bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The MyoRobot technology discloses a premature biomechanical decay of skeletal muscle fiber bundles derived from R349P desminopathy mice
Authors: Haug Michael , Meyer Charlotte , Reischl Barbara , Prölß Gerhard , Vetter Kristina , Iberl Julian , Nübler Stefanie , Schürmann Sebastian , Rupitsch Stefan J. , Heckel Michael , Pöschel Thorsten , Winter Lilli , Herrmann Harald , Clemen Christoph S. , Schröder Rolf , Friedrich Oliver
Published: July 2019

Mutations in the Des gene coding for the muscle-specific intermediate filament protein desmin lead to myopathies and cardiomyopathies. We previously generated a R349P desmin knock-in mouse strain as a patient-mimicking model for the corresponding most frequent human desmin mutation R350P. Since nothing is known about the age-dependent changes in the biomechanics of affected muscles, we investigated the passive and active biomechanics of small fiber bundles from young (17–23 wks), adult (25–45 wks) and aged (>60 wks) heterozygous and homozygous R349P desmin knock-in mice in comparison to wild-type littermates. We used a novel automated biomechatronics platform, the MyoRobot, to perform coherent quantitative recordings of passive (resting length-tension curves, visco-elasticity) and active (caffeine-induced force transients, pCa-force, ‘slack-tests’) parameters to determine age-dependent effects of the R349P desmin mutation in slow-twitch soleus and fast-twitch extensor digitorum longus small fiber bundles. We demonstrate that active force properties are not affected by this mutation while passive steady-state elasticity is vastly altered in R349P desmin fiber bundles compatible with a pre-aged phenotype exhibiting stiffer muscle preparations. Visco-elasticity on the other hand, was not altered. Our study represents the first systematic age-related characterization of small muscle fiber bundle preparation biomechanics in conjunction with inherited desminopathy.
Trade-offs between parameter constraints and model realism: a case study
Authors: Jehn Florian U. , Chamorro Alejandro , Houska Tobias , Breuer Lutz
Published: July 2019

Tightly constraint parameter ranges are seen as an important goal in constructing hydrological models, a difficult task in complex models. However, many studies show that complex models are often good at capturing the behaviour of a river. Therefore, this study explores the trade-offs between tightly constrained parameters and the ability to predict hydrological signatures, that capture the behaviour of a river. To accomplish this we built five models of differing complexity, ranging from a simple lumped model to a semi-lumped model with eight spatial subdivisions. All models are built within the same modelling framework, use the same data, and are calibrated with the same algorithm. We also consider two different methods for the potential evapotranspiration. We found that that there is a clear trade-off along the axis of complexity. While the more simple models can constrain their parameters quite well, they fail to get the hydrological signatures right. It is the other way around for the more complex models. The method of evapotranspiration only influences the parameters directly related to it. This study highlights that it is important to focus not only on parametric uncertainty. Tightly constrained parameters can be misguiding as they give credibility to oversimplified model structures.
Unified Theory of Ultimate Hydrocarbon Recovery for Primary and Cyclic Injection Processes in Ultratight Reservoirs
Authors: Cronin Michael , Emami-Meybodi Hamid , Johns Russell T.
Published: July 2019

This paper presents a simple method to estimate ultimate recovery factors (URF) of ultratight reservoirs based on equilibrium by diffusion in which URF is only a function of changes in hydrocarbon density between initial and final states. URF is defined at infinite time and therefore does not depend on the transient behavior. Although URF may not be achievable during the life-cycle of the field development and production, it provides valuable insights on the role of phase behavior. We show that equilibrium phase behavior defines the absolute upper-bound for URF during primary production and explains the poor recovery from shale oil reservoirs compared to the high recovery factor in shale gas reservoirs in a unifying way. Further, we quantify how injected solvent compositions (CH4, CO2, N2, and C2H6) during huff’n’puff enhanced oil recovery (EOR) improve recovery based on density reduction and compositional dilution, and show that the largest percentage increase in recovery occurs for heavier oils. Our calculations provide a practical means to define the URF from primary production as a function of reservoir fluid composition, temperature, and pressure drawdown. In addition, our calculations articulate incremental URF (IURF) of solvent huff‘n’puff based on net solvent transfer into ultratight rock, which is a key design consideration. The results illustrate that solvent transfer dilutes the hydrocarbons in place, thus maximizing long-term hydrocarbon recovery. Net mass transfer can be improved by enhancing the diffusion of solvent into the matrix based on the huff‘n’puff design parameters including solvent composition, drawdown pressure, and the net amount of solvent injected based on optimal frequency and cycle duration.
Prevention of urinary catheter-associated infections by coating antimicrobial peptides from crowberry endophytes
Authors: Monteiro Claudia , Costa Fabíola , Pirttilä Anna Maria , Tejesvi Mysore V. , Martins M. Cristina L.
Published: July 2019

