bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Selective chemiluminescence method for the determination of trinitrotoluene based on molecularly imprinted polymer-capped ZnO quantum dots
Authors: Hassanzadeh Javad , Khataee Alireza , Mosaei Oskoei Yones , Fattahi Hassan , Bagheri Nafiseh
Published: August 2017

A novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) based chemiluminescence (CL) assay is described for the determination of TNT in environmental samples.
Facile fabrication of mesoporous silica micro-jets with multi-functionalities
Authors: Vilela D. , Hortelao A. C. , Balderas-Xicohténcatl R. , Hirscher M. , Hahn K. , Ma X. , Sánchez S.
Published: August 2017

Facile strategy for the fabrication of mesoporous silica micro-jets (MSMJs) as novel structure of tubular micromotors which can serve as a common platform able to carry out different tasks via surface functionalities.
Synthesis and evaluation of selenium-containing indole chalcone and diarylketone derivatives as tubulin polymerization inhibition agents
Authors: Zhang Shun , An Baijiao , Li Jiayan , Hu Jinhui , Huang Ling , Li Xingshu , Chan Albert S. C.
Published: August 2017

Sixteen new selenium-containing indole chalcone and diarylketone derivatives were synthesized and evaluated as tubulin polymerization inhibitors. Compound 25b exhibited the most potent antiproliferative activities and effectively inhibited tubulin polymerization (IC50 = 2.1 ± 0.27 μM).
A class of diatomic 2-D soft granular crystals undergoing pattern transformations
Authors: Rudra Bodhi , Jiang Yunyao , Li Yaning , Shim Jongmin
Published: August 2017

We propose pattern-transformable 2-D soft granular crystals by adopting compact packing configurations.
Semantic and Phonological Encoding in Adults Who Stutter: Silent Responses to Pictorial Stimuli
Authors: Vincent Irena
Published: August 2017

Purpose

Research on language planning in adult stuttering is relatively sparse and offers diverging arguments about a potential causative relationship between semantic and phonological encoding and fluency breakdowns. This study further investigated semantic and phonological encoding efficiency in adults who stutter (AWS) by means of silent category and phoneme identification, respectively.

Method

Fifteen AWS and 15 age- and sex-matched adults who do not stutter (ANS) participated. The groups were compared on the basis of the accuracy and speed of superordinate category (animal vs. object) and initial phoneme (vowel vs. consonant) decisions, which were indicated manually during silent viewing of pictorial stimuli. Movement execution latency was accounted for, and no other cognitive, linguistic, or motor demands were posed on participants' responses. Therefore, category identification accuracy and speed were considered indirect measures of semantic encoding efficiency and phoneme identification accuracy and speed of phonological encoding efficiency.

Results

For category decisions, AWS were slower but not less accurate than ANS, with objects eliciting more errors and slower responses than animals in both groups. For phoneme decisions, the groups did not differ in accuracy, with consonant errors outnumbering vowel errors in both groups, and AWS were slower than ANS in consonant but not vowel identification, with consonant response time lagging behind vowel response time in AWS only.

Conclusions

AWS were less efficient than ANS in semantic encoding, and they might harbor a consonant-specific phonological encoding weakness. Future independent studies are warranted to discover if these positive findings are replicable and a marker for persistent stuttering.
Design of a filtering power divider with microstrip‐to‐slotline transition structures
Authors: Xu Haiyan , Wang Jianpeng , Chen Zhiping , Zhang Na , Zheng Yaping
Published: August 2017

A filtering power divider (FPD) with high selectivity is presented. Initially, by elaborately introducing two different types of microstrip‐to‐slotline transition structures and a pair of dual‐mode stub‐loaded resonators, dual‐mode bandpass response is attained in this design. Afterwards, the resistor R is utilised to achieve high in‐band isolation between two output ports of the FPD. Moreover, four transmission zeros are generated outside the passband for high selectivity performance. To validate the feasibility of the new approach, a prototype FPD operating at 3.62 GHz (f0) is designed, fabricated and measured. Both simulated and measured results are provided in good agreement indicating that the proposed FPD exhibits a better than 20 dB isolation inside the passband and extended upper stopband up to 10 GHz.
Efficacy and economic impact evaluation of a navigation system for assisted lung biopsy
Authors: Giannatiempo Sara , Carpino Giorgio , Petitti Tommasangelo , Zobel Bruno B. , Grasso Rosario F. , Guglielmelli Eugenio
Published: August 2017

This Letter reports on the testing and assessment of an optical computed tomography‐navigation system for percutaneous lung interventional, SIRIO, showing how the lesion diameter affects the bioptic procedure. Clinical data, relating to 501 patients, were collected at the Department of Interventional Radiology of Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio‐Medico. This Letter shows that the diameter of lesion affects only the procedure duration (50.91 ± 18.87 min for lesions of diameter ≤20 mm and 44.98 ± 19.43 min for lesions of diameter >20 and ≤40 mm). For the nodules with a diameter ≤20 mm, there is a significant increase in the duration of the procedure (for each mm less the time increases by 6 s). Other parameters like the mean effective radiation dose and the presence of a diagnostic or non‐diagnostic specimen do not depend, instead, on the lesion size. The economic analysis based on the biopsy procedure with SIRIO shows the necessity to adopt a new reimbursement system for percutaneous biopsy performed using navigation systems to stimulate their use to get important non‐economic gains such as early diagnosis, reduction of the absorbed dose of X‐rays and increasing number of lung cancers in a curable early stage.
Multi‐objective hybrid estimation of distribution algorithm‐interior point method‐based meter placement for active distribution state estimation
Authors: Prasad Sachidananda , Dulla Mallesham Vinod Kumar
Published: August 2017

