bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nitrogen Cycle Evaluation (NiCE) Chip for Simultaneous Analysis of Multiple N Cycle-Associated Genes
Authors: Oshiki Mamoru , Segawa Takahiro , Ishii Satoshi
Published: February 2018

Various microorganisms play key roles in the nitrogen (N) cycle. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) and PCR amplicon sequencing of N cycle functional genes allow us to analyze the abundance and diversity of microbes responsible for N-transforming reactions in various environmental samples. However, analysis of multiple target genes can be cumbersome and expensive. PCR-independent analysis, such as metagenomics and metatranscriptomics, is useful but expensive, especially when we analyze multiple samples and try to detect N cycle functional genes present at a relatively low abundance. Here, we present the application of microfluidic qPCR chip technology to simultaneously quantify and prepare amplicon sequence libraries for multiple N cycle functional genes as well as taxon-specific 16S rRNA gene markers for many samples. This approach, named the nitrogen cycle evaluation (NiCE) chip, was evaluated by using DNA from pure and artificially mixed bacterial cultures and by comparing the results with those obtained by conventional qPCR and amplicon sequencing methods. Quantitative results obtained by the NiCE chip were comparable to those obtained by conventional qPCR. In addition, the NiCE chip was successfully applied to examine the abundance and diversity of N cycle functional genes in wastewater samples. Although nonspecific amplification was detected on the NiCE chip, this can be overcome by optimizing the primer sequences in the future. As the NiCE chip can provide a high-throughput format to quantify and prepare sequence libraries for multiple N cycle functional genes, this tool should advance our ability to explore N cycling in various samples.

IMPORTANCE
We report a novel approach, namely, the nitrogen cycle evaluation (NiCE) chip, by using microfluidic qPCR chip technology. By sequencing the amplicons recovered from the NiCE chip, we can assess the diversities of N cycle functional genes. The NiCE chip technology is applicable to analysis of the temporal dynamics of N cycle gene transcription in wastewater treatment bioreactors. The NiCE chip can provide a high-throughput format to quantify and prepare sequence libraries for multiple N cycle functional genes. While there is room for future improvement, this tool should significantly advance our ability to explore the N cycle in various environmental samples.
New Insights into the Function and Global Distribution of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)-Degrading Bacteria and Enzymes in Marine and Terrestrial Metagenomes
Authors: Danso Dominik , Schmeisser Christel , Chow Jennifer , Zimmermann Wolfgang , Wei Ren , Leggewie Christian , Li Xiangzhen , Hazen Terry , Streit Wolfgang R.
Published: February 2018

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most important synthetic polymers used today. Unfortunately, the polymers accumulate in nature and to date no highly active enzymes are known that can degrade it at high velocity. Enzymes involved in PET degradation are mainly α- and β-hydrolases, like cutinases and related enzymes (EC 3.1.1). Currently, only a small number of such enzymes are well characterized. In this work, a search algorithm was developed that identified 504 possible PET hydrolase candidate genes from various databases. A further global search that comprised more than 16 Gb of sequence information within 108 marine and 25 terrestrial metagenomes obtained from the Integrated Microbial Genome (IMG) database detected 349 putative PET hydrolases. Heterologous expression of four such candidate enzymes verified the function of these enzymes and confirmed the usefulness of the developed search algorithm. In this way, two novel and thermostable enzymes with high potential for downstream application were partially characterized. Clustering of 504 novel enzyme candidates based on amino acid similarities indicated that PET hydrolases mainly occur in the phyla of
Actinobacteria
,
Proteobacteria
, and
Bacteroidetes
. Within the
Proteobacteria
, the
Betaproteobacteria
,
Deltaproteobacteria
, and
Gammaproteobacteria
were the main hosts. Remarkably enough, in the marine environment, bacteria affiliated with the phylum
Bacteroidetes
appear to be the main hosts of PET hydrolase genes, rather than
Actinobacteria
or
Proteobacteria
, as observed for the terrestrial metagenomes. Our data further imply that PET hydrolases are truly rare enzymes. The highest occurrence of 1.5 hits/Mb was observed in sequences from a sample site containing crude oil.

IMPORTANCE
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) accumulates in our environment without significant microbial conversion. Although a few PET hydrolases are already known, it is still unknown how frequently they appear and with which main bacterial phyla they are affiliated. In this study, deep sequence mining of protein databases and metagenomes demonstrated that PET hydrolases indeed occur at very low frequencies in the environment. Furthermore, it was possible to link them to phyla that were previously not known to harbor such enzymes. This work contributes novel knowledge on the phylogenetic relationships, the recent evolution, and the global distribution of PET hydrolases. Finally, we describe the biochemical traits of four novel PET hydrolases.
Impact of sex work on risk behaviours and their association with HIV positivity among people who inject drugs in Eastern Central Canada: cross-sectional results from an open cohort study
Authors: Campeau Laurence , Blouin Karine , Leclerc Pascale , Alary Michel , Morissette Carole , Blanchette Caty , Serhir Bouchra , Roy Elise
Published: February 2018

Objectives

The objectives of this study were: (1) to examine the correlates of HIV positivity among participants who injected drugs and engaged in sex work (PWID-SWs) in the SurvUDI network between 2004 and 2016, after stratification by sex, and (2) to compare these correlates with those of sexually active participants who did not engage in sex work (PWID non-SWs).

