bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Initiation of primary cell cultures from embryonic Haemaphysalis bispinosa ticks
Authors: Lim Fang-shiang , Khoo Jing-jing , Chen Fezshin , Bell-sakyi Lesley , Khor Chee-sieng , Chang Li-yen , Bakar Sazaly Abu
Published: February 2017

Tick cell cultures have been widely used as an important tool for the study of tick-associated microorganisms, specifically for medically important bacteria or viruses that may be difficult to isolate or culture in axenic conditions. In this study, primary embryonic tick cell cultures were initiated separately from each of the egg batches laid by 10 female ticks belonging to the hard tick genus Haemaphysalis. All cultures were maintained at 28°C. After 10 months, 4 healthy cultures were identified with the potential for developing into continuous tick cell lines. These cultures comprise large cells predominantly forming floating cell clumps with multicellular vesicles, which are morphologically similar to cell lines derived from the soft tick Ornithodoros moubata. Subculture has not yet been performed due to the low cell density at the time of writing. Amplification and sequencing of a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene from DNA extracted from the parent ticks showed 99%-100% similarity to published sequences of Haemaphysalis bispinosa. This is the first report of the initiation of embryonic cell cultures from Haemaphysalis ticks found in Malaysia. Such tick cell cultures will be useful for studies of tick-borne pathogens in this region, where recent studies have shown that Haemaphysalis ticks are highly represented and harbor medically important bacteria.
Macroparticles formation in cathodic arc deposition of nitride coatings from TiNb alloy cathodes
Authors: Dumitriu LaGrange Daniela , LaGrange Thomas , Santana Antonio , Jähnig Raiko , Karimi Ayat
Published: February 2017

Reduction of macroparticles embedded within the cathodic arc deposited coatings is important for achieving high quality coatings with superior tribological properties, and it remains a major challenge in cathodic arc depositions. In the present study, the authors aim to understand the nature of macroparticles formed from TiNb alloy cathodes and the role of TiNb cathode nitridation in reducing the amount of generated macroparticles. The microstructure of the macroparticles was investigated using scanning transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction techniques and revealed compositionally different macroparticles, such as macroparticles with a Nb-rich core, Ti-rich macroparticles, and macroparticles with a composition similar to that of the coatings. The examination of the macroparticles indicated the compositional segregation of niobium and titanium. With increasing N2 gas pressure during deposition, the macroparticles showed increased nitridation while the density of macroparticles within the coating was slightly diminished.
Reliability of a Novel Technique for the Measurement of Neck Strength
Authors: Hall Thomas , Morissette Marc P. , Cordingley Dean , Leiter Jeff
Published: February 2017

Reliable assessment of neck strength is required to fully understand the role of decreased neck strength as a risk factor for concussion. The purpose of this study was to assess the intrarater and interrater reliability of a standardized isometric neck-strength-testing protocol using a custom-designed frame, and a digital force gauge. Assessment of intrarater and interrater reliability of a custom neck-strength-testing frame and protocol yielded intraclass correlation values > .890 and > .900 when using maximum peak and average peak values of neck strength, respectively. Our neck-strength-testing frame and protocol provided data of good to excellent reliability, and may be used in future studies to investigate the relationship between neck strength and incidence of injuries.
Functioning Without Cartilage: Older People With Radiographic Knee Osteoarthritis Who Self-Report No Functional Limitations Do Score Lower on a Performance Battery
Authors: van Leeuwen Daniël M. , van de Bunt Fabian , de Ruiter Cornelis J. , van Schoor Natasja M. , Deeg Dorly J.H. , Emanuel Kaj S.
Published: February 2017

The majority of the older population shows signs of radiographic knee osteoarthritis. However, many remain without functional complaints for a long period. This study aims to find early functional changes associated with stages of radiographic knee osteoarthritis. A group of older people without self-reported complaints was divided in two groups: knee osteoarthritis (K&L = 2–4, N = 29) and control (K&L = 0–1, N = 31). Muscle function was assessed with voluntary and electrically-stimulated isometric knee contractions, including a fatigue test. Physical functioning was assessed with a 6-min walk test (6MWT), a stair climb test (SCT), and a short performance battery. There were no differences in muscle function parameters, 6MWT, and SCT between groups. A clinically relevant lower score on the performance battery was found in participants with knee osteoarthritis. In conclusion, even when older people indicate to have no functional limitations, a decline in functional outcome can be measured with a physical performance battery.
Sport and Social Entrepreneurship: A Review of a Concept in Progress
Authors: Bjärsholm Daniel
Published: February 2017

Social entrepreneurship represents a new organizational form reflecting a time of societal change. The concept of social entrepreneurship has in recent years received an increased academic interest from the field of sport management. This review therefore aims to outline the scope and focus of, as well as theoretically position, the utilization of the concept of social entrepreneurship in the current body of peer-reviewed research within the field of sport and social entrepreneurship. Thirty-three English language peer-reviewed articles were selected and analyzed using Gartner’s (1985) variables of entrepreneurship and three schools of thought within social entrepreneurship. The findings show that the scope of research into sport and social entrepreneurship is limited and that sport plays a minor role in the articles. The articles focus on the processes of social entrepreneurship, but the manner in which the concept of social entrepreneurship is used differs between articles and is seldom defined. These findings indicate that much can be done to better understand sport and social entrepreneurship. Emerging directions for future research are provided.
The Effectiveness of PNF Versus Static Stretching on Increasing Hip-Flexion Range of Motion
Authors: Lempke Landon , Wilkinson Rebecca , Murray Caitlin , Stanek Justin
Published: February 2017

