bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A closer look into close packing: pentacoordinated silicon in a high-pressure polymorph of danburite
Authors: Pakhomova Anna , Bykova Elena , Bykov Maxim , Glazyrin Konstantin , Gasharova Biliana , Liermann Hanns-Peter , Mezouar Mohamed , Gorelova Liudmila , Krivovichev Sergey , Dubrovinsky Leonid
Published: August 2017

Due to their high technological and geological relevance, silicates are one of the most studied classes of inorganic compounds. Under ambient conditions, the silicon in silicates is almost exclusively coordinated by four oxygen atoms, while high-pressure treatment normally results in an increase in the coordination from four- to sixfold. Reported here is a high-pressure single-crystal X-ray diffraction study of danburite, CaB2Si2O8, the first compound showing a step-wise transition of Si coordination from tetrahedral to octahedral through a trigonal bipyramid. Along the compression, the Si2O7groups of danburite first transform into chains of vertice-sharing SiO5trigonal bipyramids (danburite-II) and later into chains of edge-sharing SiO6octahedra (danburite-III). It is suggested that the unusual formation of an SiO5configuration is a consequence of filling up the pentacoordinated voids in the distorted hexagonal close packing of danburite-II.
Tryptophan and Cysteine Oxidation Products Dominate in α‐Lactalbumin‐Derived Peptides Analyzed with LC–MSn
Authors: Koivumäki Tuuli P. , Gürbüz Göker , Heinonen I. Marina
Published: August 2017

α‐Lactalbumin (α‐La), a major milk whey protein, is comprised of several amino acids prone to metal‐catalyzed oxidation (MCO) typical in processing and during storage of foods. New tools are needed for the detection of characteristic oxidation products especially from tryptophan and cysteine that often remain unrecognized when using the traditional methods of carbonyl formation monitoring. In this study, the oxidative changes in α‐La were investigated through tryptic digestion and collection of 3 descriptive peptides fitted into a metal‐catalyzed oxidation (Fenton reaction) model. The peptide samples were oxidized at +37 °C for 14 d and explored with liquid chromatography–quadrupole ion trap‐mass spectrometer (LC–MSn). The fractionated α‐La peptides were valyl‐glycyl‐isoleucyl‐asparaginyl‐tyrosyl‐tryptophyl‐leucyl‐alanyl‐histidyl‐lysine (VGINYWLAHK), leucyl‐aspartyl‐glutaminyl‐tryptophyl‐leucyl‐cysteinyl‐glutamyl‐lysine (LDQWLCEK), and tryptophyl+16‐leucyl‐alanyl‐histidyl‐lysyl‐alanyl‐leucyl‐cysteine (W+16LAHKALC). Oxidation of several amino acids, such as cysteine, histidine, lysine, and tryptophan was observed. In the peptide LDQWLCEK, cysteine was rapidly trioxidized to sulfonic acid, followed by other amino acid side chains as secondary oxidation sites. Tryptophan oxidation was more pronounced in the peptides W+16LAHKALC and VGINYWLAHK, and also formation of the harmful N‐formylkynurenine was observed. As a conclusion, several stable and promising oxidation markers are proposed for α‐La, which could be implemented in the evaluation of quality and safety of dairy protein‐containing products.
Low‐Temperature Blanching as a Tool to Modulate the Structure of Pectin in Blueberry Purees
Authors: Chevalier Laura M. , Rioux Laurie‐Eve , Angers Paul , Turgeon Sylvie L.
Published: August 2017

Blueberry composition was characterized for 6 cultivars. It contains a good amount of dietary fiber (10% to 20%) and pectin (4% to 7%) whose degree of methylation (DM) is sensitive to food processing. A low temperature blanching (LTB: 60 °C/1 h) was applied on blueberry purees to decrease pectin DM, in order to modulate puree properties and functionalities (that is, viscosity and stability), and to enhance pectin affinity toward other components within food matrices. Fiber content, viscosity, pectin solubility, DM, and monosaccharide composition were determined for both pasteurized, and LTB+pasteurized blueberry purees. The results showed that neither the amount of fiber, nor the viscosity were affected by LTB, indicating that this treatment did not result in any significant pectin depolymerization and degradation. LTB caused a decrease both in pectin DM from 58–67% to 45–47% and in the amount of water‐soluble pectin fraction, the latter remaining the major fraction of total pectin at 52% to 57%. A LTB is a simple and mild process to produce blueberry purees with mostly soluble and low‐methylated pectin in order to extend functionality and opportunities for interactions with other food ingredients.
Fortification of Wheat Bread with Agroindustry By‐Products: Statistical Methods for Sensory Preference Evaluation and Correlation with Color and Crumb Structure
Authors: Martins Z. E. , Pinho O. , Ferreira I.M.P.L.V.O.
Published: August 2017