Design and setting

This biobehavioural survey is an open cohort of services where participants who had injected in the past 6 months were recruited mainly through harm reduction programmes in Eastern Central Canada.

Participants

Data from 5476 participants (9223 visits in total; 785 not included in multivariate analyses due to missing values) were included.

Methods

Participants completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire and provided saliva samples for anti-HIV antibody testing. Generalised estimating equations taking into account multiple participations were used.

Results

Baseline HIV prevalence was higher among SWs compared with non-SWs (women: 13.0% vs 7.7%; P<0.001, and men: 17.4% vs 10.8%; P<0.001). PWID-SWs were particularly susceptible to HIV infection as a result of higher levels of vulnerability factors and injection risk behaviours. They also presented different risk-taking patterns than their non-SWs counterparts, as shown by differences in correlates of HIV positivity. Additionally, the importance of sex work for HIV infection varies according to gender, as suggested by a large proportion of injection risk behaviours associated with HIV among women and, conversely, a stronger association between sexual behaviours and HIV positivity observed among men.

Conclusion

These results suggest that sex work has an impact on the risk of HIV acquisition and that risk behaviours vary according to gender. Public health practitioners should take those specificities into account when designing HIV prevention interventions aimed at PWIDs.
CODIFI (Concordance in Diabetic Foot Ulcer Infection): a cross-sectional study of wound swab versus tissue sampling in infected diabetic foot ulcers in England
Authors: Nelson Andrea , Wright-Hughes Alexandra , Backhouse Michael Ross , Lipsky Benjamin A , Nixon Jane , Bhogal Moninder S , Reynolds Catherine , Brown Sarah
Published: February 2018

Objective

To determine the extent of agreement and patterns of disagreement between wound swab and tissue samples in patients with an infected diabetic foot ulcer (DFU).

Design

Multicentre, prospective, cross-sectional study.

Setting

Primary and secondary care foot ulcer/diabetic outpatient clinics and hospital wards across England.

Participants

Inclusion criteria: consenting patients aged ≥18 years; diabetes mellitus; suspected infected DFU. Exclusion criteria: clinically inappropriate to take either sample.

Interventions

Wound swab obtained using Levine’s technique; tissue samples collected using a sterile dermal curette or scalpel.

Outcome measures

Coprimary: reported presence, and number, of pathogens per sample; prevalence of resistance to antimicrobials among likely pathogens. Secondary: recommended change in antibiotic therapy based on blinded clinical review; adverse events; sampling costs.

Results

400 consenting patients (79% male) from 25 centres.

Most prevalent reported pathogens wereStaphylococcus aureus(43.8%),Streptococcus(16.7%) and other aerobic Gram-positive cocci (70.6%). At least one potential pathogen was reported from 70.1% of wound swab and 86.1% of tissue samples. Pathogen results differed between sampling methods in 58% of patients, with more pathogens and fewer contaminants reported from tissue specimens.

The majority of pathogens were reported significantly more frequently in tissue than wound swab samples (P<0.01), with equal disagreement forS. aureusandPseudomonas aeruginosa.Blinded clinicians more often recommended a change in antibiotic regimen based on tissue compared with wound swab results (increase of 8.9%, 95% CI 2.65% to 15.3%). Ulcer pain and bleeding occurred more often after tissue collection versus wound swabs (pain: 9.3%, 1.3%; bleeding: 6.8%, 1.5%, respectively).

Conclusion

Reports of tissue samples more frequently identified pathogens, and less frequently identified non-pathogens compared with wound swab samples. Blinded clinicians more often recommended changes in antibiotic therapy based on tissue compared with wound swab specimens. Further research is needed to determine the effect of the additional information provided by tissue samples.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN52608451.
Socioeconomic differences in hearing among middle-aged and older adults: cross-sectional analyses using the Health Survey for England
Authors: Scholes Shaun , Biddulph Jane , Davis Adrian , Mindell Jennifer S.
Published: February 2018

Background

Hearing loss impacts on cognitive, social and physical functioning. Both hearing loss and hearing aid use vary across population subgroups. We examined whether hearing loss, and reported current hearing aid use among persons with hearing loss, were associated with different markers of socioeconomic status (SES) in a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults.

Methods

Hearing was measured using an audiometric screening device in the Health Survey for England 2014 (3292 participants aged 45 years and over). Hearing loss was defined as >35 dB HL at 3.0 kHz in the better-hearing ear. Using sex-specific logistic regression modelling, we evaluated the associations between SES and hearing after adjustment for potential confounders.

Results

26% of men and 20% of women aged 45 years and over had hearing loss. Hearing loss was higher among men in the lowest SES groups. For example, the multivariable-adjusted odds of hearing loss were almost two times as high for those in the lowest versus the highest income tertile (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.15 to 2.74). Among those with hearing loss, 30% of men and 27% of women were currently using a hearing aid. Compared with men in the highest income tertile, the multivariable-adjusted odds of using a hearing aid nowadays were lower for men in the middle (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.99) and the lowest (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.97) income tertiles. Associations between SES and hearing were weaker or null among women.