Clinical Scenario: Stretching is applied for the purposes of injury prevention, increasing joint range of motion (ROM), and increasing muscle extensibility. Many researchers have investigated various methods and techniques to determine the most effective way to increase joint ROM and muscle extensibility. Despite the numerous studies conducted, controversy still remains within clinical practice and the literature regarding the best methods and techniques for stretching. Focused Clinical Question: Is proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching more effective than static stretching for increasing hamstring muscle extensibility through increased hip ROM or increased knee extension angle (KEA) in a physically active population? Summary of Key Findings: Five studies met the inclusion criteria and were included. All 5 studies were randomized control trials examining mobility of the hamstring group. The studies measured hamstring ROM in a variety of ways. Three studies measured active KEA, 1 study measured passive KEA, and 1 study measured hip ROM via the single-leg raise test. Of the 5 studies, 1 study found greater improvements using PNF over static stretching for increasing hip flexion, and the remaining 4 studies found no significant difference between PNF stretching and static stretching in increasing muscle extensibility, active KEA, or hip ROM. Clinical Bottom Line: PNF stretching was not demonstrated to be more effective at increasing hamstring extensibility compared to static stretching. The literature reviewed suggests both are effective methods for increasing hip-flexion ROM. Strength of Recommendation: Using level 2 evidence and higher, the results show both static and PNF stretching effectively increase ROM; however, one does not appear to be more effective than the other.
Two White Spot Syndrome Virus MicroRNAs Target the
Dorsal
Gene To Promote Virus Infection in Marsupenaeus japonicus Shrimp
Authors: Ren Qian , Huang Xin , Cui Yalei , Sun Jiejie , Wang Wen , Zhang Xiaobo
Published: February 2017

In eukaryotes, microRNAs (miRNAs) serve as regulators of many biological processes, including virus infection. An miRNA can generally target diverse genes during virus-host interactions. However, the regulation of gene expression by multiple miRNAs has not yet been extensively explored during virus infection. This study found that the Spaztle (Spz)-Toll-Dorsal-antilipopolysaccharide factor (ALF) signaling pathway plays a very important role in antiviral immunity against invasion of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) in shrimp (
Marsupenaeus japonicus
).
Dorsal
, the central gene in the Toll pathway, was targeted by two viral miRNAs (WSSV-miR-N13 and WSSV-miR-N23) during WSSV infection. The regulation of
Dorsal
expression by viral miRNAs suppressed the Spz-Toll-Dorsal-ALF signaling pathway in shrimp
in vivo
, leading to virus infection. Our study contributes novel insights into the viral miRNA-mediated Toll signaling pathway during the virus-host interaction.

IMPORTANCE
An miRNA can target diverse genes during virus-host interactions. However, the regulation of gene expression by multiple miRNAs during virus infection has not yet been extensively explored. The results of this study indicated that the shrimp
Dorsal
gene, the central gene in the Toll pathway, was targeted by two viral miRNAs during infection with white spot syndrome virus. Regulation of
Dorsal
expression by viral miRNAs suppressed the Spz-Toll-Dorsal-ALF signaling pathway in shrimp
in vivo
, leading to virus infection. Our study provides new insight into the viral miRNA-mediated Toll signaling pathway in virus-host interactions.
A Sequence-Independent, Unstructured Internal Ribosome Entry Site Is Responsible for Internal Expression of the Coat Protein of Turnip Crinkle Virus
Authors: May Jared , Johnson Philip , Saleem Huma , Simon Anne E.
Published: February 2017

To maximize the coding potential of viral genomes, internal ribosome entry sites (IRES) can be used to bypass the traditional requirement of a 5′ cap and some/all of the associated translation initiation factors. Although viral IRES typically contain higher-order RNA structure, an unstructured sequence of about 84 nucleotides (nt) immediately upstream of the
Turnip crinkle virus
(TCV) coat protein (CP) open reading frame (ORF) has been found to promote internal expression of the CP from the genomic RNA (gRNA) both
in vitro
and
in vivo
. An absence of extensive RNA structure was predicted using RNA folding algorithms and confirmed by selective 2′-hydroxyl acylation analyzed by primer extension (SHAPE) RNA structure probing. Analysis of the IRES region
in vitro
by use of both the TCV gRNA and reporter constructs did not reveal any sequence-specific elements but rather suggested that an overall lack of structure was an important feature for IRES activity. The CP IRES is A-rich, independent of orientation, and strongly conserved among viruses in the same genus. The IRES was dependent on eIF4G, but not eIF4E, for activity. Low levels of CP accumulated
in vivo
in the absence of detectable TCV subgenomic RNAs, strongly suggesting that the IRES was active in the gRNA
in
vivo
. Since the TCV CP also serves as the viral silencing suppressor, early translation of the CP from the viral gRNA is likely important for countering host defenses. Cellular mRNA IRES also lack extensive RNA structures or sequence conservation, suggesting that this viral IRES and cellular IRES may have similar strategies for internal translation initiation.

