doubt and faith in the four canonical gospels. However much each of the gospels may wish to induce faith, it leaves its readers with the distinct impression that doubt, understood differently in each, cannot be fully dispelled. The gospels thereby testify to a lively, ancient appreciation for the irrepressibility of doubt. This essay then turns to the problem of scepticism in modern philosophy. In his work on Ludwig Wittgenstein, the American philosopher Stanley Cavell suggests that scepticism is a ‘condition’ of knowledge, both in the sense of something from which we suffer as if from a chronic illness, and in the sense of that which makes knowledge possible at all. The reader is invited to think of the dialectics of doubt and faith in a similar way, of doubt as the very condition of faith.
‘The very deceitfulness of devils’: Firmilian and the Doubtful Baptisms of a Woman possessed by Demons
Authors: Methuen Charlotte
Published: June 2016

In the mid-third century, a controversy relating to the validity of baptism by the lapsed broke out between Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, and Stephen, bishop of Rome. The former maintained that baptisms carried out by those who later lapsed had no validity, but must be repeated by a priest of whose behaviour there could be no doubt. Stephen maintained that baptisms carried out in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit were to be viewed as valid, whoever had carried them out. Cyprian appealed to his fellow bishops for support. In 256, Firmilian, bishop of Caesarea, wrote to him outlining the case of a woman who had for some time baptized and celebrated the eucharist, but who had then been identified as being possessed by demons, casting her earlier actions into question. This essay will analyse the grounds for Firmilian's doubts about the validity of the woman's actions, his proposed response, and the way in which this episode has been used in modern debates about the ordination of women.
The Doubting Augustine: The Deletion of Monica from Fourteenth-CenturyVitae Augustiniin the Augustinian Order of Hermits
Authors: Laferrière Anik
Published: June 2016

This study examines the erasure of Monica in five hagiographies of Augustine written by the Order of Hermits of St Augustine in the fourteenth century. It investigates how the character of Monica functions as a foil to Augustine's religious doubt in hisConfessionsand why that emphasis was problematic for the Augustinian Hermits. The essay will demonstrate that the presence of Monica was incompatible with the hermits’ desire to showcase Augustine's eremitism as the cornerstone of his religious practice. In order to emphasize Augustine's devotion to the eremitical life, the hermits denied any substantial presence to Monica, who was a problematic reminder both of Augustine's doubt about monasticism and of the hermits’ doubts about the legitimacy of their parentage. This study explores the hermits’ doubt about the role of Monica in Augustine's religious formation, and how that doubt was indicative of their institutionalized way of looking at their faith.
BDNF pro-peptide regulates dendritic spines via caspase-3
Authors: Guo J , Ji Y , Ding Y , Jiang W , Sun Y , Lu B , Nagappan G
Published: June 2016

The precursor of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) (proBDNF) is enzymatically cleaved, by either intracellular (furin/PC1) or extracellular proteases (tPA/plasmin/MMP), to generate mature BDNF (mBDNF) and its pro-peptide (BDNF pro-peptide). Little is known about the function of BDNF pro-peptide. We have developed an antibody that specifically detects cleaved BDNF pro-peptide, but not proBDNF or mBDNF. Neuronal depolarization elicited a marked increase in extracellular BDNF pro-peptide, suggesting activity-dependent regulation of its extracellular levels. Exposure of BDNF pro-peptide to mature hippocampal neurons in culture dramatically reduced dendritic spine density. This effect was mediated by caspase-3, as revealed by studies with pharmacological inhibitors and genetic knockdown. BDNF pro-peptide also increased the number of ‘elongated’ mitochondria and cytosolic cytochrome c, suggesting the involvement of mitochondrial-caspase-3 pathway. These results, along with BDNF pro-peptide effects recently reported on growth cones and long-term depression (LTD), suggest that BDNF pro-peptide is a negative regulator of neuronal structure and function.
Overexpression of the scaffold WD40 protein WRAP53β enhances the repair of and cell survival from DNA double-strand breaks
Authors: Rassoolzadeh H , Böhm S , Hedström E , Gad H , Helleday T , Henriksson S , Farnebo M
Published: June 2016