Urinary catheters are extensively used in hospitals, being responsible for about 75% of hospital-acquired infections. In this work, a de novo designed antimicrobial peptide (AMP) Chain201D was studied in the context of urinary catheter-associated infections. Chain201D showed excellent antimicrobial activity against relevant ATCC strains and clinical isolates of bacteria and yeast and demonstrated high stability in a wide range of temperatures, pH and salt concentrations. Moreover, the bactericidal activity of Chain201D immobilized on a model surface was studied against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), some of the most prevalent strains found in urinary catheter-associated infections. Chain201D was successfully tethered to ((1-mercapto-11-undecyl)-(tetra(ethylene glycol) (EG4)) terminated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), (EG4-SAMs), activated by 1,1′-Carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) at different concentrations. Chain201D surfaces can bind and kill by contact a high percentage of adherent bacteria. These achievements are obtained without any peptide modification (for chemoselective conjugation) and without the use of a spacer. Moreover, increased amounts of immobilized AMP lead to higher numbers of adhered/dead bacteria, revealing a concentration-dependent behaviour and demonstrating that Chain201D has excellent potential for developing antimicrobial urinary catheters.
Comparative Genomics Analysis in Grass Species Reveals Two Distinct Evolutionary Strategies Adopted by R Genes
Authors: Zhang Yinan , Guo Meijun , Shen Jie , Song Xie , Dong Shuqi , Wen Yinyuan , Yuan Xiangyang , Guo Pingyi
Published: July 2019

Resistance genes play an important role in the defense of plants against the invasion of pathogens. In Setaria italica and closely related grass species, R genes have been identified through genetic mapping and genome-wide homologous/domain searching. However, there has been to date no systematic analysis of the evolutionary features of R genes across all sequenced grass genomes. Here, we determined and comprehensively compared R genes in all 12 assembled grass genomes and an outgroup species (Arabidopsis thaliana) through synteny and selection analyses of multiple genomes. We found that the two groups of nucleotide binding site (NBS) domains containing R genes—R tandem duplications (TD) and R singletons—adopted different strategies and showed different features in their evolution. Based on Ka/Ks analysis between syntenic R loci pairs of TDs or singletons, we conclude that R singletons are under stronger purifying selection to be conserved among different grass species than R TDs, while R genes located at TD arrays have evolved much faster through diversifying selection. Furthermore, using the variome datasets of S. italica populations, we scanned for selection signals on genes and observed that a part of R singleton genes have been under purifying selection in populations of S. italica, which is consistent with the pattern observed in syntenic R singletons among different grass species. Additionally, we checked the synteny relationships of reported R genes in grass species and found that the functionally mapped R genes for novel resistance traits are prone to appear in TDs and are heavily divergent from their syntenic orthologs in other grass species, such the black streak R gene Rxo1 in Z. mays and the blast R gene Pi37 in O. sativa. These findings indicate that the R genes from TDs adopted tandem duplications to evolve faster and accumulate more mutations to facilitate functional innovation to cope with variable threats from a fluctuating environment, while R singletons provide a way for R genes to maintain sequence stability and retain conservation of function.
Impact of the Madden-Julian oscillation on Antarctic sea ice and its dynamical mechanism
Authors: Lee Hyun-Ju , Seo Kyong-Hwan
Published: July 2019

The influence of the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) on Antarctic sea ice extent has not been extensively explored. This study investigates intraseasonal variability of the sea ice extent induced by the MJO and its physical mechanism. During austral winter, the sea ice extent anomaly exhibits considerable melting and freezing as the MJO evolves. Numerical experiments and the Rossby wave theory show that the high-latitude circulation anomalies in response to the MJO are responsible for the sea ice change. The MJO-induced Rossby waves propagate into the Southern Hemisphere through the northerly ducts over the western Indian Ocean–central Africa and the Maritime Continent. The MJO-induced circulation anomalies reach high latitudes and lead to anomalous meridional temperature advection, causing changes in the sea ice extent. The time difference between the meridional wind and sea ice anomalies is ~5 days. As the MJO moves, the sea ice extent anomaly also exhibits eastward-migrating behavior. Strong sea ice melting in the total anomaly is synchronous to the evolution of the MJO, suggesting the practical usefulness of the location of the MJO for the prediction of the sea ice decrease.
Histo-blood group antigens and rotavirus vaccine shedding in Nicaraguan infants
Authors: Bucardo Filemón , Reyes Yaoska , Rönnelid Ylva , González Fredman , Sharma Sumit , Svensson Lennart , Nordgren Johan
Published: July 2019

ABO, Lewis and secretor histo-blood group antigens (HBGA) are susceptibility factors for rotavirus in a P-genotype dependent manner and can influence IgA seroconversion rates following rotavirus vaccination. To investigate the association between HBGA phenotypes and rotavirus vaccine shedding fecal samples (n = 304) from a total of 141 infants vaccinated with Rotarix (n = 71) and RotaTeq (n = 70) were prospectively sampled in three time frames (≤3, 4–7 and ≥8 days) after first vaccination dose. Rotavirus was detected with qPCR and genotypes determined by G/P multiplex PCR and/or sequencing. HBGAs were determined by hemagglutination and saliva based ELISA. Low shedding rates were observed, with slightly more children vaccinated with RotaTeq (19%) than Rotarix (11%) shedding rotavirus at ≥4 days post vaccination (DPV). At ≥4 DPV no infant of Lewis A (n = 6) or nonsecretor (n = 9) phenotype in the Rotarix cohort shed rotavirus; the same observation was made for Lewis A infants (n = 7) in the RotaTeq cohort. Putative in-vivo gene reassortment among RotaTeq strains occurred, yielding mainly G1P[8] strains. The bovine derived P[5] genotype included in RotaTeq was able to replicate and be shed at long time frames (>13 DPV). The results of this study are consistent with that HBGA phenotype influences vaccine strain shedding as similarly observed for natural infections. Due to the low overall shedding rates observed, additional studies are however warranted.
Functional importance of the oligomer formation of the cyanobacterial H+ pump Gloeobacter rhodopsin
Authors: Iizuka Azusa , Kajimoto Kousuke , Fujisawa Tomotsumi , Tsukamoto Takashi , Aizawa Tomoyasu , Kamo Naoki , Jung Kwang-Hwan , Unno Masashi , Demura Makoto , Kikukawa Takashi
Published: July 2019