This study proposes a new multi‐objective hybrid estimation of distribution algorithm (EDA)‐interior point method (IPM) algorithm to obtain the optimal location of measuring devices for state estimation (SE) in active distribution networks. The objective functions to be minimised are, the total network configuration cost, the average relative percentage error of bus voltage magnitude and angle estimates. As the objectives are conflicting in nature, a multi‐objective Pareto‐based non‐dominated sorting EDA has been proposed in this study. Moreover, due to poor exploitation capability of the EDA, it is hybridised with IPM to improve its local searching ability in the search space. The hybridisation of EDA and IPM brings a higher degree of balance between the exploration and exploitation capability of the algorithm during the search process. Furthermore, the loads and generators are treated as stochastic variable and the impact of different type of distributed generations on SE performance has also been investigated. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm is tested on PG&E 69‐bus system and Indian 85‐bus radial distribution network. The obtained results are compared with conventional EDA, particle swarm optimisation, non‐dominated sorting genetic algorithm and also with existing techniques in the literature such as dynamic programming and ordinal optimisation algorithm.
Photometric redshift estimation via deep learning
Authors: D’Isanto A. , Polsterer K. L.
Published: August 2017

Context. The need to analyze the available large synoptic multi-band surveys drives the development of new data-analysis methods. Photometric redshift estimation is one field of application where such new methods improved the results, substantially. Up to now, the vast majority of applied redshift estimation methods have utilized photometric features.

Aims. We aim to develop a method to derive probabilistic photometric redshift directly from multi-band imaging data, rendering pre-classification of objects and feature extraction obsolete.

Methods. A modified version of a deep convolutional network was combined with a mixture density network. The estimates are expressed as Gaussian mixture models representing the probability density functions (PDFs) in the redshift space. In addition to the traditional scores, the continuous ranked probability score (CRPS) and the probability integral transform (PIT) were applied as performance criteria. We have adopted a feature based random forest and a plain mixture density network to compare performances on experiments with data from SDSS (DR9).

Results. We show that the proposed method is able to predict redshift PDFs independently from the type of source, for example galaxies, quasars or stars. Thereby the prediction performance is better than both presented reference methods and is comparable to results from the literature.

Conclusions. The presented method is extremely general and allows us to solve of any kind of probabilistic regression problems based on imaging data, for example estimating metallicity or star formation rate of galaxies. This kind of methodology is tremendously important for the next generation of surveys.
Copper-Catalyzed Asymmetric 1,2-Addition of Grignard Reagents to 3-Acyl 2H-chromenes
Authors: Minnaard Adriaan , Calvo Beatriz
Published: August 2017

Enones in which the carbon–carbon double bond is part of the pharmacologically important 2H-chromene (2H-1-benzopyran) nucleus undergo asymmetric copper-catalyzed 1,2-addition of Grignard reagents. High yields and enantiomeric excesses up to 84% are obtained and access to these novel enantio-enriched tertiary alcohols is provided.
Synthesis of Cyanamides from Cyanogen Bromide under Mild
Conditions through N-Cyanation of Allylic Tertiary Amines
Authors: Sun Chenghui , Liang Honggang , Bao Lingxiang , Du Yao , Zhang Yiying , Pang Siping
Published: August 2017

Cyanamides were selectively formed through a one-step nucleophilic substitution reaction of allylic tertiary amines with cyanogen bromide. Because of the mild reaction conditions and good yields of the reaction, as well as the commercial availability of the starting materials, this new method represents a valuable tool for the synthesis of cyan­amides through an N-deallylation reaction and an N-cyanation reaction in one pot.
Synthetic Studies Towards the Synthesis of 6-Substituted 3-Fluoro-5,6-dihydropyran-2-ones
Authors: Mandal Samir , Sarkar Apurba , Chakraborty Puskin , Chattopadhyay Ashoke
Published: August 2017

The synthesis of 6-substituted 3-fluoro-5,6-dihydropyran-2-ones under mild conditions is described. The key step of the synthesis involves a Julia–Kocienski olefination.
Excitation and emission mechanisms of Er:GaN gain medium in 1.5 μm region
Authors: Sun Z. Y. , Tung L. C. , Zhao W. P. , Li J. , Lin J. Y. , Jiang H. X.
Published: August 2017