Altered expression of the multifunctional protein WRAP53β (WD40 encoding RNA Antisense to p53), which targets repair factors to DNA double-strand breaks and factors involved in telomere elongation to Cajal bodies, is linked to carcinogenesis. While loss of WRAP53β function has been shown to disrupt processes regulated by this protein, the consequences of its overexpression remain unclear. Here we demonstrate that overexpression of WRAP53β disrupts the formation of and impairs the localization of coilin to Cajal bodies. At the same time, the function of this protein in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks is enhanced. Following irradiation, cells overexpressing WRAP53β exhibit more rapid clearance of phospho-histone H2AX (γH2AX), and more efficient homologous recombination and non-homologous end-joining, in association with fewer DNA breaks. Moreover, in these cells the ubiquitylation of damaged chromatin, which is known to facilitate the recruitment of repair factors and subsequent repair, is elevated. Knockdown of the ubiquitin ligase involved, ring-finger protein 8 (RNF8), which is recruited to DNA breaks by WRAP53β, attenuated this effect, suggesting that overexpression of WRAP53β leads to more rapid repair, as well as improved cell survival, by enhancing RNF8-mediated ubiquitylation at DNA breaks. Our present findings indicate that WRAP53β and RNF8 are rate-limiting factors in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks and raise the possibility that upregulation of WRAP53β may contribute to genomic stability in and survival of cancer cells.
Interaction-induced hopping phase in driven-dissipative coupled photonic microcavities
Authors: Rodriguez S. R. K. , Amo A. , Sagnes I. , Le Gratiet L. , Galopin E. , Lemaître A. , Bloch J.
Published: June 2016

The Bose-Hubbard model (BHM) describes bosons hopping across sites and interacting on-site. Inspired by the success of BHM simulators with atoms in optical lattices, proposals for implementing the BHM with photons in coupled nonlinear cavities have recently emerged. Two coupled semiconductor microcavities constitute a model system where the hopping, interaction and decay of exciton polaritons—mixed light-matter quasiparticles—can be engineered in combination with site-selective coherent driving to implement the driven-dissipative two-site optical BHM. Here we explore the interplay of interference and nonlinearity in this system, in a regime where three distinct density profiles can be observed under identical driving conditions. We demonstrate how the phase acquired by polaritons hopping between cavities can be controlled through polariton-polariton interactions. Our results open new perspectives for synthesizing density-dependent gauge fields using polaritons in two-dimensional multicavity systems.
Three-dimensional spatiotemporal focusing of holographic patterns
Authors: Hernandez Oscar , Papagiakoumou Eirini , Tanese Dimitrii , Fidelin Kevin , Wyart Claire , Emiliani Valentina
Published: June 2016

Two-photon excitation with temporally focused pulses can be combined with phase-modulation approaches, such as computer-generated holography and generalized phase contrast, to efficiently distribute light into two-dimensional, axially confined, user-defined shapes. Adding lens-phase modulations to 2D-phase holograms enables remote axial pattern displacement as well as simultaneous pattern generation in multiple distinct planes. However, the axial confinement linearly degrades with lateral shape area in previous reports where axially shifted holographic shapes were not temporally focused. Here we report an optical system using two spatial light modulators to independently control transverse- and axial-target light distribution. This approach enables simultaneous axial translation of single or multiple spatiotemporally focused patterns across the sample volume while achieving the axial confinement of temporal focusing. We use the system's capability to photoconvert tens of Kaede-expressing neurons with single-cell resolution in live zebrafish larvae.
Association of RSV-A ON1 genotype with Increased Pediatric Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infection in Vietnam
Authors: Yoshihara Keisuke , Le Minh Nhat , Okamoto Michiko , Wadagni Anita Carolle Akpeedje , Nguyen Hien Anh , Toizumi Michiko , Pham Enga , Suzuki Motoi , Nguyen Ai Thi Thuy , Oshitani Hitoshi , Ariyoshi Koya , Moriuchi Hiroyuki , Hashizume Masahiro , Dang Duc Anh , Yoshida Lay-Myint
Published: June 2016

Since the initial discovery of RSV-A ON1 in Canada in 2010, ON1 has been reported worldwide, yet information regarding its clinical impact and severity has been controversial. To investigate the clinical relevance of RSV-A ON1,acute respiratory infection (ARI) cases enrolled to our population-based prospective pediatric ARI surveillance at Khanh Hoa General Hospital, Central Vietnam from January 2010 through December 2012 were studied. Clinical-epidemiological information and nasopharyngeal samples were collected. Multiplex PCR assays were performed for screening 13 respiratory viruses. RSV-positive samples were further tested for subgroups (A/B) and genotypes information by sequencing the G-glycoprotein 2nd hypervariable region. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the clinical-epidemiological characteristics of RSV-A ON1. A total of 1854 ARI cases were enrolled and 426 (23.0%) of them were RSV-positive. During the study period, RSV-A and B had been co-circulating. NA1 was the predominant RSV-A genotype until the appearance of ON1 in 2012. RSV-related ARI hospitalization incidence significantly increased after the emergence of ON1. Moreover, multivariate analysis revealed that risk of lower respiratory tract infection was 2.26 (95% CI: 1.37–3.72) times, and radiologically-confirmed pneumonia was 1.98 (95% CI: 1.01–3.87) times greater in ON1 compared to NA1 cases. Our result suggested that ON1 ARI cases were clinically more severe than NA1.
PIERCE1 is critical for specification of left-right asymmetry in mice
Authors: Sung Young Hoon , Baek In-Jeoung , Kim Yong Hwan , Gho Yong Song , Oh S. Paul , Lee Young Jae , Lee Han-Woong
Published: June 2016