The use of agroindustry by‐products (BP) for fortification of wheat bread can be an alternative to waste disposal because BP are appealing sources of dietary fiber. Moreover, it may also contribute to indirect income generation. In this study, sensory, color, and crumb structure properties of breads fortified with fiber rich fraction recovered from four types of agroindustry BP were tested, namely orange (OE), pomegranate (PE), elderberry (EE), and spent yeast (YE). Statistical models for sensory preference evaluation and correlation with color and crumb structure were developed. External preference mapping indicated consumer preferences and enabled selection of the concentrations of BP fibre‐rich fraction with best acceptance, namely 7.0% EE, 2.5% OE, 5.0% PE, and 2.5% YE. Data collected from image analysis complemented sensory profile information, whereas multivariate PLS regression provided information on the relationship between “crust color” and “crumb color” and instrumental data. Regression models developed for both sensory attributes presented good fitting (R2Y > 0.700) and predictive ability (Q2 > 0.500), with low RMSE. Crust and crumb a* parameters had a positive influence on “crust color” and “crumb color” models, while crust L* and b* had a negative influence.
Effect of intrapancreatic fat on diabetes outcomes after total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation
Authors: Kizilgul Muhammed , Wilhelm Joshua J. , Beilman Gregory J. , Chinnakotla Srinath , Dunn Ty B. , Pruett Timothy L. , Abdulla Muhamad , Heller David , Freeman Martin L. , Schwarzenberg Sarah J. , Hering Bernhard J. , Bellin Melena D.
Published: August 2017

Background

Pancreatic fat may adversely affect β‐cell mass and function, possibly via local release of non‐esterified fatty acids, and proinflammatory and vasoactive factors released by adipose tissue. However, the effects of intrapancreatic fat in patients with chronic pancreatitis undergoing total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation (TPIAT) have not been studied. This study investigated whether pancreatic fatty infiltration has a negative effect on metabolic outcomes following TPIAT.

Methods

The association between pancreatic fatty infiltration and diabetes outcomes was studied in 79 patients with low or high pancreatic fat content (LPF [n = 53] and HPF [n = 26], respectively) undergoing TPIAT. Pancreatic fatty infiltration was stratified using gross examinations during isolation and validated with histomorphometry of archived histology samples.

Results

Fat area percentage in histology samples differed significantly between the LPF and HPF groups (2.1% ± 4.3% vs 10.6% ± 8.9%, respectively; P = 0.0009). Insulin dependence was more common in the HPF group, whereas more patients in the LPF group were insulin independent or on partial insulin supplementation at 1 year (P = 0.022). Furthermore, 1‐ and 2‐h glucose concentrations during mixed‐meal tolerance tests were significantly higher in the HPF group (P = 0.032 and 0.027, respectively) and β‐scores (a composite measure of islet function and metabolic control) were significantly greater in the LPF than HPF group (6.1 ± 1.7 vs 4.6 ± 2.0; P = 0.034).

Conclusions

Patients with HPF were more likely to be insulin dependent, with higher postprandial glucose excursion, suggesting that intrapancreatic fat may lead to β‐cell dysfunction with detrimental effects on diabetes outcomes after TPIAT.
Ramen restaurant clusters in Japan: Geographical variety, locational lore, and evolutionary characteristics
Authors: Reiffenstein Tim
Published: August 2017

Key Messages

This study identifies three types of agglomeration in the Japanese ramen restaurant industry.

These clusters are known through various spatial vernacular cues: maps, images, stories, and other lore that circulate in mainstream, esoteric, and fan social network communities.

Waseda University is a key local institution in shaping the reputation of Tokyo's most famous ramen cluster, centred on Takadanobaba Station.
In Praise of Sociology
Authors: Connell Raewyn
Published: August 2017

This reflection on the relevance of sociology starts with the different forms of social knowledge, and some autobiographical reflection on my engagement with the discipline. A research‐based social science is made urgent by the prevalence of distortion and pseudoscience in the public realm. However, the research‐based knowledge formation is embedded in a global economy of knowledge that centers on a privileged group of institutions and produces major imbalances on a world scale. Sociological data collection has important uses in policy and public discussion. But data need to be embedded in a larger project of understanding the world; this is what gives excitement to the work. Sociology has a potential future of marginality or triviality in the neoliberal economy and its university system. There are better trajectories into the future—but they have to be fought for.

Cette réflexion sur l'utilité de la sociologie commence avec les différentes formes de savoir social, ainsi que quelques réflexions biographiques sur mon engagement avec la discipline. Le besoin d'une science sociale orientée vers la recherche est devenue nécessaire suite à la prédominance de la distorsion et de la pseudoscience dans la sphère publique. Par contre, ce savoir centré sur la recherche est lié à une économie globale de la connaissance qui est proche d'un groupe privilégié d'institutions et produit des déséquilibres majeurs au niveau mondial. La collecte de données sociologiques a une grande utilité en politique et dans les discussions publiques. Mais ces données doivent être liées à un projet plus large de compréhension du monde ; c'est ce qui rend ce travail excitant. La sociologie risque la marginalisation ou la trivialité dans une économie néo‐libérale et son système universitaire. Il existe de meilleures trajectoires pour l'avenir — mais elles doivent être défendues.
Modeling phenotypes of malignant gliomas
Authors: Sampetrean Oltea , Saya Hideyuki
Published: August 2017

Malignant gliomas are primary tumors of the central nervous system characterized by diffuse infiltration into the brain and a high recurrence rate. Advances in comprehensive genomic studies have provided unprecedented insight into the genetic and molecular heterogeneity of these tumors and refined our understanding of their evolution from low to high grade. However, similar levels of phenotypic characterization are indispensable to understanding the complexity of malignant gliomas. Experimental glioma models have also achieved great progress in recent years. Advances in transgenic technologies and cell culture have allowed the establishment of mouse models that mirror the human disease with increasing fidelity and which support single‐cell resolution for phenotypic analyses. Here we review the major types of preclinical glioma models, with an emphasis on how recent developments in experimental modeling have shed new light on two fundamental aspects of glioma phenotype, their cell of origin and their invasive potential.
Relationship between ultrasound muscle thickness and MRI‐measured muscle cross‐sectional area in the forearm: a pilot study
Authors: Abe Takashi , Nakatani Miyuki , Loenneke Jeremy P.
Published: August 2017

