bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Species variability in the response to elevated temperature of select corals in north-western Philippines
Authors: Da-Anoy Jeric P. , Cabaitan Patrick C. , Conaco Cecilia
Published: March 2019

Thermal stress events threaten coral populations by disrupting symbiosis between the coral animal and microalgal symbionts in its tissues. These symbionts are key players in the response of the coral holobiont to elevated temperature. However, little is known about the microalgal symbiont type in select corals in the north-western Philippines and how they contribute to the differential responses of coral species. Based on sequencing of major ITS2 bands from DGGE, the dominant algal symbiont inAcropora digitifera,A. millepora,A. tenuisandFavites colemaniwas identified to be closely related to ITS2 type C3u,Montipora digitatacontained ITS2 type C15, andSeriatopora caliendrumhosted ITS2 types similar to C3-Gulf and D1. Thin branching corals, such asA. tenuisandS. caliendrum, exhibited the greatest reduction in photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) and symbiont density at elevated temperature, followed byM. digitataandA. millepora, to a lesser extent.A. digitiferaandF. colemaniwere least affected by the temperature treatment. Reduction in Fv/Fm and symbiont density was more apparent inA. tenuisandA. milleporathan inM. digitataandF. colemani, although these species all host ITS2 type C3u symbionts. These results suggest that the impact of elevated temperature is influenced by factors apart from symbiont type. This highlights the importance of further studies on the diversity of corals and their microalgal symbionts in the region to gain insights into their potential resilience to recurring thermal stress events.
Differential patterns of brain activation between hoarding disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder during executive performance
Authors: Suñol Maria , Martínez-Zalacaín Ignacio , Picó-Pérez Maria , López-Solà Clara , Real Eva , Fullana Miquel Àngel , Pujol Jesús , Cardoner Narcís , Menchón José Manuel , Alonso Pino , Soriano-Mas Carles
Published: March 2019

Background

Preliminary evidence suggests that hoarding disorder (HD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may show distinct patterns of brain activation during executive performance, although results have been inconclusive regarding the specific neural correlates of their differential executive dysfunction. In the current study, we aim to evaluate differences in brain activation between patients with HD, OCD and healthy controls (HCs) during response inhibition, response switching and error processing.

Methods

We assessed 17 patients with HD, 18 patients with OCD and 19 HCs. Executive processing was assessed inside a magnetic resonance scanner by means of two variants of a cognitive control protocol (i.e. stop- and switch-signal tasks), which allowed for the assessment of the aforementioned executive domains.

Results

OCD patients performed similar to the HCs, differing only in the number of successful go trials in the switch-signal task. However, they showed an anomalous hyperactivation of the right rostral anterior cingulate cortex during error processing in the switch-signal task. Conversely, HD patients performed worse than OCD and HC participants in both tasks, showing an impulsive-like pattern of response (i.e. shorter reaction time and more commission errors). They also exhibited hyperactivation of the right lateral orbitofrontal cortex during successful response switching and abnormal deactivation of frontal regions during error processing in both tasks.

Conclusions

Our results support that patients with HD and OCD present dissimilar cognitive profiles, supported by distinct neural mechanisms. Specifically, while alterations in HD resemble an impulsive pattern of response, patients with OCD present increased error processing during response conflict protocols.
Measuring language attitudes in context: Exploring the potential of the Personalized Implicit Association Test
Authors: Rosseel Laura , Speelman Dirk , Geeraerts Dirk
Published: March 2019

After decades of relative methodological stagnation, language attitude research is witnessing an influx of new experimental methods originally developed in social psychology. One such measure is the Personalized Implicit Association Test (P-IAT), a reaction-time-based method that measures the association between two concepts. The P-IAT has been used successfully to measure language attitudes, yet presents a number of challenges, like the fact that it measures attitudes void of linguistic or interactional context. This article aims to address that challenge and introduces a contextualized version of the P-IAT, which was used alongside an explicit measurement to explore attitudes towards varieties of Dutch in formal vs. informal settings. While the explicit attitudes show the expected pattern of preference for the standard variety in formal contexts, results from the implicit measurement are not as clear-cut. We discuss potential explanations for these findings and reflect on consequences for future sociolinguistic research using the P-IAT. (Personalized Implicit Association Test (P-IAT), context dependence of language attitudes, sociolinguistics)*
Dynamics of UV short pulse laser-induced plasmas from a ceramic material “titanium carbide”: a hydrodynamical out of equilibrium investigation
Authors: Ait Oumeziane A. , Parisse J-D.
Published: March 2019

The present work is motivated by the numerous applications of short lasers–ceramics interaction. It aims at applying a newly developed model to investigate the dynamic of laser-induced plasmas from a ceramic material into a helium gas under atmospheric pressure. To have a better understanding of the link between the material properties, the plume characteristics and its interaction with the laser beam, a thorough examination of the entire ablation processes is conducted. Comparison with the behavior of laser-induced plumes under the same conditions from a pure material is shown to have a key role in shedding the light on what monitors the plume expansion in the background environment. Plume temperatures, velocities, ionization rates as well as elemental composition have been presented and compared under carefully chosen relevant conditions. This study is of interest for laser matter applications depending on the induced plasmas dynamics and composition.
SECOND AND THIRD LANGUAGE LEARNERS’ SENSITIVITY TO JAPANESE PITCH ACCENT IS ADDITIVE
Authors: Wiener Seth , Goss Seth
Published: March 2019