Conclusions

While the burden of hearing loss fell highest among men in the lowest SES groups, current hearing aid use was demonstrably lower. Initiatives to detect hearing loss early and increase the uptake and the use of hearing aids may provide substantial public health benefits and reduce socioeconomic inequalities in health.
Knowledge of childhood burn risks and burn first aid: Cool Runnings
Authors: Burgess Jacqueline D , Watt Kerrianne A , Kimble Roy M , Cameron Cate M
Published: February 2018

Aim

The high incidence of hot beverage scalds among young children has not changed in the past 15 years, but preventive campaigns have been scarce. A novel approach was used to engage mothers of young children in an app-based hot beverage scald prevention campaign ‘Cool Runnings’. This paper provides baseline data for this randomised controlled trial (RCT).

Method

Queensland-based mothers aged 18+ years with at least one child aged 5–12 months were recruited via social media to Cool Runnings, which is a two-group, parallel, single-blinded RCT.

Results

In total, 498 participants from across Queensland completed the baseline questionnaire. The most common source of burn first aid information was the internet (79%). One-third (33%) correctly identified hot beverage scalds as the leading cause of childhood burns, 43% knew the age group most at risk. While 94% reported they would cool a burn with water, only 10% reported the recommended 20min duration. After adjusting for all relevant variables, there were two independent predictors of adequate burn first aid knowledge: first aid training in the past year (OR=3.32; 95% CI 1.8 to 6.1) and smoking status (OR=0.17; 95% CI 0.04 to 0.7).

Conclusion

In this study, mothers of young children were largely unaware how frequently hot beverage scalds occur and the age group most susceptible to them. Inadequate burn first aid knowledge is prevalent across mothers of young children; there is an urgent and compelling need to improve burn first aid knowledge in this group. Given the high incidence of hot beverages scalds in children aged 6–24 months, it is important to target future burn prevention/first aid campaigns at parents of young children.

Trial registration number

ACTRN12616000019404; Pre-results.
Use of radiography in small animal practice in the UK and Republic of Ireland in 2013
Authors: Booth Naomi J , Morley Samuel J , Ewers Richard S
Published: February 2018

Radiography is an essential diagnostic tool in small animal practice. A major transition is currently underway from film screen to digital systems. However, there is limited published research detailing the use of radiography in practices in the UK and Republic of Ireland (ROI). The study aimed to describe the uptake of digital radiographic systems, wider aspects of radiographic practice and use of other diagnostic imaging techniques in the UK and ROI. This is a cross‐sectional study using paper and online questionnaires. Veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and veterinary radiographers working in small animal practice in the UK and ROI were eligible to participate in the survey. Seventy‐five per cent of respondents worked in practices using digital radiography systems. Cost appeared to be the largest barrier to digital conversion. Chemical restraint was used on 86 per cent of cases; however, 3 per cent of cases were reported to be restrained by hand. Thirty‐one per cent of respondents had not received specific training in radiation safety. Ultrasonography is reportedly now widely utilised on a regular basis. These results provide useful information on the use of radiography and additional diagnostic imaging techniques in the UK. These results should be used to indicate future training requirements, particularly to improve radiation safety.
A nanocatalyst-assisted protocol to the synthesis of bis(pyrazolyl) methane derivatives bearing aroyl groups by the use of arylglyoxals in the presence of ZnO nanowires as a highly efficient, recyclable, and green catalyst
Authors: Eskandari Khalil , Karami Bahador
Published: February 2018

An efficient, promoted three-component (2+1) catalytic reaction between 3-methyl-1-phenyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one and arylglyoxal derivatives is described by the use of zinc oxide nanowires (ZnO NWs) as a green catalyst. By this achievement, some newly prepared bis(pyrazolyl)methane derivatives containing an aroyl group have been obtained. Starting materials were successfully condensed to obtain target products via three C–C bond formation in the presence of ZnO NWs as an efficient, cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and recyclable nanocatalyst. All synthesized products were obtained with good to excellent yields, and their structures were deduced by FTIR, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR spectroscopies and CHNS elemental analyses. It was shown that ZnO NWs can be separated, recovered after each run, and reused in further cycles (up to six runs) without significant loss of activity.
Fate of global symmetries in the Universe: QCD axion, quintessential axion and trans-Planckian inflaton decay constant
Authors: Kim Jihn E. , Nam Soonkeon , Semetzidis Yannis K.
Published: February 2018

Pseudoscalars appearing in particle physics are reviewed systematically. From the fundamental point of view at an ultraviolet completed theory, they can be light if they are realized as pseudo-Goldstone bosons of some spontaneously broken global symmetries. The spontaneous breaking scale is parametrized by the decay constant [Formula: see text]. The global symmetry is defined by the lowest order terms allowed in the effective theory consistent with the gauge symmetry in question. Since any global symmetry is known to be broken at least by quantum gravitational effects, all pseudoscalars should be massive. The mass scale is determined by [Formula: see text] and the explicit breaking terms [Formula: see text] in the effective potential and also anomaly terms [Formula: see text] for some non-Abelian gauge groups [Formula: see text]. The well-known example by non-Abelian gauge group breaking is the potential for the “invisible” QCD axion, via the Peccei–Quinn symmetry, which constitutes a major part of this review. Even if there is no breaking terms from gauge anomalies, there can be explicit breaking terms [Formula: see text] in the potential in which case the leading term suppressed by [Formula: see text] determines the pseudoscalar mass scale. If the breaking term is extremely small and the decay constant is trans-Planckian, the corresponding pseudoscalar can be a candidate for a “quintessential axion.” In general, [Formula: see text] is considered to be smaller than [Formula: see text], and hence the pseudo-Goldstone boson mass scales are considered to be smaller than the decay constants. In such a case, the potential of the pseudo-Goldstone boson at the grand unification scale is sufficiently flat near the top of the potential that it can be a good candidate for an inflationary model, which is known as “natural inflation.” We review all these ideas in the bosonic collective motion framework.
Regimes of mini black hole abandoned to accretion
Authors: Paik Biplab
Published: February 2018