Previous studies have investigated the relationship between ultrasound‐measured muscle thickness (MT) and individual muscle cross‐sectional area (CSA); however, the forearm muscle had not yet been studied. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between forearm MT by ultrasound and the muscle CSA of the forearm obtained by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Ten young and middle‐aged adults had both ultrasound and MRI measurements at 30% the distance from the styloid process of the ulna to the head of the radius. Handgrip strength (HGS) was also measured. Strong correlations (P<0·001) were observed between MRI‐measured muscle CSA (total and flexor and extensor components) and MT‐ulna (ranged r = 0·937–0·946) and MT‐radius (ranged r = 0·884–0·891). HGS was also correlated (P<0·001) with forearm MT (MT‐ulna, r = 0·877; MT‐radius, r = 0·852) and MRI‐measured muscle CSA (flexor CSA, r = 0·910; extensor CSA, r = 0·923). Our results suggest that forearm MT is closely associated with MRI‐measured forearm muscle CSA in young and middle‐aged adults and suggest that ultrasound‐measured forearm muscle thickness may be a useful variable for evaluating muscle CSA and function in the forearm.
Heart rate recovery improves after exercise in water when compared with on land
Authors: Boussuges Alain , Rossi Pascal , Poirette Laurent , Gavarry Olivier
Published: August 2017

Background

Water immersion has demonstrated its effectiveness in the recovery process after exercise. This study presents for the first time the impact of water immersion on heart rate recovery after low‐intensity cycle exercise.

Methods

Sixteen male volunteers were involved in the study. The experiment consisted of two cycling exercises: 1 h in ambient air and 1 h in water (temperature: 32 ± 0·2°C). The exercise intensity was individually prescribed to elicit around 35%–40% of VO2 peak for both conditions. Heart rate recovery was analysed according to recognized methods, such as the differences between heart rate at exercise completion and within the 2 min recovery period.

Results

Although the two exercises were performed both at same energy expenditure and heart rate, the indexes used to assess the fast and slow decay of the heart rate recovery were significantly shortened after exercise in water.

Conclusion

The results of the present study suggest that cycling in thermoneutral water decreases the cardiac work after exercise when compared with cycling on land.
Likelihood of pregnancy after embryo transfer is reduced in recipient mares with a short preceding oestrus
Authors: Cuervo‐Arango J. , Claes A. N. , Ruijter‐Villani M. , Stout T. A.
Published: August 2017

Background

Previous surveys reported a positive association between the length of the follicular phase and subsequent fertility in embryo transfer donor and Thoroughbred mares. However, it is unclear whether a longer oestrus positively influences fertilisation and oviductal development (oocyte quality, oviductal environment), or uterine receptivity and survival of the embryo in the uterus.

Objectives

To determine the effect of length of oestrus (characterised by duration of endometrial oedema) on likelihood of pregnancy and early embryo loss (EEL) in recipient mares after embryo transfer (ET).

Study design

Retrospective clinical study.

Methods

A total of 350 embryos recovered from 161 donor mares were transferred into 231 recipient mares during three consecutive breeding seasons. The following variables were analysed via two binary logistic regression models to determine their effect on pregnancy and EEL: 1) year of transfer, 2) season of transfer, 3) age of the recipient mare, 4) age of the donor mare, 5) operator performing the transfer, 6) singleton or twin embryo, 7) embryo size, 8) number of transfers to a given recipient in any one season, the use of 9) d‐cloprostenol and 10) hCG in the recipient mare, 11) day of ovulation of the recipient mare at ET, 12) number of corpora lutea (CLs) at ET, and 13) duration of oestrus in the recipient mare.

Results

Age of the donor mare (P = 0.01), operator (P = 0.008), number of CLs at ET (P = 0.05) and the number of days of endometrial oedema during the oestrus preceding ET to the recipient mare (P = 0.004) influenced the likelihood of pregnancy. Early embryonic loss was influenced only by the year of transfer (P = 0.014).

Main limitations

Retrospective design of the study. The involvement of several veterinary surgeons over the 3‐year period could have affected data recording.

Conclusions

The likelihood of pregnancy in recipient mares is positively correlated with the duration of endometrial oedema during the oestrus preceding ET. This suggests a role for an adequate duration of oestrogenic priming during oestrus on uterine receptivity and embryo survival.
Tracking day and night provides insights into the relative importance of different wader chick predators
Authors: Mason Lucy R. , Smart Jennifer , Drewitt Allan L.
Published: August 2017