The specification of left-right asymmetry of the visceral organs is precisely regulated. The earliest breakage of left-right symmetry occurs as the result of leftward flow generated by asymmetric beating of nodal cilia, which eventually induces asymmetric Nodal/Lefty/Pitx2 expression on the left side of the lateral plate mesoderm. PIERCE1 has been identified as a p53 target gene involved in the DNA damage response. In this study, we found thatPierce1-null mice exhibit severe laterality defects, includingsitus inversus totalisand heterotaxy with randomizedsitusand left and right isomerisms. The spectrum of laterality defects was closely correlated with randomized expression ofNodaland its downstream genes,Lefty1/2andPitx2. The phenotype ofPierce1-null mice most closely resembled that of mutant mice with impaired ciliogenesis and/or ciliary motility of the node. We also found the loss of asymmetric expression of Cerl2, the earliest flow-responding gene in the node ofPierce1-null embryos. The results suggest thatPierce1-null embryos have defects in generating a symmetry breaking signal including leftward nodal flow. This is the first report implicating a role for PIERCE1 in the symmetry-breaking step of left-right asymmetry specification.
Acoustic one-way metasurfaces: Asymmetric Phase Modulation of Sound by Subwavelength Layer
Authors: Jiang Xue , Liang Bin , Zou Xin-ye , Yang Jing , Yin Lei-lei , Yang Jun , Cheng Jian-chun
Published: June 2016

We theoretically design and numerically demonstrate an acoustic one-way metasurface, which is a planar and acoustically subwavelength layer behaving like a nearly-reflectionless surface with arbitrary wave-steering capability for incident wave impinging on one side, while virtually blocking the reversed wave. The underlying mechanism is based on an asymmetric phase modulation by coupling a phase array and a near-zero-index medium. We exemplify a metastructure-based implementation by combining the hybrid metastuctures and labyrinthine structures. Moreover, the performance of the proposed implementation is demonstrated via three distinct phenomena of anomalous refraction, wave splitting and conversion of propagation wave to surface wave. Our findings may offer more possibilities for sound manipulation and improve the application potential of acoustic artificial devices in situations such as ultrasonic imaging and therapy.
An Efficient Synthesis Strategy for Metal-Organic Frameworks: Dry-Gel Synthesis of MOF-74 Framework with High Yield and Improved Performance
Authors: Das Atanu Kumar , Vemuri Rama Sesha , Kutnyakov Igor , McGrail B. Peter , Motkuri Radha Kishan
Published: June 2016

Vapor-assisted dry-gel synthesis of the metal-organic framework-74 (MOF-74) structure, specifically Ni-MOF-74 produced from synthetic precursors using an organic-water hybrid solvent system, showed a very high yield (>90% with respect to 2,5-dihydroxyterepthalic acid) and enhanced performance. The Ni-MOF-74 obtained showed improved sorption characteristics towards CO2 and the refrigerant fluorocarbon dichlorodifluoromethane. Unlike conventional synthesis, which takes 72 hours using the tetrahydrofuran-water system, this kinetic study showed that Ni-MOF-74 forms within 12 hours under dry-gel conditions with similar performance characteristics and exhibits its best performance characteristics even after 24 hours of heating. In the dry-gel conversion method, the physical separation of the solvent and precursor mixture allows for recycling of the solvent. We demonstrated efficient solvent recycling (up to three times) that resulted in significant cost benefits. The scaled-up manufacturing cost of Ni-MOF-74 synthesized via our dry-gel method is 45% of conventional synthesis cost. Thus, for bulk production of the MOFs, the proposed vapor-assisted, dry-gel method is efficient, simple and inexpensive when compared to the conventional synthesis method.
Large anomalous Nernst effect in a skyrmion crystal
Authors: Mizuta Yo Pierre , Ishii Fumiyuki
Published: June 2016