IMPORTANCE
Cap-independent translation is a common strategy among positive-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses for bypassing the host cell requirement of a 5′ cap structure. Viral IRES, in general, contain extensive secondary structure that is critical for activity. In contrast, we demonstrate that a region of viral RNA devoid of extensive secondary structure has IRES activity and produces low levels of viral coat protein
in vitro
and
in vivo
. Our findings may be applicable to cellular mRNA IRES that also have little or no sequences/structures in common.
Interstitial nephritis associated with ulcerative colitis in monozygotic twins
Authors: Sato Hitoshi , Umemura Ken , Yamamoto Tae , Sato Hiroshi
Published: February 2017

Although renal impairment is a rare complication of ulcerative colitis (UC), interstitial nephritis can occur as an idiosyncratic reaction to 5-aminosalicylate (5-ASA) treatment for UC. Monozygotic twins developed UC at ages 49 and 51, and they were separately treated at different medical institutes. They did not know that they had the same disease and were treated with the same drug (5-ASA). During the course of 5-ASA treatment, renal impairment diagnosed as interstitial nephritis occurred in both. Granulocyte/monocyte adsorption was initiated, UC remission was achieved and renal function deterioration subsided in both. Drug or treatment responses may be concordant in monozygotic twins with UC. Careful review is important before treatment to avoid serious adverse events.
High-intensity interval training improves obstructive sleep apnoea
Authors: Karlsen Trine , Nes Bjarne Martens , Tjønna Arnt Erik , Engstrøm Morten , Støylen Asbjørn , Steinshamn Sigurd
Published: February 2017

Background

Three hours per week of vigorous physical activity is found to be associated with reduced odds of sleep-disordered breathing.

Aim

To investigate whether 12 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) reduced the apnoea–hypopnea index (AHI) in obese subjects with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnoea.

Methods

In a prospective randomised controlled exercise study, 30 (body mass index 37±6 kg/m2, age 51±9 years) patients with sleep apnoea (AHI 41.5±25.3 events/hour) were randomised 1:1 to control or 12 weeks of supervised HIIT (4×4 min of treadmill running or walking at 90%–95% of maximal heart rate two times per week).

Results

In the HIIT group, the AHI was reduced by 7.5±11.6 events/hour (within-group p<0.05), self-reported sleepiness (Epworth scale) improved from 10.0±3.6 to 7.3±3.7 (between-group p<0.05) and maximal oxygen uptake improved from 28.2±7.4 to 30.2±7.7 mL/kg/min (between-group p<0.05) from baseline to 12 weeks. The AHI, self-reported sleepiness and VO2maxwere unchanged from baseline to 12 weeks in controls (baseline AHI 50.3±25.5 events/hour, Epworth score 5.9±4.3, maximal oxygen uptake 27.0±6.8 mL/kg/min). Body weight remained unchanged in both groups.

Conclusion

Twelve weeks of HIIT improved the AHI and self-reported daytime sleepiness in subjects with obese sleep apnoea without any change in the desaturation index and body weight.
Modelling the Functional Comorbidity Index as a predictor of health-related quality of life in patients with glenoid labrum disorders
Authors: Zughaib Marc , Gagnier Joel J
Published: February 2017

Background/aim

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is increasingly assessed within orthopaedic research. For those patients presenting with glenoid labral pathologies, there is little information on how baseline comorbidities affect long-term outcomes and HRQoL. This study aimed to investigate a model, including baseline comorbidities and demographics, to predict change in 2-year HRQoL scores in adult patients with glenoid labral tears or degenerations.

Methods

Participants provided Functional Comorbidity Index (FCI) scores and self-completed the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff (WORC) index at 6, 12 and 24 months. Univariable and multivariable linear regressions were performed to assess predictive quality of baseline comorbidities and demographics on the primary outcome measure of interest (change in WORC score).

Results

Multivariate regression with a continuous scaled FCI (β=617.8, p=0.042), age (by decade) (β=297, p<0.01), surgical group (β=−476.69, p<0.01) and an interaction term between FCI and age (β=−103.65, p=0.03) were significant predictors of change in WORC scores at 2-year follow-up (r2=0.293858). Multivariate regression with FCI scaled categorically reported only patients with three comorbidities (β=−454.06, p=0.057) and age (by decade) (β=156.87, p=0.04) as the only significant predictors of change in WORC scores at 2-year follow-up (r2=0.1279).

Conclusion

The continuous FCI model is better suited to predict future WORC and HRQoL scores among this patient population. Patients reporting with higher numbers of baseline comorbidities improved significantly more than patients with fewer comorbidities. This information on expected change in HRQoL scores among patients with a wide range of FCI scores at baseline may help guide treatment decisions based on these criteria.
Third‐year student diary
Authors: Perrett Rosie
Published: February 2017

Rosie Perrett is officially halfway through her veterinary degree and to celebrate she and her boyfriend spent a weekend in London. Here, she describes her pre‐exam coping strategy.
Substrate utilization by endophytic bacteria Paenibacillus polymyxa P2b-2R that may facilitate bacterial entrance and survival inside diverse plant hosts
Authors: Yang Henry , Puri Akshit , Padda Kiran Preet , Chanway Chris P.
Published: February 2017