Poor reproductive success driven by nest and chick predation severely limits the population recovery of waders breeding on lowland wet grassland. Managing predation requires knowledge of the predators and because these can be grouped into nocturnal or diurnal hunters, detecting the timing of predation can help assess their relative impacts. Wader nest studies investigating the timing of egg predation have identified nocturnal mammals, primarily Red Foxes Vulpes vulpes, as the most important nest predators, but quantifying predator importance for highly mobile wader chicks is more difficult. Manual radiotelemetry can detect whether chicks are alive but cannot detect the time of predation, and predator identity can be determined only in the few cases where remains are recovered. As an alternative we used automatic radio tracking stations (ARTS) to constantly record the signals and predation timing of 179 radiotagged Lapwing Vanellus vanellus chicks, combining this with manual telemetry, inference about predator identity from predated remains and site‐level Fox, mustelid and avian predator activity monitoring. This approach succeeded in detecting the time of predation for 60% of the 155 chicks that were predated. Diurnal chick predation accounted for a larger number of predation events, but nocturnal predation was more intensive in terms of predation likelihood per hour. Mammalian predation during both day and night had a larger impact on chick survival than did avian predation. Raptors were primarily responsible for predation by birds and Foxes for predation by mammals, with Foxes also having a larger influence on daily chick predation rates than other predators. Chick predation increased seasonally, implying that earlier‐hatching breeding attempts are more likely to be successful. Higher Fox, raptor and mustelid activity resulted in higher proportions of chicks being predated by those predators, so quantifying the activity of those three predator groups on a site could be a quicker alternative to studying chicks when investigating which predator species to target with site‐specific predation management.
Impact of test anxiety on pharmacy students’ performance in Objective Structured Clinical Examination: a cross-sectional survey
Authors: Hadi Muhammad A , Ali Majid , Haseeb Abdul , Mohamed Mahmoud M A , Elrggal Mahmoud E , Cheema Ejaz
Published: August 2017

Objective

To assess the association between test-related anxiety and pharmacy students’ performance in the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Year-5 Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students enrolled at a public university in Saudi Arabia. Students completed Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI), a 20-item validated questionnaire used to assess test-related anxiety, prior to the commencement of a summative OSCE. TAI has two subscales: TAI-Emotionality (TAI-E) and TAI-Worry (TAI-W). The overall maximum possible total score (TAI-T) is 80, with a minimum possible score of 20.

Key findings

All 25 students, 10 males and 15 females completed the survey. The overall mean scores for TAI-E, TAI-W and TAI-T were 20.2, 19.6 and 50.2, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between males and females with respect to the TAI-E score (P = 0.43), TAI-W score (P = 0.25) and TAI-T score (P = 0.34). Females had higher marks in the OSCE compared with males (P = 0.01), however. After adjusting for gender, multiple linear regression analysis showed a statistically significant negative association between TAI-W score and marks obtained in OSCE (P = 0.02; 95% CI = −0.42, −0.03).

Conclusion

Assessment-related worry may negatively affect students’ scores in performance-based examination and could lead to overall underperformance.
Sectoral diversification as insurance against economic instability
Authors: Kluge Jan
Published: August 2017

This paper examines the extent to which sectoral diversification can act as an insurance mechanism against fluctuations in regional gross value‐added growth rates. Portfolio theory is applied to the growth‐instability properties of German districts. Furthermore, a comprehensive diversification measure is defined. Stochastic Frontier Analysis is deployed in order to estimate whether diversification allows regions to achieve more efficient growth‐instability combinations. The results confirm that diversification does generate such effects. Spatial interactions do also play a role: The effects are less pronounced for regions whose economic performance is mainly driven by the surrounding regions.
The effect of vacant building demolitions on crime under depopulation
Authors: Stacy Christina Plerhoples
Published: August 2017

The costs of demolishing a vacant building are often justified on the grounds of crime reduction. I explore this claim by estimating the spatial and temporal effects of demolitions on reported crime in the city of Saginaw, Michigan. To do so, I estimate a model that uses within‐block group variation to compare crime after a demolition occurs to before the permit for that demolition was issued. Results indicate that demolitions reduce crime by about 8 percent on the block group in question and 5 percent on nearby block groups, with the largest impact concentrated one to two months after the demolition occurs.
Dactylodinium pterobelotum gen. et sp. nov., a new marine woloszynskioid dinoflagellate positioned between the two families Borghiellaceae and Suessiaceae
Authors: Takahashi Kazuya , Moestrup Øjvind , Wada Minoru , Ishimatsu Atsushi , Nguyen Van Nguyen , Fukuyo Yasuwo , Iwataki Mitsunori
Published: August 2017

A new marine woloszynskioid dinoflagellate Dactylodinium pterobelotum gen. et sp. nov., collected from a southern Vietnamese estuary, was described on the basis of LM, SEM, and TEM, and molecular phylogeny inferred from rDNA sequences. This species had the smallest number of amphiesmal vesicles (5 latitudinal series) in woloszynskioid dinoflagellates assigned to the Suessiaceae and Borghiellaceae. The eyespot was of type B, composed of osmiophilic globules and brick‐like material, located in‐ and outside of the chloroplast respectively. An apical structure comprised a pair of elongate anterior vesicles (PEV). A large peduncle was conspicuous, located in the sulcal extension in the epicone, and supported by a microtubular strand of ~140 microtubules. Ultrastructural features of trichocysts represent a novel type in the Dinophyceae, bearing lateral hairs besides anterior fibers. The molecular phylogeny based on partial LSU rDNA showed the species in a basal position in the family Suessiaceae; this indicates the eyespot type B and PEV of the Borghiellaceae are ancestral states of the eyespot comprising brick‐like material (type E) and an elongate apical vesicle of the Suessiaceae.
On the market viability under proportional transaction costs
Authors: Bayraktar Erhan , Yu Xiang
Published: August 2017