Er doped GaN (Er:GaN) is a very promising gain medium for realizing high energy lasers (HELs) operating in the relatively eyesafe 1.5 μm spectral region due to its high thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion coefficient, low temperature coefficient of the refractive index, and high atmospheric transmittance. We report the results of optical absorption and resonantly excited photoluminescence emission spectroscopy studies performed on Er:GaN freestanding quasi-bulk crystals grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy. Fine features resulting from the transitions between Stark sublevels in the 4I13/2 first excited state and 4I15/2 ground state manifolds enabled the construction of energy level diagrams pertaining to the excitation and emission mechanisms of Er:GaN eyesafe HELs. Our results suggest that the most appropriate pump lines in Er:GaN are 1514 nm and 1539 nm, whereas the lasing emission lines are most likely to occur at 1569 nm and 1581 nm, conforming to the requirements of an extremely small quantum defect lasing system. In contrast to the more established HEL gain medium of Er:YAG, the well-known absorption (or pump) line near 1470 nm is absent in Er:GaN. Er:GaN HELs are expected to outperform those based on Er:YAG in terms of average power, power density, and beam quality.
Switching time of electrical tuning of permeability in strain-mediated multiferroic heterostructures
Authors: Phuoc Nguyen N. , Ong C. K.
Published: August 2017

The switching time of the electrically tunable permeability of the NiFeTa/[Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3]0.68-[PbTiO3]0.32 multiferroic material was characterized by using a Vector Network Analyzer and a pulse generator. The measured switching time for the permeability to be electrically tuned from the initial value to the final value upon the change of the applied electrical field is 0.15 s, which is independent of the magnitude of the electrical field and the measured frequency. The result is verified by the measurement of the time response permeability under a series of pulses with different pulse widths. It was found that for the cases of the pulse width smaller than the switching time, the rise time of the permeability response pulse is the same as the pulse width and the pulse height of the response permeability is linearly dependent on the pulse width. It is suggested that the temporal relaxation process of the interface arising from the strain transfer delay time between the film and the substrate plays a dominant role in the contribution of the total switching time of the material.
Structure and photoluminescence study of silicon based two-dimensional Si2Te3 nanostructures
Authors: Wu Keyue , Sun Weiwei , Jiang Yan , Chen Jiyang , Li Li , Cao Chunbin , Shi Shiwei , Shen Xiao , Cui Jingbiao
Published: August 2017

As an emerging silicon-based two-dimensional (2D) material, vertical and horizontal Si2Te3 nanoplates on various substrates have been deposited by chemical vapor deposition. Structure, composition, and optical properties of these nanostructures are investigated by electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron emission, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and temperature dependent photoluminescence. Band gap emissions of Si2Te3 nanoplates containing four noticeable emission peaks, i.e., free exciton, acceptor-bound exciton (A0X), and phonon replicas of A0X, are observed at temperatures below 90 K. The temperature dependent emission intensity of A0X indicates there are two quenching channels, which are associated with thermal quenching and thermal dissociations of A0X to free excitons. Two defect emissions are observed at measurement temperatures from 10 to 300 K, and their peak energies decrease by following the band gap change at low temperature range but increase at high temperature range as the temperature is increased. This abnormal temperature dependent behavior is explained by a combination of band gap shrinkage and thermally induced localization effects of defects at high temperature. This study helps to understand the electronic and optical properties of the unique 2D Si2Te3 nanostructures for potential applications.
H2O adsorption on amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O thin-film transistors under negative bias stress
Authors: Yang Jianwen , Liao Po-Yung , Chang Ting-Chang , Chiang Hsiao-Cheng , Chen Bo-Wei , Chien Yu-Chieh , Lin Dong , Ren Jinhua , Fu Ruofan , Qu Mingyue , Pi Shubin , Han Yanbing , Kang Haoqing , Zhang Qun
Published: August 2017

Amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O thin-film transistors on flexible substrates were prepared to investigate H2O adsorption under negative bias stress (NBS). Shorter channel lengths induce a more seriously deteriorated NBS stability due to the stronger electric field near the source or drain electrode. With increasing channel width, the NBS instability increases to a peak and then slightly decreases. Integrated Systems Engineering Technology Computer-aided Design (ISE-TCAD) simulation confirms that the electric field near the source/drain in the etch-stop layer is relatively dense, especially near the channel edges. The electric field direction is also confirmed to have significant effects on the H2O adsorption process.
New Organic Acidic Cyclohexaphosphate: Synthesis, Crystal Structure, Physicochemical Study, and In Vitro Biochemical Investigation
Authors: Fezai Ramzi , Khedhiri Lamia , Hemissi Hanene , Mezni Ali , Rzaigui Mohamed
Published: August 2017

A novel organic cyclohexaphosphate [o-(OCH3)C6H4NH3]4H2P6O18·4H2O (1) has been synthesised by the slow evaporation method. An X-ray diffraction study on a single crystal was used to identify this compound. It shows that this acidic cyclohexaphosphate crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/n with V 2215.1(1) Å3 and Z 2. Its crystal structure is a packing of alternating inorganic and organic layers parallel to the (a, c) planes. Crystal symmetry is confirmed by 31P magic angle spinning-NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, spectroscopic (IR, UV-visible) and thermal (thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis and differential scanning calorimetry) characteristics are given. The excitation and emission spectra were recorded showing blue photoluminescence. The alternating current conductivity and dielectric measurements were carried out in the temperature range 333–403 K and the frequency range from 5 Hz to 13 MHz. The impedance data were well fitted to an equivalent electrical circuit. The temperature dependence of the direct current conductivity follows the Arrhenius law and the frequency dependence of σAC(ω,T) follows Jonscher’s universal law. Antioxidant properties of this compound were studied, in vitro, at various concentrations with different tests; 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, hydroxyl scavenging ability, ferric reducing power, and ferrous ion chelating ability, using ascorbic acid as control.
Coral bleaching in the southern inshore Great Barrier Reef: a case study from the Keppel Islands
Authors: Kennedy Emma V. , Ordoñez Alexandra , Diaz-Pulido Guillermo
Published: August 2017