Bacterial endophytes are thought to enter plants either through pre-existing openings in plant tissues or by creating openings by hydrolyzing major plant cell wall components. A lodgepole endophyte, Paenibacillus polymyxa P2b-2R, consistently formed endophytic colonies when inoculated in diverse plant hosts, viz., lodgepole pine, western red cedar, corn, canola, and tomato. We were interested to know, whether or not this bacterial strain possesses enzymes that can hydrolyze three major plant cell wall components namely cellulose, xylan, and pectin to facilitate entrance into the host plants. Using a BIOLOG assay, we also tested this bacterial strain’s ability to utilize carbon sources that might facilitate its entrance and hence its survival inside host plants. Paenibacillus polymyxa P2b-2R hydrolyzed sodium carboxymethylcellulose, beechwood xylan, and sodium polypectate and utilized 39 of the 95 carbon sources (41%) tested. Of the 39 carbon substrates oxidized by P2b-2R, the “carbohydrates” group represents the largest source of utilizable carbon (23 out of 39). Thus, it can be concluded that P. polymyxa P2b-2R is able to degrade major cell wall components (cellulose, xylan, and pectin) and utilize some of the available carbon substrates, possibly to gain entry and survive inside the plant and form endophytic colonies thereafter.
On minimality of two-bridge knots
Authors: Nagasato Fumikazu , Suzuki Masaaki , Tran Anh T.
Published: February 2017

A knot is called minimal if its knot group admits epimorphisms onto the knot groups of only the trivial knot and itself. In this paper, we determine which two-bridge knot [Formula: see text] is minimal where [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text].
Implications of heavy neutralino dark matter: The underlying structure in the hidden sector
Authors: Yoshimatsu Nobuki
Published: February 2017

The possibility of heavy neutralino dark matter (DM) in the gravity-mediation mechanism is explored. The appearance of the heavy lightest supersymmetric particle is seemingly suggested by Large Hadron Collider runs, which have not provided evidence of superparticles around the TeV region. On the basis of the so-called WIMPZILLA scenario, it is understood that the nonthermally produced DM has the larger mass than the reheating temperature. Hence, the expected DM mass should be more than 109 GeV so that thermal leptogenesis successfully occurs. In this paper, we first examine the generation of the Higgsino mass parameter [Formula: see text] in the context of gravity mediation, postulating that the resolution of the strong CP problem should be the criterion for arriving at a valid hypothesis for heavy neutralino DM. Accordingly, we address how the Peccei–Quinn (PQ) symmetry could influence dynamical supersymmetry breaking (DSB) models. It is found that as long as [Formula: see text] (the SUSY-breaking scale) approximately coincides with [Formula: see text] (the PQ-breaking scale), no DSB models can naturally account for the existence of the heavy neutralino DM, based upon the supersymmetric Dine–Fischler–Srednicki–Zhitinitski (DFSZ)-like mechanism. Thus, we attempt to construct a new model wherein hierarchical SUSY breakings occur. For this purpose, we propose gauge coupling unification in the hidden-sector dynamics at some high-energy scale, and we show that such a class of models can achieve [Formula: see text] through renormalization flow. As a consequence, the nonthermal neutralino, practically the wino-like one in our model, is shown to be a rather natural and viable DM candidate. Moreover, we argue that on the basis of Kac–Moody algebra, multiple breakdowns of supersymmetry may entail unified gauge dynamics. We also present a possible unified model. Finally, the heavy wino-like neutralino may be a DM candidate that will favor future direct DM detection experiments, mainly because its scattering on nuclei well conserves isospin symmetry.
Mass spectra and decays of ground and orbitally excited cb̄ states in nonrelativistic quark model
Authors: Monteiro Antony Prakash , Bhat Manjunath , Vijaya Kumar K. B.
Published: February 2017

The complete spectrum of [Formula: see text] states is obtained in a phenomenological nonrelativistic quark model (NRQM), which consists of a confinement potential and one gluon exchange potential (OGEP) as effective quark–antiquark potential. We make predictions for the radiative decay (E1 and M1) widths and weak decay widths of [Formula: see text] states in the framework of NRQM formalism.
Classical correlation and quantum entanglement in the mixed-spin Ising-XY model with Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction
Authors: Zad Hamid Arian , Movahhedian Hossein
Published: February 2017

In the present work, initially, a mixed-three-spin (1/2,1,1/2) cell of a mixed-[Formula: see text]-spin chain with Ising-XY model is introduced, for which pair spins (1,1/2) have Ising-type interaction and pair spins (1/2,1/2) have both XY-type and Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya (DM) interactions together. An external homogeneous magnetic field [Formula: see text] is considered for the system in thermal equilibrium. Integer-spins have a single-ion anisotropy property with coefficient [Formula: see text]. Then, we investigate the quantum entanglement between half-spins (1/2,1/2), by means of the concurrence. Classical correlation (CC) for this pair of spins is investigated as well as the concurrence and some interesting temperature, the magnetic field and the DM interaction properties are expressed. Moreover, single-ion anisotropy effects on the correlation between half-spins is verified. According to the verifications based on the communication channels category by Rossini, Giovannetti and Fazio [D. Rossini, V. Giovannetti and R. Fazio, Int. J. Quantum Inf. 5, 439 (2007)], we theoretically consider such tripartite spin model as an ideal quantum channel, then calculate its information transmission rate and express some differences in behavior between this suggested model and introduced simple models in the previous works (chains without spin integer and DM interaction) from information transferring protocol point of view.
Structural inheritance and difference between Ti2AlC, Ti3AlC2 and Ti5Al2C3 under pressure from first principles
Authors: Gao Qing-He , Du An , Yang Ze-Jin
Published: February 2017