Thermoelectric properties of a model skyrmion crystal were theoretically investigated and it was found that its large anomalous Hall conductivity, corresponding to large Chern numbers induced by its peculiar spin structure leads to a large transverse thermoelectric voltage through the anomalous Nernst effect. This implies the possibility of finding good thermoelectric materials among skyrmion systems and thus motivates our quests for them by means of the first-principles calculations as were employed in this study.
High-precision force sensing using a single trapped ion
Authors: Ivanov Peter A. , Vitanov Nikolay V. , Singer Kilian
Published: June 2016

We introduce quantum sensing schemes for measuring very weak forces with a single trapped ion. They use the spin-motional coupling induced by the laser-ion interaction to transfer the relevant force information to the spin-degree of freedom. Therefore, the force estimation is carried out simply by observing the Ramsey-type oscillations of the ion spin states. Three quantum probes are considered, which are represented by systems obeying the Jaynes-Cummings, quantum Rabi (in 1D) and Jahn-Teller (in 2D) models. By using dynamical decoupling schemes in the Jaynes-Cummings and Jahn-Teller models, our force sensing protocols can be made robust to the spin dephasing caused by the thermal and magnetic field fluctuations. In the quantum-Rabi probe, the residual spin-phonon coupling vanishes, which makes this sensing protocol naturally robust to thermally-induced spin dephasing. We show that the proposed techniques can be used to sense the axial and transverse components of the force with a sensitivity beyond the "Equation missing" range, i.e. in the "Equation missing" (xennonewton, 10−27). The Jahn-Teller protocol, in particular, can be used to implement a two-channel vector spectrum analyzer for measuring ultra-low voltages.
Mobilisation and dysfunction of haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells after Listonella anguillarum infection in ayu, Plecoglossus altivelis
Authors: Lu Xin-Jiang , Chen Qiang , Rong Ye-Jing , Chen Jiong
Published: June 2016

Haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) can mobilise into blood and produce immune cell lineages following stress. However, the homeostasis and function of HSPCs after infection in teleosts are less well known. Here, we report that Listonella anguillarum infection enhances HSPC mobilisation and reduces their differentiation into myeloid cells in ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis), an aquacultured teleost in East Asia. We established a colony-forming unit culture (CFU-C) assay to measure HSPCs using conditioned medium from peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with phytohaemagglutinin. The number of CFU-Cs decreased in the head kidney and increased in the blood and spleen of ayu infected with L. anguillarum. HSPC mobilisation after L. anguillarum infection was mediated by norepinephrine. Furthermore, HSPCs from ayu treated with L. anguillarum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) showed defective myeloid differentiation and could no longer rescue L. anguillarum-infected ayu. HSPC expansion was suppressed after L. anguillarum infection or its LPS treatment in vitro. These results reveal a link between HSPC regulation and pathogen infection in teleosts.
Molecular analysis of fungal populations in patients with oral candidiasis using next-generation sequencing
Authors: Imabayashi Yumi , Moriyama Masafumi , Takeshita Toru , Ieda Shinsuke , Hayashida Jun-Nosuke , Tanaka Akihiko , Maehara Takashi , Furukawa Sachiko , Ohta Miho , Kubota Keigo , Yamauchi Masaki , Ishiguro Noriko , Yamashita Yoshihisa , Nakamura Seiji
Published: June 2016

Oral candidiasis is closely associated with changes in oral fungal biodiversity and is caused primarily by Candida albicans. However, the widespread use of empiric and prophylactic antifungal drugs has caused a shift in fungal biodiversity towards other Candida or yeast species. Recently, next-generation sequencing (NGS) has provided an improvement over conventional culture techniques, allowing rapid comprehensive analysis of oral fungal biodiversity. In this study, we used NGS to examine the oral fungal biodiversity of 27 patients with pseudomembranous oral candidiasis (POC) and 66 healthy controls. The total number of fungal species in patients with POC and healthy controls was 67 and 86, respectively. The copy number of total PCR products and the proportion of non-C. albicans, especially C. dubliniensis, in patients with POC, were higher than those in healthy controls. The detection patterns in patients with POC were similar to those in controls after antifungal treatment. Interestingly, the number of fungal species and the copy number of total PCR products in healthy controls increased with aging. These results suggest that high fungal biodiversity and aging might be involved in the pathogenesis of oral candidiasis. We therefore conclude that NGS is a useful technique for investigating oral candida infections.
Collapse of a lipid-coated nanobubble and subsequent liposome formation
Authors: Koshiyama Kenichiro , Wada Shigeo
Published: June 2016