Spatially explicit coral bleaching data can be used to improve our understanding of the causes and consequences of coral bleaching and help identify resilient reefs. In 2016, the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) experienced the most severe coral bleaching in recorded history, yet, as in previous 1998 and 2002 events, the severity and spatial extent of coral bleaching were variable. Cyclonic activity mitigated warming effects in the southern GBR, meaning corals in this region were predicted to bleach less; as a result, southern reef areas received little attention. Herein we report the effects of the 2016 warming event on southern inshore reefs around the Keppel Islands, an area of high conservation importance, with a history of environmental disturbance. Surveys of 14 reefs revealed paling of coral colonies at every site. A total of 21% of living coral, primarily Pocillopora and branching Acropora, was affected. Findings suggest that southern reefs were affected by warming, although significantly less than in the north. Records of milder bleaching help delineate variability in bleaching severity and extent across the GBR, and add to the historical record of bleaching history in the Keppel Islands, essential to understanding the complexity of exposure and recovery dynamics of the Keppel reefs.
Association of CYP19A1 gene polymorphisms with anoestrus in water buffaloes
Authors: El-Bayomi Khairy M. , Saleh Ayman A. , Awad Ashraf , El-Tarabany Mahmoud S. , El-Qaliouby Hadeel S. , Afifi Mohamed , El-Komy Shymaa , Essawi Walaa M. , Almadaly Essam A. , El-Magd Mohammed A.
Published: August 2017

Cytochrome P450 aromatase (encoded by the CYP19A1 gene) regulates oestrogen biosynthesis and so plays an essential role in female fertility. We investigated the genetic association of CYP19A1 with the risk of anoestrus in Egyptian water buffaloes. A total of 651 animals (326 anoestrous and 325 cycling) were used in this case-control study. Using single-strand conformation polymorphisms and sequencing, four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected; c.−135T > C SNP in the 5′UTR and three non-synonymous SNPs: c.559G > A (p. V187M) in Exon 5, c.1285C > T (p. P429S) and c.1394A > G (p. D465G) in Exon 10. Individual SNP-anoestrus association analyses revealed that genotypes (CC, AA and GG) and alleles (C, A and G) of the −135T > C, c.559G > A and c.1394A > G SNPs respectively were high risk for anoestrus. A further analysis confirmed that these three SNPs were in linkage disequilibrium. Additionally, haplotypes with two (TAG/122 and CAA/221) or three (CAG/222) risk alleles were significantly associated with susceptibility to anoestrus, lower blood levels of both oestradiol and antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and catalase) and downregulated expression levels of CYP19A1, oestrogen receptor α and Gpx3 in the ovary, as well as increased serum level of malondialdehyde. This suggests the occurrence of a high incidence of oxidative ovarian damage and subsequently ovarian inactivity in buffaloes carrying risk alleles. Therefore, with this study we suggest the selection of buffaloes with protective alleles at these SNPs to improve the reproductive efficiency of the herd.
Prosodic features, self-monitoring, and dysfluency in native and non-native Mandarin speech
Authors: Yang Bei
Published: August 2017

This study explores the relationship between the prosodic features for time delay, self-monitoring in speech production, and perceived dysfluency. In this study, twenty native and non-native speakers of Chinese took a speech test. Each speech was transcribed, prosodic features were assigned symbols, and the coding system traced self-monitoring. An additional twenty-eight native speakers assessed the fluency of the speech samples, and then the researcher matched assessment results with symbols and coding, and analyzed them. The results indicate that uh/um and self-monitoring influence perceived dysfluency in most cases while other prosodic features do not; that the filled pause in non-native speech is a salient feature of perceived dysfluency; and how a dysfluency is perceived. The study also finds the native speakers’ perception bias.
The Portuguese future subjunctive
Authors: Vesterinen Rainer
Published: August 2017

Although the analysis of the Portuguese future subjunctive mood would contribute to a greater understanding of the general meaning of the subjunctive mood, this verb form has received considerably little attention compared to the other subjunctive forms, namely, the past and present subjunctives. The aim of the present paper is to fill this gap. Using the theoretical perspective of Cognitive Grammar, it will be shown that the Portuguese future subjunctive shares many characteristic features with other tenses of the subjunctive mood. In particular, the analysis shows that the Portuguese future subjunctive can be explained by the concept ofdominion. Thus, the present paper provides a conceptually grounded and unified explanation for the meaning of the Portuguese subjunctive mood.
A corpus-based analysis of the verb pleróo in Ancient Greek
Authors: Ioannou Georgios
Published: August 2017