Many microbial rhodopsins self-oligomerize, but the functional consequences of oligomerization have not been well clarified. We examined the effects of oligomerization of a H+ pump, Gloeobacter rhodopsin (GR), by using nanodisc containing trimeric and monomeric GR. The monomerization did not appear to affect the unphotolyzed GR. However, we found a significant impact on the photoreaction: The monomeric GR showed faint M intermediate formation and negligible H+ transfer reactions. These changes reflected the elevated pKa of the Asp121 residue, whose deprotonation is a prerequisite for the functional photoreaction. Here, we focused on His87, which is a neighboring residue of Asp121 and conserved among eubacterial H+ pumps but replaced by Met in an archaeal H+ pump. We found that the H87M mutation removes the “monomerization effects”: Even in the monomeric state, H87M contained the deprotonated Asp121 and showed both M formation and distinct H+ transfer reactions. Thus, for wild-type GR, monomerization probably strengthens the Asp121-His87 interaction and thereby elevates the pKa of Asp121 residue. This strong interaction might occur due to the loosened protein structure and/or the disruption of the interprotomer interaction of His87. Thus, the trimeric assembly of GR enables light-induced H+ transfer reactions through adjusting the positions of key residues.
Enhancement of Single Molecule Raman Scattering using Sprouted Potato Shaped Bimetallic Nanoparticles
Authors: William R. V. , Das G. M. , Dantham V. R. , Laha R.
Published: July 2019

Herein, for the first time, we report the single molecule surface enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra with high signal to noise ratio (S/N) using plasmon-active substrates fabricated by sprouted potato shaped Au-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles, prepared using a new one-step synthesis method. This particular shape of the nanoparticles has been obtained by fixing the amount of Au and carefully adjusting the amount of Ag. These nanoparticles have been characterized using scanning electron microscopy, extinction spectroscopy, and glancing angle X-ray diffraction. The single molecule sensitivity of SERS substrates has been tested with two different molecular Raman probes. The origin of the electromagnetic enhancement of single molecule Raman scattering in the presence of sprouted shape nanoparticles has been explained using quasi-static theory as well as finite element method (FEM) simulations. Moreover, the role of (i) methods for binding Raman probe molecules to the substrate, (ii) concentration of molecules, and (iii) Au-Ag ratio on the spectra of molecules has been studied in detail.
Circular RNAs are differentially expressed in prostate cancer and are potentially associated with resistance to enzalutamide
Authors: Greene John , Baird Anne-Marie , Casey Orla , Brady Lauren , Blackshields Gordon , Lim Marvin , O’Brien Odharnaith , Gray Steven G. , McDermott Raymond , Finn Stephen P.
Published: July 2019

Most forms of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) are dependent on the androgen receptor (AR) for survival. While, enzalutamide provides a substantial survival benefit, it is not curative and many patients develop resistance to therapy. Although not yet fully understood, resistance can develop through a number of mechanisms, such as AR copy number gain, the generation of splice variants such as AR-V7 and mutations within the ligand binding domain (LBD) of the AR. circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel type of non-coding RNA, which can regulate the function of miRNA, and may play a key role in the development of drug resistance. circRNAs are highly resistant to degradation, are detectable in plasma and, therefore may serve a role as clinical biomarkers. In this study, AR-V7 expression was assessed in an isogenic model of enzalutamide resistance. The model consisted of age matched control cells and two sub-line clones displaying varied resistance to enzalutamide. circRNA profiling was performed on the panel using a high throughout microarray assay. Bioinformatic analysis identified a number of differentially expressed circRNAs and predicted five miRNA binding sites for each circRNA. miRNAs were stratified based on known associations with prostate cancer, and targets were validated using qPCR. Overall, circRNAs were more often down regulated in resistant cell lines compared with control (588 vs. 278). Of particular interest was hsa_circ_0004870, which was down-regulated in enzalutamide resistant cells (p ≤ 0.05, vs. sensitive cells), decreased in cells that highly express AR (p ≤ 0.01, vs. AR negative), and decreased in malignant cells (p ≤ 0.01, vs. benign). The associated parental gene was identified as RBM39, a member of the U2AF65 family of proteins. Both genes were down-regulated in resistant cells (p < 0.05, vs. sensitive cells). This is one of the first studies to profile and demonstrate discrete circRNA expression patterns in an enzalutamide resistant cell line model of prostate cancer. Our data suggests that hsa_circ_0004870, through RBM39, may play a critical role in the development of enzalutamide resistance in CRPC.
Increased similarity of neural responses to experienced and empathic distress in costly altruism
Authors: O’Connell Katherine , Brethel-Haurwitz Kristin M. , Rhoads Shawn A. , Cardinale Elise M. , Vekaria Kruti M. , Robertson Emily L. , Walitt Brian , VanMeter John W. , Marsh Abigail A.
Published: July 2019