This study examines second (L2) and third (L3) language learners’ pitch perception. We test the hypothesis that a listener’s discrimination of and sensitivity (d’) to Japanese pitch accent reflects how pitch cues inform all words a listener knows in an additive, nonselective manner rather than how pitch cues inform words in a selective, Japanese-only manner. Six groups of listeners performed a speeded ABX discrimination task in Japanese. Groups were defined by their L1, L2, and L3 experience with the target language’s pitch cues (Japanese), a language with less informative pitch cues (English), or a language with more informative pitch cues (Mandarin Chinese). Results indicate that sensitivity to pitch is better modeled as a function of pitch’s informativeness across all languages a listener speaks. These findings support cue-centric views of perception and transfer, demonstrate potential advantageous transfer of tonal-L1/L2 speakers, and highlight the cumulative role that pitch plays in language learning.
ON ASYMPTOTIC UNIFORM SMOOTHNESS AND NONLINEAR GEOMETRY OF BANACH SPACES
Authors: Braga B. M.
Published: March 2019

These notes concern the nonlinear geometry of Banach spaces, asymptotic uniform smoothness and several Banach–Saks-like properties. We study the existence of certain concentration inequalities in asymptotically uniformly smooth Banach spaces as well as weakly sequentially continuous coarse (Lipschitz) embeddings into those spaces. Some results concerning the descriptive set theoretical complexity of those properties are also obtained. We finish the paper with a list of open problem.
Equivalence of the German and the French Versions of the Self-Report	Symptom Inventory
Authors: Giger Peter , Merten Thomas
Published: March 2019

Abstract. Against the background of the growing importance of symptom validity assessment both in forensic and clinical or rehabilitation contexts, a new instrument for identifying overreporting was developed. In order to study the equivalence of the German and the French versions, we divided the item pool of the Self-Report Symptom Inventory (SRSI) into two presumably equivalent half-forms. A sample of 40 adult bilingual Swiss nationals with a mean age of 39.9 years responded honestly to one of the half-forms in German and to the other in French. In a subsequent experimental malingering condition, they were asked to simulate sequelae of a whiplash injury and to respond to the SRSI again. In both conditions, they also filled out the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS). The results showed no differences between the two language versions in both conditions. Classification accuracy was very high (100% specificity, 90% sensitivity for the standard cutoff score). Reliability estimates were 0.93 for endorsement of genuine symptoms and 0.97 for pseudosymptom endorsement. In the malingering condition, the correlation between the number of reported pseudosymptoms and the SIMS scores was 0.69. The current results add to the database available for the SRSI and support the appropriateness of the French version.
An Internet-Based Intervention for the Relatives of People with	Mental Illnesses
Authors: Salamin Virginie , Ray Philippe , Gothuey Isabelle , Corzani Sabine , Martin-Soelch Chantal
Published: March 2019

Abstract. Relatives of individuals with mental illness are exposed to an elevated level of burden. Consequently, it is important to provide them with coping strategies. We explored the benefits of an online skills-training intervention. This open, uncontrolled interventional pilot study included 104 relatives of individuals with a mental illness. They participated either in a face-to-face group ( n = 60) or online intervention ( n = 44); participants were free to choose the type of intervention. Depressive symptoms and emotion regulation were assessed before and after the interventions. The analysis was based on an intention-to-treat model. About one-third of both samples did not complete the posttest assessments. The results of a multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant effect of the interaction between time and intervention type, F(2,101) = 11.77, p < .01. Reductions in depressive symptoms, F(1,102) = 9.41, p < .01, ε2p = .08, and emotion-regulation difficulty, F(1,102) = 8.01, p < .01, ε2p = .07, following the online intervention were greater relative to the group intervention. Despite the limitations of this study because of group differences, the results demonstrated the benefits of an online intervention for the relatives. These encouraging initial results require further confirmation using a randomized controlled trial.
“Next Wednesday’s Meeting has been Moved Forward Two	Days”
Authors: Stocker Kurt , Hartmann Matthias
Published: March 2019

Abstract. If time is conceived of as a river, we either have the perspective of seeing ourselves as moving downstream toward the future (e.g., “We are approaching the future,” called ego moving), or we have the perspective of the future as moving upstream toward us (e.g., “The future is approaching,” called time moving). Most ego- and time-moving studies have been conducted by using an English ego/time-moving ambiguous question to implicitly measure a person’s current time perspective (ego vs. time moving). In the current study, we replicate previous findings that in (Standard) German the time-perspective question is not ambiguous, while showing as a new finding that it is ambiguous in Swiss German. We attribute this difference to different normative uses in these two German variants. To our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate dialectal differences in relation to cognitive processing of ego-/time-moving metaphors. Psychological and linguistic implications are discussed.
Global Rules Mask the Mitigation Challenge Facing Developing Countries
Authors: Jiang Xuemei , Peters Glen P. , Green Christopher
Published: March 2019