This paper studies the market viability with proportional transaction costs. Instead of requiring the existence of strictly consistent price systems as in the literature, we show that strictly consistent local martingale systems (SCLMS) can successfully serve as the dual elements such that the market viability can be verified. We introduce two weaker notions of no arbitrage conditions on market models named no unbounded profit with bounded risk (NUPBR) and no local arbitrage with bounded portfolios (NLABPs). In particular, we show that the NUPBR and NLABP conditions in the robust sense are equivalent to the existence of SCLMS for general market models. We also discuss the implications for the utility maximization problem.
New molecular insights into an archaeal RNase J reveal a conserved processive exoribonucleolysis mechanism of the RNase J family
Authors: Zheng Xin , Feng Na , Li Defeng , Dong Xiuzhu , Li Jie
Published: August 2017

RNase J, a prokaryotic 5′‐3′ exo/endoribonuclease, contributes to mRNA decay, rRNA maturation and post‐transcriptional regulation. Yet the processive‐exoribonucleolysis mechanism remains obscure. Here, we solved the first RNA‐free and RNA‐bound structures of an archaeal RNase J, and through intensive biochemical studies provided detailed mechanistic insights into the catalysis and processivity. Distinct dimerization/tetramerization patterns were observed for archaeal and bacterial RNase Js, and unique archaeal Loops I and II were found involved in RNA interaction. A hydrogen‐bond‐network was identified for the first time that assists catalysis by facilitating efficient proton transfer in the catalytic center. A conserved 5′‐monophosphate‐binding pocket that coordinates the RNA 5′‐end ensures the 5′‐monophosphate preferential exoribonucleolysis. To achieve exoribonucleolytic processivity, the 5′‐monophosphate‐binding pocket and nucleotide +4 binding site anchor RNA within the catalytic track; the 5′‐capping residue Leu37 of the sandwich pocket coupled with the 5′‐monophosphate‐binding pocket are dedicated to translocating and controlling the RNA orientation for each exoribonucleolytic cycle. The processive‐exoribonucleolysis mechanism was verified as conserved in bacterial RNase J and also exposes striking parallels with the non‐homologous eukaryotic 5′‐3′ exoribonuclease, Xrn1. The findings in this work shed light on not only the molecular mechanism of the RNase J family, but also the evolutionary convergence of divergent exoribonucleases.
Legal Arguments from Scholarly Authority
Authors: Shecaira Fábio Perin
Published: August 2017

Ordinary arguments from authority have the following structure: A says p; A is authoritative on such things; so p. Legal actors use such arguments whenever they ground their decisions on the sheer “say‐so” of legislators, judges, scholars, expert witnesses, and so on. This paper focuses on arguments appealing to the authority of scholars, “doctrinal” or “dogmatic” legal scholars in particular. Appeal to doctrinal authority is a puzzling feature of legal argumentation. In what sense are doctrinal scholars “authorities”? Is p, as advanced by a scholar, descriptive or prescriptive? Is scholarly authority grounded on expertise or something different? The paper addresses these questions.
Constructing Sociodemographic Indicators for National Statistical Institutes by Using Mobile Phone Data: Estimating Literacy Rates in Senegal
Authors: Schmid Timo , Bruckschen Fabian , Salvati Nicola , Zbiranski Till
Published: August 2017

Modern systems of official statistics require the accurate and timely estimation of sociodemographic indicators for disaggregated geographical regions. Traditional data collection methods such as censuses or household surveys impose great financial and organizational burdens on national statistical institutes. The rise of new information and communication technologies offers promising sources to mitigate these shortcomings. We propose a unified approach for national statistical institutes in developing countries based on small area estimation that allows for the estimation of sociodemographic indicators by using mobile phone data. In particular, the methodology is applied to mobile phone data from Senegal for deriving subnational estimates of the share of illiterates disaggregated by gender. The estimates are used to identify hotspots of illiterates with a need for additional infrastructure or policy adjustments. Although we focus on literacy as a particular sociodemographic indicator, the approach proposed is applicable to indicators from national statistics in general.
A variant of HLA‐DRB1*11, HLA‐DRB1*11:143, discovered in a Chinese hematopoietic stem cell donor
Authors: Li X.‐F. , Li G.‐J. , Zhang X. , Fan H. , Li J.‐P.
Published: August 2017

HLA‐DRB1*11:143 has one nucleotide change from HLA‐DRB1*11:01:01 where Aspartic Acid (70) is changed to Glycine.
Mitophagy in maintaining skeletal muscle mitochondrial proteostasis and metabolic health with ageing
Authors: Drake Joshua C. , Yan Zhen
Published: August 2017

Skeletal muscle is important for overall functionality and health. Ageing is associated with an accumulation of damage to mitochondrial DNA and proteins. In particular, damage to mitochondrial proteins in skeletal muscle, which is a loss of mitochondrial proteostasis, contributes to tissue dysfunction and negatively impacts systemic health. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms underlying the regulation of mitochondrial proteostasis and how those mechanisms change with age is important for the development of interventions to promote healthy ageing. Herein, we examine how impairment in the selective degradation of damaged/dysfunctional mitochondria through mitophagy may play a central role in the loss of mitochondrial proteostasis in skeletal muscle ageing, as well as its broader implications for systemic health. Further, we explore how stimulating mitophagy through exercise may promote healthy ageing.

image
Synaptic excitation by climbing fibre collaterals in the cerebellar nuclei of juvenile and adult mice
Authors: Najac Marion , Raman Indira M.
Published: August 2017

Key points

The inferior olive sends instructive motor signals to the cerebellum via the climbing fibre projection, which sends collaterals directly to large premotor neurons of the mouse cerebellar nuclei (CbN cells).