Being inspired by the Eddington’s idea, along with other auxiliary arguments, it is unveiled that there exist regimes of a black hole that would prohibit accretion of ordinary energy. In explicit words, there exists a lower bound to black hole mass below which matter accretion process does not run for black holes. Not merely the baryonic matter, but, in regimes, also the massless photons could get prohibited from rushing into a black hole. However, unlike the baryon accretion abandoned black hole regime, the mass-regime of a black hole prohibiting accretion of radiation could vary along with its ambient temperature. For example, we discuss that earlier to [Formula: see text] s after the big-bang, as the cosmological temperature of the Universe grew above [Formula: see text] K, the mass range of black hole designating the radiation accretion abandoned regime, had to be in varying state being connected with the instantaneous age of the evolving Universe by an “one half” power law. It happens to be a fact that a black hole holding regimes prohibiting accretion of energy is gigantic by its size in comparison to the Planck length-scale. Hence the emergence of these regimes demands mini black holes for not being viable as profound suckers of energy. Consideration of accretion abandoned regimes could be crucial for constraining or judging the evolution of primordial black holes over the age of the Universe.
Some clarifications about the Bohmian geodesic deviation equation and Raychaudhuri’s equation
Authors: Rahmani Faramarz , Golshani Mehdi
Published: February 2018

One of the important and famous topics in general theory of relativity and gravitation is the problem of geodesic deviation and its related singularity theorems. An interesting subject is the investigation of these concepts when quantum effects are considered. Since the definition of trajectory is not possible in the framework of standard quantum mechanics (SQM), we investigate the problem of geodesic equation and its related topics in the framework of Bohmian quantum mechanics in which the definition of trajectory is possible. We do this in a fixed background and we do not consider the backreaction effects of matter on the space–time metric.
Stability analysis and wave dynamics of an extended hybrid traffic flow model
Authors: Wang Yu-Qing , Zhou Chao-Fan , Li Wei-Kang , Yan Bo-Wen , Jia Bin , Wang Ji-Xin
Published: February 2018

The stability analysis and wave dynamic properties of an extended hybrid traffic flow model, WZY model, are intensively studied in this paper. The linear stable condition obtained by the linear stability analysis is presented. Besides, by means of analyzing Korteweg–de Vries equation, we present soliton waves in the metastable region. Moreover, the multiscale perturbation technique is applied to derive the traveling wave solution of the model. Furthermore, by means of performing Darboux transformation, the first-order and second-order doubly-periodic solutions and rational solutions are presented. It can be found that analytical solutions match well with numerical simulations.
Integrable aspects and rogue wave solution of Sasa–Satsuma equation with variable coefficients in the inhomogeneous fiber
Authors: Zhang Yu-Ping , Yu Lan , Wei Guang-Mei
Published: February 2018

Under investigation with symbolic computation in this paper, is a variable-coefficient Sasa–Satsuma equation (SSE) which can describe the ultra short pulses in optical fiber communications and propagation of deep ocean waves. By virtue of the extended Ablowitz–Kaup–Newell–Segur system, Lax pair for the model is directly constructed. Based on the obtained Lax pair, an auto-Bäcklund transformation is provided, then the explicit one-soliton solution is obtained. Meanwhile, an infinite number of conservation laws in explicit recursion forms are derived to indicate its integrability in the Liouville sense. Furthermore, exact explicit rogue wave (RW) solution is presented by use of a Darboux transformation. In addition to the double-peak structure and an analog of the Peregrine soliton, the RW can exhibit graphically an intriguing twisted rogue-wave (TRW) pair that involve four well-defined zero-amplitude points.
A first step towards the inflationary trans-Planckian problem treatment in loop quantum cosmology
Authors: Martineau Killian , Barrau Aurélien , Grain Julien
Published: February 2018

For most initial conditions, cosmologically relevant physical modes were trans-Planckian at the bounce time, often by many magnitude orders. We improve the usual loop quantum cosmology calculation of the primordial power spectra — in the inflationary framework — by accounting for those trans-Planckian effects through modified dispersion relations. This can induce drastic changes in the spectrum, making it either compatible or incompatible with observational data, depending on the details of the choices operated.
A Binomial Tree Approach to Pricing Vulnerable Option in a Vague World
Authors: Xu Weijun , Liu Guifang , Yu Xiaojian
Published: February 2018