This is a corpus-based study of the development of the verb pleróo in Ancient Greek, originally meaning fill, from the 6th c. bce in Classical Greek, up to the end of the 3rd c. bce in Hellenistic Koiné. It implements a hierarchical cluster analysis and a multiple correspondence analysis of the sum of the attested instances of pleróo of that period, divided by century. It explores the gains following a syncretism between two methodological strands: earlier introspective analyses postulating variant construals over intuitively grasped schematic configurations such as image schemas, and strictly inductive methods based on statistical analyses of correlations between co-occurring formal and semantic features. Thus, it examines the relevance of the container image-schema to the architecture of the schematic construction corresponding to the prototypical and historically preceding sense of pleróo, fill. Consequently, it observes how shifts in the featural configurations detected through statistical analysis, leading to the emergence of new senses, correspond to successive shifts on the perspectival salience of elements in the schematic construction of the verb.
Non-Suicidal Self-Injury, Suicidal Ideation, and Suicide Attempt: Prevalence and Predictors in a Sample of Youth Offenders in the UK
Authors: Spink Alisa , Dhingra Katie , Debowska Agata , Boduszek Daniel
Published: August 2017

The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and correlates of suicide attempts (SA), suicidal ideation (SI), and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) within a sample of community-based youth offenders (M age = 15.33 years) engaging with a Youth Offending Team (YOT). Findings revealed the highest prevalence rates for NSSI (20.6%), followed by SI (12.7%), and SA (5.9%). SA and SI were significantly correlated with trauma exposure, self-esteem, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). NSSI formed significant associations with trauma, self-esteem, and gender. The results offer further insight into the risk factors of SA, SI, and NSSI in an under-researched population.
The effects of stimulus distribution form during trace conditioning
Authors: Bonardi Charlotte , Jennings Dómhnall J
Published: August 2017

Three experiments examined the effect of distribution form of the trace interval on trace conditioning. In Experiments 1 and 2, two groups of rats were conditioned to a fixed-duration conditioned stimulus (CS) in a trace interval procedure; rats in Group Fix received a fixed-duration trace interval, whereas for rats in Group Var the trace interval was of variable duration. Responding during the CS was higher in Group Var than in Group Fix, whereas during the trace interval this difference in responding reversed—Group Fix showed higher response rates than Group Var. Experiment 3 examined whether the greater response rate observed during the CS in Group Var was due to a performance effect or the acquisition of greater associative strength by the CS. Following trace conditioning, the rats from Experiment 1 underwent a second phase of delay conditioning with the same CS; a 5-s auditory stimulus was presented in compound with the last 5 s of the 15-s CS, and the unconditioned stimulus (US) was delivered at the offset of the CSs. On test with the auditory stimulus alone, subjects in Group Var showed lower response rates during the auditory stimulus than subjects in Group Fix. We interpreted these findings as evidence that the superior responding in Group Var during the CS was a result of it acquiring greater associative strength than in Group Fix.
Epidemiology, Clinical Features, and Outcome of Infective Endocarditis due to Abiotrophia Species and Granulicatella Species: Report of 76 Cases, 2000–2015
Authors: Téllez Adrián , Ambrosioni Juan , Llopis Jaume , Pericàs Juan M , Falces Carles , Almela Manel , Garcia de la Mària Cristina , Hernandez-Meneses Marta , Vidal Bàrbara , Sandoval Elena , Quintana Eduard , Fuster David , Tolosana José M , Marco Francesc , Moreno Asunción , Miro José M ,   Hospital Clínic Infective Endocarditis Investigators, Miró Jose M , Ambrosioni Juan , Pericàs Juan M , Téllez Adrian , Hernandez-Meneses Marta , Moreno Asunción , Garcia de la Mària Cristina , Garcia-Gonzalez Javier , Marco Francesc , Almela Manel , Vila Jordi , Quintana Eduard , Sandoval Elena , Paré Juan C , Falces Carlos , Pereda Daniel , Cartañá Ramon , Ninot Salvador , Azqueta Manel , Sitges Marta , Vidal Barbara , Pomar José L , Castella Manuel , Tolosana José M , Ortiz José , Fita Guillermina , Rovira Irene , Fuster David , Ramírez Jose , Brunet Mercè , Soy Dolors , Castro Pedro , Llopis Jaume
Published: August 2017

Background

Infective endocarditis (IE) caused by Abiotrophia (ABI) and Granulicatella (GRA) species is poorly studied. This work aims to describe and compare the main features of ABI and GRA IE.

Methods

We performed a retrospective study of 12 IE institutional cases of GRA or ABI and of 64 cases published in the literature (overall, 38 ABI and 38 GRA IE cases).

Results

ABI/GRA IE represented 1.51% of IE cases in our institution between 2000 and 2015, compared to 0.88% of HACEK (Haemophilus, Aggregatibacter, Cardiobacterium, Eikenella, Kingella)–related IE and 16.62% of Viridans group streptococci (VGS) IE. Institutional ABI/GRA IE case characteristics were comparable to that of VGS, but periannular complications were more frequent (P = .008). Congenital heart disease was reported in 4 (10.5%) ABI and in 11 (28.9%) GRA cases (P = .04). Mitral valve was more frequently involved in ABI than in GRA (P < .001). Patient sex, prosthetic IE, aortic involvement, penicillin susceptibility, and surgical treatment were comparable between the genera. New-onset heart failure was the most frequent complication without genera differences (P = .21). Five (13.2%) ABI patients and 2 (5.3%) GRA patients died (P = .23). Factors associated with higher mortality were age (P = .02) and new-onset heart failure (P = .02). The genus (GRA vs ABI) was not associated with higher mortality (P = .23).