Empathy—affective resonance with others’ sensory or emotional experiences—is hypothesized to be an important precursor to altruism. However, it is not known whether real-world altruists’ heightened empathy reflects true self-other mapping of multi-voxel neural response patterns. We investigated this relationship in adults who had engaged in extraordinarily costly real-world altruism: donating a kidney to a stranger. Altruists and controls completed fMRI testing while anticipating and experiencing pain, and watching as a stranger anticipated and experienced pain. Machine learning classifiers tested for shared representation between experienced and observed distress. Altruists exhibited more similar representations of experienced and observed fearful anticipation spontaneously and following an empathy prompt in anterior insula and anterior/middle cingulate cortex, respectively, suggesting heightened empathic proclivities and abilities for fear. During pain epochs, altruists were distinguished by spontaneous empathic responses in anterior insula, anterior/mid-cingulate cortex and supplementary motor area, but showed no difference from controls after the empathy prompt. These findings (1) link shared multi-voxel representations of the distress of self and others to real-world costly altruism, (2) reinforce distinctions between empathy for sensory states like pain and anticipatory affective states like fear, and (3) highlight the importance of differentiating between the proclivity and ability to empathize.
Cascade biotransformation of estrogens by Isaria fumosorosea KCh J2
Authors: Kozłowska Ewa , Dymarska Monika , Kostrzewa-Susłow Edyta , Janeczko Tomasz
Published: July 2019

Estrone, estradiol, ethynylestradiol and estrone 3-methyl ether underwent a biotransformation process in the submerged culture of Isaria fumosorosea KCh J2. Estrone was transformed into seven metabolites, four of which were glycosylated. Estradiol was selectively glycosylated at C-3 and then transformed to D-ring lactone. Ethynylestradiol was coupled with methylglucoside and 6β-hydroxyderivative was obtained. Estrone 3-methyl ether was not transformed indicating that a free hydroxyl group at C-3 is necessary for glycosylation. Baeyer–Villiger oxidation combined with hydroxylation and glycosylation was observed. All glycosides obtained in this study are 3-O-β-methylglucosides.
Multimodal structural disease progression of retinitis pigmentosa according to mode of inheritance
Authors: Jauregui Ruben , Takahashi Vitor K. L. , Park Karen Sophia , Cui Xuan , Takiuti Julia T. , Lima de Carvalho Jose Ronaldo , Tsang Stephen H.
Published: July 2019

We analyze disease progression in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) according to mode of inheritance by quantifying the progressive decrease of the ellipsoid zone (EZ) line width on spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and of the dimensions of the hyperautofluorescent ring on short-wave fundus autofluorescence (SW-FAF). In this retrospective study of 96 patients, average follow-up time was 3.2 ± 1.9 years. EZ line width declined at a rate of −123 ± 8 µm per year, while the horizontal diameter and ring area declined at rates of −131 ± 9 µm and −0.5 ± 0.05 mm2 per year, respectively. Disease progression was found to be slowest for autosomal dominant RP and fastest for X-linked RP, with autosomal recessive RP progression rates between those of adRP and XLRP. EZ line width and ring diameter rates of disease progression were significantly different between each mode of inheritance. By using EZ line width and horizontal diameter as parameters of disease progression, our results confirm that adRP is the slowest progressing form of RP while XLRP is the fastest. Furthermore, the reported rates can serve as benchmarks for investigators of future clinical trials for RP and its different modes of inheritance.
An aptamer-tethered, DNAzyme-embedded molecular beacon for simultaneous detection and regulation of tumor-related genes in living cells
Authors: Wang Shengfeng , Ding Jinsong , Zhou Wenhu
Published: July 2019

An aptamer-tethered, DNAzyme-embedded molecular beacon was developed for simultaneous detection and regulation of tumor-related genes.
Boronate decorated membrane via atom transfer radical polymerization for separation and enrichment of polyphenols from tea drinks
Authors: Kong Xiang-Jin , Peng Chao , Lan Yao-Han , Li Wen-xiu , Chi Shuai-Shuai , Zheng Chao , Dong Lin-Yi , Wang Xian-Hua
Published: July 2019

Boronate affinity (BA) materials play an important role in the selective separation and enrichment of cis-diol-containing compounds.
Alizarin Red–Tb3+ complex as a ratiometric colorimetric and fluorescent dual probe for the smartphone-based detection of an anthrax biomarker
Authors: Xu Miao , Huang Wei , Lu Dingkun , Huang Chunyu , Deng Jingjing , Zhou Tianshu
Published: July 2019

A ratiometric colorimetric and fluorescent dual probe was developed for the smartphone-based detection of DPA from bacterial spores.
Supramolecular hydrogen-bonded organic networks through acid–base pairs as efficient proton-conducting electrolytes
Authors: Wei Mei-Jie , Gao Ying , Li Ke , Li Bo , Fu Jia-Qi , Zang Hong-Ying , Shao Kui-Zhan , Su Zhong-Min
Published: July 2019

The research of developing new proton-conducting materials via a simple and cost-effective method is vital in fuel cell technology.
Luminescent anticancer ruthenium(ii)-p-cymene complexes of extended imidazophenanthroline ligands: synthesis, structure, reactivity, biomolecular interactions and live cell imaging
Authors: Sarkar Bidisha , Mondal Ashaparna , Madaan Yukti , Roy Nilmadhab , Moorthy Anbalagan , Kuo Yung-Chih , Paira Priyankar
Published: July 2019

The violence of cancer triggered us to design lipophilic, target specific, water soluble, cytoselective and fluorescent Ru(ii)-p-cymene imidazophenanthroline scaffolds as effective DNA targeting agents as well as life cell imaging probes.
CO2 hydrogenation by phosphorus–nitrogen PN3P-pincer iridium hydride complexes: elucidation of the deactivation pathway
Authors: Pan Yupeng , Guan Chao , Li Huaifeng , Chakraborty Priyanka , Zhou Chunhui , Huang Kuo-Wei
Published: July 2019

PN3P–Ir pincer hydride complexes were synthesized and characterized as catalysts and key intermediates in the direct hydrogenation of CO2 to formate under mild conditions.
A phthalimide-functionalized UiO-66 metal–organic framework for the fluorogenic detection of hydrazine in live cells
Authors: SK Mostakim , Khan Mohammed Rafi Uz Zama , Das Aniruddha , Nandi Soutick , Trivedi Vishal , Biswas Shyam
Published: July 2019