The aim of this paper is pricing the vulnerable options in a vague world. Due to the vulnerability of financial markets and the economy environment in the real world, investors cannot always have precise information about firm value and default recovery rate in vulnerable option pricing. Therefore, following the framework of Klein in 1996, a fuzzy binomial tree pricing model is derived by modelling the firm value and default recovery rate as fuzzy numbers. The numerical results show that the precise information assumption about the firm value and recovery rate in Klein model may lead to underestimate the credit risk on the values of vulnerable options. This study aims to provide insights for future research on defaultable options pricing under imprecise market information.
A Combination of Singular Cell-Based Smoothed Radial Point Interpolation Method and FEM in Solving Fracture Problem
Authors: Zhang Guiyong , Wang Yaomei , Jiang Yong , Jiang Yichen , Zong Zhi
Published: February 2018

The singular cell-based smoothed radial point interpolation method (CS-RPIM) has been previously proposed and shown good performance in solving fracture problems. Motivated from the fact that CS-RPIM performs over softly by providing an upper bound solution and the finite element method (FEM) is overly stiff by providing a lower bound solution, this work proposes a combination of singular CS-RPIM and FEM with a correlation coefficient [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] has been recommended through intensive numerical studies. Several numerical examples have been studied and the proposed method has been found perform quite well from both stress intensity factors and strain energy.
Cell-sized lipid vesicles for cell-cell synaptic therapies
Authors: Vallejo D. , Lee S. H. , Lee D. , Zhang C. , Rapier C. , Chessler S. D. , Lee A. P.
Published: February 2018

Cell-sized lipid vesicles (CLVs) have shown great promise for therapeutic and artificial cell applications, but their fragility and short shelf life has hindered widespread adoption and commercial viability. We present a method to circumvent the storage limitations of CLVs such as giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) and single-compartment multisomes (SCMs) by storing them in a double emulsion precursor form. The double emulsions can be stored for at least 8 months and readily converted into either GUVs or SCMs at any time. In this study, we investigate the interfacial parameters responsible for this morphological change, and we also demonstrate the therapeutic potential of CLVs by utilizing them to present a transmembrane protein, neuroligin-2, to pancreatic [Formula: see text]-cells, forming cell-cell synapses that stimulate insulin secretion and cellular growth.
Interactive Discovery of Coordinated Relationship Chains with Maximum Entropy Models
Authors: Wu Hao , Sun Maoyuan , Mi Peng , Tatti Nikolaj , North Chris , Ramakrishnan Naren
Published: February 2018

Modern visual analytic tools promote human-in-the-loop analysis but are limited in their ability to direct the user toward interesting and promising directions of study. This problem is especially acute when the analysis task is exploratory in nature, e.g., the discovery of potentially coordinated relationships in massive text datasets. Such tasks are very common in domains like intelligence analysis and security forensics where the goal is to uncover surprising coalitions bridging multiple types of relations. We introduce new maximum entropy models to discover surprising chains of relationships leveraging count data about entity occurrences in documents. These models are embedded in a visual analytic system called MERCER (Maximum Entropy Relational Chain ExploRer) that treats relationship bundles as first class objects and directs the user toward promising lines of inquiry. We demonstrate how user input can judiciously direct analysis toward valid conclusions, whereas a purely algorithmic approach could be led astray. Experimental results on both synthetic and real datasets from the intelligence community are presented.
Analysis of Online Social Network Connections for Identification of Influential Users
Authors: Al-Garadi Mohammed Ali , Varathan Kasturi Dewi , Ravana Sri Devi , Ahmed Ejaz , Mujtaba Ghulam , Khan Muhammad Usman Shahid , Khan Samee U.
Published: February 2018

Online social networks (OSNs) are structures that help users to interact, exchange, and propagate new ideas. The identification of the influential users in OSNs is a significant process for accelerating the propagation of information that includes marketing applications or hindering the dissemination of unwanted contents, such as viruses, negative online behaviors, and rumors. This article presents a detailed survey of influential users’ identification algorithms and their performance evaluation approaches in OSNs. The survey covers recent techniques, applications, and open research issues on analysis of OSN connections for identification of influential users.
Empirical Exploring Word-Character Relationship for Chinese Sentence Representation
Authors: Wang Shaonan , Zhang Jiajun , Zong Chengqing
Published: February 2018

This article addresses the problem of learning compositional Chinese sentence representations, which represent the meaning of a sentence by composing the meanings of its constituent words. In contrast to English, a Chinese word is composed of characters, which contain rich semantic information. However, this information has not been fully exploited by existing methods. In this work, we introduce a novel, mixed character-word architecture to improve the Chinese sentence representations by utilizing rich semantic information of inner-word characters. We propose two novel strategies to reach this purpose. The first one is to use a mask gate on characters, learning the relation among characters in a word. The second one is to use a max-pooling operation on words to adaptively find the optimal mixture of the atomic and compositional word representations. Finally, the proposed architecture is applied to various sentence composition models, which achieves substantial performance gains over baseline models on sentence similarity task. To further verify the generalization ability of our model, we employ the learned sentence representations as features in sentence classification task, question classification task, and sentence entailment task. Results have shown that the proposed mixed character-word sentence representation models outperform both the character-based and word-based models.
Transcription factor GATA6: a novel marker and putative inducer of ductal metaplasia in biliary atresia
Authors: Soini Tea , Pihlajoki Marjut , Andersson Noora , Lohi Jouko , Huppert Kari A. , Rudnick David A. , Huppert Stacey S. , Wilson David B. , Pakarinen Mikko P. , Heikinheimo Markku
Published: February 2018