Conclusions

GRA/ABI IE was more prevalent than HACEK IE and approximately one-tenth as prevalent as VGS; periannular complications were more frequent. GRA and ABI genera IE presented similar clinical features and outcomes. Overall mortality was low, and related to age and development of heart failure.
Radon inhalation induces manganese-superoxide dismutase in mouse brain via nuclear factor-κB activation
Authors: Kataoka Takahiro , Etani Reo , Kanzaki Norie , Kobashi Yusuke , Yunoki Yuto , Ishida Tsuyoshi , Sakoda Akihiro , Ishimori Yuu , Yamaoka Kiyonori
Published: August 2017

Although radon inhalation increases superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in mouse organs, the mechanisms and pathways have not yet been fully clarified. The aim of this study was to determine the details of SOD activation in mouse brain tissue following the inhalation of radon at concentrations of 500 or 2000 Bq/m3 for 24 h. After inhalation, brains were removed quickly for analysis. Radon inhalation increased the manganese (Mn)-SOD level and mitochondrial SOD activity. However, the differences were not significant. There were no changes in the Cu/Zn-SOD level or cytosolic SOD activity. Radon inhalation increased the brain nuclear factor (NF)-κB content, which regulates the induction of Mn-SOD, in the nuclear and cytosolic compartments. The level of inhibitor of nuclear factor κB kinase subunit β (IKK-β), which activates NF-κB, was slightly increased by radon inhalation. The expression of cytoplasmic ataxia-telangiectasia mutated kinase in mice inhaling radon at 500 Bq/m3 was 50% higher than in control mice. In addition, NF-κB–inducing kinase was slightly increased after inhaling radon at 2000 Bq/m3. These findings suggest that radon inhalation might induce Mn-SOD protein via NF-κB activation that occurs in response to DNA damage and oxidative stress.
Thromboprophylaxis in Spinal Surgery
Authors: Mosenthal William P. , Landy David C. , Boyajian Haroutioun H. , Idowu Olumuyiwa A. , Shi Lewis L. , Ramos Edwin , Lee Michael J.
Published: August 2017

Study Design.

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective.

Determine the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) in spinal surgery patients receiving no thromboprophylaxis, mechanoprophylaxis, and chemoprophylaxis.

Summary of Background Data.

The incidence of thromboembolic complications after spinal surgery is not well established. Although a variety of effective mechanical and chemical thromboprophylaxis interventions exist, their role in spinal surgery remains unclear. Spine surgeons are faced with the difficult decision of balancing the risk of death from a thromboembolic complication against the risk of permanent neurological damage from an epidural hematoma (EDH).

Methods.

The Medline database was queried using combinations of the terms related to the aforementioned subject matter. Articles meeting our predetermined inclusion criteria were reviewed and relevant data extracted. Meta-analyses were created using a random-effects model for incidence of DVT and PE by type of thromboprophylaxis, method of screening, and study type.

Results.

Twenty-eight articles were included in the final analyses. The higher mean incidence of DVT and PE in the mechanoprophylaxis group (DVT: 1%, PE: 0.81%) compared to the chemoprophylaxis group (DVT: 0.85%, PE: 0.58%) was not observed to be statistically significant. Six percent of PEs was fatal; the rate of EDHs was 0.3%. The incidence of DVT was higher in prospective studies (1.4%) compared to retrospective studies (0.61%); the incidence of DVT was not affected by whether the study screened only symptomatic patients.

Conclusion.

Although the incidence of DVT and PE was relatively low regardless of prophylaxis type, the true incidence is difficult to determine given the heterogeneous nature of the small number of studies available in the literature. Our findings suggest there may be a role for chemoprophylaxis given the relatively high rate of fatal PE. Future studies are needed to determine which patient population would benefit most from chemoprophylaxis.

Level of Evidence: 2
Suicide, Resilience, and Connectedness Across the Lifespan
Authors: Rao Satya , Pell Dylan , England-Kennedy Elizabeth S.
Published: August 2017

Rates of suicide and associated costs are high and increasing in the United States. From 1999 through 2014, the age-adjusted suicide rate increased 24%, with the pace of increase being greater since 2006. American Indian and Alaska Native persons have significantly lower rates of suicides than other ethnic groups as elders despite experiencing some of the highest rates during adolescence. This article examines literature pertaining to suicide rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities and proposes a framework for understanding their lower rates of suicide as elders. Such understanding offers opportunities for developing strategies for suicide prevention across lifespan.
Noncontrast Magnetic Resonance Lymphography for Evaluation of Lymph Node Transfer for Secondary Upper Limb Lymphedema
Authors: Arrivé Lionel , Derhy Sarah , Dlimi Chrif , El Mouhadi Sanaa , Monnier-Cholley Laurence , Becker Corinne
Published: August 2017

Background:

The authors’ purpose was to evaluate the results of axillary lymph node transplantation with noncontrast magnetic resonance lymphography in 15 patients with secondary upper limb lymphedema.