We investigate the collapse of a lipid-coated nanobubble and subsequent formation of a lipid vesicle by coarse grained molecular dynamics simulations. A spherical nanobubble coated with a phospholipid monolayer in water is a model of an aqueous dispersion of phospholipids under negative pressure during sonication. When subjected to a positive pressure, the bubble shape deforms into an irregular spherical shape and the monolayer starts to buckle and fold locally. The local folds grow rapidly in multiple directions and forming a discoidal membrane with folds of various amplitudes. Folds of small amplitude disappear in due course and the membrane develops into a unilamellar vesicle via a bowl shape. Folds with large amplitude develop into a bowl shape and a multivesicular shape forms. The membrane shape due to bubble collapse can be an important factor governing the vesicular shape during sonication.
Clostridium perfringens α-Toxin Impairs Innate Immunity via Inhibition of Neutrophil Differentiation
Authors: Takehara Masaya , Takagishi Teruhisa , Seike Soshi , Ohtani Kaori , Kobayashi Keiko , Miyamoto Kazuaki , Shimizu Tohru , Nagahama Masahiro
Published: June 2016

Although granulopoiesis is accelerated to suppress bacteria during infection, some bacteria can still cause life-threatening infections, but the mechanism behind this remains unclear. In this study, we found that mature neutrophils in bone marrow cells (BMCs) were decreased in C. perfringens-infected mice and also after injection of virulence factor α-toxin. C. perfringens infection interfered with the replenishment of mature neutrophils in the peripheral circulation and the accumulation of neutrophils at C. perfringens-infected sites in an α-toxin-dependent manner. Measurements of bacterial colony-forming units in C. perfringens-infected muscle revealed that α-toxin inhibited a reduction in the load of C. perfringens. In vitro treatment of isolated BMCs with α-toxin (phospholipase C) revealed that α-toxin directly decreased mature neutrophils. α-Toxin did not influence the viability of isolated mature neutrophils, while simultaneous treatment of BMCs with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor attenuated the reduction of mature neutrophils by α-toxin. Together, our results illustrate that impairment of the innate immune system by the inhibition of neutrophil differentiation is crucial for the pathogenesis of C. perfringens to promote disease to a life-threatening infection, which provides new insight to understand how pathogenic bacteria evade the host immune system.
Study on the Electrochemical Reaction Mechanism of ZnFe2O4 by In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy
Authors: Su Qingmei , Wang Shixin , Yao Libing , Li Haojie , Du Gaohui , Ye Huiqun , Fang Yunzhang
Published: June 2016

A family of mixed transition–metal oxides (MTMOs) has great potential for applications as anodes for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). However, the reaction mechanism of MTMOs anodes during lithiation/delithiation is remain unclear. Here, the lithiation/delithiation processes of ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles are observed dynamically using in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Our results suggest that during the first lithiation process the ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles undergo a conversion process and generate a composite structure of 1–3 nm Fe and Zn nanograins within Li2O matrix. During the delithiation process, volume contraction and the conversion of Zn and Fe take place with the disappearance of Li2O, followed by the complete conversion to Fe2O3 and ZnO not the original phase ZnFe2O4. The following cycles are dominated by the full reversible phase conversion between Zn, Fe and ZnO, Fe2O3. The Fe valence evolution during cycles evidenced by electron energy–loss spectroscopy (EELS) techniques also exhibit the reversible conversion between Fe and Fe2O3 after the first lithiation, agreeing well with the in situ TEM results. Such in situ TEM observations provide valuable phenomenological insights into electrochemical reaction of MTMOs, which may help to optimize the composition of anode materials for further improved electrochemical performance.
Persistent neuronal Ube3a expression in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of Angelman syndrome model mice
Authors: Jones Kelly A. , Han Ji Eun , DeBruyne Jason P. , Philpot Benjamin D.
Published: June 2016