Biliary atresia (BA), a neonatal liver disease, is characterized by obstruction of extrahepatic bile ducts with subsequent cholestasis, inflammation, and progressive liver fibrosis. To gain insights into the pathophysiology of BA, we focused attention on GATA6, a transcription factor implicated in biliary development. Early in fetal development GATA6 expression is evident in cholangiocytes and hepatocytes, but by late gestation it is extinguished in hepatocytes. Utilizing a unique set of BA liver samples collected before and after successful portoenterostomy (PE), we found that GATA6 expression is markedly upregulated in hepatocytes of patients with BA compared with healthy and cholestatic disease controls. This upregulation is recapitulated in two murine models simulating bile duct obstruction and intrahepatic bile ductule expansion. GATA6 expression in BA livers correlates with two established negative prognostic indicators (age at PE, degree of intrahepatic bile ductule expansion) and decreases after normalization of serum bilirubin by PE. GATA6 expression in BA livers correlates with expression of known regulators of cholangiocyte differentiation ( JAGGED1, HNF1β, and HNF6). These same genes are upregulated after enforced expression of GATA6 in human hepatocyte cell models. In conclusion, GATA6 is a novel marker and a putative driver of hepatocyte-cholangiocyte metaplasia in BA, and its expression in hepatocytes is downregulated after successful PE.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY A pathological hallmark in the liver of patients with biliary atresia is ductular reaction, an expansion of new bile ductules that are thought to arise from conversion of mature hepatocytes. Here, we show that transcription factor GATA6 is a marker and potential driver of hepatocyte ductal metaplasia in biliary atresia. Hepatocyte GATA6 expression is elevated in biliary atresia, correlates with bile duct expansion, and decreases after successful portoenterostomy.
Effect of dietary arachidonic acid supplementation on acute muscle adaptive responses to resistance exercise in trained men: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Mitchell Cameron J. , D'Souza Randall F. , Figueiredo Vandre C. , Chan Alex , Aasen Kirsten , Durainayagam Brenan , Mitchell Sarah , Sinclair Andrew J. , Egner Ingrid M. , Raastad Truls , Cameron-Smith David , Markworth James F.
Published: February 2018

Arachidonic acid (ARA), a polyunsaturated ω-6 fatty acid, acts as precursor to a number of prostaglandins with potential roles in muscle anabolism. It was hypothesized that ARA supplementation might enhance the early anabolic response to resistance exercise (RE) by increasing muscle protein synthesis (MPS) via mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway activation and/or the late anabolic response by modulating ribosome biogenesis and satellite cell expansion. Nineteen men with ≥1 yr of resistance-training experience were randomized to consume either 1.5 g daily ARA or a corn-soy-oil placebo in a double-blind manner for 4 wk. Participants then undertook fasted RE (8 sets each of leg press and extension at 80% 1-repetition maximum), with vastus lateralis biopsies obtained before exercise, immediately postexercise, and at 2, 4, and 48 h of recovery. MPS (measured via stable isotope infusion) was not different between groups ( P = 0.212) over the 4-h recovery period. mTOR pathway members p70 S6 kinase and S6 ribosomal protein were phosphorylated postexercise ( P < 0.05), with no difference between groups. 45S preribosomal RNA increased 48 h after exercise only in ARA ( P = 0.012). Neural cell adhesion molecule-positive satellite cells per fiber increased 48 h after exercise ( P = 0.013), with no difference between groups ( P = 0.331). Prior ARA supplementation did not alter the acute anabolic response to RE in previously resistance-trained men; however, at 48 h of recovery, ribosome biogenesis was stimulated only in the ARA group. The findings do not support a mechanistic link between ARA and short-term anabolism, but ARA supplementation in conjunction with resistance training may stimulate increases in translational capacity.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Four weeks of daily arachidonic acid supplementation in trained men did not alter their acute muscle protein synthetic or anabolic signaling response to resistance exercise. However, 48 h after exercise, men supplemented with arachidonic acid showed greater ribosome biogenesis and a trend toward greater change in satellite cell content. Chronic arachidonic acid supplementation does not appear to regulate the acute anabolic response to resistance exercise but may augment muscle adaptation in the following days of recovery.
The Redox Chemistry of Ruthenium Dioxide: A Cyclic Voltammetry Study—Review and Revision
Authors: Chalupczok Sebastian , Kurzweil Peter , Hartmann Helmut , Schell Christian
Published: February 2018

By cyclic voltammetry at high scan rates, the electrochemical properties of RuO2 in acidic and alkaline solutions were investigated in detail. Thirteen current peaks can be distinguished in sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide. With respect to the pH sensitivity of RuO2 electrodes, we considered charge calculations, peak currents, and apparent diffusion coefficients. The nature of the Ru(II) oxidation was clarified by Ru(I)−Ru(III) species.
Microfluidic Biosensor Based on Microwave Substrate-Integrated Waveguide Cavity Resonator
Authors: Salim Ahmed , Kim Sung-Hwan , Park Joong Yull , Lim Sungjoon
Published: February 2018