The structural inheritance and difference between Ti2AlC, Ti3AlC2 and Ti5Al2C3 under pressure from first principles are studied. The results indicate that the lattice parameter a are almost the same within Ti2AlC, Ti3AlC2 and Ti5Al2C3, and the value of c in Ti5Al2C3 is the sum of Ti2AlC and Ti3AlC2 which is revealed by the covalently bonded chain in the electron density difference: Al–Ti–C–Ti–Al for Ti2AlC, Al–Ti2–C–Ti1–C–Ti2–Al for Ti3AlC2 and Al–Ti3–C2–Ti3–Al–Ti2–C1–Ti1–C1–Ti2–Al for Ti5Al2C3. The calculated axial compressibilities, volumetric shrinkage, elastic constant [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] ratio, bulk modulus, shear modulus, and Young’s modulus of Ti5Al2C3 are within the range of the end members (Ti2AlC and Ti3AlC2) in a wide pressure range of 0–100 GPa. Only Ti2AlC is isotropic crystal at about 50 GPa within the Ti–Al–C compounds. All of the Ti 3d density of states curves of the three compounds move from lower energy to higher energy level with pressure increasing. The similarities of respective bond length, bond overlap population (Ti–C, Ti–Al and Ti–Ti), atom Mulliken charges under pressure as well as the electron density difference for the three compounds are discovered. Among the Ti–Al–C ternary compounds, Ti–Ti bond behaves least compressibility, whereas the Ti–Al bond is softer than that of Ti–C bonds, which can also been confirmed by the density of states and electron density difference. Bond overlap populations of Ti–Ti, Ti–C and Ti–Al indicate that the ionicity interaction becomes more and more stronger in the three structures as the pressure increasing. Mulliken charges of Ti1, Ti2, Ti3, C and Al are 0.65, 0.42, 0.39, −0.73, −0.04 at 0 GPa, respectively, which are consistent with the Pauling scale.
A high-resolution tunneling magneto-resistance sensor interface circuit
Authors: Li Xiangyu , Yin Liang , Chen Weiping , Gao Zhiqiang , Liu Xiaowei
Published: February 2017

In this paper, a chopper instrumentation amplifier and a high-precision and low-noise CMOS band gap reference in a standard 0.5 [Formula: see text] CMOS technology for a tunneling magneto-resistance (TMR) sensor is presented. The noise characteristic of TMR sensor is an important factor in determining the performance of the sensor. In order to obtain a larger signal to noise ratio (SNR), the analog front-end chip ASIC weak signal readout circuit of the sensor includes the chopper instrumentation amplifier; the high-precision and low-noise CMOS band gap reference. In order to achieve the low noise, the chopping technique is applied in the first stage amplifier. The low-frequency flicker noise is modulated to high-frequency by chopping switch, so that the modulator has a better noise suppression performance at the low frequency. The test results of interface circuit are shown as below: At a single 5 V supply, the power dissipation is 40 mW; the equivalent offset voltage is less than 10 uV; the equivalent input noise spectral density 30 nV/Hz[Formula: see text](@10 Hz), the equivalent input noise density of magnetic is 0.03 nTHz[Formula: see text](@10 Hz); the scale factor temperature coefficient is less than 10 ppm/[Formula: see text]C, the equivalent input offset temperature coefficient is less than 70 nV/[Formula: see text]C; the gain error is less than 0.05%, the common mode rejection ratio is greater than 120 dB, the power supply rejection ratio is greater than 115 dB; the nonlinear is 0.1% FS.
Spin-parity effect in violation of Bell’s inequalities for entangled states of parallel polarization
Authors: Zhang Haifeng , Wang Jianhua , Song Zhigang , Liang J.-Q. , Wei L.-F.
Published: February 2017

Bell’s inequalities (BIs) derived in terms of quantum probability statistics are extended to general bipartite-entangled states of arbitrary spins with parallel polarization. The original formula of Bell for the two-spin singlet is slightly modified in the parallel configuration, while the inequality formulated by Clauser–Horne–Shimony–Holt (CHSH) remains unchanged. The violation of BIs indeed resulted from the quantum nonlocal correlation for spin-[Formula: see text] case. However, the inequalities are always satisfied for the spin-1 entangled states regardless of parallel or antiparallel polarizations of two spins. The spin parity effect originally demonstrated with the antiparallel spin-polarizations (Z. Song, J.-Q. Liang and L.-F. Wei, Mod. Phys. Lett. B 28 (2013) 145004) still exists for the parallel case. The quantum nonlocality does not lead to the violation for integer spins due to the cancellation of nonlocal interference effects by the quantum statistical average. Again, the violation of BIs seems to be a result of the measurement-induced nontrivial Berry phase (BP) for half-integer spins.
Inhomogeneous cosmology and backreaction: Current status and future prospects
Authors: Bolejko Krzysztof , Korzyński Mikołaj
Published: February 2017

Astronomical observations reveal hierarchical structures in the universe, from galaxies, groups of galaxies, clusters and superclusters, to filaments and voids. On the largest scales, it seems that some kind of statistical homogeneity can be observed. As a result, modern cosmological models are based on spatially homogeneous and isotropic solutions of the Einstein equations, and the evolution of the universe is approximated by the Friedmann equations. In parallel to standard homogeneous cosmology, the field of inhomogeneous cosmology and backreaction is being developed. This field investigates whether small scale inhomogeneities via nonlinear effects can backreact and alter the properties of the universe on its largest scales, leading to a non-Friedmannian evolution. This paper presents the current status of inhomogeneous cosmology and backreaction. It also discusses future prospects of the field of inhomogeneous cosmology, which is based on a survey of 50 academics working in the field of inhomogeneous cosmology.
Sorting permutations by prefix and suffix rearrangements
Authors: Lintzmayer Carla Negri , Fertin Guillaume , Dias Zanoni
Published: February 2017