Optogenetic activation of inferior olivary axons in vitro evokes EPSCs in CbN cells of several hundred pA to more than 1 nA.

The inputs are three‐fold larger at younger ages, 12 to 14 days old, than at 2 months old, suggesting a strong functional role for this pathway earlier in development.

The EPSCs are multipeaked, owing to burst firing in several olivary afferents that fire asynchronously.

The convergence of climbing fibre collaterals onto CbN cells decreases from ∼40 to ∼8, which is consistent with the formation of closed‐loop circuits in which each CbN neuron receives input from 4–7 collaterals from inferior olivary neurons as well as from all 30–50 Purkinje cells that are innervated by those olivary neurons.

The inferior olive conveys instructive signals to the cerebellum that drive sensorimotor learning. Inferior olivary neurons transmit their signals via climbing fibres, which powerfully excite Purkinje cells, evoking complex spikes and depressing parallel fibre synapses. Additionally, however, these climbing fibres send collaterals to the cerebellar nuclei (CbN). In vivo and in vitro data suggest that climbing fibre collateral excitation is weak in adult mice, raising the question of whether the primary role of this pathway may be developmental. We therefore examined climbing fibre collateral input to large premotor CbN cells over development by virally expressing channelrhodopsin in the inferior olive. In acute cerebellar slices from postnatal day (P)12–14 mice, light‐evoked EPSCs were large (> 1 nA at −70 mV). The amplitude of these EPSCs decreased over development, reaching a plateau of ∼350 pA at P20–60. Trains of EPSCs (5 Hz) depressed strongly throughout development, whereas convergence estimates indicated that the total number of functional afferents decreased with age. EPSC waveforms consisted of multiple peaks, probably resulting from action potential bursts in single collaterals and variable times to spike threshold in converging afferents. Activating climbing fibre collaterals evoked well‐timed increases in firing probability in CbN neurons, especially in younger mice. The initially strong input, followed by the decrement in synaptic strength coinciding with the pruning of climbing fibres in the cerebellar cortex, implicates the climbing fibre collateral pathway in early postnatal development. Additionally, the persistence of substantial synaptic input at least to P60 suggests that this pathway may function in cerebellar processing into adulthood.
Impact of fast transient charging and ambient on mobility of WS2 field-effect transistor
Authors: Park Junghak , Woo Hyunsuk , Jeon Sanghun
Published: August 2017

The authors present the impact of fast charging and the ambient on the intrinsic mobility of a WS2 field-effect transistor (FET) by fast pulsed current–voltage (I–V) measurement. Conventional electrical analysis using the direct current (DC) I–V method in air causes charge trapping during measurement, making it impossible to determine the intrinsic device characteristics. Thus, the authors employed the fast pulsed I–V method in vacuum to minimize fast transient charging and interfacial redox-induced charging during measurement. The authors obtained field-effect mobility values of 16.27 and 14.92 cm2/V s in vacuum and air, respectively, using the fast I–V technique; these mobility values were 52%–65% higher than those obtained by the DC method in vacuum and air, respectively. The authors also determined the intrinsic mobility of the WS2 FET using the threshold voltage shift with pulse amplitude.
Acoustic correlates for perceived effort levels in male and female acted voices
Authors: Pietrowicz Mary , Hasegawa-Johnson Mark , Karahalios Karrie G.
Published: August 2017

The best actors, particularly classic Shakespearian actors, are experts at vocal expression. With prosodic inflection, change of voice quality, and non-textual utterances, they communicate emotion, emphasize ideas, create drama, and form a complementary language which works with the text to tell the story in the script. To begin to study selected elements of vocal expression in acted speech, corpora were curated from male actors' Hamlet and female actresses' Lady Macbeth soliloquy performances. L1 speakers of American English on Mechanical Turk listened to excerpts from the corpora, and provided descriptions of the speaker's vocal expression. In this exploratory, open-ended, mixed-methods study, approximately 60% of all responses described emotion, and the remainder of responses split evenly between voice quality (including effort levels) and prosody. Also, significant differences were found in the kind and quantity of descriptors applied to male and female speech. Perception-grounded male and female acoustic feature sets which tracked the actors' expressive effort levels through the continuum of whispered, breathy, modal, and resonant speech are presented and validated via multiple models. The best results in applying these features to simple, un-optimized, four-way decision tree classifiers yielded 76% accuracy for male and 73% accuracy for female expressive, acted speech.
Comment on “How will induced seismicity in Oklahoma respond to decreased saltwater injection rates?” by C. Langenbruch and M. D. Zoback
Authors: Goebel Thomas H. W. , Walter Jacob I. , Murray Kyle , Brodsky Emily E.
Published: August 2017

Estimates of seismic response to injection rate reduction in Oklahoma are model-dependent and remain uncertain in 2017 and beyond.
Effect of Vaccine-Elicited Antibodies on Colonization of Neisseria meningitidis Serogroup B and C Strains in a Human Bronchial Epithelial Cell Culture Model
Authors: Vianzon Vianca , Illek Beate , Moe Gregory R.
Published: August 2017