Mutations or deletions of the maternal allele of the UBE3A gene cause Angelman syndrome (AS), a severe neurodevelopmental disorder. The paternal UBE3A/Ube3a allele becomes epigenetically silenced in most neurons during postnatal development in humans and mice; hence, loss of the maternal allele largely eliminates neuronal expression of UBE3A protein. However, recent studies suggest that paternal Ube3a may escape silencing in certain neuron populations, allowing for persistent expression of paternal UBE3A protein. Here we extend evidence in AS model mice (Ube3am–/p+) of paternal UBE3A expression within the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the master circadian pacemaker. Paternal UBE3A-positive cells in the SCN show partial colocalization with the neuropeptide arginine vasopressin (AVP) and clock proteins (PER2 and BMAL1), supporting that paternal UBE3A expression in the SCN is often of neuronal origin. Paternal UBE3A also partially colocalizes with a marker of neural progenitors, SOX2, implying that relaxed or incomplete imprinting of paternal Ube3a reflects an overall immature molecular phenotype. Our findings highlight the complexity of Ube3a imprinting in the brain and illuminate a subpopulation of SCN neurons as a focal point for future studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms of Ube3a imprinting.
A fast and low-cost genotyping method for hepatitis B virus based on pattern recognition in point-of-care settings
Authors: Qiu Xianbo , Song Liuwei , Yang Shuo , Guo Meng , Yuan Quan , Ge Shengxiang , Min Xiaoping , Xia Ningshao
Published: June 2016

A fast and low-cost method for HBV genotyping especially for genotypes A, B, C and D was developed and tested. A classifier was used to detect and analyze a one-step immunoassay lateral flow strip functionalized with genotype-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) on multiple capture lines in the form of pattern recognition for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics. The fluorescent signals from the capture lines and the background of the strip were collected via multiple optical channels in parallel. A digital HBV genotyping model, whose inputs are the fluorescent signals and outputs are a group of genotype-specific digital binary codes (0/1), was developed based on the HBV genotyping strategy. Meanwhile, a companion decoding table was established to cover all possible pairing cases between the states of a group of genotype-specific digital binary codes and the HBV genotyping results. A logical analyzing module was constructed to process the detected signals in parallel without program control and its outputs were used to drive a set of LED indicators, which determine the HBV genotype. Comparing to the nucleic acid analysis to HBV viruses, much faster HBV genotyping with significantly lower cost can be obtained with the developed method.
Fluorescence behavior of a unique two-photon fluorescent probe in aggregate and solution states and highly sensitive detection of RNA in water solution and living systems
Authors: Liu Yong , Meng Fangfang , He Longwei , Yu Xiaoqiang , Lin Weiying
Published: June 2016

In this work, we developed a unique fluorescent probe HVC-6 for highly sensitive detection of RNA in pure water systems and living systems by aggregation–disaggregation of the probe for the first time.
Polyaniline films photoelectrochemically reduce CO2 to alcohols
Authors: Hursán Dorottya , Kormányos Attila , Rajeshwar Krishnan , Janáky Csaba
Published: June 2016

Polyaniline is shown to photoelectrochemically reduce CO2 to alcohol fuels without a co-catalyst because of its chemical interaction with CO2.
Optical response and gas sequestration properties of metal cluster supported graphene nanoflakes
Authors: Chakraborty Debdutta , Chattaraj Pratim Kumar
Published: June 2016

Superalkali metal cluster supported graphene nanoflakes exhibit favorable optical and sequestration properties.
Rich magneto-absorption spectra of AAB-stacked trilayer graphene
Authors: Do Thi-Nga , Shih Po-Hsin , Chang Cheng-Peng , Lin Chiun-Yan , Lin Ming-Fa
Published: June 2016

A generalized tight-binding model is developed to investigate the feature-rich magneto-optical properties of AAB-stacked trilayer graphene.
Experimental and theoretical studies on the linear and nonlinear optical properties of lead phosphate crystals LiPbPO4
Authors: Han Guopeng , Liu Qiong , Wang Ying , Su Xin , Yang Zhihua , Pan Shilie
Published: June 2016

LiPbPO4achieved a desired balance between UV transparency (232 nm) and high nonlinear optical (NLO) activity (about 3 × KDP).
Delineating the conformational flexibility of trisaccharides from NMR spectroscopy experiments and computer simulations
Authors: Yang Mingjun , Angles d’Ortoli Thibault , Säwén Elin , Jana Madhurima , Widmalm Göran , MacKerell Alexander D.
Published: June 2016

The conformation of saccharides in solution is challenging to characterize in the context of a single well-defined three-dimensional structure.
Coherent pump pulses in Double Electron Electron Resonance spectroscopy
Authors: Tait Claudia E. , Stoll Stefan
Published: June 2016

A detailed examination of spin excitation effects in DEER spectroscopy using fully coherent pump and observer channels.
Ordered mesoporous alumina-supported bimetallic Pd–Ni catalysts for methane dry reforming reaction
Authors: Ma Qingxiang , Sun Jian , Gao Xinhua , Zhang Jianli , Zhao Tiansheng , Yoneyama Yoshiharu , Tsubaki Noritatsu
Published: June 2016