Some interesting combinatorial problems have been motivated by genome rearrangements, which are mutations that affect large portions of a genome. When we represent genomes as permutations, the goal is to transform a given permutation into the identity permutation with the minimum number of rearrangements. When they affect segments from the beginning (respectively end) of the permutation, they are called prefix (respectively suffix) rearrangements. This paper presents results for rearrangement problems that involve prefix and suffix versions of reversals and transpositions considering unsigned and signed permutations. We give 2-approximation and ([Formula: see text])-approximation algorithms for these problems, where [Formula: see text] is a constant divided by the number of breakpoints (pairs of consecutive elements that should not be consecutive in the identity permutation) in the input permutation. We also give bounds for the diameters concerning these problems and provide ways of improving the practical results of our algorithms.
Exogenous amino acids suppress glucose oxidation and potentiate hepatic glucose production in late gestation fetal sheep
Authors: Brown Laura D. , Kohn Jaden R. , Rozance Paul J. , Hay William W. , Wesolowski Stephanie R.
Published: February 2017

Acute amino acid (AA) infusion increases AA oxidation rates in normal late gestation fetal sheep. Because the fetal oxygen consumption rate does not change with increased AA oxidation, we hypothesized that AA infusion would suppress glucose oxidation pathways and that the additional carbon supply from AA would activate hepatic glucose production. To test this, late gestation fetal sheep were infused intravenously for 3 h with saline or exogenous AA (AA). Glucose tracer metabolic studies were performed and skeletal muscle and liver tissues samples were collected. AA infusion increased fetal arterial plasma branched chain AA, cortisol, and glucagon concentrations. Fetal glucose utilization rates were similar between basal and AA periods, yet the fraction of glucose oxidized and the glucose oxidation rate were decreased by 40% in the AA period. AA infusion increased expression of PDK4, an inhibitor of glucose oxidation, nearly twofold in muscle and liver. In liver, AA infusion tended to increase PCK1 gluconeogenic gene and PCK1 correlated with plasma cortisol concentrations. AA infusion also increased liver mRNA expression of the lactate transporter gene ( MCT1), protein expression of GLUT2 and LDHA, and phosphorylation of AMPK, 4EBP1, and S6 proteins. In isolated fetal hepatocytes, AA supplementation increased glucose production and PCK1, LDHA, and MCT1 gene expression. These results demonstrate that AA infusion into fetal sheep competitively suppresses glucose oxidation and potentiates hepatic glucose production. These metabolic patterns support flexibility in fetal metabolism in response to increased nutrient substrate supply while maintaining a relatively stable rate of oxidative metabolism.
Perceptual precision of passive body tilt is consistent with statistically optimal cue integration
Authors: Lim Koeun , Karmali Faisal , Nicoucar Keyvan , Merfeld Daniel M.
Published: February 2017

When making perceptual decisions, humans have been shown to optimally integrate independent noisy multisensory information, matching maximum-likelihood (ML) limits. Such ML estimators provide a theoretic limit to perceptual precision (i.e., minimal thresholds). However, how the brain combines two interacting (i.e., not independent) sensory cues remains an open question. To study the precision achieved when combining interacting sensory signals, we measured perceptual roll tilt and roll rotation thresholds between 0 and 5 Hz in six normal human subjects. Primary results show that roll tilt thresholds between 0.2 and 0.5 Hz were significantly lower than predicted by a ML estimator that includes only vestibular contributions that do not interact. In this paper, we show how other cues (e.g., somatosensation) and an internal representation of sensory and body dynamics might independently contribute to the observed performance enhancement. In short, a Kalman filter was combined with an ML estimator to match human performance, whereas the potential contribution of nonvestibular cues was assessed using published bilateral loss patient data. Our results show that a Kalman filter model including previously proven canal-otolith interactions alone (without nonvestibular cues) can explain the observed performance enhancements as can a model that includes nonvestibular contributions.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY We found that human whole body self-motion direction-recognition thresholds measured during dynamic roll tilts were significantly lower than those predicted by a conventional maximum-likelihood weighting of the roll angular velocity and quasistatic roll tilt cues. Here, we show that two models can each match this “apparent” better-than-optimal performance: 1) inclusion of a somatosensory contribution and 2) inclusion of a dynamic sensory interaction between canal and otolith cues via a Kalman filter model.
Biotechnological Processes in Microbial Amylase Production
Authors: Gopinath Subash C. B. , Anbu Periasamy , Arshad M. K. Md , Lakshmipriya Thangavel , Voon Chun Hong , Hashim Uda , Chinni Suresh V.
Published: February 2017

Amylase is an important and indispensable enzyme that plays a pivotal role in the field of biotechnology. It is produced mainly from microbial sources and is used in many industries. Industrial sectors with top-down and bottom-up approaches are currently focusing on improving microbial amylase production levels by implementing bioengineering technologies. The further support of energy consumption studies, such as those on thermodynamics, pinch technology, and environment-friendly technologies, has hastened the large-scale production of the enzyme. Herein, the importance of microbial (bacteria and fungi) amylase is discussed along with its production methods from the laboratory to industrial scales.
Amelioration of Inflammatory Cytokines Mix Stimulation: A Pretreatment of CD137 Signaling Study on VSMC
Authors: Zhong Wei , Li Bo , Li Xiao Yang , Wang Zhong Qun , Shao Chen , Wang Cui Ping , Chen Rui , Yan Jin Chuan
Published: February 2017