A phthalimide-functionalized Zr(iv) UiO-66 MOF was utilized for fluorogenic detection of hydrazine in HEPES buffer and inside living cells.
Ta3N5nanorods encapsulated into 3D hydrangea-like MoS2for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under visible light irradiation
Authors: Pei Lang , Yuan Yongjun , Zhong Jiasong , Li Taozhu , Yang Tao , Yan Shicheng , Ji Zhenguo , Zou Zhigang
Published: July 2019

Owing to the advantages of its heterojunction structure, Ta3N5encapsulated into hydrangea-like MoS2exhibits enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance compared with Ta3N5.
Yerba mate aqueous extract improves the oxidative and inflammatory states of rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis
Authors: Correa Vanesa Gesser , de Sá-Nakanishi Anacharis B. , Gonçalves Geferson de Almeida , Barros Lillian , Ferreira Isabel C. F. R. , Bracht Adelar , Peralta Rosane M.
Published: July 2019

Healthy and adjuvant-induced arthritic rats were treated for 23 days with daily doses of 400 and 800 mg kg−1Ilex paraguariensisextract.
Catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of malic acid to oxaloacetic acid
Authors: Drif Asmaa , Pineda Antonio , Morvan Didier , Belliere-Baca Virginie , De Oliveira Vigier Karine , Jérôme François
Published: July 2019

Here we report the oxidative dehydrogenation of malic acid to oxaloacetic acid, a key precursor in the fabrication of amino acids, over Pt–Bi/C catalysts.
Aldehydes as potential acylating reagents for oxidative esterification by inorganic ligand-supported iron catalysis
Authors: Yu Han , Wang Jingjing , Wu Zhikang , Zhao Qixin , Dan Demin , Han Sheng , Tang Jiangjiang , Wei Yongge
Published: July 2019

An inorganic ligand-supported iron catalyst which can effectively catalyze oxidative esterification of various aldehydes and alcohols with excellent yields.
Eco-efficient synthesis of 2-quinaldic acids from furfural
Authors: Li Minghao , Dong Xiaohan , Zhang Na , Jérôme François , Gu Yanlong
Published: July 2019

A three-step process to synthesize quinaldic acids from furfural was established.
A broadband terahertz metamaterial absorber enabled by the simple design of a rectangular-shaped resonator with an elongated slot
Authors: Wang Ben-Xin , Tang Chao , Niu Qingshan , He Yuanhao , Chen Runye
Published: July 2019

Broadband metamaterial absorbers are of critical importance in practical applications, but their obtainment approaches are quite complex at present.
In situ analysis of pesticide residues on the surface of agricultural products via surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy using a flexible Au@Ag–PDMS substrate
Authors: Zhao Hang , Hasi Wuliji , Li Nan , Sha Xuanyu , Lin Shuang , Han Siqingaowa
Published: July 2019

In situ analysis of pesticide residues on the surface of agricultural products via surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy using a flexible Au@Ag–PDMS substrate.
Multiplasmon modes for enhancing the photocatalytic activity of Au/Ag/Cu2O core–shell nanorods
Authors: Hu Zhijian , Mi Yang , Ji Yinglu , Wang Rui , Zhou Weiya , Qiu Xiaohui , Liu Xinfeng , Fang Zheyu , Wu Xiaochun
Published: July 2019

Multiplasmon modes of Au/Ag/Cu2O core-shell nanorods were created to enhance the photocatalytic activity via PIRET effect.
Controlling the regioselectivity of the ring opening of spiro-epoxyoxindoles for efficient synthesis of C(3)–N(1′)-bisindoles and C(3)–N(1′)-diindolylmethane
Authors: Hajra Saumen , Maity Subrata , Roy Sayan , Das Dhiraj
Published: July 2019

A strategy for the construction of both C(3)–N(1′) bisindoles and C(3)–N(1′) diindolylmethane has been explored via tuning of the nucleophilicity of indoline/indole to spiro-epoxyoxindole.
Copper(i)-catalyzed benzylation of triazolopyridine through direct C–H functionalization
Authors: Reddy Lonka Madhava , Zhang Jinquan , Gogula Thirupathi , Zou Hongbin
Published: July 2019

Copper-catalyzed benzylation of triazolopyridine with N-tosylhydrazones through cross-coupling of a C(sp2)–C(sp3) bond was developed.
Cu-Mediated arylselenylation of aryl halides with trifluoromethyl aryl selenonium ylides
Authors: Wu Shuai , Shi Jin , Zhang Cheng-Pan
Published: July 2019

Unprecedented arylselenylation of aryl halides with trifluoromethyl aryl selenonium ylides in the presence of copper reagents is reported.
Porous organic frameworks with mesopores and [Ru(bpy)3]2+ligand built-in as a highly efficient visible-light heterogeneous photocatalyst
Authors: Wang Chang-An , Han Yin-Feng , Nie Kun , Li Yan-Wei
Published: July 2019

A mesoporous [Ru(bpy)3]2+(bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine) Ligand based porous organic polymer (Ru-POP) was synthesizedviabottom-up strategy and used as a highly efficient and recyclable heterogeneous photocatalyst.
Mechanistic study on NO reduction by sludge reburning in a pilot scale cement precalciner with different CO2 concentrations
Authors: Xiao Xiang , Fang Ping , Huang Jian-Hang , Tang Zi-Jun , Chen Xiong-Bo , Wu Hai-Wen , Cen Chao-Ping , Tang Zhi-Xiong
Published: July 2019