A microfluidic biosensor is proposed using a microwave substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) cavity resonator. The main objectives of this noninvasive biosensor are to detect and analyze biomaterial using tiny liquid volumes (3 μL). The sensing mechanism of our proposed biosensor relies on the dielectric perturbation phenomenon of biomaterial under test, which causes a change in resonance frequency and return loss (amplitude). First, an SIW cavity is realized on a Rogers RT/Duroid 5870 substrate. Then, a microwell made from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) material is loaded on the SIW cavity to observe the perturbation phenomenon. The microwell is filled with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution (reference biological medium). To demonstrate the sensing behavior, the fibroblast (FB) cells from the lungs of a human male subject are analyzed and one-port S-parameters are measured. The resonance frequency of the structure with FB cells is observed to be 13.48 GHz. The reproducibility and repeatability of our proposed biosensor are successfully demonstrated through full-wave simulations and measurements. The resonance frequency of the FB-loaded microwell showed a shift of 170 MHz and 20 MHz, when compared to those of empty and PBS-loaded microwells. Its analytical limit of detection is 213 cells/μL. Our proposed biosensor is noncontact and reliable. Furthermore, it is miniaturized, inexpensive, and fabricated using simple- and easy-design processes.
Establishing the Role of Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy in Early-Stage Breast Cancer
Authors: Barry Aisling , Fyles Anthony
Published: February 2018

Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) has a role as definitive therapy in many tumor sites; however, its role in the treatment of breast cancer is less well explored. Currently, SABR has been investigated in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant setting with a number of ongoing feasibility studies. However, its use comes with a number of radiobiological and technical challenges that require further evaluation. We have learned much from other extracranial disease sites such as lung, brain, and spine, where definitive treatment with SABR has shown encouraging outcomes. In women with breast cancer, SABR may eliminate the need for invasive surgery, reducing healthcare costs and hospital stays and providing an additional curative option for early-stage disease. This poses the following question: is there a role for SABR as a definitive therapy in breast cancer?
QSAR Study of Anthra[1,9-cd]pyrazol-6(2H)-one Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents Using Statistical Methods
Authors: Hadaji El Ghalia , Ouammou Abdelkarim , Bouachrine Mohammed
Published: February 2018

In this study, the anticancer activity of a series of 32 molecules based on anthra[1,9-cd]pyrazol-6(2H)-one was studied by three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analyses: multiple linear regression (MLR), partial least squares (PLS), multiple nonlinear regression (MNLR), cross-validation analyses, and Y-randomization. A theoretical study of series was firstly studied using density functional theory (DFT) calculations at B3LYP/6-31 level of theory for employing to determine the structural parameters and electronic properties. Then the topological descriptors were computed using ACD/ChemSketch and ChemDraw 8.0 programs. The RNLM, given the descriptors obtained from the MLR and PLS, exhibited a correlation coefficient close to 0.91. The prediction models collected were confirmed by two methods of cross-validation and scrambling (or Y-randomization). The strong correlation between experimental and predicted activity values was observed, indicating the validation and good quality of the derived QSAR model.
Fitting Tips and Visual Rehabilitation of Irregular Cornea with a New Design of Corneoscleral Contact Lens: Objective and Subjective Evaluation
Authors: Abou Samra Waleed Ali , Badawi Amani E. , Kishk Hanem , Abd El ghafar Ayman , Elwan Mohamed M. , Abouelkheir Hossam Youssef
Published: February 2018

Objectives. To study the fitting and the visual rehabilitation obtained with a corneoscleral contact lens, namely, Rose K2 XL in patients with irregular cornea.Methods. This prospective study included 36 eyes of 36 patients with irregular cornea fitted with Rose K2 XL. Refractive and visual outcomes and mesopic and aberrometric parameters of fitted eyes were assessed at 2 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after the initial lens use. Objective and subjective parameters of patient satisfaction and lens comfort were noted. Causes of lens discontinuation and complications were also recorded.Results. Average logMAR VA improved significantly from 0.95 ± 0.09 without correction to 0.04 ± 0.05 six months after lens wear. Similarly, mesopic and aberrometric measures were significantly improved. Statistical analysis of the subjective patients’ responses showed a significant acceptance of the lens by most of them. At the end of follow-up, the mean wearing time was 9.9 ± 2.9 hours per day. The most common cause of wearing discontinuation was persistent discomfort (16.7%) and high lens expenses(16.7%). Self-assessed questionnaire showed statistically significant improvement in nearly all measured subjective parameters.Conclusion. Rose K2 XL lenses provide patients with irregular cornea with both quantitative and qualitative optimal visual function with high degree of patient comfort and satisfaction.
Application of a Cohesive Zone Model for Simulating Fatigue Crack Growth from Moderate to High ΔK Levels of Inconel 718
Authors: Li Huan , Li Jinshan , Yuan Huang
Published: February 2018