Focusing on global mitigation pathways masks key aspects of technical, political, and social feasibility, which play out at the country level. We illustrate the dilemma between a “carbon law” (halving emissions every decade) at the global level and the nationally determined contributions submitted at the country level. Our results suggest that even if the United States, European Union, China, and India could strengthen their nationally determined contributions by 2050, the rest of the world is required to immediately change from their current course to a very rapid decrease in emissions reaching almost zero emissions by 2030, to achieve the Paris 2015 goal. The greatest mitigation challenges lie in the developing world. Real progress toward the Paris Agreement goal awaits an effective commitment by leading countries to undertake breakthrough research and development of low‐, zero‐, or even negative‐carbon‐emissions energy technologies that can be deployed at scale in the developing world.
First‐Principles Study of Thermodynamics and Spin Transition in FeSiO3 Liquid at High Pressure
Authors: Sun Yicheng , Zhou Huiqun , Yin Kun , Lu Xiancai
Published: March 2019

The thermodynamic properties of iron silicate liquids at high pressures and temperatures are poorly constrained, even though they are important for understanding the thermal and chemical evolution of a magma ocean. Here we report the results of the P‐V‐T equation of state, thermodynamic properties, and spin transition of iron in FeSiO3 liquid at 2500–6000 K and pressure conditions spanning the entire mantle using first‐principles molecular dynamics simulations. Our calculations predict that FeSiO3 liquid undergoes a linear high‐to‐low spin transition over a broad pressure interval (>296 GPa), and the spin state of iron in FeSiO3 liquid is mainly the high‐spin state near the conditions of the core‐mantle boundary. Our results of FeSiO3 liquid adiabats show that iron content has little effect on the adiabatic temperature profile of liquid (Mg,Fe)SiO3 in a magma ocean.
Sea Surface Signature of Internal Tides
Authors: Lahaye Noé , Gula Jonathan , Roullet Guillaume
Published: March 2019

The upper ocean is energetic at scales below the Rossby deformation radius owing to the existence of internal waves and submesoscale fronts and vortices. These contribute significantly to energy dissipation, tracer mixing, and exchanges between the ocean surface layer, the ocean interior, and the atmospheric boundary layer. Internal waves and submesoscale motions both undergo strong spatial and seasonal variations, driven by different mechanisms. Here, we investigate the sea surface signature of internal waves and its seasonality using linear wave theory and a high‐resolution realistic simulation. In summer, internal waves are greatly amplified near the surface mostly due to a thin mixed layer bounded by a seasonal pycnocline. This surface amplification is well captured by linear theory, provided that the stratification at the base of the mixed layer is accurately represented. In winter, the superinertial motions are not fully explained by linear theory, reflecting impacts of the more energetic submesoscale motions.
Experimental Studies of Anisotropy on Borehole Breakouts in Mancos Shale
Authors: Choens R. C. , Lee M. Y. , Ingraham M. D. , Dewers T. A. , Herrick C. G.
Published: March 2019

Measuring the size and orientation of borehole breakouts is one of the primary methods for determining the orientation and magnitudes of the in situ stresses in the subsurface. To better understand the effects of anisotropy on borehole breakouts, experiments were conducted on Mancos Shale, a finely laminated mudrock. A novel testing configuration was developed to conduct borehole breakout experiments in a standard triaxial vessel and load frame. Samples were prepared at three different orientations and deformed under 6.9 to 20.7 MPa confining pressure. The results show a variation of peak strength and breakout geometry depending on the lamination orientation. Samples deformed parallel to laminations failed at a higher maximum compressive stress than samples deformed perpendicular to laminations, which were stronger than inclined samples. These relationships are quantified by a cosine‐based failure envelope. Observed breakout shapes in perpendicular samples are V‐shaped and symmetric around the borehole, which advance as a series of fractures of increasing size into the sidewalls. In inclined samples, fractures form along weaker laminations planes and grow in an en echelon pattern towards the axial stress direction. In parallel samples, long fractures grow from the wellbore towards the axial stress direction. The observed geometries highlight potential sources of error in calculating in situ stresses from borehole breakouts.
Jay Inslee Campaigns for Presidency on Climate Change Issue
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: March 2019

The governor of Washington says that dealing with climate change has to be the country’s number one priority.
The Impact of Changes in Cloud Water pH on Aerosol Radiative Forcing
Authors: Turnock S. T. , Mann G. W. , Woodhouse M. T. , Dalvi M. , O'Connor F. M. , Carslaw K. S. , Spracklen D. V.
Published: March 2019

Oxidation of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in cloud water by reaction with ozone is an important sulfate aerosol formation mechanism and strongly dependent on the acidity of cloud water. Decadal reductions in Northern Hemisphere sulfur emissions have contributed to higher cloud water pH, thereby altering sulfate formation rates. Here we use a global composition‐climate model to show that changes in cloud water pH over the 1970–2009 period strongly affects the aerosol particle size distribution, cloud condensation nuclei concentrations, and the magnitude of aerosol radiative forcing. The simulated all‐sky aerosol radiative forcing (1970–2009) over the North Atlantic is +1.2 W m−2 if pH remains constant at 5.0, as in many climate models. However, the forcing increases to +5.2 W m−2 if pH is assumed to increase by 1.0 unit over this period. Global composition climate models need to account for variations in cloud water pH to improve the representation of sulfate aerosol formation and aerosol radiative effects.
Introducing Thermal Inertia for Monitoring Snowmelt Processes With Remote Sensing
Authors: Colombo R. , Garzonio R. , Di Mauro B. , Dumont M. , Tuzet F. , Cogliati S. , Pozzi G. , Maltese A. , Cremonese E.
Published: March 2019