The reducing gases of CO and NH3 produced by sludge reburning make a major contribution to NO reduction.
Microbial diversity and metaproteomic analysis of activated sludge responses to naphthalene and anthracene exposure
Authors: Li Shanshan , Hu Shaoda , Shi Sanyuan , Ren Lu , Yan Wei , Zhao Huabing
Published: July 2019

The change of dominant microorganisms and protein expression profiles in PAHs stress in sludge reactors were investigated. Burkholderiales was dominant in response to PAH. Naphthalene induces the expression of PAH-degrading proteins.
N-doped TiO2 with a disordered surface layer fabricated via plasma treatment as an anode with clearly enhanced performance for rechargeable sodium ion batteries
Authors: Wang Hongmei , Xiong Jie , Cheng Xing , Chen Ge , Kups Thomas , Wang Dong , Schaaf Peter
Published: July 2019

N-doped TiO2 with a disordered surface layer is prepared via high power nitrogen plasma treatment and shows enhanced electrochemical performance as an anode material for sodium ion batteries.
A multi-spectroscopic approach to investigate the interactions between Gramicidin A and silver nanoparticles
Authors: Gambucci Marta , Gentili Pier Luigi , Sassi Paola , Latterini Loredana
Published: July 2019

Dodecanethiol-stabilized silver nanoparticles affect the position of GramA peptide in a model membrane.
The controllable growth of PtCuRh rhombic dodecahedral nanoframes as efficient catalysts for alcohol electrochemical oxidation
Authors: Wang Zhen , Huang Lei , Tian Zhi Qun , Shen Pei Kang
Published: July 2019

In this paper, two different Rh-strengthened rhombohedral dodecahedron nanoframes promoting catalytic performance towards the MOR and EOR were synthesized.
Stretchable liquid metal electromagnetic interference shielding coating materials with superior effectiveness
Authors: Zhang Mingkuan , Zhang Pengju , Wang Qian , Li Lei , Dong Shijin , Liu Jing , Rao Wei
Published: July 2019

The GIN amalgam can easily decorate various substrates and provide sufficient shielding protect. Stretchable film decorated by GIN can satisfy military shielding requirements (>60 dB) even at strain up to 75%.
Discovery of novel inhibitors of ribosome biogenesis by innovative high throughput screening strategies
Authors: Scull Catherine E. , Zhang Yinfeng , Tower Nichole , Rasmussen Lynn , Padmalayam Indira , Hunter Robert , Zhai Ling , Bostwick Robert , Schneider David A.
Published: July 2019

Over the past two decades, ribosome biogenesis has emerged as an attractive target for cancer treatment. In this study, two high-throughput screens were used to identify ribosome biogenesis inhibitors. Our primary screen made use of the HaloTag selective labeling strategy to identify compounds that decreased the abundance of newly synthesized ribosomes in A375 malignant melanoma cells. This screen identified 5786 hit compounds. A subset of those initial hit compounds were tested using a secondary screen that directly measured pre-ribosomal RNA (pre-rRNA) abundance as a reporter of rRNA synthesis rate, using quantitative RT-PCR. From the secondary screen, we identified two structurally related compounds that are potent inhibitors of rRNA synthesis. These two compounds, Ribosome Biogenesis Inhibitors 1 and 2 (RBI1 and RBI2), induce a substantial decrease in the viability of A375 cells, comparable to the previously published ribosome biogenesis inhibitor CX-5461. Anchorage-independent cell growth assays further confirmed that RBI2 inhibits cell growth and proliferation. Thus, the RBI compounds have promising properties for further development as potential cancer chemotherapeutics.
Cisplatin contributes to programmed death-ligand 1 expression in bladder cancer through ERK1/2-AP-1 signaling pathway
Authors: Tsai Te-Fu , Lin Ji-Fan , Lin Yi-Chia , Chou Kuang-Yu , Chen Hung-En , Ho Chao-Yen , Chen Po-Chun , Hwang Thomas I-Sheng
Published: July 2019

Bladder cancer (BC) is the second most common urologic malignancy and the ninth most common malignancy worldwide. Surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment for patients with early-stage disease, whereas therapeutic options are limited for patients with advanced-stage or residual BC. Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) is an important target for immunotherapy. It is known that PD-L1 is overexpressed in BC; a clinical trial involving PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced BC is ongoing. In the present study, we used Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) to define the expression level of PD-L1 after cisplatin treatment in BC-derived cell lines. The signal activation was also evaluated by Western blot in BC-derived cell lines. We found that chemotherapeutic drug cisplatin can induce PD-L1 but not PD-L2 expression in BC-derived cell lines. Furthermore, the expression level of PD-L1 was increased in a dose- and time-dependent manner after cisplatin treatment. The cisplatin-induced PD-L1 expression is mainly mediated by ERK1/2 but not Akt/mTOR signal pathway. Moreover, we found that cisplatin activates transcription factor activator protein-1 (AP-1) to regulate PD-L1 expression. The chemotherapy drug such as cisplatin may trigger resistance of BC through PD-L1 up-regulation. The present study suggests that PD-L1 antibody should be used concomitantly with chemotherapy in the setting of advanced and metastatic BC.
RAS in pancreatic cancer
Authors: Lanfredini Simone , Thapa Asmita , O'Neill Eric
Published: July 2019