A cyclic cohesive zone model is applied to characterize the fatigue crack growth behavior of a IN718 superalloy which is frequently used in aerospace components. In order to improve the limitation of fracture mechanics-based models, besides the predictions of the moderate fatigue crack growth rates at the Paris’ regime and the high fatigue crack growth rates at the high stress intensity factor ΔK levels, the present work is also aimed at simulating the material damage uniformly and examining the influence of the cohesive model parameters on fatigue crack growth systematically. The gradual loss of the stress-bearing ability of the material is considered through the degradation of a novel cohesive envelope. The experimental data of cracked specimens are used to validate the simulation result. Based on the reasonable estimation for the model parameters, the fatigue crack growth from moderate to high ΔK levels can be reproduced under the small-scale yielding condition, which is in fair agreement with the experimental results.
Multivalued Fixed Point Results for New GeneralizedF-Dominated Contractive Mappings on Dislocated Metric Space with Application
Authors: Rasham Tahair , Shoaib Abdullah , Alamri Badriah A. S. , Arshad Muhammad
Published: February 2018

The purpose of this paper is to find out fixed point results for semi-α⁎-dominated multivalued mappings fulfilling a new generalized locallyF-dominated multivalued contractive condition on a closed ball in complete dislocated metric space. Example and application both are given to show the novelty of our results. Our results merge, extend, and infer many results.
Liver Transplant for Unusually Large Polycystic Liver Disease: Challenges and Pitfalls
Authors: Serrano Rodriguez Pablo , Barritt IV Alfred Sidney , Gerber David Allen , Desai Chirag Sureshchandra
Published: February 2018

Patients with polycystic liver disease are described in the literature as both recipient and donor for liver transplant. Due to well-preserved liver function, it is often difficult for these patients to receive an organ. Livers of these patients are often large and heavier than a normal organ. We describe two cases who had exceedingly large livers, weighing 14 and 19 kg. To the best of our knowledge and search, these are some of the heaviest explanted livers, and one of the patients incidentally received a liver from a donor with ADPKD. The aim of this report is to discuss the challenges and pitfalls of evaluating and listing, technical aspect of the transplant, possibility of transplanting a liver from a donor with a genetic cystic disease to a cystic disease recipient, and the related literature with some highlights on the facts from UNOS/OPTN data.
Effect of Resveratrol Dry Suspension on Immune Function of Piglets
Authors: Fu Qiuting , Cui Qiankun , Yang Yi , Zhao Xinghong , Song Xu , Wang Guangxi , Bai Lu , Chen Shufan , Tian Ye , Zou Yuanfeng , Li Lixia , Yue Guizhou , Jia Renyong , Yin Zhongqiong
Published: February 2018

Resveratrol, a polyphenolic plant antitoxin, has a wide range of pharmacological activities. In this study, we systematically evaluated the effects of resveratrol dry suspension (RDS) on immune function in piglets that were treated with different doses of RDS for 2 weeks. The results showed that the RDS has significant effects on the development, maturation, proliferation, and transformation of T lymphocytes. RDS could regulate humoral immune responses by upregulating the release of IFN‐γ and downregulating the release of TNF‐α. After piglets were vaccinated against classical swine fever virus and foot‐and‐mouth disease virus, the antibody titers were significantly increased. RDS treatment showed an excellent resistance to enhance T‐SOD activity. Values of blood routine and blood biochemistry showed no toxicity. These results suggested that RDS could be considered as an adjuvant to enhance immune responses to vaccines, as well as dietary additives for animals to enhance humoral and cellular immunity.
On Some Properties of Cowen-Douglas Class of Operators
Authors: Heiatian Naeini Parastoo , Yousefi Bahmann
Published: February 2018

We will consider multiplication operators on a Hilbert space of analytic functions on a domainΩ⊂C. For a bounded analytic functionφonΩ, we will give necessary and sufficient conditions under which the complement of the essential spectrum ofMφinφΩbecomes nonempty and this gives conditions for the adjoint of the multiplication operatorMφbelongs to the Cowen-Douglas class of operators. Also, we characterize the structure of the essential spectrum of a multiplication operator and we determine the commutants of certain multiplication operators. Finally, we investigate the reflexivity of a Cowen-Douglas class operator.
Thermomechanical Behavior of Late Indo-Chinese Granodiorite under High Temperature and Pressure
Authors: Zhang Yanjun , Hao Shuren , Bai Lin , Yu Ziwang , Zhang Jianing , Fang Jingtao
Published: February 2018

This study investigates the influence of temperature, effective stress, and rock fracture on the bulk modulus and Biot’s coefficient of granodiorite from a hot dry rock geothermal reservoir using the triaxial compression test. Three types of representative granodiorite samples were chosen for comparative experiments. The experiments were conducted with 0–55 MPa effective stress under cyclic loading. Results show that bulk modulus can continuously increase with the increase in effective stress at a constant temperature. The influencing law on Biot’s coefficient is opposite that on bulk modulus. Interestingly, the temperature effects on the drained bulk modulus and Biot’s coefficient depend on the effective stress. With regard to rock fractures, temperature and effective stress exert similar effects on the Biot’s coefficients and bulk moduli of the samples compared with those of intact rock. The data of this experiment have a wide range of applications because most of the reservoir rocks in dry-hot-rock geothermal system have lithology of granite or granodiorite. The change law of rock modulus and Biot’s coefficient with the temperature and pressure in this experiment provide the data basis for the future simulation calculation making the considered factors more comprehensive and the results closer to the real situation.