Thermal inertia has been successfully used in remote sensing applications that span from geology, geomorphology to hydrology. In this paper, we propose the use of thermal inertia for describing snow dynamics. Two different formulations of thermal inertia were tested using experimental and simulated data related to snowpack dynamics. Experimental data were acquired between 2012 and 2017 from an automatic weather station located in the western Italian Alps at 2,160 m. Simulations were obtained using the one‐dimensional multilayer Crocus model. Results provided evidences that snowmelt phases can be recognized, and average snowpack density can be estimated reasonably well from thermal inertia observations (R2 = 0.71; RMSE = 65 kg/m3). The empirical model was also validated with manual snow density measurements (R2 = 0.80; RMSE = 54 kg/m3). This study is the first attempt at the exploitation of thermal inertia for snow monitoring, combining optical and thermal remote sensing data.
Tracking the Region of High Correlation Between Pulsating Aurora and Chorus: Simultaneous Observations With Arase Satellite and Ground‐Based All‐Sky Imager in Russia
Authors: Kawamura S. , Hosokawa K. , Kurita S. , Oyama S. , Miyoshi Y. , Kasahara Y. , Ozaki M. , Matsuda S. , Matsuoka A. , Kozelov B. , Kawamura Y. , Shinohara I.
Published: March 2019

The temporal modulations of magnetospheric chorus waves are one of the candidates for explaining quasiperiodic precipitation of energetic electrons causing pulsating aurora (PsA). To confirm fully the direct association between PsA and chorus, an extended interval of PsA (~1 hr) simultaneously observed by the Arase satellite and a ground‐based all‐sky imager in Apatity, Kola Peninsula, Russia was examined. In particular, a region of high correlation between PsA and chorus was continuously tracked within the field of view of the all‐sky imager. The result showed that the high‐correlation region and the modeled footprint of Arase moved in tandem. This strongly implies that the chorus and PsA electrons originated from the same local interaction region. In addition, the location of the high‐correlation region showed sudden jumps, which were probably associated with the motion of the satellite through discrete spatial structures of plasma in the region of wave‐particle interaction.
A TRIM71 binding long noncoding RNA Trincr1 represses FGF/ERK signaling in embryonic stem cells
Authors: Li Ya-Pu , Duan Fei-Fei , Zhao Yu-Ting , Gu Kai-Li , Liao Le-Qi , Su Huai-Bin , Hao Jing , Zhang Kun , Yang Na , Wang Yangming
Published: March 2019

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as important components of gene regulatory network in embryonic stem cells (ESCs). However, the function and molecular mechanism of lncRNAs are still largely unknown. Here we identifies Trincr1 (TRIM71 interacting long noncoding RNA 1) lncRNA that regulates the FGF/ERK signaling and self-renewal of ESCs. Trincr1 is exported by THOC complex to cytoplasm where it binds and represses TRIM71, leading to the downregulation of SHCBP1 protein. Knocking out Trincr1 leads to the upregulation of phosphorylated ERK and ERK pathway target genes and the decrease of ESC self-renewal, while knocking down Trim71 completely rescues the defects of Trincr1 knockout. Furthermore, ectopic expression of Trincr1 represses FGF/ERK signaling and the self-renewal of neural progenitor cells (NPCs). Together, this study highlights lncRNA as an important player in cell signaling network to coordinate cell fate specification.
Soluble TREM2 ameliorates pathological phenotypes by modulating microglial functions in an Alzheimer’s disease model
Authors: Zhong Li , Xu Ying , Zhuo Rengong , Wang Tingting , Wang Kai , Huang Ruizhi , Wang Daxin , Gao Yue , Zhu Yifei , Sheng Xuan , Chen Kai , Wang Na , Zhu Lin , Can Dan , Marten Yuka , Shinohara Mitsuru , Liu Chia-Chen , Du Dan , Sun Hao , Wen Lei , Xu Huaxi , Bu Guojun , Chen Xiao-Fen
Published: March 2019

Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is a microglial surface receptor genetically linked to the risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A proteolytic product, soluble TREM2 (sTREM2), is abundant in the cerebrospinal fluid and its levels positively correlate with neuronal injury markers. To gain insights into the pathological roles of sTREM2, we studied sTREM2 in the brain of 5xFAD mice, a model of AD, by direct stereotaxic injection of recombinant sTREM2 protein or by adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated expression. We found that sTREM2 reduces amyloid plaque load and rescues functional deficits of spatial memory and long-term potentiation. Importantly, sTREM2 enhances microglial proliferation, migration, clustering in the vicinity of amyloid plaques and the uptake and degradation of Aβ. Depletion of microglia abolishes the neuroprotective effects of sTREM2. Our study demonstrates a protective role of sTREM2 against amyloid pathology and related toxicity and suggests that increasing sTREM2 can be explored for AD therapy.
Predicting the phase diagram of solid carbon dioxide at high pressure from first principles
Authors: Han Yanqiang , Liu Jinfeng , Huang Lei , He Xiao , Li Jinjin
Published: March 2019