To compare the influence of Pd addition to Ni supported on ordered mesoporous alumina catalyst, prepared highly ordered mesoporous alumina (MA) was used as catalyst support for methane dry reforming under atmospheric pressure.
Multi-electron redox processes at a Zr(iv) center facilitated by an appended redox-active cobalt-containing metalloligand
Authors: Krogman Jeremy P. , Bezpalko Mark W. , Foxman Bruce M. , Thomas Christine M.
Published: June 2016

The reactivity of a reduced heterobimetallic Co−I/ZrIV complex with a series of azido and diazo reagents is explored to demonstrate the feasibility of facilitating two-electron redox processes at a formally d0 Zr(iv) center using the appended Co fragment exclusively as an electron-reservoir.
Azoimidazole functionalized Ni-porphyrins for molecular spin switching and light responsive MRI contrast agents
Authors: Heitmann Gernot , Schütt Christian , Gröbner Jens , Huber Lukas , Herges Rainer
Published: June 2016

Molecular spin switching with light under aqueous conditions has been performed with azoimidazole functionalized Ni-porphyrins. The change in contrast in MRI images is clearly visible.
Arabinoxylan hydrolyzates as immunomodulators in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW264.7 macrophages
Authors: Mendis Mihiri , Leclerc Estelle , Simsek Senay
Published: June 2016

The immunomodulatory effects of arabinoxylan (AX) have been demonstrated before. However, these effects could be structure driven. Thus, we indicate the relationship between fine structural details and immunomodulatory properties of AX.
Hydrazine production by anammox biomass with NO reversible inhibition effects
Authors: Qiao Sen , Yin Xin , Tian Tian , Jin Ruofei , Zhou Jiti
Published: June 2016

We explored the production of hydrazine from NO and ammonium by anammox biomass, which normally converts ammonium and nitrite to N2 gas under anaerobic conditions.
Antimycin-type depsipeptides: discovery, biosynthesis, chemical synthesis, and bioactivities
Authors: Liu Joyce , Zhu Xuejun , Kim Seong Jong , Zhang Wenjun
Published: June 2016

This review discusses the isolation, structural variation, biosynthesis, chemical synthesis, and biological activities of antimycin-type depsipeptides.
Magnetically separable chicken feathers: a biopolymer based heterogeneous catalyst for the oxidation of organic substrates
Authors: Patnam Padma L. , Bhatt Mukesh , Singh Raghuvir , Saran Sandeep , Jain Suman L.
Published: June 2016

Magnetically separable chicken feather nanoparticles were found to be efficient, green and heterogeneous catalyst for selective oxidation of alcohols to carbonyls and sulfides to sulfoxides using t-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as oxidant.
A model for tensile strength of polymer/clay nanocomposites assuming complete and incomplete interfacial adhesion between the polymer matrix and nanoparticles by the average normal stress in clay platelets
Authors: Zare Yasser
Published: June 2016

In this article, a model for tensile strength of polymer/clay nanocomposites (PCN) is suggested assuming perfect and imperfect interfacial adhesion between the polymer matrix and platelets by the average normal stress in clay platelets.
In vitro stability and cytotoxicity analysis of liposomes anchored with octylamine-graft-poly (aspartic)
Authors: Shen Xiangyi , Su Haijia
Published: June 2016

Due to the polymer, octylamine-graft-poly (aspartic) (PASP-g-C8), which acted as acidic triggered molecules, liposomes anchored with PASP-g-C8 (OPLPs) could be safe and efficient pH sensitive drug carriers and target tumor cells.
A thermodynamic investigation of the LiBH4–NaBH4 system
Authors: Dematteis Erika M. , Roedern Elsa , Pinatel Eugenio R. , Corno Marta , Jensen Torben R. , Baricco Marcello
Published: June 2016

The LiBH4–NaBH4 system was investigated experimentally and theoretically (XRD, TPPA, DSC and ab initio calculations). All collected data and literature values were used for a thermodynamic assessment by the calphad method.
Synthesis, biological evaluation and docking studies of some novel isatin-3-hydrazonothiazolines
Authors: Ahmad Maqbool , Pervez Humayun , Zaib Sumera , Yaqub Muhammad , Naseer Muhammad Moazzam , Khan Shafi Ullah , Iqbal Jamshed
Published: June 2016

The putative binding mode of compound 6i in the active site of Jack bean urease.
PdSn nanocatalysts supported on carbon nanotubes synthesized in deep eutectic solvents with high activity for formic acid electrooxidation
Authors: Wang Rui-Xiang , Fan You-Jun , Liang Zhi-Rong , Zhang Jun-Ming , Zhou Zhi-You , Sun Shi-Gang
Published: June 2016