Capsular polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines protect individuals from invasive disease and decrease carriage, which reduces spread of the organism in the population. In contrast, antibodies elicited by plain polysaccharide or protein antigen-based meningococcal (Men) vaccines have little or no effect on decreasing carriage. In this study, we investigated the mechanism by which vaccine-induced human immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies affect colonization by meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) or C (MenC) strains using a human bronchial epithelial cell culture model (16HBE14o-). Fluorescence microscopy showed that bacteria colonizing the apical side of 16HBE14o- monolayers had decreased capsular polysaccharide on the bacterial surface that resulted from shedding the capsule and not decreased production of polysaccharide. Capsular polysaccharide shedding depended on the presence of 16HBE14o- cells and bacteria but not direct adherence of the bacteria to the cells. Treatment of bacteria and cells with postimmunization MenC-conjugate IgG or murine anti-MenB polysaccharide monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) inhibited capsule shedding, microcolony dispersal, and invasion of the 16HBE14o- cell monolayer. In contrast, the IgG responses elicited by immunization with MenC polysaccharide (PS), MenB outer membrane vesicle (OMV)-based, or factor H binding protein (FHbp)-based vaccines were not different than preimmune IgG or no-treatment response. The results provide new insights on the mechanism by which high-avidity anticapsular antibodies elicited by polysaccharide-conjugate vaccines affect meningococcal colonization. The data also suggest that any effect on colonization by IgG elicited by OMV- or FHbp-based vaccines may involve a different mechanism.
Evaluation of Copan FecalSwab as Specimen Type for Use in Xpert C. difficile Assay
Authors: Mashock Michael J. , Faron Matthew L. , Buchan Blake W. , Ledeboer Nathan A.
Published: August 2017

Liquid-based microbiology (LBM) devices incorporating flocked swabs and preservation medium ease transport of specimens and improve specimen yield compared to traditional fiber wound swabs; however, the performance of LBM collection devices has not been evaluated in many molecular assays. It is unclear how the differences in matrix and specimen loading with an LBM device will affect test performance compared to traditional collection devices. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of specimens collected in FecalSwab transport medium (Copan Diagnostics, Murrieta, CA) compared to unpreserved stool using the Cepheid Xpert
C. difficile
assay (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA). Results equivalent to unpreserved stool samples were obtained when 400 μl of FecalSwab-preserved stool was employed in the Xpert assay. The positive and negative percent agreement of specimens inoculated with FecalSwab medium (
n
= 281) was 97.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 90.9 to 96.4%) and 99.4% (95% CI, 96.4 to 99.9%), respectively, compared to reference results obtained using unpreserved stool. Throughout this study, only four discrepant results occurred when comparing preserved specimens to unpreserved stool specimens in the Xpert
C. difficile
PCR assay. Post discrepant analysis, using the BD MAX Cdiff assay, the specificity and sensitivity both increased to 100%. The high positive and negative percent agreements observed in this study suggest that stool preserved in FecalSwab media yields equivalent results to using unpreserved stool when tested on the Xpert
C. difficile
assay, allowing laboratories to adopt this liquid-based microbiology collection device.
French Prospective Clinical Evaluation of the Aptima Mycoplasma genitalium CE-IVD Assay and Macrolide Resistance Detection Using Three Distinct Assays
Authors: Le Roy Chloé , Pereyre Sabine , Hénin Nadège , Bébéar Cécile
Published: August 2017

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical performance of the Aptima
Mycoplasma genitalium
transcription-mediated amplification (MG-TMA) CE-marked for
in vitro
diagnosis (CE-IVD) assay for the detection of
Mycoplasma genitalium
in male and female clinical samples in comparison with the in-house real-time PCR (in-house PCR) assay routinely used in our laboratory. A total of 1,431 clinical specimens obtained from 1,235 patients were prospectively collected at the Bacteriology Department of Bordeaux University Hospital (France). Additional research-use-only Aptima
M. genitalium
transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) assays, Alt1-TMA and Alt2-TMA, were performed on discordant specimens to determine
M. genitalium
infection status. All confirmed
M. genitalium
-positive specimens were tested for macrolide resistance using three assays: the in-house 23S rRNA FRET PCR assay, the SpeeDx ResistancePlus MG assay and the nested reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) sequencing assay. The comparison of the MG-TMA assay with the in-house PCR results showed a moderate correlation (kappa value, 0.69). The MG-TMA assay had higher clinical sensitivity compared to that of the in-house PCR assay (100% versus 59.74%, respectively) and similar specificity (99.10% versus 100%, respectively) for
M. genitalium
detection. In this study, the prevalence of
M. genitalium
infection was 5.90% (72/1,220 patients). The nested RT-PCR sequencing assay was the most sensitive but the most laborious assay for detecting macrolide-resistance-associated mutations. The prevalence of resistance was 8.33% (6/72). To our knowledge, this is the first clinical evaluation of the MG-TMA CE-IVD assay. The MG-TMA assay performed on the automated Panther system is a very sensitive and specific method for the detection of
M. genitalium
in clinical specimens.
Neutralization Assay for Zika and Dengue Viruses by Use of Real-Time-PCR-Based Endpoint Assessment
Authors: Wilson Heather L. , Tran Thomas , Druce Julian , Dupont-Rouzeyrol Myrielle , Catton Michael
Published: August 2017