The physics of solid carbon dioxide and its different polymorphs are not only of great practical and fundamental interest but also of considerable importance to terrestrial and planetary chemistry. Despite decades of computer simulations, the atomic-level structures of solid carbon dioxide polymorphs are still far from well understood and the phase diagrams of solid carbon dioxide predicted by traditional empirical force fields or density-functional theory are still challenged by their accuracies in describing the hydrogen bonding and van-der-Waals interactions. Especially the “intermediate state” solid carbon dioxide phase II, separating the most stable molecular phases from the intermediate forms, has not been demonstrated accurately and is the matter of a long standing debate. Here, we introduce a general ab initio electron-correlated method that can predict the Gibbs free energies and thus the phase diagrams of carbon dioxide phases I, II and III, using the high-level second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation (MP2) theory at high pressures and finite temperatures. The predicted crystal structures, phase transitions, and Raman spectra are in excellent agreement with the experiments. The proposed model not only reestablishes the position of solid carbon dioxide in phase diagram but also holds exceptional promise in assisting experimental studies of exploring new phases of molecular crystals with potentially important applications.
CREDO: Highly confident disease-relevant A-to-I RNA-editing discovery in breast cancer
Authors: Hwang Woochang , Calza Stefano , Silvestri Marco , Pawitan Yudi , Lee Youngjo
Published: March 2019

Adenosine-to-Inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing is the most prevalent post-transcriptional modification of RNA molecules. Researchers have attempted to find reliable RNA editing using next generation sequencing (NGS) data. However, most of these attempts suffered from a high rate of false positives, and they did not consider the clinical relevance of the identified RNA editing, for example, in disease progression. We devised an effective RNA-editing discovery pipeline called CREDO, which includes novel statistical filtering modules based on integration of DNA- and RNA-seq data from matched tumor-normal tissues. CREDO was compared with three other RNA-editing discovery pipelines and found to give significantly fewer false positives. Application of CREDO to breast cancer data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project discovered highly confident RNA editing with clinical relevance to cancer progression in terms of patient survival. RNA-editing detection using DNA- and RNA-seq data from matched tumor-normal tissues should be more routinely performed as multiple omics data are becoming commonly available from each patient sample. We believe CREDO is an effective and reliable tool for this problem.
Sex-dependent associations of childhood neglect and bodyweight across the life span
Authors: Ernst M. , Tibubos A. N. , Werner A. , Beutel M. E. , Plener P. L. , Fegert J. M. , Brähler E.
Published: March 2019

Eating disorders and weight problems across the life span have been linked to adverse childhood experiences. Previous research often focused on child abuse and omitted investigating effects of child neglect. The present study evaluates effects of neglect on bodyweight across the life span and how emotional neglect and bodyweight are linked via mental distress. Within a large survey representative of the German population (N = 2,500), individuals completed measures of mental distress, childhood trauma, and height and weight. We conducted logistic regression analyses on bodyweight extremes and a moderated mediation analysis. In men, physical neglect aggravated the risk to be underweight. In women, emotional neglect was linked to severe obesity. In both sexes, emotional neglect was related to mental distress. We found an indirect effect of emotional neglect on bodyweight via mental distress, however, it was only present in women. Our results attest to long-term consequences of adverse early experiences. We showed a possible mechanism for women’s higher vulnerability towards eating disorders. In general, investigations of eating and weight disorders should also include men and employ sex-specific methods of analyses. Lastly, neglect should also receive more attention to prevent suffering and negative sequelae over the life span.
Dynamics of skyrmion in disordered chiral magnet of thin film form
Authors: Koshibae Wataru , Nagaosa Naoto
Published: March 2019

Magnetic skyrmion is a topological spin texture characterized by the mapping from the two dimensional real space to the unit sphere. It is realized in chiral magnets under an external magnetic field in the plane perpendicular to it. In thin film samples, which are most relevant to the applications, the thickness of the system parallel to the magnetic field is finite, and a skyrmion turns into a skyrmion string, which is often assumed to be a straight rod. There are phenomena related to the internal degrees of freedom along the string, e.g., the monopole and anti-monopole creation/annihilation, corresponding to the change in the skyrmion number. However, the role of this finite thickness in the topological stability and dynamics has not been explored yet. Here we study theoretically the current-driven dynamics of a skyrmion string under disorder potential by systematically changing the thickness of the sample to reveal the dynamical phase diagram in the plane of current density and thickness. We found the three regions, i.e., (i) pinned skyrmion string, (ii) moving depinned skyrmion string, and (iii) annihilation of skyrmion string, for thin and thick limits while (iii) is missing in the intermediate case. This indicates that there is the optimal range of thickness for the topological stability of skyrmion string enhanced compared with a two-dimensional skyrmion. This result provides a way to design and control skyrmions in thin films and interfaces of finite thickness.
An individual participant data meta-analysis on metabolomics profiles for obesity and insulin resistance in European children
Authors: Hellmuth Christian , Kirchberg Franca F. , Brandt Stephanie , Moß Anja , Walter Viola , Rothenbacher Dietrich , Brenner Hermann , Grote Veit , Gruszfeld Dariusz , Socha Piotr , Closa-Monasterolo Ricardo , Escribano Joaquin , Luque Veronica , Verduci Elvira , Mariani Benedetta , Langhendries Jean-Paul , Poncelet Pascale , Heinrich Joachim , Lehmann Irina , Standl Marie , Uhl Olaf , Koletzko Berthold , Thiering Elisabeth , Wabitsch Martin
Published: March 2019