The pancreas is a gland composed mainly by endocrine and exocrine cells, giving rise to three main tumour types. Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour or PNET arise from the endocrine portion of the pancreas. On the contrary, pancreatic exocrine neoplasms include pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and acinar cell carcinoma. PDAC is the most common type of pancreatic cancer and one of the leading causes of cancer-related death. It has been shown that less than 3% of PDAC patients have an overall survival of up to 5 years in the U.K. This mainly arises since the majority of patients diagnosed with PDAC present with advanced unresectable disease, which is highly resistant to all forms of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Activating mutations of an isoform of the RAS protein, KRAS, are found in almost all PDAC cases and occur during early stages of malignant transformation. KRAS mutations play a critical role as they are involved in both initiating and maintaining PDAC development. The interaction of RAS with GDP/GTP along with its recruitment to the membrane affects transduction of its activating signals to downstream effectors. In this review, we aim to summarise different mutations of RAS and their prevalence in pancreatic cancer along with other RAS-induced tumours. In addition, we briefly discuss the genetically engineered mouse models that have been developed to study KRAS-mutated adenocarcinomas in the pancreas. These provide an opportunity to also address the importance of targeting RAS for better treatment response in PDAC patients along with the challenges incurred herein.
Is there a role for prostanoid-mediated inhibition of IL-6trans-signalling in the management of pulmonary arterial hypertension?
Authors: Durham Gillian A. , Palmer Timothy M.
Published: July 2019

Inflammation has been highlighted as a key factor in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) development, particularly interleukin-6 (IL-6). IL-6 activates JAK-STAT signalling to induce transcription of pro-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic genes, enabling PAH progression, as well as the transcription of suppressor of cytokine signalling 3 (SOCS3) which limits IL-6 signalling. Current PAH therapies include prostanoid drugs which induce vasodilation via stimulating intracellular 3′,5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels. cAMP can also inhibit IL-6-mediated endothelial dysfunction via the induction of SOCS3. Thus, we propose that an important mechanism by which cAMP-mobilising prostanoid drugs limit PAH is by inhibiting IL-6-mediated pulmonary inflammation and remodelling via SOCS3 inhibition of IL-6 signalling. Further clarification may result in effective strategies with which to target the IL-6/JAK-STAT signalling pathway in PAH.
A Comparison of the Prevalence Rates of Language Impairment Before and After Response-to-Intervention Implementation
Authors: Hall-Mills Shannon
Published: July 2019

Purpose

This research note presents a secondary data analysis of language impairment (LI) prevalence rates of children in public schools before and after a statewide mandate for response-to-intervention (RTI) implementation.

Method

Statewide and district-level LI prevalence rates were compared across 10 school years. Prevalence data from 67 school districts located in 1 state in the United States are reported as the proportion of the general student population (students ages 3–21 years) who were identified with a primary disability of LI.

Results

The mandated implementation of RTI within special education prereferral, evaluation, and eligibility processes coincided with significant changes in LI prevalence as a primary disability for most of the school districts. The majority of school districts experienced an increase in LI prevalence within 1 school year following RTI implementation. However, the degree and direction of change in prevalence rates varied across some of the school districts. Similar degrees of change were not evident across the other years of prevalence data review, suggesting the systemic change that occurred via RTI requirements coincided with fluctuations in the LI prevalence rates for the majority of school districts in the state.

Conclusion

A causal relation between RTI and LI prevalence cannot be established with the current data; however, this study establishes a temporal connection between the timing of RTI implementation and changes in LI prevalence in public schools of 1 very large state. Implications are presented for further research investigating the potential impact of systemic mandates on the identification of school-age children with LI.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.8968676
Composite model reference adaptive sliding mode controller for automatic train operation
Authors: Muniandi Ganesan , Deenadayalan Ezhilarasi
Published: July 2019

With the ever‐increasing speed of trains, the passenger comfort, and the desired trajectory tracking play an important role in the design of automatic train operation. As the speed increases, the train experiences uncertainties, non‐linearities, unknown disturbances and so on, due to the interaction among track‐environment‐disturbance‐longitudinal train dynamics. Much attention has been drawn to design a suitable control scheme which can improve both longitudinal dynamic performance and operational robustness in view of automatic train operation. In this context, the authors propose a novel composite sliding mode control scheme with model reference adaptation scheme. The sliding surface of the composite control scheme is considered as a two‐layer sliding surface to emulate the coupled vehicle dynamics. To derive the adaptive controller gains mathematically, the model reference adaptation framework is chosen that also helps to demonstrate the stability and the convergence using Lyapunov criterion. The effectiveness of the proposed composite algorithm is being tested by tracking a linear time‐invariant stable reference model in the simulation under different environmental disturbances such as side wind, wet rail and model parameter uncertainties. The proposed scheme is found to improve passenger comfort with a least tracking error.
Properties of extragalactic thick discs recovered from ultra-deep Stripe82 imaging
Authors: Martínez-Lombilla C. , Knapen J. H.
Published: July 2019

Context. Thick discs can give invaluable information on the formation and evolution history of galaxies as most, if not all, disc galaxies have a thin (classical) disc and a thick disc.

Aims. We study the structure of thick discs in extraordinary depth by reaching a surface brightness limit of μrdeep ∼ 28.5−29 mag arcsec−2 with combined g, r, i band images from the IAC Stripe 82 Legacy Project.

Methods. We present the characterisation of the thick discs in a sample of five edge-on galaxies. A study of the radial and vertical surface brightness profiles is presented by comparing our data with point spread function (PSF) deconvolved models. Our method begins with an analysis of the background and masking processes. Then we consider the effects of the PSF through galaxy modelling. The galaxy disc components are fitted considering that the thin and thick discs are two stellar fluids that are gravitationally coupled in hydrostatic equilibrium.