Methods:

Fifteen female patients with lymphedema following breast cancer treatment underwent lymph node transplantation. Noncontrast magnetic resonance lymphography was obtained with a free-breathing three-dimensional fast spin-echo sequence. Image analysis included criteria both before surgery (i.e., severity of lymphedema graded as absent, mild, moderate, or severe; involvement of the muscular compartment; and distal dilated lymphatic vessels) and after surgery (i.e., visualization of the site of transplantation; visualization of transplanted lymph nodes; and severity of lymphedema with regard to pretransplantation severity, namely, improvement, stability, or aggravation). Clinically, circumferential measures were performed at four different levels.

Results:

Follow-up magnetic resonance examinations were performed at least 6 months after lymph node transplantation, with a longest follow-up time of 42 months. In two patients, no lymphedema was visualized before lymph node transplantation with magnetic resonance lymphography. In the other 13 patients, lymphedema was mild in four patients, moderate in five patients, and severe in the other four patients. After lymph node transplantation, an improvement of upper limb lymphedema was observed in seven of nine patients with moderate or severe upper limb lymphedema. In the 11 patients in whom comparison of magnetic resonance lymphography with circumferential measurement was available, evaluations were concordant in 10 cases.

Conclusion:

Noncontrast magnetic resonance lymphography may be used as an objective technique to analyze the results of lymph node transplantation.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:

Therapeutic, IV.
The toxic nature of murine amylin and the immune responsivity of pancreatic islet to conformational antibody in mice
Authors: Erthal Luiza C. S. , Jotha-Mattos Luana , Lara Flávio Alves , dos Reis Sabrina Alves , Oliveira Pascarelli Bernardo Miguel de , Costa Cinthia Melo , Souza Kleber L. A. , Lima Luís Maurício T. R.
Published: August 2017

The human amylin is a pancreatic peptide hormone cosecreted with amylin and found in hyperhormonemic state along with insulin in subclinical diabetes. Amylin has been associated with the pathology of type 2 diabetes, particularly due to its ability to assembly into toxic oligomers and amyloid speciments. On the other hand, some variants such as murine amylin has been described as non amyloidogenic, eitherin vitroorin vivo. Recent data have demonstrated the amyloid propensity of murine amylin and the therapeutic analogue pramlintide, suggesting a universality for amylin amyloidosis. Here we report the amyloidogenesis of murine amylin, which showed lower responsivity to the fluorescent probe thioflavin T compared to human amylin, but presented highly organized fibrilar amyloid material. The aggregation of murine amylin also resulted in the formation of cytotoxic specimens, as evaluatedin vitroin INS-1 cells. The aggregation product from murine amylin was responsive to a specific antibody raised against amyloid oligomers, the A11 oligomer antibody. Pancreatic islets of swiss mice have also shown responsivity for the anti-oligomer, indicating the natural abundance of such specimen in rodents. These data provide for the first time evidences for the toxic nature of oligomeric assemblies of murine amylin and its existence in non-transgenic mice.

Highlights

- Murine amylin forms oligomer species and amyloid fibrilsin vitro

- The murine amylin aggregation product display cellular toxicity

- A11 anti-oligomer antibody recognizes murine amylinin vitro

- Non-transgenic mice display immunoresposivity to anti-oligomer in pancreatic islet
Computational correction of cross-contamination due to exclusion amplification barcode spreading
Authors: Larsson Anton JM , Stanley Geoff , Sinha Rahul , Weissman Irving L. , Sandberg Rickard
Published: August 2017

Recent advances in sequencing technology have considerably increased the throughput and decreased the cost of short-read sequencing by using high-density patterned flow cells. However, high rates of cross-contamination between multiplexed libraries have been observed on data from these machines, likely due to index-switching during exclusion amplification1,2. Here, we demonstrate that a computational correction procedure based on the Sylvester equation removed 80-90% of the false positive expression signal and eliminated spurious clustering. The computational correction procedure can therefore be used to rescue aspects of affected sequence data so that researchers can take advantage of cost-effective sequencing on patterned flow cells.
Disruption of thyroid endocrine in zebrafish exposed to BDE-209
Authors: Li Dong , Wang Xin
Published: August 2017

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDs) could adversely affect the thyroid endocrine system; previous studies report that BDE-209 has the potential effect on the fish thyroid endocrine system. In this study, we aimed to verify the bioconcentration and metabolism of BDE-209 in zebrafish. One day post-fertilization (dpf) zebrafish embryos were treated with different concentrations of BDE-209 (0, 0.01, 0.1 and 1 mg/L) until 10 dpf. BDE-209 was obviously accumulated in the zebrafish after 10 days exposure, and the metabolic products such as octa-BDE and nona-BDE were detected. After treated with BDE-209, the triiodthyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) levels were significantly decreased, suggesting that exposure to BDE-209 could disrupt the thyroid endocrine system in zebrafish. The transcriptional expression of genes involved in the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis was altered. The mRNA expression levels of corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSHβ) were significantly increased. The mRNA expression of pax8 and nkx2.1 which regulate thyroid development and synthesis were also increased. These data indicated that BDE-209 could disrupt the thyroid endocrine system in zebrafish, which could be assessed by hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis.
Detection and removal of barcode swapping in single-cell RNA-seq data
Authors: Griffiths Jonathan A. , Richard Arianne C. , Bach Karsten , Lun Aaron T.L. , Marioni John C
Published: August 2017