Childhood obesity prevalence is rising in countries worldwide. A variety of etiologic factors contribute to childhood obesity but little is known about underlying biochemical mechanisms. We performed an individual participant meta-analysis including 1,020 pre-pubertal children from three European studies and investigated the associations of 285 metabolites measured by LC/MS-MS with BMI z-score, height, weight, HOMA, and lipoprotein concentrations. Seventeen metabolites were significantly associated with BMI z-score. Sphingomyelin (SM) 32:2 showed the strongest association with BMI z-score (P = 4.68 × 10−23) and was also closely related to weight, and less strongly to height and LDL, but not to HOMA. Mass spectrometric analyses identified SM 32:2 as myristic acid containing SM d18:2/14:0. Thirty-five metabolites were significantly associated to HOMA index. Alanine showed the strongest positive association with HOMA (P = 9.77 × 10−16), while acylcarnitines and non-esterified fatty acids were negatively associated with HOMA. SM d18:2/14:0 is a powerful marker for molecular changes in childhood obesity. Tracing back the origin of SM 32:2 to dietary source in combination with genetic predisposition will path the way for early intervention programs. Metabolic profiling might facilitate risk prediction and personalized interventions in overweight children.
Efficient Genomic Interval Queries Using Augmented Range Trees
Authors: Mao Chengsheng , Eran Alal , Luo Yuan
Published: March 2019

Efficient large-scale annotation of genomic intervals is essential for personal genome interpretation in the realm of precision medicine. There are 13 possible relations between two intervals according to Allen’s interval algebra. Conventional interval trees are routinely used to identify the genomic intervals satisfying a coarse relation with a query interval, but cannot support efficient query for more refined relations such as all Allen’s relations. We design and implement a novel approach to address this unmet need. Through rewriting Allen’s interval relations, we transform an interval query to a range query, then adapt and utilize the range trees for querying. We implement two types of range trees: a basic 2-dimensional range tree (2D-RT) and an augmented range tree with fractional cascading (RTFC) and compare them with the conventional interval tree (IT). Theoretical analysis shows that RTFC can achieve the best time complexity for interval queries regarding all Allen’s relations among the three trees. We also perform comparative experiments on the efficiency of RTFC, 2D-RT and IT in querying noncoding element annotations in a large collection of personal genomes. Our experimental results show that 2D-RT is more efficient than IT for interval queries regarding most of Allen’s relations, RTFC is even more efficient than 2D-RT. The results demonstrate that RTFC is an efficient data structure for querying large-scale datasets regarding Allen’s relations between genomic intervals, such as those required by interpreting genome-wide variation in large populations.
Investigation of multiple-dynein transport of melanosomes by non-invasive force measurement using fluctuation unit χ
Authors: Hasegawa Shin , Sagawa Takashi , Ikeda Kazuho , Okada Yasushi , Hayashi Kumiko
Published: March 2019

Pigment organelles known as melanosomes disperse or aggregate in a melanophore in response to hormones. These movements are mediated by the microtubule motors kinesin-2 and cytoplasmic dynein. However, the force generation mechanism of dynein, unlike that of kinesin, is not well understood. In this study, to address this issue, we investigated the dynein-mediated aggregation of melanosomes in zebrafish melanophores. We applied the fluctuation theorem of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics to estimate forces acting on melanosomes during transport by dynein, given that the energy of a system is related to its fluctuation. Our results demonstrate that multiple force-producing units cooperatively transport a single melanosome. Since the force is generated by dynein, this suggests that multiple dyneins carry a single melanosome. Cooperative transport has been reported for other organelles; thus, multiple-motor transport may be a universal mechanism for moving organelles within the cell.
Prediction of soil salinity with soil-reflected spectra: A comparison of two regression methods
Authors: Zhang Xiaoguang , Huang Biao
Published: March 2019

To achieve the best high spectral quantitative inversion of salt-affected soils, typical saline-sodic soil was selected from northeast China, and the soil spectra were measured; then, partial least-squares regression (PLSR) models and principle component regression(PCR) models were established for soil spectral reflectance and soil salinity, respectively. Modelling accuracies were compared between two models and conducted with different spectrum processing methods and different sampling intervals. Models based on all of the original spectral bands showed that the PLSR was superior to the PCR; however, after smoothing the spectra data, the PLSR did not continue outperforming the PCR. Models established by various transformed spectra after smoothing did not continue showing superiority of the PCR over the PLSR; therefore, we can conclude that the prediction accuracies of the models were not only determined by the smoothing methods, but also by spectral mathematical transformations. The best model was the PCR based on the median filtering data smoothing technique (MF) + log (1/X) + baseline correction transformation (R2 = 0.7206 and RMSE = 0.3929). To keep the information loss becoming too large, this suggested that an 8 nm sampling interval was the best when using soil spectra to predict soil salinity for both the PLSR and PCR models.
Lithium ion trapping mechanism of SiO2 in LiCoO2 based memristors
Authors: Hu Qi , Li Runmiao , Zhang Xinjiang , Gao Qin , Wang Mei , Shi Hongliang , Xiao Zhisong , Chu Paul K. , Huang Anping
Published: March 2019