A novel strategy in DESs for the fabrication of MWCNTs-supported PdSn alloy nanostructures is reported. The prepared PdSn/MWCNT shows remarkably improved electrocatalytic performance towards formic acid oxidation reaction.
Fabrication of organic–inorganic hybrid membranes composed of poly(vinylidene fluoride) and silver cyanamide and their high photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation
Authors: Meng Xinru , Yao Pin , Xu Yan , Meng Hao , Zhang Xia
Published: June 2016

An active photocatalytic membrane composed of silver cyanamide and poly(vinylidene fluoride) showed high photocatalytic efficiency toward the degradation of Acid Blue 1 under visible light irradiation.
A novel process concept for the three step Boscalid® synthesis
Authors: Volovych I. , Neumann M. , Schmidt M. , Buchner G. , Yang Ji-Yoon , Wölk J. , Sottmann T. , Strey R. , Schomäcker R. , Schwarze M.
Published: June 2016

A three phase microemulsion system was applied for a more sustainable synthesis of the fungicide Boscalid®.
Interface-dependent nanoscale friction of copper bicrystals: tilt versus twist
Authors: Zhang J. J. , Wang Z. F. , Yan Y. D. , Sun T.
Published: June 2016

Dislocation–GB interactions and GB evolution significantly vary with GB type, yielding a strong GB structure dependence of the frictional response.
Catalyst-free and selective synthesis of 2-aminothiophenes and 2-amino-4,5-dihydrothiophenes from 4-thiazolidinones in water
Authors: Zeng Fanxun , Liu Pengjian , Shao Xusheng , Li Zhong , Xu Xiaoyong
Published: June 2016

The image of selectively synthesis of 2-aminothiophenes and 2-amino-4,5-dihydrothiophenes from 4-thiazolidinones in water.
Biocatalytic approach as alternative to chemical synthesis of polyaniline/carbon nanotube composite with enhanced electrochemical properties
Authors: Otrokhov Grigory V. , Shumakovich Galina P. , Khlupova Maria E. , Vasil'eva Irina S. , Kaplan Igor B. , Zaitchik Boris T. , Zaitseva Elena A. , Morozova Olga V. , Yaropolov Alexander I.
Published: June 2016

Preadsorption of aniline dimer on the surface of MWCNTs enabled a composite with better morphology, high conductivity, high specific capacitance and long cycling stability to be fabricated.
Highly diastereo- and enantioselective organocatalytic synthesis of new heterocyclic hybrids isoindolinone-imidate and isoindolinone-phthalide
Authors: Di Mola Antonia , Scorzelli Francesco , Monaco Guglielmo , Palombi Laura , Massa Antonio
Published: June 2016

New heterocyclic hybrids were synthesized in an aldol initiated organocascade reaction of nucleophilic isoindolinones with 2-formyl benzonitriles (2-cyano benzaldehydes).
Lowering the charge voltage of Li–O2 batteries via an unmediated photoelectrochemical oxidation approach
Authors: Liu Yang , Li Na , Liao Kaiming , Li Qi , Ishida Masayoshi , Zhou Haoshen
Published: June 2016

We here demonstrate an unmediated photoelectrochemical oxidation approach to address the overpotential issue of Li–O2 batteries during the charge process.
Diversity‐based four‐port multiple input multiple output antenna loaded with interdigital structure for high isolation
Authors: Ramachandran Anitha , Mathew Sumitha , Viswanathan Vinesh P. , Pezholil Mohanan , Kesavath Vasudevan
Published: June 2016

A four‐port planar multiple input multiple output antenna system employing polarisation and pattern diversity technique is proposed. The antenna system, resonating at 2.4 GHz ISM band, includes a dual polarised two‐port cross‐patch antenna and an orthogonally polarised two‐port square ring patch antenna. Undesired high coupling between elements is reduced by incorporating an interdigital structure on the ground. This reduces coupling between elements by 12.5 dB, ensuring a high isolation of about 28 dB between any set of elements in the antenna system. The overall size of the quad element antenna is about 0.5 × 0.5λ, which makes it fairly compact. The cross‐patch antenna has low cross‐polarisation levels, which reduces the coupling between its orthogonal elements. The narrow bandwidth of the higher order modes of the square ring antenna is doubled by adding half wavelength slits along its arms. All four elements have a 2:1 voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) bandwidth of 85 MHz and have low envelope correlation in the operating band. The antenna is printed on a low cost FR4 substrate and does not require any intricate fabrication.