Barcode swapping results in the mislabeling of sequencing reads between multiplexed samples on the new patterned flow cell Illumina sequencing machines. This may compromise the validity of numerous genomic assays, especially for single-cell studies where many samples are routinely multiplexed together. The severity and consequences of barcode swapping for single-cell transcriptomic studies remain poorly understood. We have used two statistical approaches to robustly quantify the fraction of swapped reads in each of two plate-based single-cell RNA sequencing datasets. We found that approximately 2.5% of reads were mislabeled between samples on the HiSeq 4000 machine, which is lower than previous reports. We observed no correlation between the swapped fraction of reads and the concentration of free barcode across plates. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that barcode swapping may generate complex but artefactual cell libraries in droplet-based single-cell RNA sequencing studies. To eliminate these artefacts, we have developed an algorithm to exclude individual molecules that have swapped between samples in 10X Genomics experiments, exploiting the combinatorial complexity present in the data. This permits the continued use of cutting-edge sequencing machines for droplet-based experiments while avoiding the confounding effects of barcode swapping.
Landscape of human miRNA variation and conservation using Annotative Database of miRNA Elements, ADmiRE
Authors: Oak Ninad , Ghosh Rajarshi , Plon Sharon E.
Published: August 2017

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are the most abundant class of non-coding RNAs that regulate expression of >60% genes and are frequently deregulated in many human diseases. Sequence variants in miRNAs are expected to have a high impact on miRNA function. However, the lack of miRNA variant annotation and prioritization guidelines has hampered this analysis from whole genome/exome sequencing (WGS/WES) studies. Through the development of anAnnotativeDatabase ofmiRNAElements, ADmiRE workflow, we re-annotated the publicly available population dataset of gnomAD 15,596 WGS and 123,136 WES and describe 26,094 precursor-miRNA variants. AdmiRE annotates twice the miRNA variants predicted by existing tools which prioritize variation relative to protein coding regions. We provide the allele frequency distribution of miRNA variation which is comparable to variation in exonic regions. This distribution is similar for miRNAs located in the intragenic and intergenic genomic context. Moreover, ‘high confidence’ miRNAs (designated by miRBase) harbor less variation (the majority contributed by rare variants) compared with the remaining miRNAs. We identify 279 miRNAs highly constrained with little or no variation in gnomAD. We further describe the evolutionary conservation of miRNAs across 100 vertebrates and identify 434 highly conserved miRNAs. We demonstrate that these constraint and conservation metrics (now incorporated into the ADmiRE workflow) characterize miRNAs previously implicated in human diseases. In conclusion, through the development of ADmiRE, we comprehensively analyze the landscape of miRNA sequence variation in large human population datasets and provide miRNA vertebrate conservation scores to aid future studies of miRNA variation in human diseases.
A computational framework for detecting signatures of accelerated somatic evolution in cancer genomes
Authors: Smith Kyle S. , Ghosh Debashis , Pollard Katherine S. , De Subhajyoti
Published: August 2017

By accumulation of somatic mutations, cancer genomes evolve, diverging away from the genome of the host. It remains unclear to what extent somatic evolutionary divergence is comparable across different regions of the cancer genome versus concentrated in specific genomic elements. We present a novel computational framework, SASE-mapper, to identify genomic regions that show signatures of accelerated somatic evolution (SASE) in a subset of samples in a cohort, marked by accumulation of an excess of somatic mutations compared to that expected based on local, context-aware background mutation rates in the cancer genomes. Analyzing tumor whole genome sequencing data for 365 samples from 5 cohorts we detect recurrent SASE at a genome-wide scale. The SASEs were enriched for genomic elements associated with active chromatin, and regulatory regions of several known cancer genes had SASE in multiple cohorts. Regions with SASE carried specific mutagenic signatures and often co-localized within the 3D nuclear space suggesting their common basis. A subset of SASEs was frequently associated with regulatory changes in key cancer pathways and also poor clinical outcome. While the SASE-associated mutations were not necessarily recurrent at base-pair resolution, the SASEs recurrently targeted same functional regions, with similar consequences. It is likely that regulatory redundancy and plasticity promote prevalence of SASE-like patterns in the cancer genomes.
A Deep Learning Model for Predicting Tumor Suppressor Genes and Oncogenes from PDB Structure
Authors: Tavanaei Amirhossein , Anandanadarajah Nishanth , Maida Anthony , Loganantharaj Rasiah
Published: August 2017

While cancer is a heterogeneous complex of distinct diseases, the common underlying mechanism for uncontrolled tumor growth is due to mutations in proto-oncogenes and the loss of the regulatory function of tumor suppression genes. In this paper we propose a novel deep learning model for predicting tumor suppression genes (TSGs) and proto-oncogenes (OGs) from their Protein Data Bank (PDB) three dimensional structures. Specifically, we develop a convolutional neural network (CNN) to classify the feature map sets extracted from the tertiary protein structures. Each feature map set represents particular biological features associated with the atomic coordinates appearing on the outer surface of protein’s three dimensional structure. The experimental results on the collected dataset for classifying TSGs and OGs demonstrate promising performance with 82.57% accuracy and 0.89 area under ROC curve. The initial success of the proposed model warrants further study to develop a comprehensive model to identify the cancer driver genes or events using the principle cancer genes (TSG and OG).