Pt/LiCoO2/SiO2/Si stacks with different SiO2 thicknesses are fabricated and the influence of SiO2 on memristive behavior is investigated. It is demonstrated that SiO2 can serve as Li ion trapping layer benefiting device retention, and the thickness of SiO2 must be controlled to avoid large SET voltage and state instability. Simulation model based on Nernst potential and diffusion potential is postulated for electromotive force in LiCoO2 based memristors. The simulation results show that SiO2 trapping layer decreases the total electromotive field of device and thereby prevents Li ions from migrating back to LiCoO2. This model shows a good agreement with experimental data and reveals the Li ion trapping mechanism of SiO2 in LiCoO2 based memristors.
Gene Duplication Associated with Increased Fluconazole Tolerance in Candida auris cells of Advanced Generational Age
Authors: Bhattacharya Somanon , Holowka Thomas , Orner Erika P. , Fries Bettina C.
Published: March 2019

Candida auris is an emerging multi-drug resistant yeast that causes systemic infections. Here we show that C. auris undergoes replicative aging (RA) that results from asymmetric cell division and causes phenotypic differences between mother and daughter cells similar to other pathogenic yeasts. Importantly, older C. auris cells (10 generations) exhibited higher tolerance to fluconazole (FLC), micafungin, 5- flucytosine and amphotericin B compared to younger (0–3 generation) cells. Increased FLC tolerance was associated with increased Rhodamine 6G (R6G) efflux and therapeutic failure of FLC in a Galleria infection model. The higher efflux in the older cells correlated with overexpression of the efflux pump encoding gene CDR1 (4-fold). In addition, 8-fold upregulation of the azole target encoding gene ERG11 was noted in the older cells. Analysis of genomic DNA from older cells by qPCR indicates that transient gene duplication of CDR1 and ERG11 causes the observed age-dependent enhanced FLC tolerance in C. auris strains. Furthermore, older cells exhibited a thickened cell wall, decreased neutrophil killing (24% vs 50%), increased epithelial cell adhesion (31.6% vs 17.8%) and upregulation of adhesin protein Als5p. Thus, this study demonstrates that transient gene duplication can occur during RA, causing increased FLC tolerance in old C. auris cells.
Generation of a Fully Human scFv that binds Tumor-Specific Glycoforms
Authors: Lu Zhongpeng , Kamat Kalika , Johnson Blake P. , Yin Catherin C. , Scholler Nathalie , Abbott Karen L.
Published: March 2019

Tumor-specific glycosylation changes are an attractive target for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Periostin is a glycoprotein with high expression in many tumors of epithelial origin including ovarian cancer. Strategies to target the peptide portion of periostin as a diagnostic or therapeutic biomarker for cancer are limited due to increased expression of periostin in non-cancerous inflammatory conditions. Here, we have screened for antibody fragments that recognize the tumor-specific glycosylation present on glycoforms of periostin containing bisecting N-glycans in ovarian cancer using a yeast-display library of antibody fragments, while subtracting those that bind to the periostin protein with glycoforms found in non-malignant cell types. We generated a biotinylated form of a fully human scFv antibody (scFvC9) that targets the bisecting N-glycans expressed by cancer cells. Validation studies in vitro and in vivo using scFvC9 indicate this antibody can be useful for the development of diagnostic, imaging, and therapeutic applications for cancers that express the antigen.
Coherent power amplification of third-order harmonic femtosecond pulses at thin-film up-conversion nanoparticles
Authors: Gao Yi , Lee Hyub , Xu Wen , Jiao Jiannan , Chen Peng , Kim Dong-Hwan , Kim Young-Jin
Published: March 2019

Third harmonic generation (THG) is a nonlinear optical process attractive in high-resolution interfacial studies, sub-wavelength light manipulation, and bio-molecular detection due to its capability of converting low-energy quanta into a quantum of a higher energy. One of the limitations in utilizing THG is its low power conversion efficiency; thus, various THG enhancement methods have been researched by involving plasmonic coupling effects or utilizing electric band gap resonances at quantum dots or two-dimensional materials. Meanwhile, lanthanide ion-doped up-conversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) can be excited by a multi-photon process similar to THG, but its interaction or resonance with THG has not been studied to date. In this Communication, we demonstrate the first coherent amplification of third-order harmonic femtosecond pulses at multi-layered UCNP thin-film with an amplification factor of 7.8. This amplification is made by the resonance interaction of incident femtosecond laser field, generated third-order harmonics, and the electric band gaps of UCNPs. The power contribution of the third-order harmonic and the up-conversion luminescence (UCL) is strongly dependent on the sample geometry due to the reabsorption effect. For in-depth understanding of the emission characteristics, spectral-domain, time-domain, radio-frequency (RF) domain, and polarization-dependence analysis were addressed. This coherent amplification of third harmonic (TH) at UCNP thin-films enables us to attain higher power, shorter wavelength, and ultra-short femtosecond pulses generated from a simple thin-film structure near to the target samples, which will pave a way to an ultrafast short-wavelength laser platform for material characterization, sub-wavelength photonics, and biomolecular detection.
D-Serine reflects kidney function and diseases
Authors: Hesaka Atsushi , Sakai Shinsuke , Hamase Kenji , Ikeda Tatsuhiko , Matsui Rakan , Mita Masashi , Horio Masaru , Isaka Yoshitaka , Kimura Tomonori
Published: March 2019