The global spread and infective complications of Zika virus (ZKV) and dengue virus (DENV) have made them flaviviruses of public health concern. Serological diagnosis can be challenging due to antibody cross-reactivity, particularly in secondary flavivirus infections or when there is a history of flavivirus vaccination. The virus neutralization assay is considered to be the most specific assay for measurement of anti-flavivirus antibodies. This study describes an assay where the neutralization endpoint is measured by real-time PCR, providing results within 72 h. It demonstrated 100% sensitivity (24/24 ZKV and 15/15 DENV) and 100% specificity (11/11 specimens) when testing well-characterized sera. In addition, the assay was able to determine the correct DENV serotype in 91.7% of cases. The high sensitivity and specificity of the real-time PCR neutralization assay makes it suitable to use as a confirmatory test for sera that are reactive in commercial IgM/IgG enzyme immunoassays. Results are objective and the PCR-based measurement of the neutralization endpoint lends itself to automation so that throughput may be increased in times of high demand.
Tumor Suppressor p53 Stimulates the Expression of Epstein-Barr Virus Latent Membrane Protein 1
Authors: Wang Qianli , Lingel Amy , Geiser Vicki , Kwapnoski Zachary , Zhang Luwen
Published: August 2017

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with multiple human malignancies. EBV latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) is required for the efficient transformation of primary B lymphocytes
in vitro
and possibly
in vivo
. The tumor suppressor p53 plays a seminal role in cancer development. In some EBV-associated cancers, p53 tends to be wild type and overly expressed; however, the effects of p53 on LMP1 expression is not clear. We find LMP1 expression to be associated with p53 expression in EBV-transformed cells under physiological and DNA damaging conditions. DNA damage stimulates LMP1 expression, and p53 is required for the stimulation. Ectopic p53 stimulates endogenous LMP1 expression. Moreover, endogenous LMP1 blocks DNA damage-mediated apoptosis. Regarding the mechanism of p53-mediated LMP1 expression, we find that interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5), a direct target of p53, is associated with both p53 and LMP1. IRF5 binds to and activates a LMP1 promoter reporter construct. Ectopic IRF5 increases the expression of LMP1, while knockdown of IRF5 leads to reduction of LMP1. Furthermore, LMP1 blocks IRF5-mediated apoptosis in EBV-infected cells. All of the data suggest that cellular p53 stimulates viral LMP1 expression, and IRF5 may be one of the factors for p53-mediated LMP1 stimulation. LMP1 may subsequently block DNA damage- and IRF5-mediated apoptosis for the benefits of EBV. The mutual regulation between p53 and LMP1 may play an important role in EBV infection and latency and its related cancers.

IMPORTANCE
The tumor suppressor p53 is a critical cellular protein in response to various stresses and dictates cells for various responses, including apoptosis. This work suggests that an Epstein-Bar virus (EBV) principal viral oncogene is activated by cellular p53. The viral oncogene blocks p53-mediated adverse effects during viral infection and transformation. Therefore, the induction of the viral oncogene by p53 provides a means for the virus to cope with infection and DNA damage-mediated cellular stresses. This seems to be the first report that p53 activates a viral oncogene; therefore, the discovery would be interesting to a broad readership from the fields of oncology to virology.
Development of Virus-Like-Particle Vaccine and Reporter Assay for Zika Virus
Authors: Garg Himanshu , Sedano Melina , Plata Gabrielle , Punke Erin B. , Joshi Anjali
Published: August 2017

Recent worldwide outbreaks of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection and the lack of an approved vaccine raise serious concerns regarding preparedness to combat this emerging virus. We used a virus-like particle (VLP)-based approach to develop a vaccine and a microneutralization assay for ZIKV. A synthetic capsid-premembrane-envelope (C-prM-E) gene construct of ZIKV was used to generate reporter virus particles (RVPs) that package a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter-expressing West Nile virus (WNV) replicon. The assay was adapted to a 96-well format, similar to the plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT), and showed high reproducibility with specific detection of ZIKV neutralizing antibodies. Furthermore, C-prM-E and prM-E VLPs were tested as vaccine candidates in mice and compared to DNA vaccination. While the ZIKV prM-E construct alone was sufficient for generating VLPs, efficient VLP production from the C-prM-E construct could be achieved in the presence of the WNV NS2B-3 protease, which cleaves C from prM, allowing virus release. Immunization studies in mice showed that VLPs generated higher neutralizing antibody titers than those with the DNA vaccines, with C-prM-E VLPs giving slightly higher titers than those with prM-E VLPs. The superiority of C-prM-E VLPs suggests that inclusion of capsid may have benefits for ZIKV and other flaviviral VLP vaccines. To facilitate the VLP platform, we generated a stable cell line expressing high levels of ZIKV prM-E proteins that constitutively produce VLPs as well as a cell line expressing ZIKV C-prM-E proteins for RVP production. While several vaccine platforms have been proposed for ZIKV, this study describes a safe, effective, and economical VLP-based vaccine against ZIKV.

IMPORTANCE
To address the growing Zika virus epidemic, we undertook this study with two objectives: first, to develop a safe, effective, and economical vaccine for ZIKV, and second, to develop a rapid and versatile assay to detect the anti-ZIKV immune response. We generated a cell line stably expressing ZIKV prM-E that produces large amounts of VLPs in the supernatant and a ZIKV C-prM-E cell line that produces reporter virus particles upon transfection with a GFP replicon plasmid. The prM-E VLPs induced a strong neutralizing antibody response in mice that was better when the capsid was included. VLP-based vaccines showed significantly better neutralizing antibody responses than those with their DNA counterparts. The RVP-based microneutralization assay worked similarly to the PRNT assay, with a rapid GFP readout in a 96-well format. Our VLP-based platform provides a source for a ZIKV vaccine and diagnosis that can rapidly be adapted to current outbreaks.