Previous studies showed little CD137 expressed in normal vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and it is important to find a valid way to elevate it before studying its function. The level of CD137 was detected by RT-PCR, western blot, and flow cytometry, respectively. CD137 signaling activation was activated by agonist antibody and measured through phenotype transformation indicators and cell functions. Proteins in supernatants were detected by ELISA. The total CD137 elevates under different concentrations of CM treatment. Among these, 25 ng/ml CM treatment increases the CD137 expression mostly. However, flow cytometry demonstrates that 10 ng/ml CM elevates surface CD137 more significantly than other concentrations and reaches the peak at 36 h. At 10 ng/ml, but not 25 ng/ml CM pretreatment, the levels of phenotype related proteins such as SM-MHC, α-SMA, and calponin decrease while vimentin and NFATc1 increase, suggesting that VSMCs undergo phenotype transformation. Transwell, CCK-8 assay, and ELISA showed that the ability of VSMCs viability, migration, and IL-2 and IL-6 secretion induced by CD137 signaling was significantly enhanced by the pretreatment of 10 ng/ml CM. This research suggested that 10 ng/ml CM pretreatment is more reasonable than other concentrations when exploring CD137 function in VSMCs.
HHV8/EBV Coinfection Lymphoproliferative Disorder: Rare Entity with a Favorable Outcome
Authors: Bacha Dhouha , Chelly Beya , Kilani Houda , Charfi Lamia , Douggaz Amel , Chatti Samia , Chelbi Emna
Published: February 2017

HHV8/EBV-associated germinotropic lymphoproliferative disorder (GLD) is a challenging diagnosis given its rarity, the particular clinical presentation, and the lack of expression of markers usually used in establishing hematopoietic lineage. We report a new case of HHV8/EBV GLD in an immunocompetent 78-year-old woman. The diagnosis was made in an incidentally discovered lymphadenopathy. Histological examination showed a nodular lymphoid proliferation centered by aggregates of atypical plasmablastic cells admixed with small lymphoid cells. Tumor cells were strongly positive with EMA, HHV8, LMP1, CD38, CD138, and kappa light chains. They were negative with common lymphoma-associated markers (CD20, CD3, CD15, CD30, CD10, and bcl2). In situ hybridization confirmed the monotypic kappa light chains and the EBV infection (EBER+). A polyclonal pattern of Ig gene rearrangement was detected by PCR analysis. In the adjacent lymph node parenchyma, some germinal centers mimicked Castleman disease. In this case, the differential diagnosis was discussed with an early stage of large B-cell lymphoma arising in HHV8-associated multicentric Castleman disease. The clinical presentation, the immunophenotype, and the molecular results helped to make the accurate diagnosis. Through the review of the nine previously reported cases in literature, we discuss the clinical and pathologic features and the differential diagnosis of HHV8/EBV GLD.
Resistance to mTORC1 Inhibitors in Cancer Therapy: From Kinase Mutations to Intratumoral Heterogeneity of Kinase Activity
Authors: Faes Seraina , Demartines Nicolas , Dormond Olivier
Published: February 2017

Targeting mTORC1 has been thoroughly explored in cancer therapy. Following encouraging preclinical studies, mTORC1 inhibitors however failed to provide substantial benefits in cancer patients. Several resistance mechanisms have been identified including mutations of mTOR and activation of alternate proliferation pathways. Moreover, emerging evidence discloses intratumoral heterogeneity of mTORC1 activity that further contributes to a reduced anticancer efficacy of mTORC1 inhibitors. Genetic heterogeneity as well as heterogeneous conditions of the tumor environment such as hypoxia profoundly modifies mTORC1 activity in tumors and hence influences the response of tumors to mTORC1 inhibitors. Intriguingly, the heterogeneity of mTORC1 activity also occurs towards its substrates at the single cell level, as mutually exclusive pattern of activation of mTORC1 downstream effectors has been reported in tumors. After briefly describing mTORC1 biology and the use of mTORC1 inhibitors in patients, this review will give an overview on concepts of resistance to mTORC1 inhibition in cancer with a particular focus on intratumoral heterogeneity of mTORC1 activity.
Developing Customized Dental Miniscrew Surgical Template from Thermoplastic Polymer Material Using Image Superimposition, CAD System, and 3D Printing
Authors: Wang Yu-Tzu , Yu Jian-Hong , Lo Lun-Jou , Hsu Pin-Hsin , Lin CHun-Li
Published: February 2017

This study integrates cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT)/laser scan image superposition, computer-aided design (CAD), and 3D printing (3DP) to develop a technology for producing customized dental (orthodontic) miniscrew surgical templates using polymer material. Maxillary bone solid models with the bone and teeth reconstructed using CBCT images and teeth and mucosa outer profile acquired using laser scanning were superimposed to allow miniscrew visual insertion planning and permit surgical template fabrication. The customized surgical template CAD model was fabricated offset based on the teeth/mucosa/bracket contour profiles in the superimposition model and exported to duplicate the plastic template using the 3DP technique and polymer material. An anterior retraction and intrusion clinical test for the maxillary canines/incisors showed that two miniscrews were placed safely and did not produce inflammation or other discomfort symptoms one week after surgery. The fitness between the mucosa and template indicated that the average gap sizes were found smaller than 0.5 mm and confirmed that the surgical template presented good holding power and well-fitting adaption. This study addressed integrating CBCT and laser scan image superposition; CAD and 3DP techniques can be applied to fabricate an accurate customized surgical template for dental orthodontic miniscrews.
Affine-Invariant Geometric Constraints-Based High Accuracy Simultaneous Localization and Mapping
Authors: Hua Gangchen , Tan Xu
Published: February 2017