D-Amino acids, long-term undetected enantiomers of L-amino acids, are now emerging as potential biomarkers, especially for kidney diseases. Management of chronic kidney disease (CKD), a global problem with its high prevalence and poor prognosis, is currently unsatisfactory due to the difficulty in estimating kidney function and in early detection of diseases. We now show that intra-body dynamics of D-serine reflect kidney function and diseases. The blood level of D-serine correlated well with the actual glomerular filtration ratio, a key kidney function. This correlation was compatible with those of conventional kidney markers, and blood level of D-serine was relatively unaffected by such clinical factors as body size. The balance between excretion and reabsorption of amino acids by the kidney was controlled with chiral selectivity, and the reabsorption of D-serine was sensitive to the presence of CKD. The combination of blood level and urinary dynamics of D-serine effectively distinguished CKD from non-CKD. These lines of evidence provide new insights into the enantioselective amino acid dynamics in the human body that reflect disease pathophysiology. D-Serine may serve as a vital biomarker that suppress CKD onset through the precise assessment of kidney function and the diagnosis of CKD.
Demonstration of extrinsic chirality of photoluminescence with semiconductor-metal hybrid nanowires
Authors: Hakkarainen Teemu , Petronijevic Emilija , Rizzo Piton Marcelo , Sibilia Concita
Published: March 2019

Chiral optical response is an inherent property of molecules and nanostructures, which cannot be superimposed on their mirror images. In specific cases, optical chirality can be observed also for symmetric structures. This so-called extrinsic chirality requires that the mirror symmetry is broken by the geometry of the structure together with the incident or emission angle of light. From the fabrication point of view, the benefit of extrinsic chirality is that there is no need to induce structural chirality at nanoscale. This paper reports demonstration extrinsic chirality of photoluminescence emission from asymmetrically Au-coated GaAs-AlGaAs-GaAs core-shell nanowires fabricated on silicon by a completely lithography-free self-assembled method. In particular, the extrinsic chirality of PL emission is shown to originate from a strong symmetry breaking of fundamental HE11 waveguide modes due to the presence of the asymmetric Au coating, causing preferential emission of left and right-handed emissions in different directions in the far field.
Sensitivity of speleothem records in the Indian Summer Monsoon region to dry season infiltration
Authors: Ronay Elli R. , Breitenbach Sebastian F. M. , Oster Jessica L.
Published: March 2019

In climates with strongly seasonal rainfall, speleothem-based paleoclimate reconstructions are often thought to reflect wet season conditions, assuming a bias toward the season with greater water supply. This is particularly true in monsoon regions, where speleothem records are interpreted to document monsoon strength changes on multiple timescales. Dry season infiltration variability and rainfall seasonality are not typically considered in these reconstructions, even though cave ventilation could bias speleothem growth toward the cooler season. To investigate the influence of dry season infiltration on speleothem geochemistry, we combine a modern, sub-seasonally resolved trace element record from Mawmluh Cave in Northeast India with forward modeling experiments. We find that variations in the amplitude of seasonal signals in speleothem Mg/Ca, which reflects prior carbonate precipitation, are more sensitive to dry season rather than monsoon season infiltration. This sensitivity may be enhanced by dry season cave ventilation. The Mawmluh speleothem Mg/Ca record is consistent with increased dry season rainfall during the 1976–1998 warm phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation relative to 1964–2013. Our work demonstrates the importance of considering non-monsoon season rainfall when interpreting speleothem paleoclimate records and suggests that trace elements could provide insight into periods of enhanced dry season infiltration in monsoonal climates.
Hox gene expression determines cell fate of adult periosteal stem/progenitor cells
Authors: Bradaschia-Correa Vivian , Leclerc Kevin , Josephson Anne M. , Lee Sooyeon , Palma Laura , Litwa Hannah P. , Neibart Shane S. , Huo Jason C. , Leucht Philipp
Published: March 2019

Hox genes are evolutionarily conserved transcription factors that during embryonic development function as master regulators of positional identity. In postnatal life, the function of Hox proteins is less clear: Hox genes are expressed during tissue repair, but in this context their function(s) are largely unknown. Here we show that Hox genes are expressed in periosteal stem/progenitor cells in a distribution similar to that during embryonic development. Using unbiased sequencing, we established that periosteal stem/progenitor cells from distinct anatomic sites within the skeleton significantly differ in their transcriptome, and that Hox expression status best defines these differences. Lastly, we provide evidence that Hox gene expression is one potential mechanism that maintains periosteal stem/progenitor cells in a more primitive, tripotent state, while suppression of Hox genes leads to fate changes with loss of tripotency. Together, our data describe an adult role of Hox genes other than positional identity, and the modulatory role of Hox genes in fate decisions may offer potential druggable targets for the treatment of fractures, non-unions and bone defects.