Results. We find that effects due to the PSF are significant when low surface brightness is reached, especially in the vertical profiles, but it can be accounted for by careful modelling. The galaxy outskirts are strongly affected by the faint wings of the PSF, mainly by PSF-redistributed light from the thin disc. This is a central problem for ultra-deep imaging. The thick-disc component is required to reach satisfactory fit results in the more complex galaxies in our sample, although it is not required for all galaxies. When the PSF is ignored, the brightness of these structures may be overestimated by up to a factor of ∼4.

Conclusions. In general, our results are in good agreement with those of previous works, although we reach deeper surface brightness levels, so that the PSF effects are stronger. We obtain scale heights and mass ratios of thin and thick discs (zt, zT, and MT/Mt), which provide excellent agreement with previous studies. Our small initial sample provides evidence for aspects of a wide variety of formation theories for the thick discs in disc galaxies.
Testing the disk-corona interplay in radiatively-efficient broad-line AGN
Authors: Arcodia R. , Merloni A. , Nandra K. , Ponti G.
Published: July 2019

The correlation observed between monochromatic X-ray and UV luminosities in radiatively-efficient active galactic nuclei (AGN) lacks a clear theoretical explanation despite being used for many applications. Such a correlation, with its small intrinsic scatter and its slope that is smaller than unity in log space, represents the compelling evidence that a mechanism regulating the energetic interaction between the accretion disk and the X-ray corona must be in place. This ensures that going from fainter to brighter sources the coronal emission increases less than the disk emission. We discuss here a self-consistently coupled disk-corona model that can identify this regulating mechanism in terms of modified viscosity prescriptions in the accretion disk. The model predicts a lower fraction of accretion power dissipated in the corona for higher accretion states. We then present a quantitative observational test of the model using a reference sample of broad-line AGN and modeling the disk-corona emission for each source in the LX − LUV plane. We used the slope, normalization, and scatter of the observed relation to constrain the parameters of the theoretical model. For non-spinning black holes and static coronae, we find that the accretion prescriptions that match the observed slope of the LX − LUV relation produce X-rays that are too weak with respect to the normalization of the observed relation. Instead, considering moderately-outflowing Comptonizing coronae and/or a more realistic high-spinning black hole population significantly relax the tension between the strength of the observed and modeled X-ray emission, while also predicting very low intrinsic scatter in the LX − LUV relation. In particular, this latter scenario traces a known selection effect of flux-limited samples that preferentially select high-spinning, hence brighter, sources.
The 6Li/7Li isotopic ratio in the metal-poor binary CS22876–032
Authors: González Hernández J. I. , Bonifacio P. , Caffau E. , Ludwig H.-G. , Steffen M. , Monaco L. , Cayrel R.
Published: July 2019

Aims. We present high-resolution and high-quality UVES spectroscopic data of the metal-poor double-lined spectroscopic binary CS 22876–032 ([Fe/H] approximately −3.7 dex). Our goal is to derive the 6Li/7Li isotopic ratio by analysing the Li I λ 670.8 nm doublet.

Methods. We co-added all 28 useful spectra normalised and corrected for radial velocity to the rest frame of the primary star. We fitted the Li profile with a grid of the 3D non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) synthetic spectra to take into account the line profile asymmetries induced by stellar convection, and performed Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate the uncertainty of the fit of the Li line profile.

Results. We checked that the veiling factor does not affect the derived isotopic ratio, 6 Li/7Li, and only modifies the Li abundance, A(Li), by about 0.15 dex. The best fit of the Li profile of the primary star provides A(Li) = 2.17 ± 0.01 dex and 6 Li/7Li = 8−5+2% at 68% confidence level. In addition, we improved the Li abundance of the secondary star at A(Li) = 1.55 ± 0.04 dex, which is about 0.6 dex lower than that of the primary star.

Conclusions. The analysis of the Li profile of the primary star is consistent with no detection of 6 Li and provides an upper limit to the isotopic ratio of 6 Li/7Li < 10% at this very low metallicity, about 0.5 dex lower in metallicity than previous attempts for detection of 6 Li in extremely metal poor stars. These results do not solve or worsen the cosmological 7 Li problem, nor do they support the need for non-standard 6Li production in the early Universe.
Feasibility of endoscopic submucosal dissection of lesions at anastomosis site post-colorectal surgery: a case series
Authors: Krutsri Chonlada , Toyonaga Takashi , Ishida Tsukasa , Hoshi Namiko , Baba Shinichi , Miyajima Nelson Tomio , Kodama Yuzo
Published: July 2019

Background and study aims Patients who have undergone colorectal surgery for resection of cancer and benign lesions are at risk for recurrent, residual, or metachronous lesions at the anastomosis site. Surgical resection of such lesions is difficult because of adhesions, and a stoma may be required as there are risks for leakage after resection. The feasibility and safety of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for these lesions remain unknown. Therefore, this case series aimed to examine the feasibility and safety of ESD by evaluating the clinical outcomes.

Patients and methods We retrospectively investigated five patients who underwent ESD by a single expert for superficial neoplastic lesions at the anastomosis site after previous colorectal surgery.

Results R0 resections were achieved for all lesions. Mean procedure time was 160.6 minutes. Mean dimensions of the resected specimen and tumor were 52.4 mm and 31.8mm, respectively. None of the patients had complications or recurrence after surveillance colonoscopy 1-year post-resection.

Conclusions In an expert’s hands, ESD at the anastomosis site might be feasible minimally invasive treatment for superficial neoplastic lesions.