In this study we describe a new appearance-based loop-closure detection method for online incremental simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) using affine-invariant-based geometric constraints. Unlike other pure bag-of-words-based approaches, our proposed method uses geometric constraints as a supplement to improve accuracy. By establishing an affine-invariant hypothesis, the proposed method excludes incorrect visual words and calculates the dispersion of correctly matched visual words to improve the accuracy of the likelihood calculation. In addition, camera’s intrinsic parameters and distortion coefficients are adequate for this method. 3D measuring is not necessary. We use the mechanism of Long-Term Memory and Working Memory (WM) to manage the memory. Only a limited size of the WM is used for loop-closure detection; therefore the proposed method is suitable for large-scale real-time SLAM. We tested our method using the CityCenter and Lip6Indoor datasets. Our proposed method results can effectively correct the typical false-positive localization of previous methods, thus gaining better recall ratios and better precision.
Temperature Characteristics of Porous Portland Cement Concrete during the Hot Summer Session
Authors: Hu Liqun , Li Yangyang , Zou Xiaolong , Du Shaowen , Liu Zhuangzhuang , Huang Hao
Published: February 2017

Pavement heats the near-surface air and affects the thermal comfort of the human body in hot summer. Because of a large amount of connected porosity of porous Portland cement concrete (PPCC), the thermal parameters of PPCC are much different from those of traditional Portland cement concrete (PCC). The temperature change characteristics of PPCC and the effects on surrounding environment are also different. A continuous 48-hour log of temperature of a PCC and five kinds of PPCC with different porosity were recorded in the open air in the hot summer. The air temperatures at different heights above concrete specimens were tested using self-made enclosed boxes to analyze the characteristics of near-surface air temperature. The output heat flux of different concrete specimens was calculated. The results show that the PPCC has higher temperature in the daytime and lower temperature in the nighttime and larger temperature gradient than the PCC. The air temperature above PPCC is lower than that of PCC after solar radiation going to zero at night. The total output heat flux of PPCC is slightly smaller in the daytime and significantly smaller at night than that of PCC. The results of tests and calculations indicate that PPCC contributes to the mitigation of heating effect of pavement on the near-surface air.
The Effects of Acupuncture Stimulation for Brain Activation and Alcohol Abstinence Self‐Efficacy: Functional MRI Study
Authors: Yang Chae Ha , Choi Seong Hun , Kim Ju Sang , Ryu Yeon Hee , Lim Young Jin , Kim Moon Seup , Sohn Jeong woo , Oh Sung Suk , Kim Cheongtag , Lee Mi Young
Published: February 2017

We attempted to investigate whether acupuncture stimulation at HT7 can have an effect on brain activation patterns and alcohol abstinence self‐efficacy. Thirty‐four right‐handed healthy subjects were recruited for this study. They were randomly assigned into two groups: the HT7 (Shenmen) group and the LI5 (Yangxi) group. Acupuncture stimulation was performed using a block paradigm during fMRI scanning. Additionally, the Korean version of Alcohol Abstinence Self‐Efficacy Scale (AASES) was used to determine the effect of acupuncture stimulation on self‐efficacy to abstain from alcohol use. According to the result of fMRI group analysis, the activation induced by HT7 stimulation was found on the bilateral postcentral gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, inferior frontal gyrus, claustrum, insula, and anterior lobe of the cerebellum, as well as on the left posterior lobe of the cerebellum (p < 0.001, uncorrected). According to the AASES analysis, the interaction effect for gender and treatment was marginally significant (F(1,  30) = 4.152, p = 0.050). For female group, the simple main effect of treatment was significant (F(1,  11) = 8.040, p = 0.016), indicating that the mean change score was higher in the HT7 stimulation than in the LI5 stimulation. Therefore, our study has provided evidence to support that HT7 stimulation has a positive therapeutic effect on the alcohol‐related diseases.
Mixed Total Variation and L1 Regularization Method for Optical Tomography Based on Radiative Transfer Equation
Authors: Tang Jinping , Han Bo , Han Weimin , Bi Bo , Li Li
Published: February 2017

Optical tomography is an emerging and important molecular imaging modality. The aim of optical tomography is to reconstruct optical properties of human tissues. In this paper, we focus on reconstructing the absorption coefficient based on the radiative transfer equation (RTE). It is an ill-posed parameter identification problem. Regularization methods have been broadly applied to reconstruct the optical coefficients, such as the total variation (TV) regularization and the L1 regularization. In order to better reconstruct the piecewise constant and sparse coefficient distributions, TV and L1 norms are combined as the regularization. The forward problem is discretized with the discontinuous Galerkin method on the spatial space and the finite element method on the angular space. The minimization problem is solved by a Jacobian-based Levenberg-Marquardt type method which is equipped with a split Bregman algorithms for the L1 regularization. We use the adjoint method to compute the Jacobian matrix which dramatically improves the computation efficiency. By comparing with the other imaging reconstruction methods based on TV and L1 regularizations, the simulation results show the validity and efficiency of the proposed method.